Boswell Staff Top 5 picks for 2016 part 4

Here I present to you a bit of potluck of booksellers with brilliant choices for their Top 5 of 2016. We run the gambit this week from fiction, genre fiction and graphic novels to mathematics, theater and economics. This is great representation of the depth and variety of topics and books that our staff has interests in. There is something for everyone here.

Jen’s Top 5 picks of 2016:

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

"Britt-Marie has just left her husband after discovering his affair, thus setting in motion an array of new experiences. Some of these are wonderful and some are vexatious for Britt-Marie. Britt-Marie is very organized and perhaps worries a bit too much about what other people may think. She has firm convictions about how a cutlery drawer ought to be organized, believes anything can be cleaned with baking soda and thinks swearing is for barbarians. She feels anyone who is civilized would agree with her. She happens, via a small mi-communication, to take a job in the community center in the small village of Borg. With her balcony boxes in tow, Britt-Marie heads to Borg to start her new life and settle in among the colorful denizens of the village. How will she ever feel at home among Borg's motley inhabitants? All Britt-Marie wants is for "someone to know I'm here". Faxin window cleaner may help Britt-Marie see the world better, but will anyone be able to truly "see" her? Britt-Marie Was Here is a wonderful novel full of heart and humor. Read Britt-Marie Was Here and see for yourself if you don't just love Britt-Marie for who she really is.” $26.00 $20.80 in the shop.

The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield

“Living in Quinn, Montana might be tough, but the women who do are tougher! After a nine-year absence, Rachel Flood has returned to make amends with her mother, Laverna, and rediscover her home town. Now sober for over a year, Rachel knows it will take a lot of hard work to set things right. Laverna Flood owns the Dirty Shame bar and coaches the local softball team, both of which involve a fair share of brawls and booze. Laverna and her best friend, Red Mabel, never expected to see Rachel again. With her homecoming, they're faced with a painful reminder of the past. Rachel moves into her father's trailer home and finds a friend in her 12-year-old neighbor, Jake. With his help, Rachel and the Flood girls may just be able to work through their history and learn to be a team. The Flood Girls is absolutely heartwarming and the colorful cast will make you laugh and cry.” $16.00

The Regional Office Is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales

"The Regional Office is under attack and it's up to Sarah and her mechanical arm to take down these unknown invaders in this Buffy meets Die Hard novel. While Sarah is trying to prevent the demise of the Regional Office, Rose, trained to be an assassin by a Regional Office defector, is trying to prove she is worthy of leading the assault. The Regional Office is Under Attack! is a fast paced and intense wild ride, full of supernatural surprises and very human emotions. Unputdownable!" $28.00

Rounding out Jen’s Top 5: The Hike by Drew Magary ($26.00 $20.80 in the shop) and Tetris by Box Brown ($19.99). 

Anne’s Top 5 picks of 2016:

John Aubrey, My Own Life by Ruth Scurr (PW Top Nonfiction 2016)

“I have been fascinated with this historical figure since seeing Roy Dotrice play him in BRIEF LIVES years ago.He's a smart, funny, gossipy man who had access to some of the most influential people of his time (late 1600's). This is a great gift for history lovers!” $35.00 $28.00 in the shop.

Much Ado: A Summer with a Repertory Theater Company by Michael Lenehan

“I thought I knew a fair amount about how plays are produced, but this taught me many new (to me) things and increased my appreciation of the dedicated work of APT and many other theater companies as well.” $19.95

Father’s Day by Simon Van Booy

“A gritty mystery which has a young man discovering family he never knew existed, when an unknown half-brother turns up dead on his doorstep.” $24.99

Rounding out Anne’s Top 5: The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie ($16.00) and Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume ($23.00 $18.40 in the shop).

 

Peter’s Top 5 books of 2016:

Jerusalem by Alan Moore (Washington Post Notable Fiction 2016)

“Alan Moore's Jerusalem is as ambitious as it is (actually) heavy. Written in a collection of literary styles, the story seems to keep a pace within itself in way that feels as if it is breathing. Griping, hilarious and chilling, Jerusalem is a feat of imagination that, even though took ten years of work, seems effortless from the writer of other instant classics such as: Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, Batman The Killing Joke, League of Extraordinary Gentleman and many others.” $35.00 $28.00 in the shop

Dark Night: A True Batman Tale by Paul Dini

“While working on Batman: The Animated Series, Paul Dini was mugged and left beaten and scarred physically and psychologically. Tormented by the Dark Knight’s rogue gallery (representing the archetypes of his perceived inadequacies) but Paul knows Batman, and BATMAN SAVES LIVES!” $22.99

Rounding out Peter’s Top 5 is a series of comic books that are all in his wheel house. If you ever would like to talk the history of comics, Marvel & DC, or the current great indie comics, then you might find time in your day to come in a speak to Peter, he is a walking, talking fount of knowledge.

Pretty Deadly Volume 2: Bear by Kelly Sue De Connick ($14.99)

Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman ($34.99 $27.99 in the shop)

Weirdworld Volume 1:Where Lost things Go by Sam Humphries ($17.99)

Scott’s Top 5 picks of 2016:

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

“A true to life story of how the death of a sibling comes to define the life choices of two sisters; Josie and Meredith see themselves, and their subsequent relationships after the death of their brother, through the lens of ‘Forgotten Mourners.’” $28.00 $22.40 in the shop

The Bitch is Back edited by Cathi Hanauer

“After fourteen years…nine of the original ladies are here, letting us know what happened next. There are sixteen new voices. These women command respect, if only because their truth is lacking any attempt to disguise unpleasant realities.” $26.99

Rounding out Scott’s Top 5: A Field Guide to Lies by Daniel J. Levitin ($28.00), The Price of Inequality by Joseph E. Stiglitz ($17.95) and The Well-Tempered City by Jonathan F. Rose ($29.99 $23.99 in the shop).