Jenny has only recently started work at Boswell, but I worked with back in the days of Harry W. Schwartz bookshops. I can say that she knows her books and she knows the publishing industry. She has an extensive knowledge of YA and teen books (and much, much more besides!). Even though, she is new here, Jenny has read a lot of the great books in 2017, and here are her top 5 books to prove it:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Starr Carter is one of the few black kids at Williamson
Prep, where she plays Varsity basketball and has a cute, white boyfriend. At
night she goes home to a neighborhood of gun violence and gangs. When her unarmed
friend, Khalil, is shot by a cop and Starr is the only witness, her two worlds
crash together, leaving her devastated and questioning not only her long-time
friendships but also her place in the world. Angie Thomas has written a smart
and compassionate character in Starr and brought her struggles brilliantly to
life. Please don't miss this important book, a great read for both teens and
adults.
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson
Ozzie's boyfriend Tommy has disappeared. Not run away or
been kidnapped, but literally vanished from the minds and memories of his
friends and family. Only Ozzie remembers. His parents drag him to psychiatrists
and in between visits, Ozzie searches for clues. Soon he realizes that not only
is Tommy gone, but bit by bit the entire universe is vanishing, too. Shaun
David Hutchinson's sharp writing veers between funny and poignant as he
captures the heartbreak of losing your first love. His previous book, WE ARE
THE ANTS, was one of my top reads of 2016.
City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Tina is a teenage street-thief who wants to know two things-
who killed her mother and why? Set in Kenya, this YA thriller is fast paced,
with memorable yet flawed characters. Tina's divided loyalties between the boy
she loves but doesn't trust and her gang of fellow thieves force her to make
tough choices as long buried secrets about her mother’s past are revealed. $18.99
Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
Young Adult sibling stories are my favorites-those complicated,
often messy relationships with the people who are in your life for good. Ramona
and Hattie are so endearing as they struggle through the year where EVERYTHING
is changing. Six foot tall, blue-haired Ramona wants out of the small
Mississippi town that never recovered from hurricane Katrina, but she’s
wrangling with the guilt of abandoning her needy family, especially now that
Hattie is pregnant. And then her childhood friend Freddie moves back. With his
middle-class upbringing, college is a given for him. Over the course of senior
year they bond over a shared passion for swimming that leads to a surprising
romance. Brilliant characterization is the strength of this novel, which asks
readers to contemplate the fluidity and complexities of love. $17.99
In a futuristic world, the virtual reality battle game of Warcross is a world-wide obsession. When Emiko hacks into a match, she catches the attention of the game’s reclusive creator who offers her a job-as a spy. Out of money and in danger of eviction, she has no choice but to accept Hideo’s offer. As their relationship turns romantic, Emiko learns some shocking news about Hideo’s past and the secret behind the creation of Warcross. A great read for teens and anyone who loved READY PLAYER ONE. $18.99
Peter has been on the this block a long while, starting back with his days working at Starbucks. When he was looking for something a bit more full time, I knew we had to bring him over. His reading fills in gaps of our knowledge when it comes to comics and graphic novels. If you ever want to know how the Marvel or DC universes work, then come on over and ask! Here are his top 5's for 2017:
Norwegian cartoonist Jason, in his first autobiographical
work, marks his 50th birthday by walking the Camino de Santiago. A pilgrimage
in north west part of Spain that leads to a cathedral, Camino de Santiago, in
honor of the apostle James (or jimmy, if you're friends). Jason's humor dry and
absurd. How he interacts with people he meets on the trail, and just the simple
things such as washing your socks or finding a good coffee. I enjoyed the calm
ride of this story and is great reflective story that partners well with a cafe
con leche (black coffee works fine too).
Descender by Jeff Lemire, art by Dustin
Nguyen
A sci-fi odyssey that is grand in it's size,
but beautifully presented through the perspectives of Tim-21, a robot boy, and
his unlikely companions. A incident leads to a conflict of humans against
machine, with Tim-21 possibly being the hope ease this conflict, but with
danger of bounty hunters and the dangers of their own personal shortcomings,
how can they hope survive? This deluxe volume is the perfect presentation for
such a breathtaking conceived story, from the intensely personal story to the
visual stunning art. $49.99
PaperGirls by Brain K. Vaughn,
artist Cliff Chiang
Four young girls are on a paper route in
the early Halloween morning in 1988, when they discover an invasion has come to
their Cleveland suburb, but from where, from when! Amazingly well written,
beautifully presented.
Doom Patrol by Gerard Way, illustrated by Nick
Derington
“The Worlds Strangest Superheros.” Surreal and
experimental fun. This title gets written off because it's weird, but part of
the fun is to embrace strange. Is Casey, a young E.M.T., a daydream of a
sentient ambulance? Who will protect us from the men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., a
robot with a human brain, a person made of living negative energy or perhaps
Crazy Jane? What are you feeding your cat? All and nothing will be answered,
it's 3am and nothing makes sense but it's all beautiful. $16.99
Shade:The Changing Girl by Cecil Castellucci,illustrated
by Marley Zarcone
Loma Shade is bored with her
life on Meta. So she drops out of school, breaks up with her boyfriend and
steals the madness coat, an multidimensional doorway which allows Loma to leave
her word as an astral projection. Loma travels to Earth, by way of the madness
coat, where she takes up residence the body of Megan, a popular high school
“mean girl,” who had suffered brain damaged and at death's door. Loma, who now
just goes by Shade, in Megan's body tries to experience life on Earth. Surving
the reputation that Megan had left as a bully, and not succumbing to the
“madness” that ties her to this world. Surreal and existential fun that's
wonderfully written and astoundingly gorgeous artwork. $16.99
Chris is a bit of a chameleon here at the shop. He works in Second Hand Books, receiving room, offsite events and, I believe, he has introduced authors in the shop as well. His book selections are always interesting, as he has a way of finding a gem, in the midst of tons of small press books that appeal to our customers. His top 5 of 2017 is exactly what you didn't know you wanted:
The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan
A nurse and a teacher marry and divorce in a small town in
West Virginia. This is the greatest love story ever written. Scott stares down
Sarah with crocodile tears shimmering in his eyes and laughter growling inside
his toothy grin. His heart is punch-drunk, and he dies every day then gets up
again the next morning, fists swinging and full of life. His writing will
humble you with its honesty and leave you embarrassed by every tiny fib and
little white lie you've ever told in your whole life. If you don't like this
book, you must already be dead inside. $16.95
You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann
Terrifying. Reading Kehlmann's latest novel is like
watching a horror movie from the inside. A writer takes his family
for a mountain retreat, hoping to escape the city, finish his newest
screenplay, and maybe find a bit of serenity. But something in
the rented house isn't right. Rooms shift, hallways expand,
reflections fade. Brisk and gripping, you'll read this slim novel in one
sitting, consumed, disappearing into the book as the
writer disappears into the house, stunned as you turn the last page,
compelled to check in a mirror to be sure you still exist, then turning back to
the first page to immediately begin rereading. $18.00
Since I Laid My Burden Down by Brontez Purnell
DeShawn looks in the mirror and sees a man absent from
himself. A San Francisco punk, he feels his hard-won years of partying and
promiscuity coming to a close yet cannot envision the rest of his life. An
uncle’s death brings him home to the deep south of rural Alabama, his mother’s
church and the women who raised him, the specter of his father, and the boys
and men of his youth who shaped him. A deeply human story of a man
unapologetically defining himself against expectations and labels yet
struggling to feel that he still deserves to be loved. $17.95
Vacationland by John Hodgman
It's the book we've been waiting for. Hodgman puts his one
man show onto the page with all the personality and wit, at once absurdly silly
and bone dry, of his unmistakable voice. And this time, it's personal.
Really -- there's only one fake fact in the whole thing. Hodgman writes about
summers spent in Maine and Western Massachusetts, telling wry stories of trash
dump laws, kitchen-drawer-usurping mice, and taking drugs at the
swimming hole, using them as windows into his reflections on approaching
middle-age, parenting, inheritance and loss, grief and mortality. The book
is perfectly balanced, honest and vulnerable, and funny as ever, unfolding
ideas like the best deep-thought, figure-out-your-whole-life daydreams you've
ever had on vacation.
South and West by Joan Didion
This one I couldn't find anything written by Chris but I wanted to include all his picks!
That is it for 2017--bring 2018! It looks like it will start off with some wonderful new books!
