This is Kay’s first official Christmas at
Boswell—she was hired in the middle of last year’s Christmas craziness and was
just trying to learn the shop’s systems at the same time. This is her first Christmas armed with books she loved and can recommend! She’s been a great addition to the
staff in 2017; her reading tastes are varied and wonderful as represented
below:
The Readymade Thief, by Augustus Rose
A highly unlikely, homeless heroine stumbles into
an anonymous secret society; a wild cast of characters and brilliantly drawn
settings knit together into a very unusual, totally engaging genre-busting
story.
Based on a True Story, by Delphine De Vigan
A brilliant, haunting, insidious, anxiety-inducing,
formidable and unforgettable story about a writer and an ultimately unwanted
"friend" in Paris. $28.00
Wonder Valley, by Ivy Pochoda
The story begins with a man running naked down one
of LA’s congested freeways. Aren't you dying to know what happens next?!
The Power, by Naomi Alderman
Girls suddenly develop the power to send electrical
charges through their fingers and the world will never be the same again.
Nyxia, by Scott Reintgen
Teenager Emmett narrates the shifting interpersonal
relationships, brutal schedules, suspenseful battles, unfair rules and
frequently changing circumstances facing 10 male and female contestants vying
for the chance to spend a year on an inhabited alien world. $17.99
Jen’s is our bargain and gift buyer, but also a
great reader. She’s the one that couldn’t stop talking about Pachinko at the
beginning of 2017, and now look at it, a New York Times selection for their Top
10 of 2017 and on a lot more year end favorite lists. What will be her gem next year? We’ll find out, but for now here is her
top 5 for this year:
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
A father's gentle nature, a mother's sacrifice, a
daughter's trust and a son's determination are the cornerstones of this grand
multi-layered saga. Pachinko follows one family through an ever changing
cultural landscape from 1910 Korea to 1989 Japan. As the bonds of family are
put to the test in the harsh realities of their world, Sunja and those she
holds dear manage to carve themselves a place to call home with hard work,
self-sacrifice and a little kimchi. Through it all is a message about love,
faith, and the deep rooted bonds of family. Min Jin Lee gives us a phenomenal
story about one family's struggle that resonates to us today. It will take hold
of you and not let go! 
$15.99 in paperback
Bear & the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale is an enchanting mix
of fairytale-fantasy-historical fiction, set in medieval Russia. Nestled
between the northern wilderness & civilization, is a village where old
& new traditions live side by side. Vasya, the last daughter of Pyotr &
Marina, is born on the howling winds of autumn. She is different from the
others in her village. She is destined to be like her grandmother, gifted with
powers that are her birthright. As time goes by, Vasya will be tested. Caught
in the conflict between the old spirits and the new religion, Vasya must do
everything in her power to save her family and village. Katherine Arden's novel
is a rich, mesmerizing novel. It's the fairy tale you've been waiting for! $16.00
The Accusation by Bandi
These forbidden stories are powerful & show us
how the human spirit can flourish in the harshest elements. Couldn't put it
down!
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins
Reid
After seven husbands and fifty years in the
spotlight, Evelyn Hugo has decided to tell her story. Hollywood's most
scintillating star will tell all. It's an interview of a lifetime for Monique
Grant, who has been handpicked by Evelyn. Monique will be the only one to ask
and get the answer that the world has been dying to know: Who was the love of
Evelyn Hugo's life? It's the golden age of Hollywood. There's scandal,
extravagance, leading men, lavender marriages and overbearing studio bosses. If
you're like me, reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will leave you
utterly absorbed and wishing Evelyn Hugo was a real-life film star! $26.00
The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
The Half-Drowned King is the storied tale of the
legendary King Harold and the rise of a united Norway. It's a Viking saga set
in the 9th century, full of traditions and myths, glory and adventure, love and
betrayal. Linnea Hartsuyker breathes new life in the historical fiction genre! $27.99
Sharon has been here from the beginning of Boswell,
and before that she was a bookseller for the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop in Shorewood. Her
reading has always been wide ranging and interesting. If you have a chance when
you are in the shop to speak with her, then ask her about the new Juneau Black
mystery novel, Cold Clay. Here are her top 5 books of 2017:
Hunger by Roxane Gay
Right from the beginning, Roxane Gay lets us know
that this is not a weight-loss success story, but a memoir so deeply personal
that it was extremely difficult for her to write. Parts of it are also
extremely difficult to read. Every woman that breathes has issues with her
body, food, and her weight, not matter what her size. Gay holds nothing back as
she tells of the sexual assault that changed her forever when she was 12 years
old. She concealed the trauma from her family and dealt with it the only way she
knew how, by eating until her body was no longer desirable to men, but a
fortress in which she could hide and protect herself from the world. She
candidly explains how it feels to be at once so large and so invisible, as she
moves through a world that is less than kind when it comes to judging women’s
bodies.
Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
The latest offering from Joshilyn Jackson is a
delightful mix of humor, romance, awkward family dynamics, and completely
up-to-the-minute social issues. I know it’s early but The Almost Sisters is in
the running for one of my favorites of 2017. Leia Birch Briggs is a 38-year-old
graphic novelist of midlevel fame. She has a one-night stand at a comic-con
with a mysterious and attractive Batman. This results in a little more than
morning-after regrets when Leia learns that she is pregnant. While she is
deciding best how to break the news of an illegitimate biracial baby to her
upstanding Southern family, other more pressing concerns take precedence. Leia
learns that her beloved 90-year old-grandmother is suffering from dementia, and
covering it up with the help of her best friend, Wattie. Furthermore, Leia’s
perfect sister Rachel, is having trouble with her perfect marriage. Things escalate when Leia finds out that her
grandmother is hiding a bigger secret in the attic. By turns heartbreaking and
hilarious, The Almost Sisters is almost perfect. $26.99
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The fascinating true story of the Osage tribe in
Oklahoma in the 1920s. They were extremely rich as they lived on oil land, but
then they began to die under very suspicious circumstances. Grann also tells of
the formation of the FBI who are brought into investigate all of the murders. $28.95 on Boswellian Best until end of year at $23.16
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Set in northern Texas after the Civil War, Captain
Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels around and reads the news to rural communities. He
agrees to return a young orphan girl to her family. She was held by the Kiowa
for 4 years after they killed her parents. A lovely story about family and
civilization and what those concepts mean. $15.99
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Turtle is a 14 year old girl who lives with her
father in northern California. He has taught her survival skills and isolated
her from her peers and her community. When she meets two boys her own age, she
begins to realize that there is a world outside of her relationship with her
father, and she will have to fight to gain access to it. This at times horrifying
story is so beautifully written that I could not stop reading it until the
edge-of-your-seat ending.
Jane is our resident dynamo—such a treat to work
with each and every week, sometimes I want some of her charisma and energy. She
always has surprising and amazing choices in her reading. And, this year’s top
5 doesn’t disappoint:
Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
The beauty of a South African landscape is
contrasted against the harsh reality of apartheid told in the alternating
voices of a black mother in search of her daughter who has vanished during a
student uprising and a nine year old white girl orphaned by the death of her
parents in this emotionally rendered story that 'hums' a song of familial hope.
My favorite novel of 2017!
Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
With his life in disarray due to the failing sales
of his newest book and the increasing needs of his expanding family, Charles
Dickens' publisher demands that he write a Christmas book or his debts will be
called in. Suffering writer's block, Dickens walks the familiar London streets
that have so inspired his writing and there meets a young woman and her son
Timothy who will the be muse behind the writing of what will be destined to
become the most revered holiday classic. In reimagining Dickens life, Samantha Silva
writes a novel that is an irresistibly endearing companion to the annual
reading of The Christmas Carol. $24.99
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Set in England's Cotswold countryside, this is a
charming story of a woman who inherits her father's financially troubled
bookshop. Threatened by greedy property developers, Emilia finds support from
the Nightingale Books' literary community whose lives intersect and have been
shaped by their passion for reading. Perfect gift for bibliophiles who want to
escape cold winter nights with a hot cup of tea and an engaging ode to the love
of books! Highly recommended for fans of Gabrielle Zevin's Storied Life of A.J.
Fikry and Nina George's Little Paris Bookshop.
Women Walking: Freedom, Adventure, Independence by Karin Sagner
Gorgeous art collection
of late eighteenth to early twentieth century paintings depicting the history
of women's road to emancipation as they simply began to walk in public,
unaccompanied. Along with selected quotes
from such literary luminaires as Jane Austen, Emily Bronte and Simone de
Beauvoir, this is the perfect gift for those who enjoy a thoughtful blend of
art, history and literature. $22.95
What She Ate by Laura Shapiro
Spanning nearly 200
years, award winning culinary historian invites readers to an appetizing feast
profiling six women whose personal dietary tastes reflect their life stories
and place in the world of social, political, and literary history. Carefully
researched palatable reading for those who savor beyond what's served on the
plate in front of them! $27.00