2020 Top 5 Picks - Part 4

The Top 5 choosing continues. Today we'll feature picks from Jane, Kira, and Ogi, which means a delightfully eclectic mix of books. A good, old fashioned 'there's something for everyone' kind of mix. And who doesn't love that? (You don't? Really? I don't believe you!)

Let's begin with Jane, whose lifelong passion for reading has bloomed into more than twenty years spent bookselling. One the many downsides of this year has been a lack of Jane's handselling skill in the shop. She's particularly adept at, and finds some of her best moments in, matching readers with just the right book. Here are her favorites of 2020, which will surely be a match for many readers.

#1The Color of Air by bestselling novelist Gail Tsukiyama, also the author of one of Jane's all time favorite books to recommend, The Samurai's Garden. Tsukiyama's latest is the story of a young doctor returning to his childhood home in Hawai'i, whose arrival coincides with the awakening of the Mauna Loa volcano. The volcano's dangerous path toward their village stirs both new and long ago passions in their community. Jane says, "With the pen of an extraordinary storyteller, Ms. Tsukiyama creates a remarkably soulful portrait of richly drawn characters who, in the face of uncertain times, shows the strength, wisdom, forgiveness, and enduring love that will embrace the heart of every reader."

#2 A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende - this was a particularly good year for novels coming out that were written by authors that Jane loves, and Allende's no exception to that rule. This novel tells the story of an unlikely couple, thrown together by fate into a marriage neither of them desires, who must embrace exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war in the late 1930s, as Spain is gripped by civil war.

#3 The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs. If there's one kind of book that is, well, an easy sell on Jane, it's a story set in a bookshop with a whole lot of heart. Garth Stein, the New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, says, "A wonderful exploration of the past and the future and, most importantly, of what it means to be present in the here and now.  Full of the love of words, the love of family, and the love of falling in love, The Lost and Found Bookshop is a big-hearted gem of a novel that will satisfy and entertain readers from all walks of life.  Lovely!"

#4 The Second Home by Christina Clancy, Milwaukee's own debut author and Boswell bestseller. We had three great staff recommendations for Clancy's novel, which tells the story of three siblings and the push-pull over the fate of their family's Cape Cod home. But as much a beach book as this is, it's also a loving paean to growing up in Milwaukee and our city. Jane says, " Clancy's heartfelt new novel, raises so many ideas in a book that’s positioned for summer escapism, making it perhaps the perfect book for reading group discussions. I love house stories. I’m fascinated by how the family dynamics shift in connection to the house site: how a family can have different reactions to a primary and secondary residence, and how social class can impact that perception; how succeeding generations create, disrupt, and restore; how proximity can affect intimacy and vice versa; and how a planner and a non-planner can come to loggerheads over important family decisions."

#5 The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives, edited by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager. This one made our 2020 gift guide (link to browse online RIGHT HERE!) and is an insightful collection of essays from authors like Michael Chabon, Jennifer Egan, Donna Tart, and Louise Erdrich about the books that made them think, brought them joy, and changed their lives, which is just the sort of thing Jane loves. In fact, if there's one thing she might enjoy more than just reading, it could just be reading about reading, especially when its her favorite authors (hello there, Amor Towles) writing about it.

On to the next - and the next is bookseller Kira, who offers a list with variety and surprises. 

#1 on Kira's list is our second recommendation of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Kira agrees with Rachel on this one (Rachel's top 5 list appears in this post). In fact, Bennett's book made many, many best of lists this year, as well as being named a Notable Book by both The Washington Post and The New York Times. This is the story of twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.

#2 is Anxious People by Fredrick Backman, a novel I admit I was little surprised to see on Kira's list. But just like judging books & covers, we shan't assume a top 5 pick because of a bookseller's other recommendations, I suppose. And the latest novel from the author of the beloved A Man Called Ove is one that Kira calls "an onion of a novel that's kind of about a bank robbery gone wrong, kind of about a father and son, and kind of about all sorts of anxious, endearing characters who are really just trying to find their footing in the world. A novel full of ridiculous, complex characters and that truly perfect blend of depth and levity that Backman has perfected in his novels. I can't think of a better book coming out in 2020, and I can't wait to make all of my friends read it too."

#3 Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls: A Memoir of Women, 

Addiction, and Love by Nina Renata Aron is a scorching memoir of a love affair with an addict, weaving personal reckoning with psychology and history to understand the nature of addiction, codependency, and our appetite for obsessive love. From David Canfield in Entertainment Weekly: "If ‘co-dependency is a girl’s song,’ as Nina Renata Aron writes, her scorching memoir proves it can be a beautiful one, too... Aron details the spiral, of screaming matches and vomit and things thrown across rooms.... A gritty tribute to the women who stick around too long."

#4 Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier. This one has a few fans in the shop - I read it and loved it, as did Jen - but Kira's the one who decided to make it official and put it in her top 5 this year. It's a fresh update on the classic slacker novel, a coming-of-age story about a pregnant pizza delivery girl who becomes obsessed with one of her customers. Just like the wide variety of readers this book found at Boswell, it also got blurbs from quite an array of authors, including Bryan Washington, Richard Ford, and Julia Phillips. And from PW's starred review: "This infectious evocation of a young woman’s slackerdom will appeal to fans of Halle Butler and Ottessa Moshfegh, and will make it difficult not to root for the troubled and spirited pizza girl."

#5 (sort of) - Kira was going to have a traditional top five this year until the fifth book on her list had its publication date pushed into next yeah. Oh well, at least that's something to look forward to, right? In place of that, I just asked Kira what else she might want to add to her list and she said, with no hesitation, that I should tack on Two Dollar Radio Guide to Vegan Cooking: Recipes, Stories Behind the Recipes, and Inspiration for Vegan Cheffing by Jean-Claude van Randy and Speed Dog (with Eric Obenauf). Bon appétit!

Finally, for this post, we wrap up with selections from Ogi. If we allowed booksellers to pick a top 5 each year that included backlist from years past and repetition, it's a safe bet that Ogi's top five would just be Brandon Sanderson's novel The Way of Kings five times in a row, every single year. Unfortunately for Sanderson, we don't allow that. Which was fortunate and fun for the rest of us, because when Ogi turned in his list for 2020, we were all surprised, as we didn't even know he'd read some of these books. So, here is the sneakiest list of the year!

#1 is Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks. Ogi's write up is fantastic, so I'm reprinting it here in full: "The two things you're going to learn from this review is that, one, I'm a judgmental idiot, and two, this is my book of the year. I wasn't familiar with the authors other works, I knew he had written World War Z and a Minecraft novel, so when I saw that this book was about Sasquatch, I picked it up on the off chance it would give me a good laugh and something to complain about. I was expecting it to be cringe, what I got was disillusionment with life in the urban sprawl, how shallow some people can be in contrast to how deep your humanity can go before it's skewed into something else, a critique on our "society of convenience," and how ignorant some people are to the dangers of nature. Oh, and constant allusions to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia (which hit a bit too close to home for me) and how to make a spear. This book taught me how to make a spear. I can now feasibly make a spear. With Halloween on the way, this book is an exceptional read for the season, and will have you wondering if we, the humans, are the real monsters. (And learning how to make spears!!!!)"

#2 The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe. I was both excited and surprised when Ogi put this novel on his list, as I had no idea he'd even read it. It's my favorite book of the year, too. In fact, Ogi reading it brought us to at least 4 in-store reads on this novel, which is a funny, moving, shocking story of friendship between two outsiders in the California suburbs. And something that all of us who've read it agree upon is that Thorpe's characters are deeply realized and brought to life in these pages. Ogi says - "I didn't realize characters could feel so real - genuinely, I felt like I've known them my whole life."

#3 Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis was another chance for Ogi to stretch his reading a bit. He says, "I don't think I've ever given the science fiction genre its due. I've always leaned more towards fantasy. I guess it made more sense to me in a way, you know? Swords are swords, magic is magic; what the heck is an “Alderson disk” or “Clarke's Three Laws?” My point is, a lot of the science fiction I've tried reading is more “sci” than “fi,” too obsessed with its own mechanics to get me into the actual story. Axiom's End is an easy sci-fi read because it's approachable. It's a story that revolves around communication and miscommunication, all pushed forward by interesting and eccentric characters. If you're looking for an easy introduction into Sci-Fi, this book is a good place to start!"

#4 is A Burning by Megha Majumdar was another pick we didn't see coming from Ogi, but then again, who are we to judge readers and make book assumptions - the theme of this blog post, apparently! Majumdar's novel follows the lives of three very different people who find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India. Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums accused of executing a terrorist attack on a train because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir is an opportunistic gym teacher who hitches his aspirations to a right-wing political party. Lovely is an irresistible outcast with an exuberant voice and dreams of glory who has the alibi that can set Jivan free, but it will cost her everything she holds dear.

#5 The Shadows by Alex North. Of this supernatural thriller, Ogi says, "Keep the lights on for this one. The Shadows capitalizes off that feeling you get when you're home alone, it's eerily quiet, and you think there's something moving in the darkness from out the corner of your eye. It's not outright terrifying, it's tense and unsettling, which is arguably worse. North knows how to balance the natural and the supernatural with smooth, no nonsense prose. The ritualistic killing of a teenager 25 years ago spawns multiple copycat killings. Characters find themselves circling the darkness, getting closer to the unsettling truth, and daring to confront what's patiently waiting for them deep within The Shadows."

And that's it for this post! Keep an eye on the blog for at least two more top 5 pick posts in the coming days, and until then, keep reading books!

2020 Top 5 Picks - Part Three

More top five picks you say? More top five picks you get! Today, we see the selections of Rachel, Jenny, and Tim!

Starting with Rachel, who brings us an eclectic mix of books with her top 5. Let's dive right in:

#1 on Rachel's list is the #1 New York Times bestselling novel The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Rachel isn't the only one who loves this novel - it's been named a best of the year by many a magazine, like EW, GQ, Vanity Faire, and the list goes on. By why take their word for it, when Rachel says, "We split in two sometimes: move to a new city, change a hairstyle, gain a new nickname. The other half vanishes, unused, like a dream, or perhaps a box of pictures in the attic. Desiree Vignes lost her other half years ago, when her twin sister Stella decided to pass as white, leave her family behind, never return. From start to finish, Brit Bennett's follow-up to The Mothers is a revelation. This is a novel you want to savor, even as it unfolds so naturally and beautifully that you can't help but devour it."

#2 Omni Vol. 1: The Doctor Is In, from writer Devin Grayson and illustrator Alitha E. Martinez. This is the first trade collection (generally five monthlies gathered together into one paperback volume) of the comic book that asks that age-old question, what would you do if you could think faster than the speed of light? Rachel says, "It's crazy how much Grayson and Martinez pack into these first four volumes of this new series, incorporating weighty subjects like climate change, microaggressions, detention centers, and disenfranchisement of veterans into a superhero narrative in a way that feels timely and oh-so-relevant."

#3 takes us in a completely different direction (told you these were eclectic picks!) with Dress Coded, a powerful middle-grade debut novel by Carrie Firestone. Rachel says, "In her crusade to eliminate the school dress code, Molly and her friends discover what true friendship is all about. What an incredibly timely and important book! Despite the fact that the book has a clear rhetorical purpose, the characters and the situation feel all too real. Firestone perfectly captures the problems of enforcing a strict dress code on young people, from stressing over the expense of school-appropriate clothing to being targeted for wearing normal clothes while having a developed body. This should be required reading in schools."

#4 is Providence by Max Barry. Rachel takes a turn to sci-fi horror crossover town with this one - a favorite of Boswellian Jason Kennedy, too - from the author of Jennifer Government and Lexicon. Of Barry's latest, Rachel says, "Having been a Max Barry fan for a while now, I have to say - I love this book even more than I hoped I would. It's way more science fiction than his previous novels. Four people on a battle-ready spaceship run by AI, hunting down murderous alien lifeforms - what could go wrong? Besides being a space adventure, the book also highlights relevant topics, such as replacing human intelligence with AI, developing military at the expense of civilian life, and using media to create a narrative. You won't be able to put this book down!"

#5 Shorefall, book number 2 in the The Founders Trilogy, by Robert Jackson Bennett. Rachel sums up the immense questions asked in this epic fantasy installment: "What is reality, when symbols can divorce body and mind, when the death of thousands can make endless midnight, when love can rip whole civilizations apart? This book broke my heart in the best way possible; this series is a must-read!"

Our next Boswellian on the list is Jenny! Jenny is one of our YA heros - in fact, she's not just reader, she's a YA writer herself. That doesn't keep her from reading widely, though, so check out her top 5 selections for a bit of YA, a bit of magic school for grown ups, and even a bit of accidental time travel.

#1 on Jenny's list is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Scwhab, an instant bestseller on just about every list that declares books to be so, along with being named a best book of the year by oh so many publications. Scwhab's genre-bending novel begins in France, 1714, when in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

#2 Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon is something like The Hating Game meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Jenny says, "High school rivals Neil (valedictorian) and Rowan (salutatorian) have no idea how adorable they are together (or that everyone assumes they’re hooking up). The two go all out to best each other one last time before college in an all-night journey of self-discovery, non-stop bickering, and something that might be simmering passion (or just close proximity in too many dark places) as they race through the streets of Seattle to win a senior class scavenger-hunt known as Howl. Rich with a complexity of emotions and cleverly written, laugh-out-loud banter, Solomon’s new book is a gem." Speaking of people named Rachel, Boswellian Rachel is a fan of this one, too.

#3 Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a contemporary YA fantasy that offers up a modern-day twist on a classic legend with a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic. Jenny says, "Legendborn twists and turns at a non-stop pace from page one! Not only are the magic system and the world building beautifully detailed, but Bree herself is insightful and smart, and the chemistry between her and Nick makes for lots (but never enough) swoony kissing. Are you ready for your next obsession? Because this is it!"

#4 Continuing with school is Naomi Novik's A Deadly Education, the first installment in her new Scholomance series. Jenny says, "If you like your magical boarding school fiction delightfully dark and scary (and who doesn’t?), then I have a book for you. El Higgins has survived the killer (literally) breakfasts and ominous monsters who feed on students to begin her second-to-last year at the Scholomance, a school that instructs students in the art of magic. Always wrecking her plans is the infuriatingly nice Orion Lake, who quest to save as many students as possible is stupid and hopeless, but maybe a little endearing too. The constant bickering between El and Orion create lots of laugh-out-loud moments in this creative mix of scorching humor and horror. Naomi Novik has a talent for creating fantastical settings, but the heartfelt way she develops prickly El into a character to root for proves her genius as a writer."

#5 Oona Out of Order is a top 5 pick for two of our booksellers (Kay loves it, too!), so you'll see more on it in a later post, but right now, Jenny gets the first word on Margarita Montimore's novel. Jenny says, "I enjoyed thinking about, as Oona learns to, what it really means to live in the moment, with consequences delayed for future Oona, who might be much more adept at solving her problems - certainly much better than past Oona! For anyone who’s been waiting seventeen years for a novel as engrossing as The Time Traveler’s Wife, this is the book for you!"

Finally, we'll end today's Top 5-ing with Boswellian Tim. A former fifth-grade teacher, a current history book buff, and a lifetime collector of autographed books and author event obsessive, Tim suggests five books that bring the history and others' experiences to life for readers young and old.

#1 Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford made the front page of our gift guide this year (browse the whole thing online right here - you didn't think you'd make it through a whole post without a gift guide link, did you?!) thanks to it being a Daniel Goldin pick - but Tim love, love, loves this beautifully written novel-in-stories, too! Tim says, "This is the story of four generations of Cherokee women and their men in Oklahoma and Texas. The words are uncomplicated, all the more beautiful for their graceful, plain-spoken style. The writing is easy to love, and so are the people. We feel their strength and sorrow, the excited warmth of new romance and the hot anger of losing it. Everyone is confused about the reasons everyone else does things. Welcome to humanity, but the simplest human joys are right there for you, for anyone who can see them and try to hold on. The book is just as gorgeous as the awe-inspiring mess of being alive."

#2 Prairie Lotus, the middle-grade novel by Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park. Tim calls her latest "a gem of American historical fiction for middle grade readers. To reconcile the attitudes of Laura Ingalls Wilder's characters toward people of color while honoring the books, Park gives us 14-year-old Hanna, the half Asian daughter of a white father and a mother who was both Chinese and Korean. Hanna is a strong, determined girl who will search for ways to treat everyone justly, and to find just treatment for herself. This is richly developed Americana, and I am deeply grateful!"

#3 is Dear Justyce, Nic Stone's sequel to her smash success Dear Martin. Tim calls this one "flat out the best and most important teen novel I've ever read.  Vernell LaQuan Banks Jr. is just trying to survive juvenile detention after working so hard to be a good kid, while everyone around him seemed to want him to fail.  I think Stone wrote their story like nobody else could. The voices are urgent and real. Masterful writing, compelling, suspenseful, and vital reading for the urgency of now!"

#4 Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy Taylor. Tim says, "Taylor has done America a great service by documenting the history of The Green Book and what remains today of the locations it listed. Taylor’s details about the development and use of the book are fascinating, but her work entails so much more. She's created an impressive history of the African American economic progress which grew from having and working with automobiles, and from the increasing mobility and business opportunities they afforded. This book is a smart and deeply affecting look at black people's long and agonizing struggle to get basic respect and justice. It's a powerful book. I'm already eager to read it again."

#5 is the graphic novel adaptation of EO Wilson's Naturalist by Jim Ottaviani and illustrator CM Butzer. Tim says, "Wilson is highly intellectual and wise, one of the world’s premier scientists and writers. His lifetime body of Harvard research on ants and the evolution of species as they spread across continents is as revered as the body of books he's written about life on Earth. The graphic format is perfect for that man, who never grew out of his childhood 'bug period.' It's a beautiful book about a literally wonderful man!"

This is the third installment of our Top 5 picks blog posts - check out post #1 here, and post #2 right here. And you can browse all of the Boswellian's top 5 picks right here on our website.

2020 Top 5 Picks - Part Two

Let's continue the top five selections from the Boswellians with some wildly varying picks from Conrad, Barb, and Rose! I'll begin with Conrad. If you haven't read the bio on Conrad's staff picks page, then perhaps you don't know that he's been in booksellings since 1976, when he started at Gilman Street Bookstore in Madison, a Marxist bookstore that paid him in books rather than money. Conrad's tastes are wide, smart, and varied, and he's a great recommender for anyone who looking for a book to expand their reading horizons. More than one of his picks made our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide this year, and for good reason!

#1 on his list is The King at the Edge of the World, a new novel by Arthur Phillips. Conrad says, "For the life of me, I can't figure out why Arthur Phillips isn't a better seller. His stories are diverse, beautifully written, and engaging. His characters are fully realized and complex. He never repeats himself. This is his sixth novel, and it's simply wonderful. We follow a sophisticated, cosmopolitan, and intellectually curious doctor who is forced to leave his home in one of the world's most glittering metropolises and accompany an embassy to one of the world's most depressingly squalid, backwater cities." But don't take it (only) from Conrad - from the New York Times Book Review: "Sentence by sentence, the book blends the leanness of a taut thriller with the marbled fatness of Elizabethan prose."

Conrad's #2 is the latest from David Mitchell - Utopia Avenue. He'll correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe Conrad has read everything Mitchell's ever written. I know that since I've worked with him, every time a new Mitchell novel comes out, it quickly becomes a go-to rec when someone asks Conrad what to read. This one is set in London’s psychedelic scene in 1967 and follows the kaleidoscopic tale of the turbulent life and times of the strangest British band you’ve never heard of. 

Keeping with the musical theme, #3 is a nonfiction title: We're Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s America by Kevin Mattson.  From Conrad: "Maximum rock and roll played at warp speed with lyrics more screamed than sung took punk into a new direction, one driven by utter and total rage. To the new bands emerging in the Eighties, the first generation of punks had grown complacent: sold out making disco music (Blondie), or folded (Sex Pistols), or morphed into the very thing they had once rebelled against (bands playing in massive arenas). Punk now adopted a very self-conscious stance against the right-wing corporate power grab of the Reagan years. You want the Eighties? This is the Eighties!"

#4 - The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World - and Globalization Began by Valerie Hansen. Celebrated Yale professor Hansen offers up this groundbreaking work of history showing that bold explorations and daring trade missions connected all of the world’s great societies for the first time at the end of the first millennium. For readers of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel and Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, this book is an intellectually daring, provocative account that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about how the modern world came to be. It will also hold up a mirror to the hopes and fears we experience today.

#5 is the latest from the internationally bestselling German author Daniel Kehlmann called Tyll. Again I'm going with what I think is true, though I may be unintentionally bending the truth (though that would be a perfectly fitting thing to do for this recommendation) when I say that Conrad remains appalled that I still haven't read this one yet. See, I was a huge fan of Kehlmann's previous release, the novella You Should Have Left, and when Conrad got his hands on this new novel before me, he read it and immediately told everyone how amazing it is. I promise, it's on the TBR pile, Conrad! And, good reader, you'll want to add this story about the devastation of war and a beguiling artist’s decision never to die to your stack, too!

Onto the next bookseller! Barb the Boswellian is the undefeated champion of handselling in the childrens section, especially when it comes to funny, touching picture books, early chapter books, and middle grade novels. Though alas she hasn't been able to be in-store this year, she's still reading like a champ. Here are her picks for the best of 2020:

#1 Agent Lion by Jacky Davis and illustrator David Soman. This wife and husband team behind the bestselling Ladybug Girl series brings us one seriously silly but determined detective. In this picture book, when Fluffy the cat goes missing, this jelly donut-loving lion detective is on the case! Meet all the zany animals, laugh out loud, and follow the twists and turns as this lion detective searches for this elusive feline. 

#2 Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming and illustrator Eric Rohmann. Take to the sky with Apis, one honeybee, as she embarks on her journey through life. The New York Times declares this is "a fascinating up-close view of the stages of a honeybee's life... The drama and suspense are positively riveting." Barb isn't the only one who lauded Honeybee - it received starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, which said, "The brief but complex life of a Apis Mellifera—a worker honeybee—is explored with depth in this richly detailed picture book."

#3 Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo. You can tell just by the cover illustration that this is going to be a Barb kind of book, though far be it of me or anyone else to just judge a book's cover without opening it up. Caldecott Honoree Castillo opens a new series of early chapter books (ages 5 - 9) with a ragtag band of woodland and meadow creatures in a story that balances small but thrilling escapades with an earnest, whimsical, often droll friendship story. This is another of the kids books this year in which the phrase "instant classic" has been tossed around by reviewers.

#4 Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. The first of two middle grade (ages 8-12, roughly) novels on Barb's list is a coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world. Author Parker Rhodes is the author of Ghost Boys and a Coretta Scott King Honoree. This is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy's fight against racism and his empowering path to finding his voice.

#5 On The Horizon by Lois Lowry. Barb's last selection is another book for middle grade ages (the publisher copy says 10-12) by two-time Newbery medalist and legend Lowry. This is a moving account of the lives lost in two of WWII’s most infamous events: Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. With evocative black-and-white illustrations by SCBWI Golden Kite Award winner Kenard Pak. Lowry looks back at history through a personal lens as she draws from her own memories as a child in Hawaii and Japan, as well as from historical research, in a work in verse for young readers.

Finally, we'll wrap this post up with the top five selections from Boswellian Rose. As you can see from her selections, I think it's fair to say that Rose has an interest in books focused on mindful self-improvement. Here are her picks:

#1 Untamed by Glennon Doyle. This is one that we've had a hard time keeping on our shelves off and on throughout the year due to the high demand. Of course, what else did anyone expect for the follow-up book to the Oprah's Book Club Selection Love Warrior? Speaking of book clubs, Untamed was a Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick this year, along with being one of Rose's favorites.

#2 Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty. From the social media superstar and host of the wildly popular podcast On Purpose, this how-to offers advice and practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life that Shetty distilled from his time as a monk. Combining ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk is focused on methods for overcoming negative thoughts and habits and accessing the calm and purpose that lie within all of us.

#3 on Rose's list is The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami by Radhanath Swami - not a new book, but by Jason's top-5-ing rules Boswellians can have one or two older titles on their shelves if they just discovered them. So, Rose hopes you will discover the story of Radhanath Swami, who, at age nineteen, he traveled overland from London to India, where he lived in Himalayan caves, learned yoga from revered masters, and eventually became a world-renowned spiritual leader in his own right.

#4 Growing Old: Notes on Aging with Something like Grace by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, anthropologist and author of The Hidden Life of Dogs. This is a witty, engaging, life-affirming account of the joy, strength, and wisdom that comes with age. Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, says "By turns hilarious, poignant, fascinating, and disturbing, every page is brutally honest. If you ever plan to grow old or know anyone else who's already there, you'll find insights here you'll see nowhere else."

And wrapping up at #5 is artist Kim Krans's Blossoms and Bones: Drawing a Life Back Together. After cancelling her flight home to wellness-obsessed LA, where Krans had been secretly experiencing a debilitating eating disorder, she finds her way to an ashram and seeks spiritual and creative refuge. For forty days she relies on “drawing the feeling” as a way to realign her relationship to food, addiction, fertility, perfectionism, and the endless messaging of “never enough” echoing throughout current culture. She embarks on the healing process through intricately hand-drawn narration of both her inner and outer worlds. Radical simplification, meditation, community, and creativity bring her through the darkest chapter of her life. 

And there you have it! A selection of top fives as varied as the Boswellians themselves. Stay tuned to the Boswellians blog for more top 5 posts coming soon. And you can check out post #1, featuring the Top 5 selections of Amie and Jason, right here, too.

2020 Top 5 Picks - Part One - from Our Buyers Amie and Jason

November has come and halfway gone, and for booksellers, that means we're now reading books that won't hit our shelves until next year. It also means that each of us has compiled and completed our list of favorite books of 2020. Some of these you've perhaps seen featured in our newsletters over the year as staff picks, and a handful of them have even made their way into our yearly gift guide, which hit mailboxes this week! (Note - you can also browse our full gift guide on the Boswell website - click right here to see it now!) Over the next couple of week on the blog, we'll feature these top 5 lists, a few booksellers at a time. Maybe you'll have your favorites confirmed, or maybe you'll even find a new favorite that you missed this year. So enjoy part one of our year-end wrap-up!

Why not start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) of the alphabet with the top 5 selections of our kids book buyer Amie! Here they are:

#1 Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, illustrated by Rovina Cai
This young adult novel earned starred reviews from lots of places, not just Amie! In a particularly gushy review, Kirkus called this book "A brilliant, engaging debut written by a talented author, it seamlessly blends cyberstalking with Vampire Citizen Centers and Lipan Apache stories."

#2 If You Come to Earth by two-time Caldecott Medalist, illustrator Sophie BlackallThis stunning book is inspired by the thousands of children Blackall has met during her travels around the world in support of UNICEF and Save the Children. This is both a guide to our home planet and a call to action - to take care of our home and each other.

 Eric by Shaun Tan
I know that Amie debated making this her top pick of the year, and we only held it back from the gift guide because we want to feature many different authors, and last year's guide featured Tan's brilliant Tales from the Inner City. That said, I think if Amie could make a Shaun Tan book top her list every single year, she probably would. Eric is the story of a foreign exchange student (a stand-alone, expanded picture book story adapted from Tales from the Inner City) who visits a suburban family and brings with him boundless curiosity.

#4 The Time of Green Magic by Hilary McKay
From the many-award-winning McKay comes this middle grade novel that the New York Times Book Review calls "utterly enchanting... an instant classic." And I believe Amie would agree. This one did make our gift guide this year, and for good reason. It earned starred reviews from just about every publication that offers both reviews and stars to books. It's the story of Abi, whose father remarries and moves them into a strange, ivy-covered, and perhaps magical new home.

#5 Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Well, if you follow this blog, or really, just about anything that we put in writing and send to our wonderful loyal customers, then you know that we are just a little bit obsessed with Skunk and Badger. Timberlake joined us for one of our virtual events recently - check out the video here. And Klassen's full color, full page illustrations give this odd couple tale a timeless feel. You won't be the same after you make friends with this duo!


And now, onto Jason, our adult book buyer, and his favorites of the year!

#1 Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Several of us have become fans of the books Hanover Square Press has been putting out recently (you'll note another in Chris's top 5 list, to be posted in a later blog) and so it isn't too much of a surprise that one of their big books for the fall is one of ours, too. Jason and Kay both wrote up staff recs for Kawaguchi's novel, about a cafe in which those who sit with a cup of coffee can travel through time. As Jason notes, there are a lot of rules, but ultimately, Jason says, "the simple, the emotions complex, and I really enjoyed my time spent in the hole-in-the-wall cafe."

#2 The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Anyone who's spent five minutes this year in a conversation about books (okay, honestly, about almost anything) with Jason has almost certainly heard about Graham Jones from him. He's convinced more than one of us on staff to try SGJ's writing, and he has definitely been excited to talk to more people about it. About The Only Good Indians, Jason says, "Stephen Graham Jones depicts Native Americans on and off the rez; the hardness, the bleakness and briefness of life there. There's some beauty in there, too. The sweat lodge scene and the meaning behind it was really engaging and great, until the killing started. This book will kick out at you when you least expect it to, and you will love it."

#3 The Relentless Moon: A Lady Astronaut Novel by Mary Robinette Kowal
Jason runs our in-store (virtually, these days) Sci Fi book club, and that's because of all the people in the store, he is THE go-to sci-fi-guy. So another not-so-surprising thing in this blog post is that he would add the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning series to his list! Jason says, "Mary Robinette Kowal does an amazing job at looking at the personal ramifications as well as the political and social ones of a world hurtling towards disaster. Can't wait for the next volume!"

#4 Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses 
This one is intricate, so perhaps it's best if I share Jason's full rec:
"After a virus put animals on the brink of extinction (humanity helped by killing all animals they thought could get them sick, too!), you would think we would become Vegans. Guess again. Cannibalism has become state sanctioned, and Marcos heads up one of the meat processing plants. Agustina Bazterrica takes us brutally by the hand and drags us through the entire process, from the ranchers that raise the ‘cattle’ to the meat processors and tanneries. To say that some of the descriptions are disturbing is putting it mildly. The story really kicks off when Marcos gets a gift from El Gringo, a female FGP. Not understanding what to do with her (as he says, 'he kills head, he doesn't breed them'), he ties her up in the barn and goes off to work. Through Marco's eyes we see and hear all the horrific ways humanity has created 'special meat' for the world to eat, and how that meat is treated, hunted, and used. This book is not for the squeamish - I LOVED IT!"

#5 We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper
This true crime tome was a late addition to Jason's list this year, I believe. He's not the only one contributing to the hype - it's a recommended book by The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, Town & Country, and the list goes on and on. The set up: in 1969, at Harvard University, Jane Britton, an ambitious twenty-three-year-old graduate student in the Anthropology Department was be found bludgeoned to death in her Cambridge, Massachusetts apartment. Jason didn't write a formal rec for this one, so let's hear from another bookseller: Camille Kovach, Completely Booked, Murrysville, PA, who says, "Delving into the academic culture of Harvard, the misogyny of the 1960s, and the burgeoning women’s rights movement, the story follows several threads, all of which have a significant impact on the life of Jane Britton, whose story is told with empathy, compassion, and five decades of curiosity."

Okay! If you don't like to wait, you can see the full list of Boswellian top 5 picks (sans notes on each book as seen above, alas) right here on our website. Keep an eye on this space, too, as we'll have another list of picks up soon!