New Releases

HARDCOVER FICTION

In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell
In this epic, mythical debut novel, a newly-wed couple escapes the busy confusion of their homeland for a distant and almost-uninhabited lakeshore. They plan to live there simply, to fish the lake, to trap the nearby woods, and build a house upon the dirt between where they can raise a family. But as their every pregnancy fails, the child-obsessed husband begins to rage at this new world: the song-spun objects somehow created by his wife’s beautiful singing voice, the giant and sentient bear that rules the beasts of the woods, the second moon weighing down the fabric of their starless sky, and the labyrinth of memory dug into the earth beneath their house.
Join us Sat, July 13 at 4p.m. when Matt Bell will be in store speaking and signing his new book In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods.
Death Rides Again by Janice Hamrick
Texas high school teacher Jocelyn Shore had been looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at her Uncle Kel’s ranch.  It seems that Kel, who is hosting the whole Shore clan, is none too happy about how Eddy has been treating his daughter Ruby June, and tensions are about to boil over. Thanks to Jocelyn’s quick thinking, Eddy makes it out alive, and it looks like Ruby June is going to toss him out for good. Yet no one knows for sure because that is the last anyone saw of Ruby June. With a family reunion that is getting smaller by the minute and more romance and humor than can be fenced in on any ranch, Janice Hamrick’s Death Rides Again is another outstanding addition to her award-winning mystery series.

Join MysteryPeople Wed, June 19 at 7p.m. in welcoming Janice Hamrick back to BookPeople for her new book Death Rides Again.

 

Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
Gretta Riordan wakes on a stultifying July morning to find that her husband of forty years has gone to get the paper and vanished, cleaning out his bank account along the way. Gretta’s three grown children converge on their parents’ home for the first time in years: Michael Francis, a history teacher whose marriage is failing; Monica, with two stepdaughters who despise her and a blighted past that has driven away the younger sister she once adored; and Aoife, the youngest, now living in Manhattan, a smart, immensely resourceful young woman who has arranged her entire life to conceal a devastating secret.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
A brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first new novel for adults since his #1 New York Times bestseller Anansi Boys. This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and survival, and memory and magic, makes the impossible all too real…

The Long War by Terry Pratchett
The follow-up to Pratchett and Baxter’s New York Times-bestselling novel The Long Earth follows the continuing adventures and travails of heroes Joshua and Lobsang as humankind’s expansion throughout all the Long Earth threatens the future of humanity itself.

 

 
HARDCOVER NONFICTION

Highs in the Low Fifties by Marion Winik
A cross between Nora Ephron and David Sedaris, longtime NPR commentator Marion Winik has a way of looking at life that’s both relatable and remarkable. Her experience of being single in middle age will strike a chord as her willingness to share her personal humiliations leaves readers shocked, awed, and laughing out loud.

 
Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Mo’ Meta Blues is a punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone’s Favorite Questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is many things: virtuoso drummer, producer, arranger, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader, DJ, composer, and tireless Tweeter.

Join The Nightmare Factory TONIGHT in the Fight to Make Every Night Fright Night

“As the sun sets on another glorious vampire weekend, and we emerge glutted from our crypts to face the harsh neon glow of another workaday vampire week, we are given pause by recollections of an era before the Nightmare Factory book club assumed power. A mere two years ago, we were forced to disguise our dark ambitions, shrinking from the sun as warm-blooded humans strutted arrogantly through the dazzling world, confident in their continued dominion over the earth and all of the dark shadows it hides. Now that the Nightmare Factory book club’s evil grandeur has cloaked the country, we are finally free to exchange our drab capes for cool leather jackets and fly from our various hellmouths, sparkling in the sunlight from Sunnydale to Salem’s Lot. Join us Tonight- Tuesday June 18th at nightfall (8:00 p.m.) in BookPeople’s ethereal cafe as we celebrate our blood rite by discussing Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha by Kim Newman. With your help, we can make every night Fright Night.

Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha is the third installment of vampiric wordsmith Kim Newman’s Anni Dracula (the Dracula years) series. This tongue-in-cheek alternate history speculates what might have been if Abraham Van Helsing and his merry band of fearless vampire killers had failed in their endeavor to destroy Count Dracula in the late 19^th Century. Anno Dracula describes Vlad Dracula’s marriage to Queen Victoria and his subsequent ascent to terrifying power as a vigilante vampire slayer known only as Jack the Ripper bleeds London dry. Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron continues the saga as Vlad Dracula helms the Central Powers during World War One, spreading a mysterious form of lycanthropy through the trenches as he creates a new breed of flying ace. Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha is a giallo synthesizer that pulses with the heart of Italy as everyone from James Bond to Clark Kent to Gomez and Morticia Addams flock to Rome to be a part of Dracula’s wedding, a spectacle that culminates with a bloodbath at the Coliseum. This series is a light-hearted (due to blood loss) and clever confection that never fails to satisfy even the most sinister appetites, and our discussion of Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha tonight- Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. in the BookPeople cafe will be a fun and freaky free-for-all.

The Nightmare Factory book club meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 8:00 p.m. in the haunted chapel of BookPeople’s cafe to discuss the best and worst in literary horror fiction. Bring your wooden stakes this Tuesday as we get to the heart of the vampire genre and help us answer Dracula’s immortal, plaintive question: “Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?”. Fangs a million.”
~Post by Steven W.

Consuelo’s Summer Reads

Whether it’s by the pool or on her lunch break, Consuelo will give you this dirty look if you interrupt her while she’s reading.

1. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

The story of two teenage outcasts, you will fall in love with Eleanor & Park as they fall in love with each other. This book is extremely endearing, partly because of the 1980’s nostalgia, but mostly because of its honest look at first love.

2. A Death in the Family by James Agee

James Agee is getting a bit of buzz these days following a New York Times article about the recently published book Cotton Tenants, which is the report that Fortune magazine rejected back in 1936 after they assigned him to spend the summer in Alabama. That rejection spurred him to expand on the subject, leading to Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Agee’s autobiographical novel A Death in the Family is the perfect starting point for anybody who is unfamiliar with his work. It tells the story of a family tragedy from the perspective of a child that is beautiful in language and powerful in its human insights.

3. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Rowling’s first novel for adults hits shelves in paperback on July 23rd and I can’t think of a more perfect mid-summer read. It leads the reader into a village full of family and political upheaval. Her writing overflows with whip-smart wit and uncompromising storytelling.

4. Little Birds by Anais Nin

For someone looking for a sexy summertime read, Anais Nin is the godmother of female erotic writing. This collection of stories displays her full range – evocative, dark, and sensual.

5. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

This is a collection of the 20-year correspondence between Helene Hanff, a feisty New York writer, and Frank Doel, a stodgy London antiquarian bookseller, after she initially writes to inquire about second-hand books. These letters are perfect to read in between laps around the pool. Completely charming, they celebrate bibliophilia and unlikely friendship

Give Me Summer! Give me HOKEY POKEY!

~post by Kid’s Buyer Meghan G.

As you may have heard, we are in the middle of a summer reading celebration here at BookPeople. If you need a brush-up on the specifics, check out all the details of the program on our website.

We have provided a great list of 6 recommended paperbacks per age group. To participate, readers need to read six books, including three from the official list. But the other three books are up to you! So all summer long we are going to be recommending some great books to consider for those extra spots.

GRADES 3-5

For the voracious reader looking for something new and special this summer, I highly recommend the latest gem from Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli: Hokey Pokey.

From the day a Snotsipper emerges from the Tattooer into the ranks of the kids, they enter into a rough and tumble world where kids rule. From Doll Farm to Tantrums to Snuggle Stop, Hokey Pokey is a land filled with the essential landmarks of childhood. Readers will treasure their time in this wild arena where herds of bicycles roam and mountains of dirty socks puncture the skyline.

If you decide to venture into this rambunctious realm, just remember to heed the Four Nevers: Never go to sleep until the last minute. Never go near Forbidden Hut. Never Kiss a girl. But the true peril at the heart of Hokey Pokey looms on the horizon for every young Snotsipper who becomes a Kid and then a Big Kid and then just might find himself face to face with the biggest Never of all: growing up.

Roberto Bolano Group

Reblogged from The Voyage Out Book Group:

Voyagers,

Another region down, another region began. The king is dead, long live the king.

We finished our three-part exploration of the women of contemporary British literature last month with Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body. This month we move to the warmer climates of Latin America with Roberto Bolano’s By Night in Chile.

The Winterson conversation was wonderful, as always.

Read more… 172 more words

Living Plant Strong

My Beef With Meat: The Healthiest Argument for Eating a Plant-Strong Diet by Rip Esselstyn
Reviewed by Salvador

What is the bestselling book in our diet section? The answer will surprise you. Of course you will think of other titles but not a book that advocates giving up meat and dairy products. The answer is The Engine 2 Diet. The book that started the “plant-strong” phenomenon in this country.

In E2 Diet, author Rip Esselstyn, former triathlete and former Austin firefighter, advocates a diet that consists of foods that come from plants only. In order to fight the diseases that plague our country, he asks you to avoid meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and processed foods. In our fat, salt, and sugar addicted society, this type of diet wouldn’t seem to have a chance. But, people responded. By 2010, E2 Diet was outselling all of the other books in the BookPeople diet section, where it still remains a brisk seller.

Now, Rip has released his newest book titled My Beef With Meat: The Healthiest Argument for Eating a Plant-Strong Diet. Here you’ll fine 36 super short chapters on the most powerful reasons to switch to a plant-strong diet. Plus, the second half of the book has 140 plant-strong recipes.

Here’s what Rip had to say about why he wrote My Beef With Meat:

“I’ve discovered that there is a HUGE disconnect between what people think is healthy and what medical science knows to be healthy; for example, people have been bamboozled into believing that olive oil, Greek yogurt, chicken, and fish are healthy. Many people think the diet of the day is salmon, low fat dairy, and olive oil, washed down with a glass of red wine and a Lipitor pill for good measure. This is how confused, distracted, and off-course we have gotten–because this is
NOT a good diet!”

Here’s a shot of one of the recipes in My Beef With Meat. It includes kale, my favorite new veggie discovery this year, and a favorite of Rip, as well.

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Rip Esselstyn speaks about and signs My Beef with Meat here at BookPeople on Monday, June 17 at 7PM. The event is free and open to the public.

I Have a Crush on Rebecca Lee

~post by Julie

There’s a new collection of short fiction out that you simply must read: Bobcat and Other Stories by the new love of my reading life, Rebecca Lee. These stories blew me away. I read the whole book on a flight from Kansas City to Austin. I could. Not. Stop. Sharp writing, unconventional scenarios, characters who are real real. Lee’s sentences excited me. Her sentences. At an industry conference a couple weeks ago this is the book fellow booksellers from across the country were talking about. Read it! It’s in paperback!

Publisher’s Weekly posted a quick little Q&A with Lee earlier this week. Read it over on their website. Here’s an excerpt:

PW: It’s been seven years since your novel, The City is a Rising Tide. Were you working on these stories for that time? Is there another novel in the pipeline?

Rebecca Lee: I’m a really slow writer, glacially slow. I write every day, every morning, but sometimes it’s not even writing, it’s just sitting there staring at the story, wondering about it. It surprises even me that a single story, sometimes about a single meal, can stay interesting to me for years. Maybe writing functions as a sort of stable center. Even through difficult times, the thought of getting up the next morning and writing seems very heartening. I’ve always loved what John Gardner said about revision: that the first draft is building the home and the subsequent drafts are living in it. I’ve used that quote to justify years and years of just sitting there, living inside the work.

The Rumpus excerpted the story Bobcat way back in 2009. Where have I been and why have I not been reading Rebecca Lee all these years?