Top Shelf for February 2009

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Allison L. recommends…

Before he died, my grandfather, a former minister, gave me a copy of Lamb by Christopher Moore and told me that the humor was right up my alley, comparing Moore to Monty Python. Not only was he completely right, I get to tell everyone that my Dr. Reverend Grandfather loved a book that has been [...]

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Allison L.’s Books You Should Have Read By Now

One of the best things about my job is getting advance readers of new and exciting fiction yet to hit the bookshelves. I’ve discovered some fantastic books this way, and I love to share them with anyone who will listen. But I also get the chance to read books that have been out longer—be it [...]

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Allison L. recommends…

More Information Than You Require
My boyfriend’s mother, who probably qualifies for Mensa, has a theory about why so many intelligent people love1 The Simpsons. In one particular scene2, Stephen Hawking is breaking up the horror wrought by the Springfield Mensa chapter, and Homer declares, “Larry Flynt’s right! You guys suck!” How many people, she wondered, [...]

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Allison L. Recommends…

Karen Maitland’s new book, Company of Liars, is a dark but enjoyable read about a somber time in England’s history. Playing with archetypes and themes from The Canterbury Tales, Maitland brings together a mismatched group of pilgrims: a camelot selling hope in the form of fake relics, two musicians, a painter and his wife, a [...]

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Cassie Recommends…

French Milk by Lucy Knisley
There are quite a few things I want to say about this book & about my experience reading it & right now all of my thoughts are pretty jumbly, so I’m thinkin’ a list format may work best.
1. Yes, I grabbed this book off the shelf because of its title. [...]

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Allison L. recommends…

Sarah Vowell has a new book!

If you’ve never read Sarah Vowell, you have to go read Assassination Vacation right now. Now! Why are you still reading this? Go!
If you HAVE read Sarah Vowell, you’re probably already excited by the prospect of her new book, The Wordy Shipmates, which tackles the settlers of the Massachusetts Bay [...]

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Allison L. recommends…

If you’re a fan of philosophical literature, or if you’re just interested in what those cheese-eating surrender monkeys across the pond are reading, The Elegance of the Hedgehog should be next on your ‘to read’ list. Now available in English, French philosophy professor Muriel Barbery’s book has already been a bestseller all over Europe since [...]

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Laurie recommends….

Earlier this year, the marketing staff here at the store traveled to sunny Los Angeles for BEA – an annual conference for booksellers, publishers and distributors. Among the amazing people we got to meet (hello, George Hamilton!), I had the great fortune to meet the legendary Salman Rushdie. And by “meet” I mean I threaded [...]

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Allison L recommends…

Chances are, you’ve already heard something about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. If you haven’t picked it up yet, it’s really worth your time. This charming little epistolary novel centers around writer Juliet Ashton, a London humorist who gained popularity at the end of World War II for making people laugh in [...]

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