This is an outstanding season for books, unforgettable fiction, memorable biography and definitive histories. It has been difficult to choose the best of the best for the newsletter,  and some at Bloomsbury will be incredulous that a title  has been overlooked, one they might have told you about and that might become a favorite in your library. And that is only one of  many reasons that we hope to still see you regularly,  face to face, at the store. Bloomsbury continues to be a showroom of carefully chosen literature and information.  We don’t accept money from publishers for placement of books or reviews, and our reviews are objective and honest (not paid for by  publishers or from the authors’ friends).  The convenience of the internet has a great appeal , but we still believe it is an unduplicatable experience to browse in an independent, bricks and mortar bookstore, like Bloomsbury Books. 

 

We look forward to seeing you, and wish you a wonderful holiday and a new year filled with good books.

 

HARDCOVER FICTION

 

READY PLAYER ONE   Ernest Cline
Wildly original, with great 1980s nostalgia in a futuristic plot, this was the book that everyone at Bloomsbury loved.  Welcome to the not-to-distant future - where no one ever leaves the computer screen or his/her avatar, corporate greed rules and one young knight emerges to save the planet.  Every grown-up Harry Potter fan will love this.

THE MARRIAGE PLOT   Jeffrey Eugenides
It is the early 1980s - the country is in a recession, and life after college is harder than ever.  Madeleine, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austin and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.  But real life, in the form of two very different suitors intervenes.  The author of MIDDLESEX has written another novel that is compelling and literary.

1Q84   Haruki Murakami
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo and a young woman enters a parallel existence which she calls 1Q84 - “Q” is for question mark.  It is a love story, a fantasy and the best contemporary literature by a writer of international renown.  

THE CAT’S TABLE   Michael Ondaatje
In a story that moves between a boy’s experience on the decks and holds of a ship and his adult years, the author of THE ENGLISH PATIENT tells a riveting story about the differences between the tender innocence of childhood and the burdens of earned understanding. 

WHEN SHE WOKE   Hillary Jordan
“When she woke, she was red. Not flushed, not sunburned, but the solid declarative red of a stop sign.” The story of a stigmatized woman struggling  to  navigate an America of a not-too-distant future, with echoes of HANDMAID’S TALE and THE SCARLET LETTER, this is the book you won’t be able to put down.

CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS   Peter Sis
Award-winning author and illustrator Sis creates his first book for adults, a beautiful and uplifting adaptation  of the classic 12th century Sufi classic by the Persian poet, Attar.  It’s the story of thousands of birds who fly off on a perilous journey in search of a king.  Lyrical and gorgeously illustrated, eternally relevant, its themes are love, faith and the meaning of life.

 

 

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

THE SWERVE   Stephen Greenblatt
A spellbinding tale of the great cultural “swerve” known as the Renaissance in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand years of neglect, found in a monastery, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we  know it.  The discovery of the book, ON THE NATURE OF THINGS, fueled the Renaissance and went on to influence Shakespeare,  Freud, Darwin, Einstein and Thomas Jefferson.   NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER, 2011

CATHERINE THE GREAT   Robert Massie
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of PETER THE GREAT comes the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become one of the most remarkable , powerful and captivating women in history.  

IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS   Eric Larson
You will not be able to put down this compelling history of Ambassador Thomas Dodd and his family’s year in Berlin.  In 1933, Hitler unmasked himself and his terrifying intentions.  Larson, author of DEATH IN THE WHITE CITY, through Dodd’s diaries, letters and countless interviews, recaptures the fear and insanity of that year with such vibrancy and suspense that you’ll feel  as if you were there.

THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE   Stephen Pinker
Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime and terrorism, one could easily think that we live in the most  violent age ever seen.  Yet, this ambitious and provocative work, mixing psychology and history provides a picture of an increasingly nonviolent world.

RIN TIN TIN   Susan Orlean
Rin Tin Tin’s journey from orphaned puppy on a battlefield in World War I, France, to movie star is a dazzling celebration of a great American dog by a gifted writer. This is a poignant exploration of the bond between humans and animals, set in the fascinating times of the early movie business.

PILGRIMAGE   Annie Leibowitz
The legendary photographer of the famous presents a personal collection, not on assignment and without an agenda.  These are stunning pictures - moody and arresting - including the homes of Emily Dickinson, Sigmund Freud and Virginia Woolf, a powerful and fearful view of Niagara Falls, a photo of Lincoln’s bloodstained opera gloves.  This is a collection that will inspire and  move you and which you’ll want to look at again and again.

 

PAPERBACK FICTION

TIGER’S WIFE   Tea Obreht
In a Balkan country, mending from war, a young doctor is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances of her grandfather’s death.  She turns to the stories he told to her as a child - the deathless man and the legend of the tiger’s wife.   One of the most highly praised novels of the year, National Book Award Nominee.

FREEDOM   Jonathan Franzen
This epic novel of contemporary love and marriage tragically and comically captures the temptations and burdens of liberty.  In charting the mistakes and joys of a couple as they struggle to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.

NEMESIS   Philip Roth
Roth has been writing for a long time and, just in case you’ve forgotten how amazingly good he is, read this account of a terrifying polio outbreak in a Newark, N.J. neighborhood.  It is a wrenching examination of the forces of circumstances on our lives, told in Roth’s inimitable style.

BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES ed. Geraldine Brooks
This excellent collection of the year’s best short stories from American periodicals, chosen by Pulitzer Prize author, Brooks, makes great bedside reading or the perfect gift for any reader.

SQUIRREL SEEKS CHIPMUNK   David Sedaris
Featuring Sedaris’s unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight.  Though the characters may not be human, the situations bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of every day life.

 

PAPERBACK NONFICTION

THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS   Isabel Wilkerson
One of the great untold stories of American history:  the decades-long migration of black citizens from the South to the North in search of a new and better life.
Winner National Book Critic’s Circle Award, 2011.

ATLANTIC   Simon Winchester
Great sea battles, heroic discoveries, titanic storms and a vast ocean of a million stories.

APOLLO'S ANGELS   Jennifer Homans
A National Book Critics Circle Finalist and published to extraordinary acclaim, this lavishly illustrated book is the first definitive history of ballet.  

LET’S TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME   Gail Caldwell

A memoir of friendship, dogs, the craft of writing and the transformation that comes from our intimate connections to other people.

CLEOPATRA   Stacy Schiff
Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the  ancient world.  This was the best-selling biography of 201l, newly available in paperback.

 

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

 

BUMBLE-ARDY   Maurice Sendak

A mischievous little pig, who has never had a birthday party, invites all his friends to a gala masquerade for his 9th birthday.  In the style of “Where The Wild Things Are”, the party becomes a frolicking and raucous affair.  This glorious picture book is the first book Sendak has both written and illustrated in 30 years.  A wonderful and imaginative story for children ages 4 and up. 

LLAMA LLAMA HOME WITH MAMA   Anna Dewdney

When little llama wakes up feeling “yucky”, mama llama keeps him home from school.  He must rest, take medicine, nap, and be lovingly cared for by his mama.  But what happens when mama llama starts to sneeze?  A delightful and colorful picture book for ages 2-5.

WONDERSTRUCK   Brian Selznick

From the Caldecott award-winning author of  “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”, comes another innovative masterpiece.  What a beautiful and magical world Brian Selznick has created!  The story is told from the perspective of two children living fifty years apart, but both on similar and remarkable quests.  Rose’s story is told through pictures, and alternates with Ben’s story which is told in words.  From the exquisite illustrations to the beautiful and heartfelt story, this magnificent book is a sheer delight to read.  Ages 8 and up.

WILDWOOD   Colin Meloy

When Prue McKeel’s baby brother is kidnapped by crows, she sets out on a dangerous adventure to rescue him.  This spellbinding tale filled with wonder and magic is set in Portland, Oregon, and is written by multi-talented Colin Meloy, the lead singer of the Decemberists.  This enchanting story is accompanied by exquisite and detailed illustrations by Carson Ellis.  A book to be cherished for those ages 9 and up.

 

THE FUTURE OF US  Jay Asher and Carolyn Macker

The year is 1996, and two teens install a cd in their computer that instantly logs onto their Facebook pages.  But Facebook hasn’t been invented yet, and they find they’re looking at themselves 15 years into their future.  They now have the ability to make different decisions that will affect the outcome of their lives later.  An exciting novel that is both clever and timely for computer savvy teens.

More Recommended Reading

 

Behind our name: The Bloomsbury Group was an informal group of writers, intellectuals and artists associated with the Bloomsbury district of London during the first half of the 20th century. Among its members were Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, & John Maynard Keynes. Their work profoundly influenced literature, aesthetics, criticism, and economics. Good company to be around, we think!

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