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Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (now in paperback). You might not believe me when I tell you that this quirky debut novel, about the relationship between newlyweds Wren and Lewis (a man diagnosed with a mutation that will, over the course of a year, transform him into a great white shark... I KNOW, but trust me here) will knock your socks off, charm you and steal your heart, and leave you in tears—and you will be grateful, transformed yourself by the experience of living in this world that Emily Habeck has created for a few hours. WOW. - Hannah
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Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead (now in paperback). This stylish sequel to Harlem Shuffle moves a decade forward to the 1970s, where furniture store owner Ray Carney and his partner in crime Pepper navigate a city and neighborhood beset by corruption and political unrest. Whitehead's gift with words enriches this fully realized portrait of a time and place - in his hands, Harlem is a main character of its own. The result is an entertaining crime thriller elevated to a layered, nuanced literary masterwork. - Hut
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You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (now in paperback). In this ravishing gut punch of a memoir about a broken marriage, poet Maggie Smith (of "Good Bones" fame) unveils the fractures that led to her divorce, the bittersweet knowledge born from parenthood, the harrowing solitude of miscarriage and postpartum depression, the unseen weight of labor carried by women in relationship with men, the creative process of writing and living, in prose that is aptly poetic, fierce and unflinching. You don't need to have walked through the fires of divorce to feel the lick of the flame, to be burned and reborn along with Maggie. What a gift. - Hannah
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A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan (now in paperback). A historical thriller about the Klan's rise to power in the 1920s - not in the South but in the country's heartland - Indiana. The KKK was an equal-opportunity hate group, despising Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure. The leader of the hatred was D.C. Stephenson, a cunning, charismatic con man who, emboldened by support from both church and state, brought the Klan into national prominence. Egan chronicles Stephenson's rise, reign, and eventual fall with a historian's keen eye, while providing an apt reminder of what polarizing politics and condoned societal vitriol can breed. - Hut
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Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan (in paperback). From the author of Nora Goes of Script and Same Time Next Summer, comes a charming new contemporary romance starring newly separated mom of three, Ali Morris. Ali is emotionally stuck--living in the town where she grew up, mourning the recent death of her mother and the end of her soul-sucking marriage, when she meets a great guy at the dog park. The sparks between them fly, and Ali is ready for a breezy summer romance... and clearly I was ready for this summer romance too, as I blazed through it in two sittings. It's light and sweet, a cozy rom-com, big on feelings and cuddles, without the spice (if that's your jam). - Hannah
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Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo. "With each moment, I understood less and less." So says the narrator of this perplexing, non-linear novella. In a new translation nearly 70 years after its original Spanish publication, Pedro Páramo pulls you in and doesn't let go. There are dead people who are alive and Macondo-ish towns that exist, or don't, or maybe never did. A classic of modernist literature, the interpretive possibilities will keep bouncing around in your head long after you've reached the last page. It's also available in the original Spanish. - Alison
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Service by Sarah Gilmartin (in paperback). Restaurant kitchens are notorious for hotshot/hot-headed chefs, relentless hours, late nights of drugs and booze, insidious misconduct, and generally debauchery. The restaurant at the center of Sarah Gilmartin's keen and insightful novel Service, helmed by chef Daniel—who we learn in the first few pages has been accused of rape—fits this bill. Gilmartin's novel positively shines when the narrative shifts perspective between Hannah (a former waitress at the restaurant), Daniel (chef de cuisine), and Julie (Daniel's wife) revealing a richer story about power, complicity, and the characters whose lives intersected in this particular place and time. - Hannah
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My Murder by Katie Williams. For fans of Blake Crouch and Sarah Gailey's The Echo Wife, this humorous, spellbinding, genre-bending sci-fi thriller, about a woman murdered by a serial killer who is then cloned back to life, reveals itself like an onion. Chapters like layers peel away to reveal more layers, the fascinating mystery at the core both dark and elusive up until the very shocking end. I loved every smart plot twist, and couldn't have put it down if I tried! - Hannah
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Open Throat by Henry Hoke (now in paperback). I read this novella in one sitting and it’s ridiculously good: hilarious and cheeky and wise, told in spurts of bright insight with compassion and real humanity, from the perspective of a hungry, keenly observant queer mountain lion living in the Hollywood Hills. Rawwwrrr...loved it! - Hannah
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Swiped by L.M. Chilton. Gwen is not having an easy time of it. A bad breakup, a best friend who's getting married and moving on, and a coffee truck business that is less than successful all have her in a rut. Swiping left and right on a dating app seems like fun but the dates that result are NOT; especially when the men start to turn up dead, and she's the connecting thread. I was tremendously entertained by Gwen's breathless search around town to find a killer, while the surrounding characters add dimension and the descriptions of her dates are hilarious. - Carolyn
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I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers. This swoony, angsty friends-to-lovers YA romance will give you ALL the feels! Natalia and Ethan haven't spoken since junior prom, when they almost crossed the line over to something more than best friends. Now it's the Senior Sunrise camping trip, the 24-hour kickoff to their last year of high school and things are...uncomfortable. When Natalia accidentally spills a jar full of her classmates' secret confessions, it's Ethan's help she enlists...and the two are forced to confront their true feelings for one another. A gorgeous debut from a local author on the rise. - Carolyn
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Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly (now in paperback). The always reliable Connelly is at the top of his game with his new Lincoln Lawyer legal thriller. The flamboyant Mickey Haller, with the able assistance of his half brother Harry Bosch, takes the case of a woman in prison for murdering her husband. She says she’s innocent, and investigations into her bad-cop hubby and the sleazy defense lawyer who convinced her to cop a plea provide plenty of ammunition for a new trial. Once in the courtroom, where Connelly’s writing shines, Haller mounts an against-all-odds defense laden with twists and surprises. A page-turning delight for fans of the genre. - Hut
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The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue (now in paperback). For young 20-something best friends Rachel (straight) and James (gay), life in Cork, Ireland in 2010 is one messy, sexy, hedonistic adventure after another as they fumble their way through Uni, bookselling gigs, and the highs and lows of infatuation and desire. As their tender young hearts forge diverging and intersecting paths through various romantic entanglements, the complexities of adulthood become a reality that will change the trajectory of both their lives. Perfect for fans of Sally Rooney and Elif Batuman. - Hannah
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Drowning by TJ Newman (now in paperback). Former flight attendant Newman (Falling) takes readers on another chilling plane ride, although this one doesn't last long. Just after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes, the plane sinks and comes to a precarious rest on an underwater cliff with nine passengers and three crew members trapped. Can that unlucky but resourceful group surmount the challenges presented by the plane's increasing fragility long enough for a land-based crew to devise a rescue plan? Suffice to say, all does not go as planned. No fancy turns of phrase here, just page-turning escapism. - Hut
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SOME OF OUR STAFF'S FAVORITE SUMMER READS
Preorder Any Title and Be a First Reader!
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ONLINE ARTICLE SALUTES MRS. DALLOWAY'S | |
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Tomatokind magazine, which is dedicated to "exploring the social-emotional fabric of neighborhoods," recently published an entertaining and informative story about our bookstore and its new owners. Entitled Bridging Stories, Art, and Community with Jessica and Eric Green, the article by Tomatokind founder Vanessa Li focuses on how the wife-and-husband team came to buy the bookstore, the welcome they received from the neighborhood, the learning curve they faced, how they divide store operations between themselves, and much more.
If you'd like to read the piece, click here and learn more about the people and the approach that make Mrs. Dalloway's a special place.
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BOOK PAIRINGS - YOUR CHOICE!
Good Reads in English / Buenos Libros en Español
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Oakland's NATALIE FOSTER is the president and co-founder of the Economic Security Project and author of The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America's Next Economy, which asks us to imagine an America where housing, health care, a college education, dignified work, family care, an inheritance, and an income floor are guaranteed by our government for everyone. Her thoughtful vision weaves, in the words of Robert Reich, "a clear picture of what's possible when we push our government to do more for the American people." | |
WEI TCHOU read from and discussed her deeply personal memoir Little Seed, joined in conversation by JAY CASPIAN KANG. The book is an experimental memoir that braids together the narrative of the author's relationship with her brother and family with a deeply personal field guide to ferns. | |
SIGNED COPIES AT MRS. DALLOWAY'S | |
Help start a library for a young reader in your life with Mrs. Dalloway’s Little Library subscription service! Every month for the length of your subscription, we'll gift wrap and send your recipient a book that fits their age and interests. Our experienced staff selects titles from our ever-changing inventory of new titles and rediscovered hidden gems. To find out more and sign up, click here.
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LISTEN UP!
Audiobooks from Libro.fm
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We're delighted to be offering our customers an independent source for audiobooks, offered through our partnership with Libro.fm. Here's a little about the company, in its own words:
"By choosing Libro.fm over other audiobook services, you support your local bookstore and invest in your local community. We offer over 125,000 audiobooks via our premium platform (which we built with love from scratch) and give you bookseller recommendations for great audiobooks. And when you contact us, you'll hear directly from one of our team members who will ensure your listening experience is unmatched."
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