The Learned Owl Book Shop: LizPicks

Liz's Pick of the Year: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (by David Wroblewski) is the best book I've read since The Highest Tide! A GRAND saga about family, a boy, dogs, and growing up that will keep you reading all night and make you wish that it hadn't ended.

Liz, this is David Wroblewski, author of EDGAR SAWTELLE.

I want to thank you for your support of this book. As I'm sure you know, this is my first novel. It was written very slowly, and from the heart, with a constant desire to draw deeply on my midwestern roots, and an equally constant desire to treat the ancient relationship between humans and dogs with the dramatic gravity I feel that subject deserves.

I hope to write other novels -- two more are in the works right now -- but no matter how many more the writing gods hand me, Edgar's going to be the special one, I know this already. So it's a great thrill to hear that his story meant something to you as well. Thanks so much for your endorsement.

With all best wishes,

David

Here's what other folks are saying...

Sales rep Kate McCune says: "I'LL SAY IT AGAIN - THE BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR! I know I went on and on about this in an April newsletter. So I'll try not to cover previous ground. Since last time I wrote, Edgar has been chosen as the #1 Book Sense pick for July. My book club has just finished it and I'm even more blown-away by my second reading of this remarkable, beautiful story. I'm consistently surprised by how engaged readers become - time and time again folks have emailed me in the middle of the book to say how much they love it.

All the advance reviews were starred reviews and Elle magazine's review is the first to hit the stands, stating, "The Great American Novel is something like a unicorn - rare and wonderful, and maybe no more than just a notion. Yet every few years or so, we trip across some semblance of one." Other reviews are set for USA Today, NYTRB, Entertainment Weekly, O Magazine and Washington Post Book World. Diane Rehm will do an hour-long interview with author David Wroblewski, and NPR is doing a story with Leif Enger and David Wroblewski about themes from Hamlet in their novels.

In our bookselling world, Micheal Fraser's "Galley Talk" appeared in PW last week, making it three times they covered this book (including the starred review and then an interview). If you missed Michael's piece, you can catch it here.

I'll close with something that Karen Tallant at Davis-Kidd in Memphis wrote me: "This book isn't simply magic. It's literary alchemy. I've been looking for a way to tell folks about it, and something one of my fellow booksellers said about another work of classic fiction seems to be the only way I can communicate the beauty of this book. When I asked her,'Why should I read this book?' she answered, 'Because it has a shape.' I immediately understood what she was saying. All great literary works evoke dimension with the intersection of emotion, experience and image. They don't paint in two or even three dimensions, but declare themselves in all areas of reading experience. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle has a shape. It conjures up land, sky, human and animal with a skill and surety that's as rare as black diamonds. I have no better way to describe it."

The book goes on sale June 10.

[Click to order]

Past Favorites Paperbacks for Vacation Reading:

No! I Don’t Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a 60th Year by Virginia Ironside - This book is hilarious (and true to life), starting with the cover! Buy two – one for yourself, and one for your best friend!

Sliver of Truth by Lisa Unger - starring Ridley Jones, who first appeared in Unger's first thriller, Beautiful Lies.

My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson - You've been best friends for life... then she does the unforgiveable, and you haven't spoken for years. And now she's dying, and asks YOU to adopt her child. Already an international bestseller, this is the perfect beach read.

The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross - Gross's Blue Zone was a good thriller – The Dark Tide is OUTSTANDING! Gross has published several books in the last few years with James Patterson, and is a first-rate adventure writer on his own.

Next on my ever-growing pile: Unknown Means by Elizabeth Becka - Formerly with the coroner’s office in Cleveland, this is Becka’s second thriller set in northeast Ohio. Trace Evidence, now in paperback, is a great summer read!

Rita Williams, once a part-timer L.O. staffer and owner of Books of Aurora, highly recommends Dave Eggers' What Is the What for book clubs.

Also good in a “chick-lit” sort of way: The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski

New "Beach" Reads:

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz - I haven't read this one yet, but it's on my list. Who can resist "part Bridget Jones, part Columbo..." (USA Today); "Isabel Spellman... the love child of Dirty Harry and Harriet the Spy..." (People). It sounds like a natural for lovers of Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, and Carl Hiaasen.

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross

Deep Storm by Lincoln Child

Older but GREAT "Beach" Reads:

The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney

Kill Me by Stephen White

Compromising Positions by Susan Isaacs

Good Things by Mia King

The Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

No Angel by Penny Vincenzi

Anything by Cathy Kelly - for instance, Just Between Us or Past Secrets

If you liked Kill Me, try Stephen White's older books, Warning Signs and Cold Case

Blue Zone by Andrew Gross - Gross used to write with James Patterson, but is FABULOUS on his own. Blue Zone is a fast-moving thriller about a family placed in the Witness Protection Program. His new hardcover, Dark Tide, will be out in March - a second nail-biting stand-alone thriller. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong!

Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky - Great discussion potential in this tale of the birth of a young couple's first child. The publisher says: "For as long as she can remember, Dana Clarke has longed for the stability of home and family. Now she has married a man she adores, whose heritage can be traced back to the Mayflower, and she is about to give birth to their first child. But what should be the happiest day of her life becomes the day her world falls apart. Her daughter is born beautiful and healthy, and in addition, unmistakably African-American in appearance. Dana's determination to discover the truth about her baby's heritage becomes a shocking, poignant journey. A superbly crafted novel, Family Tree asks penetrating questions about family and the choices people make in times of crisis."

Stone Cold by David Baldacci - You must read Camel Club first, and then Collectors (just out in paperback). Stone Cold is as good as Camel Club... maybe better, as readers get to know the odd but wonderful set of characters who are determined to keep the U.S. government from self-destructing.
My favorite Christmas book, and PERHAPS the LizPick of 2007: On Angel Wings by Michael Morpurgo, pictures by Quentin Blake - A moving retelling of the birth of Christ, through the eyes of a young shepherd boy listening to his grandfather's unbelievable tale of Christmas Eve so many years ago. Have a Kleenex handy - I'm tearing up just thinking about the book!

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo (keep that Kleenex handy)

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - Bennett has Queen Elizabeth following her Corgis into a bookmobile where she feels obliged to borrow a book. Her discovery of the unexpected joys of reading widely and intelligently has unexpected and humorous consequences for her staff, and indeed the entire kingdom.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Before I Die, a first novel by Jenny Downham. Published by Random House Children's Books, it definitely crosses over to the adult market - perhaps the best comparison is The Lovely Bones.
It's about 14-year old Tessa who is dying of leukemia... and who has worked up a list of things she REALLY wants to do before she dies. Buyers of the book need to know that Having Sex is #1 on her list, and happens. However, it is handled beautifully by Downham; and very shortly afterward, Tessa, realizing that it fell dramatically short of her expectations which were fueled by the hundreds of novels she has read in the four years of illness, adds "Love" to her list.
The characters are developed with care, and like those in Jodi Picoult's novels, ring completely true as they deal with the almost unbearable situation.

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta - A provocative read, pitting a liberal sex education teacher against her 10-year-old daughter's religious right soccer coach.

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty - Popular high school senior Kara accidentally hits and kills another student while driving. Like Brian Strause did in Maybe a Miracle and Jodi Picoult did in Nineteen Minutes, Laura Moriarty takes a family in crisis, and then delves into how each family member copes.

Rattled by Debra Galant lives up to its billing as a delightfully hilarious novel, featuring Heather Peters, new suburbanite super-mom and super-wife, and her clashes with old-timer Harlan who is out to stop or at least hinder the new housing developments however he can.

Promise Me by Harlan Coben - The publisher says: In the past six years, none of entertainment agent Myron Bolitar's clients have been murdered - a real positive for his business. But all that is about to change when a well-intentioned promise goes nightmarishly wrong, and Bolitar must become a hero again to save a young girl's life in this follow-up to Darkest Fear.

Lost & Found by Jacqueline Sheehan - For all dog-lovers, the delightful tale of Lloyd, the black Labrador who transforms Rocky's life.

Kill Me by Stephen White - Customers are coming back after reading this and agreeing that it's one of the best LizPicks ever. The publisher says: He has chosen to die and signed a contract with the right people to make it happen. Everything will go as planned, even if he changes his mind. Which he has. And all he can do now is keep looking over his shoulder.

Love Walked In by Marisa de Los Santos - The publisher says: When Martin Grace enters the hip Philadelphia coffee shop Cornelia Brown manages, her life changes forever. But little does she know that her newfound love is only the harbinger of greater changes to come. Meanwhile, across town, Clare Hobbs - eleven years old and abandoned by her erratic mother - goes looking for her lost father. She crosses paths with Cornelia while meeting with him at the café, and the two women form an improbable friendship that carries them through the unpredictable currents of love and life. (Plume Books)
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood - The publisher says: After the sudden loss of her only child, Stella, Mary Baxter joins a knitting circle in Providence, Rhode Island, as a way to fill the empty hours and lonely days, not knowing that it will change her life. Alice, Scarlet, Lulu, Beth, Harriet, and Ellen welcome Mary into their circle despite her reluctance to open her heart to them. Each woman teaches Mary a new knitting technique, and, as they do, they reveal to her their own personal stories of loss, love, and hope. Eventually, through the hours they spend knitting and talking together, Mary is finally able to tell her own story of grief, and in so doing reclaims her love for her husband, faces the hard truths about her relationship with her mother, and finds the spark of life again. (W. W. Norton)
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kathleen Jacobs - The publisher says: A moving story about a single mother who runs a Manhattan yarn shop where some of her regulars gather to chat over their stories of love, life, and everything in between. (Putnam)
The Duck and the Owl by Hanna Johansen, illustrated by Kathi Bhend - Liz says: A delightful little fable, and a perfect gift for ANYONE on your Valentine list, age 8 to 98! Duck and Owl are continually arguing and yelling at each other because they are SO DIFFERENT! For instance, Duck likes to swim, which appalls Owl, and Owl likes to perch high in a tree, which terrifies Duck. At the end of the tale, they realize that while they are different, they are both OK - there is no right and wrong to their differences. A good lesson for all! (David R. Godine)
Accidental Happiness by Jean Reynolds Page - Wonderful discussion potential. The book is full of unexpected twists and turns as we move with Gina through the difficult months following her 36-year-old husband, Ben's, death. The sudden appearance of Ben's ex-wife and her young daughter complicates matters, revealing a number of secrets while offering some possibilities for the future. (Ballantine Books)
Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson will be out in March 2007 as a paperback original. Just a heads up to book clubs – put this on your list for 2007! It's an extraordinary tale of love and loss and the enduring power of friendship. (Penguin)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - Liz's Book of the Year for 2006. Oddly enough, I didn't WANT to read this book. For some reason, I felt an aversion to reading about a circus – perhaps memories of too much cotton candy and too many peanuts. However, when I discovered we were going to be able to have the author visit, I decided I had better read it. The book was fabulous – absolutely riveting – as many readers and book clubs have discovered. Yes, the setting is a circus, but the story is really the tale of life's sudden detours and the power of love. The intricate relationships between various performers, the occasionally heartwrenching subplots, and the story of Jacob and Marlena, come together into a beautiful whole. The book opens with Jacob in a nursing home. Water for Elephants is a magical blend of his memories and his life in the home, as he eagerly watches a circus setting up in the field across the street. We were lucky enough to have Sara Gruen here in Hudson last summer, and she was a WONDERFUL speaker. The crowd at our Book & Author Luncheon was enthralled with the tales of her research, both for this book and for her next one.
Wild Fire (by Nelson DeMille) - FANTASTIC! One of his strongest thrillers lately, and RIGHT out of today's headlines.
The Camel Club (by David Baldacci), just out in paperback, is one of Baldacci's best thrillers. Formerly entrenched in the government himself, Oliver Stone and his Camel Club cronies keep a close eye on the government - Stone keeping the closest eye by camping in a small graveyard across the street from the White House, acting as the unofficial caretaker. A brutal murder involves the eccentric group in a full-fledged conspiracy. Set aside enough time to read it in one sitting - you won't want to stop! From Warner Books.
The Collectors (by David Baldacci) is a sequel to The Camel Club. The four members must use all their ingenuity and unique specialties to outwit Roger Seagraves, a man determined to auction America off to her enemies, killing anyone in his path. Just out in hardcover from Warner Books.
The Book of Bright Ideas (by Sandra King)
The Owl & Moon Cafe (by Jo-Ann Mapson)
Remains Silent by Dr. Michael Baden and Linda Kenney Baden (host of HBO's Autopsy and guest legal commentator on Court T.V., respectively)
The Orange Blossom Special (by Betsy Carter) - The publisher says: With a light and compassionate touch, the author depicts a mother and daughter who create a family out of the people living at a crossroads during the social upheaval that shook the 1960s. $12.00 (Dell/Random House)
Maybe a Miracle (by Brian Strause) - The publisher says: Monroe Anderson - as quiet on the outside as he is sardonic and alive on the inside - has spent most of his eighteen years trying to fly beneath the radar. If he can remain invisible, he believes, his sadistic older brother, a rising golf star, might not torment him, his workaholic father, a renowned litigator, might not notice him long enough to be disappointed, and his mother might not have to struggle so hard to find a hopeful word. The only people who glimpse the real Monroe are his girlfriend, Emily, and his eleven-year-old sister, Annika. On the night of his senior prom, Monroe finds Annika floating facedown in the family pool. He dives in and rescues her, but not quickly enough to prevent her from slipping into a coma. As the family copes with this crisis, Monroe's mother turns to religion, his father turns to liquor, and Monroe himself must decide what's worth believing in, what's worth fighting for, and, finally, who he wants to be. Liz says: The ending is fantastic! $12.95 (Random House)
Around the Next Corner (by Elizabeth Wrenn) - Liz says: A mother of three with a marriage that could be more exciting and a soon-to-be-empty nest volunteers for K-9 Eyes for the Blind and finds a whole new dimension for her life. Funny and heartwarming. $12.95 (Penguin Putnam)
The Crazyladies of Pearl Street (by Trevanian) - The publisher says: In a heartfelt and unforgettable look back at one child's life in the 1930s and '40s, six-year-old Jean-Luc LaPointe gradually takes on responsibility for his family's survival with a mix of bravery and resentment while his mom turns from spells of illness and depression to eager planning for the day when "our ship will come in." $13.95 (Three Rivers Press)
Gods in Alabama (by Joshilyn Jackson) - Liz says: When Arlene Fleet heads up north for college, she promises God that she'll stop fornicating and lying, and never, ever go back to her hometown in Alabama. All she wants from Him is one miracle: make sure the body is never found. Now, ten years later, Arlene finds she has to go back to Alabama, and she's hoping that God will still keep his part of the deal. $12.95 (Warner Books)
Family Baggage (by Monica McInerney) - The publisher says: Harriet Turner knows all about journeys. She’s arranged hundreds of them for her family’s travel agency. Now Harriet is joining her adopted sister, Lara, to lead a group through the Cornish countryside. But when Lara fails to appear at the airport as planned, Harriet finds herself in uncharted territory and suddenly alone with a busload of eccentric seniors. As the tour wends its way through the picturesque landscape, Harriet must uncover her sister’s whereabouts and confront long-held family secrets involving Lara’s arrival twenty-five years ago... not to mention keeping track of more baggage – real and emotional – than she ever expected. $13.95 (Ballantine Books)
Lucky Dog by Mark Barrowcliffe - Delightfully quirky. $13.95 (from St. Martin's Griffin)
The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard - $7.99 (from HarperCollins)
The Innocent by Harlan Coben - $9.99 (from Penguin)
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish - I didn't like this author's first book, but I'm in the middle of this one and loving it. $11.00 (from Bantam Books)
Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, illustrated by Katy Schneider - Our entire staff has fallen in love with this book! It's for dog owners, would-be dog owners, poetry lovers,... $15.99 (from HarperCollins)
Missing Persons by Stephen White - $9.99 (from Penguin)
My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman - $24.00 (from Houghton Mifflin)
Double Tap by Steve Martini - $7.99 (from Penguin)
The Tavern on Maple Street by Sharon Owens - $22.95 (from Penguin)
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult - $26.00 (from Simon & Schuster)
My Pick of the Year: The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch introduces thirteen-year-old Miles O'Malley, who knows everything there is to know about the tidal flats of Puget Sound. His favorite person is Rachel Carson, whom he can quote at the drop of a hat. He is thrown into the national spotlight when he discovers several unusual and exotic ocean creatures in his favorite backwater bay, which further complicates the already tricky business of adolescence. Miles is delightful - as bright as they come - with an unusual, wonderful group of friends. Enjoyable for everyone from a bright 14-year-old to my 92-year-old mother! From Bloomsbury Press.
The Year of Past Things by M. A. Harper (author of The Worst Day of My Life So Far, also a LizPick). Set in New Orleans (pre-flood), a completely unique tale that escalates with excitement, combining ghosts, love, step-families and local color.
The Exile by Allan Folsom - For those, like me, who were disappointed by Day of Confession, Folsom is BACK! A non-stop thriller. The publisher says, "John Barron, the youngest cop on the LAPD's elite 5-2 squad, gets a baptism of blood and fire as he encounters the most haunting case and villains he's ever faced. Trapped in a web of global intrigue, Barron and his sister, Rebecca, are swept across oceans and continents, from California to England to Russia, by a sinister hit man playing out his role in a shocking conspiracy that threatens institutions of power worldwide."
Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz - I’ve said before that after reading an early Koontz I never picked up another... until a year or two ago, and WOW has he become a great writer! Imagine being told that there would be five terrible days in your life, and being given the dates! How would you prepare? Koontz tells a breath-taking tale. No longer is he a "horror writer" - he is a master of the thriller, with just enough "other-worldliness" thrown in to transform the story.
The President’s Assassin is not a LizPick, because I haven’t read it. But Greg loved it, and he ONLY likes the fastest-paced thrillers with excitement that starts on page one and continues to the end. By Brian Haig. (Greg likes all of Haig’s books.)
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
The Sound of Us by Sarah Willis
Hot Flashes & Cold Cream by Diann Hunt - Chick lit for 50+, with a slight Christian bent. In paperback.
Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss - Following Eats Shoots & Leaves, Truss' new book about "The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, Or, Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door" made me laugh out loud - these things drive EVERYONE crazy!
Jacquelyn Mitchard’s latest, Breakdown Lane, sounds more "Oprah-esque" than it really is – a tender telling of Julianne, whose husband has left her and the three kids just weeks before she discovers she has M.S. Told through her diary entries and those of her 16-year-old son.
David Baldacci’s Camel Club is one of his best – and could be RIGHT out of today’s headlines.
Perfect for book clubs wanting something lighter over the holidays: Savannah from Savannah! I laughed out loud (startling Maggie the dog) more than once. Great discussion potential in the mother-daughter tensions.
Boris by Cynthia Rylant – I think more for adults, although it’s a narrative poem about Boris the cat by his owner... who shares as much about herself as she does about Boris. You don’t have to own a cat; if you’ve ever known a cat at all, you’ll love it. Buy one for every cat-owner you know!
Sudden Death, the latest by David Rosenfelt, starring Andy Carpenter and Tara, his golden retriever.
The Ballroom on Magnolia Street, the latest by Sharon Owens (Tea House on Mulberry Street). Again at that nice $15.00 hardcover price!
Trace Evidence by Elizabeth Becka - On a cold November day, Cleveland forensic trace evidence expert Evelyn James is summoned to the scene of a bizarre crime. A young woman has been drowned, her feet chained and sunk in cement. When a second young victim is connected to a prominent family, the police - and Evelyn - find themselves in a race against time to catch the killer.
'Til Death Do Us Part by Kate White - In her latest outing, true-crime writer Bailey Weggins investigates the murders of two of the bridesmaids she served with at the lavish wedding of a domestic diva. A third bridesmaid soon dies - and Bailey may be next.
Heart's Desire by Laura Pedersen
The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart
Remains Silent
Liberating Paris by Linda Bloodworth Thomason
Memorial Day by Vince Flynn is now in paperback – an easy, quick thriller – perfect for a hot August day!
The Ladies of Garrison Gardens by Louise Shaffer is a continuation of The Three Miss Margarets, and equally good!
Grandpa’s Angel by Jutta Bauer is a wonderful WONDERFUL little gift book for anyone who believes in angels. I’ve just spent several minutes trying to figure out how to describe the book, and I simply can’t – you’ll have to read it. Simple watercolor sketches and five or six words per page – it will only take you a minute, and it is a delight!
The CrazyLadies of Pearl Street by Trevanian
Adored by Tilly Bagshawe
Lizzie's War by Tim Farrington
Priceless by Marne Davis Kellogg
Sister North by Jim Kokoris - You've got to love a book with such a unique premise. Burnt out lawyer, hooked on a nun's radio show, leaves the work world to go meet her. Finds Sister North to be extremely elusive, but does find himself, along with many other endearing characters, while searching for her. Very well done, and one shouldn't get hung up on the fact that it's a nun... anyone can appreciate the search for meaning in a sometimes overwhelming world.
Good Grief by Lolly Winston - Winston is FUNNY! And while grief is not inherently amusing at all, Winton has found the perfect tone in her breezy & humorous description of Sophie Stanton's struggles (and failure) to be a "good" widow at age 36... Not making light of Sophie's sadness, but deftly turning it to show the funny side underneath.
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult - 13-year old Anna was conceived specifically as a bone marrow match for her older sister Kate, and she has HAD it with the surgeries, transfusions and shots. Picoult does a great job of presenting Anna's dilemma - she absolutely loves her sister, but is ready for HER life to begin. As with all Picoult's books, although dealing with a serious topic, not at all depressing, but a tender and revealing portrait of a family in crisis.
Bury the Lead by David Rosenfelt - Finally in paper, the third in the Andy Carpenter thriller series! I like his light & casual style - his are easy reads that will occasionally make you laugh out loud... but you won't want to put it down until you're finished. (And we love the fact that Andy has a dog rescue operation, since Maggie the Golden Retriever is our Book Shop Dog.)
Goodbye Summer by Patricia Gaffney - Possibly even better than Saving Graces! Installing her grandmother (temporarily, they both agree) in a nursing home while she recovers from a broken leg introduces Caddie and the reader to a delightful array of "characters" which I loved by the end of the book. Made me laugh - AND cry... and for me that's a good book!
Brilliant by Marne Davis Kellogg - What a delightfully unusual character is Kick! Brilliant is fast-paced, surprising (VERY surprising) and a perfect beach, airplane or by-the-pool read. I can't wait for Priceless in June!

Last updated 6/6/08