Tuesday
June 15 at 7-8 pm Kate
Whouley, author of the charming Cottage
For Sale: Must Be Moved ( 1889833746)
will be at Book Ends to speak and sign copies of her new
book.
Thursday, June 24 at 5:30
- 7:00 p.m. Winchester resident Susan Guild will be
at Book Ends to speak and sign copies of her new inspirational
book The Red Polka Dotted Pillow:Wake Up the Real Who
Within You.
Town Day Saturday June
5,th marks the official launching of the WINCHESTER
READS 2004 project. The title of our town-wide read
this summer is Tracy
Kidder’s Mountains
Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man
Who Would Cure the World (0375506160).
Thanks to a generous grant from the John and Mary Murphy
Educational Foundation, the WINCHESTER READS Committee
was able to invite Pulitzer prize-winning Tracy Kidder
to give a free lecture on Thursday October 14,2004 at
McCall Middle School. Copies of the book are available
at the Winchester Public Library and at Book Ends ,
at a discount off the hardcover book of 35%! The book
is very moving and inspiring and we look forward with
great enthusiasm to Tracy Kidder’s lecture.
Gretchen writes:
Robert Parker
has written an out-of-series novel that combines nostalgic
recollections of his Boston boyhood with a thundering
good story centered in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke
the color bar in major league baseball. Double
Play: (0399151885)
fuses sports history and a real hero with a fictional
hero who is hired to guard Robinson during his first
year as a Dodger first baseman. The camaraderie between
the two men propels the story; along the way, it serves
to validate Parker’s vision of a world that “plays
by the rules.”
Every day we seem to be
bombarded with news featuring so-called “ugly
Americans,” so it is a pleasure to recommend a
warmhearted memoir about a father, son, and a life with
them written by a decidedly decent fellow. Tim Russert’s
Big
Russ & Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life (1401352081)
fills that bill with grace and humor. Full of memorable
people, from Dad Big Russ, to teacher Father John Sturm,
to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, this book celebrates
invaluable connections between friends, fathers, and
sons.
Here at Book Ends, we harbor
several enthusiastic and talented cooks…and several
folks who simply enjoy eating!! June is gift month for
brides and graduates, so we decided to poll fellow staffers
about their favorite classic cookbooks. Not surprisingly,
Joy
of Cooking (0684818701)
and The
Fannie Farmer Cookbook (0679450815)
won the most votes but other cookbooks were also nominated.
Bev, a specialist in Italian cookery, often refers to
Lidia’s
Italian-American Kitchen (037541150x);Judy
is currently swearing by The
South Beach Diet Cookbook (1579549578);
and great cook Peg likes The
Silver Palate Cookbook (0894802046).
This writer recommends James
Beard’s American Cookery (0316085669).
Other perfect gifts for
cooks, beginners or old hands are Bride
& Groom First and Forever Cookbook (081183493x);
The
King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion (0881505811),
which
won the James Beard award, Cookbook of the Year for
2004: and a charmer, now in paperback, that is part
memoir, part recipes,
Cooking for Mr. Latte (0393325598).
Dede writes: Kent
Haruf’s
Eventide
( 0375411585) is
a kind of sequel to his bestselling Plainsong. I liked
it even better than the first book and in today’s
New York Times ( 5-25-04) their very strict critic gave
it a very favorable review. Travel to the small town
of Holt,Colorado with this gifted writer.
The
Kite Runner (1594480001) by
Khaled Hosseini is the first novel in English by
an Afgani writer.
This is a very moving
-even heartbreaking - story, beautifully told. Newly
released in paperback.
Crescent
by Diana
Abu Jaber (0393325547)
is newly released in paperback. When this novel was
first published in hardcover it was an instant favorite
with the Book Ends staff. The setting is California;
the characters are Arab-American. With a main character
with a passion for cooking and a mysterious Iraqi professor
with a passion for the cook, this story is “ is
both timely and timeless”. (The Oregonian).
Alice writes:
For fans of E.L.
Doctorow, his most recent book, Sweet
Land Stories (1400062047)
is a perfect gift. In five short stories, some of which
have already been nominated for awards, Doctorow travels
across the country from Alaska to Washington, D.C.,
introducing us to characters searching for truth, happiness
and money. Within these tales is the American Dream,
personified, perverted and poignant.
Also, coming out in paperback
this month, George
Howe Colt’s The
Big House (074324964X)
is a wonderful tribute to summer homes everywhere. He,
his wife and young children return for one last summer,
collecting memories before the house is sold. All of
the customs and quirks-from the refusal to throw away
dead tennis balls to the old matchbox propping the guest
bed-Colt captures with accuracy, so much so that I recognized
much of my Yankee family within his own. With humor
and poignancy, he traces 100 years of family and local
history. By recounting the genealogy of his family’s
retreat, he illuminates the faded glory of the Boston
Brahmins who have bought and sold the surrounding properties
for just as long as his relatives.
BOOK GROUP
Tuesday, June 8, from 7
to 8 p.m., we’re having our second book group
meeting ever! In our first meeting, we discussed Bee
Season (0385498802).
In this next meeting, we’ll be talking about The
Law of Similars (0679771476)
by Chris
Bohjalian (author of Midwives
(0375706771)).
The Law of Similars delves into issues of homeopathy
versus Western medicine, exploring morality, ethics
and the boundaries therein of love. Bohjalian’s
talent for strong characterization and good plots is
readily apparent in this novel that the Boston Globe
said was “a hard book to put down.” As usual,
paperbacks are 10% off for book clubs, so if you’re
interested, please sign up today!
From the Children’s
Room
Pat, Isabel & Marilyn
write: With summer fast approaching there are many new
titles that have come out for our readers young and
old. When
You Were Just a Heartbeat, by Laurel
Molk, (0316579807)
is special for new mothers or mothers-to-be. Beautiful
text beginning with the anticipation of the new baby,
month by month growing within, is accompanied with wonderful,
soft watercolors.
Eric Carle’s newest Mister
Seahorse (0399242694)
with his signature tissue-paper collages of pastel hues
is just in time for Father’s Day. Mister Seahorse
cares for their eggs as he floats through the sea meeting
other kinds of fish fathers caring for their eggs and
babies as well. A delightful celebration of fatherly
affection. The sequel to the popular Molly
Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism (0060514094
just out in paperback)by Georgia
Byng is Molly
Stops the World (0060514108).
This has been very favorably reviewed by our student
reviewers. Julia A. says that even though most sequels
are never as good as the first, the second Molly is
a great adventure!
The much acclaimed House
of the Scorpion (0689852231)
by Nancy
Farmer has just recently been published into paperback.
With a National Book award, a Newbery Honor award and
a Michael Printz award this is an excellent read for
the middle grades and above. See
You Down the Road (0345824677)
by local Arthur Kim
Ablon Whitney are a new book for the high school
set. Student reviewer Kara M. felt that this book was
one of the better books that she had read of late. She
also felt that teens, particularly girls should read
it.
Please e mail us
shop@bookendswinchester.com with suggestions or comments.
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