"There is no terror in a bang,
only the anticipation of it."
~ Alfred Hitchcock
Anticipating new books must be one of the greatest pleasures in life.  The delayed gratification probably has something to do with it.  There's something about finding a book on the shelf that you've been waiting for and then having that, "You are JUST what I was looking for!" moment.  I don't read very fast.  Last week, a customer asked me how many books I read a week, and I had to admit that it usually takes me more than a week to read just one.  Of course, that's at this time of year because I can't keep my eyes open long enough to read when I go to bed at night!  During the Fall and Spring, I find it so much easier to cozy up with a book.  During the Summer, there is always something else to do, or zzzzs to catch up on!  Fall is technically here as of September 23, and we are planning on getting some titles devoured.  Our "to read" lists are growing, and we're dusting off the piles of books in our house that we've been waiting to have the time to read.  Of course, by the time I get around to reading some of those, then the other books I've been anticipating will be out, and it just never ends!  It's a magical thing to never run out of books, and we're here to help!  Here are some upcoming titles or "just released."


Staff Picks:
----------
click any name below for more recommendations:
The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel

Yes, this is the author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.  Yes, that is a headless woman on the cover.  Yes, we think you'll still want it.

Highly anticipated and reviewed.  It's a thick book for a cozy fall read.  My Brilliant Friend is the first, and The Story of a New Name the second in the series.  You can just jump right into the third without the others though.  LA Times review here.

Think Tom Lynch, but female, coming of age, and with a focus on the history of cremation.  Caitlin is now a professional mortician who believes in examining the way society views death.  Fascinating stuff.



She's baaack!  We've been waiting for two years, since Broken Harbor, for a new Tana French.  The critics agree that you won't be disappointed.  Click here for the starred review from Kirkus. 

Emily St. John Mandel:
It's the best Petoskey book about a pandemic you'll read all year!  Seriously, no matter what the setting, we would have been in love with this book.  The Michigan setting was just icing on the top.  Matt put it best when he said, "If Ann Patchett wrote a post-apocoliptic novel, it would be Station Eleven."  Trust us.  Don't miss this one.

Loren Long and Judy Schachner:

You did not read that incorrectly.  Loren Long AND Judy Schachner will both be at the store this fall for the releases of their new books!!!
After their school visits, they'll be in the store in the afternoon from 4-5:30pm!  We will have a presentation from the author, and an activity followed by a book signing.  Best for ages 4 and up.  RSVP for both programs today!



Loren Long, Thursday, September 18, 4-5:30pm, RSVP 

 
Loren's new book is Otis and the Scarecrow.  It's the perfect fall-friendly book to usher in those cooler temps.  Kids will love the gentle story of friendship from their favorite tractor, Otis.   If you've never met Otis, the video on the left is how he came to be.

Judy Schachner, Thursday, October 23, 4-5:30pm, RSVP

 
Judy's latest Skippyjon tale is so much more serious than the others. -Just kidding!  Skippito-Friskito is up to his old tricks, but he'll have to look out for his bandito of amigos because they aren't used to the cold.  Follow the adventure in Skippijon Jones: Snow What?  

David Levy presents, "The Poetry of the Night:"

  

Headlands International Dark Sky Park will welcome astronomer David Levy!

 

Details: 7-9pm, at the Guest House  

The Headlands International Dark Sky Park and Emmet County are pleased to announce special guest David H. Levy for the Sept. 20, 2014, program.

Levy is arguably one of the most enthusiastic and famous amateur astronomers of our time.  Although he has never taken a class in astronomy, he has made 23 comet discoveries, the most famous being the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994. He has also discovered more than 500 asteroids, has received an Emmy for the documentary Three Minutes to Impact, and has five honorary doctorates in science. Levy has written more than three dozen books, is a regular contributor to several astronomy magazines, and has appeared on television programs featured on the Discovery and the Science Channels.  His PhD combines astronomy and English Literature.  Currently, he is the editor of the web magazine Sky's Up!  while sustaining an international lecture schedule and continuing to hunt for comets and asteroids.

The Headlands program is offered in partnership with the Northern Michigan Astronomy Club and it occurs the night of September's waning Moon phase, which means skies will be clear for spectacular views of the thickest part of the Milky Way and the Summer Triangle.

Stargazing will follow Levy's program. Reservations are not required, and the program is free of charge. It will take place rain or shine.  McLean and Eakin will be on hand with copies of Levy's books, and Deep Sky Objects:  The Best and Brightest From Four Decades of Comet Chasing and Comets: Creators and Destroyers. 

If you have questions, call Adams at (231) 838-8181 or email [email protected] 


National Hug a Book Week:

Hug Machine by Scott Campbell has been published just in time for National Hug a Book Week, and we're celebrating!

~Free hug with any in-store purchase, September 6-14! (Online purchases will receive virtual hugs.)

~We will be taking pictures of you and your book hugs all week!  Post with us on Facebook and Twitter, #hugmachine.

~Downtown Petoskey "Hug Hunt" for prizes everyday between September 6 & 14.  This is a scavenger hunt for hugs in Downtown Petoskey.  You start your hunt at our store, and have to go to The Grain Train, Grandpa Shorter's, Vintage to Vogue, Beard's Brewery, and Life is Good for the other clues and freebies!  Clues and hugs available all week from 10am-6pm.

**Psst!  Teachers!  Click the image above for activities, and reproducibles for the classroom!

You have until tomorrow to place a PSA Essentials order and get 35% off.  That's a $40 stamp for just $26.  Stop in and ask for Jessilynn or Kirstyn, or peruse the PSA Essentials website, and email us your order.  Click here for PSA Essentials website to view design choices.  We'll get it processed and on your door in 9-12 business days.  It's that fast!!  Use as your return address on envelopes, for scrapbooking, to personalize your notes, or even design a special stamp to use as a "This Book Belongs to" stamp!

Found on the Shelf:

In a Nutshell: Cooking and Baking with Nuts and Seeds by Cara Tannenbaum and Andrea Tutunjian

Guess how many people have a nut allergy in the United States?  Go ahead.  Guess.  3 million.  If you are one of the lucky ones who don't have a nut allergy, this book is an amazing find.  There is a "Meatless Mains" section that includes a recipe for Chestnut and Apple Quiche that I am dying to try. Some other listings that might intrigue you:  Black and White Sesame-Crusted Trout with Chive Oil, Thai-Style Cucumber Salad with Roasted Peanuts, and West African Peanut Soup.  You'll go nuts for this one.  Sigh.  Had to.  The "Nibbles" section has all kinds of crackers to bake.  The most intriguing might be the Pecan-Stilton Crackers.  With 2 C flour, 1 stick butter, 1 C Stilton, and 1C chopped pecans, what about them could be anything other than divine?

Banned Book Week is Sept. 21-27:

It's right around the corner!  McLean and Eakin supports Banned Book Week for 2 reasons:
 
Reason #1: We believe that free speech is an integral part of society.  Banning books does not support the idea of free speech.
Reason #2: We believe exposure to ideas is vital.  Banning books limits the exposure of ideas.

A great video from Penguin authors: Jacqeline Woodson, Carolyn Macker, Anthony Horowitz, Lev Grossman, Laurie Halse Anderson, M.T. Anderson, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Dessen, Ellen Hopkins, Heather Brewer, Lauren Myracle, Nina LaCour, Meg Rosoff, T.A. Barron, Chris Crutcher, Rita Williams-Garcia, Dave Barry, Kathy Reichs, John Green, and Jay Asher.  They all weigh in on how they feel about censorship.  Great video.  
Recommends from our newest UofM Freshman Lily (we're so sad she's gone!):

If you loved Scott Westerfeld's popular Uglies series, you're in for a treat, because his new book Afterworlds is... completely different. And so, so much better. Now, I'm not bashing Uglies;  Westerfeld handled the image-centric dystopian series like a pro, but he's playing an entirely new game with Afterworlds, and excelling at it. If you want to read young adult literature at its best, this book is a must.
Eighteen-year-old protagonist Darcy Patel is a novelist. Not an aspiring writer, an honest-to-goodness novelist with a fresh new young adult novel and a book deal. Thrilled with the path her career is taking, she convinces her parents to let her move to New York City to work on the sequel, effectively putting off college for another year. In New York, Darcy finds herself immersed in the close-knit circles of the YA author community. She writes in her own apartment, attends YA drinks night, and forms friendships with the writers who are now her peers (I'm ninety-nine percent sure that the character of Stan Anderson is actually a cameo appearance by John Green). But Darcy's focus starts to slip, and her untitled sequel suffers as a result. Can she make it in the big city, or as a writer?  Will she reach what her friends have affectionately dubbed "YA Heaven"?
Darcy's story is also interwoven with that of Lizzie, the protagonist of Darcy's novel, for a cool meta effect that will leave readers clamoring for more. Afterworlds is best for ages twelve and up, and will be released on September 14th. Come in and reserve a copy- this is one that you don't want to miss.

Starglass by Phoebe North

Faster than you can say "Not another spaceship book," I am proud to present... one of the best darn spaceship books of our time. It's chock-full of awesome sci-fi action, rebellion (naturally), Jewish culture, mysterious aliens, and a really cool, sassy botanist.
In fact, plants play an important role in this saga about Terra Fineberg, a sixteen-year-old passenger on the good ship Asherah, which was founded to preserve Jewish culture after the death of planet Earth. The Asherah is soon to reach Zehava, the promised planet that Terra's people have been journeying toward for hundreds of years. But the new planet isn't the first thing on Terra's mind. Society aboard the Asherah has become tightly controlled, and Terra has just reached the age of legal adulthood. Burdened since her mother's death, with a drunk, vindictive father, Terra now has the added stresses of a job assignment she doesn't want, a betrothed who won't kiss her, and a strange being who lingers in her dreams almost every night . But these things seem trivial once she finds out about the steps the ruling Council has taken to preserve order. Terrified and appalled, she joins a faction of rebels called the Children of Abel, who seek to ensure that the Asherah's people will be free from tyranny when they reach Zehavah's surface. But nothing is as it seems. Can the Children really be trusted more than the Council? Will Terra ever escape her crushing loneliness? And most importantly... is Zehava even inhabitable?
Terra is a wonderfully flawed and believable protagonist who makes outer-space struggles relatable, and the cast of supporting characters is just as varied and interesting, from Terra's difficult father to her nonconforming boss. And to make things even better, Starglass's sequel, Starbreak, has just been released, so you can read both installments in one fell swoop! Best for ages fourteen and up.