This week we've got a new bookseller to introduce you to; Louise Penny, Andrew Sean Greer, and and Anthony Marra in paperback; a British thriller and a French comic to recommend; an upcoming event with a local mystery writer; and an argument against Darwinism...

What better way to meet a new bookseller than to peruse her favorite books? Here are some of Emily K.'s, along with her blurbs (also available in convenient list form on our website here):

The God of Endings — Jacqueline Holland

"No sparkly vampires here- this story is not one of sensationalized vampiric lore. In this novel, the vampire's way of live proves to be an extension of the Old Slavic tales made real - such as Czernobog and the Saker, amongst other who lurk in the runes and shadows.

Flowing like the river of time and memory itself, The God of Endings is a novel that ambles along while still retaining tension at its foundation. With stunning prose, from the first paragraph to the last, I just wanted our world to slow down, so that I could take everything in."

Leave No Trace — Mindy Mejia

"A great stand-alone mystery set up North in The Boundary Waters. Perfect for vacation - just make sure you finish packing before you start reading it, otherwise you'll finish the book before your trip, and you will still need to pack!"

The Salt Grows Heavy — Cassandra Khaw

"There's body horror and cultish behavior. There's wasted landscape and maimed figures. And despite all the guts and gore and teeth, there is also a tenderness to this story. There is love amongst the devastation."

Rose Quartz — Sasha Taqwsəblu Lapointe

"My favorite poem at the moment from this collection is 'Rose Quartz II.' I also really enjoyed reading 'Black Salt' and 'The Canoe My Grandmother Gave Me.' "

And Yet — Kate Baer

"The day my fiancé proposed was the same day I first read the poem 'Sunday Drive' from this collection. It felt reflective of our engagement and the hope and magic of our future together."

In light of a possible UPS strike in August, we are recommending that anyone who needs a book special-ordered for August or September place their orders this month. We anticipate receiving new releases on time even if the strike goes through, but we rely on UPS for individual orders as well, so don't wait until August to place them! Go on our website, come into the store, or call us at 651-225-8989.

MORE NEW SIDELINES

Some interesting non-literary merchandise has touched down recently. First, we now have birdhouses! Handwoven by groups of women in Ghana and imported by Kazi, these elephant grass birdhouses carry the Nest Seal fair-trade certification. For $24, you can hang one in your backyard or deck and attract some interesting avian visitors!

It's Cancer season and our rotating zodiac display has changed to match. Check out these crabby authors!

Our Sci-Fi Fantasy section has expanded, now comprising two and a half bays! Come find a new world to disappear into, boyo.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop — Satoshi Yagisawa

Takako’s life is in freefall after losing her boyfriend, her job, and her friends. In the depths of her despair, she receives a call from her distant uncle Satoru, an unusual man who runs a second-hand bookshop in Tokyo. Takako once looked down upon Satoru, but now, she accepts his offer of the tiny room above the bookshop in exchange for helping out at the store. In the months that follow, Takako develops a passion for Japanese literature, makes new friends, and meets a young editor who’s going through his own messy breakup. Takako and her uncle work to understand each other and themselves as they share the wisdom they’ve gained in the bookshop.

Beauty — Kerascoët & Hubert

Available again for the first time since 2015, Beauty is an exemplar of French comics. Kerascoët's art, with Hubert's perfect colors, is simple and expressive, broken up by gorgeous, sweeping landscapes that still maintain that same elegance. Best of all is their approach to the enchanted protagonist, sometimes portrayed as the Aphrodite others see, and more often (quite humorously) as the petulant gremlin she is. Hubert's script is by turns amusing and deeply upsetting -- continually absorbing. Beauty's not saying anything new about the titular theme, per se, but it's said so well that it has the resonance of a classic fairy tale. -Graham

Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS — BTS & Myeongseok Kang

Since they came together in 2013, BTS has become an iconic global artist. On their tenth anniversary, they look back on their footsteps in this first official book, sharing personal, behind-the-scenes stories, and more than three years of in-depth coverage by Myeongseok Kang. Presented chronologically in seven chapters, Beyond the Story includes portrait photos, concept photos, timelines, tracklists, and QR codes allowing readers to access trailers, music videos, and more. Beyond the Story is a remarkable archive, in which BTS's vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a sincere, lively, and deep story

Tabula Rasa — John McPhee

Over seven decades, John McPhee has set a standard for literary nonfiction. Assaying mountain ranges, bark canoes, experimental aircraft, and more, he has written narrative pieces of immaculate design. Now McPhee looks back at his career from the vantage point of his desk drawer, reflecting wryly upon projects he once planned to do but never got around to—people to profile, regions he meant to portray. An ideal project for an old man, he says, a “reminiscent montage” from a writing life. This first volume includes fireworks over the East River as seen from Malcolm Forbes’s yacht, the evolving inclinations of the Tower of Pisa, persuading The New Yorker to publish a book on oranges, and other subjects. The result is a fresh survey of McPhee’s singular planet.

All The Demons Are Here — Jake Tapper

It’s 1977. Ike and Lucy, the kids of Senator Charlie and Margaret Marder, are grown up—and in trouble. Ike has gone AWOL after a military operation gone wrong. Now he's off-grid, working for Evel Knievel in Montana. Lucy has become the star reporter of a DC tabloid breaking stories about a serial killer. As they deal with the weirdness of the time—celebrities, cults, the Summer of Sam, and a time of national unease—Ike and Lucy realize that their worlds are full of not only bad choices, but danger. As their lives spiral out of control, they also spiral towards one another. And the decisions they make mean life and death not only for them, but their parents.

As always, our newsletter can't fit everything, so check out the other new arrivals and recent bestsellers on our website!

Manga Club: Go For It, Nakamura!

Saturday, July 8 at 5:00pm (RSVP)

Come to NCB at 5pm on the second Saturday of every month to talk manga with other weebs! Hosted by our resident manga experts Emily and Graham (yours truly), the Manga Club provides free Japanese snacks, a 10% discount on ALL manga in the store, and most importantly, a forum to discuss a new title every month. For our July meeting, we'll discuss Syundei's endearing Boy’s Love comedy Go For It, Nakamura! Nakamura is a shy boy who falls in love at first sight with dreamy high school classmate Hirose. But there's a problem: they haven’t met yet. And Nakamura is a total klutz who might bungle things before they even begin! This ought to be a fun and lighthearted meeting.

(Her Whole Bright Life) and Zach Goldberg

Tuesday, July 18 at 6:00pm (RSVP)

Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie maintains that he just does favors for friends, but somehow he always ends up doing a fair bit more. Sgt. Swenson is convinced that "J.C." Carrell killed the developer who purchased the isolated parcel on which she lives. J.C.'s friend convinces McKenzie that she's no killer, and he finds another witness who gets the county attorney to drop the charges. But as soon as J.C.'s ankle bracelet is removed, she vanishes, three days before a bulldozer discovers two more bodies buried under her gazebo. Now McKenzie goes looking for her, armed with only the false stories she's told him, in the latest installment of the acclaimed Mac McKenzie series. David Housewright is an Edgar Award winner and three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award. He is a past president of the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA). He lives in St. Paul.

(Her Whole Bright Life) and Zach Goldberg

Tuesday, July 18 at 6:00pm (RSVP)

Her Whole Bright Life is a collection of poems that weave together the trauma and exhaustion of a life lived with disordered eating and the loss and grief of the death of the poet’s father. With a distinct and feminist voice, this collection delves into a life now lived without a beloved parent, while trying to survive a pandemic and battling demons that have lived inside her for most of her life. This collection of poems is both an elegy and an anthem – praising both those who’ve been lost and those who remain.

Courtney LeBlanc is author of Exquisite Bloody, Beating Heart and Beautiful & Full of Monsters. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Riot in Your Throat, an independent poetry press, and is a fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts (2022). She loves nail polish, tattoos, and a soy latte each morning. Zach Goldberg is a writer, educator, and arts organizer. He is the author of XV and the winner of the 2021 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest. His work can be found or is forthcoming in AGNI, Pleiades, RHINO, and elsewhere. Zach has represented Wesleyan University and Berkeley, CA at various poetry slam tournaments. He lives on occupied Dakota land in Minneapolis, MN.

Sci-Fi Fantasy Club: Kalpa Imperial

There's no final frontier for the Sci-Fi Fantasy Club! Join us the last Friday of every month as we uncover and rediscover forgotten classics, titles that blur genres, small press stunners, and all the books you missed because they don't have Brandon Sanderson's marketing budget. For our July meeting, we'll cover Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was by Angelica Gorodischer. This older Argentinian novel, translated by the legendary Ursula K. Le Guin, relates through oral history, allegory, and in-universe documents the history of a fabled empire, forever falling and rising again.

Rob Kirby — Marry Me A Little: A Graphic Memoir

In Marry Me a Little, Rob Kirby recounts his experience of marrying his longtime partner, John, just after same-sex marriage was legalized in Minnesota in 2013, two years before the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage the law of the land. This is a personal story --about Rob's ambivalence toward the institution of marriage, his loving relationship with John, and the life that they share -- set against the historical and political backdrop of shifting attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights and marriage. With humor, candor, and a near-whimsical drawing style, Rob relates how he and John navigated this changing landscape, how they planned and celebrated their wedding, and how the LGBTQ+ community is now facing the very real possibility of setbacks to marriage equality. Rob Kirby has been making comics since 1991. He is the author of Curbside Boys and the creator and editor of several anthologies, including the series THREE, for which he received the 2011 Prism Queer Press Grant, and the Ignatz Award-winning QU33R (2014).

See the calendar on our website for more!

The Beekeeper's Apprentice – Laurie R. King

The first book of the Mary Russell series, wherein fifteen-year-old Mary meets the retired Sherlock Holmes, now a beekeeper. Wherein Mary becomes protegee and partner of Holmes. So begins the 25th anniversary reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries. Compelling and addictive!

-Jean

The nature of life is not constancy, but change. The driver of change, at the level of the individual and at the level of evolution, is the encounter with the other. Contrary to Darwinian notions of hierarchal descent, which posited mutation in individual branches as the driving force behind evolution, symbiosis asserts that change and novelty come from without. We are who we are because of everything else.

Models of progression, advancement, linearity and individuality -- models, in short, of hierarchy and dominance -- collapse under the weight of actual diversity. Life is soupy, mixed up and tumultuous . Muddying the waters is precisely the point, because it's from such nutritious streams that life grows. The individual, under the microscope or under the sun, is always a plurality. Models of multiplicity are needed to make sense of this endlessly proliferating, teeming, oozing and entangling life.

[...]

Symbiosis is not a vision of perfect harmony -- far from it. The world is not composed of harmonious or even equitable relationships, but it is composed of relationships, and more of those are mutually beneficial than they are antagonistic. 'Life,' writes [Lynn] Margulis, 'did not take over the globe by combat, but by networking.'

-James Bridle, Ways of Being

2. Order online or over the phone (at 651-225-8989) for in-store pickup. We'll let you know when your books are ready, then you can swing by and pick them up at your leisure.