Remarkably Bright Creatures

by Shelby Van Pelt

We've sold a ton of Van Pelt's debut novel thanks to the excellent handselling efforts of bookseller Toni. The book is even featured in our holiday catalog. I finally followed Toni's recommendation and read the book a few weeks ago. Toni's correct. The book is a gem! The star of the story is Marcellus, a Pacific octopus living in the Sowell Bay Aquarium near Puget Sound in Washington state. Throughout the novel, Marcellus regales us with his knowledge, his favorite foods, his thoughts about the human condition, and his skill at getting out of his tank and exploring. On one of these adventures he meets Tova Sullivan, a night cleaner at the aquarium. Tova's job keeps her busy and helps her cope after the death of her husband and the disappearance of Eric, her teenage son, thirty years ago. Although the one thing Marcellus can't do is talk, he and Tova form a unique friendship. And he's determined to find out what happened to Eric. Author Kevin Wilson says the book "is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing. Shelby Van Pelt makes good on this wild conceit, somehow making me love a misanthropic octopus, But her writing is so finely tuned that it's a natural element of a larger story about family, loss, and the electricity of something found."

The Caretaker

by Ron Rash

Set in Blowing Rock, North Carolina in 1951, Ron Rash's latest novel is a story of love and betrayal, of friendship and deceit. The main characters particularly stand out. Blackburn Gant, whose childhood bout with polio has left him disfigured, is the caretaker of the small hilltop cemetery. Jacob Hampton is Blackburn's best friend. He's eloped with a poor and uneducated sixteen year old, who the town and particularly Jacob's parents despise. Naomi Hampton, Jacob's pregnant wife, who works as a maid in the local hotel and scandalizes the town when she elopes with Jacob. The novel depicts the human capacity for empathetic compassion and self destruction, all justified as acts of love. John Grisham says "With each Ron Rash story, you expect flawed people trying desperately to survive against the odds, a rich sense of place, images that linger, and beautiful language that you catch yourself reading over and over. What you don't expect is a wicked plot. The Caretaker delivers all of the above in a story that becomes a race to the finish."

The Golden Gate

by Amy Chua

Set in 1930s and 1940s San Francisco, Amy Chua's rich novel is both historical thriller and mystery. Some of the action is set in the iconic Claremont Hotel. When charismatic presidential candidate Walter Wilkinson is assassinated in one of the rooms of the Claremont, homicide detective Al Sullivan's investigation leads him to another tragedy at the Claremont ten years earlier. Sullivan's background is as interesting as the mystery. Although he's part Mexican, part Nebraskan and part Jewish, he passes as white and has changed his name from Alejo Guitierrez to Al Sullivan. His wise-cracking young niece Miriam accompanies him on some of his cases. Chua concludes her book with an extensive list of books she used to reference her novel. Author Lisa See says the novel includes: "A tough-guy homicide detective, an entrancing femme fatale, family secrets, a fabulous building in a city in a great time period, a touch of Agatha Christie, and soupcon of Dashiell Hammett. You know a book's a winner when, even before you reach the last page, you're hoping the detective and his niece have many more adventures and mysteries to solve."

Mad Honey

by Jodi Picoult &

Jennifer Finney Boylan

Picoult and Boylan teamed up in 2022 to write this important, thought-provoking and timely novel that will certainly start a great discussion in your reading groups. Olivia McAfee and her teenaged son Asher return to her hometown of Adams, New Hampshire after Olivia's marriage falls apart. Lily Campanello and her mother relocate to Adams desperately seeking a fresh start so Lily can complete her final year of high school. When Asher falls for Lily things seem to be going well until their love turns into a nightmare. This is a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves. The Washington Post comments that the novel is "alternatingly heart-pounding and heartbreaking... this collaboration between two bestselling authors seamlessly weaves together Olivia and Lily's journeys, creating a provocative exploration of the strength that love and acceptance require."