Hello!
Rarely do we have a book that the majority of Books & Company booksellers are scrambling to read and talk about. Mike Gayle's All the Lonely People is one of those books! I mentioned this in my last newsletter, but even more of my booksellers are talking about it! Genavieve and Chloe did a nice video conversation about the book. You can watch it HERE. It feels like the perfect book to read after a year of being separated from friends, family, and neighbors. Loneliness is something we have all experienced, but it is not something that we often discuss. The power of connection, even in the smallest of gestures, can make a tremendous impact on the well being of individuals and our community at large. Mike Gayle's story about Hubert Bird and Ashleigh Jones' friendship and campaign to end loneliness will comfort and inspire you as we all step back into gathering together. Sign up for our Readings from Oconomowaukee event with Mike Gayle HERE.
Looking forward to our virtual book release event with local author Mary Ann Noe's debut teen novel on Thursday, July 22 at 7pm. Register HERE.
Speaking of virtual.... many of you have asked when we will start in person events. Soon! We have a couple of items in the works to be announced in the coming week. For fans of our Readings from Oconomowaukee series with Boswell Book Company, we are planning on continuing with that virtual series. This series was a silver lining from the past year. It sure feels like we have a place for both in person and virtual programming. Who knew such things were possible!
Cheers and Happy Reading!
Lisa with Katrina, Ken, Chloe, Genavieve, Toni, Kristen, Elisabeth, Beth, Jewell, Lynn, Judy, Sarah, and Erica
|
|
Current Store Hours
Monday - Friday 9:00 - 7:00 Saturday- Sunday 9:00 - 5:00
Masks are optional if you are vaccinated,
required if you are not.
Curbside pick up and shipping still available.
|
|
MIKE GAYLE
in conversation with
Daniel Goldin & Lisa Baudoin
Thursday, July 22nd
2:00 p.m.
via Zoom
|
Please join us for our July Readings From Oconomowaukee event, featuring author Mike Gayle in conversation with Boswell Book Store's Daniel Goldin and Books & Company's Lisa Baudoin for Gayle's new novel. All The Lonely People is a warm and funny novel about a widower in Australia who makes it seem as though his retirement is the time of his life, but in reality it is far from it. When his daughter makes plans to come to visit, he has to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out.
|
|
MARY ANN NOE
in Conversation with
Lisa Baudoin
Thursday, July 22nd
7:00 p.m.
Via Zoom
|
Wisconsin author, Mary Ann Noe will be discussing her debut teen novel with Lisa Baudoin, owner of Books & Company.
After working with teens for thirty years teaching middle school language arts, and high school English and psychology, Mary Ann Noe knew teens were flexible, smart, generous, and for the most part, resilient. Yet also innocent. She also knew that the adults in their lives don't always "see" them. Then again, she asked herself, how well can we truly know anyone? To Know Her grew out of that question and Mary Ann's deep commitment to offer a novel that portrays the angst and drama of teen life and their relationships without defaulting to a "troubled teen" story.
|
|
JENNIFER CHIAVERINI
in Conversation with
Daniel Goldin & Lisa Baudoin
Thursday, August 5th
2:00 p.m.
Via Zoom
|
and receive 20% off list price!
(on sale 7/27/21)
|
|
Tuesday, August 10th
6:30 p.m.
Virtual Zoom Event
Zoom link comes with ticket purchase
|
Celebrate the power of dance with our special virtual story time, in partnership with Aspire Dance Center! We will be reading two stories about dance and have a demonstration from a real dancer!
Each ticket comes with a Dance Party Take-away bag containing supplies to make a magic dance wand, book(s) associated with the ticket, and your Zoom event link.
Tickets are $12 each
|
|
Wednesday, July 28th
1:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
by Maggie O'Farrell
Wednesday, August 25th
1:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
by Robert D. Harris
|
|
Wednesday, July 21st
6:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
by Roshani Chokshi
Wednesday, August 18th
6:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
by Samira Ahmed
|
|
Tuesday, July 27th
6:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
by Camilla Lackberg
Tuesday, August 24th
6:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
TBD
|
|
Sunday, July 25th
3:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
by Casey Cep
Sunday, September 26th
3:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
by Tom O'Neill
Registration coming soon
|
|
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS - hardcover |
|
FICTION
New in Hardcover!
|
|
by Laura Dave
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated. Bookseller Kristen says "This is such a compelling mystery. It is a perfect summer/ beach read. I didn't want to put it down. You will want to find out what exactly happened to Owen Michaels."
|
|
by Chris Bohjalian
Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old. Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas, prone to drunken rage, drives a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her life. But in a world where every neighbor is watching for signs of the devil, a woman like Mary—a woman who harbors secret desires and finds it difficult to tolerate the brazen hypocrisy of so many men in the colony—soon becomes herself the object of suspicion and rumor. Bookseller Genavieve says "This book gave me equal parts dread and rage, with a sprinkle of hope to keep reading. It twists and turns and you never know where it's going to end."
|
|
by Victor Jestin
A vivid, mesmerizing novel about a teenage boy on vacation who makes an irrevocable mistake and becomes trapped in a spiral of guilt and desire—in the tradition of Alice McDermott’s That Night and E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. Bookseller Katrina says "Heatwave is a novel that is gripping and moving, drawing you into a feverish summer vacation that has dark consequences. We know that Oscar is dead, but what happens after is a propulsive look at what happens when Leo makes one terrible choice and how he spirals down. Filled with the strong teenage emotions and longings, ebbing and flowing like the waves on the beach they are on."
|
|
NONFICTION
New in Hardcover!
|
|
by Emma Marris
From an acclaimed environmental writer, a groundbreaking and provocative new vision for our relationships with--and responsibilities toward--the planet's wild animals. Protecting wild animals and preserving the environment are two ideals so seemingly compatible as to be almost inseparable. But in fact, between animal welfare and conservation science there exists a space of underexamined and unresolved tension: wildness itself. When is it right to capture or feed wild animals for the good of their species? How do we balance the rights of introduced species with those already established within an ecosystem? Can hunting be ecological? No clear guidelines yet exist to help us resolve such questions.
|
|
by Michael Pollan
Of all the things humans rely on plants for--sustenance, beauty, medicine, fragrance, flavor, fiber--surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable. In This Is Your Mind on Plants, Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs--opium, caffeine, and mescaline--and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief.
|
|
by Kate MacDougall
The irresistibly charming memoir of a young woman who started her own business as a dog walker for London’s busy, well-heeled dog lovers. A true love letter to London, dogs, and growing up. With sharp wit, delightful observations, and plenty of canine affection, Kate reveals her unique and unconventional coming-of-age story, as told through the dogs, and the London homes and neighborhoods they inhabit. One walk at a time, she journeys from a haphazard twentysomething to a happily—and surprisingly—settled adult, with love, relationships, drama, and home ownership along the way. But, as Kate says, “It’s all down to the dogs” and what they taught her about London—and life.
|
|
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS - paperback |
|
FICTION
Now in Paperback!
|
|
by Caroline Leavitt
Stella is a nurse who has long suppressed her own needs and desires to nurture the dreams of her partner, Simon, the bass player for a rock band that has started to lose its edge. But when Stella gets unexpectedly ill and falls into a coma just as Simon is preparing to fly with his band to Los Angeles for a gig that could revive his career, Simon must learn the meaning of sacrifice, while Stella’s best friend, Libby, a doctor who treats Stella, must also make a difficult choice as the coma wears on. Bookseller Jewell says it's "The story of sex, drugs, and rock n roll bringing two people together, tearing them apart, and forcing them to grow up. A really genuine, gripping story that also happens to be very well written."
|
|
by Marianne Cronin
Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she’s dying, she still has plenty of living to do. Joining the hospital’s arts and crafts class, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined.
As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Bookseller Kristen says "A spunky teen, a spunky octogenarian, and a chaplain form a beautiful friendship with each other. You will chuckle and cry, maybe at the same time."
|
|
by Emma Donoghue
In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia's regimented world step two outsiders—Doctor Kathleen Lynn, a rumored Rebel on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney. In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over three days, these women change each other's lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work. Bookseller Lynn highly recommends this novel!
|
|
NONFICTION
Now in Paperback!
|
|
by Michael Powell
Celebrated Times journalist Michael Powell brings us a narrative of triumph and hardship, a moving story about a basketball team on a Navajo reservation that shows how important sports can be to youths in struggling communities, and the transcendent magic and painful realities that confront Native Americans living on reservations. This book details his season-long immersion in the team, town, and culture, in which there were exhilarating wins, crushing losses, and conversations on long bus rides across the desert about dreams of leaving home and the fear of the same.
|
|
by Jon Billman
Perfect for readers of Jon Krakauer and Douglas Preston, this "authentic and encyclopedic" book examines real-life cases of those who vanish in the wilderness without a trace (Roman Dial)—and those eccentric, determined characters who try to find them. These are the stories that defy conventional logic. The proverbial vanished without a trace incidences, which happen a lot more (and a lot closer to your backyard) than almost anyone thinks. While much of the book will embrace memory and faulty memory, The Cold Vanish is at its core a story of now and tomorrow. Someone will vanish in the wild tomorrow. These are the people who will go looking.
|
|
by Morgan Jerkins
Between 1916 and 1970, six million black Americans left their rural homes in the South for jobs in cities in the North, West, and Midwest in a movement known as The Great Migration. But while this event transformed the complexion of America and provided black people with new economic opportunities, it also disconnected them from their roots, their land, and their sense of identity, argues Morgan Jerkins. In this fascinating and deeply personal exploration, she recreates her ancestors’ journeys across America, following the migratory routes they took from Georgia and South Carolina to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and California.
|
|
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS - kids/teen |
|
by Robb Pearlman
Filled with fan-favorite characters and hilarious references to the acclaimed TV show, this storybook is an age-appropriate way for fans of Parks and Recreation to share their love with the whole family! Leslie Knope is running for class president! She campaigns all around Pawnee Elementary with her friends, Ann and Ben. In order to win over voters, though, Leslie starts to make some big promises... ones she's not sure she can keep. Will Leslie be able to keep her word and become the best president Pawnee Elementary has ever seen?
|
|
by Alice Schertle
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are excited to meet a bright yellow school bus on the road. They see all the little animals lined up in the school bus’s many windows, and Blue wishes he could be a school bus too. What a fun job—but much too big for a little pickup like Blue. Or is it? When somebody misses the bus, it’s up to Blue to get his friend to school on time. Beep! Beep! Vroom!
|
|
by Dave Eggers
Lucian's father called them faraway things, those mysterious objects orphaned upon the windswept shore, their stories long lost in the shroud of ocean fog. Lucian's discovery on the beach this particular day, though, is no ordinary faraway thing. It's a cutlass: strong, shiny, and powerful. As its history comes to light, Lucian faces a choice: cling to the sword he loves or accept a gift that shines farther, wider, and deeper than he could have ever dreamed.
|
|
by Chris Colfer
When we first meet her in The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, Goldilocks is a beautiful and tough-as-nails outlaw. Discover her origin story and more in this brand new, lushly illustrated full-color graphic novel, as she takes you on adventures where she may or may not break a few laws along the way. New and returning fans of the Land of Stories will fall in love with the adventures of Goldilocks before she met Alex and Conner Bailey. Fans will recognize familiar characters including Porridge, Jack, and Queen Red Riding Hood; and a ragtag team of misfits is introduced, including Puss in Boots, Little Miss Muffet, Pinocchio, and more.
|
|
by Eve L. Ewing
Maya's nervous about fifth grade. She tries to keep calm by reminding herself she knows what to expect. But then she learns that this year won't be anything like the last. For the first time since kindergarten, her best friends Jada and MJ are placed in a different class without her, and introverted Maya has trouble making new friends. She tries to put on a brave face since they are in fifth grade now, but Maya is nervous! Just when too much seems to be changing, she finds a robot named Ralph in the back of Mr. Mac's convenience store closet. Once she uses her science skills to get him up and running, a whole new world of connection opens up as Ralph becomes a member of her family and Maya begins to step into her power.
|
|
by Carolyn Crimi
Miss Lottie’s home was for second chances.
When she adopted Gus, Roo, Tank, and Moon Pie, Miss Lottie rescued each member of the pack—including herself, her helper, Quinn, and her reclusive cat, Ghost—and turned them into a family. But when a new dog, Decker, arrives and tries to hoard Miss Lottie’s heart and home for himself, the pack’s future is threatened. When Decker convinces Moon Pie to embark on an impossible journey, it’s up to Gus to gather his courage, rally his splintered pack, and bring the little dog home. And with coyotes and cars on the loose, the pack must push through obstacles and dangers to reunite with Moon Pie before he can get hurt—or, nearly as bad, get his heart broken.
|
|
by Rainbow Rowell
In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong. In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward. This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest. Carry On was conceived as a book about Chosen One stories; Any Way the Wind Blows is an ending about endings. About catharsis and closure, and how we choose to move on from the traumas and triumphs that try to define us.
|
|
by Kara Thomas
It was supposed to be the perfect prom weekend getaway. But it's clear something terrible happened when Claire wakes up alone and bloodied on a hiking trail with no memory of the past forty-eight hours. Now everyone wants answers--most of all, Claire. She remembers Friday night, but after that... nothing. And now Kat and Jesse--her best friends--are missing. What happened on the mountain? And where are Kat and Jesse? Claire knows the answers are buried somewhere in her memory. But as she's learning, everyone has secrets--even her best friends. And she's pretty sure she's not going to like what she remembers.
|
|
by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches, direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville. As their ancestors have done before them, it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers–the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds, ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life. When their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders, the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death. But it will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who’ve infected their peaceful town.
|
|
Upcoming events from our friends at Boswell Book Company! |
|
Virtual Event
In Conversation with Andrew J Graff
Thursday, July 29th
7:00 pm
We’re pleased to welcome back to Boswell (virtually!) beloved Wisconsinite Nickolas Butler, author of the books Shotgun Lovesongs and Little Faith, for a conversation about his riveting new novel, in which three troubled construction workers get entangled in a dangerous plan to finish building a home against an impossible deadline.
|
|
Virtual Event
Wednesday, August 4th
7:00 pm
Milwaukee food and travel writer Kristine Hansen chats about Wisconsin Farms and Farmer's Markets: Tours, Trails and Attractions, her new book that covers Badger State farm stays, pick your owns, trail rides, farming museums, county fairs, cheese trails, dairy centers, wine tastings, petting zoos, tree farms, farmer's markets, and so much more. Please note the new date of this event is August 4.
|
|
|
Support Books & Company with your audiobook purchases this summer and play Libro.fm Audiobook Bingo! You’ll earn a free audiobook for calling bingo and a chance at the grand prize: a year’s supply of audiobooks!
--Download the bingo card
--Track and share your progress with #SummerListeningChallenge
--Submit your completed bingo!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
