Ah summer! The season of light fluffy beach reads and twisty murder mysteries is upon us. Or is it? While frequently thought of books that are heavy on fun and short of substance, the summer publication lists have plenty of more substantial reading to interweave with those page turners. Don’t let the word substantial dissuade you. The books on my brief list are also fun, in my humble opinion.

Candy House by Jennifer Egan (Scribner, $28) opens with the brilliant Bix Bouton desperately looking for his next big idea. When he finds it in a Columbia University professor’s studies of memory, he’s off to the races and so is this book. Some of you may remember Bix Bouton, a secondary character from Visit from the Goon Squad, which makes it tempting to think of The Candy House as a sequel. Resist that urge. Think of it instead as a parallel universe as full of vivid characters as Visit from the Goon Squad and interlocking narratives, and as bold in its experiments with form. Be prepared for lots of explorations of memory and identity. Can a memory, once uploaded to the web, ever fade?

Trust by Hernan Diaz (Riverhead, $28). Oh my goodness! What a book. This novel set in New York City in the 1920s is everything I love in a summer novel. Tension. Propulsive plot constructed in an unusual way. Intriguing characters who are more than meet the eye. Benjamin and Helen Rask are Manhattan’s it couple in 1920. They’re staggeringly wealthy and beautiful. While Benjamin concentrates on accumulating ever more wealth at any cost, Helen patronizes the arts. When the stock market crashes, things take a turn and so does the narrative. Part two of this book seemingly retells the tale from another perspective, as do parts three and four. Trust is ambitious, mysterious, and provocative, while solidly grounded in excellent writing. Don’t miss this novel in four parts.

Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones (Avid Reader, $28) is at once a memoir, an exploration of beauty, and a declaration of personhood with philosophical underpinnings. Cooper Jones was born with a rare congenital condition that makes her look different from most people. That’s not the only way she’s not average. Growing up (and apart) she believe the only way she could merit positive attention was to be extraordinary. She certainly achieved that. Intelligent (she holds a PhD in philosophy), funny, and pretty darn cool, Cooper Jones deals with the pain of her body and the emotional pain inflicted upon her by society with aplomb. As she travels in search of beauty and of resolving her inner demons, one marvels at the intellectual rigor she applies to both topics. I’d like to meet her for drinks sometime but I’m afraid she’d intimidate me.

One Person, One Vote by Nick Seabrook (Pantheon Books, $30) is not Seabrook’s first book about gerrymandering. But it is his first book for the general reader about that decennial map-drawing activity that can set tone and ensure policy in government for the next decade. Seabrook begins this overview with Massachusetts governor Eldridge Gerry, who we remember to this day when we use the word “gerrymander.” Seabrook points out we’ve forgotten how to pronounce it though; let’s all commit to uttering the word with a hard “g” like “garymander.” Seabrook then takes the reader through two centuries of politicians choosing who votes for them, from the settling of scores and heavy handed politicking of days passed to the granular data crunching to create today’s political maps. Given the last redistricting cycle, we should all read this book and gird our loins for the future.

Join me for a virtual conversation and Q&A with Nick Seabrook on Thursday, June 16 at 2PM. This event is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Utah. Tune into our Facebook page to catch the livestream. Get more information on the event here.

Weller Book Works is seeking applicants for future bookselling positions. Do you like books a lot? Maybe you would be well suited to the work we do. If you shop in our bookstore, you may already have a feel for who and how we are. We staff our store with predictable schedules that are considerate of personal needs. Bookselling is intellectually stimulating and our customers are thoughtful, interesting and polite. Consider. Apply in person.

In books we store ideas and thoughts. They enable civilizational progress by permitting us to build on the knowledge of earlier generations. Only mean parents would wish less of their children. I have sometime described books as durable totems of the ideas they contain, or veritable horcruxes of their creators.

The book presented today is one not affected by the two pre-eminent principles of collectors’ value: impact on history and great affection. The ideas it contains are chromo-retinal and I cannot name its maker.

It is not technically unique, but it is unlikely many copies of Sherwin-Williams 1941 Super Kem-Tone Color Harmony Guide for Interior Decorating have survived. It is a lovely oblong duodecimo with a new comb replacing the brittle broken one in this handy comb-bound reference. I am thrilled with delight each time I open it. It begins with a color swatch index and then continues to almost 200 die-cut pages with brilliant colors showing beautiful color combinations and small fanned patterns of triangles. Maybe I am too enthusiastic. This is no ordinary book treasure. $95

Receive 20% off when you purchase during May & June

The Madman’s Library is a beautiful and smart array of unique books and a few ununique ones that are seriously strange. When I picked it, I was first excited by the abundance of great photographs; when I began reading, the erudite and fetching writing pulled me in—the style is book-wonky enough to excite but, like a savvy performer, author Edward Brooke-Hitchings leaves you curious for more. His previous books include the popular Sky, Phantom and Devil’s Atlases. The Madman’s Library is a curious tour for biblionauts.

You may have inferred that the books described here are not the collection of a particular madman, and this reader notes that Brooke-Hitchings’ application of “mad” is whimsical and various in meaning. The reader must likewise permit a broad definition of book. It is a stretch for me to consider any object with writing a book, but it is fascinating reading that Egyptians were so dedicated to script-covered mummy wrappings that they imported linen for burials.

Some of the books described herein are the products of crazy persons, others of odd loners, some made for leaders and despots, some for magical purposes. Some are of such obscure origins that we can only speculate about the intentions of their creators. Some are projections of radical creativity or religious obsession. This collection is such a diverse collection of bookish oddities that I barely know which to mention. But know this: the books I don’t mention are not at all like the ones I do.

Modern books are mostly paper, and many modern readers are surprised to learn that until the late 19th century, bookmakers struggled to get enough of it. Many fibrous materials have been used to make paper, but books have also been made from rendered materials such as papyrus and parchment, which is treated animal skin—goat, sheep, calf. Very few persons had books when they were made thus. In the Middle-Ages, it required 50-70 sheep to make a parchment Bible. Throughout history, magical powers have been attributed to various animals. In The Madman’s Library are photos and a description of a Nepalese shaman’s manual with the flesh and blood of five beasts representing five senses and passions on its cover: buffalo, chicken, dog, goat, cow.

Part of the book discusses codes and ciphers. Here I learned that old copies of the Kama Sutra were sometimes made in cipher. I also learned, incidentally (haven’t yet read it, have you?), that the Kama Sutra also teaches cookery, bookbinding, chess, conjuring, and…writing in cipher.

And I really must conclude with the ornate and mysterious alchemy manuscripts: The Ripley Scroll which gives instructions for creating the Philosopher’s Stone; the Beautiful 16th-century Splendor Solis; Abu al-Qāsim al-‘Irāqī al-Simāwi’s Book of Seven Climes; China’s 1856 Waiki tashuo (Pictorial Manual of External Medicine—Hey, why does it recommend an elixir of mercury?); and the German Clavis Artis, purportedly originally drawn on the skin of a dragon.

I am drunk with mystical speculation and so many ken-stretching ideas between two covers. Biblio-nerds and seekers of mysteries, lovers of art and the bizarre: This is a book for you.

You find yourself reading an article written by a bookseller. You

   a. skip the article and move on to read about Weller Book Works' upcoming events.

   b. are rather intrigued by the premise and read further. 

You find yourself captivated by my particular love for Choose Your Own Adventure books and continue with this article. If you're anything like me, you get a particular sense of glee when a book or article proposes various scenarios: the anticipation, the dread, the excitement while fumbling with pages for the next installment. Something about it is just plain fun! And that, my friend, is why I got so excited when we brought in a fabulous new game, War With the Evil Power Master. And boy, did it not disappoint. Based on a popular book of the same title, War With the Evil Power Master takes you on a rollicking journey through outer space to (as the title suggests) defeat the Evil Power Master who threatens the universe. Here is my review—spoiler free!

As this game can be played solo or with friends, I decided to ask my cat, Issi, to co-pilot this adventure with me. I got one enthusiastic nose boop, and we departed into space together. 

Setup was easy and the directions very well laid out; it wasn't too hard to learn, and then teach, gameplay and rules to Issi. Finding a good game is awesome, but explaining the rules to friends can be a daunting task. Here, it was no sweat: to the point and very logical. Everything got rolling quickly. 

"Ready?" I asked Issi.

"Ready spaghetti," she answered with her eyes, casually trying to eat the game pieces.

We dove in. As Issi isn't the best at reading aloud, I read the cards, and was delighted almost immediately. The prose is fun, perfectly self-aware, and campy as you can only hope for in a Choose Your Own Adventure story. It also begs for whoever is reading to go wild with silly voices—which I did with glee. We loved the characters, the absurd scenarios, and the goofy items. My #1 space cadet listened eagerly, and when we were prompted into action, she helped me decide where to go and what to do. I would have chosen a more careful route in our search for the Evil Power Master, but Issi is more of a go-getter. "This is not a time to reason with a space squid, Claire." Issi hissed, "We have to blast it out of the sky!"

The cooperative nature of the game allowed us to banter and consider all of our options. Various challenges solved by a simple roll of a die add a needed hint of randomness to the story. These challenges give you even more chances to zip around the galaxy experiencing more of the narrative. I'll be honest and tell you that Issi and I are not the best decision makers and replayed some parts after meeting some hilariously untimely ends. Neither one of us were upset by the looping route we charted through the story, and took our time playing as much as we could. This opened up the game to explore more and laugh along the way. 

Finally, after rocketing from planet to planet, we gathered our items, fought all manner of foes, and made it to the ultimate showdown. There he was: The Evil Power Master. Issi and I loved being strategic in how we used our items and how we tackled the last gauntlet of choices. And let me tell you, the conclusion was epic! I read breathlessly as Issi kept inventory of our items and characters. And after one last crucial decision, we emerged victorious! The ending caught me off guard in the best way with twists and turns to keep the story unpredictable and thrilling.

The only downside was the cleanup. Issi chose to fall asleep at this point—abandoning me to re-order my cards alone. I learned in this first playthrough that organization is key if you don't want to be miserable putting story and data cards away. I even got out some sticky notes to keep the cards for each planet separate. I suggest you do the same. Next time I play, you can bet I'll be ready with more sticky notes and page markers. Because there WILL be a next time!

All in all, I loved playing this game. I want to explore even more of this world and story. There's too much to see in one playthrough, begging you to play again and again. Grab a group of friends (or stick to just you and your pet) and get ready for a great little game. Good luck out there!

Come into or call the store to get your copy! (801-328-2586)

And get the book by R. A. Montgomery the game is based on here!

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