What We’re Reading Wednesday…

We have a special treat this week in “What We’re Reading”.  It’s take your daughter to work day in Calgary – and they gave us one!

Charlotte is a great customer of the store, so we were happy to have her come in and learn a few of the bookstore ropes.  Naturally, we want to know what books are impressing her these days, so we asked her to contribute to What We’re Reading Wednesday.

Charlotte is reading:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $22,99)
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (Mid Grade Fiction, Paperback, $8.99)

Anne is reading:
- Woodstock Rising by Tom Wayman (Fiction, Paperback $21.99) Calgary author Tom Wayman takes Woodstock to the space age.
- Borderline by Nevada Barr (Mystery, Hardcover, $32.50) New York Times–bestselling author Nevada Barr delivers another extraordinary Anna Pigeon novel set in the wide open vistas of southwestern Texas.

Susan is reading:
Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Mystery, Hardcover, $34.99) The newest novel from the bestselling author of The Poisonwood Bible.

Judith is reading:
The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler (Mid-Grade Fiction, Hardcover, $20.99, due in February 2010) A new treatment of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy-tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”.

What We’re Reading Wednesday…

Our apologies for missing last week’s update.  But weren’t you all in suspense over whether Judith has finished The Scarlet Pimpernel yet? 

No? 

Oh.  Okay. 

She’s not, by the way…

Judith is reading:
- The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy (Fiction, Mass Market, $5.50) The classic tale of adventure, credited with inspired many a secret-identity hero. 
- The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger (Fiction, Paperback, $24.95) A tale of mistresses and servants in Victorian Egypt.

Anne is reading:
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (Fiction, Paperback $10.00) Always a classic, Austen’s light narrative voice often hides weighty subjects.  Well worth a revisit. 
- Woodstock Rising by Tom Wayman (Fiction, Paperback $21.99) Calgary author Tom Wayman takes Woodstock to the space age. 

Until next week…

What We’re Reading Wednesday

Time to get the staff to rifle through their backpacks and briefcases and report on the contents. 

Susan is reading:
After the Falls: Coming of Age in the 60s by Catherine Gildiner (Memoir, Hardcover, $32.95) Owl’s Nest is proud to be hosting the Calgary launch for this follow up to Gildiner’s previous memoir, Too Close to the Falls.  Please join us at 7:00pm on Wednesday the 28th of October 2009.

Jeannie is reading:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fiction, Paperback, $21.00) Biafra’s impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria during the 1960s.
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (Fiction, Hardcover, $32.00) Newest from the beloved author of The Birth of Venus.

Mike is reading:
Home by Marilynne Robinson (Fiction, Paperback, $18.99) Winner of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction
The Heart Specialist by Claire Holden Rothman (Fiction, Paperback, $21.00) A novel inspired by the life of Dr. Maude Abbott, one of the earliest female medical graduates.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Fiction, Paperback, $24.95) Winner of the 2009 Man Booker Award

Judith is reading:
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy (Fiction, Mass Market, $5.50) The classic tale of adventure, credited with inspired many a secret-identity hero. 
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $22.99) An interesting and unusual take on the werewolf legend.
The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger (Fiction, Paperback, $24.95) A tale of mistresses and servants in Victorian Egypt.

Review from Judith: The Lacemaker and the Princess by Karen Brubaker Bradley

The Lacemaker and the Princess by Karen Brubaker Bradley
Mid-grade novel, paperback $8.99

What’s the next best thing to being a princess? 

Being a princess’s best friend, of course. 

In The Lacemaker and the Princess, Karen Brubaker Bradley creates a child’s-eye view of the glamourous & wasteful world of the Palace of Versailles in the months leading up to the French Revolution. 

Eleven-year-old Isabelle lives in the small town of Versailles and works with her mother and grandmother to make lace for the lords and ladies who live in the Palace. When making a delivery one day, Isabelle is, by a fateful encounter with Marie Antoinette, plucked from her poverty-stricken family and made a companion to the Princess Marie-Therese, known to history as Madame Royale. Isabelle suddenly finds herself wearing pretty dresses and having her hair combed daily.

But without Isabelle’s help, her family cannot make enough lace to pay their bills. As the price of bread rises, unrest grows not only in the little town surrounding the Palace, but also in nearby Paris, even Isabelle’s brother starts to use a dangerous new word “Revolution”…

Based on true events and full of historical personages, The Lacemaker and the Princess shows both the glamour and the poverty that led to one of the history’s greatest political upheavels.

Judith

What We’re Reading Wednesday

Well, I’ve gone around to all the staff working today with my little sticky-note pad and pen.  Here’s a snapshot of what the Owl’s are reading this week. 

Cynthia is reading:
Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $16.99)
Online videos compliment the text of this novel, bringing in a different character’s perspective to the story. 
Sacred Scars by Kathleen Duey (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $19.99)
The follow up to Skin Hunger, Cynthia had to move straight on from the first book to this one. 

Anne is reading:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (Fiction, Paperback $10.00)
Always a classic, Austen’s light narrative voice often hides weighty subjects.  Well worth a revisit. 
The Godfather of Kathmandu by John Burdett (Fiction, Hardcover, $32.00, due January 2010)  Anne’s gotten hold of an advanced copy of the newest standalone volume from the author of the Bangkok mystery series. 

Judith is reading:
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy (Fiction, Mass Market, $5.50) Don’t get Judith started on Pimpernel. 
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $21.99) Second in the immensely popular Hunger Games series.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $22.99) An interesting and unusual take on the werewolf legend. 

Jeannie is reading:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimanada Ngozi Adichie (Fiction, Paperback, $21.00) Biafra’s impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria during the 1960s.
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (Fiction, Hardcover, $32.00) Newest from the beloved author of The Birth of Venus.

Happy reading!
Judith

Book Lists ready for Junior Owlets, Senior Owlets and Fledglings!

After discussing titles with the members, Cynthia has slotted this year’s selections for our book clubs into the year’s schedule.

To see the lists & meeting dates, or for more information on Owl’s Nest Books’s clubs for kids and teens, please visit the Book Clubs page on our main site. 

Cheers,
Judith

“What We’re Reading” Wednesday

A new weekly feature on our blog here at Owl’s Nest Books is something we’re calling “What We’re Reading Wednesday”. 

It’s exactly what it sounds like.  We in the store all read so many books, sometimes it’s hard to get a chance to talk about them all.  So each Wednesday we’re rounding up titles we’re in the middle of reading or have recently finished.  It won’t be every staff member every week, just the folks from whom Judith can wrangle an answer. 

You can also check our Our Staff page, to find out a bit about each of us.

And it looks like this week, we’re heavy into the Teen section.  Click on any title to be taken to our webstore, which has more information and current stock status. 

Mike is reading:
Rules for Old Men Waiting by Peter Pouncey (Fiction, Paperback $18.95) A beautiful novel of love, pain and war that spans nearly all of the twentieth century. 
Chosen by Ted Dekker (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $17.50) First in the new Lost Books series. 
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (Teen Fiction, Paperback, $9.99) Follow up to the author’s previous, Stargirl. 
Girl, 15, Charming But Insane by Sue Limb (Teen Fiction, Paperback, $12.95) It ain’t easy being a teen… 

Jeannie is reading:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimanada Ngozi Adichie (Fiction, Paperback, $21.00) Biafra’s impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria during the 1960s.
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (Fiction, Hardcover, $32.00) Newest from the beloved author of The Birth of Venus.

Judith is reading:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $22.99) An interesting and unusual take on the werewolf legend. 
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Teen Fiction, Hardcover, $21.99) Second in the immensely popular Hunger Games series.
The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Mid-Grade Fiction, Paperback, $8.99) A child’s eye view of Versailles in the months leading up to the French Revolution.

Book Club Night Report

A little wine, a few good friends, and a lot of great books! 

Last night, we had a great turn out for our annual book club night.  Each staff member presented a few of their discoveries from over the last year that we think would foster some great discussion for book clubs.

Recommendations included:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (recommended by Judith)
The Little Book by Selden Edwards (recommended by Mike)
Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris (recommended by Susan)
Shakespeare’s Wife by Germaine Greer (recommended by Anne)
Addition by Toni Jordan (recommended by Sandy)
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (recommended by Jeanie)

…plus 32 other titles.  If you missed attending this year’s Book Club Night, you can still pop by the store for a copy of our take-home list of reviews. 

Judith

Review from Mike: Bridge of Sighs, by Richard Russo

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo, ppk $16.95

Russo’s first book since the Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls is an outstanding portrait of families in small-town America struggling – like the town itself- to strike a balance between preserving the past and finding a way to survive in a rapidly changing world. Brilliant characterization begins with Lou C. Lynch, a 60-year-old writing his life story beginning with how he came to be known as ‘Lucy’. Lucy’s story draws you slowly but irresistibly into a narrative that covers more than a half-century of stunningly realistic family drama.

Review from Mike: The God of Animals, by Aryn Kyle

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle, ppk $16.00

Aryn Kyle’s debut novel is a coming of age story written in the voice of a twelve-year old girl who is growing up fast on her father’s rundown horse ranch in Colorado.  Alice is dealing with the death of a classmate, the absence of an older sister who has run off with a boyfriend, the virtual absence of her mother who never leaves her bedroom, and a father who takes her for granted.  In essence, this beautifully written story is about family and more specifically how one adolescent tries to make sense of her world without really understanding it.