What's Selling at Boswell for the Week Ending February 14, 2015?

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Prudence, by David Treuer (event Friday, February 20, at Boswell)
2. Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins
3. All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
4. A Spool of Blue Thread, by Anne Tyler
5. Funny Girl, by Nick Hornby

It's great to see a nice pop for Anne Tyler's newest, A Spool of Blue Thread (more below), but the real story is that Riverhead has three of our top five titles. The newest is Nick Hornby's Funny Girl. Joe Moran in the UK Guardian says "the book’s dialogue – and there are whole sections that consist almost entirely of direct speech – is fast and funny. In fact, while I was reading this dialogue-heavy novel about the making of a TV series, I couldn’t help thinking: this would make a great TV series." As you may know, one of Hornby's earlier novels, About a Boy, made its way from book to movie to television series."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Believer, by David Axelrod
2. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo
3. A Kim Jong-Il Production, by Paul Fischer (event is Monday, February 16, 7 pm, at Boswell)
4. Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari
5. Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande

Oxford and Hebrew University historian Yuval Noah Harari offers a 70,000 look at humans in Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind. Jared Diamond offered enthusiastic praise: "Here is a simple reason why Sapiens has risen explosively to the ranks of an international best-seller. It tackles the biggest questions of history and of the modern world, and it is written in unforgettably vivid language. You will love it!" Here's another take from Peter Forbes in the UK Independent.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Whistling in the Dark, by Lesley Kagen
2. The Undertaking of Tess, by Lesley Kagen
3. Shotgun Lovesongs, by Nickolas Butler (Shorewood Reads event at the Shorewood Library on April 16)
4. TransAtlantic, by Colum McCann
5. The Days of Anna Madrigal, by Armistead Maupin

The much beloved Tales of the City series continues with the paperback release in The Days of Anna Madrigal. I still recall my college years, and seeing the first few books were dorm room staples. From the Los Angeles Times's David Ulin: "Maupin has chosen to end the series again with The Days of Anna Madrigal, a work that is less about departure than coming home. Featuring the full complement of 'Tales' regulars (with the exception of Mona, who died in the 1984 novel Babycakes), the book is an elegy — for San Francisco, for its characters, for a way of life."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Fiddle Tunes for Ukulele, by Lil' Rev and John Nicholson
2. The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
3. Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe, by Simon Winder
4. Milwaukee Mafia, by Gavin Schmitt (event at Boswell March 14)
5. Good for One Mediocre Shoulder Rub: Considerate Coupons for Couples, by Meera Lee Patel

Don't be confused by Gavin Schmitt's two books - Schmitt's previous book was officially Images of America: Milwaukee Mafia while this is just Milwaukee Mafia. For Valentine's Day, one of our pops was for Good for One Mediocre Shoulder Rub. The Confessions of a Fat Girl blog offered a look at the book and a giveaway.

Books for Kids:
1. Big Magic for Little Hands, by Joshua Jay
2. Watersong #1: Wake, by Amanda Hocking
3. I am a Bunny, by Ole Risom and Richard Scarry
4. Kanin #1: Crossfire, by Amanda Hocking
5. El Deafo, by Cece Bell

We had several authors traveling through Milwaukee, though you might not have known that Joshua Jay was in town if you weren't at one of the lucky schools who hosted Joshua Jay for Big Magic for Little Hands. The evening event was private, for magicians only. If you haven't seen Jay in action, here he is on the Today Show. We still have some signed copies.

In the Journal Sentinel, Jim Higgins reviews Prudence, the novel from David Treuer which was our #1 bestseller this week. He writes: "Only one person dies in the core incident of David Treuer's novel Prudence, but everyone involved is fatally wounded. In succinct, finely tuned prose, Treuer visits the violent event from the viewpoint of each important person on the scene, revealing the assumptions and lies that shape their understanding of it — and the secret sorrows they carry from that day forward, ravaging their hearts like stray shrapnel."

Lucy Wood's Weathering was scheduled to come out from Atavist this month but the digital storytelling initiative's publishing program was ended without much notice, leaving several books orphaned. The good news is that the book is scheduled to come out in the United States, but not until 2016. Meanwhile, whet your whistle with this fabulous review from Mike Fischer (worthy of a Man Booker nomination) at the Journal Sentinel. Yes, you can import the book from the UK, but we can also take a hold from you now, giving you the opportunity to surprise yourself a year from now. You can hold it under the old ISBN (we can't guess the price but it's likely to be no more than $30).

Also this week in the Journal Sentinel is Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread. On this novel, Mike Fischer writes: "Tyler has spent her career quietly showing us how unhappy that cozy club can be. As one character observes of a family gathering in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982), 'you think we're some jolly, situation-comedy family when we're in particles, torn apart, torn all over the place.' Thematically similar to Restaurant in many ways, Blue Thread delivers plenty of situational comedy. But it's also incisive in exploring how families work — and don't."

Boswell Book Goings On This Week--Amanda Hocking at the Greenfield Library Tonight, a Ticketed Event with Joshua Jay Wednesday, Lil' Rev and John Nicholson Thursday, Plus a Sneak Peak at Next Week's Event with Paul Fischer.

Sometimes when you need to get information out, you just have to use the press release. And when you're going to Winter Institute and your flight is delayed five hours and you wind up landing in Ashville, only to find that another bookseller on your flight has lost her luggage, and you naturally feel like you should stay with her and that means you don't get to bed until 3:30 and Steven Johnson is speaking the next morning at 8:15 am, this is one of those times.

Monday, February 9, 6:30 pm, at the Greenfield Public Library, 5310 W. Layton Avenue:
A Greenfield Public Library Event with Amanda Hocking, author of Frostfire: Kanin Chronicles #1

Please join us at the Greenfield Public Library for a fantastic event with Amanda Hocking, who will discuss and sign copies of her new book great for ages thirteen and up, Frostfire, the first in her new series The Kanin Chronicles, which returns readers to the troll world of her Trylle trilogy for a new adventure with tracker Bryn Aven, outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes.

Frostfire is the first book in a magical new YA series from The New York Times bestselling author and self-publishing success story Amanda Hocking. Capturing the imaginations of readers and aspiring writers everywhere, Amanda garnered national media attention by selling millions of copies of her self-published novels, and landing major publishing and film deals for her bestselling Trylle trilogy. Now, she invites readers back to the beloved world of the Trylle with Frostfire, book one of the new Kanin Chronicles series. With beloved characters making cameo appearances and a new heroine readers can’t help but root for, the series explores the treacherous but beautiful world that was only hinted at in the Trylle trilogy.

Wednesday, February 11, 6 pm dinner, 7 pm talk, doors open 5:30, at Flannery's, 425 E. Wells Street:
a ticketed dinner event with Joshua Jay, author of Big Magic for Little Hands: 25 Astounding Illusions for Young Musicians.$20 admission.

Per the sponsor: The Greater Milwaukee Area Society of American Magicians Assembly #61 Presents Joshua Jay in an exclusive lecture appearance. This event is meant for magicians only, but how do I know that I among you are a number of amateur magicians. I wasn't going to list this but when our sponsor said they'd be telling folks about the event on Morning Blend, I realized that there is more than one definition of "public" and "private."

This is a private event. Limited seating so get there early. For more information, call 414-278-8586.

Thursday, February 12, 7 pm at Boswell:
A Talk with Music from Lil’ Rev and John Nicholson, authors of Fiddle Tunes for Ukulele

Please join us for a unique evening with local musicians Lil’ Rev and John Nicholson, who will discuss and play selections from their latest book of old-time fiddle tunes arranged for ukulele, Fiddle Tunes for Ukulele.

Take a journey back in time with folk masters Lil’ Rev and John Nicholson in this delightful collection of old-time fiddle tunes arranged for ukulele. Southern string band, bluegrass, and hillbilly music are covered as well as song forms such as reels, jigs, blues, rags, hornpipes, polkas, and more. Featuring a variety of ukulele picking styles, each exciting instrumental piece in this songbook is carefully arranged for solo ukulele in standard notation and tablature. Chord grids are also included so you can play along with others or with your own string band. Playing level varies from very easy to very advanced, so there's something inside for everyone, and something for everyone to aspire to! This unique collection also includes historical notes, rare photos, and access to full-band audio backing tracks for play-along fun!

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Lil’ Rev was voted “Best Folk Singer” by WAMI in 2004 and inducted into the Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003. In addition to ukulele, he plays guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and banjo, and is a songwriter and music historian who teaches and tours nationwide.John Nicholson is a great Milwaukee-based finger-picker, strumming maniac, and all around stellar musician equally adept on guitar, banjo, tiple, mandolin, jaw harp, and ukulele. He has taught at the prestigious Milwaukee Irish Festival Summer School, University of Wisconsin Adult Education, Wheatland Traditional Music Camp, and Ear Full of Fiddle, among others.

And don't forget about next week.
Monday, February 16, 7 pm:
Paul Fischer, author of A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extra-ordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator’s Rise to Power

Boswell is excited to welcome award-winning film producer, Paul Fischer, for a talk and signing of his debut nonfiction thriller, A Kim Jong-Il Production, the extraordinary true story of Kim Jong-Il’s 1978 kidnapping of the gold couple of South Korean cinema, the movies they made, and their escape, being billed as The Orphan Master’s Son meets Argo.

What is a great book! Here's my recommendation: "In the 1970s, it was not unusual for a South Korean or Japanese person to be plucked off the beach and abducted to Pyongyang, North Korea. And while there were various reasons for these kidnappings, none are quite so strange as the case of Choi Eun-Hee and Shin Sang-Ok, two South Koreans who were acclaimed for their work together as director and actress, but had since divorced and fallen on hard times. Could they, once re-educated, bring the North Korean film industry to a level of acclaim heretofore unknown? Drawing on the couple’s unpublished-in-English memoir, interviews with various defectors and the cooperation of Madame Choi herself, in addition to what was likely to be completely contradictory news reports, Fischer has constructed a fascinating account, at once horrifying and absurd, one of the strangest incidents in a particularly strange country’s history, which is also surprisingly timely, for political junkies, film buffs, or anyone who wants a great read." (Daniel Goldin)

Paul Fischer’s first feature film, the documentary Radioman, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Doc NYC festival and was released to critical and commercial acclaim. A Kim Jong-Il Production is his first book.

Boswell's Annotated Bestsellers, Week Ending February 7, 2015

Thank you, Neil! We needed a book like this in a messy week in February.

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Trigger Warning, by Neil Gaiman
2. Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins
3. All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
4. See How Small, by Scott Blackwood
5. The First Bad Man, by Miranda July

People came out of the woodwork to buy Neil Gaiman's Trigger Warning: Short Fiction and Disturbances (but I should note we are out of signed copies), which probably bodes well for his nonfiction collection coming out this fall. Gary K. Wolfe in the Chicago Tribune writes "The best stories here, however, are in Gaiman's own fairly dark and somber territory. Of most interest to Gaiman fans will be the collection's one original story, 'Black Dog,' which features his American Gods protagonist Shadow Moon in an engrossing ghost story set in rural England."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande
2. Milwaukee Wisconsin: A Photographic Portrait, by Anne Bingham
3. Daily Gratitute: 365 Days of Reflection, from National Geographic
4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo
5. Pabst Farms, by John C. Eastberg

So I thought, do I give a shout out to this Daily Gratitude or not? We actually had a good sale of this book in December, indicating that folks really bought it. I looked at our transaction line and it was rung up multiple times, but then when I looked closer, it was in fact all to the same person. The truth is that in February, sometimes there's not much to say. We've got a lot of exciting books on display but had one day of pretty much nonexistent traffic (Sunday) and at least two more where it was either too cold or too much snow to do get browsers. I do know that both movies playing at the Downer are hits but are in wide release, meaning folks are coming from very far to go to them. And here's the truth, the further away people come from to either go to the Downer Theater (or eat at one of the restaurants), the more likely they will come to the bookstore.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Dept. of Speculation, by Jenny Offill (in store lit group April 6)
2. The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert
3. The Mount, by Carol Emshwiller
4. Still Life with Bread Crumbs, by Anna Quindlen
5. Saving Kandinsky, by Mary Basson

The pop for Carol Emshwiller's The Mount is because the science fiction book club is reading it (I assume on March 9, I'll correct that if it's wrong). But it's also interesting that the book is published by Small Beer Press, the publisher that did Kelly Link's short stories Stranger Things Happen. Now I'm expecting her new book, Get in Trouble, will skirt the bottom of the New York Times bestsellers next week (it was in the 6-10) range for us.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. How to be a Heroine, by Samantha Ellis (per Jane's rec in our email newsletter)
2. Fiddle Tunes for Ukulele, by Lil' Rev and John Nicholson (event 2/12, 7 pm)
3. The Value of Nothing, by Raj Patel
4. How to Love, by Thich Nhat Hanh
5. We Should All be Feminists, by Chimananda Ngozi Adichie

We Should All be Feminists is a TED talk!

 

 Books for Kids:
1. The Terrible Two, by Jory John and Mac Barnett
2. The Hollow Earth, by John and Carole E. Barrowman
3. Pat the Bunny, by Dorothy Kunhardt
4. The Bone Quill #2, by John and Carole E. Barrowman
5. Goodnight Moon board book, by Margaret Wise Brown
6. Unwanteds #5: Island of the Shipwrecks, by Lisa McMann
7. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
8. I Am a Bunny, by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry
9. I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson
10. The Boy in the Black Suit, by Jason Reynolds (in store lit group 3/2, event at East Library 4/13)

We were chatting with Carole Barrowman, who let us know that the third installment of The Hollow Earth saga, The Book of Beasts, should be out this summer. And I should also congratulate both Mac Barnett and Jason Reynolds, whose books were lauded at the ALA awards. Mac Barnett wrote Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, which received a Caldecott Honor for its illustration; the winner was Dan Santat for The Adventures of Beekle. And Reynolds won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for When I Was the Greatest. Congratulate him on April 13, at our East Library event (6:30 pm).

In the Journal Sentinel book section, Jim Higgins writes about Langston Hughes' Weary Blues, the reissue with a new introduction from Kevin Young. Young writes: ""Hughes was in fact the first to write poetry in the blues form. He was the first to realize the blues are plural — to see in their complicated irony and earthy tone the potential to present a folk feeling both tragic and comic, one uniquely African American, which is to say, American."

The profile is more description. Higgins saves his praise for an accompanying essay Langston Hughes.

From Elfrieda Abbe, a review of Thus Were There Faces, a new collection of stories from Silvina Ocampo. NYRB Classics is more known for their reissues of important but underappreciated works. This is a collection of stories from an Argentine writer who died in 1993, and so it's sort of in the spirit of the collection. Abbe writes: "Reading these extraordinary tales, I found myself at times disoriented, horrified or unsettled, but always completely absorbed. With subversive humor and unflinching nerve Ocampo never averts her gaze from the dark side of human behavior."

And finally, Duane Dudek profiles Paul Fischer whose new book, A Kim Jong-Il Production, chronicles the attempt to raise the profile of North Korea's Soviet style film industry by kidnapping a prominent South Korean director and his leading lady. Dudek writes "it occurs in the context of a backstory that in cinematic terms could also be considered a foreshadowing of recent North Korean threats of reprisal over The Interview, a film which portrays the assassination of current leader Kim Jong Un."

Valentine's Day Cards 2015: Whales and Marshmallows are Trending.

I thought I didn't have much to say about Valentine's Day cards this year. I love you, you love me, insert pun here. After inadvertently buying two unicorn cards there with the same joke, "are you even for real?", I didn't know what could top that in 2015. Well I got my answer--despite my best efforts to keep our selection varied, I inadvertently bought four whale cards.

Stranger than that, I bought two cards that featured marshmallows.

Now animals are popular card images, and I often prefer them over human figures, as cards with humans don't highly the diversity that is our card buying audience. I'm sure I have at least four Valentine's Day cards with cats featured, and another four with dogs. There's at least one elephant image, one giraffe, one penguin.. There are monsters in love, volcanoes, wedges of cheese, bees, hot dogs, you name it.

So why was I so taken with whales (from Madison Park, Aritsts to Watch, and Hello Lucky/Egg Press). One card praised the "whale of a Valentine." Another referenced fish. Was the card referring to the whale itself (which is a mammal) or to the whale's food (which as our friend Jessica said, was just plain creepy). And two others had no whale-related text at all. "Happy Valentine's Day and here's a whale for you."

One observer noted that one of these whale drawings is actually more likely a narwhal.

And we both agreed the marshmallow images (from Calypso and Paper Parasol) were pretty cute.

Events This Week--Mac Barnett and Jory John onTuesday at the Cudahy Library, Scott Blackwood at Boswell, Storytime on Sunday, and Next Week, Amanda Hocking at the Greenfield Public Library.

Apologies: Our event tonight with Mac Barnett and Jory John is cancelled, due to weather.
We hope the authors will come back for book two, and we also hope that the weather will be better.
Mac Barnett and Jory John, authors of The Terrible Two.

Fresh off the Caldecott Honor for Sam and Dave Dig a Hole (which was launched at Boswell!), Mac Barnett is back with Jory John for their new middle-grade series. Here's my staff rec: "When Miles Murphy moves to Yawney Valley, a true cow town if there ever was one, with his mom, he hopes to take his rightful place as the class prankster, and he’s already found a suitable target in Principal Barry Barkin, the fifth generation of Barkins to rule Yawnee Valley Science and Literary Academy."

"The only problem is that there already is a prankster at work at the school and he’s got mad skillz. And when Miles refuses to bend to the new prankster’s will, he declares a prank war. Now I know you are all worried that I am endorsing a book that says it is ok to prank, but if you are worried, you obviously don’t know the true code of the Prankster, and like Miles, you have a lot to learn. A good friendship story that is also seriously silly." (Daniel Goldin)

Before their visit, kids' librarian Abby will be conducting a prank workshop. As noted: "If you are a parent reading this, we are definitely not teaching your kids pranks. It's a ... study session for a ... test. Yeah, a BIG test. No need to worry."

Here's a video of The Terrible Two, where you can learn the prankster's oath:



Thursday, February 5, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Scott Blackwood, author of See How Small.

It may be winter, but apparently I am a fan of this week's books. Here's my rec: "It was meant to be insurance fraud, but when three goons are hired to pull it off arson at a Texas ice cream parlor, you can imagine that they are not dissuaded from their task by seeing three teenage girls still there. Through the eyes of two of the parents, the fire fighter who first came upon the charred bodies, the reporter investigating the story, the lookout and getaway driver, and a bystander in the parking lot who is not quite right in the head, the gruesome incident and its aftermath are pieced together, using a darkly moody, atmospheric voice that captures grief’s lingering residue after an act of violence." (Daniel Goldin)

And here's Jim Higgins in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Imagine a Tom Waits album, circa "Mule Variations," filled with songs about the unsolved murders of three girls haunting and unhinging people in a Texas town, half of them sung by Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies. That would make a fine soundtrack for reading Scott Blackwood's novel See How Small. The murder of four teenagers in an Austin, Texas, yogurt shop in 1991, still unsolved, inspired Blackwood's novel, but this slender book is not In Cold Blood. It also is not The Lovely Bones, though some trade reviewers have been quick to link the two novels because the spirits of dead girls speak in both books."

One more take from S. Kirk Walsh in The New York Times Book Review: "Even during its stronger moments, “See How Small” compassionately examines the fragile psyches of the individuals left behind in the haunting wake of murder. Instead of a decisive close to a horrific crime, there is only remembrance; and in the case of this thought-provoking novel, remembrance fused with literary invention and at times even grace."

Congratulations should be given to Scott Blackwood for another project he worked on which received a Grammy nomination. Not only did The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records, about Grafton Wisconsin's seminal label, get nominated for a Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, they also competed for Best Album Notes, written by none other than Blackwood himself. After you kmow this, you can see the influence in See How Small. And what else led him to the project? It was a joint effort by Jack White's Third Man Records and Revenant Records, which is owned by Scott's brother Dean. Will he win? I suspect this category doesn't make the televised broadcast on February 8, so I suspect the other winners will be announced shortly.

Friday, February 6, 6 pm at the Milwaukee Public Market:
Please note that John Holl's ticketed event at the Public Market is cancelled.

Sunday, February 8, 11 am: Storytime with Jannis: Waddle on down to Boswell for Story Time! This month, Boswellian Jannis will read Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? by Eve Bunting, and other selections on a duck theme. Perfect for ages 18 months and up, this month’s Story Time is sure to quack you up!

and don't forget about next week! Monday, February 9, 6:30 pm, at the Greenfield Public Library, 5310 W. Layton Avenue:
Amanda Hocking, author of Frostfire, volume one in the Kanin Chronicles.

Frostfire is the first book in a magical new YA series from The New York Times bestselling author and self-publishing success story Amanda Hocking. Capturing the imaginations of readers and aspiring writers everywhere, Amanda garnered national media attention by selling millions of copies of her self-published novels, and landing major publishing and film deals for her bestselling Trylle trilogy. Now, she invites readers back to the beloved world of the Trylle with Frostfire, book one of the new Kanin Chronicles series. With beloved characters making cameo appearances and a new heroine readers can’t help but root for, the series explores the treacherous but beautiful world that was only hinted at in the Trylle trilogy.

Here's Hocking discussing becoming a writer.

Annotated Boswell Bestsellers for the Week Ending January 31, 2015.

The first thing to know is that it's quite the storm out there. We are currently open but are likely to close early. Why not call first? (414) 332-1181. And of course we can also help you hold books and place orders for you for later.

Hardcover Fiction:
1. All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
2. The Girl on the The Train, by Paula Hawkins
3. The Big Seven, by Jim Harrison
4. Etta and Otto and Russell and James, by Emma Hooper
5. Lila, by Marilynne Robinson
6. Outline, by Rachel Kusk
7. Vanessa and Her Sister, by Priya Parmar
8. Mr. Mac and Me, by Esther Freud
9. West of Sunset, by Stewart O'Nan (event Friday 3/20)
10. The Soul of Discretion, by Susan Hill

Etta and Otto and Russell and James is about an 83-year-old woman who leaves her Saskathewan farmhouse to see the ocean, with only a note left for husband. We have a nice staff rec posted for Emma Hooper's novel from Boswellian Jen, but another fan of the book is Emily St. John Mandel, who reviewed the book for The Guardian. "Where the book succeeds brilliantly is as a meditation on friendship and marriage, on bonds forged over decades. As Etta walks, the narrative begins to move back and forth between the present and far-distant past, to Otto’s childhood on the prairie farm, his boyhood friendship with Russell, Etta as a young schoolteacher, the letters Otto and Etta exchanged when Otto went away to war. Hooper’s depiction of life in rural Saskatchewan in the first half of the 20th century is vivid and beautifully rendered."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo
2. Plenty More, by Yotam Ottolenghi
3. When the Facts Change, by Tony Judt
4. The Man Who Couldn't Stop, by David Adam
5. Convictions, by Marcus Borg
6. The Oldest Living Thing in the World, by Rachel Sussman
7. This Changes Everything, by Naomi Klein
8. The Secret History of Wonder Woman, by Jill Lepore
9. Yes Please, by Amy Poehler
10. There Was and There Was Not, by Meline Toumani

Though we were never privileged to host cultural critic Tony Judt in his lifetime, we did actually have an event for Jennifer Homans, his partner, who provided the introduction for When the Facts Change: Essays, 1995-2010. In The New York Times Book Review, Samuel Moyn writes: "From his post at The New York Review of Books, where he first wrote in 1993 and ultimately became one of its most frequent contributors, Judt swept aside some of his old assumptions and faced new realities lucidly, transforming himself from a scourge of Communism into a critic of American empire. This collection is a reminder of Judt’s clear mind and prose and, as Homans says in her lovely introduction, his fidelity to hard facts and to honest appraisals of the modern scene."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Shotgun Lovesongs, by Nickolas Butler (event Thursday 4/16 at Shorewood Public Library)
2. Lydia's Party, by Margaret Hawkins
3. Istanbul Passage, by Joseph Kanon (event Wednesday 3/11)
4. What the Lady Wants, by Renée Rosen
5. I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes
6. Someone, by Alice McDermott
7. Mr. Palomar, by Italo Calvino
8. This Old Homicide, by Kate Carlisle
9. The Strange Library, by Haruki Murakami
10. The Alchemist 25th Anniversary Edition, by Paulo Coelho

We don't normally have a non-event, non-course-adoption, non movie-tie-in, non George-R.R.-Martin mass market in our top ten so I thought I'd call out This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle, a fixer upper mystery featuring contractor and part-time sleuth Shannon...wait for it...Hammer. An elderly neighbor is dead and his home is ransacked. Was a thief after a priceless necklace. Lots of cozies come with recipes; I haven't checked but there might be a few good repairs tips in this.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Slowing Time, by Barbara Mahany
2. The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
3. Kitchen Literacy, by Ann Vileisis
4. Gaming at the Edge, by Adrienne Shaw
5. Men We Reaped, by Jesmyn Ward
6. Farm City, by Novella Carpenter
7. The Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan
8. The Value of Nothing, by Raj Patel
9. Christianity without God, by Daniel Maguire
10. Guerrilla Gardening, by David Tracey

UWM classes start and that means some course adoption titles creep into our top ten. As I generally mention at this point, we provide books for very few classes, usually from professors who use trade (as opposed to text) titles who want their students to step off campus and possibly discover a local bookstore. It's fun when I've actually read one of the titles, like Novella Carpenter's Farm City, the story of a woman who raised crops and even livestock on an urban plot in Oakland. It was one of New York Times critic Dwight Garner's favorite books of 2009, the year it came out.

Books for Kids:
1. The Boy in the Black Suit, by Jason Reynolds (event Mon. 4/13 at East Library)
2. All Fall Down #1: Embassy Row, by Ally Carter
3. Top Ten Clues You're Clueless, by Liz Czukas
4. The Lonely Hearts Club, by Elizabeth Eulberg
5. Ask Again Later, by Liz Czukas
6. We Can Work it Out, by Elizabeth Eulberg 
7. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (event for Barnett at Cudahy Library Tues 3/3)
8. Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, by Katherine Rundell
9. Prom and Prejudice, by Elizabeth Eulberg
10. I was Here, by Gayle Forman

Did you guess we hosted three teen authors at the North Shore Library on Wednesday? Phoebe and I had a great time with Ally Carter, Liz Czukas, and Elizabeth Eulberg (I detoured to Margaret Hawkins' event at the Lynden, which was pretty close by). Our next teen event is Monday, February 9 at the Greenfield Public Library with Amanda Hocking for Frostfire.

Just out is I Was Here, the newest from Gayle Forman, one of the YA stars of 2014, due to the release of If I Stay as a movie. Stephen Chbosky writes, of the new book, "I Was Here is a pitch-perfect blend of mystery, tragedy, and romance. Gayle Forman has given us an unflinchingly honest portrait of the bravery that it takes to live after devastating loss." Glad to know that Gayle Forman books will continue their tradition of three word titles. I think at this point a change up would throw everyone off balance.

Here's what is reviewed locally in today's Journal Sentinel!

Jim Higgins admires the versatility in Kelly Link's fine new collection, Get in Trouble. 'Link has won Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and Tiptree Awards for her fiction, but no single taxonomic label, such as fantasy, adequately covers what she does. She can turn a sentence to match any well-bred M.F.A.: "Was Maureen the golden light ahead or the darkness that followed behind?'"

If you need a second opinion, Sarah Waters writes: "Get in Trouble contains some of Link’s best writing yet. These are not so much small fictions as windows onto entire worlds. This is a brilliant, giddying read."

Frog, Mo Yan's first novel published in the United States since winning the Nobel Prize gets critiqued by Mike Fischer. He writes: "The resulting vignettes are ultimately more interesting than the central narrative, which assumes an increasingly strident character — one filled with essentialist paeans to babies and the cult of motherhood, coupled with sentimental flights of magical thinking — as the novel moves toward its close. But at its best, Frogis reminiscent of — if not nearly as good as — One Hundred Years of Solitude; Tadpole even invokes Gabriel García Márquez's fictional town of Macondo in describing his own writing.

A cultural history of a great songwriting era unfolds in The B Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song, from critic Ben Yagoda. Chris Foran of the Journal Sentinel observes that "Diving into the lives of the men and women who wrote the songs that made the whole world sing, Yagoda adds heart and backstory to the standards that defined American popular music for half a century."

Front page on The New York Times Book Review is Guantánamo Diary, by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, reviewed by Mark Hacker.

14 Authors, 4 Events, Three Nights!: What Events is Boswell Hosting April 28, 29, and 30, 2015.

Wednesday, January 28, 6:30 pm, at the North Shore Library, 6800 N Port Washington Road:
Elizabeth Eulberg, author of We Can Work it Out, with Ally Carter, author of Embassy Row, Book 1: All Fall Down, and Liz Czukas, author of Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless, three YA authors with midwestern roots.

Readers return to the world of The Lonely Hearts Club in Wisconsin author Elizabeth Eulberg’s latest, We Can Work it Out, a novel that gets to the heart of how hard relationships can be - and why they’re sometimes worth all the drama and comedy they create. The author of Prom and Prejudice, Take a Bow, and Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality now lives in New York.

All Fall Down is the first book in the exciting new Embassy Row series from The New York Times bestselling master of intrigue, Ally Carter, who debuts Grace, best described as a daredevil, an Army brat, a rebel, and the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world. Ally Carter is also the author of Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals, and The Gallagher Girls series.

The Breakfast Club meets Empire Records in Milwaukee author Liz Czukas’ latest novel, Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless, which takes readers on an effortlessly hilarious ride through Christmas Eve in the lives of a group of teens trapped together in a health foods store, detained for a crime they didn’t commit. Czulas is a Milwaukee-area freelance writer who is also the author of Ask Again Later.

Wednesday, January 28, 7 pm (reception), 7:30 (talk) at the Lynden Sculpture Garden, 2145 W. Brown Deer Ave: A ticketed event with Margaret Hawkins, author of Lydia's Party, part of the Women's Speaker Series.

Please join us for the next Women’s Speaker Series ticketed event at the Lynden Sculpture Garden: an evening with Margaret Hawkins, Senior Lecturer at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, who will talk about her latest novel, Lydia’s Party, about six friends who have bonded over two decades and come together for their annual Christmas Party and protagonist Lydia’s surprise announcement.

Margaret Hawkins is a Senior Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the author of two previous novels, A Year of Cats and Dogs and How to Survive a Natural Disaster, and a memoir about her sister, After Schizophrenia: The Story of My Sister’s Reawakening.

Tickets are $22 ($18 for members), include a copy of the book. This event will begin with a reception at 7 pm (wine and refreshments provided by MKELocalicious) with the talk and signing following, and is co-sponsored by MKE Reads and Bronze Optical. A limited number of registrations may still be available. Call (414) 446-8794 for details.

Thursday, January 29, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Barbara Mahany, author of Slowing Time: Seeing the Sacred Outside Your Kitchen Door.

Boswell Book Company is excited to welcome former reporter and Chicago Tribune columnist, Barbara Mahany, as she discusses and signs copies of her latest book, Slowing Time: Seeing the Sacred Outside Your Kitchen Door, a seasonal field guide to wonder and wisdom.

In Slowing Time, Mahany takes readers through the bounty of the calendar, season by season, providing for each “A-Count-Your-Blessings-Calendar,” 14 suggestions for “paying the art of supreme attention,” or “meditative Post-Its to remind us that we abound in holiness.” Each section includes essays pinpointing the divine in ordinary moments; a “Wonderlist” of that season’s glories; field notes on natural phenomena such as moon phases, plant life, bird activity; and a recipe, such as Beef Stew with Pomegranate Seeds Nestled Beside Aromatic Rice, a hearty winter’s night dinner.

Barbara Mahany is a former reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune. In her page-two column, she told stories of her family’s life that drew in thousands of readers for decades. She explores the sacred mysteries with a voice recognizable and clear. A sought-after speaker, retreat leader, and writing teacher, she lives with her family in Wilmette, Illinois.

Friday, January 30, 4 pm, at Boswell:
A UWM Urban Studies Author Celebration.

Boswell Book Company and the UWM Urban Studies Department welcome a singular celebration of scholarship in urban studies with nine distinguished authors.

Margo Anderson, Amanda I. Seligman, and Ann M. Graff, editors of Bibliography of Metropolitan Milwaukee, present this gorgeous new volume perfect for anyone looking for a starting point for research on the history of Milwaukee, from biographies, to media, to infrastructure. Ann M. Graf is a PhD student in the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Amanda I. Seligman is Associate Professor of History and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee with Margo Anderson, Distinguished Professor of History and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Jenna Lloyd, Assistant Professor of Public Health Policy and Administration at the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health at University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, will present her latest book that tells the story of of the important place of health in struggles for social change in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s, Health Rights Are Civil Rights: Peace and Justice Activism in Los Angeles, 1963-1978.

Professor of History and affiliated faculty in Women’s Studies and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Genevieve G. McBride, and just-retired Assistant Professor of Journalism at Marquette University, Stephen R. Byers, will discuss their chronicle of Ione Quinby Griggs, a legendary Midwestern advice columnist titled  Dear Mrs. Griggs’: Women Readers Pour Out Their Hearts in the Heartland.

Joseph A. Rodriquez, Associate Professor of History and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee will talk about his latest, Bootstrap New Urbanism, a critical examination of the urban design and revitalization initiatives undertaken by the government and people of Milwaukee.

Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Arjit Sen, and Associate Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Lisa Silverman, will discuss their new book, Making Place: Space and Embodiment in the City, an examination of how people engage the material and social worlds of the urban environment via the rhythms of everyday life and how bodily responses are implicated in the making and experiencing of place.

Coming next week:

Tuesday, March 3, 6:30 PM, at the Cudahy Family Library:
Mac Barnett and John Jory, authors of The Terrible Two

Thursday (corrected!), February 5, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Scott Blackwood, author of See How Small, with opening reader Michael Larson.
(corrected!)

Addendum: Well, it turns out there were typos.I think we finally have Blackwood's event cleared up. If I wrote these in advance, I could have them proofread. Let's hope for next week.