What I Read on Summer Vacation, Part II: Three good books for teens

LITTLE BLACK LIES by Tish Cohen. When Sara Black’s father takes a custodial job at Anton High, the Boston area’s most intellectually elite school, she is eligible to take the rigorous entrance exam, which she passes with flying colors. Now all she has to do is navigate the murky waters of a new school where each student has been primed since birth to succeed, with no expenses spared. Oh, yeah – and figure out a way to keep uber-popular Carling from discovering Sara’s relationship to the new school janitor. There are the usual clashes of cliques and social classes, but it’s the “nerd school” aspect, where smart girls are actually valued, that sets this one apart from other teen novels. As someone who attended a "nerd school" herself ( MSMS, the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, a publically-funded boarding school), I appreciated that aspect.


JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta. When Taylor Markham becomes the reluctant leader of her boarding school’s underground “gown” movement in the seasonal war against the Townies and the Cadets, she slowly starts unraveling clues in a 17-year old mystery, linking her to both the young Cadet leader and the original students who planned the very first school war. The story just keeps building and building to an unforgettable, completely satisfying ending. Perfect for readers who are drawn to strong, complicated young women and the perpetually alluring boarding school trope.

MR. TOPPIT by Charles Elton. What happens when a chance encounter by an American tourist with a dying man in London results in a runaway-bestselling children’s series? Luke Hayman, whose alter ego, Luke Hayseed, is the protagonist in his father’s books, discovers the hard way how fame is as fickle as the medieval Wheel of Fortune, feeding his family’s dysfunctional neuroses and uncovering their secrets with every upswing in the series’ popularity. And then there's the series' ambiguous anti-hero archetype, Mr. Toppit himself, who inspires a cult-like following among readers. As quirky and unpredictable as The Royal Tenenbaums.(forthcoming this fall)

~Emily Crowe

The Sunday Question

What are your favorite beach reads?

The Sunday Question has been on holiday for the past few weeks. Basking in the sun, splashing in the surf, lying about on the strand reading, while I've been trying to solve technical difficulties in my sweltering office. I'm envious, to say the least.

But the summer is young, and more perfect beach weather is on the way. Since I usually pack more books than one human being can sensibly carry (or read) when I'm going to the beach, I thought it might be a good time to ask: What are your favorite beach reads?

I collected a number of responses, both surprising and predictable, from Odyssey staff and other beach and book lovers. One friend said she can't read on the beach, she hates getting a book all sweaty and sandy. She reads magazines she is usually ashamed to read in public - O Magazine and Martha Stewart Living. Nieves cites her summer (and fall, and winter) go-to book, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen.

Emily Crowe favors The Case Of The Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall, and of course, That Old Cape Magic, by Richard Russo.

Marika says she just reads whatever she happens to be in the middle of at the time. That might be the sensible thing to do. But when I'm lying on the beach, listening to the lap and crash of waves, I want to be reading something that magnifies and enhances the experience. I love it so much, I want to live it double, in life and in my reading. So most of my favorite beach reads are set on the beach or the high seas.

Perhaps my favorite is, appropriately, The Odyssey (especially the Richmond Lattimore translation). The descriptions of the sea itself haven't been bested in a few thousand years.

Along the same lines, I also love the vivid, muscular (and hefty) continuation of Homer's work, The Odyssey, A Modern Sequel by Nikos Kazantzakis. No fear of running out of book with that one.

For descriptions of langorous days on the French Riviera, Tender Is The Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald gets my vote. I particularly love the scene where all the rich folk are hanging about discussing which of them has the most repose.

Then there is Persuasion, perhaps Jane Austen's greatest masterpiece, set partly in Lyme, oh, and The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles, ditto.

Marika also suggests a few beach reads for kids. Harriet The Spy was always one of my faves.

Also, The Penderwicks (is there a Penderwicks Go To Lyme Regis?), Peter & The Starcatchers, and Charlotte's Web.

The Hunger Games, and Going Bovine for teens.

And I have to put in a pitch for my all time favorite, for the beach or anytime, anyplace, which I actually read once while looking across the Bay of St. Lawrence right at Newfoundland where it was set: Annie Proulx's The Shipping News.

Destined to become another classic beach read, Howard Norman's new book, What Is Left The Daughter is somewhat reminiscent of Ms. Proulx's Pulitzer and IMPAC winner, too. Set in Nova Scotia during World War II, the characters are as compelling, and the sea as ominous a presence.

Please let us know your most cherished beach books, the books that conjure up that old Cape, or North Shore or even Riviera magic, year after year.

~Chrysler

Summer Reading

We've set up the school summer reading list book shelf and schools are recommending some wonderful titles. While you may have to read a few of these for school, they're also great for a rainy day or the beach!


Persepolis
By Marjane Satrapi
A memoir in graphic novel form, Satrapi tells of her experiences growing up in Iran. From parents talking politics and torture at the dinner table to friends at school, Persepolis chronicles the daily life of a child trying to understand difficult political circumstances while still trying to be a kid. Emotional and political, yet spotted with moments of humor, Satrapi’s coming of age story is fascinating. Her simple black and white illustrations capture everything from drama to ordinary details and subtle expressions. Age 15 & up.




The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
By Mark Haddon
A book that everyone should read and every school should teach. Curious Incident is narrated by Christopher Boone, a fifteen-year old with Autism. When Christopher discovers the neighbor’s poodle Wellington stabbed with a pitchfork, he resolves to solve the murder. Using mathematics to understand the world around him, Christopher takes a remarkable journey - in many senses of the word. Though a quick read, Christopher’s voice will stay with you even if your copy of the book is immediately passed on. 7th grade & up.



Nation
By Terry Prachett
A giant wave destroys islands, ships, and entire communities, leaving two survivors stranded on an island: the island boy Mau and Daphne, a rich princess from the other side of the globe. Together they must overcome language and culture barriers, uniting a rag-tag group of survivors and unveiling the secret past of the island. This book explores colonialism, religion, belief systems, and cultural differences in an exciting fictional story of survival. Ages 13 & up.



Maximum Ride: the Angel Experiment
By James Patterson
If you want a gripping book you’ll be unable to put down, look no further. Max’s life is a game of cat and mouse– and she’s a mouse, caught in a twisted experiment in which she is hunted by other kids. But Max is no ordinary girl, she has wings and the kids chasing her? Well, they’re half wolf. Get ready for a thrilling ride. 12 & up.





-Marika

Family Fun and Entertainment

Saturday morning entertainment is back!

Every Saturday morning, from now until the last Saturday in August, the Village commons shops and the Odyssey bookshop will be hosting family entertainment!

We have a blast with a variety of entertainers from puppet shows, to exotic birds, to magicians and singers.

The first entertainer to go was the excellent story telling of Caravan Puppets!

We had a nice sizable crowd join us for stories ranging from Aesop's fables to Miss Rumphius!



In case of rainy or bad weather, the event will be held indoors at the Odyssey, which was the case this morning as it began to pour buckets.

A complete listing of the dates and entertainers is listed below:

Saturday mornings 10:30- 11:15.

July 10 Caravan Puppets & Timeless Tales
July 17 Roger Tincknell... songs & singing games
July 24 Tom Ricardi... Birds of Prey
July 31 Ed Popielarczyk's Magical Moments

August 7 Bill Ross... Book 'Em! Celebrate Reading!
August 14 Tom Neilson... "Why the Sky is so High!"
August 21 Trevor the Games Man
August 28 Hoopoe... Mime, Magic & More

Put it all together and what do you get?

The upstairs is completely painted, and the new rug is in place! The whole atmosphere is more open and inviting! For those of you who came in wanting to browse the non-fiction sections, thank you for bearing with us, and if you come in now we promise you can browse the upstairs!

Come in and check it out!

Some forthcoming fall books to read!

THE FALSE FRIEND by Myla Goldberg. When as an adult Celia recovers a memory of a childhood tragedy that contradicts what she told the police so many years ago, she returns to her hometown to confess the truth. But in this book, Goldberg explores just how elusive and malleable memory and truth can be in the face of time, demonstrating the lengths people will go to hide from unpleasantness, both the world’s and their own.

While this book may be less enchanting than Goldberg's debut novel, Bee Season, it is infinitely more haunting and plausible. This title will be available in September from Doubleday Books. (NB: My sales rep, Ann Kingman, told me that Doubleday is interested in using my shelf talker for some of their online publicity, which pleases me to no end!)

THE WIDOWER’S TALE by Julia Glass. Julia Glass follows classic tradition, proving once again that family is the original source of comedy, tragedy, and frustration. Her newest novel is a meditation on love, both filial and romantic, and how hopelessly ridiculous we are destined to become if we don’t make the efforts to temper our passions with reason or our actions with accountability.

Glass is one of the best writers out there for exploring the nuances and quirks of interpersonal relationships and this book fits into her pantheon neatly. This book will be available in September from Pantheon Books. Interestingly, I chose "pantheon" in the above sentence before looking up the publisher for this one and decided to leave it since it was such a nifty coincidence.

~Emily Crowe

Renovations update!

Renovations are well underway, and we have more new paint up on the walls than not! It's looking pretty cheery. Feel free to stop on by and take a look!

One of the new colors, you might recognize it downstairs in our fiction section.



This paint reminds me of melted cheese... Man I could go for some nachos!

Macaroni and Cheese colored walls!



The three colors coming together.

The painters are still putting up the final coats of paint, and afterward we still have new carpet to put in, but all in all they are doing an awesome job!

Hope you are enjoying good weather, and if not a good book this summer's day!

Paz,
~Nieves