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Schwartz Bestsellers of 2007: An Annotated List
TONIGHT! Michael Pollan and Sara Paretsky
Jane & Kidd's Book Club Presents: Kate Jacobs
Writer's Workshop at Mequon
New Schwartz Coffee Tumblers
Florentine Opera and Schwartz Bookshops Present: Opera Insights
Live at Schwartz -- January 2008
Schwartz Select
Great Books at Bargain Prices
Every book tells a story, right? So you would think that our best-selling books tell the best stories, right? Maybe true, maybe not, but what is for sure is that our bestsellers may have the best back-stories and tidbits about how they got to this list in the first place. We thought it would be fun to offer you a little annotation about some of our lists, starting with hardcover fiction.
1.
A
Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
It's rare that you find a movie that lives up to a novel's impact, but I'm hearing
that The
Kite Runner is that kind of movie. It's also rare that the follow-up
book has a substantial portion of the readers saying it was even better than
the first novel. As soon as we got the first giddy read of A Thousand Splendid
Suns from bookseller Chris O'Neill in Mequon, we knew that Hosseini fans
would not be let down.
2.
Rant:
An Oral Biography of Buster Casey, by Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk
is punch-to-the-stomach kind of writer and Rant is no exception. He's not for
every taste (if you liked the movie Fight
Club based on his best-known novel, Rant might be right up your alley),
but his fans are truly fanatics, as I learned at our knockout event at Alverno
College last spring. The ghoulish stories he told were punctured with trivia
quizzes, and the rewards were things like severed hands and inflatable moose
heads.
3.
What
is The What, by Dave Eggers
The great Dave Eggers' fictionalized story of the civil war in Sudan told through
the very real eyes of Valentino Achak Deng led to several Milwaukee appearances
by Mr. Deng, and one joint appearance with Mr. Eggers. Did you know that Eggers
originally tried to write this book as a nonfiction book? He is no stranger
to this form, having penned one of the greatest modern memoirs, A
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. But in this case, he decided
fiction worked better to tell the story. What
is The What is now available in paperback.
4.
Pontoon,
by Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor's latest novel set in Lake Wobegon featured
a resident with a secret life. For us, sales were helped by a charming appearance
at Alverno College. This title appeared on numerous independent bookstore bestseller
lists through Christmas. What Keillor title sells best after that? It's A
Prairie Home Companion Pretty Good Joke Book --our Shorewood customers
just can't enough of it.
5.
The
Yiddish Policeman's Union, by Michael Chabon
Sales continued from spring through the end of the year, boosted by a number
of appearances on best-of lists in December. Michael Chabon's latest is a speculative
noir take on a world where the Jewish state is not in the Middle East, but in
Sitka, Alaska. If you have read all of Chabon's novels and stories but are still
hungering for "Chaboniana," try the anthology he edited that gives him some
inspiration, McSweeney's
Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, a collection of everything from
Elmore Leonard and Rick Moody to Karen Joy Fowler and Michael Crichton. We also
have a limited number of special editions of The Yiddish Policeman's Union
signed by Chabon and packaged in a charming painted balsa wood box. Call
your neighborhood Schwartz Bookshop to set aside your copy. But hurry--once
they're gone, they're gone!
6.
The
Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett
My book of the year, a hilarious story of the Queen falling in love with reading
that encapsulates why we as booksellers do what we do. I bought a copy for my
sister in Arizona and received an over-the-top phone call back about how much
she loved it and how many people she had to make sure read it. Alan Bennett
has that effect on people. Now I have to read The
Clothes They Stood Up In, which I hear is just as good.
7.
Playing
for Pizza, by John Grisham
A sweet novel about an American sports
star who signs on to play for an Italian football team (yes, American Football,
not soccer) can generate lots of attention when it's by John Grisham. If you
want a traditional thriller, have I mentioned you should pick up your copy of
The
Appeal from us on January 29th? And, if you want a good Italian soccer
novel, try Joe McGinness's offbeat The
Miracle of Castel Di Sangro .
8.
Nineteen
Minutes, by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult's first Alverno event for this novel centered around a school shooting,
was so popular that we're doing it again. Picoult will be appearing at Alverno
for her upcoming novel Change
of Heart on March 12th. You can buy your tickets here, and remember
the ticket includes a signed copy of the book. More Picoult notes: 1) The paperback
of Nineteen
Minutes goes on sale February 5th. 2) Did you know that she wrote a
plotline for the Wonder Woman comic book? It's classic Picoult and it's collected
in book form as Wonder
Woman: Love and Murder
9.
World
Without End, by Ken Follett
When Oprah selected Pillars
of the Earth as her latest book club selection, many fans thought of
Follett as a thriller writer. We've always had big fans of this novel of medieval
England on our staff, but it's only through his selection that I learned that
this was actually his first novel, which Follett couldn't get published until
after he established his bestseller credentials. His newest novel is set in
the same location two centuries later. We are pleased to have hosted Ken Follett,
pre-Oprah appearance, at our Mequon Shop.
10.
The
God of Animals, by Aryn Kyle
If you come to any of our shops regularly,
you know how much many of us liked this first novel of a young girl growing
up on a struggling horse farm in Colorado. One of the things that was fascinating
to me about this story is that each reader got something unique out of the story,
making it the kind of book you just had to share with a friend. That's why I'm
thrilled that Kyle is one of our two featured authors at our mini-Reader's Retreat,
the one-day A Reader's Day Away event at The Pfister Hotel. It's an amazing
event that features not just Aryn Kyle and Eileen Favorite, author of The
Heroines, but a special appearance by Scribner Vice President and Editor
in Chief Nan Graham (Don Delillo and The
Glass Castle's Jeannette Walls, are among her stable of authors). Watch
for details about A Reader's Day Away in our next email newsletter.
In our next edition: Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers
Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food
Monday, January 14, 7 p.m.
We're pleased to welcome Michael Pollan, author of the bestsellng The Omnivore's
Dilemma and the new In Defense of Food in which he affirms the
joy of eating and suggests that if we would pay more for better, well-grown
food, but buy less of it, we'll benefit ourselves, our communities, and the
environment at large.
Michael Pollan is presented in partnership with Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative and The Exchange Magazine.
Tickets will be available at the door. They are $30 and include a copy of In Defense of Food. There is a $5 handling fee for each order (per order not per ticket).
The event will take place at Alverno College's Pitman Theatre, 3401 S. 39th St. Milwaukee. For more information call 414-382-6044.
Sara Paretsky
Bleeding Kansas
Monday, January 14 * 7:00 p.m. reading * Mequon
The author of the popular V.I. Warshawski crime series mines the Kaw River Valley
of her Kansas youth in her latest novel that centers on two families who have
been farming--and feuding--in the valley for over 150 years. The rift comes
to a disastrous head when a confrontation leads one family's young son to join
the army where he is stationed in Iraq.
Jane
& Kidd's Book Club Presents:
Kate
Jacobs * author of The Friday Night Knitting Club
Have you ever written a short story, poem, or even a first chapter of a novel and needed the structure of a class to complete it? What about just getting started? Instructor Patricia M. Puccinelli, Ph.D. will lead a workshop for aspiring writers at our Mequon shop. Biweekly class meetings will combine discussions of your work and instruction in style. A copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is included in your $60 tuition.
Registration deadline is January 21, 2008
Register by calling 262-241-6220 or stopping in our Mequon shop
Class schedule:
Mondays, January 28, February 11 & 25, and March 3, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
$60 includes registration fee and a copy of Strunk & White's The Elements
of Style
"I'll have the new John Grisham novel with a special turquoise jacket,
and a decaf soy no-foam latte in the new Schwartz matching tumbler please."
Actually our new Schwartz coffee tumblers only come in red. Why? Because, combined with the caffeine jolt in your drink, it seemed bright enough to wake you up. What? You only do decaf? Well then, you need all the help you can get, don't you?
Our new tumblers featuring our mascot, Boswell, are available at all of our shops for only $7.95. Visit our cafe in Shorewood with your Schwartz tumbler and you'll get 20% off of your coffee purchase. So, despite being red these tumblers help you save a little green and go a little green too by eliminating the paper cup.
Regarding the new John Grisham (classic Grisham, not true crime and not a sweet novel of Italy), it's called The Appeal and comes out January 29th. You can reserve your copy today by phone, email, or on schwartzbooks.com. And, the latest word on the jacket is that it is a lawyerly scene on a tasteful black background, which we think will go quite well with the tumbler.
Wednesday, January 23 • 7 p.m. • Bay View
You will not want to miss this opportunity to learn about the literary and artistic roots that twist and turn throughout this tale of lust and malfeasance. If the famous Dance of the Seven Veils reveals a dancer's body; this story of deceit and desperation reveals one dancer's dark soul. Salome lusts to kiss the prophet John the Baptist. Her stepfather, Herod, lusts to see her dance. When the prophet rejects her, Salome allows Herod to watch her remove her veils. In exchange, she demands that he remove the Baptist's head. Filled with brooding beauty and Strauss' evocative music, this thrilling and captivating operatic production is one you won't want to miss.
Corliss Phillabuam, Emeritus Professor of Theatre at UW-Milwaukee, will offer his unique and engaging perspectives, while singers and an accompanist from the Florentine Opera offer insight into the music. Sample this story for yourself at our FREE Opera Insight!
Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963
Thursday, January 17 * 7:00 p.m. talk * Shorewood
Help First Stage Children's Theater kick off their production of The Watsons
Go to Birmingham-1963 with Christopher Paul Curtis, author of the Newbery
Honor-winning book on which the play is based, when he appears at our Shorewood
shop. Ten-year-old Kenny chronicles the events of a fateful summer for the Watson
family of Flint, Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta and brother
Byron who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Concerned about the budding juvenile
delinquent in their family, his parents decide it's time for a lengthy stay
with Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama. The family heads south and toward a moment
in American history where the world seems to change before their eyes. First
Stage Children's Theater's production of The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963
will run from Friday, January 18 through Friday, February 15. For more information
and to purchase tickets to the play visit firststage.org
Paula McLain
A Ticket to Ride
Monday, January 21 * 7:00 p.m. reading * Brookfield
Remember that impossibly cool girl who taught you how to blow smoke rings, cut
school and sneak out of the house? Remember how you turned yourself inside out
trying to be just like her--and then she broke your heart? For Jamie, that girl
is her cousin Fawn. Unfortunately, Jamie realizes too late how dangerous Fawn
really is. Paula McLain explores the darker sides of love and loyalty during
the summer of 1973 in her lyrical debut novel.
Geraldine Brooks
People of the Book
Tuesday, January 22 * 7:00 p.m. presentation * Mequon
Meet the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March and her latest, People
of the Book, a sweeping historical novel. Inspired by a true story, it
traces a rare illuminated manuscript--the famed Sarajevo Haggadah--through centuries
of exile and war. Hanna Heath, a rare-book expert, is tasked with analysis and
conservation of the book. As she unlocks its secrets she is plunged into a world
of forgers and fanatics that tests her belief in herself and the man she has
come to love.
Philip A. Nero
Twice Upon a Time
Thursday, January 24 * 7:00 p.m. reading * Shorewood
Former Milwaukee Journal reporter Philip A. Nero takes you on an adventure
through time in his new novel. It is just days after the president declares
an end to major fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. With images of a new war
rekindling nightmares from an old one, Colonel Ellis finds himself caught in
a freakish thunderstorm that unleashes bizarre forces launching him on a 30-year
tumble through time. Nero is also the author, with PGA professional Don Peterson,
of The Original Baseball Golf Swing Method.
James Conroyd Martin
Against a Crimson Sky
Thursday, January 24 * 7:00 p.m. reading * Brookfield
You were swept away into the romance and turbulence of the 18th century with
his epic debut, Push Not the River. Now, James Conroyd Martin continues
the story of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska with Against a Crimson Sky.
Anna has married her true love, but in the aftermath of the dissolution of Poland
in 1794 life is far from ideal. Tales of intrigue, love and betrayal are entwined
in this vibrant historical novel that follows a proud nation and a strong family
in their struggle for unity. Paperback
Pauline W. Chen
Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality
Monday, January 28 * 7:00 p.m. talk * Shorewood
When Pauline Chen began her career in medicine she was stunned to learn that
a profession premised on caring for the ill also depersonalizes dying--and set
out to do something about it. In Final Exam, Chen writes with both
clinical expertise and heartfelt compassion about her experiences, beginning
in med. school and continuing through practice.
Steve Berry
The Venetian Betrayel
Wednesday, January 30 * 7:00 p.m. Reading * Brookfield
The bestselling author of The Alexandria Link is back with a gripping
international thriller that sends Cotton Malone on a perilous quest for the
truth about Alexander the Great. Treasure hunters scour the globe in search
of Alexander's final resting place, unaware that the discovery will unlock a
modern mystery and save the lives of millions. Cotton is about to find out,
but he won't be alone.
Blasphemy
Douglas Preston
The Torus supercollider is the world's most expensive and powerful supercomputer
built to reveal the secrets of creation at the moment of the Big Bang. Some
predict it will suck the earth into a black hole and at least one televangelist
decries it as a Satanic challenge to God. When a team of scientists in the Torus's
remote mountain location turns it on, what they discover must be kept hidden
at all costs. But Wyman Ford, ex-monk and CIA operative charged with wresting
the secret from them, is on their trail. From the co-author of The Wheel
of Darkness and Riptide.
$24.95
Blue
Heaven
C.J. Box
A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother are on the run in the woods of
northern Idaho after witnessing four men commit a murder. In a ranching community
increasingly populated by L.A. transplants, the kids soon find they don't know
who they can trust among the retired Southern California cops who've given the
area its nickname, "Blue Heaven." From the author of the bestselling and award
winning Joe Pickett series.
$24.95
Audio also available
The
Chameleon's Shadow
Minette Walters
In this psychological thriller, once well adjusted and extroverted British lieutenant
Charles Acland returns home from Iraq with serious head injuries and a profound
personality change. As he recovers he grows uncharacteristically withdrawn and
aggressive. When an outburst of anger gets him the attention of the local police
who are investigating three recent murders, he is forced to confront the issues
behind his desperate existence before it is too late.
$24.95
Homecoming
Bernhard Schlink
Translated by Michael Heim
In his first novel since The Reader, Bernhard Schlink tells the story
of Peter Debauer, a child of World War II with little memory of his father.
Now an adult, Peter begins a search that will take him across the Atlantic and
back again in his quest to find the real man behind a series of invented identities.
$24.00
Inheritance
Natalie Danford
How well do we know our parents? Olivia Bonocchio's answer would be not at all.
After her father, who raised her on his own, dies, she discovers a deed to a
home in Italy in his name and travels for the first time to Urbino, his Italian
hometown. At first she's charmed, but as she delves into the past she gets a
be-careful-what-you-wish-for answer to what made her father leave his family
and country behind. Paperback
$13.95
Homo
Politicus
Dana Milbank
Deep within the forbidding land encircled by the Washington Beltway lives the
tribe known as Homo Politicus. Their ways are strange and their language coded,
but Washington Post columnist and MSNBC political analyst Dana Milbank
has produced this indispensable portrait of a bizarre culture whose tribal ways
are as hilarious as they are outrageous.
$26.00
This is a sampling of the terrific deals we have on good books. Stop in to any of our shops to pick up any of these titles or browse our bargain section.
Walden 150th Anniversary Edition
Henry David Thoreau
Publisher $24.95
SCHWARTZ: $8.99
I Am the Messenger
Markus Zusak
Publisher $16.95
SCHWARTZ: $6.99
The Shadow Catcher
Marianne Wiggins
Publisher $25.00
SCHWARTZ: $8.99
Life's Little Annoyances: True Tales of People Who Just Can't Take It Anymore
Ian Urbina
Publisher $15.00
SCHWARTZ: $4.99