The Trespasser
by Tana French

The Hopefuls
by Jennifer Close

As interested as I am in politics, the length of campaigns wears me out. I was delighted to find an antidote to that this election year in The Hopefuls. The novel tells the story of a young wife who followed her husband and his political dreams to Washington DC, where he worked in the Obama White House.  The wife, Beth, has recently lost her job and is an outsider in her husband’s new world, which is totally dominated by politics, and colored by ambition, competition, jealousy, and a bit of idealism. This parallels writer Close’s experience, and she’s created a funny, funny novel. The novel begins with Beth listing the things she hates about DC—and it’s pretty much everything. She and her husband, Matt, begin a friendship with Jimmy, a Texan with political ambitions and charisma and his wife, Ash. The dynamics of that friendship challenges their marriage and change their lives in significant ways.

Manitou Canyon
by William Kent Krueger

A definite perk of being a bookseller is receiving advance copies of books! I recently received and devoured—er, read, an advance copy of the latest Cork O’Connor book by William Kent Krueger. This popular mystery series is set in northern Minnesota. Krueger’s publishing schedule recently was altered, so it’s been a longer than usual wait for the latest book. I’m happy to report that it does not disappoint.

A man camping in the Boundary Waters goes missing. When the fruitless official service ends, the man’s family asks O’Connor to stay on the case, and he returns to the Boundary Waters, only to disappear himself. The book is suspenseful, with all the elements readers love about this series: a northern Minnesota setting, a crime which is initially baffling, familiar characters who continue to grow and change, and respectful insights into Objibwe culture.

The book will be released on September 6, and may be pre-ordered at Beagle and Wolf. AND mark your calendar: William Kent Krueger and Jess Lourey will be in the store on September 24!

I don’t want to give away the story, but here’s an excerpt to tide you over until the book comes out!

The Shed That Fed a Million Children
by Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow

In the early 1990's, Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow heard news reports of war and suffering in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Inspired by a visit to Medjugorje almost a decade earlier, he found himself organizing the collection and delivery of aid to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Thus began Mary's Meals, an organization that operates from a simple shed in the Scottish highlands. With the participation of local volunteers, Mary's Meals combines food and education with the goal of improving the lives of children throughout the world living in extreme poverty. Magnus and his small staff have been joined by supporters who donate funds and skills to help make Mary's Meals possible. The Shed That Fed a Million Children is a powerful reminder both of the daily struggles that are a reality for those who are living in areas of poverty and political unrest and the good that can occur when people work together for positive change. A word that popped up more than once in reviews describing The Shed That Fed a Million Children is "inspirational." I couldn't agree more.

Medicine Walk
by Richard Wagamese

Trailblazers: 33 Women in Science Who Changed the World
by Rachel Swaby

I taught a variety of students in my years as a professor at three universities and was always delighted to see women in my engineering classes. At the beginning of my career, in a class of 30 students I would see one or two women, but before I retired easily 25% of my classes were women. They were often my best students. So, I’m encouraged to find and review books about women in science. It’s good to offer up female role models.
 First let me say that this is a quick read, under 200 pages with Notes and Bibliography in the back (which I’ll return to in a moment.) Most of the chapters are 5-7 pages long and in no particular order.  So you can read straight through it, or go right to Florence Nightingale. The book is aimed at young readers, 10-13 years old. I’d recommend, perhaps, reading the book with your young person, say a chapter or two as a bedtime story. I say this so you can point out some things possibly over-looked, such as these famous women were not all from well-to-do homes. They were not all brilliant at the outset but were determined, worked hard, worked with others (often as part of a team) and were encouraged by others, sometimes their parents. For the older young adult reading this book on their own, you might ask which woman they’ve currently read about and have a discussion. By the way, you need not be a female to discuss these scientists with a young female.

I mentioned that the chapters are short. They really don’t develop background of the individual women scientists, but focus on what they discovered. This is where the Bibliography comes in handy. It sends the reader to other references, so your aspiring scientist has a starting place for acquiring further information on the scientists who might catch their interest. 

This is a good read, designed to inspire your female readers, but all should find it interesting.

Editor’s note: The book will be released on September 13, just in time to inspire readers returning to school. It may be pre-ordered by contacting Beagle and Wolf.

Inside the O'Briens
by Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova writes about tough subjects, but she is such a good storyteller that you will enjoy this book immensely. Her subject this time is Huntington's disease. This is an incurable disease that is genetic in origin. The father, Joe, discovers he has the disease. Now his children, who have a 50% chance of also having it, must decide if they want to take the test so they know, or wait until symptoms occur or not. They examine their lives to discover what matters most:  to live in fear or love.

Bettyville
by George Hodgman

George Hodgman leaves the fast life in New York to come home to Paris, Missouri. His aging mother needs care, but no way is she going to a rest home! Betty speaks her mind but cannot quite reveal her heart, nor can she really accept the fact that her son is gay.  Told with humor, the author reveals the challenges of care giving and his own struggle for self-respect. This is a true story and will resonate with many who face similar problems.

The Husband's Secret
by Liane Moriarty

Everybody Behaves Badly
by Lesley M. M. Blume

Blume tells the story of how Hemingway wrote his breakthrough novel and became a giant of modern literature. She covers the Paris years which Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley, spent with the famous expatriate community, and talks about his extraordinary utilization of mentors. Blume is a journalist: she did a great deal of research, including spelling out the characters and events that inspired The Sun Also Rises, and showing how closely the book describes that awful weekend. Everybody Behaves Badly is thought-provoking and illuminating, but it's also a lot like reading a great gossip column.

The Beautiful and Damned and This Side of Paradise
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The seeds of his later books are in the early Fitzgerald novels, but they aren’t as distilled and polished, which makes them more transparent. You feel like you are seeing who Fitzgerald was. His heroines are all variations on a theme and his heroes even more so, except for Gatsby. And Gatsby wanted to be a hero from an early Fitzgerald novel.  
Fitzgerald was already established when Hemingway became his protégé and friend. Everybody Behaves Badly (above) provides fascinating insights into their relationship and the differences in their writings.

The Ballad of Black Tom
by Victor Lavalle

Black Tom walks around New York in the1920s wearing frayed clothes and carrying an empty guitar case, impersonating a jazz musician. He is one of the few who can intuit the magic hidden in a book he is paid to deliver to a strange old woman. Lavalle said in an NPR interview that as an adolescent he was obsessed with H. P. Lovecraft's fantasy worlds. Only gradually did Lavelle, an African American, become aware that Lovecraft's books are quite racist. This novella is both an homage and an expression of rage. 

Kitchens of the Great Midwest
by J. Ryan Stradal

This is a great novel about the making of a world-class chef, Eva Thorvald. Set in Minnesota, it is more like a collection of stories about different people who were all connected with Eva at different times in her life. I really enjoyed this method of storytelling, because rather than Eva being the main character in all these stories, most of the time she is more of a secondary character, sometimes a girlfriend, a rival, or just a casual acquaintance, and yet in some way influencing each character. Through these stories, you get to know her without being inside her head. At the same time, she still remains a bit of a mystery, which adds to her status as the legendary chef she becomes. Oh, and you also get to read about her delicious creations, which will have your mouth watering, and a few recipes included as well. An all-around great read!