Here are twenty books we've read and loved and believe will provide hours of reading enjoyment to our fond and devoted customers. Order a batch and we'll ship them to you, or come by and browse....
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
A lovely, haunting novel about a blind Parisian girl and an intelligent German boy whose separate lives careen toward each other as World War II escalates. Doerr conjures a wartime Europe we haven't seen, an unforgettable spectrum of beauty and hardship. It hits all the right notes, an ideal bookclub selection.
The Bees by Laline Paull
A surprising novel that should have readers buzzing this summer, it follows a worker bee through the complex caste system of the hive. This is not children's literature –- though it certainly has crossover appeal for young adult readers –- but a smart, imaginative, and compulsively readable fable in the spirit of Animal Farm.
Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
Take an Agatha Christie-type ensemble mystery, a dose of The Shining, and the quirky dark comedy of a Wes Anderson film, and you'll get an idea of how much we loved this murder mystery set at a haunted hotel during a high school music festival.
Between Wrecks by George Singleton
The wildman returns with a hilarious new set of stories full of of deep, twisted insight into the modern South. These are stories with a sharp, useful edge and moments of inspired comedy that will stick to your shoes. He's coming to sign in September.
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
A mysterious devastation is sweeping over the land. Anyone who witnesses this terror turns psychotically violent. But this is just the set-up for a group of survivors hiding out in an abandoned house. Debut novelist Malerman summons some of our most common fears and twists them into a chillingly suspenseful tale of survival and trust.
Eyrie by Tim Winton
A washed-up environmentalist, publicly discredited by the media, has washed up in a low-rent high-rise near the sea on the western edge of Australia. He meets one of his neighbors, an old family friend who may be worse off than him, and together they attempt to repair their lives. Read for the astounding sentences and you'll end up loving Winton's down-trodden characters, who become extraordinary in this author's generous vision.
Flying Shoes by Lisa Howorth
A woman's family tragedy rears its head again after detectives discover new evidence in the case of her kid brother's death some thirty years earlier. Amid the pain are oddball characters, playful digressions, and a winning, humorous narration, making for a fun, lively, and surprising debut set in Oxford, Mississippi, written by a real live wire and founding bookseller at Square Books. Author signing July. 31.
Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson
A boldly accomplished debut and timely portrait of life in middle America, circa 1980. It follows a social worker, whose life in small-town Montana is as topsy-turvy as those of the clients he is hired to help, including an anti-government survivalist hellbent for Doomsday. The writing, storytelling, and literary artistry are top-notch. Author signing July 14.
Funny Once by Antonya Nelson
Another stand-out in a season of impressive story collections. The masterful writing and uncommon circumstances are enough to carry these stories about creatively dysfunctional families.
Further Joy by John Brandon
Short stories by one of our favorite, most distinctive young writers. A beautifully packaged book, replete with fresh and twisted prose, dead-pan comic flourishes, and modern characters embroiled in memorably strange situations. Signed copies available.
The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove
One of the most impressive young adult epics to come along in a long while. Something has happened to time, and the world is divided not into countries but time periods, from pre-history to the distant future. Our heroine, Sophia, lives in 1890s Boston and must use her uncle's marvelous glass maps to reunite her family. An absolute must for fans of world-building classics like Harry Potter and The Golden Compass.
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
An exceptional spy thriller about a shadow operative who comes back into the real world after 9/11 changes the landscape of international espionage. He literally wrote the book on crimescene cover-ups, and now it's being used against him by a serial killer. Perfectly paced, character-rich, and brimming with intrigue.
Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson
Here's your epic history tale for the summer. The fascinating story of T.E. Lawrence, a British archaeologist who led an Arab army against the Turks during World War I, is given a fuller treatment than the popular film, and history fans will deepen their understanding of the complex rivalries from this area of the globe still in turmoil.
Revolution by Deborah Wiles
A new novel by one of our favorite authors for kids ... and it's actually set here in Greenwood! In the hands of an accomplished storyteller like Wiles, this story of average kids during Mississippi's Freedom Summer, 1964, is inspiring, thoughtful, and creatively told with real photos and newspaper articles interspersed. Author signing September 4.
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
Another mesmerizing summer debut, this story of haunted lives and unrequited love respresents the old rural South through vivid language, dark magic, and compelling characters in a black community in Texas. Fans of Edward P. Jones's The Known World and the novels of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston will admire the artistry of this tale.
The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry
Patti Callahan Henry's novels of tangled family ties and buried secrets are smartly crafted page-turners, and we especially enjoyed her latest about a self-made wife and mother with a succesful start-up business. Her life is rocking along smoothly until she is confronted with the mysterious, conflicting circumstances surrounding a car wreck involving her husband and sister. Author signing July 18.
The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones
A fast-paced thriller about a family on the run, trying to outrace an adversary that has developed a unique and deadly craft, passed down over generations. A supernatural twist, a plot layered in different eras, and one action-packed scene after the next make this quintessential summer reading.
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons by Sam Kean
It has taken ages to understand the inner workings of the body's most distinctive feature, the brain. Popular science-history writer Sam Kean chronicles this slow process through a series of delightfully entertaining episodes of trauma and madness from history, accounting for all the wrong ideas, accidental discoveries and flat-out crazy notions.
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta
A kid witnesses a murder, and the police relocate him to a Montana hideaway, where he disguises himself as a troubled teen at a wilderness survival camp. The group leader is a survival expert charged with protecting the boy as a pair of psychopath sibling hitmen track their prey through the Rockies. Kortya is one of our favorite new suspense authors, a real writer with a knack for characters and page-turning action.
Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke
Working outside of his usual detective series, Burke may well have delivered his masterpiece with this novel about two war heroes who come home from Europe to start their own business in the oilfields of Louisiana and Texas during the 1940s. This is a big-sky epic with distinctive characters, crooked oil men, cunning wives, and hard, dirty times. An absolute classic, not to be missed. Signed copies available.
