Many booksellers from the Pacific Northwest are in Pittsburgh for the annual American Booksellers Association Winter Institute. Some participants got to tour independent bookstores. When we go to bookstores in different parts of the country and the world, we love to spot PNW authors and illustrators on the shelves.
At Riverstone Books in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, the Staff Picks rack at the front of the store featured these:
Why Barbara Recommends Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple [written while Semple lived in Seattle, set mostly in Seattle]:
“I am usually a traditionalist when it comes to fiction and usually prefer a straightforward narrative. But I couldn’t resist the incredibly funny world of Bernadette, written in many formats– emails, letters, FBI documents, correspondence with a psychiatrist, and even an emergency room bill. These pieces are strung together so wittingly that Semple’s storytelling is always front & center. If you like this book, try Today Will Be Different with another quirky Semple heroine.”
Why Abby Recommends The Women by Kristin Hannah [of Bainbridge Island, WA]:
“This historical fiction novel is a graphic portrayal of the Vietnam War from the perspective of one surgical trauma nurse who served 2 terms in ‘Nam. Along with the terror, extreme fatigue, the heat, mildew, monsoons, and the roar of choppers bringing in the wounded, there [are] deep friendships, valor, even love among the chaos. The book makes frequent references to current events including the anti-war protests, President Johnson’s and Nixon’s involvement, and to the music of the mid ’60s to the early ’70s. Told with raw honesty, the book pulls you into this tragic conflict when soldiers were dying within days of arriving or just before leaving home. Heartbreaking in so many ways but a true testimony to the heroic women who served their country without historical recognition. This is their story.”
Do you look for beloved authors on the shelves when you travel?
