Many have proclaimed this to be the best piece of non-fiction in recent memory, for its historical and personal depth, and emotional candor. After inheriting a Japanese netsuke collection, ceramicist de Waal traces the “travels” of these small carvings, acquired by his great-grandfather’s cousin, and then moved from Paris to Vienna, to Tokyo, and now …
A mutual friend goes missing and twin sisters Frankie, a young teen on the spectrum, and popular Tess try to solve the mystery. The loyalty of sisters, friendship, and acceptance all come into play in this well-written and engaging book. — Marlene Craig, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene, ID Discover overlooked gems at The Well-Read …
Patrick Ness is my favorite YA author without a question. The grace and heart he gives to teens is unparalleled. Burn is about Dragons in the 1950s, like the ’50s as they were but there are dragons, and for some reason, its genius, and I don’t know why I’m not consuming more media just like …
At the center of this novel is a single, inexplicable incident from the end of the Spanish Civil War, when an unknown Republican soldier caught a leader of the right-wing Falange escaping a Republican firing squad but then walked away, sparing his life. Writing six decades later, Cercas frames his own investigation into this mystery …
Every Wednesday, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association publishes the regional bestseller list. On Thursdays, we celebrate Thursday Themes to shine a spotlight on some of the books from the list and give our brains a different way of thinking about books. It’s a new year, but some of the bestsellers on our list have been on bookstore shelves …
Krista Tippett is a master of asking questions that matter. For over two decades, her podcast On Being has stood as a poignant example of public dialogue that resists dogma and divisiveness and insists on a more “generative story of our time.” Becoming Wise pulls together wisdom from Tippett’s own life and years of conversational …
I found this to be an engaging, intelligent, and moving story. We tend to judge our books by their covers, and we so often don’t know the half of who people really are. Philosophical and lovely; I am very glad this story found me. –Debbie, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene, ID Let life-changing stories find …
I discovered this novel years ago in a small bookstore in Mendocino. Written in 1944, it is the story of a young woman entering adulthood on her family’s Montana wheat farm at the cusp of WWII. Ellen struggles to understand the relationship between her father, who faces lingering health issues as a result of combat …
Part autobiography and part civil rights primer, March chronicles Rep. John Lewis’ childhood on an Alabama farm and his involvement with the civil rights movement. Artist Nate Powell powerfully captures the tension of this period in stark black and white illustrations. The complete trilogy spans the civil rights movement up to the inauguration of President …
This love story is an endearing mix of a daydream and a fever dream. Written in the 1970s, it takes place in New York and centers around two best friends (and third cousins!) and the two incredible women they fall in love with. It’s smart, funny, satisfying, and often completely silly. One of our most …
