Our Book of the Month & Archive
Another month, another book we especially love.

July 2006

The Art of Detection: A Novel of Suspense by Laurie R. King (Bantam Books, $24.00)

June 2006

Song for My Fathers: A New Orleans Story in Black and White by Tom Sancton (Other Press, $24.95) We have lots of signed copies of this title in stock (see photos from the signing party here: Tom Sancton Event!!)

Song for My Fathers traces TomÕs experience as a young white boy driven by a consuming passion to learn the music and ways of a group of aging black jazzmenÑcontemporaries of Louis Armstrong who had mostly played in local obscurity until the opening of Preservation Hall. Introduced to this world by his eccentric Southern liberal father, young Tom embraced the old musicians with boundless love and admiration and became an accomplished clarinetist himself.

Song for My Fathers is a tribute to "the mens" of Preservation Hall, to his father, and to New Orleans--TomÕs story could not have taken place in any other city in the world.

May 2006

My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme (Alfred A. Knoph, $25.95) Written in her own words, this compelling biography concentrates on the years between 1948 and 1954 when Child lived in France--a time during which she discovered her "true calling" for cooking. The book includes 79 black and white photographs and a forward by Paul Child's grandnephew, Alex Prud'homme.

April 2006

New Orleans: Life in an Epic City: September 11, 2001-Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005 by Mary Fitzpatrick (Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, $25.00) This book is a beautiful collection of photographs of New Orleans accompanied by poignant quotes and text.

100% of the proceeds benefits the Preservation Resource Center's rebuilding programs.

March 2006

1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose (Chris Rose Books, $13.00)

Local Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose compiled his post-Katrina articles into this handy volume along with the brilliant photography of Charlie Varley. 1 Dead in Attic is a must-have for anyone wishing to document this very strange post-Katrina period in New Orleans. It includes many insights as well as laughs--a blend of which I feel we all need to cope with these hard times.

We had a signing with Chris last month, and it was probably the biggest event we've ever had at the Maple Street Book Shops! We hope to get more signed copies to keep in stock soon.

February 2006

Indecent Secrets by Christina Vella (Free Press, $26.00)

Local scholar and writer Christina Vella follows up her popular Intimate Enemies with this meticulously researched story about a brutal murder of an Italian provincial aristocrat in 1902. The murder and investigation ignited a scandal that was a top news story in Europe and America for years, and VellaÕs retelling has all the excitement of a thriller.

January 2006

Hey, I know it's been a while since we've had a book of the month, so I decided to just pick one I've enjoyed recently even though it's been out a while already. -Hannah

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Vintage, $14.95) Definately read the book instead of going to the movie. The movie depicted all of the scenic and physical beauty of that which is described in this novel, but it did nothing for the eloquent statements of author Arthur Golden.

The story is relatively simple in format. In fact, it feels like some sort of fable from times past, but the language is breathtakingly beautiful. The beginning of the book pushed me along with a sort of momentum that scarce let me put it down to fufill the duties of my real life. The middle was a little slower and less enthralling, but it seemed appropriate since it was a quiet, monotonous period in the narrator's life. The book finishes in fairytale flourishes--except, of course, for a few restrictions of the real life of a geisha, of which you will learn in this enchanting tale.

August 2005

The Loss of Leon Meed by Josh Emmons (Scribner, $24.00) Local author Josh Emmons' intriguing first novel follows ten residents of Eureka, California as their lives intersect and change after each has contact with the mysteriously appearing and disappearing Leon Meed. Each character is so convincingly rendered with both compassion and humor that I began to worry whether this was fiction or if these were real people who would launch into lawsuit mode when they discovered their lives had been co-opted into a novel. When I got to the end of this intelligent, charming, and imaginative book I just turned back to the first page to start over.

June 2005

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden (Viking, $23.95) Inspired in part by the legend of Francis Pegamahgabow, the great Indian sniper of World War I, this novel traces the three-day journey of Niska, an Oji-Cree medicine woman who leaves her home in the remote wilderness of northern Ontario to retrieve her only living relative, a young soldier named Xavier Bird. Wonderfully written and suspensful, this novel was recommended by Isabel Allende for the Today Show Book Club. Boyden is a professor of creative writing at the University of New Orleans.

May 2005

Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton & Co., $12.95)
A story by the best-selling author of Moneyball and Liar's Poker about the baseball coach who taught him some of life's most valuable lessons. Michael Lewis will sign Coach on Friday, May 20th from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at Maple Street Book Shop. Please join us for this special event!

April 2005

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules Edited and Introduced by David Sedaris (Simon & Schuster, $14.95)
A delightfully diverse collection of short stories, hand picked by the best-selling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Includes stories by Richard Yates, Jhumpa Lahiri, Patricia Highsmith, Lorrie Moore, Tobias Wolff, and Joyce Carol Oates. All proceeds go to 826NYC, a nonprofit writing and tutoring workshop for public high school students.

March 2005

Telling Tales Edited by Nadine Gordimer (Picador, $14.00)
A collection of short stories by some of our most beloved authors, the proceeds of which go to HIV/AIDS education and treatment. Features stories by Margaret Atwood, Gunter Grass, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Salman Rushdie, Jose Saramago, and John Updike, among others. 21 stories, all given without fee or royalty.

February 2005

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty (Penguin, $24.95)
Smithy Ide drinks too much, dreams too little, and shows no sign of changing for the better until both of his parents are killed in a car accident after leaving their vacation house in Maine. A few days later, after Smithy learns that his mentally ill sister, missing for years, has turned up at a morgue in California, he embarks on a cross-country road trip with only the clothes on his back, some fruit, and his trusty childhood bicycle. The ensuing tale is filled with adventure, melancholy, wisdom, and finally, hope. Interesting tidbit: When McLarty, a former actor, originally had trouble finding a publisher for the novel, he took advantage of his media connections and recorded the story as an audio book. Word of the engaging tale spread all the way to Stephen King, who hailed it as "the best book you can't read."

January 2005

Shotgun Alley (A Weiss and Bishop Novel) by Andrew Klavan (Forge, $24.95)
Scott Weiss and Jim Bishop, the tough-as-nails private eyes from Dynamite Road, are back on the case. Their assignment: track down and infiltrate the Outsiders, a rogue motorcycle gang whose leader, Cobra, has captured the heart of a wealthy politician's daughter. When Cobra turns out to be a menace with both brains and brawn, and Honey a hustler with irresistible allure, Bishop finds himself in a dangerous predicament. Well-constructed and fast-paced, with surprising attention to moral and ethical issues, this novel is a thrill ride from start to finish.

December 2004

Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography written and photographed by Douglas Keister (Gibbs Smith, $24.95)
This attractive guide has been described as the "ultimate resource book for cemetery sleuths," and includes full-color photographs and in-depths explanations of over 350 cemetery symbols.

November 2004

Good Morning, Midnight, by Reginald Hill (Harper Collins, $24.95)
After twenty books, you'd think Reginald Hill would start running out of ideas. After all, there's only so much trouble that two well-educated Yorkshire coppers can get up to, right? Or, er, maybe not. In this, the twenty-first installment of the award-winning Dalziel/Pascoe series, the bantering sleuths are back on the case, this time investigating the suspicious "suicide" of a prominent local businessman. On the surface, Pal Maciver's suicide eerily resembles that of his father, decades before, but the closer Peter Pascoe looks, the more questions arise that he can't answer. To make matters worse, it appears that Pascoe's boss, Detective Superintendent Andy Dalaziel, might be involved somehow in the cover-up. Filled with dead-pan wit and a stunning cast of characters, this novel proves Reginald Hill one of Britain's most talented mystery writers. We know you'll love it!

October 2004

The Sunday Philosophy Club (An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery) by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon, $19.95)

The author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective agency is back with a brand new series, featuring a curious (read: nosy) Scottish heroine who winds up at the forefront of an unusual murder investigation. As senior editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, self-appointed guardian of her niece Cat's love life, and dutiful member of the Sunday Philosophy Club, Isabel Dalhousie is a pretty busy woman. But after witnessing a young man plunge to his death in an Edinburgh concert hall, she decides to put her powers of deduction to the test; the result is a witty romp that is sure to satisfy even the most die-hard Precious Ramotswe fans. As Publisher's Weekly raves, "Scotland's climate may be misty and cool, but McCall Smith's charming prose warms every page of this winning series debut."

September 2004

She's Not There: A Life In Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan (Random House, $14.95)
This provocative memoir took us by surprise with its humor and irrepressible spirit. Boylan's voice never wavers as she tells the story of her transformation from "James"--married father of two, good friend and colleague of the novelist Richard Russo--to "Jenny," and along the way challenges our most basic assumptions about the nature of love, identity, and committment--both to ourselves and to the ones we love. The afterword by Richard Russo adds further depth to this moving and ultimately empowering story.

August 2004

Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton (Pantheon, $24.00)
Since his debut book, On Love, Alain de Botton offers his readers something new and wonderful every few years. His style is consistent--always intelligent and witty, unique and nuanced. But with each new book, he offers his special take on something essential to our lives: love, identity, the reasons we travel, ways we can improve our lot. In Status Anxiety, de Botton explores a fear we've all felt: how we're viewed and thought about by others. He aims his gaze at the question we've all asked ourselves: Am I a loser?
He puts our fears into context and offers solutions to our doubts, but this is not your ordinary self-help manual. It's a smart, completely readable jaunt through our deepest impressions of ouselves and others. Highly recommended.
Find out more about Alain de Botton at his website, www.alaindebotton.com.