Blue Elephant Book Blog

We're OUT of Jonathan Franzen tickets!

2010-08-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

Blue Elephant Book Shop is completely out of tickets to Jonathan Franzen's keynote speech for the Decatur Book Festival. I hope that all those who snagged tickets enjoy it and that everyone enjoys the rest of the Festival's events. Blue Elephant will be on hand at Booth #415, so we'll see you there on September 3-5!

Staff Book Picks for July 2010

2010-07-22T13:44:00.001-04:00

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
by Lola Shoneyin

Baba Segi should have read Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point. Then maybe he would have had second thoughts about adding a fourth wife—a university graduate, no less—to a household already complicated by the personalities, needs, wants, demands of three women and their seven children. Bolanle's arrival in the household not only changed the dynamics, but threatened the foundation on which it was built. Shoneyin gives us wonderful sketches of characters, culture, and circumstances and teases us along with a carefully unfolding plot.
—Laura

Blockade Billy
by Stephen King

Stephen King has always been a great storyteller, but his technical chops as a writer have refined over time. Both skills are on their best display here in Blockade Billy, King's love song to 1950s American baseball, and the included novella "Morality," about a financially strapped couple persuaded into sin. No gory slasher schlock, no gibbering phantasms here; just excellent stories and clean, stripped-down prose of slowly dawning psychological intimacy and horror.
—Kimberly

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
by Stieg Larsson

If you have not been reading Stieg Larsson's books, you are the only one. The long-awaited third book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, has arrived and delivers. My experience with all of these books went something like this: Start reading Monday on the sofa, move to bed, back to sofa, finish, ask myself, "It's Wednesday, did I leave the house?" So if you have not read any Stieg Larsson, you must begin with the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but be prepared, like me, to lose days of your life. Really, they are that addictive.
—Erin

Faithful Place
by Tana French

In this hard-edged mystery set in Dublin, Tana French introduces a new police detective, Frank Makey. Frank must return to his old neighborhood, after twenty-two years, to answer old questions and resolve old relationships. I hope this is the beginning of a new series.
—Linda

I Thought You Were Dead
by Pete Nelson

Stella is Paul's best friend, greeting him with warm and sometimes sarcastic comments (she says, "I thought you were dead" every time she doesn't see him for several hours), but she is always there for him, which is good since Paul's life is unraveling. Stella is an aging Labrador Retriever, but is constantly at the ready with advice for Paul. This is a touching novel of how best friends (be they human, canine, or other) can help keep a person sane.
—Teresa

Magic Bleeds
by Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels the sword-slinging, Jeep-driving mercenary is back in this fourth book set in an alternate Atlanta plagued by destructive waves of magic and techological breakdowns. Ilona Andrews has a flair for humor and action scenes that knocks her above most urban fantasy writing. And the prospect of downtown Atlanta overrun by cranky werewolves and evil, sentient virus-fungi is deeply entertaining.
—Kimberly

The Taken
by Inger Ash Wolfe

The second mystery by mysterious Inger Ash Wolfe opens with Hazel recuperating from back surgery in the basement of her ex-husband's house, tended by her mother and her ex-husband's wife. She is feeling decidedly sorry for herself and perhaps too dependent on pain medication. She is jolted out of her convalescence by a deadly scavenger hunt. She and her team are racing the clock trying to save an unknown victim from an unknowable fate, led on by the weekly serial in the town paper and a disturbing live computer feed. Whoever is behind the Inger Ash Wolfe pseudonym is a master—braiding together an utterly human and appealing detective in Hazel Micallef, an inhuman and riveting plot, and enough grounding in time, place, and supporting characters to make a well-rounded whole.
—Laura

Broken
by Karin Slaughter

Broken continues to merge the stories of Special Agent Will Trent and Dr. Sara Linton. They are both in Grant County and dealing with deaths both current and past. This new hardback and Slaughter's new paperback, Undone, are among my favorites.
—Linda

The Passage
by Justin Cronin

At the sight of a military experiment, the world forever changes within 32 minutes, ending all of life as we know it, and creating a new world, one full of danger for the few remaining survivors. The Passage is an epic novel of allegiance and endurance, the subtitle of which could be When Government Experiments Go Horribly Awry. What Cronin has created is a story that is entertaining and absorbing and, although it is uniquely different, reminiscent of Stephen King's The Stand.
—Teresa

Kraken
by China Miéville

If Paul the Psychic Soccer Octopus hasn't convinced you that there's something eerie about cephalopods, Kraken will with its darkly amusing take on the titular tentacled terror of the sea. A giant squid vanishes mysteriously from the guarded halls of London's Natural History Museum, triggering a wave of government magical conspiracies, squabbling scientists, and more Lovecraftian eldritch horrors than you can shake a prehensile arm at.
—Kimberly

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Dogs Don't Do Ballet
by Anna Kemp

Dogs don't do ballet! Or do they? Biff wants nothing more than to be a ballet dancer and he will do anything to make him dream come true.
—Teresa

Teen

Linger
by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver was one of my favorite young adult novels of the past year, an understated romance between a teenage girl and an awkwardly charming werewolf. Now Grace and Sam return in this winning sequel that's as beautifully designed as a physical book as it is written.
—Kimberly

Janet Geddis has "a quintessential independent bookstore moment"

2010-06-25T09:36:00.004-04:00

Shelf Awareness gives us a nod from Athens bookseller Janet Geddis. Janet writes here at Beyond the Trestle about her serendipitous encounter in Blue Elephant last year:

So here we had an indie bookseller whose shop was pretty new; a soon-to-be indie bookseller whose high school English teacher was in a book club with the existing bookshop owner; a writer whose debut novel ended up being a great read and whose sister is the uber-famous “tween” writer; a local music store owner who’d recommended Blue Elephant Book Shop to me; and his daughter, an avid reader whose favorite author’s sister was standing right. next. to. her.

I have told that story many times myself as an example of the wonderful encounters that make bookselling so entertaining. I always add one detail that Janet omitted; the review of Susan Rebecca White's book was written by my friend Gina Webb . I think these sorts of experiences as being the flip side of six degrees of separation—i.e., six degrees of connection.

—Laura

In the news: "New Location No Mystery for Blue Elephant Book Shop"

2010-06-18T10:02:00.000-04:00

Today Decatur News Online has an interview with our glorious leader Laura, talking about the move to downtown Decatur and Laura's love of mysteries. And check out the pictures of our new interior!

Blue Elephant Book Shop is now open at our new location!

2010-06-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

Blue Elephant has moved! We're now located at 407 W Ponce de Leon Avenue, in downtown Decatur. Our new home is two doors west of Taqueria del Sol, two doors east of Dancing Goats Coffee Bar, and directly across the street from Watershed Restaurant.
You can call us at our new phone number (404) 373-1565 or drop us an e-mail with any questions.

Staff Book Picks for April 2010 (a little late, oops)

2010-05-09T14:31:00.002-04:00

Just think of it as "double the picks in May!" rather than "accidentally skipping over April!" Indeed. (Sorry about that.)

The Last Time I Saw You
by Elizabeth Berg

I always read Elizabeth Berg—even short stories, even writing guides. She just seems to speak to me of real people, in real situations. So having said that, maybe it's just the time of year or maybe it's because my Agnes Scott reunion is fast upon me, but I felt particularly attuned to this new novel. In it we are dropped into the lives of a handful of folks heading toward their fortieth high school reunion. All of them are hoping for something: to reclaim old glory; take a second chance at love; find solace; even redemption. And the satisfying thing is that at this reunion, we can watch from behind the curtain without revealing our own wrinkles, pounds, foibles.
—Laura

Tomorrow River
by Lesley Kagen

In rural Virginia in the summer of 1969, 11-year-old Shenandoah Carmody must protect her twin sister, Woody, and find her own answers to her mother's disappearance. This is a spellbinding story of a southern family in a time of change.
—Linda

Arcadia Falls
by Carol Goodman

Motivated by her love of a childhood book, newly-widowed Meg takes a teaching job at the school founded by the authors, who have always had a great influence on her life. The school is located in a remote, artsy town and proves to be even creepier than Meg and her daughter first realized when a mysterious death challenges everything Meg thinks is true about the lives of her idols.
—Teresa

Elegy for April
by Benjamin Black

This follow-up to Christine Falls and The Silver Swan is an engrossing crime novel which again follows Garret Quirke, a Dublin pathologist. It is equal parts mystery, character study, and study of the social climate of the 1950s.
—Linda

Warriors
edited by George R. R. Martin & Gardner Dozois

With novellas from science fiction and fantasy legends including Joe Haldeman, Laurence Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Diana Gabaldon, James Rollins, David Weber, and George R. R. Martin, this action-packed anthology of heroics has something to satisfy every discerning genre reader. Among my favorites are Peter S. Beagle's "Dirae," a haunting account of time travel and broken memories; "Seven Years from Home" by Naomi Novik, in which a military explorer reports on being caught between warring alien forces; and "The Mystery Knight" by George R. R. Martin, the first new story in Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series in five years.
—Kimberly

The Man in the Window
by K.O Dahl

K.O Dahl's latest Norwegian thriller The Man in the Window weaves together a story of murder, betrayal, lost love, and family secrets. When antique dealer Reidar Jesperson is stabbed with a bayonet, stripped, and displayed in his store's front window, detectives Frank Frolich and Chief Inspector Gunnarstranda are called to the scene. Frolich and Gunnarstranda quickly assume the motive is personal. The only problem is everyone who knows Jesperson has motive to kill him. While Dahl's characters are all flawed, he manages to capture well how strong and lasting human emotions can be.
—Erin

Split Image
by Robert Parker

The newest and reportedly last Jesse Stone novel also includes private investigator Sunny Randall and a sizeable list of murder suspects. Jesse and Sunny have become two of my favorite crimefighters.
—Linda

Dead End Gene Pool
by Wendy Burden

Wendy Burden, the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, provides an insider's view of life inside one of the most influential, well-known, and dysfunctional American families. Taking her family in stride and remaining lighthearted and witty, Burden covers all the bases: greed, charity, wealth, debt, substance abuse, and all the other things that come with being from old money.
—Teresa

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Once I Ate A Pie
by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest

Accompanied by sweet illustrations, Once I Ate a Pie is a collection of dog thoughts and opinions. Wupsi knows he is so cute; Louis likes to bark, bark, bark; Pocket thinks he is huge (although he's not); and Mr. Beefy steals tubs of butter from the table and once ate an entire pie.
—Teresa

Memoirs of a Goldfish
by Devin Scillian and Tim Bowers

Sometimes houses get crowded. This book captures a big family well. It's very cute.
—Erin

Elementary

The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang
by Amy Ignatow

Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love this hilarious shared diary of two girls determined to analyze and replicate the formula for instant popularity the year before they enter junior high school. Handwritten notes, explanatory sketches, snarky doodles, and very odd diagrams catalog these best friends' best-laid plans going awry.
—Kimberly

Middle School

Alchemy and Meggy Swann
by Karen Cushman

Born lame in Elizabethan England, Meggy Swann has grown up sharp-tongued and suspicious under the mockery and superstition to which she's been subjected. Now Meggy has been packed off to London, with only a pet goose for company, to live with the father she's never met. Meggy slowly learns to navigate the streets of London on her crutches and the trickier balancing act of making friends. But overhearing a murder plot against the nobility threatens the precarious new life she's built for herself. Newbery Award-winner Cushman has a knack for bringing medieval England to vibrant life, with no illusions about its grimy, earthy realities.
—Kimberly

Teen

A Conspiracy of Kings
by Megan Whalen Turner

The fourth book in Turner's series about the historical-Greece-influenced country of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings follows Sophos, the modest and somewhat lazy heir to a small nation-state. After being kidnapped and enslaved in a political coup, Sophos finds himself fighting for his life and embroiled in a violent struggle for power just as he's never been more powerless. With complex characters and political conflict as taut as any thriller, Attolia is among the best historical fantasy series in current publication, for adult readers as well as teens.
—Kimberly

Staff Book Picks for March 2010

2010-03-17T10:16:00.001-04:00

Bone Fire
by Mark Spragg

If you read and loved An Unfinished Life, you're going to be so pleased—in Paul Harvey's words—to hear the rest of the story. Griff and her grandfather Einar have made a life for themselves in Ishawood, but reality is rearing its ugly head. Einar is beginning to fail physically, Griff is torn about leaving him to return to college, and Jean is drinking too much and fears that her husband is deceiving her. And then there are McEban and Kenneth, Crane, Helen, and Paul. The characters are so solidly drawn and the writing is so lovely that it is a treat to be invited back into their lives.
—Laura

The Crazy School
by Cornelia Read

Narrated by snarky, tough Madeline Dare, The Crazy School is a gritty, no-holds-barred mystery. After two students are murdered in what first appears to be a double suicide, Madeline is accused of the crime. Not being the kind to sit around and do nothing, Madeline investigates and unravels the mystery herself.
—Teresa

Await Your Reply
by Dan Chaon

The story begins with three strangers who are each beginning a journey. Their individual quests become complicated by the question of identity. This is a great story of interesting people.
—Linda

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
by Helen Simonson

Major Pettigrew is adjusting—has adjusted, he would tell you—to life in Edgecombe St. Mary, to his quiet life of retirement, without his beloved wife, and to his disappointment with their only child. He values his quiet, his privacy, his sense of dignity, and, above all, to the fine pair of guns left to him and to his brother by their father. He has more adjustments to make, however, some painful and some liberating. You'll love watching the Major lose a little of his starch and gain a little humanity.
—Laura

The Locavore's Handbook: The Busy Person's Guide to Eating Local on a Budget
by Leda Meredith

This handbook is chock-full of helpful information on sourcing local food, foraging, and growing your own. I like the nifty chart of which fruits and veggies are in season at what time of year. The author also explains the importance of supporting local farmers and how eating local is healthier and can be cheaper than buying from grocery stores.
—Teresa

Death of a Valentine
by M. C. Beaton

Death of a Valentine is the newest Hamish MacBeth mystery. The unambitious police sergeant and his new assistant have set a wedding date, but they are in the midst of a murder inquiry. As usual, this is great fun.
—Linda

The Crossing Places
by Elly Griffiths

Set in the remote saltmarshes of Norfolk, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson and archeology professor Ruth Galloway are knee deep in a series of mysteries ancient and modern. Vivid descriptions of the desolate countryside add an effective backdrop to the story of girls missing, bodies found, anonymous taunts, and an interesting cast of characters, with a judicious seasoning of personalities and quirks.
—Laura

The First Rule
by Robert Crais

In this story of family and loyalty, Joe Pike seeks to find and punish the killer of Frank Meyer and his entire family. Frank was one of Pike's "men" in their mercenary days, but he may have become a target of the Russian mafia through illegal activities. There are twists and turns and action aplenty.
—Linda

Burning Bright
by Ron Rash

Ron Rash's new collection of stories spans from the last days of the Civil War to the present day. Set against the backdrop of Southern Appalachia, the stories show the harsh reality of life in the area across the 150-year time period. I most enjoyed "Dead Confederates" and the title story, "Burning Bright."
—Teresa

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

That Cat Can't Stay
by Thad Krasnesky & David Parkins

Dad doesn't like cats, so the cat-loving members of the family have to trick him into letting one stray cat stay. Well, one turns into five and soon they have taken over everything, including Dad's favorite chair. This is my new favorite kids' book!
—Teresa

Elementary

Rumblewick's Diary: My Unwilling Witch Gets a Makeover
by Hiawyn Oram

Rumblewick is Haggy Aggy's right-hand cat. It is his job to shape her into the best witch she can be, only Aggy prefers pink to black, dresses to broomsticks, and is on her way to get a makeover. What's an unwilling witch's cat to do?
—Teresa

Middle School

I Am Spartapuss
by Robin Price

This is the diary of slave cat Spartapuss in a Roman empire ruled entirely by cats. There are lots of cat puns and characters like Catligula, Clawdius, Mewlia, Cleocatra, and the cleverest of all, Russell the crow. I dare you to read it and not laugh.
—Teresa

Teen

Split
by Swati Avasthi

Amid all its snarkery and teen drama, Split is among the best fictional accounts I've ever read of the lingering effects of child abuse and domestic violence. Its characters are all sweethearts, suspicious cynics, and very human. One of the things I like most is the emphasis that violence is a choice-committing and perpetuating violence, refraining from violence, these are human choices. The difficult choices the characters make within their limitations are what matter.
—Kimberly

Book Picks for February 2010

2010-02-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

One Amazing Thing
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Nine strangers are in line at an Indian visa office in America when an earthquake traps them there together. As they hope for rescue in the aftermath, the diverse group of strangers must band together for survival. They take turns telling the stories of "one amazing thing" that's happened in their lives, and their reasons for visiting India, even as their resources run low and the future looks uncertain. Divakaruni brings the focused tension of a locked-room mystery to this drama created by people crammed in a small space with only their personal conflicts and the pasts that haunt them.
—Kimberly

The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back
by Kevin Salwen and Hannah Salwen
Just when you think that one person can't make a difference, you run into someone who won't accept that. The Salwen family of Atlanta are four of those someones. Told by father Kevin and daughter Hannah, this is the story of how their family decided to downsize their lives to share their bounty. While it is true that most of us are not willing or able to make the grand gesture that the Salwens made (selling their Ansley Park mansion to give away half the proceeds), their message that we can all find some way in which we can use the yardstick of half to the benefit of our community is not easily dismissed. Half your TV time, half your movie money, half your clothes—what could you do with some of those resources? Very thought provoking.

—Laura

The Postmistress
by Sarah Blake
In a universe turned upside down by World War II, Frankie Bard is living her dream as a radio journalist, sharing a mike with the legendary Edward R. Murrow. Friends and strangers have come to depend on hearing her descriptions from the heart of war-stunned London. Amongst the listeners who have come to know this disembodied voice are the postmistress, the doctor's wife, a displaced person, and a self-ordained U-boat watcher, all residents of a small town on Cape Cod. But Frankie is hearing voices, too—ones telling of unspeakable horrors in Europe. She finally feels compelled to go to Germany and France to try to gather those stories herself. Like much of the human story, this one turns on communication—withheld, ignored, denied, repressed. It's truly amazing through how many different lenses we can look at WWII—not to mention the human experience.
—Laura

The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives
edited by Otto Penzler
What an intriguing collection! Brief bios of 22 of the most popular current mystery/thriller writers are followed by essays by the authors on the development of their characters. My favorites were Michael Connelly on Harry Bosch, John Harvey on Charlie Resnick, and Ian Rankin on Rebus. Connelly's vision began with a tunnel near the house in which he lived when he was 10 years old. Who knew?
—Laura

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
by N K Jemisin
After her mother's suspicious death, Yeine Darr is summoned to the imperial city of Sky, which keeps the rest of the world subservient through the power of its enslaved gods. There, by the same family that disowned Yeine's mother for marrying a man outside her own race and caste,Yeine is named an heir to the throne of Sky—an honor tantamount to a death sentence at the hands of her ambitious royal relatives. Caught in the machinations between murderous cousins and rebellious gods, Yeine fights for the political power to save her own life and uncover the bloody secrets of her family's past. In this wholly original start of a new trilogy, Jemisin explores the realities of race, class, and gender in ways rarely explored by genre fiction.
—Kimberly

The Information Officer
by Mark Mills
During WWII, the tiny island of Malta is the most bombed patch of earth on the planet. But was is not what is killing young dance hostesses who work the bars and music halls in the disreputable quarter known as The Gut. It is up to information officer Max Chadwick to solve the crimes, handling them gently since he knows they were committed by a British officer.

—Teresa

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Princess Pigtoria and the Pea
by Pamela Duncan Edwards
This retelling of "The Princess and the Pea" features a perky porker in a predicament, but with plenty of pluck. A positively perfect package of plosives that will put your performing abilities to the test. Clever, funny, and surely popular with pipsqueaks.
—Laura

The Wonder Book
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Another very funny, clever book. This one is a collection of poems, short stories, palindromes, and odds & ends. One of the poems is based on the old jump rope rhyme about Miss Mary Mack—dressed in yellow, red, unbathed, performing amazing feats. If you've got a listener that is fascinated by verbal gymnastics, this is a sure-fire hit.
—Laura

Elementary

Happy Happy Clover #4
by Sayuri Tatsuyama
Clover the Bunny and her animal friends get in more trouble exploring Crescent Forest in the fourth volume of this popular manga series for younger fans of Japanese comics. By all rights these fluffy creatures should be too cute to bear, but the clean artwork, slapstick humor, and tough, big-hearted Clover herself make a winning combination.
—Kimberly

Teen

Heist Society
by Ally Carter
Resourceful teenager Katarina Bishop is estranged from her father and paternal family, an old clan of master thieves and flamboyant scam artists. Hoping to escape her family's criminal past, Kat enrolls in boarding school and tries to build an ordinary life of classes and friends. But when a powerful mobster's art collection is stolen, Kat's father gets the blame and attention from the police and the mobster's murderous henchmen. To save her father's life, Kat agrees to run one last con: find the real thief and steal the artwork back. But she isn't sure she's a good enough criminal to pull this off—or whether she really wants the law-abiding life she's worked so hard to create.
—Kimberly

Book Group tonight @ 7pm: "Lark & Termite"

2010-02-10T05:05:00.001-05:00

The Blue Elephant Book Group meets on the second Wednesday of every month. Tonight, the group will be reading Lark & Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips. Come join the discussion in the store at 7:00 pm!

Lark & Termite
by Jayne Anne Phillips

A rich, wonderfully alive novel from one of our most admired and best-loved writers, her first book in nine years.

Lark and Termite is set during the 1950s in West Virginia and Korea. It is a story of the power of loss and love, the echoing ramifications of war, family secrets, dreams and ghosts, and the unseen, almost magical bonds that unite and sustain us.

At its center, two children: Lark, on the verge of adulthood, and her brother, Termite, a child unable to walk and talk but filled with radiance. Around them, their mother, Lola, a haunting but absent presence; their aunt Nonie, a matronly, vibrant woman in her fifties, who raises them; and Termite’s father, Corporal Robert Leavitt, who finds himself caught up in the chaotic early months of the Korean War.

Told with deep feeling, the novel invites us to enter into the hearts and thoughts of the leading characters, even into Termite's intricate, shuttered consciousness. We are with Leavitt, trapped by friendly fire alongside the Korean children he tries to rescue. We see Lark's dreams for Termite and her own future, and how, with the aid of a childhood love and a spectral social worker, she makes them happen. We learn of Lola's love for her soldier husband and her children, and unravel the mystery of her relationship with Nonie. We discover the lasting connections between past and future on the night the town experiences an overwhelming flood, and we follow Lark and Termite as their lives are changed forever.

Book Picks for January 2010

2010-01-21T13:51:00.000-05:00

We Recommend

Where the God of Love Hangs Out

by Amy Bloom

As far as I'm concerned, short stories are the nouvelle cuisine of the literary world: I see this artfully arranged morsel in the middle of a big white plate and think I'm still going to be hungry when the food is gone. And sometimes that is true. But with Amy Bloom's new collection of stories about love gone right and wrong, lost and found, the morsel in the middle of the expanse of white china is both satisfying and tantalizing. While I was left wondering "and then?" at the end of some of the tales, I was also left with the savor of a dish well-crafted, well-served, and well-seasoned.
—Laura

The Kingdom of Ohio
by Matthew Flaming

Peter Force recalls his meeting with a woman who says she has traveled seven years into the future. His story then unfolds into an adventure filled with mystery, romance, and history of New York in the early 1900s. I like to "discover" debut authors that have talent. Flaming's foray into the fiction world is promising and I hope to read more from him soon.

—Teresa

Thereby Hangs a Tail
by Spencer Quinn

Chet and Bernie are back andd, once again, great fun. They have been hired to protect a delicate, little fluffball of a championship show dog and then are immediately fired over a slight mishap with a bacon-flavored treat. Back on the case after both owner and dog are kidnapped, they are off on another romp through canyons and ghost towns, meeting up with hippies, javelinas, and assorted bad guys, with Chet keeping us informed along the way from the shotgun seat of Bernie's old Porsche. I just find Chet so entertaining and such a DOG.

—Laura

Spice & Wolf

by Isuna Hasekura

Ignore the slightly trashy cover: Spice & Wolf is among the most clever genre novels I've read in years. It's a funny, fascinating fantasy series about romance and economics. Yes. Economics! A traveling merchant picks up a hitchhiking girl who's really a wolf god of the harvest in human disguise. Together they work and scheme their way through big scores and financial disasters, even as they downplay their growing mutual affection. Who knew currency fraud, supply & demand, and black market double-dealing could be so entertaining?
—Kimberly

Noah's Compass
by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler is one of the people whose works I always read and I am always charmed by her slightly off-plumb characters. Her latest appealing misfit has been downsized (not fired) from his teaching job and is quietly giving up on life at 61. But life is not quite finished with him. It is fascinating to watch the author deftly re-anchor him in the world from which he had backed away.
—Laura

The Most They Ever Had
by Rick Bragg

Anything by Rick Bragg is sure to end up as a recommendation from me. His latest book is a collection of true stories about the trying, dangerous, and sometimes rewarding lives of workers at an Alabama cotton mill.
—Teresa

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

The Butt Book
by Artie Bennett

"Eyes and ears are much respected, but the butt has been neglected. We hope to change that here and now. Would the butt please take a bow?" So begins The Butt Book, a tribute to keisters, derrieres, bums, heinies, and fannies. Hilarious!
—Teresa

Teen

What I Saw and How I Lied
by Judy Blundell

Newly in paperback is What I Saw and How I Lied, the taut and intelligent thriller that won the 2008 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Set just after the end of WWII, it's the story of Evie, a New Jersey teenager longing for excitement who falls for a mysterious, handsome ex-GI. But his secrets threaten to split their romance and Evie's family apart as Evie uncovers the deadly noir grit beneath her life's elegant surface glamour.
—Kimberly

Blue Elephant Staff Picks: Favorite Kids' Books of 2009

2009-12-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

Baby & Kindergarten

I'd Really Like to Eat a Child
by Sylviane Donnio

Is your child a picky eater? They are not the only one. Achilles the crocodile only wants to eat a child. This is a very funny children's book.

—Erin

Rhyming Dust Bunnies
by Jan Thomas

Ed, Ned, Ted, and Bob are good at rhyming. Well, Ed, Ned, and Ted are. Bob is just trying to get anyone to listen to him. This fun book is the latest by Blue Elephant favorite Jan Thomas (What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, Birthday for Cow, The Doghouse).

—Teresa

Elementary

43 Old Cemetery Road #1: Dying to Meet You
by Kate Klise

The first book in this charming new series introduces the characters in a fun format that tells the story through letters and newspaper articles.

—Teresa

Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty
by Nick Bruel

Bad Kitty (of Bad Kitty Gets a Bath fame) is back and more cantankerous than ever! Except when it comes to presents and cake, that is. Then she becomes suddenly pleasant. Join all Bad Kitty's friends in wishing her a "Happy Birthday."

—Teresa

Middle School

The Eyeball Collector
by F.E. Higgins

Hector, still reeling from his father's death and humiliation, sets out to find the man he finds responsible. This search leads him to the notorious Eyeball Collector, a con-artist and criminal who steals jewels to make false eyeballs to replace his missing one. Once again, F.E. Higgins impresses me by writing a clever and captivating story that will appeal to readers of many ages.

—Teresa

Teen

Along for the Ride
by Sarah Dessen

Smart, quiet Auden has always been the good, predictable daughter for her famous academic parents, even after their contentious divorce. But restless for a change, Auden impulsively decides to spend her last summer before college with her father and his new wife and baby in their tiny coastal town. In between alienating the locals and working at her stepmother's froufrou boutique, Auden crosses paths with Eli, a gifted former BMX racer still grieving a tragic accident. Fellow loners and imsoniacs, Auden and Eli coax each other out of their protective shells in a romance that's subtle and sweet. Yet as Auden tries to define herself beyond her brilliant mother and forms her first tentative friendships with her defiantly girly-hardcore coworkers, her stepmother's struggle with postpartum depression reminds Auden of her own family's collapse. The complexity of female relationships at the heart of the book are what make it truly outstanding.

—Kimberly

The Maze Runner
by James Dashner

When Thomas wakes up in an elevator, the only thing he can remember is his name. Soon he finds himself living inside a maze with a group of boys who also cannot remember anything about their lives. Their job is to find a way out, risking their lives every day to solve the puzzle. A true page-turner!

—Teresa

Shiver
by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace has fallen hard for the sweet and shy Sam, who is equally devoted to her. But Sam is a werewolf in his final summer as a human, and as the days grow shorter and colder, every shift to human form could be his last. Grace's stoicism and Sam's vulnerability make a charming contrast in this romantic twist on the werewolf myth.

—Kimberly

Blue Elephant Staff Picks: Favorites of 2009

2009-12-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

Our Favorite Books of the Year...

Dog On It
by Spencer Quinn

Riding along with the partners in the Little Detective Agency (Bernie, human, and Chet, canine with mismatched ears) as they try to solve the disappearance of a teenage girl is great fun, with a little hair-raising thrown in. Chet is a charming narrator — loyal, brave, and true, but utterly lovable.
—Laura

Shut Up, You're Fine!
by Andrew Hudgins

My favorite book of poetry this year is Shut Up, You're Fine! — Poems for Very, Very Bad Children by Andrew Hudgins. With titles like "Dead Things I Have Seen," "Our Neighbors Little Yappy Dog," and "Daddy, Are We Meat?" it's a deliciously cynical antidote for adults to the syrupy light verse of traditional children's doggerel. Take the first stanza of one of my favorite selections, "The Starving Kids in Africa": The starving kids in Africa, / would love the processed meat, / canned beats, and cold asparagus / that you're too good to eat. Hudgins is a previous finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, and he clearly had fun creating these mutant poetic offspring of Ogden Nash and Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies.
—Kimberly

The Gates
by John Connolly

When Samuel Johnson and his dog go trick-or-treating three days before Halloween, he has no idea that he will witness the opening of the gates of Hell. Now it's up to Samuel to save the world, but how will he do that if nobody believes him? It's a good thing he's no ordinary boy. Mixing in physics lessons for common folk (including hilarious footnotes), Connolly has created a delightful comic novel about the age-old battle between good and evil.
—Teresa

The Confederate General Rides North
by Amanda Gable

Amanda Gable has given us an unforgettable character in 11-year-old Civil War scholar Kat McConnell. As the navigator for her beautiful, but volatile, mother's escape northward from Marietta, Georgia, Kat plots their course to hit every major battlefield. As Kat imagines the scenes of desperation and despair from those old battles, we see the ones occurring in her world and love her for her fierce intelligence, loyalty, and bravery.
—Laura

Last Night in Twisted River
by John Irving

The story begins in a lumber mill in 1950s New Hampshire, as we follow a father, his son, and their best friend. The characters are vintage Irving—slightly to hugely eccentric.
—Linda W.

We Never Talk About My Brother
by Peter Beagle

Best known as the author of the fantasy classic The Last Unicorn, legendary writer Peter S. Beagle is a master of short fiction as well. The stories in this collection range in setting from surreal sea voyages to the scruffy working-class Brooklyn of the 1940s. A soldier in medieval Japan falls in love with a woman with no past; slacker academics duel to the death, their weapon awesomely bad poetry. All of the stories are funny and sad and haunting, as only Beagle can be.
—Kimberly

Little Bee
by Chris Cleave

A cascade of events brings together a young Nigerian girl and an affluent young British woman, with life-changing consequences for both of them. Cleave touches on issues like greed, violence, government policy, but the true story is connection—or lack thereof—between people.
—Laura

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by local author Kathryn Stockett is the best debut novel I have ever read! This story about three very strong and courageous women in Mississippi in 1962 captures the hardships and charms of the South beautifully. I cannot praise it enough and encourage you to experience it for yourself.
—Teresa

The City & the City
by China Miéville

When a woman is brutally murdered in Besźel, a politically striated city-state on the edge of post-Soviet Europe, Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Besźel Extreme Crime Squad is on the case. But Borlú's investigation leads him deep into conspiracy within Besźel's exotic sister-city and rival, the nearby but foreign Ul Qoma—divided from Besźel in people, language, and culture, but overlapping in shared geography. With echoes of divided Jerusalem and of East and West Berlin, New Weird favorite Miéville questions the nature of statehood and loyalty within a tense and satisfying speculative urban mystery.
—Kimberly

A Most Wanted Man
by John Le Carre

A Most Wanted Man by John Le Carre is now in paperback. This is how the world of spies works in the 21st century.
—Linda W.

Darling Jim
by Christian Moerk

When a reclusive woman and two twentysomething sisters are found dead in the woman's house, an introverted postal worker tries to solve the crime using one sister's diary found in a dead letter bin. The answers to these questions will unravel the mystery: How was the existence of the sisters unknown to all in this small Irish town, what is the relationship of the sisters to the older woman, and where is the third sister?
—Teresa

Susan Gregg Gilmore, "Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen" book trailer & signing

2009-06-11T11:45:00.001-04:00

Author Susan Gregg Gilmore's first novel Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen made its paperback debut yesterday! To celebrate, Susan and her publishers created this book trailer, and it looks fabulous.

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen - Book Trailer from Susan Gregg Gilmore on Vimeo.

The Blue Elephant will host an in-store signing for Susan Gregg Gilmore on Friday, June 12, at 7:15 p.m. Come by to hear Susan read from Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, and be sure to grab your own signed copy of the book!

Support indie bookstores, win fabulous prizes

2009-03-20T14:48:00.000-04:00

Independent bookstore fans have several opportunities to strike it book-rich this month. On his blog, author Joe Hill has declared March "Love Your Indie Bookstore Month," and he's holding a contest to celebrate accordingly.

In Joe's own words, How to Play: Go to a local independent bookstore. Buy something. Save the receipt. Send a photo or scan of the receipt to this address: indie@joehillfiction.com. Make sure either your e-mail or your receipt includes the name and phone number of the bookstore in question.

At the end of March, Joe will draw names at random to award an assortment of signed, rare, and otherwise tasty books and literary goodies.

Meanwhile, Authors Round the South is offering the Free Book Stimulus Plan for shoppers of a Southern persuasion. Buy a book from any of these Southern Indie Booksellers, complete and mail the plan form with your book receipt, and you'll receive a free book to match your interests for the cost of a stamp.

Shopping at the Blue Elephant satisfies the requirements for both of these deals, of course. Good luck, and happy reading!

Blue Elephant Book Blog

We're OUT of Jonathan Franzen tickets!

Staff Book Picks for July 2010

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Teen

Janet Geddis has "a quintessential independent bookstore moment"

In the news: "New Location No Mystery for Blue Elephant Book Shop"

Blue Elephant Book Shop is now open at our new location!

Staff Book Picks for April 2010 (a little late, oops)

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Elementary

Middle School

Teen

Staff Book Picks for March 2010

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Elementary

Middle School

Teen

Book Picks for February 2010

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Elementary

Teen

Book Group tonight @ 7pm: "Lark & Termite"

Lark & Termiteby Jayne Anne Phillips

Book Picks for January 2010

We Recommend

For Children

Baby & Kindergarten

Teen

Blue Elephant Staff Picks: Favorite Kids' Books of 2009

Baby & Kindergarten

Elementary

Middle School

Teen

Blue Elephant Staff Picks: Favorites of 2009

Our Favorite Books of the Year...

Susan Gregg Gilmore, "Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen" book trailer & signing

Support indie bookstores, win fabulous prizes

Lark & Termite
by Jayne Anne Phillips