Monday, December 31, 2012

LBB's Best-Loved Books of 2012


Liberty Bay Books
Bestsellers of 2012!

1.  The Hunger Games (Book 1) – Suzanne Collins
2.  Fifty Shades of Grey (Book 1) – E.L. James
3.  Catching Fire (Book 2) – Suzanne Collins
4.  Home Front – Kristin Hannah  **local author!!**
5.  I Could Pee On This – Francesco Marciuliano
6.  Mockingjay (Book 3) – Suzanne Collins
7.  Learning to Swim – Sara Henry
8.  Because of Katie – Karen Gerstenberger **local author!!**
9.  Cinder – Marissa Meyer **local author!!**
10.  The Dog Stars – Peter Heller
11.  Fifty Shades Darker (Book 2) – E.L. James
12.  Divergent – Veronica Roth
13.  Fifty Shades Freed (Book 3) – E.L. James
14.  Remember I Can’t Remember – E & H Anderson**local authors!!**
15.  The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
16.   Darth Vader & Son – Jeffrey Brown
17.   Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Maria Semple **local author!!**
18.  Plenty – Yotam Ottolenghi
19.  The Alchemyst (Book 1) – Michael Scott

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Madison here, writing a post for Jordan because this one is about MY favorite Young Adult reads, so I figured I could probably write it myself instead of making Jordan do all the work. If you're looking for some great new reads for the Young (or Not-So-Young) Adults in your life here are my favorites of the year!

#1
 
This book is the closet thing to the Hunger Games that I've read...but was still different enough to be equally as exciting. Another dystopian novel, where everything is highly controlled those who are in power. However in this series, people are separated into factions. Each faction represents a different trait (courage, loyalty, selflessness...) Once the children are old enough they can choose to remain with the same faction they were raised in, or pick a new one which would mean leaving their family behind. When Beatrice comes of age she is faced with a hard decision that ultimately alters her life and the lives of everyone else in the world she inhabits. 
Divergent is out in paperback now,  Insurgent (book two) is out in hardback and book three will be out next fall.

#2
A great spin on the idea of super heroes. Juliette has never been able to touch another person - her touch can kill. Even her parents have abandoned her. She doesn't know why or how she has this power and doesn't want to be the monster everyone sees her as...until she finds Adam who helps her see that her powers could be used for good.
Shatter Me is out in paperback, with a mini novela eBook called Destroy Me out now, and Book 2 
Unravel Me out on February 5th! Pre-order now and receive 25% off!

#3
Stepping away from the post-apocalyptic/dystopian type books, Revolution is a fabulous historical fiction. Andi, in the modern day, finds the diary of Alexandrine, a girl who lived during the French Revolution. Andi sees herself in the words written by Alexandrine and finds herself transported back in time. Jennifer Donnelly always does such a fabulous job with historical fiction. LOVED this book and even learned some things about the French Revolution! Out in paperback now, no book 2.

#4
A group of boys lives in a place called "The Glade" with no recollection on how they came to be in "the box" that dropped them there or their lives before. Everyday a group of the boys runs into the maze that is just beyond the Glade trying to find a way out, but there are dangerous things in the maze and they must make it back before sunset or the doors will close and they'll be stuck in the Maze all night with all the monsters that come alive at night. Thomas wakes up in the box with no memory of how he got there with a note telling the other Gladers that he will be the last person to arrive. Time is running out and one day everything stops, the "sun" never rises and the doors to the maze remain open, letting in the monsters of the maze with a message that one Glader will be killed each night until none remain. Thomas and the other Gladers must work together to save themselves. This is a great read for all ages, but I think it would be great for reluctant readers, namely middle school/high school boys. 
The Maze Runner (book one) and The Scorch Trials (book two) are both out in paperback. The Death Cure (book three) is out in hardback along with The Kill Order (the first book in the Prequel series).

Stay tuned next week for more of my favorite YA reads! 

Friday, October 5, 2012

West Sound Reads welcomes Elizabeth George

Pacific Northwest author Elizabeth George is coming to Kitsap County to talk about her new Teen novel, The Edge of Nowhere. This event is a West Sound Reads event in partnership with the Kitsap Regional Library and all IndieBound Bookstores here in Kitsap County. Please join us October 17th at 6:30pm at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, 100 Ravine Lane. This is a FREE community event.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

The Dog Stars

Yea, yea, yea -- it's been an age since somebody wrote an honest to god book review on this fine page, but I'm happy to say that
        1. I'm back
        2. I've got a book to talk about
        3. It's one of finest books I've read all summer
        4. It's called The Dog Stars and it's by Peter Heller (Knopf, $19.96, hardcover)
Before we get started, I want you to sit back for a minute. Take cold sip, a deep breath. Now recall as much as you can about Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Post apocalyptic. Violent. Lonely. Take another breath. Now recall Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It. Montana. Fishing. Family. One more second. Seeing it? Poet-pilot-fisherman fighting post-apocalyptic wanderers (yea, a tongue twister)...love...hurt...wide open country...

Yea. You're there. You've stepped right into it. Peter Heller's newest novel. Written with a naturalist's eye, a fisherman's soul, and social perspective of a taoist hermit, Heller's work takes us back to the poetry of the countryside while reminding us of that dark fate that looms every time a pig or a bird catches the flu and sends it our way.  The prose is spare, poignant--and often hilarious--yet Heller not gloss over the darkness of post-apocalyptic life in any way. In fact, the book's attention to detail is stunning.

The story is this: A pilot (Hig) lives with a heavily armed survivalist in rural Colorado. A blood-sickness has ravaged the human population leaving few survivors. Hig and his partner live off of their land, eating what they grow, shoot, and catch. Hig flies his small plane daily, assessing their plot's perimeter and any activity in the surrounding areas.  Plot ensues...

And you won't want to miss it!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Attention Kristin Hannah Fans!

Happy Independence Week from Liberty Bay Books!


This is your opportunity to help Kristin Hannah with one of her favorite organizations;  The Wounded Warrior Project.   If you've had the chance to read Kristin's latest New York Times Bestseller, Home Front, it is abundantly clear what an impact our service men and women have made upon her. 

From Home Front - 
"This book is dedicated to the brave men and women of the American armed services and their families, who sacrifice so much to protect and preserve our way of life"


If you haven't read it, I would suggest buying a box of Kleenex and getting your copy from us this holiday week - we even have autographed copies available! 

A little about The Wounded Warrior Project:
 Their Mission - To honor and empower wounded warriors.
Their Vision - To foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history.

The Wounded Warrior Project Organization achieves these goals through a wide variety of unique FREE programs.  They provide assistance with health, wellness and even employment service to help our wounded veterans and their families adjust to a new successful life after their much-appreciated service and sacrifice to our country.  

Just take a look at their site, www.woundedwarriorproject.org , I find their work to be a testament to what our country is all about, and absolutely amazing to see what this group has accomplished! 




Here's how YOU can help:  

Ms. Hannah has generously offered five of her most popular early bestselling novels for a silent auction to support this incredibly meaningful group. All proceeds will go directly to The Wounded Warrior Project.

Not only are these five books from her own personal library; they are also rare first editions, in pristine condition, currently out of print (with these gorgeous covers!), and all have Kristin Hannah's original signature.  Note - these are being auctioned as a set of five.

When Lighting Strikes - October 1994
Once in Every Life - December 1992
The Enchantment - June 1992 
If You Believe - December 1993
Waiting for the Moon - September 1995
Let the bidding begin!  Either come on in to the store, or e-mail Suzanne at libertybaybooks@embarqmail.com with the 
following information:
Bid:
Full Name:
E-Mail:
Phone Number:

The auction will be open through July 15th, the winner will be announced July 16th on the Liberty Bay Books Blog, and will be notified by e-mail.  We will also keep everyone updated on our Facebook Page. 

Monday, May 21, 2012

Classics anyone?

With all the Nordic hoopla of Viking Fest now under your belt, you're probably thinking: let's lay off the lutefisk for a few days and just take it easy: a nice beach chair, some pita chips, and the smell of recently ignited charcoal. Digesting all that lutefisk takes time, right?

Well yes. You're right. But right now's also a great time to catch up with (and dig through) that dusty pile of books you've had sitting under your bedside table since Perot was on the ballot. That's right: The Classics. And here are two of our favorites!

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (Vintage, 288 pgs, $11.20) -- You don't know the South (and by contrast, The North) until you've met the fiction of Bill Faulkner. Funny, harrowing, and always soulful, anything written by the great Southern artist stands out as fantastic, but As I Lay Dying distinguishes itself as one of his absolute best. A lively (and darkly hilarious) account of the Bundren family as they journey across Mississippi to bury their mother and wife, it's a book that's more than worth the trouble of learning the idiosyncrasies of  Faulkner's world and writing. A true favorite. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Penguin, 392 pgs, $8.80) -- One of the greatest (and not to mention, best loved) British novels of all time, you'll find it difficult to be anything by enthralled by this oft-revisited favorite. Unbelievably witty, wonderfully romantic, and entertaining without pause, Pride and Prejudice is not only eminently readable but downright devourable. Suzanne's favorite! ALSO: Join the Teen bookclub in reading Pride and Prejudice in August; including an outdoor viewing of the movie on the first Sunday in August.


LASTLY: We'd also like to give a big thank you to all of those customers buying ebooks from us! As always, come in on Friday mornings for help setting up the IndieReader App. Thank You!





Monday, May 7, 2012

1Q84

So I've finally gotten around to reading 1Q84, Haruki Murakami's latest tome, and I've got to say: it's everything I thought it was going to be and more. Think of taking a trip to the dentist after one has ingested a handful of hallucinogens and you're on your way.

Bizarre. Right?

As a 'novel,' the whole thing is pretty straightforward -- on the face of anyway. Man meets girl, falls in love with girl (who loves him, too), world tears them apart, and somehow or another finds a way to get them back together. There are no gimmicks in plotting, narration, etc., and not one psychedelic passage stands out. Restraint is paramount. Which brings me to how excitingly weird the book is. Think of a filthy joke told dead-pan by a zen master, and you're on top of the thing. The love story, as simple as it is, takes place in the midst of two realities -- one has two moons, is laden with inch-tall Little People (these mystical beings, who may or may not control this alternate reality), and the other is the world which we know. Like a tea bag in a hot cup of water, the dream only intensifies with the passing of time, though thanks to Murakami's (and his translators') gift concise, plain language this is a dream which we feel to be our own. DO NOT miss this book if you've got the time.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

News

So I saw Hunger Games last week, and was outrageously impressed with both Jennifer Lawrence and the general caste of the movie. Excellently adapted if I may say. The tone was pitch perfect, the action, neither too gory nor too childish, and whoever chose Woody Harrelson to play Haymitch Abernathy did a brilliant thing. If you haven't seen it, check it out -- even if you've never heard of District 12 or had a nightmare involving tracker jackers.

Nashville's Parnassus Books
In other news, author Ann Patchett has found her writer's pen stirring the cultural pot more than ever before. Recently nominated for PERSON OF THE YEAR by Time Magazine, Patchett has dazzled with literary triumphs like Bel Canto and Run but now steps into the spotlight for her business acumen. Having 'put her money where her mouth is,' Patchett, along with publishing veteran Karen Hayes, has actually opened an independent bookstore in her hometown of Nashville, TN. Answering the obvious question, But Why?, in a recent appearance on the Colbert Report, Patchett states that physical bookstore's are soooo important: [because of] "Smart People...we have so many smart people working in our store. You come in, you tell us what you just read, what you liked, I'll tell you what you should read next." She follows with, "If you never, ever talk to people and you meet all of your needs on the Internet, you wake up one day and you're the unabomber."

No matter what you're thoughts are, we think it's a great conversation to have on a national level. But don't be shy! Vote! Or write your thoughts here.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

More...Hunger Games! (and Taylor Swift)

Ok, so last time I wrote a blog I was a little, let's say, misinformed about Hunger Games's upcoming release date. The long wait was not over, it turned out, but I am happy to say that in just a few more days it finally is!

In related news, I stumbled across this delectable Taylor Swift music video of a song featured in the movie. If you don't, A., love the Country Princess that is Taylor Swift, or, B.,  love this video, you have worse taste than Snooki's unborn baby. Just kidding. But seriously. T. Swift is great. If you're a serious fan, also don't miss out on THIS informative Salon.com article about the making of "the Blockbuster."

The other cool thing is that we've got another week to feature some more of our favorite dystopian themed YA books to fill the vacuum left by Hunger Games.

For starters...
Starters by Lissa Price (Delacourte, $14.39, 352 pgs) -- Not for the faint of heart (or young of years), Starters is one of my recent favorites and sure to be one of the hot new books of the summer season. Imagine a world where after a genocide spore has wiped out everyone but the very young and the very old, children 'rent' out their bodies to seniors who need to feel young again. For 16 year-old Callie, renting out her body through the Body Bank is the only way she knows how to survive -- the only stability she's had since she lost her parents. That is, until the day when Callie discovers that her renter is going to commit a murder with her body. When Callie's neurochip malfunctions and she finds herself living the dream life of her rich renter, things get even stranger. Life seems perfect...until she discovers what the Body Bank is really up to... A great debut that you won't want to miss!

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Katherine Tegan Books, $7.99, 512 pgs) -- In a dystopian Chicago, society is divided in to five factions -- each of which is dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue. Candor is for honesty. Abnegation, for selflessness. Erudite, for intelligence....you get the picture. On Beatrice's 16th birthday, like all other budding 16 year olds, she's forced to choose which faction she'll dedicate the rest of her life to. Choosing between her family and herself proves difficult and she surprises everyone -- including herself with her decision. In the extreme initiation that follows, Beatrice endures intense physical and psychological tests that check her will and threatens to transform her. Romance, dark secrets, and glimpses of the unrest that rules her seemingly perfect society ensues....Great fun.



Wednesday, March 14, 2012

HUNGER GAMES

The wait, the long wait, is over at last. Hunger Games -- featuring a fantastic cast and directed by the guy who brought us Big and Mr. Baseball (if you're under the age of 20, ignore that last part)-- is here at last!

To celebrate, we thought we'd run down a few of our favorite YA dystopian novels/series because, well, there's been a heck of a lot of great ones coming out lately. And on top of that, dark, foreboding books about how doomed we all are both awesome and freakishly interesting to read. So if Hunger Games kept you up late don't hesitate to consider one of the following which take up many of the same themes as the HG series and do really fun and interesting things with them.


For starters, you can't go wrong with Ally Condie's Matched (Speak, $7.99, 400 pgs) series. Set in a world where citizens wholeheartedly trust Society and what it tells them to read, watch, eat, and etc, everything is going just great for young Cassia until the fateful day of her Mate Matching ceremony, when so called 'computer glitch' and the cascading love that follows forces Cassia to rethink everything she's ever known.


Beth Revis' Across the Universe (Razorbill, $7.99, 416 pgs) -- Another crowd pleaser is Revis' Across the Universe series. In it, young Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the voluminous spaceship Godspeed who expects to wake up 300 years in the future on a new planet. When she's woken up 50 years too early and nearly killed, Amy is startled to find herself in a strange, enclosed world where all power has been usurped by a tyrannical leader and his brilliant and seemingly kind son, named Elder. Action ensues.  A real page turner that you won't want to miss!

James Dashner's Maze Runner (Ember, $7.99, 400 pgs) -- One of my favorites! When Thomas is woken on The Lift he not only has no idea where he is, he has no idea who he's been. A name. That's what he calls his own. And the funny thing is that the rest of the so called 'Gladers,' in the new world he's found himself in are in the same boat. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze around them open, every night they close, and that every 30 days another boy comes up the lift. When a girl with a strange message shows up on The Lift the day after Thomas's arrival, Thomas realizes he may be more important than he knows -- if only he could remember something. An exciting book and a quick read!

And of course that's only the tip of the ice berg! Write with more of your favorite suggestions or drop by to check out some others!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

....

I've been eking through a few books this month, doing just enough not to feel like a total deadbeat but too little to write any kind of substantial review. It's been that kind of rainy season, I'm sorry to say. I dropped the ball on Black History Month (and how regrettably so after The Help's success at the Oscars!), missed out on writing some Valentine's Day Poetry, and after watching a blithering Billy Crystal this past Sunday, realize I also ignored the chance to write about all of the fantastic books the Oscar nominated films are derived from -- Hugo, Warhorse, The Descendants, Moneyball, My Week With Marilyn, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, Albert Nobbs: A Novella, and etc.

But you know what?
I'm not sorry. Not really.

I had a good month. I relaxed. I worked my way through Ian McEwan's glorious novel, Atonement (another Academy Award Winner), and listened to a couple of fantastic audiobooks: The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta (a 2011 NY Times, NPR, and Washington Post Notable Book of the year) and Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard. For me, both captured what's essential about the audio book: they were easy to listen to--read by great readers--and effortlessly exciting in such a way to keep you sitting in your car long after you've pulled into your driveway, trying to finish out the last few discs. It doesn't get any better than that.

Next month, I'll be better, with Reviews of NON-FICTION titles by Douglas Brinkley, Edward O. Wilson, and John Lanchester... I promise!

Monday, February 6, 2012

WHY A?

WHY A? There comes a time in every adult reader's life when, whether it be because of his/her kids, popular movies, or that nostalgic desire to fall back into the fictional worlds of your youth, a person finds him or herself engrossed in children's literature. You see it all the time. Cynical lawyers tearing through Harry Potter books on the ferry, parents reading a The Hunger Games volume while waiting in the doctor's office, and so on. And you know what? It's pretty awesome. Children's literature, or YA, as it goes by these days, has easily got some of the most creative, fun and readable books on the shelf. More complex than many children realize, always exciting, and always oh so clear as far as characters and plotting are concerned, if you haven't picked one up recently -- you should!-- a YA book might be just the thing you've missing.

On that note, here are few of our favorite new Y.A. books:
Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel & Friends, $14.39, 400 pgs) -- In one of the coolest debuts in recent memory, Tacoma native Marissa Meyers takes that Cinderella tale we all know and love and throws it for a loop the size of a NASCAR track. For starters, Cinderella isn't even human. She's a cyborg. And a mechanic. And she lives in New Beijing in the midst of a terrible plague which threatens the future of the planet. Abhorred by her stepmothers who won't tell her about her mysterious past, Cinderella lives the life of a second-class citizen until one fateful day when her life becomes inextricably intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's. Caught between love and duty, family and the future, Cinderella suddenly finds herself cast into an adventure of unimaginable scope with not only her future, but the whole planet's hanging in the balance. Think Star Wars meets The Brothers Grimm, and you're halfway there. A really fun, really thoughtful read for you or your teen! And bonus!: The author is speaking at the Poulsbo Branch of the KRL Wednesday February 8 at 3 p.m.


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Dutton Juvenile, $14.39, 272 pgs) -- When you think of cancer you don't...think of love stories...especially not when the cancer-stricken are teenagers. But when two teens meet in a cancer support group held in a church basement, it happens: Gus who's lost part of his leg and is on a rollercoaster ride "that only goes up," and Hazel, whose thyroid cancer has put a satellite of metastases in her lungs and makes her feel like she's drowning, fall for one another. Finally having met someone who understands their doomed fates, the two young (and doomed) protagonists take us on a love story that's more poignant, funny and harrowing than anything I've read in years. A truly tender story wrought with a sharp pen and warm appreciation for the human condition, there's no reason to miss this #1 NY Times bestselling book. Great read for kids and adults alike. 

Lastly, don't forget -- we offer free help setting up your e-readers (Ipads, Nooks, Sony E-Readers, etc.) to download e-books from us. Stop by any Friday morning before 12 for free coffee while you get help!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

WORLD BOOK NIGHT! ETC.

Just wanted to let you know about a couple of really cool events and things we've got going on at the store in the coming weeks -- foremostly, the second annual WORLD BOOK NIGHT which we are really excited to be participating in at the store. Curious?: "World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. To be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks. World Book Night, through social media and traditional publicity, will also promote the value of reading, of printed books, and of bookstores and libraries to everyone year-round. Successfully launched in the U.K. in 2011, World Book Night will also be celebrated in the U.S. in 2012, with news of more countries to come in future years." In other words, sign up to give away books (and encourage reading in your community), or come and get some books...FOR FREE! The list of the books they are giving away can be seen here, and includes a ton of great titles, including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, Hunger Games, Ender's Game, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, The Namesake, Peace Like a River, The Things They Carried...and on from there!

For all of you who were the luck recipients of E-Readers (including iPads and Nooks), we'd also like to extend an invitation to you to drop by any Friday morning for help setting up your reader to purchase eBooks from your local independent bookseller! Our eBook pricing is extremely competitive; just check out our website for awesome deals, including a ton a books that are under $5.00!

Lastly we've got a ton of great author events coming up this month, so don't miss out!