BOOK NOOK

Fiction

Night Film, by Marisha Pessl

The story follows a disgraced journalist investigating the suspicious death of an infamous filmmaker’s daughter, shifting from novel to epistolary and back to novel as it delves further into a sinister world. Pessl shows not just her knack for storytelling, but also her ingenuity as she designs a careful world filled with voodoo, false doors, and secret clubs. A rich and rewarding book that will leave many happy footsteps throughout its pages.

Non -Fiction

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, By Daniel James Brown

A rare and exceptional combination of a great story told by a masterful storyteller. As moving as it is compelling, this tale of the 1936 American Olympian rowing team is the perfect gift for anyone who hasn’t read it already.

Maine Interest

The Art of Katahdin, By David Little

A coffee table companion compiled from a rich, artistic tradition spanning 150 years. These 200 photographs and paintings are accompanied by a stellar narrative by author David Little. The intertwined currents of art and history are set against the enduring subject of Katahdin to great effect. The Art of Katahdin was a labor of love and it shows on every page.

Out of Nowhere, by Maria Padian

Apart from containing the most convincing teenage male narrator penned by a female author I’ve ever encountered, the book encapsulates a challenging and politically explosive theme: Somali immigration pressures transform a formerly homogeneous Maine community and high school. The conflict is brilliantly presented by a well-meaning young man whose self-awareness and knowledge of Somali culture and customs lag behind his actions. Out of Nowhere is a book which deeply explores the true price of thoughtless actions in a shifting, divisive landscape, and is conveyed with humor, warmth, and powerful realism. This book moved me deeply and stayed long in my thoughts. Indeed it is that rare thing, a book whose deft handling of difficult and important cultural themes is made all the more exemplary by being immersed in a sensational novel.

Picture Books

Battle Bunny, by Jon Scziezka and Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Mathew Myers

Alex has been given the drab, lifeless and utterly predictable tale of Birthday Bunny. The young lad has taken pencil to it, transforming it into the evil adventures of Battle Bunny. This was a brilliant idea for a picture book, and more importantly, a brilliant idea that worked on many levels. An immensely entertaining reading experience, a brilliant creative writing prompt, and laugh-out-loud funny concept. This is a book everyone except Battle Bunny’s victims can enjoy.

Journey, by Aaron Becker

This wordless masterpiece of imagination is both a dynamic tribute to Harold and the Purple Crayon and an exceptional experience in its own right. Jaw-dropping illustrations convey a strong visual narrative of adventure and imagination in which a young girl’s red pen, and a guardian angel purple bird, carry the reader along from one surprise to another to a perfectly unexpected ending.

Coffee Table Book:

The Gorgeous Nothings, by Emily Dickinson

This book, based on Dickinson’s envelope poems collected by Christine Burgin epitomizes the written word as art. Facsimile images of the envelopes along with transcriptions of the poems are a source of fascination even to non-Dickinson fans. You can image the effect on those already enraptured by the poet.

Holiday Book

The Christmas Wish, by Lori Evert; photographs by Per Breiehagen

“Long, long ago, in a place so far north that the mother never packs away wool hats or mittens, lived a sweet little girl named Anja whose greatest dream was to become one of Santa’s Elves.” The story of Anja’s journey through a northern landscape is a magical Christmas story. The photographs convey a strong sense of wonder, never looking staged. 

Young Adult and Middle Grade

Rooftoppers, by Katherine Rundell

Rooftoppers has most everything ardent young readers will want in a novel: A plucky heroine who gets by on her wits, an infant found floating in a cello case after the sinking of a ship in the English Channel, an unconventional childhood that includes books, writing on the walls and escaping to France from the Social Service Agency. From there, the adventure really takes off. Rooftoppers makes for a wonderful read-a-loud, perfect for all ages.

Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell

If one is going to give a book to a teenager it ought to be exceptional. That’s where Eleanor and Park comes in. A romance with grip and truth that readers will both relate and engage with, and which will live on in their thoughts long after the last page is read.

Whatever gifts you choose to share with your loved ones, make sure to purchase them from the stores which share a community with you.

Kenny Brechner is the owner of Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers, in downtown Farmington. He can be reached at kenny@ddgbooks.com or online at www.ddgbooks.com.

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