If you're in the mood for a good book but don't know where to begin looking, let our knowledgeable staff recommend some of their favorite titles. These books consist of current releases, classic titles, and undiscovered gems and are as diverse in their subject matter as our staff are eclectic in their tastes. The list is updated bi-monthly so you can rest-assured that you are being kept well-informed of our current reading trends.

	Fiction Staff Picks

Non-Fiction Staff Picks | Children's Staff Picks

Handpicked by Daniel, Bookseller, high school student and writer Specialties include horror, poetry, and New Age
Soon I Will Be Invincible Austin Grossman Knopf Publishing Group © June 2008 $14.95 paperback		For comic book & super hero enthusiasts alike, this book is a lighthearted version of the famous "Watchman." For casual readers, this is an ingenuous portrayal of super heroes & villains at their most vulnerable, most emotional, and most normal - if that's at all possible - while still entertaining the super human need for action. The non-Marvel, non-DC comics aspect of this novel places itself in its own neutral genre joined only by Nuklear Age & to an extent, Terry Pratchett. Quirky & creative, this is a breath of fresh air.

Handpicked by Leeah, Bookseller, college student and violinist Specialties include art, music and graphic novels
Girls in Trucks Katie Crouch Little, Brown & Company © Apr. 2008 $21.99 hardcover		Beginning in South Carolina, we are taken on a journey through the life of a girl raised as Camillia. The proper upbringing of a young lady largely conflicts with the world she faces after high school. This story is a nice, light and enjoyable read for any lazy summer day.

Handpicked by Leeah, Bookseller, college student and violinist Specialties include art, music and graphic novels
House of Many Ways Diana Wynne Jones HarperCollins Publishers© June 2008 $17.99 hardcover		Wizards, witches, fire demons, and lubbock's. Jones' new book has all that and more. Her witty and humorous style of writing provides a fun read and a good laugh. With mysterious enchanted houses, and a royal family secret, the main character, Charmaign, takes the readers on an enjoyable adventure in a land of fantasy and quirkiness.

Handpicked by Kate, Bookseller, artist, and college student Specialties include art and music
Camp Camp Bennett Roger Crown Publishing Group © Apr. 2008 $24.95 hardcover		Now, I never had the displeasure of being dumped onto a steaming hot bus filled to capacity with screaming pre-pubescents and their junk, only to be carted out to the middle of nowhere to share a bunk with a kid that smelled like farts and had an unidentified rash. But, after reading Camp Camp, I feel like I have. This glorious collection of photographs and anecdotes is sure to make any camper of yore shed a few tears. Any lucky folk who escaped the throes of summer camp, such as myself, will be tormented by all they seemed to miss - from awkward co-ed dances to midnight bunk raids and sweaty mustached camp counselors. Camp Camp is sure to make you start humming the theme song to Camp Anawana and yearn to watch Wet Hot American Summer!

Handpicked by Joyce, Bookseller, book group leader extraordinaire and parent Specialties include fiction, natural science, anthropology/sociology
Cut Patricia McCormick Scholastic, Inc. © Jan. 2002 $7.99 paperback		Sea Pines (no sea, no pines), nicknamed Sick Minds, has as its patients a group of teenage girls in treatment for eating disorders & other emotional problems. We follow Collie, who cuts herself, & a cast of characters as they work through their pain in therapy & in their social interactions. For young adult readers, this book may offer insight as to the origins of these disorders. It is ultimately a hopeful story & it may serve to inform young readers that there is help & hope for their problems.

Handpicked by Joyce, Bookseller, book group leader extraordinaire and parent Specialties include fiction, natural science, anthropology/sociology
The Book of Air and Shadows Michael Gruber HarperCollins Publishers © Mar. 2008 $14.95 paperback		After a fire in a rare book store, letters are discovered which suggest that a highly prized literary work may be extant. When a disgraced scholar is found tortured to death, an intricate mystery crossing hundreds of years ensues. Gruber masterfully creates suspense as he takes the reader back and forth in time, bringing the characters together in a dynamic climax. We also get a fascinating glimpse into the worlds of bookmaking, old manuscripts, & ciphers and their solutions.

Handpicked by Magoo, Bookseller, radio DJ and werewolf Specialties include magazines, fiction, and young adult
Slip Knot Linda Greenlaw Hyperion © Apr. 2008 $6.99 mass market paperback		Linda Greenlaw's debut novel is an easy-to-carry mass market edition, perfect for transporting to the beach. She is every bit as amusing in fiction as she is as a memoirist. Jane Bunker is destined to become a classic character alongside such classic detective heroes like Mike Hammer & Stephanie Plum. A classic whodunit with lots of literature laughs!

Handpicked by Magoo, Bookseller, radio DJ and werewolf Specialties include magazines, fiction, and young adult
You Are a Miserable Excuse for a Hero Bob Powers St. Martin's Press© May 2008 $13.95 paperback		At last, a choose-your-own-ending book of amusing short stories for grown-ups. Stand up comic Bob Powers delivers loads of laughs & two separate endings for every story in this book. You'll laugh & even feel a surge of power while deciding what should happen in this brilliant collection of gems. It's the kind of book everyone secretly craves - so indulge!

Handpicked by Jackie, Bookseller, college student and artist Specialties include graphic novels, art, and young adult
Love Attack 01 Shizuru Seino TOKYOPOP© Dec. 2007 $9.99 paperback		Hilarious, lovable, and a fun read! Just when you think you know what will happen next, it unexpectedly takes a turn for the worse, making you cringe or, perhaps, feel delighted by the odd turn of events. The main character is a physically strong girl who has both spunk and a fiery spirit. After she is forced to watch over a boy known to be a strong delinquent, their lives collide and strangely, they begin dating. One can only expect laughter from a couple more likely to murder each other. I immediately bought the second book and found out that it is even better than the first. If you love graphic novels you must read this series!

	Non-Fiction Staff Picks

Fiction Staff Picks | Children's Staff Picks

Handpicked by Mark, Bookseller and reiki practitioner Specialties include Religion, Biographies, and Fiction
The World's Religions Houston Smith HarperCollins Publishers © Sept. 1991 $16.95 paperback		Smith's "everyman explanations" of both the essential elements and teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the primal religions, without the often rhetoric of the pulpit, leaves the reader with a great foundation of the aforementioned religions. This book is a great reference for any westerner who is interested in understanding the basic principles and beliefs of the people of the world. The text is divided into chapters rich with fact and description of the inner dimensions of each religion. This is a great book for any personal collection and will leave the reader with a better understanding of what we have in common and what differs us as people. I learned much from this text, including things about Christianity that I didn't know.

Handpicked by Becky, Bookseller, high school student, and violinist Specialties include children's and young adult
Ice Cream and Sorbets Lou Seibert Pappas Chronicle Books LLC © Mar. 2007 $14.95 paperback		Who doesn't want ice cream in the summer? That's why, come June, I always whip out the ice cream maker and a few old favorite flavors. Ice Cream & Sorbets offers a diverse selection that will never fail to satisfy whatever relatives or guests your summer brings you. Complete with various ice creams (from vanilla to goat cheese herb), sorbets, gelato, and granita, there is definitely something for everyone.

Handpicked by Peter, Bookseller and teacher Specialties include biographies, politics, and sports
The Last Campaign Thurston Clarke Henry Holt & Company© May 2008 $25.00 hardcover		It has been forty years since RFK's Assassination and there has been a myriad of books published to mark the occasion. Clarke's Last Campaign stands out as the best. His account of Kennedy's last eighty-two days captures his passion, dignity, and heartfelt plunge into the poverty ridden areas of the country. Eloquent, stunning, and unforgettable.

Handpicked by Kate, Bookseller, artist, and college student Specialties include art and music
When You Are Engulfed in Flames David Sedaris Little, Brown & Company © June 2008 $25.99 hardcover		David Sedaris has done it yet again! With his new installment of personal stories and essays, Sedaris has the uncanny ability to turn the most mundane activity into a full-on twisted romp. Everything is fair game, from a parasitic worm living inside his mother-in-law's leg to being tormented by a stand-in trailer park babysitter as a child. Sedaris appeals to the flamboyant cynic in all of us and it is sure to have you laughing so hard! I know I was...

Handpicked by Ken, Bookseller and model shipwright Specialties include local & maritime history, New England and bestsellers
Wacky Packages Topps Company HNA Books © May 2008 $19.95 hardcover		Ah, the early Seventies. Richard Nixon was still the president; Disco and the Bicentennial were still a few years away; and Wacky Packages were all the rage for ten year old boys. Die-cut stickers that parodied consumer products, "Wackys" were ubiquitous in the waning days of the counterculture era. Stuck to lunch boxes, notebooks, school lockers, and even denim jackets, these goofy spoofs were the brainchild of MAD magazine artists. No pun was too lame, no play on a name too disgusting to find its way into a little wax paper wrapper with a stick of linoleum-like chewing gum. Some of the stickers even generated complaints from the companies making the real products, resulting in a scarcity that made them even more sought -after. Today, Wacky Packages are traded over the internet by late-boomers with more money than taste. This neat little volume contains all the stickers that were released- many reproduced original size, and most of them probably never before seen by the fortysomething guy in your life. Basically, an eye-rolling day trip on memory lane.

Handpicked by Ken, Bookseller and model shipwright Specialties include local & maritime history, New England and bestsellers
Last Fish Tale Mark Kurlansky Random House Publishing Group © June 2008 $25.00 hardcover		Kurlansky's history of the Gloucester fishing industry is more than a chronology of boats and businesses. It is, in fact, an elegy to a threatened way of life, one that has already faced major transformation in the form of the technology introduced in the early twentieth century. When dory fishing and purse seining from sailing schooners gave way to stream trawlers, bigger nets, and ever more efficient methods, the ability of fishermen to catch fish began to outpace the sea's capacity to produce them. On land, the "authenticity" of towns like Gloucester have made them attractive destinations for tourists and yachtsmen, threatening to set off a dreaded chain of events the locals call "Nantucketization." When property values increase to the point where fishermen can no longer afford to live and work in town, the working waterfront gives way to seasonal, recreational uses, and the town begins to lose the character and charm that attracted new people in the first place. Kurlansky places this identity crisis right up there with diminished fish stocks and government regulations in the list of forces that could wipe away the traditional Gloucester of history and popular imagination.

Handpicked by Ken, Bookseller and model shipwright Specialties include local & maritime history, New England and bestsellers
Museum of Bad Art (MOBA): Masterworks Michael Frank & Louise Reilly Sacco Ten Speed Press © May 2008 $14.95 hardcover		From the naive to the surreal, from the hilarious to the truly frightening, misconceived art encompasses a range of styles and intentions. Now the genre most commonly found in a curbside trash pile has an institution to call home - MOBA, the Museum of Bad Art. Sometimes bland, sometimes unsettling, these attempts at artistic expression have never been unveiled at a gallery opening, nor graced the walls of a collector's trophy house. Most have never been looked at with anything but a pained grimace. But here they are, gloriously reproduced in full color, in an art book that will fit on even the smallest coffee table- or one covered in really bad sculpture.

	Children's Staff Picks

Non-Fiction Staff Picks | Fiction Staff Picks

Handpicked by Mark, Bookseller and reiki practitioner Specialties include religion, biographies, and fiction
Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killer J.T. Petty Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing © May 2005 $9.95 hardcover		The first in a series of books about the travails of Clemency Pogue, a latch key child who, left to her own devices, reeks havoc and then redemption on the fairy kingdom. Petty's use of the English language explodes on the pages like a Jackson Pollack painting. Extremely witty, Petty utilizes his knowledge of the written word in such a way to vividly create places and events that will leave the reader glued to the book page after page. Petty's wit is directed at both the youngster reading the book and parent who is tagging along for the ride with clever innuendo and dialogue. This is the first of three books based on Clemecy Pogue. I had purchased the third book Clemency Pogue and the Scrivener Bees and was so impressed that I purchased all three for my nephew's collection. He described the book as "exciting." Coming from a busy nine year old boy, thatÕs a great indication that the book is a wonderful journey for the whole family. It's girl power to the max with the help of her hobgoblin friends!

Handpicked by Becky, Bookseller, high school student and violinist Specialties include children's and young adult
Carl's Summer Vacation Alexandra Day Farrar, Straus and Giroux © June 2008 $12.95 hardcover		This is a fun adventure book for everyone, especially those youngsters up for new ideas on how to be independent! Carl is a lovable dog who wants to play with his friend. They have many adventures together and even get to go canoeing! I can't wait to do all the things they did when I go camping with my family!

Handpicked by Peter, Bookseller and teacher Specialties include biographies, politics, and sports
Ballpark Lynn Curlee Aladdin Paperbacks © Mar. 2008 $7.99 paperback		For baseball fans of all ages, Curlee offers an engaging history of baseball parks in words and pictures. She traces the game's growth through the evolution of its playing fields. Special attention is paid to the classic ballparks. Concise text and colorful art evoking the early 1900's make this book a must for every fan.

Handpicked by Mimi, Children's Book Buyer, Manager and parent Specialties include children's, young adult and fiction
State Shape Series Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers © $9.95 hardcover		This childrens series offer a fun and informative tour of a state. Each book is die-cut in the actual shape of the state, and follows a character and their pet or best friend through the state. Plenty of history, culture, folklore, plants, animals, sports, & fairs are included and are delivered in a fun manner! Great book for any child doing a state project or when just visiting a state other than their own. Washington even stars a Baker Books staffer with her dog! And, they are written by a local author.
Washington
Arizona
Ohio
Massachusetts

Handpicked by Gretchen, Bookseller, parent and youth worker Specialties include children’s books and elementary education
Wave Suzy Lee Chronicle Books LLC © Apr. 2008 $15.99 hardcover		Without any text, Suzy Lee tells a delightful story of a spunky little girl, a mischievous wave, and a day without an adult in sight at the beach. Heartily approved by the 3-5 year olds at a recent Baker Books' storyhour, this is a wonderful book capturing the joy, power, fear, and treasures all to be found at the water's edge. Would make a lovely gift.

Handpicked by Gretchen, Bookseller, parent and youth worker Specialties include children’s books and elementary education
A Visitor for Bear Bonny Becker Candlewick Press © Feb. 2008 $16.99 hardcover		I adore both the stodgy, stuck-in-a-rut bear, and the effervescent mouse in this story about friendship. Despite bear's huge front door sign declari, "no visitors allowed," mouse appears, determined to have tea and become friends. When the front door approach doesn't work, mouse resorts to repeatedly showing up in more and more outlandish moments in bear's morning. In the end, bear not only reliquishes, but discovers that friends are grand and only just a teeny bit, perhaps, bothersome. This is a grand read-aloud. Highly successful at two recent storyhours!