May 2011
Book Mouse
820 LaSalle St.
Ottawa, IL
(815) 433-7323
Books (and e-books)
for All
&
All for Books!
|
|
Best-selling
author, Denise Swanson, has a new friend in Lizzie, the Queen of the
Book Mouse. (We had the pleasure of hosting Denise and her husband,
David Stybr at a recent author talk.) In Denise's latest Scumble River
Mystery, Murder of a Bookstore Babe, two
chinchillas play a small (naturally) but crucial role. We have a few
autographed copies of her books in the store. Thanks, Denise for
mentioning Lizzie and her staff during your recent interview with WGN's
Rick Kogan!
|
|
SPECIAL EVENTS
Midwest Morel Fest, May 6 and 7 in Ottawa, Illinois. For more info on this event and others go to: www.experienceottawa.com.
Ottawa's Farmers' Market opens on Saturday, May 7th on Jackson Street.
Also the Home and Handmade Market starts
on May 7th in conjunction with the Farmers Market. Held the 1st and
3rd Saturday of every month beginning May 7th thru October 15. Check
out original, high quality merchandise from local crafters and artists,
featuring a wide selection of hand crafted and homemade products, art
and demonstrations! Contact Melanie Walk for more information at
aussemgifts@gmail.com Hours of operation: 8:00am - 2:00pm.
******************************
Beau's Boys' Book Club meets Monday, May 2nd from 4 to 5 p.m. The group is open to boys in grades 5th through 8th. This month's selection is #2 in The Missing Trilogy: Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
************************
 May
2nd is Teacher Appreciation Day at the Book Mouse. All elementary
school teachers and librarians can enjoy beverages and
appetizers between 3 and 4:30 p.m. while picking up free goodies and
enjoying a special sale. Our guest will be Mary J. Peterson author of Jason: Ward of the State.
This is Ms. Peterson's story of her life-long commitment to being a
mentor and eventually a guardian to her first grade student,
Jason.
************************************
On
Thursday, May 12th, Becca Bornac's Teen Book Club meets at 4 p.m. The
book selection is TBA. Call the store for details or visit
bookmouse.org. The book club is great way to meet people and we enjoy the refreshments, too. I hope to see you there.
**************************************************
Join
us in welcoming new children's author Cathy Streul on Saturday, May
14th from 10:30 to 12 noon. Cathy will read from her book Adventures from the Farm: The Beginning and
afterwards she'll sign copies. This book tells the story of the first
day of school on the farm. Ms. Goose tells the children they are going
on an adventure. What will this field trip hold for the animals?
Stop by and have a piece of cake with us.
******************************************************
Also on Saturday, May 14th two of the creators of Remembering the Rural One Room School of LaSalle County Stan
Dziedzic and Lucille Werner will be at the Book Mouse on May 14th from
11:00 to 1 p.m. to talk about this new book. The book is on sale now at
the Book Mouse.
*******************************************************
 Toddler Time is May 21 at 10:30 a.m. Join Nana Jan and Miss Rachel for a llama-themed story time.
We will enjoy reading Anna Dewdney's Llama, Llama books, sing a song, and have a little snack. Join us for "crafting" afterwards!
********************************
The Heritage Rivers Poetry Group meets at the store on the last Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m.
************************************************
Save
the date now for this 2 day event on June 4 and 5, which takes place in
historic downtown Ottawa - where the 2 Rivers join - the Illinois River
and the Fox River. It's where nearly 30 vintners from across Illinois, a
host of jazz musicians, scheduled cooking and wine demonstrations, fine
antiques, botanicals, crafts and more - all will be showcased to kick
off the summer season.
|
Buy Books Online at www.bookmouse.org.
Did you know you can keep the money in Ottawa rather than sending it to Amazon?
Did you know our e-books cost the same as Amazon's? Check it out.
You can order printed books, audio books and e-books online
from the Book Mouse. You have access to 4.5 million titles from the
Book Mouse web site. The books can be shipped to you or you can
have them shipped to the Book Mouse.
Go to www.bookmouse.org , Click on My Account, Click on Create New Account, and Fill in all the necessary blanks and click on the button 'Create New Account' at the bottom of the page.
After you
have set up an account you can add any books you see on the website to
your cart. You can also search for unlisted books in the search bar.
When you are ready, proceed to checkout. Fill in all of your necessary
billing and contact information, choose your shipping method, then
submit your order. Viola! You have just purchased a book online and
given your business to the Book Mouse. Quick, fast and convenient!
|
| top of page |
Tales from the Front Counter
Yes, Sonny, spring
is here. Despite the chilly weather and continuous rain the bulbs are
blooming, the buds are bursting and the asparagus is up on Gentleman
Road. We are hosting a wildflower walk and picnic with author Jannifer
Powelson and Master Gardener, Anna Mattes on April 30th. The Farmers
Market opens Saturday, May 7th and the growers and bakers will be joined
by crafters and artists. Let there be sun!
We had a great April. We just received a
thank you from Pet Project for our Dog Days at the Book Mouse. Two
dogs found homes that day. Mary
Driscoll and the volunteers from Pet Project did a great job and we
loved having the dear doggies at the store. Here is Binx with his new
Mom and a volunteer entertaining a lively and loving brown and white
pooch.
Speaking of Moms, Mother's Day is May
8th --- I know! I can't believe it has crept up so quickly.--- This
spring a host of wonderful women have biographies out: Betty White,
Susan Lucci, Carol Brunett, Shirley MacLaine, the Pioneer Woman, and
Tina Fey, just to name a few. Gardening books, history books, great
fiction selections, you'll find just the right book to give to those
wonderful Moms and Grandmoms in your world. When in doubt, Moms love
gift certificates from the Book Mouse, too. For more ideas check out
the new releases in this newsletter and our website, bookmouse.org.
If you enjoyed Water for Elephants
by Sarah Gruen go and see the movie it was praised by the author as a
fine portrayal of her novel. I loved it. Coming up in July Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will be in the theaters and in August we can watch Kathryn Stockett's The Help on the big screen. On the website, thanks to Beau Burke, we have a page listing a selection of books-to-movies.
Have a wonderful May and I'll see you at the Farmers Market.
Read on! Eileen Fesco
|
|
 |
|
The Book Mice (l to r: Rachel Kwit, Becca Bornac, Liz Bandstra, Angie Perretta, Eileen Fesco, Rachel Hettrick and Beau Burke)
|
Staff Picks (all staff picks are 20% off)
|
|
Eileen's Picks
 Gator A-Go-Go by Tim Dorsey. Harper Collins
The
author Tim Dorsey is one of my guilty pleasures especially his books
with Serge, the defender-of-all-things-Floridian serial killer/avenger. A contest between Carl Haaisen and Tim Dorsey? I don't think I could pick a favorite. If you want to kick back and escape the cold they can't be beat. The Serge books of Dorsey's are just plain twisty creamsicles (the orange-flavored ones). Serge
loves his vision of Florida-old dive bars, Mom and Pop
quaintly-nautically named motels, buxom babes, the open highway and the
undeveloped Florida swamps, mangroves flats and the occasional beach. What he doesn't like are rude people and he eliminates them in crazy-genius ways. Pure escapism.
Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum. Simon and Schuster
A Michigan father moves his wife Seena and four daughters to Africa. He
needs to escape and he takes his wife and the four Marys: beautiful
Mary Grace, questioning Mary Tessa, saintly Mary Catherine and Amaryllis
who seems to know all and is wise beyond her years. It's been compared to Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible but the likeness is in geographic location only. This
is a mystic book with six intriguing characters who weave together a
story of family obsessions, loves, dreams and disappointments. It's a haunting story.
Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry. Houghton Mifflin
Newbery medalist Lois Lowry has written the sweetest story of a mouse village and its leader, Mouse Mistress Hildegarde. The
200+ mice live in Saint Bartholemew's and are preparing for the annual
Blessing of the Animals which they all hope will be held outdoors---they
do not need a sanctuary filled with pets, especially the cats! What a sweet group of mouse souls. They
will delight the readers age 9+ with their adventures in procuring
food, dodging mice traps and watching the works of Father Murphy. It's a classic bit of children's literature with great illustrations by Caldecott winner, Eric Rohmann.
Rachel H's Pick
 Divergent by Veronica Roth. Katherine Tegen Books
Imagine
a world where your life would be dedicated to one virtue. Five factions
celebrate these virtues Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless),
Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the
intelligent). At sixteen, you must decide what faction you want to
follow. You can stay in the faction your family is in, or you can move
on. The breakout novel of Ms. Roth stunningly illustrates this world and
paints a vivid picture of one girls choices.
(This takes place in distopian Chicago. Note the skyline on the cover. And what happened to lake Michigan?)
Rachel K's Pick
 Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town by Nick Reding. Bloomsbury
We've
all seen the television shows about addiction . We've seen the direct
impacts of what drugs can do to a person and its long term effects. In
"Methland, author Nick Reding focuses on methmethamphetamine. A drug so
dangerous that its production can blow up a home and kill a person in
one swift moment.
Reding
reports for four years in the small town of Oelwein, Iowa. Just one
small town, out of many, that became a major supplier and cause of the
methmethamphetamine epidemic. Through the eyes of suppliers, doctors,
and cookers readers travel in and out of small towns. Nick Reding
unravels the truth about how one drug can destroy the lives of children,
families and communities. This book is not for the squeamish.
"Methland" is intended to take deeper look into how an economic downturn
and desperation can cause such overwhelming tragedy right in our own
backyards.
Beau's Pick
 Unlocked by Ryan G. Van Cleave. Walker and Co.
Andy's
father is the janitor at his high school. This means he's an "outcast,"
according to the popular kids. He learned to live with it, until he met
another socially awkward boy named Noah. They become best friends. Andy
learns secrets about Noah that he knows he should tell, but just
can't., Noah is his best friend. Noah is planning a school massacre, and
Andy knows that Noah is going to kill anyone he can. This story is an
account of stress and ridicule, and how it affects people in their own
way. Readers will find the many layers of these characters fascinating.
Becca's Picks
Where She Went by Gayle Forman. Dutton
 In the sequel to If I Stay,
it's three years after Mia's accident, and both she and Adam are doing
more than great. Adam's band has become one of the most famous of his
generation, and Mia is on tour, playing her cello, being called a
prodigy. But even with all of the accomplishments in their lives,
neither can get over what happened three years ago. When they meet by
chance in New York, Adam and Mia are forced to confront the things they
both tried so hard to forget. As they get to know each other again they
have to decide whether it was fate that brought them together again, or
if is really is time for them to move on. Told from Adam's point of
view, Where She Went is an amazingly real novel and will keep you in its grasp until the last page.
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Margaret K. McElderry
In City of Fallen Angels,
both Shadow hunters and downworlders are recovering from the war with
Valentine. Clary and Jace are stronger than ever, but when something of
another power starts taking over his dreams, it is once again almost
impossible for them to be together. The Lightwoods are still coming to
terms with Max's death, and Simon is having a very hard time adjusting
to being a vampire. As if things couldn't be more difficult, a new and
extremely powerful vampire, Camille, is suspected of taking mortal
infants and turning them to demons, much too similar to what happened
with Sebastian for anyone's comfort. With all of the destruction going
on around them, will everyone start tearing apart, or will they have the
strength to stay together and fight the evil downworlders together?
Cassandra Clare does not disappoint with her new installment to the best
selling Mortal Instruments Series. It's exciting, suspenseful, and will
keep you turning the pages until the very end.
Angie's Pick
 Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton. Simon and Schuster
This is
a story about a girl, Ari, trying to figure out her past. She was
adopted as a child and never knew her family, so she is searching for
any information about her mother or father to help her understand where
she came from. Ari's teal eyes and silver hair make her stand out when
all she wants is normalcy. Her investigation leads her to the rebuilt
city of New Orleans (New 2) to the hospital she was born at. Unexpected
danger and revelations of a family curse so evil and powerful that no
one has survived are the beginnings of an adventerous ride. Ari wants
to find out the truth, but some things are too terrifying to be
revealed. This is a great read filled with mythology and adventure!
All the staff picks are 20% off.
|
|
top of page
|
|
New and Notables (e-books available at bookmouse.org)
|
 If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White. Penguin (5/3)
It-girl Betty White delivers a hilarious, slyly profound take on love, life, celebrity, and everything in between. Seven-time
Emmy winner Betty White's wit and wisdom take center stage as she
tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans,
love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity. If You Ask Me
mixes her thoughtful observations with humorous stories from a
seven-decade career in Hollywood. Longtime fans and new fans alike will
relish Betty's candid take on everything from her rumored crush on
Robert Redford (true) to her beauty regimen ("I have no idea what color
my hair is and I never intend to find out") to the Facebook campaign
that helped persuade her to host Saturday Night Live despite her having declined the hosting job three times already.
 Dead Reckoning: Sookie Stackhouse Book 11 by Charlaine Harris. Ace (5/3)
With
her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing
of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known
to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in
the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when
she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are
plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie
is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...
 Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes. Grove (5/10)
Matterhorn
is the timeless story of a young Marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and
his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle
of Vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. Standing
in their way are not merely the North Vietnamese but also monsoon rain
and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition. Almost as
daunting, it turns out, are the obstacles they discover between each
other: racial tension, competing ambitions, and duplicitous superior
officers. But when the company finds itself surrounded and outnumbered
by a massive enemy regiment, the Marines are thrust into the raw and
all-consuming terror of combat. The experience will change them
forever.
Written over the course of thirty years by a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, Matterhornis
a visceral and spellbinding novel about what it is like to be a young
man at war. It is an unforgettable novel that transforms the tragedy of
Vietnam into a powerful and universal story of courage, camaraderie, and
sacrifice: a parable not only of the war in Vietnam but of all war, and
a testament to the redemptive power of literature.
Cascadia's Fault: The Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America by Jerry Thompson. Counterpoint (5/1)
-----Written
well before the recent earthquake disaster in Japan, this book provides
detailed information on this volatile fault. -----
Cascadia's
Fault is a crack in the earth's crust that runs roughly 31 miles
offshore, approximately 683 miles from Northern California up through
Vancouver Island off the coast of British Columbia. The Cascadia
Subduction Zone has generated massive earthquakes over and over again
throughout geologic time-at least thirty-six major events in the last
10,000 years. This fault generates a monster earthquake about every 500
years. And the monster is due to return at any time. It could happen 200
years from now, or it could be tonight. In light of recent massive
quakes in Haiti, Chile, and Mexico, Cascadia's Fault
not only tells the story of this potentially devastating earthquake and
the tsunamis it will spawn, it also warns us about an impending crisis
almost unprecedented in modern history.
 The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe. Simon and Schuster (5/3)
Mary Alice Monroe's beautiful new novel, The Butterfly's Daughter, is another uplifting story of a woman triumphing over adversity. She is so good at creating troubled and then triumphant women.
Luz
Avila's beloved grandmother, the local butterfly lady, died just as she
was about to take her 20-year-old granddaughter to her native Mexico.
Luz sets out on her own with the bittersweet purpose of burying her abuela's ashes where her grandmother was born. The journey she takes from Milwaukee to her abuela's
mountain village in Mexico follows the 3,000-mile migration of the
monarch butterfly-and is as transformational as what the monarchs
experience in their own lives.
Determined, spunky,
compassionate, and brave, Luz is a young woman you want to travel with.
The women she meets along the way compel and challenge her-and help her
learn to trust herself."
 If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster. Penguin (5/3)
Told in the uproariously entertaining voice readers have come to expect from Jen Lancaster, If You Were Here
follows Amish-zombie-teen-romance author Mia and her husband Mac (and
their pets) through the alternately frustrating, exciting,
terrifying-but always funny-process of buying and renovating their first
home in the Chicago suburbs that John Hughes's movies made famous.
Along their harrowing renovation journey, Mia and Mac get caught up in
various wars with the homeowners' association, meet some
less-than-friendly neighbors, and are joined by a hilarious cast of
supporting characters, including a celebutard ex-landlady. As they
struggle to adapt to their new surroundings-with Mac taking on the
renovations himself-Mia and Mac will discover if their marriage is
strong enough to survive months of DIY renovations.
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. Penguin (5/3)
A richly imagined new novel from the author of the New York Times bestsellers, People of the Book and Year of Wonders.
Once
again, Geraldine Brooks takes a remarkable shard of history and brings
it to vivid life. In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the
first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this
slender factual scaffold, Brooks has created a luminous tale of love and
faith, magic and adventure.
Like Brooks's beloved
narrator Anna in Year of Wonders, Bethia proves an emotionally
irresistible guide to the wilds of Martha's Vineyard and the intimate
spaces of the human heart. Evocative and utterly absorbing, Caleb's
Crossing further establishes Brooks's place as one of our most acclaimed
novelists.
 Jenniemae & James by Brooke Newman. Random House (4/5)
Readers who enjoyed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Help will want to pick up this new memoir---and it's in paperback!
This
memoir explores the relationship between wealthy, mathematician, James
Newman and the Newman's illiterate, African-American maid from Alabama.
It is this extraordinary relationship that the Newmans' daughter,
Brooke, reveals in Jenniemae & James, as she elegantly
weaves together the story of two very distinct and different people who
each had a significant impact on her upbringing. In doing so, she also
paints a vivid political and cultural picture of the time-when the world
was terrified by the possibility of nuclear war; when America was
reeling from the McCarthy hearings; when technological advances like
televisions, satellites, and interstate highways were changing the
country; when America was just beginning to venture into Vietnam; and
when African Americans were still considered second-class citizens with
limited rights, before the explosion of racial tensions in the early
1960s.
Jenniemae & James is an inspiring, heartwarming memoir about friendship and love across the racial barrier.
 The Necromancer and The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel's books 4 and 5) by Michael Scott. Delacorte (4/26 and 5/24)
In Necromancer,the fourth book
in the New York Times bestselling Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas
Flamel series, Sophie and Josh are about to enter a war with John Dee
and his menagerie of monsters.
Sophie and Josh
have returned to San Francisco. They must protect themselves from the
Dark Elders, but they've not yet mastered the magic they'll need to do
so. Their trust in Nicholas Flamel is shaken, and their friend Scatty is
still missing. Unbeknownst to the twins, John Dee has amassed an
enormous army of foul creatures, with which he plans to battle Nicholas
and his wife Peronelle. In order for his plan to work, he must train a
necromancer to raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. The twins of
legend will make the perfect pupils in his
 diabolical scheme.
Fans
of the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series will be
breathless in anticipation of this thrilling new chapter in Sophie and
Josh's adventures.
In the fifth installment, Warlock, of this bestselling series, the twins of prophesy have been divided, and the end is finally beginning.
With
Scatty, Joan of Arc, Saint Germain, Palamedes, and Shakespeare all in
Danu Talis, Sophie is on her own with the ever-weakening Nicholas and
Perenelle Flamel. She must depend on Niten to help her find an immortal
to teach her Earth Magic. The surprise is that she will find her teacher
in the most ordinary of places.
Kane Chronicles, Book 2: Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. Hyperion (5/3)
Ever since the
gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed on the modern world, Carter Kane
and his sister, Sadie, have been in big trouble. As descendants of the
magical House of Life, they command certain powers. But now a terrifying
enemy - Apophis, the giant snake of chaos - is rising. If Carter and
Sadie don't destroy him, the world will end in five days' time. And in
order to battle the forces of chaos, they must revive the sun god Ra - a
feat no magician has ever achieved. Because first they must search the
world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn
how to chant its spells . . . . Can the Kanes destroy Apophis before he
swallows the sun and plunges the earth into darkness . . . forever?
|
Here's What You Just Did! |
BY SHOPPING AT AN INDEPENDENT BOOK STORE
|
|
1) You kept dollars in our economy
2) You embraced what makes us unique
3) You created local jobs
4) You helped the environment
5) You nurtured community
6) You conserved tax dollars
7) You created more choice
8) You took advantage of our expertise
9) You invested in entrepreneurship
10) You made us a destination
Thank you!
|
Don't see a favorite title on our shelves?
Ordering is easy!
Just call the Book Mouse at
(815) 433-7323
or visit our website at
We always love to hear from you,
so feel free to
This newsletter is produced by the Book Mouse,
Ottawa's locally-owned, independent book store,
and edited by Eileen Fesco.
 |
| Inheritance is Coming! |
THE GREEN DRAGON IS
COMING!
CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI'S 4TH BOOK IS COMING TO THE STORE ON NOVEMBER 8TH. CALL TO RESERVE YOUR COPY.Author
|
| |
|
