STAFF PICKS ~ OCTOBER, 2006

Amelie

Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb

$11.95 * Fiction / Paperback * St. Martin’s ISBN: 0312347324

Amelie’s says:

“In this fine book Amelie Nothomb is hired by a Japanese Co. in Tokyo, and come to experience one of the strangest and funniest jobs ever. An autobiographical delight!”

Nicholas by Jean-Jacques Sempe

$19.95 * Fiction / Paperback * Phaidon ISBN: 0714845299

Amelie’s says:

“Nicholas was born in the 50’s but he did not age one bit. He’s still nine years old, still getting in trouble every now and again, and still the sweetest and funniest little French schoolboy ever. For everyone in your family!”

KAT

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks

$14.00 * Psychology / Paperback * Macmillan ISBN: 0684853949

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky

$12.95 * Fiction / Paperback * Random House ISBN: 0375702245

ZACK

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From The Living Dead by Max Brooks

$12.95 * Humor / Paperback * Crown ISBN: 1400049628

Zack says:

“If you are worried about zombies, you should be! It’s that time of year, and they can really screw up a ‘romantic-weekend-autumn-picnic’ by eating you and your lover alive! This guide will prepare you with survival tactics and enough confidence to fight back. Good luck!”

Platform by Michel Houellebecq

$14.00 * Fiction / Paperback * Random House ISBN: 1400030269

Zack says:

“Michel Houellebecq is a master. Angry, hilarious, and sexually charged, Platform crucifies the banality of our everyday crusades all while reminding us that there is nothing more romantic sometimes than being totally alone. This is required reading for you, your child, and your grandmother. Enjoy.”

JULIET

Short Shorts: An Anthology of the Shortest Stories edited by Irving Howe

$6.50 * Fiction Anthology / Paperback * Bantam ISBN: 0553274406

Juliet says:

“For the educated reader with attention deficite disorder, Short Shorts is an inspiring collection of very short stories from both classic and contemporary writers. Makes for a great subway read!”

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

$24 * New Fiction / Hardcover * Random House ISBN: 0307341542

Juliet says:

“I don’t usually read mysteries, but once I started this almost southern-gothic novel I could not put it down, and the cast of creepy and complex caracters will remain with me for a very long time. A great read.”

BRIDGETTE

The Mole People by Jennifer Toth

$16.95 * Local Interest / Paperback * Chicago Review ISBN: 155652241x

The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman

$14.00 * Humor / Paperback * Riverhead ISBN: 1594482225

STEFAN

Minotaur by Benjamin Tammuz

$14.95 * Fiction / Paperback * Europa Editions ISBN: 1933372028

Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson

$14.95 * Fiction / Paperback * Europa Editions ISBN: 193337201x

Stefan says:

“A witty, hysterical romp through the Tuscan countryside, in the company of expatriate neighbors Gerald, an uppity Brit, an avant-garde gastronome, and Marta, an ex-Soviet film composer with familial ties to the, well, ex-Soviet mafia. The Fernet Branca of the title, a wickedly foul tasting bottled apocalypse, sets quite a bit of the plot into tipsy motion.”

SETH