Welcome the New Year!! Such high hopes. 2022 has to be better… right?? Right…?
In the December column we shared the bestsellers for the year through November at Edmonds Bookshop. We found the December best seller list really interesting, so we thought we’d share it with you. It ended up being a mostly non-fiction Christmas in Edmonds!
Bestsellers at Edmonds Bookshop Dec. 1-31, 2021.
- “Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience” by Brené Brown.
- “Call Us What We Carry: Poems” by Amanda Gorman.
- “Taste: My Life Through Food” by Stanley Tucci.
- “The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music” by Dave Grohl.
- “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles.
- “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times” by Jane Goodall.
- “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy.
- “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story” by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
- “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber.
- “Renegades: Born in the USA” by Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen.
- “The Unwinding: And Other Dreamings” by Jackie Morris.
- “These Precious Days: Essays” by Ann Patchett.
- “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone” by Diana Gabaldon.
- “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr.
- “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell.
We have most of these back in stock! [still waiting for Stanley!] If you are waiting to use your gift certificate or if there was something on your wish list that you didn’t receive… we are totally here for you!
A few books that probably would have made the list if there had not been supply chain issues:
“The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present” by Paul McCartney.
“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir.
“Dune” by Frank Herbert.
We have “The Lyrics” on order. No date yet – but it might be mid-February. Might be! As soon as it is available again, we will have it. Let us know if you would like us to save a copy for you. Email us here.
“Project Hail Mary” should be back in stock by about Jan. 15… should be! About! Happy to put your name on a copy… just let us know. Email us here.
“Dune” — both paperbacks, large and small — will be back in stock any day now. The fancy Deluxe Edition with the beautiful blue-edged pages is still on backorder… happy to let you know when we have any of these back in stock. Email us here.
Show your love for The Edmonds Bookshop lover in your life! Choose a V-neck Tee, a Classic Long Sleeve Tee, or a Pullover Hoodie. Multiple colors available in each style. Order here.
Edmonds Bookshop Events.
Edmonds Bookshop Book Club.
We will start out 2022 still doing Zoom meetings for Edmonds Bookshop Book Club.
Zoom meeting Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 – 9 to 10 a.m.: ” Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants ” by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In this book, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert)
Staff recommended!
More information about the book and the club is here.
Send us an email here to register your email for book club membership. We will send you an invitation with a Zoom Meeting link as each book club meeting is scheduled. Once you accept the invitation it will show up in your calendar.
Virtual event. Third Thursday Art Walk! Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. 6-7 p.m.
Join us to celebrate the publication of Benjamin Schmitt’s new poetry collection.
Mr. Schmitt will read from his new collection and answer questions about his life and work. He will be in conversation with, and interviewed by, Brian Langston and Karla Mancero.
More information about the event is here.
Benjamin Schmitt is the author of four books, most recently “The Saints of Capitalism” and “Soundtrack to a Fleeting Masculinity.” His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Sojourners, Antioch Review, The Good Men Project, Hobart, Columbia Review, Spillway, and elsewhere. A co-founder of Pacifica Writers’ Workshop, he has also written articles for The Seattle Times and At The Inkwell. He lives in Seattle with his wife and children.
Find out even more on his website: benjaminschmittpoetry.com.
Virtual event. Jan. 27, 2022. Beginning at 6 p.m. Laurie Easter in conversation with Jeannine Ouellette.
More information about the event is here.
Laurie Easter’s debut essay collection, “All the Leavings,” examines what it means to love, lose, and find strength in facing adversity.
There is a lovely review in hippocampus magazine, here.
And so much more about her on her website here.
Recent book releases of note:
“Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone” by Diana Gabaldon. The bestselling author returns with the newest novel in the epic Outlander series.
“These Precious Days: Essays” by Ann Patchett. The beloved bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays.
For ages 2-plus “Amos McGee Misses the Bus” by Philip Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead. Some of our favorites are back! The gang from Caldecott Medal-winner “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” returns in this new heartwarming story. Staff recommended.
“Wish You Were Here” by Jodi Picoult. In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself–and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.
“All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business” by Mel Brooks. The legendary comedian, actor, film producer and director offers insight into the inspiration for his ideas and the many close friendships and collaborations behind his success.
“Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience” by Brené Brown. In her new book, Brown takes us on a journey through 85 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human.
“The Postmistress of Paris: A Novel” by Meg Waite Clayton. Set in the dark early days of the German occupation in France—a young American heiress helps artists hunted by the Nazis escape from war-torn Europe.
“Sex Cult Nun: Breaking Away from the Children of God, a Wild, Radical Religious Cult” by Faith Jones. In a story of liberation and self-empowerment, the author shares her hauntingly intimate coming-of-age narrative of growing up in and escaping from the Children of God, an oppressive, extremist religious cult.
“The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine’s Daughters” by Dr. Rachel Trethewey. Bright, attractive and well-connected, in any other family the Churchill girls would have shone. But they were not in another family, they were Churchills, and neither they nor anyone else could ever forget it.
“Call Us What We Carry: Poems” by Amanda Gorman. The presidential inaugural poet–and unforgettable new voice in American poetry–presents a collection of poems that includes the stirring poem read at the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States.
“Creative Types: and Other Stories” by Tom Bissell. A new collection of stories that range from laugh-out-loud funny to disturbingly dark–unflinching portraits of women and men struggling to bridge the gap between art and life.
“The Fortune Men: A Novel” by Nadifa Mohamed. Based on a true event, this novel is “about the full life of Mahmood Mattan, the last man executed in Cardiff, Wales for a crime he was exonerated for forty years later and is brought alive with subtle artistry and heartbreaking humanity.” Booker Prize Finalist, finally available in the U.S. Review in Seattle Times. Review in the Washington Post.
Some books of note being released in January: This is just a partial list – so many more books coming this month! What a great start to the year!
“Anthem” by Noah Hawley. There is something strange and terrible happening with teenagers across America, spreading through memes only they can understand. A band of unlikely heroes sets out on a quest to save one innocent life. But this isn’t a fairy tale. January 4, 2022.
“The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age” by Steve Olson. A thrilling narrative of scientific triumph, decades of secrecy, and the unimaginable destruction wrought by the creation of the atomic bomb. Now in paperback. January 4, 2022
“Brown Girls” by Daphne Palasi Andreades. A remarkable story about a group of friends growing up and forging their own paths in Queens, New York. Review in the NYTimes. January 4, 2022.
“Fiona and Jane” by Jean Chen Ho. “Beautiful, intimate look at the evolving relationship of two complex women navigating their lives from youth into adulthood. Fierce and unsentimental, this one will stay with you!” Chosen for IndieBound. January 4, 2022.
“Honor” by Thrity Umrigar. Newspaper accounts of defiant women in India inspired the journalist-turned-writer’s novel, which considers the privilege of choosing the person you love. Arriving to report on the tragic story of Meena Mustafa, a Hindu woman whose marriage to a Muslim man incited a murder, she finds tension between cultures in ways she never expected. January 4, 2022.
“Love at First Spite” by Anna E. Collins. The debut novel, set in Seattle, follows an interior designer who teams up with an enigmatic architect to get revenge on her ex the only way she knows how: by building a spite house next door. January 4, 2022.
“The Maid: A Novel” by Nita Prose. “Very entertaining! Miss Marple meets The Rosie Project in this charming book about a hotel maid who sees the world a bit differently than many of us. Molly the maid and her cast of friends will bring a smile to your face!” Chosen for IndieBound. January 4, 2022.
“The Push” by Ashley Audrain. This chilling debut novel follows Blythe Connor as she struggles to adapt to the realities of motherhood, a disconnect with her newborn daughter and the seismic changes in her relationship with her husband. Now in paper. January 4, 2022.
“Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World” by Danielle Friedman. Although the tension between health and beauty remains, Friedman’s engaging stories of the women who created and transformed the fitness industry illustrate an evolution built upon strong female shoulders. January 4, 2022.
“The School for Good Mothers: A Novel” by Jessamine Chan. In her debut novel Chan imagines a future where parents (mostly women) get sent to government-run reform school. NYT review. Chosen for IndieBound. January 4, 2022.
“Reckless Girls” by Rachel Hawkins. From the bestselling author of “The Wife Upstairs” comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated South Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware. January 4, 2022
“Of Women and Salt” by Gabriela Garcia. This debut novel tracing five generations of Latinas ultimately centers on “the politics of what it takes to navigate the world as women.” In paperback. January 4, 2022.
“Wahala” by Nikki May. Contemporary female friendship goes glam in this lively debut novel with remarkable depth. Fun, food and fashion have bonded Anglo-Nigerian friends, but tension builds after they welcome dazzling and enigmatic Isobel into their group. Each woman confronts her own flaws while facing racial and class divides made more challenging by straddling two cultures. January 11, 2022.
“Lost & Found: A Memoir” by Kathryn Schulz. Within two years, Schulz mourned her father’s death and met the woman she would marry. Her emotional roller coaster inspired an exploration of simultaneously loving and grieving, full of stunning observations. She ruminates on things that can be lost or found and, most touchingly, celebrates the “and”-ness inherent in joining two lives. Chosen for IndieBound. January 11, 2022.
“The Stars Are Not Yet Bells” by Hannah Lillith Assadi. This poignant novel is a testament to love and loss, inspired by the author’s family history. January 11, 2022.
“Something to Hide: A Lynley Novel” by Elizabeth George. Another intelligent, intricate mystery starring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard. January 11, 2022.
“The Final Case: A Novel” by David Guterson. From the award-winning author of “Snow Falling on Cedars”–a moving father-son story that is also a taut courtroom drama and a bold examination of privilege, power, and how to live a meaningful life. Review in the NY Times. January 11, 2022.
“Small World: A Novel” by Jonathan Evison. … a historical epic with a Dickensian flair, a grand entertainment that asks whether our nation has made good on its promises. It dazzles as its characters come to connect with one another through time. Chosen for IndieBound. January 11th, 2022
“Legends of the North Cascades” by Jonathan Evison. In paperback. Staff recommended. January 11, 2022.
“To Paradise” by Hanya Yanagihara. From the author of “A Little Life” comes another emotional powerhouse of a novel. This brilliant work is told in three sections—set in the years 1893, 1993, and 2093—and while each section is vastly different, each character at their core grapples with the lengths we would all go to to protect those we love. January 11, 2022. Review in the NY Times.
“Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom” by Carl Bernstein. The investigative journalist and co-author of “All the President’s Men” writes of his roots in journalism, beginning as a 16-year-old copy boy for the Washington, D.C. Evening Star in 1960. January 11, 2022.
“Weather Girl” by Rachel Lynn Solomon. A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy. January 11th, 2022.
“Mouth to Mouth: A Novel” by Antoine Wilson. “I loved this suspenseful novel, these mysterious characters. Wilson has created a situation worthy of Hitchcock or Highsmith. Can ever know the truth about those we love, or ourselves.” Chosen for IndieBound. January 11, 2022.
“The Last House on the Street: A Novel” by Diane Chamberlain. “This bucolic neighborhood may look like a slice of paradise, but Round Hill hides a dark history. Chamberlain masterfully weaves two narratives together to craft a work of both white-knuckle suspense and historical fiction.” Chosen for IndieBound. January 11, 2022.
“Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking” by Leonard Mlodinow. Told with Mlodinow’s characteristic clarity and fascinating stories, this explores the new science of feelings and offers us an essential guide to making the most of one of nature’s greatest gifts. January 11, 2022.
“A Flicker in the Dark: A Novel” by Stacy Willingham. “This twisty thriller kept me reading late into the night! It keeps you guessing up until the very end of this cat-and-mouse game, where monsters and unsettling memories lurk in every corner — who can be trusted? Utterly captivating!” Chosen for IndieBound. January 11, 2022.
“You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays” by Zora Neale Hurston, edited and with an introduction by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Astonishingly, this is the first comprehensive collection of essays and articles by the legendary Harlem Renaissance author of who died in 1960. The works included span more than 35 years. January 18, 2022.
“Manifesto: On Never Giving Up” by Bernardine Evaristo. After winning the Booker Prize at age 60 for “Girl, Woman, Other,” Evaristo was portrayed as an overnight sensation. In truth, her preceding decades were filled with climbing up through a world that did not know what to make of a biracial, sexually fluid artist with a flair for dramatic arts. Her raw memoir reveals a woman with enough perspective on her own life to tell the truth, and her manifesto is a gift to those seeking their own truths. January 18, 2022.
“The Runaway : A Peter Ash Novel” by Nick Petrie. When Peter Ash rescues a stranded woman, he finds she’s in far deeper trouble than he could ever imagine in the powerful new thriller. Staff recommended author/series. January 18, 2022.
“The Good Son” by Jacquelyn Mitchard. A gripping, emotionally charged novel of a mother who must help her son after he is convicted of a devastating crime. January 18, 2022.
“Joan Is Okay” by Weike Wang. Joan is a Chinese American ICU doctor at a prestigious NYC hospital. She’s finally content with her life and her work when back-to-back her father suddenly dies, the pandemic hits, and everything seems to turn upside down. Poignant and incisive, but also incredibly witty and humorous, this is a book you won’t want to end. January 18, 2022.
For readers 12 and up “Akata Woman” by Nnedi Okorafor. Sunny Nwazue is back in the third book in the exhilarating fantasy series, tackling her most difficult challenge yet. In “Akata Witch” and “Akata Warrior,” Sunny had to learn to balance the real world and the magical realm beyond. Now she must rely on her powers to complete a quest so dangerous, only the truly mad would go. Drawing on Nigerian folktales, this engrossing adventure is a real page turner! January 18, 2022.
“Violeta” by Isabel Allende. Fans of Allende’s generation-spanning family epics are in for a treat with her latest novel, centered on Violeta Del Valle, a centenarian whose life is bookended by pandemics. Violeta’s personal loves and tragedies intertwine with decades of Latin American political turmoil, economic uncertainty and social change. Through a letter to a loved one, she unspools her story, showing a consistent devotion both to her family and to the joy of living. January 25, 2022.
“Her Hidden Genius” by Marie Benedict. Rosalind Franklin has always been an outsider-brilliant, but different. Whether working at the laboratory she adored in Paris or toiling at a university in London, she feels closest to the science, those unchanging laws of physics and chemistry that guide her experiments… January 25, 2022.
“The Magnolia Palace” by Fiona Davis. The bestselling author of “The Lions of Fifth Avenue,” returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City’s most impressive Gilded Age mansions. Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart… January 25, 2022.
We will keep posting our favorite reads, along with links to all kinds of book-related interesting things! In all the places: on our website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
You may pre-order any forthcoming title by visiting our website.
Stay safe. Do your best to stay sane. And as always: Happy reading!
— By Elaine Mattson
Edmonds native Elaine Mattson has worked at The Edmonds Bookshop off and on since she was 12 years old, and has also worked at a book wholesaler, a book publisher, and for the book publishing division of a large local software company (yes, that one). “I was raised a book lover [thanks, Mom!],” Mattson says. “We got book lights by our beds as soon as we were old enough to read. And then I probably got in trouble for reading too late the very next night. And I still read too late!
