Rosemary's Picks

No one expresses the soul of western NC like Ron Rash. Just dive in and immerse yourself in Ron Rash's beautiful language. When you read it, you'll know why I say, “Long live Slidell.”

In a small, rural community near Mars Hill during WWI, prejudice and superstition are paramount. Laurel is an intelligent but ill-used young woman, who's refused to give in to loneliness or fear. A mute traveler she rescues brings mystery to her Cove, but also may be her biggest chance for happiness.

John Brown and the raid on Harpers Ferry get – what? - about a paragraph in high school history texts? Horwitz enlightens us on the fanatical devotion Brown held for the abolitionist movement, the decades-long, simmering divide that threatened to end our new country, and the rippling effect the raid had on an uneasy U.S.

I came away with respect for Brown's dedication to the anti-slavery movement, and astonishment at the mess of the rest of his life. I'd also had no idea of his long and deep ties to the Adirondacks portion of NY.

All told, Horwitz immerses us into what was the opening salvo of the Civil War, although Brown and his odd assortment of cohorts wouldn't know that.

Karl Marlantes may be the bravest man I've ever encountered. I say this not just for his heroic actions in Vietnam (for which he was awarded many medals), but for the complete baring of the soul he performs in this book.

WHAT IT IS LIKE is a revelation for anyone who has an opinion on war or who has a loved one in a war. It should be mandatory reading for anyone who has the power to send young people to war. Even more than his power to explain the emotions or thought processes of war, Marlantes' efforts are invaluable for his suggestions for helping bring warriors back home.

Be warned – this is powerful stuff.

Forbidding terrain, horrific plane crash, Stone Age-era tribes, daring rescue attempts – oh, and WW II is going on around them in the steaming jungle of New Guinea.

It's time to take a trip down the mighty Metaphoric River with everyone's favorite alternate universe heroine, Thursday Next! Actually, with the “written Thursday”. Well, maybe not – maybe she IS the real world Thursday. Even Landon can't be sure.

God, I love these books!

Jasper Fforde returns to Quail Ridge on Saturday, March 19, at  7:30 p.m. Receive a signing line ticket with the purchase of OOOTIM.)

Judge Deborah Knott returns in a solid winter outing whose theme is torn from local headlines.

Her small town is rocked by multiple teen driver deaths, and then murders. As Deborah & Dwight prepare for holidays & their first anniversary, they find themselves drawn into community tragedies that go deeper than they know.

A big pleasure of the series is meeting Deborah's LARGE extended family, and many younger members make their debut here. You'd love to have this clan as your neighbors.

Poisons & poisoners have long been with us, but how do you trap the killers if you don't know when poison is present, or if it's enough to kill? You don't have to be a CSI fan or a chemistry major to be fascinated by this account of the medical examiner and staff who started the field of forensic chemistry during NY's Jazz Age.

Political scandals, juicy 'trials of the century', and Prohibition outrages (ex. deliberate poisoning by the government) fuel these crime & justice tales.

And you'll definitely regard your next alcoholic drink in a new light!

Here's the bad news: you'll have to wait until June to read THE PASSAGE. 

One of the advantages of working in a bookstore is reading advance copies, and the industry 'buzz' on THE PASSAGE was intriguing.  Compare it to another book?  It's like Stephen King's THE STAND - on steroids.  Epic in scope and size, it is heartbreaking, inspiring, and un-put-downable.  As large as it is, you'll wish it were longer.  

The mountains of western NC may be Eden, but SERENA is no gentle Eve to be tricked. This logger baron's wife is ambitious and the Devil herself. She will not rest until every tree is toppled, from here to Brazil.

You'll feel as though transported to the 1930s Asheville area, as mountain folks trying to survive, conservationists out to establish a national park, and the not-to-be-denied Serena conflict. What she is capable of will astound you. —Rosemary

Be prepared – once you start NIGHT WATCH, you'll want to read the entire quartet, ending in the just-published LAST WATCH. Set in Russia, super powerful Others are split into the Night Watch and Day Watch. The Night Watch protects humans during the night hours, keeping vampires, werewolves, and Dark Magicians at bay. Not just a 'horror novel', NIGHT WATCH examines the delicate balance between the forces of good and evil, and what it means to be human.

The author of THE TERROR returns with a big, juicy historical thriller centered on one of literature's major players, Charles Dickens. Novelist Wilkie Collins (THE MOONSTONE) is Dickens' friend and jealous confidante, and our narrator. Is Dickens a murderer in his final years? Is Drood his creation or an unspeakable devil? And how stable is the laudanum-addicted Collins? This is 180 degrees away from A CHRISTMAS CAROL.