Chocoholics, oenophiles, and literature lovers are treated to one-stop shopping at One More Page Books in Arlington, Va., where Lelia Nebeker focuses on the store’s offerings for readers. The book buyer talked up some of her favorite handsells of the fall season.
There are some new standouts that I am raving about to everyone, and one of them is Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Eric Wight. This picture book combines two of my favorite themes: the hazards of vanity and breakfast food! Bacon is full of himself because everyone loves him, but readers find that’s not always a good thing. It’s a cute and fun cautionary tale with great characters – including other breakfast foods. Our whole staff loves this book, but honestly it sells itself. Everyone I know who has kids is getting a copy for Christmas.
I usually go for the funny in picture books, and another one I love is The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton. This is the author’s first children’s book – she’s known for her comics for adults – and it is really funny. This story stars a warrior princess who wants nothing more than a noble steed for her birthday, which she can ride into battle. Instead, she gets a plump little cross-eyed pony, but all the other warriors fawn over it. It’s a great story showing that princesses can be strong, warriors can have feelings, and ponies can be round. Parents and kids react very positively to this book.
A new YA book I’m obsessed with is Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, which takes place in the same world as her Grisha trilogy and has her signature clever dialogue, amazing characters, and compelling plotting – but it’s completely different. I tell people it’s a cross between Ocean’s Eleven and Firefly, since it’s about a group of misfits, thieves, and con artists working together to pull off a seemingly impossible heist. The novel is told from multiple perspectives, and the characters all have their own backstories and motivations. There is something for everyone here – fantasy, romance, magic, and humor. I’d say this has been our bestselling YA book since it came out in late September.
I’ve become a huge evangelist for another new YA as well: Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak. It’s a unique novel about dreams, memory, family curses, and reconnecting with one’s past. The main character uncovers truths about both his own and his parents’ past when his best friend moves back to town after five years away. It is a unique story, with a magical realism that I haven’t found in a book for quite a while. I really can’t say enough about it!
I’m not usually a huge reader of memoirs, but I just finished Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash, which I felt I needed to read when I opened it up to a random page when it first came in last month. It’s a graphic memoir about being a 15-year-old at summer camp, and falling for a camp counselor who happens to be an older girl. The story is also about Maggie’s discovering her skill at rifle shooting and about the dynamics among the campers, but it’s mainly about her attempt to make sense of her first attraction to another girl, and to discover whether that feeling is mutual. This is an open, honest book, and the graphic component really pulls readers in, and invites them to literally see Maggie’s experiences. I think graphic memoirs are having their moment – we’ve been selling Raina Telgemeier’s Smile like crazy to middle-graders – and Honor Girl is great for young adults looking for a book in this genre.
