March Reading Recommendations: Part II from Half Moon Bay Booksellers

Using the wisdom of our local booksellers and the Half Moon Bay Library, Half Moon Bay Patch presents the second part of our March Reading Recommendations.  See what’s in store or on the shelves at Ocean Books, Coastside Books, and Ink Spell.

“These are books or genres I’ve read recently and thoroughly enjoyed,” says Ocean Books’ owner Madeleine Saussotte. 

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  Though he’s written a memoir about his time as a doctor in Tennessee, Verghese chose to write a fiction novel that brings his own life experiences and physician know-how to his powerful characters, spanning decades and generations.  The paperback version was released in 2010.

Let The Great World Spin: A Novel by Colum McCann.  In a death-defying act over New York City, McCann’s main character walks a fine line on the tight rope between the Twin Towers.  Set in New York in the 1970s, characters and their intertwining stories are introduced following the high wire walker’s court appearance.

Songs From the Center of the Well by Swami Chetanananda.  Offering something different in this collection of poetry, 2001’s book claims our depth, like that of a well, is endless and offers a moving connection deep inside.

A seller of new and used titles, Saussotte recommends, “Almost anything by Mary Oliver for poetry and by Thich Nhat Hanh for spirituality.” Some notable reads are Oliver’s Why I Wake Early: New Poems and New and Selected Poems, Volume One, both released in 2005.  And then there’s the wildly popular Peace Is Every Step:  The Path of Mindfulness In Everyday Life and Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices -- both from Hanh, a prolific writer and Buddhist monk.

416 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, 726-2665

Open daily/closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays through the winter

Coastside Books

Sara O’Sullivan and Nancy Arruda of Coastside Books say they are coming up on a year-and-a-half of running their store.  That brings to mind hardworking, strong characters, and even one that operates a bookstore.

Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee.  “This is a book about a woman who inherits running her aunt’s bookstore, only to find it helps heal her own broken heart.  “She uses the wisdom and ‘voices’ of dead authors to guide herself,” says O’Sullivan.

The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton.  Both O’Sullivan and Arruda read this non-fiction book, which stems from a blog when the author had moved to Wyoming and was raising a coyote pup.  Complete with photos, it follows her urban-to-rural journey and her relationships with man and beast.

The Three Weissmanns by Cathleen Schine.  This author of The New Yorkers has a following and presents solid character portrayal in this retelling of Sense and Sensibility with a modern spin.

This Book Is Overdue:  How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson.  Now in paperback, this book, says Arruda, ties in with the closing of stores like Borders and what has become of the hard copy book and the work of a librarian.  “Sometimes we want it handed to us, with a human connection,” says Arruda of books. 

432 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, 726-5889

Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Ink Spell Books

“We don’t have it yet, but we are taking orders,” says Ink Spell owner Cindy Whittemore of the Jean M. Auel long-awaited book, The Land of Painted Caves, due out March 29.  Book Six of historical fiction in the Clan of the Cave Bear series is the final installment, featuring characters Ayla and Jondalar, and is sure to be exciting, says Whittemore. Other titles she’s excited about include:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  This first book in a series by Collins will soon be a movie. There is a trilogy, so Whittemore recommends starting here. “These are adventures for pre-teens and teens, but adults love them, too,” she says. Ink Spell is running a March special of “buy two, get the third free” on children’s and teen books.

And if you’re wanting to play catch up with a book series, A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is the first book in a popular series, soon to become an HBO show. “The fifth book, A Dance With Dragons, will be out in July,” says Whittemore.  “The author is so good at creating a whole world that’s believable in an unbelievable way.  It’s just as good as Tolkien.”

Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henke.  Children’s writer and illustrator Kevin Henke has his main character hop through the world, taking on qualities of the nature around him. 

500 Purissima Street, Half Moon Bay, 726-6571

Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays