Booksellers since 1952

Top Five Reads For the New Year   -    Bestsellers

HARDCOVER FICTION      

 1   ROGUE LAWYER, by John Grisham. (Doubleday.) The attorney Sebastian Rudd is a “lone gunman”

who hates injustice and the system and defends unpopular clients.

2   ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, by Anthony Doerr. (Scribner.) The lives of a blind French 

girl and a gadget-obsessed German boy before and during World War II.  

3   SEE ME, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central.) A couple in love are threatened by secrets

from the past.

4   THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS, by Stephen King. (Scribner.) Twenty stories, some never 

before published.

5   CROSS JUSTICE, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown.) Detective Alex Cross returns to 

Starksville, N.C., his hometown, for the first time in 35 years, to help a cousin who has  

been accused of murder.

  .Review:  Stephen King  -  Bazarr of Bad Dreams  -  USA Today Brian Truitt

“Outstanding…King’s usual homespun style and storytelling swerves are fully evident, yet what’s really neat about Bad Dreams is the scribe’s introductions to each piece. Like little throwbacks to his 2000 manual/memoir On Writing,King tosses out bits of trivia and inspiration for each of his short form treats. A series of 150-mile drives in college led to Mile 81 and the most homicidal car since Christine. And a double whammy of trips to Applebee’s plus observing a road-rage incident in real time sparked his impressive imagination to create Batman and Robin Have an Altercation,an excellent piece pitting a father-and-son dynamic duo against Alzheimer’s and a strapping Texan. Short stories have a famous place in the King oeuvre, with the likes of The Body and RitaHayworth and Shawshank Redemption finding second lives on the big screen as Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption. So it’s interesting to read how King likens himself to a midnight street vendor with these mini-tales and confesses they have given him ‘a soul-deep fear thatI will be unable to bridge the gap between a great idea and the realization ofthat idea’s potential.’ Like all the greats, though, his ability to grip thereader’s mind, body and soul with his prose makes it all look easy.”

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1    KILLING REAGAN, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. (Holt.) The host of “The O’Reilly Factor”

recounts the events surrounding the attempted assassination of President Reagan in 1981.

2    THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE TRIPOLI PIRATES, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. (Sentinel.) The war 

against the Barbary pirates in 1801.

3    HUMANS OF NEW YORK: STORIES, by Brandon Stanton. (St. Martin's.) Photographs and 

interviews from the creator of the blog and the book “Humans of New York.”

4    BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. (Spiegel & Grau.) A meditation on race in 

America as well as a personal story by the Atlantic's national correspondent.

5    WHAT IF?, by Randall Munroe. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.) Scientific (but often humorous) 

answers to hypothetical questions, based in part on the author’s website, xkcd.com.

 Overview:  Bill O'Reilly  -  Killing Reagan 

Told in the same riveting fashion as Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus, and Killing Patton, Killing Reagan reaches back to the golden days of Hollywood, where Reagan found both fame and heartbreak, up through the years in the California governor's mansion, and finally to the White House, where he presided over boom years and the fall of the Iron Curtain. But it was John Hinckley Jr.'s attack on him that precipitated President Reagan's most heroic actions. In Killing Reagan, O'Reilly and Dugard take readers behind the scenes, creating an unforgettable portrait of a great man operating in violent times.

PAPERBACK MASS MARKET FICTION

1      THE MARTIAN, by Andy Weir. (Broadway.) After a dust storm forces his crew to abandon him,

an astronaut embarks on a dogged quest to stay alive on Mars.

2       INVISIBLE, by James Patterson and David Ellis. (Grand Central.) Searching for her sister’s killer,

a former F.B.I. researcher finds a link between scores of unsolved cases.

3       PEGASUS, by Danielle Steel. (Dell.) Fleeing the Nazis, a German aristocrat settles

in America with a gift of eight purebred horses from his closest friend.

4       GRAY MOUNTAIN, by John Grisham. (Dell.) A laid-off lawyer, in a bid to reclaim her 

corporate perch, moves to an Appalachian mining town where her legal-aid work starts to rile

Big Coal.

5       BURN, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. (Grand Central.) Detective Michael 

Bennett gets a report of strange goings-on in a condemned building, leading to a burned body

and an underground criminal world of terrifying depravity.

Review:  Pegasus - Danielle Steel - Kirkus Reviews

In a rich historical novel of family and World War II, #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel unfurls a powerful saga that spans generations and continents. This is a story of courage, friendship, and fate as two families face the challenges of war . . . and the magnificent stallion that will link them forever.

ADVICE HOW TO  & MISCELLANEOUS

 1       THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: DINNERTIME, by Ree Drummond. (Morrow/HarperCollins.) Recipes for

comfort-food classics, quick meals, freezer food and more from the proprietor of ThePioneerWoman.com.

2        THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP, by Marie Kondo. (Ten Speed.) A guide to decluttering 

by discarding your expendable objects all at once and taking charge of your space.

3        THING EXPLAINER, by Randall Munroe. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.) Complicated things — cells,

elevators, smartphones, nuclear reactors — are demystified with simply annotated blueprints. From 

the author of "What If?"

4       THE FOOD LAB, by J. Kenji López-Alt. (Norton.) Understanding the science of cooking 

can help you prepare better everyday dishes at home. Includes hundreds of recipes.

5        THE POWER OF I AM, by Joel Osteen. (FaithWords.) The pastor and author says you can

determine your success or failure and your destiny with the words you use to speak about yourself. 

Review:  Pioneer Woman Cooks: DINNERTIME  -  Ree Drummond - Publisher's Weekly

 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime is a beloved collection of all the scrumptious supper recipes that make their way through my kitchen in regular rotation, from main dish salads to satisfying soups to hearty casseroles to comfort food classics . . . and everything in between. I lay out all the different ways I tackle dinner in my house, from super-quick 16-Minute Meals to make-ahead Freezer Food to irresistible pastas and a bundle of brand-new favorites of my crew

YOUNG ADULT

1    THE AMAZING BOOK IS NOT ON FIRE, by Dan Howell and Phil Lester. (Random House.) YouTube

stars offer comedy and advice. (Ages 12 and up)

2    RED QUEEN, by Victoria Aveyard. (HarperTeen.) A girl with a special power lives in a kingdom

divided between an underclass with red blood and an elite with silver. (Ages 12 and up)

3    ELEANOR AND PARK, by Rainbow Rowell. (St. Martin's Griffin.) The world opposes the love of 

two outcast teenagers. (Ages 14 to 18)

4    SIX OF CROWS, by Leigh Bardugo. (Holt.) A criminal prodigy assembles a fractious team 

to pull off a life-changing heist. (Ages 14 and up)

5    CARRY ON, by Rainbow Rowell. (St. Martin's Griffin.) A teenage wizard and his classmates

return to their magical academy. (Ages 13 and up)

 Review:  Eleanor and Park  -  Rainbow Rowell 

 Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star–crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.

CHILDREN’S MIDDLE GRADE HARDCOVER

1       THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, by Katherine Applegate. Illustrated by Patricia Castelao. (HarperCollins.)

2       OUT OF MY MIND, by Sharon M. Draper. (Atheneum.)

3        A LONG WALK TO WATER, by Linda Sue Park. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.)

4        HOUSE OF ROBOTS, by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Illustrated by Juliana Neufeld. (Little, Brown.)

5        THE CARE AND KEEPING OF YOU, by Valorie Schaefer. Illustrated by Josee Masse. (American Girl.

 Review:  The One And Only Ivan  -  Katherine Applegate  -  School Library Journal

 Inspired by a true story, Applegate (Home of the Brave) offers a haunting tale told from the perspective of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who has been confined to a small “domain” of concrete, metal, and glass for 27 years. Joining Ivan at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade are Stella, an aging elephant, and Bob, a feisty stray dog. While other animals perform, Ivan makes art, watches TV, and offers melancholy assessments of their situation. When Ruby, an inquisitive baby elephant, arrives and Stella dies from neglect, her dying wish is for Ivan to help Ruby escape. The brief chapters read like free-verse poetry, the extra line breaks between paragraphs driving home the contrast between Ivan and humans, who in his opinion, “waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot.” As is to be expected, there’s significant anthropomorphism, but Applegate is largely successful in creating a protagonist who can understand humans yet feels like a gorilla. Although Ivan’s role in the events leading to their rescue reads as too human, readers will be left rethinking our relationship to animals. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (Jan.

Mission  -  Our goal is to provide customers with a variety of choices and to promote reading and education in our communities and surrounding areas. We offer a wide variety of books, magazines, toys, games, and gifts for the entire family. Our emphasis is on customer service and friendly advice. Our family owned business started its humble beginnings in Jefferson City over fifty years ago. We thank you for your continued support and we welcome you into our bookstore family.

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