News – Week of 15 June

Sarah Cassidy writes for Parry Sound Books -

The arrival of our annual newsletter makes it official that we are in summer mode. You can find the newsletter on our Facebook page, at http://www.parrysoundbooks.com/newsletters or--of course--in store where all the books are!

We have so many new titles in this week, it was hard to choose just a few to highlight. Here are the ones we are most excited about.

"Strangers with the Same Dream" is a new release by acclaimed author Alison Pick. Three individuals, each with their own rich histories, become pioneers in a region that will later become Israel. The novel shows the dramatic war between the light and the dark of human nature: hope and idealism clash with ignorance, violence, and hardship. 

Featured in the newsletter, we've just received the paperback edition of "Do Not Become Alarmed" by Maile Meloy. What happens when safety, comfort, and civilized order are no longer ours to rely on? This cast of characters finds out when the children become separated from the adults during a vacation in Central America. Suspenseful and well written.

(I read this book a few weeks ago and LOVED it! I hesitated at the description of children being lost in an unknown Central American country but I was out of other books on hand and I’d liked earlier books by Maile Meloy, and I was captivated from the first page and could not put it down. It was so plausible and absolutely riveting. Charlotte)

New from Laurie R. King is the newest chapter in the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes mystery series that we so enjoy. "Island of the Mad" takes us to Bethlem Royal Hospital--an asylum that has become better known as Bedlam. Mary does not want to take the missing person case, but she offers her expertise despite her foreboding. Mary and Sherlock floor readers with their cleverness as this series continues on strong. 

The third installment of Leif G. W. Persson's Backstrom mystery series is here: "The Sword of Justice." This author is quickly becoming a staff and customer favourite. 

Summer can be a perfect time to indulge in some of those guilty pleasure reads that take a backseat during the rest of the year. "The Lost Letter" by Jillian Cantor and "The Restless Sea" by Vanessa de Haan have good balance between fluff and substance. Both are stories of love amidst World War II, each rendered in their own unique ways. 

NEWS WEEK ENDING 8 JUNE 2018

This news comes to you on Monday instead of the usual Friday – entirely my fault as I am in Newfoundland for a couple of weeks having way too much fun, renovating an old house and spending time on the beach and sitting in the sun, and it is an hour and a half later here - which is no excuse at all.

Leaving the store in the capable hands of Sarah, Jacquie, Janet and Lee-Anna means I can take some time off and know my customers are well looked after.

Sarah Cassidy has written this week’s news and done a great job of it!!  

For the little ones: VIKING TOYS!

We received fresh stock and our shelves are full of Swedish-designed Viking Toys. Strong, simple, silent, safe, & soft. Vibrant colours and fun designs make these toys crowd pleasers with our littler customers.

Second spring visited us this week. Luckily for us readers, with the cooler temperatures came new stock from some of the most chilling authors. 

What could be better than a bite-sized mystery on a cool summer evening? New in stock, "Bloody Scotland" features short mystery stories from a collection of authors, including one of our staff favourites: Ann Cleeves.  

Stephen King fans will rejoice his latest release, "The Outsider." It follows Detective Ralph Anderson as he investigates what looks to be an open-and-shut murder case involving a child. In true Stephen King style, of course, not everything is as straightforward as it might seem. This is at the top of one of our staff's to-read pile--who is excited to see the return of a lesser-known but fascinating character, Ralph Anderson. 

Like any good residents of a summer town, we too are waiting for the scorching days of sunshine. On the sunnier side of the street, we have several new titles in fiction.

"The Lost Family" tells the story of Peter, a man who has put away any interest in finding new love after he survives Auschwitz, while his wife and daughters did not. But when June Bouquet enters his life, Peter is completely drawn in. His life with June, the ups and downs, the bitter and the sweet, are followed from the 1960s to 1980s. A testament to how the human spirit can be torn, renewed, and the complexities of love. 

Kenneth Bonert gives us a novel set within the South African Apartheid in "The Mandela Plot." This novel weaves together races, cultures, religions, and paints the harmony and discord that comes when people feel these "differences." It reads like a literary thriller, and may just be a book that feels like it reads itself. 

"Small Country" by Gael Faye highlights the beauty of pre-war Burundi--a neighbour of Rwanda that also fell into civil war and genocide. The story follows ten-year-old Gabriel, describing paradise through a child's eyes--harmless mischief, eating stolen mangoes, and being among a band of friends who consider themselves kings of their neighbourhood. Gabriel's child eyes also witness the tragedy of what comes next, in a haunting reflection of war. 

Check out our sale table, which, like the seasons in Parry Sound, is constantly changing! Fresh stock and marvelous titles at sale prices. Don't miss a good one, stop by often!

NEWS WEEK OF 1 JUNE 2018

As one weatherman said “spring lasted about 30 seconds”. This week has been as hot as the hottest day of summer. My ever loving husband painted our sign in the almost 40 degree sun. A job that needs to be done every 30 years or so.

It has also been a week of delivery after delivery coming in the door. We are stocked for summer!

Blue Q bags, 95% recycled material – fun designs, lots of sizes for all kinds of stuff.

Jigsaw puzzles featuring Group of Seven Artwork.

Eeboo – kids art supplies and games – velvety plush for babies – all beautifully designed.

Found Image greeting cards with a vintage twist for all occasions.

Moleskine engagement calendars – some starting in July 2018, some January 2019 – get your favourite while we’ve got them!

The sale table is full of great books at great prices – including She’s Leaving Home by William Shaw, the first in his murder mystery series that takes place in 1960s London, England – list price $17.00 – now only $5.99. And 2018 wall calendars for only $2.50 because we know you need on for the cottage.

NEWS END OF MAY 2018

Once again, it is hard to believe another month is coming to an end.

Summer residents and cottagers are beginning to return and at Parry Sound Books getting ready for a busy summer!

There are new books and orders of toys and stationery coming in every day – crop in and see our new stock.

Some of the most notable new books that have arrived in the past few weeks are

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje – right out of the box and on to the top of my “to read” pile – and I have not been disappointed. This is another masterful novel, set in London in the years following the Second World War, it is the story of abandoned children, love and loss, resilience and the search for memory and meaning. Brilliant.

Jane Seymour – The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir chronicles the life of the third wife of King Henry VIII, as well as the history of the time. An absolutely fascinating and absorbing novel of a time of great change in the most renowned court in English history.

Love and Ruin by Paula McLain, from the author of the Paris Wife, another novel about Hemingway and another wife. This wife, Martha Gellhorn, is a much more interesting person, perhaps even more interesting than Hemingway, and the novel a better one than the first, as well.

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths takes forensic psychologist Ruth Galloway to Italy for an investigation that involves secrets from the Second World War.

NEW IN PAPERBACK

A History of Canada In Ten Maps by Adam Shoalts brings us “epic stories of charting a mysterious land”. These are the stories behind centuries old maps, and the influence of indigenous oral traditions on European explorers.

Original Highways by Roy MacGregor also travels the great rivers of Canada. Macgregor tells of lost histories, the resilience of settlers, and the First Nations efforts to keep the rivers from danger.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins author of The Girl on the Train is another psychological thriller – sure to be another bestseller.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware, in the same ilk as Paula Hawkins, told with spellbinding menace.

A Legacy of Spies by John LeCarre, a new novel about the Cold War weaving past and present in an inventive and thrilling novel in the Smiley tradition.  

NEWS WEEK OF 27 APRIL 2018

FRIDAY AGAIN!! Funny – actually, not funny – how the days fly by.

And always, always more and more books coming in the door –

The Fourth Sacrifice by Peter May is #2 in The China Thriller series. American forensic pathologist, Margaret Campbell, works with the Chinese police to investigate four executions in Beijing.

The Knowledge, a Richard Jury mystery, by Martha Grimes brings London’s cabbies and cops together on a case that involves Kenyan art, rare gems, astrophysics, and a long-fermented act of revenge.

Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly is now in paperback. There may be two kinds of truth, two sides to every story, but only one Harry Bosch.

The Shadow Killer by Arnaldur Indridason is the second in this excellent series of mystery novels set in Reykjavik during the Second World War. Moving to the top of my “to read” pile!

Anne Boleyn – A King’s Obsession by Alison Weir is now in paperback, and is the second in a series about the second wife of Henry VIII. Even if you think you’ve read enough historical fiction about the royal family, you will discover that this author tells the well known story with a fresh voice.

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon is another novel that takes an old story and makes it new. Was she or was she not the daughter of Tsar Nicolas II? Was she, or was she not, the only one to survive the assassination of the Romanov family? Fascinating history and a really good read.

The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse by Alexander McCall Smith, is a stand alone novel from this popular and prolific author.  This is a meditative tale of hope and friendship during World War II.