A Parable

Singer-songwriter, Josh Ritter, has written a novel entitled Bright’s Passage.  It’s a mythical story of recovery from war and loss.  The title character is a soldier returned home after World War I to reclaim his life only to lose his wife when his baby son is born.  There is conflict, confrontation, and a guiding angel, but the soul of the book is the description of war.  The harrowing imagery of survival and the aftermath is touching and haunting.

Ritter will perform at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on Wednesday, 27 July.  Flyleaf will have signed copies of the book available in the store on Thursday.

There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters

I finished reading Sister by Rosemund Lupton last night.  If you are a sister or have a sister you will want to read this book.  It’s touching in many ways, but particularly in the main character Beatrice’s (known as Bee) insistence that she knows her sister Tess better than anyone else and therefore does not believe she has committed suicide.  Instead, Bee insists that Tess was murdered and is driven to find out who killed her.  The story is an exploration of how intimate knowledge gained from growing up in the same family changes over time and with distance.  During the search for Tess’s killer Bee confirms she knew her sister well, maybe better than she knows herself.  

This is Lupton’s first novel. The time shifts and some other devices might be confusing or seem superficial for a reader of thrillers, but this book is much more than that.  I suggest book clubs consider adding it to their reading lists.  It would make for a provocative group discussion.  

Both tear-jerking and spine-tingling, “Sister” provides an adrenaline rush that could cause a chill on the sunniest afternoon — which, perhaps, the friendly company of a sister or two (or, in a pinch, a brother) might help to dispel.  

Liesl Schillinger in the New York Times Book Review

Books of Interest

Being an avid reader, bookstore lover, and book collector, family and friends have often suggested that I start a book blog. It’s an intriguing idea to write about what I’m reading.  Talking about books with people who like to read is pure pleasure for me.  I’m not shy about offering my opinion on what I’m reading or what I’ve read.  I keep a list of my favorite books handy in case anyone asks me for a recommendation.  But, putting those thoughts and opinions into words on the page (or screen) seems risky.  Who will read it?  What if they don’t like what I have to say?  Writers work hard to get their work published.  What right do I have to criticize their writing?  Who cares what I think anyway?

Well, I guess I’ll see.  The owners of Flyleaf have agreed to let me take a stab at this.  I appreciate the opportunity and will try to keep readers of this blog interested in buying and talking about books.

It took some time to figure out what books to write about first.  I scanned the shelf of my most recent reads. Here is the list of books I’ve read in the past three months. 

One Day by David Nicholls

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Emily, Alone by Stewart O’Nan

West of Here by Jonathan Evison

Old Filth by Jane Gardam

The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson

The Blindness of the Heart by Julia Tranck

The Long Song by Andea Levy

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Embassytown by China Mieville

Vaclav and Lena by Halley Tanner

Where to begin?  Several of those titles have had a lot written about them.  Here are four diverse books that may grab your attention.

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

The Australian, Brooks, may seem an odd author for such an American tale but she has had great success writing historical fiction.  She is a dedicated researcher and the depth of detail she provides is a strength of her writing.  Caleb’s Crossing is no exception.  Brooks explores the possibilities of two lives crossing paths in a time when both Native Americans (Caleb) and American women (Bethia) had prescribed roles in the country; namely savage and helpmate.  These characters strive to overcome those narrow life roles in a newly emerging culture.  Some stereotypical interactions make me less fond of this novel than of People of the Book. It seems hard to avoid that trap when writing a story based on one surviving letter written by the actual Caleb who became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard in 1665.  In a Washington Post review Paul Chaat Smith writes, “There is too much at stake in pre-modern New England, and Brooks’s achievement is that we see just how much that is, for the red characters and the white ones. They struggle every waking moment with spiritual questions that are as real and unending as the punishing New England winters.”

Embassytown by China Mieville

If you haven’t heard of Mieville, you will.  He is an intelligent, iconoclastic writer with interesting views on life in the 21st century.  The premise of this book is language as truth.  The setting is a future where humans live along side aliens who can only communicate through two voices.  A single voice is unrecognizable to the aliens as coming from a living being.  They can only speak to dual speakers, clones who speak as one. Also particular to the aliens is their inability to lie.  Mieville is a talented writer who is unrelenting in his command of his imagination and ability to convey it.  Those with an interest in how language works and others who love a good story will enjoy this book.  The Guardian’s James Purdan writes of Mieville, “To read fiction is, in some measure, to take those true untruths for granted, which makes it a paradoxical pleasure to come across a novel that reminds us so ingeniously and enjoyably of the conditions of fiction, and of the power that fictional language retains to shape and reshape our transactions with the world.”

Emily, Alone by Stewart O’Nan

As a native Pittsburgher O’Nan’s writing appeals to me because of the setting, but his simple portrayal of the rich internal world of an elderly woman alone and struggling to manage is moving.  Emily is forced into independence after her companion and sister-in-law becomes hospitalized.  Emily looks back on her life with her husband and children in a straightforward way and moves on by setting small goals for herself.  The Boston Globes’ Mameve Medwed states,  “In a portrait filled with both joy and rue, O’Nan does not wield a wide brush across a vast canvas but, rather, offers up an exquisite miniature. Just as Emily prefers Van Gogh’s depiction of a branch of an almond tree over the more spectacular “Sunflowers,’’ so, too, do we readers appreciate an ordinary life made, by its quiet rendering, extraordinary.”

Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner

This is Tanner’s first novel and it is a winner.  She creates a world inhabited by immigrants from Russia who struggle with their assimilation.  The title characters are two children who become friends because of proximity and ethnicity.  Vaclav is fascinated by magic and enlists Lena in his plans to perform in his magic show on the Boardwalk on Coney Island.  Vaclav’s mother, Rasia, sees what is developing between the two children but is unable to prevent the strength of their friendship even though she knows it might come to a tragic and necessary end.  Susannah Meadows in the New York Times writes, “Ms. Tanner is such a strong storyteller, and her distinctive voice — winsome without being dopey — engulfs you immediately.”  

Flyleaf Books celebrates National Poetry Month

It’s hard to believe we’re almost halfway through April, which just so happens to be National Poetry Month.

Perhaps you’re wondering what it’s like to work in a bookstore during National Poetry Month. Does everyone speak in iambic pentameter? Do the folks behind the registers grimace, swig glasses of scotch, and mumble existential verses? Do the booksellers shake their fists and curse to the heavens when someone can’t tell the difference between a Petrarchan and Spencerian sonnet? Well, no, no, and no.

We encourage vandalism.

Next time you’re in our store, check out our National Poetry Month table. Flyleaf bookseller and Staff Poet Laureate Michael C. Peterson has a ton of great recommendations on display. And while you’re meditating over a villanelle or alexandrine, go ahead and write your favorite poetic lines on our table. Yep, you read correctly. Inspire others by writing lines from the poets who have inspired you: Maya Angelou, Li Po, Dorothy Parker, John Keats, Omar Khayyam, Shakespeare, Shel Silverstein, or Michael C. Peterson.

We’re eager to see what you’ll write!

--Ana

Sally’s Kitchen Jewelry Trunk Show -- Saturday, March 19th from Noon-4:00pm

There are a number of things that make Flyleaf such a unique, comforting bookstore: a wide variety of books, awesome staff recommendations, fantastic authors and reading events, a supportive and knowledgeable community, large windows, cozy sitting space, and, of course, squishables (those plush, marshmallow-shaped stuffed animals – more on those for another day). But hands down, one of the coolest parts of Flyleaf is Sally Stollmack.

For those of you have not yet met Sally, she’s the petite, super cool bookseller who probably knows everyone in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. (One day during the holiday season, Land and Mike kept a running total to see how many customers she knew – they lost count). Seriously, Sally is like sunshine; she’s always upbeat and has such a great personality. But before she was a bookseller, Sally sold her jewelry at Flyleaf not only in glass displays, but also during her Kitchen Jewelry Trunk Show. Her next show is this Saturday, March 19th from Noon-4:00pm and she’ll have exquisite jewelry in addition to some pretty nifty and chic handbags and clutches. All the jewelry is specialty made by artists from all over the world. Here are a few pictures of jewelry, handbags, and clutches she’ll be selling on Saturday. Hope to see you there!





--Ana

Meet Tom Angleberger, the author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda -- Monday, March 14th at 7:00pm

Let’s face it: school can be tough, especially when your classmates designate you as the grade-school pariah. That’s what Tommy thinks of Dwight, the goofy and awkward kid of McQuarrie Middle School. One day, Dwight creates an Origami Yoda and the Origami Yoda suddenly offers profound – and correct! – advice for Dwight and Tommy’s classmates. But Tommy is left wondering whether these words of wisdom are really coming from Yoda… or if Dwight is a misunderstood genius.

Stop by Flyleaf on Monday, March 14^th at 7:00pm and meet Tom Angleberger, the author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. As you can see, the Flyleaf staff is very excited about this event. Hope to see you there!

--Ana

When I moved to North Carolina a little over five years ago, I had very little knowledge of the state’s plethora of accomplished writers. Working in a bookstore quickly changed my perception of this state’s literary prowess (not to mention watching authors – New York Times Bestsellers, NPR notables, award winners, and even a New Yorker “20 Under 40” – peruse our shelves).

In honor of our local writers from Thomas Wolfe to Wells Tower, from the mountains to the coast, we’ve constructed a table to celebrate our fabulous novelists, poets, essayists, and memoirists. Now this isn’t just any ordinary table; a plain table sprinkled with books isn’t really all that original or spectacular, right? So why not make a table unique to both our state and our writers? Bookseller/artist extraordinaire Molly was all for this project. After a few minutes of searching for recycled material, construction paper, and lots of tape we soon had our spiffy North Carolina table. Here are the results!

The Mountains


The Piedmont


The Coast


Stop on by Flyleaf Books if you’d like to see our table in 3D (it’s all the rage now, apparently) or leave a comment and let us know which North Carolinian authors you adore.

--Ana