2015 Books To Give At The Holidays.

That Stack Of Books with Nancy Pearl and Steve Scher - The House of Podcasts

We had a lovely group of folks both onstage and in the audience at Town Hall talking about the books they might like to give around the holidays and offering suggestions for new books to add to their stacks.

We will be back at The Bryant Corner Café in January. Check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for dates and times.

The Books Discussed on our Podcast at Town Hall December 13th, 2015

James Crossley of Island Books on Mercer Island.

“Counternarratives”( F), John Keene, a collection of novellas and stories that span the history of America.

“The Fish Ladder: A Journey Upstream”(NF) Katharine Norbury, a poignant memoir if you liked “H is for Hawk”

“Too High and Too Steep,” (NF) by David Williams, the story of how Seattle came to look like Seattle when men with shovels and pressurized water remade the topography of the city.

Marilyn Dahl of Shelf Awareness

“The Jesus Cow,” (F) Michael Perry, is about how people are changed by a birth in a barn on Christmas Eve.

“Little Black Lies,” (F) by Sharon Bolton, is a mystery set on the Falkland Islands.

Jenny Oleinik of University Bookstore

“Hamster Princess: Of Mice and Magic,” (F) by Ursula Vernon, a middle grade children’s book with a sparkly pink cover and an endearing story about a cliff diving young girl. It has great vocabulary, thought ballons and something a boy would like.

“Listen, Slowly,” by Newbury award winner Thanna Lai, feels fresh, accurate and believable as we journey with a 13-year old girl to Vietnam to find out what happened to her Grandfather.

From audience questions:

“Mother Bruce” by Ryan T. Higginsmight just appeal to the 3-5 year old in your gift-giving circle. Clever, tongue and cheek play on Mother Goose.

“Strictly No Elephants,” by Lisa Mantchev is a nice story about kids who start a club for pets of all varieties.

“Bubble Trouble” by Tom Percival is a tale about a young girl that is full of tongue twisters that kids love.

“Aurora” by Kim Stanley Robinson is a new book from the science fiction writer that is always great on the science. The novel takes us on a journey with space colonists to Tau Ceti.

“Luna: New Moon,” by Ian McDonald is about the people who are fighting the moon’s corporate run near-feudal society.

“Seveneves,” Neal Stephenson’s look at the end of the moon and the struggle to survive on the International Space Station.

“Pandora’s Star,” by Peter Hamilton is an older Sci-Fi that still holds up after 10 years.

“ The Oregon Trail,” by Rinker Buck is Nancy Pearl’s go-to non-fiction book of the year. It is an account of a man following the trail more than a century later. It is Rich with history and great stories.

“Winter Wheat” by Mildred Walker. This is a book for people who love Willa Cather. It is a story for folks who grew up on the land in the mid-west.

“The Worst Hard Time,” by Tim Egan. Along with Winter Wheat, a book that gives a sense of the farming life in the U.S.

“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yval Noah Harari tackles the big questions about the ways humans shape and are shaped by the planet.

And if you want to know more about "Radio Sketches" by Steve Scher and Katy Sewall check out our new Facebook page. It has a bunch of doodles. Add your own. And you can buy it on Amazon.

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