The Bookery So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger Leif Enger's new novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome, is set in the West in 1915 and is rife with Pinkerton detectives, train robbers, cowboys, and sharpshooters, it's a story about finding purpose and redemption in a land of shifting borders, where geography and the new frontier of the West are finding form. In 1915 Minnesota, Monte Becket – “a man fading, a disappointer of persons” – has lost his sense of purpose. His only success long behind him, Monte lives a simple life with his loving wife and whipsmart son. But when he befriends outlaw Glendon Hale, a new world of opportunity and experience presents itself. Glendon has spent years in obscurity, but the guilt he harbors for abandoning his wife, Blue, over two decades ago, has finally lured him from hiding. --from the inside jacket

Port Book and News Dog On It by Spencer Quinn Set in the Valley of an unnamed Western state, Quinn's winning debut introduces one smart canine detective and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency, who's pretty quick on the uptake himself. Chet, a lively mongrel with one white ear and one black ear, serves as the book's narrator, communicating with Bert via doggy methods that verge on the telepathic (I wagged my tail, that quick one-two wag meaning yes, not the over-the-top one that wags itself and can mean lots of things). Wealthy divorcée Cynthia Chambliss hires Bernie, a former cop, to find her missing 15-year-old daughter, Madison, whose father is a real estate developer who smells suspiciously of cat. (Chet's keen sense of smell comes in handy.) When Madison reappears and disappears again, her dad says she's just a runaway, though Bernie thinks otherwise. Chet must use all his superdog tricks to extricate Bernie from a mighty tight fix in a climax that fans of classic mysteries are sure to appreciate.

Brick Road Books The Collector by Jack Nisbet The Collector tracks Douglas' fascinating history, from his humble birth in Scotland in 1799 to his botanical training under the famed William Jackson Hooker to his adventures in North America discovering "exotic" new plants for the English and European market. The book takes readers along on Douglas' journeys into a literal "brave new world" of then-obscure realms from Puget Sound to the Sandwich Islands. In telling Douglas' story, Nisbet evokes a lost world of early exploration, pristine nature, ambition, and cultural and class conflict with surprisingly modern resonances. www.brickroadbooks.com

BookPeople Speaking History by Sue Armitage and Laurie Mercier Sue Armitage and Laurie Mercier new book "Speaking History", the oral histories of the american history 1865-present, features the voices of americans who have lived throught the critical events of our times. It is a thrill to see how this book brings the past to life in linking individual experinces to the larger historical story of our time.

Jerrol's Book and Supply Ashes of Ascension by Tyler Tullis Written by a local author and friend Tyler Tullis, “Ashes of Ascension” completes the saga of Tavin Tieloc as he and his crew attempt to survive as an elemental disorder spreads throughout the land of Iaria. I recommend this book to anyone (especially those who find adventure and suspense irresistible)!

Riverwalk Books Matterhorn - A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes Matterhorn is a marvel--a living, breathing book with Lieutenant Waino Mellas and the men of Bravo Company at its raw and battered heart. Karl Marlantes doesn't introduce you to Vietnam in his brilliant war epic--he unceremoniously drops you into the jungle, disoriented and dripping with leeches, with only the newbie lieutenant as your guide. Mellas is a bundle of anxiety and ambition, a college kid who never imagined being part of a "war that none of his friends thought was worth fighting," who realized too late that "because of his desire to look good coming home from a war, he might never come home at all." A highly decorated Vietnam veteran himself, Marlantes brings the horrors and heroism of war to life with the finesse of a seasoned writer, exposing not just the things they carry, but the fears they bury, the friends they lose, and the men they follow. Matterhorn is as much about the development of Mellas from boy to man, from the kind of man you fight beside to the man you fight for, as it is about the war itself. Through his untrained eyes, readers gain a new perspective on the ravages of war, the politics and bureaucracy of the military, and the peculiar beauty of brotherhood

Inklings Bookshop Every Last One by Anna Quindlen Anna Quindlen's novels are always so comforting. She says things so calmly, clearly & beautifully. Her new novel, Every Last One is perhaps her most serious & timely work of fiction so far. The story is told by Mary Beth . She is a happily married landscaper. Her husband is a successful opthamologist & their marriage is a good one. Their three children, twin boys & a wonderfully artistic daughter are busy with s friends & the coming end of the school year. Half way through the novel an unimaginable event happens & we see through Mary Beth the ways a family deals with guilt, remorse, grief & eventually long slow recovery. This was a very serious & important work of fiction, not to read lightly.

Read it Again Books People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, which was rescued during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna discovers a series of tiny artifacts in the book's ancient binding, she begins to unlock its mysteries, tracing the book's journey from its salvation back to its creation. In Bosnia during WW II, a Muslim risks his life to protect the book from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in a struggle against the city's rising anti-Semitism. In Inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it. Hanna's investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics.

A Book for All Seasons The Raven's Gift: A Scientist, a Shaman, and Their Remarkable Journey Through the Siberian Wilderness by Jon Turk Jon Turk, an established earth science text and adventure travel author, has kayaked around Cape Horn and paddled across the Pacific Ocean; but says the most compelling trip he ever took was his journey as a man of science into the realm of the spiritual. In The Raven's Gift Jon describes his travels across the Siberian tundra, camping with bands of reindeer herders, and recording their lives and spirituality. With the help of a native shaman, Turk connects with the "other world," the spiritual world that incorporates, but also transcends, logic. Framed by high adventure across the vast and forbidding Siberian landscape, The Raven's Gift creates a vision of natural and spiritual realms interwoven by one man's awakening. Jon Turk travels to Leavenworth, WA for free public readings and book-signings September 24 and 25: learn more about these and many other author events at http://abookforallseasons.com.

Adventures Underground The Walking Dead Volume 1; Days Gone by Robert Kirkman The setting is the United States; an epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, and no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living. The Walking Dead Volume 1; Days Gone by Robert Kirkman is a horror series in comic book format. Published September 26th 2006 by Image Comics (first published 2004); paperback, 144 pages