Mostly Books' Blog

June Bestsellers

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:52:39 +0000

Here are our bestsellers for the middle of June:

1 A Serpent’s Tooth by Craig Johnson (autograph copies are available in the store)

2 The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (autographed copies are available in the store)

3 Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

4 World War Z by Max Brooks

5 City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

6 And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

7 Blasphemy by Sherman Alexie

8 Prodigy by Marie Lu

9 Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander by Phil Robertson

10 Dare You To by Katie McGarry

I’ve Got Your Number

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:51:18 +0000

What I love about reading a Sophie Kinsella novel is that I know it will be funny, witty, and a nice escape read. Her latest paperback novel I’ve Got Your Number was exactly what I was looking for to break up all the dystopian novels that I have been reading. Poppy recently got engaged to a fabulous guy who seems to have it all. He is incredibly smart and comes from a family of academic scholars. He even proposed with a special family ring. The downside is that Magnus’ parents seem to think Poppy isn’t right for their son. So needless to say, Poppy finds herself often tongue-tied and awkward around his family. To make matters worse, she lost the priceless heirloom ring. Now she is in a panic to find the ring before Magnus and his family finds out. To complicate matters, someone steals her phone – which is the one place where someone would contact her if they find her ring. But things start to look up when she comes across an abandoned cell phone in a garbage can. Poppy instantly snatches up the phone and suddenly meets Sam. Well, by meet I should say answers a call from Sam. Thus ensues an amusing new tale of how phones can bring people together.

Kinsella often starts out with shallow characters who are only focused on their superficial belongings, but then some event leads them to realize that there is more to life and themselves than they thought. I always enjoy watching her characters grow and develop through the story. My favorite part about this book is all of the texts between Poppy and Sam. Not only were then texts often funny, but it is amazing how much more honest they are with each other. It was also interesting to see how they tended to know each other better through their texts than their actual friends. I’ve Got Your Number is a droll novel that will have you giggling and smiling throughout.

June Bestsellers

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:52:58 +0000

Here are our bestsellers for the beginning of June:

1 Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

2 Poems to Learn by Heart by Caroline Kennedy

3 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

4 Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris

5 Inferno by Dan Brown

6 Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

7 The Schwa was Here by Neal Schusterman

8 As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson

9 If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

10 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

New Releases

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:49:04 +0000

Here are a few new releases for the week:

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards (This is the second book in the Black City Series)

The Apprentices by Maile Meloy

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (paperback)

New Releases

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Fri, 31 May 2013 12:00:20 +0000

Here are a few new releases for the week:

Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman

Wings of Fire by T Tui Sutherland (This is book 3 in the Wings of Fire series)

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (paperback)

As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson (paperback)

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (paperback)

New Releases

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:29:01 +0000

Here are a few new releases for the week:

And the Mountain Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo (the latest Harry Hole novel)

Storm Front by Richard Castle (this the first printed novel featuring Derrick Storm)

A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

The Second Empress by Michelle Moran (paperback)

True Sisters by Sandra Dallas (paperback)

May Bestsellers

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:57:44 +0000

Here are our bestsellers for the middle of May:

1 The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

2 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

3 Inferno by Dan Brown

4 Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

5 Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

6 Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

7 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

8 Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny

9 A Feast of Crows by George RR Martin

10 One Summer: The Blue Bistro and the Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand

The Beach Club

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:54:23 +0000

I love Elin Hilderbrand’s books and I really can’t express this enough. Her novels are always set in Nantucket and have characters who are at a turning point in their lives. The stories are wonderful contemporary fiction that leaves me smiling. The Beach Club is her fist novel and tells the stories of the staff of one of Nantucket’s best hotels. Bill and Therese have own the Beach Club for years. In fact, it has been in Bill’s family for three generations. The plan is to give the hotel and club to their daughter, Cecily, after she finishes college. Bill’s health is starting to decline so it is looking like Cecily will have to take on the responsibility sooner. Mack is their hotel manager and is a charming and efficient employee. He makes all of the guest feel welcome and at home, and everyone loves him. It seems highly unlikely that the hotel would function or succeed without Mack’s hard work. His girlfriend Maribel doesn’t work at the Beach Club, but her life is wrapped up in the hotel due to her relationship with Mack. Vance has been the head bellman for the Beach Club for the past twelve years even though he had applied for the manager’s job. Needless to say, this has been an enormous thorn in his paw. Jem and Love are new to the island and the Beach Club. They are both excited for their season on the island and have big expectations. Lacey doesn’t work at the hotel, but she might as well. She is their oldest club member and frankly the one person everyone goes to for advice. Things are changing for everyone and they can feel a storm is brewing.

This was a great story. It had all the qualities that are quintessentially Hilderbrand: relationship drama, feelings of being lost in life, and a huge emphasis on the island and food. It seems that every year in May I have to read one of Hilderbrand’s novels. For some reason, this is what starts my move into summer reading. She never disappoints me and I finish a book feeling good about life. I always recommend her books when someone asks me for a nice read or a book to just get lost in for a few hours.

Rage Against the Dying

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:13:23 +0000

Becky Masterman’s debut novel Rage Against the Dying is a hair raising mystery set right in our back yard. Pushed into retirement, former FBI agent Brigid Quinn and her husband are starting to settle down in Tucson and live a quiet life. Brigid has decided retirement isn’t so bad and is starting to rather like her quiet life , but then her past finds her. Now she finds herself involved with an old unsolved case that was rather gruesome and horrific. A man has come forwarded claiming to have been the Route 66 killer that Brigid spent years searching for. He evens tells the FBI that he knows where Brigid’s missing protegee has been taken and will help them find her. Of course, the new FBI agent on the case believes the confession to be a fake, leaving it all up to Brigid to once and for all close this deadly case.

Materman’s writing style is compelling. She weaves in and out of the past and present flawlessly, making the reader unable to put the book down. She also uses multiple narrators to tell the story, giving you a complete look at what is happening. This book has a few graphic and intense moments that will both make you both cringe and keep reading to find out what happens. I was utterly immersed in the story from the first paragraph and all the way through the book. And of course, I loved that it took place in Tucson. Somehow it just makes the story that much better when I know the setting. Be sure to get Masterman’s novel, this is an author to start looking for.

Widow Waltz

Mostly Books - Tucson, AZ — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:55:08 +0000

Sally Koslow’s novel The Widow Waltz is a great read that really looks at family relationships and the support that can be drawn from each other. Georgia Waltz has the perfect life in New York city with her attorney husband and two daughters. One of her daughters is living abroad in Paris and the other is attending Stanford. Everything seems to be in order for the Waltz family, but everything changes after her husband suddenly dies from a heart attack. This alone is enough to put the family in turmoil, but soon they discover that there is no money, their New York apartment and the beach house in the Hamptons are mortgaged to the hilt and they have no idea what Ben did with all of their money. Forced to change her life completely, Georgia sets out to find a way to support her daughters while trying to discover her late husband’s secrets.

I really like this novel. Koslow’s characters are transformed by the end of the novel, not only individually but in their relationships with each other. It was encouraging to see how everyone learns to adapt, even if reluctantly, and becomes a family again. This is a great summer read when you are ready to sit back and escape your daily life for a few hours.

The Widow Waltz will be on sale June 13th so pre-order today.