Bremerton Staff Picks 2018

“One hundred and eight: That's how many seemingly random predictions come to Will Dando one night in a dream. When they actually begin to occur, he starts selling his critical economic predictions to international interests and makes mountains of money. In the process, though, he also makes powerful enemies- not least of which is the U.S. government. When Will realizes that the dream wasn't as random as it seemed and is forced into hiding, what was almost a lark becomes deadly as he tries to survive long enough to counter the global chaos he's caused. With enough humor to lighten the seriousness of Will's predicament, this debut novel keeps readers guessing right to the surprising end.”

“Elizabeth Acevedo was the perfect choice for the reader of this sensational retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Zuri Benitez absolutely comes to life through her performance. Zoboi's Pride is a fresh yet faithful adaptation of the timeless classic, sure to speak to fans of Austen's original book and introduce a whole new generation to the wit and wisdom of her works. ”

“A fantastic tale of the challenges women face in a mans world. Even though it is set in a time when women wore petticoats, the story is fun and relatable. I recommend this for adults and young adults alike. The reader is very enjoyable!”

“I devoured The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a powerful book based on a true story, in two sittings. Lale, a Slovakian Jew at Auschwitz-Birkenau, becomes the Tatowierer—the man responsible for tattooing every prisoner who arrives at the concentration camp. Seen by some as a collaborator, Lale must make impossible choices to keep himself and his friends alive. Incredibly, Lale tattoos the woman who will become the love of his life. The power of their love in the face of unmitigated horror makes for one of the most compelling WWII books I have ever read.”

“I'm in awe of this audiobook. The author reads it, and his Aussie accent creates a sense of place and person immediately and powerfully. I loved knowing as I listened that he was pronouncing and stressing his words and phrases exactly as he meant them to sound. At times his voice vibrates with deep connection with the characters he's created. The writing is rich and beautiful. I usually read mostly for plot and story, but this book had me slow down and re-listen to bits of it to savor the language and the images. AND the story, the "what happens" is completely engaging. In basic terms, it's about five brothers and their dad and their mom, and it viscerally portrays that world of boys/men so that as I listened, I fully inhabited that world. And, because it draws such a full and compelling portrait of these boys and their experience [especially Clay, the fourth brother], it is also celebrates the girls and women in their universe. It left me with an appreciation of gender differences and of the gloriousness of being human.”

“One of the most horrific chapters in American history is brought back to the national consciousness with alarming detail in Killers of the Flower Moon. After the Osage Indian Nation strikes oil, its members become rich beyond their wildest dreams, only to encounter a vast and murderous conspiracy that will leave more than 60 members of the nation dead. David Grann reconstructs those murders and the subsequent investigations with astonishing care and reveals the depths of a conspiracy that stretched from Oklahoma to Washington, D.C. This story will certainly be one of the most important books of 2017.”

“Elizabeth Lavena's life has never been easy. But when she embarks on a journey to find Victor Frankenstein it's about to get a lot darker. Clever, creepy, and enthralling this re-imagining is a beautiful homage for the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's classic tale.”

“This first novel by nature writer Delia Owens has something for everyone. Fans of poetry, natural history, murder mysteries, southern food, and romance will be caught up in the deeply moving prose and memorable characters. Plus, the narrator adds in the North Carolina accents, too!”

“Imagine if Bram Stoker was forced to cut the first 101 pages of his novel, “Dracula” due to an overly sensitive editor worried about creating a mass panic throughout the streets of London, already overwhelmed with fear over Jack the ripper and the Whitechapel murders? Wouldn’t you wonder what Stoker wasn’t allowed to write? In “Dracul” by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker, a prequel to the 1897 classic, you meet a young and sickly Bram, his inquisitive sister Matilda and their mysterious nanna Ellen in this devilishly dark drama destined to creep out the hardiest of horror fans. Spanning the years of 1854 through 1890, follow the Stoker siblings’ quest to seek answers for the unimaginable horror unearthed one dark and stormy night beginning with Ellen’s disappearance and ending with Bram stake in hand. It’s Gothic lore at its most gruesome and it’s great!”

“Yeoman warder Christopher Skaife describes himself as being ornithivorous in relation to his job, inhaling all that there is about ravens, no matter the area of study (science, mythology, art, etc.). And while he covers some of those topics in this book, it’s his personal stories that kept me reading late into the night. Skaife’s voice will rumble in your head and you’ll feel like you’re just swapping stories over a pint with a friend.”

“This book made me cry. I felt so deeply for Sadie as she goes in search of the man who hurt her sister. Sadie goes on a journey from place to place, fighting against her severe stutter along the way, all to find one man. I think the framing of this story was PERFECT. The author splits the narrative between a radio presenter, West McCray, as he investigates Sadie’s disappearance, and the first person perspective of Sadie herself, as she hunts down her sister’s killer. If you like gripping, emotional reads, don't miss this one.”

“A sprawling fantasy teeming with deep and meaningful magic. One of the things I like most about this debut is that it raises very real and important issues of our time through multiple character's perspectives. No character is one-dimensional, and every character must learn from failure and introspection to become who they were meant to be.”

“I never understood what it meant for someone's writing to be 'lyrical' until I picked up Red Clocks. With beautiful prose, Leni Zumas tells the story of a young girl seeking an abortion in a world where abortion is illegal and dangerous; a woman on the quest to have children when in-vitro fertilization is illegal and folks aren't allowed to adopt without a partner; a woman in a dead-end marriage desperate to escape from her husband and children; and a woman considered a witch by most who provides homeopathic reproductive healthcare, including illegal abortions. Zumas beautifully weaves these stories together and gives each individual a strong and unique voice, while also maintaining suspended disbelief. These characters felt real and this world felt possible. I suspect this will be one of the best books published in 2018.”

“What does a small-town dentist, an unqualified medical examiner and the Mississippi criminal justice system have in common? They’re a part of a good ole boy network obsessed with mass incarceration and the death penalty, rampant racism and corrupt court judges consumed with closing cases at any cost. Not to mention the wrongly convicted men paying the price for other perpetrators crimes, many of them still sitting on death row today. “The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist,” by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington is a horrifying haunt through a legal system run by unqualified, unconscionable men intent to impart their will on an unwitting society too overwhelmed by titles, accreditations and pseudo-scientific facts to question their motives. Thank goodness Balko and Carrington had the courage to expose these corrupt individuals and hopefully, this book will open a door to investigations in other criminal justice courts across the country.”

“We, your concerned booksellers, want to make sure you are in tip-top reading shape before David Sedaris visits Main Street Books. Much like a runner must train for a marathon, you must exercise your sense of humor, so as not to pull something in David's presence. Tune up your funny bone with Me Talk Pretty One Day, Naked, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, or any of the other great Sedaris collections on Libro.fm. ”