Terry's Traffic Light Delights

Mystery & Suspense 

A heroine who comes from a family of thieves, a mystery involving a missing Agatha Christie play, an avid (and cranky) book collector, a hunky librarian, quirky relatives, and an intriguing young detective. What more could you ask for in a new series? Jordan Bingham has returned to Harrison Falls, New York and is living with the not-too-law-abiding uncles who raised her. She is in debt and in need of a job. So even though that job comes from Vera Van Alst, the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls, Jordan is intrigued and has the right skill set (and connections) to hunt down the aforementioned missing manuscript. Which is why it was March’s Fantastic First Cozy Mystery pick!

– Terry

Curated Fiction 

Any novel by Kent Haruf is a gift and Benediction is no exception. Once again, Haruf tells an extraordinary story about ordinary people, their lives, loves, and heartbreak. In the small town of Holt, Colorado, the plains and mountains are more plentiful than the inhabitants. This is where “Dad” Lewis has just returned home after being informed that he is dying. As his family and community surround him in his final days, the granddaughter of their neighbor becomes an integral part of their community, just one example of the cycle of life that this book so beautifully addresses. As many of the characters reminisce about their past, we learn their history and that of the town that will always be their home. This is a book to savor.

– Terry

Curated Fiction 

This emotional rollercoaster of a novel describes one women’s journey from a complete loss of memory to self-discovery, only made possible by the events that triggered her amnesia. Lucie Walker is almost 40, two months away from marrying her long-term fiancé, and an uber-focused entrepreneur with a less-than-likeable personality, who must begin life again because she remembers absolutely nothing about herself or her past. When she moves back to her home with fiancé Grady, she finds that her new self is nothing like the person she once was. Love Water Memory is the story of how she reconciles her past to her present, in complete awareness of the risks to her sanity.

I have long admired Jennie as a writer and a person and her latest novel warmed my heart for both.

– Terry

This especially engaging debut will thrill fans of the ultimate caper movies like Oceans 11, 12, and 13 and The Italian Job. A Ghostman is someone who can disappear … completely … from everyone’s radar. In fact in this first entry by Hobbs we never learn the Ghostman’s real name,  only that for this particular job, he has taken on the persona of Jack Morton. “Jack” is bored because he has been hiding out for over six months. When he gets a call from Marcus Hayes who wants him to fix a bank heist gone very wrong, “Jack” agrees to help him for a variety of reasons. As “Jack” heads out to Atlantic City to figure out where two of the people involved in a robbery/shoot-out have gone (along with the money), we are treated to an insider’s look at bank robberies, how ghostmen work, and a little bit about how this particular ghostman came to be. The action never stops and we can only hope that “Jack” will be back.

– Terry

A book about a young woman who contracts a devastating and undefinable disease is not my normal reading fare. But it unleashed such passion in bookseller and publisher representatives alike that I had to take a look ... and then I read it in practically one sitting. Brain on Fire is at once a compulsive and terrifying read, and a very important book, one I am convinced must be read by as many people as possible. And not for the engrossing play-by-play medical account of Susannah's decent into madness, but as a cautionary tale about our medical system and the importance of finding the right doctor when a diagnosis seems impossible.

In March 2009, something triggered (she still doesn't know what) an autoimmune disease that resulted in Susannah's antibodies literally attacking her brain. The result looked a lot like a very serious mental health issue complete with seizures and delusions. Her journey through madness and back to health is an amazing and mandatory read ... just in case someone you know displays similar symptoms. It also gives us an understanding of the way the medical community works and doesn't work.

- Terry

Signed copies available while supplies last.

This is also the contemporary story of a young woman whose father deserted their family four years ago. Her search brings her to Burma (now the Republic of Myanmar) where she meets U Ba, an aging Burmese man who knows who she is and why she has traveled to his village.

-- tlg

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, by anyone’s standard, and will have you thinking about your own attachments and priorities. Lucy Bloom is a 40-something mother of a teenager who is in rehab. She has had to sell all of her belongings and her house in order to support his recovery and finds herself with few living/job options. Her published book about clearing out clutter, Things Are Not People, has gotten her a job clearing out the house of the famous, reclusive painter, Marva Meier Rios, who is also a compulsive hoarder. The obstacles Lucy encounters in her personal/work life begin to merge, and discovery and resolution for both Marva and Lucy are what we are rooting for by the end of this readable and enduring novel. — Terry

What a true pleasure it is to read Richard Mason. He seamlessly transports us to a time and place we don’t know and immerses us with astounding accuracy and detail into the lives and minds of Piet Barol and the Vermeulen-Sickerts family. His erotic tale describes in period detail the lifestyle of one high society family and economics of the early 1900s from Amsterdam to New York City to South Africa.
Piet Barol is a charming, beautiful young man who seeks to improve his station in life. He rightfully believes that can do this in the Vermeulen-Sickerts household, one of the richest families in Amsterdam, as a tutor to their troubled 8-year-old son. He makes a lasting impression on everyone he meets and his impact is felt long after he leaves the family to pursue his dreams.  At once a beautifully told, historically fascinating story and a guilty pleasure, Mason’s fourth novel is mesmerizing from page 1 and endures well beyond the last page.  The Lighted Rooms and History of a Pleasure Seeker are the first in a constellation of related novels. The next in the series will follow Piet Barol to South Africa’s Wild Coast. 

It’s a rare thing. But you know when you find it. And when you do, you don’t want to do anything else but read. This happened to me with The Language of Flowers, a book that is as unexpected as it is compelling and currently my favorite book for the Fall.

Diffenbaugh’s extraordinary debut and her protagonist Victoria Jones will leave you breathless with the scope and originality of both. Victoria was abandoned at birth and the story of her childhood in the foster-care system will have you weeping on her behalf. She is a true-to-life character whom you immediately love and root for from the first moment you encounter her. I loved Victoria’s almost mystical relationship with flowers and the messages they deliver. Her love of flowers and their power of communication becomes her salvation and steers her toward the possibility of a plausible future. Most importantly, this is a book about relationships, trust, and bravery. The Language of Flowers captured my heart.

This passage explains the character and message of the book: “For years my message-laden flowers had been faithfully ignored, an aspect of my communication style that gave me comfort. Passion, connection, disagreement, or rejection: None of these was possible in a language that did not elicit a response.” This was the isolated existence of a young woman who could not connect with any person or community. Her journey toward resolving the effects of the foster-care system in which she is raised will leave you deeply affected.

I am not the only one who loved this book. The World Book Night committe selected this book in 2013 and gave away 25,000 copies! -- tlg

This is one of the most richly imagined books I have read in some time. Billed as a Young Adult entry, this engrossing tale of fantasy, romance, war, magic, family, and friendship is one to be savored by readers of all ages. It is powerful on many levels and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

We meet 17-year-old Karou when she is an art student in Prague. She does not know who her real family is and finds it difficult to form attachments to places or people. She is constantly pulled by her other-worldly family to run magical errands all around the world for reasons she does not understand. It is also the story of the angel Akiva who Karou meets while on an errand in Morocco. This sets off a series of events which leads both characters to delve deeply into their pasts and unwind the mystery that binds them. In Daughter of Smoke and Bone a world where war between two cultures is the norm and peace an unimagined goal is seamlessly integrated with our own.

Ending this book is a heart break. Looking forward to the sequel is a joy. Meet the creator of all of these worlds on October 24 at the Redondo Beach store. -- tlg