Dockside Bookshop Book Picks

Here is where you will find what’s new at St. Thomas’s well-known Dockside Bookshop at Havensight Mall. Every week you will find new titles to peruse. Look for updates of our “picks” for fiction and non-fiction.

Mon., Wed., Thurs, Sat. – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tues. and Fri. – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sun. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

774-4937

E-mail: dockside@islands.vi

Fiction

In The Dirty Divorce part 1 and 2 readers were at the edge of their seats, addicted to the Sanchez family drama. The Dirty Divorce Part 3 begins with Rich instantly having a mark for death sentence placed on his head. He’s faced with his biggest nightmare when secrets are revealed that he thought were buried. While Lisa spirals out of control more than ever, Marisol and Rich battle their way to be the top dog in the industry that has made their lives a living hell. More than ever, they learn that karma is a vicious cycle. The lifestyle of fast money and luxurious things will never prepare them for the new drama that is about to unfold. Get ready for another shocker full of disbelief as you take the final ride.

America has a huge problem. It faces four major challenges on which its future depends, and it is failing to meet them. In That Used to Be Us, Thomas L. Friedman, one of our most influential columnists, and Michael Mandelbaum, one of our leading foreign policy thinkers, analyze those challenges—globalization, the revolution in information technology, the nation’s chronic deficits and its pattern of energy consumption—and spell out what we need to do now to rediscover America and rise to this moment.
They explain how the end of the Cold War blinded the nation to the need to address these issues. They show how our history, when properly understood, provides the key to addressing them, and explain how the paralysis of our political system and the erosion of key American values have made it impossible for us to carry out the policies the country needs. They offer a way out of the trap into which the country has fallen, which includes the rediscovery of some of our most valuable traditions and the creation of a new, third-party movement. That Used to Be Us is both a searching exploration of the American condition today and a rousing manifesto for American renewal.
“As we were writing this book,” Friedman and Mandelbaum explain, “we found that when we shared the title with people, they would often nod ruefully and ask: ‘But does it have a happy ending?’” Our answer is that we can write a happy ending, but it is up to the country—to all of us—to determine whether it is fiction or nonfiction. We need to study harder, save more, spend less, invest wisely and get back to the formula that made us successful as a country in every previous historical turn. What we need is not novel or foreign, but values, priorities, and practices embedded in our history and culture, applied time and again to propel us forward as a country. That is all part of our past. That used to be us and can be again—if we will it.”

St. Croix – Historic Photos takes us back in time to the 1860s – 1917, a period when St. Croix was part of The Danish West Indies. The three islands were sold in 1917. The text and the photos tell the story of the inhabitants’ lives on the brink of agricultural, social and economic change. The photos give a hint of the labor tensions of 1878 and 1916, underscoring the need to replace the old plantation culture with more modern agricultural production. Many subjects are covered, from the sharp realism in the sugar fields to the leisurely free time of the planter family. The book, written both in English and Danish, documents in an exciting and relevant way a forgotten part of the Danish history. The numerous photos, the majority of which have never been published before, bring the reader back in time, but one can clearly recognize St. Croix of today. Elizabeth Rezende, a St. Croix resident, is an anthropologist specializing in the Danish West Indies. Anne Walbom has for many years been a Danish West Indian expert and is the president of The Danish West Indian Society.

Remembering Family: A Crucian Sojourn highlights the intricacies and value of family. With a touch of humor, the author recalls stories specific to each member. The deep caring, support and nurturing aspects are embedded within this family as they interact, celebrate and grieve. They not only embrace each other but also those within the closely-knit Crucian community. Each section ends with a poem, insightfully written by her brother Marvin, and invites the reader to view the uniqueness of personalities and places. The author, a Crucian herself and part of the family, underscores how family members can embrace, persevere, and blossom through love and faith. The author, a retired educator, has served as teacher, guidance counselor and counseling supervisor.

Assembled chronologically, this anthology of article excerpts, essays and personal narratives deconstructs the events of September 11-17 in words and pictures. Packaged with the book is a DVD, a document of events extracted from the CBS News Archives. The DVD opens with Dan Rather and a CBS News special report, including clips of Bryant Gumbel on the phone with eyewitnesses five minutes after the first crash. Among the dedicated CBS reporters covering the tragedy was Carol Marin, who fled the WTC collapse and continued uptown to the CBS News studio, still covered in dust and debris when she went on the air with Rather. Equally memorable is Ed Bradley’s lengthy video coverage of the "thousands of volunteers who were drawn by an overwhelming urge to help" in the rescue efforts. Several short pieces in the book are by CBS correspondents, and these abbreviated accounts, edited down and rewritten, are weak alongside the same material on the DVD. The articles and excerpts from magazines and newspapers include standout selections by Anna Quindlen, Pete Hamill and David Grann. David Letterman’s September 17 talk with a weeping Dan Rather and the Naudet brothers’ acclaimed September 11 documentary were peaks of the CBS coverage, both with huge ratings, and many will be disappointed by their conspicuous absence from this DVD.

It’s war time, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village where they’ve recently bought a home. But from the minute they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owners’ son, who died by drowning.

With the help of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the strange circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called the Prince of Mist — a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. Soon the three friends find themselves caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and an enchanted stone garden — an adventure that will change their lives forever.

THE HELP–$7.99

by Kathryn Stockett

THREE STATIONS–$7.99

by Martin Cruz Smith

RESCUE ME–$7.99

by Anita Shreve

WORTH DYING FOR–$7.99

by Lee Child

STAR ISLAND–$7.99

by Carl Hialeah