Dockside Bookshop Book Picks Are In
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. We will gladly order any books you want. E-mail dockside@islands.vi
Mon. through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sat. – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
774-4937
E-mail: dockside@islands.vi
BOOK PICK’S FOR THE SEASON
“The End of Your Life Book Club” by Will Schwalbe, hardcover, $25.00
"What are you reading?"
That’s the question Will Schwalbe asks his mother, Mary Anne, as they sit in the waiting room of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In 2007, Mary Anne returned from a humanitarian trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan suffering from what her doctors believed was a rare type of hepatitis. Months later she was diagnosed with a form of advanced pancreatic cancer, which is almost always fatal, often in six months or less.
This is the inspiring true story of a son and his mother, who start a "book club" that brings them together as her life comes to a close. Over the next two years, Will and Mary Anne carry on conversations that are both wide-ranging and deeply personal, prompted by an eclectic array of books and a shared passion for reading. Their list jumps from classic to popular, from poetry to mysteries, from fantastic to spiritual. The issues they discuss include questions of faith and courage as well as everyday topics such as expressing gratitude and learning to listen. Throughout, they are constantly reminded of the power of books to comfort us, astonish us, teach us, and tell us what we need to do with our lives and in the world. Reading isn’t the opposite of doing; it’s the opposite of dying.
Will and Mary Anne share their hopes and concerns with each other — and rediscover their lives — through their favorite books. When they read, they aren’t a sick person and a well person, but a mother and a son taking a journey together. The result is a profoundly moving tale of loss that is also a joyful, and often humorous, celebration of life: Will’s love letter to his mother, and theirs to the printed page.
“Master of the Mountain” by Henry Wiencek, hardcover, $28.00
Is there anything new to say about Thomas Jefferson and slavery? The answer is a resounding yes. "Master of the Mountain," Henry Wiencek’s eloquent, persuasive book–based on new information coming from archaeological work at Monticello and on hitherto overlooked or disregarded evidence in Jefferson’s papers–opens up a huge, poorly understood dimension of Jefferson’s world. We must, Wiencek suggests, follow the money.
So far, historians have offered only easy irony or paradox to explain this extraordinary Founding Father who was an emancipationist in his youth and then recoiled from his own inspiring rhetoric and equivocated about slavery, who enjoyed his renown as a revolutionary leader yet kept some of his own children as slaves. But Wiencek’s Jefferson is a man of business and public affairs, who makes a success of his debt-ridden plantation thanks to what he calls the "silent profits" gained from his slaves–and thanks to a skewed moral universe that he and thousands of others readily inhabited. We see Jefferson taking out a slave-equity line of credit with a Dutch bank to finance the building of Monticello and deftly creating smoke screens when visitors are dismayed by his apparent endorsement of a system they thought he’d vowed to overturn. It is not a pretty story. Slave boys are whipped to make them work in the nail factory at Monticello that pays Jefferson’s grocery bills. Parents are divided from children–in his ledgers they are recast as money–while he composes theories that obscure the dynamics of what some of his friends call "a vile commerce."
Many people of Jefferson’s time saw a catastrophe coming and tried to stop it, but not Jefferson. The pursuit of happiness had been badly distorted, and an oligarchy was getting very rich. Is this the quintessential American story?
“Thomas Jefferson – The Art of Power” by Jon Meacham, hardcover, $35.00
In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "American Lion" and "Franklin and Winston" brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power" gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
Thomas Jefferson hated confrontation, and yet his understanding of power and of human nature enabled him to move men and to marshal ideas, to learn from his mistakes, and to prevail. Passionate about many things–women, his family, books, science, architecture, gardens, friends, Monticello, and Paris–Jefferson loved America most, and he strove over and over again, despite fierce opposition, to realize his vision: the creation, survival, and success of popular government in America. Jon Meacham lets us see Jefferson’s world as Jefferson himself saw it, and to appreciate how Jefferson found the means to endure and win in the face of rife partisan division, economic uncertainty, and external threat. Drawing on archives in the United States, England, and France, as well as unpublished Jefferson presidential papers, Meacham presents Jefferson as the most successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps in all of American history.
The father of the ideal of individual liberty, of the Louisiana Purchase, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and of the settling of the West, Jefferson recognized that the genius of humanity–and the genius of the new nation–lay in the possibility of progress, of discovering the undiscovered and seeking the unknown. From the writing of the Declaration of Independence to elegant dinners in Paris and in the President’s House; from political maneuverings in the boardinghouses and legislative halls of Philadelphia and New York to the infant capital on the Potomac; from his complicated life at Monticello, his breathtaking house and plantation in Virginia, to the creation of the University of Virginia, Jefferson was central to the age. Here too is the personal Jefferson, a man of appetite, sensuality and passion.
The Jefferson story resonates today not least because he led his nation through ferocious partisanship and cultural warfare amid economic change and external threats, and also because he embodies an eternal drama, the struggle of the leadership of a nation to achieve greatness in a difficult and confounding world.
“Purpose – An Immigrant’s Story” by Wyclef Jean with Anthony Bozza, hardcover, $26.99
Wyclef Jean is one of the most influential voices in hip-hop. He rocketed to fame in the 1990s with the Fugees, whose multiplatinum album, "The Score," would prove a landmark in music history, winning two Grammys and going on to become one of the bestselling hip-hop albums of all time. In "Purpose," Wyclef recounts his path to fame from his impoverished childhood in "Baby Doc" Duvalier’s Haiti and the mean streets of Brooklyn and Newark to the bright lights of the world stage.
The son of a pastor and grandson of a Vodou priest, Wyclef was born and raised in the slums of Haiti, moving with his family to New York when he was nine. He lived in Brooklyn’s notorious Marlboro projects until his father, Gesner Jean, took them to Newark, where he converted a burnt-out funeral home into a house for his family and a church for his congregation. But life in New Jersey was no easier for Wyclef, who found it hard to shake his refugee status. HE was forced to act as a literal and cultural translator for his parents while still trying to master English himself. Wyclef soon learned that fitting in would be a constant struggle. He made his way by competing in "freestyle" rap battles, eventually becoming the best MC in his school. At the same time, Wyclef was singing in his father’s choir and learning multiple instruments while also avidly exploring funk, rock, reggae, and jazz–an experience that would forever shape his sound. When Wyclef chose to pursue a career in music over attending theological school, Gesner, who hated rap, nearly disowned him, creating a gulf between father and son that would take nearly a decade to bridge.
Within a few short years, Wyclef would catapult to international renown with the Fugees. In "Purpose" he details for the first time ever the inside story of the group: their rise and fall, and his relationships with Pras and Lauryn Hill.
Wyclef also looks back with candor at the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 and his efforts to help rebuild his homeland, including the controversy surrounding YEle, his aid organization, and his exploratory bid for president of the island nation. The story revealed in "Purpose" is one of inspiration, full of drama and humor, told in compelling detail, about the incredible life of one of our most revered musical icons.
“How Children Succeed” by Paul Tough, hardcover, $27.00
Why do some children succeed while others fail?
The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs.
But in "How Children Succeed," Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter most have more to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control.
"How Children Succeed" introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories–and the stories of the children they are trying to help–Tough traces the links between childhood stress and life success. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do–and do not–prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to help children growing up in poverty.
Early adversity, scientists have come to understand, can not only affect the conditions of children’s lives, it can alter the physical development of their brains as well. But now educators and doctors around the country are using that knowledge to develop innovative interventions that allow children to overcome the constraints of poverty. And with the help of these new strategies, as Tough’s extraordinary reporting makes clear, children who grow up in the most painful circumstances can go on to achieve amazing things.
This provocative and profoundly hopeful book has the potential to change how we raise our children, how we run our schools, and how we construct our social safety net. It will not only inspire and engage readers; it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.
“My Year in Meals” by Rachael Ray, hardcover, $29.99
Ever wonder what Rachael Ray cooks when the cameras aren’t rolling? Here she gives you an inside look into her kitchen for one full year. "My Year in Meals "offers intimate access to tasty dishes that will take you from breakfast to dinner. From the meals she whips up at a moment’s notice to family feasts, and dishes inspired by her travels around the world, you can now enjoy twelve incredible months of Rachael’s homemade favorites.
Need something to get you out of bed in the morning? Try the Almond Custard Brioche Toast or Eastern Egg Sandwiches with Bacon. Looking to fire up that backyard barbecue? Try the Baby Back Ribs with Bourbon BBQ sauce. For something simple that will knock your guests’ socks off, try Rachael’s Egg Tagliatelle with Truffle Butter and Butternut Squash Risotto. Rachael even shares her husband John Cusimano’s amazing cocktail recipes, guaranteeing that you’ll never reach for store-bought Margarita mix again. To top it off, Rachael includes personal stories behind many of the dishes and her own never-before-seen photos of these culinary creations. In no time at all, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into "her "home for a change!
A year of delicious food is only enhanced by a selection of equally tasty cocktails, and Rachael’s husband, John Cusimano, is no stranger to the cocktail shaker. Now he’s sharing his secrets with you. Whether shaken or stirred, straight up or on the rocks, with a cherry or a twist, John’s creations–like his Strawberry Velvet featuring honey liqueur, strawberries, and lime–are always fresh, fun, and certain to make any gathering more memorable. With plenty of options for every occasion and season, such as the Pomegranate Margarita, the Halloween Fizz, and the Nod to Nog, these fabulous concoctions are the perfect complement to Rachael’s year of great eating.
“Christmas in the Kitchen” by Southern Living, trade paper, $24.95
Readers trust "Southern Living" for all the best holiday recipes, entertaining, and decorating ideas. With this book, readers will enjoy all the tips, ideas, and recipes needed to prepare amazing holiday meals.
“Nutcracker Story Book Set Advent Calendar,” Calendar, $15.95
Advent Begins December 1st.
The beloved Christmas classic retold in 24 miniature story books, each suitable for use as a Christmas tree ornament.
Featuring: Marie, Herr Drosselmeyer, The Nutcracker, The Mouse King, The Prince, The Sugar Plum Fairy, Mother Ginger and The Cavalier
WE HAVE A NEW AND EXPANDED SALE SECTION FILLED WITH EXCITING BOOKS FOR ALL AGES INCLUDING: CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS, EXERCISE, BUSINESS, HISTORY, NONFICTION, LITERATURE, FICTION AND LOTS MORE
