Rhody Reads: Six Staff Picks from Wakefield Books

One of the perks of working at a bookstore is having the opportunity to read a lot, and to then recommend those books to customers. The Staff Favorites display at Wakefield Books features a wide variety of genres, and our chosen titles routinely become top sellers in the store. With that in mind, we’re sharing six of our recent picks – from nonfiction and historical fiction to thrillers and sci-fi – with a recommendation from each of our staff members. We firmly believe that an online algorithm will never be able to compete with personal endorsement from booklovers and booksellers, and whether it’s Wakefield Books or another indie, we encourage you to shop at your favorite local bookstore this holiday season (and every season!).

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger is an atmospheric mystery set in southern Minnesota in the late ‘50s as people were picking their lives back up after two wars, and prejudices ran deep. When a prominent townsperson is found dead on the riverbank, suspicion immediately turns to Noah Bluestone, a Native American, and the wife he brought home from Japan after WWII. Krueger made me feel as if I was there in the little town of Jewel on the Alabaster River; the way he describes the setting is magical. – Sue Martin, buyer/bookseller

Set in Washington, DC 1950, The Briar Club: A Thrilling and Powerful Story of Female Friendships and Secrets by Kate Quinn begins as police are called to a female boardinghouse to investigate a disturbance, and discover a body in the attic. I was fascinated by this look into the turbulent years when Senator Joseph McCarthy’s ravings against the “Red Menace” infiltrated the country. By including recipes from the dinners and songs to be played while eating them, Quinn allows readers to truly join the party with this eclectic group who come together to form a strong sisterhood.

Fans of Elizabeth Strout will be happy to return to Crosby, Maine and its beloved cast of characters in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tell Me Everything, as they deal with a shocking crime in their midst and contemplate the great unanswered question: “What does anyone’s life mean?” Strout’s writing style has an almost lyrical quality, and is imbued with warmth. As with all her books, she shines a light here onto all facets of the human experience, sharing the stories of ordinary people in the most extraordinary way.  – Michelle San Antonio, events/marketing

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune finds Linus Baker thinking he’s content at his job as a caseworker for magical youth until he meets the children and headmaster of the Marsyas Island Orphanage. These six “dangerous” children and their enigmatic caretaker quickly put things into perspective for Linus, and in this highly anticipated sequel, he finds himself fighting for their right to simply exist as children. Full of unique magical gifts and lyrical writing, this and House in the Cerulean Sea are two of my favorite books. – Carrie Giarrusso, bookseller

I love biographies, and this one is especially great. In An Ordinary Man, The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford, Richard Norton Smith reveals a man who never dreamed of being President, and yet once he became our 38th, he did so many remarkable things, beginning with his pardon of Nixon, his support of the Equal Rights Amendment, and his 1975 Act supporting the education of children with disabilities. Some of these positions were unpopular with the conservative members of his party, yet Ford’s conscience led him to act despite the political damage. – Kim Knowlton, buyer/bookseller

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss is a comprehensive yet warm-hearted history of the American bookstore. The author profiles bookstores of various sizes and types in all of their idiosyncratic glory, and illustrates how bookselling, publishing, and readers have evolved in what has become, in many ways, an odds-defying business through which a bookseller must navigate with a combination of both art and science. Reading this book was as delightful as exploring your favorite bookstore, or discovering a new one. – Bob Ryan, owner/manager