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Odyssey Gallery
Pictures of recent events
The Odyssey Bookshop is one of five independent
bookstores participating in WAMC's Roundtable on Tuesday mornings,
just after the 10:00 news. People from the Odyssey will be on about once a
month, talking about our favorite books.
Click
here to see the list of the books we have talked about.
The Odyssey Bookshop
9 College St.
S. Hadley, MA 01075
413-534-7307
800-540-7307
fax 413-532-3654
email odysseybks@aol.com
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Emily R.'s picks
Click on any book to order
Back to staff
list
 CHANGE
OF HEART
by Jodi Picoult.
Like her previous novels, Picoult's latest endeavor is a pleasantly
easy read that is peppered with philosophical issues -- in this case,
the death penalty. Shay is the first death row inmate in the
state of New Hampshire in decades and Claire is the little girl he
wants to donate his heart to upon his execution. When
unexplainable things start happening within the prison walls, warring
factions from all over the US flock to the small NH community to
demand Shay's release as well as his death. Beyond the death
penalty issue, Picoult encourages the reader to suspend disbelief in
the face of everyday miracles and concludes with an epilogue that is
equal parts hope and redemption.
 THE
MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON by
Lauren Groff.
Grad student Willie Upton returns home pregnant to Templeton,
NY, after humiliating herself at an archaeological dig. To her
dismay, instead of being welcomed with unconditional support, her
mother surprises Willie by informing her she was not, in fact, the
issue of a drug-induced orgy with anonymous men and that her father is
living right there in Templeton. Through the use of diaries,
letters, and local archives, Willie brings all of her research skills
to bear to learn his identity, unearthing generations of secrets from
Templeton's most upstanding citizens. This debut novel is a rich
blend of magical realism and historical mystery, where lake monsters
and psychic arsonists meld seamlessly with philandering Town Fathers,
dotty great-aunts, and brutal ancestors, and I think we can expect
great things in the future from this writer.
 GARDENS
OF WATER by Alan Drew. This debut
novel by Alan Drew is exquisite. The book hooks you from page one. Set
in Turkey during the tragic 1999 earthquake, the novel introduces two
families, one Turkish, one American, who struggle to help and understand
each other following the aftermath. The results are both powerful and
devastating at the same time. It’s a truly honest look at how easily
humans can misunderstand each other.
 I’M
LOOKING THROUGH YOU: GROWING UP HAUNTED: A MEMOIR
by
Jennifer Finney Boylan.
Fans of Jenny’s first memoir, She’s Not There won’t
be disappointed by this follow-up title.
And, if you haven’t been introduced to Jenny’s work, I
can’t recommend it highly enough.
Her work is a tribute to the inner soul and proof that no matter
how well you know someone, you can never truly know what lies deep
inside another human being. And,
to me, that knowledge alone should be enough for the human race to act
more kindly to one another.
MUDBOUND
by Hillary Jordan.
This
debut novel from Hillary Jordan is one of the best I’ve read so far
in 2008. Set in rural
Mississippi in the late 1940s, and told from multiple points of view, Mudbound
tells the story of what happens when two broken World War II heros,
one white, one black, befriend each other upon their return home and
the town’s response to their growing friendship.
Mudbound
is a haunting reminder of the intolerance we can and do inflict upon
others. I can only hope we'll look back in another sixty
years as a nation and be just as ashamed of the different kinds of
intolerance we're spreading today.
– Emily Russo (Available March 6)
 AWAY
by Amy Bloom. When Lillian
Leyb’s husband and daughter are killed by Russian militants, she
travels to America to begin a new life. Shortly after her arrival, the
owner of a small New York City theater begins to take a fancy to her,
and Lillian believes she can start anew. However, news from her native
country brings word that her daughter may be alive in Siberia and
Lillian begins a heartbreaking journey through the rugged American West
to be reunited with her daughter. Away is a gritty, honest look
at life for single immigrant women in the 1920s. A stunning read.
THE
ABSTINENCE TEACHER by
Tom Perrotta. When the Tabernacle, a
conservative Christian church, makes its way into a small Northeastern
suburb, the town becomes divided those who believe, and those who
don’t wish to rock the boat. Perrotta has done an excellent job
portraying both sides of this very pertinent and up-to-the-minute debate
between liberals and the Christian right. Perrotta has a knack for
delicately and honestly dealing with sensitive and often
"taboo" issues (Election and Little Children)
and his treatment of this long-standing wall between the two sides is no
different.
 What
is the What? by Dave
Eggers. Although this
latest book by Dave Eggers was published as fiction, his main character,
Valentino Achak Deng, is as real as you or I. Deng was one of the many
young refugees who fled Sudan during its Civil War (1983-2005) and the
story of his journey (which spans the Sudan, Ethopia, Kenya, and the
United States) is absolutely heart-wrenching. Eggers beautifully
captures Deng’s indestructible spirit, and more importantly, makes no
grand illusions as to what happens when these refugees reach
"safety" in the United States. A remarkable read.
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