On the Shelves at Phoenix



On the Shelves at Phoenix

Here at Phoenix, we carry books for all budgets, interests, and ages. If you're not sure which book to choose, just ask one of our knowledgeable booksellers for a recommendation. We pride ourselves on helping you find great reads for yourself, and great gifts for even your "hard-to-fit" friends and family members.

If you have a specific title in mind, feel free to give us a call at 872-7111, and we'll check the shelves for you.  If we don't have it in, we can always special order the book; it will most likely arrive at Phoenix Books in just a few days.

You can even order online while still supporting your local, independent bookstore.  Find out more here.

Staff Picks & Books We Can't Wait to Read


A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan
Jennifer Egan's spellbinding interlocking narratives circle the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other's pasts, the reader does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs, over many years, in locales as varied as New York, San Francisco, Naples, and Africa.  Check out this glowing review from the New York Times.


Tinkers, by Paul Harding
When you travel with a tinker, by horse and cart, through early 20th century rural New England,  you will learn the intricacies of building a bird nest, the workings of a clock, how to pull a tooth or give a haircut.
Tinkers is a stunning book.  The author's weaving back through time is seamless, his descriptions of nature, and the nature of things are so original and poetic.    I finished this book, then started reading it again!  Believe me, there is a reason Paul Harding won the Pulitzer for Tinkers, the first novel he's ever written!  --Nora


Burning Bright, by Ron Rash

Rash's expertly crafted stories of Appalachia will resonate with you long after you've read them.

--Katie





Birthmarked, by Caragh O'Brien

As part of her duty as a midwife, Guin, only 16 years old, must "advance" the first three babies born in her sector to the wealthy and powerful Enclave. After her parents disappear, Gaia begins to question her loyalty to those in charge.

If you liked Hunger Games, give Birthmarked a try!

--Beth



The Shadows, by Jacqueline West

Olive is a misfit, even in her own family, but when her parents by an old house with lots of paintings and antique furniture, she finally begins to feel like she belongs.  Unfortunately, not everyone in the house thinks so. With the help of three talking cats and a boy named Mortimer, Olive sets out on an adventure from basement to attic to Elsewhere - the amazing world inside the paintings.

--Rachel O.



Too Much Happiness, by Alice Munro

Canadian writer Munro's collection of stories show how women can transcend the most difficult of circumstances. The examples range from a woman trapped in an emotionally abusive marriage to a young woman who cares for a terminally ill veteran.

--Heather




The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie

The First Law series - my favorite new fantasy series.

Epic in scale, but driven by well-drawn characters and intricate plotting, set in a very well-done sword & sorcery world.

--Tod




The Lace   ReaderThe Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry
Towner Whitney hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations - secrets that are only now coming to light. This "[u]nusual and otherworldly" tale is "a gorgeously written literary novel that's also a doozy of a thriller, capped with a jaw-dropping denouement that will leave even the most careful reader gasping" (Kirkus Reviews, Dallas Morning News). "Evocative, smart, layered, and astonishing," with a vivid sense of place and strong, complex, and "intriguingly real" characters, this book is an ideal choice for book clubs (Joshilyn Jackson, San Antonio Express-News). --Kristen


American GodsAmerican Gods, by Neil Gaiman
A
merican Gods contains both the magical and the mundane, a fantastic world of divine beings and bizarre happenings and a world of prisons, rundown roadside attractions, and quaint small towns.  It is, in many ways, a classic road trip novel through an America at once eerily familiar and utterly alien. A double-staff pick, Bridget calls this a "must-read for any self-respecting sci-fi/fantasy fan," while Kristen adds anyone with an interest in mythology or magical realism to that list.



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