RAKESTRAW’S READERS RECOMMEND 

One of the pleasures of shopping in independently owned bookshops is seeing what books the staff recommends. Herewith, we present books from Staff Favorites Tables from around the country, from stores with Book Sense. Of course, we love them too. 

The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri (Norton, $24.95). This first novel tells the story of Vishnu, a poor man who lives and dies on the stairs of a Bombay apartment house. As he remembers his mother and his great love, the lives of the other residents continue quite eventfully. This beautifully formed and carefully expressed work is a remarkable achievement. 

Carla Cohen, Politics & Prose, Washington, DC. 

Storm Riders by Craig Lesley (Picador, $13). Lesley pours it all into this novel; all the doubt, the heartache, and the unknown as he wrestles with a failed marriage and the safety of his children. Throughout, this novel is a search for truth and it deals with life, as it really is, not some whitewashed, watered-down version. It is human without being maudlin, honest without being moralistic. 

Pat Rutledege, A Book for All Seasons, Leavenworth, KS. 

Lying with the Enemy by Tim Binding (Carroll & Graf, $12.95). This novel explores the delicate balance between locals and Nazis on an occupied island in the English Channel during WWII. When a local girl is murdered, the ensuing investigation leads in many directions. I could not recommend this book more highly. 

Deborah Stevens, Toadstool Bookshop, Milford, NH.  

The Lost Glass Plates of Wilfred Eng by Thomas Orton (Counterpoint, $13). Book clubs take note: This book will prompt discussions of early photography, Chinese- American relationships, art dealers, and more. A juicy novel full of history and intrigue.  

Barbara Theroux, Fact & Fiction, Missoula, MT. 

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (Plume, $12). I found the cultural setting and the description of the artist’s methods and tools a wonderful balance to this very simple story of love and worship. 

Nancy Hancher, The Bookshelf, Cinncinati, OH. 

Gob’s Grief by Chris Adrian (Broadway, $24.95). This novel has an exquisite tension that keeps pulling you through; it’s unlike almost anything else I’ve read. There’s Walt Whitman, Victoria Woodhull, the Civil War and the years after, and incredible and fantastical images. If this book doesn’t win some major awards, I’d like to talk to the judges. 

Tom Campbell, Regulator Books, Durham, NC. 

Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen (HarperCollins, $12). It has been nearly 10 years since I read this astonishing novel, but the memory of Mariette’s rapture (whatever its true cause) is still indelible. Hansen’s detailed portrait of convent life is something of a miracle. 

Chuck Pacheco, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA. 

The Strangeness of Beauty by Lydia Minatoya (Norton, $14). As three generations of women living in Japan and America reunite in Japan on the eve of WWII, family bonds, sacred traditions and political strife weave through this delicately crafted novel. I turned these pages with care, as if being abrupt might jar these beautiful words. 

Cherl McKeon, Third Place Books, Lake Forest, WA. 

Ella in Bloom by Shelby Hearon (Knopf, $23). When Hearon is in top form, watch out! This time, her quietly feisty heroine is the proverbial black sheep younger sister who is called back into the family after perfect older sister dies in a mysterious plane crash. Hearon’s writing is so distinctive that even a few paragraphs are delightful. 

Daniel Goldin, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, Milwaukee, WI.