Highland Books

Books we recommend A LOT:

The Help (surprisingly, the movie is almost as good as the book!)

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (easy, enjoyable reading but with a little "meat" to it)

Velva Jean Learns to Drive (and the sequel, just in: Velva Jean Learns to Fly)

Dog On It (detective story narrated by a dog, not as silly as it sounds; and its three sequels)

Odd Thomas (and the rest of the "Odd" series by Dean Koontz)

The River of Doubt (still one of my favorite true-life adventure thrillers, in which Teddy Roosevelt explores the Amazon)

Serena (Ron Rash's WNC novel of a tough as nails woman running a lumber industry near Waynesville)

From the new bestseller shelf:

IRON HOUSE by NC author John Hart (who has already won two Edgar awards for best mystery of the year!):

a riveting thriller following twin boys raised in an abusive orphanage, one adopted into a wealthy family and the other becoming an assasin for the Mob in NYC.  Kidnappings, murders, settling of scores, but also fast-paced, superb writing and character development.

THE GREATER JOURNEY: AMERICANS IN PARIS by top notch historical writer David McCullough.  Unknown to many people is the fact that a large number of American scientists, artists, writers, doctors, architects, and so on, moved to Paris in the last half of the 1800s.  McCullough brings them to life in his weaving together of history, biography, and Paris!  One of our staff says:  "It's probably the best book I've every read."

STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett was a gripping, yet totally entertaining, novel of a young woman sent to the Amazon jungle to find and bring back a fellow scientist who has been incommunicado.  Cannibals, snakes, poison frogs, all add to the excitement!

THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain was so interesting, especially if you like Hemingway or Paris!  It's the story of his first wife and their youthful years in Paris, before he was the well-known writer but was still the bigger-than-life personality.

From the Mystery department:

Here's a very different mystery series:  The Liturgical Mysteries by Mark Schweizer and set in a small town in WNC!  Honestly, I almost fell over laughing at these stories about an Episcopalian choirmaster who fancies himself a mystery writer, hence some of the entries in a type style of old-fashioned typewriters.  This guy has seen it all in terms of the insanities of church life and folk, and he himself gets involved in solving murders while writing his own stories.  Extremely witty.

Jakob Arjouni is a new author for us. His hard-boiled detective (Kemal Kayankaya) is a Turkish immigrant in Frankfurt, now appearing in four novels.  This wisecracking PI runs up against Croatian thugs in KISMET, environmental terrorists in MORE BEER, life in the gritty city, and a new multiculturalism featuring racism and the plight of refugees in Europe.

Since Alexander McCall Smith's original series (#1 Ladies Detective Club) was classified as mysteries, we keep all his books together there, even though the new series, CORDUROY MANSIONS, is not a mystery.  But I love this new series!  His writing is so delightful, and the cast of characters, including one little dog, make this book charming and fun.

From around the store:

A new cookbook, TUPELO HONEY CAFE COOKBOOK, is our new favorite (the book and the Asheville restaurant!)

Those who have tried the recipes say they are very do-able and delicious!

A book we've used for many years has just been updated:  TOURING THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA BACKROADS by Carolyn Sakowski.  She divides the area into 21 different day trips and gives driving directions, natural features (waterfalls, hikes, etc.), historical notes, and interesting tidbits.

And yes, my own book, TRANSYLVANIA MEMORIES, is our bestseller and we do recommend it to just about everyone:  anyone who is from Transylvania and knows the people and places and history; newcomers who want to learn a little of the history of the area; people who grew up elsewhere in the 1920s and 30s and want to compare their memories; and even young folks who want to see what life was like for their grandparents.