2016 is moving quickly!

Movie award season is in full swing. The Golden Globes and The Screen Actors Guild Awards have been handed out. The Oscars are coming up Feb. 28. A large number of the nominated, and winning, movies and TV series are based on books. Alphabetically by title:

• “The Big Short” : Oscar nominee for writing, and multiple actors nominated.
• “Brooklyn” : Oscar nominee for writing, best picture, and actress.
• “Game of Thrones” : Golden Globe nominee for best TV drama.
• “The Martian” : Golden Globe nominee, best picture; winner, best actor; Oscar nominee for writing, visual effects, sound editing, actor, among others.
• “Outlander” : Golden Globe nominee for best TV drama.
• “The Revenant” : Golden Globe best picture; best director; best visual effects, best actor, among others; Oscar nominee for best picture and best actor.
• “The Room” : Golden Globe winner, best screenplay and best actress; Oscar nominee best picture, best writing and best actress.
• “Wolf Hall” : Golden Globe winner for best TV limited series.

And even more movies based on books are coming up this year. Plenty of time to read the books before you see the movies! Listed by release date:

• “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” Based on the book by Mitchell Zuckoff: “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi,” published September 8, 2015. Movie opened January 15, 2016.
• “The 5th Wave” by Rick Yancey. First in a staff favorite YA series. Movie coming January 22, 2016.

• “The Shannara Chronicles.” A new TV series, began January 5, 2016, based on the best-selling fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. A new edition of “The Elfstones of Shannara” is now in paperback.

• “The Fundamentals of Caring.” The novel: “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving” by Jonathan Evison. Opening in limited release: January 29, 2016. Chosen as the closing-weekend premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
• “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” Jane Austen’s classic tale with a bit of a twist… Movie scheduled for February 5, 2016.
• “The Divergent Series: Book 3: Allegiant” by Veronica Roth. Allegiant [part 1] opens March 18, 2016. [Part 2, movie titled Ascendant, to be released on June 6, 2017.]
• “The BFG” by Roald Dahl. Movie opening March 23, 2016.
• “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling. Scheduled to open April 15, 2016.
• “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins. Movie scheduled for release October 7, 2016.
• “Inferno” by Dan Brown. Scheduled release date: October 14, 2016.
• “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” by Ben Fountain. Scheduled for release November 11, 2016.
• “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Rigg. Scheduled for December 25, 2016.

February Events at The Edmonds Bookshop:

Feb. 18, 2016 5-8 p.m. Third Thursday Art Walk Edmonds. We welcome back Seattle author Tracy Weber with her third book, “Karma’s a Killer: A Downward Dog Mystery,” brand new January 8, 2016.

Yoga instructor Kate Davidson is about to discover that when it comes to murder, there’s no place like om. When she agrees to teach doga—yoga for dogs—at a fundraiser for Dogma, a local animal rescue, Kate believes the only real damage will be to her reputation. But when an animal rights protest at the event leads to a suspicious fire and a drowning, a few downward-facing dogs will be the least of Kate’s problems…

Find more information about Tracy Weber, and the first two books in the series on her website.

Feb. 6, 2016. Saturday at noon. An afternoon of Poetry!  Featuring local poets: John Wright, Holly Hughes, Bethany Reid, and Priscilla Long. Poets and poetry on elegy: Remembering, healing, celebrating, honoring.

Feb. 27, 2016. Saturday at noon. We will welcome local author Judith Works and her first book, “Coins in the Fountain,” new in paperback, Jan. 8, 2016.

Innocents Abroad collide with La Dolce Vita when the author and her husband arrive in the ancient city of Rome fresh from the depths of Oregon.
Their story begins with a month trying to sleep on a cold marble floor wondering why they came to Rome. It ends with a hopeful toss of coins in the Trevi Fountain to ensure their return to the Eternal City for visits. Ten years of pasta, vino, and the sweet life weren’t enough.
Part memoir, part travelogue, “Coins in the Fountain” will amuse and intrigue you with the stories of food, friends, and the adventures of a couple who ran away to join the Circus (the Circus Maximus, that is).

Visit her website for all kinds of great information!

February 2016 Book Club Book.

Feb. 4 & 17, 2016. “Euphoria” by Lily King. The award-winning author’s new novel is the story of three young, gifted anthropologists in the 1930s caught in a passionate love triangle that threatens their bonds, their careers, and, ultimately, their lives.

English anthropologist Andrew Bankson has been alone in the field for several years, studying a tribe on the Sepik River in the Territory of New Guinea with little success. Increasingly frustrated and isolated by his research, Bankson is on the verge of suicide when he encounters the famous and controversial Nell Stone and her wry, mercurial Australian husband Fen. Bankson is enthralled by the magnetic couple whose eager attentions pull him back from the brink of despair. Ultimately, their groundbreaking work will make history, but not without sacrifice.

Inspired by events in the life of revolutionary anthropologist Margaret Mead, this is a captivating story of desire, possession and discovery from one of our finest contemporary novelists.
A Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
There is a great short interview with Lily King about how she came to write this book on her publisher’s website.

We have chosen the books for the first half of 2016! They are listed on our Book Club page.

Recent book releases of note:

“Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. The Japanese decluttering guru has revolutionized homes—and lives—across the world. Now, Kondo presents an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method, with step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets.
“The Guest Room: A Novel” by Chris Bohjalian. From the bestselling author comes a spellbinding tale of a party gone horribly wrong: two men lie dead in a suburban living room, two women are on the run from police, and a marriage is ripping apart at the seams. Chosen for January IndieBound.
“Inside the O’Briens: A Novel” by Lisa Genova. From the award-winning, bestselling author and neuroscientist comes a new novel that does for Huntington’s disease what her debut novel “Still Alice” did for Alzheimer’s. In paperback.
“Blood on Snow” by Jo Nesbo. Olav Johansen is a walking contradiction: He’s a cold-blooded killer with a heart of gold. Normally this is not a problem. . . .In paperback.
“Black River “ by S. M. Hulse. Shows us the heart and darkness of an American town, and one man’s struggle to find forgiveness in the wake of evil. The staff recommended first novel now in paperback.
“My Name Is Lucy Barton: A Novel” by Elizabeth Strout. A new book by the Pulitzer Prize winner is cause for celebration. In her new novel, this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all—the one between mother and daughter. Chosen for January IndieBound.
“The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain” by Bill Bryson. The hilarious and loving sequel to the hilarious classic of travel writing: “Notes from a Small Island,” Bryson’s valentine to his adopted country of England.
“Even Dogs in the Wild: An Inspector Rebus Mystery” by Ian Rankin. Rebus comes out of retirement…to save his nemesis.

Books of note coming soon:

“The Forgetting Time: A Novel” by Sharon Guskin. Noah wants to go home. A seemingly easy request from most four year olds. But as Noah’s single-mother, Janie, knows, nothing with Noah is ever easy. One day the pre-school office calls and says Janie needs to come in to talk about Noah, and no, not later, now – and life as she knows it stops. In equal parts a mystery and a testament to the profound connection between a child and parent, this marks the debut of a major new talent. Chosen for February IndieBound. Feb. 2, 2016.
“While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and a Young Man’s Descent into Madness” by Eli Sanders. The Seattle writer’s book indicts a mental-health system that failed to prevent two Seattle women from assault, rape and murder by a disturbed young man. A book review in The Seattle Times here. The Pulitzer Prize winner revisits dark days of South Park rape and murder. An interview in Nicole Brodeur’s column here. Feb. 2, 2016.
“Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot: To Preserve” by Mickey Zucker Reichert. Inspired by Science Fiction Grand Master Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot stories.
2037: Robotic technology has evolved into the realm of self-aware, sentient mechanical entities. But despite the safeguards programmed into the very core of a robot’s artificial intelligence, humanity’s most brilliant creation can still fall prey to those who believe the Three Laws of Robotics were made to be broken… Feb. 2, 2016.
“The Great Spring: Writing, Zen, and This Zigzag Life” by Natalie Goldberg. What does it take to have a long writing life? Drawing her years of writing, teaching, and practicing Zen, Natalie Goldberg shares the experiences that point the way forward in our lives and our writing. Feb. 2, 2016.
“The High Mountains of Portugal: A Novel” by Yann Martel. The author of the bestselling “Life of Pi” returns to the storytelling power and luminous wisdom of his master novel. Part quest, part ghost story, part contemporary fable— this new novel offers a haunting exploration of great love and great loss. Feb. 2, 2016.
“The Queen of the Night” by Alexander Chee. A mesmerizing novel that follows one woman’s rise from circus rider to courtesan to world-renowned diva. Featuring a cast of characters drawn from history, the novel follows Lilliet as she moves ever closer to the truth behind the mysterious opera and the role that could secure her reputation — or destroy her with the secrets it reveals. Chosen for February IndieBound. Feb. 2, 2016.
“Get in Trouble: Stories” by Kelly Link. Named one of the Ten Best in Fiction in 2015. This eagerly awaited new collection—proves indelibly that this bewitchingly original writer is among the finest we have. Chosen for February IndieBound. Staff recommended! Now in paperback. Feb. 9, 2016.
“Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O’Keeffe” by Dawn Clifton Tripp. Georgia O’Keeffe, her love affair with photographer Alfred Stieglitz, and her quest to become an independent artist come vividly to life in this sensual and exquisitely written novel, a dazzling departure into historical fiction. Chosen for February IndieBound. Feb. 9, 2016.
“In Other Words” by Jhumpa Lahiri. From the best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize winner, comes a powerful nonfiction debut. This is an autobiographical work written in Italian, investigating the process of learning to express oneself in another language, and describes the journey of a writer seeking a new voice. Presented in a dual-language format, this is a wholly original book about exile, linguistic and otherwise, written with intensity and clarity: a startling act of self-reflection and a provocative exploration of belonging and reinvention. Chosen for February IndieBound. Feb. 9, 2016.

As always, check our website for all the latest in book news.

Happy reading!

— By Elaine Mattson

Edmonds native Elaine Mattson has worked at The Edmonds Bookshop off and on since she was 12 years old, and has also worked at a book wholesaler, a book publisher, and for the book publishing division of a large local software company (yes, that one). “I was raised a book lover [thanks, Mom!],” Mattson says. “We got book lights by our beds as soon as we were old enough to read. And then I probably got in trouble for reading too late the very next night. And I still read too late!”