Ian’s Favorites:

LaValle, Victor, The Devil in Silver, Spiegel & Grau.  I've been waiting for a new book by LaValle since Big Machine came out in 2009.  Back then we made him an Unclassifiable Club selection and this year is no different.  LaValle has this incredible ability to mix genres in a way that heightens their best aspects.  Mystery, horror, humor--the new weird (as China Mieville would say).  In his latest, LaValle introduces us to Pepper, a big man with a short fuse who's found himself incarcerated at the New Hyde Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York.  Pepper isn't too sure why he's there.  After all, he was just trying to help his sort-of girlfriend.  The details are still fuzzy and the high dosage of pharmaceuticals doesn't help.  What he does know is that there is a man with the head of a bison loose on the ward.  Worst of all the staff knows all about it and does nothing to help.  What follows is way more than a clever take on the state of psychiatric care.  Hysterical, touching, and just plain genius, The Devil in Silver will suck you in from the very first page.  Signed.  $27.00

Other recommendations:

 Heller, Peter, The Dog Stars, Knopf.  Travel writer Heller's gorgeous debut does fall in the post-apocalyptic sub-genre, but is unique in its approach.  Hig lives with his dog Jasper on a remote airfield in Colorado.  His only neighbor is a trigger-happy survivalist with little regard for the lives of those who wander into his territory.  When Hig receives a mysterious radio transmission he decides to abandon the life he's forged and set out in search of answers.  Visually stunning and with a refreshing, conversational cadence, Heller's debut is dark and violent when it needs to be, as well as rich in pastoral details and lyricism.  "With its evocative descriptions of hunting, fishing, and flying, this novel, perhaps the world’s most poetic survival guide, reads as if Billy Collins had novelized one of George Romero’s zombie flicks. From start to finish, Heller carries the reader aloft on graceful prose, intense action, and deeply felt emotion.” —Publishers Weekly(starred review).  Signed.  $24.95

Yu, Charles, Sorry Please Thank You: Stories, Pantheon.  Drawing comparisons to Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders, Yu's stories carry just enough pop culture and humor to rocket them forward without losing any of the substance.  Mixing crime fiction with horror, science fiction, and fantasty, Yu is part of a growing clique of new writers who don't take themselves too seriously and refuse to be pigeon-holed into any particular genre.  What a treat to read!  Signed.   $2.495

Sally’s Favorites: 

Burke, James Lee, Creole Bell. SPOILER ALERT!  This is a Dave Robicheaux novel which means, to our immense relief, that Dave was not killed at the end of The Glass Rainbow.  It is also one of the best and surely the longest in this extraordinary series.  Dave is recovering in New Orleans and the morphine is playing tricks with his head.  Or is it?  A young woman comes to his bedside and leaves her ipod on which is the song My Creole Belle.  What Dave doesn't know is that this woman, Tee Jolie, disappeared weeks ago and nobody believes that she has suddenly turned up to see Dave. Clete Purcell helps Dave search for Tee Jolie and her sister although he fears for Dave's mental health.  Meanwhile, the Gulf oil spill is bringing back feelings about the loss of Dave's father on a rig years ago.  This is a dense novel written beautifully by one of our greatest living writers. $27.99

Also Recommended:  

Cleave, Chris, Gold. After reading several so-so reviews of Cleave's latest, I was concerned that one of my favorite Brit authors had lost his touch.  No so.  Both Amazon and Publisher's Weekly had given the book terrific reviews and I wondered how there could be that much difference in perception but if you've read Incendiary or Little Bee you might be surprised by this one. I  found it impossible to put down.  It tells the story of two women, both Olympic sprint cyclists, and their relationship from Beijing to London.  Zoe is a driven competitor while Kate has made compromises in her sport because of her family.  Both are winners and both are losers and their story is absolutely riveting. $43.00

Cain, Chelsea, Kill You Twice. I'm almost as addicted to Gretchen Lowell as Archie Sheridan and, in this latest thriller, the incarcerated serial killer has found one more way to draw the detective into her web.  When a body is found in Mt. Tabor Park, it may take events from Gretchen's past to solve the case.  Excellently done. $25.99

Alex’s Favorite: