This week in the Unshelved Book Club you'll find books about a man living his life over and over, the bad old days when lawyers were less than ethical, a real-life canine postal worker, powerful poets, two high school freshmen, a reality TV contestant competing for a date with the President's son, live action role playing, and a Hellboy graphic novel dedicated to 1950s monster movie stars.

Please welcome this week's sponsor, Joshua Henkin, author of Swimming Across the Hudson (a Los Angeles Times Notable Book), Matrimony (a New York Times Notable Book), and the new novel The World Without You:

“Like a more bittersweet version of Jonathan Tropper’s This Is Where I Leave You or a less chilly variation on Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections, Henkin tenderly explores family dynamics in this novel about the ties that bind, and even lacerate ... The author has created an empathetic cast of characters that the reader will love spending time with, even as they behave like fools and hurt one another. An intelligently written novel that works as a summer read and for any other time of the year.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Witty, poignant, and heartfelt. The 4th of July will never be the same for me, nor for my fellow Americans. I can't imagine a world without Joshua Henkin.” — Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story

Find out more about this powerful new novel here.

Gene and I are excited to announce that we'll be guests at New York Comic Con this coming October. We'll be performing our talk Surviving the Public as part of their Professionals-only day. NYCC is organized by the good people who put together C2E2, where lots of librarians took advantage of their great pricing for professionals. We'll post information here as soon as registration opens up!

Since we'll already be there, you can also hire us to speak to your New York-area staff or students at bargain prices. The same applies to our June visit to NY for BEA, or really any time we're speaking near wherever you are. Drop Gene a line to explore the possibilities.

This week the Unshelved Book Club is all about cookbooks. You'll read about books full of recipes that are super healthy, quick, scientific, tasty, descriptive rather than step-by-step, and gluten-free, that can teach you how to easily make artisan bread, beans, pies, cobblers, old fashioned cocktails, Mexican treats, and even some of Vincent Price's favorites. But not all at the same time.

This week's sponsor Listening Library would like you to know that, in addition to lots of brand new titles, they also have new editions of great classics, including The Wizard of Oz. I recently read Oz to my eight year old daughter, and I'd forgotten how well that book reads aloud. It would make a great audiobook even if performed by substantially less attractive people than Brooke Shields and Paul Rudd, who read this edition.

Click through for more information and to request a free Wizard of Oz poster (shown above) today! And make sure you drop by Listening Library next month at ALA, they'll be at booth 2510.

June 4-6 New York, NY
BookExpo America
Talk & Signings (Gene & Bill)

Jun 22-25 Anaheim, CA
ALA Annual
Booth 679 (Gene, Bill, & Jana)

Jul 11-15 San Diego, CA
Comic Con International
Booth 2300 (Gene, Bill, & Jana)

Full Schedule