Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

First and foremost, thank you for making our first full year in business such a success! We couldn't do what we do without your support, and we wish you a happy and healthy 2023!

We also wanted to share a few reminders and housekeeping notes with you as we enter the new year:

HOURS & SCHEDULE
Our hours will stay the same in 2023. We're open Tuesday-Thursday 11 am-6 pm; Fridays 11 am-7 pm; and Saturdays 10 am-6 pm. That being said, we'll be closed for two Saturdays in January (January 14 & 28), due to events that we'll be attending out of town.

SPECIAL ORDERS
We're always happy to order books for you if we don't have what you're looking for in the store. However, this year we may be placing orders less frequently, due to changes with our distributor's policies and procedures. We appreciate your patience if it takes a little longer for your orders to arrive, but if you need them sooner, we can always rush them for a small fee. Pre-orders and special orders that exceed $30 or include multiple items must be paid for in advance.

HOLDS
If you see something you like on our Facebook or Instagram pages, we're happy to hold it for you for up to one week without payment. If it hasn't been picked up within that time, we'll have to put it back on the shelf to give other customers the opportunity to purchase it, and to make room for more holds behind the counter. (This does not apply to pre-paid orders.)

DONATIONS
We are now accepting book donations again at the store. Please review our donation policy before bringing in books.

Thank you, and we hope you have an excellent 2023!

Meet the Author: Dennis De Rose

This week in our ongoing "Meet the Author" series, we spoke with Dennis De Rose, author of Bristlecone Magic.

Dennis De Rose has been editing mostly fiction for over ten years. He caught the writing bug about eight years ago when he began writing a diary. A local ASPCA hosted a writing contest when he was in the sixth grade. He won an Honorable Mention for a short story he wrote about his dog, Red. To date, he has written five short stories (some ongoing), three poems, and his first novel, Bristlecone Magic.

Describe your book in 25 words or less.
Bristlecone Magic is a YA Christian fantasy, a dialogue-driven novel about life in a rural setting… a tragedy, family, community, friendship, and so much more.

What inspired you to write this book?
I noticed a picture on LinkedIn, and oddly enough, the same photo showed up the next day — very odd for a busy feed like LinkedIn. I thought I might write a short story about it, but two months later I had written 68,500 words!

Tell us a little about the book writing process.
Bristlecone Magic took me two months to write, not including revisions and multiple reads (seven to be exact). I did very little research other than picking a real village (Rouses Point in Clinton County) and using a few real people as pivotal characters in my book (with permission of course).

What do you do for fun when you're not writing?
I enjoy talking to people, camping, reading, spending time with family, hiking, fishing, writing, editing, and puzzling.

What's the next project you're working on?
I am currently writing an article for our local historical society about diners in Middletown, NY from 1915 to 1970.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Never give up. Keep a journal. Write, but please write right and when you think you've done all you can to make your book the best it can be, have it edited by a professional. Whatever you do, do NOT rush the publishing process.

What are you currently reading?
Potshot, by Robert B Parker

Tell us about one of your favorite books or a book that changed your life.
It’s tough to pick a favorite when you read one after the other. My new favorite is Bristlecone Magic for obvious reasons. But I love time travel fiction, so I have to say anything by Jack Finney.

Do you have a favorite quote from a book?
“Jesus wept.” It's so powerful.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Jack Finney, Clive Cussler, Bill Granger, Stephen King (but not all of his books), Lloyd Alexander, Jasper Fforde, Stephen Hunter, Charles Dickens, Robert Service, Robert Louis Stevenson, Julius Thompson, Koos Verkaik, and a slew of others.

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If you enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Dennis De Rose and his work, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.

His book, Bristlecone Magic, is currently available online and in store.

Mayde’s Top 15 of 2022

Hi, everyone! Mayde here, and today, I'm sharing the 15 best books I read in 2022!

(I planned to do a top 10, but just couldn't narrow it down!)

These are not all new releases, but they’re books that I personally read and loved this year. So, in no particular order, here are my favorite books from the last 12 months:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V. E. Schwab (Low Fantasy / Contemporary Fiction)
In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a bargain with the "devil" to live forever, and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Fantasy meets romance in this gripping novel that's both dark and twisted, yet still sweet and charming. By far my favorite book of 2022!

~

The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides (Mystery / Thriller)
Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect, until she murders her husband and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander. When a new criminal psychotherapist gets the opportunity to work with Alicia, he's determined to unravel the mystery of her motive.

This psychological thriller has one of the best endings I've ever read! Definitely a must read!

~

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman (Contemporary Fiction)
A bank robbery gone wrong leads to a hostage situation unlike any other. Each of the hostages carry a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over, and none of them are entirely who they appear to be. By the end of the story, all of them, including the bank robber, desperately crave some sort of rescue.

Funny, heartwarming, and clever writing got me hooked on this wholesome story of strangers trapped together in a less-than-ideal situation. Backman has a unique writing style that may not be for everyone, but I absolutely loved it!

~

Educated, by Tara Westover (Memoir)
An unforgettable memoir about a young girl who grew up in a survivalist family, isolated from mainstream society. There was no one there to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty, and of the grief that comes from severing one's closest ties.

A beautifully written memoir about a tragic life story. I loved it so much, I recommended it to everyone in our book club!

~

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas (High Fantasy / Romance)
A spicy, action-packed retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows little about, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly the beast she thought he was. As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for her captor transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae.

This is not my typical genre, but I gave into the hype and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I read through all five books in the series (each one better than the last!) and am desperately waiting for more by this author.

A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles (Historical Fiction)
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel's doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

I loved the main character of this book, and can't wait for Ewan McGregor's adaptation. Count Rostov was funny, witty, charming and seemed to take everything in stride while discovering who he really was after everything he knew was stripped away. I always enjoy a good character study, and this one definitely hit the mark.

~

The Maid, by Nita Prose (Cozy Mystery)
Sweet and innocent Molly the Maid gets caught up in a murder investigation at the Regency Grand Hotel. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different.

I loved Molly, and my feelings about the main character usually dictate how I feel about the entire book. This was my first introduction to the cozy mystery genre, and I'm already looking forward to reading more!

~

The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley (Mystery / Thriller)
When Jess goes to visit her half-brother Ben at his posh new apartment in Paris, she finds the apartment empty and Ben missing. The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother's situation, and the more questions she has. Ben's neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it's starting to look like it's Ben's future that's in question.

I expected this to be just another typical murder mystery, but there were a lot of twists and turns I definitely didn’t see coming! I’ve read other books by this author, but this is her best by far!

~

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, by Matt Cain (Romance / Contemporary Fiction)
A love story with an unconventional protagonist. When sweet and unassuming Albert is forced into early retirement from his job at the post office, his simple life unravels. Without his coworkers, he has no one to share his life with, so he forms a brave plan to start truly living, to be honest about who he is, and to find George — the man with whom he spent one perfect summer long ago.

I love love, and this is one of the best love stories I’ve read in a long time!

~

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, by Akwaeke Emezi (Romance / Contemporary Fiction)
It's been five years since Feyi's husband was killed in a tragic accident, and she's finally ready to start living again. Feyi isn't ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined. This new life is a lot more complicated than she expected, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?

I did not know what I was walking into when I started this one, but it made me feel all the feels! The author's poetic writing style and honest dialogue really made me love this book. It’s a must read, especially if you’ve ever dealt with loss, grief, or finding yourself again.

Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel (Science Fiction)
A novel of art, time, love, and plagues that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon three hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space. When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the futuristic Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

I always love a good time travel story, especially when it makes you question the workings of the universe and why fate happens the way it does. A must read for any sci fi or philosophy fan.

~

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr (Historical Fiction)
Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History. When the Nazis occupy Paris, she flees with her father to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo. With them they carry what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel. In Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up enchanted by a crude radio he finds. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another in troubling times.

I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction, but I read this with our book club and loved it so much more than I expected! It's a long read, but worth it.

~

The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune (YA Fantasy / Romance)
As a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, forty-year-old Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. When Linus is unexpectedly given a curious and highly classified assignment, he must set aside his fears to determine whether or not the children at Marsyas Island Orphanage are likely to bring about the end of days. The children's caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

A sweet and funny love story that’s also about family and self-acceptance. This is the perfect book about being true to yourself, no matter what the anyone else thinks.

~

The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner (Contemporary meets Historical Fiction)
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell is spending her tenth wedding anniversary alone when she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders of eighteenth-century London. Two hundred years earlier, a secret apothecary shop is jeopardized when a new patron makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

This book is a love letter to women everywhere, and their strength to overcome obstacles no matter what time period they’re in. On the surface, it’s a fun mystery novel, but the underlying themes of the story make it worth the read!

~

The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig (Contemporary Fiction, with a philosophical sci fi twist)
What would you do if you could explore alternate versions of your own life? Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Through the experience of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, or undoing old breakups, she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Last, but certainly not least! This is another one that will make you feel all the feels, and may make you question all of your life choices. Another good read for fans of philosophy or ethics.

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Honorary Mentions

Here are a few others I read and enjoyed this year (in no particular order):

• I Miss You When I Blink, by Mary Laura Philpott

• Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell

• The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz

• Verity, by Colleen Hoover

• Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens

• The Love Hypothesis, by Ali Hazelwood

• The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

• The Guest List, by Lucy Foley

• The Chain, by Adrian McKinty

• Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarty

• The Ink Black Heart, by Robert Galbraith

• Sadie, by Courtney Summers

• Dinosaurs, by Lydia Millet

• The Charm Offensive, by Alison Cochrun

• Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus

• This Time Next Year, by Sophie Cousens

• Fairy Tale, by Stephen King

Have you read any of these titles? What did you think? What were your favorite books of 2022? Stop into the store and let’s chat, or share your books with me on social media, and remember to tag @wellwornbooks.inc on Instagram!

Meet the Author: Isabel C. Noboa

This week in our ongoing "Meet the Author" series, we spoke with Isabel C. Noboa, author of The Marvelous Misadventures of El and Em.

Isabel C. Noboa is a Dominican-American, Brooklyn-based author and poet. Isabel often draws inspiration from the lively New York City streets and the two little bunnies she loves the most: her nieces. She earned a master’s degree in her first love, psychology, from Pace University but ultimately ended up falling in love with writing. With her psychological background, she found that writing has been the greatest creative outlet.

Describe your book in 25 words or less.
My book is a love letter to my nieces and all the other zany aunts that encourage misadventures.

What inspired you to write this book?
My two nieces, Layla and Emillia, the real life El and Em. The two sweet little girls that burst into the world, stole a massive part of my heart and never gave it back. Everything about them inspires me to tap into my imagination and remember that any day is a good day for a misadventure.

Tell us a little about the book writing process.
It took about a week to write it and edit it for the first time, then it took a whopping two years to make rewrites, create the book, work with the illustrator and finally publish. At the end, it came out more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

What do you do for fun when you're not writing?
I love to dance, explore, read, paint (terribly), travel, play board games, and the quintessential excuse for leaving your house to get an oat latte.

What's the next project you're working on?
Ta-da! Another children's book. A whimsical board picture book with a family of animals as the characters, soon to come.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Do it! The hardest part is getting the writing done but the beauty is that it's your baby! You can nurture it however you see fit.

What are you currently reading?
All About Love, by Bell Hooks. It's been on my list for so long and I'm finally getting around to it. My heart is in constant flutters.

Tell us about one of your favorite books or a book that changed your life.
You Are A Badass, by Jen Sincero. I remember being utterly lost in my 20s and finding this book. It helped me through some of the darkest moments of my life and made me realize there's nothing I can’t do.

Do you have a favorite quote from a book?
"You and I, it's as though we have been taught to kiss in heaven and sent down to earth together to see if we know what we're taught." — Doctor Zhivago, by Boris Pasternak

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Bell Hooks, Rumi, Dean Koontz, John Saul, and of course the man, Stephen King.

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If you enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Isabel C. Noboa and her work, visit ramblingpress.co or follow her on Instagram.

Her book, The Marvelous Misadventures of El and Em, is currently available online and in store.

Book Club Roundup (December 2022)

Your guide to this month's celebrity book club picks - and what we're reading here in the store!

For our next meeting on Tuesday, January 10th, the Well Worn Books Book Club is reading Educated by Tara Westover. All are welcome! RSVP in advance on the Bookclubs app.

Reese's Book Club pick for December is The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell.

If you prefer to Read with Jenna, her book club is currently reading The Secret History, by Donna Tartt.

The GMA Book Club pick for December is The Light Pirate, by Lily Brooks-Dalton.

This month, the non-fiction based Rebel Book Club is reading The Book Collectors of Daraya, by Delphine Minoui.

And everyone’s favorite storyteller, Levar Burton, is currently reading South to America, by Imani Perry, with his book club.

Tell us: What are you reading this month? Post a pic on Instagram and tag us @wellwornbooks.inc!