Here’s the thing about short stories–nobody reads them. And I get that, having done my fair share of slogging through some mediocre short story collections (I will not name names). Sometimes the pay-off is there, but most of us read to be swept up, to learn, to escape. It’s hard to find sustenance in short stories.

Someone somewhere said, when explaining how plot works, that good novels explode and short stories implode. I like that. 12 pages can hold a charge so powerful that the shockwaves first move inwards, rattling you bones and causing the 70% of water in your body to slush around, and then the waves move out, loosening foundations and causing dust to loosen from cracks in the ceiling.

There are very few short stories that I have read that have that power. So keep that in mind, when I say that if you haven’t read Jim Shepard yet, you’re doing it wrong.

The most noticeable thing about Shepard’s short stories are how well researched they are. One story is a fictional account of the head of the Japanese special effects team on the original Godzilla film. The next is about arctic explorers. And then there is the story set in the near-future as the Netherlands are overrun with water from a melting polar ice-cap. (Want to read these stories? Pick up a copy of You Think That’s Bad)

This month, Jim Shepard’s newest release is not a short story collection at all. It’s a novel. But it is a novel that implodes.

Set in a Jewish ghetto during the Holocaust, The Book of Aron is everything you expect from a novel of a man-made disaster. The characters are strikingly human. (Aron, a young smuggler scuttling through the ghetto, chooses his own survival over much else) Hope is a struck match; it is quick to be snuffed.

The claustrophobia of the ghetto, of what we all know is going to happen, presses the novel from all sides.

Shepard spares us from much of the horrors of the Warsaw ghettos. But the true hero of the novel (think a Polish Atticus Finch), Janusz Korczak, is unreal. But that’s the catch–he was real. Korczak, an advocate of children’s rights in pre-war Europe, he oversaw the children’s orphanage in the ghetto.

Shepherd gives the story of Korczak justice in that he doesn’t try to take it as his own. And that really is what is at the heart of what makes Jim Shepard’s stories so in tune–he compassionately borrows from the past, to give new life to what has been forgotten. He reminds us to remember.

Jim Shepard will be HERE at LEMURIA Wednesday, June 24th at 5.

Want to write your own short story? Try this short story generator.

I’m not going to lie, I definitely picked this book up because of how awesome the cover art is (it’s covered in bees….why wouldn’t I want to read it?).  But, once I actually read the inside of the book jacket I realized that upon reading this book, I would get to live the life of a bee for a few days, and I was all in (cool cover art or not).

The Bees begins with Flora 717, a sanitation bee and our heroine of the story, biting and smashing her way out of her incubation cell in her hive. She is hairy, ugly, and extremely different than all other sanitation bees. Thus, her journey begins a little differently than most. Flora 717 is faithful to her Queen and hive, but is very strong and intelligent; she quickly becomes a crucial member of the foraging kin when food shortages occur.  As she rises higher in the kin-system of the hive, Flora 717 begins to learn that not everything is as it seems and that the hive may be falling apart (literally).

Laline Paull’s novel is filled with hierarchy details that will make you feel as if you’ve stepped back into medieval times (but with bees, of course).  The Queen of Flora 717’ s hive is almost God-like, bees repeat chants of “Accept, Obey, and Serve” , have devotion time, and pray to her to forgive any sins that may have committed. There are Drones (male bees) that treat certain kin-sisters like objects and ask them to clean them after they have foraged for nectar.  Although Paull definitely keeps the real world/human nature close by, her writing will take you into the life of Flora 717, and make you feel everything she feels— from the vibrations in her antennae, to the pain and anguish she felt when she flew too far from the hive and could no longer smell the sweet scent of the Queen. She even goes into detail about the honeycomb-like flooring of the hive….it’s like you really are living the life of a bee.

So, cool cover art or not….you should definitely give this book a try. If you enjoy lots of imaginative details, you’ll enjoy Laline Paull’s small world of bees (you’d be surprised at how similar if may be to our own world!).

P.S. The Bees is now out in paper back!

It is the bicentennial of Waterloo and we have SO MANY Waterloo books coming in! It’s wonderful! If you are a history fanatic, then this book is for you.

Brendan Simms is famous for writing a giant, 720 page book on Europe, and now he is back with this itty bitty book about Waterloo. The Longest Afternoon is less than 140 pages, but man is it dense!

This book is basically about the defense of a little farmhouse compound called La Haye Sainte, in Brussels. If you look at Waterloo on a larger scale, La Haye Sainte was just one stop in Napoleon’s second, final defeat. Most books would prefer to focus on the Duke of Wellington’s march, but La Haye Saint, and the men who defended it, were extremely important.

The men who defended this patch of land were the Second Light Battalion, called the King’s German Legion, because they were a German group under the British King. Simms goes into detail about who these men were, and why they kind of did not clearly belong to any of the Allied countries. As you get to know these men, The Longest Afternoon becomes a bit of a ragtag underdog story. The Second Light Battalion was made up of soldiers of the German Region of Hanover, which had been taken over by Napoleon. But since King George was the heredity ruler of Hanover, the soldiers were exiled and taken under King George’s wing.

The battle itself is beautifully described, like something of a novel. Take a look at this line:

“Against the leaden skies and the thunder and lightening of the elements, the flash and crash or artillery continued the to light up the horizon and reverberate across the fields.”

Is The Longest Afternoon worth reading? Yes! But I must warn you; this book is short and very focused on one particular part of Waterloo. So The Longest Afternoon assumes you know a bit about Waterloo, Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, etc. This book is for the history freaks out there, those of us looking for something fresh and new among many Waterloo books. If you have not read about Waterloo or Napoleon before, I recommend reading a more general historical overview of it, like Waterloo by Gordon Corrigan or Napoleon by Andrew Roberts. (Both of which we have in the store!)

So, I wandered into our graphic novels section (again). Guess what I found. Go on, guess. That’s right I found…

A quirky little comic book about a shape shifter, a knight, and a villain; Nimona is a really sweet and funny read. From bank robbing to little hijinks, this book provides it all. (I mean, who doesn’t love it when someone turns into a shark out of nowhere?)

Certainly not I. Ballister Blackheart is clearly one lucky villain to have Nimona for a sidekick, even if she causes more trouble than she helps. Together, they could destroy the world and the Institution that rules them all. Not that they do, I’m just saying they could despite any minor setbacks they may face.

Because they’ve got science AND magic on their side; who would dare try to take them on? (You know, other than the corrupt Institution and its leading knight, Goldenloin…)

I’d really recommend taking a look at this book. It’s simple and sweet, with just enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. Who doesn’t need that in their life, especially now, right after finals? Even if you’re out of college, this makes for a great summer read. It’s quick and fun, trust me, you won’t regret it.

(Side note: our three main characters in a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen.)

As some of you know, I am coming to the end of my time at Lemuria bookstore. The nine months I’ve worked here have been life-giving and filled with fun, excitement, and so much love. I came to Lemuria burned out by the church, seeking a new cathedral filled with books, knowledge of all kinds, and a congregation of people who were not wrapped up in the politics of the church. As I’ve already said, Lemuria gave me new life. But, as we all know, every chapter in this book called life has an end, and at the turn of the page, a new chapter begins. My new adventure will take me to Greenville, Mississippi, where I will become the Senior Pastor at Greenville First United Methodist Church.

Some of you may be thinking, “uhm, you were burnt out by the church, so why are you going back?” Well, the answer to that question would take about 27 blog posts, so I’ll spare you the details. But what I can say is this: as burned out as I was by certain experiences in the church, my time away has given me space to see that I am called, ready, and willing to step back into a role of service for God and God’s people. In Searching for Sunday, Rachel Held Evans writes, “Imagine if every church became a place where everyone is safe, but no one is comfortable. Imagine if every church became a place where we told one another the truth. We might just create sanctuary.” This is what I’m ultimately called to do. And for the past nine months, Lemuria has been that sanctuary for me.

When John opened Lemuria bookstore 40 years ago, I’m not sure he ever thought of it being a sanctuary for people; and I’m sure for some, it hasn’t been. But it was exactly what I needed. I’ve always loved books, but working here has helped me fall in love with books all over again. My love for literature has also expanded. I never saw myself reading Southern Gothic novels, and now, I can’t put them down. There was one stretch where I read four in a row. I am grateful to my coworkers who told me about books I should read: some of them amazing (My Sunshine Away, The Thickety, The Glass Sentence), and some of them, not so amazing (I won’t put them here…). I am grateful that I was able to talk to customers about my favorite books, and hand sell many of them (Short Stories by Jesus, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth, God Help the Child).

I’ve enjoyed standing in the religion section and talking to people about the books that have impacted my life and hearing about the books that have impacted their lives. In thinking about books and their importance, Anne Lamott says it best in Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life: “For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.” 

Lemuria. Thank you so much for being you. Thanks so much for a being a place where people’s insatiable love for books can be fed with a bountiful feast of literature. Thanks for being the weird independent bookstore that celebrates children’s book week with a big Harry Potter Extravaganza, where parents can proudly proclaim, “my kid has found her people.”

And thank you customers. Thank you for coming in and talking to us booksellers. It’s amazing how much trust you put into us! The fact that many of you bought books that I recommended without a second question astounds me. I’m not that trusting of people.

I may be moving to Greenville to start this new adventure in life, but I will take all of you with me: in the conversations we’ve had, the books we’ve read together, the dreams I have of wrapping book after book after book after book during Christmas.

Lemuria will always be a second home to me, and even though I’ll be 2 ½ hours away, it is really not a farewell, but more like “see you later”. So, with that being said, see y’all later!