Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M. M. Blume (Yearling Books/Random House, 2006)

I rarely re-read books but this book definitely warrants reading again and again. The book of which I speak is Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters. Cornelia is a girl who lives in Greenwich Village in New York City. Her mother is a famous concert pianist, who is always out of the country for concert. So Cornelia is always left with the French housekeeper, who frankly drives young Cornelia insane. Cornelia is a girl who values her privacy, which she likes to fill with reading. In order to deter the bothersome housekeeper from interrupting her, she uses large words that intimidate the housekeeper.

Cornelia has a hard time trusting adults because in most cases they are usually using her to get close to her famous mother. Well one day that all changes. The famous writer Virginia Somerset moves  into the apartment beside Cornelia, with her companion Patel and her little French bulldog named Mr. Kinyata. Cornelia and Virginia befriend each other and Cornelia is delighted to discover that Virginia is only interested in Cornelia because of her own extraordinary nature and not her mother’s.

Virginia is filled with many stories of her and her three sister’s adventurous world travels. The icing on the cake is that Virginia has decorated every room in her house to honor one of the countries she has lived in with her sisters. There is the Moroccan room, the French drawing room, and the best of all, her Indian bedroom, to name a few. Cornelia is so thrilled at having her own friend that she keeps her relationship with Virginia a secret from her mother and the housekeeper.

Well I don’t want to give away to much because I want people to read this book. It is a young adult book but that just does not matter; This is a book for people of all ages to enjoy. I don’t mean to cheese out on you, but this book makes you laugh and cry. Both times I have finished this book I closed the book with a smile on my face. I hope other people love this book as much as my friend and I did. -Ellen

One of the first young adult books I read after becoming manager of Oz was Fallen by Lauren Kate. It was one of Sarah’s (my Random House rep) favorite books, so I just dove right in and devoured it. Fallen had everything I was looking for: romance, mystery, intrigue  and good characters. The main characters Luce and Daniel have been eternally cursed. Daniel is a fallen angel who was thrown out of heaven when he fell in love with the mortal Luce. As punishment, Luce and Daniel must live forever. Luce, because she is human, dies and come back with the same body and no recollection of her past lives. Daniel, however, remembers it all, knowing that each of Luce’s lives is ended by his kiss. Kate creates a believable world with her own take on angels and their fall.

So when Torment came out, I set aside a chilly night or two to read it.  Torment picks up just days after the events in Fallen. The first novel is set at a private school in Georgia, but at the beginning of Torment the reader learns that Luce has moved to a Nephilim school in California called Shoreline for her own protection. Evil forces are trying to kill Luce for good in hopes of turning Daniel, and neither Luce nor Daniel want to lose each other. I loved that in this installment, Luce develops into a strong character as she becomes an independent person without Daniel to lean on. With interesting new characters from the Shoreline school and more flashbacks to Luce’s past lives, this novel is definitely as good as the first, if not better.

And to top it all off, Lauren Kate will be stopping by here on Thursday, December 30th at 5:00 to sign her new book! Ahh! I cannot wait! So bring your Christmas money and gift cards and come meet Lauren Kate.

When the Christmas season finally gets into full swing here at Lemuria (which it has) and everyday seems like two (which it does) those books that are our all time favorites really start to shine, especially in Oz, our kid’s section. That book that everyone should own, the book that becomes an instant classic, those books are why we love our job and why we hope you love our store.

Two of those books for me this Christmas are Bink and Gollie by Alison McGhee and Kate DiCamillo and Bedtime for Bear by Bonny Becker. Bink and Gollie are two friends that couldn’t be more different. Bink, the short one with the crazy blond hair, was written by Kate Dicamillo and Gollie, the tall bean pole with sensible brown hair, was written by Alison McGhee. With Tony Fucile amazing illustrations and these two outstanding authors, it’s no wonder that this book has been at the top of all of our lists (I think I have bought three at this point…for adults!) This first chapter book is perfect for bedtime reads and beginning readers alike! Below is one of my favorite pages, featuring Gollie on her imaginary adventure in the Andes.

Bedtime for Bear continues the series that Bonny Becker began with A Visitor for Bear. Bear hates change and for three books now, fights the whole idea of veering from his routine. But Bear’s friend Mouse is persistent and ultimately shows Bear that some change is good. In this book, Mouse has come, uninvited, to spend the night with Bear. Bear must have absolute quite to go to sleep and Mouse continuously keeps him awake. But when all have settled down for the night, Bear begins hearing scary noises and Mouse is just the friend he needs. An adorable story with beautiful watercolors from Kady MacDonald Denton, this story is sure to please Bear fans and maybe snag a few more.

So come on in to Lemuria, follow the black and white striped pipes in the ceiling to Oz and let us recommend a few books that are sure to make you warm on the inside!

When I drive Harper (4 years) to pre-school we have to drive right past the bookstore. One day a couple of weeks ago she said, “There’s the bookstore,” and I said, “I like the bookstore.” Her response? “Me too, I like the book part”. No better response could she have given. “I like the book part” sums up what we’re trying to do at Lemuria almost perfectly. We’re about the books and we want to stay about the books and it’s a thrilling thing to hear your daughter say.

Harper said what she said because she has grown up in this store. Once or twice a month she and her little brother (Dee almost three) come to the store, sit in chairs or on the floor, and look at books. Sometimes we read to them and sometimes they dance for the booksellers or play with the toys that they find tucked between books in OZ.

And let me tell you something. This is what OZ Books is all about. There are lots of kids that come here every week or every couple of weeks, but I often wonder why there aren’t more. Please let me encourage you to bring your kids in and pick out a book every now and then. And don’t be afraid that they are going to tear something up or make to much noise. That kind of stuff is OK in OZ. (not that we want your kids to tear up books, but we want your kids to be kids)

Emily has been in charge back there for about a year and a half now and she’s done a truly great job. It feels welcoming. She has a great selection of books, and she really knows her books and loves talking about them. You can read many of her picks on our blog here.

Folks come in all of the time and say that they grew up reading on the floor in OZ while their parents shopped. Well, why not your kids?

Here is a good read from Tony Diterlizzi who wrote The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Holly Black), The Spider and the Fly (a picture book, Caldecott Honor winner) and the wonderful and delightful middle reader, Kenny and the Dragon. His illustrations are always awesome and The Search for Wondla is no exception. Once again he has come through with and exciting story about Eva Nine, a girl who had never been above ground until the age of 12 when a wicked huntsman destroys her underground home. With the aid of Diterlizzi’s illustrations, you can let your own imagination soar. Enjoy! (ages 10 and up)