Word’s pick: “The Daylight Gate” by Jeanette Winterson
Having read most of Winterson’s books, I can say that this one fits with “The Passion” and “Sexing the Cherry,” weaving the historical and the fantastical to relate a truly horrific chapter in England’s past to make for a powerful read. Perfect for Halloween season.” Says Word owner Christine Onorati: “An intense and brutal read about the Pendle witch trials in 17th century England, this is a book to be gulped in one sitting. It has stuck with me months later.”
— Emily Pullen, Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com].
The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “The Supreme Macaroni Company” by Adriana Trigiani
This is the much-anticipated third installment in New York Times-best-selling author Adriana Trigiani’s Valentine series. Valentine Roncalli is marrying the love of her life, Italian tanner Gianluca Vechiarelli, but matrimony will hardly be simple. Aside from the age difference, Gianluca’s family and business is based in Italy while the Venchiarelli’s Angelini Shoe Company is flourishing on Greenwich Street in New York. But they will face these challenges as they have approached everything else, with love and hilarity. From New York City to New Orleans to Tuscany, “The Supreme Macaroni Company” brings Trigiani’s signature warmth, humor, and heartbreak to our beloved characters.
— Bina Valenzano, co-owner, The BookMark Shoppe [8415 Third Ave. between 84th and 85th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833–5115, www.bookmarkshoppe.com].
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick: “The Last Banquet” by Jonathan Grimwood
Food, passion, war, friendship — “The Last Banquet” is a delight that has it all. Grimwood tells an engrossing story of pre-revolutionary France through the eyes of an orphan whose “taste” for the undiscovered brings new meaning and devotion to the culinary arts, love and life. The book is Dickensian in his grit and its love for an underdog and perfect for fans of Patrick Suskind’s “Perfume.”
