Word’s pick: “The Girl With All the Gifts” by M.R. Carey
In a spare bunker, a little girl named Melanie and her classmates live strange lives. They’re taken to class in restraints, bathed in weird chemicals, and fed nasty things. It’s a lonesome, sterile life, one brightened only by the presence of kind teacher Miss Justineau. When the outside world intrudes, Melanie, her sergeant keeper, her teacher, and a laser-focused scientist wind up on a road trip across an England ravaged by biological change. Why it happened, what it means for humanity, and why Melanie is so peculiar — Carey teases out the answers to these questions and more.
— Molly Templeton, Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com].
The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “Vintage” by Susan Gloss
Susan Gloss’s novel “Vintage” is a magical story of friendship, love, loss, and betrayal, but most of all — fashion. Hourglass Vintage, a consignment shop in Madison, Wis., is close to bankruptcy and owner Violet Turner is praying for a miracle to keep its doors open. Help comes in an unusual and unexpected places. Told in alternating voices, finally a novel has come along that surpasses “Friday Night Knitting Club.” Journey with three women as they try to turn the shop profitable, and unexpectedly transform their own lives in the process.
— 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 Fever” by Megan Abbott
When a group of young teenage girls start developing violent seizures, the small community where they live is struck with near paralyzing fear. No one knows what has caused the girls to become ill, but there is an eeriness accompanying the community’s fear as everyone knows or senses that there’s some secret they’re not being told.
— Emily Russo Murtagh, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com].
