The women of Bookmans Grant are hard-working and intelligent. We don’t just sell books, we read them too. We asked about their favorite books. You may be surprised by what they say.

mariko

Employee: Mariko
Department: Books

What is your favorite book?: The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer.

What is it about?: Matteo is a clone, harvested and grown in the near future, living in a country between the U.S. and what was once Mexico called Opium. Property of and clone to a powerful drug lord, Matteo learns the meaning of his existence. He struggles to survive amidst an evil family and must find a way to escape his fate while confronting ethical and political issues relevant to today’s concerns.

Why is it your favorite?: Famers’ dystopian future of clones and eejits (humans implanted with microchips and stripped of intelligence to perform menial tasks) makes for quality reading, as this future seems very plausible to me. I also enjoyed Matteo’s character development and determination to be decent even when surrounded by truly detestable people.

When did you first read it?: I first read it this week as part of my mission to read and collect all Newbery Medal books.

Who would you recommend it to?: I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read true crime and Dave Pelzer, but is interested in expanding into fiction. This is a great book for young adults and fans of science fiction.

****

Employee: Karima
Department: Customer Service

What is your favorite book?: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck.

What is it about?: It’s about a family struggling to survive and take care of each other in the face of poverty and oppression.

Why is it your favorite?: Things keep getting worse and worse for the family. Just when you think all hope is lost, Steinbeck gives us a powerful argument for life and hope.

When did you first read it?: I think I read it first in middle school, but I didn’t care for it at the time.

Who would you recommend it to?: I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get to know these beautiful and very human characters.

****

Employee: Denise
Department: Payroll

What is your favorite book?: The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak.

What is it about?: It’s about a young girl in Germany during World War II. She is taken to live with a nice German family who eventually takes in a young Jewish man, allowing him to hide in their basement. The story is told by the narrator, Death, who follows the girl’s life, intrigued by her interest in books.

Why is it your favorite?: It is an incredibly moving story. The characters are memorable and very real. I think it is also important because it shows that World War II affected everyone in Europe. It is one of a select group of books that has actually made me weep.

When did you first read it?: A few years ago.

Who would you recommend it to?: I would recommend it to anyone who is human and has a beating heart.

****

Employee: Molly
Department: Events Liaison

What is your favorite book?: Suicide Blonde, by Darcey Steinke.

What is it about?: It is about a young woman’s struggle to find her own identity while surrounded by colorful and deeply troubled characters in a city obsessed with experimentation of all sorts.

Why is it your favorite?: Very seldom can I fully relate to a character like I did with Jesse, the character the story follows. I felt everything that happened to her on an emotional, and sometimes physical, level. When I finished the book, I was left with intense feelings of impending doom that I couldn’t shake for weeks. While that sounds unsettling, it really made me reflect a lot.

When did you first read it?: I read it a few months ago, just after my 20th birthday, which felt like the perfect time to read such a story.

Who would you recommend it to?: I would recommend it to any 20-something-year-old woman who has ever questioned her identity. Trust me, you’ll feel less alone.

****

Employee: Mandy
Department: Customer Service

What is your favorite book?: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

What is it about?: The Lord of the Rings is a classic story of good vs. evil. The stories surround a group of Halflings, men, a dwarf, an elf and a wizard, and their quest to destroy the one ring.

Why is it your favorite?: This trilogy was given to me by my dad. I must have read it over a dozen times. It bridged our age gap and gave us something common to love and enjoy together.

When did you first read it?: I first read it in middle school.

Who would you recommend it to?: I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read! The trilogy is a story that anyone can enjoy.