New year, new read

The New Year will bring new books to the shelves of local bookstores and dust off the covers of classics.

Whether hunting for a novel that was recently released or digging up an oldie-but-goodie, the bookstores throughout Moscow and Pullman have great suggestions.

BookPeople of Moscow assistant manager Jesica DeHart said she is excited about Jennifer Niven’s new book “All the Bright Places” because it will appeal to college students. The book has also been cast as a movie with big-name stars, DeHart said.

“The book tackles bipolar disorder, suicide… it’s just an incredible love story,” she said. “It’s truly a beautiful, beautiful book.”

DeHart also said she recommends the book “A Kim Jon-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress and a Young Dictator’s Rise to Power” by Paul Fischer because she couldn’t put it down while reading it.

“A story so harshly unbelievable that it vacillates between every extreme imaginable.  A famous S. Korean movie star and her ex-husband, an internationally recognized filmmaker are kidnapped by the movie obsessed Kim Jong-Il and held in North Korea for eight years,” DeHart said. “At times treated as royalty and other times the abuse so extreme, survival seems questionable.”

“A Kim Jon-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress and a Young Dictator’s Rise to Power” by Paul Fischer will be released in February.

However, less recently-released novels continue to be customer favorites and make good used bookstore finds.  Shoppers continue to look for old favorites at Moscow’s used bookstore, Read It Again.

Owner Scott Janke said “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand is the book most asked for by customers. The book was released a few years ago and is about a tank squad in WWII, he said. Janke said he also read and loved the book “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini.

“It’s all about the war and the Taliban,” he said. “It depicts the cruelty and has characters that will really affect the reader.”

Janke said he recommends another book by Hosseini, “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” which was released in 2007.

Another used bookstore, Brused Books in Pullman, also sells classics that customers don’t seem to grow tired of.

Brused Books Owner Bruce Calkins said the Harry Potter series and George R. R. Martin books are still desired in his store. Contemporary author Kate Atkinson also draws customers in the literature realm.

“Young adult authors are very popular right now, and John Green. We can’t get near enough of his books,” he said.

Calkins said a lot of the classical books are still often sought after, including Hemingway’s novels.

For those who have scanned the shelves but come up blank, BookPeople offers a brand new selection.

BookPeople employee Jamaica Ritcher said “The First Bad Man” by Miranda July is one of her top picks. It will be released on Tuesday.

“This book begins hilariously off-the-wall with quirky characters and awkward situations and ends a tender story about finding love and connection in what can be a very lonely world. If you can, imagine ‘Fight Club’ meets ‘The Odd Couple’ meets ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,’” Ritcher said. “Fans of Miranda July’s short stories (No One Belongs Here More Than You) and films (Me and You and Everyone We Know) will love this, and those discovering July for the first time just might have a new favorite!”

With used and new options in the area, those with New Year’s resolutions to read more books should have no problem finding affordable best-sellers, from 1930 to 2015.