The folks behind the counter at Burton’s Bookstore (43 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-1161, burtonsbooks.com) really love books. Walking into the cozy Greenport storefront, you’ll immediately see owner Scott Raulsome — who purchased the shop from its original owner in 2014 — and his enthusiastic crew, including Cailin Duffy, recommending new reads to customers, talking about their favorites with regulars and stocking the shelves with interesting new tomes.
For the inaugural edition of Northforker Book Club, Duffy has curated a selection of five fascinating reads that have resonated with customers recently. These books are available at Burton’s, which is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker (Crown)
At once a gritty, pulse-pounding thriller and a hope-filled love story perfect for the shadowy months of winter, All the Colors of the Dark is full of original, wonderfully drawn and complex characters set against the backdrop of 1975 America. We especially love this book because of its genre-bending quality; Whittaker deftly blends a missing-person mystery, a serial killer thriller and a tender love story to create an unforgettable reading experience.
Playground by Richard Powers (W. W. Norton & Company)
The author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Overstory returns with another powerful work intertwining the lives of a tech billionaire, his high school friend from inner city Chicago, and a Canadian deep-sea diver. A tiny French Polynesian island grapples with the decision to maintain its peaceful way of life or sell to an American corporation to modernize. Themes of friendship, climate change and Artificial Intelligence are discussed, while a beautiful lens into the vast world of undersea life is on full display.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami (Knopf) The newest work of magical realism by Murakami, The City and Its Uncertain Walls follows a man on his quest to find the long-lost love that haunts him. His quest takes him to a small mountain town as well as to a mysterious — and perhaps imaginary — other world, the boundaries between the two thin and porous. An utterly immersive, heartfelt and fantastical tale.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
A moving novel following two very different brothers grieving in the wake of their father’s death, and the romantic entanglements they find themselves in during this tumultuous time. Rooney deftly explores themes of family, grief and love with incredible attention to character, turning the mundane into the very essence of what makes us human. Rooney’s novels are always powerful and thought-provoking.
Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu (Knopf) Mamush, the son of Ethiopian immigrants, leaves his failing marriage in Paris and returns to his childhood home in Washington, D.C., to visit his mother just as Samuel, an important father figure in his life, is found dead in his garage. Mamush then sets off on a journey through America, guided by Samuel’s spirit, to uncover the secrets of Samuel’s past and discover hidden truths about his own life along the way. Mengestu’s newest book offers a unique, timely and important look at the American immigrant experience.
