Melinda Rucker Haynes

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

New York

A Novel

In a small Mississippi town during the late 1950s, Even Grade, a twenty-eight-year-old Black man who grew up as an orphan, and Valuable Korner, the teenage white daughter of the local prostitute, search for love, family, and commitment as their lives intersect with that of Joody Two Sun, a seer who becomes Even's lover

Mother of Pearl

8344341e-71ff-4d76-b0b4-913f98d5bf6b-1

#hardcover #fiction #1950 #melindahaynes #oprahs-book-club 

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Pennsylvania

Marking the debut of a stunning new literary talent, MOTHER OF PEARL captures the irony and beauty of life in the Deep South in exquisite prose that brings to mind Kaye Gibbons and Olive Ann Burns. But Haynes creates a wholly distinctive new style by drawing on her own Southern roots and the "noble country" language of her youth in this remarkable first novel.

Set in a small Mississippi town in the late 1950s, MOTHER OF PEARL is populated by wonderfully rich and original characters with themes of identity and the true meaning of family interwoven throughout. The story revolves around twenty-eight-year-old Even Grade, a black man who grew up an orphan, and Valuable Korner, a fifteen-year-old white girl whose is the daughter of the town whore and an unknown father. Their paths cross through Joody Two Sun, a seer, who sets up camp along the riverbank just outside of town and becomes Even's lover. Both Even and Valuable are seeking the family, love and commitment they never had, and their search ultimately takes both of them to places they never dreamed they'd go.

Told in beautifully naunced narrative with a staggering richness that resonates with emotional truth, MOTHER OF PEARL is a haunting, bittersweet tale of the search for identity and the power of renewal.



Texas

Mother of Pearl - First Edition

#hardcover #fiction #1950 #melindahaynes #oprahs-book-club #historical #drama #literary

Utah

Maryland

Alka Joshi

Iowa

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

"Captivated me from the first chapter to the final page."—Reese Witherspoon

Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.

The Henna Artist

2fc02f39-e9e3-4d70-87e1-16714d539da3-1

#hardcover #pets #dog #mansbestfriend #bloodhound #vintage #1950 #illustrated 

Washington

That Useless Hound

#hardcover #fiction #historical #reesesbookclub #indianauthors #inspiring #transporting #1950 

Illinois

#paperback #ww2 #humor #war #starsandstripes #vintage #1950 #illustrated #bantambooks 

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Complete and unabridged 

Up Front

Dominic Smith

Oregon

In The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Australian writer Dominic Smith bridges the historical and the contemporary, tracking a collision course between a rare landscape by a female Dutch painter of the Golden Age, an inheritor of the work in 1950s Manhattan, and a celebrated Australian art historian who painted a forgery of it in her youth. In 1631, Sara de Vos is admitted to the Guild of St. Luke in Holland as a master painter, the first woman to be so honoured. Three hundred years later, only one work attributed to de Vos is known to remain: a haunting winter scene, At the Edge of a Wood, which hangs over the Manhattan bed of a wealthy descendant of the original owner. An Australian grad student, Ellie Shipley, struggling to stay afloat in New York, agrees to paint a forgery of the landscape, a decision that will haunt her. Because now, half a century later, she's curating an exhibition of female Dutch painters, and both versions threaten to arrive.

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

e444da8f-8db8-48c2-bdfd-405ebe19116f-1

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

California

#paperback #iran #1950 #revolution #family #memory #womeniniran #memory #familyinwar

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Minnesota

A sweeping, compelling story which brings to life the Iranian Revolution, from an author who experienced it first-hand.

House of the Mosque

c0ad5296-8e32-40a8-8cb0-f6c6ec27c7c4-1

Laura Kalpakian

Michigan

"An unforgettable novel from an award-winning author about an ambitious young agent's daring fight to protect blacklisted writers in McCarthy-era Hollywood and her passionate relationship with an African American journalist. Outraged by her grandfather's illicit affair with Empire Pictures' latest femme fatale, Roxanne Granville forsakes her position as Hollywood royalty and rejects the man who raised her, determined to strike out on her own. Backed by little more than the stubborn grit she inherited from her beloved grandmother, Roxanne sets up shop as a low-budget film agent for budding screenwriters. When an old friend, exiled from Hollywood and Empire Pictures by her grandfather for being a Communist sympathizer, begs for her help, Roxanne decides to right the wrongs committed by her family. It's what her grandmother would have wanted. Soon Roxanne finds herself at the helm of a lucrative business, having landed her secret clients a handful of major studio deals through willing frontmen. Her newfound freedom leads her to a passionate relationship with an African American journalist and jazz aficionado. But Hollywood is ruthless when it senses a scandal. How long will it take before all of Roxanne's success comes crumbling down?"--

The Great Pretenders

3276546e-7c7d-415a-9546-f71ea8110835-1

This book is in good condition, however the jacket has seen better days, as pictured. For further information please see the photos. 

Engineering

Simplified Carpentry Estimating

W. H. Buzzard

This story is "laugh-out-loud funny" as told by a "master story teller," expressed the book's editor, whose credits include lecturer, instructor and author of 14 novels, in her summation ofThere is a Generation. In 1950s Midland, Texas, best friends Tim and Hect are enjoying the high life. Coddled in the type of lifestyle that allows them to play “war” with .22 caliber semiautomatic rifles, they suddenly find their world turned upside down when their game of random shooting turns into a ghastly murder, or so they are convinced. Hect has the idea to set fire to an old shack in an abandoned junkyard for a final thrill after a day of mischief. Tim readily agrees, though he thinks his friend's target is a wasp nest in a mesquite bush, not the shack. They fill a beer bottle with fuel from a wrecked truck and hurl the Molotov cocktail at a shack, which erupts into a fireball. Stunned that his friend chose to set fire to the empty office, instead of a wasp nest, Tim gapes in horror at the sight of a blazing figure who appears in the tiny hut's window. The human torch and a shocked Tim gaze at each other a brief instant, the memory of which lasts forever in the boy's mind. Interrupted by the sound of shrill sirens coming from town, and believing their prank will land them in prison, if not death row, Tim and Hect think their only choice lies in being fugitives from the law. Armed only with dogged determination and a forehead-slapping sense of naivety, the two boys flee out into the harsh Texas desert. Because of their spoiled rotten lifestyles they've lived so far, the two softies couldn't be less prepared to face hunger, thirst, life on the road, homelessness and a hidden world of poverty and slums, plus the mean streets of a third world country. In their travels through wilderness and city ghettos, Tim and Hect fall into adventures and troubles beyond their wildest imagination. Added to that, they must avoid dangers such as being pursued by a ferocious 125 pound dog named Mauler. Half-chow, half-Irish Setter and the spitting image of a lion, the dog chases the two through open desert with the intent of feasting on a double-brat burger. From scam artists to wisecracking motel owners to escaped convicts and frenzied mercenaries, the friends stumble from West Texas to New Mexico to Old Mexico in a tongue-in-cheek romp that will take readers through ranges of emotion from teary-eyed to laughter. Along the way, they meet such one-of-a-kind characters as Fast-One, a slum lord and work-cafe owner who ought to meet lynchmob justice because of the cruel practical jokes she pulls; to a cowboy and his wife, Eli, and Snowball, who run a diner and allow Tim as dishwasher to eat all the scraps he wants for a salary; to a trucker named T.J. and his beautiful-but-scheming daughter, Becca, who run a scam they have proudly called the "Poison Log Routine." And many more oddball-but-lovable characters. A biting satire on societal excess and privilege that makes fun of the 1950s and the kids of "The Greatest Generation," the action/adventure novel,There is a Generation expertly reflects the wildness of boyhood, the idiocy of entitlement, and the fleeting nature of childhood in a way that will entice audiences of all ages. From beginning to end, the fiction novel is a fun romp through lots of adventure and comedic situations with a surprise ending that few, if any, will see coming. A sequel is due to be published in the fall of 2015, There is a Generation II. If you want advance notice on the exact date to read further adventures of Tim and Hect, send an email with the title "Sequel" to whbuzzard@gmail.com. Also, any comments or critiques will be welcomed.

There Is a Generation

5d4fe029-60d1-4efb-8665-310e07870a2a-1

Ohio

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER  A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK  "Captivated me from the first chapter to the final page."—Reese Witherspoon  Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.  Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…  Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.

Delaware

The Trapp Family Book of Christmas Songs

84d884b7-43da-4fe6-a9bf-8c28ab4b8c4f-1

Melanie Benjamin

Of all the glamorous stars of New York high society, none blazes brighter than Babe Paley and her friends, the alluring socialite Swans. But beneath this elegantly composed exterior dwells a passionate woman, desperately longing for true love and connection. Enter Truman Capote. Through Babe, Truman gains unparalleled access to the scandal and gossip of Babe's powerful circle. Babe never imagines the destruction Truman will leave in his wake-- even when the stories aren't his to tell.

The Swans of Fifth Avenue

e91b52e5-f102-414a-82e9-77cb3d171ae8

Idaho

On its surface, life in Houston is as you would expect: drive-in restaurants, souped-up cars, jukeboxes, teenagers discovering their sexuality. But beneath the glitz and superficial normalcy, a class war has begun, and it is nothing like the conventional portrayal of the decade. Against this backdrop Aaron Holland Broussard discovers the poignancy of first love and a world of violence he did not know existed. When Aaron spots the beautiful and gifted Valerie Epstein fighting with her boyfriend, Grady Harrelson, at a Galveston drive-in, he inadvertently challenges the power of the Mob and one of the richest families in Texas. He also discovers he must find the courage his father had found as an American soldier in the Great War.

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Melinda Rucker Haynes

Mother of Pearl

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Mother of Pearl

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Mother of Pearl - First Edition

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Mother of Pearl

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Mother of Pearl

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The Henna Artist

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That Useless Hound

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Mother of Pearl

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Up Front

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The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

Melinda Rucker Haynes

Mother of Pearl

Melinda Rucker Haynes

Mother of Pearl

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House of the Mosque

Laura Kalpakian

The Great Pretenders

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Simplified Carpentry Estimating

W. H. Buzzard

There Is a Generation

Alka Joshi

The Henna Artist

Melinda Rucker Haynes

Mother of Pearl

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The Trapp Family Book of Christmas Songs

Melinda Rucker Haynes

Mother of Pearl

Melanie Benjamin

The Swans of Fifth Avenue

Alka Joshi

The Henna Artist

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The Jealous Kind