KAITLYN
Sewing Basics: All You Need to Know About Machine and Hand Sewing by Sandra Bardwell“Not so fast, said the craft gods when I bought my first sewing machine thinking I’d have a designer knockoff finished in less than a month. I soon realized that sewing has its own, very particular ways and I was drowning in them. The only thing I really grasped in my first six months of practice was how creative I could be with profanity.
Enter my sewing savior, Sandra Bardwell’s Sewing Basics, a book that explains not only the how of things, but also the why, which for me made all the difference. Thanks to its thoroughness, I’m now able to make decisions about things like presser feet, stitch length and seam finishes. I can whipstitch, blanket stitch and embroider all kinds of things I will never, ever use. I should mention that the book is extremely straightforward, and I often look elsewhere for inspiration, but I’m fine saving the frills for my clothing. (And my cursing.)” You can find copies of Sewing Basics on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
BRUCE
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr“Enough people have come up to the register buying this book for their book clubs or for gifts that I finally caved in and started reading it. I’m only a few pages in. So far, I like the different structure – short chapters, two parallel storylines…The novel takes place in this tiny walled city in the far north of France, called Saint-Mâlo, that I would love to visit after reading about it. The book explores subjects that others have addressed before, but with a fresh take on each, especially the author’s portrayal of blindness.” You can find copies of All The Light We Cannot See on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
EJ
My Weird School Daze series by Dan Gutman“My six-year-old and I are reading the My Weird School series – my son really likes it because the stories are bizarre. The books are told from the perspective of a kid who hates school and thinks his teachers are crazy and have secret lives, which the students are always trying to uncover. The books are laugh-out-loud funny for my son, my husband and I.” You can find copies of the My Weird School series on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
ROBYN
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker“I am currently about halfway done with The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker that the Nightmare Factory Book Club is discussing this month. First off, the movie Hellraiser was based on this book. I admittedly wasn’t a huge fan of that movie upon first seeing it a few years back, but reading Barker’s original story has inspired me to revisit it. At only 164 pages long and written int he style of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the psychology of pain and pleasure, desire and despair are very artfully explored. Oh, and it’s way creepy.” You can find copies of The Hellbound Heart on our shelves and via bookpeople.com. The Nightmare Factory Book Club meets on Tuesday, May 19th, at 7 PM in BookPeople’s cafe. Copies of book club books are 10% off at the register in the month of their selection.
DEMI
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro“I just finished The Buried Giant for my New and Noteworthy Book Club on May 28th (hooray, I’m early!). I’m still turning it over and thinking through it, and I really liked how it turned out. It’s an Arthurian romance without Arthur, and it definitely harkens back to medieval literature both in content and style. Plus, one of the main characters (Beatrice) has the same name as my puppy. I’m sold!” You can find copies of The Buried Giant on our shelves and via bookpeople.com. The New & Noteworthy Book Club meets on Thursday, May 28th, at 7 PM on BookPeople’s third floor. Copies of book club books are 10% off at the register in the month of their selection.
BookPeople 
I hope to learn something about sewing here.
The fact that you like Dan Gutman books rocks. My teacher has most of the Weird School books and I read them a few years ago. Glad you included a kids book. Did anyone read the Evil Spy School? I lent mine out to my friends- it was good.