Lit Corner Read This
We asked our friends at the Northshire Bookstore to give us some reading recommendations for this summer and fall— after all, it’ s what they do! Peruse through their shelves and you’ ll see employee recommendations galore. We couldn’ t help but throw in a couple of recommendations ourselves. Whether you’ re bringing your book to the beach, park, or your favorite cozy corner, we know you’ ll find something here to satisfy your reading appetite!
Alden Graves, Bookseller, 25 + years at Northshire
“ I feel very fortunate to be a bookseller at the Northshire Bookstore after over a quarter of a century because it is also one of the great pleasures in my life. My time is largely devoted to maintaining the store’ s large fiction section, but my personal interests frequently veer into the more unpleasant aspects of life in nonfiction. I tend the shelf devoted to the Titanic with near reverence. People often ask me when I plan to retire and they might just as well be asking when I expect to climb into a barrel and go over Niagara Falls. I have no immediate plans to do either.”
Alden recommends: Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead. The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author’ s final volume in his Harlem Trilogy is, in many ways, the best. The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall. When his twin sister vanishes in France during World War II, her brother is determined to find out what happened to her. Gather by Vermont author Kenneth Cadow. The best novel I ever read about the deep connection between a boy and his beloved dog.
Stan Hynds, Adult Book Buyer, 26 years at Northshire
“ It’ s a privilege working in an industry with so many interesting, well-rounded, book-minded people. It always comes down to the people. Northshire Bookstore colleagues and customers, as well as our friends at the publishers, have all created a great work experience.”
Stan recommends: Look What You Made Me Do by John Lanchester and The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout. These are my two favorite books for the summer so far. The book I can’ t wait to read this fall is Ply by Hernan Diaz. My latest, greatest Vermont book is The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow. It’ s a book about raising sheep on a farm near Waitsfield but of course it’ s about life and death, too.
Rachel Person, Director of Events, 12 + years at Northshire
Rachel recommends: Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzales. A beautiful and thoughtprovoking novel exploring a moment of massive political and cultural change. Two young women meet as they make their way in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood in 2007. This tale of reinvention- both personal and urban— kept me riveted. Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan. A delightful second chance sapphic rom-com full of heart and humor, this book follows former child stars whose first love fell apart amid the toxic and glitzy world of their fame. Dugan does a lovely job of showing a hard fought happily ever after, where both characters must grow and change to be ready to love again. manchester manchester life manchester magazine life magazine holiday2025 life magazine summer / winter / 2023 fall 2026 79 79