The Odyssey Bookshop
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The Odyssey Gallery

Pictures of recent events

The Odyssey Bookshop is one of five independent bookstores participating in WAMC's Roundtable on Tuesday mornings, just after the 10:00 news. People from the Odyssey will be on about once a month, talking about our favorite books. 

Click here to see the list of the books we have talked about.

The Odyssey Bookshop
9 College St.
S. Hadley, MA 01075

413-534-7307
800-540-7307
fax 413-532-3654

email odysseybks@aol.com

The Odyssey is on the Air

The Odyssey Bookshop is now one of four independent bookstores participating in WAMC's Roundtable on Tuesday mornings, just after the 10:00 news. WAMC can be heard at 90.3 FM. People from the Odyssey will be on about once a month, talking with hosts Julia Taylor and Joe Donahue about our favorite books

Joan Grenier's and Emily Russo's Odyssey Bookshop Book Picks for 7/15/08

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A Blackmon
• The God of War by Marisa Silver
• The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
 

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop Book Picks for 6/10/08

• Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
• City of Thieves by David Benioff
• The Reapers by John Connolly
• The Resurrectionist by Jack O'Connell
• Nothing to Lose by Lee Child

• Wild Birds of the American Wetlands by Rosalie Winard
• Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner
• Rising Powers Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy by Michael Klare
• Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout
• City of Thieves: A Novel by David Benioff
• All Things Must Fight to Live: Stories of War and Deliverance in Congo by Bryan Mealer

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop Book Picks for 3/25/08

• L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker
• Judas Horse by April Smith
• At the City's Edge by Marcus Sakey
• City of the Sun by David Levien
• The Telephone Gambit by Seth Shulman
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Joan Grenier's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 2/19/08

• The Pig Did It : A Novel by Joseph Caldwell
• Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Family Moved Out of Slavery and into Legend by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina
• A Golden Age: A Novel by Tahmima Anam
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
• The Reserve by Russell Banks
• Swim against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go with the Flow by Jim Hightower with Susan DeMarco
• Peace: 50 Years of Protest by Barry Miles

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 8/7/07:

• Free Fire by CJ Box
• Yesterday’s Fatal by Jan Brogan
• Gun Shy by Ben Rehder
• Night Ferry by Michael Robotham
• The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke

Top five summer paperbacks:

• Blindfold Game by Dana Stabenow
• Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver
• Triptych by Karin Slaughter
• Night Gardener by George Pelecanos
• Oblivion by Peter Abrahams

• Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia by Camilo Mejia
• Animal Mineral Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
• Yurts: Living in the Round by Becky Kemery
• On Kingdom Mountain by Howard Frank Mosher
• Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje
• Main Street Series Book 1: Welcome to Camden Falls by Ann M. Martin
• The Blessing of the Beasts written by Ethel Pochocki with engravings by Barry Moser

• Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child 
• On the Wrong Track by Steve Hockensmith 
• Boomsday by Christopher Buckley
• Requiem for an Assassin by Barry Eisler 
• Opening Day by Jonathan Eig 
• The Overlook by Michael Connelly 

Joan Grenier's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 4/10/07:

• Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
• Astrid and Veronika by Lina Olsson
• Finn by John Clinch
• Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje
• An Inconvenient Truth: the Crisis of Global WarmingbyAdapted for a New Generation (for kids) by Al Gore

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 3/13/07:

• What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
• The Watchman by Robert Crais
• By the Time You Read This by Giles Blunt
• The Cloud of Unknowing by Thomas H. Cook
• Nerve Damage by Peter Abrahams

Joan Grenier's picks for 2/13/07:

• Targeted: Homeland Security and the Business of Immigration by Deepa Fernandes
• Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert
• Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben
• The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish by Elise Blackwell
• The Light Within the Light: Portraits of Donald Hall, Richard Wilbur, Maxine Kumin & Stanley Kunitz by Jeanne Braham with engravings by Barry Moser

• Pure Evil by Greg Iles
• The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey
• In the Rain by SJ Rozan
• The Second Mouse by Archer Mayor
• The Killing Moon by Chuck Hogan

• The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens
• Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier
• Echo Maker by Richard Powers
• Genuis of Impeachment: The Founders’ Cure for Royalism by John Nichols
• The Lonely Planet Guide to the Middle of Nowhere
• A Photographer’s Life 1990 – 2005 Annie Leibowitz

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 11/14/06:

• Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
• The Wrong Man by John Katzenbach
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
• The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker
• Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song by Les Beletsky

• The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens By Elizabeth Holtzman and Cynthia L. Cooper
• The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen
• The Republic of Poetry: Poems by Martîn Espada
• Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway
• The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them Edited by Roxanne J. Coady and Joy Johannessen
• Christmas Remembered by Tomie dePaola

9/26/06  Neil 

• The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
• Echo Park by Michael Connelly
• Damnation Street by Andrew Klavan
• Snow Blind by P.J. Tracy
• Billy Boyle by James R. Benn

• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
• Enemy Combatant by Moazzam Begg
• The Meaning of the Night by Michael Cox
• Static by Amy & David Goodman

• The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver
• The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard
• Triptych by Karin Slaughter
• The Last Assassin by Barry Eisler
• The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos

• The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
• The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder
• Oblivion by Peter Abraham
• One Shot by Lee Child
• Blood of Angels by Reed Arvin

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 5/9/06:

• Crime Beat by Michael Connelly
• In Plain Sight by C.J. Box
• The Hard Way by Lee Child
• End of Story by Peter Abrahams
• The Bookwoman's Last Fling by John Dunning
• Mission Flats by William Landay (Crime Club selection)

• The Inheritance of Loss by Kirin Desai
• A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
• Brookland by Emily Barton
• A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger
• The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans by Patricia Klindienst
• Here Comes Darrell written by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Mary Azarian
• Saving the World by Julia Alvarez

• Slipping Into Darkness by Peter Blauner
• Slow Motion Riot by Peter Blauner
• The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder
• The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker
• Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 1/17/06:

• Blindfold Game by Dana Stabenow
• An Unacceptable Death by Barbara Seranella
• Lost by Michael Robotham
• The Two Minte Rule by Robert Crais
• Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (The Crime Club Report)
• 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal

• Curse of the Narrows by Laura M. MacDonald
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith
• A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies by Ellen Cooney
• Seven Lies by James Lasdun
• Signspotting: Absurd and Amusing Signs from around the World compiled by Doug Lansky
• Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights by Jim Haskins and illustrated by Benny Andrews

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 11/22/05:

• St. Albans Fire by Archer Mayor
• The Color of Law by Mark Gimenez
• The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr
• Katz on Dogs by Jon Katz
• Encyclopedia Prehistorica - Dinosaurs by Robert Sabuda

• In the Province of Saints by Thomas O'Malley
• A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
• The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
• The Bob Dylan Scrapbook 1956-1966 by Robert Santelli
• Dylan: Visions, Portraits, and Back Pages by MOJO
• The Beatles: 365 Days by Simon Wells
• John Lennon: The New York Years text and images by Bob Gruen

• The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
• Fiddlers by Ed McBain
• Black Angel by John Connolly(also Dark Hollow)
• First Drop by Zoe Sharp
• The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley

• The Season of Open Water by Dawn Clifton Tripp
• Third Girl from the Left by Martha Southgate
• An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers,Politicos, Polluters and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas by Diane Wilson
• The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America by Jonathan Kozol
• Voices of a people's history of the United States by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove

Neil Novik's Odyssey Bookshop picks for 7/26/05:

• The Historian   by Elizabeth Kostova
• Blood of Angels  by Reed Arvin
• The 12th Card  by Jeffery Deaver
• One Shot  by Lee Child
• Killing Rain  by Barry Eisler

• Dracula  by Bram Stoker
• The Last Goodbye  by Reed Arvin
• The Vanished Man  by Jeffery Deaver
• Skinny Dip  by Carl Hiaasen
• Monkeewrench  by PJ Tracy

• The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
• Red Dust by Gillian Slovo
• Responsible Men by Edward Schwarzchild
• Silent Snow: The Slow Poisoning of the Artic by Marla Cone
• Recipes from a Very Small Island by Linda Greenlaw and Martha Greenlaw
• Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr

May 10 (Neil)

• Country of Origin  by Don Lee
• Oblivion and Down the Rabbit Hole  by Peter Abrahams
• The Closers  by Michael Connelly
• Dead Run  by PJ Tracy

April 12 (Joan)

• Breaking the Tongue by Vyvyane Loh
• Towelhead by Alicia Erian
• Boy who Loved Ann Frank by Ellen Feldman
• America's Disappeared: Secret Imprisonment, Detainees, and the "War on Terror" by Rachel Meeropol
• Spring Forward:The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing
• The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong by Donald Kroodsma

March 15 (Neil). 

• Suspect  by Michael Robotham
• The Forgotten Man  by Robert Crais
• Drama City  by George Pelecanos
• Mr. Lucky  by James Swain
• Strange Affair  by Peter Robinson

February 15 (Joan)

• Mrs. Kimble   by Jennifer Haigh
• Baker Towers  by Jennifer Haigh
• Before the Frost  by Henning Mankell
• Looking for Mr. Gilbert: the Reimagined Life of an African American   by John Hanson Mitchell
• Bury the Chains: Prophets, Slaves, and Rebels in the First Human Rights Crusade  by Adam Hochschild
• Let's Talk About Race written by Julius Lester and Illustrated by Karen Barbour
• Precious and the Boo Hag  Patricia C. McKissack and Onawumi Jean Moss and illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker

January 18, 2005 (Neil)

• Forests of the Night by James W. Hall
• Deception by Denise Mina
• The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
• The Midnight Band of Mercy by Michael Blaine

December 21 (Joan)

• The Umbrella by Jan Brett
• The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter
• Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamaty
• Hachiko Waits written by Leslea Newman and Illustrations by Machiyo Kodaira
• Banishing Verona by Margot Livesey
• Plot Against America by Philip Roth
• Future of Ice: A Journey into Cold by Gretel Ehrlich
• Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins

• New York a Photo Atlas
• The Jigsaw Puzzle: Piecing Together a History by Anne Williams
• Dogs of Bedlam Farms by Jon Katz
• Good News Bad News by David Wolstencroft
• Shotgun Alley by Andrew Klavan
• Waiting for Teddy Williams by Howard Frank Mosher

October 26 (Joan) 

• Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books   by Aaron Lansky
• The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience  by Wangari Maathai
• The Rarest of the Rare: Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History   text by Nancy Pick,photographs by Mark Sloan
• Clearing the Land: Legacies of the American Farm   by Jane Brox
• The Peace Book   written and illustrated by Todd Parr
• Pat the Politician: A Politcal Pull and Poke Parody  by Design by Melissa Hutton

• Absent Friends by SJ Rozan
• Night of the Dance and Scared Money by James Hime
• Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
• Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen

August 10, 2004 (Neil)

• The Madman's Tale   by John Katzenbach
• Double Play   by Robert B. Parker
• Little Scarlet   by Walter Moseley
• Country of Origin  by Don Lee
• Red Tide  by GM Ford
• Rain Storm  by Barry Eisler

Top ten summer paperback crime/mystery/thrillers

1. Monkeewrench by PJ Tracy 
2. Rain Fall by Barry Eisler 
3. The Vanished Man by Jeffery Deaver 
4. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane 
5. Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich 
6. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen 
7. Winter and Night by SJ Rozan (Best novel Edgar 2002) 
8. No Second Chance by Harlan Coben 
9. The Killing Kind by John Connolly 
10. A Blind Eye by GM Ford

June 8, 2004 (Joan)

• All Over Creation  by Ruth Ozeki
• Eventide  by Kent Haruf
• True North   by Jim Harrison
• Between Two Rivers   by Nicholas Rinaldi
• A Song I Knew by Heart  by Bret Lott
• Discounted Casualties: The Human Cost of Depleted Uranium   by Akira Tashiro for The Chugoku Shimbum (Hiroshima newspaper)
• MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country: How to Find Your Political Voice and Become a Catalyst for Change  by MoveOn.org
• Rising From the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class  by Larry Tye

• The Narrows  by Michael Connelly
• The Garden of Martyrs  by Michael C. White
• Southtown   by Rick Riordan
• Eats, Shoots and Leaves   by Lynne Truss
• Live Bait  by PJ Tracy
• The Burglar on the Prowl  by Lawrence Block

March 16 (Neil)

• Hell to Pay and Hard Revolution  by George Pelecanos
• The Last Juror   by John Grisham
• The Poet  by Michael Connelly
• Spectacle of Corruption   by David Liss
• February 18 (Neil) 
  • The Killing Kind  by John Connolly
  • Fat Ollie's Book  by Ed McBain
  • The Last Detective  by Robert Crais
  • Flashback  by Nevada Barr
  • City of Masks  by Daniel Hecht
  January 21 (Joan)
  • Middlesex  by Jeffrey Eugenides
  • Paradise Alley  by Kevin Baker
  • Lovely Bones  by Alice Sebold
  • Child of my Heart  by Alice McDermott
  • Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy  Edited by Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild
  • The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World  by Mark Hertsgaard