The Staff Shelf: Fountain Bookstore

When we walk into a bookstore, the first place we go is the staff recommendation shelves—it’s how you get a quick sense of the personality of the store. The very best bookstores are merely a reflection of the eclectic, deeply felt opinions of the book-lovers who work there. As part of our Interview with a Bookstore, we asked the staff at Fountain Bookstore what they recommend.

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SLIDESHOW: Fountain Bookstore Staff Shelf

: BETH RECOMMENDS: Being a crazy, crafty mama with a potty mouth, this book made her scream with glee! I’ve been stitching away at such comforting designs as: “Don’t Be Such A Baby” and “Cheer Up, Loser” and many others that cannot be printed here.

: KELLY RECOMMENDS: Despite a 40+ year career, over 70 books and over a gillion awards: Harlan Ellison is not a household name. That makes me mad. He is one of our most gifted living writers and more gifted than a lot of the dead ones. I am overjoyed to see these reprints (of which Slippage is the most recently written) bringing him to a new audience. His stories my have fantastic settings and plots, but no one gets closer to portraying the essentials of the human condition that remain the same across place and time: beauty, tragedy, cruelty, kindness, humor and the whole glorious horrific mess of it all.

: MAUREEN RECOMMENDS: I led the charge on #FerranteFever at Fountain, begging my fellow booksellers to join me in my obsession. I was nearly apoplectic waiting for book four. Everyone is safe now that it’s out and I’ve read it. But now it’s over! What an experience: a beautiful story of a friendship and a country. A masterpiece.

: CARL RECOMMENDS: From New York Times bestselling author a thrilling account of how Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson” became a great and tragic American hero.” One of my favorite characters of the Civil War, “Rebel Yell” goes in depth with the well-respected soldier, feared opponent, loving husband and doting father (something his opponents on the field would not experience)! Civil War nerds like myself will not be able to put this down!

: DIANE RECOMMENDS: Sophia is trying every fancy word she can think of to get her one true desire for her birthday: a pet giraffe. There are only four things standing in her way: Mom, Dad, Uncle Conrad, and Grand-mama. Turns out she only needed one word. Guess which one it is!

: STEVE RECOMMENDS: Honestly, the first book isn’t the greatest mystery I’ve ever read, but as a story about a man obsessed with maintaining his principles in a world that literally has an expiration date, this series is pretty special- I’m thinking about the ending as I type this and am literally getting goosebumps. Really good stuff.

: NATALIE RECOMMENDS: When I started at Fountain recently, I didn’t realize I would be working with so many people who enjoyed cooking and sharing good food as much as I do! This book makes me happy. The recipes are simple, easy, wholesome, comforting and delicious!