Urban St. Reads for December, 2022

For various ages and various tastes, some literary suggestions from someone with a front seat on what readers enjoy: Mike O’Brien, whose Book Cellar in Grand Haven carries new and used volumes. You can buy these titles there or at other locally-owned lakeshore book shops to give as gifts or enjoy yourself. 

For young children . . .

The Polar Express (1985)   

Many memories have been made with this classic picture book, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1986 and continues to be a family favorite. Open the covers of this beloved Christmas classic and hop aboard the Polar Express. Travel through dark forests, over the highest mountains, and cross a barren ice desert to a huge city that will spark the believer in all of us.

For adults with a heart for social commentary . . . 

There There (2018)

This instant classic for Thanksgiving time is at once poignant, unflinching and truly unforgettable. Travel with a group of characters in a mix of essays and fiction that explore the plight of urban Native Americans and the history and significance of Native American traditions going back to the so-incorrectly-related “first Thanksgiving.” Be prepared to be fundamentally changed for the better this holiday season.

For Stephen King fans . . .   

Fairy Tale (2022)

Returning to a story of a young boy and his dog in peril, King pits this truly good pair against the ultimate evil. At 10, Charlie loses his mother to a hit-and-run and his father to the bottom of the bottle. At 17, he finds Radar, a faithful companion for his adventures through a portal into an alternate universe. This stellar story is everything fans have been waiting for.

For readers of fierce, visceral fiction . . .   

The Passenger (2022)

Stella Maris (2022)

After a 16-year hiatus, Pulitzer Prize winning author Cormac McCarthy returns with not one, but two powerful books. “The Passenger,” brand new this October, is a heart-stopping study of morality, science and human consciousness — a mystery that starts with a frigid dive into Mississippi’s coastal waters to investigate a downed jet and drags readers across the Deep South looking for answers. “Stella Maris” is part 2; it will be released in early December.

The Book Cellar
8 N. 7th St., Grand Haven
facebook.com/usedbooksgh