The September Book Pick Is...

A wondrous and redemptive debut novel, set in a stark world where evil and magic coincide, The Enchanted combines the empathy and lyricism of Alice Sebold with the dark, imaginative power of Stephen King.

"This is an enchanted place. Others don’t see it, but I do." The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison, viewed through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes and the world he inhabits. Fearful and reclusive, he senses what others cannot. Though bars confine him every minute of every day, he marries visions of golden horses running beneath the prison, heat flowing like molten metal from their backs with the devastating violence of prison life.

Two outsiders venture here: a fallen priest and the Lady, an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners’ pasts that can save those soon-to-be-executed. Digging into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of victim and criminal, innocence and guilt, honesty and corruption—ultimately revealing shocking secrets of her own.

Beautiful and transcendent, The Enchanted reminds us of how our humanity connects us all, and how beauty and love exist even amidst the most nightmarish reality.

Once again, The Enchanted won the day by only one vote. Side Effects May Vary came in second for the second time in a row. So here's the deal I'll make to all of you. 

The Enchanted is our official read of September. However, I'll also be hosting a discussion for Side Effects May Vary on Saturdays!

So you can either choose to just read one of the two, or read both. It's up to you, and whatever your little bookish heart desires. I know not everyone can read two books simultaneously, so don't feel bad if you only join us for one or other. We'll be discussing both!

Get your copies! Our reading schedule on both of these starts on September 1, 2014.