Welcome to our column Staff Picks, in which we ask the staffers at our favorite book, music, and movie stores around to town to share with us what they're reading, listening to, and watching this week. We figure they're good people to ask. Today we're checking in with the staff at Fort Greene bookstore Greenlight to find out what they've been dog-earing lately.
Bookseller Patrick recommends Valis by Philip K. Dick: "Along with being Dick's craziest, most psychedelic novel, Valis is also his most personal and maybe his most mesmerizing. Supposedly based on an intense out-of-body experience that the author obsessed over throughout his final years, Valis is in part comprised of Dick's private journals or, as he referred to it, his Exegesis. A truly wild ride, this novel is a perfect read if you've recently lost your mind."
Bookseller Eleanor recommends French Leave by Anna Gavalda: "Garance, a devilish French femme celibataire, knows just to get under the skin of her uptight sister-in-law. Put the two women in a small car together (along with Garance's older brother and sister) for hours, and chaos ensues. This is a chronicle of a typical family car trip, if only everyone in your family was witty and intelligent and fabulously snarky."
Bookseller Brette recommends The Wizard of Oz by Salman Rushdie: "If you don't like The Wizard of Oz, you probably haven't seen it. For this, I am sorry. You should probably put down this delightful book, fess up and watch it. Otherwise, keep reading! This is a speedy little vehicle that races you behind the curtain and proves that there is just as much magic happening between the takes as there is when the film is rolling. Put yourself in Rushdie's capable hands, and let him show you one of the most important movies in cinematic history."
