Here is where you will find what's new at St. Thomas' well-known, well-read Dockside Bookshop at Havensight Mall. Every week you will find new titles to peruse. Look for updates of our "picks" for fiction and nonfiction and, at the end of the reviews, a surprise in paperback!
DOCKSIDE BOOKSHOP STORE HOURS
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday and Friday
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Phone: 340-774-4937
E-mail: [email protected]
"Skinny Dip" by Carl Hiaasen.
Knopf, fiction, 355 p. $24.95
Hiaasen's signature mix of hilariously over-the-top villains, lovable innocents and righteous indignation at what mankind has done to his beloved Florida wilderness is all present in riotous abundance in his latest.
The book begins with attractive heiress Joey Perrone being tossed overboard from a cruise ship by her larcenous husband, Chaz — not for her money, which she has had the good sense to keep well away from him, but because he fears she is onto his crooked dealings with a ruthless tycoon who is poisoning the Everglades. But instead of drowning as she's supposed to, Joey stays afloat until she is rescued by moody ex-cop Mick Stranahan, a loner who has also struck out in the marriage department. Then the two together, with the unwitting aid of a suspicious cop who can't pin the attempted murder on Chaz, hatch a sadistic plot to scare that "maggot" out of what little wit he has. Even Tool, a hulking brute sent by the tycoon to keep an eye on Chaz, eventually turns against him, and much of the fun is in watching the deplorable Chaz flounder further and further in the murk, both literally and figuratively (Chaz's job, as the world's unlikeliest marine biologist, involves falsifying water pollution levels for the tycoon). Hiaasen's books are so enjoyable it's always a sad moment when they end. In this case, however, sadness is mixed with puzzlement because the book seems to end in mid-scene, with Chaz in trouble again — but is it terminal? We thought at first there were some pages missing, but Knopf says that was the ending Hiaasen intended.
"A Field Guide to Native Trees & Plants of East End, St. John, US Virgin Islands" by Eleanor Gibney; photographs by Doug White.
Center for the Environment, Inc. [an East End, St. John firm], nonfiction, 86 pp. $25.00
Through fortuitous accidents of geography and history, the island of St. John contains some of the most diverse remaining tropical dry forest in the Caribbean.
Of the 748 native or naturalized plant species growing "wile" on St. John, 643 are indigenous to the island, naturally occurring before the arrival of people.
The far end of St. John, east of Haulover Bay, is historically and geographically a very separate place with a unique history. East End's prevailing dryness and windiness never allowed large-scale or commercial agriculture as it was practiced in the moister sections of the island. As a result, East End, along with the driest parts of the south shore, retains a remarkable diversity of native plants in several different habitats.
Quoting from the publication: "This book is a guide to some of the more distinctive native plants seen on the East End and in other arid parts of the Virgin Islands. We have not attempted to include all of the several hundred species found on the East End, only the most representative and interesting. We hope that this book will help preserve worthy plants in their habitats, encourage local propagation of the more useful and attractive, and help anyone so inclined to become greatly more connected to their surroundings — and enjoy them much more as a result.
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is now in paperback!
In his fifth year at Hogwart's, Harry faces challenges at every turn, from the dark threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the unreliability of the government of the magical world to the rise of Ron Weasley as the keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Along the way he learns about the strength of his friends, the fierceness of his enemies, and the meaning of sacrifice.
We will gladly order any books you want. E-mail us at [email protected], or call 340-774-4937.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday and Friday
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Phone: 340-774-4937
E-mail: [email protected]