VB Bestsellers

The Catcher in the Rye

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by J.D. Salinger

Salinger's recent death has caused a resurgence of interest in his work. Perhaps best known is this 1951 work in which Holden Caulfield, the quintessential "cynical adolescent," narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and has kept this novel on banned book lists for years. Its timelessness comes from effectively capturing the eternal teenage experience of alienation.

A Reliable Wife

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reliablewife.sm by Robert Goolrick

This gothic tale is set in rural Wisconsin in 1907 when a wealthy man places a notice in a Chicago paper, advertising for "a reliable wife." Catherine Land responds, saying that she is "a simple, honest woman" but, of course, she is anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her is her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved. But Ralph Truitt has a plan of his own, and neither anticipates what eventually happens in this tale of love and madness, longing and murder.

Red Carpet Ready

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redcarpetready by Melissa Rivers

Using inspirational and humorous tales from her own life as well as interviews with red-carpet royalty, Rivers offers nine essential rules to seize momentous times with graciousness, fun, preparedness, confidence - and, of course, the style that flatters you. According to Rivers, the walk down the red carpet can teach us all some basic but essential lessons in fashion and in life.

The Power of Your Child's Imagination

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powerchildsimag by Charlotte Reznick

The Power of Your Child's Imagination shows how to empower your child with easy, effective, and creative skills for surviving - and thriving - in a stressful world. It offers nine simple tools to help children cope with stress and anxiety by tapping into their imagination to access their own natural strength and confidence.

The Help

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by Kathryn Stockett

An impressive debut novel set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer. Enlisting the help of two black maids, Abilene and Minny, and eventually many others, Skeeter puts together a book based on their stories working for the white, country club ladies of Jackson. The stories range from tender and poignant to scathing and shocking, but the telling of them brings pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, and friends - view themselves and one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope.

Sea of Monsters

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seaofmonsters by Rick Riordan

In this sequel to Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief, Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their beloved camp. But first, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family - one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon’s son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

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by Muriel Barberry

An international bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog tells of an unlikely friendship between Renée, the concierge of an elegant apartment building and Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius who lives in the building. Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma’s trust and to see through Renée’s timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us. Order here.

Let the Great World Spin

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by Colum McCann

Let the Great World Spin was the 2009 winner of The National Book Award for Fiction. The novel focuses on the lives of various New Yorkers on the day in 1974 when French trapeze artist Phillip Petit walked a tight rope between the World Trade Center towers. McCann has called his book an act of hope written, in part, as a response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Lightning Thief

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lightningthief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse. Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. Percy's mom decides its time that he knew the truth about where he came from. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends, one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena, Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.