Pictures of You by Caroline Levitt January 2011

How well do we know anyone? Our spouse - children - parents? Do we really see what is, or what we want to be? This book starts with an accidental death of one woman, which causes untold grief and guilt in the survivor, and the dead woman's husband and son. Their healing process involves a film camera, a driver named Dirk, lots of take-out food, asthma and a tortoise named Nelson. A great book-club selection!

The Gendarme by Mark Mustian September 2010

This is an intensely powerful book! Emmett Conn is a 92 years old Americanized Turk who has never been able to remember his life prior to finding himself in a British hospital after a brutal battle during WWI. He now has a brain tumor which has prompted "memories" of this unremembered life when he was a Turkish gendarme ordered to deport a group of Armenians to Syria. Are these real or hallucinations? This book asks us to acknowledge this extremely brutal part of history, for, as the author states, "Forgetting, as Ahmet Khan learns, has its costs.”

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
by Elisabeth Tova Bailey August 2010

I hadn't planned on reading this book, but somehow it found it's way into my bookbag, and just happened to be the one I pulled out in a quiet moment. I'm glad I did - it's a beautiful ode to snails. Ode may be the best word for this book since Bailey writes with such a lyric quality. It doesn't matter that readers may not care about snails before reading this book, but they will have a rich appreciation for them upon completion. This is not a book to be missed. $26.95

The Tiger by John Vaillant August 2010

This is one of the most gripping books I've read. In 1997, an amur tiger stalked a Russian poacher, obliterating him and his property, then began to target other hunters in the area. But this book is more than just a recounting of that attack - it's the history of human/tiger interactions. I was stunned to learn how intelligent these animals are, and terribly saddened to read about the destruction of their territory. This is a powerful, powerful book. $26.95

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens July 2010

Holy Cow!! What a great book. It has an unusual premise - a woman escapes from a man who has held her prisoner for a year, only to deal with the re-entry into society. I found myself totally buying the story of Annie as we learn how she survived, and couldn't help but think about all the real-life stories of woman, girls and boys who have been abducted, only to return weeks or years later. How can they deal with society - trust - love in that aftermath. A gripping tale that should be a great book club read. $24.99

The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer May 2010

I didn't want to read this book - didn't want to another Holocaust novel, but I am so glad I did. This is a beautifully written account of how one Hungarian family survived World War II. We see how the anti-Jewish sentiment infused the whole continent after the Great War eventually becoming the steam-roller for the Hitler's war machine. I loved how Orringer shows us how everyday people bonded together to bring hope, relief and life to those trying just to get by. A must read! $26.95

The Stormchasers by Jenna Blum May 2010

I've always wanted to be a storm-chaser, and I loved Those Who Save Us, so of course I had to read this book! It has all the ingredients for a fun summer book - stormy nights, secrets between siblings, an unlikely love story, mental illness and, of course, guilt. Very entertaining! $26.95

The Lotus Eater by John Vaillant April 2010

This is a totally engrossing book. It’s the story of Helen Adams who goes to Vietnam to find out why her brother has died, planning to stay just a few months, and winds up staying for ten years until after the Americans leave. I loved the writing, how Soli shows both the horrors and beauty of Vietnam during the war. She shows the corruption of war and fragility of human morals. I could not put it down. $24.99

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession by David Grann March 2010

Grann plumbs the dark side of humanity in this book, which looks at twelve different cases of murder, obsessions and/or mis-applied justice and tries to make sense of them. The most agonizing case has to be that of Todd Willingham, the Texas father who was recently executed for the deaths of his children, although the evidence against him was primarily based on "voodoo" science. I felt for Kevin Shea, the NYFD fireman who survived 9-11 and doesn't know how. Then there are the stories of obsession - Richard Green, who devoted his life to Conan Doyle, and Ricky Henderson, who couldn't give up baseball.  An interesting book for true crime fans! $24.95

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
March 2010

Boganni really knows how to tell a story - and is one of the few who can accurately write about teens. Sebastian lives with his grandmother, a devoted follower of Buckminster Fuller, in a geodesic dome smack dab in the middle of Iowa. Sebastian's only contact with the outside world is on the rare shopping trip or when people tour his home. His life suddenly changes when he meets the Whitcombs - Jared, a heart recipient, and his mother the day his nana has a stroke. He then has to make sense of the "outside" world on his own. A fun, quirky book! $24.95

The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
February 2010

If you liked Charlatan, The Great Influenza or The Devil's Gentleman, then this is the book for you. It looks at the development of forensic science, particularly in New York City where Norris and Gettler pioneered the development of the medical examiner. An entirely readable true tale as Blum looks at the progress of chemical analysis from the end of the Great War to the beginning of World War II. $25.95

Game Change by Peter Bognanni January 2010

A can't-put-down account of the major candidates and their teams during the 2008 campaign. This is the perfect book for all of those who wish they were a fly on the wall when ...... This is the book for inquiring minds who want to know just how in the world McCain chose Palin, how Obama vaulted past Hilary Clinton, and how Biden was finally able to control his foot-in-mouth-itis. And that doesn't even include the sections on Edwards! Juicy, incredibly fun politics. $27.99

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd September 2009

This book was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon! It's set during WWI, with Bess Crawford as a plucky army nurse who was entrusted with a message from a dying soldier. Her "duty to the dead" winds up rousing old skeletons. The writing reminded me of Masie Dobbs, although this protagonist is obviously from the privileged class. It's just a fun mystery. $24.99

American Lion by Jon Meacham November 2008

Andrew Jackson was simply an original political mind! Tenacious - Loyal - Intelligent - Protective. He defeated adversaries such as Henry Clay, John Calhoun, the Bank of the United States, the State of South Carolina and France and redefined the Presidency as a powerful balance to check Congress. An amazing man for an unsettled time.

The Eleventh Man by Ivan Doig October 2008

American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum
September 2008

The Black Tower by Louis Bayard September 2008

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa September 2008
by Nicholas Drayson

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent September 2008

“The Salem Witch trials have always fascinated me, so perhaps I am biased, but I loved ....loved.... loved this book. Sarah Carrier is an interesting narrator since she sees the proceedings as a child might, but with a teen's relationship with her unusual mother. I was amazed by how readily the people of Salem were to believe the tales of witchcraft as the net ever expanded wider and wider. How many women were left untouched in the Salem area?? Is this another allegory for our times - how readily people are to believe the most evil tales??”

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay September 2008

“I loved - loved- this book. I was transfixed by the story of Sarah and all that she endured. I couldn't believe what the French did to the Jewish children, and even did some research on the Vel' d'Hiv and what happened there. I totally understood Julia and likewise would have done all I could to find out what happened. A fabulous, wonderful book!”

Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley September 2008

The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan
September 2008

“A fascinating look at Indian life based on the life of the author's great-great grandmother Sivakama. I was amazed at the constraints of Indian life continuing into the 1950s. The scene that really stays-with-me was when Sivakama's son Vairum loses his caste, how easily it was done. And how the Brahmin were slowly being squeezed by economic pressures after WWII.”

Sweetsmoke by David Fuller August 2008

“A fabulous novel of pre-civil war Virginia through the eyes of Cassius, a slave on a tobacco plantation. We see the lives of slaves, how and why those on Sweetsmoke, his plantation, are better off than others on surrounding areas. How he determines to solve the death of Emoline, a freed slave who had saved him in the past. I loved this novel, and I loved Cassius' voice.”

Tethered by Amy MacKinnon August 2008

Gone by Michael Grant July 2008

"This is another young adult book that I thoroughly loved.  What would happen if everyone over 14 just disappeared?  And the world became limited by an energy force surrounding the town?  And the rich kids from the private school down the road try to take over?  Oh yes, and some people develop unusual abilities?  Lord of the Flies meets 1984."

The Guernsey Literary and Potato-Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows July 2008

"This amazing novel is told entirely through letters to and from Juliet Ashton.  She has spent WWII writing a column under the nom de plume of Izzy Bickerstaff, and, now that the war is over, she is searching for an idea for a new book. She receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey which mentions the Literary society and she decides to investigate.  This is a wonderfully told tale that I could not put down."

New England White by Stephen Carter July 2008

"A murder mystery which involves the African-American university president (think Yale) living in a small, mostly which New England town."

NEW IN PAPERBACK!

So Long at the Fair by Christina Schwarz July 2008

America, America by Ethan Canin June 2008

"This is the tale of a young lad working for the 1972 presidential campaign of Senator Henry Bonwiller, a Kennedy-esque figure, as told through flashbacks after current day funeral of the senator.  Could this book be a moral for our times???"

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris  June 2008

"An interesting who-done-it set in Saudi Arabia.  Nayir, a Palestinian, is asked to help find the missing sister of a wealthy Saudi friend, and ultimately to find her killer.  He is aided in his search by Katya, his friend’s fiancée.  I loved the way this book illustrated the complexities of the Saudi society – who and what are deemed exceptable and how everyone suffers from the constraints of the social mores."

Say You’re One of Them by Uwen Akpan June 2008

"This is an amazing series of short stories about the lives of children in Africa.  Akpan is a priest that had ministered in Africa for years, and his stories show an incredible depth of compassion for the smallest victims of the atrocities committed there.  There is the 12 year old prostitute supporting her family, the Muslim boy trying to escape war-fare in Nigeria, and the Rwandan nightmare.  This is a heartbreaking, deeply disturbing look at man’s inhumanity to children."

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
May 2008

"Non-fiction!!  The story of the Kingsolver family’s attempt to become localvores on their farm in the Appalachian Mountains."



NEW IN PAPERBACK!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein May 2008

"This is definitely the most heart-warming book I’ve read in a long, long time.  It’s the story of Enzo, a Labrador mix, as he looks back on his life with Denny, the best race car driver who never had a chance.  I love Enzo’s philosophy on life, his views on the world, and, ultimately, his dream of having thumbs and a tongue.  This book is a MUST READ for everyone, dog lovers or not."

The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace May 2008

"This book illustrates that just because someone has money doesn’t mean that they have a lot of sense.  Several bottles of wine that were supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson were “found” in the early 1980s and slowly came up for auction.  The fact that the auction house (Christies) agreed to sell the wine without checking into it’s antecedents is amazing, but the fact that Malcolm Forbes bought it for more than $150,000 is worse.  All of the sudden, all of these older wines were put up for sale first by Christies, followed by other venerated auctioneers.  Strangely, I really liked this book, which read like a detective novel."

Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezva May 2008

"An amazing story of a how a 17th century Iranian girl with the gift of rug-making tries to survive after her father’s death."




NEW IN PAPERBACK!

Boomsday by Christopher Buckley May 2008

"A funny political satire of a candidate whose presidential platform is the “transitioning” of senior citizens for tax breaks."





NEW IN PAPERBACK!

Careless in Red by Elizabeth George May 2008

"George is renown for her intellectual mysteries featuring the dour Sir Thomas Lyndley.  This one features Lindley walking the coast of England after the death of his beloved Helen when he sees a body at he bottom of the cliff.  He is at first considered a suspect given his outward appearance, but then he begins to help the local constable/detective with the case.  This is a much better book than What Came Before He Shot Her."

The Outlander by Gil Adamson May 2008

"This is a beautifully written account of a woman fleeing her brothers-in-law in 1903, for, as she says, she was a widow by her own hand.  Despite the brothers’ determination, the widow manages to escape with help from some very unlikely characters.  FYI – this book is the author’s first novel and was adapted from one of her poems."

Septembers of Shiraz by Diana Sofer May 2008

"The Iranian Revolution through the eyes of 4 members of a Jewish family with ties to the Shah.  This might be considered a fictionalized memoir."




NEW IN PAPERBACK!

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen May 2008

"Josey is a lonely 27 year old who spends her life waiting on her mother, eating her hidden cache of goodies and dreaming of travel until the day that Della, a woman with a wild reputation, shows up in her closet.  Della turns Josey’s life upside down and gets her out of her cloistered life.  A fun, fun summer read!"

Bonk by Mary Roach April 2008

"This is a difficult book to promote without coming off sounding perverted, but I’ll try.  Roach, the author of Stiff and Spook, brings her unusual combination of research and humor to review sexual research.  This book alternates between being hysterically funny and horrifying, or both.  I simply cannot believe what has been done, in fact what Roach did, in the name of science.  Nor can I believe the similarities between humans and pigs."

Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton April 2008

"A woman leaves her NYC job to ferry books to African villages and how both are changed by her arrival."





NEW IN PAPERBACK!

Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most
Controversial Season by Nick Heil April 2008

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen April 2008

"Fun novel of how a wild sister’s return upsets her sister’s orderly life. "





NEW IN PAPERBACK!

The Geography of Love by Glenda Burgess April 2008

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan April 2008

"Horan writes about the tragic life of Mamah Cheney, Frank Lloyd Wright’s lover who shocked the world by leaving her family to be with him."




NEW IN PAPERBACK!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
April 2008

"A Pakistani man explains why he left his luxurious life in the states."




NEW IN PAPERBACK!

River of Heaven by Lee Martin April 2008

"Sam Brody, a 65 year old gay gentleman, has kept to himself since the death of his childhood best friend.  This changes drastically when he builds a dog house in the shape of a boat, and his long-estranged brother is involved in a hostage situation in Ohio.  The boat brings in a notoriety that wasn’t anticipated, and his brother’s sudden appearance forces him to relive the events leading up to his friend’s death.  Wonderful!!!!!"

Third Angel by Alice Hoffman April 2008

"Three inter-related stories based on Room 708 in the Lion’s Gate Hotel in London.  The first features a self-obsessed woman staying there for her sister’s wedding – the only problem is that she had a brief affair with the groom.  The second takes place in the free-love heyday of 1966 when a young woman falls for a destructive rock and roller.  The third is 11 years earlier when 2 men fight for the love of one woman.  Of course, this being Alice Hoffman, there is a ghost who inhibits the room across the hall from 708 and causes a great commotion every night at 10:30."

Traveler by Ron McLarty April 2008

"A man revisits his childhood after the death of a friend’s sister."





NEW IN PAPERBACK!

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell March 2008

The idea for this book grew out of the 9/11 events when Bin Ladin stated that the destruction was in response to what happened 80 years before. In other words – the Cairo Conference, which is where the current map of the Middle East was determined.  Russell has the bookish Agnes Shanklin going off on an adventure after all of her family dies of the flu.  She goes to Cairo where she encounters Lawrence of Arabia, Winston Churchill and Gertrude Bell, all of whom were members of the council.  Being that this is Doria Russell, there are some outré elements before the end.

Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith March 2008
by Anne LaMott

"More of Lamott’s witty stories of Grace in her everyday life."





NEW IN PAPERBACK!

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff February 2008

"A fun read for anyone who likes baseball (well, Cooperstown) and James Fennemore Cooper!  Willie Upton comes home to Templeton (a thinly disguised Cooperstown, NY) only to start looking into who is her real father.  All she knows is that he is related to the great Marmaduke Temple, father of the famous John Franklin Temple. As she delves into the mystery, she finds out more and more about the history of the town … and herself."

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher October 2007

"This is really a young adult book, but one that adults can appreciate.  On the day of her suicide, a young woman makes 13 tapes describing how she came to her decision.  The tapes are then to be sent to 13 successive people explaining their role in her decision.  The topic is difficult to read, but it is handled with extreme sensitivity."

Agent Zigzag by Ben MacIntyre
September 2007

OK technically I didn't read this book - Grant did. But he loved it - and he doesn't read much. It's a great tale of a double agent in WWII. Don't be put off by the "love story" on the front cover - it's a great non-fiction recounting of a man who fooled the foolers.