Friday, September 28, 2007

George and Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism by Charlotte Moore

Nonfiction
Charlotte Moore, a British journalist, has three sons. Two of them are autistic. The book examines the process of diagnosis, the repercussions of the boys' behavior on their family life, and the author's growing understanding of her role as reporter from the front lines. The different ways that autism impacts her two sons, and Moore's willingness to accept her sons on their own terms, lends deeper insight into this confounding disorder.

Submitted by Sharon
Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

Novel
Although the subject matter of this novel (a child gone missing) is harrowing, in the author's hands the story is less horrifying than it is just gripping. The pace never slows, even as characters are well developed and relationships examined. The vagaries of memory and the mutability of perception are examined; but the suspense of the search never flags.

Submitted by Sharon
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

Biography
Thirty years after his death, Elvis Presley continues to be one of the most important figures in American popular culture. This is the definitive biography; it is a textured, layered examination of the man, and of a time in American life, that is unsurpassed in a sea of books about the singer. If the recent anniversary of his death prompts you to finally read a book about Elvis, this is the book to read.

Submitted by Sharon

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

Memoir
Warsaw zookeepers Jan and Antonia Zabinski shelter the homeless of many species in a war story set during the German occupation. Antonia's unusual understanding of animal behavior enables her to keep peace in a household illegally sheltering a continually changing assortment of fugitives from the ruthless predators loose in the streets. She soothes the frightened and beguiles the savage while confessing her fears secretly to a diary on which the book is based.

Submitted by Max
If You Lived Here: A Novel by Dana Sachs

Novel
This books is a fascinating read for anyone who has been touched by international adoption. While the story doesn't focus on adoption, it does become an important part of the story of Shelly, as she and her husband pursue adoption in Vietnam. The story involves a Vietnamese grocery store owner in Shelly's hometown and the friendship that the two women forge while each struggle with the painful aspects of their lives.

Submitted by Stacey C

Monday, September 24, 2007

Passions of Artemesia by Susan Vreeland

Novel
This is one of my favorite books-I always enjoy historical fiction and this account of Artemesia Gentileschi kept me entertained and reading to see how her story would end. Artemesia was a painter in Italy during the early 17th century, best known for her masterpiece Judith. Her story begins with a powerful courtoom drama and the book narrates her rise into a male-dominated world of artists. Her life was full of drama, struggle, joy and visionary thinking-something all women, no matter when they were born, can relate to.

Submitted by Stacey C.
Tisha: the Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness by Anne Hobbs

Memoir
Terrific book about a young teacher in Alaska in 1920. Love story, well drawn characters and plenty of excitement. Based on a true story.

Submitted by Mary
An Interrupted Life: The Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943 by Etty Hillesum

Memoir
Diary of a Jewish woman in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. Considered a spiritual classic. Everyone I know who's read it is blown away.

Submitted by Mary
The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber

Novel
DaVinci Code with a Shakespeare manuscript. Hard to get into but it was worth it. Voted one of the NY Times best summer books.

Submitted by Mary
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Novel
Riveting novel set in India. My favorite Oprah selection--2 poor beggers in modern India hope for the best.

Submitted by Mary
Foreign Babes in Beijing: Behind the Scenes of a New China by Rachel DeWoskin

Memoir
This is a memoir about a 21-year-old poetry major (Columbia Univ.) looking for adventure who headed to China in 1994 and became an overnight sensation as the American vixen of a Chinese nighttime TV series. The author wrote about her experience of cultural clashes in real life while performing a fictional version on screen.
A delightful and insightful read!

Submitted by Caroline

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Fiction
A nursing home resident in his nineties recalls another time and place in which he ran away to join the circus. The time shifts contrast his very limited and protected life at the nursing home with his hair-raising experiences as a veterinarian in a traveling circus during the Great Depression.

Submitted by Max

Friday, September 21, 2007

Peony in Love by Lisa See

Historical Fiction
See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, once again writes about the women of long-ago China. Peony, daughter of a wealthy man, is ready to be married. A chance encounter during a night of opera ignites her passions, and sets in motion a series of events that will ultimately betray her. Wonderful depictions of the life and mythology of the era.

Submitted by PJP
See You in a Hundred Years: Four Seasons in Forgotten America by Logan War

Nonfiction
A different slant on the "eating locally for a year" genre. Ward and his wife with their two-year old son leave high-powered jobs in New York City to live on a farm in the Shenandoah River Valley. Their plan is to live as if it is 1900. The book is by turns funny, informative, honest and always engaging as they survive drought, snakes, pests, stress and ultimately find community.

Submitted by Enid B.
Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote

Nonfiction
You don't have to be a dog lover to love this wonderful book about the author's life with Merle, a dog who found him on a canoe trip. It's fascinating, heart warming and you learn a lot about dogs, human nature and wildlife. I couldn't put it down.

Submitted by Enid B.
The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism
by Megan Marshall

Biography
This fascinating biography of three remarkable 19th century women with strong Concord connections is beautifully written. A pleasure to read!

Submitted by Polly
The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud

Novel
Wonderful, well-written love story set in New York City.

Submitted by Tim
Undue Influence by Anita Brookner

Novel
Brooker's usual elegant description of love and death in London.


Submitted By Tim

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

My French Whore by Gene Wilder

Novel
Funny, tragic. A touching love story set during WWI. A quick read and very enjoyable!

Submitted by Ginnie

Thursday, September 6, 2007

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Historical Fiction
A mesmerizing first novel set in 16th Century Persia, this book tells the story of a young woman who is left destitute when her father dies suddenly. She and her mother are forced to move in with her uncle’s family, and are treated as servants until she enters into a contract for a “temporary” marriage. The setting of the story is full of lush descriptions of food, details about the Persian rug trade, and the limited choices women had in that society.

Submitted by PJP
Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire

Memoir
A Yale historian recounts memories of his privileged boyhood in 1950s Havana and the upheaval of the Communist revolution and his eventual transport with his brother to Miami. It’s a deeply personal and vividly described story of boyhood events followed by the terrorizing sweeping away of everything he held dear. A gripping true story.

Submitted by Judith
Hedwig and Berti by Frieda Arkin

Historical/Domestic Fiction
Saga of tall and commanding Hedwig and her diminutive husband Berti fleeing Nazi Germany to their cousin’s flat in London, and then to the U.S. They raise a tempestuous daughter who is a piano prodigy and pursue a variety of unusual jobs, with both light and dark moments. The quirky characters are described with humor and pathos. It’s an emotionally gripping story.

Submitted by Judith
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Mystery/Humor
Isabel Spellman comes from a long line of private investigators, but wants to get out of the family business. Her last case before leaving, however, is a long-standing dead end. This is a zany mystery story that’s at times laugh-out-loud funny.

Submitted by PJP
Tiger in the Attic: Memoirs of the Kindertransport and Growing Up English by Edith Milton

Memoir
The touching story of two sisters sent to England by their parents in Nazi Germany. I found their story compelling, as they adjusted to life in England and formed new relationships with those who cared for them. Interesting memoir and different take on World War II.

Submitted by Queen of the Hop
Warm Springs: Traces of a Childhood at FDR's Polio Haven by Susan Shreve

Memoir
An appealing memoir by a good writer of her life at Warm Springs, GA, a polio treatment spa, when she was eleven years old. It came as a real surprise to me to discover what a positive experience Warm Springs was for polio patients. (President Franklin D. Roosevelt founded Warm Spring, went there for treatment, and that is where he died). But the book isn’t as much about polio as it is a fascinating picture of a time and place in our culture. It’s all combined with a story told by a delightful young girl, just beginning to grow up, of how she coped, the people she met, and the wonderful institution Warm Springs was.

Submitted by Queen of the Hop
On the Ridge Between Life and Death by David Roberts

Nonfiction

I have never understood the fascination of those who feel the compelling desire to climb the world's tallest mountains, but I have enjoyed reading the books they write. Some of these books were outstanding, such as Into Thin Air. On the Ridge Between Life and Death is somewhat different as it gives the reader more insight into why people climb mountains and what the experience means to climbers. It took this author many years to get to an age where he began to question this desire, and wondered if it was worth the risk to himself, his friends and his family. Fascinating people these mountain climbers, and often pretty good writers. Try this book; I think you’ll enjoy it.

Submitted by Queen of the Hop