Between the Covers

Recent television coverage of the devastation in Haiti served as a heavy reminder that many people around the globe still live in third-world conditions, light-years away from even the simplest comforts afforded to most Americans.  As surely as we know this is true, it is always just a little stunning to see scenes of extreme poverty and political unrest play out before our eyes. While television provides a clear window, books, both fiction and nonfiction, also do their part to give us brief glimpses into the darker corners of the world and into the desperate nature of humans.    The Kite Runner, for example, brought the Taliban to life for many American readers in a way that the six o’clock news could not.  While many readers claim that books of this type are simply too depressing to stomach, others rely on occasional doses of stark realism to remind them that the human experience is varied and that fortune has indeed smiled upon those of us born into relative prosperity and stability.  If you find yourself in the mood to read about those with more difficult fates, try one of these titles.

Say You’re One of Them by Uwen Akpan.

This is one of Oprah’s picks, which, considering its rawgrit, is no surprise.  A work of fiction crafted by a Nigerian-born Jesuit priest, the book consists of five separate stories played out in war-ravaged Africa. The stories illuminate the horrors of war and poverty on children.  From sniffing glue, to human trafficking, to prostitution, to abject hunger— the tales between these covers are enough to make you shake your head. As eloquent and clear as the writing is, it is a real challenge for the American brain to make sense of the harrowing scenes.

The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper

This is the memoir of a girl who grew up in Liberia. Part of the Liberian elite, Helene’s home was Sugar Beach, a twenty-two room mansion by the sea complete with servants, shiny cars, and fine china.  While her early life was idyllic, things changed for Helene and her family in 1980 when a group of soldiers staged a coup, assassinating the President and executing his cabinet, of which Helene’s uncle was a member. The Cooper family fled, but left Helene’s foster sister behind.  Helene would go on to become a successful journalist in America who one day decides to find her sister and to reclaim her African childhood.

Nothing To Envy by Barbara Demick

Demick, a journalist, follows the lives of six defectors of the Republic of North Korea, reporting on details that would generally elude the western eye. Through the experiences of ordinary citizens, readers will gain a new understanding of the depth and price of repression under the totalitarian regime. This work will dare you to imagine what it would be like to live in a country with no Internet, and where radio and television dials are welded to the one government station.  It will challenge you to think how nervous you would be if displays of affection were punished and casual remarks could send you to the gulag for life.

Books for Giving

I have given up trying to give creative gifts.  For birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, just because days, I give– you guessed it– books. When they peel back the tissue paper and peek into the gift bag, friends and family have come to expect  a book to be there waiting.   I know it sounds a little boring. I’m a librarian for goodness sake. Isn’t that kind of like Emeril Lagosse whipping up a little dinner for his wife? No big deal, no huge effort, just another day at the office.  While I was once afraid those on the receiving end would think my gift terribly unoriginal, I have come to realize that most people actually consider books to be the perfect present.  Books can be surprisingly personal and as a gift, they seem to say, “I really gave some thought to what would suit you best.”   In case there is a book in your future gift-giving repertoire, I thought I would give some suggestions that just might help whittle down your shopping list.

Many of us find the need to have a hostess gift or two handy for the holiday season.  Wine and chocolate are popular choices, but you might consider a book instead.  For hostesses who have a healthy sense of humor, try Celia Rivenbark’s latest collection of essays, You Can’t Drink All Day if You Don’t Start in the Morning. Rivenbark, author of We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier and Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny With A Chance Of Scattered Hissy Fits, hits dead center on the funny bone again with this collection of reflections on a variety of topics including perfect attendance awards, Facebook, and Jesus, the action figure.

For friends and family members who like to keep current and who might need some extra conversation starters for holiday parties, I suggest giving a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s latest, What the Dog Saw. True to form, Gladwell will make you think of things that otherwise never would have crossed your mind.  He probes the secrets behind minor geniuses such as Ron Popeil, who made millions inventing and hawking kitchen gadgets, and Cesar Milan who has won acclaim for his uncanny ability to communicate with canines. Gladwell also uses fabulous real-life anecdotes to explain the difference between choking and panicking and to illustrate why FBI profilers might not be all they’re cracked up to be.

For the serious female reader in your life, some of this year’s best literature includes The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morten, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.   All of these books are thick enough to be good presents and each has a riveting story.  The Forgotten Garden is the perfect book for a rainy day or long winter’s night.  Complete with deep family secrets and multiple character perspectives, this one is not to be missed.  Fans of Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible will be eager to join her newest literary adventure as she weaves together a story that crosses three decades and two countries.  Critics are saying this is her most ambitious work to date.  Finally, Cutting for Stone was my surprise read of the year.  Verghese, a Texas physician, tells the story of twins born into the most unusual of circumstances in a charity hospital in Ethiopia.  It has my vote for “best ending to a novel.”   Hopefully that is enough to keep you reading all the way to page 534.

For the science-loving gentleman reader in your life, I am recommending the The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes. In this beautifully done work of nonfiction, Holmes brings life to the “second scientific revolution” by focusing on British scientists of the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries.  He tells how botanist Joseph Banks sailed with Captain James Cook and introduced the West to over 80 species of plants, including eucalyptus and mimosa. He also introduces us to 18th-century balloonists and chemist Humphry Davy who is known for discovering several alkaline earth metals, as well as chlorine and iodine. Sound a little too heavy on the science?  Fear not.  Holmes is a storyteller who brings this period of discovery to life.

Do you have an art lover in your life? If so, check out the book Provenance by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. I fell head over heels for this true tale of a conman and a forger who created a big mess in the art world when they produced hundreds of fakes, many of which were accepted by the world’s leading galleries and art dealers. This is a case of truth being even stranger (and more readable) than fiction.

Ready to hit the bookstore?

Happy holidays and happy reading.

Books are meant to be enjoyed.  Readers rely on books to provide escape and relaxation.  Sometimes, however, books provide more than that.  Have you ever read a book that changed your life?  Maybe it changed the way you thought of yourself or the way you perceived the world.  Maybe it sparked an idea or motivated you to try something new.  I have run across a few life-changers in my time and I’d like to share some with you.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

I’ve always been a huge Gladwell fan and I thought this was  his best work to date.  Outliers seeks to explain why a small percentage of people  (Bill Gates, the Beatles, certain New York  lawyers etc..)  achieve  extraordinary  success  while  most of the rest of us dwell on a happy plateau of mediocrity.  Before reading the book, I would have explained the phenomenon this way:  The level of success people achieve is directly correlated to how smart they are and how hard they work.  Gladwell caused me to rethink my simplistic theory.  Without downplaying sheer smarts and old-fashioned hard work, Gladwell uses anecdotes, case studies, and hard data to show that sometimes the most important contributors to success are unexpected and unrecognized.  Now when I’m tempted to judge someone for the size of their achievements, I’m more likely to consider the wide variety of factors presented in Outliers.  For all you Gladwell fans who have already read this book, I’m happy to report that his latest title, What the Dog Saw, was released on October 20. The latest work promises to delve into more of life’s great mysteries, such as: What is the difference between choking and panicking? Why are there dozens of varieties of mustard-but only one variety of ketchup? What do football players teach us about how to hire teachers? What does hair dye tell us about the history of the 20^th century? As always, Gladwell will challenge us to think!

Good to Great by Jim Collins

I have never been a reader of business books, but I found this title incredibly relevant to both my work and personal life.  In  Good  to  Great, Jim  Collins explains  why  some companies make the leap from being  just  plain good  to being really great.  He and his team looked at a number of companies that made this difficult leap and really dug around to find their magic formula.  One piece of the formula that really resonated with me was the Hedgehog Concept.  The Hedgehog Concept is similar to the famous fable of the tortoise and the hare. In this version, however, it is the fox that is in a hurry to get ahead. He rushes around, from one great idea to the next without really focusing on an end goal.  He is easily distracted and always hanging his hat on the ‘next big thing’ hoping to land on something that will catapult him to fame and fortune.  The hedgehog, on the other hand, moves more deliberately.  He makes decisions by asking three essential questions: Are we passionate about this?  Can we do it better than anyone else?  Does it drive our economic or resource engine? While he will certainly consider new things, if a new idea or project doesn’t meet the essential criteria, then he will likely discard it.    He takes everything one step at a time, and concentrates on what he does best.  This hedgehog-like focus allows successful companies to shed the superfluous and develop their core mission.  I hold that the same can be true for individuals.  Ever find yourself saying “yes” when you really mean “no”? Apply the hedgehog principle to your own decisions.  If you are not passionate about it, if there is someone who could do it better than you, and if the activity does not fuel your fire or benefit you in a tangible way—then maybe you can rethink whether or not you really need to be doing it!

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

This book is about three things. First, it is a terrific anthropologic look at the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons. Among other things, this tribe is famous for running hundreds of miles at a time with little rest and little food.  McDougall risks his life to find the elusive tribe and to try to understand the secret techniques behind the seemingly lost art of running.  Second, the book introduces the reader to a little known culture that exists right here in America.  That is the culture of ultra-marathoning.  McDougall describes races that take place each year in the Colorado Mountains and the deserts of California and gives us insight into what might make a person eager to run 52 miles in a single day.  Finally, the book contends that everything we ever thought we knew about running shoes is wrong.  Simply put, some of the people the author encounters in this book believe that we might actually be better off running with no shoes at all.  That’s right- barefoot running!  This is the part of the book that changed my life.  I have trashed my Nikes and now enjoy racking up miles with not much more than tire rubber between the earth and my bare feet.  Ask me about it.  I’ll tell anyone who will listen.  Better yet- read the book.  McDougall explains it all!

I love books about food. Not cookbooks (well I do love those too), but novels and memoirs where food is an important ingredient. Strong culinary references bring rich texture and depth to prose and provide readers with smells and images both familiar and exotic. It has been twenty years since Laura Esquivel wrote Like Water for Chocolate, but how easy it is to recall the scene where Mama Elena’s onion chopping causes her unborn baby girl to weep so violently in the womb that she decides to be born amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup? And Julie and Julia already has Oscar buzz. The magical acting of Meryl Streep aside, I think audiences are enchanted when food is mixed with a dash of romance and a pinch of every day life. Here are three titles that combine culinary delights with terrific characters and stories.

School Essential of Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

When Lillian was a young girl she discovered her powerful connection to the smells and tastes of the kitchen. To her, food has the power to alter moods and change lives. At Lillian’s cooking school we meet a group of students who are brought to the Monday evening class by a variety of life circumstances. The author skillfully tells the tale of each aspiring chef, artfully mixing life lessons with cooking lessons. Who knew a cake could be a metaphor for marriage? That mashed potatoes can evoke the memory of safety? This novel is long on heart and will easily woo your senses.

Five quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris

Framboise moves to a tiny village in France and sets up shop as a restaurateur. Her old-world recipes are a big hit and everyone wants know the secrets behind her delicious dishes. It turns out that her secrets do indeed run deep. The controversial story of her family during World War II is slowly revealed through coded text inside her mother’s ancient recipe journal. If you like a story that unfolds in pieces, this one is for you!

Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-sour Memoir of Eating in China by Fuchsia Dunlop

Fuchsia studied at Cambridge and worked for the BBC. One day she gets a scholarship to study ethnic minorities in China. What she ends up studying is food! She becomes a veritable expert on Chinese Cuisine. Wonderful descriptions of open air markets, street vendor offerings, and five-star cuisine ensue. A marvelous exploration of culture, this book is a surprise hit. If you like travel writing and can stomach the occasional culinary oddity, give this one a try!

With the surprise success of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the publishing industry is sitting up and taking notice of Indian authors and some not-so-Indian authors who write with brilliance about this foreign land.

One of the most critically acclaimed Indian authors of this generation is Aravind Adiga. Born in India in the 1970s. Adiga attended Columbia and Oxford Universities. A former correspondent for Time Magazine he currently lives and writes in Mumbai. His 2008 novel, White Tiger, tells the dark story of an Indian entrepreneur who rose above his class to own a taxi cab company. Told in a frantically paced first-person voice, this novel drags readers through jungles and alleys introducing a group of deliciously imperfect characters. Part comedy and part tragedy, White Tiger is a jolting commentary on India’s social order. In 2009, Adiga struck again with Between Assassinations, a collection of short stories that serve as a prequel to White Tiger. The stories are set in the village of Kittur, India in the time between the 1984 assassination of Indira Gandhi and that of her son in 1991. Once again, Adiga creates characters with strong minds, sharp wits, and questionable ethics. If you need to shake up your fiction routine, Adiga provides passage to a unique and gritty reality.

Another book that exposes the gritty reality of the Indian poor is The Blue Notebook by James Levine. Levine is the unlikely author of this heart-wrenching tale. A professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Levine was born in Britain and currently lives in Minnesota. How then could he channel the voice of a teenage prostitute working in the slums of Mumbai? According to his publisher, Spiegel & Grau, Levine was interviewing homeless children as part of a medical research project, when he encountered a young prostitute writing in a notebook. He was captivated by the image and the seed for his book was planted. The Blue Notebook is a haunting tale that examines the misery of extreme poverty and powerlessness, while also championing the liberating power of words and stories. This novel should appeal to fans of the movie Slumdog and readers who enjoyed the Kite Runner.

Other fictional works set in India include:

Beach Boy by Vakil, Ardashir

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The Hero’s Walk by Badami, Anita Rau

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Zama, Farahad

Selecting the perfect book to take along on a vacation can be tricky.  Readers want to make sure to pack a title that will keep them entertained on the plane and relaxed on the beach.  A book that is not too heavy (in weight or mood) can be the right remedy for a lazy day of reading.  If you are planning a get away, try one of the following:

For vacation readers who are ready for romance

The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand

Adrienne Dealey has spent the past six years working for hotels in exotic resort towns and this summer she has decided to relocate to Nantucket. Left flat broke by her ex-boyfriend; she is desperate to earn some fast money. What she finds is an unexpected and complicated romance.

Beginner’s Greek by James Collins

Peter Russell is a deeply romantic guy who believes the woman of his dreams is destined to sit next to him on an airplane. Holly is a pretty, strawberry blonde woman who reads Thomas Mann for pleasure. As Pete sits next to her, he falls deeply in love, and asks for her telephone number. Later that night in his hotel room, he discovers the page from her book that contained her telephone number is gone.

For vacation readers who like to look smart  on the plane

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

A stunning debut novel, this is an enthralling family saga of Africa and America, fathers and

sons, doctors and patients, exile and home.

The Ingenious Edgar Jones by Elizabeth Garner

Darkly satisfying and compulsively readable, “The Ingenious Edgar Jones” is an unforgettable coming-of-age story about the complexities of family life and the journey of one young man as he finds his place in a rapidly changing world.

For adventure seeking vacationers

Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad

From the age of three, Norm was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. Flying to a ski championship ceremony in February 1979, the chartered Cessna carrying Norman, his father, his father’s girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains and was suspended at 8,200 feet, engulfed in a blizzard.

The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer

In this contemporary international thriller, Milo Weaver is drawn into a conspiracy that links riots in the Sudan, an assassin committing suicide, and an old friend who’s been accused of selling secrets to the Chinese.

For vacationers who appreciate location, location, location

Honolulu by Alan Brennert

From the bestselling author of the dazzling historical saga “Moloka’i” comes the irresistible story of a young immigrant bride in a ramshackle town that becomes a great modern city.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her sister, May, are having the time of their lives. . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.

I found the following quote in the introduction to a book by the journalist Richard Preston.

“In order to know soup, it is not necessary to climb into the pot and be boiled.”

Preston credits the quote to English mathematician Oliver Heaviside and goes on to explain that as a journalist committed to writing literary nonfiction he, in fact, sometimes does “climb into the soup”  so that his readers will be rewarded with a most intimate and believable account of another’s character or experience. Preston, who penned the edge-of-your seat bestseller, The Hot Zone, about the frightening spread of the Ebola virus, is certainly known for getting his hands dirty for the sake of a story.

As readers, we have the luxury of sitting on the rim of the soup bowl.   We reap the benefits of the risks taken by authors and, through reading, gain the opportunity to step inside lives very different from our own.  We gain empathy for the people we meet, develop a familiarity for the places we visit, and are forced to think about issues we might not confront in our daily lives.  Literary nonfiction is a rare invitation to step inside the shoes of another human being.  The following titles are new literary nonfiction works not to be missed

The Unforgiving Minute by Craig Mullaney is a behind the scenes sampling of life in the

military.  Starting with the journey of a young cadet during his West Point orientation and continuing through academic and physical training that leads the soldier to the battlefields of Afghanistan, this book explores issues of courage, leadership, and war.  Not since Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried have a soldier’s struggles seemed so real.  For readers who have an interest in the military, and for those who, like me, only dare peek through someone else’s eyes, this is a fabulous read that will leave you with a renewed  appreciation for service and sacrifice.

Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose is a journey to a place I never thought I would go—Bible

College.  Roose, an aspiring journalist and student at Brown  University, decides to take a semester to see how the other half live.  The“other half” in this case are the students

at Liberty University, a Baptist college founded by the Reverend Jerry Faldwell. Passing himself off as a Christian fundamentalist proves to be somewhat of a challenge, but Roose keeps an open mind and approaches his classes and his classmates with respect and an eagerness to learn.  By “boiling himself in the water” Roose gives us a taste of what it would be like to attend one of the most conservative universities in America. His approach is heart-warming and thought-provoking and his conclusions are surprising.

Blood River by Tim Butcher is a true-life tale of adventure.  Butcher, a seasoned journalist

and war correspondent, embarks on a six-week trek through the heart of Africa. Following the 19^th Century route of explorer Henry Morton Stanley, Butcher takes us along as he travels the Congo River Basin. Blood River masterfully mixes the classical style of travel writing with a deeper exploration of the troubled and bloody history of the Congo.  Intrepid Butcher is not afraid to “swim in the soup” and readers will never forget the things his eyes have seen.

Hallie Ephron, Ph.D.is going to put me out of business.  Just when I thought I had cornered the market on telling people what to read and when to read it, I stumbled upon Ephron’s book, 1001 Books for Every Mood, in the library’s Reader’s Lounge. 

I’ve seen readers advisory books before.  From Nancy Pearl to Oprah, there is no shortage of people lined up to give suggestions about what to read next.  1001 Books for Every Mood, however, is in a class by itself.  Published in January of this year, it is current and fun to use. More like a travel guide than a book about books, Ephron creates a virtual roadmap to selecting books that will suit your fancy.

This indispensable reading guide, is broken into 80 different sections, each corresponding with a reading mood.  Some of my favorites include:

                In the mood to trust no one

                In the mood to save the world

                In the mood to blame your genes

                 In the mood for a kick in the pants

Ephron, who is by trade a writer, must be quite a reader herself. She lists a handful of book titles for each of the 80 moods, cleverly mixing classic, contemporary, fiction, nonfiction, juvenile, teen, and adult titles. For readers in the mood to survive, for example, she suggests Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by piers Paul Read, the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Lord of the Flies by Williams Golding, the Book Thief by Markus Zusak and several others.   For readers in the mood to celebrate siblings Ephron offers up My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, and Tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.         

Ephron also offers readers a unique rating system to help them hone in on the perfect book. For those of us who are self-proclaimed reading snobs, she graciously rates every title on literary merit by doling out between one and four stars.  For readers with less high-brow concerns, she assigns icons to indicate if a book is provocative,       inspirational, family friendly, easy/relaxing, challenging, humorous, influential, or suitable for bathroom reading (guess what the symbol for that is).      

I couldn’t help looking up a few of my favorite books to see if they had made it into onto Ephron’s radar.  The History of Love by Nicole Krauss did indeed make the cut and is recommended to readers in the mood to love.  The .Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is touted as a good match for those in the mood for hubris. She even remembered one of my lesser known favorites Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, which she suggests for readers in the mood to march into battle.

A wonderful tool for finding your next book and a great present for book lovers, I beg you to go between the covers of 1001 Books for Every Mood. 

In keeping with the theme of Women’s History Month, I’ve been reading lots of books about women. In fact, this month’s Starbooks @ Starbucks (March 10) will be entirely devoted to titles featuring extraordinary women, both real and fictional. In case you can’t attend (and I really hope you can), I wanted to share three of my favorites in Between the Covers. All three are truly satisfying works of fiction that are rich with historical detail.

The first is 19^th Wife by David Ebershoff. This is an interesting “book within a book.” It   combines the tales of two women- the real Ann Eliza Young, the 19^th Wife of Brigham Young and the fictional BeckyLyn Scot, member of a modern day polygamist sect called the ‘Firsts’ and 19^th wife of a murdered sect leader. Readers can enjoy two intertwined stories, one that teaches about the history of the Mormon church through true accounts of its early pioneers, and one that plays out like a modern day whodunit. The true story reveals many little-known facts  about the early Mormons and explains how polygamy came to be frowned on in traditional Mormon circles. The modern story is told through the eyes of BeckyLyn’s son Jordan who was excommunicated and sent away from his family when he was just 14 years old. He must now return to the town that shunned him to keep his mother from being put to death.

Next is American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. This book provides a fictionalized glimpse into the life of Laura Bush. While the names and places have changed, Sittenfeld draws on many real-life events in the early life of the former first-lady, including a tragic traffic accident that took the life of one of Laura’s high school classmates. To be fair to history, readers should remind themselves often that this is a work of fiction and should avoid getting caught up in verifying all the details. Ultimately, American Wife is an enjoyable story of a strong woman whose marriage led her to fame and circumstances she never bargained for. The reviews on this one are mixed. I wonder if Laura has read it?

In The Women by T.C. Boyle, master storyteller Boyle turns his focus to one of the most colorful characters in the history of American art and architecture. The Women is the fictionalization of Frank Lloyd Wright’s scandalous love life. Told from the point of view of his mistresses and wives, this novel takes readers behind the scenes in an important time in America’s artistic history and paints a vivid picture of Wright’s unconventional style and larger than life appetites. This title will be of special interest to fans of Nancy Horan’s Loving Frank.

Have you ever fallen in love with a book? I have—with more than one in fact. I have been known for cheating on my favorite book(s) by claiming that some other equally compelling title is my “favorite book ever.” My husband recently asked me “How many favorite books can one girl have?” It is a good thing books don’t get jealous.

I affectionately call the books I love the most, “Books I want to be buried with.” You can find a list of those on the Library’s Website under the Staff Picks Tab in the Reader’s Lounge.

Since love is in the air this month, I wanted to find out what books have grabbed the hearts of my co-workers. Here is what I found out.

Lisa Coker

Piggie in the Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz, I love it because it makes me so happy every time I read it.

Lindsey Daughtery

My favorite book ever is Tuesdays With Morrie.  I love it because I have never experienced such insight and wisdom towards life as I did upon finishing this novel–like all of the tiny threads making up my life’s quilt had a little more color…made a little more sense.  This book exemplifies the old African quote that says, “The death of an old person is like the burning of a library.”

Jean Lee

My favorite book ever is anything written by Erma Bombeck. SML has many of her titles, such as Motherhood, the Second Oldest Profession, or When You Look Like Your Passport, It’s Time To Go Home. I was so saddened by her death but recommend Erma for today because she makes you laugh without being mean or crude

Lesley Washburn

My favorite book ever is From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury because his descriptions of one particular character, Cecy, is so creative that I couldn’t help but fall in love with the author’s poetic writing style as well.

Cherie Morgan

My favorite book ever is The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold. I love it because it makes me laugh, it makes me think, and it does all this in a futuristic setting that provides a vacation from everyday life.

Eula Sonnier

My favorite book ever is Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kiss.  I love it because it’s just such a touching story. Another book I really enjoyed was Bag of Bones by Stephen King.  I didn’t want to stop listening to it.  He is such a great storyteller and he was the reader on this one. And I read anything that Ann Rule writes.

Mary Kathryn Romans

My favorite book ever is Memoirs of a Geisha. I love it because it combines the perfect amounts of suspense, romance, and history without overdoing it.

Karen Knight

My favorite book ever is On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon by Kaye Gibbons

I love it because the people lived through terrible hardships but never gave up and did what they had to do to survive and help others.

Janet Dotson

My favorite book ever is Marley and Me by John Grogan.  I love it because it made me go “Aaawwww-sniff-sniff.”