Readers' Advisory: Librarian's Choice 2013

Upon his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer and a life expectancy of 3-6 months post-diagnosis, Randy Pausch gave his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University where he was a computer science professor. His short, but poignant and inspiring book is full of quirky humor, positivity, reflection and adoration for his family as he expands on his last lecture. I copied down passages in my journal as I will not quickly forget this book nor the whimsical Randy Pausch.

In his memoir/spiritual living book, Bob Goff shares episodes of his life and the lesson they have taught him about his life. I've heard that this book has garnered a large male readership. Goff is funny, yet has a profound sense of what his faith means to him. He encourages the faithful to act upon our faith and learn about God through living an action-filled life instead of simply being in fellowship with other Christians and to embrace the whimsical and not desire the "normal" life, which is the basis for "love does." It's a renewing call to service for Christians.

I'm biased. I really love all of Anne Lamott's books on faith. This book on the three essential prayers is another gem in her repertoire. I love how she hilariously tells us to lower down ourselves so we can raise God up. It's a short read so it's a great gift book, but no less poignant. Keep em' comin' Anne!

In Blue Nights, Joan Didion ruminates on her relationship with daughter and her daughter's death in 2005, at the age of 39. Told in episodic snapshots, Didion encompasses her thoughts on the grief of losing her loved ones and aging in the wake of their deaths. A melancholy, but beautifully written with sweeping, lush language. I would suggest this book for fans of memoirs on grief and also fans of Didion herself.

I have a two-year old daughter, who has almost certainly entered the ubiquitous "terrible twos". Reading this book gave me more patience and helped me slow down when I am with her. She is a teeny-tiny munchkin and reading this book encouraged me to savor the time I have with her rather than trying to rush her through my personal tasks and my goals for her.

I loved Bechdel's first graphic memoir "Fun Home" and "Are you My Mother?" is a strong following. Bechdel wooed me in this graphic memoir focusing on her relationship with her mother and it's influence on her romantic relationships and her relationships with her counselors. Bechdel researchs psychoanalysis, specifically the work of Donald Winnicott and the life of Virginia Wolff, who both lead Bechdel to reconciliation with her mother. The ending is hopeful, as the author grieves the mother she longed for, but accepts her mother as she is. Sometimes the pace did lull, but I strongly recommend this title for fans of graphic memoirs.

At the beginning of the memoir a listless John Kralik realizes that his life is in shambles. Over the next 15 months, he writes 365 thank you notes. In doing so, he is able to appreciate the small things in life and build and rebuild relationships that impact his health, his career, and his family. I found this book to be charming and uplifting. It reads like a long story from your favorite uncle. I think those who enjoy "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and "Love Does" by Bob Goff will enjoy this book

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in running competitively at any level. It's full of helpful information and very comprehensive.

As a fan of their blog, I knew I was going to like their book before I cracked it open. It's full of relatively quick and mostly inexpensive ways to "paint, craft, update, and show your home some love." Most ideas are unique from their blog, so readers of their blog get something fresh. John and Sherry are hilarious and quirky, which makes their book (and blog) very fun and enjoyable.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of Henrietta Lacks,a poor African-American woman, who in the 50s was discovered to have cervical cancer. When her doctor collected cells from her, the cells became the first human cells to continue growing and multiplying, thus creating the cell line HeLa, which is presumably the biggest medical discovery of the 20th century.
Written in alternating chapters that bounce between Henrietta Lack's family and the life of her cell line, the structure of the book is very engaging. Her story, albeit at times horrifying and grim, is beautifully told by Rebecca Skloot. I learned so much about medical ethics and the history of medical research that I probably wouldn't have had I not read this book. I think this is a fantastic book for a wide variety of people. It is a no-brainer guaranteed read. As human beings, we are all affected by the history of this woman and what her cells and doctors have achieved. This book is a great book club selection, as there is much to discuss about medical ethics. I'm glad we are reading it for the Butler Library Book Club, as I am looking forward to discussing it.

"At Wetish College, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big-league stardom. But when a routine throw goes diastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended."
The edition I read began with eight pages of acclaim. When I finished, I concluded that it is worthy of every bit of it. Art of Fielding is an engrossing book that I didn't want to put down. It's a lengthy book that runs over 500 pages, but the story never slowed and the medium-length chapters with alternating points of view maintained a steady momentum. This is a book that is a guaranteed-read. Readers with various tastes will enjoy it and it makes a great book club read. It's a Division-III baseball team's soap opera and one of the best books I have read so far this year.

Saying that "I really liked" this book is kind of like saying "I really liked" Schindler's List. It is sad, super sad, gut-wrenching "this sucks, why do I do this to myself" sad. I should have known when I saw that Oprah sticker. That lady loves sad books.
I am not one who usually enjoys short stories, but the contents of the book (short stories depicting each of Hattie's twelve children and their family's strife) were so beautifully written with a stark poetic style. Each story was riveting with their charging, dramatic climax and often, a tragic resolution.
This book is not one for the faint of heart, but if you have enjoyed other Oprah picks (and the box of Kleenexes that go with them), you'll enjoy this one. If you enjoy historical fiction centered on hard-knock-life characters and drama, this one is for you too. If Mathis is the next Toni Morrison, this is a great start.

I haven't followed Melanie Shankle's blog, but heard about her book on other blogs I followed. I picked up the book on a whim thinking "a mama writes about faith and motherhood with hilarity? Count me in!" It's a quick read, with short chapters that span the author's pre-baby life through her daughter's elementary school years. The author is very snarky and funny, yet she paints a picture of motherhood that is all too real: messy, challenging, yet heartwarming and rewarding beyond all comprehension.
When I was a brand new mama, my favorite reads were memoirs of mamas. I would gladly recommend this book to all mamas, but it would be a great gift for new mamas instead of more new baby clothes (they are probably tired of organizing new baby clothes anyways).

To be honest, I have been apathetic about my journey into women's fiction and then I read this gem. I take books everywhere with me and I was actually at a college basketball tournament when I began reading this one during in between games. Within 50 pages, I was captivated and looking forward to timeouts so I could keep reading a few pages.
Claire Waverly, a single 30-something, who runs a catering business in a small-town is content living a mostly solitary, single life until a handsome and single art professor moves in next door and her long-lost younger sister returns home with her 5-year old daughter, Bay. This book has a great cast of characters and has a great storyline of family, relationships that are broken/redeemed, and a perfect blend of drama and humor. Allen incorporates mysticism and magic with lush descriptions of natural scents, herbs, and vegetation.
This is a book that has wide appeal for women. I highly recommend it for a great pool-side summer read, as it's easy-going, has a happy ending, contains enthralling characters, and has a great story-line.

I've been tentatively reading some Christian parenting books because... heck if I know what I am doing! I've heard so many things about this book that I had to read it. I got a lot of parenting knowledge out of this book. I loved that Tripp kept reiterating that you have to speak to your child's heart to modify behavior, you can not simply give them rules and scare them into following them, and that my friends, is the basis of sanctification. Even though I don't think I can ever spank my daughter (which Tripp provides a biblical basis for), I took lots of notes on everything else. I think this book should be a must-read for Christian parents. Even if you don't agree with everything he says, it would be a great talking point with your spouse and will get the wheels turning on your parenting goals for your children.

I remember my parents taking a Dale Carnegie class when they worked at the same business when I was in junior high. I remember skimming Carnegie's books and really liking what he had to say. When my library selected it as a book club read, I was excited to revisit it and read it more thoroughly. I took so many notes and agreed with much of the wisdom included. Much of it is about being selfless. I highly recommend it for everyone. I will probably give it to my daughter to read and discuss with me when she's a bit older (right now we are working on not biting or hitting friends). But you know, who doesn't want to "win" more friends? Friends are cool. Am I right or am I right?

Louisa Clark is a small-town English gal who enjoys her "boring" life: dating her boyfriend Patrick for 6 years, living with her parents, and working a cafe'. And then the cafe closes and she has to find a new job. When she is hired to be the caretaker of Will, who is in a wheelchair after an accident, she is pushed to her emotional limits and discovers who she wants to be with and what she wants to pursue in her life.
So, my hypothetical hat goes off to Ms. Moyes, for throwing me for a loop. This book started out like a typical romance (minus dirty deeds) and it seemed like it was headed that way, but NO. After I explained the turn of events to a friend, she said, "Well that sounds like a good book." I think that's one of the reasons I am able to give this book 4 stars, because the ending was unexpected (at least to little ol' naive me). Even though I would classify it as a chick-lit romance novel, it had comical moments, and yet, it really made me think. It could be a good book club book.

I read this book for a spiritual gifts seminar at my church and I'm so glad I did. With short chapters - and an overall short book- and short worksheets, I was able to truly pinpoint my passions, my personal style (structure and task-oriented), and my spiritual gifts. It's freeing and empowering to know I operate and what truly revs my engine. Highly recommended for those who enjoy personality type discovery, those who are currently serving in ministry, and those who are trying to figure out where to serve in ministry. A lot of folks at my church enjoyed it too.

Ivan, a silverback gorila, is held captive in a cage in a mall/arcade. He shares his domain with a few other animals and has forgotten about his life in the jungle. Then a baby elephant named Ruby arrives and makes him remember his past, his family, and why he and Ruby should find a kinder home.
It's been awhile since I read a children's book, but a trusted blogger wrote a fantastic review of it AND it won the Newberry Award this year. Welp, it tugged on my heartstrings, it's really creative, it centers around friendship, and it's full of equal parts sadness and happiness. And, it's loosely based on a true story!
This is a guaranteed-read. I think readers with varied tastes and of various ages will enjoy this poignant book.

Rachel Dratch is just as funny in her memoir as she was on SNL. I found her memoir endearing, funny, and charming. I felt bad for her throughout the memoir and I just want to cheer for her, for being a mostly-single mama and continuing to pursue acting despite rejection and type-casting. If I worked a public library, I would create a display of female comedians/actresses writing memoirs/books: Tina Fey, Jane Lynch, Carole Burnett, Mary Tyler Moore, Ellen Degeneres, Mindy Kaling, Chelsea Handler, and the upcoming Amy Poehler book!

This is one of the best books I have read this year. Havaa, eight, watches as her father is abducted by federal soldiers in Chechnya. Her neighbor, Akhmed, finds her and takes to her a nearby hospital for refuge. Sonja, the lone doctor left working at the war-damaged hospital, is searching for her sister, who disappeared a year ago. All of the characters lives are intertwined in this powerful and moving book. The book has a fair amount of casual brutality so some portions are very difficult to stomach.
Regardless, all of the characters (no matter how minor) and many tiny items strewn about the story have intricate, detailed stories and epilogues. The author constantly plays with the tense of the story. This beautiful and heart-wrenching story of a war-torn society reminded me of other novels I have enjoyed such as The Tiger's Wife and Everything if Illuminated.
My daughter was sick recently and as she laid on my chest in a semi-conscious state, she asked me to read my book aloud to her. As I read the last two bittersweet pages, I was holding back tears and could barely manage to get the words out. This book is sure to be on my top 10 list at the end of the year.

Druckerman, an ex-New Yorker, moves with her British husband to Paris and begins raising a family. During her time in Paris and her visits back to the States, she observes that French children are better behaved than American children. Based on research, journalistic observation, interviews, and personal experience, that author alludes that French society and parenting have an edge on American child-rearing, health, and child-care selections.
This book is extremely fascinating. I have lots of stickies in my copy and have shared many tidbits with my husband, as we have a toddler. I discussed the book with my co-worker, who has visited France several times, including a stint living with a host family. She confirmed many of the author's observations. I think this book is a great parental read. It's thought-provoking not only on the parenting side, but also health, society, culture, and government provision for health and child-care.

Deeply fascinating and the author did a great job of keeping the book interesting and moving along by incorporating narratives throughout the studies and data. My copy has a bunch of post-it notes inside and my husband and I discussed the parts that intrigued me. This is a book that has mass appeal, because, as the author says, our entire lives are built around habits.

I really enjoyed this punkrock "love conquers all" teenage romance. Eleanor and Park are unforgettable characters and the dichotomy of Park and Eleanor's family lives was captivating. Although I read most of the book with my stomach is a knot wondering "What is going to happen to Eleanor???", I was pleased with the happy, but not sappy ending.
This one is for readers who enjoy sensitive teenage characters, such as those found in the Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Another dose of funny from Jeffrey Brown, one of my favorite graphic novelists.

Whoa. This book was the creepiest book I have read in a long time. I usually steer clear of scary-type books, but I enjoyed Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle's series and wanted to check out her next series mixing historical fiction with magical realism.
It's a larger book at 600 pages, but it read very quickly. I was captivated by the story, the intertwining characters' lives, the slow reveal of every character's secret. Bray had me so hooked that I stayed up late two nights in a row because I wanted to keep reading. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
I recommend this one for fans of the Gemma Doyle series and fans of fast-paced magical realism sprinkled with romance, mystery, and those who can stomach some gore.

Endlessly fascinating. I didn't know what to expect, but I wasn't expecting this book to make me think about parenting. I would consider this book a "guaranteed read." I think people of all reading tastes would enjoy this book and find it compelling. It certainly shook my ideals regarding successful people in a hopeful way.

Best parenting book I have read so far. This book has helped my communication with my two-year-old daughter immensely and I love seeing her make choices and connections on her own at such a young age. My copy has an abundance of post-it notes in it as I plan on referring to it often.

I didn't know it was possible to like Jimmy Gaf more than I already did...until I read his book (Or, let's be honest, his and Jeannie's book. His book made me laugh out loud and even tear up here and there. He truly calls parenting the spade it is---crazy challenging and yet life-affirming. I highly recommend this one to parents and/or fans of Jim Gaffigan (and according to Jim, his wife's pretty great too!).

Sheryl Sandberg, I really liked your book. You get pooped on a lot for writing it, but by golly, you have made me feel more confident as I reflect on the stories and advice you told in this book. A lot of the statistics on women in the workplace were shocking. I am thankful that I have been made aware. I loved that you didn't just share them for shock value, but rather offered practical advice on how to overcome these issues. I loved that you were openly honest about your struggles and the times that you have been deeply hurt in the workplace. You keep on keepin' on.

Very informative and fascinating. Includes training plans and gives advice on eating well, drinking fluids correctly, and gives great advice on pre-race fueling and fueling while racing. I liked the fairly low-key advice. The author basically gives you a food pyramid and lets you use your best judgement on calorie counting/portions. I read this book a month or two ago and I still think about it a lot.

This book was amazing. Tough's omnibus is centralized on student raised in low-income families and how they succeed or don't succeed. But his book also juxtaposes wealthy high-academic ranking schools and what it takes for wealthy children to succeed as well. He follows a high-profile chess team and makes observations on how they think, make decisions, and their commitment levels at a young age. This book is fascinating, engaging, and I learned a lot. I would recommend this one for every parent, every educator, and anyone who mentors or coaches children and teens

Read this one in the car on our first day of vacation. Very inspiring, powerful, and beautifully written with simplicity. An outstanding book on Christian Leadership.

A great read on work: the theology behind work, our problems with work, and seeing the gospel in our work. A book that will change your perspective on work and probably make your Monday mornings seem brighter.

If it weren't for the Library Reads' list, I would have never picked this one up, but I'm so glad I did!

It's a mystery novel centered around the inner-workings of a police department and a small village in Quebec named Three Pines and its inhabitants. The mysteries are spooky, but the main characters are likable and create a homey, cozy feel to the novel. It's easy enough to know who the good guys and bad guys are and the mystery is fairly easy to solve, which for me a bit of a let down towards the end. However, another appeal of this book is the character-grouping dynamic and two mysteries running parallel to each other, keeping the story engaging. The character-development and drama made it especially page-turning.

Recommended for those who enjoy character-centered mysteries (particularly police departments), featuring a group of likable characters and a heroic main character.

Reading this book made me want to read more of Louise Penny.

Outstanding book. Each chapter is a rumination on a type of prayer: the biblical occurrences, the historical occurrences, and the author's personal experiences with this type of prayer. If you read this, your heart for prayer will be changed and your prayer life with be encouraged. I suggest reading a chapter a day to let each type of prayer sink in.

I read this book as a refresher of the Anne Frank story before reading "Margot" by Jillian Cantor. It's a marvelous interpretation of Anne Frank's Diary. It's just as charming and heart-breaking as Anne Frank's Diary. This book would make a great introduction to the non-fiction graphic novel genre, especially for tweens who study Anne Frank.

Clever and funny! Can't wait to read the series to/with my daughter when she gets a bit older.

This book slayed me, in a good way. I love Freeman's eloquent, yet informal writing style. I love her transparency and her amazing art. Both this book and her blog are must-reads. If you want to view your God-given days, your to-do list, and yourself as the art they truly are, read this book. I can't wait to read it again and again.

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? nbsp; A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013

Auggie, enters fifth grade in a public school for the very first time. The first 10 or 11 years of his life were spent in homeschool while Auggie underwent surgeries and various medical treatments to help facial deformities. Auggie is a "wonder."
I am so glad my friend Hannah picked this book out for our book club. It has been waiting in my to-read queue for too long. Such a great book. I loved all the of different perspectives, which I wasn't expecting. I loved that the book was centralized around Auggie's face, but the real stories were told in the in hearts of the characters in relation to Auggie. If you're looking for a quick read with likable characters and a heart-warming ending, spend your next weekend with this one. Wonder makes for a great classroom read or a book for parents and tweens/teens to read and discuss together.

I gave this book such a high rating because it has so many implications. I have begun looking at my friends and naming them connectors, mavens, etc...
This is a must-read for every business executive, teacher, librarian, pastor, and possibly parent. This is the third Gladwell book I have read and they have all been utterly fascinating. I listened to this one and I loved hearing his thoughtful voice. I'm looking forward to reading David and Goliath.

I recommend both reading the book and listening to Steve Martin readthe audio version. The audio version offers, well, Steve Martin's expressive voice, and banjo melodies. The book offers some great photos of Steve, including one where he looks like a bonafide 70s cowboy.
I'm already an avid fan, but reading his memoir made me like him even more. I wasn't expecting such a heart-on-his-sleeve memoir, but I'm glad he unabashedly wrote it. As I watch Steve Martin perform his music now, I see a subdued, relaxed guy who doesn't need to be the center of attention nor needs to impress. I sense the same sensibility in his memoir. Steve, you're awesome...I wasn't born yet when you were performing standup and hosting SNL, but you had me at Three Amigos and Father of the Bride. Let's keep putting out those bluegrass records!

In sixth grade, Raina falls and severely injures her 2 front teeth,sending her on a frustrating and long journey of repairing her teeth. Funny, heart-warming, and full of adolescent drama, Smile is an adorable read.

Such an adorable, funny book. And so utterly sweet that the book contains the favors they gave out at their wedding.

Great book! I loved her chapters on the 4 spiritual seasons.

Agnes, a pauper, has is awaiting execution for her hand in the murder of 2 farmers. While housed at a family's farmhouse, she begins to share her story to the young Reverend assigned to help "point her to the Lord" and Marget, the family's mother.

Appeal: Burial Rites is psychological thriller with a detailed-setting, mysticism, and ambiguous characters. The reader will constantly be asking themselves, "Did she murder? Is she good or bad? Is she reliable or unreliable?" and most importantly, "What is the world is going to happen?!?" If you like dark, foreboding, psychological thrillers that are character-centered instead of plot-centered, this book is for you.

Personal Opinion: I stayed up last night finishing this book and all week while reading it, I could not wait to pick it back up. The mystery of Agnes's story is engrossing and compelling while the details of 1829 Iceland and the mystical, lush language made me love this book. I was horrified to read the author's note at the end that the book was based on true story. Such a hard pill to swallow!

I read a chapter a day for the past few weeks and this book is awesome. This is the third book I have read by Yancey and I really enjoy his journalistic yet somewhat informal style and he is always thought-provoking.I took lots of notes and I value Yancey's transparency regarding his prayer "shortcomings" (so to speak) and the questions he wrestles with. I highly recommend this book, particularly as a partner with Richard Foster's book titled Prayer.

I love reading memoirs and I have wanted to read Quindlen's non-fiction for a long time. I loved reading her column in Newsweek when I was in college and the experience of reading my first Quindlen non-fiction at the age of 30 heightens my awe of her. I don't agree with everything she says in this memoir on aging, dying, and familial relationships, but I love the candor in which she says it. I recommended this book to my mother-in-law, as she is Quindlen's age, but I would recommend this book for those even as young as 20, as we can all glean wisdom from those who go before us. I've already downloaded my next Quindlen audio book on my phone. Let's keep this boat afloat!

The final book I finished for 2013 was an enjoyable one. A group of scientists find a man flash-frozen in the Artic Sea. When they resuscitate him, they discover his last memory is being thrown overboard in 1908. The frozen man, Jeremiah, and Kate, a lead scientist, develop a romance as she realizes he is more than a science experiment. I liked the characterizations and the alternating narration. I enjoyed this exploration of life - what if we got a second chance in a different century? Would we want to adjust to a new life? This would make a good book club read as the dynamic of the various scientists and Jeremiah lend well to discussion.

Appeal: The various narration and fantastic characterizations, the romance, the impending doom, a combo of humor, intrigue, and science

Paul Huffman's Pick
In one of the most intrepid political travelogues in recent memory, Emma Larkin tells of the year she spent traveling through Burma using the life and work of George Orwell as her compass. Going from Mandalay and Rangoon to poor delta backwaters and up to the old hill-station towns in the mountains of Burma's far north, Larkin visits the places where Orwell worked and lived, and the places his books live still. She brings to vivid life a country and a people cut off from the rest of the world, and from one another, by the ruling military junta and its vast network of spies and informers. Using Orwell enables her to show, effortlessly, the weight of the colonial experience on Burma today, the ghosts of which are invisible and everywhere. More important, she finds that the path she charts leads her to the people who have found ways to somehow resist the soul-crushing effects of life in this most cruel police state. And George Orwell's moral clarity, hatred of injustice, and keen powers of observation serve as the author's compass in another sense too: they are qualities she shares and they suffuse her book - the keenest and finest reckoning with life in this police state that has yet been written.

Paul Huffman's Pick
Flannery O'Connor was working on Everything That Rises Must Converge at the time of her death. This collection is an exquisite legacy from a genius of the American short story, in which she scrutinizes territory familiar to her readers: race, faith, and morality. The stories encompass the comic and the tragic, the beautiful and the grotesque; each carries her highly individual stamp and could have been written by no one else.

Paul Huffman's Pick
The Man Without a Face is the chilling account of how a low- level, small-minded KGB operative ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time, destroyed years of progress and made his country once more a threat to her own people and to the world.

Tony Skrivan's Pick
In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Tony Skrivan's Pick
A history of cable sports channel ESPN, based on interviews with nearly five hundred current and former employees, announcers and analysts, as well as sports stars including LeBron James, Peyton Manning, and Jeff Gordon.

Lisa Young's Pick
Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy at cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life.

Lisa Young's Pick
The inspiring story of a son and his dying mother, who form a "book club" that brings them together as her life comes to a close.

Suzanne Gleason's Pick
An economist's version of The Way Things Work, this engaging volume is part field guide to economics and part expose of the economic principles lurking behind daily events, explaining everything from traffic jams to high coffee prices.

Suzanne Gleason's Pick
Based on Payne’s twenty year’s experience successfully counseling busy families, Simplicity Parenting teaches parents how to worry and hover less–and how to enjoy more. For those who want to slow their children’s lives down but don’t know where to start, Payne offers both inspiration and a blueprint for change.

Suzanne Gleason's Pick
In the good old days, magic was indispensable—it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading: drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets are used for pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam, an employment agency for magicians—but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer. If the visions are true, everything will change for Kazam—and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as . . . Big Magic.

Steve Gietschier's Pick
A retelling of the Watergate scandal, as seen through a kaleidoscope of its colorful perpetrators and investigators.

Steve Gietschier's Pick
Silver built an innovative system for predicting baseball performance, predicted the 2008 election within a hair's breadth, and became a national sensation as a blogger. Drawing on his own groundbreaking work, Silver examines the world of prediction.

Bianca Ray's Pick
Twenty-six years ago, Shin Dong-hyuk was born inside Camp 14, one of five sprawling political prisons in the mountains of North Korea. This is the gripping, terrifying story of his escape from this no-exit prison-- to freedom in South Korea.

Michael Dorlac's Pick
Now, in this first book of fictional set pieces, Korine captures the fragmented moments of a life observed through the demented lens of media, TV, and teen obsession. Korine reinvents the novel in this highly experimental montage of scenes that seem both real and surreal at the same time. With a filmmaker's eye and a prankster's glee, this bizarre collection of jokes, half-remembered scenes, dialogue fragments, movie ideas, and suicide notes is an episodic, epigrammatic lovesong to the world of images. Korine is the voice of his media-savvy generation and A Crack-Up at the Race Riots is the satiric lovechild of his dark imagination.

Michael Dorlac's Pick
In this fictionalized meditation, Bolden, an unrecorded father of Jazz, remains throughout a tantalizingly ungraspable phantom, the central mysteries of his life, his art, and his madness remaining felt but never quite pinned down. Ondaatje's prose is at times startlingly lyrical, and as he chases Bolden through documents and scenes, the novel partakes of the very best sort of modern detective novel--one where the enigma is never resolved, but allowed to manifest in its fullness. Though more 'experimental' in form than either The English Patient or In the Skin of a Lion, it is a fitting addition to the renowned Ondaatje oeuvre.

Carl Hubenschmidt's Pick
The lives of fifty-four-year-old concierge Rene Michel and extremely bright, suicidal twelve-year-old Paloma Josse are transformed by the arrival of a new tenant, Kakuro Ozu.

Carl Hubenschmidt's Pick
This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked.

Candance Virgil's Pick
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks is buried in an unmarked grave. Her family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. The story of the Lacks family is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Candance Virgil's Pick
In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America.

Candance Virgil's Pick
An African folktale in which the son of the chief must make his way in the world with only a sackful of kola nuts and the help of some creatures that he has treated with kindness.

Michael Fetter's Pick
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.

Michael Fetter's Pick
The wandering warrior Balsa is hired to protect Prince Chagum from both a mysterious monster and the prince's father, the Mikado.

Liz MacDonald's Pick
Loved this one! It is the story of the relationship between Patti Smith and Robert Maplethorpe.

Liz MacDonald's Pick
Great biography of an extremely important 20th century American policymaker and diplomat. I read quite a few of Kennan’s works as an undergraduate in the 80s when there was still such a thing as the Cold War. It was really interesting to understand what made him tick and how he came to some of the decisions he made regarding foreign policy.

Liz MacDonald's Pick
Really interesting memoir written by a Muslim Somali woman who leaves her home and ultimately her faith and becomes an activist and political figure. Her work is centered on shedding light on the oppression and abuses of women in Islamic culture.

A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard.

Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief, wizard Ged Sparrowhawk, who seeks a special treasure.

A young prince joins forces with a master wizard on a journey to discover a cause and remedy for the loss of magic in Earthsea.

The collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry known as the Poetic Edda contains the great narratives of the creation of the world and the coming of Ragnarok, The Doom of the Gods. The mythological poems explore the wisdom of the gods and giants, narrating the adventures of the god Thor against the hostile giants and the god's rivalries amongst themselves. The heroic poems trace the exploits of the hero Helgi and his valkyrie bride, the tragic tale of Sigurd and Brynhild's doomed love, and the terrible drama of Sigurd's widow Gudrun and her children. Many of the poems predate the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity, allowing us to glimpse the pagan beliefs of the North. Since the rediscovery of the Poetic Edda in the seventeenth century, its poetry has fascinated artists as diverse as Thomas Gray, Richard Wagner, and Jorge Luis Borges. This is the first complete translation to be published in Britain for fifty years, and it includes a scholarly introduction, notes, a genealogy of the gods and giants, and an index of names

The national folk epic of Finland is here presented in an English translation that is both scholarly and eminently readable. The lyrical passages and poetic images, the wry humor, the tall-tale extravagance, and the homely realism of the 'Kaevala' come through with extraordinary effectiveness.

First published in 1938, The Hobbit is a story that �grew in the telling,” and many characters and events in the published book are completely different from what Tolkien first wrote to read aloud to his young sons as part of their �fireside reads.” For the first time, The History of the Hobbit reproduces the original version of one of literature’s most famous stories, and includes many little-known illustrations and previously unpublished maps for The Hobbit created by Tolkien himself. Also featured are extensive annotations and commentaries on the date of composition, how Tolkien’s professional and early mythological writings influenced the story, the imaginary geography he created, and how he came to revise the book in the years after publication to accommodate events in The Lord of the Rings.

A biography of J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of the fictional world of Middle-Earth, discussing his early life, his career as a scholar and teacher, his decision to write and the development of his work.

Biographer Margaret Lea returns one night to her apartment above her father’s antiquarian bookshop. On her steps she finds a letter. It is a hand-written request from one of Britain’s most prolific and well-loved novelists. Vida Winter, gravely ill, wants to recount her life story before it is too late, and she wants Margaret to be the one to capture her history. The request takes Margaret by surprise—she doesn’t know the author, nor has she read any of Miss Winter’s dozens of novels.

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery....

Narrated by Death, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young foster girl living outside of Munich in Nazi Germany. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever they are to be found.

With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids, as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

Wuthering Heights is a wild, passionate story of the intense and almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father. After Mr Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is bullied and humiliated by Catherine's brother Hindley and wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return years later as a wealthy and polished man. He proceeds to exact a terrible revenge for his former miseries. The action of the story is chaotic and unremittingly violent, but the accomplished handling of a complex structure, the evocative descriptions of the lonely moorland setting and the poetic grandeur of vision combine to make this unique novel a masterpiece of English literature.

What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.

After Earth is demolished to make way for a new hyperspatial expressway, Arthur Dent begins to hitch-hike through space.

Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent.

To mark the centenary of Wilde's death, the Stratford Festival staged this unique production of the original, complete four-act version of this famous play. This does not replace the three act version, but does give the audience the opportunity to enjoy the play that Wilde originally wrote, with its extra characters, more pointed social commentary, additional scenes and new dialogue. This play remains perhaps Wilde's wittiest and most loved romantic comedy.All Plays are produced at the Glenn Gould Theatre in the CBC Broadcasting Centre. The plays are produced with professional actors, sound effects, and original music in front of a live audience.

Is there such thing as a Western Taoist? Benjamin Hoff says there is, and this Taoist's favorite food is honey. Through brilliant and witty dialogue with the beloved Pooh-bear and his companions, the author of this smash bestseller explains with ease and aplomb that rather than being a distant and mysterious concept, Taoism is as near and practical to us as our morning breakfast bowl.

Sixteen-year-old identical twin daughters of a district court judge and a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, Kaeleigh and Raeanne Gardella desperately struggle with secrets that have already torn them and their family apart.

The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years -- except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work "reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams"