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Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch October 2008 “A tantalizing question- what would life be like if you’d chosen the old boyfriend or forgiven the mother who wronged you? Once I accepted that a spa treatment (really!) was the vehicle that gives suburban mom Jill a rerun of her last seven years, but with a chance to change paths, I couldn’t put it down. Jill's eyes are opened when she meets regrets and missteps head-on. Perhaps it’s not the history that needs changing as much as Jill does. If a deep tissue massage can reveal what’s important in life, who needs ruby slippers?” |
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American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld September 2008 “You never know what goes on behind closed doors. And after reading American Wife, we still don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but it sure is riveting to read what might. When the subject is married to a good-time Charlie (Charlie Blackwell in this case) from a prominent political family, who purchased a Major League baseball team, served as a Republican governor, then won a contested election to become a two-term President . . . well, it all sounds very familiar. The mix of truth and fiction grabs your attention and throttles up the curiosity factor. It convinced me that I’m not interested in being First Lady, but I admit it left me a little empathetic toward the current occupant." |
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Golden Grove by Francine Prose September 2008 “Beautifully written Goldengrove walks readers through a family in grief. A drowned teen leaves her parents and younger sister in misery. The teen’s boyfriend’s world is ripped apart as well. All that aching is sandwiched between the covers of ...more Beautifully written Goldengrove walks readers through a family in grief. A drowned teen leaves her parents and younger sister in misery. The teen’s boyfriend’s world is ripped apart as well. All that aching is sandwiched between the covers of this tender book. The ravaged loved ones, barely surviving, follow their own paths to steer through heartbreak. Younger sister Nico, 13, is at the heart of the story. As someone who experienced devastating loss at that age, I found this wholly realistic and very well done. Author Francine Prose captured those stunned, all-too-raw feelings and the obstacles they plant.” |
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Mona Lisa in Camelot: How Jacqueline Kennedy and Da Vinci's Masterpiece Charmed and Captivated a Nation "The first lady of the United States and the first lady of the world intersected for one fascinating chapter in our nation’s cultural heritage. Revisit the Kennedy White House and get the scoop on how the Mona Lisa paid her unprecedented 1963 call on the U.S. including the painting’s tightly controlled cross-Atlantic travels, the extreme steps to keep temperature and humidity perfect 24/7, and the personalities and politics involved to pull off this incredible feat. Imagine it: during the exhibit’s first four days at D.C.’s National Gallery, 80,000 people visited Da Vinci’s masterpiece when the museum’s normal attendance was about 3,000 a week. In today’s world, it’s an unimagined stretch to think it could happen again. But it did once upon a time, and reading about it took me back.” |
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The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives by Cheryl Jarvis September 2008 “After the Traveling Pants idea, my friends & I talked about sharing a piece of jewelry- but never quite followed up on it. So I picked up The Necklace to see how it worked. It's a non-fiction account of 13 California women who jointly purchased & shared a $37,000 diamond necklace, in the process transforming the entire group. By elevating the act of sharing, the women added new depth & meaning to their lives in terms of friendship, charity, kindness & a living expression of the maxim "it's far better to give than to receive." In fact, an item of personal luxury became something far more inclusive than exclusive! I've seen among my friends & acquaintances similar examples of giving & sisterhood, but the novelty here is the inspiration - a necklace named Jewelia- that made this experiment unique.” |
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American Savior: A Novel of Divine Politics American Savior: A Novel of Divine Politics August 2008 “Here’s a quirky book that seems entirely fitting for right now. WWJD if he was a presidential candidate? Jesus’ comment on page 129 captures it: “I offer you my blessings and I ask for your vote.” References to current politics are sprinkled throughout and fun to catch. But I suppose what hit me most was the notion that our nation would actually support a candidate as compassionate, peace-loving and wise as Jesus. Sad, but with so much cynicism and dirty tricks in politics, that was the hardest thing to swallow. But it’s fiction, of course, and offers a lot of food for thought as Jesus and his disciples conduct their campaign. I’d vote for this book.” |
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Land of a Hundred Wonders July 2008 |
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Abbeville by Jack Fuller June 2008 “Fortunes won and lost by generations of an Illinois family are at the heart of this story. It's the grandfather's tale that really is the focus and the most interesting encompassing Chicago history, the last turn of the century and a decent, hardworking and happy man. Loved the "It's a Wonderful Life" quality of it. (C'mon, one of the characters is George Bailey!)” |
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The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston June 2008 "Crazy of me, with a daughter abroad in Florence, to read about a serial killer who spilled blood in the Tuscan countryside who's NOT been caught. But I did and was quickly caught up in tangled leads, dead ends, errors and journalistic accusations. It's real frustrating, but real!” |
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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein May 2008 Your dog will love this book! Why? Because you'll be offering extra pats and appreciative scratches as you read The Art of Racing in the Rain. Told from a dog's-eye view, you'll see why Enzo the dog truly is man's best friend. In this case, that man is dealing with excruciating trials. Dog lovers will beg for this book, but so will anyone with a heart. Good dog, Enzo. Good book, Garth. |
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Audition by Barbara Walters May 2008 |
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I Feel Bad About My Neck: "The story about the author's encounter with JFK made me laugh, but that was about all that tickled my fancy. The aging things, sadly I could relate to some of it (not being able to read the phone book, for one), but many of her complaints were not ones I'm too concerned about… yet. So, my sense overall was as far as "other thoughts on being a woman" were perhaps thoughts on being Nora Ephron, and not as general as I expected them to feel. Hey, but Nora, don't take it personally, I LOVED Sleepless in Seattle.” |
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Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan June 2007 “Let's see… a 6-figure income on Capitol Hill vs. working for the country Doc wiping up bodily fluids & x-raying goats? What is the "right place" when it comes to life choices? This memoir is charming, funny & heartwarming. Just what the doctor ordered!” |
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Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith March 2005 "Loved the humor and Anne Lamott's writing style and her insights into parenting and aging. Her faith and honesty were strong threads that I enjoyed best of all. " |
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