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Summer Reading Recommendations The following recommendations were assembled from several sources, including The New York Times "Best Books of 2006" list, www.salon.com, "Good Morning, America," and - most appreciated of all - our members. We hope you enjoy a wonderfully literary summer in 2007! Fiction (Novels, Mysteries, Thrillers, etc.) Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart – an exuberant comic novel about the American-educated son of the 1238th richest man in Russia, stuck in Saint Petersburg while trying to obtain an American visa Body of Lies by David Ignatius – spy novel about a CIA attempt to fool Iraqi terrorists into believing that their ringleader is actually a US agent The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber – in the “DaVinci Code” genre; about the search for a long-lost Shakespearean manuscript The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud – a comedy of manners about the privileged class in Manhattan prior to 9/11 The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid – called a “grown-up version of a Nancy Drew adventure, especially designed for English majors.” The heroine, a Ph.D. with a special interest in William Wordsworth, discovers a well-preserved 19th century murder victim in a peat bog and tries to discover whodunit Mr. Dixon Disappears by Ian Sansom – amusing mystery about an English librarian falsely accused of kidnapping Nerve Damage by Peter Abrahams – a sculptor recently diagnosed with cancer hacks into the New York Times obituary database to see what his obituary will say, and discovers some troubling discrepancies about his late wife Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl – a literary murder mystery narrated by the daughter of a charismatic professor A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – by the author of The Kite Runner, this book tells the story of two Afghan women married to the same abusive man Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann – a murder mystery solved by a flock of sheep (really!) Up in Honey’s Room by Elmore Leonard – the hunt for an escaped Nazi POW in post WWII Detroit What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman – Two sisters vanish from a shopping mall in 1975; thirty years later, a disturbed woman accused of a crime claims to be one of the girls Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy - In this well-loved author's most recent book, a highway project threatens to destroy a shrine in a small Irish town Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald - a tale of India during the British colonial period Non-Fiction/Memoirs Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver – noted novelist’s true story of her family’s decision to spend a year growing their own food Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America by Cullen Murphy – the many similarities between 21st century America and the Roman Empire before its fall The Cure for Anything Is Salt Water by Mary South – memoir of a middle-aged woman who quit her job, sold her belongings, bought a boat, and sailed from Florida to Maine The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown - the compelling, sad story of the life of the Princess of Wales Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz (sequel to A Dog Year) – adventures of an atypical farmer in West Hebron, New York with his border collies, donkey, and trained cow Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney – the journey of a woman who rows herself down the Nile in a small boat Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr – the adventures of a young family in Rome around the time of the funeral pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - this memoir humorously captures the author's childhood of poverty, as she was raised by neglectful, nonconformist parents The Hive: The Honeybee and Us by Bee Wilson - the fascinating history of humans and honeybees Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson - fast-paced recounting of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin - the true story of a poor Chinese boy taken from his home to study ballet during the Cultural Revolution The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan – how what we eat affects our bodies and the planet as well The Places In Between by Rory Stewart – adventures of a young Scottish tourist walking across Afghanistan shortly after the fall of the Taliban Thunderstruck by Eric Larson - the follow-up to The Devil in the White City, this book juxtaposes the growing popularity of radio in the early 1900s with a fascinating murder case |
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Laugh a Little "I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: 'Not good in a bed, but fine against the wall.' " - Eleanor Roosevelt |
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The Four Stages of Life A. You believe in Santa Claus. B. You don't believe in Santa Claus. C. You are Santa Claus. D. You look like Santa Claus. |
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"Don't worry about avoiding
temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you." - Winston Churchill
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Copyright Eileen Roach 2006