Monday, August 30, 2010

The Imperfectionists

The Imperfectionists: A Novel by Tom Rachman

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/printers-row/2010/07/editors-choice-the-imperfectionists-a-novel-by-tom-rachman.html

A love story set around a struggling English language newspaper in Rome. An easy, comfortable read.

Half the Sky

Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

http://www.pajiba.com/book_reviews/half-the-sky-by-nicholas-d-kristof-and-sheryl-wudunn.php

Now, this was a life-changing book. I warn you that within two days of finishing the book, I had researched various charity groups working with women in Africa and made $500 donations to two of them. It will touch your heart.

Going Away Shoes

Going Away Shoes by Jill McCorkle

http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v6n2/fiction/mccorkle_j/going_shoes.htm

I have a friend who writes a blog called Too Many Shoes. I thought of her when I read the first story in this collection of short stories. The mother has a closet full of dyed-to-match shoes including a pair that matched the going away dress at her wedding. She wants to be buried in them. What's not to love? The stories just get better and better.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=1560/The-Glass-Castle


This is a book to make you grateful for your own family no matter how weird you might think they are. Jeannette Walls wins at least one of the prizes for the family most complicated, most eccentric, and closest to the edge.

The Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/devilinthewhitecity/home.html

I have always loved Chicago and I was blessed with a father who well remembered the Chicago World's Fair, but I knew nothing of this particular slice of history until I read this book. Fascinating.

Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/books/review/Wagner-t.html

http://www.thebookladysblog.com/2009/02/06/book-review-cutting-for-stone-by-abraham-verghese/


This is one of my very favorite books. I love family sagas and this is one of the best. Twins with a preternatural connection, a mother who dies in childbirth, an absent father, a shared fascination with medicine, Ethiopia, New York, revolution, power in oh so many forms, and intimacy in just as many. Powerful. I promise it will make you think!

Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility

Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility by Ellen J. Langer

http://wisdomresearch.org/blogs/publications/archive/2009/05/08/counterclockwise-mindful-health-and-the-power-of-possibility.aspx


Instead of dwelling on the impossible, consider what could be possible - if only we believed. Fascinating read!

Cane River

Cane River by Lalita Tademy

http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=803

What a disappointment. This book could have been so much more. I understand the book is based on the author's family history, but it could have been so much more compelling and life changing. I wish she would rewrite the book.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brief_Wondrous_Life_of_Oscar_Wao

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297673.The_Brief_Wondrous_Life_of_Oscar_Wao

One weird book. Oscar is weird. His family is weird. They have this weird fuku curse that follows them everywhere they go, placing insurmountable obstacles in their path. Weird or not, I learned a lot about Dominican-American history and about the will to survive.

Born to Run

Born to Run by Christopher Mcdougall

http://knopf.knopfdoubleday.com/2009/05/05/born-to-run-by-chris/

I am not a runner. For Heaven's sake, I'm barely a walker. However, my brother who is a runner and knows I am not recommended the book and told me I would enjoy it even if I couldn't stand up. I found the book fascinating. It brought home with a powerful punch how easy it is to misread our history, our development as a species, even our own bodies.

This book should be of special interest to anyone interested in the Tarahumara Indians.