| The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon Escapism doesn't get any better than this book, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Joe, Sammy, and the occasional Golem make comic book history as well as literary magic. Superman, eat your heart out! Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver Part sex romp, part treatise on Darwinian theory. Totally engrossing tale of assorted life on a Tennessee mountain. Available in paperback. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The Honorable Elvis the Pelvis and the Honorable Stick Insect, Ambassadors of Goodwill, introduce you to life in the Indian subcontinent as seen through the eyes of a too-inquisitive six-year-old. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen Meet the Lamberts, endearingly disfunctional and perversely uncorrectable, despite the best efforts of bumbling matriarch Enid and illicit medical science. (Got Mexican A?) If Narnia were in the Midwest, it might be called St. Jude, but the Wardrobe is definitely in need of repair. |
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| Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger This epistolary novel set during WWII will enchant fans of baseball as well as fans of the human spirit. Twelve year old Joey Morgolis, who is NOT dying of malaria, and Giants third baseman Charlie Banks, the Racine slugger, form a bond that impresses even Eleanor Roosevelt. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver A missionary family sets out for Africa, with shovels in their dresses, ready to shed light (and sow a few seeds) in the heart of darkness. The Bible and modern horticulture fall short of expectations, yet every page reaps enlightenment--or "tnemnethgilne", as Ada would say. |
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| The Reading Life What's on my nightstand these days |
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| Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass How to write the book they're all talking about, the one they're all buying. And we all want to, even those literary types (Hey, Franzen, you reading this?) who shun the masses. After all, snobs crave Beemers and Burberry, too. The Food Revolution by John Robbins The follow-up to Diet for a New America, this book provides updated information on GMOs, Mad Cow, and other frightening realities that have come to pass since we first began our food revolution. Nevertheless, The Food Revolution is a positive, hopeful look at what can be done to save our health and our environment. (If the Pig Farmer can change, can't we all?) |
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