Karen L.'s Picks
Soon after claiming Rochester, NY as my place-of-birth, my family moved to the Midwest, which became the ingrained fabric of my life. As the first girl in a family bursting at the seams with competitive males, and a younger sister who was less appreciated by me then, but greatly appreciated now, and a less than shrinking violet for a mother, my life has circled the edges of one big competitive wheel ever since. Being "second" was okay as long as you did your best.
I love sports - all "pure" sports - and human achievement, and adventure (although I lack bravery), and the outdoors, and animals, and popcorn...I really love popcorn! I earned a B.A. in History from Michigan State more years ago than I care to admit, and at the same time, met my life-long mate.
I have two grown children who are independent and seem to be happy (praise the Lord) and a husband who is content. I'm in a community that has fascinating history, is beautiful and is full of interesting people. At the bookstore I get to see it all. How lucky can one get?
Undaunted Courge: Meriweather Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose
This is the way history should be taught! If this was fiction, it would be amazing! I learned things in this book that I had never heard of before. What an amazing journey told in straight-forward style that is hard to put down. The characters remain unforgettable! If you love history - A MUST READ!
Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Rising Tide is an amazing chronicle of the great Mississippi flood of 1927. The characters that arose from the debacle are people you may never have heard about but will definitely not forget. The catastrophe catapulted Herbert Hoover to the Presidency in 1930. Hoover was appointed to head the rehabilitation program for the Mississippi Delta area and gained national attention for his efforts. It's politics as usual with all the in-fighting, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the migration of blacks North and the recovery...such as it was. Incredibly over one million people were displaced by the flood...and not for just a few days. The role of the government in the catastrophe forever changed the relationship between federal and state responsibilities. Personalities like the Percy family, engineers--Humphreys and Eads and other main players in that era, including the rise of Huey Long make the history of the time come alive. So much more than a story about a flood, Rising Tide is a "tour d' force" of the history of the United States in the first half of the 20th century.
Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Grop
What a great historical book about the times, and about a feat that was thought to be "superhuman." The three runners couldn't have been more different if the author had made them fictional characters! Having grown up in the 50's - I loved this book! FANTASTIC! A 10!
Houghton Mifflin Company
Sometimes a book takes on a life of its own, propelling the reader along like a swift stream, unable to stop or get out of the current. The Last Season by Eric Blehm is just such a book. It is about the life (and death) of Randy Morgenson, a much-loved back country ranger for the National Park Service in the High Sierras of Southern California. Even if this story was only about Morgenson's legendary knowledge of this territory, or of his fascinating childhood, or his friendships with Ansel Adams and Wallace Stegner, this would still be a compelling read. But, add to that the fact that in 1996, at the age of 54, after 30 seasons in the High Sierras, Morgenson, while on duty mysteriously disappears. Not until five years later, after search and rescue by hundreds of people, is his body found. The final pages poignantly memorialize his life and leave the reader wondering why and how his death may have occurred.
HarperCollins Publishers
One of the most definitive books about modern-day China, Wild Swans is an astonishing picture of a country in turmoil. Told in an honest, straight forward style, it will leave you incredulous over the day-to-day lives of the Chinese throughout the 20th century. The history woven into the story is fascinating as well. This book is still banned in China. If you are at all curious about China, don't miss this book!
Simon and Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Think this might be boring? Too much history? Too much geology? Dry? NOT A CHANCE!! This is an entertainingly written story of a journey taken; of discoveries along the way; of adventure. But, especially it's about the wonderful uniqueness of the Great Lakes from a world's perspective. This is TERRIFIC!!!
St. Martin's Press
Wow! Do you like suspense and intrigue?! Don't miss this "can't put down" thriller. John Barron becomes a detective in an elite unit in Los Angeles. But he is unable to condone a practice that has been going on for many years. He becomes involved with a "chase" that puts his own life on the chase route. And just when you think his dilemma is solved....
St. Martin's Press
Even through this book was written 12 years ago, it has been newly updated and is one of the most concise, unbiased descriptions about the crisis in the Middle East. Tom Freidman is a journalist for the New York Times and was assigned to the Middle East for several years. He has met all of “the players”, including Sharon, Arafat and Sadam Hussein. His telling of the situations that reside there should be required reading by all the leaders of the world and every citizen who cares. His writing is highly informative, straight forward and never boring. Our book club found this to be one of the best books we have ever read!
Knopf Publishing Group
Dont' Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller
Although this autobiography has some tough moments, it is well worth "the read!" Afterall, life isn't always easy. You will be amazed at this family and the hardships they endured. Each parent has a toughness that shines through, even though their weaknesses are so very evident. Your heart will ache at times, but more than anything else, you'll know that you may not have survived!! Unforgettable!
Random House Publishing Group
Graham Greene is one of my favorite authors. There isn't a book of his that I have read that I haven't come away in wonderment at his gifts as a writer. Greene digs into the darkest parts of human souls and somehow puts it all down on paper. The Quiet American is set in Vietnam in the early 50s. The French are still struggling to maintain their political position against the Communists, and the United States has their "toe in the door". Fowler, a British jounalist is the main character along with the American - Pyle, whose reasons for being in Vietnam remain vague. The story is multi-leveled; a love story, a political expose, a moral dilemma, a thriller--take your pick. But if you really read between the lines, you'll feel the turmoil and almost understand what happened in Vietnam. If you have seen the movie only, you will be missing the real essence of this story as well as the fabulous quality of one of the Twentieth Century's best writers.
Penguin Group
At the close of WWII, Aldred Leith is asked to report on the changing world of the Far East - in particular, China and Japan. His travels bring him to Kure, Japan where he meetes the Driscoll family - a family that will forever change his life. Written in a quiet, flowing style, Hazzard's descriptions of people and places are a thing of beauty. Not an easy read, but beautifully presented!
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Sometimes a reader comes to a book with apprehension and a "prove-to-me-I'll-like-it" attitude. That's how I approached The Only Kayak. But after one chapter, I began to realize what a very good writer Kim Heacox really is. His ability to convey the sense of over powering beauty in the remote regions of Glacier Bay, Alaska made this reader want to turn back the clock and explore our land the way it used to be - wide, untouched and full of pristinen beauty. Heacox has much to say and imply about what is happening to our environment, mainly from just loving it too much. As a conservationist and an employee of the National Park Service, his observations and knowledge of those who came before him (in particular, John Muir) make for a fascinating picture of this area of Alaska. His adventures, the people he meets along the way, including his future wife, make this great writing that is sometimes funny, often melancholy and always captiving. If you like Edward Abbey, John McPhee or Thoreau, this book is for you.
The Lyons Press
Even though this book is back in the young readers' section of our store, it's one that everyone needs to read! And don't you let the format turn you off it. Just read it like a novel. This is a powerful story! You won't forget this. The characters come alive and speak to you. Such simple and beautiful writing! I truly believe every school age child should have to read this book!
Scholastic, Inc.
The first novel to come out of Afghanistan in modern times - The Kite Runner is simply written and beautifully told. The issue of friendships between classes and different ethnic groups as the government structure of the country collapses becomes a main plot of the story. Thoughtfully written, you won't soon forget this story and you will ask yourself - "what would I have done?"
Penguin Group
The setting is a small museum outside of London, one room of which displays artifacts about some of the more sensational murders that took place between the two world wars in the late twenties and thirties. The museum is owned by the three siblings of the founder and they are about to re-sign a lease for the continuance of the museum. T complicate matters, one of the siblings, Neville Dupayne, has no interest in continuing the business. One of the contingencies of the lease is that all three siblings must sign. Of course, Neville mysteriously becomes the first victim. What happpens next is pure James. Slowly she leads the reader down the path of the murderer with clues, however remote, that are there for the reader to catch. Reviews are mixed on this P.D. James mystery but if you're a true James fan, as I am, you will still find satisfaction. There is no one in the mystery field who writes a more literary "who-dunnit", or one who can set a scene so visual that the reader steps through the pages of the book right into the story. As usual, her characters are fascinating. And at age eighty-six, P.D. James is still very "hip" to the times! Even when she is not at her best, she's good.
Knopf Publishing Group
Okay, all you fitness and running nuts out there - this is the book for you! This book will blow your mind. Why? - you keep asking. Entertainingly written, Dean Karnazes talks candidly about his interior determination and excessive drive to run long distances - without stopping (makes me feel weak)!
Penguin Group
Though the subject matter of this book is about the fanatics of the Mormon religion, it could be about religious fanaticism anywhere. It just seems disturbing to this reader that some people seem to get themselves caught up in extremes through need, weakness, total innocence or unquestioning belief.
As is the cornerstone of all of Jon Krakauer's books, his research is thorough, fascinating and scary! Throughout isolated communities of Mormonism, plogyamy is still practiced. Male zealots, answering only to what God tells them to do...including murder...hold sway over willing participants with Taliban-like power. This is not the book that Krakauer intended to write, but the more he researched the subject, the more he learned about the fanatical Mormons; and not just the Mormans of today, but the past history of the Mormons as well. Reading like a novel, this book is hard to put down and simply unbelievable to comprehend the "hows and whys" of this life style! As Americans, it is important for us to not look the other way and ignore what is going on around us!
Random House, Inc.
Ask anyone who has read this book and they'll say, "Fantastic!". It's a story within a story with characters that are real and better than any fictional writing could dream up. Not only will the recounting of the building of "The White City" for the the Chicago Columbian Exposition in the early 1890s astound you, but the sub-plot of a very creepy man and his murders of women will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Knopf Publishing Group
Marilynne Robinson is an incredible writer! I won’t pull any punches, this is a dark, dark story but the writing is spectacular. Just don’t read it in the thick of winter when you’re feeling a little “down." Two young girls, Ruth and Lucille, are being raised first by their grandmother, then by two incompetent aunts and finally by a very eccentric aunt. Even the name of their town, “Fingerbone” leaves the reader feeling a bit edgy; in fact, the town could be considered as much a character of this book as the humans; interaction between both heavily impacts the plot. I’m certain someday, this book will be considered a classic. It’s a great book club discussion!
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The Cape Ann by Faith Sullivan
At once poignant, funny and exasperating, Sullivan weaves a sympathetic tale told from the child’s point of view about a family struggling during The Great Depression. Lark Erhardt observes life in her family- the relationship of her mother and father. Lark’s mother has always dreamed of owning a Cape Ann style home and is determined to have it. Lark’s Father is a gambler and therein lies the conflict. I loved the characters in this book. They are well told and you find yourself loving some and hating others!
Penguin Group
Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver
An oldie but a goodie! You will smile all the way through this story- not because murder is a funny subject, but because the author's wit is so wonderful! This was one of the very first classic court room trial books, and it is a fascinating case taken directly from a trial in which the author won. The issues are complicated and cleverly addressed. I loved this book even though parts may seem dated.
St. Martin's Press
If you like:
1) A challenge!
2) Great writing!
3) To be stretched!
This is the book for you! Definitely not a casual read, this book loosely mirrors the political life of Huey Long of Louisiana. This story is steeped in moral issues - loyalty, right, power, love - an incredible piece of literature. It asks the question -does power corrupt? A great classic!!
Harcourt
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
Laurel McKelva, a widow, takes a leave of absence from her very successful job in Chicago to return to New Orleans to help care for her ailing father. Trying to be of comfort to him. Laurel must also endure her very young and selfish step mother, Fay. After her father's death, she and her step mother travel back to the family home in Mount Salus, Mississippi to make arrangements for his funeral. Laurel's founrey is more than one of miles and sadness, but also of the heart and of coming to terms with her own past.
Beautifully and memorably told, Eudora Welty's simple, visual sentences convey deep and complex relationships as only marvelous writers can do. The author has a finger on the pulse of this small southern town, understanding friendships, relatives and the inner workings of our minds. This short novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1973. A "must read" for those who love the subtle descriptive protrayals of human relationships.
Random House, Inc.