What We're Reading...
Beth Says:
I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World by Eve Ensler: "Eve Ensler is a national treasure. No, Eve Ensler is a global treasure.
She takes you into the emotional world of girls and women as no one
else can, with humor, compassion, fire. If you are a woman or a girl,
read this book. If you know a woman or a girl, read this book. Even
better, see these works performed if you can - they'll blow you away!"
Bill Says:
Nurtureshock by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman: "A very intriguing read for parents or teachers. I wouldn't follow this book blindly, as some hypotheses seem a bit more fleshed out than others. However,
there are some very interesting (if counterintuitive) theories regarding
concepts ranging from, race relations, how/when to praise your child, relational aggression, to,
why children need a lot of sleep, and, why "gifted" programs don't really
work."
Dinah Says:
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert: There is no question that this is NOT as good as Eat, Pray, Love. You are not going to want to pack it all in and rush off to Bali, as Gilbert inspired with her sensational monster of a memoir. However, this next installment is a still a journey...of the heart, of reconciling what it is to be a modern woman who doesn't need to marry, but soon finds that she actually wants to. Once again, Gilbert uses her charm and wit to keep single women everywhere nodding and smiling in what is practically a hardcover therapy session.
Hadley Says:
The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale: "Agnes Trussel is seventeen and pregnant. With time running out until her
condition becomes obvious to her family, she decides to go to London.
It's 1752, and living conditions in London are miserable. Without family,
work, or a place to live, Agnes chances upon a fireworks maker seeking an
apprentice. She loves her new employment, but as time passes, she must
make a plan for when her pregnancy can no longer be hidden."
Jonathan Says:
The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose: "A Brown University student takes a year abroad...at Jerry
Fallwell's Liberty University. The culture shock is just as rattling as if he had spent his year in Florence, though the friendships in VA might be deeper. Throughout Ruse is compassionate and objective, never demeaning or simplistic. Keep an eye on this kid..."
Memorable Voices
Bloodroot
by Amy Greene
A tale told from myriad viewpoints follows a family from the Great Depression to the present, describing the experiences of a wild young mountain girl, her protective grandmother, the men who love her and the children who struggle to manage her untamed legacy.
Random House ISBN 9780307269867
The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers
by Thomas Mullen
A follow-up to The Last Town on Earth traces the 1934 crime spree of celebrity bank robbers Jason and Whit Fireson, who dramatically escape from an Indiana barn during a police showdown and routinely stage their deaths while secretly hobnobbing with gangsters and heiresses.
Random House Inc ISBN 9781400067534
Cheever: A Life
by Blake Bailey
A portrait of the life of John Cheever reveals a soul in conflict, describing his life as a high-school dropout, alcoholic, secret bisexual, and a man who concealed his deeply-rooted anxieties while becoming one of the most iconic literary figures of our time.
Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa
by R.A. Scotti
In August 1911, the Mona Lisa's smile vanished with the rest of her. Scotti investigates the theft and the dizzying Parisian landscape where it occurred.
Alfred A Knopf ISBN 9780307265807
