This week’s offerings bring us a precocious lad, an Empress, a type of obsession or perhaps an obsession of type, a little sweetness, a little murder, a little love and the end of the world.

Let us begin!

Pat T. reports that “In anticipation of seeing the newly released movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close I have just started reading the book by Jonathan Safran Foer. The story is about a young boy's loss when his father dies in the World Trade Towers on September 11th and his search throughout New York City to unlock the clues of a key his Dad left behind. The young boy is smart, precocious and his quest is an outlet for dealing with his grieve and loss.”

Barbara M. is “reading Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, Robert Massie’s wonderful biography and I’m loving it so far.”

Abby says, “Before reading Just My Type by Simon Garfield, I had a passing interest in fonts and design.  Now, I have a mild obsession.  Type is everywhere.  One man who tried to live a day without Helvetica ended up having to become a recluse with no access to media or mass transportation to avoid the omnipresent font.  The histories of some fonts are filled with scandal and thievery, as in the case of when IKEA changed its signage and catalog font from Futura to Verdana, tempers flared.  One downside to this book: I now have a hard time selecting fonts due to the added burden of knowing more about them.  Show me a list of fonts, and over thinking sets in following by brief decision-making paralysis.  A very fun read!”

The Lovely and Delightful Priscilla has enjoyed a recent staff favorite The Good American by Alex George she feels that, “This is a sweet story of Frederick and his wife Jette immigrating to America at the turn of the last century.  It made me laugh and cry.”

Marianne weighs in with A Lonely Death by Charles Todd. “This American mother-son writing team has a lock on the British police procedural especially dealing with the aftermath of WWI.  This is their 13th novel featuring Scotland Yard Inspector, Ian Rutledge who himself has to cope with PTSD and the relentless voice in the back of his head.  Once again, this book kept me glued right up to the last page.”

Asha is reading something relatively normal.  “I'm listening to Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James and it is fantastic! I adore Pride and Prejudice, so it is nice being able to revisit characters that I have come to know and love. “

I am really loving The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. This is not the sort of thing I enjoy normally,  but Walker's way with a story has me hooked!   Julia is an 11 year old who is not only navigating the rocky way of adolescence but the fact that the world has slowed its spin and is dying.  Walker is an amazing writer who totally remembers what it feels like to on the cusp of something big and can totally imagine something big we can only hope would never happen.  This one comes out in June.

Have a great weekend!

 

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NPR bestsellers for the week of February 2, 2012.

What do Rosa Parks, Dale Carnegie, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Eleanor Roosevelt, J.K. Rowling, and Joe DiMaggio all have in common? Answer: They are all considered introverts. In fact, scientific research tells us that at least one in every three people is an introvert.

We often think of extroverts as the trailblazers: think of Oprah Winfrey, Winston Churchill, Martha Stewart, Muhammed Ali, and John F. Kennedy. However, the new book Quiet by Susan Cain tells us that the contributions of introverts have been equally important throughout history. Our world belongs to extroverts -- the prevailing culture of celebrity and social media in the US alone is a prime example. But there is an undercurrent that continuously pushes us forward through ideas and examples...quietly.

Susan Cain's book will appeal to those who crave the limelight as well as those who'd rather stay home and just read about it. As Gandhi, one of the famous introverts cited in the book, once said, "In a gentle way, you can shake the world."

Top Ten Hardcover Bestsellers from the New York Times for the week of February 5, 2012.

This week’s offerings show us back in Paris (like we ever really leave), in the English countryside, enjoying a parody and the real thing, and a philosophical musing regarding leadership.

Let us begin!

Barbara M. reports that she is “plodding through The Greater Journey:  Americans in Paris  by David McCullough, about the Americans who ventured to Paris in the early 1800s.  It’s very informative but not an easy read.”

I am really enjoying The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley.  This is the perfect read for those of us waiting for the new Kate Morton to show up again.  Julia Forester, world famous concert pianist, has come back to Wharton Park, where her grandfather was the gardener in charge of the greenhouses, after a personal tragedy to heal.  She discovers an old diary and sets out to find out what really happened when Harry, a former heir to Wharton Park, married Olivia in the days before World War II.  This one while not in the catalog yet will be by the beginning of next week and it is due out on February 14^th.

Citizen Asha says, I just started Option$: the Secret Life of Steve Jobs by Daniel Lyons. It’s a fascinating, and irreverent parody on the life of Steve Jobs. I’m a fan.

Pat T. reports that she is “Continuing with Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and I am enjoying the biography about this multi-faceted man. Jobs was a man of contradictions - on a personal level he was Zen like in his life style, yet his business dealings were with multimillion dollar corporations. “  

Pat S. spins it this way:” I cannot say enough how much I (unexpectedly) enjoyed Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson.The surprise is the history of Silicon Valle-while it was becoming Silicon Valley! Every company name, CEO, and mover and shaker in the industry is easily recognized and remembered. Oddly enough, it took much of the 'mystery' out of the myth of Silicon Valley. For those of us of 'a certain age' it is like a companion piece to ones' professional life.  As to Jobs himself, he is really no more than a misanthrope-albeit a brilliant one. However, no tears were shed for what some might refer to as his 'untimely' passing. Issacson did an outstanding job-on all accounts.”

 Priscilla muses on the following: Catherine the Great : Portrait of a Woman by Peter Massie is a wonderful read. So many women during this period were running countries and we have not had a woman president yet?

Indeed!

Have a great weekend!

After a brief Helliday Hiatus we are back!  This week’s offerings include a William T. Sherman reference, a happily married woman looking forward to getting to know a man who is not her husband, some recklessness, alternative history, and some deaf people.

Let us begin!

Barbara M reports that, “I'm late to the show I know but I'm finally readingUnbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and it's a riveting piece of World War II history. So far, war is hell.”

Pat T says, “Along with many other readers, I was ‘gifted’ the new biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson for Christmas and have just started this long read on cold winter nights! I am looking forward to better understanding this multi-faceted man who revolutionized our world with his technology innovations.

Jeanne who is finally back with us after a rather unfortunate spill weighs in with the following: “ I read and enjoyed A Good Hard Look - Ann Napolitano. Set in Flannery O'Connor's hometown of Midgeville, Ga, she plays a part in the rather sad, but hopeful cast of characters who were looking for happiness, but found tragedy as a result of their reckless but human actions. This was well-scripted; artfully drawn characters and landscape.

Abby has moved away from a Swedish Mystery and asks us the following:   “If you were given the key to change history, would you?  Should you? 11/22/63 by Stephen King  explores that question in regards to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Love him or hate him, how would the butterfly effect have impacted our country had Oswald's bullet missed it's mark?  This exploration was a fun and interesting read.”

I am loving Burn Down the Ground by Kambri Crews so much so that I keep almost missing my train stops!  Kambri and her brother were hearing children born to deaf parents.  Her mother was smart, beautiful and kind.  Her father was a bad boy with a bad temper.  A very bad temper.  Such a bad temper that the book begins with Kambri visiting her father in prison.  This is a fascinating look at two very different worlds; the hearing and the Deaf.  

Have a great weekend!

 

And shiny and new!

Come on down and check out our Best Books of 2011 display!

We ordered additional copies of our favorites from the  past year  and they are out and ready for you to take home for the Holiday weekend!

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NPR Bestsellers for the Week of February 2nd.

Top Ten Hardcover Bestsellers from the New York Times for the week of January 29th.