| The August 2010 Staff Picks can also be viewed or printed as a PDF Staff Picks August 2010 (580KB) |
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 Hard to believe that in the age of Facebook, cell phones, and e-readers, we are lucky enough to have pockets of the earth's surface that still possess a significant degree of raw natural madness and magic. The Tiger, A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, is a book to grow on for sure. Not just a book about a Tiger gone rogue, not just a book about our human collision course with nature - this is one of those books that raises an entire sidebar of philosophical questions about our precious ecological systems and how our interpretations, our reactions, are so very critical now. ~ Reviewed by Nancy ScheemakerJaws with claws and an unnerving penchant for settling old scores. A small village in a remote part of Russia is terrorized by a rogue, man-eating Amir tiger. A fascinating mixture of history and sociology woven around the hunt for the animal. You will never look at a tiger in quite the same way again. ~ Reviewed by Alden Graves |
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 Tour de Lance: The Extraordinary Story of Cycling's Most Controversial Champion by Bill
Strickland. In 2009, 37 year old Lance Armstrong decided to return from retirement after a multi-year absence from his prior seven year dominance of the Tour de France. Besides the interesting snippets of backstory- Strickland has been around Lance and the inner working of the upper levels of competitive cycling for years- the real fascination is watching one of the dominant figures of sport adapting to the new realities of his older body as he tackles- with a staggering degree of success- his epically challenging "come back Tour". ~ Reviewed by Jon Fine |
 Ethan Allen & the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
by Richard
C. Smith. Concise yet comprehensive. Dozens of illustrations, photos, and maps. Smith has produced a book about the stunning May 1775 capture of the "Gibraltar of the North" that will appeal to local and visiting history buffs. A delightful combination of history and guide book. ~ Reviewed by Bill Lewis |
 The Joy of Keeping
a Root Cellar:
Canning, Freezing,
Drying, Smoking
and Preserving the
Harvest by
Jennifer Megyesi. Is
your garden overflowing?
Are you tempted by the
abundance of vegetables at local
farmer's markets? Here's a way to
enjoy fresh produce all year, with
complete instructions for building
and maintaining a place to store it.
Now's the time to begin.
~ Louise Jones |
 Zoo Story by Thomas French.
What is the real purpose of zoos and are we really doing the best we can to preserve the species in them? The answers are as complex as the animals and keepers themselves. French explores these issues in this emotional, journalistic story. ~ Reviewed by Krysta Piccoli |
 The Fourth Part of
the World: An Astonishing
Epic of Global
Discovery, Imperial
Ambition, and the
Birth of America
by Toby Lester
is the story behind the
first map – in 1507 – that identified
the New World as America. Lester
shows how maps reveal a civilization's
perception of itself. Engrossing,
readable, exciting, fastidiously
researched. ~ Louise Jones |
 Who Is Mark
Twain?
edited by Robert
Hirst. Hirst,
general editor of the
Mark Twain Project
at the University of
California, Berkeley,
has selected 24 previously unpublished
essays, stories and sketches by
the American master. Witty, biting
and as relevant today as when Twain
wrote them. ~ Louise Jones |
 Slavery in
Indian Country:
The Changing
Face of Captivity
in Early America
by Christina
Snyder. Humans
have been enslaving
other humans throughout history
and this fascinating new study of
captivity practices among southern
Native Americans is both enlightening
and important on many levels.
Snyder traces the way Indian slavery
changed over a 1,000-year period
from the early Mississippian Period
through the Age of Jackson. A remarkable,
thought provoking book.
~ Bill Lewis |
 Sleeping Naked is
Green by
Vanessa Farquharson.
This book is inspiring,
funny, down to earth.
Plus it's a great read
and good information
for environmentalists
or just people curious
where to start, about
how little changes can
make a big difference,
not just to the Earth,
but to your entire life.
~ Krysta Piccoli |
OLD FAVORITES
 Cooper's Creek: Tragedy and
Adventure in the Australian
Outback by Alan Moorehead.
A new edition of Moorehead's
splendid account of the 1860 expedition
into the unexplored wilds of
Australia's unmapped interior.
~ Louise Jones |
 Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life,
and Everything in Between by Theresa
Brown, RN. Former Tufts writing professor Brown
shares experiences, stories and insights from her
first year as a hospital oncology nurse. Riveting.
~ Cynthia Richards |
 Gomorrah: A Personal Journey
into the Violent International
Empire of Naples' Organized
Crime System by Roberto
Saviano, translated by Virginia
Jewiss. A chilling, riveting look at
the brutal crime networks in Naples,
where control of the transportation
of art, clothes, drugs and toxic waste
disposal have a major effect on the
global economy. Saviano is a topnotch
investigative reporter.
~ Sarah Knight |
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 Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch.
An undeniable classic. Jon Clinch has somehow found a way to infuse his words with DNA and create real living and breathing characters that will stay with you long after you close this evocative and incredibly insightful novel. ~ Reviewed by Erik Barnum |
 The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt. As a new hardcover,
this was a favorite of several of our booksellers, among them Karen
Frank: A marvelous thirst quencher for anyone who is feeling
deprived of "High Victoriana." The story and characters share a
richness and artistry which makes one wistful for the relevance of
"truth and beauty" to everyday life of this period.A masterpiece! This is a luscious, brilliant, intelligent saga about family, friendship and survival, as well as testing the boundaries of society in a time of great cultural change. ~ Reviewed by Liz Barnum |
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 City of Veils
by Zoë
Ferraris. In the
author's second
engrossing novel set
in Saudi Arabia, the
body of an iconoclastic
young Saudi
woman is found
and the investigation into her murder
reveals the religious and cultural
barriers that separate the sexes in the
modern Arab world. ~ Louise Jones |
 The Debba by Avner Mandelman.
David
Starkman returns to
Israel from Canada
to solve the murder
of his father, who
has left an unusual
request - that David
put on a performance of The Debba,
a play that caused havoc among
both Jews and Arabs years ago.
Intriguing, well written, absorbing.
~ Sarah Knight |
 The Anthologist by Nicholson
Baker. Another staff
favorite in hard cover,
this book is the
inner monologue of
the main character
and narrator, Paul
Chowder. Almost
nothing happens. The main focus
is poetry. No thanks, right? I like
books where stuff happens. I don't
do much poetry. And yet - I laughed
until I cried. ~ Stan Hynds |
 Layover in Dubai
by Dan
Fesperman. On a
stopover in Dubai,
an American businessman's
associate
is murdered. Soon
Russian mobsters,
corrupt policemen
and other corporate types are after
him. What's going on? Fast paced
fun read in an exotic locale, which
makes for a great beach book.
~ Sarah Knight |
 Wild Punch
by
Creston Lea.
You don't read
these stories, you
experience them.
They're tough.
They're understated.
They're
perceptive. They're kind. They'll
stay with you like your own
memories. ~ Emelia Burditt |
 BodyWorld by
Dash Shaw. Shaw is one
of the edgiest cartoonists
working right now. His
latest magnum opus is
a head-frying trip that
reads like Philip K. Dick writing
an Archie comic.
Tune in and turn on!
~ Charles Bottomley |
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OLD FAVORITES
 Kassandra and the Wolf by Margarita Karapanou. This short novel is a
hypnotically disturbing collection of 56 vignettes told from the perspective of a
young girl, whose narrative pushes the boundaries between fantasy and reality. It
inhabits a world of self-imposed silence, prowling the darkest corners of human
experience. ~ Cheryl Cornwall.
 Blind Justice and Murder in Grub Street by Bruce Alexander. Reissues
of the first two of the late Alexander's outstanding series set in London in
the 1760s, featuring a real historical figure: the blind justice Sir Henry Fielding,
founder of the Bow Street Runners police squad – and brother of the novelist
Henry Fielding. ~ Louise Jones
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