| The June 2012 Staff Picks can also be viewed or printed as a PDF Staff Picks June 2012 (705KB) |
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The Ball: Discovering the Object of the Game by John Fox. With the mind of an anthropologist's and heart of a fan, Fox chases many balls in this thoroughly entertaining book about the best toy ever invented. From the familiar (American football) to the obscure (ulama), a wonderful read for anyone who has ever wondered why we play. ~ Stan Hynds If God hadn't invented the ball, humanity would have had to. Oh wait - we did! This fascinating, funny, wise examination of our obsession with spherical objects is an educational delight with an amazing historical scope. More importantly, you'll be unable to resist the primal urge to go out and play! ~ Karen Frank |
| NONFICTION | ||
 The Weight of
Vengeance: The
United States,
the British
Empire, and the
War of 1812 by
Troy Bickham. Why did
it happen? Who
won? The war was relatively brief,
overall casualties limited, no major
territorial adjustments resulted. Yet
it was contested in deadly earnest
and the stakes were high. A superb
study of a war poorly understood if
even remembered. ~ Bill Lewis |
 Enemies: A History
of the F.B.I. by
Tim Weiner.
A comprehensive
history of an
organization that has
been at the vanguard
of every major
national and international trauma
of the past century, with varying
degrees of effectiveness. Informative
and compelling, but probably
not reassuring, on the state of the
American intelligence network.
~ Alden Graves. |
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 America's Great
Debate: Henry
Clay, Stephen
A. Douglas, and
the Compromise
That Preserved the
Union by Fergus
M. Bordewich.
Loaded pistols drawn in the Senate,
a governor invading a foreign
country, states convening to secede,
armies on the march. The Civil
War should have begun in 1850.
A fascinating study of memorable
characters narrowly avoiding
catastrophe - for a while. Terrific,
page-turning history. Highest
Recommendation. ~ Bill Lewis |
 The New Feminist
Agenda: Defining
the Next Revolution
for Women,
Work, and Family by Madeleine Kunin. Vermont's
former governor
proves that the personal really is
political in this informative - and
slightly frightening - account of how
the United States lags behind nearly
every advanced country in paid
family leave, child care and women
in office, and what we can do about
it. ~ Jessica Krawczyk |
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 Hitlerland:
American
Eyewitnesses to
the Nazi Rise to
Power by Andrew
Nagorski.
Fascinating,
surprising that this
is the first book of its kind. Picks up
where Erik Larson's In the Garden
of the Beasts leaves off and in many
ways is more stimulating because it's
more comprehensive. A welcome
read for serious and casual students
of Hitlerian Germany. ~ Bill Lewis |
 Twilight of
the Elites by
Christopher Hayes. One of the
smartest books I
have read by the
host of Up with
Chris Hayes, the
smartest political
show on television, showing how
the American elite has embraced the
new financial and social inequality
that sets them apart, making
them more prone to failure and
corruption. Cogent, clear, savvy.
~ Erik Barnum |
 In the Shadow of
the Sword: The
Birth of Islam
and the Rise of
the Global Arab
Empire by Tom
Holland.
In explaining
how Islam arose from the ashes
of the Roman Empire, Holland
demonstrates how East and West
have always uneasily rubbed
shoulders. A provocative, revelatory
history. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Baby's in Black by Arne Bellstorf. The Beatles'
years in Hamburg,
as experienced
by the Germans
who became their
first fans. The
gorgeous charcoal illustrations are
so atmospheric, you can smell the
cigarette smoke.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 NonNonBa by Shigeru Mizuki. This wonderful graphic
memoir recounts the childhood of a master Japanese cartoonist,
filled with youthful hijinks, supernatural beings and an
unexpectedly heartbreaking friendship. ~ Charles Bottomley |
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| FICTION | ||
 Canada by
Richard Ford. A 15-yearold
boy is left
virtually alone
after his parents
unsuccessfully
rob a bank. To
save him from
placement in a state home, a friend
transports him to Canada into the
care of a mysterious - and unstable
- American expatriate. Beautifully
written and emotionally involving.
~ Alden GravesFord's introspective writing is eloquent and absorbing. ~ Louise Jones |
 Capital by
John Lanchester. Lanchester
examines the
disparate lives of
the residents of
one street - once
working-class,
now posh - in
2008 London. Longtime residents,
immigrants and the newly rich start
receiving postcards picturing their
homes with an ominous message.
Foreboding and humor join in this
stylish and irresistible novel. ~ Stan
Hynds |
 Heading Out To
Wonderful by
Robert Goolrick. When a
writer introduces
a character
of depth and
complexity like
Charlie Beale,
you know you're
in for a great read. For good or ill,
events unfold driven by passion,
affection, respect and all the
emotions between. A remarkable
novel about the bottomless well
of human feelings. ~ Karen Frank |
 A Lady Cyclist's
Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne
Joinson. An
engaging, richly
textured first
novel spanning
time and place. In
1923, two English
missionary sisters travel to western
China; their experiences connect 80
years later with a woman in London.
Joinson evokes intellectual and
emotional differences, and cultural
and physical landscapes, that divide
but transform our lives.
~ Louise Jones |
 Interventions by Richard
Russo. Two stories, one
novella and a most
affecting, bittersweet
tribute to
Russo's family and
hometown, Gloversville
NY, comprise this
beautifully packaged set, illustrated
by Russo's daughter Kate. Subjects
range from the travails of a contemporary
Maine real estate agent to the life
of a reluctant nun. ~ Alden Graves |
 The Second-Last
Woman in England by Maggie
Joel. The
dark despair of
post- WWII
London creeps
up on the reader
as the story twists
and turns like the back alley of a
bombed-out neighborhood. A wealthy
family's multiple secrets are gradually
revealed in this gripping novel that delivers
one thoughtful shock after
another. ~ Karen Frank |
 The Last Nude by Ellis Avery. A tour
through decadent
art deco Paris in
the company of
an ambitious artist
and her gorgeous
model. Filled with
backstabbing and bitchery, Avery's
sparkling novel is one delicious read.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 Stranger Here Below by Joyce Hinnefeld. This spare yet
intense novel won't
take up a great deal
of your time but will
carve a permanent
place in your soul.
Strains of old time
music and Shaker history frame the
story of two friends and the family histories
that shape their lives.
~ Karen Frank |
 Luminarium by Alex
Shakar. Few
books have knocked
me out quite like this
one has - an unclassifiable
tale about
avatars, magicians
and dealing with
existence in both the
real and digital worlds. Shakar isn't just
a writer to watch; he's right there in
the front line. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 The Yard by Alex
Grecian.
One year after
the last Jack the
Ripper killing
rocked London,
another series of
grisly murders
begins in the
city. This time,
the targets seem to be policemen.
Involving and atmospheric thriller
with some clever tie-ins to the
original -- and all too real -- reign
of terror. ~ Alden Graves |
 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. In a world where
women are valued and
classified based on their
reproductive abilities,
one Handmaid, Offred,
tells a frightening tale
of domination, silenced
voices and ultimate fear
in the not-so-distant future. Sends
chills up your spine - impossible to
put down. ~ Jessica Krawczyk |
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