B oo k s h e l f
October Books By Kimberly Daniels and Angie Tally Guests on Earth by Lee Smith Do not let anyone tell you that this is another book about Zelda Fitzgerald. This book is deeper and better. Yes, Zelda makes an appearance — several in fact — but she is a peripheral character. This book is really about Evalina, a young woman born to curious circumstances in New Orleans, and sent to a progressive mental institution in Asheville, North Carolina. This book is about the inhabitants of Evalina’s life and about the music that connects us all. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion I loved this delightful book about a genetics researcher (he doesn’t realize he has Asperger Syndrome) who decides to find himself the perfect wife. From the candidates that fill out the detailed applications to his best friend who is trying to map the world with his bedroom conquests (using the candidates his friend discards), this book is a wonderful story full of characters that you will adore. All That Is by James Salter Salter, the author of A Sport and a Pastime and one of my favorite travels writers, recently described himself as “someone who likes to rub words in his hand, to turn them around and feel them, to wonder if that really is the best word possible.” He is pure talent. Don’t you want to read his new book? I do. We Are Water by Wally Lamb Wally Lamb is a great storyteller and this novel is no exception. This is the story of the Oh family, a psychologist father, an artist mother and three children who all carry scars from the secrets their mother has kept from all of them. I did not want to put this book down and know it will be at the top of the must-read list this fall. Mud Season by Ellen Stimson Imagine living in the middle of the country and suddenly deciding to pick up your family (a husband and three children) and move to Vermont with no job in sight because you’ve always wanted to live in a beautiful place. And then imagine that, although you’re now living in the beautiful country, you haven’t a clue because you’re a city family. This book will explain how it all settles out, with lots of laughter and tears along the way. And you’ve got to read this book — if for no other reason than to find out why they have so much mud in Vermont in the spring. Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield Written by the author of The Thirteenth Tale, this book tells the story of William Bellman, who kills a rook as a young child. And rooks never forget. When he is grown, Bellman makes a bargain with a strange partner to save the only precious thing he has left.
NonFiction The Map and the Territory: Risk, Human Nature, and the Future of Forecasting by Alan Greenspan Perhaps because of his great failure to predict the 2008 crash, Alan Greenspan, former chair of the Federal Reserve Board, has turned his attention to the history of economic prediction and the future of economic forecasting. Comparing the old models of risk management with the new technologies of economic behavior, Greenspan rewrites the map of prediction. Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King This book is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the great masterpieces of art, Leonardo’s painting of “The Last Supper.” Leonardo painted this despite war, political and religious turmoil all around him. Through his research King reveals much about this fascinating period in European history as well as dozens of stories embedded in the painting. Rude Bitches Make Me Tired by Celia Rivenbark Celia Rivenbark is the best-selling author of We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier, and now writes a mildly profane etiquette manual for the modern age. She addresses real life quandaries ranging from how to deal with braggy playground moms to correctly grieving the dearly departed. Good manners have never been so wickedly funny! The Letters of John F. Kennedy by Martin W. Sandler This collection is the first to present significant conversations in their entirety between JFK and his correspondents, including historical giants like Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Harry Truman and Nikita Khruschev as well as his school friends, Navy comrades, and everyday Americans. The book includes images from his presidential library and facsimiles of many letters. CHILDREN’S BOOKS Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson. Just in time for fall comes this fun, interactive picture book reminiscent of the wildly popular Press Here. The magic of the changing seasons is shown through the magic of turning a page. Truly a see-it-to-believe it book. Ages 2–6.
PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 2013
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