Books reviewd in the Meredith News, 2007

Staff picks: 2007 (reading we enjoyed )
Mistress of the Art of Death by Airana Franklin. A medieval mystery.  
The Overlook by Michael Connelly. Terrorist plot, or simple murder? Harry Bosch investigates. 
The Quickie by James Patterson.  A story of revenge gone array.
 Stalin’s Ghost,  by Martin Cruz Smith.  A rising political star and war hero is linked to a murder.
Thumbs Toes and Tears by Chip Walter.  Traits that distinguish us from other beings.
Mysteries of the Middle Ages  by Thomas Cahill. A blossoming of learning and progressive ideas.
Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Life inside Iraq’s Green Zone.
Grace and Grit by Ken Wilbur. Memoir,  love story, cancer guide, mysticism 101 and more.    
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows  by J. K. Rowlog.  A suitable and satisfying end.
Floatsam by David Weisner.  A boy  discovers an old-fashioned camera.

Stocking Stuffers (12/19/07). Holiday stories and light reads. 
A Family Christmas by Caroline Kennedy. Favorite seasonal poetry, readings, & lyrics. 
Where Angles Go by Debi Macomber. Three angels lend their celestial aid to three needy cases.
Big Papi:  Big Hits and Big Dreams  by David Ortiz. Bask  in the glow of the Sox’s latest title run.
Tim Gunn:  Guide to Quality, Taste and Style.  Full-on closet reconstruction form the Bravo host. The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith.  Sleuth Isabel Dalhousie is back. 

Noteworthy Fiction  --beyond the bestsellers.(12/12/07). See this weeks report for details.
Run by Anne Patchett  A random accident causes the lives of two families to intersect.
Bridge of Sighs by Richard RussoLove & friendship in a dying  blue-collar town.  
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.  Drugs & money = a new wild west.   
Songs without Words by Ann Packer.  A richly nuanced meditation on friendship.
The Worst thing I’ve Done by Ursla Hegi. Three friends share a fraught  dynamic.

Local Heroes  (Movies on small town life--11/26)
Local Hero.  An oil company exec falls in love with the small town his is suppsoed to buy up. Breaking Away. An Indiana boy reinvents himself an Italain cyclaist to his family's dismay!    Moonstruck. An offbeat romance that makes a small town of Brooklyn's Little Italy.  
Doc Hollywood.  Michael J. Fox is the urban MD stuck in a backwater town.
Junebug.  Newlywed New Yorkers meet the family in rural North Carolina.
A Good Year. Russell Crowe plays  a workaholic bond trader who inherits a villa in Provance. 

Seasonal Stories,  fact and fiction (11/26)
Mayflower by Francis Philbrick. Tells the  history of Plymouth Colony. 
Unitl I have no Country by Michael Tougias. A novel of King Philps War.  
The Times of their Lives by James and Margaret Deetz.  Dyas of thier lives--Piilgrim style
1491 by Charles Mann. Native America before the Europeans. “Riveting, fast-paced history.”

Tales from the East (10/3007)
Down the Nile by Rosemary Mahooney.  A woman travels the Nile by rowboat.  .
Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer. A trader is acosted from his Tehran office and imprisoned.    
Reading Lolita in Teheran by Azar Nafisi. Seven Irani women meet to study Western literature.  
Rose Garden of Martyrs  by Christopher de Bellaigue. A textured view of a complex society. 
Persian Mirrors by Elaine Sciolino. Another behind -the -headlines look at Iran.
The Bastard of Instanbul, by  Elif Shafak. Tackles Turkish national identity with signature humor.    
The Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks.  Daily life for Muslim women.  

Crime and Suspense (10/17/07).
Hellfire Conspriacy by Will Thomas.  Two detectives seek a missing  girl in Victorian London.
Malice by Robert Tanenbaum.  Two apparently unrealted crimes provide clues to a foul plot.
Dead Heat by Dick Francis.  A series of mishaps plague a caterer. Chance, or foul play?
Vinyeard Stalker by Philip Craig.  Someone is harassing a reclusive Vietnam vet on the Vinyard.        Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston.  An FBI man seeks to recover a Tibetan artifact.
Burnt House by Faye Kellerman.  a plane crash with a mssing passenger sparks this mystery.
Shoot him if He Runs by Stuart Woods. On the trail of a rogue CIA agent.

Cloak and Dagger (10/10/07). Books on the C.I.A.     
 Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner. A lengthy critical history of the C.I.A   
Center of the Storm by George Tenet. Tenet reviews his turbulent years in office.  
Nightmover by David Wise.   Double agent Rick Ames, who  moonlighted for the KGB.   Charlie Wilson’s War by George Crile.  A  US rep & an agent bend the rules to arm Afghans reels  
Veil by Bob Woodward.    Covert wars during the Reagan Administration.  
Allen Dulles: Master of Spies by James Srodes. The Ivy-league spy, par excellance.
The Company by Robert Littell.  A novel of the agency that spans 40 years.
The Good Shepherd (DVD).  Conscience and duty clash for agent Edmund Wilson (Matt Damon). 

Food for Thought (10/01/07).  Books that make us look differently at the ways we eat.
Animal, Vegetable Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver.  A year eating locally grown food.               
The Omnivoire’s Dilemma by Michale Polin.   a fascinating journey up and down the food chain
Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink.  The crossed messages between our bellys and our brains.
Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas MacNamee. The birthing California Cuisine.
My Life in France by Julia Child.   How she disicovered French cuisine and broguht it  to the States.
Eat, Pay, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.   Around the world to satisfy culinary and spritiual longing. 

Cozy up with A Light Mystery   (9/21/07)
Sweet Revenge by Diana Mott Davidson. An elegant catered dinner takes a sour turn.                           Death of a Maid  by M. C. Beaton. The death of  a gossipy housecleaner jsut might be murder.       Scots on the Rocks by Mary Dalheim.  The death of a new acquaintance derails a slueths vacation.. 
Lethally Blonde by Kate White. Buzz gossip reporter Bailey Weggins hunts down a missing actor.  
Spare Change by Robert B. Parker. Sunny Randall helps the police track down a serial killer.  

Reading for the beach...or a rainy day (8/15/07)
High Noon by Nora Roberts.  A take-charge lady cop juggles crime-sloving and romance.
Innocent in Death by Nora Roberts. The latest in NR's JD Robb crime series.The Last Summer of You and Me by Ann Brasheres. Sisters, a long time friend, and a tangled romance. 
Peony in Love by Lisa See. A cloistered Chinese girl in a forbidden romance.                                 Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi. A woman seeks the mother who abandoned her after giving birth. The Sonnet Lover by Carol Goodman.   The discovery of a long-lost sonnet leads to mayhem.  

What Matters Most by Luanne Rice.  A woman seeks the daughter she gave up to become a nun.   

Movie Magic at the Nichols Library (8/3/07). Proving they still make 'em like they used to!
The Good German. An old love, a missing husband, and wartime secrets spark this drama.
The Man Who Would Be King. 2 soldiers of fortune strike out to make themselves kings.  
The Wind and the Lion. 3  kidnapped Americans spark an  international incident n Morocco. 
Father Goose. Cary Grant  plays a beach bum who rescues seven schoolgrils...and Leslie Caron.
Bull Durham.  a veteran minor league catcher  shepherds a  knuckleheaded picther.. 
Get Shorty.  A mobster goes Hollywood in this   finely tuned black comedy. 
Caberet. "One of the most substantial screen musicals ever made.”
Chinatown.  “One of the greatest, most completely satisfying crime films of all time.”

Harry Potter and Other Books for Kids (7/18)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J. K. Rowling
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Twilight  by Stephanie Meyer, 
Feed by M T Anderson
Eragon by Christopher Paolini,
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. 
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Summer Reading: Mystery and Crime  (7/11)
Spare Change by Robert B. Parker. Sunny Randall helps her father track down a serial killer. 
The Limehouse Text by Will Thomas. On the trail of a mysterious Chinese text in Victorian London.
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman.  A random accident puts life into a 30-year-old mystery.
Stalin’s Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith. Arkday Renko investigates rouge agents and a ghostly siting. 
Tee Secret Survivor by Daniel Silva. Gabriel Allon returns.
Tin Roof Blowdown by
The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva.   Garbriel Allon returns to foil another terrorist plot.
Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver. On the trail of an escaped psychopath.
Double Take by Catherine Coulter. A random assult and a missing persons case are linked in this FBI thriller.

Summer Reading 5: Independence Day (7/2)
Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer.  School Library Journal says “this is exciting history."
1776 by David McCullough. How the revolution was almost lsot before it was won.
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. Lewis and Clark’s voyage of discovery. 
Bound for Canaan by Fergus Bordewich.  The slave's path to freedom.   
Team of Rivals by  Doris Kearns Goodwin.  How Lincolns gift for compromuise helped save of the Union. Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen  Ambrose.  Spanning the nation by railroad.
Theodore Rex by Desmond Morris.  "8 breathless years" in which the nation embraced modernity.
The Defining Moment by Jonathan Alter.  Franklin Roosevelt’s "hundred days. "  
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. The men who fought the great war. 
Charlie Wilson’s War by George Crile.  America and radical Islam, round one. 

Summer Reading 4: Off the Beaten Path (6/29)
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Micahel Chabon.  A rabbi's son is killed in a future where Alaska= Israel.
Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander. A internal anti-terrorist program runs amok.
A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans. “Perched on a precipice between horror &  psychological drama." 
Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell.  A family drama in the region that became Smoky Mountains National Park.      Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani. A comet signals misfortune to the remote 17th-century Persian village. 
The Tenth House by Laura Dietz.  A doctor sets out to expose a spiritual medium as a fraud. 

Summer Reading 3: Kid's Stuff (6/20)
Eggs by Jerry Spinelli. A new friend thrusts a timid boy into wild adventures
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron.  Lucky needs to get some control over her life.    

Maximum Ride: Saving the World by James Patterson. Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy.
The Off Season by Catherine Murdock.  Sports, friends and  romance are more than a popular baller can handle.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larsen. Orphan Hattie Brooks leaves Iowa for a Montana homestead.
Come Juneteenth by Ann Rinaldi.  Texas slave owners are hiding the fact that Lincoln freed the slaves. 
Penny form Heaven  by Jennifer Holm. A girl tries to know the father she can't remember through his family.
Rules by Cynthia Lord.  How can 12-year-old Catherine cope with her autistic brother?   


Summer Reading 2: The Great Outdoors (6/14)
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston. A journeys to the  primeval kingdom at  the tops of "supertall" trees.

The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening by Ron Krupp. A resource for beginning and experienced garden

The New England Wildlife Viewing Guide by Judith Silverberg. Descriptions of oover 450 species. 
Landowners Guide to Wildlife Habitats by Richard DeGraaf.  Co-existing with the wildlife on your land.
The Deen Brothers Cookbook by Jamie and Bobby Deen.  "Road Tasted" recipies.

East Coast Rooms by Ana Kasabian.  31 renowned interior designers of the Northeast.

Summer Reading 1: Bestsellers (6/7/07)
19 Minutes by Jody Picoult.  Piclout takes on the hot-button issue of school shootings in her new novel. 
Overlook by Michael  Connellly. Harry Bosch takes on the FBI in a matter of national security. 
Daddy’s Girl by Lisa Scottoline. A prison teaching gig turns nasty for lawer t Natalie Greco
Body Surfing James Lee Burke. P.I. Robicheaux seeks a missing preist in NO's 9th ward.
Sleeping Doll by Jefffrey Deaver. On the trail of an escaped psychopath.
Double Take by Catherine Coulter.  A random assult and a mssing persons case are linked.

Independence Day (7/4)
Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fisher.
1776 by David McCollough (saving the revolution).
Unduanted Courage by Stepehen Ambrose (the Lewis and Clark expedition).
Team of Rivals by Dorris Kearns Goodwin (how Lincoln won the war).
Nothing Like it in the World by Stephen Ambrose (the US spans the continent).
Theodore Rex by Desmond Morris (TR leads the US into the 29th century).
The Defining Moment by Jonathan Alter. (FDR leads the US through the Depression).
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokow (the men and women of WWII).
Charlie Wilsons War by George Crile (America meets the Middle East).

Fiction: Off the Beaten Path (6/28)
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Micahel Chabon. Alaska as a Jewish state?
Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander. Anti-terrorism leads to trouble. 
A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans.  “An edgey thriller (Booklist)."  
Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell. Life in  the reclusive mountains of North Carolina.  
Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani.  A comet signals misfortune in a Persian village. 
The Tenth House by Laura Dietz. A woman who makes uncanny predictions.
   
Fiction for Young Adults (6/21)
Eggs by Jerry Spinelli 
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
Maximum Ride: Saving the World by James Patterson. 
The Off Season by Catherine Murdock 
Hattie Big Sky  by Kirby  Larsen
Come Juneteenth by Ann Rinaldi, 
Penny form Heaven  by Jennifer Holms
Rules  by Cynthia Lord

The Great Outdoors (6/14)
The Wild Trees by Richard
The  New Hampshrie Gardener’s Companion by Henry Homeyer
The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening by Ron Krupp   
The Canoe by John Jennings
The New England Wildlife Viewing Guide by Judith Silverberg
Landowners Guide to Wildlife Habitats by Richard DeGraaf
The Deen Brothers Cookbook  by Jamie and Bobby Deen.
East Coast Rooms by Ana Kasabian

Best Sellers (6/7)
Simple Genious by Dave Baldacci
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve.  A "dark novel of deceptive love and stark betrayal.”    
Whitethron Woods by Maeve Binchey.  A highway threatens an Irish shrine.
Buring Bright by Tracy Chevaier.  Willima Blake set in revolutionary London. 
Lucky Thirteen by Janet Evanovich. The plucky  New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum returns. 

Memorial Day (5/30/07)
Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose. An ode to the amatuer soldies who fought in Europe during WWI. Washington’s Crossing by David Fischer.   A stirring account of the winter victories that saved the Revolution.   Breakout by Martin Russ. Definitive account of the  "Frozen Chosin." 
Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley. Reconstruct the lives of the Iwo flag raisers.  Also on DVD.  On the Altar of the Nation by Harry S. Stout.  Relgious fervor feeds the savagery of the fighting. 
They Marched into Sunlight  by Rick Maraniss.  Vietnam War at home and on the battlefield.  

Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. C brilliantly captures the carnage and confusion of modern urban war.   


A potpourri of Non-fiction (5/23/07)
Un-spun by Brooks Jackson. How to find facts in a world where "deception is a bipartisan enterprise."
The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby.   Three women, 3 religions.   "For anyone interested in interfaith dialogue.”  
Grace, Eventually by Anne Lamott. "Gentle wisdom and signature humor (Publishers Weekly).”
The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo. How almost anyone can  be made to cooperate in violence and abuse.
What Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman.  How  doctors make decisions and (msotly) get it right.
Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart. A look at the global flower industry. 
Best New Voices by Jane Smiley. Outstanding short stories from the top  writing programs.
Blackwater  by Jeremy Scahill. The role of private security companies in Iraq. 

Overlooked gems (5/16/07)
School for the Blind  by Dennis McFarland. A search for a killer forces characters to confrotn their past.  
The White by Deborah Larsen.  A Indian captive who chooses to stay with her Shawnee abductors.
Enigma by Robert Harris. Codes, spies and Nazis.
Cold by John Smolens.  A tense drama involving an escaped con and hostages. 
Eating Chinese Food Naked by Mei Ng.  Culture conflcit for a Chinese-American girl in Queens.
The Jazz Bird by Craig Holden. The roaring 20's come to live in this story of a murder trial. 
The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer. Love on the rebound.

Oscar winners (5/4/2007).  Award winning films on DVD.  Sorry, no comedies.
The Departed (Best Film). A tense tale of two informants, one a cop, the  other a crook.  
Blood Diamond (best film nominee. The illegal diamond trade is the setting of this action-drama.  
Babel (best film nominee) weaves incongruent storylines on three continets, all linked to a gun. 
The Queen. Helen Mirren won best actres for her role is this witty look inside the house of Windsor.
Little Miss Sunshine.  Alan Arkin won the best supporting actor award.
Happy Feet (animated film).  A penguin named Mumble can't sing, but can dance up a storm. 
An Inconvenient Truth (documentary). Al Gore on tour with his case for global warming.           Bowling for Columbine (no award). A tour of guns, violence and America with Michael Moore. 

Historical Fiction (4/25/07). The bar is high: a believable past with compelling plots and people.
The Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir,  Lady Jane Grey’s,  the  unlucky “nine days Queen.”  
The Boleyan Inheritance, by Phillippa Gregory. Jane continues her ruthless scheming.  
Queen of Swords by Sarah Donati. A family drama set in frontier Florida.
At Some Disputed Barricade by Anne Perry.   Was an officier killed by his own men?
To the Last Man, by Jeff Shaara. "Black Jack" Pershing prepares his army for a new kind of war.  
Medicus by Ruth Downie.  A Roman  doctor becomes a reluctant detective.
Impeium by Robert Harris. Roman intrigue on the verge of the imperial years.
Master of Souls by  Peter Tremayne. Good yarns that shed light on ancient Ireland.

Nature and science (4/14/2007).   engrossing reads for science buffs and general readers alike.
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore (book and film). A case for global warming.
The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomberg.  Is climate change exaggerated?
Sippewisset by Tim Traver. Rumination on  a Cape Cod salt marsh.
Toes, Thumbs and Tears by Chip Walter.  Traits that make us himan.
Survival of the Sickest by Sharon Maelom.The role of disease in evolution
Born on A Blue Day by Saniel Tammet.  First-person account by a high-functioning autistic savant . 
The Emotion Machine by Marvin Minsky.  An inqwuiry into the nature of selfhood.
The Rock from Mars by Kathy Sawyer. Was there life on mars? An interpalnetarydetective story.

Fiction (4/6/07).  Good, meaty stories.   
Heyday by Kurt Andersen. “rowdy, knowing—and wholly American.’
The Collaborator of Bethleham by Matt Beyon Rees.  A man tries to clear the name of a friend,
Matters of Honor by Loius Begley.  An elegant novel of enduring friendship.
The Betrayers by James Patrick Hunt.  A crime story that transcends genre limitations. 
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak.  Two families tied by a taboo subject.
The Castle in the Forrest byNorman Mailer. How the boy Ado become Adolph Hitler. 
Friends of Meager Fortune by David Adam Richards. Family drama in New Brunswick. 
Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster. A man with no identiy is accused of horrible crimes.  

Current Events (3/28/07). Notes on the passing scene,
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael  Beah. Memoir of a boy soldier.
Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. A snapshot of life in the Green Zone.
Power Faith and Fantasy by Michael Oren. America's love-hate relationship with the Arab world.   
Infidel is by Ayaan Hirsi. A  feminist critique of Islam.
Because they Hate by Bridgette Gabriel. Christian survivor from Lebanon.
Where the Right Went Wrong by Patrick Buchanen.  Is the U.S. the new Rome?
Nemisis  by Chalmers Johnson. Is the burden of empire is undermining our republic?
The Enemy at Home by Dinesh D’Sourza.  He blames a permissive culture for terrorist attacks,

Something's Cooking at the Nichols Library (3/22/07). Hints for the home chef /
I am Always Hungry by Lora Zarubin.  It “will make you want to get in the kitchen.” 
Cooking in the Shaker Spirit by James Haller.  From the Chef at Canterbury Shaker Village.
Kafka's Soup by Mark Cric. Recipes   presented in the style of a famous writer. 
Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis.  Italian for company.
The Barefoot Contessa by Ina Garten.  Uncomplicated but elegant.  
Semi-Homemade Cooking by Sandra Lee.  How to spruce up prepared foods.
The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene. Oprah’s dietician plots a course for life. 

Overlooked Gems (3/14/07).  Something for readers trying to get outside the bestseller list. 
The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.  Australia's outlaw hero  rides again.
Evensong by Gail Godwin. A pastor in the Smokey Mountains deals the town's troubles.
The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvas. A free-spirited widow shakes up an Orthodox community.
True North by Kimberly Kafka. An accomplished first novel set in Alaska.
The Four Temperaments by Yona McDonough.   Love and loss in the NYC fine arts world.

Gumshoes (2/28/07).  The latest in crime fiction.  
High Profile by Robert B. Parker.  A popular talk show host in found dead. Jesse Stone investigates.
Under Orders by Dick Francis.  The popular crime writer is back after a long absence.
The Cat who had 60 Whiskers by Lillian Braun.  The crime-solving cats are back.
Step on a Crack by James Patterson.
True Evil by Greg Illes.
Deep Child by Lincoln Child.
Statemate by Iris Johanson.
The Blood Spilt by Lisa larsson.
The Man who Smiled by Henning Mankell.

Heard a Good Book, Lately? (2/28/07).  Recent talking books, all on CD
Next by Micahel Crichton. Another techno-thriller.
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz. Odd Thomas returns.
Cross by James Patterson. Alex Cross returns to an old case.
Lisey's Story by Stephen  King,  A widow faces her husbnd's demons.
Born in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts). A misssing mother-to-be proves complicated.
Imperium by Robert Harris. A struggle for supreme pwoer in ancient Rome,

Non-Fiction Miscellaney (2/21/07).  Inspiring tales, spooks and signs, food and crafts, outdoor life and laughs!
The Book that Changed My Life. Inspiring reads
Haunts Happenings.  New England  tales and legends.
The Only Astrology Book You'll ever Need.  Divining the night sky.
Teach Like Your Hairs on Fire. Innovative and inspirational,
Semi-homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee.  Dressing up processed foods.
New Complete Dog Training. Problem dog? Look here.
Home Knits.  New ideas and patterns.
The Canoe: a Living Tradition.  Elegance on the waters.
LL Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing.  
Garfield at 25 (cartoon anthology)
The Far Side Gallery

Thunderation! (2/7/07). Thunderous non-fiction at the Center Harbor Library!
Thundertruck by Eric Larson. Akiller unwittingly becomes the first victim of instant communication.
Sea of Thunder by Evan Thomas.  The last epic fight of battleship fleets at Leyte Gulf during WWII.
Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides. The doomed final stand of the Navajos at Canyon de Chelly.
The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson.  The 'bolt is a green sweater with "magic powers." A '50's memoir.   
Thoughtful Reads (1/31/07). This weeks selections are like a full course meal.    
Red River by Lalita Tademy. A family saga begins with a harrowing 1873 Colfax massacre.
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers. A man  emerges from a coma and finds his memories altered. 
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra. A novel as big, complex, and irresistible as India itself. 
Ines of My Soul by Isable Allende.  Doña Inés Suárez, the country's founding mother. 
Memoroy Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards. A fathers’s lie becomes his families defining moment.
The Inheritance of Loss. by Kiran Dasai. A judge finds his tranquility broken by turbulant affairs.

Fun Reads (1/24/07)What's better to beat the the post-holiday blahs and mid-winter blues?
Stalemate by Iris Johansen. Eve Duncanfinds herself in a war between rival drug lords.
Shadow Dance by Julie Garwood.  Newlyweds are threatened by  an ancient family feud.  
Sliver of Truth by Lisa Unger.  Ridley Jones learns her uncle  is alvie and wanted by the law.
The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory. Jane Boleyn returns for more court intrigue.
Master of Souls by Peter Tremayne. The brutal murder of an Abbess creates a perplexing mystery.  
Mary by Janis Cook Newman.  Mary Todd Lincoln tells her story from an asylum.
Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg. An editor finds details about her life in a new book.
Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares, her fourth installment in the popular traveling-pants series.   
   
Big is Beautiful (12/29/06). Some subjects just cannot be confined within a small package.
The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson.  All kidns of stuff about foods.
The Oxford Companion to the Garden. Showcases gardens of all sizes, shapes, and types. 
A Passion for Parties  by Carolyne Roehm. Dazzlingly creative ideas for every kind of event.
Landscape Painting by Nils Büttner and Russell Stockman.  Man's place in the great web of life.
The Shakers: Life, Work, Art by June Sprigg. 
Hockey, A Peoples History by Michael McKinley. 
Aviators by Michael Taylor. From the Winnepesaukee Radio  Controllers Club.

06 Critics Picks (12/22/06)!  from the  of the NY Times top ten reads of the year.
Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart.   A rap obsessed Russian seeks a US visa.
The Emporer's Children by Claire Messud.  A “superbly intelligent comedy of manners” 
The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford.   A well-observed tale of a man's mid-life crisis.
Special Topics in Particle Physics by Marisha Pessl. The death of charismatic female teacher 
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright. The failed search for Bin Laden. 
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. The Pilgrims and the Indians revisited.  
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  4 meals, from a hunter-gatherer feast to fast food,