2013 Staff Picks

• Staff Picks by Genre in alphabetical order by author's last name.

May 2013

	Dillies, Renaud and Regis Hautiere Abelard: a Magical Graphic Novel Graphic Novel
A beautifully illustrated tale of a (French?) bird and bear who journey to America for very different reasons. Each counteracts the other, and so present a kind of extreme antithesis: the bear embodies a cynicism painted in brushstrokes of gloom and doom, while the bird emits a naïve optimism through love and light (levity? illumination?), pulling apt and eternal wisdom (literally) out of his hat at random. Artistically this book is gorgeous, but to put such profundity in this aesthetic context is to play a brilliant trick on an equally naïve reader: a book this beautiful shouldn't be this profoundly bittersweet. The irony continues within the story as well: how successful are we at navigating our world to accommodate a metaphysical stance? A smart, simple fable of life and the pursuit of all those leaves of greener grasses. Recommended by Miguel, May 2013
	Harkaway, Nick The Gone-Away World Science Fiction
I bought this book at JFK airport without knowing anything about it. I just wanted something — anything — to help pass the time during my layover. It turned out to be the best purchase that I have ever made at an airport terminal; this book, and the tuna tartar on sesame rice crackers. (It’s true, I will eat sushi virtually anywhere.) Anyways, The Gone-Away World is post-apocalyptic sci-fi surreal awesomeness. You will follow this rag-tag team of misfits that are trying to save the world from “stuff”, the residual matter from a super mega-weapon of mass destruction. This book gets weird, like if-a-Vonnegut-novel-had-sex-with-a-Terry-Gilliam-film-and-then-raised-their-love-child-in-a-Dalí-painting kind of weird. There are Kung-fu battles and pirates. And ninjas too. Recommended by Mel, May 2013
	Harper, Valerie I, Rhoda: A Memoir Nonfiction
As a child in the early 1970s, I would eagerly await 9:00 on Saturday nights to watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary Richards, played by Moore, was the fashionable and successful newswoman most female viewers wanted to be. But it was neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern, played by Harper, with whom most fans could truly identify. Rhoda was the slightly awkward one — flitting from job to job, struggling with her weight and overbearing mother, and never getting many second dates. In Harper’s upbeat memoir, she spends a good portion of the book detailing her years playing Rhoda. She warmly recounts the friendships that she developed over the years with the cast and crew. This is not a tell-all book — rather, just a story of a woman with a happy childhood and dreams of being a ballerina and, ultimately, an actress. Filled with reminiscences of her personal and professional life, the author comes across as just as approachable as Rhoda herself. Recommended by Karen G., May 2013
	Rash, Ron Nothing Gold Can Stay Short Stories
These stories, all set in the fierce beauty of the North Carolina mountains, are literary gems. Rash’s cast of characters includes a struggling young couple who are willing to bet it all at a local casino, a pompous British folksong expert who meets his match in the backwoods, a convict on a chain gang who charms a sweet young thing at a remote farm and thinks he’s found his way out, and a frustrated accountant who decides to cure his sexual dysfunction with a homemade remedy using the paw of a freshly killed bear. Nothing works out the way these people expect, and that’s what makes these stories so delicious. And there’s another story here of a young woman who drowns in a river, and we see what she sees as she’s dragged down through the darkness. It’s tender and beautiful. Rash knows how to weave a tale, and these stories are haunting and tough. Can’t wait for his next collection. Recommended by Jane, May 2013
	Thurston, Baratunde How to Be Black Nonfiction
Written by The Onion digital director, this book is half-memoir, half-essay on contemporary race, and fully hilarious. The alternate title for this book was Post-Racial America is Some BS, and Other Thoughts on How to be Black. Thurston ties together stories from his own life — growing up in DC, attending Sidwell Friends School and then Harvard — with commentary on current events such as Barack Obama's election. He writes: “Through my story, I hope to expose you to another side of the black experience while offering practical, comedic advice based on my own painful lessons learned." Recommended by Holly, May 2013
	Wiles, Will Care of Wooden Floors Fiction
The (unnamed) narrator of this fiction debut agrees to fly from his home in Britain to stay in the flat owned by a college friend in an (unnamed) Eastern European country. He will also be caring for the friend’s two cats. The friend, Oskar, will be away for an unspecified time finalizing divorce details with his wife in California, and the protagonist is looking forward to some relaxation and undisturbed time to write during his stay. What begins as an utterly boring stay in the impeccably neat flat quickly becomes anything but. First, a drop of red wine spills on the expensive wooden floor. Oskar has left explicit instructions for him about everything regarding the care of his home, including that he not spill anything on the floors. The narrator is painfully aware of the mortal sin he has committed, remembering Oskar has always been obsessive about his belongings. Things quickly go downhill from there as the more the house-sitter tries to take care of things, the more that goes very, very wrong. After only eight days, he has destroyed more than just Oskar’s flat. This book is hilarious, because the reader is truly not prepared for the events that occur. Fans of dark humor with unscrupulous characters will love reading about the happenings in Oskar’s flat during his absence. Recommended by Terry, May 2013

April 2013

	Eagleton, Terry Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate Nonfiction
This recommendation is of a limited nature, due to the subject matter at hand — but Eagleton addresses even this peculiar situation within these pages. Originally delivered as one of the ongoing (and extremely prestigious) "Terry" (no relation) lectures at Yale University, in 2008, this book further develops many of the arguments originally presented there, and provides more context, while at 169 pages, Eagleton doesn't belabour the point. In essence, the book demonstrates a sophisticated, irreverent weapon in the defence of faith and theology as against the blunt and ignoble attacks of the "New Atheism". For Eagleton's purpose, this "bloodless" rationalism is best embodied in the writings of Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, whom Eagleton humorously (but deliberately) conflates as "Ditchkins" throughout. To be fair, though, Eagleton spares no quarter, and resituates religion outside the grasp of religious fundamentalism (addressing both Christian and Islamic varieties) and firmly within a theological context, "one whose subject is nothing less than the nature and destiny of humanity itself". A truly powerful contemporary philosophical statement that deserves to be appreciated (and wielded as necessary). Recommended by miguel, April 2013
	Lynch, Scott The Lies of Locke Lamora Fiction
When someone asks me for a book recommendation, time and time again I push Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora at them. Anyone who knows me has probably heard me rave about this book multiple times, so I'm giving all of them a bit of a break to recommend it here instead. This book has been described as a fantasy version of Ocean's Eleven, with a touch of The Godfather thrown in for good measure. Set in a city reminiscent of 16th-century Venice, the story details the adventures of a small group of thieves working their latest con who get drawn into a much bigger game than the one they're playing. With its richly detailed setting, witty dialogue, flashy swordfights, and a clever plot laden with twists and turns, this is one you don't want to miss. Recommended by Leandra, April 2013
	Martinez, A. Lee Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain Science Fiction
Emperor Mollusk has spent his days conquering other worlds of the universe. Now this mad genius has decided to retire, and could not be more bored—that is, until half the universe, all at once, tries to destroy him. If you are looking for a great, funny, exciting science fiction read, then Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez is the book for you. Recommended by Katie, April 2013
Ruiz, Raúl The Mysteries of Lisbon DVD
Based on the novel Mistérios de Lisboa (1854) by Camilo Castelo Branco, this version, directed by Raúl Ruiz, is the theatrical adaptation of a mini-series originally aired on French television. The theatrical adaptation is a mere 272 minutes; that’s only five hours! I know, right! Totally doable. Sign me up. Having the apartment all to myself on a cloudy Monday, I declared my day off from work “International Couch and Cat Appreciation Day”. This was the day that I would finally tackle The Mysteries of Lisbon. It was my first experience hearing the Portuguese language. I was expecting it to sound similar to Spanish but I was amazed to hear it sounded more like a Slavic language. Intrigued by this, I googled “Portuguese sounds Slavic” and I’m not alone in this observation. I should research this further. I should learn to speak it myself. Anyways, I have a checklist when considering conquering an epic film adventure. One should not take epic-ness lightly. Over 4 hours in length? Check. Set in the greatest (the 18th) century? Check. Gorgeous costumes? Check. Subtitles? Check. Beautiful men like the actor Ricardo Pereira? Check and double check! Oh, and a twisted tale of an orphan trying to uncover his past that simply must span decades if not a lifetime? Check. So when folks ask me “Watched anything good recently?” this film is the first thing that comes to mind. Recommended by Mel, April 2013
Selimovic, Meša The Fortress Fiction
This historical novel is an astounding testament of the Individual. Selimovic, a Bosnian Muslim, writes the first-person narration of Ahmet Shabo, a man whose experience in war has predicated a dissolution of the auspiciously moral bonds of social custom. In the absurd living and dying of the battlefield, habitual normalcy is undermined by the unpredictable behavior of necessity. Returning home to his eighteenth-century village, Shabo conflates innocence and purpose in declaiming perceived order and personifying contingency. The intimacy of the narrative allows the reader to wonder at the motivations behind such voluntary suffering. Selimovic seems to confront the mirage of a hegemonic sphere with a sledgehammer of love: our flights of angels edified in the titular fortress. Recommended by miguel, April 2013
	Strayed, Cheryl Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail Nonfiction
Travel can be educational — especially when one steps out of her comfort zone. Cheryl Strayed did just that when she decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail through three states by herself. Armed with a heavy backpack and a trail guide, the 26-year-old novice of a hiker encountered bears and rattlesnakes, heavy snows and rains, and wonderful fellow hikers (and a few not-so-nice ones). Cheryl’s recollections of her younger days are interspersed with tales of her traveling adventures, and that’s what makes this memoir so readable. Readers will learn how Cheryl’s emotional past led her on a downward spiral — and how hiking helped her to cope. As she traveled 1,100 miles, and gained strength in both body and spirit, she learned more about herself and her capabilities. This page-turner is engaging and honestly written and comes highly recommended. Recommended by Karen G., April 2013
Webster, John Recipes for Disaster DVD
This documentary film affected me in the same way that Cradle to Cradle, Forks Over Knives, and Fast Food Nation did, by inspiring me to make demonstrable changes in my lifestyle. John Webster, an English speaker living with his wife and two boys in Finland, commits his family to a year without petroleum. That means no car or boat (until Webster discovers biofuels), no store-bought toothpaste, no food in plastic packaging, no new mascara, and lots of limits on other things previously taken for granted. (Webster does allow the family to keep plastics that had already been purchased, such as a toy or dishes.) Despite all of the family's sacrifices and the film's depressingly true statistics on climate change, there is great humor in this story, such as when Mom sneaks out of the house one night to purchase illicit snacks (packaged in plastic). Granted, it's probably easier to go petroleum-free in a country like Finland, but the family's ability to cut their usage by half is enough to spur Americans to take small but significant steps. The best reward is that the family spends much more time with each other and outdoors. Recommended by Rita, April 2013

March 2013

	Dudycz Lupescu, Valya The Silence of Trees Fiction
Nadya, the matriarch of a large Ukrainian-American family settled in Chicago, has witnessed the horrors of the twentieth century first-hand, but cannot share her past for fear of disappearing completely, of drowning in the humiliation of powerlessness overwhelming every inclination to individual enfranchisement. Nadya's twisted visions recall too many possible interpretations, all horrible, and an unceasing regret. She succumbs to a shame pursuing her from a homeland fled. The narrative is a first-person confession of the causes and resolutions to which the reader is witness, a testimonial encounter that reveals a redemption impossible to live without. The communication between generations is at the heart of the story, and Nadya's perspective grants us an ability to more fully appreciate the precious flow of time from life to death, oftentimes all too rapid and sometimes seemingly still. Her children, American-born, become her salvation, and the stories that she eventually confesses will, in turn, be echoes of the stories that fashioned her own youth. The children of immigrants always face these silent ghosts, ever-present yet desperately ignored. Not just the existence of stories, but their expression and sharing, are what give us life, and bestow our immortal souls unto the hearts of future generations. This story of the disintegration and reintegration of a woman in mythology and history conquers that trepidation of silence. This book is a beautiful homage to a particular experience well familiar to many families in the Pittsburgh region (and every/elsewhere). However, Dudycz Lupescu writes with a simplicity, respect, curiosity, romance, and authenticity resonating with a well-rewarded audience of diverse readers. Recommended by miguel, March 2013
	Garfield, Simon On the Map Nonfiction
Simon Garfield's On the Map is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. On the Map is a collection of true stories of maps, from the first known map in history to mapping Mars and even the brain. The book also tells of true tales of how a map in London stopped the spread of cholera, or how a map found in a shop in Geneva started a huge controversy. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a fondness for history and geography. Recommended by Katie, March 2013
	Petersik, Sherry Young House Love Nonfiction
If you're acquainted with the Young House Love blog, there's no need to read further: you're already a devotee of Sherry and John Petersik's exceedingly attractive yet budget-friendly tricks for home remodeling and design. This husband and wife, young as they are, have transformed not one, but two outdated Virginia ranch homes with the aid of fresh coats of paint, wise thrift-store shopping, key splurge purchases, and a lot of creativity. They love saving money so much and are so good at landscaping that they even had their wedding in the backyard. Most of the projects require zero special tools or expertise, and can be done in a few hours or a day. I don't buy books (I borrow them) but this one might make me break my rule. Recommended by Rita, March 2013
	Sotomayor, Sonia My Beloved World Nonfiction
This illuminating tale exposes Sonia Sotomayor’s tumultuous road to the Supreme Court. In 2009, Sotomayor was confirmed as the first Hispanic and the fourth woman Supreme Court Justice — but few people realize what she endured to earn such an honorable appointment. Sotomayor grew up poor in a Bronx housing project. Her parents fought constantly over her father’s alcoholism, their finances, and family responsibilities. Sotomayor explains these hardships in heartrending detail. The reader learns of Sotomayor’s childhood, including her enrollment in a Catholic school where she soon started to see the beginnings of her future scholastic success. This is followed with descriptions of her acceptance to Princeton University and her eventual ascent to the legal profession. One particularly compelling moment described in this autobiography stands out: as Sotomayor was finishing law school, a law partner at a recruiting dinner asked her, “Do you think you would have been admitted to Yale Law School if you were not Puerto Rican?” She calmly replied, “It probably didn’t hurt. But I imagine that graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton had something to do with it too.” Her steadfastness and courage to stand up for herself, coupled with intelligence and a drive to succeed, illustrate what it takes to rise to a position of authority. Recommended by Karen G., March 2013
	Trigiani, Andriana The Shoemaker’s Wife Fiction
A combination immigrant tale, love story, and family saga, The Shoemaker’s Wife is the story of Enza Ravanelli and Ciro Lazzari, both from the same region of the Italian Alps. Enza’s family runs a carriage service while Ciro and his brother live and work at a convent where their destitute mother left them after their father died. Enza and Ciro's paths cross during a monumental event in Enza’s life, and just as their relationship begins, they are separated when misfortune forces Ciro to leave his village and move to New York City. Enza eventually moves to the U.S. with her father, hoping to earn money to send back to Italy for their struggling family. The second part of the book focuses on Enza's and Ciro’s individual lives as they forge their way in America, he as a shoemaker’s apprentice in Little Italy, and she as a seamstress with the Metropolitian Opera. While their paths continue to cross, it’s not until Ciro returns from WWI that he and Enza marry. The final part of the book entails their move to Minnesota, where they embrace the promise of a new life together, and follows their family story to Italy and back, and into the next generation with their son. The book is based on the story of the author's own grandparents. Recommended by Joanne, March 2013

February 2013

	Becker, Jean (director) My Afternoons with Margueritte DVD
In a world devoid of love, Germain has been groping his way blindly. Functionally illiterate, knowledge eludes him. Meeting Margueritte during an introduction of pigeons in a park, the two share a friendly moment and the completion of an education. Margueritte is everything Germain is not: old, thin, poetic. The antithetical pair will redeem one another in ways that neither could ever anticipate. Margueritte will feel love, and Germain will feel brilliance. A perfect movie for those who believe in the power of language, and the inspiration of all kinds of love. Recommended by miguel, February 2013
	Brown, Kody with Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage Nonfiction
Everyone is fascinated by polygamy. The idea that a man could marry more than one woman and that those women could be happy about the situation is almost unthinkable to most of us who are struggling to maintain a "simple" monogamous relationship. In the last few years, television executives have finally decided to capitalize on the allure of polygamy by introducing series such as HBO’s Big Love and TLC’s Sister Wives. I’ll admit it; I have been watching Sister Wives since the beginning. I started off, like many others, looking for the prurient details of the lives of Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn and waiting for the train wreck that never happened. It turns out that these women, who all just happen to love the same man, also respect each other and dote on each other’s children as if they were their own, because, in more than one way, they are. This book nicely supplements the television show, providing the back stories for the relationship each of the four wives has with Kody. It also discusses those hardships and rearrangements in priority that each wife had to endure whenever a new wife or child was added to the family or their living situation was altered. I liked the way the book was organized. Each person had their own chapter in the sections of Matrimony, Sorority, Family, and Celebrity. This way, just like on the show, each of the wives had her own voice and could tell her story in her own words. Then you get to hear Kody’s take on it as well. I’ve continued to watch the show and looked forward to reading this book for the same reason; I like how normal their family is. I am awed by how self-aware they all are, how well they communicate with each other and their children, and what genuinely nice people they seem to be. I want to be their friend. Even if you never plan to watch the show, you’ll enjoy the story of how these five people make their relationships and family work, and you might even find a tip or two for your own life in there as well. Recommended by Melissa, February 2013
	Eagleman, David Sum Fiction
What happens in the afterlife? In David Eagleman’s book Sum, we are given forty different answers. Eagleman takes the reader through forty different tales of what he imagines the afterlife is like. The tales are sad, happy, funny and hopeful. Each tale in Sum is only about two or three pages long, yet they are all thought-provoking and imaginatively written. Recommended by Katie, February 2013
	Kerouac, Jack On the Road Fiction
The author Jack Kerouac, while helping to introduce "beat" to the world, was hardly a "beatnik." The man knew how to think and (despite Capote's weak witticism) how to write, and with On the Road, did for the U.S. stultified 1950's society what the atom bomb did for conventional warfare: made people think twice about the consequences of living — and dying — with presumption. One doesn't simply read Kerouac; even when you're slap-happy from his amphetamine-driven plot and babbling rants and swaggering ignorance and would rather be reading something else anywhere else, there is something unmistakably honest in his observations. In this overture to the "Duluoz Legend," "one enormous comedy" consisting of the majority of his novels (ending with the spectacularly muted final chord, Vanity of Duluoz), Kerouac begins an asymptotic narrative approaching a felt truth of the twentieth-century American experience. Recommended by miguel, February 2013
	Klich, Lynda and Benjamin Weiss The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection Nonfiction
Billionaire Leonard Lauder, son of cosmetics legend Esteé, began his love affair with postcards at a young age. A formidable arts patron and a collector of Klimt and Picasso, he also amassed a historical collection of postcards numbering in the tens of thousands. His late wife, to whom The Postcard Age is dedicated, had joked that Lauder had a mistress; she was referring to his postcard trove. Lauder has promised it to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where several hundred of the cards are now on view. For those who can't make it to Boston, this book offers an annotated slice of the archive. The focus is on European cards produced in the late 19th century through World War I, an era when the postcard was often the fastest form of communication, arriving in a few days or sometimes even in a few hours. Postcards were also a canvas for advertisements, political propaganda, fashion statements, and promotion of the fine arts. Included are postcard puzzles that were sent to the recipient in increments, cards mailed from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and cards sent from the trenches. Art history buffs will devour this fascinating book, though it's a delight for anyone with an aesthetic bent. Recommended by Rita, February 2013
	Mathis, Ayana The Twelve Tribes of Hattie Fiction
Hattie Shepherd has married the wrong man, and the decision to move with him from the Jim Crow South of Georgia to Philadelphia doesn’t turn her life in the right direction. It’s the 1920s, and African-Americans are moving North to begin life in a supposedly non-segregated environment. Hattie and her husband August join this migration, but after losing her first two babies to illness she loses her joy in living and her hope for the future. Nine more babies can’t stop the pain, and each grows up with his own story of despair and frustration. These eleven children (and one grandchild) are Hattie’s "twelve tribes", and each child’s story is highlighted in the twelve chapters of the story. Hattie can feed and clothe them all (barely), but cannot seem to love any of them. All of her children author their own disappointments, but it is their mother’s remoteness that keeps them from discovering how to start again. These stories are grim, but the writing is fine, spare yet descriptive, and the tales are captivating. "Grim" is the word I keep using when I describe this book to potential readers, but I believe it’s a book worth reading, especially because it illustrates an important time in American life. For a thorough history of this period, I also recommend Isabel Wilkerson’s National Book Award winner The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, a spectacular nonfiction account of this period. Recommended by Jane, February 2013
	Morley, Christopher Parnassus on Wheels Fiction
An adventure story that has a great deal to say about education, writers, writing, reading, and books. An early road novel(la) that has as its primary and featured mode of transportation a wagon suitable for living and for shelving (and selling) books. Three extraordinarily feisty characters who prior to the action in this novel have spent the majority of their time cooking, farming, rambling, and writing, and with whom the reader becomes best familiar through their fighting, selling, landing in jail, or lying to the authorities. This tongue-in-cheek account of the metamorphosis of a provincial spinster is a delight to sentimental book-lovers and romantic types alike (particularly the late-blooming). This book proved so popular when published that Morley would write a sequel, The Haunted Bookshop. Recommended by miguel, February 2013
	Thomson, David The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies Nonfiction
In The Big Screen, David Thomson captures the very essence of movie-going: the roles that movies have played in our lives and the experience of watching them — from early nickelodeons to today’s personal electronic devices. Instead of the expected flow of a year-by-year synopsis, Thomson masterfully organizes the content in engaging chapters. There are chapters dealing with just one movie (Brief Encounter) and just one director (Howard Hawks), while others have broader subjects (1930s Hollywood). A detailed index makes it easy for the reader to quickly find information about favorite movies, actors, or directors. While all years of cinematic history are discussed, special emphasis is placed on earlier productions. Thomson, a noted film scholar, has created a book perfect for fans of old-time cinema. Recommended by Karen G., February 2013

January 2013

	Basara, Svetislav The Cyclist Conspiracy Fiction
Usually when I am asked to recommend a book I am pretty good about giving a detailed description of what the book is about and why I thought it was so well written. This is not the case with the book The Cyclist Conspiracy. Written by Serbian author Svetislav Basara and translated into English by Randall Major, The Cyclist Conspiracy tells the story of a brotherhood who travel throughout history influencing events. The story is told through drawings, documents, letters, biographical stories and other writings that depict what is happening throughout history. The book is not really one continuous story, but more of a 'collected works' that include Sigmund Freud and Arthur Conan Doyle. This is a hard book to describe, but -- take my word for it -- this book is worth picking up. Recommended by Katie, January 2013
	Demarest, David P., (editor) From These Hills, From These Valleys Fiction
An illustrated literary album of western Pennsylvania, this anthology presents fictional snapshots of Pittsburgh and environs from earliest European settlement to the late 20th century. Each selection – either a short story or an excerpt from a longer novel – provides an incisive glance into shaded narratives refracting the echoes of a diversity of people and experience. Here, history is just another character, the hills a mood, the valleys an improvised event. The book serves as a warm invitation to pursue the authors and works receding into the past, while anticipating the creativity that our region continues to inspire. Recommended by miguel, January 2013
	Newton-John, Olivia Livwise: Easy Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Life Nonfiction
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Eat whole grains. Eat organic. Eat good proteins and fats. Limit red meat. Don't eat processed foods. Exercise daily. This is the advice we hear over and over again in almost every mainstream diet/healthy lifestyle book published nowadays. Are we more likely to listen when we're being told by breast cancer survivor and "Let's Get Physical" singer Olivia Newton-John? If you’re a woman of a certain age, the answer might be "yes". Olivia shares with us some of her favorite healthy recipes that help keep her, at age 62, feeling fit and looking like a woman 25 years younger. All of the recipes looked very easy to prepare and almost all of the ingredients can now be found in any large supermarket. (You might have to visit a health food store for a few.) These delicious dishes, such as chicken with ginger, orange stuffing and cashew, macadamia and raspberry tart, have me re-thinking my food and cooking choices. Recommended by Melissa, January 2013
	O'Connor, Flannery with Kelly Gerald (editor) Flannery O'Connor: The Cartoons Nonfiction
Flannery O'Connor once wrote, "I come from a family where the only emotion respectable to show is irritation. In some this tendency produces hives, in others literature, in me both." While O'Connor's literature is renowned, her visual art is mostly unsung. As a high school and college student in Georgia, her irritation fueled a large body of cartoons - usually one-panel linoleum prints - that appeared in the newspaper, yearbook, alumnae journal, and other publications. The cartoons aren't notable for any artistic prowess, but they capture a southern all-girls school in the 1940s and reveal the young woman who would eventually write masterpieces such as Wise Blood and "Good Country People." Fans of O'Connor and the Southern Gothic will appreciate this book, as will readers who are interested in quotidian stateside life during World War II. Recommended by Rita, January 2013
	Winterson, Jeanette Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Nonfiction
I’ve loved Jeanette Winterson’s work for a long time now. I love the breadth and depth of it. She’s able to write more experimentally, like in Written on the Body, in a more classic narrative style, like in The Passion, and she’s even written science fiction with Stone Gods. I find her language creative and gorgeous and powerful, and her explorations of human experience moving. Reading her memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, it’s amazing to me that she survived her childhood, let alone went on to produce such smart, loving work. I had some sense of how difficult her childhood was because I read her 1985 autobiographical novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, which won her the Whitbread Prize for a First Novel. She shares more in this memoir about how abusive her childhood was, and it really was. The title is what her mother said when Jeanette came out at 16, explaining to her mother that the girl that she was in love with made her happy. Her mother made her choose between living as a heterosexual or leaving home. Jeanette left home. Winterson ended up living out of her car and going to university, and eventually got herself a scholarship to Oxford. She has written something like 18 works of fiction and short stories. She says on her website: “The books are the best of me. When people ask me why I write I tell them it's what I'm for. It really is as simple as that.” Two things are most powerful for me about her story: one, the power of books and the library in her life, and two, the ability that she and other people have to not just forgive people who’ve treated them badly, but to become generous people themselves. About books she says, among other amazing things in this memoir: “Fiction and poetry are doses, medicines. What they heal is the rupture reality makes on the imagination. I had been damaged and a very important part of me had been destroyed – that was my reality, the facts of my life; but on the other side of the facts was who I could be, how I could feel, and as long as I had words for that, images for that, stories for that, then I wasn’t lost.” I think that this memoir is particularly special for fans of Winterson, but is a great read for pretty much anyone with a beating heart. It’d be difficult not to be interested in and moved by her story and her writing of it. Recommended by Jude, January 2013

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