Staff Choices
Posted by Uncle Will on 01/21/11
Being born and raised in Chicago, a true Chicago sports fanatic leans early in life to treasure the rare occasions that thier sports teams win any championships. Case in point: The Chicago Cubs. Enough said.
This new book chronicles the Bear season of 1985 and the Super Bowl win against the New England Patriots. It is in the first person narrative Da Coach, Mike Ditka. It also dedicates, at the beginning of about every chapter, a page or two with several selected stars of the squad sharing some of their personal recollections.
The book is co-written by the award winning columnist from the Sun-Times, Rick Telander. The layout of the book is set to enhance a quick-read; displaying thin columns and a lot of pictures. There are also a great many small, shaded areas that have former players perceptions of past games that season.
It is the 25th anniversary of the last time a NFL world championship was won by Chicago. A die-hard fanatic's worse nightmare is that it will be another 25 years or longer till that goal is again achieved.
". . .Includes a bonus audio Compact disc featuring an exclusive interview with Mike Ditka that provides even more memories from the truly golden era of Chicago football. . ."
Posted by cclapper on 01/21/11
The Tales of the City are back.
And Mary Ann, one of the central threads in these interwoven stories, has returned to San Francisco.
Things happen, as we have come to expect in this wonderful series by Armistead Maupin. Lots and lots of things. Things involving a wide and wonderful spectrum of humanity, interacting in remarkable ways.
Mouse never left, but Michael Tolliver's life is still evolving. Other characters from the original books show up again, too, including some of my favorites. (Bet they're your favorites, too.) With interesting new tangents.
Back. All the love you loved is back.
Posted by mingh on 01/21/11
Gunn's Golden Rules : life's little lessons for making it work is a wonderful book for fans of Project Runway. Although there is a good deal about Tim Gunn's personal life and his family, there is also a great deal of dish about the fashion industry. He knows everyone and has some strong opinions about people in the industry and about the industry itself.
But Gunn also comments on basic manners and etiquette. How you treat service staff such as at restaurants, emailing thank you notes, dressing appropriately, everything comes to his attention and he has an opinion about it
The real appeal will be to fans of Project Runway. You learn more about how the whole process works, how Tim doesn't like that the producers make it seem like he only shows up one time per project to help the designers, and about working with specific designers from past seasons. Its interesting to know that many in the industry were against the show because they felt it took the glamour away. Gunn's argument was that it was necessary to show what the industry is really like.
This is a light, fun read for fans of Tim Gunn and/or Project Runway
Posted by Uncle Will on 01/21/11
Virgil Flowers does not look like a Homicide Investigator. He does not dress like one. He surely does not act like one; however, he is one of the most successful case-closers in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCI).
In this latest installment, four recent murders in a small rural community have led to Virgil being called in to investigate. At the center of the investigation is a church group that was founded in Germany over a hundred years ago and has migrated to the Midwest. The children are all home schooled; the young girls marry older men and there are whispers of social taboos being breeched.
Virgil teams up with the attractive sheriff in hopes of solving the murders. Unfortunately, all the church members keep to themselves and all Virgil can turn up is speculation, not specifics.
This is the 4th book in this series. The nice part is that the reader does not have to read them in order. This Virgil Flowers series is a nice diversion from all the Prey novels. Virgil Flowers is a refreshing diversion from the typical mystery-book-investigator. He works against the typecast and uses his uniqueness in a way that disarms people and makes them vulnerable to his inquiries. He is a charmer and chocked- full of blarney.
Posted by Ultra Violet on 01/21/11
It was not the subject matter of this collection of shorts stories that caught my attention so much as the array of authors which are included. Some of them are old favorites of mine, while many of the others are writers who have been on my "read them someday" list for years. For example, Italo Calvino, Ursula K. LeGuin, Alice Munro, and Ray Bradbury were all familiar to me, but I also enjoyed the story by Anthony Boucher, whose work I had never read before. All of the stories included deal with libraries or librarians in some way, but with vastly differing results. There are romances, and mysteries and some stories which defy genre. With all of the novels and non-fiction books I read, I seem to forget all about short stories. It is singularly rewarding to be able to follow a story start to finish in one sitting.
Posted by Auntie Anne on 01/21/11
Newly graduated from Smith College, Kerman describes herself as a "girl looking for trouble." And, boy, did she find it! She stupidly gets involved with a woman who is a key player in an international drug trafficking ring. Wined, dined and living the high life while traveling the world with her shadey new friends, she never was directly involved in the drug deals themselves. That is, until she agreed to deliver a large cash payment for drugs. The feds eventually catch up with her, and she is indicted for drug smuggling and money laundering. She spent six years under supervision by the feds while the U.S. tried to extradite the West African drug kingpin, so that she could testify against him. Finally, 10 years after she had committed her crime, she is sentenced to 15 months in a minimum security women's federal correctional facility in Danbury, Ct.
In Orange is the New Black, Kerman tells the story of her long months in prison, relating descriptions of the other women she lived with, some funny, some sad. Very poignant and touching were the networks of "families" that were established by the women for support, advice, psuedo-mothering, and just simple items that were considered luxuries, such as toiletries and real food. Friends that she made while in prison helped her survive, cope, and come to the realization that her selfish, careless lifestyle had enabled many of these women to indulge in their drug habits which eventually landed them in jail. Along with the remorse that she felt over the pain that she had put her family and fiance through.
Kerman also offers her readers revealing insights into the criminal justice system, the reasons so many people are sent to prison, and what happens to them while incarcerated. Its no wonder a large percentage of those imprisoned end up back in prison or homeless, because the system offers them no prerelease training or help in entering mainstream economy or finding real jobs. Orange is the New Black is warmly and sympathetically written - a real eye-opener. In this Book TV interview, Piper Kerman talks about her book and the precariousness of life - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYF2cxY9VAU
Posted by Pam I am on 01/21/11
I've always been enthralled by Gregory House's quirky and misanthropic personality on the hit tv show House so I picked up this nonfiction book and began flipping through it. I quickly decided that I wanted to actually read this book rather than just flip through it. This book gives the reader an inside look into the show including insights from the actors, writers, and producers as they describe in their own words what the show means to them. This book also delves into fascinating discussions of the show's medical science and controversial ethical issues, as well as photographs from the set. This is fun reading for any House fan!!!!
Posted by cclapper on 01/21/11
Fish out of water... learn to swim!
Josh Kilmer-Purcell and his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, live in Manhattan and always took an annual apple-picking trip to upstate New York. One year they went a bit farther than usual- and bought the old "Beekman Mansion", a classic home set on several rural country acres.
They found a caretaker for the farm... who came complete with 80 happy goats. And what started as a holiday gift for the team at Martha Stewart- goat milk soap- suddenly became... well, that's just where the story begins.
An enjoyable and very honest memoir. As Mr. Kilmer-Purcell notes: "unconventional". If you are looking for rainbows and baby animals... well, they are here, along with the rest of real life on a farm. And real life in our current economy.
I like the people I met in this memoir, and I want to know how they're doing today. I hope you feel that way, too.
Posted by Uncle Will on 01/21/11
This new book in our collection chronicles the U.S. Marines in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945. The war in Europe was nearly over; just a race to see who could capture Hitler first. The Japanese Empire still occupied a lot of territorial islands and the U.S. desperately needed to capture much more real estate that would be used for B-29 re-fueling bases. All these battles were for the anticipated aerial bombings of Japan. The United States' biggest fear was that a drawn out war was imminent and many more lives would be lost if the anticipated ground invasion of Japan became a reality.
My father fought on Iwo Jima, a remote island in the Pacific West, from February 19 through March 16, 1945. 7000 Marines were killed and 20,000 were wounded, during the bloodiest battle of World War II. Unfortunately, most Americans today know more about the famously staged flag-raising incident that took place there, than the fact that on an island so small, so seemingly insignificant, so many men died fighting for world peace.
The Japanese had occupied Iwo Jima for so long that their entire occupying army was networked underground. After the Marine invasion it was discovered that all the Naval pre-invasion bombing did not even make a minuscule dent in disrupting the island defenses. The island consisted of black volcanic rock, finely ground, that made traversing difficult. The Japan forces knew that this island was integral to the defense of their homeland. They were extremely well-prepared. Suicide attacks were the nightly norm.
The chapter on Iwo Jima is just one of several examples of the sacrifices made and battles won.
There have been many books written about the war in the Pacific and this is one of the better ones; dedicated
exclusively to the final year of WWII and all the U.S. island victories that were lined-up like dominos. The
pictures are many and the writing is precise and easy to absorb. It does not read like a high school history book.
Posted by Ultra Violet on 01/21/11
You may know Chris Kimball as the host of America's Test Kitchen on PBS. This book is a very entertaining account of Kimball's journey through the Fannie Farmer cookbook to stage an authentic twelve-course 19th century supper for twelve in his Victorian brownstone. Kimball's anecdotes about his rather sketchy Boston neighborhood were interesting. But of course, the trials and tribulations he and his staff faced in recreating Victorian cookery were the most amusing parts of the book. Apparently, mock turtle soup is made by boiling a whole calf's head. Kimball tried actual turtle as well, but they are a protected species now, so that complicated matters. There were more adventures with the calves' foot jellies for dessert.
This is a must-read for foodies interested in the history of American cuisine, but it is also of interest to history buffs, in general. Kimball includes quite a bit of information on life in Boston in the late 19th century.
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