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What Our Staff is Reading
The following are fiction and non-fiction titles that have been read and recommended by members of our staff. The initials or pen name of the contributing staff member are noted after each review. The titles may include award winners, not-so-recent bestsellers or a new look at the classics.
October 2008
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Fiction 2008
Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking? This story is narrated by Enzo, a mixed breed dog who tells the story of the humans closest to him in a very special way. Part philosopher and part commentator, Enzo's unique perspective on life helps him tell his tale (tail?).
Reviewed by ajs
Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock
Nonfiction 2008
Written in a fast-paced engaging style, the author chronicles the improbable rise of medical quack Dr. J. R. Binkley from his beginnings in the 1920s Kansas heartland as he parlays his goat-gland rejuvenation surgery into a media empire that nearly lands him in the governor's mansion. This is a rollicking tale of greed and the American entrepreneurial spirit.
Reviewed by RLM
Dull Roar: (What I Did on My Summer Deracination 2006) by Henry Rollins
Nonfiction 2006
Get a glimpse of the inner workings of the mind of Henry Rollins, singer, actor, publisher, and spoken word artist. From April to September of 2006, Rollins kept a journal while he acted in a film, reunited the Rollins Band for a road tour, taped his Independent Film Channel TV show, and scripted his weekly L.A. radio show. Some people say Rollins should get a life-- he says, "This is it!"
Reviewed by Barbara Gordon
Exiles by Ron Hansen
Fiction 20088
Gerard Manley Hopkins gave up writing poetry when he joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1866, but when he read about the deaths of five German nuns on the ship, The Deutschland, he was moved to create an epic poem about this event. An excellent book for anyone who has been touched by the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Reviewed by Jack
Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts
Fiction 2008
When their stepmother drops dead in Walmart, Lutie and Fate decide to drive to Las Vegas in search of their father. While they do make it to Vegas, it turns out that their father is no longer alive. Fate (age 11) dreams of attending school, and his sister Lutie (age 15) dreams of becoming famous. Vegas turns out to be an inhospitable place for two runaways with dreams, but an unlikely friend whisks them away from the dangers of the city and into the world of a small town circus.
Reviewed by ajs
Pearl Diver by Jeff Talarigos
Fiction 2004
A young 19 year old woman enjoying life as a Japanese pearl diver, experiences a crushing, life altering change of fate when she is diagnosed with leprosy. Banished to a leprosarium, her name is taken away from her and she is erased from all family records. The discovery of a vaccine that is capable of containing or reversing the disease does little to alleviate the stigma she experiences in a world rendered intolerant through fear. She endures her fate by working as a medical assistant, bringing comfort to other less fortunate fellow patients/inmates on the island of Nagashima. It is a heartfelt tale that quietly reveals the bonds of humanity and community that form even in the face of hopeless isolation.
Reviewed by CP