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 2007

Silence of the Songbirds by Bridget Stutchbury
Nonfiction 2007
According to some estimates, songbird populations have declined by half in just the last 40 years. These migratory birds lead a fascinating double life, traveling from Canada's northern forests to Central and South America and back again. The scientific research that uncovers birds' lives is related in an accessible and entertaining manner. A list of suggestions ordinary people can follow to help ensure bird survival adds a hopeful note. Stutchbury is a biologist and professor at York University in Toronto.
Reviewed by A. Reader


Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibbn
Fiction 2005
Lilly is English by birth, but raised in Morocco and then in Ethiopia. She adapts to her surroundings despite her background and becomes a devout Muslim. As she enters adulthood in the early 1970s, political upheaval forces her to flee to London where she feels like an outsider. A beautiful story of race, religion and exile.
Reviewed by KLS


Watch Your Back! by Donald E. Westlake
Fiction 2005
Prepare to laugh out loud as you read this 12th comic escapade featuring the dour burglar John Dortmunder. Dortmunder and his delightfully quirky cohorts plan the perfect heist, but first they must contend with the gangster types who are taking over their favorite meeting place, the O.J. Bar and Grill.
Reviewed by Lucy