Virtual Staff Recommends Shelf

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Pete S. recommends:

The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes

"I guess curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to read the novel that beat out my beloved Sisters Brothers for the 2011 Man Booker prize, and am pleased to report that Julian Barnes is a well-deserving award winner. Congratulations!

The late scholar Joseph Campbell once said something to the effect of 'If you look back upon your life, you will see that it played out just as it should have.' However, I don't recommend you bringing up this tidbit at cocktail parties, and if you do please blame Joseph Campbell and not me. The reason I write that is because I'm afraid you will encounter much resistance, such as 'I was certainly on the road to becoming a cowboy if not for being deathly afraid of horses.' Or, 'I know I would have been a ballerina if not for my two left feet.' "

The Sense of an Ending is not about what could have been or what might have been, it's about a man, Tony Weber, who thought he knew exactly who he was, but then is confronted with evidence of a nasty act in his past that makes him reconsider everything. What he did was laughably childish, and could have been easily forgiven if not for the prophetic and tragic consequences for those who stirred his brief and unexpected wrath. Tony's mystery plays out until the final pages and I believe you will savor every word of it. His nemesis, Veronica, constantly chides him with 'You don't get it and you never will.' Once Tony accepts that he's the real villain in this little mystery, he starts getting it real fast and so do you."

Smut by Alan Bennett

"Pssst! Wanna read some Smut?
I thought as much. It was obvious to me. But please consider that this smut is not wrapped in dark plastic, hidden behind the check out counter, or tucked beneath some teenager's mattress. No, the smut of note is easily accessible, more specifically located in the new paperback fiction section. Smut by Alan Bennett , consists of two novellas. And while not nearly as lustful as the title suggests, both stories are humorous, intriguing, and highly entertaining. In the first story, the person one would expect least likely to engage in voyeurism (the prim widow Mrs. Donaldson) suddenly can't get enough when the opportunity presents itself. In the second, Graham, the perfect banker son, is perhaps not all that he seems. Yes, his fingernails are exceptionally clean, but what does that prove exactly? Read this funny little book and you'll find out all his secrets -- and more!"

Pete's Favorite Reads of 2011:

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Joel B. Recommends:

Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron

"To put it simply, Running the Rift is one of the most riveting, unforgettable books that I have ever read. While the plot develops slowly, it progresses to an immensely captivating, shocking, and awe-inspiring apex as it nears its end, full of love, horror, hope, and sadness—in a word: bittersweet. It is centered on the fictional life of Jean Patrick, a gifted runner full of bounding enthusiasm, extraordinary intelligence and naïve innocence. Jean Patrick lives in a Rwanda on the verge of civil war, rife with racial tension between the country’s two main ethnic groups, Hutus and Tutsis. Born a Tutsi under Hutu rule, Jean Patrick’s only chance for social and economic mobility is to perform at the very top of his class and receive extraordinary marks on standardized tests—which he does. But when Hutu-Tutsi tensions escalate throughout the novel, his extraordinary intelligence and athleticism may no longer be adequate to redeem him in the eyes of Rwandan authorities.

In Running the Rift, Jean Patrick attends a school in Burundi as he trains for the Olympics as a track runner. As Rwandan politicians turn Jean Patrick into a poster child of Tutsi success as a façade to placate the human rights demands of Western nations that provide humanitarian aid for Rwanda, Jean Patrick strives to ignore the politics and simply focus on running. He soon learns, however, that it is impossible to remain apolitical when he is running as an Olympian for his country. When Hutu President Habyarimana is assassinated and Hutus respond with a much-anticipated Tutsi genocide, Jean Patrick is forced to run for his life as he flees his homeland, with hope as his only sustenance for both his own life and the lives of those whom he loves.

Naomi Benaron has crafted a beautiful, riveting work of historical fiction that simultaneously warns us of the dangers of passively allowing societal discontent to fester and reminds us not to take for granted our most prized passions and human bonds. This captivating novel also raises difficult and compelling questions for the privileged Western reader, particularly with respect to the rightful place of humanitarian aid in foreign policy. Benaron’s writing—full of meticulous care, childlike innocence, and an enrapturing buildup to the novel’s end—powerfully paints the passion and naiveté of Jean Patrick’s lovable, noble character on every single page of this amazing book."

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Jackie B. Recommends:

Ghost Buddy: Zero to Hero by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver

"Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver have had a smashing success with their Hank Zipper series (17 books!), but now they are trying out a new series called Ghost Buddy. It stars Billy Broccoli, eleven gong on twelve, about to start junior high, and moving into a big new house with his mother and his new step-dad and step-sister who is a year older than him. And to top it all off, his new bedroom is haunted! By the 14 year old spirit of Hoover Porterhouse, a student ghost who has failed to "move up" because he hasn't been very good at helping people (a MUST for moving up). At first it seems like a terrible thing to be roomies with a ghost, but it does seem that 'The Hoove' could help him gain some confidence (including some 'Fonzieish' type social coaching), and maybe get even with the next door bully who has made his life miserable since his toe first hit the ground at the new house. This story moves along nicely, has plenty of humor and even a good lesson or two thrown in. I don't see any reason why this series won't be just as successful as their first."

Jackie also recommends:

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

"I am amazed at this book. It's topics are sooooo 'right now'—religious fundamentalism, women's rights, reproductive rights, the struggle to manage crime and the situation in prisons, the roll of technology in controlling people and the privacy issues that go along with that. When She Woke is going to create a stir—I foresee outrage countered by admiration for the sublime way all of these volatile elements are joined to create a love story as well as a page-turning thriller. The author's exploration of what it means to be 'good,' and the many roles that God can take in people's lives, is brilliant. A great deal of philosophy, theology and social science are included in here, but it doesn't seem preachy or didactic. It is an amazing book that is impossible to put down."

Among Jackie's Favorite Reads of 2011:

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Cathy's Favorite Reads of 2011:

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Joe Recommends:

The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb, order or add it to your wish list here:

"This is a novel where nothing is as it seems. Following three characters whose lives are linked through deceit, failed trust, and crime. There is Margot, a woman who knows how to use her beauty and men's desire to get ahead in life. But has her luck run out? She fell (or was she pushed?) down a staircase and is recuperating in a hospital, visited by a man who may be helping her, just as he may be falling in love with her. Then there is the Lawrence, the man who teaches Margot how to read faces. After his marriage is nearly ruined, does he realize that she doesn't really need the lessons, and he's the one being played. And finally, there's John Potash, who, in an effort to increase his sizable nest egg, ends up losing everything to Margot's deceit. This novel is a thriller, and an excellent one at that. Gottlieb tells the story from differing points of view, and as the characters' lives further entangle, the pages really start to fly by. As much as I loved Now You See Him, I loved The Face Thief more. Eli Gottlieb continues to thrill the reader with his writing - crisp, thick with meaning and light on the eye. I was fascinated by the passages about face reading, entranced by Dan France's bedside manner, and rooting for each of the characters to sort the mess their lives had become and somehow get it right. I enjoyed this book more and more as I read, and was a little sad when it ended. Not disappointed in the ending in the least, but to leave these characters behind."

Joe also recommends:

Arcadia by Lauren Groff

(coming in March, available for preorder or add it to your wish list here)

"As I devoured the final 150 pages of Arcadia, unable to put it down, unwilling to leave the fantastic & beautiful world that Lauren Groff created, a storm was coming in. On high winds and ever-darkening skies, it seemed tailor-made to the darkening world of Bit Stone, the main character in this amazing novel. Bit was raised in a utopian world, a commune in upstate New York, with his parents and their fellow utopians, eager for the hard work necessary to create an ideal world; a world without anger, or jealousy, or corporations, or greed or any of the other things that seem prevalent in our modern world. But cracks seeped slowly in to their world. Egos, overpopulation, starvation, the clash between the world Outside and the world of the Arcadians finally drove the utopians out into the world. As Bit and his friends and family age in the world Outside, mostly New York City, Lauren brings the story back to Arcadia, as the world around become a nightmare of contagion and disease. As Bit's parents grow old and sick, Bit returns to Arcadia, long-abandoned but still idyllic and beautiful, where he finally achieves something of a breakthrough: the ability to slow down and really see the world around him.

I don't think I've read a novel quite like this before. Lauren Groff's writing is down-to-earth, immediate, and catchy. Once I was snared into the storyline, I didn't want to leave it. This is a poetic novel -- not because of fancy words or confusing plot-lines -- but because of the simplistic beauty Groff brings to the page. Her prose is spare: the words she choses perfectly bring the world of the Arcadians alive. Within the novel, Bit and his daughter, Grete, play a game in which they name beautiful things they have seen, memories of perfect beauty to them. This book is full of beautiful things, touching characters, tales both great and small... whole lives are contained in these sweet pages. Lauren Groff shows her readers the joy and melancholy of life through not only her writing, but through her characters. "Arcadia" takes place in the past, present and future, which somehow made the book all the more real, all the more immediate, to me. This is a book filled with a lingering, haunting beauty. It was a book whose energy felt to me to be affecting the weather outside my window as I read it. One of those rare books that is so much more than a story: but rather, a living, pulsing force."

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Judy's Favorite Young Adult Reads of 2011:

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Lynn F. Recommends:

News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media by Juan Gonzalez and Joseph Torres

"The history of how media in this country has systematically excluded (and occasionally learned from) voices of color is nearly dizzying in its ambition, but its stories give rich context to a history long neglected in the body politic. From the earliest publications during colonial times that spawned both racist mob violence and the abolitionist movement to the current debates over net neutrality's open sourcing vs privatization of the internet, there has been a steady tug of war between the status quo's consolidation and maintenance of power and advantage via media control and the muscular insistence on being heard, not just herded, by the disenfranchised or exploited people whose narratives belie the 'manifest destiny' secured by economic and often violent force. Whether consciously on our radar screens or not, this contest between centralized news that empowers the few vs. localized news with the potential to empower the many permeates our lives as we take in or filter advertising images, group stereotypes and biases that can leave us better or worse informed/equipped to navigate the shared (or not!) realities of our lives as passive or participatory citizens. History and media buffs will appreciate the scholarship and scope of this engaging resource as well as the dedication displayed by so many who refused to be silenced when informing the public of news when it most mattered."

Lynn also recommends:

The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality by Richard Heinberg

"That what is covered in this book isn't daily fare in the news both is and isn't in the least astonishing. Quarterly profits and political attention to election cycles trump the seemingly quaint calls for consideration of the next 7 generations. But fortunately, even for those whose eyes glaze over at the idea of reading an economics book, there are pleasant surprises to be found in "The End of Growth". Sure it has lots of charts and graphs and the thesis might appear initially too pessimistic to appeal to any but dyed-in-the-wool Cassandras, but I assure you this is no tedious "dismal science" text, nor is it a rant intent on assigning blame and stoking the fires of outrage against Wall Street. Instead, Heinberg offers up a Jared Diamond-like whirlwind tour of economic history, helping the reader make sense of the maddening crescendo of housing and other bubbles, shadow banks, derivatives, mortgage-backed securities, debt cycles, and human addiction psychology, connecting the dots we need to connect if we are ever to move beyond the fiscal obsession with what is fast becoming an archaic idea of "stability" within highly dysfunctional systems designed during a truly extraordinary (and brief...it is coming to a close now) period of fossil-fuel abundance and the tremendous consumption that such easy abundance has spawned.

There are no simplistic answers presented alongside the plethora of weighty dilemmas arising in this book, but somehow Heinberg makes it all so fascinating as to be more invigoratingly challenging than demoralizing, since his concluding chapters investigate sustainability initiatives (ex: Transition Towns may be familiar to some since both Boulder and Denver have very active groups) that are developing resilience to face the realities of ecological limits. The manner in which we re-skill may actually be a welcome change for those who have understandably lost trust in the accelerating treadmill of modern economic life, however reluctant we may be to step outside our comfort or even discomfort (yet familiar) zones. Readers might like to explore further by visiting websites mentioned in the book or by brainstorming with family, friends and neighbors to plan for the adventure ahead.

This book is a valuable signpost to weather the coming months and years and a clear-eyed reality check that isn't afraid to deconstruct the enourmous elephant in the room: the geopolitical and economic ramifications of peak oil, climate change and the likelihood that real change is more likely to occur at the grassroots than from top-down management. Overcoming our learned helplessness and urban isolationism/anonymity presents a big challenge for those of us habituated to electronic communications outpacing our flesh-and-blood ones. We may have lived alongside others for years without ever really having essential conversations acknowledging the ecosystem we share, but Heinberg's book could prove a useful catalyst for rethinking prior expectations/entitlements for the sake of generations including and beyond our own."