Gary Paul Nabhan, local author of Desert Terroir: Exploring the Unique Flavors and Sundry Places of the Borderlands.
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Veronica's choice.
This book left me feeling so . . . abandoned. But it is just so simple, gorgeous and strange and sad.
Rose discovers, at nine years old, that she can taste people’s feelings in the food that they make, a skill that afflicts her rather than lending her superhuman powers. Rose is overwhelmed by emotions -- too many and sometimes too mature -- disproportionate to her understanding of them. However, as she matures, she explores the boundaries of this new emotional sensitivity and ultimately has to decide how to live with it.
Aimee Bender somehow sews fantasy elements seamlessly and matter-of-factly into her story, with no trace of overwrought fairytale magic. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is not a cathartic novel by any means; its beauty lies in Bender’s observations of the mundane (and the magical as if it were commonplace), in Rose’s interactions with her family and friends, and in the way in which the author captures agitation, alienation and other underlying emotional currents with little description.
Wonderfully told and definitely deserved a much better cover (so much fluffy, happy frosting – I was expecting foofy romance).
Kate's choice.
Cheryl's choice.
"Bestselling author and National Book Awardwinner Nathaniel Philbrick ("In the Heart of the Sea"; "The Mayflower") writes a lively narrative that brushes away the cobwebs of mythology to reveal the context and realities of Custer's unexpected 1876 defeat at the hands of his Indian enemies under Sitting Bull, and the character of each leader. Judicious in his assessments of events and intentions, Philbrick offers a rounded history of one of the worst defeats in American military history, a story enhanced by his minute examination of the battle's terrain and interviews with descendants in both camps. Distinctively, too, he takes no sides. In his compelling history, Philbrick underscores the pyrrhic nature of Sitting Bull's victoryit was followed by federal action to move his tribe to a reservation." -- Publisher's Weekley
Melissa's choice.
The size and subject of this book seemed daunting at first -- but I couldn't put it down after I started reading it! Siddhartha Mukherjee does an astounding job of organizing a lot of info into an interesting, easy-to-read book. It really is a "Biography Of Cancer." I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Trudy's choice.
I almost skipped this amazing novel, fearing it would focus on a brutal kidnapping and a victimized child. Instead, it focuses on a bright, resilient 5-year-old trying to make sense of his existence. Jack spends the first 5 years of his life in captivity, alone with & protected by his very loving and very resourceful mother. Told from Jack's point of view, it is his growing awareness of the world (both in and out of captivity) that drives this unusual, wonderful book. Read it! It will surprise you.
Lynn's choice
Funny and entertaining! Extremely interesting look a how they test equipment and supplies for use in space. Did you know that the first food for astronauts was developed by veterinarians! Mary Roach does it again.
Michelle's choice
If you had told me I’d be riveted by a book about the construction of a house I wouldn’t have believed you...yet, here it is. In Bird Cloud, Annie Proulx works her literary magic by skillfully evoking a slice of Wyoming landscape. She introduces her reader to a fascinating crew of landscape-shaped characters who help her build what she hoped would be her dream house. Call me crazy, but I couldn’t put this one down!
Mitch's choice
Hey, fans of the Tales of the City series, quick trivia question. What are the first three words in the original Tales of the City? That’s right, Mary Ann Singleton. It is through her wondering eyes that we first glimpse the uninhibited we’re-not-in-Ohio-anymore world of San Francisco in the late ‘70’s. So it is only fitting that Armistead Maupin’s newest book features Mary Ann, older, wiser, and freaked out about a medical condition. After decades living back east, she returns to her dear friend Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, a gardener now married to a much-younger husband, and takes refuge in their backyard cottage.
Maupin serves us a mulligan stew of humanity in multi-character plotlines – he includes Mary Ann’s estranged daughter, Shawna, socialite DeDe Halcyon-Wilson, as well as the indefatigable Anna Madrigal. And we meet a transgendered (FtoM) gardening assistant, a young Mormon with questions, a dying junkie, and a dark presence from the past.
As always, Maupin loves poking fun at the fads of the day - for instance Mary Ann’s marriage has dissolved after she mistakenly sees her husband and her life coach having sex on Skype.
Mary Ann in Autumn is pure Maupin: his eye for irony and human foible, his irreverent wit and his innate compassion.
Jodi's choice
Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one's humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It's a credit to Suzanne Collins' skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser.
It's no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV. The State of Panem which needs to keep its tributaries subdued and its citizens complacent may have created the Games, but mindless television is the real danger, the means by which society pacifies its citizens and punishes those who fail to conform. Will its connection to reality TV, ubiquitous today, date the book? It might, but for now, it makes this the right book at the right time
What happens if we choose entertainment over humanity? In Collins' world, we'll be obsessed with grooming, we'll talk funny, and all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. When Katniss is sent to stylists to be made more telegenic before she competes, she stands naked in front of them, strangely unembarrassed. They're so unlike people that I'm no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly colored birds were pecking around my feet, she thinks. In order not to hate these creatures who are sending her to her death, she imagines them as pets. It isn't just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch.
Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.
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