Book Lovers

Ugly Ways
Tina McElroy Ansa

The three Lovejoy sisters (Betty, Emily, Annie Ruth) gather together in their hometown of Mulberry, Georgia after hearing of Mudear’s death.  Mudear, “That’s what I called my mother and that’s what I want my children to call me. It’s short for Mother dear.”  Throughout the years, Betty, the oldest, provided a safe shelter for her younger sisters when Mudear’s cruel words, meant to keep them from their ugly ways, took over and Poppa did nothing to stop them. Though often feeling rejected by Mudear, the Lovejoy sisters developd a strong bond that helped them through the rough times especially after Mudear’s change – when she refused to leave her room until after dark and then only to tend to her flower garden while wearing just her nightgown.  The inclusion of Mudear’s running commentary as she lay in her casket adds a bit of humor and helps the book move along at a brisk pace.  Ansa deftly captures the sisters’ emotions in realistic dialogue, expressing the pain, sadness and uncertainty bundled up with the unconditional love they all felt for their Mudear. Anyone interested in reading about the realities surrounding family life may want to pick up this recommended read.

Oct 22, 2010
Anonymous
The Year of the Flood
Margaret Atwood

I've always enjoyed Margaret Atwood's dystopian tales of the future (also see The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake) and this book is no different.  The world is divided into sterile secure compounds where people live who work for corporations and into the pleebands--crime-infested wastelands where everyone else lives.  Climate change is wreaking havoc on the earth and gene-spliced life forms like the lion/lamb are populating the landscape.  A great catastrophe hits the world and only a few survivors remain.  We see the story through the viewpoints of Ren and Toby both former members of the cult-like environmental group God's Gardeners, who have prepared and warned people of the coming devastation called "the waterless flood."

Oct 20, 2010
Kristy
Dexter is Delicious
Jeffry Lindsay

In the fifth installment of Lindsay's popular series, Dexter Morgan finally has it all.  He has perfected his domestic cover.  He is married-with a newborn daughter, no less-and finally ready to give up his dark habits and become the man he has always pretended to be.

After two less-than-stellar Dexter novels, Lindsay seems to have returned to the balance of mystery, dark humor and even-worse-than-Dexter bad guys that made his first two novels a success.  For followers of the series not ready to see Daddy Dexter turn in his knives just yet, have no fear.  In this latest installment Lindsay ups the ante by giving Dexter an honest-to-goodness emotional link to others but reminds readers that you can take the homicidal urges out of the man, but you can't take the homicidal maniacs out of Miami.

Oct 19, 2010
Anonymous
I am Not Sidney Poitier
Percival Everett

Not Sidney Poitier inherited a boatload of money from his recently-deceased mom, who smartly invested in Turner Broadcasting stock when Not Sidney was young.  After his mom’s death, Not Sidney moves onto Ted Turner’s estate (at his request) and begins learning about the price a 12 year-old pays for having an odd name, Ted Turner’s whimsical manners, and Jane Fonda’s tanning schedule.  This novel, a picaresque, eventually finds Not Sidney trying to get back to LA to put an epitaph on his mother’s grave marker, but along the way he falls in and out of love, learns about race-dodgers, gets sent to jail for being black, is suspected of a murder he didn’t commit, agrees to build a church for a group of needy sisters, and is sent into various states of confusion by his friend and college philosophy professor, Percival Everett (who, if you didn’t notice, shares the name of this book’s author). This quirky, funny book speaks volumes about race, the university scene, rural Southern law, and money. If you’re looking for something a bit unusual, smart but unpretentious, and laugh out loud funny, you wouldn’t do bad picking this up.

Oct 19, 2010
Anonymous
The Anthologist
Nicholson Baker

Paul Chowder can’t write the introduction to his anthology on rhyming poetry. It is not that he hasn’t tried (he has a barn dedicated to working on it), nor is it that he doesn’t have the knowledge (he is a widely published poet and was a college professor), nor is it that Paul doesn’t like the subject matter (he loves rhyming poetry and wants to convince you why it should matter to everyone). Paul is suffering from what we call “too much time on his hands,” since his girlfriend left him and he quit his job teaching. This sometimes funny, very entertaining book is not just for the poet in your life, but for anyone who likes to see a person pull their life back together and continue doing what they do best. Baker peppers the book with relevant pop culture references (mainly to songs and famous poets) that keep this book from venturing too far into the cerebral world. Check it out- and you may start enjoying rhyming poetry again yourself.

Oct 19, 2010
Anonymous
Fallen Angels
Walter Dean Myers

This Vietnam War-era novel follows a young man, Richard Perry, and his regiment throughout their tour of duty. This book is not for the faint of heart or queasy of stomach- even though Myers does not go in graphic detail of injuries and death, the sheer brutality of some scenes and the enormity of deaths is not to be taken lightly. Myers depicts the role of soldiers Vietnam War in the most accessible way, which is good as soldiers and their families and friends who want an accurate account are treated to something closely resembling the long lulls of inactivity and the short bursts of intense and harrowing action. The bonds that are created between the young men because of their survival and having witnessed others’ deaths is stronger than friendship or family, it seems. But the story isn’t all war and death and misery, as the men, in particular Pee Wee, use humor to deflect many of the war’s horrors and illogical tactical maneuvers. A must read for those interested in an accessible yet honest account of what it was like to fight in Vietnam. Note: Myers wrote an equally engaging follow-up book depicting the central character’s nephew in Iraq called "Sunrise over Fallujah".  

Oct 19, 2010
Anonymous
Predictably Irrational
Dan Ariely

You might think Economics is boring, but in Predictably Irrational Dan Ariely proves that it is anything but.  He introduces readers to the field of Behavioral Economics which tells us lots of interesting facts about human nature.  Ariely shows us how too many options can distract us from our main objective, how we are more likely to enjoy doing something for free but are less likely to enjoy doing it when you are getting paid and how the price of things can distort our preception of their efficacy.  He also explains how procrastination works, how our expectations affect the way we value things and what we can do about the tendency many people have to be dishonest.

Oct 13, 2010
Kristy
Popco by Scarlett Thomas
PopCo
Scarlett Thomas

Alice Butler works in the Ideation and Design department for a toy company called PopCo. When she becomes part of an elite team working on a secret project during a company retreat, Alice begins to realize things might not be exactly as they seem with the company. In addition to the mysterious happenings at PopCo, Alice's personal life is far from boring too. She lived with her very un-stereotypical grandparents for most of her life, and her family has been harboring secrets of their own that she has yet to discover.

If you like ciphers, mysteries, and mathematical puzzles, don't wait one more minute to pick up this book. But seriously, even if ciphers don't seem to be the most interesting topic in the world, give PopCo a try anyway! It's alternately suspenseful and hilarious--an all-around good time.

Oct 4, 2010
Anonymous
Earth (the Book): a Visitor's Guide to the Human Race
Jon Stewart

Earth (the Book): a Visitor's Guide to the Human Race is written as a primer on human civilization for the alien races who come to Earth in the future.  Using the same wry humor as on the Emmy-winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Stewart uses the classic textbook format to ponder the human race.  He tries to explain earth life by describing earth, life, man, the life cycle, society, commerce, religion and culture. 

Recommended for anyone who has ever watched the Daily Show.  Also recommended:  America (the Book): a Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction.

Oct 4, 2010
Susan
LEGO: a Love Story
Jonathan Bender

Jonathan is approaching 30 when he rediscovers LEGO.  As a journalist, he discovers that there is a whole subculture of adult LEGO lovers (AFOL-Adult Fans of LEGO) who are very passionate about something that many people think of as children's toys.  He makes friends with some of the collectors/builders he finds at LEGO conventions and exhibitions to understand the love some people have for the tiny plastic brick.  As he begins to understand the joy and passion, his longing to share the experiences of building something with his own child also grows.  

Recommended for any adult who has seen LEGO art or built something themselves.

Oct 2, 2010
Susan

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