by kim on January 10, 2012
The Art of Fielding – by Chad Harbach
A baseball star at a small college near Lake Michigan launches a routine throw that goes disastrously off course and inadvertently changes the lives of five people, including the college president, a gay teammate, and the president’s daughter.
Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil – by Tom Mueller
Expanding on his article in The New Yorker an olive oil expert uncovers corruption in the food industry, from ancient times to the present, and describes the lax rules that permit fake and even toxic foods into the United States.
Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope – by Gabrielle Gifffords and Mark Kelly
Congresswoman Giffords and her astronaut husband recount her early years, their marriage, the assassination attempt that left her gravely wounded and took the lives of six others, and her rehabilitation.
by kim on November 23, 2011
Eva Braun: Life with Hitler – by Heike B. Gortemaker
A comprehensive portrait of Hitler’s long-time mistress discusses the bourgeois existence she shared with him out of the public eye, her role as his trusted confidante, and their double suicide two days after their marriage.
Damned – by Chuck Palahniuk
Abandoned at a Swiss boarding school while her billionaire parents pursue the adoptions of new children during the Christmas season, 11-year-old Madison dies from a drug overdose and arrives in Hell, where she forges Breakfast Club-style friendships with other dead youths and seeks a confrontation with Satan.
A Dark and Lonely Place – by Edna Buchanan
A first work of romantic suspense by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Corpse Had a Familiar Face recounts Miami detective John Ashley’s murder investigation of a woman who he recognizes as a figure from recurring dreams before realizing that their ancestors were outlaws who shared love and violent deaths.
by kim on October 26, 2011
Columbus: The Four Voyages – by Laurence Bergreen
The award-winning author of Over the Edge of the World chronicles the lesser-known voyages of Columbus after his famous 1492 landfall in the Americas, explaining how they reflected Columbus’s uncanny navigational skills before taking an extreme toll on his health and personal circumstances.
Tides of War – by Stella Tillyard
A tale set in Regency England and Spain during the Peninsular War follows the interwoven stories of love and betrayal that shape the marriage of Harriet and James, who are separated when James joins the Duke of Wellington’s troops and endure respective exposures to violence, friendship and passion.
Secret Daughter – by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Interweaving the stories of a Kavita, an orphan; Somer, the American doctor who adopted her; and Asha, the Indian mother who gave her up in favor of a son, a debut novel moves between two families–one struggling to survive in the slums of Mumbai, the other grappling to forge a cohesive family despite their diverging cultural identities.
