A few weeks ago I asked MillersTime readers to recommend some of the books they have enjoyed the most so far this year.

Here are the results:

Lydia Hill Slaby:

“The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss -- just lovely

"Dead Aid" by Dambisa Moyo

"The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey Sachs

"The Elusive Quest for Growth" by William Easterly (where I first, to my horror, truly grokked "gendercide" -- finished it about a week before the Economist came out with that cover article.)

"Half the Sky" by Nick Kristof and his wife

"Guns Germs and Steel" by Jarid Diamond

"When Everything Changed..." by Gail Collins

Oh, and "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer -- fantastic storyteller

Also on my bedside table are the entire Percy Jackson series (recently finished, highly entertaining), and at least once every 6-8 months I reread either the Harry Potter series or the Twilight series.  Currently on book 5 of Harry Potter.  Thinking about starting up on the Chronicles of Narnia next.  And at least once I year I reread my favorite all-time book from 7th grade, "The Blue Sword" by Robin McKinley.  Annie calls it "that book of yours." It's traveled with me to both Hawaii and New Zealand when Annie was with me. Go to authors in airports are PD James and Robert Parker (his death is a true loss to airplane entertainment worldwide).

Kevin Curtin:

I recently read a book by Irvin Yalom called Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death.  I almost went to see him deliver a talk about it up at Johns Hopkins (but instead took Aaron to the Yankee/O's game).

 

It's not a book I would recommend for beach week (not a page turner) but it is very interesting, thought provoking, and in the end, positive and helpful. Yalom provides a perspective of death anxiety that allows us to have a kind of rebirth or transcendence into a more fulfilling life, especially with those who we are most intimately connected with.  He primarily uses case examples to make this point.  I found it helpful personally and professionally.

Josh Goldstein:

Actually about three quarters done but highly recommend Helene Cooper's House on South Beach is wonderful. Though two years old I haven't done a huge amount of reading since kids came along. A good trade off but sure is nice to read a good one now and again.

I just finished and highly recommend Under Heaven by Guy Kay, was a wonderful read. A historical novel set in Tang dynasty China.

Elliott Trummold:

Matterhorn, Karl Marlantes. The fact it was written over 30 years gave writer time to digest, dissect, feel,, and begin to understand his Vietnam experience. It’s an excellent read with troubling insights that have univsersal application.

If you are interested in Winston Churchill, read Nicholson Baker’s Human Smoke and Paul Johnson’s Winston Churchill. The latter is short, beautifully written, less than 200 pages, and revealing more of the man than history. But Human Smoke is deeply troubling and leaves any Churchill lover stunned. How do you justify warring on civilians? This is more than a pacifist’s argument, although pacifist Baker is. I suggest you read a review or two of the book before plunging in. You will come away asking questions not only about Churchill the man, about Churchillian policies, about the so-called  Good War, but also about what happened in Iraq and is happening in Afghanistan.

And for sheer fun and escape there is another Jack Reacher novel out. I love them. They do not rise to the level of literature, but oh how they can make your day -- Lee  Child,  61 Hours (not yet in paperback). Go back and read his first ones -- like The Killing Floor. I read the first 20 pages sitting down with a cup of World Cup coffee and then had to go home so left it on the reshelve cart. Will wait for the paperback and then start the book all over. I admit you have to like Reacher to like any of  Child’s books.

Finally, I am 1/3 of the way through what is turning out to be a creative and fascinating way to look at life: try Dan Ariely, Predicatably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. Might be an interesting choice for some book clubs/ It should be -- but I can also see some refusing to read more than 300 pages about our predictable irrationality. 

Kathleen Kroos:

1) Dream When You’re Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg

 

The story of strong women, love, and WWII

 

2) The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan

 

Historical fiction about Royalty in India

 

3) The Help by Kathryn Stockett

 

            Heart breaking story about Southern families and their help in the 1960’s in the south.

 

David Stang:

(1) What is God by Jacob Needleman: reflections on his lifelong professoral quest for the Divine;

(2) The Divine Life of Animals by Ptolemy Tompkins: the authors quest for understanding the animal soul;

(3) Consciousness Explained Better by Allan Combs: the best book ever written on the topic.

Judy White:

Country Driving by Peter Hessler -- The third book by the author about life in China, this one about the villages along the Great Wall and the towns being created by industrial development, virtually overnight, in the south.  Because he is fluent in Chinese and knows the culture he is able to get to know ordinary people well, and he's an excellent writer.

 

Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- Story of her life by a Somali woman who lives through incredible difficulties before settling in the Netherlands where she becomes a member of Parliament.  Both Mike & I read this straight through because it's such a gripping story. She has a newer book out, Nomad, which I haven't read yet.

 

River of Doubt, by Candace Millard.  Story of the very dangerous and difficult (foolhardy?) exploration of a previously unknown river in Brazil by Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the 1912 election for the presidency, with his son Kermit and others.  TR is a larger than life character and it's a fascinating story.

Ellen Miller:

City of Thieves,  David Benioff

Island Beneath the Sea, Isabel Allende

Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese

Broken for You,  Stephanie Kallos

The House at Riverton,  Kate Morton

Let the Great World Spin,  Colum McCann

 

Mary Lincer:

Willie Mays:  The Life, The Legend by James S. Hirsch (and authorized by The Say Hey Kid) reads nicely.  I'm 3/4 through and not hurrying.

 

Lots to learn about racial situations that he underwent (that I knew nothing about) and inside the park homers.  Lots to learn--big and small--like who else cares that the Lincer family sat in the section preferred by John McGraw and family or what the wrecking crew wore when they tore down the Polo Grounds.

 

Not great literature, but great. Since Mays was on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" in January when the book was published, YouTubers (aka NetPotatoes) can probably watch that interview which was genial and fun.  (or maybe it's on Comedy Central's website)  Stewart's studio audience are young enough to be Mays' great grandchildren, but they also may be descended from New Yorkers who taught them how to root.

Ellen Shapira:

I just finished a book I liked called The Glass Room by Simon Mawer.  It gives an interesting perspective on pre WW II life in Prague, dealing with art and architecture, politics, anti semticism and rise of Nazi era.

 

Stephanie Limb:

Not a new read but new to me; Elegance of the Hedgehog. Perfect in every way.

Also Solar by Ian McKewan. Not emotionally charged like some of his other works but intellectually challenging and well-crafted.

Leslie Kleinberg:

I'm in the middle right now of The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan

Didion. I'm sure you've read it, yes? Really good stuff. I will

probably read it again as soon as I finish!

Richard Miller:

Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese. Started a bit slowly but once it got going, I was hooked - Ethiopia, Eritrea, India, medicine, surgery, family, love, loyalty, betrayal, suspense, life lessons. It’s got it all.

Broken for You,  Stephanie Kallos. Good on both plot and character portrayal.

Tiffany Lopez:

The Help was a wonderful book, and I would recommend it to almost anyone.  Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the segregated 1960's, the story is a well written page turner, and the characters are dynamic and well developed.  I was sad to finish the book, as I would have been happy following the characters the rest of their lives.

I also read "Let the Great World Spin", which I would recommend.  The short stories are nicely inter-twined, each one adding insight to the previous story.  I felt as if it started a little slow, but by the end, it was one of the best books I had read in a long time.  

Alice Munro's "Too Much Happiness" is another good book.  The short stories are a bit sobering, but very interesting, nonetheless.  Munro is one of Canada's literary gems, and I would recommend checking her out if you haven't before.  This specific collection of stories was very serious and realistic, but I found it unique, exciting, and a change of pace from a usual novel.  Each story is unrelated.

My yoga interest led me across "Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit", which was a nice collection of stories, each with a lesson behind it, similar to "The Tortoise and the Hare".  The collection was a welcomed change of pace, a very light read, and it was nice to reflect on how these stories still teach valuable lessons, even as we "chronologically mature."

Kate Latts:

Two of my favorite books of the year have been:

 

Molokai by Alan Brennert

Hotel on Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

 

I know they have been popular among many but I liked neither Reliable Wife nor Little Bee.

 

Suzaane Stier:

Book list – 2010

The Diary of Mary Berg:                 Mary Berg – ed. by  Susan Pentlin

Growing up in the Warsaw Ghetto

Mary Berg came from a wealthy family in Germany.

At age 15, the Germans force her family into the

Warsaw Ghetto and she starts a diary. This story is

exceptional in that she is a survivor and an eyewitness

of life in the Ghetto….not what you see in the movies.

She and her family were rescued through a prisoner exchange.

It is also a commentary on how money, networking, chance and who

you know may save your life

Songs for the Butcher’s DaughterPeter Manseau

A young man who has a degree in

language takes a job in the Yiddish

Archives…He becomes involved with a

Woman who has become a B’al Teshuva

who also works in the warehouse. The adventure

of finding the author of a book the woman holds

to be sacred, their intertwined lives and the man’s

relationship to “The Last Yiddish Poet” is the basis for

this lovely story.

IndignationPhilip Roth

A short book by Philip Roth. Reading between

the lines, it is a book about the ‘50’s…the way

the social conventions worked…and the toll they

took on young people….The story has a surprise ending

I didn’t particularly like it…then I heard a lecture about

it. I heard a lecture about it and was then able to

appreciate the “understory”.

The LacunaBarbara Kingslover

I had a hard time getting into the book…and I

stuck with it, and was glad I did. She uses an interesting

convention of a diary…to narrate the story. There is history

that you might not know….and half way through

the book, you read of the terrible consequences of the

hunt for Communists had on personal lives. There are

similarities to what is happening today…Well written and

certainly worthwhile plowing through the beginning.

True Compass              Edward Kennedy

A bit of a view into the life and times of

Edward Kennedy. Parts of his life are

whitewashed…like the parts about

his father. Yet, it is a poignant story about

a man, his father, his brothers and his children.

He does give some insight into some of the

politicals we know.

Master Butchers Singing Club            Louise Erdrich

A very well written book…about a German

immigrant who was a sharp shooter in WWI

and found love and community in America. There

are surprises galore…I couldn’t put it down.

New York  Edward Rutherfurd

Edward Rutherfurd is a gifted

Researcher and writer. His books

track the history of family and place

through centuries…a fascinating way

to learn history in novel form. New York is

such a book…you will learn and relearn history

of the revolution, the civil war and perhaps be

as fascinated by the story line as I was. A worthwhile

read.

Important Artifacts and Personal           Leanne Shapton

Property from the Collection of

Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris,

Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry.        

Written as if it were a catalogue at an auction,

With pictures and explanations of each object,

You follow the romance and final break up of this

couple. Very intriguing and ingenious. A quick and different

kind of read.

The HelpKathryn Stockett

A well written book about the racial divide in the

South, with the poignant story of three women, how their

lives intersect and the secrets they hold. A worthwhile

read. It gives insight into the lives/feelings/ of the oppressed.

RashiElie Wiesel

This is one of a series of books published by Schocken Press

on the lives of Jews who have had a great impact on our world…

both religious and secular. 12 have been published so far all written

by different authors. This is the third I’ve read. Rashi was the penultimate

Jewish Talmudic scholar in the middle ages. His interpretations  and

commentaries are an integral part of today’s Talmud.

There isn’t much that is known about his life yet Wiesel , who is a

descendant of Rashi’s  “proves a consummate guide who enables us

to appreciate both he lucidity of Rashi’s writings and tumultuous

world in which they were formed. “

SotahNaomi Ragen

This is a fascinating book….a look into a culture

that is foreign to most of us, abhorrent  to many of us,

particularly liberal Jews…and those of us who are

horrified when we read and hear about religious

“fundamentalists”….This story takes place in Israel, in the

black hat world. It is the story of constriction and restriction and

of those who take it upon themselves to “monitor’ the “correct”

behavior of others. The beginning chapters of the book made me,

a liberal, feminist Jew very angry….the middle was sad and the ending

brought a “shift”….It is a worthwhile read….not great literature, yet a

story that opened my eyes to the spiritual joy of living in a particular way.

The Elegance of the HedgehogMuriel Barbery

This is a fascinating book that deserves another

read…it is full of philosophy..(that’s the second read)

and the story about class differences and the belief in what

we see is what is real (which it often isn’t) It is the story of

two souls finding each other…a youngster and an oldster…

America Lightning:           Howard Blum

“Terror, Mystery and the Birth of Hollywood”

This is a narrative history, written by a reporter…reporting

on a class war between Labor and Management at the turn of

the 20th century. Blum writes it as a journalist…He’s done extensive

research into the case…and the confluence of William Burns, a world

famous detective (and the first head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation),

Clarence Darrow, and D.W. Griffith. A well written and researched easy to read

book which will give you a picture of history and see how, in our day and time,

history is sort of repeating itself.

The Well and the MineGin Phillips

A lovely book about a mining town in 1931.

you get a sense of rural life in a poor community, and

Some suspense added in.  A very enjoyable read.

Have a little FaithMitch Albom

By this time, all of you have probably read this little book.

It’s a true story, by the man who wrote Tuesdays with Morrie.

His Rabbi asked him to do a eulogy for him when he, the Rabbi died.

Albom reluctantly sets about the task of finding out about the Rabbi’s life. Along the way, he meets an African American Pastor..the book is the story of Albom and his relationship to the two.

The Year of FogMichelle Richmond

This one you will get caught up in. Well written, the story of

two people who are about to get married, when the daughter

of the man disappears, while on an outing with his fiancé. You spend

the time searching for the daughter, after everyone, including the police, have given up hope..

Empowered JudaismRabbi Elie Kaunfer

You don’t have to be Jewish to like this book.

If you have any involvement in a religious institution,

you will learn something from this book. It really is about a generation who has no loyalty to an institution or a denomination and wants their religion on their own terms, and for it to be authentic.

The Age Curve: How to profit from the Coming Demographic Storm                                                                                Kenneth Grombech

Ultimately a marketing book…and since reading it,

I see through a different lens….looking at the demographics

of age cohorts. This book has many different applications..

Devotion: A Memoir      Kenneth Grombech

One woman’s search for meaning and

Spirituality. Written by the woman who wrote

Black and White, Family History and Slow Motion plus

some other. Each of our journeys is unique, as is Dani’s. At points

in the book I wanted to say “grow up already”….Sometimes it

seems as if she has a black cloud over her head…yet overall, I

sympathized with her…and was astounded as to how vulnerable

she made herself in writing this book.

South of BroadPat Conroy

The Space Between UsUmrigar Thrity

And while you can find published lists of books on your own, I think these five from NPR, may be also be of interest to some of you.

http://n.pr/bYBnQY

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I will ask again towards the end of 2010, and I hope we will have as extensive a list as we did last year.  So please jot down somewhere what you are reading, and hopefully you’ll remember where you put the list.