Books to Know – TOP 10 LIST – May 2013
Amazon.com Widgets
1. The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth
by Mark Mazzetti
At the heart of this book is the story of two proud and rival entities, the CIA and the American military, elbowing each other for supremacy. The CIA, created as a Cold War espionage service, is now more than ever a paramilitary agency ordered by the White House to kill off America’s enemies—in the mountains of Pakistan and [...]
Books to Know – TOP 10 LIST – April 2013
Amazon.com Widgets
1. The New Jewish Table: Modern Seasonal Recipes for Traditional Dishes
by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray, March 2013
The New Jewish Table explores the melding of two different cooking cultures, seasonal American and Eastern-European Jewish, sharing the mouth-watering recipes that result from the flavorful union of authors Chef Todd Gray and his wife Ellen Kassoff Gray, owners of Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC. More than a love story about what one can do with fresh ingredients, Todd and Ellen talk about the [...]
Books to Know – TOP 10 LIST – February 2013
1. The Best of All Possible Worlds
by Karen Lord, February 12, 2013 (See review)
2. The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan, 2013
Three sisters in Belle Époque Paris struggle to survive in the treacherous worlds of ballet and theatre. Middle sister Marie becomes the model for Edgar Degas’ well-known sculpture Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen. But the gritty environment in which they live will haunt that legacy.
3. Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker
by Jennifer Chiaverini, 2013
Long before Tracy Reese or Oscar de la Renta, former [...]
Books to Know – TOP 10 LIST – January 2013
1. The Particle at the End of the Universe
by Sean Carroll, 2012 (See review)
2. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
by Ayana Mathis, 2012
Oprah’s latest book club pick follows the lives of Hattie Shepherd and her descendants. Hattie comes north during the Great Migration of African-Americans in the early twentieth century. With greater opportunities, her progeny include a musician, a soldier, a housewife, and a preacher. But none of them can escape their mother’s disappointment, acutely rendered in Mathis’ soft prose.
3. A [...]
Books to Know – TOP 10 LIST – December 2012
1. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
by Deb Perelman, 2012 (See Review)
2. The Book of Jonas
by Stephen Dau, 2012
Debut novelist Stephen Dau writes a haunting exploration of the relationship between perpetrators and victims of war that suggests no one is merely one or the other. Jonas, a fifteen-year-old boy from an unnamed Muslim country, comes to live with a foster family in Pittsburgh. As a therapist helps him dig into his emotional trauma, his story links with that of an American soldier, Christopher [...]
Books to Know – TOP 10 LIST – November 2012
1. Reading Lolita in Tehran
by Azar Nafisi, 2003 (See review)
2. Woes of the True Policeman
by Roberto Bolaño, Nov 13, 2012
Allegedly the last novel from posthumous author Roberto Bolaño, the English translation of Woes of the True Policeman will be released on November 13. Óscar Amalfitano is an exiled Chilean professor who moves to Mexico and encounters a characteristic slew of murders and corruption. The novel, although unfinished, builds on themes, characters, and places from Bolaño’s previous work.
3. The Round House
by [...]
Books to Know – TOP 10 LIST – October 2012
1. The Art Forger
by B.A. Shapiro, October 23 2012 (See book review)
2. The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling, 2012
The long-awaited new novel from the bestselling author of the Harry Potter series was released on September 27. J.K. Rowling retains her fondness for odd names with a new ensemble cast set in the English town of Pagford. When Barry Fairbrother is murdered, the town unravels over the fate of his vacant seat on the parish council. It remains to be seen whether [...]
Books to Know – Top 10 List – September 2012
1. Logavina Street: Life and Death in a Sarajevo Neighborhood
by Barbara Demick (See book review)
2. The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau
by Michelle Markel, 2012
Children’s author Michelle Markel and illustrator Amanda Hall produce an informative, exciting look into the life of a painter driven by his imagination and passion for art. The level of writing is understandable to a five-year-old, but has greater nuances for an adult. Everyone will be able to appreciate the message that what other people think [...]
Books to Know – Top 10 List – August 2012
1. A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver
by Mark Shriver, 2012
Mark Shriver was born into the illustrious Kennedy family through his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister to John F. Kennedy. However, it is his father’s faith, accomplishments, and essential goodness that he chose to recognize in writing. Sargent Shriver is credited with helping found the Peace Corps under the Kennedy administration, among other good works. Unlike many unflattering memoirs these days, Shriver makes a welcome choice in holding his [...]
Books to Know – Top 10 List – July 2012
1. Gilt
by Katherine Longshore, 2012 (See book review)
2. American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America
by Michelle Obama, 2012
First Lady Michelle Obama’s first book chronicles her efforts to convert the White House’s South Lawn into a kitchen garden. As part of her ongoing campaign against childhood obesity, Obama includes recipes simple enough for children to follow and organized to correspond with seasonal produce at the White House. American Grown is a truly national cookbook, [...]
Books to Know – Top 10 List – June 2012
June 1, 2012
By Miriam Laufer
Book Critic
Books to Know
1. God’s Hotel: A Doctor, A Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine
by Victoria Sweet, 2012 (See book review)
2. Barack Obama: The Story
by David Maraniss, 2012
David Maraniss, associate editor of The Washington Post, tells the story of Barack Obama’s family, childhood, and young adulthood. Some of Maraniss’ source materials, namely letters and diaries from Obama’s past girlfriends, have drawn significant attention. This biography promises important insights into the character of our [...]
Books to Know – Top 10 List – May 2012
May 1, 2012
Miriam Laufer
Book Critic
Books to Know Top 10 List
1. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson
by Robert A. Caro, May 1 2012
The highly anticipated fourth volume on the life of Lyndon Johnson from Pulitzer prize-winning biographer Robert A. Caro will cover Johnson’s transition from Senate Majority Leader to Vice President and sudden ascension to the presidency. From Caro’s unparalleled research, never before seen details on the feud between Johnson and Robert Kennedy, and Johnson’s skillful political maneuvering [...]