"A room without books is as a body without a soul." - Cicero
Keep in mind I love books the way some people love kittens and
puppies. The ideas within books helped me survive childhood.
I haunt remainder bookstores looking for treasures to pass on
to other people (sometimes whether they want them or not). I
love owning them and would rather buy a book to give away than
lend one. What follows are a chosen few.
My Choice for the Best Book discovered in 2007:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini A novel of endurance, beauty amid unoble, gut wrenchingly sad and wise about remembering in the midst of grief, and about the power of unspoken pain. It is dedicated to the women of Afghanistan.
My Choice for the Best Book discovered in 2006:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Astonishingly psychologically astute. If only Kitty or Anna would have recognized that Count Vronsky, “in his soul he did not respect her [his mother],” which made him emotionally dangerous to both.
My Choice for the Best Book discovered in 2005:
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell A trilogy of connection and disconnection in a most original voice. It is a thrilling read and one of the very few I will read again. Brilliant!
My Choice for the Best Book discovered in 2004:
The Known World by Edwards Jones This book is absolutely amazing and won the Pulitzer Prize. It tells the remarkable story of a slave who becomes a slave owner. The author's abilities to convey the moral complexities of that time is truely profound and moving.
Works of Fiction and Science Fiction
That will
Add Richness to your Life
The
Lathe of Heaven
by Ursala K. Leguin
Science Fiction that captures what a slippery grip we have on
reality. "There is a bird in a poem by T.S. Eliot who says
that mankind cannot bear very much reality; but the bird is
mistaken. A man can endure the entire weight of the universe
for eighty years. It is unreality that he cannot bear."
Empire
Falls
by Richard Russo
A treasure of a book that won a Pulitzer and is useful as a
literary example of Too Little in the character of Mike Robe,
“the human rut” as his wife refers to him. Janine,
his soon to be ex-wife is Too Much. Her lack of respect leaps
off the pages.
The
Peppered Moth
by Margaret Drabble
This book is for those of us who have a difficult time of it
finding a mother’s day card that doesn’t lie amongst
all the sweetness. She so accurately creates a portrait of a
mother unable to love because the character is based on her
own mother.
Lucky
You
by Carl Hiaasen
A laugh-out-loud book with a wonderful heroine in JoLayne who
wins the lottery by betting on a significant number for five
years. The “significance of her lotto number was this:
each represented an age at which she had jettisoned a burdensome
man.” She understands the value of a man who is true to
his word.
Mr.
Bridge and Mrs. Bridge
by Evan Connell
This book really captures the distance embedded in WASP culture.
The characters are so completely removed from their feelings.
The
Good Apprentice
by Iris Murdoch
About self-forgiveness and the process of growing up-not an
easy read; and very rewarding if you do.
The
Blue Diary
by Alice Hoffman
About the true anxiety of living in the larger world and how
to cope when fate pulls the rug out from under you. A delightful
book that is easy to digest.
The
Hours
by Michael Cunningham
A masterful book that skillfully weaves together three stories
that make you think about how to spend the hours of your life.
It deserves the Pulitzer Prize that it won. You might want to
follow the book up with the movie that was so well done.
The Depthford Trilogy
by Robertson Davies
He captures the range of humanity in each of his characters
— what it is to be three dimensional; strong, fragile,
wise, foolish... He is like a grandfather teaching you the depth
of life and makes you think hard about values and what really
matters. This particular trilogy is of a man in Jungian therapy.
American
Pastoral
by Philip Roth
This book won a Pulitzer Prize. It is about one of the most
painful things that can happen to a parent; a good kid goes
wrong - way wrong - and is lost. There is a glorious paragraph
on what it means to be human and how impossible it can be to
understand each other. This paragraph is quoted at the end of the emotional honesty page under the category WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN.
The
Human Stain
by Philip Roth
There is a twist that occurs that will genuinely take the reader
by surprise. The delight that the twist offers is a complete
change in frame of reference.
Wetware
by Craig Nova
The author has applied his imagination to the issue of
genetics set in the year 2029. A wonderful novel of ideas
which includes love means wanting to be your best for someone
else.
Before
and After
by Rosellen Brown
She really captures what it means to survive a profound tragedy.
The
Last Gift of Time; Life Beyond Sixty
by Carolyn G. Heilbrun
Insight into aging gracefully.
Fortunate
Lives
by Robb Forman Dew
Great gift to those whose children are leaving for college.
The
Family Heart
also by Robb Forman Dew
This is an autobiographical account of coming to terms with
having a gay child.
Unless
by Carolyn Shields
This is the final book that will be written by her because she
died of cancer. She writes of ordinary people like ourselves
and makes their struggles into poetry. She won a Pulitzer Prize
for The Stone Diaries.
Mr.
Ives' Christmas
by Oscar Hijuelos
Read to understand forgiveness more deeply.
Geek Love
by Katherine Dunn
This book, though marvelous, is not for everyone. It teaches us about the human condition in a bizarre carnival family.
The
Great Fire
by Shirley Hazzard
She is a true genius of prose.
Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War
by Sebastian Faulks
The New Yorker described this as "Overpowering and beautiful... A great novel." Set in World War I, this is a wonderful book.
Multicultural
To truly appreciate multicultural is to learn about differences
through reading — these are a few gems towards that end.
House
of Sand and Fog
by Andre Dubus III
A book which is very poignant and heart stopping at the same
time.
The English Patient
by Michael Ondaatje
The movie missed a central point of the novel-Would America
have ever dropped the bomb on Germany? Or only on an Asian nation
like Japan?
White
Teeth
by Zadie Smith
A delightful read-you will laugh out loud.
Lilith's
Brood
by Octavia Butler
A science fiction setting that captures the pain and prejudices
of differences and the difficulty of choices.
Red Azalea
by Anchee Min
The true story of the author who struggled profoundly growing
up in communist China. The opportunity to hear her speak is
an unforgetable experience. She authenticly has learned how
to make unbearable pain bearable. One of the ironies of her
life is that she grew up with the dream of becoming a soldier
who would go to Vietnam to kill American soldiers and now
she is married to a Vietnam vet.
Women Choosing MIA Men
Disappearing
Acts
by Terry McMillan
This is one of her first three books. These were more
substantive than the books that followed afterwards. She beautifully captures men who don't follow through.
The
Wife
by Meg Wolitzer
The story of a heroine who allows herself to be overlooked.
The
Rules of Engagement
by Anita Brookner
The story of a friendship of two women who both, in very
different ways, manage to compound their bad choices.
Solitude
"Solitude is the Nurse of
the Soul." - Anonymous
Two books to help benefit those who haven't learned the gift
of being alone.
Solitude:
A Return to the Self
by Anthony Storr
The
Stations of Solitude
by Alice Koller
Self Help Books
The
Dance of Anger
by Harriet Lerner
This book is the one most often positively mentioned by women
who begin it in my waiting room and then go out to purchase
it. Really very wise and useful!
Boundaries
by Anne Katherine
A small easy-to-read book. If you are feeling intruded upon
by people who love you and aren’t sure how to push back, this
is the book for you.
Parenting
from the Inside Out
by Daniel Siegal MD & Mary Hartzell
Terrific book by a neuro-psychiatrist and a day care director.
Couples
Getting
the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples
by Harville Hendrix
Helps husbands and wives understand what strengths and weaknesses
they bring to their marriage from childhood. Includes a great
vision exercise to help couples learn to think down the road.
Sexuality
Two tools to improve your sex life:
For
Yourself: The Fulfillment of Female Sexuality
by Lonnie Barbach
For
Each Other: Sharing Sexual Intimacy
by Lonnie Barbach
Drinking
Drinking:
A Love Story
by Caroline Knapp
Terrific writing on the damage of alcohol.
ANY
BOOK
by Dr. Abraham Twerski
A
Drinking Life: A Memoir
by Pete Hammill
A truthful personal history.
Sober
for Good
by Anne Fletcher
Based on interviews with 222 people.
First-Year
Sobriety: When All That Changes is Everything
by Guy Kettlehack
A survival guide.
Self-Esteem
The Power of One
by Bryce Courtenay
A tale of South Africa, boxing, being bullied and the triumph of the human spirit.
A
Year by the Sea
by Joan Anderson
This is the perfect book for those who are trapped in Too
Little. The subtitle says it all: Thoughts of an Unfinished
Woman.
Overcoming Low Self-Esteem
by Melanie Fennel Ph.D.
Self
Matters
by Phil McGraw
Grief
When
Bad things Happen to Good People
by Rabbi Harold Kushner
Landscape
without Gravity
by Barbara Lazear Ascher
A memoir of grief of her brother's death of AIDS.
How
to go on Living When Someone You Love Dies
by Therese A. Rando
Loneliness
Are
You Somebody
by Nuala O'Faolain
A very genuine portrait of loneliness, a powerful memoir.
Vietnam Aftershocks
No one does it better than Tim O'Brien, who was a vet himself.
The
Things They Carried
by Tim O'Brien
In
the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O'Brien
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