Summer Reading Suggestions - 2005
Sorted by Author
A list sorted by Title is also available.
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Find it in LINK+ - Simple and insightful.
- The House of the Spirits.
Find it in OSCAR - Incredible....really brings you into the story.
- Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less.
Find it in LINK+ - It is short, it is a page turner, and it is well written. I like it because it is about cunning, deceit, and confidence, perhaps necessary skills for lawyering. :) I always enjoy a novel about a confidence game, which this novel satisfies, the twist is that the game is, perhaps, righteous.
- The Mind of Egypt : History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharohs.
Find it in LINK+ - The only really convincing historical analysis of ancient Egyptian cultural evolution which incorporates both political and religious developments. Assman sets himself a tough task ("let's make sense of how the zeitgeist of dynastic Egyptians developed") and accomplishes it. Insightful and entertaining, though long!
- Case histories : A Novel.
Find it in LINK+ - The novel begins with three seemingly unrelated and quite horrible events. It continues, years later, with one private detective gradually involved in investigating all three cases and other case histories as well, including his own. This is both a literate detective novel and a rich study of grief, loss and hope.
- Boy Wonder.
Find it in OSCAR - A great introduction to a little known late 20th century author. A Citizen Kane-like novel about a filmmaker who goes over the edge. This was the first book I read of his, which turned into an addiction. He has a way of creating characters that are believable and memorable in situations that are otherwise melodramatic and over the top.
- The Sot Weed Factor.
Find it in OSCAR - A great parody of the 17th novel such as "Tom Jones". Hard to tell in which century it was written, but the humor and satire give it away. One of the few books I have read more than once.
- Inside The Kingdom : My Life in Saudi Arabia.
Find it in LINK+ - Very interesting and informational concerning the Bin Laden family and the traditions of the Middle East.
- The Lucifer Principle : A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History.
Find it in OSCAR - Interesting combination of history and science.
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Find it in LINK+ - This is an easy, quick book to read, but the story is fun and you get sucked in. A great book to bring on vacation and read on the plane, easy and fast to read, give yourself a break from intense reading.
- Angels & Demons.
Find it in LINK+ - Many discovered the work of Dan Brown when he wrote The Da Vinci Code, but prior to that he wrote this wonderful novel. Set, for the most part, in Vatican City as it prepares for a Papal Conclave, Robert Langdon must find a dangerous explosive before it destroys the Vatican. The book is fast-paced and intriguing...just who are the Illuminati and who do they have working for them on the inside of Vatican City?
- The Da Vinci Code : A Novel.
Find it in OSCAR - Interesting book.
- Deception Point.
Find it in LINK+ - Very entertaining read.
- A Short History of Nearly Everything.
Find it in OSCAR - As the name implies, this book covers a lot of territory, cutting a wide swath through human understanding of the natural sciences. Bryson explains the science in an enjoyable, not-too-technical way, and also delves into the historical development of our understanding of the natural world. This book is for scientists and non-scientists alike.
- I love just about everything by Bill Bryson (most of it is travel writing), but this book is a great history of science. It's long enough to last you a while, but it's a book you can read in bits and pieces (or all at once). He makes the science very understandable in a funny way, so if you're at all curious about germs or the solar system or volcanos, this is a pretty cool book.
- A Walk in the Woods : Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.
Find it in LINK+ - For those who plan to do some backpacking, this book will give you some great information and will keep you laughing non-stop.
- The Modern Girl's Guide to Life.
- It's a fun handbook to life for all young college girls. It holds the answers to many situations and how-to-dos that come up in life.
- The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession.
Find it in LINK+ - This is an absolutely fascinating book about the theory of smell and how it was discovered. If you're a science nerd, you'll definitely enjoy this book as it covers everything from organic chemistry to molecular biology. Even if you're not a science nerd, you will be one after reading this book!
- Magical Thinking : True Stories.
Find it in OSCAR - The latest book by this year's SCU Leader in Residence author. Composed of short stories about memorable (or not so) incidents during his life, Augusten has the uncanny ability to turn the most mundane or dark events in his life into "laugh out loud" comedic episodes.
- Tales of Power.
Find it in OSCAR - The book is fascinating and provides insights into life, as well as being a modern classic and great story. There are many wise passages I underlined.
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
Find it in LINK+ - All of Chabon's work is a pleasure to read but in this book, he really cultivates a novel. The story surrounds two cousins in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s; both Jewish and one has just fled the Nazis in Europe. They begin working on a comic book story (graphic novel if you will) together and the story goes from there. Chabon's humor and insights pervade the work. I highly recommend it!
- Blood Brothers.
Find it in OSCAR - Chacour tells his life experience as a Palestinian Christian working with Jews and the Palestinians. It gives an accurate portrayal with Chacour's amazing stories of his life and the interactions he has with the people going from 1948 to present-day.
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Find it in LINK+ - A quick read for a rainy day or afternoon respite that relates those struggles of earlier days, and the all-too-well-known battle of coming of age. What distinguishes this "catcher in the rye" as a diamond in the rough is it's unique tie to the Post Gen-X youth and early Milleniates. Abides by the understanding of 'blessed are the meek...' for their stories of gold are often untold. Through the music of Morrissey and the journals of a young boy, Chbosky directs us through dark doldrums filled with the questioning and confusion of puberty that persists past parenthood.
- American Woman.
Find it in LINK+ - A fictional account of the Patty Hearst kidnapping that focuses on the political evolution of the Wendy Yoshimura character, the young woman arrested with Patty. It's a great reminder of what the country was like when the left was radical and the conservative authority was undermined by the actions of President Nixon and Los Angeles Police.
- In the Deep Midwinter.
Find it in LINK+ - Stunningly set in the Midwest in the 1950s, this is the story of a man who handles his deceased brother's estate and learns that there was much about his brother (and wife) that he didn't know. Secrets, grief, and betrayal. Very real. People have been saying Robert Clark is THE great American writer of this time. I agree.
- The Contortionist's Handbook.
Find it in LINK+ - A very interesting book along the lines of Fight Club. Main character knows the mental system - knows just what the doctors want to hear from him and he plays them along. Interesting ending and great spiritual message deep down in there.
- The Strange Road to Santiago (Il Cammino di Santiago).
Find it in LINK+ - This is a book by a globally known author about finding the purpose in modern life.
- Foe.
Find it in OSCAR - If you have read Robinson Crusoe by Defoe this book will give you an alternate conspiracy theory on how the story truthfully occurred and ended on the island through the eyes of Susan Barton. It also covers the hardships of getting such a story published during the time at which Defoe wrote the famed Novel. About 150 pages and is a quick read. Must read Robinson Crusoe prior to reading this book to fully understand.
- Beach Music.
Find it in LINK+ - One of the best books I've read.
- Confessions of a Street Addict.
Find it in OSCAR - Very good insight into hedge funds and financial markets with an entertaining twist.
- 1906.
Find it in LINK+ - On Love.
Find it in LINK+ - Well written, interesting, fun.
- Cranberry Queen.
Find it in LINK+ - This is a quick read, fairly light novel, but well worth it and is far from just "fluff". It is a compelling story of one woman's journey to discovering a new life for herself after the deaths of her entire immediate family. Very inspiring and relatable, touching story that you won't want to put down.
- Up Country.
Find it in LINK+ - Up Country is part fact, part fiction. It provides an excellent view of modern day Vietnam from the eyes of a fictional Vietnam vet going back to the country in the late 1990's for governmental reasons. The author, who is himself a Vietnam vet, utilizes a lot of his own experiences in Vietnam as a soldier in 1968 and again as a civilian in 1997 to build an intriguing story around his fictional protagonist. The detailed historical perspective of the war from one man's eyes and his shock 30 years later of a Vietnam where so much has changed and yet so much has remained the same is fascinating. Using that perspective and the raw beauty of Vietnam as a backdrop, the author is able to weave an exciting and adventurous plot around the entire country. It makes for a fun read that is hard to put down.
- Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
Find it in LINK+ - Fabulous examination of why societies--past and present--experience catastrophic (social and environmental) collapse. Book concludes with practical suggestions as to what we can do to prevent the coming collapse of the U.S.
- Guns, Germs, and Steel : The Fates of Human Societies.
Find it in OSCAR - I got this as a gift and, from the liner notes, expected not to get very far into it before losing interest. Wow, was I wrong! I couldn't put it down: on almost every page Diamond explains something fascinating, something about which I've always wondered, something about which I thought "How is it possible for us even to *know* this?!" This book takes the reader through every possible aspect of the evolution of human societies over the last 13,000 years. You should read it!
- A great read for those who have any interest in the conquest of the Americas. This gives one an in-depth and unadulterated account of the horrors of colonialism.
- An Open Book; Coming of Age in the Heartland.
Find it in OSCAR - Review: "All that kid wants to do is stick his nose in a book," Michael Dirda's steelworker father used to complain, worried about his son's passion for reading. In An Open Book, one of the most delightful memoirs to emerge in years, the acclaimed literary journalist Michael Dirda re-creates his boyhood in rust-belt Ohio, first in the working-class town of Lorain, then at Oberlin College. In addition to his colorful family and friends, An Open Book also features the great writers and fictional characters who fueled Dirda's imagination: from Green Lantern to Sherlock Holmes, from Candy to Proust. The result is an affectionate homage to small-town America - summer jobs, school fights, sweepstakes contests, and first dates - as well as a paean to what could arguably be called the last great age of reading.
- The Raven and the Nightingale.
Find it in LINK+ - Written by an English Professor at Fordham University, this is one of several mystery novels to feature a fictional English professor at a New England college, who gets involved in murder investigations requiring her literary expertise.
- The Brothers Karamazov.
Find it in OSCAR - It is truly a masterpiece of human interaction, difference, and savagery. A must read for anyone interested in the human psyche.
- Crime and Punishment.
Find it in OSCAR - I read this book the summer before my senior year of high school, and it did take most of the summer to read it, but it was fantastic and felt like quite an accomplishment when I finished it.
- The Game of Kings.
Find it in LINK+ - This is a great historical fiction novel. It is fast paced and full of adventure while at the same time it gives you an in depth look at 16th century Scotland.
- The Belgariad Series.
Find it in LINK+ - This is a series that is targeted at kids age 10 and up but is still a very good read for anyone else. I think it explores the complexity of family relations. It is also very entertaining. The five books in the series are: 1. Pawn of Prophecy; 2. Queen of Sorcery; 3. Magician's Gambit; 4. Castle of Wizardry; 5. Enchanter's End Game.
- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
Find it in LINK+ - The freshmen novel from Eggers is almost biographical, recalling his life in a novel form. He masterfully creates his prose with reckless abandon. This novel is hilarious and I found myself at many times laughing out loud. Read it, you wont regret it!
- I first picked this one up because of the title (irreverent, self-aggrandizing, and hilarious) and am glad I did. This one is unlike other books I have read recently. While ostensibly autobiographical, the story is peripheral to this guy's use of language and the funny ways in which he tells his stories. I found myself laughing out loud several times in the first hour of reading. Absorbing from the first page, this one is a great read for the summer or anytime.
- Middlesex.
Find it in OSCAR - The author treats a serious subject in a very readable and often humorous way. I also enjoyed the family history and the cultural acclimatization once they arrived in the U.S.
- Everything is Illuminated.
Find it in LINK+ - Excellent fiction.
- The World is Flat : A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.
Find it in LINK+ - The Beach.
Find it in OSCAR - It's just a fun read - I could not put it down! I love this book!
- The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery.
Find it in OSCAR - With its dazzling and haunting mix of science fiction, the history of malaria research, thriller, ghost story and postcolonial allegory, Amitav Ghosh's new novel is -- like his previous work -- wonderfully clever as well as a good read. Set in the not-too-distant future but covering in its sweep the 1880s and 1890s (crucial years in the medical history of malaria), The Calcutta Chromosome finds its driving force in the idea of research.
- Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress : Tales of Growing Up Groovy and Clueless.
Find it in LINK+ - Hilarious, strange and moving. A great paperback to keep in your carry-on bag this summer.
- Importance of Being Lazy.
Find it in LINK+ - We know how to work hard but not how to play; and what we really need is some time off - the author suggests ideas and strategies for how to accomplish that.
- Leadership.
Find it in LINK+ - This book provides a lot of valuable lessons and exemplary leadership especially for those in a University setting. I learned an awful lot before I even made it halfway through the book.
- Memoirs of a Geisha.
Find it in OSCAR - This book offers fascinating insight into the life of a Geisha which is not typically spoken about.
- Beautifully written. Memorable, good, easy read!
- The Princess Bride.
Find it in OSCAR - It is a quick, easy read that is worth your time. When you reach the last page you'll wish there was more. It had adventure and excitement, love and humor. Honestly, this book is amazing.
- A must read for anyone looking for a little adventure. More wit and intelligence than the witty and smart movie of same title.
- The Scientist in the Crib : What early Learning Tells us About the Mind.
Find it in LINK+ - This is a great review of how babies learn and since we are all, as the authors point out, big babies. It is also about how we and our students continue to learn.
- Jemima J : A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans.
Find it in LINK+ - It is enjoyable and it is hard to put down.
- 9/11 Commission Report : Omissions and Distortions.
Find it in LINK+ - The New Pearl Harbor : Disturbing Questions About the Bush Administration and 9/11.
Find it in LINK+ - The Arabian Nights.
Find it in OSCAR - For all those who would like to read the original Arabic versions of these famous stories in an excellent, critical, modern translation. Haddawy's translation is NOT based on the many "popular" editions of these stories. It is the real (medieval and Middle Eastern) thing: a window into the culture of the Arab and Persian Middle of long ago...
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
Find it in LINK+ - This is a terrific book. Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother and learns quite a lot about himself.
- The Maltese Falcon.
Find it in OSCAR - This year is the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Maltese Falcon - one of the great detective novels ever written. What a time to revisit Sam Spade, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Joel Cairo, Kasper Gutman, the "gunsel" and their search for the dingus, the black bird, the Falcon, the stuff dreams are made of.
- Act One : An Autobiography.
Find it in OSCAR - A fascinating look at a great playwright. If you are at all interested in theater history and personalities, this is a fascinating book.
- The Sun also Rises.
Find it in OSCAR - I believe it is a book on finding yourself in the ordinary world. It also entails a great story of love and conquest on self.
- Father Joe : The Man who Saved my Soul.
Find it in LINK+
- Crossing the Threshold of Hope.
Find it in LINK+ - In the wake of John Paul's funeral and the election of Benedict XVI, this is a wonderful time to reflect on the words and vision of the Catholic Church in the 21st Century.
- About A Boy.
Find it in LINK+ - Hornby has an excellent way of making you feel as though you know the characters in the book as your own intimate friends.
- The Kite Runner.
Find it in OSCAR - SCU's Immigration Attorney, Lynette Parker, provided information related to immigration adoption process and she is thanked by the author in the introduction.
- Interesting depiction of Modern Afghanistan. University Alumni Author.
- The story is set in the US and Afghanistan. It is a good story with descriptions of the culture and the region that clearly communicate and draw you into the story. The author was a local Kaiser physician.
- Amazing story - couldn't put it down.
- This is a book about the struggle of the people in Afghanistan. It is both touching and tragic--and overall taught me a lot about Afghani culture.
- Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Find it in OSCAR - A truly interesting story of one woman's journey. Zora Neale Hurston's writing draws you in to the characters' world with an eloquence that is hard to find.
- A Son of the Circus.
Find it in OSCAR - Great story.
- The Known World.
Find it in LINK+ - A fascinating book about black slave owners, their slaves, the white community that surrounds them, and what is known of their immediate and distant worlds.
- The Burning Times : A Novel.
Find it in LINK+ - A very good alternative explanation for magic. It deviates from the typical belief that magic is evil. Set in the 1300s, the Catholic Church is going through an inquisition but love eventually triumphs all.
- The Secret Life of Bees.
Find it in LINK+ - Another great novel about the south. Just a wonderful, warm, sweet read perfect for summer reading. Not hard to read but still poses challenging issues.
- Pigs In Heaven.
Find it in OSCAR - Great characters; great writing; funny; touching.
- The Poisonwood Bible.
Find it in OSCAR - A beautiful look at Africa, family drama, and the excitement of being a young person in a jungle.
- Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Find it in LINK+ - It is fun and lighthearted reading. Great for pool or beach reading.
- Good Times / Bad Times.
Find it in LINK+ - It's one of the best books I've ever read. Told in first person it's hilarious, touching, suspenseful . . .it's got it all.
- P.S. Your Cat Is Dead!
Find it in LINK+ - It's a quick read and it's hilarious. Tennessee Williams is quoted as saying about it: "Superbly done."
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad : What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money that the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
Find it in OSCAR - So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine, with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age--the financial slavery of humanity, the ruin of children by academic tyranny, and the dwarfing of the human spirit by physical and spiritual night--are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless. -Hauteville House, 1862 (updated for this day and age)
- Interpreter of Maladies.
Find it in OSCAR - The short stories in this collection are very well written and offer a view into the lives of immigrant Indians.
- The Namesake.
Find it in LINK+ - Any of Lahiri's books are a great choice. She writes about the experiences of Asian (mostly Indian) Americans but it's mostly just about being human. This is her latest, I believe, but Interpreter of Maladies is worth reading, too.
- Blue Shoe.
Find it in LINK+ - I think Anne Lamott has such a sense of humor about herself and about life. Nearly all of her stuff that I've read has resonated with me because I felt she understood the joys, disappointments, and just generally real experiences that are part of being. Rosie, another novel of hers, is great also.
- Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.
Find it in LINK+ - Great character development, good for a laugh and a cry, great for a day at the beach or holed up in bed after finals. Best book I've read in years.
- Einstein's Dreams.
Find it in OSCAR - Enchanting, metaphysical... Finalist for the National Book Award. These short story treasures are the dreams that Einstein might have been dreaming while creating his Theory of Relativity. Magical interpretations of time, mixed with truth, love, and beauty.
- Heroic Leadership : Best Practices from a 450-year-old Company that Changed the World.
Find it in LINK+ - It's a Meaningful Life : It Just Takes Practice.
Find it in LINK+ - It helps you to recognize how everyone (including you) might be on the fast track and it wants to help you to first think about your own spirituality then second help you to go out into your community and connect with people. There is no religious affiliation.
- You are Special.
Find it in LINK+ - For those who enjoy reading to their young children.
- Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Find it in LINK+ - It's a great fantasy about the "true" story of the Wicked Witch of the West. While the story is a fantasy, the story deals with social justice and philosophy over what is good. The book has been adapted to one of the most popular musicals on Broadway with the same title.
- Epitaph for a Peach : Four Seasons on my Family Farm.
Find it in OSCAR - An exquisitely written memoir of Masumoto's attempts to save his glorious SunCrest peaches using natural farming techniques (no insecticides) on land previously owned and farmed by his father and threatened always by the harsh economic realities of our times. Masumoto's prose is simple and elegant, and his passion for his farm is palpable. This was the 2005 Silicon Valley Reads selection.
- Silicon Valley, Women, and the California Dream.
Find it in OSCAR - Subtitled "Gender, Class, and Opportunity in the Twentieth Century", this history of the Santa Clara Valley focuses primarily on the employment of largely immigrant women in first the fruit industry and then later the defense and electronics industries. This is a scholarly work, with many notes; but, unfortunately, it has no bibliography. (The author spoke on campus during the past year.)
- The Snow Leopard.
Find it in OSCAR - The writer Peter Matthiessen set out in the company of zoologist George Schaller on a pilgrimage which would lead them 250 miles into the heart of the Himalayan region of Dolpo, "the last enclave of pure Tibetan culture on earth." They sought one of the world's most elusive big cats, the snow leopard of high Asia, a creature so rarely spotted as to be nearly mythical; Schaller was one of only two Westerners known to have seen a snow leopard in the wild since 1950. The Snow Leopard is regarded as a classic of modern nature writing. Guiding his readers through steep-walled canyons and over tall mountains, Matthiessen offers a narrative that is shot through with metaphor and mysticism, and his arduous search for the snow leopard becomes a vehicle for reflections on all manner of matters of life and death. In the process, The Snow Leopard evolves from an already exquisite book of natural history and travel into a grand, Buddhist-tinged parable of our search for meaning. By the end of their expedition, having seen wolves, foxes, rare mountain sheep, and other denizens of the Himalayas, and having seen many signs of the snow leopard but not the cat itself, Schaller muses, "We've seen so much, maybe it's better if there are some things that we don't see."
- Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World.
Find it in LINK+ - A book written by two actors, best friends who took a motorcycle trip riding east from London to New York. "2 men, 2 bikes, 20,000 miles." Read about the people they met, the places they went, the hardships they overcame, the charity organizations they visited. This book is about having a crazy idea and making it a reality even when others said it couldn't be done.
- The Nanny Diaries.
Find it in LINK+ - It is a fun easy read about university and working life in the big city (New York).
- Lonesome Dove.
Find it in OSCAR - I NEVER thought I would like a western, and this is one of my favorite books of all time. Colorful characters, great dialogue, high adventure - read the whole 1000 pages in 2 weeks. GREAT story. There is a reason it won the Pulitzer.
- Liars and Saints.
Find it in LINK+ - Maile Meloy is a young author and her book has received terrific reviews. Meloy's short story collection, Half in Love, was a New York Times Notable Book in 2002. She won the 2001 Aga Khan Prize for best story in The Paris Review. Her work has also appeared in The New Yorker and Best New American Voices and has been nominated for a National Magazine Award. She lives in California.
- Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.
Find it in LINK+ - Fun, interesting read. Well written and a great story.
- On Liberty.
Find it in OSCAR - People on this campus have no idea what liberty is, how to respect it or why they have it.
- The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea.
Find it in OSCAR - Best told in the words of JE Barnes: "The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea masterfully addresses themes of fascism, education, hero worship, betrayal, the enigma of sexual conduct, the inconvenient demands of society, and the painful results that can arise when the mentoring process is miscarried or goes terribly wrong."
- Family Matters.
Find it in LINK+ - Excellent example of the contemporary Indian novel.
- Song of Solomon.
Find it in OSCAR - Beautiful imagery, oddly unique characters, unpredictable plot/outcome. It's a story that is not only spectacularly intriguing, but it is written with truly fabulous style, dripping with detail. While it maintains a level of literary complexity which can be analyzed time and again, it is an easy read, perfect for summertime.
- Gangs of America : The Rise of Corporate Power and the Disabling of Democracy.
Find it in OSCAR
- Reading Lolita in Tehran.
Find it in LINK+ - Densely textured narrative in a voice elsewhere unlikely to be heard, about pre-Islamic revolution through post-Islamic revolution Tehran. It concerns a group of educated women struggling with their biographies and spirituality, and with the meaning of literature.
- Ahab's Wife, Or, The Star-Gazer : A Novel.
Find it in LINK+ - A brilliant first novel about a girl who survives horrifying events to become a truly wise and wonderful woman. For those with a romantic inclination.
- The Eight.
Find it in LINK+ - The books leaps through history, involves lots of mysteries and puzzles, and great characters that you'll really care about. It's a fun read, full of suspense.
- This is a great summer read-- there's something for everyone. If you like books like The Da Vinci Code, this is BETTER (and came before)!!!!!
- The Tapestries.
Find it in LINK+ - It's a great story that tests the boundaries of family, loyalty, love, and duty. Set in early colonial Vietnam, the novel is based on the stories of the author's grandfather, and pulls you in by the element of its compelling human drama.
- Being Peace.
Find it in LINK+ - Just look at the title...enough said.
- The Time Traveler's Wife.
Find it in LINK+ - I have never read a book so unique as this one. It's a great adventure and a love story…but not a sappy one. It's incredibly well written. It's a tough book to put down.
- Its interesting, like nothing I've ever read before. Yet, it's classic and a real heart stealer.
- This book is a sweeping story of love over the course of time. Henry is an involuntary time traveler and appears in his future wife's life - she grows up knowing and loving him, but he's never met her yet in real time. Wonderful insights into men and women, and to time travel. The kind of book you want to read slowly and savor, but you can't put it down!
- The Club Dumas.
Find it in OSCAR - A fascinating literary mystery, fast-paced and enthralling with a hint of the occult. Intellectual, yet accessible and a perfect way to pass a few hours.
- Letters to a Teacher.
Find it in LINK+ - Sam Pickering was the inspiration for the teacher in Dead Poets Society, and the book reads like it. If you are an old-timer, you will find yourself reminiscing, "Oh yes, I remember that student." If you are a newcomer to teaching, Sam will introduce you to some of the students you will be meeting in the years ahead. The most important point made in this wonderful little book? We have no idea what our students think of our classes.
- My Sister's Keeper.
Find it in LINK+ - This novel seems like a timely read in light of current issues (stem cell research, Terry Schiavo, right to life). I like that each chapter in the book is written from the perspective of a different family member. It allows you to see that chronic illness takes many victims, not just the one who suffers it physically.
- The Pact : A Love Story.
Find it in LINK+ - Great summer read! A high school love story that gets twisted when the girl commits suicide on page 1. All of Picoult's books are fantastic! This is a the true summer read, while the others are a bit more hard hitting, but wonderful!
- Heroes.
Find it in LINK+ - This thoroughly researched book is the answer to the simplistic thinking we see in the punditry of modern mass media. So often when we are taking about conflicts, wars, or great upheavals in the world it is abstract and impersonal. By putting a "human face" on some of the most important events in recent history -- from Vietnam to Palestine -- Pilger offers a truly incisive text that should be required reading for a student of politics, history, or any other facet of the human condition.
- The Gold Bug Variations.
Find it in OSCAR - This work of fiction weaves three different storylines together and uses the form of a Bach sonata to do so. Along the way, the reader gets involved in topics ranging from molecular biology, to computer science, to classic art. It's also quite the page-turner and will give the reader who doesn't have a/c, something to do while waiting for it to become cool enough to sleep.
- The Discworld Series.
Find it in LINK+ - Fantastically funny and often sharply satirical, Discworld is summed up by the author as "like a geological pizza but without the anchovies." There are over 30 books in the series, and although I have only read about half of them, I haven't found a bad one yet.
- A Changed Man.
Find it in LINK+ - This is a fascinating book part black comedy, part romantic comedy. It tells the story of Vincent Nolan, a member of a white-supremacist group, who decides to go to work for a human rights group led by a renowned holocaust survivor and humanitarian. Vincent is mentored by Bonnie Kalan, a divorced mother of two. Although Vincent might appear to be the "changed man", several other characters in the book also "change" as the novel progresses.
- In Search of Lost Time, v.1 Swann's Way. (A la recherche du temps perdu.)
Find it in OSCAR - This is the first volume of one of the greatest novel/sequences ever written. Though much of the beauty of the French language and Proust's ability to link and manipulate exquisite diction is lost in translation, it still holds to be one of the greatest and deepest psychologically probing novels of our time and the future.
- Ishmael.
Find it in LINK+ - Very thought-provoking and provides an outside view of humanity and how we think.
- My Ishmael.
Find it in LINK+ - Like Ishmael, it is very thought-provoking and opens the reader's mind to changing the world.
- My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing.
Find it in LINK+ - Intriguing study of topic with immediate importance.
- Beautiful Jim Key : The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World.
Find it in OSCAR - An extraordinary true story about the power of kindness and the humane treatment of animals. An ex-slave, William Key, and his remarkable horse, Jim Key, take the country by storm as Jim performs for thousands of people including the president at the turn of the century after the Civil War. Jim Key can spell, count, and amaze beyond belief. His talent inspires the humane society movement.
- Monkey Business : Swinging Through the Wall Street Jungle.
Find it in OSCAR - Very good insight into the investment banking business. For better or worse, lets readers know what to expect and is very honest with lots of humor.
- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
- It's the next Harry Potter book, the furthest thing you can get from a textbook and the perfect way to relax over the summer; besides we all want to know what will happen to Harry, Ron and Hermione. (And shhhh, but someone's supposed to die.) And you can have more fun by going to a midnight release party at your local book store, be a kid again and enjoy your summer!
- The Four Agreements : A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom.
Find it in LINK+ - Just some thoughts and insight into a possible way to live life!
- Crossing the Rubicon : The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil.
Find it in OSCAR - Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
Find it in OSCAR - Rushdie takes you into a magical world.
- The Catcher In The Rye.
Find it in OSCAR - I've read this book about 6 times since forced to in 10th grade, and it's remained my favorite. I love stories told in first person; they are so much more readable; they make me care more for the characters.
- The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis.
Find it in LINK+ - Greatest book by the Portuguese Nobel Prize Winner.
- Blindness.
Find it in OSCAR - This is a thought provoking novel by the extremely gifted South American Nobel Prize winning author Jose Saramago.
- The Lovely Bones.
Find it in LINK+ - Great book. Winner of many prizes and awards. Part of Oprah's book club.
- Chicana Falsa, and Other Stories of Death, Identity, and Oxnard.
Find it in OSCAR - It is about 90 pages, you can read it in a few hours. A mix of prose and poetry, short stories and anecdotes. It's hilarious and intriguing.
- How to Be a Chicana Role Model.
Find it in OSCAR - It's funny, real, about an aspiring Chicana writer. She is inspiring, uplifting, and very humorous.
- Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission.
Find it in LINK+ - This book details the daring mission to save the 503 surviving POWs who endured 3 years of starvation, torture and despair at the notorious Cabanatuan prison camp. And as the cover says, "It is also a testament to the human spirit, an account of enormous bravery and self-sacrifice under the most trying conditions." On a personal note, my late father, USAFFE Capt. Antonio U Aquino, having marched with these POWs in the infamous 1942 Bataan Death March, was fortunate to have escaped the subsequent internment.
- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.
Find it in LINK+ - This book was a wonderful surprise. It really swept me away. The characters and the setting come to life under Dai Sije's clever style. It has romance, humor, and a good amount of irony - great vacation reading. I hear they're going to make it into a movie.
- Hyperion.
Find it in LINK+ - Terrific retelling of The Canterbury Tales set in the far future in an alternate universe. Jesuits turn out to be quite important! Masterful storytelling, interesting and compelling characters, reader is frequently surprised.
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Find it in OSCAR - This book is so poignant without being mushy. It follows a little girl and her struggling family in the early 20th century in Brooklyn, and it touches you with a quiet rawness that is impossible to convey here. Read it!
- True Believer.
Find it in LINK+ - As typical of all his books, Sparks presents another truly enthralling story about love and sacrifice. It's a bit sappy, but perfect for any hopeless romantic.
- The Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Find it in OSCAR - A book about a family living in the American West and the stories about their travels, struggles; a great and easy read. A perfect book to read in the summer sun with a glass of lemonade.
- East of Eden.
Find it in OSCAR - The book is amazingly well written and tells the story of a family line plagued with trouble growing up in the Salinas Valley in the early 1900's. The characters and the events are so vivid you'll feel like you just watched a movie!
- It is an amazing book! Perfect for beach reading.
- America (The Book) : A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction.
Find it in LINK+ - A hilarious part that takes a look at the wacky system we call American democracy. This book takes shots at both liberals and conservatives and makes the comments that everyone thinks, but are too afraid to say.
- The Summer of My Greek Taverna: A Memoir.
Find it in LINK+ - Great recipes mixed in with a wild tale about an American who tried to open up a restaurant in a remote Greek island.
- Bergdorf Blondes.
Find it in LINK+ - It was light, fun reading. The book was funny and relatable for girls.
- Cane River.
Find it in LINK+ - This is a wonderful read through several generations of strong black women. It is based on the family of a local women formerly employed by Cisco. It is categorized as "historical fiction." It is a fascinating story.
- Anna Karenina.
Find it in OSCAR - It's a great novel of life, love, infidelity, and intrigue.
- Cane.
Find it in OSCAR - The best all-around book of the Harlem Renaissance.
- The Art of the Deal.
Find it in LINK+ - Good book about how to dream big and produce big.
- The Book of Salt.
Find it in LINK+ - Review: "This sumptuous debut weaves cooking, language, cravings, and cruelty around a pseudo-historical figure." - The Village Voice Top 25 Books of the Year
- The Myth of Solid Ground : Earthquakes, Prediction, and the Fault Line Between Reason and Faith.
Find it in OSCAR - A great piece of creative nonfiction that blends reportage with memoir, journalism with the personal essay. Plus, it's about earthquakes, and given that we teach on the San Andreas . . . this seems a no-brainer. This book was nominated as an LA Times Book of the Year last year.
- QB VII.
Find it in OSCAR - Excellent thought-provoking book, yet still an easy and quick read. Recommended for anyone interested in the law and/or the Holocaust. Book takes place within the context of a British libel trial. Raises questions of truth, innocence, and the nature of humankind.
- Democracy Matters : Winning the Fight Against Imperialism.
Find it in OSCAR - Everyone should be required to read this book because it judges contemporary society using a filter comprised of Jesuit values.
- I Am Charlotte Simmons.
Find it in LINK+ - Great and surprisingly realistic insight into university life. Hilarious, touching, and fabulous characters that are all too common on college campuses. Long read, but completely worth it. Makes you reconsider your college experience...
- We are all the Same : A Story of a Boy's Courage and a Mother's Love.
Find it in LINK+ - Wilderness.
Find it in LINK+ - The feats of two legendary "mountain men'' are the subject of this unusual new western novel, a collaboration between science fiction author Zelazny ( Nine Princes in Amber ) and Hausman ( Tunkashila ), who usually writes about Native Americans. In 1808, explorer John Colter is forced to run for his life through what today is Yellowstone National Park, pursued by 700 Blackfoot Indians for 150 miles in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Fifteen years later, hunter Hugh Glass, left for dead after being mauled by a bear, manages to crawl more than 100 miles from the Grand Valley to civilization by the Missouri River. The narrative alternates between the two men's stories, which are linked by incredible feats of survival. (Only in the final chapter do we discover another bond between the protagonists.) With a force that pulls readers through the pages, the text plumbs their thoughts as they struggle against other humans and the environment; it also reveals the survival tricks learned from a lifetime in the West. Although the dialogue is often stilted, as is common in this genre, the tale remains compelling. (Taken from Publishers' Weekly)