SWT Friends Recommend

Engaging stories of America's founding mothers including Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Catherine Littlefield Green, and Sarah Livingston Jay. Women were not supposed to even think about politics, but that didn't stop these women from influencing events. Lively letter excerpts. Well researched.

Marillier reworks the Celtic fairytale in which six brothers are turned into six swans and their sister, Sorcha, undertakes to free them from the spell. All of Marillier's fantasies are beautifully written and this is one of my favorites. First book in a trilogy.

Elegant storytelling. The story of Thorvald, brought up by his widowed mother in the Orkneys in a half-Norse half-Celtic community, and his journey to discover the truth about his father. Sequel to Wolfskin.

French editor Bauby, completely paralyzed by a stroke, used his left eye to blink out his memoir describing the experience of being shut in. Incredibly intense. Pure poetry.

In this parallel world, scientists and philosophers, not clerics, are cloistered in monasteries that are thousands of years old and are opened only at rare intervals.

Salvatore, a poor Sicilian farmer at the turn of the 20th century, decides to emigrate to the US. Postcards show the ground covered with coins, rivers of milk, and huge carrots. After passing through Ellis Island, they meet with reality. Based on diaries. So moving. It hits at something basic.

The way she writes about nature is so tender. Wonderful metaphors, such as describing the experience of nature as the Rapture. Great poems about her dog.

To avoid regulation, the tobacco, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries must instill doubt that scientific research is valid. Badly written, but provocative.

"Why would a married woman with a thoroughly Protestant background and often more doubt than faith be drawn to the ancient practice of monasticism...?" The author chronicles her experience as an oblate living in a Benedictine monastery.

Historical fiction from an ancient period known originally through oral tradition. This is based on the story of Dinah from Genesis chapter 34. Characters include Jacob, Rachel, Joseph, and Leah. The story is told from the point of view of Dinah and the women around her, who gathered in the red tent.

Renowned birder Kenn Kauffman tells his mother, now in a nursing home, of his experiences with birds throughout his life and around the world. The individual stories are told in short chapters. Very enjoyable reading.

Probably the best chronicle I've read of World War II in Poland (or elsewhere), and I've read at least two dozen. Ackerman's writing is poetic and detailed; she makes the scene come alive; a special feature for me is the inclusion of many stories of animal-human interactions.

Masterful job of interweaving stories of numerous people to paint a picture of the hardship during the 1930s; helps me understand my dad better.

If only 10% of what Hack says is true, this is damning (to say the least): lying, murder, extortion, blackmail, etc., etc., etc..

This is a sequel to A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana. Both are delightful: the coming of age from a girl’s perspective, plus period piece, plus humor.

I'm no longer reading much fiction, but this novel was well worth it: details drawn from many topics: bees (of course), civil rights history, religion, the human condition, African American tradition, etc..

Read this after reading Small Wonder, another Kingsolver book of essays, which is stunning; this set of essays is not as powerful, but is well worth reading for her unusual perspective as a biologist turned writer..

True story of a prisoner on the Channel Islands who is freed when the Nazis capture the prison. He becomes an agent for the Nazis, a double agent for the British, and an agent both for and against the Norwegians.

After losing her family to the flu epidemic in 1918-1919, a woman goes to Egypt with her dachsund. She meets historical characters such as Lawrence of Arabia and Winston Churchill. Beautifully written.

Decius is Praetor Peregrinusa, a Roman lawyer dealing with foreigners. A pleasant way to learn about Roman society.

Picture books about a pigeon with attitude. Pigeon wants a puppy, NOW!

The author, a Princeton student and weakling, decides to erase his list of "what's wrong with me." He journeys to the Shaolin temple, is gradually accepted by the monks, and becomes a Kung Fu master. After two years, he restarts his American life.

Manhattan Project scientists Oppenheimer, Fermi, and Szilard are brought forward in time, where they lead a hippie anti-war crusade. A strange book.

A giant monolith appears in the jungle in Thailand. It's a monument to a battle that has not yet happened. Then more monoliths appear.

Light-hearted presentation of the King Arthur legend. Arthur's nickname is "the Wart." Merlin's memory of the future hints at locomotives and airplanes.

The legend of Brian Boru, high king of Ireland around 1000 AD. It is a mix of fact and myth. Interesting relationships of kingdoms, subkingdoms, and tribes.

Agnes is a cook and food writer. When the first hitman comes in, she whacks him with a frying pan. The second hitman is for her protection. Funny, dark, tangled.

It was magical when I discovered these two books at the SPL book sale, written at the same time by husband and wife and inscribed to each other. They shared an intimate writing relationship. Both books have Native American themes told from multiple viewpoints.

This can’t-put-it-down read, set in a near-future San Francisco, explores what it means to take care of each other and ourselves. Tenderly-drawn characters, including a sentient house and Mr. Rogers.

Princes of Ireland goes from prehistory through Elizabeth I. Rebels of Ireland goes from Elizabeth I to 1930’s.

Neuroscientist Wolf writes a world history of reading and the reading brain. Brains that read pictograms differ from brains that read alphabets. Includes a millisecond-by-millisecond account of what happens when you read a word.

Neuroscientist Sachs investigates the brain and music. Many fascinating stories of people with abnormalities such as fear of music, musical hallucinations, and amusia, the inability to recognize musical tones.

Carol Drinkwater reads her books about the restoration of a neglected property in France. Her skill as an actress and her soft French accent add another dimension to her books. The Illustrated Olive Farm provides a photographic view.

Rory tells of his walk through the mountain passes of Afghanistan in 2002--in winter! A historian and journalist, he wisely focuses on the people and landscape (mostly harsh) of the country, leaving the reader to draw the political inferences. The reading is made special by Stewart's understated, mellifluous Scottish accent and his fluency in the many languages he encounters on the trip. Be sure to check out his bio on Wikipedia!

This is a historical fiction of the recorded history of South Africa. It starts in 13,000 BC and then skips forward to 1400AD, and covers time up until about 1970. The story shows the good parts, but doesn’t shy away from the bad parts too.

A very good story. It’a a biography, but talks about the music without getting to technical for people without musical background to read. Well researched.

Amazing book - the author has a real talent for writing a book that just sweeps you away. It seems strangely realistic, like the writer didn’t have a plan for the plot. The book is rather sad, and not to be read by the faint of heart.

This story is a lot of fun, about a community that builds a new library, but the old librarians have a plan of their own...

A historical fiction retelling of Welsh history during the reign of Richard I. Interesting, beautiful historical detail, and wonderful language.

This is my favorite book. It’s tidbits about everyday physics: motion, fluids, heat, electricity, and optics. It’s not a textbook - it’s fun “kitchen physics” things. For instance: the wake left by a duck paddling through water and the wake left by a battleship sailing through water both are 39 degrees across.

A fun multicultural retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Who was the prince that Beast used to be? How did he come to be a Beast and live alone in an abandoned mansion? This story begins in Persia, and is both a absorbing story and a glimpse into a middle-eastern mythology.

A rich and complex supernatural tale in which a young rock musician becomes the target of the unhappy spirit of Scott Joplin who is convinced she is the wife he lost.

The author of The Last Unicorn blends humor, magic, and sentiment in this varied collection of new short stories. Includes a return to the world of The Last Unicorn, and a delightful story about a mouse who decides to become a cat.

A fascinating description of one of the first uses of scientific epidemiology to track down the cause of a disease outbreak - cholera, in London, 1854.

A documentary about a man’s 15-year relationship with a flock of Conyers in San Francisco. Funny, informative and ultimately moving.

Written when the author was only 22, this classic story set in Peru in 1714 offers a monk’s speculations about the lives and deaths of 5 people caught on the bridge when it collapses

The first in a series of three graphic novels around the theme of flight; This collection represents the works of 20 or so American graphic novelists and is a great introduction to the genre.

A historical fiction series about the life of Julius Caesar.

When a man loses his whole family in a plane crash he finds new life when he becomes intrigued by the life and disappearance of a silent film star 66 years before.

Two families are brought together by their chance meeting in a Baltimore airport when they go to pick up their newly adopted Korean babies. The Donaldson clan is a vintage American family whose well-meaning attempts at keeping the two families connected through annual celebrations of Arrival Day seem a bit offputting to the Yazdans, recently emigrated from Iran. However, through the next seven years, both families learn that what it means to be “family” is much more complex than they’d thought, as is being an American. Still has a long waiting list but well-worth the wait, if only for the chapter describing the arrival of the “binkie fairy.”

"Religion plays such a powerful role in the world that we should try to understand it in all its complexities, but most adherents bristle at anyone who wants to investigate their practices and beliefs in a scientific manner." Dennett argues that, given the powerful effects of religion, we need a scientific study of it. Slow to get started, but provocative and thoughtful.

This story, set in 1951, tells of a rural lawyer who meets an itinerant storyteller who fascinates him and his son with tales from pre-Christian through modern Irish history.

Two teenage boys, victims of the Chinese Cultural Revolution’s “reeducation” program in 1971, find themselves working the coal mines in a remote mountain village where a contraband novel teaches them the power of storytelling. Funny, heart-wrenching, informative, and profound.

This collection of modern tales by such master storytellers as Jane Yolen, Tanith Lee, Ray Bradbury, and Morgan Llywelyn offers fresh perspectives on the classic themes of Irish fantasy and legend.

The author uses her experiences as a scientist and a person with autism to share hints and insights about animals and people. Why do cows become fascinated with a yellow rain coat on a fence post? What does the color inside a puppy’s mouth tell you about its trainability? Why did the author build herself a squeeze machine?

This neurologist’s take on philosophy and ethics is a fascinating exploration of how and why we feel.

The author was only 15 when he wrote volume 1. Now, at 19, he has created a fast-moving and solid fantasy that will be sure to please fans of the genre.

American politics and policy in wartime: interesting to read about presidential attitudes toward civil rights in parallel with our own time.

This investigation into the life of Kurban Said, a Muslim novelist and historian, now believed to be the pen name of Lev Nussimbaum, a Russian Jew born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1905, who became convinced that the East was the source of all knowledge and civilization.

This family saga, written in 1986, begins with the burning of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and ends two thousand years and a hundred generations later. Part novel, part autobiography, this is a huge and wonderful history of the Jewish people.

This true story explores the human and scientific aspects of a devastating prairie storm in 1888 America. “I couldn’t put this one down.”

The 7th in her Foreigner series, focusing on a translator trying to bridge cultural, psychological, and linguistic gaps between a race of aliens who take numbers very seriously and a stranded human culture.

From the prologue: “How could you, a mathematician, a man devoted to reason and logical proof…how could you believe that extraterrestrials are sending you messages?” “Because, the ideas I had about supernatural beings came to me the same way that my mathematical ideas did. So I took them seriously.” This is the extraordinary life of Nobel Prize winner John Nash. The movie was fascinating, but the true story is even more complex. For starters, there were actually two women in his life, and two sons, both named John.

Set in Barcelona in the 1950s, this is the story of a bookseller’s son who, on his 11th birthday, is allowed to choose one title to own from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. His choice leads to an obsession with its mysterious writer, Julián Carax. But his fascination turns to terror when he learns that someone is buying up all of Carax’s books just to burn them…and that he now owns the last existing copy of a Carax book. Mysterious, haunting, poetic, with an array of unforgettable characters…this is close to the perfect read!

This cyberpunk novel goes between the near future and World War II, with people linked to both eras. Only one character has his foot in both worlds as he tries to keep bad things from happening. “Lots of code-breaking! This is one of the best books I’ve ever read! Not only is it fun to read; it’s as much fun to figure out what is really true and what is just baloney!”

Hard to imagine how he persuaded these famous people to be photographed while jumping, but here’s the proof, from Marilyn Monroe to Richard Nixon to Aldous Huxley to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Amazing!

These nine philosophical essays on travel include positive and negative thoughts from various travelers from Flaubert on Egypt to Edward Hopper on automats.

Set in Cambridge in 1354, during a mini-ice age, a medical doctor investigates a series of five murders.

This is so much fun! It makes test preparation relatively painless. Written by teens for teens. Includes lots of helpful tips from those who have recently emerged successful, for those who are tired of reading guides written by people "…who were born before the invention of the number 2 pencil."

This Seattle-based story is part mystery, part study of molecular genetics, with a strong medical ethics theme and beautifully drawn characters. It tells of a doctor who, when studying a rare syndrome that causes rapid aging and premature death in children, discovers a blood mutation that has the potential to arrest the human aging process.

How could this common man write such uncommon works of literature? With so much unknown about the Bard’s actual life, details about Elizabethan life are used to flesh out several “hypothetical” Shakespeares.

This wild Latino soap opera has a lot to say about love, friendship and family ties when Sway’s father, stuck in purgatory, comes back to ask their help in getting enough people to pray for him in his hometown in Mexico to free his soul. Two problems: nobody back home cares enough to pray for him, and California-born Sway is afraid to travel more than 30 miles from home. This is a delight to see as well as read, with colorful illustrations, Mexican truisms, real and invented lotería cards, and bits of realia such as a classified ad offering one soul to the highest bidder and, my favorite, a map of Mexico detailing which regions are known for which kinds of men.

During the summer of 1964 a young Southern girl is given a home by three black, beekeeping sisters and discovers what she’s been looking for all her life. "To know this happened just in my lifetime! A wonderful first novel that helps you find your mother inside you. Have your tissues nearby!"

A true story about a young American’s life in Peking during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. He is a teacher and the husband of a woman from a wealthy Chinese family when the Revolution comes and his whole world changes.

“Such fun to dip into! The first is totally random and guaranteed to intrigue readers—you never know when you might need to know how to drape a sari, or rules of dueling. The second, everything from pasta shapes to frog legs to Charles Dickens on Oysters to idioms featuring bread. Edward Lear’s recipe for Gosky Patties, anyone? Beautiful typesetting and illustrations as well.”