10 Books You Need to Read

10. 'Moonwalking with Einstein' by Joshua Foer

2012-02-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

Joshua Foer first attended the National Memory Championship as a journalist, and was intrigued by one of the mind athlete's claims that anyone could perform the amazing memory feats demonstrated there with a little practice. Foer trained for a year, and then returned to win the championship. Along the way, he studied how memory works and learned about how memory is connected to expertise in a variety of fields. The resulting book, Moonwalking with Einstein, is a fun read that might just challenge you to try some of the techniques. Moonwalking with Einstein is the kind of book that can spark conversations. While reading it, I found myself saying to several people -- friends, my hair stylist, people I'd meet at a party -- how something they said reminded me of something from a book I was reading, and then I'd tell them an anecdote from Moonwalking with Einstein. One person actually wrote down the name of the book because she was so interested in the quick blurb I gave. Indeed, if you are interested in memory, how the brain works, or psychology, this book will appeal to you. It is a popular book, so it is not written by a scientist or doctor, and it doesn't go very deep. It does, however, skim several interesting topics in memory and brain science, and it does so through memorable anecdotes and an overarching story about the author's quest to win the National Memory Championship.

There are points when Foer's story dragged, and other times when I wished he would go deeper into the actual memory training strategies. This is not a self-help book, though. It is a story, and not a guide for improving memory. I read it slowly; it is not the kind of fiction page turner I usually read. I did, however, enjoy it. I'd recommend it, especially if you need some small talk topics for an upcoming party.

9. 'If Jack's in Love' by Stephen Wetta

2012-02-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

A spark. I love reading first novels because often they’ve got it -- that wonderful spark. Many times first novels are labors of love that took years to publish. The new authors have been slaving to bleed their hearts dry, pouring out doses of creativity to announce their voice. Stephen Wetta’s If Jack’s in Love has that spark of a writer who fully invests himself and writes with a startlingly bittersweet humor, infusing his first novel with a tinge of something special.
The backdrop of If Jack’s in Love is a quaint southern neighborhood nestled in Virginia in 1967. Jack Witcher is "one of them." You see, despite his smarts and general niceness, Jack is an outcast due to his unfortunate affiliation with the Witchers. His mother is not a handsome woman and his father and older brother, Stan, act and live in ways that provide the family with the label "trash." It doesn’t help that Jack’s father’s collection of junk litters their sparse lawn and that the house has a chipped and wasting away paint job.
The story begins with the elder Witcher losing his job and getting into a fight with a neighbor. Soon, Jack finds his father at home on the couch watching soap operas all the time. Because of this, Jack's homely mother has to begin work as a cashier at a local market where her boss continues to make eyes at her. Stan, Jack's older brother, indulges in his hippie mentality and love for lust while also bristling with a dangerous temperament.
I can’t lie. I laughed uproariously through the first 100 pages of If Jack’s in Love. Jack’s narrative voice is pitch perfect for describing his dad and brother’s shenanigans and the chapters whiz by like a light summer breeze. As Jack begins to share about his first love interest, Myra, with his only friend, the local Jewish jeweler, Moses Gladstein, the novel feels like a perfect summer escape.
But then Wetta brings in the darkness. Circumstances, like Stan, begin to boil when he is accused of the disappearance and possible murder of Myra’s older brother, the golden child of the neighborhood. This complicates Jack’s relationship with Myra, and their adolescent puppy love world is soon darkened again by the storm of family feuds, class issues and teenage angst.
Wetta has a deft touch at balancing the laugh out loud moments with some of the darker plot twists. All the characters feel authentic in their motives, words and actions throughout, and Jack’s relationship with his family members, Gladstein and Myra are written with compassion and heart. Some of the best scenes are between Jack and Mr. Gladstein at the jewelry shop as they to discuss ways Jack can win Myra's love.
My only harp against the novel is the downer of an ending. In fact, even Jack’s even keeled voice changes and becomes bitter in the last chapter. Perhaps that was Wetta’s point -- even the best of us can get soiled by humans’ bad behavior toward each other. But I was hoping that, even after all that he had to go through, Jack would find some peace and contentment. The last scene with him and his father leaves a cold ache where a novel of this style feels like it should put a warm blanket over the heart rather than tear the sheets away.

8. 'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness

2012-02-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

The Bottom Line

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is a debut novel and the first in the All Souls Trilogy. Harkness certainly isn't the first to write about vampires, witches and other supernatural creatures in recent years, but she does so with her own twists, adding depth to the usual suspense and romance plotlines. Harkness is a historian, and one of the most enjoyable parts of A Discovery of Witches is how history, science and literature inform the mystery. Although the ending left something to be desired, A Discovery of Witches is definitely worth picking up.

Pros

The long book allows for many twists in plot and good character development.
There is good suspense, the kind that makes pages turn fast & the kind that makes a long story move.
I definitely wanted to read the next book in the trilogy when I finished.

Cons

The ending dragged, especially once it was clear how much would remain unanswered in this book.
The most tense situations in the novel seemed to be solved a little too easily.

Description

'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness was published in February 2011
Publisher: Viking
592 Pages

Guide Review - 'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness - Book Review

Diana Bishop is a direct descendant of Bridget Bishop, the first woman killed in the Salem Witch Trials. Diana blames magic for the loss of her parents at a young age, and is determined not to acknowledge that she is a witch or use magic (much to her aunts' dismay). When A Discovery of Witches opens, Diana is doing research at the Bodleian library at Oxford. She is a history professor at Yale, and is working on old alchemical manuscripts. When she calls up a certain manuscript for her research, she realizes the book is bewitched. Though she returns the book and tries to ignore the discovery, other supernatural creatures become aware that she's seen the manuscript and soon she is being trailed by Matthew, a vampire, and handfuls of other witches, vampires and daemons.

At this point in the story, I wasn't convinced I was going to like the book. Fortunately, I was wrong about how the book would proceed and how much I would enjoy it. Although the manuscript triggers the story, there are many, many different threads in the book. The plot and characters are complicated, and there are still many unanswered questions at the end of 592 pages. That isn't to say the book is unsatisfying. On the contrary, it was very pleasant to read a book with slow character development and continuing revelations. In some ways A Discovery of Witches reminds me of watching a whole season of a favorite television show -- there are many different episodes each with their own suspense and storylines, but even though some stories wrap up at the end of each episode, the major threads build upon each other throughout the season. Ultimately, though, the season ends with a cliffhanger, making you eager for the next season to begin.
There were some points in A Discovery of Witches when I thought it might be a five out of five star book. Unfortunately, the last 100 or so pages are not the strongest, and by the time it ended I did not feel like it deserved more than four stars. Still, four stars is not bad for a debut novel, and those five star moments made me hopeful that the next two books in this trilogy will be even better.

7. 'Iron House' by John Hart

2012-02-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

The Bottom Line

John Hart is a bestselling author of thriller crime novels, including The King of Lies and Down River. His latest novel, Iron House, proves why he's so successful--it's a gripping and entertaining story about two brothers who are orphaned together, grow up apart into lives of violence and must find their way back to each other. Unpredictable and riveting, Iron House should be on your summer reading list.

Pros

'Iron House' has an entertaining plot, unusual characters and is well written.

Cons

The graphic violence makes 'Iron House' unsuitable for some readers.

Description

'Iron House' by John Hart was published in July 2011
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
432 Pages

Guide Review - 'Iron House' by John Hart - Book Review

Michael and Julian were orphaned brothers sent to the same brutal North Carolina institution, Iron House, until Michael runs away after a violent incident, and Julian is adopted by a senator and his wife. Many years later, Michael has become a professional killer, but when he tries to leave the business the killers try to turn on him. Michael's on the run to protect himself and his long lost brother from a whole host of violent and nefarious threats. John Hart's novel, Iron House, is a fast-paced thriller that is unpredictable and well-crafted and keeps the reader turning pages. Some scenes are graphically violent, which might be too much for some readers. The cast of characters in Iron House is an entertaining group, including a billionaire Senator and a backwoods witch. All in all, Iron House will please all fans of thrillers, and maybe even some readers who aren't normally fans of thrillers.

6. 'Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness' by Alexandra Fuller

2012-02-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

Alexandra Fuller is the author of critically acclaimed memoirs about her family and time growing up in Central Africa, including Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight. Fuller's mother Nicola, however, will only refer to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight as the "Awful Book," presumably for the unflinching family portrait it contains. Both Fuller's parents are the -- presumably willing -- subjects of her newest book, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness. The eponymous Tree of Forgetfulness is on the Zambia banana farm of Nicola and Tim Fuller, and Fuller sits with her parents under the tree revisiting their stories of their life as white immigrants to an Africa when the continent was undergoing massive upheaval.
Not surprisingly, their lives are fascinating to follow, and Fuller fills Cocktail Hour with plenty of unforgettable detail, including her mother's chimpanzee best friend named Stephen Foster -- they dressed in matching rompers. There was plenty of tragedy, too, and things the family might rather forget.
It's hard to know whether Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is so charming and absorbing because of the stories it tells or because of the both charming and bracing writing style of Fuller. She does an admirable job combining the funny and sweet details with the harsh realities of life in Central Africa. Fans of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight should not miss Fuller's follow up.

5. 'In the Garden of Beasts' by Erik Larson

2012-02-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

How does evil grow in the hearts and actions of a nation? In the Garden of Beasts presents a stirring answer in a portrait of a German nation attempting to rebuild its people after the first World War and the Treaty of Versailles, yet festering with bitterness, fear and malcontent from within its new rising leaders. This book of history, written with novelistic panache by the sharp and steady author, Erik Larson, is a slow burn thriller where American diplomacy ignores growing signs of destruction with a surprising lack of concern despite stark warnings. "After experiencing life in Nazi Germany, Thomas Wolfe wrote, 'Here was an entire nation...infested with the contagion of an ever-present fear. It was a kind of creeping paralysis which twisted and blighted all human relations.'" (pg. 223)
In Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts, we see the story of the rise of Nazi Germany through the eyes of William Dodd, a professor from the University of Chicago, who is chosen by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 to be the American Ambassador to this once proud nation. At the time, Hindenburg was still president of Germany and Adolf Hitler was his Chancellor. Along with Dodd for the journey are his wife, son and flirtatious daughter, Martha, who at first finds a certain appeal with Nazi Germany (and many of its officers) only to learn the truth of how naïve and foolish her romantic ideas of the Third Reich really are.

The Dodds are a bit of a self-absorbed bunch, and the reader learns about the inner tensions of Germany through Martha’s promiscuous lifestyle. Though she is a soon-to-be-divorced 22-year-old, she exhausts her love life in various affairs with Germans, Americans, and Russians in artistic, political and military circles in Berlin. As her passions burn in various courts, we are able to see the fear and anxiety that is growing in many people throughout the city and countryside. "A popular metaphor used at the time to describe the atmosphere in Berlin was that of an approaching thunderstorm - that sense of charged and suspended air." (pg. 264)
In the diplomacy realm, Ambassador Dodd is a bit out of his element, though he shows thoughtfulness and a desire to do his job well. However, he is constantly being criticized for his homely transportation and living arrangements by Americans and Germans alike. His infightings with people in Roosevelt’s camp are a mirror of Germany's leader's suspicion and lack of trust between the army, Gestapo and SA. Even as Dodd finds "small victories" in his diplomacy with the leaders of these organizations, he begins to realize that Hitler is gaining power and does not have peace as his final goal. Because of his self-described view of himself as a "Jeffersonian Democrat," Dodd flimsily fluctuates on how to advise the U.S. to deal with the blooming tensions in Germany. And because of his poor relationship with many in Roosevelt’s camp, the U.S. government acts poorly disinterested in both Dodd and the "German Menace."

"...a new phrase was making the rounds in Berlin, to be deployed upon encountering a friend or acquaintance on the street, ideally with a sardonic lift of one eyebrow: 'Lebst du noch?' Which meant, 'Are you still among the living?'" (pg. 321) The book closes with "The Night of Long Knives," the coup staged by Hitler as he got rid of Rohm and a lot of other political enemies. Only then does Dodd, finally shocked by the violence and the revelation that Hitler desires world-power, begin to speak out firmly against the Nazi regime. But by then, all the diplomatic idealists, political parties and nations can only witness the outbreak of war.
This is a masterful work of history for those interested in how the world, and in particular, the United States, was able to stand by and watch Nazi Germany be born. Larson brings a wonderful tension to even the smallest details and interactions as he pieces together the story through diaries, newspaper articles and other recorded works of the transpiring events.

4. 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother' by Amy Chua

2012-02-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

The Bottom Line

Amy Chua received a lot of attention for Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, a memoir about raising two daughters "the Chinese way." While Westerners will have many issues with her parenting style, Chua has insisted that the book is not intended as a how-to guide (despite the publisher’s claim on the back!). Rather it is the enjoyable story of a family at the intersection of cultures, and it is told with wit and self-deprecating humor throughout.

Pros

Chua is funny and a fluid writer.
Can provide genuine wisdom and inspiration on motivating kids or yourself.
Short chapters and easy reading.

Cons

Some readers may be turned off by her extreme parenting style.

Description

'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother' by Amy Chua was published in January 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group
256 Pages

Guide Review - 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother' by Amy Chua - Book Review

Chua makes the point - which, like many truths, seems obvious once she has said it - that you don’t enjoy something when you’re not good at it, you don’t get good at it until you’ve done a lot of unenjoyable work, and that once you’re good at it, you love it. So it is with music, so it is with sports, so it is with academics. Effort trumps ability, and genius and virtuosity are less the result of innate talents than of long, rigorous practice. That abstract point was lived out and validated repeatedly in these pages. In short, tiger mothers push their children. Hard. Contra the Western model which rewards a child’s effort, tiger mothers reward only complete success when preceded by considerable effort. As a result, their children tend to be driven and excel in whatever they pursue -- which is also entirely determined by their mother. They don’t have the freedom and choice we Westerners give our children, and consequently, they waste less time on idle pursuits. On the other hand, they also aren’t good at, as Chua put it, "enjoying life," and they don’t give much attention to less formal aspects of knowledge like navigating social circles and engaging people.
We read this book out loud and laughed out loud all through it. It’s that funny. But it also holds valuable lessons about raising children, learning, and adapting to changing circumstances. You will likely reject many details of Chua’s philosophy and style, but it is still a stimulating book. And you can’t argue with success.

3. 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' by Ransom Riggs

2012-02-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

As Jacob explores [the home's] abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children may have been more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive. On account of this excerpt from the jacket cover, I was a bit afraid that Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children would be more like a horror flick -- and worse, one involving creepy kids -- than a interesting tale about some unique children. I shouldn't have worried, however. Even for an easily spooked person like me, Peculiar Children is an excellent read for any fiction fan.
A bored, rich teenager living with his family in Florida, Jacob is forever changed when his grandfather dies unexpectedly in a way that, to Jacob and no one else, seems suspicious. Growing up, Jacob's grandfather would tell Jacob impossible stories from his youth at an orphanage on an island off Ireland, of the resident children who had fantastical abilities. Many kids had typical powers -- flight, superhuman strength, invisibility, time manipulation, but there were other, more bizarre ones -- a boy had bees living inside of him which he could control, and another could use the hearts of rodents and other animals to raise once-living people from the dead for a short while, or to make living homunculi to do his bidding. Grandpa even had the vintage photographs to prove these children and their powers existed, but to Jacob, it was obvious the pictures had been manipulated. The pictures, which are actual photographs the author tracked down, are included throughout the book.
In addition to receiving a mysterious assignment of sorts from his grandfather, Jacob also sees a hideous beast in the woods where his grandfather lays dying and afterward, he begins to have frequent nightmares. His parents send him to a psychiatrist who eventually makes sense of his symptoms and encourages Jacob to explore the island and orphanage his grandfather called home as a young person. And there is where the bulk of the novel unfolds.
As I was reading, I was often reminded of other excellent novels, movies, and televisions shows -- the television show Heroes because the children's abilities are similar in nature to those of the show's characters, Harry Potter, more on account of there being a wise, old headmistress over an isolated building of children than the fact that the children had powers, and even Water for Elephants because the headmistress mentions that the children used to be safe in the open world, performing in circuses at side shows. While reading Peculiar Children called to mind other stories, it remains very unique.
The use of the old black and white photographs throughout the text is brilliant, and unnerving. Many of the pictures are indeed creepy, and the fact that they're actual photographs that weren't drawn up just to support the novel is baffling. What are the real stories behind these bizarre photographs?
There were only a couple of minor aspects that didn't sit well with me. One is that the action is mostly saved up for the last eighth of the book, then it's a rush to an end that comes too abruptly. There's at least another novel's worth of story to be told, though I'm not sure Riggs plans to write it. I have a feeling he's leaving it up to the reader's imagination.
Ransom Riggs has penned a wonderful first novel. Full of mystery and unexpected twists, with likable characters and a unique voice, it's no wonder Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a New York Times bestseller. I'd recommend this book to nearly any reader, and certainly anyone who enjoys a bit of fantasy or who's been wanting to read fantasy but doesn't want to start with an enormous series. I look forward to reading Riggs' future novels.

2. 'State of Wonder' by Ann Patchett

2012-02-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

The Bottom Line

Ann Patchett, the bestselling author of several novels, including Bel Canto, has released a new novel called State of Wonder, set in the Amazon jungle. Marina Singh is a research scientist from Minnesota who finds herself on a bizarre journey to track down colleagues in the deepest reaches of the jungle. Fascinating and engrossing, State of Wonder defies expectations in the best ways.

Pros

The plot is anything but ordinary, and yet never feels too unbelievable or forced

Cons

There's not much to complain about in 'State of Wonder'

Description

'State of Wonder' by Ann Patchett was published in June 2011.
Publisher: Harper
368 Pages

Guide Review - 'State of Wonder' by Ann Patchett - Book Review

Dr. Marina Singh chose to use her medical degree to become a research scientist working in an office, away from the messiness and reality of patients. She and her coworker at the pharmaceutical company are friendly colleagues, but when he disappears in the Amazon jungle on a work trip, she finds herself leaving the cold simplicity of her lab for heat, insects and confusion in Brazil. Some novels focus on the mundane, the everyday, domestic strife and scenes with which we are familiar. State of Wonder is not that kind of novel; it uproots its modern inhabitants and thrusts them into a hot, crowded and inexplicable world with its own rules untouched by technology. Dr. Singh is looking for scientists researching possible new drugs deep in the heart of the jungle; she finds much more than anyone ever expected.
Despite the vast world of State of Wonder, the story is rooted in the personal lives of its characters, including Dr. Singh, which is what makes it so powerful. State of Wonder is a story that will stick with you.

1. 'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern

2012-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is the novel I have been waiting all year to find. It is my favorite kind of book -- the kind that completely absorbs my imagination and makes me forget the world around me. Those kind of books leave me feeling disoriented when I have to put them down, a feeling of not being quite sure what is real anymore. It's a feeling that reminds me what it was like when I first fell in love with books as a child and could spend whole afternoons holed up with a good story. Some books make me think. Some books impress me with their writing. But the books I truly love set my imagination on fire. The Night Circus is that kind of book. The Night Circus involves two main characters, Celia and Marco, who are bound together in a magical competition. They were chosen as children, had no choice in the matter, and do not understand the parameters of the competition or how a winner will be chosen. They are pawns, but they take a dark situation and create light. Le Cirque De Reves is the venue for the competition, though none of the participants or spectators are aware of how they are being used in the game.

Sounds dark, huh? The Night Circus does have a dark tone, but it is also exciting and hopeful. Just as the circus is only open at night but uses elements of light -- fire, stars, illuminated ice sculptures -- to enchant the visitor, so the reader experiences feelings of light and darkness while navigating the story. And while there is an ever present struggle between good and evil in the novel, the story is never heavy or depressing. The reader, like the magicians, is always attempting to bend the imagination to find new possibilities. There is one element of the novel that I think will turn some readers off: The action is not linear. At the start of each chapter, it tells the year, and chapters go back and forth, sometimes skipping a decade. I found myself flipping back a lot to remember when some other event happened in relation to what I was reading, and I wondered if some of my friends who have e-readers would have a harder time keeping track of the sequence of events. For me, flipping back and forth and rereading segments with a new perspective added to the excitement of the novel, but I could imagine this annoying some people. Still, I think the structure is perfect for the story. It mirrors the confusion and disorientation circus visitors feel and also highlights how timeless the actual circus is. The structure reminded me of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and I have a feeling that my friends who were frustrated and confused by that novel would also be frustrated by The Night Circus.

Another criticism could be that the main characters are not developed as deeply as some might desire. I did not notice this until I finished the book. In fact, I think that perhaps the "main" characters are not the main point. Sure, Celia and Marco drive the story, but the novel would not be the same without any of the characters. I think, like the circus, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We could spend the whole night with any of the characters, but we are compelled to try out different tents during our visit to the circus, and part of the allure is that the characters, and the circus, leave us wanting more. Overall, The Night Circus is an excellent book. It is the best book I have read in 2011, and the moment I finished it I e-mailed a friend and told her to pre-order a copy. I recommend you do the same.