USM Community Booklist 2005-2006
Thank you for all the
wonderful responses. We have a very diverse group of readers here at USM and I
think you will all enjoy the depth of titles suggested . Here are the readers and their comments –
when available- on their books for this year.
Steve Allan
The Magdalen
Martyrs by Ken Bruen
“Irish writer is the heir apparent of
the noir masters. The Magdalen Martyrs is the 3rd book in Bruen’s
Jack Taylor detective series, which began with his Shamus award-winning The Guards. With it’s incredibly sparse language it has more emotional impact
than any other book I’ve read in the past year”
Run with the Hunted : A Charles Bukowski Reader
by Charles Bukowski
“This anthology is a great
examination of someone who has gone through every cursed obstacle life can
throw in one’s
way. Dark, depressing and ultimately fascinating.”
The Death of Sweet Mister by Daniel Woodrell
“The Death of Sweet Mister is an
intense crime novel with Greek tragedy overtones. Highly recommended for every
reader; downright required for noir writers”
Amy Barnes
Why Do I Love These People
by
“The book is a collection of stories
about some not-so ordinary families, each one written in Bronson’s almost
journalistic style, reads like a fable, making you think about various
interpersonal dynamics that affect how we feel about those closest to us”
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
“This is a beautifully written story
of the friendship between the author and her friend, also a writer, Lucy
Greeley. It’s not always a happy story…but is a realistic portrait of how
friendships are made, how they evolve, sustain us through good and bad and
perhaps even on occasion disappoint us. Do yourself a favor and read this one.”
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
“”..The amazing truth is that in this
tale of sadness Didion manages to inspire. I was
fascinated by the things she did as a writer and researcher to comfort herself,
not surprisingly she turned to books, studies, medical journals – information
was her salvation in many ways, along with a bit of “magical thinking”.
Mary Ann Benson
Top Ten Fiction
Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God by Joe Coomer
The Red Tent by
Anita Diamant
Ahab’s Wife by Sena
Jeter Naslund
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk kidd
Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by
Mitch Albon
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman
Top Ten Non-fiction
No Ordinary Time by Doris
My Dog Skip by Willie Morris
The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love by Jill Connor Browne
Running With
Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Bird by Bird by Annie Lamont
Woodswoman by
Anne Labastille
A Dog Year by Jon Katz
Marley and Me by John Grogan
The Dogs of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz
Kimberly Bird
A Short History of Nearly
Everything by Bill Bryson
“Science reading can be
entertaining!”
Waiting for Snow in
“
The Master and Margarita
by Mikhail Bulgakov
“Most literature to come out of
Kathy Briccetti
A Sinner Of Memory by Melita Schaum
” a lovely and intelligent collection of
essays that reads like a lyrical memoir”
Population 485: Meeting
Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry
“A memoir by a poet turned cowboy turned nurse
turned firefighter/paramedic in a tiny northern town.”
The House on
“ A Poignant and
humorous memoir written by a woman caring for her infant daughter who is just
learning language and for her father who because of dementia is losing his.
Susan Campbell
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Straight Man by Richard
Russo
Karen Casey
Picking Up by Lucy Honig
The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
Carol Chipman
Extreme Nature by Bill Curtsinger
“Excellent read,
beautiful pictures. Inspiring”
Susan Burns Chong
The Secret Life of Bees by
Sue Monk Kidd
“ my favorite
book currently”
Anything by Barbara
Kingsolver – particularly The Bean Trees
Richard Coffin
Prince Caspian and Voyage
of the Dawn Treader by C S Lewis
“Reminded by the recent movie how much
the series meant to me. These books taught me a lot about how good and bad
children acted, as well as when, how and why to act grownup.”
Ann Conley
Any Human Heart by William
Boyd
“..loved
reading and hated to see end. It’s a fictional account of one man’s life over
the course of nearly a century written in the form of somewhat poetic journal
entries.”
The Secret Life of Bees by
Sue Monk Kidd
My favorite books ever are
A Sailor From Gibraltar by Marguerite Duras, The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Ahab’s Wife by Sena
Jeter Naslund
Joan Connor
Enchanted Nights by Steven
Milhauser
Anne Conners
Saturday by Ian McEwen
“The best book I read this year. With a
nod to Virginia Woolf’s Mrs
Dalloway, the book, as it’s title implies takes place in one day. It centers on
a successful neurosurgeon whose happy and successful world is threatened by
outside powerful forces, by people who may hate him just because of what he is,
not who he is.”
Paul Dexter
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase
for
“ this is an
actual historical account of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and is supposed to
be a page turner”
The Planets by Dava Sobel
“ This is a
wonderful exploration of each planet incorporating references to mythology,
history and modern exploration.”
The Plot Against
“.Now in paperback , this novel imagines
an alternate end to WW II in which the United States reaches a cordial
agreement with a Hitler-ruled Germany in 1940
Jill Dickey
A
Three Junes by Julia Glass
Crossing to Safety by
Wallace Stegner
Love in the Time of
Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
“some books
that I highly recommend”
Mary Donaghy
The Lexus and the Olive
Tree by Thomas Friedman
“ a real
eye-opener”
Leone Donavan
In Cold Blood by Truman
Capote
“I’d never read it and thought it was
a good intro before I watched the movie Capote. What wonderful book. I was
surprised at it’s lyricism and character studies.”
On the Ice by Gretchen Legler
“essays about
Acid Row by Minette Walters
“ am
listening to this for a shot of mystery fiction”
Victoria Durant
The Floating Girl by Sujata Massey
“I really enjoy this series. Generally
I don’t read mysteries. There has to be a hook. This is set in
Dead Witch Walking by Kim
Harrison
“It was an interesting supernatural
story..”
Wolf Captured by Jane Lindskold (part of the Firekeeper
series)
“I’ve read three before this and
another one has just come out to continue the series. I love these books.”
Annie Finch
Where the Lightning Strikes:
The Lives of American Indian Sacred Places by Peter Nabokov
“Wonderful explorations of how the
land we live in is sacred and alive in ways much deeper than language. Reading
it gives me shivers.”
Edgar Allan Poe and the
Jukebox: Uncollected Drafts, Manuscripts and Fragments by Elizabeth Bishop (ed Alice Quinn)
“Full of surprising gems that shed
surprising light on this private poet!”
Helen Foss
Cotton by Christopher
Wilson
“The story of a white skinned black
boy born in the south. Everyone in the
town knows him as a black child despite his white skin. After becoming involved
with the daughter of a local KKK member, he is beaten, left for dead and tossed
onto a freight train. When he is rescued, he and his rescuer create a new
history for him…. The voice is superior, the social commentary brilliant. The
improbable action matters not one bit.”
Christina Foster
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of
Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Steven J. Dubner
“This book was very quickly read, but
led to many discussions for weeks about all kinds of topics. Why wasn’t
economics this interesting in college?”
“Marvelous depiction
of a self-less man trying to change the world. A very smart and interesting
book that will make you consider the way the world is run.”
Hank
Rama Revealed by Arthur C. Clarke
“It’s the fourth and final volume in a
science fiction series begun by Clarke in 1994 and turns out to have lots to
say about the Bush administration and like-minded tyrannical yet ostensibly
popular regimes. In the best tradition of literature it’s imaginative and
relevant at the same time.”
Open Net by George Plimpton
The Wooden nickel by
William Carpenter
“ I gave this to my mother for
Christmas a year ago without reading it first, not knowing that the word “c@#ksucker” appeared approximately ten times in the first
chapter. She liked the book anyway.”
Larry Glantz
Catfish and Mandela by
Andrew X. Pham
A Million Little Pieces by
James Frey
Chris Hamilton
Cesar’s Way: The Natural
Everyday Guide To understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier
“I rescue and have 7 German Shepherds so I enjoy
learning about dog behavior.. this book is excellent
so far in helping to explain dog psychology”
Gone by Jonathan Kellerman
The Lord of the Rings set
including The Hobbit
Mary Hawkins
The Shadow of the Wind by
Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Kerry Herrick
Gift of Nothing by Patrick
McDonnell
“It is a wonderful
cross-generational message in this day and age of busy-ness and material
preoccupation. The most valuable and important things are free – love,
friendship and faith.”
21 Indispensable Qualities
of a Leader by John Maxwell
“He is one of the top motivational
writers for leaders and has published over 20 books on the subject. I
particularly like this one because it is clear ,concise
and focuses on the “basics” which applies to anyone in a leadership position or
wishing to mentor emerging leaders.”
Reza Jalali
Namesakes by Jumpa Lahiri
The Best American Short
stories 2005 ed
Michael Chabon
Mary Kay “ Maya” Kaspar
Fifth Sacred Thing by Sparhawk
“ One of the
best books I’ve ever read… The reason I love this novel is because it takes a
look at the future and how we struggle to make sense of a world we have
environmentally destroyed and are now trying to nurture back to life. It is
about awakening our relationship with the earth and the conflict humans have
with each other.”
James Rollin’s series of
books ( Map of bones, Deep fathom, Subterranean,
Sandstorm, Evacuation)
“these are
great books if you like sci fi,
mystery and paranormal themes. I can’t wait for his next book.”
Barbara “ Kelly”
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon
“ I just
loved this book. It is one I have recommended to everyone. Has a little of
everything – fantasy ,a love story, a mystery and
history.
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
“Supposedly written for the young
adult market this book is really for everyone. The plot is intriguing and the
characters are ones you won’t want to leave. This is the sequel to Inkheart and should be read that way. If you love books
you’ll love these 2”
Zorro by Isabel Allende
“ A great
telling of an old legend. I loved the tv
show way back when and this book fleshes out the story in a marvelous way. Allende is a powerful writer who knows how to
move the action along.”
The lost Painting by
Jonathan Harr
“ This is my
non-fiction pick of the year. Good story of the re-discovery of a lost
Caravaggio painting. Reads like a good mystery.:
I have read so many books
this year that my list would be much too long. USM is very lucky to have great
writers here – Our Stonecoast MFA faculty
are great and I have had the pleasure of reading their work along with
so many of our other USM community authors.
Lillian Kennedy
Thinking in Pictures by
“This is one of her older books with
an introduction by Oliver Sachs.Grandin is an
interesting person who has autism and did not initially have ready access to
language. Rather she “thought in pictures”. As a poet I have sometimes
described my writing experience as “hearing images” so I think she has
something to say to poets and thoseewho value
intuition and “right brain” input. I would also recommend this book to any
teacher or parent of a child with autism or Asberger’s.
Sheera Labelle
I am Charlotte Simmons by
Tom Wolfe
Saving fish From Frowning
by Amy Tan
¾ Drop City and The Tortilla Curtain both by T. C. Boyle
The Devil in the
Garlic and Sapphires: The
Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reuchi
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
We Wish to Inform You That
Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families:
Stories
from
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
Cheryl Laz
One Man’s Meat by E.B.White
“ A superb
stylist, This collection of white’s essays includes many on themes eerily
familiar today (education, politics, free speech and censorship) as well as
many written after he “retired” to his
gentleman’s farm on the
Second Nature and Botany
of Desire both by Michael Pollan
“ Too much
good to say about these… and I can’t wait to read his latest , The Omnivore’s
Dilemma.
In My Hands by Irene Gut Opdyke
“This is an amazing story of the
extraordinary courage of ordinary people. It conveys the message – so important
in our own political times – that individual’s choices do make a difference.
In the Castle of the
Flynn’s by Michael Raleigh
“I bought this one for a dollar at a
library book sale only because my husband’s family name is Flynn but it is a
winner. It’s the story of a young Irish-american boy
living with his grandparents in
Kali Lightfoot
The First 4 books of the
Honor Harrington series by David Weber
“Sci-fi about a
strong woman starship captain.”
The Speed of Dark and Marque
of Reprisal both by Elizabeth Moon
City of
The Mount by Carol Emshwillar
Aging With Grace by David
Snowden
Debe Loughlin
A Whole New Mind by David Pinkleman
The
Jennie MacLeod
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
“ My
favorite discovery lately…I picked it up because I loved The Virgin Suicides
and now I’m recommending it to everyone I see. Not only is it beautifully
crafted, it’s themes include being who you were born
to be and not trying to live up to other people’s ideals. It works as a
romance, a historical novel, a literary novel and a medical mystery.
Fantastic!”
Catherine Madore
Brother Ray by Ray Charles
Martin Dressler
by Steven Milhauser
Mother by Maya Angelou
The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr
Night by Elie Wiesel
Angela’s Ashes by Frank
McCourt
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Nancy Markowitz
The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
“ This is the story about a man who is a time
traveler – so goes back in time to meet his future wife when she is a child,
meets her again in the present and then travels into the future. I loved the
book – gives a very different perspective on time.”
Eat, Pray, Love by
Elizabeth Gilbert.
“This is the author’s story about her
life after divorce. She decides to travel for 4 months each to
Truth and Beauty by Ann Pachett
“This story is about the friendship
between Ann and Lucy Grealy.
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
“Lucy had jaw cancer when she was a
child and went through multiple operations throughout her life. This is her
story about what life is like for someone who is “different” than everyone
else.”
Michael Mazzenga
The New
Andrea Thompson McCall
High Plains Tango by
Robert James Waller
“ I thought
it was much better than his better known Bridges of Madison County and would
make a better movie!”
Dennis McLaughlin
The Vesuvius Club , A Lucifer Box novel by Mark Gatiss
“He is described as equal parts James
Bond and Sherlock Holmes with a twist of Monty Python and Austin Powers”
The Flashman
Papers by George MacDonald Fraser
“ Hard to
describe but lots of fun and very
addicting”
The Bounty by Caroline
Alexander
“The story of the mutiny on the Bounty , written from the journals of the crew, the logs of
Captain Williem Bligh and transcripts of the trial”
Kate Mitchell
Team of Rivals by Doris
American Gospel:God, the Founding Father
and the Making of a Nation by John
Meacham
The Time Traveler’s Wife
by Audrey Niffenbegger
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Tipping Point: How
Little Things Can Make a Difference by Malcolm Gladwell The Biology of
Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles by
Bruce H. Lipton
Laurie Mooney
Every Living Thing by
James Herriott
Path Between
the Seas by David McCullough
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Hobbitt
by JRR Tolkien
To Kill a Mockingbird by
Harper Lee
Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher
Molly Morrell
Shutterbabe by Deborah Copaken Kogan
“….about her adventures as a young
photojournalist documenting war in
Over the Moat by James
Sullivan
“…about his experiences in
Irwin Novak
Snow by Orhan Pamuk
Birds Without
Wings by Louis De Bernieres
Shannon O’Connor
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
“…liked it very much… It is a great
story of the joy of childhood friendship that turns to pain and guilt, and how
many years later , the protagonist has a chance for
redemption.. but he must return to the much-changed
Judie O’Malley
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
“Loved it!
Susan Palmer
Being Perfect by Anna Quindlen
“Short essay-type book about the choices we make every day and how
to make those decisions based on recognizing our own true self, not making them
based on advice from friends, demands from family and co-workers or what
society expects of us.”
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
“”I think it’s a great read and cause
for thought about our deep mother-daughter relationships.”
No Flies on Bill …The
Story of an Uncontrollable Old Woman, My Grandmother, Ethel “
Billie” Gammon by Darcy Wakefield
“Published by the
Suzanne Parent
The
“Any Jodi Picoult
… would highly recommend
“My Sister’s Keeper”
too”
Margaret Park
Bleachers by John Grisham
“…demonstrated the
love/hate relationships between coaches and sports players.”
Snow Man by Carolyn Chute
“ although a
Tabitha King told of the fine lines
crossed in the real world regarding employee and employer in “Caretakers”
“I was also disappointed
with Anita Shreve’s “All He Ever Wanted (she delved into a dark aspect of that
real world) while her “Light on Snow” reminded me again why I always read her
novels.”
Richard Pattenaude
Team of Rivals by Doris
“About
Samantha Philbrick
Brother’s
Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
“This taught me a lot about human
nature and the desperateness of love, as well as how the justice system can
fail when emotions are high. A must read for anyone who adores Russian
literature.”
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
“another
great tale about love and confusion of emotion that really exposes the
vulnerability of man when faced with passion
for a woman and how choices between love and family are not always easily
decided.”
The Castle by Franz Kafka
“This novel made me
realize that the frustration of dealing with bureaucratic systems is
world wide and that sometimes wanting something just because you can’t have it,
is want enough to continue trying.”
Nicki Piaget
Pocket Full of Names by
Joe Coomer
“ It takes
place on an island off the coast near
Magic Hour by Kristen Hannah
“engaging
story – great read”
The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
“One of the best
historical novels and also timely. Had so much about the different sects of Islam –
great insight into the political and religious life of
Melanie Race
Michelangelo’s Ceiling by
Ross King
“As Someone not usually interested in
art, history or art history , I was pleasantly
surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed
Michelangelo’s Ceiling by Ross king. It was a consolation prize after I
received a duplicate book in my book club’s New Year’s swap. A great work on
non-fiction – engaging and accessible, even to someone with little knowledge of
art terminology!”
Penelope Robinson
Charles Darwin – 2 volume
set by Janet Browne
Beth Round
Superstud by Paul Feig
Kick Me by Paul Feig
The Great Gatsby by F.
Scott Fitzgerald
Suzanne Roy
Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
“It’s her biographical account of her
life and death experience of her escape during the genocide that took place in
Anne Russo-Ladd
Searching for a Mustard Seed by
Miriam Sagan
“ It’s
about a Jewish woman married to a Zen priest who dies suddenly, dealing with
different cultures and grief.
The Five People You Meet
in Heaven by Mitch Albom
My daughter loves”Spring is Here” by Taro Gomi and “Go, Dog Go!” by P. D. Eastman
Carol Sadler
Hidden Messages in Water
by Masaru Emoto
The Secret Life of Bees by
Sue Monk Kidd
Stephanie Plum series by
Janet Evanovich
“ they are a
hoot!”
Robert Sanford
The
Silent Spring by Rachel
Carson
Angie Schickle
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi
Picoult
“This book makes you realize that you
may not always know what people are thinking and thinking…even the people you
live in the same house with! It shows how easy it is to get caught up in your
own emotions and how many different perspectives people can have about the same
situation. It’s a great story!”
Three Weeks With My Brother by
Nicholas and Micah
“If you enjoy
reading books by Nicholas Sparks. This book will give you a whole new
perspective and appreciation about him as a person and writer.”
The Three Sisters Trilogy
by Nora Roberts
“basically I
love anything written by Nora Roberts, including her books written as J. D.
Robb!”
Suzanne Strempak Shea
All Will Be Well by John McGahern
“An autobiography…(he
is) an iconic Irish writer who passed away recently. It’s as much his story as
it is of an
My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lippman
“….I read everything she writes and
loved this book’s hilarious take on academia and family.”
Hilary Skillings
The Struggle for
Sovereignty:
Rebecca Stein
“The book is a collection of essays
and covers topics in the recent history of the conflict in
Mary Snell
The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Mr. Paradise by Elmore
Leonard
Robert Spencer
Bound for
“…a wonderful book about the
underground railroad. I love it because it shows us the names and faces of key
people in the establishment of the underground railroad.
The author has done a really admirable job researching this material and
bringing it together in a dramatic retelling.”
Doomsday Book by Connie
Willis
“This is a real page turner… This book
follows the adventures of an
The
“ My other current read is an old book(ca. 1953)
of biblical theology…. Bright brilliantly and passionately describes the Juder-Christian concept of a “
Jessica Takach
The
“Shields paints
a very believable picture of these two separate, and somewhat personally
detached lives.”
Cadillac Jack by Larry McMurtry
“This is an incredibly amusing read,
as well as extremely finely crafted. McMurtry drifts
seamlessly between past , present and in-between and I
have no idea how he does it. It’s surreal. You should read it
, just to witness this feat.”
Couples by John Updike
“Updike delves in to the psychological
make up of the small, incestual upper class
Zark VanZandt
Radical Evolution: The
Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies- and What It Means to be Human by Joel Garreau
Margaret Vose
Savage Beauty: The Life of
Edna
“Vincent (as she was called by those
closest to her) had a fascinating life (including childhood in
Gail Wartell
Pattern Recognition by
William Gibson
“The best thing I read recently.”
Bart Weyand
The Meaning of Everything
by Simon Winchester
“An excellent follow
up to “The Professor and the Madman”. It describes in excellent prose
the history of the Oxford English Dictionary.
“I also highly recommend “Saturday” By
Ian McEwan (and anything else by him). Of course “ The Devil in the white city” is a must.
Colleen White
The novels of Arturo
Perez-Reverte
“My favorite new-to-me find this
year….You probably remember his first translated-from-the-Spanish best seller
The Flanders Panel, which was preceded with The Club Dumas. The second
installment is Purity of Blood. Theses books are set in the Golden Age of Spain
and contain many swashbuckling adventures narrated by a 13-year-old boy who is
apprentice to our hero, Captain Alatriste. There is a
good amount of mystery and intrigue – both political and religious- as well as
interesting social commentary. It is the writing ,
however , that keeps me coming back. The gifts of the writer are not lost in
the translation and the character development, particularly of the young narrator,
pulls me into the action and then never loses me. I highly recommend these
books. There are three more to be released over the next three years.”
Mike Wing
“Here are the four books I have read recently. They
are all novels. There is no common thread between them except that they are all
great writing.”
Memoir of a Geisha by
Arthur Golden
“the movie
doesn’t even come close.”
The Weatherman by Clint McCown
An Atomic Romance by
Bobbie Ann Mason
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Lisa Yelon
Daughter of Fortune by
Isabel Allende
“ I love her
books and I wasn’t disappointed here. I thought it would be a historical novel , but it was really a romance in disguise.”
Bastard Out of
“ A powerful story
. Upsetting at times but well worth a read.”
The Invention of Solitude
by Paul Auster
“ This is a
semi-memoir about the death of his father. The first half in particular is
amazing – moving, touching and really well written.”