Monthly Archives: April 2012

Watergate: a novel by Thomas Mallon

Posted on April 29, 2012 by boutrosk

 If you remember how Watergate unfolded, this fictionalized character study will read much easier than if you know it only as a political chronology.  The author has flipped common perspectives about the era on end, and in this novel presents … Continue reading →

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Beautiful: the Life of Hedy Lamarr by Stephen Michael Shearer

Posted on April 27, 2012 by shawverv

Perhaps the title should be Beautiful and Brainy. Beautiful is a readable account of the life of “the most beautiful woman of the first half of the Twentieth Century”, a film star of 1930s and 1940s, and the namesake of Austria’s … Continue reading →

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Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (Audiobook CD) by Robert K. Massie

Posted on April 25, 2012 by bornm

This very enjoyable and engaging non-fiction book is a detailed biography of one of the great female rulers, Catherine the Great of Russia.  She was born Sophia, a minor German princess, and was just 14 years old when she was … Continue reading →

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Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Helen Hokanson

“Thus it was that the dawn of sensibility was mistaken for the onset of senility.” When Queen Elizabeth II unexpectedly finds herself on the City of Westminster travelling library, she immediately recognizes a dilemma. “Knowing that if she left without … Continue reading →

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Mighty Macs (DVD)

Posted on April 21, 2012 by hansenb

Mighty Macs is an inspiring true story about the love of basketball, with nuns, and tiny Immaculata College of girls.  Can the new girl’s basketball team save their school?  Great story and movie.  The actors are Carla Gugino and David … Continue reading →

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Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenhoff

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Rachel C

Brooklyn, Burning is the story of a homeless teen named Kid who falls in love with another kid named Scout over the course of one glorious Brooklyn summer.  Unfortunately, Kid spent the previous summer head over heels for Felix, and … Continue reading →

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The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

Posted on April 17, 2012 by holdenm

The Secret  Scripture follows elderly mental patient Roseanne McNulty as she recounts the events that shaped her life during the Irish Civil War. At the start of the war, Roseanne is a beautiful young woman, full of curiosity and vivacity, … Continue reading →

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State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Posted on April 15, 2012 by mahnkenj

This modern day fiction novel primarily takes place in the heart of the Amazon jungle.  After her colleague turns up dead, a second pharmaceutical company scientist is sent to Brazil to check on the progress of a fertility drug and … Continue reading →

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The Soul of Baseball: a Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America by Joe Posnanski

Posted on April 13, 2012 by shawverv

Sportswriter Joe Posnanski drove Buck O’Neil around America promoting the Negro Baseball Leagues at ball fields in rural towns and major league stadiums during the last year of O’Neil’s life. Buck may have been showing his age, but he had … Continue reading →

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Ayurveda: Asian Secrets of Wellness, Beauty and Balance by Kim Inglish

Posted on April 11, 2012 by bornm

Ayurveda unlocks the secrets of the centuries old Indian Ayrvedic therapy and its offshoots – Uanni, Siddha and Tibetan traditional medicine, the principal health systems of the Indian subcontinent.  It briefly describes many exotic Indian therapies and exotic Panchakarma treatments, … Continue reading →

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