Alice
writes: The author of the bestseller Complications
(0312421702)
,
Atul Gawande, has just published a new collection
of 12 essays, Better (0805082115).
A contributor at The New Yorker, he is a wonderful
writer who probes our understanding of how the medical
profession can and does better itself. In describing the
book, the publisher notes, “The
struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us
faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities
in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better
more important than in medicine, where lives are on the
line with every decision.” From the battlefields of Iraq
and remote villages in India to maternity wards in Boston
and cystic fibrosis practices in the Midwest, Gawande
cites example after example of how doctors are striving
to improve in a profession where improvements are a matter
of saving lives. Discussing everything from malpractice
laws and salaries to hand washing habits and doctors’
roles in lethal injections, this book will appeal to doctors,
nurses and any layperson interested in how the ethical
and cultural interface with the scientific.
I
was sent an advance reader copy of Masha Hamilton’s
The Camel Bookmobile (0061173487),
and, more than halfway through the novel, I like it a
lot. Fiona Sweeney, a 36-year-old
librarian, begins a naïve but noble quest when she leaves
her job in Brooklyn to run a mobile library in Kenya.
Alternating chapters focus on her and the villagers from
her favorite stop in Mididima. The characters there are
the vehicles for a book about the developing world’s perception
of Western education: Matani, an English-speaking teacher;
Kanika, an ambitious young reader who pines for a different
life; and Scar Boy, the disfigured young man who sets
in motion the conflict of the story. With memorable characters,
Hamilton artfully weaves a story about cultural divides
and the value of literature.
Next
up for book group, on Tuesday, April 10th
from 7-8 p.m., we will discuss Linda Olsson’s
Astrid and Veronika (0143038079).
Set in the author’s native Sweden, the novel follows two
unlikely friends bound by their experiences of loss and
struggle and redeemed by their companionship. The story
begins when Veronika Bergman returns to Sweden to finish
writing her second book. She moves into an isolated village,
across the street from Astrid Mattson, an older woman
who is reputed to be a witch. When Veronika has trouble
working on her novel and is tormented by nightmares, solitude
and the starkness of the landscape, her neighbor takes
an interest. They begin a friendship in which, over long
walks and glasses of strawberry wine, they share deeply
seeded secrets. In many respects, her novel is somber
and meditative, but ultimately, I think, it is an ode
to friendship and the healing process.
Dede
writes: Like the princess in the fairytale, Maeve
Binchy weaves the straw of human troubles into the
gold of a great story. In her newest novel, Whitethorn
Woods (0307265781),
she brings a very human and disparate group of characters
into the local controversy regarding the possibility of
a new highway, bypassing the village. This bypass would
destroy St. Ann’s Well, a place of ancient prayers, but
it would help people far beyond the village of Rossmore.
With her gifts of warmth and compassion, as well as her
quick wit, this novelist never disappoints.
Joshua
Ferris’s Then We Came to the End (0316016381)
is a new novel that is receiving good reviews and a lot
of attention. It would make a good movie! With the action
fast-moving and the humor broad and up-to-the-minute,
the novel is not unlike the work of Nick Hornby. Set in
an advertising agency in Chicago, the characters are mostly
young and clever—bouncing along with lots of money and
many perks until there is a downturn in business. The
stresses of layoffs and the drive for new accounts turn
the office into a pressure cooker. You will laugh along
at many of the absurdities and perhaps relate to some
of cubicle atmosphere, but you will also have a lump in
your throat as you sympathize with these newly minted
adults facing what we call the real world.
From
the Children’s Room:
Judy
H. writes: In
Search of Mockingbird
(0805072365)
by Loretta Ellsworth is a charming novel for middle
school and high school readers. It tells the story
of Erin, a 16-year-old who decides to run away on the
eve of her birthday. Erin is upset with her father’s
upcoming marriage, his reluctance to talk about her mother
who died when Erin was a baby and her mother’s diary that
she just received. Erin wants to connect with her mother
by visiting Harper Lee, the author of her mother’s favorite
book, To Kill a Mockingbird. During Erin’s bus
ride from her home in Minnesota to Lee’s hometown in Alabama, she
meets some eccentric but lovable characters who ultimately
help Erin accept her mom’s death and her dad’s new life.
There are three new picture books in the children’s room
that I think are great. Alison MeGhee’s Someday
(1416928111)
is a great gift for new or old moms. Illustrated by Peter
Reynolds, it is a wistful picture book about a mother’s
love, hopes and dreams for her baby daughter. The book
begins with, “One day I counted your fingers and kissed
each one” and ends with, “Someday, a long time from now,
your own hair will glow silver in the sun. And when that
day comes, love, you will remember me.” The story would
make a great Mother’s Day gift.
A Place for Butterflies (1561453579)
written by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Higgins
Bond is a beautifully illustrated book discussing
the different types of butterflies. From Monarch to Mitchell
Satyr, Stewart explains their varying habitats and the
environmental harm that has affected the butterflies’
survival. This book handsomely instructs children on butterflies
and environmental issues.
Steve Breen’s Stick
(0803731248)
is a whimsical look at a frog “who likes to do things
on his own all by himself.” This trait gets Stick
into an adventure which takes him out of his swamp and
into the big city where he is all by himself and very
lonely. However, with the help of a friendly bird, Stick
makes it back home safely. The ending is illuminating!!!!!!
Marilyn writes: The
Chestnut Soldier (0439846773)
is the third book in Jenny Nimmo’s Magician
Trilogy. In this final adventure, an ancient evil
escapes from the broken body of a toy horse, a mysterious
stranger arrives and things in Gwyn’s quiet town begin
to go very wrong. It is up to our young hero, with the
help of the Snow Spider Arianwen, to summon the power
to fight a last, terrible battle. Brendan, aged 8, tells
us, “I loved the suspense and how well written the story
is.” Ari, aged 13, recommends this book to “anyone who
likes magic, adventure, mystery and the Charlie Bone series
because they are by the same author.”
In
Trenton Lee’s The Mysterious Benedict Society
(0316057770),
an orphan named Reynie is encouraged by his tutor to answer
an ad recruiting “gifted children looking for special
opportunities.” He soon meets up with Sticky (born George)
Washington, Kate Weatherall, and the very small Constance
Contraire. All four have been tested and selected by the
mysterious Mr. Benedict to foil the evil plot of the “Sender.”
To do so they will have to go undercover at the “Learning
Institute for the Very Enlightened,” and work together
using their unique talents. The unusual characters, threatening
villians and dramatic plot twists in this adventure will
hold the readers’ attention. This is a good read for boys
or girls aged 10 and up.
Fancy
Nancy, the little girl who loves to make the everyday
extraordinary, is back. In Fancy Nancy and the Posh
Puppy (0060542136)
by Jane O’Connor, our young heroine is “ecstatic.
(That’s a fancy word for happy.)” because the family is
going to get a real puppy. Nancy’s parents are thinking
of a boring big brown dog, but Nancy would like a posh
papillon like Jewel, her neighbor’s dog. After an afternoon
of dog-sitting, it’s obvious that a papillon is not the
right dog for Nancy’s family. Nancy is discouraged but
not for long. This spirited little girl soon discovers
that there are qualities that may be even more important
than being fancy. This is a fun book for kids aged 4 to
7 (and for parents as well.)
Where
is the Cake (081091798X)
by T. T. Khing is a puzzle, a maze and an adventurous
look-and-find book with a story but no text. Mr. and Mrs.
Dog’s cake has been stolen! As they chase the thieves
through various landscapes, one calamity follows another.
Baby Bunny’s toy is lost, Miss Cat loses her hat and Little
Piglet…well, you’ll have to “read” the book to find out.
As both Dick and I will attest, this is a delightful book
for children and adults.
