Dede writes: Maureen Corrigan, N.P.R.'s book critic on "Fresh Air," has written an irresistible book about her life with books in Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading (0375709037). An only child from Queens, New York, and an avid reader, she earned a PhD in Victorian Literature and began a career as a book critic and, of all things, an expert on thrillers! Stories of her Catholic girlhood, of her marriage to a Jewish colleague and of their happiness with their Chinese daughter are delightful. This is just out in paperback and lots of fun.

The Monk Downstairs (0061122424) by Tim Farrington is a novel about faith, hope and love. No, no, don't stop reading this book note! This is a funny, wry look at our modern world. The New York Times Book Review described it as "[a] tender, witty novel in which a former monk, after twenty years in his order, rents an apartment from a thirty-eight year old single mother; the ensuing relationship grows cautiously, taking account of the prudence required of struggling people who aren't going to get that many more chances." In the spring, Farrington's new novel, The Monk Upstairs, will be published-something to look forward to.

Peter Ho Davies, an acclaimed young writer and teacher in the creative writing graduate program at the University of Michigan, has just published his first novel, The Welsh Girl (0618007008). Set in a remote mountain village in North Wales, this story of an unknown corner of WWII brings to the reader a compassionate look at the locals, suffering since the slate quarry closed; of the German prisoners of war in the POW camp; and of a young German-Jewish interrogator who is sent to question the notorious Nazi prisoner, Rudolph Hess. Acclaimed writer Ann Patchett calls The Welsh Girl, "a beautiful, ambitious novel."

Alice writes: I am enjoying reading Angela Lambert's The Lost Life of Eva Braun (031236654X). Only the second book to be published in English about Eva Braun (there are more than 700 book about her lifelong lover), Lambert draws a lot from the first biography, her interviews with Braun's cousin and her experience being raised by a German mother born at the same time as Braun. The result is a portrait of a woman desperate for the Fuhrer's love. Just out of her teens when she met Hitler, she was only 33 (and married less than two days) when she committed suicide. Lambert depicts a loyal, kind, apolitical young woman-typical of her peers during the same time period-while also giving a sense of how the relationship both freed and imprisoned her.

Jonathan Reynolds, former food columnist for The New York Times Magazine, has written a memoir incorporating recipes that play into his life story. In Wrestling with Gravy (1400062748), Reynolds compliments his memories with everything from complicated restaurant dishes to easier home-prepared meals. Bringing readers through his childhood of material advantage (but emotional disadvantage) and into his professional achievements and romantic endeavors, he weaves an autobiography that is funny and tenderÉand tasty.

Next up for book group, on Tuesday, February 13^th from 7-8 p.m., we will discuss Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng and Benjamin Ajak's They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan (1586483889). Told in alternating chapters by two brothers and their cousin, this is an account of their experiences as Lost Boys. Starting with their early childhood, they talk about growing up in the Dinka tribe, then about their dangerous trek across the country and their education at the refugee camp in Kenya. In the course of walking nearly 1,000 miles, these boys-along with tens of thousands of others-encountered dangers with wild animals, their food source and the weather conditions. All under the age of seven when they fled their homes in the midst of attacks on their villages, this is a unique account of the Sudanese civil war from the viewpoint of some of the boys who awed the world with their bravery and will to survive. Ultimately inspirational, this book puts a personal face on the story we've heard from the media for over ten years. The Los Angeles Times hailed that the biography is a Òmoving, beautifully written account, by turns raw and tender," and the publisher notes that "[t]heir story is a lyrical, captivating portrait of a childhood lost to war, and of the perseverance of the human spirit."

Judy H. writes: If you remember diagramming sentences, you'll enjoy Kitty Burns Florey's book, Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog (1933633107). Titled in honor of Florey's sixth grade teacher who taught her the basics of diagramming, the book gives an interesting history of this lost art of grammar. The development of diagramming went from balloons (first proposed by S. W. Clark) to the familiar straight and slanted lines (presented by Reed and Kellogg). Florey also diagrams passages from some famous authors' works (such as Gertrude Stein, who loved diagramming, Mark Twain, James Fenimore Cooper, Ernest Hemingway, Henry James), analyzing what the diagrams may reveal about their writings. Flory points out, "A diagram can't ferret out a lie, correct a lapse in logic, or explain a foray into sheer lunacy. And, for all its tail-wagging cuteness, it can't expose the pitiful state of the speaker's education-or the problems with an educational system that cuts funding instead of providing our schools with smaller classes, enough textbooks, and well-stocked libraries." For those of us educated prior to the mid-1960s, this book is a trip down memory lane.

Ghost at the Table (1565123344) by Suzanne Berne is an intriguing psychological novel delving into the very subjective nature of memories. In an effort to try to clear up a "misunderstanding" in her family, Frances invites her estranged sister Cynthia to her Concord, Massachusetts home for Thanksgiving. Without telling Cynthia, Frances also invites their father, now crippled with a stroke. It is Frances' hope to have all three of them together and reconcile the different versions they each have regarding the death of the girls' mother. This novel addresses the timely issue of how the same event can be viewed and perceived so diversely by people. In addition to writing a great psychological novel, she also portrays the beauty and uniqueness of the New England landscape.

 

FROM THE CHILDREN'S ROOM:

 

Pat writes: Diamond in the Snow (0763631175) written by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Vanessa Cabban is a new picture book just out for this season and would be perfect if the winter snow ever arrives. A sequel to No Place Like Home (076362554X), Mole, on one cold winter afternoon, finds something shiny and sparkly sticking out of the snow. It must be a diamond. Off he rushes to share this beautiful treasure with his friends, but it keeps changing. It becomes wet and slippery and very difficult to hold, finally disappearing altogether. Finding his friends and sharing his story, Mole is told that his diamond is really an icicle that has fallen from the trees. With the setting sun's reflection, however, the icicle truly resembles shimmering diamonds with a beautiful golden light.

Not a Box (0061123226) by Antoinette Portis reminds us how wonderful a young child's imagination is. Simple black line drawings show a rabbit dragging a large cardboard box. He then proceeds to sit in it and is asked, "Why are you sitting in a box?" "It's not a box," says rabbit as he speeds away in his racing car. On each page we see rabbit and his box - that's not just a box!- and what great fun he is having with just his imagination and the box.

Jackie Urbanovic's new Duck at the Door (0061214388) is a fun read-aloud picture book about Max, a duck who decides not to travel south for the winter. With large, clear and colorful illustrations, we see Max taking over and moving into his new home with new housemates.