Montana 1948 by Larry Watson

Watson's tale of 12 year old David Hayden, son of a small town sheriff in Montana, has been compared to Harper Lee's "To  Kill a Mockingbird."  Both are set in  small towns in  a past era,  at a time and place where justice is different  for whites and nonwhites.  In Montana, it is the local Native American women who can expect to be abused, and have no one believe them.  A slim book, but a powerful story.  --SB

  Born standing up  : a comic's life by Steve Martin

This is a terrific story with an added bonus - Steven Martin is the reader.  It's a surprisingly intimate look at his childhood and start in the entertainment business.  He stuck to his own vision of humor and struggled for many years!  Fame does not come quickly or easily as he describes how he started as a boy doing magic tricks, life on the circuit as an "unusual" standup comic, stint as a comedy writer, and slow breakthrough as a comic on TV talk shows. I look forward to another book so he can tell his fans about the later years when he branched out to making movies and writing books.  --  JD

 World War Z:  an oral history of the zombie war by Max Brooks

Brooks, author of "The Zombie survival guide" (and son of director Mel Brooks), has created a book similar to Studs Terkel's "The good war"--only this one is a tale of the fictional war between the zombies and humans.  The narrator travels the world to interview people about their memories of the war, which began as a few isolated zombie 'incidents' in China, and spread quickly, causing mass relocation, death, and destruction.  Traditional military strategies are useless:  "What if the enemy can't be shocked and awed?  Not just won't but biologically can't?" 

Fans of George Romero's zombie movies will enjoy this.  The audiobook features many readers, which adds to the documentary feel.  Among the recognizable voices are Alan Alda, Carl Reiner, Mark Hamill, and more.  --SB

May 5, 2008 

 Magic hour by Kristen Hannah

This was a very worthwhile read.  It takes you in from the start and you become enthralled.  --LR 

 Pay it down:  from debt to wealth on $100 a day by Jean Sherman Chatzky

The author demonstrates her formula for getting out of debt in three years and staying out of debt forever.  It has some good advice for all of us to think about.  --SR 

Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs. 

Theodosia Browning owns a tea shop, and gets involved in a murder investigation when a starting pistol explodes at a yacht race.  Way too much information about tea for me, but otherwise a pleasant enough read.  --SB 

 The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney

This book makes you appreciate your girlfriends if you have then and long for them if you don't. --LR 

Jewish American Jared Cohen was an extensively traveled young man who was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. While there, he took a crash course in Arabic and studied the history and culture of the Middle East. In 2004-2005 he set out for Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Iraq to investigate the phenomenon of radical Islamic extremism. Reaching out to the youth in these countries, he put himself into incredible danger in order to understand their views on their own governments, on Israel, and on America. What he discovers will shock the reader, but will also offer hope for a better future for all people.
~VV

In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak

Mak is a Dutch author and journalist. During 1999 he traveled through Europe to towns and cities significant in the history of the twentieth century. He presents an amazing array of interviews with participants in that history both humble and highly placed. The impact of the 20th century wars on lives and cities is detailed.

~JM