"The Lobster Chronicles"

by Linda Greenlaw

Remember the movie "The Perfect Storm"? Remember what a hard life

those fishermen had? Do you remember the one female swordfish-boat captain who gave a report on seeing the lost ship? Well, that was Linda Greenlaw - a real swordfish-boat captain. My goodness, has she lived a fascinating life!

She decided, after many years of swordfishing, to go back to the small island on which she was raised, and get into lobster catching (fishing? farming?) with her dad. Thus she launches into quite a lovely tale of  hard work, family, crazy neighbors, going back home (can we ever, really?) and love for the life around her. 

This is a fun book to read - easy on the brain, yet stimulating and wonderful. A great balm for a busy and crazy life. 

Even lighter fare!

Crave something really simple, but of high quality? Read the mystery series by Craig Johnson that surround the maincharacter of Walt Longmire, an agin, modern-day sherrif cut from good cowboy cloth who finds himself in the midst of some gruesome mysteries. Johnson makes full use of his prodigious talents bringing all of his characters to life in an engaging and authentic manner. He draws you in to the details of their lives, works the magic of good fiction and gets you to care, then resolves his stories in believable ways. Fun, light-hearted mysteries that won't leave you bored or confused!

The Cold Dish

Kindness Goes Unpunished

Death Without Company

Another Man’s Moccasins

Two books for early summer reading

What would you like to read this month, to kick off your summer? Adventure, drama, simple tales of mystery?

Why don't you try a tale that will woo you, challenge you, break your heart, and draw you in like the most seductive of scents. Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund is just such a book. I can say with firm resolve that this is one of the best books I've ever read. Truly. The protagonist is based on the barely mentioned character of Captain Ahab's wife in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Naslund weaves for us a tale so gripping, so human, so real that you will find yourself totally engrossed. Naslund's use of language is extraordinary, and her story-telling is masterful. I cannot say enough about this book. A must read!

Want something simpler, a little lighter for summer reading? How about Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain by Michael Paterniti. This true and odd story is just what it says, with a little introspection, a little history, and a little comedy thrown in. Yes, Einstein's brain was driven across America in the trunk of a sedan. Check out this odd but true tale.

"Long Way Round"

by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Ok, so I haven't read this book (but the picture was better than the one on the DVD!). I know - that's a strange way to begin a review, but bear with me. This DVD (of the same title) is well worth watching! 

Actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, both of whom are avid motorcyclists, decided they wanted to make an epic journey. They gave themselves the challenge to ride around the globe - eastward from London across Europe, then through the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, eastern Russia, flying across the Bering Strait to Alaska, down through Canada, then east across the northern U.S. to New York City. 

This is a true-life adventure, a once in a lifetime trip for two very good friends who undertake a journey not for the sake of reaching the destination, but for the joy and the pain of the journey itself - meeting people as they wend their way, relying on the kindness of strangers, absorbing the cultures as they daily encounter individuals; the hardships of deep sand tracks, swollen rivers, broken machinery, and terribly missing their families. 

All these elements are brought together in an amazing adventure tale - one almost too great to be true. Two friends who smile and joke their way across continents, help each other through the hard times, take the time to interact with the people who cross their path, and stop to smell the proverbial roses. 

Take the time to watch this DVD, and you will laugh, cry, gasp, hold your breath, and long to join in on an adventure as wondrous and soul-satisfying as theirs! It is funny, moving, exciting, beautiful to the eye, and inspiring. I say again: It is well worth watching.

"We Took to the Woods"

by Louise Dickinson Rich

Seldom has a more delightful book passed through my hands! Louise Rich tells her own story - of a young woman who meets a man while on a canoeing trip in Maine, begins a correspondence with him, decides to marry him, and moves to his home...deep in the woods of Maine. "We Took to the Woods" is a tale of transition, of falling in love with a way of life and a man, all at once. Read this book with an open mind and you'll find yourself in a place of great relaxation and joy, following the seasons as they pass in simplicity and hard work, joy and beauty. This simple tale, filled with beautiful language and amusing stories, is well worth the read. If your life is complicated, filled with hard choices and stress, read this book! 

"Complications: a Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" and "Better: a Surgeon's Notes on Performance"

by Atul Gawande

Gawande is a young surgeon seeking to do better. He is asking questions and putting his thoughts out there in order for us to join him in the discussion. These two remarkable books invite us inside a world that to many is hidden behind a white coat.

"Complications" 'gently dismantles the myth of medical infallibility' with thoughtful, engaging prose, discussing not only the mistakes that medical professionals make, but the truth of their necessary self-confidence and their continual learning on the job. Gawande tells wonderful stories, but interweaves intriguing suggestions for improving medicine, some of which

might make health providers 'nervous or even angry.' This is a powerful book that will not only give you new understanding of your doctor and his struggles, but will open your eyes in a new way to the medical profession in general. A quick read - but well worth it. Excellent!

Gawande followed-up "Complications" with "Better", an exploration of

specific situations within the medical community: how often should doctors wash their hands, the fight against polio in India, U.S. military triage doctors, etc. Each situation is handled with candor, tenderness, and honesty, once again asking tough questions, and pushing his profession to do better. Gawande's message is clear: doctors are only human and, therefore, must always be diligent and resourceful in fulfilling their duties. This books begs the question of all of us: What do you systematically do in your life, and how could you do it better? A great read...a great question to ask!

"Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival"

by Anderson Cooper

So, we all know Anderson Cooper is maybe the cutest news guy on TV, even if we've never paid any attention to his show 360' on CNN. He also did the New Year's Eve special with Kathy Griffin the last 2 years. Very good stuff, that (I heard).

Really, though, I didn't know any of this when I chose this book from the library's "New" shelf several years ago. All I knew was the Anderson Cooper/CNN bit. I began the reading of this book quite biased, being a rather conservative Republican. I was expecting a lot of liberal yuck that I was going to have to wade through.

Not the case! 

This is a remarkably touching, transparent human story of loss, struggle, deep emotion and resolution of some of life's greatest questions: Who am I? How do I survive this loss? How do I reconcile what I see and what I believe to be true?

Cooper grabs you with his stories of the terrors of life he has seen and experienced first-hand, those we usually only see from the distance of our television screens, and somehow molds them into an intimate portrait of his life. The intertwining of his personal story and the stories he has covered for CNN makes for an amazing read - one that I count as significant in my life. If two of the purposes of reading are entertainment and learning, this book fulfills both. I cried, I gobbled up the words, and when I put it down, I felt awash in the truths of life.