logo

Adult

The Last Beach Bungalow

The Last Beach Bungalow

By Jennie Nash 271 pages Adult

Danny Says

One of the dilemmas I face on my page-length requirements is what to do with books that are small in size with large fonts. This is such a book, and I am including it because it is a great Valentine’s Day gift and should take only a couple of hours and glass of Merlot to finish. Nicholas Sparks, move over, as Nash writes a touching tale of a cancer survivor trying secure her dream beach house. Reminded me of that Kevin Kline movie My Life As a House…but I enjoyed this book much better.
Buy on Amazon
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington

Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington

By Thomas Cathcart,Daniel Klein 191 pages Adult

Danny Says

Authors of the wonderful Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes, this book comes long just in time for the election. Democrats and Republicans, Libertarians and Visigoths will all enjoy this terrific look at how politicians from all time periods and ideological backgrounds use words to deceive and confuse.   
Buy on Amazon
Sharp Objects

Sharp Objects

By Gillian Flynn 254 pages Adult

Danny Says

So I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly, and I often read Gillian Flynn’s pieces. Nothing, however, prepared me for this gripping horror/suspense. Flynn has written a frighteningly memorable debut novel that left me eager to purchase her next effort.
Buy on Amazon
Walden

Walden

By Michael T. Dolan 135 pages Adult

Danny Says

This one reads like a college freshman version of The Catcher in the Rye. A clever satire that blends laughs and tears, joys and fears. I enjoyed how this novel captured a contrarian perspective of the early college experience. 
Buy on Amazon
The Biggest Loser Success Secrets

The Biggest Loser Success Secrets

By Biggest Loser Experts and Cast 256 pages Adult

Danny Says

I have battled with my weight my entire life, and while my favorite diet program is Michael Thurmond’s Six-Week Body Makeover (which helped me lose 35 pounds in five weeks), the most inspirational program I watch on television is NBC’s The Biggest Loser. I have a lot of empathy for people who are trying to improve their lives – whether through weight loss or giving up smoking or creating some other positive lifestyle change – and this book is a handy reminder for anyone looking for motivation to improve themselves. Give the book (and the TV show) a chance.
Buy on Amazon
Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me

Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me

By Ben Karlin 240 pages pages Adult

Danny Says

This collection of short, funny essays from a variety of authors brought a smile to my face. Sorry, ladies – I imagine guys will find this funnier, but I found myself agreeing with many of the lessons. Good to see that some of the authors appreciate the importance of past girlfriends in shaping the healthy relationships they have with their present wives.
Buy on Amazon
Staying Sane When You're Planning Your Wedding

Staying Sane When You're Planning Your Wedding

By Pam Brodowsky,Evelyn Fazio 272 pages Adult

Danny Says

Part of the enjoyable Staying Sane series, this easy-to-read collection of helpful essays seems to be an appropriate release for all those dealing with the horrible mortgage crisis. Practical advice and words of wisdom.
Buy on Amazon
Cancer on $5 a Day*

Cancer on $5 a Day*

By Robert Schimmel 224 pages Adult

Danny Says

The * stands for “Chemo Not Included.” If you ever want to read a memoir, stick to comedians. They are our most precious commodities, as they have a way of dealing with serious issues lightly. As someone who admires comedians greatly, I was extremely pleased when Lissa Warren at DaCapo Lifelong Books sent me not one but two copies of Schimmel’s compelling page-turner about how humor got him through his battle with cancer. Why does that please me? After I read the books that make my lists, I always donate them to teachers, libraries and literacy charities. This is one I wanted to keep for myself (I gave the other one to a student), as Schimmel does everything a great writer needs to do: he makes you laugh, he makes you cry and he makes you think. Better yet, he does it all in under 200 pages!
Buy on Amazon
I Was Told There'd Be Cake

I Was Told There'd Be Cake

By Sloane Crosley 230 pages Adult

Danny Says

I am increasingly drawn to books with great titles, short stories and funny observations about other people’s miseries. This book has all of those things, and I look forward to reading more works by Crosley in the future. An easy read, perfect for a mindless afternoon at the beach.
Buy on Amazon
Life Is So Good

Life Is So Good

By George Dawson,Richard Glaubman 288 pages Adult

Danny Says

Amazon says that this book is 272 pages, but my copy is 260 and includes a lot of blank pages. Regardless, I have boasted about this book to too many people to leave it off my recommended readings. This is one of the most inspirational stories I have ever read (I’ve read it twice  in the last three months), as it chronicles 103-year-old Dawson’s life and how he learned to read at age 98. Try reading the first chapter without crying (by the way: if you want to focus just on how he learned how to read at age 98, skip ahead to chapter 21).
Buy on Amazon
The Wentworths

The Wentworths

By Katie Arnoldi 256 pages Adult

Danny Says

When I see an endorsement on a book from one of my favorite playwrights, David Mamet, that reads “too funny, too sad, too short,” I have to grab that book. This one did not disappoint. If you think your family is dysfunctional, check in on the Wentworths. The payoff at the end is superb, and the book is filled with laughs along the way.
Buy on Amazon
Around The World On Two Wheels

Around The World On Two Wheels

By Peter Zheutlin 161 pages Adult

Danny Says

This book knocked my socks off! I had never heard of Annie Kopchovsky, a Jewish immigrant wife who in 1894 abandoned her family in Boston to partake in a wager straight out of a certain Jules Verne book. Turning herself into “Annie Londonberry,” she rode a bicycle around the world in 15 months, becoming perhaps the first international female sports superstar. I think I like her story so much because it reminds me so much of Nellie Bly, one of her contemporaries (and my idols).
Buy on Amazon
Here If You Need Me

Here If You Need Me

By Kate Braestrup 211 pages Adult

Danny Says

When several people tell me I have to check-out a certain book, I make it appoint to oblige them. Did I think I would be interested in a memoir about a mother who lost her husband in a car accident and became a minister? No. That’s why I know I am not that smart, as this is one of the best books I have read this year. I will guarantee you that you will like this book. It touched me in many ways (I lucked out, as I read this book the same weekend I had the pleasure of watching the superb German Academy Award-winner, The Lives of Others, which I strongly recommend). I hope Braestrup writes more, as I breezed through this beautiful book.
Buy on Amazon
Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Love, Loss, and What I Wore

By Ilene Beckerman 144 pages Adult

Danny Says

Paula Thompson wrote me and insisted I read this short gem. I receive 100-200 emails a day from folks with book picks, but there was something insistent in Paula’s email that spurred me to grab a copy of this largely pictoral “diary.” I was stunned by how quickly I absorbed the book and finished wanting more. Beckerman tells her life story through clothes, and it works. Must read.
Buy on Amazon
The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture

By Randy Pausch 206 pages Adult

Danny Says

Not that Randy Pausch needs any help from me, but I could not live with myself if I did not recommend his book. I am a sentimental sap who loves inspirational books, and this “lecture” touched me the same way Tuesdays with Morrie did. Trust me: if you are one of the three people who have not read this book, get it.
Buy on Amazon

Explore

Act

About

Connect With Us

Join Now