Adult

Reading this book is akin to watching a Terry Gilliam film: the story may often confuse the reader, but the characters and situations throughout keep audiences glued. It’s the end of the world, and two cops try to determine what happened to New York’s biggest party animal, Manuel Gozalez, in this memorable debut science-fiction mystery. Quite a trip!

Doyle is a wonderful author (check-out his The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, which is also under 250 pages), and I had to include this book as it was made into a magnificent film that won several British Oscars but was largely ignored in America. The story of the formation, rise and fall of a fictional white “soul” band in Dublin, The Commitments is just as great to read as it is to watch on the big screen.

I am always trying to include a diverse range of genres for this list, and I thought this Shirley Jackson classic would add great eclectic flair to this month’s list. Jackson offers wonderful female protagonists and one of my all-time favorite lines in a murder mystery (“Poor strangers…They have so much to be afraid of.”).

One of the quickest mysteries I’ve ever read at the beach. I like books that I get through effortlessly, and this book ensured that I will read much more by Victoria Taylor Murray. 

When people ask me how I teach math to students, I point them to books for kids like Norton Juster’s The Dot and the Line, Greg Tang’s The Grapes of Math and just about anything that Marilyn Burns has ever written. For adults frustrated by high school geometry, I offer this classic story of a square living in a two-dimensional world that discovers a third dimension. Trust me, this book makes geometry enticing. 

I was dismayed to read a recent article in USA Today about UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun’s battle with cancer. I just happened to recently read this wonderful book (written shortly after UConn’s first national championship), and I recommend it because it shows how hard work, a sense of humor and personal beliefs and convictions can pay off. Yes, nice guys sometimes do finish first. One of the elements I really like about this book are the reprints of fan letters that left an impact on this often gruff but tireless Hall of Fame coach.

Since the economies of the world are headed for the toilet, I thought this would be a fun read. Actually, the photos are fabulous, the information is quite interesting and the premise is one of the most entertaining I have come across in some time. Who knew that bathroom architecture was such a window into the cultures of the world? Ideal “bathroom” reading. 

If you have not yet read anything by Fay Weldon, treat yourself to an afternoon with this paperback. With Weldon you are always assured a fast-paced and wickedly funny story, and this one chronicles the misadventures of poor Grace Salt. Her husband leaves her for another woman whom Grace tries to run over, earning her a three-year jail sentence. A good book for putting a smile on your face, which everyone could probably use about now.

This is Conescu’s first novel, and I can hardly wait to read his next. The book reads like a cross between a Charlie Kaufman screenplay (e.g. Adaptation), Terry Gilliam film and Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, all rolled into one. Can an author’s main character out-write the author himself? Read the book and find out.

I have my friend, Patricia Edie, to thank for this wonderful retelling of one of my favorite books of all time, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This version focuses on the relationship between the escaped slave Jim and his wife Sadie, and it follows their love story’s ups and downs. How Rawles was able to successfully pull this off is beyond me, as she creates a remarkable character in Sadie while staying true to Twain’s text and tone. An excellent supplementary book to give to students.

If you have failed to read a Walter Kirn novel yet, you are in for a real treat. He writes for slate.com, and I would consider him a modern George Orwell, suspicious of technology and corporations. Kent Selkirk works for AidSat, a cyber how-to organization run amok. Let’s just say that there is surveillance taking place everywhere, and you may wind up looking over your back more than once after reading this quick read.

I have Stacey Mulrenin to thank for this recommendation. The winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, it tells the tale of how a new lector changes the lives of Cuban immigrants working at a cigar factory in Florida in the 1920s. This is a topic I have been interested in, as the magazine Cigar Aficionado had a wonderful feature in their June 2008 edition on the tradition of lectors reading aloud to workers. A great story, and very easy-to-read play.

It may be a bestselling book, but I picked it up after my pal Tyra Thompson kept on pestering me to read it. What an amazing examination of growing up poor in the Rust Belt. Leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties should take heed, as I was touched to learn more about a population that is quite misunderstood (I now have a better idea of why our country has reached the political crises I think we can all agree exists in this country between both parties).

Is your life a mess? I’m not talking just about your house. There’s a psychology to all of this, and Sullivan encourages readers to go with the FLOW. Delightful read that will help anyone feeling disorganized and guilty immensely.

I have always liked TNT’s lead NBA anchor Ernie Johnson, but I found so much respect for him with a heart-felt plea he gave to Americans following the 2016 Presidential election. Folks, there is a lot of noise in society right now. How about we try being respectful and listening to one another? Reading Johnson’s autobiography brought tears to my eyes, as he is truly an extraordinary and humble man – the kind I would love to have as my friend. Good to know there are still some really good people out there.