Adult

Finally! Waiting around for the next George Saunders collection of short stories is as frustrating as it used to be anticipating when the next episode of Lost would air. He is a terrific writer, and you’ll breeze through this book with a greater appreciation for what is becoming a dying art: the quirky short story.

It's not 300 pages, after you remove the 50-page bibliography! Riveting tale of historical figures like Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John & Abigail Adams. Every American should read this amazingly succinct collection of stories that shaped our country.

With school starting, a lot of teachers, students and parents find themselves with little time to read. I have just the cure: M.C. Beaton. Beaton’s series of mysteries featuring Scottish detective Hamish Macbeth is one of my favorites, as these books are always quick, intelligent and written with just the right amount of humor.

If you do not regularly read the New Yorker, you may not be familiar with the wonderfully witty Frazier. This book profiles the REAL desperate housewife, and it is so uproariously funny that any reader having a bad day should get a real kick out of this treasure.

This is a very warped, fun book with a great opening: “Mother died today. Or yesterday, maybe, I don’t know.” Some funny characters, and mentioning this book at a cocktail party will make you sound “deep.”

I selfishly included this book on this month’s list because I am caught up in pennant fever, and I am pulling for the Dodgers to hold on to the NL West. Rick Monday has always been one of my favorite commentators, and he is beloved by all for sparing the American flag from a couple of knuckleheads who tried to ignite it on the field of a game at Dodger stadium in the 70s. This book recounts the ups and downs of the 1981 world champion Dodger team, with great anecdotes about one of my favorite teams. Yes – this is a selfish pick.

Written in 1756, I laughed out loud more often while reading this book than while watching most TV sitcoms (excluding The Simpsons). This guy has a truly demented style, the perfect anecdote to a long day of teaching.

Browsing the shelves at Border’s one day, I was intrigued by this book’s title and cover art. Four hours and two coffees later, I found myself advertising the book to all who would listen. Wonderfully written with its fair share of twists and turns, this book left me wanting more books by Valerie Martin.

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.

Subtitled “A Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Child’s Friendships,” this book is essential reading for parents trying to better meet the needs of their children. I have three children who all live under the same roof, share the same genes and could not be more different from one another, and I am grateful to Hartley-Brewer for the many practical tips this book offers.

This is exactly the book you need to read to make for a happy new year. Kathy Magliato's touching memoir about her experiences as one of the few female heart surgeons in a heavily alpha-male field accomplishes the trifecta: it makes you laugh, cry and think. Magliato is a role model for little girls everywhere. She inspires me.

I am a sucker for humorous travel books, and this clever “travel guide” reveals everything one needs to know when traveling to the fictional country of Molvania. Yes, it is a one-joke book, but anyone who has ever trotted abroad with a copy of The Lonely Planet, Fodors or Let’s Go is sure to enjoy this satire. I would be interested to know how many tourists purchase it thinking that there is such a country (I wish geography found greater importance in American classrooms).

Very few books get me to laugh out loud, yet this one did it repeatedly. I picked up this book because of its unique title (it made me do a double-take), and I was treated to Tina Fey-like story about a woman obsessed with the wrong man. Perfect for a cross-country flight.