Adult

Laugh-out-loud funny. If you’re having a bad day, turn off your electronic devices and sit behind this book. I also found the book to be quite inspirational.

If you have not read Villasenor’s Rain of Gold, you have ignored one of the great books of the later half of the 20th century. Villasenor captures the Mexican-American experience better than perhaps any other author. This book describes the migrant worker experience in a way that has not been duplicated since Edward R. Murrow’s Harvest of Shame.

I spoke throughout Kentucky this past summer and fell in love with the Bluegrass State. My friends, the teachers of Hindman, presented me with this wonderful collection of poems about Kentucky. Still’s writing provides a lyrical Appalachian tongue with observations that leave the reader craving for more.

The Super Bowl is this month, so I had to include one book about football, right? This book may profile a football player’s career, but it is more of a story about the human spirit and giving back. Joe Ehrmann, a former star player in the 70s with the Baltimore Colts, is a hero because of the difference he has made off the field in the years following his football career. Great inspirational reading.

Poignant look at one woman’s efforts to overcome the personal childhood tragedy of losing her sister. I like stories about hope, and this one fits the bill. Just beware that you may shed a few tears on the way. Remarkable debut novel.

I have my sister to thank for this recommendation, as she loaned me her copy of this delightful and completely accurate guide that takes less than three hours to devour. The authors don’t need my help, as this book has maintained a solid position on the best-seller list the past couple of months. I have recommended this book to clueless men as well as women. It contains plenty of useful tips and hilarious side notes, most of which I agree with.

Too much found in history books focuses on wars and the people who participate in them. What I love about this uplifting book is that it exposes audiences to 20 significant examples of a better way to live. The chapters are brief enough to make ideal read alouds for teachers and parents of students of all ages. The best part of this book: its focus on the good on this planet.

Let me admit right now that this is not Chabon’s best work. Actually, I have an agenda here: I want readers to discover Chabon, who is one of the best novelists in America today. This book can take a while to get into, but I promise you will be impressed by the end. Hopefully, it will get you interested in picking up a copy of one of Chabon’s longer novels, like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Maybe it is because I am getting older and constantly seem to be busy with family or work-related issues or maybe it is my fond memories growing up in the mountains of the Four Corners area, but I immediately connected with this beautiful book by former journalist Connors talking about his experiences as a seasonal “fire watcher” in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico. His prose moved me like no book since Norman MacLean’s A River Runs Through It, and ever since reading it I have felt the need to go on a wilderness hike and soak in the air. Connors also provides excellent insights into forest preservation. Just a really enjoyable reading experience.

Maybe it is because I spent all of April home (I did not travel for business once) or maybe it is because I am on a diet, but I seem to have done a lot of soul-searching and reflecting recently. Cannon’s lovely novel about dealing with a loved one’s death is both heartbreaking and hilarious. It made me want to dig into the dirt and plant a Southern garden.

Director Sidney Lumet passed away in April, and he left behind a stunning legacy of celluloid achievements. My favorite, though, is the one that began his career: a movie version of Rose’s powerful play Twelve Angry Men. I encourage you to re-read this play (or enjoy it for the first time), and then watch the movie with one of the most amazing casts ever assembled on screen (I cannot think of one less than stellar performance in the ensemble, headed by the mighty Henry Fonda). This play is timeless.

Don’t let Amazon fool you (it lists the book as 400 pages): the final 150+ pages are notes and references. This book, subtitled “The Future Is Better Than You Think,” will dazzle you with its positive outlook on the world’s state of affairs. Diamandis and Kotler have done their research and compiled a wonderful examination of the future of health care, education, technology and a host of other fields. I found this book to be so fascinating that my friends have grown tired of all the tidbits I have offered from this marvelous text.

I read a review of this book that complained it was actually only 130-140 pages of actual writing, and that immediately drew me to the text. While it is the author’s debut novel, it is a fairly bizarre and humorous set of tales of veterans’ Gulf War syndromes. It is not as political as some claim. Just enjoy it and don’t read too deeply into the situations (e.g. the veteran who grows a third ear).

The perfect relief to those of you rushing through your lives in a constant state of stress (i.e. “me”). Easy-to-read wisdom from a number of contributors helps anyone focus on what is really important in life, even if you have to put it down to answer your cell phone, e-mail a client and/or lead a videoconference. I need books like this to keep me going while I am on the road, feeling lonely and guilty about not being with my family.

Treat yourself to this wonderfully entertaining summer read, as Ironside – who is just about to turn 60 – brushes aside calls to join book clubs or volunteer in Africa in favor of accepting how old she is and who she is. Marvelously written.