Adult

To appease my readers, I am trying to include more works of fiction and short stories. To appease me, I selected Binchy because I devour tales about two of my passions: travel and Ireland.

I have been listening to "The Dilbert Principle" on CD to and from work, and I think Scott Adams might be just about the funniest writer in America. His observations rival Douglas Adams, author of the wonderful "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

I am ashamed to say I had never heard of Dana Spiotta before reading this book. The woman sitting next to me on a plane was reading Stone Arabia, and we had a long conversation about Spiotta. Now I understand why she was a National Book Award finalist, as I found myself wondering whether I should laugh or cry as I plowed through this story.

More folks keep asking me to give them romance recommendations, and I found this story of a couple facing foreclosure, joblessness and the end of their marriage to be engaging and touching.

Would you believe that I had never read a book by the deceased prolific mystery writer Sanders? Sped through this one, and I have a bunch more to read on my bedside table. Terrific writer for airplanes and beach outings!

I really enjoy Trillin's manner of complaining in this series of short essays about family life. As curmudgeonly as he may appear, you can see his heart and his humor in every story.

So the book is a little over my page limit? The pages are small and the font is big, so give me a break! I figured everyone could use a great reminder for the beginning of the year to stop taking themselves and everything around them so seriously. As Bobby McFerrin said: “don’t worry, be happy!”

I must confess that this was not an easy book to read, as a lot of the math and history went over my head. Still, Seife weaves a fantastical historical account of the origins of the number “zero,” something we take for granted today.

Say what you want about the French, they sure can cook! My wife has gotten me to start watching the Food Network, which is torturous as I enter the third week of my diet (I've been on the Atkins Diet for two weeks and lost 14 days). I enjoyed this book for providing motivation, inspiration and some really good recipes (which I will proceed to ruin in my kitchen). This is part cook book, part self-help book.

I have said it before, and bear with me as I say it again: CBS Sunday Morning is one of the finest shows on television. One of the reasons I TiVo it is because of Bill Geist, a remarkable, Will Rogers-like correspondent whom I idolize (could there be a better job than traveling America and getting to meet all the diverse, silly people that make our country so great?) You do not buy this book; you make it an annual gift for anybody you encounter who takes life too seriously. My world is a better, happier place because of people like Bill Geist.

I am looking at my list for this month, and it is more eclectic than the Munsters. This wonderful play reminds me a lot of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" because it deals with all sorts of major issues: race, class, modern society's morals. More than anything, I appreciate the play's twists, which I could not see coming (for a change).

Since art is no longer taught in schools across the country, I thought I’d include this helpful gem for your summer reading enjoyment. Even though Strickland is an academic, she does a superb job of bringing the history of art to life in an informative, interesting and often humorous way. Read this, and you’ll have plenty of Cliff Clavin art facts to cite around your friends.

Written by a former president of Amherst, this book has received mixed reviews. That surprises me because I found the novel deeply touching and wonderfully narrated. The prose is almost lyrical; to me, it reads a lot like Norman MacLean’s beautiful A River Runs Through It. Check it out, and tell me what you think.

Sometimes I include books on this list to direct readers’ attention to a particular author. Louis L’Amour was one of America’s most prolific authors, and I especially appreciate his cowboy westerns because he used to write above the saloon at the Strater Hotel in my hometown of Durango, Colorado. His books make for great lazy reading.

Nothing brings down page counts and increases reading speed like cartoon collections. If you want to begin your day with a smile, look no further than the daily Dilbert cartoon appearing in your local newspaper. There is nothing particularly unique about Adams’s latest Dilbert book; I just believe everyone should be reminded of how great Dilbert is. It never ceases to amaze me how some corporate executives still do not see how Adams is mocking them.