Adult

Subtitled “A Most Glorious and Definitive Compendium of the World’s Favorite Canned Meat,” this is the book I have been waiting for my entire life. I love Spam! Maybe it is just in reverence to Monty Python, but I have always gotten a kick out of all things Spam, and this book makes the perfect gift for the Spam aficionado or curious bystander. Great photos and hilarious (and often fascinating) tidbits about Spam.

I know! There’s a new Richard Paul Evans book out called The Mistletoe Inn, but at over 300 pages, I cannot include it on this list. Regardless, if you’ve never read one of his Christmas stories, you’re in for a treat.

You may have read Frazier’s bestseller Great Plains. If you haven’t, you should. I understand, however, that at 320 pages, you may want to reach for lighter faire. Hence, take a crack at this collection of five pieces Frazier published in the New Yorker. His writing made me want to go fishing in Montana or hanging out with Cheyenne in Kansas.

Pretty fascinating accounts from a forensic pathologist about her encounters with the dead, and how to make the living feel better about their loved ones during their bereavement. The pages turn easily on this one.

Don't let the page count frighten you, as there are a ton of appendices highlighting UCLA stats, etc. Even though I am a Trojan for a life, John Wooden is simply one of the most amazing and good people in the world. If we all live our lives half as well as this fine man, there is nothing to fear. I love Coach Wooden's anecdotes and philosophies, and you have to give credit to a coach who finds the time to teach players how to put on their socks. One of the ten people alive that I would like to meet.

For parents who worry that their children are falling behind, this is a must-read. Nash does a great job of examining her personal triumphs and travails in passing along her passion for reading to her two young daughters. I cannot believe that I accidentally came across this delightful book while perusing the shelves for skinny books at Border’s.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not an animal lover. It is not that I dislike animals; I simply tend to despise irresponsible pet owners who think I enjoy their cats ripping up my welcome mat or celebrate their dogs doing their business in my front yard. That is why I was surprised to love this book so much. I guess Jon Katz is well-known, but I just grabbed his book from a pile and found myself instantly captivated. He is better known for other books, and I intend to read them. In the meantime, grab a copy of this treasure and learn plenty about human beings as well as “man’s best friends.”

Will you stop worrying about the page count? This book includes 103 two to three-page, real-life mysteries that are crafted with Paul Harvey's marvelous touch. Any collection of Paul Harvey's stories, gathered by his son, Paul Aurandt, is worth reading. How else would you learn about the dead jockey that won the Belmont Stakes or the hypochondriac who would be immortalized as the world's most beloved nurse?

There are a surprising number of books about how to marry wealthy people (oddly, I could not find any authored by Anna Nicole Smith, Tom Arnold or John Kerry). This book was handed to me by a woman at the library, and I read it in a couple of hours. She had described it as “instructive,” but it is meant to be humorous at the expense of greedy women. If you are interested, I have found all sorts of short books in this genre, for both greedy women and men.

While I enjoyed this gritty Philadelphia drug trade story, what drew me to the book was the author’s biography. From secretary to self-published author who created her own press, Teri Woods is an inspiration. I am so happy for her success, as this book is the first in a series.

I just realized that I had not yet recommended this semi-memoir of the Nobel Prize winner's experiences as a 15-year-old concentration camp survivor. If this book is not being recommended to students, there truly is something wrong with our school system.

This will give you a nice taste of the Nobel Prize winner’s writing. Though quite depressing, the book is moving in its portrayal of an idiot gardener’s quest to shepherd his mother away from war in South Africa, only to find that it follows them wherever they go.

Forty-four chapters, all around five pages or less with wry wit – I was in heaven devouring this book. Greenberg is an excellent writer, and I now intend to read a lot more of his books.

If you are going to pick up a self-help book, grab this one. The chapters are all about 2-3 pages long and filled with great quotes and anecdotes, which is all I ever look for in a book. Great exercises, as well.

Why not kick off the new year with some genuine inspiration about real people? This memoir of how Likins and his wife adopted six disparate children in the 1960s deals with everything from issues of race and mental illness to drug addiction and unwed pregnancy. On each page, though, you see the love and compassion and pride of its author, and you feel reassured that there still are plenty of lovely people among us that don’t necessarily get talked about in the nightly news.