The Faith Middleton Show on WNPR
Our favorite books
"Roxanne Coady of R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, appears with other book buddies for my book show. We tell you about the books we've enjoyed recently, and listeners are invited to tell us about their favorite books on line. "
- Faith Middleton
The books listed here are from a few of the more recent shows, and will be updated after the next book show with Roxanne Coady.
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Special Topics in Calamity Physics
By Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Our Shelf Talker
I am amazed at how delightful this book is. I’m planning to give it to my fifteen year oldgranddaughter. The story is about a young girl whose father is a visiting professor at Harvard. Her favorite teacher in high school is killed and the whole thing is quite mysterious and takes some time to unravel. What Pessl does is drench this book in a literary kind of fashion. It’s rich in texture with a fascinating story and the characters are brilliant.
- Lee
Science: The Definitive Visual Guide
By Adam Hart Davis
Our Shelf Talker
This is a magnificent, superbly illustrated picture book of science. It is the perfect gift for the graduate and anyone with an interest in the world. Each page covers a different subject, with biographies and visual explanations of every topic. It is totally accessible and you can pick it up and start reading anywhere. My new favorite book!!-Rose
My Empire of Dirt
By Manny Howard
Our Shelf Talker
This is just a terrific, funny book. The author lives in Brooklyn and ended up with too much time on his hands. The result is his attempt to create a real, working, urban farm on his 800 square feet of backyard! He has no experience and conveniently does not tell his wife of his plans, so he just dives in and begins the whole thing, chickens and all. The journey is hilarious and ultimately not so successful, but Mr. Howard has heart and soul and does touch on our current obsession with the whole sustainable, organic food thing.-Faith
Money for Nothing
By John Gillespie and David Zweig
Our Shelf Talker
Both authors are Harvard MBAs with long experience in business so they have seen it all from the inside. They have taken it upon themselves to explore a darker side of corporations and the boards of directors who are supposed to be “governing” them. Why aren’t these boards more vigilant about CEO compensation? Why do they get paid so much for attending a couple of meetings a year? These are just a couple of the questions asked by the authors. The answers are very interesting.- Faith
One Writer’s Beginning
By Eudora Welty
Our Shelf Talker
Welty is a Southern writer whom I just adore. There is such elegance and wit and not one ounce of pretension about her as she tells the story of how she became a writer. This is on my list of my all time top favorite twenty books.-Roxanne
The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind
By Barbara Strauch
A leading science writer examines how the brain's capacity reaches its peak in middle age.
A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World
By Tony Horwitz
The bestselling author of "Blue Latitudes" takes readers on a thrilling and eye-opening voyage to pre-Mayflower America. An irresistible blend of history, myth, and misadventure, this work captures the wonder and drama of first contact.
Wasted
By Marya Hornbacher
Why would a talented young woman enter into a torrid affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Through five lengthy hospital stays, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and all sense of what it means to be "normal," Marya Hornbacher lovingly embraced her anorexia and bulimia -- until a particularly horrifying bout with the disease in college put the romance of wasting away to rest forever. A vivid, honest, and emotionally wrenching memoir, "Wasted" is the story of one woman's travels to reality's darker side -- and her decision to find her way back on her own terms.
Eating: A Memoir
By Jason Epstein
From the great restaurants of postwar Paris to the narrow streets of New York's Chinatown, "Eating" by legendary editor Jason Epstein takes readers on a culinary tour through his eventful life. Includes recipes.
Chester's Masterpiece
By Melanie Watt
Our Shelf Talker
I find that children's books ignite in me the sensibility of reading at that age. In this silly picture book, Chester takes over and writes the story, with his owner (Melanie) making comments as he goes along. This is a great book to read to any child.- Roxanne
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
By Julia Eccleshare
From Publishers Weekly
This British import, a survey of influential children's books (part of the 1001 series and edited by the Guardian's children's books editor), offers a comprehensive and diverse compendium of more than a century's worth of essential reads. The compact and encyclopedia-thick format is divided into five age ranges. A review of each book is accompanied by original publication information (readers will have to research current availability, especially as some titles differ in the U.S. market) and themes, with cover and interior art interspersed throughout. Favorites like Bridge to Terabithia will satisfy traditionalists, while crossover books like Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees and international selections (for example, Swedish author Pernilla Stalfelt's The Death Book) will broaden the canon. An asset for all those who've caught—or never lost—the bug.
This British import, a survey of influential children's books (part of the 1001 series and edited by the Guardian's children's books editor), offers a comprehensive and diverse compendium of more than a century's worth of essential reads. The compact and encyclopedia-thick format is divided into five age ranges. A review of each book is accompanied by original publication information (readers will have to research current availability, especially as some titles differ in the U.S. market) and themes, with cover and interior art interspersed throughout. Favorites like Bridge to Terabithia will satisfy traditionalists, while crossover books like Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees and international selections (for example, Swedish author Pernilla Stalfelt's The Death Book) will broaden the canon. An asset for all those who've caught—or never lost—the bug.
The World is Your Oyster
By Tamara James
What do you do when your world is raining cats and dogs, you’re up to your neck in alligators, and all you want to do is bury your head in the sand? When children read this empowering book of animal idioms illustrated in gorgeous, vibrant watercolors, they learn new ways to express themselves. This playful book teaches the complexities of language — and that's straight from the horse’s mouth!
American Rust
By Meyer, Philipp
Set in a beautiful but economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town, "American Rust" is a novel of the lost American Dream and the desperation - as well as the acts of friendship, loyalty, and love - that arise from its loss.
How They See Us: Meditations on America
By James Atlas
Our Shelf Talker
Americans can often have a myopic view of themselves and their place in the world; "How They See Us" really opens our eyes, for good and for bad. Extremely well done.- Roxanne
Crown Island
By Lee Jacobus
Crown Island, the most beautiful of the Granite Islands ranging out from Quarrytown, a harbor community in Connecticut, is the magical world of Marie Wainwright and Peter Chello. Their love defies their differences in class, status, age, and culture. They are fated by the Gods to follow a challenging path. While married to others, they keep their love alive for thirty years. Marie, who has always lived on Crown Island, brings a world of knowledge to Peter, while Peter brings the muse back to her after the loss of her family. Marie's novels become celebrated and Peter, an artistic stonemason and builder, discovers a richness in life that could never have been his had he not fallen in love with Marie. His path leads him to an understanding of how to share the gifts of love and life that he receives from his Idyll on Crown Island while staying true to his roots and his affection for Quarrytown. An adult story in an adult novel.
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