Staff Picks Format: Book

Writings and Drawings by James Thurber [Book]

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Thurber’s comic genius pervades this compilation of his short stories, essays and cartoons. It’s full of treasures like The night the bed fell, The catbird seat, The secret life of Walter Mitty, and the ever-current Fables for our time. His wit ranges from deadpan to farcical, from whimsical to satirical. His command of the American language is elegant and hilarious, his drawings without equal. The only drawback to this Library of America omnibus is that it doesn’t include everything and once addicted, you’ll have to go back to the shelves for more.

Ginger Geezer: The Life of Vivian Stanshall by Lucian Randall and Chris Welch [Book]

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Rise Up Singing [Book]

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How To Wreck A Nice Beach by Dave Tompkins [Book]

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The vocoder is one of the strangest devices in the music world. One only has to listen to the recent trend of “Auto-Tune” (an offspring of the vocoder) to begin the mystification process! Dave Tompkins leads us through the invention of this vocal transmission synthesizer and its initial uses. We learn that Winston Churchill and later John F. Kennedy spoke into early modules before the vocoder was even considered to be used as a musical instrument. Tompkins gives us plenty of military, political, scientific and Cold War history side by side with the then nascent hip-hop and electro movements with tales of the Jonzun Crew, Roger Troutman and Kraftwerk to name a few. What a read!

Room by Emma Donoghue [Book]

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Jack, a delightful, endearing 5 year old, narrates this unique and compelling novel that I could not put down until the last page. He describes the daily life and activities that are shared with his mother within the confines of an 11′ x 11′ room which is the only world that he has known. We soon learn that “Ma,” whose goal is to keep Jack safe, is a prisoner whose kidnapper makes late nightly visits while Jack is sleeping in a wardrobe. We are spared any descriptive shocking details of her experience because Jack tells the story from an innocent child’s perspective. His 5 year old voice is totally convincing as it portrays a lovable, intelligent boy who is happy in the secure environment that his mother provides where he has fun, plays, learns, and is entertained. All is cozy in room until things begin to change, and Ma realizes that they must get Outside.

This is the story of a mother and child’s love as well as one of abduction. It is an absorbing and spellbinding read, with moments of humor and tenderness. It stays in my mind, and Jack is unforgettable.

Across Asia on a bicycle by Thomas Gaskell Allen, Jr. and William Lewis Sachtleben. [Book]

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After graduating from George Washington University in 1890, Thomas Allen and William Sachtleben, two American students wishing to expand upon their education with practical experience, decided to travel around the world. Wishing to meet the people along their route, instead of being insulated from them as they would have been had they traveled by more customary means, the two young men chose the newly invented “saftey bicycle” as their primary method of transport. This book tells the story of the most exciting portion of their travels, their journey across Asia, taking the seldom used northern route from Turkey, through Persia (now Iran) and through western China. (The safer and more used path would have led them south through India.)

This book is fascinating as much for what it reveals about the attitudes of these two Americans as it is for what it reveals about the people they met upon there way. It provides an interesting glimpse at the attitudes and politics of the time, and, of course, it is also a great adventure story.

The Shanghai Tunnel [Book]

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Newman, known for her historical accuracy introduces a new character into 1860s Portland Oregon, in this departure from her Catherine LaVendeur series. Emily Stratton, the daughter of missionaries in China, is in San Francisco when her ship-captain husband dies. She accompanies his body back to the young town of Portland, and tries to make a home there. When she investigates her husband’s suspect business practices, someone wants her to stop. She must find out who to save her new life and her son. Will appeal to readers of Dianne Day and Laurie R. King.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows [Book]

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Following World War II, British author, Juliet Ashton is looking for inspiration for her next book. She begins corresponding with a man from Guernsey who was part of a book club, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, during the war while the island was occupied by the Germans. The club acted as an alibi to protect the residents from arrest. She begins corresponding with other members of the club and draws inspiration from their story of courage and preservation. The book is told through the correspondence and is a touching read.

Cover Story. Volume Two by Wax Poetics [Book]

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Our friends at Wax Poetics Magazine have released a book which compiles the craziest album covers one can possibly imagine. After the introductory pages by David Hollander, we say goodbye to commentary and are left only with high quality images of curated wacky lp covers. This is one of those books where one can flip through endlessly. Some of the images are truly original, inspired works of art, whereas others are just plain and unbridled insanity. Colorful and psychedelic explosions sit along side grinning, mustachioed men on roller skates and “Music For Your Plants”… Better yet, the artwork for the record “Music To Massage Your Mate By” could leave just about anyone in stitches.

Thanks has to go to all of the contributors who collect these treasures at various flea markets, record shops and thrift stores. Weirdos!

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris [Book]

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David Sedaris, our favorite expatriate, quirky, self-deprecating funny man, has penned a new collection of short stories. The issues and tone are certainly classic Sedaris, but this time his subjects are animals! For instance, a baboon hairdresser is having difficulty finding a common gossip angle with a cat who is at the salon for an appointment… also, a self righteous lab rat wishes diseases on those who aren’t kind to her. Readers who enjoy dark, observational humor will enjoy this wonderful collection.

Hot Burritos: The True Story of the Flying Burrito Brothers by John Einarson with Chris Hillman [Book]

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This refreshing biography about the pioneer country rock outfit unearths plenty of new insight. Author John Eirarson leaves behind previously scattered, sensational headlines for contemporary accounts of the group’s living members (including extensive interviews with founding member/ex- Byrd Chris Hillman). Where as most biographies of the Burritos tend to lean on the “tortured soul” angle of the late Gram Parsons, “Hot Burritos” discusses the collective innovation and follies of this seminal group.

Murder in the Marais by Cara Black [Book]

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Aimée Leduc is a tough private detective who specializes in computer security investigations. She is hired by a rabbi to work with an encrypted photograph. Needing money to pay back taxes, she takes on this anomalous investigation which takes us through richly-drawn Paris in the Marais district, November 1993 and during the occupation, including politics, past and present, Nazis and neo-Nazis, and has Aimée running for her life.
The first in the Aimée Leduc Investigations series, which explores a different area of Paris in each novel.