The Overlake School Library Presents:
Faculty Favorites 2010
Your favorite faculty, staff, and
administration members recommend their favorite books.
Note that most of the recommended books
are adult titles, and may not be appropriate for student reading.
List is alphabetical by recommenders’
last names.
*These staff members also contributed
podcasts of their book reviews!
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Bill Armstrong (Army) recommends: Brunelleschi’s
Dome by Ross
King “Even in an age of skyscrapers and
sports stadiums, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, with its
immense dome, retains a rare power to astonish. Yet, for more than a century
after work began on the cathedral in 1296, the proposed dome was regarded as
impossible to build. It became the greatest architectural puzzle of the age,
and when finally complete in 1436, was hailed as one of the wonders of the
world. Ross King tells the full story of how the cupola was raised, from conception
to consecration. He also tells the story of the dome's architect, the
brilliant and volatile Filippo Brunelleschi. His ambition, ingenuity and
rivalries are set in the context of the plagues, wars and political feuds of
Renaissance Florence. It is a fascinating story.” --Publisher |
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Michelangelo
and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King “In 1508, despite strong advice to
the contrary, the powerful Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint
the ceiling of the newly restored Sistine Chapel. With little experience as a
painter (though famed for his sculpture David), Michelangelo was reluctant to
begin the massive project. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling recounts the
four extraordinary years Michelangelo spent laboring over the vast ceiling
while the power politics and personal rivalries that abounded in Rome swirled
around him. Battling against ill health, financial difficulties, domestic
problems, the pope's impatience, and a bitter rivalry with the brilliant
young painter Raphael, Michelangelo created scenes so beautiful that they are
considered to be among the greatest masterpieces of all time. A panorama of
illustrious figures converged around the creation of this magnificent work --
from the great Dutch scholar Erasmus to the young Martin Luther -- and Ross
King skillfully weaves them through his compelling historical narrative,
offering uncommon insight into the intersection of art and history.”
–Publisher. |
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Out
Stealing Horses by
Per Petterson. Intrigued
by the title, I picked up a copy this summer and read it in two days.
Winner of the Dublin Literary Award and a Time magazine best book of
the year, it tells the story of a 67-year-old Norwegian man who moves to a
remote cabin and through a series of circumstances relives his youth.
Petterson is a master of prose. Good read. |
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True Compass, the autobiography of Edward Kennedy A must read for all political geeks
of my generation. A fascinating review of several presidencies and
important legislation passed during his tenure in the Senate. |
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The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison A mystery set in Tibet.
Fascinating account of a murder investigation led by a former investigator now
a prisoner in the gulag forced to work on the case. Not only do you get
a feel for what life is like under Chinese rule in Tibet, but how traditional
Buddhist ways can still survive under the harshest of circumstances.
This book really takes you there and into the soul of the lead
character as he tries to balance his former life with the lives of the
Tibetan monks he is imprisoned with. All of this inside an excellent
mystery. Edgar Award winner for best first novel. “Pattison joins a long
list of human rights activists who have been singled out by Beijing for
censorship-but he is believed to be the only writer of fiction to be thus
censored.” –Steve Lewis, Mystery*file (http://www.mysteryfile.com) |
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The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey For history buffs and mystery lovers
as well. The story is about a recuperating Inspector from Scotland Yard
who decides to investigate the murder of the two Princes in the Tower, which
occurred soon after Richard III had taken the thrown. Although common
belief is that Richard had them murdered, new evidence stands at odds with
this interpretation. If you have ever visited the Tower of London
you’ve heard the story but not in such detail. Thomas More is the
source for much of the original story yet he was considered an enemy of
Richard thus his account is biased. In any case, it’s a fun read and
sheds a different light on this story, which has gained support by other
historians. So who really killed the Princes? |
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Call
of the Wild by Jack London I
re-read this classic and remembered what a powerful story it was. It
marries Alaska wilderness, male ego, and man’s best friend with a strangely
satisfying ending. “The adventures of an unusual dog,
part St. Bernard, part Scotch shepherd, that is forcibly taken to the
Klondike goldfields where he eventually becomes the leader of a wolf pack. Includes
illustrations and extended captions providing background information on
history, geography, social customs, animals, architecture, literature, and
science pertinent to the story.” –Library of Congress |
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The War After Armageddon by Ralph Peters This is not the best novel I read
this year, but it is the one that affected me the most, and I am often
reminded of it after reading an article in the paper or after some diatribe
of Jon Stewart’s on The Daily Show. Peters sets out to create a nightmare
scenario where the conflict between the Muslim world and the West has finally
boiled over. After nuclear attacks on a handful of American cities,
Christian fundamentalists take over the government and turn the National
Guard into the all-powerful Military Order of Brothers in Christ
(MOBIC). Believing that this is truly a cultural and spiritual fight to
the death, the U.S. and MOBIC have launched a new crusade to rid the world of
non-believers once and for all. Standing in their way is the United
States Marine Corps and its commander, “Flintlock” Harris, who stands up
against both disregard for the rules of war and the assaults on free speech
and Constitutional rights back home. Written with a military historian’s understanding
of the Middle East and a military officer’s understanding of combat, what
really stood out to me is how terribly plausible his vision is for the
triumph of hatred and fanaticism over reason. Anyway, I couldn’t put it
down. |
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The
Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery A
most precious story and highlight of the year - almost an
"upstairs/downstairs" motif. All emotions - love, anger, dislike,
satisfaction, and sadness are called upon to fully celebrate this book. A
FIVE-Star recommend for sure. “Renée Michel is the 54-year-old
concierge of a luxury Paris apartment building. Her exterior (“short, ugly,
and plump”) and demeanor (“poor, discreet, and insignificant”) belie her keen,
questing mind and profound erudition. Paloma Josse is a 12-year-old genius
who behaves as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on
adolescent subculture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if
obstinate daughter. She plans to kill herself on the sixteenth of June, her
thirteenth birthday. Also
recommended by Lisa Orenstein. |
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy The
Road is a novel about a bleak
post-apocalyptic world. Although the subject matter is grim, the story
is beautifully told. Hypnotic and haunting, relentlessly dark , this is
a novel that is hard to put down. “A father and his son walk alone
through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash
on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is
gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't
know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol
to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the
clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.”
—Publisher. Also
recommended by Rob Lamb. Check out the podcast of his
review! |
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Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon “Barcelona, 1945—just after the war,
a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel
awakes on his eleventh birthday to find that he can no longer remember his
mother’s face.” –Publisher(?) Check
out the podcast of Dr.
Grijalva’s review! Also
recommended by Natalie Morales. |
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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen I totally loved this book. I loved
how much it came alive for me during an era that was before my time. The
circus is a community that was intriguing for me. For me, it was one of those
books that you are wondering what is happening with the characters while you
are off at work…. “As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed
by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most
Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and
for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation
and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in
charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena,
the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted
animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great
gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this
unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only
hope for survival.” –Publisher. |
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Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood “The times and species have been
changing at a rapid rate, and the social compact is wearing as thin as
environmental stability. Adam One, the kindly leader of the God's Gardeners—a
religion devoted to the melding of science and religion, as well as the
preservation of all plant and animal life—has long predicted a natural
disaster that will alter Earth as we know it. Now it has occurred,
obliterating most human life. Two women have survived: Ren, a young trapeze
dancer locked inside the high-end sex club Scales and Tails, and Toby, a
God's Gardener barricaded inside a luxurious spa where many of the treatments
are edible. Check
out the podcast
of Kerri Hunt’s review! |
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Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand A favorite from my teen years. “Set in a near-future U.S.A. whose
economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading
innovators and industrialists, this novel presents an astounding panorama of
human life-from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy...to
the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his
own destruction...to the philosopher who becomes a pirate...to the woman who
runs a transcontinental railroad...to the lowest track worker in her train
tunnels.” –Publisher. |
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Moby Dick by Herman Melville A favorite from my general past. “On a previous voyage, a mysterious
white whale had ripped off the leg of a sea captain named Ahab. Now the crew
of the Pequod, on a pursuit that features constant adventure and horrendous
mishaps, must follow the mad Ahab into the abyss to satisfy his unslakeable
thirst for vengeance. Narrated by the cunningly observant crew member
Ishmael, Moby-Dick is the tale of the hunt for the elusive,
omnipotent, and ultimately mystifying white whale—Moby Dick.” –Publisher. |
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Too Much Happiness by A. Munro A favorite from this month. “This stunning collection of new
stories demonstrates once again why Alice Munro is celebrated as a
pre-eminent master of the short story. While some of the stories are
traditional, set in “Alice Munro Country” in Ontario or in B.C., dealing with
ordinary women’s lives, others have a new, sharper edge. They involve child
murders, strange sex, and a terrifying home invasion. By way of astonishing
variety, the title story, set in Victorian Europe, follows the last journey
from France to Sweden of a famous Russian mathematician. This daring, superb
collection proves that Alice Munro will always surprise you.” –Publisher. |
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I
have become a big Michael Gruber fan. He's a local novelist who has
ghost-written 30 or so books and only about 8 years ago started writing under
his own name. I believe the first three books he wrote for himself were
The Tropic of Night, The Valley of Bones, and The Night of
the Jaguar. These three are thriller-detective stories (not
normally my cup of tea), but they are brilliant. By the end of them,
you'll feel like an expert in Cuban-American culture, oceanography,
Voodoo/Santoria, aikido, bowling and countless other seemingly unrelated
things.. His
last two novels have also been thrillers, but are ingenious explorations of
the world of art. The Book of Air and Shadows centers around a
discovered text of an unproduced work by Shakespeare, and The Forgery of
Venus follows the intrigue of a contemporary artist who, much to
his torment, has the skill to paint like Velazquez in a world
that no longer values that kind of genius. Each are
fascinating studies of the both the monetary and intrinsic value of
art...and the potential good and evil uses of it. Think The DaVinci Code
in the hands of a good writer... (did I say that?). Check out the podcast
of Bill John’s review! |
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy “A father and his son walk alone
through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash
on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is
gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't
know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol
to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the
clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.”
—Publisher. Also
recommended by Brenda Draper. |
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Mireille
Machefert recommends: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
and David Oliver Relin. Greg
Mortenson is a man with a golden heart and a noble soul who keeps the
promises he makes. In Pakistan, after a failed attempt to climb K2, he
promises the people of an impoverished village to build a school. He
will build fifty-five of them, especially for girls, in the dangerous world
of the Taliban. A pure jewel. (The man and the book!) |
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I know this much is True by Wally Lamb “’On the afternoon of October 12,
1990, my twin brother, Thomas, entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut, public library,
retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice
he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable….’ “One of the most acclaimed novels of
our time, Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True is a story of
alienation and connection, devastation and renewal, at once joyous,
heartbreaking, poignant, mystical, and powerfully, profoundly human.”
–Publisher. |
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Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld I'm a fan of steampunk and I loved
Westerfeld's Midnighters series, so
I was excited when this came out and got such great reviews. It's set right
at the start of WWI, in an alternate universe in which Germany and its allies
are called 'Clankers' because they rely on machines akin to steampunk
versions of the walkers in Star Wars movies. Britain and its allies are
'Darwinists' because they rely on fabricated creatures based on Charles'
Darwin's manipulations of DNA. Leviathan is a living airship, for example. The two main characters are the
British girl Deryn, and the Austrian boy Alek. Deryn has disguised herself as
a boy so she can be a midshipman in the Air Service and accidentally (long
story) becomes a crewmember on Leviathan. Alek is the only son of Franz
Ferdinand, and it was his existence that, in part, caused the war. He's
managed to escape Austria with the help of a few loyal followers. I liked this book a whole lot,
particularly the pictures; it was often hard to imagine Westerfeld's
creations without them. I'm not entirely sure I buy the Darwinist creatures,
though—maybe a little too much suspension of disbelief required. I also think
there are massive ethical questions about the fabricated creatures that don't
even get a mention, and I don't know if it was Westerfeld's intention to
leave them in the mind of the reader, or if he didn't see it as an issue. |
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Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan Will Grayson (one) has a motto: don't
care too much, and shut up. Therefore, he has no idea how he ended up being
best friends with Tiny Cooper. Tiny is 6'6", 300 pounds, a football
player, and the most flamboyantly gay person Will has ever met. He's only in
high school, and has already been through 43 boyfriends (well, Will's not
sure of the exact number, but it's high). Now Tiny is planning to produce and
star in a musical of his life, and he needs Will's help. Will Grayson (two), who never uses
capital letters, is depressed, introverted, and thinks about dying most of
the time. He has a frenemy named Maura with whom he exchanges barbed quips, but
otherwise he's pretty much on his own. The only thing he really cares about
is his Facebook friend Isaac, whom he's never actually met. And it's more
than cares—the closeted Will loves Isaac, and that's the only thing holding
him together. Then Isaac says it's time for them to meet. Things don't go quite as planned. For
either Will Grayson. I *loveloveloved* this book. Anything
David Levithan writes is fabulous and thoughtful, and this is no exception.
As the authors explore truth and love and honesty, they keep peeling away
complex layers of character and motivation so you never quite know what to
think or feel—just like in real life. Pithy comments like: "If you don't
say the honest thing, it never becomes true" litter the text; little gems
that make you stop and think and turn you in the other direction. Truth is a
mutable thing, after all. And there are all kinds of love. Oh, and the ending is brilliant.
Thank you, David Levithan and John Green |
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Home by Julie Andrews This is the fascinating and often sad
story of Julie Andrews’ life from birth through about age 28, when she left
Broadway to do Mary Poppins. I had
no idea her family was so disrupted and diverse; her parents divorced when
she was quite young, and both remarried and had other children. Julie grew up
in Vaudeville, once her amazing voice was discovered, and it was anything but
glamorous. Andrews has an amazing memory for details—sights, smells,
sounds—that make her past come to vivid life. |
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Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon “Barcelona, 1945—just after the war,
a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel
awakes on his eleventh birthday to find that he can no longer remember his
mother’s face.” –Publisher(?) Also
recommended by Frank Grijalva. Check out the podcast of his
review! |
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Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout “At times stern, at other times
patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge,
a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town and in the
world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around
her: a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child,
who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry,
who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse. |
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The
Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery “Renée Michel is the 54-year-old
concierge of a luxury Paris apartment building. Her exterior (“short, ugly, and
plump”) and demeanor (“poor, discreet, and insignificant”) belie her keen,
questing mind and profound erudition. Paloma Josse is a 12-year-old genius
who behaves as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on
adolescent subculture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if
obstinate daughter. She plans to kill herself on the sixteenth of June, her
thirteenth birthday. Also
recommended by Gretchen Davis. |
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Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles |
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City of Thieves by David Benioff “During the Nazis' brutal siege of
Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell
as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya
are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous
directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his
daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering
unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire
lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.”
–Publisher. |
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Under the Dome by Stephen King 1150 wonderful hard-cover
pages! I have been a Stephen King fan since I read Carrie in my
twenties and I believe have read almost everything he has ever written.
Under the Dome was a grand escape—a two-day holiday read. As usual, his
kid characters are excellent. Perhaps a microcosm of our country’s
politics, or a treatise on good and evil, or just an excellent horror
story—when I had to put the book down, I wondered what was happening while I
was gone. |
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The Help by
Kathryn Stockett In 1962, Jackson, Miss , black women
are charged with raising their white employers children, cooking their meals,
and caring for elderly parents; but in some homes are not welcome to
use their employers bathrooms. Skeeter Newby newly graduated from Ole
Miss returns, without an engagement ring or a beau, to her parents’ cotton
farm. Skeeter who wants to be a writer is admonished to write about
what she knows. She sets out to tell the story of the help, enlisting
women who have work for her parents and her friends. The women who share
their stories with Skeeter know the danger they run, but they share their
lives and stories with pride. Also
recommended by Ellen Zarter. |
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The Brief Wondrous Life of
Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz This
book features all the old, important themes but told in a
searingly honest and refreshingly new style. You'll understand the
devastating impact of the Latin American dictator, the pain of the fat, nerdy
kid who doesn't fit in and can't find love, the struggle of the sexes
and disfiguring violence against women, and the eternal search for one's
identity. Pair this with Julia Alvarez's Time of the Butterflies
and you'll be enlightened about the of the struggle of the Dominican Republic
under one of the worst dictatorships in the history of the world and how
Trujillo was finally assassinated. |
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Mission Song by John LeCarre I LOVED this book. Unique view into
the psyche of the African ex-patriot and problems of dealing with British
Intelligence and their prejudicial superiority to “lesser” nations. “Abandoned by both his Irish father
and Congolese mother, Bruno Salvador has long looked for someone to guide his
life. He has found it in Mr. Anderson of British Intelligence. Check
out the podcast
of Eileen’s review! |
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The Lost
Symbol by Dan Brown In very Dan Brown-esque fashion, the
author whirls Robert Langdon through the streets of Washington DC in search of
the “Ancient Treasurers,” which if they fall into the wrong hands could
compromise national security. “As the story opens, Harvard
symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening
lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however,
the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -- artfully encoded with
five symbols -- is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the
object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a
long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. |
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The Help by
Kathryn Stockett One of the finest books I have read
in years. Using three different narrative voices—two black maids and an
upstart young white woman—the author describes the relationships, both
beautiful and horrible, between white women and their black maids in 1960s
Jacksonville, Mississippi. I will need to read this twice because I
read too quickly, wanting to know the outcome of the plot, which is not
really resolved until the final page of the book. The writing and
“voices” are vivid as well as unsettling, as these three women create a
dangerous secret they may not share with anyone. You’ll love this one.
Also
recommended by Cheryl Steele. |
2/10 rmoore@overlake.org