Splitting an Order
by Ted Kooser

When I read poetry, I tend to nibble at a book for months, but I consumed Ted Kooser's book, Splitting an Order, in 3 days. The collection is dedicated to "absent friends" and I read it right after learning of the unexpected death of a friend of mine. Reading Kooser's poems was one of the most powerful bits of healing I've ever experienced. This collection is an argument for poetry to be shelved in grief/spirituality and/or health & wellness. Here’s a poem from the book:

The Woman Whose Husband Was Dying

She turned her eyes from mine, for within mine
she knew there wasn’t room for all her sorrow.
She needed a plain that she could flood with grief,
and as she stood there by the door I saw the distance
before her slowly filling, as if from hidden springs,
and she stepped outside, and placed one foot
and then the other on the future, and it held her up.

And here’s a link to Kooser reading the title poem.

Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown

I'm finally reading this book after hearing umpteen customers tell me it's one of their favorites. I'm enjoying learning about the backgrounds of members of the 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic eight-oar rowing team. Joe Rantz in particular had an amazing childhood filled with disappointment and unbelievably bad parenting, but persevered and made his own successes. It's not just the lives of the rowing team that are included in Boys in the Boat, however. Brown also chronicles key political figures, such as FDR and Joseph Goebbels.

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

The Beagle Women's book group is reading this and Go Set a Watchman and discussing both for our November discussion. I can't believe how many of the details I'd forgotten in this classic! It's good to be with young Scout again and I'm curious to see what kind of woman she is in Go Set a Watchman.

Two Dogs and a Parrot: What our Animal Friends Can Teach Us About Life
by Joan Chittister

Chittister, a Benedictine nun and writer, is a leading voice for spiritual renewal, a prophetic champion of peace and justice, and a champion of the role of women in the church and the world. She is also an animal lover. She thought she might write a book of anecdotes about life with her pets, but soon realized she also wanted to explore the spiritual significance of sharing life with an animal companion. So, Two Dogs and a Parrot has heartwarming stories but also thought-provoking reflections. It’s a slim volume which will make you laugh and will also make you think.

Go Set a Watchman
by Harper Lee

I took home a copy of this book when it came out, and it promptly ended up on my husband’s stack of books. Preparation for Beagle Women’s book group this month was my excuse to get it back. I’ve been very curious—there was so much hype about the book and questions about the author’s decision to publish it now—and even questions about her competence to make such a decision. Then there was a stir about the racism revealed in iconic character Atticus. Customers and staff who have read the book were uniform in saying they were glad they had done so. Nothing I’d heard or read prepared me for the fact that the novel is a coming of age story in which Scout is challenged to become her own person rather than an extension of Atticus. I’m glad we’ll be discussing Go Set a Watchman AND To Kill A Mockingbird together, and I’m anxious to hear what members of the group say about the books.

The Light Between Oceans
by M.L. Stedman

The setting is an Australian Island in the time just after World War I. A boat has come ashore bearing a dead man and a live baby. The lighthouse keeper, Tom Sherburne, is meticulous about following protocol and keeping records. He wants to report the situation immediately. His wife Isabel is grieving over two miscarriages and one stillbirth. She wants to keep the baby and claim her as their own.

The story is filled with twists and turns exposing the impact of decisions on the lives of the characters and challenging readers to define the meaning of an ethical decision. This book has been recommended to me by several people. Without hesitation I can add my recommendation to the list. (A movie based on the book will be released in 2016.)

Dear Committee Members: A Novel
by Julie Schumacher

This is a story cleverly woven from the missives of a faculty member, Jason Fitger, Professor of Creative Writing and English at fictitious Payne University, as he makes his way through an academic year. This was particularly entertaining when reflecting back on the communiques in my own university teaching career. While I, at least, never sent letters and e-mails as honest as Jason’s there were a lot of times I wanted to and a few times I actually typed them out ….but wisdom prevailed. No college training is required to thoroughly enjoy this book but if you’ve been involved with the staffing of a college or university, you’ll love this from the jealousy of the departments to the ceilings falling in. It’s an easy read with a couple surprise endings. I think you’ll like this book.

First Big Ride: A Woman's Journey
by Eloise Hammer   

I love to read travel adventures, especially women's stories. The author and her husband quit their jobs and join a bike ride across America. The ride was sponsored by the American Lung Association. One thousand bikers began the race in Seattle and ended in Washington, D.C. 48 days later. Can you imagine the logistics of feeding and finding places to sleep for that many people? Eloise says the Minnesotans were exceptionally friendly. The bikers loved our "accents" and took to saying "uff da" and "you betcha."

I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzi with Christina Lamb

Many of us have heard of Malala, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. Her book fills in for us who she really is. She gives us her story and also the history and politics of Pakistan, which is interesting and crucial to what is happening in that part of the world and how it affects us in the United States. There is also a version of this story for younger readers.

The Sun and Other Stars
by Brigid Pasulka   

I had a hard time getting started in this book. Once I stopped worrying about the Italian words scattered throughout and just let the story flow, it was wonderful. The story is set on the Italian Riviera. Etto is the protagonist. He has lost his brother and then his mother.  Etto's brother was a great calcio (soccer in our country) player. Etto is not interested until he meets a champion calico player and his sister vacationing in his town. This is a beautiful story of how Etto finds a place for himself, reconciles with his father and finds hope for the future.

M Train
by Patti Smith

Lovers of Smith’s music or of her National Book Award winner, Just Kids, will want to read this book, but it speaks to a wider audience as well. There is no M train in New York: the title reflects that this is mind journey. Smith segues between memories and the present just the way we experience those transitions. She reveals the despair she felt when she lost her husband, her brother, and her best friend, and takes us through her healing process. It's a fascinating, and sometimes very funny, book. I recently got to see Smith at an event promoting this book, and it was amazing.

Clockers
by Richard Price

There are two "heroes" in Clockers: a skinny, stammering kid who runs a crew of teenage drug sellers outside a project, and a middle aged, hard drinking homicide detective. It took me a while to get into this novel, perhaps because it's such a depressing world. But soon I started caring very much what would happen to these flawed men, and to admire much about them. The strong writing carried me to the end in a rush.

The Big Sleep
Raymond Chandler

"Dead men are heavier than broken hearts." The Big Sleep is one of the first, and best, noir novels. As I read this I kept hearing jazz riffs in the background of my mind. And I wished I were wearing a trench coat and fedora. The language really is quite remarkable.

The Aviator’s Wife
by Melanie Benjamin  

This novel tells the story of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s troubled marriage from her perspective. The book is insightful and provides information that is not widely known. The reader will come away seeing the Lindbergh family in a totally different light. This book is a must read!

Gray Mountain
by John Grisham 

This excellent thriller will hold your attention and no matter how busy you are, you’ll find time to read it. I recommend Gray Mountain for book clubs because it raises numerous topics to discuss. For example, the relationships between co-workers, family and clients and the decision Samantha makes as a young lawyer and as a single woman are sure conversation starters.

Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury

You may have read this book in high school or you may never have read it. Either way, it's a good one to revisit now. In our world of screens and screens and more screens, it's both chilling and instructive to see how accurate Bradbury's vision of a world without human connection, without love of nature, and without books, is becoming. I've been teaching the book for a long time, and the difference in teaching it even 10 years ago and now is striking. I used to have to explain the in-ear communication device that was imagined in the book; now I just have to say "bluetooth." I used to have to get kids to stretch their minds to imagine televisions that took up whole walls of a room; now I just have to say "72-inch flatscreens." This is a book we all need to read, while we still can.