My friend Sue, who founded GoFit! for women and children, e-mailed a number of people in her extensive network recently and compiled a list of great reads for 2008. It's notable in its breadth and diversity, and likely a good starting place if you're looking for new titles in 2009.

I omitted last names and specific titles/places of business, but otherwise this is the list in full. Read on!

Great Book Reads List 2008

Luncheon of the Boating Party -- Susan Vreeland

John Adams -- David McCollough

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi - Jacqueline Park

A Gentleman's Guide to Graceful Living --Michael Dahlie

Paulette

The Dante Club--Matthew Pearl 
Charlie Wilson’s War - the Extraordinary Story of 
the Largest Covert Operation in History--George Crile

Betsy
People of the Book – Geraldine Brooks

Not Me – Michael Lavigne 
Barbara
People of the Book – Geraldine Brooks

March – Geraldine Brooks
Year of Wonders – Geraldine Brooks
Dr. Cheryl
The Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman

Susan
Comfort – Ann Hood

Memory – Philippe Grimbert

Story of a Marriage – Andrew Sean Greer

Unaccustomed Earth – Jhumpa Lahiri

Say You’re One of Them – Uwem Akpan

Stephen, CPA

World Without End – Ken Follett

Carol, CEO

Foreign Affairs – Allison Lurie

Atonement – Ian McEwan

A Lemon Tree – Sandy Tolan

Eileen, Program Coordinator 

French by Heart – Rebecca Ramsey

There’s No Jose Here – Gabriel Thompson

Letters to A Young Teacher – Jonathan Kozol

Francesca, Fitness Instructor

The Travelers Gift – Andy Andrews

Nancy, interior designer

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

Victoria Victoria, by Jean Plaidy

Billionaire’s Vinegar, by Benjamin Wallace 

The Afghan, by Frederick Forsyth

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch

The Other Side of You, by Salley Vickers

Ronnie, Professor

A Fine Balance by Mistry

What I loved by S. Huvstadt 

Poisonwood Bible by Kingsolver

Kary, Conference Director

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides 

Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson

Dr.Vince M__, College President 

The Drifters – James Mitchener 

Boomsday – Christopher Buckley 

Lindsay, Grocery Industry

 The Life of Meaning: 

Reflections on Faith, Doubt, and Repairing the World –

Bob Abernethy and William Bole 

A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide - Samantha Power

James, Grant Writer

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those 

Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl – Timothy Egan

The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court – Jeffrey Tobin

Paula,Dietician 

Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson

Eat, Pray and Love – Elizabeth Gilbert

The Double Bind – Chris Bohjelian

Betsy, Educator

What is the What by Dave Eggers

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Fred, Higher Ed.

Olive Kitteridge – Elizabeth Stout

Jaclyn, writer

Marie Antoinette, the Journey – Antonia Frazer

Mrs. Kimble – Jennifer Haigh

The Corrections – Jonathan Franzen

Blue Latitudes – Tony Horwitz

Look Me in the Eye – John Robison

Sandy

Suite Françoise by Irina Nimbrovsky

The Day I Ate Anything I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg

Snow by Orhan Pamuk

Dee, Program Coordinator

The Constant Princess – Phillipa Gregory

The Other Boleyn Girl – Phillipa Gregory

The Boleyn Inheritance – Phillipa Gregory

Abbie, community planning

Escape – Caroline Jessop

The Lords of Discipline – Pat Conroy

Zel 

Pennsylvania Avenue – Profiles in Back Room Power – John Harwood

Our Crowd – Stephen Birmingham

The Post- American World - Fareed Zacaria

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My parent's home in Maine is at the top of a hill with a relatively steep slope, with a small reservoir at its base. A beaten and broken, virtually antique truck used to lie near the reservoir, and King once penned a story about it. My parents took a photo of the truck as though it were a celebrity, framed it along with the story, and placed it next to the big blackboard they preserved in the schoolhouse's main room. A few years ago, JaxMum had the photo copied, enlarged, and framed for JaxBro and I, who liked to climb on the truck and peer into its glassless windows.

My copy is hanging in our library, not far from several King tomes -- It, The Dead Zone, Salem's Lot, Four Past Midnight, Thinner - which was originally written under the name Richard Bachman.

King inspired movies can't be discounted, either. Misery, The Shining, Dolores Claiborne, Carrie ... all classics of cinema, not just horror flicks.

I'm also a fan of the 2002 TV mini-series Rose Red, the tale of a ravenous mansion and the psychics trapped inside. King wrote the screenplay for the film, and appears in a hilarious cameo as a pizza delivery guy. It's also supplemented by a cool fiction-reality cross-over endeavor: a companion book -- The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, (referencing one of the movie's main characters) -- was published as written under the name of yet another character in the film, Dr. Joyce Reardon.

Confused yet? You'd think The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer was written by King, but nay. It was actually written by Ridley Pearson. It's a good read (and a great October Book), a sort of prequel to Rose Red; so naturally, it served well as a follow-up made-for-t.v. movie.

Like King, Pearson, too, made a cameo appearance in the flick, and challenged fans to e-mail him with the total number of times he appeared on screen. I shot him a line, and a few weeks later, I guess my horror-nerdiness paid off - I received a signed, hard-cover copy of The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (I'd already read it in its soft-cover version, so the new book went right to the signed-copy shelf on my bookcase for preservation).

Toast, coffee, and bacon with Stephen King at the diner next to the general store, it was not. But another interesting wrinkle to add to the King influences in my family's life? Sure.

This is '31 Days' post #9

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It's usually horror, fantasy, or sci-fi literature, or a nonfiction account of a haunting or other appropriately chilling topic. In the past, some of my favorite titles have included The Bell Witch - An American Haunting by Brent Monahan, Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite, The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan, Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

This year, I chose a book I actually bought a few years ago on a press trip in Ireland. I knew it would make a great October Book, but already had a backlog ... so now I'm finally cracking the spine of A Bewitched Land: Ireland's Witches by Bob Curran.

Anyone out there reading any good October Books?

This is 31 Days post #4

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ArcherVision:  That couple, the Freises - they look exactly like each other. Like brother and sister.

WriterJax: I know, they're so Flowers in the Attic. Paging V.C. Andrews. 

{Pause} 

 ArcherVision: what?

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Here's what some of the TS Bloggers are saying this week: 

Damon Ledet clues the Applephiles in on some new Mac/Leopard updates; 

DayBreak 1012  gears up - cautiously - for the return of the 2004/2007 MLB World Champions;

Big D (DGs World) examines the nuances of world travel and the fine art of peeing in a Japanese potty; and

Kirasha at Esoteric Renaissance  deconstructs a WGA YouTube video.

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A few months ago, I received an advance copy of John Robison's new book, Look Me In the Eye: My Life With Asperger's. 

I was excited to read it for a few reasons. First, Robison is a well-known business owner in Massachusetts and beyond; his company services and sells high-end and exotic cars like Porches, Rolls Royces, and Mercedes. I've interviewed him in the past, as part of an article  on vintage auto restoration, so I already knew what an interesting guy he is.

Second, he's the older brother of one of my favorite writers, Augusten Burroughs. When I put the vintage car story together, he was refurbishing a Rolls for Burroughs, and when I contacted the latter to ask (timidly) for an interview -- vintage autos from the owner's perspective -- Burroughs instead e-mailed me a lengthy personal essay, which the magazine I work for published. It was just one of many articles and books I've read and loved by the author, so I was looking forward to seeing how Robison's writing voice compared to that of his kid sibling.

Finally, Asperger's Syndrome is a topic that I've actually covered as a writer before. In a different job a few years ago, I interviewed Tony Attwood , who is considered one of the leading experts on the condition. I read his book, too, and was amazed by this still largely misunderstood 'autism-spectrum disorder.' It's characterized by difficulty with social interaction, and by intense interests in very specific things, such as trains, planes, highway systems, electronics, sushi, you name it. 

In Robison's case, his 'Aspergian traits' are seen in his proficiency and knowledge of all things automotive, as well as sound equipment and cameras. He calls himself a 'machine aficionado' to tie it all together.

I think the most notable thing about Robison is that he debunks the theory that all Aspergians are terribly clinical people who only understand non-human mechanisms and read stereo instructions for fun. On the contrary, he's one of the more colorful people I've ever interviewed. He's funny and sharp, and detailed as all hell, and that is an awesome thing for a journalist. He's got a resume that rivals most, too. His interest in sound equipment led to a gig with KISS, creating special effects guitars. Then, he worked for a major toy company as an engineer. He still attends Porsche shows all over the world, shoots amazing photos, rides around on his Harley in a keen leather vest, and now, he's a best-selling author with a book in its ninth printing in the U.S., and two more memoirs on the drawing board. 

I can't imagine what John Robison is going to do next. But somehow, I feel like I haven't interviewed him  for the last time.

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"O brave new world that has such people in it. Let's start at once." 

Translation: The battle between Grammar Girl and WriterJax is on.

Our blog names undoubtedly suggest that we are word nerds, if not word nerds that share a secret longing to become super heroes. It wasn't until last weekend, however, camped out in my home office, that we realized to what extent. 

I believe we slid into the topic of our favorite novels after discussing the new offerings on PBS' Masterpiece Theater ('really?' you ask. 'This is really your Saturday night?' Don't even get me started. There were LPs of Edith Piaf playing too, and we were taking notes on our conversation. Really.).

As it turns out, my favorite classic novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, is the one that Grammar Girl likens to digging her retinas out with a spoon. Hers, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, ranks right up there with curdled milk for me.

And thus, the debate ensued.

In the interest of equal say, we each gave the other a chance to defend our respective titles. I said Brave New World is part of a sector of literature I've always enjoyed - the whole utopian/distopian society thing. I also think it's wildly innovative, not just in its subject matter but in the dozens of words and terms that Huxley invented to bolster the believability of his futuristic world. Ever taken a Soma to get to sleep? You have Aldous to thank. 

Conversely, GG believes Wuthering Heights is, in essence, the first major feminist work due to its themes as well as the precociousness of its young author when it was written. She gets all dreamy when she talks about the moors and the complexity of Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship. 

I proposed a draw: trade books and read them with each others' favorite aspects in mind. Discuss. That way, we're each being rewarded and punished at the same time. 

Watch Grammar Girl and WriterJax in the coming weeks for posts on the War of the Words, or join in the debate. Have you read one or both of these books? Do you have a favorite? Does one make your skin crawl like a festering parasite?

Whose side are you on? 

"Yesterday afternoon set in misty and cold. I had half a mind to spend it by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights."

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Steven over at ApeCod just penned a touching tribute to one of his favorite authors, Robert Jordan, on the occasion of his passing.

It makes you think...remember how great it was as a child to get a new book, crack the spine, and disappear?

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I've been wanting to write more about the books I read and collect for a while now. My desk shelf is crammed with various theory books, organization manuals, vintage finds, and schwag -- books that have been sent to me as part of my job -- waiting to be blogged while the massive bookshelves in the home office creak in protest, straining under the weight of my Mighty Tomes.

While I thought about making a recurring post category, like Bookmark Mondays, I have another idea brewing for Thursdays that I think I'll pursue first. Instead, I've created a new category, Bookmarks, so I can share some of the cool things I see and read with my loyal readers.

All six of you. Hi Mom.

I'll start with one of my new treasures, snagged at the Whately Antiquarian Book Center in Franklin County, Massachusetts this weekend.

We saw this massive, brick building rising from the plains of rural Whatley and screeched to a stop, even though we'd been trolling for breakfast for half an hour.

My hunger resulted in the purchase of not one, but two cookbooks; one I grabbed immediately upon walking in, the other on the way to the register.

The first is The Small Kitchen Cookbook by Nina Mortellito, published in 1964. I was drawn in by the jubilant little cherries on the cover, but after leafing through (and noticing the original price on the book was $4.95 - I paid $11.75. 'the hell?), I realized that this is one handy little guide to Improvisational Cuisine.

"A small kitchen need not be a deterrent to preparing meals in the grand manner," assures the introduction, which is followed quickly by the reminder that "small kitchens and small budgets usually go hand in hand." How does Mortellito know I didn't choose a small kitchen because I like to feel cozy whilst I cook? Eh, who am I kidding.

The book begins with a chapter called Tips for Cramped Quarters, and there's nothing listed that I wouldn't fully expect to read in Real Simple. They're useful tips with a little bit of quirk; I love, for instance, that the author suggests a pegboard for kitchen accessories and is sure to add that "it looks quite decorative."

Mortellito was also an environmentalist before her time -- she recommends crushing cereal boxes before throwing them in the garbage -- and apparently a boozehound: "Serve inexpensive wine, and try buying it in gallons," she says (Lovely, reuseable decanters mask the quantity, I gathered).

Finally, the recipes are great for entertaining or inventing a meal when the only things left in the fridge are pre-wrapped slices of American Cheese and A-1 Steak Sauce. This is a common occurrence in my small-yet-cozy kitschy kitchen.

There are recipes for everything from potato salad to fritto misto, using relatively accessible ingredients. Want some spaghetti and out of sauce? All you need is some grated cheese, a few bits of bacon and a couple of eggs. Whip. Serve.

I'll leave you with one of the cooler cocktail party recipes as a treat:

Fast Cocoa Souffle

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

5 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 pint heavy cream

Sift together sugar and cocoa, beat 3 egg whites until stiff, add sugar mixture, beating constantly. Add vanilla and salt, beat until mixture points and peaks; Butter inside of 1 1/2 quart souffle dish, pour souffle into dish  and place in a pan of warm water. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Whip heavy cream serve immediately with souffle.

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