Fathermucker by Greg Olear
Fathermucker by Greg Olear
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
Jeff’s synopsis:
Josh Lansky is striving to be a good dad but his son has woke him up at 5:03 AM, his daughter wakes up as he’s about to step in the shower, his wife is out of town on business and just might be having an affair. Things get worse from there as he hasn’t even had his coffee yet and he struggles with being a screenwriter who hasn’t actually wrote anything lately, a freelance writer trying to get an interview with the singer of one of his favorite bands and trying to be a faithful husband and stayathome dad without losing his mind.
He says:
This reminds me of Tom Perrotta’s Little Children but there is enough different to be a very enjoyable read without being a rehash. I thought it was very humorous and very realistic in the decisions, fears, helplessness, heartbreak but also hope it takes to raise children.
Enjoy Every Sandwich by Lee Lipsenehal, M. D.
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
Jeff’s synopsis:
Taking the title from a quote by musician Warren Zevon who also died of cancer, Lee Lipsenthal decided not to fight or battle when diagnosed with cancer. That doesn’t mean he gave up or wanted to die and leave his loved ones behind, he found he didn’t fear death and wanted to with gratitude and love.
He says:
I enjoyed this book even though I’m skeptical of some of the events; however I feel that everyone has to find their own way of dealing with disease, death and the stress it causes. There are many quotes in the book that I enjoyed such as “find the joy in the simplicity of life”.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
Jeff’s synopsis:
Hazel is your everyday sixteen year old who likes watching America’s Next Top Model, reading a novel called An Imperial Affliction, has a crush on a boy and oh yeah she has cancer. The boy is Augustus Waters who also has cancer and who she met in support group. This is the story of their life and love while facing their death.
He says:
I almost didn’t read this because I have a problem with male authors trying to write as women, trying to get into the heads of teenage girls and especially teenage girls with cancer. But John Green has done an awesome job at sucking me into the characters of this story especially the way that friends interact and speak to each other which outsiders don’t always understand. This is not just a sad cancer story but a story of strength and love.
Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners by Henry Alford
Recommended by Soon Har in Adult Services…
Soon Har’s synopsis:
Alford is a writer for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair who tries to figure out what makes good manners in these days of emails, Facebook, text messaging and “post-apocalyptic public restrooms.” He travels to Japan — “the Fort Knox of the World Manners Reserve,” interviews Miss Manners, and practices being an etiquette coach. He encounters rudeness in Japan, and the most codified behavior in … prison. He concludes that good manners are maybe “your ability to take on another person’s point of view regardless of your own.”
She says:
It is shocking to me that Alford takes more than half the book to discover that good manners are essentially about considering someone besides yourself! The problem with a book like Alford’s is that it is not likely to be read by those who really need it, and indeed this is not a “how-to” book about what to do in which situation. Rather, it is supposed to be more entertaining than enlightening, a humorous take on grace and civility. Unfortunately the funniest thing about the book may be the title, which leads one to wonder if good manners and hilarity are mutually exclusive.
Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
Recommended by Soon Har in Adult Services…
Soon Har’s synopsis:
Chef and owner of a successful restaurant called Prune in New York City, Hamilton is a self-taught cook who is equally passionate about writing. This memoir combines powerful and candid details of an unconventional childhood and unusual life with down-to-earth descriptions of food, cooking, and a way of life where eating and hunger provide many metaphors. From her bohemian parents through her gritty adolescence to a questionable marriage, this is not a typical chef biography filled with beautiful culinary imagery or romantic notions of food. But Hamilton does have an MFA from the University of Michigan, the writing is noteworthy, and the book conveys many stories, not just cooking ones.
She says:
I had never heard of Hamilton or Prune even though I am interested in chefs and restaurants but her life story, with its food connections, sounded interesting — beginning with what seemed like a charmed childhood. Halfway through the book I wasn’t sure I cared about Hamilton anymore, but something about her writing compelled me to read on to see where her life ends up. I was disappointed that she didn’t explore deepr feelings about her relationship with her mother or explain satisfactorily why she stays married … while she had no problem telling all about stealing from an employer to feed a drug habit.
