17 Seconds to Anywhere by Liz Story. Improvised piano music that takes me just about anywhere. Title refers to physics theory that via wormholes in space-time, you can travel anywhere in 17 seconds. Review . I love this album.
Now that I've Found You by Alison Krause. It seems impossible to remove this from my CD player. And I am not alone as my son Colin had it in his player for two solid months. Alison has an old-timey voice that is simply wonderful. Try it, try it, try it!!!
Nickle Creek by the group of the same name. This CD is my birthday present from my daughter Kathleen and it is a winner. This is a young group who plays their own brand of bluegrass. Love Chris Thile's mandolin in Tom Bombadil (hobbit fans they must be!) and Sara Wilkin's vocals. You will hear a lot more from this group!
The MCA Years is a retrospective CD by Nanci Griffith that contains some of her finest work. Nanci is one of my favorite acoustic singer-songwriters. She is especially popular in Ireland and made Julie Gold's song From a Distance so popular there it is now a hynmal standard. Pretty amazing for a young lady from Austin, Texas.
Ambition by Dave Mallett is pure gold. Dave's first totally new CD in 4 years is simply the best. Wild in the 60's, Ambition, The Next Time I Leave Here and Sportin' Days are gems beyond price. And Dave's comments in the liner notes are icing in the cake... his comment on Sportin' Days: "Sometimes I long for the time in my life when the world was 20 miles square and I owned it all".
Sarah McLachlan's Angel is an exquisite song. It is available on at least two CD's. I can't think of a better on at the moment! George Winston included a piano version on his latest CD, Prairie.
Sixpence None the Richer by the group of the same name is a great album. I really like Leigh Nash's vocals in this acoustical album. I saw their vidio version of There She Goes and was blown away. Great group. For more info, click Sixpence Home Page
Sound of Wind-Driven Rain by William Ackerman is hisnewest recording. Great New Age acoustic guitar music. I especially like the tune Sound of Wind-Driven Rain. Click William Ackerman for more information.
Iris Dement has a voice that is an acquired taste akin to single malt scotch. I love it, but not everyone will. Her song Our Town was played at the end of the last Northern Exposure episode. It is a wonderful and haunting song that is on her first album, Infamous Angel. She has two subsequent CDs, My Life and The Way I Should.
Mermaid Avenue is a great album by Billy Bragg and Wilco. Woody Guthrie's daughter asked them to create the lyrics for words that her father dictated after he could no longer write. I especially liked Way Over Yonder in a Minor Key sung by Billy Bragg and Natalie Merchant. It is a great, great song.
Cowboy Junkies are a great Canadian group that I just heard. Their self-titled album is a 'best of' from 1986 to 1995... great stuff. Misguided Angel is a wonderful tune. I love Margo Timmins' voice.
Dave Mallett has a new album out, Parallel Lives that is a great mix of new songs and old classics. Dave has apparently tired of Glitzy Nashville and has returned to Maine and his New England roots. My son saw him in Richmond recently and says he has gotten even better! Click Dave's Home Page
Shawn Colvin is a great singer/songwriter. Sunny Came Home won her recognition this past year... and you just can't go wrong with any of her work. I especially like her first album, Steady On and Cover Girl, the later being my standard workout CD. Click Home Page
Just heard a folksinger named Vicki Pratt Keating from Virgina for the first time. She is first-rate. Someone on the web says she sounds like a cross between Kate Bush, Nancy Griffith and David Bryne! Click Home Page for more info. I especially liked Morning Prayer on her Guardians at Noon album with the Applachian dulcimer.
The Universe in a Single Atom by The Dalai Lama is an interesting exploration of the the intersection of spirituality and modern science. There is a reason why it is so hard to understand either quantum mechanics or Buddism. They are based on similar philosophical underpinnings. This is a very readable book that has no math in it, but your teeth might hurt from the implications of this common point of view. I have a solid background in physics and this has made Buddism much more approachable.
Return To Wild America by Scott Weidensaul is an homage to Wild America published by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher half a centruy earlier. The author follows the general path of the trip and proved a wonderfully comprehensive assessment of what has happened in this country since that epic trip in 1953. There is surprisingly good news in much of this book. But there is only heartbreak when the journey ends in Alaska. This only confirms the title of Barry Lopez's book, Arctic Dreams. The frozen north will soon be but a dream.
The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History by Joseph M. Marshell III is a treasure. It tells the story of Crazy Horse as a Lakota storyteller would tell it. It is a fascinating story of his humanity, simply told, that should be the definitive account of his life. It astonishes me that someone my age can write this over 160 years after the birth of his subject. It is a strong testiment to the Lakota oral traditions. Be prepared for a very different kind of story, however. Because this is told from the Lakota point of view, it will never be accepted by those with a 'white' point of view. That is clear from some of the reviews that I read on amazon.com. The book ends with a story about a old bow maker that puzzeled me so much that I read it twice. I did not understand why that story was there. The next morning as I was doing my yoga, the meaning of that last story became crystal clear and at the same time I understood the entire book. This masterpiece was placed on my all-time 10 best books list the minute I understood it.
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Naht Hanh is the only only book to teach you meditation. Simply written and not much more than 100 pages, this book puts such titles as Meditation for Dummies to shame. I believe the book is out of print, but there are plenty of copies to be found on the internet.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. The master of satire strikes again, giving the reader a better insight to the Enron/WorldCom/whatever scandals than any non-fiction account. It is over the top, but you should expect that from this master.
Pacific and Other Stories by Mark Halprin is another inventive collection of short stories. The genre is producing some real gems these days. I like their perspective. Often an author produces short stories at the beginning of the career, but these are written from a more seasoned perspective.
Witch Hunt by Ian Rankin is the perfect perfect book to read in the dying days of this year's hidous campaign season. It swiftly takes you to another place and time and demands your complete attention. This is a Robert Ludlam kind of story told from the ather point of view. Son Matt call's Rankin "the Stephan King of British airport bookstores. This is first rate, escapist fiction!
Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is book 5 of the Earthsea trilogy. Years ago I read the original trilogy and had no idea there was more. This is top drawer fantasy that only gets better with time. There are 5 stories that flesh out this imaginary place. The author appologizes profusely in the forward and ends with this: things change, you can never completely trust an author or a wizard, and nobody understands a dragon! If you have not read this series, start at the beginning. The Other Wind is due out in the near future.
When the Nines Roll Over by David Benioff. I had forgotten how good short stories can be. This is a collection of very interesting stories that should pull you back into this genre. There are no labels that I can use to characterize these stories other than varied and really interesting. This book is worth reading!
The End of Oil by Paul Roberts. This is a must read book that is a real bummer for me to read. It will explain why things are as they are and why there is no real hope of reasonable progress on our very urgent climate problem. It also explains why we will get many more years of Bush-type administrations before all hell breaks loose. The only thing not explained is the date this will happen. I do not agree with the scenario laid out in the last chapter. That is a fervent hope, but it has a snowball's chance in hell of coming to pass. But at least I now understand. And I am appalled to learn that every gallon of gas I burn puts 5 pounds of carbon in our atmosphere! If you don't understand the seriousness of that, then please read this book through twice!
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. This book is a cross between Gospel and a Robert Ludlem thriller. This book is off and running before your chair gets even a little warm. Somehow this is wound even tighter than anything Ludlam ever wrote. And the key protagonists are historians. Who would have ever thunk? Somehow the fact that this is fiction has gone unnoticed. There is a whole cottage industry debunking this fiction. Who would have ever thunk? There is nothing new in this exceptionally gripping thriller. This is the perfect summer read. And there will be a sequel. The only question now is whether Hollywood can make a movie given the religous controversy surrounding it. Given the removal of Linda Ronstat from her show in Las Vegas for dedicating a song to Micheal Moore, the answer is far from clear.
The Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. One of my favorite authors tackles the subject of science with his usual good sense of humor. This is nearly 500 pages, so the short is a bit ironic. But this is a wonderful survey of the science that relates to our universe, our planet and ourselves.
Hall's Ireland edited by Micheal Scott. Mr. and Mrs. Hall toured Ireland in 1840 and produced this travelog that is a fascinating look at Ireland in 1840, the English view of the Emerald Isle and their own idiosyncratic style. It may be hard to locate, but it is well worth the effort. It is spotty, spending lots of ink in Kerry and nothing much at all in Clare. But it is well worth the effort.
Return to Spirit Lake by Cristine Colasurdo is a magical, wonderful, beautiful book that lets the reader experience the earth-shattering eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. The best wonderful, beautiful book that lets the reader experience the earth-shattering eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. The best way to approach this book is to first visit the mountain's blast zone as my son and I did by hiking trails on the east and west side of Spirit Lake. Those hikes made me wonder what it was like before this latest eruption. And this book tells you, both factually and emotionally, as the author tries to reconcile the Mt. St. Helens of her formative years with the current landscape. This book earned a place on my top ten book list before I was halfway through it. It is that good.
Libby, Montana by Andrea Peacock is an investigative account of the W R Grace Company's attempt to hide the deadly asbestos content of its mining activity near Libby, MT. This powerful story illustrates that human beings are not part of the corporate bottom line, or even part of the equation for regulating government agencies. The story is not pretty, but we need to understand how companies and their governmental regulators actually function. And there is no better place to start than this book.
Faster by James Glick is the best attempt I have read to explain why we all feel our lives are accelerating out of control. When I lived in the Washington, DC area, many of my friends and co-workers would buy a second home near the water or in the West Virginia mountains to escape that pressure.
Nonzero by Robert Wright. In this thought-provoking book, the author applies nonzero sum game theory to human history and to biological evolution in an attempt to predict the future. This is an interesting view of these subjects, whether you agree with the thesis or not!
The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman. Another in the Joe Leaphorn/ Jim Chee series and a great read. If you have not tried this mystery series, now is the time to start. And if you have, what more do you need?
Lost Languages by Andrew Robinson. A first rate account of the decipherment of 3 lost languages and the on-going work in this field. I am still blown away by the concept that you can be able to speak a dead language, know all the sounds and still not understand it. This is a fascinating book.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by Must_I_Write_Her_Name? It is an older and more angry Harry this time, but there did not seem to be anything extra in all the 870 pages. Ms. Rowling is still on form with only two more to go!
Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt, is the astonishing story of a Oglala Sioux holy many who was in the fight against Custer and his vision. It gives a view of the Indian Wars from the other side of the battle.
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. This is a true story of author's escape from a WWII Soviet prison camp in northern Siberia and walk to India and freedom. An astonishing tale that again documents what human being are capable of doing.
Embers by Sandor Marai, translated by Carol Brown Janeway. This novel, written in 1942, is a wise and compelling tale of freiendship. I could not put it down, even in the middle of Xmas festivities. This is the best writing on friendship I have yet read, even though I do not agree with everything in this book. Read it!
Bones of the Master by George Crane. This is a wonderful book about an improbable friendship that begat an quixotic trip with the author playing the part of Pancho Sanchez. The Buddist monk Tsung Tsai is as unforgettable as he is unimaginable. This is a true story that I could not put down. I finished it less than 12 hours after I picked it up from the library! It is available in paperback.
Looking for Alaska by Peter Jenkins. This is a GREAT book about Alaska, the people who live there, the author's response to them and the impact of it all on the author's family. This is a very personal look at the one place left in this country that is beyond most people's imagination.
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel. The author of Longitude takes a different tack with this book, providing an alternate view of the epic struggle between church and science. Sobel's strength is making complex technical issues approachable and that works well here. While the inclusion of his relationship with his older daughter does not always shine, this is a VERY interesting book. And it sheds much light on Galileo's struggle with the church hierarchy. Click here for moreinformation.
The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The real story about the Toltecs in a slim, easy to understand volume that can make you life ever so much better. I write the 4 agreeements down each morning and consider where I need to improve. The 4 agreements are: Be impeccable with your word, Don't take things personally, Don't make assumptions - ask, and Always do your best - but no more.
The Nature of Generosity by William Kitterage is the best book I have read this year. It is a philosophical memoir that ranges broadly across topics and landscapes with equal dexterity.
Capt. Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Berniers must be read, not seen. Ignore the movie and read this most wonderful and human of novels. And you can learn a little recent Greek History as well. I must see the island of Cephallonia!
The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts is Louis de Berniers first novel. And it is a wonderful, amazing look at the human condition as seen from the point of view of villagers in a fictious South American county. Dark, funny, ribald are only a few of the adjectives that come to mind reading this book. For an explaination of the title, click here. This is a good book to read now, as we are undertaking the same sort of business in Afghanistan. This will give you a good idea of what we look like from the ground in Afghanistan. A MUST read.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is the best antidote to the religeous fanaticism we are mired in now, both radical Islam and our own answer to it (thank you Jerry F and Pat R!). This book will make you laugh and we need that more than ever. DO NOT read this book is you cannot tolerate irreverance. If you liked Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you will love this book.
A Cherokee Feast of Days by Joyce Sequichie Hifler is a year's worth of daily meditations based on Native American heritage. This book deserves a place in your life. And there is now a Volume II when you finish the volume.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Ms. Rowling. I tried to ignore this book, but my son Colin gave me his copy and I didn't have anything to read the other day and so I finally picked it up. This is an impossible book to put DOWN!. It is the best of the 4, with the first in the series coming in a close second. Never once in over 700 pages did I think there was anything that should have been left out. If you have been grumpily avoiding this book as I have... get over it and READ THIS BOOK!
Gospel by Wilton Barnhardt is an awesome novel... you MUST read it! It is the funniest, most erudite fiction I have ever encountered... and no, that is not an oxymoron. This novel, written by a guy who writes for Sports Illustrated, has more footnotes than my Ph.D thesis... and it is a great and entertaining read, even at 700+ pages. Just the thing to take on your vacation! You only need carry one when it is this big!
Fragments: The Collected Wisdom of Heraclitus translated by the poet Brooks Haxton. This new translation is a gem. Heraclitus was one of the first philosphers, a remarkable individual who gave up his position as ruler for his intellectual pursuits. He was an exact contemporary of Budda and their view of the world was strikingly similar. The little that remains of his work, On Nature, is a treasure. In one evening I devoured this book and wrote a computer program to randomly present these translated fragments everytime I log onto my university account. It is that remarkable!
Timeline by Michael Crichton. If you are looking for a guess at the future coupled with physics and computing, this is worth reading. Along the way it ruffles some historian-type feathers, but it is a good read. If you need to send your mind somewhere else for a while, this is your ticket!
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card gives another perspective on the events in Ender's Game, which is the best science fiction story I have ever read. Written from the point of view of Bean and from the perspective that a dozen more years added to the author's life, this is a great read. I read it in one sitting without even a trip to the head. That makes it ****'s!
Passage to Juneau by Jonathan Raban is an astonishing book within a book. The author writes of a sailing trip from Seattle to Juneau and back, paralleling the exploration route that the English Captain Vancouver took several centuries ago. I won't spoil the other, more personal storyline, but it is surprising and compelling. This is a wonderful book.
The Cambridge Quintet by John Casti is an imaginative book that fuses fact and fiction to discuss some of the most interesting scientific ideas of the past half century. This is a tale of an imaginary dinner in Cambridge in 1949 with five people: C. P. Snow, Alan Turning, J. B. S. Haldane, Erwin Schrodinger and Ludwig Wittgenstein. They debate the notion of whether a computer can be constructed to think as a human can. Even though I already knew the answer (having 51 years on these folks) the discussion is wonderful. Only once in my life have I attended a dinner party with such a wide-ranging set of topics and I treasure it to this day. This dinner party has the heaviest of intellectual hitters entertaining and illuminating us.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse translated by Hilda Rosner. This is Hesse's most famous and influential novel (according to the dust jacket, anyway). This is one of the best books for a westerner to read to try to understand eastern spirituality. It is a great read!
Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston. I'm in love with Lucy O'Roark, the main character in the series of inter-related short stories. She is a 30's something photographer fresh from nearly drowning trying to run Cataract Canyon at 61,000 cubic feet per minute... it was scary enough for me at 33,000 cfs! Thanks, Katie for loaning this book to me. Click Waltzing for a review
the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This was recommended reading for a photo workshop I'm taking in August and it is a fantastic book. The purpose is to help release your innate creativity. But this book can help you find a more satisfying life! Buy it, read it, pass it on! This is really a book about trying to live your life fully and well... don't pass it up because you think you are not a creative person.
Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon McKenzie is a great guide to keeping your sanity and creativity in any organizational setting. He gives wonderful advice that can be applied to other personal and work situations. Gordon worked at Hallmark Cards for 30 years and managed to keep his sense of humor... we should all be so fortunate! Click Hairball for a small taste of this book!
The New New Thing by Michael Lewis is the one book to read if you want to understand this "new stock market" that is so much in the news lately. It is not a pretty sight. This is as good an explaination of the 90's as Lewis's book Liars Poker was of the 80's. The world depicted in this book is the anthisis of that described in the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying below.
In the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying- Sogyal Rinpoche expands and explains the classic, but generally inaccessble Tibetan Book of the Dead. It is the best explaination of Buddish I've yet found. At least my Western, rationalist mind gets a glimmer of what Buddism is about.
I Am of Irelaunde Juilene Osborne-McKnight has woven St. Patrick's Confessio and Irish Oral Traditions together in an enchanting tale that put flesh and bones on the Ireland's famous saint. If you have even a sliver of Celtic bone in your body, this is a book you will want read (that means even you, Waz!). The praise on the back book cover does not give this magical tale it's due.
The Virtues of Aging by Jimmy Carter. This is a slim book, but well worth reading for its insights on the aging process and how one can make it a very positive experience. It also a good source in planning for retirement, something we all don't do enough of!
Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman is the latest of the his mysteries set on the Navaho reservation. This continues the transition for Joe Leaphorn in dealing with his wife Emma's death and for Jim Chee. Jim transition involves his quest to become a 'singer'. BTW, the mystery part of the book is really good too!
The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman gives the best overview of the globalization of the financial systems that became apparent when Southeast Asia experienced financial meltdown and clobbered everyone from the Russians to the farmers in Madison County here in Ohio. This book provides an excellent analysis of what is happening and gives a number of scenarios on where this is all heading. Unless you store all your savings in mayonaise jars in the backyard (yes, this does happen), you need to understand the subject that this author explores.
First Eagle by Tony Hillerman is the latest of the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn mysteries set on the Navaho reservation that stradlesboth New Mexico and Arizona. I love this series. Jim Chee has finally severed his relationship with Janet, leaving room for someone new.
Measuring the Universe by Kitty Ferguson. I picked this at random from our local, small town library. This is an incredible book that is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the current raging debates in astrophysics as well as all the efforts in the past two millennia to measure what we can't reach. This is one of the best books in the popular science genre I have ever read. Read it, read it, read it!!!!
The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman. The sequel to The Golden Compass, it is even better than that great book. The third in this series, The Amber Spyglass, is coming out soon. Click Lyra in the next paragraph to sign up to receive the first chapter via email.
TheGolden Compass by Phillip Pullman. Move over Harry Potter, Lyra Belacqua is more than your match. This is the first in the Dark Matter series about this young girl and her friends such a Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear. A richly textured story that is not to be missed! Click Lyra for more.
Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom. Good book, great message! This deserves to to be on the best seller list for over 2 years. A dying man's gift to living a more fulfilled life.
Questioning the Millennium, by Steven Jay Gould. If you only have time to read one book about the millennium what will begin just over a year from now... read this one. Small, too the point and very, very good. This one is worth a read!
Reason for Hope, an autobiography by Jane Goodall is subtitled A Spiritual Journey. A remarkable book by a remarkable woman. READ THIS BOOK!!! It doesn't matter whether you agree with her. Her story is astonishing and her intelligence and compassion is undeniable. This world needs many more Jane Goodalls!
All My Rivers are Gone by Katie Lee. A passionately written book about the personal loss of Glen Canyon by a remarkable woman. This book has been in the making for 40 years and it is a must read for anyone who loves the environment. The best argument for tearing down the dams! Click Review by Terry Tempest Williams. And for an interview with this marvelous woman, click Interview.
Under the Tuscan Sun by Francis Mays is the ultimate escape book. Who wouldn't want to have a summer home in Tuscany? This is a must read book! For more information, click Review
Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling provides even more escape literature. Written for children of all ages (me! me!), only a muggle (person with no magic in their imagination) would find them unappealing. Don't miss this wonderful and imaginative series. Click Review
River by Colin Fletcher (of Complete Walker fame) tells of his trip via backpacking and raft from the source of the Colorado river (the real one, not the 'political one') to the sea at the age of 67. Wonderful story and a great precursor to the rafting trip down the Green and Colorado rivers this summer.
Duane's Depressed by Larry McMurty may even be better than The Last Picture Show. If you are still upset with Texasville (the middle book of this trilogy), get over it and READ THIS NEW ONE! It may be tough to turn it into a movie. My choice for directing it is Robert Redford. But that is a personal problem.
Crazy Horse by Larry McMurty is a small Penguin books monograph. This gives the reader a good sense of who Crazy Horse was, but the facts just are not available. This also presents the most cogent analysis of the government's crazy quilt approach to the 'Indian Problem'. The problem was the whites wanted all the Indian land, and they took it. Not a pretty story, but one we should not forget.
Great Plains by Ian Frasier is the best single book you can read about the American Great Plains. I read it some years ago, but Larry McMurty quotes extensively from it in Crazy Horse and it reminded me of the wonderful book. This book and Desert Solitare by Ed Abbey are the two best books to explain the American West.
Fallen Man is another great mystery from Tony Hillerman. It is a good read and Jim Chee has a new girlfriend approaching on the horizen as the old girlfriend heads into the sunset.
The Flanders Panel by Aturo Perez-Reverte is a wonderfully complex murder/mystery that requires the solution of a 500 year old chess game to solve three murders. Perez-Reverte, who is Portugese, has written a number of erudite and engaging novels that have been best sellers in France and Spain.
Ship of Gold in th Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder. This is the astonishing story of the recovery of the gold from the steamer Central America by Harvey Thompson and a group of investors from Columbus, Ohio. The ship lay in 8000 feet of water and this group managed to completely rewrite the book on deep water exploration.
The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler. An amazing book that is worth buying in hardback. A practical guide that is very accessable.
Meditation to Attain a Health Body Weight by Lawrence La Shen is one of the best books on weight management around. Highly recommended.
Molecules of Emotion by Candice Pert is a fascinating look at biological research over the past 25 years or so by one of the major players in the field. And at the same time it also describes her personal journey through life. This is a book that can be read read at several levels.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig is a an old title, first published in 1974. If you haven't read this book, put it on your reading list. It is a powerful book, but not an easy read. It is well worth the effort, however! He has another book, Lila which is also recommended reading.
Singing Lessons by Judy Collins is her story of surviving her only child's suicide in 1992. It drags a bit in places, but is incredibly honest about both her life and her son's life. This is one of the best survivor's guides for this tragedy.
Dancing at the Edge of Life by Gale Warner is a journal of her 13 month struggle with cancer. It ends 3 days before her death. It is compelling treasure of a book that gives great insight into the process of fighting a deadly disease and accepting approaching death. Gale has left us an amazing gift.
Antarticia by Kim Stanley Robinson is a great novel that doesn't have the hernia potential of his Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Blue Mars and Green Mars). All of his books have a marveliously complex interplay between the characters as well as characters and their environment. Environmental issues play a central role in all these books.
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, a novel by Tom Robbins is yet another irreverent swipe at modern life in America. Sacred cows (science, financial markets, you name it) are gored with great relish and accuracy.
Wolf Winter by Claire Francis was published in 1987 and is one of the best action novels ever written, sending Robert Ludlum to the minor leagues. It is well worth the effort it may take to find a copy.
Bill Bryson is one of the funniest writers I have read in a long time. Notes from a Small Island describes his trip around England and Scotland before returning to the US. He had lived there for 20 years. His new book A Walk in the Woods is about walking the Appalachian Trail was published in May.
Light Years - A Memoir by Le Anne Schreiber is the best written book I have read in years. The author describes her search for her rightful place in the universe amid the deaths of her parents and brother. This is a must read!
Grassland by Richard Manning explores the history, biology, politics and promise of the American prairie. And in the process has some astute observations on American agriculture.
The Universe and the Teacup - The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty by K.C. Cole is a wonderful book that shows how the truth is counterintuitive and sense is uncommon both in ourselves and our universe. A must read for anyone with any interest in mathematics or physics
Tuesdays at Trinity is a nice series of 3 concerts given at Trinity Luthern Seminary each June. Alas, last Tuesday was the end of the series for this year, but it would be worth looking for next June. Per Enflo performed a gorgeous rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and teamed with Trinity's May Schwartz to perform Motzart's Piano Sonata #2 for Four Hands. WOSU's Christopher Purdy entertained all with his witty commentary.
Gail Niwa's concert as part of the Artist's Series was WONDERFUL, but where was the audience? With her friends, they played a most beautiful Brahms quartet and her Rachmaninoff Sonata #2 was as powerful as it was gorgeous. Come on, WSU community, it is time to start supporting these concerts.