Jun. 2008

The Seven Pillars Of Health

For June I am recommending the book The Seven Pillars of Health, by Dr. Don Colbert. Written in easy-to-understand language, this reasonably presented, upbeat book reminds you about the basics of good health - hydrating you body, getting enough rest, coping with stress, and detoxifying - in a way that will make you want to take better care of yourself ,minus all the confusion and hype of modern "remedies." My mom sent me this book, and I'm glad she did! (Written by a Christian who references the Bible in places in the book, this is good solid health information for people of every faith.) Check it out today, and start feeling a lot better - for free!.

Mar./Apr. 2008

The Assist

To coincide with March Madness, please pick up a copy of The Assist by my friend Neil Swidey. Transporting you both courtside and inside the homes of some of Boston's poorest teens, this is the true account of Charlestown High School's enigmatic basketball team and a coach who won't give up on his players, personally and athletically. You'll want to find Coach O'Brien and give him a hug. Inspiring reading for adults and teens. Neil is a writer for the Boston Globe Magazine, and spent three years on this story, which captured his imagination and his heart. Pick up a copy today, and please visit www.theassist.net for more information.

 

Jan./Feb. 2008

Janson's History of Art

For January and February, I'm recommending Janson's History of Art, a beautiful book that looks at all kinds of art from the prehistoric straight up through post-modernism. How (and what) do we communicate through art, and how have changing styles reflected changes in ourselves as people and as societies? This four-part volume offers a fascinating look at centuries of artisic thought.

 

Jun. 2007

Terry Ryan and Suze Orman – The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less

Check out this book, upon which the delightful, well-acted movie The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio was based, starring Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson. This mom raised 10 kids in the 1950's almost single-handedly by "contesting," which was the entering of jingle-writing contests housewives would participate in for extra income. I just saw the movie and loved watching this gentle, resourceful woman raise kids, deal with an alcoholic husband, and write enduring marketing slogans for anything from fish sticks to deep freezers. Julianne Moore was fantastic in this role, which almost made me forgive her for Children of Men. So this June, get inspired by the Prize-Winner!

 

May 2007

Thomas Friedman – The World Is Flat

For May, readers, try The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. As amazon.com says:

What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate.

(I've always said that myself.) I have it on good authority that this is one you shouldn't miss. Think globally - check it out!

 

Apr. 2007

Sidney Poitier – The Measure Of A Man

This wonderful, ground-breaking, handsome, talented man says this of his autobiography:

"I have no wish to play the pontificating fool, pretending that I've suddenly come up with the answers to all life's questions. Quite that contrary, I began this book as an exploration, an exercise in self-questing. In other words, I wanted to find out, as I looked back at a long and complicated life, with many twists and turns, how well I've done at measuring up to the values I myself have set."
—Sidney Poitier

I had a big crush on Sidney Poitier after seeing In The Heat of the Night years ago. So, check it out, and bring meaning to spring!

 

Mar. 2007

John Steinbeck – Travels With Charley

As you wait for spring, check out a classic that is truly ageless, John Steinbeck's Travels With Charley, a narrative about the author's cross-country journey in a van with a large poodle named Charley. A commentary on the country as it was years ago, as well as a story about solitude, wanderlust, and the mystery of friendship between man and dog, don't miss this surprisingly funny and sweet novel by one of literature's most outstanding writers. Travel along with Charley this March!

 

Feb. 2007

Ansel Adams and John Muir – Americas Widerness - The Photographs of Ansel Adams.

While you're listening to "Oh My Nola," check out this beautiful coffee table book of black and white photographs, "Americas Widerness - The Photographs of Ansel Adams." Feeling restless, but unable to travel? Listening to this Harry Connick, Jr. CD while checking out photographs of our country's beautful wild places, and you'll feel closer to being where you want to be - if only in your imagination. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ansel Adams whose landmark early photographs of wild America fill the pages of this splendid volume. Adams' breathtaking images are accompanied by excerpts from the writings of Sierra Club founder John Muir, the renowned conservationist who devoted his life to celebrating and preserving the American wilderness. Its Ansel Adams' beautiful work this February!

 

Jan. 2007

Lauren Hillenbrand – Seabiscuit

In January, try this wonderful book about a hero of a racehorse who became a beacon of light in some tough American times. If you saw the movie, you'll like the book much better, so give it a try. Interestingly, this author (Hillenbrand) was sidelined by a chronic illness during the writing of this book, and was able to capture the essence of horseracing and the racetrack through sterling interviews and meticulous research. Give Seabuscuit a run this January! Happy New Year!

 

Dec. 2006

Merry Christmas!

Since no one really has time to read in December, instead of a book pick we've posted something for you to listen to. Merry Christmas, and thanks for visiting us all year long!

 

Oct./Nov. 2006

John Grisham – The Innocent Man

For October and November, dive into John Grisham's first nonfiction effort, The Innocent Man. His first nonfiction work, this chronicles an innocent man's conviction of a terrible crime. I haven't read this one, but will read it along with you web people this October and November! This fall, it's all about artists leaving their comfort zones to try new things - so celebrate Grisham's efforts with this much-anticipated book!

 

Sep. 2006

Charles Dickens – Great Expectations

Check out Charles Dickens' Great Expectations this September, and follow the life of the ultimate hero, Pip. I know, it sounds boring and you read it in college - well, read it again; it's probably been just long enough that you will see new things from an old classic. Every library in the country has it, so go with Dickens this September!

 

Aug. 2006

Harper – To Kill A Mockingbird

Every August I recommend To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.  I could barely watch Capote because I couldn't bear to see one of my idols (Harper Lee) portrayed on film, but it didn't turn out too badly after all.  There's not much to say about this one - allow yourself a meaningful August by reading this fine novel about childhood, fatherhood, sacrifice, and the value of those less fortunate - and our duty to care fore them, in word and deed.  Have a teen you care about read it, too.  It's To Kill A Mockingbird this August!

 

Jul. 2006

John Grisham – The King Of Torts

Looking for something to throw in the beach bag this July? Check out the master of the legal thriller in this month's book pick, he King of Torts.T I like this novel because the main character is very human, and makes many mistakes he wishes he could take back based on pure greed. Fast-paced and illuminating about an area of the law we average joes know nothing about, this book ends too soon. So, check out John Grisham's The King of Torts this July!

 

Jun. 2006

Ruth Rendell – Adam and Eve and Pinch Me

This mystery by Britain's foremost mystery writer is interesting not because it is a classic "whodunnit" - it's not - but because of the great characters, all flawed, all intersecting around one flawed man. This author's writing is crisp and she will keep you turning the pages. Get to know one of Britain's most talented and celebrated authors this June with Adam and Eve and Pinch Me by Ruth Rendell.

 

May 2006

John Updike, Ed. – The Best Short Stories Of The Century

For May I am recommending The Best American Short Stories of the Century edited by John Updike, co-edited by Katrina Kenison, released in 1999 (order it in your favorite bookstore and see if they will pick up the shipping - the sucker is heavy!) Since the short story seems to be dying in average culture, as a well-rounded reader you must check this out. Favorites: The Country Husband by John Cheever, and the deft and perfectly-pitched Eudora Welty's The Hitch-Hikers. Richard Wright, E.B. White, and Susan Sontag are also included. Enrich your mind (and build up your biceps!) with this huge volume of some of America's greatest writers.

 

Apr. 2006

Bernard Goldberg – Bias

For April, pick up a copy of journalist Bernard Goldberg's great book/expose entitled Bias.  Taking on the MSM (mainstream media) after years as a CBS insider, Goldberg illustrates how we are affected by media bias every day.  Not to miss: the chapter on the importance of stay-at-home moms, and how, in society, they cannot be replaced!  Whether you lean right or left, this one will make you think.

 

Mar. 2006

Paul Junger – The Perfect Storm

This book is written in reporter style about a classic storm at sea and the Gloucester fisherman that were trapped in it.  If you're looking for a great book about New England and the people who live and work there, check this one out.  A true-life adventure with a real-life ending, you'll enjoy the no-nonsense writing and the descriptions of violent weather.  If you missed it when it came out, nows your chance!  (If you liked the movie starring George Clooney, you'll probably like the book.  The book isn't as good looking as George Clooney, but is better for your mind!)

 

Feb. 2006

C. S. Lewis – Mere Christianity

This month, I am recommending Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. A professor of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge University, he presents the Christian faith in a way that those who depend on their intellect will appreciate. A friendly, persuasive book that has stood the test of time and influenced thousands, a great read to exercise your mind and your heart as you travel the road of faith with this wonderful apologist.

 

Jan. 2006

Gail Godwin – Father Melancholy’s Daughter

This month I'm recommending an older fiction title, Father Melancholy's Daughter, by Gail Godwin. A wise, funny, sensitive look at a father and his daughter, and how their lives are impacted by the mother of the family abandoning them. Great characters are in both the central story and the periphery, and loss, depression, and family dependancy are covered in a way that lovers of good fiction will appreciate, as the story ultimately doesn't bring the reader down, but instead, inspires him. One of my all-time favorites by a talented southern writer!

 

Dec. 2005

Charles Frazier – Cold Mountain

This December, take a step back in time and enjoy this wonderful novel, which takes place during the Civil War. An epic love story, a tale of road-weary travelers, a study of nature, and a meditation on having nothing at all except hope - this novel is all of these things. When I read this, I was unsure if I'd ever read anything again that left me speechless. If you saw the movie, you still need to read the book. So, while you count your blessings this season, read a great novel that reminds you just how lucky we all are - even if we don't "have it all." And...Merry Christmas from all of us here on The Exhausted Rapunzel Family Hour!

 

Nov. 2005

Anne Tyler – Saint Maybe

November's book pick is Saint Maybe, by Anne Tyler.  A warm, hilarious, and touching novel of sacrifice, family and the search for a faith life, this author is a Pulitzer Prize winner (The Accidental Tourist, later turned into a movie starring William Hurt and Geena Davis, who won an Oscar for her role) who is the best in the business at writing about the small, amazingly important, often achingly funny or sad moments in life.  This is probably my favorite book in the world after To Kill A Mockingbird, partly because I have never experienced the search for faith and the profound moments of love in a "blended family" handled in a way that truly every reader can relate to.  This author, interestingly, sets her novels in Baltimore, and put a face and personality to the side streets of that wonderful town.  Please don't miss this one.

 

Oct. 2005

Jim Lovell & Jeffrey Kluger – Lost Moon

This month I'm recommending Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. The novel on which the movie Apollo 13 is based, Lost Moon takes you inside the harrowing ride of that famous spacecraft and lunar module from the moment Jim Lovell reports, "Houston, we have a problem!" The action shifts between the lunar module, Mission Control, and the astronauts' families on earth below. A rocketing good real-life adventure, this one will keep you up late reading! Also a perfect book to put on your teenager's desk - a great alternative to current teen selections that focus heavily on emotional and social life - this book will help you to remind your teen that there's a great big adventurous world out there - waiting for them to explore!

 

Sep. 2005

Robert Morgan – Gap Creek - The Story of a Marriage

My book pick for September is Gap Creek by Robert Morgan, and it is one of the finest novels I've ever read. I saw the author on Oprah back in 2000 and I was touched by his straightforwardness and simplicity when talking about this book. I picked up a copy of Gap Creek, and was instantly transported into the world of Julie Harmon, his young heroine, and her struggles in turn-of-the-century Appalachia. Julie Harmon's sorrows (the book opens heartbreakingly with her witnessing the death of her young brother) her new marriage, and her struggles with flood, starvation, and much more are all set against the backdrop of constant physical labor, and the vivid descriptions of her manual labors are hypnotic. The characters are real, the writing is unsentimental, and the book is one you won't forget - I promise! Pick up a copy of Gap Creek today!

 

Aug. 2005

Harper Lee – To Kill A Mockingbird

There are some books that not only affect you deeply but also have an impact on the type person you turn out to be, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is that book for me. Set in a small southern town during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by six-year-old Scout, as she watches the town, the people, and the times that surround her. Her honesty, her lonesomeness, her child’s sense of ethics and her love for her brother Jem and her father Atticus make her a beloved character for readers around the world. I read this book every August, and have for years. Please do yourself a favor and grab two copies of this fine book; one for you, and one for your pre-teen, and let this book help to define who they are, too.

 

Jul. 2005

Michael Guillen – Can A Smart Person Believe In God?

I read this book in two sittings, and have thought back on it many times since. The author, former Emmy-award-winning ABC News Science correspondent, best-selling author and physicist with a Ph.D. in physics, mathematics and astronomy, asserts that we need both our "smart" side and our spiritual side to be complete, and that the two are fully compatible. I happily recommend this book,as it is written in an understandable, thoughtful, and joyfully assertive style. This July, grab a glass of lemonade and the nearest porch swing and celebrate your intellect and your faith! Michael Guillen is also a past guest on The Exhausted Rapunzel Family Hour, and I'd like to wish him well in some exciting new endeavors on his horizon!

 

Jun. 2005

Michael Brickey, PhD – 52 Baby Steps To Grow Young

I am recommending this book because it is full of humor, insight, and realistic steps you can take to change your outlook on aging in general.  This book will lift your spirits and make you feel great no matter what your age! Please check out www.DrBrickey.com!