Ann

For those of us who loved Gerald Durrell’s memoir, My Family and Other Animals, this is the last of what might be called the Corfu Trilogy. The book recounts the Durrells’ escape to the Greek island to avoid yet another British winter, and it is delightful. Larry is still wonderfully insufferable. Mother is still harried, put upon and somewhat dotty. Brother Leslie is still ready to shoot at anything that moves. Margo is still self absorbed and Gerry, the youngest, is still curious, still adventurous, and still gathering birds and beasts for his menagerie. This is a refreshing and joyful story, and the chapter describing the various guests at a birthday banquet is in itself more than worth the price of the book ~ Ann

The story of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the search for John Wilkes Booth is familiar even to elementary school students. However, the details related in this book give a fascinating immediacy to the event. Swanson takes the account from Lincoln’s second inaugural to the assassination itself. He describes Booth’s escape, his torturous flight and eventually to his being cornered and shot in a burning barn. Swanson’s research is meticulous and the account is made ever more real with the recent discovery of a report written by Dr. Charles Leal, who happened to be at the theater when Lincoln was shot and who stayed with him through the night. This is a riveting read, captivating till the end. ~ Ann

On April 18th and on into the morning of Easter Sunday, April 19th, 1981, two minor league teams struggled to end the world’s longest baseball game. Barry gives us the game in gloriously descriptive detail. He tells of the players who later make it to the majors—Cal Ripken and Wade Boggs for two. He gives a full accounting of the team owner and tells of the radio broadcasters who wonder if anyone out in the night is still listening. There’s the father and son who stay on, having made a pact never to leave a ballgame until the final out; the bat boy whose mother comes to demand that her son come home to bed; even the umpire who, because of a fluke in his playbook, refuses to call the game. All in all, it’s a fascinating piece of sports history and a mesmerizing read. ~ Ann

In the late 1990s Peter Hessler, a teacher and Peace Corps volunteer, was sent to Fuling, China, a small city on the Yangtze River. Among the most surprising and fascinating aspects of this account of his two-year stay are his interactions with the students and their adherence to the party line, and his dealings with the ever-curious and often suspicious townspeople. I highly recommend this book to anyone with China on their itinerary. ~ Ann

Simon Winchester's journey from the mouth of the Yangtze to its headwaters in the foothills of Tibet is a trip across China and through time. He evokes a panorama of history, everything from the Rape of Nanking to Mao's legendary swim across the river at Wuhan. He also beautifully describes the course of this amazing river, one of the world's longest and most important. Winchester's prose is eminently informative and lyrical; all in all, this is an extremely satisfying read. ~ Ann

Bryson at his delightful, absolute best as he revisits his childhood in Des Moines, Iowa, making the reader alternately think, "Thank heavens I wasn't his parent," and "What fun that must have been."

The author of The Uncommon Reader and The Clothes They Stood Up In has once again cast a mischievous eye on British society, this time with the help of two aging matrons. Mrs. Donaldson is a widow augmenting her income by posing as a patient for the benefit of medical students. She is also a landlord, and here is where the story takes a playful twist, for when her renters fall behind in their payments, they suggest that in lieu of what they owe, they let Mrs. Donaldson watch them have sex. She would have preferred they offer to clean or perhaps paint, but reluctantly she acquiesces. The second matron, Mrs. Forbes, is a woman for whom nothing is acceptable, her son’s new wife for instance. She’s not nearly attractive enough for “my young man.” Perhaps so, but as it turns out, she is bright, far brighter than both her new husband and Mrs. Forbes. Only Mr. Forbes is wise enough to realize this. So, in true Bennett style, both ladies mutter and putter along and are a delight. ~ Ann

In The Art of Travel Alain de Botton gives no advice on when to schedule a trip to the Bahamas. He doesn’t recommend any restaurants in London or Paris. And he doesn’t tell us how to pack clothes for a three week trip in just a carry-on bag. Instead de Botton teaches us how to appreciate our travels. In England’s Lake District he recalls Wordsworth and, while sitting under a oak tree, feels the peace the poet so treasured as he listens to the sound of raindrops hitting the leaves above him. In Arles he remembers Van Gogh, and the artist’s choice to capture the bright colors of Provence. He even takes a trip around his own neighborhood and realizes the local butcher shop he had taken for granted is adorned with fascinating Gothic gargoyles. This book is a delight, to savor and remember. ~ Ann

Roger Rosenblatt admits to having a talent for one domestic chore—that of breakfast duty and the ability to make the perfect piece of toast for each of his grandchildren. He is called upon to practice this art after the sudden death of his daughter, Amy. Rosenblatt and his wife, Ginny, leave home and move in with their son-in-law, Harris, and their three grandchildren. In Making Toast they are still there. This is a gentle book peppered with fond memories of Amy, with instances of healing as each of them deals with his grief, and with the adjustments they all go through as the three generations learn to live together. Through it all, Rosenblatt’s skill with language and form prevents this eulogy from being either too stark or too sentimental. Instead, it’s the story of a family dealing with tragedy one day, one crisis and one piece of toast at a time. ~ Ann