false 390 30 30 true 5649698 read 0 true 4314591 currently-reading 0 true 4314590 to-read 26 false 4314996 elaines-picks 2 false 4989173 staff-picks 2 false 4989167 buyers-booksmark http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56791782 to: Columbine (Hardcover) by Dave Cullen
bookshelves: elaines-picks
I thought I knew a lot about the 1999 Columbine massacres, and frankly I didn’t think I needed to read any more about it. Yet Cullen brings us a meticulously researched, true page turner that uncovers facts at odds with what we were all told at the time. When 18 year old Eric Harris, a lonely, confused kid, and 17 year old Dylan Klebold, a true psychopath murdered 13 people before killing themselves, they had been planning that nightmare for a year. Cullen has plenty to say about people who took advantage of this tragedy, including the evangelicals who used it to get converts, police who covered up evidence, and reporters, including the author, who gave out misinformation. Buy the book: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oo... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56791687 to: Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes (Hardcover) by Tamim Ansary
bookshelves: elaines-picks
The Muslim world learned a different history than the one I was taught. Ansary takes us from the time of Mohammed to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and beyond when Europe was considered a primitive place where life was far too disorganized. With the beautiful writing that was evident in his earlier book, West of Kabul, East of New York, Ansary illuminates Islam and gives us a perspective on the present. Some autographed first editions: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oo... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56791589 to: Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities (Hardcover) by Amy Stewart
bookshelves: elaines-picks
Yikes, these plants might jump out of their beds and kill you. From the innocent looking weed that killed Abraham Lincoln’s mom to those lovely vines that are strangling the South, Stewart introduces us to some really nasty botanical specimens. This well-researched reference work of nature’s unwelcome creations will have you laughing, while you wonder if that innocent looking bush is about to explode. Some autographed first editions: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oo... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56791467 to: Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way (Hardcover) by Ruth Reichl
bookshelves: elaines-picks
When Ruth Reichl finally opened a letter her late mother had addressed to her, she met a woman she had never known. Her mother grew up wanting to be a physician, but her parents said no. Instead, she opened a bookstore. She loved the business. But when she married at age 30, she was pressured to give up that career as well. Reichl is able to see how much her mother wanted her to have the success that she had been denied. Some autographed first editions: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oo... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56791362 to: Sunnyside (Hardcover) by Glen David Gold
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On a November day in 1916, Charlie Chaplin was spotted simultaneously in hundreds of places across the country, causing mass hysteria. From this bizarre historical footnote Glen David Gold begins his exuberant and wildly inventive novel of America at a heady time in its history: the country’s entry into World War I intersecting with the early days of Hollywood and the culture of celebrity. This hugely entertaining novel fi rmly establishes Gold (Carter Beats the Devil) as one of our most brilliant and engaging storytellers. Some autographed first editions: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oo... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56791274 to: About Face (Commissario Brunetti #18) by Donna Leon
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At a dinner party hosted by his rich and powerful inlaws, Commissario Guido Brunetti meets a beautiful, intelligent woman who has undergone way too much plastic surgery. He fi nds it odd when she comes to him to ask a favor that is somehow entwined with the murder of a trucking company owner who had reluctantly hauled toxic garbage for the mob. Leon spins a marvelous tale. To open this book is to escape to the mysterious, crumbling, gorgeous Venice that tourists rarely see. Some autographed first editions: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oo...
]]> http://www.myspace.com/goodreads check it out » ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56790358 to: My Happiness Bears No Relation to Happiness: A Poet's Life in the Palestinian Century (Hardcover) by Adina Hoffman
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During the partition of 1948, the family of Palestinian poet, Taha Muhammad Ali, was forced to fl ee their ancient village. The author, a Jewish Israeli, brings us a thoughtful, albeit sometimes painful, personal exploration of the history and the current situation of the Palestinians. We get to know Ali and his family and how they live in such turbulent times. You may want to read some of Taha Muhammed Ali’s work. I suggest So What: New & Selected Poems 1971-2005. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56790313 to: Stone's Fall: A Novel (Hardcover) by Iain Pears
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The author of An Instance of the Fingerpost brings us a mesmerizing novel of espionage, arms dealers and international fi nance. John Stone was so wealthy, nothing could stop him, until one day in 1909 when he fell to his death from his London home. Pears takes us from early 20th century London to 1890’s Paris and to 1867’s Venice, immersing us in a growing arms race that led to catastrophe. He paints an unforgettable picture that makes you wonder how different things really are today. Some autographed first editions: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oo... ]]>