Every Day I Fight by Stuart Scott

I spent my childhood watching my dad scream at the television set during most football and basketball games. So I do know a thing or two about professional sports. But unfortunately, I did not know Stuart Scott. I only found out about him after he had passed away, when President Obama said Scott “inspired us – with courage and love.” I wish I could have seen Scott on ESPN’S SportsCenter shouting out “Booyah!” His book “Every Day I Fight” is the story of a man determined to fight his rare form of appendix cancer. In the end, before he loses this seven-year cancer fight, he learns to appreciate life and become a better person. This book smacks sweetly of Lance Armstrong’s book “It’s Not About the Bike.” Both man faced cancer and used mental strength, hard-core exercise and determination to combat evil. (Even Scott says that while Lance cheated on the bike, he beat brain and testicular cancer so you can still applaud that.) In Scott’s book, we get to meet his family, his friends, his girlfriend and his two beloved daughters. When he was little his mother would put on show tunes from “West Side Story” and “The Whiz” and make her kids clean the house. His revered father was a postal inspector who carried a gun. He went to the University of North Carolina where he met a young Michael Jordon, and was forever proud to be a Tar Heel. He tried playing football until serious eye issues shortened his career. His shift into sports broadcasting made sense and his charm and ambition took him far and included friends like Tiger Woods. Unfortunately, appendix cancer was something Scott and his doctors could not beat. At one point, Scott spent 75 days in the hospital, with his girlfriend Kristen sleeping on a cot by his side the whole time. The tragedy of this book is that Scott died at the age of 49, but that is not the point of this book. The point is that his cancer made him appreciate his friends and family and to live life to its fullest. He and Kristen shared a favorite phrase: “Life consists of two dates, with a dash in between.” The point is to make that time in between count and Scott certainly did. “Every Day I Fight” should be read by thousands, and hopefully will inspire others to live the same way he did.  I like reading books about sports because it gives me things to talk about with my boyfriend, brother and dad – all of whom knew Stuart’s story before I found him.  How frequently do you watch SportsCenter and what is your favorite Booyah moment? To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

The Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

Sometimes I’m late to the party. “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” was on television for a full eight seasons before I sat myself down to watch one ridiculous episode. The television show “Transparent” finished two seasons before I found it on Amazon and was able to witness not only the talent of Jeffrey Tambor but also the genius of Judith Light as the Pfeffermans. I probably discovered kale and kombucha later than most people, too. I guess I’m a later bloomer that way. But my point is that many of you have probably already heard of the blog and the books written by the innovative Brandon Stanton under the name “Humans of New York.” In case you have not heard of them, welcome to the party and please jump on board. Stanton is a photographer and writer who started a blog (http://www.humansofnewyork.com/) by taking pictures of people in New York and writing up short interviews with them. He has published one book that is filled with stories and pictures, and a second book (the one I read) has mostly photographs (magical photographs!) with short captions. I love picture books, coffee table books and art books and this one is all three. I want to know why people get out of bed in the morning, how they make their living and who they are in love with. I want to know intimate details like what kind of things they dream about and what do they put in their cart at Trader Joes. For a nosey and inquisitive person like me, Stanton’s blog and books are a dream come true. The picture book contains more than 400 personal and poignant photographs, and the blog has more than eight million followers on social media. And let’s just be very clear: his work is not only about the humans of New York, it is about the humans of the world. It is not about the cookie cutter-perfect people, but rather the bright, rough-and-tumble quirky people from coast to coast who need to be applauded, appreciated and celebrated for their differences. Follow-up question: What is your favorite place in New York City to people watch? To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

Boys in the Trees: A Memoir by Carly Simon

In 1980, I went to see a documentary-style concert film called “No Nukes.” I was 17 years old, and I remember the exact moment in the film when James Taylor summoned his wife Carly Simon from off stage to sing the duet “Mockingbird.” It remains hands-down one of the cutest and most romantic things I have ever seen. She was wearing a striped, purple-and-green plaid jump suit that screamed, “Step back people! I’m a rock star! And I’m married to one, too!” They are truly happy people in love, singing and dancing for all to see. Of course, Carly and James were divorced about 3 years later, but that doesn’t take away from that magical moment on screen. If that sounds cute to you too, then read this book. While billed as a memoir, the majority of the book is dedicated to Carly’s relationship with J.T. (They were married from 1972-83 and raised two children together.) If you like books about sex, drugs and rock and roll, this will not disappoint. If you like books about people with performance anxiety – even better. Carly is so talented and still so beautiful at the age of 70, but anxiety has plagued and overwhelmed her from childhood through adulthood. The fact that she had relationships with Mick Jagger and Warren Beatty (“So Vain!”) doesn’t make for bad reading either.  As the daughter of the eccentric founder of publishing house Simon and Schuster, Carly has great stories about her dysfunctional parents, too. The Boys in the Trees is a lovely book about not one but two of the brightest sounds of my generation. It is a pleasure to read, but even more fun to listen to Carly read it out loud on an audiobook.  For discussion, do you have a favorite Carly Simon or James Taylor song? To purchase this link on Amazon click here.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

I have been doing volunteer hospice work for two years. One of the reasons I like it is because there are no mean people who go into hospice work. Well I suppose there might be one or two, but I have not met them yet. I think that nasty cranky people just go into other lines of work in general. So the work I do for Hospice By The Bay brings me a lot of joy not just from the patients but from the co-workers. One of my co-workers recently said that she thinks we do it to try to “de-sensitive” ourselves about death. And that is probably true of me. I have not known many people who have died, so providing relief care and comfort care for patients puts me at the front line of a subject that interests me. So with that in mind I would like to recommend the book “Being Immortal” by Atul Gawande. I had the pleasure of listening to this book on CD and it made me fall in love with driving again. I couldn’t wait to get into my car and listen to it. The premise is simple but innovative: Do we have it all wrong? Should doctors stop trying to save lives and instead help us to die? When a patient is terminal shouldn’t a doctor try to help them die with dignity instead of pummeling them with painful treatments that have no hope of saving their lives? Gawande experienced this situation first hand when his father, also a doctor, got sick. His personal story, and experience with terminal patients makes this book fascinating. After you read the book you can also look up interviews and programs on line in which Gawande talks about his dad as well as interviews other patients. This is not only a great book but it introduces a new way about thinking about healthcare that is not only realistic but also comforting. To order this book on Amazon click here.

A Window Opens by Elizabeth Egan

This is a story about a smart woman juggling kids, an out-of-work-boozy husband, beloved-aging parents and a brand new way-over-her-head job. From her home in suburban New Jersey, the heroine Alice Pearse, mother of three, sets out for her dream job at a start-up trying to launch a coffee-shop style chain of literary lounges dedicated to the classics. Of course the job is not as dreamy as Alice imagines but her journey back into the work force is still funny and real.  It seems like this territory has been covered many times before (by Fielding, Semple, Reddy and more), but something about the way this author tackles it seems fresh, quirky and well worth the read. In particular, the relationships between Alice and her husband, her sick father and even her children's nanny don't smack of routine but rather of real people plowing through this modern world just trying to keep their act together. I was reading this book on a day when I went through several hours of errands and suddenly realized my cardigan sweater was on inside out. The Old Navy tag at the neck was flapping around in the wind for all to see it was not from Neiman’s. However, I did not beat myself up about this. I simply stood patiently in the supermarket line, and reversed the sweat to its correct position. I think this is something Alice would do, too. I hope you enjoy reading her story as much as I did. Yes, yes it is a good beach read, but let’s decide right now that beach books can be read all year long. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.