“Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk” by Kathleen Rooney

My father wanted me to become a competitive tennis player. Although I enjoyed my wardrobe of  Fila tennis dresses, I was in complete disagreement with him over this concept and would often fling my Chrissy Evert wooden tennis racket down and yell, “I’m done.” My dad thought that the key to life was to learn a sport, and compete with others to find supreme balance. However, the problem was that I never wanted to win a single tennis match, not one. It took me years to realize that I love exercise, but hate competition. Thus, I am now and forever an avid walker. I walk fast, I walk slow. I can walk for miles and miles without stopping or even getting bored. This is the kind of exercise that I like to do, alone or in groups. “Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk” by Kathleen Rooney is a walker’s dream book. Based ever-so-loosely on the real-life advertising writer Margaret Fishback, the story follows the fictional tale of Lillian Boxfish as she heads out on a walk through Manhattan on the last night of 1984. She walks alone but runs into a menagerie of different people along the way that fascinate her and keep her entertained. From an innovative young copy writer for R.H. Macy’s to her traditional role as a mother and wife, the story shows Lillian as she takes a stroll through New York City and rustles through the pockets of her own 85-year-old mind. Some memories are charming and happy, and others more dark and painful. The pace is both reflective and meditative. The arc of Lillian’s life also reflects on the changes in America from the 1930s through the 1980s.  To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall” by Anna Funder

Before Jeff and I went to Germany in November, I checked out seven different books about Germany from the library. I then systematically read four pages of each book, to see which one I would take with me on the trip. “Stasiland” by Australian writer Anna Funder was the winner. I had studied a lot about the horrors of World War II in high school and college, but I knew very little about the time when East and West Berlin became separated by the wall that was built in 1961. Funder lived in Germany after the wall came down in 1989 and collected stories from residents who were forced to work with the Stasi (East German secret police). While reading this book I took a train to the former East Berlin section and saw decorated pieces of the wall that once separated the country. The wall is now painted with brightly colored murals by artists from all over the country and stands triumphantly as the free East West Gallery. The murals are beautiful and ironic at the same time because they cover an original drab grey wall that separated an entire city coming to symbolize hate, anger and the lack of freedom under Communism. Funder’s book, which was published in 2003, provides up-close-and-personal interviews with people who survived the wall, and are forever haunted by those who lost their lives trying to simply survive, work and raise children. Allegedly 80 people died trying to cross the wall during its history. But after reading this book and seeing the wall in person, you just know that number was tragically much higher.https To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Nurturing Healing Love: A Mother’s Journal of Hope & Forgiveness by Scarlett Lewis and Natasha Stoynoff

I have been thinking about my sister-in-law Jen a lot lately because she is not only one of my favorite people, but she is also a big reader. When we are together, I will mention a fabulous new book I have just read, and she will have read it a month ago. Several years ago, she gave me this book “Nurturing Healing Love” by Scarlett Lewis and Natasha Stoynoff. She knows the author who lives nearby Jen in Connecticut. I inadvertently put the book on my bedside table, which was a big mistake. My bedside table is like a Nancy Meyer movie set: The books look pretty but they never get read. The books that get read are the ones in my bottomless purse or heavy computer bag, and also the ones that are wedged between the seats of my car, so I can read before I go into yoga class. To be honest I was a little afraid to read this book, too, because of its tragic subject matter. Scarlett’s book recounts the story of how her son Jesse was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. A 20-year-old man shot and killed twenty children, 6 and 7 year olds, and six adult staff members. I remember I was driving when I heard the news on the radio in 2012, and I was so upset I had to pull over to the curb. I couldn’t imagine how something like this could happen. But despite my apprehension, Jen kept saying “You have to read it. The story is about signs. There were signs before Jesse died and signs after.” So, one day I tossed this book in my car, and I picked it up and read it in two days. I could not put it down.  Scarlett and co-writer Natasha, describe the chilling events of that awful day, and while the book is about loss and grief, it is also about love and hope. The most interesting part of the book is indeed the signs. Shortly before his death, Jesse drew a picture in which he had angel wings on and was standing beside a dark figure. To look at this picture after his death, you can’t help but see Jesse standing next to the gunman.  Days before he was gunned down, Jesse drew this phrase on the kitchen chalk board with phonetic spelling: “Norurting helin love.” He also drew “I love you” in the mist of a car window for his mother the day before he was shot. There are people who believe and follow signs, and I am one of them. Jesse was a hero, who helped save the lives of some of his friends, too. Several months after his death, Scarlett found the courage to give Jesse’s bed to another family. As she was preparing the bed, she found a pair of Jesse’s pajamas stuck under the mattress. She said finding them was another sign of his presence and also “A gift.” I think this book is a gift as well. Scarlett created the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping children and adults choose love over anger.  I’m sorry it took me so long to read her book but I hope that others will join me in reading it, too.  To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

Good Housekeeping’s “Slow Cooker”

I lost my crock-pot in my divorce in 2009, and to be honest I was not that torn up about it. This particular slow cooker was expensive, big and bulky. I knew it would take up a lot of space in my new, sleek, single-girl apartment so I willingly said to Bill, “Take the crock-pot. It’s yours.” He was moving into a big house in West Portal and was happy to take it with him. To be honest I think he took it in the box it came in because we hardly ever used it. Flash forward to 2016 when I get married again. This fact still baffles me because after I survived my divorce I vowed never to marry again. But I am a romantic, and each time Jeff and I talked about not getting married, I secretly prayed he would one day ask me. On my 51st birthday in Hawaii, he asked me to marry him and I said yes before he could even complete the sentence. When we got married in the summer of 2016 at Terrapin Crossroads, I started thinking about a crock-pot again. Although this seemed very impractical because we spend half our time in San Rafael and the other half in San Francisco. In the city, we often eat out on Clement Street, and in Marin we entertain ourselves by assembling meals from Good Eggs. But still the crock-pot was calling my name. I bought one and it sat in our garage for about six months. I looked at it like an unwelcomed house guest. “What are you still doing here?” Finally, the tide turned when my step-daughters bought me this book, “Slow Cooker,” for Christmas. This cookbook, filled with pictures of the finished meals, provided me with a road map and beacon of inspiration. Jeff and I made our first crock-pot meal last week, and invited his daughter Violet to be our first taste tester. It was a deconstructed chicken pot pie, and we all declared it to be a winner. I look forward to more crock-pot meals ahead, and a very long marriage with this wonderful man, too. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“Olive, Again” by Elizabeth Strout

Many people wondered why my daughter Lily was missing from our holiday photos this year. The fact is that Lily decided to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve in San Francisco this year with her dad. When you have divorced parents like she does, sometimes your conviction forces you choose to go with one parent and sometimes the other. Without Lily to hang out with in Dana Point this year, I had a little extra time on my hands, so I put it to use reading this gem of a book “Olive, Again” by Elizabeth Strout. Like many devoted readers of fine fiction, I read Stout’s 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Olive Kitteridge,” the prequel to this latest novel, and also saw the mini-series starring Frances McDormand. In many cases a sequel often feels like a re-hash and in some ways not as fresh as the original. But in the case of “Olive, Again” I think Strout has written a book even better than the first one. Set again in Crosby, Maine, the novel follows the no-nonsense Olive as well as a smattering of other locals in her town, including a retired professor and new love interest. Olive is cranky and sometimes shockingly straight -forward-close-to-rude, in a refreshing way. We also get to see a sensitive side to Olive, a character who fears being alone, but is also so socially awkward when it comes to making friends. In a world where so many people are trying to be glamorous and perfect, I enjoyed spending time with Olive, a real person with good days and bad ones. Olive reminds me of my daughter Lily because they are both authentic people who wouldn’t and don’t waste their time faking anything. That trait makes for a strong character, within the pages of a book, or outside in the real world, too. To buy this book on Amazon, click here.

The Dearly Beloved" A Novel by Cara Wall

I was rushing around this week working, shopping and packing and I suddenly began to feel quite frantic. The holidays are such an exciting time of year, but I wish they didn’t have to be so stressful and crowded. However, in the middle of my day yesterday, I had to pause and go to a funeral. The moment I stepped inside the beautiful little church, I calmed down. I exhaled. My blood pressure immediately dropped to a normal level again. As I listened to the heartbreaking family speak beautifully about the loss of their loved one, it suddenly dawned on me that of all the things I do to relax I often forget one of the things I love best: Going to church. ‘The Dearly Beloved” by Cara Wall is a novel about two couples whose lives become connected when their husbands both become ministers at the same church. The book chronicles their jobs, marriages and most importantly, their different and complicated relationships with faith. I was fascinated by the story of Charles and Lily, and James and Nan. Their journey as couples, and ministers, is one of hope, faith, love and loss.. This time of year, I think it is the best time to crawl under your weighted blanket and read a good book like “The Dearly Beloved.” If you would like to purchase the book on Amazon click here 

“Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life” By Mallory Smith

I read a lot of memoirs because I love that genre the most. Some are very pleasant and easy to read. Others are so courageous and bad ass, that they make you want to stand up and cheer. “Salt in My Soul” by Mallory Smith is in the second category. Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 3, Mallory lived with her disease until she passed away at the age of 25. But in those 25 short years, she not only suffered, but also was able to graduate college from Stanford, travel to Hawaii, fall in love, and start this book that her family would finish and publish after her death. Her father says she was born an old soul, and that makes the story even more poignant because she was certainly not your typical teenager. In the beginning, she often fought with her parents over the frequency of her treatments, sometimes even refusing to do them. But she matured into an advocate for herself. Her diary entries are filled with typical musings of a teenager, and exceptional conversations with the doctors who were helping her manage her disease. Her connections with other young people struggling with CF are even more heart breaking because CF patients are not allowed to be in close contact for fear that they can make each other sicker. I loved this book, first recommended to me by my friend Page, because it is not about a girl learning how to die, but rather a woman learning how to live life to the fullest. She gave her parents specific instructions on what to do and how to publish this book, and I think her mother and father did a beautiful job. In the new year, I will launch a new Lori’s Library Party website that contains my previous reviews from the past four years. I can’t believe it has been four years. Thank you for reading and commenting. In the meantime if you want to purchase Mallory’s book on Amazon please click this link. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Do You Mind If I Cancel" By Gary Janetti

You were right, Ben Hu. This was a quick read, but what a wonderful read it was. In order to love this book you need to answer two questions: Do you remember Al Corley as Steven Carrington on “Dynasty,” and Judith Light as Karen Wolek on “One Life to Live?” If you answer yes to both of these questions, you will be a fan of Gary Janetti. You might even know this author already, and he’s best known for his Instagram account which promotes the fictitious inner monologue of 6-year-old Prince George of Cambridge. Janetti is also married to stylist Brad Goreski, who became famous himself as the assistant to Rachel Zoe. The thing about Gary that is so amusing is that he is quick, smart and irreverent. He also has a lot of heart and soul. While growing up, his dad worked for Cunard Line, and on one occasion, sent young Gary on a cruise. Many young boys might have been bored to death on a cruise without friends or family, but Gary loved every second, chatting with passengers, studying the list of daily activities, and signing up for shore excursions. His wicked humor seems to start young and only get richer with age. This new book, from the writer of the “Family Guy” and producer of “Will and Grace,” is a delightful romp not to be missed. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"The Guest Book" by Sarah Blake

On Wednesday afternoon, I was sitting in the living room of a hotel suite in Los Angeles with my mother, my sister and my brother. We were getting our makeup done, while my brother was pitching jokes for his speech later that evening at the event honoring my dad. The tension level was high, and dramatic, and crazy things were happening about every other minute, yet I could not have been happier. Maybe it is because I live in San Francisco and they are all in Los Angeles, but I find my family fascinating, like sitting down to read an epic historical family saga. “The Guest Book” is, in fact, that kind of novel. Part love story, part mystery, Sarah Blake’s book is an inter-generational tale about an America family with close bonds and deep secrets. In the mid-1930s, when Kitty and Ogden Milton start their family, their lives seem perfect until the accidental death of a son shatters their world. Ogden, trying to move beyond the grief, purchases an island in Maine to try and forge a new future for his family. The island and the house, where they will visit during the summers and raise their children and grandchildren, will prove to be far from an idealic for the family. When the Ogden and Kitty’s grandchildren are forced to explore selling the Maine house because of money concerns, tightly kept secrets from their past push their way into the future, threatening the fragile state of the Milton family. The family’s history is interwoven with themes of war, class and racism in America that sadly permeate the historical landscape of our country. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Almost Everything: Notes on Hope" by Anne Lamott

I am a part-time resident of Marin County, not by choice but by marriage. Living in Marin and marrying Jeff Morris are two of the best decisions I have ever made. However, two weeks ago we had to move out of our house in San Rafael because PG&E shut off the power for five days because of the fires in Sonoma and Napa counties. The whole week I felt blue because it dawned on me that these fires might just be an annual event, and if so, how are we all not going to become nervous wrecks? And then this book magically popped into my phone from my library. Suddenly, to listen to Anne Lamott talking about a similar fire up north two years ago that effected our same community, helped calm me down. Anne Lamott also lives in Marin County and to listen to her speak on audio book or in person, as I have done several times, is just enlightening. Her quirky perceptions and observations are not unique, but the way she twists and turns the words to make them honest and true puts her in a league of her own. The fact that she is so earnestly godly makes me like her even more. The point of the book is that even when so many bad things are happening in the world, there is still hope and happiness to be found. This book reminded me that if I’m ever forced to pick a list of books to live out my final days on a desert island, they are all going to be by Anne Lamott and David Sedaris. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” by Hank Green

I have a friend name Mary, and I have only met her once. She lives in Shanghai, China, with her husband Tony and daughter. I met Mary circa 2010 over a dinner at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco called Eliza’s when she was in town visiting a man I was dating. Shortly after my dinner with Mary, the man and I broke up. I said goodbye to him, but I kept Mary. I am loyal that way and a very good judge of character, despite the fact that I only met her once. She posts wonderful picture of her adventures in China on Instagram and Facebook, and I have watched her daughter grow up from a little girl to the now fabulous ombre-tinted tween she is today. So, it will come as no surprise, that when Mary wrote to me via Facebook messenger and told me to read this book, I did. Immediately. “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” by Hank Green is a book full of suspense, humor, heart, internet insanity and human kindness. The story follows the tale of April May who comes home late from work one night to find a metal sculpture planted on the sidewalk. She names the sculpture “Carl,” has a friend video her talking about the sculpture, and suddenly becomes an overnight, internet celebrity. Hank knows more than a little bit about internet fame, as he and his brother John are popular streamers. I don’t want to give away the plot of this book, but let’s just say it will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time, and leave you wanting more when it ends. The internet is already buzzing with news of the sequel in the works. I’m sure Mary and I will be both reading it soon. Shanghai might seem far away from San Francisco, but devoted readers don’t let time zones keep them apart. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“Two Steps Forward” by Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist

I just spent a week hiking through Portugal with three other women who flew in from New York, England and California. According to my Fit Bit tracker, we walked 115, 524 steps in five days through Porto and the Douro Valleys. That is about 58.66 miles, give or take a step, depending on our strides. One day we met a young blonde woman on a bike along the bridge in Porto, and she asked us to take her picture. She was traveling along the Camino de Santiago, all alone, and expected to get to her destination in six days. Her solo journey reminded me of this book “Two Steps Forward” by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist. My friend Sally first recommended this book to me a few months ago, and I read it in anticipation of my hike through Portugal. It is the fictional account of two people, a man and a woman, who meet several times along the Camino De Santiago which goes through the countries of France and Spain. (The woman we met in Porto was starting along the Camino trail that dips down to Portugal). The Camino, also known as the Way of Saint James, is a network of centuries old pilgrim trails that lead to the shrine of Saint James The Great in Galicia, Spain. If you attempt to complete the entire trail on foot, it can take 30-35 days, depending on your walking speed. “Two Steps Forward” follows the compelling and romantic story of Marin, an engineer from England recovering from a bad divorce and Zoe, an artist from California who recently lost her husband in a car accident. People hike the Camino for many reasons, but spiritual healing seems to be the bond that links Martin and Zoe. One of the authors, Mr. Graeme Simsion, also wrote the best-selling book the “Rosie Project.” Together Simsion and Buist have crafted a beautiful story about connection, walking and rebirth along the Camino de Santiago. After reading this book, I think a hike along the Camino might be in my future as well. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“The Lost Chapters: Finding Recovery & Renewal One Book at a Time” By Leslie Schwartz

Actress Felicity Huffman started her prison sentence in Northern California this week, and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed reading this book. “The Lost Chapters: Finding Recovery & Renewal One Book at a Time,” by Leslie Schwartz is a memoir about a woman who was sentenced to a 90-day stay in a Los Angeles County jail after being found guilty of a DUI and assaulting a police officer. Following a decade of sobriety, Schwartz fell down the rabbit hole of addiction again, and through a series of alcohol and drug related black outs, she ended up being arrested and sentenced to time in prison. Once a successful writing teacher, she said goodbye to her husband and teenage daughter and headed to prison with the only things she knew would keep her sane: Books. Apparently in prison you can have books, and some facilities even let you receive new books from friends and family. The prison where Schwartz served her time allowed her three new books each week. Before Schwartz went to prison, she agonized over what books to take, and what books were worthy enough to replenish the ones she finished reading. Her titles included books by Maya Angelou, Laura Hillenbrand and Edith Warton. In between her time spent reading, Schwartz had to confront the daily life of being a prisoner. While the food is bad and the time away from her family is hard, she unexpectedly makes some close friends in jail despite its grim surroundings. Goodreads reviewed this book and described the writing as “vivid, unforgettable prose, The Lost Chapters uncovers the nature of shame, rage, and love, and how instruments of change and redemption come from the unlikeliest of places.” To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“Love Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival” by Jeffrey Gettleman

“ My friend Jennifer and I have been walking at 8:15 am most Thursday mornings for the last 11 years. You cover a lot of good ground when you walk and talk more than a decade with a single person. I have seen her happy and I have seen her sad, but I have never seen her as happy as when she returns from a trip to Africa. She has been at least three times, and I think, without even needing to ask her, that it is her happy place. She just seems to glow with energy and excitement when she returns from a trip to Africa. So I was not a surprised when she recommended this book to me. “Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival” by Jeffrey Gettleman is the story of a young man who fell in love with Africa as a Cornell college student, and then decided to make a career by living in the country as a journalist. For the last decade he has served as the East Africa bureau chief for the “New York Times.” But this book is about his early years exploring the country, while also dating another Cornell student named Courtney. They fell in love and then their career journeys pulled them apart when she became a criminal lawyer in the U.S. Their relationship is interwoven with Gettleman’s own journey as a writer. They are very different people, with dreams and aspirations that are often at odds with each other. A confession about his many infidelities while living in Africa almost rips the couple apart. But when they finally move to Africa together, they find a way to create a stable, successful life and marriage abroad. I think my friend Jennifer and Gettleman would have the best time talking with each other if they ever met. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

“Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult

“Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult

I was on the beach this summer in North Carolina when I saw this book sitting on a lounge chair. It belonged to Annie, the girlfriend of our nephew Tyler. I was like a kitten smitten with something shiny and new. “What is that book?” I said. “And who is Jodi Picoult? Why do I not know the book or the author?” My sister-in-law Jen joined the conversation, and she and Annie both said how much they liked Picoult’s writing and had read many of her books. That was enough to send me chasing after this book, and now that I have read it, I can say it blew me away. “Small Great Things,” is the story of a Connecticut-based, African American labor and delivery nurse name Ruth who finds herself caring for the baby of a white supremacist couple. Because of the color of her skin, the couple demands that this nurse (with 20 years of experience) not care for their newborn son. After being banned from the child, Ruth is ultimately part of the team that tries to save the infant before he unfortunately dies. Then all hell breaks loose. I don’t want to give away the plot twists of the book because it is better to experience it first hand. But I will say that this author examines the subjects of race, bigotry and privilege with such grace that you come away with sympathy for everyone involved, rather than rage. It turns out Picoult is not only a skilled writer but quite prolific. She has written more than a dozen books, and I look forward to reading another one soon. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“Gratitude & Trust: Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life” by Paul Williams and Tracey Jackson

I have a friend and she is going through a tough time. She said she read this book and it changed her life. Of course, I had to get the book immediately not so much because I wanted to change my own life, but because I wanted to see what magical pearls were in this book that changed hers. “Gratitude & Trust” by Paul Williams and Tracey Jackson starts with the story of their own friendship, and Williams’ two-decade-long journey to sobriety and healing. Williams, a well-known songwriter and performer, and Jackson, a television and film writer, stayed friends before and after his recovery. Together, they wondered if the principles of recovery from unhealthy addiction could be used on people who had problems other than drugs or alcohol. Would it be possible to take some of the steps of recovery and apply them to other obstacles in people’s lives such as harmful relationships with food, shopping, intimacy and money? Together, Williams and Jackson outline six affirmations and describe how they can be applied to a myriad of modern day pain and suffering. This positive book explores how the problems we face are often inside ourselves, rather than arrows thrown from outside sources. I found the book creative, helpful and very wise. Sometimes learning to understand your power, and how not to give it away, is the best solution for a long and happy life. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb

When we went to the Russian River over Labor Day weekend, I took only one book with me. This is very uncharacteristic of me. On any trip, even a long weekend, I always take three books: One to read, one to read if that one is bad, and one to read if I finish the first one. However, I’m trying to travel lighter these days, so I decided to take this one book after reading only a few pages because I knew it was going to be a winner, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded my expectations. “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb, a Los Angeles-based author and psychotherapist, is the page-turning memoir about a therapist who suddenly finds herself in the need of her own therapy after a very bad breakup with a boyfriend. Of course, time does not stop when you are a working single parent. So Gottlieb had to continue to see her roster of patients, while at the same time, doing her own therapy. The stories of her patients’ struggles are interwoven with her own, and end up strengthening each other. For anyone who has ever been in therapy the pages of this book are going to resonate with you. But even if you haven’t been inside the therapy room, you will be fascinated by the well-written characters Gottlieb creates. She has said in interviews that the patients are composites of many different ones, and some of the details have been changed to protect the patients’ identity. We meet a newlywed with cancer, a suicidal senior citizen artist, a boozy twenty-year-old who dates badly, and a successful Hollywood producer hiding a secret. What’s fun is that her camouflage does not damper the power of the narrative, and the peep-hole-eye view the reader is treated to page after page. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“Evvie Drake Starts Over” by Linda Holmes

At the age of 43 years old, I decided to start my life over. I had been trying to talk myself out of the decision for months, worried with fear that getting a divorce was a mistake. But then, as if hit by lightning, it dawned on me that starting my life over would be hard, but a game changer. “Evvie Drake Starts Over” by Linda Holmes is the story of a young woman in a small town in Maine, who has her bags packed and is about to leave her husband, when she is hit with unexpected news: Her doctor-husband died suddenly in a single car accident. The lack of love she felt for her late husband is overshadowed by the sympathy that is showered upon her by her family and friends. Her best friend Andy suggests a distraction for her -- taking in a temporary roommate who just happens to be a major league baseball player. The pitcher Dean Tenney is suffering from a case of the “yips,” and he cannot throw the ball straight any more. When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, they make a deal: He won’t ask her about her late husband, and she won’t ask him about his baseball career. What opens as a cute-meet romantic plot, turns into something more when they start talking to each other about common worries and fears. I loved the characters and the pacing of this book so much that when it was over I wanted to turn back the clock and start it again. Evvie and Dean weren’t just flat characters on the pages of a book, but rather real people with modern day struggles and dreamy aspirations. Are you listening Hollywood? Please make this a movie soon. Maybe Gwyneth and Brad? To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“What Made Maddy Run? The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All American Teen” By Kate Fagan

When my friend Page recommends a book I don’t even waste a moment contemplating the selection. I just add it to my library list of books and audios. She is an excellent judge of a good book, and she knows what I look for in a non-fiction read: intensity. “What Made Maddy Run?” is the story of how a University of Pennsylvania freshman athlete took her own life. However, to water down the narrative to just once sentence is not giving the book its justice. “What Made Maddy Run?” is the story of not only Madison Holleran, but also the shared stories of her family, her friends and her coaches. Kate Fagan, a commentator and columnist for ESPN originally published Maddy’s story as a magazine article. The piece touched so many people’s lives, including Fagan’s own, that she decided to turn it into a book. The Holleran family agreed to let Fagan interview them and then they went a step further: They gave her Maddy’s computer, which included her i-messages, emails and personal writing. It was as if Fagan was getting a direct link into Maddy’s mind, which included her hopes as well as fears. There is a moment when Fagan even discovers some video of Maddy that is chilling and heartbreaking. The popular, beautiful track star seemed to have a charmed life through high school and had finally achieved her dream of becoming a college athlete at an Ivy League School. For Maddy, however, college was shrouded in an unexpected, constant period of heavy depression, which she was challenged to fix or solve. After publishing this book, Fagan began to hear from college athletes across the country who shared their own struggles with mental illness. By bringing the issue into the media, Fagan has started a dialogue in which Universities are now exploring better ways to support college athletes through clinical services. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

“ City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert

I love that people are now suggesting books for me to read. I arrived at work one day to find this beautiful book sitting on my desk with a post-it note suggesting I might enjoy it. I felt like I had won the lottery, because this book has been in my library queue for a while, with some-odd 75 people in line ahead of me. “City of Girls” is the latest novel from Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote the 2006 best-selling memoir “Eat, Pray, Love.” This fascinating novel is the story of Vivian Morris, as she reflects upon her rich life in New York City during the 1940s. I couldn’t help but think of my own grandmother while reading this book, as she was a tap dancer and later a children’s theatre producer in the Bronx during that same time. Like Vivian, my grandmother Marjorie was a woman ahead of her time in terms of striving for professional goals when it was not fashionable for women to be ambitious. It’s interesting to note that both women also liked to wear slacks, which was frowned up on at the time, too. The novel starts when 19-year-old Vivian gets kicked out of Vassar, after a low performing freshman year. Her affluent parents send her to New York City to live with her flamboyant aunt Peg who runs the Lily Playhouse. Vivian’s life truly begins to take off when she is embraced by not only the theatre company, but also the wild cast of characters who parade through it. When she gets involved in a high publicity scandal with some of the actors in the company, Vivian must re-invent herself. She takes her knack for sewing and turns it into a career as wedding dress designer. Set against the back-drop of World War II and beyond, Vivian reflects on the choices she made, both good and bad. In the end she also finds love, but rather than a traditional partner she chooses a companion who allows her to maintain her independence at the same time. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.