Non-Fiction
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Same Kind of Different as Me: : A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. From Wiki: Ron Hall and Denver Moore became best friends through Ron's wife, Deborah. She was very connected with God and she was told to 'save' Denver. Deborah started dying of cancer and Denver, in return, helped Deborah carry on the ministry she had started. There is a memorial that was made for Deborah when she passed, called the Deborah Hall Memorial. The story, however, goes deeper into the developing personal friendship between two men of entirely different upbringing, and the struggle that is required to make and maintain such a friendship across a wide cultural canyon. The characters struggle with raw and honest emotions, real life situations, and set an example for those who want to be challenged to make a difference in their own lives and those around them. The story also reveals the true level of commitment required to be an effective leader in service to others.
Saved by Her Enemy: An Iraqi woman's journey from the heart of war to the heartland of America
Second Acts That Change Lives by Mary Beth Sammons "If you are at mid-life and want to achieve greater meaning, read these inspiring stories of people who chucked what they were 'supposed' to do in favor of what they love doing -- and creating meaningful, enriching new careers." The book offers a collection of honest and inspiring stories delving into the lives of a community of mid-life trailblazers who wanted to make changes in their lives and found that as they reached inward for the strength to change, almost unanimously reached out to share their better self, their skills, their talents to make the world a better place.
The Secret Lives of Tsarsby Michael Farquhar. Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Gene Weingarten once said, "Michael Farquhar doesn’t write about history the way, say, Doris Kearns Goodwin does. He writes about history the way Doris Kearns Goodwin’s smart-ass, reprobate kid brother might. I, for one, prefer it." I do, too! I love Michael's irreverence, and the Romanovs give him great material to work with. Did you know, for example, that Peter the Great loved dwarves and often had them jump naked out of cakes (for amusement)? Lots of interesting, fun facts against the colorful backdrop of Russian history. Really worth it, as are previous works by the author:
The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married by Iris Krasnow. “A bestselling, groundbreaking author investigates successful long term marriages, interviewing wives and their uncensored strategies for staying married… In raw, candid, titillating stories, Krasnow's cast of wise women give voice to the truth about marriage and the importance of maintaining a strong sense of self apart from the relationship. Some spend summers separately from their partners. Some make time for wine with the girls. One septuagenarian has a recurring date with an old flame from high school. In every case, the marriage operates on many tracks, giving both spouses license to pursue the question "Who am I apart from my marriage?" Krasnow's goal is to give women permission to create their own marriages at any age. Marital bliss is possible, she says, if each partner is blissful apart from the other.”
The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It by Valerie Young. Help for understanding The Imposter Syndrome and why so many women feel not quite good enough.
Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay and Diaries by Emma Thompson. "The screenplay is a nice read, but I prefer watching the movie (hello, Alan Rickman -- call me!). The best part of this book is reading Emma Thompson's diary she kept during production -- with stories about who in the cast was flirting with whom, what Ang Lee was like to work with, how drunk they got ... she's a lovely, witty, engaging writer. I love this book."
Seven Days in the Art World
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost. “This is a light and funny read. I loved this hilarious account of Troost's experiences living on the tiny Tarawa atoll in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati with his (then) girlfriend who was sent there for a two year assignment by an NGO. What sounded like paradise to the desperate-for-adventure couple sitting in Washington, D.C. most decidedly turns out not to be. It is well written, laugh-out-loud funny, full of fabulous colorful characters and incredibly bizarre experiences that you couldn't possibly make up if you tried. A great read.
Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History
by Ben Mezrich (Another soon-to-be-published suggestion from my mole in the publishing biz – in stores on 7/12/2011) “About the Book: Thad Roberts, a fellow in a prestigious NASA program had an idea—a romantic, albeit crazy, idea. He wanted to give his girlfriend the moon. Literally. Thad convinced his girlfriend and another female accomplice, both NASA interns, to break into an impregnable laboratory at NASA—past security checkpoints, an electronically locked door with cipher security codes, and camera-lined hallways—and help him steal the most precious objects in the world: the moon rocks.”
Sh*t My Dad Says
by Daniel Swift. “Yes, I am a Shakespeare freak (and, yes, I do have an authorship theory which I am not going to share with you at this moment). And this book – which reads more like a graduate level textbook than anything – chronicles the development of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and illuminates how Shakespeare used this volume to add nuance and color to the plays and the sonnets. Fascinating." H/T Michelle Woodward book list.The Shelter of Each Other
Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher. "The photo captions are enough reason to read this book. Brilliant. Some may love Nora Ephron, but I think Carrie has her beat with this one". Shockaholic tells the story of Carrie Fisher's upbringing as the daughter of Hollywood royalty. Filled with outrageous tales of celebrity gossip, Carrie Fisher gives readers an intimate look at the realities of Hollywood.
Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy by Judd Apatow. “Judd interviews comedians about work and life. Each chapter is a conversation with a different comic/comedian.”
The Sisters: the Saga of the Mitford Family: By Mary S. Lovell. This was a fantastic book about an absolutely astonishing family. The parents were middling British aristocracy. The daughters, however, include Nancy Mitford, a best-selling novelist; Diana Mitford, the great beauty who left her prominent husband for the head of the brownshirts (Fascists) and was a friend of Hitler’s; Unity, who also became a great friend of Hitler’s; and Jessica who eloped at 18, became a Communist, moved to America and also became a best-selling author. The youngest married a man who became Duke of Devonshire. Don’t bring it on a plane, as they would probably make you count it as a carry-on.
The Six O'Clock Scramble: Quick, Healthy, and Delicious Dinner Recipes for Busy Families
The Sixth Extinction: an Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. “Possibly beach reading for rainy days when you're indoors & can concentrate on the topic but an interesting look at major extinctions that have occurred in the past. Heavy subject but very readable style of writing that kept me whizzing along the billions of years of appearances and disappearances of all manner of creatures.”