Good Reads - Nonfiction

Nonfiction Staff Favorites - Part One

Featuring books read by staff members since the year 2000.

Biography/ANDERSON, J.
Anderson, Joan - A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman - 2000, 190p.
After marrying and raising two sons, the author realizes that, in taking care of her family, she has not yet made time for her own dreams. When her husband accepts a new job out-of-state, she decides to spend a year of self-discovery, on her own, at the family cottage on Cape Cod. The experience changes her life. Sue O'Brien (Literature)

811.09/ANG
Angelou, Maya - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - 1969, 281p.
This is the story of poet/author Maya Angelou's childhood, living with her grandmother in the segregated south, and later spending time with her divorced parents in California. Her story, though painful at times, is full of love, wit and insight. Judy Auber Jahnel (Children's)

Biography/ARMSTRONG, L.
Armstrong, Lance - It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life - 2000, 275p.
Lance Armstrong is an out-spoken Texan with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but the champion cyclist is a survivor. His incredible story, spanning both personal and professional crisis, takes you on a memorable roller coaster ride. Marty Krause (Reference)

282.092/BER
Bernardin, Joseph Louis - The Journey to Peace: Reflections on Faith, Embracing Suffering, and Finding New Life - 2001, 151p.
Spiritual reflections. Irene Strods (Reference)

Biography/BUNDRUM, C.
Bragg, Rick - Ava's Man - 2001, 259p.
Rick Bragg's memories of his grandfather through his mom, aunts, uncles and cousins spin an interesting tale of a poor southern guy who makes his own moonshine, raises a large family and has a lot of love for them all. It is a good read. Rita Regis (Administration)

919.4/BRY
Bryson, Bill - In a Sunburned Country - 2000, 307p.
For many, a trip to Australia means a short stay in several of the most well-known places. To really experience so many of its wonders, one must traverse a vast number of miles of endless bush, coping with red dust under a relentless sun, from one end of the continent to the other. Bill Bryson's humorous travelogue helps us to get to know the friendly, hospitable and enduring people, while blending bits of history with the exotic beauty of the land and its unique flora and fauna. Melody Danley (Administration)

641.8653/BYR
Byrn, Anne - The Cake Mix Doctor - 1999, 454p.
This cookbook is a hoot. The basis of each recipe listed is a cake mix; then, with the addition of extra ingredients, the fun begins. Anne's creations are unique and imaginative, and, if you're a visual learner like me, you'll appreciate the color pictures of every cake in the book. So grab Duncan or Betty or your "powder" of choice and try one of Anne's creations. Donna Hankiewicz (Reference)

158.1/CAR
Carlson, Richard - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff—And It's All Small Stuff - 1997, 248p.
Good advice and tips to save ourselves from the craziness of the world around us. Dakskha Mistry (Circulation)

796.323/COL
Colton, Larry - Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn - 2000, 420p.
The author observes the exciting and depressing basketball life on a reservation. During his time there, Colton follows the life of the star player on the girls' high school basketball team. Sonya Carlson (Children's)

365/CON
Conover, Ted - Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing - 2000, 321p.
A reporter goes undercover as a prison guard to observe what life is really like on the inside. This is a thought-provoking look inside America's prison system. Amy Johnson Balicki (Reference)

641.555/COO
Cooking Light 5 Ingredient, 15 Minute Cookbook - 1999, 240p.
As a working mother trying to serve healthy home cooked meals, I find that this has become my favorite cookbook. Quick, easy meals. Great pictures. It even includes a grocery list! Lorel Trout (Circulation)

975.3/GRE
Greenfield, Meg - Washington - 2001, 241p.
A fascinating look behind the headlines. Ms. Greenfield is amazingly bipartisan in her criticism and analysis as she looks at the people and politics during her newspaper career in the nation's capital. Diane Carlson (Technical Services)

025.82/HAR
Harvey, Miles - The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime - 2000, 405p.
This elegant little book details the crime spree of a map collector who looted libraries across the continent of their rare maps. The weaving of various plot lines reads more like fiction than nonfiction. Judy Aulik (Reference)

629.13092/HAY
Haynsworth, Leslie - Amelia Earhart's Daughters: The Wild and Glorious Story of American Women Aviators from World War II to the Dawn of the Space Age - 1998, 306p.
This is the story of American women aviators from World War II to the Space Age. If you are interested in the history of flight, this is a good narrative of the women who have participated in an exciting era of aviation history. Sharon Yurgil (Reference)

Biography/HICKAM, H.
Hickam, Homer H. - Rocket Boys: A Memoir - 1998, 368p.
This is a wonderful memoir by a former NASA scientist about growing up in a small coal town in West Virginia. It centers on the years after Sputnik, when he and a group of friends become "rocket boys" who build and launch their own small rockets. Hickam describes the company town and the people who helped shape his life. Bonnie Reid (Reference)

Biography/KIMMEL, H.
Kimmel, Haven - A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana - 2001, 275p.
With a just-right balance of humor and honesty, Kimmel recalls small town life in the Midwest of the 1970s. The chapters are presented as a series of vignettes from her quirky childhood and read like well-crafted fiction. Lori Sennebogen (Reference)

814/KIN
Kingsolver, Barbara - High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never - 1995, 273p.
Whether writing novels or essays, Kingsolver seldom disappoints. This eclectic mix highlights a range of topics from Kingsolver's career to natural science. These very personal pieces prove provocative, sensitive and humorous in turn. A delightful introduction to an author's mind and work. Joyce Saricks (Literature)

746.443/KOO
Kooler, Donna - Cross-Stitch for the First Time - 2000, 112p.
This is the best reference book for someone just taking up this fun and rewarding hobby. It progresses from the most basic to more advanced techniques. I highly recommend this title to any beginning stitcher. Vern Papacek (Circulation)

917.98/KRA
Krakauer, Jon - Into the Wild - 1997, 207p.
This is the story of Christopher McCandless, a willfully idealistic adventurer, who hitchhiked around the U.S. until beginning his ultimate adventure: surviving the wilds of Alaska. Five months after he began, his decomposing body was found by a group of hunters. Chris's story, told in a series of flashbacks using his journal entries, is a haunting and philosophical tale. Judy Auber Jahnel (Children's)

Biography/LAMOTT, A.
Lamott, Anne - Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith - 1999, 275p.
This is Anne Lamott's personal story of hitting rock bottom and climbing her way up through her faith. Believing in God led to believing in herself. We read of her trials and her triumphs, which include being a single mother and an aspiring writer, in a book that is brutally honest, funny, and touching. Jamie Bukovac (Administration)

920.72/LAS
Laskas, Jeanne Marie - We Remember: Women Born at the Turn of the Century Tell the Stories of Their Lives in Words and Pictures - 1999, 126p.
These women have lived so long and gone through so much, yet still have positive attitudes and look forward to the future. May we all be so blessed. Annie Jagielski (Administration)

814/LYN
Lynch, Thomas - The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade - 1997, 202p.
Essays about life: marriage, divorce, poetry, Ireland, reporters, the business of being an undertaker…all connected, of course, by death and what the living do to deal with it. It is an unexpectedly engaging and comforting book. Carol Yarmolich (Literature)

641.5973/MAC
McCreary, Donna D. - Lincoln's Table: Victorian Recipes from Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to the White House - 2000, 107p.
President Lincoln was a remarkable man. He was an avid reader of poetry and often expressed his ideas in this format. We remember him as a man of wit and humor. His family enjoyed good food, and this book includes many of their favorite recipes. It is a small book, but so memorable. Virginia Kuczkowski (Circulation)

690.837/MAR
Marchese, John - Renovations: A Father and Son Rebuild a House and Rediscover Each Other - 2001, 239p.
A sophisticated New York City writer decides to buy and renovate an old house in the country and calls on his dad, a stubborn, retired construction worker, for help. Father and son are subtly estranged, but amid their hilarious adventures with lumber, drywall, and plumbing parts, their rift fades. Ultimately, they succeed in rehabbing the house—and more importantly—rebuilding their relationship. Jo Ann Ziech (Administration)

640/MOR
Morgenstern, Julie - Organizing from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Home, Your Office, and Your Life - 1998, 262p.
Organizing would bring to mind thoughts of agonizing aggression on accumulated possessions. Two important points in this book changed this feeling for me. It is all right to have a sentimental attachment to material objects, and the solution is to have a "home space" for everything. This book helps to organize anything with good-feeling solutions. Teresa Stryczula (Literature)

Biography/NIELSEN, J.
Nielsen, Jerri - Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole - 2001, 362p.
This is the author's fascinating description of her posting as the doctor at the Antarctic outpost for a year and the camaraderie that was necessary for survival in such a harsh climate. When she diagnosed herself with breast cancer, the story continues with the bravery and cooperation of many others that needed to fly her out at a time when planes couldn't land at the Pole. Nancy Poch (Administration)

940.5475/NOR
Norman, Elizabeth M. - We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese - 1999, 327p.
This is the true story of a group of nurses who were the only American women captured and imprisoned during World War II. They helped build and staff hospitals on the peninsula of Bataan, and worked around the clock in operating rooms. They became known as the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor." The book details their desperate flight to avoid capture, their ultimate surrender, imprisonment, liberation and homecoming. Elizabeth Kubis (Reference)

330.1/RIC
Ricardo, David - The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation - 1911, 300p.
A very concise, pointed account of the subject from one of the masters. Alan Hall (Reference)

Biography/RICH, F.
Rich, Frank - Ghost Light: A Memoir - 2000, 315p.
There is a superstition that, if an emptied theater is ever left completely dark, a ghost will take up residence. To prevent this, a single "ghost light" is left burning at center stage after the audience and all of the actors and musicians have gone home. Frank Rich, former Drama Critic for the New York Times, has written a memoir that reveals how the theater became an important outlet and haven for an oversensitive, smart, non-athletic kid from a broken home growing up in the 1950s. Ted Waltmire (Administration)

IN/NF/ROBBINS
Robbins, Trina - From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Comics from Teens to Zines - 1999, 142p.
Robbins traces the history of women in comics since the 1940s. From superheroines to romance comics to "The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp," Robbins gives us a visual history of women and female artists in a male-dominated medium. Amanda Miller (Children's)

305.42/SAS
Sasson, Jean P. - Princess Sultana's Circle - 2000, 255p.
This book demonstrates the danger of male domination by showing the desperate lives of women living by "man's rule" in Saudi Arabia. Irene Strods (Reference)

919.4/SMI
Smith, Roff Martin - Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia - 2000, 284p.
After living in Australia for 15 years, American journalist Smith quit his job to bicycle around the coast of the continent. The reader is treated to what I call the "real Australia:" the people, animals and way of life outside of the major cities. Reading this book brought me back to the reason I love Australia so much, and made me remember my own Outback experiences there. Lora Bruggeman (Literature)

508/WAL
Wallace, Joseph E. - A Gathering of Wonders: Behind the Scenes of the American Museum of Natural History - 2000, 288p
This is a fascinating account of the people and collections that make the New York Museum of Natural History the stunning spectacle that it is. This is a tremendously readable book for the scientist/biologist in us all. Bevin Broulet (Reference)