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Nonfiction Staff Favorites
Featuring books read by staff members since the year 2000 |
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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 StuffAnd 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 houseand more importantlyrebuilding 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)
646.72/ROB
Robins, Cynthia The Beauty Workbook: A Common Sense Approach to Skin Care, Makeup, Hair, and Nails 2001, 176p.
Taking all the mystery out of basic skincare and makeup, The Beauty Workbook will help you learn the basics or update your look. Quizzes and exercises enable you to determine your attitude toward your own personal beauty regimen. One whole chapter is dedicated to the importance of preparing your skin for exposure to the sun. Sharon Lawrence (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)

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