759.06 WOL
The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe
You’re standing in front of a “masterpiece” of modern art and you can’t for the life of you understand what youre looking at. Can it be that you just don’t understand modern art? A multitude of museum patrons and general art enthusiasts have had these very same thoughts when they encounter what the art world christened non-representational art or abstract art (including Minimalism, Dadaism, Neo-Plasticism, Abstract Expressionism). In this short treatise, Tom Wolfe exudes his usual cutting wit, poking fun at the haughty, self-important cliques of the New York art world of the post-WWII, especially the art critics who spearheaded the major art movements of the time. A clear and accessible critique that has one questioning whether the theory attached to art is more important than the art created.

781.63092 WIL
Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boy’s Brian Wilson by Peter Ames Carlin
There’s the genius of surfin’ rock singles and ornate, orchestrated masterpieces and there is the eccentric recluse gone mad due to late-60s’ excess and emotional instability.  Both of these assessments about Brian Wilson are well-documented in rock ‘n’ roll history’s annals, and Carlin is wise not to gloss over these vital threads in Wilson’s life.  Yet, there was a lot more to the complicated life of Brian Wilson than genius, drugs and madness, as life in one of the world‘s premier rock bands (with brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine) certainly heightened the highs and lows experienced by Brian. The biography succeeds in developing the Wilson brothers’ relationship with their abusive father, the departure of Brian from touring, and years later, from the group itself, when they would become something of a nostalgia act.  What’s particularly interesting is the inclusion of material up until Brian’s triumphant resurrection of the lost Beach Boy’s album, Smile, in 2004.  This is not simply an entertaining read for Beach Boy’s fans, as it also satisfies those interested in music, familial conflict and friendship, and eccentric genius. 

530.1 HEI
Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern Science by Werner Heisenberg
Neither physics nor philosophy typically makes for a compelling read for those of us outside of the academic disciplines.  Despite this possible deterrent, Heisenberg makes the subject clear for the reader so that they are able to appreciate how the history and progress of physics, specifically during the early 20th century, has fundamentally changed the way we think about life and the world we live in. Heisenberg has an expertise few can claim, being a Nobel Prize winner of physics and one of the founders of quantum mechanics, therefore his perspective is unique and enlightening throughout this work. The book interweaves key ideas and events in the history of physics and philosophy and discusses the interchange of ideas back and forth, simultaneously engaging some of humanity’s most important and lively questions. Admittedly, Heisenberg is dealing with a difficult subject for most, and occasionally one might need to read over a passage a couple of times to get a coherent idea of what he is saying. This should not sway readers from working through this thoughtful and important work that allows a glimpse into a time when the men of physics were turning the world on its head.  

March

636.7 KER
Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote
Kelly, Wyoming is in Grand Teton National Park, bordering the National Elk Refuge. Writer and outdoorsman Ted Kerasote lived a solitary life there until a stray Labrador-mix approached him on a camping trip and all but announced, “Hi, I’m your dog.”  Ted’s kinship with his new best friend led him to examine the social behavior of Merle and his ancestors. Are dogs self-aware? Can they “lie?”  Most importantly, if you don’t always insist that your dog be submissive, who will he become? After Kerasote provided Merle with the freedom of a dog door, he blossomed into a roving ambassador and the unofficial “mayor” of Kelly.  The story of their life together and of the keen understanding that developed between them is lovingly portrayed in this most intimate of dog stories.

917.3 GEI
Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small-Town America by Bill Geist
Just how small is “small-town America?”  Consider Monowi, Nebraska, population: 1. In Bill Geist’s latest book of humorous travel essays, we meet Elsie Eiler, Monowi’s sole resident, mayor, police chief, librarian, and bartender. The award-winning CBS correspondent shares over two dozen more quirky stories of people he’d like us to get to know.  There’s Charlie Chamberlain, who delivers mail 2500 feet straight down the sheer walls of the Grand Canyon to the Havasupai Indian tribe residing on the Canyon’s floor. In “geographically challenged” Whalen, Minnesota, (population: 62) local businessman David Harrenstein organized a standstill parade where the “crowd” strolls around, admiring the stationary participants. Geist engagingly chronicles life in what he calls “fly-over America,” the places most travelers never set foot in, as he celebrates the uncelebrated among us.

976.85 JOU
Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan
Tennessee native Carolyn Jourdan was living a high-powered life as a U.S. Senate lawyer. She felt she was doing important work in the nation’s capital and making a difference. Then she got an urgent call – her mom was sick and she was desperately needed to fill in “for a few days” as a receptionist at her dad’s rural medical practice.  She quickly learned to minister to a parade of colorful Southern characters, but yearned to return to the fast track. As days turned into months, Carolyn’s father and their down-home Smoky Mountain neighbors taught her patience, humility, introspection, and the real meaning of making a difference – one person at a time. This heartwarming, funny, and restorative memoir is a life lesson and a reading pleasure.

February

381.141 HAR
Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart
“Do you remember the best summer of your life?”  This question introduces us to the story of a magical summer in the author’s life, vividly recalled sixty years later.  In 1945 Marjorie (Jacobson) Hart and her sorority sister from the University of Iowa traveled to New York City in search of summer employment and were hired to work as pages at Tiffany and Company, becoming the first female employees ever to work on the sales floor. Readers share their emotions at being in this sophisticated environment, meeting Tiffany’s famous customers, and seeing history against the backdrop of World War II-era New York.  This book will appeal to those who enjoy lighthearted nostalgic memoirs.

598.93 GES
Soaring with Fidel:  An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond by David Gessner
The author has written a fascinating account of his attempt to follow the migration of ospreys on their 7000-mile annual journey.  Taking a hiatus from his position as a college professor, he begins on Cape Cod in September and ends in Venezuela, stopping at numerous locations to monitor the ospreys’ progress. Suspense is created by a friendly rivalry with a BBC crew, simultaneously filming a documentary.  Renaming his favorite bird Fidel, he is able to reach Cuba’s La Gran Piedra, a massive rock in the Santiago Mountains, observing hundreds of ospreys in flight.   Nature lovers and those who enjoy books about adventure travel will become involved with the author’s quest.  

916.2 MAH
Down the Nile:  Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney
The adventure in this book is more in overcoming cultural barriers than natural ones as the author, a resident of Rhode Island, pursues her ambition of rowing a boat by herself down the Nile River.  What is considered a form of exercise in the United States is unheard of and dangerous for a woman tourist in Egypt, but Ms. Mahoney succeeds in securing a boat and embarking on her journey.  Her encounters with Egyptians and observations of their everyday life are described, along with impressions of the culture written by famous Nile tourists of the 1800’s such as Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert.  All of these elements turn the author’s simple idea into an absorbing personal saga.

January

362.41 KUR
Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See by Robert Kurson
“Amazing” is a word that that has been trivialized by overuse, but this is the account of a life for which the word is truly apt. It is the story of Mike May, whose early-onset blindness did not hinder his pioneer spirit. He embraced challenges at every turn and was content to crash through life to satisfy his curiosity about the world. He became an award-winning speed skier, an inventor and an entrepreneur, and lived a full life as a blind man. When he was told that there was a procedure that could restore his eyesight he wondered if the risk of the surgery was worth the reward. Eventually his need to know tilted the scales, he submitted to the procedure, and the real adventure began. He regained his vision, but with unexpected results. This is an edge-of-your seat story, written by the author of the bestselling Shadow Divers. Don’t miss it.

364.1523 DRE
Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R, Drennan
Frank Lloyd Wright was a magnet for controversy. Raised by the ultimate stage mother, his ego knew no bounds. This book offers a good introduction to his life and the Arts and Crafts movement that influenced his creation of the Prairie style of architecture. The narrative focuses on the period of time when the young architect’s reputation was growing and he lived in Oak Park with his wife and six children. One local commission was for the Cheney family. In the process of planning a new home, Wright and Mamah Cheney fell in love and ran off together. Later, Wright had Taliesen built for her in Spring Green, Wisconsin, where they lived happily for several years. One summer day Mrs. Cheney, her children and four others living at the house became victims of a gruesome mass murder. The story is told within the context of the times and the author has taken pains to extensively document his work. However, his style is conversational and engaging. Anyone interested in Wright, architecture or true crime should be captivated by this short book. 

781.66092 ZEV
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon by Crystal Zevon
Readers of a certain age will remember Warren Zevon as the singer/songwriter of such rock classics as “Werewolves of London” and “Lawyers, Guns and Money.” His life is worthy of its own musical saga. Zevon lived in southern California during the early 1970s and was part of the group of music hopefuls that included Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne. Zevon’s recording sessions included almost everyone of note on the music scene at that time. He wrote his most memorable hits under the influence of an excess of drugs and alcohol. The book is an oral history with contributions by people who knew or worked with him, most names familiar to any rock fan. This treatment offers a vivid picture of a life that was often out-of-control, and the book is a roller-coaster ride with a not always admirable companion. As he said himself, “I got to be Jim Morrison longer than Jim Morrison.” Often outrageous, this account captures a time and reveals the life of an idiosyncratic rock musician.