February's Book: Wind, Sand, and Stars

...by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

You can either say we forgot about January's book, or you can say we gave you a head start on February's book. We hope you're all glass-half-full type people, because this month we have a happy book...

Wind, Sand, and Stars is a celebration of flight by France's "Winged Poet," Antoine de Saint-Exupery, whose most famous book is The Little Prince. Saint-Exupery was a pilot his whole adult life, flying in the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and as a commercial pilot to exotic lands. He had to beg the French government to let him fly in WWII, as his writings had made him a "national treasure." He wrote several books about flying, and he ultimately disappeared over the Mediterranean while flying a reconnaissance mission to spy German troop positions.

Here's the synopsis from Amazon:
Recipient of the Grand Prix of the Académie Française, Wind, Sand, and Stars captures the grandeur, danger, and isolation of flight. Its exciting account of air adventure, combined with lyrical prose and the spirit of a philosopher, makes it one of the most popular works ever written about flying.

December's Book: A Christmas Memory

...by Truman Capote.

This one is technically a short story--actually, you can get the entire text online here: http://www.geocities.com/cyber_explorer99/capotechristmas.html

I think. Unless I'm missing something...

Anyway, here's a synopsis from Amazon.com:
A Christmas Memory is the classic memoir of Truman Capote's childhood in rural Alabama. Until he was ten years old, Capote lived with distant relatives. This book is an autobiographical story of those years and his frank and fond memories of one of his cousins, Miss Sook Faulk.

Thanks for the submission, Sharon!

November's Book: The Speed of Dark

I'm sure everyone out there knows someone with some degree of autism, and it's fascinating and incomprehensible. I just read in a magazine article the other night that "One in 166 children in the US are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder today, as compared to one in 10,000 in the 1980s." I wanted to understand more about it, and I came across this novel, "The Speed of Dark," by Elizabeth Moon.

Plot summary
Lou is a bioinformatics specialist, and high-functioning autistic, who has made a good life for himself. A new manager at the firm where he works puts pressure on the department where many autistic people work. Lou is pressured to undergo an experimental treatment that might "cure" his autism. Lou does not think he needs curing, but he risks losing his job and other accommodations the company has put in place for its autistic employees.

October's Book: Something Wicked This Way Comes

...by Ray Bradbury.

It is about two boys, named Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, who have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October. The mysterious and sinister carnival is presided over by Mr. Dark, a man who bears a tattoo for every person who, enticed by the offer of living out one's secret fantasies, has become part of the show — many unwillingly. Countering Mr. Dark's malevolent presence is Will's father, who finds his own life force tempered by middle-age melancholy.

(I have read several places that this novel is considered a "companion" piece to Dandelion Wine, a great favorite of mine, and something I had never heard before. I have missed this one far too long, I think!)

September's Book: The Diary of Adam and Eve

The book is The Diary of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain.

I don't know how many times I have read excerpts from "The Diary of Adam" or "The Diary of Eve"--many, many times--and I have been wanting to read the entire thing for a long time. So why not now?

So I found it at the library just a day or two ago and checked it out. And let me say--it isn't a proper "book"--it's really just a bunch of short stories put together in a book, but oh, is it delightful!

August's Book: Man Who Was Thursday

This one comes to us from the mind of Sharon (thanks, Sharon!): Man Who Was Thursday by
G. K. Chesterton.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Perhaps best-known to the general public for his Father Brown detective series, G. K. Chesterton was renowned for his wit, rhetorical brilliance, and talent for ingenious paradox. Those qualities are lavishly displayed in this funny, fast-paced novel about a club of anarchists in turn-of-the-twentieth-century London. Ostensibly a story of mystery and espionage, it's also--on a deeper level--a vehicle for social, religious, and philosophical commentary.

July's Book: Our Only May Amelia

Our Only May Amelia, a Newberry Honor Book by Jennifer L. Holm, has been suggested by Rebecca (when I asked for a suggestion two months ago, she gave me two books, and this is the second! Thanks, Rebecca!)

Here's a synopsis:
May Amelia is the only girl in the Jackson family and the only girl ever born along the Nasel River. Her family, including seven brothers, refers to her as the 'Miracle.' Sometimes it is great being referred to as the miracle, other times it is plain maddening. May Amelia thinks the real 'miracle' would be if the baby her mother is expecting turns out to be a girl. Will May Amelia be the only miracle? Or will the new baby be the sister she is wishing for?