Adult

Devoured this book and could write something clever, but Booklist said it best: “There is a richness and depth to Onyebuchi’s prose that delivers an intricate and textured world at once rife with violence and teeming with familial love…Onyebuchi demonstrates that dystopia for African-Americans in the U.S. resides in the recent past and continues today.”

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims – a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story – and survive this homecoming.

I got really lazy this past month and hunted for super-thin novels. This fit the bill, but what I didn’t expect was such a stunning book. Powerful writing, albeit not too uplifting (as is my preference).

Fascinating memoir of self-discovery that explores the rhythms, chance encounters, and ever-changing friendships of urban life that forge the sensibility of a fiercely independent woman who has lived out her conflicts, not her fantasies, in a city (New York) that has done the same.

Presenting ten transformative principles, this inspiring guide to creativity in the digital age will help readers discover their artistic side and build a more creative life. Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself through the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover your own path. A marvelous little book!

The more I read emails and letters, the quicker I realize the necessity for a thing called “grammar.” This classic is a treasure for its unique tone, wit and charm, which have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. More importantly, I appreciate its brevity! Great teaching doesn’t have to be verbose.

This may be the most important book you read this year; it certainly kicked me in the butt! Pressman’s brilliant quick read pleads with readers to go out and do what they are born to do. If you’re an actor, act! If you’re a painter, paint! Stop talking, and start doing. Sound advice for us all.

Touching memoir of one of my favorite actors (have you watched Back to the Future recently? It truly holds up; timeless classic). Fox details his journey with Parkinson’s disease, in this highly engaging and readable autobiography.

This book grabbed my attention for two reasons: (1) it is super-short (and I always like to be able to read an entire book in a day – or two hours!); and (2) it is considered “the” classic novelization of the Mexican Revolution, which I knew little about before diving into this book.

At eight years old, Burroughs profoundly misunderstood the meaning of Christmas. Now he shows how the holidays can bring out the worst in us and sometimes, just sometimes, the very best in this hilarious and irreverent – if not traditional – holiday classic.

Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses. And a serious bout of writer’s block sets in. Laced with humor, rich historical detail from Charles Dickens’ life, and clever winks to his work, Silva's novel is an irresistible new take on a cherished classic.

Have you had a really bad day – or year? This book is the perfect pick-me-up to get you laughing out loud. A wonderful gift to get you in the perfect mood for the upcoming new year.

Since I speak for a living, people often ask me how to do it. There are plenty of charlatans out there, but there are also some wonderful “givers” who provide useful guidance. Newman’s book is unbelievable, as he provides a roadmap for anyone interested in becoming a speaker. Read carefully: he has crammed a $10,000/year coaching program into a $20 book. If you don’t grab this treasure, you’re not serious about speaking. Even an old hack like me learned some practical tips!

Laura Hunt was the ideal modern woman: beautiful, elegant, highly ambitious, and utterly mysterious. No man could resist her charms – not even the hardboiled NYPD detective sent to find out who turned her into a faceless corpse. As this tough cop probes the mystery of Laura’s death, he becomes obsessed with her strange power. Soon he realizes he’s been seduced by a dead woman – or has he? Noir at its best! To paraphrase UCLA basketball coach John Wooden: the problem with new books is they keep us from reading the old ones. Femmes Fatales (publishing) restores to print the best of women’s writing in the classic pulp genres of the mid-20th century.

Couldn’t put this book down! Read it on a flight from Houston to Los Angeles, and I chuckled at Maher’s escapades with co-conspirators as they successfully invaded some of Hollywood’s biggest events. They know no fear, and I am convinced he needs to make this into a reality TV show (look for the Steven Seagal lookalike stories and the invalid having his “last supper” at a posh sushi restaurant beside the Farrelly brothers; they’re priceless!).