Friday, December 14, 2007

FOUR SEASONS IN ROME: ON TWINS, INSOMNIA AND THE BIGGEST FUNERAL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
by Anthony Doerr

Upon receiving an American Academy scholarship, Doerr, along with his wife and newborn twins, arrive in Rome for a year-long stay.
Doerr writes, lyrically, about being parents, having twins, learning Italian, eating the marvelous food, exploring the city and countryside, meeting Romans and falling in love with the Eternal City.
Four Seasons in Rome is a wonderful book, beautifully written.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

THE RIVER QUEEN
by Mary Morris

Morris, who teaches at Sarah Lawrence College, takes time off to journey down the Mississippi River. Her father has just died and she wants to seek out the places that he has told her about. She rents a houseboat and hires two men, named Tom and Jerry, to captain the boat.
The book is part travelogue and part memoir with an effortless writing style.
The River Queen is highly recommended.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

THE ADVERSARY: A TRUE STORY OF MONSTROUS DECEPTION
by Emmanuel Carrere

"On the Saturday morning of January 9, 1993, while Jean-Claude Romand was killing his wife and children, I was with mine in a parent-teacher meeting at the school attended by Gabriel, our eldest son."
So begins Emmanuel Carrere's The Adversary.
Jean-Claude Romand was a failure in life. His childhood was dysfunctional, he never held a job, stole money and was constantly in a depressed state. For years, he deceived his family and friends by his charade of pretending to be a doctor at the World Health Organization. Eventually his lies caught up with him.
The book is both riveting and disturbing and true crime at its best.
ASSEMBLING MY FATHER: A DAUGHTER'S DETECTIVE STORY
by Anna Cypra Oliver

Assembling My Father is not your run-of-the-mill, conventional, memoir. The author, who never knew her father (he committed suicide when she was quite young), searches for him via assorted memorabilia and interviews with old friends.
Many of the chapters have small black and white photos, printed on the pages, at odd angles, which adds to the flavor of her unique telling.
Ms. Oliver is an extraordinary writer.