The Touch: A Novella by Randall Wallace

Imagine having a gift that you cannot give?  At this time of year giving is a priority on the minds of many people.  This novella by Randall Wallace will bring you warm feelings as you read.  Randall Wallace's book is spiritual, but not preachy.  The book has an element of sadness, suspense, and surprise that is perfect for this time of year.  I started reading this short book on a late Saturday afternoon and finished the book by evening with warm thoughts and a new perspective.  Take a moment to watch Randall Wallace's video:  Video Trailer

Have a wonderful, restful December break!

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

Emily and Chip Linton move with their twin girls to a Victorian house in a small town in New Hampshire after Chip's plane crashes, killing thirty-nine people. The family hopes that this move will help Chip recover from his dreams and nightmares, and they look forward to a fresh start for the family. After they move in, Chip discovers a strange door in the basement with thirty-nine carriage bolts, and they learn that many of their neighbors are herbalists with greenhouses. The women in the town pay special attention to Hallie and Garnet, the twin daughters.

This is a ghost story and will keep you turning the pages, but it is also about the demons that haunt us in our own lives. Chris Bohjalian has written many other excellent books such as Midwives and The Double Bind.

The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

The story of The Lotus Eaters unfolds during the fall of Saigon as America is pulling out of the Vietnam War. The story centers around Helen Adams, a female freelance photographer, and the men in her life. The book begins near the end of the story as we see Helen and her Vietnamese husband attempt to escape from the chaos of a city in ruins. The story then goes back years to Helen's arrival in Vietnam as a novice photographer, and we meet Sam Darrow, another photographer addicted to the violence and war around him.

This is an unforgettable story, and Soli's beautiful prose will leave you thinking about the book long after you have closed the last page. This is an ideal choice for book clubs.

The Digital Mom Handbook

The subtitle explains it all - How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet, and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home.

If you are interested in social media and have a passion about which you want to write, this is the book for you. It starts with examples of Moms who have turned blogs into interesting and fulfilling careers just by sharing what they love, and it ends with a crash course in social media. In between it talks about how to "hang your shingle," how to find your audience, and how to make sure this new interest doesn't take over your life.

This book isn't as much about making money as it is about sharing ideas. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to know how to get started, this offers some good first steps.

It is available in the Harpeth Hall School Library for you to check out. Enjoy!

In the Garden of the Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin

My fascination with Holocaust books drew me to read Erik Larson’s In the Garden of the Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin. I begin by telling you the book is long – 464 pages. But the book of “novelistic history” as Amazon describes it, is eye opening. Larson’s novel focuses on two characters, William E. Dodd, who became the United States Ambassador to Germany in 1933, and his daughter Martha. The story begins with a detailed account of how Dodd came to being named the Ambassador. After Dodd and his family arrive in Germany the reader is then brought into Martha’s free and somewhat outrageous lifestyle of socializing and mingling with spies and members of Hitler’s elite. What I came to realize while reading this novel is that even though I knew the inevitable outcome, I certainly knew very little about how Hitler came to power and how he successfully manipulated the Germans. I also was perplexed and perhaps a bit angry at the way Dodd’s messages and concerns were generally ignored by the United States government. As I read the book I kept thinking, why didn’t the Americans take Hitler seriously?

I also pondered why Larson would tell the story of Dodd and include his daughter Martha’s escapades. I believe the answer is that Martha gave the book a diversion from Dodd, who in many ways was kind of mundane. As I read the book I wondered what will Martha do next. Which is probably exactly the reason Larson included Martha in the historical account of Hitler’s rise to power and Dodd’s difficult assignment as Ambassador. Larson’s work is based on true historical facts. At one point in the story I researched Dodd’s assignment as Ambassador because I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading. The information presented, though somewhat unbelievable was in fact correct! Larson’s work is well researched, factual and definitely attention grabbing. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical novels. Many of the reviews state this book is one of the best of 2011. I certainly learned a lot about the beginnings of Hitler’s reign of terror by reading this novel.

State of Wonder

Dr. Marina Singh is a research scientist for a pharmaceutical company.  When her mentor, Dr. Anders Eckman, dies while on assignment in Brazil, she heads to Brazil to confront Dr. Swenson who is working in Brazil to develop a valuable drug for the company.  It has been discovered that women in the Lakashi tribe are able to bear children into their 70's, and Dr. Swenson is investigating this in the hopes that a fertility drug could be profitable for the drug company.  Dr. Singh begins her exotic journey into the jungle of Brazil, and the moment she arrives discovers that all of her personal items have been stolen!  This is an excellent novel, and quite an adventure.  It would be a great choice for book clubs, as it also deals with philosophical and moral issues.

Gringo Nightmare by Eric Volz