Congratulations Khaled Hosseini! This week's New York Times best-selling books

Congratulations to marvelous author Khaled Hosseini, whose "A Thousand Splendid Suns" -- our book club pick for June, is No. 1 on The New York Times' best-selling list.

Here are the top 10 hardcover fiction books for this week:

1 . A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, by Khaled Hosseini. (Riverhead, $25.95.) A friendship between two women in Afghanistan against the backdrop of 30 years of war.

2. THE QUICKIE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) A police officer’s attempt to get back at her husband, whom she suspects of cheating on her, goes dangerously awry.

3. HIGH NOON, by Nora Roberts. (Putnam, $26.95.) A hostage negotiator must face down her unknown stalker.

4. THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, by James Lee Burke. (Simon & Schuster, $26.) The Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux copes with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

5. LEAN MEAN THIRTEEN, by Janet Evanovich. (St. Martin’s, $27.95.) The New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum becomes a suspect when her ex-husband disappears.

6. UP CLOSE AND DANGEROUS, by Linda Howard. (Ballantine, $25.95.) After a suspicious plane crash, a woman struggles to find a way out of the Idaho wilderness.

7. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT, by Brad Thor. (Atria, $25.95.) Scot Harvath, a Homeland Security superagent, is stalked by a terrorist mysteriously released from Guantánamo.

8 . SOMEONE TO LOVE, by Jude Deveraux. (Atria, $25.95.) A haunted house in England holds the key to a young woman’s mysterious death.

9 . THE JUDAS STRAIN, by James Rollins. (Morrow, $25.95.) Sigma Force operatives trained in science search for the secret behind the re-emergence of an ancient plague.

10. BUNGALOW 2, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte, $27.) A writer must deal with the effects of Hollywood success on her family life.

For the complete list, visit http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html.

This week, our book club pick for August, "Water for Elephants" is No. 1 on the Paperback Fiction list!

What is your patronus?

Dear friend Regan White asks that question on her great blog, visit http://www.regansrants.com/.

I can't believe she took my seahorse! I had visions of Aquaman and my Avon toothbrush, circa three years old, but alas a new moniker must be found.

I do however love the idea of recognizing that there are always dementors amongst us. I'm not in for labelling, however it does reduce the stress of thinking you can reason with them. Who would want to be friends with a dementor? Only another dementor!

Potter update No. 3/What house do you belong to?

I'm not as far ahead as I had wanted to. I'm still middling about in the mid 300s but it makes me ponder what is it about Harry's story that has captivated the world over? Could it be that we long for a magical world beneath our mundane existance? There must be more to life than working and daily routines. Harry reminds us that we are more than what we think we are and capable of extraordinary things.

While I get back to the book, feel free to take the Sorting Hat test and see which house you belong to.

I took two of them and the results were the same:

I'm quite surprised! I think everyone wants to be part of Gryffndor.

But alas, I'm quite happy. The description of Ravenclaw's students says:

The sorting hat says that I belong in Ravenclaw!

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose intelligence is surest."

Ravenclaw students tend to be clever, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable.
Notable residents include Cho Chang and Padma Patil (objects of Harry and Ron's affections), and Luna Lovegood (daughter of The Quibbler magazine's editor).

Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

Potter update No. 2

It's 7 p.m. and do I know where my Potter book is? It's in my bag, by the door and after a long week I can't wait to dive into it.

While I check out what happens to Harry and his friends, check out this great interview USA Today did with author J.K. Rowling by clicking http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2007-07-25-jk-rowling_N.htm

Potter update No. 1

First of all, major kudos to the fine people at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at Charlotte's SouthPark mall for an awesome Potter party. It was the finest I've seen with more than 1,000 people who were all entertained and thrilled while waiting for Midnight. I can't remember having that much fun in a long time. My dear friend and colleague Regan White said she found it truly heartwarming to see such mayhem and excitement surrounding reading!

I scooped up my book and rushed home and read the first two chapters. By 2 a.m., I was snockered and had to sleep. By the time my one eye opened at 8 a.m., I couldn't wait to reach over and start reading again.

I'm only going to talk about where I am in the book without giving away major plot points. Nothing is worse than trying to stay away from all the hoopla. I was at Borders last night and the coffee servers were chatting about the book as if everyone has finished it. At 700-something pages, not likely. It's only Thursday! If one didn't have work, family and life stuff to take care of, inhaling the book would be a breeze.

Best thing so far...it feels like Dan Brown wrote the book instead of J.K. Rowling. I have the utmost respect for Rowling but, truth be told, I have found many of her previous Potter books to be slow and plodding. Even downright boring. That's why I, like my friend Kate Bacon, have loved the movies.

But"Deathly Hallows" is very different. From the first chapter the reader is engrossed! And what a thrill to have a can't-put-down book again. Ah, reading!

It's a lot like falling in love. You constantly hope this will be the one and then when it happens, it takes your breath away.

I'm leaving now to go back to get in another chapter. I'm at Chapter 15. More soon!

August 2007 book club selection: "Water for Elephants"

We're reading the phenomenal best-selling book "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen for August. Hope to see you all Monday, August 20 at 7 p.m., at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at SouthPark. To R.S.V.P., visit http://www.thecharlotteweekly.com/.

The novel, told in flashback by Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression. When 23-year-old Jankowski learns that his parents have been killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless, he drops out of Cornell veterinary school and parlays his expertise with animals into a job with the circus, where he cares for a menagerie of exotic creatures, including an elephant who only responds to Polish commands. He also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers-a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for. This is a book filled with characters you will not forget!

To discuss the book, click on the comment section.

Author Will Allison

Photo courtesy of Lizzie Himmel

What a cool, cool guy! From now on, I'm going to have to start taping our author chats -- it was one I think all readers would have loved. I think I may even like the author even more than his book (if that's possible.) Talking to the author after reading the book actually gives one an incredible sense of completion. You finally get to ask, "What were you thinking in chapter x, what made you do this, how much you do you love or hate your characters?"

Allison's book was our featured pick for July. The author was funny, charming and witty. If I were casting the movie about him, I'd choose scrumdelicious Michael Varnet from "Alias." He had such great insight into his characters. As a stay-at-home dad, he wakes up at 4 a.m. to get into a regular rhythm of writing. Then when he gets stuck he said he reads.

He said he found it difficult to remember the title of his debut book, "What You Have Left" and thought that it sounded like a lot of other titles out there. But soon he realized how it was truly a theme for all his characters. I think what I love most about "What You Have Left" was how raw he was. The chapter where an ancilliary character muffs out his young collicky son was so heartbreakingly honest, it was breathtaking.

Allison said his dream is to see someone reading his book on the subway. Go out and pick up a copy and start reading. You won't only make his dream come true, you'll also enjoy some memorable fiction you forget for awhile.

Allison is currently working on his second novel which is set in New Jersey. Learn more about him at www.willallison.com.

What CEOs read

Ever wonder what tycoons read? It's incredible how personal reading is and you never know how those thoughts on the page intertwine with your own thoughts, words and actions.

New York Times writer Harriet Rubin interviewed several brilliant CEOs to find out what they read. For more, click the title of this post.

What are you reading now?

What are you reading this summer? Tell us your favorite book or help select our next book club pick. Post your comments here or e-mail me at alisonwoo@yahoo.com.

Potter pandemonium

Anticipation builds over book’s final installment
by Siva Ramesh and Alison Woo

In the Charlotte area, the signs have become clearer as the end draws near. The bookstores have laid out their witch hats, wands and brooms. Bookstores around the Queen City are barely suppressing excitement over nothing less than the most coveted book this year—the seventh and final Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Potter pandemonium begins this week with the release of the “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” movie. In the meantime, bookstores around the area are getting ready to party.

Bewitching night
In Charlotte, Barnes & Noble at Sharon Corners on Fairview Road will fill a model train with Berts jellybeans to prepare for the release at midnight on Friday, July 20. Local Borders also will have a midnight celebration with a Harry Potter costume party and potion-making classes. But the largest event in the Charlotte area will be Joseph-Beth Booksellers’ “Marauding at Midnight” party.

The signature event will include a concert with Seth Boulton & the Dream Machine, in an homage to a band Dumbledore selected for a concert. Other attractions include a hedgemaze and kits that determine who is a dark wizard. Bronte’s Bistro will offer treats for adults including Hufflepuff muffins and Butterbeer.

At the 2005 event to promote Potter scribe J.K. Rowling’s previous tome, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the store had more than 1,000 visitors – at least that many are expected this year. “Charlotte readers tend to make their decisions at the last minute but we encourage people to buy tickets before the event,” said Jamie Thurman, the store’s public relations coordinator.

If staying up late isn’t your thing, consider Park Road Books who will open at 8 a.m. Saturday . “We think more people will want to be fresh and ready to read Saturday morning. We’re planning to be the place for those readers,” said Park Road Books co-owner Frazer Dobson, who plans to have plenty of copies on hand.

Most branches of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County will hold Harry Potter-themed events, ranging from showings of Harry Potter movies and costume parties to a huge release celebration at ImaginOn, where fans can purchase copies of the book, learn about owls and play a Harry Potter trivia game.

For more information on any of the stores mentioned in this article, visit the following:
Joseph-Beth Booksellers, http://www.josephbeth.com/; Park Road Books, http://www.parkroadbooks.com/; Borders, http://www.bordersstores.com/; and Barnes & Noble, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

If you are interested in visiting a library branch for a Harry Potter event, go to www.plcmc.org/programs/harrypotterprograms.asp. Some events require registration.

July 2007 Featured Book Club Pick: What You Have Left

Meet Will Allison. A native of Columbia, S.C., and a former Charlotte resident, Allison’s debut novel “What You Have Left,” released this June from Simon & Schuster’s Free Press, is taking readers by storm in 210 unforgettable pages.

Take me home, country road

Allison tells the story of Holly Greer, whose father, Wylie, leaves her in the care of her grandfather on the day of her mother’s funeral in 1976. Thirty years pass before Holly sees her father again. Through Holly’s search to reconnect with her dad, Allison deftly weaves the stories of three generations grappling with the effects of love, loss, disappointment and forgiveness. Set in the author’s hometown, the book’s country roads and NASCAR dirt tracks echo the coarse exterior of the novel’s characters and belie the story’s strong undercurrent of emotion.

The book was eight years in the making, beginning with a short story that became the novel’s penultimate chapter. “I asked myself, ‘What else do I want to know about these characters?’” Allison said. “Then I wrote each succeeding chapter using whatever time period and focal character best allowed me to answer that question. The method was a bit haphazard, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle or a collage.”

Allison, who now lives in South Orange, N.J., with his wife and daughter, admitted that a fair amount of the novel’s setting came from his South Carolina childhood. “My dad was a big NASCAR fan; he knew Cale Yarborough as a teenager and volunteered as a track steward at Columbia Speedway in the 1960s,” he recounted. “He used to take me and my brother to races all over the South.” In addition to racing research, Allison’s father read over the manuscript to make sure the facts were straight.

The description of the farm belonging to Holly’s grandfather, Cal, was inspired by Allison’s grandfather’s dairy farm on the outskirts of Columbia. “My grandfather’s full name was William Elmer Allison, same as mine, but he went by ‘Skeet,’ after the sound of cow’s milk hitting the pail,” Allison explained. “I wish I could have named Holly’s grandfather Skeet, which I’ve always loved as a name, but Cal (the character) isn’t at all like Skeet, and it would have just been too weird.”

A good story

The former executive editor of Story and a staff member at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Allison has penned short stories that have appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, Glimmer Train, One Story, Kenyon Review and other magazines. He has taught creative writing at various universities and, in addition to working as a freelance editor, writer and ghostwriter, also has been everything from a busboy and landscaper to a process server and baseball card dealer.

Given his past of “cobbling together whatever work” he could, Allison is grateful for the chance to write and the warm reception his debut novel has received. “It’s so hard for first novels to get attention,” he said. “Mostly I’m just grateful to the readers and booksellers who’ve taken to the book, and to Free Press, which has done a bang-up job publishing it.” He is currently working on another novel, set in New Jersey, for Free Press.

As for “What You Have Left,” Allison said, “I hope (readers) find it compelling and moving,” he said. “That’s all I’m ever shooting for – to tell a good story.”

Want to go?

Join the Charlotte Weekly Book Club on Monday, July 23, at 7 p.m., for a phone chat with Will Allison and a discussion of “What You Have Left.” R.S.V.P. for the event at www.thecharlotteweekly.com.

June 2007 Featured Book Club Pick: A Thousand Splendid Suns

The success of a best-selling book can be a double-edged sword. Khaled Hosseini’s first book, “The Kite Runner,” became an international bestseller by spending 103 weeks perched at the top of the best-seller’s list. It also set the bar very high. Readers anticipating the author’s next book wondered if he could capture lightning in a bottle. Hosseini’s latest book, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” actually manages to do something few authors can: follow up a best-selling book with another probable one. This searing portrait of love, loss, friendship and survival is Charlotte Weekly’s book club selection for June.

Like his previous book, “Suns” is set in war-torn Afghanistan and focuses on the lives of Mariam and Laila, two women brought together by war and fate. As they endure dangers in the midst of their war-torn city, they form an inextricable bond with one another that helps them get through unimaginable circumstances. Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to self-sacrifice — a decision that ultimately becomes the key to her survival. The story of a country at war is one that is a difficult story to tell. But it is Hosseini’s masterful ability to weave words as poetry that exalts their struggle and ultimately makes this literary classic a book that is difficult to put down.

Hosseini’s own life story is fodder for his literary prowess. He was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965 to a father who was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and a mother who taught Farsi and history at a high school. After a short relocation to Paris, his family returned to Kabul in 1980 shortly after the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseini’s sought and were granted political asylum in the United States and moved to San Jose, Calif. Hosseini became a doctor but used his background in Afghanistan as the backdrop of his first novel, “The Kite Runner” in March 2001. Last year in recognition of his ability to capture the essence of refugees’ plight, a United Nations Refugee Agency named him a goodwill envoy.

Join Charlotte Weekly Monday, June 25, at 7 p.m. at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at SouthPark to discuss this story you won’t soon forget. R.S.V.P. at www.thecharlotteweekly.com.

Book review: "This Year I Will..."

‘This Year I Will… How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution or Make a Dream Come True’ by M.J. Ryan

When was the last time you thought of your New Year’s resolutions? With just eight months left in 2007, there might not be a better time to determine if this is how you want to live the rest of the year.

Books can change lives by inspiring or saying something to you at the right time. “The Year I Will…” shows readers the steps to take if they want to change and how to make that change permanent.

“The human mind is conditioned to make choices that are easy, known or safe,” said author M.J. Ryan. Known to the publishing world as the editor who launched the “random acts of kindness” trend, Ryan said the lack of illumination in her own life inspired her to make a major change. She began practicing the stuff her books preached and went from “a very negative person to one that finds joy in everything, everyday,” she said. “I was 50 years old and had never exercised a day in my life but I realized that if I wanted to be around for the next 10 years and beyond, something had to give.”

Ryan was inspired by medical data which showed that even after life-threatening events, only 10 percent of patients who had suffered from a heart attack made permanent changes. She began to wonder just what it would take to really make people change.

“Fear can only be used as a motivator for the short term,” she noted. “In order to make long-term changes stick you have to have positive incentives.” Ryan breaks the sometime-scary concept of change into three easily digestible sections: preparing to change, getting into action and keeping going. And if readers just need to jump into making these changes, they can skip to the end where she offers “12 tips to keep your promise to yourself.”

Ryan suggests picking just one big goal at a time and working on it until you reach the finish line. Feel inspired? E-mail me at alison@thecharlotteweekly.com and let me know what you’ve decided to change this year.

Pick up the book at Charlotte Weekly’s display at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at SouthPark

May 2007 Featured Book Club Pick: "Special Topics in Calamity Physics"

Charlotte Weekly’s ‘Speaking Volumes’ book club pick for May is completely different than any other book we’ve ever read before. This Ashville author Marisha Pessl’s first novel took critics by storm. I interviewed her shortly after her hardcover came out last summer the day before Janet Maslin of the New York Times published her review of Pessl’s work. It’s amazing what a difference a day can make! Overnight Pessl went from dreaming to be a novelist while slaving away at her day job in financial services to a celebrated writer.

Pessl’s book received rave reviews, both by myself and Maslin, who loved the freshness and invention of Pessl’s voice. “Special Topics in Calamity Physics” is modeled after the syllabus of a college literature course—36 chapters are named after everything from Othello to Paradise Lost to The Big Sleep—that culminates with a final exam. Narrator Blue Van Meer, the daughter of an itinerant academic, has an impressive vocabulary and a knack for esoteric citation. Following the mysterious death of her butterfly-obsessed mother, Blue and her father, Gareth, set out on a tour of picturesque college towns, never staying anyplace longer than a semester. This doesn't bode well for Blue's social life, but when the Van Meers settle in Stockton, N.C., for the entirety of Blue's senior year, she befriends a group of eccentric geniuses (referred to by their classmates as the Bluebloods) and their ringleader, film studies teacher Hannah Schneider. As Blue becomes enmeshed with Hannah and the Bluebloods, the novel becomes a murder mystery so intricately plotted that, after absorbing the late-chapter revelations, readers will be tempted to start again at the beginning in order to watch the tiny clues fall into place.

Think of this book as taking the best elements of Harry Potter and Agatha Christie twisted together with a dash of Vanity Fair magazine for pop-culture mentions. Last year, the book was named one of the New York Times’ best ten books for 2006.

Pessl, a native of Ashville, will join our book club meeting to talk about her exhilarating ride to success and the inspiration for one of the most unconventional and unusual books of the year. Join us for dessert and coffee on Monday, May 21 at 7 p.m., at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at SouthPark to discuss this brilliant book. R.S.V.P. by visiting http://www.josephbeth.com/.

April 2007 Featured Book Club Pick: "A Light on the Runway"

“A Light on the Runway” by Janet Haack

One of the most intriguing qualities about Janet Haack is the life she has led. Acknowledged as a community leader and patron of the arts, Haack may not be as widely recognized for the adventuress’s heart that beats beneath her persona. She tells her inspiring stories in her new book, “A Light on the Runway,” Charlotte Weekly’s book selection for April.

Definitely a woman well before her time, in 1955 Haack studied women’s journalism while many of her peers were at home giving birth to the baby boomers. She credits her father for choosing that path for her and her sister after focusing on opportunities available to women in the postwar boom. After marrying, Janet and husband Donald bundled up into their two-seater plane and flew to British Guiana where they learned firsthand about mining and trading precious gems. That legacy and knowledge became the foundation of a legendary career.

After more than 50 years of marriage, Haack says that being each other’s best friend was one of the secrets to the couple’s success. “We learned to depend on one another in a way we might not have if we were living a conventional life,” she said. “When you’re in the States, you have support people like a (parent), a (sibling) or a friend. We learned to be all of that for each other.”

“Runway” is the female perspective of their adventure saga. Donald wrote “Bush Pilot in Diamond Country” about their life together. But after reading the book, many wondered how a woman could live through such adventures and hardships and still raise a family. Hence, the book “Runway” was born.

The two continue to work together as owners of Donald Haack Diamonds in SouthPark. The store offers everything from everyday jewelry to magnificent gems and everything in between.

The author says she’s the first to concede that their life together – surviving in the jungles of South America and readjusting to “normal” life in the States – has been challenging. If you’ve ever dreamed of living exotic adventures, this book offers an honest appraisal of what it takes to live your dreams.

Meet the author
Join Charlotte Weekly at an exclusive cocktail party with author Janet Haack at Donald Haack Diamonds at 4611 Sharon Road on Monday, April 16, at 7 p.m. Seating is limited to the first 25 readers who R.S.V.P. us at http://www.thecharlotteweekly.com/

For more on the author, visit http://www.donaldhaack.com/.

– Alison Woo

March 2007: Eat, Pray, Love

Every story of finding one’s self starts with a quest. It’s enmeshed in all great tales from the sacred – Moses’ search in the desert – to the secular – Luke in “Star Wars.” The outer journey mirrors the inner journey; it is as if placing one foot in front of another helps one delve deeper into the heart, mind and soul.

When faced with a devastating divorce and a life that just wasn’t working, author Elizabeth Gilbert decided to plunge into new possibilities. The book, “Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia” is Gilbert’s bold pursuit for herself; it is also Charlotte Weekly’s book pick for March.

After trying unsuccessfully to conceive, Gilbert realized that there was a huge chasm between the idyllic life she fantasized about and the reality she lived. Following a divorce, she decided to trek to foreign lands where she hoped to be imbued by each chosen city’s unique offering to salve her soul. She chooses Rome to teach her about pleasure, Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to inspire her spiritual longings, and Bali to find balance.

What makes the book sing is Gilbert’s fresh voice, which transcends the “somebody done somebody wrong song” tone which self-help books can sometimes take, and vaults it into true introspective territory. During the yearlong journey, Gilbert learns about herself, and her quest may even inspire readers to begin a journey, even if from the safety of an armchair.

Gilbert is an accomplished writer and memoirist. Her story for GQ magazine about her early bartending days was made into the movie “Coyote Ugly” and it appears that lightning has struck twice: In November, Paramount Pictures announced plans to turn “Eat, Pray, Love” into a movie starring Julia Roberts.

Join CW’s book club as we meet to discuss “Eat, Pray, Love” on Monday, Mar. 19, at 7 p.m., at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in SouthPark. R.S.V.P by visiting http://www.thecharlotteweekly.com/.

January 2007: Pride and Predjudice

A new year and an old book!

January we read one of my all-time favorites: Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austen.

The story of love found, lost and won is a classic that rings true to every romantic. If you don't have time to read the book, run, don't walk, to Blockbuster or Netflix the A & E version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Don't even bother with last year's remake with Kiera Knightly. The six-hour miniseries captures Austen's light and beauty and I think Jane, herself, would approve greatly!

My Top 10 Books of 2006

What's a year in review if you can't have lists?

This past year was a banner one for books. From series endings to noteworthy
nonfiction to brilliant literary debuts, 2006 offered it all and then some.

Here’s Charlotte Weekly/Union County Weekly’s list of this year’s
favorites.

10. “A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveler” by Frances Mayes. Broadway Books, $26.

Mayes, also the author of “Under the Tuscan Sun,” uses her venerable talent on other exotic locales and captures the nuances and subtleties that make travel books such enchanting reads.

9. “The End: Book the Thirteenth (A Series of Unfortunate Events)” by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist. HarperCollins Children’s Books, $12.99.

Fans of the famed Lemony Snicket series found that all good things do come to an end. And in this last book, aptly named “The End,” the book found its just desserts. Too delicious to put down, even for adults!

8. “The Audrey Hepburn Treasures: Pictures and Mementos from a Life of Style and Purpose” by Ellen Erwin and Jessica Diamond. Atria Books, $49.95.

Before Angelina Jolie made caring for the world’s forgotten children a cause célèbre, Hepburn raised awareness of humanitarian causes. The proceeds from this incredibly inventive and well-designed book go directly to her UNICEF fund.

7. “State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III” by Bob Woodward. Simon & Schuster, $30.

The journalist who wrote so eloquently for the Washington Post and broke the story of Watergate continues his series on another president. This book looks at the first days George W. Bush thought seriously about running for president through the recruitment of his national security team, the war in Afghanistan, the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the struggle for political survival in the second term.

6. “Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Viking, $24.95.

Gilbert tries to mend a broken heart, induced by divorce and love gone awry, by traveling to three centers that offer rejuvenation for her spirit, mind and body. Ultimately on her search for both pleasure and passion, she finds romance, but that’s the bonus of this earthy read.

5. “Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany” by Bill Buford. Knopf, $25.95.

Love The Food Network? Wonder what it takes to become a world-famous chef? Journalist Buford takes readers into the kitchen of chef extraordinaire Mario Batali and acclaimed New York restaurant “Babbo.” The drama and great characters in this book alone are worth it for
even nonfoodies.

4. “Brothers” by Da Chen. Crown, $25.

At the height of China’s Cultural Revolution, a powerful general fathered
two sons. Tan was born to the general’s wife and into a life of comfort and luxury.
His half brother, Shento, was born to the general’s mistress, who threw herself off a
cliff in the mountains only moments after delivering her child. The brothers end up
falling in love with the same woman and move toward the explosive moment when
their paths converge.

3. “Special Topics in Calamity Physics” by Marisha Pessl. Viking,
$25.95.

North Carolina native Pessl’s first literary work – one of the most inventive books of
the year – made her a best-selling author. In this murder mystery set at a boarding
school, each chapter is named for a literary classic. Read this mostly for Pessl’s stylistic
writing and quick wit.

2. “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama. Crown, $25.
This sobering and visionary view on how the nation might tackle some of its most serious challenges comes from potential presidential candidate and current U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.

1. “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill,
$23.95.

This beautiful love story takes place during the Depression. Gruen said she
felt compelled to write “Water for Elephants” after seeing a photograph of circus performers during that era. “This is an era that’s disappearing from memory and it’s an important part of American history,” she said. The book is a delightful read with characters that remain on the mind long after the last page is read.

December 2006: The return of Adriana Trigiani

Turns out you can go home again.

Best-selling author Adriana Trigiani revisited her most succesful series with a great book, "Home to Big Stone Gap." The ever-gracious Adriana was a phone guest and is much beloved to our book club as she helped launch it in June 2006. Welcome home!

November 2006: The Mermaid Chair

This is an amazing book from the author of "The Secret Life of Bees," It was a true favorite of mine and we even had a chance to meet author Sue Monk Kidd at Myers Park Presbyterian Church. She was awesome! Sadly she wasn't able to join us at book club but Nancy Horn, our guest book club editor did a smashing job.