Western Reserve Academy
KWATCH
Reading Recommendations from the John D. Ong Library Faculty and Staff Recommendations: Beth Pethel recommends:
Thanks to all of the faculty and staff who contributed to this issue. Be sure to stop by the library to see the Bookwatch display as well as the Summer Reading display. There are plenty of treasures to keep you reading all summer. Congratulations to Patty Campbell The winner of the $20 gift card to Amazon.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop by Susan Cain
Talking
“At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer l listeningto speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled ‘quiet,’ it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.” (Amazon product description)
The Eight by Katherine Neville “A dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. Before heading off to a new assignment in Algeria, Cat has her palm read by a fortune-teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then an antiques dealer approaches Cat with a mysterious offer….” (Amazon product description)
Michael Morris recommends: This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff “This unforgettable memoir, by one of our most gifted writers, introduces us to the young Toby Wolff, by turns tough and vulnerable, crafty and bumbling, and ultimately winning.” (Amazon product description)
Anna Freeman recommends: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows “January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.” (Amazon product description)
Otis Bryant recommends: Beloved by Toni Morrison “Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has borne the unthinkable and not gone mad, yet she is still held captive by memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened.” (Amazon product description)
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Jeannie Kidera recommends:
Summer 2012 Issue 40
The Lives of Animals by J. M. Coetzee “It's an incredibly interesting examination of the self-legitimizing of and superiority felt by individual disciplines -- Derrida in action! It's also has a brilliant postmodern structure and makes challenging arguments about the treatment of animals (including people). Coetzee is a genius!”
Lee Blankenship recommends: First Family by David Baldacci “It began with what seemed like an ordinary children's birthday party…. This party, however, was far from ordinary. It was held at Camp David, the presidential retreat. And it ended with a daring kidnapping… which immediately turned into a national security nightmare.” (Amazon product description)
Jen Rinehart recommends: The Social Conquest of Earth by E. O. Wilson “Not necessarily a light read, but a great read!”