Short but very intense book about Slater's experiences with her first pregnancy and child. If you know anything about Lauren Slater, then you probably can imagine why this experience might be book-worthy. Slater is famous for her memoirs regarding her terrible problems with severe depression ("Prozac Diary") and so, for her, getting pregnant was a serious step. Does she stay on her meds? If so, at what risk to the baby? Does she go off them? If so, at what risk to herself? And, even more importantly, what if the depression gets in the way of her motherly responses? Like, in the way of that instant-love thing moms are supposed to feel? This is an incredibly honest and intense book -- though it should come as no surprise to anybody who has read "Prozac Diary" as Slater is nothing if not brave and strong. Recommended to anybody who likes books about motherhood -- books about the truth of motherhood, I should say.
[NON-FICTION]

Entertaining novel by poet Paulette Jiles set during the American Civil War and focusing on a young woman named Adair Colley. When a group of Union militiamen attack the Colley home, taking Judge Colley, the father, prisoner, Adair is left in charge of herself and her younger siblings. She sends her brother off separately to hide from the militia and then gathers up her sisters and begins to make her way with them to the prison camp where she believes her father is being held. Before she gets very far, however, she is falsely accused of being a Confederate spy, a charge that lands her squarely in a squalid women's prison. Luckily for her, the commandant in charge actually turns out to be a sweet man rather embarrassed by his post. He and Adair fall in love and he ends up helping her escape, each swearing to try to find the other when the war is over.

As this was the sequel to the fantastic and funny mystery "Compromising Positions" featuring the fantastic and funny accidental detective Judith Singer, I was pretty eager to read it. You can see from the time it took me to get through it, however, that it didn't turn out to be quite as delightful as I'd hoped. Granted, it was a busy week for me in general and I didn't have as much time for reading as usual. But still, had this been "Compromising," time wouldn't have been an issue.

Lundin, Christensen, and Paul are the authors of the book "Fish!," which is a guide to improving your workplace by adding play into everyday office life. I haven't read "Fish!" but after reading this collection of real-life examples where businesses have successfully adopted the Fish Philosophy, I definitely plan to. Whose workplace couldn't benefit from a little lightening up? It's long been my motto that keeping the troops happy ought to be the primary goal of every boss, but it seems like far, FAR more bosses feel that their primary goal ought to be keeping the troops IN LINE. Pity for them, because without the respect of their employees, all the power they think they wield is actually only in their heads. Down with micro-management; up with play! This year for Christmas, anonymously slip a copy of this book (or the original) in your boss's box!
[NON-FICTION]

Nothing makes my day like discovering a great mystery series I've somehow missed for years. So, when my mom mentioned she'd read this great mystery about a forensic anthropologist, I got it from the library ASAP. And yahoo! It's not only fabulous, but the fifth in a series!

Wonderful novel divided into five parts, each narrated by one of four main characters. The first and last are told by Mary Fred ("M.F.") Anderson, a young girl raised in an isolated fundamentalist sect whose primary obsessions involve a Y2K apocalypse and the propagation of the name "Fred" and color brown. Mary Fred has grown up unexposed to most of the experiences of modern youth -- no TV, no fast food, no malls, no "vegging out." When her parents refuse to seek medical treatment for her two ill brothers and they both die as a result, M.F. and her siblings are quickly separated and farmed out to foster families as their parents go on trial for murder.

The middle three chapters are narrated by M.F.'s new foster family members. First there's Alic, the mother, a kind but somewhat confused woman recovering from a divorce that broke her heart. Then comes Alice's daughter, Heather, who is Mary Fred's age but her exact opposite in every way (sort of a spoiled brat, actually). And finally, there's Alice's brother, Uncle Roy, a flake with a dark secret. As M.F. struggles to adjust, she gradually begins to have an incredible impact on Alice, Heather, and Roy. In fact, she changes them so much for the better that they can hardly believe it themselves. Mary Fred is changing too, though, and the further away she gets from her faith -- the beliefs she's known all her life -- the more uneasy and confused she becomes.

I found this novel to be addictively readable, not because the writing is particularly lyrical or profound, but because it is so real. So right. I really heard the voices of each character as I read their sections -- it was so authentic I felt like I was actually inside their minds, eavesdropping on their thoughts. Each voice is wholly unique, each character packed with subtle depth. This is a truly wonderful book -- sweet and funny and complex. Recommended!
[FICTION]