Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi

Let me put it this way - if you do not work in a library but you are a big library user (which, if you are reading this, you probably are) then you will find Love Overdue cute, charming, and sweet.

However, if you do work in a library, then you will find this book irritating, condescending, and maybe just a little cute, charming, and sweet.

Some clarifications need to be made before I continue:

Not everyone that works in a library wears their hair in a bun ( even more so for the males).
Not everyone wears sensible shoes (OK, I do. But check out my co-workers - they wear amazing styles!).
Not everyone wears glasses on the tip of their nose (OK, once again, I do. But just for reading!).
Not everyone in a library wears frumpy suits (actually, not one single person does that here).
WE DO NOT SAY SHHHHH!!! EVER!

All that aside, Love Overdue is the story of Dorothy Jarrod, who has recently moved to a small town in Kansas to (you guessed it) become the head librarian in a very small, dated library. DJ (as she likes to be called) is really excited about making a fresh start. Her whole life has been mundane, except for one small indiscretion. While on vacation on her 21st birthday, she met the "hot guy" and engaged in a few activities she would rather forget. Now jump ahead 10 years, and here she is with a whole new life ahead of her and her past behind her. Or so she thinks...

Karen

Read alike series: Library Lover's Mysteries

Doc: a Memoir by Dwight Gooden

Long-time baseball fans (especially Cubs fans) remember Dwight "Doc" Gooden vividly.  The "19-year-old rookie phenom" (as we all called him) came up in 1984 and was shelled by the Cubs in his first appearance against them.  He vowed never to let the Cubs do that to him again and dominated them for the next two years.  We also remember that his career self destructed after the 1986 World Series championship.  Doc: a Memoir gives us the whole sordid story. (It is actually a follow-up to his 1999 memoir Heat, which recounts his early episodes of tragedy and triumph, culminating with a great 1996 season with the Yankees.) It begins with the World Series victory parade the morning after--a parade Gooden missed because he was hung over from his own cocaine and vodka-fueled all-night celebration.  That episode sets the tone of the book.  The reader cringes at the disasters unfolding on the page but, much like a car crash, simply can't avert his eyes and stop turning the pages.  Although Gooden has loving and supportive parents (his dad taught him everything Dwight knows about baseball) he basically had a dysfunctional extended family.  When he was five years old he witnessed the near shooting death  of his older sister by her husband in their own home, and that trauma was certainly a factor in his dug and alcohol abuse years later.  Dwight has been in and out of rehab, has been arrested several times, and even spent a year in jail.  None of that motivated him to stay clean.  He recounts an episode where a Gospel song moved his heart and caused him to accept the invitation to appear on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" in 2011.  He took the show seriously and credits the doctors and counselors for keeping him clean.  As of this writing, however, TMZ reports that his estranged wife (the couple is in divorce proceedings) obtained a restraining order against him in March.  As a result, Dwight moved out of their house, and in August the rest of the family was evicted for not paying the rent.  Baseball fans hope Dwight can stay clean, but his family turmoil will certainly make that a challenge.

One final note:  Dwight spends a fair amount of time talking about his relationship with teammate and 1983 Rookie Phenom Darryl Strawberry, who wrote his own memoir in 2009 (Straw: Finding My Own Way).  Basically both players went down the same path, even though Staw has been a vocal critic of Doc over the years.  Doc is disappointed over this turn of events, especially since fans continue to link both players together.

Dawn

You Don’t Know Me But You Don’t Like Me by Nathan Rabin

I first came across Nathan Rabin’s writing in his long-running “My Year of Flops” blog. The blog took an exhaustive journey through movies that flopped critically and/or commercially. (Think Ishtar or Kevin Costner failures such as Waterworld and The Postman.) Rabin would write a fresh critique of each flop and end each blog post by rating the movie a failure, fiasco or secret success. Rabin’s odd new memoir You Don’t Know MeBut You Don’t Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Twoof Music’s Most Maligned Tribes most definitely falls into the fiasco category, and the author even admits as much several times. However, the book is a fiasco in the best way as it is highly entertaining and unpredictable and often on the verge of completely falling apart.

Rabin goes on journeys similar to those of many Phish and Insane Clown Posse fans, and it’s his break from the traditional reporter role that really makes the book. Rabin does not bring a reporter’s detached eye to the two bands he follows on and off over the space of several years. Instead, he immerses himself in the scene, often to his own detriment. He naturally spends time discussing the music of each group but what he really investigates is what differentiates the cult-like following of Phish and Insane Clown Posse from the fans of other more popular artists. What he finds is that fans of Phish and Insane Clown Posse have a very personal connection to their bands. Rabin freely admits that at one point while following Phish from gig to gig he became so severely burned out that he pretty much joined the scene, even partaking in some illegal activities.  He wisely never immerses himself in the culture of Insane Clown Posse fans, known as Juggalos. He does attend the Gathering of the Juggalos, a sort of convention for Insane Clown Posse and its fans, several times. I won’t go into too much detail about what he observes at the Gatherings, but it does take hedonism and the rock and roll lifestyle to a whole new, absolutely-anything-goes level.

With both groups, Rabin does a good if chaotic job of documenting how music can become not just a lifestyle but almost a religion. It’s Rabin’s mostly uninhibited descent into the madness that really drives this point home.

John

Bartlett Reads 2013: What's Next?

We are celebrating the inaugural Bartlett Reads community reading event by reading the New York Times bestselling book The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by local author David Finch. This September, the community will come together to read the book, and attend events based on the themes in the book. 

Now that you've read The Journal of Best Practices, what's next? Try these books! 

The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger's by Temple Grandin

In this innovative book, Dr. Temple Grandin gets down to the REAL issues of autism, the ones parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum face every day. Temple offers helpful do's and don'ts, practical strategies, and try-it-now tips, all based on her "insider" perspective and a great deal of research. These are just some of the specific topics Temple delves into: How and Why People with Autism Think Differently, Economical Early Intervention Programs that Work, How Sensory Sensitivities Affect Learning, Behaviors Caused by a Disability vs. Just Bad Behaviors, Teaching People with Autism to Live in an Unpredictable World, Alternative Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine, and Employment Ideas for Adults with Autism. This revised and expanded edition contains revisions based on the most current autism research, as well as 14 additional articles.

 Dummy: A Memoir by David Patten

From his birth in 1954, David Patten was unbearably sensitive to the world around him. Unable to concentrate or learn the basics of reading and writing, he was punished and pathologized, labeled lazy, stupid, and a troublemaker. David was finally diagnosed with dyslexia, among other elements in the autism spectrum. But at a time when these disorders were little understood, David was unable to get the help he needed, and he gradually fell into the dark underbelly of American life. David's struggle to survive and find a life worth living included time in a mental institution for attempted suicide at fourteen, and life as a drug dealer in Chicago's criminal underworld. Eventually, David's exceptional abilities in abstract and analytical thinking led him into the technology field, and a lucrative six-figure career as a crisis manager and trouble shooter. His story of gradually transforming disabilities into skills, hopelessness into freedom is a testament to the power of the human spirit.

Atypical: Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters by Jesse A. Saperstein

The poignant, funny, and truly unique observations of a young writer diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. "Please be forewarned that you are about to read the observations and life lessons of someone who entertains himself by farting in public and conversing in gibberish with his cats." Thus begins the charming, insightful, and memorable story of Jesse Saperstein. Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism, Jesse has struggled since childhood with many of the hallmark challenges of his condition-from social awkwardness and self-doubt to extreme difficulty with change and managing his emotions. He has also worked hard to understand and make the most of his AS- developing his keen curiosity and sense of humor, closely observing the world around him, and most of all, helping others with AS to better cope and even thrive. Told with endearing and unflinching honesty, Jesse brings his unique perspective to the circumstances of his life and his condition.

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison

Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits--an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)--had earned him the label "social deviant." No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on. After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a "real" job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be "normal" and do what he simply couldn't: communicate. It wasn't worth the paycheck. It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself--and the world. Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger's at a time when the diagnosis simply didn't exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as "defective," who could not avail himself of KISS's endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people's given names (he calls his wife "Unit Two").

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet

Born on a Blue Day is a journey into one of the most fascinating minds alive today -- guided by its owner himself. Daniel Tammet sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures, and he can perform extraordinary calculations in his head. He can learn to speak new languages fluently, from scratch, in a week. In 2004, he memorized and recited more than 22,000 digits of pi, setting a record. He has savant syndrome, an extremely rare condition that gives him almost unimaginable mental powers, much like those portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man. Daniel has a compulsive need for order and routine -- he eats the same precise amount of cereal for breakfast every morning and cannot leave the house without counting the number of items of clothing he's wearing. When he gets stressed or is unhappy, he closes his eyes and counts. But in one crucial way Daniel is not at all like the Rain Man: he is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in that he is capable of living a fully independent life. He has emerged from the "other side" of autism with the ability to function successfully -- he is even able to explain what is happening inside his head. Born on a Blue Day is a triumphant and uplifting story, starting from early childhood, when Daniel was incapable of making friends and prone to tantrums, to young adulthood, when he learned how to control himself and to live independently, fell in love, experienced a religious conversion to Christianity, and most recently, emerged as a celebrity. The world's leading neuroscientists have been studying Daniel's ability to solve complicated math problems in one fell swoop by seeing shapes rather than making step-by-step calculations. Here he explains how he does it, and how he is able to learn new languages so quickly, simply by absorbing their patterns. Fascinating and inspiring, Born on a Blue Day explores what it's like to be special and gives us an insight into what makes us all human -- our minds.

Carrie

Divergent by Victoria Roth

I did not see this coming: I loved this audio!                                   

A young adult novel set in some dystopian Chicago world run by factions based on character attributes; how out of my comfort zone is that! But Divergent drew me in on the first disc and I never looked back.

Having turned 16, Beatrice Pryor must choose which faction she will train with and hopefully join for the rest of her life. When the society was formed, the factions were created to maximize the use of their members’ strongest attributes. The Dauntless embodied courage and were the protectors; Erudite were the thinkers and creators; Candor were the truth-speakers; Amity were peacemakers; and Abnegation were the selfless and therefore the general overseers. But as time has passed, some of the initial traits have been corrupted and hunger for power has entered the picture.

As Beatrice begins her initiation as a Dauntless initiate, she find herself becoming confused and frustrated by the cruelty of many of her fellow initiates and the other members of the faction. She is also a 16 year old living away from her family and unsure of who or what she wants to become. As worlds and philosophies collide and begin to fall apart, Tris, as she has named herself, is forced to make decisions and judgments that would stymie many adults and often under great duress.

Despite its fantastical premise, this is, in essence, a coming of age story very well told and peopled by believable characters. I often found myself driving at and even below the speed limit to get more listening time in before reaching my destination! As the first book of a trilogy, it ended with the story hanging and me eager to get to book two.

CAS

Battle for Ground Zero by Elizabeth Greenspan

This is an agonizing story that every American needs to be aware of, as the 12th anniversary of 9/11 has just passed.  Urban anthropologist Elizabeth Greenspan has written Battle for Ground Zero to answer the burning question, "When are they going to build something at Ground Zero?"  Most Americans outside of New York aren't aware of the trials and tribulations of the 16-acre site in the years following the attack.  Although a slogan of the aftermath was "America the Re-build-iful," the victims' families didn't want to rebuild at all, seeing the site as sacred ground.  That dichotomy is painstakingly detailed; even a simple act like building a viewing platform or putting up a fence is fraught with controversy.  The book recounts every phase of the process, from the selection of the master plan, to the design and construction of the memorial, museum and Freedom Tower. Greenspan gives equal time to the victims and the politicians and introduces us to the designers and architects who are caught in the middle.  In the end the reader gains an understanding of why it took ten years to build the memorial and design the museum and hopes that the soon-to-be-completed Freedom Tower lives up to its name.

Dawn

Bartlett Reads 2013: Stories on the Spectrum

We are celebrating the inaugural Bartlett Reads community reading event by reading the New York Times bestselling book The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by local author David Finch. This September, the community will come together to read the book, and attend events based on the themes in the book. 

Many novels feature characters that have autism and Asperger Syndrome. Here are a few.

Tilt by Elizabeth Burns

As a successful young urbanite, Bridget Fox experiences the typical joys and struggles of youthful New Yorkers, and she has happy expectations for her new family. But when her daughter Maeve is diagnosed with autism, Bridget's life as she knew it and her idealistic images of the perfect family are shattered. She tries to lean on her husband, her father, her best friend, but none can help her reconstruct her world as other tragic challenges begin to surface. But as she tries to choose between insanity and oblivion, Bridget discovers that matters are not nearly so simple--or so hopeless--as she once believed. Elizabeth Burns weaves the beauty and imagery of her poetic voice into a story of pain, humor, struggle and ultimate redemption. Bravely intimate, astonishing in its honesty, Tilt walks a path that most "normal" novels fear to tread as it follows the journey of a woman desperate enough to fall--and strong enough to survive.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

 The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna's soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning ("do no let her…") before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish. A haunted kitchen isn't Ginny's only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka "Demanda") insists on selling their parents' house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents' belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn't sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn't know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father's photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there's only one way to get answers: cook from dead people's recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.

 House Rules by Jodi Picoult

"They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the busted microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world, and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else, but truly doesn't know how." Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's Syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do and he's usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's: not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. Emotionally powerful from beginning to end, "House Rules" looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way and fails those who don't.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

Carrie