Go home!

Okay, maybe you don't tend to read a lot while you're sitting on the can, but you might like to have something to peruse at other times. I, for one, enjoy reading right before I go to sleep. Some people read after a long day at work. And some folks read because they want to learn something. Reading is a wonderful thing to do. It beats drinking yourself into a stupor. It beats beating yourself over the head with a wooden club. And it sure as hell beats getting yourself arrested! You can learn a lot from reading-- expand your mind and your vocabulary. And best of all, books that end up being made into movies are usually a lot better than the movies they inspired in the first place! So I say get yourself a book, sit yourself down, and settle in for a good spell while you open up that mind of yours as you open up that book.

Some of you folks might see that the books I have already listed on this site are mostly non-fiction "How to" types... That's because I like non-fiction. This page will offer a few fiction books as well. And to start off, here's a shameless plug for a very good friend of mine, Chris Jones, who has written the novels Conrad and Legacy, both of which are available on Amazon.com. Unfortunately, I can only get one of the links to work on this webpage. I went to college with Chris and know him well. He's a hell of a guy and a hell of a writer. Check out his books!

Don Felder's time in the Eagles... Very juicy stuff here!

Haider Ala Hamoudi's fascinating book about being an Iraqi American...

Making the difficult decision to head off breast cancer...

What it's like to be an organ recipient...

Travel books I'm using right now!

Here are some books about German culture that I recently read in preparation for our upcoming move. I found them very useful, especially Culture Smart! Germany: Customs & Etiquette.

Here's a very useful book on scam proofing your life. It costs about $10, but if it stops you from being scammed just once, it will be money well spent.

I linked to the two books below on my PAS page. I think they're important enough to link to again on this page. If you have children and are embroiled in a nasty divorce, you might want to give these two books a look.

I just discovered David Sedaris, a hilarious author who has a real gift for words! Right now, I'm only including the books by him that I've read. You can bet there will soon be more!

I just finished reading Lindsay Moran's fabulous memoir about her life as a CIA spy... It's a great read!

Here are a couple of great memoirs... I especially like Dry.

Love dogs? Here are some wonderful books for dog lovers! I particularly love Emily Yoffe's book, What The Dog Did.

Hate Wal Mart as much as I do? Wonder why people might not love shopping there even though the prices are low? Check out Bill Quinn's great book!

Looking for a cautionary tale about "thinspiration"? Check out Kit Reed's latest novel, Thinner Than Thou. This is a scary, funny, imaginative tale about image consciousness gone completely amok.

Looking for a hilarious book about travel? Ever wonder about the kind of lifestyles flight attendants lead, especially the guys? Look no further than Elliott Hester's book...

Barbara Ehrenreich has investigated life as as a minimum wage worker. Now, in her latest book, she tells the public what it's like to be a downsized white collar worker trying to find new work.

Are you a victim of emotional blackmail? Do you deal with a spouse, ex spouse, friend, boss, parent, or child who uses fear, obligation, or guilt to manipulate you into doing what they want you to do? Do you try to stand up to people who blackmail you only to have them make you feel like a chump? Do you have parents who mistreated you while you were growing up? Are they toxic to you? You might want to read one of Dr. Susan Forward's books...

Wondering about those secret rituals that sororities have? When you went to college, did you skip joining a Greek organization and then wonder what you missed out on? If this describes you, you should read Alexandra Robbins latest book...

Here's a book that's a must read for anyone wishing to be inspired. If you or someone you love suffers from cystic fibrosis, this book is also required reading. Alexandra Deford's story told through the eyes of her father is one you'll never forget.

Ever heard of "open adoptions"? That's when the birth parent of a child stays in touch with the adoptive parents and is allowed to have contact with the child. Caroline Leavitt has written a novel addressing on the subject of open adoptions in Girls in Trouble. Her book demonstrates how open adoptions can go awry if they aren't handled in the right way.
Caroline Leavitt's novel Coming Back to Me is a touching story about a family's love when tragedy strikes in the midst of a blessed event.

Frank Schaeffer is a novelist whose books I discovered last summer when I was frequenting, of all things, a message board run by a group of disgruntled graduates of a fundamentalist Christian college. Schaeffer's novels are about a boy named Calvin Becker who is being raised by extreme fundamentalist Christian missionaries in Switzerland during the 60s. You'd think these books would be weird, and they are, but they're also hysterically funny, charming, and sweet. Check them out!

Frank Schaeffer's war novel, Baby Jack...

Here's more by Frank Schaeffer, only this time he's writing non fiction. Schaeffer's son, John, joined the Marines back in 1999, taking a path that was completely foreign to Frank Schaeffer. Read about his son's boot camp experience, then when you're finished with that, read about Frank's experience as a proud father waiting at home while his son is deployed to Afghanistan. Finally, take a look at the letters servicemembers have written from the Gulf War II.

Frank Schaeffer's latest autobiographical book about growing up in Switzerland, the son of famous evangelists...

And his book with Kathy Roth-Douquet about the absence of the upper class from the military...

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm also a huge fan of Pat Conroy's. Yes, he's already pretty famous and you folks don't need me to pitch him to you, but I'd be remiss if I didn't include his work on my list of recommendations. Check out his fabulous cookbook, The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes From My Life.

Like true crime? Read about Cameron Hooker and how he and his wife kidnapped and held Colleen Stan prisoner for seven years, forcing her to be Cameron Hooker's sex slave. Colleen Stan lived in a box underneath Hooker's bed every night and moved about freely during the day. Somehow, when Hooker spotted her hitchhiking on the fateful day he abducted her, he knew he had spotted his Perfect Victim.

Do you deal with someone who has borderline personality disorder (BPD)? My husband and I have found the following two books very helpful resources for learning about BPD. I especially recommend Stop Walking On Eggshells for those who live with or love someone with BPD.

Ann Rule has quickly become one of my favorite true crime authors. Here are the books I've read by her recently. Each and every one of them have kept me entertained! Check out her latest book, Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder.

Like gross humor? Does the English language and its many euphemisms perplex you? You might love George Carlin's brand of humor. Check out one of his books!

I just read Abigail Vona's debut book, Bad Girl: Confessions of a Teenage Delinquent. It's a pretty compelling read about what it's like to be locked up in a level three lockdown unit. Check out Julia Scheere's book Jesus Land.

Ever wonder about Munchausen's by Proxy? Julie Gregory's Sickened is the only personal account I know of...

Dr. Doreen Orion writes a fabulous book about her experiences being stalked by an erotomaniac.

Struggling with doubts about Mormonism? Thinking about leaving the church? You might enjoy these books. Personally, I liked Leaving The Saints by Martha Beck the best of the three listed below.

Some very interesting books (and a DVD) about polygamy and the FLDS church... The movie Banking on Heaven is especially revealing.