Reviews

One of the best books I have read recently was The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver. The story takes place in parallel universes which I found quite intriguing. The main character, Irina, works in London as an illustrator of children's books.

I've always enjoyed J.D. Salinger's only novel, The Catcher in the Rye; I've read it enough times now that I've lost count. Given the author's death on Jan. 27, I'll probably read it again soon. But it is not my favorite Salinger work. That honor goes to Franny and Zooey, and I write this knowing quite well what a strange little book it is.

Sirianni, Carmen and Lewis A. Friedland. The Civic Renewal Movement: Community Building and Democracy in the United States. Kettering, 2005.

This biography is an up-close-and-personal view of mental illness as a father watches his teenage daughter develop psychotic manic-depressive disorder. It is a quick read, like reading a very long newspaper article.

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Lutrell

The story takes place in Berlin in 1945 when an accomplished, well educated and sophisticated journalist and editor found herself trapped in the Russian occupied sector for a period of eight weeks during the end of World War II. She kept a record of the events of her life and also daily events of the people in her apartment.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first of a series by Jeffry Lindsay. Dexter Morgan is not your average serial killer. His foster father Harry was in the police force, and recognized Dexter's dark side from an early age. Harry taught Dexter to live by a code that would keep his inner monster hidden from others, only turning it loose for the good of humankind.

Greg M.

I never stay up until 12 or 1 a.m. reading, but I couldn't put this book down. Set in the mid sixties during the Civil Rights struggle, the story centers on a group of black maids and their white employers in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is my all-time favorite book. I appreciate Holden Caulfield’s wit, sarcasm, charm and ability to exaggerate the facts. To my parent’s dismay, I was once a teenager like Holden and possessed many, if not all, of his aforementioned qualities.