As the month closes, I want to remind everyone about our great April Hot List (the May Hot List is announced next week, and is huge!, so be ready for that). Here's a description of some of the big titles featured this month:
- Celebrate 40 years of Earth Day with Wake Up and Smell the Planet by Grist Magazine (The Mountaineers Books)—The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Guide to Greening Your Day
Grist Magazine's news about green issues and sustainable living is far from predictable. A self-proclaimed "beacon in the smog," it provides some of the most refreshing and knowledgeable voices on how to live wisely and promote a healthy world. Consider this guide an off-line beacon, bringing Grist's edgy authority, impeccable research, and planetary cheerleading to a broader audience. Treehugger.com calls it “another book to add to the must read list!” Click here for a free excerpt or to buy the book.
Multi-award winning poet David P. Reiter brings Hemingway back to life in several guises: the familiar author of classic novels, but also the more personal Hemingway—not always in keeping with the legend. In this post-modern romp, Hemingway meets historical and present day people of note that he could not have met in his lifetime, testing the Hemingway Code for its universality and implications for today. Click here for a free excerpt or to buy the book.
Part autobiography, part personal philosophy, and full of practical advice for women of all ages, Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage is a book that skimps neither on entertainment nor on good plain advice. The book reveals the secrets of diet, exercise, and healthy living that Raquel devised over the years, as well as the hair, makeup, and dressing tips that have allowed her to remain effortlessly beautiful into her late sixties. Click here for a free excerpt or to buy the book.
The few hundred souls who inhabit Words, Wisconsin, are an extraordinary cast of characters—the middle-aged couple who zealously guards their farm from a scheming milk cooperative; the lifelong invalid, crippled by conflicting emotions about her sister; a cantankerous retiree, haunted by childhood memories after discovering a cougar in his haymow; and more. In his first novel in 30 years, David Rhodes offers a vivid and unforgettable look at life in small-town America. Driftless has been selected for the 2010 All Iowa Reads program. Click here for a free excerpt or to buy the book.
As I said, the May Hot List will be announced/posted next week. Feel free to leave any comments regarding these books, or any books from the April Hot List. To view the entire Hot List, visit www.readhowyouwant.com.