Week of May 31, 2012
In the Garden Of Beasts
Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
The best-selling author of Devil in the White City documents the efforts of William E. Dodd, the first American ambassador to Hitler's Germany, to acclimate to a residence in an increasingly violent city where he is forced to associate with the Nazis while his daughter pursues a relationship with Gestapo chief Rudolf Diels.
News and Reviews
Bossypants
The breakout star of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock gives a humorous account of her life, as well as behind-the-scenes stories from her hit shows.
News and Reviews
Turn Right at Machu Picchu
Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
A re-creation of Hiram Bingham III's discovery of the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Describes Bingham's struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences at the sides of local guides.
News and Reviews
F in Exams
The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers
Humor writer Richard Benson collects hilariously wrong test answers.
News and Reviews
The Greater Journey
Americans in Paris
The best-selling author of 1776 tells the story of the generations of American artists, writers and doctors who traveled to Paris — the intellectual, scientific and artistic capital of the Western world — fell in love with the city and its people, and changed America through what they learned there.
News and Reviews
Unlikely Friendships
47 Remarkable Stories From the Animal Kingdom
A collection of stories about animals that have forged unlikely, abiding bonds with other animals of different species, from Koko the gorilla and All Ball the kitten to Owen the hippo and the tortoise Mzee.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks documents the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling numerous medical and scientific discoveries.
News and Reviews
The Happiness Project
Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
The Happiness Project chronicles the author's year spent testing the edicts of conventional wisdom to assess their potential for improving life, describing various activities ranging from getting more sleep and singing to her children to starting a blog and imitating a spiritual master.
News and Reviews
Born To Run
A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Recounts the author's experiences with the reclusive Tarahumara Indians, whose techniques allow them to run long distances with ease, and describes his training for a 50-mile race with the tribe and a number of ultramarathoners.
News and Reviews
Nothing Daunted
The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West
A full-length account based on an admired New Yorker article that traces the experiences of classmates Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood, who in 1916 left their affluent New York lives to teach school on the Western frontier.
News and Reviews
Steal Like an Artist
10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Austin Kleon offers advice and encouragement to help readers foster creativity and be artistically productive in a wide variety of endeavors.
Heaven Is for Real
A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
The story of a Nebraska pastor's 4-year-old son, who loses consciousness during surgery, sees a vision of heaven and meets Jesus' special horse.
News and Reviews
The Hare With Amber Eyes
A Hidden Inheritance
Traces the parallel stories of 19th century art patron Charles Ephrussi and his unique collection of 264 miniature netsuke — Japanese ivory carvings — documenting Ephrussi's relationship with Marcel Proust and the impact of the Holocaust on his cosmopolitan family.
News and Reviews
Then Again
The award-winning actress documents her rise from everyday girl to acclaimed performer while exploring her defining relationship with her mother and how their shared and separate dreams influenced their experiences.
News and Reviews
The Psychopath Test
A Journey Through the Madness Industry
Traces how the author's investigation into an alleged hoax unexpectedly drew him into the mental-health industry, explaining how an influential psychologist revealed the psychopathic profiles of top CEOs and politicians while imparting strategies for recognizing psychopathic behavior. By the author of The Men Who Stare at Goats.














