Alan’s Pick : Meander: East to West, indirectly, along a Turkish river by Jeremy Seal.
Most of us learned that a bend in a river is called a “meander”. This name comes to us from a river in Turkey, which was a popular trade route in ancient times. The Meander river was notorious in its day for its twisting, tortuous path down from the central plains to the Adriatic sea, and was mentioned in many ancient texts; amazingly, this river still flows today.
This book takes us on a slow, anecdote filled Kayak journey through modern Turkey and down the Meander river, stopping at many of the same places as Cyrus the great, Xerxes and Xenophon did so long ago.
David’s Pick : Inside Story : A Novel by Martin Amis
Amis’s last book, a memoir dressed up as a novel, containing a lot of factual information mixed in with invention. Lots in here about mortality and death, but enough crackling prose and insight to make it a rewarding if bittersweet read.
Karen’s Pick : I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Jennette McCurdy is witty, funny, and horrifying as it details, in a matter-of-fact way, the abuse she endured both from her mother and the television industry. It isn’t a tell-all, but the reader can’t escape noticing the difficult realities of our society as a whole that McCurdy examines through the lens of the entertainment industry.
Karen’s Pick : Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell
Mitchell is rightfully a Canadian classic as it explores loss, growth, family, and a sense of belonging. Rather than shy from painful topics Mitchell examines them with sensitivity and compassion.