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The Lamb book is The Hour I First Believed, and I read it a few months before I read Columbine. I would recommend it, with slight reservations (it has a subplot that didn't work for me). I read this recently and really liked it: And I'm currently in the middle of this one and enjoying it:

I really liked Things Our Grandchildren Should Know too. Strange and lovely! I recently read Columbine and still feel haunted. MChris, I am eagerly awaiting the new Krakauer book too! Already have my hold placed.. Just finished this one, and cannot wait to read the sequel:

The intro to Silence Kid by Pavement is one of my favorites.

Oh how I love that book! The annotated version is wonderful, too. I think I had that same lightbulb moment about Arable a few years ago! Templeton might be my favorite character. His speech before they leave for the fair kills me every time. My recent reads: Read this last month and am still thinking about it a lot: I thought this was great (I wasn't sure I'd like it..):

Happy, happy Birthday, B!

Just finished this and LOVED it. It was wonderful-- great characters, warm, sad, funny-- just a marvelous read. I am a huge fan of Miriam Toews' other novels, too.

I just listened to this podcast from NPR's Book Tour featuring Diaz doing a reading from The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao last month in DC. It's sort of long (I'd advise you stop listening when the audience questions begin. Or maybe it's just that I have a very low tolerance for questions from the audience) but it's great to hear him talk and read. Voila

Speaking of Afghanistan, I just finished this one. I loved it, but the information it imparted was totally infuriating. I also read this book last week. I love Miriam Toews' fiction-- very wry and unique, with wonderful characters.

Maudie, if you need a co-coordinator, let me know!! I'd love to participate.

How had I not heard about this?!!! Thank you for the heads up, B! Please tell me that there's some Richard Scarry content. My Golden Book collecting is getting a little out of control...

You'll have to let me know what you think of Drop City! I am so grateful to have been clued in to the world of TC Boyle. How delicious it is to be introduced to a new author and then you find out they've written 19 books?!! In the last two months, I've already read four of them.

How is Thunderstruck? It's on my 'to read' list. Currently reading this. I am a big fan of Steve Coll's writing (he also wrote Ghost Wars, which I thought was great):

I'd read In the Lake of the Woods first, because I think The Things they Carried is so stunning that it's going to be hard to follow. Unaccustomed Earth is a collection of short stories with themes of love, family, identity-- the usual, but her writing is wonderful and very subtle and lovely. Lahiri's first book, Interpreter of Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. She has also written a great novel called The Namesake. I completely agree with you about Oprah. Anything that encourages reading is a positive thing! Funny that we are on the same book wavelength! This is a f

This is great so far..

But hey, he did ask me if it was ok if he played the quiet version. I could've opted for the loud and raucous rendition. The night was a perfect mix of so many great things-- friends from far and wide, delicious food and drink, babies!, and some truly exquisite music. I had a wonderful time.