Mamma Mia!

Bob McLean wasn’t Italian. He didn’t grow up with large, noisy family gatherings or lots of relatives, but his wife did. Maria was used to all these things and embraced them and so did Bob. Summers in Supino: Becoming Italian by Maria Coletta McLean describes their yearly summer travels to Supino, Italy. Readers get to partake in the everyday summer lives of the author, whether it is going for a daily latte, dealing with helpful neighbors, or celebrating one of the many festas common to Supino. Maria is really surprised when the Italian way of life becomes interwoven with Bob's plans. Molto bene! DB

To Your Good Health!

The End of Illness, by David B. Agus, MD, is all about getting healthy and living a long and vigorous life.  How we look at our bodies, how we listen to our bodies, and how we honor our bodies is what this book is about.  After much research and years working as an oncologist Dr. Agus presents us with a way of life that is simple and healthy.  This isn’t a diet book, nor is it a 14 day quick cure, but more a realization that we’re all different, that we all have to be our own personal health advocate, and that we shouldn’t believe everything we read.  Some of the background research included in the book makes for a great case but can be a bit dry.  The end of each section there are “Health Rules” which are simple and when taken together add up to (hopefully) the end of illness.  SG.

When Shall We Three Meet Again?

To be and have a sister is to understand the strange and intriguing relationship between main characters Rose, Bean, and Cordy. Rose is the quintessential oldest-- reliable, discerning, and always ready to advise and to judge. Bean and Cordy are less dependable-- more likely to follow their own whims than they are to follow directions. However, when their mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, all three sisters find themselves home again, each harboring a unique secret.

Eleanor Brown's The Weird Sisters is thus named due to the family's obsession with Shakespeare, and the first person plural narration underlines this in a clever way. The novel's biggest success, however, lies in the realistic nature of the characters and their relationships with each other. OEO