The Wild Trees by Richard Preston

An astonishing account of several unschooled naturalists obsessed with finding the largest tree on Earth.  Hiking miles into unmapped, unexplored areas of the California Redwood forests, they access areas so remote & inaccessible, no human save possibly ancient Native Americans has ever been there.  To fuel their passion, they fashion climbing apparatus and ascend hundreds of feet into the forest canopy, going as far as living atop the trees for weeks to find & observe new and undocumented species of plants & animals - a virtual Great Barrier Reef of life which has evolved entirely in the sky.  Complete with maps and drawings, this book of exploration, danger, persistance, and human folly is an unexpected joy to read, proving that there are still wonders of nature we have yet to uncover.

French Lessons  by Ellen Sussman

Loved this little book of vignettes about 3 French tutors and their 3 American students over a 2-day period in Paris.  Nothing deep, just good story telling and interesting characters grappling with life and love in all its forms. Woody Allen should base his next movie on this book. 

The Girl Who Fell to Earth  by Sophia Al-Maria

I was overdosed on Afghanistan/Taliban books, and German/Nazi occupation books, and Irish childhood misery books - so when I saw this was about a teenage girl in Qatar, I thought - meh!   Wow, was I wrong!  This book was current, poignant, enlightening, well written, and memorable.  Bedouin man speaking no English comes to America to make good; moves to Pacific Northwest & marries an earthy, self-sufficient American girl;  has children;  Father misses family & returns to Qatar.  Told from the perspective of the teenage daughter, the story is a realistic portrayal of extreme culture clash. Pacific Northwest liberalism vs. a rigid, segregated, polygamist theocracy.  Also interesting because the story ends before 9/11, so there is an undercurrent of impending disaster as the book progresses.

The Art Forger  by Barbara Shapiro

Fictionalized version of what may have become of several paintings stolen from the Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990. This book roped me in with a blend of fact vs. fiction, intrigue vs. romance, artistic passion vs. cutthroat business practices.  Well written and good story line posing interesting questions: what would you do for money & prestige?  Where does ethics stop and survival take over?  The story concludes, but leaves you wondering: all those priceless paintings you see in museums - are they authentic? 

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Brilliant loner gets led thru a warp in a city park and into an alternate reality where he goes through rigorous testing to get accepted into Magic School.  Somehow the schoolmasters are able to alter reality so that his parents actually think he is going to a "normal" prestigious college.   Great premise - right?   All the action from there follows his predictable escapades thru 4 years of college fun and mystical schooling with all his fellow magic students. 

One horrific event during the school years kept me reading in anticipation of some good vs evil confrontation.  After graduation, they all move to NYC w/their newly minted BA in Magic, and unlimited money.  What I didn't understand is WHY were these people going to magic school?  To what end? At this point in the book, when they are young adults, they continue to appear immature, self-absorbed and aimless, and I stopped caring and stopped reading. 

Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander

  I'm sure everyone is aware of the basic essence of Dr. Alexander's book Proof of Heaven, but for those of you who have been living under a rock, I'll explain.  Dr. Alexander is a well respected, academic neurosurgeon who contracted a rare E. Coli infection that attacked his brain and left him in a coma.  During his coma, he was monitored by some of the best physicians in the country, and his brain was completely inactive.  While in the coma he experienced a profound, spiritual and life-altering journey.  When he awoke, this man of science, of evidence and explanation was left wondering how to describe what had happened.  Such near death experiences are often attributed to random activity in different parts of the brain while a patient is physically unresponsive.  Proof of Heaven is Dr. Alexander's attempt at explaining that these events were not random or physical, but spiritual.
  I don't come from a particularly religious family, but I do believe in God.  Sometimes that faith waivers in times of difficulty and strife, when I see bad things happen to the people I love, or when bad things happen to the innocents in our society that I simply cringe at while watching the news.  This book, while not preachy or given to a specific religion, does reaffirm my belief in the spiritual realm.  It also left me full of hope and inspiration.  If for any reason you find yourself doubting that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and this world, or if the state of humanity in general has left you wanting - read this book.

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

A book about a book store - are you snoring yet? While the quiet and unassuming Mr. Penumbra's Bookstore in San Fransisco is a focal point of this novel, technology, cryptology, mystery, science fiction and a secret society are what the story truly revolves around.  It is 2008 and the once gainfully employed Clay Jannon is a jobless Graphic Designer who begins working the night shift in Mr. Penumbra's Bookstore to pay his bills.  As he gets to know the quirks of the store's regular customers he uses his tech and programming skills to inadvertently crack a code of a secret society hundreds of years old.  Thus begins the unexpected unraveling of a code breaking race between a technology giant and an old intellectual society, exploring the unlikely communion of technology and the origins of printmaking.  As a lover of both technology AND the tried and true paper book, this book satisfied my belief that there is room and a need in our world for both.  If nothing else, there are some great chapters taking place at the Google campus that make for fascinating and entertaining commentary on the lifestyles of the technological elite. That, and the books on the cover glow in the dark.