Books we're reading at the station and recommend to you.

When we're not on-the-air or at our desks, we like to pick up good books. Most of us here at the station are, in fact, avid readers. In the style of NPR's "What We're Reading" (an excellent weekly guide) we, too, decided to share what's currently being read by WKMS staff members, student workers and volunteers.

Interested in a book on our list? Follow the Amazon link beneath the picture. A small percentage of your purchase of anything on Amazon through this link goes right to WKMS at no additional cost to you.

What are you reading? Share your good read our Facebook Fan Page, here.

	Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger Product Description: A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come. "The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of my favorite books of all time! This story centers on Henry DeTamble and Claire Abshire. Henry is a time traveler and Clair isn’t. Their love story is quite compelling…but it’s the science-fiction twist, multiple perspective storytelling, and non-linear timeline that keep me reading this book year after year. The movie is okay, but the book is perfect in my eyes." - Jenni Todd
	Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father and Son Michael Chabon Product Description: A shy manifesto, an impractical handbook, the true story of a fabulist, an entire life in parts and pieces, Manhood for Amateurs is the first sustained work of personal writing from Michael Chabon. In these insightful, provocative, slyly interlinked essays, one of our most brilliant and humane writers presents his autobiography and his vision of life in the way so many of us experience our own lives: as a series of reflections, regrets, and reexaminations, each sparked by an encounter, in the present, that holds some legacy of the past. "I'm finishing up Michael Chabon's "Manhood for Amateurs".  It's a memoir, actually more like a series of essays, reflecting back on childhood from a parent's perspective. He talks about the fears modern parents have, plus the greater freedom and imagination past generations had at their disposal that modern ones don't. It's full of his terrific prose and wit and is a great read for men (and women) raised in the 60's and 70's." - David Weatherly
	People of Darkness Tony Hillerman Product Description: A dying man is murdered. A rich man's wife agrees to pay three thousand dollars for the return of a stolen box of rocks. A series of odd, inexplicable events is haunting Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police and drawing him alone into the Bad Country of the merciless Southwest, where nothing good can survive... including Chee. Because an assassin waits for him there, protecting a thirty-year-old vision that greed has sired and blood has nourished. And only one man will walk away. "Needing a quick, engrossing read, I picked a Hillerman Trilogy off our bookshelves at home and devoured People of Darkness in a couple of evenings. Protagonist Jim Chee is a Navajo policeman who wrestles with leaving the reservation to join the FBI or stay on the reservation and fulfill his spiritual destiny for which he’s been in training. So in the Jim Chee series there are pretty good murder mysteries set in Indian Country, that Hillerman knew and loved. I enjoy the representation of Navajo ways that Chee observes, like not getting out of the car until someone comes outdoors to meet him when he pulls up, like sitting outdoors parsing the night sky for Navajo-named stars, like navigating arroyos and canyons, and pondering Navajo symbolisms. It’s just like being there – peaceful, powerful, exotic landscapes and cultural practices." - Kate Lochte
	Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom Conrad Black Product Description: Franklin Delano Roosevelt stands astride American history like a colossus. Having pulled the nation out of the Great Depression and led it to victory in the Second World War, in his four terms as president Roosevelt transformed an inward-looking country into the greatest superpower the world had ever known. Few biographies have been able to capture the full scope, the charisma, and the complexities of the man in full-until Conrad Black's Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In this extraordinary and eminently readable assessment, Black-a staunch conservative-takes to task the Roosevelt naysayers, lays bare the Yalta myth, and makes a surprising and compelling case that that FDR was the most influential and important person of the twentieth century. "Looks at all sides of his very complex personality, good and bad. Best biography of Roosevelt I've read." - Todd Hill
	'Tis: A Memoir Frank McCourt Product Description: Frank McCourt's glorious childhood memoir, Angela's Ashes, has been loved and celebrated by readers everywhere for its spirit, its wit and its profound humanity. A tale of redemption, in which storytelling itself is the source of salvation, it won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Rarely has a book so swiftly found its place on the literary landscape. "'Tis is Frank McCourt's memoir-in-continuation, a follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Angela's Ashes, which chronicled his impoverished childhood in Ireland. We loved McCourt the boy-a life told with heartbreaking humor and a singing brogue. In Angela's Ashes McCourt gives us a clear roadmap into the complex heart of the man recalling the events of a half-century earlier. 'Tis begins, with some necessary overlap, where Angela's Ashes leaves off-a young Frank McCourt stepping off a boat from Ireland to make a life in New York. The memoirist tosses us without apology into his shoes. Frank McCourt is no longer with us, and sadly he wrote precious few books in his lifetime. 'Tis is an exercise in humanity by a man with a rare gift for a story, and a brogue that sings on." - Jacque Day
	Identity Crisis Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales, Joss Whedon, Michael Bair Product Description: The most talked-about and successful DC Comics miniseries of 2004 is now available in a stunning hardcover volume! New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer delivers an all-too-human look into the lives of super-heroes and the terrible price they pay for doing good. Identity Crisis is a seven-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics from June to December in 2004. It was created by writer Brad Meltzer and the artistic team of penciler Rags Morales and inker Michael Bair. "It's a little off the beaten path, but I read DC's Graphic Novel, Identity Crisis. The wives and loved one's of the super heroes of the Justice League of America are being targeted. The league bans together, but find that the threat isn't any super villan, but themselves... It is one of the best stories I have read yet." - Katie Villanueva

Previous Good Reads:

Here's an archive of books previously featured above. If you're interested a book, click on the title to purchase the book through Amazon. A percentage of any purchase made from that link supports WKMS without any additional cost to you.

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
Todd Hatton said: If it wasn’t such an engrossing and entertaining read, it would qualify as the most sobering book I’ve ever cracked. In these days of ‘noise/talk’ media and iPhones, Amusing Ourselves to Death is eerily prescient.

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City: A Memoir by Nick Flynn
Jacque Day said: As I made my way through this memoir, I envisioned myself walking with bare feet through Nick Flynn’s life. Suck City is a barefoot walk, at least for me. The dare comes not with the title, but by Flynn’s immediate defiance of the tonal expectation he establishes by using that title as the calling card for this particular story. The title and everything in it is Jonathan Flynn, Nick’s father, the great undiscovered writer, the troubled scribe, the alcoholic with delusions of grandeur, the meek that shall inherit the Earth—or at the very least, finally, a hardcover book in which he, finally at long last and deservedly, is the main event. Of course, of course this title belongs to Jonathan Flynn. He owns it. With all its cynicism and realism and wit, it’s his, hands-down.

The Average American Male by Chad Kultgen
Caleb Campbell said: This book is offensive and raw, but an entertaining read by a new author. I found myself reading this in class instead of listening to my instructor. The characters feel like people you might actually know in the real world. For a quick, fun trip, I recommend this.

Black Boy by Richard Wright
Jacque Day said: Black Boy is an exquisite gift to American letters by Richard Wright, a clear voice rising among millions of unheard southern African Americans living within generational memory of slavery. This memoir opens the eyes and consciousness to the Black struggle in a way unequaled in literature.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
Tracy Ross said: This book centers around two of my favorite literary subjects – global pandemics and interesting visions of the afterlife. Good fiction thrives when it deals with matters of the life and death variety, and this novel deals with matters of life and death and life after death.

Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier
Jenni Todd said: I’m a new dog owner. We welcomed our puppy into our home in early November…and life changed dramatically! I borrowed a copy of Cesar’s Way after watching a few episodes of the show. While I don’t watch the TV program regularly, I loved this book. It’s a quick read and Cesar really puts things into perspective. He promotes easy to remember formulas for a healthy relationship with your dog: exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order. I especially liked reading about Cesar’s early life in Mexico and his stories about celebrity dog owners, like Oprah.

City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Angela Hatton said: This book answers the question, "do we really need another book about Venice" with a resounding, "yes!" Part investigation, part personal essay, John Berendt takes a looks at the quirky people who inhabit this legendary city, from Ezra Pound's former mistress to an American expatriot looking to contact aliens.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Bec Feldhaus said: Though I'm not reading it right now, I highly recommend Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo to anyone. Yes, yes, it's long, but that just means you get more for your money. It's filled with action, adventure, romance, revenge, a little philosophizing and much more. I read it this summer on my daily subway commute from Brooklyn to Lincoln Center, and I finished it in about a week. I could not put it down. It's a classic for a reason.

The Curse of Lono by Hunter S. Thompson
Chris Taylor said: A wealth of Ralph Steadman illustrations bring this random journey with the Doctor around the Hawaiian islands to life, though it’s not your standard aloha affair. It reads rather uncomfortably: jam-packed with scattered prose, notes, and excerpts from the likes of Mark Twain and others. Thompson is up to his usual mischievous and inebriate debauchery, which is sure to both abuse and amuse you. FYI~ I wouldn’t recommend it be your first HST read.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Matt Markgraf said: I read all four books in this series in four sittings, partly because they are easy and meant for kids who generally dislike reading, but also because they are friggin' hilarious and awesome. Greg, the wimpy kid on the cover, is encouraged to write a 'diary' by his mom, and so he does - chronicling all his hopes, fears and mis-adventures in what may be considered the typical life of a middle-schooler. The power of this series, which both kids and adults would appreciate is in the author, Jeff Kinney's masterful narrative, making Greg hilarious, loveable and most importantly: real.

Drinking Coffee Elsehwhere by ZZ Packer
Bec Feldhaus said: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is a collection of short stories by ZZ Packer. Packer tackles African American issues in a way that exposes the grit of reality. I enjoyed the collection so much because it was not a happily ever after story. The use of humor, failure and understanding comes together to create a powerful result.

From the Mountain From the Valley by James Still
Kate Lochte said: The poems haven’t proven as interesting to me as Still’s autobiographical essay, “A Man Singing to Himself,” which is included in the volume. This essay should be required reading for understanding more about Still’s self-consciously intense drive to shape his writing into art with which he could make a living. It is especially relevant in these financially difficult years, because Still was a young writer during the Depression, motivated to continue despite hunger.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann & Mark Halperin
Brian Clardy said: This book is a very insightful and innovative coverage of the 2008 Presidential election cycle that has caused excitement and controversy in the political world. Moreover, this book keeps the reader rivited as new revelations are made regarding recent events and popular personalities. It is a must read for students of current events, politics, and the complexities of human personalities.

Generations of Winter by Vassily Aksyonov
Kate Lochte said: You must read Vassily Aksyonov’s expansive novel Generations of Winter. It opens just as Russia is moving into the Stalin era and closes with World War II. You’re with the Gradov family all the way through with asides from an owl, a tree, a great dog, and other unique commentators on events at hand. Reviewers compare it to works of Tolstoy. I think Dickens comes to mind as well in the sheer fascination of the portraiture of life in the streets as well as the parlors, the meeting rooms, the work camps, the battlefields, and more. Terrific read for a couple of intense weeks!

HAPAX: Poems by A.E. Stallings
Angela Hatton said: Rhyming poetry is not dead! Most contemporary poets eschew rhyme and form for the more contemplative free verse. However, Stallings bucks the trend, bringing "abab" into the 21st century with poems that range from childhood trips to museums to adult cocktail parties. Stalling, who has lived in Greece for several years, brings the rich legacy of Greek mythology and culture into her verses. A thoroughly delightful and accessible entry into neo-traditional poetry.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Angela Hatton said: There are a mountain of books out there that cover relationships, romance, and dating from a gal’s perspective. Hornby takes the other side, giving a candid take on one man’s tangled love life. I’d say this is a male version of Bridget Jones’ Diary, witty, fast-paced; it’s easy-reading for a lazy weekend.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Chad Lampe said: Painfully funny holiday essays written by Public Radio Personality David Sedaris.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Matt Markgraf said: There's a reason why this book was on the Publisher's Weekly list for young adult fiction for weeks and weeks... Suzanne Collins boldly and creatively kicks sand over the figurative line of what may be acceptable for young adult fiction, while at the same time conquering a great writerly challenge. 'The Hunger Games' are a violent, somewhat sci-fi equivalent of the American Gladiator TV show with contestants who all happen to be between the ages of 12 and 18. The contestants must kill each other to be the last one standing, winner gets food for their homeland. Collins deftly evokes sympathy for a protagonist who must face killing her peers to survive. You will be rooting for Katniss all the way through this enthralling and breathtaking read.

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President
by Josh Lieb
Matt Markgraf said: This book is freakin' hilarius and I recommend it to everyone. Josh Lieb writes with a darkly humorous, snarky wit with an irresitably fresh narrative directed towards the reader. Oliver Watson is my new favorite antihero.

Lost Stories by Daschiell Hammet
Todd Hatton said: I’ve always loved Dashiell Hammett’s detective stories of Jazz Age San Francisco. His economy of language, his spare power of description, and his vivid characters had me from the first “Continental Op” short story I ever read. But there’s obviously a finite body of his work, and when I ran across this book in Chicago, I jumped at the chance to read something new (or new to me) by The Master.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Chad Lampe said: I was initially concerned that Dan Brown was riding the coat-tails of the two “National Treasure” Disney movies. I was wrong. I’ve noticed this book is written much like a screen play cutting from scene to scene putting together a back story, and combining the evening’s disjointed storyline. Being a member a Fraternity, I am excited reading about the Masons. True story or not this is a great book.

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson
Todd Hatton said: I picked this book up in the bookstore that’s tucked into a corner of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  I was looking for a good historical non-fiction read while I was in town, and I found it.  Swanson translates his encyclopedic knowledge of the Lincoln Assassination and its players, both major and minor, into a story that reads like a good thriller.  It’s a thorough account (some 392 pages) that neither bogs the reader down nor engages in stereotypes; I finished Manhunt in a mere three days.  An absolute must for Lincoln enthusiasts, history buffs, and even lovers of a good mystery.

Mexico as I Saw It (series) by Ethel Alec-Tweedie
Kate Lochte said: Mrs. Alec Tweedie, born Ethel Brilliana Harley, was a pioneering travel writer. In this volume she displays a prodigious nerve, superb social connections, and an eye for "take you there" details. In this book of her adventures originally published in 1901, you ride a new railroad across Mexico on its maiden voyage. You ride a horse up to the mountain ruins Xochicalpa. There are family posadas at Christmas and fancy society festival gatherings. You crawl down into the Cacahuilmilpa caves, wonder at Mitla's tombs and experience a rain forest by riverboat going across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. She's savvy, snobbish in her descriptions of most of Mexico's indigenous peoples, and seemingly fearless -- but then again, she is provided with competent tour guides, available lodgings and guards. Amazon.com carries many other Tweedie titles, like A Winter Jaunt to Norway, Through Finland in Carts, and Russia as I Saw It, and I'll wager that each might have its own oddly smart and fresh, albeit dated, observations I enjoyed in Mexico As I Saw It.

Naked in Dangerous Places by Cash Peters
Mark Welch said: Cash Peters’ self-deprecating approach to his escapades as a “reality show” host is hilarious (imagine an uptight, obsessive-compulsive, brutally honest Brit thrust into staged bizarre third-world conditions!). I loved his zany contributions to the Savvy Traveler, a former public radio series which aired weekly on WKMS.

Peace by Richard Bausch
Kate Lochte said: I highly recommend Richard Bausch’s Peace. When you begin reading there’s a wave of recognition that you’ve just entered a black and white World War II movie. So what can be new with this material? Plenty. This one night lasts what seems like a very long time during this short read about a soldier and his patrol experiencing rain, snow, mountains, rocks, trees, meadows with shootings, snipers, executions, moonlight, flashbacks, cold weather, hot blood, and brotherly love.

The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio by Terry Ryan
Jenni Todd said: This is a heartwarming true story about a resourceful woman who uses her creativity to keep her family- and their finances- afloat. Evelyn Ryan is the mother of ten children, the wife of an alcoholic husband and …an optimist. She supports her family the only way she can- by using her ingenuity and her natural way with words to win advertising contests. I love Evelyn’s humor, wit, and that she teaches her children to have fun regardless of the circumstances. This story is an honest look at the ups and downs experienced by the Ryan family in the 1950’s.

The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan by James Mann
Dr. Brian Clardy said: For me, this book is a very pleasant trip down Memory Lane. I was in high school and college when many of those events took place. And it also informed me about the importance of Suzanne Massie, a lower level protégé of President Reagan's, who played a tremendous role in helping to transform U.S./Soviet relations.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Laura Cash said: Think of William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" combined with the movie "Road to Perdition." Now combine that scenario with the question "What would you do if your world remained while nearly everyone else's ended?" and you have the makings of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." The narrator takes the reader past the end of the world through the eyes of a father and son who survived it and now have to pay the consequences. They face never-ending cold, hunger and sleep deprivation only to be constantly hunted by cannibals. This book is not for the reader looking for something to spread holiday cheer, but it is a page turner as the reader flips to learn if the duo lasts another day or if the little boy's wish is granted and the two have met the same fate as most of the once living beings.

Something Under the Bed is Drooling by Bill Watterson
Paco Long-Mendez said: Written by Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes is a kid and his stuffed tiger living in a classic suburban life. Suburbia that was developed enough to still have plenty of woods and hills to play in. Reading "Something Under the Bed is Drooling" reminds me of ways that these books influenced my own witty and adventurous childhood.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Laura Cash said: A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini is a great second novel for those who loved "The Kite Runner." It, too, elaborates on Afghanistan's tumultuous past, focusing mostly on women's rights - or lack there of. I recommend this book to anyone wanting more than a quick, easy read.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Mark Welch said: A good friend of mine loaned me his copy of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. It’s a remarkable true story of a young man who turned great failure into a quest to help others. Greg Mortenson’s passion to educate underprivileged children in Pakistan and Afghanistan proves that one person CAN make a difference. Three Cups of Tea is inspiring and humbling. I can’t wait to read Mortenson’s latest book, Stones into Schools.