Elaine Petrocelli/Book Passage Picks for The Ronn Owens Program 

June 21, 2006

The Janissary Tree   By Jason Goodwin  $25.

Are you ready to explore the back alleys, harems and secret societies of Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire. The hero is a palace eunuch who is charged with uncovering a plot by the Janissary Society to take over the empire. The French, The Americans and the Russians add to the mischief while the Polish Ambassador, a character we can’t help but love, becomes the crucial link.

Daniel Isn’t Talking   By Marti Leimbach  $22.95

For years, when parents and grandparents would ask us for books about Aspergers Syndrome, we could only give them rather academic and somewhat dated books. Now, perhaps because of the success of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, we have a number of novels and non-fiction books on the subject. In Daniel Isn’t Talking, a mother realizes that something is very wrong with her toddler. The family thinks the problem is the mother. Has she gradually comes to terms with her little boy’s symptoms she uncovers the cause and we fall in love with this difficult but fascinating little boy.

The Yellow Lighted Bookshop By Lewis Buzbee  $17.

O.K. so I’m a sucker for book that extols the joys of  real bookstores. Buzbee, former book sales representative and publisher, celebrates the unique experience of the bookstore—the smell and touch of books, getting lost in the deep canyons of shelves, and the silent community of readers. He takes on a book lovers tour through history, from the great Alexandria library with an estimated one million papyrus scrolls to Sylvia Beach’s famous Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, which led to the extraordinary effort to publish and sell James Joyce’s Ulysses.

Uncommon Carriers   By John McPhee  $24

One of America’s greatest non-fiction writers, brings us Uncommon Carriers. McPhee has the amazing ability to memorize us with  subjects we never even thought about. In this book, McPhee spent a lot of time with people who work in freight transportation. The resulting book is full of adventures including his trip with the owner and operator of a 65-foot 19-wheel chemical tanker, and a trip up the Illinois river on a towboat that is pushing a triple string of barges (the overall vessel being “a good deal longer than the Titanic”

Water for Elephants  by Sara Gruen  $23.95

Here’s a perfect novel to get you away from everything going on in the world. Set in the Great Depression, this is a story of a veterinary student who is put in charge of caring for the circus animals. He falls in love with the beautiful star of the equestrian act, but she is married to the charismatic, but twisted, animal trainer. You can almost smell the animals as you become immersed in the gritty life of the circus. 

The Hard Way  by Lee Child  $25.00

Ex-military cop Jack Reacher is thrust into an explosive situation that’s about to blow up in his face. The only way to find the truth—and save two innocent lives—is to do it the Reacher does it best: the hard way. At first glance, you’d think Child’s books, including Tripwire, Persuader and One Shot would appeal mainly to men, but it turns out that over 65% of his fans are women.

A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read  $22.95

Read was “discovered” by Lee Child at the Book Passage Mystery Writers’ Conference. Her first book just came out and Child has been touring with her. He says” Completely captivating—wry, knowing, hip, intelligent exciting. A brand new voice that’s entirely convincing straight out of the gate. One of the best debuts I’ve ever seen.” In Syracuse, NY, a shotgun-toting, tough-talking closet debutante and fledgling journalist is about to get in over her head in a 20-year-old murder investigation.

Suite Francaise: a Novel by Irene Nemirovsky  $25.00

In  the early 1940’s, when Ukrainian-born Nemirovsky began working on what would become this novel, she was a successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was deported to Auschwitz. A month later she was dead at the age of 39. When she was arrested, she had completed two parts of the epic. Her daughters took the manuscript with them into hiding. Now, 64 years later, we can read her literary masterpiece.

Night of Sorrows by Frances Sherwood  $24.95

This historical novel plunges readers into the conflicting New Worlds of the mysterious Malintzin, born as an Aztec princess and sold as a slave, and her dashing and ruthless lover-master, conquistador Hernan Cortes. Set in 1519-1520, Sherwood explores the nature of slavery, imperialism, prostitution, friendship, feminine identity and the macho ideal.

My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme $25.95

In the last years of her amazing life, Julia Child invited Alex Prud’homme to help her write this delightful memoir of her years in Paris, Marseille and Provence. We can hear her unique voice as she tells of her metamorphosis from a wide-eyed girl from Pasadena who couldn’t cook and didn’t speak French to the woman who was determined to bring French cooking to Americans. Like Julia, the book is funny, full of great stories and a joy to read.

Lost in My Own Backyard: A Walk in the Yellowstone National Park Tim Cahill $16.95

Elaine Petrocelli on the Ronn Owens Show
Wed., Dec. 14, 11:00 am

Elaine recommended the following great books for everyone on your holiday list: