THE GLASS CASTLE, by Jeannette Walls.

It's probably the most thoughtful and sensitive memoir I can ever remember reading - - told with such grace, kindness and fabulous sense of humor. It's probably the best account ever written of a dysfunctional family -- and it must have taken Walls so much courage to put pen to paper and recount the details of her rather bizarre childhood - - which although it's like none other and is so dramatic - - any reader will relate to it. Readers will find bits and pieces of their own parents in Rex and Rose Mary Walls. Her journey across the country, ending up in a poor mining town in West Virginia and then finally in New York City, is a fascinating tale of survival. Her zest for life, even when eating margarine and sugar and bundled in a cardboard box with sweaters, coats and huddling with her pets, is unbelievably beautiful - - and motivating. If I could give a book ten stars, it would be "The Glass Castle."

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2008, edited by Craig Glenday

The 2007 edition of the world’s most popular book offers yet another awesome collection of the most incredible feats on Earth. From the greatest adventurers, athletes, medical marvels, and natural—and unnatural—wonders on the planet, to a host of new celebrity record holders in the realm of entertainment, here are thousands of new or updated records, plus countless fascinating facts in every possible area. Did you know . . .The world’s oldest mom is Adriana Emilia Iliescu of Romania. At 66 years and 230 days old, she gave birth by Caesarean section to a daughter, at the Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bucharest.George W. Bush’s second inauguration as president of the United States of America was the most costly ever. Estimated spending for the three-day event was $40 million.And that’s just a hint of what’s inside this extraordinary book. Discover which two long-standing, classic records have finally been broken—and by whom. Enjoy Guinness World Record’s exclusive interviews and stunning photos—and even learn how to become a record breaker yourself. Who knows, you might make it into next year’s book. . . .

GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder

Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler SederHarkening back to Muybridge’s photo sequences and moving kinetoscopes, Scanimation technology brings the illusion of movement to simple questions and answers in rhyming text.
You’ll flip through the book again and again, marvelling at the effect of motion. Astonishing and entertaining! ($19.95, HB)

GOOD DOG. STAY., by Anna Quindlen

The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed,” writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen about her beloved black Labrador retriever, Beau. With her trademark wisdom and humor, Quindlen reflects on how her life has unfolded in tandem with Beau’s, and on the lessons she’s learned by watching him: to roll with the punches, to take things as they come, to measure herself not in terms of the past or the future but of the present, to raise her nose in the air from time to time and, at least metaphorically, holler, “I smell bacon!” Of the dog that once possessed a catcher’s mitt of a mouth, Quindlen reminisces, “there came a time when a scrap thrown in his direction usually bounced unseen off his head. Yet put a pork roast in the oven, and the guy still breathed as audibly as an obscene caller. The eyes and ears may have gone, but the nose was eternal. And the tail. The tail still wagged, albeit at half-staff. When it stops, I thought more than once, then we’ll know.” Heartening and bittersweet, Good Dog. Stay. honors the life of a cherished and loyal friend and offers listeners a valuable lesson on four-legged family members: Sometimes an old dog can teach a person new tricks.
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