The Staff Recommends:

I have just added The Legend of Colton H. Bryant by Alexandra Fuller to my Top Picks of 2009. The book, a biography set in Wyoming, is a must read mainly because I found Fuller's words to be thought stopping. Her very first sentence did just that. Stopped my thoughts: "This is the story of Colton H. Bryant and the land that grew him." The land that grew him. Hmmm. Not the land where he grew up, not the land he had come to know, not the land that he called home, not the land where he was born, but the land that grew him. In that one sentence she sets the pace and parameters of the story she will tell. We understand there is a partnership that will unfold between this land and that boy. We know that the author is comfortable with the vernacular. We know she will spin this tale as an old timer would, sparsely put, straight forward, and will be accepting of the idiosyncrasies of both land and boy. We suspect that we are in the hands of an expert. And as it turns out, we are.

Recommended by Joanne.

In 2008, deciding to live her life according to Oprah Winfrey, Robyn Okrant pledges herself to study the "way" (and therefore to live by) what Oprah and her team of experts prescribe to the audience of Oprah Winfrey. In Living Oprah, author Robyn Okrant retells and outlines her year of living life according to the Goddess of Talk Shows, Oprah Winfrey. Included ongoing records of her blog (LivingOprah.com) as well as clear charts of time and money elaborating on her expenses demonstrate how seriously Okrant takes her project. As she elaborates on the year, her past comes to the front, and as a book, it reads well as a memoir. As readers, we see the somewhat naive but rather open-minded (and sometimes neurotic) Okrant revealing pressure and fear of Oprah recommendations through her genuine fan's mind. Her plot to "do the right thing," allows us readers to commiserate with the author. She puts out the "realness" of Oprah as a person. She is clearly enamored with the lifestyle Oprah pushes, but she also realizes the branding that Oprah places on her "experts" in all aspects of life. This almost bizarre case, a point of celebrity influence here, allows us readers to find out what all the hype is about regarding the Oprah lovers of the world.

This is a marvelous tribute to Jeannette Walls' unforgettable grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. Written as a true-life novel, Lily was born in West Texas in 1901 and lived a tough, rough life with her own brand of grace. She didn't like nonsense, prejudice, or whining but she had a great sense of humor along with her practical, hardworking nature. This is a stunning account of the times and most especially the indomitable Lily - a woman you won't soon forget. This is a book you won't want to miss!