Jenny's Picks

It’s not often that I find a book so riveting I simply can’t put it down and end up reading it cover to cover. In this memoir, Calahan recounts her harrowing month- long ordeal with a rare brain inflammation that has symptons mimicking schizophrenia. She has no recollection of her ordeal and has to dredge up the dreadful memories from medical records, surveillance cameras, journals and interviews with doctors and family members. It’s a story about a complicated condition that begs to be told, and it takes someone brave and exceptional to do it.

The author takes us on a religion-hopping journey around the globe after a brief stint in the hospital prompts a nurse to ask him “Have you found your god yet?” If I had to pick three words to describe this book relatable, thought-provoking and humorous they would be. The first two keep you turning the pages but at the same time lingering over every word. The third one reminds us to not take life too seriously. A must-have for any home library.

If you’re familiar at all with Tony Horwitz you know that no one breathes life into history better than he does. When you think of history, page-turner isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind. That will all change once you start reading this book.

Farmer and clean food evangelist Joel Salatin proposes a new way of doing things. With government regulations endless when it comes to food, Salatin explains how to put the freedom to choose clean food back into our hands and out of the government’s. Get inspired and pass it on.

The year is 1935. In the backwoods of the Virginian Blue Ridge mountains a congregation of Primitive Baptists gather in a small country church house. At some point in the service, elder Lee Stanley lays a hand on his eight year old son’s shoulder and asks him to lead the church in the hymn “Salvation, O! The Name I Love.” In a high lonesome voice that would become synonymous with bluegrass the youth belted out the first line of the song. As the congregation chimed in little Ralph Stanley knew his voice was a gift from God. With his brother Carter they would go on to define the sound that we know as Bluegrass. In his newly published autobiography “Man of Constant Sorrow”, (Gotham Books, 2009) Dr. Ralph Stanley candidly retells his life story in his own charming and colloquial words. Ralph is one of the last progenitors of bluegrass left with us and this glimpse into a lost world should be poured over and cherished.

A heart-warming and painfully funny memoir, Mishna tells us the story of her white family who grows up in a poor black neighborhood. She lives with her divorced dad who honestly believes he is black and her younger sister. You can't help but chuckle at all of her mishaps and triumphs. It is a beautiful and very insightful tale.

In this hilarious book, Doug Fine tries to see if it's possible for the average American to reduce their carbon footprint in a world that is addicted to oil. From raising goats to installing solar panels, this inspiring book makes a profound statement about trading today's instant gratifications for a deeper, more enduring kind of satisfaction.