Wendy's Picks

In the Garden of Beasts locates the reader in Nazi Germany,1933, and tells the tale of America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany, William E. Todd. Fans of The Devil in the White City will appreciate Larson’s richly detailed and readable history. The characters of Todd and his family are confronted with the oddly skewed reality of Berlin in the 30’s: the bright and “infectious enthusiasm” of the “New Germany”,and the growing shadows of Hitler’s true ambitions. This book reveals the complexity of that time, leading one to ask ‘what would I have known, what would I have done?’. It is provocative and thoughtful reading.

Michael Lewis is writing some of the best work on the subject of Finance today. In Boomerang he explores the ‘tsunami of cheap credit’ that infected the globe in the first decade of our new century. Lewis’s gift is to explore complex issues through the lens of individuals, people whose lives are often stranger than fiction. In this work we experience the bubble through a Greek monk, an Icelandic fisherman, an Irish real estate developer. The lessons of their experience ring true very close to home. Seek no further for accessible analysis of financial issues affecting the world today.

A wonderfully written novel exploring the classic theme of the Love Triangle, as experienced by 3 students at Brown University in the early 80’s. This book will appeal to both adults of that era, and young people in their 20’s today. What has changed about the challenges facing young college grads today, and what remains the same? Eugenides’ ear for dialogue and talent for character development will have you reading along with great pleasure and anticipation.