Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything by Steven Levitt

Recommended by: Dan G., student
Call number: Stacks HB74.P8 L479 2005

At just over 200 pages, Freakonomics is a quick read into the often overlooked gap between what conventional wisdom says is the case and what actually IS the case. With an easy writing style and incongruous teasers for chapter titles, like "What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?" and "How Is the Ku Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents?", the authors easily trap you into reading the entirety in one sitting.

Baudolino by Umberto Eco (trans. William Weaver)

Recommended by: Stephan Macaluso, STL Librarian
Call number: Stacks PQ 4865.C6 B3813 2002

I’m a big Umberto Eco fan, and this is really Eco at his best: a multilingual, atmospheric adventure that blends fantasy with historical detail. In 12th Italy, young Baudolino begins a quest that takes him through warring barbarians to a rediscovered Eden (so he thinks). Along the way he meets the most fantastic creatures. A memorable read.

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

Recommended by: David Agnardo, Community Member
Call Number Stacks: DP269 .O74 1955

I first read this book 30 years ago, but not until recently did I realize
or understand the divisions in Spain between the Catalan and the
Castilian languages. This book gives a small insight into these cultural and linguistic divisions.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Recommended by: Susan Kraat, STL Librarian
Call Number: Media/Audio Computer Disk PR6063 .C326 N6 2003

Perfect leisure reading, Alexander McCall Smith's series about Precious Ramotswe's sleuthing in Botswana, entertains as it informs. The audio versions are the way to go here, because narrator Lisette Lecat brings words to life which are enigmatic on the printed page (Mma, Rra...). These audio books can be addictive, and there seem to be more of them each year. Here are the original four titles, probably best read in this order.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency [sound recording]
Tears of the giraffe [sound recording]
The Kalahari typing school for men [sound recording]
Morality for beautiful girls [sound recording]

Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Recommended by: Colleen, STL Librarian
Library owns the book and the audiobook.
Stacks PG5039.21.U6 N413 2004

A "novel of ideas" set in Czechoslovakia during the 1968 Soviet invasion. Very dreamlike and well written, it follows the lives of Tomas & Tereza and Sabina & Franz. In sum, this book is a political, metaphysical love story with a little bit of Nietzsche thrown in. Great book.

A prayer for the city by H.G. Bissinger

Recommended by: Andy Perry, Librarian

Call Number: Stacks F158.54.R46 B57 1997

The book is about Ed Rendell's term as mayor of Philadelphia but in a largersense is about the city itself. Ed Rendell is now the PA governor. The author is a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer who was "embedded" with the mayor's office. The book is
very powerful, funny, and also sad. You can't put it down and you won't forget it.

The legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia Butterfly Hill

Recommended by: Megan, STL Librarian
Call Number: Stacks: SD129.H53 A3 2000

Julia Butterfly Hill lived in a California Redwood tree named Luna for 2 years. Hill
wanted to save Luna from being cut down by the Pacific Lumber Company. This is her
amazing and inspirational story. I recommend it to all especially
those interested in the daily life of a tree hugger.