by Temple Grandin
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Author of Thinking in Pictures, a 1995 memoir about the way autism has given her a rare perspective into the animal mind, Grandin is a star in the world of animal science. An associate professor at Colorado State University, Grandin is quirky, scholarly and impassioned, and she has positioned herself as an advocate for "agricultural animals," working on quality-of-life issues including the creation of humane slaughterhouses. In her new book she sets out to explain what the world looks like from a nonhuman point of view, drawing on 30 years of field experience and academic research. The results are fascinating: The author explains that critters' emotions are polarized; to a dog, there's love, hate and nothing in-between. But animal intelligence, she writes, has multiple dimensions. Not only are many creatures equipped with a keen survival instinct but they possess a kind of "genius [that] is probably the same thing as autistic savantry": Dogs have warned patients that a seizure is imminent and migratory birds have "extreme memory." If you're in the thrall of a dog, cat, pig or parrot, you'll take to this book—it's full of heart, soul and crackling intelligence.
NOVEL
by Liz Jensen
Try putting down a book that begins: "I'm not most kids. I'm Louis Drax. Stuff happens to me that shouldn't happen, like going on a picnic where you drown." Louis, 9, has nearly died eight times in his life, but his latest mishap—a fall from a cliff into a ravine—might be his last. He's in a coma, and his borderline-hysterical mother, Natalie, has brought him to the clinic of doctor Pascal Dannachet. Jensen tells her wonderfully strange fourth novel from the points of view of Louis and the doctor, skillfully unraveling the circumstances behind Louis's perhaps not-so-accidental fall. Dannachet becomes captivated with Natalie and in the process finds himself in eerie communication with the comatose boy. Louis's father, a suspect in the case, has disappeared, while Louis wanders in the shadow world of his own mind. This is an affecting psychological novel about transgression and the mysteries of the subconscious.
NONFICTION
by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn
Subtitled "The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers," this exhaustively researched and smoothly written work by two New York Times reporters has the kind of wrenching, suspenseful quality that you'd expect from a TV drama. The account spans the 102 minutes between the firebomb that was American Airlines Flight 11 tearing into the North Tower and the second tower's collapse. Focusing on the increasingly desperate scenes inside the skyscrapers, the authors propel the action at a heart-pounding pace that pulls you into the nightmare as it unfolds. Drawn from emergency-radio and phone transcripts, e-mails and hundreds of interviews, the narrative includes the stories of those who escaped with moments to spare, as well as of heroes who stood their ground and died. Dwyer and Flynn's most impressive achievement: writing in a way that confers dignity on each subject. This is one book that will stay with most readers for a very long time.
THRILLER
by Lisa Gardner
Bobby's troubles start when, as a Boston police sniper, he shoots a rich husband holding a gun on his wife and child. Bobby doesn't know the shooting will make him an outcast among fellow cops; he also doesn't know that the dead man's father is all-powerful Judge Gagnon, who will charge Bobby with murder. On top of this, the widow, Catherine, is not only beautiful and manipulative enough to make a willing fool of any man, but she was abducted by a pedophile in her youth—and Judge Gagnon has had the perpetrator released from prison in hopes that he'll eliminate Catherine, leaving her son in Gagnon's custody.
Finely honed prose isn't Gardner's strong suit—it's clear that propelling the plot is her goal, and she does that masterfully. Reading this book is akin to watching a gripping movie in your living room: You may want to fast-forward, but only because you can't wait to see what happens next. Like all the best suspense novels, Alone will leave you shaken.
>> Yellow, not red, is the color most likely to provoke a bull; unlike humans, most animals can only see in the green and yellow spectrum.
>> You can judge a horse by the whorl of hair between its eyes; the lower the whorl, the calmer the animal; the higher, the more nervous it is.
>> Dogs hate seeing you in a Halloween costume: You may smell and sound the same, but you'll look different, which causes anguish.
>> Dolphins are known to have committed "gang rape, brutal killings of dolphin 'children' and the mass murder of porpoises."
>>Prairie-dog colonies develop their own sophisticated communication systems, complete with nouns, verbs and adjectives.
TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR
After 23 years in advertising—four as the CEO of NW Ayer—Mary Lou Quinlan, 51, was too tired to go on. A five-week sabbatical recharged her and inspired her new book, subtitled How Hardworking Women Can Take a Break and Change Their Lives.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN ITS TIME FOR A BREAK? I could just break a leg and be laid up for a while so they would leave me alone.
WHY JUST NOT TAKE A VACATION? A sabbatical means exploring life and pursuing what matters to you. For me it was my "someday list": dance classes. Skating.
CAN WORKING MOMS DO IT? A shorter time, away from both work and kids, is doable for moms. Take a week for yourself.
WHAT IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT? If you live hand-to-mouth I wouldn't suggest this. But it's [often] about ego: Who would I be without my job?
ARE COMPANIES RECEPTIVE? A great employee who leaves is a great loss. Companies told me they wish women: would give them a chance to maybe say yes [to a sabbatical].
DID YOUR LIFE CHANGE AFTERWARD? I started my own consulting company. I'm still very busy, but I have a career and a life now.
A trove of new books promises to help self-improvers keep their New Year's resolutions. High-profile offerings include:
BOB GREENE'S TOTAL BODY MAKEOVER This 12-week "boot camp" program from Oprah's fitness guru includes a workout blueprint for a range of fitness levels, along with eating rules (e.g., don't skip breakfast) meant to help burn fat without dieting.
THE STEP DIET BOOK Perfect for battling creeping weight gain, the step diet focuses on regulating weight by counting steps (instead of fat grams or calories) and upping your daily mileage. The authors, two obesity researchers and a nutritionist, brook no excuses—a pedometer comes with the book.
KATHY KAEHLER'S CELEBRITY WORKOUTS Trainer to Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston, Kaehler targets troublesome body parts with exercise routines that you can do almost anywhere. Bonuses: healthy recipes and celeb dish. (Michele Pfeiffer calorie-splurges on popcorn sprinkled with M&M's.)
FILL UP TO SLIM DOWN Here's a user-friendly plan that promises to help readers lose up to two pounds a week by revving the metabolism with six small meals a day. Meals are high in protein and complex carbs, and lots of boredom-busting recipes (French Toast Pockets) are included.
THE THIN COMMANDMENTS DIET A spinoff of his bestseller Thin Tastes Better, this somewhat strident work by diet czar Stephen Gullo, Ph.D, reviews his mantras ("strategy is stronger than willpower") and offers an eating plan highlighting slim versions of fat-packed faves, including Better Than Deli Tuna Salad.
LIVING THE G.I. DIET Rick Gallop follows his own bestseller (The G.I. Diet) with recipes high in fiber and low in glycemic rating (the speed at which carbohydrates are broken down and converted to glucose). Healthy, sure, but we'll stop at just one of those "brownies" made with kidney beans.
- Contributors:
- Edward Nawotka,
- Porter Shreve,
- Michelle Green,
- Anna Shapiro.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
