A Thousand Splendid Suns, By Khaled Hosseini
(Reviewed by Dom)

I remember crowing a few years ago about an unknown book by an unknown author, trying to get everyone to notice a book called The Kite Runner. Now, after several million copies sold, Hosseini doesn’t need some radio nerd in Denver to sing his praises. He’s a genuine talent.

His follow-up novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, leaves no doubt. As with The Kite Runner, this will be a book that is so disturbing to some people that they won’t be able to finish it. I understand that, and would warn you that if you’re sensitive to brutality and stark, grim depictions of life in war-torn countries, then this might not be for you. I thought it was terrific.

The story centers on two generations of women in Afghanistan, brought together in a most unfortunate manner. Mariam and Laila are both forced to marry Rasheed, and the story of their lives might possibly bring you to tears. So…why would anyone recommend this book? Because Hosseini does a masterful job of painting characters who become so complex – and so real – that you become completely absorbed in the tale. … (more…)

A Prayer For Owen Meany, By John Irving
(Reviewed by Dom)

What if I recommended a book where the title character – completely unforgettable, by the way – is a dwarfish young man whose dialogue throughout the entire book is rendered IN ALL CAPS?

And what if I told you that the book would keep you up late at night, keep you from getting work done, and quite possibly change the way you look at faith, fate, and friendship?

That book is John Irving’s “A Prayer For Owen Meany.” True, you’ll find plenty of detractors who just can’t wrap their minds around this bizarre, complex novel, and that’s fine; no book scores with everyone. But you’ll also find legions of readers who swear it’s one of the best American novels ever written. I was mesmerized by it. … (more…)

Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century, By Vicki Robin, Joe Dominquez, and Monique Tilford.
(Reviewed by Jane)

I actually read the first edition of this book in the early 90s, when my husband and I were just starting to make enough money to be able start saving and investing.  I was searching around for something a little different than just a dry book on investing, and the premise of this book appealed to me. 

In a nutshell, the exercises and anecdotes in the book force you to assess how much of your life, you give over to making money.  Once you factor in EVERYTHING involved in your job, or what you do to make money, it really hits you between the eyes, how much of your life and life energy, might be slipping away. … (more…)

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, By Deepak Chopra
(Reviewed by Jane)

There are times in my life, when I find that I have to spend a little bit of time re-orienting my attitude, outlook and goals.  This is one of those times and that’s when I typically turn to books, to get my head right.  One of my favorite authors to help me with this, is Deepak Chopra and so when Dom and I were tossing around ideas for our February book, this one popped right into my mind.  February is a short month and this is a short book, but it’s full of gems of englightenment.

“The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success” can be read in about an hour, if you just sit down and go straight through it, but that’s not what I suggest.  This book is so powerful to me, that I find myself grabbing it for a few minutes everyday, to reinforce the lessons in it.  The seven laws that he lays out, are really a roadmap for getting your self on the road to leading a more positive, ‘in the present’ life.  I’ll be honest, that’s not an easy thing for me to do, which is why this quick little book is so invaluable in my life. … (more…)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, By Douglas Adams
(Reviewed by Dom)

Okay, so the word ‘classic’ is thrown around much too often, which in the end actually cheapens the word. But in this case we have no choice; Douglas Adams penned not just a classic, but a masterpiece.

2009 marks the book’s 30th anniversary, and it holds up perfectly. Ask anyone who has read it multiple times and they’ll tell you that they laugh just as hard each and every time. Adams practically invented the world of humorous science fiction, and immediately set the bar impossibly high.

In the tale, our hero is just your average guy, a rather mundane man named Arthur Dent. He’s miraculously rescued from Earth just moments before it’s obliterated to make way for an interstellar bypass. Little does he know that his friend, Ford Prefect, is a researcher for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and has been stranded on Earth for many years. … (more…)

The Longest Trip Home, By John Grogan
(Reviewed by Dom)

John Grogan’s book Marley & Me was a huge best-seller, and has even felt the call from Hollywood (the movie will star Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, and Owen Wilson, and will be released this Christmas). Now Grogan returns with a touching memoir about growing up near Detroit.

It’s an interesting examination of the constant struggle between parents and children when it comes to values and beliefs. Grogan was raised in a strict Catholic household, and as he got older he found himself battling the trademark issues that seem to confront all teenagers. … (more…)

Sweet Revenge, by Diane Mott Davidson
(Reviewed by Dom)

We thought it was a fun time of year to select a mystery for our book club, and there are a lot of things about Sweet Revenge that make it a great choice.

For one, it’s set during the holiday season, so you start to get into the mood. Plus, this is the 14th mystery to star Goldy Schulz, a caterer. Well, you know how much we love our food on the Dom and Jane Show, and this book not only has food laced throughout every chapter, but there are actual recipes included that you can make, too… (more…)

The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
(Reviewed by Dom)

On our show I often have a bit of fun with my own tongue-in-cheek parody of motivational speakers. I invented a spoof program called “Go For The Now.” Well, I guess the joke’s on me, because someone turned me on to this book, titled “The Power of Now,” and I thought it was fascinating.

Eckhart Tolle has taken an age-old concept and delivered it with a fresh, relatable flavor. He drives home the point that we are much too obsessed with what has happened in the past, and much too worried about a future that we can’t predict. His message is simple: Our thoughts should be fixed on the present moment, allowing us to escape the pain that dogs us when we succumb to obsessive thoughts.

Be honest: You have found yourself often caught up in things from your past that you can’t seem to break free of, right? Or you spend hours and hours fretting over what might be around the next corner. Tolle’s observations are profound when you consider the implications in your own life. Whether it’s about relationships, work, finances, this book will help you become focused on what’s most important.

Many times you’ll find that, when you step back and observe yourself, you’ll find the most wonderful things right before your very eyes.

As with most books of this nature, there are parts that will resonate with you, and others that don’t. That’s fine; my prediction is that you’ll find just enough to make a difference in your life, and that’s all any of us can ask.

And now through the end of October, you can pick it up today at all three locations of The Tattered Cover Book Store, for a 20% discount!

(As reviewed by Jane)   

I come from a family of enthusiastic readers and so I tend to ask my sisters for book suggestions and so, when both of them said “you HAVE to read “Three Cups of Tea”, I figured that it must be pretty good.

“Three Cups of Tea:  One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School At a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is really an amazing story.  A guy named Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber, who found himself stranded in a remote area of Pakistan, during a failed attempt to climb K2.   The people in the tiny village of Korphe, took him in, nursed him back to health and thanks to their kindness, he promised to one day build them a school.

Mortenson had no idea how he would accomplish this promise and after he returned to the U.S., he bummed around for awhile and finally started to try and plan to fulfill his promise.      

The rest of the book details how a promise to a tiny group of people who treated him like family (the title of the book is from a proverb that says,  “the first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time, you are an honored guest.  The third time, you become family”) became his mission, as he struggled to build that first school, in an area lacking roads.

That first school was the genesis of the Central Asia Institute and over the years, he’s built more than 50 schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Many of these schools have made it a top priority to educate girls, who for generations were not allowed an education.  The schools also fight the fundamental Islamic education that threatens to take over the region.

The book is really a fascinating look into a region, that gets very little western coverage.  The tribal leaders are desperately trying to educate their children, knowing that it’s the only way they will survive the wave of terror that threatens the region.

It’s an inspirational story of how just one person can make a huge difference in the world and like me, you may feel like making a donation to the Central Asia Institute, after you finish reading.  Greg Mortenson feels there is much left to do in the world.    

And now through the end of September, you can pick it up today at all three locations of The Tattered Cover Book Store, for a 20% discount!