The writings of ancient Greeks and Romans may seem like old, dusty stuff, but in “How To Be a Stoic” the author brings to light a worldview called Stoicism. The thoughts of Epictetus and his peers and colleagues, when translated into modern English, do have power and relevance for our own times. I was surprised at first, and then became very interested in Stoicism. This offers me real, useful ideas that can help me deal with life’s bumps and challenges, difficult people, and frustration with politics and other things. I am delighted that Stoicism emphasizes how I can try to become a better person, even when painful events, mistakes, and bad things happen. It can work compatibly with religious views, or not, making this a wide-open philosophy. I will be reading more books by this author, and by other writers, about modern Stoicism.

Three words that describe this book: Surprising, concrete, comforting

You might want to pick this book up if: You would like to live a better and more meaningful life, without necessarily having a religious “faith” or other system.

-Lynn

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

In “The Black Book,” a young Chicago cop, Billy Harney, from a family of cops, gets involved in a bust involving a lot of powerful citizens at a brothel. However, the only missing item to pull the case all together is the madame’s black book. Everyone is out to find the black book including Billy’s sexy, semi-crazy partner Kate, Billy’s twin sister, Patti, who will stop and nothing to protect her brother, the assistant state attorney, Amy, who Billy ends up falling for, and many others including some potential bad cops. During the search for the missing black book, major players are murdered and the evidence points to Billy. This book kept me wondering which character had the black book and which character was the murderer.

Three words that describe this book: Suspenseful, Shocking, Mysterious

You might want to pick this book up if: You like political or police involved stories that keep you hanging until the final few chapters of a book.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Amy Tan explores the relationship between mothers and daughters in this compelling story. “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” follows Ruth Young as she struggles to care for her mother, LuLing, when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Ruth’s relationship with her partner, Art, also undergoes challenges and rethinking as Ruth cares for her mother. Ruth finds two documents that her mother wrote in Chinese when she started to lose her memory so that she would not forget important aspects of her life. Upon reading these documents, Ruth discovers new secrets about her mother’s life as well as a new understanding and appreciation for the choices that she has made. When learning more about her mother, Ruth also begins to reflect on herself and her past. Tan explores the themes of mother-daughter relationships as well as the dynamics among different generations of Chinese-Americans in her riveting novel.

Three words that describe this book: Mother-daughter relationship, history, Chinese-American immigrant life

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy stories about family relationships and challenges.

-Sarah

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

“Churchill: Walking with Destiny” is the most recent and perhaps the finest single-volume biography of Winston Churchill. Readers should not be daunted by the length of the book (982 pages) — it is detailed and thorough yet eminently readable and engrossing. Roberts covers Churchill’s remarkable life chronologically to support his central thesis that Churchill, throughout his life, was “walking with destiny” and destined to lead Great Britain in the darkest hours of World War II. Roberts makes excellent use of private diaries and correspondence to complement the public record. The book’s extensive detail serves to paint a complete, nuanced and objective portrait of Churchill. Even the footnotes enrich the reader’s understanding of the man. Roberts does not gloss over Churchill’s mistakes, yet the reader leaves with the clear impression that Churchill, though not perfect, was one of the truly great leaders in history.

Three words that describe this book: Engrossing, remarkable, readable

You might want to pick this book up if: You like history or enjoy biographies.

-Jeff

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year.