Living in a Foreign Language: a Memoir of Food, Wine and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker.  Michael Tucker and his wife Jill Eikenberry, best known for their roles in the TV series “L.A. Law”, purchased and renovated a 350 year old stone cottage in Italy.  The book details their experiences with Italian culture, rural life and, of course, Italian cuisine.  An entertaining look at a different way of living.  (Susan) 

Sweet Land by Will Weaver.  The recently released movie, Sweetland, is based on a short story from this collection.  Each story is a tribute to the spirit of the American Midwest. (Mary) 

Damsels in Distress by Joan Hess.  Another hilarious mystery featuring bookseller, Claire Malloy, and her terminally adolescent daughter, Caron. A Renaissance Faire invades their quiet college town with malevolent results. (Mary) 

Thursday Next in First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde.  The fourth book in the very silly British mystery series featuring literary detective, Thursday Next.  Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, ancient Greek myths, etc. have never been this outlandish or fun. (Mary) 

Whistling in the Dark by Mequon author Lesley Kagen .This story takes place in Milwaukee during the 1950's and centers around the coming of age of two young girls. The backdrop of the story is a double murder.  The two girls take it upon themselves to try and solve the murder.... (Amanda) 

Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr, is a memoir, an ode to the “Eternal City,” and an informal ethnography.  The book is a series of observations written in colorful, poetic images.  Doerr, a novelist, won a fellowship to work for one year in Italy.  He, his wife, and their six-month-old twins move from Boise, Idaho to Rome.  They are new parents living in a foreign city.  They don’t know the language, don’t know their way around, and don’t get much sleep.   Doerr is assigned a studio at the American Academy in Rome, where other artists and scholars also work.  He is supposed to be working on a new novel, but has continuous writer’s block.  Instead, he writes about the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the death of Pope John Paul II, and the Roman people, all while raising two baby boys. (Sarah)

Cultural Amnesia: necessary memories from history and the arts by Clive James. At first glance this appears to be an abbreviated biographical encyclopedia including just over 100 people from the obscure to the infamous. The overall theme is the struggle of liberal humanism against totalitarianisms of the right and the left. Get your pencil and paper at the ready, you cannot read this book without scribbling down the many quotes and listing all the books that James recommends. (Robert)