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In serious times like these, with wars dominating the news, it is important to read serious writers like Primo Levi. His wisdom about war, humanity, good and evil, and the strength of the human spirit transcends time to feed a generation hungry for understanding. As with "Slaughterhouse Five" and "War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning," "If Not Now, When" should be required reading for everyone.

If you have friends or family who have suffered any kind of brain damage from accidents or strokes, this book will give you insight into how their experience of life has changed and how you might be more understanding of their behavior. It will also help you understand yourself and the mechanisms of your brain that are beyond your conscious reach. Unbelievable!!!

What I appreciate about this book is its originality. No formulaic story or characters here -- just fresh, honest writing that tells an engaging and compelling story.

Sorry to fall into the author's own trap of overdoing sexual innuendo but I might have enjoyed this book for its unusual and fascinating content were it not for the author's continual, distracting and, yes, disturbing verbal masturbation.

This is not a book just for medical students. Anyone interested in medicine or disease will find the pictures fascinating and the diagnostic techniques intriguing. A great resource to keep on hand.

After reading and loving "Middlesex," with all its references to metamorphosis, it was interesting to read this science-based account of the history of our understanding of metamorphosis and also its effects on our culture. Kim Todd says that Merian was often criticized for not offering a "unifying theory of insect development." Funny to think there might be such a thing, let alone someone taking heat for not documenting it!

The demand for proof is a curiously mathematical phenomenon. Even when mathematicians are convinced of the truth of a hypothesis, even when physical evidence is overwhelmingly in support of it, still they demand conclusive logical proof. In this "story" of the search for a proof of Riemann's Hypothesis, which deals with prime numbers, duSautoy examines the question of what allows us to progress. There are stories of genius inhibited by the strictures of the time, stories of genius unfettered by formal education, stories of collaboration that result in better work than either collaborator could have contributed. It is a story of numbers, yes, but in the context of human nature and our singular drive to understand our world.

No big words or fancy turns of phrase. Just clear descriptions and honest perceptions. And, in reading, one finds oneself contemplating life's bigger questions. Isn't that what great art is all about? LISTEN! Mark Spragg has it -- read "An Unfinished Life," or "The Fruit of Stone," and, definitely, read "Where Rivers Change Direction." You'll see.

I couldn't put it down and I didn't want it to end. If you haven't discovered Mark Spragg (An Unfinished Life is awesome too) here is your chance. He makes you feel that you are a part of the life in the boondocks of Montana and Wyoming, with people who are real, tough, human, and likeable. He writes children characters better than anyone else I've read.

In the "literary school of morals," Pullman examines deep questions like the nature of consciousness in the context of a fast-moving and compelling story. The main characters are strong and unforgettable. This is technically "juvenile literature," but adults will love it.

How do we honor people we have lost who have been important in our lives? Mark Spragg examines this question in the context of a moving story with memorable characters and smooth, comfortable writing. It's a question worth writing about and a book worth reading.

It's long but worth it. Also lots on other artists of the era, including Jackson Pollock. What I liked most about it was the analysis of deKoonings art and how it changed over his lifetime.

Millay's life, and "Savage Beauty" are both dark and deep and worthy of contemplating. She is an extreme example of a gifted artist and all that goes along with it. Milford's writing is smooth, penetrating, satisfying. What a combination! I haven't read such a fascinating biography since "A Beautiful Mind."

WHERE'S THE MEAT?!!! You have to wade through Gilbert's "clever" prose and "amusing" anecdotes to get to anything substantial. Stephen Braun's "The Science of Happiness" is much easier to read and contains the same information.

I read this ten years ago and I still refer to it often in conversation. Grealy makes us look at ourselves and our society from a radical perspective. She writes like Joan Didion -- refreshingly candid, incisive and blunt.

Gawande's gift is taking his careful analysis of the medical field and applying it to life. Reading his articles, I often think of how the strategies he explores to improve medicine can be applied to education. This would be a great book club book.

I read this book a few years ago when I was trying to work through grief after my mom died. It helped with the grief and the ideas have stuck with me since. If you are interested in how we work, with no self-help nonsense, this is a good book for you.

One of the ten books in my all-time top five!!! It's funny. And deadly serious.

Reading Consilience changed the way I look at life and at education. It's all about the connections we can make among the many branches of learning. Those connections further our knowledge, enrich our understanding, and make us better thinkers. It's not an easy read, but well worth the effort.

Like spending time with your wise and gentle grandfather. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the process of creating art -- of any kind. The poems are nearly perfect, which is enough, but the prose is what sets the book apart.

These stories illustrate the idea that art is the intersection of imagination and reality. Just "real" enough, they cause you to step outside your definition of reality for bursts of time and expand your definition of the possible. Many are funny, some disturbing and all worth the ten minutes or so they take to read.

What I like best about Lahiri's writing is that it is unforced. There don't seem to be any tricks or hidden intentions. She writes about what she knows -- being an Indian immigrant -- honestly and with a gentle but deep insight.

This is one of my top five books ever! It feels like light reading, funny and entertaining, but makes you think about the conflicting forces of integrity and financial success.

The only way to make this a better story would be to fictionalize it to match our hopes for the main character. Fortunately, Colton avoids this temptation; the result is an honest and insightful book about real human struggles.

There are some gems in this book that stay with you long after you've read it. One story, about a man's visit to a therapist while struggling with depression, is so nearly perfect that you re-read it over and over, for the sound, the feel and the meaning of it. I always loved the book Stuart Little, and learning about what White was trying to convey with that story and Charlotte's Web makes you appreciate it even more. White takes on the weightiest of subjects with the lightest of touches.

I read this book after reading an article in the NYer about Philip Pullman, in which he said that good literature has the responsibility of teaching morals in the context of an engaging story. He lambasted writers who shy away from the big questions as well as those whose stories are not compelling, Tolkien being guilty of the first and C.S. Lewis the second. I wanted to see how he measured up to his own standards. Not a fan of science fiction, I nevertheless devoured not only The Golden Compass but the other two books in this trilogy: The Amber Spyglass and The Subtle Knife. Great stories all, and straight from, as Pullman calls it "the literary school of morals."

You might be put off by Taleb's credentials -- he is a PhD Mathematician specializing in probability and a trader of derivatives, worlds beyond our intuitive understanding that can be frustratingly inaccessible. But this is not a textbook; it reads like a conversation, one with an extremely intelligent, curious, and engaging person. You will not be taking any chances in dedicating time to read this book.

Having this book on hand is like having permanent access to a wise grandfather. The poems are about love, loss, and death. The prose is about art and inspiration and trusting ourselves as a source of understanding. I'm not a gardener, but the pictures are beautiful and the connections between gardening and art enlightening.

I hesitantly agreed to read this book on the recommendation of a friend. I couldn't see how the story of a carnival family who seeds their own show by purposely creating mutant offspring could be instructive in any way. Halfway through, I found myself empathizing with the loyal-to-a-fault narrator, a bald, albino hunchback who is devoted to her limbless, partially aquatic egalomaniac brother. Their siblings, musically talented Siamese twins, and a clairvoyant younger brother, have similarly twisted relationships with their brother Arty. The story is wild and enchanting, but it is how it makes you think about "normal" life that is most amazing. I don't know what else to say but "Read It!"

Understanding how babies think and learn helps us understand ourselves.

I use this as a read aloud in middle school. The stories are short, focused, and very appealing to kids and adults. You will tremble with anticipation and quiver with laughter.

This is a thoughtful biography of Darwin, exploring such questions as what makes an innovative thinker and why Darwin waited 20 years to publish his theory of natural selection. The author is the curator of the national Museum of Natural History and wrote this book to accompany an extensive exhibit on Darwin.