Staff Recommendation

The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine by Benjamin Wallace

A fascinating look at the wine auction world of the 1980s that concentrates on what may or may not have been bottles belonging to Thomas Jefferson. The ensuing debate (and law suits) are still raging. Clearly written and deftly organized, this book is the perfect vacation read. [Eileen]

Ergo by Jakov Lind; trans. by Ralph Manheim

A story of two late-middle-aged men matching questionable wits across an abyss of misunderstanding and madness, Ergo follows Wacholder, who lives in a customs house overflowing with three tons of paper, and his two cronies as they use and abuse their seemingly-inexhaustible supply of blank paper and attempt the existential destruction of a man named Würz. Absurd, dark, and occasionally crass, this is the best book by one of Austria's most talented authors. [Jeff]

Cosmopolitan: A Bartender's Life by Toby Cecchini

Having been in a few bars in my time, Cosmopolitan instantly found a warm place next to my cold heart, doing for bartenders what Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential did for restaurateurs. What kept me glued to the page, however, was the exceptional writing, most notably Cecchini's soliloquy on a proper martini. [Javier]

The Kids Are All Right: a memoir by The Welches

At ages ranging from 8 to 19, the 4 Welch kids are parentless. This memoir gives each child a voice in telling how they struggled to be together during years of difficulty and sadness.Amanda, Liz, Dan, and Diana share poignant details of their parents' deaths and of growing up separated from one another. Each child mourns differently and remembers differently, and the result is an engaging and beautiful patchwork of writing. [Ann J]

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

Janzen successfully mixes and manages the seemingly unconnected perspectives of academia, Mennonite culture, and contemporary family drama in this intelligent, sincere, memoir. She juxtaposes phrases of adept social thinking with discussions of losing her husband to a guy on "Gay.com," which keep you engaged, curious, and even sympathetic. An inglorious take of modern America if ever there was one. [Angela]

Love All the People by Bill Hicks

Before Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, Bill Hicks turned the comedy club circuit on it's ear in the early 90s with his acidic, yet informed brand of socio-political commentary that would simultaneously attract and alienate a legion of fans. This book contains his best work. See why Hicks was often referred to as Noam Chomsky with dick jokes. [Javier]

Love is Like Park Avenue by Alvin Levin

This is a collection of letters, novel fragments, and short stories by Alvin Levin, a practically unknown American writer. The letters are the real treasure-trove--they're earnest and genuine, and reflect a boastful innocence that is embarrassingly youthful.

"I read Henry Miller," Levin wrote in one letter, "and he is good, just as Saroyan is good, but I am better."

This is a perfect gift for failed writers and young men with literary ambitions. [Jeff]

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