It’s great to find a frank voice that shares your concerns when you are facing the challenges of caring for aging parents.  In this eloquent book, New York Times writer Jane Gross relates her own experiences of caring for her mother. and lays out a lot of information about trends dealing with the emotional, health and economic issues of the elderly and their families.

 Though I don’t often read thrillers, I burned through this one.  Set in present-day underworld London, a wrongfully-charged murder and the low road of pharmaceutical licensing underpin a suspenseful plot.  The characters are well-imagined, and Boyd’s prose style is fabulous.  I am on the hunt for all work by this author.

If you haven’t discovered Deborah Eisenberg’s beautifully crafted short stories, this is a good choice, because you will want to read and reread them all. These stories are rich and delicate, and linger in the memory to shift and amplify their values.  Eisenberg’s subtle, intelligent observations put readers in the best company.

Richard Louv asserts that today’s children, stewards of tomorrow’s natural world, are growing up with “nature deficit disorder”. This persuasive study warns that the electronic media-saturated generation are more at risk for ADD, obesity and depression because of this disconnect. Louv suggests simple remedies for parents and caregivers.

Barber illuminates the issues surrounding our culture of consumption, describing the market mania that misdirects our lives, choking out our more vital concerns as individuals and as a nation. Besides producing a vapid character in the populace, consumer culture acts in direct opposition to the needs of a democratic government. This compelling study makes a convincing case for re-evaluating many recent legislative actions, and for citizens to recognize, speak out and act for our true imperative interests rather than market-manufactured "needs".