With so much of our country's attention focused on Iraq and Afghanistan most Americans have forgotten about the conflict in Chechnya, if they ever paid any attention to it at all before. In this searing memoir by a heroic surgeon committed to healing the sick and wounded without regard for politics or ethnicity, Baiev bears witness to the utter calamity of this conflict for the thousands of residents in this now battle-scarred land.
Dale

The result of prodigious scholarship and careful analysis, this book is a brilliant and disturbing examination of the origins of the Cold War and our government's justification for its reliance on nuclear weapons to safeguard our peace and security. Carroll skillfully interweaves his own personal history and that of the security establishment that mushroomed in size during and after World War II. Though rich in detail, House of War is compelling reading nonetheless. Perhaps, not everyone's, but this is my idea of perfect beach reading.
Dale

Ever curious, science writer and amateur naturalist Hannah Holmes crawls her lawn, communes with crows, befriends a chipmunk, and calls in the scientists in this funny, charming, even slightly goofy investigation of her suburban South Portland, Maine backyard.

This is an inspiring story of how one man's passion was able to save the legacy of an entire culture. Told with great affection, Lansky's recollections of his book collecting adventures are often hilarious and poignant at the same time.

Anyone familiar with Suzy Becker's sweet and quirky sense of humor will be glad it was not lost during the diagnosis, treatment, and her recovery from a brain tumor. Filled with her delightful drawings, this candid memoir reveals how she faces life's challenges with her characteristic passionate spirit.

I was utterly charmed by this short, lyrical, literary, almost otherworldly mystery of bibliomania taken to its extreme.

Charles Mann's book imparts to a general readership the fascinating new picture of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus that is emerging from current research. Amazingly almost everything commonly understood about the "New World" now appears to be wrong�native peoples were far more numerous, lived in more advanced urban civilizations, and had a far greater impact on the environment.
Dale

Gessner first wrote about his fascination with ospreys in an earlier book, Return of the Osprey. In Soaring with Fidel he follows the fall migration of these magnificent birds along the East Coast, over Cuba, to South America. While Gessner can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, because of his storytelling gifts you quickly learn to share his obsession with these hawks of the sea.
Dale

Put this one under the "Who Knew?" category - the perfect gift book for that literary person on your list who seems to have already read everything. And for an art book, an affordable price to boot!
Dale