Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 5/11-5/14/09

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Garry Wills, author of Under God: Religion and American Politics and Why I Am a Catholic, takes the overused question “What would Jesus do?” and shows that politicians and others, of both the right and the left, probably haven’t the least idea. For Wills, Jesus is a radical—too radical to endorse any one political program. Wills is a true believer and this attempt to find the true meanings of Jesus’ words and actions is not meant to please either conservatives or liberals. An unflinching and stimulating book, especially for the religious.

WHAT JESUS MEANT, by Garry Wills (Penguin Press, 2007)

CHILLER THRILLER

Is the boy who visits young George Davies after his father’s mysterious death real, or is he the product of an imagination trying to cope with family tragedy? What of the things the boy tells George about his father’s demise? What about the terrifying journeys George takes with the boy? Justin Evans’s first novel is “an edgy, compelling read—more unnerving than scary—that will slide its hooks deep inside and throttle you more than a few times before it’s all over.”—Booklist

A GOOD AND HAPPY CHILD, by Justin Evans (Shaye Areheart, 2007)

WHY ART IS IMPORTANT

In this companion volume to the PBS series, Simon Schama writes with passion and verve about eight masterpieces (by Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko) and why and how they changed our view of the world. He takes them away from the reverential hush of the museum, shows us their place in the more rambunctious and challenging world we live in, and tells us of their creators’ struggles in painting them. An absorbing and exhilarating read.

THE POWER OF ART, by Simon Schama (Ecco, 2006)

CIVIL WAR ROMANCE

In November 1864, Carrie McGavock was mourning the deaths of three of her children when her plantation house was taken over by General Nathan Forrest for use as a field hospital. In the ensuing battle, 9,000 soldiers died in one of the bloodiest engagements of the Civil War. Carrie put aside her grief, nursed the wounded, and even fell in love with one of them. Robert Hicks vividly evokes the pain, confusion, and horror of war through the lives of individuals trying to cope with an overwhelming tide of history.

THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH: A NOVEL, by Robert Hicks (Warner Books, 2006)

5/11/1989:
The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum, 4-2, and win their Prince of Wales final-round Stanley Cup series in six games. With the outcome decided in the late stages, Philly players Ron Sutter and goalie Ron Hextall (in full pads) each make deliberate, rink-wide charges at Montreal defenseman Chris Chelios as payback for a Chelios check in Game 1 that gave Flyers left winger Brian Propp a concussion. Enjoying the last hurray, Chelios is named the No. 1 star of this game and was a prime mover in Montreal's defense during the series, holding Philadelphia's league-leading power play unit scoreless (0 for 24) in all six games.

Birthdays:
Charlie Gehringer b. 1903
Rip Sewell b. 1907
Jack Twyman b. 1934
Milt Pappas b. 1939
Kerry Ligtenberg b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Brett Favre equaled the Packers' record when he played his 16th season for the club in 2007. Quarterback Bart Starr (1956-1971) was the only other man to play as many seasons in a Green Bay uniform.

5/12/1984:
Fastballing Cincinnati right-hander Mario Soto has his bid for ano-hitter broken up with two outs in the ninth inning when he hangs a change-up to Silent George Hendrick, who deposits the offering over the left-field fence. The last-ditch homer ties the game at 1-1, and even a standing ovation from the fans at Riverfront Stadium cannot assuage Soto's diappointment. He recovers to retire the side and the Reds scratch out a run in the bottom half of the ninth to win the game, but for Soto, who dominated all day long with his fastball (12 strikeouts), the wrong pitch at the wrong time deprives him of baseball immortality.

Birthdays:
Yogi Berra b. 1925
Felipe Alou b. 1935
Johnny Bucyk b. 1935
George Karl b. 1951
Lou Whitaker b. 1957

Packers Fact:
With 237 consecutive starts entering 2007, Packers quarterback Brett Favre far outdistanced Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks, whose 176 starts in a row ranked second among all active players.

5/13/1958:
In a slugfest between old New York City rivals in their first year on the West Coast, the San Francisco Giants pummel the Los Angeles Dodgers, 16-9, with a 26-hit attack. Willie Mays goes five for five, including two home runs with four RBIs and four runs scored. Daryl Spencer goes four for six, including two homers with six RBIs and four runs scored. The Giants' Orlando Cepeda, Bob Schmidt and Danny O'Connell also have four-hit games in a contest that demonstrates the ill-suited dimensions of the (four-year-stopgap_ L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The 40-foot-high screen in left field is only 250 feet down the line - a chip shot for most big-league hitters.

Birthdays:
Dean Meminger b. 1948
Bobby Valentine b. 1950
Dennis Rodman b. 1961
Mike Bibby b. 1978
Barry Zito b. 1978

Packers Fact:
From midway through the 2000 season, when tackle Chad Clifton first broke into the starting lineup, through 2006, the Packers allowed fewer sacks than all but one other NFL team (the Indianapolis Colts).

5/14/2004:
Big redhead Brian Scalabrine celebrates with Richard Jefferson after scoring a career-high 17 points to lead New Jersey to a 127-120 triple-overtime victory over Detroit in an Eastern Conference semifinal-round playoff game. Starved for playing time on the talented New Jersey club, Scalabrine stepped up big time when four Nets fouled out. It's only the fourth playoff game in NBA history to require three or more overtimes. The Pistons will rebound from this home loss to capture this series in seven games on their way to winning the NBA championship.

Birthdays:
Gump Worsley b. 1929
Tony Perez b. 1942
Dennis Martinez b. 1955
Pooh Richardson b. 1966
Roy Halladay b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Brett Favre is the only man ever to be named the Associated Press' NFL MVP three times (1995-97). He shared the award in 1997 with Detroit running back Barry Sanders.

Sports Fact of the Day 4/21-5/10/09

4/21:

Besieged by media inquiries after a rash of injuries to his staff, Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson begged off, declaring: "I'm not Dr. Seuss; I'm not even Dr. Phil."

Birthdays:
Gary Peters b. 1937
Al Bumbry b. 1947
Jesse Orosco b. 1957
Ken Caminiti b. 1963
Ed Belfour b. 1965

Packers Fact:
Offensive lineman Allen Barbre was the Packers' 2007 rookie was a Division II consensus All-America in 2006 while at Missouri Southern State.

4/22/1988:
Patrik Sundstrom sets a Stanley Cup record for points in one game with three goals and five assists (eight points), leading the New Jersey Devils to a 10-4 rout of the Washington Capitals in a Patrick Division final-round game at the Meadowlands. (Wayne Gretzky held the old mark of seven points in one playoff game, a figure he achieved three times.) The one-sided score leads to a Cup record 62 penalties called by referee Denis Morel, topping the previous mark of 59 established by the Rangers and Kings in 1981. Mark Johnson adds four goals for New Jersey, three on the power play, and is almost an afterthought in the postgame summaries. The Devils will win this series in seven games but bow in the next round to Boston.

Birthdays:
Spencer Haywood b. 1949
Terry Francona b. 1959
Freeman McNeil b. 1959
Jeff Hostetler b. 1961
Jimmy Key b. 1961

Packers Fact:
Coernerback Charles Woodson made the Pro Bowl each of hish first four NFL seasons (1998-2001). He was playing for the Raiders at the time.

4/23/1951:
Boston Braves left-hander Warren Spahn will lead the National League in complete games thish season with 26 and nine times in all during his career. No wonder. Today at Ebbets Field he goes the route - 16 innings - before suffering a painful defeat as Carl Furillo's long single off the right-field scoreboard gives Brooklyn a 2-1 victory. Spahn will still win 22 games this season, one of 13 times he'll win at least 20 in one year, on his way to 363 lifetime victories - an all-time record for lefties.

Birthdays:
Jim Bottomley b. 1900
Warren Spahn b. 1921
Tony Esposito b. 1943
Gail Goodrich b. 1943
Andruw Jones b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Brandon Jackson was the sixth running back selected in the 2007 draft. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota), Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo), Kenny Irons (Cincinnati), Chris Henry (Tennessee), and Brian Leonard (St. Louis) were the only backs chosen ahead of him.

4/24/2003:
Petr Skykora scores only 48 seconds into the fifth overtime period to give the Anaheim Might Ducks a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars in the first game of their second-round STanley Cup playoff series. It's the fourth longest game in NHL history (140 minutes and 48 seconds), taking nearly six hours to complete. Sykora's game winner, beating Stars goalie Marty Turco, provides the only goal since Brenden Morrow tied the score for Dallas with three minutes left in regulation time. Only about half of the 18,000 fans in attendance at the start of the weeknight game in Dallas stick it out till the bitter end.

Birthdays:
Vince Ferragamo b. 1954
Omar Vizquel b. 1967
Chipper Jones b. 1972
Eric Snow b. 1973
Carlos Beltran b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver Greg Jennings finished second among the Packers with 632 receiving yards and 3 scoring catches (on 45 receptions in all) as a rookie in 2006 despite being slowed by a midseason ankle injury.

4/25/1986:
San Diego relief pitcher Craig Lefferts hits the only home run of his 12-year major league career in the last of the 12th inning to give the Padres a 9-8 victory over San Francisco at Jack Murphy Stadium. After the Giants take an 8-7 lead in the top of the 12th, Graig Nettles quickly ties it with a leadoff homer for San Diego in the home half, allowing Lefferts to bat for himself. Amazingly, despite compiling only a .121 batting average during his career, Lefferts drives a pitch from Greg Minton out of the park to win the game. It's the only base hit and RBI he'll record in the entire 1986 season.

Birthdays:
Meadowlark Lemon b. 1932
Vladislav Tretiak b. 1952
Darren Woodson b. 1969
Jacque Jones b. 1975
Tim Duncan b. 1976

Packers Fact:
Mike McCarthy served as offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2000-04) and the San Francisco 49ers (2005) before becoming the Packers' coach.

4/26/1952:
Detroit right-hander Art "Hard Luck" Houtteman, a magnet for misfortune, absorbs even more disappointment when he surrenders his bid for a no-hitter in a 13-0 rout of the Indians at Briggs Stadium. Ironically, Cleveland's losing pitcher, Bob Lemon, pitched a no-hitter against Detroit four years ago and Houtteman was the losing pitcher that night. Houtteman survived a 2-16 campaign that year, reboudning to win 34 games over the next two seasons before sustaining a fractured skull in a car crash. This spring, he suffered the cruelest fate of all when his only child was killed in yet another car accident.

Birthdays:
Harry Gallatin b. 1927
Nino Benvenuti b. 1938
Donna de Varona b. 1947
Mike Scott b. 1955
Natrone Means b. 1972

Packers Fact:
Tackle Daryn Colledge, wide receiver Greg Jennings, and linebacker A.J. Hawk all were named to the Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team for 2006.

4/27/1990:
Washington right wing John Druce scores the winning goal in overtime to give the Capitals a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers, ending their Patrick Division Stanley Cup playoff series in five games. The clinching marker tops off a stunning sequence for Druce, who scores in each game in this series, nine goals in all, including a three-goal hat trick in Game 2 and two goals each in Game 3 and 4. The victory pushes the Caps into their first-ever Prince of Wales Conference final-round series, where the magic finally runs out and they lose to Boston.

Birthdays:
Enos Slaughter b. 1916
Lee Roy Jordan b. 1941
Keith Magnuson b. 1947
George Gervin b. 1952
Herman Edwards b. 1954

Packers Fact:
Before Brandon Jackson and Korey Hall started in the Packers backfield in 2007, it had been eleven years, since 1996, since an NFL team had two rookies starting in the backfield on Kickoff Weekend. Both the Rams (Lawrence Phillips and Derrick Harris) and Dolphins (Stanley Pritchett and Karim Abdul-Jabbar) had rookie backfields.

4/28:
Using his boundless reservoir of humorous banter to soft-pedal a rathe rserious subject, Hall of Fame golfer Lee Trevino remarked: "If you're caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a one-iron. Not even God can hit a one-iron."

Birthdays:
Pedro Ramos b. 1935
Tom Browning b. 1960
Mark Bavaro b. 1963
Barry Larkin b. 1964
John Daly b. 1966

Packers Fact:
Jon Ryan rnked ninth among all NFL punters when he averaged 44.5 yards per kick as a rookie in 2006.

4/29/1956:
Wally Post slugs four home runs (two in each game) to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a doubleheader sweep of the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 and 8-4 at Crosley Field. The power-laden Reds will battle all season long for the pennant before falling just two games shy of Brooklyn's 93-61 ledger. Post will contribute 36 round-trippers to a record-tying total of 221 homers by the Reds in 1956, equaling the mark of the 1947 New York Giants (since broken).

Birthdays:
George Allen b. 1922
Luis Aparicio b. 1934
Jim Ryun b. 1946
Dale Earnhardt Sr. b. 1952
Andrew Agassi b. 1970

4/30/1944:
Journeyman first baseman Phil Weintraub of the New York Giants explodes for 11 RBIs at the Polo Grounds as part of a 26-8 demolition of the Dodgers in the opener of a doubleheader that draws over 58,000 fans including Babe Ruth, to Coogan's Bluff. Weintraub (who once hit .401 in the minors at Nashville in 1934) raps out two doubles, a triple and a home run, and earns a postgame visit from the Bambino in the Giants clubhouse. His 11 ribbies fall just shy of Jim Bottomley's NL and MB record of 12 set in 1924 for the Cardinals.

Birthdays:
Bob Hendley b. 1939
Phil Garner b. 1949
Isiah Thomas b. 1961
Al Toon b. 1963
Dave Meggett b. 1966

Packers Fact:
Before James Jones in 2007, the last rookie wide receiver to start for the Packers on Kickoff Weekend was Charles Lee, in 2000.

5/1/1994:
Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna is killed at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, near Bologna, Italy, Failing to negotiate a turn known as the Tamburello Curve, the 34-year-old world champion slams into a concrete wall at 192 mph. A subsequent examination of his car reveals that poor workmanship had left his modified steering column vulnerable to metal fatigue. As a result, Senna coul dnot steer the car on the difficult turn.

Birthdays:
Cliff Battles b. 1910
Chuck Bednarik b. 1925
Ollie Matson b. 1930
Steve Cauthen b. 1960
Curtis Martin b. 1973

Packers Fact:
The Packers entered 2007 having punted 876 consecutive times without having a punt blocked. Only the Cleveland Browns (889 punts) had a longer string.

5/2/2002:
Mike Cameron becomes the 13th big leaguer to hit four home runs in one game, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 15-4 rout of the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. Even more significantly, Cameron and Bret Boone become the first pair of teammatese in MLB history to each hit two home runs in the same inning, keying a 10-run explosion in the first frame. It's also only the fourth time that four home runs have been hit in one game by one player in American League history.

Birthdays:
Eddie Bressoud b. 1932
Gates Brown b. 1939
Clay Carroll b. 1941
Gerald Irons b. 1947
Jamaal Wilkes b. 1953

Packers Fact:
Nick Barnett led the Packers in tackles for three years in a row beginning in 2003. The only two Green Bay players to top the team in that category four times are linebackers Brian Noble (1986-87, 1989, 1991) and Bernardo Harris (1997-98, 2000-01). Barnett is the only player to do it three consecutive years.

5/3/1985:
Weakened by the cancer that would take his life only five weeks from now, Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Bob "the Gunner" Prince returns to the press box one last time to several standing ovations. The emotional night is not lost on his beloved Buccos, who hang a nine-spot on the Dodgers in the fourth inning and roll to a 16-2 victory. Next year, Prince will be posthumously honored with a Ford Frick award at the Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, the highest accolade a baseball announcer can receive.

Birthdays:
Sugar Ray Robin son b. 1920
Garfield Heard b. 1948
Rod Langway b. 1953
Jeff Hornacek b. 1963
Ron Hextall b. 1964

5/4/2001:
Led by Vince Carter's 27 points, the expansion Toronto Raptors (founded in 1995) win their first-ever playoff series, beating the Knicks, 93-89, in a decisive fifth game at Madison Square Garden. Making it double galling for New York, ex-Knick stalwarts Charles Oakley (12 points) and Chris Childs (10 points) play key roles in the Raptors' unexpected triumph. Latrell sprewell leads all scorers with 29 points but is unable to lead the Knicks back from a 12-point deficit in the closing moments.

Birthdays:
Elmer Layden b. 1903
Betsy Rawls b. 1928
Rene Lachemann b. 1945
Butch Beard b. 1947
Ben Grieve b. 1976

Packers Fact:
With 141 tacklkes in 2006, linebacker Nick Barnett easily surpassed the 100 mark for the fourth consecutive season.

5/5/1974:
The Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Rangers, 4-3, clinching their Stanley Cup semifinal series in a decisive seventh game at the Spectrum. Superb goaltending by Bernie Parent and two goals by Gary Dornhoefer are vital components of the Flyers' success, but the effect of a midgame fight between Flyers enforcer Dave Schultz and Rangers defenseman Dale Rolfe cannot be overlooked. When Schultz lays a terrific beating on Rolfe, who is not an accomplished figher, none of the Rangers step in to help their teammate, nor does the team seek subsequent retribution. This incident serves as a metaphor for the Rangers of this era, as talented a hockey club as any in the league, who never break through and win a Stanley Cup. Many observers cite their aversion to fistic exchanges as an underlying cause.

Birthdays:
Tony Canadeo b. 1919
Bob Cerv b. 1926
Ion Tiriac b. 1939
Herm Gilliam b. 1946
Larry Hisle b. 1947

Packers Fact:
Linebacker Nick Barnett once returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. It came in a game in 2005, and it was his first career touchdown.

5/6/1933:
Broker's Tip defeats Head Play by a nose in the Kentucky Derby. In an era before photo-finish technology, the racing stewards must not only ascertain the narrow margin of victory but also address a foul claim by Head Play's jockey, Herb Fisher, who calls interference against jockey Don Meade aboard Broker's Tip. Actually, both jockeys went considerably beyond the bounds of racing decorum. Newsreel footage captured Meade and Fisher scrapping, jostling and flailing at one another in the home stretch. Both riders are suspended for a month, and Broker's Tip also earns a footnote in racing history. The Derby triumph is his first career victory and he'll never win another race, the only time this has occrred in Thoroughbred annals.

Birthdays:
Weeb Ewbank b. 1907
John Vaught b. 1908
Willie Mays b. 1931
Martin Brodeur b. 1972
Chris Paul b. 1985

Packers Fact:
When he suited up for the Chicago Bears in 1996, long snapper Rob Davis became the first man from Shippensburg (Pennsylvania) University to play in the NFL.

5/7/1917:
Boston southpaw Babe Ruth pitches a two-hit shutout and drives in teh game's only run against Walter Johnson as the Red Sox beat Washington, 1-0, at Griffith Stadium. Ruth allows only a pair of singles and hits a sacrifice fly to score Everett Scott with the winning run in the eighth inning. It's the third time since June 1, 1916, that Ruth has bested Johnson by a 1-0 score. Johnson will go on to suffer 26 1-0 losses in his career, far and away a major league record.

Birthdays:
Johnny Unitas b. 1933
Bob Weiss b. 1942
Louis Orr b. 1958
Brad Isbister b. 1977
Shawn Marion b. 1978

Packers Fact:
Rob Davis entered hish 10th full season as the Packers' long snapper in 2007.

5/8/1982:
Relentless niper Mike Bossy intercepts a mindless clearing pass by Vancouver defenseman Harold Snepsts with only two seconds left in the first overtime and scores the game-winning goal for the New York Islanders in the opener of their Stanley Cup final-round series against the Canucks. Bossy's third goal of the game clinches a 6-5 victory and breaks the back of the Canucks, who will get swept in four straight games by the indomitable Isles as they win their third straight Stanley Cup title.

Birthdays:
Sonny Liston b. 1932
Mike Cuellar b. 1937
Bill Cowher b. 1957
Ronnie Lott b. 1959
Speedy Claxton b. 1978

Packers Fact:
Long snapper Rob Davis was a member of the USA Today's "All-Joe" team of unsung stars for 2006.

5/9/1915:
Four-time Wimbledon men's singles champion Tony Wilding of New Zealand is killed in action while fighting with the British Royal Marines in the World War I battle of Aubers Ridge at Neuve-Chapelle, France. Wilding also won four Wimbledon men's doubles titles and was a member of four winning Australasian Davis Cup teams. Passionate about cars and motorcycles, he competed in races and traveled on the primitive open roads of the day. He had signed on with the armored car division of the Marines, only to be caught in a fatal bombardment in the early stages of the war. He was 31.

Birthdays:
Pancho Gonzales b. 1928
Ralph Boston b. 1939
Howard "Butch" Komives b. 1941
Tony Gwynn b. 1960
Steve Yzerman b. 1965

Packers Fact:
Quarterback Brett Favre played college football at Southern Mississippi.

5/10/1960:
Veteran sluggers Vic Wertz and Rip Repulski both connect for grand-slam homers, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 9-7 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Wertz's first-inning clout off Early Wynn gives him 1,001 lifetime big-league RBIs, while Repulski's jackpot wallop in the eighth frame off Don Ferrarese comes on his first American League at bat after eight years in the National League, following a recent trade with the Dodgers.

Birthdays:
Pat Summerall b. 1930
Manuel Santana b. 1938
Jim Calhoun b. 1942
Phil & Steve Mahre b. 1957
Rony Seikaly b. 1965

Book Rec of the Day 4/21-5/10/09

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

On a train journey one day, Harold Pinter, Geoffrey Godbert, and Anthony Astbury started talking poetry, and from their conversation arose this idea for an anthology: 100 of the finest short- to medium-length poems of 100 English-language poets in alphabetical order, from James Agee to William Butler Yeats. Some of these poems you will find familiar. Some will be new to you. Will you agree with their choices? In any case, they all make splendid reading and a fine companion for your own travels by train.

100 POEMS BY 100 POETS: AN ANTHOLOGY, compiled by Harold Pinter, Geoffrey Godbert, and Anthony Astbury (1986; Grove Press, 1992)

WITH A CLEAN CONSCIENCE

Short, sweet, and to the point: hundreds of recipes for gentle, eco-friendly, nontoxic, yet effective ways to take out stains, deodorize the carpet, freshen the air, wash windows, clean bathrooms and kitchens, mop the floors, and more. Save the planet, your money, and your sanity with these easy tips.

GREEN CLEAN, by Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin (Melcher Media, 2005)

A SECRETARY OF STATE’S SECRETARY OF STATE

Probably the most influential secretary of state in the 20th century, Dean Acheson was instrumental in the creation of America’s Cold War containment policy, the Marshall Plan, and the Truman Doctrine. Though denounced by Republicans at the time, he is now regarded with admiration not only by Democrats but also by Henry Kissinger and Condoleeza Rice. Robert L. Beisner has written a thorough and insightful book about a man of deep intelligence who did not suffer fools gladly. A must for those with a real interest in American history of the postwar period.

DEAN ACHESON: A LIFE IN THE COLD WAR, by Robert L. Beisner (Oxford University Press USA, 2006)

In a work both moving and humorous, Kiran Desai explores the strains of a globalizing world through the story of a Cambridge-educated Indian judge who lives with his granddaughter and his cook in Northeastern India. The granddaughter is in love with a young man involved in the neighboring Nepali insurgency. At the same time the cook’s son is struggling as an illegal immigrant in New York, working ill-paying jobs in restaurants where he overhears Wall Streeters talking about the rich opportunities in Asian markets. The Inheritance of Loss won the 2006 Man Booker Prize.

THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS, by Kiran Desai (Grove Press, 2006)

THE LIVES OF SHORT PEOPLE

“Short people got no reason to live,” sang Randy Newman in his brilliant send-up of prejudice. We all laughed when we heard it, but Stephen Hall’s book is a serious examination of the lives of the short in a world where the phrase “size matters” is more than just a joke. Besides presenting sociological studies, the book examines human growth hormone, childhood bullying, anthropological studies, and why some short people become Napoleon while others kind of just disappear. Fascinating stuff, especially if you were shorter than 99 percent of all the boys in your class.

SIZE MATTERS: HOW HEIGHT AFFECTS THE HEALTH, HAPPINESS, AND SUCCESS OF BOYS—AND THE MEN THEY BECOME, by Stephen S. Hall (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)

MASTER OF THE MACABRE

This 2006 collection chronologically arranges all of Roald Dahl’s short fiction for adults. The author of James and the Giant Peach definitely had a dark side (as did the Brothers Grimm) and you’ll find it in these tales of revenge and sadistic humor. Milquetoast husbands get back at their harridan wives, and put-upon, wrung-out wives mete out just, and unjust, retribution. Remember the story of the woman who kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb? Then there’s “Poison,” in which a man awakens to find a venomous snake coiled up asleep on his belly. Happy times for lovers of the macabre.

COLLECTED STORIES, by Roald Dahl (Everyman’s Library, 2006)

LET SOMEBODY ELSE DO THE WORK

Everybody knows that Adam Smith is probably the most important economic thinker of all time, right? But it’s a reputation we have pretty much simply accepted—who among us has actually read the 1,000-plus pages of The Wealth of Nations to find out if Smith was as smart as “they” told us he was? P. J. O’Rourke, one of America’s leading conservative satirists, has decided to rectify this lamentable situation. He has turned Smith’s voluminous 18th-century prose into a snazzy, grin-inducing 256 pages of rah-rah capitalist joy. Now all we have to do is trust O’Rourke.

ON THE WEALTH OF NATIONS (BOOKS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD), by P. J. O’Rourke (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2006)

GROUNDBREAKING STUDY

Mark Harris, former environmental columnist with the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, takes on a subject many people do not like to face: burials. Most of us haven’t done much research about the topic, but we should know more about the choices we have. Harris’s argument for “green” (chemical- and metal-free) burial methods is so interesting and the information so unusual that Grave Matters is bound to become the manual for generations to come. Publishers Weekly and Booklist starred reviews.

GRAVE MATTERS: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE MODERN FUNERAL INDUSTRY TO A NATURAL WAY OF BURIAL, by Mark Harris (Scribner, 2007)

GASTRONOMIC DREAMS

Up for some Figgy Piggy, anyone? Maybe a plateful of Shrimp Einstein or Happy Kid Pudding? One of our most creative chefs shows how to bring both playfulness and artfulness into the kitchen. Master chef Michel Richard presents very original and inventive recipes such as All-Crust Potato Gratin, Fluffy Spinach Bites, and a “salami” made of raspberries and almonds. Delicious and tempting dishes are shown in beautiful photographs that illustrate his techniques and show off the luscious victuals to a T. As fun for armchair chefs as for those with culinary experience.

HAPPY IN THE KITCHEN: THE CRAFT OF COOKING, THE ART OF EATING, by Michel Richard (Artisan, 2006)

OCEANIC THRILLER

Dr. Peter Crane has been sent to look into a strange disease attacking workers on an oil platform in the Atlantic. Once there, he finds that his real mission lies at the ocean floor, where an archeological dig may be turning up more than the usual artifacts. Has Atlantis been discovered? Deep Storm is a fast-paced, page-turning thriller that is a sure bet for readers who loved diving into Michael Crichton’s Sphere.

DEEP STORM, by Lincoln Child (Doubleday, 2007)

Award-winning authors Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney bring together essays of 45 writers on ways in which the geographic contours of our American landscape have shaped our language. With contributions from writers such as Barbara Kingsolver, Antonya Nelson, William Kittredge, and Jon Krakauer, the colorful origins of almost forgotten terms—hoodoo, playa, vly, arroyo, swale, gooseneck—shine again with their original brilliance and sing of America’s variety and beauty. Publishers Weekly starred review.

HOME GROUND: LANGUAGE FOR AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE, edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney (Trinity University Press, 2006)

Intriguing, unsettling questions circle the homeless former photographer Bobbie Crocker. Some of them have to do with a vicious assault on Laurel Estabrook. Laurel, from West Egg, Long Island, is disturbed to learn that Bobbie had some sort of connection to Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and perhaps even to Jay Gatsby. The references to the Fitzgerald classic novel are intriguing, and Chris Bohjalian really knows how to thicken a plot and leaven the suspense. He does so very satisfactorily in The Double Bind, right up to its shocking end.

THE DOUBLE BIND, by Chris Bohjalian (Shaye Areheart Books, 2007)

INSIDE STORY

Journalist Zaki Chehab was born in Palestine and grew up in its refugee camps. For years he has followed the story of the Palestinian resistance and has watched and studied Hamas from its beginnings. He has interviewed its leaders and talked to its followers, such as a woman who gladly sacrificed three of her sons as suicide bombers to the cause. For Hamas that cause is to return Palestine to what it was before 1948. Inside Hamas is probably the definitive book on a frighteningly successful extremist Islamist movement.

INSIDE HAMAS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MILITANT ISLAMIC MOVEMENT, by Zaki Chehab (Nation Books, 2007)

The irrepressible Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is back, this time with a new little bun in the oven to shop for. Tracking down the best of everything for baby, Becky decides she must have a star obstetrician (who is also an obstetrician to the stars). When that turns out to be an ex-sweetheart of her husband, Becky and the plot kick into action. A thoroughly delightful addition to Sophie Kinsella’s bestselling Shopaholic series.

SHOPAHOLIC & BABY, by Sophie Kinsella (The Dial Press, 2007)

THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD

In 1951, when Bobby Thomson’s bat met Ralph Branca’s pitch and sent it sailing out of the park, the hit instantly became one of the great moments in baseball. That home run won the pennant for the Giants from their cross-borough rivals, the Dodgers, and it became known as “the shot heard round the world.” Wall Street Journal writer Joshua Prager gives this history-making homer the thorough treatment it deserves, investigating its fairness (did the Giants steal the Dodgers’ pitching signs?) and its effects through the years on Thomson, Branca, and others. A gripping read for baseball fans.

THE ECHOING GREEN: THE UNTOLD STORY OF BOBBY THOMSON, RALPH BRANCA AND THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD, by Joshua Prager (Pantheon, 2006)

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR MOTHER’S DAY

Looking for stories of a mother’s sacrifice for her little tyke or a boy’s awkward love for his mummy? Then don’t come looking for Colm Tóibín. The nine narratives in this collection are about the deep difficulties between mothers and their grown sons. In one a drinking mum talks too much about her criminal son, causing him no end of trouble. In another a son is accused of molesting children, but the mother is kept in the dark about it until just before the trial. A book of intense, spell-binding prose and perceptive, heart-wrenching tales.

MOTHERS AND SONS: STORIES, by Colm Tóibín (Scribner, 2007)

FATHER WAS A GAY UNDERTAKER

Fun Home is a brilliantly realized graphic memoir of a childhood spent in a Victorian gothic-revival house that also happened to be a funeral parlor. Dominating both the house and the memoir is Alison Bechdel’s father, an emotionally absent, closeted gay man who, besides being the funeral-home director, was also a high-school English teacher whose interest in his male students went a bit beyond the parsing of sentences. By turns moving and funny, Bechdel has created a powerful work of art.

FUN HOME: A FAMILY TRAGICOMIC, by Alison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)

MOUNTAINS TO CLIMB

In 1993 Greg Mortenson attempted to climb K2, the world’s second-highest mountain. He failed, and when he descended, exhausted and ill, he found shelter in the Pakistani village of Korphe, where the impoverished citizens nursed him back to health. In return he swore to them that he would build them a school. This is the story of that school, and the more than 50 that followed, and of how Mortenson showed isolated mountain people that the extremism of the Taliban was not the only way to knowledge and understanding. Truly inspirational.

THREE CUPS OF TEA: ONE MAN’S MISSION TO PROMOTE PEACE . . . ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin, 2007)

As Carrie rises from country bumpkin and factory girl to celebrated actress in New York, George falls from man of wealth and importance to thief to homeless beggar. Dreiser’s great American novel was poorly received at first, mainly on moral grounds. But as the 20th century progressed, writers and readers came to understand that, as Sinclair Lewis said, it “came to housebound and airless America like a great free Western wind, and to our stuffy domesticity gave us the first fresh air since Mark Twain and Whitman.”

SISTER CARRIE, by Theodore Dreiser (1900; Signet Classics, 2000)

CELEBRITY BIO

John Dickerson’s pioneering mother, Nancy, was CBS’s first female reporter and the first woman in the Washington press corps. Many of the gentler aspects of domestic life were of little interest to the confidant of Lyndon Johnson, consummate D.C. insider, and ubiquitous figure at the epicenter of news and society. John, now a reporter on the same beat for Slate, looks at his sometimes bumpy relationship with his ambitious mother with wit, honesty, and compassion.

ON HER TRAIL: MY MOTHER, NANCY DICKERSON, TV NEWS’ FIRST WOMAN STAR, by John Dickerson (Simon & Schuster, 2006)