Adult Reading Round Table Booklists  •  One Thing Leads to Another... A Reading Map

One Thing Leads to Another...A Reading Map Have you ever noticed that you tend to read in patterns? While we may not seek out a read-alike for a book we have enjoyed, perhaps we find a book that contains a particular link — such as a shared setting, time period, subject matter, or similar characters. This “serial bibliography” provides an example of the way readers can suggest connected books to one another — and travel across genres, around the world, and through time on the journey from the first book to the last.

Henry and Claire first meet when she is 6 and he is 36. They marry when Claire is 23 and Henry is... 31. Impossible but true— Henry has a gene disorder that periodically resets his genetic clock. He finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to different moments in his past and future. (Fiction) (RV)

Breakfast with Buddha: A Novel by Roland Merullo (2007)
While still in a traveling mode, let’s move on the road with two very mismatched companions. If you’re looking for a heartwarming story with lovable, believable characters, try Breakfast with Buddha. New York publisher Otto Ringling’s parents have been killed in an automobile accident not far from their North Dakota farm. He and his sister Cecilia must return home to settle their parents’ estate. With a slight twist of fate, Cecilia’s friend, a wise and patient Mongolian monk, travels home with Otto instead. Along the way Otto introduces Rinpoche to wonderful slices of Midwest America while Otto unexpectedly reaches a modest level of spiritual enlightenment. This witty, thoughtful story is not to be missed! (Fiction) (MC)

 
Awakening the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World by Lama Surya Das (1997)

An approachable how-to book that teaches Westerners to slow down our hectic paces of life and embrace the Buddha that lies within us all. In our frenzied lives, we are too busy to focus on the practices that will awaken the Buddha within us. The author is realistic in conveying that we can all embrace the lifestyle without traveling to Tibet to confer with a Buddhist monk. I usually am a bit leery of self-help books, but this one struck a chord. The philosophy is tangible; the exercises are simple and realistic even for a busy life. The author isn't telling the reader to go to Tibet on a retreat or to convert to a life of constant meditation. He teaches you how you can meditate during a short elevator ride or in your office between phone calls. He informs us how to adopt the Tibetan practices without abandoning our current lives. He is realistic that the Buddha will be be awakened within you in a matter of days or weeks (this book is not meant to be a "weekend cure" or "weekend transformation" book), and he teaches you that you can embrace the lifestyle without adopting the life of a monk. Some very good tangible advice on how to be kinder, calmer people and to discover the Buddha within. Like Otto in Roland Merullo’s Breakfast with Buddha, you can reach even a modest level of spiritual enlightenment when you least expect it. (Nonfiction) (BK)

The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison (1999)

Tibetan Buddhism changes Shan Tao Yun's life when he becomes a prisoner in the 404th Construction Brigade in Tibet. Shan Tao Yun was once an important investigator in Beijing until he offended a high party official by exposing corruption within the Party. In the camp, his fellow prisoners are all Tibetan monks who have refused to be re-educated by their Chinese rulers. When the brigade discovers a headless body by the road they are building, the monks refuse to do any more work until Buddhist rituals are performed to return the area to spiritual harmony. Colonel Tan, the commander of the prison, calls on Shan to investigate the murder or his fellow prisoners will be killed. Shan quickly discovers that the murdered man was not a tourist but the Chinese prosecutor of the area. While the authorities believe the Tibetan monks committed the murder, Shan discovers that the murder involves American mining interests, corrupt party officials, and Tibetan sorcerers. As he peels back the layers of complicity, Shan must race to find the killer if he is to save his fellow prisoners from being killed. This atmospheric mystery will appeal to all who like intelligent thrillers. (Fiction) (MJ)

The Road to Samarcand by Patrick O'Brian (1954)

Set in the same part of the world as The Skull Mantra, but in the pre-World War II 1930s, this novel features Tibetan monks slightly more hot-headed than those in the previous book. A newly orphaned teenager is promised one last “adventure” before his elderly archeologist guardian packs him off to the safety of a British boarding school to complete his education. From the South China Sea, and across Central Asia and the Himalayas, encounters with eccentric Chinese warlords, mysterious artifacts, vicious Red-Hat monks, and a yeti make for a sometimes hair-raising, sometimes humorous boys' adventure tale. Traditional O'Brian fans will love this early work which contains echoes of his strong stylistic voice, and teens who read adventure stories may find it a satisfying introduction to O'Brian and his more mature sea stories. (Fiction) (DTW)

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (2006)

The archaeologist in The Road to Samarcand made me think of another archaeologist, this time an amateur named Alice Tanner. While on a dig in the Pyrenees, Alice discovers two skeletons and a ring decorated with a labyrinth design. When the ring and another member of the dig disappear, Alice begins to fear for her life. Her modern story is linked to the story of Alais, a young woman born 800 years earlier who was charged with protecting the location of the Holy Grail. This well-researched historical adventure will keep you turning pages well into the night. (Fiction) (NM)

The Fall of a Sparrow by Robert Hellenga (1998)  

Like Labyrinth, this novel uses flashbacks in time and features a scholarly main character whose challenges are legion. In Hellenga’s novel, however, the flashbacks are to an earlier time in the main character’s own life. Woody’s life began crumbling apart when his daughter Cookie was killed in a terrorist bombing in Italy. In the wake of that tragedy, Woody’s wife left him and prepared to enter a convent; their remaining two daughters grew up and moved away; and Woody, a classics professor, had an affair with a student that led to his suspension from teaching. Now, several years after his daughter’s death, Woody finds himself at loose ends and decides to travel to Italy to attend the terrorists’ trial. An absorbing, thought-provoking book that is well-suited for book clubs, because the characters’ choices provide ample fodder for discussion. (Fiction) (SC)

Freefall: A High Risk Novel by JoAnn Ross (2008)

In the wake of a different terrorist attack in Italy— Upon returning home to Swann Island, South Carolina, after surviving a terrorist attack at the hotel she managed in Italy, Sabrina Swann reconnects with Zach Tremayne, her teenage crush and now an ex-SEAL who is trying to heal from his traumatic experience in the Iraq War. The two form a friendship and then a romance as they face a serial killer in their hometown. This appealing story has romance and suspense and strong characters. It the first book in the author’s High Risk series. (Fiction) (GU)

Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel by Jeff Lindsay (2004)

Another kind of serial killer— On the surface, Dexter Morgan is a quite likeable fellow: polite, handsome, well-respected, and articulate. Yet Dexter possesses one major character flaw – he is a serial killer. But Dexter is different from your average, run-of-the-mill serial killer. He lives by a strict code of ethics — he only kills other serial killers. Unfortunately, Dexter’s secret life makes for a lonely existence. Despite the fact that he can’t stand the sight of blood, Dexter works as a blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department. This job allows him to keep tabs on the latest crimes. Dexter's sister Deb is a cop working on a recent serial murder case. Dex is delighted that the other killer appears to have a style reminiscent of his own. He can’t help but feel that the killer is reaching out to him to “come out and play.” As Lindsay writes, “Even a lovable monster can be intrigued by the prospect of finding a friend.” (Fiction) (MCB)

Just as Dexter had voices in his head, Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge frequently hears the voice of Hamish, a young Scots soldier he had ordered executed for refusing to fight during World War I. Office politics and a vituperative co-worker who hopes to see the last of him, cause Ian to be sent to Scotland to solve the murder of a well-respected colonel just back from the war. The chief suspect seems to be the fiancé of the colonel's ward, a highly decorated war ace and friend of the king. Hoping to conceal his own shell-shocked condition and with Hamish's scathing voice in his ear, Ian sets about methodically solving the murder even though everyone in the village seems to be conspiring to hide the truth. Excellent characters, an intricate plot, and evocative descriptions make this, the first of a series, a sure bet for mystery readers. (Fiction) (RN)

 
Shoulder the Sky: A Novel by Anne Perry (2004)

A sequel to No Graves As Yet (2003), Perry’s World War I series continues the exploits of the Reavley children: Joseph, Mathew, and Judith. They believe a master manipulator and traitor they have dubbed the "Peacemaker” is at the heart of a fantastic plot to manipulate public opinion against the war and reshape the entire world. In the midst of their investigation, Joseph discovers the body of an arrogant bullying journalist, Eldon Prentice. Every person who knew Prentice confesses to being glad he was killed. However, it wasn't the Germans who murdered him, but one of their own, and Joseph decides to investigate. This quest, along with Matthew's dogged search for the Peacemaker's identity, makes for an interesting read—and continues the mystery-espionage genre and the depiction of the destruction of war presented in A Test of Wills. (Fiction) (TS)

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell (2007)

War is indeed a destructive force and is also achingly portrayed in Luttrell’s account of actual covert activities intended to root out al Qaeda in the mountains of northern Afghanistan— a mission in which Luttrell was the only survivor. Descriptions of the training process of a Navy SEAL and insight into the motivation and mission of this special team gives a new perspective on the realities of war. The breadth of knowledge and skill required by the SEAL team and their commitment to the mission, in spite of impossible odds, is amazing.  Readers who like adventure and survival stories will find this one riveting. (Nonfiction) (MLM)

The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann (2000)

While not based on real events like Lone Survivor, this fictionalized account of covert operations and terrorist conspiracies, featuring characters trained as Navy SEALs, delivers a peek into the rarified world of special ops command. Navy SEAL Tom Paoletti is ordered home on medical leave after sustaining a serious head injury while thwarting an overseas terrorist attack. By chance, his former sweetheart, now a divorced doctor, has also returned home to care for her terminally ill father. Complex family relationships, fast-paced suspense, romance, and well-drawn secondary characters holding the promise of stories of their own make this a winning first entry in the popular Troubleshooters series. Suspense readers will appreciate the conspiracy plot, while romance fans will root for a happily-ever-after for Tom, Kelly, and the other couples Brockmann introduces. (Fiction) (DTW)

The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva (2007)

Terrorism and covert opertions are the daily concerns of Israeli Mossad agent Gabriel Allon. He is sent to Amsterdam when Solomon Rosner, a professor who details the dangers of militant Islam, is assassinated. Rosner was also a secret agent for Israel, and Mossad wants to know why he was killed. When Allon cleans out Rosner's files, he discovers a report about five members of an Amsterdam mosque who have disappeared, and Rosner believed they are planning a major terrorist action. Then Elizabeth Halton, the daughter of the United States Ambassador to England and the goddaughter of the President, is kidnapped by Islamic extremists. Even though Allon is persona non grata to European intelligence agencies, he is asked by the American CIA to find Elizabeth. As he and his Israeli team hunt the terrorists, bombs go off all over Europe, and Allon must put his life in danger to save the girl. Espionage and thriller lovers will welcome the return of Allon, and newcomers to the series will discover a complex and fascinating spy who will keep them reading. (Fiction) (MJ)

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks (2008)

Geraldine Brooks also writes about politics, secrets, art and Judaism, centered on one of my favorite themes: how people bring life to books and vice versa. In 1996, a six-hundred-year-old prayer book surfaces in the rubble of Sarajevo, and Australian rare book conservator Hanna Heath is called in to explore its mysteries. Her careful, almost awed examination of the beautiful Haggadah reveals tiny puzzles in its pages: an insect wing, a wine stain, a salt crystal. Moving back in time, the secrets of the manuscript unfold, from a teenage girl protecting it during the Nazi occupation, to a Rabbi beleaguered by the Inquisition in a Venetian ghetto, and even further back into European history. The counterpart of this narrative is Hanna's story, as she comes to terms with her feelings for the Muslim librarian who protects the Haggadah, and her complex relationship with her fiercely competitive surgeon mother. (Fiction) (RSJ)

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (1999)

As does Brooks, Vreeland plays with time lines. This novel, composed of linked short stories, opens in the present day and moves back in time to reveal the provenance of a Vermeer painting and to explore Dutch social, cultural, and religious history from World War II back to the 17th century, the Netherlands’ Golden Age. Against a backdrop of important historical events, each story provides a snapshot of the lives of the rather ordinary people who happened to own this extraordinary yet unassuming work of art and how the picture affected them, as each generation re-imagines the painting and its meaning. (Fiction) (JS)

Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper: A Novel by Harriet Scott Chessman (2001)

One of American painter Mary Cassatt's most famous works of art is that depicting her sister Lydia reading a newspaper. This short novel is viewed through the eyes of Lydia and takes place in 19th century Paris. Mary is finally achieving success with her painting and enjoying the friendship of the Impressionist painters, especially Degas. Lydia, who is slowly dying from Bright’s disease, serves as her model. During the long hours of posing, she reflects on her life, her lost loves, and her family’s reaction to her disease, while contemplating the power of art to serve as a remembrance. Reproductions of five of Cassatt’s paintings for which Lydia posed are interspersed throughout the novel. (Fiction) (RN)

Camille: The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, fils (1848; published as a Signet Classic, 1984)

Written by the son of the famous author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo and based on his real-life affair with a well-known courtesan, this classic novel— like Lydia Cassatt’s story— is set in 19th-century France and features a dying heroine. Armand (the author’s alter ego) falls hopelessly in love with Marguerite, whose scandalous past makes her an unsuitable match, as far as Armand’s interfering father is concerned. Marguerite truly loves Armand, but fate deals the relationship a crushing blow when Marguerite learns she is suffering from deadly tuberculosis. If you’ve seen the famous 1936 movie with Greta Garbo or Verdi’s great opera La Traviata, which drew its inspiration from this novel, you know how the tragic story ends. Camille also became a play which starred (among others) Sarah Bernhardt, Lillian Gish, and Tallulah Bankhead. It is the basis for no fewer than 20 film versions and is said to have inspired such contemporary movie romances as Pretty Woman and Moulin Rouge. Readers who enjoy a touching, emotional love story will find themselves quickly turning the pages to  learn what happens next – and at the same time, reaching for the tissue box. (Fiction) (TB)

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (2003)

Many people still think of tuberculosis as a tragic illness that consumed pretty young 1800s heroines. By some reports, over a quarter of the people in the world today are infected with TB. The nonfiction bestseller Mountains Beyond Mountains explores the life and work of Dr. Paul Farmer as he provides health care for thousands in Haiti, with special attention to tuberculosis and its difficult drug-resistant strains. Farmer does this with tireless dedication to treating the person in front of him and getting the world to take notice. Farmer is one of the founders of Partners in Health, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing a preferential option for the poor in health care. Passionate without being preachy, Farmer is a fascinating subject, and Tracy Kidder does a masterful job of making this larger-than-life personality someone you'd follow just about anywhere. (Nonfiction) (KK)

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children by John Wood (2006)
On vacation, hiking in Nepal, John Wood came across a tiny school whose library was comprised of a few tattered cast-offs. He promised the school's director that he would come back with books for the school and began the grand adventure of educating the world's children. Like Mountains Beyond Mountains, this book shows how one person's passion and drive can change the lives of thousands. Part memoir of his transformation and part how-to book, John Wood details how he left Microsoft to found Room to Read, a literacy organization that helps communities build schools and libraries and also donates scholarships for girls in Third World countries. Using the management skills he gained as a Microsoft executive, throughout the book Wood remains upbeat and unwilling to take no for an answer on his quest. As he points out, "The world has too many people who are happy to discuss why something might not work, and too few people who will cheer you on." (Nonfiction) (JH)

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace – One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (2006)

I must admit, it was hard getting into this book at first. The first few chapters are more of a mountain-climbing how-to book and a textbook on Pakistan while Mortenson describes his failed attempt to climb the peak of K2 mountain. But, stick with it! When the book turns to Mortenson's mission to build schools in war-torn Pakistan and Afghanistan, the book takes off into an inspiring and heartwarming story of an ambitious mountain-climber who had to sell his car and most of his belongings just to get the money to get back over to Pakistan. This guy got no breaks as he tried to gather support and money until a benefactor heard of his mission and funded the building of the first school. The road blocks and hardships Mortensen continually faced are a testament to his tenacity and determination. The book is at times gripping and suspenseful, while at other times sad and contemplative. I empathized with Mortenson as he suffered through his failures and celebrated his triumphs. This is a testament to David Oliver Relin, who told Greg Mortenson's story so eloquently and made Mortenson's story so personal. This is one of those books that makes you feel guilty about being a couch potato and makes you re-evaluate the quality of your life. Like John Wood, who wrote Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Greg Mortenson is an inspiring figure who took the plight of inadequate schools in a Third World country and turned his efforts into triumph. (Nonfiction) (BK)

The story is set in 1971, a time of political instability with East Pakistan resisting the control of Pakistan leading to the Bangladesh War of Independence. Rehana is a young widow raising her teenage children in East Pakistan. Her son and daughter get involved in the struggle, and soon Rehana too finds herself caught up in the fervor of the times. Torn between her love for her children and her desire to keep them safe, she finds herself in compromising situations. Anam deftly weaves the personal and the political, lyrically depicting the way in which the struggle for freedom allows Rehana to discover both her strength and her heart. More emotional in tone than Three Cups of Tea, the connecting thread to the previous title is the continuation of the Pakistan setting. (Fiction) (TS)

Rehana in A Golden Age got caught up in the political struggle that led to Bangladesh war for independence. Women in 18^th-century America were also drawn into the revolution that created our country. Founding Mothers tells the story of the women behind the men who fought for and built our nation. While the men were away, these women were home raising children, running the family business, giving their husbands political advice, and sometimes even fighting the British. These personal anecdotes from letters and diaries will give you a fresh view of the American Revolution. After listening to Cokie Roberts for years on the radio and television, I could almost hear her reading the stories to me. (Nonfiction) (NM)

Annotations contributed by Adult Reading Round Table Steering Committee members: Mary Constance Back, Ted Balcom, Mary Cella, Stacey Cisneros, Joanna Hazelden, Merle Jacob, Roberta S. Johnson, Karen Kleckner, Barb Kruser, Nancy McCully, Mary Lynn Mysz, Ricki Nordmeyer, Joyce Saricks, Tuki Sathaye, Greta Ulrich, Rebecca Vnuk, and Debbie T. Walsh