Recommended by: Kimberly Agresta
Women Who Run With The Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estes  
This book talks a lot about the instinctual nature of women and how we lose our way and begin not to trust ourselves.  The author illustrates the ways in which women often lose their true selves but how they can reclaim who they are.

Recommended by: Kimberly Agresta
Running With Scissors, Augusten Burroughs  
This book is a memoir which is at times both funny and horrifying.  Overall, it shows the resilience of some people and how they are able to go on in spite of a difficult upbringing.

Recommended by: Michelle Arpin-Begina
Devil in the White City, Erik Larson  
Tells a fictional story while being historically accurate.  Takes place in Chicago.

Recommended by: Michelle Arpin-Begina
The Passion of Artemisia, Susan Vreeland  
Tells a fictional story while being historically accurate.

Recommended by: Cindy Bonura
The Good, Good Pig, Sy Montgomery  
True story of an animal behaviorist and her beloved pet pig.  Heartwarming and amusing, it captures the richness animals bring to the human experience.

Recommended by: Cindy Bonura
The Emotional Lives of Animals, Marc Bekoff and Jane Goodall  
Insight into the emotional lives of animals.  Based on science, lots of poignant, anecdotal stories make this a interesting and easy read.

Recommended by: Mary Pat Boron, Cathy Lowden
Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett  
A wonderful historical novel about the quest to build the greated gothic cathedral ever.  I felt like I was ttasnported back into the 12th century.
Very strong characters in this book, most of them women.  Although this takes place hundreds of years ago, I was able to relate to the human spirit.

Recommended by: Mary Pat Boron
The Red Tent, Anita Diamont  
Written in the voice of Dinah, it combines great storytelling with a new view of biblical times from a woman's perspective.  Character development is wonderful.

Recommended by: Caroline Dorcey
Time and Again, Jack Finney  
I love the photos of 19th century New York City.   They are aperfect accompaniment to the text and you feel like you've stepped back in time.

Recommended by: Caroline Dorcey
A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle  
After reading it, you want to chuck it all and find an old, rundown villa in the south of France and put down roots.

Recommended by: Maxine Frampton
Outlander, Diana Gabaldon  
The single most difficult book to put down. A historical novel about Scotland in the 1743, time travel, and one of the best love stories I've ever read.

Recommended by: Maxine Frampton
Robert Kennedy, Evan Thomas  
A timely biography by a Newsweek editor that provides insight into a man, a family, a religion, and time in America characterized by extraordinary hope and struggle, and loss.

Recommended by: Faith Frieden
Freakonomics, Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner  
Their unique perspective an ways of analyzing things we take for granted will give you a provocative new way of looking at the world.

Recommended by: Faith Frieden
Between Two Worlds, Zainab Salbi  
The daughter of Sadam Hussein's pilot describes growing up in Iraq under the tyranny of Hussein, and what led her to become an activist on behalf of women survivors of war.

Recommended by: Claire Insalata Poulos
Listening is an Act of Love, Dave Isay  
Reinforces that there is no "them" and "us".  There is really only "us".

Recommended by: Claire Insalata Poulos
Secret Ingredients - The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink, David Remnick  
Easy, witty and interspersed with a few of their classic cartoons.  Read before cooking, almost makes it bearable.

Recommended by: Patricia Klecanda
John Adams, David McCullough  
Possibly one of the best biographies I have ever read.  This book reads like a novel as it tells the remarkable story of John Adams’ extraordinary life.  David McCullough had access to an enormous amount of correspondence between John Adams and his wife Abigail, which he used to great effect in revealing a truly beautiful love story between husband and wife.  This biography was used as the basis for the upcoming HBO mini-series, so worth reading ahead of time.

Recommended by: Patricia Klecanda
Christy, Catherine Marshall  
I read this novel when I was about 14 years old, and it is one of those books that I always think of with great fondness.  It tells the story of a young woman at the turn of the century who leaves home to teach in a small ‘hamlet’ in Appalachia.  Her experiences as she learns a new and rustic way of life, working and living side by side with the mountain folk, make for a beautiful novel for young and old.

Recommended by: Sharon Kozinn
Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen  
Tale of the recollections of an old man, he could be anyone's father or grandfather, in a time of our history I knew nothing about.  It is actually two stories woven together about the circus and the narrator.

Recommended by: Sharon Kozinn
The Plot Against America, Philip Roth  
This is an incredible story of "what if", which isn't so far fetched if we think about it deeply. It's an amazing read unlike any other book you have ever read.

Recommended by: Cathy Lowden, Gina Plotino
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini  
This was a powerful book; written in fiction but based on truth.
The story is compelling and exposes the reader to a world so very differetn to our own.  I believe it will take its place among the classics in years to come.

Recommended by: Susan Mitchell Abbate
The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri  
The book about an Indian family living in America really transcends race and ethnicity.  It is about family and tradition extremely touching and beautifully written.  Jhumpa is a wonderful writer.

Recommended by: Donna Modugno
The Nine, Jeffrey Toobin  
Timely, well-written and mandatory reading. Truly gives great insight into the way our country's decision-makers think.

Recommended by: Donna Modugno
Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu, Laurence Bergreen  
Fascinating account of a man we thought we knew but only in this in-depth portrait can we really appreciate his contributions.

Recommended by: Donna Modugno
The Rest is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century, Alex Ross  
A great discovery! This book beautifully depicts culture, social history, politics and music for a fabulous, fresh perspective on the 20th century.

 Recommended by: Donna Modugno
The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss  
Generally I dismiss NY Times bestsellers, but this one caught my eye. I was convinced I was right about these money-makers but this title proved me wrong.  What a resource of fascinating and surprisingly useful information at your fingertips.

Recommended by: Cheryl Moses
The Blue Bistro, Ellen Hilderbrand  
The gorgeous back drop of Nantucket Island makes this a perfect beach read!  A fun romance filled with sumptuous descriptions of food and drink, and a behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant business.

Recommended by: Cheryl Moses
Sleep Toward Heaven, Amanda Eyre Ward  
How do you forgive the unforgivable?  An intimate portrait of three women whose lives collide during a brutal Texas summer.

Recommended by: Jennifer Natale
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen  
This is a beautiful story that is incredibly well written and constructed.  Ms. Austen writes such incredible female characters especially given the status of women in the early 1800’s.  Her leading female characters are intelligent, opinionated, and passionate.  I also love the 2005 movie of the same title staring Keira Knightly.  And if you enjoy piano music, you’ll love the soundtrack too.

Recommended by: Jennifer Natale
The Mediterranean Caper, Clive Cussler  
I’m a big fan of serial books.  When a new Clive Cussler novel comes out, it’s like coming home to familiar characters that have become friends.  He now has three series, the most famous of which is his Dirk Pitt series.  I enjoy the high seas adventures, character interchange and a little romance thrown in.  This is the first in the series.

Recommended by: Lori Oliff
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini  
Describes the horrible way women are treated in Afghanistan, but also shows the bond women have with each other and their strengths.

Recommended by: Lori Oliff
My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Piccoult  
Very emotional…the responsibility one sister has for a sick sibling to keep her healthy.

Recommended by: Gina Plotino
Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin  
Offers a fresh look at Abraham Lincoln and his political genius - his slectin of three opponents to serve in his cabinet.  Presents valuable lessons to be learned about diversity of ideas and bi-partisan collaboration.

 Recommended by: Rebecca Posoli-Cilli
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach  
Mary takes the subject through the ceiling; when you are not squirming, expect to laugh; she's hysterical.

Recommended by: Rebecca Posoli-Cilli
Fair Game: My Life and a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, Valerie Plame Wilson  
Hard to believe this happens to people; glad she didn't end up at the bottom of the Potomac.

Recommended by: Rebecca Posoli-Cilli
The Riverkeepers, John Cronin, Robert Kennedy and Al Gore  
Insightful how large-scale private interests screw us out of vital resources.

Recommended by: Rebecca Posoli-Cilli
Jacob the Baker: Gentle Wisdom for a Complicated World, Noah benShea  
Noah teaches you to live everyday with grace; it softens even the toughest people.