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I want to begin this letter by again emphasizing how much I enjoy and how valuable I find feedback from our readers and customers. I know we received a number of orders for Shantaram after last month’s letter. I would love to know if people liked it as much as I did, or whether it was disappointing, or whatever. Please contact me at leno@lisco.com. I also welcome recommendations, and thanks to one I received last month I read and enjoyed The Golden Frog, which I recommend below. For full reviews of any of these books please just click on the title.

Spring has sprung and this no longer so young man finds his fancy still turning towards love, but also to baseball and golf. About a month ago a good friend asked me to send him three books to read. He liked one of them so much, Who’s Your Caddy? (Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf) by Rick Reilly that he ordered five more copies for friends and family. This book first came out about two years ago. It is a real “show and tell” romp as the author caddies for such notables as John Daly, Donald Trump, David Duval, Deepak Chopra, Jack Nicklaus and others. This book is fun to read! I continue to recommend The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Mark Frost, as being a book using the historical narrative of a golf legend to entertain, enthrall, and describe all that is great about man, golf, and America in the early 20th Century.

If you love baseball, and even if you are not a Red Sox fan, you must read The Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship, by David Halberstram. This is the story of a trip taken by Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio to pay their final respects to their beloved teammate, Ted Williams, who was nearing death. Not only is this the story of the bonding and love of teammates, but it is also a great history of the Red Sox, and baseball in the 40’s and early 50’s. Another “oldie but goodie” is the timeless tale Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy, by Jane Levy. Sandy Koufax, “the Great Jewish Hope,” was arguably the greatest lefty to ever pitch in professional baseball. This is a towering story of the man and his career. It is another “must read” for all baseball fans.

Many, if not most, of the good things that have come to me or happened to me in my lifetime have been a consequence of favors or advice given to me by friends. A friend gave me a copy of The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, by James McBride. The story told in this book is one of a kind. McBride is a professional writer who just happened to be a Black Man, one of twelve children born of and brought up by a most unique white mother who married two different black men. This lady was born in Poland to an Orthodox Jewish Family, and raised in Virginia by her Rabbi father and her Orthodox mother. The story is unique and powerful. The book is fascinating and provided this reader with lots of joy in the process of reading it. . The book is not exactly undiscovered, as it has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over 2 years. I will offer a money back guarantee on this one. Everyone will love this book.

Would you read a book that has selected on its front jacket the following quote from a review? “The Hardy Boys meet Harry Potter in a spiritual adventure that’s ahead of its time?” I chose to read this book, The Golden Frog, by Michael Mamas on the basis of an email sent to me by one of our customers. This little gem is one of those “impossible to pigeonhole” out of the mainstream works that many will find very enjoyable and rewarding. It is very sweet, uplifting, and chock full of wisdom. I think its refreshing and very good for “spring cleaning” the psyche and soul. Read our review for more details.

Here is a “bonus pick”. Dena and I recently watched the DVD “Flashdance.” It was better than I remembered it. It is a real celebration of life. It is available to rent in our store for Fairfield residents, and I am sure easy to obtain for everyone else.

Len

May is my favorite month.

One of my favorite pastimes is meandering on a trail filled with the fragrance of spring flowers. And of course this is leading to a book recommendation...

If you have yet to read A WALK IN THE WOODS by Bill Bryson and you have any interest in walking or nature, please wait no longer to read this wonderful, humorous and knowledge laden book. It is a real life story of 2 men and their misadventures trying to walk the complete Appalachian Trail. This is by far my favorite book on walking and nature.

 If you have already read it- do yourself a favor and read it again.

Also a reminder that we recently received copies of OCEAN OF BLISS... it is filled with Maharishi’s latest quotes from 2002-2005. This is a wonderful sequel to POWER OF SILENCE.

So what are you sitting around for?

Go take a hike

Tony