Kristen Gilligan
Without Reservations
by Alice Steinbach
A great escape book for the winter blues. After her children are through with college, a single mother decides to do something she's always wanted to do: travel across Europe. So she quits her job and leaves for Paris, Milan, London ... "without reservations." Steinbach, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer at The Baltimore Sun, takes us on an enchanting, charming, and inspiring journey of independence. A beautiful book to look at, and a relaxing read as well. Aah, if only ....

Len Vlahos
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
by Robert Heinlein
I'm going to dig into my personal archives for one of my all-time favorite science fiction novels. This Hugo Award winner follows the political upheavals on the Moon of the future. Founded as a penal colony, the Moon has been inhabited by humans for 75 years. No longer strictly a place for exiles, the citizens of the Moon decide to rebel against their oppressive administrators. Highlighted by an odd collection of characters, including the first-ever sentient computer, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress blends hard sci-fi with political intrigue, and grand adventure with some very smart observations on the human condition. A must-read for any fan of speculative fiction, and a should-read for everyone else.

Patti Neske
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted is a funky twist on the classic Cinderella story. Ella of Frell is "blessed" at birth by Lucinda, a foolish fairy. But her blessing turns out to be more of a curse, for she must obey any order she receives. Strong-willed Ella, however, does not submissively accept her fate, and instead sets out to break the spell bestowed upon her in hopes of becoming her own person. A wonderful and inspiring read for young independent minds.

John Son
The Life of the Cosmos
by Lee Smolin
What a mind-bending read: Smolin, a leading cosmologist, posits a view of the universe based on Darwin's evolution by natural selection, within an Einsteinian framework where Time is integral to our understanding of the workings of the universe -- and all universes imaginable. According to Smolin, a process of self-organization like that of biological evolution shapes the universe, as it develops and eventually reproduces through black holes, each of which may result in a new big bang and a new universe. Natural selection may guide the appearance of the laws of physics, favoring those universes which best reproduce. The result would be a cosmology according to which life is a natural consequence of the fundamental principles on which the universe has been built, and a science that would give us a picture of the universe in which, as Smolin writes, "the occurrence of novelty, indeed the perpetual birth of novelty, can be understood." Kapow! What a fantastic idea! And there's only one tiny formula mentioned in the book!

Linda Castellitto
It's Raining Pigs and Noodles
by Jack Prelutsky
I know, I'm early for poetry month (April), but I couldn't wait -- this book is hilarious and creative and fun. The tiny type inside the book jacket says "Ages 5 and up," but I'm pretty sure those of us who've left kindergarten far behind will enjoy this book immensely as well. Highlights include "My Brother Shaved His Teddy Bear" and "I Have a Pet Tomato." James Stevenson's illustrations are wonderful, too ... the drawing of Hapless Peter the parking meter (p. 15) is particularly amusing.

Scott Nafz
Underneath New York
by Harry Granick
If you're fascinated by a hole in a city street (and who isn't?), you'll be amazed at what's really down there! Take a look at some of the incredible feats of engineering that has allowed one of the world's largest cities to operate so smoothly for so long. Because this book was written in 1947, there are descriptions of underground devices that are no longer in use, even though they still exist under the asphalt ... things I used to think were invented for cartoons, like pneumatic letter chutes, running all the way uptown, delivering mail in minutes, long before FedEx! If you think that this book is too old to be of use, remember that the water mains, gas mains, steam pipes, sewers, and subway tunnels that New Yorkers still use today were all laid decades before this book told about them, and they are all the more extraordinary for it!

Jen Lombardo
Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
by Anne Lamott
In this touching, often hilarious book, Anne Lamott, recovering addict and first-time single mother, recounts her experiences with her newborn son in his first year of life. From the time she realizes she is "very, very pregnant" to Sam's first birthday, Lamott brings to life the roller coaster of emotions that motherhood can bring. But with the support of family and friends, Lamott and her son make it through that first tough year.