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Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Barbara Ehrenreich

The author of this book spent a year "undercover" as a low-wage worker -- waiting tables, cleaning houses, and clerking in a Wal-Mart -- to see whether it was possible to get by on what such jobs pay. She then wrote about the experience. That might sound like a dry sociology treatise, but she makes a readable and compelling story about the nuances of the indignities and challenges faced by those on the margins of the economy. You'll zip through it and feel illuminated to boot.

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, Ruth Reichl

This is a food-based memoir by a former New York Times restaurant critic and former (or maybe still?) editor of Gourmet magazine. It's laugh-out-loud funny in places and penetratingly insightful about the importance of food in our lives. It's a quick and engaging read.

Allegra Maud Goldman, Edith Konecky

This is an absolutely delightful semi-fictionalized memoir -- though based very closely on the author's own life -- of a precocious little girl in 1930s Brooklyn. It's a classic coming-of-age saga, but you'll quickly fall in love with Allega -- she's sassy, funny, and more insightful than most adults. This was first published in the 1970s, but if you can, get the newly published 25th-anniversary edition -- it contains some interesting essays about the book and the author.

Peyton Place, Grace Metalious

Yes, really! I was amazed to recently learn that this book was not intended by the author as the sleazy potboiler that the conventional wisdom has it to be. It was cast that way upon its publication in 1956 by those who resented the aspersions the book cast on '50s conformity by suggesting that rape, incest, and domestic abuse -- things that "didn't happen" in pristine New England villages -- actually did exist. The book is about sex, but it's not sleazy. The characters are well-developed and you'll come to care about them deeply. Be SURE you get the new edition with an introduction by Ardis Cameron, which puts the book in perspective culturally.

The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown

I usually resist reading best-sellers on principle (can you guess where Emily gets her inclination to avoid books with "Oprah's Book Club" emblazoned on the cover?). However, this came highly recommended so I gave it a try. It's wonderful -- a literate page-turner full of references to the Parisian art world, religious history, and cryptology. Emily's sister, Joanna, just read the prequel to it, "Angels and Demons," and said it's equally good.

Bas Bleu

My final recommendation is not a book but a source of books -- check out www.basbleu.com. It's a great place to find offbeat books that might not end up finding shelf space at a big-box bookstore, and their catalog can be as fun to read as a good book. They sell only via catalog and online and are great to deal with. And if you join the "Bas Bleu Society," you get either free shipping or a 10% discount on all orders -- whichever is greater -- plus free gift-wrapping. And you'll occasionally get little goodies -- I got a $10 gift certificate a few months ago. Joining is $20 a year, but I more than save that much.

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