The Housekeeper's Diary by Wendy Barry

Wendy Berry served as the housekeeper for Prince Charles' mansion,

Highgrove, from the mid '80s until the early '90s. That's the time span before Britain's Prince of Wales was separated from Lady Diana Spencer, the woman more universally known as "Princess Di." As a result, Berry was an observer to the behavior of both of those famous people, as well as their sons, Prince William and Harry, during good times and, more often, bad.

The cover says the book was "Banned in Britain", and while I'm not sure that is true, this diary is certainly contains information to which the Palace might object. It's a no-holds-barred look at the underside of British royalty. Berry shows Diana's many flaws, something rarely seen in other books on this time period in her life. Berry talks about how the Princess was moody and manipulative, trying to keep her sons away from Charles at every opportunity when the relationship between the couple started to fail. Berry also shows Charles to be a good father, a seldom seen viewpoint in much of the literature about the couple, but acknowledges the genesis of his affair with the woman who is now his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles.

In short, this book dwells very little on the mundane aspects of keeping house for such rich and famous people, and wallows instead in their dirty secrets, making it a terribly juicy read. Berry doesn't hold back even when discussing the tricks the little princes played on the staff, or the behavior of other royals and servants. All of which makes this book a much better read than the average politically-correct versions of royal British life, and that makes it a perfect read for steamy summer days and nights. 

Submitted by Gerti 

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain is an interesting and maybe even thrilling look at the very real and dangerous threat of space-viruses. In the book, the strain is brought back by a secret military test probe and ends up decimating an entire town. The military tries to handle it in the ways they've been trained, but the disease is like none known on earth. It kills by coagulation, and is highly contagious. That's where the Wildfire Team comes in. They were created in case an infection from space was brought back and their mission is to contain and control it. No one took them seriously until now.

In the meantime, an exploration unit Is sent to the infected town to look for survivors. They find only two: an old man and an infant. This only adds to the complexity of the puzzle. Back at the Wildfire facility, which has seven levels, a nuclear device, and tedious sterilization procedures that last for hours, the scientists have isolated the virus. They figure out that it survives without any amino acids, which are essential to all life on earth, and that it spreads as an airborne infection. Then the unthinkable happens- the space virus escapes and contaminates one of the labs. With a scientist trapped inside, all seems lost ... but he doesn't die. It has mutated to a non-harmful state in which it only destroys rubber. With the nuclear device deactivated and the virus contained, all seems well. Three years later, a space mission to Mars in a craft with rubber sealants returns from the atmosphere with 3 dead astronauts.  

When N.A.S.A. is asked about it, the official response is, "it was beyond our control."Not the best book in the world, but it kept me reading. It was one of those books where you wish you
could find more time to read it. An overall classic, a good read, and an interesting look at a very real threat not too far from reality. 

 Submitted by Max 

Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

It has taken me more than 30 years to pick up this classic novel of feminist liberation from the '70s, but I'm very glad I did. I was entranced by the skills of author Erica Jong from the very opening lines, "There were 117 psychoanalysts on the Pan Am flight to Vienna and I'd been treated by at least six of them. And married a seventh." The rest of the book is just as clever, and intriguing, as that opening salvo. Jong's storytelling abilities and use of poetic language are amazing. There is no such thing as being bored by this book or this author, whose narrative barrels along like a salacious express train across Europe.

The narrator Jong creates here - Isadora Wing - is captivatingly brilliant. She throws out phrases about obscure art movies ("Last Year at Marienbad") in one breath, and classic Greek sculpture (Oiscobolus) in the next. I dog-eared several pages (which had been dog-eared by some other reader decades before, so thankfully for me I was doing no new damage) just so I could look up other books, movies, sculptures and locations mentioned by this highly educated author. For me, more fascinating even than the story line here is the narrator herself, a mythic creature-whose-life has been rich in knowledge, both classical and physical

, and yet a person set adrift in Europe, troubled by self-doubt and unfulfillable longing. The time Isadora spends both being treated by

-psychoanalysts an dating/marrying them seems to nave left her more confused,

about life and her role in it rather than less. But Isadora's family, while Jewish, has not given her a strong sense of her religion, so she has no touchstone there either.

At its heart this is the story of a woman who leaves her predictable husband Bennett and runs off with a miserable married man named Adrian who has no intention of marrying her, a story which might have been shocking 40 years ago but which is quite pedestrian to us now. And yes, there are still terms in here which some people might think obscene in literature, but life has become a lot more liberal than it was in 1973, and some of Jong's phrases have now become iconic. (Witness the two-word phrase that starts with "zipless.") Still, at its heart, the book, while sexy, is much more than the story of a sexual adventurer. The book is a vignette of the '70s Zeitgeist, a window into the time that set the stage for the moral conventions we have today, thanks to the Pill which more than anything else allowed for the sexual liberation of women. And yet, this book which supposedly celebrates sexual freedom is really a condemnation of Isadora's moral bankruptcy, as she does not gain happiness from her sexual misadventures, but in the end returns to her boring husband and their predictable lives. 

Submitted by Gerti 

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie" is a heartwarming story about a
charming, old professor, Morrie Schwartz, with ALS. Mitch, a former student in his late 30's, decides to visit Morrie again after seeing him on a television interview. He sees him in his crippled state and feels sorry for him, but Morrie is happier than ever. Morrie is extremely positive and wants to enjoy the time he has left. Mitch comes up with a list of questions he wants Morrie to answer. Topics include: the meaning of life, family, and marriage. They meet every Tuesday at Morrie's house. They become closer and closer every time they see each other, but Morrie's condition is also declining. Eventually they become best friends and then Morrie dies.

I really liked this book because Morrie is so delightful and intelligent. He has a lot of good advice, too. It was a sad book because every time Mitch came to see Morrie's ALS had gotten worse. I liked the style of writing, it was easy to read and enjoyable. Overall, "Tuesdays with Morrie" was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to people looking for a charming story with

--some great advice.

 Submitted by Stephanie 

Cyclops by Cliver Cussler

"Cyclops" is another spectacular adventure story by Clive Cussler, who is one of my favorite authors. As
always, the story is filled with mysteries and conspiracies, intriguing characters and buried treasure. This
story continues the adventures of Dirk Pitt, an adventurous NUMA (National Underwater and Marine
Agency) employee and treasure hunter who often bites off more than he can chew when going after a
prize. This time, he gets entangled in a plot so secret, even the US President was left in the dark.

The story begins as billionaire entrepreneur Raymond LeBaron and two others go missing over Cuban
waters while flying an antique blimp looking for the sunken ship Cyclops. The Cyclops holds the
legendary treasure of La Dorada, the golden woman. Of course, the actions take place during the Cold
War, so any attempt at rescue is impossible. Dirk happens to be in the area participating in a boat race
when the blimp is spotted floating back to shore off the Florida coast. After commandeering the blimp
and averting a disastrous crash into a nearby resort, Pitt discovers what looks like the bodies of the dead
men. However, when the coroner calls in LeBaron's wife, Jessie, to identify his body, she says that the
corpse doesn't belong to her husband.

Meanwhile, during a private golf game, the American President Is confronted by a mysterious figure
who slipped past his security. The mystery man briefs our country's leader about a top secret project
that has been going on under the noses of the executive branch for years, called the Jersey Colony.
Essentially, the colony is a first step towards permanent settlement of the moon.

Scientists have managed to create a moon base. The creators of this project are the inner core, a group
of government officials who directed the plan. The President has his personal advisor track these men
down when he learns that they may have started a war in space. The Russian Selenos probes, which
were sent to orbit the moon, were shot down by the Americans. After recovering the probe and learning
of the existence of the base, the Russians launch a team of soldiers and prepare to take the base for
themselves.

Pitt and his friends, AI Giordino, a hearty Italian who never gives up, and Rudi Gunn, a hardworking
scientist devoted to his practice, team up with Mrs. LeBaron and take the blimp to try to retrace the
path of her husband. Halfway there, the blimp is shot down by a Cuban helicopter, which in turn tastes
the wrath of Giordino's missile launcher. After jumping into the sea, the group heads for shore and end
up on a remote island owned by Cuba. After stumbling upon a military compound, they walk right into a
gathering of Soviet officers, and, at the head of the table, sits the very un-dead Raymond LeBaron.

With Pitt and his team captured and the war on the moon poised to begin, things look bleak. I won't
spoil it for you here, in part because it would take another 5 paragraphs and in part because the story
really does take a lot of unexpected turns. The conclusion is great but at the same time not at all what
you would expect. Overall, a great adventure story with an exciting twist. 

 Submitted by Max