Off the Shelf

Everyone likes a good mountain. Climbing one and then writing about it makes pretty good non-fiction, too. Author and self-professed smart guy, A.J. Jacobs, needed a harrowing task for his next book—so he set himself a mountain.

Boy wins girl. Boy loses girl. Boy wins girl back. As Hollywood continues to prove, there are only so many ways to tell a love story. David Levithan mixes things up in his 2011 book “The Lover’s Dictionary,” which is actually clever if you can forgive him for the cheesy title.

Those long, cold nights of winter are just around the corner. Yes, it’s time for hot chocolate, fleece blankets, a fireplace, and a good book. While the wind is blowing outside and the snow is falling, I can be found on my living room floor, curled up next to the furnace vent, reading my all time favorite.

Over the summer, I found myself reading more than I had in a long time. With classes and homework, my

One of the most controversial authors of the past few years is Dan Brown. His book, “The Da Vinci Code,” about a secret organization that protects the hiding place of the Holy Grail, raised a lot of angry questions from churches. “The Da Vinci Code” became popular quickly due to its controversy; however, it was not the first “Robert Langdon” book that Dan Brown wrote. His first, and often overlooked, book is “Angels and Demons.”

When big-city attorney Ellie Hathaway feels the need to escape the pressure of trials and a relationship headed nowhere, she finds herself drawn an Amish township she used to visit when she was a little girl.

Author Molly Gloss highlights the workings of a woman broncobuster, who, tough as any man, uses gentle, thoughtful techniques of breaking horses during the rough times that World War I presented.