Friedman examines America's loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11, and the global environmental crisis.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

This book brings together 168 of his best essays, including the hard issues of today to the human stories that show us who we are.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

After 20 years of globe trotting, international journalist Matloff comes to New York to buy a house and start a family.  Her Victorian brownstone in West Harlem, a neighborhood dominated by drug dealers, needs total renovation.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Part social history, part Hollywood tell-all, this account of Havana in the early 1950s is centered on the temporary success of American organized crime to set up a base in Cuba outside of the legal reach of the United States. Using interviews, memoirs, published studies and released FBI files, English tells a titillating tale of corruption, murder, movie stars, politicians and a "never-ending party" in Havana. But the party was at the expense of the Cuban people and English argues that Castro's success was as much the defeat of the mob as it was of Batista. Annotation #169;2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"Would you be surprised that road rage can be good for society? Or that most crashes happen on sunny, dry days? That our minds can trick us into thinking the next lane is moving faster? Or that you can gauge a nation's driving behavior by its levels of corruption? These are only a few of the remarkable dynamics that Torn Vanderbilt explores in this fascinating tour through the mysteries of the road." "Based on exhaustive research and interviews with driving experts and traffic officials around the globe, Traffic gets under the hood of the everyday activity of driving to uncover the surprisingly complex web of physical, psychological, and technical factors that explain how traffic works, why we drive the way we do, and what our driving says about us. Vanderbilt examines the perceptual limits and cognitive underpinnings that make us worse drivers than we think we are. He demonstrates why plans to protect pedestrians from cars often lead to more accidents. He shows how roundabouts, which can feel dangerous and chaotic, actually make roads safer-and reduce traffic in the bargain. He uncovers who is more likely to honk at whom, and why. He explains why traffic jams form, outlines the unintended consequences of our quest for safety, and even identifies the most common mistake drivers make in parking lots."--BOOK JACKET.

Taken from the popular blog, WaiterRant.net, tells the story from the server's point of view about customer stupidity, arrogance, misbehavior and even human grace.

"In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and - even more important - on his writing." "Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a panorama of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after fifty, of seeing his race times improve and then fall back." "By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running."--BOOK JACKET.

Blacklisted -- Chelsea in charge -- Prison break -- Bladder stones -- Big red -- Dining in the dark -- Dim sum and then some -- Barking up the wrong tree -- Re-gift -- Jumped -- Mini-me -- Costa Rica.

"Douglas Preston fulfilled a lifelong dream when he moveed his family to a villa in Florence. Upon meeting celebrated journalist Mario Spezi, Preston was stunned to learn that the olive grove next to his home had been the scene of a horrific double-murder committed by one of the most infamous figures in Italian history. A serial killer who ritually murdered fourteen young lovers, he was never caught. He is known as the Monster of Florence." "Fascinated by the tale, Preston began to work with Spezi on the case. Here is the true story of their search to uncover and confront the man they believe is the Monster. In an ironic twist of fate that echoes the dark traditions of the city's bloody history, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of a bizarre police investigation."--BOOK JACKET.

"Ever wonder how to retrieve a sunken golf cart from a snake-infested lake? Or which club in your bag is best suited for combat against a horde of rats? If these and other sporting questions are gnawing at you, The Downhill Lie, Carl Hiaasen's hilarious confessional about returning to the fairways after a thirty-two-year absence, is definitely the book for you." "Hiaasen's chronicle of his shaky return to this bedeviling pastime and the ensuing demolition of his self-esteem - culminating with a savage 45-hole tournament - will have you rolling with laughter. Forget Tiger, Phil and Ernie. If you want to understand the true lure of golf, turn to Carl Hiaasen, who has written an extraordinary book for the ordinary hacker."--BOOK JACKET.

"In 1985, at a heated auction by Christie's of London, a 1787 bottle of Chateau Lafite Bordeauxone of a cache of bottles unearthed in a bricked-up Paris cellar and supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson - went for $156,000 to a member of the Forbes family. The discoverer of the bottle was pop-band manager turned wine collector Hardy Rodenstock, who had a knack for finding extremely old and exquisite wines. But rumors about the bottle soon arose. Why wouldn't Rodenstock reveal the exact location where it had been found? Was it part of a smuggled Nazi hoard? Or did his reticence conceal an even darker secret?" "It would take more than two decades for those questions to be answered and involve a gallery of intriguing players - among them Michael Broadbent, the bicycle-riding British auctioneer who speaks of wines as if they are women and staked his reputation on the record-setting sale; Serena Sutcliffe, Broadbent's elegant archrival, whose palate is covered by a hefty insurance policy; and Bill Koch, the extravagant Florida tycoon bent on exposing the truth about Rodenstock. Pursuing the story from Monticello to London to Zurich to Munich and beyond, Benjamin Wallace also offers a history of wine, complete with vivid accounts of subterranean European laboratories where old vintages are dated and of Jefferson's colorful, wine-soaked days in France, where he literally drank up the culture."--BOOK JACKET.

One of the world's leading neuroscientists explores how best to understand the human condition.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

"In 1999, at the age of thirty, Scott K. McClellan accepted what he considered the job of a life-time: working as press spokesman for Texas governor George W. Bush, just as Bush was beginning his campaign for the presidency of the United States. Drawn to Bush's strong, successful record of bipartisan leadership and commitment to compassionate conservatism, and later inspired by his promise to restore dignity to a White House sullied by scandal and partisan warfare, McClellan would serve the president for more than seven years, becoming part of his inner circle of trusted advisers and attaining the job of White House Press Secretary." "From that position, during what would become one of the most challenging and contentious periods in recent American history, McClellan witnessed day to day and year to year exactly what happened to take the presidency he served disastrously and irretrievably off course. In this bracingly candid and provocative book, he shares that story with the American people." "What Happened provides a unique perspective on the events, policies, and personalities of the Bush administration, including 9/11, the Iraq War and the marketing campaign to sell it to the public, the Valerie Plame leak scandal, and Hurricane Katrina. McClellan shares his personal experience of who George W. Bush is and what he believes, explains how the White House operated and how its goals and priorities were shaped, and offers insights into the roles and personalities of top aides including Karl Rove, Andy Card, Karen Hughes, Condoleezza Rice, and Dick Cheney." "Just as important, McClellan shares his keen understanding of exactly how our national political culture has become so toxic. He compellingly makes the case against playing "politics as usual" - whether in campaigning, governing, or covering politics for the media - and for making institutional changes to reform the Washington culture of deception that poisoned the Bush administration from within. Finally, McClellan looks to the future, exploring the warnings this presidency offers the American people as we prepare to elect a new leader." "The Bush administration has been notoriously tight-lipped about its inner workings, but Scott McClellan came to believe that, in their reliance on secrecy and manipulation, they were ultimately fooling themselves. In this book he acknowledges the often painful truth of what happened, and holds himself accountable for his role in it."--BOOK JACKET.

"After more than forty years of interviewing heads of state, world leaders, movie stars, criminals, murderers, inspirational figures, and celebrities of all kinds, Barbara Walters has turned her gift for examination onto herself to reveal the forces that shaped her extraordinary life." "Barbara Walters has spent a lifetime auditioning: for her bosses at the TV networks, for millions of viewers, for the most famous people in the world, and even for her own daughter, with whom she has had a difficult but ultimately quite wonderful and moving relationship. This book, in some ways, is her final audition, as she fully opens up both her private and public lives. In doing so, she has given us a story that is heartbreaking and honest, surprising and fun, sometimes startling, and always fascinating."--BOOK JACKET.

It's catching -- Aeriel -- All the beauty you will ever need -- Old faithful -- Town and country -- Mementi mori -- Road trips -- Keeping up -- The understudy -- Adult figures charging towards a concrete toadstool -- In the waiting room -- This old house -- Solution to Saturday's puzzle -- The man in the hut -- The monster mash.