Looking for your next book to read? Check out these recommendations from members of the Museum’s Volunteer Book Club.
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman
My recommendation is Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman. We read this in the Volunteer Book Club a few years ago, and it’s been one of my favorites. As a true crime fan, I enjoyed how this memoir combined elements of intrigue, personal struggles, bureaucratic red tape, and the world of art thieves. Even though it read like a mystery, the best part was learning about the way the FBI works and about the stolen works of art.
– Cathy Jin
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
The book I recommend is At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. It is one of my favorite books of all time. Bryson uses his own 200 year old Victorian home in England as an entree into the history of each room in the house going back to medieval times. Bryson chronicles the historical significance of domestic spaces in his usual witty, well written style. Readers will find out interesting facts such as why we have salt and pepper and not salt and cinnamon, what is “the board” in room and board and why do we have dining rooms. This book is available in both print and audio editions. The print version is 536 pages (but it was one those books I did not want to put down in spite of the number of pages).
– Andrea Sossin-Bergman
This book is available in ebook and audiobook formats from Pasadena Public Library: https://bit.ly/2KrQK5m
Marmee & Louisa by Eve LaPlante
I would like to mention Marmee & Louisa by Eve LaPlante. This was the last book we had the opportunity to discuss at our most recent Book Club meeting. The author, who is connected to the family as a cousin, provided a lot of interesting information that was new to me. The movies made about the Little Women idealize the family whereas this book gives us the facts. This is my opinion however; not everyone in the Book Club felt the same.
– Susie Berzsenyi
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
I just finished reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. It is a well written story based on a true story. It covers a difficult subject, the holocaust. It’s fast moving, very engaging, and a love story. It’s a very emotionally moving book and well worth reading. The author is a native of New Zealand but now resides in Australia. She was introduced to the main character who entrusted her with intimate details of his life during the holocaust.
– Nancy Feldman
Interested in joining our volunteer corp when we reopen? Email us at volunteer@pasadenahistory.org.