Staff Picks: Jed's Ten Favorite Books
 Each month, we ask one employee to tell us about their ten favorite books. This list is no holds barred -- any genre, any size -- whatever they really want to talk about. The only restriction is that the books still be in print so that we can help you find them if they sound good.This month's presenter is Jed. He says "What my ten favorite books are will change frequently, perhaps daily, yet these are the ones that have been sticking out in my mind this past week." |
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 Kappaby Ryunosuke Akutagawa  "This wonderful novel lies somewhere between satire and fantasy and is reminiscent of Gulliver's Travels or Alice in Wonderland. Kappa concerns the narrator's journey into a hidden world populated by strange creatures whose peculiar manners and cusoms are intended to parody Japanese society in the early part of the twentieth century. Though this work may not be as well known to American readers as some of the author's other fictions, this newly released translation will hopefully correct that grave error." |
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 The Wind in the Willowsby Kenneth Grahame "This is just an amazing book. Some people say that it's for kids, but you can read this book at any age and just lose yourself in the charm of the characters and their adventures. It's better than the Book of Revelations and hot fudge combined." |
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 Hopscotchby Julio Cortázar "This novel is a richly constructed sensual experience that stimulates the intellectual faculties of the reader. The narrative can be read in two different ways, drawing the reader into the creation of the work. It is a non-linear story of expatriates, jazz, alcohol, philosophy, and love. The author invites the reader to play with the book and the characters in their quest for meaning. Hopscotch is epic, fantastic, and poetic in its scope." |
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 Maggie: A Girl of the Streetsby Stephen Crane "A taut and harrowing tale written in a dualistic style that switches back and forth from the vernacular of tenement dwellers to the sparse but jeweled descriptions by the author. This work is a retelling of the archetype of the classical tragedy told in the setting of the author's world. A brief and profound work of touching despair." |
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 The Lathe of Heavenby Ursula LeGuin "This intricately fluid work of speculative fiction centers on a character who can change reality with his dreams and his encounters with a psychologist who thinks that he can use this power to make the world a better place. This novel is a powerful meditation on the utopian vision and the misguided notion that any individual can control a source of unlimited power." |
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 Running Wildby J.G. Ballard "Running Wild retuns to one of Ballard's most examined themes--the savage violence that lurks behind the veneer of technology-based modern civilization. Within the walls of an enlightened commuunity all of the adults have been found dead while their children have gone missing. Throughout the course of the novel the detectives come to a frightening realization about the nature of privace and control in family life and how even the most well thought out plan can go horribly awry." |
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 Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky "This novel is a classic and for good reason. A philosophical tale of murder and redemption that will consume the reader's attention beyond any description possible. The fact that the reader knows who the killer is from the first few pages does nothing to lessen the suspense, and I would venture to say that it even heightens the tension. This is one of the most gripping and interwoven novels I have ever read." |
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 The Cosmic Serpentby Jeremy Narby "A mind-blowing scientific inquiry into mind-altering plants, communication with DNA, and the extra-terrestrial origins of intelligent life. Writing in a casual and humane manner, the author manages to approach the subject by stepping away from the traditional prejudices of Western science while still adhering to the scientific process and thereby constructing a theory that will intrigue even the most jaded skeptic." |
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 Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeysby Janet Kaplan "This is the only book currently in print that deals with the surrealist painter Remedios Varo. It is a well-written biography that perfectly complements the wealth of reproductions of the artist's most celebrated and lesser-known works. Varo's work rivals that of the more popular artists of the surrealist coterie and this book is a remarkable introduction to her work." |
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 The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Rootsby Calvert Watkins "This book is an invaluable, easy-access reference to word roots and their origins. I find that it is an outstanding tool in my mysterious research as well as being just fun to glance through." |
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