Jennifer Pozner’s spot-on critique of Reality TV and America’s obsession with it is both entertaining and thought-provoking. Reach for this book when you tire of VH1’s seemingly endless parade of carefully-constructed reality train wrecks, and find out for yourself how even the most frivolous entertainment can be broken down and analyzed without being boring.

Recommended by Katie

Not just about synonyms! With an abundance of words arranged by subject, your thoughts can be clearly organized, expressed, and ultimately understood.

Recommended by Chris M.

Featuring a few brief but illuminating anecdotes and explanations, This is Water is a distillation of the same themes and ideas David Foster Wallace explores in his longer novels and essays. Originally presented by the author himself as the 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech, This is Water shares with readers the author’s concerns and over compassion and decency, both of which he sees as ideals threatened by the 'me first' operatives of 21st. century American culture and society. D.F.W. contends though it is easy to get caught up in the rat race that seems to have become the dominant story of many people’s everyday life, it is possible for each person to perform the extraordinary act of bucking the default, self-centered norm by acknowledging the fact that one can choose to think and live otherwise, which is to say one can choose, in the author's words, "to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad, petty, non-sexy ways every day." This is one of the books I recommended the most for a billion and one good reasons, one of them being that it’s just one of those books that get you thinking not just about the good life, but what it means to live a life of good.

Recommended by Dale

Disturbing indictment of the world of grassroots basketball, the network of highly competitive youth club teams that has produced an incredible number of today’s NBA stars. Problem is, the industry has become very lucrative of late, to the point that shoe companies like Nike and Adidas frequently form relationships with athletes as young as 9yearsold in the hopes that they will help sell shoes for them once they reach stardom (whi9ch rarely happens). This book follows one of these teams for eight years. The results are often heartbreaking.

Recommended by Zak

I love books that discuss pop culture in intellectual detail---this is definitely one of them. Never before have I thought much about Garth Brooks or voyeurism but now I have! Interesting read!

Recommended by Rebecca

For anyone who loved playing with legos as a kid, and for those who accidentally stepped on them! This is a complete photographic record of the making of a full sized lego house. A must see and read. I loved it!

Recommended by Jen

Although I am not married and have divorced parents, I am still a hopeless romantic. I wanted to find “The Secret to Love that Lasts”, and I found this book! Gary Chapman discusses that there are essentially 5 languages of love and although you and your partner might not have the same one, by reading this book you can begin to understand all of them and therefore improve your relationship. A must read!

Recommended by Jen

Continuing the tradition of his Watching Baseball Smarter, Hample reveals much of the unknown about baseball. He gives us an encyclopedic look at the ball, including history, physics, chemistry, and legend. He also gives us a thorough guide to retrieving balls at a stadium: how to catch a home run on the fly, how to talk to players to get a ball. All VITAL info.

Recommended by John

This is the best baseball book of the new season. Evocative of the time and the mood of the country on the eve of World War II and insightful in its description of the Yankees' clubhouse and dugout, I felt like I was there as a fan and a teammate. A great story from before my time.

Recommended by John

An irresistible guide to modern-retro style, celebrating the legacies of two iconic women. This book is more than just a quiz, more than a fashion guide, more than a biographical novel of two of the most fashionably iconic women in history; it's love, power, and style all wrapped up into one.

Recommended by Amber

Like his brilliant HBO drama “The Wire”, Simon’s engrossing piece of journalism is a gut-check for fans of the primetime cop shows clogging your TV. By spending a year in the late 1980’s with the Baltimore PD Homicide Division and chronicling his experiences, Simon shows us a brutal reality in which horror comes in daily doses and justice remains ever at arm’s length.

Recommended by Zak

To have insight into a piece of another’s mind is a step toward understanding. Robert Greene allows that form of understanding through a different number of characters, such as Cleopatra and Casanova. We can see these seducers are still among us in this lifetime by the information given on each character, as an example of what to look out for, or what type of seducer they may possibly be. Enjoy the list of described, well-known characters, and gain insight to the people you may be surrounding yourself with.

Recommended by Ashli

Pretty Things is a compilation of biography, documentary, and beauty. It delves into the lives of the last generation of Burlesque Queens. It mentions names from Sherry Britton to Zorita, and breaks down sections to costumes, gimmicks, dance and so many others that come together to make burlesque. A must read for inquisitive minds.

Recommended by Amber

The Dude Abides! The much needed kit for any Dude fan. Includes oriental rug mouse pad (that really ties the room together), a Little Lebowski Urban Achievers certificate, a bowling patch name tag and much more! Severed toe (with nail polish) included!

Recommended by Amber

James Wood’s enjoyment and excitement about reading is pretty infections. In tight little chapters, he makes on gratifying point after another. This book is not instructional; it is rather an unabashed celebration of the craft and surprise behind this huge thing called fiction. James Wood pulls this off, I think, because he himself is such a talented writer. It is one thing to learn about why and how something works, and quite another to learn it as though one is treated to a bunch of delicious secrets.

Recommended by Jeeyeon

You may not think it’s possible to write an entire book about a single baseball game, but you’d be wrong. Besides, it isn’t about “just” game, but what (to me) is (in)arguably the greatest game ever played. I remember that night – Tuesday, Oct 21, 1975 – not because it was a Tuesday, or that it was my birthday (don’t ask). I can’t tell you what we had for dinner, or what presents I got, but I can tell you – actually, I don’t think I can adequately express – how thrilling that game was. We were all riveted to the TV set. The author delves into the personalities of everyone from the brass at NBC and in MLB to the players on the field (and even those on the bench). Evocative of time and place, it has one other thing going for it: it’s dedicated to Vin Scully. What more needs to be said? A real “hit”. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Recommended by Jan

The Boys of Summer are back! Baseball season is upon us once again and that means rooting for the Dodgers! From the Brooklyn Bums to World Series glory this book highlights Dodgers history with great photos and informative writing. A great read or gift for any Dodger fans out there. Think Blue!

Recommended by Eric

SEX: Taboo, misunderstood, and essential to human existence. Bonk delves into the world of scientific sex research, ranging from pig insemination to surgeries for impotency. This book is funny, smart and oh so enjoyable.

Recommended by Nicole