Leisure Reads

A memoir linked by the device of various cafes that Patti Smith frequented. Her writing is lyrical and beguiling as well as emotionally honest. Not the sequel to Just Kids, but a continuation of the meditations and musings she compiled.

This memoir will immerse you into the life of an artist, into New York City in the sixties and seventies, and, above all, into the nature of friendship and love in post-sexual-revolution America. Even if you don't know much about either Smith or Mapplethorpe, you'll find yourself drawn to the narrative that Smith has woven.

Like an Impressionist painting, To the Lighthouse is something grand to behold. Virginia Woolf's language is simply dazzling. The way she employs stream-of-consciousness to bring to life, not actions, but thoughts, will certainly leave you in wonder.

Beautifully written with insights about life and death, Mitch Albom tells the true story of his brilliant, jubilant, and rather peculiar college professor, Morrie, who contracted ALS and taught Albom life lessons during his remaining days.