the fourth five

16. I Remember Nothing, and Other Reflections by Nora Ephron
This book is another collection of essays on aging that I thoroughly enjoyed. Nora Ephron is hilarious and delightful, and, even though she claims to be unable to remember nothing, was able to recall some pretty fascinating aspects of her childhood and formative years.

17. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
People had been recommending this book to me right and left, insisting when they did that it was a fascinating page-turner. Even so, I was hesitant to pick it up because I knew next to nothing about North Korea. Well, they were right. It is a fascinating page-turner -- I could hardly put it down. And now I feel so much more well informed about the current state and history of North Korea, which makes me feel like a better citizen of the world. Also, it helped bring out the humor of that recent episode of 30 Rock where Jack's wife, Avery, is kidnapped while reporting on the north side of the DMZ.

18. The Orchard: A Memoir by Adele Crockett Robertson
This is an incomplete memoir, found and published by the author's daughter, chronicling her struggles to keep the family's Massachusetts orchard from going under during the hard years of the Great Depression. I learned a lot about the challenges and back-breaking work involved in maintaining an apple orchard. Even though the manuscript is incomplete, what had been recorded was enough to bring at least some closure to her story.

19. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields
I'm as curious about the reclusive Harper Lee as the next devotee of To Kill a Mockingbird, which is why I picked up this book. Because Shields was forced to fact find in often unconventional, journalistic ways, a lot of the book, especially the beginning, felt overwhelmed with conjecture, which made it initially difficult to get through. But it got better and proved in the end to have been well worth my time to read. And now I can tell you 1) that Nelle Harper Lee is indeed still alive, and 2) why she never published a second book.

20. One Small Boat: The Story of a Little Girl, Lost Then Found by Kathy Harrison
I have a lot of friends who have recently been opening their homes and families to take in foster children, which is why this book piqued my interest: I wanted to learn more about the adventure they were embarking on. This book simultaneously broke my heart and lifted me up. One awesome thing I took away from it was insight into how to be an awesome mother even when your children test your limits with their own baggage.