"This is a great glimpse into early immigrant life in New York City seen through the lens of food and cohabitation. It gives a picture of where we came from and how we have become the fusion culinary culture we are today. For me, it feels as though I’m seeing the world through my grandparents' eyes as they traveled from Poland and Lithuania through Ellis Island, finally settling in Chicago. It helps paint a picture of my personal past."

"This is a great glimpse into early immigrant life in New York City seen through the lens of food and cohabitation. It gives a picture of where we came from and how we have become the fusion culinary culture we are today. For me, it feels as though I’m seeing the world through my grandparents' eyes as they traveled from Poland and Lithuania through Ellis Island, finally settling in Chicago. It helps paint a picture of my personal past."

"I just love this movie. Not sure I can explain exactly why, but the overall tone feels right. It must be Zemeckis magic. I love the time it takes—once stranded on the island. So quiet, peaceful and beautiful at times. It doesn’t rush us but allows us to feel the isolation, and both its scary and beautiful qualities. I really get taken away and transported along with Tom Hanks. Oh right, and Tom Hanks is in this movie!"

"This delicious novel is part war story, part love story. Set in the beginning of World War II, it tells the story of Italian Captain Antonio Corelli of Mussolini’s Army as they invaded Greece. On the island lives Pelagia, the daughter of a Greek doctor with whom Captain Corelli begins an affair, despite her engagement to a fisherman who is headed to join Greek forces. It is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read."

"Niedecker lived most of her life in Blackhawk Island, a remote and marshy setting in Wisconsin, where she scrubbed hospital floors and cared for her deaf mother while writing some of the most quixotic, minimalist, moving poems of the 20th century. I know many by heart, like this one: “My friend tree / I sawed you down / but I must attend / an older friend / the sun,” but I still wouldn’t want to be without the hard copy."

"A discontented FBI agent turned Long Island housewife, with a troubled cop father, a sweet stepdaughter, a husband who’s almost too good to be true…and a neighbor whose actions seem suspicious. Is Corie just being paranoid? Or has she stumbled onto a genuine crime? This mystery’s got a gripping plot and a witty, funny heroine whose internal monologue is charming and smart, whether she’s musing about life in the suburbs or the man who got away."