What an intriguing and eclectic batch of mail from the group this time—so glad you rose to the book recommendation challenge. * Jody Hotchkiss, a literary agent in NYC, named All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr as his favorite book of 2014. [Jody wishes he could claim Doerr as a client, but alas, no.] * Betsy Williams Stivers recommends The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag and The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh. * Judy Cue Lukasik read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, a book club choice she enjoyed for its youthful and engaging main character. * Ann McCreary recommends Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng’s The Gift of Rain and The Garden of Evening Mists, which she describes as “both compelling and heartbreaking.” * Pam Cleaves Devine sent raves for two business books she read last year: The End of Competitive Advantage by Rita Gunther McGrath and Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible by Daniel Burrus. Her favorite Christmas gift was The Flying Parson of Labrador and the Real Story behind Bert and I by Robert Bryan, Sarah Bryan Severance’s dad. * Jim Cook read Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence and started Toujours Provence in anticipation of a trip there this summer. Jim also recently read The Glacier Wolf: True Stories of Life in Southeast Alaska by Nick Jans ’77 and Nick’s new book, A Wolf Called Romeo. Colin Woodard’s American Nations made a lasting impression with its details about the ethnic, religious, and cultural groups that settled America and how they explain modern-day differences, including voting patterns. * Sandy Buck recommends Deep by Porter Fox, about climate change through the eyes of those who love skiing and care about the planet, and The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, an inspiring read. He also suggests a couple of compelling autobiographies: Townie by Andre Dubus III and Off to the Side by Jim Harrison, his favorite American fiction writer. * Peter Schmidt-Fellner also endorses Jim Harrison’s books, which are set primarily in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; titles include Legends of the Fall among many others. * Wendy Maurice’s standout book of 2014 was Van Gogh: The Life, which she says “provided an amazing understanding of the artist and his world, as well as a new and credible theory regarding the end of his life. That coauthor Gregory White Smith ’73 was a Colby graduate amplified the experience. I felt proud and then saddened when reading in the news that Mr. White had died. On a bright note, I’d love to hear from classmates in NYC! A visit to MoMA?” * Paul Fackler is reading The Woodsman-Songmaker by Joe Scott and Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton, a book about a false rape accusation, exoneration, and reconciliation. Paul earned his Ph.D. in agricultural and applied economics and has been a professor at North Carolina State University since 1987, working lately on endangered species management. Most summers he returns to Maine Fiddle Camp and meets up with musicians who used to play at Bill’s Lunch back in the 1970s [where my own very useful but now-lapsed waitress career began!]. * My personal favorite read last year was Anita Diamant’s The Last Days of Dogtown, a fictionalized chronicle of early-1800s life in a backwoods neighborhood near Gloucester, Mass., based on historical records. * Finally, a bittersweet note from David Farnsworth. While visiting his daughter in Jackson Hole last summer, he spent time with Chris and Ben, sons of the late Jay Moody ’80. Dave says, “Like their dad, Ben and Chris are biking, rafting, and fishing fanatics … and radiate their dad’s positive energy and intelligence, a great tribute to Jay and their mom, Susan.” * Thanks to all who contributed—talk to you next season!