The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Elisabeth Bailey was a young, active adventurous woman who took a trip to a small European village and came home to a changed life. She contracted an illness on the trip that has left her body incapable of the most simple things we take for granted; standing, moving about, even sitting in a chair are overly exhausting- even life-threatening.
Almost overnight she became an invalid, trapped in a bed, exhausted and most alone. For 20 years she has been thus, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but at all times struggling.
This story is of a year, one of the worst ones, lying in bed with a caretaker to help her, and friends to come by every once in a while. One friend came by after a walk in the nearby woods and picked up a snail from the ground. She potted a few wild violets and set the snail in the pot.
At first Elisabeth is a bit annoyed by this, but soon the interest the snail provides is invaluable. The companionship and the activity of the snail become identifiers in each day, and the snail provides a life line of sorts. She studies the snail and keenly observes its moments, bonding and becoming devoted to the little brown snail from the woods.
The book is short, and beautiful. Really an hour or two of your time to read, but very much worth those minutes. We do take so much for granted, as did Elisabeth Bailey before her return from her last trip to Europe. But, life is delicate, and interesting, and valuable. These pages are a gentle reminder of the treasure with which we are gifted.

The Inner Circle by Brad Metzler

I believe Mr. Metzler is a White House staffer in some way- I think this is what I heard on NPR. This is good, because he should keep his day job. Not that this book is awful- it's not. In fact, it is somewhat readable. The problem is it feels jumpy and amateurish. A DaVinci Code wannabe, or National Treasure's copycat roomate.
And, just a few days after closing the back cover on the book, I've already forgotton much of what it was about. So, I guess this is not a strong rec.
Not sure I would hand this over to my teens, either, because why encourage them to soak in more mediocre literature? Or, another conspiracy several hundred years in the making. I can't get them to participate in a conspiracy called "making their beds". Maybe George Washington could have...

The Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain

Make no mistake, this is a volume. And, it is but the first of, I believe, three. But, go forth undaunted, for there are gems in these here caves.
This is an autobiography unlike any other. Yes, there have been biographies of Mark Twain before, but this one was created by himself (thus the "auto" portion") with the particular stipulation that it was not to be published until 100 years after his death.
Well, we've made it.
And the structure of the autobiography is, well, loose. Twain writes that he has tried many times to write about his life, but if he starts at the beginning, he loses steam or interest too quickly. So, when he writes, he just writes about whatever in his life interests him at the time. Therefore, the book jumps about quite abit. And, it is not in the least confusing that way. I think that is the way most of us live our lives, we dwell mostly in the present, with periodic side trips to the past. Sometimes, I've no idea who is is speaking of- despite naming the person, and this is what Twain wanted. This is why he specified 100 years posthumous publication. But, it is funny, and bitingly witty, and you can't help but like this man (and be glad you weren't around 100 years ago to cross him).
For kids? Certainly not inappropriate, but maybe they haven't been on earth quite long enough to appreciate the subtle humor and the wit of Twain on himself. Then again, perhaps they have....