All in the Family: A Look-It-Up Guide to the In-laws, Outlaws, and Offspring of Mythology

What would Apollo's online profile look like? What would Aphrodite say if she had her own blog? Greek mythology hall of famers meet the modern age in a new series that brings the superstars of Greek myth to life with stories that put them in the pantheon. Complete with profiles, headshots, family trees, fascinating sidebars and irreverent surprises, Mythlopedia is for readers who love action, romance, power struggles and more.

This entry in the Mythlopedia series isn’t quite as exciting as the above promotional material makes it out to be.

All in the Family is directed at a young adult audience and profiles the lives (and usually deaths) of several non-Olympian heroes and mortals. At times, Otfinofski tries so hard to sound hip (Midas: “Aw, snap! Check this out, player—anything I touch turns to gold!”) that I found the narrative both irritating and distracting. Most of the relevant information, though, is provided in a concise, easy to understand format.

This book is a good resource for anyone trying to understand basic plots of Greek mythology, but despite its attempts to make family connections clear, I still find the Olympian family tree a muddled mess.

There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby

I had high hopes for this short story collection. For one, I couldn’t resist its title: There Once was a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales. I also have an affinity for Eastern European literature.

Sadly, the first few stories left me disappointed. Although the author is Russian and the stories take place in Russia, I felt like I'd heard many of them before. In fact, some read like a rehash of scary stories I heard at sleepovers as a child. I also felt no spark in the writing—which, granted, might have been a problem with the translation.

The more I read, though, the more interesting the narratives became. I got into Ludmilla Petrushevskaya's rhythm and found the stories fascinating although traditional. I wouldn’t describe the book as scary, but it definitely leans towards the macabre.

Crossfire by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

I haven't read the last few books by the father and son pair. I think I started one and never got very far. I was slow to get into Crossfire by Dick Francis and Felix Francis also, but once hooked I had a hard time putting it down.

Like all of Dick Francis' books this one is centered around steeplechase racing. In this novel, Tom Forsyth who is a career army officer loses a foot in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. After months in the hospital he realizes that he has to face a future far different from the one he had planned. When Tom goes home to his mother's house and horse training stables, he discovers that his mother is in serious financial trouble and is being blackmailed.

Like all good Francis novels, the hero faces pain and death. He not only survives but Tom goes on to uncover the secrets behind his mother's problems. I particularly liked a paragraph at the beginning of the chapter when he finds himself bound and in darkness. "Whoever thought too much pain brought on unconsciousness was an idiot. My brain, now awake, clearly had no intention of switching off again. How much pain does it take to kill, I wondered. Surely it was time for me to die?" (Crossfire, p.179)

I have never been a soldier, have never been a hero, but I have woken from surgery without any medication to take the edge off the pain. Felix Francis has echoed my thoughts exactly. If he has not experienced the jarring pains of being a "jump jokey" like his father, he has certainly learned from his parent's tales of agony.

I like this book. It is up-to-date and deals with issues that many of us are aware of in our world around us, particularly if you have someone in your family who serves in the military. Computers, cell phones and war against terror are all part of our lives.

I wonder if Felix is going to continue to write under his own name and how he will do. He certainly has the ability to carry on his father's legacy, but will that be enough in the mystery writing world? I'll have to keep an eye on him.

Guest Blog - A Study in Valor

In the last few weeks, I have overheard at least two women recommend that their friends read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. It is a story of courage and hope. The Ten Boom family in the Netherlands sheltered Jewish people during WW II. Eventually the hiding place was discovered and the two sisters were sent to German concentration camps. It really is an amazing story. It has been years since I last read Ten Boom's book. I don't remember all of the details but I still remember the effect that it had on me. I had the same feeling when I read Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, about his survival in a German concentration camp. I felt reverence and awe for these individuals who faced one of life's most horrible nightmares but retained their integrity and dignity. And in the case of the Ten Boom sisters, their faith.

Perhaps my curiousity about how people face unthinkable adversity and survive is what prompted me to read A Study in Valor: the Faith of a Bataan Death March Survivor. The story of Clarence Bramley's experience during WW II is retold by William T. Garner. Bramley actually was able to keep a small journal and his parents kept his letters. The book also has historical pictures that bring the reality forcefully to mind.

Bramley joined the Army anticipating that he would go to flight school and learn to fly an airplane. When he returned to the US, he found out that he had passed his tests and was accepted for training. However, he arrived in the Phillipines only about a month before Pearl Harbor and the susquent attack upon the Phillipines by the Japanese. Only a few months into the Japanese assault, McCarther left the island and left the men he could not evacuate to surrender to the Japanese.

Clarence was one of the men who was forced to march and to do hard labor in camps in the Phillipines. Although the narrative does not go into detail about fellow soldiers being killed by being beaten with a rifle or at the point of a bayonette or even beheaded as they struggled to walk next to Clarence, it takes little imagination to visualize the agony of these soldiers. Clarence was one of those who against all odds survived. When McCarther actually did return to Bataan, a peninsula in the Phillipines, Clarence was one of the captives who was put on a ship and transported to Japan. Although he had heard the sweet sound of American planes in the air, he was not there to be rescued from his prison.

The continuing faith of Clarence is inspiring. Throughout his imprisonment, he always believed not only that the US would win the war but that he would survive. Probably that faith is what motivated him to continue struggling against enormous odds.

One lesson I learned from this book was a greater understanding of why the US resorted to destroying two cities in Japan with atomic bombs. The devistation was so vast. Sixty-five years after the end of the war, one can easily weep for the loss of life of those people.

Garner tells of an incident early in the book when several Japanese soldiers who had surrendered to the Americans were returned to their company. There was no trial. No words were spoken. The soldiers who had surrendered were immediately executed. There was no shame greater than surrender. Clarence came to realize that his Japanese captors held the Americans in great contempt because they had surrendered instead of fighting to the death. They treated their captives accordingly.

Reading this book, was probably the first time that I understood why Truman felt that the only solution was to drop bombs on Japan. The US was convinced that Japan would never surrender otherwise and the human cost of the war in the Pacific was so staggeringly high already. Truman did not want the war to drag out for months with young Americans dying in such great numbers. He wanted the killing of American soldiers to stop.

Somewhere along the way in my life, I discovered that history does not remain the same. As years pass, history is reinterpreted as new facts are learned or perspective is altered. This is true whether the history is of a nation, the world or your personal life. It should motivate all of us to leave a bit of our history behind.

Guest Blog - A Comrade Lost and Found: A Beijing Memoir by Jan Wong

Several years ago I heard an interview with Jan Wong on the radio and became interested in finding out what happened to the comrade whom she betrayed while she was a student in Beijing. However, it was a long time before I came across a copy of her book A Comrade Lost and Found: A Beijing Memoir. In a couple of libraries the copy was missing.

In early December I had the chance to read the book. Note that I have not read Red China Blues. Both books are biographical. I found the experiences and the glimpse of Beijing in the pre-Olympic years interesting. Not to give away too much to those of you who might read this book - when by a series of chance encounters, Wong does find her fellow student, the resolution is so simple that I am disappointed in myself that it did not cross my mind.

I have not felt spurred on to check out Red China Blues even though it is presumably a good account of the tragedy at Tiananmen Square. Do I really want to know? However, I enjoyed this glimpse into Beijing during and after the Cultural Revolution. I could do worse than to take a bit of time to learn more about this rapidly emerging power. I have to admit that the mysteries written by Lisa See are more up my alley, square, sidestreet....

The House of Dead Maids

In Clare B. Dunkle’s young adult novel The House of Dead Maids, orphaned Tabby Aykroyd arrives at Seldom House to be a caretaker and playmate to the young “master.” She is immediately haunted by ghosts of her predecessors and tries to save herself and her young charge from a similar fate.

Dunkle’s novel is a fast, enjoyable read and maintains a consistently unsettling atmosphere throughout. The book cover is one of the creepiest I’ve seen, but it also claims the novel is “A Chilling Prelude to Wuthering Heights.” Dunkle ties the story to the Brontë family in the last few pages; however, I found this maneuvering unfortunate and gimmicky. The book could easily stand alone as a dark glimpse into a pagan Victorian England and only loses credibility by trying to piggyback on the Brontës’ fame. Enjoy Dead Maids what it is and not for what it is trying to be.

Room

Five-year-old Jack in Emma Donoghue's Room has lived in the same room since his birth. His mother, Ma, has lived there for seven years—ever since she was kidnapped by “Old Nick.” The story of their captivity is narrated by the young Jack.

A lot of buzz has surrounded Donoghue’s latest novel—I first heard about it on NPR—mostly because of the young narrator. Jack’s voice is definitely unique. However, it is also often jarringly inconsistent. At times, Jack sounds like a caveman. At other times, he has the vocabulary of a PhD. Many times, Jack’s narration distracts from an otherwise interesting story.

If you can get over Jack’s voice, the story of what Ma does to survive and to protect her son, and the consequences of their captivity, is an intriguing one. The reality of teenagers and children held captive for years seems to be becoming more prevalent, and I appreciate Donoghue’s attempt to tackle such a sensitive topic without being overly sentimental.

Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure

“Your name: Elizabeth Bennet. Your mission: to marry both prudently and for love, avoiding family scandal. Equipped with only your sharp wit, natural good sense, and tolerable beauty, you must navigate your way through a variety of decisions that will determine your own romantic (and financial) fate. Ever wonder what would happen if Elizabeth accepted Mr. Darcy’s proposal the first time around? Or ran from his arms into those of Persuasion’s Captain Wentworth? Now is your chance to find out.”

How could I possibly resist this blurb on the back of Emma Campbell Webster’s novel Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure? As a child, I was a huge fan of the Choose Your Own Adventure series (and still lament its demise) and eagerly jumped into this grown-up, literary version.

Although the book is essentially a retelling of all Austen’s novels, Campbell Webster adds clever commentary and re-imagines what would have happened if Elizabeth Bennet had married Willoughby or Mr. Knightley rather than Mr. Darcy. Her portrait of other Austen heroines isn’t always flattering, and Elizabeth’s fate often ends in marital failure (or worse), but the novel is meant to be all in good fun.

Guest Blog - 61 Hours

I have had so so feelings about some of Lee Child's Reacher novels. 61 Hours in not one of them. Decidedly one of Child's better books. I cannot top the NY Times review of the book. It was very enthusiastic and points out that this mystery ends with a cliffhanger. The new book, Worth Dying For, which picks up where this one leaves off is already out. But you know me. It is so hard for me to part with the price of a hardback novel even from Amazon. Especially if it is one I am not likely to read a second time. Reacher is good the first time around but I am not sure Child's books are the read over and over again variety.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

I’m a year (or two) behind the times—but, hey, I’ve been living in Turkey—and finally read Alan Bradley’s Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce resides in an English country manor with her widowed father and two older sisters. Despite the seemingly-idyllic location, Flavia lives in a post-WWII society and family that struggles with the effects of war and the loss of its mother. She also happens across a dead body outside her bedroom window.

Flavia is a precocious crime solver who meddles in the police investigation and isn’t afraid to go anywhere or talk to anyone in her pursuit of answers. This cozy mystery is as charming and inoffensive as a murder mystery can be, and I can understand why it’s a bestseller.

Flavia, however, has some nastiness to her that I found rather off-putting. She deliberately destroys her dead mother’s pearls and sets out to poison one of her older sisters. I don’t expect—or want—a perfect lead character, but I prefer flaws that I can relate to rather than sociopathic tendencies.

Overall, the novel is enjoyable and held my interest. Yet, despite Sweetness’s popularity, I’ve noticed the sequel, The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, doesn’t seem nearly as in demand, which might really reflect readers’ feelings about the series.

The Best Birth

The title of this book, The Best Birth: Your Guide to the Safest, Healthiest, Most Satisfying Labor and Delivery, caught my attention since most expectant mothers, like me, must decide whether or not to have a “natural” childbirth or one using “medical pain-management options.” However, the introduction to the book might scare off many readers as it promotes the “McMoyler Method, the childbirth method for the twenty-first century.” Who is McMoyler of the McMoyler Method? Sarah McMoyler, the author and a labor and delivery nurse.

Ultimately, the book is less about promoting a certain method and more about providing a good discussion of what to expect during a natural, medicated, or cesarean childbirth. The author also includes helpful tips for what to bring to the hospital, how the husband or partner can be more involved in childbirth, the role of each member on the hospital staff, and even some of the nitty-gritty details women may not know about the birthing and recovery process.

This book is a manageable length, about 250 pages, and can be a helpful resource for any woman expecting a baby and looking for more information on the process.

Guest Blog - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I just finished Stieg Larsson's last book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Once again his book was extremely difficult to put down to pay attention to real life. Definitely his best book. It is a loss to readers that he wrote only three books before his death.

Spoiler Alert: At least this book has a feeling of resolution and does not have a cliffhanger ending.

Thank you Larsson for hours of "sitting on the edge of my seat" worried about what is going to happen next.

Guest Blog - Double Play by Robert B Parker

Several years ago I heard a program on NPR which talked about Hank Aaron. Aaron was the man who broke Babe Ruth's home run record. The program recalled the many threats that Aaron received. Some of them were from fans of Ruth who did not want to see his record broken. Most of them were race related.

Double Play (2004) is about another courageous man who broke "the color" barrier in major league baseball; Jackie Robinson. In 1947 Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. The novel is a piece of historical fiction. It follows the path of Joseph Burke, a returning WW II veteran, who eventually ends up being Robinson's body guard.

A parallel story runs through the book. It is the story of Bobby Parker who was 9 when the United States entered the war. He was 15 when Robinson became a major league ball player. As most American boys of that era he was an avid baseball fan. He followed the statistics in the paper and listened to games on the radio.

The story is interesting, but examining the racial tension of that era is more intriguing. Both the white and the black fans and players felt threatened by this change. Robinson was in a position where no matter how angry he might feel about some of the abuse he received, he had to remain calm and ignore it. He had to be the perfect gentleman so that this experiment in crossing racial borders had a chance to make it.

Reading the book was a good reminder that we have come along way since 1947 in how Blacks are treated in the US. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go before we accept all minorities as fellow citizens.

Guest Blog - Bury Your Dead

Bury Your Dead is without doubt Louise Penny's best book yet. The story and emotions are complex. In fact there are three different story lines in this novel. Both Chief Inspector Gamache and Inspector Beauvoir are dealing with the wounds and scars left from an ambush only two months earlier. Both of them are on leave still recovering from the physical damage they incurred in the shoot out. Gamache is visiting his old friend and mentor in Quebec City in February, the month of the annual winter carnival. Beauvoir is back in Three Pines. He is supposed to be relaxing but is actually there at Gamache's request to look at the murder of a hermit. In Penny's previous novel, The Brutal Telling, the team investigated the murder of a recluse who lived in the woods outside the town.

I am not sure if you need to have read any of the previous books in order to enjoy this one. It is hard for me to be objective since I have read and liked all of Penny's mysteries. Although I think some type of acquaintance with her characters probably would help with understanding this novel, I don't want to discourage anyone from opening it up to read. The issues of dealing with change, tragedy and a need to belong are ones that all readers will identify with. How do you move on after loss or tragedy? Where do you fit in society at large or within a small circle?

This tale is not only thought provoking, it is an edge of the seat thriller as well. What really happened when one of their own was kidnapped? Is Olivier who is in prison a killer or not?

Probably adding to my enjoyment of the book, I have been to Quebec City in the winter although not for Carnival and there were so many sites that I recognized as Penny talked about them. I much prefer Quebec in the spring or fall. I found myself very interested in the history. I had no idea that although Samuel de Champlain died in Quebec that no one has any idea where he is buried. Other historic figures she talks about are genuine as well.

I have found that the books I enjoy most are often the ones that cause me to look up information online or lead me to read another book. This book certainly falls in that category. If you are only looking for a good mystery be sure to try Louise Penny. She has only a few books, but is well worth looking for. Fortunately Penny's novels are available in the US as well as Canada.

If you click on Louise Penny above, you will be connected with her personal page which includes some great pictures of Quebec City.

Heist Society

As a fan of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series, I eagerly read Heist Society. If possible, I actually enjoyed this book more than the series.

Katarina “Kat” Bishop tries to escape the “family business” and experience a normal adolescence by entering a prestigious boarding school. She lasts only a few months before being wrangled back into the fold, this time to save her father who has been accused of stealing five paintings from an unsavory collector.

In order to help her father, Kat gathers together a group of teens with special, if not necessarily legal, skills in order to pull off an impossible heist. Rather than let their age and experience handicap them, the characters use their teen status to their advantage.

Overall, Heist Society is a fun and fast read. Underlying the clever mayhem, though, is a surprisingly serious storyline about stolen artwork and restitution, as well as a hint of pedophilia. I was a bit disappointed that Carter doesn’t dwell more on these truly somber aspects and instead focuses on the fun. And this book is definitely good fun.

Fly on the Wall

Gretchen Yee, in E. Lockhart’s young adult novel Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything, is a sophomore at the Manhattan School for Art and Music. When she wishes she were a fly on the wall of the boys' locker room, she never expects her wish will come true in such a dramatic way.

Gretchen isn’t exactly an average teenage girl, so some readers might have difficultly relating to her. She attends a special high school for artistic students in New York City and spends her time reading and illustrating comic books. Ultimately, though, she deals with family problems, boy troubles, and friend issues, like any other teen.

Since Gretchen spends much of the book hanging around a high school boys’ locker room, some readers might also find her experiences uncomfortable or offensive as she frankly describes both what she sees and hears.

Lockwood’s novel has a unique premise, although the execution leaves something to be desired. The ultimate message, though, is a good one: high school boys aren’t that different from high school girls. They also struggle with body image, identity, and relationships.

Guest Blog - Paper Doll by Robert B Parker

Since I have read all of the Jesse Stone novels and a good share of the Sunny Randall ones, I thought it was time I tried a Spenser book. When Spenser for Hire was on television, I caught glimpses of it when my husband watched. I knew that Robert Urich played the lead and that Spenser had a friend named Hawk. That was about it.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this 1993 novel. In Paper Doll Spenser looks into a murder that looks as if it was random street violence. When the police can go no further, the husband of the victim hires Spenser to solve the cold case.

Paper Doll has lots of surprises. Nothing about the victim is as it seems at first glance. When Spenser starts asking questions, someone in a powerful position tries to keep him from asking any more.

I thought this was a good mystery. A little more rough language than I prefer but other than that I felt comfortable trying out a whole new world with lots of books by Parker.

Something Wicked: A Horatio Wilkes Mystery

I can't remember the last time I wrote a review, but now that I'm back in the US and have access to an English-language library, I have no more excuses. I'll start with a short one to ease myself back into the routine:

Something Wicked is the second entry in Alan Gratz’s Horatio Wilkes Mystery series. In this retelling of Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Horatio attends the Scottish Highland Games with his childhood friend, Mac, and Mac’s demanding girlfriend, Beth. When Mac’s grandfather is murdered, Horatio joins forces with the local police to solve the crime.

Horatio is a bright and witty hero, but sometimes he reads much older than a junior in high school—particularly when he casually throws off references to Shakespeare and Freud. Perhaps this maturity is why his parents allow him to go alone to the Highland Games for the weekend, rent a room in a seedy motel, and solve murders. Overall, Something Wicked is a fast and entertaining read, but the light tone does mean the murders can come as a bit of a shock.

Guest Blog - Candle for a Corpse

At the moment, my husband and I are living in a huge apartment/condominium complex in Northern Virginia. One of the minor amenities is a small library in the "commons" area. It is completely borrow and return on your own. No oversight whatsoever. Recently I picked up a few mysteries to read. I started a very promising little one by a Canadian author I did not know. However, I was not stealing time from other responsibilities to read it. That really is my measure of how much I am enjoying a book.

I picked up another book and started reading it and didn't want to put it down after the first few pages. I have heard of English author Ann Granger but don't think I have ever read anything that she has written. This one, Candle for a Corpse, is a cozy mystery. Right up my alley.

When a grave is opened to bury an elderly woman with her long gone parents, the grave diggers discover the bones of a young woman. Superintendent Alan Markby and his friend Meredith Mitchell become involved in trying to find out who the young woman was and how long ago she was killed and buried. It is a satisfying mystery with plenty of interesting characters and complications.

The book had another intriguing feature. Periodically all of the way through the book, words were underlined. Perhaps only one on a page. Some pages had no underlining. At the beginning of the book little notes had been made next to the highlighted words. The notes were in Chinese characters. Of course, I was interested in the mystery of the paperback book itself. I noticed that the underlined words were usually ones that were idioms. Some word that an English as a Second Language reader might be completely unfamiliar with. In fact an American reader might wonder at the usage of a word by the English author. What is chutney or daft? What does "twelve years back" mean? The notes in Chinese ended after about page 95 but underlined words in pink highlighter continued to the end of the book. Did the original reader finish the book? Was it someone else who underlined the occasional word on the remaining pages? I will never know. However, the previous reader added to my enjoyment of reading the mystery. I wonder if I will find another book with marginal notes in Chinese. I hope so.

By the way, I have been wondering if small English villages still have a grave digger who uses a shovel to prepare the ground for a funeral. I am pretty sure that here in the U.S. a grave digger operates a backhoe. According to Granger in the early or mid 1990s, England made it mandatory for people to be buried or cremated in biodegradable material. I don't think I have anything that is all cotton or linen to be buried in. I had better hang on for a few more years.

Guest Blog - Hard Row by Margaret Maron

Hard Row came as a bit of surprise to me. I thought that I did a fairly good job of keeping up with the latest books by some of my favorite mystery writers. I don't know how I missed this one by Margaret Maron. It was actually published in 2007. It is a Judge Deborah Knott mystery. She is recently married to Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant with his son a part of their family. On the domestic side Knott is cautiously feeling her way through her new role as a stepmother but loving being married to Dwight. On the legal side, there are still lots of glimpses into the crazy cases brought before Judge Knott.

I think I liked Hard Row more than any of Maron's other mysteries set in North Carolina. This time we got to see the information not just from Knott's view but also from her partner in life and crime solving, Dwight Bryant. In the past Knott has been a bit of a pain, sticking her nose in where it really didn't belong. Now their partnership makes a logical and complete working relationship. They pool their information and find the killer who cut up a body and distributed the parts along the banks of the river.

You don't have to have read other books about Deborah Knott to enjoy this one, but it does make it a bit easier if you have already been introduced to her extensive family and bootlegging father. Maron does a good job of filling in the gaps though if you are a first time reader of her mysteries.

The first Margaret Maron I read was located in New York City with Sigrid Harald, a police officer. I met her in Corpus Christmas and really liked this heroine. I wasn't sure whether I would like the Knott mysteries but am well hooked. There are two more recent books out there that I have not yet read. I'll be looking for them so that I can catch up the the Knott-Bryant saga and a good mystery.

Guest Blog - Split Image by Robert B Parker

Much to my delight, I discovered that before Robert B Parker died in January, he had finished a book about Jesse Stone and sent it on its way to the publisher. After reading Split Image, I felt that Parker must have known it was the last Jesse Stone mystery that he would ever write. It has a very satisfactory ending in Stone's personal life. The novel left me with a feeling of completeness and appreciation for the author.

Split Image is a bit of a strange premise for the murder mystery but it is a good read. Of course, for every 'yup' that Stone says, I can see and hear Tom Selleck. Which doesn't hurt my perception of Stone one single bit.

If you have never read one of Parker's Sunny Randall books, I highly recommend them. Especially since Randall shows up in this final story about Stone. I found a Randall mystery, Melancholy Baby, at the Goodwill bookstore and read it just after I had finished reading Split Image. I am a Sunny Randall fan and liked this novel. Randall and Stone have a lot in common. Both of them are struggling to get passed their attachment to their ex-spouses. In Melancholy Baby, Randall's ex remarries. That leads her to seek someone new to see for counseling. This is a good look into a therapist/client relationship besides a very good mystery.

I am sorry that there will be no new Jesse Stone or Sunny Randall novels to enjoy. I have read that Tom Selleck is going to do more stories about Jesse Stone despite his new series premiering this fall. I am delighted.

Guest Blog - Appointment with Death

A few weeks ago, we watched the new Poirot on Mystery. Of course, my problem with Agatha Christie stories is that I keep saying "it didn't happen like that in the book." I have really tried to contain myself and not bore my family to death with such comments. I found it interesting the next day that one of my daughters sent me an email message saying that she found the show disturbing. I didn't hesitate to tell her that my memories of the book were that it was quite different. I don't think that Agatha Christie was into child abuse. Manipulative people and controlling people but not ones who enjoyed the physical punishment of children.

By chance I came across a 99 cent copy of Appointment with Death at the Goodwill Bookstore. Naturally I had to reread it. This time I really do think that Christie got the story right and the recent production of her book got it wrong.

Christie's second husband, Max Mallowan, was an archaeologist and she traveled with him frequently to excavation sites in the Middle East. Appointment with Death is set in Jerusalem and Petra. The mystery is center around an American family that is controlled by a power hungry matriarch. As in many of Christie's mysteries, the person you 'love to hate' is the victim. Since Poirot has no tolerance for murder he feels compelled to investigate.

If watching the recent PBS show disappointed you, I really encourage you to try the book. It has a satisfying ending that puts the problems of all of the characters into perspective. Much more satisfying than this Mystery.

Guest Blog - The Double Comfort Sarari Club

During the last several summers, I have stayed at the "cottage at the beach" and have read all summer long. This summer, I am just not reading as much. In fact I feel as if I have read very little this year.

However, I recently finished Alexander McCall Smith's last book about Promise and Grace. I frankly have to think of the two of them that way, because I have far too difficult a time with their surnames. The Double Comfort Safari Club proved to be an enjoyable encounter with old friends. Life continues to have its challenges and ups and downs but the people I have become fond of over the years are doing well. If you are a fan, I think you'll enjoy the book. It was a comfortable afternoon past time.

Guest Blog - The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple by Anne Hart

While looking for a book by Agatha Christie, I came across an enjoyable little book written by Anne Hart. Published in 1985, The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple is in fact a biography of that well known sleuth created by Agatha Christie.

When I started reading the book, I wondered what Hart could have found to say about a fictiticious character. Miss Marple made her debut in short stories and went on from there to to be featured in several novels. Hart identifies Miss Marple's family, friends and collegeaus. We learn about St. Mary Mead as well as the furniture in Miss Marple's drawing room.

The one regret that Christie spoke of regarding Poirot and Marple was that they were so old. In essence she said that if she had known she would have been writing about them for so many years, she would have made them younger when she created them. Miss Marple spent about forty years hovering around 60. In At Bertram's Hotel, Lady Selina Hazy comments, "Why I do believe that's old Jane Marple. Thought she was dead years ago. Looks a hundred."

I have no idea how difficult it is to find Hart's little book, but I found it a delightful addition to my Agatha Christie reading. I am more attached to Miss Marple than I have ever been.

Guest Blog - The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

When I was about thirteen, I read my first Agatha Christie novel. That first book by Christie was The Mystery of the Blue Train. I have been a Christie fan ever since and the Blue Train remains one of my favorites.

Last Sunday my husband and I watched a new dramatization of The Secret of Chimneys on PBS. The mystery was solved with the combined efforts of Chief Inspector Finch and Miss Marple. I do like Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple. She is neither flirty nor frumpy. Just an intelligent woman. A pleasant change. However, while watching I puzzled over the story. Why was it that I did not recognize this story?

At the first opportunity, I checked the novel out from the library. And it was not at all surprising that I did not recognize the story. I am sure I must have read it at some point in my long, long life, but I certainly do not remember it. For one thing, the original story does not include Miss Marple. It is one of those rare novels that does not include any of Christie's well known sleuths. In fact the original book bore little resemblance to the television production. I will commit heresy and confess that I thought the story was much improved by this new production.

Christie has just a few mysteries that are based upon stories of political intrigue or organized crime. In my opinion, she does not do them well. Her forte is definitely the small village or snowed-in cottage mystery with few complications beyond love and hate and greed and fear of exposure. The Secret of Chimneys has political intrigue occurring in some fictitious Balkan country with a mastermind jewel thief thrown in. The characters are likable but the story is too heavy. It is bogged down in contrived rebellions of post WW I Europe and royalty with unpronounceable names.

Watch the new version of Chimneys and enjoy but don't bother with the old novel. Christie has much better books to reread and enjoy than this one. (By the way, click on the previous word "chimneys" and watch the PBS mysteries for a limited time online.)

By the way, I do highly recommend The Complete Christie by Matthew Bunson. He does not give the plots away but he has a great encyclopedia of characters and preludes to plots that is a handy addition to the personal library of any Christie fan.

Guest Blog -6 1 Hours by Lee Child

The Friday, May 14th Weekend Arts section of the NY Times had an article about the new novel by Lee Child coming out later this year. Janet Maslin and I seem to like the same kind of page turners. I recently read two books about Jack Reacher and I'll actually write more about them when I quit digging my garden.

Guest Blog - Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

A few weeks ago, my sister told me that all of the readers in her family, had laughed while they read Dog On It by Spencer Quinn. I listened politely but was a little skeptical when she told me that this mystery solved by partners Bernie and Chet is narrated by Chet. Chet is the canine half of this detective duo. (I don't know how reliable my link for Spencer Quinn is, but if it is correct, the author himself is a mystery).

It did not take me long to get attached to Chet. Fortunately I got to read the mystery about a teen who vanishes while I was traveling. If you haven't flown lately you might not know that waits in airports can be longer than the flight. Chet turned out to be very good company.

I am not sure that being a dog-lover is a prerequisite to enjoying Quinn's book, but it might not hurt. I suspect though that anyone who has seen a dog with its head hanging out the window of a car will know just what Chet is talking about. I noticed that Quinn has a new hardback out. Thereby Hangs a Tail was published in January. Do I wait for the library or splurge on Amazon? Chet really stole my heart.

Guest Blog – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

When my daughter suggested that I read a fantasy or futuristic book, I told her that I didn’t think so. However, she had enjoyed it so I decided to try it before she returned it to the library. Much to my surprise I was hooked by the end of chapter one.
Probably you have encountered stories similar to The Hunger Games. Two stories with the same theme are a short story The Lottery and the movie or novel The Wicker Man. Both of them are centered on seemingly normal towns where once a year a person is chosen to die to appease some greater power. Essentially that is the idea behind The Hunger Games. At some future time in North America, the people are kept in line by an annual sacrifice of an adolescent boy and girl from their district. From 12 districts the 24 youth come to fight on a televised set until only one survives.
Sounds pretty grim and Collins does a good job of portraying both the tender and the violent youths who have been selected at random. Katniss is one of the two sent from District 12. She also is the narrator. The story starts with the hope that this will mean that she survives until the end of the story.
The Hunger Games finishes with the closing words “End of Book One.” I’ll have to let you know if I decide to look for book two. This story pulled me in and I actually found myself crying around page 250. But do I really want to read more about this group of people who seem so powerless? We’ll see. For those of you who are waiting to see the movie, there is one in the works.

Guest Blog – Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Recently I heard part of a discussion about books on the radio. The speaker concluded that rather than isolating you, a book brings you closer to understanding people. Only in a book do you know what the characters are thinking. Motives are very clear.
I mention this because I recently saw the movie version of Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont written by Elizabeth Taylor. My local library did not carry the book, but it did have the DVD. The movie enchanted me. It is the story of a widow who has moved into a hotel in London that rents rooms by the month. The other long term tenants are also elderly individuals who are on their own after losing their spouses. By chance, Mrs. Palfrey meets a charming young man who is living on practically nothing while he endeavors to write his first novel. A warm relationship develops between the two of them as Ludo pretends to be Mrs. Palfrey’s grandson.
Just a few days ago, I found the book and immediately began to read it. The story and the characters are essentially the same as in the movie. However, when you are able to read about Ludovic Myers’ thoughts and motives much of the enchantment disappears. The movie with Joan Plowright as Mrs. Palfrey captures Taylor’s tenants at the Claremont so well. The movie is definitely a feel-good show. At the end of a long and productive life, Mrs. Palfrey faces loneliness without her husband. Instead she meets Ludo and develops a relationship that rescues both of them from isolation in a big bustling city.
The book is a more accurate picture of what old age can be. We get to see the small lies that sustain the dignity of the residents of the Claremont. Although there are few of them, it is important for them to save face among their peers. Mrs. Palfrey values Ludo’s friendship much more than he values hers. In reality his interest in her is for information to use in writing a novel about old age.
I turned 60 last summer. Reading about Mrs. Palfrey and the small group at the hotel, has reminded me of how challenging growing old can be. I hope that in my old age, I will somehow escape the long empty days that Taylor so vividly describes. The edition that I read has an interesting introduction by Paul Bailey. Since most of us will either have elderly relatives or be elderly relatives ourselves, I recommend what Bailey calls Taylor’s best novel. It is not an unkind portrayal of being old and alone and perhaps forgotten.

Guest Blog – Max and Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery

Guest Blog – Max and Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery

A trip to the library with my three young granddaughters is an adventure. My daughter has a very large recyclable shopping bag that soon fills up with a book from here and a book from there. I am not quite sure how many books they came home with. The advantage is that they are probably books I have never read so it is interesting to read the new stories or have them read to me.
Recently my daughter found a book in the bag written by Alexander McCall Smith. Since both of us are fans of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, we were interested in this children’s book we had stumbled across. The local library has Max and Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery listed as Juvenile and a First Chapter book. This one is the second in a series of mysteries that are solved by a brother and sister. The arch villain is Professor Sardine. I am sure that he will show up in the next story about Max and Maddy.
I have decided that I know next to nothing about what would interest a child. This book has seven chapters and an easy vocabulary. I am not convinced that some of the aspects of the story are scientifically accurate. For example if a hot air balloon is hit by an arrow, does it pop? I am a bit dubious about that and other aspects of the tale. However, this might be a great introduction to mysteries for someone in first or second grade. The mysteries that we got involved with when my daughters were small were the stories about the Box Car Children and Encyclopedia Brown. Even as an adult, I enjoyed reading them to my girls despite the fact that they were vintage at that time. I am not so sure that Max and Maddy would capture our imagination in the same way.

Guest Blog - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Just a quick note. When I wrote the review about Larsson's book, I did not mention all of the financial intrigue in the novel. Today I received this link in an email. For those of you who have been attracted to Larsson' book, I hope you will take the time to read this New York Times op-ed. The first part of the book refers to the court case against Blomkvist who is being sued for libel. He specializes in investigating financial entities. The book concludes on the same theme. I found it fascinating because of course, we have been going through a similar crisis in our nation...several years after Larsson, a journalist himself, wrote about the corruption he saw in Sweden's financial world.

March 23 - This morning I read a review of the Swedish movie in Entertainment. Critic Lisa Schwarzbaum says of the movie: "I don't know why Lisbeth is the magnet for so much male rage. Nor why Larsson and director Niels Arden Oplev linger on the sight of Lisbeth being hideously raped - and later punishing her tormentor with even more sadistic acts of violence." It can only be hoped that the American version will dwell a little less on the sadistic aspects of the book.

Guest Blog - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

A friend recommended The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He was the one who introduced me to Donna Leon so I listen when he sends a note suggesting a book. In no time at all I was caught up in the story of journalist Mikael Blomkvist who is being sued for libel. When the judgment comes and he is sentenced to some jail time, he decides it is time to distance himself from the small journal that he has been publishing. Wealthy Henrik Vanger has a temporary job for the investigative reporter. He wants Blomkvist to look into the death of his granddaughter Harriet forty years earlier.

The characterization is excellent and I had no trouble avoiding real life and being swallowed up by the novel. I casually mentioned to a friend that I had started reading Stieg Larsson's book and was enjoying it. As I got further into the book, however, I sent an email to her telling her that I didn't think she would enjoy the book. The sex and violence in the book is not described in detail, however, most of my circle of friends are on the conservative side. There are no titillating sexual descriptions, however, I soon realized that this was not a book that I would be recommending to anyone for her book club.

The girl with the dragon tattoo is a brilliant researcher who eventually comes to work with Blomkvist. Lisbeth Salander has a dark past and an even darker present.

The entire book centers around the victimization of women. Not one of my preferred topics. As the mystery unfolds you discover that the some of women are sexually abused not only be strangers but by the men in their lives whom they should be able to trust. As Blomkvist continues his investigation, he finds that Harriet's disappearance seems to be linked to a series of violent murders in the past.

I enjoyed the peek into Swedish culture. From all that I have heard from people who have lived in Sweden, casual sex is an accepted lifestyle as is homosexuality. Reading this book, I discovered that I am a very old fashioned woman. If you are too, this mystery is probably not one that you will enjoy. However, Larsson had a very short writing career. He died in 2004 from heart failure and his books were published posthumously. Despite the grim topic, I am looking forward to reading his other two novels. Hopefully these books about Salander are not about the victimization of women or children.

Guest Blog - Death of a Valentine

My husband and I have several police/procedural television shows that we watch on a regular basis. Frequently we find ourselves asking each other if we have seen this “repeat” that we have taped. Often we don’t remember the mystery in the story but we recognize the episode from the story line in the lives of the regular characters. We’ll say, “Oh yeah. We’ve seen this one. This is the one where Tony thinks he has inherited a lot of money. Or this is the one where Tempe sees her father again.”
I have just finished reading M. C. Beaton’s latest Hamish Macbeth mystery and I have discovered that I have the same relationship with novels that I do with current TV series. I enjoy the back and forth of Hamish’s relationships with regular and new characters in the novel just as much if not more than I do the mysteries themselves. When I asked the Blogger what she thought about Death of A Valentine, she replied , “Well, you know. It is a Hamish novel.” I suspect that she feels exactly as I do. On one hand you would like Hamish to get on with his life but then maybe you really do like the story better when he is devoted to Lugs and Sonsie, his two beasties, and is content not to have a woman in his life.

So really there is no point in writing a review about Beaton’s latest novel about Hamish. I am attached to Hamish and it was a delight getting acquainted with him again. The only problem was that the end of the book came too quickly. I suppose that is why I keep rereading some of my favorite books. The pleasure of their company.

Guest Blog - Good-bye to some of the best

With the death of Dick Francis, I have come to the conclusion that I have to start looking for younger authors to read. I am not at all sure though that there are too many who can live up to the writing standards set by Francis, Parker and Hillerman. Gentleman, I will miss all of you. Thank you for many hours of reading.

Guest Blog – My Life in France by Julia Child

The movie I enjoyed most this summer was Julie and Julia. I thought Meryl Streep was brilliant. I came away from the movie so interested in Julia Child that I wanted to know more. Of course, I knew who she was and I have seen her kitchen at the Smithsonian, but I had not known much about her personal life. When I saw My Life in France at a local bookstore I bought it and packed it in my bag to read on my trip to Turkey to visit the Blogger.

The book was co-authored by a great nephew of Child’s, Alex Prud’homme, and came out after she died. Child lived at a time when the only practical and economical way to communicate with family and friends was by the mail. Both she and her husband Paul wrote long letters that their family and friends were wise enough to save. So it is not surprising that Child was able to tell us what they had for dinner on a certain important occasion.

The book is delightful. I fell in love with Paul Child. The world should be populated with men like Paul. He was devoted to her and supported her efforts while having his own successful life and career.

This was not a fast read. It is biographical and is full of talk of food and wine and French phrases. I wondered if part of my enjoyment of the book was that I knew where rue Lepic was and have my own photograph of the restaurant Lapin Agile from our recent sojourn in Paris.

My French is not very good, so it is a good thing that usually Julia translated her phrases. But not always. She is polite enough to leave some of the French “swear words” in their original French. I don’t suppose I will ever cook any of her recipes that she made simple enough for an American housewife to cook, but I really appreciate what an exceptional woman she was. I was glad to get to know her a little better even though she is no longer with us to wish us Bon Appétit.

Guest Blog - A Nation of Immigrants by John F. Kennedy

While visiting the Blogger in Turkey, I picked up A Nation of Immigrants in her office and took it back to her apartment to read. I was familiar with Profiles in Courage by the late president, but had not come across this small book. It was actually published in 1964 a year after President Kennedy’s death. His brother Robert wrote a forward for the book and had it published.

Kennedy emphasized the fact that each new wave of immigrants coming to the United States of America met with prejudice and rejection beginning as far back as Quakers and Catholics in the northern colonies. Whether the immigrants were Irish or Polish or Italian, the established inhabitants saw them as a threat. The newcomers were seen as a threat to jobs and to political balance. Does that sound familiar? Kennedy did not live long enough to see the cruelty shown towards incoming Vietnamese or the present day anger shown by many towards Hispanics or Middle Easterners.

The only group of people who were excluded from any immigration at all is the Chinese. The laborers were welcomed when they quietly came and endured abuse while building the railroads heading east from California. However, when the railroad was finished, the population descendent from Europeans expressed their fear of foreigners by enacting an exclusionary clause. The only group of people who have ever been completely prevented from immigrating to the US have been the Chinese.

Kennedy pointed out that in order to keep the majority of the population not only Western European but predominantly from the British Isles, quotas were established limiting the number of people coming into the country from other nations.

Unless you are a Native American/Indian, if you are an American you are descended from immigrants. I think that part of the success of our nation is based on its immigrants who came with dreams of improving their lives. Our forefathers or perhaps parents came here eager to make a better world for their families. For the most part they have succeeded. I hope that those of us who have benefited from our ancestors’ dreams will feel a little more compassion for the latest wave of immigrants.

Guest Blog - Yankee Stranger by Elswyth Thane

Not long ago my husband and I stopped in Chancellorsville, Virginia to see a memorial to Stonewall Jackson. Jackson was mistakenly shot by someone on his own picket line. He lost an arm and developed pneumonia. He died about a week after the battle between the Confederate and Union forces at Chancellorsville - killed by friendly fire.
About twenty years ago, I read the entire seven book series of historical novels about a Williamsburg family written by Elswyth Thane. After visiting Chancellorsville, I got out an old copy of Yankee Stranger to read the story of a Yankee who fell in love with a Southern beauty on the eve of the Civil War. The recounting of the siege of Richmond is well written. Thane describes a city caught with little food and no drugs to deaden the pain of wounded Confederate soldiers.
I enjoy historical novels because it is such a painless way to gain a little knowledge of days gone by. This novel by Thane is my of the series about Williamsburg that she wrote. Reading this book a few weeks ago, I was surprised by some of the very politically incorrect references to slaves. I had forgotten all of the negative language used in the book when speaking of African Americans.
Yankee Stranger is a good romance and a good historical novel. It is well worth reading but you need to take into account the fact that it was published in 1944. Hopefully we have become more sensitive in the years since then, but I suspect we have a very long way to go.

Guest Blog – Deadly Décisions by Kathy Reichs

I have been traveling in the last few weeks, so that means that I have been sitting on airplanes as well as sitting in airports waiting for or between flights. Before reaching the Chicago O’Hare airport I had finished the book I was currently reading and picked Kathy Reichs’ Deadly Décisions out of my backpack to read on the rest of my journey. Fortunately Reichs is excellent reading for long trips. She had no trouble keeping my attention and helping the long hours to pass quickly.
Deadly Décisions is about war between opposing motorcycle gangs in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tempe is in Montreal to try to sort out the parts of two bikers who were blown up by their own bomb. Shortly after her arrival, a nine year old girl is killed in the street, shot by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting. Determined to find the person responsible, Tempe joins the special police group investigating the bikers.
Along the way, she discovers that Ryan is on suspension from the police force because stolen property and drugs were found in his apartment. How can this be? This is a man she trusts.
Deadly Décisions is another of Reichs’ excellent procedural novels. However, I wonder if she is a bit naïve about some police procedures. In the story the police stake out an internment at a cemetery. They are on the watch for one gang planning to take revenge on the mourners. However, no one who is watching out for the marauding bikers is on a SWAT team or is even carrying a rifle. They are all armed with weapons that are only accurate at close range. Of course, if someone had a sniper’s rifle it would ruin part of her story. However, it simply felt all wrong to me to have a police force watching for violence in a cemetery at 10 in the morning without anyone ready to pick off a fast moving motorcyclist determined to kill people at the funeral.
I have recently spent a couple of months in the last few years in Montreal. I do not recall having at any time seeing anyone on a Harley. If I was a reader who had never traveled to Canada or Montreal, Reichs’ books might frighten me into never leaving home. Thank goodness I am already enchanted with Montreal and Quebec City and look forward to visiting them again soon.
Despite what seem to me some obvious flaws, I am a "Bones" fan. I look forward to reading more books and catching up with the series on TV.

Guest Blog - Fables by Arnold Lobel

Arnold Lobel has for many years been one of the children’s authors I most enjoy. His series of Frog and Toad books are among my favorites. I was not familiar with this book of Fables written and illustrated by Lobel although he received the Caldecott award for it in 1981.

Of course the illustrations are delightful. Easily the most charming part of the book. However, a few of the fables with their one line moral written at the bottom of the page frequently hit me just right too. I was delighted with the illustration and the fable in which the elephant son points out to his father who is absorbed in his newspaper that his slippers are on fire. I liked the ostrich who was happy simply loving from afar. The hippo who ate too much at dinner reminded me of a favorite tale of Winnie the Pooh. The hippo cannot get out from behind the table at the restaurant because of his gluttony and Pooh becomes caught in Rabbit’s doorway after eating all of Rabbit’s honey.

Naturally I read the book all at one time, but I think this would be a fun book to read to a child one or two fables at a time. Of course, they would have to look at all of the great pictures from beginning to end the first time they saw the book.

Guest Blog - Kathy Reichs

This spring I read a Kathy Reichs’ procedural mystery for the first time. I enjoyed reading it and have read several since then. Reading her mysteries also led to me watching the Bones television series.

The first difference that you notice between the books and the series is that in Bones, Tempe Brennan is not a woman in her forties with a daughter in college and an ex-husband. There are lots of other differences. In fact the series is almost unrecognizable. Kathy Reichs says of the series that she thinks of it as Tempe when she was young. It is entertaining but don’t base your ideas about the novels upon the series.

Just a few weeks ago at the local library, I picked up Deja Dead, Reichs first novel. I was delighted that I was acquainted with most of the characters and enjoyed reading her award winning first mystery. When I began reading Death du Jour though, I ran into a personal stumbling block. When it was discovered that the twin babies’ hearts had been cut out of their chests, I reevaluated whether I wanted to keep on reading the book. In Reichs' novels there are often grotesque and unlikely reasons for the deaths of several people. In one book the reason for the killings turns out to be a rite involving cannibalism. Part of the way into Death du Jour, I thought, “if this is going to be a book about Satan worship, I don’t think I am going to read it.” Does the fact that I put the book aside tell you anything?

I haven’t given up on Reichs but I am going to approach her with caution. I feel that there are too many books and television programs that are looking for something new and unusual and reach for something shocking instead. I am quite happy with an average old mystery where the person who dies is the rich old uncle or the innocent person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw something that condemned her to death.

In the meantime, although Bones is not a lot like the novels, I am still enjoying viewing the reruns.

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

Cammie Morgan, spy-in-training, is back in Ally Carter’s Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover. Along with her three best pals at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women (i.e., spy school), Cammie must try to stop a potential kidnapping. This time, though, the intended victim appears to be one of their own.

Macey, one of Cammie’s bffs, is on the campaign trail with her father who is running to be the next vice president of the United States. Macey becomes a target for the media, as well as another nefarious group. Cammie must help her friend, deal with the sudden return of her Aunt Abby, and try to figure out Zach, spy-in-training and boy of her dreams—not a small feat for a high school junior.

Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover is as light and entertaining as the previous two entries in the series. What girl (and 30-ish woman) doesn’t fantasize about being a brilliant spy? And what girl (and 30-ish woman) isn’t utterly confused by all male behavior?

Of course, Cammie and her gal pals still frustrate me with their sometimes lack of spy-itude. For being so brilliant and so well trained, they sure make some dumb moves and get caught off guard on a few-too-many occasions. But I will forgive them because they are high school juniors.

Carter clearly sets up the next book in the series, and I will willingly join Cammie for another adventure.

The Holocaust by Bullets

In fall 2007, while living in Paris, my mother and I visited the Mémorial de la Shoah. The Jewish Holocaust museum was hosting a temporary exhibit called “The Holocaust by Bullets.” The exhibit featured a French Catholic priest’s project to collect the memories of “witnesses” to the massacres in Ukraine. The eyewitnesses, who must have been children at the time, are now extremely old, and Father Patrick Desbois is racing against time to record their accounts.

The exhibit had an overwhelming amount of information to process, and I struggled—and still struggle—to reconcile the country I love with such unthinkable brutality.

Last week, I happened upon Father Desbois’s memoir: The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews. He details his experiences recording the witnesses’ testimonies all across Ukraine. He talks about his grandfather’s own internment during WWII, his research team, and the process that team uses to record the testimonies.

Father Desbois’s story is interesting, but I was most intrigued in the witnesses’ accounts. I felt impatient reading about his life when what I really wanted to read was more transcripts. Despite attending the exhibit, despite reading countless memoirs and biographies about Holocaust victims, I continue to be surprised by the depths of “man’s inhumanity to man.” Father Desbois interviews one woman who as a child was “requisitioned” by the German army to walk across corpses in mass graves. Multiple eyewitnesses recall how the graves moved for three days with the wounded buried inside.

Holocaust by Bullets is not an easy read, but Father Desbois’s project is vital as very few eyewitnesses to the Jewish Holocaust remain.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I’d heard that Mary Ann Shaffer's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was a must-read for the summer, so I jumped into the long library queue. Once I actually got my hands on a copy, I had no idea what to expect.

Guernsey is written in epistolary form—not my favorite literary devise. Most of the correspondence involves Juliet Ashton. A successful wartime (WWII) columnist, Juliet unexpectedly becomes involved with the titular Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Intrigued by the organization, Juliet exchanges letters with members of the society.

Through these letters, Juliet discovers more about the society, the German occupation of the island, and the fate of many inhabitants. Meanwhile, she also corresponds with a girlhood friend, her publisher, and a would-be suitor.

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter—German occupation, prison camps, wartime casualties—the book has a light tone. It is a fast, entertaining, and easy read. Although Juliet is the main character, I—like Juliet—was more interested in the fate of one of the island’s inhabitants, Elizabeth. To be perfectly honest, I would have preferred to read a straight story about Elizabeth than Juliet’s letters. On the other hand, my interest in Elizabeth shows Shaffer succeeds in many respects.

Although far from a literary masterpiece, Guernsey is a book group favorite, and I can see why. It is an effortless read but also fodder for much discussion.

Guest Blog - Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer

If I had not recently read Archer’s book A Prisoner of Birth, I probably never would have picked up Paths of Glory. When I read the jacket teaser, I was hooked. I am not at all familiar with mountain climbing. In fact I have felt mystified when I have heard news that another mountain climber has died on his way up or down a mountain. Why put your life at risk for something that seems of no real merit.

Of course, I had heard of Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first man to stand on the top of Mount Everest, but I had never heard of George Mallory. I soon began to learn more.

Archer started doing the research and writing of Paths of Glory while he was in prison. As he said, he didn’t have much standing in the way of reading all day long. After doing extensive research, he wrote a fictionalized version of Mallory’s life.

I will not spoil it for you by telling you that Mallory might have reached the top of Everest in 1924 and died during that attempt. It is a matter of record that he was last seen only about 600 feet below the summit. Mallory and his climbing companion, Andrew Irvine, never returned from their effort to "stand on the top of the world." In 1999 a search party found Mallory’s frozen body. The label on the back of his shirt clearly said, “George Mallory.”

I spent a lot of time reading the book wondering what was fact and what was Archer’s imagination. The book is engaging and easy to read, but I wondered if Mallory really was arrested while climbing the Eiffel Tower one night. After reading odds and ends on the internet about Mallory, there seems to be no doubt that he was a charming man who had a gift for climbing, a burning desire to "conquer" Everest, and an extremely supportive wife.

You can’t go wrong reading this novel/biography. It took me longer than I expected to read it simply because I had to stop and look up information on the internet, including some interviews with Archer. Archer may be of questionable character in real life but he certainly knows how to tell a story. My one disappointment was that Archer did not include a bibliography. I would have enjoyed being able to look at some of his sources.

Censoring an Iranian Love Story

The premise of the Shahriar Mandanipour’s novel Censoring an Iranian Love Story is intriguing. The narrator is an Iranian author, and the book alternates between the narrator’s thoughts, the story he is writing, and the story he wishes he could write. Everything the narrator thinks and writes is influenced by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which must approve (and will censor) the novel before it can be released for publication.

The narrator’s protagonists are Dara and Sara. Dara is a former political prisoner. Sara is a university student. They develop their relationship over banned books and try to navigate a romance under the restrictions placed by the Ministry.

As it progresses, the novel deconstructs. The line between the narrator and the story he’s writing, or wishes he was writing, blurs. Considering the restrictions Mandanipour, himself, is under as an Iranian writer, the novel is quite remarkable.

After living in eastern Turkey for a year, I was fascinated by the novel and often panicked by the possibilities. I struggle to thrive in a conservative Turkish society. I can’t even imagine life under the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and I hope I am never forced to find out.

Dark Summer

I’ve been reading Iris Johansen’s thrillers for years. I find, though, that I am liking her books less and less as time goes on. I don’t know if my taste in reading has matured or if Johansen’s writing has deteriorated.

In Dark Summer, Devon Brady, a veterinarian, is thrown into turmoil when she meets Jude Morrock and his dog, Ned. Devon reluctantly joins forces with Morrock in order to protect Ned from danger.

Ned is not the only dog in the novel. In fact, the book is full of animals. I can admit that I am not a huge animal lover, but I am certainly not an animal hater, either. I enjoy my sister’s dog/child. And I love my pet hamster, Handsome. However, I almost quit reading the book after the first few chapters simply because there was just too much animal love, adoration, and focus.

Like any good thriller, Dark Summer has action, violence, and sex. It follows the prescribed formula I am used to, but for some reason, the story left me cold. Maybe, though, the book isn’t at fault but a too-picky reader.

Sworn to Silence

I first read about Linda Castillo’s novel Sworn to Silence in USA Today. According to the review: “Lovers of suspense will find no better novel to read this summer . . . a teeth-chattering debut thriller.” How could I resist reading it?

Kate Burkholder is the chief of police in small Painters Mill, Ohio. When Kate was a 14-year-old Amish girl, a serial killer terrorized the town. Now, sixteen years later, the killer appears to have returned, and Kate is called on to solve the crime.

I’ve never been a hardcore thriller fan (Iris Johansen and Catherine Coulter are as far as I go), so I wasn’t prepared for the graphic details of the murders. If you are a fan of the cozy mystery, this may not be the book for you.

The story alternates between a first-person narrative (Kate’s perspective) and third-person. I’ve seen this tactic employed to show the killer’s perspective, but that is not the case in this novel. As such, the shift seems unnecessary and distracting. Nevertheless, the story is engrossing and a definite pageturner.

Kate isn’t my ideal heroine. For a chief of police, she seems weak and not always intelligent. Perhaps she is meant to be more human, but I like my popular fiction females strong, smart, and superhuman.

Sworn to Silence is a fun read. But if you are looking for anything beyond the typical popular thriller, you are in for a disappointment.

Guest Blog - The Diary by Eileen Goudge

I was pleasantly surprised by this little novel by Eileen Goudge. Once in awhile I break away from mysteries and read something romantic. The blurb on the jacket of The Diary caught me. Two sisters, Emily and Sarah, find an old diary belonging to their mother in the attic. All of their lives they have heard about how their father, Bob, was the only man that their mother loved. As they begin to read her diary from 1952, they discover that she had a passionate romance with a man named AJ. Who is this mysterious man? And why did she marry Bob instead?
When I picked up the book and started reading I thought, “Oh no. Do I want to read this? Is this going to be another The Bridges of Madison County?” I never could believe Robert James Waller’s assumption that children would be touched deeply and feel sympathetic when they discovered that their dead mother had an affair years ago and only stayed with their family out of a sense of duty.
The Diary did not fall into the unbelievable pattern of Bridges. It has a life and story of its own. I will not ruin the ending for you. I will simply say that this is a romance that was a delightful break from my usual who-done-it.

The Graveyard Book

Newbery Award-winning The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was on the top of my reading list once I returned to the land of libraries (or rather, English-language libraries). I haven’t always been impressed with past Newbery winners, and Graveyard left me a little bit disappointed.

The book begins with a murder (actually, three murders). Although the murders’ description is not graphic, I found the deaths disturbing, and I am an adult reader. I can’t help but wonder what affect such details would have on a young mind.

One person, a child, escapes the murders by wandering into a graveyard. The child, Bod, grows up in the cemetery with other-worldly companions as his guides. The murderer, though, never forgets that Bod was the one who got away.

The murder mystery is intriguing, and the book begins and ends with this element. Yet, the middle of the book wavers from the mystery. Instead, the story meanders through anecdotes about Bod’s childhood and the graveyard inhabitants’ lives. Although some of these tales are charming, and they later play a roll in the novel, I felt frustrated at the book’s apparent lack of focus.

The Graveyard Book is well written and certainly creative. It is a fine book, worthy of reading, but I am just not convinced, in terms of organization and plot structure, that it was the best children’s book of the year.

Guest Blog - Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich

Evanovich is another author I had never read before. My sister has been encouraging me to try her novels for several years. She has qualified the recommendation by saying that it is not an author she would recommend to all of her friends. The books contain both language and sex.

At Clics I found several of her books and picked up the one that indicated that it was not necessarily part of the series. Plum Lovin’ falls “between-the-numbers.”

In this tale, Stephanie Plum can claim the woman who has jumped bail, if she will do some “relationship” work first. She sets off to bring some couples together before Valentine’s Day. Along the way, she meets some good guys and some bad guys. Overall it is a light hearted tale with lots of laughs. And yes, some bad language and lots of references to sex.

When I tackle one of the ‘numbered’ novels, I’ll let you know if it is funny or not.

Guest Blog - A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

While browsing through the new novels at Clics, my husband asked me if I had ever read anything by Jeffrey Archer. I had not. Archer is not only a novelist but has spent time in both the British government and the British penal system. I checked out the two novels on the shelf written by him and brought A Prisoner of Birth home to read. When I started reading, it was difficult to put it down to attend to other responsibilities in my life. Fortunately, I am on vacation so there are not too many of them.

In the novel, the protagonist Danny Cartwright thinks about Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo, but once sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment for killing his best friend Bernie, he sees no way that he will ever be able to escape the high security prison where he is incarcerated. Fate has other plans for him, however.

The novel has quite a few court scenes. I thought that I would be bored and have to slog my way through those pages. I was surprised to find that I found Danny’s moments in court interesting. Of course, the story is totally implausible but it did not make it any less enjoyable.

England remains very much a society with clear class lines. Here in the US the lines are a little more blurred. But the reality is that most of us are in fact, prisoners of birth. Where we are born and who our parents are still make a huge difference to most of us on the planet. Often I forget how fortunate I am to have been born in North America to a good family.

Prisoner is not a conventional who-done-it, but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to exploring more Archer in the future.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Koran

I promised my friends (and boyfriend) in Turkey that I would read the Koran this summer. They are very concerned about the fate of their Christian friend’s soul. I appreciate their concern, so I agreed to study about Islam to alleviate some of their fears.

My first step, of course, was to buy an English translation of the Koran. I realized immediately, though, that I was entering into complex and confusing ground. My next step, then, was to put the Koran down and read, instead, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Koran.

This was my first foray into The Complete Idiot’s world. The book is clearly organized and easy to read. However, I never felt as if I was actually an idiot or that the book was written for a child or an adult with below-average intelligence. Instead, it has an easy-to-follow layout and stays with the basics.

I was expecting an explanation of the Koran itself, but the guide provides background information on the prophet Muhammad, the origins of the religion, and even addresses modern Islam. Although it makes many references to the Koran, most of the content deals with issues outside the book.

I believe I am approaching the Koran with an open mind. I live in an Islamic country. All of my friends there are Muslim. My boyfriend is a believer. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel slightly manipulated by The Complete Idiot’s Guide. Rather than provide a subjective discussion of the Koran, the guide almost feels like a missionary tract—or something produced by a PR firm.

Shaykh Muhammad Sarwar, the author, is clearly concerned with Islam’s bad rap in Western countries, and justifiably so. I know from firsthand experience that much of what I hear about Islam in the Western media and popular culture is absolutely false, and Sarwar does his best to reverse and explain these misconceptions.

Yet, he paints an almost too rosy picture of the religion. No culture is perfect. I also know from firsthand experience that the culture (though not specifically the religion) can be deeply flawed (the same, of course, can be said of most religious cultures). I hoped for a more balanced view of the religion and culture. I wanted to know the good and the bad. I turned to the guide to learn the basics of the Koran and not to be proselyted to.

In the end, Sarwar invites the reader to pick up the Koran and decide for herself if it is really the word of God. I should have just done that in the first place instead of relying on The Complete Idiot’s Guide for background information.

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

Precious Ramotswe is back in Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, the latest installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. This time, she is investigating a flagging football (soccer) team and facing the possible demise of her little white van. Meanwhile, her assistant, Grace Makutsi, has a rival for her fiancé’s affection.

Tea Time is a fine addition to the series. Like the other novels, it has a gentle, relaxing, and rhythmic tone and pattern to it. Smith unravels the tale at a leisurely pace that never seems to drag and rarely fails to entertain. However, the conclusion feels rushed. Within a few pages, most questions and problems are resolved. Such haste is unnecessary and inconsistent with the previous 200 pages. The series is enchanting, and most readers would be willing to invest time in an extra 20 pages.

In another twist, at one point in the novel, Smith hints at darker possibilities for the future. This foreshadowing leads me to wonder if the next novel may have a shift in tone. I am not sure whether I am for such a move or not. The reason I like the series so much is because it is light and easy, yet still realistic-ish. I see enough tragedy in my actual life—I have no need for it in my pleasure reading. For now, though, Tea Time is exactly what I needed for my summer reading.

Guest Blog - Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart

I have enjoyed Carolyn Hart’s mysteries for years. I really like her character Henry O who is a retired newsperson. Henry O is a seasoned report who has worked all around the world. Her other leading lady is Annie Darling from the Death on Demand series. I am not a big fan although I have read a few of them. This series of books predates the television series on Hallmark called Mystery Woman about a book store owner who can’t resist getting involved with local homicides. I find Annie just a little irritating. It is really hard to justify her sticking her nose into every murder on the island. The population must be getting small.

Ghost at Work is a whole other approach to solving mysteries. Bailey Ruth is a feisty red head who has been dead for many years. She is sent on an assignment back to her home town to aid a woman who is likely to be accused of murder. A body is about to be discovered in the back porch of the rectory. There’s a little of a feeling that she wrote this one over Christmas after watching It’s a Wonderful Life, but it is entertaining. The characters are interesting and well described. I truly did not anticipate the solution to this murder. . . I have decided that my detecting skills are at an all time low. However, I like a mystery that tempts me to look at the final chapter, but I resisted.

It is unclear in which decade Bailey Ruth died. Possibly the sixties. There is no doubt that she is visiting earth in the 21st century. She is puzzled by cell phones and computers. However, I am not sure if Hart has looked at what anyone is wearing in the last few decades. The ghost has the ability to imagine what she is wearing and it is so. One of her outfits is a purple velour jacket and pants. Are women over 80 still wearing those? Is it possible to buy a set like that? Another anachronism is that the mayor of Adelaide is wearing a beehive hairdo. Maybe Hart needs to get out more.

The book ends with the feeling that there are more Bailey Ruth stories in the making. And sure enough Merry, Merry Ghost is due out on October 27, 2009.