An Amazon Adventure Story

I read State of Wonder by Ann Patchett this summer. I found it a great book that would be very interesting for discussion. Two research doctors are researching statins for control of cholesterol at a lab in Minnesota. One is sent to the Amazon to check up on the research of their colleague and primary research partner, Dr. Annick Swenson. When Marina Singh receives word that her partner, Anders Eckman, has died in the Amazon, her boss sends her to find out the details. The elusive primary research partner, Dr. Annick Swenson has been keeping a low profile and basically keeping the whole research team in the dark. Marina is ill equipped to deal with the strange world of Dr. Swenson and the way she runs her team. Frustrated and grief stricken she tries her best to find out the true story. Fascinating and full of details, we travel along with Marina and discover the mysteries of the Amazon. An adventure story of the first rate, I would recommend this to the reader who likes lots of detail in his books, especially of the scientific kind. Check the review by New York Times for more detail.

Cutting for Stone

I have been on vacation and have been reading the September book for the book discussion group and already I am so glad that it was recommended and that we chose it. Next Monday, the 29th at 7 pm we will be discussing the book, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I have written about that book earlier in my blog. I found it pure enjoyment. The humor was very British, and I believe that the author was poking fun at the British culture that is or always has been prejudice against the foreigners that live in Britain. It has been a long culture of discrimination, from the Jews back in the 1500's or earlier when the empire threw out all the Jews, and then when the immigrants from the Empire were coming into England, people were uppity. I don't know the whole picture as I haven't lived there, but I have watched enough British comedy that I have picked up on the prejudice. Think of South Africa, that was the worst, but it was the British and Germans who set the stage. This book is not a serious commendation on British prejudice. But it is a human book, and the reaction of the town people to the shop owners usually exposes the class distinction, but when the shop owner is Pakistani, there is the double prejudice, irregardless if people are born in this country or not. Is this that different in America? Do we believe that we are above personal prejudice? Come for an interesting discussion. The books are available at the front desk. Next month's book Cutting for Stone will be available after next Monday. It has everything in it. A saga of the birth of twin brothers in Ethiopia, orphaned at birth by an Indian mother who dies in childbirth with an unknown or abandoned disappearing father. They are raised by two Indian surgeons in Mission Hospital, run by the Matron and priest. The author, Abraham Verghese, is a surgeon with an Indian background. He lives in California and has written My Own Country and The Tennis Player. He is a gifted author Abraham Verghese's first novel, Cutting for Stone, remains #1 on the Independent Booksellers' paperback fiction bestseller list

Summer Reading Raffle

Titles include:




Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Cowboys and Aliens by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

The Griff by Christopher Moore

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

The Legacy by Katherine Webb

The Sixes by Kate White



I am on vacation for a couple of day to read.

After Harry Potter

I have to admit I haven't seen the Harry Potter movies, although I have been told they are fun. I read the first four Harry Potter novels while attending graduate school, and I have to admit to listening to Jim Dale and his fantastic job of storytelling. Hey, I was going to graduate school, when did I have time to read for fun except in the car driving back and forth to Cincinnati and Columbus. Harry Potter kept me company. And I always like the point of the story where I was hooked and the drama picked up and I couldn't wait for the next part of the story. I read Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett in grade school, so as I child I can remember the fun witch story about a little girl whose mother turned her friends into flowers in pots. Children Like magic and imagination. I came across this article on NPR and just had to share it. What comes next for the Harry Potter readers who are ready for more grown up books? Check out the recommendations of Intern Annie Ropeik. 
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Secret history by Donna Tartt

Tracy Chevalier

Remarkable Creatures is the latest book by Tracy Chevalier. Known for her historial fiction, with good characterization, she takes the story of two women at the beginning of the 19th century and weaves their story together in believable sequences. Mary Anning was a resident of Lyme Regis, a costal town on the shore of the English Channel in West Dorset, England. Her special gift was her abilty to invision the hidden parts of fossils on the costal cliffs. She is known for her discovery of the first complete pterodactyl in Great Britian. The name is now changed to a pterosaur. She was a villager, with a poor background, and her family would collect the "curies", a name given to the fossils which stood for curiosities as people then called them. The story is about her friendship with Elizabeth Philpot, a collector of fossils, a woman of a grander education and also a few years her senior. Both women lived in the Lyme Regis area, but this book is a work of fiction. Our Adult Book Discussion group at the the Tipp City Library will be diiscussing this book on Monday, June 27 at 7 pm. Feel free to join the discussion if you have read the book.  Lyme Regis today

Germany Under Hitler

Erik Larson is a great storyteller. His novel, The Devil in the White City tells an interesting tale of murder during the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. Not only are we treated to a detective story, but also a history lesson in what Chicago did to create their vision of a “White City” for the World’s Fair, trying hard to one-up the Eiffel Tower of the World’s Fair in Paris, 1889. His latest book, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin takes the reader into the home of the American Ambassador called to Berlin by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Professor William E. Dodd. Dodd took his role seriously; he really believed he could influence the Germans away from their own destiny. He brought to Berlin his wife, daughter and son. Much of the story tells of the escapades of his daughter, Martha, a soon to be divorcée, who charmed many of the men she met in Berlin, including a Russian diplomat, Boris Winogradov. Naïve Martha didn’t curb her own eccentric tastes when she spent the years in Berlin bringing all sorts of interesting types to the home of the ambassador. At one point she was almost recruited to spy for Russia through her association with Boris. Dodd was ineffectual at collecting debts from the Germans, or curbing their interest in eliminating the Jews. He tried to influence the Germans when their police made attacks on Americans for not giving the Heil Hitler salute, but even that was difficult. He was eventually called back to America by December 1937, after Roosevelt was pressured to replace him. An interesting chapter in American history of a man with principles, willing to see Germany for the real threat that she was to world peace.

Ape House by Sara Gruen

The Ape House by Sara Gruen surprised me with information about animals kept in captivity for various human purposes. Bonobos in the story are kept in an enclosed but, freedom-enriching environment that is being used to study the effects of language between humans and the apes. Sign language has been taught to great apes since 1977, beginning with the famous gorilla, Koko. Similar to using sign language with human infants, the sign language helps to lessen stress as the animals can communicate their needs with their captors. Computers are instrumental helping the communication with the bonobos in the language lab. The writer, Sara Gruen, spent time with the real life language competent bonobos at the Great Ape Trust, earning her way in by studying linguistics. Sara was able to represent them accurately for her novel by studying the apes and interacting with them. This novel weaves reality and fiction, creating a suspenseful tale with strong characters and a compelling storyline.   

The Big Burn

Timothy Egan won the National Book Award for The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl written in 2005. His nonfiction narratives are interesting and they bring the history of our American heritage up front and close. Egan's 2009 nonfiction story, The Big Burn,  is about how Gifford Pinchot was first appointed 'confidential forest agent; a spy with a green eye' by President McKinley. Originally, just prior to leaving office, President Cleveland had used an act passed 1891 to put aside over  twenty-one million acres of forest reserves on February 22, 1897. However, President McKinley suspended Cleveland's order, and it was not until Teddy Roosevelt became President, after McKinley was assassinated, that Pinchot was given the power to create the Forest Service and hire forest rangers to man the National Parks. Initially, Congress gave little support, but it was the largest forest fire in American history that hit the Bitterroots Mountains of Montana and Idaho in 1910, that  created the need for an actual working Forest Service. Read this story to understand the personalities of the men and women who were active players, in this precious time in American History, in creating the National Parks. It is these parks that many Americans now take for granted, with some even proposing that they be converted back to private ownership. This story made me realize the frustrating work and the resolve required of these early forest rangers to make their dreams come true. This is a fascinating story, told well by a great writer of Natural History, that mixes the human interest story with the natural setting.   

Caleb's Crossing

Geraldine Brooks has done it again. She has created an imaginary character who lives in an authentic time, interacting with real people in a time that Brooks herself can only imagine. To do so, she must spend many hours of research to get the time and the characters just right. This time it is her own Martha Vineyard's area. She says in her introduction that she read about a Native American who attended Harvard and thought, probably 1960's, but is shocked to find out that this Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, a member of the Wôpanàak tribe of Noepe (Martha's Vineyard) graduated from Harvard in 1665. Her imaginary character is Bethia Mayfield, a minister's daughter, who grows up alongside Caleb. She finds in him the sympathetic brother and friend she did not have in her own brother, Makepeace Mayfield. She listens to her brother's lessons, learns to read and yearns for an education of her own. I cannot imagine the setting, the place of this young girl who is headstrong and intelligent, yet is being prepared to become the wife of a farmer and to be his helpmate. There are many twists in this story of early America, many of them based on true events. I found Geraldine Brooks' interpretation excellent and compelling.

Australian author, Geraldine Brooks won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 2006 for her novel, March. Other works of fiction include Year of Wonders and People of the Book.

And Furthermore by Judi Dench

This is a delightful book attesting to Judi Dench's passion for her work, her friends and her choice of careers. Starting in theater, she is an accomplished Shakespearian actor. She tells of her escapades with her actor friends and her various adventures through the years. The episode of the black glove struck me as her real passion for practical jokes and having fun all the while she is working. I had seen her in the TV series A Fine Romance and later found that the co-star was her husband, actor Michael Williams. Together they were great. Later I became an avid fan watching her with Geoffrey Palmer in As Time Goes By. At times a little ridiculous, but I had fun watching her act. I look for movies, just to see her. Last night I watched for the first time Casino Royale with Daniel Craig just to see her play the famous "M" of British intelligence. We all have our passions, and mine is movies along with reading. Pure escape. The audio version on CD was read by Samantha Bond, daughter of actor Philip Bond and Pat Sandys, whom Judi has known also. Samantha Bond is an actor in her own right, appearing as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan. I loved listening to her read, and actually felt it was Judi telling her own story as herself. So I'm easy to convince. The book is a who's who of British actors, many of them I have never heard of, plays I've never seen , but it's Judi's passion for life that rings true out of her memoir/biography.

To the left is a photo of Judi with her husband, Michael Williams, who passed away of cancer at home in 2001. To the right her famous co-star Geoffrey Palmer, a very serious actor in his own right, and very good looking in this younger picture of him. He appeared with her in the Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies and Mrs. Brown.

Kate Taylor writes on the Dreyfus Affair

A Man in Uniform by Kate Taylor, 2010
This is an interesting book about the famous Alfred Dreyfus affair in Paris, France in the later 19th century. Apparently, a Jewish officer in the French military has been accused of spying for the Germans. He is being held on Devil's Island, a prison. Rumors are that he has tried to escape, and now he is shackled and imprisoned inside a walled shed that gives him no view or light. The protagonist in our story is a bourgeois lawyer who is visited by a beautiful woman who claims to be a friend of the Dreyfus family. She fears that his family is not defending him properly, and she wants the  lawyer François Dubon to find the right spy and have her friend, Dreyfus released. Poor Dubon is in a dilemma, he is not a criminal lawyer, but he is unwilling to give up this case, he is very attracted to this woman. He has a wife and a son whom he loves, but also a mistress that he is entertained by every evening. Now his life is more complicated, and he becomes a spy himself, working his way into the counter intelligence office of the military, wearing his brother-in-law's uniform as a disguise. This historical fiction tale is quite interesting to read, there is some suspense as the lawyer is going between his office and the military unit where he is reviewing the files of the Dreyfus case, unbeknownst by his "superiors" who take him for a mere clerk doing his duty. Kate Taylor has woven a particularily clever novel, adding to the drama of the Dreyfus case, this lawyer, his wife, her miltary family and it's entitlements, and this beautiful mysterious woman who beguiles the lawyer Dubon. I usually want to read more history of famous cases, to understand the events, to place the events in the context of the times. I had Ruth Harris' book, Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion and the Scandal of the Century, 2010, on my to-be-read list and I could never get to it, so this was the next best thing. Read the fiction first, then tackle the accurate account, like see the movie first, then read the book, that's the way I like to do it.

Suzan Colón and Food Memoirs

Listening to Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl read by Bernadette Dunne is truly a treat. I fell in love with Ruth and wish she was cooking for me. She always makes everything sound like so much fun just to be around her. This is her third memoir, the first being Tender at the Bones and then the second Comfort Me with Apples. All are real treats. This latest is about her job at the New York Times as their new food editor. She comes from New York City originally, but has been in the Los Angeles area since college days. She decides to disguise herself from the restaurant staff as she previews the restaurants she will be writing on in her food column. She likes to compare the service she gets as an unknown with all the attention she gets as "The Food Critic". Her husband is so ready to move to New York, after the L.A. riots and all the bad news in California, wanting to change his news job with CBS into the Big Apple news team. And he gets his wish, encouraging Ruth along. I love to read about those amazing husbands who want their wives to work, thrive and succeed. At least that is the way Ms. Reichl tells her story. Like Julia Child in My Life in France and Julie Powell in Julie and Julia. The husbands are the heroes. It must be the romance in me. I loved this book, absolutely loved this book.

Then I followed it with another great food memoir, Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipes for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colón, also on audio, this time read by the author. Another New Yorker, Suzan has lost her great job in magazine publishing, and her 401K has hit rock bottom and it is hard to live on one salary. Luckily she is married and she has a Cobra medical insurance account. She looks back to her family for the inspiration for the book, and gets it perfect. All New Yorkers, all struggling, it's her Nana that is the hero in this book. She has saved her recipes from the depression and Suzan reads over the recipes and her diary entries and her essays and discovers the resolve of Nana to survive and to thrive. I think the opening line is about making soup for the family when times are hard. I think she likes cooking for her husband Nathan, and creating a warm home for him to come home to. Normally her schedule would have her getting home at eight, and who wants to cook then. It's a tender love story, of family, faith, and love, of course I want to share this with other people. Now, to get a copy for our library here. On the back of the book in the review, the writer said it is reminiscent of How to Cook a Wolf  by Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher. Now to get my hands on that.

Taylor Steven's debut novel

Taylor Steven’s first novel, thriller, The Informationist is being compared to Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. Steven’s protagonist, Vanessa Michael Monroe, has similar qualities that remind readers of Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander. Both are good at collecting information for their employers and also show signs of fearlessness as they have a “take no prisoners’ attitude when it comes to the enemy who threatens and carries out physical violence against them. Michael’s territory in this first novel is the western coast of Africa, when she had once lived with missionary parents. Her unusual upbringing brought her into contact with unsavory people, and her past surprises and haunts her in this thrilling adventure hunt for a millionarire’s daughter who disappeared four years ago. Locals don’t want Michael snooping around, and she doesn’t know who her real friends are. We are drawn into the thriller as she is equipped with another friend of the missing woman, only to lose him in the attack on her life. She ventures back into the deep Africa of her youth and finds an old friend who had lost touch with her, only he is deeply in love with her and remains frustrated my her own disappearance from many years ago. Deeper into the mystery we find ourselves, like Michael Vanessa, unsure of who means her harm.  Even after I was done reading I wasn't clear of the whole mystery, oil millionaire, missing daughter connection. I hope her next novel is able to offer more clarity. A face-paced novel that is getting a lot of attention right now, and I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Key West by Stella Cameron

Romance with a suspense thriller, Stella Cameron has written a fast paced novel that draws the reader into the sweltering atmosphere of Key West Florida as a hurricane approaches. The sense of drama is highlighted by the description of Key West as a city with two sides, the playground of the rich and famous, and the local color of a smaller town where people take care of their own. Sonnie Giacano returns months after the night a terrible accident has claimed her unborn child and her tennis-star husband is kidnapped. Trying to make sense of that night, she returns to her home and takes a local job as a barmaid, hoping to find the missing link to her memory loss. Unfortunately for her, she has unwelcome guests that arrive in town, her sister and the brother to her husband, and they don’t want her to find out. She is shy and beautiful in wounded body, and makes friends easily with the owners of the bar. They connect her with Chris Talon, a retired NYCP detective and he unwilling falls for her and wants to protect her from anyone who would want to harm her. Both hurt in the past, they are not willing to trust each other too easily and the drama is created when the reader is unsure who Sonnie will eventually trust and let into her life again. This is a good first book to introduce readers to Stella Cameron’s contemporary thrillers.



The Color of Water: a Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

Check out James McBride's biography of his mother, a white Jewish woman from Maryland who ran away from an abusive family to start an all black church in her own living room in Harlem. Because she didn't talk much of her own beginning, after her death, Mcbride goes in search of her truth and what made her the wonderful mother she was to twelve children. Teaching her children to be strong and educated, her legacy is remarkable. I am remined of a saying, be remembered not by what you have, but what you gave away. This is the next book for the Booklover's Book Discussion group at the Tipp City Library. Copies are available at the front desk if you want to participate in this discussion on April 25th at 7 p.m.. "James McBride is an award-winning writer and composer. His critically acclaimed memoir, The Color of Water, won the 1997 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Literary Excellence, was an ALA Notable Book of the Year, and spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list. Chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the 25 books of 1996 to remember, The Color of Water has sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States alone and is now required reading at numerous colleges and high schools across the country. It has also been published in 16 languages and more than 20 countries. McBride's new book, Miracle at St. Anna, was one of 2002's most anticipated releases and marks the author's debut as a novelist." http://www.rockbottomremainders.com/pages/bios/james.html

James McBride is a talented man, as composer and musician and writer, he shares his talents with the world. I was also interested to find that he studied composition at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and then received his Master's degree in Journalism at Columbia in New York at the age of 22.

Deanna Raybourn writes a Romantic Mystery

Silent in the Grave  by Deanna Raybourne was a long book, but it was well-written and kept me engaged. Lady Julia Grey is investigating the death of her husband, although the local doctor dismissed it as a natural death due to his poor heart condition. She gets more involved with the seedier side of London in the Victorian age, dressed in her widow weeds and rich enough to dismiss the rumors about her and her acquaintances. She meets Nicholas Brisbane on the night her husband dies, but he remains a mystery to her, private and sometimes volatile. Her attraction is understandable, but what is she to do about it since he remains aloof. This the the first of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries and is a good introduction. Deanna Raybourn is from Texas, graduated with a degree in English literature with a specialty in Shakespeare. "Silent in the Grave" won the 2008 RITA for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. I like the cover on the hardback book more than on the paperback book which emphasizes the romance

Alan Furst and Spies of World Ward II

Alan Furst is the official expert of the World War II spy novels that are being written currently. While he spent a long time living in Paris writing for The International Herald Tribune, he honed his expertise by traveling around Europe and getting the terrain accurate. Most of his novels contain the average male worker who becomes involved with espionage only as the force of evil makes it apparent he must. This hero is usually independent and courageous. In Spies of the Balkans, it is Constantine "Costa" Zannis, of the police force in Greece. Greece is facing the inevitable invasion of the German forces and he has clearly decided whose side he is on, and he will do anything to protect the innocent and the ones he loves. He meets a beautiful Jewish woman from Germany who recruits him to help her smuggle German Jews out through the Balkans and on to Turkey. The British spies know everything and soon they want, no demand, his help also. His work takes him to Paris where he once lived with his family. Danger lurks at every turn and he is forced to rely on ancient friends and family. The book is a fast paced thriller with romance and intrigue to spice it up. I am a long time fan of Alan Furst and I never tire of his novels. All are stand alone stories, similar in the style of Eric Ambler who wrote spy novels starting in the years prior to World War II, writing from 1937-1963.

A Beautiful Blue Death: A Mystery by Charles Finch
Set in Victorian London, Charles Lenox, a gentleman, has become involved
with a local murder of a servant girl at the request of his neighbor and
former employer of the girl, Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane grew up with
Charles Lenox, and she is now widowed. They are close friends often having
their afternoon tea together for a chat. Atmospheric, good descriptions of
a bitterly cold winter in 1865, with small snips of fireside entertainment
and typical meals served. Slowly paced, well-described characters who all
make up for a good old-fashioned mystery that can be read on a chilly day
under a downy quilt.
I noticed some similarities to the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, but there is enough new characteristics that make the series unique. Yes, Charles' brother does hold an important role in politics, but not the political intrigue found in Doyle's books. The humor comes into the novel when his brother likes dressing the part of an up-to-no-good street man, trying to keep a watch on the traffic of characters going in and out of the large manor house where the murder occurred. His brother helps Charles, and gets his taste whet for sleuthing. I am looking forward to the next in the series, The September Society, with a glimpse of student life at Oxford.

First Family

Our book discussion group has been reading "First Family: Abigail and John" by Joseph J. Ellis. Ellis uses the correspondence between John Adams and his wife Abigail to tell their story of American Revolution and its affects on their family. One statistic that stood out to me was that they were more apart during their marriage than they were together, and not because they were uninterested in each other, but because he was devoted to his role in the revolution, and would sacrifice anything to making The United States of America survive, even though it wasn't called that yet. He sacrificed his own personal happiness, the security of his wife, and the emotional stability of his children. We are unable to imagine his conflicts today, and yes, he was an ambitious man, but he knew what was at stake. His moves in the political arena were unselfish, and courageous. This book made me more interested in John Adams and has made me curious to read an entire book of his correspondence.  

A Bitch in a Bonnet

Well, if you haven't had enough Jane Austen I was told to check out this blog by author Robert Rodi. A tongue-in-cheek chapter by chapter of the novels with new insights. Very funny. I am going to check this out and get back with you on it. Look over the link in the title to the blog and also to the author's personal website. It is amazing what writer's can do, that is what I am in awe of. I get totally involved with the writer's style, his sense of wording, all the unique writing that I come across, just when you think it can't get any better, it does. I like to read the New York Times just for that reason, some of the best authors, just how their minds work. If I read something more than once, which I do a lot it is because I am so impressed by the way its been written. I finished Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, and I have the audio book being read by Julie Retsina and now I am listening to it all over again after I read the book. There are 15 discs, so it is read slowly so it can be fully taken in. I do like to read books over again and savor the words, the thoughts and the actions of the characters. I wanted to read this book most because of all the awards the book was given. I have her next book on my to-be-read pile, The Man of My Dreams. I am expecting Ms. Sittenfeld to write about a more mature woman, early twenties as she searches for love. Although Prep's main character, Lee Fiona, seemed not to mature in her four years of high school, I thought the introspective, highly personal voice to be true to life for a girl from Indiana finding her way to the stage of a prep school in Massachusetts, with much more mature students, coming from lives with greater privileges and more world travel. I will see how I like her next novel. The film rights to the first novel have been sold, so I wonder when that will ever happen. Hopefully not too far in the future.

First Family by Joseph J. Ellis

For the next Booklover's Discussion at the Tipp City Library we will be discussing Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph J. Ellis' historical account of the lives of John and Abigail Adams based on the many letters that were saved from their correspondence. We learn from this book that theirs was a true partnership. Abigail Adams supported her husband through her letters of love and advice through the perilous Revolutionary times that the early American had to endure. They were separated for many years and as it was the custom of the day to keep in touch with letters, they certainly used this medium to have frequent contact with each other. I always remember the line attributed to Abigail Adams to her husband during the writing of the Constitution, "Remember the ladies," or at least that is the paraphrase I remember. She was a homemaker, but also a thinking, intelligent woman who carried her role in her husband's life with dignity and respect. I am looking forward to this examination of their life and their influence upon the fledgling county. Book discussion date is Monday, February 28th at 7 p.m. Pick up a copy of this book at the front desk if you would like to join the discussion.

Review of Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

Curtis Sittenfeld has written a pager-turner about the four years of prep school in Massachusetts for Lee Fiona, a ninth grader from South Bend, Indiana. Coming into the boarding school scene, Lee is totally unprepared for the casual, unassuming wealth of the typical students at Ault, as she has been accepted on a scholarship and feels more awkward than her fellow peers, or so she thinks. She is very introspective, fixating on a particular boy for four years based on a random meeting off campus in her freshman year. This is understandable, he is one of the most popular boys, and he had paid attention to her for that one whole day. But would he realize she was interesting, and would she realize that she needed to take action to begin a real relationship? She meets a girl through a friend, and this new friendship "clicks" for her. For three years Lee and her new best friend, Martha Porter, room together, with Martha giving Lee the moral support that she needs. Lee learns about the students at Ault, she is shown to be compassionate with her friends; teaching Conchita how to ride a bike, working together with her younger student math tutor, and trying to show Sin-Jun that people do really care for her. Lee's impatience with her parents is understandable, too, what child isn't embarrassed by their parents at age sixteen, but given that the year and the drive to the school have been a great sacrifice on Lee's behalf, her parents are not willing to forgive her immaturity, at least not her father. I grow to love or at least care for this young girl, Lee, and like to think back on what high school was for me, especially that part that made me think it was my whole world and life wouldn't be better than high school, and how scared I was of the next step, but those next four years were truly greater, even with all the angst. I think reading this book helps me to see how hard decisions and relationships can be for young people, and shy students can learn a little about life from stories, "I feel that way , too, sometimes." The talk with Cross Sugarman in the basketball court had some very truthful statements, and it is good to read them, "That I bet things would be easier for you if you either realized you're not that weird, or decided that being weird isn't bad." This book also reminded me of another favorite of mine, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, 1959, about a prep school for boys in New Hampshire during the years of World War II.  

A First Mystery in a New Series by Christopher Fowler

Christopher Fowler is an accomplished author, sarting in 1984 with his collection of short stories, The Collection of Lost Souls. Even though this new book written as the first in a series, that first title of Fowler's could also work for his new first in the A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery with the characters, Arthur Bryant and John May, the first detectives who started the Peculiar Crimes Unit during the World War II years. There are many unique characters in the novel, Full Dark House. We immediately meet John May in the present London, as there has been a terrorist attack on the Peculiar Crimes Unit, and Arthur Bryant is found dead at the scene. John May decides it must be tied in with their first case, at the London Theatre where a series of murders took place during the London Blitz. We are taken back in time and retrace the steps of these two detectives who are just learning how to work together. The play and the theatre contain the actors, the producer, the dancers, the stage hands and all the people who could be tied up with the Palace. It does become confusing, but I was drawn into the story by the historical details. This first of the series was awarded the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel . With the success of this first in the series, Fowler has been continuing the series since 2003, his latest is the 2010 release of Bryant & May off the Rails: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery. .

Help for the bewildered parent

It is that time of year when parents come in for help with the choosing of books for their children, and the Accelerating Reading Quiz program that children have to work through to expand their reading. Showing them the website that is listed on the Tipp City Library website under the online resources is one place to start. Accelerating Reader Information This website give parents the names of books that are on the quiz list, the reading level points and the point value of the book. But where do parents go to help find great books that can engage their child in the love of reading. For a start check out a book by teacher and school librarian Esme Raji Codell of Chicago. Her enthusiasm for books and children's literature in particular will help the parent find titles to really engage her child, with extra ideas to make this joy a family affair. During these winter months, get in the habit of sharing books with your children. Find out what your child likes to read and then go to the accelerator list to see if that look is on the quiz list. How to Get Your Child to Love Reading

Revisiting a book from our Book Discussion Group

Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell was one of my favorite books that we read for discussion. It had it all: well-researched topic, a visit to the area in question by the author, unknown historical events and facts. Starting with the escape of the resistance over the mountains into the neutral, or now Allied Italian area of the war, we meet various characters thrown together in this wild escape. It is a survival story of the utmost. Where can anyone be safe in these mountains, and who can they trust? We meet all kinds of Italian resistors, from the country priest, to the peasant farmer, and who is willing to help hide the Jews. It  certainly makes one question his or her own faith and stamina to resist the enemy. I like to think that this historical fiction is based on some real life heroes. as close as fiction can write them. As there were many people who turned the other way when help was called for, let us not forget the brave souls who put their own lives on the line to give others a chance to live. Russell's other work of historical fiction, Dreamers of the Day is just as good and also give us a first hand look at history in 1918, this time only it is the Middle East and Cairo as the main city of the story. After you enjoy that part of the world in 1918, enjoy O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King, an interesting side trip of her famous character, Mary Russell with her mentor Sherlock Holmes that was started in the first of the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. 

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Booklovers Discussion group at the Tipp City Library is reading the award- winning book, Prep, by first time novelist Curtis Sittenfeld. Picked by Amazon.com Editor's Choice as one of the top ten books of 2005 in  Literature & Fiction, Prep is the story of a girls and boys boarding school located in Massachusetts. New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age announced that Prep was the award winner for 2006. Go to http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/books/review/16SCHAPPE.html to read one of the many reviews of this book. I also like to include a list to other various reviews http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/prep/.

Christmas at the Old Bailey

I enjoyed a little book the other day, A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer, who passed away in January 2009. Five short stories all based on a different way to spend Christmas. Living in London and wanting a change of scenery is usually what She who Must Be Obeyed is looking for in a holiday. One story that stands out is when they decide to spend the holidays at a health spa, poor Rumpole has to lose some weight. The defending barrister decides to do some of his own sleuthing and solve the murder of the hostess. You will find a sympathetic character in Rumpole, fighting for justice and for a soft touch, especially on the young. An easy read, and a comfortable one for the holidays.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

When I started this book, the first chapter made me think twice about continuing with this "over-the-top" entertainer/writer. Is she just going to dribble on about the same old disgusting habits that make her famous, and do I want to really spend my time reading this junk, but then as I sloughed through another chapter she caught me, and I stayed up all night reading this latest little book, laughing all the way. OMG! I haven't had the chance to see her on TV, but she really can write funny, and I am always looking for my next funny book. For the same reason I like David Sedaris or Seinfeld, I do enjoy finding the funny in things, and I admire the people who can do it, even if it is crass and embarrassing.

Great Movies

I just watched two great movies back-to-back, mostly because I was home by myself this past weekend. The first, Young Victoria, is on DVD and available from our library system. The actors, Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend, play Queen Victoria and her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha so well. It is a beautiful film in exquisite accuracy to detail. One of the producers is Sarah Ferguson, and she is on the DVD featurettes explaining more about the Queen. After the film I reached up to find my copy of Queen Victoria: a Personal History by Christopher Hibbert, a gift from my brother, with more interest. I would like to dedicate a month of serious study of this fascinating woman.
The other great film is Bright Star with the actors Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. This is the story of John Keats, one of the famous English Romantic poets, and his muse, Fanny Brawne. He meets her when he is only 23 and she is 18. They fall in love, but he is penniless and unable to marry. The scene beings in 1818, when  Fanny and her family make the acquaintance of John Keats. She is frivolous, interested in dancing and fashion; he is the serious philosopher, tending to his dying brother. He lends her books, and tries to teach her about poetry, as she confesses she is unequipped to evaluate. He begins to write love poems and letters to her. Through the two years they are to know each other, his grief over his brother's death is assuaged by her attention and devotion. Like many Jane Austen film's, the story is between the few people they know, in a small English town, and their real depths of discussion take place in the English country side, or by the fire in each other's homes. I would recommend this for aficionados of the Jane Austen films. This is one of the best of this genre. These letters were unknown until after Fanny Brawne's death at the age of 65. The director of this rich film was Jane Campion, and I was astonished by the beauty and the acting. Released in 2009, the DVD came out in 2010. I believe it was Andrew Motion's biography of Keats, 1987, that Jane Campion alluded to in the featurette at the end of the film.

Mistress Shakespeare

Karen Harper has written a first person account of Anne Whateley, lover of William Shakespeare, as historical fiction. Visit their collaboration in his world of theater and share in the passion the two of them had for each other and their work. Tipp City's Booklovers discussion group is Monday, November 22nd. at 7 pm. of this wonderful novel.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen first wowed his audience with the novel, The Corrections back in 2001. Oprah picked it for her book group, but Franzen was afraid that men wouldn't read it if it was labeled on the cover as an "Oprah" book. Well, it went on the best-seller list, and this new one was named by Oprah again. This new book, Freedom, had been heralded as a work by a literary genius. I did find it interesting, but more important, I didn't like any of the characters. His characterizations were well done, his expressions well-written and original, and his study of American culture was spot-on. Maybe I just don't read enough by men authors, maybe I didn't relate to his political agenda, maybe I missed the point, but I wouldn't rate this as A that reviews gave him. Maybe compared to the bestseller style, Franzen's is more genius than most, but I probably am not impressed enough. Picking up some of the words from the back cover reviews: "satirical, brutal, merciless," true enough. The book paints a pretty depressing view of a couple who fall in love and create a family in American in the 30 years this book takes place. In regarding the beginning of the Berglund marriage, the autobiographer says, "He may not have been exactly what she wanted in a man, but he was unsurpassable in providing the rabid fandom which, at the time, she needed even more than romance." And the rest of the book goes on to explain what happens to a marriage when one partner is more in love than the other. I am sure there will be mixed feelings about this book.

The Good Good Pig

I read this book to a group of seniors. Christopher Hogwood was not only a good pig, but a very lucky pig. He was born the runt of a litter, rescued by Sy Montgomery, vegetarian and animal lover, and her husband, a Jewish writer who did not eat pork. He becomes famous in his rural town in New Hampshire as he learns to maneuver the gates and escape to the road. His home is so warm and inviting, but there are greener pastures and bigger gardens to explore. Soon he is enjoying spa treatment from the neighbor children, delicious slops from the gourmet restaurants, and photography sessions with the media outlets. Read this and find out what makes Christopher so good, and so good for Sy Montgomery.

Daphne by Justine Picardie

I just finished this interesting book by the British author, Justine Picardie. Any bibliophile who loved reading Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca would find this an interesting read. Mapping out how I even found this novel shows me that even using the computer can incorporate the serendipitous discovery of gold among the dross. Looking for movies about Daphne du Maurier in the library catalog, I found one simply called Daphne, and that put me on the quest to find the book. This book is not the book in the film but some of the same events are alluded to. The author is imagining Daphne in 1950 as she tried to write her biography of Branwell Brontë, Charlotte and Emily's young brother. Ms. du Maurier is in contact with a former librarian who has access to some of the Brontë manuscripts. Letters between them have survived and make interesting reading. Superimposed on these two lives is the researcher in modern day with a obsessive fascination with Daphne du Maurier as she imagines her thesis and how to conduct the research. The author points out in the acknowledgements, "Like the contemporary narrator of my novel, I became utterly possessed by the story, and obsessed by the paper trail of Bronte manuscripts and what passed between Daphne du Maurier and John Alexander Symington; like her, I burrowed through the catacombs of library archives and second-hand bookshops to discover lost or forgotten letters..." This was an enjoyable, but disturbing novel, as we learn of some of Daphne du Marier's own demons. We also become acquainted with the tie between James Barrie and the du Maurier family. After reading this novel I am interested in her latest, Coco Chanel: the Legend and the Life, 2010.

Carring for the world, one school at a time

September's Booklover's Book Discussion group at the Tipp City Library discussed Three Cups of Tea. This book has been on the bestseller list for what, 3 years now? "CARE, a humanitarian organization, operates 300 schools in Afghanistan, and not one has been burned by the Taliban." Greg Mortenson, of “Three Cups of Tea” fame, has overseen the building of 145 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan and operates dozens more in tents or rented buildings — and he says that not one has been destroyed by the Taliban either.

Wednesday Sisters

Wednesday Sisters is the book for discussion in October for the Booklover's group. Next meeting is October 25 at 7 p.m. at the Tipp City Library. I would like to have some books at the meeting for preview of next year's list. Sign up for the Booklover's booklist on the library website to see the next year's ballot for the group.

Homeland Security Tale

     Dave Eggers has written a powerful book about Katrina and New Orleans and the mess that can happen when all hell breaks lose. Dave Eggers, the writer of "A Heartbreaking Book of Staggering Genius" hears the tale of a Muslim man who was detained at the Hunt Correctional Center by the FEMA forces and decides to follow up with his whole story in the book, Zeitoun.
     Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian American citizen, is a painting contractor in New Orleans who own various properties that he rents. Staying behind after the hurricane hit, he is able to navigate the streets in his canoe, looking for people and dogs in distress. He and his friends draw the suspicion of FEMA authorities looking for terrorists and eventually they all end up in Camp Greyhound without a phone call or legal counsel. A sad look at what fear can drive authorities in this country to do when disaster strikes.
     The Zeitoun Foundation was created in 2009 with the funds coming from the sale of this book by Dave Eggers. This book has won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for nonfiction. I was astounded by the story and humbled by the man's goodness. I hope it is read by many.

BookBrowse added to Tipp Library's databases

Tipp City Library has added BookBrowse to their subscriptions and I am trying to see what BookBrowse has to offer readers. Check out the readalike offerings at the end of a book summary and review. I was introduced to Jonathan Tropper this past winter, and found his book, This is Where I Leave You, delightful. After immersing myself in dark novels, I need a little lighter fare. From the BookBrowse feature on Tropper's novel I find a list of readalikes at the end:
Read-Alikes:


A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Ask by Sam Lipsyte
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

Interesting, now I have to read The Lonely Polygamist, I think Julie has made this the Tipp City read all my herself, she has recommended it to everyone. Now she has asked for my opinion. Since I am reading Freedom by Jonathan Frazen right now it might take a while to get to it. I like David Sedaris, but I like his performances the best. I caught a small introduction to Alexander McCall Smith's latest, Corduroy Mansions and found myself laughing out loud so I do want to get back to that when I can. Tell me what you like about BookBrowse.

Listening to Others

I love to get a good book  recommendation from a reader. Today's recommendation: You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon. The patron told me that he read it after he had read the new book by Frazen, Freedom, which is getting all the great reviews, and he said it is much better. I love to hear "the word on the street" if you will.

Sweetness in the Bottom of the Pie

Listed as a cozy title by Library Journal, I thought I'd post my reflection of the book. The main character is an eleven year girl, Flavia de Luce, worried about her father's innocence as he is taken off to jail. She becomes a sleuth extraordinarily precocious, fearless as she treks around the small English village trying to make sense out of disparate clues, like what does the town library know about her father's past? She goes to the library to look up old newspapers and the librarian sends her out into a boarded up place that holds old newspapers and a perfect trap. Our Booklovers Discussion group all loved this novel.

Cozy recommendations from Library Journal

I tried this once, to define cozy mystery . From the Library Journal the members of the Reading list have offered up this definition of cozies as an introduction to their list of the 22 Core Titles for libraries. "Cozies, frequently defined as mysteries where the violence occurs offstage, offer readers reliable pleasures. These books contain less violence, sex and gritty language than the norm, have an engaging tone (ranging from warm comfort to crabbily witty), and typically feature a sleuth who stumbles into his or her role--be that as a sideline to another job or as the presumptive village busy body."
From this list the Tipp City Library has copies of The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Witting Albert,  Burglars Can't be Choosers by Lawrence Black, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun, A Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie, Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, The Cold Light of Mourning by Elizabeth Duncan, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, and The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom. It looks like I have a nice little list to order from, as I know there are a lot of people who read mysteries. It seems like the fall is a good time to sit back with a nice cup of tea, a cozy sweater or afghan, and lose yourself in a mystery, preferably one that is not too scary.

Dayton Peace Prize

Today I found out that the Dayton Peace Prize 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award is being awarded to Geraldine Brooks. The Dayton Peace Prize in the "first and only U.S. literary award recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace." Geraldine Brooks is an Australian-born author who began her career as a journalist which took her to the Balkans during the war, and later into the Middle East. Her writing includes journalism, nonfiction and most recently, literary novels. She won the Pulitzer for her novel, The People of the Book. She and her husband, writer Tony Horowitz, live in Martha's Vineyard and Sidney, Australia with their two sons. I am so glad that her word is being recognized by this great group in Dayton. 

Agatha Christie

I have been mulling over my affection for Agatha Christie and her books. Years ago my mother shared her copy of Agatha Christie: an Autobiography with me and I devoured it. Mom said she had reread it every couple of years, and even bought her own copy of The Imitation of Christ to read. I was at my mother's house this weekend to see if I wanted any of my Mother's books, and I chose the autobiography, and all the paperback copies of Agatha Christie mysteries that Mom collected over the years. This is something my Mother gave me, her love of books and her devotion to Agatha Christie. It bonded us. We watched the movies together. Christie's novels made me love everything English even more than I already did. Somehow Mom knew me like no one ever did, "the girl who loved to read books." She predicted a career in English, which I abandoned, but slowly came back to after I hit 40. She shared a little of this with me in her later years, and I will always treasure her copy of the autobiography of Agatha Christie.

Caroline Graham

The Killings at Badger's Drift is the first novel by Caroline Graham in the Inspector Barnaby Mysteries. The plot is reminiscent of Agatha Christie, an elderly spinster sees something disturbing in the woods while searching for a wild orchid. Because she leaves the telltale sign, a ribbon on a pole by the flower, her close friend is sure she would have called her to gloat over the sighting of the "first" bloom. Her friend alerts the police to foul play when her friend's body is found and heart attack is listed as the cause of death. Inspector Barnaby has to sort through the villagers to determine the killer. This novel also brings to mind mysteries by Ruth Rendell, whose mysteries are a little darker and psychological in nature.

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders is a British TV series that has been running since 1997, based on the novels of Caroline Graham. The series is available on DVD, of which I have seen about four seasons. I just noticed that John Nettles who plays the main character will be retiring at the end of the 2010 season. I thought I would read a couple of her novels in the Chief Inspector Barnaby series, and I just finished the last one that she wrote in 2004, A Ghost in the Machine. Tom Barnaby is a CID, Chief Inspector Detective, in the town of Causton. His office is responsible for investigating the murders in the surrounding country villages. This story takes place in Forbes Abbot, a small village where Mallory and his wife have moved since the death of his aunt. Many of Caroline Graham stories have a good introduction to the characters and the setting which gives it a sense of cosy mystery that is characteristic of Agatha Christie's mysteries. I would place it in the police procedural, with the police involvement about one fifth of the way into the story. I thought the book was well written, with a good plot. Plenty of mystery and suspense kept the action going.

Amish Grace

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Doug Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zarcher is a book that was valuable to read for me. As a woman of faith who questions everything, it helped me to understand the Amish better, and to appreciate their faith walk. The authors were trying to impress upon the readers that it wasn't surprising that the community of Amish believers would forgive the man who murders their children, and that they even would go to his wife and family and forgive them also, meaning they would not hold a grudge against his family. The Amish community also reached out to this English (non-Amish) family in their time of need, financially and emotionally. This forgiveness offered so quickly was because this act of forgiving is a part of their everyday world, working on forgiving each other. One unique tradition of the Amish is to hold a meeting of members twice a year to iron out their grievances and to work on forgiving the members. The Amish know that it is unhealthy to hold grudges, and one other observance they honor is to refuse to take anyone to court. Although they do believe in letting the police and courts to carry out punishment for crimes, it is the duty of a community to forgive others if they are to expect forgiveness from God. The authors pointed out that it is not easy for the Amish to forgive, but something they believe in. This was an excellent book, easily read, and full of wisdom.

Big Read Dayton

It is that time again to vote for the Big Read Dayton Ohio for 2011. I have read two of the three. My recommendation for Still Alice is as follows:


I have read Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Although this is a book on
Alzheimer's, it is specifically early onset Alzheimer's, in a women who is
still working. I thought the book was excellent, and it addresses the
dilemma that many families are facing. We have not done a book like this.
It is very readable, a good choice to introduce Alzheimer's to the younger
crowd. I especially liked getting into the thoughts of the protagonist and
her fears and problem solving. The reactions of the different family
members was also very realistic. It is a difficult topic, but a timely
one. It is available in Large Print, paperback, and audio book on CD.
From her website:
http://www.lisagenova.com/
There is a list of awards for the book. The author is also listed as an
actress and speaker.
# 6 Top book group favorite of 2009 by Reading Group Choices
I think it is worth considering.

My recommendation for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is as follows:
 
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The Author, Rebecca Skloot, took ten years to research her book, and her compassion and personal attachment to the family really made the book more interesting. I also posted my review this year.

Eat This Book

Erica Bauermeister has written a slow, mouth watering novel about a cooking school in California. Hidden in the back of Lillian's restaurant, a group of strangers learn about Lillian's philosophy of cooking. Beautifully written, with richly drawn characters, it is a slow-paced novel for the foodie. We learn about each participant, but to be honest, not much plot. Delicious for a hot summer evening on the porch. I hope to see more from this author, as this is her debut.

Read-a-Likes for Little Heathens

In preparing a list of read-a-likes, I have included books that are either about the Great Depression, or about rural families.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: a Memoirby Bill Bryson, the story of his childhood in the fifties, with all the humor and candid observations that have made him a popular author, a feel-good book
This Heavy Silence by Nicole Mazzarella, a slice of farm life in Ohio in the 60's
Starting Over by Robin Pilcher, farm life in Scotland, with familiar realtionships going under changes
The White Earth by Andrew McGahan, a serious study of Austrailia, especially of the farm tragedy that haunts the storyteller from his early years
Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles, a story of the Great Depression in Central Texas through the eyes of four women
A Student of Weather by Elizabeth Hay, farm life in Saskatchewan during the 30's, jealousy between two sisters, a first novel for this Canadian author
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, life in the circus in post-depression America, well-researched and fully engaging
The Painted House by John Grisham, a hard look at rural Arkansas in the 50's proves that Grisham's talent goes beyond the courthouse scene
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, gives us the inside story of one faily's attempt to eat only locally grown food all year long

April in Paris by Michael Wallner

Michael Wallner is a screen writer and a first time novelist from Germany. I especially enjoyed his afterword at the end of the book as he explains how he came to write this novel. While hiking along the cliffs on the Normandy coast the author comes across the remains of an old German bunker. He starts to imagine what a young German soldier would be thinking if he were a foreigner in a strange land. As I read the novel I am reminded at how infatuated this young man Roth is in everything French. He has learned to speak fluent French without a German accent and he enjoys his abilities to be taken as a Frenchman. This role that he has been assigned, the German who is hated on the streets of the one place he has always wanted to visit, joined with the temptation to disappear into the crowd and pass himself off as a native, is too much for him. Because he is young and naive he is unaware of the full danger he has exposed himself to. Because the novel takes place toward the end of the war, this is an unrealistic premise. He should have been more aware of the unrelenting brutality of the German soldiers against the traitors. Another good read about World War II.

I am reading a very fascinating book about World War II by Mary Lee Settle. Mary Lee Settle was an American author from West Virginia who won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, O Beulah Land in 1956. This book, All the Brave Promises: The Memories of Aircraft Woman 2nd Class 2146391 (1966), is the story of a young American girl who is living in New York and she meets up with young British women who convince her to join the war effort before America declares war. She joins the war in England, as an aircraft woman 2nd class, in the country side of England with anti-air attack radar devices. For a person like me who is infatuated with World War II, it was an excellent book. It allows me to live vicariously the dangerous and interesting life of the British women in 1940's. Women were conscripted for war work, either in factories or behind the scenes in the military. It was difficult to live in crowded quarters with very little freedom. I had heard of the Land Girls, women who were recruited for farm work to keep the British from starving during the war, but I had not known that this was not a volunteer effort by the women. Everyone was needed to win the war, and Ms. Settle does a good job in relating how she endured the war in Britiain as an American citizen. Her experience of the crossing of the Atlantic in a convoy was harrowing.

Southern Cross by Jim DeBrosse

I wanted to read one of Jim DeBrosse's fiction books after I heard such great things about his writing. He is a writer for the Dayton Daily News, and maybe soon to retire. He is also the author of the book, The Secret in Building 26: the untold story of America's ultra war against the U-boat Enigma codes. The book I finished this summer was Southern Cross, a Rick Derek mystery, written in 1994. Rick Derek is a journalist going undercover on the boat, Southern Cross, in the Caribbean to investigate the diappearance of a young heir to the wealth of a Cincinnati family. He and his photographer get involved as more murders take place. Taut writing, with page-turning plot. Surprise ending. Well-written. I'm always up for a good mystery.

crazy summer

I have been reading, honestly, I just haven't been posting. I have been traveling, and when I get back to work, I am playing catch up. I slept for four days this weekend, and then one half day back to normal undid all my relaxation and I came home dog tired and didn't read anything.
The book for Booklover's Book Discussion is Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Donald B Kraybill et.all. That is coming up on August 23 at 7 p.m. I like the quote by Bill Moyers, Public Affairs Television, "A story our polarized country needs to hear: It is still grace that saves." I hope that we will have a lively discussion. The discussion questions are from the home page of the book. "All author royalties are going to Mennonite Central Committee for their ministries to children." The Fetzer Institute is noted on the home page of the book. "The Fetzer Institute advances love and forgiveness as powerful forces that can transform the human condition." The connection to the home page of the book is linked in the title of this blog page. I hope that you will have a chance to look over the discussion material before coming to the library for our meeting. Anyone is welcome, as we are always growing and changing in our group.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Grab this series this summer and read all three of the Millennium books by Steig Larrson, a Swede who died too soon. This book is on Lisbeth Salander's injury and arrest. Extremely limited as to what she can do from a hospital bed, she still manages to interrupt the investigation with her skills. As always, taut nail-biting thriller for the summer, that reads faster than you want. Check it out, at least put yourself on the list to reserve a copy.

Monday's Book Discussion

The book for June Booklovers Book Discussion at the Tipp City Library is Straight Man by Richard Russo. OMG it is funny, at least the first 1/4 of the book is. On my trip to the ALA Conference in Washington D.C. I had a plane delay and found to my delight that a last minute decision to include my copy of  Straight Man was a good one indeed. I kept putting my sticky note in to mark the pages of the quotes I wanted to remember. I even stopped to call a friend, because I thought she could relate to the information on marriages; it's so much better as we age and know what our spouse is going to say. Ah, the benefits of aging, finding one is a good sign. Anyway the book is about a tenured college professor and the relationships he has with his staff. Read it and LOL.

Tatania de Rosnay hits 1 million books sold in America

I read Sarah's Key in one sitting, riveted to my chair. It is a story I will never forget. Well written, I was easily drawn into the story of Sarah and her family in the summer of 1942, Paris. The Paris police arrive at their apartment early in the morning and tell them to come with the police. Sarah's young brother who is four, and too sleepy to cooperate, hides in a closet that the children have used for playing and hiding. Sarah thinks it is a good idea to keep him safe there and to tell their father to let him out later. Sarah and her mother follow the Paris police peacefully, thinking it will be well, then things suddenly appear to be all wrong, her mother panicks and calls for her husband to come out of hiding. This is a fiction story with an actual historical precedent which is hard to believe, especially since this was early in the war and should have prevented any future atrocities. There is a saying that I am reminded of saying "THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. THEN THEY CAME for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. THEN THEY CAME for me and by that time no one was left to speak up." Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) Niemoller I am also reminded of a quote that is on a blog I read: "I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us." Franz Kafka This is a book that will wound you if you have any heart at all, it will stay with me for a long time. Is there any connection between the Arizona law that allows the Arizona police to ask for identification and proof of American citizenship? Some people think so. And what about the children born in this country to illegal aliens? That is what this book is about, children born in France and abandoned by the French government in charge at the time. A very heavy book to discuss, and now on the best-seller list in America, not bad for a French author. Read it and weep.