Just finished MURDER 101 and EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES by Maggie Barbieri. (The latest in the series–QUICK STUDY–is still in hardback. They are fun, light mysteries with a little romance and a touch of humor. The main character is an English professor at a private Catholic college in the Bronx. In the first book, the body of one of her students is inconveniently found in the trunk of her car. Of course, a handsome detective is sent to question her. Chaos ensues. Good for summer reading. Sarah.
If you don’t already have spring fever, naturalist Bernd Heinrich’s SUMMER WORLD will give you an incurable case. Companion to the best-selling Winter World, this volume takes you into the hives of bees, the hills of ants, and the frantic migration and mating of frogs. Heinrich, more than any other nature writer I’ve read, explains the world outside my door in ways that help me remember what I’ve already heard, seen, and wondered about. He captures interests already in the craw and under the skin. And then he offers sometimes moving, sometimes disgusting explanations of the phenomenon you’re already aware of and some you might not be. Obviously this is great “summer” reading. Kelly.
I am reading a facsimile edition of Lewis Carroll’s ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND, the handwritten and illustrated original that became Alice in Wonderland, somewhat edited for publication. The edition has also has a detailed introduction that features photographs and a history of Charles Dodgson’s relationship with Alice and her family and the process of creating the story orally and Dodgson’s promise to write it down. Heidi.
Periodically I’m picking up Eduardo Galeano’s MIRRORS: STORIES OF ALMOST EVERYONE. Just out in June, this book is going to be BIG. Kinda magical realism with the emphasis on realism. From Uruguay, Galeano is best known in this country for his Memory of Fire trilogy which came out a couple of decades ago. MIRRORS is the story of humanity told in short, parable-like or mythic-seeming entries. I am looking forward to having the story unfold to the present day. Heidi.
ROALD DAHL: COLLECTED STORIES. A giraffe is decapitated by an airplane on the first page of the first story, so you can tell that these aren’t for children. Later in the story, a black mamba snake suckles a cow. Dahl’s stories for adults are more like episodes of “The Twilight Zone” than anything else–at least one of them was adapted by E.C. Comics in the 1950s for “Tales from the Crypt”–but they still strongly retain Dahl’s distinctive voice, his vivid imagery, and his ability to make your skin crawl. John.
I am reading Olen Steinhauer’s THE TOURIST, published this past March. A reflective but fast paced spy novel, that reminds me of a cross between Alex Berenson and John LeCarre. Steinhauer’ earlier and excellent mysteries are set somewhere in Eastern Europe and feature an Eastern European cop, they are dark, slightly cynical, interesting slices of life in late 20th century Balkan/Eastern Europe. This new one has an American spy, still cynical but with some hope of living to have a house at the beach. And the action begins early and carries on at a good pace. And, Steinhauer creates believable, complex women characters. The book’s blurb says the film rights for THE TOURIST have been sold to George Clooney, but read the book first. Pat.
I also just read Sansom’s REVELATION, which is an historical mystery set in 16th century London during the late years of Henry VIII’s reign. It features the kindhearted and thoughtful barrister Matthew Shardlake who also has a crooked back, thus referred to by his enemies as a humpback. Full of colorful historic details and fascinating characters, like Matthew’s friend, a black doctor, a learned man who was a monk and was trained as an herbalist, but who came from Spain and from a family of Spanish Jews who had to convert to Christianity to save their skin. The story is about the religious persecutions resulting from the dissolution of the monasteries and the rampant religious fervor all over England. The subtext is that some of the fundamentalist religious fanaticism of today is like that of the turbulent time of Henry’s reign. This is a memorable book with great setting and excellent characters and plot. Pat.
Need a heroine? Trying to understand what the feminist movement was all about? I highly recommend WOMAN BEHIND THE NEW DEAL: THE LIFE OF FRANCIS PERKINS, FDR’S SECRETARY OF LABOR AND HIS MORAL CONSCIENCE by Kirsten Downey. Ms. Perkins was the first woman member of the cabinet. Her incredible story is a history of the US in the 20th century through World War II.
