Mythology by Edith Hamilton

We love stories.  We always have.  Expressing our thoughts and desires could be said to be one of the things that makes us uniquely human.  From pre-historic cave paintings to YouTube, human beings cannot help but to tell stories.

Many of the stories which we love today are taken from older civilizations, adaptations of the tales told ‘round the campfires of our ancestors.  The tale of Pygmalion has gone through numerous adaptations, including the immensely popular My Fair Lady, not to mention modern versions, done in Hollywood blockbuster style, of the entire Greek Pantheon.  Where do we go for the source, though?  We are unable to quiz the ancient Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians, Egyptians and countless other civilizations to whom we owe so much of our entertainment.  So we go…where?  To Edith Hamilton.

Mythology reads like a cross between a collection of fascinating short stories and a cliff notes version of some of the greatest epics ever told.  The book isn’t a classic page turner, there is no over-arching plot, but on any given day you can pick it up and read about ferocious battles, torrid romances, treacherous deceits…and that may all be in one story.  Outlining the greatest hits of Greece and Rome, even touching on the Norse Pantheon of gods and heroes, Hamilton manages to condense a great deal of historic storytelling into one book.  Anyone with an interest in mythology or storytelling, or that has a research paper to do, should find this one a fascinating read.

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Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

It has been foretold by Agnes Nutter, witch extraordinaire and general loon, that the world is going to end and Agnes Nutter’s book of prophecies has never been wrong. The antichrist and the end of days are upon us.

Good and evil are about to go to war and no one in heaven or hell can be bothered to stop it. That is, no one except a demon that likes to drive too fast and an angel that is enjoying life on earth just a little too much. Crowley, the demon, and Aziraphale, the angel, like doing their respective jobs and they would never completely disobey orders, but they might fudge things just a little to hopefully avoid the apocalypse. Crowley actually likes humans and Azipraphale definitely would miss the music too much. They decide that when the antichrist is born they’ll make sure he is given a bit of heavenly tutoring along with his evil lessons. But when when the time comes, Crowley and Aziraphale realize they’ve made an enormous mistake. They’ve misplaced the antichrist.

Pratchett and Gaiman have written a hilarious story about what would happen if the antichrist were lost and raised by the most normal loving family in the world. Would he still grow up to be harbinger of evil, or could he, along with his misfit pals and his hellhound named “Dog,” actually avoid their fate? It is an endearing tale of what it means to be human, while also questioning the nature of good and evil. It’ll make you laugh out loud, but more than anything, it’ll make you appreciate the band Queen.

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And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

If there is one thing I love, it is taking a trip in a time machine (or a book) to a historical setting. Tasha Alexander’s novel And Only to Deceive does just that, by plopping readers down in Victorian England. But just because it is in the Victorian Age does not mean that it doesn’t portray exceedingly charming characters dealing with any sort of issues we might deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Such as intrigue, mystery, and suspense. Well, at least that is what Emily has to deal with daily since her husband died. She also has an overbearing mother obsessed with marrying her off, whom Emily had married her husband, Philip, to get away from.

Only months after they were married, her husband left on a hunting trip to Africa where he subsequently died. Emily comes to learn about her husband, whom she never got a chance to get to know while he was alive, through the private journals and letters he left behind. And that is where the intrigue starts.  She begins to question whether she, or Philip’s friends, really knew him at all. What was his involvement with antiquities and his obsessive collecting of all things Greek?

Although it was a slower-moving book, I felt it was light enough for a summer read. There is something in And Only to Deceive for everyone. A little mystery, a dash of romance, a hint of well-researched historical fiction, and a hair of amateur detective work. And a rainy summer day sets the perfect scene for the London weather portrayed in the book.   If you like this book, you will like Crocodile On the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

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In A Dry Season by Peter Robinson

Detective Chief Inspector Banks is currently in trouble for insubordination, not an unusual occurrence.  However, this time was much worse because he actually punched his boss, Jimmy Riddle. Banks was suspended at first, but the powers that be forced Riddle to reinstate him.  Since then Riddle has made sure Banks was limited to the drudgery of desk duty and other mundane tasks.  Now Riddle has a new kind of punishment in mind. He appoints Banks to lead the investigation of a fifty year old murder that he doesn’t think can be solved.

To complicate matters, Riddle assigns Banks to work with the local DS, Annie Cabot, an officer with a reputation as a troublemaker.  Cabot took the position in a small town force where there is little activity because it was made clear to her she would not be in line for promotion any time soon.  She has been branded a loner who doesn’t work well with others on the force.  What Riddle doesn’t expect is that once Banks sinks his teeth in, he will do everything in his power to uncover the truth. Not only that, it turns out he and Cabot work well together, both on and off duty.

While this book is part of the Inspector Banks series, there is more to it than a straightforward detective story. The victim was discovered when a drought caused a reservoir to dry up, exposing a village which had been evacuated and flooded in the early 1950s. The woman was not buried by the flood, though; she was murdered and placed under a stone slab. Banks 1st task is to figure out when the body was buried before he can begin to find out why she was murdered.

Robinson’s novel switches back and forth between World War II, when the village was last occupied, and the present day investigation.  Telling the story this way makes the mystery more suspenseful, and  Robinson is able to make a very cold police case have relevance and urgency for the characters today; and I found the description of life during the war to be fascinating. This is my favorite book in the Inspector Banks series, although I would recommend all of them.  The series has also been recently made into a television series that was shown on WUNCTV in January.  Hopefully, they will repeat it soon!

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Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance by Gyles Brandreth

With the invention of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created one of the single most recognizable detectives, and style of detecting, the world has ever known.  Numerous are the authors who have striven to emulate the great detective, and numerous also are the failures.  Happily, I feel that Gyles Brandreth in Oscar Wilde and a Death of no Importance accomplishes the feat quite well.  If you can imagine Holmes’ observations and deductions’ coupled with Wildes’ sly Irish wit, you begin to get an excellent picture of why this book is such a fun and engaging read.

Chronicled by his good friend Robert Sherard, Oscar Wilde brings his not inconsiderable intelligence and wit to the aid of a dead young actor whom no one else will believe was murdered.  After befriending his own private detective consultant, the then highly popular Arthur Conan Doyle, Wilde and Sherard begin the hunt for justice for young Billy Wood.  Chasing clues through Victorian London, with occasional stops for sumptuous cuisine and fine entertainment, Wilde seeks not only the killer, but also the proof needed to garner police involvement.  Inspired by these tragic events, Wilde also begins work on a new story – The Picture of Dorian Gray

Brandreth has his characters hopping from exclusive gentlemen’s clubs to theatrical shows to a seaside resort, with many other stops in between.  Through it all he paints a surprisingly vivid and realistic picture of Victorian London, and the inner workings of a real life group of friends.  I found it fascinating when I discovered that Doyle, Wilde, and Sherard truly were great friends during the 1890’s, and this led a wonderful sense of realism to an already well written work.  Luckily, the fun and excitement continues with Oscar Wilde and A Game Called Murder.  For anyone who enjoys historical fiction, detective fiction, or Victorian London, this novel is a definite must read.

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Making Beaded Jewelry: Over 80 Beautiful Designs to Make and Wear by Barbara Case

I have looked at lots of jewelry books over the years, but I have been more inspired by the designs in this book than in any other.  The author, Barbara Case, collects unusual beads that she finds on her travels, in vintage resale shops, antique shops—wherever she goes, she is on the lookout for interesting beads.

The jewelry in her book is designed to highlight her unique bead finds, so this is not a book of designs that you can copy exactly.  Mostly I just dream over it, poring over the beautiful pictures of her creations to get my own ideas.  I especially like the way she alternates her big, spectacular beads with smaller ones in complimentary colors.  She also intersperses different shapes with each other, and colorful glass beads with plainer metal ones.  Even fabric, embroidery floss, and leather are brought together to provide a pleasing mix of textures.

Most jewelry books seem to favor a particular style, but Barbara’s book covers them all.  Some are elegant, some whimsical, some earthy, some sparkly—the styles run the gamut.  She also intermixes styles, which has emboldened me to try making some of my own beads out of clay, painting them, and intermingling them with store-bought beads.

All in all, this is really a book to have fun with.  All the photographs are clear and beautiful, as are the descriptions of the types of beads, string, textiles, and so forth that she used.  There are very helpful diagrams of any technique that is not self-explanatory.  This is a great book for beginners and experienced beaders as well!

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Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had, by Brad Cohen

When Brad Cohen was growing up in the 1980s, few people had even heard of Tourette Syndrome.  None of his family and friends, not even Brad himself, understood why he burst out with loud noises at inappropriate times, or jerked his neck suddenly, or felt an overwhelming urge to knock his knees against things.

School was especially hard for Brad.  His teachers had trouble understanding why he could not keep still and quiet.  The other kids mocked and mistreated him.  Even after he was finally diagnosed with the neurological disorder called Tourette Syndrome, it was an uphill battle to get people to accept him as he was.

With the help of a compassionate principal, Brad discovered that the key to helping people accept him was to educate them about Tourette’s.  Throughout the rest of his school days and years at college, he asked each new teacher to allow him a few minutes on the first day of class to introduce himself and explain about Tourette’s.  He always mentioned that he was open to talking about it and answering questions.  Many people did ask questions, and Brad’s natural friendliness and enthusiasm won them over quickly once they understood his situation.

Having seen the positive effects of educating people, Brad decided to become the teacher he had never had—one who meets his students where they are and gives them lots of acceptance and approval, no matter what their difficulties.

It was not easy; one principal after another turned him down, and the familiar heartache of rejection made him want to give up, but he kept going.  Finally, the twenty-fifth principal to interview him decided to look beyond the Tourette’s at the incredibly motivated and well-prepared person Brad was and is.

Mountain View Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia, was so impressed with their new teacher that they nominated him for a state-wide teachers’ competition, which he went on to win.  The kids loved him.  Once they got the idea that Brad could not stop his “barking” and muscle tics—it was like blinking or sneezing, he explained—they just accepted them as part of their fun-loving, energetic teacher.  Whether he was dancing on his desk when his kids got 100 stars on their chart or making a giant bubble big enough to sit in by using a fan and a huge piece of plastic, he was always coming up with creative ideas to keep their young minds engaged.

This story is an inspiration to all of us who have ever faced a problem, difficulty, or disability that stands in the way of our dreams.  Brad Cohen is living proof that we can find a way if we keep on trying.
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The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer

J.R. Moehringer grew up in Manhasset, New York in the 1970’s, raised by a single mother and her extended dysfunctional family living under one small roof in a pub-laden town on the north shore of Long Island. He knew his father only as The Voice, a Manhattan DJ who hosted popular radio programs; the image of J.R. with his ear to the clock radio scrolling the dial to find his alcoholic father (he changed stations and jobs frequently) is the heart-rending opening scene in this autobiography.  But this memoir is not sentimental pap; it is a riotous romp and a delightfully funny coming of age story crafted by a writer with a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist’s eye who also understands how to tell a story. Moehringer’s writing made me so homesick for the 1970’s and 1980’s I laughed and wept as J.R. made his way in the world.

When J.R. was in grade school, his mother wanted him to have male influence in his life, so she asked her brother to lend a hand. “Uncle Charlie’s” way of lending a hand was to bring J.R. to his place of employment – a bar called Dickens where Uncle Charlie tended bar and busted heads as necessary. Dickens was bit like a raunchier version of the TV sitcom “Cheers,” populated by a diverse cast of characters: Cager, Smelly, Colt, and Joey D , the bar regulars and Uncle Charlie’s friends who all lent a hand in guiding JR through his early years, and stepped in as the family he so desperately needed.

As Moehringer writes, “”Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me.”"
Even when J.R . moved with his mother to Arizona for his middle and high school years, each summer he came back to Dickens, the one true family that was a constant to him. While at Yale, and failing academically and socially, JR was drawn back to Dickens again and again. This cycle continues after college, through a hilarious stint selling housewares at Lord  & Taylor, and failed working stint at the New York Times. Dickens was the one constant in his life.

This memoir makes an excellent book discussion title, and is sure to spark conversational threads of “remember when….?”

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The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale is a classic dystopian novel about The Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime comprised of what was once part of The United States.  In a polluted world in which many men and women have become sterile, those few women whose ovaries are still viable are too precious a national resource to waste.  As a consequence, they become “handmaids,” available only to the most highly placed male officials, who are generally older and therefore unlikely to father a child.  However, the handmaids’ survival depends on being able to produce offspring, tempting many of them to seek out one of the younger men who serve the elderly “Commanders.”  This action is punishable by death, so that often handmaids die either by execution for not producing or by execution for producing the only way they can.

The book follows the fortunes of Offred, the handmaid “of Fred” (hence her name), a young woman struggling to find meaning in her life.  She has been robbed of everything that made her an individual—her child, her husband, her job, all of her former life.  Now she no longer has a name, but belongs to a man she barely knows.  The only thing that makes life bearable for her is the occasional glimpse she gets into the mind of another of the tightly controlled, but still unique, people around her.  She wonders who she can trust, but it is unbearable not to trust, not to try to touch the hearts of other human beings.  Her tentative efforts in this direction, fraught with danger, provide the conflict and the suspense in this novel.

It is ironic that in a world so controlled by men there is a strong subculture of women, the “aunts,” who control the handmaids partly by force and partly by propaganda.  You are protected, they tell the handmaids.  You are cherished.  You never have to starve yourself or paint yourself to get a man.  You are valued for yourself.  As Aunt Lydia tells them, “There is freedom to and freedom from.”  They no longer have the freedom to do what they want, but they do have freedom from many of the things that tormented them in the days of “too many choices.”

What is missing in this highly regimented and ordered world is love.  A regime that leaves out the possibility of choice also leaves out the possibility of love—and with it, all reason for living.

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A Wanted Man by Lee Child

For a change… Jack Reacher is hitchhiking cross country trying to get to Virginia. Why Virginia?  He’s not saying. He is also sporting a broken nose. It takes awhile, but near midnight he is picked up by sedan carrying two men and a woman. Happy to accept the ride, Jack makes idle chatter as they head East. They pass through several police roadblocks and Reacher is curious as to who the police are looking for. He is asked to do some of the driving and as he does, he starts to have a feeling that something is very wrong with the passengers of this sedan.
The two men, Don McQueen and Alan King seem like they are a duo, but the woman, Karen Delfuenso is quiet , looks very scared. As the two men catch some sleep, Reacher realizes that Delfuenso is trying to tell him something by blinking with her eyes in some sort of Morse Code. Suddenly as Jack puts it together, Karen has been kidnapped and Reacher has been given a lift because now as they pass the police roadblocks, there are 4 passengers in the car , not just two men, who the authorities may be looking for.

After they pass several of the roadblocks, Reacher starts to realize that the men no longer need neither Karen or himself. He is sent into a gas station to get some coffee and it is here that McQueen makes his move and tries to shoot Reacher. He misses and then takes off, and Reacher is left to ponder his next move. He contacts the FBI and will soon meet agent Julia Sorenson. Sorenson realizes that if it is true that Reacher was just an innocent hitchhiker, she may be able to use him to catch up to their quarry.

Fans of Lee Child may have thought that maybe he was losing some of his ‘mojo’ but have no fear , he is back with a vengeance ! As with most Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, the pace is such that the book might be a one day read. For the first time , Reacher may be working with two female protagonists , as the three of them may be fighting to stop a terrorist plot.

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