Summer Reading: 2011

If it’s going to rain or be cold every day I read Shakespeare’s collected works. If it's warm, Dante’s Inferno.

The story of Louis Zamperini, track and field star of the 1930s, participant in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, who became an Army Air Corps bombardier in 1941. In May 1943 his B-24 crashed into the Pacific; he and his pilot survived a record-breaking 47 days on a life raft before being captured by the Japanese and enduring prison camps for the rest of the war. By the author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend.

A novel about a 14th-century Englishwoman, Margaret of Ashbury, who is inspired to write her memoirs and tell the story of a woman of her times. Since she’s unable to write, she hires a disapproving Brother Gregory to record her ideas. Good reading, with fascinating details of clothing, crafts, and everyday life.

An amazing story of World War II-era London, told from the perspective of three time-traveling historians from the year 2060: Eileen (handling a measles outbreak among children evacuated from London); Polly (working as a London shop girl, spending nights in the Underground to avoid the bombs); and Mike (traveling to Dover to observe the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk.) Will Mike’s actions disturb both the past, and the future? (Just so you know, the second part of the story is called All Clear.)

Total beach reading would include Susan Isaacs, As husbands go. This was a fun read. A murder mystery where THE Doctor dies at the home of a prostitute. All evidence points to the prostitute being the perp, but THE wife is certain it can’t be (poor deluded wife). [Mystery]

Another good beach read is Weird sisters by Eleanor Brown. These three daughters of a Shakespeare professor [who speaks in Shakespearean verse] all end up back home at the same time. They’ve never gotten on well and they still don’t. Their mother is very ill and the book describes their responses to her, her illness, each other, their father and to their parents as a unit. The women grow and learn to get past their childhood responses to each other and become better people in the process.

If you have been reading the Lynley series by Elizabeth George, This body of death will not disappoint. If you have never read any in this series, you should start with the first one. George draws wonderful characters who grow over time and you would miss the descriptions of those characters, their relationships and their growth. She is my favorite mystery author and love the characters even when they are unloveable. [Mystery]

Follett is known for writing about intrigue, deception, corruption, historical accuracy and Fall of giants does not disappoint. The characters are well drawn and missed when the book is over. The back drop is the first World War. A period of enormous change in the world and the body politic. Trade unions, coal mining, women’s suffrage, manners, royalty, revolution and the alignment of countries and people. [Historical fiction]

Pictures at an exhibition by Sara Houghteling is set before, during and after World War II. The focus is on French art collectors who are Jewish. There are family dynamics and relationships which are beautifully drawn. I didn’t like the main character, which usually gets in the way of enjoying a good book. But the story was compelling. My favorite part was the dénouement which described the re-appearance in the 21st of art work stolen from Jews by the Nazis. We all knew they were stolen but what I didn’t know is that vast amounts of those painted by Jews or other undesireables were sold to U.S. art collectors. The money was then used to fund the Nazi war effort! The author indicates that when heirs no longer know that the art was stolen, it will start to appear at auction. This is a period I have read a lot about, but never about what happened to the art. [Historical fiction]

Steve Martin, yes that Steve Martin, has written an interesting book An object of beauty. It describes the NY art world: large auction houses, art galleries, collectors and how they operate. He is an art collector, so we hear his voice often. Again, I didn’t love the main character, but I still liked the book. She is materialistic, self-centered, and shallow. The story is good, the characters are a little predictable, and the story is well-crafted.

Sherlockian by Graham Moore is for Sherlock Holmes lovers. It is a mystery within a mystery. In this case the main character is a delight and he takes you on a trip through the life of a person who is consumed with Sherlock Holmes in the present time as a member of one of the Sherlock Holmes Societies is murdered prior to presenting the Diary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And then you journey back to Doyle writing his diary and seeking out a serial killer with Bram Stoker the author of Dracula. I came to truly believe that Doyle was this Doyle and feel like I have met him and Stoker. Filled with historical references during the suffrage movement in England, it moves back and forth seamlessly between now and then. [Mystery and historical fiction.]

Robert Harris is writing a trilogy about Cicero. The first, Imperium, came out during the Bush presidency and the linkages between that time and Cicero’s time were uncanny (and probably intentional). Cicero’s servant, Tiro takes down every word his master utters and protects the was scrolls. This part is true. What is unfortunate is that we know they exist because there are so many references to them, but they have never been found. Conspirata is the second in the trilogy and starts in 63. B.C.E. Like the first it describes Cicero’s role in ancient Rome. These are both so good: filled with intrigue, characters we know from history: Cato, Caesar, Pompey. You are whisked to the Field of Mars as a witness to it all. Politics is a dirty business and not much has changed. We shouldn’t wish for the good old days.

One of the New York Times ten best books of 2010, and deservedly so. Homans, a former professional ballet dancer who turned historian and critic, has written a thorough yet extremely readable history of ballet from mid-sixteenth century through the present day, in France, Italy, Denmark, Russia, England, and finally the United States. What I found to be most fascinating was how ballet both influenced and reflected the societies around it: did you know that French courtiers until the Revolution, including (especially!) the king, were expected to dance at essentially a professional level because dance was so integrated into court life and pageantry? (Check out the film Le roi danse = The King dances, OSF Media ML 410 .L95 R6 2003) And as a musician, it was extremely interesting to read about standard classical music repertoire (e.g., Swan Lake, Rite of Spring) from the dancer’s point of view. Even if you know nothing about or do not think you are particularly interested in ballet, I promise that you will enjoy this book. And go to see a performance someday soon: Holman regretfully concludes that ballet as an art form is on its deathbed.

I’m always on the look-out for mysteries that are music-related, and Gerald Elias’ debut offering is a good one. A priceless 3/4-size Stradivarius violin disappears during a presitigious New York competition and a violin teacher is murdered. Blind and embittered former virtuoso and teacher Daniel Jacobus is under suspicion for both crimes and embarks on a quest to clear his name and find the real perpetrators, aided by his former quartet partner turned insurance investigator. Elias – a professional violinist himself – presents an insider’s view of the dark side of the classical music performance world. Also check out the equally fine sequel, Danse macabre (2010, available at public libraries). British author Paul Adams also has written two musical mysteries: The Rainaldi quartet (2006), Paganini’s ghost (2009), available at public libraries. The protagonist is an Italian luthier – a builder and repairer of violins – who investigates the murders and other dark deeds surrounding priceless musical manuscripts and violins.

Just because it’s been a while since I’ve read these old favorites, I recently started working my way again through Sayers’ wonderful works from the “golden age” of British mystery writing. Yes, they are a bit dated (written in the 1920’s – ‘30’s) and certainly are not always politically correct, but Lord Peter, Bunter, Harriet, and the Dowager Duchess are appealing characters, the mysteries are good, and Sayers is a fine writer. The Lord Peter novels (in chronological order) are: Whose Body?, Clouds of Witness, Unnatural Death, Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Strong Poison, Five Red Herrings, Have His Carcase, Murder Must Advertise, Nine Tailors, Gaudy Night, Busman’s Honeymoon. The collections of short stories are: Lord Peter Views the Body, Hangman’s Holiday, In the Teeth of the Evidence. Though reading them in order would be helpful, new readers might try Murder Must Advertise or The Nine Tailors to start with (though my favorite is Gaudy Night). Sayers wrote these mysteries early in her career, and considered her later works as a Christian apologist and translator of Dante (many of which are owned by UST) to be her real contributions to the world of letters.

Jace, 16, fights back against his abusive father and is thrown out of the house. He finds his older brother which begins a journey toward healing for both brothers. (first book by a MN author, finalist for MN Book Award, and made Best Fiction For Young Adults List (YALSA).

In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl. ( Printz Award 2011, finalist for National Book Award.)

Sixteen-year-old Gemma, a British city-dweller, is abducted while on vacation with her parents and taken to the Australian outback, where she soon realizes that escape attempts are futile, and in time she learns that her captor is not as despicable as she first believed An excellent study in Stockholm Syndrome. (Printz honor 2011)

With a few months remaining on his sentence in a juvenile detention facility, Reese struggles to overcome racism, prejudice and his volatile personality to cope with life on the outside. He learns several life lessons while in a work-release program at a nursing home. (Another finalist for the National Book Award).

Sadly, more relevant than ever…

I was never much of a fan of her music, but this vividly written book makes me want to go back and give it a chance.

Compact, perfect stories for Checkov and Carver fans.

"Like Rip Van Winkle returning to his hometown to find that all has changed, Nathan Zuckerman comes back to New York, the city he left eleven years before. Alone on his New England mountain, Zuckerman has been nothing but a writer: no voices, no media, no terrorist threats, no women, no news, no tasks other than his work and the enduring of old age. Suddenly involved, as he never wanted or intended to be involved again, with love, mourning, desire, and animosity, Zuckerman plays out an interior drama of vivid and poignant possibilities."

This quick, quirky read had me laughing out loud. Library Journal sums it up well: “Marylou Ahearn intends to kill Dr. Wilson Spriggs, who back in 1953 gave her a radioactive cocktail without her knowledge as part of a hush-hush government study. But to get close enough to him, she must get close to his family, with messy results.”

An interesting account of a platoon stationed in the extremely hazardous Korengal Valley in Afghanistan battling the Taliban insurgency there. Junger made 5 trips to the Valley, spending much of the platoon's deployment in-country and under fire. Junger also wrote "The Perfect Storm," which I also enjoyed--in this case, since the conflict is ongoing and he could directly observe and interact with the participants, he didn't have to engage in the speculation rampant in that work. The book and deployment is also the subject of the video documentary "Restrepo," also available from the UST Libraries Media Resources Collection.

A rather thorough debunking of the childhood hero to many (myself included), Mickey Mantle. Perhaps if he had not played for the New York Yankees, led his team to several World Series titles, and hit a 565 foot home run, he might have been less mythical.

You might feel a little strung out after reading this autobiography, but this is a must-read for any fan of Keith and the Rolling Stones.

Tora Hamilton, an obstetrician and new to the Shetland Islands, is obsessed with finding out the identity of the woman found buried in the peat in her yard. Quickly you are pulled into a mystery that engulfs a mixture of ancient Norse legends that clash with the modern technology of criminology. If you liked Erin Hart’s Haunted Ground, you’ll like this mystery as well.

In England in the late 1930s, Christopher Banks has become the country’s most celebrated detective. However, the disappearance of his parents in Shanghai when he was 9 years old haunts him. He realizes that the time has come for him to return to the city of his childhood solve the mystery of their disappearance. As Christopher pursues his investigation, the boundaries between memory, fact and fantasy begin to evaporate as he unearths the truth.

First in a new THE CENTURY trilogy, the Fall of Giants follows five families across the globe as their fates intertwine with the extraordinary events of World War I, the political struggles within their own countries, and the rise of the feminist movement. Intriguing stories of love and loyalty abound, from a forbidden romance between a German spy and a British aristocrat to a Russian soldier and his scandal-ridden brother in love with the same woman.

This delicious saga of how immigrant food became American food follows European immigrants on a remarkable journey from the Ellis Island…

With a master storyteller’s skill and a historian’s precision, Sara Donati has delighted readers and critics alike with her bestselling novels of the nineteenth-century New York frontier. Now she brings us The Endless Forest, set in the remote village of Paradise, where the Bonner family (descendants of Hawkeye of Last of the Mohicans fame) that readers first met in Into the Wilderness make their home. This final volume in the series brings all of the characters back together again. The series makes a wonderful lake cabin vacation read.

Louis Comfort Tiffany staffs his studio with female artisans--a decision that protects him from strikes by the all-male union--but refuses to employ women who are married. Lucky for him, Clara Driscoll's romantic misfortunes insure that she can continue to craft the jewel-toned glass windows and lamps that catch both her eye and her imagination. Based on a true story.

Unwillingly brought together to care for their ailing mother, three sisters who were named after famous Shakespearean characters discover that everything they have been avoiding may prove more worthwhile than expected.

With urban farming and backyard chicken flocks becoming increasingly popular, Coleman has written this timely and honest portrait of her own childhood experience in Maine with her two homesteading parents during the turbulent 1970s. A luminous, evocative memoir that explores the hope and struggle behind one family's search for a self-sufficient life.

When a time-travel lab suddenly cancels assignments for no apparent reason and switches around everyone's schedules, time-traveling historians Michael, Merope, and Polly find themselves in World War II, facing air raids, blackouts, unexploded bombs, dive-bombing Stukas, rationing, shrapnel, V-1s, and two of the most incorrigible children in all of history--to say nothing of a growing feeling that not only their assignments but the war and history itself are spiraling out of control.

Hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking, Colm Toibin's sixth novel, Brooklyn, is set in Brooklyn and Ireland in the early 1950s, when one young woman crosses the ocean to make a new life for herself. She finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, a blond Italian from a big family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love with Tony, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

A witty and charming novel, it is a perfect summer (or, for that matter, any season) read.
As one review stated: “This wry, yet optimistic comedy of manners with a romantic twist will appeal to grown-up readers of both sexes. Kudos to Helen Simonson, who distinguishes herself with Major Pettigrew's Last Stand as a writer with the narrative range, stylistic chops, and poise of a veteran.”

This novel depicts poverty and a desperate life in the meth-surrounded Ozarks, like raw poetry; it has a way of staying with you in a somewhat unsettling way.
From American Libraries: Woodrell, who has made a career out of finding poetry in the beat-up souls of Ozark rednecks, does it again with the saga of 16-year-old Ree Dolly, who needs to track down her bail-jumping daddy right quick in order to save the family house. Woodrell mixes tough and tender so thoroughly yet so delicately that we never taste a hint of false bravado or sentimentality. The term country noir has become a virtual synonym for Woodrell, but it's high time to acknowledge that he writes some of the funniest, most musical, most marvelously double-edged prose penned by anyone on any side.”

I read this book about 5 years ago but it’s worth recommending it again. A fast, fun read that I often like to recommend.
From Library Journal: “As a writer, Ozeki draws upon her knowledge in documentary filmmaking cleverly to bring the worlds of two women together by utilizing the U.S. meat industry as a central link. Alternating between the voices of Jane (in the United States) and Akiko Ueno, the wife of Jane's boss (in Japan), Ozeki draws parallels in the lives of these two women through beef, love, television, and their desire to have children. Ozeki skillfully tackles hard-pressing issues such as the use and effects of hormones in the beef industry and topics such as cultural differences, gender roles, and sexual exploitation. Her work is unique in presentation yet moving and entertaining.”

I’m sure I’m not the first person to say this, but Franzen always puts the fun in “dysfunctional.” Well, fun for me—not his unfortunate characters. This tale chronicles the lives of a St. Paul (yes our St. Paul!) couple striving and struggling through their uniquely, contemporary American experience. If you are looking for a light, uplifting romp or a fast-paced thriller, don’t read this book.

If you ARE looking for a fast-paced thriller, read this book. Mysterious symbols, Masonic secrets, hidden science labs—yes please! If you take this along to the airport, make sure you don’t miss your plane.

Not your typical summer reading, but now you maybe have the time to read it! Mark Twain made us wait 100 years after his death, so there must be something juicy in there to make it worth lugging to the beach.

Okay, so I admit I have not read Paul Auster’s Invisible, yet. But that is because it is on my summer reading list! All I know is that I’ve read some of Auster’s other work, and it astounds. I guess Auster is sometimes thought of as a writers’ writer—one who impresses with literary genius, but that man sure can tell a story! If you can accept the fact that the story you are reading might not be the actual story he is telling, this book—or any of his others—is for you.