A Stack of Eight

As the holidays approach and I get closer to having houseguests, I keep looking at all of the things that need to be tidied up and my stack of unreviewed books taunts me from the coffee table. Five of these are review copies too (as I've been trying to pare down yet another stack in another room) so I NEED to tell you about them. I don't know if I'll get to full reviews but I want to at least give these all a mention so here goes --

Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore
I actually finished this story (of a man nearing the end of his reincarnation limit) at the beginning of November but could never figure out just what to say about it. There were things I liked about it and a couple of things that I didn't but it had me thinking for weeks about reincarnation and death and many other things. My spreadsheet note says "all over the place but mostly in a good way".

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
This was more of a character development book than a plot book and I enjoyed meandering through it. There was also a feeling of sadness about the whole story. The main character was incredibly damaged and that followed her everywhere.

Supernova by C.A. Higgins
This is the second in a trilogy and it was ridiculously dark and, quite honestly, painful to read but it inspired a lot of thought about rebels and revolutions and the cost of bringing down an empire. I definitely want to finish the trilogy but I'll need a bit of a break before I dive back into the darkness.

Whistling in the Dark by Shirley Hughes
I adored this story of children in Liverpool during the Blitz. Hughes was a young woman during WWII and her experiences definitely come through and give this story depth and authenticity.

Yesternight by Cat Winters
This one was weird. It was atmospheric and bizarre and I'm not sure I liked the ending.

Good Evening, Mrs. Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes
These WWII homefront pieces that were originally published in The New Yorker were almost all from points of view that I had never read/heard before. Some of them were rather depressing, others inspiring. Again, it was educational and entertaining to read a different point of view that usual.

Ocean of Secrets, Vol. 1 by Sophie-chan
This is Sophie-chan's first manga and she says she has been working on the story for years. It is a good twist on the secret-princess story. The second volume comes out in a couple of months and I think this will be a fun one to follow.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
And this one was a bit hard to get into for some reason. By the end I enjoyed it but I think that there are other better books in the Death series. However, there were also a few things in it that I loved -- like the scenes with the wizards. They were especially funny this time.

Well, now I get to put all of these books away and make room for presents. Yay! If there's one you want to know more about, let me know in the comments and I'll write a real post in the new year.

Tidying up,
K

New Releases: The Zoo and The Book That Changed America

Sometimes the reading of one good book leads directly to another. The first of these I bought for my own Easter basket, the second was a library book that had almost reached its due date.

The Zoo: The Wild and Wonderful Tale of the Founding of London Zoo: 1826-1851 by Isobel Charman is just what it says in the subtitle, the story of the founding of the Zoological Society of London and, in turn, the first days of the London Zoo. I'm not sure I've mentioned this much here but my bachelor's degree is in zoology and I did two projects with many hours of observation on captive animals (sea otters!) before getting my degree. Zoos and aquariums are near and dear to my heart (and absolutely necessary if they have a conservation mission) as is Victorian London so this book couldn't have been more up my alley. It was definitely a tough read at times because of the lack of knowledge of how to properly house and care for wild animals and also their incompatibility with London's filthy air and chilly climate. This was balanced, though, by the work of some good men who truly cared and wanted to learn about the creatures they were charged with looking after.

Each chapter is written to focus on a specific man and to highlight his contribution to the zoo, be he a visionary, an architect, or an Earl. What led me to crave my next read was the chapter on Darwin, whose voyage on The Beagle and return with samples and ideas coincided with some of the first years of the zoo.

(Note: this is narrative non-fiction but Charman was very careful in using original sources to create the narrative. She added 12 pages of Notes on the Use of Sources at the end so I trust that she didn't take many liberties. Still, I know some readers aren't fans of narrative non-fic, hence this warning.)

I don't remember where I heard about Randall Fuller's The Book That Changed America: How Darwin's Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation but I know that I immediately put a hold on it at my local library and then it sat here for weeks unread, renewed twice. Luckily, the mood struck to read it before it was due back (finished yesterday, due today) because it was incredibly relevant and educational. I expected to fall more in love with Darwin and his scholarship but I actually ended up with a newfound love and respect for Henry David Thoreau, nemesis of my high school days due to a badly-timed read of Walden. The book focuses on the literary and scientific men and women of Concord, Massachusetts and surrounding environs, their religion, Transcendentalism, and their abolitionist views in the days after Darwin's Origin of the Species arrived in the United States. Reading about Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott (father and daughter), and others as they absorbed the theory of Natural Selection and applied it to their fight for the end of slavery was fascinating. There was also a plethora of content about natural history, literature, and lifelong friendships, enough to make this a must-read book. I plan to buy my own copy of this book so that I can fill it with sticky notes. This passage felt especially relevant today--

That night [Thoreau] wrote nothing about the world beyond Concord's woods--a world that seemed increasingly on the edge of combustion, too. A few months earlier he had been utterly consumed by the John Brown affair, unable to sleep, angry, and aflame with indignation. During the winter he had willed himself to quit thinking about the nation's baleful state of affairs, its compromises and hypocrisies, its unacceptable complicity with slavery. With little faith in the political process, which he believed favored the wealthy and self-interested, Thoreau read about the upcoming Republican and Democratic conventions with derision.
Darwin's book had helped him take his mind off these things. The Origin had redirected his thinking. It shifted his focus from a corrupt society that seemed incapable of reform to a natural world defined entirely by change and exuberant dynamism. In his journals and conversations, Thoreau still sometimes erupted in anger at Brown's unjust execution. But Darwin's theory soothed him during this period.

While reading this, I felt relieved that my feelings of late were not irrational but heartbroken that our country has yet to become the "more perfect union" that the founders envisioned. It also reminded me that regular distractions from politics are essential for good health and that a simple one can be found in any good book.

Evolving daily,
K

#Resist : What We Do Now

When I heard about What We Do Now: Standing Up For Your Values In Trump's America, I knew I needed to read it. After the election, I not only had to figure out how to clearly define my values but I wanted to be an active resister agains the things that were sure to come out of this presidency. This is a short, 200 page volume with many high-profile contributors. The essays are short but powerful (as you can see by my plethora of sticky notes). Here are some of the highlights, starting with the definition of our values--

And that marks Democrats' first job in this new era: We will stand up to bigotry. No compromises ever on this one. Bigotry in all its forms: we will fight back against attacks on Latinos, on African Americans, on women, on Muslims, on immigrants, on disabled Americans--on anyone.
--Senator Elizabeth Warren

But know this: whether you actively engage in the violent culture of hate or merely step out of the way to give it permission to persist and room to grow, you are complicit. And white people, you give permission to this culture every day you do nothing more than have "conversations on race". You don't get to just have conversations anymore. You don't get to just wear a safety pin and call yourself an ally. You don't get to just talk while the rest of us fear for our lives ... Let's be clear: White supremacy harms all of us. It strips humanity from both its victims and its beneficiaries.
--Brittany Packnett

I want you to keep telling yourself: "THIS IS NOT NORMAL. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. Repeat until it sinks to the deepest of your core. The minute you decide this is normal, this is just how it is, the minute you decide that appointing a white supremacist to one of the highest, most influential positions in the White House...--that is the minute that you give up. Stay vigilant. Stay focused. Stay OUTRAGED. Perpetual outrage is what's going to fuel our movements right now. In the face of this crisis, the time is now to follow your heart. You know what feels right. Think. Contemplate. Don't just follow blindly. Stay informed, read articles, verify sources, diversify your news intake. Knowledge is power. Ignoring what's happening is not going to help you or anyone else.
--Linda Sarsour

As for concrete actions:
Brittany Packnett suggests that those of us who are not in marginalized groups become not allies but accomplices, the difference being actions and not just ideals.
Ilhan Omar wants us to strengthen our communities and build a coalition and Cristina Jiménez wants us to make sure that the coalition crosses social, religious, and racial lines. We must work together to be successful.
Linda Sarsour suggests using our own skills and knowledge "for the greater good". If we all focus on what we are best at, we will be most effective.
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum thinks it's essential that we "continue building a full and meaningful and joyous life."
And we, of course, need to fight for a new, strong Voting Rights Act to combat voter suppression and gerrymandering. We need to demand action to mitigate climate change and to promote a clean energy economy. We need to tell/remind our representatives that we will not tolerate the targeting of an entire group based on their race or religion. We need to fight every unlawful and discriminatory action that comes out of this administration.

David Cole gives us hope from our recent history--the eventual victory over George W. Bush's horrible policies after 9/11. Bush took all sorts of liberties in the name of protecting Americans, regardless of whether those things were humane or legal. But "they protested, filed lawsuits, wrote human rights reports, lobbied foreign audiences and governments to bring pressure to bear on the United States, leaked classified documents, and broadly condemned the administration's actions as violations of fundamental constitutional and human rights. ... As a result, the course of history changed." He also says "It won't happen overnight. There will be many protracted struggles. The important thing to bear in mind is that if we fight, we can prevail."

Finally, Linda Sarsour says it best:

I hope this election is our ultimate wake-up call--a wake-up call for the silent majority who have been silent in the face of so much injustice in recent years. Silence is violence. We cannot and will not be the generation that allows our country to live again the darkest moments of our history. We must remember that our work over the next four years is not just for us, but also for the generations to come who are counting on us.

Sending out strength to all fighters,
K

New Release: Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights

When you set out to read a Salman Rushdie novel, you can assume you will encounter a few things -- extraordinary characters (and ordinary characters, of course), history, philosophy, and irreverence. Rushdie does not disappoint in Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, a tale of rivalry -- that of evil versus good, religion versus reason, and fear versus knowledge. Our narrator lives in a world one-thousand years from now, where a War of the Worlds--our world and the supernatural world of the jinn--has happened now, in our time, to bring about an age of enlightenment.

What you will encounter in this book are strangenesses: people who float and others who are crushed, human lie-detectors and human lightning rods. You will also find many normal people--poets, philosophers, landladies, and wives--who are drawn into the fantastic by those around them and are brought to their knees, some at the whims of evil Ifrits, others by the hands of their own fellow men, and finally some by mere chance. And finally, you will find love -- some true and original, some mere shadows or facsimiles of those loves.

If you are familiar at all with Rushdie's views and novels, you will probably guess what event, what change in the hearts and minds of men, could bring about peace and enlightenment for centuries. It will not be a viewpoint popular with all readers but his reasoning and his use of modern-day examples of corruption and failings in humankind are undeniable. This book made me sad about the world we live in and left me wondering if there is an actual way that we could eventually attain a world of peace and brotherly love without the intervention of supernatural forces. I enjoyed this read, however painful it was.

Without much faith,
K

p.s. I received an advance reader's edition of this book from LibraryThing.

Catching Up: Sci-Fi, Humor and Fun

I wanted to get my reviews/mentions caught up before RIP season starts so I'm going to start with a couple today that I read during the Dog Days Readathon (for which I failed to do a wrap-up post because I had to get ready for my mother-in-law's visit ... yay).

First up was Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. I had stalled in my Discworld reading but I was excited to get going again and this was the perfect book to do it with. Granny Weatherwax is one of my favorite characters and she, Nanny Ogg and poor, young Magrat have a fun dynamic. I liked the brief foray into Ankh-Morpork and the whole Hamlet tie-in. This is definitely a book that stands completely on its own.

Then I did a reread of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This was a many times over reread but I have watched the recent film so many times since the last time I read it that I ended up somewhat surprised about what is and isn't actually in the book. It turned out to be so much more simple and fun of a story than I remembered. I definitely want to read the other book in the series in the near future.

I finished up the weekend (and went into the week after) with Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I was totally in the mood to read it after seeing Neil recently and I was due for a reread anyway. It was only my second time with it and, while I remember it being funnier than it was this time through, I also didn't remember quite the level of sharpness and wit that was in it. Also, the last time I read it, I hadn't read any Pratchett and not much Gaiman so it was a different experience to be more familiar with their styles and language choices. Bottom line, it was still a fantastic read the second time through and I can't wait to see the (possible) upcoming tv production.

Finally, I'm in the middle of Witches Abroad, also by Terry Pratchett because I just couldn't stop! It's a bit of a slower book than other Discworld novels I've read so far but it's a fairy tale and fantasy lover's dream. So far I've caught references to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and multiple fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and vampire lore to start). It's amusing and I can't wait to finish it this week in preparation for RIP.

Having laughs and learns,
K

The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

In the days before Christmas and through that day of celebration, I read a book that I had received from my Secret Santa last year, Robyn -- The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder. She sent it from South Africa but it's a book translated from Norwegian -- a story that travels through space and time from modern times to Norway in 1948 to Bethlehem in the year zero, the year of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. While relating the story of a "magic" advent calendar, found in a dusty bookshop in modern times, the book is also an advent calendar of its own with twenty-four short chapters. It tells of angels and shepherds and a journey of destiny and celebration.

Though I was raised in a Christian religion, I no longer subscribe to any particular faith. Still, I found this book to be thought-provoking and reverent and a perfect companion to the holiday. It travels to the heart of the season with a message of love and tolerance. I am very happy to have received this gift and to have saved it to read at this time. Robyn also mentioned that she reads it some years beginning on December 1st, one chapter a day, which I think sounds like a great idea. I will definitely pick it up again when the mood strikes.

Closing each small door until next year,
K

New-ish Release: From the Mouth of the Whale

Ever since hearing about The Blue Fox, I've wanted to read something by Sjón (a.k.a. Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson). There's just something unique about Icelandic literature and From the Mouth of the Whale is a perfect example of it. Set in 1635, it is the story of Jónas Pálmason, also known as Jónas the Learned, whose education also ended up being his downfall when he angered a local magistrate. This book contrasts the structure and order of natural history with the unpredictability of man.

Different from other Icelandic books I've read, there's almost no reference to the gods of old but, instead, this novel touches on one of the more recent religious conflicts of the island nation -- the change from Catholicism to Lutheranism in the mid sixteenth century. Though there are some horrific events in this ever-shifting story, overall it's a magical book.

Treasuring hearth and home,
K

"Shadow had done three years in prison."

June 19th is the tenth anniversary of the release of Neil Gaiman's American Gods. Not many novels have their anniversaries celebrated and so I couldn't resist reading it right now (not to mention the number of times that it's been recommended to me by many of you readers when I show it on my TBR list). Now that I've finished, I can definitely understand the celebration of this novel as an essential piece of the American literary canon.

Shadow is a convict, getting ready to finish his sentence and head home to his beautiful wife. He ends up being released early though due to his wife's accidental death, and on his way home he is approached by a mysterious older gentleman who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. Soon after, Shadow is working for Wednesday and moving back and forth across America, meeting other strange characters and discovering that the new world may have more ties to the old than he ever could have believed.

There were parts of this story that were difficult to read because of their graphic nature (violent and sexual). There were other parts that were uplifting and beautiful. The characters (including many gods, as you can guess by the title) were fascinating and diverse. I couldn't put this one down and I was constantly amazed by the way that Gaiman pieced together so many myths and histories in a subtle and seamless way. When I started the book, I wasn't even sure I would like it but, by the end, I was convinced that it is the kind of novel that changes you as you read it. It won't change your beliefs but rather will cause you to question if you should believe or not. I plan to brush up on world mythologies and then to read the anniversary edition of this novel which is longer and is Gaiman's "preferred edition". There will be a live webchat with Neil Gaiman about the novel on June 21st (I don't see a time listed yet but will update if I find one), the day the anniversary edition is released.

This is another of my reads for the Once Upon a Time V Challenge.

Saying a little prayer, just in case,
K


Support our site and buy American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel on Amazon or find it at your local library. We bought our own copy of this novel.

"Reuben Walrus was too restless to sit down at first."

I've just finished reading the second book in Tim Dayvs' Mollisan Quartet and it couldn't have been more different than the first. While Amberville was a dark crime novel, Lanceheim is a story about faith, religion and loss.

If you have forgotten my first review, I'll remind you that Mollisan Town is a place populated by living, breathing stuffed animals. Alternating between two narratives that intersect only at the very end, we follow Reuben Walrus, a conductor and composer who is quickly becoming deaf, and Wolf Diaz, the "recorder" and companion for an unusual creature who may be the savior of Mollisan Town. Reuben's story follows his search for this healer, hoping for a miracle to give him his hearing back. Wolf's story is the history of the mysterious Maximilian, who is in the world but not of it.

This is a sad pair of stories but they are also very thought-provoking. It was a much more mature novel than Amberville and seemed more like an allegorical tale than the first.  Now I'm even more curious to see what the themes and tone are in the third novel, Tourquai (which is being released next week). I don't believe that there is a necessary order in which to read these novels so if you see one, pick it up. You'll take a very unique journey through a bizarre but familiar world.

Contemplating faith, hope and love,

K

Support our site and buy Lanceheim on Amazon or find it at your local library. We received an uncorrected proof from the publisher for review.

New Release: Mercury Falls

If Kevin Smith's film Dogma and Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's novel Good Omens had a witty yet mature baby, it would be Robert Kroese's Mercury Falls. This novel about the Apocalypse is well-researched and amusing.

Christine Temetri is a journalist who has somehow ended up covering third-rate Apocalyptic cults for The Banner, a very prominent religious news magazine. After yet another eventless sunrise in the desert with a "prophet" and his followers, she has decided she is done with the work. When she gets back to Los Angeles, though, not only has her apartment been shoddily vandalized but her boss has a last-minute assignment for her in Israel. What she learns from her contact there and from her first near-death experience convinces her that the Apocalypse may actually be approaching. Meeting Mercury, a rogue angel, is just the icing on the cake. If she could only convince him to help, they might be on the way to saving the world.

This is a really funny book -- rarely laugh out loud funny in a Douglas Adams way but more like "snicker and snort" humor. For some reason it reminded me of late night group discussions at Denny's when my friends and I were twenty-somethings with nothing else to do. It has a really comfortable, easy tone through most of the book. It takes a few potshots at both religion and atheism but a light way. It also takes a mildly serious look at the various "signs" and "happenings" of the Apocalypse and imagines a possible way for it to all unfold. There are seraphim and cherubs, demons and The Devil, and even an overweight, loser Antichrist named Karl Grissom who won the title in a contest.

Mercury Falls is a self-published book but I didn't feel that there was any problem with the quality of the writing or the story. In fact, I hope that this novel finds its audience and a publisher because this is a bright first novel and I would love to see what the author creates next. You can visit his website for more reviews and background.

Wondering if it's safe to upgrade our flooring, (it's an inside joke)
K


Support our site (and Rob's dream) and buy Mercury Falls on Amazon.

"'To be born again,' sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, 'first you have to die."

I won't kid you. The Satanic Verses is not a quick read. I don't know that any of Salman Rushdie's books are, but this one seemed slow compared even to most of the others. He tends to stack tales and interweave stories through other stories. There isn't a consistent narrative flow through the book. However, each of the tales in this book is engaging. The main characters of the book, Gibreel and Saladin, change in character (and perhaps divine nature) while falling from a plane that has been destroyed in-flight by terrorists. The side tales are based on scenes from the Koran and Gibreel is either dreaming them or participating in them. We don't know which it is and neither does he. The narrator appears to be God and the book uses modified Hindu and Muslim mythologies as the basis for the various plot elements of the story.

I have had this book on the bookshelf for about ten years. I think that T read it when we first bought it. At the time I was reading other Rushdie books and just never remembered to pick up this one but finally I wanted to know what all of the hubbub was about. I would have to go back and read my Koran guide again to know what Rushdie did with the stories that was so blasphemous.

Overall, this is a fantastic book that just takes a while to read. The only complaint I had is one I have with most Rushdie books -- he really likes to kill off a lot of his characters. Even small side characters end up getting the axe. I have wondered if this is his way of gaining a sense of closure. The characters are not going on after the book. Their stories are told. Whatever it is, this is a mind-expanding book that deserves to be read.

Turning the page,
K


Buy The Satanic Verses on Amazon or find it at your local library.