Strength to Love

  

Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr.   158 pages

There was more to Martin Luther King, Jr. than as the leading representative of the early 1960s Civil Rights Movement. He was a Baptist preacher first and foremost. And here we have a collection of his sermons, some written while he was jailed.

This is the third of the five books King collected/wrote before his tragic assassination in 1968. They were composed during the years 1955-1963. It’s also one of his most requested works.

Theses short and meditative sermons, crafted during the heyday of the Civil Rights Movement, are predominately about racial segregation in America. They have a heavy emphasis “on permanent religious values. I was amazed that the words spoken by King sixtyish years ago are purposeful today as they were back then. Well, the first ten spoke to today’s racial unrest; the other five didn’t for me, carry the weight of modern times.

His widow, Coretta Scott King, wrote in a Forward that was penned in 1981:  "I believe it is because this book best explains the central element of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence: His belief in a divine, loving presence that binds all life. That insight, luminously conveyed in this classic text, here presented in a new and attractive edition, hints at the personal transformation at the root of social justice: “By reaching into and beyond ourselves and tapping the transcendent moral ethic of love, we shall overcome these evils."

One of the things I thought about as I read, is that we, event in the 21^st Century, and especially here is St. Louis, are still practicing segregation. Oh the Colored Only signs may be gone, but look at our neighborhoods. And not only in St. Louis, but around the country, blacks and whites are segregated via their neighborhoods.  Interesting concept, in my opinion, and something on which to ponder.

Instinct

Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon, 351 pages

This is the most current book in the Chronicles of Nick series.  Don't try to read these books out of order.  Even though I've read them in order, I didn't remember all of the details from the last book and I was a little confused in the beginning.  These stories are fairly simplistic and predictable but I like them anyway.  They're kind of light reads, despite the subject matter.  In this book, Nick, who is the Malachi demon, sees the world start to go wrong almost immediately.  For much of the book, no one seems to really have any idea what is happening, just that they seem to be under attack from several fronts.  Of course, everyone's survival depends on Nick learning something about his Malachi self, which he can never do easily.  Teens who like fantasy and horror stories will probably like the series.

Buried Secrets

Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon, 378 pages

Even though these books have a definite rote story to them, I still have liked all of the books I've read by Hannon so far.  Basic story has been that the male protagonist is in or related to law enforcement, the female protagonist meets him, becomes somehow involved in an investigation and thus, is endangered because of the criminal element, and is then saved by the male protagonist, who she ends up engaged to by the end of the book.  In this particular story, the female in question is also in law enforcement, Lisa Grant, who, as chief of one of the St. Louis County municipalities, is actually in charge of the case.  A group of human bones have been found and she is in charge of solving the mystery that may or may not involve homicide.  Called in to help is Mac McGregor, a detective with St. Louis County.  As the two uncover more and more information, they grow closer and also find that the case may be more dangerous than they ever dreamed.  I enjoy Hannon's writing and her stories.  There's just enough of an element of danger to keep things interesting, even when you know that the protagonists will be fine in the end.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, 300 pages

After finding the notes of a famed alchemist, an intrepid Professor and his skeptical nephew embark upon an expedition to discover a passage to the Earth's core. Together with their devoted guide Hans they journey down an extinct Icelandic volcano and discover an astonishing subterranean world.

To me this wasn't as good as some of Verne's previous books that I read. I felt that the slower pace at the beginning of the book made it a little harder to get into. The characters themselves weren't all that interesting as we really don't learn that much about them, that and the wordy over descriptiveness hinder the enjoyment of this book.

Adamastor

Adamastor by Roy Campbell, 101 pages

A collection of poems by one of the foremost English language poets of the first half of the twentieth century, the poems of Adamastor are largely traditional in style, with Campbell's African background supplying an exotic element.  The dense imagery is difficult but rewarding, for his poetry is, like his description of a cobra, "venomous with truth."

Our Souls at Night

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
179 Pages

"A spare yet eloquent, bittersweet yet inspiring story of a man and a woman who, in advanced age, come together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future. In the familiar setting of Holt, Colorado, home to all of Kent Haruf's inimitable fiction, Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, Louis Waters. Her husband died years ago, as did his wife, and in such a small town they naturally have known of each other for decades; in fact, Addie was quite fond of Louis's wife. His daughter lives hours away in Colorado Springs, her son even farther away in Grand Junction, and Addie and Louis have long been living alone in houses now empty of family, the nights so terribly lonely, especially with no one to talk with. Their brave adventures--their pleasures and their difficulties--are hugely involving and truly resonant, making Our Souls at Night the perfect final installment to this beloved writer's enduring contribution to American literature."

A short novel that is touching.  I enjoyed it in one sitting.

A Paris Affair

A Paris Affair by Tatiana De Rosnay
114 Pages

"What takes place in Paris when husbands and wives tangle with infidelity? In this compulsively readable collection, Tatiana de Rosnay paints a portrait of forbidden loves in many shades - sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous, sometimes heartfelt, always with a dry wit and unflinching authenticity. A PARIS AFFAIR will take you on a vacation overseas, into the hidden lives of husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, where illicit desire wars with duty, and where a French take on romance will surprise you every time."

A short series of vignettes that leaves you wondering who peed on the author's Wheaties.   Women and men cheating on each other in Paris could be the subtitle.   Not recommended.

Ink and Bone

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
355 Pages

"In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.... Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly--but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family's spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library's service. When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life--and soon both heretics and books will burn."

Another book I highly recommend.  Caine has created what I hope is the start of a new series.

Goblin Emperor

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison 446 Pages
"The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir. Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment. Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne-or his life. Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor is an exciting fantasy novel, set against the pageantry and color of a fascinating, unique world, is a memorable debut for a great new talent."
An excellent book, I highly recommend.  The whole goblin/elf theme is very subdued and has little to do with the story or plot

Broken Homes

Broken Homes by  Ben Aaronovitch
324 Pages


"My name is Peter Grant, and I am a keeper of the secret flame -- whatever that is. Truth be told, there's a lot I still don't know. My superior Nightingale, previously the last of England's wizardly governmental force, is trying to teach me proper schooling for a magician's apprentice. But even he doesn't have all the answers. Mostly I'm just a constable sworn to enforce the Queen's Peace, with the occasional help from some unusual friends and a well-placed fire blast. With the new year, I have three main objectives, a) pass the detective exam so I can officially become a DC, b) work out what the hell my relationship with Lesley Mai, an old friend from the force and now fellow apprentice, is supposed to be, and most importantly, c) get through the year without destroying a major landmark. Two out of three isn't bad, right? A mutilated body in Crawley means another murderer is on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil, who may either be a common serial killer or an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man -- a man whose previous encounters I've barely survived. I've also got a case about a town planner going under a tube train and another about a stolen grimoire. But then I get word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on a housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans, and inhabited by the truly desperate. If there's a connection to the Crawley case, I'll be entering some tricky waters of juristiction with the local river spirits. We have a prickly history, to say the least. Just the typical day for a magician constable."

 I am enjoying this series although it has its valleys and peaks in writing and story development. 

Foxglove Summer

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch.325 Pages  "When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved. It's purely routine--Nightingale, Peter's superior, thinks he'll be done in less than a day. But Peter's never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get. But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain's most junior wizard after all. Soon Peter's in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear...."  The series remains strong and leaves the reader waiting for the next book.  What I enjoy about the books is that the hero of the story doesn't go through beating after beating and yet overcome the odds.  Peter Grant just steadily does his job and sometimes he ends up on top and sometimes gets his heinie handed to him.

Apocalypse Cow

Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan
347 Pages


"If you think you've seen it all -- WORLD WAR Z, THE WALKING DEAD-- you haven't seen anything like this. From the twisted brain of Michael Logan comes "Apocalypse Cow," a story about three unlikely heroes who must save Britain . . . from a rampaging horde of ZOMBIE COWS "Forget the cud. They want blood." It began with a cow that just wouldn't die. It would become an epidemic that transformed Britain's livestock into sneezing, slavering, flesh-craving four-legged zombies. And if that wasn't bad enough, the fate of the nation seems to rest on the shoulders of three unlikely heroes: an abattoir worker whose love life is non-existent thanks to the stench of death that clings to him, a teenage vegan with eczema and a weird crush on his maths teacher, and an inept journalist who wouldn't recognize a scoop if she tripped over one. As the nation descends into chaos, can they pool their resources, unlock a cure, and save the world? Three losers. Overwhelming odds. One outcome . . . Yup, we're screwed."

MOOOOOO!!   How could you pass up a book with this title?  It is actually a pretty good read, not really a zombie novel and more of a pandemic book.

The mechanical

The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis
471 Pages


"In an early 20th century where history took a decidedly different turn, the world is divided in two: the realm of the Dutch and their mechanical servitors in the empire ruled by the Brassworks Throne and the battered and pathetic remnants of France living in exile in the New World. Jax is a Clakker, a mechanical man built to obey the will of the humans who used alchemy to set him in motion. When a quirk of chance frees him from the geas ("alchemical binding") that usually controls all Clakkers absolutely, he will do anything to retain his free will. Meanwhile, in New France, Berenice is the spymaster charged with finding a way to defeat the Dutch, but she overreaches when she tries to capture a Clakker."

An interesting start to what might be a new series.  Tregillis not only creates a fascinating alternate world but explores free will and self-awareness.

Where they Found Her

Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
326 Pages

"At the end of a long winter in well-to-do Ridgedale, New Jersey, the body of an infant is discovered in the woods near the town's prestigious university campus. No one knows who the baby is, or how her body ended up out there. But there is no shortage of opinions. When freelance journalist, and recent Ridgedale transplant, Molly Anderson is unexpectedly called upon to cover the story for the Ridgedale Reader, it's a risk, given the severe depression that followed the loss of her own baby. But the bigger threat comes when Molly unearths some of Ridgedale's darkest secrets, including a string of unreported sexual assaults going back twenty years. Meanwhile, Sandy, a high school dropout, searches for her volatile and now missing mother, and PTA president Barbara struggles to help her young son, who's suddenly having disturbing outbursts. Told from the perspectives of Molly, Barbara, and Sandy, Kimberly McCreight's taut and profoundly moving novel unwinds the tangled truth about the baby's death, revealing that these three women have far more in common than they realized. That the very worst crimes are committed against those we love. And that--sooner or later--the past catches up to all of us."

A pretty good story with some red herrings to keep you in suspense until the end.  

Governor's Wife

The Governor's Wife by Michael Harvey
237 Pages

"When Illinois Gov. Raymond Perry is sentenced to prison for fraud and racketeering, he enters an elevator in Chicago's Dirksen Building and disappears. Soon afterward, PI and ex-cop Michael Kelly gets an anonymous email offering him $200,000 to find Perry, no questions asked. Naturally, he begins with Mrs. Perry, an enigma who fears that her husband is dead. Further probing, with help from a cop friend, leads to a mysterious construction conglomerate where Kelly is violently warned off. It appears that a shadowy political cabal is behind a decades-long skimming of road construction funds with the governor so much involved that $60 million has gone missing with him. The ruthless pols are eliminating anyone involved while they pressure Kelly to find the money."

Harvey's books are similar to Michael Connelly and early Robert Parker.  I highly recommend any in his series.  The only fault I have with the book is that it is too short.

Gone and Done It

Gone and Done It by Maggie Toussaint
275 Pages


"While planting a cherry tree, landscaper and pet-sitter Baxley Powell digs up a skull. As she waits for the cops, she dreamwalks to identify the victim. Once her findings prove helpful, the sheriff agrees to pay her for consulting, if she closes cases.A widow and single mom, Baxley needs this consulting gig. Her in-laws want custody of her daughter, so she has to be self-sufficient. Complications arise when a fresh body is found on Baxley's jobsite, planting her in the suspect pool. Concurrently, her father steps down as county dream walker, passing the honor to her. Some honor. People need help, and she barely knows what to do.With a killer dogging her heels and spirits nipping at her mind, Baxley follows her dreams."

An interesting twist on mysteries but the book can't decide whether to be humorous or serious

Something Beautiful for God

Something Beautiful for God: Mother Teresa of Calcutta by Malcolm Muggeridge, 110 pages

When television personality Malcolm Muggeridge took a documentary film crew into the slums of Calcutta to film the work of a little Albanian nun as she cared for the poorest of the poor, she reluctantly accepted the imposition with the words, "Let's do something beautiful for God."  Mother Teresa had left behind the Sisters of Loreto, with whom she had taught girls from India's growing upper class, years earlier, to toil in obscurity.  She was joined by a few disciples, most of them former students.  The sisters took in orphans, lepers, and those rejected by the local hospitals as beyond hope.  Their aim was not only to provide what material help they could, but, more importantly, to incarnate the love of God for those forgotten by society.

This book, a companion and extension of the documentary, chronicles Muggeridge's time with Bl Teresa of Calcutta.  It is very much Muggeridge's story, a merely Christian portrait of a saintly nun aimed at people who, like Muggeridge himself at the time, are attracted by her but less sympathetic towards her Church.  The author never bowdlerizes Bl Teresa's Catholicism - to the contrary, her eucharistic devotion and attitude towards suffering are presented as central to her life and work.

A vital portrait of a saint, an explanation of what her example meant for Christians in the late twentieth century, and what it means for Christianity today.

Patriot Games

Patriot Games by Tom Clancy, 540 pages

This is the first Tom Clancy book I have read, and I am ashamed to admit that I saw the movie before I read the book (please don't judge; I wouldn't do that to you). While Harrison Ford kicked butt as the main character, Jack Ryan, in the movie version, I will stick to the somewhat new adage of "the book was better."


Not only was the book better, it was also significantly different than the movie. I think I even read a tidbit of trivia that stated how Tom Clancy disassociated himself with the film after he read the script.

Tom Clancy is altogether a different bird than what I'm used to reading. While the book is packed full of action, you don't really get the sense of action-packed due to the extreme introspections and reflections each character goes through. I will admit, it did make the book go by faster for me (see 540 pages) once I figured that out and was able to skim through the sections that had little bearing on understanding the plot.

Overall, I am not disappointed that I read Patriot Games. It definitely takes patience, and one has to admire Clancy's gumption with the plot (assassination attempt of the royal family...come on!).

The Little Paris Bookshop

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George   392 pages

The Little Paris Bookshop is quite an unusual bookstore with an equally unusual proprietor. Monsieur Jean Perdu’s bookstore is floating barge along the Seine. Perdu considers himself a literary apothecary.. He can prescribe just the write book to meets the needs of the buyer.

However, there is one person Perdu cannot ease the symptoms of what ails him, no matter what book he selects. That person is himself. He is heartbroken. Twenty-one years ago, his true love, Manon, left him. She sent a letter which he has never opened because he is sure it contains usual lines: “it’s not you, it’s me;” “I’m not ready for the love you have to give;” yada, yada, yada.

But now things are changing in his apartment building. A new tenet has arrived with only the clothes in her back. The building manager asks all the residents for a donation. Perdu has been assigned a table.

Yes he has a table, but that means entering the lavender room he shared with Manon, which has been sealed shut for twenty-one years. Torn between his reluctance to enter the room and his desire to help his new neighbor, Catherine, he wills himself to enter and takes the table across the hall.

Catherine find Manon’s letter and returns it. Faced with its actual presence again, Perdue opens it. Manon’s words shock him to his core; what she says and requests is nothing, nothing, like he imagined.

Perdue decides to go looking for Manon to learn for himself if her words were true. He casts off the lines of his barge and begins the long trek south to Manon’s home. He is joined by his two cats, and at the last second, by another apartment-building neighbor, Max, who is looking to escape his sudden fame and complete writer’s block.

The story of the journey takes up roughly two-thirds of the book. I didn’t care for the slapstick antics that ensued. It didn’t help that an Italian chef, also looking for a long-lost love, joined the merry cast. The slapstick got in the way of the story for me, making the story seem somewhat unbelievable. I also felt lost with all the names of the villages that the characters traveled through, even though the author supplied one. All in all, I really like the first and last fourths of the story. The characters evoked empathy in these sections.

Mosquito Coast

The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux, 374 pages

It is the early '80s, and America is falling apart, drowning in the garbage of its consumerist excess, splitting apart along racial and class lines, sweating in terror of an implacable enemy.  Allie Fox sees this, even if no one else does, and transplants his family from rural Massachusetts to the Honduran jungle, seeking a fresh start and a better way.  Brilliant and fiercely determined, nothing will stop Allie from building his version of heaven or hell.

Teenaged Charlie Fox suffers being the focus of his father's attempts to force human nature to conform to his will.  As the narrator, he shares with us his struggle to find sanity in a world ruled by madness.

An uncomfortable, haunting tale.

Losing Mum and Pup

Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir by Christopher Buckley, 251 pages

In twelve months, Christopher Buckley (author of Thank You for Smoking and Boomsday) lost first  his mother Patricia Buckley (famed socialite and member of the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame) and then his father, William F Buckley, Jr (founder and editor of National Review, host of Firing Line for 33 years, author of over 50 books).  Both died after long illnesses, with William's condition deteriorating rapidly after his wife's death.  As their only child, much of the burden of care fell upon Christopher.  Losing Mum and Pup is the story of that year, and, seen through it, all the years before, three remarkable lives entangled together, not always happily.

Author Buckley is well aware that losing parents is not a unique event, and that a successful author from a wealthy, distinguished family is not generally a suitable object of pity (pity and sympathy are, of course, different things).  Some of the passages, taken by themselves, would seem horribly egocentric - if it was possible to make such a judgement of a man as he told you of his last words to his dying mother.  Buckley is primarily a satirist, and he is deftly able to defuse the pathos with humor before it becomes overwhelming.

A touching book about life, love, and loss that also happens to be really funny.

Pieces And Players

Pieces And Players by Blue Balliet, 306 pages

This book brings together several characters from previous books to help solve the mystery of the stolen art from the Farmer Museum.  Thirteen pieces of art were stolen and no one knows how but Calder, Petra, and Tommy have experience in this area.  With the help of Zoomy and Early, they plan to solve the mystery and recover the art.  They may be only thirteen, but they’re smart and resourceful.  I liked the book.  Kids that like realistic fiction about kids who can get things done will enjoy this book and probably Balliet’s other books as well.

Golden Fool

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb, 520 pages

This is the second book in The Tawny Man series.  So far, I've really liked everything I've read by Hobb and this book was no exception.  Fitz has been reluctantly trying to teach Prince Dutiful the Skill, and while he is considering the idea that letting the Skill die might be a good thing, Chade is trying to find more people with the Skill to form a coterie for the Prince.  Fitz has a lot of personal distractions, which is bad because the Piebalds are still around and people who are Witted are still being persecuted.  The Prince's betrothal may be in jeopardy, and a coalition from Bingtown wants the Six Duchies to enter into their war against Chalced.  The Queen wants Fitz's council on some of these matters and Fitz needs to keep his wits about him but when his son is acting out in town and his former lovers are vying for attention, Fitz has some trouble focusing on everything he needs to.  This book definitely was a little more based in all of the intrigue and relationships between characters but there was still some action.  Overall, I enjoyed it a lot.

Fairest

Fairest by Marissa Meyer, 222 pages

This the backstory of Levana from the Lunar Chronicles, and how she became queen.  While we have all come to hate Levana, who has been nothing but evil in the Lunar Chronicles series so far, it's hard not to feel some compassion for the girl who was clearly mistreated as a child, especially by her older sister, and who was clearly better suited to rule.  If she had been brought up slightly differently, it's even possible that she wouldn't have turned into the nasty piece of work she became.  I really liked this early glimpse into Levana's life and anyone who's liked the series so far will want to read this.  Teens that like fairy tale type stories also might enjoy this book, whether they've read the series or not.

Kissing Ted Callahan And Other Guys

Kissing Ted Callahan And Other Guys by Amy Spalding, 312 pages

Riley is a drummer for her band and since she and Reid found the other two members making out, they've decided they need to get more experience with members of the opposite sex.  The two of them start a journal where they keep track of their experiences and advice for each other about relationships and girls and guys in general.  Riley has a huge crush on Ted Callahan and is trying to make sure that Ted is aware of her but in the meantime, she's finding out that other guys find her attractive as well.  What will happen to her newly budding relationship with Ted if he finds out that she's been seeing other guys?  This is a light-hearted romance for teens that is well written and fun.

Deception's Princess

Deception's Princess by Esther Friesner, 324 pages

Maeve is the youngest child of the High King, who has all daughters.  She is also his favorite.  Maeve has always been spirited and her father admires that but also wants to keep her protected. Maeve fights against her father's overprotection, but her father, as king, almost always gets his way.  Maeve needs to find a way to be her own person without damaging her or her father's reputation and hopefully, keeping their relationship intact.  This was pretty typical of Friesner's books.  Although her princesses are not real people, the historical parts of the stories are true to the times, for the most part and her heroines are always strong female characters.  These are good reads for teens who like this type of book.

Wicked Charms

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton, 308 pages

Another fun-filled Lizzy and Diesel novel that made me laugh out loud a couple of times.  This time, while pursuing the Stone of Avarice, Lizzy and Diesel encounter a man, Martin Ammon, who thinks he is harboring the demon Mammon and needs the Stone, along with a few other items, to release it.  While our protagonists don't believe that the release of Mammon is real, they still need to find the Stone first.  Also, it doesn't help that Ammon's henchmen keep breaking into Lizzy's place to kidnap her or look for items they need.  And when it's not Ammon's men, it's Wulf or his sidekick, Hatchet, breaking in or kidnapping her.  I really enjoyed this addition to the series and am looking forward to the next.

Great Disruption

The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order by Francis Fukuyama, 282 pages

Beginning in the late '50s, a massive shift occurred across the western world.  Crime soared, the family disintegrated, and fertility plummeted.  These changes were not localized in a single nation, and so cannot be explained by local events or movements, but they did not take place in East Asia and were less potent in Latin America and Southern Europe, and so cannot be explained by purely technological or economic developments.  In the first half of The Great Disruption famed social theorist Fukuyama (The End of History and the Last Man) conducts a statistical investigation into the nature and causes - cultural, technological, economic and demographic - of these changes.  Central to his account is the dwindling supply of social capital, the faith people have in their neighbors and fellow citizens.

The second half of the book is more interesting.  Fukuyama sides with the sociologists over the economists to support a theory of social development that sees human beings as innately predisposed towards cooperation, rather than rational sociopaths.  Human nature's fundamentally social and political orientation encourages the emergence of cooperative structures to fill needs.  Technological and social change, Fukuyama suggests, now favor these emergent networks over less flexible hierarchies.

Ultimately, Fukuyama asserts that society will regenerate because it must.  Writing in the late '90s, he discerned a turn towards renewal - the fall of communism, the triumph of moderate liberalism with Clinton and Blair, an increasing recognition of the superiority of stable two parent families for child rearing, the upstart dotcoms challenging the old corporate giants.  The twenty-first century has thus far not continued those trends, from increasing political and economic centralization to a further decline of the family to growing tribalization.  There is an alternative to renewal Fukuyama does not consider: collapse.

From Vision to Book

Julian of Norwich's Showings: From Vision to Book by Denise Nowakowski Baker, 166 pages

This is an analysis of the works of Julian of Norwich, with a concentration on Julian's theological analysis of her mystical experience.  Baker capably explicates the theological background of the age, although knowing precisely what is relevant to understanding Julian is more difficult due to the paucity of information about her life and education.

The decision to approach Julian primarily as a theologian, rather than a mystic, establishes her as a strong individual voice, but also leads to neglecting the mystical component of Julian's work, and overemphasizing the novel elements.  It seems to misunderstand Julian on a fundamental level to ignore the mysterious component of her mystical identification of the two Adams, or the unity of Christ and the Church.

Julian of Norwich

Writings of Julian of Norwich: A Vision Showed to a Devout Woman and A Revelation of Love by Julian of Norwich, edited by Nicholas Watson and Jacqueline Jenkins, 381 pages

Julian of Norwich was an anchoress.  For some forty years she lived in a solitary cell attached to St Julian's Church in Norwich - the name by which she became known was taken from the church, her birth name having been surrendered by her upon entering the cell, when she "died to the world."  She is the first woman known to have written in English.  She wrote two works that have survived, A Vision Showed to a Devout Woman (sometimes called The Short Text) is an account of visions she received during a severe illness around the age of 30.  A Revelation of Love (aka The Long Text) was written decades later, and is an account of the same visions with the added benefit of years of reflection, meditation, and learning.  Long obscure, she experienced a twentieth century revival, notably inspiring TS Eliot.

Julian wrote in English, but Middle English, and it is the original text presented here, with notes on the facing pages to assist the reader.  This avoids the pitfalls present in either a partial updating or a full translation, and increases the sense of encounter with the woman behind the text.  Extensive critical materials are also included, to be used or ignored according to the desires of the reader.

Gone Crazy In Alabama

Gone Crazy In Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia, 293 pages

This third and finally book about the Gaither sisters was really terrific.  Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are in Alabama this summer, visiting their grandmother and Great-grandmother, Big Ma and Ma Charles.  They find out a lot of interesting family history, such as they have both white and Native American ancestry.  Also, their great grandmother has a half-sister because their great-great-grandfather was married to two women at the same time.  Ma Charles and her half-sister, Miss Trotter, don't speak to each other directly but argue and fight through their grandchildren who travel between their two houses.  They clearly love their relationship as is.   Delphine wants to see the two of them get together but it may take a tragedy for that to happen.  Funny and realistic, this is a great historical novel about sisters and family for kids.

Game Seven

Game Seven by Paul Volponi, 243 pages

Although this book was a little preachy I still thought it was a good story.  Julio's father defected from Cuba to the United States a few years ago.  Julio Senior, El Fuego, was one of Cuba's greatest pitchers, and is pitching for Miami now.  Life has been hard for Julio's family since his father left.  The whole family is under suspicion of being traitors.  His mother has to work hard just to make ends meet.  Julio had to leave school and get a job to help out and is afraid that he'll never have the chance to play ball on the Cuban team because of his father.  Then a chance comes for Julio to escape Cuba and flee to the United States.  It will mean leaving his mother and sister behind and the trip will be dangerous.  Also, Julio isn't sure exactly how he feels about his father after all of these years.  This would probably have a lot of appeal to teens, especially boys who like sports.

NYPD Red 3

NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson & Marshall Karp, 359 pages

This was typical Patterson book: fast paced and entertaining.  In this story, Tripp, the son and grandson of extremely wealthy New York businessmen, is missing and presumed kidnapped.  The family's chauffer is dead and no one is talking.  To further complicate matters, the two detectives looking into the case, Zach and Kylie, are both having problems with their personal lives right now, specifically with their significant others.  Of course, Zach and Kylie were an item once, and because of their other complications, they are clearly toying with the possibility again.  The kidnapping and murder story is pretty convoluted, which I thought was satisfyingly entertaining but could be perceived as tiredly overdone and silly.  I liked it and I think that most of Patterson's fans will be happy with the new addition to this series.

The Darkest Part Of The Forest

The Darkest Part Of The Forest by Holly Black, 328 pages

Hazel and her brother, Ben, started fighting the fairy monsters in their town when they were just kids.  Ben's music kept the monsters enthralled while Hazel killed them.  Their town has always coexisted with the fairies and usually only the tourists get in trouble.  However, there is one fairy that lives as a human because, when he was a baby a fairy tried to leave him as a changeling.  The human mother demanded her child back but kept the fairy also and since that time the fairies have been more active with locals also.  Hazel, who made a deal with the fairies when she was ten, may be the key to stopping the terror that the fairies seem to bringing to their town, but only if she can figure out the mysterious riddles that someone has been leaving for her and Ben.  This was a great fantasy that I would highly recommend to teens.

Eden West

Eden West by Pete Hautman, 310 pages

Jacob is a member of the Grace and has been raised to believe that an angel is going to come in an ark and take all of the Grace to Heaven.  At 17, Jacob is pretty satisfied with his life until the day he meets a worldly girl named Lynna while patrolling the fence.  And soon after that, another teen, Tobias, joins the Grace with his mother and sister.  Between Tobias and Lynna and the things they say, Jacob begins to question his own faith and the whole mission of the Grace.  This was a really good story and seemed to be a good account of what this type of religious cult might be like on the inside.  I think that a lot of teens who like realistic fiction would enjoy it.

Famous Last Words

Famous Last Words by Katie Alender, 312 pages

I loved this book.  It actually scared me.  I’m not sure why, exactly, because it’s not like it was so relatable to my life and I didn’t think it was that much better written than a lot of other books I’ve read but it had something going for it that really made it speak to  me.  Willa’s mom has just remarried an up-and-coming Hollywood producer, a couple of years after Willa’s dad’s death.  Willa is pretty much ok with this, except that she misses her dad, feels responsible for his death, and has been trying to contact his ghost to get his forgiveness.  Unfortunately it seems she may have contacted another spirit that is in her new house, and for some reason this spirit seems to want to communicate something to her about a rash of serial murders that have been happening in Hollywood.  I would definitely give this to teens who like suspense, thrillers, and horror.

The Way We Bared Our Souls

The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn, 276 pages

Lo is terrified that she has Multiple Sclerosis.  Her aunt recently died from MS and Lo, who has started having symptoms, can't face the possibility that she may have it too.  She meets a man who calls himself Jay and spends time with a coyote called Dakota.  Jay tells Lo that he can help her.  She needs to find four friends who also need help and he can perform a ritual that will help all of them.  Lo manages to find four friends who all have some deep problems, with drugs, illness, or memories that haunt them and they all agree to do the ritual.  However, the ritual has some unexpected consequences that could either save them or ruin them.  I mostly liked this book.  It was well written and it was a good story.  I'm not certain that I liked the ending though, but that's probably a personal preference as opposed to it actually being a bad ending.  I would definitely recommend this to teens who like realistic fiction with a touch of fantasy.

There Will Be Lies

There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake, 454 pages

Shelby's mom has always been overprotective, not letting her go anywhere on her own, homeschooling her, and never letting her talk to boys or men.  When Shelby is hit by a car, breaking her leg, her mom starts acting strange, even for her.  Shelby finds out that she isn't insured and her mom pays cash for the hospital bill.  When they release Shelby, she and her mom get in a car that her mom has rented and leave town.  Shelby's mom says that her dad isn't dead, as Shelby thought, but is alive and dangerous and may be after them.  However, Shelby doesn't think her mom is telling the truth and soon, Shelby finds herself in another world called The Dreaming, where Coyote tells her that there will be two lies and a truth and that she must kill the Crone and save the Child or the world will end.  This was a really good realistic fantasy novel that I would definitely recommend to teens who read.

The Bodies We Wear

The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts, 353 pages

Faye was only eleven years old when some dealers forced her to take Heam, a drug that most people say allows them to see Heaven.  Faye nearly overdosed but survived, and she didn’t see Heaven, but Hell.  However, people like her are outcasts.  She is forced to hide her secret every day and has had to fight the craving for more for six years.  Her one plan is to kill the people who did this to her, for revenge, both for her, and for her friend, Christian, who died that night.  Recently, Faye has met a boy who seems to like her.  He looks a lot like Christian would have, if he had lived, and he knows things about Faye that he shouldn’t, including her plan for revenge.  This was a really good book.  It was pretty strange, but I think a lot of teens that like magical reality will want to read it.

Calendar of Love

A Calendar of Love and Other Stories by George Mackay Brown, 157 pages

A collection of short stories set in the author's beloved Orkney Islands, exploring the landscape and the people who inhabit it.  There are tavern keepers, tinkers, Sikh merchants, Vikings, priests, madmen secular and religious, many sailors, and many wives and lovers of sailors.  There is sadness, treachery, tragedy, drunkenness, repentance, and joy.  

The portrait of a pastoral human community full of flawed characters occasionally illuminated by grace provokes obvious comparisons with William Faulkner, Wendell Berry, and Sholem Aleichem.  Brown, better known as a poet, has a straightforward prose style and an ease with plot that keeps his stories from ever feeling forced.

La Vita Nuova

La Vita Nuova by Dante Alighieri, translated by David R Slavitt, 144 pages

La Vita Nuova ("The New Life") is a collection of 31 sonnets written by Dante between the ages of 18 and 30, with prose introductions and explications by the poet.  The result is the story of how, at the age of 9, Dante's life began anew with his first sight of Beatrice, and how that love lasted throughout her life, and even stretched beyond death, into the eternal.

Slavitt translates the whole in a plain style, taking considerable liberties with the text.  The danger of a translation that aims to be "relatable", especially of a work distant in time and place, is that it will destroy what makes the work worth reading in the first place.  Slavitt clips Dante's wings and brings him down to earth.  The mutilated poet is easier to approach, but less interesting when reached.

Emergence of Christian Culture

The Emergence of Christian Culture in the West: The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages by Henry Taylor, 358 pages

A lawyer by training, Taylor wrote The Emergence of Christian Culture in the West as a labor of love.  Although extending as early as the first century and as late as the twelfth, the focus is on the development of culture between the fourth and seventh centuries, the critical period when paganism waned and Christianity triumphed.  In the process, classical pagan models in art, philosophy, poetry, and prose were taken over and transformed - baptized - by Christian creators to serve Christian ends.

The book is somewhat marred by the author's commitment to a post-Protestant, rationalistic pure gospel.  Not only are the apostolic fathers counted as innovators if they do not conform to this, so are the other New Testament authors, particularly St Paul.  Worse, he is haphazard in his application of this principle, as when he cites the use of the brazen serpent as a prefigurement of Christ in the Epistle of Barnabus as an indication of a trend of increasingly allegorical interpretations of Scripture, only to mention in a later chapter that Christ Himself makes the identical claim in the Gospel according to St John.  There is also a certain amount of chronological snobbery, as when he excuses St Augustine for believing in demons, on the assumption that the saint is mistaken.  These shortcomings are mostly compensated for by Taylor's generally excellent aesthetic sense.

June Totals!

Congrats to Krista R, who read the most books and pages and earned the most points in June!  Krista has graciously chosen to forgo his prize this month and asked that it be awarded to a blogger chosen at random.  On that note, Jason S, Julie E-C and Dennis M are the winners of our random drawings this month - we'll be contacting you about claiming your prizes shortly!

Check out the rest of June's results below:

June Stats:

Blogger	Books	Pages	Points
Krista R	20	7,056	25
Ed W	18	6,668	18
Jason S	14	4,821	14
Jeff S	10	4,530	12
Dennis M	13	3,143	17
Molly P	9	2,373	9
Julie E-C	7	1,962	7
TOTALS	91	30,553	102

A Table by the Window

A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge   320 Pages

I got tired of waiting for this novel from the St. Louis Public Library, so I read Book 2 in the “Two Blue Doors” trilogy, Reservations for Two a while back. I had a love/hate relationship with that one.  I posted reviews for it, so you can go peek at my thought, if you so desire.

Still I was interested in reading Book 1 so I could get the backstory.  Basically it’s the story of Juliette and Neil’s long-distance romance. All the other plot points from Book 2 are here: The passing of Juliette’s beloved grandmother, her mother’s cancer diagnosis, the introduction of Juliette’s family members, and the restaurant world/food writing world that Juliette loves. 

It becomes clear the how and why of Juliette learning that the man she called Grandfather may not be her biological ancestor. Still, I think I’m going to have to wait for Book 3 (Coming May 2016, according to the end of Book 2) to have this issue resolved.

I’m glad I read Book 2 first. Maybe because A Table by the Window didn’t pull me in as much. However, I was familiar with the characters, the plot, and the writing style so that may have had something to do with it. 

I give A Table by the Window  3 out of 5 stars.

Metaphysical Poets

The Metaphysical Poets: A Study in Religious Experience by Helen C White, 411 pages

They are a diverse group: the intellectually omnivorous John Donne, the saintly rural vicar George Herbert, the questing exile Richard Crashaw, the country doctor Henry Vaughan, and the very nearly forgotten Thomas Traherne.  Their lives stretched from 1572 to 1695.  At the same time, they were clearly linked - young Herbert knew old Donne, Crashaw was a disciple of Herbert's literary executor Nicholas Ferrar, and Vaughan credited his conversion to his reading of Herbert.  All were rooted in the Anglican Church of Andrewes, Hooker, and Laud, although pulled in various ways by Catholicism (Donne, Crashaw), Puritanism (Traherne), and Hermeticism (Vaughan).  All were suspicious of enthusiasm, all sought a way to express their religious experiences in poetic form, and all succeeded to some degree.

White conducts a reasoned, careful examination of these authors and their works, with each getting a biographical chapter followed by a critical chapter, along with introductory chapters on the historical period.  There aren't extensive selections from the poets, however, so readers not already somewhat familiar with at least some of their works are unlikely to profit much - this is a study, not an introduction.