Disagreeable Tales

Disagreeable Tales by Leon Bloy, translated by Erik Butler, 177 pages

Disagreeable Tales consists of thirty dark vignettes by the "ungrateful beggar" Leon Bloy, author of The Woman Who Was Poor.  With each story being only a few pages long, there is very little plot, only a peek into an individual well of sin, exposing shameful vices, base depravity, and cruel injustice, but most of all Bloy's favorite target, respectable hypocrisy. 

At the heart of the collection is the tale of a priest who relates the horrible crime of an anonymous penitent, a man who while walking in the country out of sheer maliciousness and desire to destroy burned down a random cottage, killing the old woman who lived there.  Upon hearing the story several men begin sobbing - each identifying himself as the penitent.  Bloy's work, at its best, has the same effect - an accusatory mirror held up to our souls.

Laudato Si'

Laudato Si'' by Pope Francis, 177 pages

Promulgated on the Feast of Pentecost this past May, Laudato Si' is Pope Francis' encyclical "On Care of Our Common Home", the Earth.  The title is, as is customary with papal pronouncements, taken from the first words of the document (usually Latin, in this case Italian), "Laudato Si', mi' Signore" - "Praise be to You, my Lord", a passage from "The Canticle of the Sun" written by the Pope's namesake, St Francis of Assisi, a celebration of the greatness of God and the kinship of all created things.

St Francis is sometimes deformed by ignorance or ideology into a free-spirited pantheist, and Laudato Si' can be oversimplified into an environmental manifesto or an "encyclical on global warming".  "The Canticle of the Sun" climaxes with a celebration of divine mercy and justice as the crowning features of providential Creation, which includes the reality of "Sister Death" alongside "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon".  Laudato Si' is a call for a turn towards the nature of things - against a utilitarian focus on technique and the manipulation of reality, and towards a renewed respect for Creation as it is given to us.  This does not mean rejecting any sort of improvement of nature - to the contrary, productive labor is a fundamental need of man, a necessity of his nature.  What it does mean is ceasing to view the world as a neutral, passive object, and beginning to recognize the essences and ends of natural things, using them respectfully, instead of according to our own insatiable appetites.

Religion and the Rise of Western Culture

Religion and the Rise of Western Culture by Christopher Dawson, 274 pages

In the second half of his contribution to the Gifford lectures, Dawson applies the principles sketched in the first half (published separately as Religion and Culture) to Western Europe, unveiling the story of how the Church drew together disparate strands - the classical heritage of Greece and Rome, the religion of Jerusalem, the politics of the Germanic peoples - to weave the culture of Europe.  From the liturgy as the vital center of the development of Western art, to the influence of religion in the understanding of kingship, the development of the guild system, and the founding of the first universities, in clear, readable prose, Dawson illustrates the role of Christianity as the centripetal force holding together the West throughout the Middle Ages.  In the process, he reveals how the Middle Ages created the cultural capital that the West has been spending ever since.

Six Gun Tarot and Shotgun Arcana

The Six-Gun Tarot and Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher, 762 pages

Beyond the pitiless 40-Mile Desert lies Golgotha, a cattle town that hides more than its share of unnatural secrets. Some say the Sheriff he is a dead man whose time has not yet come. His deputy is kin to coyotes. The mayor guards a hoard of mythical treasures. A banker's wife belongs to a secret order of assassins. And a shady saloon owner, whose fingers are in everyone's business, may know more about the town's true origins than he's letting on. A haven for the blessed and the damned, Golgotha has known many strange events.

This is Belcher's debut series, and so far it is coming along into what will hopefully become an interesting series. While the first book was little slow, and focused a little to much on getting characters introduced it easily mad up for it towards the end. With most of the character introduction done in the first book the second book was able to explore some of the characters a bit deeper. Overall this could become a good supernatural western series that I look forward to reading.

The Fellowship

The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski, 512 pages

For two decades a group of writers known as the Inklings gathered regularly in Oxford for conversation and criticism, brought together, according to CS Lewis, by a love of literature, Christian faith, and "a shared set of enemies, including atheists, totalitarians, modernists, and anyone with a shallow imagination."  The most famous members included Lewis, JRR Tolkien, anthroposophist Owen Barfield, and esoteric fantasist Charles Williams.  The Fellowship is the story of these men, their friendships, and how they formed perhaps the most influential literary clique of the twentieth century.

The Zaleskis are more interested in the work of the Inklings than their personal lives, not that they entirely neglect the latter, but the focus is on "literary lives".  Beginning with the title, the authors give Tolkien a central place in their account, equal to that of Lewis.  If this undervalues the importance of Lewis' personality within the group, it is justified by Tolkien's importance as an author.  The lives of Barfield and, especially, Williams are revealed as more troubled than is generally understood.  The book also draws in a galaxy of other Inklings beyond the canonical four, including David Cecil, Hugo Dyson, Lewis' brother Warren, and Tolkien's son Christopher.  The Inklings' meetings were not restricted to fiction, but included historical and even medical works.

While not the definitive critical account of the Inklings' influence, nor the best biography of the individual members of the group, The Fellowship ties the lives and works of the Inklings together in an extraordinarily satisfying - and revealing - way.

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer by Sydney Padua, 315 pages

The Thrilling Adventures... is an entertaining mish-mash of comics, history, alternate-history, computers, math, Alice in Wonderland, steam-punk, Victorian England and postmodern self-referential meta-footnotes.  I had to use three bookmarks to keep my place in the main text, endnotes and appendices (and I still got a bit confused on occasion).   But overall, it's an outstanding introduction to Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace's (almost) creation of the first computer and computer programs, though most of the book is set in a pocket universe and imagines a history that never actually came to be.

Padua grapples a bit with the question of who was Ada Lovelace?  Supergenius mathematical prodigy and co-inventor of the computer, or an empty symbol for politically correct feminists?  While this question is never definitively answered (the primary sources regarding Ada are sadly slim when compared to her male contemporaries), Padua does make a strong argument for a Lady Lovelace who tends toward the former description instead of the latter.  I have to admit to getting lost in some of the math and engineering discussions periodically, but Padua's humor and wonderful drawings helped pull me along through these technical sections.  I also loved the frequent guest appearances by Lovelace and Babbage's Victorian buddies including Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Charles Dickens and Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll).

Recommended for those who enjoy Kate Beaton's comics, those interested in steam powered computers, lovers of enormous rambling footnotes and Ada Lovelace groupies.

The Awful Mess: A Love Story

The Awful Mess: A Love Story by Sandra Hutchison  410 pages

When Mary and Roger Bellamy’s marriage falls apart, Mary seeks solace in the small community of Lawson, New Hampshire. Lawson is typical of a very, very small town. “Everyone in town knows about the young divorcee from Boston who bought Miss Lacey’s house.”  And she’s hardly unpacked!

Mary isn’t a religious person, but she has made her first new friend in Arthur Tennant, the rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. She looks forward to their meetings on the Main Street Bridge. She enjoys Arthur’s company. She knows he’s in an unhappy marriage and can both sympathize and empathize his position. Before long, each falls into a serious case of like.

Arthur is also helping Mary and introducing her to some of the other locals…in particular the town cop, Winslow. Each feels the attraction. Winslow is single and extremely handsome.

Mary is enjoying settling down into her new life. She was able to keep her job as an editor thanks to telecommuting. Now she’s gotten word that the company is getting ready for a big layoff.  She is hopefully that she’ll get lucky and survive. After all, there isn’t any publishing industry job sin Lawson.

There’s a lot going on in Mary’s life: Arthur, whom she had a one-night stand; Winslow, whom she’s unsure of her feelings; and the potential of having to pack up and move when she’s just settled in. And oh yeah, she’s pregnant. After years and years of being told she was incapable of having children, it looks like a miracle has happened! Then Roger reappears to wreak havoc on her life. His interference is shocking.

Mary is a no-nonsense kind of gal. She picks herself up and dusts herself off when the going gets tough. And boy, oh boy, are things getting tough.

I’m a new fan of author Hutchison. I thoroughly enjoyed her other novel, The Rib and Thigh Bones of Desire. Her characters are down to earth and believable, the story lines realistic, the pacing is superb. I was pulled in immediately with the first sentence. Hutchison creates vivid worlds and characters.

I highly recommend The Awful Mess; A Love Story. It’s the perfect book to curl up on the couch with…I wasn’t able to put it down.

 I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Tightrope Walkers

The Tightrope Walkers by David Almond, 326 pages

This is the story of Dominic Hall, and his best friend, Holly Stroud.  Dom is the son of a common laborer and Holly is the daughter of a draughtsman, but the two have always been thick as thieves.  Both are very intelligent and everyone expects great things from them.  But Dom is also attracted to Vincent, the resident bad boy, who is almost certainly nothing but trouble.  This is mostly a story about growing up and coming of age.  It was pretty good, but with the English slang written out the way it is it's also a kind of difficult read.  This book is mostly going to be for teens who really like reading and are willing to take on more challenging books.

Avenue of Mysteries

Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving
480 Pages


"In Avenue of Mysteries, Juan Diego—a fourteen-year-old boy, who was born and grew up in Mexico—has a thirteen-year-old sister. Her name is Lupe, and she thinks she sees what's coming—specifically, her own future and her brother's. Lupe is a mind reader; she doesn't know what everyone is thinking, but she knows what most people are thinking. Regarding what has happened, as opposed to what will, Lupe is usually right about the past; without your telling her, she knows all the worst things that have happened to you.

Lupe doesn't know the future as accurately. But consider what a terrible burden it is, if you believe you know the future—especially your own future, or, even worse, the future of someone you love. What might a thirteen-year-old girl be driven to do, if she thought she could change the future?

As an older man, Juan Diego will take a trip to the Philippines, but what travels with him are his dreams and memories; he is most alive in his childhood and early adolescence in Mexico. As we grow older—most of all, in what we remember and what we dream—we live in the past. Sometimes, we live more vividly in the past than in the present.

Avenue of Mysteries is the story of what happens to Juan Diego in the Philippines, where what happened to him in the past—in Mexico—collides with his future."

I found the parts set in the past of Juan Diego to be the most compelling parts of the book.  Juan Diego's adventures in the Philippines with the two mysterious women detracted from my overall enjoyment.  If you are a John Irving fan you will probably be able to slog through this book when it comes out in November.  If you are on the fence I would recommend skipping it and reading A Prayer for Owen Meaney or Hotel New Hampshire.

All Together Now

All Together Now by Gill Hornby
328 Pages

"The small town of Bridgeford is in crisis. Downtown is deserted, businesses are closing, and the idea of civic pride seems old-fashioned to residents rushing through the streets to get somewhere else. Bridgeford seems to have lost its heart. But there is one thing that just might unite the community--music. The local choir, a group generally either ignored or mocked by most of Bridgeford's inhabitants, is preparing for an important contest, and to win it they need new members, and a whole new sound. Enlisting (some may say drafting) singers, who include a mother suffering from empty-nest syndrome, a middle-aged man who has just lost his job and his family, and a nineteen-year-old waitress who dreams of reality-TV stardom, the choir regulars must find--and make--harmony with neighbors they've been happy not to know for years. Can they all learn to work together, save the choir, and maybe even save their town in the process?"

A cute novel that I enjoyed.  It did fall down a couple of times on developing the relationships between the singers but I liked the ending.

Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
318 Pages

"Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later, the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something. When Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist, unwittingly interferes, Thaniel is torn between opposing loyalties. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the reader on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles long-standing traditions, and beyond. Blending historical events with dazzling flights of fancy, it opens doors to a strange and magical past."

An enchanting novel with memorable characters, I would recommend.  

Bombs Away

Bombs Away by Harry Turtledove
432 Pages
 
"China decides it cannot risk the possibility of America's total victory in the Korean War, and, just five years after Japan's surrender to the U.S., the People's Republic of China joins the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea in the war to preserve and spread communism throughout the Korean peninsula. In response, a frightened U.S. annihilates Manchuria with its most effective weapon to date: the atomic bomb.This leads to retaliation by the Russians and the slide into World War III."

Turtledove is known for his alternate history book and this one explores the premise of Truman allowing MacArthur to utilize the atomic bomb in the Korean conflict.  The weakness of the book is that there is little character development so you don't get very invested in their fates.  The escalation of hostilities between the US and Russia wears on the reader and the horror of the war is numbing. 

Three Body Problem

The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
399 Pages

"Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion."

This was a difficult book for me to get into.  Part of the reason was that I always have trouble with Chinese names seeming similar to me.  It made it difficult to keep track of the characters and then the book relied less on strong characterization and seemed a little dry.

Fool's Quest

Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb
754 Pages

"The harrowing adventures of FitzChivalry Farseer and his enigmatic friend the Fool continue in Robin Hobb's triumphant follow-up to Fool's Assassin . But Fool's Quest is more than just a sequel. With the artistry and imagination her fans have come to expect, Hobb builds masterfully on all that has gone before, revealing devastating secrets and shocking conspiracies that cast a dark shadow over the history of Fitz and his world--a shadow that now stretches to darken all future hope. Long ago, Fitz and the Fool changed the world, bringing back the magic of dragons and securing both the Farseer succession and the stability of the kingdom. Or so they thought. But now the Fool is near death, maimed by mysterious pale-skinned figures whose plans for world domination hinge upon the powers the Fool may share with Fitz's own daughter. Distracted by the Fool's perilous health, and swept up against his will in the intrigues of the royal court, Fitz lets down his guard . . . and in a horrible instant, his world is undone and his beloved daughter stolen away by those who would use her as they had once sought to use the Fool--as a weapon. But FitzChivalry Farseer is not without weapons of his own. An ancient magic still lives in his veins. And though he may have let his skills as royal assassin diminish over the years, such things, once learned, are not so easily forgotten. Now enemies and friends alike are about to learn that nothing is more dangerous than a man who has nothing left to lose."

This is the second book of the third farseer trilogy Hobb has written revolving around Fitzchivalry  Farseer and the fool.  I love Robin Hobb and she is one of my favorite authors and she doesn't disappoint in this book.  If you have read the other books in the series you'll be happy with this latest entry.  If you haven't read them I highly recommend reading them first since they build and set the stage for this trilogy. 

Who Let the Dog Out

Who Let the Dog Out by David Rosenfelt
324 Pages


"A lawyer by day-and then only when he's forced to take on new cases-Andy Carpenter's true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. So it's frightening when Willie calls him to say the alarm has gone off at the foundation building, and there's clearly been a break-in. It turns out that a recently rescued dog, nicknamed Cheyenne since her arrival at the foundation, has been stolen. Andy and Willie track the missing dog to a house in downtown Paterson, New Jersey and sure enough, they find the dog...standing right next to a dead body. The man had been gruesomely murdered mere minutes before Andy and Willie arrived. Could it be a coincidence? Or could the dog theft somehow be connected to the killing? Andy takes Cheyenne safely back to the foundation building, and that should be the end of his involvement, but Andy's curiosity-and his desire to keep the dog from further harm-won't let him stop there. The cops have just arrested a man named Tommy Infante for the murder, but as Andy looks into the circumstances surrounding the break-in and the dog theft, he starts to wonder if Infante might actually be innocent. And when Andy takes Infante on as a client and starts searching in earnest for evidence that will exonerate him, what Andy starts to discover terrifies him. The murder might be just one small cog in a plot with far-reaching implications, and unless Andy can uncover the truth in time, thousands of lives could be in imminent danger."

I like Rosenfelt's writing style but his plots are starting to wear thin with elaborate conspiracies.  I wish he would keep the action in the courtroom because that is the true strength of the books. 

Good and Cheap: Eat Well On $4/Day

Good and Cheap: Eat Well On $4/Day by Leanne Brown
190 Pages

"A perfect and irresistible idea: A cookbook filled with delicious, healthful recipes created for everyone on a tight budget--and a cookbook with a strong charitable component: With every copy of Good and Cheap purchased, a second copy will be given to a person or family in need. While studying food policy as a master's candidate at NYU, Leanne Brown asked a simple yet critical question: How well can a person eat on the $4 a day given by SNAP, the U.S. government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program informally known as food stamps? The answer is surprisingly well: Broiled Tilapia with Lime, Spicy Pulled Pork, Green Chile and Cheddar Quesadillas, Vegetable Jambalaya, Beet and Chickpea Salad--even desserts like Coconut Chocolate Cookies and Peach Coffee Cake. In addition to creating nutritious recipes that maximize every ingredient and use economical cooking methods, Ms. Brown gives tips on shopping; on creating pantry basics; on mastering certain staples--pizza dough, flour tortillas--and saucy extras that make everything taste better, like spice oil and tzatziki; and how to make fundamentally smart, healthful food choices."

While some of the recipes were interesting, nothing really caught my eye.  

Iron Assassin

Iron Assassin by Ed Greenwood
320 Pages

"In Ed Greenwood's The Iron Assassin , Victoria never ascended the throne; the House of Hanover held England only briefly before being supplanted by the House of Harminster. It is a time of gaslamps and regularly scheduled airship flights, of trams and steam-driven clockwork with countless smoke-belching stacks. London, the capitol of the Empire of the Lion, is a filthy, crowded, fast-growing city where a series of shocking murders threatens the throne itself. Energetic young inventor Jack Straker believes he has created a weapon to defend the Crown: a reanimated, clockwork-enhanced corpse he can control. He introduces "the Iron Assassin" to the highly placed Lords who will decide if Straker's invention becomes a weapon of the Lion-or something to be destroyed. It quickly becomes apparent that the Iron Assassin is more self-willed than Straker intended, and that the zombie's past life is far more sinister than Straker thought. Has he created a runaway monster? Or the best guardian the Lion could ever hope for?"

Not recommended.  I found the plot to be muddled and difficult to follow with too many Lords and no solid central character.  

In The Unlikely Event

In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume, 402 pages

This is told from several different points of view, but the main focus is Miri, a 15 year old girl in Elizabeth, NJ, in 1952.  That year there were three plane crashes, resulting in many deaths, both people on board and people in town.  People in town are demanding that the nearby Newark airport be closed, believing that would end the tragedies.  Miri isn’t sure how to process all of the tumult around her, not just the aftermath from the crashes, which has affected her friends and family, some very deeply, but also the normal upheaval that comes with growing up and other changes within her family.  The very beginning and ending of the story are set in the 1980s, so the readers get a glimpse into the characters’ later lives also.  Although the story is fictional, the plane crashes were real and had about the same effect on the community as what is portrayed in the story.  I really liked this book.  I’ve always liked Blume’s writing and if anything, I think she’s gotten better with age.

Tiger's Promise

Tiger's Promise by Colleen Houck, 125 pages

"Before the curse, there was a promise. A prequel to the bestselling Tiger’s Curse series, this much anticipated novella recalls the beginning of Ren and Kishan’s story. Before Kelsey there was a girl, raised by a villain, whose love for a hero changed the course of history. Trapped under the thumb of her abusive and powerful father Lokesh, Yesubai struggles to keep her own magical abilities secret while evading his dark powers. When Lokesh promises Yesubai to the prince of a neighboring kingdom, she becomes the central pawn in his plot to destroy the ruling family and take power for himself. Yesubai is trapped by her father's threats and desperate to protect the man she comes to love, but she knows that any decision she makes will have dire consequences. As dark forces gather around her, Yesubai must decide if she's willing to reveal that somewhere deep within her she has the power to change everything."  I really like this series and thought that this short prequel was also good.  Teens, especially girls, who like fantasy, will enjoy this series.

City 1

City 1 by Gregg Rosenblum, 282 pages

"From the creators of Homeland and American Horror Story comes City 1, the chilling finale to the Revolution 19 trilogy. The time has come to win the cities back from the bots--or die trying. After finally reuniting at a rebel camp, siblings Nick, Kevin, and Cass are willing to do anything to stay together--and free their parents from bot rule. But the leader of the rebel camp has her own ideas. Cruel and determined, General Clay won't let anything stand in the way of her plan to destroy the robots and all the brainwashed humans. This means their parents' lives are at stake, but Nick, Kevin, and Cass can't desert the rebels when they're so close to freedom. How far will they go to save the world they believe in?"  I really liked this book.  I thought it was a great conclusion to a good series.  This might have been my favorite of the trilogy, actually.  Teens who like the dystopian novels will enjoy it.