Fans of the girl down the rabbit hole have much to celebrate this year. In addition to a new Tim Burton movie version of Through the Lookingglass, thrFans of the girl down the rabbit hole have much to celebrate this year. In addition to a new Tim Burton movie version of Through the Lookingglass, three glorious new editions of the original books are hitting the shelves in time for holiday giving.
The Annotated Alice has set the bar for Alice criticism since its debut in 1959. Martin Gardner's succinct explanations of the mathematical riddles,Victorian literary allusions and Oxford gossip hidden in this most perplexing of children's stories suddenly made everyone see the books as far more than mere "nonsense". This new volume includes over 100 new or updated annotations, more than 100 new color illustrations by such artists as Salvador Dalí, Beatrix Potter, and Ralph Steadman, and a filmography of every Alice-related film.
But Gardner has a competitor: new kid in town David Day is taking a crack at Alice-olatry. Alice Decoded sees Carroll's work as a kind of primer on Victorian education. Although he too connects the various odd characters to their "real life" counterparts, Day contends that the book is a " memory palace, given to Alice as the great gift of an education. It was delivered in coded form because in that age, it was a gift no girl would be permitted to receive in any other way."While that may or may not be true, this is a great read, and like the Gardner, includes beautiful color illustrations, many full page.
Finally for sheer trippy pleasure, take a look at the Salvador Dali Alice. Originally available only as a (very expensive) limited edition, Dali's surrealist take is the perfect complement to Carroll's absurdist situations.
How to review the perfectly written book? The language of the review can never adequately convey the power and beauty of the reviewee. Given my mediocHow to review the perfectly written book? The language of the review can never adequately convey the power and beauty of the reviewee. Given my mediocre literary skills, how can I convey to you, the reader, the absolute necessity, the urgent imperative to absorb and savor and share Tara Ison's extraordinary essays, as you would prize chocolate truffles?
Is this a memoir or a work of film criticism? I can't even answer that (and depending on your bookstore or library you may find it in either section). It is definitely NOT a chronological narrative, either of Ison's life or of late 20th century cinema. Rather, in each of 9 essays, Ison reflects on an aspect of her identity, and how it was shaped (and often misshaped) by movies. Thus, "How to Be Lolita" "How to Lose Your Virginity" and "How to Be a Slut" contrast Ison's own experiences of sexual awakening with impressions she gained from watching films like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie or Fast Times at Ridgemont High; "How to Be a Jew" explores Ison's secular Jewish upbringing and how Fiddler on the Roof and The Chosen affirmed her connection to the complexities and bitterness of Jewish experience.
By far the most powerful essays are the two that reflect on aging and death: "How to Be Mrs Robinson" and "How to Die With Style". Elegantly weaving together images and dialog from The Graduate, The Last Picture Show and The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, Ison recounts, unsentimentally her affair with a much younger man, and the realization (gained from movies) that she must end it to retain any sense of self:
"So I tell my sweet young man that our time together has come to an end. That he's lovely, but this no longer works for me...Because this feels like the last elegant, self-assured, self-protective thing I can do. Older skin is thinner, more delicate. I bruise easily these days. This is the one way I can have any control over this narrative. it is the only way I can know how this part of the story will end--the only way I can sit on my own quilt, on my own bed, by myself, by choice."
Movies have warned her of what awaits the sexually aging female, the "sad stock character, the ridiculous figure of fun". But movies can also lie, and though they have helped Ison confront the inevitable tickticktick of her mortality, they have offered her a prettified, glamorized, artificially sweetened version of death: (Love Story) "Her death and her dying---was beautiful, peaceful, a lovely and loving thing or (Dark Victory) "Death is painless and glamorous, quiet and peaceful. A moment of ultimate beauty and fineness, indeed." Coming to terms with the horrors of death through the illnesses of her mother, grandmother and a family friend, Ison at last grasps the greatest lie movie have told her: there is no plan for death, there are no certainties, no death "on my own terms":
"I don't know how I will die, of course. Stylishly I hope. But still: Will I meet death head held high like a brave misjudged queen or convict? Will I be pretty and cherry-lipped in a white lace nightie, protesting that I am young and strong and nothing can touch me?
Will anyone be there to hold my hand?
Will I have lived a life that makes me ready to meet death beautifully and finely?
Or will I fight to the last, try to barricade that door, claim every last second, last breath, last beat of my heart before it is the end of the thing that is me, and the thing that is me disappears forever?
I don't now. I am writing, as all of us do , in the dark."
Oh, goody! A new Karin Fossum mystery. And--it's one of her Inspector Sejer mysteries. Cool-headed Sejer and his charming junior, Skarre, are confrontOh, goody! A new Karin Fossum mystery. And--it's one of her Inspector Sejer mysteries. Cool-headed Sejer and his charming junior, Skarre, are confronted with an apparently accidental drowning of a 16-month-old toddler. The young parents, Carmen and Nicolai, are distraught: she had just popped into the bathroom for a few minutes while the boy played on the living room rug. Nicolai was working in the basement. Tommy, who had just begun walking, must have found his way out the open front door and down to the pond at the edge of their yard. Negligence for sure, but still just a terrible, terrible accident. Or is it? First Skarre then Sejer have doubts. There's just something not quite right. Fossum spins out the investigation slowly, and over the next few months, we see the two parents grieve in very different ways. Carmen, so immature and self-centered--but could she have really murdered her own child? And Nicolai, withdrawn, non-communicative--is it guilt or what? As usual, Fossum expertly sets us up for the delicious twist at the end.
I loved the first two of Helen Fielding’s books about Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones’ Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason). Bridget begins the sI loved the first two of Helen Fielding’s books about Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones’ Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason). Bridget begins the series as a woman in her thirties looking for love and trying to establish herself in her career. Daily, she chronicles in her diary all the vital statistics of her day: her weight, the calories she’s eaten, the number of cigarettes she’s smoked, the number of alcohol units she’s partaken in. The books have gained sensational popularity for a couple of reasons. First, because they are so laugh out loud funny. And second, because the struggles Bridget goes through are so very real and identifiable to many women.
(SPOILER ALERT: Book one ends with Bridget falling in love with her old childhood acquaintance, Mark Darcy. In book two, Bridget and Mark go through some relationship turmoil, but still end up together.) And then comes book three. We find that Bridget and Mark got married and had two children. But-- here comes a MAJOR spoiler alert-- in this third installment, Bridget is on her own again. Mark Darcy, who worked as a human rights lawyer, is dead, killed five years previously in a landmine incident in Darfur. His death caused public outcry from loyal readers. And while it shocked me and saddened me, I was ready to roll with it.
But in the wake of such a major, life changing event, the Bridget we knew and loved, the Bridget we felt so much for, has become hollow, whiny, self-obsessed and… dare I say it… pathetic. At 51, she is an aspiring screenwriter, bemoaning her lack of Twitter followers, late night drunk tweeting, gorging herself on shredded cheese right out of the refrigerator, online dating, and trying to convince herself that there could be a future with her 29-year-old boy toy. And to top it all off, her parenting skills leave something to be desired. The moments with her children are some of the funniest in the book, but left me feeling sorry for those poor kids. I mean, she’s so wrapped up in herself that she doesn’t even notice when one of them has a raging infection on their finger.
Setting Bridget’s character flaws aside, the writing was incredibly disjointed: jumping backwards and forwards in time, entire pages of back and forth tweets, oddly fragmented non-sentences that, true, someone might actually write in a diary, but only a diary that they themselves would be the sole reader of. The plot is incredibly predictable… that is, up until the last few pages when it just gets weird.
Long story short: if you love Bridget Jones, read at your own risk. (Jeny, Reader's Services) ...more
I’ve read all of Emily Giffin’s other novels and I’ve long been a fan of her storytelling style and the fully shaped characters that she creates. In tI’ve read all of Emily Giffin’s other novels and I’ve long been a fan of her storytelling style and the fully shaped characters that she creates. In the end, THE ONE AND ONLY was only okay, definitely my least favorite of Giffin’s books. The story centers around Shea Rigsby who is thirty-three years old and has never moved out of her small hometown of Walker, Texas, largely because of her devotion to Walker University football. The team is coached by Clive Carr, her best friend Lucy’s father, whom Shea has looked up to and admired for her entire life. When Lucy’s mother dies of cancer, everything in Shea’s life begins to change… the biggest change of all being the relationship she has with Coach Carr.
I did enjoy THE ONE AND ONLY once I got into it, but it took me FOREVER to actually do so. It was only in the last quarter of the book that the plot really seemed to move. Giffin’s usually well-developed characters felt flat and uninteresting— especially Shea, who I didn’t really care much about. There’s a lot of sports talk, too, (which really isn’t my thing) so if you’re a football fan, you’ll probably like it more than I did. (Jeny, Reader’s Services) ...more
If you're a shoe lover, what's not to love about a micro-history of the objects of your passion? From the earliest shoes--think two, maybe three, striIf you're a shoe lover, what's not to love about a micro-history of the objects of your passion? From the earliest shoes--think two, maybe three, strips of leather and no glamour at all--to the dizzying range of styles available to us moderns, British author Pedersen offers us a sole-ful look at what for some is the be-all and end-all of their wardrobes. Despite a distinctly British take on trends and design, shoe lovers in the U.S. need not fear any misunderstanding. It's no big deal to remember that "court" shoe in England equals "pump" here. And, yes, this book is over 10 years old, but carries the history of footwear well into the new millennium--you will recognize styles and trends that are still current. Nice photos abound and illustrate what all the fusses are about. Breezy commentary and captions are just right--no gushing, no overstatement. This is just a fun, little book to help you fantasize about all the glorious shoes out there, perhaps satisfying your inner Carrie Bradshaw (or Imelda?).
Housework as a maid is still drudgery fourteen year old Joan discovers when she flees her horrid father and her life of unpaid, unremitting labor on tHousework as a maid is still drudgery fourteen year old Joan discovers when she flees her horrid father and her life of unpaid, unremitting labor on the family farm. But, at least, the house in 1911 Baltimore has running water, the laundry is sent out and she receives wages. Catholic Joan, innocent and intelligent, passing for eighteen, is challenged in many ways in the observant Jewish household where she is encouraged to read through the library (after her day's duties are completed), flirted with by one of the sons, and must observe the laws of kashrut, all faithfully recorded in her journal. Joan is determined not to remain a hired girl for the rest of her life but what other choices does she have? (Nancy E., North Branch) ...more
Fans of the girl down the rabbit hole have much to celebrate this year. In addition to a new Tim Burton movie version of Through the Lookingglass, thrFans of the girl down the rabbit hole have much to celebrate this year. In addition to a new Tim Burton movie version of Through the Lookingglass, three glorious new editions of the original books are hitting the shelves in time for holiday giving.
The Annotated Alice has set the bar for Alice criticism since its debut in 1959. Martin Gardner's succinct explanations of the mathematical riddles,Victorian literary allusions and Oxford gossip hidden in this most perplexing of children's stories suddenly made everyone see the books as far more than mere "nonsense". This new volume includes over 100 new or updated annotations, more than 100 new color illustrations by such artists as Salvador Dalí, Beatrix Potter, and Ralph Steadman, and a filmography of every Alice-related film.
But Gardner has a competitor: new kid in town David Day is taking a crack at Alice-olatry. Alice Decoded sees Carroll's work as a kind of primer on Victorian education. Although he too connects the various odd characters to their "real life" counterparts, Day contends that the book is a " memory palace, given to Alice as the great gift of an education. It was delivered in coded form because in that age, it was a gift no girl would be permitted to receive in any other way."While that may or may not be true, this is a great read, and like the Gardner, includes beautiful color illustrations, many full page.
Finally for sheer trippy pleasure, take a look at the Salvador Dali Alice. Originally available only as a (very expensive) limited edition, Dali's surrealist take is the perfect complement to Carroll's absurdist situations.
Fans of the girl down the rabbit hole have much to celebrate this year. In addition to a new Tim Burton movie version of Through the Lookingglass, thrFans of the girl down the rabbit hole have much to celebrate this year. In addition to a new Tim Burton movie version of Through the Lookingglass, three glorious new editions of the original books are hitting the shelves in time for holiday giving.
The Annotated Alice has set the bar for Alice criticism since its debut in 1959. Martin Gardner's succinct explanations of the mathematical riddles,Victorian literary allusions and Oxford gossip hidden in this most perplexing of children's stories suddenly made everyone see the books as far more than mere "nonsense". This new volume includes over 100 new or updated annotations, more than 100 new color illustrations by such artists as Salvador Dalí, Beatrix Potter, and Ralph Steadman, and a filmography of every Alice-related film.
But Gardner has a competitor: new kid in town David Day is taking a crack at Alice-olatry. Alice Decoded sees Carroll's work as a kind of primer on Victorian education. Although he too connects the various odd characters to their "real life" counterparts, Day contends that the book is a " memory palace, given to Alice as the great gift of an education. It was delivered in coded form because in that age, it was a gift no girl would be permitted to receive in any other way."While that may or may not be true, this is a great read, and like the Gardner, includes beautiful color illustrations, many full page.
Finally for sheer trippy pleasure, take a look at the Salvador Dali Alice. Originally available only as a (very expensive) limited edition, Dali's surrealist take is the perfect complement to Carroll's absurdist situations.
A moving book about a timely topic--the vast pain and irrefutable injustice of the African-American experience. Coates, winner of a Polk Award for hisA moving book about a timely topic--the vast pain and irrefutable injustice of the African-American experience. Coates, winner of a Polk Award for his 2014 article "The Case for Reparations," and recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" grant, presents this book as a cautionary message to his son, Samori--with a particular focus on Samori's body. "You cannot forget how they transfigured our very bodies into sugar, tobacco, cotton, gold. You cannot forget how much they took from us."
As a person of less color living in a racially mixed community, I'm aware of the benefit conferred by my skin--but I seldom think about it. Coates's anecdotes drive home his point that Samori will often have to think about his darker skin. I find it difficult, as a parent, to ponder the psychic impact: how would my own son's mind be altered by such a forced and continuous awareness? But this is Coates's point. I have the luxury of mere sober pondering. He and his son face the actual daily experience.
In Coates's world, some fathers beat their children to protect them. "Either I can beat him, or the police [will]," one father says. The idea here is that the world is fundamentally cruel and the child must absorb the message bodily to reduce risk. To coddle a dark-skinned child, in this view, is to impart a false sense of entitlement that could later prove fatal. Coates himself reports no beating, but in the opening pages we read that, after the upsetting non-indictment in the Michael Brown case, "I didn't comfort you, because I thought it would be wrong." Where I might instinctively offer comfort, Coates instinctively teaches a painful reality. It's the difference between living in a mostly friendly environment and a mostly unfriendly one... the difference between a world of genuine opportunity and a world with "many churches and few supermarkets"... the difference between being "a black job applicant without a criminal record, and a white applicant with a record--who has about the same chance of getting hired"... the difference, in other words, "between the world" and Coates.
I do have some stylistic criticisms. To me, the tone of voice seldom seems father-to-son. More often I find Coates's rhetoric stilted, and somewhat repetitive. But again, this is criticism coming from a place of privilege. I can counsel my son more casually--and if my message doesn't get through, no biggie.
"You deserve better, and I want to protect you, but you will suffer," Coates is telling Samori. "Never forget that we were enslaved in this country longer than we have been free." It's a brutal message from a loving father.
Shoko, a Japanese war bride, wants to reconcile with her brother who disowned her when she married a hated enemy American after the war and left JapanShoko, a Japanese war bride, wants to reconcile with her brother who disowned her when she married a hated enemy American after the war and left Japan. Shoko and her husband have two adult children whom they love but who have not found the success their parents dreamed for them. Shoko suffers from the same heart problems that killed her mother and sister (results of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki?) so she convinces her daughter to travel to Japan in her place to see the relatives left there. Switching between Shoko's American present and her Japanese past and framed by paragraphs from a book given her by her new American husband called How to Be an American Housewife, slowly we see revealed the secrets Shoko tried to leave behind when she reached for a new life.
Did you hear me scream while I peddled furiously on the stationery bike (second time in same day because the book was so enthralling) when I realizedDid you hear me scream while I peddled furiously on the stationery bike (second time in same day because the book was so enthralling) when I realized it would have a sequel? Probably a trilogy since that seems to be the fad for Young Adult these days. I wanted resolution! Juneau has been raised by a group who survived in the Alaskan backwoods after the devastating WWIII. Returning from a hunt, she finds her clan missing, kidnapped. While searching for them she makes an equally upsetting discovery: she's been lied to and the world did not end. Everything outside the borders of her clan's territory is unknown to her. At the same time in LA, Miles, a privileged unhappy teen, learns that his father, who owns a large pharmaceutical corporation, has hired thugs to look for a girl who has the formula for a wonder drug. If Miles finds her and brings her to his father, will his father finally approve of him? What is the secret Juneau holds? What if Miles finds her? Will they be able to trust each other in order to find what they need to know? How will it end? You won't find out in this installment. (Readers alert-I just discovered this is a duology and the sequel is published).
This subversive and satirical novel would make an excellent discussion book and, will no doubt, make you reexamine our society. It will particularly rThis subversive and satirical novel would make an excellent discussion book and, will no doubt, make you reexamine our society. It will particularly resonate with any woman who has ever felt like an object. Plum Kettle, the heroine of this novel, is a ghostwriter for a popular teen magazine. She answers letters from unhappy teenage girls. Plum herself is unhappy with her isolated and routine life…and she is especially dismayed by her very large body. Then something unusual happens and her world is rocked. This book may not be for everyone. It is angry and odd and may push you out of your comfort zone. That said, it is a powerful and thoroughly entertaining book, and I am grateful to have read it because it reopened my eyes. (Heather R., Reader's Services)...more
A play is written to be performed in front of an audience. Reading it is a separate experience, unenriched by another person's interpretation. Is it aA play is written to be performed in front of an audience. Reading it is a separate experience, unenriched by another person's interpretation. Is it a lesser one? The reader can revel in the language, rereading lines, forming her own interpretation. It's akin to the difference between the book and the movie. This amazing and disturbing play, winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize, is a timely choice for thoughtful reading. Amir, a successful Pakistani-American lawyer in a high-powered Jewish New York firm is married to Emily, a Caucasian artist. His young cousin is involved with an Imam who has been questionably arrested and wants Amir's help. Amir wants nothing to do with Islam. His wife is enamored of Islamic art which has influenced her work, and hopes to have a show in the gallery of one of Amir's colleagues' husbands. The layers of revelation, denial, anger, betrayal weave through the dialogue concerning religion, identity, marriage, art, ambition. Akhtar has been quoted as saying, "your reading of the play tells you a lot about yourself". So read it and learn.
Other than Art Spiegelman's Maus, I never had much interest in reading graphic novels - until my colleague suggested Roz Chast's memoir of her aging pOther than Art Spiegelman's Maus, I never had much interest in reading graphic novels - until my colleague suggested Roz Chast's memoir of her aging parents' final years. The often laugh-out-loud humor and expressive images are perfect foils to the depressing, but relatable subject matter. Combining photos, actual documents, and her mother's poems with her own quirky cartoons, Chast seamlessly blends words and pictures to create a real and intimate portrait of death and dying without becoming sentimental or maudlin. She's totally honest, sometimes painfully so, not only about the state of her parents' physical and emotional health but also her own conflicting emotions and frustrations. At the end of the book are remarkable drawings of her mother's last days - there are no words accompanying them, and none are needed. This book honors her parents' memory and is a moving tribute to the author's care, devotion, and artistry. (Laura H., Reader's Services)...more
On the somewhat Byzantine continuum of Jewish observance, the Hasids (or Chasidim) fall at the weightier end. They are ultra-Orthodox, tend to be insuOn the somewhat Byzantine continuum of Jewish observance, the Hasids (or Chasidim) fall at the weightier end. They are ultra-Orthodox, tend to be insular, and to those unfamiliar with them, may be mistaken for Amish (at least as far as the men go). Within the Hasid community itself there are sects, each following a particular Rabbi's (or Rebbe's) take on things. The Lubavitchers are a less insular in that they reach out to less religious or unaffiliated Jews to proselytize a return to stricter observance. They are the ones who run the Chabad Houses on campuses and put up the Hanukkah menorahs in city squares or build sukkahs where Jewish workers in the city center can eat lunch during that autumn holiday. Almost from early childhood, Chaya was skeptical of her parents' adoration of their Rebbe. She didn't feel in her bones that God's wrath would descend if a married woman uncovered her hair or wore pants. But as a member of a warm and indulgent extended family, she was pretty happy to go along without any fuss until her teen years.
Yearning to experience the larger world, she convinced her folks that marriage (semi-arranged, of course) could wait and that Barnard (all women at that time) would suit her well. They allowed it and she thrived in that environment. Little by little her Jewish observance fell by the wayside, and her relationship with her parents became one of neutral conversations, vague descriptions of "what I did this weekend," and in the end a litany of secrets. This dance of deception continued into her thirties until she faced them with the truth. Chaya Deitsch's memoir of growing up in and then growing away from her Lubavitcher family is a nice change from the harrowing tales of other children in such situations whose lives seemed filled with emotional abuse or worse, and whose families mourned them as dead when they left the fold. In this one they are still a strongly connected family which speaks to the power of love and understanding. (Barbara L., Reader's Services) ...more
If you love Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series or any of her other stand alone novels, you will love Madeleine Wickham. Why? Because Sophie KinsellaIf you love Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series or any of her other stand alone novels, you will love Madeleine Wickham. Why? Because Sophie Kinsella and Madeleine Wickham are one and the same. The titles under 'Madeleine Wickham' (which is the author's real name) are her earlier works and have a slightly different feel than the 'Sophie Kinsella' titles. There's a different sense of humor to them, although there's just as much wit and the stories are just as compelling.
Fleur Daxeny has a pattern: she scours the obituaries of the wealthy, finds one where she is likely to meet a rich and vulnerable widower, then charms her way into his life, his home and his wallet. Once she gets all the money she can from him, Fleur is back in black and moving on. This is the plan when Fleur meets Richard Favour at the memorial for his late wife, Emily. But, as in any good novel, things go awry, plans change, and almost everyone gets a fairly happy ending. If you're looking for a breezy read that will keep you entertained until the last page, this is definitely one to check out! (Jeny, Reader's Services)...more
There is something about graphic memoirs that enable readers to immerse themselves in another’s life, both visually and through stories and—in the casThere is something about graphic memoirs that enable readers to immerse themselves in another’s life, both visually and through stories and—in the case of this book—with vivid descriptions of smells and sounds. A new world can open up, and that is exactly what happened to me when reading this book. Sattouf’s memoir of his young childhood spent in France, Libya, and Syria is one of the best that I have read in years. This is a complex book. It is often sweet but also disturbing. It is a very personal story but also casts light on larger world issues. The section on Syria is especially unsettling. Here, in a small village, Sattouf meets his extended family. The first Arabic word he learns from his violent cousins is yehudi, “Jew”—the ultimate insult. Syria is shown as broken but, at the same time, it is place that Sattouf’s father loves—both because his family is here and because he cares deeply for the country and its people. A bestseller in France, this book is the first of a trilogy. I can’t wait for the next books to come out. (Heather R.)...more
Seventeen year old Madeline lives in a bubble, suffering from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. She has not left her house since she was a sickly infaSeventeen year old Madeline lives in a bubble, suffering from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. She has not left her house since she was a sickly infant, seeing no one in real life except her mom and her nurse. Each has to spend an hour in a decomtamination chamber before entering the house. Madeline's school is online, her books her only friends. Her father and brother were killed in an accident when she was tiny so she and her mom only have each other. Until a new family moves in next door, a troubled family with a hot son Madeline's age, Madeline has understood that the limitations on her life are for her own good. Soon she is IM'ing with Ollie and wondering if life without a life is worth living. How much is she willing to risk to touch him, to breathe fresh air, to escape from herself? What will happen to her, to her mom, if she steps outside?
"Breastfed." It's a word that editors used to avoid. But thanks partly to Marian Tompson, co-founder of La Leche League (and an EPL patron), it's a wi"Breastfed." It's a word that editors used to avoid. But thanks partly to Marian Tompson, co-founder of La Leche League (and an EPL patron), it's a widely-used word and a commonplace in our culture.
In this autobiography Tompson writes in ordinary prose about what began as an ordinary life. She was "just a wife and mom" ... who happened to start a breastfeeding discussion group that exploded into La Leche League. (Why this name? Partly to avoid the word "breast.") Since 1956, when membership comprised seven friends in the Chicago-area support group, LLL has grown to several million members in over sixty countries.
In the post-war U.S., breastfeeding rates hovered around 20%. Formula-feeding had become the norm, starting from birth. But as of the 1980s, more than half of U.S. mothers were breastfeeding for at least six weeks. The overall societal impact of this shift is hard to calculate, but it includes reduced rates of neonatal illness, and a per-family cost savings of more than a thousand dollars in the first year (because baby formula is pricey).
The book describes Tompson's challenges at the personal as well as professional level. As LLL grew, Marian and her husband Tom were rearing seven children. Marian gives Tom much credit--for his logistical support of course, but more significantly for sharing her passion for LLL's work. Not every 1950s guy would've had the patience. Tom died in 1981, but Marian has kept plugging away for more than three decades since--such as in support of HIV-positive new mothers. In a charming afterword, the seven Tompson kids offer their tributes. (Jeff B., Reader's Services) ...more
It's 1942. Imagine you've just been hired by the US military to work on something top-secret only referred to as "The Project" helping to develop someIt's 1942. Imagine you've just been hired by the US military to work on something top-secret only referred to as "The Project" helping to develop something only referred to as "It." You're sent to a town in the middle of almost no place built solely for this purpose called Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where you and about 75,000 other workers from all backgrounds and educational levels do anything from menial labor to sophisticated chemical testing without really knowing why. Your job as a cubicle operator is to sit at a panel of six or seven dials making minute adjustments all day long. You don't know what your girlfriend in the next cubicle is doing, nor do you dare ask. You haven't a clue about what the folks one floor up are doing or what those in the basement of this vast, thrumming structure are up to. Kiernan's account of the lives of nine women who worked at Oak Ridge occasionally drifts into the realm of melodrama, but this fascinating book reaches well beyond the lives of these women to tell the story of the Manhattan Project and our race to build an atomic bomb.
Time was critical, secrecy was essential. Everything was spoken of only in code if spoken of at all. A flip remark or idle speculation as what it all meant could result in instant dismissal. Yet Oak Ridge still managed to be a functioning society--there were clubs, schools, dances, romances, all sorts of community activities. This books tells that story, too.
Ironically titled, no one here is having a good time; certainly not the self-pitying narrator, an artist whose lover just left him and (bad timing) whIronically titled, no one here is having a good time; certainly not the self-pitying narrator, an artist whose lover just left him and (bad timing) whose wife just discovered the affair. Filled with remorse, he decides to earn his wife's forgiveness by making a big splash in the art world. Refusing to continue the work for which he is well-known (his gallerist is not having a good time either), Richard attempts to devise an installation piece that will restore his wife's respect for him. Intense art patrons lend humor to the situation and interviews with long-married couples add sympathy. Traveling back and forth between England where he grew up and Paris where he now lives, Richard is unmoored and floundering. Why should his wife forgive him?
The premise is irresistible: mild mannered, self described "stodgy" French professor has her life turned upside down when an MRI discloses a bullet loThe premise is irresistible: mild mannered, self described "stodgy" French professor has her life turned upside down when an MRI discloses a bullet lodged in her neck. How did it get there? Why does she have no memory of being shot? And why does someone seem to NOT want he As Professor Caroline Cashion begins to investigate what happened, unsettling truths about her family history are revealed, leaving her to question how well she really knows the people she loves.
With echoes of The Man Who Knew Too Much and other mild-mannered-middle-class-person-in-peril stories, The Bullet is a gripping suspense story with an appealing (although intellectually snobbish) heroine and a smorgasbord of supporting characters, very few of whom are what they appear to be on the surface. Although the denouement is a bit crass, Kelly's novel will leave you pondering questions of identity and family: how well can we ever know our parents, and when is it time to let go of the past?
As a rabid fan of Stieg Larsson’s original Millennium Trilogy, it was with equal parts excitement and trepidation that I opened the pages of David LagAs a rabid fan of Stieg Larsson’s original Millennium Trilogy, it was with equal parts excitement and trepidation that I opened the pages of David Lagercrantz’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web. Like many of Larsson’s fans, I had once been so enraptured by the trials and adventures of Mikael Blomkvist and the sullen, feisty superhero Lisbeth Salander, my hopes were perhaps impossibly high for the fourth installment of the series. That said, the book provides a suitable substitute for those who, like myself, are desperate to consume more of Lisbeth’s antics. The book contains elements of intrigue involving the NSA, a group of Russian hackers, the obligatory evil corporation, and, of course, the unique vigilante justice of the diminutive title character. Though Lagercrantz does his best to echo the style and substance of the previous three books, he unfortunately produces a rather predictable and formulaic plot. The first half of the book plods along slowly and is hampered by a dearth of actual writing about Salander – a perplexing choice for a book targeted at a crowd of readers chanting, “We want Lisbeth!” But just as RC Cola might satisfy some of us who are fans of Coca-Cola, so too this rather generic continuation of the beloved Millennium Trilogy will please some and leave others just longing for "The Real Thing."
Though this bleak and beautiful novel takes place in Norway and contains both murder and mystery, it is not a Norwegian murder mystery. The mystery isThough this bleak and beautiful novel takes place in Norway and contains both murder and mystery, it is not a Norwegian murder mystery. The mystery is why the characters lie to themselves and each other, why though occasionally loving each acts hatefully, why the truth when it comes is so unsettling. Jenny Brodal is turning seventy-five in the ancestral home to which her daughter Siri and family return each summer. Siri's younger brother drowned there when he was four and she was six while they were playing outdoors so Jenny could have some time to herself. Jenny drowns herself as well, in alcohol. Siri eternally seeks her mother's love and attention as her daughters and husband seek hers. Seamlessly woven through each character's point of view, this tale of yearning is tinged with menace and unease.
I love doing crosswords and am pretty fond of spelling bees, so this book had great appeal to me right from the get-go. Stanley and Vera first meet atI love doing crosswords and am pretty fond of spelling bees, so this book had great appeal to me right from the get-go. Stanley and Vera first meet at the National Spelling Bee finals in 1960 where they tie for first place. Both are very smart and both are products of unusual, fatherless childhoods (Stanley's mom is a recluse; Vera's, a traveling sales assistant who schleps Vera along on business trips). Three years later both are ready to break free from the grip of their quirky mothers so they hatch a plan to have a sham wedding to get the gifts and money to fund their next few years. Then Vera's off to Harvard. Stanley's mom thinks he's off to Harvard, too, but his true love is creating crossword puzzles, so he fakes the student life in Cambridge living off the "wedding" money. This poignant, stylishly-written tale will make you smile and sigh as the couple navigate life. It's a rocky road for both. Their relationship grows deeper, but both are inept at expressing true feelings or even admitting them. They are together, they are apart, the secrets and lies add up, but often it's a cleverly-clued crossword created by Stanley or Vera (who creates puzzles now, too) placed in some major newspaper that brings them back together for a time. As Stanley and Vera learn, one of life's greatest puzzles is love in all its varieties.
I liked this book immensely and don't know how I missed it when it came out. So I am herewith starting a word-of-mouth campaign about it. It's 1961, sI liked this book immensely and don't know how I missed it when it came out. So I am herewith starting a word-of-mouth campaign about it. It's 1961, small town Minnesota. Frank Drum, age 13, and his younger brother Jake, 11, are not having a great summer. Sad and awful things keep happening beginning with the horrible death of a little neighbor boy who was killed while playing on the train tracks. When the boys find the body of an itinerant stranger by these same tracks, a series of half-truths and secrets begin to pile up leading to further grief as the summer progresses. The Drum boys are sons of a minister and have been instilled with a strong sense of morality and fair play. But youthful fears of discovery, embarrassment, and trying to protect each other and their adored teenaged sister keep them awake at night and stop them from admitting things to a grownup until it's too late. Frank is our narrator and it's clear he's a sensitive, intelligent boy. Your heart will go out to him as he struggles with the dilemmas of this terrible summer. Krueger's prose is lyrical and graceful--he has mastered the dialogue of close brothers and small-town folks. Krueger's story, with its twists and turns, at times feels like a mystery novel, but the truths at the center of the story lay bare the deceptively simple lives in this small town.
I really enjoyed Janet Evanovich's series about Stephanie Plum, a bumbling bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey.... for about the first 12 books. AfteI really enjoyed Janet Evanovich's series about Stephanie Plum, a bumbling bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey.... for about the first 12 books. After that, well, they began to feel a bit redundant and formulaic. So, I expected this series by Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (who also wrote the TV series MONK) to be much the same way and I was very pleasantly surprised when it wasn't. In fact, I think I enjoy this series much more than I have ever enjoyed the Stephanie Plum books.The humor is spot on, the suspense is real and the romance element doesn't feel nearly as forced.
The series is about Kate O'Hare, an FBI agent who has obsessively trailed Nicholas Fox, one of the most clever and conniving swindlers known to man. He targets incredibly wealthy, high profile people and walks away with millions at a time. Finally, after chasing Fox for five years, Kate manages to catch him. But little does she know that Fox has another plan up his sleeve. He convinces the FBI to let him team up with Agent O'Hare to bring down bad guys in the same way he always has-- with intricate stories, elaborate cons and lots of money-- only this time, he's scamming for the good guys. Add in a mismatched band of actors, petty criminals and Kate's own father, and you've got a great story.
I'm happy to say that each book in this series is just as good as its predecessors and I'm already looking forward to the next one! --Jeny (Reader's Services)...more
The unnamed narrator in this Icelandic picaresque describes herself quite accurately, "I like to think of myself as a reasonably compassionate human bThe unnamed narrator in this Icelandic picaresque describes herself quite accurately, "I like to think of myself as a reasonably compassionate human being; I try to avoid confrontation, find it difficult to reject requests delicately put to me by sensitive males, and buy every lottery ticket that any charity slips through my mailslot." That pretty much explains why when her lover tells her that he can no longer see her on the same day her husband says he's leaving her for someone else, she acquiesces without a murmur. She then accepts unquestioningly the responsibility for her friend's deaf four year old whom she takes on a road trip from Reykjavik to the east coast where the mobile summer home she won in a lottery is going to be planted. Her adventures on the beautiful and occasionally treacherous Ring Road are interspersed with memories of her childhood summers when her compliance may have caused more problems than she was and still is willing to face.This odd, quirky story flows easily and curiously.
Yes, my friends, it's correct: "me" not "I." Despite the ever-increasing number of well-educated people who overthink the whole thing and use "I," orYes, my friends, it's correct: "me" not "I." Despite the ever-increasing number of well-educated people who overthink the whole thing and use "I," or those who just never learned the trick of knowing what's right, I, like author and New Yorker copy editor Norris (having once held the enviable title of OK'er), lament the incorrect usage. If language continues to do what it has done for the ages (i.e., change according to popular usage), someday this misplaced first-person "I" will be considered grammatical [sigh]. In this charming, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny offering, Norris combines memoir with teaching us grammar. With a light touch and many anecdotes of correct and incorrect examples, surprisingly some by a number of highly regarded masters of the craft, she discourses on English spelling (it's for weirdos), the problem of "heesh" (the lack of a common-sex pronoun to use when we mean "he and she" or "him and her"), and the hyphen and its relatives (who put the hyphen in Moby-Dick?). I so enjoyed this book, I cannot really complain about how some of the issues raised are, well, trivial because it was so much fun to read about the often passionate debates they incur.
Evanston Public
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