September 30

Les Maitres Mosaistes (1837)
By George Sand
The Master Mosaic Makers, English translation by Henry Majewski (2005)

This short but sweet story features of couple of layers of narrative, with an elderly painter lamenting his talented sons' choice to pursue mosaics rather than the more exalted art of painting.  These honorable and talented young men are thwarted, however, by jealous competitors who nearly destroy them, but the competitors are in turn impeded through due process of law.  As it turns out, the trial (a mosaics competition) between (principally) the Zuccato brothers and the Bianchinis is factual, though George Sand's telling may be partly fictional.

The ending is satisfying and the story also features such luminaries as Tintoretto, Titian, and Veronese, among other artists, helping to place the story in its time frame.

I would not have picked up this book, except that an acquaintance at Brown University had translated it.  While the French version is widely available, the English translation can be found through Amazon and ABE Books (though quite costly) and in academic libraries.

September 29

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey (2011)
By the Countess of Carnarvon

Here's a good book to follow up Below Stairs.  Almina was the daughter of a very wealthy French Jewish financier, Alfred de Rothschild, and Mrs Marie Wombwell, a French beauty married to an English drunkard.  (Apparently these kinds of relationships were considered pretty normal among the wealthy classes.)  Raised in gentility, Almina was the perfect wife to George Herbert, the 5th Lord Carnarvon, finding joy in hosting large parties at Highclere and their other properties, founding a very efficient hospital during the Great War, and accompanying her husband on many trips to Egypt,where Lord Carnarvon financed Howard Carter's excavation of King Tut's tomb in 1922.  Well written, and a good window into life in a war hospital.

Highclere, the Carnarvon' estate, is the setting for Downton Abbey.

September 28

Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir that Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey" (2012, originally published 1968)
By Margaret Powell

Margaret Langley is one of seven children born into a poor family in Hove, UK in 1907.  They never seem to have enough to eat or enough fuel to heat their home.  A bright girl, she leaves school at age 13, works briefly at a laundry, then enters service as a kitchen maid at 14, starting her day in the predawn dark and working till evening; she works her way up to cook at a small house at 18.  She witnesses the changes from lowly servanthood to respected and valued employee.  She leaves service in the 1930s to get married and raise a family.  She tells it like it is!  Though she didn't work on large estates like Downton Abbey, her experiences in aristocratic townhouses is a very readable window into the servants' world.

September 27

Blind Your Ponies (2011)
By Stanley Gordon West

A young English teacher, nearly crippled both by pain from his childhood and from the recent death of his wife, agrees to once again coach the perpetually losing high school basketball team at his tiny school in a Montana town.  But this year is different, thanks to a 6'11" exchange student and a new student with lots of basketball experience moving to town.  A young assistant coach joins the team, dealing with ghosts from her own past.  Sam's favorite story is Don Quixote, and like the persistent hero, Sam follows his own impossible dream.  The book is loaded with memorable characters, e.g. Pete's grandma and Tom's alcoholic father - as well as a host of subplots - but the author keeps the characters human and avoids letting the story descend
into saccharin sweetness.  The ending is satisfying and rewarding.

September 26

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales (1985)
By Oliver Sacks

Neurologist Sacks recounts cases of patients suffering from aphasia, alexia and other neurological deficits such as lost memory, limbs no longer working, as well as those with autism, Tourrette's syndrome, and other ailments.  His patients struggle against impossible odds, yet are deeply human, and Dr Sacks helps us feel their struggle.  Some of the language was above my head, but these accounts are still eye openers, and this book is good reading for anyone working with people.

September 25

Next of Kin (2001)

By Joanna Trollope

Set among farms in Gloucestershire, England, this book traces the story of a family: parents, two sons and their families.  The land is important, as Robin (the father)'s family has farmed the land for several generations.  After Robin loses his American-born wife Caro to cancer, the family is trying to find their way without its matriarch at the helm when Zoe, a friend of Caro's, visits from London.  Offbeat but kind of lovable, Zoe leaves her mark on everyone.  This book is about change.  It was a really good story, set in land we walked through

September 23

Freedom's Ring (2017)
By Heidi Chiavaroli

Two parallel stories surround an old ring.  Anaya, a runner injured in the 2013 Boston marathon bombing, spared from death by a man who leaves her a ring, is trying to reconnect with her sister and niece, who lost a limb while cheering Anaya on.  Struggling with her own recovery and not only with guilt over Grace's injury but also her own hesitation in being there for her niece, Anaya finally makes contact two years later when her mother mentions that Grace's family is moving abroad.  Although she is rebuffed by her sister, Anaya finds a business card bearing the logo of her rescuer's ring.  Anaya contacts Brad and they work together to find the history of the ring.

Meanwhile, Liberty is an orphan who witnesses the Boston massacre and, later, the deadly skirmish at Lexington while she is living with a family of patriots who take her in.  While Liberty's story isn't as detailed as Anaya's, it is true to historic events and the author creates a sweet story of Liberty's role as a midwife/nurse, the British soldier who gives her the ring, and Anaya and Brad's search through historic records to find them.  As a war vet, Brad has his own demons to deal with, even as he provides support for Anaya but, as Brad and Anaya's relationship grows, there is a subtle but growing convection that God is the rock that gives them strength.

The author lives in nearby Swansea, MA and has another book in the works.

September 22

Saving the World (2006)

By Julia Alvarez

This novel is told in two voices: 1) Isabel, a 19th-century Spanish spinster charged with escorting a group of orphan boys carrying live smallpox virus for inoculation in the New World, and 2) Alma, a contemporary Dominican writer chronicling the story of Isabel.  Both women are dedicated to idealistic men: the first to the doctor who seeks to vaccinate all those living in the Spanish colonies and Alma to her husband working at an AIDS clinic in Alma's native country.  Isabel and Dr Balmis face hostility and skepticism in their venture, but eventually Dr Balmis succeeds in persuading high level Mexicans to be vaccinated.  Isabel's husband Richard is taken hostage by a group of young radicals. Both women face disappointment and loss and, I believe, the question of whether their leader/husband's efforts were worthwhile or justified.

Dr Balmis is an historic figure who truly did lead a small-pox eradication mission in 1804.  This would be a good choice for a book group or high school English class.

September 21

I am so thankful for public libraries.  They offer wonderful services, like books and DVDs, online access to journals, and all kinds of programs for all ages.  In most cases, all of the offerings/services are free, and so they become a great equalizer and a great example of a true democracy.

Nora loves story time at the George Hail Library.
The castle-like building dates from the 1880s.

The George Hail Library in Warren, RI deserves a special callout.  Over the past 3 years, three of my grandchildren have looked forward to Thursdays and  story time with Miss Peggy.  This wonderful lady offers children's programming every Tuesday and Thursday all through the year!  My little ones love her stories, completing a craft, and watching a short movie. Thank you, Miss Peggy!  My grandchildren, and hundreds of other children, parents and grandparents will look back on the hours spent in the George Hail Children's Room with fondness and gratitude.

May our public libraries always be free to offer materials and services to their communities.

September 20

Shadow of the Wind (2004)
By Carlos Ruiz Zafon (translated by Lucia Graves)

This dark mystery is set in Spain, just after the Civil War.  Daniel Sempere is brought to the "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" by his bookseller father.  Here he chooses a book to protect for the rest of his life: Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax.   This story directs the course of his life for the next 10 years - as he searches for answers as to the identity of Carax and why have all of his writings been destroyed.  Very suspenseful story - a Gothic thriller, historical novel, and tragic love story.

This is the first of what would become a 4-book series (with Angel's Game, Prisoner of Heaven, and Labyrinth of the Spirits).  Reading this book felt like I was in the shadows, or reading through a veil: first, it was a translation and second, most of the story takes place at night or in a dark place.  There's much to be learned from reading works set in other places, written in other languages.  I definitely want to read it again.

September 19

The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump (2018)

By Michiko Kakutani

New York Times literary critic Kakutani looks at writers (Orwell, Huxley, Arendt) who assailed totalitarianism in the past and compares today's White House.  The 45th president made 2140 false or misleading claims in his first year in office (regarding his popularity and achievements, investigation into Russian interference, etc).  He attacks the press, the justice system, civil servants.

She notes that Alexander Hamilton stated that the constitution's architecture was based on a rational system of checks and balances and that - while not perfect - has endured for over 200 years, thanks to its resilience and capacity to accommodate change.  Today, an irrational countertheme in US history has arisen - one that ignores reason, facts, informed debate, and policy making.  "Science is under attack, as is expertise of every sort...in foreign policy, national security, economics, or education." (p 23)

In today's culture wars, we see a relativism where politicians create their own truth and social norms (eg, those who assailed Bill Clinton's sexual peccadillos in the 90s now give Trump a pass for his affairs with porn stars).

Because she is a literary critic, Kakutani brings the perspective of both novelists and social commentators to bear.  For example, Daniel Boorstin's 1962 book The Image foresaw reality TV and the rise of a celebrity known for his "well-knownness", images were replacing ideals, credibility replacing truth.  A study by Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis on online disinformation concludes that "it's a surprisingly short leap from rejecting political correctness to blaming women, immigrants or Muslims for their problems".

In chapter 5, "The Co-opting of Language", Kakutani quotes Victor Klemperer's war diaries that chronicle how swiftly and insidiously an autocrat can weaponize language to suppress critical thinking, inflame bigotry, and hijack a democracy.  They have an obsession with numbers and superlatives, everything had to be the best or the most.  "Hitler says in the Reichstag that Napolean fought in Russia in temperatures of minus 25 degrees, but that he, Commanding Officer Hitler, had fought at minus 45, even at minus 52." (p 93)  Trump's inauguration crowd claim is a good example, and he accuses opponents of the things he himself does (Lyin' Ted, Crooked Hillary, etc).

Manipulation of social media by Russia and other countries has been targeted, with few exceptions, in favor of Trump; current targets include stirring up trouble over the NFL payers taking a knee and increasingly on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the election.  Current concerns are the 2018 midterm elections, targeting Mexico, and advances in virtual reality that can fabricate images of politicians saying things they never said, thus further blurring our ability to distinguish the fake from the true.  Kakutani writes

• The sheer volume of dezinformatsiya unleashed by the Russian firehose system -- much like the more improvised but equally voluminous stream of lies, scandals, and shocks emitted by Trump, his GOP enablers, and media apparatchiks - tends to overwhelm and numb people while simultaneously defining deviancy down and normalizing the unacceptable.  Outrage gives way to outrage fatigue, which gives way to the sort of cynicism and weariness that empowers those disseminating the lies.  As the former world chess champion and Russian pro-democracy leader Garry Kasparov tweeted in December 2016, 'The point of modern propaganda isn't only to misinform or push an agenda.  It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.'"

She adds

• Trump's lies, his efforts to redefine reality, his violation of norms and rules and traditions, his mainstreaming of hate speech, his attacks on the press, the judiciary, the electoral system - all are reasons that the democracy watchdog group Freedom House warned that year one of the Trump administration has brought "further, faster erosion of America's own democratic standards than at any other time in memory', and all are reasons that Orwell's portrait of an authoritarian state in which Big Brother tries to control all narratives and define the present and the past is newly relevant.

George Washington, in his farewell address of 1796, admonished the young country to guard its constitution and remain vigilant about efforts to sabotage the separation and balance of powers.  Madison noted that "a popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or perhaps both."  Our government must recognize this truth today.

September 18

Parzival: The Quest for the Grail Knight (1998)

Retold by Katherine Paterson

I read many Arthurian tales over my years as a librarian, even creating a database of Arthurian literature for a library project.  The Arthurian canon is filled with adventure that will enthrall almost every child (and even many adults).  This story offers a facet of the Arthur tales and is based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's 12th century 25,000-line epic poem.  Award winning author Katherine Paterson has written this tale for children, and it's a good place to start.

Parzival is the son of a widowed queen.  Against his mother's wishes, he ventures out to become a knight.  When a red knight insults a lady, he kills the knight and takes his armor.  He sets out on many adventures, which lead him to a father figure who trains him, a beautiful lady in distress who becomes his wife and, eventually, to the holy grail. 

September 17

Lamb in Love (1999)
By Carrie Brown

This sweet story is set in a rural English village, about 50 years ago.  Norris Lamb, age 55, serves as the local postmaster.  Vida Stephen, 41, is the caregiver of Manford, a 20-year-old man who is mentally challenged and lost his mother in childbirth.  Vida and Manford visit the post office regularly and Norris befriends Manford, seeing his potential, offering him pretty stamps, and finding his hidden talents.

Rather unexpectedly, Norris discovers he is falling in love with Vida.  Manford, though unspeaking, witnesses their courtship and, in a gentle way, helps them navigate their casual friendship through a sometimes embarrassing courtship and come to appreciate each other.

Carrie Brown writes so gently and hopefully, incorporating even minor details like a lampshade that revolves around a light and projects pictures on a wall.  This is a hopeful story - Barbara Pym-like in its restraint, minimal action, and types of characters.

September 16

The Names of the Mountains (1992)

By Reeve Lindbergh

Reeve Lindbergh, youngest child of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, has written many children's books.  In this thinly disguised autobiographical novel, family members are trying to cope with their elderly mother's increasing forgetfulness.  Reeve has a gentle regard for each character - even the animals in the story  She has good insights into human nature and believes the best of each person.

So many of my friends are dealing with their elderly parents' health issues.  This is a realistic and helpful story.

September 15

The Obituary Writer (2013)
By Ann Hood

This easy-to-read novel captured my interest from many perspectives: both of the two characters (Vivien Lowe of Napa, CA, writing in 1922 and Claire of northern Virginia, on the eve of JFK's victory) live in interesting times.   Claire admires glamorous Jackie Kennedy, and wrestles over whether to stay in a loveless marriage or leave her husband for a man she loves. The 60s era story cites many familiar products (Aqua Net, spray-on cheese, TWA, the Shirelles, etc) and much of the story is set in Providence.  Vivien still grieves over the man she lost in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.  Ann Hood nicely weaves the stories together, although I wish there were a bit more narrative detailing how Vivien and Sebastian ended up in RI.   Both women are sympathetic, if not not admirable.

September 14

All Over But the Shoutin' (1997)
By Rick Bragg

Pulitzer prize winning journalist Bragg shares his upbringing in the hardscrabble south "in the most beautiful place on earth, in the foothills of the Appalachians along the Alabama-Georgia line".  Abandoned by his alcoholic father, Rick and his two brothers are raised by a devoted, hard-working mother who often pretends to be "not hungry" so her sons will have enough to eat.  Loving aunts and uncles help compensate for a deadbeat dad, including Margaret's family for meals, the uncles wrestling with the boys and helping them find work.

Rick discovers his love for writing as a high school newspaper columnist, and his first jobs are as a sportswriter for a local paper, then the big time at the St Petersburg Times.  He was encouraged to apply for a prestigious Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, competing with those who'd earned not only BAs but also postgraduate degrees.  The experience at Harvard gives Rick the impetus to apply to the NYT, where he gets his dream job, eventually winning the Pulitzer.  Through it all, he retains his poor-boy perspective - including the chip on his shoulder - and the book ends with the Pulitzer Prize ceremony in New York, where Rick's mother, who has just taken her first-ever airplane ride, is the toast of the crowd.

September 13

God, War and Providence: The Epic Struggle of Roger Williams and the Narragansett Indians Against the Puritans of New England (2018)
By James A Warren

This book opens with an account of the Great Swamp Massacre, the killing of hundreds of Narragansett Indians (mostly women and children) by the United Colonies.  The author then lays the groundwork for the events that led to the massacre, beginning with the original two colonies, the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony, immigrating to New England in the early 1620s, for the purpose of practicing their religion freely.  In 1625, Roger Williams, a brilliant scholar, arrives in Boston to be a part of the Puritan movement.  He believes in freedom of conscience and disagrees with the concept of a "state religion" in which all residents, including the Indians on whose land they have encroached, must adhere to the Puritan faith.  Williams is banished from Massachusetts Bay and traipses south through snow and cold to a riverside location (to be named Providence), where he has traded with the local Indians, learned their language, and now seeks to purchase some land.  Others who seek religious freedom are attracted to Williams' new colony, and Williams eventually obtains a charter from the King granting him the land (which he has already purchased from the Indians), with a guarantee of religious tolerance, and which becomes Rhode Island.

Eventually, groups of settlers migrate west to found 2 additional colonies in [modern] Connecticut.  Spurning the unorthodox Rhode Islanders, the four other colonies band together to form the "United Colonies".  While Williams works with the Indians, other colonists no longer need their help to survive in a new land, and they continue to press westward, trampling on the Indians' rights at every turn.  The Indians (mostly Wampanoag, Pequot, Nipmuc, etc) are feeling closed in and short of funds, and they declare war on the United Colonies.  It is a Puritan army that burns the Narragansett settlement, even though it is within Williams' RI Colony.  From there, the killing (on both sides) continued, and the Indians (who had lost huge percentages of their numbers through a "European disease") were never again a significant military threat to the colonists.

I had read parts of this story before (especially in John Barry's Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul and Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower) but it was very helpful to have the facts of the United Colonies' involvement explained.  It is ironic that they came to the New World seeking religious freedom, then denied it to others within their jurisdiction.

September 12

The Lost Years of Merlin (1996)
By T A Barron

As a librarian in the 1990s I read a LOT of young adult literature.  Some of it is preachy or becomes outdated quickly, but many books are well-written and memorable, appeal to a wide audience and stand the test of time.

This delightful epic adventure provides an explanation for the origins of the  mysterious Merlin.  As a 12-year-old (initially called Emrys), he has little memory of his early childhood.  But he senses he has strong powers and that we was born somewhere other than his present home in Wales.  He feels compelled to leave the woman who is caring for him (who may not be his actual mother) and find that place.  Parts 2 and 3 of the book describe his adventures on the hidden island of Fincayra.  He discovers his father, a Darth-Vader like figure, and is saved when a friend offers his life for Merlin's, a Christ-like sacrifice that brings new life to the whole island.  Many interesting friends help him along the way, including a brave little owl whose name becomes the boy's.

This title was named YA Book of the Month for January 1998.  It is the first in a series on Merlin.

I heard T A Barron speak at the American Library Assoc conference in NY in 1996 (that may have been just prior to this book's publication).  He was a likable speaker who confessed he'd received so many rejection letters from publishers that he had papered a room with them!  (Moral to the story: never give up!)  He continues to publish children's and YA literature.

September 11

Lighthouse Families (1997)

By Cheryl Shelton-Roberts and Bruce Roberts

Gone are the days when lighthouses were manned by the likes of the noble Ida Lewis and other brave souls charged with keeping the lights burning to warn ships off dangerous rocks, shoals, and coastlines.  Today, ship pilots rely mostly on GPS and modern navigation technology, but the US Coast Guard continues to maintain many of these old lights as they are still useful warning beacons; it's just that none are manned by keepers any more.  A recent article indicated that, of the 170 lighthouses in New England, 140 are still lit; "most mariners and fishermen still use the lighthouse as a backup on top of their electronic equipment, sort of like double-checking the street signs while driving using a GPS."

Author Shelton-Roberts and her husband, a lighthouse historian and photographer, have chronicled the story of those who have lived the often solitary experience of lighthouse families, some residing in a peninsula off a mainland but others in a house located atop an island or shoal, truly isolated from the mainland.  The houses are all over the United States, most on sea coasts, but some on lakes and rivers as well.  This is a truly fascinating look at a bygone way of life, and the authors include a recipe from each family.

September 10

The Tent: A Parable in One Sitting (1995)

By Gary Paulsen

Preceded by a brief account of the life of Christ, this short young adult novel tells the story of an impoverished father and son who set out to generate some income by "preaching and healing".  Though neither seems to be very familiar with God's word, they attract a following and bring in more profit at each stop.  Eventually father and son actually open the Bible.  Struck by what they read, they realize they are using their pretense to steal from others.  Though the reader has no idea what will happen next, the author seems to suggest that they want to seek God's will and God's help for their lives.  While the Elmer Gantry-esque story may seem somewhat cliche´d, it is nevertheless a good parable and perhaps a surprising message from author Paulsen.  Scripture verses open each chapter.

September 9

A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II (2013)

By Adam Makos and Larry Alexander

Just a few days before Christmas 1943, an American bomber pilot is returning from his first mission, struggling to fly his damaged B-17 out of German airspace and towards the channel and his base in England. Suddenly he is intercepted by a Messerschmitt fighter, an ace able to take him down in a minute.  But that doesn't happen; instead, the German fighter pilot surprisingly escorts the young American to safety, a move that would have earned him a court martial if the truth were revealed to the Luftwaffe.

Military historian Makos, along with biographer Larry Alexander create a dual biography of the American, 2nd Lt Charlie Brown of West Virginia, and the German, 2nd Lt Franz Stigler.  Both pilots face horrible odds, watch their friends' planes burst into flames, take off in sandstorms and fog, and basically win the odds.  As the "enemy" pilot, it is Stigler's story that is especially riveting. Stigler is a deeply religious Catholic; he loves flying and was already employed as a commercial pilot with Lufthansa at the time the war broke out.  Drafted against his will, he nevertheless proves to be an ace in an ever lengthening war with ever decreasing resources.  Towards the end of the war, young pilots are being sent into combat with only 6 weeks of training (!) and are piloting aircraft with grossly inferior parts and fuels.  At the war's end, Franz is among a small percentage of pilots who have survived.

Fifty years later, Brown wants to search out the pilot who let him live.  He finds Franz, now living in Canada.  Franz explains that Charlie's plane had been so severely damaged, and he could see that his gunners were so injured, that it didn't seem right to attack. Thanks to Franz's merciful act, both men lived full lives, both dying in 2008.

In the midst of a horrible war, an act of mercy stands out.

September 8

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Mysteries of World War II (2004)

By Robert Kurson

This amazing story follows a group of shipwreck divers, two in particular (John Chatterton and Richie Kohler) who discover an old German U-Boat off the coast of New Jersey in 1991.  Finding a sub this close to the US coast was extraordinary, especially one that had sunk in its watery grave half a century earlier.  The divers seek clues to the identity of the sub (many were lost during the second world war), and their detective work requires numerous dives as the work is restricted to the length of time their air supply would last.  The sub was in deep water, and it was crucial to allow ample time for divers to return to the surface after each trip to the sub. These divers are risk takers in a sport that offers great prizes (a sunken ship's bell was the holy grail for divers) but also potential disaster; ascending too fast, especially as one's air supply is depleting, can cause illness and even death.

The author has done extensive research, both in Germany and the US, and he introduces us to the lives of the German officers who piloted the sub and whose remains lie forever buried inside it.  He manages to honor them, and gives credit to the divers who, while highly motivated and skilled, are not often the best role models.

I learned a lot, not just about the joys and challenges of diving, but also about the Germans who participated in a war far, far from home.

September 7

An Unexpected Guest (2012)
By Anne Korkeakivi

Like Mrs Dalloway in Virginia Woolf's novel, diplomat's wife Clare Moorhouse goes through a single day in Paris; in her case, she's preparing for an important dinner that could help her husband's quest to be appointed British ambassador to Ireland.  Two disconcerting events disturb her day, but do not affect her efforts to create the perfect dinner.  First, her 15-year-old son is disciplined at his English boarding school, and shows up at home unexpectedly, but Clare never takes the time to learn the cause of the action. Additionally, a sickly Turkish man stops her to get directions to a doctor's office, and she learns on the news that the man is later that day arrested for the assassination of a politician in another part of France - but the assassination occurred at the same time Claire helped him with directions, thereby giving him an alibi -- if she should reach out to inform authorities. What does affect Clare, however, is the memory of a faraway summer, a rebellious young Irishman, and her part in a plot that she fears could impact her husband's career, if the truth ever became known.  Clare fears that her perfect life as a diplomatic wife could start to unravel.

Very well written and compelling story.  Makes the reader question what things are really important in life.  While this story reads like an updated Mrs Dalloway, it stands on its own and raises its own unique moral questions.

September 6

Mrs Dalloway (1925)

By Virginia Woolf

This novel takes place during the course of a single day.  The bongs of Big Ben mark each hour.  In post-war London, Clarissa Dalloway, happily married and 50-ish, looks forward to hosting a dinner party.  She shops for flowers in the morning, walking through the park, thinking about her life as a young woman and remembering her first love, Peter Marsh.  She spots a young man who suffers shell shock.  Later in the story, it turns out he has committed suicide (but she is not, after all, her brother's keeper,  and he is from a lower social class).  When Clarissa returns home, who should show up at her door but Peter Marsh?  Turns out he is about to marry, as soon as his young girlfriend can get a divorce.  Clarissa seems to have mixed feelings about Peter's news.  Peter comes to her party, as does a Dr Bradshaw, a psychiatrist who announces that one of his patients has committed suicide.  There's a lot to think about here, and one reading is not enough.

This short novel is a story of class lines, the aftermath of war, aging, women's roles, etc - much fruit for thought.

September 5

The Lost Painting (2005)

By Jonathan Carr

Jonathan Carr recounts the story of locating Caravaggio's missing painting, "The Taking of Christ".  The book reads like a detective story, and the job was complicated by all of the copies of the painting, difficult-to-access records, and the movement of the work over the years.  When the painting was finally located in the dining room of a rectory in Ireland, it had been thought to have been just another copy.  Good sleuthing - and a good look into the world of art collecting.

September 4

Howard's End (1910)
By E M Forster

Forster has written a contemporary (then) tale about three families, the Schlegels, Wilcoxes, and Basts, whose lives intersect over a period of years.   This story involves the interaction of characters from different social classes, and the reader is invited inside the lovely country home, Howard's End, as well as a dingy apartment that shakes every time a train rolls by; some characters attend concerts and participate in tennis matches, others work for a living.  The author is writing about the changing social landscape of early 20th century England.  (Of course the class structure will continue to change much more, with the Great War, and all the economic upheaval.)  Towards the end of the book, the author hints that the environs of the city are beginning to encroach on the countryside around Howard's End, suggesting that the changing landscape is not just cultural and psychological, but physical as well.  It is a gentle story, and Forster is quite prescient in his forecast that a way of life is about to be upended.

Though this story is a bit hard to get into, it's definitely worth the effort.  It was better on the second reading, and I think it will be even more interesting the 3rd time around.

September 3: Labor Day!

The Plot Against America (2004)
By Philip Roth

In this chilling alternative history, it is not FDR who wins a 3rd term in 1940 but aviator Charles Lindbergh, isolationist and anti-Semite who is elected to a 1st term.  Even before the presidential election, Jews, such as the 8-year-old narrator, Philip, no longer feel safe, as they once did, and their fears are warranted.  As western Europe, Japan, and the USSR go to war, Lindy runs on a pledge to keep America out of another world war.  This promise, along with Lindbergh's great popularity, guaranty victory.  The Roths and their neighbors try to carry on as before in their middle class Newark neighborhood, taking a trip to Washington DC (where Herman Roth gets into arguments over his derogatory remarks regarding Lindbergh) , and Bess Roth taking a job to supplement the family income (especially should they decide to migrate to Canada).  But Philip's orphaned cousin Alvin is horrified by Hitler's government and goes to Canada to enlist with the Canadian military to fight the Nazis; when he loses a leg, he comes to live with Philip's family, who all make adjustments to help Alvin cope.  Meanwhile, Philip's older brother Sandy is recruited by "Just Us", a program of the "Office of American Absorption" to move Jews out of "ghettos" and integrate them into the rural heartland where they will be more likely to becomes victims of anti-Semitic violence.  Eventually it becomes clear that Jews are being blamed for the war, and that President Lindbergh has made a horrible secret deal with Hitler.

I read the audio version, listening to this story on my commute to Newport, and experienced many "driveway moments" when I hesitated turning the car off so I could hear what would happen next.  Very suspenseful story - and not that far removed from reality!

September 2

Knowing God (1973)
By J I Packer

Over the years, many popular writers have written self-help or popular books about Christianity; while most are helpful, they are often rooted in popular culture and have not always stood the test of time.  By contrast, scholar theologians like C S Lewis and John Stott have published works that are firmly rooted in scripture and doctrine and have stood the test of time.  J I Packer has written one such volume: Knowing God.

I read this book shortly after it was published in the 1970s, then picked it up again last year.  I was impressed  by Packer's injunction that the person who believes in God should not merely know about God but know God in a personal relationship.

Dr Packer started writing this book as a series of magazine articles "angled for honest, no-nonsense readers who were fed up with facile Christian verbiage".  His topics include God's unchanging character, his wisdom, his love, his grace, his wrath and goodness, and the heart of the gospel - among many other topics. As one reviewer writes, Packer points the reader to "the true character of God with his theological competence and compassionate heart".  This book has enlarged my understanding of God and encouraged me to dig more into his word.

September 1

Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany (2001)

By Stephen Ambrose

My father served in the US Navy and flew an Avenger, but that was close enough to kindle my interest in the men of the US Army Air Corps who flew the much larger B-24s.

The pilots and crews of the WW2 B-24s were truly courageous.  These planes were difficult to fly; they were unheated (skin would stick to the frozen aluminum skin of the plane's interior, so gloves were imperative), they had no bathroom facilities, cabin pressure was not regulated, space was often so tight that crewmen had to remove parachutes just to fit in their designated spaces.  The worst positions were probably the ball gunner who sat curled up in a cramped position underneath the plane and the nose gunner in the plane's front.  The pilot may have had a more comfortable seat, but he was the one tasked with the safety of the crew and accomplishment of the mission.  Ambrose cites as an example former presidential candidate George McGovern, who was a member of this ambitious contingent of men who offered their skills (and in many cases, their lives) to serve their country.  Ambrose follows McGovern as he goes through his training (a lengthy and thorough process) and deployment to Italy.  The magic number of missions is 35, at which point the captain has fulfilled his service.  Sadly, many pilots never make it to that number; their planes are hit, they crash into mountains, etc.  For McGovern, he completes his mission and the war finally ends - but it is almost impossible to imagine the hardship of flying these planes.  Hero is a frequent word these days, but these pilots (along with their gunner and navigational crews) were truly heroic.

Shortly after reading this book, an antique B-24 flew into the airfield at Quonset, RI, and of course I had to go have a look.  I was even more impressed - especially at walking the narrow catwalk from the cabin to the tail gunner, with the bomb bay on both sides and only the sky (in my case, the ground) below. One hopes the airman doesn't make a misstep!