science fiction ice breaker

I am an eclectic reader. I read something of everything fictional ( I never do non-fiction, well, almost never.) Anyway, I do especially enjoy science fiction/fantasy so I am recommending the first book of this series donated by Sarah Prince, The Family Trade, by Charles Stross. Miriam Beckstein, the protagonist, is a journalist looking for the "next big investigative story" When she begins researching a money-laundering scheme, she is immediately fired and receives a death threat. The threads that she begins to unravel lead her to a parallel universe that maintains a symbiotic relationship with our universe. There is intrigue, high-level technology and a medieval feudal system. All in all an interesting combination.

Now don't just pass over this and say you don't like science fiction. Sometimes this genre strips away all we take for granted in a setting, takes away our comfort level and makes us pay attention to the deeper issues. In particular, this book is about trust and deception.

Now that we have broken the ice about science fiction/fantasy, watch for more recommendations in that genre.

A most remarkable insight into Japanese culture

Samurai’s garden by G. Tsukiyama. Stephen leave his home in China to recuperate from tuberculosis and spends the time in afamily home in Japan just as Japan has invaded China in the 1940s. While recovering he forms a friendship with the young samurai caretaker and a woman with leprosy. He learns about love, honor and loss.

a word from Jane Wylen

Property: A Novel, by Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin's absorbing new novel takes us to a plantation in Louisiana in the early 1800s. The story is told by a slave-holder's wife, Manon, who seems to have no warm feelings for anyone but her deceased father. She despises her husband, and in her chronicle only deigns to identify him as "he" or "my husband."

There are no heroes or heroines in this novel. The husband can be seen as a villain because of his brutality towards his slaves, but we may still feel pity for him because of his cold wife and admire his bravery in the face of danger.

This short book shows how the degradations and humiliations of slavery twist the lives and thoughts of both slave-owner and slave. Manon, a very intelligent but purposefully repressed woman, sees clearly that she, like the slaves, is the property of her husband. When she returns from a visit to her dying mother, she feels "the sight of him was like a door slamming in my face. I even heard the catch of the latch." Yet she does not translate this understanding to her treatment of slaves. She may not be brutal, but she feels no compassion for their fate. When a free mulatto who is in love with her personal slave, Sarah, offers to buy her for the huge sum of $2,000, twice what she would be worth in the open market, Manon refuses the offer. Sarah belongs to her and will always belong to her.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in slavery and its human consequences.

think young

I'm getting ready for school and looking for books I can recommend to my students. This one is a winner! Here lies the librarian by Richard Peck takes place in Indiana in 1914. Peewee, a tomboy who helps her brother fix cars, comes of age as they say. The town library, closed when the librarian died, is being reopened. The new librarians are fresh out of library school and they inspire Peewee to find out who she is. The story combines auto racing, feminism, cross-town rivalries, orphaned children, a tornado, and libraries. The end puts everything in a wonderful historical perspective. Fun to read for all ages.

suggestion by Barbara Marshall

Will the Circle be Unbroken: reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith by Studs Terkel. Studs Terkel writes an oral history gathered from many ordinary and extraordinary people. He calls then “the sixty-three heroes,” and says they gave him their “bone-deep, honest testimonies.” This is powerful stuff. These remarkable essays range from faith to atheism. The love and courage in the context of each life are a gift to the reader.

A classic

Mrs. Mike, by the Freedman's. So here is a moving story; I can't say it is great literature but it is a classic, a classic in that I read as a teen more than 40 years ago and it still holds my interest as I reread it now. They have written a sequel in recent years so I thought I would find and read Mrs. Mike, again before I read the sequel. In Mrs. Mike, sixteen-year-old Kathy O'Fallon of Boston in 1907 has pleurisy. She is sent to her uncle in Alberta, Canada to become stronger. While there she meets and marries a Canadian Mounty, Mike Flannigan. The story is her ventures into northern, northern, northern Canada. She is the only white woman in the area. An engaging story with a stunning and dangerous picture of the north woods in the early 20th century.

Another mystery series

Lincoln Rhyme, the protagonist created by Jeffery Deaver, was the best New York criminologist and head of the NYPD forensic unit until an accident left him a quadriplegic able to move only one finger. However, he keeps up his morale by coaching a team of crime scene investigators and working only the most unusual and toughest crime scenes. Riveting, can’t put ‘em down books! Their published order:
The Bone Collector (1997)The Coffin Dancer (1998)The Empty Chair (2000)The Stone Monkey (2002)The Vanished Man (2003)The Twelfth Card (2005)The Cold Moon (2006)

something oriental

Snow Flower and the secret fan by See. Lily and Snow Flower are friends. They have shared many experiences. Both girls had their feet bound and shared their friendship by way of a secret language written used by women for over a thousand years. This is a wonderful insight into the lives of women in nineteenth century China.

A Mystery suggestion

Maybe you are looking for a new mystery series:

Jack Reacher the protagonist created by Lee Child is searching for anonymity. An ex-marine, he has no driver’s license and no credit cards. Yet people find him or he finds them - in trouble. Suspenseful! All are page turners. They can be read in any order. Following is the published order: #1 Killing Floor; #2 Die Trying; #3 Tripwire; #4 Running Blind (US title)/The Visitor (UK title); #5 Echo Burning; #6 Without Fail; #7 Persuader; #8 The Enemy (the prequel, this takes place before the events of Killing Floor); #9 One Shot; #10 The Hard Way; #11 Bad Luck and Trouble.

Historical fiction and a good story

Water for elephants by Gruen. The story of the life of a veterinarian in a 1930’s circus is told by a ninety or ninety three-year-old nursing home resident. The story starts with a disastrous event in the circus and ends there as well with the full story of what lead to the event. There is drama, love, and insight into a remarkable time period. The character of old narrator made me laugh and cheer.

Historical fiction

Color of the sea by Hamamura. This book tells the story of a young Japanese language teacher in the 1930s and 40s. His martial arts discipline and training gives him the strength to face the life of a Japanese American in the trying times of World War II. A beautifully painted character study.

A good story!

The floor of the sky by Joern. Toby Jenkins, 72, is desperately trying to hold out against the pressure of her wealthy neighbor to sell her land. Into the picture comes her 16 year old pregnant granddaughter. Secrets of years past are revealed as they build a relationship.