Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

Yes, I know Abraham Lincoln is getting all the attention right now, what with the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the National Lincoln Exhibit, Bill O’Reilly’s bestselling book Killing Lincoln, and the award-winning film Lincoln. Whew, that’s a whole lot of Lincoln, but if you’re at all interested in the lives—and deaths—of some of our other presidents, I’ve got the perfect book for you: Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. Destiny of the Republic deals specifically with our 20th president, Ohio-native James A. Garfield, chronicling his meteoric rise as a scholar, a military leader, and a politician. Garfield admired men with intellect and drive, men who didn’t let obstacles stop them from achieving their goals, and if anyone could be held as an example of such a man, it was Garfield himself. Frankly, as brilliant as Garfield was, I don't believe there was anything he couldn't accomplish. However, it was Garfield’s unexpected—and unwanted, I might add—winning of the presidency that ultimately led to his death at the hands of deranged assassin Charles Guiteau mere months after Garfield took office. Destiny of the Republic presents Garfield’s story in a fascinating and briskly paced narrative that will keep you turning the pages, and all the players in this presidential drama, from Dr. D. W. Bliss to Alexander Graham Bell, are given their due. If you love history or reading about the presidents, you'll really love Destiny of the Republic. I believe you'll come away with a deeper appreciation for Garfield. At the very least, you'll learn something, and that's never a bad thing.

Sacré Blue: A Comedy d’Art

Those that are enthusiasts of art may know how important the color blue was to so many different movements, both in general and for individual artists. Moore takes this idea and adds his usual amazing combination of reverence and hilarity. But the book is not merely a collection of stories about art, but takes on the air of a murder mystery around the death of Van Gogh. There is the suspicious Colorman, known by no other name. The artists that use his blue will frequently forget large stretches of time and end up with paintings they could never remember actually painting. As the story goes on the plot becomes more and more complex as we find more and more artists succumbing to the effect of the Colorman.

While the writing is solid and the research impeccable, the feature that makes this novel simply amazing is Moore’s inclusion of the very art that he discusses. Each chapter is peppered with reproductions of people and scenes mentioned. For example, when Toulouse-Lautrec mentions the redheaded washerwoman he became obsessed with, we see the very painting a page later. This could have seemed gimmicky in other circumstances, but with how rich the descriptions are in Bleu, the images of these masterpieces lend an extra dimension to the story.

Even if you are not a fan of art and just prefer a well told story, this is an excellent read. For those that cringe when writers take liberties with facts, hopefully the humor and excellent writing will sway you. And of course those that enjoy art, humor or any of Moore’s books will find this an enjoyable read. In all, I would definitely recommend this book to most everyone.

May's In the Queue

Red Sparrow: A Novel

by Jason Matthews

This debut novel brings a return to classic spy fiction. Prepare for an intense descent into the criminal espionage world which includes carnal passion, brutality as well as a surprising touch with recipes at the end of each chapter. If you enjoy blood thirsty spy novels and like suspense you will love this novel.

 

Long Live the King

by Fay Weldon

Fay Weldon continues her magnificent trilogy that began with The Habits of the House. Brilliantly written she shows the rituals established upstairs and the gossip that happens beneath them. This is a must read for  Downton Abbey fans.

 

American Gun: A History of the US in Ten Firearms

by Chris Kyle and William Doyle

Chris Kyle is a fallen hero and the author of American Sniper. In his new book he illustrates how ten legendary guns changed US History. This novel is not only filled with fantastic characters but also adventure, bravery, invention and sacrifice.

 

 

 

What is Magical Realism?

Magical realism is a genre of literature where magical elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, everyday setting.  Some examples are:  Like Water for Chocolate, Beloved, Practical Magic, Chocolat, and almost anything by Salman Rushdie and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  Authors from around the world use magical realism but those from Latin America are the most prolific.

Try some of the following world-renowned books and authors:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Canada)--made into an Oscar-nominated film.
Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella (Canada)--the movie Field of Dreams is based on this book.
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Chile)--made into a 1993 movie.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia)--the master.
Chocolat by Joanne Harris (Great Britain)--made into a 2000 film.
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (Great Britain)
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (India)
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Japan)
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexico)--made into a  2000 movie.
The Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes (Mexico)
Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie (Washington State)
Tracks by Louise Erdrich (Minnesota)
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Washington DC)--made into 2006 film.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (New York)--made into 1999 movie.
The Green Mile by Stephen King (Maine)--made into 2000 film.
Beloved by Toni Morrison (Ohio)--made into 1998 movie.
Mama Day by Gloria Naylor (New York)
The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols (New Mexico)--film directed by Robert Redford.

How about some newer titles: 

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (North Carolina)
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (California)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Massachusetts)
Swamplandia by Karen Russell (Florida)--Pulitzer Prize nominee.



 Some other movies:

Amelie
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Being John Malkovitch
Big Fish
City of Angels
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
It's a Wonderful Life
Pan's Labyrinth

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Recession. Encrypted texts. Google. Unique Typography. Where am I going with this? Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I picked up this book. I know the reception has been fantastic, but sometimes books come out with a bang and fizzle up like a firecracker. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore wasn’t really a bang, but it was very smooth. This is one of those easy reads that keeps you going, but without any whiplash or withdrawal symptoms.

Clay Jannon is our bookstore clerk and hero. Due to the recession, Web designer Clay takes an overnight clerk position at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore. The store carries very little new inventory, but has a huge collection of archaic, encrypted books that Clay refers to as The Waybacklist. The Waybacklist draws some very strange visitors who borrow rather than buy these books. Clay begins to create a digital model of the store complete with data visualization of the order of books that each visitor or member of the bookstore checks out. This is where the fun begins. At almost the same time, Clay becomes involved with Kat—Google employee and fanatic. Between the two of them, a rich friend who creates digital breasts, and a roommate with mean special effects skills, a very old secret struggles to come to light.

The book is a great mix of technology, code breaking, memorable characters, and mystery. I would very highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for a light and entertaining read. A debut novel not entirely overwrought with attempt. Nice work, Robin Sloan.

P.S. As promised, the cover does glow in the dark!

Who's Afraid of a Little Pink Cover?

I may be like many of you, a skeptic.  Our library is currently hosting a Blind Date with a book. The Blind Date books are completely covered and has three descriptive words written on the cover. Based on the three written words you select a book that you will read.  As I said I am a skeptic, there are some authors I know if they write a book, I want that book in my hot grubby little paws, NOW!  However there are other titles I am confident I would not enjoy. Consequently I judge the book by its cover and I do not pick it up.  It's true--I am prejudiced against pink covers. There I said it... I am biased who wants to read a book of fluff?  Give me a suspensful thriller, murder mystery or adventure.  There can be romance, but there's got to be some kind of thrill involved.  A pink fluffy book, that is just not for me...or so I thought.

I picked up a Blind Date Book the words on the cover were flirty, irreverant and romance.  When I got it home I opened it.  It was pink. Not just any pink, hot pink and I thought really? I saw the author's name was Sophie Kinsella and again I thought, really. I have never read any of her books (that's right never). I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic, but never read the book.  I told myself that this is just one book I'll read it and get it over with.  The title was Can You Keep a Secret?

I can honestly tell you Ms. Kinsella had me from the first page.  I loved it!  It was funny, light hearted, a bit of a mystery. I enjoyed the quirkiness between the main characters and was deeply unhappy when Emilie, the main character was betrayed. It was a terrific  story.  I read a few other Blind Date with a Books, not all were loved by me, but they were good. Here are a few of their names in case you were uneasy about reading a book when you cannot see the cover.

Last Dog on the Hill by Steve Duno---This is the story of Lou a feral puppy who grows up to be an amazing dog. A wonderfully, funny and perhaps sad true story. If you like dogs you'll love this book!

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan-- this is a young adult fiction title filled with adventure, love and peril. This had adventure and peril, but...I did not like the ending. There was plenty of foreshadowing yet the evil in the story will grow again and the downfall will be wrought by the heroine in the story. Hmm I guess I am intrigued enough to check out the next book in the series, Spark. I really do not want Seth, the antagonist to win.

American Gothic: Joyce Carol Oates

Utter the name Joyce Carol Oates and what comes to mind? Novelist. Essayist. Critic. Poet. Short-story writer. Critically acclaimed. Prolific. Brilliant. Oates is the author of over one-hundred books and has scaled the pinnacle of the New York Times Best Sellers list with her novel We Were the Mulvaneys (1996), which also became an Oprah Book Club pick and a film of the same name. Reading Oates, however, is not for the faint of heart, so fans of light-hearted mysteries and bubbly Chick Lit may want to steer clear. Violence is a theme that appears often in her novels and short stories, and she makes no apologies for it: "I am a chronicler of the American experience. We have been historically a nation prone to violence, and it would be unreal to ignore the fact. What intrigues me is the response to violence: the aftermath in the private lives of women and children in particular." Oates "writes all over the aesthetical map," and creates a bewitching, if not shocking, collage of realism and surrealism, the gothic and the grotesque, in her tales. But her literary art is top notch and she has the awards to prove it, from the 1970 National Book Award (Them) to the 2012 PEN Center USA Award for Lifetime Achievement, and numerous others in between. Undeniably, Oates has mastered both the long and short form of fiction writing, and she has this to say to her detractors: "Perhaps critics (mainly male) who charged me with writing too much are secretly afraid that someone will accuse them of having done too little with their lives." Ladies and gentlemen, this author does not pull her punches! If Joyce Carol Oates sounds like your kind of writer, then do yourself a favor and add her latest novel, The Accursed, to your reserve list now.