Judging a book by its title

Yes, I know the old adage about books and covers, but let’s be honest; you can often tell exactly what a book is by the message the publisher puts out with the cover. (White or canary yellow with cotton-candy pink or green script? Chick lit. Dark navy blue or black with bold silver type? Political thriller…you get the point.) I often judge whether I want to read a book exactly because of the cover. Sometimes, the same thing applies for titles.

I was recently looking at the books that have been shortlisted for the James Tait Black Memorial prize, the UK's oldest literary awards. One of the titles absolutely jumped out at me: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif. With a title like that, I felt that I absolutely must read this book. The novel has been compared to Joseph Heller's Catch 22, and the comparison is apt. It is an eviscerating look at the elite of the Pakistani military in 1988, surrounding the real airplane crash that killed the dictator General Muhammed Zia-ul-Haq, many of the top generals, and the US ambassador to Pakistan. As for how the case of mangoes plays in? You'll have to go beyond the title for that.

For the Birds

I recently took a few days off to go up to Magee Marsh near Lake Erie to go birding. In the spring the warblers are passing through and you can get a closeup look at these small, colorful birds. It is an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone who likes nature and/or birds. So, since I had such a wonderful time, I thought I look for some books to "extend my vacation".

Try one of the following:

Life List: A Woman's Quest for the World's Most Amazing Birds
Olivia Gentile

The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds
John Yow

Postcolonial Fiction

Postcolonial fiction has been one of my favorite types of literature for a long time. A basic definition of postcolonial literature is that it deals with countries that have gained independence from another entity (often from England or France) and the struggles that arise afterwards. Much of this genre deals with areas of the world like India, African nations, the Carribean, and many other countries that were once under rule of another nation. It provides good storytelling with a chance for reflection in what these countries, and people, struggle with after gaining independence.

V.S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas is one of the earliest postcolonial stories. The story is set in Trinidad and follows our lead character, Mahun Biswas, who is literally cursed from birth. He spends the entire story trying to build a house that he can call his own. The story mixes the tragic circumstances surrounding Mr. Biswas with some humorous situations. Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize, is set in India during the 1960's. This setting is not too long after India gained independence in 1947 and shows how families struggled during a time of transition. Perhaps the most famous book of this genre is Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Although it is set in Africa during the initial colonization phase, it has remained one of the most important works of the genre. The story takes place in a small native village and shows how the tribal leaders struggle with the arriving Europeans, who are determined to save the tribe from itself. The main character, Okonkwo, is a noble warrior who refuses to go along with the Europeans and eventually does not see eye to eye with his own tribe.

Visit this website if you are interested in more information on postcolonial literature.

Biographies & Memoirs

Biographies and memoirs are wonderful. I love reading about the frailty of the human spirit. Bauby's story of living with Locked-In Syndrome without whining or complaining in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a perfect example. I also love reading about people's strength to overcome incredible odds in order to achieve a better life and, sometimes, to simply survive, such as in Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall. However, I mostly love reading about, and this will make you think me shallow, the interesting facts that I can share with friends and co-workers – or even complete strangers who stand still long enough to listen.

For example, did you know that Albert Einstein (Albert Einstein by Alice Calaprice), who today would probably be diagnosed with ADHD, had multiple extra-marital affairs? Did you know that entertainer Steve Martin (Born Standing Up, a Comic’s Life) lost his virginity to Christian writer Stormie Omartian (only she wasn’t a Christian writer at the time; she was a performer)?

If you’re not sure where to start in your search for a well-written biography or memoir, try The Color of Water: a Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother by James McBride. I’m fairly certain you will enjoy the story, will appreciate seeing how his mother overcame incredible odds, and will find an interesting fact to share with someone else.

Revisiting classics

Every so often, I get so caught up in new releases (like Cecelia Ahern's Thanks for the Memories, which I giddily picked up from the hold shelf yesterday) that I forget how many classics I've not read in my life. Once I graduated and no longer needed to write essays on the light in The Great Gatsby or the moor in Wuthering Heights, I let those books fall to the wayside.

Last year, I decided it would be good to go back and revisit some of the classics I'd overlooked. (Frankly, I was hoping to combat the sneaking suspicion that I get a little more stupid with each passing year by reading things that at least would make me sound reasonably intelligent.) When I'm feeling at a loss for what to read next, I've been turning to Jane Austen (the classics, not the updated zombie kind which, frankly, creep me out), the Brontes, and, more recently, Mark Twain. I had, of course, read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but I hadn't ventured far beyond that. I recently stumbled across Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc and was surprised I'd never heard this book talked about as one of Twain's great works. Ostensibly written by a childhood friend of Joan's who grew up to be her page, it is quite different from his other books. It lacks the humor I've always known him for, but makes up for it with a true passion for the subject that often made me forget, in the way of any really well done historical novel, that I was reading fiction. I couldn't believe how caught up in it I found myself. While it has never been critically acclaimed, it was Twain's favorite (and last) of his novels: "I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well." – Mark Twain

Agreeing with Mark Twain on something that critics don't? That'll fight off the encroaching feelings of stupidity for at least a few days.

2009 Edgar Award Winners

Mystery Writers of America recently announced, as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, the Winners for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published or produced in 2008. The Edgar® Awards were presented at the 63rd Gala Banquet, April 30, 2009 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City. Here are some of the winners:

Best Novel - Blue Heaven by C.J. Box

A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother go on the run in the woods of North Idaho, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder—four men who know exactly who William and Annie are, and who know exactly where their desperate mother is waiting for news of her children's fate.

Best First Novel by An American Author - The Foreigner by Francie Lin

Emerson Chang is a mild mannered bachelor on the cusp of forty, a financial analyst in a neatly pressed suit, a child of Taiwanese immigrants who doesn't speak a word of Chinese, and, well, a virgin. When his mother suddenly dies, Emerson sets out for Taipei to scatter her ashes, and to convey a surprising inheritance to his younger brother, Little P. Now enmeshed in the Taiwanese criminal underworld, Little P seems to be running some very shady business out of his uncle's karaoke bar, and he conceals a secret--a crime that has not only severed him from his family, but may have annihilated his conscience.

Best Paperback Original - China Lake by Meg Gardiner

Evan Delaney learns that not only has her ex- sister-in-law joined a religious cult, but the unstable young mother plans to regain custody of her son and disappear with him into the fold of the fanatical group. But when murder raises the stakes, Evan is dragged even deeper into the nightmare.

For the complete list of Edgar Award nominees and winners, go to www.theedgars.com/ .

Lizzie The Zombie Slayer

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Folks, I’m kicking myself. Seriously, I wish I’d thought of this one myself. Given the massive vampire suck-fest taking place in the publishing industry (thanks, Stephenie), it was only a matter of time before their smellier, brain-eating cousins crashed the party and made the news, and what a breath of, um, fresh air that is. Pride and Prejudice…and flippin’ zombies! Let that sink in for a second. Jane Austen lovers, it’s okay--just relax and breathe. (And get a sense of humor while you're at it!) Why, if the book’s cover alone doesn’t make you laugh out loud, you might want to check your own pulse because you may be one of the undead already. Oh, but there’s more maggot-oozing goodness inside. In co-author Seth Grahame-Smith’s literary mash-up, Elizabeth Bennet, heroine of the original novel, is remade into the ultimate butt-kicking zombie slayer. When a plague begins reanimating the dead of Meryton, Elizabeth and her sisters use their ferocious ninja-style skills to put the flesh-eating rascals back in the ground where they belong. So for those of you who have ever suffered through a forced reading of Pride and Prejudice, this one’s for you. And if you truly love Austen’s classic, well, I’ll simply leave you with this: "Elizabeth felt herself growing more angry every moment; yet, as Darcy backed her against a wall, she tried to the utmost to speak with composure when she said: 'You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared the slightest grief which I might have felt in beheading you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.' "

Enjoy.

History...with a twist

Historical fiction has gained momentum over the past few years and is now one of the top genres. This genre can create an alternate version of past events. Sometimes the story places fictional characters within a historical context. There are always interesting new titles being released, so I thought we could take a look at some of the popular titles that have been released as well as those that will soon be available

Seen the Glory- A coming of age story of two brothers fighting side by side during the Civil War and the secret that threatens to tear them apart on the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg.

An Honorable German- A German naval officer looks forward to life after the war with his fiance. His future begins to look bleak once the Allies take control of the war.

A President in Peril- Harry S. Truman is running for re-election against Thomas Dewey in 1948. A Chicago Tribune police reporter finds out about a plot to assassinate Truman and is forced to write about the hate group threatening to do so.

Shadow and Light- A look into the motion picture industry right as sound in movies is introduced and how these films were used by Germany between the two world wars.

The Last Queen- Princess Juana narrates this story set in 15th century Spain. She must deal carefully with her husband and family when she suddenly becomes the last remaining heir to King Fernando and Queen Isabel.

Hangman Blind- This story centers around Abbess Hildegard in 15th century Yorkshire. After a series of murders around her monastery, Hildegard sets out to find the truth, no matter how horrible.

The Girl She Used to Be

A patron told me yesterday that she loves to read books by first-time authors. "You're getting their best," she said. "They haven't gotten caught up in the publishing machine. They're still writing for the love of the story and the characters and the words." While I love many books by authors that have churned out dozens, when I stopped to think about what she said, I realized that some of the books I've most enjoyed in the past few months have been by first time authors. Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle was one of the most compelling books I've read in a long time. It's --fair warning-- a little strange, but I suspect it's one I'll go back to again to see what I missed the first time.

Last week, I read and enjoyed first-time novelist David Cristofano's The Girl She Used to Be. It's the story of a woman who grew up in the witness protection program after she and her parents witnessed a vicious mob hit. Twenty years into the program, she meets the son of the mob boss who comitted the murder and has to decide whether to stay in the protection program or leave with the mob boss's son. I know -- seems like it would be an easy choice, right? More than that, it's also a story of a person figuring out who she is when others' definition of her is always changing, it's a story of what safety means and what it's worth, and it's a story about finding contentment with life as it is, not just as you want it to be.

I'm not going to give up the authors I already love, but it was nice to be reminded that giving new authors a chance can have a big payoff.

In the Queue

Whispers of the Dead
by Simon Beckett
Forensic anthropologist Dr. David Hunter comes to Knoxville’s legendary “body farm” to escape painful memories of his former life.

Resilience: Reflections On the Burdens & Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities
by Elizabeth Edwards
This lady knows about resiliency. She’s lost a child, suffers from cancer, and last year publicly learned of her husband's infidelity.

Shanghai Girls
by Lisa See
When their family faces bankruptcy, sisters May and Pearl are matched in arranged marriages to California men who have come to China looking for brides.

Free comic book day is every day at the library

To celebrate the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, USA Today reports that comic book shops around the country are offering free comic books tomorrow, May 2. Free books? Love the idea! There should be a place that you can go to get free books every day. Can you imagine never having to pay to read a new book? Never having to worry about what to do with it or where to put it when you're done? Oh...wait, we do that! Every day is free book - comic or otherwise - day at the library.

While I've never been able to fully immerse myself in a graphic novel the way I do with a traditional novel, I have been surprised in the past few years at what a broad spectrum they cover. From the Iranian revolution (Persepolis) to everyday life of a file clerk in Cleveland (American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar), to disaffected, dysfunctional families (The Bottomless Bellybutton), graphic novels range far beyond the superheroes and villians I always thought they were limited to.

So, whether you're an X-Men fan getting ready for the new movie, love Shonen Jump, want to know the backstory to Watchmen, or have never read a comic book or graphic novel in your life, celebrate Free Comic Book day at the place where they're always free.