“Serpent in the Thorns: a medieval noir” by Jeri Westerson

“Serpent in the Thorns: a medieval noir” by Jeri Westerson ISBN 9780312534981

I heard about this book on a listserv that I receive, I was intrigued about the conversation about cover art and book trailers.  So I purchased this book for the library and then somehow this book got to the top of my to read list which is a phenomenal feat since my “to read” list typically hovers at around 30 books, just ask my staff!

So not only was I so intrigued by the premise and some of the reviews that it scuttled to the top of a monumental list it held my attention for a weekend and so I finished it over a 3 day period.  This in the midst of cub scout ice fishing with my son’s pack and birthday dinners — so despite the record cold spell I actually did have plans that did not include staying near the fire sipping tea and reading. 

I felt that Crispin Guest was a great character who was richly described and believable within his realm.  He seemed to have a wealth of emotion and angst and yet wasn’t all “woe is me”.  The world (and the king) had given him a horrible set of circumstances and yet he still has time to teach a cut purse latin and make the hard decision of what he truly wants and what he is willing to do to get it.

The reader sees Crispin first in his room when a serving girl comes in asking for help, there was a dead man in her quarters shot by an arrow.  Throughout the story we see French Couriers, English spies, and trips to the monastery while Crispin looks for clues and information that may one day be used to gain him his property, title, and good name.

Ms Westerson has a huge amount of information about the time period that I found very interesting and if I ever have time I might try to pursue learning more.   She speaks a great deal about court, costumes and kitchens.  I love historical fiction that is part pleasurable history and part story for I have learned far more in the realms of history by well written historical fiction than any text books that I have tried to digest.

One thing stood out quite clearly that I want to investigate because a friend of Crispin was removing an arrow and had a servant girl get a stale piece of bread blue with mold.  I have learned a little about medicinal herbs — I haven’t learned anything about medicine in the 1300’s but that does seem a bit strange.  Who would have kept moldy bread when pigs, chickens, or anything else could have eaten it?  I will try to investigate this in “all my free time” but even if I don’t — in general I really don’t think it matters that much, everything else was very enjoyable and I am willing to suspend my disbelief.

Who should read “Serpent in the Thorns” by Jeri Westerson?  Anyone who likes historical fiction, mystery, or just following the life of a hunky honorable man.

29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving can change your Life by Cami Walker

29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving can change your Life by Cami Walker ISBN 9780738213569

 

I read the review for this book in a library journal and I thought it would be appreciated by some of our patrons.  When the book came in and we placed it on the shelf it was checked out immediately and when it was returned I felt moved to check it out.  It was a light read — anecdotal stories about the author who was suffering through MS flare ups and told by her counselor to stop thinking of herself and to make a commitment to give things to others for 29 days.  This commitment was to help her focus on others and not on her own problems. 

We see some wonderful things happen — she gives food and money to a homeless AIDS victim and thinks that though she is ill — it isn’t fatal; she sends notes and gifts small items, tea and books and it isn’t the gift that matters but the thoughts behind the action.  I geuss what spoke most to me is to be present and ask yourself why you are doing it?  The same action out of obligation is going to make you feel angry, “I have to do this!” and yet if you can change the way you think and say, “How can I make someone’s day?” that can make all the difference.

Library Journal, 11/15/09
“Walker presents a story that gets to the core of the emotional pain and loneliness that people feel when suffering from a serious disease like multiple sclerosis…Readers will instantly connect with this narrative of her journey…Her story unfolds nicely, and the reader is left with a good picture of what it’s like to live with MS. Walker turns what could have been a book about self-pity into a great read about pain and a creative way to get on with life.”

Albatross: the true story of a woman’s survival at sea by Deborah Scaling Kiley

Albatross: the true story of a woman’s survival at sea by Deborah Scaling Kiley (and Meg Noonan) ISBN 0395655730

Having worked at a maritime museum, when this book crossed the circulation desk it caught my eye immediately.  Then it sat on my bed side table for months while I read most anything else.  I am a book horder — I want the books available, in case I want to read them, but I don’t always get to them promptly.  However this was an amazing book and once I finally opened it I was finished in 2 evenings.

This is not a “whodunit” after reading the book jacket we know the story — 5 people go sailing only 2 live.  Yet the real question is how that came to pass and that story is riveting.  The personalities of the crew and the dilemmas they face are strongly written and vividly portrayed.  It was a page turner that just kept going until the end of the book.

From Publishers Weekly

It was an ill-assorted crew that set out in October, 1982, to deliver a 58-foot yacht, Trashman , to Florida. John, the captain, his friend Meg and the author first sailed from Maine to Annapolis, where they picked up two more crew members, Brad and Mark. Sailing without charts, they encountered gale winds and high seas off the North Carolina coast on the second day out. A freak wave crashed through the cabin windows, and Trashman sank in minutes, leaving the crew adrift in a rubber dinghy without food and water, each one hanging onto his or her own survival. Meg had been severely injured in a fall; she developed blood poisoning and died. The second day in the dinghy, John and Mark, both delirious, went overboard. Debbie and Brad managed to hang on to their belief that they would be rescued. Four days after the sinking, they were picked up by a Russian freighter and brought to shore at Morehead City, N.C. This is a harrowing story of endurance and survival.

Prime Time: a Charlotte McNally Novel by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Prime Time: a Charlotte McNally Novel by Hank Phillippi Ryan ISBN 9780778327172

This is a book I encountered first at a conference I went to in November, CrimeBake 2009, in Dedham, MA.  As you can tell from my previous posts I read many things — mostly youth fiction/fantasy, yet when I met the author I was intrigued by what she might have to say.  She seemed an intelligent and pleasant woman with a great wealth of personal experience and so I wanted to read her work and learn more about the life of a journalist.

Hank’s heroine is Charlotte McNally, a  wonderful strong journalist with her Boston Condo with the quirky fire alarms and a cat called Botox.  “Charlie” has a great deal of career stress because it is that time of year when TV News needs big ratings and depending on the day and the next interview they wonder if their story is ‘big enough’ or if they will need to find another job.  Throughout the book we meet her co-workers who are well developed and rich — she has few friends, but her work life is vibrant and the pace definitely keeps us going to the next interview, the next scene, the next whodunit moment.

It is an absorbing read and I do highly recommend this book as an excellent mystery for all readers.

Library Journal says:

***Library Journal loves DRIVE TIME! The starred review, coming out in the December issue, is a rave.

Click here to read the whole thing—but here’s just a snippet of LJ’s very kind words.

STARRED REVIEW: “Buckle up and prepare for a wild ride …Ryan once again channels her Emmy-winning investigative reporting expertise to craft a realistic and compelling mystery, full of hairpin turns and dangerous intersections at breakneck speed. Verdict: Placing Ryan in the same league as Lisa Scottoline… her latest book catapults the reader into the fast lane and doesn’t relent until the story careens to a stop. New readers will speed to get her earlier books, and diehard fans will hope for another installment.”

A Good Night for Ghosts: Magic Tree House #42 by Mary Pope Osborne

A Good Night for Ghosts: Magic Tree House #42 by Mary Pope Osborne ISBN 9780375856488

My children are beginning to be too old for the Magic Tree House Series but I can still get away with reading it out loud to them before bed and I am thankful for that opportunity.  The books are typically short and can be read out loud in 2 or 3 nights and they are so entertaining, yet always a chance to tell my own children little bits of history that they just don’t learn about in school. 

“A Good Night for Ghosts” is, of course, on the eve of All Saint’s Day and Jack and Annie visit New Orleans.  Their mission from Merlin is to use a magic trumpet to help someone find the courage to give their gift of music to the world.  They are searching for Dipper — a.k.a. Louis Armstrong, who is 14 and working many different jobs to help his family survive: coal delivery, dish washer, and banana carrier.

Jack and Annie work beside Dipper all day and keep getting him to join his friends who play music, but his responsibility to his family keeps him at work no matter how difficult the task.  It is only when they have a mystical experience in a haunted black smith shop that he even entertains the idea of his possible music genius.  In a slightly unusual move for Jack and Annie they show the guide book to Dipper to help convince him that they are not just “potato heads” but really trying to help him create the dream that he holds dear to his heart.

From Amazon.com:

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Jack and Annie are on their second mission to find—and inspire—artists to bring happiness to millions. After traveling to New Orleans, Jack and Annie come head to head with some real ghosts, as well as discover the world of jazz when they meet a young Louis Armstrong!

The Way of Shadows (The Night Angel Trilogy, Book 1) by Brent Weeks

The Way of Shadows (The Night Angel Trilogy, Book 1) by Brent Weeks ISBN 978-0316033671 (read by Paul Boehmer)

It has been a long time that I read (or heard) a book which when it finished it had such a cliff hanger ending that all I could think of was the next book.  This is one of those books and I highly recommend it.  It falls in the realm of fantasy with magic (or talent) quite prevalent throughout, but it is not so strong that I think it would turn off any reader that does not typically like fantasy.

The hero, Azoth (a.k.a. Kylar) starts as a street rat who is frightened of the bigger boys in his guild.  He has friends that he tries to help and when one of his friends is threatened he has to discover what he has within himself.  He apprentices with the most renowned assassin of the city and has very hard decisions to make throughout the whole story.

The story is very well written — the decisions that Azoth has to face are natural and thought out, despite some of the harsh situations there are moments of humor and adventure that help move along the possibly more angst ridden scenes.

This book could either be in the Youth Fiction section or in the general Fiction section.  I believe it holds the interest of both — and I will eagerly check out the next book on CD.  

It is read amazingly well by Paul Boehmer.

From Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Shadows-Night-Angel-Trilogy/dp/0316033677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259780575&sr=8-1#noop 

Product Description

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city’s most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he’s grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly – and to take risks. Risks like being an apprentice to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins’ world of dangerous politics and strange magics – and cultivate a flair for death.

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper LCC 66-11199  (ISBN 978-1416949640 — mass market paperback)

 

Though originally published in 1965, I find that this book speaks to the children of today rather nicely.  I read this out loud to my children and they did enjoy it.  It may not be as “action packed” as some of today’s books but it does have the chase scenes and the times of extreme tension.

The premise is that the three children (Simon, Jane, and Barnabas) and their parents are meeting Great Uncle Merry at a rental home in Cornwall.  Their plans include nothing more exciting than walking the headlands and fishing.  Then they find an ancient map in the attic of the rental home and all their quiet plans are shot as they become the focal point of thefts and kidnapping. 

Great Uncle Merry is a well respected history professor and is a great help to the children when they find the map and try to decipher the significance of the images.  His role as guardian enables the children to explore and discover things they may not have had the courage to do initially.  This is a wonderful story about the myths of King Arthur and how they effect the English country-side even in today’s society.  King Arthur truly is the once and future King!

the link to Amazon.com :

http://www.amazon.com/Over-Under-Stone-Rising-Sequence/dp/141694964X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259608959&sr=1-1

“Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney” by Lee Cockerell

“Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney” by Lee Cockerell ISBN 9780385523868

 

This book was an excellent resource and a very enjoyable read.  I think this book should be required reading for so many people from high school students to CEO’s of major companies.  Why?  Because we all know how we want to be treated and it makes common sense to treat people with respect and dignity — but sometimes we fail.  When I was first employed full-time after college – my supervisors (I worked for 2 different departments) were the most amazing bosses a person could ask for anywhere.  They treated me with respect and looked out for my well being by helping me with classes and making sure I had the books and resources to learn what I needed to do my job well.  I feel that because of the examples of these men I can strive to emulate them in my own interactions with staff.

This book is well written and light — it is an easy read even though it talks about some pretty intense issues.  It is common sense — though we all know that common sense isn’t as common as we would like to it to be. 

From Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Magic-Common-Leadership-Strategies/dp/0385523866/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259087103&sr=1-1#noop
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly

On his way up the career ladder to become Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World Resort, Cockerell freely admits he was such an autocratic young hotel and restaurant manager that he was hit over the head with a beer bottle by an employee he’d treated poorly. This and other incidents (including a bashing with a clipboard) convinced Cockerell to study leadership, which he proceeded to do with gusto throughout his stellar career, ultimately creating the Disney Great Leaders strategies. The author’s engaging storytelling brings life and infectious energy to this entertaining and inspiring book, which outlines the processes and rationale behind Disney’s employee-driven ethos. Each chapter expounds on the Disney Formula for Success, which Cockerell sums up as “great leadership leads to employee excellence, which leads to customer satisfaction and strong business results.” Cockerell’s willingness to use his management gaffes as examples not only makes him a likeable narrator but also a credible leader, offering up a mesmerizing view of a career devoted to excellence in customer service, employee empowerment, organizational improvement and responsive leadership.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food–Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation’s Food Was Seasonal by Mark Kurlansky

 

 

The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food–Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation’s Food Was Seasonal by Mark Kurlansky (ISBN 978-1594488658)

Mark Kurlansky found the basis for this book in the National Archives and then decided to put it together in the form it was started for — a book about Regional Foods.  Information was gathered by writers in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s by FDR’s Works Project Administration.  This project stopped when Pearl Harbor occurred and it was never picked up again.

Though I listened to it on Audio CD — it is supposed to have recipes and I think that would make this book that much more interesting.   I think this is an excellent book and know that many people would enjoy this work for both its food history and regional cultural history.  It is getting to be Autumn, time for soups and slow cooked foods … at least in New England!

from Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Younger-Land-Food-Before-Restaurants/dp/1594488657/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255366207&sr=1-1

From Booklist
Just what we need in hard times, recipes for  ”>booya, mullet salad, Georgia possum and taters, kush, and Montana fried beaver tail. Kurlansky, the author of best-selling books about salt, cod, and oysters, discovered these gems in a two-foot-high stack of the “raw, unedited manuscripts” for an inspired but never completed WPA endeavor titled America Eats. As he explains in his invigorating introduction, the Federal Writers’ Project sent starving writers of all stripes (Nelson Algren, Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, and other who qualified just because they could type) across the country to gather information about “American cookery and the part it has played in national life.” The results are vivid and playful dispatches from pre-interstate, pre-fast-food America, when food was local and cuisine regional. Kurlansky selected zesty writings, factual and imaginative, describing barbecues, fries, and feasts; profiling families; and defining New York City luncheonette slang (“blind ’em” means two eggs fried on both sides). Fun, illuminating, and provocative, this historic reclamation appears while we’re in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the one Franklin D. Roosevelt fought with his job-creating stimulus package and while we’re grappling with a plague of unsafe food and environmental woes associated with industrial agriculture. But don’t despair. Whip up Ethel’s Depression Cake, and throw a bailout party. –Donna Seaman 

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler

“The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” by David Kessler (ISBN 978-1605297859)

Forget Stephen King and other authors of horror — there is nothing more horrific than this book.  This book, thoroughly researched and well written is terrifying in the way that it is true — and no amount of fictional horror can be scarier than what marketers do for unhealthy living.  I have grown up in this culture and know what we have been taught.  Much to the amusement of a group of British friends: a woman raised in California, a man raised in New York and myself raised in Connecticut could all sing the Oscar Mayer Bologna commercial.  Advertising is king and we have been trained since our youth to listen and obey. 

Restaurants and advertisers have conspired against us — to help us over-ride natural controls that our body has to let us know when enough food has been consumed.  Now through food combinations of fat, sugar, and salt we want more even though we know we have eaten enough. 

This book is well worth reading and for anyone interested in nutrition, healthy weight and general well-being this is an excellent read.

From Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/1605297852/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255356272&sr=8-1

From Booklist
Kessler surveys the world of modern industrial food production and distribution as reflected in both restaurants and grocery stores. To his chagrin, he finds that the system foists on the American public foods overloaded with fats, sugars, and salt. Each of these elements, consumed in excess, has been linked to serious long-term health problems. Kessler examines iconic foods such as Cinnabon and Big Macs, all of which have skilled marketing machines promoting consumption. Such nutritionally unbalanced foods propel people who already tend to eat more than mere physical need might otherwise warrant into uncontrolled behavior patterns of irrational eating. These persistent psychological and sensory stimuli lead to what Kessler terms “conditioned hypereating,” which he believes is a disease rather than a failure of willpower. There is hope, however. Kessler identifies the cues that lead to overeating and offers some simple, practical tools to help control one’s impulses. –Mark Knoblauch