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Monday, May 31, 2010

Book Snapshots: "The Black Cat" by Martha Grimes.

Is there any wonder or real surprise in The Black Cat, Martha Grimes' 22nd mystery featuring Superintendent Richard Jury?  Well, not really.  New Scotland Yard Superintendent Jury undertakes to solve a number of murders with the assistance of his Sergeant, Wiggins, and his friend Melrose Plant.  The initial murder occurs at a pub called The Black Cat.  The victim is a woman leading a double life:  Employed by a London escort service on weekends and as a librarian in the local village library during the week.  In addition to murder, there is a missing cat.  Yes, a black cat.

The Black Cat starts a bit slowly, but having read all of the previous Jury novels, I was committed to slogging on.  As the book continued, the plot picked-up and finally hooked my attention.  Ultimately, Ms. Grimes comes up with a clever ending to the work.

This mystery series from Martha Grimes was at its zenith in the 1980s.  From 1981 to 1989, she published 10 books featuring Richard Jury which were very enjoyable.  Although not on par with the best of the series, The Black Cat is a perfectly adequate cozy mystery.



      

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Author Michelle Wildgen Speaks at Library Event.

Michelle Wildgen speaking at Olbrich Gardens earlier this week.

This week Michelle Wildgen was the guest speaker at a fund raising event for the Madison Public Library.  Wildgen, a senior editor at Tin House, is the author of two novels set in Madison:  You're Not You and her most recent work, But Not for Long.

The description of the plot of But Not for Long screams Madison and Wisconsin:  The three central characters live in a housing co-op.  One is a vegetarian who works at a hunger-relief nonprofit.  The second writes for a trade magazine about cheese.  The third character joined the co-op to escape her alcoholic husband.  (In 2008, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran a five-part series on Wisconsin's culture of drinking called Wasted in Wisconsin).  The personal struggles of these characters take place during an energy crisis that is causing black-outs and gas shortages in the city.  But Not for Long received a short review in the New York Times last fall where the reviewer called it a "memorable book."

But Not for Long is definitely going on my 'to read' list.  The story elements sound fresh and intriguing.  And, if Wildgen's novel is as witty and smart as her speech was at the library fund raiser, then it will definitely be a good read.  The final reason to give it a go?  I love our library system and an author who supports it is an author I want to support. 

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Summer Book Recommendations from the Wall Street Journal.

This variety of peony is called Bowl of Cream - what an appropriate name.
 

This weekend the Wall Street Journal published a special section on books for reading this summer.  Below are a few titles mentioned in the paper that look interesting:





Sunday, May 23, 2010

Music We Like: "The Hazards of Love" by The Decemberists.

The Hazards of Love blasted me back in time to the 1970s.  This 2009 release by alt-rock group The Decemberists has that era's concept album vibe and sound, expertly up-dated for now.  This disc is smart, a wonderfully planned and executed piece of music that carries its theme, expressed in the title, through to each song and with elements of music and lyrics linking and doubling back from track to track.  Very cool.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

For Your Reading List: "Murder City" by Charles Bowden.

Tucson-based journalist Charles Bowden is the author of many books about the southwest.  In his new and timely work Murder City, Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields, Bowden looks at one year in Ciudad Juarez, the murder capitol of the world which is just across the river from El Paso, Texas. 

Check out several reviews of Murder City here:

The San Francisco Chronicle.

The Arizona Republic.




Check out Bowden's appearance on Democracy Now here.

Monday, May 10, 2010

"The Great Oom: Yoga's Wild Ride to Respectability" by Robert Love.

Recently in the Wall Street Journal, Christine Rosen reviewed Robert Love's book, The Great Oom:  Yoga's Wild Ride to Respectability.  Described as a "rollicking and well-researched history of yoga's early days in America", the book examines the life of Pierre Bernard who in the late 1800s was a 13-year old Nebraska boy that improbably got tuned into yoga.  Bernard subsequently spent the rest of his life promoting it, which was not an easy task.   NPR also ran a story on the book yesterday; check it out here.

The Great Oom sounds like it may be a fun read.  I'm adding it to my non-fiction reading list.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Movies We Like: "Tokyo! Transformation. Anarchy. Rebirth."

Tokyo! is comprised of three individual short films from three different cult directors.  The first segment, Interior Design by Michael Gondry, is exceptional.  All three segments about strange lives in the big city are worth watching for the unusual, surreal experience.  Read more here at Rotten Tomatoes.   



Tokyo!