If you are like most fans of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series you’ve been climbing the walls waiting for PBS to release the BBC miniseries (which they’ve been watching in England for months the lucky devils). But there’s a problem you can only watch one episode a week and you’ve already reread Wolf Hall and…
Picnic, Lightning – Billy Collins “Over the past decade, Billy Collins has emerged as the most beloved American poet since Robert Frost, garnering critical acclaim and broad popular appeal. Annie Proulx admits, “I have never before felt possessive about a poet, but I am fiercely glad that Billy Collins is ours.” John Updike proclaims his…
Reviewed by Linda: Touch & Go is a quick read suspense thriller without a lot of murder and blood. It involves a wealthy Boston family of three who have been kidnapped and hidden in the woods of northern New England.
May 7 will be the 100 anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania (see Chris’s review of Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy and the End of the Edwardian Age) by German U-20 off the Irish coast. Like a lot of anniversaries of major historical events this one has spawned a lot of books on the subject. Here…
Reviewed by Chris Much like the 100th anniversary of the Titanic in 2012 inundated us with retrospectives and movie rereleases, expect a flood of books on the Lusitania for its centenary coming up in May. You may remember the Lusitania from the footnotes of your high school textbook: a British passenger ship that was torpedoed…
The Today In History Reading List is a list of books, fiction and non-fiction, to go along with some of the events that happened today.
Since seeing all three Swedish adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest) as well as David Fincher’s Oscar-winning adaptation, I’ve felt no real need to read the books – until I kind of joined a book club and then quit after I’d already started reading the first book… and, man, I was hooked.
Jen recommends two fiction titles.
Living in the soot-stained darkness that was Pittsburgh in 1941, John is keen to enlist after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He doesn’t view it as a choice or an option; it’s something he has to do.
David Flusfeder’s novel John the Pupil has been repeatedly compared to Umberto Eco’s fiction. The similarity is definitely there. The story is about John a young Franciscan monk in 1267 Oxford studying under the English philosopher Roger Bacon (Bacon also gets a couple of mentions in Name of the Rose if I remember rightly). John is tasked with making a pilgrimage to the Viterbo Italy where the Pope is in residence.
I read a lot of history; I review a lot of history books; I read a lot of history book reviews; and I read a lot of book catalogs selling history books so not a lot slips by me. However this is a case of that happening, and I am simultaneously embarrassed (for missing it…
I don’t normally read books with “A Natural History” in the title; for all that I love the natural world and history, I have a hard time getting excited about the life and times of, say, a Western Blue Throated Snow Toad (which I totally made up just now). However, I’ve always liked Cormorants.
So you’ve seen the recently released Kingsman: The Secret Service and have been bitten by the spy craft bug. One: Trust me, you’re not alone. Two: We can help fill the time between now and when you go back to the theater to see the movie again, or between now and when it’s released on DVD, whichver is in keeping with how you roll. The majority of the titles on this list, both fiction and non-fiction, can be found on display in the new book room.
James Hookbridge has been cursed to an eternity of waging war against sharp-toothed boys in the Neverland. Wholly weary of it, he has but one desire left to him, and that is for Death to find and take him at His earliest convenience. For a permanent ceasefire; the game board cleared and put away; to…
The Edgar Award nominees are selected by the Mystery Writers of America. Each of the nominated titles is linked to the NOBLE catalog.
We all have in mind a sense of fairy tale: that story type and what it’s composed of, along with favorite examples. Certain names no doubt spring immediately to mind: Grimm, Anderson, Disney. You’ll encounter those familiar stories, names, and more in Warner’s short history. In the prologue, Warner offers an at-a-glance definition of fairy…
I normally do four events for the Today in History reading list but I just couldn’t choose this time so I did five. Check out a day full of Emperors and presidents, Samurai and various kinds of rebels. We give you one non-fiction and one fictional work to go with each event.
Recently there has been a resurgence in interest in the character of George Smiley with the reboot of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Although Gary Oldman does a credible George Smiley for me he’ll always look like Alec Guinness from the BBC Mini-Series that follows the John le Carre novel very closely. I was thrilled to see Michael Jago’s The Man Who Was George Smiley: The Life of John Bingham
Sons of Liberty priemeres on History Channel on January 25th. Get caught up in the Revolution, and then stop by the library to check out our display of books dedicated to this rabble-rousing lot and other key Revolutionary figures; look for the display just beyond the new book room.
Buying comics for the library is a tricky thing. For one thing, we’re not buying for the collector. If you know Comics People, than I’m sure you have a friend who obsessively collects every Batman comic or possible X-Men tie-in. We don’t really buy for those readers as they bought the single issues, subscribed to the title, and have been pouring over the message boards to see what’s coming next. Instead, we buy comics for the casual reader. [Caption column by Drew]
I could go on ad nauseam about all the fantastic books I read last year, but for brevity’s sake, here are half a dozen of my 2014 favorites. (All but two of the following titles were published in 2014.)
Doing a Russian spy themed Jim Recommends today. All of the books I’m recomeneding are perspective on Cold War espionage from the persective of the Soviet Union.
If you like the gore of 16th century childbirth, rich historical descriptions and strong female characters, these are the books for you!
How about a little Russian Revolution on Christmas Eve? Ok maybe not every ones first choice for the night before Christmas but at some point you should really check this one out (briefly tried to do a Russian Revolution themed lyrics to Night Before Christmas but it did not work). Books on the Revolution can be a little dense but if you want to read one that isn’t check out Figes’ Revolutionary Russia.
Rachel has been accidentally reading quite a bit of non-fiction in the past couple of months, so here are some thoughts on four newish real-life releases (and one not-so-new at all).
The name William Marshal was not wholly unknown to me going into Asbridge’s The Greatest Knight, but the details of Marshal’s life, those were very sketchy indeed. I’ve only just started the second section of the biography, which opens in 1166, shortly after Marshal had been knighted, but prior to that my notes on his…
Staff suggestions of non-fiction and poetry.
We all do it (even though we’ve been admonished not to). Standing there looking at shelf after shelf of books we automatically are drawn to the covers. More importantly publishers know we do and create some really gorgeous covers to tempt us. Here are just a few of our favorites. Oh and we want to know what your favorite covers are. Leave them in the comments. (Bonus points if you can guess which of us picked which cover.)
We’ve got some music and musicians and big political events on this day in history. Enjoy a nice reading list with a work of fiction and a work of non-fiction commemorating them.
You might remember this title from my post Jim’s Bedside Table. Well it isn’t on the table any more. I read it over the holiday and really enjoyed it. Open Cockpit by Arthur Gould Lee (Sadly we don’t own a copy of the book. However I’m working to fix that) is the memoir of a World War I pilot.
I tend to always have way more books than I could possible read. As a result there is a big stack of books on my beside table that threatens to crush me in my sleep. I can’t review them because I haven’t read them yet but they all have a story for why they are on my bedside table.
Spiders and Conjurers and Hypnotists, oh my.
Marvel had a wild and crazy day back on October 28th, dropping a whole lot of news regarding Phase 3 of the Cinematic Universe (MCU). If you weren’t on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, the Web, Earth that day or ever since, you might not know what’s what in terms of which superhero is getting her/his/their own…
A patron returning Gemini said it was terrific. Here’s a bit more about the book, taken from the publisher’s summary: “Dr. Charlotte Reese works in the intensive care unit of Seattle’s Beacon Hospital, tending to patients with the most life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Her job is to battle death—to monitor erratic heartbeats, worry over low…
Linda recommends this true story of Louis Zamperini, a famous runner and survivor of a Japanese concentration camp in WWII.
I was afraid November 12 was going to be all World War I stuff (winding down from Veterans/Armistice day) or Pilgrims (winding up for Thanksgiving). How wrong I was. I had to pick and choose what went in this list.
I picked this book up simply because it was the only time I had seen a history of World War II told from the perspective of the Japanese. What I hadn’t realized is Hara’s Japanese Destroyer Captain was actually a much older book. It was originally published in the 1960s as Hara tried to help a younger generation of Japanese understand the war. The book I picked up was a 2011 reprint.
I was on vacation a couple weeks ago. I went no where and I roamed around the right side of the globe from the comfort of my wing back chair in my living room (coffee and cats were added bonuses). Here’s were I went.
The main purpose of Alexander Lee’s The Ugly Renaissance: Sex, Greed, Violence and Depravity in the Age of Beauty is to take those two views of the Renaissance, beautiful art and chaotic violence, and merge them together.
2015 looks to be a very good year for fans of historical fiction. It took a great deal of time and hemming and hawing to cull down all of the titles that caught my eye to just these nine, making up a more manageable list. Many of these titles feature real-life characters: Coco Chanel, Edouard Manet, Virginia Woolf, and Shakespeare, to name a few. While other books on the list might appeal to fans of Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley, and Anya Seton.
Extremely touchy witches, bumbling spies and 1950s Paris
For today’s historical reading list we’ve got inventions, bohemian radicals, naval disasters and more. Wherever possible I’ve tried to do a work of non-fiction and a work of fiction for each event.
Two weeks ago I was also discussing What I’m Reading Now, with that list capped off by Meg Wolitzer’s Belzhar, a young adult novel that tangentially relies on the life and works of Sylvia Plath to support a small handful of the story’s themes. I’ve read Plath’s The Bell Jar, Ariel, and assorted brief articles…
Duggan’s The Lady for Ransom is set in the 11th century just prior to the First Crusade. In those days a soldier could make himself a prince in the chaotic borderlands between Christendom and Islam, but the Norman mercenary Rousseul de Balliol sought only good pay, honest employers, and to retire someday rather than die on the battlefield.
Have you ever thought “Why can’t there be more dragon’s in literature? Everything’s better with dragons”? Well Naomi Novik’s His Majesty’s Dragon (first book in the Temeraire series) proves that to be true…
Michelle here, former Book Monogamist. See, these days I have any number of fairly wildly different* books in progress at roundabout the same time. Here are early thoughts on the three books I’m Reading Now.
Because you know you have always wanted one. Ok maybe not but if you are into either European, African or Middle Eastern history you should really check them out. They started out as a tribe of Turkish horsemen wandering around in Anatolia. While still basically a nomadic horde (although they were early adopters of artillery)…
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of those books that I think everyone’s at least heard of – if not read themselves. It’s a familiar story, with both substantial literary themes and characters that have transcended the confines of the novel. It’s both a difficult read and an easy story to follow. And I honestly did not think that I was going to love the book as much as I did.
England has been in a nearly constant state of war with Spain for years, the Queen might be getting a little fuzzy between the ears and her spy service has a mole. Robert Cecil Jr, Elizabeth’s Secretary of State, calls in Marbeck aka John Sand. Cecil does this reluctantly since he considers Marbeck a loose canon and, to use his expression, a coxcomb but he knows Marbeck is loyal at least.
I’m hoping there is a sequel because there were some questions left unanswered, and it had quite the cliffhanger ending. I would recommend this to fans of light, mystery/suspense books.
Being a Danvers resident and a Katherine Howe fan I’ve been excited about this book coming out for months. My interest was further piqued by the fact that this book was based on similar circumstances which happened in a different town’s school a year or two ago.
As anyone who reads any of my reviews on this blog knows I read a lot of non-fiction (Especially history. See my last review). Even when I read fiction I love it when there is some kind non-fiction connection. This holds true with graphic novels and here are a few for the non-fiction lover that are fictional but still have some historical connection.
Like many people, I first read about the Hundred Years War in Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (which I got totally by accident because I mixed the title up with A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America which I was supposed to read for a college class), a hefty tome that takes you through all the four horsemen of the apocalypse as they ride across 14th century Europe.
Let me start by saying that I love Netflix’s adaptation of Orange Is the New Black – I LOVE it. As such, I was totally onboard for more of my favorite thirty-something Brooklynite WASP Piper and her highs and lows (and woes) during a fifteen-month stint at a women’s correctional facility.
This is easily my favorite work by Umberto Eco and pretty high on my list of favorite works of historical fiction in general. The story is set in the late 12th century and early 13th century. The main character is Baudolino a boy from northern Italy who has two talents: he can learn any language in moments and he is a very good liar.
Ever looked up the historical events of a particular day just to see what happened? Well I have done that for this lovely September 5 but I’ve added a twist. I’ve included some reading material to go along with some of today’s events. Where ever possible I’ve tried to do a work of non-fiction and a work of fiction for each event.
I’ve been reading a lot of history lately so I decided to take a break and indulge one of my other interests: cooking. Part of the reason Sous Chef: 24 Hours On The Line caught my eye (besides being bright red and having a knife on the cover) was that it is different from your average book on the world of fine dining.
Reviewed in this post: John Sandford’s Uncaged: The Singular Menace and Dale Bailey’s The Fallen.
“When 13-year-old Jace Wilson witnesses a brutal murder, he’s plunged into a new life, issued a false identity and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens. The plan is to get Jace off the grid while police find the two killers. The result is the start of a nightmare. The killers, known as…
There are a few books you can choose from if you want to know more about the Boer War, but I settled on Martin Meredith’s Diamonds Gold and War. I liked this one because it’s not just about the Boer War itself but takes the reader through the whole 19th century and shows how all those events lead to the war.
Of course, you can’t swing a cape near American comics without hitting a superhero, so here are three titles from The Big Two. This column includes: Ms. Marvel, Worlds’ Finest, and Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell.
This is the story of how Jim came to read Traitor’s Blade:
Michelle, after one chapter: Dude, this is basically Three Musketeers fanfiction!
Jim: Oh? Are there swords?
Michelle: Yes! And magic! Okay, that’s not very Three Musketeers, but fanfiction! And I know who’s who.
Jim: Yeah? Who’s Ara–
Michelle: Oh, no. You’re going to read it and then we’ll discuss.
Jim: *gets book that evening*…
The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri is a lovely book that has a little bit of everything: mystery, romance, suspense, and magic…
Here are three comics set before today, back when the shadows were a bit deeper and the stakes a bit higher…
One of the biggest problems with creating a list of World War I movies is deciding what to include and what to leave out. As with the literature on the war there are hundreds of movies so I’ve done a lot of picking and choosing. However if I’ve left something out that you think should…
August 1, 2014 marks the hundred year anniversary of the out break of World War I. The world wide tragedy that took the lives of millions, wounded and crippled millions more, and forever reshaped society has fascinated and horrified authors for ages. Here is a World War I reading list that attempts to give you…
Lately, I’ve been going through a bit of Protagonist Fatigue. For some reason, the normal wise-cracking, don’t count him out when he’s down hero hasn’t been doing it for me. Maybe this is part of a shift in taste away from capes or at least your standard up-up-and-away superhero story, but for whatever reason this summer I decided to take a break and try to read some comics with something new to me…
I first became interested in this when I heard how much Joss Whedon loved it. Then I started reading and realized it was another version of the zombie apocalyptic genre and my heart sank because it’s a genre I personally am not fond of. I kept reading however and I’m so happy I did because it’s so much more…
“Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited…
Talking to Girls About Duran Duran – Rob Sheffield Author Rob Sheffield riffs on the songs that saw him through the rapture, misery and bewilderment wanting to understand girls and pays tribute to tunes that captured some of his best moments. If you’re going to revisit your youth, let Rob Sheffield be your guide. Nothing…
The RITA Awards are sponsored by the Romance Writers of America. The 2014 winners are: Best first book: The Sweet Spot by Laura Drake “Charla Rae Denny was the perfect wife with a perfect life, content to keep the home fires burning while her husband, JB, competed as a champion bull rider. Then their son…
Reviewed in this post: Peter Pan Must Die [and] Firelight.
Dave Gurney may be a retired police detective living in the Catskill mountains, but once a cop, always a cop, especially when a debt has been incurred to a former colleague, who shortly comes to collect. The investigation Gurney gets roped into was supposed to be simple: prove police corruption to get a guilty verdict on a prominent homicide case overturned. …
Reviewed by Kim I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the adventures of private investigator Cormoran and his assistant Robin. This time they are investigating the murder of an unlikable author Owen Quine, who has penned a bizarre and horrible book which is nothing but a thinly veiled attack on the people in his life…
Garden Spells – Sarah Addison Allen “A pinch of marigold for affection, a dash of snapdragon to repel evil, finish with rose petals to encourage love, then let nature take its course. It may be the recipe for Claire Waverley’s successful catering business, but when it comes to working its magic on her own love…
Reviewed by Kim What would you do if you saw a car drive off the road, tried but failed to save the driver’s life, and found a satchel on the floor containing $500,000? Would you keep it or do the right thing and turn it into the police? This is the question facing law abiding…
Reviewed by Jim Eric Jager’s Blood Royal may not take place at the time of Dumas’ The Three Musketeers (in fact, it takes place 200 years before in 1407) but it would be a good choice for anyone who likes Dumas or French history. It has street fights, mystery and political intrigue. Bonus: It has…
In one place, for when you have more than a moment, links to articles and essays on Alexandre Dumas and his works of fiction (mostly, of course, The Three Musketeers). “The role of race in the life and literature of Alexandre Dumas: The episode that inspired the man behind the Musketeers“ Boyd Tonkin “In September…
“BBC AMERICA’s new co-production drama series, The Musketeers, is set on the streets of seventeenth century Paris, where law and order is an idea more than a reality. In addition to being King Louis XIII’s personal bodyguards, Athos, Aramis and Porthos stand resolutely for social justice, honor, valor, love – and for the thrill of…
Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers has been interpreted and reinterpreted and rereinterpreted in film, television and theater from before the age of film to the present day. Here are some clips and trailers from just a few versions of Dumas’ most famous work. For a more complete list of all the Musketeer film offerings check…
What better way to kick-off Read This’ Musketeers week than with D’Artagnan’s introduction in Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, followed by his video intro from BBC America’s new series, The Musketeers (which, honestly, is the whole reason we’re devoting this week to the dynamic swashbuckling foursome). “Don Quixote took windmills for giants and sheep for armies;…
Every summer has it’s anthem: that song (or two) you play over and over; a song that, when cooler weather settles in, brings back memories of bright and cloudless skies, warm nights, or maybe chocolate ice cream dripping down the sides of a waffle cone. The same can of course be said of books: a…
A mysterious drifter and an ardent Japanese warrior both arrive in a town terrorized by criminals. Guided by The Bartender at the Horseless Horseman Saloon, the two join forces to bring down the corrupt reign of Nicola and his lady Alexandra. Remember Ethan Chandler (from this post on Showtime’s Penny Dreadful)? Well. Josh Hartnett plays…
Notes from the Internet Apocalypse – Wayne Gladstone Have you ever guffawed while reading? I mean, out of the blue: a burst of laughter, startling in the relative quiet. I did, with this book, not once or twice but so many times I lost count. This too-slim* satire imagines an internet-less world run amok with…
Reviewed by Julie About the book: “Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times – the improbable, intimate account of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really…
Reviewed by Kim Gage Dekker, who has lost his wife and young son in a car accident, meets Anna Miller, who has also lost a child at a grief group, and marry within the year. After a miscarriage, Anna can’t bear to try again so they decide to adopt. Conveniently they stumble upon Lily who…
Gone With a Handsomer Man – Michael Lee West Betrayed, arrested for assault with a dangerous Georgia peach, and framed for her fiance’s murder, Teeny Templeton’s battle to clear her name features a host of oddballs, Southern charm and poisonous recipes! [One of our patrons also enjoyed this title; read her review here.] The Easy…
Reviewed by Kim Although he was one of my favorite authors, I didn’t realize that Michael Palmer had died last Fall. He will be truly missed. As far as Resistant is concerned, it’s classic Palmer: He takes something that’s been in the news, in this case flesh eating bacteria, and gives it a unique twist…
Reviewed by Rachel By all accounts, Neil Gaiman’s children’s book Coraline is a strange and creepy piece of fiction. It features another set of parents for its protagonist, Coraline Jones, who live through the hallway behind the door that goes nowhere. Copies of her next door neighbors, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, perform nightly for…
Reviewed by Jim It’s been a good spring/summer for the historical spy novel genre. A couple weeks ago David Downing’s Jack of Spies came out and now we have Alan Furst’s Midnight in Europe. Fans of Furst will immediately recognize the style and plot of this book. Christian Ferrar is a well to do Spanish…
Reviewed by Carol 4.5 Stars. Remarkable historical fiction about a Southern family’s views on slavery pre-Civil War, and the relationship between one of the daughters, Sarah Grimké, and her slave, Handful. Grimké and her sister, Angelina, become passionate about abolition, and eventually become active publicly for the cause, resulting in many life changes, some positive…
The Medici have been getting a lot of notoriety lately, both in fiction (for example The Medici Boy by John L’Heureux, and a whole slew of novels featuring Catherine De Medici) and in television (most notably Da Vinci’s Demons). The House of Medici, although an older book, is great for people who want some background on the Medici clan without getting bogged down in the Renaissance artists they patronized…
Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age – W. Bernard Carlson | Here’s the thing: I may never again want to hear the words commutator, stator or rotor, but I will very probably never get enough of Nikola Tesla. Most everyone has heard the name, but aside from his innovative work with AC and polyphase systems, how…
Jim and I (Michelle) are fans of Showtime’s new series Penny Dreadful, which takes and twists classic literary characters and throws them in with original (or are they?) characters, where they get down to business (see also: wreak havoc) in the ballrooms and back alleys of 19th century London…
I’m normally terrible about staying on top of my favorite authors and genres. I’ll find out about a book months after it’s been released and be mystified as to how I could have missed it. But this time was different. David Downing’s (author of the John Russell/Station series) Jack of Spies kept popping up on…
The Perfume Collector – Kathleen Tessaro After receiving an unexpected inheritance from a complete stranger, newlywed socialite Grace Monroe must uncover the identity of her mysterious benefactor. Weaving through the decades from 1920s New York to 1950s Monte Carlo, Paris and London, the story Grace uncovers is that of an extraordinary woman who inspired one…
Reviewed by Kim From the first line of Chapter One, “I am not the sort of person about whom stories are told,” this book absolutely captivated me. It is told in the first person from the perspective of Elise Dalriss, a peasant girl who after losing almost her entire family to the plague sets out…
Reviewed by Linda S. Excellent Historical Fiction that takes place in 1665 on an island called Great Harbor, now known as Martha’s Vineyard. A Puritan family settles on the land and the father, a minister, teaches the Native Americans the ways of the church and schools many in reading and writing. The minister’s daughter, Bethia,…
Reviewed by Kim Lila has two interesting occupations. She’s a housesitter and a writer of a YA werewolf series. She also enjoys observing the people around her and one night while perusing the occupants of the building across from her current job, think “Rear Window”, to her horror she sees a woman pushed out a…
“Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, Murdoch Mysteries is a one-hour drama series that explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city’s most gruesome murders.” [Image & Text: Murdoch Mysteries Official Website] You may…
As anyone who reads a lot Asian history knows it is really hard to find a current comprehensive history of Central Asia in the middle ages. Not surprising when you consider the area encompasses about 2 million square miles, hundreds of years of history and countless cultures many of which disappeared without much trace. There…