51. People of the Book

By:  Geraldine Brooks
Rated 4 Stars
From Library, Audio Book

This is another one of those split into time books.  In a way this is very similar to The Source by James Mitchner in that it is a journey back in time.  This book traces the history of a sacred 500 year old Jewish prayer book.  I loved that part of it.

What I didn't love so much were the contemporary characters of Hannah the rare book expert and  Ozrem the librarian who saved the book from being destroyed in the siege of Sarajevo.  Hannah was way to abrasive for me to be able to muster up any sympathy for her personally although I had plenty of it for her cause.  Ozrem was a whiner who came across as a person who had a flash of courage and integrity every once in a while but didn't have enough character to sustain it over the long haul.  So my rating for this book is actually split, 5 for the history of the book, 3 for the parts of the story involving Hannah and Ozram.  In my mind that averaged out to a 4.


One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it. Geraldine Brooks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, has turned the intriguing but sparely detailed history of this precious volume into an emotionally rich, thrilling fictionalization that retraces its turbulent journey. In the hands of Hanna Heath, an impassioned rare-book expert restoring the manuscript in 1996 Sarajevo, it yields clues to its guardians and whereabouts: an insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals, and a white hair. While readers experience crucial moments in the book's history through a series of fascinating, fleshed-out short stories, Hanna pursues its secrets scientifically, and finds that some interests will still risk everything in the name of protecting this treasure.

50. The Devlin Diary

By Christi Phillips
Rated 4.5 Stars
From:  Jani

I really liked this book in spite of the problems I always have when an author jumps back and forth in time or POV.  That just a personal thing with me.  But this book is very well written and I can't thank Jani enough for sending me the books she reviews that she knows I will like.  This book is off to Texas next week.

FROM  AMAZON : London, 1672. The past twelve years have brought momentous changes: the restoration of the monarchy, a devastating plague and fire. Yet the city remains a teeming, thriving metropolis, energized by the lusty decadence of Charles II's court and burgeoning scientific inquiry. Although women enjoy greater freedom, they are not allowed to practice medicine, a restriction that physician Hannah Devlin evades by treating patients that most other doctors shun: the city's poor.

But Hannah has a special knowledge that Secretary of State Lord Arlington desperately needs. At the king's Machiavellian court, Hannah attracts the attention of two men, charming courtier Ralph Montagu and anatomist Dr. Edward Strathern, as well as the attention of the powerful College of Physicians, which views her work as criminal. When two influential courtiers are found brutally murdered, their bodies inscribed with arcane symbols, Hannah is drawn into a dangerous investigation by Dr. Strathern, who believes the murders conceal a far-reaching conspiracy that may include Hannah's late father and the king himself.

Cambridge, 2008. Teaching history at Trinity College is Claire Donovan's dream come true -- until one of her colleagues is found dead on the banks of the River Cam. The only key to the professor's unsolved murder is a seventeenthcentury diary kept by his last research subject, Hannah Devlin, physician to the king's mistress. With help from the eclectic collections of Cambridge's renowned libraries, Claire and historian Andrew Kent follow the clues Devlin left behind, uncovering secrets of London's dark past and Cambridge's equally murky present, and discovering that events of three hundred years ago may still have consequences today...

49. A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains

by Isabella L. Bird
Rated 4.5
From Library

I learned about this book on Bookflurries, a weekly Diary/book chat written by my friend Connie on The Daily Kos.  

Isabella L. Bird was a truly remarkable woman who traveled alone all over the world in the mid 1800's  and described her adventures in a series of letters to her sister. Here is a link to Wikipedia you can follow to learn more about her.  Isabella L. Bird 

FROM LIBRARY SUMMARY:  "In its simple and disarming style, it is a great piece of reporting on a rugged frontier."--San Francisco Chronicle "The book is a jewel case of keen perception, social analysis, and masterful description for this era."--Chicago Tribune In 1873 Isabella Bird embarked on a trip that called for the high level of stamina expected of an explorer or anthropologist. But the middle-aged Englishwoman who toured the Colorado Rockies on horseback--alone, for the most part--was neither of these. Painting an intimate portrait of the "Wild West," she wrote eloquently of flora and fauna, isolated settlers and assorted refugees from civilization, vigilance committees, lynchings, and the crude manners--yet gentle civility--among the men she encountered in the wilderness. A thoughtfully written, captivating narrative that provides a vibrant account of a bygone era and the people that forever changed the face of the American frontier.

48. Promises to Keep

By Joe Biden
Rated 5 Stars
From: Library

My friend Connie mentioned that she was reading this and it occurred to me that I ought to read it as well.  I knew practically nothing about Joe Biden and here he is, our Vice President, just a heartbeat away from the presidency.

I feel like I learned a lot  from this book about the kind of person he is.  He  is a very intelligent, savvy and principled man.  It's such a relief to have people in the White House that you can respect and feel safe about.  I'm glad I read it.

In the book he discusses frankly what causes he has supported during his 37 years in the U.S. Senate.  The ones fought for and won as well as the ones he fought for and lost.

FROM LIBRARY SUMMARY "He’s observed Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and two Bushes wrestling with the presidency; he’s traveled to war zones in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and seen firsthand the devastation of genocide. He played a vital role by standing up to Ronald Reagan’s effort to seat Judge Robert Bork on the Supreme Court, fighting for legislation that protects women against domestic violence, and galvanizing America’s response (and the world’s) to Slobodan Milosevic’s genocidal march in the Balkans. In Promises to Keep, Biden reveals what these experiences taught him about himself, his colleagues, and the institutions of government. With his customary candor, Biden movingly recounts growing up in a staunchly Catholic multigenerational household in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware; overcoming a demoralizing stutter; marriage, fatherhood, and the tragic death of his wife Neilia and infant daughter Naomi; remarriage and re-forming a family with his second wife, Jill; success and failure in the Senate and on the campaign trail; two life-threatening aneurysms; his relations with fellow lawmakers on both sides of the aisle; and his leadership of powerful Senate committees.

Through these and other recollections, Biden shows us how the guiding principles he learned early in life–the obligation to work to make people’s lives better, to honor family and faith, to get up and do the right thing no matter how hard you’ve been knocked down, to be honest and straightforward, and, above all, to keep your promises–are the foundations on which he has based his life’s work as husband, father, and public servant.

Promises to Keep is the story of a man who faced down personal challenges and tragedy to become one of our most effective leaders. It is also an intimate series of reflections from a public servant who refuses to be cynical about political leadership, and a testament to the promise of the United States.

46. The Language of Bees

BY:  Laurie King
Rated:  5 +Stars
Purchased

 I just finished The Language of Bees by Laurie King. I't the latest book in her Sherlock Holmes Mary Russell mysteries. it a little bit ago. IMO it's one of Kings best books in this series. It certainly kept me spellbound.

Without giving any spoilers I would like to make a couple of comments. The first is that it feels to me like King is gently shifting the focus from Holmes to Russell. I thought that Mary was pretty much the lead detective in this one with Holmes giving her strong support instead of the way it was in the beginning with Mary being the assistant to Holmes. Also there were bits of this book that I thought were very exciting and kept me up way to late reading because I couldn't stop with all that going on.

The other thing is that I would like to reassure Connie about it being a story to be continued. It's that all right - but it didn't end with a cliff hanger. Well, maybe just a little one because I sure would like to know why Mycroft . . .   ooops, that's a  spoiler - sorry.   I will just have to make sure to read the next book when all will be revealed and the story will (hopefully) come to a satisfactory  conclusion.

LIBRARY SUMMARY: In a case that will push their relationship to the breaking point, Mary Russell must help reverse the greatest failure of her legendary husband’s storied past—a painful and personal defeat that still has the power to sting…this time fatally. For Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, returning to the Sussex coast after seven months abroad was especially sweet. There was even a mystery to solve—the unexplained disappearance of an entire colony of bees from one of Holmes’s beloved hives. But the anticipated sweetness of their homecoming is quickly tempered by a galling memory from her husband’s past. Mary had met Damian Adler only once before, when the promising surrealist painter had been charged with—and exonerated from—murder. Now the talented and troubled young man was enlisting their help again, this time in a desperate search for his missing wife and child. When it comes to communal behavior, Russell has often observed that there are many kinds of madness. And before this case yields its shattering solution, she’ll come into dangerous contact with a fair number of them. From suicides at Stonehenge to a bizarre religious cult, from the demimonde of the Café Royal at the heart of Bohemian London to the dark secrets of a young woman’s past on the streets of Shanghai, Russell will find herself on the trail of a killer more dangerous than any she’s ever faced—a killer Sherlock Holmes himself may be protecting for reasons near and dear to his heart.

47. Insight

By Deborah Raney
Rated 4.5
From Library

I was halfway through this book before I realized it was an Inspirational Romance.  I was surprised that it was so well written.  The author managed to weave her "message" into the story so well that it actually made sense and she didn't feel like she had to repeatedly bash the reader over the head with it by having her characters suddenly shout out scripture in inappropriate places and declaring that they were Christians at the top of their lungs.  I gave it a little extra rating because of this.  Good for Deborah Raney.

LIBRARY SUMMARY:  She's having a baby.  It's a blessing that brings comfort to newly widowed Olivia Cline. Yet with no insurance, no job and precious little money, how will Olivia care for herself and her child?The answer is a handsome and brooding artist seeking an assistant. Reed Vincent has recently regained his eyesight, thanks to a donor. And through his eyes, Olivia begins to see all the possibilities before her. Before them. Until, in a flash of insight, she knows why his signature is so hauntingly familiar….The revelation could tear the couple apart…or open their eyes to a new journey from sorrow to joy.

45. A Good Confession

By:  Bridget Whelan
Rated 4.5 Stars
From LIbrary

A book very much reminiscent of Meggie and Father Ralph. (Thornbirds)

 LIBRARY SUMMARY:A captivating debut novel about forbidden love . . . Cathleen Brogan is a young widow, struggling to bring up her family in 1960s north London. Times are tough for the Irish immigrants who live there, their hardships comforted by the presence of their local Catholic priest, Father Jerry Brogan, Cathleen's cousin-in-law. Over time it becomes clear that Cathleen feels more for Father Jerry than perhaps she should. She hopes confession will ease her troubled mind, not realizing that she is confessing to the man she loves When a tragedy forces Cathleen back to Ireland, she must face the truth of her feelings and accept the consequences of such a forbidden love

44. The Private Patient

BY:  P. D. James
Rated 4.5 Stars
From:  Library

I almost gave up on this book after just a few pages because Ms. James is one of those authors who describe everything in minute detail when setting a scene.  I usually find that tiresome.  But in the interest of giving the book a fair try I decided to hang in there until page 50 at least and was very glad that I did.  It turned out to be a gripping page turner and I highly recommend it to fans of good mystery stories.

LIBRARY SUMMARY:  Cheverell Manor is a lovely old house in deepest Dorset, now a private clinic belonging to the famous plastic surgeon George Chandler-Powell. When investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn arrived there one late autumn afternoon, scheduled to have a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar removed, she had every expectation of a successful operation and a pleasant week recuperating. Two days later she was dead, the victim of murder. To Commander Adam Dalgliesh, who with his team is called in to investigate the case, the mystery at first seems absolute. Few things about it make sense. Yet as the detectives begin probing the lives and backgrounds of those connected with the dead woman—the surgeon, members of the manor staff, close acquaintances—suspects multiply all too rapidly. New confusions arise, including strange historical overtones of madness and a lynching 350 years in the past. Then there is a second murder, and Dalgliesh finds himself confronted by issues even more challenging than innocence or guilt. P. D. James has gained an enviable reputation for creating detective stories of uncommon depth and intricacy, combined with the sort of humanity and perceptiveness found only in the finest novelists.The Private Patientranks among her very best.

43. Absolute Truths

By Susan Howatch
Rated 5+ Stars
From:  My keeper shelves

I have decided to do a leisurly re-read of Susan Howatch's Starbridge series.  Since this is a re-read I have decided, for no particular reason, to start with the last book and to read my way through the series backwards. 

These books have always had a special place in my heart which is very odd since I generally do not read Christian books.  But unlike most "Christain" literature being regurgitated churned out  today  these books are so well written and the characters are so honest and human that these characters have stayed clearly in my mind ever since I first read them.  I made sure that I visited Salisbury Cathedral when I was in the UK and had a fine time wandering around picturing scenes from them.

FROM AMAZON:  This final novel in a double trilogy about the Church of England in the 1930s and the 1960s is a splendid conclusion to the series (begun with Glittering Images, LJ 6/1/87) and a powerful combination of psychological insight, theological depth, and storytelling ability. Howatch simultaneously provides her reader with both marvelous entertainment and genuine insight into the human condition. The narrator for this volume is Charles Ashworth, now Bishop of Starbridge, who staunchly, even self-righteously, defends traditional values. This continues until crisis-and his wife's journal-reveal to him the "shadow" side of his own life and its effect on his two sons; his dean, Stephen Aysgarth; other clergy; several women; and himself. The end is phoenix-like, as characters rise from their own ashes, yet never unrealistic.

42. Tuck

By Stephen Lawhead
Rated 5 Star
From Library

My library dithered around what seemed like forever before they finally got this book in.  I loved it.  It was a thrilling and satisfying ending to the King Raven Trilogy.  As people say today, Stephen Lawhead rocks.

FROM LIBRARY SUMMARY:  "Pray God our aim is true and each arrow finds its mark."King Raven has brought hope to the oppressed people of Wales--and fear to their Norman overlords. Along the way Friar Tuck has been the stalwart supporter of King Raven--bringing him much-needed guidance, wit, and faithful companionship.Deceived by the self-serving King William and hunted by the treacherous Abbot Hugo and Sheriff de Glanville, Rhi Bran is forced to take matters into his own hands as King Raven. Aided by Tuck and his small but determined band of forest-dwelling outlaws, he ignites a rebellion that spreads through the Welsh valleys, forcing the wily monarch to marshal his army and march against little Elfael.Filled with unforgettable characters, breathtaking suspense, and rousing battle scenes, Stephen R. Lawhead's masterful retelling of the Robin Hood legend reaches its stunning conclusion in Tuck. Steeped in Celtic mythology and the political intrigue of medieval Britain, Lawhead's trilogy conjures up an ancient past while holding a mirror to contemporary realities. Prepare for an epic tale that dares to shatter everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood.

41. Flotsametrics and the Floating World

By:  Curtis Ebbesmeyer
Rated 5 Stars
From Library

This was a very interesting book.  I heard an interview with Curtis Ebbesmeyer on my late night crazy program last Saturday (the guy who does Saturday night is not a whoo-whoo as the weeknight guy) and requested the book from the library.  It's amazing what is floating around in our oceans and what washes up on our beaches. 

LIBRARY SUMMARY:  Pioneering oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer unravels the mystery of marine currents, uncovers the astonishing story of flotsam, and changes the world's view of trash, the ocean, and our global environment.Curtis Ebbesmeyer is no ordinary scientist. He's been a consulting oceanographer for multinational firms and a lead scientist on international research expeditions, but he's never held a conventional academic appointment. He seized the world's imagination as no other scientist could when he and his worldwide network of beachcomber volunteers traced the ocean's currents using thousands of sneakers and plastic bath toys spilled from storm-tossed freighters.Now, for the first time, Ebbesmeyer tells the story of his lifelong struggle to solve the sea's mysteries while sharing his most surprising discoveries. He recounts how flotsam has changed the course of history-leading Viking mariners to safe harbors, Columbus to the New World, and Japan to open up to the West-and how it may even have made the origin of life possible. He chases icebergs and floating islands; investigates ocean mysteries from ghost ships to a spate of washed-up severed feet on Canadian beaches; and explores the enormous floating "garbage patches" and waste-heaped "junk beaches" that collect the flotsam and jetsam of industrial society. Finally, Ebbesmeyer reveals the rhythmic and harmonic order in the vast oceanic currents called gyres-"the heartbeat of the world "-and the threats that global warming and disintegrating plastic waste pose to the seas . . . and to us.

40. Palace Circle

 

By Rebecca Dean

Rated:  3.75

From:  Library

 This book was just a tad light on the history part for my taste.  Better she had set this book in another era than to skip so lightly over the events in this book.  Characters in this place and time would have been effected more profoundly than the ones in this novel were.  While it was a pretty good story I found myself becoming irritated by the shallowness of the writing.  Just me probably. *shrug*

LIBRARY SUMMARY:  Palace intrigue, romance, and illicit affairs—Rebecca Dean has written a glorious novel that will sweep Philippa Gregory fans off their feet. Delia Chandler, an eighteen-year-old Southern girl, marries Viscount Ivor Conisborough just before World War II, becoming part of the Windsor court. It’s every girl’s dream come true. But Delia is jolted from her pleasant life when she realizes, after the birth of her two daughters, that Ivor chose her only to bear an heir to his estate. Shortly thereafter, she begins an affair with her husband’s handsome, titled, and frequently scandalous best friend. When Conisborough is appointed as an adviser to King Fuad of Egypt, Delia exchanges one palace circle for another, far different one. While she sees Egypt as a place of exile, her two daughters regard Egypt as their home. Only when war comes to Cairo—and Delia finally reveals the secret she has kept for so long—can she begin to heal the divisions separating her from those she loves.