The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Fiction. Paperback from Penguin Group. Published in 2005. 279 pages. Purchased at Border's Books, Costa Mesa, CA.

I had about ten minutes to find a book and did not have my "to look for" list with me, so I started just browsing around to see what caught my eye. Naturally, anything with Jane Austen on the cover will be sure to receive a double take from me. (A quality many women have and I'm sure that the publishers were banking upon.) I wasn't really sure about it, but decided to give it a go. It was good airplane reading. I don't think it will be worthy of a reread, though I really enjoyed the section at the end of the book titled "The Response". It contained quotes on Jane Austen's novels starting in Jane Austen's day and ending in 2003 with a quote from J. K. Rowling.

Publisher's summary:
In California’s central valley, five women and one man join to discuss Jane Austen’s novels. Over the six months they get together, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her eye for the frailties of human behavior and her ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Karen Joy Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.

Dedicated Austenites will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel, but most readers will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: The Jane Austen Book Club
amazon.co.uk: Jane Austen Book Club
amazon.com: The Jane Austen Book Club: A Novel
Audible.com: The Jane Austen Book Club

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaimen

Fiction: Fantasy. Audiobook from Harper Collins Audio. Published in 2005. 10 hours and 8 minutes. Read by Lenny Henry. Purchased at Audible.com

I finished this audiobook en-route to LAX. It was a good distraction since I was crammed into a packed flight. I enjoyed the book, though there were a couple of points I almost gave up on it because Gaimen kept mentioning things that sounded like the book was not going to end well. But, it turns out okay in the end. Gaimen is quite funny. One that made me LOL: "The look Jesus would have given someone who said they 'really weren't up for loaves and fishes, could he do a nice salad?'"

Publisher's summary:
God is dead. Meet the kids.

When Fat Charlie's dad named something, it stuck. Like calling Fat Charlie "Fat Charlie." Even now, twenty years later, Charlie Nancy can't shake that name, one of the many embarrassing "gifts" his father bestowed, before he dropped dead on a karaoke stage and ruined Fat Charlie's life.

Mr. Nancy left Fat Charlie things. Things like the tall, good-looking stranger who appears on Charlie's doorstep, who appears to be the brother he never knew. A brother as different from Charlie as night is from day, a brother who's going to show Charlie how to lighten up and have a little fun, just like Dear Old Dad. And all of a sudden, life starts getting very interesting for Fat Charlie.

Because, you see, Charlie's dad wasn't just any dad. He was Anansi, a trickster god, the spider-god. Anansi is the spirit of rebellion, able to overturn the social order, create wealth out of thin air, and baffle the devil. Some said he could cheat even Death himself.

Returning to the territory he so brilliantly explored in his masterful New York Times best seller American Gods, the incomparable Neil Gaiman offers up a work of dazzling ingenuity, a kaleidoscopic journey deep into myth that is at once startling, terrifying, exhilarating, and fiercely funny, a true wonder of a novel that confirms Stephen King's glowing assessment of the author as "a treasure house of story, and we are lucky to have him.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Anansi Boys
amazon.co.uk: Anansi Boys
amazon.com: Anansi Boys: A Novel (Alex Awards (Awards))
Audible.com: Anansi Boys

From the Bookshelf: What's A Christian to Do with Harry Potter? by Connie Neal

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Paperback from Waterbrook Press. Published in 2001. 202 pages. Purchased at Baker Books.

A few weeks ago someone I know was making comments about how Satan is working through Harry Potter. I would tend to agree, but probably not in the way she is thinking. Satan uses a lot of good things to stir up trouble, including the Bible. That doesn't mean the thing itself is bad. It's what we do with it. And plenty has been done in reaction to the Harry Potter series that seems a lot like the work of Satan to me.

This book is a very balanced look at the Harry Potter series. For anyone out there wanting to read something about the series that is not over-reactionary, this is an excellent book.

Publisher's summary:
Answers to the Burning Questions Christian Parents, Educators, and Others Are Asking about Harry Potter.

In the world of publishing, few successes have equaled that of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series—magical stories centered on one boy’s adventures at Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Yet this popular series presents a perplexing—even divisive—challenge to the Christian community. Although the books present a clear picture of the epic battle between good and evil, they appear to support the use of magic and have had a controversial impact on our culture. As a result, many of us are wondering, “How should I respond to this Harry Potter thing?”

FIND OUT WHAT THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS REALLY SAY ABOUT WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY.

HEAR WHAT CHRISTIANS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DEBATE ARE SAYING ABOUT HARRY POTTER—AND DECIDE WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

LEARN HOW YOU CAN USE THE SERIES TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM REAL OCCULT INFLUENCES.

In What’s a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?, you’ll explore the valid concerns some Christians have about the series, sort out the fact and fiction at the center of the debate, discover biblical answers that may surprise you, and learn how you can tap into this powerful cultural phenomenon to help advance the kingdom of God.

To peruse on Powells, click here: What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?
To view on amazon.co.uk, click here: What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?
on amazon.com, click here: What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?
and on Audible.com, here: sorry, not available on audio

Free eBooks of Children's Classics

The Baldwin Project seeks to make available online a comprehensive collection of resources for parents and teachers of children. Our focus, initially, is on literature for children that is in the public domain in the United States. This includes all works first published before 1923. The period from 1880 or so until 1922 offers a wealth of material in all categories, including: Nursery Rhymes, Fables, Folk Tales, Myths, Legends and Hero Stories, Literary Fairy Tales, Bible Stories, Nature Stories, Biography, History, Fiction, Poetry, Storytelling, Games, and Craft Activities.

We offer these resources at no charge and grant permission to individuals to print copies for personal and educational uses. The texts are formatted so that attractive copies can be printed easily, in larger type for younger readers and smaller type for older ones, with illustrations included where possible. Teachers and parents can make use of the readers that are already available, or they can construct their own readers by selecting stories from the existing pool.

We hope that by offering these online texts that more of today's children will become familiar with the works of Padraic Colum, Howard Pyle, Andrew Lang, and James Baldwin, that were read so widely just a few generations ago.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

Fiction: Fantasy. Audiobook from Listening Library, a division of Random House. Published in 2005. Read by Gerard Doyle. 23 hours and 33 minutes. Purchased from Audible.com.

Eldest is categorized as a "Young Adult" book, and is the second book in the Inheritance Trilogy. The kids got me started on Eragon when it first came out, and having enjoyed the first book I wanted to read the rest of the series as it became available. Now to wait for the final volume...

If you have not seen the story of the books' author, Christopher Paolini, it's worth a look.

Publisher's summary:
Darkness falls...despair abounds...evil reigns....

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspiring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn't know whom he can trust.

Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle, one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.

Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life.

To peruse on Powells, click here: Eldest: Inheritance
To view on amazon.co.uk, click here: Eldest
on amazon.com, click here: Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
and on Audible.com, here: Eldest: Inheritance

Books in the News

USA Today Book News
CNN Book News
Yahoo's Books/Publishing News
Guardian Unlimited Books News
The Globe and Mail Books
The Baltimore Sun Books & Mags
The Denver Post Books
Books - New York Times
San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Book Reviews
The Mercury News - Books

Many of these will have the same top book news stories - right now most are covering the death of the Jaws author Peter Benchley on Saturday. But, they also have diverse stories about authors and book reviews.

Any other cyberspace sites with book news out there?

Books to the ceiling
Books to the sky.
My pile of books
Are a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I'll have a long beard
By the time I read them.

-- Arnold Lobel

Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Hardback from Paraclete Press. Published in 2003. 123 pages. Borrowed from Comstock Park Library through KDL inter-library loan.

What an excellent writer Lauren Winner is -- she's very engaging. Because I have been feeling a little under the weather today, I was able to begin and finish this short book very quickly. The book has eleven chapters, each talking about a Jewish tradition or religious practice that she feels has some things to teach Christians. I think she is right. There were a couple of things she mentioned that really resonated with me - I scribbled quite a few notes in my new commonplace book for further contemplation and to share with friends at church.

Publisher's summary:
Lauren Winner shares the spiritual practices she has adopted in her quest to reconcile Judaism and Christianity. Despite her conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity, Lauren Winner finds that her life is still shaped by the spiritual exxences of Judaism--rich traditions and religious practices that she can't leave behind. In Mudhouse Sabbath, Winner illuminates eleven spiritual practices that can transform the way we view the world, and God. Whether disussing her own prayer life, the spirituality of candle-lighting, or the differences between the Jewish Sabbath and a Sunday spent at the Mudhouse, her favorite coffee shop, Winner writes with appealing honesty and rare insight.

To peruse on Powell's, click here: Mudhouse Sabbath
To view on amazon.co.uk, click here: Mudhouse Sabbath
on amazon.com, click here: Mudhouse Sabbath
and on Audible.com, here: sorry, not available on audio

Christ the Lord by Ann Rice

Fiction: Biblical/Historical. Hardback from Alfred A. Knopf. Published in 2005. On loan from the Kent District Library. 322 pages.

Wow. Just finished Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. Anne Rice obviously did a lot of research for the setting of this book. The Author's Note at the end was also very absorbing.

The book follows basically one year in the life of the child Jesus, and it is during that year that he figures out who he is. (Although he does it by disobeying his parents who have told him not to ask questions....hmmm.) Some of Rice's Catholic doctrine is apparent in the story, as one would expect. The question of when Jesus knew he was the Messiah is not one I've lingered on or been concerned about, and I doubt that this would really be how he figured it out, but it is a thought provoking read.

Publisher's summary:
Having completed the two cycles of legend to which she has devoted her career so far, Anne Rice gives us now her most ambitious and courageous book, a novel about the early years of CHRIST THE LORD, based on the Gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship.

The book’s power derives from the passion its author brings to the writing and the way in which she summons up the voice, the presence, the words of Jesus who tells the story.


To preview on Powell's, click here: Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
To view on amazon.co.uk, click here: Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
on amazon.com, click here: Christ the Lord : Out of Egypt
and on Audible.com, here: Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

Every Book Its Reader by Nicholas A. Basbanes

Non-Fiction: Books. Hardback from Harper Collins Publishers. Published in 2005. 316 pages. On loan from the Kent District Library.

Full of insights on how books have played an integral role in the intellectual life of many influential people, much of this book was a reminder that reading is a good thing. I especially enjoyed reading about marginalia and how studying it has helped historians to understand the famous doodlers. "Commonplace Books" of interesting quotations kept by many in days gone by (and by a few in current days) are fascinating to me.

Publisher's summary:
Inspired by a landmark exhibition mounted by the British Museum in 1963 to celebrate five eventful centuries of the printed word, Nicholas A. Basbanes offers a lively consideration of writings that have "made things happen" in the world, works that have both nudged the course of history and fired the imagination of countless influential people.

In his fifth work to examine a specific aspect of book culture, Basbanes also asks what we can know about such figures as John Milton, Edward Gibbon, John Locke, Isaac Newton, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Adams, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Henry James, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller -- even the notorious Marquis de Sade and Adolf Hitler -- by knowing what they have read. He shows how books that many of these people have consulted, in some cases annotated with their marginal notes, can offer tantalizing clues to the evolution of their character and the development of their thought.

Taking the concept one step further, Basbanes profiles some of the most articulate readers of our time -- David McCullough, Harold Bloom, Robert Fagles, Robert Coles, Helen Vendler, Elaine Pagels, Daniel Aaron, Christopher Ricks, Matthew Bruccoli, and Perri Klass among them -- who discuss such relevant concepts as literary canons, classic works in translation, the timelessness of poetry, the formation of sacred texts, and the power of literature to train physicians, nurture children, and rehabilitate criminal offenders.

Peruse on Powells.com, Every Book It's Reader
To view on amazon.co.uk, click here: Every Book Its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World
on amazon.com, click here: Every Book Its Reader : The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World
and on Audible.com, here: sorry, not available on audio

2006 Michigan Notable Books

The 2006 Michigan Notable Books list is the Library of Michigan’s annual selection of up to 20 recommended books reflecting Michigan's rich cultural heritage, featuring high-quality titles with wide public appeal that are either written by a Michigan resident or about a Michigan-related topic.

A couple of these look like they might be interesting. I wonder if other states also have lists of their "notable books".

From the Bookshelf: Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett

Non-Fiction: Home Care. Paperback from Writer's Digest Books. Published in 1984. Purchased at Chamblin BookMine, Jacksonville, Florida. (A most excellent used book store. Worthy of a trip to Florida, IMHO.) 275 pages.

I got started reading Don Aslett for his excellent books on keeping house - how to clean effectively and organize in such a way that cleaning is easier. I then went through a faze of reading de-cluttering books, and Aslett's Clutter's Last Stand has some very good advice. In addition to just telling you "de-junk" he talks about the negative effects that too much stuff can have on your life. Then he gives guidelines for how you can scrutinize you things and decide what stays and what goes. Some excellent principles to consider.

Publisher's summary:
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you need this book:
- Do you live in fear that someone you respect may someday open one of your closets?
- Have you ever threatened to bodily harm anyone who opens a drawer in front of company?
- Do you wait until after dark to pull your car into the garage?
- Have you ever finally replaced a broken part -- then kept the broken part?

Save your sanity -- not your sacks, souvenirs, and old worn-out shoes. In Clutter's Last Stand, Don Aslett shows how clutter can begin to crowd not only our basements and attics, b ut also our relationships and our personal growth. He gives us the courage to sift, sort, and toss whatever is hazardous to our housekeeping and mental health.

Through anecdotes, charts, cartoons, quizzes, and "bumper snickers", Aslett humorously delves into the full range of junk areas (home, car, office, wardrobe ... even friendships), pinpointing the problem areas and offering practical ideas for getting rid of unnecessary clutter and cutting it off at its source.

Inside you'll find:
- a Junkee Entrance Exam that helps you judge how bad your junk problem is
- a list of "101 Feeble Excuses for Hanging Onto Junk" that you can laugh at -- and learn from
- detailed guidelines for judging junk-- both your own and others'
- hundreds of practical ideas for getting rid of clutter -- and for storing what you really should keep

For all who have waged war on clutter and lost, here is the inspiration to get the job done once and for all.

To view on amazon.co.uk, click here: Clutter's Last Stand
on amazon.com, click here: Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time To De-junk Your Life!
and on Audible.com, here: sorry, not available on audio

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde

Fiction: Dectective. Unabridged Audiobook from Penguin Audio and BBC Audiobooks America. Published in 2005. Recorded in 2005. Read by Simon Prebble. 11 hours and 43 minutes. Purchased from Audible.com

Jasper Fforde does an excellent job of combining humor and a detective story. This book is laugh out loud funny, especially if you are familiar with nursery rhymes. He does a good job of combining our world with the literary world. The plot twists kept me guessing - there was certainly no knowing from the start "who dunnit".

Publisher's summary:
It's Easter in Reading, a bad time for eggs, and no one can remember the last sunny day. Ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III, minor baronet, ex-convict, and former millionaire philanthropist, is found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. All the evidence points to his ex-wife, who has conveniently shot herself.

But Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant Mary Mary remain unconvinced, a sentiment not shared with their superiors at the Reading Police Department, who are still smarting over their failure to convict the Three Pigs of murdering Mr. Wolff. Before long Jack and Mary find themselves grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, bullion smuggling, problems with beanstalks, titans seeking asylum, and the cut and thrust world of international chiropody.

And on top of all that, the JellyMan is coming to town.

The familiar and utterly transformed characters and world of nursery crime is pure ingenious fun. Just when you thought he'd stretched his astonishing imagination to the limit, Jasper Fforde does it again with this dazzling new series.

To view on amazon.co.uk, click here: The Big Over Easy
on amazon.com, click here: The Big Over Easy : A Nursery Crime
and on Audible.com, here: The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime