Search This Blog

Monday, March 19, 2012

Martha's Winter 2011-2012 Picks

Top Secret Stuff to Read.....

An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base. Annie Jacobsen. Non-Fiction.
All the CIA, FBI and Air Force info you might not really want to know! Area 51, being the famous site where the Roswell aliens are now supposedly stashed, is discussed in detail due to recent declassification of certain former top secret materials relating to the government site. Based on interviews and research of the the newly available materials, you will learn about the development of nuclear bombs and their testing as well as our own incredibly expensive spy planes (total titanium), leading up to today's drones which currently cruise the altitudes above various countries. Alas, the 60 million or so pages relating to the Roswell aliens remain classified. You will have to read to the end of the book to discover the author's theory about the actual identity of the aliens...achieved through personal interviews of a former employee. The Russians might be involved...A detailed and good read, if you really want to know the truth about certain governmental activities.
Want to read actual declassified top secret documents? You can go to http://www.foia.cia.gov/ and have a blast!

Film of related interest: "Fair Game". Inner workings of the CIA, as an agent has her cover blown and her husband tries to fight the government for her support....


Top Secret New England Stuff to Read...


Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, The Ivy League and Hidden Paths of Power
. Alexandra Robbins. Non-Fiction.
"The Tomb" here is referring to the meeting place of the elusive Yale University club, the Skull and Bones. The "hidden paths of power" would refer to the high coincidence of Yale graduates who were, oddly, also members of this exclusive club, and, who, oddly, also became United States Presidents or who otherwise, oddly, have found rather high positions of authority in the political stratosphere of America. This book takes you through the developmental history of Yale University, from the initial conception of the college. Somewhat scary is the fact that Skull and Bones was there at the beginning and still continues to function. What you may not know is that several competitive secret societies exist on the campus, which have also produced a fair number of high-ranking officials. Women have rather recently been accepted into Skull and Bones.The author claims to have been a member of one of the "other clubs" and to "know people". Fascinating info about a very closed society, undoubtedly with many secrets, some of which you probably will not find in the book....


For the Francophiles...


Aristide Ravel Mysteries. Susanne Alleyn. Mysteries.

Easy-going mysteries set in pre-revolutionary France, with awesome Parisian historical detail. The books feature the character Aristide Ravel, writer turned semi-professional cop. Read about turn of the 18th century Free Masons, the monarchy, the Church, romance and more. "The Cavalier of the Apocalypse" (nothing at all apocalyptic about it), "Game of Patience" and "A Treasury of Regrets".




Madame Tussaud. Michelle Moran. Fiction.

Very well written fictionalized account of the famous Madame Tussaud wax museum and its "participation" in the French Revolution, 1789, Paris. The wax museum acted as a "three dimensional newspaper:", depicting current events and people in waxen form. A very gripping account of the King and Queen, Marie Antoinette and Louis the 16th. life at Versailles and "the Terror", as known by Parisian citizens at the time of their overthrow. Also, colorful portraits of the political characters involved in history at the time, many of whom "visited" the Tussaud's salons. The guillotine is alive and well in this book and gives one pause to think about the path to freedom and democracy, as the French did model their government on aspects of America's preliminary government.


Vampires Strike Again...


The Night Eternal. Guillermo Del Torro/Chuck Hogan. Fiction.

At last the third and final installment to the Vampire series!
Global apocalypse and takeover by the Vampires...David vs. Goliath....suspense, drama, a race to the end....and then Resolution! A must read if you have started the Strain Trilogy! (The Strain, The Fall)
See Del Torro films...always creative, touching and unusual. My favs: "Pan's Labyrinth", "El Espinazo del Diablo" (The Devil's Backbone" - do not be dissuaded by the cover picture of a gross ghost...it is a ghost story, but is quite wonderful), Hellboy I and II!


Comedic Relief...


How to be a Wild, Wise, Witty Woman. Loretta LaRoche. Humor.
Way to brighten a dreary day! Listen to her in the car for hysterical, practical advice, full of optimism. Aimed towards women, but men will also get a chuckle from some excerpts!









Fashion Suicides:The highs and lows of the Fashion Industry....


Savage Beauty. Andrew Bolton. Exhibition catalog.

Upon the death of fashion designer, Alexander McQueen (suicide) last year, there was a retrospective show of his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City called "Savage Beauty. You can get the catalog book of the museum pieces, also called "Savage Beauty", see the fantastic range of his work and get a glimpse into his personal and professional life. The book also has a very cool cover - changing from skull to portrait of the artist. You can also go to Youtube and see live footage of his fashion shows...those shoes...yikes!
A friend of McQueen's and yet another fashion suicide...


Blow by Blow: The Story of Isabella Blow. Detmar Blow (husband). Biography.

Short, sad and very readable. Isabella Blow was involved in the initial success of Alexander McQueen, a proponent/advocate of the newest fashion talents... only to be used and forgotten in the end....involves the fashion business and aspects of the titled English aristocracy.




L'Amour Fou. Directed by Pierre Thoretton. Documentary.

The life of designer Yves St. Laurent, as told by his partner Pierre Thoretton.
Tragic and dramatic, just like his fashion collections. Very tastefully done documentary outlining Yves St. Laurent's fashion career, his descent into addiction and oddity, and his over-the top, unbelievable collection of art, recently auctioned off for zillions of dollars. True fashion trauma at its best, so engaging and so "triste" (sad), as one would say in French. Film in French with English subtitles.
P.S. Yves St. Laurent was not a suicide, he died of brain cancer.


Swedish Horror...


Let the Right One In. John Ajvide Lindqvist. Fiction.

Wow, Swedish creep at its' best! Author John Ajvide Lindqvist has successfully combined the elements of human depravity with a vampire twist in "Let the Right One In". An international best-seller, I can understand why. Eerie, believable, but unbelievable, read it if you enjoy horror once in a while (and don't turn off the lights!). Also see the movie (after the book) "Let Me In"...interesting visual interpretation of the text. Lindqvist has also written other books, among which I tried "Handling the Undead"- more mundane horror, but entertaining.


CSI (Crime Scene Investigation)...


The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science. Douglas Star. Non-fiction.

This was a truly fascinating book detailing the activities of the original crime scene investigators, in France, who diligently worked to create the profiling and testing that we now see weekly on crime investigation programs such as CSI and Criminal Minds on television. Though the title is a bit disturbing, essentially it refers to the tracking of a serial killer in the 1800's, upon whom much testing was later done to establish the parameters of "what makes a criminal a criminal". Everything from physical diagnostics to mental and social issues are graphically brought to light - questions of what does or does not constitute criminal insanity are discussed...forget the title, read the book!


On the lighter side...


Cat Mysteries Series. Lilian Jackson Braun. Fiction.

My father and I both picked up a Lilian Braun cat mystery at the same time, unknowingly - we both enjoyed the light, easy read. I started with "The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern" and my Dad with "The Cat Who Said Cheese".



I was curious about the author, as she has so many books on the library shelf, and I do like cats. My Dad has since gone to complete the reading of 26-27 of the books ! According to my Dad, the "cats helped solve a murder mystery by their actions and reactions, as if they knew more than the people". I, too, found this charming and intriguing. "Each chapter covers small town activity and a piece of the mystery...", says Dad, which, I would say, makes for a very pleasant afternoon read...though I might never catch up to Dad's 27 books!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Denise's Winter Picks

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Juvenile Fiction.

Emotionally intense wonderful story.

"Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope." - amazon.com


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Young Adult Fiction.

Fast-paced and emotionally intense.

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed." - amazon.com


Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer. Fiction.

Emotionally intense. A wonderful book.

"Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey."-amazon.com.


The Cellist of Saravejo by Steven Galloway. Fiction.

Emotionally intense.

"In a city ravaged by war, a musician plays his cello for twenty-two days at the site of a mortar attack, in memory of the fallen. Among the strangers drawn into the orbit of his music are a young father in search of water for his family, an older man in search of the humanity he once knew, and a young woman, a sniper, who will decide the fate of the cellist?and the kind of person she wants to be." -amazon.com


The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Fiction.

Very slow. I gave in at 250 pages.

"At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended.
Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.

As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment--to oneself and to others." - amazon.com


The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry. Mystery.

"His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detecive. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Crimean War hero and man about town. Which makes Monk's efforts doubly difficult, since he's forgotten his professional skills along with everything else....." - Kirkus Reviews



The Honeybee Democracy by Thomas Seeley. Non-Fiction.

Informative and intriguing.

"Honeybees make decisions collectively--and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making.

A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, Honeybee Democracy brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees.

In the late spring and early summer, as a bee colony becomes overcrowded, a third of the hive stays behind and rears a new queen, while a swarm of thousands departs with the old queen to produce a daughter colony. Seeley describes how these bees evaluate potential nest sites, advertise their discoveries to one another, engage in open deliberation, choose a final site, and navigate together--as a swirling cloud of bees--to their new home. Seeley investigates how evolution has honed the decision-making methods of honeybees over millions of years, and he considers similarities between the ways that bee swarms and primate brains process information. He concludes that what works well for bees can also work well for people: any decision-making group should consist of individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a leader's influence should be minimized, debate should be relied upon, diverse solutions should be sought, and the majority should be counted on for a dependable resolution.

An impressive exploration of animal behavior, Honeybee Democracy shows that decision-making groups, whether honeybee or human, can be smarter than even the smartest individuals in them." - amazon.com


Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai. Juvenile Fiction.

"Fadi never imagined he'd start middle school in Fremont, California, thousands of miles away from home in Kabul. But, here he was, half a world apart from his missing six year old sister who'd been lost because of him, as they'd fled Afghanistan. Adjusting to life in the United States isn't easy for Fadi's family and as the events of September 11th unfold, the prospects of locating Mariam in a war torn Afghanistan seem slim -- impossible. Desperate, Fadi tries every hare-brained scheme he can think of to find her. When a photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. But can one photo really bring Mariam home?

Based in part on Ms. Senzai's husband's experience fleeing Soviet controlled Afghanistan in 1979, Shooting Kabul is a powerful story of hope, love, and perseverance." - amazon.com









The Great Cheese Conspiracy by Jean Van Leeuwen. Juvenile Fiction.

"Fed up with the slim pickings in their movie-theater home, Merciless Marvin the Magnificent and his mouse gang decide to hit the big time and pull a heist of such magnitude even Humphrey Bogart would be proud. The Target: a cheese store." - amazon.com