AHML Staff Choices

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When I saw the cover of this book amongst the countless all-caps titles and author names with flashy images that adorn most of the new fiction collection, I snapped it up like a gold nugget in a muddy riverbed. The lack of words on a book cover was half of the attraction for me. In particular because it was in the fiction section, so it couldn’t be an art book or a poetry collection. I was not disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend this book for everyone because it is so unique that readers with a strongly held notion of “novel” will be frustrated by it.

From start to finish every sentence in The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? is a question. Yet, Powell manages to establish a substantial character for his narrator, or should I say, interrogator? Not that this feels like an interrogation in any negative sense. The questions spark nostalgia, curiosity, introspection and at times, fear and disgust. By the end, I felt a kinship with the narrator and I appreciated Powell’s mastery in crafting this most unusual book. I can’t think of when I last felt so strongly that I wish I had thought of that.

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From the city of Luthadel, the Dark Lord has ruled with an iron fist for over a thousand years. The Final Empire is such a disaster, that the legends of the days when trees were green and the sky was blue seem like a ridiculous fairy tale. The skaa are so oppressed that they aren’t even considered to be people by the nobles. Kelsier is their champion, whether they like it or not. He was born a skaa but has the power of allomancy (the ability to manipulate metals to have incredible powers). Kelsier is a Mistborn, a rare type of allomancer who can use more than one type of metal. Kel knows that he can’t put his plan in motion alone so he assembles a team of the most powerful allomancers for each type of metal. Through his search he comes across Vin, a teenage girl with remarkable abilities. Together they may accomplish great things but not without tremendous loss.

Brandon Sanderson does a fantastic job of creating an unique and believable world with characters that are very likable. Final Empire is the first of the Mistborn trilogy.

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Most 19th century circus freaks were unfortunate people born with various physical deformities, however, there were individuals who chose to separate themselves from society; sword-swallowers, fire-eaters, snake-charmers and most of all, the tattooed ladies. The inate fascination with the forbidden along with the reputation of sexual deviance and primitive savagery that went along with tattooing until relatively recently made people willing to pay money to view a scandalously clad young lady covered with tattoos.

What I found most intriguing in this book was the accounts of how common tattoos actually were for women throughout history. They were just hidden. Even Winston Churchill’s mother had a tattoo which she concealed with jewelery. The Tattooed Lady is a gorgeous book filled with fascinating photos, well-designed graphics and vintage-style fonts that add to the mystique of the subject. An engaging book to read cover to cover or to just peruse for the pictures and captions.

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The Whale is a magnificent adventure through our communal history with cetaceans. Quotes from Moby Dick are interspersed with graphic descriptions of whaling practices and tales of sea serpents. Hoare’s prose is a pleasure to read and his obvious fascination with these mysterious creatures is infectious. It’s hard to believe how dependent 18th and 19th century people were on whale products for industry, cosmetics, food products and many other surprising uses. An interesting book for anyone who enjoys Victorian history, Herman Melville or who is concerned with the possible extinction of the world’s largest mammals.

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Deirdre Monahan is a talented teenage harpist. She is shy and awkward and doesn’t fit in except with her best friend, James Morgan. James is a snarky, bagpipe-playing outsider who has a few neurotic habits and a secret love for Deirdre. When Deirdre meets the mysterious and amazingly cool Luke, her whole world changes, quite literally. She and James are drawn into battle with the evil Queen of Faerie. Someone’s not going to make it back to this world.

This book and its sequel, Ballad, are both in the Teen section, and while I am sure teens would love them, I also found them very entertaining. The relationship between James and Deirdre is realistically tragic and romantic. I highly recommend both Lament and Ballad for a quick, fun summer read.

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Sixteen year-old, Katya Spivak, is thrilled to escape her low-class, Jersey life for a summer as a live-in nanny for a nouveau-riche family in a wealthy sea-side town. Naif Katya is approached by an elegant elderly gentleman named Marcus Kidder. She feels drawn to him, and finds him to have a magical quality; like a character in an old movie. He invites her and the two children to tea. Katya sees nothing wrong with going since she will be taking the children with her, and she is very excited about the prospect of being inside one of the grand old mansions so envied by even her employers.

The story grabs you from the start with it’s eerie unease. Katya is slowly pulled into something bizarre and inescapable. A Fair Maiden is a page-turning, crazy, modern fairy tale that will keep you guessing right until the end.

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This Book is Overdue is a witty, fast-paced sneak peek into the thrill-a-minute whirlwind that is the public library…seriously. Marilyn Johnson makes librarians seem like a bunch of smart, sexy mavericks who are willing to do whatever it takes to get information to the public.

Johnson’s anecdotes are interspersed with fun historical tidbits and ideas about where libraries are headed in the future. Anyone who works in a library will find something to relate to in this book, but any reader can enjoy Marilyn Johnson’s writing.

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I’m glad I finally came across a mystery series that satisfies my tastes. Set in Cairo during WWI, A Point in the Market is as much about the political climate of the time as it is about the murder around which the plot revolves. The author grew up in the region and it shows in his complex discriptions of the sensory environment. You are right there with the sights and smells Egypt. Something that particularly impressed me was Pearce’s female characters. They are very strong, intelligent and individualistic. The women have very different goals and personalities, given as much care in development as the male characters. The story is well told and has many twists I didn’t see coming, but it is not a fast-paced book. This is a fantastic mystery for a reader who enjoys a who-dunnit without excess violence and quite a bit of exotic intrigue.

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You will never look at Peter Pan the same way again after reading this book. Neverland describes in chilling detail the twisted relationships between Peter Pan’s author, J.M. Barrie, Daphne Du Maurier (author of Rebecca) and her grandfather, George Du Maurier, who was the creator of “Svengali”. Their lives were filled with madness, suicide attempts and disturbing emotional abuse. According to the evidence in this book, Barrie essentially stole the “lost boys” from their real family by forging a will. He may have even had a hand in the death of his own brother. Neverland is great reading for anyone interested in these authors or anyone looking for a good, early-twentieth century, soap-opera.

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A brilliant little girl has decided that life is just too much to bear for those who truly understand how empty it is, so she is going to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday. Until that day, she is making note of “profound thoughts” and trying to find something so inspiring that it justifies staying alive. Alternating with her story is the story of Rene, the middle aged concierge of the girls building. Rene goes to great lengths to epitomize the “French concierge”. She scuffs around in dirty old slippers and leaves her TV blaring in the living room with vapid day-time shows, while she sneaks into the back room to listen to opera or read Kant.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog has a literary voice that is singular indeed. It is a joy to read writing of this caliber. At the risk of sounding trite, this book is poignant, clever and witty. It is quirky, but in a natural way that seems fresh and inspired.