RANDOLPH CALDECOTT: AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE -- Claudette Hegel

Avisson Press -- tpb
Greensboro, NC -- ©2004 -- 176pp
ISBN: 1-888105-68-2
personalized autograph by Claudette Hegel

A biography of artist/illustrator Randolph Caldecott, with a fair number of his drawings.

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I know Claudette, which is why I have this book. I might have picked this up at a library, or used even if I didn't know the author because I have been interested in knowing more about the man for whom a popular children's book award is named.

I definitely learned a few things about Caldecott, but I was not impressed with the book itself.

At first I had the feeling that the author was talking down to me. It did occur to me that perhaps this book was written for a young reader, but I wasn't certain then, and still am not.

I was also not particularly pleased with the set-up for this book. The chapters were not sequential with his life, but rather chapters touched on a particular aspect of the artists life/career (ie, one chapter about his health, one about his work life before he illustrated full time, one about his hobbies and interests, etc). The result of this kind of set up was that when one chapter ended i was expecting the next one to pick up there, but instead it would back-track, sometimes a great deal. I never quitre got used to this, and in some cases I felt that I heard about a particular incident more than once.

Probably not a lot of books available about this artist, and for that it's worth the read, but it probably holds interest to a very limited number of readers.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU: A NOVEL IN CONFESSIONS -- Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill -- hc
Chapel Hill, NC -- ©2006 -- 300pp
ISBN-13: 978-1-56512-443-1
Autographed by Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott

Meeting at a wedding and nearly completing a sexual encounter in a coat-check room, a man and a woman decide to correspond by mail and confess their loves and sexual past to each other before they make love.

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I'm a tremendous fan of Almond's writing and really looked forward to this new book ... bumping it up my reading list just so I could devour it, but I found it sadly lacking. It is the fault, I believe, of the format of this book.

A series of letters detailing one biased perspective of a lost love and/or sexual encounter, is hard to build excitement and climactic moments.

In the beginning, I felt that it was nothing more than some short stories that were loosely converted for the book, and by the end, I felt that there was nothing new in any of them, and quite frankly, I didn't care if these two people ever got together. (And if you don't care about your "heroes" then what's the point of reading about them?)

This could slip Steve Almond's popularity back a notch a two and he's really going to have to come up with some great short works to over-come this.

Go read My Life in Heavy Metal instead.

MY TEACHER GLOWS IN THE DARK -- Bruce Coville

A Minstrel Book -- tpb
New York -- ©1991 -- 137pp
ISBN: 0-671-72709-5
illustrated by John Pierard

After discovering that his teacher is an alien, a young boy begs to be taken aboard an intergalactic space ship, where he becomes Earth's last chance at survival.

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Although I really like Bruce Coville books, I had put off reading this because I thought, from the title, that it was going to be one of his silly books. Instead, it was some pretty serious, youthful, sci-fi, and I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting. The book actually deals with a young boy's perceptions of loneliness, friendship, and girls all within the environment of space, aliens, and the end of the world.

I'm sorry, now, that I didn't read the other two books in the series first.

Recommended.

THE CEMENT GARDEN -- Ian McEwan

Anchor Books -- tpb
New York -- ©1978 -- 153pp
ISBN: 0-679-75018-5

First their father died, and then their mother passes away in the bedroom, and four children are suddenly free of all restraints and free to explore life as only orphans alone can.

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I feel so unclean.

The writing is so strong in this short novel that I felt as though I could smell the filth of the characters and their house.

I was caught up in the story, even though I didn't really want to visit this place. I would read, hoping for the best, but not expecting it.

Strong writing, but a story that made my flesh crawl in all the worst ways (not horror, but revulsion). I'd certainly like to read some other works by McEwan.

EAST, WEST -- Salman Rushdie

Vintage International -- tpb
New York -- 1994 -- 211pp
ISBN: 0-679-43965-x

A collection of short stories.

East
"Good Advice is Rarer Than Rubies"
"The Free Radio"
"The Prophet's Hair"

West
"Yorick"
"At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers"
"Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella of Spain Consummate Their Relationship (Santa Fe, AD 1492)"

East, West
"The Harmony of the Spheres"
"Chekov and Zulu"
"The Courter"

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This is my first crack at reading Salman Rushdie and I am left feeling somewhat ambivilent. There was nothing wrong with any of these stories. In fact, as I look a the titles I can recall each of the stories rather clearly, but not one of them touched me. I never connected with any of the characters. I couldn't relate; I never felt drawn in to the stories -- even "Chekov and Zulu" which is Star Trek themed!

The closest I came to 'enjoying' a story was "The Prophet's Hair" in which I could understand the father's panic at not wanting to own, but not wanting to give back, a religious relic. The response of his children seemed extreme and removed me from the story.

Not a great collection, but I am willing to give Rushdie another try. Any recommendations, anyone?

THE ICE SOLDIER -- Paul Watkins

Henry Holt and Company -- hc
New York -- ©2006 -- 341pp
ISBN-10: 0-8050-7867-3

After a tragic experience in World War II, a mountain climber has settled in to his life in academia until another tragic event forces him and a close friend in to making a treacherous climb.

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I think that Paul Watkins is one of the finest writers of today. His writing brings to mind the style of Hemingway, and his characters have the same kind of inner machismo, though without boasting of it.

It is very easy to get caught up in the prose and the characters that Watkins brings to life, but this book leaves something to be desired with its plot. While I fully understood the main character's lonesomeness and even later understood why, I never believed his desire for a certain young lady was anything but a mere physical attraction that would (or even should) develop into something more.

Too, one of the main protagonists was well set up as being the object of conflict, but we never see him again in the last 140 pages of the book. There, the conflict is the final climb and the mountain itself. In this sense, the book is as uneven as the terrain on which "Auntie" and Stanley make their journey

Still, I would much rather read a book by Paul Watkins that is lacking in some story, than most books by other authors.

An author worth reading, but not necessarily this particuar book until you've read a few of his others.

MOONGOBBLE AND ME #3: THE EVIL ELVES -- Bruce Coville

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers -- hc
New York -- ©2004 -- 71pp
ISBN: 0-689-85756-x
Illustrated by Katherine Coville

With the help of his friends Edward, Urk, Fireball, the Rusty Knight, and Arfur, Moongobble the Magician must complete his Third Might Task ... retrieve the Queen's Belly button.

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As always, Bruce Coville writes an entertaining yarn for young readers. My 9 year old son loved the series as much as I did.

Highly recommended.

THE TURQUOISE RING -- Grace Tiffany

Berkley Books -- hc
New York -- ©2005 -- 358pp
ISBN: 0-425-20248-8

In 1568, twenty-one-year-old Shiloh ben Gozán flees the Spanish Inquisition to live openly as a Jew in Venice. He brings with him a baby daughter and an oddly made turquoise ring, given to him by a woman he cannot forget. The ring also becomes entangled in the fortunes of five women: Leah, Shiloh's first love; Jessica, his rebellious daughter; Nerissa, a maidservant; Portia, an outrageously rich and alarmingly intelligent heiress; and lastly Xanthe, a Spanish refugee who alone can unlock the secret of his past.

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This book did not quite reach to me, as I had hoped it would. The book is supposedly "about" Shiloh (aka Shylock) and a specific ring, but as it's told through the story of five women, the focus is muddy. Two of the women's stories' are intriguing, one is incredibly dull, and the others rather bland.

They read more like romance novels rather than passionate drama as one might expect from a tale told of Shakespeare (with the one exception).

Sadly, not recommended.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL -- Arthur Tofte

Scholastic Book Services -- pb
New York -- ©1976(by Roger Elwood) -- 156pp
includes photos from the film
"A full-length version of the short story upon which the world-famous film was based."

An alien and his robot land on earth to deliver a message or warning and advice.

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And so, this is not the original story, nor is it a novelization of the film, but something in between.

It is strange, is what it is.

It bears almost no resemblance to the film (though I can see where, if this were a short story, one might get the idea for the film) and so it seems like lying to have it bear the same title and include photos from the picture.

What it makes me think of the most, is someone (Elwood?) capitalizing on the renewed (in the mid-1970's) interest in the film.

Don't bother searching out this hackneyed tripe.

SERENITY: THOSE LEFT BEHIND -- Joss Whedon & Brett Matthews

Graphic Novel
Dark Horse Books -- tpb
Milwaukie, OR -- ©2006 -- 104pp
ISBN: 1-59307-449-2
art: Will Conrad
colors: Laura Martin
letters: Michael Heisler
front cover art: Adam Hughes

The ragtag crew of Serenity take on a scavenger mission with the hopes of earning enough dough to disappear for a while. Only too late do they realize the whole gig is orchestrated by an old enemy eager remake their acquaintance with the help of some covert-operatives known only as the Blue Gloves.

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Having greatly enjoyed the short-lived television series, and having somewhat enjoyed the movie, I was looking forward to another adventure of the Serenity crew, particularly since it was written by the creator and series author, Joss Whedon. Unfortunately, the story is stale and not at all rivetting.

The art is decent, but I was sure expecting much more story and/or character development.

JOHN DILLINGER SLEPT HERE -- Paul Maccabee

Minnesota Historical Society Press -- tpb
St. Paul -- ©1995 -- 362pp
ISBN: 0-87351-316-9

This book is based on more than 100,000 pages of FBI files and wiretaps, prison and police records, and mob confessions. Interviews with 250 crime victims, policemen, gun molls, and family members of criminals bring these public enemies to life. Crime historian Paul Maccabee takes you inside the bank robberies, gangland assassinations, and police intrigue of St. Paul's 1920s and 1930s gangster era. You'll also find Crooks' Tour maps and more than 130 rare FBI, police, and family photographs.

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Loaned to me by my uncle, this is not the kind of book that I would ordinarily pick up to read on my own. However, I did find it rather interesting to learn that the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul were havens for some of the most notorious underworld figures in history.

I felt that the book was trying hard to find a new angle on reoprting of Minnesota's ganster past, but because of that, it lacked a cohesion that might have kept my interest a little better. Just as I was finding a narrative interesting, it seemed to zoom to the end and then on to another criminal. The "selling point" to the book is the listing of the addresses where certain crimes occurred with the intent that those interested would walk/drive around the Twin Cities to see these locations.

Interesting, but not engaging.

THE SCARECROW AND HIS SERVANT -- Philip Pullman

Alfred A. Knopf -- hc
New York -- ©2004 -- 229pp
ISBN: 0-375-81531-7
illustrated by Peter Bailey
jacket illustration by Kevin Hawkes

After being struck by lightning, a scarecrow, with a turnip for a head, comes alive and proceeds on many fabulous adventures, with an orphaned boy, Jack, as his servant.

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This really is a wonderful fairy tale. It has all the good qualities of a classic fairy tale -- imaginative, journeys, adventures, colorful characters, and bad-guys who are obviously bad.

The young boy, Jack, has sense enough to know that everything is quite odd -- what with his master being a turnip-headed scarecrow -- but has the youthful imagination to go along with it.

If there is a down-side to this book, it's that it did get to be a little long. Perhaps one too many adventures for the scarecrow. Did he really need to become a Captain in an army? Did it serve any purpose to the rest of the story, or was it just a further adventure. If anything, I thought the army portion of the story was the least effective, particularly when both the scarecrow and the boy had had negative experiences with soldiers earlier in the book.

Still, not many authors are writing wonderful tales of this sort, and it definitely adds to my respect for Pullman, the author.

A fun romp, worth the read.

THE HISTORIAN -- Elizabeth Kostova

Little, Brown and Company -- ©2005 -- hc
New York -- 642pp
ISBN: 0-316-01177-0
Signed by Elizabeth Kostova

A long history, using academic historians as the principle protagonists, in search of Vlad Dracula and his actual burial place.

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The book could have used some trimming or serious editing!

I was engaged with the story in the beginning, and I was caught up again as I approached the last 100+ pages, but the 300+ pages in the middle became a morass of verbiage which did little to nothing to advance the plot, nor did it set mood or location.

Something I've seen only one other reviewer mention is the confusion over who is narrating any particular chapter. Imagine my surprise after a hundred pages, thinking my narrator was a woman (and I'm sure it was when I started), and to suddenly have someone refer to the narrator as "Paul."

I've long enjoyed the Dracula mythology and looked forward to this book. I struggled to stay interested in it, and I'm not sure that my valiance paid off in the end.

This is one book that may actually be served well to have a Reader's Digest Condensed Version.

COLD COMFORT: LIFE AT THE TOP OF THE MAP -- Barton Sutter

University of Minnesota Press -- ©1998 -- hc
Minneapolis, MN -- 210pp
ISBN: 0-8166-3259-6
Signed by Barton Sutter

A collection of essays.

Homing: An Introduction
"Dull and Out of It"
" 'A Citty upon a Hill' "
"The Bridge"
"God"
"Park Point"
"Sister City"
"April Fools"
"Tisher Creek"
"Ghost of a Good Bad Man"
"Barber Poles"
"Existentil Basebal"
"Hawk Ridge"
"The Cider Man"
"The Season of Death"
"Disorganizzed Hockey"
"The History of Snow"
"Hibernation"
"Jangle Bells"
"A Christmas Card"
"Afterthoughts on Christmas Trees"
"Finlandia at Fourteen Below"
"Cross-Country"
"The Overcoat"
"Map Fishing"
"God's Own Ice Rink"
"Boundary Waters Canoe Park"
"Dream Canoe"
"The Next Best Thing to Nobody"
"Falcon, Eagle, Snake"
"The Shrink-Wrapped Campfire"
"Dieback"
"Family Car Camping"
"The Duluth behind Duluth"
"Emil's Place"
"Blueberry Country"
"Eating the Landscape"
"I Am Not a Duck Hunter"
"Lake Addiction"
"Epilogue: The Backroad to Ely"

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This was a quick read, but I enjoyed most of it. I'm not sure how much it would appeal to those who aren't already familiar with Northern Minnesota, but Sutter captures the feel of the community quite well.

I would agree with the reviewers on the dust jacket who say that his attempt at being curmudgeonly doesn't seem totally accurate, but he is forgiven for this with his reflections on nature, the seasons, and the people who endure both.

Sutter will never reach the popularity of Sigurd Olson, but his book is worthy of sitting on the shelves of all those who enjoy nature writing, essays, or books about Minnesota.

REFUGEES FROM AN IMAGINARY COUNTRY -- Darrell Schweitzer

W. Paul Ganley, Publisher/Owslwick Press -- hc
Buffalo, NY/King of Prussia, PA -- ©1999 -- 232pp
ISBN: 0-932445-64-0
Illustrated by Stephen E. Fabian
Bookplate signed by Darrell Schweitzer and Stephen E. Fabian
Dust Jacket illo: Stephen E. Fabian

A collection of Darrell Schweitzer's short stories.

"Savages"
"On the Last Night of the Festival of the Dead"
"The Outside Man"
"Minotauress"
"Malevendra's Pool"
"Angry Man"
"The Sorcerer Evoragdou"
"The Strange Rider from the Far, Dark Land"
"The Mysteries of the Faceless King"
"Runaway"
"The Knight of the Pale Countenance"
"One of the Secret Masters"
"Climbing"
"The Death of Falstaff"
"King Yvorian's Wager"
"Going to the Mountain"
"The Last Dangerous Lunacy"
"Last Things"
"Refugees from an Imaginary Country"

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This is where Darrell Schweitzer shines -- the short story. The novels that I've read and reported on in this blog did not hold my interest, but these short stories were completely engrossing, and reminded me why I enjoy the genre.

I don't think it would come as a surprise to anyone to report that Schweitzer writes more for tone, or feeling, than he does for character or plot, but he does it well enough that you can forgive him for it. So many of these stories were memorable, even if the endings were anticipated. "Minotauress," "The Sorcerer Evoragdou," "The Mysteries of the Faceless King," "The Knight of the Pale Countenance," "The Death of Falstaff," "Refugees ..." all have stuck with me, and I recall them fondly, even if , in some cases, I knew exactly how it was going to end. (And some ended in surprising ways.)

I had some mixed feelings, going in to this collection, having read the two novels not so long ago, but this was a welcome return to the "weird" genre, and reminds me why I recalled Schweitzer's name as fondly as I did.

Recommended for anyone looking to read something that was representative of magazines such as Weird Tales.