The detective story is an American invention pioneered by Edgar Allen Poe in The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Poe's Auguste Dupin was the first detective in popular literature. He was followed in short order by our cousins across the pond with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. The United States has enough regional differences to warrant local detective series and we have everything from Dana Stabenow's mysteries set in Alaska to Tony Hillerman's Navaho Nation novels. But the world is a global community and other authors in other countries have been developing the detective novel set in their local community. Beside the entertainment value, many of these novels offer the reader insight into the political social and cultural features of other countries.
Oh, those Scandinavians...
I do not know if it is the cold, the rain or the limited daylight that makes Scandinavian authors create detectives who are dark, flawed and in some cases anti-heroes. If you ever find a copy of Peter Hoeg's Smilla's Sense of Snow (1994) on a used book rack, buy it. Smilla is half Danish and half native Greenlander. She is a scientist whose knowledge of ice and snow and determination lead her to crime and betrayal above the Arctic Circle. Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole battles his own demons as well as crime. Henning Mankell brought us Kurt Wallander. Karin Fossum's has Inspector Sejer. Which of us will ever forget Lisbeth Salander in Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?
And of course, the Germans...
Not to be outdone, German author Nele Neuhaus's Snow White Must Die recently won rave reviews in Europe and in the US.
Not really Israeli, but close enough...
American author Daniel Silva created the character of Gabriel Allon, an art-restorer and assassin for the Israeli government. The Allon series brings you through museums, and galleries through Europe. When he is not restoring works of art, Allon is exacting revenge on terrorists.
Straddling two worlds...
Istanbul has been described as the literal and metaphorical bridge between east and west, Christian and Islam, tradition and technology. Barbara Nadel has crafted a series of books with Inspector Ikmen who like his country straddles two worlds. Nadel's descriptions of Istanbul will appeal to anyone who has traveled in that part off the world.
The sunny south...
Italian authors have been at the detective genre for a long time. Andrea Camilleri 's Inspector Montalbano takes us through the intricacies of fighting crime in Sicily. New author Marco Vichi's Inspector Bordelli investigates Death in Sardinia.
But, my all-time favorite Italian detective is Commisario Guido Brunetti who investigates crime in the exotic city of Venice. Written by Donna Leon, the Brunetti series does not hesitate to cover Italy's social ills, poor economy, organized crime, environmental issues and relations with guest workers. Of course, it is easy to read books where Brunetti retreats to his loving home with his wife Paola who cooks wonderful meals and just happens to be a university professor and a descendent of Venice's aristocracy.
The Middle East...
If you can find them, pick up Zoe Ferraris's Finding Nouf and City of Veils. Her books are set in Saudi Arabia and give amazing insight into the society of Saudi's and Bedouins.
Finally, Africa...
Alexander McCall Smith has created a series of mysteries set in Botswana. Okay, I will admit that I needed an atlas to remind me where Botswana is located. McCall Smith's detective is a "woman of tribal proportions" Prescious Ramotse who is the proprietor of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Mme. Ramotse solves crimes with wisdom and insight into the human heart. After one or two of these books, you can appreciate the fragile beauty of the Okavanga Delta and you come away with admiration for the citizens of Botswana whose pride in their county and traditions is a welcome respite from much of the violence in Africa.
Translated from Afrikaaner, Deon Meier has a series of novels set in South Africa. His books are violent and graphic, but he brings us through the many levels of society and culture in South Africa. His characters are fascinating, but flawed. Often battling alcoholism, past lives of crime and overall corruption, his various detectives will grip the reader with their intensity.
I seem to be missing works from Asia and Latin America. If anyone has some authors to add, I would love to hear from you.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
I am not supposed to like it....
I am a self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmes geek. It all started over forty years ago when Mrs. Tallman, the children's librarian in my home town of Fort Lee, NJ, presented me with the complete works of Sherlock Holmes as a reward for completing the summer reading program. Throughout my academic and professional career, I have read countless books in English and French. To this day, when I want to escape into a world of logic and deduction, I pull out Arthur Conan Doyle. True, not all Conan Doyle's writings met with literary success. Even I struggled through Professor Challenger. And Conan Doyle dabbled in spiritualism and believed in fairies. We all have our foibles.
If you are ever in Toronto, Canada, take some time to visit the Arthur Conan Doyle Room at the Toronto Public Library. It is a fitting tribute to an author who has inspired and entertained so many children and adults through the world.
It was with some trepidation that I first picked up Laurie R. King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. If Holmes should marry, what sort of woman would she be? Laurie King proposes Mary Russell who is every bit Holmes' intellectual equal. By the way, she is also much younger, American and Jewish.
The series works and works well. There are currently 12 books in the series starting with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Holmes and Russell (of course she keeps her own name and identity) thwart criminals around the world in true Holmesian fashion.
I would be remiss if I did not include the latest on-screen Sherlock. The BBC has continued Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. This is arguably the best screen portrayal of Holmes. Cumberbatch's Sherlock is an ascetic, fiercely intellectual and unflappable. In addition to his intellect, he makes use of technology. Martin Freeman's depiction of Dr. Watson is my favorite. Watson is not a bumbling sidekick. He is a wounded warrior with injuries and PTSD home from the wars in Afghanistan. Watson offers the one thing Holmes cannot conceive - simple human friendship. Holmes is larger than life and that is what we expect. Cumberbatch brings us a Holmes for the 21st Century who is neither campy nor kitschy. Enjoy!
If you are ever in Toronto, Canada, take some time to visit the Arthur Conan Doyle Room at the Toronto Public Library. It is a fitting tribute to an author who has inspired and entertained so many children and adults through the world.
It was with some trepidation that I first picked up Laurie R. King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. If Holmes should marry, what sort of woman would she be? Laurie King proposes Mary Russell who is every bit Holmes' intellectual equal. By the way, she is also much younger, American and Jewish.
The series works and works well. There are currently 12 books in the series starting with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Holmes and Russell (of course she keeps her own name and identity) thwart criminals around the world in true Holmesian fashion.
I would be remiss if I did not include the latest on-screen Sherlock. The BBC has continued Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. This is arguably the best screen portrayal of Holmes. Cumberbatch's Sherlock is an ascetic, fiercely intellectual and unflappable. In addition to his intellect, he makes use of technology. Martin Freeman's depiction of Dr. Watson is my favorite. Watson is not a bumbling sidekick. He is a wounded warrior with injuries and PTSD home from the wars in Afghanistan. Watson offers the one thing Holmes cannot conceive - simple human friendship. Holmes is larger than life and that is what we expect. Cumberbatch brings us a Holmes for the 21st Century who is neither campy nor kitschy. Enjoy!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
A Heavy and a Light
I have two more books for you which will require tissues. One will have you sniffling and one will leave you sobbing at the end.
Jojo Moyes' Me before You (2013) is one of the most heart-wrenching books I have ever read. Louisa Clark, an employed, working class young woman in England, accepts a six month job as a caregiver for a quadriplegic. In a prior life, her charge Will was at the top of his game, wealthy, handsome, successful, athletic. He had it all - promising career, gorgeous girlfriend, extreme sports and lots of friends. He lost it all after being paralyzed in an accident. Now, confined to a wheelchair and despondent, he plans an assisted suicide in six months. Louisa is unaware of the reason for her six month tenure when she takes the job. We share her horror when she discovers the reasons behind her employment. However, in the time allotted, Louisa ignores the sarcasm, depressions and acerbic wit of Will, her patient. In an attempt to dissuade him from his choice, she makes contact with other quadriplegics and tries to give Will a reason to live. Unexpectedly, Will saves Louisa from live choices that are less than ideal. You will laugh. You will cry. Alright, you will cry a lot. Sometimes in life, love is not enough.
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg (2013)
Whenever I want a feel-good book, I reach for Fannie Flagg. Although I am not from the South and Southern culture is often lost on me, Fannie Flagg fills her books with such quirky and heart-warming characters, that I cannot help but smile. Sookie is a 50-ish Alabama woman who has just survived the weddings of three daughters and is looking forward to her empty nest time if she can escape her domineering mother next door. Sookie's life is turned upside down when she receives a mysterious phone calling telling her that "you are not who you think you are." Imagine her surprise when she discovers that she is not a card-carrying, daughter of the South and a Southern sorority queen, but instead she is the illegitimate daughter of a Polish Catholic woman. Sookie begins the inevitable search for her birth mother. Her search leads her to the courageous young women who flew airplanes in the early days of the Army Air Corps and ran male-dominated business during the Second World War. You will wipe away a tear, but you will cheer for these remarkable women who gave so much for their country.
Jojo Moyes' Me before You (2013) is one of the most heart-wrenching books I have ever read. Louisa Clark, an employed, working class young woman in England, accepts a six month job as a caregiver for a quadriplegic. In a prior life, her charge Will was at the top of his game, wealthy, handsome, successful, athletic. He had it all - promising career, gorgeous girlfriend, extreme sports and lots of friends. He lost it all after being paralyzed in an accident. Now, confined to a wheelchair and despondent, he plans an assisted suicide in six months. Louisa is unaware of the reason for her six month tenure when she takes the job. We share her horror when she discovers the reasons behind her employment. However, in the time allotted, Louisa ignores the sarcasm, depressions and acerbic wit of Will, her patient. In an attempt to dissuade him from his choice, she makes contact with other quadriplegics and tries to give Will a reason to live. Unexpectedly, Will saves Louisa from live choices that are less than ideal. You will laugh. You will cry. Alright, you will cry a lot. Sometimes in life, love is not enough.
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg (2013)
Whenever I want a feel-good book, I reach for Fannie Flagg. Although I am not from the South and Southern culture is often lost on me, Fannie Flagg fills her books with such quirky and heart-warming characters, that I cannot help but smile. Sookie is a 50-ish Alabama woman who has just survived the weddings of three daughters and is looking forward to her empty nest time if she can escape her domineering mother next door. Sookie's life is turned upside down when she receives a mysterious phone calling telling her that "you are not who you think you are." Imagine her surprise when she discovers that she is not a card-carrying, daughter of the South and a Southern sorority queen, but instead she is the illegitimate daughter of a Polish Catholic woman. Sookie begins the inevitable search for her birth mother. Her search leads her to the courageous young women who flew airplanes in the early days of the Army Air Corps and ran male-dominated business during the Second World War. You will wipe away a tear, but you will cheer for these remarkable women who gave so much for their country.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Three Famous Couples
Last year, I did a presentation to the Dillsburg Womans Club in which I described three books about three famous American couples. For those of you who like to read in a series, here are my notes:
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (2007)
To many of us, Frank Lloyd Wright was the seminal American architect who introduced mission style or prairie style architecture. Wright built a number of private and public buildings through the United States. Most of us have toured one or other of them. In 1903, Wright built a house for a wealthy family in Chicago. During the project, he and the wife of the homeowner Mamah Borthwick Cheney fell in love. Their adulterous relationship rocked Chicago society. This novel is a fascinating insight into their relationship and Cheney's struggles to be recognized as a scholar in her own right. The book's dramatic ending will leave you speechless.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (2011)
Ernest Hemingway - either you love him or hate him. It has been said that Hemingway had a wife for every novel. This is the story of his first wife Hadley Richardson who accompanied him during his years in Paris in the 1920's. As part of the Lost Generation, Ernest and Hadley interacted with such personalities as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein. The Hemingway's marriage came to a tragic end, but throughout the years of alcohol abuse, womanizing, depression and illness, Hemmingway retained his affection for Hadley and she for him.
The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin (2013)
Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh were the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of their time. Pursued by reporters and adoring fans, the Lindbergh's lived their lives in the public spotlight. Charles Lindbergh was the golden boy who was the first to cross the Atlantic in an airplane and who pioneered American aviation. However, their lives took a tragic turn when their baby was kidnapped and murdered. In addition, Lindbergh had a dark side. He had fathered other children and was a Nazi sympathizer. Anne Morrow was an ambassador's daughter who was an author and pilot in her own right. Their very public marriage was fodder for tabloids and makes for a very interesting read.
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (2007)
To many of us, Frank Lloyd Wright was the seminal American architect who introduced mission style or prairie style architecture. Wright built a number of private and public buildings through the United States. Most of us have toured one or other of them. In 1903, Wright built a house for a wealthy family in Chicago. During the project, he and the wife of the homeowner Mamah Borthwick Cheney fell in love. Their adulterous relationship rocked Chicago society. This novel is a fascinating insight into their relationship and Cheney's struggles to be recognized as a scholar in her own right. The book's dramatic ending will leave you speechless.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (2011)
Ernest Hemingway - either you love him or hate him. It has been said that Hemingway had a wife for every novel. This is the story of his first wife Hadley Richardson who accompanied him during his years in Paris in the 1920's. As part of the Lost Generation, Ernest and Hadley interacted with such personalities as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein. The Hemingway's marriage came to a tragic end, but throughout the years of alcohol abuse, womanizing, depression and illness, Hemmingway retained his affection for Hadley and she for him.
The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin (2013)
Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh were the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of their time. Pursued by reporters and adoring fans, the Lindbergh's lived their lives in the public spotlight. Charles Lindbergh was the golden boy who was the first to cross the Atlantic in an airplane and who pioneered American aviation. However, their lives took a tragic turn when their baby was kidnapped and murdered. In addition, Lindbergh had a dark side. He had fathered other children and was a Nazi sympathizer. Anne Morrow was an ambassador's daughter who was an author and pilot in her own right. Their very public marriage was fodder for tabloids and makes for a very interesting read.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Midwife of Hope River
For those of you who like to read in historical eras, there is a fabulous first novel by Patricia Harmon, The Midwife of Hope River. Patience Murphy is a midwife in Appalachia during the Great Depression. But Patience has a past and her past threatens to catch up with her. The author fills this very credible story with scenes from the Labor Movement in Pittsburgh as well as the courageous women who delivered babies in mountain cabins in West Virginia. Patience Murphy is an unforgettable character whose story will keep you up until you finish the book.
More good reads
After struggling through The Worst Hard Time, I indulged in Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. From 1854 to 1929, over two hundred thousand orphaned or abandoned children were transported by train from cities on the East Coast to the Midwest. The charitable organizations which organized these transports were attempting to find wholesome, loving homes for these children among families in the Midwest. Many of the children were the children of immigrants whose parents either died or could not care for them. In some cases, the orphans did, indeed, find loving homes. In other cases, the children were abused and overworked.
Orphan Train contains two parallel stories, one of an Irish girl who was sent west on one of the trains and went through a series of foster homes. The other protagonist is a girl of Native American origin who experiences the current foster care system.
Kline artfully blends the two stories together. The characters are memorable. This best seller should be popular book discussion selection.
Orphan Train contains two parallel stories, one of an Irish girl who was sent west on one of the trains and went through a series of foster homes. The other protagonist is a girl of Native American origin who experiences the current foster care system.
Kline artfully blends the two stories together. The characters are memorable. This best seller should be popular book discussion selection.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Dust Bowl
Hello all,
I just finished the 2014 One Book One Community selection for south-central Pennsylvania. This year's selection, The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan follows a different format from previous selections. The book was selected by readers from a list of three titles. I believe those who voted for this title were expecting a sequel to the Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath. However, Egan' treatment of the Dust Bowl takes a different track. Egan is a Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times investigative reporter. As such, he investigates the causes of the Dust Bowl. He holds nothing sacred as he describes in cold detail the improper farming methods, ineffective USDA policies, land speculation, profiteering and virtual displacement and extermination of native Peoples, plants and animals. The Dust Bowl is arguably the worst man-made ecological disaster in US history. As such, this book has more in common with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring than The Grapes of Wrath.
Egan includes vignettes with various people who were victims of the Dust Bowl. Many of us do not realize that the dust caused health issues and death in addition to bankruptcy and displacement.
The purpose of book discussion programs such as One Book One Community is to engage readers in a book that is often outside their comfort zone in order to promote discussion and civic engagement. In that respect, The Worst Hard Time was a good selection.
However, for those of you looking for a book with more readability and memorable characters, I am starting Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train which will be the topic of the next entry.
I just finished the 2014 One Book One Community selection for south-central Pennsylvania. This year's selection, The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan follows a different format from previous selections. The book was selected by readers from a list of three titles. I believe those who voted for this title were expecting a sequel to the Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath. However, Egan' treatment of the Dust Bowl takes a different track. Egan is a Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times investigative reporter. As such, he investigates the causes of the Dust Bowl. He holds nothing sacred as he describes in cold detail the improper farming methods, ineffective USDA policies, land speculation, profiteering and virtual displacement and extermination of native Peoples, plants and animals. The Dust Bowl is arguably the worst man-made ecological disaster in US history. As such, this book has more in common with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring than The Grapes of Wrath.
Egan includes vignettes with various people who were victims of the Dust Bowl. Many of us do not realize that the dust caused health issues and death in addition to bankruptcy and displacement.
The purpose of book discussion programs such as One Book One Community is to engage readers in a book that is often outside their comfort zone in order to promote discussion and civic engagement. In that respect, The Worst Hard Time was a good selection.
However, for those of you looking for a book with more readability and memorable characters, I am starting Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train which will be the topic of the next entry.
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