Books That Captivated Me at Barnes & Noble

Today, I thought I would be blogging about the play Damn Yankees. Friday night, I drove down to the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey to meet my friend, Sharon. Our plan was to eat dinner in the food court there and then go on to the nearby Roosevelt Park for Plays in the Park, the play of the evening being Damn Yankees. But, alas, we arrived at the park just in time to hear that it was cancelled due to rain. It had, by that time, already begun to drizzle. So, deciding to come back for another try in better weather, Sharon, my fellow bibliophile, and I headed back to the mall for our favorite hang-out, Barnes & Noble. After a few moments of browsing, Sharon had found a book that intrigued her and began to peruse it. My attitude at a bookstore, or with reading in general, is like a sumo wrestler at an all-you-can-eat buffet, so I found a pile of five, a fairly versatile selection, which I carried to our table in the cafe section.

I can not give full recommendations for the books I picked, because I did not read all five books while sitting in the Barnes & Noble cafe over an iced caramel macchiato, but I can give a little description of each and tell you why they intrigued me. Each of them initially caught my attention either by the title or cover picture or both which compelled me to read the back covers. Sitting down with them, I read a few opening pages.

First...

Sharon's pick -- Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time by Carissa Phelps

This is the one Sharon picked up, but I quickly agreed with her that it was an interesting book. It is an inspirational autobiography. The author ran away at twelve and got connected with a brutal pimp. Eventually, she ran away from that life, feeling abused and neglected. By age 30, thanks to a teacher and counselor, she graduated UCLA with a law degree and an MBA. Now, she works with the homeless and with at-risk teens.

I wish it was more widely understood, especially by men, that women who get into the prostitution business aren't necessarily in love with what they do. For some, it's a desperate attempt at survival, and many are entrapped. They may be abused and may be compelled to do things distasteful to themselves. In the current trends of human trafficking, many girls are ensnared into it by deceitful means. No wonder Jesus was a friend of prostitutes. He understood their pain and believed them to be totally redeemable.

I really appreciate this organization, Nightlight Bangkok. This organization helps the intervention and rescue of victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Women are given vocational training in jewelry making. Purchasing jewelry from the website will support these women in their new lifestyle.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This first caught my eye by its dramatic cover in red, black and white and the words #1 National Bestseller, which is no indication that it will be a favorite of mine, but it is an indication that it is a favorite of many other people. One reviewer called it "a literary fantasy," and the author herself stated that all her books are "fairy tales in one way or another." The story is of two fiercely competing magicians, Marco and Celia, at Le Cirque des Reves, who, in spite of everything, fall in love. After perusing it very shortly, one thing I noticed was that its format and organization seemed creative, the style was engaging, and I immediately felt like I was expecting something exciting to happen.

The Thread by Victoria Hislop

I will need to tell my Greek American writer friend Stephanie -- check out her blog -- that this novel set in Greece caught my eye. She and I had just been commenting on a photo she posted to facebook. The photo showed a man climbing a hill, leading a flock of sheep which seemed to occupy the whole span of a public road. Stephanie posted that this was a common scene near her home in Greece.

The sentence on the back cover that caught my attention was this, "Thessaloniki, 1917: As Dimitri Komninos is born, a fire sweeps through the thriving multicultural city where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side." The story seems to be some historical saga spanning 80 years of "Nazi occupation, civil war, persecution and economic collapse."

Although, I identify with the first group mentioned, Christians, I have a great interest in Jews and Muslims and in stories where the three religious and cultural groups have lived in close proximity, such as in Bosnia. One fictional book I read recently along this line is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. The story traces the history of a mysterious illuminated Haggadah that is found in Sarajevo. The book, although fictional, is somewhat based on an actual find.

I liked Hislop's descriptive style, giving you the feeling that you are in the setting she describes, as in this sample, "With the lifting haze, Mount Olympus gradually emerged far away from the Thermaic Gulf and the restful blues of sea and sky shrugged off their pale shroud." I did not, as with reading The Night Circus, feel like I was being set up for something exciting to happen. That may have been misleading as one reviewer called this book "a page turner," which to me suggests fast-paced. But even if it does not read like a thriller, that is not a deterrent to me. I enjoy books which show some lulls between the action and takes the time to make you deeply acquainted with the characters.

Mistress of Mourning by Karen Harper

A fan of the costume drama, the medieval gowns on the cover caught my attention at first. From the back cover, "London, 1501. In a time of political unrest, Varina Westcott, a young widow and candle maker for court and church, agrees to perform a clandestine service for Queen Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII--carve wax figures of four dead children, two of her offspring lost in infancy and her two brothers, the Princes of the Tower, whose mysterious disappearance years ago has never been solved."

This hooked me. I remember the story of the "Princes of the Tower" as told in one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, Richard III. Why I like this play is a mystery even to myself, because it is a tragedy and full of bloodshed. In college days, I saw it performed when the college hosted a series of Shakespeare film nights, and it has been a favorite ever since. I think I like the banter between Richard III and Queen Elizabeth (Woodville), queen consort of England as the wife of King Edward IV. I remember these lines. The murderous Richard III wants permission to woo her daughter, Elizabeth of York.

"Richard III: Then in plain terms, tell her my loving tale.

Queen Elizabeth: Plain and not honest is too harsh a style.

Richard III: Your reasons are too shallow and too quick.

Queen Elizabeth: Oh no, my reasons are too deep and too dead, too deep and dead, poor infants in their graves.[A reference to the "Princes of the Tower."]"

Lately too, I am very interested in learning about the history of British royalty, both through film and books. Watching The Young Victoria, which I loved, inspired me to read Queen Victoria's biography by Lytton Strachey. After I saw The King's Speech, I was inspired to read The King's Speech: A Lesson in Perseverance (What George VI Can Teach Us) by Susan Crimp.

The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox by Nina Burleigh

I don't have a very definite opinion on the guilt or innocence of Amanda Knox, the American girl who, while studying Italian abroad in Perugia, found herself accused of the murder of her housemate, Meredith Kercher. I am a little interested to see what the author's conclusions are. The book appears to be well-researched. The opening pages featured a detailed diagram of the house where Amanda and Meredith lived, a map pointing out key places in Perugia and their relationships to one another, and a listing and description of all the people pertinent to this story. The book's title is taken from a Lord Byron quote which is given its own page, "Oh Italia, Italia! Thou who hast the fatal gift of beauty." I wonder though if the author has given that phrase more than one meaning.

The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason

The book I saw in Barnes & Noble had a different front cover than the one shown. That cover picture featured a girl with a bicycle, but the head of the girl was past the picture's frame of the picture. It is odd, and perhaps purposefully mysterious, that the girl in the picture, whom we could assume is the title character, does not show her head, never mind a blue beret.

This historical novel, set in World War II, starts in an exciting way, with a fiery plane crash. I was thinking at the time that I was reading that this bit of writing was quite an accomplishment for a woman since I know very few who are knowledgeable about planes or have first-hand experience as pilots. The story is based on the real war experiences of the author's father-in-law. I can see that she likely interviewed him extensively to give you the feeling that she did have that first-hand experience.

The story is of Marshall Stone, a U.S. flyboy stationed in England, who is forced to crash land his B-17 in Belgium near the French border. Ordinary citizens, members of the Resistance, help him find an escape route back to England. Decades later, he returns to the crash site, wanting to find the people who helped him and especially one girl who risked her life for him, the girl in the blue beret. Lovely thought, right?

Books in Review: Two Books I've Read on Kindle in 2011

So far, this year, I’ve read mostly all non-fiction. Some of the books I read with specific research goals in mind for various fictional projects. Others, I read for my own spiritual enrichment. In this category, reading on one topic often prompted me to read similar books on similar topics. Even among these books I read because they just captivated my interest, I think very likely they will have an indirect if not direct influence on my writing. “How Then Should We Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture” by Francis Schaeffer prompted me to begin reading “Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assualt on Mind, Morals and Meaning” by Nancy Pearcey. Since both books deal with communicating better as a Christian to the modern culture, I think they should definitely have some influence on my own writing.

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

This is a novel written for youth. I first noticed in on an end cap in Borders and, since, it showed up in my Amazon recommendations. The story takes place during World War II, and unlike a lot of other World War II stories, the protagonists here are German citizens. The narrator of the story, strangely enough is Death, but the story is really one of survival, of evading Death. The main character is a young preteen girl, Liesl Meminger, who is raised by foster parents.

Her foster mother is a strict disciplinarian in the habit of using rough language, sometimes disguising a tender heart. Her favorite addresses for people were “saumensch” and “saukerl” which translate into something like “filthy pig” in the feminine and masculine. She used such mixed-up expressions as “Good girl, Saumensch” while hugging Liesl.

Her foster father was a gentler character, who was often at Liesl’s bedside when she was wakened by nightmares, brought on by memories of her brother’s death and separation from her biological mother. He would entertain her with his accordion and help her learn to read at odd hours of the night, including, as the title suggests, her “stolen” book, “The Gravedigger’s Handbook.”

Although Liesl and her friends are forced to take part in Hitler Youth activities, the atmosphere at home is definitely anti-Hitler. In fact, her family hides a Jewish man in the basement, a man who develops a special friendship with Liesl and helps nurture her love for books.

"Mystics, Mavericks and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls" by Stephanie Wellen Levine

I chose to read this book in preparation for writing certain parts of the sequel to “And the Violin Cried.” My first book deals with some Hasidic characters, who will become more important in the second book, and, yes, one of these is a teen girl, which made this book appropriate.

While a graduate student in American studies at Harvard, the author spends some time as living among Lubavitcher Hasidim in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Her study was among the teen girls, whom she observed in their homes, social and school activities. Whereas mainstream American teens have their own cliques and stereotypes like jocks and geeks, Levine discovered certain types among the Hasidic girls. Levine goes into depth of how girls live in a community that is really completely gender-segregated, and how life and expected roles are very different for Hasidic men and women.

She gave character profiles of several girls she met who fell into different categories. From her descriptions, you get the feeling of what their daily life was like, interacting at school, going out in the neighborhood to The Gap or a kosher restaurant, attending weddings, their religious customs and the tricky business of following the strict religious laws.

One type is the chassidische girls. Chassidische girls are highly interested in religious study and in the Lubavitcher ideal of reaching out to the outer Jewish community to draw people into a more orthodox religious lifestyle. These were a rarity. “Normal” girls were fashionable and popular. They may get themselves into slight mischief such as accepting a car ride from a man who is not related to them, something which, in their community, could hurt their reputation and their matchmaking chances. Their slight rebellion might include wearing long socks instead of stockings to school.

The author came across questioners and rebels. One questioner was highly respected by her community for her intelligence and yet this same community felt, “She was too smart for her own good.” Her intelligent mind caused her to question the religious system she was brought up in and which her family was part of for generations. Levine also came across a group of young rebels who left the community and who were rebellious by any teen standard, smoking marijuana, visiting strip clubs, exploring alternative lifestyles, etc.

It was an interesting glimpse into a culture I would not likely be able to see any other way.

More to Come...