World Book Night: The Second Batch

I am all sorts of behind on my World Book Night reading this year. I fear Victoria may have jinxed me by sharing my progress with our mailing list along with the words “will she finish in time?”

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman is definitely one of those cases of the truth being even more riveting than fiction. Ackerman writes the story of Antonina Zabinski the wife of a Polish zookeeper during World War II. The Zabinskis spent the war years hiding Jews in their villa and helping the underground in Warsaw. The book is often devastating and the sheer absurdity of the war and the actions of the Nazis are laid bare, but what triumphs over all of that is the survivor spirit of the Zabinskis and the Poles described throughout the book. Ackerman writes of interviews given by Jan Zabinski wherein he expresses that he and his wife were not heroes. They merely "did it because it was the right thing to do." Jan said "I only did my duty." To know both such courage and conviction...I can only imagine.

I was so looking forward to Eleanor Brown's The Weird Sisters. I love books about readers, and a book about three sisters raised by a Shakespearian scholar seemed right in my wheelhouse. Alas, it was not meant to be. I grew weary of this book because the sisters were so frustrating. Each of them is unhappy in a life of their own making and while the book is about them finding their way back to each other and to happiness I just sort of lost patience with them. However, the first person plural narration was a stoke of genius on Brown's part and truly gets to the root of what siblings are.

My favorite book on the list so far must be Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. I did not really expect too much from this book; I don't typically go in for comic novels. But Semple has written this truly funny work of satire that just blew me away. I remember the hype machine working really hard for this book when it was initially released and I am so sorry I ignored it for so long. Not only is this book wildly entertaining, but Maria Semple has an understanding of depression and failed promise that very few people do. I highly recommend this book!

Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale is said to be a book that defined a generation, so I was excited to read it and get a glimpse into a life that is different from my own. This book is unflinchingly honest; for all of the internet ink that goes into dissecting Lena Dunham's HBO series Girls here is McMillan's Waiting to Exhale, written 22 years ago and just as uncompromising and often unlikeable as this so-called trailblazing show. The biggest thing I took away from this novel was the reality McMillan described - these are four fully formed women. They are weak, they are strong, they are endlessly frustrating, they are lovable, but mostly they are real. The fact that I wanted to punch both Robin and Bernadine in the face is a testament to just how invested I was in their lives.

I have somehow made it to my advanced age having never read a mystery by Agatha Christie. So, thank you World Book Night for filling yet another glaring omission in my reading life. After the Funeral is the 29th Hercule Poirot mystery and it's a great whodunnit - each time I felt like I had decided which of the characters was the murderer Christie and her master detective spun my ideas on their head and had me pointing the finger at another possible perp. In the end, I was surprised and excited to hear Poirot explain just how he solved the case. The classist ideology and xenophobia were a bit hard to swallow at times, but such is as it is in classic novels.

Michelle Reviews: Madam by Cari Lynn and Kellie Martin

All of the most famous cities in the world have a personality. We are drawn to them in the same way we are drawn to each other. New Orleans is alluring. It bristles with life, music, culture, and most importantly history.

The most fascinating period within the history of New Orleans has to be the sex-crazed, gin-soaked, debauched Storyville era at the turn of the century. Unfortunately, many records of Storyville have been destroyed, and the history of this famous red-light district has always been somewhat underground. Luckily for us though, authors Cari Lynn and Kellie Martin have seen to filling some of that void. Lynn and Martin have written Madam: A Novel of New Orleans. The book is a captivating romp through Storyville’s rise beginning in 1897.

Madam tells the story of Mary Deubler, the woman who would become the famous Miss Josie Arlington. Mary’s life lacked the auspicious beginning a figure of such and enduring legacy typically enjoys. We are told that she was born the child of a prostitute thus practically ensuring a life along the same path for the young girl. Mary moves through life existing and subsisting but never really living. She is so beaten down by her uncle (who has functioned as her pimp since the age of fourteen), her johns (who use and degrade her), and her position (outside of Venus Alley “whores” like Mary are viewed as practically subhuman) that she sees no way out even with her intelligence and beauty intact.

Only when her brother’s wife becomes pregnant does Mary begin to look for a way out. She cannot suffer another generation of her family to be debased in the way that she and her mother before her had been. Lynn and Martin do a great job describing the anxiety that permeates this section of the novel. Mary’s place in the world is so tenuous, her position so unsure, that each new experience could prove disastrous, and the authors are at their best when describing this fear. However, Mary is very intelligent and while wise enough not to be fearless she is very brave in stepping out to better her situation. With the help of Tom Anderson, the unofficial mayor of Storyville, Mary does rise from the dregs of society into wealth and infamy to become Josie Arlington, one of the most powerful and feared madams of the district. 

We hear very little of Mary’s life once she becomes Josie, though the authors do posit that it is not a happy one. We do however hear from Mary’s niece, and everything Mary hoped for her seems to have come true. She is affluent and well educated; the world is open to her. The novel ends with Mary’s niece Anna working through her own history and trying to accept the truth of her Aunt Mary’s life as a prostitute and madam.

Madam succeeds at what I love best about historical fiction – it leaves the reader wanting more. The authors note in their preface that they have maintained “as accurate a sense of history as possible” and their attention to the facts and meticulous research show. Upon finishing the book, I found myself seeking out books and articles about Storyville…separating the truth of Madam from the flushed out fiction. While reading through historical documents and especially Al Rose’s Storyville, New Orleans I was impressed by just how much of the time the authors were able to fit into the novel. From famous quotes to tongue-in-check cameos; it’s all there from the birth of jazz to the rise of the railroads. Madam is great read, and one I would definitely recommend to fans of historical fiction in general and southern history in particular.

I would be remiss to leave this post without also noting another recent release. One of the historical documents featured in Madam is the Blue Book; a pamphlet used to advertise the ladies, houses, and entertainments offered within Storyville. The Blue Book is a rare historical document for many reasons: not only was much of Storyville’s history burned but the Blue Book was meant to be used as a guide and then discarded. Luckily, a few copies do still survive and even more serendipitous one copy ended up in the hands of Judith Lafitte, owner of Octavia Books in New Orleans. Judith oversaw the reproduction and publication of her copy of the Blue Book, which is now available in print. The reproduction is an exact replica of the pamphlet and it is a thrill to look through. There are, of course, things to shake your head at while being happy about how far we have come, but on the whole this historical document charms me with just how little our basest natures have or ever will change.

Reading Group Selections - March 2014

The best books for reading groups are the ones that foster discussions - whether your book club members are boisterous or more subdued, talking about books is what those meetings are all about! Picking just the right book is always a thrill; love it or hate it - book club books are the ones that stand out.
 
Here are a few recent releases that would lead to great discussions in any book club!

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hope it depicts. And it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

In We Are All Completely beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler weaves her most accomplished work to date—a tale of loving but fallible people whose well-intentioned actions lead to heartbreaking consequences.

 And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran 

The thoroughly luminous autobiography of Jacques Lusseyran, a blind man who discovered the gift of inner sight and then put his gift to use in the struggle against Nazism.

Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter

In a quest to find meaning in his life, Henry travels to Afghanistan as an army-affiliated contractor, where he becomes embedded in the regiment with which his friends are serving.

Victoria Reviews: Half Bad by Sally Green

Sally Green's Half Bad is the kind of book you stay up all night to finish.  The book follows Nathan, the son of a White witch and the world's most powerful Black witch, in a world where only White witches are truly accepted.  Trapped and regulated by the council of White witches, Nathan is persecuted and mistreated in the name of White witch safety and well-being.  On every witch's seventeenth birthday, they must receive three gifts from a blood relation in order to come into their full power.  Nathan, as a potential threat to White witches, is forbidden from receiving his gifts without council approval, even though legend says that without three gifts, a Black witch will die.  Nathan must therefore escape the council's control, find the elusive father who abandoned him, and convince his father to perform the Giving ceremony, all before his seventeenth birthday.

Nathan is a great character.  He feels real; his motivations and thoughts are easily understood.  That's what makes the actions of the White witch council so hard to bear; the reader knows that Nathan is a good guy who is just trying to figure out where he belongs in life, but the council cannot see him as anything more than the son of a Black witch.  We are forced to watch this unjust persecution of an innocent, and Green really makes you feel for Nathan.

The witch society in Half Bad is well-crafted and interesting.  The corruption and bias are evident throughout the story, and though you know the council is wrong in what they are doing, it only makes them more threatening.  Prejudice against Black witches and against Nathan in particular is found outside of the council as well.  Nathan must deal with both child and adult White witch bullies whose word will always be trusted over his own.  Even in his own home, Nathan sometimes has to deal with White witch prejudice and cruelty at the hands of his sister.  It's a fate that many can relate to.

Green surrounds Nathan with a wonderful cast of characters, from his loveable half brother to his indomitable yet strangely kind jailer.  Nathan is a naturally trusting person, but due to his circumstances, he must deal with certain trust issues and the idea that trusting the wrong person could lead to his death.  He is forced into constant vigilance and suspicion, which leaves him lonely and isolated.  Green beautifully shows how this isolation affects Nathan, who, after all, is only seventeen years old.  Having no one to turn to in hard times takes it toll on anyone, and Nathan is no exception.

Overall, the story is engaging and wonderfully told.  The book his hard to put down, and you'll find yourself rooting for Nathan from the start.  It really makes you think about how our preconceived notions of people inform the way we look at their words and actions.  Nathan is shoved into a stereotype for Black witches, and no matter what he does to change this impression, he cannot change it.  The council judges him based on their perceptions of his intentions rather than what his intentions actually are, and it reminds us that sometimes we have to examine our own biases and give people the benefit of the doubt.  I'd recommend it to fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, or similar series, as it contains similar action and storylines, but with a sprinkling of magic thrown in.   
Half Bad is newly released on Tuesday, March 4th!

Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler

What could be a better use of our Mardi Gras holiday than lying around eating King Cake and reading books about Louisiana life and culture? We've got to get all of our indulgences and debaucheries out before the start of the Lenten season (but who are we kidding, none of us are giving up our luxurious reading habits!).

Here's a list of great books about Mardi Gras, Louisiana, New Orleans and everything in between.

Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnival by Errol Laborde

This extravagantly illustrated volume from a well-respected New Orleans expert covers such topics as the place of the old-line krewes in the evolution of Mardi Gras, women's groups, flambeaux, the Carnival foods, and more. Even with its loyalty to tradition, Carnival in New Orleans has changed dramatically since the 1980s. Terms such as Lundi Gras, Muses, Krewe d'Etat, and Orpheus are now part of the lexicon, while krewe names such as Venus, Mecca, and Freret survive only in trivia conversations and historical records. Fascinating and intimate, this book seamlessly intertwines the past with the present. The rich flavors of New Orleans-cultural and culinary-dance on every page of this handsome book.

Weird Louisiana by  Roger Manley

The essential travel guide to the land of voodoo, hoodoo, and backwater bayous, "Weird Louisiana" reveals everything weird, wacky, and wonderful about this state.

Mardi Gras, Gumbo, and Zydeco by Marcia Gaudet and James C. McDonald

An anthology of essays that afford an understanding of southern Louisiana's diverse culture;
collected here, the essays portray a land and a people that are unlike any other.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has sold over three-quarters of a million copies and continues to earn critical acclaim. The story of one Ignatius J. Reilly, a "Don Quixote of the French Quarter", it is a masterpiece of human folly and tragedy.

Out of Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Josie, the 17-year-old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute, is striving to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at prestigious Smith College when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation.

Satchmo by Steven Brower

A biography in the form of an art book, "Satchmo" tells the story of Louis Armstrong's life through his writings, scrapbooks, and artworks, many of which have never been published before.

Louisiana Curiosities by Bonnye E. Stuart

This definitive collection of the Pelican State's odd, wacky, and most offbeat people, places, and things is filled with quirky photographs throughout and maps for each region. "Louisiana Curiosities" includes humorous state facts and amusing stories and serves as a combination almanac, off-the-wall travel guide, and wacky news gazette.

 Gaston Goes to Mardi Gras by James Rice

Gaston the alligator goes to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras and joins in the "courir du Mardi Gras," watches floats being made, participates in the Zulu parade, and sees other typical sights.

Gumbo Ya-Ya by Lyle Saxon

The living folklore of Louisiana returns in this new edition of the classic long considered the finest collection of Louisiana folk tales and customs ever chronicled. A charming look at the legends and practices of the bayou country, especially New Orleans, Gumbo Ya-Ya has endured as a classic in its genre.

French Quarter Fiction by Joshua Clark and James Nolan

Beautiful, poignant, tragic, and comic, this collection of works by preeminent writers--John Biguenet, Poppy Z. Brite, Robert Olen Butler, Tennessee Williams, and others--explores the mysterious heart of New Orleans.

Dinosaur Mardi Gras by Diane de las Casas

Get ready to stomp and chomp to that mambo beat When carnival time rolls into New Orleans, these hip dinosaurs want to boogie on down. Iguanodon wiggles to the music of a marching band, while Zigongosaurus dances zydeco and Pterodactyal swoops into the crowd. From singing tunes and tossing beads, these big beasts sure know how to party.

Madam by Cari Lynn and Kellie Martin

New Orleans, 1897. Mary Deubler makes a meager living on Venus Alley, the illegal red light district. That all changes when bible-thumping Alderman Sidney Story forces the creation of a legalized district of vice that's mockingly dubbed "Storyville" in his honor. Despite her looks and intelligence, Mary doesn't think she can make it on Basin Street, where girls turn tricks in plush, velvet wallpapered bordellos. But thanks to gumption, twists of fate, even a touch of voodoo, Mary rises above her hopeless lot to become the notorious Madam Josie Arlington. Madam is a fabulous romp through The Big Easy and the irresistible tale of a woman's rise to influence and infamy in a world ruled by men.

 Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

First came the storms.Then came the Fever.And the Wall. After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct...but in reality, a new primitive society has been born. Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader's newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other's last hope for survival.

 Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts

Sitting deep in the bayou of Louisiana, Manet Hall has a secret that's been buried for 100 years. Its new owner is maverick Declan Fitzgerald, a man distracted by the alluring Angelina Simone, a woman with her own surprising connection to the mystery.

Unfathomable City by Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker

A reinvention of the traditional atlas, one that provides a vivid, complex look at the multi-faceted nature of New Orleans, a city replete with contradictions.

Reading Group Selections - February 2014

The best books for reading groups are the ones that foster discussions - whether your book club members are boisterous or more subdued, talking about books is what those meetings are all about! Picking just the right book is always a thrill; love it or hate it - book club books are the ones that stand out.
 
Here are a few recent releases that would lead to great discussions in any book club!

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Two remarkable sisters are rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of “civilized society” in Belle Époque Paris.

Mary Coin by Marisa Silver

Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother photograph inspires the story of two women—one famous and one forgotten—and their remarkable chance encounter.

Twisted Sisters by Jen Lancaster

When a licensed psychologist tries to use her own TV-show advice to teach everyone a lesson about sibling rivalry, she's the one who gets schooled.

Burn by Julianna Baggott

The fate of the world is more fragile than ever as Pures battle Wretches and former allies become potential enemies.

Amity & Sorrow by Peggy Riley

A page-turning literary debut about a mother and her two teenage daughters who escape a polygamist cult and start over.

Tony Hogan Bought Me and Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma by Kerry Hudson

Hudson's arrestingly original debut will enthrall readers with Janie's tragicomic and moving story about coming of age in a non-traditional family amid the absurdities of the 1980s and Thatcherite Britain.

Michelle Reviews: The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick

I can say with an extremely secure sense of confidence that most reviews of Matthew Quick’s new novel, The Good Luck of Right Now, will include two things: an early mention of The Silver Linings Playbook and the word quirky. It is a hard trap to step out of. I’m sure that the mention of Silver Linings will boost interest, but I’m a bit leery of the word quirky. Quirk is niche and this book deserves more than that.

The Good Luck of Right Now is the story of Bartholomew Neil told entirely in letters to his mother’s favorite actor, Richard Gere. Bartholomew is approaching forty, grappling with the recent death of his mother, and his fear of what most of us would call a normal life. He’s never had friends, never had a girlfriend, never really had any relationships outside the shelter created by his mother. This isn’t an issue of overbearing parenting; Bartholomew is decidedly odd. He doesn’t understand many of the thoughts and emotions of others. He can’t read social cues and is often mistaken for “retarded.” Bartholomew’s life never really thrived, but when his mother was alive it wasn’t lacking either. Her death, and his self-imposed guru Richard Gere, awoke in Bartholomew a sense of possibility.

Father McNamee was Bartholomew and his mother’s priest. He has a true connection to God; unfortunately, when Bartholomew’s mother dies God stops speaking to him. That’s when Father McNamee decides to recant his vows to the church and move in with Bartholomew. He believes that helping Bartholomew is his way back into the good graces of the Lord. Father McNamee also has bipolar disorder; he ceased taking his medication and is spiraling into a dark void fueled by alcohol. McNamee is the first in Bartholomew’s new flock. By the end of the novel after an emotionally fraught road trip and a visit to Cat Parliament Bartholomew is well on his way to a new life with a different version of family.

Matthew Quick knows how to write about mental illness. It is a topic that he seemingly has a deep understanding, passion, and no limit of compassion for. Here he tackles a wide array of mental issues, but what is most impressive about it…why his novels about mental illness work when so many fail is that he writes characters not disorders. Bartholomew is odd; reading his words will probably lead you to believe that he has Autism or Asperger’s syndrome, but it really doesn’t matter. Bartholomew isn’t a person with a disorder. He is a person. He’s confused, damaged, lonely, and deeply kind. A label may not make readers feel differently about Bartholomew, but it would put him in a box. All of his issues would seem stem from that box. Quick would rather allow his character tell his story than have a diagnosis do that for him. 

I was hesitant to write a review of this novel. Matthew Quick’s books have come to mean a great deal to me. His style is simple and straightforward but peopled with such unique characters. In both The Good Luck of Right Now and The Silver Linings Playbook we are asked to look at the type of individuals society typically ignores, and when Quick has us look into their lives what we find is an amazing depth of feeling. Sure, there is quirk and there are misfits in abundance, but don’t think for a second that they detract from the ultimate goal of the novel. The Good Luck of Right Now is full of fear and fragility but they serve to affirm the power of self-acceptance, friendship, and love.

There is so much that I could say about this novel. Let it suffice to say that The Good Luck of Right Now will move you. It will make you think about the people on the edges of society not with sadness or pity but with a respect for what they can overcome and the kindness that exists in the world.