Moose ahoy!

OK, just as I'm a sucker for anything medieval looking--see the previous post--I am also a sucker for anything to do with Moose (Alces alces, not the one that shows up at Amerks games). "Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose" by Lee Alan Dugatkin certainly caught my eye, with its picture of Jefferson riding an enormous moose. Subtitled "Natural history in early America", I thought it might be an interesting read.

It was interesting. I had no idea that the balance of Europe, especailly the French, espoused the idea that the American continents, along with the animals and people contained therein, were considered degenerate compared with all things, places, animals and people European. Especially French, as it was a Frenchman who originated the theory. Ce diabolique! Jefferson, of course, would have none of it and spent considerable time in refutations of the theory. He also tried mightily to obtain a specimen of moose, as large as possible, to prove the Frenchman worng. Imagine the logistics of moving a large animal like that from the American shores to inland France in the late 1700's...the moose did not fare well, and the Frenchman never entirely recanted his theory. But, along the way, it made for a diverting read!

Sacred Folly: a new history of the Feast of Fools

I'll admit I'm a sucker for anything medieval-looking, so the cover caught my eye first. Then the description on the inside of the dust jacket.  The subject--a minor, not-very-widespread Christian festival--also appealed to me.

Densely written, this will appeal more to scholars thaan to general readers. To me, it reads almost like a thesis, very dry and pedantic in spots. That being said, I found it fascinating. The way the author meticulously tracks down misconceptions of the feast, going back to the origial sources and pointing out ways in which the history of the feast was distorted in the past, showed a keen eye for detail and analysis. It was heavy going in some spots, so I think I'll reward myself with something a little less dense: a delightful history of the mointain dulcimer.

I love reviewing books for Library Journal, especially when they give me a sequel or second in a projected series. Recently, I reviewed The Dark Monk by Oliver Pötzsch, his second in The Hangman's Daughter series. I found both books (the first is the same title as the series) fascinating. One reason for that was the setting--how often are historical novels set in 1600's Germany? And less often still are they based on the author's genealogical research. I wish I thought I'd find anything half so interesting on my family tree; after all, one side of the family is from Germany.

I purchased my Kindle, and took it on its maiden voyage last week, when I attended a conference in NYC. I had the newest Sneaky Pie Brown mystery (co-authored, as always, by Rita Mae), as well as some old favorites including Pride and Prejudice. It's lightweight and easy to hold in bed, easy to read on the train, and wonderfully light in the backpack. I don't think I'll ever give up "real" books entirely, but this is great for all those times when I need to both travel light and have a lot of reading material at my fingertips.

You can smell the fear...

We are coming down to the end of the semester, and the atmosphere in my library is definitely buzzing. I'm already thinking ahead to summer projects, both at work and at home.  You may laugh, but I'm actually thinking I might catch up on my reading. I have 6 volumes of Persuasions, the collected essays from the yearly Annual General Meeting of the Jane Austen Society. I have 6 issues of Scientific American, 4 issues of Archaeology, 5 wonderfully steamy looking historical romance pb's, and a list of "must reads" that is about 6 pages long. I'm hoping to manage a few lazy afternoons (or mornings) in the glider, under the pine tree, dogs at my feet. (The cats are strictly indoors). I'm also treating myself to a Kindle, and I've been looking at all the free books--I haven't re-read Jane Austen in nearly two years...

By the way, if you're looking for a good hsitorical mystery, there is a new one coming out soon: A Dark Anatomy, by Robin Blake. My review will run in Library Journal on June 1. It's the first in a new series, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment.

The convergence of cats and books

If you are owned by a cat (or cats), you already know what I mean. There is that one perfect moment when your personal universe is in perfect balance--the right book, the right chair (or couch, or pillow on the floor), the right cat(s), the beverage of choice. The weather is conducive to your personal idea of perfection, whether warm and sunny or cold and blustery. No telephones ring, no children or housemates clamour for attention. Existence settles around you with a contented sigh. Those moments aren't nearly as frequent for me as I would like, but I can be content with half-perfect, or even a quarter or an eighth at times.
Most recently, the little black cat, Midnite, has been joining me as I pore over back issues of Archaeology magazine. Sometime soon, that will lead to a desire to revisit Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series.
Midnite is a good book cat most of the time. Of course, we have to begin the process her way if I'm to have any peace. That involves a great deal of kneading in different spots, a bit of grooming during which I have to discourage her from grooming my chin and my hair, and then finally, settling into a warm ball of purrs. If I chuckle over something, or decide to erad aloud to her, she's a most receptive audience; soft chirps, an eye cracked open the tiniest bit, and the swivel of an ear let me know she's paying attention. Of course, something inevitably catches her attention after an hour or so, and she will stretch, jump down and hurry off on important Cat Business--which frequently leads to the end of my peaceful times as well, when I hurry to discover what has been knocked over or broken, or who is uttering bloodcurdling screeches form the far end of the house. After all, we would not want too much of paradise at once.

Almost forgot about this blog!

It's a good thing I don't do this for a living--I'd have starved to death long ago. It's not that I haven't been reading, I just haven't written about what I've read. My editor at Library Journal has sent me some fantastic books over the last year. Kelli Stanley's "The Curse Maker" was a worthy successor to "Nox Dormienda". Set in Roman Britain, the book is a gritty noir tale with togas instead of trench coats. "A Man in Uniform" by Kate Taylor takes on the Dreyfus affair giving it an intriguing twist. Helen Hollick's "The Forever Queen" follows the life of Emma of Normandy, the only woman to be crowned queen of two English kings. The life of Alice Perrers as told by Emma Campion in "The King's Mistress" was an enjoyable read despite some shortcomings. Philippa Gregory's "The Red Queen" , second in her series "The Cousins' War"
had excellent characterizations and a well-researched story."The Confessions of Katherine de Medici, by C.W. Gortner, was also well-researched and painted a much different picture of that lady than most standard histories. "The Book of Fires" by Jane Borodale painted a densely atmospheric picture of life in 1752 London.