Spectrums  : our mind-boggling universe from infinitesimal to infinity, by David Blatner. Walker & Co., 2012.

Size, Speed, Light, Number, Heat & Time - from the smallest subatomic particles to the ever-expanding universe; from the coldest "absolute zero" to unimaginably hot temperatures - Blatner leads us through abstruse and theoretical science in a way that makes it understandable.

This isn't something I would normally have picked up; it was recommended to me by a teen. He was at such a loss to explain it, but so obviously engaged with the ideas, I had to give it a try. And I'm grateful for the recommendation. "Spectrums" is definitely worth reading!

It is a summary of scientific information about the extremes in our universe that will shake your belief in everything you have been taught or have ever experienced. Things behave unexpectedly at the extremes of each spectrum, and the explanations are fascinating.  My particular "aha!" chapter was the last one: Time. Blatner hints at parallel universes, time travel, and other science "fictions" that turn out to be ... possible!

Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, by Mark Lynas. National Geographic, 2008

Ever since "The Secret Life of Dust" introduced me to "readable non-fiction", I've enjoyed learning about different aspects of our Earth. One of my co-workers recommended "Six Degrees" and said it would be scary and shocking. It was. But it was also very one-sided, with very little mention of competing theories.

Five years ago, when the book was published, the average temperature of the earth was already at least 1 degree hotter. Degree by degree, Lynas takes us through changes that will occur as the earth's average temperature rises, until by the time it reaches 6 degrees, much of earth will be desertified, and people will be warring for the few remaining habitable places. Relying heavily on computer modeling scenarios and other research, the evidence is compelling. Not until the very end does the author propose measures that can be undertaken to slow the process. Seven years later, none of them has been implemented, and we are rapidly approaching the tipping point of a carbon dioxide "feedback loop" that will make the heating process not only accelerate, but become irreversible.

The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate. Harper, 2011

Ivan is a silverback gorilla. He lives in a glass cage in a shopping mall, and is part of a mall circus that gives performances several times a day, 365 days a year. When the circus revenue drops and Stella, the aging elephant develops a disabling foot infection, the owner brings in Ruby, a baby elephant,  hoping the cute baby will bring in new customers.

Ruby doesn't adjust well, revenue doesn't increase, and the future of the circus is bleak. With the help of custodial staff, Ivan, who loves to paint pictures, takes matters into his own great hands.

This is not a maudlin story, by any stretch; it is an emotionally powerful paean to animal welfare with appealing characters, both animal and human. It is the 2013 winner of the Newbery Award for children's books.

Before I Go To Sleep, by S.J. Watson. Harper, 2011.

Imagine that, because of a tragic accident, you are unable to retain new memories. That is, the memory of everything that you do today and of what happens to you today will be gone tomorrow. Imagine this condition continuing for 20 years!

Christine doesn't know how the old woman in her mirror could possibly be herself, and has to be re-instructed every morning that the man in her bed is no stranger, but Ben, her husband of 22 years. She has no memory of the journal she's been keeping recently, but is dependent on her doctor's daily phone call reminding her of its existence and location. Nor does she know why the note in the front of the journal warns, "Don't trust Ben."

By reviewing the previous journal entries through Christine's eyes and reading the new ones as she writes them, we - and Christine - gradually piece together the story of the accident that caused her amnesia and the chilling secret she ultimately discovers.

This is a great discussion book on many levels: the frustrations of an amnesia victim, the use of the journal and of time passing to advance the plot, the ethics of manipulating the world of the victim, and the completely unexpected climax.

The Information Diet, by Clay A. Johnson. O'Reilly, 2012.

The jacket blurb states the problem:

The modern human animal spends upwards of 11 hours out of every 24 in a state of constant consumption. Not eating, but gorging on information ceaselessly spewed from the screens and speakers we hold dear. Just as we have grown morbidly obese on sugar and flour - so, too, have we become gluttons for texts, instant messages, emails, RSS feeds, downloads, videos, status updates, and tweets.

Johnson amplifies with statistics and examples, illustrating how our lives have morphed into a melange of distractions that prevent us from thinking. Insidiously, "smart" software learns what you click on most, and feeds you more of the same, and so your information diet becomes increasingly polarized without your awareness. It's the same dopamine effect that keeps you coming back to something that gives you pleasure and affirms your opinions.

His prescription for taming the onslaught of attention grabbers is designed to help us focus on what's important, mindfully select what distractions we allow, re-learn how to evaluate "spin", and develop the habit of seeking out source material and looking at the facts first-hand.

As an eager adopter of every distraction source he mentions, I have fallen prey to the very syndrome he describes. As a Librarian, I am accustomed to pointing out sources, and not foisting my own opinion on patrons who ask for help, so it was just too easy to provide what I found first, and let the patron figure it out. Now, I will remind myself to take more time to root out primary sources as well. And I'll also make the time to learn the arguments for and against major points of view, so I can form my own opinions, and not let the dopamine of affirmation guide my thinking.

State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett. Harper, 2011.

I can TOTALLY see this book as an action-adventure movie, with all the jungle sound effects!

We are asked to suspend disbelief as an incredible story unfolds. It begins with an innocuous attempt by a pharmaceutical company to get a status report from its non-communicative researcher deep in the Amazon jungle, and escalates into ever more complex wrinkles involving a death, lost luggage, stonewalling gatekeepers, an indigenous deaf child, trees that impart lifelong fertility, and human drug testing.

Patchett's language is vividly descriptive, and just enough of her characters' back-stories is given to explain their actions in the novel. Except Mr. Fox, an officer of the pharmaceutical company. For me, he remained an enigma to the end, and the one unresolved thread, among the many threads of the story. There was something slightly ominous about the company's interest in and management of the research that was never fully explained. All in all, a very satisfactory read!

The Last Dragon, story by Jane Yolen, art by Rebecca Guay. Dark Horse Books, 2011.

Now I can finally say I've read a teen graphic novel. From the time first I read Jane Yolen's "The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales," I've been enthralled by the lyrical, descriptive language in her stories, and also by the moralizing tone. The Last Dragon takes it to the next step with the illustrations.

In the country of Ingleland, there is a collection of offshore islands wherein live folk who remember tales from when dragons were a-plenty. However, dragons have been extinct for the last several hundred years. This year, in a storm, a very old tree is toppled, and the last dragon's egg nestled in its roots hatches. The baby dragon grows quickly and begins eating small animals, large animals, and finally humans. The Herbalist  is a victim, and his daughter Tansy struggles to remember what he has taught her about Dragon's Bane in order to capture or kill the dragon.

The illustrations are characteristically dark and expressive, and definitely carry the story along, becoming fierce and red when the dragon strikes, and warm and gentle during conversations. There is some plot tension, a romance, and a fitting conclusion.

Lord Byron's Novel - The Evening Land, by John Crowley. William Morrow, 2005.

 While working on a project about strong women, "Smith", Thea, and Alex investigate a single page purported to belong to a lost novel of the poet Lord Byron. This part is told through e-mails among the three, and later with "Smith's" father Lee, a Byron expert. Following a hunch, the page is linked to a collection of pages filled with numbers which are deciphered during the course of the book and presented to the reader as Byron's lost novel. Ada's real-life friendship with Babbage, inventor of an early computer, lends credibility to the enciphering scheme.

I'm not sure what to say about this novel. It was certainly written in a novel way, with three distinct voices providing Byron's semi-autobiographical novel, his daughter Ada's contextual background notes, and hints of a parallel family drama involving the four modern researchers. The author himself calls it a "piece of impertinence."

It took much longer to read this than I anticipated. I think it was because of the widely divergent styles of writing. Crowley used a suitably archaic English style and vocabulary - including alternate orthography - for Byron's novel, and an almost flippant style for the e-mail conversations. Older writing included much description, commentary, and complex sentences with little dialogue and action. The unfamiliar vocabulary provided speed bumps mandating slower reading. We've gotten away from this style, and it takes effort to stick with the convoluted sentences, but for those who do, this is a remarkably literary read.

Chanda's Secrets, by Allan Stratton. Annick Press, 2004

It's hard to know where to start in describing this powerful teen novel.  I downloaded the MP3 version last summer via the SYNC program, and just listened to it a couple of weeks ago.

Chanda is a young teen in South Africa who is faced with adult matters and decisions. Her father and brothers have died, and her mom has moved the remaining family to a different town and has remarried. In this new town, Chanda must confront the realities of AIDS and learn to deal with loss, death, and attitudes towards it all.  Her voice is real, young, questioning, and ultimately strong. I believe it is a novel every young person should read, as the attitudes and feelings, coping strategies and personal weaknesses apply to many other situations kids encounter.

Captains Courageous, by Rudyard Kipling. Amereon House, 1896, c 1897.

I read this classic in prepartion for July's Classic Movie Night @ Central Library. As a teen, I saw the movie and fell in love with the story, and especially the character of Manuel, the Portuguese fisherman, but have never actually read Kipling's novel.

Kipling, best known for The Jungle Books and Kim, among others, spent four years in the United States, and made four visits to Gloucester during that time. He was captivated by the colorful characters, language and way of life of the fishermen, and decided there was a compelling story just waiting to be written. He put Kim on hold until Captains Courageous was completed. The research for this book took him about two weeks.

Harvey Cheyne, a spoiled rich kid, is expelled from school for troublemaking. His father takes him on a transatlantic voyage in an effort to "bond" with him and set him on a better path. An on-board prank causes him to fall overboard as the liner crosses the Grand Banks, and Harvey is rescued by Manuel, of the Gloucester fishing schooner We're Here. After unsuccessfully attempting to bribe the Captain to return immediately to New York, Harvey is unwillingly schooled in the ways of a Gloucester fisherman's way of earning a living.

I didn't find the novel as engaging as the movie, but, after reading it, I understood the movie far better. Character development is much better in the book, as are descriptions of Harvey's relationships with the crew members and what he learns from the Captain and others. Kipling attempts to capture the accents of the fishermen and throws in much fishing jargon, which is explained in context in the book, but not in the film. And finally, some elements of the book are changed for the movie: Harvey's age is 15 in print and 10 in film, and his mom is alive in print and deceased in film, and his dad owns a private rail car in the book, but flies by air in film. The character of Manuel in the film plays a much greater role than in the book, due to legal restrictions at the time (1937) regarding depictions of certain occupations (priests) in a derogatory manner in film. I am glad I finally took the time to read Captains Couragous after all these years.

Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai. Harper, c2011

In this award-winning children's novel, ten year old Ha and her family escape from Viet Nam in 1975 and relocate to Alabama. She chronicles the year in free verse as a form of journal, using language at once descriptive and lyrical.

Through the dated poems, we learn of her life in South Viet Nam as the war comes closer to home and her father is missing in action. We feel the political pressure building until mother decides it is time to pull up roots and go to America. We experience what it is like to live on an overcrowded boat, lost and adrift, and to be rescued by an American ship. And once sponsored out of the relocation camp in Florida and moved to Alabama, we learn of the painful acclimation to a new country, a new language, and a new culture.

I found the story compelling and touching, and at times frustrating and painful. I was not prepared for the honesty of the ten-year-old's insights, which were much different from what I would expect from an American child. The author acknowledges it is an autobiographical story. She successfully educates, without apology, while entertaining. Be sure you have tissues handy.

The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci. Volo, 2001.


One of our Tuesday-night regulars recommended this book to me. I was skeptical, and waited until I got my three-day due-date warning before opening it. After a rough beginning, I was hooked.

It's a teen angst novel that explores the issues of tolerance, diversity, prejudice, stereotyping, and hazing during the week after a classmate vanishes. There are allegations and finger-pointing, sleeping around, murder, and theft on many levels, and both the characters and the reader come to see that they don't really know at all those whom they thought they knew inside and out. And that common knowledge covers up lies and secrets.

This book would appeal to both boys and girls, as there are strong protagonists of both genders who keep the story moving right to its modern-day end.

The Green Poodles, by Charlotte Baker. David McKay Company, Inc, 1956.

There are only a few books I read as a student that remain clear in memory. Petroushka was one, a Russian tale about a squirrel with three golden hairs in each ear. Never found any reference to that one again. The horse books by Dorothy Lyons: Silver Birch, Golden Sovereign, Midnight Moon. No longer in the library system. Often, revisiting those early favorites is a shock. Societal mores have changed; stereotyping is out of favor, pejorative language is passe. You feel uncomfortable that you ever liked it.

I must have read The Green Poodles when I was about 10, and I LOVED it! I learned all about poodles, dog shows, obedience trials - and there was a mystery to be solved, as well. I've kept a reminder for about 20 years, and looked for it off and on, and just recently, I found a copy in San Jose State University's library! It is EVERYTHING I remembered!

Fern Green, from England, is orphaned and sent to live with her Green cousins in Texas. She brings her champion poodle, Juliet, with her, and the Greens' rural lifestyle is forever changed. Aunt Lena develops a health problem that prevents her from returning to her job as a seamstress, and the family is faced with a financial crisis that still resonates today. The three Green siblings and Fern build a business around the poodles with the help of Miss Seymour, a professional breeder, and with Juliet's help, they solve a century-old family mystery.

Baker's language is spare, but descriptive, and her pen and ink illustrations bring the children and poodles to life. Her characters and setting are timeless. I place her squarely in the same league as Beverly Cleary, and can totally recommend The Green Poodles to any child today with an interest in dogs and good storytelling.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards. Viking, 2005
David and Nora Henry are expecting their first child. It comes in the winter during a storm, and the obstetrician is unable to attend due to injury in an auto accident on his way to the hospital. David, who is a bone surgeon, delivers his own son. Except, unexpectedly, there is a second child, a daughter, who has the markers for Down syndrome. In a split moment, David decides to tell his wife the second baby was stillborn. He instructs his nurse to take her immediately to an "institution" in another city, thereby setting in motion a chain of events that will have a profound impact on everyone.

The author's use of language to evoke the settings - and particularly the emotions - of the characters is stunning. It mimics real life, in which there are secrets, revelations, motives - altruistic and selfish, presumptuous and defensive - that are not apparent even to people who are closest to each other. Although the plot is mostly predictable, I stayed up many nights, reading as long as I could keep my eyes open, just to revel in the beautiful, lyrical language and the insightful development of the main characters.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret: a novel in words and pictures, by Brian Selznick. Scholastic Press, 2007.

This book, on which the movie "Hugo" is based, won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for its illustrations in 2008. These take up at least half of the 533 pages between its covers. For kids accustomed to the weighty tomes in the Harry Potter series, heft should be no object.  However, "Hugo" is aimed at a younger audience.

In early 20th century Paris, Hugo, a 12 year old orphan, performs his uncle's work as timekeeper for all the clocks in the train station. Hugo has salvaged an automaton from the ruins of a museum destroyed by fire, and steals mechanical toys from the toymaker's store in the train station to acquire parts to repair it. Once he is caught, events that threaten his livelihood and the automaton unfold at an alarming rate.

I enjoyed the author's skill in integrating the pictures with the text, seamlessly transitioning from one to the other as the drama unfolds. I was engaged by the entertaining lesson about early French films, which was certainly enhanced by the visual storytelling provided by the illustrations. I was intrigued by the fairly extensive bibliography and filmography at the end, even though this is a work of children's fiction! Selznick also provides a link to information and videos about a similar automaton in the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

Mistress of the Storm, a Verity Gallant Tale, by M. L. Welsh. David Fickling Books, 2011.

This fantasy unfolds over one year in Wellow, a fictional seaside village in England. Verity Gallant, unpopular, not pretty, is resigned to never measuring up to the expectations of her family and her classmates.  And then, one day as she is reading in the library, a mysterious stranger gives her a red book and a wooden sphere before hastening furtively out the door. The title of the book is, "On the Origin of Stories, a Disquisition" by Messrs R. Hodge, Heyworth & Helerly.

Immediately, things begin to change. Verity's mother becomes pregnant, and her father becomes distant and unresponsive to his family. The Storm, a big sailing ship, has anchored in the bay. A heretofore-unknown - and very unpleasant - grandmother arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay with Verity's family. A mysterious dark-skinned boy begins following her. An adult friend disappears.

With information gleaned from stories in the red book and the help of her friends, Henry and Martha, the librarian, Miss Cameron, and the dark-skinned boy, Jeb, Verity pieces together the fantastic stories of the families in Wellow and discovers the true identity of her "grandmother".

This is so unlike any other fantasy I have read, I was glued to the pages until the very end of the book. Characters were not who they seemed to be; friends turned out to be foes and vice-versa. All my guesses were wrong; but the author provided a very satisfying conclusion. I especially liked the role of the library as a source of research materials for Verity and her friends. I hope there will be more Verity Gallant tales forthcoming!

The Arabian Nights Cookbook, by Habeeb Salloum. Tuttle Pub., 2010

I borrowed this book without opening it, thinking to surprise Husband with an exotic meal or two. He, having lived in Saudi Arabia for two years, looked skeptical, but immediately found two recipes to try. They were delicious!  Four stars! Who would have thought a cookbook could be a page-turner?

Husband is compiling his next grocery list - can't wait to see what he'll choose to make this time!  In fact, he's decided he wants to purchase his own copy

The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake. Amy Einhorn Books, 2010.

What would you think about a Postmistress who deliberately withheld mail? What would you think about a journalist who deliberately withheld the truth? In the months before the United States enters the Second World War, in the thick of the German blitz on London, Iris, the Postmistress in a seaside Massachusetts town, and Frankie, the radio journalist on location in London, each has a profound effect on the lives of those in their service areas - and on each other.

Told from alternating American and European viewpoints, life in America, England, France and Germany comes into focus through letters, radio broadcasts, and vivid description. The plot ends are neatly tied at the last, though the underlying philosophical questions are not so tidily dispatched.

Although it is set in a time before television, this novel has all the graphic impact of a wartime documentary - it is a journalist's report, after all, a radio lifeline which brought news from the war in Europe to America. It brought home to me the horrors of the London blitz and the mass emigration of Jews on the continent in a way that I will never forget. The author personalized the characters so well, there was never any question about labels or categories - each major and minor character was a Person with a Story.

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2007.

Jacob Jankowski, now in his 90s and living in a nursing home, finds memories of his earlier life as a circus veterinarian during the Great Depression rushing back when he hears that a circus is setting up next door. The residents have been promised a visit to a performance under the Big Top. Sandwiched between vignettes of his current situation, memories of the years he spent on the road with the "Benzini Brothers Most Spectactular Show on Earth" come flooding back.

This would be a great book-discussion title. There are many sub-plots, tangled relationships, economic, social, and ethical issues that could provide material for a spirited discussion. The description of circus life is rich in color and detail, evoking both dismay at the lack of political-correctness (by today's standards) and longing for a time when adventure was more easily achieved. And although one reviewer called the ending "predictable", I found it redeeming and totally in keeping with the illusions that keep people coming back to the circus.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat, by Laura Lippman. William Morrow, 2008.

Tess Monaghan, private investigator, is confined to bed during the last months of her pregnancy. Bored, she spends her days watching the people in the park outside her window. Every day, a young woman in a green raincoat walks her Italian greyhound, and talks on her cell phone. One day, the dog appears, running through the park with leash flying, sans owner. Tess, convinced something terrible has happened to her, determines to get to the bottom of the mystery and discovers layers of crimes and cover-ups which lead to a startling - and dangerous - discovery.

I just returned from the American Library Association's annual conference, held this year in New Orleans. The Public Library Association President's program featured the husband-wife team of David Simon and Laura Lippman, who discussed their works and philosophy of writing, and also shared anecdotes from their days as journalists. I bought one book from each author, and read this novella, the 11th in the Tess Monaghan series, on the plane coming home. I found it to be light, tight, and twisted, and have already placed the first book in the series on hold.