Mini Reviews | Books About Books

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Agatha Christie is the greatest crime fiction writer in history. I love her clever use of poison in so many of her novels. It adds another level of mystery; there are so many ways and kinds, the possibilities seemingly endless. Christie carefully selected each poison, practically making it a character itself.

I absolutely loved this book. Harkup has written several books like this, looking at the science behind some of our most beloved characters or authors. There's one on Dracula, Frankenstein, and Shakespeare. That one is my most favorite and you can find the review HERE.

Harkup looks at a variety of poison, over a dozen altogether. Each chapter follows the same template, but given how many different types she discusses, it did not feel repetitive or like it was dragging.

First, the author gives a summary of the book she is using to showcase Christie's skill with the specific poison. Then she begins discussing the poison itself. She gives a history of how it developed, the chemical make-up and science of how it works within the body, symptoms of poisoning, how it's detected, and if there are antidotes.

I definitely would recommend this for Christie fans, and also crime fiction fans in general. Such a fun read!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Full disclosure, Frankenstein is not my favorite. I read it once, years ago. But because I really enjoy this author's work, I gave this one a try and was pleasantly surprised.

While the likelihood of Shelley's methods working in 1818 were non-existent, Harkup looks at the science of the time and the scientists working to make all kinds of discoveries and break-throughs in various fields. Luckily, we are still quite a ways off from being able to do so in our time, as well. Even so, the author explores all the yucky goodness you would expect from a book about a monster put together by dead body parts - the stories of body snatchers, tests to determine rate of decay, etc.

In addition to exploring the scientific advancements at the time, Harkup also writes a significant biography of Shelley as well. I do not know much about her but the basics, and had no idea she was so young when she wrote the book, nor the circumstances surrounding it. I knew a bit more about her mother, but enjoyed learning about her as much as the science of the most famous monster in history.

The author also provides quite a biography of the novel as well. She recounts the writing challenge proposed at Villa Diodati, to write stories to scare one another on that dark and stormy night, then how the book fared when it was first published in 1818, and again when it was revised and reissued in 1831.

Despite no more than a passing interest in Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, this was a fantastic read and I really enjoyed it. I think this is a must-read for fans, and those with an interest in the science of the time period.

Book Review | Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, From Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don't think non-fans truly understand the depth and complexity of the stories that Taylor tells through her music, or the recurring themes from album to album. This is probably the book I would recommend to those who are not fans, but don't hate her just to say they hate her. It breaks down so many literary references that Taylor brings to life, even ones that I missed because I was scream-singing or ugly crying to some of my most favorite songs.

One author is a lit prof and the other an actor in musical theatre, so each have their area of expertise and absolutely know what they are talking about. I always go into these Taylor books cautiously, because you never know what might end up just being a cash-grab with no real substance that rehashes basic entry-level info that any casual fan might know.

Luckily, that is not the case here.

Anyone who has a remote interest in literature will catch the numerous references to The Great Gatsby and Alice in Wonderland (beyond the obviously titled 'Wonderland' from 1989, one of the greatest pure synth pop albums of all time). However, Taylor is also inspired by the Romantics, Gothic fiction, Postmodernism, and more. She is Dr. Swift after all (has an honorary PhD from NYU), so Taylor knows her stuff.

While Feder is a lit professor, the book remains an easier read and explains things in an academic way without being too dense. This is definitely important for younger readers and those who are not super familiar with literary eras but want to know how those informed Taylor's eras.

I am torn on the book's organization, which is why I rated four stars instead of five. The authors chose to go chronologically, which makes sense because then over time you see how themes developed and which references she continued to draw on. The downside to this is that there is some repetition from album to album, which would have made grouping songs thematically make more sense. But then the reader would miss out on the chronilogical growth, so really there are pros and cons to each.

Each album is accompanied by a reading list, which I found really cool. I like that the authors really dug into authors of each era and did not recommend titles or authors that many might already know. Of course we get Shakespeare and Greek mythology, but there is so much more that they offer up that keep with the themes Taylor was exploring on a particular album. The authors also did the reverse, offering playlists of Taylor's songs that matched up with different novels. The attention to detail and type of information offered here truly is far-reaching.

Highly recommended.

Book Review | Murder by the Book: The Crime that Shocked Dickens' London

 

Rating ⭐⭐⭐

I am strangely drawn to the Victorian era for one very specific reason: their weird obsession with death and murder - by poison in particular. The way murder and death was written about in that time period is so scandalous and salacious, which seems to be a direct conflict with the 'values' and 'morals' of the era. You may have noticed I have reviewed a lot of these books lately, and there are a couple more coming.

The murder of Lord William Russell is little-known today, but in 1840 it was a HUGE story, not only because of the viciousness of the attack, but because of how it shook the very foundation of the literary circle of London.

The well-known member of parliament was found dead, a massive wound to his throat/neck/head from an ax left at the scene. It was a brutal murder and his valet was immediately suspected, though there was little physical evidence. Small items such as coins and a watch are missing, and before his murder Lord Russell had reported that the locket containing his deceased wife's picture had gone missing also. Eventually, in an unlikely turn, it is discovered Courvoisier (the valet) had done quite a bit of reading in the couple years before the murder. At a time when the publishing industry began to boom, with books being made quickly and cheaply, it wasn't hard to find true-crime stories - which no one will be surprised about because Victorians loved the lurid tales of murder.

The valet finally claims in what feels like his fifty-third confession that he was influenced by the book Jack Sheppard, written by William Harrison Ainsworth. The story tells of a criminal who manages to escape justice time and again. He actually used this as a defense, but the idea was solid enough in that time to get the likes of Dickens, Thackeray, and even Queen Victoria talking about it.

Though this was a fairly quick read, it ended up being a bit of a disappointment. I thought the literary aspect would be a lot more interesting than it was.  It is still a decent look at a horrible crime, but the connection to Jack Sheppard is tenuous at best. The parallel commentary about the works of Ainsworth and Dickens, among others, and how the criminal element of their novels is interesting at times but also felt kind of forced. It is interesting to note that the arguments being made about violent music and video games in our lifetime were made back then about books.

Recommended for those with an interest in Victorian true crime.

NetGalley ARC | Imagining Anne: L.M. Montgomery's Island Scrapbooks

I received a free digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love Anne of Green Gables. I read the entire series by the time I was in 4th grade and could not get enough. I read them over and over, to the point that my cherished childhood copies are all but losing their covers, spines broken as I revisited my favorite parts repeatedly. This series nearly defined my childhood. In elementary school by best friend Amy and I would play Anne of Green Gables at recess; I as Anne and she as Diana. We never tired of this, though we never could get any of the boys to be Gilbert, unfortunately.

This book looks specifically at two of Montgomery's Island scrapbooks that she kept from 1893 through 1910. I had no idea these existed and I found them to be utterly fascinating. This time period is especially important because that is when she was creating Anne with an E, and seeing where her inspiration came from is simply lovely; I'm not sure how else to describe it. I found myself lingering for long minutes on each page, trying to take in everything, looking for every last glimpse of Anne I could catch.

I appreciated that the author kept her own commentary to a minimum and let much of the material within these pages speak for itself. She explained what needed explaining and left it at that. Montgomery carefully chose the items she lovingly placed into her scrapbooks and that care will be obvious to all who love Montgomery and her works so much. The vibe is so wholly Anne, it is breathtaking.

My only issue is not even an issue at all, not really. This book is not meant to be read digitally. The PDF was fine, but this is a book one must absolutely have a physical copy of to truly appreciate all that it offers. To be able to page through the book slowly, to read all the inscriptions, notes, letters, and such, that is the purpose of this one and something I intend to do.

This is a must-have for any fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Highly recommended.

NetGally ARC | Monster, She Wrote

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was alerted to this gem by a fellow book blogger and swiped it from NetGalley before it was archived. I must say, I was not disappointed. Though I read very little fiction, I found the women covered in this book, and the sub-genres of horror that they are the masters of, to be incredibly interesting and thoroughly researched.

Mary Shelley is typically the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of master horror writers. Frankenstein remains one of the best novels of all time (fight me, I dare you.) Yet there are so many women who are lesser known, who were writing at an even earlier time than Shelley, who contributed great work to the various sub-genres exhibited here. We hear about so many, those who wrote/write speculative fiction, science fiction, Gothic horror, straight-up ghost stories, psychological thrillers, and more.

The amount of information contained in this book is actually quite staggering when you consider the fact that it is not a massive tome. Not only do we get numerous detailed biographies of the selected authors, we are offered up their 'not to be missed' works, as well as additional stories, books, and novellas that we should look into in that particular sub-genre. That last bit is actually rather dangerous if you already have a fairly extensive TBR, and you typically read the works in these categories. You will easily fall down the rabbit hole and add one hundred new books to your list.

The authors truly do a fantastic job of showcasing the female authors and it might surprise you to find out how many there are, when horror is unfortunately stereo-typed as a male-dominated genre. Yet here we are introduced (or reminded of) women who were writing as far back as the 1600s, and privy to the obstacles they faced in getting published to begin with. As the authors move through the centuries, authors are grouped together either by period that they wrote in, or sub-genre, or both. I think this was an excellent way to present the information, as it truly provided a big-picture. When you take a step back, you will be amazed at the breadth of information before you.

If these are genres you usually read, then not only will this be a great source of information about authors you are already familiar with, but it will be an impressive reference for discovering other authors and works you are not yet familiar with.

Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction

Rating: 2 Stars

I was super excited for this one, but it left me completely underwhelmed. Given my love of books from my childhood and teen years, I was deeply sad when I finished the book because it was not at all what I thought it would be. Seriously, only being able to muster two stars for this book is crushing my soul. But I have to be honest. So, honestly, this book was a huuuuuuge disappointment - and the two stars are generous. The only reason it is even getting two stars if because of the nostalgia it did provide in certain sections.

In the synopsis on Goodreads it says, "A hilarious and nostalgic trip through the history of paperback pre-teen series of the 80s and 90s". I must have missed the humor part, which I suppose is possible, considering the fact that I ended up skimming quite a bit toward the end.

So the book was divided up into sections based on love, friends, family, school, jobs, danger, and terror. The author pulled from many series and authors over and over, and the general structure of the book didn't make a lot of sense to me. I feel like there could have been a better way to discuss such pivotal books (no, I don't mean they're great literature, but be honest, these books made so many kids into readers. That counts for a lot, even if they don't stand up well to the test of time). Maybe if the bigger series could have had their own chapters, or at least their own extensive sections, then the content would not have felt so scattered and all over the place. For example, Sweet Valley was discussed at length, but spread out over those multiple chapters, so the book felt disjointed. There was also not nearly as much a discussion on Fear Street as there should have been, and again I think this is owed to the poorly structured way the book was written. Fear Street really only fits the categories of 'danger' and 'terror', so there was not nearly enough written about the impact of these books - or Goosebumps for the bit younger crowd. And if you're up for a debate, there weren't nearly enough pages devoted to Christopher Pike either. Ah, memories. To go back to the days of simplicity, when the biggest kerfuffle was arguing over who was better, Stine or Pike. Personally, I preferred Stine because I loved all the history that went into Fear Street, like the original trilogy saga. Plus one can't forget the Cheerleaders series, and Fear Street Seniors. Man, I loved those books. Pike kind of freaked me out, his books always felt darker to me, which is a laugh now when I look back at how dark and crazed Stine's books also were. Seriously, a whole group of seniors were dying and no parents thought, "Hmmm, we have multiple really scary incidents and strange, violent deaths here in Shadyside. Maybe we should leave so our kids don't DIE." But that was the beauty of it. It was teen and pre-teen fiction; we ate it up, it didn't always have to make sense.

My number one issue with this entire book is that honestly, it felt at many times like the author didn't even love the books as a kid nearly as much as the title and blurb implied. She was so critical of nearly every book, author, series, whatever. It really was not a fun book to read. What I wanted (and thought I was getting) from this was a trip down memory lane with books that I devoured as a middle school and high school student. I wanted to know more about how they came to be, the authors, etc. Instead, this text is peppered with long and short diatribes lamenting the lack of diversity - a topic so many other reviewers have also commented on. We live in an era very different from the one that produced these books, even though it was only 20-30 years ago. It does not make it okay to exclude diverse casts of characters, but at the same time, nothing about those books is going to change now. So instead of constantly going on and one about how white upper middle class the books were, save the critical analysis for a book that is set up to be just that. In fact that would make an interesting book and I would read it, but this one is practically a bait and switch. It pulled me in with the promise of nostalgia for books I read and reread and reread until they fell apart, but then hit me over the head time and again with how this lack of diversity is awful and we are all bad people for loving these books. You know, when we were kids. Okay, so the author does not go so far as to say we are bad people, but man, it really felt like that was an underlying current sometimes. Luckily, though I no longer read teen and YA books, this problem is being remedied every day. There are a slew of amazing books coming out all the time that include worlds and characters now more reflective of our time and place. Having representation in reading material is so crucial, especially if we want to make sure all kids have the opportunities to learn to love reading.

I did love the cover. it was just about the only thing that was perfect here. If that cover doesn't scream 80s and 90s teen lit, I don't know what does. I really, really love the cover.

So instead of a lighthearted celebration of teen lit from two-three decades ago, we get a book that is critical of the entire genre - and the snark isn't even funny, it's just mean. Being objective, and completely eviscerating are two totally different things. Maybe Moss felt like if she did not complete talk down on some of these books, she would lose some street cred or something, because seriously, I do not know why she chose to write about this topic - though she stated upfront she was a fan. Perhaps the author would have better served her subject if she had taken on the task of discussing why these books became so popular - particularly The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley - and allllll the spin-offs (not to mention movies and/or television shows).

The final blow for this one, the reason it truly should be no more than a one star rating, was the complete lack of attention to the Baby-Sitters Club series. There was hardly anything at all written about that series, which was arguably bigger than Sweet Valley. It was completely unacceptable that so little ink went into giving that series the same attention that others received. On the other hand, as I think about it, perhaps that is for the best, because maybe had she devoted more attention to it, she would have torn it completely apart just like all the others.

The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Counterpoint Press, in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 Stars

There is so much to love about this book. SO. MUCH.

First, the cover. *Sigh*. AND to make this one even better, this wasn't just a digital ARC that I had to make do with on my Kindle when admiring the cover, because I received a PHYSICAL ARC. I know this is not a big deal to most people, but I live in the US. A lot of what I read is published in the UK. I love any ARCs I can get, but there is something special about a physical copy and now this one is situated quite cozily on my over-flowing shelf.

Secondly, the title should also give away my giddiness. BECAUSE, not only do I love books, but I love books about books, and I love libraries and books about libraries. That makes me some kind of weirdo times four, right? Oh well, don't care. As such, you may not be surprised that this face:

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

is similar to the one I make every time I hear the words 'library' and 'Alexandria' together and I think about all the knowledge lost. Who knows what we are missing, once the library was destroyed and it contents along with it, or carried off to where it was lost over time.

So, in all seriousness now, this book is wonderful. I have the fondest memories of a variety of libraries from my youth, one of my most favorite being the library where my grandparents lived while I was growing up. It has been remodeled in the last twenty years, so the long narrow stairs up to the children's section is long gone, but what a great image that still is in my mind. I spent countless hours at my grandparents' house in the summer, going on all kinds of adventures and the library was always a favorite stop. I have instilled that same library-love in my daughter, and from her earliest (think fetus) existence, she has known the sounds of the library. Being in a library, or surrounded by books in general, is her natural environment. Perhaps my most favorite library in the whole world is the library at Trinity College in Dublin, so you can imagine my delight when I first looked at the book cover - voila! It's the long room at Trinity College. If you've not seen it, I highly recommend visiting if you're ever in Dublin. The Book of Kells isn't too shabby either.

There is so much information packed into this slim volume, I am almost at a loss for where to actually start, not that I have gotten my craziness out of the way. Perhaps that really is the best place - there is so much information, so many libraries, so many volumes, so many hoarders book collectors to discuss. There were several individuals highlighted throughout the text who had more books than anyone could possibly hope to read in a lifetime or even five lifetimes. They owned additional homes just to store books - can you imagine? It makes my own little personal library look a little sparse (though, to be fair, I am a big proponent of passing books on when I am done with them, someone else should have the chance to enjoy it), but what a sight those stacks and stacks and stacks must have been. Hopefully today hoarders collectors take better care of their books and have them properly shelved and cataloged.

While for the most part this book was exactly what I thought it would be - a "love letter to libraries" as it is billed in the summary - it was also so much more. The presentation of the information was somewhat chaotic, in that it did not follow a linear path as one might expect when delving into a massive history such as this. The journey starts centuries back, and the book ends with a look at the future, but the whole way in between is a hodge-podge wonder, dedicated to hilarious and terrifying anecdotes - I was absolutely horrified to think that an actual copy of Magna Carta was nearly destroyed, only to find out later the incident probably did not happen. I am hanging tightly onto that probably. The chapters were a mix, longer chapters dedicated to specific libraries, interspersed with short anecdotes about a certain person, book, or idea.

While I was reading, I spent a good deal of time Googling as I was reading, to look at the various books and libraries that the author was discussing. I kind of go back and forth on the idea of including photos. I knew about more than a few of the subjects mentioned, but still there were many more I knew of, but did not know what they looked liked. It did not bother me, but I could see how it would be frustrating for some. I also would have appreciated a bibliography, or at least a suggestion of further readings.

So much research went into the book, it is almost mind-boggling - especially if you are not someone who spends a whole lot of time thinking about books and reading books about books. The author is clearly very well-educated on his subject matter and no lie, I am kind of jealous of his life. There is so much that he touches on - how the earliest stories were handed down from generation to generation through oral tradition, then the infancy of book production and the various materials first used, such as clay tablets, papyrus, and animal skins. From there the text weaves around to today, and the mass-market production that monks a thousand years ago couldn't have even dreamed of.

Like any good bibliophile, I worry about the future of libraries. So often, especially in the US today, under this "administration", it seems like knowledge is a bad thing. Funding is constantly cut to these beautiful facilities and we can not allow it to keep happening. Often the arguments are made that libraries do so much more than provide reading material, they provide Internet access, social programs, etc. I am guilty of making those exact statements, even though they are true, and I feel a twinge of guilt because even if the only thing libraries did was offer books, that would be amazing. Looking at these grand and small places, we should be in awe of the fact that so much knowledge is contained in one place - with the added benefits of Internet, story times, research assistance, etc. We need libraries, now more than ever. Books need to be valued for what they are and I do mean print and digital, though I am always partial to a physical copy. It is convenient to have a Kindle, and I wavered for months about even getting one. I felt like a traitor. But over time I have grown to love it, and can not imagine where I would put the 705 physical books that would be in my possession were they not digital.

This book will most certainly appeal to those who love history and love books/libraries. I know that seems like an odd statement to make, but in truth, this book will not appeal to everyone, even those who love to read. I certainly don't mean it will only appeal to us weirdo book-sniffers, but in skimming other reviews before I accepted the ARC, I came across some comments who felt the book was too academic or "high brow". I don't feel that way at all, I think it was a fantastic, lively jump around in the history of one of the most important institutions that exists today.

New Treasure

I love ARCs. The only issue I remotely have with ARCs is that typically the ones I am offered are from UK publishers. As a result, I do not get physical copies. It is a super easy problem to have, because I still have an ARC so in the end, that is all that matters. I have won a couple books from Goodreads Giveaways, but today I was very excited when I received a hard copy in the mail of this new one, which I included in my most recent Stacking the Shelves. I can't wait to get started. You can find more info about the book HERE, on Goodreads.

Do you like ARCs, or do you prefer waiting for the final, polished products? Do you find ARCs through NetGalley and/or Edelweiss, or have you established relationships with certain authors and/or publishers?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I received this book (an embarrassing amount of months ago) as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I know what you're thinking - how on earth could a book about LIBRARIES, one of Sarah's most FAVORITE PLACES IN THE WORLD, take her almost 8 months to read??!! I've asked myself that same question many times over, both as I was reading and after I finished the book. There is no good reason why this book took me so long, and I really can't explain it. Perhaps it is because the beginning was kind of dry? I don't know; once I got to the 1900s, I breezed through the book and could not put it down. I can't say for sure what it was that took me so long, but there's something, and for that reason - whatever it may be - I can only give 3.5 stars. It's not a terrible book, it's a very good book and if you love libraries you MUST read it. it just took me a while, and I LOVE libraries. I will forever be an advocate for libraries, yelling down those who claim that now that we can get eBooks, we don't need the real thing. If you truly believe that, or that books don't need to be physical, I honestly do not know if we can be friends. I prefer the real thing, but have my Kindle which is just more practical when out and about. But libraries are such a wonderful resource for the communities they serve and provide a plethora of services that are vital. If we do not provide adequate funding for our libraries, I truly believe society will collapse. I don't even care if you think I am crazy for that statement. it's true. Libraries are mandatory for an educated, well-functioning society. Okay, so I guess maybe the US is not exactly 'educated' or 'well-functioning' right now, but I have faith we can get back there again.

Rant over. On to the book. 

The author clearly knows what he is talking about. The research is all here, he uses multiple libraries as examples when discussing the evolution of what we have come to know as a public library, but there really are some sections that are not written in a very engaging way. As I mentioned earlier, I can't quite put my finger on what made some parts this way. This is, after all, a history of a vital cultural institution that has shaped our country in many ways. Still, I appreciate the amount of work that went into writing this text. As I read it on my Kindle, I made a note that 81% of the book was the actual text and the last 19% was devoted to notes and bibliography. That's not a small amount, that's quite a bit of research and numerous resources.

I really loved all the facts about early libraries and the system of checking out books. There's something so quaint about the idea that you gave a librarian your slip with the name(s) of the book(s) you wanted, and they would retrieve them for you. Then, your name would be copied down in a giant ledger with the titles you'd selected. What simple days. And time-consuming! I can't imagine anyone today in our impatient world suffering through any of that for a book and it is probably for the best that we can now get our books ourselves and use self-checkout together - though I adore my librarians at my favorite branch and will always opt for the check out counter over the automated service. In early days also, it amuses me that patrons could only check out 2 to 5 books at a time. When I was pregnant with my daughter over the summer, I would walk out with the max limit of 40 books at a time and it never felt like enough!

I also found the crusade against fiction earlier in the life of the public library to be highly amusing. I never really knew that fiction was considered to be such garbage. Librarians went to great lengths to make sure people did not read ONLY fiction and in some libraries if you were checking out a fiction book, you also had to check out a nonfiction one as well. I myself am partial to nonfiction, so this would not have bothered me much, but I certainly know quite a few people who would have had quite a difficult time getting books had they lived in that period. I also had no idea that Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, and the Hardy Boys were considered unsuitable for children and librarians recommended children NOT read them. I can't imagine a childhood without Nancy Drew! I read those books over and over in elementary school and loved them. I was never as into the Hardy Boys, though I read a few, but Nancy was my girl and I fondly recall wanting to be friends with her and solve mysteries.

There are a lot of other interesting and sometimes little-known facts about the growth and change of libraries over the decades. For example, during WWII when there was a major lack of gas and tires, Baltimore kept its bookmobiles going around the city by purchasing a horse-drawn wagon to be able to bring books to people. This little fact made me love libraries even more.

I was also highly amused by a rule imposed by Chicago's public libraries in the '60s: "In 1969 the Chicago Public Library forbade patrons from exposing their toes while reading. 'Can't have toes all over the place,' one official commented. 'Feet disturb some people,' said another." I really cracked up over that one because while yes, I think feet are weird and kind of gross (I mean really, they sweat inside socks and shoes all day, yuck), silly rules like this are obviously targets for rule-breakers. My flip-flops and I certainly would not have been welcome in those libraries in the 1960s!

Unfortunately, it also seems that through the years libraries have also attracted what I can only describe as total a-holes who ruin the experience for everyone else. The author tells of teenagers in the 1950s harassing patrons, riding their bikes through the reading rooms and throwing bricks and PIPE BOMBS through the front doors. Who are these idiots and where are their parents?! Guess the 50s weren't as wonderful as everyone likes to remember. Similar things happened in the late 60s in New York, and some branches even had to close because of the gangs of a-holes terrorizing the libraries. The most disturbing story to me though came from librarians in Minneapolis (though no doubt this occurred in libraries across the country and is not just local to my home city). In the early 2000s with the rise of the Internet, librarians reported male computer users looking at porn in the library and several were masturbating. IN PUBLIC. Seriously? I don't even. Who are these idiots trying to ruin it for everyone else?!

My main issue with the book and another reason I could not rate it above a 3-3.5, relates to the following. I really hope it was not the author's intention to compare gay people and pedophiles but that is how it came across to me and as an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, I can not abide this. However, if my interpretation is incorrect, I'd be all the more happy for it. At 73% the author discusses the San Francisco Public Library "affirming its right" to display a rainbow flag over one of its branches, but then goes on to say that the community showed its limit of tolerance when the citizens protested when the library was going to allow NAMBLA to rent a library meeting room. Now, if you do not know what NAMBLA is, don't Google it at work, because that could land you in some hot water for being A PEDOPHILE and disgusting human being. Now, due to my long-running obsession with a certain yummy former NYPD SVU detective (Oh Elliott Stabler, I love you still, even though you have not been on the show in years - and not ironically, it has been the same amount of years since I have watched the show), I know that NAMBLA stands for the North American Man/Boy Love Association. Gross, right? Sorry, but no, there is no way you will ever convince anyone that this is 'normal' or justify your crimes of raping children. There's no comparison, it is not even close. If the intent is what I originally thought, I am quite bothered. If I misinterpreted, I apologize. There is so much more I want to say about this topic, but then this post will turn into a political rant and not a book review and I am trying very hard to keep this blog and my Twitter as politics-free as possible. it creeps in sometimes, I just can't help it.

Ever since these fancy schmancy new devices called eReaders came into being - and even before - people, especially those who have more authority than they should, have questioned the relevance of libraries in our communities anymore. To those people who would suggest that we no longer need them, I challenge them to step foot in a library, small town or large city alike, and see the wide variety of services offered to the community. The library is not just about checking out books (though that is MY favorite part). There are so many small groups offered by libraries throughout the year, from reading times for little ones, teen lock-ins, adults doing geneology research. It is a place where a homeless person might come to use the computers to look for a job or other assistance they desperately need - or often yes, to sit in the warmth on a wintry day. The Internet can never replace our librarians, nor should we even try. And as for the "Many authorities (who) still have questions about the value of public libraries," (75%), be quiet. Yes we need them and we always will.

The Bible: A Biography

Rating: 2 Stars

Man, this book was dull.

Considering the fact that the topic is one of the most important books ever compiled, you'd think the history could be put together in an engaging way. It's not. There is a ton of information in this short volume, but it is so haphazard and random that I don't even recall anything I learned. My total lack of interest could also have to do with the fact that the author needs a thesaurus because she used the word 'exegesis' or a variant on every single page. It was the worst. You could make a drinking game out of how many times she uses it, and you would be hammered after the first third of the book. 

Don't bother with this one.

100 Documents That Changed the World: From the Magna Carta to WikiLeaks

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review:

I really love books like this, the '50 Objects..." or "12 Maps..." that 'changed the world' type books. This book is no exception, as it covered several documents that truly did change the world, for better or worse. While I disagree somewhat with some of the items included ('War and Peace' and '1984' - I do not consider books to be documents per se), the majority really do help the book live up to its name. How can you go wrong when writing about Magna Carta, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Apollo 11 Flight Plan, and Anne Frank's diary in one volume?

Turns out, you can. Or, at least not 'go wrong', but you can be lacking in detail and description at times. I understand this is not meant to be exhaustive, seeing as how it is quite slim to begin with, so I will get my complaints out of the way before I delve further in to discuss some of the specific documents addressed that I felt were among the most important. There is only one actual page of textual information devoted to each document, though that page often included a small picture of those who signed, witnessed, wrote, etc. the document. The opposite page was usually a picture of the document itself. Additionally, for a good portion of the beginning, nearly all of the documents were from Western Europe. Not all, but a good majority. Surely there were other important documents that could have been included from around the world and not just those few.

Now, to the documents I found most fascinating - it is also kind of embarrassing to admit that I did not know some of the facts I learned from this text. In my defense perhaps we were not taught those aspects in school? So many of these documents today exist now in the National Archives and I wish desperately to see them - namely the Fort Sumter Telegram announcing they were surrendering, and the Emancipation Proclamation. These were two hugely important documents that exist as a testament to the resolve of our young country - we were willing to go to war with ourselves to achieve the ends we wanted. The telegram began the war and the proclamation set us on the road to ending it. As an aside, I never knew that the E.P. ONLY freed slaves who were living in the states that had succeeded from the Union - AND applied only to those held by the Confederacy. So, apparently it was a shrug and a 'sorry' to the slaves living in areas recaptured by the Union, or the nearly 500,000 living in those border states who had not succeeded.

I am curious about the exclusion of the Gettysburg Address as an important document and thought perhaps it was excluded due to the inclusion of the Emancipation Proclamation. But both Martin Luther's 95 Theses were included, followed directly by the Edict of Worms. Those documents were separated by only four years, but concerned the same topic, so not sure why Lincoln's famous speech was not considered important enough?

Fun Fact: Apparently our Founding Fathers were not terribly responsible. The original copy of the Constitution had vanished at some point after its signing and no one knew where it was until 1846! Also, it has only been on display since 1952; I didn't realize it was such a short amount of time when I visited in 8th grade on a class trip.

A little dirty laundry gets aired here in the form of which states ratified the 19th Amendment and when - you keep it classy Mississippi, not ratifying until 1984. I am not surprised that many southern states were among the last to ratify it.

The 15 year old girl in me who will forever love Titanic could not help but be wistfully glad to see the inclusion of Titanic telegrams included as important documents that changed the world. Movie references aside, it really was a wake-up call to these shipping companies that safety measures needed to change and improve to avoid another tragedy on such a scale.

There were several documents relating to World War I and II, which should come as no surprise. The Treaty of Versailles is always troubling to me, as it basically assured that there would be another war - how could there not be? Germany was forced to take all the responsible for the Great War, only for the fact that they were the last ones standing when the war came to an end. It should shock no one that the Nazis were able to rise and grab power so swiftly; the treaty was crushing and the reparations were impossible.

When I think of a document, I think of something of the non-fiction, factual variety. This is why I struggle with the inclusion of books - manuscripts - in this text. However, I feel that Anne Frank's diary certainly deserves its place. The importance of this diary can not be overstated and if you do not believe me, try standing in the Annex and imagining living in this cramped space with seven other people, the majority of whom you struggle regularly to even get along with. It is one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had in my life and could not imagine spending two years in that place. Anne's diary gave a voice to the millions who had theirs cruelly and violently taken away. I did NOT like, however, that Miep Gies was simply referred to as the 'family friend' who later saved Anne's diary after the family had been taken away. Even with the focus being on the document itself, surely Miep deserves much more credit than that.

There were so many documents that I found interesting, I could keep writing for a while. I will finish this up with reference to a certain CIA document, dated August 6th, 2001, that stated very clearly an attack on the US by bin Laden was imminent. Unfortunately, this memo was handed to one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of our country, while he was staying at his ranch in Texas. You know, one of his 406 vacation days taken in his presidency, or some absurd number that the GOP conveniently likes to forget whenever they complain about Obama playing a round of golf. As a follow-up, the Iraq War Resolution was included but I couldn't even bother to read such garbage.

So, overall, this really is 3.5 stars. There were so many documents that belonged here, but at times their importance almost felt diminished simply because often only the bare facts were included. It is by no means a be-all, end-all for any of these documents and while I can recommend reading this one, I would also suggest further reading on any of the documents that interest you.

BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google

Rating: 2 Stars

Review:

Well. I am not actually sure where to begin. So, I will first say that I received this as an ARC via NetGalley. Unfortunately it was archived before I could finish it, so I ended up doing so by checking out a hard copy from my wonderful public library (love you, Swanson Branch!) and reading it that way.

It absolutely terrifies me that physical libraries will go the way of the dodo. I can't ever imagine not taking my daughter to the library for story time, for perusing the stacks just to see what I can find to learn about that I don't yet know I want to learn about, for striking up conversations with librarians who become friends (shout out to Cecelia and Doe!) Yet if libraries ever were to go completely digital, that is exactly what would happen. Where is the fun of downloaded a bunch of books to your Kindle? I mean, I do that too, but I love going online to the library's catalog, putting books on hold from my ever-expanding Goodreads to-read list, then watching on-line as slowly but surely the books trickle in within a day or two from branches around the city. I am armed with my 'I Love the Library' bag when Eleanor and I arrive, ready to cram as many into the bag as possible, yet almost always needed one of the nicely offered plastic bags to accommodate those that would not fit, despite my best efforts, and the librarian's too.

So, on to the book itself. I am not actually sure what the author intended with his book. At times it is both an admonishment of the system and imploring librarians to do whatever they can to save their jobs - which means embracing the technology. I guess perhaps because I live in a larger city, I feel like this is already done well? Maybe not, and I am blinded by my own nostalgia and love of the library, which the author has little time for - since it will not save the library as we know it. His opinion and arguments seem to hold less weight with me at least, as he is not actually a librarian, who was somehow put in charge of these Harvard library projects. It rankled some feathers then and kind of rankles mine now in learning about it. It is always easy for someone to criticize from the outside - something he does when taking shots at education and libraries as well with this line:

"In some places, the problem is a lack of financial resources, but in many cases the problems facing education have little to do with money and much to do with management, outlook, and commitment" (page 175).

It was right then and there that, as a teacher, I stopped having any respect for his opinion that I had in the beginning. I won't bother going into detail about the space devoted to Common Core - something everyone should vehemently oppose - as it would only be a tangent here. We need libraries and librarians, but according to the author, they too are to plan, because they don't ask for enough money. Really? Apparently. I think in this case his heart was in the right place, but the statement is so over-simplified; he can't really be so uninformed that he would not now that libraries to ask for funding, that is repeatedly and consistently cut by those holding the purse strings, right?

Libraries offer such a variety of services and resources, they can not be allowed to fade away. I could never read the amount of books that I do if it were not for the library. here is simply no way I could afford it, nor would I have a place to store all the books even if I did have the money to buy them all. Though I suppose if I could afford that many books, I would have my Beast-like library from Beauty and the Beast, so scratch that argument. All I did was read in those summer months as I waited for Eleanor to arrive - and that is thus how I met my first favorite librarian, who became a good friend. There are so many activities going on every day at all dozen or so branches of the Omaha Public Libraries, there is something for everyone. Teen lock-ins, toddler story times, free Internet access, and as always, the faithful and trusty librarians who always seem to be able to help me find what I am looking for. OPL offers an awesome service that allows you to email them your favorite genres and types of books you read and don't read, and then within a day you have a personalized email back listing about 10-15 books you might also be interested in. The first time I tried, the list was so accurate, it contained about seven I had already read. A computer can't try to do that, but given the inaccuracies I find just with the Goodreads recommendations based on some of my shelves, I don't have much faith in that technology.

Overall, I really can't recommend this one very highly. The premise was a good one, but the first few chapters were so repetitive that I was not really interested instead he got to the actual chapter about librarians. The rest of the book after that point was a bit more interesting, but still very dry. If nothing else, the author made me more aware than ever of the battle our public libraries are fighting every day. I am very concerned for the future of libraries and if you love reading and books, and/or care about how knowledge is preserved for future generations, you should be too.

The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I never knew how little I actually knew about Alexandria until I read this book. The first book I read of Pollard's was about Alfred the Great and I absolutely loved it, it was well-researched and beautifully written. The Rise and Fall of Alexandria is no different. It is truly so beautiful and lovely and depressing to read about this great center of academia, and THAT library, and after centuries of surviving, it's just gone. Based solely on the book's content, I would give this a solid four stars, but given my love of all things academic and library-ish, I had to go with five stars.

There are so many directions I might go with this review, so many things to discuss and dissect, to relate to our modern world, I don't think I would have the space or time to even attempt that. So instead I will just touch briefly on some of the things that were most intriguing to me.

The book begins where you would expect - with the founding of the city. There is a solid foundation, figuratively, to build the rest of the book on. We are given a background of Alexander and Ptolemy take-over after Alexander's death. As time went on, the library accumulated more and more knowledge, just imagine all those scrolls, all that history in one place.

"Alexandria was built on knowledge, and at its heart was not a treasury but the greatest library and museum of antiquity" (introduction).

But, Alexandria was so much more than just the library and museums, if that is even possible. Truth be told, that is really all I knew of the great city prior to picking this one up, aside from knowledge too of its famous founder - who did not live long enough to see the glorious crown jewel of his empire reach its full potential.

I found the medical information to be among the most interesting facts (I mean seriously, despite the plethora of mathematicians who lived and worked in Alexandria, we all should know by now how I feel about math. I think it is a testament to how enthralling Alexandria is that I was able to muster through those sections - I am NOT a number gal!) Given my love for all things medieval England/Ireland/Scotland, I was familiar with the idea of the four humors, but did not know much about what they represented or how this information was used. Here the author goes into a bit of detail when discussing medical practices that were developed in Alexandria, including the understanding of anatomy. The disturbing way they came about this knowledge was that doctors were given LIVE condemned prisoners to experiment and operate on, so...not all was perfect in the city.

One of the both high- and low-lights of this one for me was a whole chapter dedicated to Hypatia. It's a highlight because she is such a fascinating figure in history, and while there is not a lot of information known about her, there is enough that tells us she is certainly someone who was held in esteem. The low-light of course would be her cruel and violent death, and the fact that Cyril played such a role in it and that later he was even raised to sainthood. That is a travesty to me.

"With the death of Hypatia, her city also began to die. Philosophers were still to found in the city's streets and the 'Alexandrian school' continued quietly - ever more quietly - to refine pagan Neoplatonism" (page 280). 

Overall, I really loved this one. I can highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in non-fiction. Even if you do not know much about this time period, the people, this city, the library, it is a great starting point. It is also great for those who already have a knowledge of any of those topics, as the detail and research is quite evident.

And oh, what I would not give to see that library in its full glory.

"And what of the books? The fate of the libraries of Alexandria is one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world. It would still be tragic, but at least convenient, if a single moment of their destruction could be found, a moment at which the curtain came down on the classical world and a new and darker age commenced" (page 281).