The Last Train from Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino

In a gripping account of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the author follows a group of people who survived the first blast, only to be hit again when they fled to Nagasaki.

Pellegrino, trained as a zoologist, uses his science background to describe, in minute, technical detail nuclear detonation and its effects.  He describes, in a graphic manner, how the radiation affects the human body. At that point in time, the effects of radiation were not known and the medical community were faced with an immediate challenge – how to treat the survivors.  A difficult subject matter handled in an extremely readable manner. One of the survivors mentioned in the book also has a series of graphic novels called the Barefoot Gen,  which the library carries. (940.54252/Pell)
reviewed by Victoria

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

I am pretty sure I’ve written about or suggested the author Louise Penny before. This very well-written mystery series is set in Canada, or specifically in the Quebec area, which of course, gives this a French flair. In her latest, A Rule Against Murder, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary at an isolated, luxurious inn, the beautiful Manoir Bellechasse. The other guests are there for a family reunion and the tension rises as the humidity and heat does. (of course, there is a murder) There are several red herrings thrown in, but ultimately it comes down to Gamache having to unearth hidden family secrets and hatreds that have seethed for years. Penny is a terrific writer and you can almost feel the bees buzzing and the heat of the day forcing its way down. If you haven’t picked up her series, do start with the first, Still Life.

Oscar Nominations

The Oscar nominations were announced today.  Follow this link to see the complete list of nominations: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/82/nominees.html   The 82nd Academy Awards program will take place on  Sunday March 5, 2010.  One of the cool things I found on this website is the Oscar Party Kit.  You can throw your own award winning party.  They give recipe suggestions and you can download Oscar ballots.  They have even created Oscar bingo and crossword puzzles for you to play while you watch.  So make it a party and enjoy the show.  Don’t forget to place the nominated movies on hold at the library.  While some have not been released yet on DVD, there are those that are already in the catalog.

The Photographer by Emmanuel Guibert

By truck, it would have taken a day or two, but the government army and the Russians were holding the roads. So instead it was a three-week march with pack animals over the mountains, like Marco Polo. Lefèvre was photojournalist to a 1986 Doctors Without Borders team, off to staff M*A*S*H-style clinics in northeast Afghanistan.

Fantasy doesn’t get any stranger than trekking overland, techno-free, into a completely different culture. Lefèvre’s photos tell his story of the wonderful, intriguing Afghani people and their sweeping country, while Guibert’s drawings tell the story of Lefèvre telling his story.

In Memoriam

Two well-known authors died this week.  Howard Zinn died Wednesday, January 27th.  He was 87 years old.  Best known for A People’s History of the United States, he wrote more than 20 books.  He was an activist for civil rights, civil liberties and anti-war.  He wrote extensively on all three sujects.  Reclusive author J.D. Salinger died also died Wednesday at age 91.  He wrote A Catcher in the Rye about Holden Caulfield, a rebellious teenager who gets expelled from school. That was the only full-length book that he wrote.  Catcher in the Rye is considered one of the best novels of the 20th century, but also one of the most censored.  They will be missed.

Monday Hearts for Madalene by Page Hodel

Monday Hearts for Madalene is a beautiful book of 100 hearts that artist Page Hodel created out of love for Madalene Rodriguez. After they met, Page created a new heart every Monday and left it near Madalene’s front door. Unfortunately, within a year after they met, Madalene died of ovarian cancer. Page continued to create the hearts in her memory. They are made from a variety of materials: berries, buttons, cork, candy corn, etc. and are lovely to look at as you think about the love the two shared.

The Blind Side

There has been a lot of talk about the movie The Blind Side.  It wasn’t expected to be as successful as it has been.  There is even talk that Sandra Bullock is an Oscar contender for her role as Leigh Anne Touhy.  Since I’ve seen the movie twice in the theaters, I wanted to read the book The Blind Side: evolution of a game by Michael Lewis.  What I found was that Lewis did an excellent job of combining the history of football, especially focusing on the left tackle position, with Michael Oher’s life.  It’s what kept me reading.  While I do like watching football, I’m less interested in the history of it.  I wanted to know more about Michael’s story. I was lost when Lewis started talking about players, coaches, and particular plays because I really know nothing about the inner workings of the game.  In contrast, the movie focused more on Michael Oher and the Touhy family.  That is why I like movies.  They get me interested in things that I never thought I would be interested in.  While I didn’t completely understand all the football references and players, I do know one thing.  When I watch football, I’ll be a more educated fan.  And when the quarterback is able to make a play, I’ll know who to thank: the left tackle.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Vampire love stories are all the rage now. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova  is partially a vampire story, partly the love story of three different couples, partly a historical novel and chock full of excitement and intrigue. Kostova uses one of my favorite literary devices, having three different narrators tell their tales of getting sucked into the mystery of whether Vlad Dracul, the cruel 15^th-century prince of Wallachia was really a vampire, whether he’s still alive and keeping the vampire race going. The book alternates between the three narrators, moves from the United States to England to Europe and into the remote country sides of Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. You’ll learn a lot about the history of Eastern Europe  including the time periods of the Ottoman Turks and life there under communist rule. Some of the intrigue takes place in libraries and archives. If you like vampire stories and/or novels like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, you’ll be sure to enjoy The Historian.

Altar of Eden by James Rollins

A master of combining scientific knowledge and heart-stopping suspense, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins is back with a new adventure that is a departure from his series. In Altar of Eden, Louisiana state veterinarian, Lorna Polk stumbles upon a shipwrecked boat and realizes that the caged occupants are exotic animals. From there Lorna is struggling against a foe with an aptitude for genetic engineering and a wish to start a new Eden. This stand-alone by veterinarian Rollins is obviously one he knows a great deal about. His use of scientific facts makes this an amazing read.

In Memoriam

This week has seen the death of two very respected authors. Erich Segal died Sunday, January 17, 2010 at the age of 72. He was a respected professor of Greek and Latin literature at Harvard University, Yale University and Princeton University. His fame came with the publication of Love Story, which was the number one novel in 1970. He was also a well-known screen-writer.

Today, January 19, New York Times bestselling author, Robert B. Parker passed away while sitting at his desk at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was an American crime writer, who is best known for his Spencer: For Hire series. (this was also a popular TV series with Robert Alrich) He received three nominations and two Edgar awards from the American Mystery Writers of America.
They will both be missed.