“Absolution by Murder” by Peter Tremayne
This is the first in the Sister Fidelma series and is a mystery of Ancient Ireland. Sister Fidelma is an advocate of the courts and she rules on issues of law. There is a foreword in this book that assures the reader that women did have such power and prestige in the 7th century. It was a time when the Catholic Church in England and Ireland was deciding whether to adhere to the gentler, earthier teachings of the Apostle John or go with the harsher, more disciplined teaching of the Apostle Peter and particularly Paul. This caused quite a bit of turmoil and threats of civil war. The story opens with this quotations from Ammianus Marcellinus (c. AD 330-95): “No wild beasts are so cruel as the Christians in their dealing with each other.” I was interested to learn about the International Sister Fidelma Society which has a very thorough, well-constructed website at www.sisterfidelma.com. If you liked “How the Irish Saved Civilization” by Thomas Cahill (LARGE PRINT 941.501 CA), you’d probably enjoy reading this series of more than 20 titles.
I was happy to read that there is a generation of men and women who “have quietly dedicated their lives and fortunes to saving the planet from ecological destruction…. [This book offers] proof that a single person’s determination and vision can effect monumental change.” The title “Eco Barons” is reminiscent of “Robber Barons” which doesn’t have a particularly good connotation. The Eco Barons, like the Robber Barons, are very rich and they like being that way, but they spend their money differently. For example, they like to buy up land and give it to states or countries to be used as state or national parks. The disturbing thing is that gift is resented. In fact, in some places clearcutting a forest is deemed preferable to preserving it.
“Mudbound” has all the makings of a very good discussion book–it’s a compelling pageturner, the language is lyrical, and the social issues are crucial, which resulted in its winning the Bellwether Prize. This prize is funded by Barbara Kingsolver and results in a first-time author getting a book published and promoted.
I love it when it snows. I’ve never been in a real blizzard though. This is the story of one that took place January 12-13, 1888, on the plains of the Midwest. Nebraska was hit particularly heavily because when children had gone to school the temperatures were relatively balmy. They dressed lightly. When the blizzard hit practically without warning and they tried to get home, many of them died. Laskin tells many of their stories in heartfelt narratives based on family histories and interviews with descendants. That part of his book is for people who enjoy a good, compelling story.
This is a hefty (almost 600 pages) but beautifully written novel about Jewish Hungarians before and during World War II. I usually avoid reading such long books, but it was chosen by a book discussion group, so I dutifully plowed through all those luscious words. The thing I wondered about most was the title–there was nothing mentioned about an “invisible bridge” until page 331 and then it was just a mention, nothing more. So by the end I had to wonder about the various meanings of an invisible bridge as a metaphor which was one of the things that made this book good for discussion.
Agatha Christie’s been around for a long, long time and some people avoid her because of that. They prefer something more cutting edge. I have heard that some people have avoided her because she’s recommended so often and these people are self-proclaimed contrarians. Both kinds of readers are in my mystery discussion group as well as those who have read all of Christie’s work more than once. We voted to read “Murder at the Vicarage” because it’s the first in Christie’s Miss Marple series. Our theme this year is “No Pants Detectives” and Miss Marple wouldn’t be caught dead wearing trousers. Everyone who had doubts was won over. Christie’s skill at dialogue is phenomenal and her books are definitely dialogue-driven. When the almost universally disliked Col. Protheroe is found dead from a single bullet wound, there are many suspects. The bucolic English village of St. Mary Mead is abuzz with the possibilities and probabilities. Christie kind of throws things off with her first person narrator (the vicar not Miss Marple). Miss Marple is the one who always keeps her eyes open as she gardens and birdwatches; she’s suspicious and intuitive. There’s a physician character who interested me with his theories about the physical/chemical origins of criminality and how the death penalty in the modern age is akin to witch burning in the middle ages. In other words, he’s not for it. There are plenty of red herrings for those who love puzzle mysteries and the complex solution is rather ingenious in its convolutions.
In between self-deprecating, humorous personal anecdotes Greenberg portrays a very serious depletion of four types of fish from all the oceans and seas. They have dominated our modern seafood market and are salmon, tuna, bass, and cod, all of which used to be quite numerous indeed. So the reader alternates between groans of concern and chuckles of rueful recognition.
A book that Greenberg referenced several times was “Cod” by Mark Kurlansky 333.95 KU.
