Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland

Susan Vreeland is a gifted author of historical fiction and I was excited to see a new title from her - Lisette's List - because of how much I had enjoyed her novel Clara and Mr. Tiffany (even using that novel to model a project at school).

Lisette's List is another fascinating story which features a strong, female character who loves art. Lisette is young, resilient and very loyal to her young husband, following him to the rural south of France in 1937.  There, the very much in love couple cares for André’s grandfather, Pascal. He, in turn, shares the story of seven paintings – including masterpieces by Pissarro and Cézanne. 

While reading Vreeland’s vivid descriptions, one can feel the sunshine and the mistral’s strength, see the light unique to Provence, and imagine the colors that so inspired great works of art. In fact, Vreeland has an amazing focus on color descriptions and terms.  I was glad to be reading this book online so that I could occasionally turn to images of mentioned art works, like The Card Players. Did Pascal perhaps pose for that? His stories recount his work as a miner, color and pigment salesman, and picture framer, leading to meetings with Impressionist artists in the 1890's.

As the novel progresses, WWII rages and Paris surrenders, all contributing to warnings about the safety of the paintings which are eventually hidden and difficult to retrieve. When André leaves for the front, Lisette begins her list ("do the important things first") and learns much about the support of friends and a small community. She travels the countryside, grows to appreciate the changing seasons, flowers, and smells of Provence, even meeting Marc and Bella Chagall. Primarily set in the 1930's and 40's, Lisette's List touches on the horrors and hardship of war - the black market, hunger, fear, persecution - but Vreeland also evokes images of willing sacrifice, inventiveness, and sharing amongst neighbors.

Overall, this novel focuses on art and its power to help us to experience emotions and to recognize truths about ourselves and our souls. Lisette's List is highly recommended and could be paired with the film The Monuments Men leading to discussions about ethics, war time resistance, and stolen art.

Set the Night on Fire by Libby Fischer hellmann - Chicago in the 1960s

I was looking forward to reading this book, which takes place in Chicago during both the present and in the past - the 1960s, which was a tumultuous time, especially for teens and young adults trying to understand the world around them and how they fit into it, or what they need to support to make change happen. 

The book is organized into 3 sections, with the first section providing the realistic fiction and suspense, the second section provided the crux of the story and the historical fiction, which told the story of Chicago in the 1960s - the politicians, the activists, and the climate of tension.  The third section returned to the plot of section one, and made everything happen quickly with a Hollywood ending. This was the weakest part of the book, the plot was exaggerated with an additional plot line, which didn't seem necessary; it actually seemed to be out of place, and made the book longer than it needed to be. 

I had high hopes for this book, and while I may recommend it as a reference to the historical fiction in section two, I don't think I encourage others to read it.

Business Books to Explore ....

I picked up Business Adventures by John Brooks after hearing that it is Bill Gates’ favorite business book of all time. Commenting on Brooks’ work, Gates says, "He offers sharp insights into timeless fundamentals of business, like the challenge of building a large organization, hiring people with the right skills, and listening to customers’ feedback."

Business Adventures is actually a collection of 12 New Yorker articles, all originally published before 1971 so be prepared for some less than current gender references to business executives. I was especially interested in the section on the Xerox Corporation and the challenges it faced through the 50’s and 60’s.  A manager explains how he felt he had been part of  three companies -- "until 1959 a small one engaged in a dangerous and exciting gamble [development of xerography]; from 1959 t0 1964 a growing one enjoying the fruits of victory; and now a huge one branching out in new directions." One can see how this might readily apply to tech companies today.

If you find Business Adventures to be fascinating, other titles by Brooks (Once in Golconda and The Go-Go Years) are also being reprinted.

Looking for more business book suggestions?  The latest version of What Color is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles discusses how the job hunt has changed and includes tips and hints about using Monster and other online resume services. It is written in a helpful, conversational tone with much useful advice for job seekers who are switching careers and positions more frequently than they did in the past. This book provides valuable information, especially today when so much of the job market is dependent on searches conducted online and/or through current contacts and personal networks.  As you review this book’s suggestions about online portfolios, use of hashtags, keyword choices from LinkedIn, and much more, consider taking a short quiz about whether you should keep your job (presented on Slideshare recently). I would highly recommend What Color is Your Parachute which has been in print since the early 1970’s and is now revised annually.

The list is long and changing, but other titles to explore include some business “classics” like StrengthsFinder 2.0 (by Rath), 7 Habits of the Highly Effective People (Covey) Good to Great (Collins) or Mindset (Dweck).  More recently published choices are Lean In (by Sandberg) or Thinking Fast and Slow (by Kahneman) plus these from Spring/Summer 2014 that are on my latest “to read” list: Flash Boys (Lewis), Power Cues (Morgan), Soft Edge (Karlgaard), Organized Mind (Levitin) and Powers of Two (Shenk). 

PS – another Gates suggestion is The Rosie Project – a highly entertaining novel about a professor on the Asperger syndrome and his efforts to find a wife.  Gates frequently publishes reviews and here are some other titles he has been reading.

Books That Cook: the Making of a Literary Meal

I tried to read an ebook version of Books that Cook: The Making of a Literary Meal in both the Bluefire and Kindle apps, but frankly, I am having a hard time "picturing" this book. Will there be images? Will it mimic a modern cookbook in that way, but with lengthier excerpts from novels and memoirs?

The idea of exploring literature related to the theme of food is intriguing and editors Cognard-Black and Goldthwaite do an excellent job of introducing their research on food as it influences our lives and emotions.  However, I am looking forward to finding a physical copy (the public library has it on order) of Books that Cook so that I can better evaluate purchase.  With clearer formatting from New York University Press, it will be easier to sample the smorgasbord of excerpts from writers like Fannie Flagg, Sherman Alexie and Maya Angelou in addition to those from James Beard and Julia Child.

I will certainly consider Books that Cook and will likely order it due to student interest and use of such titles as Standage's A History of the World in 6 Glasses or Pollan's Cooked or Kurlansky's Salt. Also, Consider the Fork (Wilson) or Three Squares (Carroll) or Salt Sugar Fat (Moss) are all popular titles for projects in History and Kinetic Wellness classes so it will be interesting to see if Books that Cook sparks some new reading assignments by our high school English teachers. After all, as its forward says, "basic food texts –cookbooks and recipes–are as much a form of literature as are fiction, nonfiction, memoirs and poetry. And why not? They tell stories.  They convey myths. … they offer plenty to talk about: culture, religion, ethics, personal identity."

Here is a fun, recent article which asks for suggestions on the best fictional meal ever (from The Atlantic). 

Mill River Redemption by Darcie Chan

The Mill River Redemption by Darcie Chan is her second book set in small town Vermont and tells the story of two estranged adult sisters who are forced to move back one summer, solve a puzzle, and try to reconcile in order to obtain their inheritance. Rose and Emily are the two sisters and while I enjoyed the flashbacks to their childhood, I found their present day antics and acts of vandalism to be somewhat unrealistic. One is coping unsuccessfully with alcoholism and that adds further angst to the story.

Darcie Chan does a good job of developing the relationships that are so important to a small town, but, for me, this book would have been stronger if there was more emphasis on the mystery (although there was a surprising twist at the end). Overall, The Mill River Redemption is an easy, undemanding summer read. For other stories set in Vermont, look for titles like Northern Borders by Howard Frank Mosher.  And fans of gentle, summer mysteries can always turn to award-winning childhood classics by E. L. Konigsburg or Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn

If you like “fun” mysteries, you were happy to see last week’s release of Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn (aka Peter Abrahams), book #7 about Chet and Bernie. The canine narrator, Chet, and his owner, a private eye named Bernie Little, are featured in two brand new copies at my public library.  I especially liked that the setting for this book had moved to the DC area, adding spies and politics, while retaining plenty of new opportunity for Chet the dog to humorously get into trouble as he repeatedly misconstrues human intentions or is distracted, forgetting an important point. Chet is a unique, entertaining character and even has his own web page.

Don’t be mistaken – this series is definitely for those who are looking for a quick, light, comic  read, possibly fans of Parnell Hall, the Mrs. Murphy mysteries from Rita Mae Brown or some of Rick Riordan’s Austin mysteries.  Sound appealing as summer winds down?  The first Chet and Bernie mystery is titled Dog On It and that, too, is likely to be at your local library.

In fact, a Wall Street Journal article, “Why the Public Library Beats Amazon for Now” published today, emphasizes the benefits of checking out eBooks from the library instead of through Kindle Unlimited.  For more information about the pluses and minuses of subscription services like Scribd, Oyster, or Kindle Unlimited, see this second article, “Aiming to be the Netflix of Books” from The New York Times.