Memento Park by Mark Sarvas

MEMENTO PARK by Mark Sarvas provides some well-written historical fiction, a mystery and a study of inter-generational relationships. At the center of the story is a painting, Budapest Street Scene by Kalman, created in Hungary prior to WWII.  The main character, Matt Santos, is surprised one day to learn that he now owns this valuable painting that was presumably looted from his Jewish ancestors during the war.

His immigrant father, however, encourages Matt to steer clear of the painting, perhaps reflecting on the painful memories it represents. Matt is puzzled by his father’s attitude and reluctance to discuss the painting (or much of anything, really). In a misguided attempt to reconcile with his father, Matt decides to leave his steady girlfriend, Tracy, and his southern California acting lifestyle in order to travel to Hungary with Rachel, a devout attorney helping him to prove ownership.  The situation darkens for Matt – on the personal front, with professional obligations, and on a spiritual basis as he begins to explore his own beliefs about Judaism.

I very much liked the references to Hungary, but I found the story slowed about a third of the way through. Matt’s inner perspective is key to the story and offers important insight as he muses about his own relationships and about the painting’s troubled history. MEMENTO PARK received starred reviews from Library Journal (“deft handling of aspects of identity in matters of love, family, religion, and loss”) and Publishers Weekly.

For a much lighter mystery (it is Spring Break after all), readers could try PLUM TEA CRAZY by New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs. This “cozy” delivers on its name with plenty of references to a variety of teas and some crazy events - like death by crossbow for banker Carson Lanier.  Set in charming Charleston, this mystery revolves around the sleuthing efforts of tea shop proprietor Theodosia Browning and her tea expert, Drayton Conneley plus their chef, Haley Parker.  Try a sample on amazon to see if the latest in this long running mystery series is to your taste.

New books and authors coming to The Bookstall

Lisa See will be at The Bookstall on Monday, April 3rd at 2:00pm in a program co-sponsored by the Women’s Exchange which is such a great local organization. See, of course, is the best-selling author of titles like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Dreams of Joy. Her latest, THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE, is about Li-yan, a member of the Akha minority from Yunnan province, in China’s Southwest. Fate, spirits, and omens are all important in her culture, as is the local tea trade. Eventually, Li-yan has a daughter out of wedlock who is given up for adoption, named Haley, and raised in California by Caucasian parents. Yet, mother and daughter seek to find each other in this emotional story which Library Journal says, “deftly confronts the changing role of minority women, majority-minority relations, East-West adoption, and the economy of tea in modern China.”  Like See’s previous works, there is clearly much to explore and the publisher provides a book club reading guide for THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE.  I will definitely be recommending this new book and it will certainly appear on next year’s Junior Theme list. In addition to meeting Lisa See, you can read an excerpt on the author's website.

The Bookstall is also sponsoring a luncheon with Chris Hayes this week (Friday, March 31 at 11:30 at The Union League Club downtown). He recently authored A COLONY IN A NATION which deals with race relations in this country, particularly criminal justice and discrimination in law enforcement. In fact, Hayes (who appears on MSNBC and also wrote Twilight of the Elites) uses history and statistics to argue that there are really two Americas: a nation and a colony. He states, “One is the kind of policing regime you expect in a democracy; the other is the kind you expect in an occupied land….” where “police behave like occupying soldiers in restive and dangerous territory.”  The violence and subsequent reactions which prompted Hayes’ book also led to a plan by Senators Scott (South Carolina) and Lankford (Oklahoma) called “Solution Sundays,” where they encourage constituents of different races to have dinner together. That is a simple, but very powerful idea to help erase misconceptions, decrease fear and bridge the “borders” between A COLONY IN A NATION that Hayes depicts.

And, appearing at The Bookstall next week (Thursday, April 6^th at 6:30pm) is Chelsea Clinton, promoting the release in paperback of her IT'S YOUR WORLD: GET INFORMED, GET INSPIRED & GET GOING! Contact the store for more details. Even though that text is recommended for middle school, I am curious to get a look at it since it is purportedly “describes how readers can enact change in the world around them and find solutions for such global problems as climate change, poverty, gender inequality, and homelessness.”  Those are all high interest topics for our students and ones we plan to feature at the new activism station in the library. Thank you to The Bookstall for sponsoring these many events.