Mistress of the Elgin Marbles

Two hundred years ago a young woman from a wealthy Scottish family married newly appointed British ambassador Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin. Shortly after their wedding the two set off to the heart of the Ottoman Empire. The journey, which would take them from Istanbul to Athens to France, would eventually bring countless treasures from ancient Greece to London. The young bride was Mary Nisbet, the subject of Susan Nagel’s biography Mistress of the Elgin Marbles: A Biography of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin. This book is a rich and fascinating biography of a powerful woman with an infamous tie to nineteenth century art history. The name Elgin is the eponym for a collection of marbles in the British Museum and in this book Nagel recounts the events of the taking of 2,000 year old Greek sculptures from the perspective and letters of Lady Elgin.

Nagel’s book fleshes out the life of this extraordinary ambassadress who could be an intellectual peer of Dolley Madison and Abigail Adams. Many of the storied events in Lady Elgin’s life are described in Nagel’s well executed writing. When Mary was twenty-two years old she oversaw the delivery of vials of the smallpox vaccine to the Persian Gulf, Baghdad and India. She became a celebrity in both Europe and Asia and was credited for saving many lives through her unofficial medical diplomacy. She broke cultural barriers by disguising herself as a man to enter into ceremonies at the Turkish court.

Nagel successfully integrates the life of this complex woman with the well known accounts of how treasures of ancient Athens made their way into the British Museum. After returning to England Lord Elgin began pursuing a divorce from Lady Elgin, not because she had been having an affair, but because she refused to have more children. Nagel praises this as just one of her progressive stances in the early history of women’s rights. When the two divorced the loss of his wife’s wealth forced Lord Elgin to sell his collection to the trustees to the British Museum. Mistress of the Elgin Marbles presents the story of a notable woman, and enriches the history of one of the most controversial collections of art in world history.

The Shadow of the Wind

Whenever I decide that I want to become a writer, I read a book that's so amazing, so wonderfully done, that it quickly diminishes that thought. My writings can never be comparable to the greats, and I believe this Carlos Ruiz Zafon just fell into that category. The Shadow of the Wind immediately lures you in due to its unique and engrossing plot. A bookseller takes his eleven year old son to a building hidden among the debris in post war Barcelona called The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There, in the literary mausoleum, Daniel, the boy, is allowed to choose one book to make his own--one book to give life to again. Following the maze of shelves and dusty books, he chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Little does he know how much Carax's novel will change is life. How it will lead him to uncover the truth and solve a mystery that has been hidden for thirty years throughout the streets of Barcelona.

Zafon tells the tale through Daniel's eyes. You learn with him, through his investigations and prying. The story takes bold turns and gives shocking revelations that lead up to the "eyes open wide, holding my breath, don't disturb me" finale. You care for Daniel, for his friends, and for Carax. And you learn that everyone is connected in one way or another--for better or for worse.

The book, originally written in Spanish, is a true masterpiece and deserves its renowned recognition. Although the 485 pages may seem daunting, the prose is so beautiful, you don't seem to notice. The plot progresses slowly, but every description and every detour is completely worth it and almost always important. Just keep track of the characters. Admittedly, I had a hard time doing that at some points.

I highly recommend the book for anyone who is interested in tale that weaves mystery, danger, love, and life together brilliantly in a cobweb of disguise. Or, as Daniel puts it towards the middle, "It's a story of love, of hatred, and of the dreams that live in the shadow of the wind."

The Post-Birthday World

I've found that as my life has begun to get crammed full with work and weddings, friends and family, I've gotten more choosy with my book selections. I'm a huge book whore, but I just don't have time to waste on books that aren't really doing it for me.

Which makes me glad I picked up "The Post-Birthday World" by Lionel Shriver.

Anyone who's watched the movie "Sliding Doors" and saw how tricky it can be to follow two stories being played out simultaneously will appreciate this book. It's far more detailed and funny than the movie it shares much in common with.

It's the tale of an American artist, Irina McGovern who lives in London with her long-time boyfriend. They are friends with a famous snooker player named Ramsey Acton, and celebrate Ramsey's birthday together every year. One year Irina's boyfriend Lawrence cannot make the birthday dinner- and Irina and Ramsey meet for dinner alone. They get drunk and kiss. Or, they get drunk and Irina goes home without kissing Ramsey.

Each chapter continues on- one story follows Irina as she lives a life of guilt for having cheated on Lawrence and deals with the eventual break up and her new romance with Ramsey. The other follows Irina and Lawrence as they deal with their relationship, one filled with surprises and heartbreak.

I promise it's not as complicated as I'm making it sound. My favourite part of the story is how the author ensures that many of the same events happen, the same lines are said by a character but depending on which path Irina chose (to kiss or not to kiss..) the context is completely different.

It's a choose your own adventure for the adult world- a well written, richly worded account of what happens when you follow down both the path you chose and the road not taken.

Miracle on the 17th Green

I must admit that even James Patterson can't make me like golf and the fact that this book has a golf theme made it a scary one to start and jump into. I must also forewarn you to learn what the following terms mean:
Par, Eagle, Birdie, Bogey, Double Bogey. You can find them all here in the WikiPedia Golf Glossary.

As much as I resisted, because of the golf theme, the story kept me in there and by the time it was all through I was hooked. The story's main character, Travis McKinley, takes us deep into his mid-life crisis including the near meltdown of his marriage, his losing a job, and taking a stab at a dream. The end result is a beautiful story about possibilities and believing in yourself.

At 149 pages, not having enough time is no excuse so grab a copy, a steaming cup of licorice spice tea and a cozy throw and find your favorite easy chair. Enjoy.

My Sister's Keeper

"Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood."

This was the first book I’ve read by Jodi Picoult and I have to say, the story line totally pulled me in. It was fascinating, heartbreaking and hopeful wrapped in suspense. She managed to write this story in the voices of all the main characters, which only enhanced the story because the reader is able to look at the plot from different angles … a sort of placing oneself in the shoes of everyone involved.

There are 7 main characters (7 voices) that are involved in this story. Anna and Kate (the sisters), Jesse (their brother), Sara and Brian (their parents), Campbell (Anna’s lawyer) and Julia (Anna’s guardian at litem).

When Kate was 2 years old, she was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Her only chance of prolonging her life was if she could find a donor. Because this alone could take years (and she didn’t have years), her parents decided to fashion her a sister who would be a genetically perfect match through in vitro fertilization. A year later, Anna was born and made her first contribution at attempting to restore her sister’s life, by donating the blood from her umbilical cord. This was supposed to be her only contribution, however when Kate’s leukemia returned, Anna donated blood and bone marrow. Fast forward to Kate being 16 years old and Anna being 13. Kate’s kidneys are failing and Anna is expected to donate one of hers to save her sister’s life. Instead of going through with this, Anna does something that is unthinkable. She retains a lawyer (Campbell) to be medically emancipated from her parents and gain the right to make the decision herself.

Throughout the novel, we hear the voice of Anna who goes through with this for what the reader might think are selfish reasons (but the truth comes out at the end why she even initiated this lawsuit in the first place), the voice of her father, Brian, who loves both of his children and can understand Anna’s point of view, but still would do anything to save Kate, the voice of her mother, Sara, who is beside herself when the lawsuit comes to be and can’t understand why Anna would do such a thing, the voice of Jesse, the kid who in the midst of his sister’s illness has been cast aside by his parents, deemed the lost cause. We also hear the voice of Campbell and Julia, who happened to be past loves, and in their fight for a just cause, find their way back to eachother.

This book was so well written and had me hooked from the start. The twist at the end was so devastating and so unexpected (but I won’t give that away), but it also served to save that family and pull them back together. It was a fantastic read and one I would definitely recommend.

The No Asshole Rule

This book is so important, so relevant, that I am even going to show you the back cover in this post. Written by a Stanford University professor, this book serves multiple purposes: asshole detection (in oneself and others), how to deal with assholes (we all must deal with them regularly), and how to not be an asshole (dare I say we've all had our moments, I have for sure).

The title, clearly controversial, really puts the content into perspective but I suspect there will be those who stray away thinking that this is just some kind of a joke or tongue-in-cheek (that sounds gross related to this title) quip containing nothing of serious value. The reality is a wonderful guide and should be offered free to all if not all as they climb the management ladder as a reminder that the people you are an asshole to while climbing are the same people who just may treat you like the asshole you are on your way back down.

While entertaining, the grim realities this book observes cover situations we all find ourselves in and offers real methods of coping. For even more assistance with the chronic asshole or to determine whether or not you are one, the author's blog offers an Asshole Rating Self-Exam (ARSE); I scored a 5 (not an asshole). This book is an enjoyable (though frightening considering the truths it makes reference to) read, I also listened to the unabridged audio version which was a special treat hearing a professional sounding guy say asshole a bunch and once again, dare I say, a must read?