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By Barbara Woshinsky
Originally published in the March 2017 issue of the 1666 Coffman Newsletter …books she had read to him [are] landscapes they have already walked through. (93) —Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient At this time of year, even the hardiest of Minnesotans may long for balmier climes. If you can’t take a Caribbean cruise and don’t own a second home in Madeira, the next best thing is to wrap yourself in a warm book. Here are some compelling suggestions from the 1666 library collection. The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje, is a spellbinding story of love and betrayal that won its author the Booker Prize in 1992. A film based on the novel starring Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas earned nine Academy Awards. Though the novel begins in postwar Italy, its heart lies in Cairo and the Libyan desert. A plane crashes in the sand; a badly burned man, later known only as the English patient, floats down to earth and is rescued by Bedouin tribesmen. From the outset, the book’s language appeals to all the senses: “He could smell the oasis before he saw it. The liquid in the air. The rustle of things.” (6) “He saw the moving veins of flamingos cross his sight in the halfdarkness of the covered sun.” (9) As the story moves back and forward in time, we slowly learn the truth about the mysterious “English” patient and the others surrounding him. If you are in the mood for lighter reading, you can travel several time zones to the east to make the acquaintance of Dr. Paboun Siri, the reluctant official coroner of Laos. The library has just acquired the first of Colin Cotterill’s engaging mystery series, The Coroner’s Lunch, which won the Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in 2009. Dr. Siri, a curmudgeonly old veteran of the Pathet Lao campaign, is afraid of no one—except the spirit of a Hmong shaman ancestor. Battling incompetent bureaucrats, Siri consults the dead to solve the murder of an important official’s wife. The novel combines evocative descriptions of Laotian culture, with its blend of French baguettes and larb na, beauty and decay, while taking satirical aim at the less-than-paradisiacal socialist world Siri fought so long to achieve. Those of you who know we spend the winter in Miami may wonder at the absence of Floridian authors from this article. Of course, South Florida offers a fertile climate for crime writers such as Carl Hiaasen and Edna Buchanan. Others, like Diana Abu-Jaber, depart from the CSI model of Miami to show what it’s really like to live in this vibrant and fascinating place. That may be the topic of a future article! Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1992; reprint, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1996). By Carol Van Why
Since late last year every serious media outlet has published their version of a Best Books of 2016 list. Just scanning these lists embarrasses me, because most of the time I haven’t read a fraction of the dozens of books mentioned. This year I’m putting less pressure on myself. I scanned those lists just to find titles in the 1666 Coffman Library’s collection. I have to say that I’m impressed. Find them in the Library’s shelving sections shown in bold print below. BIOGRAPHY Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates Hillbilly Elegy – J. D. Vance Lab Girl – Hope Jahren BIOGRAPHY COLLECTIONS Hidden Figures – Margot Lee Shetterley DRAMA Hamilton: The Revolution – Lin-Manuel Miranda FICTION Commonwealth – Ann Patchett La Rose – Louise Erdrich They May Not Mean to But They Do – Cathleen Schine Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead Wintering – Peter Geye GENDER ISSUES All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation – Rebecca Traister MEDICINE AND HEALTH When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi MYSTERY A Great Reckoning – Louise Penny SCIENCE/TECH/MATH The Gene: An Intimate History – Siddhartha Mukherjee Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars – Dava Sobel I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life – Ed Yong WORLD POLITICS/GOVERNMENT Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right– Jane Mayer By Joanne Kendall
Originally published in the March 2017 issue of the 1666 Coffman Newsletter Twenty five people who attended the February 22 announcement of future plans for Book Night were reminded that all Coffman endeavors belong to the whole community. Then they were invited to share the honors as the 23-year Book Night tradition continues. Victoria Tirrel outlined The Plan that grew out of a community survey, an evening of discussion, and the resulting outline drawn up by volunteers Kendall, Tirrel and Katie Weiblen. Then she issued the invitation.
Then came a brief, yet spirited drama–“probably more a skit,” said Kendall, “to help you, the audience, see how the new plan will work.” She and Jean Larson, as partner and reviewer, pointed to two instruction sheets that will guide each reviewer and planning partner. Six other actors with scripted lines demonstrated the united effort involved in planning and producing Book Night (and almost every 1666 Coffman program): Dottie Waltz, Barb Gaiser, Fred Waltz, Helen Tang, Vern Weckwerth (and Al Cecka, in absentia). In the next several weeks, sign up opportunities will be available at various gatherings for readers who would like to review at a future Book Night and for those who like the idea of being their planning partners. |
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