Semi-true Stories or "Hey, it could happen!"

Steampunk

To the person who loves history, some of the worst offenses authors of historical fiction make are an overload of period detail, characters using modern dialogue or behaving in a manner that is inconsistent with the time period, and re-writing history. We don't want well-known historical figures performing acts that are out of character, like pardoning their enemy instead of beheading them and marrying their widow for the estate or the inheritance. We can't stand it when people who we know are doomed (like Mary Queen of Scots) receive a surprise happy ending.  If someone is implausibly saved, (such as the fair maiden's rescuer appearing at the scaffold with a machine gun thanks to their handy time machine), the reader had better realize that this author is writing fantasy, science fiction, romance, or maybe a blend of all three.  It is not historical fiction.

One of the keys to an engaging story is a main character that invokes sympathy on the part of the reader.  In The Constant Princess, Philippa Gregory does an excellent job developing the character of Katherine of Aragon. Katherine begins the story as a young, headstrong princess of Spain who becomes the Princess of Wales and (eventually) the beloved wife of Arthur, the Prince of Wales.  Their romance is passionate but short lived.  On his death bed, Arthur extracts a difficult promise from his wife.  She is to deny the consummation of their marriage and set her sights on marrying his younger brother, Henry.
Although she should be headed back to Spain as a widow, her promise to Arthur and the political maneuverings of various European monarchs (including her former father-in-law) prevent her departure.  She allows Henry VII to believe that she might consent to his advances while remaining true to her promise to Arthur.  She becomes the "constant princess", bound by a promise and her own ambition.  What the author has done with this character is highlighted her triumphs and not her disappointments, which can be difficult when using historical figures.  Gregory takes the somewhat tragic life of Katherine of Aragon and turns it into an intriguing story about her personal life and loves and avoids creating an atmosphere of impending doom.

Historical fiction that centers on events, allows the author to create their own characters.  They can use these ordinary people to help lead the reader to a deeper understanding of historical events and their impact on lives. In Skeletons at the Feast, Chris Bohjalian used several real life resources mingled with historical facts to help him create both a realistic setting and characters.
The events in this book take place during the final months of World War II. A Prussian (German) family is fleeing their estate in the face of the Russian advance.  Along with their wagon and supplies, they are bringing their farm helper, a Scottish POW who also happens to be their daughter's lover.  Their goal is to head west through Poland and Germany until they reach the safety of the British and American lines.  Along the way they meet resistance fighters, concentration camp survivors, and German fanatics who refuse to see the reality of their country crumbling around them.  They also must face their journey without their father and older brother who feel honor-bound to rejoin the German forces despite the fact that they know they are most likely going to die.  The variety of characters in this book and the intense setting allows the author to show human nature at its best and worst.
No matter what type of historical fiction you prefer, if it's done properly it can take you back in time or lead you to a new understanding.  Maybe it will spark your interest in a person, time period, or event and lead to become an "expert" in that field.  Don't dismiss historical fiction or you may be doomed to read the same type of fiction over and over and over again.
Also recommended by the Manitowoc Public Library Staff:


Biographical Historical Fiction

Hemingway and Hadley

He's just into you for your money;
 but you've got the title to keep you warm.

Bedtime Stories for the Deranged

One, two, Freddy's coming for you....

The October frights fests are in full swing.  Blood is spraying the walls and bodies are being dismembered  for enjoyment on your television.  For whatever reason, people love to be scared.  From AMC's The Walking Dead to Night of the Living Dead to World War Z, zombies are receiving top billing these days.  But aside from a fear of infection or aversion to being eaten alive, are they really that frightening? How many children lay awake at night fearful that the zombie apocalypse is nigh?  On the other hand, how many children are terrified of the monsters inhabiting their dreams, unexplained things, dogs, being lost or forgotten, vanishing without a trace, strangers, clowns?  The list of childhood fears is endless. A good author will use these fears to prey upon their readers.

In Cujo, Stephen King takes a St. Bernard and transforms him into a delirious killing machine.  The fact that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why the dog has gone mad contributes to the story's fear factor.  For The Shining, the author depicts a man who is struggling to overcome his personal demons and attempting to rebuild his life with his family.  (This is a character that initially invokes empathy on the part of the reader.)  The story then follows what should be the perfect situation to achieve that goal and turns it into a murderous, haunting nightmare.  The book Psycho, uses madness as the device that leads to murder, mayhem, and terror. Viewing an ordinary videotape leads to imminent death in the chilling tale of The Ring.  It is the normal transforming into the abnormal that sends chills down your spine when reading these novels.
This is not to dismiss tales such as The Amityville Horror which terrify because they claim to be based on actual experiences with supernatural forces. Sometimes a title like The

Uninvited:  the true story of the Union screaming house is all it takes to get a reader hooked on a book. Stories about haunted houses with malevolent ghosts or demons continue to hold appeal for believers of the supernatural and thrill seekers. Haunted Heartland is a favorite in the Midwest since readers may have the opportunity to visit the locales mentioned and possibly witness the phenomena mentioned in the book.  Many readers who savor the thrill of haunted house stories find books about possessed people equally intriguing.  Titles such as The Rite take readers through the training and experiences of a priest training to be a modern day exorcist.  The classic novel of demon possession, The Exorcist is over forty years old yet it continues to terrify.
From Frankenstein to Dracula to Interview with a Vampire, readers love the fear and suspense that is horror.  Next time you are looking for a scare, remember that there is a plethora of books both old and new waiting to keep you up all night.  (Remember, when vampires wanted to drain your lifeblood instead of bonding with you for life?)  As can be found in the suspenseful writing of Edgar Allen Poe or in the pages of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, the loss of body parts and massive blood spray are not the only ways to achieve maximum scare. However, the readers of Chuck Palahniuk's Haunted might argue that "maximum scare achievement" is a matter of reader preference.

Love is Strange

Sometimes I will pick up a book because the reviews convince me that this fantastically entertaining story is perfect for me.  This can lead to deep disappointment when I dive into the book and realize that the reviewers taste is not mine.  The problem is that my expectations have been cruelly raised and then dashed when they were not met.
The Rosie Project is a book that should not appeal to my reading tastes in any way.  It contains several elements that I tend to dislike as a reader.  It is a romance written in the first person by the main character who is male.  This character seems to be detached from reality and extremely socially awkward. Within the first few pages, though, the author manages to create empathy for this odd character along with a large dose of humor.  (He's not "Rain Man" but at times he comes close.)

This character, Don, approaches life scientifically.  (He is a geneticist at a university.)  He has his calorie and alcohol intake calculated to correspond with his exercise regimen.  He eats specific meals on scheduled days to ensure freshness, ease of shopping, and is limited to the recipes he already knows.  Don walks into a bar full of men and doesn't understand why they would offer to buy him a drink.  When he needs to go somewhere, he travels by bicycle, jogs, or asks others to drive him.  (Big Bang Theory fans, Don is the literary shadow of Sheldon Cooper.) He is the kind of character who develops a lengthy questionnaire to help him on his search for lifelong companionship, or The Wife Project as Don thinks of it.
Paired up (unscientifically) with Don is Rosie.  Rosie fits many of the criteria that Don is attempting to avoid as he sets out on his quest for love.  Rosie is a smoker.  Rosie does not plan her day much less her life. Rosie can be emotional.  Rosie throws Don's routine into chaos.  (Rosie is definitely not Amy Farrah Fowler.) Despite all these drawbacks, Don likes Rosie and Rosie learns to like Don as he helps her with her mission to find her biological father (also known to Don as The Father Project).

It's interesting how different book covers can be used to convey the contents of a story.  Looking at the various covers for The Rosie Project, the images reflect the unique character of Don pursuing his quest for love.  Whatever the cover of the copy that you pick up, you will laugh out loud as Don unwittingly discovers lasting love.  This book is bizarre romantic comedy at its best.

Books Are Like Brussel Sprouts

The other day, while working at the Service Desk, a patron started describing Flashback to me.  Naturally, I assumed that this person was looking for more books by that author or better yet, books that were similar to the one he was describing.  Making book recommendations can be a challenging but rewarding task. Some people dread it, but I enjoy sharing new authors and genres with open-minded book lovers. However, this patron was not asking for advice, he was giving it.  Sometimes when you are in the business of dispensing information to people you forget how to receive information from others. 

I finally realized that this person making a reading recommendation so I thanked him and promptly put the book on hold for myself.  Sadly, although I do enjoy the occasional mystery wrapped up in a dystopian world, I did not enjoy this one.  The main character is sort of a good guy gone bad and the language is "earthy" to say the least.  (I haven't been a follower of the AMC show Breaking Bad for similar reasons.)  I would rather have the heroes be heroic and the villains be villainous.  That doesn't make this a bad book, it just wasn't a book for me.

Last year I finally tried Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series at the insistence of another staff member. I dutifully sat down with the first book in the series and read it.  It was OK.  That was all I could say about it.  I gave it two and a half, maybe three stars out of five when asked for my opinion.  This response was unacceptable to my coworker.  How could I say such lackluster things about one of his favorite authors?  Didn't I read Deborah Harkness?  Didn't I like the Twilight series and Harry Potter?  He really couldn't understand what was wrong with me.  How could I not like that book?  I made it worse when I told him I thought the Sookie Stackhouse series was a little better.  He then pointed out that Storm Front is the first in the series and the books get better and better throughout it.   The problem was that he took my response to his reading recommendation personally.  Trying to convince someone to like a book is like trying to force a hated vegetable into a child's mouth at dinner time. They're going to fight you tooth and nail and it will be a long time before they are willing to try it again.

Although you may not understand why someone doesn't like a certain author or genre, if you are in the business of telling people what to read, you can't take it personally.  I wish that more patrons would feel comfortable sharing their latest and greatest reads with us.  We can't read every book in the library but if we get a good review from a reputable source, we feel confident recommending that book to others.  Stop by your library and tell us what you've been reading lately.  After all, we are all about sharing books and information.

Right now I'm reading Me Before You, The Black Count, and Beautiful Creatures.  The best part about them is that they're all so different from one another.  (That just happens to be my "personal reading methodology".)  I recommend all three, but maybe not all at once.

BANNED, CHALLENGED, not easily forgotten

What would we have read in school if all the banned and challenged books had been permanently withdrawn from our schools and libraries?  The American Library Association website has several lists of frequently banned and challenged titles. Students might browse this list and express disappointment that so many of these books continue to survive.  Others may recall that they were assigned to read several books from the list which made a permanent impression on them (or possibly scarred them for life).
Anyone who  has read The Lord of the Flies will never forget characters like Ralph, Simon, Jack and Piggy.  Some might say that this book is a tale of adventure about the survival of the fittest. Others may believe that this book is a study of human nature.  Many have felt that the age of the characters and the violence in the story make this an inappropriate title, especially for students. However, in many ways this book could be thought of as simply a precursor to The Hunger Games.

The Catcher in the Rye is objectionable because it contains obscene language, sexual situations, and delinquent behavior.  (Instead of reading the book, one could watch "The Breakfast Club" or "Dead Poet's Society" to understand that this is teen angst at its finest.)  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has been described as containing obscene language and glorifying criminal activities.  It also contains torture and violent behavior.  (One thing that anyone who reads this book will learn is that being committed to an asylum is not for the weak or faint of heart.)  The Lord of the Rings has hobbits, wizards and dwarfs that smoke.  It has magical creatures like elves, orcs, ents and dragons.  Due to the strong elements of magic, it is often objected to on the basis of its perceived Satanic themes.  (Because if kids read about Frodo smoking a pipe, they will definitely take that up when they embark on their next quest.)

Fahrenheit 451 has never been banned but it has been censored.  (Who would want to look so foolish as to ban a book about banning books?)  Many objections have been raised to this book due to offensive language.  Others have been upset by the political themes which are similar to another banned favorite, 1984. Anyone who has actually read these books should be able to discern that they are against totalitarianism and oppressive regimes (anti-communism, anti-fascism).  Perhaps the objectors were so caught up in the language they didn't understand the actual content.
The Color Purple and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings are two titles with similar themes that are often challenged.  They are often challenged over explicit sexual content, language, and inappropriate content for children.  Some have complained that the books are "anti-white".  They are both stories about young girls who endure brutal treatment throughout their early lives but manage to persevere and eventually thrive.
The people who want to ban books often focus on one thing; should a book exist in a curriculum or be available on a library shelf.  Shouldn't the question focus on why the reader has chosen the material?  Aren't these missed opportunities to talk about books?  Isn't this your chance to share your favorite banned or challenged book that Mr. ____________ assigned to you so long ago?

The Key to our Society is a Sweet Blue Skye

Occasionally you will meet a book that you love at first sight.  The cover is beautiful. The title is intriguing.  The form is something you've never seen before (or avoided because you weren't sure you'd like it).  Perhaps the subject matter is a combination of things that delight or intrigue you as a reader.  With one glance through the description, you know that the setting is where you would like to go on your next vacation.  From the very first page, you realize that this is a book you will recommend to all of your reading friends. When you start looking for something similar, you are devastated to learn that there are very few read-alikes for that title. The disappointment is frustrating and may cause you to choose unwisely the next time you visit the library.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society has had the distinction of being a perennial favorite of our library patrons and staff since it first appeared in print.  (The title alone causes it to stand out in a crowd.)  The setting is Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands which was occupied by German forces during World War II.  The story, which is revealed through the correspondence of several characters, describes how the Islanders persevered under German rule and engaged in small acts of defiance.  The society for which the book was named was created as a cover for their meetings and activities but eventually lived up to it as those on the island sought entertainment, society, and a distraction from fear and hunger.    
Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole is another epistolary novel.  The correspondence begins in the years just prior to World War I.  David, a college student from America, sends a fan letter to Elspeth, a Scottish poet who lives on the Isle of Skye.  This exchange of letters gradually develops into a friendship that eventually evolves into something more. However, distance, war, and Elspeth's husband seem to be hurdles that they will never overcome.
Flash forward to early World War II.  Elspeth's daughter Margaret is introduced. After an air raid, she finds the letters from David and starts to put the pieces of her mother's mysterious life together.  This is a story of enduring love, sacrifice, and survival told through the letters of the characters.  The author gives each character their own unique voice and style, enhancing the convention of the novel through letters.
Another favorite of library staff is Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.  This too is a love story set during World War II.  It is not told through letters but through flashbacks.  It is the story of Henry, a Chinese-American boy growing up in Seattle.  The story begins shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and tensions are high.  Henry's parents have encouraged him to be as American as possible. This leads to major communication problems at home because his parents do not understand English nor do they speak it.  They have also sent Henry off as a scholarship student to an all-white school where his life is not pleasant.  
Things turn around for Henry when he meets Keiko, a Japanese-American scholarship student at his school.  She becomes Henry's only friend his age. Unfortunately, the politics of the time separate them when people of Japanese descent are sent away to internment camps.  What follows is the story of their friendship and enduring love as they attempt to hold on to one another across the years and finally, to reconnect.
History, mystery, and love can be used to create a story that is both fascinating and addictive.  Whether you enjoy the setting, the time period, or the difference in cultures, these reads can lead you back in time.  And if the above offerings are a little to sweet for your taste, try Tatiana De Rosnay's Sarah's Key, another library favorite that focuses on some less than heroic behavior during World War II.

Books to share with your friends who have an unusual sense of humor, or, my friend told me I had to write about this book

This photo of a Halloween decoration is a picture from Kevin Cotter's book, 101 Uses for my Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress.  When his wife left him, one of the things she left behind was her wedding dress.  When he asked her what to do with it, the response was along the lines of "whatever you want". Following the many and varied suggestions of family and friends, that is exactly what he did.  While it may have started out as a cathartic activity with the goal of finding 101 uses for the discarded dress, the quest became a hilarious blog which then segued into an extremely funny book.  Not only has the author reached his goal of over one hundred uses for the dress, he continues to take suggestions from his blog readers.

Doesn't that look comfy?

Although one may surmise that the book is going to be bitter and nasty, the author has managed to take a painful, life-changing event and create something incredibly funny.  His attempts to use the dress for a multitude of activities may be interpreted as his own method of (cheap) divorce therapy.  This "therapy book" comes with photographs and provides plenty of laughs for the reader.
The author was also left with all of the candles and accoutrements from the wedding.  Use # 75, Puppet Show Curtain, is not to be missed.  It contains a sock monkey, the dress, a doll wearing a replica of the wedding dress, and a Darth Vader mask.  The format of the book allows you to browse topics and uses randomly so that the reader can pick their favorites to share with friends.  The author's blog appears to still be going strong even as he moves forward with his life.  The list of suggested dress uses continues and readers submit their own divorce and wedding dress horror stories.  On the happily-ever-after side of things, the blog also contains a list of charitable organizations that use or resell wedding dresses for a variety of good causes.

There are other blogs that have become books for our perpetual enjoyment. STFU, Parents by Blair Koenig is a book created from the author's blog which speaks out against atrocities that occur every day on social networking sites.  A few of the categories she addresses are "MommyJacking" (the art of telling someone who is proud of their accomplished goal that they haven't accomplished anything until they've been a parent), "Bathroom Behavior" (posting awful photos and graphic descriptions of your child's bodily functions), and "Bun in the Oven" (featuring photos of pregnant bellies that should only be shared with close family and friends).
Another humorous blog that has made the transition to book format is Please fire me:  posts from the revolting workplace by Adam Chromy.  The blog is a list of reader-submitted posts by people who cannot leave their job and are dealing with awful bosses, co-workers, or working conditions.  Some of the posts will make you laugh out loud, others will send you searching for your hand sanitizer.  On the lighter side of things, there are also comic blogs such as The Oatmeal whose author has had a number of his comics turned into books.  Even a non cat-lover can find something to laugh about in How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you.  In fact, Matthew Inman's book may hold more appeal for those people who are instinctively cautious around cats and their secretive ways. If your neighbor's cat is acting suspicious, this is the survival manual you are seeking.
Don't live in a state of perpetual feline fear.  Find the information you require at the library.  (No cats allowed.)