Hilda C. Landers Library & Archives

This book is a collection of short stories, not written together, but chosen because in some way or another they intertwine. The most common theme throughout all the stories is the difficulty of writing. How do you write a new story when everything has already been said? That’s the question that Barth tries to tackle with these stories which consciously show the reader the difficulties of the writing process. The collection also contains some stories that are retellings of classic Greek mythology and literature (such as the Iliad) from different points of view.

I think that these stories are excellently crafted and worth reading, but you have to be prepared to work to get through the story. Barth does everything in his power to break away from the conventional short story and he succeeds. This book is not for everyone, but only for those who are ready to venture into the fun house.

Availability: SMCM
Review Submitted by: Lauren Grey
Rating: Recommended with Reservations                                                     

Most of these probably aren’t available in USMAI yet, but worth looking out for.

2010 has already been a strong year for fiction lovers, with new novels by the likes of Joshua Ferris, Don DeLillo, Ian McEwan, Lionel Shriver, Jennifer Egan, and David Mitchell. Meanwhile, publishing houses offered up posthumous works by Ralph Ellison, Robert Walser, and Henry Roth, and the font of Roberto Bolaño fiction continued to flow.

via The Millions : Most Anticipated Summer Reading 2010 and Beyond: The Great 2010 Book Preview Continued.

Contrary to the broader scope of most WWII submarine narratives, Alex Kershaw devotes an entire book to the fifth and final patrol of USS TANG (SS-306), one of the most legendary boats in submarine history.  Having already accrued a superb war record under skipper LCDR Dick O’Kane, TANG sailed from Pearl Harbor in September 1944 for a patrol in the dangerously shallow waters of the Formosa Strait. En route, she had to battle a typhoon on the surface because she was unable to dive safely.  Her greatest challenge ultimately came when one of her own torpedoes malfunctioned during a surface attack against a Japanese convoy.  Within 20 seconds of being fired, the torpedo circled back and exploded into TANG’s stern. The blast tossed those who had been on the boat’s bridge into the water. Those still alive in the unflooded forward compartments on the boat found themselves 180 feet underwater.

Kershaw does a masterful job of drawing his readers into the suspenseful hours that followed the explosion. In the most dramatic portion of the book, Kershaw describes the efforts of several of the trapped crew to escape from what would prove to be an iron coffin for those left behind. The handful who made it to the surface alive, as well as some of those who had been on the bridge, were taken prisoner by the Japanese and subjected to torture and starvation for the remainder of the war in the infamous camps at Ofuna and Omori. As Kershaw closes the book with a discussion of the post-war lives of the survivors, one is struck by the brotherhood that bound these men together over the decades.

Escape from the Deep: The Epic Story of A Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew is a somber reminder of the sacrifices of the U.S. Navy’s submarine force in WWII (52 boats are still on eternal patrol). For those interested in this chapter of naval history, I strongly recommend both this book and William Tuohy’s biography of Dick O’Kane (The Bravest Man, 2001).

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Mary Hall
Rating: Highly Recommended                                                                         

The Portrait of a Lady tells the story of Isabel Archer, an American, as she travels across Europe. This Europe vs. America is a very common theme for James and Isabel’s character struggles to hold true to her own independent ideals while finding her place in a different country with different people. She meets many people and learns a lot about human nature as she learns about herself and how to deal with the decisions she has made.

This is by no means a fast read, but it is a beautifully crafted book. James truly “weaves” his story together, seamlessly flowing through characters, thoughts, and dialogues. As cliché as that sounds, it is true in James’ work.

Availability: SMCM
Review Submitted by: Lauren Grey
Rating: Recommended                                                                                      

Lauren Grey has won the monthly prize drawing for June.

Submit a review in July to be eligible for the our next drawing. Don’t forget prizes are available for all participants who submit a review between June 1 and August 15.

1. Submit one review and win a mini puzzle.
2. Submit three reviews and win a set of postcards.
3. Submit five reviews and win a poster from Unshelved.
4. Submit seven reviews and win a refrigerator magnet.
5. Submit 10 reviews and win a bag of library swag.
6. Monthly prize drawings.

This novel is a modern-day version of Dracula. It tells the story of a vampire invading and destroying a small town in Maine. This was my first Stephen King novel and I was disappointed that it didn’t scare me as much as the author’s name promised. It had some disturbing moments and kept a fairly quick pace but it did not have the terror or horror that I was expecting.

The characters were interesting but some were underdeveloped and at times hard to keep track of; however, I thought he portrayed the eccentricities of a small town in an interesting and believable manner.

The parallels with the original Dracula were subtle and overall woven into the novel well.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Aryel Rigano
Rating: Recommended                                                                                      

When you read the title of this review, you probably immediately thought of Jeeves the Butler from Ask.com, who was more than happy to find the answers to your queries before his unfortunate retirement. Well, P.G. Wodehouse is the creator of the lovable butler we are all so familiar with.

Just like the Ask.com Jeeves, Wodehouse’s Jeeves the Butler is a problem solver. He has earned quite a reputation for solving any pickle that friends and family have gotten themselves into. Despite his successes, his employer Bertie Wooster feels that he is “losing his touch” and tries to lighten Jeeves’ load by solving a few problems himself. Bertie tries to advise his Aunt Dahlia in finding a way to ask her husband for more money after she lost it while gambling. He tries to help his cousin Angela reconcile with Tuppy Glossop after she breaks off their engagement. He attempts to help his newt-lover friend Gussie Fink-Nottle attract the attention of Madeline Basset, whom he loves. He tries to take on all this without the assistance of Jeeves, and fails miserably.

Right Ho, Jeeves is a great book that will have you laughing at Bertie’s misfortunes and the many battles between employee and employer, where Jeeves tries to outsmart Bertie and succeeds.

Side Note: Right Ho, Jeeves is apparently the second book in a series.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Marissa Parlock
Rating: Highly Recommended                                                                         

Wearing his trademark kilt and carrying a twisted walking stick (for which the shrub “Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick” was named), Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950) entertained audiences around the world with his Scottish songs and humor. The great tragedy in his life, however, was the loss of his only child John, an officer in the famed Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who died while fighting in France in 1916. Minstrel in France is a tribute by Sir Harry to his son, as well as a narrative of Sir Harry’s 1917 trip to France to entertain British troops and to visit John’s grave.

While in France, Sir Harry often gave impromptu roadside concerts for British soldiers and especially delighted in the opportunity to sing to his beloved Highlanders. After pressing senior British Army officials for the chance to visit troops at the front-line, he had to cut short one performance because German artillery started lobbing shells into the trench where he was singing. Although Minstrel in France was published over 90 years ago, it reminds us of how much soldiers, regardless of the era, welcome – and need – the diversion that a few hours of entertainment can provide.

One note of caution for prospective readers: you will either be frustrated or enchanted by Sir Harry’s literary Scottish dialect. I think I figured it out from the context in which it was used, but even online Scottish dictionaries couldn’t help me with “verrainjudeecious.”

Availability: SMCM
Review Submitted by: Mary Hall
Rating: Recommended                                                                                      

Recommendations from Michael Schaub on what to read this summer.

War, recession, environmental disaster — unless you have a superhuman ability to withstand bad news, you’re probably looking for a way to escape this summer. I’ve been indulging my own escapist urge in two ways: The first involves pretending it’s already next year, when all countries in the world will sign a peace treaty after scientists discover a way to harvest the energy from kitten smiles.

via Historical Fiction: The Ultimate Summer Getaway : NPR.

Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel: The Gun that Changed Everything and the Misunderstood Genius Who Invented It is not a technical history of the world’s first functional machine gun or the typical birth-to-death biography of one of the great inventers of the 19th century. Rather, Julia Keller, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, scatters factual material on Richard Gatling and the development of his gun throughout a narrative of the social climate that fostered American invention during the mid-to-late 1800’s. Tinkering over a workbench was so popular in the 19th century that a young Abraham Lincoln held a patent (apparently the only U.S. President to do so), and Mark Twain held three. Keller argues that the patent system became the “soul” of America by permitting even those lacking in formal education and political power to not only stake claim to new products but to profit from them as well.

The life of Richard Gatling, who based his gun’s design on a seed planter that he had patented when he was only 26 years old, provides a strong case in support of Keller’s premise. The reader learns how the process of invention changed Gatling and America, and how Gatling changed the process of invention. My most frequent reaction while reading Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel was “Hmmm . . . I didn’t know that.” Other readers of 19th-century American history likely will find themselves having the same reaction.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Mary Hall
Rating: Highly Recommended