Lycanlibrarian's Blog

THE ARTIST OF DISAPPEARANCE By Anita Desai February 6, 2012

THE ARTIST OF DISAPPEARANCE is a tiny collection of two short stories and a novella. The first story was this reader’s favorite, although the ending broke my heart. It sang of the apathy and pompousness of those who do their jobs at only a surface level. The second was an interesting story about writing aspirations and the third, although my least favorite, still contained  interesting characters and a setting that will remain in the mind. The first half was wonderful, but the second changed tone and did not resonate as fully with me as the other tales had. But all in all, this is a book worth reading since Desai, an Indian author, is a wonderful writer who can enliven and animate with her words. And reading it won’t take you much time.

THE WINTER GHOSTS By Kate Mosse December 27, 2011

     The Lycan Librarian didn’t expect this book to actually be a ghost story, but she was intrigued by the 1928 setting in the French Pyrenees so plucked it from the “New Book” shelf. Well hooray, hooray. It truly is a yarn about ghosts reaching out from the past and requesting the help they need to rest. Although this reader is reluctant to reveal too much of any plot in a review, she doesn’t feel this tidbit will come as a surprise to anyone who opts to enjoy this selection .
     Freddie is traveling after a stay in an institution. He is unable to come to terms with the death of his brother, who was lost in WWI. He has been only half alive since that event, and this book, and its ghosts, stress the importance of living fully, of looking about and reveling in life. In being aware of your place and purpose during your own time.
     The book has short chapters and is a very quick read. It is easy to keep saying, “Oh, one more chapter,” and then, “Oh, just one chapter more.” Then, before you know it, you have closed the back cover and finished the novel. The ghosts’ stories are based on true and very horrific historical events. If you are a reader who enjoys old novels discovered in the corner of resale shops and buried deep in erratic piles of goods at flea markets, then you will appreciate this selection. It has a timeless sense to it, so while it doesn’t read exactly like a modern novel, it can still be happily devoured by todays’ bibliophiles.
     I am going to try another Mosse selection, as the book jacket proclaims this to be her third novel and I very much enjoy her writing style.
     Happy 2012! This is going to be a terrific year!

DRAMA: AN ACTOR’S EDUCATION by John Lithgow December 22, 2011

       This book is a memoir, not an autobiography, so those of you hoping to  sneak a peek at what it was like on the set of 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN or DEXTER will not get what you are hoping for. Rather, readers can expect an interesting and unique tale of an unusual man and his equally unusual life. His family hopped from place to place a lot while he was growing up, and acting was introduced to Lithgow at a very young age — it was his father’s passion. For those who live in the area where I grew up, Northeast Ohio, you will get a bonus in the fascinating little tidbits about places such as the Stan Hywet mansion, and a walk down that proverbial old lane named memory. This is a delightful read about an actor’s introduction and education to the stage, and about how he was groomed from a very young age to appreciate that being different is a gift.

CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE By Michael Dirda November 28, 2011

     This is a selection the Lycan Librarian was delighted to stumble upon. It’s not a book that she had heard about, but was drawn to it immediately and is now very happy to have it in her clutches. Pulitzer Prize winner, Dirda, has compiled a collection of essays about his favorite authors. Don’t be turned away by the word “classics,’ because Dirda is very open-minded in using the term. For example, it was fun to see a section for authors such as Edward Gorey, those who are blessed with a “playful Imagination.” There isn’t much that has to be said about this book, except that the essays are thoughtful and very interesting. I doubt anyone who loves books and reading can close the cover on this selection without having compiled a list of their own — a list of books they simply must either read or reread. And what luck! I bring this to your attention just in time for you to add it to your list for Santa.

LINE BY LINE By Barbara Hacha November 19, 2011

      LINE BY LINE is  a very interesting and unusual novel about a female hobo during the great depression. Maddy is at a loss when her school is closed in her senior year. She leaves home after she is abused by her cousin and learns to ride the rails as she seeks not only a meal and safe corner to sleep, but also a place to belong. The book is full of wonderful details about the times and the hobo ways, such as their art. They carved the faces of nickels, from buffalo and Indians, into hikers and derbied profiles to trade and sell, and those pieces are worth a pretty large chunk of change today. The book shows readers how to hop on and off a moving train, explains the hobo system of leaving messages for each other, and exposes that there was an enormous difference between a bum and a hobo. The plot branches out into other concerns of the time, and that is where, to this reader, the plot encountered some bumps. I most enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of the hobos, but our heroine was stationary through a big chunk of the book. Those small  issues  would have been easily resolved by a good agent and a publisher’s editors, but this author didn’t have that luxury. The novel is self-published, and it is  also a finalist in the Best New Fiction category of  USA Book News “Best Books of 2011″ Awards. I  did not mention the fact that this book is self- published  to demean it or imply it isn’t as good as one accepted by a major publisher. In today’s world,  luck and connections play a greater part in getting published than talent or art. Many people don’t realize that agents can work with a client on a book for up to a year before getting it in shape to send to a publisher, and then the publisher works on it with them for an additional period of time. By the end, the book can be so massively reworked that it’s only a shadow of the originally submitted work. At that point it’s considered better, but the reading public will not be the ones deciding if it truly is or not.

     LINE BY LINE is memorable and well worth the read. It is easily available and can be found (of course!) on Amazon. If you can’t find it at your local library, make a purchase request. That way you can share the unique experience of this novel with those hungry library patrons who are looking for a good read in today’s sea of the unexceptional and monotonous selections being offered by conventional publishers.