Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kindgom

Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom
Sylvia Plath

I was aware of The Bell Jar, as well as the journals of Sylvia Plath, but I had no idea she had ventured into the realm of weird fiction. This could probably be better classified a a short story, but the feelings and images are quite well fleshed out in their intentional incompleteness.

There's not a lot that can be said, without retelling the entire story, due to the weird nature of the environment of it. Ostensibly, it is the story of a girl taking a train trip, but the real power lies in the unknown and slightly weird events, people, and scenery. I would highly recommend this for a quick lazy day read.

The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath

I feel like this book has been discussed enough, that there is very little I can contribute. One thing I will say though, is that if someone you care about has depression, this book is well worth the read. Not for the drama, but for the accurate description of the absolute banality of depresson many times. From "I don't think I'll go, I don't feel well", to starting then suddenly stopping projects, to what appears to be "throwing away" opportunites, it's all pictured here.

One caveat that I will give, is that there is a bit of quite outdated language when referring to other people and cultures. However, the core message of it, although society has become considerably different, remains the same, even today.

Mozart

Mozart
Maynard Solomon

I admit, classical music is one of the things that I am sadly deficient in my knowledge of. I was hoping to rectify a bit of this via biographies of famous composers. I will not say that this is a bad book, on the contrary, it is quite thorough, however it is definitely for someone with a bit more pre-existing knowledge than I have.

This biography covers Mozart's life, including a brief history including the musical achievements of his father. The bulk of it, however, is a life framed around the music, so if one is woefully undereducated in the department of Mozart's music (perhaps even if one only has a passing familiearity), a great deal of the content goes somewhat over your head. Fot those who are more serious students of music, this should prove to be an excellent source in placing the music in context with the life.

Nonetheless, I do find muyself coming out with more knowledge than I went in with (namely a years ago viewing of the movie "Amadeus"). Going solely by this biography, I found a great deal that was either over-hyped in the movie (the rivalry with Salieri), or misrepresented. The biggest thing I found was the circumstances of Mozart's death. I had long believed that he died in poverty, and was unceremoniously dumped into a pauper's unmarked grave. While partially true, this book frames it more in line with the ideals of the time as not unusual, and not a true pauper's burial, just a third class one. It also briefly touches on the gain Mozart's widow made via her presentation as a grieving, impoverished widow with children.

Overall, I would rate this as an excellent biography, just one that was a bit over my head with my current status of (lack of) knowledge regarding classical music.

Fangs

Fangs
Sarah Andersen

It's been a long time since I fell for something this hard. Although listed as a graphic novel, it's actually a series of vignettes in the lives of a vampire and a werewolf who are an absolutely adorable couple in love. Even though it's a very quick read, (under 30 minutes, and that's if you go really slow, examining the art in detail), I actually renewed my check out on this so I could go back through it several times.

Due to the nature of the structure, there's not really a plot, per se, to describe, but I would highly recommend this. In fact, this is one of the rare ones that I will probably buy a copy of for myself. If you love things a little dark, but still adorable, I can guarantee this lovely little collection will bring a smile to your face.

Ride the Devil's Herd

Ride the Devil's Herd: Wyatt Earp's Epic Battle Against the West's Biggest Outlaw Gang
John Boessenecker

The name Wyatt Earp comes with an immediate set of preconceptions; a hard living, hard riding lawman, card player and gunslinger. While this book centers around his long run-ins with a group of outlaws called The Cowboys (or Cow-Boys, depending on the reference and person speaking), it does not disappoint in providing a glimpse into the old west.

The author does a good job during the narrative of these events on presenting both the good and bad present in both sides of the conflict. One can debate whether it was a simpler time, or just a lawless blurring of lines that led to much of the activities on both sides, but it is undeniable throughout the narrative that there is no black and white, good guy vs. bad guy definition in any of the events. Outlaws turn lawmen, lawmen turn card sharp and vigilante, politicians, ranchers and gunslingers change allegiances depending on where the profits and personal grudges lie. This perhaps is what makes both this book and the legend of the Old West so interesting - nothing is clear cut, and anyone can turn from friend to foe and back again depending on the turn of a card or the theft of a horse.

Action is also as prominent throughout as one might find in any adventure novel. We get to see the events of the legendary OK Corral, as well as gunfights, fistfights, lawsuits and grudges at the turn of almost every page. And the author doesn't neglect the women in the tales either, we see sex workers turn housewife, abused women bravely standing up in court to testify against their partners, and in at least one case a drunken rampage and revenge attempt from a scorned woman.

Whether you are a fan of the old west, looking for a juicy tale, or even looking into true crime (let's face it, in an age and area of few lawmen, and fewer laws, there is a lot of crime, whether it is considered so at the time or not), I think most will find this an enjoyable read.

Duel With the Devil

Duel With the Devil: The True Story of how Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery
Paul Collins

I think most people at this point are at least somewhat familiar with the life of Alexander Hamilton, thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton. Many of us in the U.S. were familiar before this with the infamous Burr/Hamilton duel from the coverage in our U.S. History classes. But how many knew they had worked together as trial lawyers on a "trial of the century" type event a mere four years before the fateful duel?

I admit at this point to being a fan of Paul Collins' writing style, and this book is no different. Despite the events being over 200 years ago, this book has the same edge-of-your-seat feel as any current true crime book.

A brief prologue gives us a hint that a murder has occurred, then the first chapter flashes back to the start of the story six months earlier. We meet the residents of a boarding house in Manhattan, among them a young Quaker woman who suffers from frail health, and a young carpenter. When the body of the young woman is found in a nearby well, rumors swirl about whether she was murdered or had committed suicide, as well as rampant speculations as to the reasons why, and the possible involvement of others. We also gain some insight into the relationship between Burr and Hamilton, once friends, who were now on opposite sides of the political questions besetting a new country.

Despite the rumors and friction between and about many of the people involved in the entire affair, this book manages to remain neutral and present the facts, both of the event itself, and the behavior of those in the then-young city of Manhattan. The biggest ones of all revolve around whether there was a relationship between Elma the young Quaker woman, and Levi the young carpenter, and if so why, how, and if he was involved in her murder - that is, if it was a murder at all. The people and places are presented in a way that you feel like if you could step back in time, you would immediately know all the people involved, as well as recognize the young town that was just beginning to experience a boom of expansion and commerce after the American Revolution. I would definitely recommend this to both true crime fans, and fans of history.

The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis

I admit, this book has been on my "should read" list for probably decades, but I found myself postponing it due to a fear of finding it "preachy" due to the Christian based themes. Instead, I found this delightful in it's satire, although a bit of it definitely needs to be taken with a sense of the time period in which it was written (especially some of the bits about "women's place").

The narrative itself is in the form of a series of instructional letters from a devil named Wormwood to his nephew Screwtape. Much as many believe each person has their own guardian angel, this book posits the opposite; a devil is assigned to corrupt a human in order to bring them into the "kingdom below". We see Screwtape being counseled, chastised, and even threatened through his mission to corrupt the human he has been assigned to. Even if none of this falls in your personal theological area, the letters are immensely entertaining, as are the frustrations and occasional victories of the minions of the devil himself. I think this is one I can say deserves it's reputation as a good and entertaining read.