An Embarrassment of Riches

Movie Night - by Felicia If you remember my last post of movie recommendations, you know that I like flicks that are little off-center. Well, this list isn’t as eccentric, but they are definitely films that I really enjoy and highly recommend.

So I’ll start with Atonement. I tried to read the book and just couldn’t get into it, but the movie had me riveted. Aside from the thoroughly compelling story, it is an absolutely beautiful piece of cinematography. Add to that an A-list cast, and you have a memorable film with a twist at the end that will astound you. The story centers on forbidden love, a heinous crime and a lie that becomes so big, it swallows everyone in its wake. I absolutely loved this film.

I also enjoy a film that includes some great professional dancing. Since I don’t dance myself, I like to live vicariously through characters in movies. If you haven’t seen Billy Elliot, you are in for a treat. The story is so well-written, and the main character will make us all want to dance. Again, the cast is just amazing, and you get to see some really fantastic footwork. The main character, Billy, wants to be a ballet dancer. But his family isn’t having any of that. Boys don’t do ballet. But, boy, does Billy prove them wrong. Go, Billy!

Have you ever heard of a movie called The Edge? Well, neither had I until a few years ago. This movie stars Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. A friend of mine recommended it, and I finally watched it. Part thriller and part adventure, it puts a very interesting twist betrayal and friendship (with the help of a very relentless bear). This movie will keep your adrenalin pumping until the very end.

Dangerous Liaisons came out in 1988 and stars one of my favorite actresses, Glenn Close. Again, the cast really makes this film. The chemistry between Glenn Close and John Malkovich is palpable, and this film is so decadent and sumptuous, that I have watched it probably about 20 times over the years. It’s one of those movies that I see something new in each time I watch it. Another reason to watch — the cast also includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman and Keana Reeves.

Mysterious Characters - by Felicia

I love a good mystery. You know, one that draws you in from page one and keeps you guessing until the end. I have a few authors that I follow faithfully. These are a few of my favorites:

Michael Connelly’s Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch character really interests me. (He is named after the 15th century Dutch artist). He first appears in The Black Echo and he’s still going strong 15 novels later. I like Harry because he’s very human. It doesn’t hurt that he also works as a detective in modern-day Los Angeles, so we can picture many of the places in the novels. He’s what we all know about cops – hard-nosed, arrogant, gritty. But he also loves jazz, believes in doing what’s right and fights to bring criminals to justice. The series takes us through complex, cases and introduces us to Harry’s fellow policeman, some savory FBI agents and shows us the side of police work that will make us wonder about the motives behind their actions. These novels will make you angry at Harry sometimes. At other times, you will want to buy him a drink.

Walter Mosley introduces us to Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins in Devil in a Blue Dress (I also highly recommend the movie with Denzel Washington), who lives in Southern California in the 1940s. An ex-Army man, Easy sees the injustices of being a black man during this time. By taking an assignment from a white man to find a woman, Easy’s career as a detective is launched. His sidekick, Mouse, is a small man with a taste for violence and death. But we like him. His hilarious commentaries and loyal demeanor endear him to us in a strange way. Every book in this series takes you through a story layered in seduction, murder, suspense and humor. I love this series.

Patricia Cornwell writes a wonderful series with Kay Scarpetta. Post-Mortem, the first in the series, introduces us to Kay, the chief medical examiner in Richmond, Virginia. I really enjoy this character because she is strong, yet very sensitive. Each book takes us through a case from a forensic perspective, while also drawing in the other characters. We get to meet Detective Marino, who struggles with his feelings for Kay; Lucy, Kay’s brilliant niece, whose character goes through some traumatic and devastating events as the series progresses; and Benton, an FBI profiler and Kay’s love interest. A few books in the series will disappoint, but overall it is well-done.

James Patterson brings Alex Cross to life in Along Came a Spider. His novels tend to be fast-paced and simply written. They’re not what you would call meaty. Although at times I find it a bit hard to believe some of the dialogue, the story lines are compelling. Alex is a Washington, DC, homicide detective and forensic psychologist. Each novel presents a new case that he must solve, and the series gets most interesting when his family becomes involved – his grandmother and two children. The criminals always seem to be larger than life, but Patterson always manages to make you feel like they could actually be walking amongst us.

For Your Viewing Pleasure - by Felicia

I like movies that are little quirky but with a strong message. There are so many smaller films out there that people never see simply because they aren’t widely released. I wanted to mention a few I especially enjoyed.

If you've never seen Lars and the Real Girl, I highly recommend it. The premise is really strange — you see, Lars is in love with a sex doll that he orders on-line. Now, before you pass on this movie, it isn't a traditional comedy because the movie also shows us what true loneliness looks like. I love the fact that Lars’ family and friends eventually rally behind his new girlfriend, even taking her out on the town and making her hair appointments. Yes, the story is just plain weird, but once you see the way it unfolds, I guarantee that you will root for Lars. And that makes for some fine film-making.

Girl in the Café is an HBO movie that takes place during the G-8 summit. At times funny, this movie takes a not-so-simple love story and transforms it into a strong political message. The girl in the café, Gina, seems very sweet at first (if a bit strange), but she surprises us when she starts confronting politicians about why they aren't doing more to end suffering in the world. Lawrence, her love interest, is a shy man who doesn't appreciate her outbursts, especially since he doesn't want to lose his job. This creates an interesting twist in this love story that succeeds in reminding us of the importance of caring about others in the world.

My last pick, which won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, is called Osama. No, not that Osama. This Osama is actually a girl who disguises herself as a boy to help support her family after her father and uncle die. The tension in this movie keeps you riveted, because at any time Osama could be found out by the Taliban — the scene where the boys are being taught to bathe themselves and the scene where Osama is punished in the well are especially hard to take. This film gives us an insider's look into the lives of men and women under the Taliban, and I highly recommend it.

Property - by Felicia If you’re looking for a compelling short novel, Property by Valerie Martin won’t disappoint. Written from the view of a white female slave owner, Manon Gaudet, the book introduces us to a familiar scenario — a woman in an unhappy marriage. The difference is that few novels give us such an honest portrayal of white women who owned slaves and how they felt about their property.
At first, Manon seems to be no different than other women of this time period. But slowly we realize that this woman can only see beyond her own circumstances. Her husband, who according to Manon is dull as can be, does seem to try to win her affections. But he commits a common betrayal of slave owners and gets one of his slaves, Sarah, pregnant. Although Manon certainly doesn’t want him in her bed, she is disgusted that he would humiliate her and have a bastard with one of their slaves. Throughout the novel, she wishes him dead so that she can pursue a happier life. But Manon’s bitterness and loneliness will never allow her true happiness.
The author teases us with glimpses of Manon’s humanity but quickly extinguishes these by giving us insights into Manon’s lack of compassion for Sarah (or any other slave), who in no way wanted Manon’s husband’s attention. Manon is blithely unaware of the harsh, miserable life that Sarah must endure and sees her simply as a manipulative, conniving woman who doesn’t know her place. When Sarah runs away after a violent encounter with a group of runaway slaves who come to the house, Manon is determined to get her back. Sarah won’t be allowed any good fortune in her life if Manon can help it. And she does.
Compelling to read, this book reminds us of slavery’s long-reaching effect on everyone it touches. The author gives us a raw, brutal portrayal of these characters and draws us into a story that forces us to think about our own ideas of race and class.

Truth Through Fiction and The Known World - by Felicia I could never understand how free blacks could own other blacks. How could they justify this? The Known World, by Edward P. Jones, sheds some light on the topic, while making the devastation and tragedy of slavery in our country all too real. The main characters in this novel, both black and white, help us to understand the impact of this institution and how it affects us to this day.

Henry is a slave until the age of 14. Although he witnesses the atrocities of slavery, he is never a recipient of his master's abuses. A few years after his parents purchase his freedom, Henry purchases his own slave, and is reluctant to tell his parents he has done so. The scene that ensues is heartbreaking. His parents' question is a simple one: How could he become a slave owner when he himself has witnessed its evilness? His decision creates a schism between him and his parents that is never repaired.

Both black and white slave owners believe that they are doing the slaves a favor. Of course, the slaves are better off than they would be in Africa, where they were just savages. The way that the black slave owners view the slaves is particularly disturbing. They seem to feel no kinship with any of them, even those who were former slaves themselves. And if they must beat or maim their slaves, it's because they deserve it. How else to keep them from doing wrong?

One of the least surprising parts of the novel occurs when some free blacks are sold back into slavery. While a common practice, the affects of this practice are hard to read. In this one instant, the story changes from tragedy to horror.

Jones' story, though fiction, is all too real in its portrayal of the relationships among whites, free blacks and slaves and really helps us understand how the history of slavery still affects our morals and beliefs.

A Tangled Web - by Felicia How does betrayal affect you? For the people in The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey, betrayal is part of their everyday lives. The main characters all have participated in the potential destruction of a relationship or a life.

Abigail is a beautiful young woman who doesn’t want anything to do with love. Sex with no strings is just up her alley. She has many sexual partners and likes the idea of sleeping with who she wants when she wants. So why would she throw away her freedom to pursue, Sean, who is married? With Abigail, chasing Sean is much more interesting than actually catching him.

We also meet Dara, who is the opposite of Abigail. She blindly falls for any guy she dates, seeing marriage and babies in every relationship. Like Abigail, she falls for a married man. But her idea of what the future holds is very different from Abigail. Her head stays in the clouds until reality finally hits her. And by then it’s too late.

Cameron, Dara’s father, left the family when Dara was a child. When she gets the chance reconnect with him, she is obsessed with knowing why he left her mother. Cameron has his own secrets and betrayals, and he struggles with whether he should be honest with his daughter about why he left. Will she still want to see him? Will she hate him?

Every betrayal builds on the next, and the relationships are intertwined in their pain, regret and lies. It’s hard to like most of the characters in this novel, but you do understand them. They are deeply flawed, but ultimately they are all people that we know – not because the stories are the same but because they are all too human.

Dara in particular is a tragic figure. She is that woman who is so desperate to have what she has bought into as a happy life. Only a husband and a baby will make her happy. Her singular ambition is a recipe for a sad and lonely existence. Dara’s decision (you’ll have to read the book to know what I mean) opens the eyes of the other characters and forces them to look at their own lives and the choices they have made. It’s not a happy novel, but it’s a compelling one.

More Good Reading - by guest blogger Felicia

Our guest blogger is Felicia, the government documents librarian at the Central library. In her spare time, she likes to read, work in the yard with her husband and chase geese in the park with her black lab Floyd.

I am a voracious reader, so I always have to have a book in hand. I read almost entirely fiction, but I will read nonfiction that catches my eye. As another poster mentioned, it’s hard to get your hands on the latest books through the library because the hold list can be very long. So I picked two books that I really enjoyed that are older and should be available at the library.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf takes place in a small town. The characters are rich, and the stories intertwined in a way that will make you feel like you grew up with them. My favorite character is Victoria, a pregnant teenager who is thrown out by her mother and goes to live with two elderly brothers. Their relationship by itself is well-worth reading this book. The brothers have never married, so at times it’s poignantly funny how they deal with Victoria and her pregnancy. You also get a chance to meet Tom, a high school teacher whose home life is painful for both him and his sons because of his wife, who will not get out of bed. I don’t remember the word “depressed” ever being used in the book, but it’s obvious she is suffering. Then there’s Maggie, a fellow teacher who struggles with her feelings for Tom.

The writing is just magical and the rural town could be any place in the country. What makes this story stand is that the author actually makes you feel what the characters are going through without being melodramatic and syrupy. I found this book hard to put down. Being from a small town, I could picture the farm where the brothers lived and the small town at the center of the story. It’s a very satisfying read.

Another book that I recently discovered is a fictionalized account of the life of Mary Todd Lincoln. Mary, by Janis Cooke Newman, takes a woman who has been vilified by history and makes her simply human. I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about Mary Todd until I read this book. Though fiction, it bases a lot of the story in fact. Yes, Mary Todd was materialistic, but the book does point to the often overlooked fact that she lost two sons when they were children and a third son he was an adult. This could have caused her infamous spending sprees on everything from ball gowns to expensive artwork and dishes for the White House. The book also delves into her obsession with séances, explaining that she was desperate to contact her loved ones.

Mary Todd was an intelligent, opinionated woman who lived during a time when these qualities weren’t considered attractive in women. And let’s not forget that she encouraged her husband to enter politics and was his steadfast ally when he sought the presidency. Although history smiles much more favorably on President Lincoln, his wife played a crucial part in history. She was pivotal in his run for the White House. This book is enlightening because it gives us another way of thinking about Mary Todd.