Wrapping Up the First Year of Coffee By the Book

Our first year of Coffee By the Book, a unique book group held at Bailiwicks Coffee Company, wrapped up  with a terrific discussion of Shalom Auslander's Hope: A Tragedy.  This tragicomedy focuses on Solomon Kugel, a hopeless man who moved his family to Stockton, New York to start over.  But things begin to go south when he must take in his ailing mother, whose claims of suffering in a concentration camp (she didn't) threaten to grind on everyone's nerves.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  A lunatic is burning down houses in the neighborhood, seemingly at random.  Solomon's job is not going as well as it once was.  And finally, an old woman claiming to be Anne Frank is living in his attic.  Mix this with the dark humor of Auslander and you have a title unlike any other.

We thank Bailiwicks for their tremendous support in this endeavor and look forward to working with them again in September.  In case you missed you missed this year's offerings, check out the video below to whet your appetite for the next session of Coffee By the Book!




Chris May- Head of Adult Services

The Sky Over the Louvre

These past few years, graphic novels have gained in popularity and legitimacy, and today I am reviewing a particularly artistic example of the format. The Sky Over the Louvre, by Bernard Yslaire and Jean-Claude Carriere, uses a blend of words and gorgeous art to depict the history of the Louvre museum (and is co-published by the same). The origin of the museum goes back to the French Revolution, Robespierre, and all those other names from your high school history class.

The book explores the philosophical, political, and social changes occurring in France at the time through the lens of an artist trying to paint images that will symbolize the Revolution. An angelic young man, Jules, arrives in Paris and meets the great painter Jacques-Louis David, who has been commissioned by Robespierre to create a painting of the Supreme Being. It is supposed to replace the Christian religion that gave the monarchy the right to rule. But David is captivated by the young man and wants to create his individual masterwork using Jules as a model, not paint what the government orders him to paint. What kind of painting will he create? And what will be the consequences of his actions?

This graphic novel is a wonderful, smart blend of history, art, and storytelling. Think comics are just for kids who can't read real books? Think again. The Sky Over the Louvre is a prime example of images and story weaved together to create a compelling, sophisticated piece of art.

Colum McCann Does It Again

If you have read Let the Great World Spin, you know exactly what I am talking about.  McCann's ambitious 2009 title won the National Book Award for Fiction and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.  The wait for his follow-up to that classic is finally over.  TransAtlantic is set for an early June release and I can assure you that it is every bit as good as its predecessor.

The story focuses on three different events: the transatlantic flight of Jack Alcock and Arthur Brown, Frederick Douglass traveling to Ireland for a series of lectures, and Senator George Mitchell also going across to attempt to move along the Northern Ireland peace talks.  Witnessing these events are four generations of women, beginning with housemaid Lily Duggan.  She is influenced by meeting Douglass and makes a decision that has a profound effect on her later generations.  Her daughter Emily, granddaughter Lottie, and great-granddaughter Hannah are each affected by Lily's decision and the later events of Alcock/Brown and Mitchell. 

The way McCann can create such interesting characters and weave a tale around three vastly events shows why he is such a talented writer.  From the first page until the final heartfelt moment, you will not want to put this one down.

Chris May- Head of Adult Services

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

I'm sure that many of our Tiffin readers heard that award-winning author Megan Abbott visited Heidelberg University a few weeks ago for a talk about her writing and to promote her new book, Dare Me.

Intrigued by a famous author visiting our lovely little town, I picked up her newest novel about the dark, twisted world of high school cheerleading. Stay with me here -the topic may sound trite, but the prose is lyrical and amazingly descriptive, and the characters real and complex (Fair warning - you might learn more than you ever wanted to know about competitive high school cheerleading).

Addy and her best friend Beth are the queens of their cheer squad and the school, until a new coach, cool and commanding, demands their attention and respect. The new coach throws their carefully constructed hierarchy into chaos and motivates the girls for the first time to strive to be more than they are, to overcome the facade of studied indifference, to impress her. The novel captures the boredom and potential of the teenage years perfectly. Anything can happen, but at the same time nothing happens at all until the coach and her squad are embroiled in a police investigation that threatens to tear them apart. The book explores the bonds of friendship and what it means to be a girl, all while detailing the machinations of these teenage girls, which rival Machiavelli. Pick up this book for its intense character study and gripping story, which will leave you dumbfounded.

Inferno Set For May 14 Release

Robert Langdon's adventures will soon continue in the fourth installment of Dan Brown's immensely popular series.  The latest title, Inferno, is set to be released later this month. 

If you have not already read this extremely popular series by Brown, what are you waiting for?  Check out the prior books in the series in anticipation of this latest thriller.  Angels and Demons is the first thriller in the series.  Langdon discovers a plot against the Catholic Church by an underground organization known as the Illuminati.  He travels to the Vatican to try to find a bomb planted by the Illuminati before it's too late.

The second book, The Da Vinci Code, begins with a murder at the Louvre. The victim has left clues that only his daughter, who is a cryptologist, and Landon, a symbologist, can decipher.  The clues are supposed to lead to the Holy Grail, but there are others who are racing against Langdon to find this treasure.

A mysterious object adorned with five symbols is found at the U.S. Capitol Building in The Lost Symbol.  Famed symbologist Langdon recognizes it as an object that could lead to wisdom held for centuries by Masons.  When his mentor, a Mason himself, is kidnapped, Langdon is forced to follow the symbols into a potentially dangerous situation.

Read the whole series and check out the thrilling fourth book, Inferno, soon!

Poppet - Upcoming Novel by Mo Hayder

I had the chance to read an early release copy of Poppet by Mo Hayder, which is number six in the Jack Caffery series and will be released on May 14, 2013. Fans of hardboiled detectives and  police procedural mysteries with a hint of the supernatural will adore this novel.

The story opens in a psychiatric hospital in England. The patients are terrified of a malevolent being called the Maude who sits on their chests while they sleep, like a succubus. At first the collective delusion is brushed off as mass hysteria, but then several patients die in questionable circumstances. Is there a supernatural being on the loose? Or is the culprit entirely human? Detective Jack Caffery is called in to investigate the mystery and find the truth.

If you have never read the previous Jack Caffery novels, you will be fine - first time readers like me can jump right in because the backstory is largely irrelevant. However, the main character, Jack Caffery, is not particularly sympathetic or engaging. He was unrealistic in that he seemed to know everything, with a gruff exterior and tragic past typical of the archetype of noir detective. Supporting characters were much more interesting and dynamic, especially one of the hospital administrators, AJ. However, Hayder excels at creating suspense and creepy atmosphere for her novel, as well as a gripping plot. She keeps you guessing throughout, and the actual villain of the piece will come as a complete surprise. Hayder creates a frightening, intriguing story with twists you won't see coming.