Eleanor of Aquitane

Was reading the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series set in Henry II's England, so wanted to digress for a time with Alison Weir's excellent biography about his dynamic wife. Legends abound about the famous Eleanor, but as usual, Weir gets to the crux, with real historical documents by the subject and contemporary historical accounts. Somehow, Weir always finds a way to make her research into a compelling story about a misunderstood figure. I don't know how she does this in biography after biography, but she should accept the title "Mistress of the Art of Biography". Concerning Eleanor, there are many colorful stories about her, but you have to take them all with many grains of salt considering her many enemies and shifting loyalties amongst her husband and children through her turbulent life as Duchess and Queen. Her most famous children, Richard I (Lionheart) and John (Softsword), were made who they were by Eleanor's tutelage and character, but you certainly can't understand them without the context either. For movie portrayals, check out Becket, with Richard Burton as Henry II's "turbulent priest" and The Lion in Winter, the latter with the incomparable Katherine Hepburn as the Duchess herself.

The Serpent's Tale

The next book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series is another great medieval crime tale of Sicilian doctor Adelia Aguilar and her on-again, off-again beau Rowley, now the powerful Bishop of Saint Albans. Henry II (Plantagenet), King of England and his obstinate wife, Eleanor of Aquitane, are warring again. Henry calls in his special investigator Adelia to solve the murder (by Death Cap mushroom) of his lover, Rosamund, in her tower. The obvious suspect is the Queen herself, retaliating against a royal lover. The unlikely medical investigator Adelia enters a world of double-crossing lords, Catholic backlash against the killing of Thomas a Becket, unfaithful sons, and mercenaries to apply her scientific knowledge in a baffling case. With her faithful friend Gyltha, and her baby daughter Allie (is it Rowley's?), Adelia again risks her safety and reputation as a healer to get mixed up in royal intrigue. A fascinating character in a historical context I love!

Ron Santo: A Perfect 10

OK, if you are not a Chicago Cubs fan, stop reading here. Or maybe not? This story of Ron Santo, baseball player, broadcaster, humanitarian, whom we lost to cancer this winter, is certainly a sweet story for Cub Fans. But it is also a story of a man who overcame diabetes, diagnosed at age 18, to play professional baseball. A story of a man who eventually lost both lower legs to diabetes, but continued to travel with the team to broadcast what he hoped (year after year) would be a World Series season. A story of a man who endured countless laser eye surgeries, heart surgeries, and cancer treatments brought on by diabetes, but still hosted and promoted countless fundraisers for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) in communities around the Chicagoland area to make treatments better for children and adults, and make the devastating disease a little less devastating to those afflicted. He wasn't a complicated man. He wasn't a egotistical professional athlete (although famously vain about his personal appearance). He didn't have a clothing or shoe line. He didn't host a TV program on any "Decision". He didn't disgrace his sport by betting on it. He just used his gifts and fame to help others in a very simple, American way. For this he should not just be in the Baseball Hall of Fame...he should be in the American Hall of Fame. Read it, laugh, cry, smile.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Like women sleuths? This book introduces a fascinating character, Lisbeth Salander, a Swedish computer geek or as she would rather put it, "researcher", with a crazy 20-something life. She's teamed with a financial journalist, Mikael Blomkvist who is hired to dig into the mixed-up family of Henrik Vanger, a captain of Swedish industry. If it weren't for the raunchy crimes involved in both Lisbeth's current life and the disappearance of Henrik's niece, Harriet, this would be a super cliff-hanger with an unlikely pair of mystery-solvers. I loved the characters. Hated the raunchiness. If that doesn't bother you, go for it. I won't be reading the two sequels to this book, unfortunately. I'll miss following more adventures of Lisbeth, but I won't miss the graphic scenes describing unspeakable crimes against women.

The Paris Wife

Hadley Richardson, 28, has all but given up on love until she meets the fascinating Ernest Hemingway at an Oak Park party. What follows is a whirlwind courtship and marriage, and shortly after, a move to 1920s Paris to follow the writers' scene. This fictional look at Hemingway's early years is a tangled story of the chaos that comes with genius. Hadley fits in quickly to the Paris vibe, parties, cafes, more parties, odd writer friends, parties. Hem's career begins in fits and starts, as his memories of World War I haunt his dreams. Trips to Spain to view the running of the bulls and bullfighting play a key role in his later endeavors. But Hadley's dreams and Hem's do not mesh, and as many couples find, their relationship drifts away slowly. This portrayal of the early years of one of the 20th century's greatest American writers is fresh, but there is something very attainable and familiar about it. It could as well be the story of your neighbors down the block. I recommend it!

Hope Dies Last

Studs Terkel was a Chicago icon who championed the "common man" during his long literary, radio and television career. Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Troubled Times is a series of interviews chronicling the lives of common people living their hope through labor organizing, civil rights advocacy and social justice protesting. I wonder whether mainstream white Americans have lost their connections with the causes that seemed so important in the 1960s and 70s? Were they only a fad? Have these causes been left to minorities alone to promote them? Have birthers, 2nd Amendment advocates and "Tea Partiers" replaced the young whites of the sit-in, side by side with their minority brothers and sisters? Do we still even consider each other brother and sister Americans any more? Where have all the civil "disobediencers" gone? They are still out there, and you can read about them in this book. Time will tell if this book is a museum piece or a clarion call.

Time and Again

WOW! It's been a long time since I finished a book. This one starts a little slow in exposition of characters and setting, but once it gets going, it really rocks! Commercial illustrator Si Morley is recruited into a secret government project involving hypnosis and time travel. His target: New York City of the 1880's. Can Si travel to this historical world and back again to solve his girlfriend's family mystery? Will he violate the "prime directive" and avoid influencing events to an extent in which people of either time are put in danger? Can he return to the present at all? Historical New York is fascinating--imagine seeing the disembodied arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty in the local park, waiting to be assembled to its body, horse-drawn wagons and coaches, elevated trains that are, well, TRAINS. This is a great read for those who like history and/or government secret projects. :)

Death of a Cozy Writer

This is a great murder mystery send-up of the British "cozy" mystery -- Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with a knife -- smart and tight. Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk creates a family fraught with hate, indifference, jealousy and addiction. But in the end, he meets his own demise, leaving greedy heirs, a new (murderess?) wife, and skulking servants. Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just is left to sniff out the clues. Fun!

Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography

I have read and loved the comic strip Peanuts since the late 60's. Charles Schulz, its creator, was universally accepted as a cheerful, God-fearing, all-American guy. This book reveals the truly sad, tortured man he was behind the scenes. Although this book was rather depressing at times, it opens us to the genius of Schulz crafting his personally reflective work. Another fascinating story is the building of the marketing juggernaut of Peanuts, encompassing everything from greeting cards to books to toys. Fans ask, was Schulz Charlie Brown? This book unmasks Schulz as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Schroeder, Linus, and Lucy at different times in his life.

Churchill Defiant

This biography of Winston Churchill's postwar years was fascinating. Churchill Defiant outlines the triumph and tragedy of the postwar/early Cold War years as Churchill confronts medical setbacks, political defeats and unfinished plans. Thrown out of office as Prime Minister in the middle of the Potsdam talks of 1945 on a tidal Labour party victory over the Conservatives, Churchill must leave important negotiations to lower-level ministers, setting the stage for historical events that continue to impact us today. His continued efforts for high-level peace talks with the Russians were met with opposition from his own Cabinet as well as from a fearful, fumbling Eisenhower. Read this (and perhaps someday, Churchill's own multi-volume memoir of WWII) for a perspective on today's world situation and political intricacies. I wish the author had included photos from key events in the book rather than simply describing them; they would have greatly amplified the text.

Teacher Man

It's been a good while since I read Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes and 'Tis, but it wasn't long into Teacher Man that I fell back into his style: lilting Irish, but all at once "in your face". The man who must write the longest sentences in modern prose describes his days as a high school English teacher, and a brief stint at the community college level, as well as a failed attempt at a doctorate degree at Trinity College, Dublin. The failures are many for McCourt, but he gives a glimpse of the triumphs as well in teaching teens to think and create. As a parent of a teen, I wish all teachers would spend more time teaching children at all levels of study to think and create, rather than to spew information on a standardized test.

Mistress of the Art of Death

A medieval mystery? Yes, and Mistress of the Art of Death delivers a great story, historically accurate details and gripping characters, all set in the 12th century town of Cambridge during the reign of Henry II the Plantagenet. Not being one to read murder mysteries, I started this one with caution, but was rewarded with a heroic leading lady rushing to solve grisly tortures and murders of children before another is snatched for a certain death. And a love story too? Oh yes. Twists and turns? Oh yes. Looking for Franklin's next book, The Serpent's Tale starring the same leading lady? A third, emphatic yes.

Narrow Dog to Carcassonne

A retired Englishman and his wife take their canal boat on the trip of a lifetime. Canal boats apparently are NOT robust enough for a sea journey, but Terry and Monica's dream is to chug along the English canals, out the Thames, across the Channel, pop into Calais, down the French canals, through Paris, down to Carcassonne. (Why Carcassonne? It sounds nice.) Accompanied by their narrow dog, Jim the whippet, they accomplish just what they set out to do, sharing the peculiarities of modern canal travel as they go. We meet unsavory characters, hard-working but sparse lock captains, town fair patrons, bartenders, mayors, other narrow and wide dogs, and everyday people rather surprised to see an English canal boat out of its usual environs. The eighteen French phrases at the back of the book to keep on hand when traveling are not to be missed. This book is a charming keeper, especially if you have experience traveling to any of the locales it describes, or have a dream to do so.

The Pirate Queen

Made it through nine chapters of this book on Queen Elizabeth I and her pirate adventurers in the early years of her reign. It's historical non-fiction; I knew that going into it. But very HEAVY on facts, very LIGHT on story. More like a history final than a "Pirate Queen". I'm going back to Alison Weir for my English history fix.

The Red Queen

By one of my favorite authors, The Red Queen details the story of Margaret Beaufort, heir to the Lancastrian house at the time of the Wars of the Roses, York vs. Lancaster, for the British throne in the 1480's. From the birth of her son, Henry Tudor, to the battle at Bosworth Field in 1485, Margaret fights for her house and her son to rule England. Was she responsible for the death of the York princes in the Tower of London? Did she marry Lord Stanley only to gain position for the long battle to the throne? Did she love Jasper Tudor, younger brother of her husband Edmund? Like her ancestor Katherine Swynford, her life was full of intrigue, romance, defeats and victories. While this book is a novel, recurring themes of historical fiction ring true for Margaret Beaufort. If you like this book, read The White Queen by the same author, or the first (and some say greatest) book of historical fiction/romance, Katherine by Anya Seton.

The Age of Innocence

Set in New York upper society in the 1870's, The Age of Innocence spotlights Newland Archer, a young "man of means" bound to cultural duty and restraint. Engaged to cousin May, he cannot put down his unbounded feelings for Countess Ellen Olenska, his wife's cousin in an abusive marriage to a European lesser noble. "His whole future seemed suddenly to be unrolled before him; and passing down its endless emptiness he saw the dwindling figure of a man to whom nothing was ever to happen." This passage describes the role of a man in society of the time: emotionless, cool, restrained, robotic. Archer predictably chooses the life he was born to lead. But the last chapter describes his eldest son's opposite character born of rebellion to the society life, and Archer's last encounter with the path not chosen. Wharton's language and style eloquently describe the time, which pervades even the word choices she makes. Would we have chosen differently, given the circumstances?

Notwithstanding

Notwithstanding is a collection of short, but related humorous articles about the eponymous hamlet in England. You might consider it the "Lake Wobegon" of country England. I enjoyed reading this one on my recent trip to England, where the vestiges of small-town country English life appeared only if one looks very closely. There are no more men wearing bowler hats commuting into the City, but there may very well be nuns disregarding the speed limit, 42-year-old men living with their mothers, and cats chasing marauding moles. This book is a delightful summer read!

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

If you read a lot of English history, play medieval RPGs, or enjoy learning about other times and cultures, this is an interesting take on the days of knights and chivalry. Written like a travel guide, this book gives the background to medieval practices and beliefs. The culture of knights is explained thoroughly, as well as the roles and relationships between medieval women and men. The various castes of English society are explained, and the motivations of each toward religious practice, crime and their "betters". A fascinating read! I enjoyed reading this book during my recent trip to London, where the history came alive by seeing the places where it happened.

Persuasion

Haven't read Jane Austen in a while, and felt like tackling Persuasion, which I have never read. Jane spins an intricate tale as usual, setting the story in familiar territories of Kellynch manor, nearby Uppercross, Lyme and Bath. The Elliot family, led by Baronet Walter Elliot, takes little notice in daughter Anne since her mother died. Having been persuaded to break an engagement by her friend Lady Russell to Wentworth, since he has little prospects and no titles, Anne lives life waiting for something to happen. Eight years later, on the verge of another proposal from her heir-apparent cousin, William Elliot, and perhaps another from family friend Captain Benwick, now-Captain Frederick Wentworth returns, a rich and respected navy veteran. Who will persuade Anne now?

The Women

The Women is a rather depressing novel of the three women Frank Lloyd Wright made his mistresses over the course of several decades after ending his marriage to wife Kitty. Told from the perspective of one of his draftsman students Sato Tadashi, the book hurtles through the lurid details of Wright's various ill-fated love affairs, but in reverse historical order. We first encounter Olgivanna, then Miriam, then Mamah, the most famous of the group and the subject of the other popular book, Loving Frank. While the other book makes you like and pity Mamah, this book leads you to revile all three women and indeed, Wright himself. I liked Loving Frank much better than this book, even though it probably romanticized an ugly situation concerning a man who started a love affair with his client's wife before officially finishing his marriage. While some allowances have to be made for a time when most men were not engaged fathers or necessarily expected to be faithful husbands, The Women portrays Wright as a near-depraved egomaniacal spendthrift who happened to design nice houses. I can't believe that accurately portrays Wright's personal or professional lives, although perhaps that's why it's a novel.