Big Ideas, Little Book

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
New York, N.Y. : Riverhead Books, 2016.
86 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.

Seven Brief Lessons is one of those lovely little science books that is at once accessible to the lay reader, but also introduces concepts and ideas that leave you more curious (and perplexed even) than when you started.  How confused or satisfied you are after finishing the book will somewhat depend on your knowledge of, and familiarity with scientific concepts.  But even a science novice can come away with a lot to ponder after reading this book.

Rovelli wants to touch on some of the most astounding and important concepts in physics that have developed in the last 115 years.  He starts out with Einstein by mentioning his "Special Theory of Relativity" which dealt with the fluid nature of time, and then proceeds to expound on what he considers one of science's preeminent masterpieces, Einstein's "General Theory of Relativity."  It is this theory that establishes space as a field that is shaped by gravity.

Rovelli continues on in his lessons to discuss quanta, the nature of the cosmos, the search for a unifying theory that will connect the macro understanding of gravity and space to the nearly incomprehensible phenomena of quantum physics at the subatomic level.  His book spirals off into ruminations on heat, time, and the "granular" nature of space itself.

He brings his book to a close with a meditation on the human condition and its place fully within the matrix of nature.

Less a book of answers - or even a summary of where physics stands - this book is more of a jumping off point for pondering the wondrous and nearly unbelievable nature of what humans know and still don't know about the universe we find ourselves in.

Admit It, You Loved It

Confessions by Kanae Minato
New York : Mulholland Books/Little, Brown and Co., 2014.
234 p. ; 21 cm.

Ok, maybe I didn't love it, but it is a good read.  It's funny to see a book praised as "a nasty little masterpiece" or "the most delightfully evil book you will read this year" - but that is the verdict on this well received first-book phenom of Japanese author, Kanae Minato.    

I found the opening of the book to be slightly disorienting - the avenging teacher at the heart of this novel is addressing her students in a way that no middle school teacher would in the US, but once you get past the slightly different mannerisms of the opening, the novel quickly pulls you in and doesn't let go. The novel opens with a punch, a teacher knows that two of her young students have killed her child, and she is leaving the school - but will get even.

The novel has been compared favorably to Gone Girl, and like that novel, it presents a really nasty view of human relationships - in this case between parents and children, children and children, and teachers and children.  There's really no redeeming characters in the book, but that doesn't stop it from being well plotted and compelling.  Part of Minato's success is the shifting narrative viewpoint.  We hear the story from about six different characters' perspectives - and from each come disturbing and/or shocking revelations.

I would definitely recommend this to a student who wants to read a good murder-thriller, revenge novel.  After all it's a vile little read that you just can't put down.

Lush Life

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
New York : Penguin, 2005, c2004.
486 p. ; 22 cm.

I first read Shadow of the Wind about 8 or 9 years ago on the recommendation of an exchange student from Argentina.  He said it was his favorite book and had changed his life.  Well, how can a high school librarian not want to read a book with that kind of intro?  I really liked it - a lot - back then, and have since occasionally recommended it to students.  Recently a student who reads a lot was asking about a recommendation for a book with a lot of mystery and plot and good writing.  I almost forgot about Shadow of the Wind, but then recalled it and suggested it to him.

Well, it had been a long time since I had read it and I thought, maybe it hasn't aged so well, or maybe it's not as good as I remember - and so I decided to read it again.  I was not disappointed.

If you look on Goodreads, you will find a lot of extremely positive reviews and a few cranky dismissals of the book.  I'm going to have to weigh-in on the side of those who love the book.  Yes, the book is a bit melodramatic, yes it is almost overly-romantic, yes it is highly stylized, but (and this is crucial) the book is all those things because it is a passionate homage to the love of literature, the love of justice and compassion, and the love of romantic love.  It also is beautifully written.

It's not a perfect novel, but it is both a delightful and haunting read.  Set in the moral, social and physical wreckage of post Civil War Spain, Ruiz Zafon makes Barcelona a character itself, as the varied heroes of the novel reveal their passionate and complex ways of surviving and being humane in fascist Spain.

If you are someone who loves reading, or literary writing, or an exploration of the passion of love, then you will certainly love Shadow of the Wind.  Not every young adult will find it to be their favorite novel, or the one that changes their life, but some will and will thank you for recommending it.

Wind, Mist, Shipwrecks and Shadows

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
New York: Little, Brown, 2011, c2010.
232p. ; 21 cm.
[trans. from Spanish] 

Ruiz Zafón is the author of the bestselling novel, The Shadow of the Wind, which I read about 5 years ago on the recommendation of an exchange student from Argentina who was attending our high school.  He was very enthusiastic about Shadow of the Wind, telling me it was the best book he ever read and that it changed his life!  I read it and was an immediate fan.  So, when The Prince of Mist was recently published in the US, I bought it for our library right away.

The Prince of Mist is interesting in that it is Ruiz Zafón's first novel, and was written back in 1993.  It was published in Spain and was both written for and marketed to young adults - unlike Shadow of the Wind, which was written for adults.

I was not surprised to find out that The Prince of Mist was his first novel - the writing is just not as accomplished as his later novel.  That he wrote it for younger readers is also apparent in that the writing is far more conventional and cliched than his later work. I was wondering as I read it, if some of the weaker passages were the fault of the author or the translator - but since Lucia Graves is the translator of both, I'm guessing the shortcomings are of the author.

Shortcomings aside, The Prince of Mist is a great read.  It's an excellent example of an atmospheric novel - set in an indeterminate place along the coast during WWII, where clocks sometimes run backwards, statues move, and a cat has more personality than many people you may know.  It also has a lot of nice touches of creepy horror - demonic voices, a malign cat, an evil clown, a shipwreck where all but one passenger died, etc. The book is also well plotted, compelling the reader to want to find out what happens, and has romance, family relationships, romance and a climatic violent struggle.  The novel is also a good example of the archetype "fairy tale" between good and evil, promises made and broken, and the dangers of making deals with the "devil."


I was meaning to read it when I bought it - since I liked Shadow of the Wind so much - but I knew I had to read it when a student returned it recently and asked if we had the sequel to the book.  He definitely liked The Prince of Mist and was eager to read the next book by Ruiz Zafón,.

Kipling's Choice

Kipling's Choice by Geert Spillebeen.
Boston : Graphia, 2005.
147 p. ; 19 cm.

This is a fine little novel about WWI. The plot centers around Rudyard Kipling's son, John and his yearning to be a soldier in the "Great War." The plot moves in and out of John's memories as he lies dying on a battlefield in Loos, France after being mortally wounded on his first day of combat.

His father is an uber-patriotic Englishman and, of course, the world famous Nobel Prize winning author. The story is in many ways a story of romantic ideals of war and patriotism crushed by the barbarity and grief of actual warfare.

John's remains are never found and this loss, the grievous toll of the war, and his own role in promoting war and his son's participation in it leave Rudyard a broken man.

This book would make a great companion read to Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun and Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front.