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Jan. 17th, 2005 02:05 pm#6
Chapters from an Autobiography, by Samuel M. Steward
#7
Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist
"On a warm October night in Chicago, three deliveries were made in the same neighborhood. A plump tangerine moon had just risen over Lake Michigan. The doorbell had been rung at each place, and an envelope left propped outside."
Is it a coincidence that Ms. Hussey, the sixth-grade teacher at University School, challenges her class to think about letters that changed lives? This book is filled with coincidences, ones that sixth-graders Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay think may not be coincidence.
Why do the pentomino pieces that Calder carries seem to give him messages? How is it that Calder has a box with a reproduction of Vermeer's The Geographer that also hangs in the home of Mrs. Louisa Sharpe, whose book by Charles Fort Petra has found at Powell's Books, and why does Petra dream about Vermeer's Lady Writing? Is there any connection with the theft of that painting from the Art Institute of Chicago, and what about the odd things Calder's friend Tommy writes to him about in a pentomino-based code?
Described by the publisher as "a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art", this "children's book" delighted this adult. Truly about the importance of seeing things new ways, reminding one of Holmes' comment, "you see, Watson, but you do not observe", Chasing Vermeer will have you looking at the world, at patterns, at coincidence in ways you never did before.
And there really is a puzzle for you to solve, hidden in Brett Helquist's black-and-white chapter illustrations. (You can go to the book's website for the solution if you want, but it's much more fun to figure it out on your own.)
This book had the extra attraction for me of being set in my neighborhood. It was great fun to have part of it take place at Powell's, one of my favorite used book stores, and to know which buildings Balliett renamed. It was a bit of a shock, though, to look at the map in the front of the book and find that the First Unitarian Church has been replaced by a Post Office, and that some other landmarks seem to have disappeared!
#8
The Dangerous Hour, by Marcia Muller
Muller's latest Sharon McCone mystery is up to her usual standard. McCone's latest employee, Julia Rafael, is charged with credit-card fraud, and McCone doesn't believe it, nor does anyone else who knows her. However, the person accusing her, Alex Aguilar, is a respected member of the Board of Supervisors and founder of a job-training center, and things do not look good.
But McCone's investigation reveals that Aguilar may have plenty to hide, and that, in fact, a frame-up of Julia may have been set in place specifically to ruin McCone.
One thing I like very much about this series is that McCone and other continuing characters do not remain static. In this book, McCone continues to deal with her reaction to her brother's suicide, to her discovery of her own adoption and reunion with her birth family, and with changes in her relationship with her lover, Hy Ripinsky.
A fast-paced and well-written book.
Chapters from an Autobiography, by Samuel M. Steward
#7
Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist
"On a warm October night in Chicago, three deliveries were made in the same neighborhood. A plump tangerine moon had just risen over Lake Michigan. The doorbell had been rung at each place, and an envelope left propped outside."
Is it a coincidence that Ms. Hussey, the sixth-grade teacher at University School, challenges her class to think about letters that changed lives? This book is filled with coincidences, ones that sixth-graders Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay think may not be coincidence.
Why do the pentomino pieces that Calder carries seem to give him messages? How is it that Calder has a box with a reproduction of Vermeer's The Geographer that also hangs in the home of Mrs. Louisa Sharpe, whose book by Charles Fort Petra has found at Powell's Books, and why does Petra dream about Vermeer's Lady Writing? Is there any connection with the theft of that painting from the Art Institute of Chicago, and what about the odd things Calder's friend Tommy writes to him about in a pentomino-based code?
Described by the publisher as "a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art", this "children's book" delighted this adult. Truly about the importance of seeing things new ways, reminding one of Holmes' comment, "you see, Watson, but you do not observe", Chasing Vermeer will have you looking at the world, at patterns, at coincidence in ways you never did before.
And there really is a puzzle for you to solve, hidden in Brett Helquist's black-and-white chapter illustrations. (You can go to the book's website for the solution if you want, but it's much more fun to figure it out on your own.)
This book had the extra attraction for me of being set in my neighborhood. It was great fun to have part of it take place at Powell's, one of my favorite used book stores, and to know which buildings Balliett renamed. It was a bit of a shock, though, to look at the map in the front of the book and find that the First Unitarian Church has been replaced by a Post Office, and that some other landmarks seem to have disappeared!
#8
The Dangerous Hour, by Marcia Muller
Muller's latest Sharon McCone mystery is up to her usual standard. McCone's latest employee, Julia Rafael, is charged with credit-card fraud, and McCone doesn't believe it, nor does anyone else who knows her. However, the person accusing her, Alex Aguilar, is a respected member of the Board of Supervisors and founder of a job-training center, and things do not look good.
But McCone's investigation reveals that Aguilar may have plenty to hide, and that, in fact, a frame-up of Julia may have been set in place specifically to ruin McCone.
One thing I like very much about this series is that McCone and other continuing characters do not remain static. In this book, McCone continues to deal with her reaction to her brother's suicide, to her discovery of her own adoption and reunion with her birth family, and with changes in her relationship with her lover, Hy Ripinsky.
A fast-paced and well-written book.
