SERIOUSLY?!

What is wrong with me?!  I've just been through my genres (i.e. "labels") and realized that I have only ever once mentioned the Alienist and its sequel, the Angel of Darkness.  I must be mad.  They are by Caleb Carr, the wonderful author who brought Holmes and Watson back to life so well in the Italian Secretary.  Both the Alienist and Angel, or the "Kreizler books" as I'll probably start calling them from now on, pre-date the Secretary and are by far superior.

The two books, if you have not read them, center on the adventures of Dr. Lazlo Kreizler and his friends and colleagues as they solve turn-of-the-century New York's most baffling serial crimes.  I shan't give away too much, because you must read them.  They are fast-paced, highly entertaining, and very thought-provoking.  I've read both repeatedly -- as in more than four time a piece -- and never tire of them.  Once I pick up the Alienist, and I cannot put it down until I have finished it.  READ IT!  You must!

HOLMES AND WATSON LIVE!

One of my favorite things to listen to lately has been the Sherlock Holmes radio play podcast in iTunes. The majority of the ones broadcast are the ones starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, which oddly brings a measure of believability to them. I enjoy them immensely. They have led me to read he Hound of the Baskervilles (I Break for Holmes), which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Normally, I am not one to read books by one authoring featuring another author's characters, but when it comes to author Caleb Carr, I'm willing to make an exception. He is one of the most thorough, masterful tellers of mystery stories I've ever read. His books on Lazslo Kreizler, the Alienist and the Angel of Darkness are two of my favorite books. I reread them repeatedly. My sister Ginna and I both reread them often. They are amazing. When I saw the Italian Secretary, it looked very interesting. I didn't read it right away -- I believe I was in the middle of the final Harry Potter.

I finally picked up the Secretary last Monday (and finished it on Thursday). Carr was faithful to the method Conan Doyle used to tell his stories -- Watson's point of view. Carr was once again masterful in his method of storytelling. I could almost hear Nigel Bruce telling this story, which for me, was like having Watson himself tell me. The story had an element of the supernatural that was never fully explained, which bothered me a little because I don't really care for loose ends. But this loose end had a purpose, and that purpose was for the reader, as well as Watson, to draw her one conclusions. It bugged me enough (not in a bad way) that I was thinking about it for days afterward, wondering what Holmes believed.

There was plenty of history, one of the things Carr, as a history professor, is wonderful at weaving into his stories. It takes place in Edinburgh, a city I have been able to visit, and that made a difference in being able to "be there."

If you like mystery and history, check this one out. Perhaps it will lead you to read the original Holmes stories, or more of Caleb Carr, both of which I highly recommend.

A SUPPOSED HISTORY

I have finally finished another book. Whew! It was short, but I've been so busy that it's taken what seems like FOREVER!

I completed The Persian Legacy and the Edgar Cayce Material by Kevin J. Todeschi. I was not really familiar with Cayce, but he was a psychic and medium of sorts of the early 20th Century. His specialty was past life reading, and the book I read was a historical narrative of sorts created from specific past life readings regarding Persia.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. As a History buff, that's what I was most interested in, even if it is just a supposition. Still, it was interesting to read about the beginnings of Zoroastrianism as well as a history of the Greek conquests. Cayce claimed that evidence of this City of the Plains and Hills, around which the stories centered, could still be found around the city of Shushtar. Todeschi points out in his afterword that the city of Troy was believed at one point to be a legend and nothing more. It is a good point.

I don't know that I'd necessarily recommend this book. It was very different. Cayce's "writing" style was quite odd and antiquated, which made those passages difficult to read. Granted, I was really interested in them in the first place. Overall, it was a quick read. And slightly thought-provoking, and I'm just glad I only paid a quarter for it!

And rest easy, Stephen O'Shea -- Sea of Faith has made it out of the bathroom!

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

While there were no messages in bottles in the Nutmeg of Consolation, there was certainly a lot of intrigue, most of it, as usual, on Stephen Maturin's part. After being shipwrecked in the last installment of the series, Aubrey and Maturin were about to set sail on a small ship built from the wreckage of the Diane. Unfortunately, they are caught unawares and that chance fades.

Maturin, once again displaying both his cunning and his tenderness, he contrives their escape after meeting a group of children.

The men of the Diane have to endure plenty, including learning the ways of a new ship, the Nutmeg, pox-infected islands, and drunkenness (which is of course normal).

Fans of the series will be delighted to see the return of Maturin's gentle and giant lob-lolly boy, Padeen, who was sent to the Australia for breaking into an apothecary's. His return is short, since it happens near the end of the novel, but it promises to extend into the next book, if not the remainder of the series.

Often in my old book blog, I compared the movie with the books. I have never quite understood why people were so against Russell Crowe playing Aubrey. I think he was perfect for the part. As was Paul Bettany as Maturin. In fact, and here's my main point, I believe that the men cast as O'Brian's wonderful characters, from Aubrey to old Joe Plaice, were perfectly cast, so much so that because O'Brian rarely describes his characters in great physical detail, I see the men who played them onscreen as I read, and I have no problem with that. When I read the scenes with Padeen, I once again saw John DeSantis, the giant of a man who played him in the film.

A TRIUMPHANT RETURN FOR JACK AUBREY

On my old book blog, I chronicled my reading of the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. I have recently finished the 13th book, The Thirteen-Gun Salute, after waiting first, for the money to buy it, and second, for the bookstore to have it in stock.
The 12th book ended with Jack and Stephen on the Surprise as a letter of marque, or privateer, Jack having been struck off the list of captains. This book told of his return to the Naval List, which I was dying to happen, and how he and Stephen go to the South China Sea to meet with a sultan and form a treaty.

It was so nice, after a couple of months of a break, to be back with my two new favorite characters! I missed Aubrey and Maturin and O'Brian's writing. What a pleasure it was to travel with the two of them again. It was an interesting voyage. Of course, Aubrey and Maturin are such strong characters, but more dimensions than most other writers. O'Brian has to be my favorite writer right now. I thoroughly enjoy him and all his work I've read.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MYTH AND REALITY

I finished Mayflower yesterday on the way home from work. Thank God for public transportation. Nathaniel Philbrick, the author, made a point of discussing the difference between myth and reality when it comes to the Pilgrims. We grow up thinking they were oppressed by their country, misunderstood because they desired a return to "purer" spirituality, and that they were simply handed the plantation of Plymouth. How wrong we are, to an extent at least.

The original Pilgrims maintained a level of understanding that their children and grandchildren forgot. It was sad to read how inferior their understanding of the lives of the Indians was. If you really want to understand what the Pilgrims were truly like, read this book. It was quite interesting.

HALFWAY THROUGH MAYFLOWER

I decided to read this book because my beloved grandmother, who passed away two years ago, is a direct descendant of John and Priscilla Alden, who are often major players in retellings of the Mayflower story. I'm only halfway through the book, but I have already learned that Priscilla did not come over on the original voyage, but was part of a later arrival of Pilgrims who bolstered the population after more than half the original travelers had perished from the elements. Philbrick's writing style is much more accessible than most non-fiction writers. He tells his story as though he's giving it through oral tradition, which seems appropriate given the era he's writing about.

So far, I have enjoyed it immensely, and it has been hard to put down. I want to know what happens to the Pilgrims, especially now that in, at this point in the narrative, the Pilgrims are on the brink of war with the Natives.