Book Pages

Been doing a lot of reading lately, because of the weather. It seems that winter just doesn't want to leave the Midwest. We get a few nice sunny days now, and back pops the cold dip in temps, and the freezing rain or snow.

So curled up in a cozy chair with the cat on my lap is the thing to do.

I have discovered Geraldine Brooks. She is awesome! Her latest, "People of the Book", is about a book preservationist who is called into Sarajevo to preserve a recently unearthed Haggadah, a Jewish prayer book, which was written in the 1500's, during the Spanish Inquisition. The interesting thing about the book is that it is illuminated, like a Book of the Hours, and the interesting thing about this book is that Ms. Brooks takes us back in time to each instance where something or someone impacted the physical nature of the book, and left its mark forever. Loved the layering of this novel, and learned so much about old books and their preservation, and what the past says about them.

On the flip side, back to the USA, to Idaho, with C. J. Box's latest, "Blue Heaven", about 2 kids who witness a crime, a murder, committed by a group of 4 retired cops. They run from the men, into the forests and mountains of Idaho, and encounter both good guys and bad guys in their attempt to get back to their mom. Both heroes and villains are well defined and described, and this is a fast-paced thriller.