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The Arroyo Book Club will be reading The Girls of Atomic City in October. This book, by Denise Kiernan, tells the story of the women who spend the war (the second world war, of course) working in the town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Library Journal says this about the book:Kiernan (Signing Their Lives Away) writes compellingly of the women who toiled in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. Living and working with thousands of others in a secret city built almost overnight, those involved in the "Project" were unaware that they were contributing to the most revolutionary scientific discovery of the 20th century. Moving between the individual narratives of the women workers and the story of the development of atomic fusion, Kiernan emphasizes the secretive nature of the work yet gives readers a greater understanding of the larger historical context. The endnotes provide comprehensive information about primary sources consulted as well as oral interviews Kiernan undertook with surviving workers. However, no complete bibliography is included. VERDICT This work complements Russell Olwell's At Work in the Atomic City: A Labor and Social History of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Kiernan capably captures the spirit of women's wartime opportunities and their sacrifices in what is ultimately a captivating narrative.Sounds intriguing. Pick up your copy and plan to join us for discussion on October 24 at 3:00.
Charlaine Harris continues her story of the inhabitants of Midnight, Texas with Day Shift (previous book Midnight Crossroad (see earlier post)). In this book Manfred Bernardo, a psychic, has a client die mid-reading and must then cope with accusations from the client’s deranged son. Meanwhile he discovers just what Olivia does for a living and the Reverend has a strange house guest. As with the first book, this is a book to read for the characters and the mystery behind each of them. Recommended for fans of Harris and those who like light fantasy.
In Alphabetical Michael Rosen takes a look at the modern English alphabet, letter by letter. Each chapter includes a history of the letter in question as well as the author’s stream of consciousness thoughts about the letter. Truthfully the book is not what I was expecting. I was hoping for something a little more scholarly and informative and less one man’s thoughts on the things the letter “k” makes him think of. I failed to finish the book. I’m not sure I would recommend the book to anyone though people who are already fans of the author might enjoy it.
given to any person who while undergoing a course of basic training in the United States armed forces demonstrates outstanding qualities of leadership, best expressing, in the words of the citation, “the American Spirit-honor, initiative, loyalty and high example to comrades in arms.”The question (& answer) were taken from p. 58 of American War Medals and Decorations by Evans E. Kerrigan. The book was published by Viking in 1964.
Gail Carriger carried her Parasol Protectorate series into the next generation with the start of a new series, The Custard Protocol, featuring the children of principal previous series characters (if you could follow all of that). In Prudence we meet Rue (i.e. Prudence), her best friend Primrose and assorted other characters. Rue is given a dirigible and sets off to India to see into investing in a new type of tea… the novel is set in a steampunk/paranormal version of Victorian England. Rue does travel to Indian and succeeds in her tea mission but that is, of course, the least of what happens.
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear is a fascinating book that probably can be best categorized as steampunk. It is set in a fictional late 19th century past and follows the life of Karen Memery a girl who winds up working in a bordello (yes as a prostitute) after her parents die. This aspect of the story is not, however, by any means the focus of the book. Plot threads involving a crooked politician (who has access to a brain altering device - obviously not something you’d want in the hands of any politician), a serial killer who has fled to their town, a (very outré) plot by foreigners to take over Alaska, and more. In true steampunk fashion there are plenty of machines around as well as dirigible (of course) and a “guild of mad scientists”.
This week’s
question was where do you find the most important ruby deposits? Some of the most important ruby deposits are
in Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
Seanan McGuire continues her InCryptid series with Pocket Apocalypse. In this book, Alexander Price follows his girlfriend to Australia to deal with an outbreak of lycanthropy-w (otherwise known as werewolves). Once there he has to deal with the local group that deals with non-human populations and who don’t welcome outsiders, his girlfriend’s family (who really don’t welcome him), some misconceptions about werewolf ability, and more. Readers can enjoy this book without having read the previous works in the series. I would recommend it to fans of urban fantasy that is leavened with humor.