Pluto, a Planet again according to Illinois

Bless their hearts:

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that as Pluto passes overhead through Illinois’ night skies, that it be reestablished with full planetary status, and that March 13, 2009 be declared “Pluto Day” in the State of Illinois in honor of the date its discovery was announced in 1930.

There's more details here.

Lauretta, who needs to get one of these t-shirts.

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

I was so excited to see a Helen Garner book actually published here in the US. She is my favorite Australian author. The Spare Room is searing. Our character prepares the spare room for a friend's visit. A friend who is dying of cancer, refuses to admit it and has become prey to medical charlatans. How far can a friendship be pulled? Affirmation and hope are the initial responses but as the care exhausts the carer the truth can rise brutally to the surface. We are pulled along and into that vortex by the author's clear unadorned prose.

Somehow Garner can conjure the particular and the universal in one story. How much can a friend ask and how much can the other give? Nicola is a frustrating mix of open hearted love, vulnerability and stubborn frightened denial. An ancient hippie. Helen, her friend of 15 years, is a good friend, someone who cherishes friendship but is driven to the edge. Their way through, not around, this problem is beautifully explored.

I would recommend any of Helen Garner's writing as a rare experience.

Anne

Jade Lady Burning & Slicky Boys by Martin Limon

Jade Lady Burning & Slicky Boys by Martin Limon

I've discovered another Soho Press author - Martin Limon. He set his series in post war South Korea, on US army bases with their accompanying pleasure quarters. A harsh environment but it's growing on me. The interactions with Koreans from bar owners to bar girls are definitely unvarnished. Limon also gives us glimpses of civilian Korean life with some very nice sensitive cultural pieces.

Our hero is a part Mexican kid in his 20s who was foster home reared. Sueno reenlists after one stint in Korea and is now working as a Sargent in Criminal Investigation Division. He prefers the truth to comfort in his job. What would the genre do if our guys and gals were not driven and unable to settle for less?

Sueno's sidekick is Ernie Bascom - the brawn with a short fuse when it comes to officers. He is usually quiet preferring to view the female landscape through those bottle cap lenses. Together they investigate military murders, managing to create havoc and step on a few toes as they go.

Anne

The Rose Variations by Marisha Chamberlain

The Rose Variations by Marisha Chamberlain

What adventures Rose has had in this book. Life adventures, professional adventures. I enjoyed the setting in a university music department in Minnesota. Rose is a composer working her way to tenure, while at the same time experiencing a variety of relationships. It felt close, emotionally, to real life, and was fascinating to re-experience that time of one's life.

The narrative moved along with less wallowing in the emotions than I expected. There was always another experience around the corner.

The biggest questions in the book are will our heroine earn tenure and will she find love, despite a dysfunctional upbringing. I found myself hope she would find both and I will let you,dear reader, be the judge of that.

Anne

Reisterstown Readers has a new blog!

Our local library has a Book Club that's been running a number of years - and they just started a blog! Welcome, Reisterstown Readers to the blogosphere! They meet the 2nd Thursdays of the month at the Reisterstown Library - and their next book is Manhunt.

Lauretta

R.I.P. Philip Jose Farmer

Philip Jose Farmer passed away at age 91 Wednesday the 25th. I vividly remember "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" and it pushed me to think about what it is to be a human being. Actually,
that's my personal definition of good science fiction - it forces you to think, specifically about humans and the human condition.

There's a lovely obituary in Farmer's local paper.

What stories do YOU remember from Philip Jose Farmer?
Lauretta

Do you ever cry when reading a book?

HeatherJ, over at Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books, is running a poll to find out how many folks cry when reading books. As opposed to watching movies, listening to music, etc.

I remember crying several times during really sad bits of stories. Not often, by yes, when the boy threw himself into Lloyd Alexander's Black Cauldron.

Interesting question, no? Go have a look.
Lauretta