Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Graham-Smith

Reading this book was a guilty pleasure. The truth, however, is that this book is a fraud. But a fraud I highly recommend. It is really a very accessible biography of Abraham Lincoln, with a few vampires thrown in so people will read it. I read an interview of the author and he said that he was in a bookstore and found a big popular display of Twilight (the precipitator of vampire mania in the publishing world) and Team of Rivals, (the latest premier Lincoln biography.) He figured what would really sell was a Lincoln vampire book! And was he ever right! He said in that same interview that Lincoln is such a great man that he had to make sure the book reflected his integrity, which I feel it does. I learned a great deal about the man, his family, and his politics. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I fear that Hollywood will change the emphasis from Lincoln to vampires. Too bad. I hope tons of kids are reading this book and absorbing some critical American history as they indulged their vampire cravings. Now both Team of Rivals by Goodwin and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Graham-Smith top my “To Read” list.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life by Louise Penny is fundamentally a murder mystery. However, the mystery itself takes a back seat to the engaging, well-developed characters and the setting of the story. The story takes place in the apparently invented village of Three Pines in the Quebec Providence. The village is not on the way to anywhere. It is hard to find, but visitors that happen upon it often choose to stay. The vistas are breath taking, but the weather can be brutal, providing a perfect home for characters ranging from hardy outdoorsmen to sensitive artist. The villagers are quirky and complex. But the unthinkable happens in the town where no one locks their doors. A murder takes place, bringing Inspector Armand Gamache and his team into the mix. I didn’t think I would ever appreciate a detective as much as I do P.D. James’s Inspector Dalglish, but I believe I like Gamache better. After finishing the book, I felt like I had experienced a psychological examination of all the characters and their interactions. We are left with the comforting understanding that everyone has “baggage” that they are not proud of, and that it is up to each individual to rise above his perceived potential. The books in infused with literary reference and life homilies that you have the urge to jot down and live by.