Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union by Robert V. Remini

Clay was the man who might have been President of the United States if fate had been kinder and he hadn't made a few critical errors of judgment. Born in a hollar in Virginia, Clay made his fame as a Kentucky lawyer and politician. He was a persuasive orator, often compared to Patrick Henry of the previous generation. He was charismatic, personable, a notorious gambler, a ladies' man, with a wicked and corrosive wit. His failing was due to hubris and a willingness to follow his own vision without regard to reality.

In Washington he was quickly made Speaker of the House. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812. He became the first powerful Speaker of the House before a term as Secretary of State, where he became a powerful advocate for Latin American independence, and then as a US Senator. He gained much of his reputation by engineering the Missouri Compromise of 1820 as well as the Compromise of 1850—both major deals between the states that allowed them to continue working together while leaving the issue of slavery for another day; and the Compromise of 1833, which helped mitigate the crises between Andy Jackson and the southern Nullifiers over tariffs. All of these were nearly intractable issues that Clay somehow found a middle path for. Each one of these dilemmas would reemerge in the guise of the Civil War once he had passed from the scene.

Clay's great mistake was to make Andrew Jackson his lifelong enemy by helping deny him the presidency in 1824 and throwing it to John Quincy Adams instead. Whether he sincerely believed Jackson was unqualified, or his ambition and lack of scruples caused him to overreach, is a matter of opinion but the results were the same—a damaged reputation that was never regained despite his profound triumphs.

Robert Remini is a well respected biographer of the era between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. His work includes the definitive three volume Andrew Jackson bio, as well as biographies of Martin Van Buren, Daniel Webster, and John Quincy Adams. This work never dragged despite the great depth of information Remini included. Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union is recommended for all history buffs.

The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell

In some cases, it's wise to be suspicious of an author with multiple series in progress who seems to churn out handfuls of new titles every year. Such is emphatically not the case with Bernard Cornwell, master storyteller of the historical novel. The Burning Land is the fifth installment of Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles set in slowly-coalescing 9th century England. King Alfred of Wessex has the dream of uniting his domain with the kingdoms of Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria in a unified England, but is reaching the end of his life. Time and again he has relied on the pagan Northumbrian Uhtred, a fearsome military leader trained by the invading Danes, to fend off attacks to his kingdom. Now, Uhtred has grown tired of Alfred's machinations and attachment to the Christian church, and leaves his service to join the resurgent Vikings and Danes. This book covers two decisive historical battles in Wessex - Farnham and Beamfleet.

Like the book itself, Uhtred is a fascinating mix of historical detail and expert storytelling. Cornwell has an amazing ability to bring history to life through Uhtred's cynical, blunt, and coarse words. The reality of late-9th century life is on full display in the stench, gore, and fatalistic acceptance of murder, rape, and war. Yet like Uhtred, Cornwell's books are accurate depictions of historical military engagements and everyday life, and the crude exterior cannot hide a shrewd and highly entertaining tale. Especially interesting for readers who enjoy court intrigue are the continual manipulations of Alfred, who plays kingdom against kingdom and faction against faction (all the while managing to adhere to his fervent devotion to Christianity). The clash of custom and belief between the Danes, Vikings, and the Christians is another highlight of this series.

Cornwell writes a handful of other series, mostly concerning pivotal moments in British and American history. His long running Sharpe series focuses on the British army's battles during the Peninsular Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries, while he explores the Arthurian period in the Warlord Chronicles, the Hundred Years War in the Grail Quest series, and the American Civil War in the Starbuck Chronicles. For one of Cornwell's inspirations for his Sharpe series, try C. S. Forester's Hornblower novels (which deal with nautical engagements as opposed to Cornwell's land warfare). Simon Scarrow's Cato series goes back to the Roman invasion of Britain, far before the setting for Cornwell's books but frequently mentioned in them. For intrepid readers not fearful of fantasy sagas with strong historical details, try David Gemmell's Troy series, which features similarly brutal and realistic battle scenes (in the Troy of the Aeneas) or George R. R. Martin's epic of warfare and court intrigue A Song of Ice and Fire. All of these series have strong action elements and make for simply excellent storytelling entertainment.

Diary of a Young Girl

For her 13th birthday, Anne Frank received a diary from her father and began writing in it almost immediately. One month later, Anne and her family moved into back rooms at her father's office in Amsterdam to avoid arrest under Nazi occupation. What follows is horrifying on both a global level and, in the case of Anne Frank's surviving diary, painfully intimate and personal.

This March marks the 65th anniversary of the death of Anne Frank at Bergen-Belsen, almost a year after her family's arrest and about a month before Allied forces liberated the concentration camp.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is often required reading in schools, but truly does deserve attention from all ages. Writer Roger Rosenblatt wrote about the enduring legacy of the diary several years ago when Time magazine honored Anne Frank as one of the most important figures of the century and states that "the reason for her immortality was basically literary. She was an extraordinarily good writer, for any age, and the quality of her work seemed a direct result of a ruthlessly honest disposition."

The Late, Lamented Molly Marx

In her second novel, Sally Koslow scores with this light yet serious look at life from the hereafter. Molly Marx, wife for seven years, mother for three, has died mysteriously in a bike wreck in New York City's Riverside Park. Did she take a nasty tumble in the big wind before the year's first thunderstorm? Did she kill herself after writing a long emotional letter for her daughter Annabel, not to be read until she grows up? Did her dermatologist husband's lover--pushy, ambitious Stephanie--grind her into the rocks either accidentally or on purpose? Or did sweet Luke, her photographer heartthrob totally lose it when she told him she had to break off their relationship? What happened the day Molly died is not the most important part of this book, instead it's the message to enjoy each day no matter how imperfect. How incredibly rich, sensual, interesting life looks when it's suddenly closed off to you.

Molly's voice, earnest, searching, and often riotously funny keeps you turning the pages. You learn about her family: her Mom and Dad, Claire and Daniel Divine, with their perfect marriage, one Molly aspires to but knows she can never achieve. Her twin, Lucy (Moosey), passionate and impetuous who careens through life, sometimes risking too much; Molly's husband, Barry, maddeningly flawed, but who perhaps cares for her more than Molly knows or even wants. Koslow also includes a cast of other interesting characters: the best friend, Brie, and Brie's Latin love, Isadora, her mother-in-law, brittle, ambitious, and totally impossible, Delfina, the incredibly kind nanny who holds their household together, and, finally, Hiawatha Hicks the detective assigned to her murder case. Molly loves fashion and food, both perhaps too much. Koslow spins fashion labels like a Vogue writer, but she has the empathy to really understand people and the connections among them. On one level you can read this book as a frothy take on a rich New Yorker's life; but on other level, it's an optimistic rendering of what it means to be human and confused, a state that lasts even after death. Other books where the deceased speak are The Lovely Bones and the much lighter That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo.

Fiesty Female Friendships

March is Women's History Month, and in honor I dug up an article from The New York Times from last year that reports on evidence that having female friendships is actually good for your mental and physical health. As mentioned in this article, The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow came out about this time last year too. This non-fiction book reports on a group of friends from Ames, Iowa whose remarkable friendships have remained close despite geographic distances and have supported each other through family deaths, divorces, children, career pitfalls and life's general ups and downs.

A quick catalog search for female friendships in fiction brings up hundreds of results. Titles in this genre range from fun fiction including titles like Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik and The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs to giggly good times for teens as typified by Ann Brashares' popular series Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (my own personal guilty friendship favorite). Interested friendships of a little more serious nature? Try Sula by Toni Morrison, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See or even the classic Vanity Fair by William Thackery.

During this Women's History Month, I'd like to thank all my women friends for making that hill seem not so steep. Celebrate with some fantastic female fiction today!

Books Plus Book Discussion for March

Please join us on Sunday, March 7th, to discuss the One Book One Bloomington title for the year.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is part family history, part homage to comic books, and all character-based following two Jewish cousins from the age of 19 to 32. Set in Czechoslovakia, New York, and even Antarctica, this novel is epic in scope. Come tell us what you think of the Pulitzer Prize winner. If you haven't had time yet to finish it yet, come to discover information about the author and this very modern book. Kyle Knight, an Indiana University School of Library Science's student and a MCPL intern will lead the interesting discussion. For more details, see below. Hope to see you there.

Books Plus meets the first Sunday of each month from 2:00-3:00 in Program Room 2B at the Main Library. All are welcome. Join the discussion or simply come to listen.
No registration necessary. Drop in.

Vampire Books

What is the deal anyway with all the vampire books? They are everywhere - from sparkly titles for teens to darker reads from the Swedes and everything in between. Like it or not, vampire books have become part of our pop culture fabric - both in print and on the screen. I admit to a love/hate relationship with this particular sub-genre, but was fascinated by a recent article from NPR corespondent Margo Adler, who recently read a whopping 75 vampire books! Adler argues that vampire books are a bit more nuanced and morally complex than in the past. I don't think I could read with such focus, but the article did pique my interest in at least one new title.

Do you have a favorite vampire book?