I think the above cartoon perfectly sums up my experience of reading (though there are generally more Cthulus in my reading experience, but anyways…). And for those of you whose heart and brain would like a bit of adventure this weekend, here are five of our newest arrivals to get you started!
The Master of the Prado: Any fans of the film Russian Ark are bound to enjoy this novelized-biography of Spain’s famous Prado Museum. Art historian and author Javier Sierra’s tale begins when he encounters a mysterious stranger in the museum who promises to reveal to him all the magnificent secrets of the galleries, the artists, and the paintings. At once an art history lesson, a charming sort of fairy tale of exploration, and a perfect guide for you arm chair tourists, this is the perfect book for a little weekend esacpe-y reading…
The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories: My utter obsession with Sherlock Holmes aside, where else are you going to find stories by Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and P.G. Wodehouse in one place anywhere else? By far, one of the highlights of this collection (in my humble opinion) is James M. Barrie’s seldom-discussed “The Adventure of the Two Collaborators”, which Barrie sent as a joke to his buddy Conan Doyle, after a play they had written together turned into the biggest flop of the year on the London stage. In it, Doyle and Barrie confront the spectre of Holmes in a battle of wits that any Holmes aficionado is bound to appreciate.
Prince of Darkness: Despite its somewhat histrionic title, Shane White’s new biography brings a fascinating, and woefully overlooked story to light in this biography of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, purportedly the wealthiest man of color in the United States during the nineteenth century. Despite his obscure beginnings, possibly as a slave, Hamilton spent his life outsmarting a system that was designed to keep him invisible. He bought shares in railroads which he wasn’t allowed to ride, he attended social functions with people who had never spoken to a non-white person, and, at the height of his wealth, was worth the equivalent of $50 million in today’s currency. White also tackles the way that history has portrayed Hamilton and his race, offering a fascinating commentary on he ways in which we as a society judge–and color–success.
Soul Machine: The Invention of the Modern Mind: George Makari takes us back to the Enlightenment, just as the Industrial Revolution was gathering steam (hardy har), and as debates over the human mind were flourishing. The Enlightenment spoke of souls, of an inner spirit that moved people to do, and to think. But as machines began to change the world at a rapid pace, more people began thinking of the mind like a machine unto itself, with the ability to compute and rationalize and problem-solve. What, then, made up the mind? Makari’s study is ostensibly about ideas, but he carefully draws connections between those ideas and resultant changes in art, government, and society, that offers insight into the world that our minds have shaped.
Dark Corners: Ruth Rendell is a establishment in the world of English mysteries, and her prodigious imagination shows no signs of slowing down at all. In this weird tale of psychological suspense, Carl Martin inherits a house in an increasingly wealthy and hip London neighborhood, which he rents in a desperate attempt to raise some capital. But when his tenant implicates Carl in a suspicious death, and begins to blackmail him in ever-more creative and disturbing ways, the stage is set for a few shocking twists, and unforeseen betrayals that is sure to get under your skin. Stephen King has said that “No one surpasses Ruth Rendell when it comes to stories of obsession, instability, and malignant coincidence.” And, as we all know, if it’s good enough for Stephen King, it’s certainly good enough for me.
Enjoy, beloved patrons! And have a safe, happy weekend!