The Alchemy of Air by Thomas Hager

"The Alchemy of Air" has a long subtitle that spells
out the thesis of the book.

The story revolves around the Malthusian prediction made in the late
1890s that human population will outstrip our ability to produce enough food
using only the natural fertilizers available in South America and India.

The story then backs up to the bat guano and nitrate industries in Peru
and Chile in the mid-1800s, then segues into the efforts in Germany to
chemically fix nitrogen from the air for use as a fertilizer.

But that's only the beginning of the story, as fertilizers are closely
related to gunpowder, so a dichotomy results from a product that can both
save the world and destroy it.

Another twist is how all of this naturally led to the Germans inventing
a process for converting coal to gasoline, for use during World War II. Yet
the efforts to industrialize this process well preceded the Nazi efforts to
secure a source of dependable fuel within their borders.

Oh, and this was all largely conceived and executed by a chemist and by
a chemical engineer whose names you probably never heard of.


Submitted by Jim

The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye, by Nancy Springer (Young Adult)

Enola Eudoria Hadassah Holmes is Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister. One year ago her mother ran away, then, when her brothers wanted to send her to a posh boarding school, she ran also. In this book she surfaces as a finder of missing persons, or a ‘perditorian.’ Always careful to avoid either of her brothers, she embarks on an adventure searching for the Duquesa del Campo, who inexplicable disappeared one day in the Underground.

This is a delightful mystery which kept my interest all the way to the end, and I will be sure to read the other volumes in this 6-volume series.

Submitted by Guna

A Stranger in the Family by Robert Barnard

An intriquing mystery novel that not only follows the main character’s quest to find his family, but also delves into the human psyche and family interactions, this story is set in contemporary Great Britain. I don’t want to give away too much, but it would be helpful if the reader knew the history of the Holocaust. It certainly kept my attention, but left me feeling rather unsettled and sad.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

On the coldest night of a frigid winter, someone dropped a barely 8-week-old kitten into the local library’s metal drop box. The director found it the next morning, freezing, huddled into a corner of the box, covered by a ton of books. The kitten was so cold, it could barely react.

For the rest of his life, Dewey lived at the library. This is the story of how he won the hearts of many people, patrons and non-patrons, Americans and those abroad.

The cover shows a young Dewey gravely looking straight out at us. No one who loves cats will be able to resist this book.

Submitted by Guna

Isle of Woman (1st volume in the Geodyssey series) by Piers Anthony

If this were to be made into a movie (as was Clan of the Cave Bear to which it has been compared), it would be an X-rated docudrama. Anthony traces human evolution from 3.7 million B.P. to A.D. 2021, intermixing mini social studies lectures pertaining to the eras, with the story of two main characters (and their families) who keep getting reborn in each period of time. He does not dwell on details, as did Auel in her Children of the Earth series, but is exploring a theory of his relating the evolution of humankind and its cultures to sexual development in the species. He’s included an “Author’s Note” at the end to explain what he was trying to do. Even though it covers eons, it actually was a rather speedy read.


Submitted by Cathy

Scimitar by John Abbott (Evan Hunter)

An extremely-detailed terrorist thriller published in 1992 and primarily set in NYC, this novel features extremist Muslims, the FBI, the CIA, the NYPD, and a British consulate, as well as a couple of sexy American ladies. Taking place around Independence Day, this is a fast-paced summer read. Take care, though, not to set it down too often, or you may lose the threads (and names) in this intricate tapestry of deceit and murder.

Submitted by Cathy

The Revolution (DVD) by the History Channel

Quite frankly, after viewing this production, I was shocked we ever became a nation! This 13-part series is very well done. It focuses both on the military history and the political, while trying to reveal the points of view of a variety of people -- famous, infamous, and unknown. I learned many new things about the Revolution while watching it over the span of 2 weeks – one 45-minute episode a night (there’s a much shorter, final “how it was made” section). If you don’t have the time to watch all the episodes, I recommend you watch the last 2 installments (“Road to the Presidency” and “A President and his Revolution”) as they summarize the previous 11 episodes, albeit with a primary focus on Washington. Each episode can stand alone, and you will notice some repetition if you watch them all.

Submitted by Cathy (7/15/10)

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

If you are a Francophile and/or a tarot enthusiast, this is the book for you. However, even though I’m neither, once I got into the book, I was absorbed enough to stay up until 3 a.m. finishing it. This is a tapestry of mysteries interwoven with strands of action and narrative from the late 19th century and those of today. There are romances, murders, and supernatural elements, as well as discussions of Fibonacci numbers, musical scales, and Debussy (to which I listened while reading some of this – it set the mood).

Submitted by Cathy (7/15/10)

Manhunt by Janet Evanovich

This is a good summer romance set in the Alaskan winter. As the title suggests, it’s about a woman in her late 20s who has decided to leave the cold corporate world in NYC to find a warm man with whom to start a family in Alaska. She meets a hunky confirmed bachelor and the hunt is on. I don’t think I need to tell you how it ends.

Submitted by Cathy (7/15/10)

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

This is a quick and horrifying read about child marriage in Yemen (although it happens elsewhere, too) and one girl’s decision to rebel against it. Nujood tells her story of rape and servitude, but, unfortunately, she is just one among thousands. While revealing her life’s struggles, Nujood also paints a bleak picture of how women are seen and treated in her culture.
However, lest we feel too self-righteous, we should look at how we treat children and women here. We may not openly discriminate against women, but our society sexualizes children and women in a different way – primarily through advertising and other types of media. Instead of tucking our women away, we bare too much. We, too, have teen mothers, although ours were generally not forced into marriage, but allowed too much freedom and given little protection from predatory older men. While Nujood and other girls shy away from being forced to grow up quickly, teens here are pressured into growing up quickly by the entertainment industry. She had to be a wife; our girls become sexually active agents before they have mentally matured. She was told what she couldn’t do; we let our youth do too much. This would be a good thesis topic, so I’ll stop here; I trust you get the gist.
This book gives us a glimpse of how the girls feel and the pressures they and their families have to face. I wondered a bit how much of the narrative was directly from Nujood and how much was filled in by the writer. It would seem that Nujood is a very mature young lady in her observations and thoughts. Still and all, it was a very interesting and thought-provoking read.

Cathy (7/15/10)

Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde

The book Stolen begins with a young girl later called Isabelle running through the woods with no memory of who she is or why she's running. When she realizes that she can't remember she stops and ends up treed by a pack of dogs and gets hurt. The man who owns the dogs calls them off and decides to take her home and care for her. Throughout the book Isabelle tries to find out who she is, all the while dealing with a woman who believes Isabelle to be her daughter, tales of a witch who might have stolen her when she was but a baby, and a could-be sister who wants nothing to do with her. Stolen is a book that any age can enjoy although it is primarily focused on young teens.

Shelby's Folly: Jack Dempsey, Doc Kearns, and the Shakedown of a Montana Boomtown 796.83 KEL

Shelby, Montana claimed to be the next "Tulsa of the West." It became a town that made its brags and then had the courage, if not the resources, to back them up.

The focus: one spectacular heavyweight fight on a torrid 4th of July in 1923. In one corner, one of the most feared sluggers to ever live, Jack Dempsey; in the other a challenger, Tommy Gibbons, who was much like the town of Shelby itself, long on courage even unto accepting the threat of death, but just a bit short on the physical resources needed to pull off one of the great upsets in boxing history.

Mix in the fantastic national con artist, Dempsey's manager Jack "Doc" Kearns, and one of the finest bluffers Montana has ever seen, Shelby's "Body" Johnson, and you have story enough for a feature film.

It's all here, Montana's philosophy of boom or bust, winner takes all, $10,000 on the toss of a single card, and, amazingly, it's all true and told with meticulous historical detail by author Jason Kelly.

Dempsey-Gibbons was the American Dream fought with thundering fists in a dusty Montana town immortalized by its will to be champion.

Submitted by Ed

The Cow of No Color: Riddle Stories and Wisdom Tales from World Traditions, YA JAF

This book is full of short fables from different countries around the world. The tales tell of people who use the simplest of methods to get justice. In one such tale a boy uses a fly to catch a cruel man in a lie that otherwise would not get caught.

The Cow of No Color is a book for teens mostly but it is also great for adults too, just for a change.

Submitted by Rachel

Silhouette on a Wide Land, by Alan Kesselheim

In order to pay his next month's rent, author Alan Kesselheim takes a temporary job driving a truck for a rancher on the High Plains of Colorado. This job turns into a year-long stay, where he learns much about a bachelor's lonely ranching life.

Amid the recounting of the beauties, big and small, of the land, we also learn of the disappointments of life in an unforgiving land. Kesselheim recounts one bad snowstorm on the Plains, which will resonate with most Montanans, especially those from the eastern part of the state.

We also understand the bitterness of unrewarded labor, which led many early homesteaders to leave the land, although they may have also loved it.

This is an evocative narration of the true ranching and cowboy life, as opposed to the image most of us hold.

A beautifully written description of the High Plains of Colorado.
submitted by Guna

Brighid's Quest, by P. C. Cast

The first quest here is Brighid's search for her friend's brother, Cuchulainn. Both characters are damaged - Cu can't get past the murder of his betrothed, and sees little reason to keep on living. Brighid has rejected (and been rejected by) her family, and her future role as High Shaman of her herd. Gradually, they find a return to love and life, then set off on another quest, this time for Brighid's healing.

Joseph Campbell, renowned student of myth and archetype, has said that the ultimate aim of a quest has to be to acquire the "wisdom and power to serve others."

It is up to Brighid to leave what she now considers her home and return to her herd, leading them all back to health and love.

Although this is billed as a Teen Fantasy, everyone who loves a good story will like this one.

Submitted by Guna

"Lords of Finance: The Bankers who Broke the World" by Liaquat Ahamed

Lords of Finance recounts the Euro-American financial period between World War I and the
1929 Great Crash as seen from the perspective of the 4 central bankers of
the period: Benjamin Strong in the U.S., Montagu Norman in England, Emile
Morceau in France, and Hjalmer Schacht in Germany.
Ahamed does not always break new ground. Europe's demands of Germany
for war reparations (and our insistence for payback of loans from the
winning European countries) far beyond the country's capacity to pay
resulted in hyperinflation and set the stage for Hitler's rise. Strict
adherence to the gold standard fettered economies and distorted world trade
patterns. Yet the tale feels fresh and compelling in its parallels to our
present economic crash and what we know now helped us avoid a complete
breakdown of the credit market.
At first the story revolves tightly around these 4 leaders of finance,
but the thread unravels as the twenties wind down. For instance, Benjamin
Strong died in 1928, and so had no direct influence on the stock market
crash or resulting depression. Focusing on the bankers also puts John
Maynard Keynes in a supporting role. Viewed as a brash young upstart, in
retrospect his novel ideas would most likely have saved us from financial
catastrophe.
A great read, not too wonky, albeit a bit wordy. Submitted by Jim

Thank you, and good reading!

Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to the new Mineral County Library book review blog, where we will be posting as many reviews as we can. There are many wonderful books out there and we would like to write about them all, but alas that is not possible, so we will write what we can. We would love to hear from our patrons and your reviews so we can post more - come in and bring a short book review with you! Or e-mail us at mcplcircdesk@blackfoot.net.
Thank you, and good reading.