A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Wow! Witches, vampires, daemons and humans inhabit the world in a delicate balance between the magical and non-magical world in this debut novel. Most of the  humans don't realize there are magical beings as they make every attempt to "fit-in". When historian Diana Bishop,  opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, she attracts all sorts of attention -- from the magical creatures who fear the status quo will be disturbed by the information in this book.  And so begins a rousing, fascinating story that becomes a love story when the vampire, Mathew Clairmont and witch, Diana, go against the traditions and magical taboo of inter-specie relationships.

 Alas, it's another trilogy with the second book, Shadow of Night to be released in the summer, 2012. I couldn't put it down and am now eager for the next one. The author has written several non-fiction books previously and had done extensive research for this book -- lots of history involved in the story too.

If you liked the Twilight series, you'll love this one also and find it very well written.. It's a wildly fascinating read. The prose is fluid and I had the impression of witnessing the events as they were happening.

The captive heart by Dale Cramer

For some time I've read books with an Amish setting. They typically provide a good story and a peek into the Plain People's unique way of living. This is the second book in the Paradise Valley: Daughters of Caleb Bender trilogy by Dale Cramer.  The author's father was Old Order Amish and he has Amish relatives so he brings authenticity of his writings. In 1922, a group of Ohio Amish moved to Paradise Valley in Mexico to establish a community there.  This was a period of unrest in Mexico with bandits roaming freely and terrorizing peasants and farmers.  The story revolves around Miram and her growing affection for Domingo, who works with her father and the other residents. I actually enjoyed the first one much more than this one. I sometimes have the feeling that a author stretches out a story line to make it into a three book deal. But if when I read the first of a trilogy, I want to read the next one and after that I want to find out the end of the story -- so I suppose this is a successful book publisher strategy.

Several years ago I read another book by this author, Levi's Will which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a prodigal son story with an Amish setting.

Additional books

Since I was with our grandson, Lee, I had the chance to read several picture books of interest to him.

Dinosaur Dig! by Penny Dale was a popular book with Lee. Counting the dinosaurs as they dig and build their own swimming pool.  This was the most popular among the new ones we got. Others that met the Lee Seal of Approval were: Llama llama red pajama by Anna Dewdney, How does a dinosaur say goodnight by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague; Red truck by Kristen Hamilton and Richard Scarry's Busytown.  Lee loves to be read to and really concentrates on the illustrations.

We went to Barnes and Noble in Louisville and picked out four new books to add to his personal library. That B&N has a very attractive children's area complete with a Thomas the Train track and play area. Very popular with this 3 year old!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

A friend recommended this book to me -- great way to find good books! It's a book about many things -- ethics, accessibility and race in particular.  Hennrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer and treated at John Hopkins Hospital (a charity hospital) in 1951 and died shortly thereafter. In the course of her treatment, cell samples from her tumor were taken and cultured without her knowledge or consent. They became HeLa – the immortal line of cells that would change the world; advanced medical understanding of cancer and other diseases, and underpinning the polio vaccine, IVF, cloning, and more. The cells launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials but her family cannot afford health insurance.  Watch Book Trailer


Ethics:
Black Americans have had reason to distrust the medical profession; the history of experimentation exists on multiple fronts. Tuskegee Experiment was just one. There was no informed consent given by Henrietta or any family member. Her family never benefited from this huge industry or really never had much information about what had happened.

Accessibility: Americans, particularly the poor, still struggle with finding health care today.  Then, apparently, some doctors felt that since it was charity care, the donation of cells for research was a fair exchange. Hennrietta's family still doesn't have ready access to medical care.

Race:  The specter of a second tier of citzenship is also evident in this book.

Winner of numerous awards and prizes in 2010, this book is scheduled to be made into a HBO film by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball.