Once upon an island: A Brief History of Montmaray, by Michelle Cooper

A Brief History of Montmaray

Michelle Cooper

Knopf: New York, 2009.

ISBN: 9780378585642

Once upon a time in a land far away, but not too far way if you’re English or coastally European, there was an independent kingdom named Montmaray.  Once a tiny island principality, the population has dropped to roughly a dozen, including the ruling family, the FitzOsbournes, comprised of our narrator, orphaned sixteen-year-old Sophie, her slightly ferral little sister, her cousin who records the history of the island, and her uncle, the king, who would have been declared legally insane long ago had they wanted to let that cat out of the bag.  The rest of the island’s shrinking population is a scattershot of loyal villagers.  Island life is rough - subsistence based and supplemented by a few ships that pass in a year - and hardly what you would picture for royalty, yet the FitzOsbournes make due.  They love their island dearly, crumbling castle and all, and often rely upon their rich aunt who provides for Sophie’s brother (the crown prince), who lives off-island to attend Eton.  The year, however, is 1936, and nations considerably larger than their own are beginning to test the waters; international politics becomes a hot topic amongst the Montmaravians and their loyal servants, one of whom may or may not be the apple of Sophie’s eye.  When a group of German “archaeologists” lands on shore, the FitzOsbournes are suddenly thrown into the deep end.  

This book has a slow start and potentially misleading cover (what is this, Wuthering Heights? Dracula? Lord Byron, are you there?) but an exceptionally strong finish!  I believe enchanted would be a word I would use to describe what this book did to me.  I read it in the spring solely because it’s on my (official) summer reading list, and I had contemplated recommending we cut it.  I’m so, so glad I gave it a chance, because I really loved it!  It has it all: castles, accents (I imagine, but whatever), intrigue, history, romance, danger, and yes...sequels that I’m dying to pick up!  We don’t have to walk away from these lovable, quirky characters! I give this two finger and two toe thumbs up, and recommend it for all school/YA library collections, along with those of the female persuasion aged 12 and up (there’s some medical violence that could be upsetting to younger readers but it’s otherwise cool), but dudes who maybe watch Downton, you should check this out too!  

Readalikes: Girl on the Train, The Fixer, Daughter of Deep Silence

Amigos, I'm trying something new today.  Here are three books I've read this summer that struck me as easy readalike suggestions.  All would be excellent beach books, but only one smells like a fish.  Are any of them school-summer reading list worthy?  No.  Do you care?  No.  They're beach bag worthy, and that's all you need, besides sunblock, a cold beverage, and a beach.  And probably a beach bag to put them in.  

Here are your readalikes, friends:

• Girl on the Train vs. Gone Girl  
• The Fixer vs. Scandal
• Daughter of Deep Silence vs. Revenge

Read on for reviews:

Set your Bone Clocks to read o'clock

The Bone Clocks

David Mitchell

Random House: New York, 2014

ISBN: 9781400065677

This doorstop of a book is as difficult to sit down and summarize as it is engrossing and fun to read.  The books spans decades and features no less than five protagonists in six parts that comprise the whole of this story. The story jumps between reality the past, reality in the present, reality in the future, and the metaphysical in each and on its own.  Does that confuse you?  Don’t let it put you off.  It’s a heck of a lot more complex and labyrinthine than I care to sit and have a think about, but  you can - it’s that well wrought structurally- and should you want to go down that rabbit hole, here is an article. Mostly, I loved it because of the characters, who are both hugely likeable and who are so unlikeable that you like not liking them.  Mitchell, despite being a structural master, clearly has fun creating vibrant characters, giving them quirks, writing snarky dialogue for them, and both tearing them down and building them up.  This book is colorful, rich, toothsome, intelligent, and engaging.  It’s a bit like a massive croissant stuffed with nutella and then rolled in nuts and chocolate chips.  (Or if you're me, it's a ham and cheese croissant with mustard and rolled in olives.) Or something.  It’s outwardly appealing and delicious, easy to want to bite into, but inside has complex, delicious layers, and at it’s core is a warming, delectable heart of goodness. Now you want BOTH that croissant AND the Bone Clocks.  Bad news: I made that croissant up; it exists only in my head.  Good news: David Mitchell made the croissant that is Bone Clocks up, so consequently it actually exists outside his head; you can have at.

In 1980’s England, teenage Holly Sykes runs away to strike out on her own after a brush up with her mother.  Despite being a bit of a teenage punk Holly’s not really typical; she heard voices as a child. While roaming the English countryside, the “Radio People” return, and the homecoming is not without fallout, putting Holly decidedly on the outs with them and yet convinced the experience was a bad dream that ended in a worse unsolved mystery upon waking.  Over the years, Holly is part of the lives of the other narrators in this novel that starts in the past, jumps to the present and past, and ends in the future: a Cambridge undergrad best described as a total dick, a war reporter in Iraq, a middle-aged writer with an ego, and an ancient doctor.  All are tied together but their stories are told in unique voices, both likeable and unlikeable, and in vastly  different genres, times, and settings.  This book is recommended for sophisticated readers, older teens (15 and up) and adults.  Those who don’t like science fiction or fantasy will find the reality in the unreality makes for a hugely enjoyable novel!  

Minty Spring Pea Salad

Friends, countrymen, Russian spambots, at New Years some lovely friends and I made a resolution to do a potluck once a month.  We've only left off June, and that's because it proved to be just too crazy, schedule-wise, but universe, note that we did talk about it!  I hosted the July potluck on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year, a polar opposite from way back in the never-ending winter that wasn't exactly polar at 90 degrees with 90% humidity.  After a thoroughly scientific poll of potluck resolution members, I settled on a Presidential theme for this potluck - ie. bring a dish that was a favorite of a president or inspired by a president.  

Presidential potluck: Green Beans ala Jimmy Carter, Washington's Cherry Pie,
Michelle Obama's Minty Spring Pea Salad, best American beer for the chef

Naturally, I chose Michelle Obama, the president of my heart.  I also chose Carter (green beans, peanuts) and Washington (cherry pie) but Ima share those later, hokay?  There was a plethora of pie, beer, and food, and we had a capitol time sweating together in my backyard and tiny living room (mwaha) and discussing our sources for US Presidential information (Drunk History is totally valid source).  Pro-tip: strong chance that while researching presidential food choices you will go down many rabbit holes and come to an hour to three later.  There are so many articles, books, posts, recipes, etc.  In short, it was highly tasty and fun. I'm only disappointed that nobody brought squirrel stew.  

Minty Pea Salad

Adapted from Michelle Obama’s Minty Spring Pea Salad

Serves 6-8

Minted Spring Pea 

Ingredients

4 cups fresh or frozen peas, defrosted

1 large shallot, sliced thin (some diced finely)

zest and juice of a lemon plus 1-2 tablespoons more

¼ c olive oil

¾ cup finely chopped mint

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook peas until just done, and put in an ice bath; leave to cool.
2. Puree ½ c peas with lemon juice and zest of one lemon and olive oil until smooth.
3. Toss peas, mint, shallot, onion, and leek in a bowl and pour puree over.
4. Season to taste with extra lemon juice and salt and pepper.  

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for a small leek and a small shallot.  I only had a large shallot, and I thought it turned out okay!  I suspect using a small white onion may yield similar results if you’re in a pinch.
• The original recipe also calls for only 2 ½ cups of peas. I had a crowd to feed, and that seemed a little bit like not enough to feed the predicted 6-8, so I initially upped the peas to 4 cups, and eventually added 1.5 cups more when it still didn’t look like a lot, which is not reflected in the recipe above.  I just upped the additional lemon at the end, and it was fine!  

Smuggle up with Greenglass House, by Kate Milford

Greenglass House
Kate Milford
Clarion Books: New York, 2014
ISBN: 9780544052703

Miles is readdddy to party...or rather enjoy a quiet winter holiday break with just his parents in their smuggler friendly inn, Greenglass House, so named for the beautiful stained glass windows and rumored to be the site of the founders hidden treasure.  Winter break usually means an empty inn instead of the usual motley crew of offbeat smugglers, and Miles is just cracking the spine on a good book when he is interrupted by the jingling summons that portends a guest.  One guest leads to another and then yet another, and suddenly, unexpectedly, the inn is nearly full of a curious cast of characters.  Even more curious is that each guest seems to have some prior knowledge of the others, and soon things become even more complicated when break-ins occur resulting in the disappearance of personal items that have a curious connection to the Inn and it’s founder, and a massive snowstorm rolls through and traps them all for the forseeable future.  Miles is understandably perturbed that his vacation has been a bit ruined, until Meddy, who arrives with the housekeepers, enlists his help in a role playing game that may or may not double as a way to find out the secrets the guests all seem to be keeping before anything else goes missing.  Before long, Miles realizes he may be on a hunt for more than personal treasures, as might the thief in their midst.

This is perhaps one of the most excellent middle grade novels I’ve read in years, and I don’t say that lightly (don’t worry Penderwicks, you still have real estate claims on my soul).  It is incredibly fun to read, never panders to the age of the intended audience, keeps even seasoned readers guessing until the twist of an ending, and frankly, warms the cockles of the blackest hearts!  It made me feel super cozy in the dead of the worst winter in my own memory.  There is treasure, adventure, mystery, and friendship.  Themes of challenging yourself, courage, and creativity abound, and this book deserves serious accolades for not only having a non-white (he’s Chinese) protagonist (huge snaps on this front alone), but one adopted by (white) parents of a different race. In short, Kate Milibrand doesn’t sugarcoat or tidily wrap up Miles’ occasional feelings of abandonment, deep love for his adoptive parents, shame about fantasizing about his birth parents, or about how he feels about the confusion he sees in strangers when they see him with his parents.  It’s extraordinary and I hope all youth librarians take note to include this wonderful book in their arsonal.  Excellent for kids aged 9-99, fans of the Goonies, and anyone who likes a good story!  

PS.  Thanks for putting this on my radar, Sam!