Book Round-Up

The Color Master by Aimee Bender: I tend to associate Bender with Kelly Link, for they both excel at short stories with a fantastical bent, and I discovered them around the same time, but despite the similarities Bender has a different feel to her work. Her latest collection is a mix of contemporary stories (with and without a magical element) and modern fairy tales, including the title one that connects to a famous Grimm tale. As always, her stories are smart and rich, and just a bit disturbing.

An Elderly Lady Is up to No Good by Helene Tursten: I loved these short stories about an murderous octogenarian (the victims kind of deserve it). The last two -- different perspectives on the same crime -- weren't quite as successful as the first three, but they were all so much fun to read. Tursten's heroine-cop from her mystery series makes a cameo, and I think I will be checking those novels out.

Baseball in the Garden of Eden by John Thorn: It's April, so it's time to read about baseball again. Most baseball fans nowadays know Abner Doubleday, who appears to have had no interest in sports whatsoever, was not the inventor of the game. However, not much is known about how baseball actually developed, something Thorn seeks to remedy with this book. The result is a description of the messy, chaotic, 19th century start to the game and the role upper class businessmen, working class brawlers, gamblers, Theosophists, and even some British cricketers (shhh! don't tell the America-first people!) played.

The Little Book of Fika by Lynda Balslev:  I bought my first book box from Julia's Book Bag, the Hygge box from this past winter, and it was filled with lots of delightful goodies plus this little book about the Swedish tradition of a coffee break. It includes an explanation of fika, coffee-related quotations, and a number of traditional recipes for drinks (not just coffee), baked treats, and other light fare. The insight into an aspect of Swedish culture was interesting, and I look forward to trying some of the recipes. Plus it's a cute little book.