Gods Behaving Badly

Marie Phillips debut novel, Gods Behaving Badly, is a delightfully funny read that I highly recommend to adult readers.

Vital Stats

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (December 10, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0316067628
ISBN-13: 978-0316067621

From the Book Description

Being a Greek god is not all it once was. Yes, the twelve gods of Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London townhouse-and none too happy about it. And they've had to get day jobs: Artemis as a dog-walker, Apollo as a TV psychic, Aphrodite as a phone sex operator, Dionysus as a DJ.

Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees-a favorite pastime of Apollo's-is sapping their vital reserves of strength.

Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed-but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?

This book is consistently funny and imaginative. Phillps' description of the underworld is very creative, right down to how one gets there in modern London. She manages to write a tight, intelligent novel without the need to impress us the reader with her command of Greek mythology. Perhaps most importantly, those with limited knowledge of the gods (like myself) will enjoy this book just as much as those who are versed in the subject.

Coming to a Shelf Near You: The Telephone Gambit

This review from the Christmas Science Monitor caught my eye. Monitor reviewer Marjorie Kehe asks, "How often does a detective story upend history? Probably about as often as a science and technology journalist pens a page-turner." That writer is Seth Shulman and his book is titled The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret

Vital Stats

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton; (January 7, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0393062066
ISBN-13: 978-0393062069

From the Book Description

A gripping intrigue at the heart of one of the world's most important inventions.

While researching Alexander Graham Bell at MIT's Dibner Institute, Seth Shulman scrutinized Bell's journals and within them he found the smoking gun, a hint of deeply buried historical intrigue. Delving further, Shulman unearthed the surprising story behind the invention of the telephone: a tale of romance, corruption, and unchecked ambition.

Bell furtively—and illegally—copied part of Elisha Gray's invention in the race to secure what would become the most valuable U.S. patent ever issued. And afterward, as Bell's device led to the world's largest monopoly, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, he hid his invention's illicit beginnings. In The Telephone Gambit, Shulman challenges the reputation of an icon of invention, rocks the foundation of a corporate behemoth, and offers a probing meditation on how little we know about our own history.

Read Marjorie Kehe's review of this new book at Christian Science Monitor online.

Coming to a Shelf Near You: The Next American Century

In what I hope will be a regular feature - weekly, perhaps? - on Books @ LP Reviews, I will bring you short updates on new books that I've heard or read about. NPR's All Things Considered interviewed foreign policy experts Nina Hachigian and Mona Sutphen about their new book, The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise.

Vital Stats

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 8, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0743290992
ISBN-13: 978-0743290999

From the Book Description

The rise of other global powers is most often posed as a sorry tale, full of threats to America's primacy, prosperity, and way of life. The potential loss of our #1 status implies a blow to our safety, economy, and prestige.

But this is a rare moment in history: none of the world's big powers is our adversaries. In The Next American Century, Nina Hachigian and Mona Sutphen show that the "pivotal powers" -- China, Europe, India, Japan, and Russia -- seek greater influence, but each has an enormous stake in the world economy and a keen desire to thwart common threats. India is a key ally in the struggle against terrorism. China's help is essential to containing pandemic disease. Russia is leading an effort to keep nuclear devices out of terrorists' hands. Japan and Europe are critical partners in tackling climate change. None of these countries is a direct military or ideological challenger. In fact, their gains largely help, rather than hurt, America's continuing prosperity, growth, and, to some extent, even its values. Will we have conflicts with these powers? Definitely. Some will be serious. But, by and large, they want what we want: a stable world and better lives for their citizens. We live in an era of opportunity, not of loss.

To take advantage of this moment, the United States must get its own house in order, making sure that American children can compete, American workers can adjust, America's military remains cutting-edge, and American diplomacy entices rather than alienates. While America must be prepared for the possibility that a hostile superpower may one day emerge, it has to be careful not to turn a distant, uncertain threat into an immediate one. Washington should welcome the pivotal powers into a vigorous international order to share the burden of solving pressing global problems of peace, climate, health, and growth.

The avenue to a truly safer and more prosperous world runs through the pivotal powers. With them, we can build a world where Americans will thrive, today and tomorrow.

Listen to the NPR interview for more information.

Bastard Out of Carolina

Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison (1992)

Allison’s debut novel follows the Boatwright family, a group of rural dwelling ne’er-do-wells. The protagonist of the story is Ruth Anne—nicknamed Bone by an uncle—who is the bastard child of Anney, a diner waitress.

Allison’s characters work hard and live hard. The men of the Boatwright clan work dirty jobs in mills and factories by day. By night, they drink, fight, and chase women. Bone’s mother later meets Glen, a coworker and friend of the girl’s uncle Earle. After making her suitor wait for a time, Anney marries Glen.

Bone’s relationship with her stepfather is troubled almost from the start. Daddy Glen begins sexually abusing Bone shortly before his child Anney is to be born. When the mother suffers a miscarriage, an already tenuous situation only gets worse.

Glen’s temper gets him into trouble again and again as he loses jobs following violent altercations in the workplace. The family is forced to move many times and at home, Glen’s abuse of Bone escalates. While Anney doesn’t know about the sexual abuse, she blames the physical abuse of her daughter on Bone herself. Anney leaves Glen a number of times but always comes back, and the cycle begins anew.

Allison’s coming of age story has an authenticity that grabs hold of the reader early on and doesn’t let go until the very end. I was finally glad to read for myself what all of the talk was about. I highly recommend this book to adult readers.