Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

It has taken me more than 30 years to pick up this classic novel of feminist liberation from the '70s, but I'm very glad I did. I was entranced by the skills of author Erica Jong from the very opening lines, "There were 117 psychoanalysts on the Pan Am flight to Vienna and I'd been treated by at least six of them. And married a seventh." The rest of the book is just as clever, and intriguing, as that opening salvo. Jong's storytelling abilities and use of poetic language are amazing. There is no such thing as being bored by this book or this author, whose narrative barrels along like a salacious express train across Europe.

The narrator Jong creates here - Isadora Wing - is captivatingly brilliant. She throws out phrases about obscure art movies ("Last Year at Marienbad") in one breath, and classic Greek sculpture (Oiscobolus) in the next. I dog-eared several pages (which had been dog-eared by some other reader decades before, so thankfully for me I was doing no new damage) just so I could look up other books, movies, sculptures and locations mentioned by this highly educated author. For me, more fascinating even than the story line here is the narrator herself, a mythic creature-whose-life has been rich in knowledge, both classical and physical

, and yet a person set adrift in Europe, troubled by self-doubt and unfulfillable longing. The time Isadora spends both being treated by

-psychoanalysts an dating/marrying them seems to nave left her more confused,

about life and her role in it rather than less. But Isadora's family, while Jewish, has not given her a strong sense of her religion, so she has no touchstone there either.

At its heart this is the story of a woman who leaves her predictable husband Bennett and runs off with a miserable married man named Adrian who has no intention of marrying her, a story which might have been shocking 40 years ago but which is quite pedestrian to us now. And yes, there are still terms in here which some people might think obscene in literature, but life has become a lot more liberal than it was in 1973, and some of Jong's phrases have now become iconic. (Witness the two-word phrase that starts with "zipless.") Still, at its heart, the book, while sexy, is much more than the story of a sexual adventurer. The book is a vignette of the '70s Zeitgeist, a window into the time that set the stage for the moral conventions we have today, thanks to the Pill which more than anything else allowed for the sexual liberation of women. And yet, this book which supposedly celebrates sexual freedom is really a condemnation of Isadora's moral bankruptcy, as she does not gain happiness from her sexual misadventures, but in the end returns to her boring husband and their predictable lives. 

Submitted by Gerti 

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie" is a heartwarming story about a
charming, old professor, Morrie Schwartz, with ALS. Mitch, a former student in his late 30's, decides to visit Morrie again after seeing him on a television interview. He sees him in his crippled state and feels sorry for him, but Morrie is happier than ever. Morrie is extremely positive and wants to enjoy the time he has left. Mitch comes up with a list of questions he wants Morrie to answer. Topics include: the meaning of life, family, and marriage. They meet every Tuesday at Morrie's house. They become closer and closer every time they see each other, but Morrie's condition is also declining. Eventually they become best friends and then Morrie dies.

I really liked this book because Morrie is so delightful and intelligent. He has a lot of good advice, too. It was a sad book because every time Mitch came to see Morrie's ALS had gotten worse. I liked the style of writing, it was easy to read and enjoyable. Overall, "Tuesdays with Morrie" was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to people looking for a charming story with

--some great advice.

 Submitted by Stephanie 

Cyclops by Cliver Cussler

"Cyclops" is another spectacular adventure story by Clive Cussler, who is one of my favorite authors. As
always, the story is filled with mysteries and conspiracies, intriguing characters and buried treasure. This
story continues the adventures of Dirk Pitt, an adventurous NUMA (National Underwater and Marine
Agency) employee and treasure hunter who often bites off more than he can chew when going after a
prize. This time, he gets entangled in a plot so secret, even the US President was left in the dark.

The story begins as billionaire entrepreneur Raymond LeBaron and two others go missing over Cuban
waters while flying an antique blimp looking for the sunken ship Cyclops. The Cyclops holds the
legendary treasure of La Dorada, the golden woman. Of course, the actions take place during the Cold
War, so any attempt at rescue is impossible. Dirk happens to be in the area participating in a boat race
when the blimp is spotted floating back to shore off the Florida coast. After commandeering the blimp
and averting a disastrous crash into a nearby resort, Pitt discovers what looks like the bodies of the dead
men. However, when the coroner calls in LeBaron's wife, Jessie, to identify his body, she says that the
corpse doesn't belong to her husband.

Meanwhile, during a private golf game, the American President Is confronted by a mysterious figure
who slipped past his security. The mystery man briefs our country's leader about a top secret project
that has been going on under the noses of the executive branch for years, called the Jersey Colony.
Essentially, the colony is a first step towards permanent settlement of the moon.

Scientists have managed to create a moon base. The creators of this project are the inner core, a group
of government officials who directed the plan. The President has his personal advisor track these men
down when he learns that they may have started a war in space. The Russian Selenos probes, which
were sent to orbit the moon, were shot down by the Americans. After recovering the probe and learning
of the existence of the base, the Russians launch a team of soldiers and prepare to take the base for
themselves.

Pitt and his friends, AI Giordino, a hearty Italian who never gives up, and Rudi Gunn, a hardworking
scientist devoted to his practice, team up with Mrs. LeBaron and take the blimp to try to retrace the
path of her husband. Halfway there, the blimp is shot down by a Cuban helicopter, which in turn tastes
the wrath of Giordino's missile launcher. After jumping into the sea, the group heads for shore and end
up on a remote island owned by Cuba. After stumbling upon a military compound, they walk right into a
gathering of Soviet officers, and, at the head of the table, sits the very un-dead Raymond LeBaron.

With Pitt and his team captured and the war on the moon poised to begin, things look bleak. I won't
spoil it for you here, in part because it would take another 5 paragraphs and in part because the story
really does take a lot of unexpected turns. The conclusion is great but at the same time not at all what
you would expect. Overall, a great adventure story with an exciting twist. 

 Submitted by Max 

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is the first book in Suzanne Collins "Hunger Games" series, but not,
however, the first of her books I have read. Besides the crime of reading the
series out of order, I also saw the movie first, due to the popularity of the books and the long wait list at the library. So reading the book clarified a few questions for me, namely, how to spell Katniss and Peeta! It also explained the comments made by others when the movie came out a few weeks ago that the actress who played Katniss was too fat. I thought the comments were just typical of Hollywood body weight expectations, but now I see from Collins descriptions that Katniss should have been a1most skeletal due to the deprivation in her home district in Panem.

I thoroughly enjoy Collins narrative style, which reads like Young Adult fiction. I
enjoyed reading about Katniss' typical teen struggle of shifting loyalties and new found understanding. She struggles between which young man to love, Gale or Peeta. She is also working through a difficult relationship with her mother after the tragic death of her father, but in time comes to understand that while her mother is fallible, she also has great gifts. The most difficult struggle for her is actually her loyalty to her country, which is shown by her disobedience of the- hunting laws, her willingness to deal on the black market, and finally, her actions during the Hunger Games.

I find the story even more engaging than I found the movie, as the book goes into more depth regarding all her new experiences in the Capitol, including the food, which sounds delicious, ·as well as her privations at home and her life and death struggle during the Hunger Games. I enjoy meeting the other participants from the other Districts, as well as getting a better look into Katniss' thought processes while she goes through her various struggles. The writing adds a richness and
complexity which is ignored or lost in the movie.

I enjoy reading about how the female protagonist endures and triumphs over each challenge. I enjoyed meeting her mother and sister in more depth, but wondered why the origin story of the Mockingjay pin was altered for the movie version. I miss the character of Katniss' friend Madge in the movie, and also liked how Peeta's father was kind to her in the book, due to his love and respect for
her parents, but now miss him in the movie.

In summary, I am very pleased with both of the Collins books I have read, and look forward to having my questions answered in the 3^rd book, "Mockingjay" which I hope to pick up from the library this week. 

 Submitted by Gerti 

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

 This is the first book in the so-far three book series Michael Thomas Ford has written with famous British author Jane Austen as a modern day vampire. I like Ford's treatment of Austen as one of the undead, mainly because he also casts several other literary geniuses as vampires, including Lord Byron and Charlotte Bronte. It is amusing to see that Austen now "lives" as a New York bookseller ironically named Jane Fairfax, a name Janeites know as one of Austen's least likeable characters.

The first third of the novel is just set-up, but the action really starts in the middle of the novel. That's when we meet Austen's literary and romantic rival for the affections of vampire Lord Byron, vampire Charlotte Bronte. We find out why in the next book in the series. For now, though, Bronte is portrayed as a crazed blogger who keeps the rest of her family mummified in a creepy house in New Orleans. Jane runs into her when they are both in town for a romance novel convention.

You see, Jane Fairfax/Austen has written and finally (after 116 rejections) published a best-selling novel called "Constance". Vampire Bronte, calling herself Violet Grey, threatens Jane's reputation during the convention, as Bronte claims Austen's book is plagiarized from an undiscovered Bronte novel. Before true awkwardness can begin, Jane decides to steal the original manuscript back (as she knows it is the copy she left with Lord Byron decades before). However, in the process of burning it, she also sets Bronte on fire. Although Jane thinks Bronte is now dead, the "gloomy one" comes back at the end of the book to kidnap the whole Scooby gang (Jane, her agent Kelly, her store manager Lucy, and her boyfriend Walter), and threatens to reveal to the humans Jane's true nature. Luckily, Lord Byron shows up to save the day and chases Bronte away. Everything ends happily for all as Byron agrees to break up with Kelly's live-in boyfriend, and Jane's boyfriend Walter reveals his love for her.

So no, it's not a classic work of literature. But it's amusing that this author has taken famous Brit Lit authors and jammed them all together in a clever, tooth- baring modern mashup which can be enjoyed as a quick summer read by Austen fans as well as those who know nothing about her. I would recommend it to an~one except Austen scholars or purists who might look for more hints of her18 h century life or more references to her books. 

Submitted by Gerti