CGHS Library

Illuminated Manuscripts

"The British Library is showcasing its treasure trove of illuminated manuscripts collected by the kings and queens of England between the 9th and 16th Centuries - from King Athelstan to Henry VIII."

These manuscripts are so well preserved. The artists used animal skins so they are still in very good condition and the colors are bright even after centuries. 

I did take issue with some of lead curator Scot McKendrick's commentary. He compares two psalters, one with an illustration of King David, who wrote many of the songs, or Psalms, preserved in the Old Testament, and who is also described in his youth as a harpist. One of the psalters features a beautiful picture of David in the beginning of the first Psalm, "Blessed is the man / Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, / Nor stands in the path of sinners, / Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; / But his delight is in the law of the LORD, / And in His law he meditates day and night." Mr. McKendrick says that this man is David, and that is true, but it more accurately could refer to any man who finds his salvation in the law of the LORD, particularly Jesus, who was the only man who managed to perfectly delight in the law of the LORD. Every blessed man finds his identity and salvation only through Jesus, according to Christian doctrine.

When McKendrick then looks at another manuscript that features Henry VIII, he says that Henry egotistically is putting himself in David's place. While Henry was indeed flawed in many ways, he was familiar with the Psalms and knew that it would be best to represent himself to his people as a godly man, a blessed man. Another observation is that illuminated manuscripts are at least 80% about the pictures. Look at how the artist portrays Henry here. He is gnomish, scholarly, at rest; hardly the regal figure David is in the other manuscript--perhaps, the artist might be saying, not all that blessed after all.

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The Night Circus (FIC Morgenstern)

"You're not destined or chosen, I wish I could tell you that you were if that would make it easier, but it's not true. You're in the right place at the right time, and you care enough to do what needs to be done. Sometimes that's enough." (p. 360)

I loved this book because it managed to be charming and creepy at the same time. From the very beginning, I kept waiting for something horrible to happen. I never knew what to expect so I stopped expecting and just enjoyed that tantalizing, expectant feeling. THE NIGHT CIRCUS contains delicious descriptions of clothes and food; interesting, somewhat aloof characters; and a plot rooted deeply in fantasy, myth, and legend.

The energy level does drop in the middle for a bit, a common failing in books of all kinds. It's HARD to keep it going every moment of every page. I was also never entirely sure if the editor ever noticed that Morgenstern was using the word "entirely," entirely too much during that same draggy part of the book. That doesn't last long, though, and it's worth reading on because the book as a whole is a delight.

The author, Erin Morgenstern, looks ridiculously, ABSURDLY, young on the book jacket. Thank goodness, I discovered that she isn't quite THAT young, but she still should be writing great books long after I am dead. (MHouse)

Perfect (FIC Hopkins)

Perfect, the phenomenal companion to Impulse, exposes the truth about growing up and figuring out who we are by exploring perfectionism.

The novel is told from the perspectives of four people: Cara, Kendra, Andre, and Sean. Each individual has their own “perfect” thing that they want to accomplish. Hopkins states in the front of the book that this novel is dedicated to every person who has ever looked into a mirror and thought, “I am not good enough.”

I recommend picking this book up and reading it. If you have not read any of Hopkins’s books before, then you are missing out. Other books by her include Burned, Tricks, and Identical; Crank, Glass, and Fallout. Future books to come out will be Smoke (2013) a sequel to Burned. Collateral (2012) will be released as a stand alone novel. She will also be releasing two other books: Triangle (2011) and Tilt (2012) as part of the new Triangles Novels series.  

(Review by Zach Bomberger)

 

Unbroken (940.54 HIL)

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. (from Laura Hillenbrand's website)

Fantasy World Map

Dan Meth says that he has produced the first accurate map of the entire fantasy world.

Nice try, Dan!

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (FIC Winters)

"In defense of your protégé, you can be saucy."

From the publisher of the best-seller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies comes this romance thriller of the Dashwood sisters. After being evicted from their childhood home, they are sent to a mysterious island. Later, they meet Colonel Brandon who is suffering from a cruel affliction that the sisters have never seen before. "Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars [while] her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon." While searching for love, the sisters must deal with the additional complexity of surviving sea monster attacks. 

Combining the romance of Jane Austen with the violent sea monster depictions of Ben Winters, this book is interesting if you can comprehend Austen's use of language and stomach Winters's violence.

Review by Zach Bomberger with excerpts from the book jacket

Leviathan (FIC Westerfeld)

Westerfeld’s writing grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. He throws you into a steampunk world of fabricated beasts and metal walkers. As the clanker prince Alek runs for his life, the Darwinist Deryn disguises herself to join the Navy as a boy. They cross paths on the Leviathan, an air ship on a mission to stop the war with some suspicious eggs and the granddaughter of Darwin himself. Their journey continues in the second book Behemoth. As they head toward Constantinople, Alek and Deryn begin to question their superiors. When you read these books, you will question whether you can put them down. (Note: Goliath is coming soon! MH)

Review by Grace Wohlschlegel

Quantum Kitty

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