Out Of My Comfort Read Zone

 

by Mary Saums

 

 

You're not going to believe this. So far this month, I haven't read a single mystery.

 

WHAT??!!! Has the big clock in the sky stopped ticking? Have pigs flown? Did the fault line finally open wide and swallow Nashville like a crappie on a June bug? Well, not yet. Still, it's the first time in decades that I haven't had a mystery or two in my purse or on the nightstand.

 

All I can say is, other books grabbed my attention lately. See what you think ....

 

 

THE BAD-ASS LIBRARIANS OF TIMBUKTU And Their Race To Save The World's Most Precious Manuscripts

by Joshua Hammer

 

Such a title. How could I resist? This is the story of how one man spent the best of two decades acquiring a huge treasure trove of ancient and medieval manuscripts. Written by renowned Islamic scholars through the centuries, these contained knowledge of sciences, physics, religion, everything imaginable, of their times. The man on the mission, Abdel Kader Haidara, searched the deserts of North Africa to find and rescue these important books, beginning in the 1980's. 

 

His dream was to build a state-of-the-art library and preservation laboratory for the books in Timbuktu, a place where people could come and see their own history in these works of art. With the help of grants and backers, the library was built and the books were safe.

 

Until 2012 when the city was taken by jihadist extremists. Now Haidara had a bigger problem - how to protect the priceless manuscripts from being destroyed by the new regime.

 

I loved reading about the history of this part of the world. The author knows the area well and does a great job of bringing the setting and the people to life. The details on how other countries reacted and contributed to the final resolution was all new to me. Learned a lot and really enjoyed the book.

 

 

 

 

 

SUPERNATURAL: Meeting With The Ancient Teachers Of Mankind

by Graham Hancock

 

You know how I love my woo-woo. So when I saw the big SUPERNATURAL on the cover, it was automatic. My arm just shot out and grabbed the book before I even thought about it. And I'm glad it did. Even though this isn't about ghosts or hauntings, I still enjoyed all the weirdness and new ideas.

 

Here, Hancock explores the customs and tales of shamans, the "witch doctor" spiritual leaders of remote tribes. He goes to South America to a tribal gathering in order to experience ayahuasca, an hallucinogen which, the shamans say, allows a person to see the spiritual realm. Hancock had made a connection to ayahuasca stories while doing something very different, studying cave art images in France and Spain painted by neolithic people.  He was amazed that some art figures were the same as those said to be seen during the shamans' ceremonies. Both involved creatures that were half-human, half-animal, for example.

 

But what really amazed him was that some experiences the shamans had while on their "trips" were remarkably similar to stories told by people who believe they've been abducted by aliens. Some examples - the physical characteristics of the aliens, the idea of being operated on by alien doctors, matching descriptions of spacecrafts and their interiors.  Ooo-WOO-ooo!

 

So, for him, the past, present and future are possibly accessible through use of certain naturally-occurring hallucinogens. But why? What is behind it all? 

 

Lots of questions and speculations. And a lot of fun to have your brain stretched a little. :) Of the non-fiction woo-woo crowd, I like Hancock who is very good at looking at things from all angles.

 

 

 

Okay, that's me - What about you? Please feel free to share or recommend your recent reads!

 

 

Comments

[catriona]

I've read nothing BUT mysteries all month, Mary. Again. Including our very own Charlaine's Night Shift. In which a sympathetic doctor character is described as having "a smooth gray bob and flirty red glasses". Is it just me or . . .

[catriona]

Dean! That comment had two sentence fragments in it. I'm sorry. I think of comments as typed chat, I'm afraid.

[Mark]

I'm glad to see that other mystery lovers occasionally like a break from their mysteries.

Me? This week, I've finished Out of Circulation by "Miranda" James and now I'm working on The Skeleton Takes a Bow by Leigh Perry. And I swear, it wasn't planned to take get Femme love on this post, it just happened that way. I did read Decanting a Murder by Nadine Nettmann in between.

[Mary S.]

I'm so excited about Charlaine's new book! Don't know how in the world they're going to be able to translate the town and inhabitants to the screen. The books are always better, IMO.

Hmm, flirty red guy glasses ... we book girls do love the brainy fashionistos. :)

[Mary S.]

Hey, Mark - Those are two of my go-to series when I need a happy fix. Diesel and Sid always pick me up.

Haven't read Decanting A Murder. Will have to check it out.

[Elaine Viets]

Never thought I'd see the words "bad-ass" and "librarians" in the same sentence, Mary, but I should know better than to stereotype. Just finished a mystery, "One Man's Flag" by David Downing set in World War I during the Easter uprising in Ireland. Well worth reading.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

SUCH a great title! Did I read somewhere that it was controversial? Can't remember why..

I just read Before I Go to Sleep-- which is SO great. HOw did I miss that? And What She Knew.

And I am still floating for Charlaine! xoo

[Mary S.]

I'm sure there's controversy since it involves military actions of several countries. A good fun thing to research.

I did check out Before I Go To Sleep and What She Knew though. Both look like outstanding reads. Thanks!