It is finally here . . . Hilary Mantel’s sequel to Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies.  Is it as good as the Booker Prize-winning first book? YES!!!

The word on the street is that Bring Up the Bodies can be a stand alone novel.  I guess that is correct but why would you want it to be?  Why would you want to miss reading about the seven years it took Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to be together? All the intrigue and conspiracies involved some of the most famous figures of English history.  Cardinal Wolsey did everything that was humanly possible to bring about the conclusion of Henry and Katherine’s “marriage” only to fall from grace and have his secretary, Thomas Cromwell rise in his place.  Katherine of Aragon’s fight to remain the true Queen of England and hold her daughter, Mary’s, position as the true heir with help from her nephew, The Holy Roman Emperor and the constant threat of war.  The Boleyn family’s rise in power and wealth and always giving advice (good and bad) to the King. Finally, Thomas More, best friend to the King, who while working the keep peace between the Crown and the Church becomes a huge obstacle to what Henry VIII wants more than anything.

These stories are told through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell, a self-made man, can get things done for the King that no one has been able to achieve and because of this he becomes the second most powerful man in England behind Henry VIII.  After working so hard to see Henry and Anne married at last which in turn helped bring the religious reform that Cromwell so desperately strives for, the King sees Jane Seymour and everything begins to unravel.  Thus begins Bring Up the Bodies and the three weeks that lead up to the beheading of Anne Boleyn.

Y’all know I have read a lot of historical fiction and the story of Henry VIII and his wives is one of my favorites.  What is so different and interesting about Mantel’s telling is that the narrator is Thomas Cromwell.  In most stories, Cromwell is this evil guy that you just love to hate but here you realize that though he does everything Henry wants him to do Cromwell knows that his King is very fickle.  He knows that Henry could turn on him on a dime and he must tread very carefully.  He understands that to achieve what he wants he must make alliances with his enemies but he always knows how to break them when necessary.  He is ready to do anything the King asks of him but will he in the end have to pay the ultimate price?  And of course, we know the answer but it is such a joy to “relive” it again.

Just to preface, I have never been one to read war-type fiction.  Granted, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk does not contain very many scenes on the field of battle (in fact I can only think of one), but there is no doubt that the Iraq war is the character you never actually meet.  I’ve always veered away from war fiction, with the exceptions of Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse Five.  When Ben Fountain’s new book found its way into my hands, I reconsidered my stance.  The cover houses a very impressive blurb by Karl Marlantes:

The Catch-22 of the Iraq war

That in itself made me curious.  I myself have yet to have the pleasure of reading a book by Karl Marlantes, but I know what that name carries.  I know that I don’t have to read Matterhorn (but I plan to!) to know that Marlantes is more than a solid writer.  A name like his comparing anything to Catch-22 in even the smallest way will get my interest in what he’s selling.  Marlantes continues the blurb by saying:

This funny, yet totally sobering, dissection of the American way of watching war will have you squirming at the same time you are laughing out loud; Fountain applies the heat of his wicked sense of humor while you face the truth of who we have become.  Live one day inside Billy Lynn’s head and you’ll never again see our soldiers or America in the same way.

Needless to say, when this book ended up in my hands, I wanted to indulge.  What I found was a book that made me both hate and love America.  At times I would feel such pride for the soldiers.  Just soldiers in general.  Every one of them serving anywhere.  At times Fountain would give me such pride in my country that I would find myself considering a possible life in the military.  These soldiers are noble, but Fountain seems like he is questioning whether everyone in charge is as noble.  The book is certainly just as snide as it is patriotic, but one could read once over without even acknowledging that fact.

I appreciated, more than anything, that the character of Billy Lynn has been forced by the military to be one wise nineteen year old.  But he is still just a kid.  Throughout the book Ben Fountain gives him a voice that in his mind that he has grown in Iraq, but doesn’t even seem to know it.  If I had to guess what being a young soldier was like, that would probably be my first guess.

by Simon

Plenty of houses have good bones. It is a luxury of some sort to have one of these. To make the house even better, the catch is you must have great pieces. The furniture, decor, accessories, and style can turn those bones into a fabulous place.

My sister recently moved into a new house. It’s got really good bones and really great pieces. A renovation is about to take place. Last time I was visiting, she had a stack of decorating books she was going through. I decided to ship her Good Bones, Great Pieces for her birthday in hopes it might have an idea to help her!

Suzanne and Lauren McGrath are a mother daughter team who started a decorating blog, Good Bones, Great Pieces. They found the process of decorating a house to be overwhelming. In fact, they found that Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. felt their exact pain,  “Every woman in her secret heart believes herself to be a potential interior decorator, but usually when she gets started, she loses her nerve…She becomes confused by a great variety of material that confronts her when she shops. She loses confidence, becomes timid, and falls back on the drab and mediocre because she is afraid of doing wrong.”

To help with the confusion, the McGrath women have provided the seven most essential pieces your home needs! Each one received it’s own chapter in the book with plenty more details to help you find the exact piece that your house needs.

The must haves are:

1. The Love Seat (Where to use it: starter apartment, living room, dining or breakfast room, bedroom)

2. The Demilune

3. The Bench (Where to use: front porch, entrance foyer, living room, dining room, bedroom)

4. The Dresser

5. The Slipper Chair (Where to use it: bedroom, living room, family room, dressing room)

6. The Side Table

7. The Occasional Chair (Where to use it: entrance foyer, living room, dining room, home office, bedroom)

Of these seven pieces, how many do you own? Your house may already have those seven essential items. You are ahead of the game!  Good Bones, Great Pieces can help you find the perfect spot for them in your house!  -Quinn

Cooking a meal every evening is a lot of things. It’s about having the ingredients, the time, the energy, the idea. I don’t really mind cooking that much. It can even be relaxing at the end of the day, but sometimes I have trouble coming up with an idea. Because of this, I’m always happy to find a new cookbook.

What’s for Supper is a new cookbook from Southern Living. The recipes are nothing new. They are nothing complicated. The layout of the book is vibrant and appetizing and inspiring.

Several years ago I saw a fascinating movie called Wristcutters: A Love Story, did a little research and found out it was based on a novella titled Kneller’s Happy Campers by Etgar Keret.  After a bit more research I found Kneller’s Happy Campers in a book of short stories called The Bus Diver Who Wanted To Be God.  Since that discovery I’ve had a great love for Keret and his wonderful short stories.

“Keret can do more with six strange and funny paragraphs than most writers can with 600 pages.” -Kyle Smith, People

That blurb from the back cover of Keret’s latest book, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door says it perfectly.  Keret can do things with short stories that I’ve never seen before.  He is truly a master of his craft.

by Zita