The History of Mary Prince

#939
Title: The History of Mary Prince
Author: Mary Prince, Sara Salih (Editor), et al.
Publisher: Penguin
Country: Bermuda [British overseas territory]
Year: 1831/2001
160 pages

The Penguin Classics edition includes multiple related texts and explanations, making it easier to put Mary Price's narrative of her slavery in the West Indies and surrounding islands into context. Importantly, this narrative is mediated by the transcriber/editor and there is a reasonable amount of discussion of how that mediation may have shaped the way the story was told in order to serve abolitionist ends. Prince's story is usefully compared to other narratives by slaves, and notes and appendices fill in a bigger picture.

A Short Stay in Hell

#938
Title: A Short Stay in Hell
Author: Steven L. Peck
Publisher: Strange Violin Editions
Year: 2004/2012
108 pages

An entertaining riff on Borges's Library of Babel. The library is the hell to which the narrator is assigned. The joke is that the true religion is Zoroastrianism; however, the hell described isn't consonant with Zoroastrian beliefs, and the most salient aspects of the library described are Borges's. The story doesn't come to a satisfying conclusion. However, I enjoyed the writing. 

God Is Not a Christian: And Other Provocations

#937
Title: God Is Not a Christian: And Other Provocations
Author: Desmond Tutu
Publisher: HarperOne
Year: 2011
256 pages

  A collection of excerpts from Tutu's letters and speeches, nicely contextualized and sequenced. It's a good introduction to his themes and suggestions.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

#936
Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Author: Mindy Kaling
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Year: 2012
240 pages

 Enjoyable humor in the Fey/Handler style. The revenge fantasies while exercising bit is an especially fine concept.

Eugene (Images of America)

#935
Title: Eugene (Images of America)
Author: David G. Turner
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Year: 2012
127 pages

Great fun reading this and seeing not only places but even people I know. We don't have this kind of history in the community where I grew up! 

The Birds of America

#934
Title: The Birds of America
Author: John James Audubon
Publisher: Sterling
Year: 1947/2012
448 pages

Purchased on sale at Barnes and Noble for a ridiculously low price.

A beautiful book, created by taking apart original materials and digitally photographing them. I can see the difference compared to earlier books that include Audubon prints. The colors and lines are clear and the paper stock is pleasingly thick. Audubon's bird portraits not only represented a shift toward naturalistic depiction, but are in some cases lovely enough to make me tearful.

Ornithology nerds will enjoy comparing Audubon's Latin and common names to contemporary nomenclature. 

The Rapture of the Nerds: A Tale of the Singularity, Posthumanity, and Awkward Social Situations

#933
Title: The Rapture of the Nerds: A Tale of the Singularity, Posthumanity, and Awkward Social Situations
Author: Cory Doctorow & Charles Stross
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2012
351 pages

Amusing light science fiction with interesting things to think about without a lot of heavy lifting required of the reader.