Reading List by Jayne for Late Summer/Early Autumn
Go to Hell: A Traveler’s Guide to Earth’s Most Otherworldly Destinations by Erika Engelhaupt
You can go to hell and back with the help of this one-of-a-kind illustrated travel guide to real-life underworld destinations around the globe. Full of intrigue, lore, and plenty of brimstone and fire, each of the 54 destinations—from Antarctica’s Blood Falls to a tropical hell on Grand Cayman island—will be worth adding to your devilish bucket list.
The world over, humans have been fascinated by hell in some form or another for thousands of years and across cultures. Now, with this illustrated collection, you can add hell to your travel bucket list with more than 50 one-of-a-kind underworld destinations, from ghost towns where Halloween is always in season, to ancient caves long viewed as entrances to Hades, to volcanoes that brim with fire and legend.
Don’t be scared: along with the fascinating history of each location, star author Erika Engelhaupt also offers practical tips to make the most of your visit to the underbelly of the world.
These hellish destinations include:
Ireland’s “Hell Caves,” where Halloween was born
The Gates of Hell crater in Turkmenistan, burning for more than 50 years
Hell, Michigan, where you can serve as the mayor of Hell for a day
Turkey’s Pluto’s Gate, an ancient Greco-Roman temple guarding a toxic cave
China’s Fengdu City of Ghosts, where tourists pre-game the afterlife in a town devoted to the underworld
The Maya Cenotes throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, long considered portals to hell
And so many more!Ever wish you could send a postcard from hell? Now you can.
Review
A lovely coffee book sponsored by National Geographic (and the photos are as gorgeous as you’d expect). Engelhaupt has divided the locations into three main “types”: places that have, over the eons, been traditionally associated with various world versions of the underworld/hell (such as the Acheron river, Pluto’s Gate), places that could easily have been associated with traditional underworld/hell but weren’t (Yellowstone National Park, Gates of Hell [Turkmenistan]), and “otherworldly” places (Lake Maracaibo, Bracken Cave).
An interesting thing the author notes is that most civilizations around the world have some version of where they think spirits/souls go after death (with some it doesn’t matter whether or not these spirits/souls are kind or evil) and many of these are eerily similar linking us back to our shared humanity. Most are dark, sulfurous, steamy, you-don’t-wanna-end-up-there places while a few are actually friendly paradises.
As I said, the included photos are lovely but, should you be interested in visiting them, Engelhaupt has helpful information about the locations including making sure (and how to check to make sure) that lava lakes are currently there (they have a tendency to periodically vanish) before you go, places you need to make reservations, if you need/must hire guides and/or buy tickets, best times of the year to see the attractions, and that certain locations are subject to civil unrest to check the current status before you go. At the end, destinations are grouped by location (e.g. Australia – Cape York, Skull Rock, Mexico – Cave of the Crystals, Maya Cenotes) and there’s a selected bibliography. So read this and plan your next vacation in hell. B
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Cat People to Judge in Art and Life by Nicole Tersigni
From the author of the hit humor book Men to Avoid in Art and Life comes this tongue-in-cheek collection of cats’ innermost thoughts. ?
Cat people love their cats deeply . . . maybe a little too deeply. Cats, on the other hand, secretly hate our haircuts but tolerate our presence because we have the thumbs to open the food can. Against the backdrop of fine art, bestselling author Nicole Tersigni delves into the minds of our feline companions and the people who serve them.
Broken into five sections representing all kinds of cat people, including the Smotherer, the Oversharer, the Pushover, the Proud Parent, and the Roommate, this hilariously insightful cat humor book says the things our loved ones can’t—that Mewlius Caesar would enjoy us more if we gave them some space. And a better name.
Review
After “Men to Avoid,” “Friends to Keep,” and “Parenting Advice to Ignore,” now we finally get to the good stuff. Just kidding. I think I might resemble this book as it’s about Cat People (no, not just crazy cat ladies, there are crazy cat men, and children here, too). “A Cat Person is someone who would do anything in their power to make a comfortable home for a companion who pays you back in mouse heads.” Truth, Nicole. Truth. B
“Oh, my little Princess Potato, did you puke because you’re sick, you ate something weird, or you had a hairball?” “I puked because it’s Tuesday.”
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to hold your little paw.” “That’s a good way to lose your hand.”
“You brush us every single day. Twice. But your hair looks like that”. “… interesting.”
“My cat is always grooming me because she loves me.” “No, I do it because you clearly don’t know how.”
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Made in Italy – Strings Attached by Thomas Walter Kelley
An extraordinary, life-changing journey across continents and time.
One night in 1980, through a series of improbable events, a fine, old Italian violin came into the lives of Tom and Cheri Lyon Kelley. Naturally, they were curious to learn its story: Where was it made? When? By whom? And how did it make its way from the Old World to the New?
Their quest for answers led them to people and places they never could have anticipated, from some of the loveliest villas in Italy to the sordid underworld of violin fakes, frauds, and thefts.
Review
The reality of this book turned out to be a little less exciting than what the blurb promised. It is an enthusiastic love letter to the violins of the Golden Age of Cremora in general and specifically to the (Giovanni Battista) Ceruti violin which his wife plays and which they (gulp) decided to buy roughly ten years ago.
“You never truly own one of these great violins. You simply pass through its life.”
Kelley gives a well rounded history of the master luthiers of Cremona, tells how certain violins can become the “voice” of the violinist, authentication is key, reappraisal every two-three years must be done to be sure insurance matches the price, and that these two-three hundred year old instruments must be played often in order to keep them in tip top condition.
There is also a fair amount of space devoted to Kelley and his wife as well. Some of it is relevant to the violin and a lot of it is, well, okay but not what I was looking to read. C+
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Parole: The Fate of Prisoners in My Hands and the High-stakes Risks of Getting it Wrong by Rob McKeon
Deciding if a prisoner should stay in prison or be released is no mean feat. Enter the fascinating world of the parole board with Rob McKeon of BBC’s Parole.
…You don’t know what you don’t know.
How can you predict the future when you don’t know what you don’t know?Rob McKeon is a member of Britain’s parole board, making tough, life-changing decisions about whether a prisoner is safe to return to society; impacting not only prisoners and their victims, but also the general public. This vital work has been the subject of a BBC television documentary, Parole.
For 12 years, Rob has been handling sensitive and high-profile cases, dealing with the social, moral, and emotional pressures that come with this difficult job. This book provides unique insight into his work, with a compelling behind-the-scenes look at parole hearings.
CW/TW – The Author (deliberately vaguely) discusses some details of the cases of the prisoners who have been up for parole. These include assaults, murder, and sexual violence among other things. Prisoner drug/alcohol use and abuse is mentioned.
Review
If you read the Introduction to this book, you will be able to judge whether or not you want/will be able to continue. Yes, it’s violent but the question McKeon asked one man up for parole and the answer he got made it clear what the Board ought to decide in that case.
With the obvious need to rethink policing, arrests, and prison reform in the US I decided to read this book to get a glimpse into the parole process in the UK. McKeon talks about his decision to apply for a position on the Parole Board and what is involved. First and foremost, their decisions are made to protect the public but also to assist the main goal for prisoners in the UK – rehabilitation. When he begins digging into the dossiers of prisoners, it’s with the questions of is this person ready for release, are there support systems in place, is there a plan for the future, and how can release restrictions be crafted to also keep victims of those prisoners safe.
Over the twelve years he’s been on the Board, laws have changed. Some sentencing options have been changed or removed. Covid upended how the Board and others involved in the process did their jobs. Improvements in and acceptance of IT in the prison systems improved efficiency. One well publicized crime and the initial decision to parole a prisoner led to a massive crowdfunding that allowed his victims to legally contest this and ended up leading to reform of the review process.
As I mentioned before, McKeon and the other Board members chiefly keep protection of the public as their highest goal but they all want to do the best and right thing. Statistics consistently bear out that fewer than 1% of paroled prisoners (and roughly only 1/4 of those up for parole are paroled) go on to commit serious offences within two years of their release. Still Board members keep in mind that a mistake on their part could be catastrophic. I’ll add this to the list of jobs I doubt I could do (McKeon admits that it’s hard to get some of the graphic details of these crimes out of his mind) but it was rewarding to read about the process in action. B
The BBC has done a (so far) 5 part series about the Parole Board. I’ve watched the first two episodes on youtube. Type Parole – Episode 1 into the search bar and look for the DocZone channel.
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Palace Costume: Inside Hollywood’s Best Kept Fashion Secret by Mimi Haddon
Palace Costume is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Palace Costume & Prop Co., an exclusive Los Angeles film-industry haven of dresses, gowns, garments, accessories, props, and jewelry featured in countless movies for more than fifty years.
Envisioned and curated by owner Melody Barnett, Palace Costume is a 30,000-square-foot treasure trove of over half a million pieces and a beloved and legendary collection exclusively for costumers, stylists, and designers. Barnett’s journey in retro clothing is movie-worthy itself. Her first boutique in Los Angeles in the early 1970s attracted the likes of Diana Ross and Joni Mitchell and many other legends from the era. This inspired her to transition the business into a to-the-trade-only rental service enabling her to hold onto and care for these vintage gems. Since then, hundreds of classic films have featured clothing from Palace over the years, including Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and The Godfather, to name just a few.
Interviews by Mimi Haddon with more than a dozen Academy Award–winning costume designers are featured here with corresponding film stills that highlight the clothing and accessories they selected from Palace. Acclaimed designers such as Sandy Powell (Carol, The Aviator, Shakespeare in Love), Ruth E. Carter (Black Panther, Malcolm X, Frankie and Alice), Arianne Phillips (Once upon a Time in Hollywood, A Single Man, W.E.), Shirley Kurata (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Mary Zophres (La La Land, Babylon, True Grit) and Mark Bridges (Boogie Nights, Licorice Pizza) each share insightful anecdotes about the importance of Palace Costume as their go-to creative resource, especially for historic period films.
Los Angeles–based photographer Mimi Haddon has been artfully photographing the vintage gems at Palace Costume for many years. Over 300 of her stunning, stylized, and saturated images are featured in this visually comprehensive and delightful celebration of this one-of-a-kind archive. This inspirational look-book is sure to delight a wide audience, including vintage-clothing enthusiasts, fashionistas, costume designers, stylists, and cinephiles.
Review
Just look at that cover. I want those shoes. I don’t care that it’s been ages since I regularly wore heels. Those shoes are fantastic. And they’re at Palace Costume, a humongous resource in Los Angeles that film costumers regularly visit when they need something (20th century) vintage.
Several of them discuss why they love this place and some of the treasures they have used in films (such as the salmon halter dress in La La Land). This is kind of really a section for aficionados of film costume.
Then comes pages and pages and pages of stylistically arranged photos of a wide variety of Palace Costume has to offer. Some of these could have been done better as often an item is laid on a backdrop that is a closeup of the item itself thus blending it a bit too much for me but for the most part, these are a visual delight. B-
NOTE- THIS WILL BE RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 10th
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What an eclectic collection of books, Jayne! Thanks for sharing.
@Kareni: It’s the weird way my brain works when I need a fiction downtime.
@Jayne: Your brain works just fine. I would likely never have looked at these books, but they are fascinating and I would have missed out. Thank you!
@Darlynne: Well, I’m delighted that I’ve brought them to your attention. Not that I’m pushing anyone to read anything …