Appeal Factors

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier
  Pacing = Narrative, with intermittent anecdotes and minutiae [verbal footnotes]
  Characterization = Personal narrative, with 3-4 other main characters and dozens of walk-ons.
  Story Line = Exotic travelog with elements of geography, sociology, history & Politics
  Language = Conversationally instructive
  Setting = Alaska, Russia, Siberia
  Detail = Immense quantity of fascinating detail, sort of like James Michener meets Bill Bryson
  Tone = Converational, approachable, author does not assume the reader has a College degree
  Learning/Experiencing = High Educational and Learning Quotient within the content. This is true "Infotainment."

Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho
Pacing = Traditional, poetic, forcing the reader to slow down a bit to digest the nuggets of wisdom
Characterization = The Coptic Elder is an archetype, and each of the other characters are defined by their question.
Story Line = Not a typical narrative, more like a series of parables or proverbs from traditional Wisdom literatures of the World.
Language = Poetic, traditional, but accessible
Setting = The ancient City of Accra, in Palestine
Detail = Not a strong suit in this book, more concerned with concepts than details
Tone = Poetic, dreamlike, captivating
Learning/ Experiencing = High level on an intuitive, emotional and gestalt level, not at all high in respect to Data or info bytes.

Week Three- I am not exactly techno-fluent, being a member of an older generation who only ventures occasionally into the lands of Gadgetaria and Technopolis. Personally, I find that I need to retreat frequently from those places in order to retain my inner peace and tranquility, artistic sensibilities, and sanity.

     That being said, I have found several websites which have content that I find intriguing....

   www.booktv.org  (C-SPAN Non-fiction booknotes)

  historical-fiction.com

 HistoricalNovels.info

  and

 Crimethrutime.com

Thus, you see a couple of the facets of my reading interests.  Of course, there will be more to follow...


-Monty Phair

       I have finished reading Travels in Accra by Paulo Coelho. This is a very special book. The only work I have ever read which is comparable on any level is The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran. Both books are deceptively short, but deep and rich in meaning and relevance.
       The primary background scenario involves the imminent siege of Accra [Acre] by the Western European/ Latin speaking Europeans by Crusade.  The inhabitants of Accra included Orthodox [Greek] Christians, Jews, Muslims, Copts, and several other diverse groups of people.
     In this fictional setting, representatives of each of these groups approach a wise Coptic elder and ask for advice and comfort to deal with their various fears and anxieties of the day--knowing what is about to happen to them. The Coptic elder dispenses poetic wisdom and solace in much the way the Prophet does in the comparison work.  Coelho is pithy, poetic and wise--giving each person the attention and response that is needed to help him or her cope with the terrible doom waiting outside the city gates.  I have a hunch this is going to be a classic, which will be read by many people, in many languages, long after its initial year of publication. Highly Recommended.

Travels in Siberia is lengthy enough to cover the topic of one of the largest land masses on the planet.  Ian Frazier manages to keep the readers/listeners' attention with fascinating geographical, historical and social details--mixed with wonderful stories and anecdotes related from his several journeys across that forbidding landscape. This book is never boring or tedious. There were chapters where tears of laughter and sorrow could be shed in equal copious amounts due to the eccentricities of the Siberian and Russian peoples, the bureaucrats, the thousands sent to the Gulags over hundreds of years, the wealth of natural resources in the region, the misguided social and economic planning by multiple leaders, the misguided attempts to traverse the country...
[remarking about the attempts of one British crew of explorers who tried to cross Siberia, Frazier remarked that he discovered that "Monty Python is a documentary, not a comedy."] The book is as rich as the landmass, always yielding surprises and very digestible by being delivered in modest humorous bites of prose.  This is Siberia with fascinating human faces peering out behind the vast forest of Taiga.  This book is also highly recommended to anyone who enjoys adventurous and unusual armchair travel. 
    -Monty Phair

The Numenorian Public Library/ blog is now open for service.  I will be listing many of the books I am reading as well as those I have read in the past.  I will do my best to answer all requests which are made in a civil and respectful manner, but I have little patience with Orcs or other beasts who may do harm or wish ill-will to those wishing to use this site in order to obtain information or reading material.

-Monty Phair, Librarian

Currently Reading:
 Paulo Coelho, Manuscript Found in Accra.

 Ian Frazier, Travels in Siberia