Science Fair: a story of mystery, danger, international intrigue and a very nervous frog by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. 394 Pages

This book is housed in the juvenile section of the library (fitting for Barry) but all age groups will enjoy it. Not only is it Barry funny, but it has great plot and pacing. As with his other books such as "Peter and the Starcatchers" the storyline is tight and the characters memorable.
Toby Harbinger is poor so he desparately wants to win the $5,000 prize for the best science project. The adventure begins when he and his equally poor friends, stumble upon the rich kids (who always win) getting classified science project supplies from Stengleman, a character straight out of the X-files. Couple this with an Eastern European Laurel and Hardy sent to destroy America, glasses that render the wearer invisible, a school principal who won't believe anything, and a Darth Vader/Wookie sidekick trying to blackmail Toby into giving them more of his parents' Star Wars memorabilia. There's a lot going on but it all fits. It's funny. And you'll want to know what happens next.

Zealot: Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan 296 Pages

Want an eye opener? Pick up this book. Biblical scholar, Aslan, has done a deep dig about in the past in an effort to separate the Jesus of Nazareth from the Christ of Christian teaching. He takes us back to Judea around 100 BCE to a Jerusalem occupied by the Romans and ruled by corrupt Jewish high priests - talk about conditions ripe for a messiah! And there were many messiahs around at the time,  all zealots trying to get their land back from occupation and their priests out of the emporer's back pocket.

According to Aslan, Jesus was one of these. Aslan, who speaks Greek, says he translated the gospels (which were written in Greek) himself so he could see what had actually been written. At this point, he makes it clear that the gospels were not written by anyone who had actually witnessed any of Jesus' teaching - the first gospel according to Mark was written at least 20 years after the death of Jesus and not by Mark the disciple. He also consults other historians of the time, Josephus, a Jewish/Roman historian writing at about 50- 75 BCE is an important one.
If you are interested in early Christianity, ancient history,  messianic mystery, and a clear-eyed view of who Jesus of Nazareth very probably was, this book is for you. Great read.

Old Souls: Compelling Evidence From Children Who Remember Past Lives by Tom Shroder. 253 pages

I am not one for reading any books about the paranormal as I generally find it all unverifiable bunkum, but this title crossed my desk as a possible donation to the collection, and in looking at the writing style and decent reviews by legitimate sources such as the Chicago Tribune, I was intrigued.

The author, Tom Shroder, is an award-winning journalist, and more important a skeptic when it comes to anything otherworldly; he comes down solidly on the side of the scientific method and the need of proof and duplication. Given that, he was also intrigued by a report about a physician and psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, who has spent the last 37 years investigating children from all over the world, who, from the first moment they can talk, insist they are someone else. These are not vague recollections but specific details of who they believe they really are and it is usually a person who died in a horrific way just minutes, weeks but sometimes years before the child was born.
     Usually the child is so insistent the family will try to find out about the person and visit the family. This is where things get very strange and not easily dismissed. The author Shroder, travels with Stephenson as he revisits some of the cases. Stephenson, too, is looking for some kind of verification – all he knows is that the stories are very similar and compelling. Is it reincarnation? Is it some sort of memory transmutation; is it all lies that imaginative children tell? It’s a good read that will leave you also wondering what exactly is going on.

 This book is being added to the Downtown collection.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. 488 pages

Elizabeth Gilbert, famous for her bestseller “Eat Pray Love” has hit another one out of the ballpark with this new novel. “Eat” was autobiography, and “Signature” is historical fiction, but under Gilbert’s pen, the characters are so well drawn, you’d swear it was biography.

The story centers on Alma Whitacker, the fiercely intelligent only daughter of Henry Whitacker, a young  man born to poverty, who pulls himself up by his wits to become the richest man in Philadelphia during the 1800s. Alma, homeschooled by her equally intelligent Dutch mother, is fluent in seven languages at a young age but her passion is her lifelong study of mosses. Her academic achievement becomes intertwined with romance, exotic adventures and rivalry with an adopted sister. Gilbert not only writes remarkable prose within a tight storyline, but also offers great quotes such as this one from Henry Whitacker commenting to Alma about marriage: “Poorly matched pairings are as thick as flies in this world.” A feast of a book.

Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life by Daniel Klein. 162 Pages

I was drawn to this book because I like Epicurus. Most people think of the Epicurean life as one full of binge drinking, slatherings of rich food and an orgy or two…or three. But the Greek philosopher is not a bit like that. He is all about what really makes us happy and it’s seldom sex and a bottle of tequila.

Daniel Klein, a 73-year-old American philosopher, decides to go to Hydra, a Greek island devoid of cars –and in this silence, contemplates the suggestions from Epicurus and other philosophers about what might be the most satisfying way to live when you get old. He watches how the old Greek men pass their days and compares their lives to the old American men he knows.

Klein is honest in his assessments of old age and does mine some nuggets of wisdom from the old ones, wisdom worth heading. Thankfully, it is not face lifts and Viagra.  

(This title was requested through Interlibrary Loan)