Book Log 2018 #50: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Finally, the last entry for 2018, and I will say it ended on a high note. Set during World War II, this book tells the stories of a blind French girl and a German boy adept with electronics, and how their paths eventually cross as they try to survive the war.

I had no problem getting sucked into this book, as the story is richly told with the sort of detail you'd want from a historical novel, with an additional layer of personal triumphs and tragedies for both of the main characters. I did read one review that faulted the use of modern American style and language, which I admit I didn't notice. Probably not surprising being an American and all.

I really enjoyed this, and was happy to read a World War II novel whose main characters weren't spies or doomed lovers (no offense to Alan Furst, of course, but it's nice to have a change of pace). Definitely recommended.

 Book Log 2018 #49: Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

It's a murderous road trip, as Vowell goes across America to visit sites related to political killings, both to reflect on the history and how these events were used to manipulate politics and popular culture. 

This should be right up my alley, and I mostly enjoyed it, but I never fully connected with the book. Not sure why, it was interesting and often funny (moreso than you might expect from the subject), but I rarely felt like I was engaged to the level I usually am when reading. 

That being said, I do recommend it, especially if you have an interest in US history and/or politics. It's also not a particularly long book, so if you encounter the same issue I did it's easy enough to stick with it until the end.

 Book Log 2018 #48: Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin

John Rebus is finally retired - kind of.  He's working cold cases as a civilian, which isn't as exciting as his old job but gives him something to do. When a couple of current missing persons cases appear to be similar to one of the cold cases, Rebus sees his chance to get back into a real case. With his usual amount of insubordination, verbal fencing with Big Ger Cafferty, and police work that may occasionally cross the line.

I was interested to see how Rebus would operate as a retiree, and was gratified that not much had changed. But I am curious to see how much this continues in future novels (there have to be more coming, right?), and if the series ever makes a permanent transition to Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox as lead characters.

 Book Log 2018 #47: A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black

A newspaper tycoon dies from a shotgun blast, and it's up to Dublin police inspector Hackett - along with medical examiner Quirke - to figure out if it's suicide or murder, and if the latter, who pulled the trigger. Along the way they untangle the deceased's tangled web of personal and professional dealings, while Quirke also has to consider his assistant's relationship with the sister of the victim, both in light of the case and the assistant's burgeoning romance with Quirke's daughter.

I've always been a little on the fence about this series, and that feeling continued after reading this installment. The core mystery was OK if a little dull, and I still have no idea what women see in Quirke. But I'm into it enough to keep going.

 Book Log 2018 #46: Origin by Dan Brown

Everyone's favorite symbologist is at it again, as Robert Langdon goes to an event at the Guggenheim in Bilbao for a presentation that is said will change science forever... only to have it end in chaos. Langdon goes on the run with the museum's director, and the pair have to figure out a way to save this discovery from the forces allayed against them. Sound familiar?

Also familiar is the big reveal at the end, which (spoiler alert) claims to disprove that religion is a thing but isn't particularly convincing. I was able to come up with a reasonable counter-argument in about three minutes, and I am not a philosopher or theologian. Or a symbologist, for that matter. 

Probably fine for an airplane/beach/commute read where you want something that moves reasonably quickly, doesn't require a lot of thinking, and don't have any better options.

 Book Log 2018 #45: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

Elizabeth Holmes, a Stanford dropout with an interest in life sciences, founded a company called Theranos that claimed it could run dozens of lab tests and get accurate results from a single drop of blood. Hailed as a genius and a revolutionary, she attracted high-profile investors and grew the company to a valuation in the billions. 

Only problem was that the technology didn't work.

Carreyrou, who wrote on science and health for the Wall Street Journal, wrote a series of articles that questioned Holmes' claims. This would later grow into this book, which gives a comprehensive picture as to how Holmes and others at Theranos - most notably her business and romantic partner Sunny Balwani - were able to keep the secret about their technology while raising millions. Spoiler alert: it involves a lot of threats against lower-level employees.

Most notable for me in this was the way that former US Secretary of State George Schultz became so wrapped up in the company - and in personal regard for Holmes - that he ignored the warnings of his grandson, a biologist who worked at Theranos and knew first-hand that the company wasn't what it seemed.

I found this book fascinating, both for the main story about the company and all of the personal stories that intertwine with it. Holmes herself is maybe most fascinating in the "what exactly is her psychopathology" sort of way.

There's also a documentary, which I also recommend.

 Book Log 2018 #44: Potsdam Station by David Downing

Journalist turned spy John Russell is still out of harm's way, but fears for his son and girlfriend, both of whom are still in harm's way (on the Eastern Front and in an increasingly perilous Berlin, respectively). Russell tries to find a way to get back into Germany, but his plan has some unintended consequences. Which is kind of par for the course, given the number of scrapes Russell has been in while playing the Germans, Soviets, and British off of each other.

I've read a couple of reviews of the book, and tend to agree with them that the depiction of Berlin on the precipice of falling to the Soviets is much better than the actual plot lines. One of the reviews faulted the series for not depicting the main characters more richly (which holds some water, but I don't find them as one-dimensional as the reviewer did), while both found fault with Russell's ability to navigate Berlin once he returns (which I agree with in retrospect).

For all that, I do still like the series and am interested to see how the war ends for everyone.

 Book Log 2018 #43: War of the Wolf  by Bernard Cornwell

Uhtred of Bebbanberg has finally recaptured his ancestral home, But as you might expect, trouble continues to lurk, from both expected and new places.

This is the 11th book in the Saxon Tales series, and by this point you're either all in or have given up. If you're still somewhere in between, the series will apparently end with the thirteenth book, so you might as well finish.

 Book Log 2018 #42: Skyfaring by Mark Vanhoenacker

I heard about this book on Rick Steves' radio show/podcast, and was interested to read an account about flying written by a commercial pilot. I didn't expect it to be fully a tell-all/behind the scenes account, but I wasn't expecting something that was so reflective and philosophical. This actually wound up being more of a problem than you might expect, as I had a really hard time connecting with the book. Whether that was due to my expectations or that I don't have the sort of flying experience to fully appreciate the author's reflections I don't know.

Admittedly, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about flying, even when I am flying. I tend to think more about plummeting (or the continued lack thereof). I'm not a nervous flyer, but can't really sleep on planes and my brain likes to go places when it's not otherwise engaged.

In any event, I think this is probably worth checking out if you spend a lot of time in the friendly skies, either as a passenger or crew member.

 Book Log 2018 #41: I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

This is one of those rare (to almost being non-existent) cases where a book becomes its own story. McNamara, a journalist/blogger with a focus on true crime, became interest in a series of crimes from the 1970s and '80s that spanned California. She came up with the name Golden State Killer to emphasize the statewide nature of the crimes and focus the investigation into one perpetrator. She wrote and researched the cases, even getting the help of law enforcement after proving she could be trusted with sensitive information, and signed the deal to produce this book.

And then, in the middle of writing the book, she passed away unexpectedly.

This left her staff and her husband (the actor/comedian Patton Oswald) to organize her material and finish the book. In doing so they all pulled off the unexpected feat of both helping to uncover the identity of the killer and putting together a highly readable and engrossing work while mourning the loss of a friend and partner.

I don't read a lot of true crime, but liked this book a great deal and would certainly recommend it.

 Book Log 2018 #40: The Dante Chamber by Matthew Pearl

I was a big fan of The Dante Club (which I apparently read before logging books, or maybe I just forgot to log it), so I was looking forward to this sequel, which moves the action to London, where a number of murders tied into Dante lead to the fear that artist and writer Dante Gabriel Rossetti will be the next victim. A litany of English literary figures, from Rossetti's sister Christina to Browning and Tennyson are enlisted to find Rossetti and figure out who is committing these murders - and why.

I was somewhat disappointed in the book, though I have a hard time articulating why. It could be I found the first novel more to my interests (being set in the Boston area), or perhaps I set my expectations too high. In any case, it's not a bad book, and I do like Pearl's novels generally, so I do think it's worth a look. Just keep your expectations in check.

 Book Log 2018 #39: The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

This is the first book of a trilogy where we make first contact with an alien civilization, with the result that (spoiler alert) the aliens decide they want to invade Earth.  This is a very simple statement of the plot, which folds in a variety of historical, philosophical, and scientific detail. It's one of those books that I enjoyed even though I constantly felt like I was missing something.

Part of that might be due to the book being translated from Chinese. I also wonder if there's a cultural difference between Eastern and Western science fiction that might account for some of this. Of course, it could just be that the book was operating at a level above the amount of work I put in to reading it.

All that being said, if you're into science fiction it's very much worth reading.

So my younger son has been calling Columbus Day "Columbia Day," and while this seems to be a simple slip of the tongue (he still says "Orlando" whenever we see a licence place from Ontario, so he's a little malapropish), it did get me thinking. 

Columbus Day has been falling out of favor for years, especially as the impact of his trips on the native population become more well known. The rise in localities opting to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day reflects this, and has led to an expected backlash from those who want to keep Columbus on the calendar.  Why not satisfy both sides and change the holiday to Columbia Day?

Columbia Day would be dedicated to celebrating the development of the United States and the contributions of all parties. It would recognize both native populations and the explorers who brought the New World into the orbit of the Old World. People would be free to tailor their own celebrations accordingly, though they would ideally reflect the varied and rich history of human history.

It's not a perfect solution, of course. Columbia was often used in the context of manifest destiny, which didn't go so well for native populations in the west. I could also see residents of the District of Columbia co-opting this day to highlight their lack of representation in Congress and further the push for statehood. Still, it would likely irritate partisans on both sides of the issue, which suggests it may not be that bad of an idea.

In any event, let me be the first (and only) person to wish you a happy Columbia Day today!

 Book Log 2018 #38: The Secret Dead by S. J. Parris

This is a short story prequel to the series featuring the former monk and amateur detective Giordano Bruno, set just as he's taking orders.  Restless on a hot summer night, Bruno goes for a walk and stumbles upon the illegal autopsy of a young woman. Bruno pokes his nose in, learns that there is something sinister about the woman's death - and potentially other deaths - and he has to decide between seeking justice or keeping his mouth shut and advancing his career. 

I liked this story just as much as I liked the novels, and would recommend seeking it out.

 Book Log 2018 #37: 12.21 by Dustin Thomason

When a smuggler brings a rare Mayan codex into the US, he also brings something else - a deadly disease that spreads quickly across southern California.  It's up to an expert in Mayan artifacts and local doctor to put a stop to the growing pandemic by deciphering the codex.

As you might have guessed, the story (and title) of this book is based on the "end of the world" scenario that was linked to the end of a cycle of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. The scenario was that the end of the cycle - on or around December 21, 2012 - there would be some sort of apocalyptic event or shift in the cosmos or something that would be bad news for us all. This wasn't something the Maya actually believed, but it sold a lot of merch so people just went with it.

The book is kind of meh. I had higher hopes for it as Thomason was one of the co-authors of The Rule of Four, which I really did like. You'd be better of reading (or re-reading) that book rather than taking on this one.

 Book Log 2018 #36: The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse engaged in one of the bigger industrial battles in US history, as they sought to gain the upper hand in electrifying America. This book tells that story, but through an unexpected character - young lawyer Paul Cravath, who Westinghouse hires to manage the various lawsuits Edison is using to try to put Westinghouse out of business.

Cravath is a real person, whose work for Westinghouse presaged his later law firm work representing several large corporations. He's also noteworthy for the system he developed to organize and run professional services, like law firms, which is still in use today. You see the beginnings of that here, which creates a kind of parallel story of invention. 

It's still a good book if all you're interested in is the fight between Edison and Westinghouse, but it's just that much more interesting when you throw in Cravath's story as well.

 Book Log 2018 #35: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

I'd been meaning to check this out for years, and when I finally got to it I was... underwhelmed? Not sure if that's actually it, but I did have an incredibly hard time getting into the book, and subsequently found it hard to keep the people and events straight. 

The book started out as a series of short stories, so perhaps there's a continuity issue that I couldn't quite overcome. It's probably worth taking another crack at. I did like the premise of the book - man discovers through a field of study he created that the Galactic Empire is failing, and the powers that be punish him for it - and have liked the other Asimov books I've read. The original trilogy won a Hugo Award for best all-time series, so I'm tempted to think the problem is with me. 

 Book Log 2018 #34: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

John Rebus is heading towards retirement, but in his usual way he doesn't get there easily. There are a couple of murders that appear to be tied to a visiting group of Russian businessmen, scouting out investment opportunities in Scotland. Rebus is convinced he can connect the killings to the Russians, gangster and nemesis Big Ger Cafferty, the Scottish National Party, and a local banker. It all seems too much, and as usual his investigative approach gets him suspended, but also as usual Rebus sticks with the investigation, looking for one last big solve.

With his retirement, there was thought this would be the last book in the series. It isn't. Even so, it would have been a fitting end to the series. But I'm glad it's not.

 Book Log 2018 #33: Waiting by Ha Jin

A doctor at a city hospital meets a nurse, they fall in love, and decide to get married. There is, of course, a catch. The doctor is already married, to a woman he does not love who is back in their home village, taking care of his elderly parents. He returns home for a few days each year, and when he does he tries to get a divorce. Even when his wife agrees to the divorce there are details that prevent it, and the doctor returns to the city, still unable to marry the woman he loves.

This is the main premise of the book, whose characters each experience this wait in different, and often surprising ways. The setting in communist China adds another layer to things, as all of the bureaucratic nonsense not only adds to each person's waiting, but has everyone, character and reader alike, waiting to see the changes in the country. 

I did like this book, but in case you couldn't guess it's not the best pick if you want a traditional romance. 

 Book Log 2018 #32: The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters

The victim in this installment of the Cadfael series is a knight who is a friend of our crime solving monk, which makes him even more motivated than usual to find the killer. Problem is this happens right around the feast for Saint Winifred, the patron saint of the abbey, so there are more suspects than usual. There's also the case of a young lame boy, whose desire for a miracle cure gets wrapped up in the case. 

It's pretty standard Cadfael fare, but as usual told well. 

 Book Log 2018 #31: The Code Book by Simon Singh

I remember having particularly meh feelings about this book, which looks at the history (and future) of cryptography, but I have no idea why. Did it not line up with what little I already knew about the subject? Did it repeat stories that I may not have considered historically accurate? Did its sections on the future get too fanciful? Or was I just in a mood? 

Can't say, so you might as well dip in and see if my ambivalence is justified. 

 Book Log 2018 #30: Munich by Robert Harris

Old friends from Oxford find themselves as junior members of their respective national delegations at the conference in Munich that led to the "peace in our time" agreement between the UK and Germany that, ultimately, did not prevent World War II. While they haven't seen each other in years, the two friends find themselves with very similar ideas as to whether or not this agreement is a good idea - and if there's something they can do to stop it. 

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but then I tend to like Harris' novels in general. Certainly worth reading.

 Book Log 2018 #29: Fallout by Harry Turtledove

The Cold War has turned hot, as both the US and Soviet Union have turned to using nuclear weapons against each other and their allies in the hopes of claiming world dominance. Both sides look to use these new weapons to decapitate the leadership of the other, and where they fail internal politics may wind up succeeding.

I have mixed feelings about this book (and the series in general), mostly based the mixed feelings I have towards Turtledove's more recent work. I'm also not sure this series really depicts the sorts of horrors that would have been unleashed if the Cold War really did lead to this sot of actual war (though I say this with the caveat that it's been a while since I've read this book and could be underestimating how the war is being depicted).

Is it worth checking this series out? Hard to say. I've not been clamoring to read the final book, but at the same time writing this recap makes me want to get to it. I suppose I'm at the point with Turtledove that I'm at with Steve Berry. Not exactly hate reading, but not exactly real enjoyment either.

 Book Log 2018 #28: Head On by John Scalzi

Humans are infinitely adaptable in the face of change, as seen in this series where people who contract Hayden's Syndrome - which leaves people unable to use their bodies but keeps their minds intact - learn to interact with the world through robot-like machines (threeps). Not only do those affected adapt, but the wider world does as well, creating a variety of supports and social opportunities (as well as breeding some old-fashioned discrimination).

One of those adaptations is a sport where teams of threeps compete to remove the head of an opponent and carry it across a goal line, It's violent, popular, and generally harmless to the competitors as the damage is done to the machines. But when one of the athletes dies, it's up to FBI agent Chris Shane (himself a Hayden's sufferer) and his partner to figure out what happened. 

I like this series a lot, and appreciate the ways it makes you think about disability and difference while still keeping the story first.  I'm hopeful, and a little impatient, for more books in the series.

 Book Log 2018 #27: The Secret Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

We most often think of trees as solitary plants, living mutely among its fellow plants. Wohlleben, who spent 20 years working in Germany's forestry service, makes the case that this is far from the truth. Using recent scientific discoveries and his personal experience, he makes the case that trees are social and communal life forms, providing assistance to neighbors, communicating potential dangers, and helping to raise younger plants.

In some ways this book reminded me of Charles Mann's 1491, in the way it uses new information to dispel traditional - and often uninformed - ways of thinking about the given society (pre-Columbian in that book, arboreal in this one). I do find that this book drifts a little bit into more philosophical (some may say fanciful) notions of the interconnectedness of trees to other life forms - human included - but that doesn't take away from the more engrossing notions of how trees live. Where most people - myself included - don't really think about trees beyond having to rake leaves, this book challenges you to open up your thinking, which is never a bad thing.

 Book Log 2018 #26: Silesian Station by David Downing

As Europe lurches towards war, journalist John Russell finds himself being pulled ever deeper into the world of espionage. He agrees to work with American intelligence in return for citizenship, hoping it will protect him and his loved ones. It doesn't help; the Gestapo arrests his girlfriend, forcing him to use his Soviet connections to feed them disinformation. He agrees, but then also strikes a deal with the Soviets to work for them as well.

If that's not enough, Russell also investigates the disappearance of a girl shortly after arriving in Berlin, which only serves to put him in further danger.

I'll admit to being on the fence about this series a bit - it's good storytelling, but it's difficult to buy into the idea that Russell can be a triple agent without any of his masters deciding he's more trouble than he's worth. Still, I do think it's worth sticking with. The series is an interesting contrast to Alan Furst's Night Soldiers series, mostly in how they're structured (the more tightly connected books in Downing's series versus the looser connections in Night Soliders). 

 Book Log 2018 #25: Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters

The English civil war rages on, and when the sheriff is taken prisoner, a swap is arranged for a young Welsh prisoner from the other side. The sheriff is brought to the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, but is murdered before the swap is completed. Suspicion falls on the other prison, who just so happens to have fallen in love with the sheriff's daughter.

It's a pretty typical Cadfael plot, though the blurb I read about the book just now says that in helping the young prisoner Cadfael doesn't know that "the truth will be a trial for his own soul."  I didn't remember why that was, so I read a longer synopsis and, honestly, I don't think it's much of a trial. Cadfael has always been one to lean more towards natural justice than the law, and what goes down here fits that model.

 Book Log 2018 #24: The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin

The sixteenth Rebus novel moves between a murder of a rapist that may be the work of a serial killer and the death of a member of parliament that Rebus is getting waved off of as it may sully an important international meeting. You can imagine how Rebus takes that.

I was worried that the political aspect of the MP's murder would feel off, but it didn't. I do like it when Rebus bumps up against higher-level law enforcement and intelligence types. It would be weird if he was able to completely foil them, so the amount of success he does have seems realistic.

Book Log 2018 #23: Revolution for Dummies by Bassam Youssef

Bassam Youssef was a doctor in Egypt, and didn't see himself as being particularly political. All that changed during that country's uprising during the Arab Spring of 2011, when Youssef created and starred in a TV program that, much like The Daily Show and its cousins, used humor as a platform for critiquing the government and the ruling class.

Even with the changes that appeared to be in the air, doing this could get you into trouble. Youssef was charged with crimes, interrogated, and had his TV show shut down. Worried for his own safety, he fled Egypt.

These events (and more) are covered in this book, which provides both a personal history of the uprising and a look at how an authoritarianism survives, even when the people at the top change. It's an eye-opening book for those of us who live in a (somewhat) stable democracy, and who only saw the most basic coverage of what happened during the various Arab Spring protests.  It's also very funny, which makes it easy to see why the government wanted to shut him down. Bullies like nothing less than being laughed at.

Book Log 2018 #22: The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Carl Morck and his band of misfits in the Copenhagen police department's cold case division are fighting off claims that their office doesn't clear enough cases, an allegation which could close the unit down if unrefuted. 

Complicating their defense is that Rose, who has the best handle on the team's statistics, is still trying to recover from mental trauma with links to an event in her past. That event may also have links to the present in a more recent murder and a string of assaults against women, but linking them is proving difficult.

I've liked the entries in this series that delve into the lives of the supporting characters, and Rose's troubled past provides a lot of opportunity for doing so.

Book Log 2018 #21: Elegy for April by Benjamin Black

So I'm three books into the Quirke series, and still unsure how I feel about it. I still don't get a sense as to why he investigates the crimes that bring the bodies to his morgue, though I'm not sure he does, either. I'm guessing there's a similar dynamic at work with Quirke himself, as I can't quite call him a hero or an anti-hero. He's not far enough towards either extreme.

But I'm still reading them, so it can't be all bad, can it?

In this outing, a friend of Quirke's niece/daughter Phoebe has gone missing, and asks Quirke for help in figuring out what exactly happened to her (OK, in this case I do get why Quirke is involved). As with the other books, Quirke uncovers some of the less savory parts of living in 1950s Dublin, running into entrenched attitudes and powerful clergymen as is usual.

I will likely keep up with the series, even if I can't quite put my finger on why I'm doing so.

Book Log 2018 #20: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Like many people, I found my way to this book via the musical. I don't typically read biographies, but do like this era of American history and was curious to see how one would get a musical out of it.

I didn't see the musical. But I did read an engrossing story about a life critical to the foundation of this country. It's very clear from the book that without Hamilton the US becomes a very different country, and perhaps not even stay one country for very long.

It was also a fascinating look into Hamilton's personal life, especially his time growing up in the Caribbean, which understandably gets almost no coverage in the musical.

While it often reads more like a novel, there are definite stretches where the density of the material will require work to get through.  Even so, it's very much worth working through if you have the time to dedicate to it. I tend to be a fairly quick reader and read every day, and this still took me over a month to complete. Plan accordingly.

Book Log 2018 #19: Vacationland by John Hodgman

I really enjoyed this collection of essays/memoir/insert genre or style of writing here, in which Hodgman leaves behind the fake trivia that filled his previous three books and talks about his life, framed by the western Massachusetts vacation home his parents owned and the one in Maine that he and his wife now own. The central theme of the book seems to bounce between "how did I grow up to become moderately famous" and "why it's weird to be an adult," but it really doesn't need a theme to hold together. The stories all have that touch of humanity and insecurity that will make them relatable, especially if you're of a certain age.

On a personal note, between Hodgman's choice of hangouts in Boston as a teen and the location of his house in Maine, I feel like there's a good chance we've crossed paths at some point. Not that it means anything, but it did add to the personal connection I felt with the book.

Book Log 2018 #18: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller

A nuclear war after World War II devastates civilization, and in order to prevent it from happening again reactionary groups (known as The Simpletons) work to wipe out whatever knowledge that may allow this to happen again.  Electrical engineer Isaac Leibowitz seeks out refuge in a monastery, and eventually forms his own order based on the preservation of knowledge (the practice of which leads to his eventual martyrdom). This book follows his order over centuries, seeing how they preserve and reintroduce knowledge, as well as dealing with the emergence of new political powers who once again threaten to cause mass destruction.

I did like this book, and appreciated that it took a long-term view to the story.  It was also refreshing to read something where science and religion weren't depicted as being irrevocably at odds. The style didn't always work for me, though I can't put my finger on exactly what it was that I didn't like.  It wasn't that distracting, just times where things felt a little off.

Book Log 2018 #17: The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black

Dublin pathologist Quirke gets pulled into another mystery, this time over the apparent suicide of a young woman that he doesn't quite believe was suicide. Quirke unravels the mystery of the young woman's life and death while dealing with similar issues in his own life.

I thought the actual mystery here wasn't as interesting as in the first book, but was more drawn in by how Quirke and his family are dealing with the events of the first book. There's enough there to almost make the mystery superfluous. Which may not be such a great thing in a murder mystery series, but it's enough for me to stick with it.

Book Log 2018 #16: Blood of Victory by Alan Furst

As Hitler is on the march in Europe, a Russian journalist is approached by the British for help with a plan to slow (or stop) that march. The goal: deny the Germans the output of the Romanian oil fields. The journalist criss-crosses Europe in the attempt, eventually winding up in Yugoslavia with plans to disrupt the barges carrying oil intended for the Nazis.

It's a worthwhile installment of the Night Soldiers series, dishing up its usual mix of wartime espionage, moral ambiguity, and doomed romance.

Book Log 2018 #15: A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin

John Rebus picks up a case of two teens killed by an ex-Army man and loner, with whom Rebus seems to identify (wonder why?). The investigation faces roadblocks both from a local MP (whose son survived the shooting) and a pair of military intelligence types, who would like to keep much of the shooter's past in the past.

Also confounding the investigation is the suspicion the Rebus was involved in the death of a local hoodlum who had been bothering Siobhan Clarke. The crook died in a fire, and Rebus just happened to go to hospital around the same time for treatment of burns. It should not surprise you that Rebus is suspended for a time while this is investigated. It should surprise you less that Rebus continues to investigate the shootings while suspended.

I think what I like the most about these later books in the series is how they tie together the threads of the past. It's not necessarily direct links - for example, I don't think any of the Army characters served with Rebus - but how the plots and characters from the early parts of the series inform what happens now. This should be expected in a long-running series, but it doesn't always happen. So if you've been reading the series, look forward to these later books. If you haven't been, you should probably start.

Book Log 2018 #14: The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neil Stephenson and Nicole Galland

I was not particularly interested in reading this book - I don't think of myself as much of a fantasy reader, and the prominent mentions of magic kind of put me off - but I am very glad I overcame my prejudices and picked this up.

The premise is that magic was once common, but as technology developed it hampered the ability to perform magic, with it dying out completely at the time of the Great Exhibition in London. It's up to a team led by the book's protagonists - a low-level university linguist and a military intelligence operative - to figure out why this happened, and if there's a way to bring magic back.  As you might imagine, as the project moves along and grows it becomes harder to manage, with both expected and unexpected results.

I liked pretty much everything about the book, and think it's well worth a read.

Book Log 2018 #13: Christine Falls by Benjamin Black

Quirke, a hard-drinking pathologist in 1950s Dublin, comes to work one day to find his brother (by adoption - Quirke is an orphan) tampering with records related to a woman who had just come into the morgue. This leads Quirke to investigate the death more closely, which leads to an even greater mystery - what happened to the woman's baby, who seems to have disappeared not long after birth? This mystery puts Quirke in some difficulty with the powerful Catholic Church, a shadowy organization that's helping them, and members of his own family.

I liked the book, both for the main whodunit plot and the twisted family dynamics, which help explain Quirke's apparent self-loathing (which I'm taking from his apparently lack of care about his physical well-being).  And while it's not a historical novel, the details of mid-century Ireland help to ground the novel, especially in reminding us how much church and state were intermingled at the time.

As a side note, Benjamin Black is the pen name for the author John Banville, whose more literary works have won a variety of awards. He's also considered a potential Nobel Prize winner, which is probably why he was the subject of a hoax phone call saying he'd won the 2019 prize.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 40: Cyprian and Justina

Cyprian was a pagan magician beset by devils. Justina, a Christian woman, used the sign of the cross to keep the devils at bay, while they were finally defeated when Cyrpian made the sign himself. Converting to Christianity, Cyprian would rise to become a bishop, while Justina would head a convent. Both were captured and tortured during the Diocletian persecutions, but did not waver in their faith. Brought to Diocletian himself,  he ordered that they be beheaded. The pair were then made saints for their piety and martyrdom.

Except maybe they weren't?

Evidence suggests that the pair didn't exist, and that this Cyprian was confused with St. Cyprian of Carthage, whose writings, acts, and martyrdom during the persecution of Valerian are all well documented.  Also, there was no bishop in Antioch named Cyprian.

The pair were removed from the Roman Martyrology (a list of saints) in 2001, but as there were five saints named Cyprian and two named Justina the idea that there was confusion as to who exactly was who isn't too far-fetched.

 So that's it for 2018! I now have 320(ish) days to figure out what to do for next year.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 39: Donatus of Arezzo

Not much is known about Donatus, but that didn't keep people from writing about him. There are at least two written accounts of his life that claim Donatus:

• Was orphaned when his family moved to Rome, where he would get religious instruction along with a boy named Julian - who, as Julian the Apostate, would become emperor and kill several Christians, including Donatus' parents... who were already dead?
• Killed a dragon who poisoned a well (no word if Donatus was able to unpoison the well).
• Brought a dead woman back to life and restored the sight of a different blind woman.
• Fixed a glass chalice shattered by pagans, but with one piece missing. The wine did not flow out of the hole, leading 79 pagans to convert.
• Was martyred, or not. 

With that much uncertainty, it's not hard to see why Donatus was dropped from the calendar. His veneration does continue in two interesting ways:

1. A church bearing his name on the island of Murano near Venice has some of his relics, including relics of the dragon he slew. 
2. He's one of two patron saints of Guardiagrele in Abruzzo, and during the festival celebrating the pair it's traditional to eat porchetta.  Given the choice between alleged dragon bones and three days of eating roast pork, I'm taking the pork.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 38: Lucius I

Another early pope who got to be a saint by being an early pope. Serving in the 3rd century, he was briefly banished from Rome but was given permission to return. He got dropped from the calendar based on his not actually having been a martyr. It was claimed that he was martyred under the persecution of Valerian, but that persecution didn't start until after Lucius' death.

One odd story about Lucius. Demons were said to be haunting the Isefjord near Roskilde, Denmark, saying that the only thing they feared was Lucius' skull. (why his skull is an open question). The skull was promptly brought to the fjord, the demons went away, and Lucius was made patron saint of Zeeland.  The skull remained in Denmark as a relic, but carbon dating proved the skull attributed to Lucius dated back to about 100 years after Lucius died. The skull did move around a little, so it's possible Lucius' skull crossed paths with another one and they were switched.

Just another example of why you should always keep your head about you.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 37: Paul of Thebes

Also known as Paul, the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite. What we know of Paul comes from Saint Jerome, who writes that Paul fled to the desert to avoid persecution (thanks to his brother in law, who was trying to get Paul's inheritance), where he lived for nearly 100 years in a cave, living off of water and dates until a raven started to bring him half a loaf of bread every day.

I think we have a new fad diet to replace keto.

Anyway, once Paul died a monastery was started on the site of his cave, where his remains are kept.

Apparently, Paul was dropped from the calendar due to questions of the historical accuracy of Jerome's story. So while good PR is important, it can only get you so far.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 36: Hyginus

Hyginus was pope after Telesphorus, but his history is murky, to the point that his martyrdom can't be proven. He's also credited with establishing the rank for clergy and requiring all churches be consecrated, but who knows? 

Hygiuns had to deal with at least a couple of well-known Gnostic heretics - his dealings with them make up most of what passes for a biography - and there's no real discussion of how he became a saint. Other than by being an early pope, proving once again that timing is everything.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 35: Telesphorus

You may remember Pope Telesphorus coming up during Lentorama 2010 (and if you do, you should probably work on remembering more important things), but it turns out his feast day was originally created for another martyr. And apparently most of what was attributed to Telesphorus was connected to him well after his death in order to bolster the authority of the papacy. 

The pope Telesphorus has separate feast day from the non-pope Telesphorus, though it doesn't look like either of them are on the General Roman Calendar. Two for one today!

Book Log 2018 #12: Terror in the City of Champions by Tom Stanton

The 1930s were a great time to be a sports fan in Detroit, between the titles won by the pro teams and Joe Louis proving dominant in the ring. Contrasting that was the growing power of a group called the Black Legion, a white supremacist organization whose power grew along with its membership, which included several prominent citizens across the midwest.

The two themes of this book never quite connect - I don't recall that any of the athletes actually joined the Legion - but together they do illustrate an interesting time in American history, between the recovery from the Depresstion and the US entry into World War II.  There are also echoes into the present day, and how "economic anxiety" in the same part of the country helped bring Trump to power with his own particular nativist agenda.

This is one of the more successful books I've read in that Erik Larson style of weaving true crime and social history together, very much worth reading.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 34: Dorothea of Caesarea

The earliest record of Dorothea contains three items: when she was martyred, where she was martyred, and her name and the name of Theophilus. The legend of her death says that Theophilus was a pagan who mocked Dorothea while she was on her way to her execution. She sent him her headdress, whose fragrance of roses and fruits was taken as a sign. Theophilus declared himself a Christian and was martyred for his troubles.

From that story (later embellished), veneration of Dorothea grew and she became the patron saint of gardeners. She also became associated with better known female saints, such as the group known as the Fourteen Holy Helpers.  It never hurts to have good PR.

Book Log 2018 #11: Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, and Ella Morton

This is a book version of the website of the same name, which covers the wide variety of weird and wonderful from around the globe. You can try to read it cover to cover, but I found it better to read it in chunks. A great book for browsing, endlessly interesting and engaging. And thinking of the original purpose of this log, probably not a bad book for commuting as it's easy to start and stop (though I'm guessing the size of the book might be an issue).

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 33: Saint Placidus

Another case of mistaken (or combined) identity. This Placidus, along with 30 others, were martyred. Could have been pirates, could have been the emperor Diocletian. Definitely in Sicily. Maybe?

Anyway, jump ahead a few hundred years and a writer confuses this Placidus with another Placidus who was a follower of St. Benedict. Who, to be honest, doesn't have much of a history other than his connection to Benedict. And both men also apparently had connections to Messina. So the confusion is understandable, I guess.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 32: Nicholas of Tolentino

Born in Sant'Angelo, Nicholas moved to Tolentino due to angelic visions. Once there, he settled into a life of preaching and working with the poor. He was responsible for giving food to the poor, and created a special bread based on another vision. Augustinians still bless and distribute St. Nicholas bread today.

Between the visions, his work with the poor and prisoners, and attempts at bringing peace during the conflict between the Guelphs and the Ghibelines, the calls for his sainthood started shortly after he died. He was the first Augustinian to be made a saint when Eugene IV canonized him in 1446.

At least one person suggests that he's responsible for Spain getting a foothold in the New World. The settlement of Potosi, Bolivia apparently was suffering from high infant mortality (not surprising, being a colonial city at 13000 feet in altitude). A man dedicated his unborn child to Nicholas, and the son that was born lived to adulthood. This began a tradition of dedicating children and naming them after the saint, which helped the city to grow and become permanent. I imagine all the silver in the area helped the city stick, but it's a good story.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 31: Gervasius and Protasius

These two were twins, sons of martyrs who were martyred themselves by Nero. Or Diocletian. Or Antoninus. It's not clear. They had big hands, apparently. Not much to build a sainthood on.

Jump ahead a couple of centuries, to when St. Ambrose was asked to consecrate a new basilica in Milan, but needed relics to do so. A dream led him to the place where the pair were buried (I'm assuming their skeletons had huge hand bones), and Ambrose brought them back to the basilica to be his relics, and many miracles apparently ensued.

The twins are patron saints of Milan, which may be a problem if, as is rumored, they were moved to Germany after Frederick Barbarossa destroyed the city. Milan denies this happened, but what else would they say?

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 30: John of Matha

So over the course of doing this we've run into a number of saints whose "demotion" is understandable. You can only get so far when your actual existence is unproven.

I am less sure why today's saint got the heave ho. A French nobleman who joined the priesthood at the end of the 12th century, John reportedly saw a vision during his first Mass which would lead him to found the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, whose original mission was to ransom Christian captives to secure their freedom (which the Crusades made a necessary thing).

Today the order operates worldwide, and continues its mission (although it's broadened the concept of who is captive to cover people who are oppressed or persecuted but not enslaved outright).

Basketball fans may recognize his name thanks to DeMatha Catholic High School, a national hoops powerhouse that is also the order's only secondary/college prep school in the Americas).

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 29: Pope Victor I

Another of the many early popes who became saints for no good reason. He was apparently a pope in the late second century, and was the first pope from the Roman province of Africa (he's believed to have been Berber).

Not much is known of his papacy. He excommunicated a writer named Theodotus of Byzantium for his teachings that claimed Jesus was a mere man. Victor also cut ties with several Eastern churches over a dispute on when to celebrate Easter. None of this seems like particularly fruitful ground for sainthood, which explains why he was removed from the saints calendar altogether.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 28: Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin

Francesco Possenti was the 11th of 13 children, and while he had a reputation for charity and piety as a young man he showed no interest in religious life. He was poised to follow his father into government work, and was also (and perhaps better) known for his attention to his looks and his dancing.

Things were slated to take a turn when he took ill and promised to enter the religious life if he recovered. He did recover, but didn't change his vocation. A similar pledge also went unheeded when he narrowly avoided getting shot during a hunting trip. A second bout of illness brought the same pledge, and this time he actually started the process to join the Jesuits after he healed, but it was never completed.

It was a cholera epidemic that killed a sister that finally drove Francesco into the religious life, when he claimed to hear a voice during a procession of an icon of Mary asking why he continued to live in the world. Despite the best efforts of his father, Francesco joined the Passionists (who gave him the name Gabriel). He showed great promise, both academically and spiritually, but apparently not physically, as he developed a case of tuberculosis.  He would succumb to it before being ordained.

A couple of miracle cures were forwarded as evidence for his canonization, which occurred in 1920. The Passionist monastery in which he was buried (which had been abandoned for a time) developed a shrine for Gabriel, which became a popular pilgrimage site, especially among local youth who go there 100 days before graduation from high school to pray for good scores on their final exams. Even so, he wasn't popular enough to keep on the general calendar.

On a side note, there is a movement to have Gabriel named the patron saint of handgunners, stemming from a story that he saved the village where his monastery is located from a marauding band due to his proficiency with hand guns. I guess we really can let God sort them out?

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 27: Andrew Corsini

As one might expect from one of 12 kids born to a notable family, Corsini fell into a life of dissipation that lasted until his mother recounted a dream where he was a wolf among sheep, which apparently made quite an impression as almost immediately afterwards he joined a Carmelite house. He would become ordained, living a life of mortification and concern for the poor.

He would later be named bishop of Fiesole, a role in which he reportedly increased his personal mortification and attention to the poor. According to legend, in 1373 a visitation by Mary announced that Corsini would pass away on Epiphany, which he did. Almost immediately multiple miracles were said to take place at his tomb, though he wouldn't be named a saint until 1629. He would later be removed from the General Roman Calendar for not being of universal importance, which I guess makes sense for someone who spent his entire life and career in and around Tuscany.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 26 - St. Pope Soter

Soter was notable for his declaration that marriage was only valid as a sacrament blessed by a priest, and (fitting for Lentorama) for making Easter an annual festival in Rome. He was also noted for his charity towards exiled Christians and people condemned to the mines.

What he is not noted for is being a martyr, as he's not listed in the Roman Martyrology as one. It's not a requirement for sainthood, but it's common, and not being listed as a martyr also runs against the common belief that all early popes were martyred. It also doesn't help Soter that the date of his death is unknown.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 25 - Margaret of Antioch

As with many of the early saints, much of what is written about Margaret is said to be fictitious, though with her at least one story was said to be as such pretty much from the start. Margaret was said to be the daughter of a pagan priest who, raised by a Christian nurse, opted for the new religion and moved with her to the country. When a local governor wanted to marry Margaret, but said she'd need to revert to paganism, she refused, leading to various tortures (many of which would result in miracles) before she was martyred.

One of the tortures was reportedly being fed to Satan in the guise of a dragon, The cross Margaret wore irritated the dragon's insides, resulting in Margaret being regurgitated unharmed. The recounting of the story in the Golden Legend lives of the saints says this story is "apocryphal and not to be taken seriously." Further evidence that Margaret wasn't real is her also being referred to as Marina, suggesting she's a version of the Greek Saint Pelagia, and perhaps even influenced by the story of Aphrodite.

Pope Gelasius I declared Margaret apocryphal in 494, but she continued to be venerated, most notably in England, as the Council of Oxford added her to a list of feast days in 1222. She also gained popularity during the Crusades, and was said to have promised great indulgences for anyone who wrote or read her life story. Pretty good staying power for a saint that may never have existed.

(Note that she should not be confused with Margaret of Scotland, of whom there is plenty in the historical record.)

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 24 - Paschal Baylon

From youth, Paschal expressed a deep interest in the Eucharist, to the point where he once disappeared from home and was found climbing the altar steps in the local church so he could see the tabernacle. His religious devotion took a back seat to being a shepherd until his 20s ,when he joined a monastery. He developed a reputation for his austerity and piety, and his continued devotion to the Eucharist saw him sent to France to debate a Calvinist, but he was almost killed by a hostile crowd.

After he died, miracles were reported at his tomb pretty much immediately. Once he was canonized he was named a "seraph of the Eucharist" and was named a patron of groups that venerate the Eucharist. He's also often depicted carrying a monstrance, which you might remember is used to display relics or consecrated hosts. Still, for all his devotion to the centerpiece of the Mass, Paschal got dropped off the calendar for (say it with me now) not being of universal importance.

Book Log 2018 #10: Bats of the Republic: An Illuminated Novel by Zachary Thomas Dodson

My wife picked this out for me as a Christmas present, and I can see what she was thinking. It's not just set in a dystopian future, but the story is told using a variety of aids, from hand-drawn maps to letters and telegrams to parts of another novel that gives insight as to what's going on in the book's present (hence the "illuminations" in the title). It is the sort of book that's right up my alley.

I just wish it had worked a little better.

It's not a bad book. The story, involving a man living in Texas who is close to power (he has a relative that's a US Senator, which is a much bigger deal in the book's future) but not particularly poweful himself, sees the man come across some of the country's biggest secrets, which he has to deal with while dodging a pervasive surveilance state (though in an odd steampunk kind of way). Moving between the present and the past, the book presents interesting characters and story that I can only really describe as weird. But in a good way.

The problem is that it feels like the book was written as a way to show off the design of the book and story rather than for the story itself. This is not surprising given that the author is a designer, with a particular interest in "narrative design" (as you can see on his website). I think if you go into this book knowing that it's as much about experiencing the book as an object of design as plot or character, you'll like it more than if you go into it expecting a traditional book.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 23 - Maurice and Companions

Maurice was the leader of the Theban Legion of the Roman army during the third century. When the unit was transferred to Gaul to help Emperor Maximian, Maurice and his legionnaires (all Christians) refused to sacrifice to pagan gods or pay homage to the emperor. They would then refuse orders to harass local Christians, which led Maximian to order a decimation of the legion. More refused order led to a second decimation, and further refusal to attack Christians resulted in the entire legion being put to death.

There's a fair amount of debate over the historical veracity of this story, with those arguing for its historical basis pointing at physical evidence like coins and contemporary written sources, and those arguing for it being of a literary origin only. It's also noted that monastic sources don't confirm that the entire legion was killed, often suggesting that most of the legion was able to escape. There's also the fact that the Roman military at the time was strongly aligned with pagan gods like Mithras or Isis, so the existence of an entire legion (roughly 1000 men) of Christians seems unlikely.

So while Maurice and his legion aren't on the general calendar any more, Maurice is still widely venerated and is the patron saint for a number of professions and groups, including the pope's Swiss Guard. So it's kind of a soft landing for Maurice.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 22 - Ubald

Like some other saints, Ubald was educated by the church after the death of his father, and earned offices at an early age. Made a canon, and later joining a monastery, he spent a few years in Vienna learning from other canons. He returned to his home city of Gubbio, where he developed a reputation for his piety, poverty, and humility. He refused higher office several times, but finally relented and was named the bishop of Gubbio.

Ubald died in 1160, already having miracles attributed to him during his lifetime. Further miracles were proclaimed, and at his canonization his body was found to be flexible and incorrupt when it was moved to a hilltop oratory. A church was later built at that site, and has remained a popular pilgrimage site for Umbrians. But he's apparently not that popular outside of Umbria, which led to his being removed from the general calendar.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 21 - Geminianus

It always helps to know people. Geminianus found his way onto the calendar through association with Saint Lucy, but found his way off because he was determined to be fictitious. There is an unrelated Saint Geminianus, but it looks like he lived well after Lucy died, which I suppose wouldn't completely prevent some sort of confusion connecting the two. Maybe Geminianus was just a lot more popular of a name in the fourth century.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 20 - Emerentiana

Emerentiana was the daughter of St. Agnes's wet nurse, and may have been considered a foster sister to Agnes. A few days after Agnes was martyred, Erementiana went to her tomb to pray and was stoned to death by a crowd.

That is pretty much all that's known about her (and even that comes from the legends of St. Agnes),  so it's probably not surprising that she got demoted. I did find it interesting that she was not a Christian at the time of her death, as she was a catechumen at the time.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 19 - Martina of Rome

The daughter of an ex-consul, she was ordered to return to the religion of the Roman state, but refused. For this she was ordered to undergo various tortures (including attack by wild animals and burning alive), all of which she escaped from unscathed. This apparently didn't protect her from beheading, which is how she was reportedly martyred.

Over time her story was increasingly embellished, and apparently conflated with the lives of other saints. But no one seemed to mind, and she was canonized just the same. Jump forward 1400 years after her death and her remains were discovered in the crypt of a church named for her. But a couple hundred years later she was taken off of the General Calendar, but she remains on the calendar for her church and in and around Rome, of which she's a patron saint.

Book Log 2018 #7, #8 and #9: The Passage, The Twelve, and The City of Mirrors

I'm not that into vampires, so this is not a trilogy I would have normally picked up. But after seeing a couple of friends rave about the series, I figured I'd pick it up.

OK, these aren't vampires as you'd classically describe them. They are the result of a government experiment to create super soldiers using a bat-borne virus found in South America. As with all such experiments, things go badly wrong, and the subjects escape. The effect on humanity is, also as you might expect, catastrophic.

The books themselves follow some of the humans who survive, including a man who was close friends with the "patient zero" vampire, and a girl whose own pre-vampire supernatural abilities may prove crucial to humanity's ultimate survival.

I didn't like these books as much as the friends who raved about it, though I did appreciate the scope of the story and the ways in which the author brought vampire lore into the present (and near future). My one big problem with the series comes in the last book, where we get the crucial insight as to why that "patient zero" vampire caused the de facto downfall of humanity, and it's underwhelming. I suppose you can say it's a textbook case of the banality of evil.  Still, there's a lot of well-paced story before this, and it's worth a read if this is the sort of thing that interests you.

Lentorana 2018: Second String Saints

Day 18 - William of Montevergine

Born into a rich Italian family, William started on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem when he was beaten and robbed, which he took as a sign that he should stay where he was in southern Italy. He moved to a mountaintop (the Monte Vergine of his name) and became a hermit. He wound up attracting several followers and built a monastery.  He would earn the patronage of Roger II, which allowed him to build several more monasteries.

Which seems like a good thing, right? Maybe too much of a good thing, as William became increasingly at odds with the other clergy in his monasteries over the austerity of life under his domain. So William moved off his mountain and settled in a town called Goleto, where he founded more monasteries but was able to live out the rest of his days.

Not sure how or when William was sainted - he does have a couple of miracles attributed to him (including one in which he laid down on a bed of hot coals to thwart a prostitute who was testing his faith), and apparently knew his death was near by a "special revelation." The king of Naples had his remains moved from its original resting place in 1807, I'm assuming to gain some sort of advantage by relocating him to his original mountain home. He was removed from the calendar, like so many others, for not being of "universal importance." Which I suppose makes sense for a hermit, as that's not exactly a career path that gets you universality.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 17 - John of Sahagun

Unlike many of our previous entries, quite a bit is known about the life of John. The oldest of seven children to a wealthy Spanish family, during his education he was introduced to the bishop of Burgos, who was impressed by John and educated him within his own home. John would quickly be ordained and given several different offices, most notably being made a canon of Burgos cathedral.

John was uncomfortable holding simultaneous titles (it being disallowed under canon law), and resigned them all in order to become the priest to a poor parish, where he could focus on preaching. During this time he became ill and required surgery (a daunting prospect in the 15th century) to remove kidney stones. He made a pledge to become a religious if he survived the operation, which he did.

At that point, John joined a monastery and would work his way up to become master of novices and then prior. He continued to preach, but was also said to have developed an ability to discern a person's conscience, making it nearly impossible to lie to him. His preaching also apparently brought him many enemies as he often preached against vices popular among the local gentry, with the former concubine of one of them (who had turned back towards God) allegedly poisoning John (though this looks to be a detail added well after John's death).

But for all of his apparent piety and the existence of a historical record, John got demoted for not being of universal importance. Not enough days in the calendar.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 16 - Pope Anacletus

You know there may be issues when there's not really agreement on your name. The third pope, he's listed as both Cletus and Anacletus in historical records, and while there's general agreement they're the same person you'd like to think such agreement wouldn't be needed. There's also some minority opinion that he was actually the fourth pope, in case you needed some more ambiguity.

Also unclear is on what grounds Anacletus was actually made a saint. About all that's known about him is that he divided Rome into parishes and ordained an undetermined number of priests. His martyrdom looks to be more asserted than proven, based on the widespread persecution of Christians in the first century.  Kind of hard to believe he stayed on the calendar as long as he did.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 15: Dorothea of Caesarea

Legend has it that Dorothea, a martyr of the Diocletian persecution, was mocked on the way to her death to provide fruits from her bridegroom's garden (the bridegroom being Jesus). Before being killed, she gave her headdress to a six year old boy, who delivered it to the person who mocked her, who found it full of roses and fruits. He then declared himself a Christian, and was killed himself.

As time passed, Dorothea became more widely venerated, most notably in the Middle Ages, and was named a patron saint of gardeners. But as there's almost nothing known of her (just the day and place of her martyrdom and the name of the person who mocked her), she got demoted off of the calendar.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 14 - Liborius

The second bishop of Le Mans, Liborius spent the 49 years in office developing the church in and around Le Mans. He died in the arms of his friend Martin of Tours, and it's after his burial that things got interesting. Several miracles were said to have happened at his tomb, and at the instigation of Pope Leo III Liborius was moved to Paderborn, Germany to serve as the diocese's saint. This began a connection between Le Mans and Paderborn that has survived all the various Franco-German troubles.

And while he's no longer on the calendar, he is still the patron saint for getting rid of/avoiding kidney stones and gallstones, so keep that in mind.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 13 - Hermes

Hermes was said to have been martyred in 120 at the order of a judge named Aurelian, and may have been a wealthy freeman. That is pretty much everything that is known about Hermes, who was made a saint on the strength of his reported acts in various sources. Wasn't enough to keep him from getting dropped of the calendar, though he's still a saint. Whoever he was.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 12 - Pudentiana

Nepotism isn't just for government jobs. Pudentiana is one of the daughters of St. Pudens, though there's no mention of her (or her sister, Praxedes) in what documentary evidence there is of his life. She's said to have helped build a baptistry in her father's church, and assisted in baptizing pagans. She died at 16 and was said to be martyred, which when combined with being the daughter of a saint appears to have paved the way to her own sainthood.

At least until it appears that your very existence was based on an improper translation of a church named for your dad. Still, Pudentiana did get named the patron saint of the Phillipines in the 16th century, and does have a titular bishopric named after her. And like Boniface of Tarsus, she's still venerated in Orthodox Christianity.

(Full diclosure: I originally chose Pudentiana in the hopes that her name was somehow derived from "pudenda." In some ways I am still a 12 year old boy.)

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 11 - Boniface of Tarsus

Not related to any of the popes by that name, Boniface was said to be a slave in Rome who may have been his female owner's lover. They discovered Christianity at the same time, and Boniface was sent to Tarsus by his owner to find relics to bring back to her. Once in Tarsus, seeing the persecution of Christians, he publicly proclaimed his faith and was martyred. His body was returned home, making his remains the relics he was sent to Tarsus to get, kind of a homicidal Gift of the Magi.

It's quite the story, and as is the case for so many early saints it appears to be just that. Without any supporting evidence of Boniface's martyrdom he was removed from the calendar, and from the Roman Martyrology. He is still venerated in Orthodox Christianity, so he's got that going for him.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 10 - Gorgonius

The Gorgonius in question here is Gorgonius of Rome, of whom we only know his name and the date of his death (which makes references of him as a martyr a bit questionable). He's not to be confused with Gorgonius of Nicomedia, who was martyred as a member of Diocletian's household. He's also not to be confused with any of the other four venerated Gorgonii.

Still not sure how you get to be a saint when so little is known of you, but I suppose with all the people having the same name you don't want to uncanonize the wrong one.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 9 - Thomas of Villanova

A Spanish Augustinian monk, Thomas was renowned for his preaching and for his care for the poor. He was made a counselor and court preacher by Charles V, while moving up in the hierarchy of his order. He was offered the position of archbishop of Granada, which he refused, and then of Valencia, which also refused... until his superior ordered him to take the post.

While archbishop Thomas used the office to help the people of Valencia while making up for a period where pastoral governance was almost non-existent. His used the money given to him to redecorate his apartments to help repair a hospital. Thomas also set up social welfare institutions while continuing to look for the underlying causes of recurring problems.

I mention Thomas today due to the NCAA men's division I basketball tournament, where Villanova University was a one seed. Hopefully their namesake saint can work a small miracle or two for them.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 8 - Edward the Confessor

I was surprised to see Edward on the list of saints who were demoted, as there's plenty of historical background for him, and there seems to have been a cult of Edward worship dating to just after his death. But the more you read about him and his canonization, the more it seems like his demotion was a long time coming.

It seems that Edward's saintly reputation was an embellishment of monks at Westminster Abbey, who saw an opportunity to make bank if Edward was canonized. This push wasn't fully supported by English royalty, and the pope at the time was happy to slow play it, as he was at odds with the English king at any rate.

But then politics intervened. The English backed Alexander III during a disputed conclave, and when a new push was made to make Edward a saint, it had the full backing of the monarchy and a quid pro quo ready to be completed. It's here that he picked up the "confessor" nickname, it referring to his living a holy life while not actually being martyred.

Really, the demotion was in the cards once St. George became the national saint and the chapel at Windsor Castle with Edward's name was renamed for George, it was just a matter of time. Being the Catholic church, though, that time was itself a long time in coming,.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 7 - Four Crowned Martyrs

The first sign that there may be issues with your group of saints: your name says there are four, but there are actually nine. Four of them were clerks in the Roman army who refused to make a sacrifice to a pagan god, and were beaten to death for their trouble. The other five were all sculptors who refused to make a statue of a different pagan god, who were then executed by being sealed alive in lead coffins and then thrown into the sea. All of this happened under the reign of Diocletian, who clearly wasn't brooking any monotheism.

It looks like the similarities in the two groups' stories - refusal to pay homage to a pagan god, followed by brutal killings - is what caused them to get lumped together under one name. But there also seems to be plenty of confusion of who these guys are, as there are claims that the names from both groups were co-opted from other religious works (though the names of the clerks are also said to have been learned through revelation). Put on top of that later research suggests that the only group that actually existed is the five stonemasons, and you begin to understand why maybe these folks don't need top billing.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 6 - Pope Mark

Mark is another of those early popes about whom we know almost nothing other than the dates of his pontificate. It's also not clear how he managed to earn sainthood. His run as pope was relatively quiet, some schmimatics were still causing problems, and Mark is thought to have built a couple of basilicas. Overall, it's not clear how he wound up a saint in the first place. So his demotion to local calendars only doesn't seem like a problem, though I do have an objection of a personal nature.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 5- Pope Urban I

Not much is known of Urban's third century papacy, other than it's the first papacy whose dates can be determined through primary sources. Not much was thought to have happened during his tenure, other than some agitating from schismatics. The Romans were laying off the Christians at the time, so the lack of persecution didn't hurt.

There are various acts ascribed to Urban, most notably that he baptized St. Cecilia and that he had several sets of silver liturgical vessels made for local churches, but the sources were written well after his death. It also looks like that there was another bishop named Urban in the area at the time, and that things he did were incorrectly ascribed to the pope. So Urban I may have gotten his sainthood primarily for being pope during a decidedly chill time (relatively) to be a Christian. There are apparently no shortage of saints with this sort of story.

Book Log 2018 #6: The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters

A minstrel performing at a wedding is accused of murder and robbery against the groom's father, and takes flight. With the mob of wedding guests at his heels, the minstrel enters the abbey church and claims sanctuary. The sheriff claims that the boy can be granted sanctuary, but only for a period of time where the crime can be investigated. So enters Brother Cadfael, whose belief in the boy's innocence drives him to find the true criminal. While, of course, steering the course of true love between the boy and a maid in the household where the wedding was held.

Nothing surprising here, a very standard Cadfael story with the trappings you'd expect at this point in the series.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 4 - Raymond Nonnantus

Nonnantus was a 13th century Spanish monk whose order specialized in ransoming Christians being held by Moors in North Africa and southern Spain. This worked pretty well until he ran out of funds and, as directed by the rules of his order, he traded himself for the people he was trying to ransom.

While in captivity Nonnantus continued to preach, and his Moorish captors, sick of hearing him, used a hot poker to create holes in his lips so they could padlock his mouth shut. It was in this state that his order ransomed him back. Today, at sites where Nonnantus is venerated, people leave locks as an offering or a symbol of some vocal transgression (lying, etc.). As with yesterday's saint, Nonnantus was removed from the General Roman Calendar for not being universally important.

Although that might change based on Nonnantus being the namsake of the religious house that's at the center of the TV show Call the Midwife. Nonnantus is actually a nickname rather than a last name that references his Cesarean section birth (it's from the Latin for "not born") and death of his mother in childbirth. For this he's the patron saint of childbirth, midwives, and pregnant women. This made it an excellent alias for the actual house that Jenny Lee and friends worked out of while delivering babies in Poplar.

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 3 - Saint Canute

Also known as Canute IV, he was king of Denmark towards the end of the 11th century. A devout Catholic, he aimed to strengthen the church in Denmark and to strengthen Denmark by taking over England, which he believed was rightly his (he was the great-nephew of Canute the Great, who ruled England earlier in the century). He attempted to do so with a peasant army, which he managed to annoy by delaying an invasion long enough to play havoc with the harvesting of crops. Canute eventually disbanded the army, but before he could recall it the following year the peasants revolted, and eventually killed Canute and several of his followers while they took refuge in a church.

Canute was canonized in 1101, the first Danish saint. He's still the patron saint of Denmark. All of which would make you think he'd not get dropped from the general calendar, but he did as he's not "truly of universal importance." Several of the saints dropped from the main calendar were demoted for that reason, which just seems sad. Sorry, you're not cool enough to hang with the really popular saints!

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 2 - St. Christopher

It's a little odd to refer to St. Christopher as a second string saint, given that he's still really popular, but as it's likely that he never existed I'll get used to it.

The general story is that Christopher lived in the second century, and while working to guide people across a river he was given a child to carry across. As they went the water rose, and the child grew incredibly heavy. Barely making the other side, Christopher learned that the child was actually Christ, and that the weight represented the weight of the world.

After this, Christopher wound up in Asia Minor trying to convert the locals, and while there refused to make a pagan sacrifice. Women were sent to Christopher to tempt him, but he wound up converting them. The local king, enraged, ordered Christopher's execution, which took several attempts.

Now for the confusing part. There are no contemporary references to Christopher, so it's possible that he's based on the Egyptian St. Menas, who is also associated with a story where he carried a Christ child across a river. There's also a gap of several centuries between when Christopher was said to have lived and when his veneration became common.

Even with all the mystery about who Christopher actually was (or even if he was), he's still a saint, so feel free to wear you St. Christopher medal the next time you go on a trip.

In what I imagine was a blow to the holiday, Valentine's Day got to share today with Ash Wednesday. Which got me thinking: why is the holiday no longer St. Valentine's Day? It looks like it may have something to do with the 1969 reformation of the General Roman Calendar, which is where the church sets feast days and other celebrations. It took a number of saints off the main calendar, but they can still appear on national or local calendars. So it's kind of a demotion, but not the revocation of sainthood that some people assume.

All of which is the long way around to not having to troll social media this year for...

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Yup, 40 days of saints who have been put on the back burner. And as you might have expected, we'll start with the obvious choice for today.

Day 1: St. Valentine

Very little is known about Valentine, to the point where he may actually be two people whose acts were commingled over time. The legends about Valentine have him as a third century Italian bishop who restored the sight of a judge's daughter, to whom he left a note signed "Your Valentine." He may have done this while in prison for performing banned marriages, either for Christian couples or for soldiers so they would not have to go to war.

In either case, the stories tend to agree that he was martyred on the Via Flamina in Rome (they agree less on the year, with about a half-dozen to choose from), most likely on February 14. The adoption of that day as a romantic holiday is not clear, apparently it may have something to do with the date when birds choose a mate? I've also seen something saying his feast day was promoted in a move to replace the Roman holiday of Lupercalia. That seems more likely.

Regardless of how many Valentines there may have been, what he may have done while alive, and when he may have been killed, he's still a saint. So feel free to call today St. Valentine's Day, I suppose it's retro if nothing else.

Book Log 2018 #5: Testimony by Scott Turow

Set slightly outside of Kindle County, this book follows a former prosecutor who is hired by the International Criminal Court to investigate a claim that a Roma refugee camp was intentionally buried under an avalanche during the Bosnian war, killing hundreds. With one living witness and a cast of supporting characters - none of whom seem to have a fully objective interest in learning the truth - the prosecutor sets out to see who he can trust and what, if anything, he can learn about the final disposition of the camp.

I did like this book, just maybe not as much as the books that cleanly fit in the legal genre mode. Not sure if that's more to do with the author or with me.

Book Log 2018 #4: Birthdays for the Dead by Stuart MacBride

Ash Henderson is a police detective with a secret. His daughter was taken by a kidnapper known as the the Birthday Boy, who snatches girls around their 13th birthdays, and then sends the family a photo of their daughter in various states of distress every year on the girl's birthday. But he's not told his colleagues, as if they knew that his daughter wasn't just a runaway they would take him off the case.

I picked this up because I liked MacBride's series with Logan MacRae and was having trouble finding the newer books at the library (there should be a law that if a library starts carrying a series they need to have at least one copy of each book in the series). I don't remember much about the book (writing this well after reading), but it was probably fine. I've not bothered to read any additional books in the series, though, so take from that what you will. I don't even recall looking for the next book, so it's not like I can blame the library for not following up.

Book Log 2018 #3: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Full disclosure time: I am the parent of a child who has an autism spectrum disorder. I don't know if I've ever really talked about it here, but I tend to think not as (a) there's no label for it among the post labels that have accumulated over the years, and (b) I don't post much here on anything that isn't related to books I've read or Lent.  I probably won't get much more into it going forward, but thought it made some sense to mention this in relation to this book, as it would be hard for me talk about it without referencing personal experience to some degree.

As you might guess from the title, the book involves an incident that took place in the night involving a dog. The main character, Chris, takes it upon himself to investigate the incident to figure out who is responsible for what happened. Chris is never given a specific diagnosis, but it's clear from his various sensory and social issues that he has some sort of ASD (blurbs for the book mention both Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism), which complicates the investigation even while it doesn't allow Chris to drop it. When the case takes a very surprising turn, Chris has to face a new reality and his own plan for confronting it, eclipsing the original investigation.

My child does not share many of the behaviors and challenges that Chris has, but I could see similarities in how they both work through the day, and in how surprises can throw them off. I did think a little about how my child might be like Chris at his age (he's in high school), which I had not really done previously. So the book certainly helped me as a parent, beyond just being an interesting read. Regardless of your personal experience with autism, I do think this is a book worth reading.

Book Log 2018 "#3": 1493 by Charles Mann

Turns out I read this book in 2012, and didn't consult this very book log when I took it out and read it (again) in 2018. Turns out I pretty much felt the same way about the book then as I do now (not quite as good as 1491 but still pretty darn good). Though I don't know that not remembering that I'd read it before is much of an endorsement.

Book Log 2018 #2: The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters

A young musician claims sanctuary at the abbey church, as he is accused of robbing and killing a goldsmith while performing at his wedding. Sanctuary is granted, and the authorities (and Brother Cadfael) have 40 days to figure out who attacked the goldsmith (who lived, though there is at least one other murder that crops up later).

This is as good as any other book in the series, and is solidly sets the trope of the accused finding true love while needing their name cleared. I did read one critique of the book that called it more sentimental than others, as the murderer is found relatively early and there's more after-story about the people involved (and a wedding). Not sure if I'd say that makes the book sentimental, but it is different.

Book Log 2018 #1: The Infidel Stain by M. J. Carter

I really enjoyed Carter's first novel, The Strangling Vine (which I apparently didn't log), a mystery set in colonial India featuring a low-level officer of the British East India company and a special investigator who appears to have gone native. I apparently liked this one quite a bit, too - I gave it four stars on Goodreads - but I have a vague feeling I liked it less (as with most of 2017, I'm posting this well after the actual read date). It's set three years after the first book, and back in England. Maybe I was less happy about the change of scenery.

I was surprised to see that there was a title change (you'll see that if you click on the link), and have no idea if it's an improvement or not. I also see that there's a third book, which goes on my list of books to read.