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Prep Roundup: Week 9
November 2, 2011
Encampment offers look at local event
November 4, 2011
Prep Roundup: Week 9
November 2, 2011
Encampment offers look at local event
November 4, 2011

THE SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK


By HAROLD BLOOM Yale University Press, $28


If you own the King James Version Bible, you’ll certainly agree with Professor Bloom’s description of it as “the sublime summit of literature in English, sharing the honor only with Shakespeare.” He calls it a literary masterpiece, notwithstanding its undistinguished group of 50 writers commissioned by King James I. They, fortunately, were inspired and aided by the great translator, William Tyndale.

This, Bloom says, is the book he’s been writing “all my life” and invites readers to enjoy its sublimity, especially in the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes and Job.


FAITH


By JENNIFER HAIGH Harper, $25.99

This is a powerful novel of a Boston Irish Catholic family torn apart by an unthinkable accusation against their son, Father Arthur Breen. A beloved priest for 30 years, Father Art is abruptly removed as assistant pastor on an anonymous mother’s complaint against him.


Neither admitting guilt nor challenging the accuser, Art goes into seclusion despite urgings of his sister Sheila to fight and clear his name. While his brother Mike believes Art might be guilty, he makes an effort to find the truth.


The resolution in the end is both unexpected and upsetting.

ABSOLUTE MONARCHS


By JOHN JULIUS NORWICH Random House, $30


Here, in one accessible volume, is the history

of the Papacy from Peter I to Benedict XVI. In an easy read, Norwich, one of Britain’s preeminent historians, describes long hidden and surprising details of the unbroken line of male popes and one woman, Pope Joan, who as it turns out, never existed.


We meet popes like Leo I who tamed Attila the Hun and Paul III, “the greatest pontiff of the 16th century,” and John XXIII, who instituted reform leading to Vatican II.


A complete list of popes and antipopes is appended along with their original names and papal dates.

THE SCHOOL OF NIGHT


By LOUIS BAYARD Henry Holt & Company, $25


Fans of historical fiction will relish this mystery thriller set both in Washington, D.C., and in England in the days of King James I, Sir Walter Raleigh and Thomas Harriot, among others.

Elizabethan scholar Henry Cavendish has been hired by antiquities collector, Bernard Styles to find a missing letter stolen by Henry’s friend, Alonzo Wax.


The letter, when found, includes a treasure map and alludes to a group of men Shakespeare called the School of Night.


Romance, murder, treachery, and intrigue are found aplenty in this exciting novel.

V IS FOR VENGEANCE

By SUE GRAFTON Putnam, $27.95

Kinsey Millhone, Grafton’s resourceful private eye, confronts a formidable cast of characters in her latest adventure including a reckless young poker player unable to repay a loan shark; a pair of shoplifters, one of whom is caught and commits suicide (or was she murdered?); a philandering husband whose wife is on to him and plans retribution, and a widower who mourns the death of his fiancé and hires Kinsey to investigate.

As usual, Kinsey sticks her nose into trouble and gets it broken along with two black eyes, but the relentless sleuth remains undaunted.

It’s another winner in Grafton’s alphabetical series and hopefully, she won’t stop after X Y & Z.

The LOUISIANA SEAFOOD BIBLE OYSTERS

By JERALD and GLENDA HORST Pelican Publishing, $25

It’s the season for oysters; raw, fried, baked, stewed, anyway you love them. In this fourth volume of their seafood series, Jerald and Glenda Horst present dozens of recipes and a host of color photographs that’ll have your mouth watering.

Add to this, a brief but comprehensive history of our favorite bivalve.

This one belongs in every cook’s library.

HISTORIC PHOTOS OF LSU FOOTBALL

By MARK E. MARTIN & BARRY C. COWAN Turner Pub, $39.95

In 1893, the very first Tiger team hit the field against what would become a long-time rival, Tulane … and lost 34-0.

From that inauspicious beginning, the Tigers amassed a solid record of victories and currently sit at the top of the rankings.

Much thanks must go to Gov. Huey Long, who championed the team and even had a go at coaching when he wasn’t leading the band.

The team’s long history is documented in this collection of stunning black and white photographs bound to cheer any Tiger fan.

EYES OF AN EAGLE

By CHRISTOPHER E. CENAC SR. with CLAIRE DOMANGUE JOLLER University Press of Mississippi, $49.95

Dr. Chris Cenac Sr., chronicles the life of his great-grandfather, Jean-Pierre Cenac, who ventured from Bordeaux, France to New Orleans in 1860, eventually settling in Terrebonne Parish where he and his family made important contributions to the area’s oyster industry.

The collection of 1,000 photographs and illustrations of early life on the bayous is a nostalgic treasure that pays tribute to the many immigrants to Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

(Full review appeared in our October issue.)