It’s vacation time; time to rest and read

Christ the Lord, the Road to Cana

By Anne Rice

Knopf $25.95

Rice continues her imagined life of Jesus (Yeshua bar Joseph), beginning in the last winter before he’s baptized by John and ending with the miracle at Cana.

Thirty, unmarried, a carpenter living with his mother, Mary, foster father, Joseph, and his half-brothers and sisters, Yeshua ignores talk among townspeople suggesting he marry and live a normal life particularly with the beautiful Avigail who longs for him. No one truly understands his mission except his mother who supports him, but with a sorrowful heart.

Hungry and thirsty after his 40 days in the desert, he’s tempted by Satan who offers him bread and water if he were to bow down before him. But, Yeshua crushes him, calling him Beelzebub (Lord of the Flies), a sobriquet Satan loathes more than any other.

The wonderfully detailed miracle of water changed into wine is a superb scene illustrating the loving relationship between Yeshua and his mother. Leaving the Cana fest, Yeshua begins his journey to the cross.

Rice has reached deep into her inventive imagination to create a warm and convincing picture of Jesus’ humanity.

The Dark Tide

By Andrew Gross

William Morrow $25.95

In this engrossing thriller, Charles Friedman, husband, father and successful financier, is forced to take the train to work while his car is in the shop. As it enters the station, a huge explosion completely destroys the train and kills or maims many riders. When days pass and most bodies remain unidentified, Charles’ wife, Karen, accepts that he is dead.

Months later, two men appear at her house demanding millions of dollars they claim Charles has stolen. Frightened, she turns to detective Ty Hauck for help.

His investigation leads him to believe two seemingly accidental deaths are murders somehow connected to Charles.

The plot thickens, the mystery deepens, and the suspense builds to an exciting and unexpected conclusion.

A Fraction of the Whole

By Steve Toltz

Spiegel & Grau

Be warned that starting this book is like trying to stop a speeding car by holding on to a door handle.

Young Jasper Dean is in prison where he agonizes over his relationship with his now deceased father, whose body, he says, “will never be found.”

His paranoid father, Martin, spent his life trying to make a mark on the world but when his Ponzi-like scheme to make every Australian a millionaire fails, he became the most despised man in all Australia.

Jasper’s outlaw uncle Terry meanwhile becomes the most popular man in the country.

A stranger family you’ve never met, and their friends, lovers and co-conspirators add greatly to this brilliant debut. Hang on tight.

Don’t Know Much About Anything

By Kenneth C. Davis

Harper $14.95

Here’s another of Davis’ entertaining and informative guides on what he claims not to know.

Turns out he knows a lot about a lot of things including Benjamin Franklin, Mother Theresa, Sitting Bull and other notables; and places like the Panama Canal, The Smokey Mountains and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

There’s a quiz on each page with, thankfully, answers on the flip side.

As always, what Davis “doesn’t know” won’t hurt you.

Monopoly

By Philip E. Orbanes

Da Capo $14.95

Like to play Monopoly?

Chances are you own at least one of the more than 250 million games that have been sold worldwide. Quite a number for something originated 100 years ago as an economics class-teaching tool.

In Orbanes’ book you can learn the winning methods of the Monopoly champ, Matt McNally, marvel at Chris Williamson’s incredible collection of game trivia and view the evolution of the game through nostalgic pictures and drawings.

Incidentally, if played strictly according to the rules, an average game takes about 90 minutes. (Funny, mine always take much longer.)