Unexpected pleasure

The waters of Alabama hold secrets. Some are magical and ancient, beautiful and deadly. Others are simply dead.

Shelly Connors moved to the Alabama bayou community to live with her cousins, Jet and Lily, after the death of her parents. As a half-mermaid, she needed the connection to her own kind...and to the waters of the Gulf. By day she works as a water therapist and at night she transforms and swims in the waters near the family home. Life is peaceful and easy. Until the night something wrapped in plastic is dumped in the water near Shelly as she is out swimming.

Shelly can feel the wrongness of the large, oblong, plastic-wrapped object even before she slices it open to see what’s inside, but the shock of seeing the young woman’s face, eyes gouged out, is almost more than she can bear. Shelly surfaces and comes face-to-face with the man who dumped the victim – and becomes a target herself. Now Shelly must protect herself, and her cousins, from the very real threat of retribution from a serial killer. A serial killer who knows their secret.

This debut novel from Alabama author Debbie Herbert is not what I expected. With Harlequin Nocturne as the publisher, I thought Siren’s Secret would be…fluffy. Instead the novel is a well-plotted, intriguing, thriller with a believable romance and a leaning toward the paranormal.  It was still a quick read, but mostly because I didn’t want to put it down. I would recommend this genre-crossing novel to fans of romantic suspense and paranormal fans who are looking for something different. 

Fading Ads, recovered history

I grew up in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, and spent years traveling in and out of the depressed (and now reemerging) city. During these years I noticed fading ads, painted letters, and random words on various buildings, - they're absolutely everywhere - but I never thought much about them. Oh, I had my favorites, but it didn’t occur to me to ponder their origins.

From its founding and initial growth through its heyday and decline, clues to Birmingham’s history are scattered throughout the city in these ephemera. Local author Charles Buchanan has researched these seemingly unrelated pieces of advertising and woven them together into a colorful tapestry depicting the vibrancy of days gone by. Though it is a history book, the text and photographs bring the past to life, both the commercial aspect and many of the characters that helped build and shape the city. Written in an almost lyrical style, it's clear that Buchanan has a passion for his subject, and he's able to pass that keen interest on to the reader. 

Living nearby I thought I knew the city, but Buchanan’s Fading Ads of Birmingham uncovers quirky, fascinating, and sometimes seedy, aspects that I would never have discovered on my own. I highly recommend this entertaining, informative book to anyone interested in history, the city of Birmingham, or the history of advertising.

Buchanan, Charles. Fading Ads of Birmingham. Charleston: The History Press, 2012.

Sneaking in educational content isn't only for kids!

I would like to apologize right now for the vagueness of this review. It's not vague because I didn't really read the book, or because I feel the information imparted is unimportant in any way, it's because I listened to this novel on audiobook, so I have no idea how to spell many of the names of the people, places, or works of art that are so integral to this story. Normally I'd just check out a copy of the print book and double check myself, but the movie of this book (starring George Clooney) is being released in October, so there's a long waiting list for The Monuments Men at the local library. Rather than totally mangle spellings, or wait forever to do this review, I am deliberately leaving out details.

During World War II the U.S. government charged a relatively small group of especially selected, uniquely qualified, enlisted men with protecting the cultural heritage of the countries at war and under attack. These MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives) men worked with Army units on the front lines. As the units moved into new territory, the MFAA would evaluate the area’s historical buildings with an eye to preservation and restoration. Additionally, the men would interview local officials in an effort locate known missing artwork. It wasn't only artillery that was endangering the cultural heritage of Europe.

Throughout World War II the Nazi agenda included the confiscation of famous art collections from private collections and, later, museums and galleries. Many of the statues, alter pieces, and paintings are works that are in museums and on display today are only here because of the work of the MFAA.

I sucked at history in school. All through school, in fact, this was my least favorite subject. I’m finding out now that history is way more fascinating than I realized. I was also pleased to find out that one of the Monuments Men, Robert Posey, was from Alabama. Another, Walter Hancock, was an artist whose work I’d studied in art history classes. The Monuments Men pulled me in by following careers of these and other key men in MFAA, and sneakily taught me more about World War II than my history teachers ever managed.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heres, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel

Publication Date: September 2009

Audiobook Reader: Jeremy Davidson

Length: 14 hours, 15 minutes

Rating (out of five stars): Five stars