Mickey, Harry, and Jack

Only a few of my favorite authors produce stories in which their series characters intermingle. One of my favorites was the Church of England series by Susan Howatch (as far from stodgy as it’s possible to get), and now, with The Brass Verdict, Michael Connelly promises to do the same with a skillful interweaving of characters from earlier novels. This is not an easy task, but Connelly is more than up to it. Mickey Haller is back, following his introductory outing in The Lincoln Lawyer. He was pretty brash and arrogant at first, but after a year in rehab, with time to contemplate his victories and losses, Mickey has grown, psychologically. He’s still a razor sharp defense attorney, but now he’s a defense attorney with scruples, and he’s begun to realize what’s important in life. Now he takes issue with anyone who tries to bamboozle him. Into the mix add Harry Bosch, the sharpest detective on the LA force, Jack McEvoy, investigative reporter, and the always jumping LA setting, and you’ve got a foolproof recipe for first rate American crime fiction. The Brass Verdict, edgy and topical, full of surprises, does not disappoint.

Here were kept up the old games of hoodman blind, shoe the wild mare, hot cockles, steal the white loaf, bob apple, and snap dragon; the Yule-clog and Christmas candle were regularly burnt, and the mistletoe with its white berries hung up, to the imminent peril of all the pretty housemaids. Washington Irving

Kissing under the mistletoe has long been a part of American Christmas tradition. But just what is mistletoe and how did its association with Christmas evolve?

Mistletoe is a partial parasite (a “hemiparasite”) the grows on the branches of trunk of trees, penetrating the host with its own roots. While it is capable of surviving on its own, it rarely does so. There are two types of mistletoe. The type commonly used as a Christmas decoration (Phoradendron flavescens) is native to North America and grows from New Jersey to Florida and into the interior. The other type,Viscum album, is European, and grows on apple or oak trees. Its white berries are toxic. Because mistletoe remains green when the tree itself drops its foliage, the Greeks. Celts, and Germans believed that it had mystical powers as the source of the tree’s life. Through the centuries it was used as a ceremonial plant, becoming associated with many folklore customs. The traditions which began with the European mistletoe were transferred to the similar American plant with the process of immigration and settlement.

The common name of the plant is derived from the ancient belief that mistletoe was propagated from bird droppings. This belief was related to the then-accepted principle that life could spring spontaneously from dung. It was observed in ancient times that mistletoe would often appear on a branch or twig where birds had left droppings. “Mistel” is the Anglo-Saxon word for “dung,” and “tan” is the word for “twig”. So, mistletoe means “dung-on-a-twig”. By the sixteenth century, botanists had discovered that the mistletoe plant was spread by seeds which had passed through the digestive tract of birds. One of the earliest written references to this appeared in England, in 1532, in a Herbal published by Turner. Botanists of the time also observed that the sticky berry seeds of the mistletoe tended to cling to the bills of birds. When the birds cleaned their bills by rubbing them against the branches or bark of trees, the the seeds were further scattered.

From ancient times, then, mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. It was considered a bestower of life and fertility, a protectant against poison, and an aphrodisiac.

The mistletoe of the sacred oak was especially sacred to the ancient Celtic Druids. On the sixth night of the moon white-robed Druid priests would cut mistletoe from the sacred with a golden sickle. The cutting ritual came to symbolize the emasculation of the old King by his successor. It was gathered at both mid-summer and winter solstices, and the custom of using mistletoe to decorate houses at Christmas is a survival of the Druid and other pre-Christian traditions. Mistletoe is still ceremonially plucked on mid-summer eve in some Celtic and Scandinavian countries.

In the Middle Ages and later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil spirits, or were placed over house and stable doors to prevent the entrance of witches. It was also believed that the oak mistletoe could extinguish fire. This was associated with an earlier belief that the mistletoe itself could come to the tree during a flash of lightning. In parts of England and Wales farmers would give the Christmas bunch of mistletoe to the first cow that calved in the New Year. This was thought to bring good luck to the entire herd.

Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia, and later with primitive marriage rites. Mistletoe was believed to have the power of bestowing fertility, and the dung from which the mistletoe was thought to arise was also said to have “life-giving” power. In Scandinavia, it was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up. In some parts of England, the Christmas mistletoe is burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys and girls who have kissed under it never marry.

Mistletoe is the “official floral emblem” of Oklahoma.

And for those who wish to observe the correct etiquette: a man should pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe, and when the last berry is gone, there should be no more kissing. But these days, mistletoe is sold without its toxic berries, so that custom must be overlooked. Merry, merry Christmas. Let the kissing begin!

[Adapted from www.gardenline.usask.ca/]

New Place. © Steve Fareham

Tests on the Midlands mansion where William Shakespeare lived out his final years will begin tomorrow after experts revealed plans to dig up the 14th century site next year.

Experts from The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Birmingham Archaeology will carry out a feasibility study on New Place, the picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon house and gardens where Shakespeare died in 1616, ahead of a major archaeological excavation in 2010.

“Our purpose would be to create a modern record of New Place, providing us with a better understanding of the site, and potentially revealing new information about the house in which Shakespeare died and the way in which the family lived there,” said Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Trust.

“Plans for a dig are still at a conceptual stage, but we hope that a project of this kind would present a unique opportunity for our visitors to join in an excavation as it unfolds and ultimately advance our learning and thinking about Shakespeare.”

Birmingham Archaeology’s Kevin Colls said the potential project was “really exciting and unique.”  ”As archaeologists, we rarely have the chance to investigate remains which are directly associated with a single individual, let alone one of the most important figures in history,” he reflected. “Archaeology can build up a better picture of Shakespeare’s life and times.”

The tests will establish how much material lies underneath the grounds and the level of decay any surviving artefacts may have suffered in a house with a colourful history.

New Place was the second largest property in the town when it was built with brick in 1483. Owner Reverend Gastrell overhauled the building and controversially demolished it in 1759, before a Victorian antiquarian excavated the site more than a century later. The Trust believe modern techniques could uncover original remains buried around the Place in a project they describe as “ambitious”. It will explore the backyards and garden and could form part of a larger public project.

Twisted

An abandoned, derelict neighborhood in Manchester, England is slated for demolition. Only a single, crumbling house is still inhabited, by a solitary man and hundreds of exotic finches. The eerie aviary sets the tone for the entire novel, a compelling police procedural centering upon an urgent search for a missing boy. DS Parker recruits a forensic psychologist to assist in what increasingly appears to be a serial killer case, and, as these two men form a grudging working partnership, author Martin takes readers within their minds as they struggle with the horrific details of the case. A haunting journey, surreal and malevolent, with richly developed characters compelling psychological underpinnings.

They found her,

Poor Bridget Cleary, killed for her belief in fairies. These fairies, embedded deep in Irish folklore, are not the of the Tinkerbell ilk at all. Rather, they are capable of bringing all sorts of mischief into the lives of ordinary mortals. Bridget’s husband believed that she became a changeling, her body inhabited by an evil fairy spirit while her own was taken to live in the other world. As a result, her husband, with some friends and relatives, attempted to drive out the evil spirit, and in doing so, burned Bridget to death. The narrative in this history is chilling in its detail.
Interspersed with this incredible account are more prosaic chapters covering the history of Ireland around the turn of the 20th century. Belief in the spirits of folklore, very much alive in spite of the efforts of the Catholic church to eradicate it, was one of the reasons given for withholding home rule from Ireland. The tale of the cooper’s wife played into the political situation by providing sensational propoganda for the opposition to exploit.

Amazing story, well researched.

The Holy Shroud, a 14 foot-long linen revered by some as the burial cloth of Jesus, is shown at the Cathedral of Turin, Italy. A Vatican researcher claims a nearly invisible text on the Shroud of Turin proves the authenticity of the artifact revered as Jesus’ burial cloth. AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

A Vatican researcher has rekindled the age-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, not that it has ever been put to rest. Barbara Frale, a Vatican archivist, has released a new book in which she describes how she used computer enhanced images to decipher faint writing on the linen. The letters spell out Jesus Nazarene, and because no claims of divinity are made, she believes the writing  proves it was the burial cloth of Jesus. Experts say the historian may be reading too much into the markings, and they stand by carbon-dating that points to the shroud being a medieval forgery. This is still a matter of dispute, however.

But Frale believes the text was written on a document by a clerk and glued to the shroud over the face so the body could be identified by relatives and buried properly. Metals in the ink used at the time may have allowed the writing to transfer to the linen.

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The darker side of Tuscany

The Monster of Florence is co-authored by an Italian journalist and an American novelist. Accordingly, this serial killer saga is told in two sections, the first with a focus on the activities of Mario Spezi, and the second, those of Douglas Preston. Spezzi is arguably the Italian expert on the murders, which occurred sporadically, during summers in the late 1960’s to the mid 1980’s. When Preston moved to Italy for a prolonged stay, he became drawn into Spezi’s obsession with finding the real killer. Their collaboration would lead to the publication of a chronicle of botched investigations, planted evidence, corrupt judicial officials, and a gruesome crime spree which has never been solved. Along the way, Spezi was imprisoned in isolation as the prime suspect, and Preston forced to leave Italy accused of abetting Spezi. Although the authors believe they know the identity of the Monster, he has never been brought to justice, while others have been convicted, probably unjustly.

Thomas Harris based his portrayal of Hannibal Lechter upon this Italian serial killer. To his credit, Douglas Preston cautioned readers to avoid holding up the American model of justice model as superior to the Italian, as both exhibit serious flaws. His story can be taken as a stellar example of the dangers of meddling in the affairs of a society with which one is unfamiliar.

 The memoirs

When aspiring author Harriet Mahoney signs on to write the memoirs of Isabel Krug, whose lover was shot by his wife while they were in flagrante delicto, she’s ready for a change, and that’s exactly what she gets. Isabel has fled to Cape Cod to escape notoriety, and leads an unconventional life in an unconventional house, with her husband Kostas, a disgraced artist. After a few days, Isabel and Harriet warm to each other, becoming friends as well as collaborators.

What I liked:

• A la the Seinfeld television series, IB is essentially a novel about not very much. The central theme is the relationship between two women, one excessively conventional and the other excessively quirky. Not much writing is going on, but learning takes place on a consistent basis.
• It is pleasant to watch their friendship develop.
• There are four main characters, and I liked Harriet, Isabel, and Pete (the handyman who is the only person on the scene with a grounded sense of reality.)
• The setting.
• The occasional surprises.

What I disliked:

• The character of Kostas, who is extremely narcissistic and just plain obnoxious.
• The ending, which seemed rushed and “tacked on.”

I listened to the audio version of this novel, and it’s doubtful whether I’d have finished it if reading it in print.

For many Americans,  a traditional Thanksgiving morning is spent cheering on the home team at a football game. For my family, and many others in Connecticut and southern New England, we have a special tradition of our own, the Manchester Road Race. Since 1927 (with a hiatus of 10 years during the depression and WWII), it has grown from a tiny local event to an internationally known athletic event. In 1961, the first woman, aptly named Julia Chase, was permitted to run. In 1967, with 200 runners, it had become the second largest race in the country, right behind the Boston Marathon. and today, with more than 11,000 registered participants, Manchester is in the list of the top 25.

The 4.7 mile course is famous for its very first mile, a long incline popularly know as Heartbreak Hill, where many an overenthusiastic amateur has fallen by the wayside. The route is a festive one, with thousands of spectators lining the way, with musical encouragement provided by live bands. Many world class runners compete each year, but the “legends” are Amby Burfoot, who won 9 times, 7 consecutively, and Charlie “Doc” Robbins, who always ran barefoot, in all kinds of weather (one year when the temperature was 18F, he relented enough to wear socks.)

Speaking of weather, some years it has been relatively mild, but I’ve spent  many a race morning huddling in drenching rain and icy snow. The winner always crosses the line in less than 20 minutes, but one rainy Thanksgiving, I had to wait over an hour for my boss, running for the first time, to stagger down Main Street, soaked to the skin, toward the finish.

For the past 30 years, I’ve been there to cheer on my uncle, husband, son, daughter, and daughter-in-law, along with various and sundry friends and acquaintances. It’s a festive atmosphere, and although the sidelines are mobbed, it’s fun to run into people you haven’t seen in ages.

Then it’s time to go home and finish those dinner preparations, while my runners shower and try to warm up.

This year, the 72nd running, the Manchester Road Race will be televised by NESN. Last year,  my spectator spot changed to a very pleasant (and warm) one,  from Main St. to my daughter’s restaurant, Rocco’s (55 E Center St, Manchester, CT 06040.) She offers yummy breakfast pizzas, gratis, and all sorts of other delicious drinks and goodies. She sponsors a local band out front, and the vantage point, less than a mile from the finish line, couldn’t be better. Music, front row seats, great food, TV – Ahh, life is good!!!

Serendipity

For recently widowed Bernie Cullen, the arrival of Kate Robinson into her life comes as a blessing. Kate is touring Ireland on her own, trying to soothe her depression over recent losses of her own. Kate is not planning to stay, but the next bus out isn’t due for a week. Bernie introduces her to her lace making group, and Kate, much to her surprise, finds her interest stimulated and engaged for the first time in months. Lacemakers is a novel of transformation, in which Kate, Bernie, and company assist each other in coming to terms with the difficulties in their lives. Its plot relies heavily upon coincidence (e.g. Kate hasn’t done step dancing in years, yet wins the local competition hands down). Quaint and charming, Barbieri’s competent writing skills lift it a few levels above the typical romance novel. Note: Those looking for lace crafting details or Irish folklore will be disappointed.