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Bodies from the Bog

Bodies from the Bog opens up with the discovery of The Grauballe Man from Denmark in 1952. While the book focused mainly on bog bodies discovered on the continent, insular discoveries were mentioned as well.

Along with discussing the bodies themselves, in Chapter 3 we are also told about the life cycle of a bog and why these play such an important role in the preservation of these people. Of how a bog is born from sphagnum moss growing on layers of fen peat. This is what plays a pivotal role in the creation of bog bodies.

While fen peat alone allows for the growth of bacteria, and the eventual decay of human remains, sphagnan (a substance found in sphagnum moss) prevents the development of bacteria. It is sphagnan which preserves human remains, and even wood and leather objects from thousands of year ago, however, materials made from plants (i.e., linen) will decay. This is the reason bog bodies are most often nude, their clothes have deteriorated. It is also sphagnan which turns the bodies tan and leathery. So bodies become skeletal remains from fen peat and mummies from bog peat. Another topic covered briefly, and I do mean briefly, in this chapter is how special the meeting of land and water was to the ancient of Europe. Read more

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. © 2009 Dial Press Trade Paperback. ISBN 0385341008. Paperback. Epistolary Fiction. 290 pages. $14.00 US. [ Purchase ] Source: bought at Target

If you’ve seen any other reviews of this book, it is not unlikely you’ve seen comparisons to 84 Charing Cross Road. It’s somewhat inevitable, given the format of this novel, presented as it is in the form of letters between the various characters. It is a leisurely and familiar way to go about telling a story, and in this case works quite effectively.

As I’m finding it hard to pinpoint what exactly prompts me to give this book 4.5, if not 5, stars out of 5, I wonder if it is the authors’ skillful ability to represent humanity not only accurately but optimistically. While the recent history of World War II casts a shadow over the lives of the characters, from the start the reader knows there is more to this story than the devastation wrought by war – there is the constant hope of deliverance and the perseverance of a people not willing to submit themselves docilely to the invaders.

Not only does the method work and the story embody reality in a touching and poignant way, the characters pull one in with their life. They truly come alive in the pages of the book, and as the book progressed I think I came to think of them less as characters in a book than relatives who had given me the joy of this window into their earlier lives. We see relationships blossom and the fruits of life-long friendships. We cheer on our favorite character and have to chuckle a little when the busybody gets her comeuppance.

Shaffer and Barrows’ writing draws the reader into the world of this small island of the English channel. It is not a difficult read, but it is sprinkled throughout with gems of wisdom and wonder. One character observes that “Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.” And The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a good book.

Allison

Allison Dauer, 24, works in corporate IT but dreams of an editorial career in the book publishing field. Visit her at her blog Sparsile.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Synopsis
Set in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, Margaret Hale’s life is turned upside-down when her father gives up his parish and moves their family to Milton, a city in the north of England. Milton is so much different than everything Margaret had been used to – going from the south of England to the harsher northern part of the country, where the people all depend on the cotton mills for their jobs – and she and her family have a very tough time adjusting. Margaret’s father takes up teaching, and one of his students is the proud Mr. Thornton, owner and manager of a local mill.

In a story not unlike Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Margaret and Mr. Thornton soon discover they have feelings for each other, but pride, bruised egos and major misunderstandings seem to be in the way of their ever forming a more lasting attachment.