In The Land of Books

From swordplay to talking animals to lost civilizations, winter is the time to read away the house bound blues and lose yourself in the midst of a story well told. These books will amuse, intrigue, educate and ignite the imagination of readers who love nothing better than to curl up with a good book.

The adventure begins. The hero, Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte is both a mercenary and a man of honor. He is a 17th century swordsman-for-hire and he will, it seems, kill for money. When he chooses not to murder two travelers, he sets in motion an exciting, colorful and thoroughly entertaining plot that includes plenty of swordplay, some romance and lots of intrigue and surprises. Add a dash of historical perspective, and you've got a terrific first book in what is clearly intended to be a series.

At the other end of the literary spectrum, but equally fascinating and utterly important, is Collapse, by Jared Diamond. This New York Times bestseller has just been released in paperback. Diamond deftly provides answers to why some of the world's greatest civilizations collapsed—and what the implications are for our own time. Among the lost civilizations he examines are Angkor Wat, the Mayans, the Vikings in Greenland and the Anasazi of North America, as well as modern events that may be signals of our own possible downfall.

As we come closer each day to environmental catastrophe on a global scale, Diamond's book offers clear warnings—and some hope—to those of us who fear for the future.

Oprah's latest book club choice, Night by Elie Wiesel, is a powerful, devastating and horrifying account of the author's years in Nazi death camps. He was only a teenager, but he was forced to watch in horror while his family and friends were degraded, abused and then killed.

How anyone, especially someone so young, can survive the unbearable and retain his humanity is both a testament to the human spirit and an indictment of those who downplay the Holocaust. In the end, Elie Wiesel's greatest gift to us may not be his passionate and riveting prose, but his refusal to let us forget. Everyone has a story to tell, but not everyone can write as beautifully as Elie Wiesel.

Nevertheless, there are those among us whose lives are worth putting down on the page. On Writing Well and Writing About Your Life, both by William Zinsser, should be required reading before the first strike at the keyboard. These are classics that will endure because the advice in them is sensible and attainable. If you want to write, read these first.

The hero of Small Steps, Louis Sachar's sequel to his Newberry Award-winning Holes, has a lot to overcome. He's got that blot on his record that landed him at the Camp Green Lake Juvenile Correctional facility, although he is now free and two years older. However, with a name like Armpit, life is always a struggle for this engaging and brave young man. This novel (for grades five and up) is more grounded in realism than Holes, but it carries the same theme of redemption and the powerful impact of lessons learned the hard way.

Criss Cross, another Newberry winner, is a story told in anecdotes, set in the context of crossing over from childhood to adolescence. This is not a fast-paced, action-filled book, but it gets inside the minds of its characters, and in the process explores the painful and occasionally inspiring process of growing up.

Lynne Rae Perkins presents the story from the point of view of three fourteen-year-olds—Debbie, Lenny and Hector—as they struggle with feelings of early love, longing and, as Debbie says, a wish "something different would happen Something good. To me." As in life, things do happen in Criss Cross, and Debbie learns that eternal lesson—be careful what you wish for.

Heads up, fans of Miss Murphy! The latest collaboration between Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown will be hitting the shelves at the end of the month. This time, in Sour Puss, Rita and Sneaky Pie have at last reunited those two beautiful people, Harry (Mary) Hairsteen and Fair, and they are poised to live happily ever after. In this 13th book featuring Miss Murphy and Pewter (the cats), and Tee Tucker (the corgi) all the familiar elements are present, this time intertwined in a plot involving grape growing for Virginia's wine industry and the rivalry between vintners that leads, of course, to murder.