His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

An elderly man – a regular library patron - sparked my curiosity about Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. Although they were shelved in the Young Adult section, he told me that they were based on John Milton's Paradise Lost and recommended them for adults.

He was listening to the audio books on CD, read by the author. I, too, listened to the three books - read aloud to me over the course of several months by a friend (a great way for us to experience books together!)

The Golden Compass was the most exciting – filled with brave children, evil parents, arctic places with cool names like “Svalbard” (a real place that is home of the global seed vault about 700 miles from the North Pole!), armored polar bears, and physical "daemons," which are spirits in personalized animal forms attached to every human. In the finale, a massive explosion of energy released from the separation of a child from his daemon rips a hole in the universe that the young heroine, Lira, travels through to a new world.

In the second book, The Subtle Knife, Lira meets Will, who uses a magical knife to cut anything – even windows into more worlds. From this point and throughout the third book, The Amber Spyglass, the adventure follows the two children as they explore the world of the dead and confront a fundamental choice between good and evil that parallels the story of Eve’s choice in the Garden of Eden.

I really enjoyed these books. They were fun and also thought-provoking in that they raised questions of spirituality, organized religion and the existence of a supreme, divine "Authority,” as well as scenarios of global climate changes. Sometimes, though, I felt that the three books could have been consolidated into one, for it seemed like the author was repeating himself. Although that may allow each book to stand on its own, I advise reading them in order.

We began reading/listening to these books last winter, the same period of time that the first book in the trilogy, The Golden Compass, was released as a movie. I haven't seen it yet, but the library has the DVD. I’ve placed a hold on it and am looking forward to watching it.

I would recommend the Dark Materials trilogy to adults and youth who enjoy fantasy/science fiction, or just want to read a good adventure tale. - Reviewed by Joyce

Exit...Stage Left by Rush

I am a big fan of the Canadian progressive hard rock trio Rush, but I have never been a fan of their live albums, especially this one, Exit...Stage Left. Why? Mainly because Rush live are very similar to Rush on their studio albums, since they try to do the songs live the exact way they are done on the studio albums. And since the sound of their studio albums (at least from the era represented here, '74 to '81) were so perfect and the sound on this live album is not, there is not too much reason to want to have this.

I certainly approve of the song selection. Any Rush album to have songs like on it Xanadu, Jacob's Ladder, Beneath Between Behind, La Villa Strangiato, Freewill, A Passage To Bangkok (included on the original LP and remastered CD, but not here),and Red Barchetta is more than worth owning. For the casual Rush fan, their three most well known songs, Tom Sawyer, The Spirit Of Radio (a tune I’ve never liked!), and Closer To The Heart, are included here, the last one featuring a children’s choir. It is the mix that I have the biggest problem with. Alex Lifeson's guitar is very low in the mix, which is disappointing because it was so loud on the studio albums and a big part of their sound back then. I could also do without Neil Peart's drum solo, which is in the middle of the instrumental YYZ. Peart gets a chance to show off enough during the songs, so a drum solo from him is unnecessary.

The front and back cover, which show at least one object and/or person from every Rush album from their debut to 1981’s Moving Pictures, is kind of amusing. I like Alex Lifeson’s classical guitar solo Broon’s Bane, partly because it is one of the few times on the album his guitar is audible. And I like the introduction to Jacob’s Ladder, during which Rush play part of a Sam Cooke song; it may be the only moment of spontaneity on the whole album!

Like the first live album, All The World’s A Stage, Exit…Stage Left marked the end of an era for Rush. The next four albums (which include my least favorite album, Power Windows) would see Rush veer further away from their original hard rock roots and add more and more synthesizers and keyboards. I like this album, but do not consider it a must have for Rush fans. - Reviewed by Rich

What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

This debut mystery begins in Birmingham, England in 1984. Kate Meaney is 10, a loner who lives with her grandmother after her father has a stroke and dies, and is obsessed with becoming a detective. Her world revolves around her imaginary detective agency, Falcon Investigation, which she runs with her stuffed toy, Mickey the Monkey. Kate lives next door to a sweets shop, and offers surveillance to the owner and his son, Adrian, who at 22 is Kate’s main friend in her solitary life and the only adult who knows of her desire to one day be a private detective. She also does undercover spying at the new shopping center, Green Oaks, and it is there that she suddenly disappears one day, never to be seen again. Adrian, pulled into the police station for questioning, also vanishes after the anguish of being accused of her abduction.

After Kate is lost, the novel jumps to 2003, where Adrian’s sister, Lisa, is an assistant manager at a record shop in the Green Oaks mall. She knows her brother is alive only because he sends her a mixed tape every year on her birthday, but it is not until she finds a stuffed monkey in the mall that she begins to think constantly of Kate and Adrian’s disappearance. Shortly after finding the monkey, a lonely security guard working the night shift at the mall begins to see a girl show up on his CCTV cameras that looks like Kate.

Part mystery and part ghost story, the novel also has funny moments to it, and a budding romance between Lisa and Kurt, the security guard haunted by images of Kate. Both Lisa and Kurt are hiding secrets, including Kurt’s horrible one of seeing Kate the day she was disappeared. Everything is artfully tied together at the end, and readers do get to find out what happened to Kate. Full of wonderfully detailed characters, a haunting desire to find out what happens to Kate, and many surprises, I was enchanted by this novel and couldn’t put it down. While heartbreaking, I highly recommend this gripping book. – Reviewed by Sarah