THE KING OF VODKA : THE STORY OF PYOTR SMIRNOV AND THE UPHEAVAL OF AN EMPIRE
by Linda Himelstein

The Russian word for vodka is voda, which means water and before it became the national beverage in Russia, it was used for other purposes. Back in the 1500s, vodka was a disinfectant for wounds and could be massaged into the back and chest. Soon enough, though, more people were drinking it especially if they needed something to calm them down. (It was actually given to women in labor.) The Russian monarchy encouraged the imbibing of vodka because it increased the revenue for them (they controlled its economy).
There were many vodka retailers during the 1880s but only one led the way and made him very wealthy. His bottles would grace the tables of royalty from the Russian tsar to other countries in Europe. Pretty outstanding for an ex-serf.
Peter Arsenievich Smirnov was born into poverty; his parents were basically slaves working on a farm and tending the fields of their landowner. Everything that they earned they had to share with their master. It was certainly not the kind of life that any of them wanted forever and Pyotr's uncle would be the first family member to gain his freedom. Grigoriy had the idea of opening up a drinking establishment near Moscow. In no time at all, he was successful and his status changed from serf to trading peasant. Soon he had many pubs, a brewery and a wine cellar. It was into this environment that Pyotr arrived and learned everything from the ground up. His stamina, determination, aggressiveness and great business sense would spiral him upwards to an incredible legacy.
The King of Vodka is a terrific book. Linda Himelstein brings you right to the world of nineteenth-century Russia where you learn about how vodka was produced (Smirnov had different varieties such as fruit-flavored drinks), the monopolization of the trade, the enforcement of sobriety pushed by Chekhov and Tolstoy, what happened to the brand during and after the Russian revolution, and the Smirnov family's involvement.
Himelstein's quite diligent research is very good and and she certainly knows how to tell a fascinating tale.
Recommended.

BREAKING THE CODE : A FATHER'S SECRET, A DAUGHTER'S JOURNEY, AND THE QUESTION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
by Karen Fisher-Alaniz

As a child, Karen listened to stories of her father's time in the Navy but never really paid attention to what he said. They were meaningless to her and he told them over and over again. That changed in 2002 on his eighty-first birthday. While at her parents' house to celebrate, her father, Murray, placed two notebooks on her lap. Inside were 400 pages of letters that he wrote during World War II. That night and every night afterwards, Karen became immersed in them and discovered a man that she scarcely really knew. For fifty years, he kept secrets buried inside him. By reading the letters and eventually drawing her father out by asking him questions, the truth was revealed.
Breaking the Code is a fast read (two days) and at times can be quite moving. There are photographs from postcards at the beginning of every chapter and, of course, the letters. For people who have relatives still living that fought in WWII, it's an important book. Many could not talk about what happened to them after they returned from the war and suppressed it. As the "Greatest Generation" dwindles, retrieving their stories for others to read should be written down before it's too late.
Recommended.

EXTRA VIRGINITY : THE SUBLIME AND SCANDALOUS WORLD OF OLIVE OIL
by Tom Mueller

In order for olive oil to have an extra virgin grade, it must be fruity, bitter and peppery, have a pleasant taste, and leave a clean feeling in the mouth. It can't be rancid, vinegary, greasy, or smelly. Unfortunately, most of what is on the supermarket shelves currently is not extra virgin (even though it's marked that way right on the bottle) but adulterated oil. Any flaws and it's classed as lampaste which means that it can only legally be sold as fuel. Fake olive oils are worldwide (many are not even made with olives) and the United States sells tons of it.
Some of the scams are taking soybean or canola oil, dyeing it green, adding beta-carotene for flavor and then putting it in tins or bottles with Italian flags across the front of it and cutesy names of fictitious producers. Most of this fraud is not regulated so it's rampant.
There are still, fortunately, artisan oil producers who mill (press) their own olives using ancient traditions where making excellent, superior extra virgin olive oil has been done in their family for generations. These are the people where you would buy your oil from. Of course, the majority of us don't live near a mill so the next best thing is to find a seller who has oil in bulk rather than in bottles or tins (decay sets in, immediately, as soon as oil is encased) and stores it in containers that are temperature-controlled. If you can find a store where you can taste olive oils before purchasing them and find out where they came from and how they were made, so much the better.
Tom Mueller has written quite an astonishing book. Besides writing about the ever present corruption, he relates the oil's history in regards to health (it's high in anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory); it's use in soaps, salves and creams; how Olympiads would slather their bodies to give them more energy; even textiles, leather and yarn were infused with oil.
At the end of the book, there's a Glossary and an Appendix on how to choose good oil and a large range of websites on all kinds of information that have to do with extra virgin olive oil, such as: research centers, olive associations, where to buy the best oils, olive oil chemistry and tasting, etc.
Mueller didn't miss a thing and it's quite comprehensive. Some great trivia is interspersed, too. If you're crazy about olive oil, this would be a good book to own. It's definitely an eye-opener.
Recommended.

CATHERINE THE GREAT : PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN
by Robert K. Massie

She was the only female that ever ascended to the Russian throne. Considered to be on par with Peter the Great, Catherine, in her reign of thirty-five years, accomplished a staggering amount of feats.
Born Sophia Augusta Fredericka von Anhalt-Zerbst to a minor noble family, she certainly was not favored. All of the attention was centered on her younger brother. This would change when she became an adolescent. Suddenly she's marriage material and that was fine by Sophia. She wanted to get away from her dominant mother and rise above her. When Sophia turned fourteen, a letter arrived from St. Petersburg written by Empress Elizabeth (the younger daughter of Peter the Great) inviting both mother and daughter to the court and to introduce Sophia to Peter, Elizabeth's nephew. Two years later, Sophia (now Catherine after she converted from her Lutheran faith to the Orthodox Church) and Peter married. Now her obligation was to produce an heir. For nine years nothing happened because Peter was a total mess psychologically and physically. It wasn't until Catherine took a lover (there would be a total of twelve) that she finally felt fulfilled. These men gave her companionship, (they would be called "favorites"), passion, and love. Even though her private life was considered scandalous, what she presented to the public was brilliance, a quick wit, astuteness, fairness and power.
Catherine the Great was quite a remarkable woman. She dealt with rebellion, foreign wars, violence and at the same time tried to ameliorate the situation with serfdom and to help the Russian people live better. Catherine was an avid reader and was influenced heavily by Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu. She used his theories and others during her rule. Catherine also loved art and created quite a collection; brought literature, sculpture, education, medicine, architecture (many buildings and magnificent structures were built) to Russia; opened up the Black Sea to expand the ports for trade and commerce. She left quite a legacy.
Robert Massie, without a doubt, really knows how to present Russian history in an enjoyable format. There's so much information (the book took him eight years to write) but what you read is absolutely fascinating. It's quite hefty at 574 pages which does not include the Notes and the Index. There are several pages in color of Catherine, Peter, and Elizabeth.
The last time I read anything by Massie was when I was in high school and that was his superb Nicholas and Alexandra.
He has done justice, again, with Catherine the Great.
Highly recommended.

CHARLES DICKENS : A LIFE
by Claire Tomalin

He was considered to be the greatest novelist of the nineteenth century. As a writer of twenty novels, several short story collections, poetry, plays, and stories for two separate magazines, Charles Dickens was quite prolific. The public loved him because his works portrayed their life. He was a keen observer and nothing went to chance. Everything about English society entranced him.
Dickens was born into poverty. His father could never hold a job and the family constantly moved to escape creditors. When his father was sent to prison, Dickens had to work in a factory. He hated it and didn't last long there. His next major job was as a court reporter. Some really sorry cases were tried and were quite upsetting to Dickens. He would use them in his writings (all of his fiction had many autobiographical elements in them, particularly David Copperfield). Ideas for novels came to him and he was off running never stopping until the end.
It was truly fascinating reading about this over-the-top persona who had such greatness but at the same time was very flawed. Dickens was extremely generous with friends, was a philanthropist (he financed a home for fallen women), gave to the needy, supported other writers by editing their writings and having their works published, gave readings of what he himself had written to adoring crowds (he was quite theatrical and if he hadn't become a writer, he would have been an actor). The flip side was that Dickens was a terrible father (he had ten children) and most of the time ignored them and would complain years later about having so many. His long suffering wife was treated miserably by him (they shouldn't have been married in the first place). So while he was perceived as being a humanist and virtuous, Dickens would destroy his own life betraying and deceiving the ones closest to him.
Claire Tomalin has written an impeccably researched biography on Charles Dickens. At 417 pages (not including 70 pages of Notes), the book is quite hefty. Starting with the beginning, there are maps with their own separate Key; and a Cast List of the families on both sides and every single person who came in contact with Dickens.
Although there is tons of information, the book is quite readable. If you're a fan of Dickens but don't really know much about him, check this one out.
Recommended.

THE ORCHARD : A MEMOIR
by Theresa Weir

To spray, or not to spray, that is the question. If you have an apple orchard, the only choice is to use pesticides otherwise the codling moth will destroy all of the crops. To go organic is not an option.
Theresa Weir, while working at her uncle's bar, fell in love with Adrian Curtis, the son of local farmers in Iowa when she was twenty-one. They got married and she was forever rejected by his family because she was an outsider. She will only be accepted if she follows their ways. The farm has existed for generations and it must continue. Dangerous chemicals permeate everything around them and it's not a life that neither Theresa nor Adrian want their children to experience.
The Orchard is both a beautiful and dark book. It's beautiful due to the simple, spare, and honest writing. There is an undercurrent of suspense throughout (no suprise, there, because Weir writes under the pseudonym Anne Frasier and she's well-known for her tales of mystery).
In her current book, there are chapters about her earlier life with her mother and siblings. It's good to see these interventions so as to get an idea of Weir's personality and where she came from. Once you start reading, you are immediately absorbed. It's a small book and can be finished in one day.
Haunting, hypnotizing, mesmerizing are the best words to describe this tale.
Very highly recommended.

MURDER IN THE FIRST-CLASS CARRIAGE : THE FIRST VICTORIAN RAILWAY KILLING
by Kate Colquhoun

British trains during the 1860s were nothing like their American counterparts. The Victorian trains were comprised of carriages and each one of them were divided into separate box-like compartments. There were doors on both sides that opened onto the station platform but no corridor or door was between them. So, if a passenger had an emergency or needed to call somebody for assistance, they were out of luck.
Thomas Briggs would become that one unlucky man and for him, it would be fatal.
Briggs boarded the North London railway on a first-class carriage at 9:45 pm. Soon afterward, two bank clerks entered this same compartment but Briggs was not there. What was discovered, instead, was blood on the cushions, floor and windows. A walking stick, an empty leather bag and a broken watch chain were left. The most conspicuous object was a hat which was not the kind that Briggs normally wore.
In due time, the hunt for the killer began. The police force used their best detectives and were able to figure out the identity of the murderer from different witnesses and by offering rewards to help solve the crime. They found out where he lived and were ready to arrest him but the killer had taken off to America where a sister of his lived. Now the chase was on for the inspectors to take a ship, themselves, and try to nab the fugitive as his prospective ship landed at the ports of New York. They would be successful and would bring him back to Britain for a trial.
This crime caused quite a sensation and shocked the world at that time. People would eagerly read the newspapers, every day, as the event unfolded.
Kate Colquhoun has written quite a suspenseful book and it's very hard to put down. How she describes the case, the characters involved, (there's a complete list at the end), the railway system, and the use of capital punishment makes for mesmerizing reading.
It's definitely a quirky tale and if you like true-to-life mysteries, this one is quite a winner.
Highly recommended.