5/30/06

Greetings, Readers!

 I would like to take this opportunity to welcome a few new Readers to the fold. You have chosen an excellent time to join our list, as you will see below. I hope this letter finds every one of you in good health! Exciting events are afoot this weekend, and you would not want to miss out!

First of all, a Gallery Opening! The Embellished Brassiere, an exhibit of 65 hand-decorated bras, will be at the Above the Rim gallery starting June 2nd. Friday, June 2nd is the date of the opening reception.

 Above the Rim is located at 513 S. Main St. in Moscow, upstairs from Paradise Creek Bicycles. Their hours are Monday - Saturday 9:30am - 6:00pm and Sunday from 12:00 noon until 6:00pm. For more information, visit www.abovetherimgallery.com

A Short Review of a Book We Like: Alert Reader Erica recommends Torso, featuring Detective Inspector Huss - one of our Nordic Noir picks from a few weeks back. Erica suggests that anyone who enjoys Elizabeth George's mystery novels of England fame would also enjoy Torso.

The period of time between 1906 and 2006 marks a Century of service by the Moscow Public Library! And, in honor of this momentous occasion, you are invited to an open house at the library, to celebrate the centennial! The open house is Saturday, June 3rd from 11:00am until 2:00pm. The party will feature music, refreshments, readings, essay contest awards, a historical presentation, a silent auction, an exhibit, and more! The program starts at noon.

Do you like plants, Readers? If so, then the Arboretum Associates Plant Sale is the place to be! This happy event takes place Saturday, June 3rd at the Latah County Fairgrounds Ice Rink. Doors open at 9:00am and the event runs until 12:00pm. Hostas, trees, shrubs, unique perennials, and more! For an updated list of the featured plants, check the website at http://www.uidaho.edu/arboretum

Also, here's something to look forward to: Wallace and Gromit! That's right, Readers, the Curse of the Were-Rabbit will be back in town! It's playing June 28th at 1:00pm at the Kenworthy. Book People of Moscow is proud to sponsor the event and we are proud to offer you the opportunity to check out the evening showing for free, as guests of Book People! Send us an email for more information: bookpeople@moscow.com.

Finally, Readers, Da Vinci Code Mania! The Da Vinci Code movie is playing in Moscow and the response has been modest at best. Unlike the book, which has sold 60 million copies (making it the second best selling book after the Bible itself). Even the President of the United States, at the urging of his wife, has read The Da Vinci Code. Sixty million of anything means something is going on. My guess is that the Da Vinci Code is a form of alternative nostalgia, an exploration of paths not taken, of other ways of doing things. Perhaps you could say that the Da Vinci Code's popularity reflects a growing dissatisfaction with hyper-institutional forms of religion. On the darker side, the popularity of The Da Vinci Code also represents the willingness of people to believe in conspiracy - that there are people conspiring to keep knowledge from them. I feel that conspiracy thinking is an excuse not to do something. It's fatalism; the idea that some unknown force is more powerful than you. Whatever it means, most people will agree, it's a heck of a read. If you like it, what else should you check out? The Gnostic Gospels are in print in many different editions. The Nag Hammadi Library collects the Gnostic writings first found in Egypt. Elaine Pagels' excellent Gnostic Gospels is a good overview of the Gnostic gospels and their meaning. Wilis Barnstone's Gnostic Bible collects Gnostic works from a variety of religious traditions. The Gospels of Philip, Secret Gospel of Thomas, and Gospel of Mary Magdalene have been printed as separate volumes. Even the National Geographic Society has gotten in on the rush, printing The Gospel of Judas, which presents Judas in an entirely new light. Secret knowledge need no longer be secret, and with these books you, too, can learn the truth behind the fiction. There is nothing that publishers like more than more of a good thing. I've read several books that the publishers hope will be the next Da Vinci Code, and I've enjoyed them. The Last Templar by Steve Berry threads on the mystery of the Knights Templar in medieval France and caused the current Master of the Knights Templar to write a response to the Da Vinci Code. Labrynth, by Kate Mosse, set in Southern France, is a thrilling read about medieval France and travel in modern France. The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra, an excellent Spanish novel, focuses on Da Vinci himself, his art, and the legends of the Saints, to present a different view of Da Vinci's religious feelings. The Resurrection, by Tucker Malarky, explores the finding of the Nag Hammadi scrolls and their impact on Christianity. Perhaps the most ambitious of the books, The Resurrection suggests that some of the Gnostic gospels should be substituted for gospels currently in the Bible. Food for throught for a long summer...

That's all for now, Readers! Take care, and thank you for reading!

-Book People of Moscow

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