The Eastern Regional Library Show - 5th and 12th March 2008

I've got recaps of the last two radio shows today. Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show.

On the 5th March show

A librarian loves to share their particular passions in reading, and Lyn Baines love of history and mystery were to the fore today. She has discovered a first novel by Owen Shears, Resistance, which tackles the theme of 'what if' the German army successfully invaded Britain during Word War II. The story unfolds in a remote Welsh valley, where the men have all left to join the resistance, and the women must struggle alone, until the arrival of five German soldiers. Lyn says this is an intriguing read which does not resort to cliches, and is very evocative of the time.

Meetings in no man's land by Marc Ferro and others is about the remarkable truce during the first winter of World War I, when soldiers not only lay their weapons aside, but met on No Man's Land, sang carols, shared food and even played soccer. The book includes perspectives from the Russian, German, French and British armies, and draws on letters and diaries of the time for a full and fascinating picture of this period.

And for a true meeting of history and mystery, the third in a detective series set in Henry the VIII's England, Sovereign by C.J.Sansom. The central character is Richard Shardlake, an honest lawyer in difficult times, who is called on by powerful men in the government , such as Cromwell and Cranmer, to work for the king. The novels are full of rich period detail, and the stories are narrated by an engaging central character. If you are interested, the first two of the series are Dissolution and Dark fire.

On the 12th March show

Mysteries from the past are eternally fascinating. How genuine is the Turin shroud, how was Stonehenge constructed and why, what is the truth about the Knights Templar, and what myth? Spurred on by interest following the review of The secret of the spear : the mystery of the spear of Longinus, I have delved into the books on shelf at 001(knowledge), 133(parapsychology and the occult), and 366(associations).

The seven ordeals of Count Cagliostro : the greatest enchanter of the Eighteenth Century by Ian McCallman reveals the complex layers of a man whose name is now synonymous with 'magic', but who in his lifetime was considered a faith healer, lead an exotic branch of freemasonary, was accepted by Catherine the Great of Russia and Louis XVI of France, and became involved in the revolutionary politics of the time. Was he a healer and mystic, or a dangerous charlatan? Read the book to find out.

If you thought everything about Nostradamus was published that could be, think again! In the mid 1990's an unpublished manuscript of Nostradamus' quatrains accompanied by 80 paintings, probably done by his son, was found in the National Library of Rome. The author is a former program analyst with the Italian National Police, and created a software program to help him decode the quatrains and suggest what they might mean for the future. There is some very detailed commentary on how the associations are made which is complex but interesting. The book is Nostradamus : the lost manuscript by Ottavio Cesare Ramotti.

The fog : a never before published theory of the Bermuda Triangle Phenomonen is a collaboration between writer Rob MacGregor and pilot Bruce Gernan. Bernan has first hand experience of flying in the area, and has put together eyewitness reports and scientific research to come to an intriguing conclusion. And I'm not going to give it away.

Finally, two very readable books which give a guided tour through some fascinating mysteries, Ghosts of war : restless spirits of soldiers , spies and saboteurs by Jeff Belanger, and Hidden History : lost civilizations, secret knowledge, and ancient mysteries by Brian Haughton.

---- Lesley