grand rapids public libary

By Amy Cochran, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

When I viewed Apocalypto in the theatre, I was intrigued by the Mayan city and glimpses of a complicated society behind the bloody sacrifices, although I still was firmly on the side of Jaguar Paw and his people. In the spirit of learning more about a civilization that practiced blood sacrifice, and in search of a page-turning mystery, I picked up Demon of the Air: An Aztec Mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the solid mystery but loved the way the author paints a vivid portrait of a complex and brutal society in the last years before it is swept away by European conquerors.

Rumors of men with pale skin have just started to reach Mexico/Tenochtitlan, making for an uneasy and paranoid environment among the elite of the great city. We first meet Yaotl, our dubious hero, in a tight spot. As an ex-priest and now a slave, his master has ordered him to escort a doomed man to the temple of the war-god for execution, but the erstwhile sacrifice breaks free and dives to his death over the side of the pyramid. Yaotl barely escapes when the priests would just as soon sacrifice him instead of a useless dead body.

As he returns to his master’s house, Yaotl is summoned to a meeting with Emperor Montezuma, who orders him to find several missing sorcerers or end up in prison himself.

In his search for the sorcerers, Yaotl must navigate through a society with an elaborate class structure based almost solely around prowess in battle and a belief in the importance of sacrifice and ritual eating. He is soon caught up in a power struggle between the emperor and Yaotl’s own master, an embittered old man who believes he should have been emperor instead of Montezuma.

Mysteries such as why the families of the missing sorcerers are being slaughtered and how Yaotl himself is connected to the underlying plot make for an interesting read. But I especially enjoyed the many details of life in the Aztec city, such as how hair length and style depends on your level in society, and how an auspicious date of birth determines your destiny. This is a fun mystery with insights into a lost culture.

By Kristen Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

Sister, Sister is the book that launched Eric Jerome Dickey’s career. This book follows three women: Valerie, her sister Inda, and their friend Chiquita, who is dating their brother. The women are in various stages of relationships. Valerie is married and struggling to make it work. Inda is divorced and dating again. Unfortunately, it is with all the wrong men. And Chiquita thinks that she has found the perfect guy, but that is all an illusion.

This is a fun romance that follows three strong women as they struggle with their relationships with men and how to find strength in friendship. Valerie turns to her sister, Inda, for counsel when she senses her husband has lost interest in their relationship. But Inda has her own problems: first she meets her boyfriend Raymond’s “other girlfriend,” Chiquita; then the pair find Raymond with yet another woman, who turns out to be his fiancée.

There’s more: Thaddeus, Valerie and Inda’s brother, falls for Chiquita, who in turn has formed a sisterly bond with Inda, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances of their meeting. Point of view alternates between the various characters as Valerie, Chiquita, and Inda share their thoughts and feelings about their interlocking relationships with one another, with men, with family members, and with the past.

All of Dickey’s books have been bestsellers, and most have been about modern relationships. However, in his newer books, he has started writing thrillers. Sister, Sister is a good introduction to his work and a good place to start if you are interested in reading his 14 books.