Book Rec of the Day 4/18-4/27/2010

WISEGUYS, STOOGES, AND DAMESOtto Penzler, proprietor of NYC’s Mysterious Bookshop, may well be the greatest crime fiction fan in the world. In this very big collection (more than 1,000 pages), he brings together works by the great (Cain, Chandler, Hammett, Gardner) and the not so great who had their great days nonetheless. The offerings include a previously unpublished story by Hammett and a novel by the man who invented the hard-boiled detective Carroll John Daly. A book to keep you in guilty pleasures for some time.

THE BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF PULPS: THE BEST CRIME STORIES FROM THE PULPS DURING THEIR GOLDEN AGE—THE ’20S, ’30S, AND ’40S; edited by Otto Penzler (Vintage, 2007)

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO CHE

Peter Carey (Oscar and Lucinda; Bliss; My Life as a Fake) trains his tragicomic eye on a group of radical hippies in the 1970s. A woman named Dial appears in New York, where seven-year-old Che Selkirk lives with his grandmother, and takes him to his mother in a hippie commune in Australia. The naïve young boy emerges stronger and tougher in the Outback so lovingly rendered by Carey.

HIS ILLEGAL SELF, by Peter Carey (Knopf, 2008)

WHAT THE RESTORATION RESTORED

The irresistible title of this historical romance pretty much captures its bodice-ripping essence. A great beauty, Barbara Villiers, wife of Robert Palmer, gets herself noticed by one of history’s most notorious royal rakes, Charles II. She enjoys a lustful affair with him and gains influence and wealth, as well as a number of powerful and envious enemies.

ROYAL HARLOT: A NOVEL OF THE COUNTESS CASTLEMAINE AND KING CHARLES II, by Susan Holloway Scott (New American Library, 2007)

THE PROSPECT BEFORE US

Happy Earth Day! Not too happy, though. It’s time to get serious, actually. The temperature is rising. Degree by degree, Mark Lynas shows us what we will have to contend with as the climate undergoes its CO₂-induced upheavals. Melting glaciers, desertification, rising seas—it’s all laid out in uncomfortable detail in this well-researched wake-up call.

SIX DEGREES: OUR FUTURE ON A HOTTER PLANET, by Mark Lynas (National Geographic, 2008)

O BRAVE NEW WORLD

This year, in honor of the Bard’s birthday, we would like to suggest that instead of rereading Hamlet, you have a look at Nigel Cliff’s captivating study The Shakespeare Riots. Hundreds of years after Hamlet first pondered the futility of existence, Americans started a riot—a serious one that resulted in 20 deaths—over two actors’ different interpretations of Denmark’s morbid prince. And Cliff ranges further than that bit of extreme bardolatry—from London’s Covent Garden to New York gangsters to appreciation of the master on the American frontier. An informative and entertaining read.

THE SHAKESPEARE RIOTS: REVENGE, DRAMA, AND DEATH IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA, by Nigel Cliff (Random House, 2007)

NOT SO LUSH LIFE

In this first-person narrative, the nameless down-and-out protagonist must find $12,000 and pull his life back together in four days. He’s a black man with a white Boston Brahman wife. He has struggled through a lifetime of alcoholism, racism, pain, and despair. He’s also a natural-born writer, and his wife and children love him, but will that be enough to save him? The New York Times named Man Gone Down one of the year’s ten best books.

MAN GONE DOWN, by Michael Thomas (Black Cat, 2006)

THE VIENNA STRANGLER

In this chilling, true-life crime story, a dapper, charming Jack Unterweger kills a woman in Vienna and is sent to prison. While there he becomes a novelist who gains the favor of Vienna’s literati, who agitate for his early release. After he is set free, he strangles 11 more women, all the while reporting on the efforts of the police to track down the murderer. John Leake has exhaustively researched his subject and tells his utterly compelling story with fine, dispassionate detail.

ENTERING HADES: THE DOUBLE LIFE OF A SERIAL KILLER, by John Leake (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

I LIKE MY WAR COLD

Alcoholic British diplomat Charlie Van der Linden has been assigned to Washington. It’s 1960; the cold war is going full tilt, Nixon and Kennedy are debating each other, and Eisenhower is improving his golf game. Enter New York journalist Frank Renzo. Charlie’s wife, Mary, falls for him, and it gets complicated. Sebastian Faulks renders the era with absorbing and convincing detail and his characters with a moving, sympathetic humanity.

ON GREEN DOLPHIN STREET, by Sebastian Faulks (Vintage, 2003)

OERBIER

De Dolle Brouwers, Esen, Belgium

Oerbier is sweet in taste, all the way to the finish, with lots of fruity esters in the aroma. Pleasant and sophisticated, though you may have trouble downing more than one or two—like the other Dolle Brouwers beers, it’s on the heavy side, weighing in at 7.5%/vol. And if you find yourself in Esen, Belgium, this is a personable little family brewery to tour, with a charming pub for sampling.

DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNE

Brouwerij Verhaeghe Vichte, Flanders, Belgium

Smooth caramel-malt sweetness vies with a supple sourness and some hints of vanilla oak. A mellow sugar/acid complexity makes a whispered comparison to a good Modena balsamic—indeed, this wood-aged beer has much in common with that venerable vinegar. This is one of the best examples of the Oud Bruin or Flanders red ale being made today. If you find a bottle, it won’t be cheap, but get it anyway. Not terribly strong at 6.2%/vol., but so interesting and complex, you may be tempted to put down a few.

BEER FACT

Duchesse is named in honor Mary of Burgundy, the sole daughter of Charles the Bold. Born in Brussels in 1457, she died tragically young in a horse-riding accident.

SAMUEL SMITH’S OLD BREWERY PALE ALE

Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Tadcaster, England

Unlike Sam Smith’s Nut Brown, this is not a buttery beer. Diacetyl is here, as a result of both yeast and brewing process, but it isn’t the focus. As tradition dictates, hops and malt play the lead roles. The ale’s deep amber hue may make you wonder at the name—but pale ale was initially dubbed in contrast to porter, the most common working man’s beer, so pale was a relative term. Complexly malty up front in flavor, with flowery English hops, and a terse, hoppy finish, this particular pale ale from the northern reaches of York has survived among countless challengers in a country of beer drinkers and won favor the world over. And when you taste it, you’ll realize why.

PULQUE LA LUCHA

Distribuidora International de Pulque, Pachuca, Mexico

This looks like a bottle of beer. But it isn’t. Pulque (pronounced “PULL-kay”) is the fermented juice of the maguey, or agave plant, best known as an intermediate product in the making of tequila. But it’s a much older drink than tequila and it’s far more nutritious! The resulting buzz is as unique as the flavor, which is why it was a mainstay in the religious ceremonies of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. When you pull the cold bottle out of the fridge, shake it well. (Don’t worry, it’s not carbonated.) When most of the sediment kicks up to turn it a milky white color, it’s ready to drink. The aroma is musty, yeasty, tart, and a bit fruity. The taste has a fresh fruitiness and a mouthwatering tartness. Finishes with a tangy, slightly chalky bite. Definitely not beer, but about as refreshing a beverage as you’ll find: raw, earthy, and spritzy.

O’HARA’S IRISH STOUT

Carlow Brewing Co., Carlow, Ireland

Hmm, what name is synonymous with Irish stout? O’hara’s, you say? Well, okay, that may not be the name that leaps immediately to mind, but this little brewery has an admirable determination to quality and tradition. At a meager 4.3%/vol., O’hara’s spot-on version of Irish dry stout boasts gobs of flavor with little alcohol. Unlike some of the bigger players in the Irish stout market, however, the drinker is actually confronted with hop aroma as well as a firm bitterness. Floral UK hops mingle with roast barley and molasses aromas before roast grain and chocolate flavors attack. A dry, enticingly bitter finish follows. A session stout, but one with huge complexity and a startling freshness.

LAND SHARK LAGER

Anheuser-Busch (InBev), St. Louis, Missouri

This premium-style lager may seem familiar on many levels: its clear glass longneck bottle, its pallor, its tropical-themed label. Foam is unsurprisingly white, with a whipped egg-white consistency, but it lingers. No sign of any skunky, light-damaged character, and for a beer stored in a clear bottle, that’s something. Light grainy flavor, but clean—all to say that this beer falls squarely into the “ice-cold thirst-quenching beer for hot fishing trips and lounging in the sand” category. Marketed by Margaritaville Brewing Co., Jacksonville, Florida.

MAREDSOUS 8 BIERE D’ABBAYE

Duvel Moortgat, Puurs, Antwerpen, Belgium

This brown abbey beer is on the heavy side at 8%/vol., and rather sweet, with a clean, simple brown-sugar aroma that carries through in flavor and finish. The higher alcohol content makes for a dry, balanced finish. Strong, yet humble by comparison to other Belgian abbey beers.

CUVEE DE L’ERMITAGE

Brouwerijen Alken-Maes, Waarloos, Belgium

An amber ale with a wonderfully rich malt aroma, this cuvée is not unlike classic Scotch ale—with a good helping of Belgian ester complexity. The malts are very well-balanced with the bitterness of the alcohol. The more you drink it, the more it warms. One of the better Belgian strong ales, and that’s saying quite a lot. An updated label now includes the Grimbergen crest.

STAROBRNO CZECH LAGER

Starobrno Brewery, Brno, Czech Republic

Like the Germans and Austrians, the Czechs have a deep-rooted love for lager, and they craft some of the finest examples in the world. Bohemian Pils is one of the most essential of beer styles, and fortunately it’s still made by several traditional breweries, Starobrno being one of them. Unlike Pilsner Urquell, Starobrno leans more toward malt than hops. A deep gold color, its carbonation is as soft as the water used to brew it. Malt flavors are full, delicate and sophisticated, with floral noble hops contributing. The finish is clean and lingering. A stellar example not just of Czech beer, but of beer in general.

BEER QUOTE

“Put it back in the horse!”
—H. ALLEN SMITH, UPON TASTING HIS FIRST AMERICAN BEER

WEYERBACHER DOUBLE SIMCOE IPA

Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, Pennsylvania

Amber hop–infused and hazy, this double IPA is topped by an extraordinarily lush head of lingering foam. A gentle grassy, grainy aroma emerges. What next? Full hop bitterness, assertive up front and in the aftermath. This beer is chewy and full-bodied, but lacking in malt-accented balance. A full-fat (cheesy, creamy, fried) dining experience would counter the assertive hop bite. Hungry?

BEER FACT

Beer haze can have many causes, but some of the most common are proteins, hop compounds, and yeast. Boiling the beer for a long time and chilling it quickly can help clarity, as can aging it in a cold place for several weeks before bottling. There are also clarification aids called “finings” that you can add during the boil (carrageenan or Irish moss), or after the beer is fermented (unflavored gelatin or a preparation of sturgeon swim bladder called isinglass).