Lauren Baratz-Logsted here again…

Two books are worth noting this week and they couldn’t be more different from each other if I planned it that way.

The Bronte Project, by Jennifer Vandever. Subtitled “A Novel of Passion, Desire, and Good PR,” Ms. Vandever’s virtuoso debut tells the story of scholar Sara Frost’s search for the lost letters of Charlotte Bronte, her year-long sabbatical from fickle fiancé Paul, the unusual range of men she meets during that year and, best of all, her professional competition with Claire Vigee, a glittery poseur who specializes in Diana Studies. That’s right: she is an expert on the late Princess Di. And what do the Most Famous Dead Princess in the World and the Queen of the Moors have in common? Quiet a lot, as it turns out, and Ms. Vandever has expertly crafted a novel that will be loved by both Chicks and Lits…and men who love intelligent fun too!

Warden: Prison Life and Death from the Inside Out, by Jim Willett and Ron Rozelle. Jim Willett is a former Warden of the infamous prison at Huntsville, Texas, where he presided over no less than 89 executions during the course of his tenure; Ron Rozelle has previously published both fiction and nonfiction. Their collaboration here results in An Important Book (capital letters, mine). Against capital punishment for as long as I can remember, this unflinching memoir only serves to validate that stance. Mr. Willett is more ambivalent on the issue: he feels it’s warranted for the most heinous crimes but that it is unevenly applied and freely admits no doubt that innocent people have been put to death at the will of the State. What emerges in his telling is a man that is neither sinner nor saint, but rather, a feeling human being who became yet another pawn compelled to be a party to many deaths. It is impossible for me to believe that anyone, reading his account, could possibly remain in favor of the death penalty. For, even if one believes that some people have forfeited their right to live, it is impossible to stomach the idea of so many people – from the jury to the tie-down team to the chaplains to the witnesses in the death chamber to the Warden himself – being compelled to be a party to those deaths.

On a personal note, I’ve decided to turn my year-long reading odyssey into a book. If nothing else, it’ll keep me off the streets for a bit.

Off to read book 315.