This is my first attempt to write occasional book reviews about works that have glass making as a major component—nothing technical, just good reads.

Many of you are familiar with John Berendt’s book about Savannah, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. He has written another bestselling book, this time about Venice, The City of Falling Angels, the title derived from the decrepit stone angels on the top of buildings who fall at random intervals into the lagoons.

Berendt arrived in the city three days after La Fenice, the famous opera house, had mysteriously burned down, and the main thrust of the book is a non fiction “who done it.” In the process, however, Berendt describes many of the fascinating characters who live in the ancient city. One of them is Archimede Seguso, the maestro of Lino Tagliapietra, and one of the foremost glass artists of Murano. Seguso’s apartment is next door to La Fenice, and in the opening scene he watches the great opera house burn down. Inspired to create a series of glass sculptures which represent the great fire, we also learn about the internecine relations in his family.

Another recent book set in Murano is The Lizard’s Bite by David Hewson, a police procedural murder mystery set in a fictional Murano glass studio. I dislike using the term “dysfunctional family,” but that’s the most apt term to use for the family, two of whose members have been murdered. Some visiting Roman detectives are assigned to the case, and we learn with them about Venetian glass making, food, and culture. It’s one of those books that make you hungry because they are always stopping at some tiny restaurant that has outstanding Venetian food.

If you get on a kick about this subject, you can always read Shattered by Dick Francis or Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon. But we’ll talk about those in another column.