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Why I Write at Happy Donuts By Mary McNear
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Reviews Inside!
Local Geeks Find Nerdvana at Sacramento Wizard World Comic Con By Brian Boyle
APRIL 2014 COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL ROBISON
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Fashion & Beauty
Buffi’s Dress Design: Sew 30 Fun Styles: Make It, Own It, Rock It By Buffi Jashanmal Storey Publishing, $19.95, 200 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Sewing shouldn’t be intimidating, and author Buffi Jashanal presents a straightforward, easyto-follow system that will allow anyone to create their own stylish dresses. Buffi’s Dress Design starts with three basic dresses – the shift, the sheath, and the princess seam. She shows sleeveless, raglan, and set-in sleeve variations, and adds three more variations for remaking vintage dresses for good measure. The book addresses pattern and fabric selection and necessary tools; Buffi loves color and exciting combinations and shows you how to mix patterns and fabrics for your own unique look. I especially appreciated the detailed instructions for making a sloper – a cardboard ‘proto-pattern’ with your own personal measurements – and instructions on how to use that to create dresses that will fit you exactly. She talks about adjusting patterns and tailoring as well. Later styles build on the basics taught at first. Written in a conversational, friendly style, this book is a wonderful first course in design and dressmaking; novice seamstresses will gain confidence and experienced ones will get new ideas for personalizing their creations. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner
Travel
Lonely Planet USA (Country Guide) By Regis St Louis, Alison Bing, Ryan Ver Berkmoes, Beth Kohn Lonely Planet, $29.99, 1203 pages, Format: Trade
««««« There are plenty of travel guides out there, so why choose this one? There is more information packed into this relatively compact book than most much larger books. The Lonely Planet travel books are for everyone. They are perfect for those who need a lot of choices, are just in the planning stages, or those who have traveled a lot and have a plan in place. The opening section has a list of 25 Top Experiences beyond coast to coast. There are some basics that would be more important to visitors from abroad than those from the US. There’s a nice little section, If you like…, that helps people find ideas according to their interests. You can find what’s going on around the country by the month for those odd vacation
Sports & Outdoors Down to the Last Pitch: How the 1991 Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves Gave Us the Best World Series of All Time By Tim Wendel Da Capo Press, $25.99, 304 pages, Format: Hard
««««« How does one write an intriguing book about something for which everyone knows the outcome? Start with a truly great World Series, add two storied teams facing each other at a time when the game was really changing, then have it stirred together by a man with deep experience in baseball writing.
“KELLY TALKED ABOUT THE STATE OF HIS TEAM AS THOUGH HE WERE VIEWING A WRECK ON THE HIGHWAY FROM A GOOD DISTANCE AWAY. PERHAPS THAT WAS THE CORRECT APPROACH TO TAKE, SEEING AS HIS BALL CLUB HAD LOST BY NINE RUNS ON THIS NIGHT IN ATLANTA.” It was 1991 and the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves had both crawled out of the cellars of their respective leagues to face off in what many believe is the greatest championship series in sports. Author Tim Wendel breaks down the series game by game, inning by inning, almost pitch by pitch. This was one of the tightest contests ever in the Fall Classic, with five games of the seven played being one-run games. Wendel takes his readers into the dugout, the locker room, around the field, and introduces the reader to every player, coach, and manager personally. Readers get to know their personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses and see baseball heroes in the making. The close examination of the series by Wendel is almost like being there with an all-access pass, privy to so much more than a regular fan ever gets. This is a winner. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Spirituality & Inspiration
Love’s Ways: A Meditation on Love By Mark Gabriele Mirambel Publishing, $14.95, 64 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Love’s Ways is an aesthetically fulfilling project book, by and large because of the accompanying mini paint vignettes that follow each section of poetry. Love’s Ways pulls at the heartstrings of readers just in time for the approaching Valentine’s Day holiday. Though for most, love can be constantly overwrought these days with self-help and non-fiction and long overdone in fiction, especially poetry, this sparse reflection to the emotive is commendable. It takes a lot of nerve to write a book about love in such a cynical moment in time, but Mark Gabriele pulls it off with simplicity and buoyancy. And to boot, the messages on the page are probing and intensified with each pastel color, above all with the very first one introducing the collected works, “Love is invisible/ but we know it is real by its effects. It creates” and Kazzrie Jaxen dabs a spring of lush green with
Science & Nature
Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate nature of Reality By Max Tegmark Knopf, $30.00, 432 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Written in a far-reaching style, this book grabs the reader, twists his mind and then reflects it back on the author’s – providing an insight seldom encountered in a book. While mathematics alone offers a window into the workings of nature, Tegmark takes a mathematical stand preferring to view the vast cosmos as a gargantuan mathematical puzzle. He claims that mathematics is everywhere; from the parabola’s path that objects follow under the force of gravity to the dynamics of orbiting bodies it is plain to see the mathematical observations Tegmark observes. Mathematics is a way to observe nature, according to Tegmark. The book emerges as a breath-taking vista of which we are un-
Reference
Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror: Speculative Fiction Exercises from Today’s Best Writers and Teachers By Laurie Lamson Tarcher, $15.95, 384 pages, Format: Trade
««««« It is one thing to know that you have an idea and a need to put it on paper. It is another thing entirely to take that idea and shape it into fully realized worlds, characters and stories. Maybe you have characters but no world for them to inhabit, or a wonderful but unpopulated world. Maybe the story you’ve written just feels flat, or maybe you need a little push to get you going. Now Write!: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror may just be the help you need. It contains essays and exercises on writing speculative genre fiction from dozens of prolific and award-winning authors, on topics ranging from the general – “Understanding Your Speculative Genre” and “Practicing Your Craft” - to the detailed –
Self-Help
The Economy of You: Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life By Kimberly Palmer AMACOM, $21.95, 256 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Somewhere since the onslaught of the Industrial Revolution, people acquired a taste of living outside their means. Now, with an unstable economy, and more college graduates than job opportunities, many people are opting for the career of self-employment and are doing exceptionally well. Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life is a book dedicated to establishing yourself as your own boss and succeeding at what you do. Notice I didn’t say, getting rich. Society is realizing that less is more and are figuring ways to monetize from it. From building tiny homes out of shipping containers, to making your own jewelry and selling it on a site like Etsy, people are unleashing their inner selves and finding success where they least suspect it.
Parenting & Families
Parents in Highschooland: Helping Students Succeed in the Critical Years By Karyn Rashoff BarkingDogBooks, $12.95, 176 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Parents of teenagers know well what a difficult job it is to raise teenagers, but it certainly is made much more difficult because of the need to find ways to help teenagers to become successful in their school lives. This book is the product of Karyn Rashoff’s thirty-plus-year career as a high school counselor. Ms. Rashoff worked in a wide variety of settings from small to very large high schools with populations that encompassed all income levels, cultures, and races of teenagers in the United States. Her experience is amazing, and this little book is chock full of great ideas and excellent advice.
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Music & Movies
FEATURED REVIEW
Everything I Ever Needed to Know About __* I Learned from Monty Python: *History, Art, Poetry, Communism, Philosophy, the Media, Birth, Death, ... Mythology, Fish Slapping, and Many More!
By Brian Cogan, Jeff Massey Thomas Dunne Books, $25.99, 336 pages, Format: Hard ««««« Reviewed by Kevin Winter
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They are considered to be the greatest comedy troupe ever assembled. They helped inspire generations of comedians after them, including Saturday Night Live. They went around England banging two empty halves of coconuts together. They are Monty Python and they are very silly, but what is even sillier is reading an academic book about their comedy, and a book that is quite decent. This book is wide ranging, and does not need to be read in any order; I dare someone to read it backwards. It covers the topics that Monty Python skewers: history, religion, art, literature, and class systems. The book directs a keen eye at their work and how they used their knowledge, they went to proper school, to poke fun at society at large, and how we take for granted order and hierarchy. It was not just that they poked fun at society, they broke it down and put it on its head, and forced viewers to view it whether they wanted to or not. Whatever things were held sacred for no visible reason, like sports stars, they did more than lampoon them, they lampooned the society that held them in high regard, from the philosophers that play soccer, and do absolutely nothing until one of them has an idea in the final minute and scores a goal, to a sketch where a wordy television interviewer tries to talk to a soccer star and only gets one word answers. In an era where shows had to follow a certain format, they took that format and experimented with it; they looked into the crystal ball that is television and went in the opposite direction. Their comedic genius could not be replicated; maybe it was that they were the right people at the right time, before the massive proliferation of television channels, and a wider acceptance of authority.
Humor Nonfiction
Dyspeptic Definitions By Igor D. Radovic Igor D. Radovic, $14.25, 259 pages, Format: Trade
«««« So-called alternative dictionaries usually focus on either specialties of language—such as rhymes and literary terms that only graduate students will ever use—or the literal meanings of slang. (The largest purveyor of these, urbandictionary.com, has more than 7 million entries.) But whereas Urban Dictionary attracts the under-25 crowd, this collection of words will especially appeal to those who have lived long enough to know the open secrets of language. Eschewing lexical definitions for connotations gleaned by experience, the author reads between the lines to describe “fatalism,” for example, as “acceptance that does not practice prevention,” and “thinking” as “what sometimes takes more courage than action does.” Some of the most finely nuanced entries read more as med-
Humor - Nonfiction
itations on a concept than as a definition: 30 facets of “time” are described, and “fear” offers 19, ranging from the comically cynical (“1. principal reason for respect of the law”) to the quietly tragic (“8. what nature intended to be our guardian but all too often becomes our jailer”). Of course, you’d no more read this cover to cover than you would a Merriam-Webster, but unlike with that stalwart of the English language, you can dip into Dyspeptic Definitions for fun. Read a few aloud to a friend and you’ll share a knowing, if rueful, laugh at human nature. Some definitions will wait on the page for the occasion to be looked up. Surprised by rain? Look up “Weather forecaster” to be reminded that the job title is “one whose credibility depends on the public not remembering his forecast for the day before.” Still another approach is for the reader is to follow a thread on, say, “belief.” Radovic’s interpretations of related ideas like “fairy tales,” “ideology,” “truth,” “myth,” “blinders,” and “facts” suggest his sensibility as a writer, a U.N. retiree and Iron Curtain escapee. This book will find its audience among the philosophically inclined, word-lovers, and those in their middle to late years (who may recognize “attire” as “garments that display the body in youth, and disguise it later on”). With all due respect to Oxford, which defines “dyspeptic” as “suffering from indigestion or irritability,” this dictionary provides much more food for thought. Sponsored Review by Vanessa Finney
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History
Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific By Mary Cronk Farrell, with a foreword by First Lieutenant Diane Carlson Evans ANC RVN Abrams Books for Young Readers, $24.95, 160 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Tales of heroism are not simply important narrative tools, both in studying history and sharing stories; they are a crucial record of those moments where humans went above and beyond in order to help and support others. And sadly, some truly worthwhile stories of heroism are only now coming to light after decades in the shadows. Pure Grit presents an unflinching look at the heroism of American Army and Navy nurses in the Pacific Theater during World War 2 after being captured by the Japanese forces in the Philippines. Collected from firsthand and secondhand accounts from the nurs-
es and their families, this book reveals not only the dangers that those who support soldiers face, but the effects of the experience, effects which often last a lifetime. Even as a history buff, I discovered so much I didn’t know about the gritty day-to-day life of a nurse in the field, not to mention how long veterans have been treated shabbily by their military and government after serving. While designed for younger readers, this is a valuable read for people of all ages, bringing to earth not only the realities of war, but furthering the cause of offering well-deserved recognition to unsung heroes.
History
Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
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ClanDonnell: A Storied History of Ireland By David McDonnell Burrowing Owl Press, $34.95, 928 pages, Format: Trade ««««.5 David McDonnell tells Ireland’s history through a unique lens, tracing the history of the original Clan Donnell (Donald in Scotland) and offshoot clans (McDonnells, McDonalds, O’Donnells, etc.) that dominated the Hebrides Islands, Highland Scotland, and much of Ireland, until the English subjugated the island in the 17th century.
“MANY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE NINEENTH CENTURY IDENTIFIED A SINGLE SOURCE FOR THE TROUBLES WITHIN IRELAND: THE PROBLEM WITH IRELAND WAS THAT IT HAD TOO MANY IRISH.”
History
FEATURED REVIEW
The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret FBI By Betty Medsger Knopf, $29.95, 596 pages, Format: Hard ««««« Reviewed by Julia McMichael
HE DEMONSTRATED INSIDE THE FBI THAT HE WAS IN FULL CONTROL OF THE BUREAU FILES AND THAT HIS ASSERTING CONTROL OF WHAT THE BUREAU DID, INCLUDING IN MATTERS OF NATIONAL SECURITY, OUTWEIGHED HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO OBEY HIS SUPERIORS, TO BE TRUTHFUL, OR TO OBEY THE LAW...
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Political junkies, fans of Whodunits, journalism students, and advocates of democracy will want to read this incredible true account of civil disobedience for the greater good. A 1971 burglary of an FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania revealed the illegalities and dirty tricks sanctioned by J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI. J. Edgar Hoover was the longest serving appointed public official, holding the reins of domestic law enforcement for forty-six years. He began his career jailing suspicious foreigners without trials. He directed the Bureau of Investigation in 1919 and founded the FBI. Hoover was notoriously easy on the criminal element, preferring to target suspected communists. His zeal in protecting the United States from suspected foreign influence led to his creation of a secret Counter Intelligence Program called COINTELPRO. Under this umbrella, Hoover spied on suspected Communists, the Puerto Rico Independence movement, Native Americans, the new left, women’s groups, students, blacks, and gays. Hoover’s fervent pursuit of black nationals decimated that movement. His arsenal included false accusations, character assassination, “blanket surveillance of blacks”, informers, instigators, infiltrators, burglary, intimidation, dirty tricks, harassment, false charges, assassination plans and blackmail. His blackmail of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. attempted to force him to commit suicide. The FBI’s infiltration of the Chicago Black Panthers led to the murder of its leaders, twenty-one year old Fred Hampton, and that of Mark Clark by the Chicago Police Force. The FBI called this murder “satisfactory”.
Health, Fitness & Dieting
Four Quadrant Living By Dina Colman Four Quadrant Media, $15.00, 234 pages, Format: Trade
««««« In a time where a stressful, ill and pained existence is the norm for human experience, Four Quadrant Living delivers a very sensible and uplifting message for the worldwide crisis of suffering; basically, Bolles’ foreword pens Four Quadrant Living as “improving the way you do life.” A simple, but yet loaded, statement of meaning—especially as the New Year is upon us. Thus, the author spends a great deal focusing not only on the vast consequence of physical health, but also on the urgency of the mental/spiritual/emotional wellbeing that is in dire depletion or one might even dare say is frankly an endangered species these days. This book proposes a balance of four spaces and/or areas in one’s life to maximize on a better and more fulfilling livelihood; such are the Mind, Body, Relationships and Environment. These ruling forces are pertinent to creating “a
Current Events & Politics
The Devil Inside the Beltway: The Shocking Expose of the US Government’s Surveillance and Overreach Into Cybersecurity, Medicine and Small Business By Michael Daugherty Broadland Press, $29.95, 504 pages, Format: Hard
««««« In 2008, Michael Daugherty, CEO of LabMD, a private Atlanta-based cancer detection facility, received a call from Tiversa, a Pittsburgh-based data security firm, stating that they had obtained a 1,718-page patient health information file belonging to LabMD through a peer-2-peer (P2P) network. Tiversa wasn’t about to divulge any further information about its acquisition until LabMD bought into their unsolicited lawyer-fee services. Daugherty had no idea that his polite refusal to Tiversa’s assistance would lead to an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and thereby thrusting him into a nightmarish four-year journey Inside
Current Events & Politics
FEATURED REVIEW
Outsmart Waste: The Modern Idea of Garbage and How to Think Our Way Out of It By Tom Szaky, with a foreword by Deepak Chopra M. D. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, $15.95, 168 pages, Format: Trade ««««« Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff
“BECAUSE OUR WORLD IS SO ECONOMICALLY MOTIVATED, PERHAPS WE CAN MAKE OUTSMARTING WASTE MORE ATTRACTIVE BY SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF ECONOMICS. THERE ARE HIDDEN ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF INVESTING IN THE PROCESS OF OUTSMARTING WASTE....”
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What happens to an item after you throw it in the trash can? Most of us don’t know, and quite honestly, don’t care, as long as it gets off our property. After twenty-five years in a landfill, which will have decomposed the most - a newspaper, a head of lettuce, or a plastic bag? You’ll know at the end of this review. Szaky provides deeply motivating information about how trash is being dealt with in our society today - it’s not, really - and the rate at which the problem is increasing. Sobering facts - the average person throws out four pounds of trash per day - stagger and disgust. Rather than pour guilt over the reader for some perceived moral failing in the way we live, he addresses the problem pragmatically and agrees that a healthy, fast-growing economy has rapidly brought us to this point. Built in problems like planned obsolescence - where products are designed to fail after a certain amount of time to bring the customer back - and a disposable, convenience-based culture all contribute on a massive scale. Recognizing the hindrances to reducing waste built in to our society and admitting his own failings and learning experiences, he challenges the reader to navigate around these trash heaps of excuses and find ways and reasons to outsmart waste. Szaky lives in the real world, and he seeks to unearth the motivating factors in our society today that will drive us to reduce our waste and increase our ability to recycle, upcycle, reuse, and not purchase or throw out in the first place. Speaking the language of economics and translating trash into a commodity to be bought and sold, he illustrates how currently garbage has a value of below zero - rather than pay even a low
Cooking, Food & Wine
Cooking Light Global Kitchen: The World’s Most Delicious Food Made Easy By David Joachim Oxmoor House, $29.95, 320 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Here is a truly international cookbook with some hundred and fifty recipes from all corners of the globe. And since Global Kitchen was commissioned by Cooking Light magazine, the recipes are assured to be on the light side. David Joachim and his publisher did an admirable job with this cookbook. It’s excellent, and so is the gorgeous production.
“SUDDENLY, INTERNATIONAL DISHES DON’T SEEM SO INTIMIDATING TO PREPARE.”
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Technology
Mindless: Why Smarter Machines are Making Dumber Humans By Simon Head Basic Books, $26.99, 240 pages, Format: Hard ««««.5 Simon Head, an academic at New York University and Oxford University, England compares and contrasts business practices now directed by IT systems across the continents. Increasing efficiency through technological refinements has led to a decrease in worker involvement and satisfaction. His descriptions include the management styles of both Walmart and Amazon, where computer business systems monitor the individual actions needed to fulfill a job, the tasks are then streamlined into required time-bites. When workers cannot meet these engineered standards, they are eliminated. Without unions to temper management’s profit making maneuvers, employees become vulnerable to the imposed regimentation. The gap between the rich and the poor rapidly grows as skilled labor wanes and the profits of the few waxes.
Business & Investing
A Good Financial Advisor Will Tell You... By Jeremy Kisner Aviva, $19.95, 181 pages, Format: Hard
««««« “This book is not an ‘introduction to investing’ book.” And true to their words, Luna and Kisner present a concisely written handbook for “those hardworking successful individuals” who’ve been there and did it, and are still doing it – investing their hard-earned money. But what makes A Good Financial Advisor Will Tell You... different from the countless number of investment books available to the common investor? Luna and Kisner focus on new concepts without gracing endless pages with overwhelming amounts of statistics and charts. Plus, they dedicate a full chapter on the most pervasive and chronic issue that plagues the investment world: emotions.
Business & Investing
FEATURED REVIEW
Owning Main Street: A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market By Patrick Pappano Cardyf Publishing, 39.95, 646 pages, Format: Trade ««««« Sponsored Review by Gretchen Wagner
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Who would have thought six hundred plus pages of investment wisdom could read like an action adventure? Somehow, author Patrick Pappano pulls it off. This excellent, excellent book is not only the only book you need to start building your retirement nest egg; it is also a brisk, entertaining, and even funny page-turner! Author Pappano, finding himself frustrated in his search for a good stockbroker, decided to become one himself. His experiences on Wall Street taught him that everything Wall Street tells you is wrong. You don’t need a broker; you don’t need insider knowledge; you don’t need to watch the market; you don’t even need a lot of money; all you need is a reasonable plan and the will to let it work. Here’s the plan: Buy a fixed dollar amount of a few discrete, common stocks of good, solid companies, automatically every month, then close your eyes, walk away, and let the market do its work. Pappano is a great writer. He liberally sprinkles his tome with great illustrative anecdotes, and he has a wry, dry, understated humor that is a delight to read. He has a wealth of experience and he isn’t trying to sell you anything (except perhaps this book, which is worth every penny and more); investing can be a win for everyone, and he wants you to succeed. It’s like you have a great friend standing next to you, patiently holding your hand while he tries to convince you to do what is in your own best interest. First, Pappano exposes the smoke and mirrors behind Wall Street brokerage agencies. So, he says, pick a set of a few stocks from the S&P
Biographies & Memoirs
James & Dolley Madison: America’s First Power Couple By Bruce Chadwick Prometheus Books, $24.95, 450 pages, Format: Hard
««««« James Madison is one of our country’s great Founding Fathers, the writer of the Constitution. However, while he was acknowledged to be a genius at writing and in bureaucratic administration, he was perceived as cold and impersonal, and too weak to lead. Nothing was further from the truth. This exciting, detailed biography focuses not only on James Madison, but also on his dynamic and gregarious wife, Dolley, whose generous, inclusive, and exhausting social adroitness was key to James’ political success as both Secretary of State and Commander-in-Chief. The book concentrates on the period beginning with the Madisons’ move to Washington, where Dolley was the social and fashion trend-setter. She was amazingly democratic and indefatigable, hosting and attending multiple par-
Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir By Frances Mayes Crown, $26.00, 320 pages, Format: Hard
Biographies & Memoirs
«« As someone who thoroughly enjoyed author France Mayes’ writings about her life in Tuscany, Italy, (ie. Under The Tuscan Sun and several other books), I was eager to learn more about another chapter in her life – her childhood in the South, in her latest book Under Magnolia. Unfortunately, for this reader, either the venue – Fitzgerald, Georgia, as recalled from her childhood memories, or the method she utilizes to transport readers back and forth between past and present just didn’t work for me. It’s been a struggle for me to get through it. She shares a lot of rich history in her recollections of growing up in the genteel South in the 60’s. She had a front row seat to the tumultuous marriage of her parents, and her mother’s dreams of living a much different life that she was living. College allowed Mayes to escape for a time. Snippets of different events in her life are honest coming of age stories. But it was hard, in reading, to understand her reason for this memoir. It’s difficult to get a sense of whether or not she loved or loathed her years in Georgia, and why she decided to return there and dig up her past, in these tales from her younger years. For this reader, Under Magnolia is a conundrum. Reviewed by Laura Friedkin
Biography & Memoir
FEATURED REVIEW
His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir By Dan Jenkins Doubleday, $26.95, 288 pages, Format: Hard ««««« Reviewed by Hubert O’Hearn
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A confession that I will tell you right straight off is that this is no objective kind of review. Tell you the truth, I loved this book even before I read the first word, which is either ‘Chapter’ or ‘It’ dependingon where you consider a book to actually start. There have been four writers who have had the greatest influence on my own typing of occasionally lengthy words and sharp sentences: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hunter S. Thompson, Christopher Hitchens and Dan Jenkins. Three journalists and a novelist, and, come to think of it, four men who knew their way around a mini-bar and a pack of filter tips. Unless someone finds something stuck under the back of a roll-top desk, Dan Jenkins is the only one of the four putting out new work – and in a golf sense, work about putting – so I was a deliriously happy boy when I saw that ol’ Dan had written his biography. The feeling was kind of like hauling your golf clubs out of the trunk of your car at Swampy Downs CC and Arnold Palmer whistles over and shouts, ‘Hey! You got a tee time? I need a game.’ Yeah, it’s a whole lot like that. Those who don’t know Jenkins don’t know squat about sportswriting, and if you don’t know about sportswriting, then son you have missed the best part of your daily newspaper. You know the famous story about the young reporter sent out to cover the Johnstown Flood in the 1800s whose lead wired back to the paper was ‘God sits on a hill over Johnstown tonight”, to which his editor fired back, ‘Forget flood. Interview God?’ That editor was ten different kinds of pissed off. He had to have been a news editor. If he’d been the sports editor, he’d have praised the kid and told him, ‘Send me more!’
The News department and its colleagues in the City Desk, National and Regional News – even the Editorial Page – have all the humour and style of a Baptist preacher with a bad itch and laryngitis. It’s the Sports department that attracts the storytellers. It has to. Ever since the invention of radio, readers have known the final score hours before they ever read a story about whatever game it was played the day or night before. They want that story to tell them what that game and those athletes were like. Parenthetically, that is why there are so many lousy, boring pseudo-journalists on television. There used to be a few good ones: Jack Whittaker, a friend of Jenkins, was one. Howard Cosell was another. Nowadays, pretty much all you get after the game is a guy or a gal with a microphone sticking it under a sweaty quarterback’s nose and asking him, ‘So how does it feel?’ Well if he won, it feels pretty damn good; if he lost, it feels awful bad. I’ve never yet heard one of ‘em say, ‘It feels like I just did every cheerleader in the SEC and every one of them pretty girls was sorely grateful for it.’ Heck, even that quarterback yelling, ‘I’m going to Disney World!’ is just a darn ad slogan. He’s more likely wanting to shout, ‘I’m going to Hooters!’ That above bit was pretty politically incorrect, now wasn’t it? Yeah, I know it is. And so is Dan Jenkins, which is partially why I love his writing so much. Politically, we wouldn’t agree on a thing. I’m at least a one-iron to the left of his right, but I don’t care. I bow down to any man like him who can write a line like this about the USC-UCLA game of 1968: “In that college football game for the championship of Earth, Saturn, Pluto and Los Angeles, UCLA’s Gary Beban had a rib cage that looked like an abstract painting, and USC’s O.J. Simpson had a bandaged foot that looked like it belonged in a museum of natural history.” His Ownself is not just a collection of Jenkins’ best lines. He also quotes from the best sportswriting of the late Jim Murray of the L.A. Times, Red Smith, Blackie Sherrod, John Lardner and a host of others, each of whom have entertained and – yes – instructed me over the years in how to make a story sit up, take charge and pry open a reader’s eyeballs. Even better are the stories of the great athletes that hadn’t made it into Jenkins’ work in Sports Illustrated, Playboy or Golf Digest. I know that I have to have read at least 3,000 pages of books and magazine copy about Ben Hogan in my life; I finally feel as though I know Ben Hogan. And yes, I agree with Dan Jenkins that Hogan was the greatest golfer who ever lived, even after that life was nearly snuffed out by the front of a Greyhound Bus in 1949. Jenkins is closing in fast on his 90th year, yet his writing is still as sharp as when I first ran across him in the late 1960s. His imagination and his images haven’t aged a day. My gosh, he even made me like George H.W. Bush after reading Jenkins’ description of the 41st President who became a friend of Dan and his wife June. How can you not like a man who sees a group of tourists in a White House hallway and drops what he’s doing to shake their hands because, ‘After all, it’s their house.’
Children’s
Picture This! Animals By Margaret Hynes Kingfisher, $12.99, 64 pages, Format: Hard
««««« There is one thing children almost universally like and that is animals. Kids will really love this book. It is chock full of fascinating, fun facts about animals of all kinds. Since there are 1,233,500 species of animals, there are lots to choose from. Ever wonder how many hairs per square inch an otter has? Wonder no more. It is a million. While humans spend about 1/3 of their time sleeping, a giraffe only sleeps 8% of its time, but the little brown bat sleeps 83% of the time. Ever wish you could make someone leave you alone? If you were a regal horned lizard you could squirt streams of foul-tasting blood from your eyes. That would probably do the trick. Have trouble with weight? Nothing compared to the sheep tick which swells to 100 times its unfed volume when it is full. A hagfish, when bitten, releases mucus to make its attacker choke. In one minute, that hagfish can put out enough slime to fill 22 soda cans.
Tweens
Countryside: The Book of the Wise By J.T. Cope Village Green Press, LLC, $24.95, 282 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Eleven-year-old Luke Rayburn’s father escaped from his dangerous past in hopes of keeping his family safe, but the magical world of Countryside and the war for the Book of the Wise has overtaken Luke’s young life and turned it upside-down when his father is least able to protect them. Deadly, magical creatures appear on his urban street as Luke’s dad gets ready to deploy overseas. There’s only one place for the Rayburn family to go: Countryside, a magical alter existence where Luke’s grandparents live on a grand estate. Centaurs roam and teach classes, astrology is a course at school, and dark creatures like the soulless lurk about and lure curious young boys into danger. Luke merely needs to survive but finds purpose in Countryside he’s never felt before. Is it his fate to save the way of life his father left long ago?
Fun and easy-to-read, J.T. Cope IV’s novel Countryside- The Book of the Wise is fast-paced and thrilling. While the characters are rather one-dimensional, the plot is thick and the make-believe world of Countryside is a fun place to lose oneself in for a few hours. Young fantasy or science fiction fans are sure to enjoy Luke’s adventures. Join him as he steps into a totally unknown world where he’s got to find his inner strength and learn to expand his mind beyond what he’s known his entire life. He also faces so many of the challenges kids face in the real world, like fitting in, bullying, siblings, and growing up. There’s plenty of danger, drama, and downright great storytelling to keep the pages turning. Sponsored Review by Jennifer Melville
Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America By Tonya Bolden Abrams Books for Young Readers, $21.95, 80 pages, Format: Hard
Tweens
«««« The account of Sarah Rector’s life is captivatingly told by Tonya Bolden, using an impressive and varied collection of primary documents. Readers learn about early relations between Indians and blacks, with particular emphasis on the Creeks, of which Sarah Rector’s family was Creek freedmen. Sarah’s riches stem from an allotment of land she received as a member of the Creek Nation. Fortunately for Sarah, in the ground beneath her allotment sat an oil reservoir. By leasing land to oil drilling companies, Sarah went from “poor to plute” under the guardianship of T.J. Porter, a white man appointed legal guardian to help manage her estate. Was T.J. Porter a grafter? Why wasn’t Sarah attending a top school for black children? Did Sarah’s parent indeed select Porter as her guardian? The primary sources (many of which are pictured throughout the story) – census records, court petitions, newspaper clippings, photographs, maps – offer clues, but we never hear an account of Sarah’s life from Sarah. The Author’s Note provides more details of Bolden’s research on Sarah Rector and T.J. Porter. This, along with the glossary, bibliographic notes, and selected resources serve as an ambitious model for tween researchers to follow and provide resources for further examination. Reviewed by Africa Hands
Tweens
FEATURED REVIEW
The Girl from the Tar Paper School By Teri Kanefield - Local San Francisco Author Abrams BFYR, 19.95 price, 56 pages, Format: Hard ««««« Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
“THE BLACK CHILDREN OF PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY WERE UNABLE TO ATTEND SCHOOL BETWEEN 1959 AND 1964. AS A RESULT, MANY OF THOSE WITHOUT FAMILY RESOURCES OR WHO WERE TOO YOUNG TO LEAVE THE COUNTY AND ATTEND SCHOOL ELSEWHERE GREW UP ILLITERATE. THE DENIAL OF ANY EDUCATION WREAKED HAVOC ON THESE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.”
B
Barbara Rose Johns was a quiet girl, the kind of girl who would disappear into the background, but Barbara had important work to do. It was 1950 and the two high schools in the small town of Farmville, Virginia – one for whites and one for blacks – were terribly different from each other. The facility for the white teens was a beautiful, large brick edifice with all the best the town had to offer the young charges. The facility for the black teens was a small, rundown building surrounded by temporary classrooms clad in tar paper. The temporary rooms, which threatened to become permanent, had poor heating and leaked like sieves. When students and parents complained, they were told the school board had plans for a new school building, but they would just have to be patient. Barbara thought they had all been patient quite long enough. When Barbara Johns decided to take a stand, it was before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, it was before Martin Luther King, Jr., began to lead his peaceful marches, and it was before Barbara’s 17th birthday. Barbara called on the strongest and brightest in her class to plan a strike by students that carefully shielded their parents and teachers. And it was one that truly offered a very real chance of success. When the students call upon the NAACP for help, they get perhaps more than they bargained for. This is a story that has been largely ignored or forgotten, but one that deserves the careful attention to detail author Teri Kanefield brings to it. Her research is thorough, and her writing brings real life to this important moment in the history of Civil Rights in America. Middle-grade readers will be captured by the courage and steadfastness of the young heroine and her friends. Teachers will be grateful for the accessibility of the writing and the careful research shown here. This fine book deserves wide readership and a place in classrooms and libraries everywhere.
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Interview with
Teri Kanefield Author of
Interviewed by
Rosi Hollinbeck Rosi Hollinbeck: How did you, a white woman from California, happen upon this story of a young black woman from the South in the early 1950s? Teri Kanefield: I learned about Barbara Johns while reading Richard Kluger’s book, Simple Justice. I’ve always been drawn to stories about strong and courageous girls, particularly girls who lived in times and places that did not encourage them to be strong or innovative.
Young Adult
When I Was the Greatest By Jason Reynolds, Michael Frost, Photographer Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 240 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Rarely, do I come across a young adult novel with which I identify, a novel that speaks of some of my childhood experiences while uttering the words of my friends, schoolmates, and family, a story that opens with one of those out-of-left field questions that I was famous for asking.
“I WANTED NOODLES TO FEEL THAT SAME THREAT. THE THREAT OF A DORIS WHOOPING, THROUGH THE HANDS OF HER FIRSTBORN. ME.”
Ali lives by one word—loyalty. This sixteen-year old latchkey kid is fiercely loyal to his family and friends. Shying away from the trouble in his neighborhood, Ali spends his time boxing, watching his little sister, hanging out with Noodles and Needles, but mainly bailing Noodles out of his messes. Although Ali is usually the level-headed one of the group, he pushes for them to attend a party catering to an older crowd. However, the good time brings with it tragic consequences. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Reynolds’ writing style captures the authentic voice of a sixteen-year old male, prompting the words to leap off the page. The plot slowly builds like a lazy summer day. When I Was the Greatest is a splendid coming of age tale brimming with family, friendships, redemption, and second chances. Reviewed by Stephanie Tullis
Faking Normal By Courtney C. Stevens HarperTeen, $17.99, 336 pages, Format: Hard
Young Adult
«««« Faking Normal took me by surprise. It is not very different in the sense that it is a young adult book, and that the dialogue in it can seem rehearsed. But as I kept reading, I realized that this was not your normal teen romance. It dares to deal with hard issues that most teenagers deal with, but do not want to talk about- and it also deals with the ones that they don’t usually deal with, noting that some experiences are harder to come to grips with.
“WE DON’T TALK, BUT NOW I’M MORE COMFORTABLE WITH OUR SILENCE. IT’S LIKE AUTUMN IS SPEAKING FOR US. WE WATCH THE WIND SWIRL THE DUST AND POLLEN AND URGE THE TURNING LEAVES TO LET GO.” Courtney C. Stevens’ novel follows Alexi Littrell learns that some things may (not) be better forgotten. After the summer that her life fell apart, she meets Bodee. Bodee is quiet, and has his own problems to deal with. Lexi doesn’t think that he would have time for her, but she will learn that sometimes it takes someone else to reach out to you for the healing to begin. This is a great book for anyone who wants atypical YA fiction that will be sure to stay on your mind for a long time- in a really good way. Reviewed by Maddie Hudspeth
Young Adult
Scintillate (Entangled Teen) By Tracy Clark Entangled: Teen, $9.99, 304 pages, Format: Trade ««««.5 While Scintillate could have easily been just another YA book about a girl who sees auras, author Tracy Clark takes a common metaphysical idea and gives it a fantastic new life and depth. The story she’s crafted surrounds not just her main character, Cora, and her friends, but encompasses the whole of humanity, cleverly bringing the human dynamic more in line with the rest of nature’s creatures. In the world of Scintillate, the idea of auras as energy is prominent, and for the Scintilla, it is something to be shared. Unfortunately, there are also beings who, much like “energy vampires”, will suck the aura right out of another, feeding off of them. Cora is smart, sheltered by her over-protective father, a bit angsty without being whiney, and prone to making some rash choices that definitely keep her very real. Other favorite characters were her best friends, Dun and Mari. The dialogue was sharp and quick, but often walked a fine line bordering on being a little over the top and cheesy, even for a bit o’ flowery Irish metaphor. It’s a very high-energy plot, with directions changing quickly. While the outcome is not completely unpredictable, it was great entertainment watching it unfold. Reviewed by Becky Vosburg
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Young Adult
FEATURED REVIEW
Dorothy Must Die By Danielle Paige HarperCollins, 17.99 price, 464 pages, Format: Hard ««««« Reviewed by Becky Vosberg
D
Diehard fans of The Wizard of Oz, guard yourselves. Danielle Paige’s new twisted Oz is about to take that beautiful technicolor world we all know and love, and turn it on its head. There’s a new Kansas girl who has landed over the rainbow, and she’s about to find out that not only is the land of Oz real, but a lot has changed since Dorothy clicked those fancy red heels to get home. Dorothy later returned to Oz; Ozma made her a princess, taught her a little magic…and in doing so, created a tyrannical, power-hungry monster. When Amy lands in Oz, she’s taken in by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and the job of taking Dorothy down falls on her shoulders. Dorothy Must Die is a dark and sometimes gory reimagining of Oz. Those lovable and hopeful characters from the original story, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and sugar-sweet Dorothy herself are now the stuff of nightmare, performing barbaric experiments and mercilessly plucking out eyeballs. I loved the reoccurring theme of the blurred line between what it means to be “Good” and “Wicked”. During her time with the formerly-wicked witches, Amy struggles to reconcile what she knows of their past reputations and what they seem to be fighting for now. Have they really changed for the good, or is there something deeper and darker going on? Amy is a great complex character. She is love-starved due to a negligent mother and a runaway father. She’s also defensive, but tough and sarcastic from years of being the target of bullying from the school prin-
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Dragons Wild By Robert Asprin Ace, $7.99, 368 pages, Format: Mass
««««« Robert Asprin is perhaps best known for his “Myth” series. Whimsical, humorous, and full of mischief. I will confess I’d read a few of those and his “Phule’s” books, and had not revisited him in years. So it was a true shock to read this engaging and totally different direction by an old friend and to find on the inside back cover that he had himself gone interdimensional in 2008. There is another in this Dragon series penned solely by Asprin, Dragons Luck, and another done with Jody Lynn Nye. I urge you to run out and buy them all. Leaving the college where he has never developed a passion for anything but poker, Griffen McCandles finds himself, and his sister, Valerie, blown away by the discovery that they are in fact human/
dragon hybrids, with the dragon part predominating. This puts them at immediate risk, as dragon politics tend to get heated.
“WE FORGET SOMETIMES,” HE SAID. “BEING A DRAGON IS MORE THAN JUST HOW WE ACT OR WHAT WE CAN DO. IT’S WHAT WE ARE. I’VE NEVER SEEN YOU SO UPSET . . . BECAUSE NATHANIEL ATTACKED SOMETHING THAT EVERY DRAGON SEEMS TO DEEPLY LOVE . . .” “POWER.” Griffen’s discoveries range from learning why he has always been good at reading opponents, to some very lubricious and delicious introductions to the intensity of female dragons. Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where Mr. Asprin made his home until leaving our sphere, the action is colorful, rich, and kaleidoscopic. Reviewed by David Sutton
Interview with Felix Gilman Author of The Revolutions
Interviewed by David Marshall David Marshall: I want to welcome Felix Gilman whose first four books show him as one of the best of the new wave of fantasy writers. As one ex-pat to another, how have you reacted to the move from one culture to another? Felix Gilman: This may be one of those questions that’s too big to properly answer but I’ll give it a shot. I grew up in London, but I’ve been in the US for a long time now - longer than I can bring myself to count - since shortly after college, and in fact for almost all of my adult life. So the cultural move was mixed up with the move into adulthood, and it’s hard for me to say what’s reaction to another culture and what’s reaction to, you know, getting a job, that sort of thing. And moving from the UK to the US is a relatively shallow cultural gradient, I think. I grew up on American films, books, and comics; the big shock is finding that New York is actually a real place.
Games
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 By Jason Bulmahn Paizo Publishing, LLC., $39.99, 320 pages, Format: Hard ««««.5 By now, through the three previous bestiaries, Pathfinder GMs have surely exhausted most of the staples of the fantasy genre. Have you already faced down hordes of orcs, and fire-breathing dragons, and ogres and demons and undead monstrosities? Pathfinder: Bestiary 4 is perfect for taking your existing game to a new level or starting one from scratch built around some of the foes contained here. Bestiary 4 draws inspiration less from classic swords-and-sorcery fantasy and more from gothic pulp fantasy and horror, pulling especially heavily from Lovecraft. Yes, Cthulhu has game stats, and while he will probably easily squash all but the highest-level adventurers, a plethora of other bizarrely unreal foes form an excellent pyramid of enemies to lead up to him. Other creatures, from Nosferatu Vampires to Astral Dragons to Kaiju (yes, think Godzilla) fill the book with plenty of challenges for players and inspiration for GMs. Of course, as the creatures get weirder, so do their rules get more complex, favoring experienced gamers, but nonetheless this book combines well with the rest of the Pathfinder set, and, while perhaps not absolutely essential, is certainly recommended for gamers who want to take their game to bizarre new worlds. Reviewed by James Rasmussen
Spin Monkeys Mark Sellmeyer Rio Grande Games, $39.95, Format: Board Game
«« Reviewed by James Rasmussen
Contents: 1 game board 1 rule book 8 monkeys in bumper cars 8 green-and-red banana/ peel tokens 139 movement cards 29 apple tokes 25 orange tokens 22 banana tokens 22 banana peel tokens
Imagine you are a monkey in a carnival, driving a bumper car around an arena and collecting the fruit scattered across the ground. This is the premise of Spin Monkeys; picking up fruit, gathering momentum and speed, running into walls and other monkeys, and spinning out on banana peels. Anyone who has played any of the Mario Kart games on any platform ought to be at home here. The basic mechanics of the game are fairly simple; each player simultaneously plays a card that determines the direction their monkey will go, and then take turns moving. The more cards you have played, the faster you will go, so the monkeys pick up momentum as the game goes on. Simple! That is, until you run into somebody else, or a wall, or hit a banana peel. Running into somebody transfers your momentum into them, bumping them in the direction you were traveling. When that other player activates, they take the action they have already selected… but now they are in a different place, facing a different direction. Chaos ensues. The premise of Spin Monkeys should result in a fun, fast, action-packed game, but the complexity of interactions as the game moves on slows the pace. Bumping into someone who bumps into someone else who slips on a banana peel and bumps into a wall… this sort of occurrence is not uncommon and results in a lot of head scratching and “how
Iron Kingdoms: Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game Core Rules
Privateer Press, $59.99, 360 Pages, Format: Hard
««««.5 Reviewed by James Rasmussen
The Iron Kingdoms have been a fascinating world to roleplay in for more than a full decade now, and many an adventure has been had in this gritty steam-and-sorcery infused fantasy world. The original RPG rules for the Iron Kingdoms were built on Wizards of the Coast’s existing Dungeons & Dragons system, which was great because it was already familiar to most gamers, but transitioning from the Warmachineminiatures game to the Iron Kindoms Full-Metal Fantasy RPG could be a bit awkward. While the games existed in the same world, the core mechanics required players to learn entire new game systems. For this reboot of their RPG, though Privateer Press has developed their own game system to bring the roleplaying experience more in line with their existing miniatures games. The Core Rules contains everything players need to know to play the game. The basic ideas will be familiar to most players of RPGs, with a few unique elements. For example, the game eschews the traditional twenty-sided die (and twelve, ten, eight, four-sided), the Iron Kindoms RPG uses a pair of regular six-sided die, rolled together with additions from skills and stats compared to a target number. Not only does this mean that players don’t need to spend money on a full set of gaming dice, for those familiar with statistics, the use of two dice creates a bell curve effect that experienced gamers may find improves their estimation of whether or not
Local Geeks Find NerdVana at Sacramento Wizard World Comic Con By Brian Boyle
S
acramento no longer has any reason to be jealous of San Diego. The overwhelming success of the Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con, March 7-9, 2014, ensures the bigger, better return next year of nerdvana to the Community Center. Which is saying a mouthful, as this year’s inaugural event was already chock full of geeky goodness, not the least of which were the personal appearances of two pop culture legends, Star Trek’s Captain Kirk himself, William “The Shat” Shatner, and Marvel Comics’ public face and its most prolific creator, Stan “The Man” Lee.
Wizard World (wizardworld.com) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate comic books, cosplay, films, gaming, graphic novels, technology, TV shows, and toys. Wizard World events feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as film or television series premieres, gaming tournaments, discussion panels, and costume contests. The Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con overflowed for three days with attendees — every available space crammed shoulder-to-shoulder, elbow-to-elbow — and with
every manner of geek indulgence. There were appearances by, and question-and-answer sessions with, top celebrities such as Billy Dee Williams (“The Empire Strikes Back”), Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”), Michael Rooker (“The Walking Dead”), and noted comics creators Chris Claremont and Neal Adams. There were meetand-greets, adult and kids costume contests, a screening of the new CW series “The 100,” and historical discussions on comics and video games. A science fiction and fantasy film festival and
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Why I Write at Happy Donuts
By Mary McNear
Several years ago, I started writing my novels at a 24-hour donut shop a couple of blocks from my house in San Francisco. Unlike the new minimalist coffee houses in the Mission District, where each cup of coffee is individually brewed and where every customer there is a twenty-something year old wearing a sixty-dollar t-shirt and working on a MacBook Pro with a Retina display, Happy Donuts is decidedly unhip and old school. The coffee is industrial strength, the donuts are full of trans-fats, and a 40-something-year-old woman can feel perfectly comfortable plodding away for hours on her five-year-old, suitcase-size PC. Originally, it was my effort to avoid both the solitude and the distractions of writing at home that drove me out of the house. For one thing, I’m a total CNN junkie and will tune into the news if there is a TV nearby. My other role, as a mother of two teenage children, means that there are always mounds of laundry waiting to be folded and hundreds of appointments to schedule. The orthodontist and the dermatologist come immediately to mind. And working in a public place, where life is unfolding around me-but where people are oblivious to me and my characters--also diminished what I saw as the “too serious,” scary, and solitary aspect of writing alone. And for a writer like me, who is a consummate eavesdropper and people watcher, Happy Donuts is the perfect place to watch the ebb and flow of neighborhood life. Mornings bring people on their way to work and students on their way to school. Late morning to midafternoon brings the elderly, the unemployed and underemployed, people who work at home, and in general, more miscreants than at any other time of day. And of course, there are the regulars, like the man who looks like a Hell’s Angel but reads the Financial Times cover to cover every morning. Or the trim and dapper 94-year-old man in the seersucker suit, who eats three meals a day there. Three! In the afternoon, it is all students again, and this is good for someone who writes about love and romance. These kids have one thing and one thing only on their mind and it’s not donuts. Though it goes down pretty well with donuts. They come to flirt, to plan hookups, and to pretend to do their homework, but really, again, to flirt. Like the teenage boy, with the soulful eyes and the weary slouch, who hangs out after school with his girlfriend. I’m sorry, did I say girlfriend? I meant girlfriends. There are at least three of them. And sometimes, he’ll meet more than one there in the same afternoon. I keep wondering if he’s going to slip up sometime, confuse his schedule and have two girls there at once, but it hasn’t happened yet. Night, on the other hand, is a quiet time at Happy Donuts. I always feel like I’m in a Hopper painting, as there’s something a little melancholy about the whole affair, but it’s usually my most productive time there.
Popular Fiction
The All You Can Dream Buffet By Barbara O’Neal Bantam, $15.00, 400 pages, Format: Trade
««« Lavender Wills decides to celebrate her 85th birthday by inviting her three food blogger friends to come visit her in Oregon, at her Lavender Honey Farms. Stay-at-home Ginny from Kansas drives with her dog, Willow. Ruby, the young vegan, comes up the coast from SoCal. Valerie, the wine expert, has been touring midwestern Indian reservations with her daughter, Hannah, and interrupts their trip to attend the party. All of the women will have life-changing experiences before they come to the end of their travels.
WE ALL NEED COMFORT FOOD NOW AND THEN - FAT AND CARBS IN SOME LUXURIOUS COMBINATION.
On the road, Ginny meets a handsome trucker. Ruby, pregnant and abandoned, strikes up a friendship with Noah, who works at the farm. Valerie and Hannah are finally able to resolve their estrangement from one another. Lavender has a dream birthday. This is a sweet, feel-good book, with an abundance of teary moments. Read it on a beach or a long flight. You can immerse yourself in the beauty of the Rocky Mountains in a thunderstorm or flowing fields of blooming lavender. Ginny’s marital problems and perilous trip through an Idaho forest fire are compelling, as is Ruby’s passionate love affair with her ex-boyfriend. Even though the new men in the women’s lives are too wonderful to be believed (thoughtful, good listeners, almost psychically attuned to the needs of the ladies), they are fun to read about. Savor the sensual wonders of farm life and love in an Airstream trailer.
Popular Fiction
Reviewed by Elizabeth Benford
A Girl Walks Into a Bar: Your Fantasy, Your Rules By Helena S. Paige William Morrow Paperbacks, $14.99, 272 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Some of my favorite books as a child were the Choose Your Own Adventure books. What is not to love about them? You get one book, with a plethora of endings, and the story is controlled by you, the reader. From page one I was drawn to this book. I was like a small child all giddy with anticipation, as I knew my options to control the story were drawing near and this continued until I finally put the book down and called it quits. Filled with lots of humor, quirky situations, and bizarre scenarios, A Girl Walks Into A Bar is a more than just some fiction story. The first through I opted for the safe route, playing it cool and level headed, but the second time through I reminded myself that it was only a book and I could control and be out control at the same time. And so there I was.
“AREN’T YOU THE GUY WHO TOLD ME THAT HE ACCIDENTALLY ATE COD SEMEN?” It is exhilarating, like doing something you know you are not supposed to and then getting away with it. The story itself is simple, allowing for a fluid transition between chosen stories, and I could see where this might be construed as lame, but I disagree. This is a lighthearted book that gave me control over what I was reading and it was a pleasant change of pace. I would definitely read this book, or another like it again! Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch
Special Interest
Man Candy: Dishy Dudes and Mod Men By Reeda Joseph Viva Editions, $14.95, 72 pages, Format: Hard
««« Retro is all the rage right now and everyone and everything is jumping on board. This little book packs 72 pages of full color vintage photos of the era’s most dashing men, posing, admiring, flaunting their manliness, and attaches hilarious memes that mock both the picture and the time. One example is a picture of a group at a small dinner party being served hors d’oeuvres and the meme says, “So, Fred, tell us more about this… Internet.” These men flaunting cardigans, plaid ties, Italian loafers and big-rimmed glasses were the eye candy of the day and the dreamy desires of women everywhere, but are they still? Yeah, it didn’t do anything for me.
“MEN: IF ANYTHING, THEY CAN ALWAYS CARRY OUR STUFF.” While this book did have some humor in it, and the vintage pictures themselves were neat to look at, the memes that accompanied the pictures just fell flat at being hilarious and this is the whole premise of the book. Man Candy: Dishy Dudes and Mod Men does make a wonderfully visual art piece to add to one’s book collection, but if you are after a good laugh, just keep walking because this isn’t the book you’re looking for. Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch
Romance
The Trouble with Honor By Julia London Harlequin, $7.99, 384 pages, Format: Mass
«««« George Easton is taken aback by Honor Cabot’s fiery personality and determination. Unlike the other debutantes he has met during the London season, Honor stands out. Having endured three seasons without agreeing to marry, Honor is thrown into a desperate situation when her step-father is on the brink of death, her mother suffers from dementia and her step-brother, Augustine, is betrothed to marry Monica, a woman who wants to turn Honor and her three sisters out of the estate as soon as she is part of the family. At first, Honor turns to George to convince him to seduce Monica away from Augustine. But as she grows fonder of him, she is less intent on playing society’s games, and more determined to win George’s heart.
Erotica
Twisted: Bondage With an Edge By Alison Tyler, Editor Cleis Press, $15.95, 244 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Cleis press is known for putting out titles that rock the imagination, and the senses. They are generally books filled with short stories that quickly go to the punch; I would love to see some longer works from some of these authors instead of the quick hit-and-run. This collection takes us into the world of bondage, but not always into the bond of handcuffs, straps, and more. At times it does delve into the standard bondage tale, but other stories take other takes on bondage; from commands from voyeurs, weather being controlled by certain events in bed, they do run the gamut of ideas. Like any short story collection there are the really good ones, the not-so-good ones, and the ones right in the middle, which are the vast majority. While as a whole it is generally entertaining reading, not all the stories are excellent, and there are some that are just
hard to get through. Of course people will have their favorites and read them over and over. And like any collection in the end it all works out for a fairly decent book. Reviewed by Kevin Winter
Erotica
Partners In Passion: A Guide to Great Sex, Emotional Intimacy and Long-term Love By Mark A. Michaels, Patricia Johnson Cleis Press, $21.95, 272 pages, Format: Trade ««««.5 Partners In Passion is a comprehensive guide to increasing and maintaining intimacy within the bounds of long-term committed relationships. It provides a wealth of ideas for promoting communication and trust between partners, and the reasoning behind their use and success. There are several things I found very interesting and enlightening about this book. I appreciate that not all of the relationships featured were heterosexual married couples. There were examples of same-sex couples as well as couples of varying ages, facilitating the discussion that as our bodies ages, our levels of intimacy evolve, both physically and mentally. The authors offer examples from mild (dirty talk) to wild (swinging or BDSM) in order to spice things up. I see this as a great resource for a therapist or counselor to offer to clients; however, if you were perusing your local bookstore, you might give it a pass. Included are several black and white diagrams of anatomy, both male and female, that, while interesting, lead to a slightly textbook feel to the book, which is a shame because it is very informative. From the new parents to the couple struggling with menopause or post-prostate surgery, this book could be an invaluable resource. Reviewed by Christina Mock
Erotica
FEATURED REVIEW
The Delicious Torment: A Story of Submission By Alison Tyler Cleis Press, $16.95, 288 pages, Format: Trade ««««« Reviewed by Axie Barclay
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“I was his. He had to know that. But first he made me prove myself to him—through pain, and shame, and utter humiliation. And, trust me, shame can be more painful than pain itself.” No one is in a better position to know that than the heroine of Alison Tyler’s latest novel, The Delicious Torment. This novel begins shortly after the first story of submission, Dark Secret Love ends. In this sequel, writer and submissive Samantha continues her 24/7 BDSM relationship with the dominant, Jack. Jack and Samantha have moved in together and have achieved equilibrium in their relationship, however, they remain suspicious of one another, and have yet to learn emotional as well as physical trust, or admit their so far unspoken feelings for one another. All relationships have complications, and this one will not fail to surprise. In a novel that blurs the line of memoir and meta fiction, The Delicious Torment explores the darker emotions that are often so transfixing in Tyler’s work: shame, jealousy, self-discovery, even finding empowerment as a sub explores the role of the dom, revealing ever more tantalizing glimpses into the BDSM relationship dynamic. Fiction, semi-biography, or meta, it doesn’t matter. Alison Tyler shines as a literary voice in erotic fiction. This latest Tyler novel completely stands up to the tone and style set in Dark Secret Love. The narrative in Torment trips along with breathless speed, chock-full of gloriously sumptuous language. Alison Tyler builds erotic suspense like no other. Each chapter, even as they are deliberate and measured, leave the reader with a kind of breathlessness, tingling
Poetry & Short Stories
Burning the Midnight Oil: Illuminating Words for the Long Night’s Journey Into Day By Phil Cousineau Viva Editions, $15.95, 244 pages, Format: Trade
««««« If you have ever found yourself up at two in the morning, or earlier (later?), with a flagging body but a racing mind, you are not alone. Author Phil Cousineau has collected, in Burning the Midnight Oil, a wonderful group of short stories, poetry, and prose writings that reflect on all things After Dark. Sensitively selected, the pieces are moving, haunting, beautiful, leaving the reader with a feeling of quiet pensivity. You dip in and out of this book, when everyone else in the house in already asleep, and are given words and images to ponder and savor. Five sections thematically group around Twilight, Nighthawks, Night working, Dreaming, and finally, breaking into Morning. Poets from Sappho and Ovid, to Robert Louis Stevenson and Cousineau himself; authors from East to West, North to South,
Classics
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery By Dorothy L. Sayers Bourbon Street Books, $14.99, 278 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Bellona was the ancient Roman goddess of war. The characters in this novel, General Fentiman (the deceased), his grandson, George, Lord Peter Wimsey, and his manservant are all veterans of wars and forged by that experience. The Bellona Club is the refuge for patriotic aristocratic men. The last thing any of the posh Bellona Club members wanted was a corpse in their lounge. It was unpleasant and inconvenient that ninety year old General Fentiman’s death wasn’t noticed for a while because he generally napped in his customary chair. But he was dead – and dead for a while. Luckily, amateur detective and British peer Lord Peter Wimsey was at the scene to inspect the body.
Mystery, Crime & Thriller
In the Morning I’ll Be Gone: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel (The Troubles Trilogy) By Adrian McKinty Seventh Street Books, $15.95, 300 pages, Format: Trade ««««.5 In the Morning I’ll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty brings The Troubles Trilogy to an outstanding conclusion. Taken overall, this set of three books which sits on the cusp of historical mysteries and thrillers, has made a major contribution to understanding how the people of Northern Ireland responded to the sectarian warfare going on around them. The combination of unflinching realism and mordant black humor has been a delight to read with the protagonist, Sean Duffy, one of the most interesting of brilliant obsessive depressives we’ve seen in recent books. This time around, he’s been demoted in the ranks and, as was almost inevitable, the senior officers find an excuse to scapegoat him for an accidental injury to a pedestrian and he’s suddenly out of the
Urban Fiction
Circle Jerk By Rollo Thomassey CreateSpace, $9.95, 150 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Jackie Fajt is a hometown hero who, despite being a genuinely good person, always manages to get into trouble. His latest scheme falls right into this old pattern. When he hears the G-20 summit is coming to his city, he figures out a way to make some money, have some fun, and make sure people remember his good friend, a homeless man who was murdered by a cop. If that alone isn’t enough to paint the law enforcement as untrustworthy, we also get to see inside the FBI investigation into both Jackie and a couple of unfortunately timed mafia murders. The agents talk about sex more than they do their cases, and they care more about looking good and avoiding bureaucratic interference than they do about getting justice. They hide evidence, disobey orders, trade sex for favors, and murder with impunity. The cops are definitely not the good guys.
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How Can We Be Sure It’s Good? By Grant Jarrett
No matter how positive I am something I’ve written is worthwhile, I’m never really sure. And even reaching the point where I’m so damned positive I’m not quite sure takes time and requires negotiating numerous detours and obstacles, many of my own devising (though I’d happily blame someone else if I thought I could get away with it).
Modern LIterature
FEATURED REVIEW
The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean By David Almond Candlewick, 17.99, 272 pages, Format: Hard ««« Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
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Young Billy Dean is born into a broken world, locked away with his mother for safe keeping in a decrepit house. All he knows is what’s told to him by his doting mother, his father on occasional (and mysterious) visits, and his own childlike explorations of life, death, and family. When he finally leaves his room and meets the people of Blinkbonny, he finds himself in a world ravaged by war and left to rot, a world they think he can save by becoming the Angel Child and contacting the dead. What will become of Billy Dean? Is he monster, savior, or something else? The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean is a story in two parts, giving us Billy Dean’s homelife and then unleashing him on a world we only know bits and pieces about. This adds a sense of magic and suspense to the pacing, which can be all too slow at times. But not knowing the rules of this world, except for what our uninformed narrator tells us, keeps the reader fairly interested. Even after the last page is done, we have a lot of the big sweeping arcs, but very few specifics. Almond is judicious in what he gives us -- or, rather, what Billy Dean understands enough to inform us about -- and yet, still creates a believable post-war or wartime world with relatively few setpieces. But the book comes with one great caveat: if you can’t accept the phonetic spelling Billy uses, you’ll have a rough time with it. Even an experienced reader will have moments when they need to go back over lines in order to parse Billy’s meaning. And as a reviewer, I’m always on the fence about longer works that employ a linguistic style like this. At what point does the gimmick overwhelm the storytelling or undercut the author’s intended message?
Modern Literature
Fourth of July Creek: A Novel By Smith Henderson Ecco, $26.99, 480 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Pete Snow is a social worker who works with families in a small town in Montana. When he encounters Benjamin Pearl—a wild, seemingly neglected eleven-year-old—he is compelled to do what he can to help. Helping Benjamin means dealing with his father, Jeremiah—a somewhat delusional, distrusting, disturbed man who has been living off the grid with his family for years while waiting for a disaster they believe is imminent. As Pete begins to gain the trust of the Pearls, Jeremiah attracts the notice of the FBI, and the manhunt that ensues will leave everyone changed. Meanwhile, Pete has to continue to work with other damaged families, all while his own family life falls apart.
Modern Literature
FEATURED REVIEW
Foreign Gods, Inc. By Okey Ndibe
Soho Press, 25.00, 336 pages, Format: Hard ««««.5 Reviewed by Claire Lejeune
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Foreign Gods, Inc,Okey Ndibe’s promising first novel, narrates a quest for a lost god. Ike, a Nigerian cab driver for whom the American dream hasn’t quite worked out, flies back to his homeland in order to make off with the statue of the local deity and sell it off to a gallery. Nevertheless a god can hardly be expected to accept being blatantly traded… When we start to sell our gods, we are never far from selling our very souls. With this storyline conjured up, the reader travels across the world into the depths of what could well be an entirely different universe: the core of a sun-bathed, sweat-sodden Nigeria, where an authentic war of gods is at hand between the catholic converts and the believers that remain faithful to the tribal deity. Flaubert, on writing his Madame Bovary, professed that if his novel had to be linked to a color, that color would have to be brown. Okey Ndibe’s Foreign Gods Inc. is a novel of a vivid red hue: the rowdy red of the bustling American town in which we are first plunged, then the earthen red of the Nigerian soil and the heavenly red of its vast skies, and all along the way, the raw red of the gash in the flesh of a man torn to pieces by an irresolvable dilemma into which the culture clash between two worlds illustrated in Ndibe’s novel sinks us. We are shown the limits of the globalized world, all too often glorified as a coherent, unified entity, well on its way to universal homogeneity. But Okey Ndibe pictures a world that cannot boil down to one culture
Humor - Fiction
Jesse James & The Secret Legend of Captain Coytus By Alex Mueck I-Universe, $20.00, 460 pages, Format: Trade «««.5 A college student walks into his professor’s office, expecting a topnotch grade for his paper detailing a surprising alternate timeline for the life of Jesse James. But when his professor gives him an F, the student claims he has undeniable proof to back up his assertions. And so, the story begins, as the reader is regaled with a full recounting of the lives of the outlaw Jesse James, his family, and the mysterious conniving stranger who helped make them part of history... a man known only as Captain Coytus. Jesse James and the Secret Legend of Captain Coytus mines a tumultuous time in our nation’s history -- the later years of the Civil War -- for laughs, mixing elements of slapstick humor, romance,
Horror
Shadowlands By Alan Kessler Leviathan, $13.99, 394 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Steve Goldblatt is a young boy growing up in the middle of Ohio in a town that has sharply delineated rich and poor sides. Steve’s family lives on the wealthy side, but he doesn’t want to. Abused by his father and neglected by his mother, Steve hates the emptiness of the high-income neighborhood and prefers the noise and life of the poorer one. The story is told in first-person, so we follow along with Steve as he meets and tries to emulate Dane (a bully whose insults and violence Steve interprets as love), moves through high school as an outcast, goes to college, and eventually returns home to go to and graduate from law school and become a successful lawyer. Steve lives primarily in his head, so much of the book consists of his inner monologue. Steve’s way of perceiving the world is fractured by his parents’ attitudes towards him, and his mind is, there-
Jane Austen and Change By Pamela Mingle In 2013, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s iconic novel, Pride and Prejudice. After two centuries, we still can’t get enough of Austen’s “own darling child.” Much has been written about its timeless themes, its characters, and the love story at its heart. What I have discovered is that experiencing the novel is unique to each reader. For those of us who read it over and over, it has become something treasured, a part of ourselves, so personal and intimate that it is difficult to share it with other people. It is something to turn to when the world seems unforgiving and unwelcoming. One of the great scenes in the book occurs when Elizabeth Bennet and her aunt and uncle are visiting Pemberley, the estate of Mr. Darcy. Months earlier, Elizabeth has turned down his proposal of marriage. She consented to visit Pemberley only because they’ve been assured that the family is not at home. So imagine her surprise, and the delight of Austen’s readers, when the two suddenly encounter each other for the first time since the fateful night Elizabeth rejected him. No, his shirt isn’t wet, he didn’t dive into the pond to cool his ardor—that’s only in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of the book—but he’s suddenly and unexpectedly present. And to our further delight, he is completely flustered when he encounters Elizabeth. He struggles to find the right words and then repeats himself. After a few minutes, we realize that he has changed in some fundamental and profound way. Even if Elizabeth can’t see it yet, we, the reader, can, and it is this change that leads to the great wellspring of joy we feel from our reading of this novel. When I thought of writing an Austen-inspired sequel, it was that joyousness that I wanted to capture. I wasn’t interested in re-writing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s story. How could it be more perfect? Rather, I wanted to extend the story with a different sister at its heart.
BadRedhead says..
The Most Effective Social Media Channel Is. . .
The most effective social media channel is… Easy: the one you like to use the most! Sounds basic and simple, but with all the advice flying around about ‘author platform’ and being everywhere at once (not possible, I’ve tried), what’s an author to do? Let’s deconstruct.
OVERVIEW Each social media channel (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn) is designed differently, and this is based on branding. • Are you someone looking for a job? Use LinkedIn. • Want to chat about many different topics and not worry about being too wordy? Use Facebook (however, keep in mind that many people check from their mobile device, so short updates are always better). • Busy and only have time for a few check-ins and quick replies? Use Twitter. • Visually oriented? Use Instagram. A key point in choosing is not only what is most comfortable for you, but also where your demographic hangs out. Let’s deconstruct some of the most popular sites and what appeals about each one.
SNAPCHAT AND INSTAGRAM Although Facebook still remains the number one photo sharing site, Snapchat is ‘driving impressive photo-sharing traffic with 350 million photos per day. A Pew Research survey found that 9% of cell phone users now use Snapchat, and 18% use Instagram’ (Source: Social Media Examiner). Most authors I talk with are not only NOT on these sites, most have never heard of them! I’m personally on Instagram and have found it very easy to use – and because Facebook now owns it, it’s easy to open an account and find friends easily. Instagram is the fastest growing site globally* (Source: Techcrunch) -- you need to be there. *Instagram active user base grew by 28% in the last six months of 2013, had 90 million active users in January, 2013 which has doubled to 180 million one year later.
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