Tulsa
event guide
INSIDE! August 2013
Book Review 4 9 12
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 10
F R E E
NEW AND OF INTEREST
C H E C K
The Best of Connie Willis: AwardWinning Stories Just the tip of the iceberg Page 4
I T
Who Owns the Future?
The future of technology and the future of society Page 7
O U T
Fancy Nancy: Fanciest Doll in the Universe Sibling rascality Page 8
The Giant and How He Humbugged America By Jim Murphy Scholastic Press, $19.99, 112 pages Jim Murphy is coming to Tulsa Aug. 23 and 24. See Page 2 for details.
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When a farmer in New York dug a new well on his farm in 1869, he unearthed more than dirt. Minutes after his shovel struck a supersized human gray stone foot, rumors began spreading among the neighbors about the discovery of a petrified giant! Experts, scientists, hucksters, preachers and businessmen all made their way over the coming days and weeks to marvel at the wonder and try to explain it. Was it a giant who roamed the earth in prehistoric times or an ancient member of the Onondaga Indian tribe? Jim Murphy, a Newbery Honor winner
and author of more than 35 books, tells the true story of this bigger-than-life discovery that swept the United States in the years right after the Civil War. His suggestion that people tend to see what they want to see no matter what the evidence suggests may be as true today as it was then. Murphy skillfully lets the story unfold in such a way that the reader shares the questions of those who gazed upon the 10-foot-4-inch stone man found buried in the ground. The story of how the Cardiff See The Giant, cont’d on page 6
Make Your Own Soda This book pops! Page 10
The Golem and The Jinni Free will vs. determinism Page 13
43 Reviews INSIDE!
Book Reviews Category
Kids’ Books SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
When Mermaids Sleep By Ann Bonwill, Steve Johnson, Lou Fancher, illustrators Random House BFYR, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Little ones love to dream of fanciful places where wondrous creatures abound. They also love stories with strong rhythm and rhyme. This book will not disappoint. Ann Bonwill leads readers on a fantastical journey through a world of mermaids and pirate ships with trunks of treasures in their care which had been stolen from the land of genies. The sands of those far-off lands were used to build castles surrounded by moats filled with sleeping serpents. High in the castle royal wizards watch the stars, the same stars that hang over woods where unicorns sleep on beds of leaves. The leaves float up to high mountains where giants and goblins sleep under blankets of snow. The snow also falls on griffin nests which are above tunnels filled with dozing dwarves. The tunnels lead to the surface where flowers are beds to sleeping fairies under a shining moon. That same moon shines on you, a sleepy child ready to say good night. This lovely rhyming picture book is like a string of perfect pearls of poetry laid out on lush, soft illustrations as fanciful as the text. Children and parents will love this beautiful book. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Lives of the Scientists: Experiments, Explosions (and What the Neighbors Thought) By Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt (illustrator) Harcourt Children’s Books, $20.99, 96 pages Check this out! Through the history of mankind, there have been so many great scientists that the creators of this book must have had a very hard time choosing only twenty to feature, but they have chosen well. From Zhang
Heng, born in China in the year 78, to Jane Goodell, born in England in 1934, these brilliant and f a s c i n at i n g people are illustrated for young readers with short, concise biographies focusing on the unusual and humorous facts of their lives. Edwin Hubble worked in an unheated mountaintop bunker. When it was very cold, his eyelashes froze to the telescope eyepiece. When not staring through the telescope, he would play solitaire and reconstruct cowboy songs in his head. Some scientists became so focused on their work that nothing else mattered. Chien-Shiung Wu slept only four hours each night and sent her husband on their 20th-anniversary cruise by himself. Einstein is one of the highest-earning dead celebrities, as the Baby Einstein Company pays so much to the estate in royalties. The wonderful illustrations are icing on the cake for this fun and fascinating book. Written for youngsters from fourth grade and up, everyone lucky enough to find it will enjoy every page. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives (Scientists in the Field Series) By Elizabeth Rusch HMH Books for Children, $18.99, 80 pages Check this out! A volcanic eruption can be one of the most terrifying h appen i ngs one might ever experience. The earth moves and roars, she spews ash and heat and stones and boulders into the air. The ash clouds can climb miles and disrupt air traffic in huge regions. Lava and hot mud can flow like rivers, covering everything they encounter. Over a billion people worldwide live in danger zones for volcanic See Eruption, cont’d on page 7
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 2
Meet Author
Jim Murphy WINNER OF THE TULSA LIBRARY TRUST’S 2013 ANNE V. ZARROW AWARD FOR YOUNG READERS’ LITERATURE
Zarrow Award Presentation Friday, Aug. 23 • 7 p.m.
Gilcrease Museum 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road
2013 Young People’s Creative Writing Contest Awards Presentation Saturday, Aug. 24 • 10 a.m. Hardesty Regional Library Connor’s Cove • 8316 E. 93rd St.
Jim Murphy masterfully makes history come alive in his more than 30 nonfiction books for children and young adults. During his prestigious career, he has received many awards and honors, including two Newbery Honor Book awards, a National Book Award finalist medal, three Jefferson Cup awards, two Golden Kite awards, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, as well as the 2010 Margaret A. Edwards Award, which is a lifetime achievement honor. Murphy will speak about his life and works, and sign books at both events. Copies of his books will be available for purchasing.
Jim Murphy’s “The Long Road to Gettysburg”
comes alive!
The Civil War Sesquicentennial Saturday, Aug. 3 • 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Central Library • Fourth Street and Denver Avenue Relive history at this family-focused event commemorating the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg.
Tulsa
Book Review
IN THIS ISSUE Kids’ Books..................................................... 2
Tulsa City-County Library 400 Civic Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 Ph. (918) 549-7323 EDITOR IN CHIEF Ross Rojek ross@1776productions.com
GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Grayson Hjaltalin
Fiction.................................................. 4, 5 & 6 Red Dirt Roundup Concert............................. 5 Popular Fiction............................................... 7 Picture Books................................................. 8
grayson.hjaltalin@1776productions.com James Rasmussen COPY EDITORS Lori Freeze Cathy Lim Karen Stevens Robyn Oxborrow Holly Scudero Kim Winterheimer Audrey Curtis Annie Peters Amy Simko Jamais Jochim EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Adrian Girth Alee Shabouni Audrey Curts Christopher Hayden James Rasmussen Jonathon Howard Marie Clementi Megan Rynott Samantha Herman Toni B. Willis WEBSITE TulsaBookReview.com DISTRIBUTED BY Urban Tulsa Weekly The Tulsa Book Review is published monthly by 1776 Productions, LLC. The opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Tulsa Book Review or 1776 Productions advertisers. All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders. All words ©2012, LLC.
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Tween Reads................................................... 9 Cookbooks.................................................... 10 Home, Garden & DIY.................................... 11 Biography & Memoir.................................... 12 Historical Fiction.......................................... 12 Fantasy......................................................... 13
FROM THE PUBLISHER The Tulsa City-County Library will wrap up the Summer Reading Program on Aug. 3. As of mid-July, more than 38,000 children and teens have signed up for the program and collectively have read 213,716 books. Plus, we have held more than 400 events with a combined attendance of about 17,500. We have two exciting programs to go. Library Summer Reading Night at the BOK Center takes place Aug. 2; the Tulsa Shock will take on the Los Angeles Sparks. The Tulsa Drillers will play the Frisco Rough Riders at ONEOK Field on Aug. 10. Both games are free to children and teens who complete the Summer Reading Program. Because they participated in summer reading, not only do students do better in school when they return, but also they reap great rewards! Speaking of doing better in school, the library’s free online tutoring program Homework Help Now is ready to help your student do better this school year. Tutors are standing by from 2 to 11 p.m., seven days a week, to help students get unstuck with their homework. Also this month, award-winning author Jim Murphy will be in town Aug. 23 to receive the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2013 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature. He has written more than 30 books for children, including The Giant and How He Humbugged America, reviewed in this month’s Tulsa Book Review. We hope to see you at Library Summer Reading Night at the BOK Center and at ONEOK Field, as well as at the Zarrow award presentation at Gilcrease Museum. Best regards,
Free Digital Magazines................................. 13 Romance....................................................... 14
Gary Shaffer Tulsa City-County Library CEO
Free Digital Newspapers............................... 14 History & Current Events............................. 15 Chapters: A Literacy Fundraiser................... 16
Coming Up! September is National Literacy Awareness Month. You can help raise money and awareness for the library’s Ruth G. Hardman Adult Literacy Service by attending “Chapters: An Evening of Books, Bards and Bites” on Sept. 6 at Hardesty Regional Library. See the back cover of the Tulsa Book Review for details.
Book Reviews Category
Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Woman Upstairs By Claire Messud Knopf, $25.95, 272 pages Check this out! Everyone knows a “woman upstairs”: quiet, unassuming, never causes a stir. Nora Eldridge, the narrator of Claire Messud’s tense, bitter new novel, is herself one of these woman, a forty-two-year-old thirdgrade teacher in Cambridge who has nearly reached middle age without achieving any of her once-luminous goals. She wanted a husband and children; she has none. She wanted to be an artist; afraid of failure, she pursued other paths. One thing is certain, however: Nora is angry. And this intimate, urgent rant is Nora’s attempt to explain why. When Nora was thirty-seven, her life was upended when the Shahid family - Skandar, Sirena, and Reza - appeared in Cambridge for a year. Nora fell in love with all three in different ways, and soon her affection and fascination crossed over into full-blown obsession. What the Shahids ultimately did to Nora reshaped her life and changed the very way she moves through the world. Of course, Nora’s obsession has warped reality, and to her the Shahids are both great loves and scheming betrayers. Readers won’t feel sympathy for Nora; but her final vow will raise an uneasy chill. Reviewed by Margo Orlando Littell The Magic of Saida By M.G. Vassanji Knopf, $25.95, 320 pages Check this out! Kamal Punja is a half-caste physician living in Canada who returns to Africa to find out more about himself and keep a promise to a young childhood friend named Saida. His whole life, Kamal felt as though he lived between two worlds that could never quite
be bridged together: his Indian father abandoned him, his African mother eventually sent him away to “become an Indian,” and he appeared African to the Indians, and Indian to the Africans. When he questioned which ethnicity he should identify with, his mother simply responded, “you are an Indian who is more African than all these Africans walking about. And a better Indian than all those Banyani shopkeepers.” This novel works to trace how Kamal identifies ethnically and the mystery of Saida’s disappearance after Kamal was sent away. I enjoyed how Kamal dealt with his multiculturalism as the novel touches on issues that have become relevant in contemporary society. Alternating between the past and present, the point of view of the story shifts throughout, sometimes without warning, which made the plot confusing at times, but The Magic of Saida was a captivating look into the political history of Africa veiled by an nontraditional love story that concluded itself nicely. Reviewed by Lenna Stites The Interestings By Meg Wolitzer Riverhead, $27.95, 480 pages Check this out! A group of fifteen-year-olds at a summer arts camp gather one night in a teepee. They are just getting to know each other, and decide that they will all grow up to be something special. This prompts an idea for a group name. They call themselves The Interestings. This highly readable novel follows the group throughout the years, from 1974 until the present. At the forefront are best friends Jules and Ash; homely but uber talented Ethan; Ash’s handsome but troubled brother, Goodman; and Jonah, son of a well
known Sixties folksinger. Jules and Ash long to be actresses and both pursue it in New York City. Ethan, an enormously talented cartoonist, chases his dream. Jonah, although talented as a guitarist, has a secret that causes his musical career to be diverted. Meanwhile, Goodman can’t seem to do anything right. Wolitzer’s novel is bursting with realistic and memorable characters. It is easy to become engaged in the characters’ lives, the ups and downs of their expectations versus their reality. Because the characters come of age in the Seventies and Eighties, Baby Boomers especially will relate to the story. This was a novel I couldn’t put down, and it is now on my list of top ten books. Its five star rating is well deserved. Reviewed by Leslie Wolfson The Enchanted Wanderer: And Other Stories By Nikolai Leskov Knopf, $35.00, 608 pages Check this out! I was amazed at how delightful this book is to read. The characters are so artfully drawn, the situations so normal and at the same time dramatic; it is easy to drift into the stories and be carried along with the beauty of the prose; and the prose, whether by translation or by the writer is refreshingly literate. The writer, the storyteller, is sometimes entirely trustworthy, but mostly he is not. Part of the fun of the book is to determine when he drifts into sketchy territory. He toys with the reader, sometimes even drifting back to truth or rational explanation just to keep us on our guard. Leskov delights in this, smiling with me and laughing with me through these stories of nineteenth century Russia. Even the tragic ones have a bit of wry humor about them. Real people seen doing real things with tragedy, comedy, wonder and faith when faced with the happenings of life. There are seventeen stories in this book; each is a masterpiece of character and scene. From a young wife murdering her old husband to a supposed demon in a wood and everywhere in between, these are stories to be savored as Great Literature. Reviewed by Ralph Peterson
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 4
The Blind Man’s Garden By Nadeem Aslam Knopf, $26.95, 384 pages Check this out! Readers of all ages and interests have to appreciate Nadeem A s l a m ’s breathtaking penmanship in The Blind Man’s Garden. The novel is about two foster brothers and best friends, Jeo and Mikal, in the Pakistan aftermath of 9/11. In an attempt to do something valiant for their country, Jeo and Mikal decide to go to Afghanistan and help those who were wounded in the US invasion. Before they are able to reach the Afghan hospital, the brothers get separated, and each is taken prisoner in an American camp. Alone and without any means of communication, the brothers are forced to endure numerous hardships before they can ever hope to find each other and return home. The novel, though beautifully and delicately crafted, requires careful reading. Some of the story’s most important events are too subtly written for quick readers, and sometimes the vivid imagery and language can distract from what is really happening. What is most enchanting about The Blind Man’s Garden is not the poignant language or the piercing depictions of war, but rather the fact that Aslam manages to show that the fragility of human nature is present in all people, no matter where they are from or what they fight for. Though the plot itself may not always be gripping, Aslam’s ability to weave emotions into words is truly astonishing, which makes the novel well worth the time it takes to read. Reviewed by Bailey Tulloch The Best of Connie Willis: AwardWinning Stories By Connie Willis Del Rey, $27.00, 496 pages Check this out! A young girl strives for independence after society has collapsed. Quantum theory permeates a scientific conference. A guidebook about Egypt leads a group of travelers on a strange journey. A medium might be channeling H.L. Mencken. Upsetting smells and thoughts follow a tourist through the London Underground. In a world where dogs are extinct, a reporter meets a couple with one of the last remaining Winnebagos. Connie Willis is a legend, and deservedly so. Her stories and novels are rich and thoughtful, touching and hilarious, and never ever what you expect at the outset. The Best of Connie Willis is just a sampling of her library of work, but it does a fine
Book Reviews
job of covering many of the author’s strengths. Between the surprise laughs and we l l- ea r ned emotional beats, the social commentary and its seamless incorporation into the narrative, this is a masterclass in what science fiction can accomplish. Tossing in a few hilarious, grateful, and heartfelt acceptance speeches as icing on the cake, this collection is a marvelous tribute and a terrific introduction to a tremendous talent. (I just wish a few more of my favorites had appeared.) Reviewed by Glenn Dallas NOS4A2 By Joe Hill William Morrow, $28.99, 704 pages Check this out! Joe Hill should have a fairly good idea what it means to be an author, with a couple of books under his belt -HeartShaped Box and Horns -- as well as a short story collection -- 20th Century Ghosts -- plus a successful ongoing graphic novel series called Lock & Key; but his latest novel, NOS4A2 puts him on a stage of developed storytelling with his father, Stephen King. The book has an epic complexity and depth in both character and story, with a villain that will haunt your nightmares for a long time to come, akin to King’s It or The Talisman. Our hero is Victoria McQueen, a young girl with extraordinary dreams and one very powerful ability. When she is given the Raleigh Tuff Burner bike as a birthday gift, she knows it’s a little too big but very powerful, and when she rides it as fast as she can towards that old bridge across the creek that crashed and disintegrated years ago, she can see the bridge rebuilt and she can cross it to just about wherever she wants. Crossing that bridge lets her find things, like a missing bracelet or photograph, or what happened to her cat, as well as answers to questions she might not want to know. She just has to believe, and she is magically taken
Fiction
there, whether it’s Massachusetts or across the country. She is a girl with a gift that only few others have. Our villain is one Charles Talent Manx who has the same ability as Victoria, except his mode of transportation is a 1938 RollsRoyce Wraith with the vanity license plate . . . yep, you guessed it: NOS4A2; this black demon car from hell is of course referred to as “The Wraith.” It is with this aged car that Manx takes children who he believes are destined to have traumatic, horrible lives, to his manufactured tinsel town known as “Christmasland,” where every day is Christmas and the children get to go on the rides, and eat candy canes, have snowball fights, and meet Santa; but there is also a cost for these children, something is being taken from them. And they never come back. But because she is our hero, Victoria will have a meeting and battle with Manx and get him put away for a long time, not for all the missing children, but for something else. But then, many years later, Manx will return, because there’s one thing that’s certain: he’s not human. And this time he’ll be taking Victoria’s child up to Christmasland, and it’s up to her to get him back, before he becomes lost forever. NOS4A2 shows that Joe Hill has the talent, skill and ability to write a truly great horror novel that puts him right at the top with other greats. NOS4A2 is a novel about many things: our wants and desires in life and that we don’t always get them; how sometimes our nightmares aren’t gone for good; how the love of the child will always supersede anything else, no matter the cost. It is also a fantastic horror novel that will make you simultaneously terrified of it and in love with it, unable to put it down. Reviewed by Alex Telander Joyland By Stephen King Hard Case Crime, $12.95, 288 pages Check this out! D e v i n Jones has signed up to work at an a mu sement park called Joyland, expecting long hours and a welcome distraction from a crushing break-up. As he learns the ropes of playing the Joyland mascot and selling fun to the rubes - sorry, conies - he forges connections and evolves in ways he never expected. Whether it’s befriending a
sick boy or hunting down rumors of a ghost at the park, Devin’s Joyland summer changes his life forever. Despite the Hard Case Crime label and delightfully pulpy cover, Joyland is much more in line with coming-of-age stories like The Body or emotional journey pieces like Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, rather than a crime book or a horror tale. King deftly seasons thriller elements into the story, but they never derail the book from its central premise: a formative year in Devin’s life. As you’d expect from a master like King, the pacing is immaculate and the supporting characters are engaging and three-dimensional without relying on simple onenote quirks to define them. The park itself is simultaneously a world of wonder and the behind-the-scenes workhouse that manufactures the magic. In Joyland, King delivers a book with a small-town scale, big stakes, and immense charm. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Manuscript Found in Accra By Paulo Coelho, Margaret Jull Costa (translator) Knopf, $22.00, 208 pages Check this out! On the eve of an invasion in July 1099, the residents of Jer usa lem gathered at the same square where Jesus was handed over to crucifixion, to listen to the wise words from the man called the Copt. He opened a dialogue: a discourse between himself and the people about knowledge, love, elegance, and happiness, as well as life’s counterparts: defeat, anxiety, and solitude. As the crowd asked their questions, the Copt gave his most eloquent answers, which would later be turned into a manuscript found by Sir Walter Wilkinson in
THURSDAY, AUG. 8 • 7- 8:30 P.M.
Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium Fourth Street and Denver Avenue 918.549.7323
Cap your One Book, One Tulsa experience of Woody Guthrie’s “House of Earth” with a concert featuring the Red Dirt style of music pioneered by Guthrie himself. Come and enjoy the uniquely Oklahoma sound of local artists the Red Dirt Rangers and Monica Taylor as they salute Guthrie’s musical talent. S P O N S O R E D BY
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 5
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Book Reviews
1974. The records of that conversation were then taken back to England. Manuscript Found in Accra is the transcription of that dialogue from the square in 1099. An insightful look into the human condition, Manuscript Found in Accra offers a dose of perspective and astute observation to its readers. Paulo Coelho’s prose is easy to understand and beautifully written such that the advice and knowledge the Copt imparts to the residents of Jerusalem is sure to resonate differently with each audience. I enjoyed it as a novel that pays tribute to an individual’s inner strength and explores the importance of what can happen when we accept love unto ourselves and continue moving forward. Reviewed by Lenna Stites Long Lankin (Vintage International Original) By John Banville Vintage, $12.95, 96 pages Check this out! L o n g Lankin is a collection of 9 gut-wrenching short stories written by award winning British author John Banville during his early career. The stories center on the dark side of life such as insanity, death, and marital discord. Banville is a superb writer with the ability to portray in descriptive prose and succinct terms the essence of deep human emotions. As I read these stories, I found myself thinking at the end of each, about life and the meaning of it. Banville’s scenic descriptions are top notch as well. Due to the nature of the topics covered in these short stories, I found the book depressing, but appreciated the high quality of writing that went into them. His work is unlike any I have read before. Reviewed by Diane Ledet Jacob’s Folly By Rebecca Miller Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, $26.00, 384 pages Check this out! Jacob knows he died young, a onetime lowly Jewish peddler in eighteenth-century Paris. He has no idea what happened to him in the intervening 300 years, but now he is aware of himself alive again, floating and flying. Is he an angel? Alas, no. He has returned as a fly. He ends up following two individuals, one a forty-something man who’s
Fiction
dedicated his life to saving other people, and the other a twentyone-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl who dreams of being an actress. As readers learn about Jacob’s previous life, including a disastrous teen marriage and service to a dissipated nobleman, we also learn about his interest in Leslie and Masha. Jacob, definitely no angel, finds he can project thoughts into the minds of his targets, and he finds new purpose in trying to get them to become different people: he wants Leslie to stop being so annoyingly good, and Masha to leave behind her beliefs and find fame. The fly-on-the-wall conceit of the novel was too good for me to pass up, and while some of it didn’t quite hold together and the characters weren’t necessarily either likable, in the case of Jacob, or deep enough, in the case of Masha, the writing was undeniably good. Miller is a talent to be reckoned with. Reviewed by Cathy Carmode Lim Big Girl Panties By Stephanie Evanovich William Morrow, $26.99, 336 pages Check this out! Not since Jennifer Cruise’s Bet Me has such a smart, witty, fun and hot romance slash ChickLit graced a book sel ler’s shelves. Holly Brennan is the novel’s prerequisite big girl. Recently widowed, Holly had turned to food to manage the aching loss of her friend and husband. But when a snafu on a plane places her next to the nearly perfect fitness guru to the stars, Logan Montgomery, Holly decides to tackle the elephant in the room, namely her size, and take advantage of his offer of help. Soon the two aren’t just training together but dating as well. No over the top cutesy sitcom of a novel, the characters in Stephanie Evanovich’s novel think, talk and act like your best friends. Even as Logan is firmly enamored
with the newly slimmed down heroine, the trainer in him can’t help but wonder, “How can I help her get the last of the weight off? Or maybe just a little bit of liposuction is in order.” While not an overly romantic thought, one can appreciate the realness of the dialogue and situations. Despite its rushed ending, Big Girl Panties is a modern day fairy tale complete with over the top Prince Charming, dowdy turned beautiful princess and the perfect, happily ever after. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley
Americanah By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Knopf, $26.95, 496 pages Check this out! When Ifemelu decided to go to America for university, Obinze had initially planned to follow; however, he was unable to obtain a US visa even after multiple attempts, and instead settled for following an opportunity in England. The two lost touch over the years as Ifemelu struggled through the trials of depression and adapting to an American way of life as what she called a “Non-American Black.” Years later, Ifemelu is a Princeton Fellow and a popular lifestyle blogger on race, and Obinze is married, leading a wealthy lifestyle in a new Nigeria. The novel opens with Ifemelu and her decision to return home. Ifemelu is likable, yet her obstinacy often caused her to get in her own way. And although I was more sympathetic to Obinze’s struggle in London than to Ifemelu’s in America, I appreciated Ifemelu’s wit and humorous observations concerning other people. The transitions between past and present were seamless, and it was easy to live vicariously through Ifemelu’s experiences during the re-telling of hers and Obinze’s pasts. Americanah is both a love story and an engaging commentary on race with a variety of characters, which readers will be happy to see from modern fiction about cultural adjustment. Reviewed by Lenna Stites
Beauty By Brian D’Amato Mulholland Books, $14.99, 448 pages Check this out! D’Amato’s post moder n take on the American obsession with image addresses the imperfection of perfection in an original and haunting manner. The protagonist, Jamie Angelo, is an unlicensed plastic surgeon whose ingenuity in art allows him to reshape or recreate any face imaginable. His sharp eye for spotting flaws in women makes him compulsive about image, so when he is tempted by the prospect of transforming his girlfriend Jaishree into his version of utmost beauty, Jamie is unable to resist. After the procedure, though her beauty is unparalleled, Jamie constantly obsesses over Jaishree, whom he has claimed as his “creation,” which causes his secret surgeries to become public. As he fights scrutiny from the nation for his unnatural procedures, Jamie uncovers a horrific realization about his surgeries that will change the idea of perfection forever. The Giant, cont’d from Cover Beauty is perfectly creepy without being too disturbing, and D’Amato’s writing is Giant Mystery spread and grew as the giant simple and easy to follow. Most of the charbecame a lucrative sideshow attraction reacters are trivial, but Jamie is interesting calls simpler times when people were more and complex; he’s like a grown up Holden gullible than we are today. Or were they? Caulfield in that he is clearly battling some Murphy describes other famous hoaxes that psychological problems, yet he somehow managed to separate unwitting folk from still attracts an emotional appeal from the their money, including present-day scams readers. Though certain minor aspects of such as Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. This the novel, like Jamie’s random interjections well-told account of a historical event that about the Mayans, are a little drawn out and humbugged thousands of people enterboring, the overall concept of secret plastic tains the reader while planting the question surgeries is interesting enough to keep read“Would I have fallen for this?” ers engaged. Readers will call into question Reviewed by Marianne Stambaugh their own ideals about self-image after reading this chillingly descriptive and insightful novel. Reviewed by Bailey Tulloch
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 6
Book Reviews Category
Popular Culture SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements By John Hunter Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25.00, 272 pages What did you do in fourth grade? Did you master long division, or delve into the history of the Civil War, or expand your vocabular y skills? The kids in John Hunter’s fourth-grade class negotiated lucrative trade agreements, solved global warming, and saved the world. World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements chronicles the lessons Hunter has learned from developing and running the World Peace Game, a weeks-long interactive experiment where students try to solve real-world problems in a complex, multitiered simulation. Poverty, war, environmental cataclysm, terrorism, ethical dilemmas... the game tackles all of these issues and more. It’s a fascinating look at empty space learning, where instead of regimented, test-based education, students are encouraged to learn and fail by doing, developing social skills, a deeper sense of the world’s complexity, and an appreciation for hard questions. Hunter offers dozens of examples of problems encountered -- and circumvented -- by young minds, each with a core lesson and something to celebrate. Just reading this book gave me hope for the future. World Peace and Other 4thGrade Achievements is a warm, funny, utterly optimistic testament to what creativity can accomplish. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Who Owns the Future? By Jaron Lanier Simon & Schuster, $28.00, 400 pages Check this out! Those who have information - ordinary folks - are being edged out of the economic future by those who run the servers and mine that information in order to sell it to advertisers. This is the cautionary argument in virtual reality pioneer Lanier’s new book. It’s a detailed but engaging read, and requires no particular technical expertise. Structured as a set of musings about the past, present, and future of information and its controls, Who Owns the Future ranges over politics, information policy, the worldwide economy, and the technology-using behavior of ordinary people. Lanier argues that we are building a future where tiny numbers of people will benefit from owning the networks, and the rest of us, and the economy, will suffer as a result. Most of us are participants, whether willing or unwilling, in the new digital economy, and it behooves us to think about what that means and whether our current structures will serve us well in the future. Lanier’s book is an important contribution to that conversation. Reviewed by Laura Tarwater Scharp
rock in their own words. This is the story of to an oral hisDetroit, Rock City. tory of more Reviewed by Axie Barclay than two hundred interviews with the people who rocked D e t r o i t , Eruption, cont’d from pg. 2 from fans activity. But what is it that actually happens to promotwhen a volcano erupts, and what, if anyers, as well thing, can be done to reduce the loss of life as the musiwhen such a surprising event occurs? With cians themspectacular photographs and wonderfully selves. The detailed drawings, readers will learn the anbook reads like sitting at a big round table swers. This fascinating book follows a VDAP discussion, chatting with the people who (The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program) shaped it, worked it, and partied through it, team as they train and work at the site of from Bob Segar, Ted Nugent, and Iggy Pop, Mt. Merapi in Indonesia. Readers are able through the top musical venues of the day, to understand what leads to the decision to to when Kid Rock still rapped. Detroit Rock disrupt lives and evacuate thousands, what City tries to capture thirty years of Detroit kind of destruction is wrought, and how rock n’ roll, its attitude, and how it defined quickly residents return and plants begin American music. to grow back. Every page is interesting and On the con side, without a working informative. The back of the book has terknowledge of the Detroit music scene or rific resources for further reading. The book the people involved, it’s a difficult book to is designed for young people, but everyone follow. There are a lot of people talking and will enjoy it. without background knowledge, keeping evReviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck eryone straight and following the flow of the conversation is a challenge. On the pro side, Steve Miller lets the story flow from the proverbial horse’s mouth, laying out the dialogue into a coherent whole, but largely letting his interviewees tell the story of Detroit
Detroit Rock City By Steve Miller Da Capo Lifelong Books, $16.99, 336 pages Check this out! “So why hasn’t anyone ever written a book about Detroit’s rock scene and the influence it’s had on rock and roll?” That question spurred Steve Miller to pen Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in America’s Loudest City. Warning: “uncensored” translates Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 7
, CHILDREN S NONFICTION
Book Reviews Category
Picture Books SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her By Amy Novesky and Vanessa Brantley Newton (illustrator) Clarion Books, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Billie Holiday always wanted to be a singer, even when she was a very little girl. Her dream was to become a star. And that is exactly what she did become. Being a star can be difficult and sometimes lonely, but Lady Day loved dogs and she had several through the years. She had a tiny poodle that fit into her coat pocket. Her Chihuahuas, Pepe and Chiquita, were spoiled. She fed them with a baby bottle. Through the years she also had a brownand-white beagle, a Great Dane named Gypsy, a wire-haired terrier named Bessie Mae Moocho, and even a little mutt she called Rajah Ravoy. But Lady Day’s favorite dog was Mister, a boxer. She cooked for him and took him for long walks at night. She knit little sweaters for Mister and even had a mink coat made for him. When Lady Day has to go away for a long time, she worries if Mister will remember her. The illustrations by Vanessa Brantley Newton are the real strength of this picture book. The sad story of Billie Holiday demands a different point of view for a children’s book, and this certainly has that. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Fancy Nancy: Fanciest Doll in the Universe By Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (illustrator) HarperCollins, $17.99, 32 pages Check this out! Fancy Nancy has the fanciest doll in the world. Marabelle is a perfect doll – perfect until Nancy’s little sister, JoJo, decides to try her hand at being a tattoo artist using Marabelle’s tummy for her art work. Nancy is devastated. That is fancy for really upset. But Nancy’s mother assures her that no one will see the tattoo when Marabelle is wearing a dress. Marabelle, Nancy, and her moth-
er go to a fancy dress gala for girls and their dolls at the Ardsley Park Hotel. Even though other dolls are wearing the same ensembles, Nancy is sure Marabelle is the prettiest. Marabelle cannot try on new dresses in the doll dress shop, or someone might see her tummy tattoo. At lunch, Nancy notices something odd about Marabelle’s eye, then discovers some of her hair is gone! When she checks, she finds it isn’t Marabelle. There is no tummy tattoo. How can they find the real Marabelle? Jane O’Connor will not disappoint her many fans with this extremely cute story, and, of course, the artwork of Robin Preiss Glasser is as charming as all the other books in this terrific picture book series. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Don’t Eat the Baby By Amy Young Viking Juvenile, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Being a big brother is a very important job. When Tom’s new brother comes home, Tom finds out just how important his job is. He has to protect Nathaniel from almost everyone, because everyone, it seems, wants to eat the baby! All the trouble begins when the baby comes home from the hospital, and Grandma says how she “could just take a big bite out of him.” Super Brother Tom runs and gets a cookie for Grandma which seems to satisfy her hunger because she doesn’t eat the baby. Auntie Lulu says she could just eat him up. Tom quickly distracts her. They have a party so everyone can see the baby. Auntie Clarabelle says he’s yummy and See Don’t Eat Baby, cont’d on page 12
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 8
COMING SOON
Search the library’s catalog at http://tulsalibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
Weird-But-True Facts About Gross Things by Lauren Coss This book contains loads of quirky, cool and astonishing facts about some of the grossest stuff on Earth.
Weird But True! 5 by the National Geographic Society This book presents 300 all-new, brain-bending facts and eye-popping illustrations on science, animals, food, space, pop culture, geography and everything else imaginable. Did you know lemons can power lightbulbs, or that some goats can climb trees?
Start to Stitch by Nancy Nicholson
Containing full instructions on the materials and methods for four classic textile crafts – embroidery, appliqué, quilting and patchwork – this book gives children the techniques and confidence to make fantastic decorative and practical pieces, from cushions and bags to cellphone cozies and book covers. Featuring bright, colorful, kid-friendly designs and numerous photographs so children clearly can grasp the techniques, Start to Stitch is a perfect introduction for children who want to learn textile crafts and begin making their own gifts and accessories.
How to Survive on a Desert Island by Jim Pipe
This book, which is part of the Tough Guides series, details techniques and strategies for staying alive while marooned on a desert island, including how to start a fire, find food and water, and deal with mental anguish.
How Do You Burp in Space? And Other Tips Every Space Tourist Needs to Know by Susan E. Goodman
Space tourists suit up! This playful nonfiction guide to space travel will prep you for your next intergalactic vacation. Want to blast into orbit? Walk on the moon? Snag a personal photo of a shooting star? Well your time is coming! And when it does, you’re going to need How Do You Burp in Space?! This guide is filled with the kind of information you’d need to plan any vacation including what to pack (hint: no bubble bath or juggling balls), what to expect from your accommodations (a sleeping bag attached to the wall) and what to do for fun (leapfrog on the moon). Grounded in the history of space travel and the planned future of space tourism, this guide will leave young adventurers daydreaming about future intergalactic space vacations. Get ready to rock your rocket ship!
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adult/teen events Bixby Library A-Book-A-Month Discussion Group Wednesday, Aug. 28 • 2-3 p.m. Read Woody Guthrie's "House of Earth" and then join us for this lively discussion. For adults.
Central Library The Civil War Sesquicentennial Saturday, Aug. 3 • 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Learn about the Civil War at this fascinating living history event featuring engaging presentations and performances commemorating the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. Discover the many resources available at the library for Civil War researchers, plus visit the Children's Department for ongoing activities and games. Scheduled presentations include: Civil War stories, 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; music of the Civil War, 11:30 a.m.; and reading of the Gettysburg Address, noon. Take a step back in time and join us for this family friendly event. This event complements author Jim Murphy's visit to Tulsa to receive the
Central Library Closing for Renovation • Page 4 Tulsa Library Trust's 2013 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature. Murphy will receive the award on Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. at Gilcrease Museum. For all ages. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust. The Woody Guthrie Center Red Dirt Roundup Thursday, Aug. 8 • 7-8:30 p.m. Location: Aaronson Auditorium Cap your One Book, One Tulsa experience of Woody Guthrie's "House of Earth" with a concert featuring the Red Dirt style of music pioneered by Guthrie himself. Come and enjoy the uniquely Oklahoma sound of the Red Dirt Rangers and Monica Taylor as they salute Guthrie's musical talent. For all ages. Sponsored by the Woody Guthrie Center and Tulsa Library Trust. Meet Author Jim Murphy: Winner of the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature Friday, Aug. 23 • 7 p.m. Location: Gilcrease Museum, 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road Jim Murphy masterfully makes history come alive in his more than 30 nonfiction books for children and young adults. Murphy will receive the 2013 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, speak about his life and works, and sign books. Copies of his books will be available for purchasing. For all ages. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust with special thanks to Gilcrease Museum.
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Collinsville Library All Thumbs Knitting Group Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14 • 1-3 p.m. All levels of knitting expertise are welcome to join us for this fun and instructional afternoon. For adults. Comedy of Errors Book Group Tuesday, Aug. 13 • noon-1 p.m. Join this fun group of readers for a lively discussion. Participants should read the selected book prior the meeting. Contact the library for book title. For adults. Sponsored by the Friends of the Collinsville Library. Patchworkers Tuesday, Aug. 13 • 7-8 p.m. If you want to learn to quilt or are an experienced quilter, join us for an informative and fun evening. For adults.
Hardesty Regional Library Planning Unequal Gifts to Your Children Wednesday, Aug. 14 • noon-1 p.m. Join attorney Rita A. Foster as she discusses wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney and other estateplanning documents. Plus, learn how to avoid probate. For adults. Seating is limited. For more information or to reserve a seat, call 918-549-7363. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust.
Commemorate the Civil War Page 8 2013 Young People's Creative Writing Contest Awards Presentation Saturday, Aug. 24 • 10 a.m. Location: Connor's Cove Jim Murphy, winner of the Tulsa Library Trust's 2013 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, will present awards to contest winners, speak about his life and works, and sign books. Copies of his books will be available for purchasing. For all ages. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust, KWGS Public Radio 89.5, Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust and Urban Tulsa Weekly.
Helmerich Library eBook and Audiobook Clinic Thursday, Aug. 22 • 5:30-7 p.m. Bring your e-reader, tablet or smartphone, and get assistance checking out and downloading eBooks and audiobooks from the library's collection. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7631 to register. Seating is limited to 20 attendees. For adults and teens. PHAT: Teen Advisory Board Meeting Tuesday, Aug. 27 • 3:45-5 p.m. Join us for this first fall session of PHAT – the Peggy Helmerich Advisory Teens! We will share books, enjoy snacks and discuss programming. For teens.
Hearing loop available. Switch hearing aid to T-coil.
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Martin Regional Library Teen Time Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21 • 3-4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28 • 4-5 p.m. Join us for Wii and board games and other fun activities and snacks. For tweens and teens. Vampire Tracker Monday, Aug. 12 • 4-4:45 p.m. Test your vampire knowledge and earn your fangs! Join fellow Trackers on the quest to find the history of the Fallen Ones. For ages 10-15. Literacy Tutor Training (Registration Deadline: Friday, Aug. 16) Saturdays, Aug. 17, 24 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tulsa City-County Library's Ruth G. Hardman Adult Literacy Service needs volunteer tutors to help adults improve their reading and writing skills. Tutors must be 18 years or older and have graduated from high school. Each trained volunteer is matched
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with an adult student to provide one-to-one tutoring once or twice a week. Volunteers are asked to make a one-year commitment to tutor. Tutors must complete both sessions of this workshop. Registration is required. The registration deadline is Friday, Aug. 16. To register for the workshop or for dates of additional workshops scheduled throughout the year, call 918-549-7400 or click on www. tulsalibrary.org/literacy. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust and Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Manga Ai! Saturday, Aug. 17 • 2-3 p.m. Munch on Pocky and meet up with other manga fans to discuss your favorite books and movies, characters and plot twists from this popular Japanese publishing trend. For sixth-graders and up. Vampire Tracker (The Next Level) Monday, Aug. 26 • 4-4:45 p.m. Study the vampire hunters from history and how they destroyed their prey. For ages 10-15.
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nathan hale LIBRARY Back-to-School Book Covers Monday, Aug. 26 • 4-5 p.m. Do your new school books look plain, ratty or boring? Join us for this workshop to make new book covers for your school books. For ages 11-18.
SCHUSTERMAN-BENSON Library Mystery Readers Roundtable Thursday, Aug. 1 • 2-3 p.m. Come for coffee and talk about the mysteries you've been reading. For adults.
Rudisill Regional Library
Suburban Acres Library
Job Lab Tuesday, Aug. 27 • 1-3 p.m. Update your résumé, search for jobs online or explore a new career in this special computer lab just for job seekers. You will have access to Microsoft Office software and the Internet. USB flash drives are available for purchasing, or you can bring your own to save your work. Standard printing charges apply. Library staff and resources will be in the lab to provide assistance. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7645 to register For adults.
Sista' Chat Book Club Saturday, Aug. 17 • noon-2 p.m. Read "Danger at Every Turn" by Devon Vaughn Archer and then join us for this lively discussion. For adults.
Zarrow Regional Library Minecraft Night Thursday, Aug. 29 • 6-8 p.m. Put your imagination to the test building your own world in the popular computer game Minecraft. For ages 10-18.
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computer classes Hardesty Regional Library
CLASSES ARE limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. Really Basic PC Class Tuesday, Aug. 6 • 9:30-11 a.m. This class is designed for new PC users who have little or no experience using Windows, a mouse or the Internet, and little knowledge of basic computer terms. MS Excel 1 Tuesday, Aug. 6 • 6-8 p.m. This class shows how to use this spreadsheet resource. You will learn how to create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic formatting. You should take MS Word 2 and have some experience using a mouse prior to taking this class. MS Excel 2 Tuesday, Aug. 13 • 6-8 p.m. This class shows how to create and edit formulas, and apply functions and advanced formatting to your spreadsheets and workbooks. You should take MS Excel 1 prior to taking this class.
Internet @ the Library Tuesday, Aug. 20 • 9:30-11 a.m. Did you know that as a library cardholder you can access many specialized databases for free? Legal forms, an auto repair center, a national directory and magazine/ newspaper archives are just a few of our "Deep Web" resources. In this class we'll also share tips on how to search the online catalog successfully. MS Excel 3 Tuesday, Aug. 20 • 6-8 p.m. This class teaches how to use Excel to create visual representations of spreadsheet and workbook data. You'll learn how to create charts, apply conditional formatting and control the appearance of printed spreadsheets. You should take MS Excel 2 prior to taking this class.
c l a s s e s word-processing program to create various kinds of documents. You will learn how to use toolbars and menus, set margins, apply spell check, and preview, save and print documents. You should have some experience using a computer keyboard and mouse prior to taking this class. MS Word 2 Saturday, Aug. 10 • 10 a.m.-noon This class shows you how to create and format tables, use bulleted and numbered lists, and apply and format columns in a document. You should take MS Word 1 prior to attending.
formatting. You should take MS Word 2 and have some experience using a mouse prior to taking this class. MS Word 4 Saturday, Aug. 24 • 10 a.m.-noon Take your MS Word skills to the next level. Explore mail merge, use tables to perform calculations and create onscreen forms. You should take MS Word 3 prior to taking this class.
Zarrow Regional Library
for adults. Class SIZES ARE limited.
Internet @ the Library Tuesday, Aug. 13 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. This class is designed for people with little or no experience using the Internet. You will learn to navigate the World Wide Web and use the library's catalog system and online resources.
Really Basic Computer Class Wednesday, Aug. 21 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. This class is designed for new computer users who have little or no previous experience using computers, Windows, a mouse or the Internet, and little or no knowledge of basic computer terms.
Martin Regional Library
MS Word 3 Saturday, Aug. 17 • 10 a.m.-noon This class demonstrates additional formatting functions in MS Word. You will learn how to create and use borders and shading, headers and footers, page numbering and drawing tools. You should take MS Word 2 prior to taking this class.
Internet @ the Library Wednesday, Aug. 28 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. This class is designed for people with little or no experience using the Internet. You will learn to navigate the World Wide Web and use the library's catalog system and online resources.
MS Word 1 Saturday, Aug. 3 • 10 a.m.-noon Tuesday, Aug. 27 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. This class shows how to use this
MS Excel 1 Tuesday, Aug. 20 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. This class shows how to use this spreadsheet resource. You will learn how to create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic
Introduction to MS PowerPoint Tuesday, Aug. 27 • 6-8 p.m. This class shows how to use this resource to create group presentations and slide shows. You should take MS Word 2 prior to taking this class.
CLASSES ARE LIMITED TO 12 ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS.
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Central Library will close Aug. 30 to undergo an exciting two-year renovation project. Visit www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/central-library-renovation for updates. During renovation, we will provide select services for customers at Librarium, a temporary facility located at 11th and Denver. It will open Sept. 3.
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children’s events Brookside Library Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 10:15-10:45 a.m. For ages 2-5. An adult must accompany 2-year-olds. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 11-11:20 a.m. For newborns to 24-month-olds and their caregivers.
Collinsville Library
Herman and Kate Kaiser Library
kendall-whittier Library
Sensory Storytime Saturday, Aug. 17 • 10:30-noon Sensory Storytime is an interactive and educational program that can be enjoyed by all children, but is especially designed for children with sensory integration challenges. It combines books, songs, movement and therapeutic activities to stimulate all five senses and promote learning. If your child has difficulty sitting through one of the library's other storytimes, this inclusive program of stories, songs and activities may be just what you are looking for! For ages 1-7 and their caregivers. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Register online at http://kids.tulsalibrary.org/ sensorystorytime or by calling 918-549-7542.
Bilingual Storytime at the Health Department Thursday, Aug. 1 • 9-9:30 a.m. Location: Health Department, 315 S. Utica Enjoy stories in English and Spanish. For all ages.
Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Aug. 21, 28 10:30-10:55 a.m. For ages 3-5.
Stories From the Rocking Chair Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27 10:30-11 a.m. Join us for stories, songs, crafts and more. For newborns to 4-year-olds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Aug. 21 • 3-4 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
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Bilingual Storytime Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13 • 10-10:45 a.m. Enjoy stories in English and Spanish. For ages 3-5.
Martin Regional Library Bilingual Storytime Thursdays, Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 10-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 6:30-7 p.m. Enjoy stories, songs and activities in English and Spanish. For ages 5 and younger.
My First Storytime Thursdays, Aug. 22, 29 10:30-10:55 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
Travels With Irina: Russian Bilingual Storytime Saturdays, Aug. 3, 10 • 10:30-11 a.m. Come and discover Russian language and culture through stories, rhymes, music and more! For all ages.
Move to the Music Thursday, Aug. 29 • 11-11:30 a.m. Join the Midtown School of Performing Arts and explore music and movement together with songs, dances, instruments and more. For ages 2-5 and their caregivers. Class size is limited.
Stay and Play Storytime Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20 • 10-11 a.m. Enjoy fun and imaginative stories and then stay after for games and activities that foster important early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger.
Vampire Tracker Monday, Aug. 12 • 4-4:45 p.m. Test your vampire knowledge and earn your fangs! Join fellow Trackers on the quest to find the history of the Fallen Ones. For ages 10-15. Travels With Irina: Spanish Bilingual Storytime Saturdays, Aug. 17, 24, 31 10:30-11 a.m. • Enjoy stories, songs, and activities in English and Spanish! For ages 5 and younger. Vampire Tracker (The Next Level) Monday, Aug. 26 • 4-4:45 p.m. Study the vampire hunters from history and how they destroyed their prey. For ages 10-15. Music and Me! Tuesday, Aug. 27 • 10:30-11 a.m. This fun high-energy program features instruments, scarves, movement and more. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers.
nathan hale Library Storytime With Miss Nha Thursdays, Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 10:30-11 a.m. Join us for stories, finger plays, Mother Goose rhymes and dancing. For ages 4 and younger. PAWS for Reading Saturday, Aug. 24 • 2-3 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 ae invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
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Get EXPERT one-to-one subject-specific help for students in grades K-12 … plus college! Spanish-speaking tutors available too! Visit TulsaLibrary.org/homeworkhelp and use your Tulsa City-County Library card to access Homework Help Now! This free service is sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust and TulsaKids magazine.
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Owasso Library My First Storytime Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27 Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 9:30-9:45 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27 Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 10-10:30 a.m. For ages 3-5. Stay and Play Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27 Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 10:30-11 a.m. • For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! After our regularly scheduled storytime, join
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us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers.
SchustermanBenson Library
Homeschool Storytime Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27 1:30-2:30 p.m. • Join us for stories and a craft. For ages 5-12.
Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27 10:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5.
Rudisill Regional Library Open House for Students and Parents Tuesday, Aug. 13 • 4-6 p.m. Take a tour of the library and learn what the library has to offer students returning to school. For ages 5-12 and their parents. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust.
My First Storytime Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 10-10:20 a.m. • 10:30-10:50 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Monday, Aug. 12 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
tulsa city-county library locations 1 Bixby Library 20 E. Breckenridge, 74008 • 918-549-7514 M, 10-8; T-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 10-5 2 Broken Arrow Library 300 W. Broadway, 74012 • 918-549-7500 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 3 Broken Arrow Library/South 3600 S. Chestnut, 74011 • 918-549-7662 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 4 Brookside Library 1207 E. 45th Place, 74105 • 918-549-7507 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 5 Central Library 400 Civic Center, 74103 • 918-549-7323 *M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5
*Beginning Aug. 12, Central will close at 6 p.m. 6 Charles Page Library
551 E. Fourth St., Sand Springs, 74063 918-549-7521 • M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 7 Collinsville Library 1223 Main, 74021 • 918-549-7528 M-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 8 Genealogy Center 2901 S. Harvard, 74114 • 918-549-7691 M-W, 10-5; Th, 1-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 9 Glenpool Library 730 E. 141st St., 74033 • 918-549-7535 M-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 10 Hardesty Regional Library and Connor’s Cove 8316 E. 93rd St., 74133 • 918-549-7550 M-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 11 Helmerich Library 5131 E. 91st St., 74137 • 918-549-7631 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 12 Herman and Kate Kaiser Library 5202 S. Hudson Ave., Suite B, 74135 918-549-7542 • M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 13 Jenks Library 523 W. B St., 74037 • 918-549-7570 M-T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5
14 Judy Z. Kishner Library 10150 N. Cincinnati Ave. E., Sperry 74073 • 918-549-7577 M-T, 12-7; W, 10-5; Th, 12-7; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 15 Kendall-Whittier Library 21 S. Lewis, 74104 • 918-549-7584 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 16 Martin Regional Library and Hispanic Resource Center 2601 S. Garnett Road, 74129 • 918-549-7590 M-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 17 Maxwell Park Library 1313 N. Canton, 74115 • 918-549-7610 M-F, 10-6; Sat., 10-5 18 Nathan Hale Library 6038 E. 23rd St., 74114 • 918-549-7617 M, 10-8; T-Th, 10-6; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 19 Owasso Library 103 W. Broadway, 74055 • 918-549-7624 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 20 Pratt Library 3219 S. 113th W. Ave., Sand Springs, 74063 • 918-549-7638 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 21 Rudisill Regional Library and African-American Resource Center 1520 N. Hartford, 74106 • 918-549-7645 M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 22 Schusterman-Benson Library 3333 E. 32nd Place, 74135 • 918-549-7670 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 23 Skiatook Library 316 E. Rogers, 74070 • 918-549-7676 M, 12-8; T-Th, 10-6; Fri.-Sat., 11-5 24 Suburban Acres Library 4606 N. Garrison, 74126 • 918-549-7655 M-Th, 10-6; Fri.-Sat., 11-5 25 Zarrow Regional Library and American Indian Resource Center 2224 W. 51st St., 74107 • 918-549-7683 M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5
T u l s a L i b r a r y . o r g
skiatook Library Preschool Storytime Thursdays • 11 a.m.-noon Join us for stories, rhymes, songs and a craft. For newborns to 6-year-olds and their caregivers. Aug. 1 • Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles! Aug. 8 • Classic Tales Aug. 15 • Dino Day Aug. 22 • I've Got Rhythm Aug. 29 • Author Day: Bill Martin Have You Heard? Tuesday, Aug. 13 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Join us as we explore an incredible book through reading, discussion and a fun activity. For ages 5-12.
en español clases de informática BIBLIOTECA REGIONAL MARTIN Computación e Internet para Principiantes Viernes, 2 de agosto 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Esta clase es para las personas con poca o ninguna experiencia usando computadoras y el Internet. Los familiarizará con el uso y la terminología de la computación. Para todas las edades. Computación para Principiantes Miércoles, 7 de agosto 6:30-8:30 p.m. Esta clase es para personas con poca o ninguna experiencia usando computadoras y el internet. Los familiarizará con el uso y la terminología de la computación. Para todas las edades.
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Choose from nearly 40 languages and learn by listening to native speakers and engaging in the interactive lessons offered through this user-friendly language instruction tool. Visit TulsaLibrary.org/language and use your Tulsa City-County Library card to access Mango Languages.
Free and Open to the Public If you are hearing-impaired and need a qualified interpreter, please call the library 48 hours in advance of the program. The Tulsa Book Review and Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide are printed on partially recycled paper.
The Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide is produced by the Public Relations Office of the Tulsa City-County Library. For questions or concerns, call 918-549-7389.
Aula de práctica Viernes, 9 de agosto 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Abrimos el salón de cómputo para los que quieran aprovechar el tiempo para practicar con el teclado y con el ratón o para practicar navegar el Internet, llenar formularios o aplicaciones. La maestra estará presente como personal de apoyo. Para todas las edades. Correo Electrónico, Facebook, Internet Miércoles, 14 de agosto 6:30-8:30 p.m. Les enseñaremos cómo crear una cuenta de correo electrónico, cómo usarla para enviar, recibir correo y conectar la misma con Facebook. Para todas las edades. Correo Electrónico I Viernes, 16 de agosto 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Les enseñaremos cómo crear una cuenta de correo electrónico y cómo usarla para enviar y recibir correo. Para todas las edades.
Patrocinado por el Centro Hispano y el Fideicomiso de las Bibliotecas de Tulsa. Informes al 918-549-7597.
TulsaLibrary.org/hrc Tarjetas y Volantes Promocionales (Usos de Microsoft Word y/o Publisher) Miércoles, 21 de agosto 6:30-8:30 p.m. En esta clase aprenderemos el uso de los programas Microsoft Word y Publisher y su aplicación en como redactar cartas, currículo vitae, tarjetas de cumpleaños, bodas, volantes para promocionar eventos familiares, negocios, etc. Para todas las edades. Correo Electrónico II Viernes, 23 de agosto 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Les enseñaremos cómo usar el correo electrónico más eficientemente, creando carpetas, abriendo archivos, guardando fotos. Para todas las edades. Aula de práctica Viernes, 30 de agosto 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Abrimos el salón de cómputo para los que quieran aprovechar el tiempo para practicar con el teclado y con el ratón o para practicar navegar el Internet, llenar formularios o aplicaciones. La maestra estará presente como personal de apoyo. Para todas las edades.
programas infantiles BIBLIOTECA REGIONAL MARTIN Cuentitos Bilingües Jueves, 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 de agosto 10-10:30 a.m. Miércoles, 7, 14, 21, 28 de agosto 6:30-7 p.m. Disfruta cuentos, canciones, y actividades en inglés y español. Para niños de 0 a 5 años. Viajes con Irina: Cuentos Bilingües (Español) Sábado, 17, 24, 31 de agosto 10:30-11 a.m. Cuentos, canciones y actividades en inglés y español. Para niños de 0 a 5 años.
T u lsa c i t y - c o u nt y l i brar y e v ent g u i de
A UGUS T 2 0 1 3
Jim Murphy’s “The Long Road to Gettysburg” Comes Alive!
The Civil War Sesquicentennial Saturday, Aug. 3 • 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Central Library Fourth Street and Denver Avenue 918.549.7323 For all ages
Learn about the Civil War at this fascinating living history event featuring engaging presentations and performances commemorating the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. Discover the many resources available at the library for Civil War researchers, plus visit the Children’s Department for ongoing activities and games. Scheduled presentations include:
Civil War Stories • 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Music of the Civil War • 11:30 a.m. Reading of the Gettysburg Address • noon
• • •
This event complements the 2013 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature honoring Jim Murphy.
Author Jim Murphy Coming to Tulsa Aug. 23 and 24! Jim Murphy is the winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2013 Anne V. Zarrow Award for
Young Readers’ Literature. Murphy masterfully makes history come alive in his more than 30 nonfiction books for children and young adults. Murphy will speak about his life and works, and sign books at the following public presentations.
Zarrow Award Presentation
Friday, Aug. 23 • 7 p.m. Gilcrease Museum • 1400 Gilcrease Museum Road
Young People’s Creative Writing Contest Awards Presentation Saturday, Aug. 24 • 10 a.m. Hardesty Regional Library, Connor’s Cove • 8316 E. 93rd St.
Book Reviews Category
Tween Reads SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Truth of Me By Patricia MacLachlan Katherine Tegen, $14.99, 120 pages Check this out! Robbie is an only child, but he has a dog, Ellie, who is his best friend. His parents are musicians and seem to love their music more than they love Robbie. His parents are going away for the summer, traveling to Europe to give concerts. Robbie doesn’t mind. He will be staying with his grandmother, Maddy, who is his other best friend. She is happy to have Robbie stay with her and bring Ellie along. Robbie loves to stay with Maddy. She’s fun and she loves Robbie as much as he loves her. Maddy has a garden, but doesn’t mind that the rabbits eat her lettuce. She is friends with the animals. Her neighbor, Henry, is the local doctor, and Robbie thinks he’s a special friend. Henry cooks for them most of the time because Maddy doesn’t like to cook. When Robbie, Ellie, and Maddy go camping in the woods, the animals come to visit and it’s wonderful. But then something terrible happens. Can Robbie save the day? This charming book is beautifully written and has an authentic voice that will speak to children seven to nine. The story is compelling and the characters are engaging. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Season of Change (Sisters in All Seasons) By Lisa Williams Kline Zonderkids, $10.99, 240 pages Check this out! Stephanie and Diana are back in this final book of the Sisters in All Seasons series. While some things in their lives have settled down, new and perhaps life-changing difficulties face them. The girls have not only reached a certain peace in their lives, but have truly become friends. When they overhear their parents (Diana’s mother and Stephanie’s father who are married) talk-
ing about going away for a long weekend of marriage counseling , the girls are rattled. Could their family come apart? Their parents don’t tell them what is going on, but say they are just going away, and the girls are to stay with Diana’s grandparents. Stephanie hardly knows them, but can’t stay with her mother because she is also going away. Once the girls settle in at the grandparents, Stephanie’s mother calls and says she will take her after all. After a day of shopping, Stephanie’s mother tells her she is leaving, and Stephanie will be left with her step-brother. Things get really complicated and the girls’ loyalty and friendship is truly tested. Fans of the series will be well satisfied with Lisa Williams Kline’s final episode of this very blended family. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Crush By Gary Paulsen Yearling, $6.99, 144 pages Check this out! Fourteenyear-old Kevin Spencer is in love. Tina is the most perfect, most beautiful, bestsmelling girl in the world, but Kevin just doesn’t know how to approach her. When a new kid, Cash Devine, is assigned to have Tina be his guide, Kevin realizes he had better make his move soon or he will be out of luck. But Kevin doesn’t know how to ask a girl out. He doesn’t know what roSee Crush, cont’d on page 15
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 9
YOUTH FICTION COMING SOON Search the library’s catalog at http://tulsalibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
Stranger Things
by David Lubar When ordinary third-grader Ed finds a coin with the words “strange” and “stranger” on both sides, weird things start happening around him, but when his friends start blaming him for all the weirdness Ed wonders if this coin is not too strange for comfort.
The Northern Frights
by Derek the Ghost; scary pictures by Scott M. Fischer Charles Nukid and his friends are chosen to be exchange students at Scary School’s terrifying counterpart, Scream Academy, where they encounter polter-bears, abominable snowmen, trolls and the dreaded Ice Dragon.
Journey to Juno
by Ray O’Ryan On the planet Nebulon in 2120, Zack joins his school’s Explorer’s Club and visits Juno, a planet made of crystals, but he is less than thrilled when he is partnered with the class bully.
Odessa Again
by Dana Reinhardt When 9-year-old Odessa Green-Light stomps out her frustration at being sent to her room after shoving her annoying little brother, one particularly big stomp sends Odessa flying through the floorboards and mysteriously 24 hours back in time.
Don’t Chicken Out
by Shawn K. Stout; illustrated by Victoria Ying Determined to prove that she is capable of doing things on her own, Fiona promises to watch over the chickens at the local county fair and gets a lesson in being responsible.
Book Reviews Category
Cookbooks SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Ultimate Nachos: From Nachos and Guacamole to Salsas and Cocktails By Lee Frank, Rachel Anderson St. Martin’s Griffin, $19.99, 144 pages Check this out! Nachos are delicious, but they don’t usually offer a lot of variety. They involve some combination of chips, cheese, meat, beans, sour cream, guacamole, and peppers: delicious, but always the same. This book is out to change that, offering nacho recipes that range from the classic (Ball Park Nachos) to the innovative (Autumnal Nachos, featuring butternut squash and maple syrup). Some are even a little kooky (Nacho Dumplings, Tortilla Chip Torte), but all are exciting and full of flavor. The authors cover everything – salsas, guacamoles (with winning recipes from their annual Guactacular), breakfasts, appetizers, main courses, desserts, drinks, and extras (jalapeño jelly, anyone?). The directions are relatively easy to follow, and the ingredients are mostly easy to come by. The pages are full of mouthwatering pictures that are sure to inspire you. The book will not stay open, but this is easily remedied with a bookmark and a lot of flipping. The most important part of any cookbook, however, is the food, and Ultimate Nachos does spectacularly well in this category. The Black and Blue Burger Nachos were a huge hit, and I am already planning a dinner consisting solely of tortilla chips and lots of salsas and guacamoles, mainly because I cannot wait to try them all. If you enjoy nachos at all, you will like this book. Reviewed by Audrey Curtis Make Your Own Soda By Anton Nocito Clarkson Potter Publishers, $14.99, 144 pages Check this out! Join the trend of homemade sodas, and leave artificially-sweetened landfill-loading sodas in the dust! You don’t need any fancy
tools to enjoy the fresh flavor of syrups, cocktails, shrubs, floats and more in your own home. You can buy seltzer water to add to your homemade flavorings, or use a carbonating machine if you are serious about enjoying fizzy drinks often - either way, this book can turn your kitchen into a veritable old-fashioned soda fountain! Getting Started outlines the basics of home soda making and the few tools you’ll be using, as well as a variety of sweeteners you can choose from including honey, sugar, and maple syrup. Then follows five chapters of recipes: a chapter on farm-fresh syrups covers fruity flavors including such classics as a Cherry Lime Rickey, and new favorites like Huckleberry Syrup. The chapter on pantry syrups introduces us to Chocolate Syrup, Vanilla Syrup, and more. Yes, you can replace Torani and Hershey’s Flavorless with your own tasteful mixes! Read on for Egg Creams, Egg Shakes, and Ice Cream Sodas - an especially delectable chapter filled with such delights as Chocolate Malt Egg Shake and Classic Black and White, including custard-based ice creams to top your soda! Finish the book with classy cocktails and a final chapter on hot drinks, and you have an entire year of delightful, refreshing beverages at your fingertips. Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff Gluten-Free Girl Every Day By Shauna James Ahern Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $29.99, 320 pages Check this out! The average gluten-free cookbook expends so much energy focusing on glutenfreeness that, ungratefully, you spend so much time recreating once-glutenized comestibles of rice flour and potato starch that you miss out on the extravagance of foods that are come from the earth already glutenfree. Thankfully, this book is far from aver-
gluten-free to enjoy gluten-free recipes any age. Skillful more, just like you don’t need to be a vegrecipes cometarian to enjoy vegetables. bine beautiful What if you are 100% gluten-free? This i n g re d ie nt s book will realize your dreams of longwith simple missed indulgences like creamy buttermilk methodology waffles and fluffy, airy biscuits. Not ignothat result in rant of the less palatable facts of life, the rea succulence viewer of this book is well aware of the fact and exquithat frequently, longtime gluten-free eaters site complexhave lost the fine distinction between what ity you never constitutes a really good piece of bread and thought could emerge from such simple a piece of cardboard, and claim the heralded ingredients. Focusing on clean, fresh, and quinoa muffin tastes exactly like a decadesas often as possible local ingredients, the old memory of a Twinkie. Aware of this, we gluten-free girl teaches how little it takes to prepared an exhaustive list of recipes from amaze when you choose the right compothe book and passed them off to sworn glunents. ten-loving carbaholics without their knowlWhy is gluten-free becoming so trendy? edge of what they really were. The only comNot everybody has a gluten intolerance per ments these foods received were along the se, although we are becoming more cognilines of “more,” and, “are there any left?” We zant of its prevalence in our collective bodconsidered them approved. ies; but it is becoming common knowledge Decadently dotted with sumptuous food that modern generations of hybridized photography of extortionate proportions, grains, so far-removed from our ancestral recipes are divided into eleven chapters grains, are exceedingly difficult for the body ranging from Breakfast for Dinner to Oneto digest. Diets that exclude these grains Pot Wonders, to a pasta chapter and all the tend to result in better metabolism, leaner way down to a toothsome chapter on sweet bodies, and less fat-packing blood-sugar desserts. Recipes include a variety of meat spikes. Including a gluten-free book on a dishes and non-meat dishes, and dairy is a shelf next to artisan bread books and wholeprimary element. This is, in part, the magic grain cookery is not unheard of any more, of gluten-free girl’s recipes: so many glutenas the gluten-free weekend joins ranks with Meatless Mondays and other health-conSee Gluten Free Girl, cont’d on page 15 scious initiatives. You don’t need to be 100%
LIFELONG LEARNING WITH
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• Finance • General education • Health and medicine • Home and garden • Homeschooling • Language arts/ESL
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Start learning now! Visit TulsaLibrary.org/universalclass and use your Tulsa City-County Library card to access Universal Class.
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 10
Book Reviews
Category
Home, Garden & DIY SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Yards: Turn Any Outdoor Space Into the Garden of Your Dreams By Billy Goodnick St. Lynn’s Press, $17.95, 160 pages Look at your yard. Do you love it? Or does it only represent a longer todo list? Yards wants the outside of your house be as relaxing, functional, fun, and beautiful as the inside, an extension of your living space. Start by deciding what you want your yard to be used for: Children’s play area? Shady, relaxing reading nook? Breakfast room? Patio grill or party center? Cutting garden, vegetable garden? The author encourages you to dream big. Then look at what you have that cannot be changed (mainly the layout of the house and the property line) and allow yourself to change whatever you have to get to the yard of your dreams. Excellent tips and steps, and an easy-tofollow format, lead the homeowner through the process of re-landscaping, going through Design, Aesthetics (trying to involve and appeal to all senses), Hardscape (infrastructure like plumbing and electricity), and Picking Plants. (The author cautions that while the greenhouse is most people’s first stop in landscaping, it should really be last.) With a good plan and a good design, a little creativity and some thought, everyone can make their yard the place of beauty they desire. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner The Butler Speaks: A Guide to Stylish Entertaining, Etiquette and the Art of Good Housekeeping By Charles MacPherson Appetite by Random House, $27.95, 247 pages Check this out! Good manners are always relevant, and this entertaining and enlightening book will help you feel comfortable and secure in your knowledge of them. The author, founder of the only North American butler school, conversationally guides the reader through sticky situations like how to make proper introductions or the correct way to seat people
at a dinner party. But even if you never expect to host foreign dignitaries or serve your employer a breakfast tray, you will find useful gems of etiquette. The book begins with a brief but informative overview of the history of the service professions, particularly in English manor estates -- the responsibilities of the various positions and their hierarchy, and then some guidance on what a butler does, and how to do it well (including the correct way to offer a business card and how to shake hands). The next sections cover Entertaining, Table Manners, and Good Housekeeping. The overarching rule is politeness – to truly recognize and be considerate of others’ needs. Avoiding snobbery and pretension, instead the book offers common sense and logical tips for a classy, calm, well-run home that allows both you and your guests to be at ease, whatever your personal style. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner Crochet: One-Skein Wonders By Judith Durant, Edie Eckman, editors Storey Publishing, $18.95, 288 pages Crocheters can rejoice as finally, a OneSkein book filled with all crochet projects arrives! Wonderful and beautiful patterns, each of which can be completed in one skein or less, will inspire the hook-wielding artist to new heights. Sorted conveniently by weight, rather than project type, you can start to work your way through all those partially-used or mismatched skeins in your basket. Such crafts as various shawlettes, hats and fingerless gloves, neckwarmers and See Crochet, cont’d on page 15
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 11
MYSTERIES/THRILLERS
COMING SOON
Search the library’s catalog at http://tulsalibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
Drift
by Jon McGoran When Philadelphia narcotics Detective Doyle Carrick loses his mother and stepfather within weeks of each other, he gains a 20-day suspension for unprofessional behavior and instructions to lay low at the unfamiliar house he’s inherited in rural Pennsylvania. Feeling restless and out of place, Doyle is surprised to find himself falling for his new neighbor, Nola Watkins, who’s under pressure to sell her organic farm to a large and mysterious development company. He’s more surprised to see high-powered drug dealers driving the small-town roads – dealers his bosses don’t want to hear about. But when the drug bust Doyle’s been pushing for goes bad and the threats against Nola turn violent, Doyle begins to discover that what’s growing in the farmland around Philadelphia is much deadlier than anything he could have imagined.
After Her: A Novel
by Joyce Maynard Thirty years after he destroyed her detective father’s career and altered the lives of everyone she loves, Rachel, who has never given up hope of vindicating her father, finally finds The Sunset Strangler, a killer who, in the summer of 1979, preyed on young women in northern California.
It Happens in the Dark
by Carol O’Connell The reviews called it “A Play to Die For” after the woman was found dead in the front row. It didn’t seem so funny the next night, when another body was found – this time the playwright’s, his throat slashed. Detective Kathy
Mallory takes over, but no matter what she asks, no one seems to be giving her a straight answer. The only person – if “person” is the right word – who seems to be clear is the ghostwriter. Every night, an unseen backstage hand chalks up line changes and messages on a blackboard. And the ghostwriter is now writing Mallory into the play itself, a play about a long-ago massacre that may not be at all fictional. “MALLORY,” the blackboard reads. “TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT. NOTHING PERSONAL.” If Mallory can’t find out who’s responsible, heads will roll. Unfortunately, one of them may be her own.
Let It Burn: An Alex McKnight Novel
by Steve Hamilton Even though Alex McKnight swore to serve and protect Detroit as a police officer, a trip to Motown these days is a trip to a past he’d just as soon forget. The city will forever remind him of his partner’s death and of the bullet still lodged in his own chest. So he’s more than happy to stay in the little town of Paradise, 300 miles and half a lifetime away. Then he gets a call from his old sergeant. It turns out that a young man Alex helped put away will be getting out of prison. That one big case marked the highlight of his career, before his partner was killed, before his marriage fell apart, before he left Detroit, forever. Now that man is about to walk free. When the sergeant invites Alex downstate to have a drink for old times’ sake, it’s an offer he would normally refuse. However, there’s a certain female FBI agent he can’t stop thinking about, so he gets in his truck and he goes back to Detroit. While there, he’s reminded of something about that last case, a seemingly small piece of the puzzle that he never got to share. It’s not something anyone wants to hear, but Alex can’t let go of this gut feeling that they arrested the wrong man. And that the real killer not only got away, but went on to kill again. And again. And again.
Book Reviews Category
Biography & Memoir SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
– with every word I read, my ears automatically turn on my inner radio and it brings forth the wonderfully non-sensical opinions and insights of Bob and Ray. If you’ve never heard them – what on earth are you waiting for? They are the perfect tonic for a hard day at the office, or if you need something to clear out your sinuses – or whatever. Your head can’t very well stay all plugged up if you’re hysterically laughing. Beginning in the mid-40s until 2004, the pair created unreal—yet everyday--situations and unbelievable characters that we all came to know and love – and believe in. They were masters of satire and parody, not to mention impressions of famous voices,
so real they were indistinguishable from the owners of said voices. The team excelled in radio, in TV, and on records. Yet underneath, they were just two ordinary guys from Boston who collided one day in a radio station. And a small miracle happened. Bob and Ray were indeed the Golden Age of Radio. In their own way they were The Voice of America. Now that you know about them, you should listen to them as well!!! Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz
Category
The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius By Kristine Barnett Random House, $25.00, 272 pages Check this out! After Jacob Barnett’s diagnosis of autism as a presc hooler, swarms of therapists came in and out of his home in Indiana, trying to pull him out of his selfcontained world. After a couple of years seeing little progress (including a few months in the school system), his mother made the daring move to pull him out of traditional school and therapy. She decided to focus on what he could do rather than try to fix all the things he couldn’t do. Kristine Barnett followed Jake’s interests, buying textbooks he loved at bookstores and taking him to the planetarium. And he blossomed. It slowly became evident that her son was a prodigy, though his parents didn’t appreciate the extent of his genius for a long time. Barnett captures readers’ attention with her grief over Jake’s diagnosis, with her dogged determination to figure out what would be best for her son, and with her astonishing story of freely sharing all she had learned with other parents. The Spark is a story of a boy with autism; it is a story of a child who is a rare genius; but it is most of all the story of the power of a mother’s love. It is utterly inspiring. Reviewed by Cathy Carmode Lim Crapalachia: A Biography of Place By Scott McClanahan Two Dollar Radio, $16.00, 192 pages Check this out! This book has my favorite perfect-bound cover and is perfectly paired with the nostalgic torn edge pages, perfect for this simply divine story of one man;s life of grow-
ing up in rural West Virginia. The question that begs to be asked is, are these stories his actual memoirs, or are they a mixed array of heart gripping facts and fiction all beautifully wrapped within this tangent orange cover just urging to be peeled open? Right out the door I could tell this was going to be a book I couldn’t put down. The chapters are set up oddly; however, this gives the book a uniqueness. From the stories of family who pry on people’s sympathy with faux health issues and running their mouths about one thing or another, I can relate as I too come from such a gene pool. Sometimes it is comical, other times it is embarrassing, but at the end of the day they are still family and oh the stories we derive from them. If you appreciate a good story, some laughs, some cries, and something different, this is the book for you. You won’t be able to put this book down, I promise. Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch Bob And Ray, Keener Than Most Persons By David Pollock Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, $27.99, 320 pages Check this out! Sometimes it’s a good thing to be older than the average bear. Older, in my case, equals a good bit of radio listening ex per ience. So this book is especially wonderful in that respect
Historical Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells thus avoiding AIDS? Each of the eras is fulBy Andrew Sean Greer ly, sensuously developed. It begins to seem Ecco, $26.99, 304 pages as though Greta will travel through time Check this out! and alternate life scripts forever. Greta Wells lives three lives while endurAnd then the twenty-five treatments are ing twenty-five electroconvulsive therapy at an end. Greta vibrates like a new leaf in a t re at me nt s. stiff April breeze. If time travel was a guarShe wakes anteed side effect, it could make you a fan of from each shock therapy. treatment in Reviewed by Elizabeth Benford an alternate time and life scenario: first, Don’t Eat Baby, cont’d from pg. 8 as the wife of Auntie Mimi says he looks good enough an army doc- to eat. Tom hides the baby in his room, tor on active but Dad comes in and says, “Hand over the duty in 1918, baby…It’s time for dinner!” second as a Amy Young has written a book that will young mother have little ones (and the people reading to in 1941, third them) giggling and laughing all the way mourning the loss of both her twin brother through. Her charming illustrations just and her lover in 1985. add to all the fun. This is a must have book She consents to the shock therapy to try for everyone with youngsters. to reset her sad brain and bring herself back Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck to involvement with life. Over the course of the treatments, she engages with each of her lives and tries--unsuccessfully--to alter the course of the future. Each parallel life is compelling. Each contains Greta’s twin, Felix, their Aunt Ruth (a kind of spirit guide) and Felix’s lover, Alan. The lives’ dramas, played out against the various backgrounds (always Greta’s Greenwich Village apartment, differently accessorized) are fascinating. They are mysterious: who is pulling the strings? Will Greta succeed in urging Felix to leave his closet? Will the twins opt to remain in the 40’s,
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 12
Book Reviews Category
The hopeful news is that there will no doubt be new editions, some in cheaper formats. If all else fails, buy a copy of Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance edited by George R R Martin and Gardner Dozois. It’s a magnificent anthology and just happens to contain this story. Reviewed by David Marshall
Fantasy SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz By Dan Simmons, Tom Kidd, Illustrator Subterranean, $35.00, 120 pages To demonstrate the immense power of the reviewer I shall now lift your spirits, then dash them to the ground in endless f r u st r at ion , and finally give you hope
The Golem and the Jinni By Helene Wecker Harper, $26.99, 496 pages Check this out!
for the future. In such a modest way do magicians of the reviewing world play with the destinies of readers. The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by Dan Simmons is the first standalone publication of this completely entrancing novella by one of the best fantasy writers still working in the field. As a story, it’s a parable examining what makes people pursue knowledge. Some might do it for the power it can bring. Today’s top credentials are tomorrow’s top jobs. Others have more abstract and less materialist interests. For them, just knowing a few things is enriching enough. The bad news is that the hardback first edition of this book from Subterranean Press is already out of print.
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Chava is a golem, a being of clay, fashioned by an unscrupulous wizard and purchased by an ignorant shopkeeper. But an unforeseen tragedy leaves her adrift on American shores with neither master nor home – a deadly situation for one of her kind. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire who calls the vast wastelands of
the Syrian deserts home. Bound to human form and trapped in a flask by an evil Bedouin sorcerer over 1,000 years ago, he is accidentally released by a local tinsmith who offers him shelter. Outcasts, constantly living under a cloak of lies, these two otherworldly creatures struggle to find answers to their unexpected dilemmas and to learn how to live among the unsuspecting humans who surround them. The great part about Wecker’s novel is that it dares to be more than just an entertaining story. Without ever coming across as preachy, the author invites the reader to reconsider their views on the concepts of free-will, the meaning of community and whether religious conventions support or alienate those who adhere to them. The characters are sometimes pitiful, sometimes courageous and sometimes unlikeable, yet they are never dull. Once you’re in you’ll stay until the end! Reviewed by Heather Clawson
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Book Reviews
showdown between Kate, Anthony, Colin, Daphne, Simon and Edwina at Pall Mall. See who gets the black mallet of death and who triumphs at the end of the day. There is also closure to stories such as will Hyacinth ever find the hidden jewels, how does Eloise react to finding out Penelope is Lady Whistledown and does Posy ever find her own happily ever after? This book really is the perfect wrap up to a much-loved series that Bridgerton fans will not want to miss. Reviewed by Debbie Suzuki
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Romance SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After By Julia Quinn Avon, $12.99, 384 pages Check this out! Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series is a wonderfully funny and romantic series that has carried readers through each of the Bridgerton family member’s journey to find love. Many readers were sad to see the series end and will be happy to see this booked filled with second epilogues for each Bridgerton story. A warning that previously published materials are included in this book but there are some new additions as well. A bonus
epilogue is included in which readers finally get to meet Violet’s beloved Edmund. Q u i n n’s humorous style of writing is certainly evident in the return to the annual
His to Command By Opal Carew St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99, 275 pages Check this out! “It’s not you, it’s me.” Countless people have heard this sentiment through the eons of time. However, in the case of Matt and Kate, it really is Kate. This is not a story where the female character is being forced to become a submissive because of the male charac-
ter having issues with the need to control and dominate her. Matt is a dominant so it would seem they would have the perfect relationship since Kate is a submissive. The problem is that Kate just can’t seem to come to grips with the fact that she is a strong, independent woman who naturally becomes submissive in the bedroom. If there was ever a story of incorrect assumptions and misunderstandings this is it. If the two main characters had had a conversation two years ago there would not have been a book. Kate, not accepting the person she is, jumps at the opportunity to see Matt as a monster and flees. Matt, assuming Kate wants to end the relationship, takes her disappearance and lack of response to his attempts to communicate with her as her way of ending the relationship. They each felt betrayed by the other one. Both of the characters are very likable and it’s easy to see how they end up in their predicament. Let this book be a lesson in the folly of making assumptions and not communicating. This is a quick, enjoyable read from Opal Crew. Reviewed by Jennifer Moss
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Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 14
Book Reviews
Crush cont’d from pg. 9
Category
History & Current Events SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Shadow King By Jo Marchant Da Capo Lifelong Books, $26.99, 320 pages Check this out! This is science journalism at its best – elucidating, thorough, and just plain fun. Author Jo Marchant, intrigued by a few scathing letters rebutting a new scientific find, sets off on a winding scavenger hunt leading from London to the Nile to untangle the various controversies surrounding Tutankhamum, the world’s most famous mummy. King Tut’s mummy, discovered in 1923, has been subjected to numerous insults, from looting and grave-robbing to several autopsies, X-rays, and CT scans. Each wave of interest has been followed by new ‘discoveries’ claiming ‘the definitive answers.’ As Marchant found, contrary to popular documentaries on the subject, the scientific community is divided over most questions concerning King Tut – his family, his reign, his demise. Egyptian politics and recent uprisings, as well as nationalism and a mistrust of Westerners’ ‘stealing the Egyptian heritage,’ prevent independent corroboration of many released ‘findings,’ which are often heavily influenced by monetary donors and showmanship. The story of Tutankhamun is twisted up with that of the other Egyptian pharaohs, or, more accurately, with their mummies, so their history is interwoven as well. Intense and exciting, The Shadow King is written like a fast-paced detective novel, with cliff-hanger chapter endings and breathtaking impetus. In the hands of a good writer, even the driest subject becomes fascinating. The Egyptian mummies are about as dry as they get, but in Marchant’s extremely competent hands, they are resurrected into a vivid afterlife, albeit one they may not have imagined. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner
Blackett’s War: The Men Who Defeated the Nazi U-Boats and Brought Science to the Art of Warfare By Stephen Budiansky Knopf, $27.95, 336 pages Check this out! The unchecked menace of G e r m a n U-boats cont r ibuted to the tenuous peace after WWI that n e i t h e r side could tolerate. As Budiansky puts it, “The growing propensity in Britain to view its victory in the war as a tragedy was matched by Germany’s willingness to regard its defeat as a crime.” Using his considerable journalistic talent as a military historian, Budiansky captures the madness of Hitler’s obsession with “wolf pack” submarine attacks on Atlantic merchant ships. Long before America entered the Second World War, the losses of innocent lives aboard ocean liners and cargo ships rankled even the most anti-war liberals, including a small but vital population of scientists. Employed for the first time in warfare, scientists such as Patrick Blackett, E.J. Williams, Cecil Gordon, and a host of others spilled from university research labs to find ways to break the enemy communication code, and invent ways to spot enemy planes and U-boats. These men turned the tide of the war with sonar, radar, encryption codes, and applied physics to military strategy. Yet, they waged the toughest battles with the entrenched traditions of Old Guard military commanders who refused to acknowledge the advantages of science until no other alternative existed. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn
inspires with a flavorsome Mediterranean theme, directions for buffet spring rolls, and other creative concepts for group feasts. A recipe for an all-purpose flour mix is included, as well as an unusual, non-starchy whole-grain flour mix that will delight Paleo fans and those avoiding high-starch foods. This glorious book will thrill you to your buckwheat marrow, and is assured to satisfy and surprise your discerning dinner audience. Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff
mance is all about. Instead of jumping in and taking a chance on driving Tina away, Kevin decides to do some scientific research into romance to prepare himself for his big moment. First he sets up a romantic dinner for his parents, but when the cat goes to sleep in the spaghetti and the candles set the dining room on fire and his father has an allergic reaction to the strawberries and the rose petals stain the carpet – well, you get the idea. He sets up several other pairings to study, and Kevin’s scientific research projects all seem to have similar problems. Crochet, cont’d from pg. 11 Gary Paulsen’s middle-grade series is a switchback scarf will inspire you to funny and smart. This is another great addeck your own wardrobe out; bitty shoes, dition that will have readers laughing and doll outfits, children’s attire and other turning the pages at a rapid rate. miniatures will help you create for wideReviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck eyed little ones. A variety of other crafts will serve useful purposes elsewhere - a yoga mat bag, different stuffed animals, pillows, Gluten-Free Girl, cont’d from pg. 10 baskets and jewelry all make use of creative and fanciful yarns in new and interesting free recipes are also dairy-free, but here is a ways. The appendix will help beginners get delightful escape from soy milk and flaxseed on their way, listing techniques needed in eggs. The rich tang of buttermilk and the the glossary, abbreviations, and a symbol creamy texture of cheese add the final elekey. A thorough index will come in handy if ment of goodness to this ambrosial display you want to search for a specific project or of food, although plenty of dairyless recipes element, such as “cowls” or “infant projects”. make showy appearance. Biscuits with sauWith beautiful photos to illustrate every sage gravy, preserved lemons, chana masala, project and clear drawings to depict various and grilled ratatouille are just a few of the techniques, this book can be appreciated by feature recipes in this book; a quaint and both veterans and novices. unusual chapter on buffets delights and
Tulsa Book Review • August 2013 • 15
A CASUAL EVENING OF BOOKS, BARDS AND BITES BENEFITING TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY’S RUTH G. HARDMAN ADULT LITERACY SERVICE
FEATURING AUTHORS DEBORAH CROMBIE
RUSSELL LAWSON
JAY JENNINGS
DEBORAH CROMBIE is the author of the best-selling mystery series featuring Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James. Crombie’s novels include “A Share in Death,” “Dreaming of the Bones,” “Where Memories Lie,” “Necessary as Blood” and “No Mark Upon Her.” Crombie’s 15th novel, “The Sound of Broken Glass,” was on The New York Times Best Seller list in March of this year.
RUSSELL LAWSON is a local historian and history professor at Bacone College in Muskogee. Lawson’s 12 published books focus on exploration, science, local history and American Indian studies. His book “Frontier Naturalist: Jean Louis Berlandier and the Exploration of Northern Mexico and Texas” was selected as a finalist in the Texas Institute of Letters’ Award for the Most Significant Scholarly Book.
JAY JENNINGS is a freelance writer whose journalism, book reviews and humor appear in many national magazines, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Oxford American and Travel & Leisure. “Carry the Rock: Race, Football and the Soul of an American City” is his first book and was named a 2010 Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. He also was the editor of the 2012 Charles Portis anthology entitled “Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis Miscellany.”
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