Tulsa
event guide
INSIDE!
Book Review 2 6 9
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
F R E E
NEW AND OF INTEREST
C H E C K
If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother
Another hit for Julia Sweeney Page 4
I T
Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities
A lot more than the title suggests Page 7
O U T
Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories See my love for sorrow. Page 11
If You Hold a Seed
By Elly MacKay Running Press Kids, $16.95, 32 pages See Page 5 for other great picture books to celebrate Children’s Book Week.
14
May 2013
This is a magical, serendipitous story of a little boy who holds a seed and makes a wish before he plants it in the ground. What is the wish? As you read this treasure of a story, the wish unrolls into a genuinely beautiful ending as the wish is finally revealed. With MacKay’s truly innovative artistic style, the depictions will warm your heart just as much as the precious story; her breath-taking unique art medium of layered paintings and elements, luminously warmed with ethereal, glowing light will mesmerize and amaze the reader. Vaguely reminiscent
of Walter Wick’s famous I Spy scenery, this art is, however, altogether unrivaled in its rarity. Tasteful tidbits of life gathered together make up these gentle depictions that emote a kindly, peaceful world in this sweet story as the seasons roll around and time passes. The seed grows, the wish grows, and in the end parents may find a tear in their eye as the wish of a little boy is revealed! This book will grow with children and remain a steadfast favorite for years to come. Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff
Edge of Dawn: A Midnight Breed Novel The past coming back to bite you Page 12
The Missing Alphabet
Developing creative thinking in kids Page 13
49 Reviews INSIDE!
Book Reviews Category
Mystery SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Resolve By J.J. Hensley Permanent Press, $28.00, 248 pages Check this out! Resolve by J. J. Hensley is a very impressive first mystery novel or thriller. The narrative structure is interesting as it takes us mile-by-mile through the Pittsburg Marathon with flashbacks explaining how our hero comes to be running the course with murder on his mind. Welcome to the world of a midrange U.S. university with a criminology faculty blessed with an intriguing panel of professors, assistants, and potentially manipulative students. From the beginning of the semester, one of our hero’s female students is interested in him sexually. He fends her off, but the situation becomes rather awkward when she’s found dead. Although our first-person point of view confirms his innocence, the two detectives see him as a person of interest. Then his teaching assistant makes a murderous attack on him and, from this moment, he’s in a race to find out why he’s suddenly the center of attention. The answer is great fun as complications continue to pile up and his potential exposure to prosecution increases. There’s a way out of all this, of course, but it will take great resolve to carry it through to a successful conclusion. Fortunately, our hero’s in it for the distance. Reviewed by David Marshall Elegy for Eddie: A Maisie Dobbs Novel By Jacqueline Winspear Harper Perennial, $15.99, 334 pages Check this out! Several costermongers known to Maisie Dobbs when she was a child in Lambeth bring her news of Eddie Pettit’s death. Eddie was born when his mother, a night cleaner at a brewery stable, went into labor in a horse stall. From an early age, Eddie had an almost mystical bond with horses and could obtain odd jobs using his ability to calm them. He was mentally slow in other ways, but nearly everyone loved him. Now he has been killed in an accident at a paper mill. The costermongers feel Eddie’s death is no accident; that police are dismissing it too easily, because he was “simple”. Maisie’s in-
vestigation leads her to believe that Eddie was an innocent pawn in something much bigger. Maisie Dobbs is an original sleuth. Born to a costermonger, a maid in her teens, a nurse during the Great War, Maisie has had a private investigation agency for some years. She approaches cases using psychology, philosophy, and intuition, since she is a “sensitive”. This fine mystery combines suspense and puzzle-solving with reflection and insight. It’s a book to linger over. Winspeare’s writing is richly textured, making it easy for a reader to enter London of the 1930s. Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan Arsenic and Old Puzzles By Parnell Hall Minotaur Books, $24.99, 320 pages Check this out! I was completely captivated by Arsenic and Old Puzzles by Parnell Hall. Having contrived to miss the first thirteen outings of the Puzzle Lady series (yes, I do live as a hermit in a dark and damp cave miles from civilization), this came as something of a bolt from the blue. As a mystery, it’s unbeatable. Here’s this dead body and, no matter how you look at it, you can’t help but think Arsenic and Old Lace, that great 1944 screwball comedy staring Cary Grant. But who on Earth would go to all the trouble of recreating the plot of an old comedy as the basis of a murder? And, even more surprisingly, leave old crossword and sudoku puzzles around as clues (or perhaps they’re red herrings)? Well the answer to this and other startling questions is provided as our heroic puzzle solver (if not setter) gets her teeth into whatever it is that’s going on. On the way to the great reveal at the end, she manages to manipulate everyone and entertain us all with her deviousness as she solves the puzzle and gets her man without anyone thinking too badly of her. I can’t recommend this too highly! Reviewed by David Marshall
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 2
MYSTERIES/THRILLERS
COMING SOON
TO TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY Search the library’s catalog at http://tulsalibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
The Cuckoo’s Calling
by Robert Galbraith Working as a private investigator after losing his leg in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike takes the case of a legendary supermodel’s suspicious suicide and finds himself in a world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, desperate designers and hedonist pursuits.
Antiques Chop
by Barbara Allan While shooting a reality TV show on the site of a 60-year-old unsolved axe murder, Brandy Borne and her mother, Vivian, who will be starring in “Antique Sleuths,” must discover who chopped up the show’s producer before they all end up in pieces.
The Innocence Game
by Michael Harvey Invited to participate in an elite seminar with two classmates, Ian Joyce, a top journalism student, investigates wrongful convictions and cold cases including one introduced by a fellow student involving the murder of a young boy whose actual killer may still be at large.
Angora Alibi
by Sally Goldenbaum Expecting her first child, Izzy is unsettled when a young acquaintance’s death is connected to an abandoned baby car seat and a hand-knitted blanket. Izzy seeks assistance from the Seaside Knitters in the latest mystery in the series following A Fatal Fleece.
Poppet
by Mo Hayder When a dangerous mental patient named Isaac, who is linked to a series of unexplained episodes of selfharm amongst the ward’s patients, is released in error, Detective Jack Caffery must track him down before he kills again.
Original Skin
by David Mark Suspecting foul play in the alleged suicide of a depressed man in an East Yorkshire neighborhood where a new gang has recently seized control of the local drug trade, Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy finds the investigation pitting him against elite political figures and other powerful individuals who murderously protect their secrets.
A Case of Redemption
by Adam Mitzner This follow-up to A Conflict of Interest follows the efforts of a grieving, high-profile attorney to outmaneuver legal pitfalls and a media firestorm while representing a popular rap artist who has been wrongly accused of murdering his pop-star girlfriend.
Tulsa
Book Review
IN THIS ISSUE Mystery .........................................................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
Popular Culture .............................................4 Picture Books ................................................5 Kids’ Books ....................................................5 Teen Scene .....................................................6
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 ©2013, LLC.
1776 Productions,
Tween Reads ..................................................7 Historical Fiction...........................................8 Biography & Memoir .....................................8 Cookbooks .....................................................9
FROM THE PUBLISHER May 13-19 marks Children’s Book Week. In honor of this celebration of children’s literature, this month’s issue of the Tulsa Book Review features a beautifully illustrated children’s book on the cover. If You Hold a Seed, which is available from the Tulsa CityCounty Library, is by author/illustrator Elly MacKay, who lives near Ontario, Canada. The library is a great resource for families to find literally thousands of children’s books. As many children’s books retail in stores for $15-$25, you and your family would be well served to avail yourself of all the free ones available for checkout at the library. Masterdegreed librarians work hard to select only the best in children’s literature and also serve as great resources to connect you and your children to the best the library has to offer. Additionally, the Tulsa City-County Library no longer assesses fines on overdue children’s books. So take the library challenge and get help from us to build a reader out of your child, whether through storytimes at the library or great books to read at home to your child. While you’re at it, I’m sure you’ll find a good book for yourself within these pages. Let the library help change your family’s life for the better. We’ll see you at the library really soon.
Fiction .................................................10 & 11 Romance ......................................................12 Home, Garden & DIY ...................................13
Gary Shaffer Tulsa City-County Library CEO
Nature & Science..........................................13 Fantasy ........................................................ 14 Science Fiction ............................................. 14 History & Current Events ............................15 Summer Reading Programs .........................16
Coming Up! Tulsa City-County Library’s 11th annual Asian-American Festival is set for Saturday, June 1 from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Martin Regional Library, 2601 S. Garnett Road. Celebrate and learn about the customs and traditions of China, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and other countries in Asia at this free family-friendly festival. Visit TulsaLibrary.org/asianfestival for a complete schedule of activities.
Book Reviews
Category
Popular Culture SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
What Matters in Jane Austen? By John Mullan Bloomsbury Press, $30.00, 352 pages Check this out! What is it that draws us back to Jane Austen’s characters year after year? What fuels this obsession of reinventing her stories and retelling them to new audiences? And what keeps us all intrigued? In John Mullen’s book, What Matters In Jane Austen? Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved, the Austen scholar breaks down her work into twenty categories for an even deeper understanding of the deeply interconnected subtleties of Jane Austen,
exploring and adding to the depth of the enduring and ever complex work of a truly timeless writer. If you’ve ever wondered at the risk in seaside excursions or the habit of Mary and Charles Musgrove calling one other by their Christian names, a practice that is “neither admirable nor wholly proper,” Mullen explores it. (And if you never noticed, like yours truly, don’t worry. After reading this, you will, and can turn into an Austen snob about whist and impress all of your friends… or cause them to back away slowly as from a dangerous wild animal.) You don’t have to have an English degree to understand What Matters In Jane Austen?, just an appreciation for Austen’s work and a desire to delve deeper into her world and words. Reviewed by Axie Barclay
Because I Said So! By Ken Jennings Scribner, $19.99, 256 pages Check this out! Chew each bite thirty times! Early to bed, early to rise. Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll stay like that! Sit up straight! We only use 10 percent of our brains. From catching colds and avoiding lightning to the dangers of Halloween candy and running with scissors, childhood is full of parental admonishments and warnings. But how many of those are based in scientific fact, and how many are just hokum and folktales? Thankfully, to tackle these myriad threats, concerns, and parent-patented cautionary caveats, we can now turn to Ken Jennings, Jeopardy champion and frontline soldier in the battle against AI trivia supremacy. His book Because I Said So! is a treasure trove of quality information, debunkery, and thoughtful common sense, as Jennings makes like the MythBusters and puts these classic cliches to the test. Informative, enthusiastic, and very very funny, Because I Said So! deftly mixes an occasional personal anecdote with plenty of verifiable scientific data to confirm or discredit numerous childhood warnings. (He’s
even fair enough to rank the level of truth inherent in each particular warning.) Reviewed by Glenn Dallas If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother By Julia Sweeney Free Press, $26.00, 288 pages Check this out! Now a working wife and mother, Sweeney takes advantage of a rare month alone to write down her thoughts on religion and atheism, adoption and abortion, race and class, and, ironically, her family. Because although she begins the book crying out for some alone time, the distance granted by a husband traveling on business and a child away at camp gives her a new perspective and ultimately, room to miss them. This collection of personal essays treats topics covered regularly in op-ed columns, but here they are grounded in the author’s daily experiences and delivered with the funniness that made her famous. Veteran daters will appreciate Sweeney’s own winding, sometimes embarrassing, road to love, and parents will find validation in her experiences with the exhausting little pal known as her daughter.. See If It’s Not One Thing, cont’d on pg. 7
POWERED BY
Visit TulsaLibrary.org/music and use your Tulsa City-County Library card to download up to three free songs a week into your iTunes account or to your smartphone, PC, Mac or any other MP3 music player.
from 3 million songs and more than đ Choose 10,000 music labels, including Sony Music. selections in a high-quality, đ Download DRM-free MP3 format. new songs and music labels added weekly. đ Find đ Keep songs forever! Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 4
Book Reviews
Category
Category
Picture Books
Kids’ Books
SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Longest Night: A Passover Story By Laurel Snyder, Catia Chien (illustrator) Schwartz & Wade, $17.99, 40 pages Check this out! Ima is a young Jewish girl, living in the Pharoah’s Egypt long ago. Her family and all the other Jewish families live in slavery. Ima, though a little girl, has to work all day building houses for Egyptian citizens. But one day, everything changes. The great river turns rusty red, bleeding over its banks. Thousands of frogs come over the land. Fleas by the millions bother the citizens, just as they had the slaves. Wolves wander the streets searching for meat. Farm animals become sick and huge flocks of birds darken the sky. Finally the Egyptian people become ill, covered with blisters and boils. Locusts arrive, eating all the plant life. Ima’s Aba had painted the door jamb with lamb’s blood, and through the darkest night, her family is protected. At last the Jews are told to leave and they escape Egypt when the Red Sea parts, creating their path to freedom and the promised land. This Passover story is told in rhyming couplets, sometimes slightly forced or with uneven meter, and illustrated with charming paintings. This book will be a nice addition to any child’s book collection, but especially for Jewish families. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Tallulah’s Toe Shoes By Marilyn Singer, Alexandra Boiger (illustrator) Clarion Books, $16.99, 40 pages Check this out! Tallulah loves ballet class. She especially loves to watch the older girls dance on pointe, but she knows that to be a real ballerina, she first has to get her own pink satin toe shoes. She dreams of that day. When she asks when that day will come, she is always told it will be someday. When one of the older dancers throws away her wornout toe shoes, Tallulah takes them from the trash can and stuffs them into her bag. At home, Tallulah puts the magical shoes on. They are too big. She stuffs them with tissue. She tries dancing on her toes, but falls down. She remembers how the Lilac Fairy in
SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Sleeping Beauty had a prince to dance with, so Tallulah convinces her little brother Beckett, who had played a rat in Sleeping Beauty, to be her dance partner. It’s easier to stay on her toes, but when she is done, her poor little toes are sore and red. Will she ever become a real ballerina? Marilyn Singer’s story in this latest of the Tallulah books nicely captures the longing of a little girl with a big dream. Alexandra Boiger’s charming illustrations will enchant little dancers. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Pug and Doug By Steve Breen Dial, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Pug and Doug are best friends. Though the neighbors have a lot in common— they love to watch birds and dance the polka—the two friends are very different. While Doug is artistic and imaginative, Pug is not, and this leads to some confl icts between them. A series of misunderstandings results in Doug believing that Pug doesn’t want to be his friend any more. Pug searches throughout Squirrel Hill to find his friend, give him his birthday present, and to clear up the confusion. Pug and Doug is a simple story with a clear message; friends should talk about their problems before jumping to conclusions. On its own, the plot is unremarkable; it is the illustrations that make this book charming and fun to read. Breen presents the story in panels like a comic strip with the dialogue in speech bubbles. Since the characters live in a town called Squirrel Hill, squirrels appear everywhere: in the patterns of the upholstery, peeking in the window, and being hauled out by security. The expressive characters inspire empathy and laughter while the background details provide the reader with something new to discover with each re-reading. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney
Everything Goes: Henry on Wheels (My First I Can Read) By Brian Biggs, Simon Abbott (illustrator) HarperCollins, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Henry has a new bike, and he is anxious to get out and ride around on his own. His mom says he can go, but he has to stay on their block. Henry thinks that is going to be pretty boring, but he is so anxious to be on his own, he says he will go. But what could there be to see on a boring ride around the block? Henry discovers there are great things to see close to home. There are cats and dogs, kids riding tricycles and bicycles, and even kids jumping rope. The hot dog vendor is celebrating his birthday with free hot dogs. At a small construction site, Henry
watches men mixing cement and pouring it out. The playground has plenty to see with lots of kids swinging, sliding, and playing in the big sand box. A big construction site has big machines – a bulldozer, a backhoe, dump trucks, and a huge crane. And there is more. Henry asks his mom to go on a ride with him so he can show her all he’s found. This cute addition to the Henry series will delight the youngest of readers with its accessible story and fun illustrations. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Designed for expectant and new parents, TulsaKids’ Baby Guide provides current information on health, safety, nutrition, prenatal and infant development, new products and more. It also highlights the library’s lapsit storytimes and First Readers program for raising lifetime learners.
babyguide
TM
YOUR HANDBOOK for:
+
COMPREHENSIVE DIRECTORY OF SERVICES, CLASSES & INFORMATION FOR NEW & EXPECTANT PARENTS
• DIET & EXERCISE • PREGNANCY • BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS • BABY BASICS • FINDING A PEDIATRICIAN • INFANT DEVELOPMENT • NEW PRODUCTS MORE
+
A Publication of
tulsakids FOR PARENTS. FOR FAMILIES. FOR LIFE.
Pick up a free copy of the 2013 Baby Guide at any Tulsa City-County Library or visit www.tulsakids.com for a digital version.
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 5
Book Reviews
Category
Teen Scene SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Period 8 By Chris Crutcher Greenwillow Books, $17.99, 304 pages Paulie Bomb has a pretty sweet life, except for his philandering father, weak mother, and the best girlfriend in the world who he’s just lost through unbelievable stupidity. But he has a teacher, Bruce Logsdon, who keeps Paulie grounded. Logsdon’s classroom is open during lunch, known as Period 8, and has attracted an eclectic group of kids over time. It’s a place where kids can open up about anything and feel safe. What is said in the room, stays in the room. Hannah, the girl who just broke up with Paulie, tells all about how he cheated on her. It’s humiliating. Arney, the class president, moves in on Hannah. Arney is an operator, and it is soon apparent that he is in with some really bad people. Things become very dark, taking twists and turns unlike anything teenagers should have to face. Paulie and Mr. Logsdon figure out how bad things are and how dangerous it is to take on the bad guys, but do it nonetheless. This is a page-turning thriller teens will love. But then, teens love everything Chris Crutcher writes, and so does just about anyone else who opens his books. Read this one. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Etiquette & Espionage: Finishing School Series By Gail Carriger Little, Brown BFYR, $17.99, 320 pages Check this out! For a mischievous young lady of means like Sophronia Angelina Temminnick, the words “finishing school” are akin to “prison colony” or “formal family affair” on the list of unpleasant experiences. But little does Sophronia know that Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is hardly your average school for etiquette and discipline. Intrigue, weapons training, and subterfuge are just a few of the other lessons available, and Sophronia soon discovers a great deal more is afoot behind the scenes of her new airborne academy. Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate books, but skewed for the YA readership, Etiquette & Espionage hits plenty of the hallmarks for modern teen fantasy.
(There’s a black sheep and a mysterious school, after all.) But thankfully, Gail Carriger is far too adept and subversive to adhere too closely to the formula. Etiquette & Espionage does a wonderful job tweaking the usual Pride & Prejudice social expectations of women by offering an additional set of espionage-centric guidelines. It’s a gentle skewering of the traditional mores with plenty of style and a host of engaging secondary characters to populate Sophronia’s world. An excellent start to a new series with greater heights ahead. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Boundless: An Unearthly Novel By Cynthia Hand Harper Teen, $17.99, 438 pages Check this out! In Boundless, the third and final book of the Unearthly series, we find ourselves discovering what college life is like for Clara and friends. Clara, Angela and Christian are all at Stanford University and while Clara is trying to live life as normally as possible she knows that she must face her destiny once and for all. She knows that there are Black Wings out there ready to wage war and that there is one Black Wing in particular she needs to stay away from. As if that wasn’t difficult enough Clara needs to figure out her love life; Clara is still trying to cope with giving up Tucker and perhaps giving Christian a real chance. Can she do this? Will she be able to move on from Tucker and if so, can Christian be who she needs? Ms. Hand delivers a novel that is full of strong characters facing difficult obstacles and even tougher decisions. Even though it didn’t end the way I would have wanted it to, I still loved Boundless. Great writing, fantastic characters and a superb plot fi lled with angst, hope and tons of action. This is definitely a must read for fans of the Unearthly series. Reviewed by Patricia Mendoza
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 6
YOUTH FICTION COMING SOON Search the library’s catalog at http://tulsalibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
Perfect Game by Fred Bowen A perfectionist, especially when it comes to baseball, Isaac is unable to cope when things go wrong until his coach asks him to help out with a Unified Sports basketball team on which intellectually disabled and other children play together.
Theodore Boone: The Activist by John Grisham Aspiring lawyer Theodore Boone takes the stand to protect his political and environmental freedoms in the fourth installment of this series.
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff Rump has never known his full name – his mother died before she could tell him. So all his life he’s been teased and bullied for his half-a-name. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change, for Rump discovers he can spin straw into gold.
A Hidden Enemy by Erin Hunter This is the second installment in Hunter’s Survivors series. In the aftermath of the Big Growl that destroyed their city, Bella and the Leashed Dogs have finally settled in the forest where there is plenty of clean water and prey. But a fierce Pack of Wild Dogs has laid claim to the land, and their menacing Alpha will stop at nothing to ensure that it is his alone.
Ruby Redfort Take Your Last Breath by Lauren Child Everyone’s favorite girl detective is back for a second mind-blowing installment, packed with all the off-the-wall humor, action and friendship of the first book. This time, though, it’s an adventure on the wideopen ocean, and Ruby is all at sea. Can she crack the case of the Twinford pirates while evading the clutches of a vile sea monster as well as the evil Count von Viscount? Well, you wouldn’t want to bet against her!
Book Reviews Category
Tween Reads
Beyond the social worldbuilding, this is simply a fun read. Copperplate City’s long history with heroes and villains is on display unobtrusively, offering some terrific set pieces and enjoyable twists and turns in the narrative. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
If It’s Not One Thing, cont’d from pg. 4 Never Say Die By Will Hobbs HarperCollins, $16.99, 224 pages Check this out! Nick Thrasher, a fifteen-year-old Inuit, hunts for a caribou to feed his family, especially for the organ meat for his grandfather Jonah, who is dying from cancer. After Nick butchers his kill, he is attacked by a strange bear that looks like a cross between a grizzly and a polar bear. He is able to escape, but the strange bear, he knows, is a serious problem. Soon after, Nick is invited by his half-brother Ryan, a photographer, to raft through the wilds of northern Canada. Ryan insists Nick not bring his rifle. Nick isn’t happy about it, but agrees. Their first day on the Firth River, they hit an ice shelf on the river, are thrown into the icy water, and lose their raft. Worse, they are stranded on opposite sides of the river, but at least they are both alive. This is the beginning of a journey that will test them both to their very cores with danger at every turn. Will Hobbs has created characters readers will immediately care about and a story that will create a flurry of turning pages, sneaking in some unobtrusive lessons in biology and ecology. Boys especially will love this book. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Infinity Ring Book 3: The Trap Door By Lisa McMann Scholastic Inc., $12.99, 192 pages Check this out! With the Infinity Ring, Sera, Riq, and Dak time travel to periods in history to fi x “breaks” in history caused by a mysterious organization called SQ. This time they find themselves in the Deep South in United States. The year is 1850. A woman, claiming to be a Friend hides them below a trap door in the cellar. They think she is one of the Hystorians, an or-
ganization committed to repairing history breaks. Instead, she has taken over the home of the real Mrs. Beeson, an abolitionist. She lures Riq upstairs with the promise of food, turning him over to slave hunters. Riq soon finds himself on the auction block with a black woman and her son. Sera is able to unscramble a code the Hystorians sent them and free herself and Dak from the cellar by combining chemicals at hand (I won’t be a spoiler and say how.) From then on, the tension never lets up as interweaving plot strands unfold and converge. This is a satisfying read on many levels: Good writing, engaging characters, a tension-fi lled plot, interesting coincidences that worked without being contrived, and a worthwhile tale, to name just a few. Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan
Sweeney’s writing resume includes such smart hits as Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives and Saturday Night Live, but here, as in her one-woman shows, she is brave enough to reveal herself. Her stories are unique enough to warrant a book, but familiar enough that when we cringe at the awkward situations she finds herself in or shake our heads at her less than noble thoughts, it’s partly from recognition. Reviewed by Vanessa Finney
Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities By Mike Jung, Mike Maihack (illustrator) Arthur A. Levine Books, $16.99, 309 pages Check this out! Copperplate City is defended by Captain Stupendous, and nobody knows more about him than Vincent Wu and his pals Max and George, members of the (Unofficial) Captain Stupendous Fan Club. But when a supervillain’s monstrous robot threatens the city, Vincent’s crush Polly Winnicott-Lee is swept along for the ride, and Vincent uncovers a startling secret: Captain Stupendous is in trouble, and only Vincent, Max and George can help. Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities looks like nerd wish-fulfi llment on the surface, but there’s a lot more going on underneath. Jung has captured a rarely recognized aspect of fandom: the unofficial hierarchy of “true” fans versus “casual” fans. By replacing the usual jock-nerd school paradigm, this book immediately offers a more credible and intimate view of being an outsider that will resonate with readers. (The idea that there’s more than one type of misfit in school is so commonly glossed over in books that it feels utterly refreshing to see it portrayed here with sincerity.) Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 7
For Ages 10-18 Cash Prizes! Entries Accepted May 1-June 5 Entry forms are available at all Tulsa City-County Library
Book Reviews Category
This is not a book about battling the celebrities who tout expensive beauty treatments or advertisements with scantily-clad, heavily-airbrushed beauties. Instead, it is a book about a hard-fought and seemingly interminable battle against one’s own ingrained notions of beauty. In telling her own inspiring and often humorous story, Phoebe Baker Hyde is saying that her hairy legs are not intended to be a social statement to the entire world. They are a resounding response to her own evil
Biography & Memoir SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Dust to Dust: A Memoir By Benjamin Busch Ecco, $26.99, 309 pages Check this out! Memoirs are meant to capture moments in a person’s life. In Benjamin Busch’s memoir, he not only captures moments, he brings us his whole life. Busch’s life is fi lled with main events like his two combat tours in Iraq as a U.S. Marine. This book is not only Busch’s main events, but the tinier events that lead up to the motives behind the big events. Like a jigsaw puzzle, each chapter connects to the next in tiny subtle ways that leads to this book’s bigger picture. Human life is fragile, but not weak. Busch may be the son of novelist Frederick Busch, but he is his own writer. His pace and story telling are unique and captivating. The book skips within itself to show common themes from different points in Busch’s life. One second he is reminiscing on a family trip to the New England countryside and a few pages later Busch is chopping wood during his college days. It is these elements that build who we are and what we can accomplish. This is the best kind of memoir, one that makes you reflect on your life. Life is beautiful, and yet ugly at the same time, and this book is a wonderful reminder of that. Reviewed by Kevin Brown Relish: My Life in the Kitchen By Lucy Knisley First Second, $17.99, 192 pages Check this out! The genetic offspring of a talented chef mom and an epicure dad, amazingly talented Lucy Knisley has drafted a graphic memoir of her growing up within the circle of ‘foodies’ that imprinted her love for food and molded her appetites. Her cartoon illustrations meld so perfectly with the succinct text that records her growth from infant to adult amidst the aromas from the pots and the fragrances from the fields. Her love and admiration for her parents is evident from her whimsical slights of human weaknesses. She sensitively records the teen-age angst that emerged in her rebellious spirit
inner voice. The reader’s takeaway from The Beauty Experiment is that an individual’s self-doubt is far more destructive than any magazine layout or size two display mannequin. Reviewed by Samantha Herman
Category
and how she mellowed with experience and maturity. Both an artist and a gourmand, she lovingly describes the dishes that appeal to her, from fast food to gourmet cuisine; she is not picky. This classic, graphical collection of colorful stories of growing up is based on loving memories of the smell, taste, texture, color, preparation of food and the people associated with it. Bookending each section is a colorful graphic recipe for some of her favorite foods, such as chocolate chip cookies, carbonara that you can drool over, sushi to be sliced with a wet sharp knife, and for comfort food - a Shepard (Fairy) Pie. This is an extraordinarily talented writer and a must-read book that teens and adults will relish, it should be required reading in the school curriculum. Reviewed by Aron Row The Beauty Experiment By Phoebe Baker Hyde Da Capo Lifelong Books, $16, 248 pages Check this out! I have read enough feminist literature to know that much of it is very angry and accusatory. Convincingly placing blame on others is something that feminist writers do exceptionally well. For that reason, I thought I knew where The Beauty Experiment was headed. But I was wrong. Phoebe Baker Hyde is intimately familiar with the influence of media sources and peer pressure to look a certain way. But she does not lay blame at the feet of women’s magazines and high-heeled playground mothers. Instead, she turns the microscope inward, sussing out why she feels badly when she chooses the wrong clothes, makeup, and accessories. She refers often to her nefarious inner voice, which demands nothing less than physical perfection and frequently chips away at her self-esteem.
Historical Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Iscariot: A Novel of Judas By Tosca Lee Howard Books, $22.99, 352 pages Check this out! Judas. His name has been reviled for centuries. Judas. The name itself has come to personify treachery and backstabbing. It was the worst backstabbing in the history of mankind. Judas: the man who sold Jesus to the enemy, who guaranteed his death. Tosca Lee brings ancient Israel to life in her masterpiece novel /Iscariot//. Prepare to see Jesus and his world through the eyes of one of history’s most infamous yet unknown men. Considering the incredible heartbreak, tragedy, and sorrow of his life, would you have made the same choices in his shoes? Judas’ life was unbelievably tragic. He saw his father crucified as a child, murdered by the Romans. His mother was forced to prostitute herself just to provide for him. His wife and child were murdered. One thing after another, life is terrible. When he meets Jesus, he finds a love like no other. His cryptic messages, his miracles, his following… the Messiah changes Judas’ life forever. Hope and danger, promise and looming disaster; Judas’ life is a tinderbox. Writing about well-known Bible stories is risky, but Lee does so brilliantly. Judas is a surprisingly likable and sympathetic character. Lee’s portrayal of Jesus and the harsh times in which he lived are vibrant and beautiful. The relationship between Jesus and Judas is so complicated, so interconnected, one simply cannot stop reading. The knowledge of the story’s ending also makes
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 8
the work all the more dramatic. Brava, Lee, on a job well done. Reviewed by Jennifer Melville Semper Fidelis: A Novel of the Roman Empire (Caveat Emptor) By Ruth Downie Bloomsbury USA, $26, 352 pages Check this out! Again I have stumbled upon a captivating series several books in, however, Semper Fidelis is a guaranteed stand alone book that will engulf your senses with historical charisma and leave you feeling fulfi lled with a sense of honor, duty, and pride. Set during Roman-occupied Britain, Twentieth Legion doctor, Gaius Ruso, is dealing with a plethora of mysterious illnesses and deaths that not even he can explain and it appears as if it is coming from within and Gaius is determined to find out what or who is causing this havoc. When Gaius’s wife starts uncovering some of the answers he is seeking, she is brought in by the Imperial Army for investigation and it doesn’t help that she is a barbarian and not of Roman descent, which therefore labels her a liability. Can Gaius use the information she has uncovered to save her life and those of the Britannia Imperial Army? Will anybody even care? This book is action packed from beginning to end and holds a mysterious edge that gives The DaVinci Code a run for its money. You won’t regret the time spent on this book. Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch
TulsaLibrary.org
918.549.READ
A FREE moNTHLy guiDE To youR CommuNiTy LibRARy, iTS PRogRAmS AND SERviCES To SEARCH FoR EvENTS, SCAN THiS CoDE uSiNg youR mobiLE DEviCE AND QR SCANNER APP.
PaGe 8
adult/teen events
The broken Arrow Sidewalk Astronomers invite you to learn about the small, tough planet mercury. Afterward, we'll go outside for some sky gazing (weather permitting). For all ages.
BixBy liBrary
Read "The girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson and then join us for this lively discussion. For adults.
Join us for fun and laughter when we.... Well, actually that's a surprise! it might be a craft, games, a scavengar hunt or so many other fun activities. Join us and find out. For ages 12-15.
Central liBrary
Grant Proposal Writing
Grant Proposal Budgeting Basics
This Foundation Center live webinar will cover the basics of grant proposal writing, including: the basic structure of a proposal, tips for writing each section, important attachments to include, and resources and samples. For adults. Seating is limited. Presented by the Nonprofit Resource Center.
This Foundation Center live webinar will cover the basics of grant proposal budgeting, including: calculating personnel expenses, determining reasonable costs, types of overhead and important financial documents to include. For adults. Seating is limited. Presented by the Nonprofit Resource Center.
Collinsville liBrary Join us for a sneak peek at the Council oak men's Chorale's summer series "Donna Summer/Whitney Houston: A Tribute." For all ages.
All levels of knitting expertise are welcome to join us for a fun and instructional afternoon of knitting. For adults.
For ages 12-18.
Wednesdays, May 8, 22 Are you interested in discussing current issues with others in our community? if so, join us for a lively discussion on "China and Africa" on may 8 and "Threat Assessment" on may 22. For adults.
l i B r a r y ClosinGs
update your rĂŠsumĂŠ, 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. For adults.
All Tulsa City-County Library locations will be closed on Sunday, may 26 and monday, may 27 for memorial Day.
Have fun with other fans of Japanese art and animation. For teens. Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Collinsville Library.
teens
scheduled in May
Join this fun group of readers for a lively book discussion. Participants should read the featured book prior to the program. Call 918-549-7528 for book title. For adults. Sponsored by the Friends of the Collinsville Library.
Hearing loop available. Switch hearing aid to T-coil.
a d u l t / t e e n
e v e n t s
(Collinsville Library continued)
liBrary if you want to learn to quilt or are an experienced quilter, join us for an informative and fun evening. For adults.
GenealoGy Center
Join genealogy Center's Liz Walker and discover free useful genealogy websites. For adults.
Join genealogy Center's Lisa Hansen to discover the many services available for researchers at the genealogy Center. For adults.
Will your family be one of those casualties? Join Karen L. Carmichael, estate-planning attorney, and discover how you can avoid mistakes in these key areas: (1) probate costs and delays; (2) nursing-home costs; (3) divorce; (4) remarriage; (5) creditor protection for children; (6) incapacity; and (7) loss of tax benefits. For adults. Seating is limited. For more information or to reserve a seat at the seminar, call 918-549-7363. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust.
We will explore the effects of autism
c o n t i n u e d
on families through the memoir "Next Stop" by glen Finland and the novel "Love Anthony" by Lisa genova. For adults. Light refreshments are provided by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
and more at this informal, fun time. Feel free to bring a friend. Snacks and beverages are provided. For ages 55+. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust.
Participants should read the selected book prior to the program. Call 918549-7570 for book title. For adults. Join attorney Rita 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. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust.
Share your favorite books, memories
liBrary
Do you enjoy making quilt projects? Come and join a group that enjoys exploring various quilting techniques and making new friends! For adults. For a list of supplies needed, call 918549-7577.
Martin reGional liBrary
Tuesday, May 28
đ
7-8:30 p.m.
Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium Fourth Street and Denver Avenue For all ages Join us for a sneak peek at the Council Oak Men's Chorale's summer series
"Donna Summer/Whitney Houston: A Tribute."
Practice your Spanish in a low-stress setting. For ages 16 and older. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust and the Hispanic Resource Center.
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.
Create beautiful and unique Egyptian jewelry, plus learn to use hieroglyphs. For ages 10-15. Sponsored by the Tulsa City-County Library Staff Association.
Create your own sand-covered pyramid and personalized bookmarks. For ages 10-15. Sponsored by the Tulsa City-County Library Staff Association.
a d u l t / t e e n
e v e n t s
c o n t i n u e d
Join us for Wii games. For ages 10-18.
Ever wonder why certain foods raise your blood sugar more than others? in this class, we'll learn about using a simple method, the glycemic index, to help make the wise food choice.
oWasso liBrary
Tulsa joins dozens of other cities around the country for the National and
Learn more about how to give your house landscaping curb appeal. For adults.
liBrary
oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame Director Jason mcintosh will showcase the history of oklahoma's African-American musicians who traveled on the "Chitlin' Circuit." Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere where all are free to "speakeasy." music performances include the days of Cab Calloway and billie Holiday, down to motown and through today. Dress as your favorite jukejoint character, if you like. For adults. Sponsored by the oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Tulsa Library Trust and African-American Resource Center.
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. For adults. Registration is required. Call 918-5497645 to register.
liBrary
Stuck in a mystery rut? Come for coffee and share what you've been reading. For adults.
Join developers, writers, designers, data geeks, leaders, idea makers and other citizens to kick start your Tulsa Wiki! Whether you’re a Tulsa County native or new to the area, you can collaborate with and learn from your neighbors on the Tulsa Wiki. Anyone can add to it, anytime—just visit www.tulsawiki.org. Join us for this Tulsa Wiki edit party, featuring Wiki 101, food for our contributors and a big sense of community. Pitch in for part or all of the day. Kickoff is at 10 a.m.; wrap-up and prizes at 3:30 p.m.
Code for Tulsa (codefortulsa.org) will host an open meetup for everyone interested in civic apps and open data. Discuss challenges and opportunities to help Tulsa government work better by leveraging the talent and best practices in our tech community.
A select Random Hacks of Kindness Hackathon team will meet at the Guthrie Green, 111 E. Brady St., and use their technical skills to create something great for the Brady Arts District.
Visit http://www.tulsawiki.org/ndoch for more information on Tulsa’s National Day of Civic Hacking event. Register for the event at https://ndochtulsa.eventbrite.com.
a d u l t / t e e n
e v e n t s
(Schusterman-Benson Library continued)
bring your e-reader, tablet or smartphone, and get assistance checking out and downloading ebooks and audiobooks from the library's collection. if you don't have one of these devices yet but are curious about the process, we will have several kinds on hand for you to try. For adults and teens.
suBurBan aCres liBrary
c o n t i n u e d
/
c o m p u t e r
This class is designed for PC users with little or no experience using the internet. Learn more about using mS internet Explorer to navigate the World Wide Web. We'll also show you how to preview, save and print documents. Prerequisite: Some experience using a computer keyboard and mouse prior to taking this class.
Learn how to create fun and colorful signs and flyers.
Learn the Wobble line dance. it's fun, easy and great exercise! Wear comfortable shoes. For adults and teens. Class size is limited. Learn how to create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic formatting.
Learn how to create various kinds of documents; use the toolbar; set margins; apply spell check; and preview, save and print documents.
liBrary
really Basic PC Class 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.
Learn how to create various kinds of documents; use the toolbar; set margins; apply spell check; and preview, save and print documents.
Learn how to create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic formatting.
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.
Learn how to create visual representations of spreadsheet and workbook data. Learn how to create charts, apply conditional formatting and control the appearance of printed spreadsheets.
c h i l d r e n ' s
e v e n t s
liBrary For newborns to 24-month-olds and their caregivers. 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.
Learn how to navigate the World Wide Web and use the library’s online catalog and resources.
children’s events
Central liBrary
For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
For ages 3-5.
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.
Collinsville liBrary
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.
Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 7-12 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. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7662 to register.
Join us for stories, songs, crafts and more. For newborns to 4-year-olds and their caregivers.
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.
Ms Word 2 Learn how to create and format tables, use bulleted and numbered lists, and apply and format columns in a document.
Ms Word 2 Learn how to create and format tables, use bulleted and numbered lists, and apply and format columns in a document.
/
internet Basics
Martin reGional liBrary
computer classes
c l a s s e s
Join us for fun and laughter when we.... Well, actually that's a surprise! it might be a craft, games, a scavengar hunt or so many other fun activities. Join us and find out. For ages 12-15.
Learn how to create group presentations and slide shows.
Learn how to set up a free account and how to use it to send and receive email.
children’s For ages 2-5. An adult must accompany 2-year-olds.
c h i l d r e n ' s
e v e n t s
c o n t i n u e d
GlenPool liBrary
Enjoy stories, songs and rhymes. Stay and play in the library after the storytime. For ages 5 and younger with an adult.
For ages 3-5.
For ages 3-5. Fishes of Fun We Love our mommies! Construction Time! Hoing to the Circus Hats!
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.
Martin reGional liBrary
liBrary liBrary
For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! Enjoy storytime and then stay after for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For newborns to 2-yearolds and their caregivers.
saturday stories For ages 7 and younger.
Enjoy stories, songs, and activities in English and Spanish. For ages 5 and younger.
Wednesday, May 29 Join us for stories, music and activities. For ages 3-5.
Does your child have difficulty sitting through storytime? if so, this inclusive, interactive program of stories, songs and activities may be just what you are looking for! Sensory Storytime focuses on learning with all five senses and is especially designed for children with a variety of learning styles or sensory integration challenges. Advance registration is required. Class size is limited. Register online at http://kids.tulsalibrary.org/ sensorystorytime or by calling 918-5497555. For ages 1-7 with an adult.
Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-10 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. Class size is limited.
it's a pajama jammy jam with ms. Kristen and mr. David! Wear your pajamas and join us for bedtime songs, stories and rhymes. For ages 3-8.
For ages 7 and younger.
liBrary Discover Russian language and culture through stories, rhymes, music and more. For all ages. Enjoy stories in English and Spanish. For all ages.
Enjoy stories in English and Spanish. For ages 3-5. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
Read books, play games and make crafts with miss Heather. For grades 1-3.
Registered therapy dogs are excellent
Create beautiful and unique Egyptian jewelry, plus learn to use hieroglyphs. For ages 10-15. Sponsored by the Tulsa City-County Library Staff Association.
For ages 3-5.
c h i l d r e n ’ s
e v e n t s
(Martin Regional Library continued)
Music and Me
stay and Play
This fun high-energy program features instruments, scarves, movement and more. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers.
After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers.
Sing, hop and jump to songs in Japanese and English. Join the Konnichiwa group for a fun-filled musical program. For ages 5 and younger.
Enjoy stories, songs, and activities in English and Spanish. For ages 5 and younger.
Create your own sand-covered pyramid and personalized bookmarks. For ages 10-15. Sponsored by the Tulsa City-County Library Staff Association.
c o n t i n u e d sister city Amiens, France. Join us for stories, crafts, music and fun! For ages 5 and older.
Join us for stories, finger plays, mother goose rhymes and dancing. For ages 5 and younger.
oWasso liBrary
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.
For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
For ages 3-5. Explore the colorful culture of Tulsa's
tulsa city-county library locations m, 10-8; T-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 10-5 2
m-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5
10150 N. Cincinnati Ave. E., Sperry m-T, 12-7; W, 10-5; Th, 12-7; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 m-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5
and
m-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5
m-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5
m-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 and
m-F, 10-6; Sat., 10-5
m-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5, 551 E. Fourth St., Sand Springs, 74063
m, 10-8; T-Th, 10-6; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 m-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 20
m-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 8 Genealogy Center
3219 S. 113th W. Ave., Sand Springs, m-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5
m-W, 10-5; Th, 1-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5
and
9
m-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5
and
m-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 m-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5
m-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 22
m-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 m, 12-8; T-Th, 10-6; Fri.-Sat., 11-5
5202 S. Hudson Ave., Suite b, 74135
m-Th, 10-6; Fri.-Sat., 11-5
m-T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5
2224 W. 51st St., 74107 918-549-7683 m-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5
c h i l d r e n ’ s stay and Play After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers.
Join yoga instructor micah Davis for stories and yoga poses you and your child can enjoy together. Please bring a yoga mat. For ages 2-5. Class size is limited.
e v e n t s
c o n t i n u e d
Learn the answers to these questions and more! For ages 5 and younger with an adult.
liBrary
For ages 2-5. Child-care groups, please call before attending. Seating is limited so we may refer you to another library. An adult must accompany 2-year-olds.
Patrocinado por el Centro Hispano y el Fideicomiso de las bibliotecas de Tulsa. informes al 918-549-7597.
en español clases de informática BiBlioteCa reGional Martin
Does your child have difficulty sitting through storytime? if so, this inclusive, interactive program of stories, songs and activities may be just what you are looking for! Sensory Storytime focuses on learning with all five senses and is especially designed for children with a variety of learning styles or sensory integration challenges. Registration is required. Register online at http://kids.tulsalibrary.org/ sensorystorytime or by calling 918549-7624. For ages 1-7 and their caregivers.
girls ages 9-12 and their mothers are invited to join us to discuss a great read. Copies of the featured book are available at the library. Participants should read the selected book prior to the program. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7624 to register.
Pratt liBrary
beary bear is missing! Please bring your favorite teddy bear and help us find our beloved storytime bear. For ages 5 and younger with an adult.
Wear your favorite superhero costume and join us for some super fun! For ages 5-11.
Let's celebrate our moms with a party! you may bring treats to share. For ages 5 and younger with an adult.
Benson liBrary
For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
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.
For ages 3-5. Music and Me This fun high-energy program features instruments, scarves, movement and more. For newborns to 5-year-olds and their caregivers.
Join us for stories, songs, rhymes and a craft. For ages 6 and younger with an adult. may Flowers A Day for moms and grandmas Let's go Fly a Kite! Puppy Dog Tales Author Day – Anna Dewdney
En esta clase aprenderás cómo navegar la página oficial de la biblioteca y la del Centro Hispano; cómo encontrar materiales, estudiar para tu gED, mejorar tu inglés, practicar para tu examen de ciudadanía y mucho más. Para todas las edades.
programas infantiles
Abrimos el salón de cómputo para los estudiantes que quieran aprovechar el tiempo para practicar con el teclado, el ratón, correo electrónico o para practicar como navegar el internet, llenar formularios o aplicaciones. Para todas las edades.
Disfruta cuentos, canciones, y actividades en inglés y español. Para niños de 0 a 5 años.
BiBlioteCa reGional Martin Cuentitos Bilingües
viajes con irina (cuentos
Cuentos, canciones y actividades en inglés y español. Para niños de 0 a 5 años. Les enseñaremos cómo crear una cuenta de correo electrónico y cómo usarla para enviar, recibir correo, aplicar a trabajos, crear carpetas y/o documentos. Para todas las edades.
Free and open to the Public please call the library 48 hours in advance of the program.
Join us as we explore an incredible book through reading, discussion and a fun activity. For grades 1-5. What is the Summer Reading Program? Can little ones participate?
utilizaremos las herramientas que tanto el internet como la biblioteca, el programa mS Word y otros recursos ofrecen para mejorar tu búsqueda de trabajo en la era digital. Para todas las edades.
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.
Book Reviews
Category
Cookbooks SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Try This at Home: Recipes From My Head to Your Plate By Richard Blais Clarkson Potter, $30, 288 pages Check this out! If you are the kind of home cook who would rather ride your bike instead of working in the kitchen, you would still enjoy Try This at Home, a book that reads like watching a Food Channel show—but far better. If you are a dedicated, enthusiastic cook, this volume is a must on top of your pile of Favorite Books, and you will be reading it slowly for weeks of enjoyment, sticking Post-it’s on page after page. And you will be tempted, no, be compelled, to try many of the recipes. Richard Blais produced a superb cookbook that is much more than a cookbook. Excellent, light, readable writing style combined with a splendid sense of humor, plus equally splendid, bizarre photographs throughout the book that gives you a page turner, almost like reading a good novel. Although a celebrated chef, Blais has no pretensions and speaks to you as equal, at home-kitchen level. Not many of his recipes are in the professional arena. He makes even basic, familiar, favorite recipes unique with one kitchen twist or another, like mashed potatoes, spaghetti carbonara, or vegetable lasagna. Then come more serious twists such as oatmeal risotto, potato chip omelet, and umami ketchup. He goes on and on, idea after kitchen idea for nearly three hundred pages. Every chapter and subchapter starts with a short, funny introduction and every recipe has an interesting head note. Many recipes have an additional optional version with yet another twist. The color photo illustrations are great examples of high-quality food photo art; others take a totally different turn that will take you aback and compel you to show it to someone. The front and back pages even
come with preprinted food stains and coffee mug rings. The production of this cookbook is high-end, eye-catching, and excellent. Recipes are laid out well, each on a single page for our convenience, ingredients clearly listed on top of the page in four columns. Blessedly, Blais does not often use hard-tofind ingredients. Most you will readily find at your supermarket. Recipe writing is also clear, unambiguous, easy to follow. Blais starts his book with a short, fascinating bio of his career, then a list of his eleven favorite pieces of equipment (one is an antique spoon in his back pocket), some of which I am certain you will not have in your kitchen: immersion circulator sous vide machine, iSi siphon, liquid nitrogen and smoking gun. Without these, you will not be able to reproduce several recipes, such as blue cheese foam, sous vide chicken or quick-fire hair gel (this one is really for his hair using duck fat!). Unlike most chefs, Blais claims “This may surprise you. But I really can’t stand plating…” referring to artistic arrangements of preplated restaurant foods. In subchapter Canned Soups he says “I like to present my homemade soups in clean soup cans.” Unusual ideas like this are in many recipes, like in Lobster Rolls with Old Bayonnaise (his blend of Old Bay seasoning, aioli, fish sauce and Sriracha sauce), or Pickled Strawberries, or Violet Mustard. The index is very good but not well cross-referenced. Reviewed by George Erdosh Slow Cooker Desserts By Jonnie Downing Ulysses Press, $14.95, 160 pages Check this out! Written by the much-loved blogger of CrockpotNinja.com, this book is a collection of her best slow cooker desserts. For those of us who enjoy a sweet note at the end of the day, dessert often comes in the form of an ultra-processed package of cookies or stale cake from the grocery store. Wield the power of choice over ingredients and enjoy something fresh, warm, and delightful with slow cooker desserts that can cook all day (or just for a few hours). Compact and slim, this book is not overwhelming and is easy to
read with a straightforward layout and lots of colorful pictures. Six chapters detail the main categories of slow cooker desserts: Cakes & Cheesecakes, Cobblers Crisps & Other Fruit Desserts, Custards & Puddings, Cookies Brownies & Bars, Fruit Compotes Spreads & Sauces, and finally Emergency Desserts - recipes you can literally dump in the pot, throw the lid over and leave! Company coming tonight, but you work a full day? Even if dinner is takeout, impress with Super-Simple Slow Cooker Cheesecake, or a Bourbon Custard with Nutmeg. Make the evening festive with Triple Chocolate Brownies or cook up an ice cream topping like Simmered Sweet Plums! You won’t be slow to find a favorite in this book. Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff Nigellissima: Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes By Nigella Lawson Clarkson Potter, $35, 288 pages Check this out! With so many great Italian cookbooks out, how can a new one succeed? That’s what I asked when I first opened the pages of Nigellissima. Then I looked with wonder and
awe at the full-page photos, each one a superb example of stunning food photo art, illustrating every single one of some hundred and twenty recipes. Luckily, the recipes are equally great, mostly real but not necessarily authentic Italian. Nigella Lawson divides her cookbook into five chapters, not according to courses but according to food types. Excellent care is taken in the recipe layout in this large, high-end production to keep the receipes conveniently on single pages. The recipe writing is very good and clear, there is a list of ingredients on the side for your quick check and often extensive, interesting and informative head notes. An available Italian food market would definitely be helpful. Lawson’s writing style is unique and very readable. Many recipes have an N symbol on top to indicate short notes at the end of the book. Ideally this should be with the recipe. Most recipes are accessible to the skills of an average home cook. Index is great. This is a cookbook both for your coffee table and your bookshelf. Reviewed by George Erdosh
Mango is an online language-learning system that can help you learn languages like: Spanish French Japanese Brazilian Portuguese German Mandarin Chinese English as a Second Language
Greek Italian Russian Hebrew Thai Vietnamese
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.
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 9
Book Reviews
Category
Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
What In God’s Name By Simon Rich Reagan Arthur Books, $23.99, 240 Pages Check this out! On any normal day in Heaven, Craig would be hard at work, doing his angelic duties in the Department of Miracles and achieving wonderful results for humans in subtle ways. But today’s hardly normal. God is resigning from his position, and part of that restructuring includes the annihilation of Earth. But Craig strikes a bargain with the soon-to-be ex-deity, wagering that he and new transfer angel Eliza can perform the miracle of all miracles: helping two incredibly awkward people find love. What In God’s Name accomplishes a lot in a short time, delivering a peculiar yet wonderfully believable love story and an absolutely hysterical satiric look at the bureaucracy of Heaven. The book goes by much too quickly, and I really wish we could have learned more about the ridiculousness of angel life and the impact they’ve had on humanity, since those little details were dynamite. (Especially when God’s criteria for getting into Heaven is revealed. Trust me.) Like all of Rich’s best works, What In God’s Name has snark AND heart, grounding characters with genuine emotion in utterly ridiculous and fantastic situations, and wrapping it all up with one marvelous truism: even the best-laid plans can succeed or fail on a whim. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas And Then I Found You By Patti Callahan Henry St. Martin’s Press, $24.99, 261pages Check this out! Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 says “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds…” and this is a love story with much alteration. Based on the true story of the
author’s sister who gave up her child for adoption only to be reunited with her by a friend request on Facebook, the story is about learning to let go and give up control. The heroine, Kate Vaughn, has only loved one person since she was thirteen years old. Not content to idle in that love, she seeks a life of adventure and meaning. So often, however, absence does not make the heart grow fonder and Kate’s one true love moves on. Can she? Obsessed by losing the two most important people in her life, her lover and her child, Kate is suspended in her own willful preoccupation with what could have been. She had vowed to love him forever but he never vowed back. The author has written nine novels and has been a New York Times best selling author. Her physical appearance is much like the description of her heroine. This is a frothy story somewhat akin to the restorative bubble bath. Enjoyable reading. Reviewed by Julia McMichael A Week in Winter By Maeve Binchy Knopf, $26.95, 336 pages Check this out! Against the advice of her family, Chicky Ryan, at the ripe old age of twenty, followed a summer boyfriend to America. The relationship evaporated but Chicky was too proud to drag herself home to Ireland. She stayed in Brooklyn, working at a boarding house for Irish laborers and writing letters to Ireland full of the happy details of her imaginary life. As the years roll on, she begins paying summer visits home to Stoneybridge and finds her senses refreshed after a week
or two at the oceanside. Then she learns that aging Miss Queenie Sheedy is broke and needs to sell her stately, crumbling Stone House; Chicky impulsively agrees to buy it, renovate it, and keep Miss Queenie in residence. And thereby hangs the tale of a nascent West Irish B&B, where everyone can find heart’s ease. For opening week, all eight Stone House bedrooms are occupied with individuals whose personal histories are quirky and complicated. As the week passes, the guests coalesce as a group, with one sad exception. This is classic Binchy: Irish feel-good with music, food, pubs, and weather in loving detail. The end result is warmly satisfying. Reviewed by Elizabeth Benford Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories By Karen Russell Knopf, $24.95, 256 pages Check this out! What if that grubby kid relentlessly bouncing a basketball up and down the road in the dark is a sensitive poet? Could you imagine that the wizened, sun-dried codger dreaming his life away under the lemon trees is sucking on fangs, repressing an ach-
ing thirst for blood? Would a middleaged masseuse be able to channel your pain and reorganize your personal history while kneading the muscles beneath your tattoos? Might a stable full of horses actually contain the spirits of former US presidents, including one who has fallen in love with a blind ewe? Welcome to the world of Karen Russell. She is probably a genius. Her imagination must be on steroids. She creates exquisite, sensuous worlds, whose inhabitants move inexorably toward their destinies. None of them are heros. Most of them would be coldly perceived as inconsequential and expendable. Yet each tells a story that leaves a permanent memory and is full of stunning details. Read this collection and recommend it to your friends. Reviewed by Elizabeth Benford
Traveling the Mother Road this Spring?
Download the Guide to Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives for diners on this route and many others.
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 10
Book Reviews
Thy Neighbor: A Novel By Norah Vincent Viking Adult, $25.95, 320 pages Check this out! Norah Vincent’s first novel Thy Neighbor proves two things. The first is that she is very skilled in the art of drawing readers into the storyline she has created. The second is that her previous exploits in the world of immersion journalism have left her with a very low opinion of humanity. The main character, thirty-something Nick Walsh, is the unlikely detective. When he is not sleeping or puking, he is drinking heavily and fighting off the painful memories of his deceased parents (an all-consuming task when you live in the house where his father shot his mother and then turned the gun on himself). His girlfriend is often cold and always secretive. His neighbor is an elderly woman who once held the fate of a loved one in her hands and chose to ignore the fact that she had any power whatsoever. They are all pariahs and their intertwined paths are covered in thick layers of muck and filth. Walsh is tasked with the unappetizing chore of sifting through years of distress and misery and figuring how their lives fit together. This is a far cry from a neat and tidy love story, which is exactly why it is so fresh and intriguing. Vincent is as smart and intuitive as she is jaded and judgmental. Thy Neighbor has all of these qualities in spades. Reviewed by Samantha Herman Out of the Easy By Ruta Sepetys Philomel, $17.99, 352 pages Check this out! Although she is smart, resourceful, and hard-working, Josie Moraine is the child of a New Orleans prostitute and an unknown father. No matter how hard she works or how much she saves, Josie cannot move beyond the shadow of her mother’s exploits. Seventeen-year-old Josie has big plans: she is going to apply to and attend Smith College in Massachusetts… as soon as she finds a way to get in and to pay the tuition. In the midst of her college scheming, Josie’s mother becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, her surrogate father’s health dramatically deteriorates, and her mother’s boyfriend threat-
ens to kill her. And Josie might be in love. It’s hard not to root for Josie. She’s gritty, street-wise, and literate. She can transition from cleaning the brothel in the morning to discoursing about literature in the afternoon. Septys’s skillful characterization of Josie, and of all the colorful people in Josie’s world, makes Out of the Easy a riveting read. Did her mother murder a tourist? Will Josie be accepted to college? Will she ever break free from her mother’s legacy? Septy’s engaging story-telling ensnares the reader and enmeshes one’s attention until the very end. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney Poseidon By George O’Connor First Second, $9.99, 80 pages Check this out! George O’Connor has put together one of the industry’s best written graphic novel series. It seems everyone has something to write pertaining to Greek mythology, but this series, and especially this book, brings these myths to life in full color glory. Poseidon is a full page size, full color graphic novel with an action packed twist to the God of the Sea. The Earth Shaker, Lord of the Oceans, and one of the three sons of the mighty Kronos tells the entire story of how he and his two brothers freed the mortal world from the destruction and chaos brought forth by the Titans and how each brother made his claim to a certain aspect of the cosmos; the oceans in this case. The book isn’t limited to Poseidon specifically. The beautiful artwork depicts the tales of Pegasus, the winged horse, Triton, the merman, Polyphemus, the one-eyed giant, and the tale of Theseus. O’Connor stays true to the historical elegance of mythology and it is a pleasure to add this book to my book collection. Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch
to find happiness among the distractions of success. Little Known Facts asks the question: What does it take to be happy? It seems obvious that Renn Ivins, with all his fame and wealth, would be happy, but he isn’t. How about his son, ridiculously wealthy yet unencumbered by fame? Is it possible to be happy without fulfilling work? Or his daughter, Anna, who is fulfilled by her job but unlucky in her love for a married man? Every character has the means to be happy but finds some reason not to be. The characters are endearing in their earnestness and their soul-searching desire to find meaning in their relationship with the pole star of their lives, Renn Ivins. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney
Little Known Facts By Christine Sneed Bloomsbury USA, $25.00, 304 pages Check this out! Actor, director, and producer Renn Ivins has everything: money, fame, a beautiful young girlfriend, critical acclaim, and big plans for the future. He is a bright light in Hollywood, brilliant on the silver screen and astute behind the camera, but he’s not nearly as adept at scripting his relationships with his loved ones or avoiding the pitfalls brilliance brings. Narrated by Ivins and those closest to him — his children, ex-wives, girlfriends, and a dedicated fan— Little Known Facts describes Ivins’ attempt Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 11
Visit TulsaLibrary.org/downloads and use your Tulsa City-County Library card to download eBooks that are always available.
đ Choose from more than 22,000 eBooks in dozens of genres from nearly 30 publishers. đ Have instant access to titles – no waiting, no “holds” queues. đ Find new eBook titles added weekly. POWERED BY
Book Reviews
Category
Romance SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Lady Most Willing By Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway Avon, $7.99, 384 pages Check this out! Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway once again join forces to bring readers a wonderfully romantic and humorous novel written in three parts. Taran Ferguson is tired of waiting for his two nephews, the Comte de Rocheforte and the Earl of Oakley, to choose wives. In an attempt to force their hand he kidnaps four candidates and accidentally nabs the irate Duke of Bretton along with them. Each part follows one of the would-be brides on their path to finding romance. Like their previous collaboration all three authors deliver a fun, don’t want to put down story. There were a couple downsides, one being the one shrewish lady, Marilla, who is a tad overdone. Her only role is obviously to push each bachelor towards his destined bride. The progression of romance between Rocheforte and his lady had a bit too much of instant love to really be believable but Oakley’s and Bretton’s stories were wonderfully paced. Readers will enjoy watching each woman find her happily ever afters. Both fans and new readers of all three authors will not want to miss this one. Reviewed by Debbie Suzuki The Autumn Bride (A Chance Sisters Romance) By Anne Gracie Berkley Sensation, $7.99, 320 pages Check this out! Abigail Chantry would do anything for those she loves. While she has a good name, she has no money. She makes the dramatic decision to break into an empty mansion to find something to sell in order to protect her sister and best friends from destitution.
Her life unexpectedly turns around when she discovers the neglected Lady Davenham bedridden within the manor and comes to her defense. Things get further complicated when Lord Davenham, the old woman’s nephew, returns home to find Abigail and her friends running the house as his aunt’s “nieces.” In this ultimate Cinderella story, an impoverished young lady meets the unlikely, rather arrogant prince charming and attempts to beat all odds for a fairy tale ending. There were parts of this book I loved and parts that were stale. I’m sick of the rescuedfrom-the-brothel storyline in historic romance. It’s been done so many times lately. However, Gracie’s novel is fun, humorous, and complex with absolutely delightful characters. I laughed out loud. I cringed. I sighed with relief to know that this is the first in a series and there is more to come. While not entirely unique, the Chance Sisters Romance series proves to have a lot to offer. I can’t wait to see what happens next. The Autumn Bride is a fast and fun read that will surely have you smiling as two headstrong characters battle it out and inevitably fall in love. Reviewed by Jennifer Melville Hip Check (New York Blades) By Dierdre Martin Berkley Sensation, $7.99, 352 pages Check this out! What happens when a real ‘man’s man’ suddenly finds himself in the ‘single-father’ role to his orphaned 8-year-old niece? Esa Saari is a professional hockey player who plays as hard off the ice as he does while he’s on it. His sister Danika was killed in a plane crash the year before this story opens, and left him her daughter, Nell. He knows nothing about little girls, or the care and raising of them.
Fortunately, Esa’s NY Blades teammates recommend a nanny who’s looking for a new job. A former teacher, Michelle Beck also lost her mother at an early age, so she can readily identify with young Nell. Michelle’s father and brother live together, and bicker constantly. The two men are staunch Islander fans, and the brother especially is determined to get Michelle away from Esa. Esa is near the end of his contract and the team is dragging its feet in offering him a new one. Michelle’s dad has a heart attack, and then Esa’s parents drop in from Finland in the hope of taking Nell home with them. When Michelle and Esa join forces in this particular battle, the results are awesome, and spread out over the rest of their lives. There’s lots of steam in the relationship, and the air is frequently blue from the locker-room language. It’s still a fun read! Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz Edge of Dawn: A Midnight Breed Novel By Lara Adrian Delacorte Press, $25.00, 273 pages Check this out! Book eleven in Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed Series picks up twenty years after the events that took place in Darker After Midnight; most notably Dragos’s release of hundreds of blood addicted vampires, known as rogues, onto the unsuspecting world on what is now called First Dawn. The Breed and humans alike have struggled to bring peace back to the world now that the Breeds have been exposed. With twenty years having passed, the younger characters we were introduced to earlier in the series are now grown up. A few of the mated couples of the Order have had children so there are several new characters introduced in this book. A new generation of the Breed is now members of the Order along with the original members. Mira and Kellen grew up under the protection of the Order and lived through the years of wars waged after First Dawn. Just as they finally acknowledge their love for each other, a terrible accident takes Kellen from Mira. On the eight year anniversary of the accident, what really happened that night will come to light. It also exposes a
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 12
conspiracy that would possibly lead to the extinction of the Breed population if not stopped. Also, great strides and confirmation of the origin of the Breedmates are made in this installation of the series. Reviewed by Jennifer Moss Abby Road By Ophelia London Entangled Select, $14.99, 400 pages Check this out! Abigail Kelly has it all. She’s one of the most popular music artists of the day and is constantly in the spotlight. Everywhere she looks, there’s a photographer trying to capture the next cover of People Magazine. Yet, despite all her success, Abigail’s life is falling apart. She’s close to a nervous breakdown. She’s overcome with grief following the death of her brother, suffocating under the control of her manager, and desperately unhappy despite her success. Abigail takes time off to stay with her sister on a secluded Florida beach, determined to find peace. Todd is a war veteran learning to make a new life for himself after the Marines. His attraction to Abigail is instantaneous. He sweeps her off her feet, offering her a real chance at love and happiness and balancing her perfectly. For a moment Abigail forgets the heartache of her life… until her manager demands that she return to LA and get back to work. Balancing her fast-paced rock-star existence with the quiet, sweet love she found in Florida is much harder than she imagined. She’ll have to risk everything if she wants a shot at true happiness. Is it worth it, or will her world come crashing down? Fresh, fun, and utterly delightful, Ophelia London is a rising star in romance. I simply couldn’t put this one down! Abby Road is a sweet summer read that simply begs to be read on the beach. Reviewed by Jennifer Melville
Book Reviews Category
Home, Garden & DIY SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Starting Seeds By Barbara Ellis Storey Publishing, LLC, $8.95, 128 pages Check this out! Starting Seeds: How to Grow Healthy, Productive Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers from Seed by Barbara Ellis is a great how-to resource for self-reliance. Ellis’s straight forward and confident style makes even this hesitant seed-starter feel assured this spring in front of the seed catalog. From how seeds germinate to making your own seed tapes, Starting Seeds walks you through everything you need to start in the endeavor of starting plants from seed in your front room, basement, green house, cold frame, or kitchen window. Broken down into three parts - getting started, sowing indoors, and sowing outdoors - get ready to get dirty! From seed selection, germination, man-
aging seedlings, and sowing schedules to transplanting started plant into the garden or pot or even sowing seeds directly into your garden, this book helps you through the basics of food and/or flower production. Even if you’ve started seeds yourself before to more or less success, Ellis offers good advice for a better garden this year and every year. Make sure to add this book to your seed order this year. Reviewed by Axie Barclay The Spinner’s Book of Yarn Designs By Sarah Anderson Storey Publishing, LLC, $27.50, 256 pages Check this out! Knitting has had quite an extraordinary resurgence in the last several years. There is something so comforting about creating something beautiful with one’s own hands. But in order to knit, one has to have yarn, and what could be more satisfying than creating one’s own yarn? Many think this is a lost art, but if it had been lost, this gorgeous See Spinner’s Book, cont’d on page 15
Category
Nature & Science
how can consequences be used to develop desired behaviors. Studies have shown certain consequence-based systems to be at least as effective as, if not more effective than, chemical (drug) treatments for conditions from depression to ADHD. As another example, the right amount of positive to negative consequences can overcome debilitating physical impairments, limitations due to disadvantaged backgrounds, or poor pet behavior. This excellent, excellent book is a wonderfully entertaining and enlightening survey of the studies that have been done and are ongoing into why we react to consequences, and how we can use this knowledge to improve all areas of our lives, from our families to the workplace to the world at large. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner The Missing Alphabet By Susan Marcus Greenleaf Book Group Press, $17.95, 190 pages Check this out! In our fast-paced culture, parents often schedule every second of their child’s day. We want our kids to succeed and have been taught that science and math are far more important for success than creativity. According to authors Susan Marcus, Susie Monday, and Cynthia Herbert in their enlightening new book, The Missing Alphabet-
A Parent’s Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids, this way of thinking is just plain wrong. Creativity will be the intellectual currency of the future, and it’s up to parents to help their child develop creative thinking skills. Marcus, Monday, and Herbert give parents the tools to engage their children in creative thinking processes that will help them throughout their lifetimes. Learn how to delve deep into the imagination. Discover the scientific importance of unstructured play. Incorporate lessons on texture, space, colors, and shapes into your everyday life. The field guide of ideas to help your child become a creative thinker is incredibly helpful. All of their suggestions can easily be integrated into regular routines and will help you make the most of your time with your child. I learned a lot of techniques to apply to my own parenting. Whether you are a parent or a teacher, a grandparent or an aunt or uncle, this book is worth reading. It just might change your perspective on the best way to spend time with the little learners in your life. Reviewed by Jennifer Melville
Kids Book ook Review vie vi iew
The ONLY children’s book review publication in the nation written BY the kids.
SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Science of Consequences By Susan M. Schneider Prometheus Books, $21.00, 350 pages Check this out! The study of consequences has given us incredible insights into human behavior. Beginning with an overview of what is meant by ‘consequences’ - rewards or incentives, or negative punishers that occur because of an action - every definition or assertion in this book is supported by several brief, amusing and engaging examples of research or study, such as observations of flatworms or
flycatchers, beloved pets or the human brain. The author addresses questions such as, how did we evolve to react to consequences, what happens in the brain and the body when we make choices, what is the relationship between classical conditioning and the application of consequences, and
Subscribe to receive our monthly publication at SanFranciscoBookReview.com.
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 13
Details at: http://bit.ly/JDQGw3
Book Reviews Category
Science Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Tuf Voyaging By George R.R. Martin Bantam, $16.00, 448 pages Check this out! From 19791986, bestselling author of the Song of Ice and Fire series, George R. R . Martin wrote a series of science fiction short stories about the intrepid adventurer and unique character named Tuf. The stories were eventually collected into a single volume, called Tuf Voyaging that went out of print some years ago. The good people at Bantam have now brought these wonderful stories back into print for everyone to enjoy. Tuf is originally a merchant and trader with his simple ship, Cornucopia of Gods at Excellent Prices, and enjoys his life traveling the galaxy with his cats who he loves, until he ends up with a new ship after an interesting adventure in the first story, “Plague Star.” Tuf now possess the Ark, a ship that hasn’t been used in over a thousand years, is thirty kilometers long, and is also a “seedship”, meaning it possess many seeds and genes and machinery to clone and generate life at astonishing speeds. Tuf now dubs himself an ecological engineer and spends his time traveling the galaxy helping people with his incredible ship. The stories in Tuf Voyaging are refreshing and original and thoroughly entertaining, presenting a facet of Martin that few have seen. Reviewed by Alex Telander Empty Space: A Haunting By M. John Harrison Night Shade Books, $14.99, 280 pages Check this out! In Empty Space: A Haunting, M John Harrison continues, if not potentially concludes, the Kefahuchi Tract sequence after a gap of some five years. By any standards this is a remarkable piece of writing. To understand why, we need briefly to consider the two earlier books. The slight majority of
the action in Light (2002) takes place on Earth and deals with the life and times of Michael Kearney, physicist and serial killer. Nova Swing (2007) is almost exclusively set in the future where the physicist’s equations have enabled humanity to “reach the stars”. Empty Spaces juggles the failure of Anna Kearney to adjust to life without her husband with events coming to something of a climax in the future. As a common denominator, there’s a series of murders where the bodies float into the air. All is told in a quite miraculous prose. Although very British, there’s a wonderfully polished quality about it which imbues the plot with great color and considerable sardonic humor as “things” fail to work out well. Naturally, you will not get the same enjoyment out of this book if you read it as a standalone. This should be your excuse to read all three! Reviewed by David Marshall Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain By A. Lee Martinez Orbit, $13.99, 320 pages Check this out! Emperor Mollusk is an inventor, a leader, and the ex-warlord of Earth. As a supervillain, he’s done it all and then some. Not too shabby for an invertebrate genius in a robotic body. Now in retirement, he aches for a challenge worthy of his talents, even in a solar system full of enemies both human and alien. But when a long-time foe warns him of an assassination plot afoot, Emperor Mollusk finds himself on a journey to confront the most diabolical force he’s ever encountered. And relishing the challenge. A. Lee Martinez has written some exceedingly funny and inventive fantasy books, and he continues that fine tradition with Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister
Brain. It’s like the best pulpy sci-fi run amok, complete with ray guns and flying saucers and engineered monsters galore. It almost reads as if it were written in the serialized format of old sci-fi shorts like Commando Cody and the Radar Men.
Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain might not be the funniest book in his library -- a title long held by Gil’s All Fright Diner -- but it’s arguably his most creatively unhinged. What great fun. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Category
Fantasy SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
God of War II By Robert E. Vardeman Del Rey, $15.00, 368 pages Check this out! If possible, I’d rate this book 6 stars. It is rare that I find a book so enthralling and engaging that I completely leave the real world behind from beginning to end without coming up for air. Based on the super-hit video game series, God of War, Kratos, a mighty warrior eternally enslaved to the gods is given his freedom after defeating the mighty Ares, God of War. Kratos is a cold-hearted, soulless, demigod out to seek revenge on the world and will need to rely upon the fearlessly fated Titans to defeat the mighty god, Zeus, so Kratos can overthrow Olympus and take revenge and only then will his nightmares cease and the tormented hauntings they bring will subside. If you loved the video game series, you will love this book as it takes off where the game ends and so much content is added to to enrich the storyline. Kratos is one of those powerful characters that walks the line of both good and evil and I find myself justifying his gory bloodshed, as somewhere within him lies a good soul. If you are looking for a book to get lost in for a few hours, this is definitely the one! Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch
Tulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 14
A Conspiracy of Alchemists: Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow By Liesel Schwarz Del Rey, $25.00, 352 pages Check this out! A Conspiracy of Alchemists is a truly unique amalgam of urban fantasy, steampunk, vampires, warlocks and romance. Moreover, author Liesel Schwarz pulls these diverse themes together in a delightfully entertaining way. Conspiracy is set in Europe in early 1900’s in a world facing mounting tensions between creatures of light and those of shadow. Elle Chance is an exceedingly independent pilot of a steam-powered dirigible, who is hired for what appears to be a simple transport job. That, however, is just the beginning of her adventure, in which she becomes key to the rising tension between light and shadow as her own past is slowly revealed. Throughout this adventure, a rather dashing, aristocratic warlock named Marsh is her sometimes partner, sometimes adversary. Although the romantic aspects of this novel are a bit too predictable, Schwarz has otherwise written a very creative plot that keeps the reader wondering what will happen next up to the last page. Conspiracy is a promising start to a new series, and I, for one, am looking forward to the next installment. Reviewed by Annie Peters
Book Reviews Category
History & Current Events SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
In the Shadow of the Greatest Generation By Melinda L. Pash New York University Press, $35.00, 336 pages Check this out! Caught between the two most discussed wars of the twentieth century, the “good” war that was World War II and the “bad” war in Vietnam, the Korean War is all but forgotten today, and with it the 6.8 million Americans who participated in it. In 2010, of that host it is estimated only 2.5 million live and all of them over the age of seventy. In an effort to bring attention to these American veterans and their stories, Professor Melinda L. Pash has put together one of the first comprehensive looks at the men and women who went to Korea between 1950 and 1953. In the Shadow of the Greatest Generation is Pash’s attempt to bring the people who fought in the war and how that war shaped America out of the shadows of its older and younger siblings and into the light. From enlistment/drafting to the war front and back home, Pash’s book is comprehensive in its look at the people who fought in Korea: men, women, whites, blacks, hispanics, and other minorities. She asks and attempts to explain why these people went off to the war without protest and how starkly different their experience was from those who came before and after them. Reviewed by Jonathon Howard America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great By Ben Carson, M.D. Zondervan, $14.99, 224 pages Check this out! If you’ve watched the news lately, you’ve likely heard about Ben Carson. Neurosurgeon, professor, author, and inspiring political mind Dr. Carson gave a now-famous
speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in early February 2013. Since then, he’s been on numerous news programs and has been the talk of the town. If you’re wondering “Who is this man?” or were inspired by his tellit-like-it-is speech and vision for America, this book is for you. In America the Beautiful, Dr. Carson delves into America’s past to help us find the path forward. In these turbulent times, nothing could be better. Dr. Carson was born into a single-parent household and rose from poverty to prestige. He learned a lot from his unbringing and his experiences color his beliefs. He’s not afraid to be politically incorrect. “The question is,” Dr. Carson asks in his prologue, “Can we learn from the experiences of those nations that preceded us and take corrective action, or must we inexorably follow the same self-destructive course?” Religion, morals, education, socialism, and the road forward… those are only a few of the topics covered in this must-read political book of the year. America the Beautiful is informative. It’s a beautiful recounting of American history and a glimmer of hope for a brighter future. No matter your political leanings, pick up a copy today and see what everyone’s talking about. Reviewed by Jennifer Melville
rule who brought us headliners such as Enron, Lehman Brothers, and big bank bail-outs, reacted with shock at the Occupy Wall Street movement. Leaderless, and without a snazzy soundbite, the movement died a slow death in time for the status quo to return to business as usual: one that touts infinite growth of GDP. The authors propose a standard tied to the pursuit of happiness. How un-American! They use the term “steady-state economy” to describe a system of fair distribution, efficient allocation, and sustainable scale in order to achieve a “high quality of life” for all citizens. How absurd! They point to other national economies which cater to citizen happiness, and recommend four essentials that can be measured on a scale of “gross national happiness”.
Enough Is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources By Rob Dietz, Dan O’Neill Berrett Koehler, $19.95, 240 pages Check this out! That roar you hear on the horizon is the next generation rising in protest at their inheritance from the Me Generation: unfathomable debt, crashed financial markets, and a thoroughly exploited planet. A growing number of people have certainly had “Enough.” The corporate Kings of MisTulsa Book Review • May 2013 • 15
This idea, of balancing ecology with economy, stands not a chance against the winners of the current “Rat Race” who are content with our misery. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn Spinner’s Book cont’d from pg. 13 book will help many find it again. Some real basics are covered such as evaluation of cleanliness, fleece types, and washing, rinsing, and drying the fleece. The techniques for hand carding wool and combing wool are explained with wonderful photographs showing each step. Equipment from the drum carder to the Niddy Noddy to the spinning spindles and their uses are shown. In the back is a set of 64 pocket-sized reference cards with spinning variations illustrated on each. Every method for the different types of yarn, and there are many, is clearly explained with both a short write-up and excellent photographs of all steps necessary. For fans of anything homemade, this will become a staple in their libraries. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Thursday, May 16 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Rudisill Regional Library 1520 N. Hartford, 918-549-7645
Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame Director Jason McIntosh will showcase the history of Oklahoma’s African-American musicians who traveled on the “Chitlin’ Circuit.” Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere where all are free to “speakeasy.” Music performances include the days of Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday, down to Motown and through today. Dress as your favorite juke-joint character, if you like. Sponsored by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Tulsa Library Trust and African-American Resource Center.
Join Tulsa City-County Library’s 2013
Summer Reading Program May 20-Aug. 3
Earn great prizes and coupons for food and local recreation! Attend awesome free events! Read for the fun of it! Visit any library location to pick up a summer reading log and event guide.
FOR CHILDREN
Newborns through fifth-graders may participate. Learn more at http://kids.tulsalibrary.org.
FOR TEENS AND TWEENS
You must have completed fifth grade to participate. Learn more at http://teens.tulsalibrary.org.
PRESENTED BY: