Sacramento
Nov 09
Book Review VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3
F R E E
NEW AND OF INTEREST
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Devine Justice “Divine Justice” divine Page 7
Expanded Cooking, Food & Wine Insert Pages 13-18
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Jamie’s Food Revolution
Jamie’s Cooking Secrets Unleashed! Page 15
Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures
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A Cookbook for the RV Traveler, Lover of Dutch Heritage, Seasonal Eater, & Home Cook--All in One Page 17
From His Table To Yours By Jeff Crump; Bettina Schormann Ecco, $34.99, 336 pages
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Chef Jeff Crump learned the art of local foods and seasonal menus at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and The Fat Duck in Brey, England. Now the chef at the Ancaster Old Mill restaurant in Ontario Canada, he was also the founder of Slow Food in Canada. His restaurant focuses on locally grown foods, served during their peak season, for full freshness and flavor. Earth To Table is a collection of recipes from Crump and his pastry chef Bettina Schormann, organized by seasons, and including chapters relevant to food collection and preparation -
Spring includes a How-To on foraging and composting, Summer has Canning and Preserving. The recipes, while not hard, are probably not for an inexperienced cook and are well worth the extra effort of finding the freshest ingredients of the season from either local farms, farmers markets, or a grocery store sourcing from local suppliers. There are profiles of other Slow Food chefs, including The French Laundry’s Thomas Keller and commentary from Crump on his local sources of ingredients. Reviewed by Ross Rojek
Mr. Lanshaw’s Square Piano
Goold Gives A Fascinating History Of The First Pianos Page 22
The Pricker Boy
More than just a scary story Page 27
132 Reviews INSIDE!
Technology Hacking: The Next Generation By Nitesh Dhanjani, Billy Rios, & Brett Hardin O’Reilly Media, Inc., $39.99, 279 pages Computer security has never been an easy job. The advent of the internet only complicated things, and now with social media it has become even more so. Hacking: The Next Generation is an in-depth, extensive look at how hackers are using new tools to get their hands on and in other people’s business. This book is not for the casual reader, and it isn’t even for the savvy computer user; IT workers, systems administrators, and computer security professionals are the target audience here. Dhanjani and company go through the entire inventory of security breaching in this book, with real-world examples and sample code to show just how easy it is for hackers to get a hold of information in today’s world. Phishing, Social Engineering, Using Social websites for Data Mining, Cross-Site Scripting, Abusing SMTP and ARP, Blended Threats, Cloud Computing Vulnerabilities-it is all here with case studies and code. As computing becomes ever more complex and
heterogeneous hackers and attackers will have an increasing array of options to use, security professionals need to be aware of these new threats and how the traditional methods (fortress like defenses) are ill equipped or, worse, completely unable to rebuff them. Hackers: The Next Generation is a guide showing where the hacking scene is now, where it is trending and how best to combat it. Reviewed by Jonathon Howard Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 17 By Gareth Branwyn, Ryan Heffernan, Lisa Katayama, Frank Ford, Suzanne Forbes, Jake von Slatt Dale Dougherty, $14.99, 192 pages Make is a magazine that helps everyone and anyone become a technology nut. Their Steampunk edition begins with multiple information-based articles including what Steampunk is, how different people have built their own creations, such as glass bugs and the Hennepin Crawler, and a historical piece on Trouvé. Then it dives into the hands-on stuff. Everything from the
practical (how to remove rust or paint from metal) to the decorative (spicing up that dull memory stick) to the outlandish (create your own wunderkammer) is outlined in a clear how-to format including pictures and detailed instructions. The writing is articulate, enjoyable, and clear. The pictures are helpful and lettered to go with the written instructions. This magazine provides sections that are great for kids (the Trouvé piece is written from his perspective), sections that are great for those who are experienced with technology (including a place where they set up a problem and you have to think of the solution), and sections that are great for people who are just curious about different technologies (including books, websites, and short quotes that may be of interest). It is long and definitely not something most people would want to read cover-to-cover, but interesting nonetheless. Reviewed by Kayli Crosby You Are What You Choose: The Habits of Mind That Really Determine How We Make Decisions By Scott de Marchi and James T. Hamilton Portfolio, $23.95, 187 pages You Are What You Choose is written by Duke University professors Scott De Marchi and James T. Hamilton. The authors use research to illustrate the patterns that under-
lie human decisionmaking. To test their ideas, they administered subjective surveys to approximately 30,000 people, resulting in the discovery that there are six core traits that shape every decision we make. Once readers know how the traits work, they can predict more accurately how people behave, and this book also offers surveys to help its readers identify their own traits. “How can you use TRAITS to predict the choices you care about?” You Are What You Choose: The Habits of Mind That Really Determine How We Make Decisions offers constructive solutions to help people change how we make decisions. According to the authors, “If you’re totally focused on outcomes today, you will miss out on opportunities in the future. Likewise, if you’re always thinking about tomorrow, you may miss what today has to offer.” Reviewed by Vivian Dixon Sober
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Book Review 1776 Productions 1215 K Street, 17th Floor Sacramento, CA 95814 Ph. (916) 503-1776 info@1776productions.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ross Rojek ross@1776productions.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kaye Cloutman kaye.cloutman@1776productions.com GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Heidi Komlofske heidi.komlofske@1776productions.com COPY EDITORS Autumn Conley Diane Jinson EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Jen LeBrun Jordan Dacayanan DISTRIBUTION Sacramento Distribution Services ADVERTISING SALES Jordan Bassior sales@1776productions.com
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IN THIS ISSUE Art, Architecture & Photography...................4 Biographies & Memoirs..................................5 Business & Investing......................................5 Current Events...............................................6 Music & Movies...............................................6 Mystery, Crime & Thrillers.............................7 Technology.....................................................8 Tweens...........................................................8 Popular Fiction...............................................8 Historical Fiction............................................9 Philosophy......................................................9 Home & Garden..............................................9 Modern Literature & Fiction........................10 Self-Help.......................................................11 Reference......................................................11 Romance.......................................................12 Cooking, Food & Wine..................................13 Spirituality & Inspiration.............................20 Sports & Outdoors........................................21 Religion........................................................21 Travel...........................................................21 History.........................................................22 Health, Fitness & Dieting.............................23 Parenting & Families....................................24 Local Calendar..............................................25 Sequential Art..............................................26 Young Adult..................................................27 Children’s Books...........................................28 Science Fiction & Fantasy.............................30 Science & Nature..........................................31
FROM THE EDITOR Well, another fine month of reviews, and this time, we have enough of Cooking, Food & Wine reviews to keep the most avid chef busy for a month. Putting them all together was a task, but Heidi and the reviewers rose to the challenge to get something for almost every taste. Heidi and I went to the California Lectures event with John Irving, and they kindly let us put copies of the October issue on their table for people to pick up. As we were sitting there in our seats waiting for John to come out, it was flattering to see so many people who picked it up and were reading it while they waited. We sometimes do get to see people reading it or picking it up at a bookstore we’re visiting or dropping copies off to, but mostly we work in a vacuum with the occasional email pointing out our errors. Also this month, we have a great article from reviewer Susan Roberts on two Revolutionary War books and a review spotlight on Amanda Mitchell. You can see many of the talented reviewer biographies on our website in the “About Us” menu link. Online, we also have some new Audible Author interviews: Anne Rice talking about her new novel Angel Time (reviewed on page 11) and Brandon Sanderson on getting the call to finish the last part of Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time series. Both were fun to do, and will hopefully give you a little more insight on the books themselves. Thanks for picking us up, and please pass us along to someone else when you are done. Happy reading, Ross Rojek —Editor-in-Chief ross@1776productions.com 1776 Productions
Coming Up... Next month, we’ll have our annual Holiday Gift Guide with plenty of great art books, seasonal reviews and, of course, a bit of everything else..
November 09
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Art, Architecture & Photography Photography Unplugged By Harald Mante Rocky Nook, Inc, $49.95, 201 Pages Just cracking open this book reminded me that photographers are a singularly offset group—folks who seem to exist mainly to remind those caught up in their busy lives that there are unique and beautiful ways of viewing the world; each snap of a shutter— above a well-aimed lens—strives to make a scene ‘new’ to the eye. The stunning quality of the photos, expressed in an ‘unplugged’ state. Unfamiliar with Harald Mante’s work, I nevertheless poured through the images with wide eyes, feeling like a child looking through my father’s large photography volumes depicting great scene from decades past. In this compilation, the German-born photographer spans Europe and parts of Africa, toying with surface calm and interplaying textures; the colors and imperfections captured tell a story all their own, and yet does so without words. As with most photography books, there is little explanation accompanying each picture; one is left wondering about the scenes presented and how the artist stumbled upon them. Too moving to be labeled a ‘coffee-table book,’ these snapshots can be enjoyed by the entire family. Reviewed by Meredith Greene Calatrava (Reissue) By Philip Jodidio TASCHEN, $39.95, 528 pages The nice part about Taschen’s publishing system of first releasing a book in an exclusive edition for $150 - $1500 is that eventually they begin to release the same works in lower priced editions for different customer bases. Those interested in the many artists, architects and subjects published by Taschen sometimes need to practice patience waiting for the release at the price point they can enjoy. Calatrava Complete Works 1979-2009 is one of those books. Originally released in 2007 as an XL Edition for $150, the latest version is now only $40, yet contains more than the 2007 release. Calatrava is a world-renowned architect, with projects worldwide, including the upcoming 150-story Chicago Tower (which will be the tallest building in America when completed.) This is an extensive overview of his work, with commentary in English, French and German. There are hundreds of photographs and drawings, showing the process from conception to execution.
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While many of the projects are overseas, he has more than nine projects in the US, including the Redding, Calif. Sundial Footbridge. Others include the Milwaukee Art Museum, the upcoming World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York City and a sculpture in Dallas for Southern Methodist University called Wave. Calatrava’s highest profile commission may be the Athens 2004 Olympic Stadium. An interesting and easily affordable coffee-table book of one of today’s interesting and successful architects. Bla Bac Photo: The Art of Skateboarding Photography By Mike Blabac powerHOUSE books, $49.95, 223 pages Following the DIY spirit of punk, skate, and youth culture, Mike Blabac is literally a self-made man and self-taught photographer. Bla Bac Photo: The Art of Skateboarding Photography chronicles his story through narratives, comments, captions, and most importantly gigantic, telling, and awesome moment-caught-in-the-middle-of-a-trick photographs. A treatise on his career, the photos span from the time he was simply a skater himself taking pictures of his fellow skaters and friends to some of his first magazine shots and through his work today, which encompasses not only his regular job as the director of photography for DC shoes, but also his own pursuits photographing skaters and skating and constantly trying to push the arts of photography and skating and the fusion of the two. Perhaps Bla Bac Photo and Blabac’s philosophy can be best summed up by the postcard pictured within the pages that Blabac got in his youth from one of his idols, Lance Mountain: “I have no info on photography except I failed in school and still do it. All you have to do is like skating, you know the angles you want to see in a photo.” Reviewed by Jordan Dacayanan Ghosts of Harlem By Hank O’Neal Vanderblt University Press, $75.00, 432 pages
From 1985 to 2007, Frank O’Neal, author and photographer, interviewed 42 artists who made music in Harlem during the community’s heyday and decline. These ghost stories are personal memories of some of the jazz world’s leading musicians. An introduction is provided by Charles Rangel of New York, who talks about the musicians’ lives in Harlem, music in general, the people they new, the
Zaha Hadid: Complete Works, 1979-2009 Edited by Philip Jodidio Taschen, $150.00, 500 pages For those who don’t follow architecture all that closely, Zaha Hadid probably isn’t a recognizable name. Yet, her apparent rise to fame in the last decade is the result of twenty years of dedicated work and winning many international design competitions, but rarely had a project completed. In Zaha Hadid: Complete Works, 1979-2009, editor Jodidio traces her development though hundreds of images, rough sketches, finished drawings, and, finally, completed works. Hadid has done two projects in the U.S., the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (1998) and Eli and Edythe Broad Museum at Michigan State University (2008). The New York Times called the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art “the most important new building in America since the Cold War.” Maybe the most recognizable building Hadid as done this decade is the BMW Central Building, Leipzig, Germany. Her fanciful designs in the late Seventies and early Eighties pushed the limits of what could be done at the time, and as computer-aided design came available, and the construction techniques to match her vision, she began to see those fanciful designs become reality. There is also an included section on Hadid’s non-architectural art, installations and exhibitions, but comes almost as an afterthought at the end of 500 pages of architectural thought, design and completed projects. But for anyone following contemporary architecture, this is a book to collect.
places they played, and what made Harlem a city within a city. The reader is given an assessment of a meeting with Dizzy Gillespie and O’Neals vivid portrait of Dizzy in his later life. O’Neal visited, for example, Maxine Sullivan in her home in the Bronx on numerous occasions. Together they talked about gigs in Harlem and on 52nd Street. Miss Sullivan’s declaration is the recurring theme throughout this book - what you see is what you get. The reader is taken on a stellar journey throughout world famous Harlem, USA through the eyes of a spy, photography, author, and music-producer. O’Neal, by way of introduction to the readers, first experiences the joys of photography while watching his father print World War II pictures and family portraits in a kitchen darkroom. At age 12, he won a Brownie Hawkeye camera in a drawing and soon began making and processing his own pictures. During 40 years in the music business and a resident of the culturally diverse Greenwhich Village, he formed two record companies (Chiaroscuro Records and
Hammond Enterprises). Also, he operated two recording studios, produced more than 200 jazz records and 100 music festivals with his partner Shelly Shier. Further, he has served on the boards of various non-profit organizations which include The Jazz Foundation of America, the Jazz Museum in Harlem, the Jazz Gallery, and the Jazz and Contemporary Programs of the New School. O’Neal has also authored the Eddie Condon Scrapbook of Jazz (1973), A Vision Shared (1976), Charlie Parker: The Funky Blues (1995), Gay Day: The Golden Age of the Christopher Street Passage(2006), and Bereuence Abbot (2008), which deals with his long-time friend, teacher, and fellow photographer. In closing this volume through interviews and photographs, O’Neal brings forth the very life rhythms of Harlem and is unlike any other books on jazz. A gem of a book, which belongs in any library and among jazz enthusiasts. Reviewed by Claude M. Ury
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Biographies & Memoirs Lady Jane Grey By Eric Ives Wiley Blackwell, $29.95, 342 pages It really starts with Henry VIII and all those wives. With Katherine he begat Mary; with Anne Boleyn he begat Elizabeth; and with Jane Seymour he begat Edward (the VI). So in 1547, the King Henry IIIV dies and his son Edward the VI is king. But, though he is scarcely 16, Edward is slowly dying. He will not live to bear a son to succeed him. His sisters Mary and Elizabeth are obvious rivals for the honor but there is another: his cousin Jane Gray, progeny of Henry VIII’s youngest sister. Edward wanted Jane as his successor and let his will be known to the political power keepers of the day. Mary was a force to be reckoned with, however, and after a (brief) period of struggle and intrigue, Jane Grey was beheaded and Mary won the crown. Eric Ives has written a book about the thirteen days after Edward’s death in which Jane was held in the Tower. Queen for a day? For nine days? For thirteen? Why was she not accepted as Queen? Why did her supporters so suddenly and universally desert her cause?
This book is written for a reader steeped in English history, particularly in the politics of Tudor England, and one who is interested in the fine details of historical truth. For example, we are advised that at the time of his death, the illness that killed Edward VI was known as “the sweat” and it was later understood to have been TB. However, Professor Ives advises that most recent analysis of the record of his symptoms leads toward the conclusion that he most likely died of suppurating pulmonary infection leading to renal failure. Additional details regarding the origins of engravings, the complex strategies for the marriage of lesser lords, and layering interpretations of journal writings were too dense for me. For an English History scholar, this book is probably a treasure. Mr. Ives is Professor Emeritus of English History at the University of Birmingham and he has written widely on Tudor history (including “ The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn” Blackwell 2004). The research is meticulous and there are 70 pages of notes, guides and indices. But for a person who learned most of what I know of the Tudor drama from the history plays of William Shakespeare, this book was difficult in its density and smothering plethora of detail. For the true scholar, yes! For the generalist, maybe not. Reviewed by Marcia Jo
Chinatized By Dan Shipman Tate, $14.99, 238 pages In 1996 Dan Shipman, an engineer, and his wife, Kathryn, travel to China for Dan’s new job as a supervisor on a joint-venture construction project in Tianjin, China. For three years they make the Crystal Palace Hotel their home and Dan sends back regular letters to his family regarding all their adventures in eating, living, traveling and working in China.
all sorts of non-Chinese related items such as the technicalities of the author’s job and the various other non-Chinese people who are also assigned to the project. I don’t recommend picking up this book if you are looking for a concise “how to” for living in China or for a deep understanding behind the mechanics of Chinese society. However, the stories are entertaining, charming and humorous and your mind will definitely be a more enlightened place for reading it. Reviewed by Heather Ortiz
“Kathryn just picked up a roll of toilet paper and noticed the English label, ‘Green Bamboo toilet paper, most absorbent and tenacious.’ Tenacious - was something lost in the translation?” Chinatized is a compilation of three years’ worth of the letters the author wrote while in China and as a result, displays the more organic, less focused type of storytelling of a regular novel. The intent seems to be an attempt to provide a more insightful look into the day-to-day life of your average Chinese citizen; however, the letters often traverse
Business & Investing In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke’s War on the Great Panic (How the Federal Reserve Became the Fourth Branch of Government) By David Wessel Crown Business, $26.99, 324 pages Is the sub-prime mortgage the root of today’s dramatic economic downturn? Was the inflated housing bubble the cause of today’s financial meltdown? Did the financial engineering of banks and investors that created complex securities result in today’s economic failure? All these questions and so much more of the bigger picture on the delicate workings of the incredibly complex economic web of the U.S. and world economy is at the heart of David Wessel’s book, In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke’s War on the Great Panic (How the Federal Reserve Became the Fourth Branch of Government). The Federal Reserve is entrusted with one mission: to protect the economy of the United States at all costs. It holds and wields
power that turned it into the fourth branch of government, nearly equal in power to the traditional executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Wessel’s In Fed We Trust will give you a clear-eyed view of what goes on inside the Federal Reserve, what economic forces they have to contend with, and how they acted on it. Ben Bernanke, the current Federal Reserve chief, and a small cadre of advisers vowed to do whatever it takes to avoid a possibility that, until last year, was unthinkable: a repeat of the Great Depression. “Sometimes all that seemed to keep Bernanke going was the constantly restocked bowl of trail mix that sat on his secretary’s desk and the can of diet Dr Pepper from the refrigerator on his office.” A perceptive look at a historic episode in American and global economic history, In Fed We Trust illuminates the financial drama in terms you don’t need to be a Wall Street insider to grasp. While it is the story of the Bernanke Fed abandoning “failed paradigms” in order to “do what needed to be done,” it is also a story about a handful
of people – overwhelmed, exhausted, besieged, and constantly second-guessed – who found themselves assigned to protect the U.S. economy from the worst threat of their lifetimes. This book provides an incredible overarching view of the state of today’s economy and how it affects you. Reviewed by Dominique James The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Personal Finance Workbook By John P. Napolitano Alpha Books, $20.95, 235 pages The Complete Idiot’s Guide Personal Finance Workbook is a streamlined, bare bones approach to money management for anyone whose eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the subject. Focusing on the big picture, the theme of the workbook is that personal and financial goals must work together. Taking control of your money and having a plan can give you the freedom to focus on what matters most to you.
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The book progresses logically from getting control of your money to planning for the future. However, the chapters are mostly independen,t so you can go straight to the topics that address any pressing needs. This is a jump-right-in, hands-on type of approach. There are a lot of worksheets provided in the text (and on the accompanying CD) to help you get organized and work through your options. While not intended as an in-depth textbook on personal finance, it is comprehensive and includes resources for further study. Critical points and potential pitfalls are discussed for each topic along with common sense tips including a section on when to get professional help. John P. Napolitano has written an easy-to-understand and warmly humorous primer on managing personal finances. Reviewed by Laurie Racca
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Current Events & Politics The Good Soldiers By David Finkel Sarah Crichton Books, $25.00, 284 pages Secretary Don Rumsfeld once sought to rebut the media’s coverage of the disintegrating situation in Iraq by explaining that, from the television, Americans might think “the whole country’s aflame.” Having just seen Iraq from the air as he flew in on his jet, Rumsfeld assured all that this “was simply not the case.” Books on the Iraq War have to varying degrees taken that aerial vantage, swooping down for details before rising again. David Finkel’s extraordinarily intimate portrait of one battalion’s tour, The Good Soldiers, takes the opposite tack, getting no closer to sweeping than the President Bush quotes that begin each chapter. In a style that does honor to the legendary war correspondent Ernie Pyle, The Good Soldiers follows the 2-16 (2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment), from its creation at Fort Riley, Kansas, through its deployment as part of the “surge” to lawless Rustamiya, located in chaotic Eastern Baghdad, where no dignitary ever comes. Living with the soldiers of the 2-16, Finkel offers a rare look at their daily lives, complete with danger, frustration, monotony, doubt, and heroism (14 of these young people gave the last measure of their devotion during their tour; another 75 received Purple Hearts). With a novelist’s gift, Finkel introduces us to these soldiers, each as rich and complex as any character found in fiction. Much of the conflict focuses on their middle-aged commander’s evolution. On his first combat tour, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich views himself as a Christian soldier who several times a day finds a reason to repeat
his mantra, “it’s all good.” At times Kauzlarich seems hopelessly, even naively out of his depth, repeating koan-like vacuous quotes from the Army’s new Counterinsurgency Manual, his every effort thwarted. Yet you never doubt he loves his men (who come to call him “Lost Kauz” behind his back, the last person who still believes that they’re winning). Their success or failure in their mission, however – though Finkel clearly concludes that they failed in the end – is beside the point. Instead, the author wants to get us on the ground with the 2-16, and it is a testament to his talent that he largely succeeds. His taut prose forces you to read on, heart leaping into your throat, when you don’t want to know what happens next. “Here came the explosion. It came through the doors…It came through the good soldiers. It was perfectly aimed and perfectly timed, and now one of the good soldiers was on fire.” And as these brave men lose limbs, their spirits, and even their lives, Finkel follows, forcing us to come along and forcing us to shed tears along the way. The Good Soldiers never falls into the pitfall of becoming maudlin, nor does it lionize these men in a way that would surely sap their humanity. They sweat, they fight, and sometimes they die, but one never doubts that they are in a situation beyond their control, doing their best to protect their brothers-in-arms, and complete their mission, the very definition of good soldiers. Through their efforts and his powerful prose, Finkel offers an account that will live on long after the last talking head has at last fallen silent. Reviewed by Jordan Magill The Spiders of Allah By James Hider St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.95, 314 pages James Hider was sent to Iraq shortly after the fall of Baghdad, and the majority of The Spiders of Allah chronicles his experi-
ences there. More than that, this book is the culmination of Hider’s observations about the various religion-driven wars and operations in the Middle East. He delves into alternate possible histories of the Jewish people while studying the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. He gets a rare interview with guerilla fighters in Iraq, who offer a surprisingly simple explanation of their attacks against the Americans. He witnesses Ashura in Karbala, a major festival for Shia Muslims. Hider spent time in Basra, Fallujah, Baghdad itself, and a plethora of other cities and provinces, both well known and obscure. He discusses religious mysticism, ancient mythology, and modern popular culture, and how they all play a part in world politics. Hider himself is an unforgiving atheist, and his views definitely shine through as the book progresses. At the same time, his impassive eye and inquisitive mind bring some new ideas to light, ones that may not have made it into a mainstream book before. Finally, the shadowy subjects of many sections are lightened with Hider’s characteristic humor. This book is both darkly entertaining and deeply enlightening. Reviewed by Holly Scudero Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide By Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn Knopf, $27.95, 294 pages Forced prostitution, modern-day slavery, rape as a war tactic, horrendous gynecological disorders, maternal death, domestic violence—the list of atrocities against women in developing countries is far too long, and far too disturbing, yet these horrors are all
too real for the women profiled in Half the Sky. Years of reporting for the New York Times have given Kristof and WuDunn access to countless women who bravely recount their trials and triumphs, and these stories of individual women ground what would otherwise be a depressing, overwhelming collection of statistics and descriptions of political failings. Though this book does serve as a shameful indictment of a too-paltry movement to support women’s rights, it has a surprisingly optimistic tone, and its main objective is to show, through thorough research, the transformational opportunities that are possible when women are given education, freedom, adequate healthcare, and respect. “[W]e journalists tend to be good at covering events that happen on a particular day, but we slip at covering events that happen every day--such as the quotidian cruelties inflicted on women and girls.” Kristof and WuDunn’s passion for women’s rights is infectious; indeed, a reader reaches the final chapter, “What You Can Do,” with more than a little relief and excitement. It’s impossible not to want to take part in the movement to end women’s oppression after reading this book, and the authors show convincingly that change is possible. Reviewed by Margo Orlando Littell
Music & Movies Who Shot Rock & Roll? By Gail Buckland Knopf, $40.00, 336 pages What do Grace Jones, Kurt Cobain, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger, Blondie, The Ramones, Jerry Garcia, Aretha Franklin, Freddie Mercury, Madonna, James Brown, The White Stripes, and virtually every other major rock or pop musician have in common, besides, of course, being famous rock stars? They’ve all been shot (with cameras, that is) and have had their countenances collected into a compendium of some of the most striking images of pop culture icons
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from the modern era, Who Shot Rock & Roll by Gail Buckland. Cross-genre breadth of all sorts of rocking musicians, from blues to hip-hop to pop to heavy metal and experimental, Who Shot Rock & Roll offers up the most famous, the most talented, and the most emotional of our musical celebrities in telling images and poses. Both candid and posed, color and black and white, the variety of the photographs and the stories behind them varies just as much as the
music made by the subjects of them. There is literally something, or someone, for everyone within Buckland’s edition/addition of/to pop culture history. All tastes are accounted for. Reviewed by Jordan Dacayanan
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Mystery, Crime & Thrillers The Draining Lake By Arnaldur Indridason Picador, $14.00, 336 pages Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall crumbled to the ground, marking the end of the Cold War. Tiny stones scattered deep in memories are the only remaining evidence of the Soviet and American espionage legacy that once held presence in Iceland during the 1950s and 60s. Arnaldur Indridason, native Icelander and award-winning author, has drawn from this legacy to craft his latest novel, The Draining Lake. Steeped in the intrigue of this bygone era, Indridason’s novel humbly presents an examination of ambition in its rawest and most puerile form: young men willing to betray their fellow countrymen and friends to take hold of what they desire. A superb story teller and brilliant craftsman of language, Indridason effectively uses flashbacks to the 1950s where young Icelandic students are studying at a university nestled behind the iron curtain in East Germany to primp the plot. Set in contemporary Iceland, this novel begins in Lake Kleifarvatn, where rapidly decreasing water levels because of an earthquake reveal a 30 year-old skeleton, and thus begins the journey of discovering how it became a final resting place. Reviewed by Joe Kopaczynski Evidence By Jonathan Kellerman Random House Ballantine, $28.00, 355 pages Jonathan is getting a little formulaic. The book is good, the story edgy, and the cop-talk authentic and fun. But the character development of the criminals and the sidekicks is a little dim. Milo and Alex are called to a double murder in a half-built mansion in a ritzy L.A. neighborhood. The female victim cannot be quickly identified, so the first evidence trail is built from the male victim. He is an ecofriendly architect, so what reason would he have for bringing a woman to a monstrous and extravagant building for a tete a tete? Pulling on this thread of inquiry leads us to meet several interesting characters: Helga Gemain, an arrogant, talented, rich architect with a shaved head and long fingernails; a foreign prince in a feud with his brother; a restless and hungry woman with a
husband who can’t please her, and of course, a rookie cop whose ethics are called into question. It is a wonderful cast, and the plot thickens nicely. Kellerman deftly expands the intrigue across oceans to include royalty and some truly eccentric individuals with startling connections to the L.A. mansion. The best part is being with Milo and Alex while they eat in various L.A. restaurants and talk cop together. They are reliably themselves, like old friends. Milo spins thin evidence into far-reaching possible scenarios while Alex offers treasures of psychological insight. And together they prevail! It’s a fine detective read. Reviewed by Marcia Jo Rain Gods By James Lee Burke Simon and Schuster, $25.95, 434 pages The Dave Robicheaux novels by James Lee Burke are so successful because, in addition to the layered plots, well drawn characters, and beautiful writing, they capture the essence of New Orleans and the surroundings in a way that is almost sensual. When you open one of the books, you feel the heat and humidity, taste the oyster po’ boys and Dixie beer, and hear the rollicking zydeco rhythms. In Rain Gods, the settings and characters are different, but Burke again fully immerses the reader in the world he has created, which makes for a rich and satisfying reading experience. The setting of Rain Gods is south Texas and the central character is Sheriff Hackberry Holland, who discovers the bodies of nine Asian women buried in shallow graves just north of the Mexican border. Holland, in his seventies, is honest, blunt, and dogged in his determination to discover how and why the women were killed. He is also a complicated man trying to forget or forgive himself for what he did during the Korean war. As he investigates the murders with his deputy Pam Tibbs, who is hardened and perhaps as injured by events in the past as her boss, Holland encounters a variety of persons, good and bad, who may or may not be involved in the killings. The most noteworthy is “the Preacher,” a psychopathic killer whose actions are as unpredictable as his divinely inspired moral code. The plot gains depth and complexity as the killings are revealed to be only one piece in a larger jigsaw puzzle of drugs, prostitution, greed, and revenge. Morality and corruption, love and hatred, and life and death play out in appropriate measure as the story
Divine Justice
By David Baldacci Grand Central/Vision, $9.99, 560 pages John Carr (also known as Oliver Stone) is on the run in David Baldacci’s latest entry in the Camel Club series. Carr, assassin extraordinaire, has completed his planned execution of the two men responsible for ruining his life, and is on the run as the hunt for him reaches from the highest levels of government. He is headed to New Orleans via Amtrak when he rescues a young man from an altercation. As a result, they must leave the train, abandoning Carr’s carefully choreographed escape, and they return to the young man’s home in Divine, Virginia. Baldacci successfully takes us deep into the labyrinth world of politics and deceit. He deftly leads us far beyond the question of whether the Camel Club will come together to save their friend and colleague into the realm of morality-should they save him, thus countenancing vigilantism? Baldacci’s characters are forced to look deep within themselves to discover what’s right -- friendship and loyalty to each other, to the law, to one’s country? Baldacci is a master of his craft. His deft handling of characters--both Carr and his hunter are flawed but admirable--the plot twists that find Carr embroiled in a small town peopled by characters as nasty, devious, and evil as any he has encountered, and the never-ending action, will keep Baldacci fans, as ever, turning pages. Destined for bestsellerdom, in this case, well earned. Reviewed by Claudette C. Smith unfolds. The south Texas setting, while not as lush as Louisiana’s, has its own unique beauty and mystery that Burke captures well. In short, Rain Gods finds Burke at the top of his game, and is a compelling and enjoyable reading experience on many levels. Reviewed by Doug Robins The West Side Kid: A Novel By Valentine Cardinale iUniverse, $14.95, 204 pages Just after Laura Bennett was born, her mother was murdered, and her father abandoned her when suspicion fell upon him. A movie star, Lorne Bennett was know as the West Side Kid, and for more than 20 years has managed to stay out of the spotlight and make a new life for himself. Laura, naturally has many unanswered questions about her parents and her father’s involvement in her mother’s death. When Lorne suddenly resurfaces, Laura has an opportunity to finally get those questions answered. However, the murder and her father’s flight might not be as clear-cut as people would like to believe, and her investigation may not clear her father of involvement in the death. The West Side Kid is a well-written novel with plenty to recom-
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mend. While it is a mystery story, it is also the search for meaning and roots. Laura needs to lay her own ghosts to rest about her family and the abandonment she’s fell all her life. And her resolution provides her not only a answer to that early mystery, but also peace with her life. A quick and enjoyable story. Sponsored Review
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November 09
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Popular Fiction Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes By Dixie Cash Avon, $13.99, 320 pages Debbie Sue and Edwina are forty-something best friends and co-owners of two businesses (the Styling Station beauty salon, and Domestic Equalizers private investigation service) in the tiny town of Salt Lick in Western Texas. Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes opens with the disappearance of a pair of blue suede shoes that the town of Salt Lick had borrowed for the town’s annual Elvis celebration. Debbie Sue and Edwina must play matchmaker with the two reporters that have come to town to cover the celebration—Faith Hill look-a-like Avery and handsome Sam—so that the two won’t find out about the missing shoes. Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes does not bring the laughs advertised in the author biography or book jacket. The events of the book felt contrived and the inciting incident (the missing shoes) is not enough to hold the reader’s attention, even though the mystery of the shoes eventually comes to a satisfying conclusion. The love
story between Avery and Sam feels cliché and forced. The strength of Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes is its larger-thanlife portrayal of the colorful culture and characters in a tiny Texas town. Reviewed by Megan Just The Test By Patricia Gussin Oceanview Publishing, $25.95, 336 pages The Test is the perfect sort of lazy-dayby-the-fire read. What it lacks in literary inventiveness and sophistication, it makes up for with plenty of plot twists and family intrigues. When billionaire Paul Parnell dies, his six children expect the family money to be divided among them. They discover they will only have their share, however, if they pass an unspecified “test” within the following year related to their father’s four core values: God, family, community, and professional responsibility. The narrative follows the six – timid medical student Ashley, slick politico Frank, drug-addicted Carla, kind but ill Rory, lovelorn Dan, and superstar Monica – through their year of “testing.” The writing is pedestrian and, although
the heart of the story is supposed to be the personal changes that take place within each character, the narrative doesn’t draw the reader in enough to make them empathize strongly with more than a few. But The Test isn’t attempting to be high literature and shouldn’t be judged by those standards. Its goal is to entertain, and it accomplishes that goal quite well. Reviewed by Michelle Kerns The Shortest Distance Between Two Women By Kris Radish Bantam, $13.00, 352 pages Kris Radish, author of Anne Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral, returns to further explore relationships between women, this time in that of the Gilfred clan. In The Shortest Distance Between Two Women, main protagonist Emma is the baby of the Gilfred family, with three older sisters and a widowed mother. For the longest time Emma has placed the needs of her family above her own. Now at 43 with no family of her own and an unhealthy obsession with her garden, Emma’s life is settled. Out of the blue, a message from a lost but not forgotten paramour throws Emma’s well-ordered life and emotions in a tailspin. While Emma’s attention should be firmly placed on the planning of the annual family reunion, she
instead begins to question her place in this family of women. All in all, The Shortest Distance Between Two Women attempts to be charming and falls far short of the mark. Over-reliance on stereotypical clichés strangles any connection one might feel with the characters or family. If Jerry Springer ever featured a topic on his show, one of the Gilfred family members could surely be featured as a guest, including but not limited to adultery, teen disobedience, alcoholism, death, and a sexually active matriarch. Furthermore Emma, while a likeable character some of the time, irritates this reader by her inability to make a move, any move. Rather than take responsibility for her own circumstances, Emma seems comfortable blaming others for the lacks in her own life, preferring to focus on others’ failings rather than making changes to meet her own needs. Ultimately this book is worth adding to your reading list, but don’t be surprised if your family questions as to why you are yelling at a fictional character. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley
Tweens Goosebumps Horrorland Series- The Streets of Panic Park By R.L. Stine Scholastic, $5.99, 160 pages R.L. Stine has been giving school-aged kids the chills for years, forcing late night watches for moving curtains and terrifying phone calls from twisted strangers, or so we thought. The Babysitter spooked many junior high girls out of much hard-earned mon ey back in my day. Today he has branched out into the Goosebumps series with such high scream factor creations as maniacal carnies and sarcastically evil ventriloquists. In his latest invention, from the Horrorland series, comes The Streets of Panic Park, where a group of adventuresome kids prowl the amusement park seeking treats and tricks, but soon find themselves stuck in an alternate realm-a land without color, or a way out. Reality does set in as they realize they are being held hostage by the park’s owner, The Menace, who derives personal
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pleasure from children’s fear. The sole existence of his park is run on panic. He provokes the screams with floating creatures, ghosts of lost children, and traitors. Although this book was not up to the fear level set in the prior generation, filled with night stalkers and insane neighbors, it is a candidate for a late night with a sheet and flashlight, if you’re up to it. Or are you too scared? Reviewed by Sky Sanchez John Brown: His Fight for Freedom By John Hendrix Abrams Books for Young Readers, $18.95, 40 pages This book presents the story of John Brown, the cautionary tale of one of America’s great icons of the 19th century. Wonderfully illustrated, it’s written to tell the story accurately and without over-simplification to an audience of young readers. This is a fairly difficult task in the case of the story of John Brown, however, so I’d recommend this book to readers aged 10 and older. Some of the words are complex, like “abomination” or “oppressors,” though the author sometimes tries to explain their
meanings. Unlike the story of Nathan Hale, who was put to death for spying for the colonies during the American Revolution, John Brown’s story is one of a man who ultimately resorted to violence to send his message. It’d be easy for this story to impart a lesson that violence is okay for some causes, and it doesn’t point out where one should draw the line – Are some things worth starting the fight? Which things? How do you know when it’s you and not someone else who should be fighting? These questions may linger for a young reader, and parents should be prepared to explain their position on these issues to their kids. John Hendrix deserves credit for taking on this controversial figure in American history, and the illustration is truly superb as well. Reviewed by John Cloutman
Out of This World: The Amazing Search for an Alien Earth By Jacob Berkowitz Kids Can Press, $16.95, 40 pages Out of This World :The Amazing Search for an Alien Earth – the title says it all. Jacob Berkowitz begins our search for life on an alien earth by explaining what that earth would have to be like – a planet where atmosphere, water, temperature, and some form of life could fit together in a sort of system. He explains what alien life might be like – it could be microscopic organisms such as we find on earth, some with the ability to live in extremely hot or cold environments. After discussing the possibility of some form of life on – or in – the planets Mars and Venus, Berkowitz begins to explain exoplanets – that is, planets outside our own solar system. He goes on to explain how we can determine the composition of exoplanSee WORLD, cont’d on page 9
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Historical Fiction
Home & Garden
The Good Plain Cook By Bethan Roberts Serpent’s Tail, $15.95, 336 pages The Good Plain Cook is a lot like eating a homey casserole – it’s nothing fancy, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s straightforward, unpretentious, and when you’re done you really feel like you’ve had something substantial, if not terribly gourmet. Food, in fact, is a big part of the story. 19-year-old Kitty Allen goes to work as a plain cook for the desperately libertine American woman Ellen Steinberg who is living in a Sussex cottage with her daughter, Geenie, and a man, George Crane, who is probably not much of a writer and definitely not her husband. When Crane’s daughter, Diana, comes to stay, the little cottage becomes a hotbed of sexual tension, desire, and unhappiness. All of the women in The Good Plain Cook are unhappy: about their past, about who they are, about what’s happening around them, about what isn’t happening. Instead of letting the story dip down into melodramatic weepiness over all this unhappiness, however, Ms. Roberts keeps the story clean and light, with prose to match. She makes it clear that, while disasters with incinerated fish and men may come and go, the women in this story will get along just fine in the end. Reviewed by Michelle Kerns
No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process By Colin Beavan Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25.00, 274 pages Who said going green would be easy? In No Impact Man, you’ll learn exactly how tricky it can be to throw off old habits. And yet, you’ll also feel empowered that maybe, just maybe, you could do it, too.
Cleopatra’s Daughter By Michelle Moran Crown, $25.00, 431 pages Queen Cleopatra has certainly earned herself a lasting place in the history books. But after her tragic death, what happened to her children? Cleopatra’s Daughter gives us the rest of the story. This story follows the path of Cleopatra’s children told from the viewpoint of Cleopatra Selene, one of Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s children. Selene and her siblings are hauled off to Rome by Octavian’s triumphant army. There Selene finds herself becoming intertwined with the future of some of Rome’s greatest figures. Readers will see Rome through Selene’s eyes, but this city isn’t without its challenges. For how can the children of an enemy queen hope to stay out of danger forever? For a historical novel, the author has done a fantastic job at making this feel like a regular novel. The richness of the setting, characters, and the story itself are a far cry from the dusty prose of a history textbook. For those nervous about picking up a historical book, there are plenty of clues to help prevent confusion, including a cast of characters, a glossary, and a historical afterword. Originally written for adults, this also makes a great crossover book for teen readers, especially those who love historical fiction. Reviewed by Alyssa Feller
Philosophy Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates By Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein Penguin Group, $19.99, 256 pages The joking-philosopher duo is back, and this time around they have delved deeply into the realms of man’s mortality. In a wonderfully written, well-paced romp through the philosophy of Death (and Life), Cathcart and Klein cover the likes of Keirkegaard, Heidegger, Husserl, Sartre, Freud and William James— blended with public polls, scientific discoveries, and theories of the future (from cryogenetics to teleportation). And whereas most books of this type tend to stick to the small playing field of what could be called
the “an introduction to…” syndrome, here the authors have actually created a lively read for “philosophers” of any level, type or education. The jokes (and the running dialogue with neighbour Daryl Frumkin) are sharp and to the point, if not always that funny. The cartoons are well chosen and sometimes clarify a point more than any words could. This is, of course, no “serious” guide to philosophy; but for those that share a mild interest in the philosophy of life and death (especially from that of an Existentialist viewpoint), and for those that already know the material but would enjoy a simple, sometimes thoughtprovoking, refresher, this book can’t lead you much astray. A worthy afternoon fling culminating in the most important punchline of all: The Grim Reaper Himself. Reviewed by Dylan M. Popowicz
“...I suddenly realized that my problem might not actually be the state of the world. My problem was my inaction.” Author Colin Beavan decides to quit preaching and do something about global warming. He takes his family—and the reader—along on his bold adventures to rid his life of all things plastic-wrapped (like packaged foods) and planet-toxic (like airconditioning). You’ll find moments of humor, cold reality, and of course, education. Beavan weaves chunks of scientific information into his narrative, helping you learn right alongside him. He uses a lot of bullet points and numbered lists to make the read move quickly, and in general, provides a raw look into the life of a car-less, toothpaste-less (he uses baking soda) tree hugger who once lived just like the rest of us—riding elevators, blowing his nose on paper products, and taking a shower every day. The mirror Beavan holds up to himself through this process will surely open your eyes, too. And if you follow his lead, you’ll see that a planet-friendly lifestyle really isn’t that ludicrous. Reviewed by Amber K. Stott Wary Meyers’ Tossed & Found: Unconventional Design from Cast-offs By Linda & John Meyers Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $27.50, 208 pages This is by far my favorite book of 2009. It’s possible, I suppose, that authors Linda and John Meyers are unwittingly related to my family somehow. You see, when I was a little boy in New England, we had an old truck which we used to haul stuff to the town dump, an amazing place filled with history in repose. Saturday was a bad day to go to the dump because it was a gauntlet of garage and yard sales all the way to and from the dump.
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Much to Dad’s amazement and chagrin, Mom would often bring back as much stuff as they’d set out to dispose or – maybe even more on a “good” day. I remember hearing Mom protesting, “I can re-upholster it” or “I can make something out of this.” What Mom (and the authors here) did might well be referred to as “extreme crafting.” Needless to say, I grew up in a household filled with creatively re-purposed items. Nothing was new, but it was all clean and nice-looking, and most of it became some kind of conversation piece at cocktail parties and the like. When I look through Wary Meyers’ Tossed & Found, I see my mother’s imprint, her style, her technique, everywhere, and so for me this book is a masterpiece. The utterly priceless Blue Willow Chair (p.24) and Canoe (p.87) left me speechless, stunned that the artwork could so evoke that of my Mom and our old New England home. The articles in this book are actually a statement of real Americana. This is an example of the ingenuity that makes America great. It would be equally at home on the coffee table of any colonial New England house or a loft apartment in San Francisco. I’m sure many readers will see this as a purely artistic, creative endeavor – but with my family, it was borne out of a twisted desire to be frugal and efficient. Artistic expression was the excuse for doing it when all others failed. Whatever the reason, the results as demonstrated in this book are unique items for your home which are easily made and will reflect the artistic sensibilities of each maker. Reviewed by John Cloutman
WORLD, cont’d from page 8 ets and ends the book with an equation which might indicate the number of planets with intelligent life. The author has sifted through a great deal of research by a number of agencies to produce this book, a technically correct work with good illustrations and interesting factoids thrown in. It is directed at children aged nine to twelve, but older children and adults should find it interesting. Reviewed by Douglas McWilliams
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Modern Literature & Fiction Last Night in Twisted River By John Irving Random House, $28.00, 564 pages Last Night in Twisted River delivers John Irving’s unmistakable voice through characters that can love and be loved, pitied, feared for, and laughed at. Readers won’t be disappointed by the descriptions, odd coincidences, hilarity, tangents and tragicomic elements in this, his twelfth novel. Yes, there is a farting dog and a wrestler, a novelist, incestuous relationships and politics. There is also a bear—sort of. Fans of Irving’s earlier masterpieces, including The World According to Garp, The Hotel New Hampshire and A Prayer for Owen Meany will feel as if this newest novel includes them with an insider’s wink and a nudge. This story, which covers about fifty years, opens featuring a cook named Baciagalupo and his 12-year-old son Daniel in a New Hampshire logging town in 1954. The river is dangerous, and so are the people who work along its banks moving forests from the north woods into mills downstream. One of Irving’s signature fatal accident scenes, reminiscent of Owen Meany’s baseball-death, sets the characters moving, down into Boston, where they are embraced by distant Italian cousins. The story follows the cook and his son, who soon marries and has a son of his own, Joe, for whom—thanks to Irving’s adroit foreshadowing—the reader fears. They move around until they settle in Canada: “If you’re living in a foreign country, you’ll see what’s true, and what isn’t true, back in the old USA” (487), he writes. As with other Irving tales, Last Night in Twisted River includes a political element: the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent errors committed by President George W. Bush. Whereas in A Prayer for Owen Meany the Vietnam War and opposition to it was central to the story arc and themes, here it feels merely decorative. It is not Irving’s best example of seamless integration of hot-button politics with a great moving story. However, having said that, the characters have depth, and each one feels created with love, as opposed to his last Until I Find You, which left a trail of underdeveloped and wounded. There isn’t one flat caricature like those who so often populate today’s major-player fiction. Irving writes with thought and care and perhaps a self-conscious attention to craft. Reviewed by Robin Martin
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Crossers By Philip Caputo Alfred A. Knopf, $27.95, 448 pages Philip Caputo’s latest novel, Crossers, explores the immigrant life, drug deals, and crime at the Arizona-Mexico border. After losing his wife in the September 11 terrorist attacks, Gil Castle, a wealthy executive in the investment world, goes to live at his family ranch in Arizona in hopes that the secluded life will help him deal with his loss and recover from his grief. The ranch connects him to his family past, and we learn about his late grandfather’s notorious life, characterized by crime, border corruption, and conflicts. “All this sensationalim made Castle the center of the repulsive attention.” Caputo weaves together Castle’s story and the history of his family with mastery. Castle’s search for peace shatters when he gets in the center of conflict with drug lords whose violence cannot be stopped by the police. His rescue of a Mexican border jumper leads to violence and deadly encounters with vengeance-seeking drug dealers, and his life turns into hell. The novel uncovers it all: life after 9/11, stereotypes about Mexican crossers, and the activities of drug cartels. This is a fine work by a master storyteller. Caputo grips your attention with his use of language, which crosses the boundaries of English and Spanish. Reviewed by Emmanuel Sigauke The Palace of Strange Girls By Sallie Day Hachette, $13.99, 335 pages The Palace of Strange Girls is a lovely, refreshing book that brings the reader into the internal struggles of the four members of a British fabric-mill family during their 1959 summer holiday in Blackpool, a gaudy, seaside tourist town. Author Sallie Day effortlessly leads us back and forth through the minds of each Singleton family member, weaving an exploration of the relationship between happiness and desire. Seven-year-old Beth’s body, frail from a harrowing heart surgery, is no match for her adventurous mind. Sixteenyear-old Helen fights to break free from mother’s rigid confines. Jack has just received a shocking letter from the love of his life—a woman he met on Crete during World War II and whom he had previ-
ously believed had died in a bombing raid. Ruth is obsessed with achieving domestic perfection and convincing Jack to buy them a nicer house. What makes The Palace of Strange Girls especially enjoyable is how Sallie Day has incorporated details of the life and society of cotton fabric-mill families like the Singletons. For example, each chapter opens with an excerpt from Beth’s I-Spy at the Seaside book, and both Jack and Ruth can judge a person by the quality of the weave of cotton they are wearing. Reviewed by Megan Just Big Machine By Victor LaValle Spiegel & Grau, $25.00, 370 pages Victor LaValle’s second novel, Big Machine, opens with Ricky Rice, a bus terminal Janitor in Utica, New York trying to escape the prying eyes of his boss long enough to read a letter addressed to him with no return address. The cryptic message inside simply says, “You made a promise in Cedar Rapids in 2002. Time to honor it.” A former heroin addict (three years clean, yet he still keeps a small stash and syringe handy) who’s obviously had run-ins with the law, Ricky seems an unlikely but oddly reliable narrator. He’s the sort that’s likely run out of second chances, but attached to the
note is a one-way bus ticket to Vermont. So he decides to take a leap of faith while at the same time questioning his decision: “What kind of black man accepts an unsigned invitation to the whitest state there is?” What does salvation look like? For Ricky it‘s a cabin in the woods with six other misfits (addicts, criminals, prostitutes) and a “job” at the Washburn Library as an Unlikely Scholar searching through daily newspapers for signs of paranormal activity. Ricky eventually settles into a routine, but his first thought is, “Seven black people in the Northeast Kingdom. Sounds like the start of a gruesome old folktale.” And in a way, it is, as LaValle weaves a tale that could be (in fact might be) happening right now in a not too distant suburb. Nine months later, Ricky, now accustomed to the routine of work and the camaraderie of the other members, is ordered to fly to California and assassinate a “rogue” Scholar, Clay Solomon, who is assembling a task force of homeless people and planting bombs in the Bay Area. This is where the See MACHINE, page 11
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MACHINE, con’t from page 10 real adventure starts and the big questions about faith and redemption and humanity are posed. On almost every page LaValle reveals some insight: “A mother’s reward for running away is hate, but a father’s is adoration.” Interspersed with these are nuggets of humor: “The two of us [in a photo] on our living room couch. Daphne’s five, and I’m only six months old and totally naked. I look like a big old Junior Mint in her arms.” But LaValle is at his best when he offers up moments of insightful humor: “Heroin…robs you of your empathy. And that’s a problem, because empathy is what separates human beings from teenage boys.” Written with depth and wit and compassion, the book includes engaging characters that are both real and absurd, and the situations they find themselves in seem both unlikely and eerily possible. Big Machine is a wild, engaging, and thought-provoking read. Reviewed by Bruce Genaro Angel Time By Anne Rice Knopf, $25.95, 288 pages Toby O’Dare is a contract killer. Raised by two dysfunctional parents and educated at a catholic school, he has pretty much given up on trying to direct his own life, and just kills the people he’s directed to by a man he calls The Right Man. Toby doesn’t even know what organization he’s killing for, just that these people need to die and he’s the man for the job. He feels the wrong-
ness of his life, and the most peace he can find is through music and in the ritual of the Catholic faith. During one murder, he is confronted by an angel who offers him a chance at redemption by serving as a human agent to right potential wrongs that might happen in the past. This is Anne Rice’s new novel and the beginning of a new series. In fact she describes it as the first book she’s written with the intent to make sequels in a continuing story line. Angel Time will probably not please all of Rice’s earlier LeStat fans; however, they should give it a chance. Her somewhat recent conversion back to the Catholicism of her youth has changed her writing, and while there still are some strong religious overtones to the story, they don’t distract from the story as much as add a depth missing from her earlier works. The story isn’t as dark as previous books, but that also is by choice, as Rice is focusing more on themes of redemption and forgiveness and less on the darkness of people’s souls (though one does need some darkness for that redemption). The time-travel aspects of the story require no more suspension of belief as any other method. If God can see time as a line, and all events happening at the same time, then why wouldn’t it be possible to move someone from one event to another? The character of O’Dare may be a bit overdone (there is a soap opera’s worth of tragedy in his life to start), but how much more different than that is the brooding vampire, unable to return to being human? Overall, an interesting book, with Rice’s trademark evocative descriptions and well-researched medieval settings. <<Listen>> Audible Authors interview with Anne Rice at www.Sacramentobookreview.com/ anne_rice.php
Self-Help The 5 Keys To The Great Life By Tomi Bryan and Jerry White R2 Media Group Publications, $19.95, 158 pages The brother and sister team of Bryan and White have put together a short, easy-toread guide to finding your way to a better life. Lots of books promise that, many don’t have enough structure or are so narrow in their focus that the average person can’t find much help. The 5 Keys to the Great Life doesn’t have either of those flaws. By using current examples from TV and movies to outline their thesis that, unless you know where you want to go, it is impossible to get there. Though a series of exercises, the authors help you determine the areas of your life you are satisfied with and the ones you
want to change, your values that keep you grounded, and the boundaries you need between yourself and others. The practical aspects of The 5 Keys can probably help many readers interested in going through the exercises to find a new road map for themselves. The authors use examples from their own lives to illustrate the points they are making and explaining the journey they were on getting to the creation of their book. The only flaw is the element of the Divine Matrix and a pseudoscientific argument for a universal energy field and quantum physics justifying the belief that thought can change reality a la The Secret. One’s thoughts can change one’s reality - with determination and hard work. Without that section, the practical aspects of organizing your goals and values in a quest to find changes that improve your life and that of the people around you still stand on their own. Sponsored Review
Reference Living Green: The Missing Manual By Nancy Conner O’Reilly, $19.99, 300 pages Going “green” has become very popular recently. Publishers have been keen to cash in on the trend and bookstore shelves have begun to sag underneath the weight of this new area of DIY. These books purport to show readers how to be more green or, alternatively, how they too can get rich off of the Green movement. I’ve browsed through a number of these titles, and have found that most offer little that the reader doesn’t already know or can’t discover for themselves with five minutes and Google. Thankfully, this was not the case with O’Reilly’s Living Green: The Missing Manual, this reference wok not only tells you, in depth, how to green your entire life, it explains the whys as well. Conner covers everything from natural cleaners to vermicomposting to corporate carbon offsets and charity giving! Reading through the book gave me several new ideas on how to be more sustainable now but also provided direction on acting on them. For those concerned about global warming, agribusiness, and the sustainability of Western Culture, Living Green will prove indispensable. The book has already found a prominent, permanent location on my bookshelf. Reviewed by Jonathon Howard How Many Licks?: Or, How to Estimate Damn Near Anything By By Aaron Santos, Ph.D. Running Press, $14.95, 175 pages How Many Licks? Or, How to Estimate Damn Near Anything by Aaron Santos is about the importance of using precision when dealing with numbers. Most people use approximation for just about everything. The exact time may be 8:33:46, and someone may tell you it is 8:30 a.m. Unless you are creating the universe, you may ask: Who cares? This subject is genius, but is it really? Can the average person with limited math abilities benefit from How Many Licks? : Or, How to Estimate Damn Near Anything? “How many years will it take till the Earth is covered in graves?”” According to the author, approximation is a valuable intellectual tool that helps you to conceptualize numbers and works as a filter that can weed out bad ideas. With
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simple arithmetic and practice, you can estimate just about anything and grow comfortable understanding large numbers in the process. Does Dr. Aaron Santos give examples and the equations to find the answers to practical and impractical questions only because he has a Ph.D.? Regardless of your math level, How Many Licks: Or, How to Estimate Damn Near Anything is interesting and presents a question and an equation that will cause you to go figure. Reviewed by Vivian Dixon Sober The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English By Henry Hitchings Picador, $17.00, 440 pages The Secret Life of Words is a tantalizing account of the history of the English language. In this book, Hitchings offers a wide array of meanings of English words, which he traces back to their original tongue. History buffs, as well as fans of linguistics, will find this book to be rich with facts and resources as well as very readable, as the author makes for a very illustrative presentation. There are many accounts of historical figures, such as King James of Britian, as well as references to others such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Coleridge. Hitchings offers a wide variety of researched words, contributing to the readership appeal of his book. For instance, he explores the word “cappuccino” – its meaning today in America and in Italy, accompanied by a story of how Starbucks began. The word “blizzard” is explored as it relates to storms occurring back in the 1800s and how we have come to use the term today. Some words have come to be part of our English language simply through serendipitous circumstances. It is truly fascinating to discover some of these wonderful anecdotal tidbits of history. Hitchings eloquently conveys his fine writing skills as he expounds upon his findings in this short chronicle of the English language. From the age of discovery to trade and colonization up to our present day democracy, Hitchings traces words, their meanings, and, at times, the reinvented meanings from their original tongue. Hitchings provides a delightful work in which he gleans fascinating facts and presents them with vivid details to the reader. His notes and indexes in the back of his book illustrate the time and detail he put in to researching his sources, making The Secret Life of Words a very credible, well-researched book about How English Became English. Reviewed by Jennifer Ochs
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Romance Obsession: An Erotic Tale By Gloria Vanderbilt Ecco, $16.99, 160 pages Obsession is one of those erotic tales that made a mark in my psyche and emotions. The story begins by presenting us with Talbot and Priscilla Bingham - a perfect couple, envied and revered by most, each having reached the pinnacle of their profession and reputation in their respective fields. But then Priscilla’s perfect world shatters when her distinguished architect husband dies unexpectedly. In addition to the burden of grief and loss Priscilla experiences, she must pick herself up as well as continuing to preserve his legacy at the estate they built together, his architectural masterpiece on the Maryland coast. Priscilla’s very painful experience is further aggravated when she comes across a trove of neatly bundled erotic letters from Talbot’s secret mistress. Suddenly, she finds herself questioning her sensuality and her ability to provide passion and love. Although seething and enraged with the fact that her husband has lived a double life all these years, Priscilla becomes drawn to Bee, the woman behind the letters, and vicariously lives a life of sexual adventure through her. Bee’s overall mystique along with her submissive and provocative persona consumes Priscilla. As if in a parallel world, Bee is equally obsessed with her Master’s wife and the throne Priscilla possesses that a mistress like her can never have. As the letters and stories unfold, the lives of these two women converge as in a dream, each resenting the other and at the same time obsessed with Talbot’s promiscuity and power over them. The story’s conflicts are gently and tenderly resolved, delivering a beautifully written and passionate ending. Reviewed by Kaye Cloutman
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Barely Bewitched By Kimberly Frost Berkley Trade, $14.00, 320 pages Welcome to Duvall, Texas, a town full of witches, warlocks, vampires, fairies, and werewolves plus normal, average, everyday people who have no idea anything is amiss in their small town. In this sequel to Would-Be Witch, Tammy Jo Trask, returning resident to Duvall, is having a rough week. All she wants to do is be a normal pastry chef but thanks to her spell-wielding, she’s gained the attention of the World Association of Magic (WAM). The brand new witch has no choice but to pass an Initial Challenge or face imprisonment or even worse, death. Furthermore she’s banned from seeking aid from Bryn Lyons, a suave debonair local mage. Even ex-husband Zach isn’t much help, as he insists Tammy seek therapy to deal with her “misguided” belief in the supernatural. However, when a spell leads to an accidental spill of pixie dust, Tammy Jo has no choice but to do whatever is necessary to keep the town from imploding. While usually normal citizens are dancing in the streets, Tammy Jo is battling an attraction to the handsome Bryn and old dormant feelings for sexy and charming good ole boy Zach. Trying to control her misfiring magic, however, is the greatest challenge of all. Full of action, romance and humor, Barely Bewitched will keep you reading from page one to the very end. Tammy Jo Trask is downright delightful. This reader will be picking up Would-Be Witch as soon as possible to carry me over until the sequel comes out. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley
The Prince of Frogs By Annaliese Evans Tor Books, $6.99, 368 pages We all know the story of Briar Rose. In the Disney version, cursed to sleep for hundred years, the princess awakens only with a kiss from a handsome prince. This is not the tale of her. This is the tale of Rosemarie Barrows, a princess awakened against her will after a mere eighty years. A princess doomed to fall in love with not one but two princes. Second in the series, The Prince of Frogs seamlessly picks up where Night Rose left off. Newly married to Gareth Barrows, Rosemarie is ready to settle down, enjoy married life and rebuild her mortal Kingdom of Myrdrean. Yet Rose finds herself unable to quell a deep attraction for her best friend, Fey advisor, and half-brother to her new husband, Ambrose Minuit. When Gareth begins to act suspiciously, Rose is left to question his loyalty and fidelity. She wonders if perhaps she picked the wrong man. Soon however, Rose’s martial quandary is the least of her concerns when she is ordered from her mortal home to the Fey Kingdom of her grandfather, King Stephen de Feu Vert. In the lighted halls of the Seelie Court, a hotbed of deception and danger, Rose fears assignation and betrayal. In this fairy tale for adults, author Annaliese Evans artfully combines fantasy and erotic romance. The story is a fast-paced tale of court intrigue and suspense, and this reader was unable to put this book down once started. The triangle between Rose, Ambrose, and Gareth is steamy enough to keep the reader hooked to the very last page. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series, and will be picking up Night Rose within the week. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley
Demon Ex Machina By Julie Kenner Berkley Trade, $14.00, 320 pages Mix Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Desperate Housewives and you’ll get the newest installment in the Tales of a Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series. When Kate Connor was pulled out of retirement, she had no idea just how crazy her life would get. As the only Level Four Demon Hunter in coastal San Diablo, California, Kate dispatches the minions of hell from their mortal hosts, all the while balancing a life at home. Between play-groups and temper tantrums, training her family in demon-slaying, teaching the women of San Diablo self-defense, and her nightly patrols, Kate does not have time for any more drama. She thought her life would get easier once she didn’t have to keep her night-time activities secret from her second husband. Unfortunately between her unresolved feelings for her dead first husband Eric, whose spirit she accidentally resurrected into the body of teacher David Long, and Stuart’s smothering, this loveable stay-at-home mom is pushed almost past her abilities to juggle it all. Added to her to-do list is to find a way to release the demon possessing her first husband without killing him…again. Although fifth in the series, Julie Kenner’s fresh and fun dialogue keeps the reader engaged and entertained. Long-time fans of the series will not be disappointed. Perhaps Ms. Kenner’s greatest gift is her ability to seamlessly merge the supernatural with the mundane. Real-life mothers can easily relate to the sometimes overwhelming demands on Kate, while others will enjoy the fastpaced action. Demon Ex Machina is a fun, quick-paced tale leaving this reader chomping at the bit for the next installment. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley
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Cooking, Food & Wine The New Thanksgiving Table: An American Celebration of Family, Friends, and Food By Diane Morgan, Photographs by Leigh Betsch Chronicle Books, $24.95, 224 pages
In an age when fast food-style convenience is often traded for quality and a complete “Thanksgiving dinner in a bag” can be purchased at the supermarket, Diane Morgan has written a cookbook that proves great cooking doesn’t have to be a hassle. Full of friendly advice, bits of trivia and helpful tips, The New Thanksgiving Table: An American Celebration of Family, Friends, and Food is written for cooks of all skill levels. The author explains in detail how to put the recipes together, as well as what steps can be completed ahead of time. The photography is beautifully done, illustrating what the dishes should look like while making a simple pudding with whipped cream look rich and decadent. The introduction includes descriptions of and selection tips for foods that may be unfamiliar to some, as well as a primer on kitchen equipment. The star of most Thanksgiving dinners is not neglected. Instructions on how to buy, thaw, and prepare a turkey for cooking are included along with mouthwatering recipes for the entire meal. This is a uniquely American cookbook with a focus on regional cuisine and specialties. Just reading the title for each recipe will make your mouth water. And, while this is a seasonal holiday cookbook, many of recipes would be appropriate for everyday or weekend menu planning all year round. The Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw with Lemon Mayonnaise is perfect for a summer picnic. The Silky Parsnip-Potato Soup with Crisp Diced Bacon makes a great rainy day dinner paired with the Heartland Cottage Cheese Dill Bread and one of the refreshingly light salads. A wide selection of dessert recipes is included, ranging from variations on traditional holiday pies to Honey-Roasted Bosc Pears with Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream. The book concludes with suggested menus and valuable planning tips. The traditional turkey leftovers are remade into tempting entrees, such as the Turkey Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce. The tips are practical and especially helpful for someone not experienced with entertaining a large group of people. The New Thanksgiving Table: An American Celebration of Family, Friends, and Food is an easy to follow cookbook offering a wonderful tribute to Thanksgiving culinary traditions. Reviewed by Laurie Racca
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E X P A N D E D Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook By Jasper J. Mirabile, Jr. Andrew McMeel, $19.99, 176 pages For more than 55 years, Jasper’s Restaurant has been a Kansas City institution: a family-run Italian restaurant specializing in traditional recipes perfected over time. In Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook, current chef and owner Jasper J. Mirabile, Jr., whose father and grandfather started the restaurant, shares a variety of Jasper’s recipes—and anecdotes and stories related to the restaurant, his family and, of course, the food. With recipes ranging from simple antipasto dishes to more complex main courses, Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook provides a nice starting point for anyone who is interested in learning some solid Italian recipes. Each recipe in the book features a little aside from the author, whether in relation to the history of the dish or his personal experiences with it. Like the stories about his family and the restaurant, this makes Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook feel homey and comfortable. The only downside, however, is that most people outside of Kansas City really don’t know what Jasper’s is, so the book, which doesn’t feature glossy pages or beautiful food photos, is likely to be overlooked by many. Still, it’s a compact cookbook featuring a good variety of delicious-sounding recipes. What’s not to like? Reviewed by Ashley McCall America Eats! On the Road with the WPA: The Fish Fries, Box Supper Socials, and Chitlin Feasts that Define Real American Food By Pat Willard Bloomsbury USA, $16.00, 320 pages In the mid-1930s, the Federal Writers’ Project employed thousands of laid-off writers through the Works Progress Administration. One of the WPA’s projects was America Eats!, a close-up look at the role food played in American society and culture. Most of America Eats! never made it into print. In this book, Ms. Willard reproduces many of the original pieces alongside her own attempts to relive the church suppers and fish fries described. “The food we think of as truly American -- think pies and barbecues, thick stews, a good roasted chicken, a tender slab of steak -- did not romantically develop over hundreds of years from the rustic charms of peasant fare through to the haughty demands of imperial refinements. Instead, our cuisine. like much of American life, developed on the fly, in a rush from one place to another, in a great confluence necessities, contrasting agendas, and, most important, unprecedentedly varied cultural influences.”
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Ms. Willard gives the endeavor a hearty stab, but even the kindest eye would be hard pressed not to get just a little annoyed at her (mostly) suppressed hoity attitude towards what the unwashed masses of Americans eat. The finest parts of the book aren’t Ms. Willard’s at all, but often the anonymous pieces. Their writing is unselfconscious, earthy, witty, and full of the joy of fund-raising dinners, rural fairs, and crabapple jelly. Ms. Willard’s thoughts are emphatically those of an outsider. It’s tough not to wish that a writer more sympathetic to the cause of plain American food as something to eat rather than study had written this book – Jane and Michael Stern, say, or the late, great Laurie Colwin. Still, it’s worth reading, just to relive the long ago joys of the American table. Reviewed by Michelle Kerns Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Alfred A. Knopf, $35.00, 411 pages Unlike a mere-how-to book of cold print on white paper, the very first page of this cookbook casts a heart-warming feel over the entire piece; in it, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich expresses a brief but very moving tribute to her father, whose favorite dishes she included in this compilation. Such a beginning voices well the focus on family gathering which is so much a part of cooking in Italy; having married into a Sicilian-American family, I found much of this book pleasantly familiar in the authentic recipes as well as its traditional feel. The recipes themselves are—like Italy—divided by region; the result is a tantalizing array of dishes to prepare: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls from Lombardy, Beef Braised in Beer, Whole-grain Spaetzle of Trentino-Alto Adige, Veal Scaloppine from Umbria, Calabrese Onion Soup and Sardinian Pasta “Pearls” and Flatbread Lasagna. The “General Reference” recipes were a welcome addendum to the book, including the basic building blocks of Italian cuisine, such as chicken stock and marinara sauce. A cook with several published recipe books and a television series, Lidia Bastianich (with the help of her daughter Tanya) presents treasured recipes from her own family and her travels, including charming pictures taken along the way, as well as mouth-watering photographs of select dishes. This is a must-have book for any kitchen inhabitant. Reviewed by Meredith Greene
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Cooking the Cowboy Way By Grady Spears with June Naylor Andrews McMeel, $29.99, 222 While cooking delicious meals may be the overt focus of Cooking the Cowboy Way, it also offers insights into ranches, restaurants, and cuisine from various regions. Numerous The Cowboy Way inserts also provide an insider’s look into the people and foods of different regions through the eyes of cowboy cooks. “Sourdough biscuits are probably the most difficult thing to master in the world of the chuckwagon cook. It’s a sciene that only be mastered by trial and mucho error.” Recipes for steaks, ribs, and other meaty fare can be found in these pages, as can ways to concoct cowboy-style beans and sourdough bread and biscuits. Mama Elick’s Kolaches (a Czech pastry), Parmesan Cheesecake, Wild Mushroom Fired Taters, Shepherd’s Pie, and Wild Mustang Salad are among the many Western-flavored delights found within these pages. Chapters are based on locations, such as the Bellamy Brothers Ranch in Florida and the Lonesome Pine Ranch in Texas. Each group showcases enough recipes for a great and flavorful gathering. The expected glossy color photos of mouthwatering main courses, side dishes, desserts, and drinks are part of this recipe collection from across North America. An unexpected treat, though, are the two-page spreads and a variety of other photos showcasing the people and country from where these recipes come. Cooking the Cowboy Way is a great source of ideas for barbecues, family gatherings, or any outdoor cooking experience. Reviewed by David Reynolds Champagne & Collard Greens By Maxi B. Maxi B., $19.99, 200 pages Here’s a cookbook that will remind you of those basic black and whites sold by your local PTA club. Yet this is written exclusively by caterer Maxi B., who prepares home cooked meals on set for Hollywood stars. Maxi B. has an interesting story to share about her Hollywood catering, but you’ll find only recipes here—no tales from the kitchen. Her recipes focus on “down home comfort foods,” including Oven Pot Roast, Crispy Cajun Fried Chicken Livers, and Granny Smith &
S E C T I O N Cheddar Au Gratin Potatoes. You’ll find beverages, salads, soups, main dishes, sides, and a few desserts. “These beans are the reason why I’m even in business. My first clients were Johnny Gill and Sinbad... Every Thursday, Johnny’s music director would call to order these beans because their guests were so fond of them.” You’ll also find some unique creations, such as Fried Sardines with Spicy Tarragon Mustard and Rosemary Skillet Bread. Maxi B. graciously includes the recipe that made her popular: My My My BBQ Beans. The secret ingredient is vanilla, which the author uses in some other uncommon places, such as her Cranberry Sauce and Mint Lemonade. The recipes are well written with preparation methods any home cook can follow. They also use standard ingredients, making this a user-friendly book—yet you won’t find a recipe index of any kind, making it difficult to navigate. Reviewed by Amber K. Stott Bread Matters By Andrew Whitley Andrews McMeel, $34.99, 373 pages It is not often that one reads an “activist” manifesto which includes baking squiggles, humor and a throng of mouth-watering recipes. British baker and entrepreneur Andrew Whitley informs the reader of his long-held peeve against industrial, “cheap” breads worldwide, yet he manages to prove his many points in a rather sane--even scientific--fashion. “Even if you understand all the terms used on a bread label, you still might be in the dark...” Building a statistical bulwark in the first chapter, the author artfully pulls the reader into the swirling circle of events which caused him to open his own “real bread” bakery in the late ’70s. Cited foremost was the general lack of interest in England for “good bread”--bread without “industrial” additives that apparently cause severe digestive issues and food allergies; emphasized with tact is the importance of making one’s own bread using local, sustainable grains and also a natural fermentation process, which allows bread to be healthfully digestible. Whitley penned this book with zeal, taking care to include wry observations on eating habits and just a bit of fun with his “illogical” recipe directions. If the many cited studies, specialist opinions and data were not enough to convince readers of why they should enter
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E X P A N D E D the pleasant realm of bread-baking, the tried-and-true recipes and hunger-inducing photographs should send consumers scampering to the natural food section of their markets for stone-ground whole grains and various natural mix-ins. Whitley makes such treats as holiday Stollen or the oftenelusive “sourdough’ attainable for even the average kitchen. Reviewed by Meredith Greene Cooking Dinner: Simple Italian Family Recipes Everyone Can Make By Rima Barkett and Claudia Pruett Mega Productions, $34.95, 256 pages Don’t read this book on an empty stomach! You’ll want to cook it all as you turn the appetizing pages of this Italian cookbook. This isn’t your typical recipe tome. It was created to be used by the whole family. The recipes are light, healthy, made with fresh ingredients, and easy enough for beginners. In fact, the authors intended it as a teaching tool for children, and to reintroduce family dinners to the American table. “We know that time spent with our kids is irreplaceable. The kitchen is a wonderful place to teach lifelong skills, pass on traditional recipes, bake a memory and decorate a dream.” This innovative book offers menus and grocery lists to help you plan a week’s worth of meals. Each recipe includes a “Helping Hands” segment, providing suggestions to involve children. You’ll also find tips, nutrition information, and ideas for varying recipes. You’ll discover new cooking secrets in an appendix that offers a range of tips from storing cheese with a sugar cube to making a brightly-colored boiled egg—one of the many highlights of the book. Packed full of delightful, classic recipes with modern twists, you’ll find Spinach Torta, Pasta e Fagioli Soup, and Strawberry Tiramisu—to name but a few. The only drawback? That you can’t cook them all at once! This is a mustown cookbook for any family collection. Reviewed by By Amber K. Stott Eat Your Feelings: Recipes for SelfLoathing By Heather Whaley Hudson Street Press, $25.95, 240 pages Serve yourself some equal portions of comfort food, sarcasm, and gut-busting humor. Author and actress Heather Whaley stirs up a new kind of cookbook with this
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original. Sure, you might enjoy the recipes, but you’ll want to read this book for its guaranteed laughs. It’s the kind of book you bust out at a party. It’s a sure-fire way to get folks giggling. “Set alarm clock two hours earlier than you would have to get up if your car weren’t a piece of junk. Put chicken breasts in a plastic bag filled with buttermilk and place in the refrigerator. Once in driveway, pause at vehicle to kick it thirteen times or until your aggression has been sufficiently satisfied.” Take, for instance, Whaley’s recipe titled Pepperoni Pizza for Agoraphobes: “Put yeast in a warm bowl and pour in water and sugar. Mix well with a fork and leave until yeast starts to foam, about 5-10 minutes. (Leave the mixture—you don’t actually have to leave the house, no need to panic just yet.)” No one is safe from Whaley’s hilarious attacks. She’s got recipes to mock women with stretch marks, folks who failed their GED, bullies, the lovelorn, and pretty much every type of emotionally sapped character. Even better, she’s got the perfect recipe to cure what ails them: “You are Overqualified for Your Job and They Make You Get Donuts Super Veggie Dog,” “He Likes Your Roommate Key Lime Pie,” or “Dead Broke Dumplings.” Laugh your heart out—and buy this book! Reviewed by Amber K. Stott The Bizarre Truth: How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First... and Came Back Shaking My Head By Andrew Zimmern Broadway Books, $24.99, 270 pages Grab your suitcase and a fork. This book will have you boarding the next plane to the middle of nowhere just to taste a rare morsel. Perhaps you’re interested in tasting a fox-sized fruit bat? Or maybe it’s exotic fruit that you’re after? Or, it might just be the pure sense of adventure. If any of the above get your pulse racing, you’ll love The Bizarre Truth. You can devour the book like a hungry hiker who hasn’t seen anything but a granola bar for days—the book is that good. Or, you can sit back and savor each individual escapade one bite at a time. “I am a traveler. I am not a tourist. Occassionally, I do touristy things. But I have spent about ten weeks’ total time in the People’s Republic of China and never seen the Great Wall. Go figure.” You’ll follow author Andrew Zimmern all over the planet, experiencing high-drama adventures and mouth-watering moments bold and simple. You’ll find guns, cliffs, and
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Jamie’s Food Revolution
Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals By Jamie Oliver Hyperion, $35.00, 347 pages
You know you’ve found a gem of a cooking book when you find yourself consulting it for any complex dish you’ve been dying to make! Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals is an informative, accessible and delightful addition for any chef’s collection! With a wide variety of recipes, both traditional and exotic, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s newest gastronomic gift to the world is a must-have. Oliver’s book made even some of the typically more daunting recipes seem easy as pie! There is a nice spread between soups, main dishes, desserts, stir-fries, breakfast dishes, salads, fish dishes, curries and more. In addition, there are picture pages throughout with brief paragraphs on non-professional chefs who have enjoyed learning the art of cooking from Jamie Oliver. Bon appetit! Reviewed by Susie Kopecky muscle-bound men. You’ll find fruit stands, traffic jams, and hillside villages. With each climactic chapter, you’ll itch to strike out on your own journey of the world and its marvelous ingredients. Zimmern is a smooth, revealing, and suspenseful writer. The only tidbit I found lacking were his descriptions of the meals, which he defies all odds to claim. Then again, it’s hard to taste with your eyes. But I sure had fun trying! Reviewed by Amber K. Stott Michael Symon’s Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen By Michael Symon, Michael Ruhlman Clarkson Potter, $35.00, 256 pages Live To Cook, the first cookbook by chef Michael Symon, is chock full of enticing recipes and engaging stories chronicling his evolution from line cook to James Beard award-winning restaurateur to Food Network superstar. This book goes beyond the hype to reveal the true Michael Symon, a down-to-earth guy who has obvious zeal for his profession, a definitive philosophy about cooking and an unwavering devotion to his family and his hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. The recipes in the book illustrate the impact that a lifetime of memorable food experiences have had on who Symon is as a chef today. This is seen with the Beef Cheek Filled Pierogies, made with a dough that he learned as a teen from his grandfather, the Poached Foie Gras Bratwurst, his delicious tribute to a home-
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town favorite, as well as with many other recipes. Symon’s passion for meat, particularly bacon, is evidenced by its predominance throughout the book, as is his love for pickled and spicy foods. Also apparent in most of the recipes is Symon’s mastery for creating dishes that are layered with multiple, complementary flavors. A recipe for Duck Confit with Pickled Cherries and Endive is one of many that exemplifies Symon’s skill for combining contrasting ingredients in such a way that they at once shine on their own, as well as enhancing each other. Live To Cookoffers accessible, creative recipes for cooks of every skill level and offers a candid look inside the real life of a superstar chef. Reviewed by Andrea Rappaport More Vegetables, Please! By Elson M. Hass, MD and Patty James, MS New Harbinger Publications, Inc., $21.95, 264 pages Eating three to five servings of vegetables a day as the food pyramid recommends isn’t so easy when our busy lives demand fast meals dominated by pasta and bread, meat, and dairy products. More Vegetables, Please! is both a cookbook and vegetable primer that hopes to teach people how to make vegetables a diet staple. There are over 100 ve ge t a ble - fo c u s e d recipes in the book that cover everything from sauces to entrées. With a holistic nutritionist (Patty James) and a doctor (Elson
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E X P A N D E D M. Hass) as authors, the recipes in the book are healthful and include a breakdown of nutritional information. The authors were considerate in designing the recipes with ingredients that can be found at the local grocery store rather than choosing exotic, expensive ingredients. A unique aspect of this cookbook is that James and Hass, who encourage readers to include children in the preparation of food, have special sidebars next to many of the recipes that detail how children can help. Also valuable are the book’s subsections with great information such as instructions for growing spouts and a glossary that pairs several spice suggestions with each type of vegetable. Reviewed by Megan Just Ciao Italia By Mary Ann Esposito St. Martin’s Press, $29.99, 150 pages Ease of recipe navigation is a revered quality in any cookbook, let alone one promising “good” Italian food. A TV chef on PBS, Esposito uses her well of knowledge to serve up a book-bound nod to busy Americans, with a surprising twist: each meal in Ciao Italia is prepared using just five ingredients. In concise terms, the reader is informed that quality components are the secret to
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great cuisine, not necessarily the number of them or the complexity of their preparation. The authentic names of each dish (and subsequent English translations) will be quite helpful should one visit a good Italian restaurant. The author’s use of “timesaving” basic stock items (like frozen prepared pizza dough and canned tomatoes) may raise a few eyebrows, warranting pause in serving said dishes to visiting Venetians. However, the recipes sampled proved they were indeed simple to prepare, surprisingly delicious, and useful for fresh-made dinners and casual parties. Among the various dishes to choose from shone out unique takes on traditional favorites: Fontina-Stuffed Meatballs, Mushroom, Spinach & Cheese Tart, Spinach & Pear Salad, and Almond Crisp Cookies. Despite the minimal number of ingredients, Esposito’s recipes bring home the fact that good, quality food is not only easy to make, but often the healthier alternative to fast food. This upcoming holiday season, it may behoove folks to bring a bit of Italy into the kitchen. Reviewed by Meredith Greene
Meet the authors of the books you love! Anne Rice Angel Time
Brandon Sanderson The Gathering Storm
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The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book By Camilla V. Saulsbury Sourcebooks, $24.99, 404 pages Finally! This is the kind of cookie cookbook I have been looking for. 745 easy cookie recipes fill the pages of this must-have book. With everything from bar cookies to biscotti, to re-creations of your favorite store-bought cookies, and many new favorites, there is something in here for everyone. The winner of the Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown Best Cookie Recipe is also included in this book. I can’t stress enough how easy the recipes are and how little baking experience you need. The holidays are a very busy time yet we want things to feel as homey as possible. There’s no better way than filling your home with the scent of freshly baked cookies. Your guests will think you spent all day in the kitchen but with a shortcut in every recipe you’ll be spending more time with your loved ones instead. Some of my favorite recipes are the chocolate-chip cherry cheesecake tartlets, and the sour cream brownies with chocolate velvet frosting. The
S E C T I O N Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book would make a great gift for the holidays or be a wonderful addition to your own library. Reviewed by Jennifer LeBrun Make It Fast, Cook It Slow By Stephanie O-Dea Hyperion, $19.99, 443 pages Dust off your slow cooker (also known a crock pot)--there is a new cookbook in town. Stephanie O’Dea’s Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is a refreshing new cookbook dedicated to slow cooking. The author started 2008 with a resolution to use her slow cooker every day for a year. She accomplished that goal, and this book includes all the recipes that were “keepers.” Unlike other slow cooking cookbooks, this book does not use creamof-something soup as the main ingredient in every recipe. There are recipes from every genre of cooking, from beverages to desserts and everything in between. In addition, many of the recipes are gluten-free. Most of the recipes are simple and use ingredients commonly found in a home pantry or easily found at the local grocery store. I highly recommend this book - and I plan to get out my
Robert Hicks A Separate Country Sharon Lee & Steve Miller Fledgling
Jarrett J. Krosoczka The Lunch Lady Series
James Dasher The Maze Runner
www.sacramentobookreview.com/audible_authors.php
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E X P A N D E D slow cooker to make the cheeseburger soup one day very soon. Enjoy! Reviewed by Sharon LeBrun Thursday Night is Hearty Meat By Editors of Woman’s Day Hachette, $12.99, 96 pages If you like meat, don’t have time to cook, and are into simple not special, then Woman’s Day Thursday Night is Hearty Meat is the cookbook for you. If you’re more of the versatile, interested, Food Network-nut type, then slip this book back on the self and head for something a bit more elaborate. A few high points to the newest installment in the Woman’s Day cookery line are the glossy, appealing illustrations as well as the unadulterated, natural ingredients. There is nothing fatty, complicated or, heaven forbid, bad for the environment (that is if you don’t count the meat). Most recipes have less then ten ingredients and take only a few minutes or a couple hours in the slow cooker. Cuban Ropa Vieja and Sauerbraten offer some flair while classics like Shepherd’s Pie and Mini Meatloaves keep it cozy. For a busy family with hungry boys to feed I suggest adding this cookbook to your collection, but only if those boys can’t taste the difference between the hamburger from the diner down the street and the one at the five-star restaurant. Reviewed by Natalie Fladager The Baking Answer Book By Lauren Chattman Workman Publishing Company, $14.95, 384 pages Dessert baking is a daunting task that becomes all the more unnerving when you don’t have the right ingredients or when recipes don’t turn out as they’re supposed to. Can granulated sugar be replaced with brown sugar? What is the difference between a convection and conventional oven? Why do cheesecakes often crack on top? In The Baking Answer Book, Lauren Chattman takes on your every baking question, and troubleshoots your less than perfect outcomes so that you garner a better understanding of the mysteries behind baking and don’t repeat your errors. The book features chapters devoted to ingredients, equipment, the science of baking and the similarities and differences between the various types of ovens. The chapters go on to cover individual categories of baked goods and breads, as well as sections on metric equivalents and high-altitude baking.
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While this book is oddly laid out in that it is mostly just questions and answers, it does contain a small collection of recipes that illustrate many of its points. These include an Apple Tart with a tender cream cheese crust, decadent Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies with the surprising crunch of sea salt and a time and labor saving Food Processor Puff Pastry that almost rivals that rolled out by hand. The Baking Answer Book is a valuable reference to have on hand for those times when you have a question, or if something doesn’t turn out as it should have. Reviewed by Andrea Rappaport My Bread By Jim Lahey and Rick Flaste Norton, $29.95, 224 pages Who doesn’t love the smell and taste of freshly baked bread? Baking bread at home, however, is just too intimidating or labor intensive for most people… until now. In the new book, My Bread, Jim Lahey shares an incredibly simple, foolproof technique so straightforward that even those who have never baked before can become proficient in no time. The breads in this book require no kneading, and anybody with a large pot and a working oven can produce artisanal style breads at home with surprisingly little effort. The book begins with a basic recipe for a thick crusted, chewy, Italian-style loaf. Once you have mastered this dough, Lahey shows you how to elaborate on it by incorporating a variety of different ingredients such as olives, walnuts, fruit juices, and even chocolate. The book then advances to recipes for things such as rye bread, Irish brown bread, baguettes, and ciabattas. Later chapters contain simple recipes for pizzas, focaccias, and mouthwatering sandwiches. There is even a chapter devoted entirely to using up stale bread in dishes such as bread pudding or tomato and bread soup, but chances are, you’ll eat up your delicious creations long before they have the chance to get stale. For those of you who love freshly baked bread but have never considered baking your own, this book is sure to be a godsend, providing you with enough confidence to quickly become a masterful home baker. Reviewed by Andrea Rappaport Simply in Season By Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert Herald Press, $19.99, 368 pages “The average food item travels more than a thousand miles before it arrives on our tables,” writes Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert in the preface to their
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Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures: A Hudson Valley Cookbook By Peter G. Rose New York State University Press, $14.95, 138 pages Step away from the glitz of popular food trends with this cookbook. Written by author Peter G. Rose, known for her research and writing on the diet of Dutch settlers in New Netherlands, Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures combines her knowledge with the recipes she enjoys in her personal kitchen. The book packs a lot of disparate ideas into one short text. Some recipes are included because the author enjoys them while traveling in her RV; others are linked to Dutch heritage, while still others rejoice the use of abundant, seasonal ingredients. You’ll also find a few selections from favorite restaurants. “This is another one of my summer standbys that is well liked. It is particularly handy on a boat or for happy hour at the end of a long day in the RV.”
The recipes are the highlight of this book. These are meals you might prepare at home for your family. The recipes offer several basics, like hot sauce, peach coffee cake, and herb spread. They are short, using standard, seasonal ingredients, and don’t call for fancy equipment or hours of your time. They have also been well tested. Yet, disappointingly, you won’t find any photos of the dishes. If you’re interested in adding some recipes to your
collection, this book will bring some fresh ideas. But if you want a cookbook that you can read by the fire, you might be disappointed. Reviewed by Amber K. Stott
“Picking your own berries, peaches, or apples can be combined with sightseeing to make a day’s outing.”
newly expanded version of Simply In Season, a cookbook that aspires to combat this dilemma by offering tasty, seasonal recipes the home cook can prepare using fresh, local-grown ingredients. It is an indispensable guide to those who frequent farmer’s markets or seek out the freshest produce available at the corner grocery store.
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“Each food purchase we make is like a vote for the way we want food to be produced - and for the world in which we want to live.” An attractive spiral-bound hardcover book, Simply In Season is user-friendly thanks to its color-coded end tabs. Broken up by season, it is further subdivided into categories including breads and breakfast, soups, salads, sides, main dishes, desserts, and extras. It is easy for one to plan an entire menu based on the harvest of the mo-
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E X P A N D E D ment. A springtime stop at the farmer’s market for seasonal produce, for instance, could yield a meal encompassing Spring Celebration Soup, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Lemon Asparagus Pasta, and Rhubarb Pie. The recipes are straightforward and simple enough to appeal to cooks of all skill levels, and are interspersed with essays, anecdotes, and nutrition tips, adding a touch of personality that is lacking in many cookbooks. Simply In Season is the perfect choice for those who believe fresh and local is a philosophy they’d like to embrace. Reviewed by Mark Petruska Confections of a Closet Master Baker: A Memoir By Gesine Bullock-Prado Broadway Books, $24.00, 240 pages This very lovely first book (I hope there’ll be more) by Gesine Bullock-Prado is titled as a memoir, but it is also a handbook, poetic and practical, on creating balance and joy in work and life. Gesine understands what is important in life: those whom she loves. She also appreciates their profound influence upon her and how a soul-sucking job, even one undertaken for the best of reasons, saps and diminishes one’s time on earth. So, she takes her remarkable heritage, an unstoppable work ethic, and her old sidekicks, Butter & Sugar, and conquers much more than her little portion of Vermont. She deals with issues of family love and duty, with the loss of a parent, with encountering all the crazies on the planet with sincerity and humor. This is 226 pages of remarkable richness describing childhood divided between Europe and the U.S., the creation of a small business, the move from metropolis to rural community. It contains just enough Hollywood dish to satisfy the reader’s baser leanings and it offers plenty of true insights to encourage and uplift the reader, whatever their path. Two additional features make Gesine (also her bakery’s name)’s book a delight and an excellent gift choice: Raymond Prado’s amazing illustrations remind me of the best-beloved books of my childhood, and almost every chapter has a splendid recipe to accompany it! There are 18 wonderful, wholesome, straightforward, REALLY GOOD recipes that make this amazing little treasure an honest-to-goodness cookbook as well. This is one you will want to share with the people you love. Reviewed by Shelby Kopecky
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Love Soup: 160 All New Vegetarian Recipes By Anna Thomas Norton, $22.95, 528 pages Who loves soup? It may be challenging to think of a steamy cup of corn chowder at this blistering time of year, but think of crisp fall or chilly winter peering around the corner, blowing their biting breath down your neck. Yes, the time will come, and Anna Thomas has created a cornucopia of flavors and recipes in Love Soup:160 All New Vegetarian Recipes, a beautiful addition to her previous title The Vegetarian Epicure. And yes, there are soups that are served best in spring and summer--a rich asparagus bisque with fresh dill, for starters. The book itself is a simple and elegant array of treats, and each season is purposefully assigned a chapter outlining the freshest choices and how to choose them, making ingredient shopping hassle-free and, in fact, fun. Although the title lends itself to the vegetarian diner, any meat-loving soup eater will devour these dishes. Not sure what goes with Christmas Eve Porcini Soup? She has it covered, a menu with the soup as the main dish, creative salads, and even dessert are offered. Flipping through this cookbook feels a lot like being in the kitchen with mom on a lazy Sunday afternoon, the ease of a hearty conversation (her warm voice effuses throughout), the sage advice, and eventually, if you stick around, the fruits (and veggies) of success. This book is a guide to follow, a narrative to infuse in, and an invitation to partake. Reviewed by Sky Sanchez The Silver Spoon Pasta By Editors of Phaidon Press Phaidon Press, $39.95, 336 pages Pasta lovers looking to shake up their repertoire are going to be captivated and enlightened by The Silver Spoon Pasta, the successor to the celebrated Italian cookbook, The Silver Spoon. The book is divided into two main categories, dried and fresh pastas, which are further classified from there by shape. Descriptions include a translation of each pasta’s name, the type of flour it’s made from, which Italian region it comes from and a suggestion for sauces that best complement it. There are also instructions and recipes for making fresh, homemade pasta doughs in a variety of flavors. Many of the book’s 350 mouth watering recipes can be whipped up in minutes with pantry staples, as with Penne Arrabbiata, while others require con-
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siderably more time and ingredients, like Artichoke Cannelloni. There are plenty of recognizable recipes, such as classic lasagna or pasta Bolognese, but there are also a good number of uncommon recipes, like Bucatini with Green Tomatoes and Tuna or Cocoa Taglierini, a fresh pasta made with cocoa powder. Sauce recipes run the gamut, from tomato and meat based to those featuring olive oil, cream, saffron and even yogurt. You might be fooled by recipes that appear understated, containing just a few ingredients, but those often turn out to be the most interesting, built upon layers of flavor that when combined, provide a complexity far greater than their individual parts. As is the case with many cookbooks that have been translated from another language, there are some awkwardly worded sentences and a few recipes that lack clarity, such as one that calls for “1/2 cup of low fat cheese” without any further description. That said, most of these glitches are minor and if anything add to the charm of this illuminating cookbook. Reviewed by Andrea Rappaport The Cheese Chronicles By Liz Thorpe Harper Collins/Ecco, $15.99, 376 pages The Cheese Chronicles represents one woman’s passion for cheese, and the coming of age of the cheese movement in America. Once regarded as inferior to Europe’s product, Thorpe demonstrates – through a quirky storytelling style that will have you chuckling while simultaneously teaching you the nuances of cheese and the cheese making process – that American cheese is no longer just the prefabricated, cellophane wrapped, mass-produced and flavorless product it once was. “Everyone I meet really likes cheese. It’s a food that moves people and engages them...everyone has a favorite, everyone has a story, everyone asks if I know that cheese, the white-and-soft-andreally-good one.” Thorpe, who works at the esteemed Murray’s Cheese in New York City, is the perfect spokeswoman for a dairy product that has become increasingly trendy and respected over the past decade. Young and hip, she accomplishes the impossible, making cheese seem sexy. Thorpe’s passion for cheese shows clearly in the pages of The Cheese Chronicles; her finely tuned palate enables her to come up with fantastically dense descriptions of a myriad of different cheeses. In her words, they are “lemony, milky whirls” or “pungent, salty, woodsy perfection.” The Cheese Chronicles is educational, covering the differences between cheese made
S E C T I O N from the milk of cows, goats, and sheep, and explaining what to look for in a cheese and how to hone your own sense of taste. Even better, it’s entertaining, chock full of vignettes delivered in a monologue that is equal parts humorous and down to earth. Reviewed by Mark Petruska The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Preserving Food By Karen Brees, Ph.D. Alpha, $18.95, 362 pages The best way to learn safe, effective food preservation techniques is by taking a Cooperative Extension Service course. But for busy people who lack the time for a lengthy course, this is a good introduction to the topic. Using simple, direct terms augmented by graphical tips and pointers, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Preserving Food covers all major food preservation methods. Techniques include freezing, canning, fermented foods, fruit spreads, plus drying, smoking, and salting. Chapters are devoted to common foods such as meats, vegetables, and fruits. Sections within these chapters point out differences for some foods, such as freezing grapes versus lemons and limes. A few recipes are also provided at the end of each chapter. People looking for extensive, detailed ways to preserve foods will want to take a Cooperative Extension class or look elsewhere. However, this book does an excellent job of providing an overview on ways to improve your health by preparing and preserving your own food, instead of buying pre-processed meals. Reviewed by David Reynolds The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast By David Leite Clarkson Potter, $32.50, 256 pages Portuguese cuisine is rarely given the same consideration as the food of other European countries, but David Leite’s book, The New Portuguese Table, illustrates that it clearly deserves a closer look. The recipes in the book are enhanced by engaging stories, detailing their history as well as many of the chefs and cooks who created them. Generally succinct and straightforward, the recipes highlight the balance that exists between Portugal’s rich culinary history and its burgeoning modern food scene. Old world dishes like Caldo Verde, a flavorful soup made with potatoes, greens and spicy sausage, are classically simple, featuring traditional ingredients. In contrast
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E X P A N D E D are the contemporary dishes that are either new to the culture entirely or presented anew by way of flavor twists, uncommon ingredients and non-traditional cooking techniques. A recipe for Grilled Chicken Breasts with Spicy Coconut Sauce demonstrates how this country’s cuisine is now heavily influenced by Africa, Asia and beyond, while another for Salt Cod Sandwiches offers a playful variation on an age-old, popular ingredient. Many recipes accentuate the Portuguese people’s fervor for spicy foods and include components like piquant sausages, fresh and dried chiles and the ubiquitous Piri-Piri sauce. Neophytes will be comforted by a detailed pantry section that includes suggestions for substitutions for difficultto-find ingredients. In addition to the recipes, there is a concise but detailed “gastronomic tour” of Portugal’s major provinces offering the reader a bit of insight into the history, geography, and the vast cultural diversity that exists throughout this tiny country. Reviewed by Andrea Rappaport Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share By Paula Wolfert Wiley, $34.95, 352 pages Paula Wolfert, author of several previous cookbooks on Mediterranean cooking, has taken much of her expertise and focused it on the art of cooking in clay pots. While there are numerous variations of clay cooking pots, she focuses on just a few, and provides recipes from around the Mediterranean for each. Many can even be produced in a standard Crockpot, but will lose the “earthiness” that Wolfert finds clay, stone or earthenware can impart to recipes. One of the upsides to cooking in a pot is, often, most of the meal cooks all at one time; the downside is that many of the recipes are involved and require some time in prep. Nor are many of them easy for beginners. A case in point would be the Pork Daube with Wild Mushrooms, which requires preparing the pork on a skillet, and baking the final dish twice. The good news is that for the patient cook, these dishes will provide a taste of Mediterranean cooking at its freshest and most flavorful. The book is mostly black and white pages of recipes and commentary, with several pages of inset color photos of some of the final dishes. There is also an excellent section on finding and caring for clay pots of all sorts and an afterword with sources for the many pots and ingredient discussed, and a two page bibliography for cooks interested in further explorations of Mediterranean cooking.
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The Dumpling: A Seasonal Guide By Wai Hon Chu; Connie Lovatt William Morrow Cookbooks, $35.00, 432 pages Many varieties of dumplings are easily recognized and enjoyed, but preparing them is often passed up by many cooks as too temperamental or difficult to maintain quality. But, as dumplings can be found in many cultures, they should be seen as an essential part of any good cook’s repertoire. The Dumpling covers not only the standards, but some more unusual cultural variations on the theme, including tamales, mochi from Japan, and plantain dumplings from Peru. In all, there are about 130 dumpling recipes, and 60 stews, soups and sauces to cook them in and with. The book is organized by months, trying to find dumplings best suited to the season and available ingredients. You can find easy-tofol low-and-ma ke potato dumplings and tapioca balls stuffed with pork and peanuts. There are not a lot of color photos in the book; the main focus being a variety of recipes and clear instructions. There are also some good illustrations of how to wrap and fold dumplings around their center in a variety of ways. Overall a pleasing book on a subject often overlooked. Gourmet Today Edited By Ruth Reichl Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $40.00, 1024 pages It must be bittersweet for Ruth Reichl to release an excellent and best-selling cookbook based on the many recipes from its namesake magazine, just as publisher Conde Nast decides to cease publication of Gourmet. Gourmet Today is a wonderful legacy to leave on, with will more than 1000 recipes in 19 different categories. Many of the recipes have appeared in the magazine and are available online, but most seem to be unique to the book itself. The book starts Drinks and Hors D’Oeuvres and wanders through Soups, Salads, Pastas, and all the usual Meats and Desserts. There are some strong chapters on Vegetarian Main Courses, Grains and Beans, and Grilled Dishes. There is a strong international flavor to many of the recipes, necessitating access to a good grocery store, or in the event you don’t have one nearby, Reichl included a five-page directory of sources for many of the more unusual ingredients. Many of the recipes are designed for the timepressed cook, and can be prepared in about 30 minutes. There are plenty of suggestions for substitutions within the recipes for greener, more sustainable or locally
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Wine, A Gentleman’s Game By Mark Miller SUNY Press/Excelsior Editions, It all started in the late 1950s when Mark Miller and his wife purchased a modest vineyard in Marlboro, New York that later became the award-winning Benmarl Winery. Their temporary residence in the Burgundy region of France afforded them the expertise to apply to their own venture. The couple, together with their sons, was a family who epitomized the struggle for the American Dream. Professional illustrator by trade, the author’s propensity for grape cultivation became a catalyst for the unification of Hudson Valley vineyards. This, in turn, encouraged a virtual renaissance in the wine industry of upstate New York. Miller lobbied for fair legislation of licensing, which eventually led to the passage of the Farm Winery Act of 1976 and won him the respect of the winegrowing community. His investigation of the sociological paradigm shift in national wine consumption gained him international recognition. The technical knowledge this book contains is enhanced by historical photographs and charmingly detailed illustrations by Miller himself. Moreover, this man’s talents extend to colorful, yet accurate prose with strong metaphors that reflect his positive outlook; most memorable are those that compare painting and the production of wine as similarly creative endeavors. This memoir on the art of winemaking is truly a labor of love. Reviewed by Richard Mandrachio available options. There are no pictures of the finished dishes, just hundreds of high-quality recipes and some hand-drawn illustrations, either to provide some color or to illustrate the technique being explained at the moment. At more than 1000 pages and almost five pounds, Gourmet Today is a substantial book, probably necessitating a book stand on your counter for easier reference. But, due to the breadth of coverage, you can easily find yourself using it every week for a quick middle-of-the-week meal or for a wellplanned dinner party on the weekend. Reviewed by Ross Rojek
bevy of full-page photographs, taken on eye-pleasing and homey backgrounds, such as one would have in one’s own kitchen. Comfort abounds in the recipes themselves, as the results pictured are attainable, even with several children “helping.” As a nod to the upcoming holiday season, there are cookie greeting cards, delightfully decorated with flourishes both artful and elegant. Clichés are nowhere to be found, just fresh ideas and quality fun. This book should be on every home-baker’s shelf, handy for flipping through and adding charm to coming winters. Reviewed by Meredith Greene
Cookie Craft Christmas By Valerie Patterson & Janice Fryer Storey Publishing, $12.95, 85 pages Cookie books abound in veritable droves, yet… even in the “advance copy” form that I received to review, Cookie Craft Christmas stands out. So often, baking/decorating books have either too few pictures or harbor overly complicated directions. This volume, however, stands up with a hearty “Not so!”, rattling its icing- embla zoned concoctions amid the tempting crumbs of tender cookies. The large-size font and simple directions pair well with the
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Spirituality & Inspiration The Wisdom of Tuscany By Ferenc Máté Norton, $24.95, 271 pages Is it just me, or does it seem like Americans become collectively fascinated with a different culture every few years or so? Japanese people are some of the longestlived in the world, so, several years ago, we wanted to live like them, eat what they ate, adopt their philosophies, etc. Parisians have a certain “je ne sais quoi,” so we spent about a year trying to figure out how we could be more French. I suspect the next place Oprah and the Today Show (and subsequently the rest of us) will focus on will be the northern Italian region of Tuscany. And having read Ferenc Máté’s latest, The Wisdom of Tuscany, I can see the appeal. But then I could also see the appeal of being more like the Japanese and the French, at least as far as the books written about them represented those cultures. I work long hours, come home, shove something into the microwave, read or watch a little TV, go to bed, and repeat the steps four more times each week. The idea of slowing down a little, interacting with friends and neighbors on a daily basis, eating fresh food, and surrounding myself with picture postcard-worthy scenery seems like a dream. I don’t even know my neighbors. Honestly, I couldn’t pick them out of a line-up. The Tuscan village Máté calls home seems to exist in another universe entirely. Families eat dinner in front of their houses on warm evenings, neighbors share food and gossip and good news, meat, vegetables and bread are bought fresh every day, there are no cars or pollution, and everyone knows everyone. Through anecdotes and some absolutely mouth-watering recipes, Máté celebrates the warmth and simplicity of his adopted homeland. The Tuscany celebrated by Máté appeals to me on several levels, as I’m sure it will appeal to many of you. The problem is that I don’t necessarily see myself inserting the Tuscan way of life into my uniquely American stress-bomb, though that’s definitely the message intended by the occasionally Luddite author. No, instead I want to find a way to abandon everything I have here and
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move to Tuscany. Since this is hardly practical, I’ll have to console myself with the fact that there are actually a lot of decent Italian TV dinners out there these days. Reviewed by Amanda Mitchell One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity By Debbie Macomber Howard Books, $22.99, 214 pages The secret to a better life is in the giving—that’s what Debbie Macomber says in her book, One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity. In this collection of vivid, heart-warming stories that begins with a young boy who volunteered his fishes and loaves to Jesus in Galilee and saw his meager gifts multiplied many times over to feed five thousand, Macomber is convinced that we can live open-handed and be amazed at what we, with the grace of God, can accomplish in our lives through simple acts of generosity. While Macomber’s conviction on this simple but profound “lesson” is based on the bedrock of a biblical story, her own life experiences and that of many others, souped up with motivating messages, serve as irrefutable proof that it works for the good not only of those on the receiving end, but most specially, to those on the giving end. The way she overcame dyslexia and the doubts of nearly everyone in her life to become a bestselling author, from the early days of typing on a rented typewriter to today’s fan-frenzied book events—her own story bears witness to its veracity.
REVIEWER SPOTLIGHT
Amanda Mitchell Kidnapped by gypsies at an early age and subsequently abandoned by the gypsies, Amanda Mitchell spent her formative years moving cross-country, from Los Angeles, California, to southern Florida to northern Wisconsin. All of these moves taught her what was really important: clothes, toys, even siblings could be replaced once you moved into your new house, but nothing could take the place of a well-loved book. Amanda’s father blames his chronic back problems on the boxes of her books he personally carried up and down dozens of flights of stairs during Amanda’s childhood. All this reading eventually led to some writing, which eventually led to a weekly humor column for a regional Wisconsin newspaper. (To this day, no one’s really sure how that happened.) Amanda’s since given up the column, though she still writes from her new hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. And she still reads. A lot. Her favorite books include Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and Christopher Moore’s Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. Amanda’s blog can be found at Non Skweeter.
“When we find something we love, we want to share it with others and spread the joy.” You’ve got nothing to give? Of course you do, Macomber says. You don’t need to dig deep in your pocket. You can give many other gifts—time, encouragement, hope, laughter, prayer, hospitality, service, and, even forgiveness—all of which often have lasting and life-changing impact, not only on the recipient of such gifts, but on the giver as well. So, if you want to prime your own “dry well,” Macomber’s One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity may just be the answer you’ve been looking for. Reviewed by Dominique James
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Sports & Outdoors Religion The Score Takes Care of Itself By Bill Walsh Penguin books, $25.95, 242 pages I wonder if Mike Singletary will read this book. Bill Walsh has been an impossible act to follow, and as time passes, his brilliance may be recognized even more fully. The qualities of inspiration, strategic thinking, and leadership he brought to the NFL remain pretty much unsurpassed…so says a football fan from Northern California! This book reveals the characteristics of Bill Walsh’s approach to leadership. He favors simple, consistent focus on high expectations, ongoing teaching and encouragement, and unwavering respect for conferred without regard to station or pay. Walsh intends the book as a leadership guide, not a memoir, as evidenced by the topics and a detailed useful index. However, what makes the book exemplary is that it is well written, by insiders, in Bill Walsh’s voice. Vignettes from well-remembered games featuring much admired coaches and players infuse the narrative with warmth and ground Walsh’s high aspirations in details of football lore. Bill Walsh was not only a great leader. He brought a new sensibility to the game of football. Early football reeked of a meat locker approach: recruit very strong men, even mindless ones, arouse their excitement, pits them against one another, see who falls. Bill Walsh’s comment from the book on What I will Miss the Least: “The cruelty of the sport, both mental and physical was almost repellant to me---the brutal attitudes and practices…treating players in a thug like manner, working them to death in practice, pitting them one against another disrespecting their intelligence, dehumanizing them. It seemed a crude model of leadership.” Contrast this with his reflection on What I Will Miss the Most: “…the strategy and tactics of the game---designing plays and seeing them work. …Creating something that you’re sure no one else has ever seen or thought of and have it succeed. Then later to see it become a commonly used devise throughout football….” Bill Walsh attributes his success to the standard of performance he details in this book. It is interesting to read that at the penultimate moment of his achievement, the “Drive of the Superbowl XXIII,” Walsh experienced as a surreal detached moment, observed as if from afar. All the performance standards he instilled over the years were coming to fruition and he was merely an observer of the success. This book is not only a must-read for every Forty Niner fan, but also for anyone in-
terested in inspiring a team of individuals to unite in common purpose. The Walsh plan: take the book and make a 20-play scripted model any leader can run to achieve success for their organization. Reviewed by Marcia Jo Always Compete By Steve Bisheff St. Martin’s Press, $25.99, 256 pages Always Compete offers the purchaser an inside look at Pete Carroll and the USC football powerhouse. The promised profile of Coach Carroll is never delivered, nor is there much here about the personalities of the members of the 2008 team. Instead, this is a basic day-to-day/game-to-game (‘Game Four: Setting the Tone for the Rest of the Season”) newspaper-style report on a college football team that receives daily coverage in several southern California papers. Perhaps if you were a Trojan fan without internet access some of this would be new. But $25.99 is a bit much to pay for last year’s news, yesterday’s papers. This reader actually wanted to know more about Coach Carroll and his coaching style, but it’s just not in here. Bisheff does touch upon the team’s now annual loss to a “far less talented Pac-10 rival.” This year’s early season loss to Washington may dampen this book’s sales to the team’s biggest boosters (Disclosure: this reader is one of them). This book lacks an appendix, which hurts its credibility, and offers not a word about the four years that Pete Carroll spent as a student-athlete at UOP in Stockton. Reviewed by Joseph Arellano
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Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don’t like Religion (or Atheism) By Frank Schaeffer Da Capo Press, $25.00, 230 pages In Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don’t like Religion (or Atheism), Frank Schaeffer argues that there is a third way that falls between doctrinaire religious faith and atheism. That he does so persuasively is testament to his grounded, real-world approach, and his ability to identify common elements from each perspective. Schaeffer, who is the son of evangelical missionaries, strives to find a balance between the extremes of fundamentalist Christianity and the “radical atheism” espoused by writers such as Richard Dawkins and by
comedian/talk show host Bill Maher in his film Religulous. Schaeffer feels that both perspectives are extreme and that there needs to be some middle ground. He terms his perspective “hopeful uncertainty.” In Schaeffer’s point of view, this approach allows one to believe in God, but without all the absolutes and answers found in fundamentalist Christianity and other organized religions. It also leaves room to question the nature of God, without having to deny that s/he exists. In Patience with God Schaeffer has written a thoughtful and compelling guide for maneuvering between the twin poles of fundamentalist religion and atheism. It is a moderate approach that many people will find fits their actions and beliefs. Reviewed by Doug Robins
Travel Napa & Sonoma Encounter By Alison Bing Lonely Planet, $14.99, 208 pages Lonely Planet has once again published a great addition to any oenophile’s travel catalog. Napa and Sonoma Encounter is a wonderful take-along read and guide which will truly make your vacation to Wine Country a divine one. Packed with 5-star recommendations, you will find that every minute of your stay in this region of California will be spent in leisure thanks to its presentation of a wide assortment of seasonal activities and year-round events. Whether it be drinking cabernet while admiring abstract paintings, sliding down into a warm volcanic mud bath before your massage, canoeing past sunning turtles and herons on the lazy Russian River or even just passing around Sonoma goat cheese and a plummy Rosé at a pond-side picnic, Napa and Sonoma Encounter will pave the way to a revitalizing weekend retreat for any couple, family or even if you’re just going solo. I appreciate how expert author Alison Bing includes a section with a primer on wine tasting basics for the uninitiated drinker. This book, my GPS and I will definitely be a fun threesome on my long-awaited visit to Napa and Sonoma. Reviewed by Kaye Cloutman
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Greece: Instructions for Use By Kat Christofer Beagle Bay Books, $14.95, 120 pages This pocket-sized manual was written by a resident who gives us firsthand knowledge of Greek customs, language and transportation. There are certain guidelines expressed as “worth noting” (details known only to natives) and “prosoxi” (common pitfall alerts). Convenient translations of Greek terminology along with an English-Greek vocabulary at the very end are included for quick reference; this is essential for anyone unfamiliar with the Greek alphabet. The appendix contains a list of resources with websites and valuable contact information. By no means comprehensive, Greece: Instructions for Use is intended only to be used as a supplement to larger sourcebooks. But for anyone who likes to travel light, this wonderful aid could help solve day-to-day problems with foreign money, transit, cuisine or shopping. Tips concerning etiquette and attitude are rare to come by, so they’re a welcome inclusion. The omission of maps and places to stay is unfortunate, but also necessary to keep this guidebook a handy size. While it may not save the casual traveler a lot of money, it could spare one much embarrassment and confusion. Reviewed by Richard Mandrachio
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History D-Day: The Battle for Normandy By Antony Beevor Viking Adult, $32.95, 608 pages You’d think that everything there is to say about World War II must have already been said a thousand times before in a thousand different books. But Antony Beevor’s D-Day is the first book in over 20 years to exhaustively detail the events from June 2, 1944 (just a few days before D-Day) through the battle for Normandy and the liberation of Paris. One soldier remembered a “tow-headed kid” named Johnny. “He was standing there, staring into space. I went over to him and I said, ‘What’s the matter, Johnny?’ He said, ‘I don’t think I’ll make it.’ I said, ‘Nah, you’ll be alright.’ I sort of shook him because he was like in a daze. As it turned out, he was one of the first men killed in Normandy.” Mr. Beevor used both new and old, previously overlooked sources to give a comprehensive picture of this pivotal period in the conflict, including letters, diaries, and U.S. Army combat historian interviews of soldiers and officers that were conducted minutes following battles. He strives to look at the war from all perspectives, from the wide-angle – the overall strategies of the various armies – to the tight-angle – the experiences of the soldiers and civilians. This book is weighty. It’s a tome for serious-minded World War II enthusiasts, not something to read, half-awake while lazing in front of the fire on a rainy Sunday afternoon. But the combination of the text, pictures, and map end-papers together make for a triumph of research, clarity, and the love of history. Reviewed by Michelle Kerns The Shadows of Youth: The Remarkable Journey of the Civil Rights Generation By Andrew B. Lewis Hill and Wang, $27.00, 339 pages Andrew Lewis’s The Shadows of Youth-The Remarkable Journey of the Civil Rights Generation is a historical academic examination of the student-based civil rights movement. Lewis chronicles the lives of Julian Bond, Stokely Carmicheal, Marion Barry, John Lewis, Bob Moses, Diane Nash, Charles McDew and other student activists from the sit-ins of 1960 to the NAACP convention of 2006.
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Mr. Langshaw’s Square Piano: Lewis cites the birth of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee as reviving the aspirations started by Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954 and the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955. Originally welcoming both black and white members from around the country; the SNCC galvanized into an energetic and passionate organization. Lewis takes us on this tumultuous journey in a fact-based account of the movement’s moral and political dilemmas. He allows for the atrocity of racism in the Deep South as well as the difficulty of inter-organizational politics. His view of the student movement working in the shadow of the iconic Martin Luther King is both insightful and alarming. The impact of the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the assassination of Kennedy are also explored in the context of the grass-roots movement. The inception of the more radical Black Panther Party is also examined. “How this ragtag band with little money, no obvious power, painfully little help from the federal government, and the entire white South out to get them, played a starring role in the demise of legal segregation is one of the great adventure stories of American history.” In conclusion, Lewis traverses the eventual psychological impact of the movement on its organizers: friendships were forged and broken; marriages crumbled, and drug use was common. Much of the book is based on interviews with Julian Bond, Diane Nash and Bob Zellner—who was eventually excluded from the SNCC when they changed to a black only membership policy. The extent of Lewis’s research (it includes an extensive bibliography) makes this an excellent tool and especially fertile ground for screenwriters, politicians and anyone interested in this polarizing period of history. The casual reader might find it rooted too deeply in organization acronyms, places, and dates. Reviewed by Sheli Ellsworth The Dancing Plague By John Waller Sourcebooks, Inc., $14.99, 278 Pages What caused The Dancing Plague? Was it even an illness at all? In this well-researched piece, Waller weaves an intricate tapestry of Strasbourg, Germany prior to, during, and after the strange “plague” took place: over several months’ time, hundreds of citizens involuntarily started to “dance” until they either exhausted themselves completely or dropped dead. After admitting that modern science has
The Story of the First Pianos and How They Caused a Cultural Revolution By Madeline Goold BlueBridge, $24.95, 288 pages
Mr. Langshaw’s Square Piano is an eloquent anecdotal story of how a formerly unrecognized and unnoticed organist in the 1700s had his hand in shaping our modern culture and society by the distribution of what we now know as the piano. The background for this extraordinary story: The author, Madeline Goold, bought an antique piano. After finding a handwritten inscription on the piano, she began to investigate. Her investigation brought her on a long journey to discover the history of the piano. In Britain, John Broadwood (1732-1812) was the first to produce and distribute the square piano in large numbers. Broadwood was known for his meticulous recordkeeping, and his sales records and archives are still intact today. John Langshaw (1763-1832) became acquainted with the square piano by Broadwood, and later formed a business relationship with him. Through an unusual chain of events, John Langshaw actually ended up training under Reverend Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley, founder of the Methodists. The interesting thing I discovered reading this wonderful story by Goold was how Mr. Langshaw had such an impact on history, although he was seemingly forgotten. Through Langshaw’s business dealings with Broadwood, he had an instrumental impact on Northern England and the social changes that accompanied the piano. Even more interesting was to see how the piano was looked upon socially and the importance of this instrument in society. As Britain led the world in piano making, the piano was looked upon very prestigiously. It not only reflected the highest quality of furniture; it later became a commercial commodity. It was also considered a defining attribute of a lady. As the story progresses, we see how changes in musical taste reflected the social order, and how rapidly the square piano became a status symbol. This is an intriguing story and includes a heartwarming account of the relationship between Langshaw’s father and Wesley’s father: apparently Langshaw resided and trained with the Wesleys for years, while the fathers communicated back and forth through handwritten letters. The love that both fathers displayed for their children, and the respect and love they had for each other as friends, truly transcends time. The story of Ms. Goold’s antique piano number 10651, a.k.a. Mr. Langshaw’s Square Piano, will remain a part of history for those who are willing to take the journey. Goold does an exceptional job in relating the historical facts and the story of her antique piano makes for an interesting and remarkable read! Reviewed by Jennifer Ochs yet to exactly figure out why, the author attempts to explore the how, apprising the reader thoroughly of the religious mindset of the working class, the behavior of the clergy, the attitudes of the noblesse, regional economics, festivals, saints, and even the state of the city sewage system. The author had access to several firsthand accounts of the strange happenings in 1518, and the prose reflects a factual confidence. Interwoven in the story, Waller favored a compare-and-contrast tone; medieval medical knowledge and opinion of the doctors of the day is first put forth, then promptly debunked using modern medical facts, leaving the theories about the phenomena in place for further scrutiny. Knowing the definition of the word “plague” helps a great deal in discerning where the book will end up: a widespread affliction or calamity, especially one seen as divine retribution. Waller’s
hypothesis is simple: the citizens of Strasbourg suffered from acute despair, a far too meager diet, and minds too easily prone to suggestion. This is an intriguing book full of facts, suppositions, and myths, related with a storyteller’s pen. Reviewed by Meredith Greene Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression By Morris Dickstein W. W. Norton, $29.95, 598 pages Professor Morris Dickstein of the City Graduate School of New York in these pages shows that the arts of the thirties, which have been animated by conflicts, have become basic to an American sense of identity. Part One: Discovering Poverty focuses on the relationship between artistic expression and the new economic landscape. Professor See DANCING, page 23
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DANCING, cont’d from page 22 Dickstein tracks the evolution of the novels of writers like Michael Gold, Henry Roth, and John Steinbeck, and an analysis is made of how writer-photographers like Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White and James Agee and Walker Evans reframed Jacob Riles’ poetic 1890s portrait of poverty. The author also contrasts the controversial novelist ideas of Richard Wright with those of Zora Neale Hurston. It should be noted that during the Depression, the artists of the day struggled to strike a balance between traditional American self-reliance and a growing conviction that a larger political and economic system had failed. Part Two: Success and Failure. It is pointed out that many thirties classics are success stories documenting the popular interest in Hollywood. It is brilliantly shown how the dark underside found expression in classic gangster films starring Edward Robinson and James Cagney. Also one is shown how the theme of the films defined both the later novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose artistic maturity, this scholar believes, came not in the Jazz Age but in the 1930s. Part Three: The Cultures of Elegance examines how and why Hollywood created the dance-driven romances of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. One is shown the image of a leisure class that no longer existed in society. Part Four: The Search for Community questions individual and group identity by America’s new era which depends on an awareness that our livelihood depends on systems which can and do collapse, often catastrophically. This research traces various forms of populism in different media by such writers and composers as Aaron Copland, Frank Capra, and Woody Allen. From the latter, it is shown what communism and proletarian meant in America before the Red Scare and the Cold War. Professor Dickstein brilliantly shows how the thirties provided a remarkable validating stress test of the American experiment. Reviewed by Claude M. Ury The Great Caliphs By Amira K. Bennison Yale University Press, $30.00, 244 pages The Great Caliphs is a general introduction to the Abbasid Empire, and Islamic civilization. Amira Bennison never goes into great detail and gives the reader a general overview of the social, political, economic, and cultural life of Islamic civilization during the Abbasid rule. She argues that the Abbasid Caliphate was one that remained the same, but also introduced changes as well.
It was similar to the Umayyad Caliphs in that they claimed that they had the same right to rule as them, and kept many of their institutions. But the Abbasid’s brought in practices from the people living in the region that they conquer including the Byzantine and Persian Empires and incorporating Christians and Jews into their rule. Life for the average citizen did not change all that much during this time. While the writing is good, it is easy to follow. This is a book written for students just beginning their studies, or for someone without a history background to get an understanding of Islamic culture. The language is not technical and she never goes into great detail for the major players and events shaping this time period. She gives great attention and detail to the cultural achievements of this era, however, including the translation movement, which included works of Aristotle and Plato. A well-written book, presenting information you would get from a Middle Eastern history class. Reviewed by Kevin Winter The Landmark Xenophon’s Hellenika By Robert Strassler Pantheon Books, $40.00, 672 pages Robert Strassler has delivered again in the third Landmark books. Truly worthy of the series name, this book deals with the lesser-known Xenophon and his Hellenika work. While Xenophon might not be as well know as Thucydides and Hero-
dotus, Strassler and the other contributors bring Xenophon to life. They shine new light on a work that is not as well known, possibly making Xenophon’s name as known as Herodotus. The Introduction and the Appendixes are excellent sources of information not only about the work, but also about the life and times of Xenophon and what was happening in the Ancient Hellenic world. These sections provide valuable, detailed information to any reader, lay person or academic. The contributors to the Appendix are knowledgeable about the topic and provide valuable insight about what you have just read. The maps give clear indications where events are taking place, and the annotated side notes are a valuable reference to keep track of events and people. This is an excellent addition to the Landmark series, and hopefully they will do more. Reviewed by Kevin Winter Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of OnceCommon Things Passing Us By By Anna Jane Grossman Abrams Image, $15.95, 191 pages “Fads come and go,” writes Anna Jane Grossman, “but something begins to seem obsolete when it is no longer in use, either because it has been supplanted by something that’s perceived as categorically better or faster or stronger or easier, or because the purpose it served has exited stage right.” With this in mind, Grossman, a journalist whose writings have
appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post, has crafted a compendium of such artifacts in her new book, Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once-Common Things Passing Us By. An A-to-Z collection of short essays on objects that have disappeared from the American consciousness, or are on their way out, Obsolete is both clever and riotously funny. Grossman manages to strike the perfect balance between sincerity and humor, writing in a tongue-in-cheek style that draws the reader in. There are more than 100 topics she focuses on, from AM Radio and cursive writing to milkmen and percolators. Some garner a mere sentence or two (she describes paper plane pickets as “Vouchers for travel by way of airplane, mailed to the purchaser and frequently lost somewhere between home and the airport”), while she devotes multiple pages to other subjects, like lickable stamps and Polaroids. “This book is an attempt to take stock of things in our lives that are hanging on by threads: ideas, habits, and objects that are either obsolete or well on their way... It’s not an exact science, but I would argue that A-frame houses, variety shows, and top hats may one day cycle back into style; typewriters, traveler’s checks, and VCRs probably won’t.” Witty and easily digestible, Obsolete is both a handy reference guide to the not-sodistant past, and a reminder that obsolescence is an unstoppable force. Reviewed by Mark Petruska
Health, Fitness & Dieting Doctor’s Orders: 101 Medically Proven Tips for Losing Weight By Kent Sasse, M.D. 360 Publishing, $14.95, 160 pages In Doctor’s Orders: 101 Medically Proven Tips for Losing Weight, Dr. Sasse has provided a compilation of small changes that anyone can incorporate into their daily routine in order to promote weight loss. Many of these tips will be familiar to the veteran dieter: write down what you eat, don’t go back for seconds, read labels, and so on. However, Dr. Sasse is an engaging writer who provides an explanation of why these tips work, along with references to the scientific studies that back him up. There are no magic bullets here. Exercise and eating right is what gets the job done. “Sugar is a poison that acts in very slow motion.”
Dr. Sasse provides an exercise plan that can be followed at home with no special equipment, and he emphasizes a low refined carbohydrate (i.e. no junk food), low sugar diet. The appendices include recipes created by a classically trained chef, as well as a list of resources. The text incorporates references to websites where you can get more information, although some of the links promote Dr. Sasse’s weight loss center and products. The book is conveniently formatted so that each tip stands alone. If you are interested in losing weight, read one or two of the tips per day, and then try them out to see what works for you. Reviewed by Laurie Racca Happiness & Health By Rick Foster and Greg Hicks, with Jen Seda (MD) Perigee, $14.95, 268 pages This book is a brisk read, but covers a lot of information on how individuals can build their health on a foundation of happiness. I found myself wanting more stories! And wanting more time devoted to the inspiring
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stories that illustrate the sources of joy and health outlined in the book. The authors travel across the globe and speak with people from all walks of life, asking these individuals to share their stories and philosophies about happiness and its role in the quest for vibrant lives and good health—something the authors call “Brilliant Health.” Nine healthful practices emerge as significant in individuals’ journeys toward health. These practices include setting positive “intentions” that guide our daily choices; being “accountable” for our progress on the journey toward good or poor health; seeking out our passions and taking time to think about them; devoting time to pursuing these passions; taking the time to “recast” traumatic experiences by seeing them as meaningful experiences that present new opportunities; See HAPPINESS, page 24
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Parenting & Families
“The fault does not lie in the child’s wilfullness. It’s the brain.” With these simple techniques your student, and you, will feel the anxiety lift like an early morning fog, leaving a sense of accomplishment and responsibility. There are short quizzes and tool recommendations to help define and instill the style of organization your child will most benefit from. Crammed with suggestions and tips, relief is nearby, even if a bit redundant. It is written like a study guide too, with a summary at the close of each chapter, so feel free to skip ahead and go back as you need. Just be sure to keep highlighters on hand. Imagine...less time fighting the battle of homework and studying, and more time for...well, everything else. Reviewed by Sky Sanchez The Superior Wife Syndrome By Carin Rubenstein Touchstone, $26.00, 340 pages The Superior Wife Syndrome is a typical research-based sociology book, unless you happen to be a superior wife, in which case, it might just be a lifesaver. Rubenstein’s study of thousands of wives worldwide reveals the syndrome--a “do it all” attitude that gives a free pass to lazy husbands and counts on wives to run the world. It details how and why women shoulder the responsibility of running the home, the marriage, the social calendar, the children, etc., all while holding down jobs that are equal to or more than their husband’s, and this expository beginning
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alone is a downright exhausting read. Rubenstein does eventually go on to detail solutions to the syndrome, but getting to that point was hard; some of the example couples’ stories were downright infuriating, and all were tiring. Still, it is these examples and vignettes that make these types of research-based books readable and relatable, and Superior Wife had some good ones. “My husband is in charge of dinner only on Friday night. And every single Friday night he calls me and says, ‘What do you want me to order for dinner?’” The book caps off with 21 specific ways to fix the Superior Wife syndrome, and although most of the ideas are solid, some of them equate to the types of ruses you would use to get children to do something, such as bribery and presenting choices. Of course, the old standby of offering sex in exchange for favors is also included. Fortunately, there are a few adult men in the world that don’t need such coaxing in acting like an adult, but for those who aren’t, this book may be taken as slightly offensive. For example, one subsection is called “Are Men Incompetent?” The book does lack some readability--it is full of metaphors to the point of being confusing at times, but some of the advice is sound, and women who suspect that they may be doing the lion’s share of the work in the household might want to take a look. Reviewed by Allena Tapia Helping Baby Sleep: The Science and Practice of Gentle Bedtime Parenting By Dr. Anni Gethin and Beth Macgregor Celestial Arts, a division of Random House, Inc, $15.95, 224 pages Baby won’t stop crying and fall asleep? Are you being encouraged to let baby cry till she stops on her own so she’ll learn to sleep on her own? Not sure what advice to follow? Anni Gethin and Beth Macgregor provide the answer with Helping Baby Sleep: The Science and Practice of Gentle Nighttime Parenting. Baby sleep guidance and solutions have been published for a long time. The arguments fall into two main camps – allow baby to cry or respond to baby’s crying. Helping Baby Sleep: The Science and Practice of Gentle Nighttime Parenting provides parents and caregivers sound scientific information regarding babies and their developmental needs, empowering decision making that incorporates the latest infant development research. Helping Baby Sleep establishes a strong argument against the theory of controlled crying and “sleep training.” The first half of
the book is devoted to an explanation of controlled crying, the intent of sleep training and the science that disputes its effectiveness and reinforces the theory of responsive parenting. The authors are adamant in their belief that sleep training is not effective, has lasting negative consequences for the child’s emotional and social development, and impacts the future adult the child will become with direct and negative impact on the infant’s brain development. Bottom line – sleep training does not meet children’s emotional or neurological needs. The second half of the book provides the practices and techniques parents are encouraged to utilize to gently assist baby with sleep. This section includes discussion of common sleep problems and offers suggestions for how to cope with such issues. Throughout the book, small highlighted sections offer additional information on select issues or topics as mini chapters within a chapter. These are quite helpful and often address a question that may come up for the reader in the course of reading through the book.
Last month, we gave away 20 books.
“Parents can assist in the maturation of babies’ sleep by responding gently to their biological and emotional needs not by leaving babies to cry, scream, or even vomit.” Helping Baby Sleep provides an excellent tool for any parent or caregiver of young children or babies confronting the often frustrating issue of getting a little one to sleep with the least trauma and drama possible. Anni Gethin and Beth Macgregor’s child development-based approach effectively coaches caregivers not only in how to help baby sleep, but how to positively impact their emotional and social development by ensuring their responses are consistent with baby’s neurological and emotional needs. This book is highly recommended. If you need help immediately, skip through to the second part of the book for the practice of helping baby sleep. If you like to know the why and how, start from the beginning. Either way, Helping Baby Sleep: The Science and Practice of Gentle Nighttime Parenting is an excellent resource. Reviewed by Victoria A. Hudson
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HAPPINESS, cont’d from page 23 creating hopeful options rather than giving up hope; being grateful for and appreciating the good things and wonderful people in our lives; giving to others and making sure to accept the things others wish to give to us; and finally, making sure we always tell the truth to ourselves and to others about what’s going on in our lives. I enjoyed this book and plan to pass it on to a friend! Reviewed by Viola Allo
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Organizing the Disorganized Child By Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran Harper One, $12.99, 157 pages What comes to mind when you hear “children” and “organization”? A typo? An oxymoron? It doesn’t have to be a clash of realities; the two can coincide in happy harmony, leaving you, as the frazzled parent, with a renewed confidence in yourself and your child. There is hope. In organizing the disorganized child, Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran are guiding children, along with their parents, to an organized backpack, a binder that resembles more of a home-base than an origami project gone awry, and a study space that actually promotes success and achieves results.
Local Calendar 13 7:30pm – 8:30pm
The Avid Reader, 617 Second St., Davis Lauren Kate Signing, author of The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove 10am - 11am - Fair Oaks Library 11601 Fair Oaks Blvd, Fair Oaks Book Club Join us for a two-part book discussion on the origins of classic mystery and detection with CSUS Professor Jason Gieger. We will read two of the genre’s earliest masters Edgar Allen Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and meet their world famous sleuth, C. Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes. 10am - 11am - Galt-Marian O. Lawrence Library, 1000 Caroline Ave., Galt Book Club
14 11:00am – 11:30am
Borders, 2030 Douglas Blvd. Suite 9, Roseville Children’s Storytime 2pm – 3pm Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 6111 Sunrise Blvd. Citrus Heights The Citrus Heights Area Poets 10am - 11:30am - Carmichael Library 5605 Marconi Ave., Carmichael Book Club - Bring a snack to share and join us for lively discussion of Audio Books, chosen by the group! Our November selection is: Madame Bovary by, Gustave Flaubert. Read by, Donada Peters. 1pm - 2:30pm - Fair Oaks Library 11601 Fair Oaks Blvd, Fair Oaks Book Club: Join us for a two-part book discussion on the origins of classic mystery and detection with CSUS Professor Jason Gieger. We will read two of the genre’s earliest masters Edgar Allen Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and meet their world famous sleuth, C. Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes.
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2pm – 3pm Borders, 500 First Street #1, Davis Children’s Storytime 2pm - 3:30pm - Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave., Sacramento Join us for a discussion of the final book in the fall cooking and eating series, Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table, by Ruth Reichl. The discussion will be led by Shelley Blanton-Stroud, a literature lecturer at Sac. State.
17 10:30am – 11:30am
Borders, 2339 Fair Oaks Boulevard, Sacramento Children’s Storytime
19 6:30pm – 7:30pm The Avid Reader, 617 Second St. - Davis David Swanson Signing, author of Daybreak
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20 7pm – 8pm Borders, 2030 Douglas Blvd. Suite 9, Roseville West Coast Songwriters
21 1:00am – 11:30am
Borders, 2030 Douglas Blvd. Suite 9, Roseville Children’s Storytime 10am - 12pm - Carmichael Library 5605 Marconi Ave., Carmichael Please bring a snack to share and join us for spirited book discussion. The title for November is : And Then There Were None by, Agatha Christie.
22 2pm – 3pm
Borders, 500 First Street #1, Davis Children’s Storytime
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Sequential Art Dungeon the Early Years 2: Innocence Lost By Lewis Trondheim; Joann Sfar; Illustrated by Christophe Blain NBM, $12.95, 96 pages NBM continues its reprints of the Trondheim/Sfar anthropomorphic fantasy comic series Dungeon with two story arcs continuing the early story of Hyacinthe, a medieval adventurer who has taken to being a hero dispensing justice as The Night Shirt. However, being a hero isn’t always easy, and often has repercussions that reverberate in your regular life. In the first story, Hyacinthe saves Alexandra, a female assassin he’s been pining for with disastrous consequences. In part two, Alexandra comes back years later to find Hyacinthe, only to discover he has married. So that leaves her no choice other than to eliminate Hyacinthe’s wife to create a place for herself. At the same time, Hyacinthe’s home of Antipolis is falling apart and he has to try and correct the damage done by poor political choices. Blain’s artwork suits the story well, from the quiet pages with no dialog to the humorous pages with plenty of action and conversation. Even though this is part of a longer story line, there is little that a new reader cannot figure out. The Manga Guide to Calculus By Hiroyuki Kojima and Shin Togami William Pollock, $19.95, 238 pages In the tradition of Barron’s Book Notes and Cliffs Notes, The Manga Guide to Calculus is meant to help students easily understand and learn an otherwise difficult subject matter. Set into manga (Japanese animation) and following a storyline that is not normally associated with calculus (journalism), the basic concepts and formulas of calculus are taught and presented enclosed in dialogue bubbles instead of arising from equations and word problems. As a result of this presentation, calculus can be easily associated with everyday life, thus making it easier for students to concretize the concepts. Great idea…but poor execution. With the attempt to fit calculus into the storyline, the theories behind the equations get lost, resulting in disjointed explanations of how the numbers behave with one another—the essence of calculus. As the title of this work implies, it’s really just a “guide.” Students beginning to learn calculus should not rely on this or else they’ll
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just be memorizing formulas without really understanding how those came to be or why those are the formulas to be used for given situations. Reviewed by D. Harms Cell Block Z By Ghostface Killah Hachette Books, $13.99, 102 pages This comic follows Cole Dennis as he’s arrested and placed into an Alcatraz-style maximum security prison. The setting is the future of America some fifty years ahead of today, where terrorism runs rampant at the hand of the disenfranchised youth of the nation. In response, a fascist style police force has been created to develop and contain terrorist outbreaks. Because of his unique boxing skills Cole Dennis is wrongfully arrested for a crime he didn’t commit and in prison becomes part of a fight group which serves as a spectacle for prisoners and guards alike. The reward for the ultimate fighting champion is Cell Block Z, a prisoner’s paradise. Except Cell Block Z turns out to be something else entirely; think B-Film Nazi superhuman warriors, at the service of the militant American Anti-Terrorists, natch. Of course there’s the “good” Bible-toting guard and the drug-addicted sexy public defender, who both team up to help Dennis save the day. Dude, comics thrive on cliches! The animation is black and white and runs from grim bloody fights to Disney depending on the moment, which is to say it’s just as inconsistent as the story line, and just as awesome. Reviewed by Joe Atkins Kull: The Shadow Kingdom By Arvid Nelson Dark Horse Books, $18.95, 166 pages Kull, though created before Conan, has always sat in the shadow of the Cimmerian. Conan even owns his birth to a touched-up and altered Kull story! This is a real shame as Kull can be a much more interesting character than the Barbarian adventurer. While Conan is just starting on his road to glory, readers encounter Kull just as his adventuring is coming to an end; having won for himself a kingdom and a crown, the man of action is now trapped in his success. Dark Horse’s graphic novel, Kull: The Shadow Kingdom is a great introduction to the character coupled with suitably superhero-esque
visuals. While the art and ink work don’t break any barriers, they commendably express the pulpiness of the source material. The best compliment I can give the book is its fidelity to Robert E. Howard’s original work, and how well they’ve brought Kull into a new media. Reviewed by Jonathon Howard Fables Volume 12: The Dark Ages By Bill Willingham, et. al. Vertigo, $17.99, 192 pages The Eisner award-winning comic book series returns at a poignant moment. The great war between the good and evil fables is finally at an end. All should be right with the world. The fables should be able to return to their Homelands, and everything should return to normal, as it once was, centuries ago. Except this isn’t the case. The fables in our world are slowly recovering from the war, surprised at the few numbers that died, while on the Adversary’s side, the number of dead are immeasurable. That is except for Boy Blue, who suffered an injury from a magical arrow. The fables’ best doctor thinks he has him all cured, but Boy Blue isn’t getting any better; in fact each day he looks much worse, one step closer to death, which would be wrong for one of the greatest heroes of the war. Meanwhile there are those in the Homelands who are searching through the spoils, and they inadvertently awake a dark and terrible creature, a bogeyman that haunts our dreams, hides under our beds at night, and terrifies us from the closet. He is the one whose power the fables have been using for so long to use their magical devices, and he’s very angry. The Dark Ages reveals a fascinating new plot line, reassuring any Fables fans that now that the big war is over, Willingham isn’t done by any means, but merely finished with an important chapter in the Fables storyline, with plenty more tales to tell. The use of magic and power for the war was at an immense cost, as The Dark Ages shows. The question now remains who will live and who will die with this new evil loose amongst the Fables. Reviewed by Alex C. Telander
tion in India, and searches for smugglers. And that’s just the first half of Tiny Tyrant: Volume Two. Sometimes Ethelbert wins the day, but more often, he doesn’t even realize just how ridiculous he looks or how much he loses (especially in his great-great Aunt Berthelda’s will in story four). The highly cartoonish artwork is reminiscent of John Kricfalusi (Ren and Stimpy) and would translate well to animation, but hasn’t been done yet. Until then, these collections are well worth the time and money, especially if you have (or had) a six-year-old. Ender’s Game: Battle School By Christopher Yost; Illustrated by Pasqual Ferry Marvel, $24.99, 128 pages Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game has, in the last 24 years, become a classic of science fiction and has also become required reading in many military courses (including for Marine privates wanting to get promoted to corporal). So it is surprising that it has taken this long to receive a graphic novel adaptation. The story is fairly simple and prescient; in the future, facing attack from an alien race, the military turns to children and trains them to manage a far off war through a video game like interface. The title character is the third child in a population encourage to have no more than two (making him an “ender”), and he and his siblings, brother Peter and sister Valentine, all get involved in the run up to war, Ender most directly, the others politically. Graphically the book may not match your internal picture of Ender and the others, but is still quite a good adaptation of a classic novel read by many. Originally published as comic books, this hardcover collection may be more likely bought by those interested in the story and not in collecting original comics. Now all we need is a good movie.
Tiny Tyrant: Volume Two: The Lucky Winner By Lewis Trondheim; Illustrated by Fabrice Parme First Second, $9.99, 64 pages In the second collection of Trondheim’s excellently funny stories of six-year-old king Etherlbert, we get to see him try to impress Princess Hildegardina with big words he doesn’t understand, takes a vaca-
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Young Adult The Maze Runner By James Dashner Delacorte Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 384 pages With the recent release of The Maze Runner, we definitely have entered into a new trend of dystopian YA books. Previous books, like The Hunger Games and The Forest of Hands and Teeth, began the move from Harry Potter clones to post-apocalypse novels centered around young adults. Here, a group of teen boys is trapped in a maze, with a center safe zone that closes off at night to protect them from the Grievers, biomechanical monsters roam the maze after dark. None of them have any memories of their lives before waking up in the elevator headed for the Maze. They may not know why they are there, but they do know they need to solve the Maze to try and leave. The story is told through the eyes of Thomas, who not only seems to be recognized by some of the other inhabitants, but also seems to be recalling memories of elements of the Maze in contradiction to the normal near total amnesia everyone suffers. The next day, a girl shows up in the elevator, the first to every appear, and she brings with her a warning that puts pressure on Thomas and the others to quickly find an answer to the Maze. Dashner has said that two of the big influences when writing The Maze Runner were Ender’s Game and Lord of the Flies. Both come across, but Dashner has a more upbeat view of how a group of boys will pull together. Highly recommended. <<Listen>> Audible Authors interview with Anne Rice -Sacramentobookreview.com/ anne_rice.php Going Bovine By Libba Bray Delacorte Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 496 pages 16-year-old Cameron Smith is a stoner with a perfect cheerleader twin sister, a work-obsessed scientist dad (who, Cameron jokes, writes for Scientific Masturbation Quarterly, since he can only produce “articles of solo pleasure. The rest of us are bored s@#tless.”), and an English-teaching mom who is never home. Cameron is the school loser until he’s diagnosed with an
incurable disease (hint: take a look at the book’s cover) and admitted to the hospital. While there, waiting to die, he gets a visit from Dulcie, a pink-haired, fishnet-clad, mini-kilted, breastplate wearing angel who tells him his only hope for a cure is to find Dr. X. Accompanied by a fellow patient, Gonzo, a Star Fighter-obsessed dwarf, he sets off on a quest that is equal parts Don Quixote and Discworld. Along the way, they encounter fanatically happy cults, a Star Fighter-quoting gnome, multiple Schrodinger cat references, a Harry Potter SPEW allusion, and the answer to that most burning of all questions: are we crazy, or is it the unattainable-ideal holding world that is crazy? “You know what works? Denial. As a coping tool. Hey, maybe it’s a mistake and I’ve just got a wicked bad flu. Doctors make mistakes all the time. Psych -- just kidding!” Going Bovine is definitively one of THE best teen reads of the year. And not just one the best teen reads – one of the best novels of 2009, across the board. Reviewed by Michelle Kerns Never Slow Dance With a Zombie By E. Van Lowe TOR, $8.99, 252 pages Best friends Margot and Sybil arrive at school one day to find most of their classmates are now zombies and are quickly turning the rest of the school into zombies as well. They manage to track down their still-human principal Taft and get convinced to help him cover up this little problem until he can be promoted in seven weeks. In return, Margot gets her dreams of being the most popular girl in school, getting a boyfriend and heading every elite committee in school. Sybil gets her chance to try and turn the school’s cliques upside down. I love zombie books and was very excited to read this one, but I had to keep shaking my head while reading. I expected silliness, really I did, but this was just over the top. The main defense they had against the zombies was hitting them on the nose with a newspaper. If that is not the epitome of silliness I do not know what is. I wanted to feel for Margot since I was also not one of the popular girls in school but everything she did was just so detestable that I could not empathize with her. Her realization of her horrible actions came too late and too suddenly for me to have a change of heart Reviewed by Debbie Suzuki
The Pricker Boy
By Reade Scott Whinnem Random House/Golden Books Young Readers Group, $16.99, 288 pages It started out as a childhood campfire story, born of actual events fabricated with imagination. The Pricker Boy was once the motherless son of a local fur trapper, abused by his father and tormented by his schoolmates. A practical joke gone awry led to his disappearance, and now he haunts the forest, where he murders kids who wander in alone. But is it really just a story? For Stucks Cumberland and his friends, this haunting tale is about to become more real than they ever imagined. The Pricker Boy is a surprisingly deep “scary story” for young adults. More than just a book to keep you awake at night, this novel deals with complex issues such as family ties, mental disorders, and the deeper bonds of true friendship. The main character, Stucks, is fiercely protective over his brother the Cricket, but harbors a peculiar animosity towards his cousin Robin, which is explained at the end of the story. His cast of friends all have unique qualities, and they way they all sincerely bond together by the end of the summer is refreshing and uplifting. Well-written and enjoyable, this is a great book for any kid. Reviewed by Holly Scudero
Purple Heart By Patricia McCormick Balzer + Bray, $16.99, 199 pages Purple Heart is a stunningly accurate portrayal of a fresh-out-of-high-school soldier’s deployment to Iraq. The book begins as Matt Duffy awakens in a Green Zone hospital, alone and confused. He has suffered a traumatic brain injury and the events preceding the explosion that caused his injury are foggy. The one image that is clear is of a young Iraqi boy being blown off his feet by a rifle shot. Purple Heart accompanies Matt as he is assessed by the doctors at the hospital and interviewed during the investigation of the Iraqi boy’s death. Just as Matt begins to remember key details of the incident, he is returned to his squad and the dangerous reality of patrols in Sadr City. Through extensive interviews and research, author Patricia McCormick has poignantly captured the nuances and sensory details of what it is like to serve in Iraq. Also noteworthy is McCormick’s portrayal of Matt’s relationships with his girlfriend and his mother back home, and the see-saw of trust and betrayal he experiences with both the Iraqi citizens and his fellow soldiers. Purple Heart is a must-read for young adults and an enjoyable, valuable read for parents and teachers as well. Reviewed by Megan Just
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The Summer I Turned Pretty By Jenny Han Simon & Schuster, $16.99, 277 pages Belly is starting another summer at her mother’s best friend’s beach house. It’s what she and her mother and older brother have always done with the Fisher family, and she can’t imagine a summer doing anything different. In fact, she waits all year for those months spent at the beach house. Susannah’s sons, Conrad and Jeremiah, play big roles in her anticipation. Belly is so close with Jeremiah that he is like another brother to her, and Conrad ... well, the older Conrad has been her unattainable love for years. This summer, however, starts to feel different. Belly is about to turn 16, and boys are starting to notice her. She even starts to hope that maybe Conrad might see her as more than a little tagalong girl. But something else is different, too, a dynamic shifting in the two families’ dependable summer lives. Belly doesn’t know what’s going on, only that she wants to soak up every moment of the “summer she turned pretty.” Jenny Han’s book is a delightful and touching read, full of true thoughts and feelings just about any teen girl can appreciate and will want to savor like a cold ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day. Reviewed by Cathy Carmode Lim
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Children’s Books The Great Dog Wash By Shellie Braeuner Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $15.99, 16 pages The Great Dog Wash is beautifully illustrated by Robert Neubecker. His colorful graphic renderings make the book, and may be the best part of the story. This 8½ by 11½-inch children’s book is really nothing more than a picture book. For a book of its size, there is little said and no real message for the children to learn while reading the book. There are no doubt little ones who will enjoy all the great illustrations of dogs of all sizes, colors and shapes; but I was disappointed by the content of the actual story. It begins with a bit of a “Dr. Seuss” feel, so I’m excited to read along, however that “silliness” does not continue throughout the book, and the story somewhat falls to a bland end. Being a dog owner, I can think of so many fun additions to The Great Dog Wash that would have perhaps taught the children a bit about dogs, or washing dogs, or the importance of grooming themselves or even the responsibility of having a dog…but this book contains none of the those things. If you are looking for a fun picture book, The Great Dog Wash is a good choice. If, like me, you prefer to get the “whole package,” a book with great illustration AND a fun story with a good lesson written in, I would not recommend this book. Reviewed by Doreen Erhardt Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) By Florence Parry Heide Schwartz & Wade Books, $17.99, 48 pages If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, problems are also. Everyone has problems in this world, whether they are young, old, rich or poor. The size of it depends on who’s looking at it and how much they are bothered by it. This inspiring children story is really a beauty to behold. Little Princess Hyacinth, like many kids her age, loves to play and socialize. Her floating problem limits her from having fun. Her privilege of being a princess, living in a palace, surrounded with round-the-clock palace guards with their own solution, did not allow her to live her normal childhood. However, Princess Hyacinth did not just wait for a solution to drop into her lap. In-
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stead, one day after getting tired of watching the kids playing outside on the palace grounds, she went out dragging herself, weighted by her heavy encrusted crown, and there she started her very own adventure … and Princess Hyacinth’s life has changed. The problems in our lives may never be solved or resolved, but we can always enjoy our journey, especially when we have companions along the way. This book is a real treat to our young readers! Heide and Smith have put together a harmonious combination of tale and illustration that highlights the moral treasure inside. Reviewed by Sophie M. Andrew North Blows Up the World By Adam Selzer Delacorte Books for Young Readers, $15.99, 118 pages Andrew North is a third grader with a mission. But there’s nothing unusual about that when you come from a family of spies – or so Andrew thinks. After taking his older brother’s communication device (a.k.a. “the calculator”), Andrew attempts to use it to contact spy headquarters and let them know that even though he’s only in third grade, he’s ready to try a life of espionage, sharp suits and great hair. Unfortunately, before Andrew can transmit his message, his teacher confiscates his device. To get it back Andrew will have to pull out all the spy tricks he knows. Will it be enough? “I was making notes on how I could get enough money to buy a pet monkey. All good spies have a sidekick, and monkeys make perfect assistants. They’re really easy to train. But getting the money to buy a monkey wasn’t going to be easy. Monkeys aren’t cheap. Not anymore.” Andrew North Blows Up the World is a great tale of imagination and how far it can take you (even if you’re going in the wrong direction.) While the unrestrained use of exclamation points and the occasional adult-centric comment (is a kid really going to get a Goldfinger reference?) were initially distracting, the pace of the book quickly smoothes out and you can’t help but get caught up in Andrew’s valiant fight to outsmart the school janitor in order to get back his “device.” A perfect book to entice a reluctant reader into the joys of reading! Reviewed by Heather Ortiz
Horace and Morris Say Cheese (Which Makes Dolores Sneeze!) By James Howe; Amy Walrod Ginee Seo Books, $16.99, 32 pages This is a book about mice who love cheese! All kinds of cheese, Muenster, Roquefort, Beaufort Romano and Waterloo, too. Horace, Morris and Dolores especially loved the cheesy delights. The book depicted experiences and had a comic book sphere to the illustrations. Dolores develops spots, begins to sneeze and needs to go to Doctor Ricotta. Eating way too much cheese, Dolores learns she is allergic to her favorite passion, her favorite food. How will she cope with this huge problem she faces? With the help of her mother they come up with a solution that will ease her and teach her to cope with her compulsive desire for cheese. Dolores’s friends were trying to get her to forget about cheese by offering her different kinds of foods. With the big 1st Annual Everything Cheese Festival at hand Dolores could only think about CHEESE! The challenge was on. I thought the cons about the book were that the illustrations were on the dark side-especially the last picture. Dark and gloomy. I really wouldn’t know what the animals were in the story if I didn’t read the jacket flap. That was a stumper for me. It did not look like a mouse. I think I could guess it because they loved cheese, but would a child? A great book is when you read the manuscript, everything is clear and you don’t depend on the illustrations to tell the story. Secondly, if you have illustrations that are wonderful by themselves and are vibrant, you know that putting the two wonderful parts together you then have a masterpiece. This book lacks both in my opinion. Reviewed by Rhonda Fischer Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs and Some Other Things By Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Jon Scieszka, Jonathan Safran Foer et. al Delacorte Press, $12.99, 201 pages What a crazy title for a book! And what can one expect? Well, this is the kind of book you buy for your ten-year-old son or daughter, and then keep for yourself. A hilarious, edgy and somewhat sassy collection featuring short stories from today’s most sought out writers including Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Safran, plus an introduction from Lemony Snicket, Noisy Outlaws, Un-
friendly Blobs and Some Other Things… is highly readable, totally unpredictable and fiercely original. There are plenty of very dangerous things in this book, which is bad news for the characters in the stories but good news for the readers. Without dangerous things, a story tends to be tedious, a word which here means “something to be read in school” and although there are many kinds of stories in this book, some you might like and some you might not, none of them are tedious. Guaranteed to keep the young reader turning each page in fascination, the stories feature no common thread except for the fact that they all seem to be over-the-top tall tales. There’s a lot to like about this book. The funny illustrations that accompany the stories, the challenge to find a good story ending and the extremely difficult crossword puzzle make this book truly unique and a quirky addition to any child’s library. Reviewed by Auey Santos Goldilocks By Ruth Sanderson Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 32 pages The story Goldilocks starts out like the original, but does have a delightful twist. The illustrations are the finest I have seen in a long time, and are very realistic and beautifully detailed. I could almost count the hairs on the bears’ heads, and the clothing was definitely first class, with a European flair. The font was easy to read on each page. The art is surely a work of art. Papa Bear was looking extremely hungry, and drooling as he looked at Goldilocks. Was he looking at her because he was thinking of her as his next meal? See what Momma Bear teaches Goldilocks to do. This story I especially liked because children will not be frightened at the end, as in the original version. Goldilocks offers her hand-picked blueberries and they engage in a tea party with a home-baked surprise. A recipe is enclosed in the last page for a yummy activity to make with your child. This is a book I would buy for a child as a keepsake. The cover is rimmed in gold, which makes it an exceptional gift. I remember the story as a child, but it was fun to read it again, as with any good book. I personally don’t like original stories changed, but this story is gently altered. Reviewed by Rhonda Fischer
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The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum By Candace Fleming Random House Children’s, $18.99, 151 pages He was the consummate showman, a master of marketing, a pioneer in amusement, and the man whose name became synonymous with wonder, spectacle, and humbug. P.T. Barnum, much like his eponymous museums and circus shows, was larger than life. The Great and Only Barnum is a detailed chronicle of his life, from humblest beginnings to soaring heights of fame and fortune, with all the ups and downs in between. Peppered throughout with rare photos and terrific explanatory interludes, Fleming’s book is at once a biography, a tribute, and a window into a simpler and more fantastic period in history. Despite the plain and accessible writing style, even true Barnum devotees will be pleased by Fleming’s efforts to debunk some of the more tenacious myths surrounding the man. In one notable instance, she refutes that Barnum was the type to declare “there’s a sucker born every minute,” providing a mountain of evidence to support his respect and affection for the audience. Perfect for children and adults alike, The Great and Only Barnum is a marvelous glimpse at an icon and the myriad ways he changed the face of entertainment forever. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear By David Bruins and Hilary Leung Kids Can Press, $16.95, 30 pages Ninja, Cowboy, and Bear are your average group of friends. They do everything together, and enjoy each other’s company very much. One day, a debate ensues over who is better. It begins as friendly competitions between each other until they eventually decide to go their separate ways. During their reflection time they realize that though they have their problems, they don’t want that to come in the way of their priceless friendship. Friendships can be a tricky. Children have one little spat with a classmate and declare they hate them and never want to talk to them again. I see The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear as a tool to teach children about friendships and forgiveness. Because the main characters are vastly different from each other, it can also teach about diversity and finding common ground with others who may not look or dress just like they do. David Bruins keeps the language simple and easy to understand. Hilary Leung brings the characters alive in a unique way. There is also a game of “Ninja Cowboy Bear” at the end (much like the more familiar rock, paper, scissors). Reviewed by Jennifer LeBrun
Two Books on the American Revolution: One’s a Hit, One’s a Miss By Susan Roberts Upon Secrecy
By Selene Castrovilla Calkins Creek Books, $17.95, 32 pages
By The Sword By Selene Castrovilla Calkins Creek Books, $17.95, 40 pages
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his Fall, Selene Castrovilla introduced Upon Secrecy and By the Sword, two books with little-known stories from the American Revolutionary War. While Upon Secrecy is a hit, a riveting, must-read action book, you can pass on By the Sword, a passively written collection of facts. Upon Secrecy documents the most important—and dangerous—mission of the Culper Spy Ring, a secret group used by George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. This small group of little-known, everyday people obtained much-needed military intelligence that was critical to his success. The story is written in an active voice, and the author masterfully sets the tension and carries it throughout the story. When Castrovilla described Washington’s army, “They’d Upon Secrecy Illustration gone from fighting for survival to spotting fear in their enemy’s eyes,” I hungered for more poignant passages, and she delivered. The story covers a critical juncture in 1778, when Washington had to remove the redcoats’ advantage. French allies were about to arrive in Newport, and Washington needed to know if the British knew of their coming and, if they did, what they intended to do. He called upon the Culper Spy Ring. At the heart of the ring was Robert Townsend, a merchant and newspaper writer for a loyalist newspaper. As a Quaker, he was opposed to war and above suspicion. So perfect for the job, British soldiers actually brought him information to see their names in print. But the covert work brought torment to Townsend’s heart. Castrovilla artfully shows the internal struggles of conscience he faced as he meticulously fulfilled Washington’s requests. Using the most advanced technology of the day, Townsend drafts the message in invisible ink. On the back side of the note, he pens a bogus letter, lest the message fall into the wrong hands. Courier Austin Roe slips the letter in his pouch, moves past the British sentries and rides all night. Highway robbers shoot at him, but he survives with only a bullet hole in his hat. Castrovilla brings alive each person’s contribution and the risk they undertook, as the message moves through many hands en route to Washington. When Washington receives the information, his suspicions are confirmed. He paces the floors debating his next action. Then, in a brilliant move, he produces detailed plans for a “fictitious” full-scale invasion of British-held New York. He arranges for a courier to “drop the plans in mud” and hopes someone will find them and turn them over to the British. Will the ruse work and will the British be fooled? Skillfully packing in elaborate details of this little-known spy ring, Castrovilla held my attention from her first sentence announcing “George Washington needed spies” to the last rich morsel of information found in the Author’s Notes. After completing Upon Secrecy, I couldn’t wait to read Castrovilla’s By the Sword. Its first paragraphs promised insights on what it feels like to be in a war. But this book fell flat of that promise. Written in a frustratingly passive voice, the documented battle scenes never allowed me to experience the same riveting tension I felt reading Upon Secrecy. I felt Castrovilla tried to string a few ideas into a story, but the protagonist, Benjamin Tallmadge, never shined. In general, I found the illustrations more compelling than the text. In one illustration, award-winning artist Bill Farnsworth shows Tallmadge deep in battle, firing his musket, the flintlock flaming inches from his face. I am in battle with him. Whereas the author’s passively written attempt to show Tallmadge’s repulsion about taking a life dragged on for so long that it didn’t move or inspire me. Building up to the final scene where Tallmadge returns across By the Sword Illustration the river to save his horse, the author makes numerous references attempting to show the relationship between owner and animal. But horses weren’t just pets, like they are today. She would have been much further ahead providing a brief description on the advantages a soldier-on-horse had over a foot soldier, not to mention how a horse was key to survival in the 1700s. I found the book riddled with passages that didn’t hold up. When I read, “After the trouncing the British had given them,…” I shook my head and asked, “What trouncing?” I literally flipped back to see what I missed. She “told” us of the action, rather than showed us; I missed it. Today’s sophisticated readers experience more tension watching cartoons than they’ll find in this book about a soldier in war.
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November 09 29
Science Fiction & Fantasy The Silver Skull By Mark Chadbourn Pyr, $16.00, 425 pages Two-time British Fantasy Award winner Mark Chadbourn’s The Silver Skull blends alternate history and fantasy fiction with spectacular results. Set in England in 1588, Elizabeth’s war with King Philip of Spain is revealed to be a cover for the true battle that is fought beneath the awareness of most of the world. Only an elite group known as Walsingham’s Spies are fighting the real threat to England’s freedom, the magical race known as the Unseelie Court, a cross between demons and the faeries of traditional fantasy. For centuries, England was unable to protect itself from the predations of the Unseelie Court, but now with new magical protections in place, the battle has been forced into the shadows. Led by the famous spy, Will Swyfte, the battle with the faerie has been deadlocked for years…until now, that is, with the discovery of the Silver Skull, a potent weapon hidden by the Knights Templar which could ignite a plague of sickness and death across the world. Combining the best elements of a spy thriller, heroic fantasy and Elizabethan mystery, Chadbourn deftly mixes gruesome brutality, a shadowy world of plots and counter-plots and a vivid cast of characters. Seamlessly weaving historic figures and events into his fictional world, the author creates an alternate reality as tangible and authentic as the history we think we know. Not just a lightweight adventure novel, this book forces the reader to confront timely issues like the value of torture and the use of evil in the pursuit of good, bringing a level of verisimilitude so fantastic and yet believable, you keep asking yourself if might be true. In a year of outstanding fantasies, The Silver Skull may just be one of the best so far. Reviewed by Marcus Elfland By Freda Warrington Tor, $25.99, 464 pages All societies have myths that seek to explain human origins, but Rosie Fox has always known the truth about where she comes from. A member of the race humans know as “the fairy,” Rosie grows up knowing that someday she will be initiated into their society by visiting the Spiral. But the gatekeeper,
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Lawrence Wilder, closes off the fey world to all the Aetherials, claiming a demon seeks to break through that will destroy both worlds. Living between two worlds, Rosie finds herself drawn to the Aetherial sons of Lawrence Wilder, even as she tries to find her place in the human world. Elfland is a lushly magical story that subtly brings to mind everything from Hansel and Gretel to Orpheus, but the real strength is the focus on relationships and power of redemption. Following the story of two families, Elfland is a multilayered tale that shows that perception and reality are very different in any world. Passionate and romantic, Elfland is engrossing, even when it is predictable. Sometimes the resolutions of the problems are too easy, but British author Warrington is sure to gain a lot of American fans with this lovely book. Reviewed by Theresa Lucas Must Love Hellhounds By Charlaine Harris, et al Berkley, $14.00, 361 pages For its price, Must Love Hellhounds is solid read. The four novellas included range from the humorous (Harris) to the dark (Singh), and all that in between, though the quality thereof is not consistent. The first story is that of Charlaine Harris, who has contributed a fairly routine story of the Britlingen bodyguards first seen in All Together Dead, the seventh Sookie Stackhouse novel. While most of Harris’ trademark humor is present, the story falls flat, with the shorter format revealing the weaknesses in the author’s prose. The conclusion is satisfying, but one wishes Harris had written another Sookie novella. The next story is written by Nalini Singh and is an interlude in her Guild Hunter series. The story gets off to a rocky start and the use of the anthology’s theme of hellhounds isn’t as well integrated into the plot as the other stories, but Singh tells a fascinating tale of vampirehunting angels and a scorching romance. The next story was the best of the anthology, I believe, as the writing team known as Ilona Andrews skillfully weaves the mythology of their Kate Daniels series throughout the narrative to produce a thoroughly satisfying story that leaves one wanting to pick up the Kate Daniels books. The last story in the anthology is written by Meljean Brook and features secondary characters from her Guardians series. This is an upbeat tale with an unusual hero with an even more unusual talent. Must Love Hellhounds is a well-written anthology when taken as a whole, and while it will introduce readers to new paranormal titles, its inher-
ent weakness is each story dropping one into the middle of an unfamiliar series. Reviewed by Angela Tate The Book of Swords By Hank Reinhardt Baen, $20.00, 235 pages This book is exactly what you would expect: an extensive account on the history, use, mechanics, and various implications of everything that is sword. From the weapon’s earliest genesis to some practical tips on swordplay, from the katanas of Japan to the kopesh of Egypt, this illustrated text thoroughly addresses anything that has to do with the world’s favorite blade. Unfortunately, though the author is clearly knowledgeable, he does a very poor job of selling his knowledge to the reader. With an informal, conversational tone that feels far from appropriate for an authoritative text, the book presents us with tangents, speculation, and even a sample or two of dubious information. At one point Reinhardt actually admits to us, “I have no proof of this, just a strong hunch” (p.16), a remark that would have been underlined in red by even the most lax of high school English teachers. There is a lot of interesting information to be found here, and the many photographs are an engaging addition, but the sword enthusiast may care to seek out a book with a more professional edge. Reviewed by Micah Kolding The Secret History of Science Fiction By Edited by James Patrick Kelly & John Kessel Tachyon Publications, $14.95, 432 pages The Secret History of Science Fiction is a compelling collection of short stories by various authors. The thought behind this compilation is the idea that good fiction crosses all genres, and seemingly science fiction is the thread that gives the writer the ability to accomplish this. As such, it is the contention of the writers of this new literature that fiction cannot be categorized, as it encompasses all genres. One of the authors, Karen Joy Fowler, demonstrates this concept by writing “I think that there are still a great many people who wouldn’t seek out or pick up a book if it were in the science fiction section of the bookstore, but if it were shelved somewhere else, and they picked it up and read it, and nobody had told them it was science fic-
tion, they’d have no problem. They’ve read Beloved and The Lovely Bones. People have become very comfortable with fantastical literature, which seems to be shelved all over the place now. But if you ask them to read science fiction, they balk.” Connie Willis further writes, “The thing I have always liked about science fiction is that it defies definition. It keeps constantly reinventing itself--and just when you thought stories about robots or time travel or first contact had been done to death, it thinks of some brand-new way to tell an old story, or some brand-new story to tell.” Both thoughts are true. Those who have a love of writing and storytelling, and those who appreciate the importance of literature being the artist’s medium, will understand the angle of this book. It is very unique and thought-provoking. Each of the authors accomplish the task of getting individuals to conceptualize ideas of the past, present and future, wherein their true talent as an artist/writer is vibrantly displayed. Reviewed by Jennifer Ochs Rosemary and Rue By Seanan McGuire DAW, $7.99, 368 pages Author Seanan McGuire bursts through the gates of fantastical romance with this incredible first novel. Researched almost to the edge of information overflow, the author gracefully weaves Faerie folklore into a rich, intense story of rebirth and hope. In the space of a breath, October “Toby” Daye loses her entire life: her love, her child, her home. Flash forward fourteen years, and she’s fighting to recover some semblance of an existence. Toby, half-Fae and half-human, no longer feels comfortable in either world. She is not quite mortal enough to live a normal human life, but not quite Fae enough to protect herself from the myriad of things that go bump in the night. A guilt driven Toby turns her back on her old life, eschewing her career as a PI to work as a night clerk at a San Francisco grocery store. It takes the death of a close acquaintance, Evening Primrose, to drag Toby kicking and screaming back into the world of Fairy. Evening, through spell and verse, binds Toby in an old rite that she cannot escape, forcing Toby Toby to find Evening’s killer or forfeit her own life. Rosemary and Rue is a fast paced ride through the streets, parks, and cliffs of San Francisco, lifting the covers to reveal that which lies unseen. An incredible mix of ac-
SFF, cont’d next page
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tion, mystery, fairy, urban fantasy, and just a smidgen of romance artfully woven into a story impossible to put down. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley The Prodigal Mage (Fisherman’s Children) By Karen Miller Orbit, $24.99, 512 pages The Prodigal Mage is the first of a new series by Australian writer Karen Miller. This is her first hardcover release, and a worthwhile addition to her oeuvre. Mage takes place after the events in her Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology, and while reading them isn’t absolutely necessary to get into The Prodigal Mage it will ease understanding the characters and settings. This story takes place ten years after the great Mage War from Kingmaker, Kingbreaker. Mage Asher is working on holding his country together with the racial differences between the Olken and Doranen, and try to raise a family in as normal a fashion as possible. But as his children start developing their own powers, Asher also has to deal with the failing weather magic that
has helped keep his country of Lur safe. His failed attempt to fix the weather map that maintained the land ends in his near death, and it becomes up to his son Rafel to find the solution to Lur’s need. Miller has an excellent grasp of language and dialogue, and is able to keep the story moving without the need for constant action. That may be one of the only drawbacks to this volume as this is a character-driven story without many scenes of traditional high adventure. Fans of military action or quest style fantasy may be disappointed by the often slow pace, but that shouldn’t keep you from enjoying one of the best new writers of the last couple of years. Those that enjoyed Kingmaker, Kingbreaker will enjoy returning to the world of Lur, and look forward to next year’s continuation of the story. The Windup Girl By Paolo Bacigalupi Night Shade Books, $24.95, 360 pages The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi, takes place in a future in which what could be called the “caloric industrial complex,” which controls industry, commerce, and the overall economy of the planet. All transactions, business or otherwise, in some way are based on calories, or more precisely, the lack thereof. It is a dystopian vision, reminiscent of Phillip K. Dick’s Blade Runner in its dark
depiction of a world where technology and the ability to manipulate genes have serious, and unanticipated, consequences for both the environment and human beings. The central character in The Windup Girl is Anderson Lake, who works for the monolithic company AgriGen. Lake’s job is to discover new, and sometimes old and forgotten, food--much of which has been genetically modified. Another key figure in the story is Emiko, the Windup Girl of the title. She is one of the “New People,” who are not human, but rather genetically engineered and, as such, exploited by the rest of the population. Anderson encounters Emiko in one of his forays into an Asian street market where she has been abandoned and where her sojourn of discovery of her destiny as well as that of the New People, and ultimately the planet, begins to unfold. Bacigalupi has created a fully imagined world in The Windup Girl that is densely packed with ideas about genetic manipulation, distribution of resources, the social order, and environmental degradation. However, he is never pedantic in addressing these concepts; ather they are expressed through
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the settings he vividly describes and in the actions of his characters. In short, The Windup Girl is science fiction with an environmental message, but one that does not get in the way of its compelling story Reviewed by Doug Robins
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November 09 31
Science & Nature Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future By Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum Basic Books, $24.00, 224 pages According to Unscientific America, only 50% of American adults know the earth orbits the sun once a year and 80% are unable to read and understand the New York Times science section. Whoa. Why the disconnect between science and the average American? How can it be reversed? Unscientific America attempts to address these questions by looking at the way science is bandied about irresponsibly (and often incorrectly) in popular culture, the media, and in the political arena. “The rift between science and mainstream American culture is growing ever wider. Nearly a decade into the twenty-first century, we have strong reason to worry that the serious appreciation of science could become confined to a small group of already dedicated elites, when it should be a value we all share.”
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The book’s main arguments are sound: the examples given are trenchant and the conclusions drawn are perceptive. However, Mr. Mooney’s and Ms. Kirshenbaum’s thoughts are undermined by their inability to restrain themselves from bashing those who don’t agree with them. The book is steeped in the implicit assumption that anyone who is conservative, Republican, or religious is, by definition, scientifically deficient. This is a shockingly bad abuse of the basic scientific precept of unbiased observation. Tut, tut. Instead of reaching out to these groups, the writers deride them and end up sounding, not rational and convincing, but shrill. What could have been a powerful call for clear, unpartisan thinking just ends up widening the gap the authors were complaining about in the first place. Reviewed by Michelle Kerns Why Fish Fart By Francesca Gould Tarcher/Penguin, $12.95, 249 pages Why Fish Fart is a collection of bizarre and interesting facts and anecdotes compiled by Francesca Gould. It is roughly arranged into chapters, each centered on a specific topic. There are sections on food (toe cocktail, anyone?); creatures (learn about the farting fish of the book’s title); the human
body (learn what a decrotteur was); strange habits (cannibalism, hygiene, and more!); diseases, cures, and tortures (ever heard of trepanation?); and death (embalming and severed heads). This book likely does not contain the answers to any burning questions you may have, but it will certainly give you an arsenal of knowledge with which to impress others at the next social gathering. Why Fish Fart is overall pointless, but highly entertaining. Reviewed by Holly Scudero Hope for Animals and Their World By Jane Goodall Grand Central Publishing, $27.99, 392 pages Jane Goodall takes the reader on a wonderful journey of how endangered species are being rescued from the brink of becoming extinct. Hope for Animals and Their World is truly an extraordinary book. At the age of twenty-six, Jane Goodall was invited to Kenya by a school friend. She worked as a waitress to save the fare and went by boat because it was the cheapest. Once in Kenya,
her love of animals led her to Louis Leakey and from there we know much of the extraordinary life and teachings this woman has brought to the world. Hope for Animals and Their World is just one more gift that Jane has presented to the world, written in her usual down-to-earth and compassionate manner. Her book is filled with interesting species of all kinds that actually became extinct in the wild, but were saved through captive breeding and reintroduced into the wild, as well as those on the brink of becoming extinct. Hope for Animals and Their World provides the reader with just enough information to understand their demise and hopefully have a better appreciation for the necessity to preserve their world. Jane Goodall has always been the voice of hope for the animal kingdom, and this book is no different.Hope for Animals and Their World, with its well-written stories, beautiful photographs and message of hope will make a lovely gift for the animal lovers on your list. Reviewed by Kelli Christiansen
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