Sacramento
Book Review October 2012 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1
NEW AND OF INTEREST
5
Shine Shine Shine A quest for normal Page 21
Racing the Moon
Murphy visits the NASAGoddard, Wallops Flight Facillity Page 49
16
Preserving: The Canning and Freezing Guide for All Seasons
Preserve and use it! Scrumptious! Page 79
25
Theme and variations
By Sarah Rayne Felony & Mayhem, $14.95, 400 pages, Format: Trade
Doctor Who: Shada: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams A science fiction triumph Page 92
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36
The theme here is “what we do for love,” and of course, Black Dahlia & those variations are endless! In Ghost Song, Sarah Rayne White Rose: Stories keeps the variations coming all the way to the end. Perhaps Horrific masterful surrealism the new rule is, one variation for every twenty or so pages, Page 96 and considering there are four hundred pages, you’ll be kept on the edge of your chair until you read the last page and See GHOST SONG, cont’d on page 6
152 Reviews INSIDE!
Masthead EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Ross Rojek
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Joseph Arellano Andrea Huehnerhoff Kerry Reichs PUBLICATION DESIGN/LAYOUT: Heidi Komlofske COPY EDITORS: Holly Scudero Robyn Oxborrow Kim Winterheimer Cathy Lim Karen Stevens EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Shanyn Day Christopher Hayden Missy McEwen James Rasmussen Audrey Curtis Alaaa Shabouni Kelsey Campbell Sara Bravo WEBSITE: SacramentBookReview.com Heidi Komlofske
CORPORATE Heidi Komlofske President & CEO, 1776 Productions DESIGN/LAYOUT: Heidi Komlofske ADVERTISING & SALES: Ross Rojek - 877-913-1776 x 1 TEAR SHEETS: editorial.assistant@1776productions.com SUBSCRIPTION ALERTS: http://bit.ly/xgwFI9 WANT TO BECOME A REVIEWER? Click/Tap HERE for information. The Sacramento Book Review is published bimonthly by 1776 Productions, LLC. The opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sacramento Book Review or San Francisco Book Review advertisers. All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders. All words Š 2012, 1776 Productions, LLC.
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Issue Contents
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Fiction
Non-Fiction
Mystery, Crime & Thrillers 5 Popular Fiction 8 Historical Fiction 11 Self-Help 15 Horror 17 Modern Literature 18 Young Adult 23 Tweens 25 Early Reader 27 Children’s 29 Humor-Fiction 33 Kids’ Book Review 36 Children’s 37 Early Reader 43 Tweens 45 Young Adult 56 Classics 61 Sequential Art 90 Science Fiction & Fantasy 92 Romance 95 Poetry & Short Stories 99
Science & Nature 64 Spirituality & Inspiration 66 Biographies & Memoirs 68 History 73 Cooking, Food & Wine 77 Home & Garden 83 Parenting & Families 84 Reference 85 Current Events & Politics 86 Business & Investing 87 Art, Architecture & Photography 89
Feature Articles Be Careful What You Wish For By Kerry Reichs, Author of What You Wish For
Make a Molehill Out of a Mountain: Seven Tips for Reviewing More and Still Having a Life By Andrea Huehnerhoff
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 3
From the
H
Editor...
as this been a crazy month or what? Gas prices are up, political ads are everywhere, and the summer is officially over. I wish I had realized it this morning; I would have put on long pants, rather than shorts. Maybe a sweatshirt, too. It’s not that I mind the chill in the air – I just like to know about it before I head out the door! The temperature isn’t all that’s changing around here. We have had some exciting developments, foremost of which is moving down the hall to our new, super-huge, office, and all the chaos that entails. You know it’s interesting when we have to ask each other “if this isn’t my office or yours, then whose is it?” and “have you seen the refrigerator that I put my lunch in this morning?” Okay, it’s not really that crazy! But you get the idea. We’re having fun. Because we have SO much more room in the new digs, we’ve set up a quiet reading lobby, to encourage staff and local reviewers to come on over, grab a book, and plop down on a comfy chair to read. We will not be producing a November issue. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s been a year in the making, but our December (Gift Guide) issue will be produced as a Smart Publication. “What’s a Smart Publication,” you ask? We’ll be playing with the Big Dogs now -- Martha Stewart Living, Wired, Sunset -- to name a few. When viewed on a tablet, our publication will “swipe” like a physical magazine, play book video trailers and audio interviews right inside, and have interactive advertising. If you’re a publicist, start sending us your book trailers, and we’ll include them underneath our review. Because the one thing that doesn’t change is the books! We have them, we love them, we want to tell you all about them. As usual, we have a wide variety of books to share with you. I hope you find something in here for you. Enjoy.
James Rasmussen, Editorial Assistant
Issue Navigation. Tap/click to go to... Cover Sacramento Book Review • April 2012 • 4
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Book Reviews
Category
Mystery, Crime & Thrillers
This adventure, the ninteenth such, begins early one morning when Dan is called to the Beauty Shack, where a young and pretty stylist is found dead. She was known to meet customers after hours – both at the Shack and elsewhere. Yet no clues seem to make themselves known. The salon’s owner has observed suspicious characters in the empty but not quite vacant building across the street, but they escape before Dan or his deputy can catch up with them. There’s too many four-legged rats running loose over there, not to mention the two-legged ones! In the process of investing this crime, Dan has to continue trying to convince the townsfolk he’s not the fictional detective Sage Barton, who’s literary adventures bear little resemblance to him, in his own mind. First of all, Sage uses six-shooters, and Dan doesn’t. Thank goodness! Meanwhile, thefts of copper and car batteries continue to plague the residents, not leaving much time for investigating Lynn’s death. And some of her clients rank among the high-and-mighty of Clearview. And if all that isn’t enough, his continuing battle with his diet would upset almost anyone, including Ivy, his long-suffering wife. Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz Ice Cap By Chris Knopf Minotaur Books, $25.99, 293 pages, Format: Hard
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Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen By Bill Crider Minotaur Book, $24.99, 272 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Laidback, laconic – two great words to describe the approach of Sheriff Dan Rhodes of Clearview, Texas. But heaven help the miscreant who underestimates Dan. His brain never seems to sleep.
Ice Cap by Chris Knopf is a non-traditional attorney thriller. If you’ve not already done so, meet Jackie Swaitkowski (this is her third book, so start catching up). She’s the one-woman, force-for-good, that you’re relieved is on your side if you find yourself in a blizzard with a dead body for company. Yes, it’s snowing in the Hamptons and winter is a’coming in, and the police are loudly singing “Guilty” as they arrest her client. They’ve only got his fingerprints on the block of ice used to batter the victim to death — aren’t CSI’s wonderful! So this is going to be a struggle through deep drifts of misinformation and outright lying as our private investigator cum attorney literally battles her way through to a rather clever set of solutions to all the crimes she uncovers along the way. I should mention, she’s not afraid to use her Glock,
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 5
Book Reviews
Mystery, Crime & Thrillers
enjoys the occasional hit from pot, and when the opportunity arises, is a dedicated consumer of alcohol. Add in the steady, reliable partner and the younger man that might tempt her off the straight and narrow (again), and you’ve got yourself a top-notch thriller in spades. Reviewed by David Marshall Kill You Twice By Chelsea Cain Minotaur Books, $25.99, 326 pages, Format: Hard
«««« It’s been three months since the flood that decimated Portland. Three months since detective Archie Sheridan stopped the killer who nearly stole the lives of his closest friends. Haunted by recent events, and still scarred by the torture he endured at the hands of the captured serial killer Gretchen Lowell, Archie embarks on a new investigation; solving a brutal, brazen murder in a public park. But that death is only the beginning, as the hunt for the killer draws Archie and reporter Susan Ward back into the insidious web of Gretchen Lowell. Kill You Twice is the fifth novel in the series, and it’s a strong return to form after the curiously wobbly (and Gretchen-less) previous book. Even amidst the horrors depicted, it’s a joy to see the familiar characters again. Cain has a real knack for keeping them engaging and believable. When I reviewed the third book in the series, Evil at Heart, I said that the series was beginning to falter under the weight of its own mythology. However, Kill You Twice allayed my fears with grace, placing plenty of pieces into the puzzle without seeming needlessly expository or overly hokey. Definitely looking forward to the next one. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
The Ragnarok Conspiracy By Erec Stebbins Seventh Street Books, $15.95, 343 pages, Format: Trade
«««.5 The Ragnarök Conspiracy by Erec Stebbins is a particularly interesting anti-terrorist thriller, in which a highly professional group sets out to provoke war between the Christian and Islamic blocs. Basing their political philosophy on Norse mythology, none of the terrorists expect to survive. They believe the greater good will be served by sacrificing themselves to destroy the current world order. They hope that it will be a better world when new societies emerge from the rubble. In the face of this threat, the United States government agencies find themselves caught up in jurisdictional disputes with their usual unwillingness to share relevant information. Fortunately one FBI unit refuses to accept bureaucratic limits and attacks the problem head on. Needless to say, this provokes a furious response from the terrorists and individual members of the team are targeted for assassination. With everything hanging in the balance, an equally determined CIA operative joins the fray and tips the scales. Now it’s a race to track down the terrorists as bombs start exploding around the world. The tension ratchets up as the body count rises and a key member of the team is taken hostage. Allowing for the inherent limitation in this subgenre, this is a very enjoyable read. Reviewed by David Marshall Greco’s Game By James Houston Turner Comfort Publishing, $17.99, 321 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Greco’s Game is the second book in the series about Aleksandr “Alex” Talanov, a former KGB Colonel and CIA informant now working freelance and trying to emigrate to the United States. There are important storylines from the
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 6
Book Reviews
Mystery, Crime & Thrillers
initial book that drive the second, so anyone who hasn’t read the first, should skip this review until they do. Greco’s Game opens with Alex mourning the death of his wife from an assassin’s bullet, believed to be aimed at himself. Even then, Alex was still the primary suspect in her death, complicating his emigration attempt. During a bender, he hooks up with a Ukrainian prostitute that ends up involving him in a Russian mafia run sex trafficking ring that seems to also be focused on stealing his identity. Alex gets brought into a sex trafficking task force and is confronted with another KGB agent from his past that says he has proof that Alex’s wife was killed by a CIA contract killer. Confused yet? It gets better. The phrase “Greco’s Game” refers to a early documented chess game, bringing a layer of complexity to the book. Who is the mastermind behind the sex trafficking and trying to set up Alex as a dangerous assassin? James Houston Turner has created an intriguing character in Alex and his story. The story starts fast and picks up speed all along the way to the dramatic end. While the current story is resolved by the end of the book, enough extended plot lines leave the reader looking forward to the next book in the series. Recommended to fans of modern day spy and thriller stories. Sponsored Review The Formula for Murder By Carol McCleary Tor Forge, $24.99, 336 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Nellie Bly, fearless reporter, is back to solve another mystery in the third book of the series from Carol McCleary. This time she is off to London to identify the body of a fellow reporter who the police say committed suicide. Nellie takes the loss hard, she mentored Hailey McGuire and can’t
help but feel responsible for her death. Was it suicide? There was a note in Hailey’s handwriting, but things just aren’t adding up and Nellie smells a story. Soon she is on the trail of a doctor who claims to have found his own version of the fountain of youth, and bodies are dropping like flies. H.G. Wells, a teacher at the time, makes her acquaintance and proceeds to expand her thinking while helping her to unravel the puzzle. While The Formula for Murder is part of a series, it stands fine on it’s own as a rollicking historical mystery with appearances from a cast of real life characters. Oscar Wilde makes an appearance, and Nellie is introduced to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One can’t help but cheer Nellie on and take great pride while she outwits the scientists that have let their experiments cross the line from helping people, to madness in the wilds of Dartmoor. Reviewed by Gwen Stackler
GHOST SONG, cont’d from page 1
slowly close the book. Keep it handy – you’ll probably want to read it again. Maybe even immediately! Bravo to Felony & Mayhem Press, a publisher that doesn’t restrict itself to the same old basic categories! Appropriately enough, they put the brilliant Ghost Song into their “WildCard” classification, and that’s a perfect description of this hypnotizing book. It’s set partly in the summer of 1914, in London, amidst the ferment of World War One, with the headliner, Toby Chance, appearing at the Tarleton Theater. This story is set in chunks against modern day events, when the company responsible for maintaining the theater, Harlequin Society, hires the surveyor Robert Fallon to ascertain the theater’s condition, prior to possibly being re-opened for the first time since 1914. Tales of the Tarleton—and its ghost—abound, but there are seemingly very few findable facts. Slowly, adding new characters and themes rich in details, the author, Sarah Rayne, constructs her symphony of words. Brava! Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 7
Book Reviews
Category
Popular Fiction
husband. So when fate puts Meena—literally—in the path of her unmarried, highly successful businessman of a boss, Prajay, her family starts scheming. Then Prajay gives her a special assignment: help him place ads in online matchmaking sites to attract his perfect bride! Meena wants to help, but fighting off her own blossoming emotions for Prajay proves the hardest task of all. If you’re looking for a fluffy summertime read, pick up The Reluctant Matchmaker by Shobhan Bantwal. The plot is light and fun, with just enough romance to give you warm fuzzy feelings inside. Meena’s family, especially her awesome aunt Akka, are a colorful cast of characters, while the East Coast setting has just enough realism to give this story a realistic feel. It may be obvious how this story is going to end, but getting there is certainly a diverting way to spend an afternoon. Reviewed by Holly Scudero The Last Day In Karachi By Alia Khan-Hudson MD Createspace, $14.95, 262 pages, Format: Trade
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The Reluctant Matchmaker By Shobhan Bantwal Kensington Publishing, $15.00, 303 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Meena has the successful career she’s worked hard for. And yet, as an unmarried Indian woman in her early thirties, she’s feeling pressure from her family to find an eligible
Alia Khan-Hudson’s autobiographical novel is, at the outset, a coming-of-age novel; the story of a woman conflicted by her education and liberal upbringing which prompt her to desire a level of companionship and personal expression her familial culture is not ready to give her. The story is simultaneously told through the eyes of the woman grown, looking back, and her younger self. This constant balancing act between innocence and maturity keeps the linear storytelling fresh, while also keeping the trauma that redefined Sabah in the forefront. Since the reader is always forced to look back and move forward simultaneously, the effect of serious emotional and physical trauma is both viscerally realized and kept at arm’s length. This is the driving strength of the novel, in my opinion. Though I was taken by the character Sabah, I was confused on some points and disturbed by others. The “villain” of the
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 8
Book Reviews
Popular Fiction
piece is given no motive or character traits – only hints that there is an underlying socio-political issue that may have prompted his actions. Told from his victim’s viewpoint, his actions are necessarily haphazard and random, but this left me feeling rather unsettled and felt at odds with the rest of the novel – a piece that pushes for cultural understanding at every turn. Likewise, Sabah’s eventual love story made me anxious and extremely uncomfortable. All in all, Through the Ring of Fire was an interesting study into the experience of a woman overcome with the aftereffects of a violent and emotionally traumatic experience, while also containing a compelling picture of one Pakistani Muslim family’s interpersonal dynamics. Recommended for educators, especially those interested in ESL (English as a Second Language) composition and expression. Also highly recommended for anyone interested in a raw account of a woman’s transition from the safety of her Middle Eastern family to the relative unknown of a Western marriage. From a Western bias, there are some uncomfortable moments - especially as the reader becomes attached to Sabah and consequently concerned for her emotional well-being - but this discomfort is necessary and beneficial if one can recognize their bias and accept this woman as she is: Herself. Sponsored Review
Born in Rio By Cassia Martins CreateSpace, $15.00, 330 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Brought to America from Brazil at the age of 10, Rita Ray has assimilated and worked her way to a well-paying New York banking career before she turned 40. She has no real personal friendships or longterm relationships with anyone, coming across as cold and unfriendly, but that was a conscious choice, not wanting to have anyone close enough to have to trust them. Unfortunately for her well-ordered world, her mother falls ill in Rita’s childhood home in Florida and Rita is called home to help with. Having been physically absent from her mother’s life for 20 years, the trip home and reunion with her mother begins Rita’s journey to find her roots and history. Born in Rio is a story of a woman having to face part of her life and herself long since buried. It is a packet of letters discovered in her mother’s home that leads Rita back to her birthplace of Rio de Janeiro and opens her family history that she never knew. The story is well crafted, with exceptional detail on the city and culture of Rio, in particular. Rita becomes a likable character over the course of the novel, as the layers of her life peel back. Her quest to find the reasons behind her mother’s move to America, and her
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 9
Book Reviews
Popular Fiction
unknown father, collide in some unpleasant revelations. Rita also begins to open to someone else, a chance meeting with a pleasant man on the plane to Rio. Born in Rio is a well-written novel of growth, forgiveness and new beginnings, with the added bonus of the Brazilian setting. Sponsored Review Gorging Out: A Novel By Robert MacNeill iUniverse, $14.95, 191 pages, Format: Trade
these men? MacNeill provides some explanations – Fritz convinced them it was for science, he paid them well, it was 1988, and AIDS wasn’t much of a concern. It seems as if the author thought up a bizarre idea for a thesis topic and then constructed a novel around the concept. It is an entertaining and unique story. Sponsored Review The Zero Hour By Ben Graziose FriesenPress, $16.99, 184 pages, Format: Trade
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It is 1988, and Roger is asked by his dying aunt to locate Fritz, his missing cousin. As a child, Fritz exhibited disturbing behaviors. His mother now suspects that her son is involved in something even more dangerous. Roger reluctantly agrees to search for the cousin that he hates. Robert MacNeill’s book Gorging Out is presented as Roger’s record of the events written in a notebook located in a safe deposit box. His attorney is making the records public, in case the police link him to the investigation. Roger’s quest takes him upstate New York, in Ithaca, at Cornell . He winds up in the world of academia, trying to find out more information on Fritz’s thesis project. Titled “Creativity and Sexual Behavior,” the research looks at men who have sex with women after finding their contact information on bathroom walls. The women tape-record the intimate sessions. Roger feels that Fritz is using this scholarly opportunity to carry out his bizarre fantasies. When the tapes are stolen and one of the women ends up “gorging out” (jumping off of a suspension bridge into the gorge below), the mystery thickens. The dialogue is fast-paced and moves the story along quickly. Dead bodies keep turning up just when Roger connects them to the mystery. Roger is an interesting character. As he condemns men who treat women poorly, he does it in his own life. His attitude towards his soon to be exwife becomes threatening and vengeful. At times, the plot seems far-fetched. Why would these women sleep with all
Tony Evans’s life is falling apart. After nearly thirty years reporting for the San Francisco Chronicle, he and many others are laid off. They are only keeping a skeleton crew, and, of course, they are keeping the younger reporters. Tony is out the door with little to show for his years of loyalty. In addition to that, Tony’s wife, Amy, has left him and taken their eleven-year-old daughter, Nicki, with her. His life looks pretty bleak, but to make things worse, he has been summoned to San Quentin Prison to interview a serial killer on death row--one whose trial he had covered years before. The killer, Reynaldo Ramirez, threatens Tony that if he doesn’t write what Ramirez wants and get it printed on the front page of The Chronicle, someone near and dear to Tony will be killed. Tony doesn’t acquiesce immediately, but when his daughter is kidnapped, Tony realizes Ramirez has somehow managed to accomplish that from death row. Ramirez will die in four days, and Tony has to follow Ramirez’s instructions completely and perfectly to get clues to finding his daughter. If he doesn’t find her by the time Ramirez dies, Ramirez threatens that Nicki will die as well. Tony has to convince The Chronicle to run his stories, his friend to write the stories so Tony can search for Nicki, and make his wife trust and believe in him, while keeping the cops at bay. All the while, the clock keeps ticking! Ben Graziose has built a compelling story with threedimensional characters in a gritty and real world. They SEE PAGE 16 FOR THE REST OF THE REVIEW
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 10
Book Reviews
The Prisoner of Heaven By Carlos Ruiz Zafon Harper, $25.99, 320 pages, Format: Hard
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Category
Historical Fiction
Fermín Romero de Torres has managed to put his dark and painful past behind him and move on with a quiet, happy life with his friends the Semperes, who run a used bookstore in Barcelona, and his fiancee, Bernarda. But one day a man walks into the bookshop and brings the past rushing back, colliding with the present. Fermín had tried to protect Daniel Sempere from the full story of what he went through during the days of the Spanish Civil War, including his time in prison. But he now tells the young man everything, including information that directly relates to Daniel’s own history, and Daniel must make a choice about how he will handle what he has learned. Zafon tells readers that this third book in the “cycle of novels set in the literary universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books” is, like the previous two books, “an independent, self-contained tale.” Since I have read the other two, I must disagree. Readers would miss out on meaning in this book if they read it first. This is also the shortest and weakest of the series, standing alone. But readers who have enjoyed Zafon’s other masterful tales will appreciate the information he supplies in this book. Reviewed by Cathy Carmode Lim The Ronin’s Mistress: A Novel of Feudal Japan By Laura Joh Rowland Minotaur Books, $14.99, 324 pages, Format: Trade
««« As the Shogun’s Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, Sano Ichiro has had his share of precarious political assignments. But the latest mystery to rock the streets of Edo could be his downfall. For Sano has been charged with discoverSacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 11
Book Reviews
Historical Fiction
ing why forty-seven ronin—masterless samuri—breached the stronghold of the Master of Ceremonies, decapitated him, then paraded his head through the streets of Edo. If he succeeds, Sano could regain his former honor and status under the Shogun. But if he fails, all he holds dear – family, friends, honor – could be taken away from him forever. Rowland’s take on one of Japan’s most famous historical mysteries is delightfully sublime and pragmatically believable; unfortunately, the actual relating of the tale leaves something to be desired. I suppose having all your perti-
nent characters spill the beans at the most opportune moments (no deduction required!) is one way to write a mystery, but it somewhat lessens the anticipation of the reader. If you like historical novels, I’d recommend this book just for Rowland’s take on the mystery. If, however, you prefer more deduction and less convenient information drops, then you might want to avoid this one all together. Reviewed by Heather Ortiz
Before Robin Hood, Edric the Wild fought for the freedom of Anglo-Saxon England “...an elaborate and compelling tale..." —Foreword Reviews “...dual family sagas, wartime actioner, traditional epic fantasy and humor-tinged thriller...” “...frequent surprises...” “A tense, occasionally explosive epic of family, friends and foes.” —Kirkus Reviews
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 12
Very few of us review and critique full time. Those who do are frequently known as mother-in-laws, and they are not usually paid for their often-talented freelance work. For the everyday reader, writer, and Written Word Enjoyer, reviewing books is a fun sideline offering the opportunity to read new work (for free, usually), get acquainted with publishing houses and authors, and build a personal stash of books. We all do a lot of reading – terribly clever tweets, project proposals at work, the dollar menu, and books on dogtraining are just a few of the words we may plow through in a given day. Who has time to read for pleasure, and write reviews on top of that? You, of course. Here are seven tips for successfully reviewing books (or other publications) without hiring a personal assistant.
Turn off the television.
The fact that this suggestion seems patently obvious to some, and ludicrous to others, will be sufficient to illustrate my point as to why it needs to happen. As a stay-at-home mom, I don’t really have time for TV (I know, what’s the point of being stay-at-home then, right?). If I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me how I have the time to do all I do, you wouldn’t be reading this because instead of writing it, I would’ve been getting my nails done at an all-inclusive spa resort or interviewing applicants to count my millions. Rather than watch movies (we don’t have TV, per se), I choose to dedicate my time to home bread-baking, washing baby diapers, drying peppers, not waxing the floors, and blogging about my home adventures at a devastatingly clever homemaking blog. If you are thinking about
ways to cut back on the amount of shows you watch in order to have more time for Everything Else, might I radically suggest cutting TV out altogether for a week and seeing how much you get done?
Read fast.
It’s not fair to an author to blitz through a book so fast you get a blowback, but it does help to be able to read at least moderately fast. If you are wading through particularly meaty content, of course, you may have no choice but to plod slowly. You can pad your review shelf with fun fiction, short collections, and children’s books to add a little variety, but your best tool for racking up titles to your credit will probably be a wide knowledge of the English language, a good handle on the topic you’re tackling, and a fair skill at reading quickly. This is probably shocking to some, but this skill is naturally acquired by starting young and practicing often, and generally appreciating and enjoying the written word. If your eyeballs bleed at anything over 200 words per minute and comprehension drops off like the deep end of a pool, don’t belabor this point and just enjoy your leisurely pace – there are plenty of speed-readers who wish they could enjoy a slower read (I’ve held paper over the page I’m reading to slow myself down, personally).
Read what you like.
This may be an obvious statement, but if a book is interesting to you, you’ll read through it quicker. Occasionally, of course, you end up with a book that is not what it was billed to be and turns out drier than a Texas temperance county, but you can make note of this in your review; it should be duly noted here, however, that this is not neces-
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 13
Make a Molehill Out of a Mountain: Seven Tips for Reviewing More and Still Having a Life
sarily a negative thing. You could let people know without disparaging the book by stating that it “reads like a textbook” or “combines heavy legal language with thoughtfully collected examples from real life.” A book doesn’t have to be particularly engaging to be good – Grey’s Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical, for instance, or anything else on the subject of ringworm.
ining myself telling a specific friend about it – or actually telling somebody about it – and (if I really liked it) trying to convince them that they need to read it. I ask myself, “What would I like to hear, to help me decide if I want to buy this book?” Hone your powers of persuasion to a sharp enough edge, and you may also be able to get your specific friend to bring you an ice-cream cone, too.
Read what you know.
Ignore your children when they cry.
Before you dismiss me as a close-minded sophophobic, hear me out! While we do read to learn, it is not always fair to the author you are reviewing for to pick a book about some aspect of a topic you know nothing about (“Hmm, the only club I’ve ever handled was the turkey bacon sandwich from yesterday – why don’t I review On Par: Five Unique Points for Finessing Your Swing?”). You can’t really offer any useful critique that will be helpful to other golfers (“If I were a golfer, I’d probably find this book useful! It seems like good advice, especially for people named after large cats.”). While you could offer compliments on style (“This writer is so funny, he sounds like the next Andrea Huehnerhoff!”), you couldn’t really point an avid student in the right direction (“The author appears to discuss things most golfers don’t already do, or possibly haven’t read in sixteen other places already.”). It would be a little like having an amateur interpret your x-rays. “Hmm, that black blob looks pretty bad. On the other hand, it could just be your liver.” Do yourself and the author a favor, and choose books you can offer thoughtful advice on.
Cut through the fat.
If you are reviewing for a specific publication, they will probably offer a word limit. If not, when composing your horridly clever review be aware that most writers use exactly twice as many words as they need to.
I’d elaborate more on how to implement this technique, but my son is wailing for his supper and I must go feed him. Are you a quick wit? Leave a comment and give me pointers on how to read more, write more, and wax the floors less! About Andrea Huehnerhoff Andrea Huehnerhoff has been nursing her love affair with words since childhood. Racing recklessly from coast to coast with her Navy husband and their chubby new baby, she writes about her peculiar albeit strange adventures in the kitchen, on the road and sometimes on the side of the road, at Dotal Anecdotes: Life as a Wife. Always on the prowl for a good read, she is the distinguished self-appointed editor for a blog hosting short story and poetry submissions called In Short, Stories, and a reviewer for San Francisco and Sacramento Book Reviews. When not writing, she often finds herself sweating it out in a hot yoga room, or wandering aimlessly while avoiding housework.
Tell me about it.
Possibly I am the only person who has ever sat down to write a review … and stared at the computer screen for twenty minutes wondering what to say. Then again, most likely I’m not. I often break through this barrier by imagSacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 14
Book Reviews
Category
Self-Help
catalogs, magazines, items that are broken but we just can’t find the impetus to get rid of it, due to some sort of strange sentimental attachment to it. But there is more to clutter than just the obvious physically present kind. According to Clutter Busting Your Life: Clearing Physical and Emotional Clutter to Reconnect With Yourself and Others by Brooks Palmer, working through the questions and exercises, reading each example presented, we can release ourselves from the mental and emotional clutter. We hold clutter as a sense of protection, and we use it to defend ourselves. Even our desire to change others can be seen as clutter. Old relationships don’t serve us well, yep, they’re clutter too. Even arguments with others can be clutter, triggered by deep seeded feelings that really are the root of the disagreement. Yet somehow we hang on to our clutter, we grow attached to it, and we find any and all kinds of excuses not to free ourselves of it. I found myself nodding my head a lot in agreement, in recognition of things I hadn’t seen as clutter. And let me tell you – even in clearing the physical clutter, there is such a sense of freedom, of reclaiming space that is empowering. Imagine how that could feel as we rid ourselves of emotional and mental clutter. Reviewed by Laura Friedkin Love Life 101: What Near-Death Experiences and the Mystics Teach Us about Love, Romance and the School of Life By Daniel Flynn CreateSpace, $18, 161 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Clutter Busting Your Life: Clearing Physical and Emotional Clutter to Reconnect with Yourself and Others By Brooks Palmer New World Library, $14.95, 193 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Brooks Palmer has presented us all with the challenge to “cut the crap – and discover what really matters.” We all live with clutter. Most of us recognize the obvious clutter;
Love Life 101, is a well-documented account of the magic and pragmatics of love life. The book starts off with the metaphoric expression of, “The Bigger Picture.” Daniel Flynn used it as a theme-building strategy that keeps all his arguments focused. He suggests that “The more we expand our awareness of the bigger picture and rely
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 15
Book Reviews
Self-Help
on it, the more it will become an automatic part of our thinking.” Every few pages, a quotable statement emerges, providing sound advice. These also serve as a chapter summary. Many of them are taken from Edgar Cayce Readings. In each of them, the speaker’s advice is given on areas directly related to the chapter’s sub-theme. Flynn digs considerably beneath the surface, revealing a deeper meaning in the dynamic roles of the sexes. He clarifies everything a participant needs to know in order to develop healthy, meaningful and satisfactory relationships. Flynn’s remarkable skill to elucidate inter-relationship concepts and explore the boundaries of men and women are unique. Two appendices support this advice-filled volume. The first is a glossary; the second, an index. This book is very reminiscent of Johnny Tan’s award-winning book, From My Mama’s Kitchen. Flynn referenced back to certain elements that provide spiritual insight. Among these, a deep discussion of Near Death Experiences, (NDE), surfaces early in the book. He initially refers to a NDE that one of his friends observed and shares how it enlightened him. Flynn proposes that these NDEs will guide us through the mazes of personal relationships. These help us restore our faith in intuition and give us foresight and fortitude to deal with the complexities we find ourselves in. Each chapter deploys a dichotomy that characterizes the essence of key aspects that define who we are and how best to utilize the energy within each of us. The book relies on
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analysis of the inner self and touches upon our unique ability as human beings to tap the vast reservoir of knowledge that lies within each of us. He combs these insights into his content with superlative skill and binds them to our experiences of the world. Love Life 101 represents informative, direct, and insightful information, giving the reader the big picture. The book will leave the reader with a feeling of well-being and tempt him or her to seek out this author again. While this book will enlighten and entertain, it belongs at the head of your reading list. Sponsored Review
The Zero Hour, cont’d from page 10 tremendous danger under harrowing circumstances. The book would benefit from a round of good editing and strong proofreading and a consistent point of view, but the story and characters will make most readers ignore those problems. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
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Book Reviews
Earth Shaker By Richard Guimond CreateSpace, $15.38, 442 pages, Format: Trade
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Category
Horror
The novel begins inside the labyrinth of Daedalus, where the mythological figure of Theseus searches to destroy Asterius the Minotaur. We jump to 1980, where a young and talented archeologist named Naomi and her boss, Hackett, discover the cocooned Minotaur. When Hackett decides to steal it and threatens to take sole credit for the discovery, Naomi must find a way to save her professional career. Guimond creates intrigue by blending mystery, romance, horror, fantasy, and the classic Beauty and the Beast story. But he gives us a twisted version; it’s a love triangle consisting of Naomi as the moral and ethical professional, Asterius the earthshaker, a creature possessing “the attributes of amazing sexual potency and the strength that all Greek men desired” and Naomi’s lover, Teddy, the pilot who helped smuggle Asterius out of Greece. Guimond interweaves the elements for a spectacular story by filling every scene with intricate descriptions from what the characters are thinking to the grisly details of the murders. Readers will be surprised by the cacophony of subplots, murders, and deception that bring these characters together for the final showdown. However, as the story develops, it becomes increasingly laborious to empathize with our heroine Naomi, the most interesting of all the characters. She tells her lover, “You have a very doable body.” As a woman reborn by the experience of love, the dialogue feels unnatural and stilted by the middle of the novel making it difficult to suspend our disbelief. When we reach the long-awaited climatic ending, we are left with a sense that a love triangle between humans and a mythical beast is simply too incredible. With so much descriptive action, the numerous character perspectives, and the steamy love scenes, this novel would have functioned better as a blueprint for its film adaptation. Sponsored Review
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 17
Book Reviews
Category
Modern Literature
this hidden gem. Now everyone can travel there via Beautiful Ruins, author Jess Walter’s fantastic new book. The novel spans fifty years (from 1962 to the present) and the narrative alternates between the point of view of one of several dynamic characters. Laughter and tears accompany each chapter and new dramatic twist. Readers encounter love, hope, loss, discovery, resilience, and triumph as the tale transitions between a small coastal Italian hotel (The Hotel Adequate View), the back lots on the set of Cleopatra (starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor), the fields of World War II, and the streets of London. Walter’s vivid descriptions of each location and the characters’ personal traits make the story come alive. It seems destined to become a blockbuster movie. As the characters overcome language barriers, cultural differences, and seemingly unattainable dreams, they discover the meaning of friendship, love, and the meaning of life. Readers are guaranteed to feel sadness when they read the last line. I envy all those who have yet to discover and enjoy this masterpiece for the first time. Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin Simon Says By William Poe Simon Says, $14.95, 348 pages, Format: Trade
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Beautiful Ruins: A Novel By Jess Walter Harper, $25.99, 339 pages, Format: Hard
««««« The lucky few who have had the chance to visit Cinque Terre’s small towns on the Italian Coast know the magic of
Simon Powell has only recently escaped the cult-like Unification Church, where he spent ten years of his life in denial of one of his life’s essential truths: he is gay. He returned home only to be able to witness the death of the father whose acceptance he had always fruitlessly sought in the past and, unsure of what life holds for him now, decides to follow the young hustler he left the church for out to Hollywood. It isn’t long before Simon’s life revolves around cocaine and partying, but he manages to get clean when opportunity knocks, and before he knows it he has built a reputation as a international film distributor. But the temptations are too great, and before long Simon has
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 18
Book Reviews
Modern Literature
fallen back into a life of drugs and meaningless sex with hustlers, and he carelessly squanders away the money his business has earned him. Life keeps going downhill, but what will it take for Simon to rise above his problems? William Poe’s new novel Simon Says is a case study in a life seriously off-course. The protagonist, Simon, has a lot of potential—he’s clearly business-savvy, and can accomplish a lot when he puts his mind to it. Perhaps because of my own life experiences, it’s hard to have any sympathy for the decisions he makes, and reading the downward spiral of drugs and meaningless sex that his life becomes is downright painful. Poe has done a marvelous job in penning the gritty details of Simon’s hard-partying lifestyle, and readers will find it hard to turn away from the mess that his life rapidly becomes. The book is well-written and remarkably smooth to read, despite its dark storyline; Simon Says is a snapshot of a dark period in a young gay man’s life, and will leave readers hungry to know whether or not Simon succeeds in picking himself back up again. Sponsored Review Chapman’s Odyssey: A Novel By Paul Bailey Bloomsbury USA, $16, 211 pages, Format: Trade
««««« What is the role of fantasy in our lives? This is a theme explored quite often now in contemporary fiction by authors, including the veteran British novelist, Paul Bailey, in his new novel. Harry Chapman, melancholy, inquisitive, and given to suppositions, lies in a London hospital in a morphine-induced reverie pre and post-op, as doctors and nurses hover over him, reciting seventeenth century poetry. In his drugged state Chapman, like his creator, a retired actor and wellknown novelist, is visited by long-dead figures from his childhood—his mother, Alice, moody and domineering, who once ironed his handkerchiefs; and his serene and virginal Aunt Rose. He is visited, for real, by his oldest friend Pamela, and by other childhood friends: Long John Silver
from Treasure Island; Bartleby, the character in a Herman Melville story; Prince Myshkin from Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot; and most memorably, by Barbar the Elephant, Queen Celeste, and Fred Astaire, who dances with Celeste.
“
How often he had tried to resist the allure of the last, coruscating word, the dramatic exit line. He could resist it now, surely, with infinity confronting him. Here was the exit of exits, and he would pass through it calmly. He found himself determined to do so.” It sounds like Harry in Wonderland, but Bailey deftly maintains touch with social realities to the graceful, touching end. Or is the patient in the next bed, who tries to sell Chapman T. S. Eliot’s false teeth, a figment of Chapman’s imagination? Reviewed by Zara Raab The Last Policeman By Ben H. Winters Quirk, $14.95, 316 pages, Format: Trade
««««« There are numerous post-apocalyptic stories, and everyone has seen movies about an impending doom, wherein everyone is scrambling to survive. However, Winters’s vision is uniquely sad and refreshing. An asteroid is coming, and no one can stop it. Everyone knows there are only six months until the world as we know it ends. What results is a rash of suicides, uninhibited behavior, and a few people who are devoted to living their lives as normally as possible right up until the end. One of those people is Hank Palace, a newly promoted detective who decides that something is off about his most recent suicide. Instead of shrugging Peter Zell off as another hanger, he investigates. What he finds is so much more than a simple case. It’s a mystery involving multiple sus-
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 19
Book Reviews
Modern Literature
pects and motives, a drug operation, and attempted (and successful) murder. Through it all, he is trying to convince everyone, including himself, that the evidence indicates foul play. Winters crafts this story beautifully. Information is doled out slowly, drawing readers into the world and constantly pulling us along with new information and new intrigue. Every character is multifaceted and described with respect. The protagonist is not a superhero or someone whose skill set prepares him for the impending apocalypse. He is simply a young man who finally has his dream job and who sees no reason to let a giant asteroid stop him from living. I love this book. I stayed up until seven in the morning reading because I could not stop. Full of compelling twists, likable characters, and a sad beauty, The Last Policeman is a gem. It’s the first in a trilogy, and I am already excited for book two. Reviewed by Audrey Curtis The Whipping Club By Deborah Henry T.S. Poetry Press, $14.95, 307pages, Format: Trade
««««« This story, set at first in 1957 then continuing from 1967 to 1969, has its central tragedy set by religious idiocy. Marian McKeever (Irish Catholic) falls in love with Ben Ellis (Irish Jew). She becomes pregnant in the pre-marital time and rather than admit to what is a cardinal sin, she goes off to a Catholic home for unwed mothers and surrenders her son, Adrian. What follows is a narrative that will draw out every straw of emotion in your soul. I laughed uproariously at certain passages. One, quite early on, is when Ben brings Marian home to meet his parents. It doesn’t go well. A shiksa! Unclean! Ben’s mother asks - nay demands - where they could possibly live. Ben replies, ‘We were thinking of Donnybrook’..To which I added in thought, ‘Well aren’t we all?’ And then The Whipping Club makes you think - about the divided love parents feel towards their children. Henry is, I think, the first author I have encountered who admits the truth we are trained to never say; We do not love our chil-
dren equally. We do play favourites and if you won’t admit that, why do you insist upon lying to yourself? Speaking of children, I think that the most difficult writing an author can do is filling the thoughts and words of a child character. The instinct is to make the character too wise and the reaction is to make him or her too simple. In Johanna, the daughter of Marian and Ben who is not put up for adoption, Henry hits the sweet spot. Johanna loves her brother, she resents her brother; she protects her brother, she accomplices her brother in things that will get him in trouble. Johanna is real. Real is the rarely achieved goal of fiction. Even months after first reading it, Deborah Henry’s The Whipping Club still echoes in my thoughts the way only a truly great novel can resonate. Eloquent yet never mannered, it captures the four corners of the Irish psyche: mirth, love, fortitude, and tragedy. Now stop reading the review and buy the bloody book. Reviewed by Hubert O’Hearn
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By Lydia Netzer St. Martin’s Press, $24.95, 320 pages Format: Hard
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Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 21
Featured Review
Shine Shine Shine
“
Maxon Mann’s Three Laws of Robotics: A robot cannot love. A robot cannot regret. A robot cannot forgive.” NASA engineer and robotics pioneer Maxon Mann creates robots that are extraordinarily lifelike, not in their form, but in their function. Maxon believes that humans, products of “a lot of evolution,” do everything they do for a reason, though that reason may be not be readily apparent. Maxon’s robots, therefore, cry, laugh, sooth one another, and more. The only things his robots cannot do are love, regret, and forgive, not because he can’t program them to do so, but because he’s not sure they should. Maxon is not sure why he feels these emotions. Maxon behaves much like a robot himself. He has been taught how to interact socially: how to model his facial expressions to match those around him, how to enact the proper social niceties, how and when to express emotion. These lessons have translated well to the programming of robots, but don’t always help him when dealing with his quixotic wife and autistic son. When Maxon boards a space shuttle to escort his creations to the moon, he leaves his family ill equipped to cope with life on Earth without him. Imagine a snapshot of the perfect family: blond, demure wife wed to tall, handsome scientist, parents of well-behaved, intelligent son. This is the ideal Maxon’s wife Sunny strives to achieve. Born completely without hair, Sunny spent most of her life pursuing two contradictory goals: being herself and trying to be “normal.” When Maxon proposes parenthood, Sunny believes she must recreate herself as the ideal mother. As a result, she jettisons her individuality and buys a perfectly coifed wig, her first. She spends the next three years embodying her ideal of motherhood: buying just the right house, furniture, clothes, car; sending their son to the absolute best school (and drugging him so he’ll behave there); corralling Maxon into proper social behavior. Now pregnant, with a dying mother, an absent husband, and an increasingly unmanageable son, Sunny’s cracks are beginning to show.
Maxon and Sunny are robots with an intentional design and a purpose in mind. Yet both find this behavior to be untenable in times of crisis. When a meteor hits Maxon’s shuttle, knocking it off course, when Sunny’s mother dies, it is not programming on which the couple relies, but on those human qualities Maxon has not yet replicated: love, regret, and forgiveness. Shine Shine Shine captivates as the unique first novel of a talented author. While the plot is refreshingly and entertainingly different, the conflicts are all too familiar. What can be sacrificed to fit the norm? How important is it to be an individual? How does one balance social roles with individual desires and dreams? Quirky and emphatically different, Sunny and Maxon will surprise you with their choices. For the jaded reader who’s read it all, Shine Shine Shine is a welcome deviation from the average book: space story, domestic drama, and murder mystery rolled into one. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney
Lydia Netzer was born in Detroit and educated in the Midwest. She lives in Virginia with her two homeschooled children and math-making husband. When she isn’t teaching, reading, or writing her next novel, she plays guitar in a rock band.
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 22
Book Reviews
Shadow and Bone By Leigh Bardugo Henry Holt and Co., $17.99, 356 pages, Format: Hard
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Category
Young Adult
Alina has been an orphan all her life. She and her best friend Mal have always been close to each other, and both enroll in the army, being one of few choices open to them. Neither does magic, which would get them shipped away to prestigious schools. Instead they serve their country near the border of the Unsea- a terrible place of monsters that divides Ravka. While crossing the Unsea, it is revealed that Alina has a gift that could save the entire kingdom. She gets torn away from everything and everyone she knows and is put into a world of immense pressure and no choices. But she does have one choice- is she doing the right thing? Shadow and Bone is a one-of-a-kind book that is effortlessly written and seamed together. It is filled with darkness, inner strength, intrigue, romance, and action. The ending made me want to applaud the author for bringing the story full circle by tying together the beginning and ending. Throughout the whole book, Veronica Roth’s quote resounded in my head and I could only agree wholeheartedly: “Unlike anything I’ve ever read.” Reviewed by Amanda Muir Beautiful Lies By Jessica Warman Walker, $17.99, 432 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Beatiful Lies is wonderful night-time reading, full of suspense and plot-turns for the peculiar night-owl and light reader alike. I couldn’t put it down! The basic premise, of twin sisters who are physically linked, seems simple on the outset – but Jessica Warman does a delightful job of setting up a world that slowly tears away at the edges the longer you are in it. From the first page, there is a sense of oncoming or pervasive disturbance; even the descriptions of the teens themselves and their friends seem off-kilter Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 23
Book Reviews
Young Adult
and odd. As the novel progresses, this awkward sense of reality grows more and more apparent, until the surprising ending that I’m still reeling from.
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It’s like I’ve slipped into some other world, where nothing fully makes sense and the most random things seem significant.”
These teen siblings and their friends belong to our world – and it isn’t sugar coated. The sheer amount of trauma that children are accustomed to from an early age speaks to a world reminiscent of The Lovely Bones, only in a contemporary setting. Warman accurately portrays teens suffering from situations of abuse, abandonment, familial deaths, and mental illness who find strength in their bonds to one another and within themselves. Her voices are all genuine, without romanticizing or demonizing her teenage characters. These teens are very real – bumps, scars, sassy humor, and all. I highly suggest this novel for mother-daughter book clubs, or for sisters to read together. I can’t wait to send a copy to my own sister!!! The protagonist is easy to love; her devotion to her sister is infallible and her lovably flawed personality is full of win. Reviewed by Kelsey Campbell
and ideas about how to use them for world domination. Ellie is the titular Valkyrie Rising, and must learn to step out of her brother’s shadow and into her own spotlight in order to save the world. Although it starts out as a typical supernatural teen romance, this book quickly moves out of that territory and becomes a story about a teenage girl who has to figure out how to deal with her fears in order to save the ones she loves. There are almost no cardboard characters, and the plot has more than enough twists and turns to make for some very interesting reading. Unlike other female empowerment tales, the boys are not left behind, and she finds her own power while working with them. This a great book for a teenage girl looking to find her own way. Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
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Valkyrie Rising By Ingrid Paulson HarperCollins, $17.99, 345 pages, Format: Hard
«««« We should all have grandmothers like Hilda Overholt. On a trip to Norway Ellie finds out the truth of her grandmother’s past, and must learn how to deal with the ramifications of that past. This includes a rivalry between Loki and Odin, both of whom have designs on the Valkyries, the Choosers of the Slain, Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 24
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tle between Cheesie and Kevin that lasts the whole time at camp. To make matters worse, Cheesie and his best friend, Georgie, who are really still Little Guys, are assigned to the Big Guys cabin, the same one Kevin’s in. Cheesie challenges Kevin to a duel. Whoever is the coolest by the end of the week wins. While all this goes on, two girls have Cheesie and Georgie help them break into the computer lab every day so one of the girls can text her brother, who she claims has two broken legs and is very sad. Summer camp really heats up with all this going on! Steve Cotler is a funny guy and his books prove it. This second book, in what is a great series, is every bit as much fun and just as clever as the first book. Adam McCauley’s slightly wacky illustrations are a great compliment to the smart writing. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Category
Tweens
Laugh with the Moon By Shana Burg Delacorte Press, $16.99, 242 pages, Format: Hard
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Cheesie Mack Is Cool in a Duel By Steve Cotler, and Adam McCauley Random House Children’s, $15.99, 240 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Cheesie Mack is headed for camp when he has an irresistible opportunity to embarrass his older sister, Goon (also known as June) and her boyfriend, Kevin. Of course, Cheesie is caught in the act. When Cheesie blows a spitball at Kevin’s brother, the spitball hits Kevin. This sets up a bat-
In an effort towards healing, Clare Silver’s father has taken her to Malawi in South Africa; where hope, discovery, and understanding will ultimately bring them closer to healing. Clare’s mother has just died and the seemingly last thing she wants to do is uproot her whole life in America and move to a new environment. In retaliation to- wards her father, who is a doctor, she refuses to speak, determined to be steadfast while in this completely foreign world. She finds that she must adjust to the ordinary things from her life in America now being luxuries, and sometimes deal with a complete absence of those things. However, she eventually finds it impossible not to speak, for the amicable and endearingly open students at Mzanga Primary School have welcomed her to their lifestyles. Clare’s move has started her on a journey that will bring her to friendship, and even home in the least expected place. Laugh with the Moon by Shana Burg is for ages nine through thirteen. Reviewed by Alex Masri
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 25
Book Reviews
Tweens
Patalosh: The Time Travelers By Z Altug and Tracy Gensler CreateSpace, $12.99, 318 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Orion wakes up in Antarctica with no idea where the rest of the crew is and what hit his father’s ship so suddenly. When he finds the first officer, he is led to the rest of the hidden crew. Everyone is present, except the captain and a scientist, who happen to be Orion’s parents. An evil emperor, Daagerd, captured them and demands that the ship hand over The Ancient Book Of Spells. If Daagerd gets the book, he will be able to rule all universes, something that must be prevented at all costs -- even if it means sacrificing Orion’s parents. Orion is determined to find his parents and he has a plan, but he will need to get seven keys that open the book. Orion must solve seven riddles, each revealing where a key is hidden, as well as in what time period. The time-traveling ship only has nine days to find the keys and carry out his plan before Daagerd attacks. Orion and the crew must solve the seven riddles, being careful about who they trust, and keep the book safe. They must also remember that with every step, the clock is ticking away.
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He is probably telling his forces he will soon capture the great HMS Exploricus and get his hands on the Ancient Book Of Spells so he can rule all the universes,” Sir Karotene said.
Patalosh: The Time Travelers deserves five stars. It has a good pace and is suspenseful, keeping readers glued to the book. The authors use original ideas throughout the book, creating a book like never before. The storyline is strong, never weakening or slowing down. The idea of how the ship
time-travels is complicated, but is explained in a clear and understandable way. Patalosh is written so readers feel as if the story is being told to them and not as if they are reading words off a page. The feeling is satisfying, and everyone should experience it! This is an excellent book and certainly praise-worthy! Sponsored Review The Cup and the Crown By Diane Stanley HarperCollins, $16.99, 344 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Molly, the endearing protagonist of The Silver Bowl, returns in Book Two of this trilogy with a mission. King Alaric of Westria wishes to marry Princess Elizabetta of Cortova for political reasons. Molly must fetch one of her murdered grandfather’s Loving Cups from Austlin to guarantee Alaric’s success. Visions of the cup have already appeared in Molly’s dreams, as well as a mysterious young man’s face. Molly sets off with her friends Tobias and Winifred, a valet named Stephen, Lord Mayhew who is to protect them on the journey, and a mysterious raven joins them as a self-appointed guide. When Molly locates her grandfather’s former workshop, a blind craftsman is able to speak in her head with the help of a magic stone her grandfather once made. She learns of Harrowsgode, her grandfather’s birthplace, and decides Harrowsgode is where she’ll find a true Loving Cup. An odd welcome from the Harrowsgode inhabitants soon turns dangerous as the arrival of Molly and her companions raises old issues. Molly’s visionary gift masks deeper powers, inspiring fear, hope, and ambitious rivalry. Once again, Molly’s adventures kept me turning pages in this thoroughly delightful read—and eagerly awaiting Book Three. Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 26
Book Reviews
Category
Early Reader
natural habitats of various animals and the threats they face. Some popular favorites are here—pandas, snow leopards, Bengal tigers, mountain gorillas—as well as the lesser known kiwi, yellow-eyed penguin, and Steller sea lion, among others. The authors explain the difference between the natural process by which some animals have become extinct to make room for new ones over millions of years, and the alarming rate of multiple extinctions caused by humans in the past few hundred years. They spell out the four major threats—habitat destruction, pollution and climate change, hunting and poaching, and species invasions (due to humans)—with clear and interesting examples. A later section is devoted to two scientists who have made dramatic contributions to the study of endangered species, Jane Goodall and George Schaller. An additional section gives good sources for follow-up research, including books, organizations, institutions like museums and zoos, and reliable websites. This book is a good introduction to an understanding of ecological concerns and a worthy addition to any classroom library. Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan Following Grandfather By Rosemary Wells, Christopher Denise, illustrator Candlewick Press, $14.99, 64 pages, Format: Hard
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Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #26: Pandas and Other Endangered Species: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #48: A Perfect Time for Pandas By Mary Pope Osbourne and Natalie Pope Boyce Stepping Stone Book, $5.99, 188 pages, Format: Trade
««««« This jewel of a book is rich with information about pandas and other animals in danger of becoming extinct. It’s packed with facts (without ever becoming pedantic) about
Jenny loves her grandfather. She loves him as much as any tiny mouse can love a grandparent. While her parents work, running the family restaurant, Jenny is shown the sights of Boston by Grandfather and learns her way around the city. She sees the rich mice that live at the home of Henry Cabot Lodge while at the beach, and she thinks their lives must be pretty good. Grandfather roasts clams over the fire and teaches Jenny all about shells. He promises that someday she will find a rare queen’s teacup shell of her own. Her life is pretty good, too. Jenny learns about Grandfather’s immigration from Italy and how he started his own restau-
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 27
Book Reviews
Early Reader
rant in the attic of Salvatore’s, a people restaurant in Boston. Grandfather’s restaurant was a hit and still supports their family. Then one day, Grandfather is gone. Jenny has to deal with the deep, wrenching grief of that loss. Rosemary Wells has written a sweet chapter book for early readers that reveals grief for a loved one in a simple, but pretty powerful, way. Christopher Denise’s enchanting illustrations perfectly match this gentle story. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
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Super Surprise: Zigzag Kids #6 By Patricia Reilly Giff Wendy Lamb Books, $19.99, 80pages, Format: Hard
«««« Destiny has a little trouble with reading and sometimes that leads to a bit of embarrassment. Everyone else knows what is going on because they can read the bulletin, but Destiny has a very different idea. Destiny overhears something the custodian, Jake, says and completely misunderstands what he has said, and sometimes misunderstandings have interesting consequences. Destiny thinks Jake is mad about the messes of her favorite teacher, Ms. Katz. Destiny calls on her friend Yolanda to help her finds a way to save Ms. Katz. The Afternoon Center students are going to have rhyme time, and Destiny and Yolanda decide it is the perfect way to save Ms. Katz. The kids all get together to write poems about how wonderful Ms. Katz is, and along the way, Destiny finds out she is an excellent thinker when it comes to rhyme. When Bus 13 breaks down, it gives the kids an extra great idea for saving the Afternoon Center. Patricia Reilly Giff has created a cute chapter book for very early readers with a diverse cast of characters kids will find comfortably familiar. Drawings throughout by illustrator Alasdair Bright help keep readers turning the pages. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 28
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classic publications, released between 1950 and 1955, will hold fond memories for not a few members of the reading audience. Opening these refreshingly playful and amusing pages will assuredly bring back a flood of joyful memories from the halcyon days of youth - and their creative genius will be examined a way unlike any before! As one of Walt Disney’s beloved concept artists, Blair helped conceptualize a number of Disney films and painted now well-known works for the theme parks, Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Her work is unmistakably recognizable around the world and the selections of her artistry captured here in this well-presented collection are at their best. Using techniques both contemporary and ahead of her time, Blair’s merry depictions of children playing, and her inimitable capture of the fanciful and chimerical days of childhood, hold a spot near and dear in many hearts, and this treasury of her work will be surely appreciated by young and old alike. Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff A Princess Like Me: A Royal Pop-Up By Matthew Reinhart Robin Corey Books, $6.99, 12 pages, Format: Trade
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A Mary Blair Treasury of Golden Books By Various Golden Books, $19.99, 145 pages, Format: Hard
««««« With an introduction by an author who is himself an animator and animation historian, this beautiful, large book showcases the gifted Mary Blair’s four Golden Books and selections from the New Golden Song Book. Blair’s famously colorful and imaginative illustrations that accompany these
A Princess Like Me: this Children’s book is all about a little princess and how she spends her day. You can only imagine that as a princess she has special pets and things to do. How exciting it must be to be a princess, and the fun it would be to have a crown and always dress beautifully, and there is a very special pet in this book. I’m not going to reveal what that is so it can be a special treat. The children will love the interaction of this, being a pop-up book full of colorful pictures, and the parents will love that it’s entertaining, beautifully presented, and a short read for bedtime stories. Reviewed by Penny Via
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 29
Book Reviews
Children’s
Marley Firehouse Dog By John Grogan HarperCollins Children, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««« Marley and his family are on a walk when they discover the firehouse is having an open house. But the family makes a mistake of tying up Marley outside the firehouse and leaving him to his own imagination. While the family tours the kitchens, sleeping rooms, and training rooms, Marley chews through his leash and explores the firehouse. Being his puppy self, he brings disaster to everything he touches. The Fire Chief discovers the messes and accuses one of his firefighters, but Marley’s family knows better and soon find him out with the fire engines where he is tangled in hats, boots, and hoses. Both the firemen and Marley’s family are used to emergencies, and they all clean up the firehouse. Unable to resist the affectionate puppy, Marley is made an honorary firehouse mascot. Marley: Firehouse Dog is an “I Can Read! #2” book, perfect for new readers and a bridge into chapter books. It’s an excellent high-interest book for animal lovers. Reviewed by Susan Roberts I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! By Karen Beaumont and David Catrow (Illustrator) HMH Books, $11.99, 30 pages, Format: Board book
««««« This humorous, big-sized board book is a winner! Karen Beaumont writes an easy verse that almost sings itself and illustrator David Catrow splashes bright, bold colors across each page. A young toddler paints pictures on the floor, walls, doors, and everything in sight, and when his mother sees what he has done, she plops him in the bathtub and hollers, “Ya ain’t a-gonna paint no more!”
The young toddler tries not to paint and he affirms he “… ain’t gonna paint…,” he “…ain’t gonna paint,” but he truly can’t help himself and before you know it, he’s taken some red….and painted his head! He finds, “…there ain’t no harm if I paint my…arm!” And so the rhyme goes, with suspense and surprise at every page turn. Suspense thrills right up to his last verse: “But I’m such a nut, gonna paint my—,“ and just in time he runs out of paint! Painted from head to toe in messy, bright, and glorious colors, he once again ends up in the bathtub! A terrific read-aloud for the preschool through third-grade crowds. Your child—and you—will laugh all the way through. Reviewed by Susan Roberts Ella the Pink Elephant: Her Life, Love and Fame By Doris Rueger CreateSpace, $9.13, 40 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Ella the elephant is the pride and joy of the zoo. Her new keeper, Zeppo, pays extra special attention to dressing her in fancy outfits, pink slippers, and even pink makeup. Adored by zoo staff, Ella is also wellloved by zoo visitors who come to lavish praise upon Ella. She is indeed a treasure to the community. As Ella gets older, she outgrows her elegant clothes and it becomes clear that it’s time for her to leave the zoo and pursue another life. Ella is given to a wedding planner who will use Ella in photographs and during wedding ceremonies. This is a change from the zoo, but she is adored just as much in her new role and by her new keeper, Anna, thus continuing her charmed life. Ella experiences one more life change, due to aging and returns to a zoo for retirement. It is at this moment that readers experience a shift in Ella’s usually pleasant demeanor. Ella looks at herself in the mirror and begins to question who she is and if she’ll be liked without her adornments and makeup: “I am neither
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Book Reviews
Children’s
Ella the beautiful ‘Elephant Baby,’ nor am I Ella the gorgeous ‘Young Lady.’” Without her makeup and embroidered blankets, she is just a gray elephant like all the rest. For the first time in her life Ella is naked without the fancy costumes. Will her once doting crowd still love her? The brightly colored pages with decorative borders reminiscent of India ,where elephants are revered, set an upbeat tone for the story. Rueger’s rather elementary crayon drawings are endearing and may encourage young readers to create their own drawings of Ella and her time at the zoo. The font choice and size may draw the reader’s attention to the book’s punctuation and grammatical elements. Still, Ella the Pink Elephant: Her Life, Love and Fame is a nicely written, heart-warming story delicately dealing with aging and life transitions. At a time when we are inundated with images of the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous, this story offers a starting point for discussing our true selves and inner happiness. Sponsored Review Next Stop - Zanzibar Road! By Niki Daly Clarion Books, $16.99, 40 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Mama Jumbo has to go to the market, but she can’t get her flippyfloppy, flappy-slippy, this-way-thatway pompom hat on. She doesn’t have a mirror. Mr. Motiki’s taxi is on its way and she has to hurry. Little Chico will stay home with Bro Vusi. When Mama Jumbo gets to the market, she has a lot of shopping to do. She has fun doing her shopping and has only one thing left she wants to buy – a mirror, but she only has money for the taxi. She sits under a pawpaw tree, and two pawpaws fall into her lap. Old Granny Baboon trades Mama some beads for the pawpaws, and Mama Jumbo trades the beads for a mirror and some cloth. On the way home, the taxi has trouble, but Mama Jumbo saves the day. At home, Mama Jumbo makes a nice
lunch, then makes a tutti-frutti shirt for Little Chico.
“
Little Chico loved the fruity fabric. So Mama Jumbo made a delicious tuttifrutti shirt for him.”
This sweet picture book is broken up into five chapters. Each is almost a stand-alone short story, making this book perfect for busy times when reading time might be short. The characters and illustrations are positively charming, and little ones will want this read to them over and over. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Jack and the Baked Beanstalk By Colin Stimpson Templar Books, $15.99, 34 pages
««« A book should do more than just look great. Jack and the Baked Beanstalk retells the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, but in 1930’s America, with Jack as a kid on the outskirts of town who lives in a cafe. The giant ends up being a stockbroker who constantly counts his money, the radio wants to go somewhere she can play all the time, and the chicken just want to see something new. It is told through a mix of full-page illustrations and smaller Polaroids, making for a really nice walk through the old story. This is a gorgeous book, keying into its 1930’s theme beautifully. The characters are caricatured, with just enough reality to their gestures and facial features to make them very likable. It definitely helps that the characters are very genial, and it makes sense that they would team up to make the cafe popular and successful. However, any time that it looks like there will be even a small conflict, it disappears in a puff of smoke. Thus, even though this is a beautiful book, it’s not a very satisfying one. If you like cream puffs, however, you will love this book. Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
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Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 32
Book Reviews
Category
HumorFiction
heels for Edward, I mean, Mr. Earl Grey, a rich stalker with very long fingers. Earl takes Annie on a great adventure, from the streets of Portland to the glass towers of Seattle. It turns out that Earl is into some kinky stuff like BDSM (Bards, Dragons, Sorcery, and Magick), or what he calls his “fifty shames.” Can Annie see past Earl’s fifty shames and love him for the playboy millionaire that he truly is inside? Only time can tell. I didn’t have high expectations going into this book. I don’t like parodies, but this I liked. Not only was it broad enough to appeal to people that have never read Fifty Shades, it has it’s own heart and soul. The characters are more then just revisions of the characters they are based on. At the end, I really did want to know what was going to happen to Annie and Earl. The best part of this book is that not only is it funny, but also thoughtful. There is some great social commentary hiding between the words. This is a great book to check out; just remember to order your Earl Grey tea hot, or he might punish you. Reviewed by Kevin Brown The Importance of Being Seven By Alexander McCall Smith Anchor Books, $15.00, 311 pages, Format: Trade
«««
Fifty Shames of Earl Grey: A Parody By Fanny Menkin Da Capo Press, $13.99, 217 pages, Format: Trade
««««« This was bound to happen. When a book becomes as popular as Fifty Shades of Grey, parodies are bound to follow. In this book, main star is Anna, a dumb, dumb, stupid young woman, who is really dumb. She falls head over
The denizens of Scotland Street are busily leading their lives. Dear, earnest Bertie Pollock longs to be age seven, when he will get more respect. His mother, Irene, assures him that seven is merely a state of mind. Bertie is the only person to notice that his baby brother, Ulysses, looks remarkably like Bertie’s therapist, especially around the ears. Matthew and Elspeth have adjusted to marriage and are being propelled towards parenthood. Matthew has hired curvaceous Kirsty as a gallery assistant, unaware that she belongs to an organization called Woman’s Revenge. Big Lou, now reading about the variety of Indian spirituality, does not care for Kirsty, with her exposed midriff and skin-
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Book Reviews
Humor-Fiction
tight jeans. Domenica, Antonia, Angus, and Angus’ dog, Cyril, travel to Italy together, in order to partake of beauty and antiquities, with life-changing results. The happy reader will be delighted with this sixth novel in the 44 Scotland Street series. This is a charming, small world, full of humor and gentle irony (except for Irene, who is—all agree—intolerable). Being a subscriber to the “Scotsman” newspaper would allow one to read these episodes as serialized. Otherwise, we must wait, patiently or not, for the next volume. Reviewed by Elizabeth Benford You & Me: A Novel By Padgett Powell Ecco Press, $23.99, 194 pages, Format: Hard
««« Imagine two men on a porch, talking about whatever comes to mind. As they discuss great plans and odd musings, the nebulous, ever-changing past and the uncertainty of the future, who is making liquor runs and how to greet Charon when they meet him, these two men combine hard-won experience with a bit of drunken optimism. Even they don’t seem to know what they’ll say next. You & Me is a collection of conversational snippets over time, shared by two men in a near-total vacuum. It’s Beckett slowed by the oppression of southern heat, stirring in its pointlessness and pointed in its observations. I can’t tell you what it’s about, because it’s about everything and nothing at the same time. I absolutely loved the experimental style and unerring confidence of Padgett’s previous work, The Interrogative Mood, and that same confidence drives You & Me, deftly mixing an effortless sense of voice and a supreme mastery of conversational rhythms. It’s impossible to sum up the reading experience for you. This book is exasperating in its charm, because you know it’s not going anywhere, but you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if it did. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Our Lady of Alice Bhatti By Mohammed Hanif Knopf, $25.95, 239 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Why does life treat Alice Bhatti so capriciously? Because she is Catholic in a Muslim world? Because she does not suffer fools gladly and may have a razor blade secreted on her person? Because her Choohra (untouchable) father, cleaner of drains, is able to cure stomach ulcers with candle smoke? Are these reasons enough that Alice should be jailed, set upon as an object of worship by mental patients, hounded into marriage by a steroid-popping body builder with the voice of a little girl? In the Wonderland that is present day Karachi, Alice tumbles down a rabbit hole and into the Borstal Jail for Women and Children, after trying to complete an operation the surgeon abandoned. When she has served her time, the hospital hires her back, assigning her volatile and high risk duties. Her most peaceful time is spent in the hospital courtyard, among the beggars and paupers too poor to be admitted for treatment, in the shade of an enormous tree they call the Old Doctor.
The Scoundrel Is Back! In Search of High Ground, the second novel by that Panamanian Humorist from Texas, Alberto Arcia, is now available on Kindle, Nook, paperback, and at Smashwords.
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 34
Alex Perez, a wicked, homophobic, Hispanic lothario, is back to his old tricks.
Book Reviews
Humor-Fiction
This is a horrifying, fascinating, and scurrilously funny novel. Hanif’s characters resolutely march through chaos and confusion toward their destinies, accepting the consequences of taking up space on the planet, retaliating when possible. Do not expect to read this book in one sitting. Reviewed by Elizabeth Benford Ghosts of Manhattan: A Novel By Douglas Brunt Touchstone, $24.00, 288 pages, Format: Hard
«« Nick Farmer lives a lie. He gets up every day, goes to work, and then parties with his coworkers in an orgy of booze, drugs, and sex. He is the typical bonds trader on Wall Street with Bears Strearns. The fast-paced, fratlike lifestyle is wearing down on this body and ruining his marriage. Nick’s life gets more chaotic when Freddie, a coworker, discovers that the firm is packing bad loans and selling them as good options to buy. Freddie predicts that the firm wouldn’t even last past 2006, even if they made changes. Nick faces the toughest challenges of his life; quit work or keep walking towards self destruction. The book, as a whole, is mediocre. The story is interesting at points, but the focus suffers from a weak main protagonist. Nick is not a bad guy. He has pure, innocent motives, but his reasoning for staying in such a self-destructive situation job is never discovered. No monetary value is worth more than a happy wife and loving family. The shining star of the book is the supporting cast. Freddie and Julia, the wife, are more interesting characters in the book and carry the story. Co-workers have great stories going on and even the could-be mistress of the book is great. The reader is stuck viewing this great stuff through the eyes of Nick. The book is a solid read and has a great premise. Unfortunately, you have to waste time in Nick’s head. Reviewed by Kevin Brown
The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.: A Novel By Nichole Bernier Crown, $24.00, 309 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Kate and Elizabeth have been best friends since meeting in a play group after their children were born. Suddenly Liz is killed in a plane crash, and leaves her journals to Kate. Most shocking is that right before she was killed, Liz was heading to California to meet with a man named Michael. Elizabeth’s journals begin in her pre- teen years and continue until the present. Kate had always imagined that Liz and Dave had a picture-perfect marriage, but with the introduction of the mysterious Michael both Kate and Dave discover some secrets that Elizabeth has kept hidden for a long time. Kate even begins to question her own marriage and decisions she has made regarding motherhood and career choices. The more interesting of the two story lines is Elizabeth’s. Liz is very introspective, as is Kate, so there is a lot of analyzing of the journal entries. In comparison, Kate’s life is mostly free of conflict other than whether or not she can balance a career with two young children, and the fact that Dave is pressuring her to let him read the journals.
“
It was painful to imagine her friend with this intensity Kate had never seen. It was as if in addition to the woman she’d known, there had been a second lost friend, and she was hit with fresh grief.”
Liz’s life unfolds slowly, somewhat as a mystery, and by the end, both Kate and Dave learn the truth. This book is definitely geared for women, and will be especially appreciated by young mothers with small children. The author writes well and develops memorable characters. Reviewed by Leslie Wolfson
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October 2012
S
eems like it was just summertime, and here it’s almost Halloween -- probably a kid’s favorite holiday. Inside Kids’ Book Review this month, we have some wonderful Halloween-themed books that the kids are recommending. Each week, in addition to posting the kids’ reviews onto our website, I try to post a few of them on the KBR Facebook page. The other day, I was looking through the book database for a good one to put on the FB page, and there was little Raif with is 3D glasses on for his review of Dinosaurs: In Your Face! that made me chuckle. For the staff at Kids’ Book Review, the amount of entertainment that our young reviewers give back to us far outweighs the books we send them. I can always count on their reviews and photos to lift my spirits each week.
It’s been amazing to see KBR take off since we launched it last May. We’ve added about twenty new kids to the mix, for a total of fifty young reviewers -- and the numbers keep growing each week. Want your daily dose of cute? Click or tap on the icon to follow us on Facebook. We try to upload a review each weekday there. Find current and past reviews written by the children on our website. If you have a child who would enjoy participating in KBR, click or tap HERE for information.
President & CEO
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 36
Book Reviews
Category
Children’s
lowed Stan and fixed him! I liked that Frank’s sister’s first word was: Stan! I liked this book, I read it a lot of times. My brother and sister liked to listen to my mom read it. They wanted to have a robot brother, too. Reviewed by Grant, Age 5 Bedtime for Boo By Mickie Matheis Golden Books, $10.99, 28 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Boo is a ghost. She wants to stay up like the big ghosts do. But then the night out is done. She goes to bed and hears noises. Some of the noises are flapping and footsteps, and groaning and moaning, and thunder whacking and skeletons rattling and ghosts float by with a whoosh. And the mom ghost hears some noises too. And then Boo is asleep. This book is fun to read. I like the footsteps -- the feet tapping -- the best. And Boo. I like the pictures. Reviewed by Raif, Age 3 I Like Old Clothes By Mary Ann Hoberman, Patrice Barton, Illustrator Knopf Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 28 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Frank’n’Stan By M.P. Robertson Frances Lincoln Children’s, $17.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««««« I liked all the pages in Frank and Stan. The pictures are the best part; they show lots of cool parts and inventions. I thought having a robot for a brother would make me happy just like it made Frank happy. Frank and Stan play, dance, build, and make a BIG noise together! When Frank got a new baby sister, I felt sad for Stan. It was even sadder when Stan went away. He got lost and slipped, but Frank fol-
Thus book was about a girl who liked old clothes, once for nice clothes but then for play clothes. She liked them because they were pretty and nice and you could sew things into them. She had a little brother. She wondered who wore those clothes before they were hers. Clothes that were worn before she was born. She wondered what the girl was like-- if she had a cat? She wondered if the clothes made her look horrible or if they made her look fine.
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 37
Book Reviews Children’s I liked this book because I like old clothes, and because some old clothes can be new. My mother likes to go to a secondhand store and I like to go too because you can play hide-and- seek in the old clothes. The pictures in this book are fun because the old clothes are pretty, and I think it would be fun to decorate my clothes with a sewn-on heart like in the picture. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 6 Dog Loves Drawing By Louise Yates Knopf Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Dog got a drawing book from his aunt, and it’s a coloring book. And then he drawed some friends, and also a train to drive. And the stickman drawed a driver’s hat and some smoke. Then the crab drawed a river and the dog drawed a boat. But the stickman and the owl drawed some sandwiches and the duck drawed a cake. They went to the land and the duck drawed a Monster! And then they ran to the next page and Dog got out and trapped the monster and his friends were all right. So Dog sent a thank you card to his aunt. This book is fun to read. I like to draw, too, and tell stories with my drawings. Reviewed by Raif, Age 3 Cecil the Pet Glacier By Matthea Harvey, Giselle Potter, Illustrator Schwartz & Wade, $17.99, 36 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Ruby was an unusual girl. Her parents were unusual, so that is what makes her unusual. Her mother is a tiara maker and her father is an animal clipper. It sounds very painful for the animals, but he actually just clipped the bushes into animal shapes. Ruby wanted a pet, like a dog, because she wanted to not be so unusual. When they went to an
ice place on vacation a piece of ice broke off, floated down the river, and landed behind Ruby. Ruby hid behind her mother, and Cecil, the ice piece, hid behind Ruby. Ruby’s mother said, “It looks like your pet has been found!” But Ruby didn’t want a piece of ice for a pet, until Cecil saved one of her dolls. So they went home and Ruby was happy to have her unusual pet. Then she told her mother to make a tiara for Cecil, so she did; and that’s the end. I liked this book because her pet saved her doll. I also liked the pictures because they were pretty. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 6 Dinosaurs: In Your Face! By Robert T. Bakker, Luis V. Rey, Illustrator Random House Books for Young Readers, $9.99, 72 pages, Format: Hard
««««« I like this book because my favorite part of the book is when the animals turn into dinosaurs. The fish actually turn into dinosaurs. Then some dinosaurs turned into birds. The Brachiosaur is my favorite dinosaur because it likes to eat plants and it looks like a giraffe- slash -hippo- slash - brachiosaur. This book has fun glasses that, when I wear them them, I see the dinosaurs come out at me. Some dinosaurs took care of their babies, but some didn’t, because those were the turtles. I liked learning about all the dinosaurs and seeing their pictures coming out at me. Reviewed by Raif, Age 3
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 38
Book Reviews Children’s Mr. King’s Things By Genevieve Cote Kids Can Press, $16.95, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««« Mr. King throws his things in the pond and gets new things. He even pulls up his old things and they are all hooked together and he thinks that they are a monster. Then he sets to work cleaning the things up. Mr. King’s friends saved some of his things for Mr. King, and they liked his old things. So Mr. King made some new inventions out of his old things; like he put some holes in a teapot and it became a water fountain, and he made a fish carousel, and he made a whip with his fishing rod.
“
He pulls on his line . . . and up comes the scariest-looking thing Mr. King has EVER seen!”
I like this book because his old things turned into new things. The pictures are really funny and my favorite is where Mr. King pulls up all his old things. I like to have my mama read this to me a lot, and my sisters like to read it too. Reviewed by Raif, Age 3
Mimi’s Village And How Basic Health Care Transformed It By Katie Smith Milway, Eugenie Fernandes Kids Can Press, $18.95, 32 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Mimi’s Village is about a family of five in Kenya. Mimi goes out on a walk to get water with her little sister Nakkissi and gives her some water before it was boiled, which made her very sick. The family travels an hour to get to the health care center. The next day they can get their vaccines which is very important in Africa so they don’t get bad diseases. That night Mimi has a dream to open a clinic in her village, but will it happen? A few days later, Ma has Wekesa, a new baby for their family that will hopefully be healthy. I would recommend this book to really anyone. For younger children it is a good book to have parents read aloud based on the more advanced text. The back of the book lets you know how you can help prevent malaria and other awful sicknesses that people in Africa may face. Reviewed by Elliott, Age 10 Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship By Edward Hemingway G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««« There was this good apple, Mac, and he met a worm named Will, and they became best friends. They played
The astounding new children’s book from author Adam Byrn Tritt and illustrator “Java John” Goldacker for Young People
“Young Bud, a couch potato if there ever was one, literally fulfills his destiny after eating binges in front of the tube and no exercise [and] lives to regret it. . . . Kids will love the gruesome, psychedelically rendered details—and likely learn an important lesson. Funny and supremely gross.” —ForeWord Reviews “Speaking not just as a guitarist and former congressman, but as a professional ski instructor, avid tennis player, and sailor, I thank Adam Byrn Tritt for writing—and Java John for illustrating—Bud the Spud. Adam, John, and Bud encourage kids to get off the couch and move!”
54 pages, color illustrations throughout For ages 4 and up • 8.5 x 11 ISBN: 978-1-60419-062-5 $16.95 laminated hardcover
—The Hon. John Hall, two-term congressman for NY’s 19th district; fmr. president of the Saugerties Board of Education; singer/ songwriter for the band Orleans
In a unique feature, the book has three separate endings—three different outcomes for poor Bud—which range from the positive and uplifting to the deliciously macabre. Bud the Spud was created to be read aloud, and has been field-tested with delighted children of all ages, from elementary through middle school. The book is a stealth weapon to help combat childhood obesity, a tool to convince young people that aspiring to be a couch potato is no aspiration at all.
“I’ve been a middle school and special ed teacher for nearly twenty years, and this book honestly made me laugh out loud. Please don’t be afraid that the content is too ‘dark’ for young kids. I promise you they’ll find it as hysterical as I do, and the message packs a punch. I can’t wait to read it to my students!”
“As parables go, I can’t recall encountering one quite so gruesome. Which of course means my children loved it! Yet the power of a parable isn’t measured by its appeal, but rather by its effect. A delighted grimace followed by ‘Later, Mom, we’re going out to play!’ instead of ‘Hey, it’s my turn on the PS3!’ speaks volumes about Bud the Spud’s ability to teach as well as entertain.”
—Joyce Hatch, sixth grade teacher in Hillsborough, NC
—The Rev. Ann Fuller, PhD, community minister
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 39
Book Reviews Children’s in the dirt, they flew kites, and they read books together. Then they went to the orchard and all the apples called him a Bad Apple - even the crab apples called him bad. Then the worm left the apple, because Will didn’t want Mac to get teased. But Mac was really sad so he went to look for Will and found him flying a kite, so they went to the pond where they met another apple that was yellow and was friends with a butterfly. I liked this book because it is a tale of friendship. I liked the worm and the apples. I didn’t like how the apples were teasing Mac, and I didn’t like how the crab apples were teasing Mac. I liked how Mac and Will got to stay friends. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 6 Stuck with the Blooz By Caron Levis and Jon Davis (Illustrator) Harcourt Children’s Books, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
«««« On a Sunday morning, there was a girl in her house and she heard a sloshy knock on the door. So then she knew: the Blooz. She tried to keep it out, but it oozed in anyway. She said “You weren’t invited, Blooz!” She got a glass of water; the Blooz oozed into it. She made some lemonade; the Blooz oozed into that too. The girl tried lots of different things but the Blooz wouldnt go away. She asked it what was wrong. It didn’t know. The girl spent the afternoon with the Blooz. Finally they went outside to ride the girl’s bike. It was hard to pedal with the Blooz on, but she used her biggest muscles. They hit a bump and the Blooz floated up into the sky. When the girl looked around, it was a beautiful day. I liked this book because of the pictures. Sometimes I feel grouchy, so I do something that is fun then I keep on doing
it until I am bored and then I do a different thing, until I stop feeling grouchy. I liked seeing what the girl did to get rid of her blue feelings. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 6 No Kiss for Mother By Tomi Ungerer Phaidon Press, $16.95, 48 pages, Format: Hard
««« Piper Paw likes to NOT be kissed. But his mother kisses him all the time. So Piper treats his mother very meanly. He is also a bad cat at school and he does bad things at home, like not taking his bath or brushing his teeth. He even used a can opener to take apart his alarm clock! One day he got in a fight at school and a cat ripped off his ear. So he had to go to the doctor’s office and get a bandage around his head because he had to get his ear stitched on. When his mother saw him, she ran to him and covered him with kisses. He shouted at her because he hated kisses, and it hurt her feelings. But he really loves his mother after all, so he has to find a way to say he is sorry, but without all the kisses! I like this book because he likes his mother after all. I liked Piper, even though he was bad, because in the end he turned out good. I liked the pictures because they were cats and I like cats. My favorite picture was where he gave the roses to his mother. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 5 Maya and the Turtle: A Korean Fairy Tale By Soma Han, John C. Stickler Tuttle, $14.95, 36 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Maya is a Korean girl who has lost her mother and is very poor. One day she finds a Turtle sitting on a wishing rock. She brings it home and wants to take care of it. Then it grows winter time and she can’t pick berries, and her father is sick and can’t work. Maya decides to go to be eaten by the giant
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 40
Book Reviews Children’s monster Centipede. If she gives herself up, she gets money to pay for medicine for her father. On the day she goes to be eaten, the Turtle follows close behind her. As the Centipede goes to eat her, the Turtle grows bigger than ever. The Turtle and the Centipede battle through the night; in the morning, the Centipede is lying dead beside the dead Turtle. The king hears about the brave woman, and so eventually Maya marries the prince. I liked this book because I like turtles. I liked that the Turtle saved Maya after she saved it. I thought the people were pretty and had pretty clothes and I thought the Turtle was fun to look at. I did not like the Centipede, so I am glad that the Turtle defeated it. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 6
Mice on Ice (I Like to Read) By Rebecca Emberley, Ed Emberley Holiday House, $14.95, 28 pages, Format: Hard
Rocket Writes a Story By Tad Hills Schwartz & Wade, $17.99, 36 pages, Format: Hard
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«««« A puppy writes a story. His name is Rocket. He reads lots of books, and he collects pages with words on them. So then he decides to write a story of an owl that he saw. But he said, ‘What is the color of her beak?’ He asked his teacher and then he found out her beak was buttercup. He told the owl a story and they became best friends. I like this book because it is fun. I like to have a dog and an owl and a bird (and I also like to have a cat). I like to tell stories and draw pictures for them, just like Rocket. Reviewed by Raif, Age 3
«««« Mice go ice skating. Someone is waiting, and it is a cat, waiting to be done skating on ice. It wants to be done from waiting on ice and the cat popped out. Then the cat skated on ice too. And that is all it can do. I liked this book. The mice have different kinds of eyes. I liked that the cat was a friend. I like to skate on ice and have winter clothes on. Reviewed by Raif, Age 3 Pig Has a Plan (I Like to Read) By Ethan Long Holiday House, $14.95, 32 pages, Format: Hard Pig Has a Plan is about a tired pig who wants to nap. Pig is the main character and the supporting characters are Cow, Hen, Dog, Fly, Rat, Pup, Hog, and Cat. The animals live on a farm and that is where the story takes place. All of the supporting characters make lots of noise while pig is trying sleep. From the sound of Hen sawing to the sound of Fly sipping, Pig just cannot nap. Pig has a plan to get some sleep, but you’ll have to read the story to find out what his plan is about. And there is a reason that Pig’s friends are making so much noise, but I won’t tell you why. I really loved this book. My favorite part is when the cow is gabbing on the phone. I think he’s saying “moo, moo, moo” over and over again. This book was perfect for me because I want to be a farmer when I grow up and the book is about farm animals. I loved how easy the words were for
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Book Reviews Children’s me to read alone. I think all kids ages 3 – 8 would enjoy this book. Reviewed by Hayden, Age 4 Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom of Fantasy #4: The Dragon Prophecy By Geronimo Stilton Scholastic Books, $14.99, 320 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Geronimo Stilton is a mouse who runs the most “famouse” newspaper on Mouse Island, the Rodent’s Gazette. This is the fourth book in the Kingdom of Fantasy series. As in the other books, in a dream he travels to the Kingdom of Fantasy, where he makes friends and helps them with big problems. The Kingdom is really cool, with a lot of Dark Forces and Good Forces who fight all the time. There are dragons, fairies, trolls, witches, pixies, and other creatures. This time he had to find the silver dragon egg, the last existing one, because someone stole it. I liked The Dragon Prophecy a lot. There are some funny parts and scary parts, too (but not really scary, just fun scary). When he first gets to the Kingdom of the Silver Dragons, he has to walk through an underground cave; it’s very dark and he’s a scaredy mouse! Geronimo also has to go to the Garden of the Seven Sisters; I liked where it changed from one season to another and Geronimo received seven gifts to help him with his quest. I also liked visiting the Land of the Trolls—they were disgusting. The story was easy to predict, but it was still fun to read because it has a lot of great illustrations. Reviewed by Zachary, Age 5 That’s What I’d Do By Jewel, Amy June Bates (illustrator) Paula Wiseman Books, $17.99, 32 pages, Format: Trade
do for her baby. She does this because mommies love their babies. The mommy says she’d gather up the clouds to only leave a blue sky, but really what she means is that she’d like to make the skies clear for her baby. She feels that this would make her baby happy. In another part of the story, the mommy uses more symbolism to talk about what she’d do if she were a rabbit. She says she’d find the baby food and wait to eat it until they were together. She says it’s because the food will taste sweeter when they are together. In this same part of the book, the images show a mommy feeding her baby and a mommy bunny feeding her baby bunny. Through the whole book, the images are used to show the reader what the words are about and help them to understand the meaning of the words. The illustrator made images that are soft and happy. They really add to the pretty words. I enjoyed this book because I got to find the butterflies throughout the story. I also liked how gentle the story was. Reading this book with mommy made me feel happy and relaxed. Mommy downloaded Jewel’s album “Lullyby,” and we listened to the calming music playing softly in the background while mommy read me the story. I really liked this. When we were done reading, mommy taught me about symbolism and how pictures or words can be used to mean something else. It’s like when you see a heart and know that it means love. I would recommend this book to other children because they would like to find the butterflies too and they would like seeing all of the pictures of animal mommies cuddling with their baby animals. I think children birth to age 6 would like this book, because they would enjoy the closeness of the mommies with their babies. Reviewed by Hayden, Age 4
««««« That’s What I’d Do is about a mommy who has a baby. The mommy uses symbolism to talk about what she wants to Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 42
Book Reviews
Category
Early Reader
and two big dogs come and they chase the ducks and wreck their nests, and it is very sad and everyone is very unhappy. The park keepers are able to get the dogs back to their owners but the eggs are all smashed, except for one, which Lulu picks up and puts in her pocket. She puts the egg in her hat, wrapped in her sweater, and she and her friend go into the girl’s bathroom, and they find that the duck has hatched. So they give the duck some water and decide a hat is no place for a duckling. So they go back to the park and give the duck back to its mother.
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Lulu was famous for animals. Her famousness for animals was known throughout the whole neighborhood.”
I liked this book because there were a lot of exciting details and it was about a girl who loves animals. I love animals too and it is fun for me to read a book about a girl who loves to do the same things that I like to do. Reviewed by Miriam, Age 8 Milo and Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Crooked Campaign By Lewis B. Montgomery Kane Press, $6.95, 112 pages, Format: Trade
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Lulu and the Duck in the Park By HiIlary McKay Albert Whitman and Co., $13.99, 104 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Lulu is famous for loving animals. She and her friend go to swimming lessons on Tuesdays, and they try to be good. But this time it is different because there are ducks there,
Jazz is running for student president at her school. Everything is normal until Zack Riley, a boy who likes to tease Jazz and her friend Milo, signs up to run for student president too. Jazz and her campaign team are already nervous about the election, and they are even more nervous when Zack suddenly takes all of their ideas from them. Milo and Jazz have to figure out how he does it before the election. Will they be able to find out how Zack
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Book Reviews Early Reader knows their plans in time for the election? Will they have all their ideas stolen? Will Jazz be elected for student president? I enjoyed this book because it was suspenseful and funny. For example, trying to figure out how Zack Riley found out about Jazz’s campaign plans was suspenseful. How the author explained that Jazz was going to try to get new markers to replace the dried-out ones was amusing. I also liked the part about the cafeteria pizza tasted like-driedout markers. I would recommend this book to my friends and people who enjoy reading funny mysteries. This is the ninth book in a series, and I will definitely read the next book in the series. Reviewed by Faith, Age 8
to try to track down her grandpa, against her mom’s wishes. Along the way she cuts school, sneaks around, lies, and has some fun. I won’t tell you everything that happens and whether or not she finds her grandpa, but you should read it for yourself. When I first started reading the book, I didn’t like it. I didn’t know the character or like her very much, and I thought it was a little slow. But as I kept reading, I started to enjoy Penelope and her story. Although I could read the book at age 6, I think the book should be read by boys and girls at least 7 years old, unless you’re a very good reader. Reviewed by Hannah, Age 6
Penelope Crumb By Shawn K. Stout Philomel, $14.99, 128 pages
««««« Penelope Crumb is in 4th grade. Her dad died, so her family was just her, her mom, and her brother. All she has left of her dad is his tool box, which he left when he died. She carries is around all the time. She nick-named her brother Terrible, and she thinks he’s an alien who should be studied by NASA. She’s made up a list of his alien characteristics that she’s going to send to NASA one day. At school, she loves Miss Stunkel’s art class, until the day the class is told to draw pictures of one another. Her best friend, Patsy Cline, draws a picture of Penelope with what she thinks is a huge, unrealistic nose. That sets Penelope off on a great detective adventure. She finds out that her grandpa, who also had a huge Crumb nose, isn’t really Graveyard Dead, like she thought he was. So with the help of her home-schooled friend, Little Littie Maple, she begins Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 44
Book Reviews
where young orphan boys learn to be sailors to be able to take care of themselves when grown. Teo sneaks aboard the ship as well to help her friend, but when the master of the ship goes missing and a cruel woman becomes the new master, Teo and Renzo are stuck on the ship as it sails now for murder and plunder. Teo, Renzo, and the other boys on the ship rebel against the cruel master and sail for England, where Renzo has always dreamed of going. When they get there, they realize an ancient enemy of Venice has returned and is threatening Venice and London both. This book had some very interesting characters and I liked the dialects. The characters were spunky and cheerful no matter what. They found creative ways to solve their problems. Highly recommended! Reviewed by Gretl, Age 11
Category
Tweens
Luz Makes a Splash (The Future According to Luz) By Claudia Davila Kids Can Press, $16.95, 104 pages, Format: Hard
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The Mourning Emporium By Michelle Lovric Delacorte Press, $17.99, 411 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Teo and Renzo live in Venice, but Venice has been flooded, killing Renzo’s mother and leaving him an orphan. Teo’s adoptive parents have been abducted. The Mayor signs Renzo off onto a floating orphanage called the Scilla,
Luz and her town are in the middle of a drought, and it is very hot for them. They decide to go to a pond, but when they get to the pond, it is all dried up. Then they see a sign from a cola factory. Luz tells her mom, who says they have to do something because the cola factory is taking all the water from the pond. Luz’s family tries to get more water and there is a city ban on using water, so the people can’t water their plants. So some people work on sending a letter to the cola factory, and some people work on getting more water to the plants. They make a mini-marsh to use the neighbors’ washwater -- graywater they call it-- and use it to water the plants. They put up rain barrels, and eventually it rains and all their efforts are successful. I liked that this book was a cartoon book and I think Luz was a good person for helping the environment. Reviewed by Miriam, Age 8
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Book Reviews Tweens The Wondrous Journals of Dr. Wendell Wellington Wiggins By Lesley M. M. Blume, David Foote, illustrator Knopf, $16.99, 242 pages, Format: Hard
Horse Diaries #9: Tennessee Rose By Jane Kendall Random House Children’s, $6.99, 139 pages, Format: Trade
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There is a horse who is named Tennessee Rose who has a mother that makes her feel safe and comforted. She has a good time with her mother until one morning her mother gets sold. Then she gets a groom and eventually her groom makes her feel comforted as well. She starts her training and before winter starts there comes a Civil War. Rosie is the horse that the captain, her owner, chose and took her to the war. Her captain dies just before the war ends. So Levi, her groom, takes her to the wild and disguises her. They come to this cabin, stay there a few days, and then they have to leave. The owner of the cabin tells them where a Union army is and Levi, who was a slave, wants to join the army so they go join the army. I thought this book was very slow at first and I didn’t like it but then it got to be very exciting that Levi and Rosie finally got to be free. I would like to read the other books in this series; I liked that the story was a horse’s actual words. Reviewed by Miriam, Age 8
Dr. Wendell Wellington Wiggins is off! He is searching the planet for ancient creatures and hominids, starting in... The Amazonian Rain Forest. He finds a Gibear, an Amazonian Whispering Vine, Gargantuan King Mosquitoes, and Skull-head Hoverfish. For each new discovery, Dr. Wiggins determines how the animals lived, looked, and died. As he journeys across the seven continents, he learns lessons and how annoying Mother Wiggins can be as she constantly pops up in his head.
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Dark, unexplored caves that have held their breath for millions of years. Crushing waterfalls and piranha- filled rivers. Why, it is the most divine holiday I’ve ever taken.”
This book was so funny and silly! I liked how Dr. Wiggins was an adventurer but still a hobbit-esque type of personality; for example, one of his discoveries was made by trying to scrape some gum off a tree to use on his fine English mustache. He was bemused that his belly was still so large when he had cut down to a meager four meals a day. As it is supposed to be Dr. Wiggins’ journal, it has a lot of stories, each with a plot of its own as he is traveling across the continents looking for ancient animals. I love the drawings too; they are so cute (some of them!) and add to the fun. Reviewed by Gretl, Age 11
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Madison Morgan: When Dogs Blog (Volume 1) By Pam Torres Legacy Media Press, $10.99, 156 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Madison Morgan is unhappy. She doesn’t understand boys and fashion, nor does she understand her friend Paige’s interest in those things. What she really wants is a dog, but Dad says no. On top of all this, the school bully picks on her and her friend Cooper constantly. Cooper has a dangerous secret too, and her step-dad manages everything just a bit too much. The tale about how all this gets resolved is an interesting mystery that puts many dogs at risk.
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Book Reviews Tweens Though the pace of the book was a bit slow for my tastes, I would not say it was boring and I still found it a good read. I like how the main character, Madison, expresses her thoughts to the reader. The characters were well-rounded with interesting quirks and personalities that brighten the whole story. I would recommend this book to others from ages twelve plus for its winding plot. Note: Parents should know that the story contains an occasional mild swear word. Reviewed by Alexander, Age 12 Poison Tree By Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Delacorte, $15.99, 219 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Sarik is a shape-shifter. She can regenerate quickly, turn into a tiger, and survive things that would kill any human, but she is being hunted by her con- trolling father, who is an immensely influential clan leader. Sarik ran away at sixteen and is now working at Haven #4 as a mediator. One day a woman called Alysia appears, and is selected to apply for another job as a mediator, and Sarik is chosen to help interview her.
“
Just get me to civilization. Even an exploding gas station would be a relief.”
Alysia is being hunted by the three mercenary guilds of Bruja—Frost, Crimson, and Onyx—the same three guilds that she was once part of; the same three guilds in which she’s achieved Third Rank, as only a few people in living memory have; the same three guilds that put a massive bounty on her head. Attempting to escape that life, she applies for a job at Haven #4.
Haven #4 is a city/camp belonging to Single Earth, which is led by witches and is filled with people who are dedicated to letting all species live in peace under the same roof. The two girls stories merge there and things start to go bad. On a stormy night, three crossbow darts are shot with deadly accuracy, and then the book really gets going. Poison Tree was simply fun to read, if a bit confusing at times (for example, the first few pages are six years in the past, and it cuts back and forth a bit from the characters point of view). But after the segment of six years prior, things get a bit clearer. I thought that the characters were reasonably well developed and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes had a very original take on shape-shifters, vampires, and all the other mythical creatures the book features. Overall, it is an entertaining read for all you fantasy fans out there. Reviewed by Tee, Age 14 Dead Cat Bounce By Nic Bennet Razorbill, $17.99, 345 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Jonah Lightbody and his father, Daniel, have never gotten along well. So when it is ‘Bring Your Kid to Work’ Day at Helsby Cattermole Jonah has to plead and connive his way into getting a tour. It is there that Jonah is inducted into the world of stocks and trades by his father’s old enemy, the Baron. As Jonah grows up under the Baron’s tutelage he comes to realize that the Baron is not as kind as he seems; instead, he runs an international scam to bring down the financial world. When Jonah reconciles with his dad and attempts to escape the Baron’s clutches he finds that the Baron will stop at nothing to kill them both. This book was fun; it had a lot of action in a realistic world. The plot moved swiftly but at the same time was entertain-
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Book Reviews Tweens ing and developed the characters well. For example, Jonah was shallow at the beginning of the book but had grown and reconciled with his father toward the end. I enjoyed the way that the author spliced in a unique perspective on the 2008 financial crisis and the realistic and entertaining way it portrayed the world stock market. I highly recommend this book. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14 Clueless McGee By Jeff Mack Philomel, $12.99, 238 pages, Format: Hard
case should be handled by the adults. Finally, there’s old Mrs. Sikes, P.J’s also annoying teacher. Told through P.J.’s daily letter to his absent dad, who is on a ‘secret mission’, the story is amusingly funny. Join P.J as he tries to find the mac and cheese and has a lot of fun along the way. I liked this book because it was entertaining. I also liked the comic-style illustrations. This is the first book in a new series by popular author Jeff Mack. I will definitely read the next book in this series. I would recommend this book to my friends. Reviewed by Faith, Age 8 Jimmy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack By Wendelin Van Draanen Knopf, $16.99, 294 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Fifth grader P.J McGee thinks he is a brilliant private eye. So when the mac and cheese is stolen from the school cafeteria, P.J is on the case. But the case isn’t easy. Besides the case, P.J gets into trouble a lot, and P.J doesn’t think that it’s fair. First, there is P.J’s mom, who seems to pay special attention to P.J’s annoying sister, Chloe. Then there’s Mr. Prince, the school principal, who thinks that the
«««« Sammy Keyes thought that she had seen everything in Santa Marina. She was wrong. Justice Jack is a Superhero who wants to bring justice to Santa Martina. Sammy disregards him at first, but when the town statue is stolen, something smells fishy. Sammy, her boyfriend Casey, her friend boy Billy, and maybe even Justice Jack, team up to solve the mystery of the missing statue. I really enjoyed this book, even though I have not read any of the others in the series. Sammy has a boyfriend, but they aren’t mushy, which is very surprising and relieving. The characters were realistic and had deep personalities. I liked how Sammy changed and matured, and how her awful next-door-neighbor was actually sweet and nice. Reviewed by Gretl, Age 11
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 48
Featured Review
By Alan Armstrong, Tim Jessell, illustrator Random House Children’s, $16.99, 214 pages Format: Hard
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6 e g A , y h p r u M y b Reviewed
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Featured Review
Racing the Moon
T
his book is about Alexis Hart and her brother, Chuck, who live near Silver Spring in Maryland; it is a couple years after World War II. ‘Alex’ is Alexis’ nickname; she is almost twelve years old and Chuck is seventeen. The book begins when Alex and her dog Jeep are out visiting the neighborhood to sell plants. While walking, Alex meets a woman named Ebbs who was busy planting plants in the yard of her new house. Alex and Ebbs began talking about science, space, and the dangerous experiments Alex and Chuck were planning. Ebbs was worried by these plans. It turned out that Ebbs was “Captain Ebbs;” she worked to make special foods for astronauts! Ebbs knew all about the space program, rockets, and Moon Girl (one of the big rockets in the United States’ space program). Alex was excited to meet Ebbs.
Alex loved her brother, Chuck, who was very smart but dangerous. He liked to do things like climb radio towers to feel for the broadcast pulse, play tricks on people, steal things to make money for his experiments, steal and crash airplanes, and all kinds of other bad things. Alex knew these were bad things, but she didn’t stop him when he had a dangerous idea. Maybe it was because she loved him so much or maybe she was curious too. Chuck met Ebbs when Ebbs asked Alex to bring him over to her house. Ebbs was curious about Chuck and his dangerous experiments. After meeting him, Ebbs asked Alex and Chuck if they would like to be her crew when she set sail down the Potomac to Tangier Island. She told them that sailing was a bit like being in space. Hearing that, they both wanted to do it. Alex took Ebbs back to her house to meet her mom, Louise, and to see the Moon Station. The Moon Station was a tree house shaped like a rocket that Chuck and
Alex had built. It had a compass (which they learned would not work in space so they ditched it), an ink pen (which also wouldn’t work in space), and all kinds of master controls. Ebbs thought the Moon Station was cool; she’s the one who told them why the pen wouldn’t work in space. After meeting Ebbs, Alex’s parents said it was okay for her and Chuck to be Ebbs’ crew on her boat, the No Name. The rest of the book, which is exciting, tells about their journey to Tangier Island, Crisfield, and what happened when Alex and Chuck steal a boat so they can visit Wallops, NASA’s rocket site in Chincoteague. You REALLY have to read what happens to them! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves space, sailing, history, science, adventure, or rockets. I was really excited to get to the end of the book to learn what happened to Alex, Chuck, and Ebbs. Oh yeah, both Ebbs and Alex are REAL people, not just characters in the book!
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About Alan Armstrong
I was sick a lot as a kid. I survived on stories. The best thing in the world was someone coming in to my room. I waited like a spider, book at the ready—something of the parents’ that oneof my brothers might read aloud: Hornblower, Gone with the Wind. I remember the rush when I realized I could read on my own. I wasn’t dependent any more: the world was mine! I walked home from school that afternoon saying to myself, “I can read! I CAN READ!” I looked down. I was floating. Read what? Someone who puts you onto a good book is like a friend who introduces you to a friend—one of the true generous acts. The best people in the world are the ones who say, “Try this!” Librarians do it every day. From about age ten, my dream was to make my own book. I wrote and wrote. I showed my efforts to a friend of my father’s. She read them. “Write about what you like,” she said. “We all know about the rest.”
I got a place on the college newspaper. The editor was a tall, pimply boy in ruined clothes who said the only thing that mattered was getting cleanly typed text in by the deadline. When I turned in my first piece, he shot it back with a note: “Write down quotes. Listen for verbs. The story’s always in the verbs. Get the verbs down along with any odd words you hear, locutions. And questions. Readers like questions.” I rewrote that piece four times. My average now is forty.
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Book Reviews Tweens Scorpions of Zahir By Christine Brodien-Jones Delacorte Press, $17.99, 369 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Zagora, daughter of an archeologist and sister to a brainy nerd, has always dreamed of going to the desert with her father and brother. So when her father receives a message from her long-lost, believed-to-be-dead friend in Zahir, Zagora is excited she will finally be able to have the adventure she has dreamed of. However, there is something fishy going on. Zahir was taken over by giant scorpions when the Oryx Stone from the protective pyramid in Zahir’s center was stolen. That stone is on a string around Zagora’s neck! Zagora must brave the unforgiving desert, battle a crazy scorpion breeder, find her father, and return the Oryx Stone before a planet crashes into the Earth. I really enjoyed this book. It is like “Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos,” except with a nice Theodosia and in the Sahara desert. I liked the descriptive and vivid scenes, which were beautifully expressed. The plot moved quickly, and the characters were interesting and engaging. I will definitely read this book again, and recommend it to my friends! Reviewed by Gretl, Age 11 School Days According to Humphrey By Betty G. Birney Puffin, $5.99, 176 pages, Format: Trade
««««« School Days According to Humphrey is about a hamster named Humphrey, who is a class pet in Miss Brisbane’s room at the Longfellow School. On the first day of school, Humphrey has a shock. He can’t find any of his old friends! He doesn’t know where they are, but there is a class full of new friends to help him with his problems. Luckily, some of his former classmates come by to visit him, but it’s still
going to be a long year for Humphrey. One of his new friends, Harry, also known as Hurry Up Harry, has a problem with being late. He’s always late, and always in trouble for being late. Humphrey has to figure out how to fix the clock to help Harry be on time. Humphrey’s old friends haven’t forgotten him, and they ask their new teacher, Ms. Beeker, if Humphrey can move to their room. It’s a tough decision for Humphrey- should he move to Ms. Beeker’s room, to be with his old gang, or stay with his new pals in room 26? He makes a list of pros and cons, but but still can’t decide what to do. I love the whole Humphrey series. This book was nice and long, and I liked reading it. I recommend this book for any kid who loves hamsters. Reviewed by Sebastian, Age 7 The Birthday Party of Dread (Fangbone!Third Grade Barbarian) By Michael Rex Putnam, $5.99, 122 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Fangbone: Third Grade Barbarian is awesome! Fangbone is a young barbarian who has come to our world to guard and hide the big toe of Lord Drool, an evil goblin wizard who is trying to take over Fangbone’s universe. Fangbone attends his friend Bill’s birthday party (which he messes up, big time) and Lord Drool shows up at the party and turns the bounce house into a monster. All the kids run, except Bill, who sprays Lord Drool with soda. Bill then pops the bounce house monster with sword.
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Book Reviews Tweens On the day of Eastwood Elementary’s” Invention Convention,” Lord Drool casts a spell on Fangbone so that his evil monster, Crusha, can destroy him. Unfortunatley, the spell misses Fangbone, and hits Bill. Bill now has a weird face tattoo mark, so that the Crusha can identify him--because the Crusha is dim witted--in order to destroy him. Fangbone has to find a way to destroy the Crusha and save his friend Bill. In the meantime, Lord Drool is sending in other monsters, such as the Turtle Gator, to create chaos. I loved this book, and highly reccomend it to kids who enjoy comics. I want to get the rest of the books in this series. Reviewed by Sebastian, Age 7 A Boy and a Bear in a Boat By Dave Shelton David Fickling Books, $16.99, 294 pages, Format: Hard
The Sisters 8: Book 9 The Final Battle . . . For Now By Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Greg Logsted, and Jackie Logsted HMH Childrens Paperback, $15.00, 149 pages, Format: Hard
««««« There were eight sisters, and Zinnia is one of them . She is the youngest. They each have their own powers. Their mother and father disappeared before they found their powers. Zinnia had just got her gift, as well as her power, and she found out that her father was inside a snow globe. She assumed that her mother was with him too. With the help of their newly discovered powers and eight irritating, but eventually friendly, cousins, they have to find a way into the snow globe to rescue their parents and then escape.
««« When a boy steps in a boat with a bear, he doesn’t expect this voyage to be anything special, but it is. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, like a lack of food, this turns out to be one eventful sea voyage. I thought this book was amusing, but the plot was fairly simple. The obstacles could be exciting at times, but the book remained only moderately interesting. I liked the sibling-rivalry-style relationship between the boy and the bear. The bantering dialogue between the characters was the most entertaining part of the story. However, the characters’ objective at the start of the story is never fulfilled and leaves the reader with an open ending at the conclusion. This story was listed in the Tween category, but I feel it is probably more suitable for younger readers. Reviewed by Alexander, Age 12
I liked this book because there were a lot of things jumping out at the same time, like the cousins just appearing at one moment and then disappearing. They eventually figure out that the cousins are other eights, and the youngest has been helping the girls get into the snow globe. It was funny how the mother said that her whole family was nuts -- crazy -- but some of them weren’t dangerous crazy and some of them were. She was one of the ones who wasn’t. I liked how the sisters talked to each other. I would love to read all the other books in this series; I would love them! Reviewed by Miriam, Age 8
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Book Reviews Tweens Prince of Air #4 (The Treasure Chest) By Ann Hood, Scott Altmann, Illustrator Grosset & Dunlap, $15.99, 174 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Maisy and Felix learned a few magic tricks from their great-uncle, Thorin. But Felix’s great-aunt didn’t like magic so she decided to time travel. There was a place in Elm Medona, the house where they lived, called The Treasure Chest. In the Treasure Chest is a room hidden behind a wall, where you could time travel if you were a twin. The problem is, if adults travel back in time without a child twin, they may become stuck in the past and die in the present time. Maisy and Felix have to go to the past and try to redo a time travel that their great-aunt and -uncle have done, and try to get Great-aunt Maisy to return to the present. This book is the fourth in the series, where they travel to Coney Island in June 1893. I liked this book because it had a lot of mystery in it. I thought it was fun to be able to find out what was happening and why; why they traveled to a certain place at this different time. Maisy and Felix were very funny, and Greatuncle Thorin was very funny too. This is a book I will be happy to read again. Reviewed by Miriam, Age 8 Flying the Dragon By Natalie Dias Lorenzi EarlyLight Books, $16.95, 231 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Grandpa gets cancer, and Hiroshi and his family have to move to America from Japan. Although Grandpa tries to reassure Hiroshi that moving to America is for their good, Hiroshi doesn’t think so. Going to America means missing this year’s annual rokkaku kite battle, a battle where kites
cut other kites’ strings, and the last kite flying wins. Over in America, Hiroshi’s cousin, Skye, isn’t too happy about the move, either. Instead of playing on the all-stars soccer team, which she finally made, she has to go to Saturday Japanese School, so she can communicate with her relatives from Japan. When they meet, even with such similar situations, they immediately dislike each other. Will they ever become friends? This is Natalie Dias Lorenzi’s first novel and I really enjoyed it. I liked the book because it shows that friendship can come out of anywhere. It also shows that the person who you think that is the most different from you may have a very similar situation to yours. I hope that she will have another novel coming out! I would definitely recommend this book to my friends, and people who like books about friendship. Reviewed by Faith, Age 8 The Girls’ Ghost Hunting Guide By Stacey Graham Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $9.99, 192 pages, Format: Trade
«««« The Girls’ Ghost Hunting Guide was a lot like the TV show “The Ghost Hunters.” I thought it was going to be stories about ghosts, but it really is a guide to hunting real ghosts, which if you believe in that stuff is not something you should do unless you are a professional. If you don’t take it seriously, it is a really fun book which can be fun while hanging out with friends or on a sleepover. Reviewed by Avery, Age 8
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Book Reviews Tweens The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck By Emily Fairlie Katherine Tegen Books, $16.99, 287 pages, Format: Hard
This book has some mature themes. I would not recommend it to sensitive kids. Reviewed by Elliott, Age 10
««««« I read The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck. This story is a funny mystery about a treasure hidden in a school by the person who started the school a long time ago. The main characters are Bud and Laurie, two students who look for the treasure. I think the main point of the puzzle was to get the students to think and realize nothing is impossible. I liked this story very much. It made me laugh a whole lot. I especially liked when Bud and Laurie released two gerbils into Principal Winkle’s office. I couldn’t figure out the mystery until the end, but wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. I think other kids would probably love this story. I would like to read more books by this author. Reviewed by Kyle Petersen, Age 9 A Dog Called Homeless By Sarah Lean Katherine Tegen Books, $16.99, 208 pages, Format: Hard
««« A Dog Called Homeless is about a family of three with a dad, a ten-year old girl named Cally and an older brother named Luke. Cally unexpectedly enters a school competition to stay quiet for a whole day. She takes it to a whole new level when she breaks up with her friends and finds out that she has to move. The new neighbors include a mom and a deaf/blind boy named Sam. Cally keeps seeing her mom, but with a dog? That’s a first. The dog ends up belonging to a homeless man who they help out. Sam loves to swim but cannot swim in the cold. When Cally goes to find him she just cannot save him on her own. When Cally finally decides to sing for the school she sees someone very special cheering her on. Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 55
Book Reviews
Category
Young Adult
ons are still mistrusted. They take the human form to contribute their mathematical skills to universities as teachers and scholars. However, as the anniversary of the peace treaty nears, the mistrust between humans and dragons gets worse. Seraphina Dombegh joins the royal court to become a music assistant. Shortly after she joins the court, a member of the royal family is murdered in a suspiciously dragon-like way. The peace might be ruined by this murder and Seraphina has to work with the head of the Queen’s Guard, Prince Lucian Kiggs, to solve the mystery. As they discover plots to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to keep her many secrets - one so terrible it could mean her death - while keeping the trust of Prince Lucian. Seraphina is a suspenseful novel. It has magic, romance, music, humor, and dragons. It is an original book with great characters and a wonderful heroine. I couldn’t put it down! Reviewed by Delaney, Age 12 The Book of the Night (Libyrinth) By Pearl North Tor Teen, $17.99, 295 pages, Format: Hard
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Seraphina By Rachel Hartman Random House Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 465 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Dragons and humans have never gotten along well in the kingdom of Goredd. Even after forty years of peace, drag-
The Book of the Night is set in an unusual future Earth, where the Libyrarians are in a desperate bid for power against the evil Queen Thela, ruler of Ilysies. Queen Thela also has the Pen, a legendary artifact that allows the user to alter reality. As Thela alters more and more of the world, Haly and Po become locked in a desperate struggle to keep the universe from tearing itself apart. This book makes very little sense. My lack of understanding most likely stems from the fact that I have not read the two previous books; thus, I cannot tell the difference from Plot Element and Random Twist. Besides that, the characters were too numerous, there were too many separate points of view, there was loads of gratuitous sex, and the steampunk/futuristic/post apocalyptic/medieval setting
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Book Reviews Young Adult was rather strange. But these are all minor things; the book is rather mediocre as a whole. Overall, the book is perfectly average sci-fi/fantasy. Reviewed by Peterson, age 14 If I Lie By Corrine Jackson Simon Pulse, $10.98, 276 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Quinn lives in a small military town where everyone knows everyone else, and everyone else’s business. Her boyfriend, Carey, is perfect; kind, strong, handsome, patriotic, and loyal, entering the military to serve his country. The night before he leaves for a tour of duty in Iraq, he tells Quinn a secret: he is gay. Thus, while he cares for her deeply, he cannot love her as a boyfriend, and because of the ingrained prejudices of the town, he begs Quinn to keep his secret safe. She agrees but, heartbroken, she tries to find solace in the arms of Carey’s best friend. When her tryst is exposed she is caught between the judgments of her family, friends, and townsfolk, who are angry with her for cheating; and her loyalty to the secret she promised to keep.
“
So I will pretend we were still together when he deployed, lying to our best friend and everyone who hates me for cheating on him. And I will forget that he broke up with me two days before those pictures of Blake and me were taken.” I don’t know whether I like this book or not. Quinn is whiny and irritating; her loose morals, as well as her strange definition of cheating, annoy me. But, the book has an interesting premise and is well-written. Her dilemma
was believable, as was her reaction and frustration with her situation. There is a lot to think about here. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14 Glitch By Heather Anastasiu St Martin’s Griffin, $9.99, 308 pages, Format: Trade
« Zoel is a relatively mindless human, living in a Community of other brain dead folks. Surprisingly, they lost their feelings by choice; after a nuclear holocaust that forced humanity into underground life, they choose to remove their emotions, as they blamed emotions for their present predicament. They now live in a perfect utopia of apathy. The few ‘anomalous’ people, who have sporadic bursts of emotion, are titled glitchers, and are eliminated as soon as possible.
“
‘Have you experienced any anomalous events?’ The Chancellor’s hawk gaze pierced me, like she could see right through my brain to my glitching V-chip. I breathed evenly, then answered,” No, Chancellor.’”
Zoel must fight to overcome the corrupt bureaucracy of the Community, before all her friends are captured or killed. This book was slow-paced, confusing, and filled with teenage sob stories, with little action, unnecessary plot twists, and poor character development. The protagonist(s) are/ is frequently in tears over minor and easily resolved conflicts. Max gives the same monologue at least five times; the characters of Zoel’s brother and Adrian’s mother, Juan and Molla, seem unnecessary. The finale is unclear as to
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Book Reviews Young Adult whether Max and Adrian were agents of the Chancellor. I will never recommend this book. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14
Quantum Coin By E.C. Myers Pyr, $16.95, 325 pages, Format: Hard
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The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies) By Pittacus Lore Harper, $17.99, 360 pages, Format: Hard
««« Lorien and Earth existed peacefully without any knowledge of each other until the evil Mogs destroyed Lorien and turned their sights to Earth. To help protect Earth, the people of Lorien sent people with ‘legacies’ to Earth; people with telekinetic powers, teleportation, invisibility and other special abilities. There were only ten of them sent; now three of them are dead. The remaining seven must unite to defeat Setrakus Ra, the leader of the Mogs, before he destroys Earth too. This book was a fast read; the characters developed quickly and matured at equal rates. I liked the way Nine’s character was gradually revealed and that the three girls were able to express themselves without sounding whiny and tearful. The characters used their different abilities to work together and achieve their goals. I did not enjoy how the reaction to every crisis was to “develop a new legacy.” As soon as something went wrong, some character developed a new Power to solve the problem. It seemed like too easy of a solution. The Mogs were Perfect enemies -- ugly brutes who wanted to destroy everything, providing no room for motives or sympathy; the Loriens were perfect, beautiful Elves who never committed any wrongdoing. Very little depth for either. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14
Ephraim Scott is enjoying having his life back to normal. His mother is nice, his friend Nathan is crazy, but kind, and his girlfriend Jena is the best he could ask for. So he is rather surprised when on of the many analogs of Jena, named Zoe, appears at prom. Zoe reveals that the multiverse is collapsing, and Nathaniel, an adult analog of Nathan, needs their help to return it to former stability. But as the multiverse begins to deteriorate at an unstoppable pace, Ephraim and his friends soon realize that saving the multiverse may be impossible. This book is much less enjoyable than its predecessor. Epriam has morphed from a bumbling yet kindhearted soul to a Zoe/Jena-obsessed pervert. There is a sexually gratuitous observation/happening at least every page. The plot is fine, although the character’s traits seem rather inconsistent, like having Nathaniel, a strong-willed, independent character, pander to the petty desires of Dr. Kim. The intercharacter relations also seemed rather forced, in general. I will not recommend this book to anyone. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14 Samurai Awakening By Benjamin Martin Tuttle Publishing, $17.99, 318 pages, Format: Hard
««««« When David decides to be a foreign exchange student in Japan, he does not realize how hard it would be to fit in. He cannot speak the language, he doesn’t know anyone around him, and is a social outsider because he knows none of the cus-
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Book Reviews Young Adult toms. Then suddenly his world changes; he dies trying to save his host family’s grandfather, but reawakens as a Jitsugen Samurai, protector of Japan. He is now able to speak Japanese as fluently as speaking English, and can transform into a tiger because of the ancient Japanese spirit god inside him. Demons become a huge part of his life when his host sister is abducted by them. He trains endlessly, but still feels unequal to being a Samurai. Will he be able to fulfill his destiny as a Protector of Japan? I enjoyed the characters in this book; I liked how they were very separate personalities. I liked the twists and turns in the book, and how as the book progressed it revealed more about the characters. I liked the Japanese mythology and culture that was in the book, and I liked the powers the people got. This book was fun and engrossing; I recommend it to everyone I know! Reviewed by Gretl, Age 11 Breathe By Sarah Crossan Greenwillow, $17.99, 371 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Alina, Bea, and Quinn live in an enormous glass dome filled with oxygen. The outside world does not have enough oxygen remaining to breathe and air is highly regulated. When they go on a camping trip into the wilds beyond the glass, they find not only that their lives are threatened but that everything they thought they knew, all that they believed in, is simply a lie propagated by power- and money- hungry bureaucrats. They must escape the clutches of those in power and bring to light the treachery of the Pod Minister. This book was fun to read, although the characters at time seemed weak and pusillanimous. I liked their multiple facets; it made them more believable. The plot was an interesting and unique premise, and flowed quickly and smoothly. I liked how the viewpoints of the three characters fit to-
gether cohesively. This setting was slightly more cheerful and more believable than most other post-apocalyptic novels, because the whole story fit together well with no gaps in the way the world works within itself. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14 Feedback By Robison Wells Harper Teen, $17.99, 310 pages, Format: Hard
«« Benson has escaped from Maxfield Academy and now he is on the run, but Becky, the only one who escaped with him, is wounded. They stumble upon a town filled with people they used to know, who actually were robots and who had been killed. Now all those who aren’t robots are trying to eke out an existence in their wintry wasteland, and Benson and Becky find that the plans of Maxfield Academy are bigger and more sinister than they had previously could have guessed.
“
’Gabby, Curtis, Carrie, Shelly, Harvard, Mouse -- they’re not real,’ I said. ‘They’re fake. They’re robots.’”
The book was cliche in the sense that it had the dull and omnipresent love triangle; it had a ‘great final battle’ scene where Benson discovers everything; the characters are naive and innocent -- their arguments and violence are portrayed as unusual and obscene. However, the characters all seemed the same as each other. The people do not try hard to get out of their horrible situation, which seemed unrealistic; there was very little action, except toward the end, and there was a lot of annoying and irrelevant arguing among the characters. It was an engaging read and quick, but entirely forgettable. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14
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Book Reviews Young Adult The Peculiar By Stefan Bachmann Greenwillow Books, $16.99, 376 pages, Format: Hard
«« In an alternate England, the fairies have come from their world and were trapped in our world. To control the fairies, the British government made millions of clockwork machines and confined as many fairies as they could to the slums of New Bath. Bartholomew is one of these so confined. He is a half-breed, with one parent fairy and the other, human. He lives his life in secrecy, afraid of someone finding him, until he is marked by a mysterious lady in plum. Together, he and a petty representative of the British Parliament must keep London from being destroyed by the Lord Chancellor. I thought this book would be more cheerful than it was. Although it had an intriguing premise, it doesn’t contribute to the field of literature. The characters did not interact believably and their interactions with other characters were shallow and heartless. The book’s ending was unsatisfying as hardly anything had happened by that point. This book could have been improved by more action; the characters accomplished almost nothing through the course of the book. A faster-moving plot, more cohesive plot structure and fewer main characters would have been desirable. I would definitely not recommend this book. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 14 Blackwood By Gwenda Bond Strange Chemistry, $, 324 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Blackwood was an amazing book! It is about a teenage girl Miranda Blackwood, who lives on Roanoke Island, the same place where 114 colonists vanished in 1585. When
the same number of people vanish hundreds of years later, Miranda is forced to team up with an unlikely partner, Phillips Rawling. They learn to work together to save Roanoke Island and all of its people. This book was an excellent mystery, full of romance, ghosts, ancient curses, historical figures, betrayal, and so much more. I loved how the already intriguing mystery of the Lost Colony was given some unexpected twists and turns. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery and magic. Reviewed by Delaney, Age 12 The Treachery of Beautiful Things By Ruth Frances Long Dial Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 363 pages, Format: Hard
«« The woods took Tom, Jenny’s brother. Jenny goes in after him after seven years and is magically transported to the land of the fey. She meets Jack, a native. Jenny is determined to find Tom, but Jack knows it isn’t safe for a mortal in the land of immortals, so he tries to get her to go home. Jenny is too stubborn, though, and thinks she just can’t go home without Tom. Jack gives up and takes her to the queen of the fey, Titania, who has made Tom her “piper.” Jenny finds her brother, but Titania takes Jack. Jenny escapes with Tom, but she can’t make herself cross back into her world knowing she left Jack. Tom crosses. She returns to rescue Jack from the clutches of Jack’s master. This book was very dull. It had too much “romance,” not enough action, the plot was shallow, it was hard to understand because there was hardly any explaining, and the characters were shallow and creepy. I would recommend this book to no one. Reviewed by Gretl, age 11
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Book Reviews side of that philosophy. It is a horror story with the moral that beauty is not good unless it does good.
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Category
Classics
The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde, Nicholas Frankel, Editor Belknap Press, $12.95, 217 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Oscar Fingal O’Flahete Wills Wilde was one of the world’s greatest wits. His play “The Importance of Being Earnest” is unfailingly delightful. I laugh just recalling some of the dialogue. While being most known as a follower and advocate of the aesthetic movement and a devoted hedonist, The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray, his only novel, is the flip
His eye fell on a large purple satin coverlid heavily embroidered with gold, a splendid piece of late seventeenth-century Venetian work that his uncle had found in a convent near Bologna. Yes, that would serve to wrap the dreadful thing in. It had perhaps served often as a pall for the dead. Now it was to hide something that had a corruption of its own, worse than the corruption of death itself, something that would breed horrors and yet would never die. What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. They would defile it, and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on. It would be always alive.” As another follower of aestheticism, the poet John Keats writes “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness.” However, this is only true for objects of art; the human condition is opposite. We age. Even the most beautiful among us are ravaged by time and eventual decay. Dorian Gray wishes his beauty to remain constant. Flattered by the attentions of a painter and corrupted by his worldly friend, Gray takes the road of gratification and remains forever young and beautiful; his portrait, however, shows the ravages of time and his misdeeds and becomes a portrait of his horrible conscience. Dorian Gray hides the portrait away in his childhood schoolroom in the attic. He visits it to mark how his adventures have marred the painting. He is drawn to look at it and repulsed by the record of his horrible life. It is so sad to me that such a great artist as Wilde must have had an inner life like Dorian Gray. So glib and quick on the outside, Wilde must have been torn by “love that dare not speak its name” and the consequences of his profligate nature. Wilde studied Catholicism throughout his short life and seemed to be drawn to a more spiritual existence. Unfortunately, his pursuit of pleasure and the hubris of an artist’s invulnerability caused his great personal tragedy. He served two years in prison for “gross indecency.” Because of his notoriety, his publishers censored his work. Finally we have the uncensored version of this masterpiece. Reviewed by Julia McMichael
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“Are your books based on real life?” This is the question I am most often asked. The answer is, “It’s complicated.” Straightforwardly, the answer is “no.” No one wants to read about me staring at the computer, dent furrowing deeper between my eyebrows, until it’s time for chores. Ever notice that a character never changes cat litter in a novel? Or how movies add “clacking” to typing scenes for nonexistent drama? Trust me, you don’t want to read about my real life. Writers shine when they can dig out the ordinary yet universal nugget, and give it heart. The takeaway from my actual daily routine – Leaving Unknown narrator Maeve obsessively worries about her family’s drift towards a grooved brow, striving to maintain a zen state and wrinkle-free face as a small defense against the body’s inevitable breakdown. No one likes my how-I-became-a-writer story. It was akin to waking one morning and thinking “Today I’m going to write a novel.” I had no formal training, hadn’t been scribbling for years, and didn’t have exposure to other writers (with one notable exception). I always intended to write a book. In my mind, when I was older and had Something to say. I felt that some life nadir had to give me the wisdom to write anything meaningful. As I approached 35 and partnership in a large law firm, I realized that you don’t have to be a James Joyce to write something people will want to read. You simply have to tell a relatable story. Which circles back to the question of what you write. There’s a danger admitting you’re on the page, a vulnerability. But stories are relatable only when they ring true. My characters are not me, but they are infused with me. If
I have a gift that predisposes me to writing, it’s the ability to feel how others would feel. My books are about issues that matter to me, and my voice is there, but so is yours. I don’t draw from the headlines, I’m inspired by the page eight stories that will become the headlines. I started writing What You Wish For after reading about a cancer survivor suing her ex-boyfriend for their frozen embryos. The woman lost and the story faded, but I didn’t stop thinking about it. It wasn’t just the murky legal status of embryos, and the medical ethics challenges. I couldn’t stop wondering about the ex-boyfriend, and how the ones we most love often hurt us the most. There are novels to be written there, and this one just scratches the surface. Simultaneously, Proposition 8 had just ripped California in two, so I started wondering how people would make
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Viewpoints Article
Be Careful What You Wish For
highly personal fertilitydecisions in the shadow of a controversial embryo-rights proposition. My musings were prescient. When I started writing What You Wish For, only a Georgia initiative had made page eight. Now, “personhood” legislation is part of the national conversation. My interest was highly personal. I did not do IVF, but I am a single mother by choice. We do a disservice to our children to suggest that there is an “ideal” family. The majority no longer equates to a male-female heterosexual couple having children without medical assistance. People adopt. People rely on IVF, donor eggs, and surrogates. Single parents are raising children. Same-sex couples are raising children. The modern family is an American melting pot. Through my characters’ stories, I hope to shake loose some of the rigid judgments on what makes a family healthy. The less kids mourn the phantom “real parents” they don’t have, the more they can thrive in an environment that may be as nurturing as it is unconventional. Each of the characters in What You Wish For feels deviant in some way, unnatural. Yet they are unified in their certainty about family. I don’t identify with one particular character in the book, but parts of each. I wish that as my son grows, strictures are loosened, and “different” families such as ours will be part of the norm. My work-nature is to go into my cave and type madly, emerging with my masterpiece fully formed, like Minerva springing from the head of Zeus. Unfortunately, the former lawyer in me is a slave to precision, and Minerva usually needs to lose a few pounds. My first short story was laboriously produced on an old fashioned typewriter, and proudly presented it to my junior high teacher for review (and adulation). In today’s climate, the school would have been evacuated before you could say, “emotionally disturbed student.” I’m not sure why I wrote a slasher story, except a teen flair for melodrama. The young narra-
tor described, “grey-green-yellowish brain ooze.” It was eighteen single-spaced pages because “grey-green” and “yellow-green” are two different things, neither of which is “grey-green-yellow.” Fortunately for me, it was the 1980s, so Mrs. Felder (suppressing the urge to reach for a match) merely made vague comments until I left off seeking her exhortations to publish immediately. My editors, thankfully, are not so generous, so I spend a lot of time cutting. The fatness of my manuscripts answers the original question. A friend counseled me on an early draft of my debut, The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life: “You don’t have to cram every story you’ve saved your whole life into this one book.” I’ve learned to pace myself. I want to share experiences, my own and those that impressed me, but it’s okay if a reader sees a color shade other than My Vision. You can get to the heart of the matter with fewer words than you think, because it is the universal nugget, in every restaurant, and every town, and every person. My books are based on real life. It just might not be mine.
About Kerry Reichs Kerry Reichs is a graduate of Duke University School of Law and Stanford Institute of Public Policy, and practiced law in Washington, D.C. prior to becoming a full-time writer. WHAT YOU WISH FOR: A Novel Kerry Reichs William Morrow Paperbacks, an Imprint of HarperCollins On-sale 7/3/12 Print: 9780061808142 | $14.99, E-book: 9780062101518, $12.99
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Book Reviews
Category
Science & Nature
versity of fauna on our little blue marble of a planet. And the inherent strangeness of some creatures borders on the mythological. Unusual Creatures introduces readers to a wide swath of the weirdest and most wonderful animals to walk, crawl, swim, and fly into our collective awareness. A mixture of fact, trivia, and playful jokes, the book sheds light on numerous offbeat denizens of Earth -- the axolotl, the dugong, the flying snake, the Jesus Christ lizard, and the mimic octopus among them -- even managing to include a few I’d never heard of, like the bilby, Cantor’s giant softshelled turtle, and yeti crab. An accessible and informative guide sure to delight readers of all ages, Unusual Creatures is silly without being obnoxious, educational without being pedantic, and the perfect introduction to the endless possibilities of life. What great fun. I can’t wait to share it with my nieces and nephews. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Nature’s Notes By Judy Burris and Wayne Richards Willow Creek Press, $19.95, 219 pages, Format: Other
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Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth’s Strangest Animals By Michael Hearst Chronicle Books, $16.99, 109 pages, Format: Hard
««««« The variety of animals on Earth is staggering. Every time we think we’ve seen everything, a new discovery rewrites our feeble attempts at cataloguing the unbelievable di-
Photography has taken great leaps in recent years. Who foretold the possibility of an image that reveals a biting mosquito drawing blood, or the detailed pattern of a butterfly wing? A lightning bug, a ladybug, a redspotted newt take on a new identify when seen posed on a human hand. Described as bite-size learning, this neatly designed, radiantly colorful book, chock-a-block with information and ideas, is a keeper for anyone lucky enough to see it. The complementary focus brings pictures, narrative descriptions, and lively asides together with innovative projects, achieving a goal of sparking interest in unexplored elements of our natural surroundings. The photography tips act as secrets revealed, and the questions the authors pop
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Book Reviews
Science & Nature
in take us back to mysteries unsolved since our childhood. The pages follow a series of nature walks inviting a trip to the park to explore fungi and ephemeral wildflowers, a hike in the woods and to the water’s edge. It is always a treat when authors assume their readers’ intelligence, and the glossary is a welcome bonus. Reviewed by Jane Manaster
Nonetheless, The Rational Psychic is an intriguing insider’s glimpse into a greater world that just might be. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
The Rational Psychic: A Skeptic’s Guide to Extraordinary Perception By Jack Rourke Sounds True, $22.95, 254 pages, Format: Trade
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««« Attempts to legitimize psychic ability from a scientific standpoint are often fruitless, as most psychic phenomena are not reproducible under strict laboratory conditions. Jack Rourke’s book The Rational Psychic is the latest, and arguably most grounded yet, of these speculative endeavors. Presenting yourself as a psychic and a skeptic is ballsy enough, but Rourke also seeks to separate genuine psychics from those who are simply empathetic or, worse, delusional about any psychic potential they have. The psychiatry of psychics vs. “psychics” is engaging and thoroughly interesting, and Rourke proves himself more than worthy of representing skepticism, leaving most of his preconceived notions at the door and objectively investigating supposedly haunted homes and tormented individuals. Unfortunately, the more scientifically-minded chapters are where he stumbles. While he’s certainly well-versed in many scientific concepts, his attempts to connect his studies of psychic phenomena to a real scientific model never advance beyond conjecture. Those chapters are merely a scientific scaffolding on which he hopes, but fails, to hang his psychic abilities and experiences. (The sheer preponderance of “perhaps,” “maybe,” and “suggests” is quite telling.)
How Children Succeed By Paul Tough Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27.00, 272 pages, Format: Hard Through the many trials and tribulations of those he examines in his new book, Paul Tough explains what it takes to be successful in school. His use of character sketches outlines certain roads which may lead in one direction or another, but it is his tenacity that directs the reader to those lesserknown areas—those that set the stage for understanding human behavior on a far deeper scale. Throughout the book, grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character, as the subtitle suggests, are the qualities that underlie the desire to succeed. Tough is a new writer, with only one other title under his belt, but he delivers a strong argument with which readers can walk away from the book feeling a tad wiser than they had at the outset. He’s relied upon the wisdom of certain others who have attempted to solidify disparate issues to create a truly solid approach to appreciate what makes success happen. I applaud Tough. He not only paints a picture of hope to those in intellectual distress, but he delivers the backbone that may serve to straighten out those who stray from their target and provide new hope for a generation of kids. Reviewed by D. Wayne Dworsky
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Book Reviews
Category
Spirituality & Inspiration
Thumbs Up! Staying Positive with Parkinson’s Disease By Kevin M Peyton CreateSpace, $14.99, 114 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Parkinson’s Disease is usually thought of as an older person’s ailment. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that starts with shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking and
gait. Later, cognitive and behavioral problems may arise, with dementia commonly occurring in the advanced stages of the disease. While Michael J. Fox may have become the new face of Parkinson’s, he didn’t disclose his condition until he was 38, even though he was originally diagnosed at the age of 30. Author Kevin Payton was diagnosed with it at the age of 26, just before he was getting married. Thumbs Up! Staying Positive with Parkinson’s Disease is both the history of his diagnosis and advice for others beginning to figure out how to deal with it themselves. Thumbs Up! is conversationally written and overwhelmingly inspirational, even with the obvious challenges and hardships Payton has had to manage. And while his challenge is Parkinson’s, most of his advice can be applied to other life-changing and challenging problems. Throughout the book, Payton celebrates those family and friends that helped him get through and are still there with him 19 years later. It’s a short book written easily enough to be a good way to introduce the realities of dealing with Parkinson’s to younger children who are just starting to wonder about why a relative may be acting “stranger” than before. Thumbs Up is a call to optimism, regardless of one’s circumstances and always looking for the best in any situation. Sponsored Review The New Day By Charles Paul Curcio Delphi University Press, $18.95, 222 pages, Format: eBook «««.5 Can a driven businessman become a spiritual person? The New Day describes the metamorphosis of Charles Curcio as he transitions from his old life as a successful business owner into a new life as a spiritual healer of physical diseases. In an age when many decry spirituality as superstition while others claim to be spiritual without a clear understanding of what it entails, Curcio’s story is informative and, at times, unsettling. It’s filled with examples of miraculous healings and an almost overwhelming
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Book Reviews
Spirituality & Inspiration
impartation of beliefs about the universe, God, spiritual beings, and our purpose. It falls under the general category of the New Age Movement and includes tenets and phenomena such as Christ Consciousness, creative vibrational force, the Archimedean Principle, the Higher Self, the levels of the Astral Plane, the place of unfulfilled lower passions, the discharge and balancing of one’s Karma, Channeling, and the Etheric Body, to name a few. Curcio describes the causes of disease as stemming from unhealthy emotions and faulty thinking. He believes a loving God with unlimited grace gives everyone as many chances as they need, through reincarnation, to get it right. Curcio shares the unusual circumstances surrounding his divorce. His rationale for seeking the divorce evoked feelings of discomfort with this reviewer. Curcio proposes that his understanding of spirituality is more accurate than some traditional beliefs and doctrines, such as those found in Christianity. The spirituality embraced by Curcio is mostly not in harmony with traditional protestant and Catholic teachings about the nature of God, the nature of good and evil, the mission of Christ, the origin and nature of humanity, and redemption. Adherents of traditional Christianity who read The New Day will likely be concerned that New Age theology contains harmful beliefs and practices mixed in with its positive components. Though very informative, it left me feeling incredulous. Sponsored Review
Creating on Purpose: The Spiritual Technology of Manifesting Through the Chakras By Anodea Judith, Lion Goodman Sounds True, $17.95, 280 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Creating on Purpose: The Spiritual Technology of Manifesting through the Chakras wants to help you manifest your dreams and desires. Taught in workshops coast-tocoast, authors Anodea Judith and Lion Goodman provide a step-by-step guide to remove what is blocking you and to help liberate yourself. The authors write that we all have blocks. But it is through healing our chakras—the energy cores in our bodies—that we can achieve our dreams. To bring balance to the chakras, the authors elaborate and give an overview of the system. Using charts and illustrations, they explain the plot of energy connectedness, which is often linked to yoga poses or colors, for example. The chakras correspond to areas of the body, such as chakra five is located in the throat. After the explanation of The Chakra System as a Map for Manifestation, Judith and Goodman spend a chapter expanding on each of the chakras, starting with the highest chakra (divine consciousness)—seven—and working toward chakra one. Besides providing a wealth of information and steps to manifest your dreams, Judith and Goodman provide two final chapters to summarize and strengthen your understanding of the chakras and their path to your happiness. Reviewed by Elizabeth Humphrey
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Book Reviews
the University of Texas dazzles fans in the march for the national title. Despite being the smallest player on the field, Freddie’s contagious enthusiasm and talent infect everyone around him. No one knows the intensity of his pain. Nobody suspects the cancer that has consumed Freddie’s left leg.
Category
Biographies & “ Memoirs
Playing football was over for Freddie Steinmark... Yet, the biggest game of his life was still on the horizon.”
A seasoned journalist, Dent relates more than just another “Gipper story.” He captures the explosive emotion of the time, and reminds us why, forty years later, this generation of Texas Longhorns still give Freddie’s picture the “Hookem’ Horns” sign as they pass by. Hardly a month after the amputation of Freddie’s leg, the stadium is filled for the championship game. The teams race onto the field. The cheers die down at the sight of a lone figure on crutches, pumping his way to the grass at the far end. Someone calls his name, then another. As Freddie appears in the sunlit end zone, spectators on all sides rise to their feet, chanting as he makes his way to the sideline. Little do they know, now he’s fighting for his life. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn Trucker Ghost Stories And Other True Tales of Haunted Highways, Weird Encounters, and Legends of the Road By Edited by Annie Wilder Tor, $12.99, 254 pages, Format: Trade
««« Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story By Jim Dent Thomas Dunne Books, $15.99, 333 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Amid the turbulent 1960s, when the hundred year anniversary of college football draws the country’s attention away from the Vietnam War, a stunning young athlete at
People tell stories. It’s one of the fundamental social forces that unites all people everywhere: the need to share stories. It’s how we learn our history and our values. They entertain us and teach us. Stories scare and delight us. They pass from person to person, changing, evolving, adapting them-
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Book Reviews
Biographies & Memoirs
selves to new storytellers and new campfires, just waiting to be passed to fresh ears. This is especially true of ghost stories and urban legends, which thrive on word-of-mouth dissemination. Trucker Ghost Stories is chock full of perfect campfire fodder, dozens of stories of helpful strangers and strange attackers who vanish into the darkness, strange lights that chase travelers, roads that no one can find, and those lucky souls seemingly saved from deadly accidents by otherworldly intervention. First-hand accounts from all over the U.S., the stories featured in Trucker Ghost Stories vary wildly in length, subject, and author’s talent, making for a very hit-or-miss collection. Some of these stories barely merit inclusion -especially the ones that mention how tired the witness was, something that immediately raises red flags for me -while others are beautifully told and genuinely unnerving. These are modern urban legends. Add salt as necessary. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas The End of Your Life Book Club By Will Schwalbe Knopf, $25.00, 335 pages, Format: Trade
«««« The basic premise of this book is forming a book club, which brought the author closer to his dying seventythree-year-old mother who was going through chemotherapy treatment. The author observes that only when his mother was reading was she peacefully transported to a world outside of her painful and uncomfortable existence.
“
One of the things I learned from mom is that reading isn’t the opposite of doing; its the opposite of dying.”
This book is a moving tale of the author’s mother ‘s passion and zest for reading. His mother also had a desire to share her love for books and so established a foundation for
libraries in Afghanistan. The author cites his mother’s favorite book as “The Story of Ferdinand” by Mynroloff, a classic from the 1930s about a peace-loving bull. Her second favorite book was Crockett Johnson’s, “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” a book from the 1950s about how an autistic child uses his imagination and one crayon to create beautiful adventures. From her childhood, she remembered and reread her best-loved book “Pink Donkey Brown” by Lydia Stone. This is a 1925 story about two unspeakably polite children who acquired a pony to keep. Other books at his mother’s bedside were Jon Kabat-Zim’s “Full Catastrophe Living” and Bernie Siegel’s “Medicine and Miracles.” Both books were best sellers about the connections between mind and body, a subject that his mother pursued with great interest. “Gilhead” was another loved book which gave her insights on how to personally communicate with God. “The Lizard Cage” by Karen Connely, an impressive story about life in Burma, made her able to completely forget herself and her problems. The mother wasn’t fond of mystery books, but she did read some mysteries set in Venice, ,Botswan, and Edinburgh, which mentally transported her to those places. The striking lesson to be learned from reading this book is that if one has access and the ability to read, you are not imprisoned by your physical limitations or location. Books can be a source of inspiration and can feed us with ideas that we can share with others around us. In other words, books provide us with material that we can use to communicate with other people and keep us from being isolated in life. Reviewed by Claude Ury Citizen Soldier: A Life of Harry S. Truman By Aida D. Donald Basic Books, $25.99, 249 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Written for the armchair history buff and “not freighted with notes,” historian Aida Donald delivers an insightful look into the most controversial decisions President Harry S. Truman grappled with during the critical advent of
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Book Reviews
Biographies & Memoirs
the nuclear age. Delving into Truman’s mindset from the notes he left from the Pickwick Papers, this narrative history becomes more of an exchange between reader and writer. Donald explores the dark haunts of Truman’s psyche as he fought Congress over domestic programs, wrestled with ending the war by nuking the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and wrangled with MacArthur over North Korea. The beauty of this work comes in its concise nature. It gives us a feel for the issues of post WWII without leaving us bogged down in minutia. Here Truman’s accidental rise to the presidency stands in stark contrast to the desperately humble beginnings of the depression years, his unwavering love for his wife and family, and his autodidactic education. Yet, for all his faults and regrets, Truman’s achievements still resonate. For better or worse, we live in a world Truman shaped while under tremendous pressure. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn Beware the Mandarins By Jane M. Hogg CreateSpace, $12.99, 274 pages, Format: Trade
«« Outrageous sexual harassment by police, which today would land the culprit in jail for 20 years in the U.S., plus threats from superiors about repercussions if instructions are disobeyed are not enough to support Jane Hogg’s assertion of a conspiracy and rampant corruption in Britain’s civil service. Clearly, she was often unfairly thwarted when proposing new schemes for a more efficient fire service, but this fails to prove the existence of a secret cabal controlling the government. A labyrinth of complicated discussions about fire prevention mixed with domestic detail on the school achievements of her daughter, plus emotional reflections on pets, leave a sense of bewilderment
and confusion as to why they are included. Freemasons are mentioned and associated with the conspiracy, but no evidence is forthcoming. A car bomb is blamed on the shadowy force, but its meaning and repercussions are lost in the incoherent narrative. The result is a combination of private jottings in a diary, minutes of excruciatingly boring work meetings and train travel reports. A professional editor would cut out three-quarters of the material and make sure that evidence to support the assertions is presented. Sponsored Review Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe By Charlotte Gill Greystone Books, $16.95, 246 pages, Format: Trade
««««« A furious way of being.”
“
Twenty years as a tree planter. Twenty years of back-breaking, low-paying (sometimes no-paying), thankless and intense labor, with good humor and bad food creates the backdrop for Charlotte Gill and her tree planting tribe of men and women. This seldom seen and remote world of hard work, and rough living, of clear-cuts and virgin timber, Eating Dirt takes the reader into the charged and unsentimental memoir of Gill’s million-tree career.
“
We revere trees… but we also can’t bear to leave them standing.”
Eating Dirt is an inspired narrative in a unique topic that is half memoir, half magic. It focuses less on Gill herself than on the wonder of trees, the dirt and fungi beneath, and the politics that swirl around the controversial resource that is timber and trees. Gill writes with a sense of wonder,
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Book Reviews
Biographies & Memoirs
from the work of tree planting to the desolate beauty of clear-cuts, and her acute attention to fascinating details of nature makes this book read more like a stream of poetry than a memoir. A radiant piece of non-fiction by a talented writer, whose descriptions will make your back ache by the time you finish reading. “I learned it was easy to do something once. The trick was doing it a thousand times.” Reviewed by Axie Barclay The Humanity of Medicine: The Story of Mark E. Ellis, MD, A Journey From Boyhood to Manhood and Cancer Patient to Cancer Doctor By Lynn Hamilton Ellis CreateSpace, $17.95, 306 pages, Format: Trade
««««« I’m not a huge fan of biographies. Before this book, I had only read two, and both were about celebrities that I adore. I just never understood the point of reading people’s life stories unless you are already interested in them. The Humanity of Medicine has shown me the error of my ways. A beautiful story full of hope and dreams and bursting with love, this book follows the life of Mark Ellis. Diagnosed with malignant melanoma at age eighteen, doctors gave Mark a very small (if any) chance of survival. After just one chemotherapy session, Mark’s cancer was gone, though his treatment would continue for five years. Awed by the warm and familial nature of his cancer doctors, he decided to go into medicine, to bring that same warmth and care to future patients. His entire journey from boy to renowned oncologist unfolds within these pages. Mark’s story is inspirational enough on its own, but, as the author, Mark’s wife Lynn adds an entire dynamic to the story. In addition to telling the readers of Mark’s path, she also tells us about her path. From unknowing object of affection to wife and mother, Lynn’s story is just as compelling as Mark’s. The sheer amount of love she expresses for
her family (and thus the willingness to deal with insane medical residency schedules and frequent long-distance moves) is awe-inspiring. When Lynn’s drive to be the best person (wife, mother, caretaker, provider, etc.) she can be for her family is combined with Mark’s drive to be both a great family man and a caring doctor for all of his patients, a truly inspiring story emerges. Lynn writes that she hopes The Humanity of Medicine can show people that any obstacle can be overcome and that any goal can be achieved, even if it takes a little longer than expected. This book does all that and more. It takes the reader on a wildly ambitious and yet beautifully intimate tale of the lives of two people who were impacted, but never defeated, by cancer. I admit, I teared up at the end. Because of the Ellis’ beautiful story and the equally wonderful writing, in which the love and connection between these two is always present, I am now a biography convert. A testament to love, compassion, and good old-fashioned willpower, this book will charm and inspire you. Sponsored Review Dear Marcus: A Letter to the Man Who Shot Me By Jerry McGill Spiegel & Grau, $22.00, 192 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Why do bad things happen to good people is an unanswerable question. A random event, a shooting by an unknown sniper, hits thirteen-year-old Jerome McGill in the cervical spine and transforms this fun-loving, buoyant youth into a dependent paraplegic. Now in his forties, and still perplexed by the random brutality of the senseless act, the author addresses his anonymous assailant and informs him of how his pointless act changed his life and shifted his direction. With sardonic humor, McGill recounts his conversion from an ebullient youth aiming for a career on the stage or in sports to a thoughtful writer now dedicated to working with youth and the handicapped.
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Book Reviews
Biographies & Memoirs
“
But I should reiterate, I didn’t write this book for you, Marcus. I wrote this for a certain population of the world: Those who endure. Those who manage. Those who cope.”
Ever optimistic, the letter describes how with the loving support of his family and medical personnel he overcame the shock of the instant, unforeseen transformation to his life and how he accommodated to the change, since there was no other choice. Written with ironic wit, the author is dauntless and tries not to allow the accident to interfere with his life choices. Life often is a craps game, and how we deal with it depends on character. This is one guy with the qualities of a whimsical saint. Reviewed by Aron Row Burying the Typewriter: A Memoir By Carmen Bugan Graywolf Press, $15.00, 224 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Carmen Bugan’s memoir of growing up with her political dissident father brings the suffering the Communist regime in Romania upon all. Not just those directly involved – but the families of those fighting for the rights of people. The suffering the Bugan family is profound and saddening – but not at all uncommon for that time period. What Bugan does best is dissect the incredible confusion resulting from the conflicting feelings for her father and the hardships he brought upon the family. On one hand, he’s her hero. But on the other, he’s the reason she has to leave everything she’s known to flee to another country and start all over. Her journey to making peace with her past, his past, and their future is heartwarming – and wasn’t easy. I would recommend Burying The Typewriter to all- especially those with an interest in politics and political revolutions. Bugan’s memoir is heartfelt and moving, and the
ending is well worth the 200 pages leading up to it for sure! Reviewed by Elizabeth Raymond Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz By Carr, Cynthia Bloomsbury, $30.00, 613 pages, Format: Hard
««««« He was one of the artists targeted by conservative organizations during the culture wars. He was considered controversial, misunderstood, and gay. He was active in the East Village art scene until it collapsed. He was provocative, angry, moody, and more. He was dead before he turned forty; he died of AIDS. His name couldn’t be pronounced. He was an artist that few people truly knew, and no biography had ever been written on him. His name was David Wojnarowicz. After a harrowing childhood that saw abuse, and kidnapping, from his father and neglect from his mother, he hustled on the streets of New York at an early age, and never graduated from high school; went on to make a permanent mark on the modern art world. Cynthia Carr brings us this wonderful biography that covers this emotional and unknown figure. He was even unknown to his friends, who often did not know about his past. She tells his story in an appropriate way. Dealing with the early childhood traumas, and abuse, without getting overboard, Mrs. Carr also brings to life the art scene of New York in the 1980s, before it was decimated by AIDS. David was a conflicted but brilliant artist. Reviewed by Kevin Winter
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Book Reviews
Category
History
thing we will ever have. Joyce Morgan and Conrad Walters team up to tell the tale of Stien and his team as they journey on the silk road in the early 1900s. They found revolutionary artifacts that forever changed history books and challenged people’s perceptions about history and Asia. His team not only explored the old silk road trails, but also discovered key artifacts like the oldest printed book. This is more than a story about history; it is about life, death, and the journey that we all take. The book’s narrative can be a bit confusing at times, but after a while you start catching onto the rhythm of the writing. I love this book, and the stories made me want to go and read Stien’s original works. The narrative was a mix of Stein’s story along with the history of the items’ he rediscovered and the role they had in history. Stein and his crew are real people and the book makes them come alive on the pages. The book is also enjoyable enough that people that know nothing about the silk road will be addicted. It is a great balance of education, story, and suspense. If you are looking for a gripping book to read, do not be afraid to take this journey. Reviewed by Kevin Brown The Impeachment of Governor Sulzer: A Story of American Politics By Matthew L. Lifflander Excelsior Editions, $24.95, 347 pages, Format: Hard
««««
Journeys on the Silk Road: A Desert Explorer, Buddha’s Secret Library, and the Unearthing of the World’s Oldest Printed Book By Joyce Morgan, Conrad Walters Lyons Press, $24.95, 336 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Indiana Jones is fake. Real archeology is not that fun, nor are the tales that heroic. But Aurel Stein is the closest
In the business of running politics, Tammany Hall holds the record for attaining the broadest reach. Lifflander unveils the ugly truth of bought and paid for public officials in this political biography of New York’s only impeached governor, William Sulzer, who went to war with the most powerful Party Boss in American history, Charles Murphy. Recalling the draconian days of political warfare, Lif-
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Book Reviews
History
flander describes how the party machine functioned by delivering votes, mostly immigrants fresh off the boat, in exchange for patronage. A construction contract here, a judicial nod there; all under the auspices of the “honest graft.” The Party Boss controls it all. His favorites end up on the ballots, and after they are elected, he receives his tribute in extended forms of graft; bordellos guarded by a corrupt police force, gambling houses, and extortion rackets. The election of Governor Sulzer threatens to end Tammany’s hold on the state by exposing corruption through a series of investigations. In challenging the Party Boss, Sulzer understands he will not be renominated for a second term. But, he underestimates Murphy’s extraordinary reach, and the resolve of those empowered by an invisible government. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn
and in some cases their drawings, communicate the ways in which the various peoples of colonial California responded to one another in a way that no second-hand evaluation of this period could ever really duplicate. Dr. Farris augments the narratives with his own commentaries that include pertinent aspects of the international scene at that time, and that also serve to corroborate or correct statements made in these documents. Anyone who reads this book will gain a richer understanding of this important piece of California history. I also think this would be well-received by our Russian-American community. Reviewed by Paul Mullinger
So Far from Home: Russians in Early California By Glenn J. Farris Heyday, $21.95, 352 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Glenn J. Farris has pulled together a fascinating collection of source documents relating to the Russian American Company’s establishment of Fort Ross in the early nineteenth century. Initially attracted by the sea otters, whose pelts were selling for twenty to thirty dollars apiece in China, the settlement later became a source of grain and light industrial products for Russian Alaska. This venture, too, eventually proved unprofitable, and the Russian American Company sold its inventory in 1841 to John Sutter. Included are reports from a wide range of individuals: Spanish and Mexican friars and government officials, Native Americans, and French visitors, as well as the Russians themselves. Their writings,
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Featured Review
By Martin Gilbert, ed Da Capo Press, $30.00, 486 pages, Format: Hard
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Featured Review
Churchill: The Power of Words
R
ecently on the David Letterman show, Tom Brokaw recommended this book. As the author of The Greatest Generation, Brokaw knows that Winston Churchill was one of the greatest of that “great generation.” Who would have guessed that the architect of Gallipoli (WWI), one of Britain’s worst wartime decisions, would have been the champion of Britain’s endurance during the horrible bombings of WWII? Churchill’s life was packed with highs and lows. His political career would be elevated as Lord of the Admiralty in WWI, but Gallipoli forced his resignation from office. He was Prime Minister from 1940-45 and again from 1951 through 1955. During wartime, his friendship with Franklin Roosevelt and his powers of persuasion brought America into the European front and Britain gained a formidable ally with huge resources. Churchill once stayed at the White House for an entire month, causing some distress to Mrs. Roosevelt as he reportedly drank up their entire store of liquor.
It is remarkable that he was born during the reign of Queen Victoria and lived through the moon landing and space age. Winston Churchill was many things in his long life; prime minister, aristocrat, polo player, artist, historian, amateur bricklayer, writer, army officer, royal adviser, POW, pilot, but chief amongst these is orator. After imbibing his nocturnal champagne and brandy, Churchill would dictate magnificent speeches, books and essays. The Power of Words may come from the power of speaking aloud in dictation. At any rate, Churchill penned forty-three books in seventy-two volumes. This book, rather than print Churchill’s words in toto, wisely excerpts the best and most notable speeches and writings from Churchill’s childhood to his death at age ninety-one. The editor notes the year and age of Churchill at the top of the pages for helpful context. During his remarkable life, Churchill also held nineteen political offices, many of England’s highest decorations, and a Nobel Prize for literature. His views were not always popular; he was known to go against the grain and speak his mind. Prior to WWII, he tirelessly warned about Hitler in the face of Neville Chamberlain’s pacifistic compromises to that same regime. He also was most unpopular for advocating for Edward VII’s continued reign instead of abdication in favor of Mrs. Simpson. His loyalty to the crown was unwavering in spite of their peccadilloes. He was a loyal and steadfast adviser to Edward VII’s successor and the now reigning Queen Elizabeth. Surely, the Queen ben-
efited from Churchill’s long career and insider’s knowledge when she assumed the crown. Churchill also said some very nasty things against Gandhi and advocated continued colonization of India. It could be that his early experience of atrocities while serving there colored his better judgment. On the other hand, his friendship with the IRA leader, Michael Collins, and his recognition of Ireland’s contribution to the war effort is inspiring. He also pleaded for generosity in the treatment of postwar Germany. Churchill: the Power of Words will give the reader great insight into the history of Britain during the time of Churchill and Churchill’s own development into the leader during their “finest hour.” Highly recommended especially in this age of politics over character. Reviewed by Julia McMichael Sir Martin Gilbert, one of Britain’s leading historians, is the author of more than eighty books, including the six volumes of the Churchill Biography and eleven volumes of Churchill documents. His other books include Churchill: A Life, The First World War, The Second World War, A History of the Twentieth Century, and twelve historical atlases, including Atlas of the Second World War. He is an Honorary Fellow of Merton College, Oxford. In 2009 she was appointed a Privy Councillor, and a member of the British Government’s Iraq Inquiry.
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Book Reviews ginning with a brief explanation of the ingredients involved and some basic step-by-step instructions for handling the dough, we are then introduced to eight different doughs - including vegan, gluten-free, no-knead, and of course a traditional dough. What follows is a sinful descent into a gooey, sticky mess from which there is no promised return.
Category
Cooking, Food & Wine
I Love CInnamon Rolls! By Judith Fertig Andrew McMeel Publishing, $19.99, 112 pages, Format: Hard
««««« This deceptively small book has an unusually big heart. Once again, Fertig holds us spellbound with another beautifully composed cookbook to join her other bestsellers. Be-
Eight chapters guide us through the fillings and recipes for each of the eight different doughs - although readers could easily mix and match. Recipes include such devilry as Bacon-Brown Sugar Cinnamon Rolls and Pineapple Upside-Down Cinnamon Rolls; classic recipes sit alongside traditional favorites like Shnecken, Korvapuusti, and Cinnamon Rugelach. Sweet Cheese and Cinnamon Streusel Crowns, made with a no-knead dough, assure even the novice cook of success and an impressive display of decadence. There are rolls for every occasion - Festive Cranberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls, Whole-Wheat Pumpkin-Pecan Cinnamon Crowns, and Cinnamon Bear Claws to name but a paltry few. First-timers and old hands alike will find something new in this book, leaving everybody well-fed and feeling like a high roller. Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff
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Book Reviews
Cooking, Food & Wine
The Back in the Swing Cookbook: Recipes for Eating and Living Well Every Day After Breast Cancer By Barbara Unell, and Judith Fertig Andrews McMeel, $29.99, 261 pages, Format: Hard
Food Blogging For Dummies By Senyei, Kelly Wiley, $24.99, 308 pages, Format: Trade
«««««
Whether you are considering establishing your food blog for fun, for sharing recipes, or possibly as an income source, you will have to search hard to find a better resource than Food Blogging for Dummies. Kelly Senyei has written a thorough, very readable, well-illustrated and well-organized book she divided into six major parts, and each she neatly splits into convenient chapters to help you find anything in seconds. She introduced chapters using a few key bullets to let you know what to expect in each. She added numerous examples of blogs throughout the book, illustrated by their home page and often describing their history. She filled the book with numerous useful illustrations: charts, figures, tables, and sidebars. She uses three instantly visible icons next to the text to catch your attention: Tip, Remember, Warning! “Part IV: Eating with Your Eyes” is unexpectedly extensive and it is all about photo illustrations for your blog. Tables such as “Domain Registrars and Pricing” are examples of the thoroughness of this book: she gives you the five major registrars available to you with their pricing. Help in such areas as slideshows, videos, podcasts, and visuals in your blog is excellent. Reviewed by George Erdosh
Written for women who successfully fought breast cancer, The Back in the Swing Cookbook is useful for anyone recovering from cancer, any major illness, or for anyone wishing to live a healthy lifestyle. Though labeled as a cookbook the recipes make up not much more than half of the book; the rest is filled with useful information, stories about breast cancer patients, and numerous helpful tips. These are mostly related to lifestyle and nutrition following breast cancer treatments. Back in the Swing USA is a national organization created to fill the needs of breast cancer patients physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
“
We thought about it. And made the big decision. Our first chapter would be desserts, to anticipate the most popular taste—sweet!”
Authors Unell and Fertig introduce the book with a list of key foods: all healthy ingredients; notably missing cream, butter, refined sugar, and flour. Nevertheless, in the recipes they do use these “unhealthy” ingredients in small amounts. Each recipe gives serving size, preparation and cooking times, and nutritional information. The recipes are simple and nutritious (Chamomile and Apple Peel Tea, for example), for many recipes the prep time is five to fifteen minutes. Numerous quotes, mostly from survivors, many useful sidebars, and other information fill the space between recipes. Beautiful full-page color photo illustrations add to this excellent book. Reviewed by George Erdosh
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Sweet & Easy Vegan: Treats Made with Whole Grains and Natural Sweeteners By Robin Asbell, Joseph De Leo, Photographer Chronicle Books, $35.00, 207 pages, Format: Hard
««««« This book is for those of us who enjoy indulging in the occasional sweet treat, but dislike the thought of wasting energy on a nutrition-devoid puff of refined sugar. Why not have your cake, and eat nutrients, too? Illustrated with gorgeous color photographs of mouth-watering delectables like Cinnamon-Crunch Stuffed Cake, Mocha Scones with Ca-
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Book Reviews
Cooking, Food & Wine
cao Nibs, and Peach Pie with Streusel, this book teaches that just because a dish is sweet and rewarding, doesn’t mean it needs to be empty calories. Especially useful for those of us learning to avoid refined sugars, this book will appeal to a wide range of audiences - particularly those with refined-sugar sensitivities, and those avoiding inflammatory foods. This book differs from other sweet baking books in that it is not just desserts, like Blueberry Tart or Chocolate Layer Cake (although there are plenty of those!), but it is also an instruction manual on sweet breakfast dishes, like Pumpkin-Spice Granola, Pomegranate and Dried Blueberry Muesli, and any-time foods like Raspberry Muffins or Warm Apple Pudding. With an introduction that explains the sources and uses of various sweeteners like palm sugar, agave, refined sugars, and honey, this cookbook will become a useful manual for anybody interested in increasing their nutrient intake, while still satisfying the hungry sweet tooth! Reviewed by Andrea Huehnerhoff The $5 Dinner Mom: One-Dish Dinners Cookbook By Erin Chase St. Martin’s Griffin, $17.99, 291 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Dinner for four for five dollars or less? Erin Chase demonstrates in The $5 Dinner Mom, a soft-cover cookbook, that such is possible. She has written her cookbook for beginning cooks or those with tight food budgets. In her three lengthy introductory chapters she discusses money-saving strategies, time-savings strategies, and the mechanics of one-dish dinners, including necessary cookware. All her tips are valid on how to save money on food and how to do
minimal kitchen work and still produce a good one-dish meal. The recipes are simple and good, easy to follow, and well laid out, mostly on single pages for the cook’s convenience. Each ingredient has a price attached and the total show below comes out to be below five dollars for four servings. The only way you can achieve this is to buy everything at rock bottom prices: on sales, with coupons, and choosing the lowest quality. Even so, this is not easy to achieve. Take for instance such examples as one quart milk at $0.40, pasta at $0.48 per pound, boneless skinless chicken breasts at $1.88, a pound or raspberries at $1.50 a pint. Her pantry list is useful and her index is excellent, well cross-referenced. Reviewed by George Erdosh Preserving: The Canning and Freezing Guide for All Seasons By Pat Crocker William Morrow, $30.00, 541 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Pat Crocker’s achievements vis-à-vis food journalism are so extensive they would cost most of my available words. So leave it at the fact that the sheer professionalism and scope of this wonderful kitchen reference comes as no surprise. There are: 140 recipes for preserves, and 200 recipes for pickles, chutneys, jams, sauces, curds, and relishes. And most intriguingly, many of those come with USES. That is unusual, and sparks ideas to tackle preservation tasks that one might not otherwise undertake. Entertaining a select group of friends and want a cordial? Find garlic scapes at the farmers’ market? This extension of your culinary response range could be life changing. I always look at food preparation books for adaptability to low carb diets. I can’t help it; I love to eat and to keep living. Pat Crocker has addressed the use of unsweetened
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Book Reviews
Cooking, Food & Wine
apple or grape or pineapple juice in place of sugar syrups. Frabjous!! Sources/resources, preserving equipment and supplies, and bibliography almost alone justify the price. Preserving should be a core reference for every American kitchen. Its water (and syrup) shedding cover and fine leaves should keep it readable for a couple of generations of preservers. Reviewed by David Lloyd Sutton Meat London: An Insider’s Guide By Tom Howells, Editor, Thomas Blythe, Introduction Black Dog Publishing, $14.95, 175 pages, Format: Hard
««« If you don’t live in London or only a rare visitor there, this book is not much good for you. This is written for Londoner foodies, especially ones who are serious about their regular meat in their diets. Meat London is a small-format highquality paperback and it is basically a series of restaurant reviews. Thirty-six high-end restaurants and pubs are reviewed in the first section. The reviews are brief, generally two short paragraphs, accompanied by beautiful color photos of the establishment, often both exterior and interior, several photos of the foods they serve, and sometimes a shot or two of the staff. The reviews briefly describe the ambiance, décor, type of food served, the chefs, or owners and their backgrounds. Helpfully, addresses, telephone numbers, and websites are listed next to the review. The next section lists eleven notable street food vendors that feature meats of some sort, again with similar information. Next comes a section with fifteen high-end London butchers, most not selling only top quality meat but other related products: meat pies, olives, sauces, fancy canned goods, even produce. Those Londoner foodies who have strict restrictions on their food budget will have little use for this book. Reviewed by George Erdosh
Bake It in a Cupcake: 50 Treats with a Surprise Inside By Megan Seling Andrews McMeel Publishing, $24.99, 164 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Think cupcakes are delicious and can’t possibly get any better? Try putting a tiny pumpkin pie in the middle. Based on her blog bakeitinacake.com, Seling’s book gives ambitious bakers fifty ways to improve upon a classic, and they are all amazing. Not a fan of pumpkin pie? You can add baklava instead. Or perhaps a mini pancake. Not a fan of sweets? Why not whip up some corn muffins with jalapeno poppers inside? From the simple (Chili- and Cheddar- filled biscuits) to the incredibly complex (Boston Cream Puff Pie Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache), all of these recipes are exciting, unexpected, and scrumptious. Be warned, however, that most of them do require a lot of work. If you want to bake something inside a cupcake, you have to make that something first, so many of these require double the effort of a typical dessert. That said, they are worth the extra work. You will love the results, and all your friends and family will think you’re a baking genius.
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Gone are the days when you have to choose cake or pie for dessert. With Bake it in a Cupcake recipes you can have them both at the same time. As the old saying goes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.” The instructions are clear and easy to follow, the pictures are mouthwatering, and the idea is brilliant. Every baker should own this book. Reviewed by Audrey Curtis
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 80
Looking for some down-home cookin’? Download the Unofficial Guide to Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
? n fa Love Cupcake Wars? Find all of the contestants’ shops in one app - geolocated to you.
coming to Google Play very soon (promise!)
Book Reviews concerned about emulating nature in their own back or front yard, this book is a valuable reference source. Gardeners and nature lovers will likely add this handbook to their library collection. Reviewed by Aron Row
Category
Home & Garden The California Wildlife Habitat Garden : How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Birds, and Other Animals By Nancy Bauer Phyllis M. Faber Books, $29.95, 248 pages, Format: Trade
««««« As our cities turn into asphalt desserts, it is refreshing to find resources encouraging readers to enrich their available yard patches into recycling ecosystems. Nancy Bauer is a skilled gardener experienced in wildlife landscaping in the San Francisco Bay region. Attractively narrated, the reader is guided through five chapters on how to grow a wildlife garden. If you desire birds, then there are plans for landscaping to draw avians from quail to hummingbirds. Another chapter deals with the flora that lures pollinators such as butterflies, bees, wasps, and other beneficial insects. If you prefer wetlands, a wildlife pond setting is described. With concern for water, especially during this ongoing drought threat, the author provides various solutions for burying the front water thirsty lawn with attractive drier replacements. Included in each section are vivid photographs illustrating the wildlife species and gardens. In addition, examples of the actual habitats described have the sites listed along with the specific plantings. For those nature lovers
The Orchid Whisperer By Bruce Rogers Chronicle Books, $19.95, 144 pages, Format: Trade
««««« Bruce Rogers does not whisper; he announces loud and clear all that you’d want or need to know about the exotic orchid. Once the queen of exquisite corsages, orchid plants have become abundantly available to the public at affordable prices. Accompanied by striking photographs, the contents cover everything one should know, from buying and growing orchids to details on the twelve most popular orchids, along with advice for decorating with these plants.
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I do know how to grow orchids-one client likes to claim that I can make a brick bloom—and I share the tricks I’ve learned over the years in these pages.”
I learned that I possess a Phalaenopsis hybrid, considered the most popular orchid in the world and which is recognized by its large flowers resembling hovering moths. These are the kind now available in supermarkets. Also, I discovered that one of the invasive plants in my garden is the stunning fuchsia Bletilla, which is described as one tough orchid. Note that the vanilla plant is a vine-like orchid, and the fragrant vanilla bean is the orchid seed pod. Everything you need to know about orchids, their varieties and how to care for them is included in this lovely book. The photographs are so beautiful they could be framed. If you claim a faulty green thumb, this book will help you overcome fear of caring for orchids. Reviewed by Aron Row
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 83
Book Reviews
Category
Parenting & Families Breast Feeding: Stories to Inspire and Inform By Susan Last, editor Lonely Scribe, $24.99, 182 pages, Format: Trade
««««« The vast majority of mothers choose to breastfeed their infants for at least a little while. However, many give it up and switch to formula after only a short period of time, whether due to a return to work, pressure from family or society, or difficulties that seem insurmountable. There is no denying that in a society where the topic is seemingly taboo, many women lack the support they need to keep going. Sometimes, all a mama needs is a reminder that she’s not alone in her struggles, and a book like Breastfeeding: Stories to Inspire and Inform can provide that support. This book, edited by Susan Last, contains true accounts by various women of their experiences nursing their little ones. The stories cover a wide range of emotions and issues that arise for the woman who chooses to breastfeed her child; from disagreements with parents and in-laws, to nursing in public, to mixing breast milk with formula feeds or solids, to the personal decision of when to wean.
In much the same way that positive birth stories can help a woman prepare for labor, a book of positive nursing stories, such as this, could be invaluable for a mama just establishing a breastfeeding relationship with her little one. Recommended for new mamas and pregnant women everywhere! Reviewed by Holly Scudero It’s OK Not to Share: and Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids By Heather Shumaker Tarcher, $15.95, 378 pages, Format: Trade
«««« The seeds for It’s OK Not to Share…and Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids by Heather Shumaker grew from a progressive preschool in Columbus, Ohio. Shumaker attended the preschool and her mother has taught there for almost forty years. As Shumaker explains, many of the concepts espoused in her book go against some of our most deeply held notions about what’s right and wrong when it comes to raising kids. Shumaker understands she has a hard sell at hand, so she takes her time to coach parents through her twenty-nine renegade rules. The book has eight sections—Reviving Free Play, Sharing People and Toys, and Sensitive Subjects are a sampling. Within each section, Shumaker generally lists the rule, gives a real-life example, Renegade Reasons (reasons for the rule), Renegade Blessings (what the rule will help), the expert take on the rule, and frequently a challenge to Take off Your Adult Lenses. Besides writing the book, Shumaker is the mother of young children. If you’re looking for something new, check out these Renegade Rules, but you don’t need to share the book. Reviewed by Elizabeth Humphrey
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 84
Book Reviews
etc). There is a good index at the end. You can also download Ripley’s new app and activate the “oddSCAN” feature to view additional contents by scanning with your phone. Reviewed by George Erdosh
Category
Reference
The Hidden Power of Blend Modes in Adobe Photoshop By Scott Valentine Adobe Press, $39.99, 224 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Download the Weird By Geoff Tibballs, Compiler Ripley Publishing, $28.95, 254 pages, Format: Hard
««««« This annual issue of Ripley’s Believe It or Not is exactly what you would expect from this venerable entertaining institution. Today they have a total of thirty-two museums throughout the world—an amazing achievement by itself, considering that Robert Ripley has opened the first one in Chicago in 1933. This large-format hard-cover, profusely illustrated book is not something you sit down to read from cover to cover. Every page is filled with facts; interesting, curious, and gruesome information, many with accompanying illustrations. This book is something you keep handy when you have a spare ten or fifteen minutes to enjoy and be overwhelmed. It would make an ideal gift or a perfect reading material for any waiting room (though having the danger of someone accidently placing it in his/her carrying bag). Most photo illustrations are small but several are full page and scary, like the Vampire Woman (most body-modified woman). The book is divided into chapters according to topics (Feats, Beyond Belief, Transport, Body,
This source book of Adobe Photoshop blend modes is divided into four parts: Blend Mode Basics, Creative Techniques, Blend Modes in Depth, and Appendices; topics include general techniques, photographic manipulation, compositing, illustration, design, and an in-depth look at each separate blend mode. Handy reference tables and online resources are listed at the end. Supporting the text are tips and techniques from industry experts as well as photographs, illustrations, and screenshots. Through this book, Scott Valentine dispels the mystery involving the use of Adobe Photoshop’s blend modes which have become an essential tool for artists and photographers alike. While not necessarily difficult to use, these controls still require basic comprehension to utilize properly. Accordingly, the author does a decent job of explaining the range of possible effects and demonstrating techniques in layman’s terms. Though the offered samples are both creative and compelling, the screenshots that need to be followed for each operation are small and difficult to view. Nevertheless, adepts of this particular program will undoubtedly pick up a new trick or two, and beginners will be thankful for a reference that is facile. Fine-tuning your images will no longer be a challenge once you have discovered how these techniques work their magic. Reviewed by Richard Mandrachio
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 85
Book Reviews While this doesn’t have the breadth or depth of the adult World Almanac, it is a fun reference for kids. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him By Richard Miniter St. Martin’s Press, $25.99, 304 pages, Format: Hard
Category
Current Events & Politics The World Almanac for Kids: 2013 By Sarah Janssen, Editor World Almanac Books, $13.99, 352 pages ««««.5 Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it is something that all kids are filled with. This colorful compendium of information has more than lists of information – although it certainly has a lot of those – it includes fascinating facts about a wide variety of subjects. You can find information about people, animals, art, books, buildings, crime, disasters, energy, the environment, fashion, games, geography, health, inventions, language, the military, money, movies, TV, music, mythology, numbers, population, religion, science, sports, technology, transportation, travel weather, history, and more. This handy little reference guide covers just about anything you can think of, arranged by category, nicely indexed, and colorfully illustrated with photos and drawings. There are maps, timelines, puzzles, and lists. You can find out what is the largest and smallest, highest and lowest, longest and deepest. Looking for a topic for an essay or project? Page through this almanac and you will find an idea and starting point for just about anything.
«««« This book is concerned with the how and why of the most important decisions that were made by Obama during his Presidency. Obama states that the decisions he has made during his administration are made in the light of promoting three major issues. One is a victory on healthcare reform, another is managing the global financial crisis and creating financial security; the final criteria is strengthening foreign alliances and promoting peaceful coexistence between Israel and the Arab World. Influences on the President and policy issues which this reviewer learned more about from reading this impressive book include the following: some members of Obama’s senior staff who are associated with Israel are trying to persuade the President to push for returning Israel to it’s pre-1967 boundaries; Valerie Jarrett has too powerful of a role in influencing Barack and Michelle Obama on administrative decisions; Obama contributed to the destruction of a secret budget deal with current House Speaker John Boehner, which would have slashed spending, reduced the national debt, and reformed entitlements without raising taxes; and the author disagrees with Obama’s position against the the Tea Party’s budget plans and his attempts to eliminate or reform the use of earmarks in the budget. Readers desiring further readings on Obama’s administration, please see my review of David Remnick’s The Bridge - The Life and The Rise of Barack Obama, New York-Random House, 2010 in the Sacramento and San Francisco book reviews. Reviewed by Claude Ury
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 86
Book Reviews
Category
Business & Investing
The Inner World of Money: Taking Control of Your Financial Decisions and Behaviors By Marty Martin Praeger, $37.00, 212 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Many people, including me, know that we need to change our financial habits, but we don’t know how. Instead of be-
coming more financially secure, we stay in the same situation. Luckily, Marty Martin is here to help. The Inner World of Money is full of helpful tips and tricks to figure out what changes we need to make and how to actually make them. Combining economics with psychology, Martin approaches the financial self-help book in a new way. Yes, he offers lots of advice concerning how to save and invest, but he also focuses on personal goals, motivations, and happiness. Maintaining a non-judgmental tone, he encourages readers to examine why we value money (as a means to an end or as an end in itself). He asks us to think about the ways in which money contributes to our life satisfaction, and he wants to help everyone use money in the way that is best suited to his or her desires and expectations. Because of this, his book goes beyond simply offering tips to make more cash. It seeks to increase individual happiness. Featuring exercises geared toward exploring our relationship with money, our problem spots, and our desire to change, this book is interactive. Martin is not just telling us how we can improve; it feels as though he is working with us to improve. Completing the exercises and contemplating the results allows you to tailor his advice to your specific needs. If you truly engage with the book in the way that Martin intends, it has the potential to significantly change the way that you think about and use money. In addition to the interaction, Martin’s tone works to make the topic more interesting. He speaks to the reader in a conversational way, making even the most complex areas of study easy to understand and livening up his information with jokes and anecdotes. Lastly, the sheer span of this book is impressive. Covering such topics as under-earning, impulsive spending, effective communication, teaching kids about money, sticking to a plan, and so much more, The Inner World of Money features everything you need to be able to relate to money in a mature, successful manner. Furthermore, though he focuses solely on finances, his advice can be used to change any behavior. Everyone, regardless of his or her income, habits, or goals, can benefit from this book. Sponsored Review
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 87
Book Reviews
Business & Investing
Management Culture: Innovative & Bold Strategies to Engage Employees By Denise Moreland Two Harbors Press, $16.95, 212 pages, Format: Trade
«««« This book takes a look at different ways for management to get employees involved. Moreland focuses on management as a key to business success, instead of, as others have done, a question of leadership. Moreland seems to rally against managers working in the outdated modes that prevent employees from “engaging and investing in their work, thus limiting the potential of organizations to innovate.” The author is a life coach who believes that coercing people or engaging employees in power struggles is not the best method for improving productivity. Through her use of examples, Moreland presents a strong argument for moving away from the power of coercion and toward the management power of cooperation and creativity. Management Culture is divided into three sections, not including an introduction and conclusion. The first section looks at the ownership dynamic that appears between managers and employees; the second section examines how managers are often set up as superior to their workers; the final section discusses the relationship dynamics that often appear. If you are curious about a different paradigm of management culture, this is a strong read. Reviewed by Elizabeth Humphrey Managing a Nonprofit Organization: Updated Twenty-First-Century Edition By Thomas Wolf Free Press, $18.00, 386 pages, Format: Trade
executives have a high degree of mission-related experience without the requisite managerial and finance background. It is no small wonder that many efforts at outreach to the for profit sector meet little success; there is so little common ground between these two types of organizations. For that reason, handbooks such as this are essential reading for nonprofit staff and administrators.
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In the nonprofit world, the situation is completely reversed. Service to the public is not seen as a strategy; it is an end in itself. …In order to be effective, the organization cannot keep its public at arm’s length. Broad involvement of its public at all levels of operation is absolutely necessary to achieve effective nonprofit administration.”
In this 1984 classic reference book, each element of nonprofit management is addressed. Even though it is an updated edition, some of the elements seem worn and tired, particularly the clip art illustrations which are jarring for their obsolescence. Also, only a few examples of actual practice are given with just a few nonprofits. A greater variety of examples would serve to emphasize the author’s major points. There is also a strange disclaimer in the front piece lest anyone take the author’s advice. The section on board duties and responsibilities is excellent, although I doubt that there are any nonprofit boards which are that perfect in their performance. Reviewed by Julia McMichael
«««« Because of the unique public trust which grants nonprofits tax exemption, it is imperative that nonprofit managers excel at administration and operations. Yet many nonprofit Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 88
Book Reviews
Category
Art, Architecture & Photography Fit Men Wanted: Original Posters from the Home Front By Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson, $29.95, 128 pages, Format: Trade
««««« This unusual book from the Imperial War Museum in London is a collection of British wartime posters both from World War I and World War II. A total of sixty-two posters are included in this volume, all 12½x9 inches, with serration on the binder side of the page for easy detachment. This is a wonderful historic collection with subjects widely ranging from the domestic scene through the women’s workforce to numerous ideas to help the war effort at home. As an example: “HOUSEWIVES—Finish Traveling by 4 p.m. All Buses Are Needed for WAR WORKERS” or “This Week and Every Week SALVAGE is Essential.” Most of the posters are illustrated with simple, eye-catching draw-
ings and sketches in the style of the war years. A paragraph describing the poster and the reason what and why they were promoting is on the back of each poster. For example, an explanation states why waste paper recovery is important. Or why women are a significant part of the war effort both at home and in one of the many wartime women’s organizations. This is an excellent British historic book that history buffs will enjoy. Reviewed by George Erdosh Comics Sketchbooks: The Private Worlds of Today’s Most Creative Talents By Steven Heller Thames & Hudson, $44.95, 351 pages, Format: Trade
««« A sketchbook can be many things: a launchpad for new ideas, a laboratory for experimentation, a workshop for crafting key bits and pieces, or an outlet for homeless ideas and orphan imagery. The depth and breadth of the sketchbook’s potential is on vivid display within the pages of Comics Sketchbooks: The Private Worlds of Today’s Most Creative Talents. It’s not only a glimpse into the minds of some immensely talented people, but an intoxicating insight into how artists value sketches and drafts. Some don’t bother, seeking perfection every time, while others thrive on it, repeating a single sketch dozens of times to get it right, work out kinks, or refine their vision. With names that span genres and decades, from Chris Battle to Bill Plympton to R. Crumb, the artists featured in Comics Sketchbooks offer the reader a visual feast, a panoply of thought, color, insight and raw expression. It’s a rare window into imagination itself, and one that will leave you baffled, awed, and creatively revitalized. While many of the names were new to me, it was still a treat to see such a rich variety of work. It certainly expanded my “To Read” list. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
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Book Reviews
Category
Sequential Art
a legend. She finds an alien robot that looks like her, and gets it to take her place at an autograph signing. The robot accepts what appears to be a suicide mission for Zita and Zita finds herself on the run from the law. And that is just the warm up. This appears to be the first book in a series, and this is a good thing. The book may be a little slow for some kids, but a fun read. A number of cliches are put on their heads to great effect, and there are some great visual puns (one of the best is a star heart attacking, yelling “HEART ATTACK!”). The characters are fun, even though they do tend to the low-key, and the plot has some very nice twists, making it fun for the parents to read. This is one of those few books that parents will enjoy reading to their kids, and the kid will enjoy on their own. Reviewed by Jamais Jochim House of Night: Legacy By Kristin Cast, Kent Dalian, P.C. Cast, Joelle Jones, Karl Kerschl, Joshua Covey, Daniel Krall, Jonathan Case, Eric Canete Dark Horse, $14.99, 126 pages, Format: Hard
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Legends of Zita the Spacegirl By Ben Hatke First Second, $18.99, 218 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Some girls just do not seem to be able to stay at home. Legends of Zita The Space Girl is the beginning, sort of, of the story of Zita. The story starts with her already being
The House of Night series, one of the more unusual and empowering takes on the vampire craze, continues in this graphic novel. This is the first installment to arrive in this form, and it is an unexpected delight. Taking place just after Zoey becomes leader of the Dark Daughters, Legacy shows her learning five important lessons in order to be a good leader. Each lesson is accompanied by a story about famous vampyre priestesses. These little histories are wonderful takes on myth and history, featuring the likes of Cleopatra and Circe. Along the way, Zoey learns to be accepting and to help others any way she can. Packed with great lessons, this seems like a perfect book for its intended audience, teenage girls. However, the drawing style, while absolutely gorgeous, is a bit mature and
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Book Reviews
Sequential Art
unrealistic. There are many scenes involving non-graphic sex. Because of the nature of the blood bond in this series, sex is always a part of the story, but it’s more overt when presented visually. Also, the only even slightly overweight character is in just one scene, where he dies. While this book may be inappropriate for younger fans of the series, it is great for older teens and the many adults who love young adult fiction. Full of stunning illustrations and tying in nicely with the series, this graphic novel is sure to please. Reviewed by Audrey Curtis Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero By Fred Chao Tor, $ 16.99, 192 pages, Format: Trade
««« New York needs more giant monster attacks. Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero is a slice of life sorta graphic novel that takes a hard look at the life of Johnny Hiro and the trouble that seems to follow him. Besides Godzilla, he also gets to deal with giant fish, ninja, and sushi chefs, usually because of some sort of misunderstanding. Somehow he manages to survive this, but must deal with the scariest of all creatures when he is unable to make it on his own: his parents. This is not a bad book; it has its moments, and those moments are memorable, but this is a book you will read once and feel satisfied that you caught everything. Although there are some great moments, this book is just so grounded that it rarely takes time to really fly; when your main character deals with ninja at the opera and you are more interested catching up with the old friend the ninja are after, there is just something off. This is not a bad book, and you will be richer for having read it, it just needs to let Johnny and his girlfriend have a little fun. Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
Homer: The Odyssey By Seymour Chwast Bloomsbury USA, $20.00, 128 pages, Format: Hard
««««« We are introduced to the timeless story of Odysseus with a prologue in which the blind poet Homer speaks to his dog, Prince. As we meet our hero Odysseus, it is eight years after he left Troy. He has been trying to get home to his beloved, Penelope, but has been stuck on Ogygia, living well with Calypso. The gods finally notice and send Hermes to negotiate his release. Meanwhile in Ithaca, Penelope and their son Telemachus are dealing with a bunch of greedy louts who are pursuing Penelope in hope of marrying her. Needless to say, Odysseus does not have an easy trip home nor do Penelope and Telemachus have an easy time holding off the suitors.
The story of Odysseus’s journey and his family’s tribulations is well known, so why a new version? Well, this fresh take on the age-old story is just plain fun. Seymour Chwast has stirred up the original with a healthy dose of classic sci-fi art from the style of the early twentieth century (a la Flash Gordon). The story is surprisingly intact, but there is a good deal of tongue firmly implanted in Chwast’s cheek. Reviewed by Rosi Hollenbeck
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Book Reviews
Category
Science Fiction & Fantasy
based on the Doctor, this one book is very special. In 1979, Douglas Adams wrote the episode “Shada,” and it was supposed to be the final episode of the season. “Shada” was never finished. Now, over twenty years later, Gareth Roberts has collected Adams’s scripts and compiled them into a new book. The story is about the Doctor and his Time Lord companion, Romana. A deadly Gallifreyan book has fallen into the hands of Skagra, a man that wants to create a universal mind that he controls. It is up to the Doctor, K-9, Romana, and a slew of wonderful new characters to defeat Skagra’s evil plan. Roberts did an amazing job piecing together this Frankenstein project. Shada’s greatest strength is that it is a triumph of Douglas Adams’s ability to combine drama and humor. Never does the book feels overly melancholy, or too funny, but is balanced in all of the aspects. I love how this is the Tom Baker Doctor and not a more recent incarnation. The story was built around that type of Doctor and only that type of Doctor would have worked in these situations. The pace of the book is fantastic; there was never a lull. Shada is a complete masterpiece that will wow any fans of the Doctor, new or old. Reviewed by Kevin Brown Love on the Run: A Nola O’Grady Novel By Katharine Kerr DAW, $7.99, 324 pages, Format: Mass
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Doctor Who: Shada: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams By Gareth Roberts Ace Hardcover, $26.95, 400 pages, Format: Hard
««««« For over fifty years, the name Doctor Who has reigned over science fiction. While there is no shortage of books
Nola O’Grady is back, and busy! Katherine Kerr has put together a densely packed novel, using most of what she has developed during the first three books of this burgeoning series. Life-threatening action begins immediately. Just following the happenings and references to prior happenings made the first fifteen or so pages of this whirlwind complex, but locations and personalities reestablished themselves quite well. Nola’s slightly kinky and very sultry relationship with her lover and now official fiancée, Ari, lends heat; her chaotic and loud family lends warmth; and the sheer inter-world confusion of pursuits and plots lends binding interest.
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Book Reviews
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Nola encounters the family of one of her own doppelgangers. Unexpectedly stranded in that alternate world, she must resort to the most basic of Qi-generating exercises to summon rescue. Lovingly detailed, by the way, in more than one meaning. Filled with tension, both familial and personal, with conflict between cultures and worlds and individuals, Love on the Run is fine value for anyone who has already visited O’Grady’s universe. If you have not, it would behoove you to buy all of them and start from the beginning. This is not a stand-alone book. Reviewed by David Lloyd Sutton The Vicious Deep By Zoraida Cordova Sourcebooks Fire, $16.99, 384 pages, Format: Hard
««« Perfect summer read. Beaches, oceans, boys, and mermaids and mermen! The Vicious Deep is one of those books that you can get lost in for a few hours. I liked the overall story and the mythology that went with it. I’m not sure if it was the fact that the author mentions in her bio (on the back inside flap) what a huge fan of The Little Mermaid she is, but I kept thinking about The Little Mermaid throughout my reading experience of this book. It wasn’t a bad thing but I kept thinking that there were a lot of similarities in the storyline. As much as I liked the storyline… I didn’t really like the main character, Tristan Hart. I haven’t read many YA books with a male POV so I can’t compare much of the internal dialogue but I hated that he seemed to be more worried about his “male parts” than the fact that he was turning into a merman. Not only that, but I found him to be arrogant, obnoxious, and just really full of himself. Don’t get me wrong… I like my guys sarcastic and quick-witted, but Tristan just kept rubbing me the wrong way. By the end of the book I did find that Tristan had grown some and his internal dialogue was not as selfish and self-centered as he
was in the beginning of the book. In fact, by then I actually started liking Tristan more. So although I didn’t love The Vicious Deep, overall it was a fun read for a day on the beach. Who knows, it may be just right for you so check it out. Reviewed by Patricia Mendoza Blue Remembered Earth By Alastair Reynolds Ace, $26.95, 505 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Alastair Reynolds’s new hard science fiction novel, Blue Remembered Earth, is a solar system-spanning adventure centered around the death of the Akyina family’s matriarch. One hundred and fifty years from now, when Eunice Akyina dies her death will trigger a series of events that send a systemwide business empire reeling and two of her grandchildren to Mars and beyond in an attempt to figure out just who their grandmother was and what she might have been hiding from her family, her enemies, and humanity for so long. Reynolds’s Earth is a much changed place from the one familiar to us: humans are cybernetically augmented with the ability to virtually be anywhere on the planet, or the moon; a complex omnipresent computer monitor ensures that crime and violence are not possible; transparency is the watchword; those wishing to escape such oversight are restricted to a tiny crater in the moon’s surface.
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According to the aug they were somewhere over the equatorial highlands of Syrtis Major, on the other side of Mars from Pavonis Mars. They had gone down in the cheapest kind of cut-price shuttle. Sunday had no regrets about taking the fast way: she was too excited for that.”
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 93
Book Reviews
Science Fiction & Fantasy
While Reynolds’s science fiction is enough to keep you reading, it is the care he takes in creating his characters that will keep you reading; while this is a fantastic view of the future, it is the human drama he paints with words that make this a wonderful piece of writing. Reviewed by Jonathon Howard We Are For the Dark By Robert Silverberg Subterranean Press, $35.00, 384 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Written between 1987 and 1990, this collection of stories, most of which are longer than the traditional short story, ask: what if technology had the ability to recreate figures from history? What if the Exodus from Egypt never happened? What if the Roman Empire hadn’t fallen? Silverberg tackles well known speculative themes of space travel and physical transformations as well as sci-fi patterns established by earlier writers such as C.L. Moore in his “In Another Country,” a companion piece to Moore’s “Vintage Season.” Readers unfamiliar with Silverberg’s work are provided with a general but superb introduction to the science fiction story. It gives readers a sense of his approach to writing the short story and some of his thematic concerns. “The Dead Man’s Eyes,” unforgettable for its classical writing style and crime novel elements, is told by a man on the run after killing his wife’s lover. The crime is captured through the eyes of the victim plummeting to his death. Along with an introduction to each individual story, adding insight and supporting the intrigue of Silverberg’s early stories, this collection is an open invitation to new readers and a homecoming to seasoned readers of speculative fiction. Reviewed by Wendy Iraheta
Doc’s Rules By M. Alan Jacobs CreateSpace, $12.99, 252 pages, Format: Trade
«««« The security around the mysterious crash-landed UFO classified as Object Alpha Bell Tower has been compromised, and the ship and its deadly cargo are now under the control of Victor Rykoff, a sadistic, horribly mutilated mad man. Rykoff has given Dr. Kay Waterstone an ultimatum: either help him study the ship and harvest the deadly material it carries or watch her daughter, April Waterstone, die. Reluctantly, and without much choice, Dr. Waterstone assists Rykoff’s team in collecting the enigmatic matter from the crash site. But the material in the craft isn’t exactly what it seems to be, and Dr. Waterstone can hardly believe what her research is beginning to reveal about the alien substance and the ship it comes from. In the meantime, H.I. Tech and April Waterstone, along with H.I. Tech’s father, Dr. Jules Verne Tech, and deadly government agent, Alex Malone, are already en route to the crash site. The going is far from easy, but even being ambushed, shot at, nearly blown up, and narrowly escaping a thundering waterfall isn’t quite enough to distract H.I. Tech from trying to get April to talk to him again and to forgive him for his past mistake that caused their friendship to go up in flames. It was a treat to read Doc’s Rules after reviewing the first book in the series, H.I. Tech, because the progress Jacobs has made in his narrative style is impressive. Everything in Doc’s Rules feels kicked up a notch – the action is explosive (no pun intended), the characterizations have more depth, and the conflicts are more intense. Jacobs has definitely delivered with his second book, giving the reader more insight and a deeper view of his characters. The wait is now on for book three in the series! Sponsored Review
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 94
Book Reviews
Category
Romance
Here we have the naïve Clara harassed by her socialite mother into finding another husband, immediately if not sooner. Unfortunately, she allows herself to be thrust into a major scandal by the ne’er-do-well Adderley. When it’s almost too late Clara suddenly finds her backbone and runs away, in company with her maid. Hard on her heels come Longmore and Sophy, accompanied by Fenwick, the street boy they’re determined to reclaim as a worthy member of society. Dashing from London to Portsmouth in a hooded phaeton, the erstwhile trio easily outmatch the miserable Clara. In the process Sophy ensnares the Earl with a striptease in reverse: she begins in innocence, nude, and slowly progresses to a fully-dressed and totally-captivating, still innocent, fashion plate, delightful! The entire book is, as well. Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz A Hunger So Wild: A Renegade Angels Novel By Sylvia Day Signet, $7.99, 354 pages, Format: Mass
««««« Scandal Wears Satin By Loretta Chase Avon, $7.99, 384 pages, Format: Mass
««««« This extraordinary compendium of early Victorian costume is cleverly disguised as a swashbuckling adventure story. That story then develops into an elegant, sophisticated sting, starring the middle of the three Noirot sisters, Sophy, and a hero every woman should fall in love with – Harry Fairfax, the Earl of Longmore. The reader may well recall these characters from the first book in the series – Silk is for Seduction. In that book Longmore’s sister Clara was deprived of her anticipated bridegroom the Duke of Cleveden, who was totally enchanted by Sophy’s older sister Marcelline.
A Hunger So Wild. WOW! If you love the paranormal, romance, and juicy sex then this is definitely the read for you. From the very beginning of the book it starts off with a vampire named Vasti that will leave a very lasting impression on you. She loses her mate and goes through many years of torment and wanting to get vengeance on those that killed her Char. But apparently there is a whole different plan and she will have to work with someone she thought she detests in order to save their world: an Alpha who, from the beginning, just sets her on fire in ways she’s never known. There are lots of other paranormal characters in the book who are just as interesting and hot to read about. This is one book that will be very hard to put down as it is juicy from the very beginning and never stops! You will definitely have to read this book for yourself and you will not be disappointed. Reviewed by Penny Via
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 95
Book Reviews
Category
Poetry & Short Stories
Black Dahlia & White Rose: Stories By Joyce Carol Oates Ecco, $24.99, 274 pages, Format: Hard
««««« If, like me, you swore never to read another Oates novel because of the anxiety-producing horrors within, you might open up this book of stories and be once again captured by her masterful writing. While the title story Black Dahlia & White Rose seemed a bit ridiculous, as one reads on the author takes you into her world peopled by characters who transform into hyenas and are one step slower than their ultimate doom. The title story depicts the doomed “Black Dahlia,” Elizabeth Short, as the roommate of Marilyn Monroe, the white rose who is the real intended victim of Short’s savage killer. In this story the voices get a bit mixed up. The beginning reads like a rehash of The Lovely Bones. Nevertheless, in the following short stories, Oates hits her stride with a one-two punch and a knock
out. The rest of her stories never seem as false even though fabulous. Oates is surely one of our greatest writers. She has written over twenty-four story collections and several novels. This reader is happy to reconnect with this very gifted and masterful author. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Julia McMichael Masters of True Crime: Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre By R. Barri Flowers Prometheus Books, $19.00, 320 pages, Format: Trade
«««« Truth may be stranger than fiction, but this collection of true crime reporting is all the more gruesome than the mysteries manufactured to titillate the reader. Chronicled in seventeen chapters are reports of some of the most shocking and brutal crimes perpetrated by an assortment of evil, depraved individuals. Most of the described abominations occurred within the past fifty years. The authors for the most part are experienced crime writers; some have judicial backgrounds, others are professional psychologists. Within this anthology crimes by serial killers, psychopaths, and other miscreants are analyzed and recreated from court records, historical archives, newspaper articles, and police reports. The horror of the act is chillingly described, and the injuries not only to victim but to friends and family is painstakingly recalled. Remember the kidnapping victims whose bodies are discovered after a length of time, the mail bomb murders, the case of the world’s worst woman, and the arsonist who enjoyed hearing the victim’s screams? Unlike fiction, not all the crimes are solved; some of the investigators are flawed, and the reader can be alarmed at the thought of the many warped yet normal appearing individuals we encounter daily. Captivating reading, though the writing is uneven in places. Reviewed by Aron Row
Sacramento Book Review • October 2012 • 96
Dedicated to... Achsah Anne-Elizabeth Barclay September 21, 2012 to October 11, 2012