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INSIDE
Book Review TULSABOOKREVIEW.COM
NOVEMBER 2016
The Rain in Portugal
Billy Collins
2016 Recipient of the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Pages 6 & 8
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PHOTO BY SUZANNAH GILLMAN
is no getting free as his missing past comes back to haunt him. For fans who enjoy the Monk series because of his wife, Hester, they will be disappointed that she doesn’t play a larger role, not even showing up in the first 100 pages. Some of the testimony during the trial may seem far-fetched, but the story sets a quick pace and answers some questions that have been raised about Monk’s forgotten past. Though not the best offering in the series, devoted readers will still enjoy the tale.
Category
Crime Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR By Shari Lapena Pamela Dorman, $26.00, 320 pages Reviewed by Christina Boswell Check this out! Anne and Marco Conti have it all. The perfect marriage, a wonderful house and a beautiful baby girl. One night they go to a party at their next-door neighbor’s house. Their babysitter cancelled, so they just bring the baby monitor and check on her every half an hour. When they return from their party at 1:30 in the morning, they discover the front door is open and their baby is gone. In the days following, the detective pursuing the case discovers that everyone has secrets, and things might not be as they appear. How well do we ever really know The Couple Next Door? Almost every character in this book has a secret, which makes it fun to read and try to decipher whose secret is worse and how far they’re willing to go to cover it up. The plot might not seem super original to you, but don’t think you know how it will end. Where one crime ends, another one begins. The characters are so interesting, and even though you want the parents to get their child back, you’ll have a hard time really cheering for them because they aren’t as innocent as they seem at first. The detective on the case often says he has to know what happened, no matter what, and I feel like that every time I read a mystery. Even if it’s terrible, I’ll push on just to know the ending. Thankfully, this was a great book, so I was able to enjoy it. I don’t think you will be disappointed, either. THE BLACK WIDOW By Daniel Silva Harper, $27.99, 544 pages Reviewed by Michael Shulman Check this out! The Black Widow is the 16th entry in Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series. The protagonist, Gabriel Allon, is an Israeli secretservice field agent who works as an art restorer as his civilian cover. In the previous novels, Allon has proven himself so much in the field that he is about to be promoted to the chief of the intelligence service. However, on the eve of the big day, Paris is savagely attacked by ISIS terrorists. The French authorities recruit Allon with a single mission: to track down and eliminate the mastermind of the attack known as Saladin. To confound the situation, Saladin is so secretive that only his nom-deguerre is known. Nobody has seen his face, and nobody knows his nationality. Allon is in a race against time to expose the terrorist so that he may complete his mission. Because of that, his only option is to use a honey trap, a beautiful young doctor who will infiltrate ISIS and expose Saladin. What follows is a series of twists in Allon and his asset’s quest to find and kill Saladin. Throughout the previous Gabriel Allon novels, Daniel Silva has proven himself to be one of the top spy-thriller authors. The Black Widow is no exception. The plot is very fast-paced and fluid as the characters move from place to place in a desperate attempt to find the bad guy. In addition to the plot, strong character development carries over to The Black Widow from the previous books. Allon and his asset are presented as humans and are easily likable and relatable. For me, reading The Black Widow was a very enjoyable experience. I would easily recommend this book to anybody who likes a spy thriller with a fast-paced plot. REVENGE IN A COLD RIVER By Anne Perry Ballantine Books, $28.00, 320 pages Reviewed by Rebecca Williams Check this out!
ONLY DAUGHTER By Anna Snoekstra Mira, $15.99, 288 pages Reviewed by Christina Boswell Check this out! A young woman is caught shoplifting and in a desperate attempt to not go to jail or be returned to her family she claims to be a girl who disappeared 11 years earlier. A nice, loving home sounded much better to her than living on her own anymore, so she decides to continue the charade. She is returned to the family who lost their daughter and no one seems to notice the slight differences between the two women. However, she soon discovers that all families have secrets and that whatever happened to the Winter’s only daughter all those years ago might happen to her as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A classic tale of mistaken identities but with a bit of a twist. The story is told from the point of the impostor, whose name you never learn, with flashbacks a couple of days before Rebecca Winter disappears. There are plenty of creepy moments and Ms. Snoekstra keeps you guessing until the end as to what really happened. A quick, easy read that you won’t want to put down. COLD MORNING: AN EDNA FERBER MYSTERY By Ed Ifkovic Poisoned Pen Press, $26.95, 269 pages Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Check this out! Edna Ferber is in Flemington, NJ, at the behest of the New York Times to bring a human face to the circus that has been created by the trial of the century, that of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, accused of the kidnapping and murder of the child of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Ferber gets around town, meets the little people and sees more than a few of the celebrity writers who have been sent to cover the trial. When a waitress from the hotel dining room is found brutally murdered, almost no one seems to notice, except Ferber. She discovers there is a connection between the waitress and the Lindbergh trial -- one that could cause a sea change, and only Ferber seems interested in exposing the information. Author Ed Ifkovic has found a compelling backdrop for his Edna Ferber mystery and clearly has done a great deal of historical research. It’s a bit hard to know where reality drops away and the fiction begins, which makes for a great read. The denouement is a bit contrived and rushed, as if Ifkovic were hitting his page limit and needed to finish up, but otherwise this is a fun and interesting mystery. A FRONT PAGE AFFAIR By Radha Vatsal Sourcebooks Landmark, $15.99, 336 pages Reviewed by Lyn Squire Check this out! Set in 1915 New York, A Front Page Affair takes the reader from a murder in the stables of the swank Sleepy Hollows Country Club to an international intrigue that threatens America’s carefully preserved neutrality. The heroine of the piece is Capability Weeks, a plucky female making her way in the male world of journalism. The chronologically linear plot advances slowly for the first two-thirds of the novel, with Capability being sent to interview witnesses for her newspaper and the police busily following false leads. The pace picks up in the final third when the real intrigue involving German spies and a diabolical scheme to undermine the British war effort takes center stage but, even here, the moments of excitement are given short shrift, neither properly promoted nor fully milked, with too much attention being devoted to contextual background and details of everyday life. The writing, while clear and grammatically correct throughout, lacks the passion and originality to fully exploit the denouement’s potential to grip the reader, and, in consequence, this tale remains squarely in the category of light, moderately entertaining reads.
It always has bothered Monk that he cannot remember beyond 13 years ago, when he was involved in a carriage accident that took his memory of any previous events. He thought he had hidden it pretty well, especially from Customs Officer McNab, until this newest case. McNab called Monk onto the case because it involved a murder of a man who escaped from Customs officers, though the circumstances were definitely questionable. When another man who escaped from Customs ends up drowning on Monk’s watch, Monk takes the fall and ends up arrested for murder. He asks Rathbone for legal representation, but can’t shake the feeling that this time there Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 2
Tulsa
Book Review
IN THIS ISSUE Crime Fiction .................................................2
Tulsa City-County Library 400 Civic Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 Ph. (918) 549-7323 EDITOR IN CHIEF Ross Rojek Ross@1776productions.com EDITOR/COORDINATOR Jackie Hill Tulsa City-County Library
Fiction ....................................................... 4, 5 Nonfiction ..............................................6, 7, 8 Meet Billy Collins ...........................................8 Speculative Fiction ........................................9
GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Heidi Komlofske-Rojek
Teens ...........................................................10
COPY EDITORS Heidi Komlofske-Rojek Christopher Hayden EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Christopher Hayden Samantha Kingsbury Danielle McManus
Tweens ........................................................10 Kids’ Books ............................................ 11, 12 2016 Books to Treasure With Rafael Lopez ................................................11
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Cooking, Food & Wine .................................12 Biographies & Memoirs ......................... 12, 13 Powered by Hoopla ......................................13 Bestsellers Coming Soon..............................13
The Tulsa Book Review is published monthly by City Book Review. The opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Tulsa Book Review or City Book Review advertisers. All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders. All words ©2016, City Book Review
Romance ................................................ 14, 15
FROM THE PUBLISHER Dear Reader, Is poetry a forgotten art form? Memoirs and biographies have become extremely popular, as has genre fiction. But what of poetry? There was a time in this country when a famed poet would come to a city and all would gather to hear. Before the dawn of radio, when folks would sit around a fire or lantern, they would often tell stories or recite poems. Frequently our ancestors’ neighbors and loved ones communicated through poems. Poems are an exquisite lyrical way to use words and cadence to forge a piece of art from language. Often poems reflect back to us the world we live in, helping us make sense of the world. This was the case in 2002, when former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins was asked to write a poem commemorating the extremely somber first anniversary of the fall of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on September 11. He helped make sense of a senseless act in an attempt to bring about healing. This is just one reason why I am proud to share that Billy Collins, one of today’s most well-regarded poets, will be visiting Tulsa soon. The author of 12 collections of poetry including Aimless Love; Horoscopes for the Dead; and his latest collection, The Rain in Portugal, Billy Collins has been named as this year’s recipient of the Tulsa Library Trust’s Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. This honor will be bestowed on him at a black-tie award dinner at the Central Library on Friday evening December 2. This event will be followed by a free public program on Saturday morning, December 3, at 10:30 a.m. also at the Central Library. I am happy to report that poetry is alive and well at the Tulsa City-County Library and within the pages of the Tulsa Book Review. I hope you will enjoy reading about Mr. Collins’ new collection in this issue, as well as connect with other genres of stories. Whether real or fictional, all will help you make sense of the world and change your life for the better. We hope to see you at the newly renovated Central Library soon or at any one of our other 23 locations throughout Tulsa County. Happy reading,
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Gary Shaffer, Ph.D. Tulsa City-County Library CEO
muses on menopause and thankfully being over her period but losing her femininity. Strange musings, indeed. If you are a fan of this author or live in Manhattan, you may certainly enjoy this novel.
Category
A ROBOT IN THE GARDEN By Deborah Install Sourcebooks Landmark, $15.99, 320 pages Reviewed by Caryn Shaffer Check this out!
Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
THE TROUBLE WITH LEXIE: A NOVEL By Jessica Anya Blau Harper Perennial, $14.99, 336 pages Reviewed by Jennifer Dwight Check this out! We are launched into Lexie’s suddenly unhinged life at a scandalous moment, as she is discovered in the worst possible condition, in the most unthinkable place, at precisely the wrong time. This contemporary, hilarious work from Jessica Anya Blau is addictive and fast-paced. After the opening scene, the story jumps back in time, where we learn of Lexie’s history. Lexie is an alluring 33-year-old teacher at a prestigious East Coast boarding school. She has come from a working-class single mom and absentee father in California to now being employed by the Ruxton Academy and engaged to marry a refined man. We admire her, while knowing that a train wreck of poor choices awaits. There are massive deceptions, forbidden fruits, and vivid characters. The metaphors are brilliant (“Lexie felt the pain as...a vibrating sheet of silvery magnets that clanged against her like cold aluminum”), the philosophy sweetly dispensed (“Love the people you love...do good”), the similes memorable (“The sadness inside Lexie ran like a wash cycle: circling, swirling, rotating, swishing”), and the wisdom simply put (“Maybe anxiety showed up when your body needed to tell you something you hadn’t yet faced”). Well done, Ms. Blau! THE MEMORY OF LEMON By Judith Fertig Berkley, $16.00, 304 pages Reviewed by Caryn Shaffer Check this out! If you’re going to pick up The Memory of Lemon, be sure to read The Cake Therapist first. In The Memory of Lemon, readers are reintroduced to Neely, a woman who owns an upscale bakery. Neely has an almost-psychic ability to attach flavors to emotion and to use a person’s emotional state to determine what kind of cake they might like. In this latest story, Neely takes on a free-spirited bride-tobe and her stubborn, newly rich mother to plan the rustic-chic wedding of everyone’s dreams. The bride’s memories take her back to a cabin in Augusta where spicebush grows abundantly and is baked into pies. Meanwhile, Neely struggles with reuniting with her father, finalizing her divorce with her womanizing, pro-football-player ex-husband, and cultivating a blossoming romance with a childhood friend. While some of the ancillary characters had a larger role in The Cake Therapist, The Memory of Lemon puts them squarely on the back burner. I would have liked to see more of Neely’s cohorts, Maggie, Jett, and Roshonda. One of this book’s merits was its description of desserts and the baking process. Strong imagery of pastry crust, custard, sugar cookies, and, of course, cake made this book extra sweet. BRIGHT, PRECIOUS DAYS: A NOVEL By Jay McInerney Knopf, $27.95, 398 pages Reviewed by Julia McMichael Check this out! Corrine and Russell Calloway live in Manhattan in a toosmall apartment in Soho. Like the author’s real life, they have twins. That is a footnote since neither parent has much involvement with the children. It is hard to know why they are even characters in this novel. Corrine is beautiful and was drawn to have an affair in the aftermath of 9/11. Now her lover has returned to Manhattan and needs her in his life. Her husband, Russell, is too good to be true. However, he is oblivious to anything other than fine dining and wine. McInerney was considered a wunderkind with the publication of his Bright Lights, Big City, which told the tale of a young man caught up in cocaine-fueled times. These novels are more for Manhattan insiders, those who recognize the restaurants and sections of town as meaning more than just locale. In this novel, the author also tries to get into his heroine’s head with puzzling results as Corrine
A Robot in the Garden is about a man named Ben who discovers a robot in his garden. The robot, who calls himself Tang, behaves like a petulant child and takes Ben on an international adventure to find his creator. Ben, who had recently lost his parents and whose marriage was failing, has nothing to lose by traveling. And in Ben’s travels, he learns how to grieve, move on, and grow up. Deborah Install’s novel is not just about a man and his robot. It’s a multifaceted story that addresses human emotions as well as some robot ones, too. Ben’s journey with Tang makes him become more intuitive, realizing that he had yet to properly move on from his parents’ deaths and discovering that he had not been particularly compassionate toward his wife, Amy. Ben also realizes his obligations to others by caring for Tang. While Ben and Tang’s story moves forward, it flashes back to moments between Ben and Amy that make Ben a rich, compelling character. In addition to a deep and engaging story, the novel addresses the ethical concerns between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. THE RISEN: A NOVEL By Ron Rash Ecco, $25.99, 272 pages Reviewed by Margo Orlando Littell Check this out! Life hasn’t been easy for Eugene Matney. While his older brother, Bill, was deemed a golden child early in his life and went on to become a brilliant surgeon, Eugene is an alcoholic with a failed marriage and an estranged daughter he nearly killed in a drunken car accident. The brothers don’t share much these days, but they do share a transformative bit of personal history: a girl named Ligeia and the summer she dazzled them both— ultimately threatening Bill’s med-school ambitions. Ligeia and the brothers’ teenage fumblings by Panther Creek may have remained an unfortunate part of the past, but when a body appears in the creek bed decades after that fateful summer—a body the police identify as Ligeia—Eugene and Bill are forced to reckon with a secret that will nearly destroy them both. Ron Rash’s straightforward prose perfectly reflects the rural North Carolina landscape and the claustrophobic shadows of small-town life, and he doesn’t shy away from leaving his characters in an unforgiving state of self-doubt and fear. Eugene’s end-of-the-road attempts at redemption raise uncomfortable questions about righteousness and regret, forcing readers to acknowledge the damage that stark moral certainty may inflict on innocent people. THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF IVAN ISAENKO By Scott Stambach St. Martin’s Press, $25.99, 336 pages Reviewed by Mandy Nevius Check this out! The story and characters driving Scott Stambach’s debut novel, The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko, have a lot of promise, yet Stambach’s underwhelming writing fails to deliver an emotional wallop. Seventeen-year-old Ivan has navigated life with no legs and only one three-fingered hand; his severe deformity is the byproduct of the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. Having spent his entire life in the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus, Ivan has become a cynical, cunning, and clever teenager. His humdrum existence is turned upside down when Polina, an orphaned sixteen-year-old battling leukemia, becomes a patient at Mazyr Hospital. In his quickly forged friendship with sassy Polina, Ivan discovers love for the first time. In the form of diary entries, The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko tells of their fragile, spirited, and tragic romance. Stambach masterfully paints Ivan as a wholly unlovable yet sympathetic character; even though he undergoes major transformation, Ivan’s unique voice is strong and consistent throughout the text. However, Ivan’s first-person narrative, which is often vulgar and hardly expressive, seems to betray the novel’s emotional pull; the story is certainly despairing and even wonderfully humorous at times, but overall it lacks the sucker punch of emotion that young adult readers desperately crave. THE COURSE OF LOVE: A NOVEL By Alain de Botton Simon & Schuster, $26.00, 240 pages Reviewed by Holly Scudero Check this out! Rabih is a romantic, and his views of love start to develop at a relatively young age. Ultimately, he meets Kirsten at a job site, they fall in love, and life goes on from there. But the course of love does not always flow smoothly, as evidenced by the many difficulties that the two face throughout their lives: money issues, children, adultery.
Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 4
Book Reviews
Fiction
In The Course of Love, Alain de Botton has created a novel rich with story, psychology, and philosophy. This book goes where so many do not: beyond happily ever after, before an explosive breakup, and straight to the heart of where real relationships lie. Readers get to see Rabih and Kirsten at their best and worst as they discover one another and mature together over the span of many years. While the story itself is nothing exceptional, the way it mirrors real life is truly extraordinary, and de Botton’s insights into the human mind are deeply enlightening. THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS By Karan Mahajan Viking, $26.00, 288 pages Reviewed by Owen Hamill Check this out! The Association of Small Bombs begins with a bombing in Lajpat Nagar, a Delhi marketplace. Tushar and Nakul Khurana are killed by the bomb, although their friend Mansoor Ahmed survives. The bomb demands a visceral reaction from all those involved — the Khuranas struggle with grief and despair, the Ahmeds celebrate their son’s survival, and Shockie, the terrorist who planted the bomb, is disappointed it didn’t kill more people. It’s in the bomb’s immediate aftermath that the novel shines, exploring the contradiction of perspectives. Shockie is disappointed that only a few people were killed. However, for the Khuranas, the number of dead doesn’t matter — their sons were killed. And Mansoor survives the bomb only to be haunted by it. For the characters, what’s worse than dying is surviving with the feeling that life is no longer worth living. But the novel loses its way as the scope expands outward. Ayub, an activist fighting for those wrongly accused of terrorism, is only tangentially connected to the bombing, and his introduction muddies the novel’s focus. The bomb eventually recedes into the past, and the narrative loses steam as it distances itself from the very event that set it off. TITANS By Leila Meacham Grand Central Publishing, $26.00, 608 pages Reviewed by Christina Boswell Check this out! In 1880 Texas, twins are born to a woman who doesn’t want them. She has her husband randomly choose which one they’ll keep and they give the other away. Twenty years later, the boy they kept discovers his history when his real father comes to claim him as his heir of a company that is about to branch into oil drilling. The daughter they gave away is learning the ropes of running a cattle ranch from her adoptive parents. Their stories are constantly intertwined without knowing who the other is. They must find their own paths while their parents, biological and adoptive, seek to become Titans in this ever changing world, all the while trying to satisfy that longing of knowing where they come from and where they belong. Leila Meacham has created a beautiful saga with incredibly rich characters. There is love, betrayal, and redemption. There are no definitively bad characters. Ms. Meacham reminds us that everyone is capable of making poor choices or seeking revenge, but that’s not where the story has to end. I highly recommend reading this novel about life in the 1900s during the beginning of the oil boom and how that affected the people living there. The rich characters alone are worth your time. THE SECRETS OF WISHTIDE By Kate Saunders Bloomsbury USA, $26.00, 352 pages Reviewed by Christina Boswell Check this out! It’s the winter of 1850 and Mrs. Laetitia Rodd is a recently widowed woman who makes her living as a private investigator. Her brother is a criminal lawyer who finds cases for her to solve. This particular case involves the son of a wealthy and well-respected family, who falls in love with someone they deem inappropriate. They hire Mrs. Rodd to pretend to be their governess and discover the background of this questionable lady. However, Mrs. Rodd quickly finds out that Wishtide holds many mysteries and some people will go to extreme lengths to keep their secrets. One of the things that immediately drew me to this book was the publishers claiming it would delight fans of Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton. I can definitely say they were right. This novel has more humor, but it does remind me of Miss Marple from various Christie novels. The plot also draws inspiration from Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. The author states in the afterword that this book is her take on that story. The main character, Mrs. Rodd, is clever, witty, and altogether likable. The same holds true for her landlady, Mrs. Bentley, who often lends a hand in the investigation. I am very excited that The Secrets of Wishtide is the first in a series and look forward to more cases that can only be solved by the intelligence and discretion of an archdeacon’s widow.
THE BONES OF PARADISE: A NOVEL By Jonis Agee William Morrow, $25.99, 432 pages Reviewed by Christina Boswell Check this out! In The Bones of Paradise, J.B. Bennett and a young Native American girl named Star are murdered on J.B.’s land. His estranged wife, Dulcinea, and Star’s sister, Rose, come together on Bennett’s ranch to find out who did it and to mend some relationships. It’s already a fragile time between white people and the Native Americans since it has only been ten years since the Wounded Knee Massacre. Ryland Graver is the one who finds the bodies. He’s lost everything, his wife and children to starvation and his ranch, but somehow he’s survived. At first, he’s a suspect, but then he proves to be very useful, so Dulcinea keeps him on, which turns out to be a wise decision when the killer reveals themselves. This book was a hard read for me. A great murder mystery and a piece of historical fiction, but a difficult book. I say that because it is always hard to read about the horrific things my ancestors did to Native Americans and even what any human being is capable of doing to another. However, the author did an amazing job of staying as close to fact as possible and weaving a beautiful story of what life was like on the western frontier. Each character was fascinating and had such intricacy and depth to them. I would definitely recommend this book. THE LOST GIRL OF ASTOR STREET: A NOVEL By Stephanie Morrill Blink, $17.99, 352 pages Reviewed by Christina Boswell In The Lost Girl of Astor Street, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail’s best friend, Lydia, goes missing. Piper is determined to find out what happened to her friend. Piper has a number of suspects; was it the chauffeur on whom Lydia had a crush? Or how about the creepy father of the little boy she was the nanny for? Could it have been Lydia’s own father who didn’t want the secret of her epilepsy to get out and ruin his practice? And let’s not forget that 1924 Chicago is run by the opposing mafias, Irish and Italian, whom Piper’s father represents as a criminal defense attorney. Was Lydia even the original target? Piper is going to solve this case and bring justice for her friend, no matter what the cost. See LOST GIRL, cont’d on page 8
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Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 5
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Nonfiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
THE RAIN IN PORTUGAL: POEMS By Billy Collins Random House, $26.00, 120 pages Reviewed by Rebecca Howard, Broken Arrow Library Manager Check this out! Past United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins wants you to read poetry; he just doesn’t want you to dissect it. In fact, this is the only stipulation he’s made for those participating in his Poetry 180 initiative, a project that makes it possible for highschool students to read or listen to a poem for every day of the school year. In one of his most well-known poems, “Introduction to Poetry” from the collection The Apple That Astonished Paris, Collins writes, “I ask them to take a poem/ and hold it up to the light/ like a color slide… But all they want to do/ is tie the poem to a chair with rope/ and torture a confession out of it.” Poetry for the sake of poetry—for all its pleasure and promise—is, likewise, the unadulterated heart of Collins’ 12th collection, Rain in Portugal. Collins’ joy in the English language is evident in the very playfulness of the poem from which the title originates, “On Rhyme,” which may best be described as Amelia Bedelia-esque. Rhyming pairs are foiled in lines such as “It is possible that a stitch in time / might save as many as twelve or as few as three” and “I like a cat wearing a chapeau or a trilby, / Little Jack Horner sitting on a sofa.” This is verse that brings a smile to your face, a lilt in your spirit. Yet, in the very next poem or, more often, in the next stanza Collins turns more introspective and serious. This collection of poems seem to exist in the borderlands of human experience—the thin places between the practical and philosophical, humorous and mournful, the constraints of time and the infinite. Of the many poems that illustrate these false dichotomies we create, “Greece” may be a new favorite. Collins contemplates ancient ruins, comparing the crumbling columns to the bathers in the sea: “two pillars of flesh in bathing suits.” He places side-by-side the joyful act of splashing in the ocean with the ever-present reality of our own mortality—“a voice as old as the surf itself.” He writes, “Is not poetry a megaphone held up / to the whispering lips of death?” And what should be our response to this whispering, but “charging into the waves with a shout.” Rain… is a lovely collection to read slowly, read aloud with someone you love and read often. THE STRENGTH OF SENSITIVITY: UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY FOR A LIFE OF EMOTIONAL PEACE & BALANCE By Kyra Mesich Llewellyn Publications, $16.99, 189 pages Reviewed by Julia McMichael Check this out! “You are way too sensitive!” is usually said after one reacts to an insensitive comment or action. It is said that one in five people can be described as “sensitive.” This book attempts to place a favorable light on sensitive people as creative, empathetic, and very perceptive. However, there is one description that is not science-based and is controversial: that is the author’s claim that the sensitive person is also psychic. The author does have a doctoral degrees in clinical psychology. This book is very useful in that it has meditation and reframing exercises. There are also valuable resources on the Internet for those seeking help with learning to live with insensitive people. The elder statesman in this field is Elaine Aron, who also has books and Internet resources to help one see sensitivity as a good thing and not a detriment. The book discusses how sensitivity could be one’s greatest strength. There is also a list of resources and an index for referral. The author cautions that one should read the book from beginning to end, as concepts build on each other. LLEWELLYN’S COMPLETE BOOK OF MINDFUL LIVING: AWARENESS & MEDITATION PRACTICES FOR LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT By Robert Butera, Ph.D., and Erin Byron Llewellyn Publications, $27.99, 384 pages Reviewed by Holly Scudero Check this out! In our modern-day, stressed-out world, we could all benefit from slowing down a little bit. That is where a mindfulness practice can make a big difference in quality of life. But what exactly is mindfulness? Is it just meditation or chanting? No! Mindfulness can be so much more, and it can be surprisingly accessible to everyone, especially with the help of a book like Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Mindful Living. This truly is one
of the most complete books out there, packed with essays to help readers understand different kinds of mindfulness practices, information on the many benefits of such practices, and plenty of practical exercises to help readers get started right away. The two main authors have decades of experience between them, and the many contributing authors are equally qualified to help readers achieve a sense of well-being that can’t truly be attained any other way. This is the kind of book that is bound to help readers from all walks of life, both those who already have mindfulness experience and those who are new to the idea. TAKE PRIDE: WHY THE DEADLIEST SIN HOLDS THE SECRET TO HUMAN SUCCESS By Jessica Tracy Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27.00, 256 pages Reviewed by D. Wayne Dworsky Check this out! Me, myself, and I just about sums up this delightful sojourn into an often misunderstood state. Jessica Tracy takes a significant stand in portraying the essentials in her informative new book, Take Pride. Pride appears to be that elusive quality that we tend to believe will boost our self-image and self-worth. Yet the many pitfalls along the way of this state tend to misguide us. Thus a pride-supportive environment tends to enrich a pride state. Pride begets pride. Sure, once we feel good about ourselves, it’s easy to allow it to drive us to subsequent steps that also tend to strengthen our pride. Jessica Tracy holds impressive credentials as a thinker in psychological discovery at the University of British Columbia. In addition, she has published extensively in psychological journals. She appears to be a new voice in the study of pride. The book is a fun look at a troubling area of study. Although there are places where the text slows a bit, the book is entertaining and informative, guaranteed to stir the mind on a quest for a psychological understanding of human nature. OUR RENEWABLE FUTURE: LAYING THE PATH FOR ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CLEAN ENERGY By Richard Heinberg, David Fridley Island Press, $25.00, 248 pages Reviewed by D. Wayne Dworsky Check this out! There has been a substantial chatter about the pros and cons of the main source of power in modern living. These and more have led us down a path that paints a bleak picture of our future energy needs. Finally, some have stepped up to take the responsibility for the many efforts of visionary people. Richard Heinberg and David Fridley have assumed a foxhole position in their new book Our Renewable Future. In it, they lay the path for one-hundred percent clean energy. The book itself collects the best ideas, putting nuclear energy on the same stage as wind, hydro, and solar. The authors speak about the government’s role in the energy game. Each of these areas are examined with regard to where we fit in with each other as well as with governments and private sectors. The authors appear to feel that the biggest adjustment may very well come from the civilians—for sure presenting an enormous challenge. Both authors enjoy a wide background that drives their purpose. While Heinberg is a recognized scholar and prolific writer, Fridley is also a distinguished writer and thinker in energy. WHAT THE DICKENS?!: DISTINCTLY DICKENSIAN WORDS AND HOW TO USE THEM By Bryan Kozlowski Running Press, $15.00, 224 pages Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Check this out! I’m not ashamed to say it--I’m an unabashed logophile. I’ve had a love affair with words since I learned to read, and it has never waned. I own well over twenty dictionaries of various kinds and sizes and other books about word and phrase origins. Imagine my excitement when I saw this book. Dickens was one of the 19th century’s greatest wordsmiths, and this examination of his use of words does not disappoint. Broken into five sections such as “Words for Making Merry” and “Words for Bleak Days and Bad Company,” each page has an interesting word, extensive definition, pronunciation, example of its use from Dickens’s works, and a nice write-up with more information. Some of the words and phrases were quite common in the Victorian era but are no longer used. Some are words Dickens made up, such as “Weggery,” which is typical of the behavior of Silas Wegg, a character in Our Mutual Friend, or “Wiglomeration,” the legal bureaucracy, referring to the wigs they wore. Some are just plain fun-sounding words like “spoffish” and “podsnappery.” The research is stellar and the writing terrific. Anyone interested in words or the English language will love this book. I’M JUDGING YOU: THE DOBETTER MANUAL By Luvvie Ajayi Holt Paperbacks, $17.00, 256 pages Reviewed by Aron Row Check this out! Luvvie Ajayi can rant and rave all she wants because, in her own inimitable rap style, she says what we all should hear. Her See JUDGING YOU, cont’d on page 7
Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 6
Book Reviews
Nonfiction
JUDGING YOU, cont’d from page 6 harangues on civility, courtesy, and good behavior should be shouted out to our politicians, her talks on fairness need to be studied by CEOs, and more serious discussions about the chronic disease of racism should serve as fodder for introspection and debate. In layman’s language, using wily wit with her earthy brand of common sense, this teacher can tell us all how we can and should do better. She challenges the designs of the feminist movement because of its exclusivity, roars about privilege for certain groups fostering discrimination, and screams that racism is for assholes. Like a den mother, she encourages girls to believe in themselves and chastises boys to behave as respectful gentlemen. When dictionary English does not meet her rhythmic need, she composes her own language, such as “alphfet” for outfit or “uglass” for ugly ass. And her stories of her Nigerian background, along with our misconceptions about Africa, are enlightening. She makes us look in the mirror to see the real, and too often flawed, self. This book should be adopted as an essential part of the school curriculum! THE WINTER FORTRESS: THE EPIC MISSION TO SABOTAGE HITLER’S ATOMIC BOMB By Neal Bascomb Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28.00, 400 pages Reviewed by Stacy Shaw Check this out! The Winter Fortress explores a lesser known part of World War II: the attempts of the Nazis toward making an atomic bomb and the Norwegian soldiers who thwarted them. On April 9, 1940, Germany invaded Norway, sending the Norwegian King, Haakon VII, into hiding. Of particular interest to the Nazis was the Norsk Hydro plant in Rjukan and its production of heavy water, which German scientists needed to build their reactors. Learning of their intent, two groups of Norwegian men worked with the British to put a stop to the production of heavy water. Author Neal Bascomb offers a look into some truly harrowing moments in the lives of an indomitable group of soldiers. This is an all-encompassing work covering a specific point in history minutely. The depth of detail can, at times, be daunting, and the pace is steady but not fast. For World War II history buffs, this book will appeal because of its detail, but Bascomb provides enough detail and explanations of the surrounding issues to allow the average layperson to follow without confusion. The Winter Fortress is not to be confounded with light historical action reading, as the actual scenes of action are brief in comparison to the whole. However, for the persevering reader, it shines a light on a lesser known area of history and spotlights some truly talented and brave soldiers. HIDDEN FIGURES: THE AMERICAN DREAM AND THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE BLACK WOMEN MATHEMATICIANS WHO HELPED WIN THE SPACE RACE By Margot Lee Shetterly William Morrow, $27.99, 368 pages Reviewed by Ryder Miller Check this out! Hidden Figures from writer Margot Lee Shetterly tells the inspiring and inconvenient story of the black women, also human computers, who helped win World War II and helped NASA get people into space and onto the moon. Most of the stories focus on the Langley Research Station in Virginia during the 1960s, where many of these women worked. Their contribution is not publicly known. That might change with a movie staring Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner on the way. Shetterly grew up in nearby Hampton, Virginia, and personally knew many of the women in this story. She is also the founder of The Human Computer Project, which documents the accounts of women in computing. Many of the stories in Hidden Figures are not only about accomplishments, but also about unequal treatment and glass ceilings. Times have not completely changed for these women. When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon and said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” he was also standing on their shoulders. Some, though, thought that we should be helping the impoverished instead. The book does focus on the experience of these woman, but there might have been stories about other groups to put their story in a wider context. 5 EASY THESES: COMMONSENSE SOLUTIONS TO AMERICA’S GREATEST ECONOMIC CHALLENGES By James Stone Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26.00, 288 pages Reviewed by Karen Collins Check this out! 5 Easy Theses by James M. Stone tackles five major economic problems facing the United States today. Stone has given considerable thought to the subject of economic renewal based on years of pertinent experience. He holds a PhD from Harvard, where he taught until being appointed Insurance Commissioner of Massachusetts and subsequently Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He currently is CEO of Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation, which he founded over thirty years ago. The book divides these areas into fiscal balance, inequality, education, healthcare, and financial sector reform. It is encouraging to read about potential solutions, some of which would not be that difficult to implement. However, Stone makes no promises that Congress or citizens will rally behind his suggestions. His discussions of wealth and opportunity inequality are admirable, since many
experts shy away from these subjects for fear of being unpopular. Stone’s observations include how excessive spending on advertising and marketing are adversely affecting our healthcare system, why privatization of Social Security won’t fix the problems inherit in that system, and how extending legal advantages to corporations that were intended for individuals is a mistake. This is a timely book for readers of all ages who believe the time for change is now. SMART MOM, RICH MOM: HOW TO BUILD WEALTH WHILE RAISING A FAMILY By Kimberly Palmer AMACOM, $14.95, 256 pages Reviewed by Axie Barclay Check this out! Smart Mom, Rich Mom: How to Build Wealth While Raising a Family by Kimberly Palmer goes beyond cutting coupons and delves deep into the spending habits, pitfalls, and clever strategies moms (and women in general) can take to take control of their finances and financial health. This is a practical, funny, savvy kind of book, targeted toward moms who are looking beyond extreme couponing to cultivate real financial security, even if they haven’t been particularly aggressive previously. It offers short, actionable steps to combat debt and start saving and describes how to think about money for the purpose of making the best possible financial decisions for you and your family. With moms having more buying power than ever before, it’s more important that women understand the financial options open to them, from IRAs to affording childcare. Palmer never talks down to readers and doesn’t shy away from discussing credit card debt, asking for raises, or advocating that women cultivate basic financial literacy. While this is targeted toward moms, this is a great resource for women at any stage of life. SELL WITH A STORY: HOW TO CAPTURE ATTENTION, BUILD TRUST AND CLOSE THE SALE By Paul Smith AMACOM, $24.95, 304 pages Reviewed by Amy Synoracki Check this out! To some, sales is simply the selling of a product or service from one person or company to another. Once you read Sell With A Story: How To Capture Attention, Build Trust, and Close the Sale by Paul Smith, you will see the time and effort that needs to go into closing a sale. Sell With A Story builds on the sales formula that Smith outlined in his book Lead With A Story. Through specific examples, suggestions, and workbook-type questions, Sell With A Story takes the art of using the story to sell something to the next level and, step by step, takes readers through his techniques for building and using stories in sales scenarios to help salespeople find success. Smith does a fantastic job of taking what could be a textbook, boring, tutorial-style book and makes it interactive in Sell With A Story: How To Capture Attention, Build Trust, and Close the Sale. His techniques are clear and concise, and the questions at the end of chapters enable the readers to use what they just read. What is fresh about his book is his honesty. He does not come out and say that if you do this you will be a resounding success. Instead, he presents the information in this book as a tool to be read and referred to again and again. A great book for anyone in sales or looking to enter that field. PEACOCK & VINE: ON WILLIAM MORRIS AND MARIANO FORTUNY By A.S. Byatt Knopf, $26.95, 181 pages Reviewed by George Erdosh Check this out! Here is a combination of a lengthy essay and two biographies by A.S. Byatt. If you enjoy detailed biographies of artists, Peacock & Vine will be a good reading for you. Byatt has chosen two artists, one from England and one from Italy, both of whom lived in the nineteenth century but a generation apart. Byatt draws an interesting but valid parallel between the two artists: Mariano Fortuny in Venice (although of Spanish origin) and William Morris in England. The descriptions are very detailed (one might say painstakingly so), filled with quotes, even poems. Both artists were painters and fabric designers (Morris was also a garden designer and Fortuny also a lamp and lighting designer and a photographer). Both produced magnificent textiles--Morris for human spaces while Fortuny to cover the human body. The text is richly illustrated with paintings and photographs, but the book design would’ve improved considerably if the illustrations carried captions. The descriptions are given at the end of the book, a major inconvenience for the reader; besides, the captions are so brief as to be inadequate. Yet this small hardback has been beautifully produced. The book ends with a list of further reading material. See OSAMU, cont’d on page 8
Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 7
Book Reviews
Nonfiction
THE OSAMU TEZUKA STORY: A LIFE IN MANGA AND ANIME By Toshio Ban Stone Bridge Press, $29.95, 928 pages Reviewed by Randy-Lynne Wach Check this out!
these pooches. (Some are twenty-one or twenty-two years old!) The book concludes with a testimonial about senior dog rescues and an entreaty to give these wonderful dogs a home. A very worthy cause, to be sure, and the perfect way to honor all of the beautiful animals you’ve just enjoyed seeing.
What better tribute to the “God of Manga” could there be than a manga-style biography? This English translation of Tezuka Osamu Monogatari brings the life of a truly great artist to American fans. The story is narrated by Mustachio, one of Tezuka’s own characters, and covers Tezuka’s entire lifespan. The artwork is amazingly detailed—a visual feast that incorporates samples of Tezuka’s drawings. In addition to hundreds of fascinating anecdotes about the man, the narrative also covers the history that gives context to his work, other manga artists, and a general history of manga and anime in Japan for much of the twentieth century. If you have any interest in manga, anime, or Japan, this is a great reference. Especially interesting to me were the stories of his youth, when World War II raged and manga was considered dangerously frivolous. More amazing still was following the progress of his career as a wildly prolific artist, even as he studied and became a doctor. He never seemed to slow his pace, but continually sought out ways to accomplish his life’s work. His philosophy that good manga (which I translate to story in general) is just as healing to children’s spirits as medicine is to their bodies really resonates with my librarian/mother’s heart. SENIOR DOGS ACROSS AMERICA: PORTRAITS OF MAN’S BEST OLD FRIEND By Nancy LeVine Schiffer, $29.99, 128 pages Reviewed by Glenn Dallas What is it about older dogs that makes them so striking? Is it the fur long ago turned white? Is it the wisdom we see in their eyes? Is it the easy humor in their tail-wagging or the tired harrumphs when they lay down? Nancy LeVine captures all of these aspects and more in her photography collection Senior Dogs Across America, a gorgeous assembly of portraits of older dogs from all over the country. Some photos are in color, others are in black and white, but they all tell stories--stories of lives well-lived (even if they weren’t always treated as kindly as they deserved), stories of pups turned seniors, stories of love and loyalty and of affection given and affection returned. These photos are absolutely rife with personality, which is impressive considering the staggering age of some of
HURRICANE STREET By Ron Kovic Akashic Publicity, $15.95, 224 pages Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro Ron Kovic was a gung-ho US Marine who would be wounded in battle in 1968. His wounds led to him being paralyzed from the chest down. His struggle to survive would not end on the blood-soaked battlefields in Southeast Asia. Kovic would endure suffering and indifference in various VA hospitals on both coasts of the US. Kovic and fellow soldiers would fight back with a patient/workers’ rights committee. They would fight the system from within but would face retribution from medical workers and higher-ups. In 1974, Kovic would find conditions in the Long Beach VA still lacking and would stage a sit-in that developed into a hunger strike in Senator Alan Cranston’s office. Kovic and his friends looked to meet with the Senator and/or the head of the Veteran’s Administration. Here would be the true test of will for Kovic and his fellow Vets. Could they get their message out? Would anyone care to listen? Hurricane Street is a powerful sequel to Born on the 4th of July. It is a harrowing, poignant telling of the American Veteran’s Movement and its members’ struggles against the government as well as themselves. The book is a must read in war and peace time. War is hell; peace can be just as brutal.
LOST GIRL, cont’d from page 5 On the back cover of this book, one author says, “If Veronica Mars met the Roaring Twenties, you’d end up with The Lost Girl of Astor Street.” I cannot think of a more accurate description. Piper is very similar to Veronica Mars, who happens to be one of my favorites, so I very much enjoyed this book. Piper is easy to connect with as a young woman who can’t just sit around and do nothing while her best friend is missing, and she struggles to conform to society’s ideals. Ms. Morrill did a wonderful job of making great characters, of thoroughly researching the setting, and of still writing a worthwhile mystery. I personally loved that there was nothing inappropriate, no foul language, and no sex scenes. Just a good old-fashioned mystery that is a fun read. If you like Veronica Mars, you will enjoy this book, just like I did.
Meet Billy Collins Winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award
Free Public Presentation and Book Signing
Saturday, Dec. 3 • 10:30 a.m. • Central Library, First Floor, Fifth Street and Denver Avenue Dubbed “the most popular poet in America” by The New York Times, internationally renowned American poet Billy Collins is famous for his conversational, witty poetry. Collins served as poet laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003 and poet laureate of New York State from 2004 to 2006. He is the author of several books of poetry, including his latest collection, The Rain in Portugal, released in October 2016. Collins’ poetry has appeared in anthologies, textbooks and a variety of periodicals, including Harper’s, Paris Review and The New Yorker. Copies of his works will be available for purchasing at the event.
Books Sandwiched In: A Billy Collins Sampler
Monday, Nov. 28 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. • Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium Join Adrian Alexander, dean of the University of Tulsa’s McFarlin Library, as he introduces us to the works of Billy Collins. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries.
Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 8
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918.549.READ
NOVEMBER 2016
A FREE MONTHLY GUIDE TO YOUR COMMUNITY LIBRARY, ITS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
adults & all ages BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Open Book Discussion Tuesday, Nov. 1 • 6:30-7:45 p.m. Read the charming and hilarious romantic comedy “The Rosie Project” and then join fellow readers for an engaging discussion. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the Broken Arrow Library. For adults.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Great Decisions Wednesday, Nov. 2 • 12:30-2:30 p.m. Margaret Martinson, chief financial officer, Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless, will discuss the mission of the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless, which is to provide a safe and healthy environment for people who are homeless and provide opportunities and encouragement for achieving self-sufficiency. For adults. BA Sidewalk Astronomers: Measure the Distance to the Stars Thursday, Nov. 3 • 6:30-7:45 p.m. Hipparchus the Greek astronomer and Hipparcos the European Space Agency Mission both measured the distances to the stars. Make a star globe of the most popular stars and constellations. For all ages.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Brookside Book Discussion Monday, Nov. 14 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. In her highly anticipated new novel “Small Great Things,” Jodi Picoult
tackles the profoundly challenging yet essential concerns of our time: prejudice, race and justice. Read this brand-new release and join us for an intriguing discussion. For adults.
CENTRAL LIBRARY Building Your Toolkit for Navigating Care at Life's End Tuesday, Nov. 1 • 6 p.m. Location: Pocahontas Greadington Learning and Creativity Center • Learn strategies and techniques for becoming your own care manager. Participants will receive a custom-built binder to get organized. Sponsored by Clarehouse, a nonprofit community home for the dying, in partnership with Tulsa CityCounty Library, Phillips Seminary and Arts Alliance Tulsa. For adults. Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 7 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. Location: Aaronson Auditorium Michelle Place, executive director, Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, will review “Deadly Hero: The High Society Murder That Created Hysteria in the Heartland” by Jason Lucky Morrow. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 14 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. Location: Aaronson Auditorium Wayne Hardy, Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries board member, will review “A Man Called Ove: A Novel” by Fredrik Backman. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 21 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. Location: Aaronson Auditorium Sarah Jenkins, retired elementary and middle school
All Tulsa City-County Library locations will be closed on Friday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day and Thursday, Nov. 24 for Thanksgiving. All library locations will close early at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 23.
L I B R A R Y CLOSINGS
2016 KRISTALLNACHT COMMEMORATION: "FROM PERSECUTION TO GENOCIDE"
PAGE 5 teacher, will review “Midnight in Broad Daylight” by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 28 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. Location: Aaronson Auditorium Adrian Alexander, dean of McFarlin Library, University of Tulsa, and member of the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Selection Committee, will present “A Billy Collins Sampler.” Collins is the winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award and will be in Tulsa Dec. 2 and 3 to accept the award. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries.
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY All Thumbs Knitters Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 12:30-3 p.m. • All levels of knitting expertise are welcome to join us for this fun and instructional afternoon. For adults. Play It! Gaming at the Library Thursday, Nov. 3 • 6-7:30 p.m. Play video games with family and friends. We will have a Wii and Xbox 360 set up and ready to play. For all ages. Collinsville Book Discussion Tuesday, Nov. 8 • noon-1 p.m. Read "Cold, Cold Heart" by Tami
PAGE 2 November 6 PRESENTED BY Nov. 6 Sunday, Sunday, • 2 p.m. 2 PMCenter Charles Schusterman Jewish Community THE COUNCIL Sylvan Auditorium Sylvanthen • 2021 E. 71st St. Hoag and join this fun group FOR Auditorium Charles Schusterman the of readers forPresented a livelyby discussion. HOLOCAUST Jewish Community Center Council for Holocaust Education and the EDUCATION Copies of Tulsa the book areIntroduction available City-County Library by Dr. Joseph AND Bradley of the University of Tulsa at the library's circulation desk. • Introduction by Joseph Bradley, Ph.D., THE TULSA Lecture by Dr. Alon Confino, University of Tulsa For adults. Sponsored by the author and professor CITY-COUNTY Drama performance by Coweta • Lecture by Alon Confino, Ph.D., professor and author Friends of the Collinsville Library. LIBRARY of A World Without Jews High School Drama Department • Drama performance by the Coweta High School Drama
Department, under the direction of Kim Caywood Patchworkers Tuesday, Nov. 8• 6:30-8 p.m. For more details, visit www.JewishTulsa.org call the Jewish Federation of Tulsa at 918-495-1100. If oryou want to learn to quilt or are already an experienced quilter, join us for a fun and informative evening. For adults. WWW.JEWISHTULSA.ORG | DHE@JEWISHTULSA.ORG
COMMUNITY VENUE Kristallnacht Commemoration: From Persecution to Genocide Sunday, Nov. 6 • 2 p.m. Location: Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center, Sylvan Auditorium, 2021 E. 71st St. Alon Confino, Ph.D., professor and author of “A World Without Jews,” will discuss his work and main arguments, and how it fits within our current thinking and remembering of the Holocaust and what Kristallnacht means to us today. Joseph Bradley, Ph.D., of the University of Tulsa, will give the introduction, and the Coweta High School Drama Department, under the direction of Kim Caywood, will perform a short drama entitled “Shattered and Broken.” Presented by the Council for Holocaust Education and the Tulsa City-County Library. For more details, call the Jewish Federation of Tulsa at 918-495-1100. Hearing loop available. Switch hearing aid to T-coil.
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Drop Spindle Spinning Saturday, Nov. 12 • 1-3 p.m. We’ll make our own drop spindles and learn to spin with them. All materials are provided. We’ll also have a spinning wheel to try. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7536 to register. For adults.
Books People Are Talking About Wednesday, Nov. 16 • 12:15-1:15 p.m. We will explore the novels of awardwinning Amitav Ghosh for insights into the history and culture of India. For adults. Light refreshments will be served. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
Jenks Library Book Discussion Group Thursday, Nov. 17 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Join us for a lively discussion about great books. Call 918-549-7570 to see what book we are reading. Participants should read the book prior to the program. For adults.
BATAB Thursday, Nov. 10 • 4:30-5:30 p.m. Join the Broken Arrow Teen Advisory Board for snacks and activities while giving input for future library programs and displays. For ages 12-18.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Start-Up Basics Thursday, Nov. 3 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. Location: Pecan Room • Learn the essentials of business start-ups, get action steps for your business and receive one-to-one mentoring. SCORE is a nonprofit association of volunteer business experts. Registration is required. Go to www.tulsa.score.org to register. For adults.
Mainly Mysteries Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 6:15-7:15 p.m. Read Louise Penny's “The Beautiful Mystery” and J.K. Rowling's “Cuckoo's Calling,” and then join us for this lively discussion. We’ll also discuss "murder by the book reads." For adults. Copies of the two mysteries are available at Helmerich Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
2016 KRISTALLNACHT COMMEMORATION: "FROM PERSECUTION TO GENOCIDE"
November 6 PRESENTED BY Nov. 6 Sunday, Sunday, • 2 p.m. 2 PMCenter Charles Schusterman Jewish Community THE COUNCIL Sylvan Auditorium • 2021Sylvan E. 71stAuditorium St. FOR Charles Schusterman Presented by the HOLOCAUST Jewish Community Center Council for Holocaust Education and the EDUCATION Tulsa City-CountyIntroduction Library by Dr. Joseph AND Bradley of the University of Tulsa • Introduction by Joseph Bradley, Ph.D., THE TULSA Lecture by Dr. Alon Confino, University of Tulsa author and professor CITY-COUNTY Drama performance by Coweta • Lecture by Alon Confino, Ph.D., professor and author LIBRARY of A World Without Jews High School Drama Department • Drama performance by the Coweta High School Drama WWW.JEWISHTULSA.ORG | DHE@JEWISHTULSA.ORG Department, under the direction of Kim Caywood For more details, visit www.JewishTulsa.org or call the Jewish Federation of Tulsa at 918-495-1100.
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NATHAN HALE LIBRARY Discussing Books at Nathan Hale Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 11 a.m.-noon Call 918-549-7617 for book title. For adults.
OWASSO LIBRARY Healthy Brain, Healthy Mind Series Thursdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17; Dec. 1, 8 10:30-11:30 a.m. Presented by the Northeast Center of Healthy Aging, this five-week workshop will help you understand the many ways you can maintain a healthy brain. The workshop consists of an introductory session and four enriching sessions. Those who attend will learn more than a dozen ways to improve their physical and mental health. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7624 to register.
SCHUSTERMAN-BENSON LIBRARY Mystery Readers Roundtable Thursday, Nov. 3 • 2-3 p.m. Come for coffee and find out what other mystery lovers are reading. For adults. Zentangle for Everyone Thursday, Nov. 3 • 6-7 p.m. Get your creative juices flowing! Zentangle is just a new way to doodle and is a fun way to relieve stress. A certified Zentangle instructor will guide us through some Zentangle creations that anyone can do. All materials will be provided. For all ages. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7670 to register.
teens & tweens BIXBY LIBRARY Wii Gaming Saturday, Nov. 19 • 2-3 p.m. Have fun playing a variety of video games. For ages 12-18.
Read or Die Anime Club Saturday, Nov. 19 • noon-2 p.m. Hang out with us as we watch anime, talk manga (and other stuff) and eat snacks. Come in cosplay or as you are! For ages 12-18.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH In the Middle Book Group Monday, Nov. 21 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join us for snacks and great conversation about “The Thing About Jellyfish” by Ali Benjamin. For ages 9-12.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Friday Movie Time Friday, Nov. 25 • 3:30-5:30 p.m. Join us for a free showing of “Big Hero 6.” For ages 8-13.
CENTRAL LIBRARY Movie in the Garden: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Saturday, Nov. 19 • 1-3 p.m. Location: Tandy Children’s Garden Put your Jedi costume on and watch the latest film in the “Star Wars” saga. Enjoy popcorn, work on fun crafts and be prepared to meet our special guests from a Galaxy Far, Far Away! For ages 10 and older. Introduction to Coding for Teens Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 4-5:30 p.m. Location: American Electric Power Foundation Digital Literacy Lab Learning to code can be intimidating. Where do you start? Why, at your library, of course! Join us for an introduction to the basics of computer coding in our new Digital Literacy Lab! Registration is required. Class size is limited to 10. Call 918549-7323 to register. For ages 12-18.
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Play It! Gaming at the Library Thursday, Nov. 3 • 6-7:30 p.m. Play video games with family and friends. We will have a Wii and Xbox 360 set up and ready to play. For all ages.
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Sukikyo! Anime Club Wednesday, Nov. 9 • 3:30-5 p.m. Make buttons with your favorite anime, manga or Japanese characters. For ages 12-18. After-School Teen Time Wednesday, Nov. 30 • 3-4 p.m. Learn how to make a forest frame and leaf confetti while sipping apple cider. For ages 10-18.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Minecraft Gaming Thursday, Nov. 3 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab Put your imagination to the test building your own world in the popular game Minecraft. For ages 10-18. Hardesty Teen Anime/Manga Club Saturday, Nov. 12 • 1-2:30 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge Discuss your favorite manga characters and books while making a craft. For ages 12-18. Harry Potter Party Saturday, Nov. 12 • 2-4 p.m. Location: Frossard Auditorium You are invited to Hardesty’s Harry Potter Party in honor of the new movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Waiting for the next installment of J.K. Rowling’s magical universe? Come all muggles, witches and wizards alike to join in the celebration! Create your own wand at Ollivanders or colorful slug slime in Snape’s potions class. Win prizes by finding all the horcruxes, and then grab a butter beer at the Three Broomsticks or candy from the Sugar Plum Sweet Shop. For an even more unique experience, register to see the Tulsa Zoo’s show of “Hagrid’s Magical Creatures” in Connor’s Cove (Show limited to 50 people and registration is required). For all ages. Call 918549-7550 to register for the Tulsa Zoo's "Hagrid's Magical Creatures.” Hardesty Spilled Ink: Creative Writing Group Thursday, Nov. 17 • 6-7:30 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge Develop your craft through writing exercises. Come with your own writings to share with the group, or just come to socialize and get to know other writers. All methods of storytelling are welcome. For ages 12-18.
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HELMERICH LIBRARY Teen Lab Tuesday Tuesday, Nov. 15 • 4:45-6 p.m. Join us for teen book discussions and more. We will share the new Dr.Who clue game along with other games. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY Teen Time Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 16 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab We’ll take over our computer lab for two hours and game to our hearts content. For ages 1018. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis.
MAXWELL PARK LIBRARY Holiday Crafting Stop Saturday, Nov. 26 • 3-4 p.m. Make a holiday card, ornament, snow globe or other holiday craft. Supplies are provided. Seating and supplies are limited. For ages 3-15.
NATHAN HALE LIBRARY Day of the Dead Thursday, Nov. 3 • 3:30-4:45 p.m. Join us for crafts and more to celebrate Day of the Dead. For ages 10-18.
SUBURBAN ACRES LIBRARY Native American Dream Catcher Craft Saturday, Nov. 12 • 3-4:30 p.m. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Suburban Acres Library invites tweens and teens to stop by and create a one-of-a-kind dream catcher using simple materials.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Minecraft Night Thursday, Nov. 17 • 6-7 p.m. Location: Computer Lab Put your imagination to the test building your own world in the popular game Minecraft! For ages 10-18. Seating is limited. Native Culture Make and Take Saturday, Nov. 19 ● 1-3 p.m. Come and enjoy an afternoon of Native Culture Make and Take! Projects include: Cherokee Baskets presented by Choogie Kingfisher,
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Pony Bead Key Chains presented by Stella Foster and Cherokee Pottery presented by Crystal Hanna. Participants will get to take home the projects that they make. For third grade and up. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust and American Indian Resource Center.
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digital services BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library service? Whether you want to learn how to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Appointments are available on a firstcome, first-served basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. Registration is required. For adults. Call 918-549-7500 to reserve a time.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library product or service? Whether you want to learn how to navigate the library's website and digital services or improve your computer and job skills, we are here to help. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. For adults. Call 918-549-7662 to make an appointment.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library service? Whether you want to learn to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis and last 30-60 minutes. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7507 to BookA-Librarian. For adults.
CENTRAL LIBRARY Introduction to 3-D Printing Saturday, Nov. 5 • 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16 • 1-2 p.m. Location: Renée Neuwald Trust Maker Space • See a demonstration of our 3-D printers, including software used
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to create your own designs to print out. This introduction will grant you permission to use the 3-D printers, as well as general use of the Maker Space. For all ages. Parents must be present with children ages 12 and younger. Registration is required. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 918-549-7323 to register. Digital Literacy Lab Orientation Tuesday, Nov. 8 • 6-7 p.m. Location: American Electric Power Foundation Digital Literacy Lab Want to learn more about our Digital Literacy Lab? Come and see what we’re about! Orientation is required before independent use of the lab. Registration is required. Class size is limited to 10. Call 918-549-7323 to register. For teens and adults. Introduction to CNC Desktop Carving Wednesday, Nov. 9 • 1-2 p.m. Location: Renée Neuwald Trust Maker Space • Join us as we demonstrate our CNC Desktop Carver, along with information on how to get started, what you can make and general operations. This class will grant you access to use the carver in the future, plus general Maker Space access as well. For all ages. Children ages 11 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 918-549-7323 to register. Website Development for Beginners Tuesday, Nov. 15 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. Location: American Electric Power Foundation Digital Literacy Lab This class shows how to create and develop websites using Weebly, a free online application. You should have some experience using a computer and the Internet. You will need your login information for a personal email account. Registration is required. Class size is limited to 10. Call 918-5497323 to register. For adults. Introduction to Laser Cutting Wednesday, Nov. 30 • 1-2 p.m. Location: Renée Neuwald Trust Maker Space • See a demonstration of our laser cutter and engraver, while we discuss common uses, along with software used and potential projects for you to develop. After the demonstration, this event will qualify you to use the equipment along with general Maker Space access. For all ages. Children ages 11 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 918-549-7323 to register.
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COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Job Lab Monday, Nov. 21 • 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Make an appointment to get oneto-one assistance with your job search. Library staff will help you update your résumé, create an email address, search for jobs online, complete online applications, or explore a new career in this special lab just for job seekers. You will have access to Microsoft Office software and the Internet. USB flash drives are available for purchasing or you can bring your own to save your work. Standard printing charges apply. For adults. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7528 to register.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Receive individualized instruction from library staff. Appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis and last 30-60 minutes. If you require additional time, you may make a follow-up appointment. Topics include navigating the library's website, database research, career services, computer skills, and audio and eBook tutorials. Call 918-549-7550 to schedule an appointment. For adults. MS Word 1 Tuesday, Nov. 1 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to use toolbars and menus, set margins, apply spell check, and preview, save and print documents. You should have some experience using a computer keyboard and mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. 3-D Printer Demo Saturday, Nov. 5 • 10:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 • 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge See what 3-D printing is all about with a demonstration of the Ultimaker2 3-D printer. For all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. MS Word 2 Tuesday, Nov. 8 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create and format tables, use bulleted and numbered lists, and apply and format columns in a document. You should take MS Word 1 prior to attending. For adults. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis.
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MS Word 3 Tuesday, Nov. 15 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create and use borders and shading, headers and footers, page numbering and drawing tools. You should take MS Word 2 prior to taking this class. For adults. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. MS Word 4 Tuesday, Nov. 22 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class explores mail merge, and shows how to use tables to perform calculations and create onscreen forms. You should take MS Word 3 prior to taking this class. For adults. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. MS Excel 1 Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic formatting. You should take MS Word 2 and have some experience using a mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library product or service? Whether you need to learn how to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Book-A-Librarian appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. Call 918-549-7631 to reserve your time. For adults.
JENKS LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library product or service? Whether you need to learn how to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Appointments are available on a firstcome, first-served basis and last 30-60 minutes. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7570 to register. For adults.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY MS Excel 1 Saturday, Nov. 5 • 10 a.m.-noon Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create formulas, use automatic fill and
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change basic formatting. You should take MS Word 2 and have some experience using a mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. MS Excel 2 Saturday, Nov. 12 • 10 a.m.-noon Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create and edit formulas, and apply functions and advanced formatting to your spreadsheets and workbooks. You should take MS Excel 1 prior to taking this class. For adults. MS Excel 3 Saturday, Nov. 19 • 10 a.m.-noon Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create charts, apply conditional formatting and control the appearance of printed spreadsheets. You should take MS Excel 2 prior to taking this class. For adults.
NATHAN HALE LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library product or service? Whether you need to learn how to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Book-A-Librarian appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. Call 918-549-7618 to reserve your time. For adults.
RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY Really Basic Computer Class Wednesday, Nov. 2 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class is designed for new computer users who have little or no previous experience using computers, Windows, a mouse or the Internet, and little or no knowledge of basic computer terms. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register. MS Word 1 Wednesday, Nov. 9 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to use toolbars and menus, set margins, apply spell check, and preview, save and print documents. You should have some experience using a computer keyboard and mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register.
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Internet @ the Library Wednesday, Nov. 16 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class is designed for people with little or no experience using the Internet. You will learn to navigate the World Wide Web and use the library's catalog system and online resources. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register. Email 101 Wednesday, Nov. 30 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class teaches you how to set up a free account and use it to send and receive email. You should take an Internet @ the Library class or have a familiarity with the basic functions of navigating the Internet prior to taking this class. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library product or service? Whether you need to learn how to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Book-A-Librarian appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. For adults. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7683 to register. Really Basic Computer Class Wednesday, Nov. 16 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class is designed for new computer users who have little or no previous experience using computers, Windows, a mouse or the Internet, and little or no knowledge of basic computer terms. For adults. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis.
children BIXBY LIBRARY My First Storytime Mondays, Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28 10:10-10:30 a.m. • Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
c h i l d r e n Preschool Storytime Mondays, Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28 11-11:30 a.m. • The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. For ages 3-5. PAWS for Reading Thursday, Nov. 10 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Elementary, My Dear Book Club Thursday, Nov. 17 • 5:15-6 p.m. What happened to Dirt and Sugar's
c o n t i n u e d baby chick siblings? Will J.J. the dog ever get to enjoy his retirement from a life of search-and-rescue missions? Read "The Trouble With Chickens" by Doreen Cronin to find out, and then join us for a book discussion, mystery activities and lots of fun. For ages 5-12. Parents are welcome to attend.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 10:30-11 a.m. • The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. For ages 3-5.
Movie: “Pocahontas” Saturday, Nov. 12 • 10:30 a.m.-noon Join us for a showing of Disney’s “Pocahontas.” For all ages.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY My First Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 10:30-11 a.m. • Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Explore and Play Thursdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11 a.m. • For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! Join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers. Adventures in Science Friday, Nov. 4 • 2-3 p.m. Explore different science topics through hands-on projects that are fun for the whole family. For ages 5-12. Saturday Morning Movie Saturday, Nov. 5 • 10:30 a.m.-noon Inspired by Ron and Judi Barrett's beloved children's book of the same name, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” follows inventor Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) and a brainy weathergirl (voice of Anna Faris) as they attempt to discover why the rain in their small town has stopped, and food is falling in its place. For all ages. Preschool Storytime Mondays, Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28 10:30-11 a.m. • The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. For ages 3-5. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Nov. 9 • 4-5 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
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c h i l d r e n Stay and Play Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:30-11 a.m. • Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Nov. 2 • 4:30-5:30 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7662 to register.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 30 10:15-10:45 a.m. • The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. For ages 2-5. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 30 11-11:20 a.m. • Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. For newborns to 24-montholds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Friday, Nov. 18 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent
c o n t i n u e d listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7507 to register.
and other reading-related activities are shared with your child. Enjoy storytime and then stay after for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger and their caregivers.
Friday Movie Time Friday, Nov. 25 • 3:30-5:30 p.m. Join us for a free showing of “Big Hero 6.” For ages 8-13.
Babies, Bubbles & Books Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 16, 30 10:30-11 a.m. • Location: Tandy Children’s Garden • Enjoy stories, rhymes and songs with your little one in this garden storytime. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
CENTRAL LIBRARY Family Fun Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 10:30-11 a.m. • Location: Mary K. Chapman Children’s Storytime Room The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes
tulsa city-county library locations 24 Bixby Library 20 E. Breckenridge, 74008 • 918-549-7514 M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 12-8; Sat., 10-5 18 Broken Arrow Library 300 W. Broadway, 74012 • 918-549-7500 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 22 Broken Arrow Library/South 3600 S. Chestnut, 74011 • 918-549-7662 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 16 Brookside Library 1207 E. 45th Place, 74105 • 918-549-7507 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 9 Central Library 400 Civic Center, 74103 • 918-549-7323 M-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 8 Charles Page Library 551 E. Fourth St., Sand Springs, 74063 918-549-7521 • M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 10-8; Sat., 10-5 2 Collinsville Library 1223 Main, 74021 • 918-549-7528 M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 12-8; Sat., 10-5 23 Glenpool Library 730 E. 141st St., 74033 • 918-549-7535 M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 12-8; Sat., 10-5 21 Hardesty Regional Library and Genealogy Center 8316 E. 93rd St., 74133 • 918-549-7550 M-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 20 Helmerich Library 5131 E. 91st St., 74137 • 918-549-7631 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 17 Herman and Kate Kaiser Library 5202 S. Hudson Ave., Suite B, 74135 918-549-7542 • M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 19 Jenks Library 523 W. B St., 74037 • 918-549-7570 M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 10-8; Sat., 10-5
3 Judy Z. Kishner Library 10150 N. Cincinnati Ave. E., Sperry 74073 • 918-549-7577 M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 12-8; Sat., 10-5 10 Kendall-Whittier Library 21 S. Lewis, 74104 • 918-549-7584 M, T, W, Th, F, 10-6; Sat., 10-5 14 Martin Regional Library and Hispanic Resource Center 2601 S. Garnett Road, 74129 • 918-549-7590 M-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 7 Maxwell Park Library 1313 N. Canton, 74115 • 918-549-7610 M, T, W, Th, F, 10-6; Sat., 10-5 13 Nathan Hale Library 6038 E. 23rd St., 74114 • 918-549-7617 M, T, W, Th, F, 10-6; Sat., 10-5 4 Owasso Library 103 W. Broadway, 74055 • 918-549-7624 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 11 Pratt Library 3219 S. 113th W. Ave., Sand Springs, 74063 • 918-549-7638 M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 10-8; Sat., 10-5 6 Rudisill Regional Library and African-American Resource Center 1520 N. Hartford, 74106 • 918-549-7645 M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 12 Schusterman-Benson Library 3333 E. 32nd Place, 74135 918-549-7670 • M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 1 Skiatook Library 316 E. Rogers, 74070 • 918-549-7676 M, W, F, 10-6; T, Th, 12-8; Sat., 10-5 5 Suburban Acres Library 4606 N. Garrison, 74126 • 918-549-7655 M, T, W, Th, F, 10-6; Sat., 10-5 15 Zarrow Regional Library and American Indian Resource Center 2224 W. 51st St., 74107 • 918-549-7683 M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5
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Hands On! Thursdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11 a.m. • Location: Tandy Children’s Garden • Busy hands, busy brain! Preschoolers learn through
c h i l d r e n hands-on activities. Join us to explore, experiment and create. Be ready to get messy! For ages 3-5. Games in the Garden Thursdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 • 3:30-5 p.m. Location: Tandy Children’s Garden If the weather is nice, join us for some outside fun and games! For all ages. First Friday Art Crawl With Gilcrease Museum Friday, Nov. 4 • 4:30-5:30 p.m. Location: Tandy Children’s Garden Gilcrease staff will help us explore artists featured at the museum while your young artist creates a masterpiece of his or her own! For ages 5-10. App Zoo: Coding for Kids Monday, Nov. 7 • 4-5 p.m. Location: American Electric Power Foundation Digital Literacy Lab Are you interested in teaching your child coding skills, but don’t know where to start? Start at your library, of course! Bring your tween and join us as we explore coding apps for early learners in our new Digital Literacy Lab. Registration is required. Class size is limited to 10. Call 918549-7323 to register. For ages 9-11. Toddlers, Trikes & Tales Wednesdays, Nov. 9, 23 • 10:30-11 a.m. Location: Tandy Children’s Garden This storytime is perfect or toddlers who like their stories while on the move. Enjoy songs and stories along with games and activities for toddlers. For ages 3 and younger. PAWS for Reading Saturday, Nov. 12 • 1-2 p.m. Location: Mary K. Chapman Children’s Storytime Room Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-10 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7323 to register. Central Kids Yoga Friday, Nov. 18 • 10:30-11:30 a.m. Location: Tandy Children’s Garden This program will introduce your children to yoga, help them to learn healthy lifestyle habits and set the foundation for a fit future. For ages 4-8. Registration is required. Class size is limited to 24. Call 918-549-7323 to register. Wheel Friends Storytime With Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 10:30-11 a.m. Location: Mary K. Chapman Children’s Storytime Room Join us for a special storytime that will focus on friends who
move differently. The reigning Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma will read stories and show off how she uses her wheelchair to get around. Songs, movements and other fun activities included! For ages 5 and younger.
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Stories From the Rocking Chair Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15 • 10:30-11 a.m. The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. For ages 3-5. Play It! Gaming at the Library Thursday, Nov. 3 • 6-7:30 p.m. Play video games with family and friends. We will have a Wii and Xbox 360 set up and ready to play. For all ages. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Nov. 16 • 3-4 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
GLENPOOL LIBRARY Family Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:30-11:30 a.m. • For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! Enjoy storytime and then stay after for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 4 and younger with their families. Tulsa Children’s Museum Presents: Animal Adventure Saturday, Nov. 12 • 3-4 p.m. Join us for an imaginary trek through the jungle as we pretend to be explorers on a grand animal adventure. For ages 5-10. Seating is limited. PAWS for Reading Thursday, Nov. 17 • 4-5 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7536 to register.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY My First Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Mondays, Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28 10-10:20 a.m. • Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit
c o n t i n u e d storytime. For newborns to 2-years-old and their caregivers. Toddler Time Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 11-11:20 a.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10-10:20 a.m. Enjoy stories, action rhymes, fun flannels, music, bubbles and meeting other toddlers in the neighborhood. For ages 2-3 and their caregivers. Mr. Paul's Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Mr. Paul's Family Storytime Thursdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 • 6:30-7 p.m. For all ages. Books to Treasure 2016: Meet Rafael Lopez Friday, Nov. 4 • 7-8 p.m. Location: Connor's Cove Celebrate the beauty and power of children's literature with awardwinning illustrator Rafael Lopez. This fall, as part of the 2016 Books to Treasure program, every secondgrader in Tulsa County received a FREE copy of "Tito Puente, Mambo King," illustrated by Lopez. Now young readers and their families are invited to hear Mr. Lopez give an energetic presentation about his art and life. Book signing will follow. Books will be available to purchasing. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust through a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.
movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Waiting for the next installment of J.K. Rowling’s magical universe? Come all muggles, witches and wizards alike to join in the celebration! Create your own wand at Ollivanders or colorful slug slime in Snape’s potions class. Win prizes by finding all the horcruxes, and then grab a butter beer at the Three Broomsticks or candy from the Sugar Plum Sweet Shop. For an even more unique experience, register to see the Tulsa Zoo’s show of “Hagrid’s Magical Creatures” in Connor’s Cove (Show limited to 50 people and registration is required). For all ages. Call 918549-7550 to register for the Tulsa Zoo's "Hagrid's Magical Creatures.”
HELMERICH LIBRARY Stay and Play Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29 10:30-11:30 a.m. • For children of all ages, playing is learning! Enjoy storytime and stay after for toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 2-5 and their caregivers.
Harry Potter Party Saturday, Nov. 12 • 2-4 p.m. Location: Frossard Auditorium You are invited to Hardesty’s Harry Potter Party in honor of the new
en español BIBLIOTECA KENDALL-WHITTIER Cuentos Bilingües Miércoles, 2, 30 de noviembre 10-10:45 a.m. • Cuentos, canciones y actividades en inglés y español. Para las edades 3-5. BIBLIOTECA REGIONAL MARTIN Cuentos Bilingües Martes, 1, 8, 15, 29 de noviembre 11-11:30 a.m. • Cuentos, canciónes y actividades en inglés y español. Para las edades 0-5.
Patrocinado por el Centro Hispano y el Fideicomiso de las Bibliotecas de Tulsa. Informes al 918-549-7597.
www.TulsaLibrary.org/hrc BIBLIOTECA NATHAN HALE Cita con una bibliotecaria El 1 a 30 de noviembre ¿Necesitas ayuda con algún servicio digital que ofrece la biblioteca? Para aprender cómo utilizer los libros electrónicos o mejorar la búsqueda de trabajo, concerta una cita con la bibliotecaria. Llama 918-549-7618 para hacer una reservación. Las citas duran entre 30 a 60 minutos. Para mayores de 16 años
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
NOVEMBER 2016
c h i l d r e n
JENKS LIBRARY
NATHAN HALE LIBRARY
PAWS for Reading Tuesday, Nov. 1 • 4-5 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7570 to register.
Mrs. Cindy's Storytime Thursdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11 a.m. • Join Mrs. Cindy for reading adventures, music, rhymes and fun. For ages 5 and younger.
My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 30 10-10:15 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 30 10:30-11 a.m. • For ages 3-5.
JUDY Z. KISHNER LIBRARY Terrific Tuesday: "Eek! Squeak!" Tuesday, Nov. 15 • 6-7 p.m. There's a mouse in the house ... and he's hungry! Join him for a plateful of enjoyment at this Terrific Tuesday event for ages 5-10.
KENDALL-WHITTIER LIBRARY Bilingual Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 30 • 10-10:45 a.m. Enjoy stories, songs and activities in English and Spanish. For ages 3-5.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY Bilingual Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29 11-11:30 a.m. • Location: Storytime Castle • Enjoy stories, songs and activities in English and Spanish. For ages 0-5. Lego Lab Thursday, Nov. 17 • 4-5 p.m. Learn new building ideas, partner with other children during team-building challenges and explore free building. Leave your Legos at home and come play with ours! For ages 6-12.
MAXWELL PARK LIBRARY Holiday Crafting Stop Saturday, Nov. 26 • 3-4 p.m. Make a holiday card, ornament, snow globe or other holiday craft. Supplies are provided. Seating and supplies are limited. For ages 3-15.
Day of the Dead Thursday, Nov. 3 • 3:30-4:45 p.m. Join us for crafts and more to celebrate Day of the Dead. For ages 8 and older.
OWASSO LIBRARY My First Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10-10:25 a.m. • Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:30-11 a.m. • The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. For ages 3-5. Stay and Play Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 11-11:30 a.m. • For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger. Homeschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 2-3 p.m. • Join us as we read stories and make a craft. For ages 5-10. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Nov. 9 • 4-5 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7624 to register.
PRATT LIBRARY Miss Connie's Storytime Thursdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11:15 a.m. • Talk, sing, read, write and play with Miss Connie and your storytime friends! For ages 5 and younger with an adult.
www.TulsaLibrary.org
c o n t i n u e d
RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY
SUBURBAN ACRES LIBRARY
Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10-10:30 a.m. • Location: Storytime Room • For ages 2-5.
Let’s Make a Fall Craft Saturday, Nov. 19 • 1-2 p.m. Join Ms. Beverly and make a fall craft to take home. For ages 6-12.
Lego Club Thursday, Nov. 17 • 3:30-5 p.m. Create and build with Legos. All Legos are provided and must stay at the library. For all ages.
SCHUSTERMANBENSON LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 10:30-11 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Stay and Play Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10-10:20 a.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:30-10:50 a.m. Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. For newborns to 2-yearolds and their caregivers. Stay and Play Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:30-11:30 a.m. • For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Monday, Nov. 14 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust. Registration is required. Seating is limited. Call 918-549-7670 to register. Turkey Tuesday Tuesday, Nov. 15 • 4-5 p.m. Join us for a special turkeythemed storytime, plus games, songs and a craft! For ages 4-8. Class size is limited. An adult must accompany children under age 6.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Stay and Play Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:30-11:30 a.m. • For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! Enjoy storytime and then stay after for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger. Native Culture Make and Take Saturday, Nov. 19 • 1-3 p.m. Come and enjoy an afternoon of Native Culture Make and Take! Projects include: Cherokee Baskets presented by Choogie Kingfisher, Pony Bead Key Chains presented by Stella Foster and Cherokee Pottery presented by Crystal Hanna. Participants will get to take home the projects that they make. For third grade and up. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust and American Indian Resource Center. Fall Craft Night Tuesday, Nov. 22 • 6-7 p.m. Celebrate autumn with fall-themed crafts that the whole family can enjoy making together. Apple cider and materials will be provided in this fun drop-in program. For ages 3-12. LEGO Club Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 6-7 p.m. Create and build with LEGOs. We provide the LEGOs, you provide the imagination. All LEGOs must stay in the library. For all ages. TO SEARCH FOR EVENTS, SCAN THIS CODE USING YOUR MOBILE DEVICE AND QR SCANNER APP.
Free and Open to the Public If you are hearing-impaired and need a qualified interpreter, please call the library 48 hours in advance of the program. The Tulsa Book Review and Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide are printed on partially recycled paper.
The Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide is produced by the Public Relations Office of the Tulsa City-County Library. For questions or concerns, call 918-549-7389.
as the reader is offered a glance into her life and how she manages to get by working as a motorcycle courier. However, I felt like the secondary characters were shallow and one-dimensional. Sure, they had backgrounds, but I felt as if they were just there as a filler material. Nevertheless, I found the book to be quite an enjoyable read. I was definitely glued to it from the beginning, wondering how it would end.
Category
Speculative Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET By Becky Chambers Harper Voyager, $15.99, 464 pages Reviewed by Kevin Winter Check this out! Though I like decently written books that do not feel long, I like it better when they get to the meat of the story quicker than this one. This story’s main action does not even really begin until more than half-way through the book. Rosemary Harper is running into space to escape from her life on Mars. She has changed her identity and signed up on a tunnel ship that has seen better days. She joins a mixed crew as they work on punching wormholes in space between different colonies. Then comes an offer that promises a lot more pay--one that could change the fortune of all aboard and that is punch a hole to a group of very violent people who have agreed to join the other races. But, as I mentioned, this second part does not even really begin until the book is halfway over. The first half is really just slice of life on the ship as it visits planets, punches wormholes, and more. You’re left wondering where the story is going. THE LONG COSMOS: A NOVEL LONG EARTH By Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter Harper, $25.99, 400 pages Reviewed by Axie Barclay Check this out! It’s Joshua Valiente’s birthday, and the mighty stepper looks to spend it in pilgrimage to the High Megas, stepping away from civilization to have a think on life, love, and the pursuit of happiness in an ever-expanding series of worlds. Or he would be having a think if he hadn’t just gotten his leg smashed in some far off, godforsaken Long Earth, far from anyone who might have an inkling as to where he is or any way of sending help. Luckily, a troll band has appeared, literally stepping in to save Joshua in his hours, or months in this case, of dire need. And so begins the concluding volume of the epic series by two rock star voices in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. The Long Cosmos is an epic novel, part of an epic series. It’s rich and funny, with heart-rending tragedy and finely honed wit. The late Terry Pratchett’s iconic humor remains present throughout. After all, it’s the only series where a Tibetan motorcycle repairman can find himself inside of a soda machine. As with all Long Earth novels, Stephen Baxter’s world-building keeps it strongly based in fact. The Long Cosmos is a suitable and satisfying conclusion to the Long Earth story. THE COURIER: A SAN ANGELES NOVEL By Gerald Brandt DAW, $25.00, 304 pages Reviewed by Michael Shulman Check this out! The Courier is a fast-paced science fiction novel, written by Gerald Brandt, that takes place in a future California. San Angeles, as the super-large city is called in the book, is all the land from San Francisco to San Diego combined. San Angeles also has multiple levels and is run by various corporations. In the midst of it all, sixteen-year-old Kris Ballard, the protagonist of the story, does odd jobs throughout San Angeles, delivering packages on her motorcycle to various levels. For Kris, who is a runaway, it is the only way for her to get by and support herself. One time, however, when delivering yet another package, she walks in on a murder. In an instant, her life changes, and she’s now being hunted by corporations and the military, who will do anything in their power to get the package from her, including having her killed. Overall, the plot is very fast-paced and fluid. Brandt is very good in leaving out all the unnecessary details so the reader is left with all the wild action. The suspense is definitely there, as is character development, but only for the protagonist. I felt like Kris was very well developed,
NEW POMPEII By Daniel Godfrey Titan Books, $14.95, 352 pages Reviewed by Jordan Binkerd Check this out! The space-time continuum has just been privatized. Novus Particles, an international energy firm, has inadvertently discovered a way to reach into the past and pluck out something… or someone. Despite rampant conspiracy theories, NovusPart claims that the space-time continuum is safe, as they have only ever transported people about to die—people with no future impact on history to be messed with. The proof of concept was the passengers and crew from a doomed airliner. Their encore? Nearly the entire population of Pompeii, snatched from history in the moments before the wrath of Vesuvius consumed the village. NovusPart has recreated the town as best they can, and spun a fable about being the agents of the deified Emperor. On the surface, all seems well…but the Romans were not stupid, and NovusPart has dangerously underestimated their captives. Daniel Godfrey’s debut novel is truly a page-turner. His pseudo-science remains vague enough to be plausible without being annoying, and he leverages it to shift the world just ever so slightly, changing everything you think you know. The narrative continuously jumps between two threads, with the third-person narrator still managing to prove occasionally unreliable. We have struggling grad student Nick Houghton, trying desperately to figure out why he’s been selected to be the historical adviser at New Pompeii, and Kirsten Chapman, pulled through time mid-bath for reasons she cannot explain. Only time will tell the roles they are set to play in this little drama and whether or not either of them will survive… LIFE DEBT: AFTERMATH By Chuck Wendig Del Rey, $28.99, 448 pages Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Check this out! As the New Republic makes great strides in solidifying its position, others vie for control of the fractured remains of the Empire. Norra Wexley’s strike team continues to capture key Imperial targets, but they soon take on a new mission for Princess Leia: finding her missing husband. Han Solo has vanished after a brazen attempt to liberate Chewbacca’s homeworld, but in a galaxy steeped in chaos, can Norra’s ragtag team find one man? Aftermath: Life Debt picks up where Aftermath left off, filling in the crucial years between ROTJ and The Force Awakens, and Wendig masterfully plots a story full of personal moments with galactic consequences. He takes us into the uncertainty of the New Republic, the manipulations of a new Imperial player, and all around the galaxy for moments big and small. It’s an impressive web to weave, and every character beat feels spot-on, whether it’s an iconic figure like Han or Aftermath originals like Sinjir or Jas. Even in scenes where the reader knows what comes next, Wendig keeps things suspenseful, never losing sight of the emotional core that always infuses the best of Star Wars, taking it above and beyond its fantastical sci-fi trappings. An absolutely outstanding effort. FALLOUT: THE HOT WAR By Harry Turtledove Del Rey, $28.00, 432 pages Reviewed by Michael Shulman Check this out! Fallout is the second entry in Harry Turtledove’s The Hot War series. The setting takes place during the Cold War, and the book explores the question of what would happen if either the United States or the Soviet Union made a decision to nuke the other side. The two characters that are prominently featured in the book are Joseph Stalin and Harry Truman. However, there are other characters who are just as significant and central to the plot, such as a Holocaust survivor and a Soviet soldier, among a few others. Even though Fallout is the second book in the series, Turtledove gives enough information from the previous novel, Bombs Away, that is crucial to the second book’s plot. While it is helpful to read Bombs Away to get the very juicy details, it is not necessary. What I also liked about the book is the author’s erudition regarding history. From his writing, it is very clear that Turtledove is a skilled historian as well as a masterful storyteller. Another thing that I liked is Turtledove’s description of how one wrong move can have reverberating consequences in many parts of the globe, like when we see Communist China flexing its muscle to invade Korea. I enjoy reading alternate history because of the what-if’s. What if the Cold War had become hot? Harry Turtledove explores this question in this book. I would definitely recommend Fallout to anybody who enjoys reading alternate history and tense political thrillers.
Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 9
Thing They Don’t Talk About is like a dark cloud over Noah, his sister Emma, and his parents. He worries about it all the time and wonders if it’s his fault or if he should have done more or if it will happen again. And no one, not even his best friends or his teachers or anyone else, seems to worry or care about it. And then it happens all over again, and Noah feels incredibly responsible and alone. Author Jo Knowles has written a beautifully crafted novel about a very tough topic, encapsulating it in a laugh-out-loud, very real story of a young boy. Noah tells his story in the pitch-perfect voice of a boy who worries about pimples, girls, farting, a hairless cat, homework, and his best friend, his sister Emma, who seems to be disappearing. This is a profoundly important book that should not be missed.
Category
Teens
AS OLD AS TIME: A TWISTED TALE By Liz Braswell Disney Press, $17.99, 496 pages Reviewed by Randy-Lynne Wach Check this out!
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WITHOUT ANNETTE By Jane B. Mason Scholastic Press, $18.99, 336 pages Reviewed by Emma McGorray Check this out! Eager to escape Annette’s complicated home life, Josie and her girlfriend Annette apply to a boarding school called Brookwood and use their acceptances as tickets out of their hometown. Josie expects that going to Brookwood together will allow her to grow even closer to Annette, but when they arrive at the school, Annette falls into a crowd of girls that Josie doesn’t fit into and wants to keep her relationship with Josie a secret. As she deals with her growing distance from Annette, Josie meets new friends of her own, goes on late-night adventures, and begins to discover who she really is. Josie’s story is emotional; however, there were moments that could have been very moving but instead seemed to fall a little flat. In addition, some loose ends about minor characters could have been tied up more neatly. Despite these shortcomings, however, Without Annette is a powerful and important story that gives needed representation to complex lesbian relationships and champions learning, changing, and being true to oneself.
Category
Tweens SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
THE THING ABOUT LEFTOVERS By C.C. Payne Nancy Paulsen Books, $16.99, 288 pages Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Check this out! Fizzy is 12 years old, not an easy age, and after her parents divorce, she and Mom move to a new town — a town where she has no friends, the wrong clothes, and hateful teachers. Dad gets remarried, and he and his wife start a new family. Then Mom is marrying Keene, and they want kids. Fizzy just isn’t enough of a family. She doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere and is just a leftover. When Keene moves in everything changes. Fizzy no longer gets to cook—her real passion—can’t leave any of her stuff out, and doesn’t even get to watch TV with Mom. But Fizzy tries to be perfect and not bother anyone. The only things that keep her going are her new friends, Miyoko and Zach, her Aunt Liz, and her desire to win a cooking contest. Author C. C. Payne has written a perfect story for middlegraders. It hits a lot of things kids worry about most. The voice of Fizzy in this first-person narrative is pitch perfect. This may capture the experience of children of divorce better than any book out there and deserves readership beyond a middle-grade audience. A winner! STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS By Jo Knowles Candlewick Press, $16.99, 320 pages Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Check this out! Seventh grade isn’t easy, but for Noah it’s especially hard. He has great friends—Ryan and Sam—but things are changing. Sam has a girlfriend, and Ryan seems so angry that the three of them are having trouble just being friends. And, of course, The
Disney’s classic Beauty and the Beast takes a dark, yet intriguing, turn in this twisted tale. In this story, Belle’s absent mother was a powerful sorceress named Rosalind—the sorceress, in fact, who cast the spell cursing a spoiled young prince to life as a Beast unless he could learn to love. The beginning plodded, as I itched to follow the story of young Maurice and Rosalind, but every other chapter interrupted the flow with Belle’s familiar story—basically straight out of the movie. However, after the first section (about the point where Belle sneaks into the forbidden west wing), the narrative spins off in a new direction entirely. I grew up with Disney’s animated classics, and Beauty and the Beast was one I, a bookish brunette in a small town, particularly identified with, so I was intrigued, but not quite certain how I would respond to this book. I collect novelizations of the classic fairy tale, though, so this addition could not be overlooked. Happily, it stays true to a beloved relic from my childhood while taking on new, more mature (still teen-friendly) themes. I will be seeking out the earlier titles from the Twisted Tale set and am looking forward to more.
Category
Kids’ Books SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
RETURN By Aaron Becker Candlewick, $15.99, 40 pages Reviewed by Josh Harrison Check this out! Return is the third and final installment of the Journey trilogy of wordless picture books written and illustrated by Caldecott honoree Aaron Becker. As with all wordless picture books, the burden is on the artwork to tell the tale. And it should come as no surprise that Becker’s wondrous illustrations are more than up to the task. We follow once again an adventurous girl and her magical red crayon. This time, her father follows her through the magic portal she draws. And this time, their foes brandish a device that negates the magic crayon’s ability to create. Dad and daughter can only flee. Is the solution to their dilemma contained within mysterious petroglyphs they discover? Audiences can enjoy Journey without having read its predecessor books. The magnificent artwork is extremely effective at building an alternate world, immersing readers into that world, and conveying a story without using a single word. (Perhaps the trilogy is itself an homage to petroglyphs.) Unconstrained by vocabulary level, Return is a marvelous read for kids of any age, while the artwork makes it coffee table-worthy for adults as well. UNBOUND: A NOVEL IN VERSE By Ann E. Burg Scholastic Press, $16.99, 352 pages Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Check this out! Grace is only nine years old, but when one is a slave, age doesn’t matter. Being old enough to work is old enough, especially when one has an uncaring master and a mistress who is mean as a hungry gator and vengeful as a startled skunk. Grace is ripped from her mother and brothers and taken to serve in the big house. She really has to watch herself and never let her thoughts slip out between her lips; not an easy task for a smart and headstrong girl like Grace. When she slips up, she puts her mother and brothers in great danger, and they have no choice but to go on the run. The road to freedom is fraught with peril and worry. See UNBOUND, cont’d on page 11 Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 10
UNBOUND, cont’d from page 10 main character, nine-year-old Grace. It is a powerful story that stands as a testament to those brave souls who survived so much. Don’t miss this one. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING By Arthur Levine, Katie Kath Running Press Kids, $16.95, 40 pages Reviewed by Holly Scudero Check this out! Little Noah absolutely loves visiting his grandparents! Every day, he goes for a walk with Grandpa and makes breakfast with Grandma, and the whole day is beautiful and filled with singing. But then one summer, things start to change. Grandpa isn’t quite acting like himself any more: he doesn’t sing as much and sometimes he can’t even seem to remember who Noah is. Noah is sad; he doesn’t know what to do. Is there some way he can help bring Grandpa back to himself? What a Beautiful Morning tackles a topic that is all too familiar to many kids: dementia in grandparents. Parents often have a hard time figuring out how to help kids understand so this picture book could be an invaluable tool in some family situations. Author Arthur A. Levine does a fantastic job of both explaining how dementia might look and feel to a child while offering ideas to help young readers understand it. Katie Kath’s illustrations aid in the process, with Grandpa going partially or completely to grayscale when he’s struggling. While the subject matter is rather heartbreaking, this book does an excellent job introducing kids to a sensitive topic. IN FOCUS By Libby Walden 360 Degrees, $22.99, 28 pages Reviewed by Mi-Ah Kim Check this out!
unfold the page, it reveals the cross section of a shark’s anatomy and a slew of more information regarding their jaws, teeth, skeleton, skin, dorsal fin, and tail. This style continues throughout the length of the book for a variety of sections. In Focus is an engaging children’s book that will be opened time and time again. It has a wealth of knowledge that can be spanned across many sittings and would have been a favorite of mine as a kid. The illustrations are beautiful and provide a fun way to discover the world at a young age. And with all that is provided in the book, the design never becomes too busy or hard on the eyes. DO NOT BRING YOUR DRAGON TO THE LIBRARY By Julie Gassman, Andy Elkerton (illustrator) Capstone Young Readers, $14.95, 32 pages Reviewed by Josh Harrison Check this out! Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library is both humorous and practical advice. In this rhyming picture book, the protagonist wants to bring a dragon to the library–an authentic childlike aspiration providing wholesome imaginary fun (and good material for illustration). The majority of the book consists of explanations from the librarian as to why bringing a dragon to the library is inadvisable. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and action-packed. Though it’s not clear why different types of dragons were used in each example of why dragons don’t belong at the library. Does the protagonist have a zoo full of dragons at home? The book promotes diversity, with two main characters of color. Readers who enjoy “Easter eggs” will get a kick out of clever image background details like the name of the library (Honalee). The rhyme meter is mostly solid. Although the book does not offer any rising tension as the protagonist struggles to achieve his desire. And, in the end, it is not the protagonist who solves his own problem. The finale does offer a pleasing twist and conveys the theme that if you are creative, you can sidestep a rule.
Close-ups, cross sections, and cutaways galore! Libby Walden has created a feast for the eyes. This educational book for children takes an in-depth look at everything from our oceans to space. Each section spans across two pages with flaps on both sides – it is practically bursting with information for kids to devour. When you unfold the pages, the information gets more and more specific. Example? The “Ocean” section begins with a surface level look which they describe as “Outside Ocean” and you see a shark with this fun fact: “Sharks are the largest predatory fish in the ocean, and with their lightweight skeleton and streamlined design, they are also speedy swimmers!” When you
Friday, Nov. 4 • 7 p.m.
Hardesty Regional Library, Connor’s Cove 8316 E. 93rd St. • 918.549.7550
Meet children’s illustrator Rafael López. A book signing will follow.
Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust through a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. “Tito Puente, Mambo King” written by Monica Brown, illustrated by Rafael López, published by HarperCollins © 2013
Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 11
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Cooking, Food Biographies & Memoirs & Wine SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
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WHOLE FOOD BABY: 200 NUTRITIONALLY BALANCED RECIPES FOR A HEALTHY START By Michele Olivier Barron’s Educational Series, $18.99, 176 pages Reviewed by George Erdosh Check this out! Any reader with new babies will greatly benefit from Michele Olivier’s Whole Food Baby. Olivier divides her book into four sections according to the different feeding regimens for babies less than four months old to past four months. Each section is neatly color coded, and recipes range from simple purees through combination purees through chunky purees until the baby is ready for finger foods. Each section offers a number of healthy recipes and variations for each. They are easy to prepare and, wisely, Olivier adds small amount of spice to each to have the baby accept and enjoy flavorful foods, using thirteen common spices. Each recipe has one or several of fifteen nutritional keys, explained in the first section. The writing is good, simple, clear. The first three chapters are meant to be in conjunction with breast feeding or formula, while the last chapter is for older children over the age of four. Photo illustrations are helpful as occasional sidebars and notes (allergies and food intolerances; nuts and seeds). The author offers two useful indexes: recipes by key nutritional benefits and a good general index. This book will be much used; if possible, buy one in hardback edition. BREAD ILLUSTRATED: A STEPBYSTEP GUIDE TO ACHIEVING BAKERYQUALITY RESULTS AT HOME By The Editors at America’s Test Kitchen America’s Test Kitchen, $29.95, 432 pages Reviewed by Heidi Komlofske-Rojek Check this out! September rolls around, the kids go back to school, and fall is suddenly in the air. Or, if you live in Northern California, like I do, it’s still in the 90s, but you know it’s fall everywhere else. And that means BAKING! Luckily, America’s Test Kitchen Bread Illustrated: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results at Home arrives to my kitchen to add fuel to my fire to bake up a storm. This is the first bread book put out by America’s Test Kitchen. I have a feeling it’s going to be good. After quickly flipping through the pages, my mouth starts watering. For a carb-o-holic like me, it’s like a drug. I begin reading the book’s introduction. I’ve been a baker pretty much all of my life. I learned from the best: my grandmother, whom I playfully nicknamed “Baker Grandma.” Whenever she came to visit, she taught me how to make pies and cookies. She instilled the love of creating baked goods in me, which carries through to today. The things we, as adults, remember from our childhood hanging out with a grandparent always have to do with either being in the kitchen with grandma or tinkering outside with grandpa. Teaching a child to cook is a memory we can give them that will last forever. But grandma never really taught me why we use different flours for different breads or what the various yeasts yield. That’s what this book taught me. It even went over the basic bread-baking equipment you may wish to invest in -- most of which we already have on our shelves. However, I will admit that I’ll be purchasing a bread thermometer. That little thing can be invaluable. The pages detailing the bread baker’s pantry lend to all sorts of cooking -- not just bread baking. So, even if you’re not into bread (GAH, shame on you!), read these pages. It will enhance your everyday cooking knowledge. The book is also very nicely indexed for easily finding recipes. < br><br>The book’s photos are delicious! Everything is laid out so nicely. One of the best parts I found about this book was how to know if you’ve kneaded the dough enough. It’s a simple test that I tried for the first time in my life on the recipes I made from the book. So I sat down at the kitchen table, like so many of us when we get a new cookbook, and marked the recipes I wanted to make. So many good ones. But I settled on three that I wanted to make. Granted, I haven’t made ALL of the recipes from this book -- and I WILL -- but I will always lean towards the America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks because I let them work out all the kinks in a recipe. I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve tried from online where I said, “It was good, but it needs something….” You just can’t go wrong with any of their cookbooks. This one will carry me through the winter this year…if California ever gets there.
TODAY WE DIE A LITTLE!: THE INIMITABLE EMIL ZÁTOPEK, THE GREATEST OLYMPIC RUNNER OF ALL TIME By Richard Askwith Nation Books, $26.99, 496 pages Reviewed by C.D. Quyn Check this out! This is not the first or even the second biography to distinguish the famous Olympic champion, and it probably won’t be the last. Two aspects of Askwith’s work improve on what has already been written about this legendary track superstar. First of all, this biography grapples with the legend itself, separating fact from fiction and facing the hard truth of Zatopek’s failures off the field. Secondly, Askwith writes from the perspective of a runner himself. While Zatopek’s life story might be motivational reading for the non-running population at large, competitors for championships will find new inspiration in this story. Zatopek’s world records have all been shattered now except for the triple gold he took in 1952, which has yet to be repeated. Nevertheless, Zatopek remains an outlier because he challenged runners to go beyond what anyone believed they could humanly endure. At Helsinki in the fortykilometer competition, just keeping up with Zatopek meant, “It was the first time that every finisher in an Olympic marathon had broken the three-hour barrier. The first fifteen finishers had run personal bests; the first nine had broken the old Olympic record; and the first twenty had run fast enough to have won gold at the previous Games”. FREEDOM: MY BOOK OF FIRSTS By Jaycee Dugard Simon & Schuster, $25.00, 272 pages Reviewed by David Lloyd Sutton Check this out! Gentle, thoughtful, and hopeful: honest descriptors for this second book by Ms. Dugard. Full of discovery and of new insights into the benefits and sometimes frights of liberty, this nicely crafted tale is a kindly read. The lady fills pages with her family, including her beloved mother, her maturing daughters, and friends. Those friends include two women who have been her therapists, some horses, dogs, and kitties. Adventures range from a first unaccompanied airline flight, complete with being stranded in a strange city, to visits to windy Ireland and tropical Belize. Dugard has formed a foundation to aid others in recovery. And using that institution as a platform, she has challenged the concept of Stockholm Syndrome as a patronizing stigmatization. She vehemently refutes the concept of captives necessarily coming to love their captors. To aid this, she offers a pungent description of the sheer repulsiveness, both mental and physical, of her own kidnapper and rapist. Even with so very much fuel, she refuses to light the fire of hatred, eschewing the selfdestructiveness of that indulgence. Freedom ends on notes of hopeful anticipation. I am better for having read this, and I will now seek out the author’s first book, A Stolen Life. I may also seek out Scott’s Shattered Innocence. FRAMED: WHY MICHAEL SKAKEL SPENT OVER A DECADE IN PRISON FOR A MURDER HE DIDN’T COMMIT By Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Skyhorse Publishing, $25.99, 240 pages Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro Check this out! October 30, 1975...Young beauty Martha Moxley is brutally murdered in the affluent town of Greenwich, CT. The suspects are numerous, ranging from a local tutor to Moxley’s boyfriend to the young men from the affluent Skakel family. Locals gossip See FRAMED, cont’d on page 13
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FRAMED, cont’d from page 12 and name legions of possibilities, but nothing concrete. The investigation is considered slipshod, and the investigators are viewed under a powerful microscope. The case lay dormant until the 1990s, when former Detective Mark Furhman and journalist Dominick Dunne spun a yarn shining the spotlight on Michael Skakel. Skakel had an alibi but also a troubled past, with the former thrown aside and the latter exploited. In 2002, Michael Skakel would be convicted and sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison. Justice was considered served, but cousin Robert Kennedy, Jr. felt differently. Through his own investigation, the case falls apart, Michael’s defense lawyer is pilloried for his work, and other suspects are highlighted. Skakel has been released, but the story still is not over. Robert Kennedy’s experience as a lawyer makes him ideal to examine such a case. His story is far from a typical case procedural. Kennedy admits Michael and the Skakel’s faults but also highlights positives (i.e., Michael’s assistance to alcoholics and random strangers). Dunne, Fuhrman, and other investigators are seen as opportunists and libelous in their framing of the Skakels. Kennedy examines all possible suspects and names the two possible offenders. This is a book that will keep you up at night, the crime horrible, the miscarriage of justice even worse.
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FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY: A MEMOIR By Sam Polk Scribner, $25.00, 272 pages Reviewed by Julia McMichael Check this out! This is a memoir of a man driven to achieve financial success at all costs. The author is clear that his father may have a lot to do with his drive; the message was “you’ll never be good enough.” This drove Polk to school and college sports in an attempt to receive recognition. In his quest, he starved his body and became bulimic. It is fascinating to learn that, in the world of sports, men routinely stress their bodies as much as a highfashion model. In choosing a career, Polk went to the high-stakes table of Wall Street and proceeded through high-risk trading to make a name for himself and to rise through the ranks. He received millions in bonuses but was spurred on to attempt to receive the top performer’s bonus payment. Bonuses are the big carrot of Wall Street; they not only incentivize, but lock the trader into staying with the firm for the next big bonus. Polk walked away from the fast lane to establish a non-profit providing healthy food to those locked out of neighborhoods with fine groceries. A wonderful transformation and an interesting story. See FLORENCE, cont’d on page 15
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Tulsa Book Review • November 2016 • 13
THEN HE KISSED ME: A COTTONBLOOM NOVEL By Laura Trentham St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $5.99, 320 pages Reviewed by Michelle Tan Check this out!
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Romance SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
MAESTRA By L.S. Hilton G. P. Putnam’s Sons, $27.00, 309 pages Reviewed by Sara Martinez, Nathan Hale Library site manager Check this out! College graduate Judith Rashleigh has come up from the working class to score a job as an assistant in one of London’s top art auction houses. She harbors hopes of a quick promotion to her dream job with more responsibility, a higher salary and less drudgery. Judith takes on an alter ego and as Lauren moonlights as an escort to make ends meet. Thanks to her intelligence and careful attention to detail, Judith uncovers forgery and art fraud at the auction house. She promptly loses her job because of her naïve whistleblowing. In a betrayed rage, she hightails it off to the Riviera with one of Lauren’s clients. When Lauren accidentally murders him, a crafty psychopath is unleashed on high society. As Judith/Lauren jet sets around the world, she relishes murdering and conniving her way into the upper echelons of high art and makes sure to get even with the men who underestimate her. The first book in a trilogy, this novel features graphic sex, violence and fashion, also art, architecture and gourmet meals. WITH EVERY BREATH: A SLOW BURN NOVEL By Maya Banks Avon, $14.99, 352 pages Reviewed by Michelle Tan Check this out! This is a sizzling, seductive slow-burn romance that is brimming with so much intensity and all the feels! Maya Bank just reminded me once again why I enjoy the Slow Burn series with her newest installment With Every Breath, as she tethers our hearts to one electric and palpable connection. “His words, each and every one of them, she committed to memory, savoring and holding them close to her heart where they’d all remain safe and untainted, touched by no one. No one could ever take them away from her. They were hers, given to her and they meant everything to her.” In this fourth installment, Banks slowly lures readers with her heartfelt prose as she takes us on a journey of a young woman rediscovering her strength, will, and fight to survive. Eliza Cummings thought she had experienced love, but in a series of lies and tragic events, she learned that this love that she thought she had with Thomas was nothing but control and manipulation. When Eliza finally had the strength to leave that part of her life behind her, the monster that she once feared comes back with a vengeance. But this time Eliza is ready for him...Or is she? “You mean something to me. You. And that means all of you, not just the parts you want me to see while you hide the parts you’re so determined to be ashamed of and feel guilt over. You’re mine, Eliza. All of you. Every inch of you, body and soul. And it wasn’t just your body that I claimed when I made love to you and was inside you so deep that there will never be a time you don’t feel me. I also claimed your heart, your soul, your mind and everything that makes you the person you are and what you were meant to be. And what you were meant to be is mine.” Wade Sterling is a man that answers to no one. He is arrogant, cocky, confident, and an enigma. There is nothing that can get past his hard exterior and guarded walls. That is, until Eliza Cummings challenges him mentally, physically, and emotionally. Eliza is the only woman who is able to get under his skin. So when Wade started to get suspicious of Eliza’s odd behavior, he knew something was wrong. Since Eliza didn’t want to let him in and tell him what was going on, Wade decided to make Eliza’s problems his. When Eliza informs him of the truth, Wade will stop at nothing in protecting her. As Wade shows Eliza how rare and precious she is, what happens when Eliza’s ex tries to destroy her happiness? With Every Breath was one of those reads that strips you bare as a heroine discovers how precious she is. Eliza is a relatable character in the sense that she wears her heart on her sleeve. As a child of the foster care system, Eliza craved and wanted love, and so when she thought she had found the right man who loved her, he destroyed her. He left her broken. That is, until the right man showed Eliza the most precious gift of all: the gift of real love. Wade Sterling is a man of few words, but when it comes to Eliza Cummings, she is his everything. And so if you are looking for a love story that beautifully weaves psychic elements, friendship, family, passion, and raw emotions, then With Every Breath is the book for you. Prepare to get lost in a magnetic love story that will awaken all your senses.
Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham is the second installment to the Cottonbloom series, and this time around, Trentham continues to charm her readers with a friends-tolovers storyline. Nash Hawthorne and Tally Fournette were childhood friends, but when Nash’s mother died, he moved to live with his aunt, and soon Nash and Tally’s friendship drifted apart. That is until Nash finds himself reuniting with Tally. “She was why none of his relationships had ever lasted. He hadn’t left part of himself on the river, he’d left part of himself with her.” Right off the opening pages, readers can feel the strong connection brewing between Nash and Tally. Maybe it’s the simplicity and charm of small-town romance that makes readers yearn for more, but I love reading stories that make you believe in second chances, especially when it comes to childhood friends becoming lovers. Though the path may not be easy, I loved the banter and sexual tension between Nash and Tally. It only heightened the believability that second chance reunions can be real. Though this second installment had a similar theme to the first book, I still loved the message that love is love. Love doesn’t need to be grand or exuberant. Love just needs to be felt. And Trentham truly captured this sentiment as she took her readers on a journey where emotions run deep, just like the river in Cottonbloom, and where friendship and love are meant to be simple and stickily sweet. Then He Kissed Me is a great small-town romance filled with love, friendship, and charm. THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER: A NOVEL By Jenny Colgan William Marrow Paperbacks, $14.99, 272 pages Reviewed by Michelle Tan Check this out! The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan was a light, refreshing literary treat!!! Colgan whips up a fast-paced novel that transports us to Scotland as a young woman finds herself while at the same time helping others to discover the right book that suits their needs. As an avid readers and bookworms, we all know that there is that one book that forever changed you or left a big impression on you. In this case, the heroine, Nina Redmond, is your literary matchmaker. So if you are looking for a book that was light, smart, and inspirational, then I suggest this book might be the match for you. MARRYING WINTERBORNE By Lisa Kleypas Avon, $7.99, 416 pages Reviewed by Caryn Shaffer Check this out! Marrying Winterbourne follows Helen, a sheltered debutante, and her engagement to Rhys, a worldly department store owner, as they navigate their place in society and Helen discovers her true origins. It was an engrossing story, but I would encourage readers to stick with it. It doesn’t get interesting until about a third of the way through. In Marrying Winterbourne, I was put off by just how ideologically regressive some of the characters were, though it is to be expected from a “historical” romance. Helen was taught very little in her early adulthood about human reproduction and sexuality, and several chapters were devoted to her husband-to-be mansplaining her own sexuality to her. He had an uncomfortable way of coercing her into situations she did not want to be in. I love the way characters in “historical” romance must operate within the confines of the mores of the time. Marriage is forever and a necessary institution for men and women alike. Rhys and Helen’s romance eventually grew on me. Beyond the dubious, unsexy sex scenes, they ended up as a very devoted pair. Devon, Kathleen, Pandora, Cassandra, and Charity, a handful of secondary characters, were also endearing and well-developed in their own right. KISS ME THAT WAY By Laura Trentham St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $5.99, 352 pages Reviewed by Michelle Tan Check this out! There is something about small-town romance that has a way of capturing my heart. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the story, the raw, heart-tugging emotions, or maybe it’s Laura Trentham’s beautiful prose. In this case, it was all of the above. Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham simply stole my heart. This book made my heart flutter and left a big smile on my face. This is a story where a man who grew up on the wrong side of the river realizes that his worth is not defined by money but by the unconditional love that he has from his family, friends, and, most importantly, the girl he left behind. Cade Fournette grew up taking on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings when their parents died. He sacrificed See KISS ME, cont’d on page 15
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KISS ME, cont’d from page 14 his youth in order to keep his family together. And when Cade strikes up a friendship with Monroe Kirby, the girl from the right side of the river, he knows his heart will always belong to her. Monroe Kirby may have grown up on the right side of the river, where money and social status are held in high regard, but her home life is far from perfect. When the young thirteen-year-old girl befriends the seventeen-year-old Cade, she knows without a doubt that he is her hero. Fastforward to ten years later, Cade Fournette returns back home and must confront Monroe. Will Monroe Kirby be able to show Cade that he is worthy of love, respect, and her love? Ten years ago, Cade saved Monroe, and now it is up to Monroe Kirby to save the man she loves and free him from his emotional insecurities. Or will Cade let his fears be his downfall? Kiss Me That Way is a love story that is full of heart, honesty, vulnerability, and compassion. This is a love story where love is pure. It is a story where labels don’t define your worth. This is a story where emotions run deep and love transcends time and social status. So if you are looking for a love story that is brimming with beauty, second chances, and passion, then I highly recommend you read this book.
Frequent family meals are associated with stronger family bonds and healthier food choices, as well as lower rates of smoking, drinking and substance abuse among adolescents. Join other Tulsans this month and make time to Set the Table. setthetabletulsa.org
FIRST COMES LOVE: A NOVEL By Emily Giffin Ballantine Books, $28.00, 400 pages Reviewed by Holly Scudero Check this out! Josie and Meredith are as different as two sisters can be, and their love for one another is often at odds with their constant disagreements about, well, everything. Their relationship was always rocky, but it became much worse after the death of their brother more than a decade ago. In fact, Daniel’s death tore their family apart in many ways. Now Meredith is struggling with feelings of inadequacy and wondering if she made the right decisions in marriage and career, while Josie decides it’s finally time to realize her lifelong dream of motherhood, husband or no. When a deep secret about Daniel’s death finally comes to light, will it destroy their relationship for good? With First Comes Love, Emily Giffin weaves a complex story of family relations, secrets, love, and betrayal. The story is told via the alternating viewpoints of Josie and Meredith, which helps give readers a really thorough view both of how complicated their relationship is and of just how deeply the loss of their brother affected the entire family. Many readers will identify with Mere’s seeming midlife crisis, while others will be fascinated to see Josie navigate the world of sperm donors and voluntary single-motherhood. This is a fascinating novel that is hard to put down.
Eat with your family at least four times per week during November.
WIFE FOR THE WEEKEND By Ophelia London Entangled: Bliss, $2.99, 250 pages Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Sometimes all you need is bad weather in order to find true love. Jules Bloom and Dexter Elliot are heading to Dexter’s brother’s wedding, but due to the big storm their flight is canceled. Neither of them are happy because of that, but without other options they decide to have a drink at the airport. When one drink turns into too many they wake up married next morning. They both want out of this marriage but before that they have to attend Dexter’s brother’s wedding and they do not want to ruin it. After arriving to the wedding they are suddenly forced to spend some time alone and so they stay married longer than just a weekend. During that time they realize that their marriage might not be biggest mistake of their lives. Wife for the Weekend is a third book in Ophelia London’s Sugar City series, but it can be read as a standalone. It is funny, fast pace romance novel featuring opposite attracts characters. Beside them there is a meddling family that is charming and annoying at the same time. The story also focuses on living your dream issue, because both Jules and Dexter want drastically to change their career paths. This is a great novel for hot summer days and I highly recommend it.
Cont’d from page 13 FLORENCE! FOSTER!! JENKINS!!!: THE LIFE OF THE WORLD’S WORST OPERA SINGER By Darryl W. Bullock The Overlook Press, $24.95, 208 pages Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Check this out! These days, it’s terribly (horrifically) common for someone who is bad at things to be famous. But at the turn of the century, it took quite a bit more for someone of dubious talents to rise to stardom. Florence Foster Jenkins was one of the few to do so, becoming a viral sensation in New York City, known for her horrendous singing and for being seemingly oblivious to its horrendousness. Florence Foster Jenkins is the biography of an American rarity, detailing Florence’s unlikely journey to Carnegie Hall, the cartoonishly horrible reviews of her singing, and the strange enabling culture that built up around her for years, only to fail her at the apex of her fame. I went into this book expecting a silly romp, a fun look at one woman’s curious rise to fame based on confidence and charm rather than any actual talent. But instead, I found a tragic figure, one who pursued her dreams with gusto, one who was nurtured by a select few, then torn to shreds by an unforgiving public. (No doubt the same idiots who watch American Idol for the misguided auditioners who’ll soon be brutally humbled.) This book helped remind me that those laughingstocks are people, and they deserve better.
? s d r o w Love
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