Tulsa
event guide
INSIDE! May 2016
Book Review VOLUME 5, ISSUE 7
F R E E
NEW AND OF INTEREST
Sam makes messes! And... saves the day? Sam and the Construction Site Page 5
A book about book lovers for book lovers The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend Page 6
A hive is a world by itself! Save the Bees With Natural Backyard Hives Page 10
A conspiracy so immense...but is it to be believed? Keep Calm: A Thriller Page 12
The hunt is on! The Great Hunt #1 Page 14
The Lost City of D
In the Labyrinth of Drakes: A Memoir by Lady Trent (A Natural History of Dragons) Page 15
Meet Romance authors Lori Wilde and Lorraine Heath on Sunday, May 15 at Hardesty Regional Library. See Page 2 for details.
Rules of the Game By Lori Wilde Avon Books, $7.99, 376 pages Check this out! Rules of the Game is the second title in the Stardust, Texas series, by Lori Wilde. The story finds a jilted bride, Jodi Carlyle, meeting a superstar baseball player from the Dallas Gunslingers team, Jake Coronado. After taking the advice from her therapist, Jodi decides to crash a wedding to help her get over her pain of rejection from being left standing alone at the altar. Jodi comes up with her own set of rules for wedding crashing and does just that. However, she never bargained for what started as a one-time chance meeting at the wedding she crashed would turn into something more when Jake shows up at her sister’s wedding as the best man. Meanwhile, Jake is dealing with his own issues, such as healing from the death of his wife three years previously. I loved the small-town setting of Stardust, Texas, and seeing how the people in the small town interact in each other’s lives. This is why we love small towns; everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other. The heroine, Jodi, does not hesitate to let her inner vixen shine when summoning up the courage to crash a wedding. At the beginning of each chapter, one of her wedding crashing rules is stated. Some of my favorites are “Do bring a gift. It makes you look legit” and “If you get caught, play dumb.” Good advice, right? The story focuses on two people getting a second chance at love. From the beginning, the reader cheers these two on as they work through their fears and issues of being let down by love in the past. The author does a great job of providing the reader with likeable and believable characters experiencing with them their joy, pain, and ultimate belief in true love. The writing flowed smoothly and the dialogue is realistic. The third book in the Stardust, Texas series, titled Love of the Game, was just released this spring. With each book in Lori Wilde’s series, the heroes are sports figures, See RULES, cont’d on page 4
58 Reviews INSIDE!
Book Reviews Category
Cooking, Food & Wine SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Mix & Match Meal Planner: Your Weekly Guide to Getting Dinner on the Table By Shay Shull Harvest House Publishers, $15.99, 160 pages Check this out!
For home cooks, this cookbook couldn’t be better! It’s a superb cookbook and meal organizer aiming specifically for very busy home cooks who still prefer to cook their own healthy and flavorful meals with minimal effort and fuss. Mix & Match Meal Plan-
ner is a very cute, sma l l-for mat, hardcover cookbook by writer and organizer e x t raord i na i re Shay Shull. The cookbook is unusualóit provides recipes for a full year in two-week intervals, separately for the four seasons. After two weeks you repeat. The recipes are reasonably simple and quick to prepare using few ingredients, some readymade (Bisquick mix, refrigerated biscuits,
Graham cracker crust). The layout is very good; no page turning is necessary; instructions are easy to follow; plus all recipe ingredients are available even in the smallest, most remote markets. To make it even easier for busy cooks, Shull included a complete shopping list for every week’s recipes. Everything is completely organized for the cook. She listed recipes for each two-week interval. Photo illustrations are very nice and show exactly what you can expect for your dinner. Here are a few recipe examples: chicken chili verde, spaghetti and meat sauce, Butterfinger blondies. Recipe index is very good. Reviewed by George Erdosh
Kitchen Gypsy: Recipes and Stories From a Lifelong Romance With Food By Joanne Weir Oxmoor House, $35.00, 288 pages Check this out! The Kitchen Gypsy by Joan Weir is a beautifully illustrated volume that meshes Weir’s travels, life and food
NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING
Sunday, May 15 • 2-3 p.m. Hardesty Regional Library Frossard Auditorium
8316 E. 93rd St. • 918.549.7550 Join contemporary romance author Lori Wilde and historical romance author Lorraine Heath as they discuss their newest novels. Light refreshments will be served. A book signing will follow the program. Books will be available for purchasing, courtesy of Barnes & Noble.
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 2
memories. In 10 chapters the book offers you enough insight into the context and personality of the author but at heart remains true to its original form ñ a cookbook. I first peered through it with trepidation but to my surprise ended up finding a perfect recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies (now a household favorite), the kind that reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen. The writing is engaging, almost making you want to pack a suitcase to join the author on her next travels to visit markets near and far. Joan Weir’s journey will take you from her childhood memories complete with her grandfather’s recipe for classic buttermilk biscuits and chicken salad, to more exotic offerings such a lavender lime soufflÈ often beautifully illustrated with photographs and with headnotes offering classic insights into the author’s food journey. Once you crisscross New England to Spain, return to California by way of a few classic New York food experiences, you will begin to understand what being a Kitchen Gypsy is all about. Reviewed by Rinku Bhattacharya COOKING, FOOD & WINE, cont’d on page 8
Tulsa
Book Review
IN THIS ISSUE Cooking, Food & Wine....................................2
Tulsa City-County Library 400 Civic Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 Ph. (918) 549-7323
New York Times Best-Selling Romance Authors Lori Wilde and Lorraine Heath......2
EDITOR IN CHIEF Ross Rojek Ross@1776productions.com
Kids’ Books.....................................................4
EDITOR/COORDINATOR Jackie Hill Tulsa City-County Library
Youth Nonfiction New & Coming Soon...........4
GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Heidi Komlofske-Rojek COPY EDITORS Caryn Shafer Heather Osborne John Murray Michelle Baker
Picture Books.................................................5 Children’s Fiction Coming Soon......................5
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Christopher Hayden Faith Lewis Samantha Kingsbury WEBSITE TulsaBookReview.com
Fiction.....................................................6, 7, 8 May Event Guide Nonfiction...........................................9, 10, 11 Crime Fiction................................................12 Biographies & Memoirs.......................... 12, 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
Teens............................................................ 14
FROM THE PUBLISHER This May at the Tulsa City-County Library is marked by visits from three nationally acclaimed authors to the Hardesty Regional Library. Children’s and young adult author Gordon Korman will receive the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature on Friday, May 6, and romance novelists Lori Wilde and Lorraine Heath will discuss their latest novels on Sunday, May 15. All will be on hand to sign books and meet attendees. After Mr. Korman receives the Zarrow award and gives a brief talk, he will help present awards to many young Tulsans who happen to be aspiring authors; they are winners in this year’s Young People’s Creative Writing Contest. Perhaps some future national authors will receive awards that evening. May also brings the kickoff of Tulsa CityCounty Library’s Summer Reading Program, which starts May 31 and continues through Aug. 6. This year’s theme is “On Your Mark, Get Set … Read!” for children, including pre-K; “Get in the Game. Read” for teens and tweens; and “Exercise Your Mind. Read!” for adults. It’s truly a program the whole family can enjoy. Families and individuals can avoid long lines at sign-up by preregistering as early as May 1 at their local library or online at www.TulsaLibrary.org/Summer. Additionally, there will be sign-up tables throughout the summer at all major library events and bookmobile stops. We will have a grand-prize drawing for all those who preregister for the program between May 1 - 30, as well as a grand-prize drawing for all those who register for the program through June 30. Plus, all children, tweens and teens who complete the program will be entered into grand-prize drawings to be held after the program officially ends. Most importantly, no library card is necessary to sign up for the Summer Reading Program. We look forward to seeing you at the author events, and we look forward to presenting your child with their medal for completing the Summer Reading Program. Each child, tween, and teen who completes the program also will receive a coupon book containing many valuable prizes. We also look forward to presenting adults participating in the Summer Reading Program with very cool completion prizes as well. Be sure to tell your friends that the library’s Summer Reading Program is bigger and better than ever! Let’s get all of Tulsa County reading this summer!
Speculative Fiction.......................................15 Check This Out!.............................................16
Gary Shaffer Tulsa City-County Library CEO
Book Reviews Category
Kids’ Books SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Digging for Dinos: A Branches Book (Haggis and Tank Unleashed #2) By Jessica Young Scholastic Inc., $4.99, 80 pages Check this out!
Haggis and Tank are back in another exciting and humorous adventure in early reading. This time around, Tank is reading a book about dinosaurs when she sees a partially buried bone sticking out of the ground in the backyard. This is all the ammunition her imagination needs to get Haggis to set off on a dinosaur hunt with her. They find footprints, try to hatch dinosaur eggs and eventually make friends with real dinosaurs! (Triceratops make good friends, T-Rex does not.) The fun and games come to an end when a lava flow pushes Haggis and Tank to the edge of a cliff! Or does it? Haggis and Tank Unleashed is a delightful series that uses clever dialogue, word play and excellent full-color illustrations to get new readers excited about reading. The last page features the characters asking the reader comprehension questions and a question to get kids into the story by using their own imagination to think up more possibilities. A fantastic new series of books that appeals to reluctant readers and boys, as well as all beginning chapter book readers. Very highly recommended. Reviewed by Sarah Perry
All Paws on Deck: A Branches Book (Haggis and Tank Unleashed #1) By Jessica Young, James Burks (illustrator) Scholastic, $4.99, 80 pages Check this out!
This is the first book in a series of ultraengaging easy readers for young children. Each page features excellent full-color illustrations with regular text, and also inset text in a comic-like format. In this first book, Haggis, a Scottie dog, and Tank, a Great Dane, use their imagina-
really enjoy. Her story includes subplots relevant to the timeframe, a bonus to readers only expecting a story about the downfall of a Zeppelin. She includes a brief summary of the event and facts, resources and a bibliography for readers who want to know more. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams
Mammals: A Compare and Contrast Book
tions to sail the seven seas on a pirate adventure. The action is attention-grabbing for young children and the humor keeps the pages turning. The dialog is full of amusing homophones that give emerging readers a chance to play with language. The last page of the book features the characters asking comprehension questions as well as a question to get kids using their imagination. The action and humor of this series should appeal to boys and reluctant readers, as well as other emerging readers. This is a fantastic addition to the early chapter book genre. Very highly recommended! Reviewed by Sarah Perry
I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 (I Survived #13)
By Lauren Tarshis Scholastic Paperbacks, $4.99, 112 pages Check this out!
By Katharine Hall Arbordale Publishing, $9.95, 32 pages Check this out! All kids are familiar with at least some kinds of mammals, but most young kids don’t have any real concept of what actually defines a mammal. Katharine Hall’s new picture book Mammals: A Compare and Contrast Book is a fantastic introduction to the idea. This book is packed with information written in easyto-understand language that is perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners. It talks about the important features that make an animal a mammal: breathing air, having a
spine, being warm blooded, having hair or fur, giving birth to live babies, and more. There are pictures of all kinds of animals to illustrate these points, and kids will love seeing animals that are both familiar and different! There are a few fun activities included in the back, such as a dichotomous key to help kids identify animals as mammals or not, a “Mammal or Not?” game, and ideas about looking for wild mammals nearby, such as looking for tracks or scat. The publisher also offers additional free learning resources online, making this book a great launching point for self-directed learning at home or even for a homeschool unit on mammals. Reviewed by Holly Scudero RULES, cont’d FROM page 1 and a wooden hope chest plays a part in the matchmaking. The mysterious hope chest bought at an estate sale by one of the Carlyle sisters in the first book provides a magical twist of granting wishes to each of the sisters. The author provides an inside look to living in a small town in her beloved Texas while finding true love in unexpected places. Reviewed by Melissa Smith, Bixby Library Site Manager
YOUTH NONFICTION NEW AND COMING SOON
TO TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY Search the library’s catalog at www.TulsaLibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
Hugo has spent most of the last year in Kenya while his parents, who are science professors, study lions in Thika Valley. However, their stay had been cut short. His sister is very sick, and the only way to get the medicine she needs is to journey back to America. Her circumstances require that they make the trip home quickly. His family purchases tickets on the Hindenburg, a Zeppelin that can make a journey across the ocean in just two and a half days. While his mom is nervous, Hugo knows that the Zeppelin has made many successful trips across the ocean, and his only real concern is his sister’s health. Things heat up on the journey as the family learns of a spy on board who is trying to bring German secrets back to America. Tarshis does her homework well, creating another historical fiction story kids will Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 4
Good Trick, Walking Stick! By Sheri Mabry
Bestor • Walking sticks are among the world’s most fascinating insects, and one many children can find right in their backyards! With a simple story, perfect for read-alouds, this scientific look at a walking stick’s lifecycle will captivate budding entomologists.
Pink Is for Blobfish by Jess Keating Some people think pink is a pretty color. A fluffy, sparkly, princess-y color. But it’s so much more. Sure, pink is the color of princesses and bubblegum, but it’s also the color of monster slugs and poisonous insects. Not to mention ultra-intelligent dolphins, naked mole rats and bizarre, bloated blobfish. Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber by Sue Macy
Mary Garber was a pioneering sports journalist in a time where women were rarely a part of the newspaper business. Women weren’t even allowed to sit in the press boxes at sporting events, so Mary was forced to sit with the coaches’ wives. But that didn’t stop her. Sure to inspire future journalists, athletes and any child who has a dream, this illustrated biography of Mary Garber captures her feisty and determined spirit and brings her story to life.
Book Reviews Category
Picture Books
, CHILDREN S FICTION COMING SOON
TO TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY Search the library’s catalog at www.TulsaLibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Sam and the Construction Site By Tjibbe Veldkamp, Alice Hoogstad (illustrator) Lemniscaat USA, $17.95, 32 pages Check this out!
Young Sam absolutely loves watching the big machines at the construction site, but he knows it’s against the rules for him to go inside. But when some big boys dare him to anyway, he does . . . and causes all sorts of problems! When the police come, will Sam be able to explain his actions? Young readers will delight in the adventures of Sam as he operates the big machines kids dream of using. Sam gets to drive a steamroller, a cement truck and a big crane, and he causes accidents every step of the way. Parents and kids alike will love the ending, when it’s revealed that Sam had altruistic motives after all: foiling a bank robbery! And on future readings, kids will love pointing out those bad guys creeping through the background of early pages. Illustrations are very cute, with fantastic facial expressions and just the right amount of attention to detail on both people and machines. Little ones, especially those who love construction machines, probably will want to add this one to their regular reading rotation. Reviewed by Holly Scudero
Pigs and a Blanket
By James Burks Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Twin piglets extol the virtues of their beloved blankets, from the way it smells and feels, to what they love to do with it. Everything is happy and wonderful until it’s revealed that both pigs are holding on to an end of the same blanket. Inevitably, they can only share for so long before a scuffle arises which results in the blanket being ripped in half. Now, each pig has their own blanket but something’s missing. In
Digger and Daisy Plant a Garden
by Judy Young • Daisy suggests to her brother, Digger, that they plant a garden so Digger digs the holes and Daisy plants seeds for carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables, while Digger plants a tasty surprise.
the end, the heartwarming twist is that the pigs don’t miss their one big blanket, they missed their friendship and close proximity to each other. This is a sweet story for toddlers and preschoolers. The illustrations are cheerful and whimsical. There is sparse text on each page but the illustrations do a lot of the heavy lifting with moving the story along, allowing prereaders to get the whole story without having to read a word. A very cute picture book. Reviewed by Sarah Perry
Monster Battles by Julia March The Nexo Knights of Knighton defend their kingdom from Jestro and his monsters. The Berenstain Bears Take Off!
by Mike Berenstain • Attending the Big Air Show at Bear Country Airport, the Berenstain Bears learn all about the history of flight.
I Want to Eat Your Books
By Karin Lefranc, Tyler Parker (illustrator) Sky Pony Press, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Heading down the halls of his school, a young boy is horrified to find a zombie following him to class. At first, he fears that the zombie may want to eat his brain, but no! The zombie is after books! From science texts to vocabulary workbooks, the zombie happily munches away on any book he can find while the boy and his classmates are scared to see how their teacher, Ms. Schmidt, will react. When Ms. Schmidt announces an unexpected trip to the school library, the boy knows he has to come up with some way to stop this book-eating monster before it’s too late; but just when he thinks the zombie problem is fixed, a new monster joins the class and there go the books again! In this rhyming book about monsters and reading, LeFranc and Parker have crafted a playfully scary children’s storybook that vividly teaches young readers the importance of standing up for their beliefs and working with others to conquer their fears in order to accomplish unimaginable feats. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams
Pinkalicious Story Time
by Victoria Kann • After Pinkalicious meets her favorite author, she is inspired to write her own stories and can’t wait to use her imagination in a school writing festival.
How Do Dinosaurs Stay Friends? By Jane Yolen, Mark Teague (illustrator) The Blue Sky Press, $17.99, 40 pages Check this out!
Dinosaurs are just like little kids sometimes. They may do things that are not so nice when a disagreement occurs. They may stomp muddy feet onto a friend’s belongings, or tear up their toys, or say mean things. They might make up rumors or tell lies to the teacher to get their friend in trouble. But these dinosaurs do not. They know how to apologize, to share and to make up. They know how to take turns and how to make everything right. In this 10th book of the series, readers will learn just how to be a good friend and how to keep friends when a disagreement progresses into a fight. Yolen’s rhyming poetry sets a fun pace, and Teague’s artwork engages young friends, especially those already familiar with the series. Small children will enjoy seeing dinosaurs in everyday poses of friendship, while older children will enjoy hunting for—and pronouncing—the dinosaur’s name. Good in a classroom with
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 5
peers or in a home with siblings, this book will help the young learn how best to maintain friendships, and to keep them, with skills that will serve throughout a lifetime. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams
Book Reviews Category
for example, who Fox marries, but making it unclear how that could have happened. Furthermore, she skillfully crafts Fox’s character so that he sounds like the same character at distinctly different ages. Ultimately, Solomons has written a delightfully entertaining novel addressing the powerful ties of home, family, love and music—which readers will find difficult to put down. Reviewed by Annie Peters
Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Because of Miss Bridgerton By Julia Quinn Avon, $7.99, 384 pages Check this out!
Billie Bridgerton has always expected she would marry one of the Rokesby brothers that she practically grew up with. However, the one brother she never thought she would end up with is George, the eldest Rokesby. Billie is a tomboy, headstrong and impulsive whereas George is ever the dutiful heir to the earldom. When fate throws them together neither expect the sparks that begin to fly between them and they realize they just may be more compatible than either ever imagined. For all the Bridgerton family fans who worried the series was over once all the siblings stories were told, prepare to rejoice! Because of Miss Bridgerton is a prequel telling the story of Edmund Bridgerton’s older sister. All the things readers love about the previous Bridgerton books is present in this one. Billie is a heroine readers will relate to in that she has flaws, can be impulsive but all her actions come from a place of love and she will make you laugh. George at first comes across as stuffy but soon reveals his own dry wit that will win readers hearts. Though the ending of the story was rushed, fans will not be disappointed. Reviewed by Debbie Suzuki
The Year We Turned Forty: A Novel By Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke Washington Square Press, $15.00, 320 pages Check this out! Three friends make it to their 50th birthday which they promised they’d spend together, just like they spent their 40th. While on their celebration trip, they are
given the opportunity to go back in time, to their 40th year, for a second chance. Jessie remembers giving birth to another man’s child and losing her husband when the secret gets out. Claire believes that may be the year she lost control of her daughter and suffered through the death of her mother. Gabriela wishes she had tried harder to have the baby she finally realized she wanted, long after her husband had stopped asking. After a brief reflection, they go back, knowing what they know now, and try to alter the past to make way for a better future. They quickly learn that some things are meant to happen, and that perhaps the only thing to come out of the visit back was a lesson learned. Fenton and Steinke have written a story reminiscent of works by Liane Moriarty or Jen Lancaster. Readers will hope and yearn for the best, even when the characters are at their worst. A great read, this is the perfect one for book clubs and beaches. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams
The Song of Hartgrove Hall: A Novel By Natasha Solomons Plume, $16.00, 416 pages Check this out!
The Song of Hartgrove Hall is the story of Harry Fox-Talbot. In alternating chapters, the reader sees Fox as a young man and as an elderly man. The young Fox reveals the struggle of the Fox-Talbot brothers to save their dilapidated ancestral home—Hartgrove Hall—and Fox’s undeniable passion for composing music, collecting folk songs, and his brother’s girl, Edie Rose. In contrast, the elderly Fox struggles with the death of his beloved wife, his inability to compose more music, and the discovery that his young, difficult grandson has an amazing gift for music. Natasha Solomons masterfully interleaves these two storylines to slowly reveal a complete picture of Fox’s life. Indeed, Solomons uses her choice of structure to its full advantage to tantalize readers, but permitting them to know from the beginning,
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend By Katarina Bivald Sourcebooks Landmark, $16.99, 400 pages Check this out!
After a lengthy pen-pal relationship, a Swedish bookseller embarks on a lengthy stay in a small town in Iowa only to discover her friend had passed. Left adrift in a tight-knit community, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend chronicles her journey from outcast to oddity to beloved member. Sara arrives in the dusty town of Broken Wheel just as her friend’s funeral is coming to a close. Without a clear goal, she delves back into the one constant in her life, her deep abiding love of books. Slowly the town warms up to the tourist in their midst. More importantly, Sara begins to spread her roots, first by opening a bookstore hesitantly stocked with her friend’s treasured books, and then by connecting with each of the colorful members of the town. However, a countdown slowly creeps in. Sara’s visa will run out eventually and, without one, she will be forced to return to the cold embrace of Sweden. To be blunt, this is a stellar novel that demands to be experienced and inhabited. Bivald lovingly crafted her characters and it shows. The book hums with life, inviting readers in, and like Sara, leaving them with a burning desire to stay. Seemingly about books and an introverted stranger, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is more about the connections between us. What binds a community together through difficult and joyous times is often the unexpected. In the case of Broken Wheel, Sara and her love of books spread through them like wildfire. Like fire, that infectious love of reading highlights the very human bonds shared between fathers, daughters, lovers and society. Quite simply, read this book, share this book and enjoy time spent in the sweet town of Broken Wheel. Reviewed by John Murray
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 6
The Opposite of Everyone: A Novel
By Joshilyn Jackson William Morrow, $26.99, 304 pages Check this out! Paula Vauss, a high-powered divorce attorney, has never been able to completely forget her childhood on the road with her free-spirited mother, Kai . . . or the guilt from a single phone call that landed her mother in prison for two years and Paula in foster care. Paula—originally named Kali Jai— has spent the last 15 years trying to pay that debt, until Kai returns one of Paula’s checks. Then Paula learns she has a brother, and she brings her ex-lover Birdwine in to help her discover what other secrets Kai might have been hiding. Author Joshilyn Jackson delivers another amazing novel with The Opposite of Everyone, which follows Paula’s attempts to develop a relationship with her brother and to straighten things out between herself and Birdwine. The story is primarily told in the present day, although Paula’s memories of her past—both with Kai and in the foster home—are woven seamlessly into the plot, giving readers insights into Paula’s motivations and the events that shaped her. You’ll have a hard time putting this novel down! Reviewed by Holly Scudero
The Flood Girls
By Richard Fifield Gallery Books, $25.00, 336 pages Check this out! How do you make amends to an entire town when you’ve burned every bridge that leads there? Rachel Flood doesn’t have all the answers, but she is determined to answer that question and heal herself along the way by heading back home to small-town Quinn, Montana. The shadowy figure of Frank, Rachel’s unknown father, passes away and leaves Rachel his trailer home and a charming and flamboyant 12-year-old neighbor named Jake. Almost falling down around her ears, the trailer is representative of Rachel’s path to healing and forgiveness. Jake will be the best help she could have hoped for, because Jake needs someone to care about him too and help him learn that being true to yourSee FICTION, page 7
Book Reviews Cont’d from page 6 self matters. Rachel takes Jake under her wing as his best protector and friend, and Jake helps Rachel remember what having a good friend means. As forgiveness in the town progresses, so does the restoration of the trailer home. But Rachel Flood is a 12step alcoholic determined to make amends to everyone she wronged, including her mother, Laverna Flood, almost the entire population of Quinn, and the women on her mother’s softball team, The Flood Girls. The women in the town whose marriages she ruined, the shame she brought to her mother and her closest friends leads to many tears and name calling when Rachel is drafted by her mother to play softball. Laverna also demands her daughter work at the bar she owns, aptly named “The Dirty Shame.” Literally one of the best books I’ve read in years, The Flood Girls and the town of Quinn have planted themselves firmly in my heart and won’t be leaving soon. Superbly written by newcomer Richard Fifield, this book should be given to everyone who might need a reminder that sometimes you can go home, and there are many roads that lead to forgiveness. Reviewed by Nan Smith
Eligible: A Novel
By Curtis Sittenfeld Random House, $28.00, 512 pages Check this out! Here we have Pride and Prejudice for a modern, sexually liberated crowd. The Bennet sisters are still facing financial trouble, this time a little more immediate, since Mr. Bennet’s seemingly never ending supply of money proved insufficient to support both his wife’s shopping addiction and bypass surgery without health insurance. Liz and Jane, the only two sisters to strike out on their own, return to Cincinnati to help care for their father during his recovery and help save the family from financial ruin. And if they can find love along the way, even better. Enter Chip Bingley, ER doctor and reality TV star, and his best friend, the arrogant neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy. The story and characters remain astonishingly true to Austen’s original, despite the many updates, modifications and additions. They are all a bit older than their Regency counterparts—Jane has been aged to nearly 40 to make a convincing modern “spinster.” Even the style is remarkably similar to Austen’s—short chapters with minimal description and packed with witty dialogue. Although I miss the sweetness of Austen’s morality (where characters do not
Fiction jump directly into bed with each other), I still would recommend this to adult Austen fans looking for a fresh new version. Reviewed by Randy-Lynne Wach
One Blackbird at a Time
By Wendy Barker BkMk Press at the University of MissouriKansas Cit, $13.95, 82 pages Check this out! The study of literature is a very personal one, different for each person depending on what they bring to the work and what other works have touched them or influenced their thinking. This collection of poems seems to be a deeply personal, sometimes nearly a stream of consciousness, record of teaching experiences of the poet written in finely wrought free verse. Her observations are often humorous, sometimes poignant, but always palpably honest and authentic. The transfer of ideas from teacher to student, from student to student, and from student to teacher are all explored through spare and lovely verse. She writes of things nonteachers can never know — how a brilliant student turns his back on his education after studying Melville and Whitman, how Willa Cather’s Nebraska inspires a way of life, how the study of Call it Sleep can reveal prejudice and pain, and more. These musings, these remembrances, dance across the page sometimes liltingly, sometimes as a waltz, smooth and sweet, but always beautiful and heartfelt. Anyone who enjoys stories about teaching or simply captivating poetry certainly will enjoy this slim volume of verse. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Sweetgirl
By Travis Mulhauser Ecco, $26.99, 256 pages Check this out! Travis Mulhauser’s brief debut novel Sweetgirl is a harrowing thriller that packs an emotional punch. In a small town in northwest Michigan, 16-year-old Percy James is unsurprised to find her good-fornothing mother Carletta missing—again. Percy begins her search for Carletta where she was reportedly last seen: the home of Shelton Potter, a drug dealer recently released from prison for nearly killing a man.
Upon entering the house, Percy discovers Shelton and his girlfriend passed out on drugs in the living room and a crying baby suffering in a freezing cold bedroom. Percy flees the home with neglected baby Jenna, hoping to get her to a hospital before it is too late. Percy relies on her mother’s rough but friendly ex-boyfriend Charles Portis for help. After realizing Jenna has been abducted, Shelton begins his desperate search in the harsh snow-laden landscape, unafraid of the consequences of his unpredictable rage. Mulhauser’s suspenseful narrative unfolds very quickly in a pleasing concoction of comedy and tragedy. He examines each character fully, noting both the unpleasantness and the hidden beauty, delicately shedding an almost sympathetic light on the novel’s vile characters. Mulhauser makes careful use of each word as he deals with difficult subjects including fractured relationships, drug addiction, child neglect and violence. Sweetgirl is a riveting debut from a promising author. Reviewed by Mandy Nevius
Sudden Death
By Álvaro Enrigue, Natasha Wimmer (translator) Riverhead, $27.00, 272 pages Check this out! The sudden death referred to in Álvaro Enrigue’s new novel is not the literal kind. Mystery and true crime buffs, look elsewhere. The title refers to a tiebreaking round in tennis.Sudden Death is indeed a literary tennis novel, the story of a fictional 16th century match between a Spaniard, the poet Francisco de Quevedo, and an Italian, the artist Caravaggio. The match is a duel of sorts, which the poet proposes after a night of hard drinking. Neither can remember exactly why they are on the court fighting for their honor at the novel’s opening, and both are suffering from hangovers. The ball used in the match, which bounces with unusual lightness and spirit, is made of the seductive, curly locks of the beheaded Ann Boleyn. This is a big book in a small package. Enrigue envisions history’s bigger figures, often making them endearingly small and human. It is also a book of exactitudes, a book that narrowly focuses in on history’s larger sweeping tides. Enrigue builds a disjointed but hinged world in which Ann Boleyn’s executioner, the lover of conquistador Hernan Cortés, and cardinal Carlo Borromeo all bump and whirl up against each other, influencing the world around them and bouncing their balls off each other’s rackets in one
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 7
grand historic tennis match. Sudden Death is a bold, lovely, but choppy read, which lobs its ideas fast and low. The crescendo of an ending alone makes the entire novel worth reading. Reviewed by Kali Lux
Green Island: A novel By Shawna Yang Ryan Knopf, $26.95, 400 pages Check this out!
Green Island is not the idyllic place the name implies; it’s the nickname for an island off the coast of Taiwan where the Chinese interogate political prisoners, particularly Taiwanese who speak out against the government. On the night before the narrator’s birth, agents from the Monopoly Bureau beat a widow woman to death for selling cigarettes illegally. This is the spark that ignites the people to protest the harsh rule of the Chinese. Not long afterward, people begin to disappear: rioters in the crowd, people who have spoken against the government; it doesn’t take much for one’s name to appear on the list. The narrator’s father is among these prisoners. Eleven years later, he returns to his family, a broken man and a near stranger. The protagonist, hard though she may try, cannot escape the shadow his disappearance casts over the family. Ryan educated and enthralled me with Green Island. Ignorant of Taiwanese history, I didn’t expect the disappearances, and I certainly didn’t expect the long arm of the discredited Republic of China to reach all the way to America. The dense air of suspicion and cloying fear lingered with me after I closed the book. Ryan is a skilled storyteller with an impressive ability to draw the reader into the narrative. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney
Be Frank With Me: A Novel
By Julia Claiborne Johnson William Morrow, $25.99, 304 pages Check this out! Del ight f u l ly comedic, smart and endearing, Julia Claiborne Johnson’s novel Be Frank With Me is an enjoyable debut that celebrates otherness. Decades following the immediate success of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, literary recluse Mimi Gillespie has See FICTION, page 8
Book Reviews been cheated of the fortune she made from the only novel she ever published. To keep from losing everything, Mimi must quickly publish another book; she contacts her literary agent, requesting a generous advance and a full-time assistant to manage Mimi’s secluded house in L.A. and to take care of Mimi’s 9-year-old son, Frank. Caring, yet tough-as-nails, Alice Whitley slowly begins to connect with Frank, a peculiar, intelligent and perhaps autistic boy obsessed with old Hollywood, historical facts and 1930s fashion. However, Alice’s attempt to break down Mimi’s icy barrier and encourage the progress of Mimi’s novel may prove to be futile. Told with witty narration, Be Frank With Me is enchanting. Johnson’s characters are refreshingly offbeat, perfectly flawed and unafraid of being their true selves. Though a number of improbable incidents occur in the novel, readers will find it impossible to not be swept away by Frank’s lovable oddities. Johnson delicately balances ebullience with inspiring heartfelt moments. Be Frank With Me is a charming debut, irresistible to any reader who simply wants to be entertained. Reviewed by Mandy Nevius
And Again
By Jessica Chiarella Touchstone, $25.99, 320 pages Check this out! Hannah, Linda, David and Connie have chosen to undergo a procedure currently pending FDA approval. The process allows terminal patients to leave their bodies behind and to enter a new body, a clone. Scientists remove a portion of the brain from the ill individual, implant it into the new model, and the patients have a pristine new body, complete with all their memories. All four have crossed over without medical complication, but they find it harder than expected to resume their preillness lives. Their bodies are brand new, even if their minds aren’t, so each sensation is fresh and overwhelming. Muscle memory proves to be a problem. And they’re reentering their lives with fresh eyes, literally and figuratively. Who will they be now that they’ve been given this second chance? Each of the chapters is told in first person by one of the four patients. Each has a distinct voice and a distinct way of coping with the challenges of a new body in a familiar life. This narrative form allows the reader to understand—if not always sympathize—with their choices. Not unexpectedly, the protagonists grapple with a wide array of existential and practical problems, all of them fascinating. Their lives are complex, and they don’t always choose the path
Fiction you’d expect. These surprising detours keep the pages turning. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney
All the Winters After
By Seré Prince Halverson Sourcebooks Landmark, $24.99, 384 pages Check this out! All the Winters After by Seré Prince Halverson is a slow-burning novel set in the beautiful Alaskan landscape and centers on Kache and Nadia. Both have spent years avoiding the hard truths of their pasts, but once they stumble into each other they are forced to confront what they have avoided for years. Kache returns home after 20 years of avoiding his tragic past and discovers Nadia, a squatter who has been caring for his family’s cabin for the last decade. Although they spend weeks growing close, they have both been burned bad enough in the past that it might hinder any possibility of a real connection. Half of the praise of this novel goes to the description of the Alaskan landscape. Halverson does a remarkable job making the setting come to life. When she describes the details involved in surviving on the fringe of society, it is easy for the reader to place themselves in the characters’ shoes. I was intrigued by Kache and Nadia’s relationship, but would have found it more satisfying if the focus was on their ability to heal from the past rather than their romantic relationship. Reviewed by Amberley Heins
Where My Heart Used to Beat: A Novel
By Sebastian Faulks Henry Holt, $27.00, 352 pages Check this out! Robert Hendricks’ father died at a young age, leaving Hendricks with his mother “who feared the worst” and a mentally ill uncle. While serving in World War II, Hendricks was injured but cannot remember what occurred. At the same time, he met and lost the great love of his life, never to form another close attachment. By the novel’s opening in London in the 1980s, however, Hendricks has become a successful psychiatrist and author, although he feels a sense of disconnection. One day, Hendricks receives an unexpected invitation to visit a neurolo-
gist living on an island of France who knew Hendricks’ father and admires Hendricks’s work. This doctor encourages Hendricks to delve into his past, but to what conclusion? In Where My Heart Used to Beat, Sebastian Faulks explores complex themes as Hendricks draws out his past: memory and its basis, mental illness, the value of human consciousness, role of love and the damage inflicted on the human psyche by modern warfare are but a start. This novel is wonderfully satisfying because Faulks provides the reader with substantial food for thought in a story that will remain with the reader long after finishing the final page. Reviewed by Annie Peters
The Queen Of The Night
By Alexander Chee HMH, $28.00, 576 pages Check this out! The Queen of the Night is the lush, beautifully written second novel by Alexander Chee. Set in the world of opera, Lilliet Berne is a popular A mer ican-bor n opera singer living in France during the Third Republic. With a past she keeps shrouded in mystery, Lilliet is at first surprised then disturbed when she receives a play that seems to follow the hidden roads of her life. Only a few people know about her past, and only a few have a chance of ruining her. Dipping into Lilliet’s past, first with her childhood on the American frontier, then as a circus performer and soon as a spy, Chee treats the reader to a grand story with an elegant backdrop, seductive writing and helmed by an intriguing cast of characters. The Queen of the Night is not a book for anyone looking for a fast-paced read of scandals and high jinks; it’s more of a mellow but still dramatic tale building to an almost tragic crescendo and very much like the operas Lilliet preforms. Definitely a book for operatic fans and history buffs. Reviewed by Qurratulayn Muhammad
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 8
Cooking, Food & Wine cont’d from page 2
Deliciously Ella Every Day: Quick and Easy Recipes for Gluten-Free Snacks, Packed Lunches, and Simple Meals By Ella Woodward Scribner†, $23.00, 256 pages Check this out!
New York Times bestselling author of Deliciously Ella is back with a collection of delectable and practical gluten- and dairyfree recipes for healthy, hearty and delicious meals and snacks all day, every day. The 100-plus recipes in this book are divided into six different sections that include breakfast, salads, easy weekday dinners and simple sweets. The diverse recipes use mostly plant-based and natural (versus industrial, processed) ingredients to create wholesome meals that Ella boasts are not only tasty, but easy to make. She says, ìI like fast, easy meals that taste wonderful but require minimal preparation chopping and washing up.î Rather than having a lunch section, Ella provides a ìhealthy eating on-the-goî section. The section includes recipes for these meals and snacks that you can stash in the fridge and grab when youíre running late or on the move. Entertaining? Not a problem with Ellaís recipes featured in ìBig-batch cooking.î But this is much more than a well-organized, visually enticing recipe book. Ellaís balanced perspective on food and life makes for an encouraging guide on how to plan, get organized as well as establish good eating habits with practical, doable recipes. Creative, positive and inspiring experimenting with food, Deliciously Ella Every Day is an enticing journey toward a healthier lifestyle. Reviewed by Maya Fleischmann
www.TulsaLibrary.org
918.549.READ
MAY 2016
A FREE MONTHLY GUIDE TO YOUR COMMUNITY LIBRARY, ITS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
asianamerican festival JOIN THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM • PAGES 4, 5
adults & all ages BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Great Decisions: Climate Change Wednesday, May 4 • 12:30-2:30 p.m. In the past few years, the American public has become more aware of the damage wrought by climate change. From droughts in the West to extreme weather in the East, a rapidly changing climate already has made its footprint in the U.S. What can the next president do to stymie this environmental crisis? Join us as we discuss. For adults. Great Decisions: Cuba and the U.S. Wednesday, May 18 • 12:30-2:30 p.m. The U.S. announced in December 2014 that it had begun taking major steps to normalize relations with Cuba. Join us as we delve into whether this is a good idea or not – and the ramifications for both countries. For adults.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian May 2-31 • Need individualized instruction on a library service? Whether
EXPLORE THE COLORFUL CULTURES OF ASIA • PAGE 7
GORDON KORMAN TO RECEIVE ZARROW AWARD • PAGE 8
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 Book-A-Librarian. For adults.
Book Discussion: "Crossing to Safety" Monday, May 9 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Read "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner and then join us for this lively discussion. Perhaps a best work of Stegner, this is the story of two couples, longtime friends and the moments that form a lifetime together. So beautifully written, it sometimes takes one's breath away, and its title is based on a poem by Robert Frost, Stegner's own longtime friend. For adults.
Evil" as the featured speaker for the commemoration. In 1944, 9-yearold Reichental was deported from his native Slovakia to the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. After the war, Reichental eventually settled in Ireland, where he married, had a family and never spoke of his ordeal. Since breaking his silence, he has come close to evil in the form of one of his former SS guards and forged an unusual friendship with the granddaughter of a man who played a role in the murder of 35 members of his family. After his presentation, Reichental will sign copies of his memoir "I Was a Boy in Belsen." Tulsa City-County Library will provide a mobile library at the commemoration. The commemoration is sponsored by the Tulsa Council for Holocaust Education (a committee of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa) and the Tulsa City-County Library. Call the Jewish Federation of Tulsa at 918-495-1100 for more information. For middle schoolers-adults. Parking is limited at Temple Israel, but overflow parking is available at Utica Square.
COMMUNITY VENUES
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY
19th Annual Yom HaShoah: An Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration Thursday, May 5 • 7-9 p.m. LOCATION: Temple Israel, 2004 E. 22nd Place • Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental will share his story as he addresses the topic "Close to
All Thumbs Knitters Wednesdays, May 4, 11, 18, 25 12:30-2:30 p.m. All levels of knitting expertise are welcome to join us for this fun and instructional afternoon. For adults.
Bookface Challenge May 9-20 • Replace your face with a book's cover and then snap a picture! Email your Bookface picture to specialevents@tulsalibrary.org and we'll post the results on our Facebook page for all to enjoy! For all ages.
L I B R A R Y All Tulsa City-County Library locations will be closed C L O S I N G S Sunday, May 29 and Monday, May 30 for Memorial Day.
To search for events, scan this code using your mobile device and QR scanner app. Collinsville Book Discussion Tuesday, May 10 • noon-1 p.m. Read "The Fallen Angel" by Daniel Silva and then join this fun group of readers for a lively discussion. Copies of the book are available at the library's circulation desk. For adults. Sponsored by the Friends of the Collinsville Library. Patchworkers Tuesday, May 10 • 6:30-8 p.m. If you want to learn to quilt or are already an experienced quilter, join us for a fun and informative evening. For adults.
GLENPOOL LIBRARY Easy Container Gardening Saturday, May 21 • 1-2 p.m. Learn how to plant vegetables in a portable 5-gallon bucket. All materials are provided. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7535 to sign up. For adults.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Fancy Nancy: The Musical Thursday, May 5 • 6-7:30 p.m. Location: Connor's Cove Join us for Riverfield Country Day School's production of a musical based on the popular picture-book series "Fancy Nancy." For all ages, but best for audiences ages 2 and older.
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The African-American Resource Center and Tulsa Library Trust Present
The 2016 Historic All-Black Town Tour Commemorating Juneteenth
SKIATOOK LIBRARY Osage Language Class Thursdays, May 5, 12, 19 • 6-7 p.m. The Osage Language Class is taught by the Osage Nation Language Department. For all ages. Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY
Featuring towns of Lima, Wewoka, Brooksville and Boley, as well as Seminole Museum
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
TICKETS: $45 each (includes light breakfast, lunch and museum fare).
(Bus departs promptly at 7 a.m. and returns at 5:30 p.m.; sign in at 7 a.m.)
DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION:
Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford, Tulsa
Tickets are nonrefundable. No shared seating. Youths ages 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult guardian. Seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase tickets in advance in person at the Rudisill Regional Library via cash or check (credit cards not accepted), beginning May 1. Town historians include Shirley Ann Ballard Nero and Jimmie White.
For more information, call Rudisill Regional Library at 918-549-7645 or visit our website at www.TulsaLibrary.org/aarc. (Hardesty Regional Library continued)
Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Start-Up Basics Thursday, May 5 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. Location: Pecan Room Learn the essentials of business startups, 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. Meet Author Gordon Korman: Winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature Friday, May 6 ● 7 p.m. Location: Connor’s Cove Gordon Korman, author of more than 80 books for children and teens, is the winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature. At the presentation, Korman will receive the Zarrow award, speak about his life and works, answer questions from the audience and sign books. Copies of his books will be available for purchasing. Gordon Korman also will present awards to winners of Tulsa City-County Library’s 2016 Young People’s Creative Writing Contest at the presentation. Meet Romance Authors Lori Wilde and Lorraine Heath Sunday, May 15 • 2-3 p.m. Location: Frossard Auditorium Join contemporary romance author Lori Wilde and historical romance author Lorraine Heath as they discuss their newest novels. Light refreshments will be served. A book
signing will follow the program. Books will be available for purchasing, courtesy of Barnes & Noble. For adults.
For adults. Refreshments will be served between programs. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
DIY for Adults: Shoe Painting Saturday, May 21 • 1:30-3 p.m. Location: Frossard Auditorium Want to freshen the look of a pair of shoes, or express your inner nerd or artistic spirit? Come and join us as we talk about techniques and ideas for painting and decorating shoes. Bring a pair of shoes.
Introduction and Overview of Ancestry Library Edition Wednesday, May 18 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Ancestry Library Edition is one of the most popular online databases for family history research. Offering digitized and indexed records, Ancestry has made genealogy research available to a wider audience. Join Tulsa City-County Library’s Genealogy Center and learn tips and tricks that will help you maximize your search results and discover what Ancestry has to offer the family historian in this introduction and overview. For adults.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian May 2-31 • 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. Books People Are Talking About Wednesday, May 18 • 12:15-1:15 p.m. Join us for a presentation by author Lane Dolly on her two historical novels, "A Distant Call" and "No Turning Back," both tracing the experiences of her great-grandmother Hattie Sheldon, who arrived in Indian Territory in the 1850s. Dolly did extensive primary source research to bring this time period to life. Following Dolly's presentation at 1:30 p.m., Tulsa City-County Library's Genealogy Center staff will show how to use the Ancestry Library Edition database for genealogy research.
www.TulsaLibrary.org
Book-A-Librarian May 2-31 • 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 schedule an appointment. Osage Language Class Wednesdays, May 4, 11, 18 6:30-7:30 p.m. • Location: South Room The Osage Language Class is taught by the Osage Nation Language Department. For all ages. Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
teens & tweens For additional events scheduled in May, see the Teen/Tween Summer Reading Program Event Guide.
Mainly Mysteries Book Club Tuesday, May 24 • 6-7:15 p.m. Join us for the first installment of our quarterly mystery book club. Be ready to share your favorite mystery classic or contemporary edition with the group. We will discuss our book selection for the coming year. Light refreshments will be served. For adults. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH
JENKS LIBRARY
In the Middle Book Group Monday, May 16 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. How does it feel to be sent across the country to stay with a mother you haven't seen since you were a toddler – and then when you get there, for her to give you a cold welcome? In "One Crazy Summer," three sisters face this situation, with lots of humor, emotion and, finally, understanding.
Book Discussion Group Thursday, May 19 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Join us for a lively discussion of great books. You should read the selected book prior to the program. Call 918-549-7570 for book title or more information. For adults.
Teen Advisory Board Friday, May 6 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Work on a simple craft project while discussing programming ideas, book recommendations and fun things to do at the library. Snacks are provided, and you'll receive volunteer hours for attending! For ages 12-18.
Hearing loop available. Switch hearing aid to T-coil.
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Join other kids ages 9-12 for a fun discussion, light refreshments and door prizes! Sponsored by Tulsa CityCounty Library's Staff Association.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Amazing Cubelets: Mini Robots! Wednesday, May 25 • 3-4 p.m. These amazing mini robots snap together and make bigger robots that think, move and follow directions. Come and snap a few together and see what you can make it do. Like LEGOS? These are kind of like LEGOS only with a brain! Bring a friend and have robot races! For ages 9-18.
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY LEGO Mania! Monday, May 2 • 3-4 p.m. Create and engineer a variety of structures and designs with LEGOS. For ages 10-18. Sukikyo! Anime Club Wednesday, May 11 • 3-4:30 p.m. Join us in making Japanese potpourri pouches, plus enjoy snacks and gaming. For ages 12-18.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Minecraft Gaming Thursday, May 5 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab Put your imagination to the test building your own world in the popular game Minecraft. For ages 12-18. Meet Author Gordon Korman: Winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature Friday, May 6 ● 7 p.m. Location: Connor’s Cove Gordon Korman, author of more than 80 books for children and teens, is the winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature. At the presentation, Korman will receive the Zarrow award, speak about his life and works, answer questions from the audience and sign books. Copies of his books will be available for purchasing. Gordon Korman also will present awards to winners of Tulsa City-County Library’s 2016 Young People’s Creative Writing Contest at the presentation. Release the Writer in You: Paint With Your Words Saturday, May 7 • 3-4:30 p.m. Location: Pecan Room Being able to paint a picture in the reader's mind is the beginning of good storytelling. Using words
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instead of paint and a brush, your writing will come alive in bursts of color and texture as you learn to create a picture in the reader's mind. Learn how to write vivid stories with writer Gina Conroy. For ages 13-18. Hardesty Teen Anime/Manga Club Saturday, May 14 • 1-2:30 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge Discuss your favorite manga characters and books while making a craft. For ages 12-18.
HERMAN AND KATE KAISER LIBRARY Craft Time Tuesday, May 10 • 6-7 p.m. Do you enjoy sewing or like to create things? If so, join us! For ages 8-16. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7542 to register.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Minecraft Night Thursday, May 26 • 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.
computers, devices &
digital services BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian May 2-31 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. Registration is required. Call 918-5497500 to reserve your time. For adults.
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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, May 3 • 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. MS Word 2 Tuesday, May 10 • 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. 3-D Printer Demonstration Thursday, May 12 • 7-8 p.m. Saturday, May 21 ● 10:30-11:30 a.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 3 Tuesday, May 17 • 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, May 24 • 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.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY
Book-A-Librarian May 1-31 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.
MS Excel 1 Saturday, May 7 • 10 a.m.-noon 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
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mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis. MS Excel 2 Saturday, May 14 • 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. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis. MS Excel 3 Saturday, May 21 • 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. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis.
RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY Basic Computing Friday, May 6 • 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. Internet @ the Library Friday, May 13 • 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. MS Word Friday, May 20 • 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. Email 101 Friday, May 27 • 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.
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
MAY 2016
Join the 2016 Summer Reading Program! • May 31-Aug. 6 AVOID THE LINES! Preregistration starts Sunday, May 1.
Register at your neighborhood library or online at www.TulsaLibrary.org/summer. Two New Drawings! • Grand-prize drawing for all who preregister May 1-30! • Grand-prize drawing for all who register May 1 through June 30!
FOR CHILDREN
FOR TEENS AND TWEENS
F O R A D U LT S
(ages 16 and up)
EXERCISE YOUR MIND.
ON YOUR MARK,
GET SET...
READ!
READ! Read or listen to 4 books by Aug. 6 to complete the program, and win a Tulsa City-County Library messenger bag (while supplies last) and coupons for free treats from our sponsors. Enjoy special events to complement the Summer Reading Program, including:
Read or listen to 8 books and visit the library 4 times to earn a medal of achievement and coupons for free: to Oklahoma Aquarium • Admission Admission Zoo • Admission toto Tulsa Tulsa and Space Museum • Admission to Tulsa Air Drillers • Admission to Tulsa State Fairgame • Admission to Tulsa Children’s Museum • Admission to Tulsa Roughnecks FC game • Cinnamon sticks from • Mazzio’s Italian Eatery bus ride on Tulsa Transit • Round-trip 4-piece Chicken • from McDonald’sMcNuggets custard scoop from • Frozen Freckles Frozen Custard nuggets from Wendy’s • Chicken Original glazed doughnut • from Krispy Kreme cookie from Merritt’s Bakery • Decorated Garlic Knots from Papa John’s •
Sandwiched • Music In series: Mondays,
Read 6 books to complete the program and earn an ID wallet with earbuds and coupons for free entertainment and food items, including:
Medal winners who have completed kindergarten or are in first through fifth grade will be entered into a drawing for great prizes. Medal winners who are not yet school-aged will be entered into their own grand-prize drawing for one of 10 gift certificates to local stores. To complement the Summer Reading Program, hundreds of free events – including music performances, puppet shows and magic shows – are scheduled at area libraries this summer. Pick up a Summer Reading Program Event Guide from any TCCL location or visit www.TulsaLibrary.org/summer for more details.
to the Tulsa Zoo • Admission to the Tulsa State Fair • Admission to the Tulsa Air • Admission and Space Museum sticks from • Cinnamon Mazzio’s Italian Eatery Chicken McNuggets • 6-piece from McDonald’s nuggets from Wendy’s • Chicken custard scoop from • Frozen Freckles Frozen Custard glazed doughnut • Original from Krispy Kreme cookie from Merritt’s Bakery • Decorated bus ride on Tulsa Transit • Round-trip to a Tulsa Drillers game • Admission to a Tulsa Roughnecks FC game • Admission • Garlic Knots from Papa John’s
June 6, 20 and July 11, 25; noon; Oklahoma Methodist Manor
Film on the Lawn at Philbrook Museum • featuring Clue: Thursday, June 16; 7:30 p.m. Once you complete the program, you may enter a drawing for cool prizes, provided by the Tulsa Library Trust, including a laptop, Xbox One console and Android tablet.
Herman and Kate Kaiser Library
To complement the Summer Reading Program, hundreds of free events – including cartooning/illustration workshop with Morgan Taylor and hypnosis with Coldthorn the Mentalist – are scheduled at area libraries this summer. Pick up a Summer Reading Program Event Guide from any TCCL location or visit www.TulsaLibrary.org/summer for more details.
SUMMER READING PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS/TWEENS PRESENTED BY
www.TulsaLibrary.org
Dillard as Harriet Tubman: • Dorothy Saturday, June 18; 2 p.m.;
For additional adult programs, check the listings in this event guide or visit www.TulsaLibrary.org/Events.
S U M M E R R E A D I N G P R O G R A M F O R A D U LT S S P O N S O R E D B Y
Library cards are not required to participate!
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
MAY 2016
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ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Really Basic Computer Class Wednesday, May 25 • 1:30-3 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 For additional events scheduled in May, see the Children's Summer Reading Program Event Guide.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY PAWS for Reading Wednesday, May 11 • 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 918-549-7500 to register.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH PAWS for Reading Friday, May 20 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
tulsa city-county library locations 25 Bixby Library 20 E. Breckenridge, 74008 • 918-549-7514 M-W, 10-6; Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5 19 Broken Arrow Library 300 W. Broadway, 74012 • 918-549-7500 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 23 Broken Arrow Library/South 3600 S. Chestnut, 74011 • 918-549-7662 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 17 Brookside Library 1207 E. 45th Place, 74105 • 918-549-7507 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 9 Central Library Closed for renovation 400 Civic Center, 74103 • 918-549-7323 8 Charles Page Library 551 E. Fourth St., Sand Springs, 74063 918-549-7521 • M, 10-6; T, 10-8; W-Fri., 10-6; Sat., 11-5 2 Collinsville Library 1223 Main, 74021 • 918-549-7528 M, 10-6; T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 24 Glenpool Library 730 E. 141st St., 74033 • 918-549-7535 M, 10-6; T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5 22 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 21 Helmerich Library 5131 E. 91st St., 74137 • 918-549-7631 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 18 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 20 Jenks Library 523 W. B St., 74037 • 918-549-7570 M-W, 10-6; Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 11-5 3 Judy Z. Kishner Library 10150 N. Cincinnati Ave. E., Sperry 74073 • 918-549-7577 M, 10-6; T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5
11 Kendall-Whittier Library 21 S. Lewis, 74104 • 918-549-7584 M-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 10 Librarium 1110 S. Denver Ave., 74119 • 918-549-7349 M-Th, 9-7; Fri.-Sat., 9-5 15 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-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 14 Nathan Hale Library 6038 E. 23rd St., 74114 • 918-549-7617 M-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 4 Owasso Library 103 W. Broadway, 74055 • 918-549-7624 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 12 Pratt Library 3219 S. 113th W. Ave., Sand Springs, 74063 • 918-549-7638 M-W, 10-6; Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 11-5 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 13 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, 10-6; Th, 12-8; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 5 Suburban Acres Library 4606 N. Garrison, 74126 • 918-549-7655 M-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5 16 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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COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Stories From the Rocking Chair Tuesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 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 2-5. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, May 18 • 3-4 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
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GLENPOOL LIBRARY Ms.Tatiana's Family Storytime Wednesdays, May 4, 11 • 10:30-11 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.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Fancy Nancy: The Musical Thursday, May 5 • 6-7:30 p.m. Location: Connor's Cove Join us for Riverfield Country Day School's production of a musical based on the popular picture-book series "Fancy Nancy." For ages 2 and older. Meet Author Gordon Korman: Winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature Friday, May 6 ● 7 p.m. Location: Connor’s Cove Gordon Korman, author of more than 80 books for children and teens, is the winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2016 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature. At the presentation, Korman will receive the Zarrow award, speak about his life and works, answer questions from the audience and sign books. Copies of his books will be available for purchasing. Gordon Korman also will present awards to winners of Tulsa City-County Library’s 2016 Young People’s Creative Writing Contest at the presentation. Release the Writer in You: Paint With Your Words Saturday, May 7 • 1-2:30 p.m. Location: Pecan Room Being able to paint a picture in the reader's mind is the beginning of good storytelling. Using words instead of paint and a brush, your writing will come alive in bursts of color and texture as you learn to create a picture in the reader's mind. Learn how to write vivid stories with writer Gina Conroy. For ages 8-12.
HERMAN AND KATE KAISER LIBRARY Craft Time Tuesday, May 10 • 6-7 p.m. Do you enjoy sewing or like to create things? If so, join us! For ages 8-16. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7542 to register. PAWS for Reading Wednesdays, May 11, 25 • 3:30-5 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent Hearing loop available. Switch hearing aid to T-coil.
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 918-549-7542 to register. Sensory Storytime Saturday, May 21 • 10:30 a.m.-noon Does your child have difficulty sitting through storytime? If so, this inclusive, interactive program of stories, songs and activities may be just what you are looking for! Sensory Storytime focuses on learning with all five senses and is especially designed for children with a variety of learning styles or sensory integration challenges. Registration is required. Register online at http://kids. tulsalibrary.org/sensorystorytime or by calling 918-549-7542. For ages 2-9.
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asianamerican festival Saturday, June 4 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Martin Regional Library
Learn about the customs and traditions of many Asian cultures with entertaining, educational events for the entire family, plus arts and crafts. Visit www.TulsaLibrary.org/ AsianFestival for a complete schedule of presentations and more details.
JENKS LIBRARY My First Storytime Wednesdays, May 4, 11 • 10-10:15 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. Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, May 4, 11 • 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.
KENDALL-WHITTIER LIBRARY Summer Reading Program Kickoff Party Friday, May 27 • 4:30-5:45 p.m. Kick off the Summer Reading Program with lots of fun! For ages 3-11.
LIBRARIUM PAWS for Reading Saturday, May 14 • 1-2 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.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY Summer Reading Program Kickoff Party Tuesday, May 31 • 6:30-8 p.m. Location: Auditorium Join library staff and local community groups and celebrate the start of the Summer Reading Program with fun games and activities! For all ages.
PRATT LIBRARY
SKIATOOK LIBRARY
Miss Connie's Storytime Thursdays, May 5, 12, 19, 26 10:30-11:15 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 5 and younger with an adult.
Skiatook Storytime Wednesdays, May 4, 11, 18, 25 11-11:45 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.
SCHUSTERMANBENSON LIBRARY Summer Reading Program Opening Games Tuesday, May 31 • 2-3 p.m. Sign up for the Summer Reading Program and enjoy face painting, bubbles, crafts and games. For all ages.
PAWS for Reading With Miss Marley Thursdays, May 5, 12, 19, 26 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.
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.
Book Reviews Category
Nonfiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Hannibal Lecter and Philosophy: The Heart of the Matter By Joseph Westfall, Editor Open Court, $19.95, 288 pages Check this out!
Routinely voted one of the greatest villains in film, television and literary history, Hannibal Lecter is easily the most likeable cannibal in pop culture. He is erudite, brilliant, engaging, persuasive, personable and funny, but those qualities don’t make him any less of a monster. Arguably, they make him more of one, since he can hide in plain sight where so many other monsters must lurk in the shadows. Hannibal Lecter and Philosophy tries its damnedest to explore the myriad depths of Dr. Lecter through his words, his actions, his deceptions, his “rules” and his peculiar appetites. And whether we’re talking the novels, the films or Bryan Fuller’s vision on Hannibal in the eponymous TV show, it’s all fascinating stuff. Through no fault of their own, the essays involving the literary Hannibal are the weakest, because the subsequent novels made some troublesome changes to the original vision of the character. The essays based on the TV show, appropriately enough, stand out, as the show itself was much richer and more complex than the novels or the movies. It seems that no matter how talented the essayist is, they’re only as good as their material. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
The Ultimate Walking Dead and Philosophy: Hungry for More By Wayne Yuen, Editor Open Court, $19.95, 288 pages Check this out! Moral dilemmas are rich fodder for philosophical discussion, and, boy, if you’re looking for moral dilemmas, The Walking Dead is the place to go. Whether
we’re talking about the comic-book series or the much-lauded television adaptation, hard choices abound and the plotlines are rife with moments worthy of debate and examination. The Ultimate Walking Dead and Philosophy puts the adventures of Rick, Michonne, The Governor, Negan, Carol, Daryl and more under the microscope, analyzing them not only through the lens of all the greatest minds in philosophy, but through the modern window of morality. Whether we’re discussing Rick imprisoning Negan in the comics or Carol’s transformation in the show, Daryl’s time with the Claimers or the Governor’s dubious sense of right and wrong, this is a smorgasbord of deep thinking. Arguably the most interesting topic was the subject of Lizzie, the disturbed young lady with a walker fascination and a devastating impact on Carol, Tyreese and her own sister. You could write a book alone on the topics discussed there, and this is only a drop in the bucket of The Walking Dead’s morally complex universe. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
The Call of the Primes: Surprising Patterns, Peculiar Puzzles, and Other Marvels of Mathematics By Owen O’Shea Prometheus Books, $19.00, 270 pages Check this out!
The Pythagorean theorem, prime numbers, magic squares and Latin squares, the Fibonacci sequence, imaginary numbers . . . mathematics is chock-full of curious patterns, unexpected connections, weird reoccurrences and mysterious rules we’re still exploring and uncovering to this day. In short, mathematics is rife with peculiarities and puzzles of all sorts, many of which are far more exciting and interesting than the formulaic drudgery we’re taught in school. The Call of the Primes is the kind of math book that can bring younger minds and older alike back to STEM fields. It keeps the mathematics readily digestible for laymen and focuses on the weirdness and wonder
of numbers. There is one caveat; I was a little underwhelmed by some of the random meaningless bits of trivia at the end of each chapter, because they betray the valuable pattern solving at the core of the book. The author did discuss coincidences later, so perhaps those little tastes of trivia were meant as a precursor to that section. Still, I thought it undermined the overall message of the book. But even with that misstep, The Call of the Primes is well-designed to spark interest in math, something we desperately need these days. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Women Who Changed the World: 50 Amazing Americans By Laurie Calkhoven, Patricia Castelao (illustrator) Scholastic Paperback Nonfiction, $8.99, 96 pages Check this out!
It’s long been said that history is written by the victors. That certainly used to be the case, but these days more and more unsung and underappreciated heroes are being brought to light. Women Who Changed the World is a wonderful young reader-targeted book that highlights 50 women who left their mark on history, not only discussing what they accomplished in their lifetimes, but the legacies they left behind. The usual suspects like Sacagawea, Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks are here, but the book also features lesser-known but equally deserving names like Annie Jump Cannon, Juliette Gordon Low and Gertrude Elion. Plus, there are some facts to be found here that will surprise most readers, young or old. (For instance, I had no idea that Julia Child’s kitchen is in the Smithsonian, or that Louisa May Alcott wrote revenge stories under a pen name!) Be warned, however; in a case of style and design trumping functionality, the dotted patterning on the left-hand pages made it harder to read the text. That being said, Women Who Changed the World might be geared for younger readers, but everyone would benefit from giving it a look. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
The Twilight Zone FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Fifth Dimension and Beyond (FAQ Series) By Dave Thompson Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, $19.99, 392 pages Check this out!
It’s hard to believe such a groundbreaking, influential show only lasted five sea-
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sons, especially when you consider that tripe like Gunsmoke lasted for 20. But even in that brief timespan, The Twilight Zone established itself as a stylistic and storytelling benchmark against which so many stories and TV shows will continue to be measured. The Twilight Zone FAQ not only gives us the history of Rod Serling, but the creation, rise and fall of the show, taking us behind the scenes of the creative struggles, accusations of plagiarism, moments of TV magic and indelible stories that impacted an entire generation of writers. Unlike many of the Applause FAQ books, The Twilight Zone FAQ is a bit less linear, abandoning the usual season-by-season episodic breakdowns for themed collections _ space, the apocalypse, alternate dimensions, flight _ woven into the story of Rod Serling’s rise to prominence and the ebbs and flows of working on The Twilight Zone. This is a terrific introduction to the show for the uninitiated, and a wonderful walk down memory lane for longtime fans. Find yourself “time enough at last” to check it out. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World By Peter Frankopan Knopfæ, $30.00, 672 pages Check this out!
For the Western world, cities in the East have difficult names, are exotic, perhaps backwards, and rarely considered to have an impact on Western politics and society. This bookÍs aim is to present a case that these cities and the empires that once claimed them continue to have a real influence on todayÍs economies all over the globe. World histories typically suffer from two main criticisms: (1) They do not take into account all factors that lead to major world events, focusing instead on only a few main ones which they claim are relevant; and (2) They do not take into account all world events, sometimes ignoring large portions of history especially if these historical narratives are at odds with the historianÍs world view. This book attempts to explain world events arising from events and attitudes along the Silk Road (defined as the network of trade routes from China to the Mediterranean). It also reduces the impetus for maSee NONFICTION, cont’d on page 10
Book Reviews jor events to economic motives. In the process it focuses unevenly on certain historical events and epochs _ a criticism that can be levelled against virtually any historical account. The narrative is chronological starting with the Persian Empire and speculating about the future. Along the way the trade and transportation of goods along the Silk Road is discussed which brings in its wake other consequences. One such consequence is the evolution of religions along the Silk Road as they compete and trade ideas with each other. Another is the transmission of disease that brought the Black Death to Europe. The Atlantic Trade is also discussed and tied to trade along the Silk Road, as are major conflicts. In recent times, the world has looked to the West as a model of sophistication. This book predicts that current world events will move the center of the world back to the Silk Road _ where it claims it has traditionally been. Readers may not agree with the views presented in this book. However it does provide an alternate viewpoint. For those who embrace alternate viewpoints, or are curious about them, this would be a good book. Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali
The Future We Want: Radical Ideas for the New Century
By Edited by Sarah Leonard and Bhaskar Sunkara Metropolitan Books, $17.00, 208 pages Check this out! In well thoughtout and meticulously planned opposition to the notion that Millennials are lazy, selfish and canÍt be bothered to care about the world around them, The Future We Want paints a collective portrait of a passionately caring and enraged generation fed up with the way things are. Sunkara and Leonard have collected a dozen essays from the brightest and boldest young leftist thinkers around. Among the ñradical ideas for the new centuryî are plans for really making a change with #BlackLivesMatter, for improving education, for shortening the work week, for creating a more egalitarian society. And more than just decrying dire situations, the young intellectuals gathered here deliver concise visions and workable plans for achieving their goals. At the heart of The Future We Want is a deep belief in socialism, as an economic policy and as a moral policy. This is a belief shared by the majority of Americans under 30. As Leonard says in the introduction,
Nonfiction those of us who came of age after 1989 ñdo not have a vision of socialism heavily influenced by the Cold War.î The young left, indeed the young in general, have a socialized vision of the future, and it ainÍt a dirty word at all. Reviewed by Sean West
67 Shots: Kent State and the End of American Innocence By Howard Means Da Capo Press, $25.99, 288 pages Check this out!
May 4, 1970, was your average day in Vietnam, seeing two dozen deaths of U.S. soldiers. President Nixon had just announced the bombing of Cambodia, which led to massive protests on college campuses. Kent State University had recently come alive with unrest in town involving a near riot, which resulted in the mayor calling in the National Guard. The university had seen the burning of the ROTC building along with rumors of a protest rally on campus on May 4. The fuse was lit on a powder keg and the explosion was imminent. Sixty-seven shots would ring out on the Ohio campus at midday. When the smoke cleared and some semblance of order was restored, four were dead, scores wounded. The questions would be numerous, the answers almost nil. What led to the triggers being squeezed that shattered the calm of that Monday afternoon? Poor training, sleep deprivation, youth of the troops is blamed, while the establishment blamed the incendiary nature of the clash and the riotous hatred of the studentled mob. Questions of outside agitation were repeatedly raised and culpability was spread on all sides. Howard Means’ look at a horrible moment in U.S. history is crucial to understanding the law, poltiics, basic rights and how occasionally all three clash, and how the former fail the latter. The author doesn’t pick sides in the telling of those momentous days, just shedding a flashlight on history (known and unknown). Means sees this event as different than other shootings (school and protest), because of the climate surrounding it, the questions still surrounding May 4 and what lessons have been learned from it or ignored. The bottom line is May 4, 1970, still resonates in America for the survivors and those who watched. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics By Rick Shenkman Basic Books, $26.99, 336 pages Check this out!
Everyone thinks they’re logical and sensible, but when you look out and see how many poorly informed numbskulls are supporting transparently manipulative politicians, it makes you wonder just how self-deceptive and misguided we are when it comes to politics and reading people in general. As it turns out, we are simply not designed to make smart choices politically, and there are several evolutionary biases that keep most of us from making good, informed decisions. Political Animals takes us behind the science and sociology of how we deceive ourselves and how others deceive us when it comes politics. Whether we’re convinced we can read politicians simply because we see them on TV, weaponizing optimism to attack rational thought, or misinterpreting anger and volume for actual resolve, it’s staggering to consider how bad we are at this. Heck, it turns out we could learn something about our political system by studying chimps and crayfish! Consider this: Nixon’s poll numbers didn’t drop until 11 months after Watergate. Does that make sense? No. But if you want to know how and why that happened, read Political Animals. You won’t regret it. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America
By Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28.00, 240 pages Check this out! Sensorily excruciating, meticulously researched, evocative of sympathy and concern. Encompassing several presentations of people trapped in the depths of hopeless poverty in America, and forcing us to endure what they endure, this is a gripping presentation. We are taken into homes full of mold and grime, made to feel the misery and hunger. Most poignantly we are introduced to folk we might flinch from in everyday life and
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made to feel for and with them. Not just an ñainÍt it awfulî book, but a thorough history of poverty and poverty programs in our country, $2.00 a Day is careful to not become too strident in advocating solutions. Obviously slanted to governmental alleviations, nonetheless even this Libertarian reviewer was emotionally moved. Advocacy herein is rational, acknowledging opposing ideas, never becomes a barrier to following the narrative. Cultural and educational lacks are recognized; girls who become single mothers in their teens are set up for lives of struggle. The end of Aid to Families With Dependent Children precipitated hundreds of thousands of those mothers into the low-end job market. Cash is necessary to live in this country, for rent, transport, food, laundry . . . food stamps and SNAP donÍt help with those necessities. Read this!! Reviewed by David Lloyd Sutton
Save the Bees With Natural Backyard Hives
By Rob McFarland, Chelsea McFarland Page Street Publishing, $21.99, 192 pages Check this out! For years I kept bees in my yard in very much the way these authors advocate. That was before the widespread advent of Varroa Mites and Foulbrood. The success I enjoyed in Santa Barbara was much like they and their associates in the nonprofit Honeylove now enjoy in Los Angeles. That said, I was operating in basic ignorance and simply lucked out. Save the Bees is a wonderful compendium of methods and considerations that should enable urban apiculturists to flourish in the modern high-threat world of honeybees. Advocating leaving the complex ecosystems that are beehives as much to themselves as possible, this is an ecologically sound approach to sustainable beekeeping. ItÍs as much for the health, momentary and evolutionary, of the friendly honeybee as for the satisfaction of keepers. I found their humor, insight and research exemplary. On slick paper, with text double-spaced, facilitating notes (if you could bring yourself to deface such a finely presented reference) there is magnificent macro photography; you will be in the hive! All photo plates and illustrations are in glowing color. Among other wonders, there is offered means to allow bees to make their own combs without foundation and its accompanying contamination. Sweet work!!
Book Reviews
Nonfiction
Reviewed by David Lloyd Sutton
Creative Children’s Spaces: Fresh and Imaginative Ideas for Modern Family Homes By Ashlyn Gibson Ryland Peters & Small, $29.95, 160 pages Check this out!
Balancing looks with utilitarian design is one of the hardest aspects of home decor, and doubly so when children are involved. How do you craft an environment that inspires and nurtures a young mind, yet still allows you to clean up and keep things orderly? Creative Children’s Spaces tackles that very conundrum in this collection of ideas for defining a child’s space with eyes toward both form and function. The photography is crisp and visually vibrant, highly reflective of the subject at hand, allowing for the full artistic vision of each designer and home owner to come through. These concepts are interesting, outside the box, and heavy on DIY, upcycling, and patient shopping and scrounging, offering unique takes on spaces for children, adolescents and teens alike. Although some of the ideas seem a little ambitious for the average family, there’s an abundance of inspiration here to draw on, and you can easily tailor some of these concepts for a smaller space or a more modest budget. Even if you’re not currently looking to design or redecorate, Creative Children’s Spaces is a wonderful book to flip through and appreciate the creativity and style of fellow parents. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
In the Gardens of Impressionism By Clare Willsdon Thames & Hudson, $29.95, 240 pages Check this out!
With the arrival of spring, the plants awaken and then entice us with their passionate reproductive colors and delight us with a fantasia of silhouettes and shapes that constantly transmute with shifting atmospheres and light. In this beautiful collection of 135 full-color reproductions among the almost 300 illustrations filling the story of the Impressionistic painters of the late 1800s, captured are some of the garden paintings of Renoir, Monet, Morisot, Manet, Pisarro, Courbet, Delacroix, Cassatt and many other familiar and not so familiar names of that period. Chapters cover tra-
ditional flowers along with exotic imports from Africa and the East, along with the gardening practices of the period. Horticulture and the history of gardens and the regard for floriculture is woven into the stories of the development of this genre. Short biographies of the painters reflect their approach to the art. Of course, MonetÍs Giverny gardens and the famous Waterlilies entrance the viewer. The form and color of the ImpressionistÍs floral renderings influenced the cultural, political and social fabric of its time. It is a joy to view the floral music emanating from this enchanting display, showing how nature impacts on ambient moods. This is a collector’s item. Reviewed by Aron Row
Sleepy Hollow By Tara Bennett Titan Comics, $19.99, 176 pages Check this out!
Welcome to Sleepy Hollow, home to witnesses Abbie Mills and Ichabod Crane. Not to mention a host of demons, ghosts and vengeful spirits, who haunt the residents of this small town while pursuing their various, terrifying vendettas. For Abbie and Ichabod, wrestling with this steady stream of malevolent beings is a piece of cake compared to navigating the treacherous relationships they have with both family and friends. But in the end, theyÍll have to find a way to make it work if they want to have any hope of thwarting the looming threat of the Apocalypse. The Sleepy Hollow companion is delightfully opulent both in design and content. Each page is brimming with pictures, prose and graphics, all laid out in crisp, uncrowded splendor and rendered in a richly saturated color scheme thatÍs reflective of the showÍs sets. Article after article delves into the arenas of character motivations, plot, settings, costuming, dialogue and demon design, just to name a few. Show trivia is sprinkled all throughout, and the actors and actresses provide interesting insights into their Sleepy Hollow counterparts. A definite must-have for fans (as long as youÍre caught up to the end of Season Two!). Reviewed by Heather Clawson
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 11
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What You See: A Jane Ryland Novel By Hank Phillippi Ryan Tor, $25.99, 384 pages Check this out!
Reporter Jane Ryland is interviewing for a possible position at the rival to her past employer when a murder news story breaks. Asked to work contract and cover the story, Jane makes her way to the crime scene, which her boyfriend, Detective Jake Brogan happens to be covering. Jane and Jake soon find that the murder is anything but an open and shut case with several suspects and few leads. Meanwhile, a family emergency interrupts Jane’s reporting on the case as her sister’s soon-to-be stepdaughter goes missing right before her wedding. What You See is the fourth book in the Jane Ryland series. Author Hank Phillippi Ryan’s background in the reporting world shows and always makes for a believable and enjoyable storyline. Ryan’s gift at keeping the tension throughout makes What You See another great page-turner. There was one small hiccup in this book as it seemed to have more drawn out pauses in conversation. It is likely this was due to the increased amount of dialogue that took place over phone calls in this book, however, the amount of times “hold on” was followed by a prolonged pause in dialogue did get a bit frustrating. Despite this, the storyline was well plotted and kept the reader guessing until the end making this a definite weekend binge book as it is hard to put down. A suspenseful and enjoyable read. Reviewed by Stacy Shaw
Keep Calm: A Thriller
By Mike Binder Henry Holt, $28.00, 384 pages Check this out! Adam Tatum is a man who is recovering from a near fatal mistake that almost cost him everything. A former police officer, Tatum became a willing accomplice in a prank involving trashing an anti-Union Governor’s mansion, only to have it balloon into attempted murder. After serving time and his marriage hanging by a thread, his father-in-law secures a job in Chicago with Heaton Global Investments. Tatum is stunned to find he has been invited to partake in a delegation meeting with England’s prime minister, Roland Lassiter. He is soon to find out that when events seem too good to be true, they really are. A bomb goes off at 10 Downing Street, rendering the prime minister i nc a p a c it ate d , his second in command, the loyal, but pilldependent Georgia Turnbull assumes command. An investigation is undertaken by the intrepid Davina Steel, whose keen perception is a threat to the perpetrators. Meanwhile, Adam Tatum and his family are forced in a run for their life. Will they make it out of the country or be hunted down? Keep Calm is Mike Binder’s first novel. The pages crackle with suspense, humor and drama that keeps the novel fresh and fast-paced. The story alternates between past and the evolving investigation into the bombing, when they finally meet up, the intersection is explosive. Mike Binder has crafted a well-written, intelligent thrillfest. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
You Belong to the Universe: Buckminster Fuller and the Future By Jonathon Keats Oxford University Press, $24.95, 216 pages Check this out!
Buck minster Fuller is perhaps one of the most unrecognized visionaries of the 20th century. In You Belong to the Universe, Jonathon Keats unpacks the many eccentric details of Fuller’s life, and explores the implications of Fuller’s designs and blueprints for a better society on the world as we know it today. Most of Fuller’s precepts ended up failures—for example, his revolutionary geodesic dome, despite creating the most space with the least material, turned out to have too many structural and environmental issues to make a comfortable shelter. Fuller’s own adverse egoism seems to be the key to his many grand but ultimately failed innovations. Keats picks up where Fuller left off, reviving his philosophical concepts for a modern audience afflicted with the complications of overpopulation and declining environmental conditions. Given Fuller’s disposition as an innovator with many designs to his name, this book would have benefited hugely from the inclusion of one or two visuals—even just the blueprints to a Dymaxion car (which, despite a wordy description, is not particularly easy to visualize). The book does dispel many myths surrounding Fuller’s legacy, which is especially important due to Fuller’s exaggeratedly storied life. Keats points out many comparisons between Fuller’s pursuits for sustainable living and current-day innovations that hold true to Fuller’s ideal, but there seem to be few direct connections between Fuller’s ideas and these enterprises. Regardless, Keats presents an interesting look at the way innovation has transformed
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from Fuller’s day into the energy and costsaving practices that are being explored today. Reviewed by Jackie Bussjaeger
War Bonds: Love Stories From the Greatest Generation By Cindy Hval Casemate, $24.95, 216 pages Check this out!
World War II brought a lot of pain into the world, but, in the face of tragedy, longlasting bonds of camaraderie, affection and love were formed between men and women of the “greatest generation.” For example, Fenton Roskelley and Violet Shipman met in England in 1944, simply because she’d picked her name out of a hat and so was transferred to Cornwall. This tiny slip of paper changed the rest of their lives. Warren and Betty Schott met through mutual friends after she moved to Los Angeles. They survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and lengthy work-related separations during their marriage, but they have remained best friends for more than 75 years. Cindy Hval recounts these, and 34 other, memorable stories in War Bonds: Love Stories of the Greatest Generation. Throughout this book, she clearly celebrates not only the personal sacrifices these couples made to serve their country, but also their devotion to one other, their deep-rooted friendship, and the profound respect that has kept their marriages strong for six to seven decades. This collection of memories serves to remind us that love can last a lifetime and preserves the optimistic recollections of men and women who lived during such a dark time in history, but persevered and built wonderfully happy lives together. Reviewed by Ruth Duran-Chea
Book Reviews Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening By John Elder Robison Spiegel & Grau, $28.00, 320 pages Check this out!
In what may soon become the most important story in modern neuroscience, Robison offers us a sequel to his previous best seller, Look Me in the Eye. As this initial journey into the mysteries of autism by an insider might have failed to compel us, Robison takes us deeper into the unexpected brain twists while becoming the first person to attempt reversing the effects of autism through experimental electromagnetic induction. Dr. Marcel Adam Just describes the academics of the trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the afterword, and Robison’s contribution to the study conducted at Harvard and Beth Israel Hospital. The rest of the book holds us in suspense as these pulses awaken emotional connectivity that threatens to diminish the gifts of the autistic, particularly the very skills that help Robison earn a living, in exchange for the ability to empathize socially. When suddenly overwhelmed with emotions for the first time in his life, this trailblazer faces a real possibility that this connection with the rest of humanity may not last. A multitude of surprising insights surface in Robison’s captivating account. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn
Shame and Wonder: Essays
By David Searcy Random House, $26.00, 240 pages Check this out! Describing Ken Burns’ documentary style, David Searcy mentions the weepy harmonica and the crimson prairie sunsets, and how we, as viewers, “drift along like notquite-sleepy children at the surface of some bedtime story, gazing out the window at the evening.” This is also how we, as readers, enter many of Searcy’s essays. Then they tend to veer off course, dragging you through the window and pulling you below the surface. What starts as an innocuous dental visit turns into a Melville-like quest to hunt down a coyote using a tape recording of a
Biographies & Memoirs
baby crying as bait. Looking for cars online morphs into a discussion on pop-up ads for “Sexy Girls Near Dallas,” and when and if it’s okay to look. Searcy’s essays are funny, but so sad, but not eat-a-pint-of-ice-cream-in-bed sad. They’re funny enough and sad enough to make us think, to help us investigate. They make us explore things we might’ve always known, or wondered about, but never actually took a real look at, “those lower-pressure regions where our presence seems unstable and evaporative and difficult to locate with precision,” and so Searcy’s curiosity becomes our own. Reviewed by Sean West
her own way, the way that she sees as best for England. Many interviews were done with those who served in Thatcher’s administrations, as well as friends and family; the backgrounds of many of the characters were very well researched. This book serves history well. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
Margaret Thatcher: At Her Zenith: In London, Washington and Moscow
When a young Jim Doty walked into the magic shop that day, he never suspected that the next six weeks would affect his life so much. Instead of learning magic tricks, he was trained in meditation, visualization and focus, all valuable tools that would help him
By Charles Moore Knopf, $35.00, 880 pages Check this out! Margaret Thatcher: At Her Zenith is the second book in Charles Moore’s comprehensive biography of the former British prime minister. The book begins after the British victory involving the Falkland Islands conflict. Thatcher and her Conservative Party emerge victorious in the 1983 elections over Labour. The book traces many of the main events in the 19831987 timeline. Margaret Thatcher was a dedicated civil servant who sacrificed family life for political office. Her second term in office as the ruler at 10 Downing Street would be marked with important events, such as the stare-down with China over the future of Hong Kong, the conflict with Ronald Reagan and the U.S. over the Grenada invasion, the battle with the vicious coal strike of 1984 which witnessed violent clashes between strikers, workers, policeman. The Cold War was still a constant threat, with Thatcher as an advocate of nuclear weapons as a deterrent. She would be the first to see Mikhail Gorbachev as a Soviet leader who could be spoken with, yet she feared an agreement between Gorbachev and Reagan dumping nukes altogether. Denationalization and privitization are overseen by Thatcher during the Big Bang period of the 1980s. The evolution of the country would continue during Thatcher’s reign, with advocates and detractors of the prime minister both shouting her name. This volume is fair in its treatment of the late prime minister covering the good, bad and ugly from re-election to the third term election in 1987. Thatcher is portrayed as a trailblazing leader who seeks peace, but in
Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart By James R. Doty, MD Avery, $26.00, 288 pages Check this out!
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 13
realize his dreams. And yet, it was only when he achieved those dreams that he realized he should have been seeking something else entirely. In Into the Magic Shop, Doty shares his life story—a journey from an impoverished youngster from a broken home to an accomplished neurosurgeon and businessman— casting it in the light of his two greatest influences: a fascination with the brain and learned techniques for wish-fulfillment from his childhood. A curious memoir mixing mindfulness, philosophy, science and tell-all elements, Into the Magic Shop trades on its scientific content in order to push a more spiritual message, which feels a little disingenuous to me. And although there are valuable lessons to be drawn from Doty’s story—particularly ones on humility and determination—I would advise any reader to treat this more as a source of inspiration and less as a scientific text on neuroplasticity. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
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Book Reviews Category
Anna and the Swallow Man
By Gavriel Savit Knopf YR, $17.99, 240 pages Check this out!
Teens SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Unforgiven: A Fallen Novel
By Lauren Kate Delacorte Press, $18.99, 368 pages Check this out! Unforgiven is the fifth book in the Fallen series. The book revolves around a bad boy named Cam who goes through the perils of high school as a dark angel. Prepare to think about romance because this bad boy will reveal his cold heart to win freedom for Lilith, the girl he loves. Cam made a bet with Lucifer: he has 15 days to convince the only girl who really matters to him to love him again. If he fails, he will lose the love of his life and be sent to a special place in hell. Between the adventure, romance and darkness, this book will capture your heart too. Cam is conflicted, complicated, sweet, loving and devoted. Throughout the book you’ll see his strong and determined character development. Lilith had a hard life growing up, she’s bitter, courageous and loving. There is a spark between Cam and Lilith and it just needed the right moment to click into place. I recommend this book to people who are interested in a romantic tale that involves adventure, fighting and angels. Reviewed by Elizabeth Dubos
The Great Hunt (The Great Hunt #1) By Wendy Higgins HarperTeen, $17.99, 432 pages Check this out!
After watching her betrothed, Breckon, die fighting to protect her from the beast, Wyneth returns to the palace for safety and to heal under and care of her cousin, Princess Aerity. In desperation the king offers a bounty on the beast to the man who is able to slay it. The winner will receive his daugh-
ter’s hand in marriage. Bound by duty and loyalty to father and kingdom she agrees. As the hunters ascend upon the kingdom one rugged man named Paxton catches the princess’ eye. Neither will admit their strange attraction as they struggle to focus on the task at hand. With much at stake, what will prevail, love or the beast? The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins has both rugged males and strong females. Higgins tells a story that will delight and engage readers that is the perfect blend of adventure, danger and romance. A must-read! Reviewed by Amy Synoracki
Calvin
By Martine Leavitt Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), $17.99, 192 pages Check this out! Born on the day that Bill Watterson’s final Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was printed and given a stuffed animal named Hobbes at his birth, 17-yearold Calvin feels a connection to Hobbes that is only made stronger when Hobbes reappears as a delusion, a symptom of the schizophrenia he’s diagnosed with after an episode at school. Convinced that the only cure for his mental illness is reclusive Bill Watterson writing one last Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin sets out across frozen Lake Erie, certain that Bill Watterson will be waiting for him on the other side. As he makes the dangerous journey, Calvin is joined by his childhood best friend Susie. Calvin’s voice is heartfelt and raw, and Martine Leavitt renders his schizophrenia in a way that both informs the reader about the illness and makes the illness not an abstract diagnosis but just one part of one individual’s deeply realistic human experience. Calvin is a story of love and friendship and a story that marvels at the complexity of imagination, the complexity of the world, and the warmth and safety to be found in loving and accepting oneself. Reviewed by Emma McGorray
Anna’s father, a professor, leaves her with a friend and disappears. It is Poland. The continent is at war. Anna’s father never returns, but she finds a man who can call wild birds to him, and has a great understanding of how the world works and a brilliant command of languages. The two begin to walk. During time of war, the Swallow Man says, it is best to keep moving, so they do. The journey they share goes on for years, as does the war. Anna, a growing girl, needs clothes and shoes and food, and the Swallow Man needs his pills. These problems make their journey so much harder, but when Anna chooses a stranger to join them, everything becomes so much more difficult. Gavriel Savit has written a story that looks at the war and the Holocaust in an entirely different way. He examines it through the eyes of a child who survives on the edges of the conflict and tells it in the style of an old-fashioned folk tale. The writing is lyrical and gorgeous, and the story is captivating, although often dark. For most sophisticated middle-school readers, this deserves much wider readership. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
We Are the Ants
By Shaun David Hutchinson Simon Pulse, $17.99, 464 pages Check this out! We Are the Ants is a smart, sarcastic and heartfelt read chronicling the days of Henry Denton as he decides if he should let the world end. Aliens have repeatedly abducted Henry since the age of 13 and three years later, they have finally given him a purpose. The world is going to end and only Henry can prevent it. However, a series of awful experiences added to the fact that Henry has never left his hometown, make it difficult for him to really see the positivity in letting humankind continue. That is until a new student comes to town and begins to show Henry a different outlook on life. Shaun David Hutchinson introduced a great piece of YA literature to the world when he wrote We Are the Ants. In a genre that is dominated by female protagonists Henry is an engaging, complex and funny
Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 14
character with the perfect amount of angst. I also really appreciated that I truly had no idea what Henry’s choice was going to be. This book has many sci-fi elements, but overall, is a very human story that I couldn’t get enough of. Reviewed by Amberley Heins
The Beast of Cretacea
By Todd Strasser Candlewick Press, $18.99, 432 pages Todd Strasser’s The Beast of Cretacea is one thrilling ride from start to finish. It was something fresh and innovative, with an unexpected surprise ending. If I could give this captivating read more than 5 stars, it ranks as one of the few books I would do so. Aside from the brilliant story, the cover was absolutely beautiful. Cretacea is a reimagining of Melville’s Moby Dick, set in Earth’s dark future. Thankfully, this book dispenses with all of what made Moby Dick a terribly boring read to a 12-year-old me – the chapters on marine life, whaling technicalities and cetology in specific. What it keeps are things that would be familiar even to people who’ve never read Melville’s classic – names like Ishmael, Queequeg, Ahab and Starbuck, a hunting ship called the Pequod, a great white beastie, and Ahab’s burning obsession with said beastie. Earth is dying. Covered in a smog and filth ridden greenhouse gas Shroud, water and food has become scarce. People of age are recruited to go on missions to distant places and hunt for food that is then processed and sent back. Ishmael wakes from stasis aboard the Pequod. With him are several other new arrivals – Queequeg, Billy, Gwen and Pip. Their very first day aboard ship they learn just how dangerous this job can be. Two chaseboats have brought in a terrafin. In an attempt to kill the beast, one of the crew ends up dead, and the terrafin goes free. Though smaller than the hunting ships’ normal prey, terrafin (read manta rays on steroids) are among the most deadly. Soon enough, Ishmael is named skipper of his own chaseboat, with Queequeg, Billy and Gwen as his crew. They make friends, make enemies and end up in some unlikely places, such as among pirates, a “Swiss Family Robison” like group of castaways turned islanders, and the nest of a roc-like flyer. Through all their adventures runs the undercurrent of Ahab’s obsession with the white Great Terrafin. Like its predecessor, Cretacea is a warning against the destructive seduction of obsession and revenge. In the end, it will
Book Reviews cost you everything. It also showcases man’s penchant for greed. The terrafin are valuable not as food, but commodities of a different sort. Just as whales were hunted for ambergris, the terrafin are hunted for a unique neurotoxin they produce. It’s a cautionary tale as well. This Earth, in the far (or not so far) future, has become a planet destroyed by the choking kudzu of humanity. The air is nigh unbreathable, food must be imported, the seas have disappeared. The waters are
not locked in frigid glaciers. It’s just gone. The planet is becoming uninhabitable. I truly can’t recommend Strasser’s Beast of Cretacea enough. The author has an engaging style, with well-developed characters. There was never a dull moment, and the lessons offered within seem not like admonishments, but priceless wisdom we should heed. That Earth had Cretacea. We do not. Reviewed by J. Aislynn d’Merricksson
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The Force Awakens (Star Wars) By Alan Dean Foster LucasBooks, $28.00, 272 pages Check this out!
Decades after the events of Return of the Jedi, the galaxy remains unstable. The burgeoning New Republic turns a blind eye to The First Order, successor to The Empire in all but name. Only a small resistance stands against the First Order as both forces search for the missing Luke Skywalker. And the future rests on the choices of a stormtrooperturned-deserter, a crackerjack pilot, a scavenger and a plucky little droid. I was optimistic at the outset, not only because Star Wars novelizations have a habit of building upon and offering greater detail into scenes from the movies, but because Alan Dean Foster was at the helm, and The Approaching Storm remains one of the best Star Wars novels of the last two decades. And although The Force Awakens is a perfectly suitable adaptation of the film, it doesn’t strive to be anything more. In fact, except for explaining how Poe got off Jakku and offering a cute scene between C-3PO and a dormant R2-D2, it’s simply the movie in novel form. Instead of reigniting and expanding on the theatrical experience, it feels like a missed opportunity. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
ies win all three great acclaim, though not nearly so much as is truly warranted. Tom is knighted, when he should be raised to the peerage. Isabella is named Lady Trent, but still she is denied a place among the Colloquium. I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in a day’s reading. It flowed much better than Voyage of the Basilisk did, and did not have an abrupt ending. It is left open for more adventures from our trio and I cannot wait for the next one! As with the previous books, if you like things anthropological or things dealing with naturalism, if historical fantasy tickles your palate, if adventurous accounts akin to The Lost City of Z arrest your attention, then look no further! Marie Brennan’s In the Labyrinth of Drakes can slake that thirst. Come, walk in a world where dragons dwell and learn the secrets of the natural world. Reviewed by J. Aislynn d’Merricksson
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen (Vorkosigan Saga) By Lois McMaster Bujold Baen, $27.00, 352 pages Check this out!
In the Labyrinth of Drakes: A Memoir by Lady Trent (A Natural History of Dragons) By Marie Brennan Tor Books, $25.99, 352 pages Check this out!
In the Labyrinth of Drakes is Brennan’s fourth novel in the Lady Trent series. This time she and Tom are headed to Akhia, to head up the Scirling Royal Army’s efforts to breed desert drakes in captivity. Arriving brings her many surprises. In Akhia, Isabella is reunited with Suhail, her archaeologist companion who had also traveled aboard the Basilisk. She learns he is the brother of the sheikh with whom the Scirlings must deal. This brother does not think highly of either Isabella, believing her a bad influence to Suhail, or of Suhail’s interest in the ancient Draconeans. With the help of the Aritat nomads, Isabella and Tom delve into desert drake behavior and habitat, even going out into the desert itself to observe mating flights, clutch-laying and hatchings. Amid all of this comes intrigue and sabotage that put Isabella and Tom in serious danger. Between poisonings, kidnapping and assassination attempts, it is all they can do to stay safe as they carry out their task. Fighting to keep their project going, though the military considers it a failure, Isabella and Tom, along with Suhail, head into the deep desert, where they make several discoveries that will rock the scientific world on many levels. These discover-
The Red Queen became Cordelia Naismith/Vorkosigan’s sobriquet after the bloody events in Barrayar (fortuitously republished, as it is the establishing story
for this one.) I urge readers who are new to the Vorkosigan saga to read that first. Widowed, her son Miles and his clone-brother Mark well into their own careers, and in one case, deep into parenthood, Cordelia returns to Sergyar, where she and Aral spent happy years during Emperor Gregor’s early reign. Vicereine Vorkosigan is welcomed back to Sergyar, where she has large personal plans. Using material she and Aral banked in the past, Cordelia plans . . . daughters! Free, as daughters, of what she thinks of as the Vor curse. She is, after all, only 76, young for a galactic. We are granted a startling glimpse into a facet of Aral’s that included then-lieutenant and now Admiral Jole. Cordelia offers him enucleated ova and some of Aral’s genetic material as well. Mind you, readers, McMaster Bujold hits us with all of that in the first 50 pages. High romance and strife are here. A fascinating world is presented for learning and growing into; hope burgeons, and vistas open to future loving. This mature writer has never held a pen more masterfully. Reviewed by David Lloyd Sutton
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Tulsa Book Review • May 2016 • 15
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