Tulsa
event guide
INSIDE! November 2015
Book Review 7 9
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1
F R E E
NEW AND OF INTEREST
C H E C K
Dream Things True A tale of two classes Page 4
The Telling
I T
Rachel and Lizzy Page 6
O U T
Strong Light of Day Land treads new ground in his latest installment of the series. Page 9
11 13
Fun at the fair
Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania! By Cynthia Lord, Derek Anderson (illustrator) Scholastic Press, $16.99, 40 pages Celebrate Books to Treasure with illustrator Derek Anderson on Nov. 13 at Hardesty Regional Library. See Page 8 of the November Event Guide insert for more details. Hot Rod Hamster and his friends are so excited to see Fearless Franco’s Monster Truck Mania at the fair. But before the show, there’s plenty to do. Hot Rod Hamster goes in search of the best ride. He wants fun! He wants fast! He wants something that lets him drive! The usual rides at the fair are pretty fun, but when Fearless Franco breaks his glasses just as the show is about to start, Hot Rod Hamster gets the chance to take on the most exciting ride ever (and save the show).
Most of this story could be any child’s experience at the fair: bright colors, exciting rides, and choices to make everywhere! Cynthia Lord’s rhythmic, rhyming text lists all the choices Hot Rod Hamster encounters and asks the reader, “What would you choose?” Young readers can practice making decisions and expressing their opinions — an astonishingly difficult feat. Then they can see what Hot Rod Hamster and his friends chose in Derek Anderson’s bold acrylic renderings. Best of all, they’re all clearly having fun despite making different choices, which validates the reader’s selection. Life skills, interaction, and top it all off with a ride in a monster truck! Win! Reviewed by Randy-Lynne Wach, teen library associate, Kendall-Whittier Library
Treat Easy sweets with marshmallow Page 12
Friendshape For friends of all shapes and sizes Page 14
51 Reviews INSIDE!
Book Reviews
Category
History SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Boundaries of Desire: A Century of Bad Laws, Good Sex and Changing Identities By Eric Berkowitz Counterpoint, $26.00, 468 pages Check this out! The United States always has been bipolar about sexuality. Whether it’s the Madonna/whore complex foisted upon women or men “owning” women through marriage, the horrors that accompany reporting and prosecuting a rape or the question marks that lurk within our legal sys- tem today, there are so many facets of sexuality and
legality that deserve a deeper, more thoughtful look. The Boundaries of Desire undertakes an impossible task – studying the inconsistencies in sexual and marital laws over the last hundred years – and trying to make sense of it all. Berkowitz is damned convincing in his arguments, both in detail and analysis. This is a book filled with infuriating unfairness and outright horrors. Eugenics, homophobia, rape, misogyny, child abuse ... all of these troubling subjects and more are covered. But don’t turn away. The only way to prevent repeating the mistakes of the past is to take a hard look at them. At a time when women’s rights continue to be under siege by conservative politicians, it’s worth your time to take a look back and see not only how far we’ve come, but how far we still have yet to go. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Henry Clay: America’s Greatest Statesman By HarlowGilesUnger Da Capo Press, $25.99, 320 pages Check this out! Henry Clay was a man of unlimited promise who preached compromise. He was born in Virginia, but made his living in Kentucky. He was a distinguished attorney who represented Aaron Burr after he infamously dueled Alexander Hamilton. Clay was a man of contradictions, he was antislavery yet owned slaves who worked his plantation. He yearned for his family who had abandoned him in his youth, but ran around on his doting wife, Lucretia. Clay served a public life of distinction as one of the youngest Speakers of the House in U.S. history and later was a senator. He would author the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and another compromise in 1850 saving a fragile union over slavery, come through again as a secession threat from South Carolina almost exploded. At the same time, he would be accused of getting the U.S. into war in 1812 and striking a corrupt bargain with John Quincy Adams in 1824 to gain a powerful position in government. Harlow Giles Unger’s biography is a very well-researched book. He casts a fair light on the statesman, showing his highs and lows. There is no partiality on the subject, the author questions some of Clay’s decisions, but
Meet Rick Atkinson
Winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2015 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Free Public Presentation and Book Signing Saturday, Dec. 5 • 10:30 a.m. Hardesty Regional Library, Connor’s Cove • 8316 E. 93rd St. A three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and military historian, Rick Atkinson is best known for his epic Liberation Trilogy about the U.S. military’s role in the liberation of Europe in World War II. The first volume, An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, received the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. It was followed by The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, in 2007, and concluded with the No. 1 New York Times bestseller The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945, released in 2013. Prior to turning full-time author, Atkinson served as a reporter, foreign correspondent and senior editor at The Washington Post for 25 years. After his presentation, Atkinson will answer questions from the audience and sign books. Copies of his works will be available for purchasing. Books Sandwiched In: A Rick Atkinson Sampler Monday, Nov. 23 • 12:10 p.m. Oklahoma Methodist Manor, Fleming Center 4134 E. 31st St.
Join Adrian Alexander, dean of the University of Tulsa’s McFarlin Library, as he introduces us to the works of Rick Atkinson. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries.
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 2
does show sympathy to him on some issues, yet never detracts from a balanced biography. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro Katrina: After the Flood By Gary Rivlin Simon & Schuster, $27.00, 462 pages Check this out! August 29, 2015, marked the 10-year anniversary of the day Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and destroyed large sections of New Orleans. Over 1,800 people died in that storm. Hundreds of thousands more were stuck in refugee camps in the Superdome, the Convention Center, and Houston, Texas. Before the storm, the people who could afford to leave went to Baton Rouge, Atlanta, Houston; wherever they could find a place to stay. Many of them never went back. Nine years after Katrina, only 32 percent of the Lower Ninth Ward was repopulated. Race was a huge factor in the stagnation of recovery efforts. Before Katrina, New Orleans was a predominantly black city. Most of the sections hardest hit by the storm were predominantly black neighborhoods. Afterward, New Orleans was a predominantly white city. History: Katrina cont’d on page 8
Tulsa
Book Review Tulsa City-County Library 400 Civic Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 Ph. (918) 549-7323
IN THIS ISSUE History...........................................................2
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ross Rojek Ross@1776productions.com
Teens..............................................................4
EDITOR/COORDINATOR Jackie Hill Tulsa City-County Library
Tweens...........................................................5
GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Steph Rodriguez
COPY EDITORS Michelle Baker
Fiction.....................................................6, 7, 8
Michael Julian Heather Osborne Kemberlee Shortland
Crime Fiction..................................................9 EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Christopher Hayden Faith Lewis Serena Vogel
Bestsellers Coming Soon.................................9
WEBSITE TulsaBookReview.com
Nonfiction.........................................10, 11, 12
FROM THE GUEST PUBLISHER There’s something about this time of year, right before the busy holiday season, where the pace of life slows just a bit and families spend more time at home sharing stories and reading books together. It’s been said that a book is a dream that you hold in your hands. Can you recall the first book that you read where you felt that to be true? Take a moment to think about what made it memorable. For many of us, it was a book from our childhood and the vibrant illustrations that ignited our imaginations and brought the story to life and made it real. Every November through our Books to Treasure award, Tulsa City-County Library and the Tulsa Library Trust honor a children’s book illustrator who is responsible for creating a dream that children can hold in their hands. This year we will recognize illustrator Derek Anderson; he is one of the best at capturing a child’s imagination and the wonderful whimsical moments of fictional characters. We hope you can join us on Friday, November 13 at 7 p.m. at the Hardesty Regional Library to honor Mr. Anderson with the Books to Treasure award and celebrate the beauty of children’s literature. In the meantime, we invite you to visit any of our 24 locations to borrow one of his 30 books, such as the one featured on the cover of this issue of the Tulsa Book Review. Also in November, in commemoration of Veterans Day, we will honor active and retired military members for their dedication and service to our country by waiving their fines and fees on overdue library materials throughout the month. Lastly, I want to remind you that the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award presentation will take place on Saturday, December 5. This year’s award winner is three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and military historian Rick Atkinson. We hope to see you at one of our libraries soon or at one of the many events we have planned this fall. Best regards,
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 ©2015, City Book Review
Biographies & Memoirs................................13
Kids’ Books............................................. 14, 15
Kim Johnson Tulsa City-County Library COO
Book Reviews Category
This is a much darker outing than the first, but the core themes of friendship and destiny remain. The bonds of Team DEVIL are unshaken by tragedy or failure, and as they steamroll towards a third adventure to come, I’m optimistic that Hosie will continue to do these characters justice. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Teens SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Dumplin’ By Julie Murphy Balzer + Bray, $17.99, 384 pages Check this out! Willowdean Dickson, the narrator of Julie Murphy’s novel Dumplin’, is proud to call herself a fat girl, ready to challenge those who put her down for her size. When she falls for her attractive coworker, Bo, she begins to feel a self-consciousness that threatens that confidence. She joins her town’s beauty pageant, challenging the popular conception of what beauty queens ought to look like, and in the events that follow, she confronts new issues with friendship, family, her body and the memory of her late aunt. Willowdean is a flawed character who inspires, a girl who knows that she deserves the same love that the thin pageant girls do but doesn’t always feel ready to accept it. Murphy handles issues of body image and social acceptance with nuance— the book is about what it’s like to be a “fat girl,” but it’s also about how to treat people who care about you and how to honor the memory of the people you miss. The large cast of minor characters makes it hard for any secondary character to be fully developed, and at times the narrative voice doesn’t ring true, but despite these faults, Dumplin’ is a fun novel with important things to say. Reviewed by Emma McGorray Zeroes By Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Deborah Biancotti Simon Pulse, $19.99, 560 pages Check this out! In Zeroes five teens are bound into an unlikely group called the Zeroes due to unique powers. Ethan, aka Scam, has the ability to know things about a person that he should not realistically know and the power to talk his way out of almost any situation. One day in a fit of anger he breaks the group using the secrets his voice knows about each. When Ethan’s voice lands him in even more hot water with mobsters and police alike he must turn to the Zeroes once again to help rescue him.
This leads them all on a whirlwind adventure to rescue Scam, a new Zero, and keep their powers hidden from everyone else. Zeroes is an interesting mix of action and look at what would ordinary teens do if they were given special powers. These teens are by no means superheroes and in fact several are unlikeable who use their powers in very unherolike manners. Along the way, each grows in unexpected ways though only one character has yet to rise somewhat above the others. Zeroes has a lot of potential but the lack of a standout character makes this a less than memorable read. Reviewed by Debbie Suzuki The Devil’s Dreamcatcher (The Devil’s Intern) By Donna Hosie Holiday House, $16.95, 272 pages Check this out! Medusa’s life is Hell, literally. She’s the new intern in the Devil’s accounting office, and she’s taken on more than she bargained for. As she meets fellow intern Mitchell and his friends – Viking Alfarin and kindhearted Elinor – Hell goes into lockdown. Someone has stolen an item of immense power from the Devil, and it’s up to Medusa, Mitchell, Alfarin and Elinor to retrieve it. They’re Team DEVIL, and they’re in a race against time, interfering angels and a monstrous thief to prevent the apocalypse. In this sequel to The Devil’s Intern, Team DEVIL reunites and we discover none of the characters remember the big twist from the previous book. Now, to be fair, I wasn’t entirely sold on that twist in the first place, but The Devil’s Dreamcatcher manages to dissuade those doubts and hit the ground running with a sense of urgency and energy.
Dream Things True: A Novel By Marie Marquardt St. Martin’s Griffin, $18.99, 352 pages Check this out! After a few years of living in Atlanta with relatives, Alma has returned home to her small town in Georgia to help care for her cousins while she finishes high school. Shortly after returning home, she meets Evan, a rich boy who wants out of Georgia and away from his rich, overbearing family. Alma wants out too, but that might not be an option for her, as she’s an undocumented immigrant who moved to America when she was 2. As the friendship between Alma and Evan quickly develops into love, the two open each other’s eyes to a lot of truths about life. And as the government cracks down on immigrants like Alma, their future together looks pretty grim. Marie Marquardt’s new novel, Dream Things True, is so much more than a love story. The romance between Alma and Evan is, for the most part, wonderfully straightforward, lacking the drama that so many teen novels are filled with. Instead, the problems come with Alma’s legal status and the way Evan’s family reacts to it. In the vein of many great YA novels, this one is sure to get readers thinking, bringing into the light an issue that is becoming more prevalent for our generation. Beautifully written with well-defined characters, this book will get teens reading and thinking about one of the current big debates in a different way. Reviewed by Holly Scudero Crystal Kingdom (The Kanin Chronicles) By Amanda Hocking St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.99, 432 pages Check this out! Bryn is running from the only home she’s ever known to avoid being charged with the murder of a troll prince and treason to her queen. She has to leave behind her parents, her best friend, Ember, and the only boy she’s ever loved, Riley Dresden. The only one who might help her get her life back is also her sworn enemy, Konstantin Black, but to turn away from him is to
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 4
risk certain death. With his help, she puts together a picture of corruption and greed, and revenge that stems from way back before she can remember. Alone, they cannot recruit help from other troll kingdoms, but together, they just might be able to pool assistance from the troll community before their race is obliterated. Hocking has concluded the Kanin chronicles with a fast-paced ride that faithful readers will expect and love. Reading it alone may be challenging, but the author does a fair job of explaining events that happened in the previous two installments. However, readers who deprive themselves of the first two books, Frostfire and Ice Kissed, have definitely missed out on something amazing. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust (second edition) By Alexandra Zapruder (editor) Yale University Press, $27.00, 502 pages Check this out! Join Peter Feigl, whose diary is featured in Salvaged Pages, via Skype on Nov. 8 at the Jewish Federation of Tulsa. See Page 3 of the November Event Guide insert for more details. In 1992, as a young research assistant, Alexandra Zapruder was tasked with combing the as yet uncatalogued collection of what would become the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., in search of diaries by young authors. What she discovered was often fragmentary, of unknown provenance, and written in multiple languages. It would take 10 years to bring 14 of the diaries to publication. When it was first published in 2002, Salvaged Pages was seen as a compliment to Anne Frank’s diary – the foundational text on which Holocaust teaching was then based. Salvaged Pages has since become the cornerstone text of a new methodology, challenging what Zapruder describes as the “perennially positive framework” that surrounded Anne Frank, in which the reader’s “wish for a comforting coda” to the story is satisfied. The voices contained within Salvaged Pages are diverse yet universal. They are male and female, religious and secular. Some diaries were written in hiding, some in the ghetto, some at home while planning an escape. Some are fiercely private; some addressed their entries to absent relatives whose fate was unknown. Some speak to the strain placed upon family bonds in the face of starvation; others record the wrenching pain of separation. Some diarists survived their ordeal; some did not. What they all share is that each is a record of life in the face of death. Far from being a comforting coda, these diaries are a wakeup call to a world in which ‘never again’ has become again and again. Reviewed by Suzie Bogle, director of Holocaust education, Jewish Federation of Tulsa
Book Reviews Category
Tweens
YOUTH FICTION COMING SOON
TO TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY Search the library’s catalog at www.TulsaLibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery
SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Chasing Secrets By Gennifer Choldenko Wendy Lamb Books, $16.99, 288 pages Check this out! Lizzie Kennedy, 13 years old, lives with her doctor father and older brother, Billy, in San Francisco. It is 1900, and the world is changing. Billy is saving to buy a horseless carriage and disappearing at night and coming home hurt. Lizzie has trouble making friends at the snobby finishing school her aunt insists she attend. Lizzie wants to go to medical school, not marry and raise a family, but science is not an acceptable path for a young lady. Rumors begin to fly about the plague being in San Francisco, and Jing, a favorite and most loyal servant of the Kennedys, disappears, and strange noises in the attic lead Lizzie to an astonishing discovery and further mysteries to solve. Any writer who wishes to learn how to engage a reader from the first page would do well to read this riveting historical novel by Gennifer Choldenko. The subject matter is fascinating, the characters well-drawn, the conflicts believable and compelling, and the writing is mesmerizing. Any reader who likes historical fiction and mysteries will love this book. The story is complex and completely satisfying. Though marketed to the middle-grade crowd, this deserves to have a much larger audience. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 (I Survived #12) By Lauren Tarshis Scholastic Paperbacks, $4.99, 112 pages Check this out! Dex and his family live in Joplin, Missouri, right in Tornado Alley. They enjoy watching Dr. Norman Gage’s show about his adventures chasing tornadoes. When Dex’s older brother, Jeremy, joins the Navy SEALS, things change. The old things that were so fun, like watching the show, aren’t
so much anymore. He worries about his brother, but loves receiving mail and sharing Jeremy’s stories with the kids at school. Late in May 2011, Dex runs into Dr. Gage, who is chasing a tornado in the town just north of Joplin. He is given the opportunity to ride with him during the storm, but then the storm shifts, right to where they are watching and waiting. Dex doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to get his own story to tell. This is Tarshis’ 12th novel in the I survived series. Not only does she share a story based on research and true accounts of the event, she shares ways to stay safe in such a storm and a timeline of this tornado. Her question-and-answer section will satisfy readers who prefer nonfiction works of real events, and her bibliography will appeal to those who want to learn more. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams The Book of Kings: Mister Max 3 By Cynthia Voigt, Iacopo Bruno (illustrator) Knopf Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 352 pages Check this out! Max has been on his own since his parents disappeared a few months earlier. Max kept himself busy with his business as a Solutioneer, finding solutions for client’s problems. Now he receives coded messages with buttons attached that seem to be from his father. Max finds out his parents, well-known stage actors, are living as king and queen of a small South American Tweens: Book of Kings cont’d on page 12
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 5
Shortly after her boyfriend, Peter, is deployed to Afghanistan, high-school senior Michelle dies in a car crash and when her bereft twin, Kelsey, connects with Peter she is unable to tell him the truth as through their separate woes they support each other and begin to fall in love.
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke
This anthology of stories inspired by classic horror tales features contributions by leading suspense and young adult authors, including Stefan Bachmann, Leigh Bardugo and Kendare Blake.
Dark Shimmer
by Donna Jo Napoli
In this retelling of Snow White from the evil stepmother’s point of view, 15-year-old Dolce grows up on islands in a Venetian lagoon where she learns how to make mirrors, but when her mother dies she is taken in by a widower and his daughter while she secretly continues making mirrors and slowly goes mad from mercury poisoning.
Don’t Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom
Aspiring author Eva takes to heart the words of her high-school English teacher and spends the summer before she goes away to college trying to figure out just what she knows and enjoying new experiences that she can draw from in her writing.
City Love
by Susane Colasanti
Told from alternating points of view, City Love is the story of three very different girls living together in New York City as they struggle to find the balance between their dreams, their pasts and their complicated hearts.
Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
Game of Thrones meets Graceling in this thrilling fantasy filled with shocking twists and heart-pounding action; the highly anticipated sequel to Snow Like Ashes.
Catacomb
by Madeleine Roux
Dan, Abby and Jordan embark on a senior road trip to New Orleans, but as creepy occurrences escalate into near-death experiences, the trio realizes they will be lucky to make it out of this senior trip alive.
Book Reviews
Category
Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Library at Mount Char By Scott Hawkins Crown, $26.00, 400 pages Check this out! Scott Hawkins’ debut novel, The Library at Mount Char, is a gruesome, wickedly comical, and mind-bending fantasy complete with a wildly imaginative methodology and a hodgepodge of oddly unforgettable characters. After a deadly attack, 12 orphaned children are chosen by Father to be his apprentices. Father assigns each child a specific area of study to master, motivating them with the most appalling discipline strategies. One day the grown children are inexplicably expelled from the Library where they have lived and studied for years; meanwhile they realize that Father has mysteriously disappeared. In order to regain the Library and its powerful contents, bookish mastermind Carolyn arranges an elaborate plan involving a Buddhist burglar, a legendary war hero, a gentle lion and a mass murderer in a tutu. In his calculated novel, Hawkins employs different perspectives and shifts in time. Excessively nightmarish, The Library at Mount Char is not for the faint of heart. Hawkins’ strength is his imagination, which is shown supremely in his outlandish plot and strangely humorous writing; however, Hawkins has overlooked several inconsistencies, resulting in a fairly convoluted storyline. Furthermore, despite Hawkins’ attempt to justify the plot, a large part of the storyline seems unnecessary. Although Hawkins’ ending feels somewhat unsurprising, his cliffhanging epilogue seems to suggest a hair-raising sequel. Reviewed by Mandy Nevius Thrill Me (Fool’s Gold) By Susan Mallery HQN Books, $8.99, 368 pages Check this out! Susan Mallery is a best-selling author whose novels are very popular with readers. I am a huge fan of her amazing stories and strong characters. Her addictive plots will leave readers breathlessly in love each and every time. I have not read a novel by Mallery that was not as brilliantly well written as the one before it. Inside each novel,
there are themes of family, courage, love. They instantly will sweep you off your feet and deep into a realistic world that can have it all. Hence, Thrill Me is one readers will love. This must-read romance tells of a woman and man who fall in love with each other and suddenly have doubts. Enough doubts that would send Maya Farlow running away because she thought that the one man whom she loved broke her heart. Then there’s the man she fell in love with, Del Mitchell. He went to make a name for himself only to find that he lost the woman he loved. Now, fate has brought them back together and both are feeling heartbroken. Can these two who must work together find the strength to rebond their love that they still feel? Thrill Me will definitely thrill readers with the risk of falling in love with these two incredible characters. I highly recommend reading this beautifully written story and follow the characters as their lives are once again about to change. Reviewed by Danielle Urban Even Vampires Get the Blues: A Deadly Angels Book By Sandra Hill Avon, $7.99, 384 pages Check this out! On the surface, Even Vampires Get the Blues is just a silly paranormal romance novel. The hero, Harek, is a vangel — a Viking vampire angel — who scours the earth killing Lucipires — the embodiments of pure evil that entice others to commit evil acts — at the behest of the archangel Michael. In Sandra Hill’s series, Harek has six brothers, and each of the vangels represent the seven deadly sins. Harek’s sin is greed. He gets caught up in a Navy SEALs mission to wipe out a terrorist cell, and must decide if he wants to continue to do good for the world, or fall back into his greedy ways.
A good paranormal romance includes otherworldly ideas, combined with a modern-day setting, and Hill does just that. In fact, she takes it a bit farther to include current events, such as the military’s struggle with Boko Haram. I was apprehensive when I read Kiss of Temptation about a year ago, but revisiting Hill’s world in Even Vampires Get the Blues was a delight. Strong characters, a strong imaginative world and strong, but not overpowering, religious themes round out the remarkable chemistry between Hill’s hero, Harek, and heroine, Camille. It’s a book not to be missed. Reviewed by Caryn Shaffer The Sunlit Night By Rebecca Dinerstein Bloomsbury USA, $26.00, 272 pages Check this out! In The Sunlit Night, two lost souls meet by chance 95 miles north of the Arctic Circle on an archipelago of tiny islands in the Norwegian Sea. Twenty-one-year-old Frances has come to intern with an artist who is painting a barn in shades of yellow. Just before she arrives, Frances breaks up with her boyfriend, who bluntly informs her that what she does doesn’t help anyone, and discovers her family is on the verge of disintegrating. Seventeen-year-old Yasha arrives to carry out his father’s unusual final wishes, while his long-absent mother makes a sudden reappearance in his life. In this rather surreal environment of endless light and foreign culture, Frances and Yasha piece their lives together as they fumble toward unexpected love and an ability to accept and let go of the past. A poet, Dinerstein’s words and images are fresh, evocative and, at times, thoroughly humorous. (It is almost impossible to for- get Yasha’s mother moving through scenes, dressed as a Valkyrie, complete with huge wings.) Dinerstein’s wellchosen literary allusions further deepen the reader’s enjoyment. In sum, The Sunlit Night is a well-written, original novel that is a pleasure to read. Reviewed by Annie Peters Lamp Black, Wolf Grey: A Novel By Paula Brackston St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99, 336 pages Check this out! In moving to a remote house in the Welsh countryside, Laura Matthews and her husband, Dan, find the busyness of the past interrupting their hope of a bucolic present. The veil between myth and legend is so highly charged here that artist Laura cannot work as she’d hoped, even as the hills inspire her soul. But the mysterious neighbors keep distracting her—the loner, Rhys, and Anwen, the wisewoman with her riddles— and especially
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 6
Merlin. And Laura’s bad choices might cost them everything. Although this book might be called similar to Paula Brackston’s recent title The Silver Witch, Lamp Black, Wolf Grey is quite a different story. Although the past and present overlap in both books, and the storytelling is absolutely enthralling, that is where the similarities end. These are very different characters acting under very different circumstances. For readers who loved The Silver Witch or The Witch’s Daughter or for readers just discovering Brackston for the first time, Lamp Black, Wolf Grey is another outstanding title by a thoroughly engaging author that is beautifully told, hypnotic in it’s prose, and keeps you engaged until the very end. A shouldn’t miss title. Reviewed by Axie Barclay The Telling (Vintage Original) By Jo Baker Vintage, $15.95, 368 pages Check this out! After the death of her mother, Rachel takes it upon herself to clean out her parents’ country house, but she is unprepared for the strange feelings that the vacant house evokes. Rachel soon finds herself losing time, disappearing mentally, and then returning with no idea of where she had been and what she had been doing. And her questions about the house keep piling up. Can Rachel figure out the identity of the presence she feels in the house? Who is Elizabeth, and what did life hold for her? Author Jo Baker’s novel The Telling gives readers an interesting glimpse into a different era—the mid 1800s, when the lower class was struggling to educate themselves and rise up to their full potential. The story of Lizzy, or Elizabeth, alternates with Rachel’s telling of a young housemaid whose fascination with her family’s tenant leads her to question her faith and the path set out before her. Readers will love Lizzy, sometimes while feeling extremely frustrated with her. Lizzy’s inner struggles are illuminating, inspirational and, at times, disheartening. Meanwhile, Rachel is a puzzling character, struggling with her grief for her mother and her intense love for her daughter and trying to put it all aside to solve the mystery of the house. The Telling is intense, fascinating novel that readers will spend a long time thinking through. Reviewed by Holly Scudero Bull Mountain By Brian Panowich G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $26.95, 304 pages Check this out! Bull Mountain, Brian Panowich’s outstanding debut novel, is a satisfying brew of crime, family history and Southern bumpkin culture, intensified with a double shot of vengeance. For over 65 years, the Burroughs men have controlled Bull Mountain. McFalls County Sherriff Clayton Burroughs, the outcast of the family, patrols the fictional Waymore Valley in northern Georgia
Book Reviews story, one I’ll find it hard to read only once. Reviewed by Josephine Stafford
Fiction cont’d from page 6 where his brother Halford currently rules as the reigning outlaw. Both brothers have reluctantly agreed to live and let live; however, all of this changes when Special Agent Simon Holly arrives, offering Hal an escape from pros- ecution in exchange for information on his gun and meth supplier based in Jacksonville. This prompts a deadly battle, a continuation of the family’s bloody lineage. With gripping prose and honest dialogue, Panowich moves between different perspectives that span over half a century, bringing to life the gradual shift in organized crime in America: from animal poaching to bootleg liquor, then marijuana to meth. Though violently graphic at times, Bull Mountain is a family saga that emphasizes the inherent quality of retribution. Panowich’s characters are remarkably vivid and distinct, and his ability to believably reveal shocking twists make it almost inconceivable that this is his first novel. Bull Mountain is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an engaging and well-crafted crime epic. Reviewed by Mandy Nevius The Wild Girl: A Novel By Kate Forsyth Thomas Dunne Books, $26.99, 496 pages Check this out! The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth is a remarkable interpretation of pieces from the past. Forsyth takes what few remaining historical facts we have of the true author of the tales from the Brothers Grimm, and weaves a wonderful tale that has great credibility and appeal. Her characters are modern yet antiquated; they are desirable, despicable, and leave the reader wanting much more than the thick novel has already given. Our leading lady, Dortchen Wild, is both a miserable and a lovely soul. Her story grips at your own heart, leaving you rushing through the pages, trying to take in as much of Forsyth’s writing as quickly as possible. The integration of historical facts amongst fabricated fiction is impeccable. Unfortunately Dortchen’s story plays out just as grimly as the original fairy tales, depressed and mangled throughout the bulk of the story, resulting only in a swift happy ending; this leaves the reader a bit unhappy. We want more for Dortchen. We want Dortchen to triumph over the evils of her life and relish in her life, however, life is rarely as simple and sweet as that. Forsyth stays true to history and ends up with a wonderfully tragic
Wind/Pinball: Two Novels By Haruki Murakami, Ted Goossen (translator0 Knopf, $25.95, 256 pages Check this out! Haruki Murakami is one of the most singular voices in modern fiction. His stories remain innately human, even as many of them wander down more fantastic and otherworldly paths, and his characters linger with you long after you’ve turned the last page. As he continues to challenge traditional storytelling conventions, he poses hard questions about the choices we make and how our words and actions can affect each other in ways you might never expect. And now, readers have been granted the rare treat to read some of his earliest creative efforts, offering an intriguing glimpse into the development of a unique voice in literature. Wind/Pinball collects the first two short novels in his Trilogy of the Rat, Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, and although these books are unfocused – and, admittedly, a far cry from the masterpieces to follow – you can see the ingredients, the harbingers to fine works to come. Oddly enough, Hear the Wind Sing seems more confident, more defined than Pinball, which followed it. But each engages the reader in a meandering, easy narrative that is immediately charming and enjoyable. These first efforts are hardly perfect, but they are worth your time. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Fortune Smiles: Stories By Adam Johnson Random House, $27.00, 304 pages Check this out! Adam Johnson’s book The Orphan Master’s Son, about North Korea, won a Puliitzer Prize, and I couldn’t wait to read it. This current book is a collection of stories; only one deals with the Koreas. In the tradition of Shirley Jackson and Joyce Carol Oates, Johnson is specific and horrific at the same time. While all of his stories are grounded in realistic settings and dialogue, the sum of the parts are exceptional. When a reader discovers a writer who is exceptional, the whole world seems to open up. Johnson currently teaches creative writing at Stanford and he is eminently qualified to do so. There are six stories in this collection and the reader will surely pause between them to catch his breath; they are breathtaking. Nirvana tells the story of a paralyzed woman and her
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 7
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Book Reviews Fiction cont’d from page 7 techie husband who transcend their pain and confusion through technology. Fortune Smiles is set in post Katrina New Orleans. Its main character drives a delivery truck and tries to care for a young child who may or may not be his legitimate son. The reader asks if this man who is adrift can possibly care for this proverbial toddler. These stories are truly imaginative and well-crafted. Reviewed by Julia McMichael Did You Ever Have a Family By Bill Clegg Scout Press, $26.00, 293 pages Check this out! One of the better side effects when reading a great book lies in being reminded of, in a visceral way, the necessity of attending to the everyday world in a way that demonstrates recognition and gratitude. Modern preoccupation with the self-help aspects of ‘mindfulness’ indicate a society already aware of its proclivity for overscheduled days and attention span-killing electronic toys and how these not only shortchange the quality of our own lives but in relating to the lives of others. Bill Clegg’s novel, Did You Ever Have a Family, is both a timely and moving exploration into these themes, as it centers on a horrific tragedy and its effects on one family and the small-town community that surrounds them. Before eventually skipping around chronologically to periods before and after the event, the novel opens with the main character, June Reid, and a fire on the eve of her daughter’s wedding that takes away everything: June’s home, her boyfriend, her ex-husband, her daughter, and her daughter’s fiancé. Along with unraveling the mysteries of who or what caused the fire, the rest of the novel focuses on how anyone can survive such loss. Never “a terribly connected person” to begin with, be it with others in town or her daughter, June responds by escaping further into herself. Haunted by guilt and grief, she ends up a ghostly figure of loss on the run, traveling cross-country to the particular places her daughter sent her postcards from, and once “found without flaw.” As the novel progresses, other characters take turns helping the reader see what June eventually is forced to confront: the way we interact with others through the mutual bond of suffering, or close ourselves off from the present world, determines whether we will look back on our lives with gratitude or regret. Faulknerian in form, the novel incorporates a range of unique characters whose voices each add a crucial piece to the larger
mystery lying at the heart of the novel: what exactly happened the night of the fire? The device makes for a nice fusion of genres in terms of the novel ending up both meditative in tone and a page-turner, as if Marilynne Robinson merged powers with Gillian Flynn. Stylistically, the distinct range of character voices calls to mind the fictional worlds of Richard Ford and Alice Munro, and are fashioned by Clegg into a simple homespun poetics reminiscent of people swapping stories at the local diner. Already nominated for this year’s National Book Award as well as the Man Booker award, Clegg’s book is the rarest of novels; it hooks the reader in from the beginning and leaves him or her a changed person by story’s end. In the way of all great works of art, Clegg’s novel helps us attend anew to a world we all too easily take for granted, a world that deserves to be attended to, not least because it is the only one we share with others. Reviewed by Duggan Phillips, Circulation Department, Central Library
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History: Katrina cont’d from page 2 Many displaced citizens felt that the white powers that be didn’t want them to return. The levees protecting the Ninth Ward in New Orleans were rated to withstand a Category 2 storm. When Katrina made landfall, it was a Category 5 storm. The levees broke down, and huge sections of New Orleans were under as much as 18 feet of water. Katrina: After the Flood is a fantastic and fascinating book about what happened after: after the storm ended, after the waters receded, after most Americans forgot what was happening in New Orleans. Gary Rivlin was a staff reporter for the New York Times in 2005 when he first visited New Orleans after Katrina. This book followed the path of rebuilding from the perspective of various people in the city: a bank owner, the mayor, residents of several parts of the city and people working to make a difference in their neighborhoods. The narrative rarely gets bogged down in political jargon and the multiple points of view keep the account focused on life in a ruined city. The reader is taken on an emotional ride and given an acute understanding of what it was like to experience that kind of devastation for such an extended length of time. Reviewed by Adrienne Teague, customer service assistant, Broken Arrow Library
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 8
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NOVEMBER 2015
A FREE MONTHLY GUIDE TO YOUR COMMUNITY LIBRARY, ITS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
FINES WAIVED FOR ACTIVE AND RETIRED MILITARY • PAGE 2
adults & all ages BIXBY LIBRARY
Seed Saving 101 Thursday, Nov. 5 • 6-7:30 p.m. Learn how to preserve the best plants from your fall garden by saving seeds. Keep some for yourself and share some with the Seed Library. For adults and teens.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY
A-Book-A-Month Discussion Group Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 2-3 p.m. Read "Sister: A Novel" by Rosamund Lupton and then join us for this lively discussion! For adults.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 2-30 • Get individualized instruction from professional library staff. Book-A-Librarian appointments are scheduled on a first-come, firstserved basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. Topics include navigating the library's website, database research, career services, and audio and eBook tutorials. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7500 to register. For adults. Open Book Discussion Tuesday, Nov. 3 • 6:30-7:45 p.m. Read "Caramelo" by Sandra Cisneros and then join us for this lively discussion! Copies of the book are available at the library. For adults.
L I B R A R Y CLOSINGS
KRISTALLNACHT COMMEMORATION • PAGE 3
Book-A-Librarian Nov. 2-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library product or service? Whether you need to learn how to download digital content or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Book-A-Librarian appointments are available on a first-come, firstserved basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. Call 918-549-7507 to reserve your time. For adults. Brookside Book Discussion Monday, Nov. 9 • 1:30-3 p.m. "The Precious One" by Maria de los Santos is a tale told in alternating voices and traces the collaborative efforts of an estranged millionaire father and the daughter he abandoned 17 years earlier to reconcile and write his memoir. Read the novel and then join us for this lively discussion! For adults.
All Tulsa City-County Library locations will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. All libraries will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26 for Thanksgiving.
BOOKS TO TREASURE PAGE 8
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY All Thumbs Knitters Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 noon-2 p.m. All levels of knitting expertise are welcome to join us for this fun and instructional afternoon. For adults. Collinsville Book Discussion Tuesday, Nov. 10 • noon-1 p.m. Read "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn 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, Nov. 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.
COMMUNITY VENUES Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 2 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. LOCATION: Oklahoma Methodist Manor, Fleming Center, 4134 E. 31st St. Dr. James Geurin, volunteer medical liaison, Clarehouse, will review "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End" by Atul Gawande. Sponsored by Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries.
To search for events, scan this code using your mobile device and QR scanner app. Propaganda and Persecution: A Personal Perspective – A Kristallnacht Commemoration Sunday, Nov. 8 ● 2 p.m. LOCATION: Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Sylvan Auditorium, 2021 E. 71st St. Join Holocaust survivor Peter Feigl via Skype for a Q&A session moderated by Lisa Bauman, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum teacher fellow. Feigl’s wartime diary was recovered and published in “Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust,” edited by Alexandra Zapruder. He also is featured in the “State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda” exhibit on display at the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. At the presentation, Rabbi Dan Kaiman of Congregation B’nai Emunah will offer some words of remembrance on this 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht – the event that is widely considered to be the beginning of the Holocaust. Following the program, attendees will have an opportunity to visit the “State of Deception” exhibit at no charge. This presentation is suitable for adults and youth in sixth grade and above. Sponsored by the Tulsa Council for Holocaust Education of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa and the Tulsa City-County Library.
a d u l t s Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 9 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. LOCATION: Oklahoma Methodist Manor, Fleming Center, 4134 E. 31st St. Vane Lucas, president of Mathnasium, will review "Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free" by Hector Tobar and "The Martian" by Andy Weir. Sponsored by Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 16 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. LOCATION: Oklahoma Methodist Manor, Fleming Center, 4134 E. 31st St. Marc Carlson, historical researcher and librarian of special collections and university archives, McFarlin Library, University of Tulsa, will review "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania" by Erik Larson. Sponsored by Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Books Sandwiched In Monday, Nov. 23 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. LOCATION: Oklahoma Methodist Manor, Fleming Center, 4134 E. 31st St. Adrian Alexander, dean of McFarlin Library, University of Tulsa, will introduce us to the works of Rick Atkinson, winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2015 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. Atkinson, author of the Liberation Trilogy and other military histories, will receive the award on Dec. 5 at a black-tie dinner at Southern Hills Country Club and will give a free public presentation at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 5 at Hardesty Regional Library. Sponsored by Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries.
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GLENPOOL LIBRARY Second Saturday Fiber Arts Saturday, Nov. 14 • 1-3 p.m. Bring your project, whatever it is ... knitting, crocheting, weaving, sewing, cross-stitch, needlepoint, basket weaving, you name it ... and join us for good craic (Irish for a good conversation or good time), coffee and tea. We LOVE seeing what people are working on! The more the merrier! For adults.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Library Online Resources for Homeschool Parents Tuesday, Nov. 3 • 2-3:30 p.m. Location: Maple Room Join us as we demonstrate the variety of free library databases and online resources that can enhance the student's homeschool curriculum. For adults. Can't We Talk About Something Less Complicated? Tuesday, Nov. 3 • 7-8:30 p.m. Location: Maple Room A panel of physicians will describe the current landscape of end-of-life care on a local and national level. For adults. Sponsored by Clarehouse. Solving Problems Using Free Genealogy Websites Wednesday, Nov. 4 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Location: Maple Room Learn about some helpful free genealogy websites to jumpstart your research. We will explore Family Search, state archives and more. For adults.
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3-D Printer Demonstration Wednesday, Nov. 4 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 ● 7-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 ● 2-3 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge See what 3-D printing is all about with a demonstration of the Ultimaker2 3-D printer! For all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Start-Up Basics Thursday, Nov. 5 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. Location: Pecan Room Want to start a business? Get the help you need with SCORE experts. Learn the essentials of business start-ups, get action steps for your business and receive one-to-one mentoring. SCORE is a nonprofit association of volunteer business experts. Registration is required. Go to www. tulsa.score.org to register. For adults. Can't We Talk About Something Less Personal? Tuesday, Nov. 10 • 7-8:30 p.m. Location: Frossard Auditorium This program will feature a panel of individuals with varying experiences surrounding end of life. A resource fair will follow so that participants can take home information to help them navigate the intricacies of end-of-life issues. For adults. Sponsored by Clarehouse. Books to Treasure 2015 Friday, Nov. 13 • 7-8:30 p.m. Location: Connor's Cove Meet New York Times best-selling children's book author and illustrator Derek Anderson. A book signing will follow. Books will be available for purchasing, courtesy of Barnes
& Noble. For elementary schoolaged children and their families. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust through a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Books People Are Talking About Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 12:15-1:15 p.m. We will discuss finding love at any age in the charming books "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion, "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell and "One Plus One" by JoJo Moyes. For adults. Light refreshments are served. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
JUDY Z. KISHNER LIBRARY Terrific Tuesday: Walk With the Wampanoag Tuesday, Nov. 10 • 6-7 p.m. Tread a forested path to discover these Native Americans! Learn who they were and their part in our early history. For ages 5 to adult.
LIBRARIUM 3-D Printer and Carver Introduction and Orientation Tuesday, Nov. 3 • 3:30-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 ● noon-12:30 p.m. Join us for a brief 3-D printer orientation and introduction to 3-D carving. Afterward, sign up to use them yourself. For all ages.
VETERANS DAY Tulsa City-County Library will waive fines and fees
Please bring your military ID, library card
for active and retired military for their service to
and any overdue items to any TCCL location
our country throughout the month of November.
to have your fines and fees waived.
www.TulsaLibrary.org
Hearing loop available. Switch hearing aid to T-coil.
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Book Discussion Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 2-3 p.m. Read "The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl" by Timothy Egan and then join us for this lively discussion. For adults.
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A Personal Perspective
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY
LEGO: For Adults Only Wednesday, Nov. 4 • 7-8 p.m. Location: Auditorium Did you know one in 10 LEGO is purchased for adults? There are thousands of adult fans and you may be one of them. Bring your creations to show off at our meeting and meet others with your obsession. Become an AFOL: Adult Fan of LEGO.
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KnitWits Knitting Group Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Do you like to crochet or knit? Join us! All skill levels are welcome. We have kits available for checkout. For all ages.
1-2-3 Play With Me: A Parent/Child Workshop Tuesday, Nov. 3 • 10-11:15 a.m. Location: Lecture Room Join us for a five-week series for parents and children ages 1-3. Each program offers opportunities for children to play with developmentally appropriate toys in a play group atmosphere and for parents to visit with early childhood specialists in the areas of child development, speech and language, nutrition, play movement and music. Class size is limited. Registration is required and is for the series. Call 918-549-7590 to register. Sponsored by Family Place Library, and Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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A KRISTALLNACHT COMMEMORATION FEATURING HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
Peter Feigl
Sunday, Nov. 8 • 2 p.m. | Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Sylvan Auditorium | 2021 E. 71st St. | 918.495.1100 Peter Feigl was a German schoolboy living in Vienna when the Nazis annexed Austria. Although Peter was baptized Catholic, the Nazis considered him racially Jewish. Peter’s parents sent him to a Catholic summer camp for safekeeping, and through an extended network of rescuers, he survived the war. His wartime diary was recovered and published in Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust, edited by Alexandra Zapruder. He also is featured in the State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda exhibit at the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. Peter Feigl will join us via Skype for a Q&A session moderated by Lisa Bauman, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow. Bauman also will discuss her work with Alexandra Zapruder on new curriculum to accompany Salvaged Pages, which will be released next year. Rabbi Dan Kaiman of Congregation B’nai Emunah will offer some words of remembrance on this 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht – the event that is widely considered to be the beginning of the Holocaust. This program is free and suitable for adults and youth in sixth grade and above. No reservations required. Following the program, attendees will have an opportunity to visit the State of Deception exhibit at no charge.
S P O N S O R E D
THE TULSA COUNCIL FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATION
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Jewish Federation of Tulsa
Ensuring a vibrant Jewish future
OWASSO LIBRARY Radical Home Economics: Bread Making 101 Saturday, Nov. 7 • 10-11 a.m. This series focuses on skills to help you live a healthy, green and frugal life. In this class, which will be messy and hands-on, you will learn the skills and techniques to make bread at home. We will make a white sandwich bread dough that you can take home to bake. Please bring your own apron. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7624 to register. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust and Sprouts Farmers Market.
SKIATOOK LIBRARY Osage Language Class Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 6:30-7:30 p.m. The Osage Language Class is presented by the Osage Nation Language Department. For all ages. Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Nov. 1-30 • Need individualized instruction on a library service or
product? Whether you want to learn how to download digital content or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Book-A-Librarian appointments are available on a first-come, firstserved basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. For adults. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7683 to register. Osage Language Class Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18 6:30-7:30 p.m. The Osage Language Class is presented by the Osage Nation Language Department. For all ages. Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
Make and Take: Native Culture Maker Space Saturday, Nov. 7 • 1-3 p.m. Featured projects include pottery presented by Crystal Hanna, cornhusk dolls presented by Stella Foster and beading on looms presented by Mickal Laudermilk. Participants will get to take home the projects that they make. For all ages. Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
NOVEMBER 2015
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teens & tweens BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Broken Arrow Teen Advisory Board (BATAB) Tuesday, Nov. 10 • 5:30-6:45 p.m. Join us for BATAB, where teens enjoy activities while learning about library resources and helping plan future displays and programs. Read or Die Anime Club Saturday, Nov. 21 • noon-2 p.m. Hang out with us while we watch anime, draw, eat snacks and just chill. Wear cosplay or come as you are. For ages 12-18.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Teen Advisory Board Friday, Nov. 6 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Work on a fun craft project while discussing programming ideas, book recommendations and volunteer opportunities at the library. Snacks are provided, and you'll receive volunteer hours for attending! For ages 12-18. Lego Masterpiece Makers Mondays, Nov. 9, 16 • 1-2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 • 1-2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 • 1-2:30 p.m. Build your Lego masterpiece! With shared stories as your inspiration, you will use Legos (provided by a generous grant from the Hardesty Family Foundation) to make something magical by yourself or in teams. Everyone will have a chance to talk about their masterpieces at the end. No registration is required and participants are encouraged to come by more than once. For ages 5-12. In the Middle Book Group Monday, Nov. 16 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. What if you were raised by wolves, not humans? And then asked to learn how to give up your wolfish ways and be more, well, civilized? That is the premise of the hilarious first book of "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place" series ("The Mysterious Howling") and what we'll be discussing in this month's book group for kids ages 9-12. We'll also enjoy games, giveaways and light refreshments.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Zentangle! Friday, Nov. 6 • 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Drop in and design Zentangle drawings. Supplies are provided. For ages 10-18.
Book Club for Teens Mondays, Nov. 9, 23 • 4-5:30 p.m. For ages 11-17.
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Sukikyo! Anime Club Wednesday, Nov. 4 • 3-4:30 p.m. Meet up with other manga and anime fans to discuss your favorite books, movies, characters and plot twists. For ages 12-18.
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advisory meeting, book discussion, snacks and more. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
HERMAN AND KATE KAISER LIBRARY Family Fun Friday Friday, Nov. 6 • 2:30-4 p.m. Enjoy stories, crafts, games, and exciting science demonstrations and experiments. For ages 6-14 and their families.
Demonstration: Are You Really What You Eat? Monday, Nov. 9 ● 3-4 p.m. What happens when food goes bad? What is all the hype about GMO? Gluten free or not? We will examine the foods we eat, explore fun food facts and compare the taste of different foods in this STEM program for ages 10-18.
JENKS LIBRARY
GLENPOOL LIBRARY
Minecraft Night Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab Create new worlds and kill zombies. Will you be the last to survive? For ages 10-18. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Teen Lounge Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 4-5 p.m. Woo-hoo! Teen Lounge is OPEN! Bring your friends and join us for socializing, gaming, popcorn and fun. For ages 12-16.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Minecraft Gaming Thursday, Nov. 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. Hardesty Teen Anime/Manga Club Saturday, Nov. 14 • 1-2:30 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge Discuss your favorite manga characters and books while making a craft. For ages 12-18.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Minecraft gaming Saturday, Nov. 7 • 1-2 p.m. Put your imagination to the test building your own world in the popular game Minecraft. Seating is limited. Registration is encouraged. Call 918549-7631 to register. For ages 10-15. Teen Zone @ your library Tuesday, Nov. 10 • 4:30-6 p.m. Bring a friend for board games, crafts and more! Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library. h-tag# Tuesday Tuesday, Nov. 17 • 4:30-6:30 p.m. Bring a friend for our fall teen
www.TulsaLibrary.org
Teen Eye Candy Friday, Nov. 13 • 4-5 p.m. Create eye-popping designs with candy and other crafts! For ages 12-17.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY
Lego Lab Saturday, Nov. 21 • 2-2:30 p.m. Location: Storytime Castle Learn new building ideas, partner with other children during team building and explore free building. Leave your Legos at home and come play with ours. For ages 6-12. Registration is required and begins Nov. 16. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7590 to register. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust. Manga-Ai! Manga/Anime Club Saturday, Nov. 28 • 2-3:30 p.m. Location: Conference Room Watch Japanese anime and talk manga with other animation fans. We speak OTAKU! For ages 12-18.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Minecraft Night Thursday, Nov. 19 • 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. Teen Movie Club: American Indian Edition Saturday, Nov. 28 • 1-3 p.m. Grab a snack and seat, and watch a great movie! Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
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digital services COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Job Lab Monday, Nov. 16 • 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Make an appointment to get oneto-one assistance with your job search. Library staff will help you update your résumé, create an email address, search for jobs online, complete online applications or explore a new career in this special lab just for job seekers. You will have access to Microsoft Office software and the Internet. USB flash drives are available for purchasing, or you can bring your own to save your work. Standard printing charges apply. For all ages. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7528 to register.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY MS Word 1 Tuesday, Nov. 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. 3-D Printer Demonstration Wednesday, Nov. 4 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge See what 3-D printing is all about with a demonstration of the Ultimaker2 3-D printer! For all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. MS Word 2 Tuesday, Nov. 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. Résumé Tips and Tricks Saturday, Nov. 14 • 9:30-10:30 a.m. Location: Computer Lab Bring your job history information and learn the latest tips for creating a great résumé using the library's resources and databases. Basic
c o m p u t e r s , computer and MS Word skills are necessary. For adults. MS Word 3 Tuesday, Nov. 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. Book Your Own Travel Online Saturday, Nov. 21 • 10-11 a.m. Location: Pecan Room Whether you are heading to Branson, Boston or Bangladesh, you probably have questions about how to book flights, explore destinations and plan activities online. Learn to make the best use of Internet resources when planning your next trip. For adults.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Apple 101 Saturday, Nov. 14 • 2-3:30 p.m. If you are a new or seasoned Apple user, join us as we discuss how to better use your Apple devices. Discussion topics will include: Apple's software, the Apple ID and why it's important, desktop and laptop computers, iPhones, iPads, and anything else Apple, such as the Apple TV. We will focus on the newer Apple devices and software. Registration is encouraged but not required. Call 918-5497631 to register. For all ages.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY MS Excel 1 Saturday, Nov. 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 mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis. MS Excel 2 Saturday, Nov. 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.
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MS Excel 3 Saturday, Nov. 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.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Really Basic Computer Class Wednesday, Nov. 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.
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PRESCHOOL STORYTIME The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. MY FIRST STORYTIME Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. PAWS FOR READING Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids 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.
BIXBY LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Mondays, Nov. 2, 9, 23, 30 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 2-5. PAWS for Reading Tuesday, Nov. 10 • 4:30-5:30 p.m. For ages 5-12.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Mondays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:30-11 a.m. • For ages 3-5.
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My First Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 11-11:20 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
Explore and Play Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 10:30-11 a.m. Join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers.
PAWS for Reading Friday, Nov. 20 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. For ages 5-12. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7507 to register.
PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 4-5 p.m. For ages 5-12. Class size is limited. Elementary, My Dear Book Club Thursday, Nov. 19 • 5:45-6:30 p.m. Join us for a lively book discussion. Participants should read the selected book prior to the program. Call 918549-7500 for book title. For ages 5-10.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11 a.m. • For ages 2-5.
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Stay and Play Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 11-11:30 a.m. After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 2-5. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10:30-11 a.m. • For newborns to 3-year-olds and their caregivers. Lego Masterpiece Makers Mondays, Nov. 9, 16 • 1-2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 • 1-2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 • 1-2:30 p.m. Build your Lego masterpiece! With shared stories as your inspiration, you will use Legos (provided by a generous grant from the Hardesty Family Foundation) to make something magical by yourself or in teams. Everyone will have a chance to talk about their masterpieces at the end. No registration is required and participants are encouraged to come by more than once. For ages 5-12. PAWS for Reading Friday, Nov. 20 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. For ages 5-12. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7662 to register.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY
CHARLES PAGE LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11:30 a.m. • For ages 5 and younger with their caregivers.
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Stories From the Rocking Chair Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11 a.m. Join us for books, activities, songs and a craft. For toddlers to 4-yearolds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Nov. 18 • 3-4 p.m. For ages 5-12.
GLENPOOL LIBRARY Ms. Tatiana's Family Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18 10:30-11 a.m. Enjoy storytime and then stay after for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 4 and younger and their caregivers.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY My First Storytime Mondays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10-10:20 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Mr. Paul's Preschool Storytime Mondays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Toddler Time Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 11-11:20 a.m. Enjoy stories, action rhymes, fun flannels, music, bubbles and meeting other toddlers in the neighborhood. For ages 2-3 and their parents/caregivers. Mr. Paul's Family Storytime Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 • 6:30-7 p.m. For all ages.
Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10:15-10:45 a.m. • For ages 2-5.
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
NOVEMBER 2015
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(Hardesty Regional Library continued)
PRESCHOOL STORYTIME The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. MY FIRST STORYTIME Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. PAWS FOR READING Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids 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.
Books to Treasure 2015 Friday, Nov. 13 • 7-8:30 p.m. Location: Connor's Cove Meet New York Times best-selling children's book author and illustrator Derek Anderson. A book signing will follow. Books will be available for purchasing, courtesy of Barnes & Noble. For elementary schoolaged children and their families. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust through a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. Sensory Storytime Thursday, Nov. 19 • 11-11:30 a.m. Location: Maple Room 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 918-5497550. For ages 1-7 and their caregivers.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Fall Family Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11 a.m. • Join us for fall stories, music and more! For all ages.
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
www.TulsaLibrary.org
HERMAN AND KATE KAISER LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11:30 a.m. • For ages 2-5. My First Storytime Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 10:30-11:30 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Family Fun Friday Friday, Nov. 6 • 2:30-4 p.m. Enjoy stories, crafts, games, and exciting science demonstrations and experiments. For ages 6-14 and their families.
c h i l d r e n Sensory Storytime Saturday, Nov. 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 918-5497542. For ages 1-8 and their caregivers.
JENKS LIBRARY My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18 10-10:15 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18 10:30-11 a.m. Themes are: Nov. 4, "Squirrels," and Nov. 18, "Turkeys." For ages 3-5.
JUDY Z. KISHNER LIBRARY Terrific Tuesday: Walk With the Wampanoag Tuesday, Nov. 10 • 6-7 p.m. Tread a forested path to discover these Native Americans! Learn who they were and their part in our early history. For ages 5 to adult.
LIBRARIUM Family Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 17 • 3:30-4 p.m. Enjoy stories, songs and other activities. For ages 8 and younger and their families. PAWS for Reading Saturday, Nov. 14 • 1-2 p.m. For ages 5-12.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY 1-2-3 Play With Me: A Parent/Child Workshop Tuesday, Nov. 3 • 10-11:15 a.m. Location: Lecture Room Join us for a five-week series for parents and children ages 1-3. Each program offers opportunities for children to play with developmentally appropriate toys in a play group atmosphere and for parents to visit with early childhood specialists in the areas of child development, speech and language, nutrition, play movement and music.
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Class size is limited. Registration is required and is for the series. Call 918-549-7590 to register. Sponsored by Family Place Library, and Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10:30-11 a.m. For ages 3-5.
Bilingual Storytime Thursdays, Nov. 12, 19 • 10-10:45 a.m. Location: Storytime Castle Enjoy stories, songs and activities in English and Spanish. For ages 3-5.
Stay and Play Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 11-11:30 a.m. For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger and their caregivers.
Lego Lab Saturday, Nov. 21 • 2-2:30 p.m. Location: Storytime Castle Learn new building ideas, partner with other children during team building and explore free building. Leave your Legos at home and come play with ours. For ages 6-12. Registration is required and begins Nov. 16. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7590 to register. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust. Stuff a Turkey With Fun! Saturday, Nov. 21 • 2:30-3:30 p.m. Location: Storytime Castle Join us as we make paper-plate turkeys and then stuff them with candy! Take home your turkey to enjoy on Thanksgiving. Class is limited to 20 children. For ages 5-10. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7590 to register. Registration begins Nov. 16. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust.
NATHAN HALE LIBRARY Storytime With Mrs. Cindy Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 10:30-11 a.m. Come and share in reading adventures, fun and songs. For ages 7 and younger. It's a Tea Party! Saturday, Nov. 7 • 2-3 p.m. Grandparents are invited to bring a grandchild to the library for tea and cookies. Our children’s librarian will have lots of wonderful books to explore. Wear a fancy hat and be ready to stick your pinkie in the air. I say! For ages 2-9 accompanied by an adult. Seating is limited. PAWS for Reading Saturday, Nov. 21 • 2-3 p.m. For ages 5-12.
OWASSO LIBRARY My First Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10-10:25 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
Homeschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 • 2-2:45 p.m. Join us as we read stories and make a craft. For ages 5-10. PAWS for Reading Friday, Nov. 13 • 4-5 p.m. For ages 5-12. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7624 to register.
PRATT LIBRARY Miss Connie's Storytime Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 10:30-11:15 a.m. For ages 5 and younger with an adult.
RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY
SKIATOOK LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18 11-11:30 a.m. For ages 6 and younger.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Stay and Play Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10:30-11:30 a.m. Enjoy stories, songs and rhymes, and then stay after for games and activities that foster early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger. PAWS for Reading Saturday, Nov. 14 • 2-3 p.m. For ages 5-12.
en español TulsaLibrary.org/hrc Patrocinado por el Centro Hispano y el Fideicomiso de las Bibliotecas de Tulsa. Informes al 918-549-7597.
Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10-10:30 a.m. For ages 2-4.
programas infantiles
SCHUSTERMANBENSON LIBRARY
Cuentos Bilingües Jueves, 12, 19 de noviembre 10-10:45 a.m. Cuentos, canciones y actividades en inglés y español. Para las edades 3-5.
Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-10:50 a.m. For ages 4-5.
BIBLIOTECA REGIONAL MARTIN
My First Storytime Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10-10:20 a.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18, 25 10:30-10:50 a.m. For newborns to 3-year-olds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Monday, Nov. 9 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. For ages 5-12. Mad Science Monday Monday, Nov. 16 • 4-4:45 p.m. Join us for fun experiments from things that you may have around your house. For ages 5-12.
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.
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
NOVEMBER 2015
Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust through a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. Free and Open to the Public www.TulsaLibrary.org • 2015 If you are hearingimpaired and need a qualified interpreter, please call the library 48 hours in advance of the program. “Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania!” Published by Scholastic Press Text © 2014 Cynthia Lord Illustrations © 2014 Derek Anderson
Book Reviews
Category
Crime Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Mycroft Holmes By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anna Waterhouse Titan Books, $25.99, 336 pages Check this out! While Sherlock Holmes always has turned his prodigious intellect toward thwarting the criminal element, his brother, Mycroft, employs a similar gift for deduction and observation for the protection of England itself as a functionary of the British government. But how did he come to occupy such a crucial position? In Mycroft Holmes, Abdul- Jabbar and Waterhouse give us both a rollicking tale and a glimpse of Mycroft’s earliest days. As he ventures to Trinidad alongside a close friend in order to solve a deadly mystery, we’re granted a rare look at the character before we knew him, while still regaled with several examples of his exemplary skill set. This is a transformative moment put to paper, and the character is better for it. While the big narrative twist didn’t do much for me as a reader, that proved secondary to the thoroughly engaging storytelling throughout the book, as well as the impressively realized setting. Rich with historical details and multicultural insights, this novel ventures far beyond London’s murky streets. Mycroft Holmes hits enough of the broad strokes to entertain the average Sherlock Holmes’ fan, while adding some wonderful elements of its own. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Shadow Play: An Eve Duncan Novel By Iris Johansen St. Martin’s Press, $27.99, 336 pages Check this out! Shadow Play by Iris Johansen is indeed one thriller readers can’t miss. The latest Eve Duncan novel is written by a best-selling writer whose talent is out of this world. The novel will introduce a paranormal connection, the famous forensic artist and a killer on the loose. The suspense on every page is enough to keep readers hooked all night long. The main character, Eve, is one with whom readers can
easily connect because she has lost her daughter at the age of 7. I loved how Iris used a paranormal element that makes reading the story more interesting. Johansen brings back her famous character, Eve. A forensic artist who is deeply sought after is on another intensifying case. A 9-year-old’s ghost who connects with the forensic artist about her death leads readers unto a path chasing after killer ... a killer who knows that Eve is after him and will do everything to kill everyone who finds out who he is. Can Eve solve the murder and help a little girl find peace before the killer gets to her? I highly recommend this stunning plot to readers everywhere. Reviewed by Danielle Urban Strong Light of Day (Caitlin Strong Novels) By Jon Land Forge Books, $25.99, 352 pages Check this out! Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong has dealt with criminals, terrorists and would-be masterminds in the past, but she’s never encountered something like this. As a group of schoolchildren goes missing while camping, reports come in from several farms about strange activity that leaves entire herds of cattle decimated with no clear cause. Does it have something to do with the congressman threating to ruin Caitlin’s career? Or the millionnaire industrialist set to make millions in oil revenues? Caitlin’s investigation will take her 30 years into the past, as she uncovers a case her father worked involving a diabolical Russian syndicate, one with dire consequences for the United States and Soviet Union. Strong Light of Day wanders farther afield than previous installments in the series – this is easily the most science fiction-infused entry thus far, despite the fairly high-tech terrorist plots from the previous two novels – but the book never feels offkilter or unbalanced. Sure, the threat is wide-ranging and unlike anything Caitlin has faced before, but not irrationally so. Strong Light of Day crams a lot into 350 pages, enhancing a globe-spanning criminal plot with several dark twists, historical parallels with deep ties to the protagonists, a dash of sci-fi, a sprinkling of the fantastic and plenty of gun play for the diehard Texas Rangers enthusiasts in the readership. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 9
BESTSELLERS COMING SOON
TO TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY Search the library’s catalog at www.TulsaLibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
Book Reviews Category
Nonfiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Check These Out: One Librarian’s Catalog of the 200 Coolest, Best, and Most Important Books You’ll Ever Read By Gina Sheridan Adams Media, $14.99, 256 pages Check this out! Check These Out is a bookworm’s roadmap to libraries and bookstores everywhere. Librarian and author Gina Sheridan has created a list of 200 must-read novels, short-story collections and graphic novels. While this book compiles a variety of genres and type of works, it is by no means all-inclusive. Instead, Sheri- dan has gathered her favorite reads and organized them into a more
subject-based system of chapters that pays very little attention to genre or style of writing. Each synopsis includes a captivating glimpse into the plot of the story and offers tidbits of information on the authors themselves. Some entries also include excerpts from the book that give you a taste of the writing you will find in that book. While being overall very pleased with this book and quite eager to read many of the titles included, there are a few things that seemed to have been overlooked: First, the chapters are not organized by genre, nor is a genre given in the description (many you can determine from the synopsis, but this is still more convoluted than was probably necessary). This means more research for me when I come across titles I don’t recognize, because—while I’m a multigenre reader—I like to know what I’m getting myself into before I commit. Secondly, the master list in the back of the book fails to indicate which page the title is actually featured on, which makes it difficult to track
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down the synopsis if the title intrigues you or if you want a refresher. Reviewed by Faith Lewis Rick Steves Amsterdam & the Netherlands By Rick Steves Avalon Travel Publishing, $19.99, 552 pages Check this out! There are so many reasons to visit the Netherlands. Rick Steves’ guides are essential for the visitor on a budget who wants to experience the true culture of Europe. Steves does much to visit the out of the way places, but also details the essential tourist places such as the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. Everything one would need to know from packing, to ac- cess, to transportation systems, hotels and restaurants, is included in his thorough approach to travel. Even details such as the type of gables one would find in Amsterdam is detailed. This guidebook also includes day trips. Unfortunately the city of Leiden is included as a day trip whereas I find that a longer stay in this wonderful “little Amsterdam” is well worth the time. We stayed at the De Doelin right on a beautiful canal. We had some power outages at breakfast but the 1638 hotel was charming. Included is a very handy guide to Dutch phrases at the back of the book. Parents traveling with children also gain helpful tips for great places to keep the younger ones amused. Steves also lists priorities for a one day tour — or longer. He does not neglect the seamier sides of Amsterdam’s vibrant culture. This is an essential guidebook. Reviewed by Julia McMichael Rick Steves Belgium: Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp & Ghent By Rick Steves Avalon Travel Publishing, $17.99, 408 pages Check this out! For 35 years, Rick Steves has advocated travel as a cure all for the myopia that many Americans have for the rest of the world. He advocates traveling light and modestly lest natives should suspect us of braggadocio. He has written over 30 travel guidebooks and hosts a popular television show on PBS. In 2010, he was profiled on “Sixty Minutes”. This guidebook focuses on Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. I so wish that I had read this book and traveled with it to these places. There is so much more to see in this area than Brussel’s Grand Place and museums. In particular, Steves
writes movingly of Flanders Fields near Bruges. Flanders Fields was the site of five brutal battles of World War I, which cost 9 million lives. On a happier note, Rick also discusses Belgique chocolate and lace, gives us useful phrases in both Dutch and French, and provides great places to stay at relatively low cost and great restaurants. His guidebooks always cover many aspects of travel, including getting there and top picks for sightseers. Rick Steves is a one-man industry in the travel business, and as such, his guidebooks are essential for the new traveler. Reviewed by Julia McMichael Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to Be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser By Guy P. Harrison Prometheus Books, $17.00, 290 pages Check this out! As a human, you are prone to lapses in good judgment – irrational beliefs, prejudices, paranoias and all kinds of bad thinking. Skepticism evangelist Guy Harrison delivers a highly entertaining and extremely readable manifesto for using logic and reason for good thinking and a life better lived. To understand where our thinking leads us astray, Harrison first guides us through a fascinating, comprehensive and memorable tour of the brain, wherein are explained various brain structures and major functionalities but without overwhelming technical detail. Then Harrison moves on to identifying various types of delusions to which everyone is subject, including conspiracy theories, confirmation and other biases, alternative therapies, and a host of other nonevidence-based beliefs. The book gives ample support through illustrative examples and solid research. Throughout, Harrison remains eminently respectful, even though he cannot agree with irrational thinking. He affirms that true skeptics realize there are many things they do not or cannot know, but that poor thinking can be minimized by careful examination of thoughts and behaviors, which should all be based on scientific evidences. By making readers aware of their own blind spots, he issues a call for constant skepticism, scientific reasoning, and better, stronger thinking. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner How to Break Up With Anyone: Letting Go of Friends, Family, and Everyone In-Between By Jamye Waxman Seal Press, $16.00, 224 pages Check this out! How to Break Up With Anyone: Letting Go of Friends, Family, and Everyone In-Between is a howto guide elaborating that breakups are not only reserved for romantic relationships. Jamye Waxman explains and explores all types of relationships people have that are not romantic, defining these relationships and reinforces the idea that it is okay for all relationships to end—even relationships one never thought would come to an end.
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Book Reviews T h rough excerpts from personal experiences, inspirational quotes and brief chapter summaries, Waxman provides a unique structure through her guide that is not only comforting and consoling, but empowering. She talks through all possible options and outcomes when dealing with these relationships while maintaining a balance of sensitivity and humor in the midst of the seriousness of breaking up. She has accomplished a reading experience like an in-person therapy session but in between the pages of a book. I would recommend this to everyone in all stages of life because it is easy to get lost in relationships and commitments. This book will remind readers to not forget to take care of one’s own happiness. Reviewed by Cindy Luu You’re a Vampire - That Sucks!: A Survival Guide By Domenick Dicce Tarcher, $12.95, 160 pages Check this out! Books on how to detect and kill vampires are a dime a dozen these days, and only slightly less numerous are the tomes that discuss what pop culture has gotten wrong about vamps over the centuries and what these undead fangbangers are really up to. But it’s far less common to encounter a guidebook for newbie vam- pires themselves, which makes You’re a Vampire: That Sucks! an interesting read. Yes, there is the whole “what Hollywood gets wrong” rigmarole, but those cliches are outweighed by numerous thoughtful asides and details about life as a vampire over the long haul. How do you deal with decades of time to fill? How do you make money without attracting attention? I’ve read a lot of vampire books over the years, and although I’ve seen many of You’re a Vampire’s tricks before, the lack of winking-at-the-camera gags and general goofiness that plague the genre helps this book quite a bit. “Count” Domenick Dicce comes off as worldly and capable, offering hard-won wisdom to potentially undeserving vampire readers. This is a quick read that might just surprise oversaturated genre fans. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Nonfiction Homemade Smoothies for Mother and Baby: 300 Healthy Fruit and Green Smoothies for Preconception, Pregnancy, Nursing and Baby’s First Years By Kristine Miles Ulysses Press, $14.95, 240 pages Check this out! Kristine Miles has compiled an absolutely essential book for any mother-to-be in Homemade Smoothies for Mother and Baby: 300 Healthy Fruit and Green Smoothies for Preconception, Pregnancy, Nursing and Baby’s First Years. Not only are the recipes delicious, healthful and helpful, but the nutrition information Miles includes is wonderful. Unlike some pregnancy resources, Mills neither talks over her readers’ heads nor down to them, but relates to them as if they still have brains in their poor, pregnant skulls, explaining how different vitamins and minerals work within the prenatal and postnatal body, as well as how they effect breastfeeding, conception and beyond. Mills also addresses common issues in preconception, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and offers ways to alleviate symptoms through diet. Plus, she has one of the most comprehensive breastfeeding chapters this reviewer has encountered, and mothers who are looking to breastfeed would be well advised to refer to it over and over. The same goes for the chapter on smoothies for babies and toddlers, though, at least in this reviewer’s experience, they are more interested in what mommy’s drinking than their own! Definitely include this in your prenatal regime, even if you’ve had children before. Reviewed by Axie Barclay Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs By Erik Didriksen Quirk Books, $13.95, 128 pages Check this out! Sonnets are hard work. The rhyme scheme, the meter, the high level of quality to live up to ... they’re daunting endeavors to say the least. So imagine writing sonnets based on pop hits and you’ve got to have some serious respect for the writing chops of Erik Didriksen. Pop Sonnets is an impressive addition to the growing genre of “adapt such-and-such in a Shakespearean fashion.” Whether it’s his decidedly scholarly version of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” or his inquisitive take on The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “The Impression That I Get,” Didriksen does more than try to evoke the song’s most famous lines or major themes, he adds his own
twist to each song. For instance, his version of “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot is weirdly dignified. Heck, he even improves on some songs! He managed to make something marvelous out of the banal “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something, taking the premise of the song moreso than the lyrics to create an ode to meaningful connection. Pop Sonnets is a fun read for anyone who loves words, Shakespeare, or clever takes on pop culture. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas The Devil’s Financial Dictionary By Jason Zweig PublicAffairs, $19.99, 256 pages Check this out! This book has been inspired by an early 20th century work titled “The Devil’s Dictionary” which used wit and extreme skepticism to fashion humorous definitions of theological and related terms. In the same vein this book sharply focuses on investments with a tongue-in-cheek approach of “defining” financial terms. This book’s intent is not only to amuse, but also to educate its readers.
Finance does have its share of technical jargon that could be used to baffle casual investors. While not at the level of Bierce’s “The Devil’s Dictionary,” this work is witty, irreverent, skeptical and humorous – making it an entertaining read for those within and outside the financial industry. Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali Knitting Fabric Rugs: 28 Colorful Designs for Crafters of Every Level By Karen Tiede Storey Publishing, LLC, $18.95, 184 pages Check this out! Many have fond memories of mothers or grandmothers cutting strips of old clothing and braiding and sewing them into rag rugs. Well, there is another way to make rag rugs — beautiful, artful rag rugs — and this dazzling book will show the way to knit such rugs. Yes, knit! Every bit of the process — from the best materials to use to where to find them to preparing them to estimating needed fabric to choosing colors — is covered with Nonfiction: Knitting cont’d on page 12
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Book Reviews Nonfiction: Knitting cont’d from page 11 step-by-step instructions and explanatory photographs. Knitting with fabric strips takes large needles and some special considerations. Author Karen Tiede has some real expertise in this area having knitted over 100 decorative rag rugs. She shares her vast knowledge in language as clear and well-conceived as the 28 designs she has included in the book. The designs are geometric and some are based on quilt designs. Clearly Tiede is passionate about her craft and it shows in the personal stories she shares about how she developed her methods and designs. This is a well-written, beautiful book that is likely to start a new trend in the crafting and knitting world. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Treat: 50 Recipes for No-Bake Marshmallow Treats By Stephanie Banyas Clarkson Potter, $14.99, 96 pages Check this out! If you are the kind of baker who would prefer your own homemade sweet treats but has minimal kitchen time and baking experience, Treat is for you. Stephanie Banyas accomplished a nice job on this small-format hardcover cookbook with 50 no-bake recipes, all using marshmallows as their
base. Some cooking is involved but you never need to turn on your oven. You have a choice of using store-bought marshmallows or making your own, the recipe with which Banyas starts out her cookbook. It’s a bit of work but even beginner cooks can do it with ease, and your marshmallow treats will be not just very good but amazing (claims Banyas). All recipes use puffed rice cereal as the second major ingredient, and many call for other prepared items such as 20 Milkyway bars, pretzels, various store-bought cookies, even a bag of potato chips. Recipe instructions are a snap to follow, and layout, with a few exceptions, is good; you can follow directions without turning the pages back and forth. Banyas divided the book into five sections grouping the treats into logical chapters, such as Candy-Store Favorites and Chocolate Delights. Index is brief and is basically an alphabetic recipe list. Reviewed by George Erdosh Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War By Karen Abbott Harper Perennial, $16.99, 544 pages Check this out! Karen Abbott’s Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War meticulously
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examines the intricate role of women within the United States Civil War. Abbott’s in-depth analysis showcases the lives of four heroines, from each woman’s role in the Civil War to her family and community connections to her opinions on slavery. Beyond discussing the women’s immediate surroundings, Abbott analyzes the ladies in context of better known Civil War battles and dignitaries. Moreover, Abbott discusses not only how these women impacted the Civil War, but also how each woman influenced each other’s course of action. For instance, readers will ascertain how the actions of Rose O’Neal, a Confederate-supporting Northerner, shaped the future of Emma Edmondson, a Union soldier fighting in the South. Abbott’s book captures the agency of women during this tumultuous era of United States history. The book does not incorporate scrupulous details, but at no time does it drone on or become confusing. The readable narrative and concise chapters generate an enjoyable account that both challenges and entertains the reader, easily earning Abbott’s work a 5-star rating. Reviewed by Jessica Tingling Knitting Without Needles: A Stylish Introduction to Finger and Arm Knitting By Anne Weil Potter Craft, $19.99, 192 pages Check this out! Knitters are everywhere and easily spotted by their bags full of yarn with needles sticking out, except not all knitting requires needles. Believe it or not, there is a new kind of knitting that only requires yarn and uses fingers and even arms to replace the needles. One doesn’t have to be an experienced knitter to make the fun projects, 30 of them, packed into this pretty book. There are three project sections: things to wear such as scarves, necklaces and hats; things to decorate one’s home such as pillows, baskets and rugs; and things for play such as toys, crowns and even a reading nook. A very comprehensive how-to section in the back of the book discusses yarn weights and gauges and what to use for the different projects. It goes on to show step-by-step instructions for how to finger- and arm-knit with a series of close-up photographs and well-written, easy-to-comprehend written instructions. Once one has mastered these instructions, the projects are within reach. All 30 projects have photographic and written instructions equal to those in the how-to section. Creative types of all ages will find this book extremely satisfying. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
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Tweens Cont’d: Book of Kings from page 5 country, Andesia. Max can only believe they are there against their will, and he needs to rescue them. He comes up with a plan to take an embassy to Andesia, but first he must convince the king of his own country, whom he has never met, to help. This final book in the Mister Max trilogy by Cynthia Voight is a satisfying conclusion for all questions raised in the three books. The characters are interesting and wellrounded, the story has lots of adventure and excitement, and this will be a very gratifying read for those who have read the earlier two books, but as a stand-alone, it makes some assumptions of prior knowledge. The more mature and patient of middle-grade readers will be the audience for this somewhat overly long, detailed story. Reviewed by Rosie Hollinbeck Lincoln’s Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, America’s First Private Eye By Samantha Seiple Scholastic Press, $17.99, 224 pages Check this out! Allan Pinkerton was a barrel maker. In an effort to get free wood, he visited a small island. There, he found evidence of strange goings-on. After some investigation, he helped uncover a counterfeiting ring. This was his first step on a long journey through law enforcement and building of the greatest detective agency. As Pinkerton built his de- tective business, capturing many outlaws, including train robbers, he came to know leaders in the railroad business. It was one of these, Samuel Felton, who hired Pinkerton to uncover a plot to destroy his railroad. In the process of doing so, Pinkerton discovered a plot to assassinate Lincoln before he could take office. In foiling that plot, Pinkerton sealed his future as an integral part of Lincoln’s inner circle in Washington, D.C., throughout his administration, extending even to being a war spy during the Civil War. Samantha Seiple has found a subject who will absolutely fascinate readers young and old in this well-written biography. The fastpaced story is told through clear, crisp prose and illustrated with great choices in very early photographs which emphasize the nonfiction aspect of the book. Readers will love this fresh take on Pinkerton. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Book Reviews Category
Biographies & Memoirs SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: James Dean’s Final Hours By Keith Elliot Greenberg Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, $24.99, 288 pages Check this out! Some will be tempted to buy this book based on the subtitle, James Dean’s Final Hours. It’s not so much a minute-byminute account of Dean’s last day as it is a short biography. The subtitle is a hook to draw in the reader. If you’re interested in Dean, but not so much that you would want to read a 400-, 500- or 600-page bio, this may serve your purposes. Yes, it does cover the circumstances and details of the actor’s death in 1955, but it’s told in a style that bounces all over, around and about Dean’s life. The reader who appreciates a chronological telling of a true story may find this somewhat frustrating. Also frustrating is a high amount of repetition. For example, more times than I could count the writer mentions that, “Much of Jimmy’s torment came from the early demise of his mother.” Stating this once would have been sufficient. Greenberg is fixated with the notion that those close to Dean all died under untimely and strange circumstances. And like many Hollywood biographers, he’s a bit too caught up in his subject’s sex life. A fascinating story told in a less than captivating manner. Reviewed by Joseph Arellano The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives By Theresa Brown Algonquin, $24.95, 272 pages Check this out! Holder of both a doctorate in English and a RN, Theresa Brown takes us through a 12-hour day on the oncology ward where she cares for four
patients. The patients’ medical conditions are reviewed, their personalities outlined, their treatments described and the various hospital affiliated personnel are detailed. Elaborative comments embellish the quirks of patients along with coworkers, doctors, fellows, residents, interns and orderlies. She carefully explains the perceived ranking among the hospital staff. The author occasionally takes poetic license to portray the sadness innate to the illness being treated. Too many dysfunctional procedures demanded in medical care are acerbically mentioned. While acting as a nurse and counselor to her patients, she is constantly applying plastic gloves, tearing open sterile packaging, connecting IV tubes and interacting with the medical personnel. From this chronicle, most of her nursing time is spent on the phone, at the computer filling in medical records, or completing paperwork. One gets the impression that this latter aspect receives more attention than the patients themselves. This 12-hour shift is presented as an extremely draining experience, and this tedious recording of a day in the life of a nurse may dissuade some from pursuing this profession. Reviewed by Aron Row Rywka’s Diary: The Writings of a Jewish Girl From the Lodz Ghetto By Rywka Lipszyc, Anita Friedman Harper, $35.00, 240 pages Check this out! Diaries kept by young people during the Holocaust are depressing, but full of life and revelations. That is the same with this one. It was not known about until recently, since a Soviet doctor found the diary in the ashes of Auschwitz, and it did not find its way to the United States until the late 1990s.
After careful examination and painstaking research, it has now been translated into English. This diary is the life and struggles of a 14-year-old Jewish girl living in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland. She was young when the war started, lost both her parents quickly, and then her two young siblings were deported and killed. Often, she talks about the lack of food, the hardships of trying to survive and the uncertainty of it all. But throughout she keeps her faith that God will provide. It seems she managed to survive the liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto and might have even survived the war, but died shortly thereafter due to medical issues. This is a powerful and moving book with essays explaining life in the ghetto and research done to find Rywka after the war. Reviewed by Kevin Winter Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World By Linda Hirshman Harper, $28.99, 416 pages Check this out! Sandra Day O’Connor made history in 1981 by being named the first woman Supreme Court justice in the United States. Ruth Bader Ginsburg would become the second woman appointed in 1993. Their paths to this powerful, benevolent institution were different, but shared the similarity of discrimination in their beginnings. Sandra Day O’Connor was from Arizona and a conservative; Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn and rose to prominence in a liberal forefront. Sandra Day O’Connor would meet discrimination in Arizona while attempting to join a law firm, but was discounted because of her gender. Ruth Bader Ginsburg would meet this same unfair practice while she attended Harvard. Both women succeeded despite these impediments — O’Connor working her way up the Republican Party ladder to become an associate attorney general, while Ginsburg worked from the ACLU to esteemed professor to appellate court judge. Sisters in Law chronicles these two distinct women and their herculean journeys to become Supreme Court justices. O’Connor’s way was almost more subtle, though not quiet, while
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Ginsburg’s was radical, but not without a compromise. Linda Hirshman’s dual biography is remarkable in its detailing of the two justice’s meteoric rise to the pinnacle of judicial power in this country. There is empathy, but also the occasional criticism in the judges’ work as one of the hallowed nine in black balancing the scales of justice in the United States. The author paints a landscape of male chauvinism that was overwhelming in its prevalence throughout much of O’Connor’s and Ginsburg’s life. Hirshman subtly highlights how both women learned to hit back at an unfair system and win points for women’s rights. This book is a must read for a biography and American history. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro Legend: A Harrowing Story From the Vietnam War of One Green Beret’s Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines By Eric Blehm Crown, $27.00, 304 pages Check this out! The account of Roy Benavidez’s daring rescue of brothers-in-arms on May 2, 1968, has indeed become something of a “legend” to those in Special Forces. It deserves to be retold, now that so much top-secret information has finally been declassified about that particular black-op that became an international incident. Even without the detailed revelations about America’s covert operations in Laos and Cambodia, Blehm’s quick-paced writing style keeps the reader entrenched through the hot action. The author spares us the soapbox lecture on the egregious errors committed by vacillating administrations during the Vietnam War. However, when it comes to troop support the lean to starboard is unmistakable. This story focuses on a man who grew up from a hardscrabble childhood to become someone that every soldier should emulate. When ordinary men might have bailed out, Benavidez hopped aboard a chopper, rushed to the scene of a handful of wounded soldiers who were penned down behind enemy lines against overwhelming odds, and there he jumped into the fray to save them. Initially, his countrymen nearly buried him alive with the enemy before finally decorating Benavidez with the Congressional Medal of Honor. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn
Book Reviews Category
Kids’ Books SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Doldrums By Nicholas Gannon Greenwillow Books, $17.99, 368 pages Check this out! Archer B. Helmsley admires her grandparents, though he was so little when he last saw them, he doesn’t remember them. They are world explorers last seen floating away on an iceberg near Antartica. Archer would love to follow in their footsteps, but his mother won’t even let him out of the house. His friend Oliver Glub is able to visit by climbing over the rooftops from his house nearby. Archer has shared his dreams with Oliver. When a young girl with a wooden leg moves into their little enclave, the boys are fascinated, and when they hear her leg and her mother were eaten by a crocodile on the Nile River, Archer knows she is the one to help him go to Antarctica to search for his grandparents. Nicholas Gannon, author and illustrator, has written a story that will absolutely charm the middle-grade set. There are a lot of really funny characters and many super silly events, as well as a good dose of fantasy in this book. Archer, Adélaïde and Oliver are a trio readers will cheer for and hope for more books starring the three. Gannon’s whimsical and detailed illustrations are the icing on this lovely cake. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation By Peggy Thomas Calkins Creek, $16.95, 48 pages Check this out! Thomas Jefferson is well-known to school children as one of the Founding Fathers, a president and the author of the Declaration of Independence. But what most young people don’t realize (and perhaps
a lot of older people as well) is that Jefferson also was an agriculturalist, a diplomat and perhaps America’s greatest cheerleader. He defended America’s flora and fauna when a famous French naturalist suggested they were puny. He encouraged the farmers to grow a wider range of crops. When he was president, he doubled the size of the country through the Louisiana Purchase. Even after his retirement, he was responsible for the development of the University of Virginia. Peggy Thomas is one of the premier nonfiction writers of children’s literature, and this well-researched, engaging middlegrade biography will not disappoint young readers or those who teach them. Nothing much escapes her attention. Even the back matter is quite interesting to read and will lead youngsters to explore the subject more thoroughly. The art by Stacy Innerest is interesting, but perhaps something of an acquired taste and might appeal more to older middle-graders rather than the youngest of the group. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story By Pat Zietlow Miller, Jill McElmurry (illustrator) Schwartz & Wade, $17.99, 32 pages Check this out! There is something about Thanksgiving that puts everyone in an oldfashioned frame of mind. The traditional foods served bring harvest to mind and set everyone to thinking about families gathering. Au- thor Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrator Jill McElmurry take young readers on a journey to the turn of the 20th century to spend this beloved holiday with an extended family of that time. Miller uses perfect meter and rhyme with plenty of repetition to show everyone in the family from parents to grandparents to aunts and uncles and all the children making contributions to this festive day. The poetry is so lyrical it is hard not to sing the words in this
cheerful rendering of a truly American family celebration. McElmurry’s illustrations are perfectly enchanting and will make that journey to the early 1900s complete with plenty of fun details for little ones to find: bunches of herbs hanging to dry, wainscoting on the walls, long dresses and aprons for the ladies, a pump at the sink and a monstrously large wood-burning stove that is at the center of everything. This perfectly charming story will be read over and over and may well become a holiday classic. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 By Jonah Winter, Shane W. Evans (illustrator) Schwartz & Wade, $17.99, 40 pages Check this out! Lillian is 100 years old. As an AfricanAmerican woman living in Alabama, Lillian has recalled specific moments in her people’s history, and her family’s personal journey to freedom and justice as she makes her way up a long hill to cast her vote on voting day. Her recol- lections, reflected within a timeline, cover slavery, the 15th US Amendment (voting rights for men), the 19th US Amendment (voting rights for women), the March 1965 voting protest, the Selma to Montgomery March, and the Voting Rights Act 1965. Inspired by the true story of Lillian Allen, award-winning author Jonah Winter commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In collaboration with Winter’s profound story, award-winning illustrator Shane W. Evans aptly captures—through the use of mixed media— the injustices placed upon a race of people that didn’t fit within the phrase “all men are created equal” until that piece of legislation was created. Winter closes with an author’s note emphasizing the fact that the struggle for voting rights is not over since the inception of voter ID laws, which have the effect of denying many Americans the right to vote. A definite must-read for both school and home! Reviewed by Anita Lock Friendshape By Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Tom Lichtenheld (illustrator) Scholastic Press, $16.99, 40 pages Check this out! The dynamic duo of picture books returns with a delightfully clever celebration of friendship. Using four energetic geometric friends – rectangle, square, triangle and circle – Rosenthal and Lichtenheld remind us of the many ways our lives are made better by friends. Just the right foursome of
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shapes was chosen to accentuate rather simple text commonly encountered in friendship stories. This book is brilliant in its design with the comically expressive pencil illustrations by Lichtenheld that we’ve come to love in harmony with Rosenthal’s upbeat narrative; ample white space allows illustration and text to be the focal point. One double-page spread features the friends stacked to form a house illustrating how friends make you feel at home. In another, three friends take the shape of a rocket blasting off to the circle moon because good friends follow each other to the moon and back. With each page turn, readers will be eager to see what’s next for these friends and, especially, how it’s portrayed. Friendshape is a welcome change from friendship stories about twosomes, and should be shared with friends of all ages. Reviewed by Africa Hands Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War (CitizenKid) By Michel Chikwanine, Jessica Dee Humphreys, Claudia D’vila (illustrator) Kids Can Press, $17.95, 48 pages Check this out! Across the world, children are often used in war. Child Soldier addresses this heartwrenching subject. In a graphicnovel format, co-author Michel Chikwanine tells his story; he was one of those children. The story and illustrations are sensitive to a young reader. The tale begins in Michel’s village where he attends school, plays soccer and frequently stands up for what he believes in. He is 5 when rebels abduct him from the playground and make him do horrific things. Ignoring their threats, he escapes when the rebels send children on a mission to wipe out a village. He runs for three days to ensure he is safe. He then walks in secret hoping to find someone who can help. Missing for nine days, he comes upon his village. The story continues, showing how the incident changed his life forever. The afterword includes more about Michel’s story, details of how the world is responding to this issue, and what a child can do to help. This makes a great story for the classroom or home where the subject can be discussed. Reviewed by Susan Roberts
Book Reviews Bug in a Vacuum By Melanie Watt Tundra Books, $21.99, 96 pages Check this out! Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt is a book about a fly getting trapped in a vacuum. At first he is excited, but then he goes through stages of being scared and being angry, he even gives up. Luckily, the dog breaks the vacuum and it gets thrown out, and then when the vacuum is dumped it breaks and the fly can escape the vacuum. I feel like I would be excited too to be in a new place, but once I found out that I was trapped then I would be really scared and yell for help. Even if my parents couldn’t hear me I would find a way out. I would scratch the sides or fly back out the hose, or I would ask a bigger dog to help me. Sometimes when I go to a new place I feel the same way, but then after awhile it turns out that I am having fun and then I don’t want to leave anymore. I really liked the pictures and how you could see where the fly was flying around. I wonder what’s in my vacuum? Reviewed by Josephine Meeker Curious George Discovers the Senses (science storybook) By John Loy, Adah Nuchi HMH Books for Young Readers, $6.99, 32 pages Check this out! The man with the yellow hat is training for a triathlon and needs his rest, but house problems mean that he and Curious George are both sleeping in the living room for awhile, and George’s late-night wanderings are making it hard for his friend to sleep! George just wants to be able to get to the kitchen during the night without turning on the lights; can he figure out how to utilize his other senses to find his way? Curious George Discovers the Senses is a different kind of adventure for fans of Curious George. The bulk of the book is a storybook adaptation of one of the episodes of the popular PBS cartoon, but many of the pages contain added fun facts about our five senses, and the back features a glossary and a number of fun activities to help younger readers better understand how some of the senses work. The youngest readers will be able to just enjoy the story, while older children will benefit from the additional content, making this book a hit for a wide variety of ages. Reviewed by Holly Scudero Tacky and the Haunted Igloo (Tacky the Penguin) By Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger (illustrator) HMH Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Tacky returns with a story perfect for fall and cooler weather! The penguins have decided to turn their home into the perfect haunted igloo
for Halloween. They deck it out with all things scary – spider webs, skeletons, pumpkins – and bake up some perfect treats to hand out. The penguins even come up with costumes of the scariest things they can think of to scare the trick-or-treaters, complete with sound effects. Things are going hauntingly well when the trickor-treaters show up, until the penguins run out of treats, thanks in part to a large crowd, but also to Tacky. Their holiday just goes downhill from there, when their final visitors show up determined to get a treat. When they realize the treats are gone, the visitors reveal their scary identities and go after the penguins! This story will delight readers who already know Tacky, and will enthrall those who have just met him. They will see that being perfect isn’t always perfect, and Tacky, in all his tackiness, is still the one to have around when they run into trouble. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower, or, John Howland’s Good Fortune By P.J. Lynch Candlewick, $17.99, 64 pages Check this out! Young John Howland felt the need to leave England along with other pilgrims to attain freedom to worship as they wished. As an indentured servant to John Carver, a leader of the Separatists, Howland sailed on the Mayflower to the New World in search of a new start and religious liberty. Washed overboard in the middle of the wild ocean during a storm, Howland was miraculously saved. When the ship finally reached land, the travelers found themselves hundreds of miles north of where they hoped to land, in an inhospitable environment while facing what promises to be a harsh winter. As this small group deals with widespread illness, a severe shortage of food and a lack of decent housing, Howland has to take on more and more responsibility as many leaders die. P.J. Lynch has written a compelling accounting of young Howland’s story and the larger story of the Mayflower. The writing is crisp, and the facts are presented in captivating prose. The rich, detailed paintings he uses to illustrate his story evoke times past and steep the readers in Howland’s journey. This is one of the finest middle-grade historical picture books available. Don’t miss it. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Tulsa Book Review • November 2015 • 15
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TO TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY Search the library’s catalog at www.TulsaLibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups
by Anna Wright A drove of pigs, a romp of otters, an ostentation of peacocks and a tower of giraffes – this clever book introduces young readers to some of the words we use to refer to animals in a group. The ink, watercolor and fabric collage art is brightly colored and uniquely sets this fun book apart from the crowd. Each page presents information about an animal and its group behavior, such as how geese fly in a V-shape and honk to encourage the leaders.
What’s the Buzz? Keeping Bees in Flight by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox Whether they live alone or together, in a hive or in a hole in the ground, bees do some of the most important work on the planet: pollinating plants. What’s the Buzz? celebrates the magic of bees from swarming to dancing to making honey and encourages readers to do their part to keep the hives alive. All over the world, bee colonies are dwindling, but everyone can do something to help save the bees, from buying local honey to growing a bee-friendly garden.
A Kids’ Guide to America’s Bill of Rights by Kathleen Krull Which 462 words are so important that they’ve changed the course of American history more than once? The Bill of Rights: the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, the crucial document that spells out how the United States is to be governed. Newly revised and updated, packed with anecdotes, sidebars, case studies, suggestions for further reading and humorous illustrations, Kathleen Krull’s introduction to the Bill of Rights brings an important topic vividly to life for young readers.
The Inventor’s Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford
by Suzanne Slade Both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford started off as insatiably curious tinkerers. That curiosity led them to become inventors with very different results. As Edison invented hit after commercial hit, gaining fame and fortune, Henry struggled to make a single invention (an affordable car) work. Witnessing Thomas’ glorious career from afar, a frustrated Henry wondered about the secret to his success. This little-known story is a fresh, kid-friendly way to show how Thomas Edison and Henry Ford grew up to be the most famous inventors in the world and best friends, too.
Navajo Code Talkers: Secret American Indian Heroes of World War II
by Brynn Baker During World War II, the Japanese military cracked the codes used by the American Army and Navy, but never the Marines. What made the Marines’ code different? They used Navajo Code Talkers, specially recruited American Indian soldiers who used their language to send and receive topsecret messages. Infographics, sidebars and fact boxes bring the experiences of these brave military men to life.
Star Wars Mania: Crafts, Projects, Facts, Fun!
by Amanda Formaro Want to make Wookiee finger puppets? How about lightsaber party favors? Star Wars Mania will show fans of all ages how to turn ordinary objects into incredible intergalactic creations. This amazing book is filled with craft projects, trivia, experiments, party ideas and more.
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