Tulsa
event guide
INSIDE!
Book Review 2 6 11
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
F R E E
NEW AND OF INTEREST
C H E C K
The President’s Hat The adventures of a president’s hat Page 5
A Seaside Christmas
I T
Wonderful holiday Page 9
Rosie Revere, Engineer
O U T
Crashing into success Page 10
Sunny’s Kitchen: Easy Food for Real Life
Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishiguro Knopf, $16.39, 288 pages Meet Kazuo Ishiguro on Dec. 7 at Hardesty Regional Library. See Page 4 for details.
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December 2013
What makes us human? Is it the ability to think or have emotions? Are we human because we can love or create art? Is it because we have souls? Kazuo Ishiguro, the 2013 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award winner, thoughtfully explores this perennial sci-fi question in his 2005 novel Never Let Me Go, adapted into a 2010 movie starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan. If you come to the novel without knowing its main conceit (spoiler: it’s a world much
like our own, only the main characters are clones or “donors” created entirely for the purpose of providing organs to “normals”), you’ll still catch on pretty quickly that something is not quite … right. The first 100 or so pages read like a coming-of-age story set at an exclusive boarding school in England – savvy readers will recognize elements of both Harry Potter and Curtis Sittenfeld’s marvelous Prep. The main character and narrator, Kathy, See Never Let Me Go, cont’d on page 12
Wonderful, rich, moderately easy recipe collection Page 12
Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is About Help Not Hype How offering something for nothing boosts your bottomline Page 13
39 Reviews INSIDE!
Book Reviews
MYSTERIES/THRILLERS Category
Mystery SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Cuckoo’s Calling By Robert Galbraith Mulholland Books, $26.00, 464 pages Check this out! J.K. Rowling’s secret is out. Released as the debut mystery novel of “Robert G a l b r a i t h ,” The Cuckoo’s Calling came out to little fanfare, although it gained a fair amount of critical acclaim. Of course, after it was revealed that Rowling actually penned it, copies flew off the shelves. The mystery introduces Cormoran Strike, a private detective struggling to make ends meet. He’s just broken up with his fiancee, and on the same day, he’s been sent a temporary secretary he can’t afford to pay. However, a customer with the potential to change the direction of his life walks in. John Bristow is the adoptive brother of Lula Landry, a model who recently committed suicide, but he doesn’t think Lula really killed herself. So how does Rowling’s latest effort hold up? First, it’s nothing like either Harry Potter or The Casual Vacancy. And that’s good. It’s nice to see Rowling find her footing in a completely different setting. The novel isn’t perfect—sometimes it’s too long-winded, and it could use a touch more action and less talk—but it’s an enjoyable read that keeps you guessing until the end. Rowling has a knack for easily transporting the reader into her own universe, and after a brief misstep with the dreary The Casual Vacancy, she’s proven she’s back on track. Reviewed by Christie Spurlock Unseen: A Novel (Will Trent) By Karin Slaughter Delacorte Press, $27.00, 400 pages Check this out! In Karin Slaughter’s Unseen, Will, Sara, and Lena return to the page in a fascinating thriller that provides a roller coaster ride of twists and turns. Jared, Sara’s stepson and Lena’s husband, is shot during a bloody
battle in his home. Lena won’t leave his side, but many suspect she may know more about the gun battle than she is telling. After all, she and trouble always seem to go handin-hand and Sara knows that especially well. She blames Lena for the death of her own husband. Meanwhile, even Will, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, is undercover and may not have a clear view of the answers. Even if you’ve never read a Slaughter thriller, she keeps you current about these recurring characters. Unseen is set in and around Macon, Georgia. The psychological aspects of the fictional crimes and criminals always seem to be a piece of Slaughter’s gritty portrayals of the underworld. Because Slaughter leaves you asking what’s happening next, her novels read well and fast, through all the twists and turns she delivers. A bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, Slaughter continues to deliver with Unseen. Reviewed by Elizabeth Humphrey The Stranger: A Novel By Camilla Lackberg Pegasus, $25.95, 384 pages Check this out! This police procedural featuring Detective Patric Hedstrom picks up right where Ms. L a c k b e r g ’s third crime novel, The Sto ne c u tter, abruptly c onc lud e d . A newcomer, pretty blonde Officer Hanna Kruse, becomes the second female on the See Stranger, cont’d on page 5
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 2
COMING SOON
Search the library’s catalog at http://tulsalibrary.org to reserve your copies now.
Noose
by Bill James Britain, 1956. A young actress seemingly tries to commit suicide over a tangled love affair, but is taken to hospital and her life saved. The story is just the sort of thing that journalist Ian Charteris likes to cover: a poignant mix of near tragedy, possible thwarted romance and glamour, needing sensitive but – of course – dramatic treatment. It should be a routine assignment, a welcome assignment. It would be, if it wasn’t for the identity of the young woman. She may – just may – be Ian’s sister.
Billionaire Blend: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle
Landmark coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has served her share of New York’s rich and famous, but even she is surprised by her explosive introduction to a mysterious Internet billionaire. When a car bomb nearly kills the charming young tech whiz Eric Thorner, Clare comes to his aid and receives a priceless thank you. Not only does the billionaire buy her a barista’s dream espresso machine, he hires her for an extraordinary project: creating the world’s most expensive coffee blend. The police arrest Eric’s alleged attacker, yet death continues to surround the unlucky mogul, leading Clare to question whether the lethal events are premeditated or merely freak accidents. Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, has a theory of his own – one Clare refuses to believe. Meanwhile, Eric jets Clare around the world on a head-spinning search for the very best coffee, and Clare gets to know his world – a mesmerizing circle of money with rivalries that could easily have turned deadly. But is this mysterious young CEO truly marked for termination? Or is he the one making a killing?
The Funeral Owl
by Jim Kelly When a reader contacts local newspaper The Crow to report a rare sighting of the Boreal or so-called “Funeral Owl,” the paper’s editor Philip Dryden has a sense of foreboding. For the Funeral Owl is said to be an omen of death. It’s already proving to be one of the most eventful weeks in the newspaper’s history. The body of a Chinese man has been discovered hanging from a cross in a churchyard in Brimstone Hill in the West Fens. The inquest into the deaths of two tramps found in a flooded ditch has unearthed some shocking findings. A series of metal thefts is plaguing the area. And PC Stokely Powell has requested Dryden’s help in solving a 10-year-old cold case: a series of violent art thefts culminating in a horrifying murder. As Dryden investigates, he uncovers some curious links between the seemingly unrelated cases. It would appear the sighting of the Funeral Owl is proving prophetic in more ways than one.
Murder on the Orient Espresso
by Sandra Balzo It’s November and Maggy Thorsen, co-owner of the Wisconsin gourmet coffeehouse Uncommon Grounds, is in South Florida at an annual crime-writers conference with her beau, local sheriff Jake Pavlik, who is due to speak as a forensics expert. Maggy’s pledge to behave solely as a tourist becomes trickier than she anticipated when the conference’s opening night event turns out to be a re-enactment of Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express. As Maggy and Jake reluctantly set off on the night train to the Everglades to solve the “crime,” it’s clear that, as in the original novel, nothing is quite what it seems. And amidst rumors of careers taken, manuscripts stolen and vows broken, it seems that in the Everglades – as in life – the predator all too often becomes the prey.
Tulsa
Book Review
IN THIS ISSUE Mystery.......................................................... 2
Tulsa City-County Library 400 Civic Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 Ph. (918) 549-7323 EDITOR IN CHIEF Ross Rojek ross@1776productions.com
Historical Fiction............................................ 4 Fiction............................................................ 5 History & Current Events........................... 6, 7
GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT James Rasmussen COPY EDITORS Annie Peters Gretchen Wagner Amy Simko Holly Scudero Audrey Curtis Alex Masri Do Cathy Carmode Lim Christie Spurlock
Biography & Memoir...................................... 8 Romance......................................................... 9 Picture Books............................................... 10 Tween Reads................................................. 11
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Alaa Shabouni Audrey Curtis Christopher Hayden Christie Spurlock
WEBSITE TulsaBookReview.com
Cookbooks.................................................... 12 Home, Garden & DIY.................................... 13
FROM THE PUBLISHER As the holidays approach and another year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the rich literary nature of Tulsa. With organizations like Tulsa Reads, Book Smart Tulsa, Nimrod International Journal, Tulsa Town Hall, the Tulsa City-County Library, our local universities and others, Tulsa is the beneficiary of several dozen literary visitors annually. Thus it gives me great pleasure to think about this year’s grand finale, the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. This year’s award will be presented on Friday evening, Dec. 6 to Japanese-born British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro. Mr. Ishiguro is the author of the novels The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. The former won the Man Booker Prize and the latter was named by Time magazine as the best novel of 2005. Time also included Never Let Me Go on its list of the 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.Both novels have been adapted into films. A free public program featuring Mr. Ishiguro will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Hardesty Regional Library. This program also will feature the induction of Teresa Miller, founder of Tulsa Reads and The Oklahoma Center for Poets & Writers, into the Tulsa City-County Library Hall of Fame. Ms. Miller has spent a career promoting the written word in Oklahoma, teaches creative writing at OSU-Tulsa and is an accomplished writer. Such rich literary tradition is part of what keeps Tulsa ranked in the top 25 Most Literate Cities in America study. We like to think having a top 10 ranked library system, as TCCL is ranked in the same survey, helps too. Happy holidays to you and yours!
Business & Personal Finance........................ 13 Science Fiction.............................................. 14 Popular Culture............................................ 15 The Tulsa Book Review is published monthly by 1776 Productions, LLC. The opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Tulsa Book Review or 1776 Productions advertisers. All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders. All words ©2013, LLC.
1776 Productions,
Adult Creative Writing Contest.................... 16
Gary Shaffer Tulsa City-County Library CEO
Coming Up! For your New Year’s resolution, how about enriching your life by taking a continuing education course? Tulsa City-County Library offers Universal Class, featuring more than 500 free online courses, via our website. Cooking, finance, health and medicine, pet and animal care, and law are just some of the areas of study available. Start learning now! Visit TulsaLibrary.org/universalclass and use your Tulsa City-County Library card to access Universal Class.
Category
Historical Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Elixir of Immortality By Gabi Gleichmann Other Press, $18.95, 784 pages Check this out!
The Elixir of Immortality is the tale of the Spinoza family heritage told alongside European historical events. The eldest sons of each generation of the Spinoza family are tasked with guarding the recipe for immortality developed by a relative in the 1100s. The work is the retelling of the family’s history focused on the male lineage through the lens of Ari Spinoz, the last surviving son who has no progeny to pass the recipe to the next ancestor. Written in the traditional storyteller style, The Elixir of Immortality gives the most stage presence to historical facts and proverbs for guiding one through life. Although the formula works quite well, the reader will begin to ponder the details of the characters’ lives and personalities because they are only provided with a brief glimpse of these topics, but were likely denied due the looming length of the work. As a result, The Elixir of Immortality comes off as a light read that on its face appears better suited for the young adult crowd if it we not for occasional appearances of adult subject matter. However, if the reader enjoys historically based literature that mimics the style and length of most religious texts, The Elixir of Immortality is a suitable choice. Reviewed by Tiffany Nichols Studio Saint-Ex By Ania Szado Knopf, $25.95, 368 pages Check this out! At the beginning of WWII, when Paris was the international capital of fashion, the unthinkable happened: France fell to Germany. In America, the brash mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, is determined to have his beloved city move into that now empty space in the world of fashion.
Into the spotlight comes the famous French author and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, primarily to pick up an award for his 1939 book Wind, Sand and Stars, which has become a major best-seller. He plans to stay for two months, but is still there two years later, wrapped up in the fashionable world because of the two women in his life: his wife Consuelo and his mistress Mignonne Lachapelle, who is determined to be the new darling of the haute couture. In a mostly dazzling mix of fact and fiction, Ania Szado has created a mostly-gripping tale. At times, however, the story bogs down under its own weight. At others, it soars like the planes flown by de Saint-Exupery. In the midst of the chaos surrounding his life, his publisher suggests a new book about a little prince. And the rest, as they say, is well-known history! Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz Blood & Beauty: The Borgias By Sarah Dunant Random House, $27.00, 528 pages Check this out! Rome. The pope is dead, and the upstart Spaniard cardinal, Rodrigo Borgia, has been elected as Pope Alexander VI. His wealth, cold intellect, and love for his illegitimate children will redefine the papacy. Rife with intrigue, myth, and the raw power of history, Blood and Beauty will refine how readers encounter the Borgias. This is another outstanding novel from See Blood and Beauty, cont’d on page 7
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 4
MEET KAZUO ISHIGURO
Book Reviews
WINNER OF THE TULSA LIBRARY TRUST’S 2013 P E G G Y V. HELMERICH DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR AWARD
F R E E P U B L I C P R E S E N TAT I O N AND BOOK SIGNING*
Saturday, Dec. 7 • 10:30 a.m. Hardesty Regional Library, Connor’s Cove 8316 E. 93rd St. Japanese-born British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the foremost British writers of his generation and one of the most celebrated contemporary fiction authors in the Englishspeaking world. During his prestigious career, Ishiguro’s works have been translated into 28 languages, and he has won numerous awards and honors including the 1989 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel “The Remains of the Day.” Other works by Ishiguro include the novels “A Pale View of Hills, “An Artist of the Floating World,” “The Unconsoled,” “When We Were Orphans” and “Never Let Me Go, ” as well as the short story collection “Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall.” In 1993, “The Remains of the Day” was adapted into an award-winning feature film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. “Never Let Me Go” was adapted into a feature film in 2010. *Teresa Miller, executive director of The Oklahoma Center for Poets & Writers at OSU-Tulsa, will be inducted into the Library Hall of Fame preceding Ishiguro’s address.
Book Reviews Category
Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The President’s Hat By Antoine Laurain Gallic Books, $14.95, 208 pages Check this out! W h a t would you do if you picked up the hat of a president and realized wearing the hat could change your life? Antoine Laurain’s The President ’s Hat is a delightful read of a story about a man who did just that. The simple premise of the book opens up all sorts of possibilities for the Laurain. The finding and wearing the hat of Francois Mitterrand impacts Daniel Mercier’s life. Daniel planned to keep it as a souvenir, but when he wears it proudly, his life starts to change for the better. Without giving too much away, the hat doesn’t always stay with Daniel and he is desperate to find it. Along the way, the hat with FM initials makes its special presence known. The hat’s other adventures fit nicely together, as with a jigsaw puzzle. Laurain presents the story as if it were reportage, but with the confidence of an age-old storyteller. The novel was translated from French. It is set in France during the pre-cellphone era of the 1980s, which gives the tale a nice easy-going feel to it. The President’s Hat is a great vacation read. Reviewed by Elizabeth Humphrey This Is How You Die: Stories of the Inscrutable, Infallible, Inescapable Machine of Death By Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, David Malki (editors) Grand Central Publishing, $18.00, 512 pages Check this out! What if you knew how you would die? Not the exact circumstances, not when or where, but simply how. Would it change you? Would it cripple you? How would society as a whole evolve if everyone had access to this singularly crucial piece of information? These are just some of the questions raised by the stories featured in This is How You Die, the second collection centering
around The Machine of Death, which predicts how characters will expire, and the worlds created by this machine are as varied as the deaths themselves. Fantasy and sci-fi, romance and crime, tales with O’Henry-esque endings and moral conundrums ... numerous genres are represented here, each altered in curious ways by the presence of the Machine. Heck, even Sherlock Holmes has a go, with odd results. There is a spirit of cleverness and experimentation here that raises the collection above most others centered around a given gimmick. Whether it’s the minions of a supervillain bending probability in ridiculous ways in order to dispatch his enemies or the musical prodigy whose death is stolen by a greedy noble, this book thrives on the unexpected, even in a world where death is quite expected. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas The Alligator Man By James Sheehan Center Street, $23.00, 352 pages Check this out! W h e n the jacket of infamous mi l l iona ire Roy Johnson floats to the top of an alligatorinfested river, everyone assumes he was drunk and fell in. But after a few weeks go by, evidence turns up that proves Roy Johnson’s death was no accident. Out of the twenty thousand disgruntled employees Johnson left behind, single father Billy Fuller becomes the scapegoat of a trial
so huge it becomes the center of America’s attention. Meanwhile, Kevin Wiley receives a call telling him that his father, Tom, whom he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty-eight years, is on his deathbed. Tom is an old friend of Billy Fuller’s and fiercely believes in his innocence. Both father and son are high class attorneys, and if they can work through their differences, they have the ability to team up and save Billy’s life. Sheehan creates a realistic and amazingly detailed case that is intriguing from the very first page. The novel is fast moving and comprehensible even for those unfamiliar with legal jargon. Kevin and Tom are refreshingly down-to-earth and relatable, contrasting many of the characterizations of attorneys in today’s modern literature. While not necessarily a page-turner, The Alligator Man is an engrossing story that does the thriller genre justice. Reviewed by Bailey Tulloch Secretariat Reborn By Susan Klaus Oceanview Publishing, $26.95, 280 pages Check this out! This sensational novel has more twists and turns than a dump truck full of pretzels! It’s nearly impossible to put down, and when you finish it, you’ll want to go right back to the beginning to start all over again. It’s totally satisfying on every level: humdinger of a plot, fabulous (great and evil) characters, wonderful settings. Once upon a time, in 1973, a fabulous racehorse won the Triple Crown along with the hearts of horse-lovers everywhere. Somehow, a vial of his blood was secretly drawn and taken immediately to a lab in a faraway state, where it was frozen. Scientists there were just beginning to work on cloning. Some twenty-five years later, some of the blood was unfrozen and through the magic of science, a proven thoroughbred mare was used to incubate cells from the blood. The result was a totally astonishing horse. Because of the nature of all this, all the details had to remain top secret, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were needed to acquire the male colt that was born from this experiment. Fake papers were created to prove his provenance, although the sire’s name was greatly changed from the reality. It’s a bit difficult for a horse to stand at stud forty years later, so the champion’s name – Secretariat – was never mentioned in connection with this new colt. The man responsible for this action was a broken-down horse trainer in Florida,
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 5
whose entire life was wrapped up in his horses. His wife left him, but took his son with her. The son, Christopher Roberts, learns to love the water and sailing rather than being totally devoted to horses. When the older man learns he is dying, he calls for his son and begs a promise to get and race this mystery horse. Therein lies the tale. And what a tale it is. The horsey parts seem to be totally accurate, as do the sailing parts. Hats off to the author for having created two such entirely believable, yet dissimilar worlds. And then you add in the third: the mob with its talons into everything, including the racing. Of course, they also run dope, and this is where young Chris’s unusual knowledge of sailing and tides, etc., will serve to save not only his life, but also one of the mob who’s really trying to kill him. The mob puts up the money to buy the mystery colt, who does indeed look exactly like Secretariat. It’s been 40 years since that sparkling racing season, and not too many folks readily recall the original horse. Chris’s trainer, Allie, sees only the current horse, and his owner. She wears the same sort of blinders the horses do, but they don’t protect her from Chris’s charms. Unhappily, his prior girlfriend isn’t willing to turn him loose, and it’s hard to know who’s more dangerous—the mob or the psychopathic ex? In the end, however, Chris’s integrity wins out. There are just too many hurdles to be overcome in order to successfully race this new wonder horse. Mystery is put out to pasture where he can run as much as he wishes. This book is absolutely one of the best books – of any kind – that I’ve read this year. I’d give it 10 stars if I could! Not for the faint of heart perhaps, but extraordinary, nonetheless. Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz
Stranger, cont’d from page 2 Fjallbacka police force. Her presence shifts the dynamics among the officers and provides an opportunity to delve into their feelings. Patric must defend his intuition and work around the nearly-useless Police Chief Bertil Mellberg and the pompous town mayor Enling W. Larson, who has recruited a reality show to his town to promote tourism. A series of vignettes and quick shifts establish the characters and plot. The eerie switching among character groups - reality TV show cast and crew, townspeople and the mayor - keeps the reader alert. The main event is the suspicious death of a local shopkeeper. Her death leads to an ever-widening police hunt for a possible murderer. Ms. Lackberg is a master at building her tale via shocking and troubling events. To her credit, she does not over-use this technique. Rather, the frequent use of coffee, tea and cinnamon bun breaks by all the characters makes for a charming antidote to a very scary book. Reviewed by Ruta Arellano
Book Reviews Category
History & Current Events SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Vietnam: A View From the Frontlines By Andrew Wiest Osprey Publishing, $25.95, 312 pages Check this out! For every loved one who exchanged their son or husband or father for taps, a twenty-one gun salute, and a folded American flag, these firsthand accounts may not fill the void, but they will help give voice to the wordless heartache rooted in the Vietnam war. This book is not a political treatise on the pros and cons of warfare, nor does it chronicle the complexities of the war in Vietnam. Instead, military historian Andrew Wiest, author of The Boys of ’67: Charlie Company’s War in Vietnam, offers us insight into the men sent to fight America’s most unpopular war, and how the conflict changed them. Assembled from over sixty interviews with survivors and families of casualties, Wiest breaks these personal testimonies into sections. “This is a story of a minority within America’s largest-ever generation. A minority that did not want war, a minority that desperately wanted to live – but a minority destined for war.” Wiest begins with who these men were and what they were doing when they received their draft notices. Men like Fred Kenney, who fell in love with Barbara and married her, and had a child waiting at home when he was killed in action on 11 July 1967. Wiest follows these men through boot camp – Terry McBride, Larry Lukes, Steve Hopper, Don Ticka, Ron Vidovic, and a host of other civilians fashioned into soldiers of a combat unit. As Gary Franklin explains in his own voice, “There’s a big gate there at Tigerland and a sign over it that said, ‘Training ground for the infantry soldier of Vietnam.’ It was very true, and everybody told us ‘If
you’re in Tigerland, your next destination is going to be Vietnem.’” Wiest highlights the men who ended up on the cutting edge of close combat, and gives us their stories in “individual pieces of a vast an violent puzzle.” Whether flying choppers, like Frank Linster of the 188th Assault Helicopter Company, or tending to the battlefield wounded like Medic Elija Taylor, or charging up Durham Peak like Anthony Goodrich, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, their stories give us a glimpse at the bonds made while the bullets flew. Likewise, Wiest gives voice to the 58,178 names etched into the black granite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. His work points out that the majority of the battles in Vietnam “were fought between small and often isolated units at very close range… when death hovered so close by, quarter was rarely asked and rarely given.” The book recalls a number of significant battles, and then lets the men who saw the worst of it all tell us about the firefight in their own words. More often than not they include details surrounding an attack, a strategic blunder, the fall of a fellow soldier which has been obfuscated in official reports. Measuring the incalculable cost of human losses catches these old warriors off guard, and leaves them struggling to express the gnawing attitudes about what they endured and how they were received once they returned home amid the political turmoil. Frequently, these men were yanked straight from the combat zone after their tour of duty ended, and then plopped back into civilian society without any opportunity for decompression. In their sixties now, they talk about whether or not what they suffered was worth the fight. Despite having lost faith in their government, many of them feel as Anthony Goodrich does: “I would do it again in a millisecond if I could serve with the same men I did.” Included among the accounts of those who returned with missing limbs and other less visible injuries, Wiest brings out family members of those who returned in coffins. Outstanding among them are women like Barbara Jones, the widow of Jack Geoghegan of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, a lieu-
tenant in Charlie Company who was killed in action at la Drang Valley on 15 November 1965 while tending the wounds of fellow soldier Willie Godbolt. In 2005, this battle, and those who fought it, received unparalleled recognition from the movie We Were Soldiers, based on the book by Joseph Galloway and Hal Moore entitled, We Were Soldiers Once… And Young. Equally impressive are the recollections of Pauline Laurent, widow of Howard Querry, who was killed in action on May 10, 1968 on the Mekong Delta. After suffering from depression for decades, Pauline rose above it and wrote a book entitled Grief Denied: A Vietnam Widow’s Story. After decades of silence and inner torment, Vietnam veterans have reunited to share their individual stories to bank a wealth of experience. Here Wiest credits us with a substantial deposit of oral history. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics By Daniel James Brown Viking, $28.95, 432 pages Check this out! I’m always a bit dubious when a publisher compares a soonto-be released book to an established best seller. When Viking Press launched Daniel James Brown’s The Boys in the Boat, it heralded the publication as the next Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand’s masterpiece. But in this instance, my suspicions were unnecessary. In his gracefully written narrative, Brown tells the Depression-era story of Joe Rantz, an impoverished yet determined young man and his rowing teammates at the University of Washington, who became the world’s fastest oarsmen. The author skillfully depicts the meticulous process of mastering the “synchronicity” of rowing, no easy feat for these young, inexperienced lumberjacks, who, in 1936, who eventually made Olympic history at the Berlin games. But like all great books, the story’s core was not about attaining victory against insurmountable odds, but the perseverance of its central character. How does Joe, who was abandoned by his family and forced to survive on his own, participate in a sport that required interdependence to the fullest capacity? Allow Brown to show you in this unforgettable journey. Reviewed by Adam Henig
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 6
The Last Man in Russia: The Struggle to Save a Dying Nation By Oliver Bullough Basic Books, $26.99, 296 pages Check this out! For those of us able to recall the refreezing of the Cold War in the late 1970s, when the Olympic Games of Moscow were boycotted because of the Soviet standard human rights deprivations, a lone, seemingly insignificant televised interview marked the snuffing-out of hope for the Russian people. It was late June, 1980. A priest named Father Dmitry appeared on the screen donning his prison garb. He did not appear to have been abused, and yet he renounced everything he had stood for his entire life on the most popular program in the whole Soviet Union. That event in and of itself seems wholly insignificant decades after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. until you begin hashing out the exact turning point in a culture that marks its steady suicide. Bullough doesn’t merely recognize the shrinking population of the Russian people, with its death rate now substantially exceeding the birth rate, and the average longevity clipping years off the lives of men. The glaring facts of alcoholism in epidemic proportions, the rampant abortion rate, the degradation of citizens far and wide might normally make good reading for veteran insomniacs, a medicine better than any sleeping pill. What makes Bullought’s haunting tale carry you beyond the minutia is his search for the truth of what happened to Father Dmitry. “His fate parallels the fate of the whole nation. Through the twentieth century, the government in Moscow taught the Russians that hope and trust are dangerous, inimical, and treacherous. That is the root of the social breakdown that has caused the epidemic of alcoholism, the collapsing birth rate, the crime, and the misery.” Bullough lays the life of Dmitry Dudko side-by-side with the generation of the Bolsheviks, and all their hope for a better life after the Revolution. Even in the midst of Stalin’s paranoid purging that created the Gulag and destroyed the lives of millions, Father Dmitry’s message of hope and trust resonate across a barren countryside. Imprisoned for writing a critical poem, Father Dmitry seems undaunted, even extending his prison sentence by another decade for continuing to write poetry from the Gulag. Once out, thousands flock to hear him speak. His simple message – stop drinking, don’t abort your unborn children, trust each other – gets the KGB’s attention. They have spies even within the ranks of the Orthodox
Book Reviews Church, all the way to the top. Bullough travels across Russia and traverses Siberia, retracing Father Dmitry’s steps and gathering new insights of the people along the way. They drink on the train to the point of oblivion. They rise in the morning and drink for breakfast. They go to work with two liters of brandy in their bellies, and this is the norm. Men and women alike, with shocking consistency, drink to forget. “Russians get paid whether they turned up to work drunk or sober.” We find ourselves rooting for this lone voice of reason to regain control over lives enslaved to the hopelessness of alcohol. We wonder why the KGB would want to stymie this voice, but we are not surprised by the arrest of Father Dmitry in January of 1980. Too many people listen to him. Other priests are arrested as well. Their message echoes Father Dmitry’s: “Atheism has corrupted people. Drunkenness, debauchery, and the breakdown of the family have all appeared. There are many traitors betraying each other and our country. Atheism can’t hold this back. Faith is what’s needed.” For a brief period, the health of the country improves with the decline in alcohol sales. Birth rates rise. Longevity increases. Hope lies within reach. In roughly a decade, the Soviet State will be extinct and all the
History & Current Events political prisoners will be freed. But Father Dmitry recants. He betrays his friends. With his hope shattered, he shatters the hope of all who followed him. Bullough goes beyond merely researching the facts from a cold record of old letters and newspaper clippings. He follows Father Dmitry into degradation to glean the tragic lessons from it. “ He knew what a Russian prison was like in winter. But I did not. I could not appreciate the horrors he had lived through, nor the events that had shaped his mind. I needed to go back to the north, to see what it was like for him in the cold and dark.” Bullough takes us with him through these gripping pages, for a trip into the troubled soul of Russia. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn The Undivided Past: Humanity Beyond Our Differences By David Cannadine Knopf, $26.95, 352 pages Check this out! Throughout history, the presence of an “us” meant that there was also a “them”: an/ other, a wrong to our right, an evil to our good. The division between us and them has been made with several types of distinctions in human history; in this book, distinguished historian Dr. David Cannadine looks at six broad categories of those dis-
tinctions: religion, nation, class, gender, race, and civ ilization. Chapters on each of these categor ies, and their historical significance t h rou g hout human civilization, make up the bulk of this book. These overviews are an impressive achievement of historical synthesis, and it makes for an interesting and readable review of world history. In his conclusion, Cannadine asks, are these distinctions intrinsic identities or are they constructed? Which is most important? Cannadine argues that historians and their histories have been too intent on telling the story of discrete groups and their conflicts, rather than looking at how we transcend these categories and how our common humanness has shaped historical events. Fans of well-written history should enjoy this book. Reviewed by Laura Tarwater Scharp
Blood and Beauty, cont’d from page 4 historical fiction author Sarah Dunant. If you fell in love with her prose, complex characters, and luscious settings in In the Company of the Courtesan, Blood and Beauty will not disappoint. And if you haven’t read Sarah Dunant before, you should start. Dunant’s writing is easy to like for its richness, like an umami flavor in storytelling. And although her characters lived five hundred years ago, she breathes timeless and relatable motivations into them, making history feel fresh. She takes the myth and rumor swirling around this atypical papal family and uses other contexts to challenge what is popularly believed about the infamous Borgias. The result is historical fiction at its finest. Don’t miss this engrossing novel. Reviewed by Axie Barclay
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Book Reviews Category
Biography & Memoir SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Young Mr. Roosevelt: FDR’s Introduction to War, Politics and Life By Stanley Weintraub Da Capo Press, $25.99, 288 pages Check this out! Amid the untold volumes of work already chronicling the life and legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Weintraub carves out a niche of history when the young statesman worked as the assistant secretary of the Navy during the Wilson administration. Here we see FDR in his prime, long before polio took its toll. Weintraub captures the period of early
t went iet hcentury mores with all the steamy implications bearing down on the highly visible marriage to Eleanor once the indefensible letters from Lucy Mercer are
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discovered in FDR’s luggage. The strain of career, politics, and marriage play out with the looming secret constantly threatening to escape. By day, cabinet meetings determine the outcome of the Great War in Europe, while by night more private meetings with Eleanor determine whether there will be a political future for FDR. With the Lucy affair contained no better than a cat in a shoebox, FDR wages war in Europe despite the mercurial president and his pacifist Navy chief. Weintraub weaves in the names of men who appear again when FDR wages another war, this time as commander-in-chief. These fluid hints within the narrative leave us wanting more. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn The Girl Who Loved Camellias: The Life and Legend of Marie Duplessis By Julie Kavanagh Knopf, $27.95, 304 pages Check this out! Before the camellias, before becoming the muse who inspired literature and inflamed lovers, before she became the celebrated courtesan, before being portrayed on the stage by the likes of Sarah Burnhardt and Greta Garbo, before romance trumped reality, in short, before she was Marie Duplessis, the Lady of the Camellias began life as Alphonsine Plessis in the village of Nonant in lower Normandy. This is the real story.
Daughter of Marin Plessis and Marie Deshayes, Marie’s short but intense life is quite comparable to the fiction. She fled to Paris from her brutal father, where she intermingled with the demimonde, consorting with dukes and duchesses, charming everyone around her. By the time she died at the age of twenty-three of tuberculosis, her enduring fame was almost ensured, for nothing is more tragic than beauty cut off in its prime. Julie Kavanagh’s storytelling-like voice makes this biography read more like a novel. Of course, arguably, Marie’s story is the stuff of novels. The Girl Who Loved Camellias is a fabulous biography that encompasses Marie as well as both Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas, and a colorful array of 1840s Parisian aristocracy. The short-lived but longer-remembered muse continues to inspire. Reviewed by Axie Barclay
Read and download digital issues of your favorite magazines for free! • Choose from more than 125 magazines, including popular, children’s and Spanish selections. • Read online or download to your computer or mobile device. • Keep downloaded magazines forever! Visit TulsaLibrary.org/emagazines and use your library card 24/7 to read and download eMagazines. This free service is funded by the Tulsa Library Trust.
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 8
TulsaLibrary.org
918.549.READ
DECEMBER 2013
A FREE MONTHLY GUIDE TO YOUR COMMUNITY LIBRARY, ITS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
HOLIDAY STORE Your holiday shopping can benefit Tulsa City-County Library’s campaign to renovate the Central Library.
Buy library logo gifts.
Shop at Amazon and a portion of the proceeds will go to the library.
The Holiday Store is coming soon to the library’s website. Visit TulsaLibrary.org/HolidayStore for more details.
adult/teen events
broken arroW library/South broken arrow great discussions Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 12:30-2:30 p.m. • Discuss current issues with other people in the community.
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CollinSville library
a-book-a-Month discussion group Wednesday, Dec. 18 • 2-3 p.m. Read any fiction book about Christmas or Hanukkah, and then join us for this discussion. For adults.
All Thumbs Kitting group Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 18 • 1-3 p.m. All levels of knitting expertise are welcome. For adults.
broken arroW library Wii hang out Tuesday, Dec. 3 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Youth who may struggle with skills such as taking turns and playing with peers are invited to enjoy games in a relaxed environment. Teen buddies are provided. Registration is required. To register, call 918-549-7500 or email kmcdowe@ tulsalibrary.org. For ages 8-18. Craft: Fleece Creature Hats Wednesday, Dec. 4 • 6-7 p.m. For ages 10-18. health Care navigators @ your library Thursday, Dec. 5 • 1-3 p.m. Navigators will answer questions about the Affordable Care Act and assist you with registering for and purchasing health insurance through the Marketplace. For adults. To register, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ librarynavigator. Sponsored by the Oklahoma Primary Care Association. Read or Die All-Day Anime Saturday, Dec. 7 • 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Drop in and watch favorite anime films and new ones, too! For ages 12-18.
Patchworkers Tuesday, Dec. 10 • 7-8 p.m. Beginners and experienced quilters are invited to join us. Comedy of Errors Book group Wednesday, Dec. 11 • noon-1 p.m. Join us for a lively discussion. Read the selected book prior to the meeting. Call 918-549-7528 for book title. Anime Club for Teens Wednesday, Dec. 11 • 3-4:30 p.m. Discuss favorite anime books, movies, characters and plot twists. Utime@yourlibrary for Ages 10-18 Thursday, Dec. 12 • 2:30-4:30 p.m. Enjoy activities, gaming and crafts.
hardeSty regional library Minecraft gaming Wednesday, Dec. 4 • 6-8 p.m. Build your own world! For ages 12-18. Class size is limited. Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Start-Up Basics Thursday, Dec. 5 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. Join SCORE and 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. Meet kazuo ishiguro, Winner of the Tulsa Library Trust's 2013 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Saturday, Dec. 7 • 10:30 a.m. Location: Connor's Cove Kazuo Ishiguro, author of "The Remains of the Day," "Never Let Me Go" and other award-winning novels, will answer questions from the audience and sign books. For adults and teens. holiday Crafts for teens Monday, Dec. 9 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Pecan Room Class size is limited. Social Security for Baby Boomers Wednesday, Dec. 10 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join Chuck Maddin for this valuable workshop that will answer Baby Boomers questions about Social Security. Seating is limited. Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ SSA4Boomers. That Wicked Stepmother got dad's entire estate! Wednesday, Dec. 11 • noon-1 p.m. Location: Pecan Room • Attorney Rita Foster will discuss wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney and other estateplanning documents. Seating is limited. Call 918-398-6681 to reserve a seat. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust. Louder Than A Bomb: Saturday Series Saturday, Dec. 14 • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Rooted in the crafts of poetry, creative writing, spoken word and new journalism, this workshop will culminate in opportunities involving
publication and portfolio development. The workshop will focus on journalism from 10 a.m. to noon, and poetry and creative writing from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit http://teens.tulsalibrary.org or http:// ahct.org/programs/ltab/ for more information. For teens and adults. grant-Seeking basics for nonprofits Thursday, Dec. 19 • 10 a.m.-noon Learn about types of grant makers, the grant-seeking research process, and available funding tools and resources. For adults. Class size is limited.
helMeriCh library books People are talking about Wednesday, Dec. 18 • 12:15-1:15 p.m. Join us for a holiday party and discussion featuring "Fahrenheit 451" and "One for the Books." Light refreshments will be served. teen Zone Monday, Dec. 30 • 2-3:30 p.m. Hang out, do homework, play board games, make origami or just chat.
JenkS library Jtag and Pinterest for teens Tuesday, Dec. 3 • 4-5 p.m. Help plan library services for teens. Bring a craft to work on from your Pinterest board or make one that the library provides.
library CloSingS All Tulsa City-County Library locations will be closed on Dec. 23, 24 and 25 for Christmas. The regional libraries will be closed on Sundays, Dec. 15, 22, 29. All libraries will close at 6 p.m. Dec. 16-19, 26 and 30. All libraries will close at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31.
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Jenks Library Book Discussion Group Thursday, Dec. 19 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Participants should read the selected book prior to the program. Call 918549-7570 for book title. For adults.
kendall-whittier library Get Your Game On Monday, Dec. 2 • 3:30-5:30 p.m. Play Wii and Xbox games. For ages 10-18.
Martin Regional Library Teen Time Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 • 4-5 p.m. Join us for Wii and board games, plus other fun activities. Minecraft Night Thursday, Dec. 5 • 6-8 p.m. • Build your own world! For tweens and teens. Louder Than A Bomb: Saturday Series Saturday, Dec. 7 • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Rooted in the crafts of poetry, creative writing, spoken word and new journalism, this workshop will culminate in opportunities involving publication and portfolio development. The workshop will focus on journalism from 10 a.m. to noon, and poetry and creative writing from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit http://teens.tulsalibrary.org or http:// ahct.org/programs/ltab/ for more information. For teens and adults. Fairy Tracker Monday, Dec. 9 • 4-4:45 p.m. Follow your fellow Trackers to the land of fairies! Make fairy magic and craft a toadstool. For ages 10-15.
nathan hale LIBRARY Origami Workshop for Ages 10-18 Friday, Dec. 13 • 3:30-4:45 p.m. Sweet Treats: Navigating Holiday Desserts Friday, Dec. 27 • 3-4 p.m. Rather then feeling the guilt of eating holiday foods, learn how to navigate the holiday season while keeping your blood sugar under control. For all ages.
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ancestors and family love together for one purpose – unity. For all ages. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust and African-American Resource Center.
Martin Regional Library
SCHUSTERMAN-BENSON Library
MS Excel 1 Tuesday, Dec. 3 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. Create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic formatting.
Mystery Readers Roundtable Thursday, Dec. 5 • 2-3 p.m. Come for coffee while we discuss good mysteries. For adults.
skiatook Library Osage Language Class Mondays, Dec. 2, 9 • 6-7 p.m. • Join the Osage Nation Language Department for this class. For ages 16 and older.
Zarrow Regional Library Beginning Osage Language Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 • 6-7 p.m. Join the Osage Nation Language Program for this class. For all ages. The Lowdown on Downloadables Thursday, Dec. 5 • 6 p.m. Learn what eReader devices are compatible with the library's digital collection and how to access and explore our eBooks and audiobooks. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7683 to register.
computer classes Collinsville Library Facebook for Seniors Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 • 10 a.m.-noon For ages 55+. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7528 to register.
Hardesty Regional Library
CLASSES ARE limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rudisill Regional Library
MS Excel 1 Tuesday, Dec. 3 • 6-8 p.m. Create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic formatting.
Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Start-Up Basics Saturday, Dec. 21 • 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Join SCORE and learn the essentials of business start-ups, get action steps for your business and receive one-toone mentoring. SCORE is a nonprofit association of volunteer business experts. Registration is required. Go to www.tulsa.score.org to register.
Learn to Be a College Student Wednesday, Dec. 4 11 a.m.-noon • 4:30-5:30 p.m. Get help from TRiO Educational Opportunity Center specialists and coaches on financial-aid applications (please bring your 2012 income tax return), career assessments, college admissions, enrollment and academic support.
Celebrate Kwanzaa Thursday, Dec. 26 • 6-8:30 p.m. Bring your family and your talent for singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument or reciting a poem. Kwanzaa brings African dancing, honor of the
MS Excel 2 Tuesday, Dec. 10 • 6-8 p.m. Create and edit formulas, plus apply functions and advanced formatting to spreadsheets and workbooks.
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CLASSES ARE LIMITED TO 12 ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS.
MS Word 1 Saturday, Dec. 7 • 10 a.m.-noon Use toolbars and menus, set margins, apply spell check, and preview, save and print documents. Really Basic Computer Class Tuesday, Dec. 10 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. This class is designed for new computer users who have little or no previous experience using computers, Windows, a mouse or the Internet. MS Word 2 Saturday, Dec. 14 • 10 a.m.-noon Create and format tables, use bulleted and numbered lists, and apply and format columns in a document. Email 101 Tuesday, Dec. 17 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. Learn how to set up a free account and how to use it to send and receive email.
Rudisill Regional Library
For ADULTS. registration is Required. Class SIZES ARE limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register. Really Basic Computer Class Friday, Dec. 6 • 9:30-11 a.m. This class is designed for new computer users who have little or no previous experience using computers, Windows, a mouse or the Internet. Introduction to MS Word 2007 Friday, Dec. 13 • 9:30-11 a.m. Create various kinds of documents, use the toolbar, set margins, apply spell check, and preview, save and print documents. Internet @ the Library Friday, Dec. 20 • 9:30-11 a.m. Learn to navigate the World Wide Web and use the library's catalog system and online resources.
children’s events Broken Arrow Library My First Storytime Mondays, Dec. 2, 9 Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12 10:30 a.m. • For newborns to 2-yearolds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3 Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 10:30-10:50 a.m. • For ages 3-5.
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Wii Hang Out Tuesday, Dec. 3 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Youth who may struggle with skills such as taking turns and playing with peers are invited to enjoy games in a relaxed environment. Teen buddies are provided. Registration is required. To register, call 918-549-7500 or email kmcdowe@ tulsalibrary.org. For ages 8-18. Stay and Play Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 • 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 and their cargivers. Santa Storytime Tuesday, Dec. 10 • 10:30-11 a.m. Santa is coming to storytime! For ages 2-5 and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Dec. 11 • 4-5 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 7-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book. Sign-ups will start at 3:45 p.m. on the day of the event.
Broken Arrow Library/South Family Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10 • 10:30-10:50 p.m. Enjoy stories, rhymes, flannels, music and bubbles. For ages 3-5. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 10-10:20 a.m. • For newborns to 18-month-olds and their caregivers. Toddler Time Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 10:30-10:50 a.m. • Share a story. Sing a song. We hope you will come along! For 18- to 36-month-olds and their caregivers. Music and Movement Storytime Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12 • 10:30-10:50 a.m. Stretch! Jump! Sing! Read! Enjoy great books while we get our wiggles out. For ages 5 and younger. Sensory Storytime Friday, Dec. 6 • 11 a.m. This inclusive, interactive program of stories, songs and activities 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 at 918-549-7662. For ages 1-7 and their caregivers.
Brookside Library Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10:15-10:45 a.m. • For ages 2-5. An adult must accompany 2-year-olds. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 11-11:20 a.m. • For newborns to 24-month-olds and their caregivers.
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Collinsville Library Stories From the Rocking Chair Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11 a.m. • Enjoy stories, songs and crafts for ages 4 and younger. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Dec. 11 • 3-4 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book.
glenpool Library Ms. Tatiana's Family Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10:30-11 a.m. • Join us for songs, rhymes and books, and then stay after for toys and activities that foster early literacy. For ages 5 and younger.
Hardesty Regional Library Ms. Josie's Toddler Time Mondays, Dec. 2, 9 • 10-10:20 a.m. Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10 • 11-11:20 a.m. For ages 2-3 and their caregivers. Mr. Paul's Preschool Storytime Mondays, Dec. 2, 9 • 11-11:30 a.m. For ages 3-5. Marvelous Monday Stories Monday, Dec. 2 • 6:30-7 p.m. Join Ms. Karen for stories and other fun activities. For all ages. My First Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10 Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 10-10:20 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime With Ms. Kristie Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Holiday Storytime and Visit From Santa Monday, Dec. 9 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Location: Connor's Cove For all ages.
Herman and Kate Kaiser Library Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 18 10:30-11 a.m. • For ages 3-5. My First Storytime Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12, 19 10:30-11 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Special Holiday Storytime With Santa Wednesday, Dec. 11 10:30-11:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Sensory Storytime Saturday, Dec. 21 10:30 a.m.-noon • This inclusive, interactive program of stories, songs and activities focuses on learning with all five senses and is especially designed for children with a variety of learning styles or sensory integration
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challenges. Register online at http:// kids.tulsalibrary.org/sensorystorytime/ or by calling 918-549-7542. For ages 1-7 and their caregivers.
Jenks Library My First Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 10-10:15 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10:30-11 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Dec. 18 features Santa. Kid's Holiday Ornament Creations Tuesday, Dec. 10 • 4-5 p.m. • Join us for snacks and crafts for ages 4-13. PAWS for Reading Tuesday, Dec. 17 • 4-5 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7570 to register. Holiday Cards and Cartooning Wednesday, Dec. 18 • 4-5 p.m. Make holiday cards, plus practice cartooning and drawing. For ages 10-14.
Judy z. kishner Library Happy Holiday Terrific Tuesday: Up on the Roof Top Tuesday, Dec. 17 • 3-4 p.m. For ages 5-10.
kendall-whittier Library Bilingual Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 10-10:45 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Bilingual Storytime at the Health Department Thursday, Dec. 5 • 9-9:30 a.m. Location: Health Department, 315 S. Utica • For all ages.
Librarium Family Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 5 and younger. PAWS for Reading Saturday, Dec. 7 • 1-2 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book. Holiday Storytime: "Pete the Cat Saves Christmas" Saturday, Dec. 14 • 2-3 p.m. Hear how Pete the Cat helps Santa save Christmas, then make a Pete ornament and meet Santa. For ages 10 and younger.
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Nathan Hale Library
Stay and Play Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 10-10:45 a.m. • Enjoy stories and stay after for games, toys and activities. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers. Bilingual Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 • 6:30-7 p.m. Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12, 19 • 10-10:30 a.m. Enjoy stories and songs in English and Spanish. For ages 5 and younger. Travels With Irina: Russian Bilingual Storytime Saturdays, Dec. 7, 14 • 10:30-11 a.m. Discover Russian language and culture through stories and more! For all ages. Fun Fun Music! Monday, Dec. 9 • 10-11 a.m. Join the Konnichiwa group and sing, hop and jump to songs in Japanese and English. For ages 5 and younger. Fairy Tracker Monday, Dec. 9 • 4-4:45 p.m. Follow your fellow Trackers to the land of fairies! Make fairy magic and craft a toadstool. For ages 10-15. Travels With Irina: Spanish Bilingual Storytime Saturdays, Dec. 21, 28 • 10:30-11 a.m. For ages 5 and younger.
en español
Storytime With Miss Nha Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12, 19, 26 10:30-11 a.m. • Enjoy stories, finger plays, Mother Goose rhymes and dancing. For ages 5 and younger.
Owasso Library My First Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 9:30-9:45 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10-10:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Stay and Play Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10:30-11 a.m. • After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers. Homeschool Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 1:30-2:30 p.m. • Enjoy stories and make a craft. For ages 5-12.
TulsaLibrary.org/hrc 918.549.7597
clases de informática
Correo Electrónico I Viernes, 13 de diciembre • 10:15 BIBLIOTECA REGIONAL MARTIN a.m.-12 p.m. • Les enseñaremos Computadoras y Compras en Línea cómo crear una cuenta de correo Miércoles, 4 de deciembre • 6:30-8:30 p.m. electrónico y como usarla para enviar En esta clase aprenderás cómo utilizar y recibir correo. la computadora para hacer compras Correo Electrónico II para la época decembrina (regalos, Viernes, 20 de diciembre boletos de aviación, libros, ropa, 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. • Les enseñaremos zapatos, etc.). cómo usar el correo electrónico más Aula de práctica eficientemente, creando carpetas, Viernes, 6 de diciembre abriendo archivos, guardando fotos. 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. • Abrimos el salón de cómputo para los que quieran aprovechar el tiempo para practicar con programas infantiles el teclado y con el ratón o para practicar BIBLIOTECA REGIONAL MARTIN navegar el Internet, llenar formularios o aplicaciones. La maestra estará presente Cuentitos Bilingües Miércoles, 4, 11 de diciembre como personal de apoyo. 6:30-7 p.m. • Para niños de 0 a 5 años. Comunicación en Línea Hoy Jueves, 5, 12, 19 de diciembre Miércoles, 11 de deciembre • 6:30-8:30 p.m. 10-10:30 a.m. • Para niños de 0 a 5 años. Crea y utiliza una cuenta de correo Viajes con Irina: Cuentos electrónico para enviar y recibir Bilingües (Español) noticias de tu familia, amigos, y/o Sábado, 21, 28 de diciembre negocio. Crea tu propia página de 10:30-11 a.m. • Para niños de 0 a 5 años. Facebook a la vez ¡Aprende ahora y empieza a reencontrarte con tus seres queridos y el resto del mundo! Para todas las edades
Tulsa city-county library event guide
D ecember 2 0 1 3
c h i l d r e n ' s
rudiSill regional library Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10-10:30 a.m. • For ages 2-5. An adult must accompany 2-year-olds. Christmas Stories and Crafts Friday, Dec. 6 • 1:30-3:30 p.m. Enjoy stories while creating an ornament for your tree. For ages 5-12. Storytime With Santa Claus Wednesday, Dec. 11 • 10-10:30 a.m. For ages 2-5. An adult must accompany 2-year-olds.
SChuSterManbenSon library Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 10:30-11 a.m. • For ages 3-5.
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Stay and Play Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10, 17 • For ages 3-5 Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 • For ages 0-2 11-11:30 a.m. • After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills.
PaWS for reading Saturdays, Dec. 7, 14, 21, 28 • 3-4 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 3-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book.
My First Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10-10:20 a.m. • 10:30-10:50 a.m. • For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
have you heard? Thursday, Dec. 12 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Join us as we explore an incredible book through reading, discussion and a fun activity. For ages 5-12.
PaWS for reading Monday, Dec. 9 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book.
Skiatook library Preschool Storytime Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12, 19, 26 11 a.m.-noon • For newborns to 6-year-olds and their caregivers.
ZarroW regional library Stay and Play Storytime Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 10:30-11:30 a.m. • Enjoy stories and then stay after for games and activities that foster important early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger.
legos and Minecraft Saturday, Dec. 14 • 2-3 p.m. Have a block-filled blast playing Legos and the popular computer game Minecraft! For ages 5-12. PaWS for reading Saturday, Dec. 21 • 2-3 p.m. Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids ages 5-12 are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book.
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.
tulsa city-county library locations 25 bixby library 20 E. Breckenridge, 74008 • 918-549-7514 M, 10-8; T-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 10-5 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-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 2 Collinsville library 1223 Main, 74021 • 918-549-7528 M-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 24 glenpool library 730 E. 141st St., 74033 • 918-549-7535 M-Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 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-T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5 3 Judy Z. kishner library 10150 N. Cincinnati Ave. E., Sperry 74073 • 918-549-7577 M-T, 12-7; W, 10-5; Th, 12-7; Fri., 12-5; Sat., 10-5
Family Fun Night Tuesday, Dec. 10 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join us for fun stories and crafts. For ages 10 and younger and their families.
The Tulsa Book Review and Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide are printed on partially recycled paper.
11 kendall-Whittier library 21 S. Lewis, 74104 • 918-549-7584 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 10 Librarium 1110 S. Denver Ave., 74119 • 918-549-7349 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 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-F, 10-6; Sat., 10-5 14 nathan hale library 6038 E. 23rd St., 74114 • 918-549-7617 M, 10-8; T-Th, 10-6; Fri.-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-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 6 rudisill regional library and African-American Resource Center 1520 N. Hartford, 74106 • 918-549-7645 M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 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, 12-8; T-Th, 10-6; Fri.-Sat., 11-5 5 Suburban acres library 4606 N. Garrison, 74126 • 918-549-7655 M-Th, 10-6; Fri.-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
t u l s a l i b r a r y . o r g
The Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide is produced by the Public Relations Office of the Tulsa City-County Library. For questions or concerns, call 918-549-7389.
Book Reviews Category
Romance SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Why Dukes Say I Do By Manda Collins St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $7.99, 352 pages Check this out! A combination romance and mystery novel, I found this to be totally engrossing, witty and suspensef u l – a neat trick, overall! I’d not read anything by this author previously, but she’s moved to the top of my list. Lady Isabella Wharton, a young widow, has a sister, Perdita, who is wed to the Duke of Ormonde. Not only is the Duke a very disturbed gentleman, he’s also a rather violent one, who comes to a bad end, early in the book. The only one who really mourns him is his grandmother, the ‘older’ Dowager Duchess. The older Dowager is also Isabella’s godmother, who now exerts her influence to persuade the young woman to travel to Yorkshire to convince the recalcitrant new Duke to come to London and take up his title, etc. What she really wants is the new young Duke where he belongs – under her thumb. Trevor Carey, however, is very happy where he is, bringing up his two teen-aged sisters, and managing his own estate. To his surprise, he falls head over teakettle for Isabella, who is being blackmailed by a vicious someone. The mystery is an integral part of the story, but don’t jump to too many conclusions! Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz I Only Have Eyes for You (The Sullivans) By Bella Andre Harlequin MIRA, $7.99, 400 pages Check this out! Sweet Sophie Sullivan has had a crush on Jake McCann her entire life; too bad that he only sees her as the nice little sister of his best friend. Normally quiet and reserved, more at home with books than people, it takes the wedding of her brother Chase
for Sophie to decide to step out of her comfort zone and go after what she really wants… and what she really wants is Jake. After an incredible night leads to u n i nt e n d e d consequences, Jake is forced to step out of his comfort zone as well and to get real about his long-banked feelings for Sophie. Although the storyline can certainly be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel, readers will kick themselves in the pants if they don’t indulge in all seven books of the amazing and fun Sullivan family. Author Bella Andre pens beautifully crafted character-driven novels filled with strong but sensitive Alpha males and beautiful, loveable yet capable heroines. This latest installment is no different. Readers will enjoy watching both characters blossom into the people they were meant to be. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley
that he started believing his PR! That and too much alcohol. Her Aunt Bree pleaded with Jenny to write some music for her big Christmas play. It seemed a reasonable request for Jenny, little thinking that Caleb might follow here there. He hadn’t really planned it, but when she gave her latest new song to an up-and-coming singer, Caleb decided it should be his song, so away he went. The O’Briens are a huge rambunctious family, where everyone knows everyone else’s problems and are very generous with help in finding solutions. Caleb works his wiles, and Jenny is hard-pressed to fight him and the O’Brien clan all at the same time. In the end, though, it’s family that counts the most. You’ll love it! Be sure to put a copy in your own Christmas stocking! Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz His Clockwork Canary: The Glorious Victorious Darcys By Beth Ciotta Signet, $7.99, 352 pages Check this out! Steampunk is a new genre of fiction, a mashup of mostly romance, some paranormal, science fiction, techno-anything and way far out! If you can accommodate all that, you’ll probably love this book. If you like things pretty cut-and-dried, you probably won’t. That said, His Clockwork Canary is one heck of a trip! It opens in 1887, but connects to 1851 as well as current times.
Fortunately, the author has created a glossary of terms – right at the beginning of the book – to help those not so familiar with this b u r ge o n i n g new genre. S i m o n Darcy is a brilliant engineer, whose dream of an elevated tramway in 1887 London has just collapsed, leaving him financially devastated. His three-minutes-older twin, Jules, is a retired military veteran with serious war wounds, but still brainy enough to work for the government. Their father, Lord Ashcroft, has just apparently blown himself up in a rocket ship to the moon (this is 1887, remember) but still remembered fondly by the scientific community. Willie G is the female protagonist – a journalist who isn’t all she seems either. There are more than two sides to everyone and everything in this most unusual book! Fasten your seatbelts! Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz
Looking for even MORE book reviews?
A Seaside Christmas By Sherryl Woods Harlequin MIRA, $16.95, 400 pages Check this out! If you like a change of scenery for the winter holidays, I heartily recommend A Seaside Christmas. S he r r y l Woods never d isappoints with her family sagas. She’d planned for the previous O’Brien family book to be the final one, but – she left a loose-end hanging out there. Jenny Collins comes home to get past her spectacular break up with country singing star Caleb Green. Caleb’s problem was Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 9
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Book Reviews Category
Picture Books SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Senor Pancho Had a Rancho By Rene Colato Lainez, Elwood Smith (illustrator) Holiday House, $16.95, 32 pages Check this out! Author Rene Colato Lainez, a bilingual kindergarten teacher himself, has written several bilingual picture books. In Senor Pancho Had a Rancho, he translates a children’s favorite song, Old MacDonald Had A Farm, into Spanish. He then sings the English version and Spanish version side-by-side until the two songs merge into a hilarious collision of words and an uproarious ending. What results is a wonderful, fun way to learn English or Spanish! When the words collide, they sound something like this: “With a woof, woof here and a guau guau there. With a baa, baa here and a bee bee there.” Illustrator Elwood Smith simultaneously illustrates the English version of Old MacDonald’s Farm and across the page of the Spanish version of Senor Pancho’s Rancho. When the words start colliding he shows the Farm and Rancho animals joining together and singing and dancing as one. Action and animals clutter each page holding young readers’ attention. Author and illustrator have done a marvelous job of showing cultural integration to help children to develop positive self-images. A glossary of English-Spanish words is provided, as well as a pronunciation guide for Spanish sounds. Reviewed by Susan Roberts Rosie Revere, Engineer By Andrea Beaty, David Roberts (illustrator) Harry N. Abrams, $16.95, 32 pages Check this out! Rosie Revere is a girl with a dream. She wants to be a great engineer, but ever since her favorite uncle laughed at her invention, she’s kept her creations for her eyes only.
Then her oldest relative, greatg reat-aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes to visit and shares her unfulfilled dream—to fly. So Rosie decides to build a flying machine. Her first try is a glorious flop, but Rosie gains a little perspective and learns that trying is more important than instant success. I enjoyed the historical link of having Rosie the Riveter in the story, though I find it hard to believe that the real Rosie the Riveter could have gone so long wanting but unable to fly. Certainly airplanes have been around long enough that a cheese-copter would be unnecessary. I also had to wonder about Rosie’s insistence on cheese-powered creations. While all the illustrations are lively and colorful, my favorites show designs sketched onto the familiar engineering grid paper—it’s a taste of “real” engineering and history. I love the upbeat Seussian rhythm and rhyme. This is a fun story with a great message about learning from failure that applies to everyone—not just aspiring engineers. Reviewed by Randy-Lynne Wach Peck, Peck, Peck By Lucy Cousins Candlewick, $15.99, 32 pages Check this out! Fans of Lucy Cousins’ colorfully illustrated action books, especially the Maisey series, will delight in Peck, Peck, Peck. A young woodpecker is kindly prompted by its father to pursue his natural vocation, pecking a tree. After warm and enthusiastic
encouragement from daddy, the little woodpecker proceeds to practice on everything he finds, including a gate, a blue front door and nearly the entire contents of the house inside! Following the Lucy Cousins tradition, the book pages are ready for her little readers’ fingers. This time even the cover is part of the action. Holes created by the little woodpecker are strategically placed to follow the text. The book resembles Swiss cheese! Does this sort of playful encouragement engage the adult reader and her small listener? You bet. This reviewer’s granddaughter insisted on reading the book completely three times before we moved on to another story. Unlike the Maisey books, there’s no chance for torn action tabs which is a big plus. Reviewed by Ruta Arellano Little Cub By Olivier Dunrea Philomel, $16.99, 32 pages Check this out! Little Cub is all alone and he doesn’t like to be alone. He is often hungry and doesn’t know how to fish or how to get honey without being stung by bees. When he tries to sleep at night, he whimpers and snuffles in his sleep because he is afraid. Old Bear is all alone and he doesn’t like to be alone. When he catches a fish, it is often too big for him and he wishes he had someone to share it with. He has plenty of honey and oat cakes. He is seldom hungry, but he is lonely. Being alone makes him grumpy. One day while he is walking through the forest, he hears something in a pile of rocks. Inside the pile of rocks, he sees a little cub squirming in his sleep. Can this be a friend for Old Bear? Olivier Dunrea has written and illustrated scores of children’s books. This one is a kind of a prequel for his book Old Bear and His Cub, telling how they met. This is a sweet, comfortable story children will ask for again and again. The illustrations are lovely and the colors soft. This is simply a charming book. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? By Jane Yolen, Mark Teague The Blue Sky Press, $16.99, 40 pages Check this out! What do dinosaurs do when they’re mad? Yolen and Teague’s dinosaurs could do all kinds of ugly things. They could roar, slam the door, yell, boast, or brag. They could grouse, pout, kick, and throw things about. They could ignore their parents or give them dirty looks. But these good dinosaurs do none of those things. These dinosaurs take a deep breath, count to ten, and then clean up the messes they’ve made. These dinosaurs
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 10
apologize with a kind hug. Not only is How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? a wonder f u l ly entertaining book, it’s also a great introduction to a conversation about the ways to deal with anger and frustration. Yolen and Teague acknowledge the ways in which children want to express anger with highly entertaining illustrations of dinosaurs in the throes of a fit. They stick out their tongues; they stomp; they flail as toys fly around them. They do all the naughty things a frustrated child would like to do in such an exaggerated way that the reader can’t help but laugh. Then the authors follow it with suggestions on a better way to handle the situation. Everyone’s happier at the end of the book, even the pets. The book teaches a lesson without being didactic or condescending. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney Eat Up, Little Donkey By Rindert Kromhout, Annemarie Van Haeringen 21st Century, $14.95, 20 pages Check this out! It’s time for lunch, and Mama has made something wonderful for Little Donkey to eat! But Little Donkey refuses to take a single bite. Mama is pretty sure Little Donkey really is hungry, but how can she entice him to eat his special lunch? You’ll just have to keep reading to find out! Go out and pick up a copy of Eat Up, Little Donkey for your little one today! The short, simple text by Rindert Kromhout pairs perfectly with cute little illustrations by Annemarie van Haeringen, and the result is a quick read that your children will likely keep bringing back to you over and over again. (Thank goodness it’s such an easy story!) Parents will identify with Mama’s plight, trying to feed a hungry child who just keeps refusing to eat, while children are sure to enjoy Little Donkey’s antics. And the ending just might give you some ideas (if you haven’t tried that tactic already!). The story is straightforward, but that doesn’t stop it from being entertaining; this one is sure to evoke smiles all around. Reviewed by Holly Scudero
Book Reviews Category
Tween Reads SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Pi in the Sky By Wendy Mass Little, Brown YA, $17.00, 256 pages Check this out! Joss, the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, thinks he as no purpose in his immortal life. His father is the leader of The Powers That Be, his brothers make planets and create species, and what does Joss do? He delivers pies. Everyday of his life, anytime, anywhere, that’s all he does. At least that’s what he thinks. Joss lives in a magical land called The Realms. The Realms control all of the solar systems, life forms, and everything in the entire universe. If any other organism, say a human, were to spot The Realms through a telescope or some other “primitive device,” their entire planet would have to be destroyed. They don’t want to do something that would weaken their universe, but The Realms have to remain hidden from extraterrestrial species. But when Annika, a human, sees The Realms, The Powers That Be don’t have to the heart to destroy their favorite planet, Earth. Earth was one of the first planets they created. Instead, they pull it out of time. This means the humans will continue living, but in suspended animation. Technically Earth and the humans never existed, but in a way they do. The whole situation is mind boggling to Joss, who really doesn’t care about time since it doesn’t affect the Realms. He would forget and move on, but there’s a big problem. Annika somehow arrived in The Realms and Joss lost his best friend, Kal, who was visiting Earth when the incident happened. Joss and Annika have to work together to completely recreate Earth’s solar system and all the life forms there from animals to plants and bacteria! Joss and Annika will have to recreate all the particles, the atoms, make oceans, EVERY-
THING! One little atom placed in the wrong location, and the whole thing will blow up. It’s almost impossible, and there’s not much that’s impossible in The Realms. Plus, Joss has a C+ in Planet Building Class to make the whole thing harder. But it’s the only way to get Annika and Kal back to where they belong. And it also helps Joss realize he does something extremely important by delivering pies. Something no one else can do. Pi in the Sky is an excellent book. It’s a mixture of fantasy and space discoveries and a little magic. At times, the content about multiple universes and time traveling can be hard to wrap your head around. Also, to understand many parts of the book, you need previous knowledge about theories and space. This makes the book quite confusing, especially when the book explains what The Realms are, and readers will find themselves re-reading chapters multiple times to understand what is going on. But all this is made up for with the breath taking descriptions of our universe, the sky, and the setting of the story. The book will give readers a exciting rush of adrenaline and challenge minds to think of places they have never dreamed of! Pi In The Sky is like no other book and gives the ultimate reading experience that everyone should have a taste of. Wendy Mass did a terrific job of tying two completely different genres into one sweet story! Reviewed by Sarah Guller
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 11
Mr. Henry’s Books
T E AC HER WORKS H OP Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014 • 9 a.m. to noon Hardesty Regional Library • 8316 E. 93rd St.
REGISTER NOW AND RECEIVE • Continental breakfast • 35 copies of Newbery Award-winning Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, winner of the 2014 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature • Lesson plans on how to use the works of Jack Gantos for a variety of school subjects • One lucky participant will win a visit by Jack Gantos to his/her classroom on Aug. 22, 2014. Participants must be employed by a school district within Tulsa County. This workshop is recommended for fourth- through eighth-grade teachers. Registrations are limited and must be received by Feb. 15, 2014. Mr. Henry’s Books is a program of the Tulsa City-County Library, sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust, made possible by a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.
REGISTRATION FORM Registration Fee $10
(check or money order made payable to TulsaKids Magazine) Name
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Email Registration fees are nonrefundable, but teachers may send a substitute if unable to attend.
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TulsaKids Magazine • 1622 S. Denver Ave. • Tulsa, OK 74119-4233
Book Reviews Category
Cookbooks SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Sunny’s Kitchen: Easy Food for Real Life By Sunny Anderson Clarkson Potter, $22.5, 304 pages Check this out! Author Sunny Anderson is known to many through her Food Network presentations but Sunny’s Kitchen is her first book— and a very successful one. The book is a medium-sized trade paperback on heavy, glossy, reasonably spillresistant pages, with excellent layout and design. With a few exceptions, the recipes are carefully laid out on single or facing pages for the cook’s convenience. Recipe writing is superb: clear, unambiguous and broken down into logical steps. She uses ingredients you’ll likely be able to find in any supermarket. The headnotes are very good and interesting. Many recipes end with equally good cooking and kitchen tips. Beautiful photo illustrations pepper the text. This book is not written for the beginner home cook. The recipes are not hard to follow but neither are they simple. Anderson has chosen from her broad experience in tasting foods in many parts of the world and here she reproduces her favorites. Home cooks are likely to keep these recipes for weekend and holiday cooking. They are generally heavy and substantial, such as breakfast recipes like Rosemary T-Bone steak and Cheese Eggs. These are not for the diet conscious cooks. The variety of recipes is impressive and the index is very good. Reviewed by George Erdosh The Casserole Queens Make-a-Meal Cookbook: Mix and Match 100 Casseroles, Salads, Sides and Desserts By Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock Clarkson Potter, $17.99, 208 pages Check this out! Bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Ravioli lasagna. Chicken enchiladas. Mmmm. These classics, along with several new twists and innovative recipes, are featured here. Although the text is a little too bright and chatty for
my tastes, the recipes are delicious (skip the int ro duc t ion ; you are probably already a casserole devotee if you picked up the book). There is a section for classics, updated with a modern touch. The Reuben Sandwich casserole is a great innovation! Next are casseroles with an international flair, such as Moussaka, Chicken Paprikash, and Yvonne’s Unstuffed Poblano Casserole. Two other sections include recipes for various diets, such as gluten- free or vegetarian, and for simple casseroles made with seven ingredients or less. Rounding out the book are recipes for sides, salads, and desserts, with suggested menus. I prefer cookbooks with pictures to accompany the recipes, which this book lacks, but several recipes are featured in a set of full color pictures in the middle of the book, and they are mouthwatering. I also appreciated the tips and basic recipes for making stocks, cream soups, and sauces from scratch, for those times you want to put a little extra flavor into your meals. The authors know their readers want good, healthy, tasty food, fast. These are great recipes to help you feed your family well. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle By Kyra Bussanich Ten Speed Press, $18.99, 144 pages Check this out! As more and more people look for ways to eliminate gluten from their diets, there is a greater interest in good, well-tested recipes for gluten-f ree dishes. And for those with a sweet tooth,
this can be particularly difficult. But Kyra Never Let Me Go, cont’d from Cover Bussanich is the perfect person to come up describes her day-to-day life at Hailsham, with a cookbook of desserts, breads, and the school where she also lives with other pastries for the gluten-free bunch. Bussanstudents, under the watchful eye of “guardich is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu’s Patisians” who teach the usual school lessons, serie and Baking program and worked as a encourage their artistic impulses, sponsor pastry chef in a Portland, Oregon restaurant sports teams – and give them broad inbefore opening a gluten-free bakery. She structions about their future lives. In conwent on to win on the television show Cuptemplative and beautiful prose (Ishiguro is, cake Wars with gluten-free recipes she had after all, a literary master), Kathy recalls the developed. She begins the book with a usepetty disagreements as well as the strong ful introduction with a guide to ingredients bonds of her childhood friendships, which and adjustments and chef’s tips and secrets. are familiar and realistic. This is followed by sections on Muffins and Yet the sense of not-quite-right-ness acScones; Buckles, Cobblers, and Crisps; Quick cumulates, detail by detail (for example: Breads and Coffee Cakes; Cookies, Brownwhere are these students’ parents or even a ies, and Bar Treats; Puddings, Cakes and mention of parents at all?), until the frightOther Pastries; Award-Winning Cupcakes; ening truth is revealed – less to Kathy and and Tarts, Pies, and Puffs — fifty recipes her friends (who “knew but did not know”) in all. Every recipe begins with a short perthan to the reader. sonal story about the recipe, followed by a What Ishiguro accomplishes is a tricky complete ingredient list and easy-to-follow yet ultimately successful hybrid: part realdirections. Mouth-watering photos are libistic coming-of-age story, part science ficerally sprinkled throughout. This is a wintion novel, wholly brilliant. Indeed, it’s the ner! meshing of human feelings and relationReviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck ships with the thematic questions of dystopic science fiction that brings the “What makes us human?” question into relief. Like life, the answer does not match what happens (or should happen), but it does make you think, feel and marvel at the ability of Ishiguro at creating art … ensuring that, at least while we are reading, we are human. Reviewed by Laura Raphael
Traveling the Mother Road this Winter?
Download the Guide to Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives for diners on this route and many others.
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 12
Book Reviews Category
Home, Garden & DIY SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Surreal Photography: Creating the Impossible By Daniela Bowker Focal Press, $34.95, 192 pages Check this out! Daniela Bowker’s step-by-step guide for creating surrealistic imagery via the photographic medium comes in a 9.9” x 9.2” format and covers everything from concept to digital editing procedures. It is divided into six main chapters, which are split into smaller sections that explain camera varieties, apps, filters, lenses, multiple exposures, infrared, layers, masks, blending, lighting effects,
and more. The surreal gallery features techniques and colorful images by some of the leading artists in the field. A glossary, an index, a resource list, and contributor biographies are all included in the back. This specialized new release by Focal Press makes evident the sophistication of today’s high-quality digital image manipulation, whether you’re using a cell phone or an advanced photo-editing computer program. Considering the large format, however, it’s a shame that many of the reproduced computer screen settings are too small and dark to be easily viewed. What compensates are the stunning full color photo illustrations and diagrams, which are as inspiring as they are thought-provoking. You may never become a pro with this manual, but it promises many creative hours and a pleasurable way in which to express your unique vision, limited only by your own imagination. Reviewed by Richard Mandrachio
Whitacre points out that without clearly defined objectives, without responsible managers who are held accountable, even the strongest companies will erode: “Management has a duty to look out for the longterm health of the business it oversees.” Whitacre assures us that the American worker will turn a loser into a winner if management creates the right environment; it’s people, not products, that make all the difference. Reviewed by C.D. Quyn Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is About Help Not Hype By Jay Baer Portfolio Hardcover, $24.95, 240 pages Check this out! Nobody likes pushy marketing. We reject telemarketer’s calls, use DVR and satellite radio to avoid ads, block spam emails, and ‘unlike’ companies that fill Facebook with endless self-promotion. What’s a company supposed to do to get and keep
customer attention? ‘Youtility’ is becoming useful enough to earn consumer trust and loyalty. Youtility is marketing based on the wants and needs of the customer, not the company. It’s not exactly a new idea — in Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle did this when he sent parents to other stores that carry the same products for less, earning trust and loyalty for Macy’s. Today’s customers expect that sort of useful service, and we’re still willing to give our loyalty to companies that provide it. The book is split into three sections: first, a brief history of marketing techniques and explanation of why the old ways will no longer work with today’s customers; second, an explanation of the main principles behind achieving Youtility, along with dozens of examples of companies that made themselves useful to their customers; and finally, six steps to creating Youtility in your own company. Reviewed by Randy-Lynne Wach
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American Turnaround: Reinventing AT&T and GM and the Way We Do Business in the USA By Ed Whitacre, Leslie Cauley (contributor) Business Plus, $28.99, 304 pages Check this out! Before the Obama Administration appointed Ed Whitacre to look after the interests of the American taxpayer when the government bailed out GM, most people outside of Texas didn’t know much about him. True, in the investment world he won an impressive reputation for taking the smallest of Ma Bell’s children, and growing it into a new and improved AT&T. The general consensus on the street rumored that GM was a lost cause, and nobody thought a layman
to the auto industry could raise the behemoth from the ashes of bankruptcy. This book does more than explain how GM turned around. Embedded within the wit and wisdom of Ed Whitacre lies the key to how to improve productivity and profitability for most of the ailing companies in the country.
Wednesday, Dec. 11 7 p.m. Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma 1304 N. Kenosha Ave. Co-presented by TulsaPeople Magazine. For more information, visit booksmarttulsa.com or call 918-697-9042.
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 13
Book Reviews Category
Science Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Earth Afire (First Formic War) By Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston Tor Books, $25.99, 400 pages Check this out! On the cusp of the release of the Ender’s Game film adaptation comes the second book in a prequel series set 100 years before the events of that book. The alien ant-like Formics have arrived in the solar system, bringing the first real proof that humanity is not alone in the universe—but also bringing with them lethally advanced technology and an alien mindset that appears hostile to humanity. As a brave miner does his best to convince Earth of an imminent attack, the Formics come closer and closer until war finally reaches the planet, with China as the first major battleground of the interstellar war. Fans of Orson Scott Card’s previous work in the Ender world will find much to be pleased with here: precocious youngsters, exciting military engagements, obstinate organizations, and colorful characters of all nationalities. Readers familiar with the Ender saga will still find suspense in learning about the events leading up to that series, while newcomers will find a thrilling story about alien wars and child geniuses that is just beginning to unfold. The novel contains thrilling cinematic passages, making it easy to see how the original novel is now a feature film. Reviewed by Hugo Torres Three By Jay Posey Angry Robot, $7.99, 464 pages Check this out! Three by Jay Posey is one of the best post-apocalypse novels I’ve read for quite a few years. It even somewhat reinvents the increasingly tired zombie trope so, on every level, this is a science fiction book to treasure. That said, there’s one small problem. My own taste runs to books which encourage readers to engage their brains to work
out what’s going on. Hence, there are no i n fo du mp s . No character carefully sits down with another to remind each other what went wrong to cause the catastrophe. It’s all there waiting for the reader to discover and infer as the plot unfolds. This is a wonderful piece of world building: a future world which developed some really pleasing technology and then crashed. Most of the people died and only small parts of the technology still work. Our hero, Three, assumes responsibility for a mother and her son. They are being chased across this desolate urban landscape. Three doesn’t know who they are nor why they pursue this couple. All he knows is that he wants to protect them. What happens is both exciting and moving as Three works his way to redemption. This is a must-read for anyone who likes thoughtful science fiction. Reviewed by David Marshall New Earth By Ben Bova Tor Books, $24.99, 384 pages Check this out! Bestselling science fiction author Ben Bova returns after setting the stage with Farside. The new Earth-like planet has been discovered and studied, and now, some years later, the first exploratory expedition is on its way to the distant planet, “New Earth.” The trip takes eighty years each way, and the crew sleeps in cryonic suspension, never aging. As everyone is brought out of their long sleep, everything seems to be functioning normally. Before
they know it, a weird light is seen on the planet, and the following day the most of the crew goes down to explore and discover. It is soon discovered that “New Earth” is inhabited by a considerable population of very human-like beings. In fact, the similarities are bizarre and at times astounding. Apart from the fact they are able to speak English, they have names from Earth’s mythology and history and appear to know a lot about the planet the crew calls home. Clearly there is a big mystery here that needs to be solved; the question is whether these alien beings are friends or enemies. Reviewed by Alex Telander Heaven’s Fall (Heaven’s Shadow) By David S. Goyer, Michael Cassutt Ace Hardcover, $25.95, 432 pages Check this out! When a Near Earth Object nicknamed Keanu approached Earth in 2019, competing missions were launched by India and the United States to land astronauts on the rock. Humanity expected to find a barren asteroid--what they actually found ended up changing the course of human history. Keanu turned out to be an inhabited spaceship, with various alien species and technology so advanced it seemed capable of bringing the dead back to life. But Keanu also brought a malignant alien race named the Reivers, that escaped from the NEO and made it to Earth. Twenty years after first contact, the
humans on Keanu launch a mission to stop the Reivers and save Earth before it’s too late. Written by two acc omp l i s he d s c re e nw r iters, this novel brings to a close the epic storyline begun in Heaven’s Shadow. Set in the near future, we find a society much like our own in appearance but transformed by alien contact. The exciting space exploration of the first two novels gives way to an earth-centric finale, losing some of the wonder present in the earlier books. The plot also loses momentum towards the end, as the characters overcome seemingly insurmountable odds through awfully convenient developments. But as the closing chapter to a generation-spanning trilogy, the book still manages to deliver a satisfying conclusion to readers who have been along for the ride from the beginning. Reviewed by Hugo Torres
A Kwanzaa Community Celebration THURSDAY, DEC. 26 • 6-8:30 P.M. RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY 1520 N. Hartford • 918.549.7645 • For all ages
Join us as we celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa by observing the first principle – Umoja (Unity). Bring your family and your talent for singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument or reciting a poem. Chief Amusan and African dancers will be here to help us celebrate.
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 14
Book Reviews Category
Popular Culture SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Disaster Artist By Greg Sestero Simon & Schuster, $25.99, 288 pages Check this out! For those readers who are uninitiated into the cult movie phenomenon that is The Room, allow me to present a brief synopsis. The Room is a 2003 film that defies all classic notions of what makes a good movie, and instead presents a narrative so flawed and utterly nonsensical as to make it both mesmerizing and painful to watch at the same time. But for its followers, that’s the fun of the movie. Nothing like it had ever been
made before, nor will it probably ever be made again, and it’s all thanks to the grand delusion of one man: Tommy Wiseau. Wiseau was the star, director, producer, and financial
backer of the movie, and was so very convinced of his brilliance as to eschew any well-meant advice from...well, everyone he encountered. This book, however, is not written from the point-of-view of Wiseau himself (and for that we can all be grateful, for such a narrative would be mind-bendingly difficult to read) but from the perspective of his co-star and real life best friend, Greg Sestero (and co-written by award-winning author Tom Bissell). Part memoir, part character study, The Disaster Artist is both funny and full of moments that will make you say, “What planet did Tommy Wiseau originate from?” Sestero also isn’t afraid to occasionally include himself in the ridicule or make himself sound bad. In fact, he doesn’t shy away from divulging any of his keen observations, both funny and sad. That’s part of what makes this book so readable and entertaining. It also details Sestero and Wiseau’s unlikely friendship. By the end, I found myself wondering if Sestero was not also a little bit crazy to have been able to deal with Wiseau’s nutty behavior for all of those years, and in this case, one wonders if Sestero and Wiseau will remain friendly after the book is published. While I think this book is much more fun if you have actually seen The Room, I believe that even those who haven’t seen the film can appreciate this behind-the-
scenes glimpse into the life of one of the most odd individuals to ever make a movie. Personally, having been a fan of The Room for quite some time (I’ve even met Sestero and Wiseau themselves at a screening a few years ago), The Disaster Artist was an absolute treat to read. It’s everything I hoped it would be: funny, informative, and it finally explains some of the many mysteries surrounding The Room’s most confusing scenes. For example, if you want to finally discover why the hospital is specifically on Guerrero street, or the reasoning behind the scene where Johnny goes, “Oh, hi doggie,” this is your book. Sestero also divulges the reasons behind the strange casting choices, and you find out all about how he landed the part of Mark. Without giving too much away, he was not originally supposed to be in the movie at all. Over all, The Disaster Artist is an essential read for fans of The Room. Reviewed by Christie Spurlock
Free Streaming Movies & TV Shows Visit TulsaLibrary.org/movies and use your Tulsa City-County Library card to stream up to three free movies or TV episodes a week. • Choose from thousands of movies and TV shows. • Stream in your Web browser or from an app on your mobile device. • Movies and TV shows are added monthly.
Tulsa Book Review • December 2013 • 15
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