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My Picks of the Month With the focus on last month’s hearings on Judge Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court and news of yet another scandal in Washington, DC, involving politicians being paid for their vote, the book to read is The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate by Lewis L. Gould ($27.50, Basic Books, an imprint of the Perseus Books Group). Anyone who loves politics or wants to gain some insight to what is occurring now in the Senate will find this look back at the Senate from 1900 to the present of great value. What emerges from Gould’s excellent examination of the Senate are some profoundly unpleasant observations. For one thing, an on-going theme is that of alcoholism among many members of that august body. From a policy point of view, it was the Senate that maintained and prolonged the segregation of African- Americans for a hundred years until it could no longer stand against the tide of public opinion in the 1960s. Similarly, the Senate failed to grasp any sensible answers to the economic problems of The Great Depression, allowing it to continue until WWII led to an economic recovery. The Senate, too, was highly isolationist, both prior to World War I and II. In the case of the latter, it ignored the threat of Nazi totalitarianism and the Japanese intention to control Asia until it no longer could. It fought efforts to support our allies before Pearl Harbor woke the entire nation. In short, the Senate of yesteryear is very much like our current "upper house" of Congress, too often blind to the threats of our time and partisan to the core.
There was a brief era in the mid-part of the last century when unions became major political powers whose favor was sought or feared. Robert Fitch has written the first comprehensive history of the American labor movement over the past century, along with the corruption and scandal that have degraded its original ideals and objectives. Solidarity for Sale: How Corruption Destroyed the Labor Movement and Undermined America’s Promise ($28.50, Public Affairs) is as timely as the recent New York City transit strike and as informative as any book of history can be when it focuses on how a dynamic movement, i.e., union members, is betrayed by its leadership. Not surprisingly, it was the American Mafia that saw the huge potential of the unions for the money that could be used to further their criminal enterprises. A powerful indictment of America’s unions, this is a compelling, highly readable, even entertaining book filled with larger than life characters, all of them real. Today, the criminal history and a lack of support even among union members have earned these organizations a well-earned, widespread distrust. Holy Land, Whose Land? Modern Dilemma, Ancient Roots by Dorothy Drummond ($22.95, Fairhurst Press, Terre Haute, IN) is one of those books that is easy to overlook in the flood that issues forth from publishers large and small every month. Originally published in 2002 and revised in 2004, events have moved so swiftly in Israel and among the Palestinians that the current edition does not reflect the deaths of Yassir Arafat or the recent stroke of Ariel Sharon. Still, the value of the book is not just to be found in today’s headlines so much as its careful review of the history of Israel dating back to its biblical founding, along with the long history of those nations adjacent to it or the three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, that lay claim to it. Its solid research and the author’s serious effort to present the facts without taking sides makes this a valuable guide to the past and the present of that tiny patch of land called the Holy Land, home to Jerusalem, and since 1948, the sovereign nation of Israel. When you are through reading this book, you will have a thorough understanding of the conflicting issues. A book that leaped onto the bestseller lists in late 2005 was Think: Why Crucial Decisions Can’t Be Make in the Blink of an Eye ($24.95, Threshold Editions) by Michael R. LeGault. It is a much-needed book in an era of instant gratification and an important rebuttal to another bestseller from last year called "Blink." LaGault refutes the notion that good decisions can be made without careful analysis, the thesis of "Blink." Instead, the reader is confronted with and reminded that indulging our desire to avoid critical thought and decision-making has led to incompetence and failure, often on a national scale. A case in point was the response to Hurricane Katrina that was preceded by a failure to build New Orleans’ levees high enough and strong enough, and then by the failure of FEMA and other governmental agencies to be able to help the victims of the hurricane. And, yes, some of the victims simply failed to heed the warnings. LaGault reviews how this nation is failing to teach critical thought, focusing in part on our entire educational system that now prefers to rely on drugging students, leveling standards downward, and force-feeding "self-esteem" slogans. He predicts the gradual decline of the American civilization if we continue to rely on sound bites and an indifference to serious challenges to our national security.
People who want to write and publish their own book frequently ask me for advice. Happily, I can now direct them to The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book by Patricia L. Fry ($19.95, Matilija Press, PMB 123, 323 E. Matilija St., Suite 110, Ojai, CA 93023). This book walks both the novice and experienced author through the writing, publishing, and book promotion phases, from start to finish. Whether you are seeking a publisher for your book or have decided to self-publish, this guide will tell you everything from how to write query letters and book proposals, to the best ways of getting your book into bookstores. You will learn how to get your book reviewed and to develop a promotional plan for it. All the nitty-gritty of writing, editing, and publishing has been brought together by this author and the cost of her book may be your very best investment. Check it out at www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Women’s Self-Help, Diet, and other Topics One of the busiest sections you will find in any bookstore is the one devoted to self-help books of every description. Bookviews receives lots of them and many seem to repackage information that has been around a long time on how to conduct one’s life, but others seem more useful. As I was going through the stack of new books, it struck me that virtually all were devoted to the needs of women. It’s not like men don’t need such books, but apparently they may be less inclined to read them! Eating, Drinking, Overthinking by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema ($24.00, Henry Holt) is subtitled, "The toxic triangle of food, alcohol, and depression. And how women can break free." Did you know that 45 percent of women report they are chronically on a diet or that 32 percent of college-age women say they binge-eat at least twice a month? The author says that one in five women abuse alcohol and that one in four will suffer a severe depressive episode at least once in her lifetime. That’s the bad news. The good news is that this book offers some excellent opportunities to examine one’s life and fix the broken parts. The author is a professor of psychology at Yale University who has been conducting research on women’s mental health for twenty years. Dr. David Edelberg, MD, along with Heidi Hough, have written The Triple Whammy Cure, a three-week program that promises to help women feel good again ($25.00, Free Press). Dr. Edelberg is a cited as a pioneer in treating chronic illnesses with thirty years of clinical experience, so when he says you can increase your serotonin levels without taking antidepressants by undertaking a regimen of natural supplements and changing your eating habits, this book may indeed hold forth a real cure for many problems women encounter.
The Audio Book Shelf. There are three audio books from Harper Audio that may prove helpful. Super Foods Health Style: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health by Dr. Steven G. Pratt, MD, and Kathy Matthews ($29.95, 5 CDs), read by Eric Conger. The author tells of seeing the positive results that occurred when his patients changed their diets to include some 14 nutrient-dense foods. Since this is a self-help section, I need to include news of Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s new audio book, Bad Childhood, Good Life ($22.95, 3 CDs). I have known many people who overcame some seriously dysfunctional families and this book is filled with the histories of people whose adult lives were in jeopardy as they repeated early negative experiences. Although I am not a big fan of Dr. Laura, the famed radio personality, she explains how to deal with one’s past and move on. The last of the three is He Comes Next written and read by Ian Kerner ($29.95, 5 CDs) a primer on how a woman can have good sex with a man. He is a sex therapist and he addresses the most frequently asked questions in a very frank fashion. Talking about men, Donna Hanover has written My Boyfriend’s Back: 50 True Stories of Reconnecting with a Long-Lost Love ($15.00, Plume softcover) that relates how she and her former high school sweetheart reconnected after thirty year’s absence and married. Intrigued by her own experience, she discovered that others had also done the same thing, including Carol Channing, Suzanne Pleshette, and Tom Poston. This is a testimony to romance and the ability to begin again. Suzanne Braun Levine has written Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood ($15.00, Plume softcover). Women have always outlived men, but now they have opportunities to reinvent and rediscover themselves in all kinds of ways when they pass age fifty. This book creates a new paradigm in the life cycle. It’s a very encouraging book. Singer Tanya Tucker has dealt with depression in her life and has written 100 Ways to Beat the Blues ($12.00, Fireside Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, softcover). She asked many of her friends, celebrities and others, what they did to overcome the blues and it’s likely some of the advice offered will work for someone. This is not a medical book, but one about how people, whether famous or not, found ways to overcome those low periods in the day or in their lives. Ice cream always seems to work for me! Planning a wedding? For you there’s Jo Gartin’s Weddings: An Inspiring guide for the Stylish Bride (29.95, Rodale) acclaimed as the best wedding coordinator by Vogue Magazine. Almost every page of this guide is filled with color photos that are sure to inspire the style-conscious woman with ideas for her wedding. Kid Stuff: Books for Younger Readers For the very young, pre-school child to whom one would read a book, there’s I Love Me. Written and illustrated by Dafna Rahminov ($17.95, www.iamloveproduction.com), it reflects the author’s passion to teach children "to love themselves and know that they are loved." I cannot help but think that several hugs and kisses a day will convey this message. Does a child need a book that tells them that any kind of behavior in which they engage is okay because mom or dad loves them just the same? My Mother used to say that "children are guests in the adult world" and, like all guests, need to understand there are rules we all must learn. Check this book out on the author’s website and then make up your own mind. American Girl, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., that describes itself as the world’s leading toy company. Its publishing unit was established in 1986 with a view to "celebrating the potential of girls ages 3 to 12." It should come as no surprise that its latest book, Jess ($6.95) also has a doll with "several outfits and accessories." The story by Mary Casanova has Jess exploring ancient Maya ruins, kayaking down a river in the Belizean jungle, and participating in an archeological dig with her parents. Aimed at girls age 8 and up. Jess replaces last year’s "girl of the year" named Marisol. As a marketing program, I suspect this is quite successful. The story is well written, but I can’t help thinking that using a book specifically to sell a line of dolls is just a tad exploitative. That said; the marketing of all things Harry Potter and other similar ventures is just part of the way literature feeds the cultural marketplace. Bottom line? Girls will like this story.
I am a great fan of the books published by National Geographic for younger readers who have progressed to sixth grade, middle and even high school age. The fact is, even an adult reader will enjoy Freeze Frame: A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics, written by Sue Macy with a forward by famed skater, Peggy Fleming ($18.95). Its excellent text takes one from the 1924 Olympics to present times, enhanced by some great photography. For everyone, ten years old and up, who loves winter sports this book will prove a delight and an inspiration. How Dinosaurs Took Flight by Christopher Sloan ($17.95) will prove mesmerizing for any young readers who finds these creatures as fascinating as I do. Its illustrations alone are fabulous, but the science knowledge it imparts is a gripping story of how, as many paleontologists have come to believe, dinosaurs survived by evolving as today’s birds. It was only in 1996 that the first dinosaur was discovered with fluffy primitive features and, since then, others have been found. Not all dinosaurs developed in this fashion, but its fun to look around at modern birds and think that somewhere, millions of years in the past, they were once dinosaurs. The stories continue to flow out of publishing houses large and small. Increasingly, too, many are self-published, by-passing the many problems authors often encounter with the more formal process. Ironically, many of the self-published books rival the quality of those from houses with major pedigrees. In my experience, many editors at these houses have no more idea of what will sell than either you or I. That said; let’s look at a number of hardcover novels from mainstream publishers. In no particular order, there’s The Constant Princess ($24.95, Touchstone Books, a division of Simon & Schuster) by Philippa Gregory. If the author’s name is familiar it’s because she has sold more than 2.1 million copies of her previous sixteen novels and is justly famed for bringing history to life. This novel answers the question, why would Katherine of Aragon, a woman of unimpeachable spirituality, tell an enormous lie and cling to it until she changed the course of history? After the death of her first husband, Henry VII, dies barely five months after their marriage she spends seven long years until his brother, Henry VIII, asks her to be his queen. In response to his inquiry, she insists she is still a virgin and that the first marriage was not consummated. Gregory has taken the facts of her life and woven them into an interesting novel. History also serves The Thrall’s Tale by Judith Lindbergh ($25.95, Viking, a division of Penguin Putnam). It is the story of Katla, a slave, otherwise known as a thrall, born in captivity to an Irish Christian captured in a Viking raid. As a teenager she sets sail from Ireland with her master’s household, heading toward a new homestead in Greenland. There she bears a daughter after an assault by her master’s jealous son. She rejects the infant, Bibrau, who is adopted by Thorbjorg the Seeress, a healer and prophetess of the pagan god Odin. Bibrau learns Norse magic and seeks to take revenge on the Greenland community. When Leif Eriksson brings Christian settlers there, a conflict between the old gods and the new one ensues.
Among softcover novels, Kensington Publishing Corporation publishes a line of "chick-lit" and romance novels that are unfailingly entertaining (or so my designated reviewers tell me). Three recent titles include Kasey Michaels’ High Heels and Homicide ($14.00), I Shaved My Legs for This? ($12.95), and Jennifer Coburn’s Tales from the Crib ($12.95). In Michael’s latest mystery, her author-turned-sleuth, Maggie Kelly, arrives at a 17th century manor house in England for the movie shoot of one of her novels and all goes well until the scriptwriter turns up dead. The cast of suspects is vast and includes Maggie who was seen arguing with the victim before the murder. When a storm knocks out the power, a second body is found. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery will enjoy this one. In the second book, four hilarious tales about the trauma of blind dates are told by different authors and every kind of mayhem ensues as the main characters grapple with a variety of situations that may be all too familiar to the reader. Coburn’s novel is as funny as her previous outings, even though it deals with a very touchy situation. Ten minutes before Lucy Klein is about to tell her husband she’s pregnant, he announces he wants a divorce. When told he is to be a father, he suggests they stay married for the sake of the child; "co-parenting" is his term. Lucy agrees for a variety of reasons, none of them good. Recreating herself as a new mom in New Jersey, Lucy’s life will have you laughing from first page to last. Another very funny "chick lit" novel is Becoming Latina in 10 Easy Steps by Lara Rios ($14.00, Berkley trade softcover) and I guarantee the reader a rollicking good time as the main character, Marcela Alvarez realizes she is actually the love child of an affair her mother had with a man who was not a Latino. This, she surmises, is why her family thinks she is not Latina enough by their standards. To disprove this she sets off on a complex plan that includes dating Mexican men, joining the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, learning to cook Mexican food, and several other options, all of which prove a lot harder than she thinks! In her debut novel, Rios serves up lots of laughter and insight into the world of Latinas. Wanderlust: 14 Erotic Travel Tales examines the world of African American erotica ($14.00, A Plume original). Edited by Carol Taylor, this collection is a seriously hip, seriously hot anthology of stories set in foreign locations. These edgy, atmospheric, and sexually charged stories explore the desires that are awakened when one is away from the confines of home. From the Ionian Sea to British Vancouver, lust steams up the pages of this book. Novels that explore serious themes of relationships include The Doctor’s Wife by Elizabeth Brundage ($14.00, Plume) and Sabine Durrant’s The Great Indoors ($14.00, Riverhead Books, Penguin Putnam). The former is a psychological thriller about the disintegration of a seemingly good marriage and family. Set in and around Albany, New York, Michael is a successful OB/GYN with a prominent private practice. His wife Annie teaches at a local college. Michael is the only provider of abortions in the city and a call from a former girlfriend to help out at a local woman’s center kicks his heavy schedule into overdrive. He drifts away and Annie drifts into an affair with a painter whose wife is a troubled young women. The tension just builds and builds in this powerful story that will have you turning the pages as fast as you can. The Great Indoors by Durrant is a portrait of a woman who is more comfortable with the objects that fill her quaint, suburban London antique shop than she is with commitment. No husband and no children leave her to the comforts of the furniture she sells. A sudden death in the family, however, sets in motion a surprising chain of events that include a cat that brings a man and the children the man brings along. It’s an intriguing tale. Another suspense story is the debut novel of Peter James Quirk, Trail of Vengeance ($15.95, Hopewell Publications, PO Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08560-0011) pitting an Italian-American detective, Lisa Rossi, against a gang of international jewelry thieves who have murdered her partner. This sets off a manhunt that begins in a New York strip club, then to the Catskill Mountains, to Paris, Alsace, the French Alps, and Brittany, until it concludes on an obscure island in the North Atlantic. Need I tell you that the author has traveled all over the world? British by birth, he owns a chalet in the Catskills, has taught skiing for over two decades, and resides in peaceful Denville, NJ. There’s nothing peaceful about his novel, though. You will turn the pages as fast as your eyes and fingers permit as you traverse through its exciting story. We’re not even close to taking note of the many novels that have arrived in the last month! Attention. Deficit. Disorder. This novel by Brad Listi ($21.00, Simon and Schuster) marks the debut of the author. It is a coming-of-age novel adapted to the information age. Its main character, a recent film school graduate, Wayne Fencer, has come to San Francisco to attend the funeral of an ex-girlfriend who has committed suicide. He is stunned to learn she aborted their unborn child and sets out on a journey of self-awareness and a search for a true romance. It’s a modern novel for the times we share. In The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Dominque ($24.00, Atria Books) as the story begins, the main character dies in a tragic accident. She decides to stay "between" the end of life and before whatever lies after it. From there she narrates the story of her lost love. Two tragic and redemptive love stories emerge in this very unusual, compelling novel. Jeff Long serves up a thriller in The Wall ($24.00, Atria Books) about two mountain climbers, Hugh and Lewis, who years earlier were legends for scaling El Capitan in Yosemite. Now, 35 years later, they reunite to make one last climb. Of the two women they married, one disappeared into a desert and the other is divorcing Lewis. The climb is ill fated in many ways, not the least are the bodies they find and other events that plague their reunion on the mountain’s face. This is a hard book to put down once one begins. Want to visit exotic places without leaving home? Then pick up The Sultan’s Seal by Jenny White ($24.95, W.W. Norton), just published this month. The year is 1886 and the Ottoman Empire rules its subjects from the fabled city of Istanbul where the sultan’s power is absolute. The great nations of the West are circling "the sick man of Europe" as his empire weakens and some "young Turks" begin to plot a revolution. On a warm night in June, Kamil Pasha is awakened to hear of a bizarre tragedy. One of the secular magistrates appointed by reform-minded officials, Pasha is told of the drowning of an unidentified British woman that bears a strange resemblance to an unsolved murder of a British governess many years earlier. Her body is naked except for two pieces of jewelry. A wide range of characters people this well told story that draws deeply on Turkish society for its atmospherics and manners. Modern day Japan is the setting for two novels by Miyuki Miyabi; one is a frightening mystery, Crossfire, and the other is Shadow Family, now available in softcover. Published by Kodansha America, both contribute to the international audience that has been building for this talented author.
Amaranth by Michael Ehrenreich ($15.95, iUniverse) is an example of an excellent, self-published novel that permits the author to personally seek his readers. Published in November of last year, it tells the story of Dr. Bing Denton whose daughter becomes involved in a seedy underworld, threatening the stability of an already fragile family. The main character faces estrangement from his wife, Rebecca, while grappling with the loss of his gift as a surgeon, and the illness and pregnancy of his daughter. The author takes us deep into the contemporary lives of his characters that are filled with tensions that place heavy burdens on those seeking to ease the pain of an often-soulless world. Another self-published novel is Camille Claudel, A Novel by Dr. Alma H. Bond, Ph.D. ($16.95, Publish America, Baltimore). Dr. Bond is not only a friend, but a famed psychoanalyst and she brings her professional knowledge to bear on the story of Camille Claudel who was the student, lover, and confident of the sculptor, Auguste Rodin. Her own work as a sculptor was produced in the late 1800’s, but it is her relationship with Rodin that is best known. When he rejected her, combined with the obstacles any woman artist faced in those days, she went insane, spending the last thirty years of her life in an asylum in Montdevergues, France. Bond evokes her tragic life through a fictional memoir. She did this previously with "The Autobiography of Maria Callas", the late, famed opera diva. One has to be very good to make this kind of literary device succeed and Alma is very good. This is a highly readable, always interesting novel. Coming in March, is a new novel from famed author, Jeffrey Archer. False Impression ($27.95, St. Martin’s Press) will take you on an exciting, intriguing journey when a priceless painting by Van Gogh is stolen. You will find yourself trying to piece together a puzzle that includes the murder of an elegant woman the night before 9-11, a New York banker who receives a woman’s left ear in the mail, and a young woman with great prospects who steals the painting. You will join a senior FBI agent who must unravel these mysteries as he travels from New York to London, from Bucharest to Tokyo, ending up in a sleepy English village where everything is resolved. The trip is well worth taking! That’s it for February! Don’t forget to tell your friends about Bookviews.com, the only place where you can learn about the many new books that the mainstream press often overlooks. And visit our Featured Books section to learn about some truly unique books, all recommended by Bookviews.com. Come back next month! |
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Contact: Alan Caruba |
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Oh, how I wish I could be more enthusiastic about Black in the White House by Ron Christie, a former White House advisor ($24.99, Nelson Current). Christie recounts how he was selected to become an aide to Vice President Cheney and later to the President. While his memoir of the three and a half years he served in the first term, including recollections of September 11, 2001, are filled with the names of the powerful and famous, his portraits of those with whom he served are unfailingly admiring with never a word that anyone was less than honorable, patriotic, and there to serve the nation. I wasn’t looking for him to disparage those who brought him into the inner circle of power, but he seemed throughout to be awestruck by the opportunity. There is a certain blandness to this memoir and I thought it was curious that Christie would choose a title emphasizing his Afro-American background when it seemed to play almost no role in why he was there except for the occasional advice he could offer regarding how the White House and Republicans could relate better to the black community. Most of the time he dealt with domestic issues that had no racial element. It is a pleasant book that sheds more of a glow from his experience than a bright light on it. Why is this a "pick"? It does provide some insight to the early years of the Bush administration.
The majority of Americans hire tax preparers these days. A recent Tax Foundation study estimated that the cost of complying with the federal income tax code in 2005 was $265.1 billion. Individuals, corporations, businesses and nonprofits spent over six billion hours in the process. Eric Tyson has written Taxes 2006 For Dummies ($16.95, Wiley) along with David J. Silverman, EA, and Margaret Atkins Munro, EA. These three financial counselors have looked at the current morass of tax laws and found ways in which anyone can hang onto as much of their own money as possible. The book has a host of recommendations the average person might not recognize as a better way to manage and retain their money. They also have looked at the range of allowable deductions. Even if you don’t prepare your own taxes, the time spent reading the guide will put you in a position to advise your tax preparer to include various ways to reduce your tax burden. Have you been swept up in the national fascination with poker? Before you head off to the nearest casino, maybe you should read Oops! I Won Too Much Money by Tom Schneider, ($16.95, Brown Books, Dallas, TX) a CPA and former president and chief financial officer for three Arizona-based companies who became a professional poker player and discovered that his years in business and management made perfect ingredients for success at the poker table. He’s written a very entertaining book that provides lessons for the game, business and life. If you are a business executive who spends lots of time on airplanes, then pick up a copy of Mileage Pro: The Insider’s Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs by Randy Petersen and Tim Winship ($19.96, OAG Worldwide, 
I have never been a big fan of diet books, but then that’s just a bias of mine. I grew up in a household with a mother who taught thousands of people the art of gourmet cooking for thirty years and advocated eating fresh foods, lovingly prepared. That said, there’s How the Rich Get Thin written by Dr. Jana Klauer, MD, who is described as Park Avenue’s top diet doctor. This book is devoted to "the new calcium diet" and promises you will drop a size in three days. It is filled with some serious information on dieting, but I have no idea if it works. Your move! The Flavor Point Diet by Dr. David L. Katz, MD, MPH, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center, along with Dr. Catherine S. Katz, PhD ($24.95, Rodale) says you can lose up to 16 pounds in six weeks. Best of all, it says you can turn off your hunger and lose the weight for good. This is a plan that permits you to enjoy the delicious foods you enjoy (and why not?) while avoiding eating too much of them. Makes sense! My mother never seemed to gain weight despite preparing and enjoying delicious meals every day.
Continuing a line of books based on themes built around Morgan horses, there’s Robin, The Lovable Morgan Horse by Ellen F. Feld ($9.95, Willow Bend Publishing, Goshen, MA 01032). The first two titles in the series, "Blackjack" and "Frosty", won a Children’s Choices award from the International Reading Association. Aimed at younger readers aged 9 through 12, these books are realistic in that they don’t always have a happy ending in which grandpa’s farm is saved or an abused horse wins the Kentucky Derby. Instead, these books are about real life situations where young adults struggle to make the right decisions. They teach that actions have consequences while, at the same time, entertaining them with a tension-grabbing story. In this story, young Karen experiences a riding accident and must struggle to overcome her fear of getting back on her horse. Check out all four stories at 
Novels are forever exploring love and romance, so Loved Walked In by Marisa de los Santos ($23.95, Dutton, a division of Penguin Group) begins the new year with the debut of a poet-turned-novelist. The story explores the complexities of romance, tragedy, friends and family, as it introduces us to Cornelia Brown, a woman who has been living her life as if it were a series of movie moments that offset her otherwise mundane existence as the manager of a Philadelphia coffee shop. Until, that is, Martin Grace walks into Café Dora and, with movie star looks, sweeps her off her feet. On the other side of town, eleven-year-old Clare Hobbes watches as her mother goes mad and disappears. She is forced to seek out her estranged father for help and, when the two of them show up at Cornelia’s café, her life and Clare’s change dramatically as each discovers that solace, friendship, and love can be found in the unlikeliest of places. In Trenton Lee Stewart’s debut novel, Flood Summer, ($24.95, Southern Methodist University Press), a young man is holed up in a decrepit trailer in tiny Lockers Creek, Arkansas. He considers himself a failure with some good cause. Meanwhile the incessant rain turns into a brutal storm and a flood claims the countryside. At this point he meets a fierce young woman trying to start a new life. Together they are forced to reconsider their respective pasts and to confront secrets they would rather not disturb. The author brings his experience as a residential counselor in a youth home for troubled girls and residence assistant for men with mental disabilities, among other jobs, to bear on this story of people whose lives require both courage and love to live. Katrina Kittle has written a deeply moving story, The Kindness of Strangers, ($24.95, William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers). It is about a family, a mother and her two sons, struggling with the loss of the father. The older of the two boys develops a rebellious streak, getting into minor troubles. The younger has learning difficulties. When the mother’s closest friend finds her marriage ripped apart by an unbelievable revelation, she takes in her friend’s son and becomes his foster mother. The dynamics of coping and overcoming the shocks that life provides are at the core of this story and how the tragedy of one small family in a suburban community can affect so many. The way truth and love can bring about redemption lies at the heart of this excellent novel.
The former is an action-packed journey through Tokyo’s vast urban landscape that pits the brutal violence of young yakuza gangs of the inner city against the privileged existence of the wealthy who live in high rises above them. Its main character, young pretty Junko Aoki has the gift of pryokinesis. She can start fires at will and she uses it to take the law into her own hands. Both the gangs and the police want to find out who is torching criminals! The latter book is about a man with a fantasy family on the Internet and the murder investigation that ensues when his body is found. Both novels are great reading experiences. One can revisit the Vietnam War in Buffalo Boy and Geronimo by James Janko (Curbstone Press, Willimantic, CT). Just published this month, its author, a Vietnam veteran, takes a look at the war from a unique point of view. It is not just its horrors that are recounted, but the thirst for beauty and nature, and the ecological damage that war inflicts on humans, animals, and environment they share. Two lives cross paths, that of a young, Vietnamese Buffalo Boy, Hai, and the U.S. combat medic, Conchola, dubbed "Geronimo", who witnesses a savage attack on the boy’s village. It is an impressive debut for the author and a reminder that war is inherently cruel.