Visit Bookviews by Alan Caruba, October 2003

Books for review should be sent to Alan Caruba, Bookviews.Com, 9 Brookside Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040. Do not send galleys or bound proofs. Bookviews.Com accepts only the finished book. Thank you.

My Picks of the Month

One of the finest one-volume accounts of the Civil War is The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era ($65.00 until 12/31/03, $75.00 after, Oxford University Press) by James M. McPherson. Acclaimed when first published, this illustrated edition featured more than 700 illustrations, including 150 in full color, ranging from rare contemporary photos to period cartoons, etchings, woodcuts and paintings, all extensively captioned. The text, of course, is an epic narrative of the political, social, and military events of the struggle to maintain the Union against the secession of Southern States. The author retraces the events leading up to the war and then takes the reader on a panoramic chronicle of the war itself. If you were to buy no other book on the Civil War than this one, you would still have the entire story as told by one of our nation’s great historians. An extraordinary listening experience is Lewis & Clark: The Great American Expedition, an eight-CD set just released by Topics Entertainment, one of the largest audio book publishers in the nation. This $29.95 set was timed to coincide in August with the 200^th anniversary of the legendary trek across North America to map its then unknown rivers, plains and mountain ranges. It features a full cast and music to re-enact history so that you have the feeling you are there. It is a theatre of the mind experience. You can check out more about this interesting audio publisher at www.topics-ent.com.

If you want to understand the issues involved with the US invasion, regime change, and occupation of Iraq, you must read The War Against the Terror Masters by Michael A. Ledeen ($14.95, St. Martin’s Griffin, softcover). Clearly and factually, Ledeen, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former member of the National Security Council, explains why the US has to pro-actively bring about change in nations such as Iraq, Iran, Syria and others that sponsor, fund and harbor the terrorists that are inflicting such deliberate horror throughout the world in the name of the Islamic Revolution. He traces the history of the movement whose goal is to impose Islam on the entire world and describes nation to nation, its role. He makes the case for why the US has embarked on "a war on terrorism", why must be done, and why the US will prevail. Needed, too, is the cooperation of other nations.

One of the best books on why our government is so unresponsive to its citizens is Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders by former Representative Tom A. Coburn ($24.99, WND Books). Swept into office in 1994 when the Republican "Contract with America" and the widespread unhappiness of voters with forty years of Democrat control of Congress transformed that institution, Coburn relates the hope that the many new congressmen felt that real reforms could be achieved and how Republican leaders, "career politicians", sabotaged those hopes. Despite passing a number of reforms intended to reduce the size of government and get its spending under control, a budget battle with then President Clinton failed. The reader is taken behind the scenes to learn how the powerful committee chairmen and majority leaders in both the House and Senate resisted and defeated the goals of those elected to change an institution that is based on massive pork-barrel spending. Congress remains devoted to putting off decisions to deal with Social Security and Medicare that threaten to end in bankruptcy in just over a decade or so from now; both programs expanded government control of people’s lives and of our nation’s health system. As government grew, so did the number of lobbyists until government at the federal level now intrudes into everyone’s life in ways the writers of the Constitution feared and tried to avoid through its system of checks and balances. This is a book every voter should read. Coburn advocated term limits and kept his promise to return to private life as a family physician.

The War on Our Freedoms: Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism ($15.00, Public Affairs) brings together fourteen journalists, lawyers, and historians to address various aspects of the issues raised by the Patriot Act as the nation seeks to protect itself against terrorism, but limits civil liberties in the name of national security. While most, if not all of the contributors have a liberal point of view, many conservatives are equally concerned about the erosion of Constitutional guarantees that protect US citizens. Edited by Richard C. Leone and Greg Anrig, Jr., this book provides ample food for thought.

The existence of the nation of Israel is closely involved with the conflicts in the Middle East and one of the best books on the history of Israel and its future is Els van Diggele’s A People Who Live Apart: Jewish Identity and the Future of Israel ($28.00, Prometheus Books). For anyone, Christian or Jew who is concerned about the events occurring there, this book is a first rate history of the Jewish State and filled with revelations as the author explores what it is about the Jews, orthodox and secular, who helped found the nation and who, before and since, have fought over its national soul. This Dutch journalist, a Christian, learned Hebrew and has lived in Israel since 1997, interviewing its leaders and its ordinary citizens to create a multifaceted portrait of the nation that is filled with surprises. The tensions between the orthodox and the secular Jews are the essence of this book. Only 14% regard themselves as strictly observant while 24% are observant to a great extent. The bulk, however, are the 41% who are only somewhat observant and the 21% who are not observant at all. And Israel is a nation where every fifth citizen is not Jewish! This book proved to be utterly fascinating. The Yom Kippur War by Walter J. Boyne ($14.95, Thomas Dunne Books, a division of St. Martin’s Press) tells the story of the dastardly attack on Israel that began on October 6, 1973. Since we are witnessing the way Muslims will bomb the mosques of factions within their own faith, it is no surprise their hatred of Jews would be expressed on the most holy of High Holy days in Judaism. Told by a retired US Air Force Colonel, this book tells a riveting hour to hour account of the war and of the airlift that saved Israel. Staged by Egyptian tanks from the south, Syrian and Iraqi fighter jets, they nonetheless were defeated when then-President Richard Nixon approved the transfer of more than 22,000 tons of munitions, spare parts, and even tanks that were dropped directly into Israel. One of that war’s heroes, Ariel Sharon, is now Prime Minister of Israel at a time when it has been under attack by the Intifada for the last two years. By pure coincidence, The Road to Jerusalem: Glubb Pasha, Palestine and the Jews ($22.50, Palgrave/Macmillan) by Benny Morris has been published. It tells the story of General Sir John Glubb, the last British pro-Consul of the region and commander of the Arab Legion during the crucial years between 1936 and 1956. As such, he was witness to the establishment of the State of Israel. He opposed the Jewish State, fearing and predicting the conflicts that would follow. What followed WWII, though, were masses of surviving, but displaced Jews with no where to go. This is "the other side of the story" as seen by someone who identified with the Arabs, but was a loyal member of the British Empire. As an historical work, neither side comes away with clean hands, as is usually the case.

September and October mark the period of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. From Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, there’s Rabbi Edward Feinstein’s interesting book, Tough Questions Jews Ask: A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life ($14.95). It responds to the classic questions that all religions pose and seek to answer; though, of course, this book does so from the Jewish point of view. Though intended as a guide to younger people, I think this book would be useful for anyone seeking to renew his or her understanding of Judaism or for anyone considering it as their faith choice. It explores such questions as what or who is God, why do some prayers go unanswered, why do terrible things happen, why so many rules, and why be Jewish? A book that will interest both young adult and older Jews is Steven Ettinger’s Torah 24/7: A Timely Guide for the Modern Spirit ($21.95, Devora Publishing, New York and Jerusalem). A tax attorney who is also a rabbi, Ettinger moves between today’s world and that of ancient Judaism. In this book, he undertakes a diary of sorts to see if the teachings of the Torah (Old Testament) are still applicable. He reveals to the reader that the answer is yes, the journey the Jews took as a people thousands of years ago remains as viable today as ever. Written with both wit and wisdom, this book is filled with stories, old and new, that illustrate the constancy of the spiritual in everyone’s life, then and now.

Being stalked is a frightening situation and I was amazed to learn that one out of every twelve women and one out of every forty-give men experience it. Now, Detective Mike Proctor has written an excellent book, How to Stop a Stalker ($21.00, Prometheus Books, softcover) on what anyone can do to identify a stalker, what to do if you are being stalked, how to collect evidence, how to get the justice system on your side, and what to do in court. His book describes the various means of harassment and the different reasons why stalkers engage in this activity. Stalking can include letters, breaking and entering, contacting family members, filing legal actions, and threats of violence. If you are being stalked or know someone who is, this is a valuable book and will provide the information needed to put a stop to it.

A book of particular interest to women is Just sign Here, Honey: Women’s 10 Biggest Legal Mistakes & How to Avoid Them by Marilyn Barrett ($14.95, Capital Books softcover) that, as the title says, will help any woman who wants to protect her assets, deal with a nasty divorce, and similar problems. It addresses the issues involved in one’s legal title to property, prenuptial agreements, marriage and divorce, starting and running a business, paying taxes, estate planning, and hiring an attorney. In plain English, this book will prove an invaluable guide to any woman to insure she has proper protection. The author has more than twenty year’s experience practicing law.

A particularly moving story is Rachel Simon’s Riding the Bus with My Sister ($14.00, Plume softcover) that tells the true-life story of Rachel’s sister Beth who is mentally retarded but lives life intensely and often joyfully. Beth spends her days riding the buses in Philadelphia and asked Rachel to ride with her for a year. A skilled writer, the author’s busy life, she discovered, hid her own emotional isolation and Beth taught her how to live in the moment and pay attention to what really matters, how to change, how to love, and how to slow down and enjoy the ride! Mental retardation is an invisible world to most of us and a bit frightening, but we discover that Beth has a real life of her own in this heartwarming story of an unbreakable bond between two very different sisters.

Attention writers! The 2004 Writer’s Market ($29.99, Writer’s Digest Books) has been published and it has more than 8,000 listings of editors who buy what you write. It lists literary agents who will sell your novel or nonfiction book, along with those who represent scripts. There are listings of book publishers, consumer magazines, trade, technical and professional journals. There’s information about contests and awards. In short, this fat compendium of information is what everyone who is serious about writing needs to have. It is filled with good advice from people who know how to get published. Another terrific book for writers is The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing ($15.95, St. Martin’s Griffin, softcover). I have been a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors since the 1970s and was a contributor to the original edition of this guide. The new edition features a number of authors who are friends and, more importantly, they are writers who know the nitty-gritty of the business. And it most certainly is a business. Thus, if there was a single book that you’d want to read in order to begin a career as a writer or prosper as one, this is definitely the book to read!

In March 1999, I had the pleasure of recommending David Vokac’s The Great Towns of America, so I am happy now to tell you about his two latest guides, The Great Towns of Southern California and The Great Towns of Northern California ($14.95, West Press, PO Box 99717, San Diego, CA 92169). If you just ignore the political situation, you can remind yourself that the Golden State has some of the most beautiful towns in the nation, from the whimsical village of Cambria in the south near the famed Hearst Castle to the wine country town of Healdsburg, about 70 miles north of San Francisco. For all points in between the West and East Coast, Vokac’s original guide ($18.95, West Press) will fill you with wanderlust as he describes Key West, Florida or Big Fork, Montana. To get off the beaten path and discover the real America, these guides are the best around. For those who want to drive America’s busiest highway, I-95, there’s a new book out, Drive I-95 ($22.95, TravelSmart, 888-484-3395) by Stan and Sandra Posner. Starting in Massachusetts, its easy-to-read maps take you exit by exit to the border of Florida. Its text provides tons of information about everything you will need to know about restaurants, motels, gas stations, historic sites, even malls and golf courses nearby in each State. This is one of the best I have seen in terms of the value and information you will find each mile of the way.

For some lighthearted reading if you have a pet dog or cat, or know someone who does, there’s two books from Prometheus Books, The Dog Rules by William J. Thomas and The Comfort of Cats by Pamela Wallin ($15.00 each) that would make great Christmas gifts or just provide some entertainment for anyone who loves their pet. What fun to read Another Weird Year: Bizarre News Stories from Around the World by Huw Davies ($9.95, Andrews McMeel). This is a clever book to keep handy in the car in case you get stuck in a traffic jam. It proves there is no end to the stupidity of man and the unpredictability of Nature. From naked joggers and moronic crooks to exploding cows, this book will keep you alternately appalled and amused. By far one of the most amusing humor books to come along is The Bad Idea Catalog ($12.95, Andrews McMeel Publishing) by Chris Mittler and Dave Markou. It is a parody of all those weird items you see in catalogs and, for a fleeting moment, think about buying. In this book, you can join the Acid of the Month Club, non-drying paint, and a solar-powered umbrella. Don’t forget the ever-popular flesh-tone socks. I guarantee your money’s worth of laughs.

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To Your Health!

Millions of Americans are diabetics and Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution ($27,95, Little, Brown), originally published in 1997, has since been revised and updated. It is a complete guide to achieving normal blood sugars. Its author, Richard K. Bernstein, MD, was diagnosed as diabetic at the age of eight and he is living proof one can live a full life by normalizing blood sugars which can actually reverse many of the complications associated with this disease. This book is filled with the most up-to-date information on new products, medications, and supplements. It explains the connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes, shows how to interrupt the cycle of obesity and insulin resistance, and includes a new method for losing weight quickly and easily.

The Hidden Causes of Heart Attack and Stroke by Christian Wilde ($19.95, Abigon Press softcover) could save your life. Every year, more than a million people will experience a heart attack and 370,000 will die as a result. It is the number one killer of Americans and this book provides the information one needs to know to insure one’s health. The book will equip you to intelligently discuss your cardiovascular care with your physician. The book has been endorsed by some of the top physicians in this field. The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome: Lift Yourself from Back Pain Without Drugs or Surgery by Dr. Harry S. Oxenhandler ($23.95, available from Bookmasters, (800) 247-6553). Lower back pain periodically affects an estimated 80% of all adults and is the second most common reason for doctor visits in the US. Two-thirds of all those have the condition described in this book (Pelvic Tilt Syndrome), but most do not know they have it. Easy to recognize, it is simple and inexpensive to treat, even in people who have had back pain for years and unsuccessfully undergone all kinds of treatment. If this describes you or someone you know, I recommend this book.

For those who are concerned about the amount of salt in their diets, there’s the Pocket Guide to Low Sodium Foods ($7.95, InData Publishing, Olympia, WA) by Bobbie Mostyn. As you walk through your supermarket, it lists more than 3,000 generic and brand name foods for those on low-salt diets. It also includes nutritional information about calories, sugar and fat content, fiber, and carbohydrates. By some estimates, Americans consume two to three times more than the recommended level of salt, about one teaspoon per day.

Parents with children who are autistic will find a great deal of encouragement in Patricia Stacey’s book, The Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threatened with Autism($25.00, Da Capo Press). It is a memoir of her battle to keep her son, Walker, from becoming autistic; one that would prove successful, but it took lots of personal sacrifice. There has been much interest in this problem with news about vaccines and other potential causes, but this book takes one into the home and life of a child whose life could have been adversely affected by autism. The author first sensed something was wrong when, following his birth, the baby failed to respond to her or her husband. As he grew older, he spent a lot of time staring at the windows. This was his way of soothing himself because autism causes the senses to overwhelm its victims. She applied a treatment involving hypnosis and intense interaction. In short, a ton of love. Today, her son is leading a happy, healthy life.

Having a Baby, Naturally ($17.95, Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster) is a guide to pregnancy and childbirth edited by Peggy O’Mara, the editor and publisher of Mothering magazine. Last month, a healthy baby girl, Jessica, was welcomed into my family and I became a Great Uncle. For more than twenty-five years, Mothering has found an audience of educated women who appreciate its approach of providing the kind of information they need to make a choice among the options during pregnancy and birth. O’Mara says "What is considered ‘natural’ is almost always safer and more satisfying for women." Filled with recommendations from the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and other sources of information, this book deals with full range of topics expectant mothers should know about.

The Vitality Connection by Dr. Michael J. Grossman, MD and Jodi L. Jones ($18.95, Vitality Press Publications, Irvine, CA) lays out ten key factors necessary to improving one’s health and quality of life. The book addresses anti-aging, nutrition and exercise, as well as ways to reduce stress and even create loving relationships. In doing so, it features the latest medical breakthroughs on ways to conquer fatigue, balance one’s immune system, and detoxify one’s body using natural therapies. While written for anyone of any age, it is especially targeted at the growing population of middle and older Americans who want to lose weight, get fit, and improve their chances to remain healthy or get healthier. Dr. Grossman brings twenty-five years experience in preventative medicine to these tasks and is ably assisted by his co-author. If you’re looking for good advice, you will find it in this book.

A very different take on health is found in Divinely Inspired by Dr. Jerry J. Pollock, Ph.D. ($14.95, White Tulip) that addresses his struggles with bipolar depression and other problems that had plagued him for sixty years of his life. This is the story of a man who found new health and a new life through a personal encounter with God and who wants to share that experience with the reader. Despite a life of some real accomplishment, a professor for thirty years, published 75 times in scientific books and journals, Dr. Pollock still battled with chronic anxiety, panic, and migraines. His spiritual experiences freed him. For those in a similar situation, this book could prove helpful.

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Novels! Novels! Novels!

Oliver North, now a radio and television news analyst and formerly President Reagan’s point man for crisis management and coordinator of US counter-terrorism efforts in the mid-1980s turned novelist with Mission Accomplished. In The Jericho Sanction ($24.99, Broadman & Holman), the second in a three-book series of fiction thrillers, Col. North continues the story of Peter Newman, a Marine lieutenant colonel who has been assigned to the National Security Council to orchestrate the most sensitive cover action ever taken against America’s adversaries. If this sounds a lot like his former life, you’re right and it lends a credibility that enhances the story. In this novel, North explores the likelihood that at least some nuclear weapons were stolen in the chaos that followed the collapse of the former Soviet Union and the possibility they have found their way into the hands of nations that sponsor terrorism. As America’s leaders grapple with real-life threats from North Korea and al Qaeda, North explores the issues involved with the targeted pursuit of top terrorist leaders and heads of the rogue states that sponsor them. Written prior to the fall of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, the story involves evidence that he has acquired nuclear weapons. A lot of this reads like today’s headlines and it makes for a very good read at that.

An interesting piece of "alternative" history is a "what if" novel about the Civil War in which Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen provide a story of a Confederate victory at Gettysburg and how that might have altered events. The book, Gettysburg ($24.95, Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin Press, has already garnered excellent reviews from Publishers Weekly and others. Both authors have top quality credentials as historians and the novel suggests that, if Robert E. Lee had led the battle, rather than electing to coordinate it, he might have avoided the terrible losses the South incurred and turned it into a Confederate victory. The novel brings alive the people, the weapons, and tactics of the war. The staggering loss of life on both sides will astound modern readers unaccustomed to such slaughter, but war was very different in the mid-1800s.

Gingrich, of course, is best known as a former Speaker of the House, but he taught history at the college level for eight years before his political career. For Civil War buffs, this novel will prove especially entertaining.

Confessions of a Death Maiden by Ruth Francisco ($23.95, Mysterious Press) is an impressive debut for the author. Narrated by the lead character, Frances Oliver, a professional trained in the art of transitioning the dying, she is called in to help a young Mexican boy in a coma. She realizes he is not near death and when he does die, she suspects he has been murdered. Searching for answers from Los Angeles to Mexico, she uncovers a plot to harvest organs of a rare Mayan Indian tribe. She soon is being hunted to silence her. This is an exciting medical thriller that will hopefully lead to more. Jere Hoar is a novelist who has been acquiring rave reviews. A professor emeritus of Ole Miss, Hoar taught journalism for more than thirty years. He now lives in Oxford, Mississippi, formerly home to William Faulkner. You will enjoy The Hit ($24.95, Context Books), the story of the downward spiral of Luke Carr, a Vietnam war veteran and, as the story begins, a mental patient at a VA hospital in Mississippi. In a series of notebooks written while holed up in his hospital room, Carr relates the story of his downfall, a tale of passion, betrayal, and the perfect crime gone wrong. Hoar has written a haunting hard-boiled thriller, a real page-turner. East Texas is the place where Joe R. Lansdale feels most at home and where his novels reflect the lives of those in this area. In A Fine Dark Line ($12.95, Warner Books) he takes us to Dewpoint, Texas. The year is 1958 and Stanley Mitchell is 13 years old. He becomes curious about the long-ago death of two very different young girls and his quest to learn the truth is aided by a retired Indian-reservation cop. It all adds up to suspense as this young man comes of age on one terrifying night. Lansdale has a dozen novels to his credit and has won most of the major awards for mystery and horror. When you read this novel, you will know why.

For a change of pace, there’s the third book in a trilogy by Carly Phillips, titled The Heartbreaker ($16.95, Warner Books). The main characters are the Chandler brothers, first introduced in The Bachelor and The Playboy. Chase Chandler has to deal with surly bikers, political mayhem, and smoking guns, as a single journalist who runs into Sloane Carlisle, a redhead who arouses a lot more than lust. She’s the daughter of a senator who puts him in the eye of a breaking political scandal. A whole range of emotions fills the pages of this clever story and you will root for Chase to say "I do" as he maneuvers his way though the biggest story of his life. A hard-boiled conservation officer, Grady Service, is the central character is a series of novels written by Joseph Heywood. He’s back again in Chasing A Blond Moon ($21.95, The Lyons Press), hard at work in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula trying to figure out what is happening to its black bear population. When a Korea-born professor from Michigan tech is murdered by cyanide-laced figs and two freeze-dried bear gall bladders are found among the figs, it is clear that some poaching is going on. There is an Asian market for traditional medicines and the bladders are highly prized and very valuable. Service is drawn into the hunt. Suspenseful and full of action, the Heywood delivers up yet another very readable story. With several novels to his credit, it is a bit surprising he is not better known. He surely deserves to be.

A European holiday is the setting for Diane Johnson’s entertaining novel, L’Affaire (23.95, Dutton). You will want to read her previous novel, Le Divorce, when you finish this one, but you will thoroughly enjoywhat happens when a naïve American and skeptical Europeans try to get passed their cultural stereotypes of one another. This two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and three-time finalist for the National Book Award shows why she has gained such a following with an enchanting and wickedly funny novel about an American abroad, struggling with issues of love, death and money, as you follow Amy Hawkins, a young dot-com executive from California who has made her fortune sets off to find her roots and steps in to help a couple caught in an avalanche that leaves both comatose in a French hospital. A clash of cultures ensues that will keep you turning the pages. Another excellent novelist, William Trevor, has been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize with The Story of Lucy Gault ($14.00, Penguin Books softcover). Set in the early 1920’s, it is a mesmerizing story of the main character’s journey from innocence and loss to wisdom and reconciliation. Lucy is nine years old as the story begins, living a life of privilege with her parents in Lahardane, Ireland. She wants to stay, but a failed attempt at arson prompts her parents to leave for England. When she runs away in order to stay, she sets off a series of tragic misunderstandings that affect everyone. The author has been called "Ireland’s answer to Chekhov" and you will understand why when you read this story.

Plume, as usual, has a number of new novels available that, for the price and quality, cannot be beat. If you like a good horror story, David Searcy, the winner of the first novel award from the International Horror Guild, serves up Last Things ($13.00). It’s a psychological thriller about a sleepless sense of dread that has seized the residents in an East Texas town. Children have begun to vanish and are replaced with gruesome scarecrows around the countryside. This is classic Southern gothic writing. You will install nightlights and jump at strange sounds for days after you read this one. Judith Kitchen’s The House on Eccles Road ($14.00) is unique because the author tells James Joyce’s classic novel, Ulysses, from the point of view of Molly and changes the location to modern-day Dublin, Ohio, from Dublin, Ireland. Those who have read Joyce’s story will find this intriguing and those that have not will want to after reading this one. The lives of those gathered for a thirtieth alumni reunion are explored in Tim O’Brien’s July, July ($14.00). It’s a visit to a vanished era when one fled to Canada to avoid fighting in Vietnam, another became a trophy wife, and others discuss their divorces. It’s how youth, idealism, and resignation collide in people’s lives as told by a skilled author.

And there’s more from Plume! A prominent figure from the women’s movement, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, has turned to fiction in Three Daughters ($14.00) in a fast-paced, very funny first novel about the Wasserman sisters, all of whom could not be more different from each other. All have a crisis with which to deal. For a woman of a "certain age" this book will prove very entertaining. The South continues to produce some our finest novelists and A Short History of a Small Place by T.R. Pearson ($14.00) is proof of that. Welcome to Neely, North Carolina where you will meet a cast of memorable characters in a marvelously funny, bittersweet, and beautifully evocative novel. This is a grand reading experience. North Carolina is also the setting for David Payne’s Early from the Dance ($14.00), the story of best boyhood friends from the opposite sites of the Kildeer, NC tracks. Cary and Adam are inseparable until Jane McCrae comes into their lives. When Carry falls in love with her, they become a tightly knit group of three until Adam, too, falls in love with her. He has to make a choice that will haunt him for years and, indeed, thirteen years later Adam, a successful artist, returns and, with Jane, set out to recover the past they have both tried to escape. This is a novel of innocence lost and the redemptive power of forgiveness by a gifted writer.

And, finally, there’s Stephen Bly writing about a writer writing! In Paperback Writer ($13.00, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN) Bly takes us on a sly, witty trip inside the mind of Paul James Watson, the writer of mid-list paperback novels. Watson’s real life isn’t much to write about, but the lives he constructions in his imagination make him the creator of Toby McKenna, a detective who always solves the crime, often heroically. When reality and imagination get intertwined, Bly takes you to the brink with more than a dash of suspense. He’s a very clever fellow. You can check him out at www.blybooks.com.

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Children’s & Young Reader’s Books

One of the joys of childhood are the rhymes and poems we share with children before they are of an age to go off to school. Now you can do the same with yours or you can give Ma Ma Goose ($24.95, Andrews McMeel) as a gift to the parents of a newborn or toddler. It is a collection of classic rhymes, poems and stories that have been handed down through the centuries by French, English, Irish, Scottish and American mothers and fathers. Collected by Edelen Wille, this book has the look of the way books from earlier times, perhaps turn of the century, once looked. It has a heavy, durable cover, a ribbon marker, and its illustrations bespeak an earlier, gentler age. It has a classic feel to it and is a perfect "first" book for any child.

You will fall in love with Eleanor, Ellatony, Ellencake and Me by C.M. Rubin and illustrated by Christopher Fowler ($14.95, Gingham Dog Press, McGraw-Hill Children’s Publishing) and so will anyone aged three to eight. It’s a story about the nicknames family members often give to children and, in this case, Eleanor’s struggle to find an identity of her own as she picks her way through the many names given to her to come up with one of her own. The artwork is excellent and the rhyming story delightful. Did you know that the actress Nicole Kidman was called "Storky" and Cameron Diaz was called "Skeleton"? Poor Jay Leno was called "Chinzo" for obvious reasons while the musician Meat Loaf started off being called "Meat", added "Loaf" and a star was born.

For those ages six to eleven, Hidden Treasure, written and illustrated by Tina Holdcroft ($19.95, Annick Press) is sure to please with its ten amazing and true stories of treasures found across the globe. Its cartoon-style illustrations enhance the reading experience and this is true too for Archers, Alchemists, and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed by Priscilla Galloway, illustrated by Martha Newbigging ($24.95, Annick Press), ideal for those eight through twelve years old. This book explores the fantasy of living in the Middle Ages. Would you be a knight, a princess, a barber, a farmer or any of the other ways people made a living in those times. Both books are witty and clever.

Imagine a baseball team made up of animals and imagine they played their game in New York’s Central Park. This is what Newberry Award-winning author, Avi, has done. Set in 1900, Oscar Westerwit is more than just another squirrel in the park. Many of his friends referred to him as the "Mayor" of the park because he was the one everyone went to when there was a problem. Moreover, Oscar was manager and shortstop for the Central Park Green Sox. When Artemus "Big Cat" Bigalow goes missing before the biggest game of the season, any number of villains might be responsible. You will quickly understand why Avi is regarded as one of today’s top authors for young readers, ages eight through twelve, for whom The Mayor of Central Park ($15.99, HarperCollins) will prove a treat.

From Mondo Publishing (980 Ave of the Americas, NYC 10018) come four fanciful books for young readers. Two fiction titles are Simon Can’t Say Hippopotamus by Bonnie Highsmith Taylor, illustrated by Phylis Hornung ($14.95) for ages three through seven, and Willy and Jasper by Miriam Moss, illustrated by Jutta Bucker, for ages three through seven. Just because someone can’t pronounce a word is no big deal says the first book while the second, for ages three through seven, tells the story of a boy and a dog who don’t much like each other until a thunderstorm gives them a reason to get together ($15.95). The next two, Fins and Flippers, Scales and Nippers, along with Grand Central Terminal, take a look at the real world. The former, for ages four through eight, is filled with full color photos and teaches about creatures in the ocean, while the latter, for those eight and older, tells the story of how the terminal became one of New York’s and America’s great landmarks, and why it is an engineering and architectural miracle. Hats off to Ed Stanley for the book about Grand Central Terminal and to both Ann Garrett and Gene-Michael Higney for a look below the waves.

For children age three to eight, there’s Shapesville by Andy Mills and Becky Osborn ($14.95, Gurze Books, POB 2238, Carlsbad, CA 92018) intended to help young readers learn that people come in all shapes and sizes. This book has the deliberate intention to "reduce the negative outcomes that teasing and prejudices have on kid’s self-esteem and self-image." Instead of "fat" or "skinny", the book provides a discussion of body shapes and, presumably, helps the reader avoid disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia down the road. For a parent whose child is exhibiting problems in this area, this book should prove helpful. Its message is to feel good about oneself no matter what shape you are. The problem, however, is that too many of today’s youngsters are, in fact, obese and no book can fix that. Proper diet, exercise, and being taught some self-discipline when it comes to what and how much to eat will serve any child well.

That’s it for October! As always, every month brings with it a treasure trove of new books on every imaginable subject. Don’t forget to visit our Featured Books section for the opportunity to discover many excellent books often overlooked by the mainstream media. You’ll be glad you did.

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