Seasoning Fever
Susan Kerslake
The Porcupine's Quill, Inc.
68 Main Street, Erin Ontario, Canada, N0B 1T0
ISBN 0889842345, $24.95, 2002, 320 pages, www.amazon.com
Kathy McNinch
Reviewer
Susan Kerslake has created a story reminiscent of the myths of ancient Greece. Seasoning Fever is
about a homesteading couple that faces external and internal challenges while living their
dream.
Matthew and Hannah are teenagers who marry and leave their families to homestead in the west.
They are both dreamers who relish the challenge of creating a new life that is distinct from their
established identities.
They are the na‹ve newcomers who depend on the kindness of their neighbors. Hannah notices
early
on how jaded and resigned the locals are but Matthew is too engrossed in living the dream to see
the
reality around him. "The answer to all my prayers, she thought. But it isn't wonderful, isn't
anything.
There must be something else. She scanned the horizon. What is it? I thought it would be
here."
They endure the hardships of building a home, dealing with Natives and having a child. Hannah
finds
it hard to bear the loneliness of living on the prairie. Matthew finds the isolation invigorating
because
he is building a life for his family with his own hands and he can see progress every day.
Kerslake has added supporting characters that help to illuminate the inner needs of Matthew and
Hannah. A travelling musician seems to understand their base desires and he encourages each of
them to fulfill these needs.
Hannah is disillusioned fairly quickly but Matthew has no regrets about leaving their home. He
relishes the challenges he faces every day. He thrives on adversity and courts excitement by riding
horses for
betting men. He sees every obstacle as a test of his worth and does anything he can to win.
He never notices that Hannah is not as content as he is in their home. But Hannah does come to
accept the drawbacks of prairie life. "Then sometime later, there came a day when he said, 'We
are
still the same after all of these years,' and she touched him, having come there to that point in the
only way possible, through the long stretch of time, the pains and the triumphs. Her touch was
both
softer and heavier. And what they thought would never end, had and had been replaced. And
what
they thought could not be borne, was. And what they thought would not endure, did,
unchanged."
Kerslake's rich language is a stark contrast to the barren prairie it describes. She depicts the land,
the
people and their dreams with candor and poetry. Her writing transforms a simple prairie story into
a
fertile myth with many layers and perspectives.
Susan Kerslake was born in Chicago but has lived in Halifax since 1966. She has four previous
books and one, Book of Fears, was short-listed for the Governor Generals Award in Canada.
The Shipping News
E. Annie Proulx
Scribner
0671510053, $14.00, paperback, 352 pages
068485791X, $25.00, hardcover, 352 pages
Simon & Schuster
No ISBN, $15.50 (Canadian), 337 pgs.
Gerry Recouso
Reviewer
E. Annie Proulx has woven as delicate a narrative as that of the ecological systems of the Atlantic.
The Shipping News is a rewarding journey into the understanding of life in Newfoundland. In fact
it
can be argued that the main character in the novel is indeed the island itself. Newfoundland is
revealed as a mysterious place of harsh beauty and stagnant creativity. Proulx portrays the island
as
an isolated contradiction, covering Newfoundland's devastating and unmercifully fierce yet
stunning
and awe-inspiring weather systems to the overwhelming poverty that technological progress was
supposed to eliminate. Through her main vessel or character Quoyle, Proulx navigates through an
arsenal of characters as worn and weathered as the island itself.
The novel is rich in atmosphere, with Proulx providing an eerie sheen around the island, Quoyle's
family history and the mysterious Wavey. The story seems to meander at a slow pace, but in
retrospect upon its completion actually covers a lot of space and time. Never in the novel is there
a
sense of true peace, Proulx writes with a frank style befitting of islander temperament and culture.
Behind every sentence there is the lingering threat of impending disaster and the understanding
that
there is very little that can be done in the way of prevention. It is in the accepting of fate and the
beauty in that acceptance that lies at the heart of the journey of her characters. Life is presented as
a
chain of simple complexities that link together to form life.
The Shipping News is the kind of novel that makes one want to both experience Newfoundland
firsthand and at the same time stay as far away as possible.
The Coming Islamic Invasion of Israel
Mark Hitchcock
Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
Post Office Box 1720, Sisters, Oregon 97759
ISBN 1590520483, $7.99, 101 pages, 1-800-929-0910
Helen E. Zanatta
hzanatta@satx.rr.com
The Islamic terrorists' attacks on September 11, 2001, the ensuing war against terrorism and all
the
talk about Jihad (the traditional Muslim word for 'holy war' against the unfaithful) spark interest in
Mark Hitchcock's simple read of Israel's last invasion.
This short, convincing interpretation of Ezekiel 38-39 accomplishes its purpose of relating current
events in the Middle East and throughout the world to Bible prophecy. Pastor of Faith Bible
Church
in Edmond, Oklahoma, Hitchcock, a Dallas Theological Seminary graduate, authored four other
books on end times and Bible prophecy. Skillfully, he translates the where, who, when, why, what
and how of the Israeli invasion described in Ezekiel. His relationship of Biblical names like Rosh,
Magog and Meshech to present day countries will surprise, and perhaps even astound, some
readers.
Hitchcock generates new respect for President Bush as we learn one of the nations on his axis of
evil
matches God's account in Ezekiel. His skillful presentation of the final Jihad and the One-Day War
lends credence to Hitchcock's claim-"Ezekiel is God's war correspondent for today's newspapers."
Through this book, one sees the nations lining up on God's calendar and hears the cry of the last
chapter calling out for everyone, everywhere to personally encounter God in relationship before
the
calendar runs out.
A Dena'ina Legacy K'tl'egh'i Sukdu: The Collected Writings of Peter Kalifornsky
James Kari and Alan Boraas, editors
Alaska Native Language Center
c/o University of Alaska - Fairbanks
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775-7680
1555000436, $27.00, 489 pages, 1-888-252-6657
Jody Pryor
jody@jodypryor.com
I found A Dena'ina Legacy: The Collected Writings of Peter Kalifornsky while searching for
information on Alaskan Native legends. This is the only book I've found that pertains to the
history
of the Tanaina (Dena'ina) Athabaskan. Mr. Kalifornsky recited many of these stories orally and in
the last years of his life wrote the stories in the Dena'ina dialect before translating them into
English.
This collection contains both versions, the Dena'ina version on the right hand page, English on the
left hand page. Mr. Kalifornsky explores the Dena'ina folklore, religious practices, and their sense
of
territory through the stories. The book also includes a history, including old photographs of the
Dena'ina Athabaskan's who live in Cook Inlet Basin of South Central Alaska.
Some may find the language uncomfortable. "The Ones who Turned into Bears" is the story of
two
sisters of one tribe and two brothers from another tribe. The youngest brother marries the
youngest
sister. The older sister leaves and the older brother follows her so he can marry her. This is how
people formed different tribes. But the older sister was disagreeable, which caused conflicts
between
the tribes. Mr. Kalifornsky's explanation adds texture and meaning to the stories.
The original story is not as clear: "There were two sisters. The older sister was mean. The
younger
sister was good-mannered. And two brothers came to them. And the younger brother married the
younger sister.
"That older sister was mean, and she left them. She went across the ocean. And the older brother
said, 'If she takes another form, that will be bad. I will go after her.'
"And he followed her and it got dark. He paddled up to her where she had a fire going. She was
lying under a bear skin. She did not look at him. 'Lie down with me,' she said to him. And he lay
down with her.
"In the morning, when they got up, they had become bears. And the younger brother and younger
sister too had become bears."
Yet, the collection of writings allows us to peek into a culture that is rich in tradition and stories.
This collection is used to teach Dena'ina children not only the Dena'ina language, but the history.
It's
written in such a way that anyone can benefit from the collection as long as the reader is aware
that
these stories do not follow the same approach as modern stories. These stories do not focus on
plot,
theme, or character. The stories are meant to unfold over time and with the explanations provided
for several of the stories, it becomes easier to see the meaning with each story.
Mr. Kalifornsky's other works include: Kahtnuht'ana Qenaga: The Kenai People's Language
(1977),
K'tl'egh'i Sukdu: Remain Stories (1984) and Five Legends of the Dena'ina People (1980).
Hershey Bar Sandwich
Helga Rule
Pagefree Publishing, Inc
733 Howard St., Otsego, MI
$19.95 Paperback ISBN 1589610261; $32.95 Hardcover ISBN 1589610644
(1-269-692-3885)
Richard Lundeen
Reviewer
"Something woke me up. It's dark in our room, and I can barely see Grandmother's figure sitting
in
her chair. She holds her rosary between her hands, letting the beads run through her fingers.
"Grandmother told me how hungry and cold those soldiers are, and still they have to fight. They
do
not have a place to get out of the cold and wet weather. Grandmother Lang told me why I don't
remember my papa. I was only three years old when I last saw him. Mutti and grandmother talked
to
me a lot about papa, but I can't remember him at all. Now I'm almost five. I can't remember
Grandfather Schneider either, because I was only two years old when he died. He worked for I.G.
Farben."
In that innocent style Helga Lang Rule begins Hershey Bar Sandwich, the story of a girl growing
up
during WW II. But for the use of the word "mutti" you would not realize that the locale is
Ludwigshafen in southern Germany near Mannheim, not London.
In the bomb shelter, "My face is pushed into the bottom of the woman in front of me. The smell of
her sweat is so strong it makes my empty stomach roll. I want to cover my mouth to keep my
vomit
off her."
After suffering illness, deprivation, repeated American and British bombing raids, cramped
quarters,
then destruction of their house, and refugee status, the family, mother, two daughters, and
grandmother, flee to the relative tranquillity of a farming town. The deaths of brothers and friends
wear them.
Finally, the father of little Helga, the narrator, returns, but all is not well. Helga's mother is
pregnant.
Helga's father does not appreciate this, and has other serious problems. He is prone to incest.
Snippets of history lessons entwine with the delightfully simple narrative. Through the course of
the
book, the voice changes naturally from the five year old, through adolescence, to a young adult,
without losing its innocence and honesty.
Did war ruin the father? What if there had been no war? Most of us know it from the Allied side,
from the stories about the bombing of London. This perspective will humble and broaden
you.
Keep this absorbing book where you can find it. You'll want to read it again in a few months. This
work is not bad strictly from an historian's viewpoint, and is a wonderfully written, necessary
addition to any well-rounded collection.
Ladies Night
Claudia Rose
Ellora's Cave
ISBN: 1-84360-349-7, $TBA, Published:2003
Jennifer Macaire, Reviewer
http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/Iskander
In a near future, the masses scream for new and different distractions. One of the more violent
forms
is cage fighting. Although not officially approved of, cage fighting is tolerated because it channels
the mob instincts of the teeming crowds. There, convicts tore themselves to pieces in the name of
entertainment.
Chief Sociologist, Dr. Helena Jewel, has a newly enhanced body and a newly enhanced sex drive.
In
the future, one can change appearances and also adjust one's libido. Helena's libido is set on high,
something that doesn't usually bother her; but her life is about to take a drastic change. She's
going
to ladies' night cage fighting, where ladies only are admitted. For Helena, the visit is to be
educational. She watches as two men fight to the death. She is horrified, but the crowd loves it.
Convict Brandt de Vos wins his fight and afterwards, the speaker announces a door prize. One
lucky
lady gets to take the winner home for a week, and guess who wins? Dr. Helena Jewel finds herself
saddled with a fighting convict for a week! She has a stun bracelet to use on him if he tries
anything
funny. The stun bracelet will control him. This is not at all what Helena planned, but she can't
back
down now. So she brings him back to her apartment, determined to make the best of things. But
the
best of things is not what she ever imagined!
This was a hot, fast read about a sexy, intelligent woman and a great, alpha hero. Brandt is a
convicted murderer, but the reader finds out all about that. His story is an integral part of the
book.
Helena is a great heroine, always keeping an open mind. The sex is great; Claudia Rose writes
terrific, descriptive sex scenes that are so hot I suggest you keep the ice-cubes handy! I
particularly
liked all the shower scenes they are many and varied! -- Highly recommended
Civilizations: Ten Thousand Years Of Ancient History
Jane McIntosh and Clint Twist
DK Publishing
95 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
ISBN: 0789478307, HB, $29.95, www.dk.com
Thomas Fortenberry
Reviewer
Civilizations is a fabulous history book in content as well as appearance, being designed in
over-sized hardback coffe-table style with DK's usual commitment to high quality, breathtaking
photographic production. However, this book is quite different than the usual ancient civilizations
books of this type in that it gives a very broad and at times deep overviews of the last ten
thousand
years of history. That is, this isn't a fluffy picture book; it is a serious study complete with graphs,
maps, and pictures to highlight its points. Not only does it cover the usual suspects like Egyptians,
Persians, Romans, Incas, and the Aztecs, but it covers more recently understood and explored
civilizations, such as Tiwanaku, Nazca, Moche, Indus, and the steppe cultures of Central Asia.
Likewise, beyond covering pyramids, cities and major wars, it tackles the origins and
advancements
of agriculture, pottery, copper, bronze, and iron metalurgy, textiles, medicine, art, recreation,
trade,
mathematics, religion, coinage, engineering, etc. Basically it does an amazing job of covering the
entire breadth of human civilization in short format (only 240 pages).
I was most pleased to see informative, up-to-date studies of numerous civilizations from different
time periods and often obscure corners of continents. Such as the study of the Indus civilizations.
Beyond merely mentioning Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, they provided an in-depth analysis of the
culture, its history, and its interaction with the world at large. This is very welcome, especially
after
decades of nearly identical renderings of mysterious lost cities of the Mayans and Asia. Here we
have fact and explanation. With exquisite photography, they were able to expose new finds and
illuminate cultural differences as well as similarities between different continents and times which
might be unknown to the common reader. On the back cover they say their goal is to inform and
delight the reader. They have done so admirably.
If we must find something to complain about, I would say that this book suffers a bit from the
modern age style of hypertext. In the middle of the study of each civilization, when we reach an
interesting topic like alphabets or weaving or navigation or burials, a page on that topic is
suddenly
inserted and wanders off across the globe and the ages to explore it. These are like pop up links
on
the Internet, and you can easily see this text as fully interactive and hyperlinked. So, if you aren't
careful, it is very easy to get lost in all these meandering albeit fascinating asides and at times
difficult to follow a single civilization from start to finish. You may be reading a chapter on
ancient
Egypt and suddenly somehow wind up in Mississippian mound building 5,000 years later. But if
this
is the only complaint, so be it. We can live with a little informative distraction now and again. I
highly recommend this easy to read and comprehend text to anyone young or old interested in the
history of the world. It certainly doesn't hurt to get our global history in a condensed yet beautiful
format.
The Work We Were Born To Do: Find The Work You Love, Love The Work You Do
Nick Williams
Element Book Ltd (National Book Network, dist.)
Old School House, Bell St., Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8PL, United Kingdom
ISBN 1862045526, $18.95, 381 pages, www.amazon.com
Grace Tierney
grace.tierney@ireland.com
Have you ever been stalked by a book ? You know, every time you're browsing in a book shop
you
pick it up because you're drawn to the cover, or friends insist that you must it ? Well this is one of
those books for me. I found it while waiting for my other half to finish selecting a dreary
textbook. I
couldn't bear to look at more technical books, so I strayed towards the self-help shelves. I was
proud of never having read a self-help book in my life but there I was, with time to kill, and a
golden-covered book before me called 'The Work we were Born to Do' by Nick Williams. It had a
distinct dog-earred look about it from customers sneaking a peak at the contents so I just let it fall
open at the most used section. I was halfway through the chapter before he caught me, 'Are you
buying that ?'
'Me ? A self-help book ? No way !'
I bought it a week later.
The subtitle explains the book's purpose quite clearly 'find the work you love, love the work you
do'.
Williams won't tell you how to quit your job and make a fortune, but he will guide you to
improving
what you currently do and how to find different work, if that's what you need.
His twelve principles cover the process of working out what you really want to do, helping you to
stop using money as an excuse to avoid change, unleashing your creativity, and learning what
success means to you. Each principle is explained clearly and then illustrated by a series of
questions
that he recommends you answer in a journal. The first will get you to outline your beliefs about
some aspect of work, the second will make you realise that you're merely repeating something
you
absorbed from others, and the final one helps you to decide for yourself. It's a simple ploy and it
works well. Even if you decide not to change anything in your life as a result, I am sure that you'll
understand yourself better.
He provides dozens of life examples from his work as a consultant for businesses and individuals
on
career issues. Bravely he has also included references to his own setback-plagued struggle to find
the
niche where he is now clearly happy. Reading stories about others who have been forced by
illness,
misery or inspiration to change their lives from being bankers to yoga teachers (and vice versa)
provided great encouragement. It is always good to know that others have survived the
transition.
His friendly style of writing, which is laced with inspirational quotations from sources as diverse
as
the Bible, Woody Allen, and the Dalai Lama, charms the reader into admitting their weaknesses
and
understanding that the cost of not changing may outweigh any risks involved in trying that new
chance or starting a small business of their own.
For those who use the 'But where on earth could I start ?' excuse there is no escape, as Williams
gives hundreds of practical steps to discovering and creating your ideal career. They vary from
thanking a current colleague for being helpful, to finding a mentor who loves their own work and
can be a positive example, through to using visualisation and deep breathing to focus your
energy.
There's plenty of food for thought in the book. It is worth reading slowly (or reading twice) and I
hate to recommend homework but keeping that question journal is a good idea. I defy you to read
this book and not learn something about yourself from it, even if you're not thinking about
changing
your work. Its only weakness is that you will need to be honest with yourself to get anything from
this sort of self-analysis, and honesty can be hard to come by.
So am I glad that this book stalked me ? Yes, I am. It helped me to realise some important facts
about my attitude to work, money, and dreams. Halfway through reading the book I saw an
advertisement for a freelance job that I would have normally have talked myself out of applying
for.
I applied in the spirit of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'. I got the job, and I love it.
Serpent's Dance
Larry Brooks
Signet Books
c/o New American Library
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN 0451207955, $6.99, 464 pages, 1-800-847-5515, www.amazon.com
Terry Mathews
Reviewer
Larry Broooks' latest offering to the world of paperback fiction is ultimately a dark tour de force
about family loyalty, friendship and forgiveness, but the author takes us on a long and tortuous
route
to salvation.
Bernadette Kane does not believe the police reports that say her sister Peggy committed suicide
after
a love affair went south. Bernie knows only that Peggy was involved with a computer magnate
named Wesley and that Wesley had a jet. With the help of her long-time friend, Eric Killen, Bernie
tracks Wesley to Arizona and lands a programming job at his company.
Bernie's appearance sets off a series of sinister events. While she thinks she's the lead dog,
watching
it all unfold, Bernie is actually just a pawn in two deadly games of greed and dark sexuality.
Do people like Damien and Diana exist? Are we so jaded that authors must resort to bleak plot
lines
to attract readers? I sure hope not....on both accounts.
I'm no Pollyanna, but the book's dark plot lines and somewhat incredible denouement stop me
from
giving the novel a thumbs up. I hope Brooks will use his considerable creative talents on a more
upbeat story next time around.
Birth: A Literary Companion
Kristin Kovacic and Lynne Barrett, editors
University of Iowa Press
119 West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
ISBN 0877458316, $19.95, 259 pages, 1-800-621-2736, www.amazon.com
Tracey Broussard
tracywrite@aol.com
I recently bought this anthology as a gift for a pregnant relative, then found myself unable to put it
down. In thumbing through Birth, A Literary Companion, I realized that it was not simply a book
for expectant mothers. It is a companion for both parents, which comforts before during and long
after the blessed event has occurred.
During my three pregnancies, my reading consisted mainly of childbirth classics such as What to
Expect When Youre Expecting. While offering plenty of information on the mechanics of birth,
the
books I read left me ill-prepared for the barrage of bullets to be dodged on the minefield that is
parenting. The physical changes and challenges faced during this time, while legitimate concerns,
were nothing compared to the terrifying emotional terrain I was to encounter.
This broad range of emotions are eloquently addressed within the poetry and prose presented in
Birth. As stated by writer, Edward Hirsch, Kristin Kovacic and Lynne Barrett have identified a
new
genre, birth literature, and delivered something extraordinary: a companionable anthology, an
imaginative guidebook a spiritual Baedeker to the daunting country of parenthood.
If parenthood is a country, then Kovacic and Barrett have mapped it with brutal honesty. Pain,
one
of the most feared aspects of giving birth, is addressed in stories such as Breastfeeding in Indiana,
by
Jane McCafferty. In the story a character says Pain was nothing in the face of the joy shed ushered
in
by being born, and confesses, Youll fall so crazily in love with your own baby. As silly as it
sounds,
no one ever told me that I would unabashedly fall in love with my babies.
I would like to have been forewarned with the Propaganda Poem: Maybe for Some Young
Mamas,
by Alicia Ostrika. She says of babies, they limit your libertythey limit your cashthey limit your
sleepthey whine until you want to murder them. My mother didnt confess until after I had children
that there were times she would have liked to pitch me through the window, and that I, too,
would
experience murderous thoughts.
And why is it the Lamaze people lie? Phillip Lopate hilariously writes about training for birth and
labor in his story, Delivering Lily. The central character relates that during prenatal Lamaze pep
talks, the husband was always being built up as an essential partner, then questions this
propaganda
about the husbands importance.
During labor he tries to comfort his wife, by giving her a neck rub or caressing her hand, all
recommended consolations by the Lamaze instructor. She shook me off like a cockroach.
The experiences of fathers are presented throughout the book, in stories such as the touching,
Saul
and Patsy Are in Labor, by Charles Baxter, and poetry by the likes of Stephen Dunn and Campbell
McGrath. And while many wonderful male writers are represented, the whole table of contents
reads
like a dream team of writers; Sylvia Plath, Rita Dove, Margaret Atwood, Sharon Olds, and so
on.
One of my favorite pieces is the poem, Prayer for My Children, by Kate Daniels:
I regret nothing.
My cruelties, my betrayals
of others I once thought
I loved. All the unlived
years, the unwritten
poems, the wasted nights
spent weeping and drinking.
No, I regret nothing
because what Ive lived
has led me here, to this room
with its marvelous riches,
its simple wealth
these three heads shining
beneath the Japanese lamp, laboring
over crayons and paper.
These three who love me
exactly as I am, precisely
at the center of my ill-built being.
Who rear up eagerly when I enter,
and fall down weeping when I leave.
whose eyes are my eyes.
Hair, my hair.
Whose bodies I cover with kisses and blankets.
Whose first meal was my own body.
Whose last, please God, I will not live
to serve, or share.
Amen. In the introduction to Birth, Kovacic and Barrett state, Like a traditional guidebook, Birth
is
organized chronologically, from early pregnancy to late infancy. New parents are inside a very
real
experience, and we think its one of the uses of literature to be a thoughtful companion to lifes
realities, one we wish wed had when our children were born.
I would argue that they have shortchanged themselves by stating, new parents. Although I havent
been a new parent for many years, I found myself buying a second copy of Birth to give to my
relative. The first copy I am keeping as a present to me.
Painted Lady
Peter Abresch
Intrigue Press
PO Box 102004, Denver, CO 80210
ISBN: 1890768472, $24.95, Phone: 303-777-0539, Fax: 303-756-8011,
www.intriguepress.com
Phillip Tomasso III
Reviewer
It is good to see author Peter Abresch back in the saddle again. Painted Lady is Abresch's fourth
James P. Dandy Elderhostel Mystery. Though it is a series, you do not need to read one in order
to
understand the other. Each novel easily stands on its own as a witty, well-plotted out amateur
detective mystery. Like all of Abresch's novels, the chapters are short, the dialogue is real, there is
history involved and a murder or two that needs to be solved.
Elderhostel is an actual group. It's for people over 55. They get together and take trips to various
locations around the country. Abresch has secured the permission of the group in order to have
his
mysteries take place on Elderhostel trips.
In Painted Lady, the Elderhostels are taking a trip along the Sante Fe Trail. Everyone is gathered
at
a hotel in Denver, waiting for the adventure to begin. James P. Dandy met Dodee at an
Edlerhostel
years ago, and the two have been together ever since (read to Bloody Bonsai). Dodee is an artist
who is a painting portrait in the hotel lobby, while Dandy is mingling with guests of the hotel,
when
a woman across the street either falls or is pushed off a balcony. As an emergency medical
technician, Dandy shouts for someone to call 911 as he rushes out of the hotel to the side of the
fallen woman. She's dead. She's dressed in Native American clothing. Later everyone learns that
the
woman was a Shaman, like a witch doctor. To make things more odd the unexplainable image in
the
likeness of the Shaman begins showing up on the work Dodee paints.
Reports gathered by the police and inferred by the media claim that Dandy swiped something off
the
Shaman at the scene. The Mayan Falcon. Dandy had been certain that the Shaman jumped to her
death. He did not believe the woman was pushed. That would indicate a murder had taken place.
However, when it becomes clearly apparent that some people think Dandy either has this
mysterious
falcon artifact, or that he knows where it is, murder isn't as unlikely a cause of death as he once
thought.
Priests, reverends and mystic mediums. Ninety-three year old athletes, handlebar mustache men,
and
rusty old green Buicks. The historical Sante Fe Trail, a kidnapping and more murder. A s‚ance,
dandelions and relationships. Peter Abresch knows what he's talking about. He spices the chapters
with history, romance and intrigue. He is craft and clever, weaving a tight-knitted plot. Fast, easy
to
read and satisfying. Another winner by a talented storyteller.
Roger's Bookshelf
Work 2.0
Bill Jensen
Perseus Publishing
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
ISBN 0738205699, $25.00, . Hardcover. 194 pages, 1-800-242-7737
This is the first book I've read that tempted me to write my review before I reached the last page.
The content and the style inspired me to spread the good word before I finished the book. I forced
myself to wait, and was continually delighted with what I gleaned from each page.
The world of work is changing-dramatically and quickly. Few people really "get" what is
happening,
let alone what to do about it. In my work as a Consulting Business Futurist, I face a daily
challenge
of motivating leaders to open up, shift their perspective, and begin to function differently than
they
ever have before. I'm almost embarrassed that I didn't write "Work 2.0," but still will have no
difficulty at all in recommending it to my clients. I'll also recommend it to corporate executives
who
are not yet enlightened enough to become clients! Reading this book will shake them up enough
to
do something.
The message of this book is powerful, direct, and in-your-face. It's compelling; you won't want to
put this book down. Employees are becoming more demanding-they want recognition, respect,
empowerment, and all the rest, but with a different twist and different intensity than we've ever
seen.
Have you read the books about disruptive events that change history? Jensen closes-after the
endnotes, acknowledgements, subject index, and people index-with a list of 55 disruptive events.
Number 55 is 9/11/2001. And more has happened since then. You, dear reader, will be part of the
sequel. It's unavoidable.
Corporate leaders: Read this book. Now, before your competitors do. Human resource
professionals: "Work 2.0" will unsettle you and stimulate you to advise management in a whole
new
way. Allow me to quote from the FAQ page at the end of the book. "Dear Loony Author: Are
you
nuts? Have you read the papers? Employees are in no position to ask for anything but
breadcrumbs.
As far as I'm concerned, there's no way the My-Way is coming our way. Sincerely,
Exec-in-Charge."
Jensen heard this message from senior executives, just as we have. Executives excited about being
back in control as the economy slowed.
Guess what! The economy's picking up. As we report in our book, "Impending Crisis: Too Many
Jobs, Too Few People," employers are moving into the most severe shortage of skilled labor in
history. Employees will be in the driver's seat again. The new contract with employees, described
in
vivid detail in "Work 2.0," is being written now-by workers, not by employers. Executives who
don't
get the message of this book risk being written out of the contract. -- The choice is yours.
Influence: Science And Practice
Robert B. Cialdini
Allyn & Bacon
160 Gould Street, Needham Heights, MA 02494
ISBN 0321011473, $21.99, Trade Paperback, 262 pages, 1-781-455-1250,
www.amazon.com
Here's a recipe for an enjoyable and useful book. Begin with one respected professor of
psychology
from Arizona State University. Sweeten with Regents Chair and Distinguished Graduate Research
Faculty distinction. Mix in comments from readers of previous editions ("we get mail"). Fold in
pop
psychology twist and plenty of examples. Season to taste with just enough irreverence to spice up
the text. Bake with three previous editions, improving on each version. Absorb and chill for 262
pages and gain a deep, fun, yet realistic understanding of how humans influence each other.
Marketers will benefit tremendously from this book. So will executives, managers, business
owners,
students, and everyone who has an interest in how we are influenced to make decisions. Those
decisions may affect what we buy, where we work and live, and what relationships we have with
others. The illustrations sprinkled throughout the volume offset the small print used to cram a
tremendous amount of content into a book that is small enough not to be intimidating. No wonder
over a quarter million copies have been sold. It's an Everyman's book on the topic, yet it's an
academic treatise as well, with 16 pages of references preceding the index.
Each chapter includes a summary and study questions-both on content and to stimulate critical
thinking. All those features you'd want in a book like this are all there, waiting for you. Expect to
curl up with this book, nod your head, laugh, shake your head, and wonder in amazement while
gaining insight. Cialdini grabs your attention and won't let go. Expect to make notes, write in
margins, underline or highlight, and repeat your reading.
Readers of "Influence" will look differently at the world around them. Even if you merely scan
through this book, you'll gain a new appreciation for advertising, group behavior, and even how
you're treated by salespeople, co-workers, bosses, parents and friends. The conscious and
unconscious heightened awareness will be well worth the time and money you invest in this
book.
How To Build A Winning Team: And Have Fun Doing It
Peter A. Land
Skyward Publishing
813 Michael, Kennett, MO 63857
1881554147, $18.95, Trade paperback, 156 pages, www.skywardpublishing.com
The shelves are filled with books on teams, team-building, team performance, team ad nauseum.
Do
we need another one? How will this book be any different, any better?
As I opened the cover and began reading the introduction, I felt very comfortable. There's a
human
quality to this author's writing style that invites you to keep turning pages. Land shared the story
of
his experience building a team within a United States Air Force squadron during the Viet Nam
War.
As I learned of the results he achieved, my interest was piqued.
Land is a Certified Management Consultant with a wide range of engagements under his belt. He
relates some of his experiences as we move through the book, teaching and sharing in a style that
is
more conversational than preachy. How refreshing! He even cites work done by other experts in
the
field, demonstrating that he's writing to help the reader instead of pumping his own
self-worth.
You'll read six chapters, taking you from an understanding of terms and concepts into
organizational
and team values. Chapter 4 explores the transition from traditional to team values, followed by a
chapter of the role of conflict in the process. In chapter 6, our helpful consultant takes us through
a
Team Building Process that Really Works. Five appendices provide tools for leaders to use in
building teams in their organizations.
After reading this book, you'll have a different perspective and confidence about what can be
done.
Apply what you've learned and you'll build higher results similar to what Land built with the Air
Force squadron when he began the process he helps us understand.
The Care And Feeding Of Indigo Children
Doreen Virtue, Ph.D.
Hay House
P.O. Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
ISBN 10561708461, $13.95, Trade paperback, 242 pages, www.hayhouse.com
Indigo children, a recognized group among today's young people, have been diagnosed, studied,
and
supported by psychologists, educators, and lay people. Born after 1978, they are described as
bright,
intuitive, strong-willed, and sometimes self-destructive individuals. I learned about them from
some
educators I served in a consulting capacity and read The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have
Arrived" by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober. I learned a lot from that book and found myself wanting
more. That drive led me to this book.
Compared to "The Indigo Children", this book fell short of my expectations. Because of the
author's
strong spiritual leaning, the topics, content, and treatment went much further into angels and
prayers
than it did into how to work practically with these special young people. Perhaps I should have
expected this when I saw the author's photo on the back cover. It's a rather unusual shot of a
woman
in a forest with a Koala bear and she does not appear to have clothes on. Different kind of author
photo than I'm accustomed to.
Virtue is described as a PhD "spiritual doctor of psychology." She's heavily invested in angels
(author of "Healing with Angels"), which is quite obvious in the book. There is significant text
devoted to angels, prayers, and the evils of pharmaceuticals like Ritalin.
Some readers may find the pre-written prayers helpful for them. My Indigo step-daughter was less
than enthusiastic about prescriptions for communicating with spirits, though the book suggests
that
some Indigos are really into that sort of experience.
The book includes a number of valuable tips about diet, concentration, and overcoming insomnia.
I
would have personally preferred more emphasis on these practical techniques than the heavy
spiritual component. If you are into the spiritual, you'll enjoy this book, becoming immersed in all
of
its aspects. If you are not so spiritual, you'll still find some concrete ideas interwoven in the
text.
Would You Work For You?
Sam Geist
Addington & Wentworth, Inc.
ISBN 1896984126, $24.95, Hardcover, 181 pages, www.amazon.com,
http://www.samgeist.com/
In today's turbulent world, we face a dangerous scarcity of effective leaders. The whole concept
of
quality leadership seems to be a foreign concept to many of the people charged with the
responsibility of running organizations-whether those organizations are multi-national
conglomerates, discrete departments, or a mom-and-pop store down on the corner.
Geist begins, aptly enough, by defining leadership and the interconnectivity of the leader, people,
skills, and vision. Chapter two gets us right into self-awareness and the need to manage your own
emotions more effectively. Management is logical; leadership is emotional. As we move through
this
chapter, we slide from one set of advice to another. Ten Steps to Develop Accurate
Self-Perception
is followed by topics like relationships and human behavior principles, trust, and self-control.
Chapter 3 explores the people aspect of the interconnectivity model. What are people looking for?
What's the most effective way to deliver it to them? We learn how to meet employee expectations
with praise, recognition, mentoring, work-life balance, and inspiration. Chapter four emphasizes
skill
development, beginning with the hiring process to be sure you have the right people on board.
Team
building, time management, delegation, conflict resolution, and decision making are addressed,
providing insight into the fundamental skills that build leadership success.
Chapter five deviates from the four components of interconnectivity to address the all-important
communication skills. The basics are all here-writing, speaking, reading, non-verbal. Chapter 6
returns to the model with a focus on the vision and how to move an organization forward.
Innovation, change, culture development, and execution are discussed. A summary chapter
reminds
us that we're all still human, and that humanness is a vital part of leadership.
There is a series of "tough questions" at the end of each chapter, with some blanks for you to
record
your answers in workbook fashion. Insightful and inspiring quotations are sprinkled throughout
the
text. An index is included for later reference.
This is a good primer for supervisors or people without management experience. It's a broad and
shallow survey of the myriad of concerns that face leaders. In the space available, Geist does not
go
into great depth in any of the topics; you'll find that penetration in other books. This is also not
one
of those books that will rock you to your very foundations and make you uncomfortable. It's a
good
starter book for people moving into leadership in corporate, non-profit, or civic organizations.
The
principles are universal, and essential for people moving up the leadership ladder.
Roger E. Herman
Reviewer
Rick's Bookshelf
The Eternal Battle
Keith Gouveia
1st Books Library
ISBN # 1-4033-1318-0 (ebook), www.1stbooks.com
ISBN # 1-4033-1319-9 (paperback), 298 pp, $14.95
In his debut novel, The Eternal Battle, Keith Gouveia does what the horror field has needed for a
long time, that of breathing life into an over written sub-genre. He has expanded the horizon of
modern day vampire stories into an area that, at least to this reviewer, is one never seen before.
As
Gouveia writes, the eternal battle between good and evil rages on each and every day, but this
particular battle stands out as one of both great courage and tragedy. That is the premise we are
given in the beginning pages of the novel, the author setting up the cosmic level this takes place
on
by the mention of God and Lucifer, yet manages to not make it sound preachy, instead
informative
and doctrinally sound.
The story then switches to a small cargo plane as it makes its way from London to Boston. The
two
men flying the plane have no idea that they are transporting two vampires, but once the sun sets
on
their travels, the unholy pair awaken, thirsting for blood. In the onslaught of violence that follows,
both the pilots and one of the vampires, lose their lives, leaving one lone vampire to see to the
survival of his bloodline. As the plane goes down, the vampire escapes, and begins a search of the
area for a meal.
The novels' main character, Police Detective Mike Caisse, finds himself thrown into a strange
world
of vampires and their zombie slaves after his wife Julie has a physical affair with the last of the
vampire bloodline from Europe that escaped from the plane, Jean Pierre. From this unholy union a
child named Daniel is born, half human and half vampire. Not long after, Mike's wife willingly
becomes one of the undead, leaving him with the responsibility of raising the child alone. Daniel
begins aging at an alarming rate, and Mike realizes that he needs to put an end to the vampires
before any more innocent lives are affected.
The story becomes even more enthralling when Julie and Jean Pierre want their son. Mike, with
the
help of John, his friend and partner on the police force, and Daniel, now aged to that of a teen,
make
it their mission to eradicate the vampire couple along with any newly created vampires. Julie seeks
vengeance on Mike, and in a failed attempt to turn him into her slave, she unwittingly grants him
powers beyond those that her and Jean posses. The battlefield now much more evenly matched,
both
sides make the necessary preparation for the melee that is to result.
The vampires need to come up with a way to destroy Mike before he has a chance to end what
they
have worked so hard to establish. They must build up their forces and gather the necessary tools
while hoping that Mike will not find them as they rest. Mike has to destroy his wife, the woman
he
once loved, in order to save humanity, and free himself from the curse she placed upon him.
However before he has a chance to do this, John is drawn in further, making the decisions Mike
faces that much harder. His own fate, as well as that of Daniel, and John now relies on him being
able to win this battle.
The style of writing shown by Mr. Gouveia draws you in quickly and keeps you through the end,
making it hard to put the book down. The story is not bogged down with unnecessary descriptive
narrative as you find with so many stories of this type, no endless paragraphs describing leaves on
a
tree, or the cut of someone's coat. It is refreshingly, highly character driven, and filled to the brim
with action and dialogue. No matter what you feel for the characters, they will grab hold of you,
as
you are drug right into the center of the melee, with the eternal battle ensuing around you.
Perhaps
the highest compliment that I could pay is that once the story ends, I want to see more of the
characters. I hope a sequel is forthcoming.
Degree Of Caution
Sibyl Avery Jackson
Milligan Press
1425 West Manchester Suite B, Los Angeles California 90047
ISBN 1881524272, $15.95, paperback, www.amazon.com
It has been said that the best murder weapons are ones using common items. Not only is the
weapon
itself often overlooked as being capable of causing a death, but it is easy to hide it in plain sight,
and/or dispose of it readily. With Hitchcock, it was an icicle; it's sharp, melts, and leaves no
fingerprints, even if it somehow manages to hold its shape. With author Sibyl Avery Jackson, it is
a
cell phone, and therein lies the beauty of this work.
In her novel "Degree of Caution", Ms Jackson has shown a mastery of storytelling that makes for
a
gripping and compelling story. From the cover art to the final page, she manages to craft a tale
that
made me as a reader stop and think over the chance of this being more truth than fiction-if not
already, then someday in the not too distant future. Add to the mix Ms. Jackson's history in the
cellular phone industry, and coupled with all the reporting in the media regarding cell phone
safety,
you have to wonder was she conjecturing or confiding?
This is a story of Corporate America caring more for the dollar than the consumer, and the town
of
Bastrop Texas having to pay the cost for that greed in the lives of it's citizens due to the testing of
a
new cell phone. The Excalibur is a next generation wireless that is given to some of the people in
the
town to try out, and not long after the test marketing is completed, those that received the new
phone begin to get sick and fall into a coma, some even die. The manufacturer, along with
divisions
of the U.S. government begins a cover-up, the likes of which has never been seen before. Enter
FBI
Special Agent Monica Sinclair, who goes undercover to try to find the truth behind what really
happened in that small town. But they are ready to ship The Excalibur worldwide-can she stop
them
before mass carnage is unleashed?
Ms. Jackson has not only crafted a tightly wound mystery that unravels at just the right pace to
keep
the reader interested, but she has also created characters that exist in a real world, with all of the
concerns, misgivings and apprehensions that go with being a living breathing human being. Her
characters have a three dimensional feel that makes the reading of this 400 page novel not a
chore,
but a thrill. Her heroes are heroic and her villain's evil without being caricatures, my compliments
to
her for doing so well. I think that any filmmaker worth his salt should pick up this story and run
with
it, it would make one terrific movie, and any reader who is looking for a solid well told tale should
buy this book. Then you too will be like me and ask when is the next adventure with Special
Agent
Monica Sinclair going to be out? I hope it's soon.
Rick Mohr, Reviewer
http://www.pcisys.net/~drmforge/rickmohr.htm
Pogo's Bookshelf
Pathways To Publication: Ways For Writers To Reach Readers
Bernie Ross and Trevor Lockwood
Author.co.uk
61 Gainsborough Road: Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7HS UK
1898030170 ppbk 304pp, 2002, 10 UK
189803060X .pdf 207pp, 2002, http://www.author.co.uk, sales@author.co.uk
So you want to be a writer? Get published and have folks stand in line for your autograph? Have
them fall at your feet for your ingenuity and creativity? Be famous like Grisham and dominate
headlines like J K Rowling?
Stop. Fantasies like cobwebs are easy to shred. Successful publication is more sturdy enduring
like
good linens, and the best you know, are made from the humblest weeds, like nettles and thistles.
Expect to to get your ego pricked in the process with the bloody, hard work of weaving together
a
story.
Bernie Ross and Trevor Lockwood present insights into the creativity of successsful writing. The
book is well-organized for the reader to glance through the table of contents to find tips and tricks
for improving his skills and productivity in developing daily discipline and alternative viewing for
twisting the perspective.
The authors point out that writing cannot be purely internal reflection without becoming static,
egocentric and boring. For lively expression, a writer needs external relationships whether
grouching
with an editor, kicking the reviewer or talking with a friend. Use Grouching Therapy to improve
your level of work; become more objective and critical of your writing. The authors warn,
"You might think you've written a good book and you may have indeed written a good story, but
the
skill goes well beyond good grammar and a good yarn, and too many nascent writers find it hard
to
understand this. Writing must be tight, concise and daring if it's to stand out in the ocean of words
that arrive on publisher's desk every week. " (p10)
Thus said, the authors systematically begin your education of twisting the writing perspective until
it
unfolds in seductive reading that leads us into a different world. To do this takes creativity
balanced
by craft. Being wise, the authors caution to begin with the end,
"One aim may be to produce a book; just an ink-smeared-on-dead-trees-book. Whatever process
is
finally chosen, the production of the final book must be as good as can be achieved. It's not just
about the content, which must be subjected to close scrutiny by a disinterested third party,
preferably
a professional editor or proof-reader, but also the physical quality of the work."
For self-publishers and writers going with the POD route, this is particularly true. Although things
are seldom what they seem, cover art, layout and typeface attract or repulse the reader or the
publisher. The authors cover all aspects of the practical aspects, including basics about copyright,
permissions, editing and formatting the manuscript so attract the eye of a busy editor or agent,
giving insights on the variety of publishing avenues that are presently available: traditional, POD
and
electronic.
Unsure of yourself? Well, try the many exercises out to find your strengths and weaknesses.
Explore
the variety of genre and take a fresh look at resources available in your local library or on the
internet to help you identify your personal strengths. The authors provide a broad range of
creative
exercises to exoricise the devilry inside of you. Find your Rostrum and get Literary Clout. Argue
and trigger debate. That's what it is about: Creating conflict with the magic of resolution. Talk,
tell
and visualise as you send your characters into plots and predicaments. Learn to listen and identify
different voices so that they speak across the page and into the reader's room. So start at the
beginning with the tools of the trade and get a life. Write.
Rising From The Ashes
Michael laRocca
NBI Novel Books Inc
PO Box 661, Douglas MA MA 01516
1-59105-085-5 ppbk 220pp 2002 14.95 USD
1-59105-0060-X electronic version 5.50 USD, http://www.novelbooksinc.com
Rising from the Ashes invokes the image of a phoenix fledging from the fiery nest. Michael
LaRocca
evokes poignant scenes of a life shattered by hardships as his mother struggled for independence
and
social respect in a world unfriendly to single women. Reassembled in fragments to form a brilliant
kaleidescopic reflection of his childhood, LaRocca recounts the ups and downs of daily life in the
lower caste of American society. Forget watching Ozzie or Joe Millionaire: what you find here is
reality where the ordinary and the not-so-ordinary blend together to make an intriguing mosaic of
American life.
Reality begins with page one:
"My mother left my father when I was two. When she remarried, she didn't know that she'd end
up
raising my little brother and me alone... After Barry was born, Daddy picked up Mom and Barry
from the hospital and took them to a motel room where I waited with a baby-sitter. He had lost
the
house in a poker game.. A few days later, he won it back."
The reader lands some heavy bumps in the see-saw of life. Michael's mother not only experiences
the
loss of a familial roof in her time of new role of motherhood, but also gets bashed about quite
badly
by an irascible husband. Like a mother eagle facing extinction, she fights to protect her nestlings,
hoping for a better toehold in life. The breaking point comes when Daddy Sam viciously tosses
Michael, who crosses the forbidden den as a shortcut to the kitchen,.against a wall
"You get away from him!" she screamed. She was mad, but it wasn't scary because she wasn't
mad
at me. She was mad at Daddy Sam. "You can hit me all you want, but don't you dare touch my
son!"
(p6)
Without much hesitation, she packed their few things and gathered them together to leave.
"Where are we going?" Barry asked.
"I'm going to leave you at Eleanor's house for a little while so I can find us a place to live."
"Are we ever going back to Daddy Sam?" Barry asked.
"No." Mom's smile vanished and her expression turned hard.
"Did Daddy Sam really hit you?" Barry asked.
Mom nodded, and swallowed. "You don't have to call him Daddy Sam. Just call him Sam."
"I don't like Sam," Barry said.
"Me either," I agreed.
"Don't worry," Mom told us, "You'll never see Sam again." (p7)
Unlike Dorothy in the wonderful world of Oz, life didn't follow along a yellow brick road. After
their removal from the house of dispute, they settle in the Eutaugh Apartments. Life goes on with
making new friends, learning new prohibited words and going to school; but by Chapter Two,
another seismic tremor hits with the announcement:
"Mom," Barry siad one day, "you said we moved to Durham to be close to Gramma. But that's
not
the only reason is it?" "No, it's not. We had to leave Eutaugh Apartments because I didn't have
enough money to pay the rent." "Why?" he asked. "It's hard raising two boys with what I get
paid."
(p27)
The harsh realities of seeking work and moving house has already become cyclical, causing the
family to become transient in settled middle America. Unable to fulfill all the obligations of work
and
parenting with financial restraints, the family is often confronts more hardship.
Michael opts to move in with Daddy Jim and Ruby, offering insight to the problems of split
families.
Whether Daddy Jim is much better than Daddy Sam is unknown. Realistically drawn, the cussing
redneck American, he accidentally shoots a doe out of season. Why? Just for kicks to frighten her.
He wanted to see her run. Ruby puts on a front of an strict abstainer, but stocks the kitchen
cupboards with whiskey, while Daddy Jim downs beer out brown paper bags while driving.
Michael,
seeking escape from his little brother, Barry's meanness, finds a new opponent in Mark, Ruby's
son.
Instead of wearing jeans, he gets stuck with Ruby selected clothing, which when soiled or torn by
the overfriendly dog, he gets a belting. Burdened with chores, threats and more physical abuse,
Michael learns that every trade-off has a price. Now he lives in a roomy house with a semi-private
bath, new clothes, television and beer; but there seems to be little emotional security. In a year he
contracts the mumps and has an ear infection that both need medical attention and gets bounced
back to his single mother.
Poignant, well-written, the writer leads you through the years and experiences, from living in an
apartment to living in a car. Personal, it lends an intimate picture of struggling America, of the
conflicts and obstacles that confront kids from split families. Clearly voiced, it could be used as a
documentary on single parenthood to support the argument that single-parents ought to receive
financial support from the government to help them maintain their integrity and personal pride.
With
very little outside support and financial resources, Michael's mother faced difficult personal and
ethical choices. When jobs are low-paying, and the kids too young to bring in their own pocket
money, women are often forced into humiliating circumstances to be dependent on boyfriends or
casual relationships to help out with basic necessities. Unfortunately, women who suffer abuse,
tend
to fall back into abusive situations as a result of social pressures and lack of financial resources.
Society puts women at risk by refusing responsibility for social welfare. Enter Eugene.
Eugene piles their things into the old Plymouth Fury to take them on a ride to California for a new
life, but teaches them to steal and cheat instead. The ride comes to an inglorious end as Eugene
runs
out of tricks and Micheal makes an emergency call to Daddy Jim.
Moving, startling and spell-binding, the narrator leads us on through one adventure after another,
reading like a modern Tom Sawyer in the electronic age. Headlines scream about Florida's
disappearing children and the notorious negligence of the social-welfare system. Whether New
Jersey or Washington State, the stories echo the dilemma of broken families, of neglected and
abused children throughout the United Sates, framing their lives within these pages. Unable to
accept defeat, Michael's mother fights back after every setback to establish a new toehold in life.
We
see Barry and Michael grow from scrappy kids into responsible adults. With no easy breaks, the
cycle of temporary work and moving is finally vanquished. Just when life should be the sweetest,
fate turns cuts threads.
Suspenseful, warm, chilling and humorous, we await to see the phoenix rise again from the
ashes.
Pogo
Reviewer
pogomcl@dowse.com
Peter's Bookshelf
The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book, 13th Edition
Dan Poynter
Para Publishing
P.O. Box 8206, Santa Barbara, CA 93118-8206
1568600739, $19.95, 430 pages, http://www.ParaPublishing.com
The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book (13th Edition, 2002)
by Dan Poynter is one of the great, classic books about self-publishing. As a self-published author
with hundreds of thousands of books sold and over twenty-years experience in the publishing
industry, Poynter is one of the most highly-respected experts in the field of self-publishing.
The revised edition of The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own
Book
expands upon earlier editions to discuss ebooks and Printing-on-Demand (POD) books, as well as
conventional self-publishing.
Poynter tells us a self-publisher using conventional offset printing should budget about $15,000 to
launch a new self-published book. Poynter also discusses digital printing technology (sometimes
called POD books), which makes small press runs feasible, allowing self-published books to be
launched for only a few hundred dollars in production costs.
With the offset-printing route, Poynter suggests printing 3,000 copies, because he says a good
non-fiction book should sell at least 2,500 copies in its first year, and promotion might involve
sending out as many as 500 review copies to book reviewers and industry leaders. Poynter tends
to
favor free publicity over paid advertising to market books.
The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book has chapters about
writing a book, book production, book promotion and marketing, starting a publishing business,
and
book fulfillment options. The Self-Publishing Manual also contains an extensive resource section
for
self-publishers.
Poynter is a big fan of seeking non-bookstore sales. Poynter writes: "Fifty percent of the
customers
in a bookstore are looking for a particular book. These particular-book seekers are more likely to
be
younger and female. About 47% are looking for a nonfiction title, 27% for a particular book of
fiction and 28% want textbooks. Although 20% do not find the book they are looking for, 54%
buy
one or more books before they leave. Then there are those people who never visit a bookstore.
Bookstores are a lousy place to sell books."
What about college bookstores? Poynter writes: "Don't put too much energy into college stores.
Many of them primarily stock text books and reference materials. Students generally don't spend
money on much more than assigned texts, CDs, and beer."
In marketing your self-published book, Poynter says you should start by evaluating the people
most
likely to purchase your book. Poynter writes: "Ask yourself what stores they frequent, what
magazines they read, what associations they join, what conventions or events they attend, what
channels they watch, ... and so on. Where can you find a high concentration of people interested
in
your book? Analyze carefully the type of person who is a prospective purchaser of your book.
This
is perhaps the single most important thing to consider."
The information, insight, and resources about book marketing alone make The Self-Publishing
Manual: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book a necessary addition to the
self-publisher's
or author's bookshelf. (As Poynter notes, authors, even if published by major publishers, are
largely
responsible for promoting their own books.)
Although The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book is as
up-to-date as any other self-publishing book, the book publishing industry is constantly changing.
For example, the Ingram Express program for small publishers has been radically redesigned, so
the
terms and conditions of the program are far different from those listed in The Self-Publishing
Manual. (Ingram is the world's largest book distributor).
The Self-Publishing Manual doesn't mention any of the professional, online discussion lists, such
as
Publish-L (Publish-L.com), among its resources. These discussion lists can be valuable to new
self-publishers and keep them up-to-date about industry changes. Other than this oversight of
omitting publisher discussion lists as resources to keep current about the industry, The
Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book is a nearly perfect
introduction to self-publishing.
Presentation Magic: Dazzle & Deliver Talks With Confidence
Marisa D'Vari
DEG International Publishing
220 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
1931094020 $21.95, 143 pages, softcover, http://www.deg.com
Presentation Magic: Dazzle & Deliver Talks With Confidence by Marisa D'Vari helps people who
want to improve their presentation, public speaking, and networking skills.
"Behind Every Power Player is an Effective Speaker," writes D'Vari, who tells us that in today's
package-focused society, everyone is a brand and we're always on display.
D'Vari writes: "In today's competitive world, your professional and social success depends on
your
ability to present your ideas to your colleagues, make more effective client presentations on the
job,
feel more confident in social situations, and handle media opportunities with panache."
While much of how others evaluate us is subconscious, D'Vari says there's a lot we can do to
control
and hone the image we project.
D'Vari tells us about a young, "...unhappy boy in a bleak English town...who yearned for a better
life." By studying the mannerisms, speech, dress, and behaviors of those he admired, the boy
polished his image. Eventually, the boy decided to become an actor and changed his name to Cary
Grant.
"Are you stuck in a rut? Changing your image can have a huge impact on how you see yourself,
and
how others see you," writes D'Vari.
To improve your presentation skills, D'Vari suggests these steps:
- Analyze your audience, especially their level of knowledge about the topic and why they've
come
to listen to you.
- Make your presentation "you centric," establishing an emotional connection with the audience
and
showing how your speech can improve the listener's life.
- Use stories and anecdotes
- Create key units of information
- Vary your presentation. Smile, move, establish eye contact, and pause from time-to-time at key
points.
- Take an acting class
D'Vari says it's important to prepare for your presentation, to visualize yourself being successful,
and
to "banish mind yapping" to positively influence your subconscious mind before delivering a
presentation.
D'Vari writes: "... The mind/body response does not differentiate between past, present, future, or
imagination. Each registers an image. Conditioning your mind to see yourself as confident and
positive is one of the fundamental components of this process to achieving excellence while
making
a presentation."
As part of preparation, D'Vari says you should test any visual aids in advance, especially things
like
overhead projectors. Be sure everything works, so you don't become discombobulated right
before
your speech.
D'Vari asks us to consider the image created by unpolished shoes, a spot on the shirt, being
overwhelmed by the overhead projector, or other apparently minor items.
Consider entering a house of worship where the religious leader has a spot on his shirt. D'Vari
observes: "Here we are, anticipating someone who can lead us to salvation, and he can't even get
the
coffee stain off his shirt."
"We are 'pre-wired' to take appearance into account in every area of our lives," writes D'Vari,
"...In
any presentation situation, the audience looks to our appearance first, then our manner of
delivery,
and finally, the content itself."
Presentation Magic: Dazzle & Deliver Talks With Confidence by Marisa D'Vari also has great
advice for anyone wishing to improve his or her networking skills.
Peter Hupalo
Reviewer
Sullivan's Bookshelf
A Brilliant Solution: Inventing The American Constitution
Carol Berkin
Harcourt, Inc.
15 East 26th Street, 15th floor, New York, NY 10010
ISBN # 0151009481, $26.00, 1-800-543-1918, www.amazon.com
Most Americans don't know much about their U.S. Constitution. Carol Berkin corrects that and
makes it interesting. Taking the scant U.S. Constitutional Convention records, mostly James
Madison's personal notes, which were sealed until long after his death, she traces the ebb and flow
of
political debate in the summer of 1787 within the closed and secret meeting place, the East Room
of
the Pennsylvania statehouse that would become known as Independence Hall.
For a long time during that unusually hot summer in Philadelphia, the new consstitution, known
about only by convention attendees who were required to remain silent outside the hall about
what
was going on inside, was in serious doubt. Debates pitting small states, like Connecticut,
Massachusetts, and Rhode Island (derisively called Rogues Island), against large states, like
Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania. Then there were the nationalists versus the states
righters.
Small states were afraid of losing their equal clout with big states. And states had to count slaves
as
only 3/5 of a man for population purposes to determine how many congressional representatives
they got.
But perhaps the most devisive debates were between those who favored a strong Federal
government and those who wanted the states to keep all their powers. The solution to most such
debates was a bicameral (two chambered) legislature: a House of Representatives, whose number
were elected by the people based on their state's population. The other legislative part was the
Senate, two senators per state, elected by that state's legislature.
A sidelight to this was that George Washington participated, since he was the presiding officer, in
only one debate. He believed that there should be one representative per 30,000 people. This was
agreed to.
The resolution quenched the protracted battle concerning the legislative branch of the Federal
government. The chief executive's position, seen subordinate to the legislature, brought new
argument. Some at the convention wanted a three-man office of the executive. Others thought the
president ought to have a seven year term of office and no more. Such debates raged on. Mostly,
those at the gathering were worried that the presidency could easily slide into that of monarchy
with
the president becoming king.
Though the field of psychology hadn't been formed, nor would it be for many years, the founding
fathers knew mankind and its faults only too well. Such distinguished men knew through history
and
their own experiences the temptations a president might face. Thus, such powers as that of
declaring
war was put in the hands of congress and not in the presidency to prevent his acting rashly or
recklessly.
Establishing the judiciary, the Supreme Court, was less contentious and much less defined by the
convention.
The author makes this story come alive with dynamic, daring actual characters who participated in
this Constitutional Convention. Most everyone knows about Ben Franklin, the oldest man there.
And all high school students should be aware that George Washington was chosen to preside over
this august gathering. But fewer people realized that James Madison was the real force behind the
convention. And he, along with fellow convention delegates, such as Alexander Hamilton, would
push for, and win, the nationlist cause.
Other interesting people also in attendance were Gouverneur Morris, (with his wooden leg and
proclivity for the females), Eldridge Gerry, from whom the term 'gerrymandering' comes, and
James
Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, one of the best lawyers from Pennsylvania,
and
the person who read Franklin's speeches for him on the floor of the conventon. All of those people
are hardly household names but were powers to be reckoned with.
George Washington's presidential inauguration ends the book's story. But that's followed by short
biographies of all convention delegates, the complete U.S. Constitution, and the full Articles of
Confederation (which ruled the country before the U.S. Constitution was ratified). Consequently,
this volume makes an ideal, handy reference guide.
Berkin writes in her introduction, "... Madison's remarkable record of the debates in the
convention
reveal, on virtually every page, a collective anxiety about what they were doing and a
near-paranoid
fear of conspiracies springing up around them--and among them. If they assumed a set of
enduring
truths, many of these truths were negative. Chief among them were that men were corruptible and
that power always corrupted. Greed and lust for power, as Franklin frequently pointed out in the
convention debates, were unquenchable in mortal men."
A professor of American History at C.U.N.Y. and at Baruch College, Berkin has authored
numerous
other history tomes. She resides in New York City. -- Recommended!
Whoever Makes The Most Mistakes Wins: The Paradox Of Innovation
Richard Farson and Ralph Keyes
The Free Press
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN # 0743225929, $22.00, 1-800-223-2336, www.amazon.com
The authors' main point, told in numerous interesting and informative anecdotes, is that a person
shouldn't be afraid to fail in trying to accomplish something worthwhile. That goes for individuals
as
well as for companies.
Too often, the goal is to succeed everytime an attempt is made without ever making mistakes,
coming up short, or outright failure. But this book asks readers and executives to treat success
and
failure similarly.
Admittedly, few companies and corporations are willing to accept unsuccessful efforts, even
though
they were sincere and well thought out. Those types of firms tend to be rigid. And their
employees
are afraid to take chances or creating something for fear that if they fail, they will be out of a job,
demoted, or shunted to the side.
The authors write in their introduction, "Relying on conventinal, outmoded ideas about success
and
failure stands in the way of your ability to innovate, compete, and stay ahead of the curve in a
changing economy."
Richard Farson, who resides in California, has written other books, among them Management Of
The Absurd.
Ralph Keyes, at home in Ohio, has authored The Courage To Write and other volumes.
This book is highly recommended for all high school and college graduates, not to mention every
CEO in America!
Jim Sullivan
Reviewer
Magdalena's Bookshelf
The Enigma Of Arrival
VS Naipaul
Vintage Books
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
0394757602 $15.00, 354 pages, 1-800-726-0600, www.amazon.com
Nobel Prize winner VS Naipaul is well known for his statements about the "death of the novel" -
his
criticisms of plot, character and a forward moving narrative structure. His recently re-released
1886
book, The Enigma of Arrival, which he labels a 'novel,' proceeds with very limited plot,
characterisation and a structure that takes it form much more closely from memoir and even diary
writing than a formal narrative. That the work has been widely praised is certain. The dust jacket
contains gushing accolades from no less than Anthony Burgess, Bernard Levin and Jan Morris.
Although the writing is richly descriptive, it is hard to see The Enigma of Arrival as a novel at all,
but rather a self-indulgent account of a short period of Naipaul's own life. Of course all novelists
take their material partly from their own life, but Naipaul never refines this vision of his into
something universal, never pulls together anything more than the most internally focused and
concurrently self-aggrandising and depressing vision.
There are 5 chapters, or "sections" as Naipaul describes them. The second section, "The Journey"
follows Naipaul as he leaves Trinidad for England for the first time. The final section, "The
Ceremony of Farewell" is really an epilogue, although much of the book reads like an epilogue.
The
other sections take place in a small Wiltshire village during a period where the narrator rented a
cottage, worked on a number of other books, and had a serious spell of illness. During this time
he
observed, from the detailed perspective of an outsider, the people, and natural world around him.
The narrator himself is so obviously and clearly Naipaul that it is impossible to see him as a
character, and although we find out much about him through his first peron observations, there is
little of formal development of this person aside from these impressions. We know little about his
life in between his travel from Trinidad to England and his later stay in Wiltshire. It is as if the
reader
were being asked to rely on our understanding of Naipaul's own body of work, referred to, his
unwritten biography and his considerable reputation to understand who this narrator is.
As the narrator's contact with the people around him remains cursory, we don't really get to know
any of the other characters either, except in a very superficial sense. We hear a little gossip, and
learn much about the clothing they wear, but aside from a few rather cliched surmises by the
narrator, we learn almost nothing. Jack, a man with a whole chapter dedicated to him, is a quaint
farm labourer, wont to work with his shirt off and devoted to his garden until his health fails. The
descriptions of Jack's features, his waxen face, his clothing and his connection to his plot are some
of
the best pieces of writing in the book, but we see it as a passing observation by the only real
character - the narrator:
"His eyes were far away. It was his eyes, oddly obstreperous, oddly jumpy, that gave him away,
that
said he was after all a farm worker, that in another setting, in a more crowded or competitive
place,
he might have sunk. And the discovery was a little disconcerting, because (after I had got rid of
the
idea that he was a remnant of old peasantry) I had found in thatbeard of his, a man with a high
idea
of himself, a man who had out of principle turned away from other styles of life." (29-30)
Other characters are equally glossed over, with detailed surmises about who they are and how
they
see the world taken solely from the clothing they wear, the manner in which they walk or talk, and
the odd greeting or bit of news. There is Brenda and Les who provide a bit of local colour and
even
some minor plot material with Brenda's scandal and sudden murder, but all we know of them is
this:
"And that took some understanding, that people like Brenda and Les, who were so passionate, so
concerned with their individuality, their style, the quality of their skin and hair, it took some
understanding that people who were so proud and flaunting in one way should be prepared in
another corner of their hearts or souls or minds to go down several notches and be servants."
(70)
One begins to learn more about the prejudices of the narrator with each character who joins the
reminiscence but ultimately the characterisation of the Phillipses, Brenda and Les, Pitton the
gardener, the landlord, Bray and the failed writer Alan (who at least gets some degree of dialogue
and his own voice) is no more in depth than one of those games you play on a bus or at a cafe
where
you look at a person and try to guess their lives and motivations by their clothes and manner.
The natural world is well described, in great detail and often beautiful prose:
"The river curved here. On the opposite bank the down ended abruptly in a wooded cliff, giving a
great depth, and a hint of surrounding forest, to the river colour. There was also a new channel
here
from the bare down, a spring breaking out of the chalk and quickly turning into a noisy cascade.
So
that again, in this neat, tame, smooth landscape, with a bare green-white down and with a river a
few
feet deep divided neatly into numbered beats, there was a reminder of the unpredictable force of
water." (226-7)
I suspect that this may be the main source of the praise for this book. The prose moves very
slowly
and the narrator gives this single piece of the world such detailed attention, viewing it from a
number of different seasonal angles, rendering it, like an impressionistic painter, in different hues
and
at different times of the day. So much detail though, without sufficient characterisation becomes
more a kind of catalogue of botany - heavy, dull and difficult to wade through. Although the
narrator takes some delight in his natural world, the overall effect is of lassitude - of a kind of
personal ennui, which it is impossible to avoid feeling as a reader. This is compounded by his own
stated melancholy, which permeates the book:
"...I began to be awakened by thoughts of death, the end of things; and sometimes not even by
thoughts so specific, no even by fear rational or fantastic, but by a great melancholy. This
melancholy penetrated my mind while I slept; and then, when I awakened in response to its
prompting, I was so poisoned by it, made so much not a doer (as men must be, every day of their
lives), that it took the best part of the day to shake it off. And that wasted or dark day added to
the
gloom of preparing for night." (375)
The more interesting theme, of displacement - of trying to find a new home and acquiring
belonging
could have lifted this work out of the morass of self-indulgent reflection into the universal,
creating a
good story. This is certainly touched upon in "The Journey" section, which seems to have little
connection with the rest of the book. The importance of this theme is hinted at by the book's title,
and the "Enigma of Arrival" painting by de Chirico which inspires Naipaul:
"My story was to be set in classical times, in the Mediterranean. My narrator would write plainly,
without any attempt at period style or historical explanation of th eperiod. He would arrive...at
that
classical port with the walls and gateways like cut-outs. He would walk past those two muffled
figures on the quayside. he wouldmove from that silence and desolation, that blankness, to a
gateway or door. He would enter there and be swallowed by the life and noise of a crowded
city..."
(106)
The book would be a meditation on the journey of life, on death, on the dislocation of travel and
exile and how we recreate those places in our own images. Presumably this "novel" The Enigma
of
Arrival, the very work he is talking about writing, is the work itself. With a decent unifying story,
and the kind of characterisation which Naipaul is certainly capable of, it could have been a
powerful
piece of work. As it stands, The Enigma of Arrival, never quite comes together as the surreal and
beautiful tale of a traveller. It is too self-obsessed. Too much a portrait of the artist as a young
and
then old man and very internally focused. There is too much pastoral, too much surmising about
other people without actually letting us get to know them, and finally too much subjectivity to
allow
the richness of the theme to develop. We certainly feel the sadness of the narrator, and we clearly
see, in great detail, what he sees as he walks out day by day, speaks to a few people, observes
change, but we never realise anything more than that. Things appear, bloom and decay, and
people
appear, bloom and decay. Britain too has begun to decay, and indeed the narrator is also
decaying.
For true fans of VS Naipaul, this book forms an important biographical piece of his work. If you
aren't familiar with Naipaul however, this is not a book I would recommend. Neither memoir nor
story, the descriptive detail is fine, but it lacks any overall movement, is slow going and painful to
read, and ultimately leaves the reader with nothing more than a brief impression of the mental
state
of the narrator and a very detailed understanding of a single cottage, a single manor, and single
place.
Step Across This Line: Collected Non-Fiction 1992-2002
Salman Rushdie
Random House
ISBN: 0679463348 $25.95
Salman Rushdie is as good an essayist as he is a novelist. That is a serious accolade. It is possible
that he is one of the finest novelists of our century. His imaginative, distinctive and extraordinary
novels have earned him significant awards, as well as the dubious distinction of a Fatwa, one
imagines partly for the intensity and beauty of his prose and his strong adherence to a philosophy
of
truth, and a humanistic secularism which is strongly informed by the mythological heritage of his
multiple cultures. Rushdie's non-fiction, which includes Imaginary Homelands, a collection of
essays
and criticism, The Jaguar Smile and The Wizard of Oz, along with a wide range of published
essays
and columns from newspapers and magazines is similarly powerful, full of insight, conviction,
humour and the love of both language and life which have made him famous.
Rushdie's latest collection, Step Across This Line is split into four parts, the first is a series of
randomly published essays on topics as diverse as The Wizard of Oz, literary criticism, writing,
film,
rock music, bread, on being photographed, religion, US politics, South East Asian politics and his
first trip to India after the Fatwa. The second part is a series of writings on "the plague years" - a
10
year period when he was in hiding from the death sentence issued by the Iranian leader Khomeini.
The third part, is a chronological sequence of New York Times columns, running from December
1998 to March 2002, and which look at a range of current events during that period. The fourth
part, which inspired the title, is the transcript of the 2002 Tanner Lectures on Human Values,
given
at Yale University.
The essays in this collection are, without exception, witty, intelligent, acerbic, moving, thoughtful
and above all, truthful. Celebrating secular freedom of thought and speech, personal responsibility
and courage, together they form a thesis. The book reads quickly, and all of the pieces are
interesting, illuminating their subject matter while always putting things into a larger context. The
first , "Out of Kansas" is a superb piece of literary analysis focusing on the film The Wizard of Oz.
The topic of one of Rushdie's non-fiction books and one of his earliest literary influences, his
deconstruction and reconstruction of this apparently lighthearted film is a terrific piece of work, at
once courageous and respectful, leading us through the range of straw men and illusions to
Dorothy's ultimate crossing of the boundaries of Kansas to the discovery of herself. In his essay
"In
Defence of the Novel, Yet Again," Rushdie takes on George Steiner's comments that we are
getting
very tired in our novels. Celebrating the novel's diversity, Rushdie argues that: "The novel is
precisely that 'hybrid form' for which Prof. Steiner yearns. It is part social enquiry, part fantasy,
part
confessional. It crosses frontiers of knowledge as well as topographical boundaries." (58)
Eloquently
Rushdie states that: "literature, good literature, has always been a minority interest. Its cultural
importance does not derive from its success in some sort of ratings war, but from its success in
telling us things about ourselves that we hear from no other quarter. And that minority - the
minority
that is prepared to read and buy good books - has in truth never been larger than it is now."
(60)
Even in essays celebrating football, rock and roll or his influences, there is always an aim to
produce
something universal:
Afloat and terrifyingly free upon these boundless seas, the writer attempts, with his bare hands,
the
magical task of metamorphosis. Like the figure in the fairy-tale who must spin straw into gold, the
writer must find the trick of weaving the waters together until they become land: until, all of a
sudden, there is solidity where once there was only flow, shape where there was formlessness;
there
is ground beneath his feet." (69)
The importance of a broad minded secularism which celebrates freedom and the intrinsic good
runs
through the section on the plague years. Rushdie's refusal to be silenced, to give us his life, his
sense
of self-worth, and his ability to depersonalise the Fatwa is inspiring:
"I have had to understand not just what I'm fighting against...but also what I am fighting for, what
is
worth fighting for with one's life. Religious Fanaticism's scorn for secularism and for unbelief led
me
to my answer. It is that values and morals are independent of religious faith that good and evil
come
before religion: that...it is perfectly possible, and for many of us even necessary, to construct our
ideas of the good without taking refuge in faith." (252)
The topical columns, many of them written quite recently, span the USA 2000 Presidential
campaign
(with a very funny Seuss inspired verse), Arundhati's dam protest, film festivals, the Sept 11th
attacks and a very powerful piece on the Hindu-Moslem bloodletting in Gujarat. Even for this
diehard athiest, Rushdie's last sentence is, like much of his writing, hard hitting in its clarity "So
India's problem turns out to e the world's problem. What happened in India, happened in God's
name. The problem's name is God." (403)
Rushdie has been criticised for his egoism, and there are a number of self-referential pieces in this
book, but never does he trivialise or focus too far inwards. There is humour, generosity, even a
relaxed good natured quality to this work which makes it very enjoyable to read - light, even
while it
makes the heaviest points. It is exceptionally well written, with crisp, joyful prose, light puns and
the
deepest insights. Even at its most personal, when writing of his attempts to get a film made of
Midnight's Children, a trip with his son to India, on being photographed by Avedon, his struggles
against Britain's refusal to show solidarity during the height of his troubles, or a visit onstage with
Bono of U2, there is always a turning point where the basic thesis of freedom and secular decency
becomes the point of the piece, as he writes to the six billionth person in the world: "Imagine
there's
no heaven, my dear Six Billionth, and at once the sky's the limit."
Caring Hands: Inspiring Stories of Volunteer Medical Missions
Susan J. Alexis
Fairview Press
2450 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55454
ISBN 1577491289, $14.95, 240 pp., Softcover, www.amazon.com
Many individuals have contemplated involving themselves in missions work. Often, they harbor an
inexplicable number of doubts, questions or fears that prevent them from ever moving forward to
fulfill that desire to give back to their fellow man. Caring Hands helps to dispel many doubts and
fears by offering a concise, objective, and positive look at missions from the people serving. The
obstacles faced by volunteers are not hidden behind quaint cliches or syrupy prose. The benefits of
the Volunteers' presence in the countries to which they have traveled are evidenced clearly in
photographs, before and after, and through the stories they share. Readers should not be surprised
at
feelings of both in joy and sadness in tandem with regard to the stories offered. Readers should
not
be surprised if they finish this book with a deep aching in the soul to join a missions group and
lend a
helping hand. Caring Hands is a small taste of a huge labor of love, and labors of love, as
experienced by members of the volunteer medical missions, are habit forming.
It is all too easy to airily click past the ads for charitable organizations seeking sponsorship and
aid
for impoverished families in third world and war-ravaged countries around the globe. It is difficult
for those comfortable in overstuffed furniture and sitting down to plentiful meals three times a day
to
imagine or comprehend living without the most basic of conveniences such as stores selling
wholesome foods, electricity to operate a wide variety of appliances, clean drinking water, and
functioning sewage disposal systems. It is unpleasant to think that in some countries, there are
children and adults dying of starvation, curable diseases, common and treatable injuries, and
illnesses
brought on by unsanitary living conditions. For want of education, supplies, and properly trained
medical help, hundreds of thousands are dying off the planet daily. Caring Hands is not a book
about
hopelessness, however. It is about possibilities. It is about all the good that can be done by
individuals sponsoring and participating in volunteer medical missions to places such as
Guatemala,
Thailand, Nigeria, Russia, Vietnam, Bolivia, and many others. Medical training is not mandatory
to
joining such operations, a will to give is.
People with a variety of skills, talents, and abilities in addition to medical professionals are needed
to
fulfill roles in faraway places where inhabitants have little or no contact with the outside world,
and
little hope of long-term survival, save for the infrequent visits and aid provided by missions
personnel.
Caring Hands is a wonderfully inspiring collection of thirty short essays - interviews with
volunteers
who have served. Many of the volunteers have found in missions work a tangible way to use their
gifts and abilities in a profoundly humanitarian effort to allay the suffering of neighbors across the
oceans. The volunteers depicted range from medical professionals, to administrative assistants, to
maintenance personnel, and retirees from different walks of life. One central theme underlies every
one of their stories - missions are a humbling experience, one that forever changes an individual's
perspective on what is truly important. Nearly every story tells of volunteers being happily and
graciously received by the people they are sent to help, peoples whose need to survive
overshadows
contradictory political agendas. Volunteer medical missions hurdle most political boundaries.
Once
hostile governments become welcoming and accommodating of volunteers, knowing they are
there
for the sustaining of life not the promotion of political ideologies. Volunteers concur through
individual testimonies that they came away with much more than they gave during their short time
abroad. They yielded a deeper sense of caring, of living life "in a way that feels worthwhile," as
stated by retired surgeon David Harris.
Caring Hands should be on the shelf of every pastoral library of every church whose congregation
is
considering sponsorship or sending teams on trips, whether to preach the gospel through words
or
through good works. Caring Hands should be required reading for every sociology student
desiring
knowledge not carried in clinical textbooks - eyewitness accounts of the basic human struggle to
survive, develop, and grow. Caring Hands should be in the hands of those in leadership, the
decision
makers responsible for funding such trips. Caring Hands tells of the good that is accomplished
when
an organization's focus is on improving lives, giving freely, expressing more profoundly the
inherent command to "love thy neighbor as thy self."
Storms From The Sun: The Emerging Science of Space Weather
Michael J. Carlowicz and Ramon E. Lopez
Joseph Henry Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20418
ISBN 0309076420, $27.95, 197 pp. Hardcover, www.amazon.com
Did you know that the rings of trees on earth tell about the cycles of the sun? If someone asked
what the Van Allen Radiation Belts were, would you tell them they were a part inside your
microwave? Do you believe that the greatest contribution the sun makes to our planet, in addition
to
helping crops grow, is its ability to provide sunbathers a deep tan? Storms From The Sun- The
Emerging Science of Space Weather provides a unique look at the fiery mass of energy, a few
millions miles away, which hurls radiated plasma particles en-mass toward the Earth on a daily
basis.
Michael J. Carlowicz, science education specialist, writer, and former worker at NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, and Ramon E. Lopez, C. Sharp Cook Distinguished Professor of Physics at
the
University of Texas at El Paso and Fellow of the American Physical Society, invite readers into a
field of space science, still in its infancy, that may prove to be an area of great discovery for the
present and future generations of humanity.
Storms From The Sun gives readers an opportunity to consider how space weather affects their
daily
existence. Carlowicz and Lopez encourage a serious study of solar activity in relationship to
international dependencies upon satellites and other technologies necessary to daily
communications,
public energy distribution, and the design of national defense systems - systems that can be widely
affected or disabled through increased electro-magnetic charges resulting from the sun's CMEs
(Coronal Mass Ejections). The solar storm of 1989 is a primary example of the profound effect
space weather can have on Earth's habitat. Massive disruptions in communications and public
utilities, damage and loss of costly equipment, and economic repercussions in the billions of
dollars
were felt around the globe. Despite the fact that space storms are quite common, Carlowicz and
Lopez are careful to point out that a thorough study is needed of the sun, it's composition, and its
cyclical patterns and emissions before Earth's inhabitants can hope to invent and implement
protective measures. Storms From The Sun also shows how space weather can effect and even
hamper progress of space exploration. Space weather, particularly from periods of intense solar
activity, increases danger to astronauts, space stations, and equipment vital to survival and work
in
space. For humankind to be successful in intensive and distant exploration of the universe, it must
understand space weather and how it moves and changes in the solar environment. The way to
understand is to study.
Storms From The Sun is an example of how educational textbooks should be written. Dry, static
fact has been reshuffled and served up with a generous helping of historical record, open
discussions
of past and present-day theory, and a subtle sprinkling of wit to keep it lively and captivating.
Public
school educators and parents of home-schooled children, as well as industry leaders, government
officials, and anyone with an interest in science and the space around them, will draw many
valuable
lessons and discussions from the information provided. Carlowicz and Lopez have taken strides to
carefully define and explain theories and their applications in relationship to the subject. They have
provided in-text explanation of acronyms and abbreviations, as well as a glossary, and they have
included a useful appendix of web sites and recommendations for further reading. Unique color
photographs, drawings of solar observations from the journals of ancient astronomers, and charts
of
solar cyclical patterns provide valuable visual reference points and support.
After reading Storms From The Sun - The Emerging Science of Space Weather by Michael J.
Carlowicz and Ramon E. Lopez, it is doubtful that anyone will be able to look at the sun the same
way again. Contrary to its visual serenity, its beauty, and its pleasant warmth, it is a roiling mass
of
furious energy spitting particles at the Earth at millions of miles per hour. Storms From The Sun is
an electrifying challenge for the mind to decipher the seemingly unfathomable secrets of the sun.
The
authors should be applauded for their I.E.I. (Insightful Emission of Information). This book will
undoubtedly spark interest in space weather among present and ever-emerging generations of
scientists, industry and government leaders, and educators.
Photographs; illustrations; bibliographical references; and index.
Susan Cronk
Reviewer
Lori's Bookshelf
Deceptions
Lauren Maddison
Alyson Publications, Inc.
6922 Hollywood Blvd., 10th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90028
ISBN: 1555834906, $13.95, 424 pps., www.Alyson.com
When Connor Hawthorne's estranged lover Ariana is murdered, Connor is knocked into a tailspin
of
grief and confusion. She's got her father, former senator Benjamin Harrison, and her best friend,
cop
Malcolm Jefferson to lean on, but her world is empty without her beautiful and enigmatic lover.
The
police have no leads on the murder, and it might have ended up a cold case, except that Connor's
house is ransacked and booby-trapped. If not for Malcolm's fast thinking, Connor and her father
would both have been killed by the explosion. Now it seems clear that Ariana's death could be
connected to Benjamin, but Connor is not sure how.
Time passes, and Connor comes to understand that she must get on with her life. She gets back to
work and attends a writer's conference in New Mexico. A Navaho chauffeur, Laura Nez, shows
up
to squire her around-but is she trustworthy? Who is the culprit who stalks Connor leaving
destruction in his or her wake? Is it a lone nut or a frightening conspiracy? And why was Ariana
killed?
Gun battles, explosions, and high speed chases are nicely offset by Connor's introspection, by
Laura's subtle humor and toughness, and by Maddison's literate style. Told from several
points-of-view, the novel is plotted well and executed with grace. Oddly enough, the secondary
characters in this debut novel (Laura and Malcolm especially) are more compelling than the
protagonist, but there is plenty of room for Connor to grow in the subsequent books. The Native
American "woo woo" spiritualism at the end was almost over the top, but ultimately didn't detract
from this solid and entertaining first novel in what promises to be a compelling mystery
series.
Fans of tightly plotted, exciting books such as Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series should like this
book.
My sole complaint is that the spine of the physical book did not hold up well after one reading,
with
pages threatening to pull away. This is a shame since Deceptions is a novel many mystery readers
will want to revisit.
Second Chances
Lynne Norris
Renaissance Alliance Publishing, Inc.
PMB 238, 8691 - 9th Avenue Port Arthur, TX 77642
ISBN: 1930928297, $19.99, 424 pps., www.rapbooks.biz
Regina Kingston, a new hospital resident, is a woman on the edge: in addition to being on the
edge
of completing her training to become a full-fledged doctor, she's also on the edge of realizing she's
not straight, a fact about which her insensitive boyfriend has not been informed. When Regina
joins
the ER at St. Xavier's for her final rotation in the emergency services area, she's in for a lot more
trauma and surprise than just the medical aspects.
Regina's chief attending doctor is Alex Margulies, a mercilessly driven perfectionist who
possessing
an unexpected past and an entire doctor's kit full of emotional issues. Her friendship with Regina
comes as a complete surprise to her, and as it grows in intensity, Alex has serious choices to
make.
She's kept her past at bay for years, but if she is to have a future with Regina, she must face the
consequences of her old life.
With the backdrop of internecine political battles, medical crises, the daily grind of long hours in
the
ER, and the constant responsibility of saving lives and losing patients, two women seek to forge a
connection. Will their mutual attraction be thwarted by outside forces, both past and present?
The author writes with authority about the medical situations faced in a busy ER, and much of the
book reads like a gripping and entertaining season's worth of episodes of Chicago Hope or ER.
An
inviting debut from a talented writer, Second Chances is highly recommended for fans of
well-written lesbian drama.
Lori L. Lake
Reviewer
Paul's Bookshelf
Understanding Muslim-West Alienation: Building A Better Future
Arshad Khan
Writer's Club Press
5220 S 16th Street, #200, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595237096, $14.95, 151 pages, http://www.iuniverse.com
The conflict between Islam and the West, specifically America, did not start the day that New
York
and Washington were attacked. It is because of religious, social and political factors and has been
brewing for many centuries. This book attempts to fill in the details.
The Islamic religion was started by the prophet Muhammad approximately 1400 years ago in
Arabia.
It spread quickly, reaching from Spain to China. When an area was conquered, there were no
forced
conversions to Islam. The right of the residents to freedom of religion was guaranteed. Honest
and
efficient governments run by early Muslim rulers, who found that simply conquering an area
wasn't
enough, brought about the rise of a civilization that lasted for centuries.
While Europe was going through the Dark Ages, the Islamic world was The center of learning
and
culture, especially during the years 750-950 AD, Islam's Golden Age. The conflict between Islam
and the West started approximately 1000 years ago with the Crusades, a number of attempts to
take
Jerusalem from the Muslims and return it to Christian rule. That conflict still goes on today.
Moving to the present, the perpetrators of the 9/11 attack violated several basic principles of
Islam.
They killed innocent civilians, the committed suicide, they killed more than 200 Muslims who
were
working in the World Trade Center, and one of the hijackers was reportedly consuming alcohol in
Florida the night before, all of which are totally against the teachings of Islam.
Islam has many complaints with America. Support for Israel is one-sided; Jewish influence in the
Senate is too strong; America is widely perceived as anti-Muslim; the West talks a lot about
democracy and human rights, but supports some of the worst dictators in the world; American
media is biased and driven by business needs. Part of the "blame" for present conditions in the
Muslim world lies with Muslims themselves. They suffer from a widespread lack of education, the
control by religious fundamentalists is great, Muslims lack role models, the majority of Muslims
care
only about their personal sphere, otherwise, they are silent and apathetic, their leaders have failed
them consistently.
The author talks about "jihad," which is mostly a personal struggle against one's inner self. It is
not a
tool of oppression or forced conversion against non-Muslims. On both sides, people have hijacked
the term and turned it into something that it is not.
This book is a basic look at the Muslim view of the West, and it succeeds very well. It doesn't try
to
be a complete reference source. It is clearly written and very easy to read. It is also eye-opening
and
highly recommended.
Screaming At A Wall
Greg Everett
Grundle Ink Publications
P.O. Box 231, Chico, CA 95927
0970815255,$10.00, 448 pages, http://www.grundleink.com
This is the autobiographical story of one person's journey through 1990s youth culture.
Greg is your average resident of the Bay Area of San Francisco, more interested in drugs and the
opposite sex than school. A couple of teachers along the way attempt to "reach" him, thinking
that
he is some sort of troubled teen, when a much better diagnosis might be "smart but bored with
school."
He has a variety of jobs during this time, including spending a couple of years working behind the
counter of a local bike shop. It's the sort of place where items like air guns and super glue are
used
in all sorts of intesesting ways. After high school, he intentionally gets out of town and enrolls in a
sort of alternative college in Arizona to learn search and rescue. He leaves there after he finds that
the school is the sort of place where the faculty would rather look at the goodness inside each of
the
students than actually teach search and rescue. During this time, Grundle Ink Publications is born,
as
Greg hand binds copies of his writings and hands them out to friends.
Everett eventually ends up in the college town of Chico, California, where Grundle Ink becomes
more of a "full-time" job. The fact that he knows absolutely nothing about the publishing business
is
irrelevant; nothing like learning the hard way. He also makes several attempts to get off
drugs.
Throughout this book are many relationships with the opposite sex. Some of the women Everett
meets are decent, reasonable people, while others can best be described as one-dimensional idiots.
He is unable to break off the relationship, so he intentionally acts like a jerk until the woman gets
frustrated and does the breaking up. The conversations recounted are not literary masterpieces;
sometimes, they consist of little more than "dude" and "(insert swear word)."
Because of the very large amounts of drugs and swearing in this book, it is not for the faint of
heart.
To attempt to understand youth culture of the 1990s, this does an infinitely better job than the
various stories and films of adolescent hijinks. The writing is honest, sobering, and, in places, very
funny. I loved it.
The Perseids And Other Stories
Robert Charles Wilson
Tor Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
ISBN 0312873743, 2000, $12.95, 224 pages, http://www.tor.com
This group of speculative fiction stories take place in, and around, the city of Toronto,
Canada.
An amateur astronomer buys a telescope at a local shop, and starts dating the female sales clerk.
With a little hallucinogenic help, what starts as a relationship story turns into a tale of the next
stage
of human evolution. In 1950s California, young girl who claims to have been visited by aliens and
is
spending the summer with an uncle has a strange encounter with astronomer Edwin Hubble.
Another story is about an ever-changing group of friends who get together for some intellectual
conversation. One person says, "Invent a religion."
A writer of New Age books has a genuine encounter with the extraordinary, courtesy of a mirror
that shows very interesting things to those who stand in front of it. In another story, a man
speculates a being as far above humans as we are above a house cat among us right now, but we
wouldn't know it. At a local used bookstore called Finders (locale for several of these stories) the
man bought a rock as a paperweight. It's actually a scrying rock, which lets the holder of the rock
see into their future.
I loved these stories. They could be set in any large city, they're sort of like Twilight Zone stories
(a
mixture of fantasy, science fiction and horror), and they are very thought-provoking. Wilson is
one
of my favorite science fiction writers, so I don't claim to be totally unbiased, but this is highly
recommended.
Paul Lappen
Reviewer
Vicki's Bookshelf
Hello Kitty Hello Color
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
100 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10011
ISBN 0810985411, $12.95, 24 pages plus art kit, www.abramsbooks.com
Cute, cute, cute. Seeing this darling novelty gift book and art set has given me Hello Kitty fever
too.
The package looks like a hardback book, but when you swing open the cover you find a
collection
of eight colored pencils, nine chubby, stubby crayons, a ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener, all
bearing
the face of lovable Hello Kitty. On the right is a paperback coloring book featuring
you-know-who
and her favorite colors. "Red, yellow, green, blue Hello Kitty knows her colors! Do you?" Well,
yes I do, as a matter of fact, and last I checked pumpkins were orange and swans were white, but
for
some reason they appear on the book's "Hello red!" spread. The cluster of unrelated images on
each
spread are mismatched and arbitrarily placed on every spread, as it turns out, with grapes and
bubble
gum and cotton on the "Hello yellow" page, a grasshopper, peas and a hamburger on the "Hello
orange" page and so forth. There's no reasoning here. The lesson does not compute. Nor does the
"Learn to draw Hello Kitty!" lesson at the back, as children learning colors are simply haven't yet
developed the hand-eye coordination for such multi-step tasks. Such are the mysteries of the
inscrutable Hello Kitty.
Hello Kitty's House & Garden
Illustrated by Jean Hirashima
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
100 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10011
ISBN 0810942305, $13.95, 12 pages, www.abramsbooks.com
Say hello to "Hello Kitty's House & Garden," an irresistible novelty book for the legions of little
girls
who're fans of the silent Japanese feline. As with perennially popular Color Forms toys, these stiff,
slick pages act as the backdrop for nearly 200 reusable plastic "stickers" that can be arranged and
rearranged at whim. The book offers brief text that simply introduces readers to the various
scenes
and suggests a few activities that children might imagine happening there. Each of the book's five
two-page spreads offers a different landscape or interior scene, namely a sunny cottage garden,
yellow and blue kitchen, pretty bedroom, busy family room, and a grassy back yard garden. "Hello
Kitty's House & Garden" is a wonderful gift item for young girls Pre-K and up who enjoy solitary
play, and would make a particularly nice travel kit.
Mikhail Baryshnikov's Stories From My Childhood
Edited by Joan Borsten
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
100 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10011
ISBN 0810910179, $24.95, 128 pages, www.abramsbooks.com
This compilation of 11 fairy tale stories is based on a promising concept: to gather fairy tales
known
around the world, but particularly beloved in Russia. Famous Russian dancer Mikhail
Baryshnikov's
smiling face smiles from the cover, along with a sampling of the characters to be found inside:
Ivan
and his Magic Pony, the Golden Rooster, Cinderella, a crowned bird from "The Wild Swans, and
Pinnochio. Like the wooden Italian boy himself, most tales here are European, but several are
indeed
Russian folktales, most notably "The Golden Rooster" and "The Prince, the Swan and the Czar
Saltan" (both based on poems by Alexander Pushkin), "The Snow Girl" and "The Last Petal." The
book's above-the-title recognition of ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov is a bit of a stretch. He in
fact
did not compile or rewrite any of the stories. Rather, he contributed a brief introduction about his
childhood in Latvia, and that's all, aside from giving the collection star cache and a Russian
context.
Truly, this is more a salute to Russian animation than anything else, the variety of fairy tales
stories
merely serving as glue to connect approximately 90 somewhat randomly-chosen film stills
reproduced here to illustrate the stories. And that's where this book succeeds best: as a
retrospective
honoring the little-known achievements of Russian film animation. Although the reproduced stills
appear somewhat blurred with muddy colors, that's clearly due to the repurposing and restoration
processes that the cels have had to undergo to be reproduced here. The unique folkart style of the
1950s images is intriguing, and will likely encourage readers of all ages to seek out the original
films
from which these animation stills and stories came.
Starting With Alice
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10020
ISBN 068984395X, $15.95, 182 pages, www.SimonSaysKids.com
"Starting With Alice" is the first in a trilogy of prequels written by prolific children's novelist
Phyllis
Reynolds Naylor to introduce her popular character, Alice McKinley, to a younger audience. In
previous series, middle-grade fans followed Alice through her adventures in junior high and high
school. Now Naylor turns back the clock so elementary students age seven and up can enjoy
Alice's
tales of third grade when the eight-year-old gets off to a rough start at a new school upon her
arrival
in Takoma Park, Maryland. Even at such a young age, however, our young heroine demonstrates
that she has the pluck she'll need to get beyond the meanness initially shown to her by the local
girls,
and past her own misbehavior. How can she make up for the lie about her uncle? Or the
crossing-guard incident? Or the fact that "the Terrible Triplets" seem to have it out for her?
Eventually she warms up to her new home, makes some new friends, and is clearly on her way to
becoming the older Alice that older readers know and love. Designed to enlarge Alice's reading
base
as well as for fans who can't get enough of Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" -- "Starting With Alice"
is a
strong start for a welcome new series, adding depth to a beloved character.
Fields Of Fury
James M.McPherson
Antheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10020
ISBN 0689848331, $22.95, 182 pages, www.SimonSaysKids.com
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Battle Cry of Freedom," James M. McPherson, has again tapped
his unparalleled knowledge of the American Civil War to produce his latest non-fiction children's
book on the subject. From start to finish, it's a fascinating look back at the most significant
conflict
on American soil, bringing to life the drama and tragedy through impeccably researched facts and
personal anecdotes. "Fields of Fury" is rich in detail and thorough in its scope, yet remarkably
concise and beautifully edited into clear chapters and subsections, allowing for easy reference as
well
as casual browsing. The 41-chapter outline from "The Origins of the Civil War" to
"Reconstruction" -- is simplicity in its purest form, listed by subject or battle, without unnecessary
exposition or bells and whistles of any kind. The appealing format includes short
subject-by-subject
chapters of no more than 10 paragraphs each, plus a bullet-pointed "quick fact" full
page-illustration
whether it's an historical black and white photo or gorgeous color illustration and at least one
additional illustrative element. With a generous illustration-to-text ratio of nearly 2:1, the format
is
extremely attractive, adding tremendously to reader enjoyment and comprehension. Completing
the
picture are illustrative maps, documents, political cartoons, timelines, an age-appropriate glossary,
bibliography, index and list of civil-war sites on the web. It's an exceptional addition to any
school,
home or public library.
Pigs Can't Fly!
Ben Cort
Barron's
250 Wireless Blvd. Hauppauge, NY 11788
ISBN 0784155326, $13.95, 28 pages, www.barronseduc.com
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. That's the basic premise of this picture
book path to the discovery that being yourself is the best thing you can be. In "Pigs Can't Fly" a
pink
porcine protagonist battles boredom by coveting the adventures of other animals. "I bet exciting
things happen to giraffes," he decides, and so tries his talent at stilt walking. But when a zebra
points
out that he's about to fall, CRASH! Now, the pig decides a zebra's life seems grand, so he paints
himself in black and white stripes. An elephant laughs at the silly sight and squirts the paint off
with
his trunk. Undeterred, pig decides he'd rather be an elephant. On and on the story goes, through
more mishaps as pig pretends to be an elephant, kangaroo, parrot. Just when he thinks he's
suffered
his final humiliation, he discovers that he's accidentally found his true calling in life. The simple
lesson of finding happiness by just being yourself is a lovely one, and it's well told in an
easy-to-follow repetitious manner, with plenty of fun action and variety.
The Child's Gift Of Art
Laurence Anholt
Barron's
250 Wireless Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788
$16.95, 4 book set, www.barronseduc.com
This pocket-sized gift set is an irresistible introduction to four great fine artists. Inside the colorful
cardboard case are four miniaturized editions of the popular picture books by illustrator artist
Laurence Anholt, namely "Picasso and the Girl With a Ponytail," "Camille and the Sunflowers"
(about Vincent Van Gogh), "Degas and the Little Dancer" and "Leonardo and the Flying Boy."
Each
relates stories of the artist's life and life's work through the eyes of four young people who were
inspired by the artists through personal, real life encounters. Camille was a French boy whose
family
befriended the troubled Van Gogh and were rewarded with personal portraits. Sylvette was a shy
muse who inspired several Picasso paintings and sculptures. Marie was a struggling ballet student
who posed for Degas to pay for lessons. And Zoro was an apprentice of da Vinci's who may have
been the first human to test a flying machine. Aside from the Picasso story, which was told to
Anholt
personally by "Sylvette" (aka Lydia Corbett) herself, one gets the feeling that much that is
presented
as fact is conjecture or, at best, wishful thinking. But the fact-based legends Anhold presents so
beautifully among gorgeous illustrations incorporating the subject's own artwork, certainly do
make
for riveting picture book stories that young readers can't help but love.
Dougal Dixon's Dinosaurs
Boyds Mills Press
815 Church St., Honesdale, Penn. 18431
ISBN 1563977222, $19.95, 160 pages, www.boydsmillspress
Dinosaur authority Dougal Dixon isn't content to rest on past laurels. He'd rather evolve than see
his
best-selling reference book become extinct. His "Dougal Dixon's Dinosaurs" encyclopedia for
juveniles is enjoyed around the world, having been translated into 18 languages, yet Dougal has
now
expanded and updated the winning original to create this better-than-ever second edition. Much
more than a simple A-to-Z listing of dinosaur species and classifications, Dixon's dynamic text
contains a clearly organized and wonderfully detailed account of all things dinosaur, and now it
includes upated information and all the latest dinosaur discoveries, including, among others,
Argentinosaurus, the biggest dinosaur known. As before, the revised "Dinosaurs" helps young
readers discover 14 of the largest dinosaurs and several of the smallest, but more importantly, its
concise chapters explore how dinosaurs evolved and disappeared, teach about dinosaur biology,
and
relate exciting stories about fossil hunters. It uses plentiful full-color illustrations, charts, timelines
and cross-sections to make the informative journey visually stimulating as well as entertaining.
Color
photos of modern animals give compare-and-contrast lessons that young readers can relate to. An
80+-entry glossary and 4-page index provide simple cross-reference, and the "Do You Know?"
section reiterates major lessons in a no-nonsense question-and-answer format. There's a reason
the
first edition of "Dougal Dixon's Dinosaurs" is found in nearly every children's library: it's an
immensely readable and thorough account that stands out like a 100 ton Argentinosaurus in a field
of 20 pound Heterodontosaurus. When those well-used editions become worn out and are
rendered
extinct from all the eager use, this second edition will be waiting.
Look What You Can Make With Dozens of Household Items!
Kathy Ross, editor
Boyds Mills Press
815 Church St., Honesdale, Penn. 18431
ISBN 1590780582, $24.99, 384 pages, www.boydsmillspress
Children's arts and crafts devotees are well aware of the clever "how to" book published by Boyds
Mills Press, the parent company to stalwart "Highlights for Children" magazine. The "Look What
You Can Make" book series organizes projects by common household materials from boxes and
paper bags to egg cartons and plastic bottles. Recyling trash into treasures is the name of the
game,
so it's no surprise that the publisher has recycled the paperback book series by combining the all
eight books into one hardback, spiral-bound edition called "Look What You Can Make With
Dozens of Household Items!" The infomercial-sounding title tells it all. It features eight count
'em,
eight! books in one, totaling more than 500 pictured crafts. But wait! There's more! "Dozens of
more ideas!," to be precise. Each craft is clearly and colorfully- photographed with step-by-step
instructions and a brief "you will need" checklist. But perhaps the book's best stand-out feature is
the
tabbed organization, allowing a crafter to seek projects based on their available stockpile of paper
bags, tubes, paper plates, egg cartons, craft sticks, newspapers/magazines and plastic bottles and
tubs. It's just the ticket for inexpensive rainy-day activities to en
