Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: Where Danger Danced

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Irene Bennett Brown again captures her readers with Where Danger Danced, the second of the Celia Landrey Mystery series. This second cozy mystery is as delightful as the first.

As Celia Landrey guides her last tour group of the season through town, they are distracted by screaming and confusion at a service station where an old fuel tank is in the process of being removed to make way for a new one. To the horror of onlookers, human bones are discovered buried near the old tank.

Celia works hard to preserve her town’s reputation. Pass Creek is not only where her home and livelihood, Landrey’s Inn, is located, it is where she and her late husband of twenty years lived. Active in the small community, Celia is devoted to keeping the town a safe haven, a place where people want to live and visit.

The grim discovery of the skeleton sets the town to humming speculation. The Police Chief, knowing Celia’s penchant for fiercely protecting her town and her determined drive to get to the bottom of a mystery, warns her to let the police do their job. In others words, stay out of it.

Even her fiance, Jake Flagg, discourages her from getting involved. It’s time they set a wedding date and he strongly prefers her to concentrate on that.

But, how did those bones get into that deep hole? She couldn’t let it rest. Cold cases are apt to be less important to the police than current problems. She inquires around town but the townspeople, especially the old-timers, clam up when she asks questions about whose remains have been unearthed. In many different ways, she’s told to mind her own business. Many of her friends are clearly exasperated with her. What’s going on?

Where Danger Danced is an entertaining, captivating read. It’s a perfect sequel to Where Gable Slept. I can’t wait for the next one. The novel is available in both e-book and print formats. For more information about the author, visit www.IreneBennettBrown.com
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The Dividing Season

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Rarely do I find a book as captivating as The Dividing Season by Karen Casey Fitzjerrell.

Nell Miggins is at a crossroads of her life. It’s 1910 and time to move on, to let go of Carrageen, the Texas cattle ranch she inherited from her father. Nell is no longer a young woman and life is passing her by. She’s done well, managing the ranch. She handles just about anything the ranch hands can and she’s tough. But there must be more to life and she’s determined to find it. Just what “it” is, she’s unsure.

Fitzjerrell spins a wonderful tale, a story that includes a dusty Texas ranch, the humid jungle of Mexico and a near-death experience at sea. Diverse personalities help spin this tale. Nell’s ranch hosts, in addition to the ranch hands already there, a windmiller, college professors, and a smelly cowhand with a bent for making wrong decisions. All the characters have a purpose, all add depth to the story.

The author, a life-long Texan, exhibits great passion for her state and her descriptions put me right there. I felt the dust creep under my collar, I gasped at the brilliant orange sunset, I shivered in the cold rain, I felt the weariness at the end of an exhaustive day. Fitzjerrell knows people and writes with compassion, heart and quiet humor. I loved this book. It has the earmarks of a classic and yet was only published in 2012. She speaks with authority on ranching and, surprisingly, on Mayan archaeology in Mexico’s steaming jungle.

The Dividing Season is a page-turner, but the reader doesn’t feel rushed. Fitzjerrell’s timing and pace are impeccable. We know her characters, we feel their pain, their joy, and, for some, their strength and determination borne of love for those who have become family.

I highly recommend The Dividing Season. The novel is available in trade paperback and e-book formats. To learn more about the author, visit www.karencaseyfitzjerrell.com

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A Logger’s Daughter: Growing up in Washington’s Woods

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Joan Rawlins Husby’s delightful memoir, A Logger’s Daughter: Growing up in Washington’s Woods gives readers a poignant view of the life and times of growing up in Washington’s wilderness in the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Joan Rawlins was born just months before her parents, Delbert and Marie Rawlins’, moved from North Dakota to Washington’s Robe Valley, at the foot of Mt. Pilchuck. The Rawlins lived in a tiny cabin until Joan’s father could build a larger cabin of scrounged material. Eventually, the Rawlins had five children who played in the great outdoors with other loggers’ children.

Husby shares with readers a life of growing up in Washington’s forests, the daughter of a logger. Although her parents didn’t have a lot of ready cash and worked hard for every advantage they had, there was always food on the table and love to spare. The family was years in getting electricity and running water. Their “bathroom” was a two-holer a distance from the house. Heating fuel was wood, hand-cut and split. They raised chickens for eggs and meat, and rabbits for meat and skins to sell to Sears, Roebuck and Company.

If logging was shut down by fire, strike or snow, Husby’s father earned money by making roofing shakes, or taking on any job that would put food on the table.

Equally interesting is Husby’s writing of the area’s history. When they arrived in Robe Valley, most of the timber was virgin. Many of the cedar trees were as wide in diameter as her father was tall. In the early days, timber was cut by hand-saw. Raging rivers changed the lay of the land. The purpose of railroads evolved from mining to tourism.

Husby creates vivid pictures of family and landscape, giving the reader a taste of yesteryear and a glimpse of a childhood in a pre-tech age.

I highly recommend this memoir of a simple life in a simpler time. Many will relate to at least parts of this book, while others will marvel at the grit it took to simply survive deep into Washington’s woods.

To purchase a copy of A Logger’s Daughter, visit www.rainsongpress.com or contact the author, Joan Husby <hjhusby@frontier.com>.

 

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Book Review: Close Calls: The True Tales of Cougar Bob

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Close Calls: The True Tales of Cougar Bob (Gray Dog Press) by B. J. Campbell is the perfect read for outdoor and wilderness enthusiasts.

Robert L. Campbell, aka Cougar Bob comes to vivid life as his wife, B. J. Campbell relates colorful stories beginning from his childhood on through his senior years. Written in first person, the book is chock-full of colorful descriptions of outdoor adventures, hunting, trapping, sometimes for sustenance, sometimes to save farm stock, often for hire when wildlife stalks too close to civilization.

As a boy, Bob loved to run–he could run for miles. He ran for the love of running. He ran nine miles to catch the school bus in rural Idaho. He ran for survival. He ran for play. While in the Navy, he contracted polio and, for most people, that would have been the end of running. But not for Bob. As soon as he could he was up and struggling to walk. He graduated to walking with leg braces and eventually managed without the braces. Although continuing to be an active outdoorsman, he still suffers from the pain of post-polio syndrome.

Interspersed with the chapters, each of which tells a story, are excerpts from The Cougar Bob Review, an annual newsletter that “captures the hunter, trapper and straight shooter’s endless supply of stories that happens because he is himself.” Also included throughout the book are clips of newspaper articles. One such article tells of the state Fish and Game Department hiring Cougar Bob to hunt down a cougar, known as the Bayview cat, who was blamed for killing 6 horses, 8 goats, 3 sheep, 7 farm dogs and stalking children at the school bus stop.

All of the stories in the book are true and are told in Cougar Bob’s voice, with attitude. It’s a book full of humor, yet awe inspiring in the courage of one man who conquers threats, dangers, and his own health issues to solve problems at hand.

Animal activists might have issues with some of the stories A fair amount of the hunting is done for the meat, or simply for the sport. On the other hand, authorities hire Cougar Bob to trap wildlife that threaten the safety of people or their property. When practical, the trapper will displace the animal, but when necessary, he will kill it. That might seem harsh to some, but it’s reality to many.

I enjoyed Close Calls: The True Tales of Cougar Bob. I love a good story and this book captures the essence of rugged wilderness and its sometimes eccentric occupant, outdoorsman extraordinaire Cougar Bob Campbell. For more about author B.J. Campbell and her husband, Bob Campbell, visit www.cougarbob.com

 

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Book Review: The Dry Diggin’s Club

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The Dry Diggin’s Club by Bob Weldin is an ideal novel for readers interested in geology, particularly in mineral discovery and mining in the 1960’s. More than that, the novel delves into the personal aspects of the miner persona, particularly into the life of a young woman, Sara, who braves the masculine world of mining.

Sara Mullins and her twin brother Steve are the children of a Montana rancher/miner and a mother who is head of the Mathematics Department at the University of Montana. Sara works along side her dad and brother at the ranch tending cattle and logging on their own land, and also at the family gold mine situated on their ranch property. Because of the huge distances involved, both Sara and Steve get pilot licenses at the age of sixteen. The children benefit from the hard work of ranch life, but also from the intellectual influence of their academic mother.

After graduating from college in the 1960’s, the twins are eager for their next step. Steve plans to attend law school and get a degree that will equip him to practice law in the field of geology. Sara is eager to have practical field experience and gets a job working for a mining company. She is met with scepticism–a female mining professional is highly unusual. She is offered and accepts other positions, each time gaining in responsibilities and stature. She finds she must repeatedly prove herself in a segment of the industry primarily reserved for college educated, macho men. Sara has neither the support of management nor the protection of a union. As a field geologist, she proves herself capable, but meets with challenges–and dangers–along the way.

Sara and her brother become involved in the Dry Diggin’s Club, a clandestine group whose membership network for pleasurable, economic and intellectual advantage. Inevitably, Sara becomes romantically involved with a fellow geologist which bring unexpected complexities and consequences into her life.

The Dry Diggin’s Club offers an in-depth examination of northwest mineral mining as it was in the ‘60’s. Readers learn how mineral discovery and the resultant mining was conducted. It was a tough field, not only because of unforgiving terrain, but also because of the secrecy shrouding findings. Although mining and minerals have never been high on my list of interests, I found this book not only educational, but a fun, worthwhile read. Author Bob Weldin speaks with authority having made a career in the mining industry. Now retired, he is a sought after speaker on the subjects of mining history, mineral deposits, wilderness areas and humor.

The Dry Diggin’s Club is available in both trade paperback and e-book formats.

 

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Book Review: The Orchardist

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Rarely is a novel so poignant as to arouse the reader’s every sense: taste, smell, visual images, sounds, love, compassion, hate, fear–it’s all there in The Orchardist (Harper Collins) by first-time novelist Amanda Coplin. The story takes place at the turn-of-the-century in rural Pacific Northwest.

Talmadge is a quiet man, a man whose life and passion exist in an orchard. His father died when he was just a boy and the three of them–his mother, sister and Talmadge–walked a great distance to the Wenatchee Valley where they settled. Eventually his mother died, leaving the two children, now in their teens, to carry on. Talmadge was devoted to his sister, and when she mysteriously disappeared he was heart-broken. He lives alone, steadily increasing the size of his orchard. He never married, but he does have a close relationship with Caroline Middey, a wise woman who lives in town.

On market day, two teenage but very pregnant sisters, steal fruit from him. A kind man, Talmadge realizes that the girls stole the fruit because they were desperate. Later, they appear at his orchard, but are shy as feral animals. Talmadge sets meals out for them and they take them away when he isn’t watching. Finally, he gains their trust and they manage a strained relationship. When it is time for the girls to give birth, he sends for his friend, Caroline Middey who is commonly called upon as midwife. Talmadge helps bring into the world Angelene from one sister and stillborn twins from the other.

Through a tragic chain of events, Talmadge becomes the sole caretaker of Angeline, Although they never speak of love, the devotion shown is apparent. Talmadge isn’t always sure of himself, but his kindness toward his foster daughter never wavers. Caroline Middey plays an important role in supplying a listening ear, advice, and companionship to the growing girl.

Although it may seem that I have “given away” the story, I have only touched on the highlights. The Orchardist is an in-depth story covering many years, situations and people.

The Orchardist is a stunning, unique novel. Coplin’s crisp style involves the reader in the life and times of the early Northwest, its place and people. She conveys a sense of love without ever using the word but by showing what happens when a simple man opens his heart and home, even when it means his peaceful lifestyle is disrupted.

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Book Review: The Birth of Venus

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The Birth of Venus (Random House) by Sarah Dunant is an engaging novel set in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance period in the late 1400s. Written in first person, the craft of writing is at its best, taking us into the depths of the subject’s soul.

Precocious Alessandra Cecchi, fifteen, is fascinated by art. Tutored with her older brothers and sister, she has many cultural advantages as the result of her father’s business acumen and high stature in the community. When her father brings home a painter from Northern Europe to decorate their private chapel, Alessandra is thrilled by the young man’s artistic abilities. She attempts to venture into his world, but when rebuffed by his apparent disinterest, she is even more attracted to both the man and his art.

Alessandra’s dreaded “coming of womanhood” presents the inevitable marriage to a person of her parents’ choosing. Cristoforo Langella, an older, wealthy man, and Alessandra marry when she is barely sixteen. But Cristoforo has an evil secret that clouds their marriage.

In the meanwhile, the luxury, love of learning and fine art in the region is being threatened by a fundamentalist facet of the church. Florence is plunged into violence, fear and political change. A plague further weakens and frighten the bewildered citizens.

The Birth of Venus recreates a past world with vivid descriptions of art and attitudes. Dunant writes with exquisite detail, allowing the reader to dwell in the heart and mind of Alessandra over a period of her lifetime. The Birth of Venus is an unforgettable novel.

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Book Review: Desert Wives

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Desert Wives (Poisoned Pen Press) by Betty Webb is a mystery with an eye-popping expos of modern-day polygamy.

Private Detective Lena Jones is approached by Esther Corbett to rescue her 13-year old daughter, Rebecca, from Purity, a small village cult that straddles the Arizona-Utah boarder. The daughter has been promised in marriage by her non-custodial father to Prophet Soloman Royal, a leader of a polygamist sect. Prophet Soloman, an older man, already has multiple wives and dozens of children.

The rescue is perfectly executed, but on the way out of the area, Lena and the girl Rebecca stumble upon Prophet Soloman’s body. Lena’s client, the girl’s mother, is the only suspect and is jailed with the likelihood of prosecution.

Lena goes underground, pretending to be the second wife of a disgruntled cult-member, a man she meets on the “outside” who goes along with her scheme.

Along the way to solving the case, Webb does a masterful job of exposing what is still practiced in various communities in the Western United States, even though polygamy was banned in the United States in 1862. Some sects that practice do so by having a man marry one wife, divorcing her (though she retains his name and continues to live with him) and then marrying the next wife who also takes his name. This is repeated until he has married and divorced all his wives, except possibly the last one. Since only one wife is officially married to the husband at any one time, the polygamous family appears to exist within the law.

One of the common manifestations of this arrangement is that the now single wives can claim public support as single parents. Cults are encouraged to have many children and a man may have dozens of children, all supported by the state.

Another polygamist practice commonly used is for a man to seek only one marriage license for the first marriage, and the subsequent marriages are secretly carried out in private ceremonies. Thus, the subsequent wives are seen by law as single parents.

Young men are often forced to leave their community so that women they would otherwise marry will be left to provide wives for older polygamous males, thus increasing the community income. Within many cults, young girls, often younger than the legal age of consent, are subjected to arranged marriages. Since marriages often take place within their own communities, it is not uncommon for fairly close relatives to marry, leading to inbreeding and subsequent birth defects.

In this review, I have presented the polygamist practices as presented by Desert Wives. I conducted additional research to determine the accuracy of the author’s premise for this novel and found the facts well supported. NOTE: My research also revealed that there are other polygamists who don’t live in cults and who are not organized to profit by collecting welfare.

Desert Wives is the second of the Lena Jones Mystery Series. Webb does a good job of creating suspense, using humor along the way. But for me, the value of this book is the exposure of what today is still happening in the Western United States. Desert Wives is a worthwhile, educational, yet enjoyable read. For more information about the author, visit www.bettywebb-mystery.com

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Book Review: The Soloist

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The Soloist (Berkley Books) by Steve Lopez takes readers on an extraordinary journey into the world of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a black musician and paranoid schizophrenic.

The amazing story written by a Los Angeles Times journalist, begins with a chance encounter by Lopez as he hears violin music while walking along the street. He looks around to investigate. On a corner, he finds a man in his fifties, dressed in rags, exquisitely playing Beethoven on a battered violin with some missing strings.They strike up a conversation.

In the encounter, Lopez sees the possibility of a column, but as he investigates further, he uncovers a man of immense complexity and talent, and unfortunately, a consuming mental illness that has taken him from a promising young musician at Juilliard to the depths of life as a street person in the harrowing ghettoes of Los Angeles.

Lopez recognizes the gift of Ayers’ brilliance and is obsessed with trying to help him, only to be rebuffed at every turn. Ayers trusts no one, convinced that people will steal belongings from his shopping cart. The journalist writes about the street musician and spurs interest among his readership. In his attempts to help Ayers, Lopez explores the possibility of finding suitable housing. He tracks down Ayers’ family, seeks professional mental help, even goes to Juilliard in New York to try to find the missing pieces that might help Ayers put his life back together. Lopez’ efforts result in the musician’s angry outbursts, disinterest and crushing disappointments. Lopez doesn’t give up and seeks common ground for his down-and-out friend with professional symphonic musicians, arranging to watch performances, meeting the musicians in person, even setting up appointments for him to play for a member of the philharmonic orchestra.

Although Lopez knows he is straining his own family and professional life of time and considerable funds, he doggedly attempts to find a better life for Ayers. On the way, Lopez learns about the power of classical music, the crippling affects of schizophrenia, and is able to see with more clarity why people end up living on the street.

The Soloist is written with compassion, heart and humanity. It’s a heartbreaking read, yet it leaves room for hope. I’ll never again look at street people without remembering this poignant story.

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Book Review: One Island, One Ocean

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Alarmed by the condition of the world’s oceans, Captain Mark Schrader and a group of friends set upon an idea to organize an extended educational voyage to “raise awareness in meaningful ways and change behavior.” Schrader, a veteran solo ocean circumnavigator, began the intricate process of making the challenging voyage a reality. One Island, One Ocean by Herb McCormick chronicles and illustrates the epic journey of the first-ever continuous circumnavigation by sail of the American continents.

Outfitting the steel cutter Ocean Watch involved more than just preparing the vessel for the rigors of sailing 25,000 nautical miles through rough seas over a 13-month period. It also entailed installing analytical equipment, computers and the myriad equipment to meet the needs of the various disciplines to observe, record and report findings.

The core crew of four were joined by educators, scientists, an oceanographer, a photographer and other guests who supported and added talent to the voyage. Critical roles were also played by various partners, contributors, educators, scientists and other practical shore support.

The book’s photography is impressive with exquisite details of the journey, starting in Seattle, circling the Americas, and back to Seattle. The documentary is written in four parts: “North to the Ice,” the ship sails north from Seattle to Newfoundland via the Arctic Circle and Northwest Passage. Next, the “The Long Slog South,” the ship crosses the equator sailing from the Canadian Maritimes to the Falkland Islands. The third part, “Cape Horn to Starboard,,” celebrates the triumphant rounding of the Horn and a sobering passage through Patagonia. Finally, “Closing the Circle,” a Pacific passage where they encounter El Nino, the Baja Bash where they endure extremely rough weather, the Golden Gate and finally, home to Seattle.

Their findings? Fisheries are being shamefully depleted. Coral reefs are being diminished. Plastic and chemical pollutants are clogging and poisoning life-giving oceans. Ocean acidification is jeopardizing all sea life. The remedy? R. Bryce Seidl, Pacific Science Center President and CEO, who wrote the Preface for One Island, One Ocean says, “The degradation of the oceans is the result of billions of us doing small, largely inadvertent things that in their totality are hugely damaging.” Conversely, billions of us making small changes in our lives can result in positive influences on our oceans.

One Island, One Ocean documents the importance of ocean conservation. Captain Schrader also lectures and presents a slide show, which we were fortunate to attend. Both the lecture and the book leave lasting impressions. Our oceans are changing for the worse which will eventually affect human life on the planet. The decline, both chemical and physical, are visible and measurable in virtually all of the world’s oceans. It is clear: We must take steps to reverse this environmental damage.

 

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