Bookviews - April 2013

By Alan Caruba

My Picks of the Month

One of the best biographies I have read in years is Roger Ailes: Off Camera—an Inside Look at the Founder and Head of Fox News by Zev Chafets ($26.95, Sentinel). Firstly, it is written with a style that engages the reader in a way that says that it, like the motto of Fox News, is fair and balanced. Secondly, it is a true Horatio Alger story of a boy born in a small Ohio town who rises to success by dint of hard work and a knack of being in the right place at the right time. It is a book about how Ailes’s attitudes, values, and personal courage made friends even of his competitors. To this day he numbers leading liberals among his personal friends. It is clear that Ailes has transformed the modern news media, providing with the backing of news tycoon, Rupert Murdock, an alternative to the liberal media, print and broadcast, that has dominated news and the way it is reported. Ailes had an instinctive understanding of television and the way it reported the news that has made it the most popular news outlet in the nation today. Does it have a conservative point of view? Yes, but its daily fare also includes liberal spokespersons every hour to debate and discuss the news of the day. To understand the times in which we live and the impact that Ailes’ Fox News has had on events, personalities, and issues, this book is must reading.

Fully forty percent of Americans self-identify as conservative, but decades of government expansion have put nearly fifty percent of Americans on some form of government program such as Social Security and Medicare, and countless others that cut a check to assist them in some fashion. One of the most venerable think tanks in Washington, DC, is the Heritage Foundation, 300 scholars addressing every public issue, producing studies that are provided to members of Congress to aid them in their decisions. Lee Edwards has written Leading the Way: The Story of Ed Feulner and the Heritage Foundation ($27.50, Crown Forum) that tells how, founded in 1973, the foundation has grown under the leadership of Ed Feulner. It produced the Mandate for Leadership in 1980 in which fifty-five percent of its recommendations were adopted by the during the Reagan years. It was responsible for the historic welfare reform act of 1996, passed during the Clinton years, and produced a study of homeland security in advance of the 9/11 attacks and implemented in large part by George W. Bush. Its emphasis has always been on timely, concise, and reliable information. This is a book for people who are intensely concerned with the policies affecting the life of the nation and of all Americans. It has hundreds of thousands of members, always advocating traditional conservative values of fiscal prudence, a strong defense, free enterprise, and maximum freedom for individual Americans. It is well worth reading.

In 1955 when I was graduating from high school, Allen Ginsburg, the now celebrated poet, was writing “Howl” and on his way to joining the handful of writers who would become known collectively as the “Beats” and icons of the “beat generation.” It was and still is hokum. The lives of Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and others in their circle included drug addiction, alcoholism, homosexuality, and an adolescent self-involvement that translated itself into their writing and, when they burst on the cultural scene in the late 1950s, they helped to shape their times and set in motion change that is with us today. One half of the population is desperately trying to hold onto the values of their parents and grandparents; the other is content to live off those who still have jobs. All this is captured in Mania: The Story of the Outraged and Outrageous Lives That Launched a Cultural Revolution by Ronald K.L. Collins and David M. Skover ($26.00, Top Five Books). It is an impressive piece of literary history and for those who recall the “beats”, well worth reading. Individually and as a group, theirs was a pathetic effort to avoid the norms of their times and who influenced much of the decline of our society that has followed in their wake.

My Mother was a cookbook author and famous teacher of haute cuisine, as well as an authority on wines. I grew up dining on a rich variety of dishes. I did not give much thought to taste, however, and I doubt that most of us do other than to prefer some kinds of food and drink over others. Barb Stuckey unlocks the mysteries of taste in her book, Taste: Surprising Stories and Science about Why Food Tastes Good ($16.00, Atria Books, softcover). A professional food developer, she has written an entertaining book about taste and why some of us prefer some kinds of foods over others, why we taste foods differently than others, and the science behind how, what, and why we taste what we eat. It is entirely sensory and some of us have better abilities to taste while others have lost that due to illness or injury. This will surely enhance your own ability to enjoy what you eat even more and, for those who love science, it explains the whole world of taste and why food producers invest a lot in developing foods that are designed to meet our specific preferences.

Readers are frequently writers as well and you have aspirations to be one (or already are), then you will enjoy The True Secret of Writing: Connecting Life with Language by Natalie Goldberg ($25.00, Atria). The author has written twelve books including two others on the subject of writing and has taught seminars on the topic for thirty-five years. Her book addresses the lessons learned from her workshops over the years and discusses how meditative actions are important to the creative process. April 15 is the day tax returns must be filed with the IRS and, if you haven’t begun yours, check out Julian Block’s Easy Tax Guide for Writers, Photographers, and Other Freelancers (Amazon Kindle price is $5.99. softcover price is $22.95, including shipping, available at www.julianblocktaxexpert.com). He is a nationally recognized attorney and a former IRS agent who has been cited as “a leading tax professional” by The New York Times and “an accomplished writer on taxes” by The Wall Street Journal, so you know you find some excellent information that could save you money when you file. A lot of good advice can be found at http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com, a blog by Brian Feinblum, the chief marketing officer of Media Connect. If you want to promote and sell your book these days, you should check it out.

April is National Poetry Month. On my blog, "Warning Signs", I ask if it has become an oxymoron in an era when poets and poetry are largely ignored. Treat yourself to a good poetry anthology. It will provide hours of pleasure.

Memoirs, Biographies and Autobiographies

Though I have never been a fan, there is no denying that Bruce Springsteen is already a rock and roll legend. His fans will enjoy Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock’n’Roll by Marc Dolan ($17.95, W.W. Norton) whose softcover edition of his book now includes a new chapter. A native of Freehold, New Jersey, came from humble beginnings. His mother encouraged him to learn to play the guitar after noticing that pop music was an interest of his. As a teenager he joined a local band, playing clubs up and down the Jersey shore. It took several years of writing songs and developing his own music that reflected his working class background. His first two records sold modestly, but 1975’s “Born to Run” was his breakthrough album. While the basic facts of his life are known to fans, this book fills in all the parts of his life. It will prove very interesting and, in many ways, inspiring. Another memoir from the world of music is Official Truth, 101 Proof: The Inside Story of Pantera by Rex Brown with Mark Eglinton ($26.00, Da Capo Press) in which Brown, the bassist with the heavy metal group that still has four million fans on Facebook ten years after breaking up, takes the reader behind the scenes of the group intended “to fill the spot Metallica had vacate” after the murder of lead guitarist Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott in December of 2004. After 9/11, the band returned to America from a European tour, never to play a live show again. This is a look at the highs and lows of superstardom, and the hedonistic lifestyle of the band, fueled by drugs and alcohol.

Imagine now being able to listen to music. More than thirty million people suffer from hearing loss in the U.S., but only ten percent are considered profoundly deaf. Little has been written about the remaining ninety percent, the partially deaf for whom life is characterized by verbal misunderstandings and conversational riddles. Song without Words: Discovering My Deafness Halfway Through Life by Gerald Shea ($24.95, Da Capo Press). A childhood illness left the author with partial hearing loss, but he didn’t realize anything was wrong, assuming everyone had a similar problem. Despite the problem, he excelled through elementary and boarding schools, Yale and Columbia Law School, eventually working his way to a partnership in a New York law firm. His condition remained undiagnosed until he was 34! This is a candid and deeply moving story that anyone with a comparable hearing loss will find a comfort and an inspiration.

Another inspiring story is found in A Teacher Grows in Brooklyn ($14.95, Mill City Press, softcover) as Albert Mazza tells the story of his introduction to teaching in a public high school in 1963 and his realization of the failures of the educational process as it was practiced then and now. Unlike others, he wanted to change it and to spread his successful methods of motivating students. In the 1960s and 1970s, he perfected his methodology with a dream to make improve the system. He created the Young Diplomats Program that focused on the constantly changing global issues, helping to make the 1980s an age of discovery for his students. He would join the New York Board of Education in 1979, become the director of the Youth Leadership Program, and continue his role as a pedagogic pioneer. After his retirement in 1995, he became the Director of Education for the America-Israel Friendship League. This is a truly inspiring memoir and particularly for educators. Inspiration can be found in Once Upon a Gypsy Moon, a memoir by Michael Hurley ($19.99, Center Street/Hachette Book Group, softcover) in which the author chronicles his decision to live about an aging 32-foot sloop called the Gypsy Moon after he had lost his job, was short of money, and his 25-year-old marriage had ended. He began in Annapolis, Maryland and headed south for two years seeking to salvage “a life that has foundered”, but the experience was one that let him grapple with issues of faith and disbelief, love, marriage, and the challenged faced by the adult children of alcoholics. When rough seas forced him ashore, he met his future, new wife. This is a deeply moving book, especially for anyone grappling with the challenges that life throws at everyone.

Parenting & Relationships

Parenting may be the greatest challenge anyone undertakes and fortunately there are books to help. Marriage, too, is a challenge and there are books to help deal with them as well.

Your Child’s Path: Unlocking the Mysteries of Who Your Child Will Become by Susan Engel ($15.00, Atria Books, softcover) says it is time for parents to be liberated from all the worry about their child’s development, much of it coming from the media and other sources of information about the latest societal ills plaguing children and teens, and I agree. She says you cannot dictate who your children will become, but you can get a good sense of who they are and where they are heading by paying attention to what they do, say, and feel. As often as not problem reveal themselves as a thread that will reveal itself over time. “And when there are problems, there are gentle ways to help.” A mother of three sons, the author is a developmental psychologist in the Department of Psychology at Williams College who has worked with students of all ages for nearly twenty years. There’s plenty of good advice packed into this book.

Parenting Your Emerging Adult: Launching Kids from18 to 29 by Dr. Varda Konstram ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) officially debuts in May and addresses an age group that has been called narcissistic and self-absorbed, not that different from previous generations of that age, but this one faces a higher cost of living, higher college debt loads, and a sense of material entitlement says the author. Moreover, they are clinging to the parental nest, often because they are unable to find employment or earn enough to live on their own. An estimated 56% of men and 48% of women, 18 to 24 years of age, are living with their often cash-strapped parents who are often stressed out by the situation and in need of practical advice. The author offers the advice parents need to get their emerging adults living successfully out on their own while providing an understanding of their developmental period and how it intersects with the current economic, social, and political times. If you or someone you know is in this situation, this is the book to read.

Available in June, The Secrets of Surviving Infidelity by Dr. Scott D. Haltzman ($19.95, Johns Hopkins University Press) addresses the fact that an estimated 40% of marriages are rocked by infidelity every year. This book debunks many of the myths that surround cheating and that triggers complex emotions and events. The author does not advise ending a relationship that might well have been a happy marriage, teaching both the victim and perpetrator how to acknowledge their feelings, reduce their sense of despair, and begin to rebuilt a strong relationship. Interestingly, he says that the chances of cheating go up each year a couple is together and among the 60+ crowd, some 29% of men and 15% of women have had at least one indiscretion. He also says that love matures, but doesn’t have to grow old, offering tips on how to keep the relationship fresh. This book is filled with good advice on how to avoid and how to deal with this chronic problem of marriage. Marriages, however, do end, either from divorce or the death of a partner. This is examined in Suddenly Solo: A Lifestyle Road Map for the Mature, Widowed or Divorced Man by Harold Spielman and Marc Silbert ($14.95, www.suddenlysolo.org or from Amazon.com, softcover) This is a guide for men that offers a positive sense of renewal, filled with advice on how to move forward from the loss. The book is aimed at those over 50 who are most likely to encounter this change and it is written with humor as it provides transitional guidance in a culture that has changed radically since these mature men were lost “solo.”  Spielman is a sociologist and co-founder of a market and communication research company from which he retired in 2008. I think this book will prove very helpful to any man who is seeking to emerge from divorce or the death of his partner in life. And isn’t just men, of course, who must grapple with such changes. An entertaining and informative book, Ask Avery Anything: A Woman’s Journey Through Midlife Dating ($10.99, Second City Books, a division of Windy City Publishers, available via www.AskAveryAnything.com and Amazon.com, softcover) uses her own and other’s real life stories to offer her advice for women who are re-entering the dating scene for the first time after a long time in a relationship. Many conclude that finding a good man is a frustrating process at a certain age, but Avery offers advice and, best of all, the knowledge that you are not alone. She does so with honesty and humor.

To Your Health

As Obamacare transforms the U.S. healthcare system in ways most Americans are as yet unaware, Dr. Cary Presant, MD, has written a very useful book, Surviving American Medicine: How to Get the Right Doctor, Right Hospital, and Right Treatment with Today’s Health Care ($17.95, iUniverse, softcover) that may very well save your life. Bringing four decades of experience and knowledge to the task, Dr. Presant has written a book that answers some of the most important questions you need to ask, including what changes you need to make today to prepare for Obamacare reforms. He addresses what you need to know to get the best care in a hospital and how long you should stay, as well as finding affordable medications. He offers advice on what to do when your insurance company denies authorization for a treatment. In fact, there isn’t a page in this book that doesn’t offer excellent advice. The author has credentials to spare including, in addition to his own practice, being a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, past president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, and Chairman of the Board of the Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, to name just a few. If your health, maintaining it and, if necessary, surviving an illness is important to you, read this book.

According to the National Health Council, incurable and ongoing chronic disease affects approximately 133 million Americans, 45% of the nation’s total population. I am inclined to think that figure is high, although it is true that Baby Boomers are joining the ranks of the nation’s elderly at a rate of 10,000 a day. Many have a least one chronic illness and some have more than one. When you consider that today’s healthcare system was designed for the last century, this poses a problem, but for those encountering this challenge it is a personal one. Richard Cheu is the author of Living Well With Chronic Illness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide ($16.95, Dog Ear Publishing, softcover and ebook). He is a neurophysiologist and a pastoral counselor, an ordained deacon and hospital chaplain in the Archdiocese of New York at Bellevue Hospital. He is a believer in taking charge of one’s own well-being as the way to improve the quality and length of one’s life. He has been a care-giver to a chronically-ill wife for nine years. In short, he knows what he is talking about. His advice covers a range of ways one can keep motivated, keeping mind and body active and fit. He discusses the negative emotions unleashed by a chronic illness diagnosis and how to take control of the shock, stress, and grief that accompanies the condition including how to overcome the loneliness that often accompanies it. There is a spiritual component to this and other aspects of chronic illness and I think this is one of the best books on the subject I have read in many years.

Honest Medicine: Effective, Time-Tested, inexpensive Treatments for Life-Threatening Diseases by Julia Schopick ($14.95, Innovative Health Publishing, www.HonestMedicine.com, softcover) introduces four life-saving treatments that have been effectively treating—and is some cases curing—people for many years. They do not generate large profits for pharmaceutical companies and have not been universally accepted. They include low dose Naltrexon for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, Chrone’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis and some other conditions. There is Ketogenic Diet for pediatric epilepsy, intravenous alpha lipoic acid for terminal liver disease and, with LDN for some cancers, and Silverion for non-healing wounds. Her writings have appeared in American Medical News, Alternative & Complementary Therapies, and the British Medical Journal. The book comes recommended by a number of physicians. Check it out at her website and you may well conclude that it offers some real relief and help.

The Family Guide to Mental Health Care by Lloyd I. Sederer, MD ($25.95, W.W. Norton) addresses a problem that left untreated can devastate a family and, as in the case of the school murders earlier this year, an entire community. The book is a comprehensive resource for families dealing with a loved one’s mental illness, providing the answers needed to understand a variety of disorders, making informed judgments as to whether doctors are really helping, and getting the right treatment.  The author is medical director of New York State’s Office of Mental Health and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

A growing number of women are putting off marriage and children until later in life, beyond their twenties. Your Pregnancy after 35 by Dr. Glade B. Curtis, MD with Judith Schuler, MS ($15.99, Da Capo Press, softcover) addresses pregnancy for older women, offering information on the risk of high blood pressure and similar issues. There’s advice on job-stress relief and how to dal with fatigue while working during pregnancy, special dietary recommendations including vitamin and mineral intake. The good news is that there are benefits as well for being an older mom. A wealth of information is provided in this book by an author of 18 books.

Getting Down to Business Books

 

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, more regulations were imposed on the financial sector of the nation’s economy and regulation is a signal of a lack of confidence. The crisis was brought about by the housing mortgage bubble and the bubble was the result of the government’s role in which two government sponsored entities, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, encouraged banks to issue loans that even they knew might not be repaid. Both GSE’s bundled toxic loans and sold them as assets. The circle was complete and, after the government had to bail out the GSE’s with billions of taxpayer dollars, it is incredibly being repeated. That’s why The Death of Corporate Reputation: How Integrity Has Been Destroyed on Wall Street by Prof. Jonathan Macey’s new book is important ($39.95, FT Press). As he points out, trust and reputation are central to the operation of capital markets. He warns that when the public loses confidence in them fails, markets and societies fail as well. Ironically, more regulation only makes the problem worse. Macey, a Yale professor and expert in financial market regulation spells out how and why poorly considered regulation has undermined traditional trust mechanisms throughout financial institutions, accounting and law firms, credit ratings agencies, and stock exchanges. For anyone in the financial sector or who wants to understand why the last financial crisis occurred and is likely to occur again, this is an important book to read.

Surviving in the workplace is increasingly a topic for authors who offer advice. Meredith Fuller has penned Working with Bitches: Identify the Eight Types of Office Mean Girls and Rise Above Workplace Nastiness ($14.99, Da Capo Press, softcover). Ms. Fuller is a psychologist who is a consultant for major organizations, specializing in career development. She brings thirty years of experience to this book and it is aimed at women in the workplace who will recognize the same “mean girl” behavior they encountered in high school and who bring their bitchy behavior into the office. There’s the “excluder” who pretends you don’t exist and doesn’t pass alone important information. Others include the “insecure” who micromanages everyone, trusts no one, and thinks no one knows better than she. There’s the “toxic”, the “narcissist”, the “screamer”, the “liar”, the “incompetent, and the “not-a-bitch” who may have a disagreeable manner, but is just trying to do her job. All are discussed and their behavior is explained along with practical advice for coping with and protecting oneself against the mean girls, whether they are one’s peer, subordinate, or your boss. Make Your SHIFT: The Five Most Powerful Moves You Can Make to Get Where YOU Want to Go ($15.95, ATA Press) by Beverly D. Flaxington may just get you jump-started if you feel you are not moving ahead in your career and your life. The author is a business woman, co-founder of a boutique sales and marketing consultancy, and is a certified Professional Behavior Analyst, among other credentials. Offering more than motivation, her book is about a goal-achievement process that anyone can apply to their own life, learning how to identify attitudes that might be blocking progress, identifying obstacles in order to focus on those that can be controlled. Research has found that employees described themselves as possessing one or more five career-limited traits that include unreliability, responding with ‘it’s not my job’, procrastination, resistance to change, or projecting a negative attitude. If the feedback you’re receiving suggests this describes you in some fashion, you should read this book.

Walt F.J. Goodridge brings a lot of passion to his book Turn Your Passion into Profit: A step-by-step guide for transforming any talent, hobby or product idea into a money-making venture ($24.95, www.PassionProfit.com, softcover). The author draws on his own experience because he walked away from a career as a civil engineer to pursue his passion for music, writing, and helping others. Since then he has written 16 books and for several business magazines. Interestingly, he says you don’t need a degree to succeed because your desire will be your degree and the steps he spells out will help avoid some of the pitfalls while concentrating on what works if you want to be a writer, singer, designer, or chef. Clearly the book is written for those with a creative urge. Turning it into a career takes passion and some practical knowledge of what to do. This book will be helpful to creative folks. The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand by Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey with Rick Kushman ($15.95, Evolve Publishing, softcover) debuts next month and tells the story of how the authors started Barefoot Wines in the laundry room of a rented farmhouse with no money, no industry experience, and no clue what they were doing. It’s an inspiration to see how they broke all the rules and still succeeded against all odds. For anyone contemplating starting a business, there are lessons to be learned here and an entertaining story as a bonus. You can check it out at http://www.barefootwinefounders.com/ 

Kid Stuff

Not too many new books for younger readers have come in of late, but two are well worth recommending. Yes, Let’s by Galen Goodwin Longstreth and illustrated by Maris Wicks ($15.95, Tanglewood) is about a family’s day in the woods, making it a fun read-aloud book for those with children aged one through five. It’s the right size for smaller hands and its text rhymes from page to page in a loving tribute to family togetherness. For a slightly older group of young readers there an interesting and educational book, Tool. Time. Twist: A Brief History of Tools Through Time ($17.99, Craigmore Creations, Portland, OR). Written by David Shapiro and illustrated by Christopher Herndon, it takes the reader from the invention of stone axes, the discovery of how to make fire, hunting tools, drills and wrenches, and all the tools we take for granted, placing their beginnings in the proper time frame, up to automobiles and rockets that let us explore outer space. Even an adult will enjoy this one!

For teens, Zest Books publishes a number of books to help them navigate through life at a time when a lot of questions need an answer. The How-To Handbook ($10.99) is a good example, providing short, but good advice on everything from how to address an audience to pop a pimple. It offers advice on how to manage money, take great photos, and even how to iron a pair of pants. Other Zest titles such as How to Make the Grade ($14.99) offers advice on how to study better, avoid stress, and succeed in school while Seven Deadly Clicks: Essential Lessons for Online Safety and Success ($6.99) can save a youngster a world of trouble. A visit to www.zestbooks.net is a good place to visit whether you are a parent or a teen.

Novels, Novels, Novels

So many novels. Here are a few well worth considering.

All the Light There Was by Nancy Kricorian ($24.00, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is about an Armenian family’s struggle to survive the Nazi occupation of Paris in the 1940s. Meticulously researched and told with great style, it is an excellent story of loyalty, love, and the many faces of resistance. It is told through the eyes of Maral Pegorian, whose family survived the Armenian genocide and endeavors to build a new life in their homeland. As the Nazis march down the Rue de Belleville, the adults brace for the suffering and oppression they know all too well, while the children see it as a new, bewildering experience. This story is about an aspect of the war that has not been widely or sufficiently told. War has always provided many novels and Jerome Gold has written The Moral Life of Soldiers ($16.95, Black Heron Press, softcover.) It is a novel and five stories in which one is told by an elderly officer retired from the People’s Army of (North) Vietnam. It is about the reasons a man takes up arms. In a novella that is part of the book, 1950’s Georgia is evoked in a story about a white family that moves there from the north and the moral compromises they must make to live peacefully among their white neighbors and the compromises they resist making. This is, in many ways, an unsettling group of stories, but one that asks the reader to question his or her beliefs.

The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag ($25.95, Viking) is a whimsical story of hope and feminine wisdom in which Alba Ashby, the youngest PhD at Cambridge University suffers a traumatic event and finds herself on the doorstep of 11 Hope Street where she is welcomed under the condition that she will have 99 nights there in which to turn her life around. It is no ordinary house in which many literary figures like Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker have stayed in the form of talking portraits on the wall! Yes, it is a bit of a fantasy, but as Alba begin her journey to heal her wounds, it is a place that will save her life. Women, in particular, will enjoy this one. In Hand Me Down ($16.00, Plume softcover) Melanie Thorne offers a heartbreaking study of a contemporary family in the darkest of circumstances. It is the story of two young people who must face incredible odds to forge lives of their own in the face of an uncertain future. Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Reid is devoted to protecting her little sister, Jaime, shielding her from the dark side of their alcoholic, abusive father. When they are separated she must rely on the begrudging kindness of distant relatives. A move to the mountains of Utah is an idyllic life with her Aunt Tammy, but Elizabeth worries about her sister. She is soon packing for another, even less secure home, but she will rejoin her sister. This is about the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity and a story that you will read start to finish.

For those who love a good crime thriller, there’s Shadows of Doubt by Mell Corcoran ($16.95, Mill City, softcover), an impressive debut. Women are being hunted, tortured, and killed by an assailant that leaves the same clue on each of them, but it has no scientific explanation. Detective Lou Donovan must figure out this killer’s signature because he’s escalating and no one knows where he will strike next. It’s a case he did not want, but when it is taken from her, she tries to work below the radar, but is foiled at every turn. It’s as if someone is watching her and knows her every move. When she keeps meeting a mysterious stranger, his presence disarms her initially, but she is having the same effect on him. Is he the killer? You’ll have to read this novel to find out!  From one of Scandinavia’s best crime authors there’ Killer’s Art by Mari Jungstedt ($14.95, Stockholm Text, softcover) in which a man is found hanged on the old city wall of Visby. He is a well-known art gallery owner and it sends fear throughout the island. Days later a famous painting is stolen in Stockholm and there are disturbing links to the murder. The world of art, gay prostitution, and drugs unfolds in this fast-paced novel about an investigation that challenges Superintendent Anders Knutas.

That’s it for April! Lots of new non-fiction and fiction books are arriving daily so make sure to come back in May to learn about them. Tell your family, friends, and coworkers about Bookviews so they too can enjoy the latest and best new books.

Bookviews - March 2013

By Alan Caruba

My Picks of the Month

To understand what is wrong—and has been wrong for a very long time—with our healthcare system, you must read Catastrophic Care: How American Health Care Killed My Father and How We Can Fix it by David Goldhill ($25.95, Alfred A. Knopf). It is singularly the most cogent, must comprehensible book on the subject and his analysis explains why the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will only make the system worse, more costly, and fail to address our individual healthcare decisions and options. He begins with telling the reader how his father died in a hospital from an infection he contracted there and then reveals that a hundred thousand Americans die each year from similar infections. A hundred thousand! The healthcare industry—and it is an industry—takes in $2.5 trillion annually and then identifies the factors that affect our health, “your wealth, education, and lifestyle—not your access to healthcare.” Amidst all the babble about health care insurance, Goldhill points out that “We call it health insurance, but in reality health insurance has little in common with traditional insurance and provides few of its benefits.” This is because “health insurers can achieve long-term profit only if the amount of money spent on health care increases.” On page after page Goldhill dissects the health care industry and the insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, that have destroyed the traditional doctor-patient relationship; corrupting it. If you read no other book this year, you must read this one.

The most powerful factor in human history is demography, the study of the birth and death rates, the migrations of people, and the impact these have on our current society and nation. Jonathan V. Last, a senior writer at the Weekly Standard, has written What to Expect When No One’s Expecting: America’s Coming Demographic Disaster ($23.99, Encounter Books) that looks at America’s failing fertility rates in which not enough babies are being born to replace the current population, leaving the nation with a growing population of the elderly dependent on a decreasingly smaller group of workers to fund its entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The U.S. fertility rate hasn’t been above replacement rate since the 1970s! It is part of the problem that is exacerbated by out of control spending by the federal government. Michael Novak, the recipient of the 1994 Templeton Prize and author of “The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism”, says of Last’s book that it “explodes old ways of thinking. Not moralizing, not blaming, Jonathan Last peers methodically ahead at the cold consequences of plunging global birth rates, aging, ever small national populations.” Another book sounding a warming is Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now by Douglas Rushkoff ($29.95, Current, an imprint of the Penguin Group) argues that our society has been so conditioned to live in the present, devoid of knowledge or understanding of ours and world history, that a younger generation of Americans has lost touch with the ability to analyze what is occurring or why. Rushkoff notes that the one reason that civilizations and their values persist over centuries is their shared faith systems and national histories. This explains the global interest in the naming of a new Pope or a generalized concern about the revived Islamism that uses terror worldwide to impose itself on all peoples. The role of the media, Rushkoff warns, creates “false and misleading narratives by elites who mean us no good, but also tends to leave everyone looking for direction and responding or over-responding to every bump in the road.” An example of this is the global warming hoax that has no basis in science, but which intrudes into every aspect of the global economy and our lives, contributing to enormous waste of money and time. The rise of technologies that encourage people to post every insignificant aspect of their lives, often ignoring the greater issues affecting them, is another example cited.

With terrorism in the headlines daily, Dr. Jeffrey D. Simon has taken a look at Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding the Growth Threat 26.00, Prometheus Books), noting that a new era of terrorism is emerging in the form of the lone wolf, individual terrorist such as Anders Breivik in Norway who killed scores of young people to the mass-shooting by Nidal Malik Hassen, the U.S. Army major who killed many soldiers at Fort Hood. An expert on this topic, Simon cites several key factors. They are more dangerous that many terrorist groups, the Internet has provided a breeding ground for isolated individuals with terrorist tendencies, and that the common perception that nothing can be done about them is wrong because innovative strategies and policies can be developed to prevent and respond to this type of terrorism. Most recently the killings in Newtown, CT, evoked a tremendous response among Americans, but also spurned those opposed to the common sense option of armed citizens to call for more restrictions, not less. Drawing on twenty-five years of experience, Dr. Simon offers an interesting book for anyone concerned about the threats posed by violence-prone individuals in our midst.

Now that Hillary Clinton has concluded her role as Secretary of State, many are already asking if she will make a second run at the presidency. For her many admirers, The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power by Kim Ghattas ($27.00, Henry Holt and Company) will prove irresistible reading as the BBC’s State Department radio and television correspondent tells the story of a popular but polarizing politician (she was a Senator from New York) to her role as America’s envoy as she strove to restore American leadership in a rapidly changing world. Ms. Ghattis does not come with the baggage of American reporters, being a half-Dutch, half-Lebanese citizen, so her insights are detailed and keen as she seeks to answer whether America is still a powerful force or if it is in decline, and what that will mean for the world.

Some books are just too long for their own good. A recent example is Power, Inc: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government—and the Reckoning That Lies Ahead ($16.00, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, softcover) by David Rothkopf. This is a writer who will take a thousand words to say when a hundred would do. He often seems a reluctant apologist for capitalism and the free market that says consumers will decide if a product or service is worth purchasing. He has taken on a very big subject, some 800 years of struggle between the powers in charge—mostly monarchs—and the emerging merchant class. He argues for a public-private partnership and believes it has worked for the U.S. it did in the days, for example, of the first railroads, but now all it does is “invest” in ideological enterprises such as solar and wind power that can never compete with the abundance of traditional sources of energy the U.S. possesses, wasting billions in the process. Too often the government has inserted itself into the marketplace with the 2008 mortgage-based crash as the latest example. Rothkopf examines the growing power of multinational corporations and doesn’t like what he sees in terms of their power versus that of government power, but government power often leads to failure when it intervenes and interferes in the marketplace and it is dealing with taxpayer’s money; the latest example being Obamacare. So, feel free to take a pass on this book. The author has impressive credentials, but so much to say that whatever point he is trying to make is lost in a Niagara of words.

To Your Health

Americans may be among the most health-conscious people on planet Earth. There are a number of new books on health-related topics. Among the latest arrivals are The Best Things You Can Eat by David Grotto, RD, a national spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ($15.95, Da Capo Press, softcover). It is an interesting and informative look at common foods and their benefits as he relates their nutrient value, which foods help reduce or ward off common problems such as high blood pressure and various diseases, and the best choices one can make from dairy, grains and vegetables to induce sleep, improve memory and aid overall health. Much of what he relates is quite surprising in a good sort of way. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about what they eat daily.

The Family Guide to Mental Health Care by Lloyd I. Sederer, MD ($25.95, W.W. Norton & Company) is officially due off the press in April. The author is the medical director of New York State’s Office of Mental Health and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. As he notes, mental disorders left untreated can devastate a family and a community, but often the families of the more than fifty million people a year diagnosed with a mental illness feel they have nowhere to turn for authoritative advice. Now they do with a book that provides the answers families need to understand a variety of disorders, to assess whether they are receiving proper help and to help choose the right treatment. The author takes one through illnesses from depression to schizophrenia and evaluates the medications prescribed.

Life After 50: The Road to Longevity by Dr. Paul M. Valliant ($16.99, Mill City Press, softcover) offers advice on how to take control of your life as you age via diet, daily exercise, and other techniques to address the changes that occur as one grows older. With more and more Americans entering this age group or already in it, this book provides easy-to-follow rules for aging gracefully, increasing one’s stamina, and being less stressed about it. Dr. Valliant has authored 32 psychology, health, and sports-related research papers. If you or a family member are entering or in “the golden years”, this book will prove of interest. One of the problems associated with aging is dementia and I will Never Forget by Elaine c. Pereira ($20.95, iUniverse, softcover) tells the story of her mother and her journey through dementia and how the author learned to cope with its affects. She tells a heartbreaking story with a dash of humor that will help others encountering this condition in a parent for its excellent advice. The book was a finalist in the Best New Non-Fiction category of the 2012 USA Book Awards.

We all know people who struggle to keep their heads above water, trying to cope with work and family situations that are overwhelming. Fast Minds: How to Thrive If You Have ADHD (Or Think You Might ($25.95, Berkley Books) by Craig Surman, MD, Tim Bilkey, MD, with Karen Weintraub says that the ADHD brain is structurally different in the areas that control behavior, manage habits, and maintain attention. These are biological differences, not character defects, and the authors address why such folks are often forgetful, achieve below their potential, are time challenged, motivationally challenged, impulsive, and easily distracted, among other attributes of the problem. If you or someone you know needs to take control of their lives, this book provides the knowledge, tools, and resources to address these behaviors.

One publishing company, Central Recovery Press, devotes many of its books to issues involving various kinds of addictions. Among its new and forthcoming titles is Game Plan: A Man’s Guide to Achieving Emotional Fitness; The Light Side of the Moon: Reclaiming Your Lost Potential; It’s Not About You, Except When It Is: A Field Manual for Parents of Addicted Children; and Intimate Treason: Healing the Trauma for Partners Confronting Sex Addiction. If any of these topics interest you, I recommend that you visit their website at www.centralrecoverypress.com. I have received and perused many of their books over the years and have no doubt they will prove very helpful.

Getting Down to Business

The headlines are filled with news of government spending debates, fiscal cliffs, and sequestration, to it is natural that people and businesses are trying to make the best decisions about their finances. Financial Fresh Start: Your Five-Step Plan for Adapting and Prospering in the new Economy by Shari Olegson ($26.00, Amacom) offers a lot of information regarding the new rules that are causing changes in banking, borrowing, credit, debt, savings, investments, home ownership, and everything else that involves planning for the future as well as current options. The author is a legal, financial and real estate expert who has simplified what often seems an impenetrable maze. Reading this book will help you adapt your banking and borrowing, fix your credit and debt status, protect your savings, investments, and retirement, and determine if home ownership is right for you.

Likewise, The Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business Owner Knows That You Don’t by Bill McBean ($24.95, Wiley Global Finance) should be must reading for every business owner today. The author has been a successful business owner in the automotive industry for nearly forty years, purchasing and transforming underperforming dealerships into businesses that generate more than $160 million in annual sales. McBean writes about the need to understand how changes occur as a business goes through an inevitable life cycle and the need to adapt to those changes. The books chapters include “If you don’t lead, no one will follow” and “If you don’t control it, you don’t own it.” In easily understood chapters, he addresses how one must protect a company’s assets, plan for the future, and understand that the marketplace is a war zone. When you finish reading Bean’s book you will be ready for whatever changes occur. A slimmer book by Beverly D. Flaxington, Make the Shift: The Proven Five-Step Plan to Success for Corporate Teams ($19.95, ATA Press, softcover) outlines the goal-achievement process she has developed over decades of working with individuals and businesses. This is nitty-gritty advice such as avoiding the top mistakes interviewers make when questioning potential hires and how poorly planned interviewing procedures impact hiring results. She discusses how to match a candidate’s behavioral style to the position to be filled and the candidate’s values to those of the firm’s culture. There’s a lot of useful psychology discussed such as being aware of the real problem one is trying to solve, anticipating obstacles, and why brainstorming solutions should be a regular part of the process. This is one of the books that can help the reader break through problems that are delaying success.

The ocean plays a role in two business-related books. Into The Storm by Dennis N.T. Perkins with Jillian B. Murphy ($24.95, Amacom) is sub-titled “Lessons in teamwork from the treacherous Sydney to Hobart Ocean Race.” Those who love sailing will thoroughly enjoy this account of the 35-foot sailboat and its crew that needed to survive hurricane-force winds and giant waves. They knew they could die in the storm and they knew that teamwork would help them survive during the 1998 race. It’s a heart stopping tale. Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can’t Really Afford it by G. Bruce Knecht ($26.99, Simon and Schuster) describes the building of a 187-foot luxury yacht, the Lady Linda, at a cost of $40 million. It is filled with interesting, audacious characters and events from the explosion of wealth that made it possible for Doug Van Allmen to dream of having such a yacht and the 2008 economic implosion that suddenly made his lifestyle unsustainable, leading him to fall for an outrageous Ponzi scheme. It is a fascinating story.

Reading History

I love to read history and a new book, The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century BY Paul Collins ($29.99, Public Affairs) provides an extensive look at that century that preceded the first millennium. The Renaissance was still several centuries to come and the 900s was a century in which “Europe” did not exist. Instead it was an era of chaos in which the Vikings marauding the continent along with the Magyars from the East. The average life span was a scant 35 years and everyone was dependent on the weather for crops to sustain life. As such bad years produced much starvation and almost any illness resulted in death. Childbirth was fought with danger to mother and child. Healthcare was virtually non-existent and superstition was widespread. It was the spread of Christianity—Catholicism—that saved Europe despite the constant strife between the various “nobles” of the era. They did, however, stop the spread of Islam. Religion infused the lives of everyone within the context of a strong system of castes, mostly based on protecting them as much as possible. In parallels that reflect our times, this look at the earliest century of an emerging concept of a Europe and its nation-states, the book provides a look at the harsh times and ruthless history of those who shaped it.

The Second World War was brought to a dramatic end with the use of two atomic bombs against the Empire of Japan. They enabled the U.S. to avoid estimated casualties in the many thousands had we been required to invade mainland Japan. A little known aspect of the story of the development of those first nuclear weapons is told in Denise Kiernan’s The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II ($27.00, Touchstone, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.) It arrives just in time for Women’s History Month and tells of the thousands of young women who were recruited by the U.S. government to serve the top-secret Manhattan Project. Their destination was “Site X”, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a city that did not appear on any map at that time. The author introduces us to a half dozen young women who worked in a variety of roles from secretaries, statisticians, to calutron cubicle operators and chemists. The year was 1943 and Oak Ridge would go from being a ramshackle mud-pit top a bustling city of 75,000 by 1945. Despite the shroud of secretary that included gates and security fencing, watch towers and armed guards, the workers held Saturday night dances, enjoyed movies, and, with the surplus of army men, scientists and doctors, many of the girls became married women. Based on interviews with dozens of the surviving women and others, it was not until August 6, 1945 that many realized what their efforts had led to. It’s a great read.

The period of history leading up to and including the end of WWII is captured in A Line in the Sand: The Anglo-French Struggle for the Middle East, 1914-1948 by James Barr ($18.95, W.W. Norton, softcover). These are the last years of colonialism and few know of the machinations, the politics and espionage, the secret deals, as both nations vied to determine who would control the Middle East, all of which climaxed with the birth of Israel in 1948 and the emerging nations, many of which that had been drawn as lines on a map by British and French diplomats. It is a compelling tale of clashing efforts, moving between London, Paris, and New York; Jerusalem, Beirut, and Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad and Tel Aviv. The personalities involved included Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Charles de Gaulle. It is filled with many more characters who come alive again on its pages. The world is still engaged in the Middle East and, as a region in turmoil, this book provides invaluable insights as to how we have arrived at this point.

War, as always, provides much of literature and Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War, edited by Roy Scranton and Matt Gallagher ($15.99, Da Capo Press, softcover), provides snapshots of the wars fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most importantly how they affected the lives of its participants. The book brings together fifteen stories by writers that include front line soldiers, staff officers, and a military spouse. It is a way for those who only read about the events or saw bits and pieces on television to grasp the truth of the battlefield, the “fog of war”, and the lurking promise of death around every corner and down every road. Scranton, an Iraq veteran, was an artilleryman in the Army. Gallagher is a form Army captain who served 15 months in Iraq. I previously reviewed and recommended his account, “Kaboom”. Anyone who served and anyone who wants to know what it was to serve will value this book.

The ocean liner, Titanic, continues to attract the attention of the generations, already the subject of many books and several movies. Titanic Tragedy: A New Look at the Lost Liner, by John Maxtone-Graham ($15.95, W.W. Norton, softcover) is regarded as the dean of ocean liners historians and has long been fascinated by the story. He turns his talent and knowledge to the ramifications of that fateful night it sank.

Let’s round out Women’s History Month with One Glorius Ambition: The Compassionate Crusade of Dorothea Dix by Jane Kirkpatrick ($14.99, Waterbrook Press, an imprint of Random House, softcover) which, though a novel, has much to tell us of the life of this remarkable woman. Born to an unavailable mother and abusive father, she longed to protect and care for her younger brothers, but at age 14 she was sent away to live with relatives. She discovered she wanted more of life than the social expectation and limitations. Discovering a gift for teaching and writing, her pupils became her new family and she went on to become a leading voice for the mentally ill at a time when they were institutionalized and forgotten.

Odds and Ends

As is often the case, some books do not fit into easily recognizable categories. For example, Practical Classics: Fifty Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven’t Touched Since High School by Kevin Smoker ($18, Prometheus Books, softcover). An older generation of Americans will recognize titles such as “Catcher in the Rye” and “Slaughterhouse-Five”, but I am unsure that these and classics such as “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” are even being assigned in schools these days. That would be a great loss to a new generation. Reading these and other classics are a great aid as well as great reading experiences and enjoyment. If you have been thinking about revisiting the books of your youth or those you have promised yourself to read, but haven’t, this entertaining book provides practical, real-world reasons by you should read them.

In my youth, I was a magician entertaining at many children’s birthday parties and other events. I learned a lot of valuable skills in the process and made a fair amount of money as well. Fifty years ago, two magicians, brothers, founded The Magic Castle in Hollywood, now a landmark and still a magical mecca for fans and practitioners of illusion and prestidigitation. Milt Larsen, one of the founders, has written a history in My Magical Journey: The First 30,000 days ($40.00. Book ledge, softcover) that is extensively illustrated with photos and artwork collected over the years. Located in the Lane Mansion, it became the clubhouse for a private magician’s group in 1963. It now includes thirteen performance areas plus a museum for many artifacts. In addition to famed magicians, it has also hosted many amateur illusionists including Cary Grant, and Johnny Carson. The current president is Neil Patrick Harris. Anyone who loves magic will treasure this wonderful history.

Fans of college basketball will enjoy Gene Wojciechowski’s The Last Great Game: Duke Vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds that Changed Basketball ($17.00, Plume, softcover).  The date was March 28, 1992 when the Spectrum in Philadelphia was packed for the NCAA East Regional final. What occurred was a game that was so well-played, so close, and so dramatic that it is remembered twenty years later. The shot that ended it was an 80-foot inbounds pass from Grant Hill to Christian Laettner with 2.1 seconds in overtime. It gave Duke the 104-103 victory that is remembered to this day. The author has written a delightful account of the game along with the discipline, strategy, gamesmanship, philosophy and group psychology that lifted it to legendary status.

Novels, Novels, Novels

The flood of new novels continues and includes many self-published books. There used to be a time when self-publishing was frowned upon by reviewers, but no more. The new technologies and companies such as Amazon that have created their own imprints have transformed the way new novels make their way into the marketplace.

I have known “Samuel Jay” the nom de plume of the author of Shadow of Love ($17.95, available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble) since I was a young journalist and he was already a successful New Jersey public relations professional. In recent years he has turned his talents to writing novels and his latest is a sequel to “Shadow of Guilt”, two novels that will greatly entertain anyone who loves a fast-paced story, filled with realistic dialogue and plenty of action as its main character, Chip Keller, copes with life’s disappointments and challenges in ways with which the reader can identify. In his latest novel, Keller is the victim of a deliberate crash by a heavy pick-up truck, survives, and hires a detective, a boyhood friend, to find out who his would-be killer is. He is also drawn into an effort to thwart the building plans of a powerful developer with corrupt political allies who threatens an ancient north Jersey forest area. And he wrestles with a complex love life that is woven into an intricate plot. I guarantee that, once you begin to read this novel, you will not put it down until the last page. To learn more, visit www.samueljaynovels.com.

The Mapmaker’s War by Ronlyn Domingue ($23.00, Atria Books) tells of a long ago age when a young woman named Aoife is allowed the rare apprenticeship to become her kingdom’s mapmaker, tasked with charting the entire domain. When she discovers a secretive people who live in peace among great wealth and when she reports their existence, the community is targeted as a threat. When she tried to warn them, she is exiled and finds refuge among them. The story is told as an autobiography and contains all the elements of life we recognize from our own lives. It is a mesmerizing, original adventure. The Sunshine When She’s Gone by Thea Goodman ($24.00, Henry Holt and Company) tells the story of Veronica Reed who wakes in her Manhattan apartment one frigid morning, rested for the first time in months, and her husband, John, and baby, Clara, are gone. What she does not know is that John has left for a weekend in the Caribbean. It isn’t a kidnapping. Just an impulsive choice he made. The story is told from their alternating points of view as both grapple with the sacrifices of parenthood and any parent, particularly a new one, will find this a sometimes hilarious, always eloquent story.

Alan Bradley has authored a series of books featuring an eleven-year-old heroine, Flavia de Luce, a chemist and sleuth-extraordinaire, that has captured the imagination of readers of all ages as almost a million copies combined have sold in print thus far. His fans will welcome news of Speaking Among the Bones ($23.00, Delacorte Press) the latest in the series in which Flavia returns to solve another murder—one that hits close to home. When she discovers that the tomb of St. Tancred, she cannot pass up the event. When opened, a priceless heirloom is missing Flavia is on the case. This and the other novels in the series are a lot of fun. Lee Child’s debut novel, “Helpless”, a thriller, generated raves and he is back with Stolen $25.00, Kensington) in which John Bodine discovers a malignant melanoma growing on the bottom of his wife’s foot. It is just the beginning of a nightmare that proceed from one bad decision after another when he steals an identity and files a false insurance claim to cover the cost of her healthcare. When the real person discovers what he’s done, he blackmails him, and Bodine must play a very dangerous game with the blackmailer.

Softcover novels abound and here’s a quick look at several new ones. Fight Song by Joshua Mohr ($15.95, Soft Skull Press) begins when Bob Coffen, out riding his bicycle, is intentionally run off the road by a neighbor’s SUV. Something snaps in him. Modern suburban life has been getting him down and Bob is suddenly desperate to reconnect with his distant wife and children. He embarks on a weekend quest, meeting a motley crew of strange and wonderful characters who help him discover his fight song and the way back to a meaningful life. This novel is a call to arms for anyone who feels beaten down by life in which many feel they are losing control. A very contemporary novel, it is well worth reading. For those who enjoy a good thriller, there’s Scent to Kill: A Natural Remedies Mystery by Chrystle Fiedler ($15.00, Gallery Books) featuring the sleuthing adventures of Dr. Willow McQuade, N.D., a naturopathic physician. This is a story of interlocking relationships when she is invited to a party on the estate of Roger Bixby, a television producer. Willow is more interesting in the lavender farm on the estate, hoping to pick up ideas for her new aromatherapy workshops in her story. Roger, it turns out, is working with her ex-boyfriend, Simon, who is dating Rogers soon-to-be-ex-wife, Carly. After the party is long over, Willow gets a frantic text from Simon saying Roger has drowned and been found on the beach. He is now the main suspect. When an autopsy report turns up lavender in Roger’s lungs, she is instantly suspicious. You will be, too!

Seventh Street Books, an imprint of Prometheus Books, has published three novels for spring. They are Fear of Beauty by Susan Froetschel ($15.95), Hammet Unwritten by Owen Fitzstephen ($13.95), and Dante’s Wood by Lynne Raimondo ($15.95).  All three are quite distinct. In Fear of Beauty, the battered body of an Afghan boy is found at the base of a cliff outside a remote village in Helmand Province. His mother, Sofi, is desperate to know and so does US Army Special Ranger, Joey Pearson. Together they must confront extremists in their search for answers and both learn that the urge to preserve a way of life can lead to a fundamentalism that destroys a society’s basic value. Hammett Unwritten stars the famed detective, Dashield Hammett, who closes his final case as a private eye, acquiring as a souvenir the counterfeit statuette that he will later make famous in “The Maltese Falcon.” A dangerous series of events takes Hammett from 1930’s San Francisco to the glamorous Hollywood of the 1940s, to a federal penitentiary, and finally to a fateful meeting on New Year’s Eve. You will want to go along for the adventure. In Dante’s Wood, psychiatrist Mark Angelotti knows that genes don’t lie. Or do they? Back to work after a devastating illness, Mark believes he has put his past behind him when he is asked to examine Charlie Dickerson, a mentally handicapped teenager whose wealthy mother insists he is the victim of sexual abuse. He diagnoses a different reason, but his prescription turns deadly when a teacher is murdered and Charlie confesses to the police. This is a case in which nothing that first meets the eye is true as Mark seeks to prove Charlie’s innocence.

That’s it for March! Tell your book-loving friends, family and coworkers about Bookviews and come back in April for a bevy of new non-fiction and fiction. 

Bookviews - February 2013

By Alan Caruba

My Picks of the Month

For most of the history of the nation, Muslims played virtually no role in its politics or culture, but journalist Paul L. Williams examines the phenomenal rise of Islam in the United States in Crescent Moon Rising: The Islamic Transformation of America ($20.00, Prometheus Books, softcover) that reviews Islam’s beginnings in the nation; initially as the rise and influence of the Nation of Islam among African Americans. In 1965, the Hart-Celler Act abolished national origin quotes and led to successive waves of Muslim immigrants who entered the nation from Palestine, Kuwait, Iraq, Southeast Asia, Africa, Turkey and other parts of the world. Given the attack on 9/11, a wake up call for most Americans, Williams addresses a number of disturbing concerns about the Muslim presence such as the proselytizing and recruitment among convicts and ties to terrorist organizations. Drawing on a large body of statistics and other data, Williams predicts that Islam will be a major religion in America in a matter of decade. Given the resurgence of al Qaeda in the recent attacks in Algeria and Mali, and the spread of the religion worldwide, this is a book that is well worth reading.

If you think that U.S. borders, particularly in the southwest, are adequately protected against drug smuggling and illegal immigration, pick up a copy of Homeland Insecurity: Failed Politics, Policies, and a Nation at Risk ($19.95, BookLogix, softcover) by Brett Braaten. The author’s career spans 29 years with the original Customs agency that, after 9/11, was integrated into the 2002 Department of Homeland Security. Braaten offers a unique and extremely well informed look behind the myths that surround Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the new law enforcement agency is now called. He warns that politics, no matter which administration, past and present, cripples the ability of special agents to do their job in many cases, not the least of which is deporting illegal aliens. The rivalries between the FBI, the IRS, the ATF and other agencies continue to this day, further degrading the effectiveness of ICE. Add in political correctness and you have a situation where potential terrorists are handled with kid gloves while wheelchair-bound senior citizens are manhandled by the Transportation Safety Administration agents. Braaten takes the reader behind the scenes, including the few notable cases where terrorists were thwarted—always by alert passengers and no thanks to the system that is supposed to track them and stop them. He offers some good suggestions as to what can and should be done to correct the current lack of real protection and one that has the nation playing host to several million illegal aliens, and to increasingly emboldened drug cartel gangs.

Late last year I received a fascinating essay by Don Fredrick titled “Can It All Be a Coincidence?” Fredrick looked at President Obama’s many friends and associates, indicating the inter-relationship between them and surrounding him. Many are unsavory in a variety of ways; close friends, the Ayers, were former domestic terrorists. The preacher of the church he attended for over two decades was famed for his anti-American sermons. Suffice to say it is a long list that raises many question. Fredrick has gathered together that article with more than a hundred others in a book, Can It All Be a Coincidence? ($15.99, via Amazon, $3.99 Kindle) that runs almost 600 pages that those who are not fans of Obama will find of great interest. The author maintains a website at http://www.theobamatimeline.com.

If you are among the many millions who depend on talk radio to get news and opinion from a conservative point of view, than you will enjoy Fred V/ Lucas’ new book, The Right Frequency: The Story of Talk Radio Giants Who Shook Up the Political and Media Establishment ($18.95, History Publishing Company, softcover). L. Brent Bozell III president of the Media Research Center, says, “Author Fred Lucas chronicles conservative talk-radio stars over the decades, reminding us how they kept the American idea alive. Lucas travels back to the early days of talk radio history, describing, for example how Fulton Lewis predicted to Mike Wallace in the 1950s that the Republican Party could be a majority party if they would only let the conservatives run it, instead of wishy-washy, me-too moderates.” That was quite prescient given the way the recent reelection of President Obama is widely attributed to a weak candidate and failure to wage a more aggressive campaign. The Republicans have had a succession of presidents from Eisenhower to Nixon to Reagan and the two Bush presidencies. It took until 1994 to gain control of Congress during the Clinton administration, but political power kept slipping away and today’s talk radio stars, led by Rush Limbaugh, will have plenty to rail against for the next four years. As history, this is an excellent book, well worth reading.

Memoirs, Autobiographies and Biographies

When Rolling Stone magazine published an article about Gen. Stanley McChrystal in which some critical views of his subordinates were published, the General felt compelled to submit his resignation to the President. It was accepted and a long, distinguished military career by a West Point graduate, son of a West Point graduate and a father her revered came to an ended. Gen. McChrystal has had his memoir published, My Share of the Task, ($29.95, Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin) and for anyone interested in our military and our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it says a lot about the way our modern army trains its leaders and how they accept that responsibility. In 2009 Gen. McChrystal was appointed the Commander of the NATO coalition in Afghanistan to lead 100,000 troops from 46 allied nations. He has had a distinguished career and it is unfortunate he was sabotaged by a journalist more interested in gossip and accomplishments. His memoir is an instructive look at the way our military is producing a unique blend of soldiers and scholars, but it is also an insight regarding the values that instruct the way they live lives devoted to the defense of the nation in what has always been a politicized military directed, as the Constitution requires, by civilians in office. An expert in counter-terrorism, Gen. McChrystal is an example of the meritocracy that our military represents. His memoir is close to 400 pages, not counting footnotes that document it. It is highly detailed and it reveals the values he learned at West Point and over the course of his career. As such it offers a useful look at the men who put their lives on the line for a nation they love.

Jane Austen has become a cottage industry, generating movies based on her novels, and still widely read today for such classics as “Pride and Prejudice” that will celebrate its two hundredth anniversary of publication this month. Paula Byrne has written The Real Jane Austin: A Life in Small Things ($15.95, Harper) in which the acclaimed writer of biographies focuses on the key moments, scenes and objects which helped determine the course of Austen’s life and then reappear, transposed, in her novels. Instead of just piling fact on fact as in the case of the usual biography, this book offers a portrayal of her life that lends further insight to the power of her novels, as well as the major influences such as her father’s religious faith and her mother’s aristocratic pedigree. She was determined to become a published author and it was her father’s support that led to the publication of her first book, an effort that took several years. Anyone who is a fan of her novels will greatly enjoy this biography.

People who have passed through major trials in their lives often examine them in the form of a memoir. This is the case of Jennie Morton who has written Standing Strong ($17.95) who fought a long battle to regain custody of her children after losing them to her ex-husband. Now the founder of the Children’s Justice Foundation, Morton says “It’s a widespread and very damaging myth that mothers always get custody.” Her memoir recounts how her two former husband teamed up with their friends in the local courts to systematically strip her of her rights and deny her access to two of her children. She lost her job and her savings due to the cost of litigation, but she also discovered an inner strength she never knew she had. She would eventually graduate summa cum laude with honors, earning a Bachelor of Science degree and was accepted into South Texas College of Law in 2003. For women encountering this problem, the book will be an inspiration.

Another memoir provides an insight to life in Uganda during the 1960s as the physician-author tells the story of a turbulent political time when Uganda transitioned to self-rule. Dr. Negesh Tajani is currently Professor Emiritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the New York Medical College and a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. This is the story of her 42-year marriage to a Ugandan colleague and her move to Kampala where they spent eleven years. I Hear a Song in My Head: A Memoir in Stories of Love, Fear, Doctoring, and Flight ($26.00, New Academia Publishing, softcover) is a love story on one level and of the practice of medicine on another.

Relationships, Making Them and Saving Them

An interesting approach to finding love can be found in Much Ado About Loving by Jack Murnighan and Maura Kelly ($14.00, Free Press, softcover) that is subtitled “What our favorite novels can teach you about data expectation, not so-great Gatsbys, and love in the time of internet personals.”  Finding love these days isn’t easy in an era of online dating and open relationships, even if they have increased our choices. As a result, people turn to advice about modern-day courtship, but much of it, the authors note, can be found in classic novels by authors ranging from Jane Austin to William Faulkner. This is a lively exploration of common dating issues such as the worst kinds of people to date, how we handicap ourselves when it comes to finding good relationships, and, in the process we discover how classic literature is still relevant today.

 As Leil Lowndes, the author of How to Create Chemistry with Anyone: 75 Ways to Spark It Fast…and Make It Last ($16.00, Da Capo Press, softcover) reminds us, love is one of the most fundamental human needs, but the chemistry of love and attraction is fickle. It can be mutual or painfully one-sided. It fades when the “spark” fades. Lowndes, who has written a number of bestselling books on communications techniques returns with an examination of the chemistry of love, drawing on the latest research in cognitive sciences, she makes it understandable and applicable for anyone looking for long-term love. Marriage Rescue: Overcoming Ten Deadly Sins in Failing Relationships by Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) will officially be published in April explores for unhappy spouses why their marriages are unsatisfying, dysfunctional, and deteriorating with a look at ten ways spouses can cause marital strife, learn how to identify what they are doing wrong, and provides strategies to mend and revitalize their unions. It is his belief that the divorce rate of fifty percent can be avoided by identifying the behaviors and attitudes that every struggling couple must address. If this describes your marriage of that of someone you know, this book will prove very helpful. Also from the same publisher it is well known that, while the arrival of a new baby brings couples much happiness, after the birth many women feel overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, fear and despair. During the postpartum period, it is estimated that 85% of women experience some mood disturbance. Dr. Susan Benjamin Feingold, a psychologist, has written Happy Endings, New Beginnings: Navigating Postpartum Disorders ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) and provides proven techniques for overcoming unhappiness during postpartum. It doesn’t have to be a frightening, overwhelming time. Her book dispels misconceptions and myths about postpartum depression. Utilizing her vast experience, Feingold guides women on how to prepare for or recover from stressful times, frightening systems, and conflicting problems in relationships, complex maternity issues, and the feelings of anxiety that often follow a birth, getting themselves off to a good start.

Some of our habits contribute to bad relationships and, while Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We don’t, and How to Make Any Changes Stick by Jeremy Dean ($26.00, Da Capo Press) isn’t strictly about relationships, it is about those habits we embrace and often have difficulty breaking. Dean explores the anatomy of habit-forming behavior, offers tips and solutions for those who have tried and tried again to alter bad behavior or institute good behavior, only to give up after the first week. This is serious psychology and an often fascinating look at the way habits are formed, reinforced, and strengthened throughout our lives. Not all habits are bad, but the ones that are can often take weeks and months to eliminate from our lives. The vices, smoking, drinking, and comparable bad behaviors can be changed and this book can help anyone seeking to make that change.

On Writers, Writing, and Selling Books

If there is one thing that reviewers these days are aware of it is that many people are not only writing books, but they now have the capability of publishing them on their own. Though writing is a literary endeavor, it is also for some like myself a business and, in fact, has always been whether the topic is fiction or non-fiction. That is why The Business of Writing: Professional Advice on Proposals, Publishers, Contracts, and More for the Aspiring Writer ($19.95, Allworth Press), edited by Jennifer Lyons, is a good investment who has gathered together thirty industry professionals to share their perspectives on the nuts and bolts of publishing. One could spend years learning what this one book imparts. Similarly, Blueprint Your Bestseller: Organize and Revise Any Manuscript with the Book Architecture Method ($16.00, Perigee, softcover) by Stuart Horwitz is less about the business of writing as about the techniques involved in transforming first drafts into something that would gain publication. Here again, aspiring writers would benefit. Finally, once one has published their own book or been published, it usually falls to the author to do the bulk of the promotion unless one has a publisher with a budget to advertise and publicize the book. Phillip Lopate is a preeminent writer of the personal essay and has written a guide to for anyone who wants to pursue this genre. To Show and Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction ($16.00, Free Press, softcover) will help a writer navigate between fiction and nonfiction while discussing the state of writing, publishing and creative nonfiction today. If you want to read some of his work, Portrait Inside My Head ($26.00, Free Press) is also out this month as a collection of essays that paints a vivid, personal portrait of a major literary figure’s lifetime in New York. If you haven’t read his work, this is a good introduction and, if you have, his guide may inspire you to try your hand at it.

Patricia Fry has written Talk Up Your Book; How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences, and More ($19.95, Allworth Press, softcover). If writing a book is hard work, promoting it is as well. One has to be prepared to travel, speak, and create an audience and market for it. This book is filled with excellent advice on how to find speaking opportunities, handle yourself in front of an audience, organize and present workshops, and generate publicity for your presentations. Years ago such books did not exist, but in this era of the Internet, mass media, and other opportunity to call attention to one’s book, it is essential to master these skills. I am always surprised to be contacted by self-published authors who have no idea how to make a presentation, even briefly in an email or who just cold-call. It would be wise to invest some time in learning the ropes and these books will prove helpful.

Getting Down to Business Books

Get Rich Click! The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet by Marc Ostrofsky ($15.00, Free Press, softcover) whose initial, self-published book on the subject became a New York Times bestseller and topped other comparable lists. That book is now available in paperback. Ostrofsky is an online pioneer and internet entrepreneur whose various enterprises earn $75 million annually, so the man knows whereof he writes. The Internet is arguably the most powerful business tool in history and you too can make your own fortune on it, but it would be a good idea to read his book first.

Building Winning Enterprises Through Productivity by Isaac Johnson ($13.95, Mill City Press, Minneapolis, softcover) comes at a time when many businesses are concentrating on short-term fixes to improve the bottom line; lay-offs, budget cuts, and product development short cuts. Johnson’s slim guidebook walks the reader through a five-step process that takes a longer view by taking steps to improve productivity and thus maintaining one’s business with a blend of consistency, adaptation, adaptation, and an unwavering focus.

There’s no doubt the economic climate is battering American businesses and one way to help is to “buy American.” My Company ‘Tis of Thee: 50 Patriotic American Companies American Consumers Should Know About by Roger Simmermaker ($12.95, www.howtobuyAmerican.com) features companies that deserve consumer support for their products that, in turns, aids the economy. This is a passion of the author who has written four books on the subject since 1996 and been a guest on many news programs and featured in newspapers and magazines as a result. Whether it is products for the home and office, food and beverages, toys and other items one routinely uses, you will find a U.S. company that provides them in this book.

Books for Younger Readers

I am a great believer in getting children reading early, often by reading to them in their pre-school years, perhaps before they go to sleep. Later they can be given books appropriate to their age to encourage the habit of reading. I know that ebooks are the future, but nothing can replace the feel of a real book being held in one’s hands, pages turning, and the magical communication between the author and reader. Books for the very young are enhanced by artwork and photos. All of it engages and enriches their minds.

Many children’s books author want to impart good values and what better one than Peace which just happens to be the title and subject of Wendy Anderson Halperin’s new book ($16.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing). Given the conflicts that have been raging around the world, Ms. Halperin has gathered a collection of inspiring quotes on the question of how to bring and spread peace worldwide. Buddha said “Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace. The poet Walt Whitman who witnessed the Civil War said, “Peace is always beautiful.” The book is beautifully illustrated by the author and ideal for children aged 4 to 8. Elaina Redmond has a mission. She wants to teach and inspire young readers, ages 6 to 12, to appreciate The Power of the Penny, the title of her book, subtitled “Abraham Lincoln Inspires a Nation” ($18.09, available via Internet outlets and via www.thepowerofthepenny.com). It is handsomely illustrated by Scott Stewart and has won a Benjamin Franklin Award and a Mom’s Choice award. The book teaches children the value of civic duty, philanthropy, and financial literacy, fancy terms for learning the value of saving for the future, participating in the life of one’s community and nation, and to appreciate the value of something as small as a penny. She integrates the life of Lincoln, who appears on the penny, into the book as an example of the personal values one should strive to attain. By any measure, this is a book one would want any child to read.

Lincoln plays a major role in another book, Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty ($24.95, Abrams Books for Young Readers) by Tonya Bolden, the author of a number of award-winning books. This is a book for readers about ten and older, but it also serves an adult reader quite well  The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Lincoln 150 years ago and for the generations since then, it is difficult to imagine what it must have been like for the estimated eleven million slaves. The issue was divisive enough to spark a Civil War. For the South, it was an issue of state’s rights and the financial future of the slave-owners. This is an excellent book of the history of those times, an examination of how the Constitution dealt with slavery prior to the war, the various laws passed to preserve slavery or avoid its spread. The book is extensively illustrated with artwork and photos from that era. Lincoln joined the ranks of liberty’s greatest heroes when he issued the Proclamation, but it would take a century more before African-Americans gain their full rights as American citizens.

Girls in their teen years are especially fortunate insofar as there are publishers who pay attention to their interests and needs. Zest Books is one of them, publishing books for young men as well, but two of its latest are A Girl’s Guide to Fitness by Erin Whitehead and Jennipher Walters ($12.99) and The Prom Book by Lauren Metz ($16.99). Both are officially due off the press in April. The fitness books offers good advice on how to fit physical activity in their busy lives and addresses a lot of issues such as eating disorders, why trying to be perfect is boring, avoiding over-training, and much more that any girl should know as part of their pursuit of health. The prom is a major social event in a girl’s life and the book will help the reader plan for it in every way necessary. This is some serious, no-nonsense advice that will go far to make the special evening memorable. Another of my favorite publishers is American Girl.

Its magazine of the same name is celebrating its 20^th anniversary with its January/February issue. The magazine has enriched the lives of girls age 8 and up. There’s a year-long birthday celebrating that includes a contest for girls who want to appear on its cover with entries to be postmarked no later than February 28. The magazine has a circulation of 441,000 with the average age being 10.5 years. It’s wholesome and worth giving any girl a subscription in contrast to much of the trash vying for their attention.

Novels, Novels, Novels

Between the major and smaller publishers, as well as the increase in self-published novels, the numbers keep growing. Here’s a look at some of the latest.

J.A. Jance has more than 22 million books in print and returns with Deadly Stakes ($25.99, Simon and Schuster). After suffering heartbreak at the hands of a cyber-sociopath, Lynn Martinson believes she has finally found happiness with her new boyfriend, Chip Ralston. However, when his gold-digging ex-wife is found murdered and abandoned in Arizona’s Camp Verde desert, the couple find themselves in jail with a rapidly expiring plea deal designed to make them testify against one another. This is the kind of heart-pounding action that has amassed a huge audience of fans for her novels. James Sheehan is the master of the legal thriller and he is back with The Lawyer’s Lawyer ($22.99, Center Street, imprint of Hachette Book Group). After agreeing to represent a convicted serial killer whom he believes was framed, Jack Tobin has enraged the system, but he relentlessly searches for the truth where it is often spoken of, but is often not found. He’s in the fight for his life and the outcome is in doubt right up to the last page. It is, as they say, a real page-turner. Make sure you have the time to read it through as you will have a hard time putting it down.

A bevy of softcover novels represent the many genres of fiction. Aric Davis’s new novel, Rough Men ($14.95, Thomas & Mercer) is about a father who must confront the demons of his past and risk the promise of a better future to avenge the killing of his son. This is an edgy crime fiction and solid crime thriller that begins when a detective shows up one cold night with the news that his son is dead, killed under dubious circumstances after taking part in an armed robbery. He enlists his brother and others to track down the killers as it explores the bonds of family. Also from the same publisher is Rules of Crime by L. J. Sellers ($ 14.95) whose bestselling Detective Jackson series has earned many fans. In this novel, he takes on the case of the kidnapping of his ex-wife. At first he suspects his alcoholic former wife, Renee, has hidden herself away, but the truth is far worse as becomes evident when the kidnappers demand a ransom from her wealthy fiancé. Meanwhile, his protégée, Lara Evans, is working on a troubling case of her own, the savage beating of a University of Oregon coed who may have been involved in a secret sorority. The action never stops as the solution to these parallel crimes run their course. Camilla Lackberg is the top selling female author in Europe, having sold more than ten million copies of her books worldwide with four million sold in her native Sweden. Americans were introduced to her in 2010 when this crime sensation’s “The Ice Princess” was published. The third segment of her chilling series is The Stonecutter ($15.99, Free Press) has just been published and continues the story of local detective Patrik Hedstrom and his girlfriend, Erica Falck, a crime-solving duo whose first child has just been born. The suspicious drowning that claims the life of the young daughter of close friends and, as they investigate, it threatens to tear apart the rural fishing village where a secret lurks that spans generations.

Stephen Dau’s haunting debut novel, The Book of Jonas, ($16.00, Plume) is about war, memory, guilt, and atonement as the author, a former international aid worker turned writer, takes the reader deep inside the human cost of military intervention, exploring war’s rippling repercussions and soul-searing wounds. It focuses on the refugee of a Middle East war who is taken into the family in the U.S. after an American soldier saves him the night he flees his village. There are many interesting twists and turns in this novel that will appeal to those who oppose war and its shared tragedies. On a far happier note, Gerrett Mathews takes the reader back to 1965 in Barking Signals (Badly) During Goldwater ($25.00, www.pluggerpublishing.com). It an underdog story of a 14-year-old boy, puny and shy, living in a little town in Virginia’s mountains where it is decided that he can be helped by playing second-string quarterback on the school’s jayvee team. Written by a retired journalist who has eight other books to his credit, this will appeal to anyone who grew up in those years and who love sports as much as he does. It will remind any male reader of the aspirations of those teen years, but it is in many ways a timeless, entertaining story that will remind you why you first fell in love with sports.

There is a genre of books intended to appeal to women readers. The Girl’s Guide to Love and Supper clubs by Dana Bate ($14.95, Hyperion) whose debut novel chronicles irrepressible Hannah Sugerman’s rebellion from her academic parents and wonky career path in the nation’s capital as she explores the underground supper-club business. His power-broker family don’t like the match with her boyfriend and, when that relationship falls apart, she continues to explore life as it takes many unexpected changes. Disasters and political careers collide while friendships and love affairs thrive. This author knows Washington. D.C. in ways that do not make it into the newspapers as power, policy, and real life combine for a delightful first novel.

Mary Ellen Taylor’s The Union Street Bakery ($15.00, Penguin) tells the story of Daisy McCraes’ life. She has lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, and been reduced to living in the attic about her family’s store, a bakery, while learning the business. When a long-standing elderly customer passes away, he bequeaths Daisy a journal dating back to the 1850s, written by a slave girl named Susie. When she reads it, she learns more about her family and her own heritage than she ever dreamed. What she finds are the answers she has longed for her entire life and a chance to begin again with the courage and desire she thought she had lost.

Three novels have a spiritual theme. Karen Kingsbury’s The Chance ($22.90. Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster) a hardcover due out in March; One Sunday by Carrie Gerlach Cecil ($14,99, Howard Books); and My One Square Inch of Alaska by Sharon Short ($16.00, Plume), a debut novel. The “Alaska” book brims with Midwestern 1950s nostalgia and is devoted to the importance of fulfilling one’s dreams as Will Lane and his ambitious older sister, Donna, shake off the strictures of their small industrial Ohio town and embark on the adventure of a lifetime. In “One Sunday” Alice Ferguson’s career as the assistant editor of a Hollywood tabloid gets turned upside down when a charming Southern doctor not only gets her pregnant, but dares to fall in love with her. When she moves to Tennessee, she is befriended by her African-American neighbors, Pastor Tim and his wife. Alice learns the power of forgiveness and lets real love into her life. “The Chance” is hard to describe except to say it has an intricate plot that will capture your imagination as a chance meeting with singer Rod Stewart has a powerful impact on Karen Kingsbury’s life.

That’s it for February! Remember to come back in March and to tell your book-loving friends about Bookviews.com.