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Saxton Reads! & ReviewsWe invite the public to post reviews to our catalog by logging into our online catalog. Reviews will then be posted to this blog. Comments can be added to existing posts or may be added as separate reviews on our catalog MAY 31, 2010
Half Broken Things ~ Morag Joss
*****
reviewed by CarolK 9780385339407 Half Broke Things by Morag Joss was recommended to me recently by a librarian friend. She said it was in her top 50 books of all-time. The conversation had started when I mentioned how much I had liked the movie Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and how true it stayed to the book. She offered that Half Broken Things was another film adaptation that was excellent. She suggested though, that I read the book first. And I am glad I did. Right off the bat, the book sounded like it would appeal to me. The jacket blurb lured me in by saying it would be a match for Minette Walters fans and I am one. After reading Half Broken Things, I can see why as it builds great psychological suspense, there are secrets; it's a brooding dark tale that would appeal to Walters' fans. Another good fit might be for fans of Sarah Water's Little Stranger. It's hard to describe Half Broken Things without giving away too much of the plot. It starts off simply with the narrator Jean, a house-sitter by profession, putting down on paper the sequence of events for all to read, to explain, for us the reader, to understand how she got from one place to here. It's a haunting journey. I felt like all started in black and white and was slowly filled in, in vivid color as the tale was told, finally bursting at it's seams, thought provoking and satisfying in the end. It develops slowly, oh, so slowly, so if you're a fan of fast paced thrillers, this might be a pass. Joss has a great way of phrasing things. I found myself nodding and saying oh, I like the way she put that. Joss will be added to my list of authors to continue reading. I'm thankful she has other books for me to read. I'm very curious to see how the movie tells the story. It seems like a hard one to translate into something that would leave me with the same thrill. Hollywood often blows the subtleties of a story such as this, but, I'm going with the recommendation of my friend and giving it a chance.
MAY 30, 2010
This Is Dedicated!
To my son, Jeremy, ~Jo-Ann Geffen Chicken Soup for the Soul
MAY 25, 2010
Wedding Girl ~ Madeline Wickham
****reviewed by MercedesT
The Wedding Girl by Madeline Wickham I am a fan of Sophie Kinsella's books, so when I found out that she was also writing as Wickham, I wanted to take a look. This was my first Wickham book and it was definitely different. Kinsella's books a fun and flighty, romantic comedies with little edge. I've often likened them to modern fairy tales and enjoy them very much. In this book, the very first difference was it was written in the third person with shifting view points as opposed to Kinsella's first person stories. The Wedding Girl took me a little time to get into but once I did, I found myself enjoying. I was impressed with Wickham's honest approach to some of modern society's big questions and while it wasn't heady or in-depth, she didn't shy away from looking into questions of marriage, fidelity, abortion, or homosexual relationships, and while I may not agree with her in everything, I appreciated her honest treatment as opposed to the supposition that life's questions only have one answer. Not as fun or flighty but still enjoyable, perhaps even more so for giving an edge to a story that could have been another comedic rehash. Do all of Wickham's books hold this edge? Perhaps not, but it was nice to see that she isn't just rehashing Shopaholic in every tale.
MAY 24, 2010
Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul ~ Jack Canfied, Mark Hansen, Theresa Peluso
I'm just finishing up Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul. Funny, I don't even like to shop so even though I love the Chicken Soup series, this one was a stretch for me. I was pleasantly surprised with the stories and as always with these stories that celebrate our eccentricities and life, there were some vignettes that touched my soul. Another, brought home to me that just because we get older, we're not out of the game. Carol McAdoo Rehme's In the Sack, relates the story of taking her Grandma shopping to none other than Frederick's of Hollywood.. .Carol wondered if her gram knew what was sold there but was assured in no uncertain terms that Grandma Vic had all her marbles. It seems that she and Grampa would be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary and that she wanted something to surprise her guy. "I might be old and broken, but I'm not dead. I need a new nightie, something...suggestive, and I want to buy it here. At Frederick's." Love is not just for the young! Suzanne Baginskie got far more than she bargained for as is told in A Special Holiday Bargain. The day after Christmas finds her at the mall, tired and needing a break. Flopping down on a bench, a little girl skips up to her, introduces herself and then, too, her Grandpop, Kyle. Within minutes, Kyle clutches his chest and falls to the ground and Suzanne begins CPR. The paramedics arrive and Suzanne comforts the grandchild until the mother arrives. Though a close call, the quick action of Suzanne probably saved Kyle's life. Two days later, Suzanne visits Kyle in the hospital. As a way of thanks he invites Suzanne to dinner. She accepts and friendship soon turns into wedding bells. What a wonderful story! The perfect gift, that great bargain, the cherished find, the kindness of strangers, all of this and much more...Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul, another winner and will warm your heart. My copy of Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul has found a new home...
MAY 23, 2010
This is Dedicated...
The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
MAY 22, 2010
The Agatha Awards
If you’re in the need of some good mystery reading you probably can’t go wrong with the 2009 winners of The Agatha Award. Named after none other than the grand dame of mystery fiction, Agatha Christie, they are given to “honor the "traditional mystery." They contain no explicit sex or excessive gore or gratuitous. You won’t find anything considered hard-boiled here.
Best Nonfiction Dame Agatha's Shorts by Elena Santangelo Best Short Story "On the House" by Hank Phillippi Ryan Best First Novel The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley note - this was a personal favorite of mine and you can read my comments if you use the title link above. Best Novel The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny Best Children's/Young Adult Novel The Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein
MAY 19, 2010
Cookbook Awards
The International Association of Culinary Professionals recently named the 2010 Cookbook Awards. Given since 1986, the awards represent 16 categories. With the myriad of cookbooks written each year this list is certain to help find the best.
You can find previous years winners on the IACP website. Most of the 2010 winners are listed here: People's Choice The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery Authors: Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson Editor: Melissa Moore Publisher: Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press Cookbook of the Year Rose's Heavenly Cakes Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum Editor: Pamela Chirls Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. American My New Orleans: The Cookbook Author: John Besh Editor: Dorothy Kalins and Jean Lucas Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC Baking: Savory or Sweet Rose's Heavenly Cakes Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum Editor: Pamela Chirls Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Chefs and Restaurants Ad Hoc at Home Authors: Thomas Keller and Dave Cruz Editor: Ann Bramson Publisher: Artisan Books Children, Youth and Family Williams-Sonoma Family Meals Author: Maria Helm Sinskey Editor: Kim Laidlaw Publisher: Oxmoor House Compilations Gourmet Today Author: Ruth Reichl Editor: Rux Martin Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing First Book: The Julia Child Award The KitchenAid Award The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast Author: David Leite Editor: Rica Allannic Publisher: Clarkson Potter The Eat Your Books Award Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion Author: Stephanie Alexander Editor: Kathleen Gandy Publisher: Penguin Group (Australia) Health and Special Diet The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery Authors: Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson Editor: Melissa Moore Publisher: Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press The Le Cordon Bleu Award Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking Author: Eileen Yin-Fei Lo Editor: Bill LeBlond Publisher: Chronicle Books The Cuisinart Award Waste Author: Tristram Stuart Editor: Robert Weil Publisher: W.W. Norton Professional Kitchens Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft 2nd Ed. Authors: The Culinary Institute of America Editor: Pamela Chirls Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Single Subject Go Fish Author: Al Brown Publisher: Random House (New Zealand) Wine, Beer or Spirits World Whiskey Authors: Charles Maclean Editor: Shannon Beatty Publisher: DK Publishing
MAY 16, 2010
This is Dedicated...
The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch
MAY 14, 2010
In the Authors Own Words ~ Richard Brawer
Please welcome guest blogger Richard Brawer, author of Beyond Guilty, as he gives us a behind the scenes look at this writing life.
My latest book, “Beyond Guilty” was inspired by a screen play written by my daughter. In her script, the protagonist is an African-American male wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Despite her being a lawyer in the movie industry and the screen play winning a number of awards including $1000.00 from a "Writer's Digest" contest, she was not able to generate interest from her associates in Hollywood. I said to her, "Let me write it as a book with an African-American female protagonist as there are many African-American actresses looking for a meaty, leading role." Thus "Beyond Guilty" was born. However, in the process the book took on a life of its own and dramatically deviated from the screen play. The only parts that remained the same were that the lead character was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death; and she escapes death row and fights to prove her innocence. All the fighting, chases, and the ending are entirely different from the screenplay. One particularly interesting deviation is the theme about nanomedicine. I like to incorporate something educational in my books. In my mysteries it is historical vignettes about the Jersey Shore. In “Beyond Guilty” it’s nanomedicine. In my daughter’s screenplay, after her character escaped he had to salvage his DNA to prove his innocence. Seemed like old news to me. I had recently read an article on nanomedicine so I thought, why not go cutting edge? Nanomedicine is the creation of microscopic, computerized robots that are infused into the blood stream carrying medicine to attack a specific diseased cell. Unlike current drugs that attack many parts of the body and create additional problems as explained in TV ads, nanomedicine robots home in on infected cells and destroy them, and them alone, with no side effects. Having no medical experience, I researched nanomedicine on the web. But did I portray it correctly? Did I write it so a layperson could follow it? To answer the first question, I started sending e-mails to the authors of the articles I read. One scientist, Robert A. Freitas Jr. J.D., Senior Research Fellow for the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing, was kind enough to edit my references to nanomedicine and has written an essay at the end of the novel explaining how far this research has come and when it will be available. The second question was answered by the reviewers. “The author’s inclusion of the concept of nanomedicine in the plot is articulate and intriguing...” Von Pittman for The Genreview Others called it “fascinating”, “interesting”, “engrossing”, “a scientific morality play”. No one said they could not understand it. I really felt I had written an excellent book so I started querying agents. Unfortunately the rejection letters started piling up. Frustrated I began looking at small publishers. (As you will see below, my past experience made me leery of small publishers.) I wanted one with a good track record, that paid an advance and paid royalties. I found those qualifications in L & L Dreamspell. They have been absolutely wonderful. Although a small press, they run their business like a big New York Publisher. Yet, even with their contract looking very beneficial I still had a lawyer go over it for reasons you will see below. (I’m lucky. I have a lawyer in the family who specializes in contracts.) I am now looking forward to a long relationship with L & L Dreamspell Publishing for novels I will be writing in the future. How did I get started writing books? After graduating the University of Florida and a stint in the National Guard, I spent 35 years working in the textile industry. I lived at the New Jersey shore and commuted an hour and ten minutes to New York City by train. To fill the time I read the newspaper in the morning and books on the ride home. Always having a vivid imagination, I would occasionally come across a newspaper article that really hit me and would wonder what would happen if? I didn’t do anything with my wonderment until I retired in 1998. I did a little sailing and also some gardening but I needed something more to fill my days, especially in the winter. Then one day I read a horrendous article in the newspaper about a father in Boston whose child was born with brain damage and he refused to take him home from the hospital. He thought he could return the child like a damaged piece of merchandise he bought in a store. (Interesting that this coincides with the child recently returned to Russia.) The nurses were outraged and their disgust was quoted in the article. That’s when my imagination took over and I asked myself, “What if the child was misdiagnosed?” With mysteries being my favorite genre I took that thought and began making notes. The notes turned into paragraphs and the paragraphs into chapters. Thus my first Murder at the Jersey Shore mystery, “The Nurse Wore Black” was born. So now I had a book, but what do I do with it? Being a complete novice, I did the usual things most new writers do, I sent out query letters to agents and received a stack of rejection letters. Lamenting my woes to a friend, he told me about a publisher, Vista Publishing, in Long Branch, New Jersey, the town next to mine that specialized in publishing books about nurses. Excited, I dropped in cold to their office. Two weeks later they said they wanted to publish my book. Wow! When I saw the finished product, the “Wow” factor fell into the depression factor. The cover was not well done and leafing through the book I saw a number of typos. The publisher had never discussed the cover with me nor did they give me a proof of the typeset book to look over. At the time I didn’t know enough to ask for them. As far as I knew, I thought they would do the editing as well as create a proper cover. Needless to say, I did not push to sell this book. It was an embarrassment. The moral to this story is, be involved in every step of the publishing process. View the cover. Don’t take it for granted. Demand a proof of the book. If you find poor editing, demand the publisher re-edit or pay to have it edited yourself. My second book in the Murder at the Jersey Shore mystery series, “Diamonds are for Stealing,” was inspired by another newspaper article about phony diamonds. It was published in 2001 by Hilliard and Harris. With the above experience still weighing heavily on my mind I was totally involved in the publishing process, especially proof reading. Hilliard and Harris did a wonderful job editing and publishing this book. I could not find one mistake. So what happened that made me not want to give them my next book? It was in their contract, which here again was a learning experience. As with Vista, Hilliard paid all the publication expenses to bring this book to market. However, they had a clause in their contract that said they do not pay royalties until they recoup their publishing expenses from book sales. Again, my naiveté let me pass right over this clause without a thought. (My daughter was not yet a lawyer.) As we all know, writing is a dual process, creating the product and publishing the product. Neither party has anything without the other. Since I created the product and would be spending money to promote and sell the book, I felt I was entitled to some return from the sale of book one even if it was only a nickel a copy. (I did eventually sell enough books to get some royalties.) Again, the moral: Read your contract carefully and get a lawyer to go over it. Study every clause. If you don’t like something try and get it changed. If the publisher balks you have two choices, agree or don’t sign, but at least you know exactly what you are getting into. What do you do with your book after it’s published? In today’s world, even if you are published by a large New York City publisher, unless you are a major author you have to promote your own book. Thus you need a marketing plan. There are many ways to promote your worksocial networking sights, twitter, book signings, mass mailings, through your website, joining internet book discussion groups. You must create your own plan and work at it if you want to sell books. It’s time consuming but when you see the reviews and get the feedback it is well worth the effort. I would like to talk a little bit about self publishing. I was born in Paterson, New Jersey, America’s first industrial city and the home of the silk industry in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. I mentioned I worked in the textile industry. That’s because the family has been in that business since my grandfather started a silk company in 1904. I wanted to instill in my daughters their heritage so I started interviewing the family in depth and researching Paterson. The stories were so fascinating I thought they could make a wonderful novel. But I wrote mysteries and suspense novels. What did I know about writing historical fiction? Thus I started reading that genre to see how those books were written. The result was “Silk Legacy”. It took me ten years, in between writing the mysteries, to research and write “Silk Legacy”. It is very loosely (and I mean very loosely) based on my paternal grandparents. My grandmother’s parents did not want her to marry my grandfather because he was an extremely domineering man. (At least that’s what I was told.) Thus the clash between husband and wife is the conflict that runs throughout the book. She gets involved in the suffrage movement and reproductive freedom which angers her husband. He demands she stay home and take care of “his” house and “his” children. When a strike shuts down the Paterson silk industry, she gives food to the strikers while her husband, a silk industrialist, is fighting the strikers, one of their leaders being his brother. I tried to get a publisher interested, but again couldn’t land one. To this day I don’t know why. I’ve read a lot of historical fiction and I knew this was a good book. Thus, since I was sixty-five, I didn’t want to wait any longer to get the book in print. So I self published it. As you can see from my web site, “Silk Legacy” has gotten fabulous reviews from everyone who has read it. I have sold it as a tumultuous love story, a family saga and a slice of American history. Unfortunately the vanity publisher I picked whom, as you can see did a marvelous job on the cover and the layout of the book (I paid to have it professionally edited) has succumbed to this recession and gone out of business. I now own all the rights and have placed the book on Amazon Kindle for $2.99. It is also available directly from me. Please see my website, www.silklegacy.com. Two things you must realize about self publishing, (1) you have to be prepared for everyone in the publishing industry to look down their noses at your work, (2) you have to do 100% o the selling yourself. But it can be rewarding if you are HONEST with yourself. If you feel you have a good book and a marketing plan to sell the book, go for it. Don’t let the “mavens” in the publishing trade discourage you. What is my writing process? First: I form a major premise along with the ending of the story. In the mysteries it’s naturally "who-done-it." In the historical fiction novel it’s the resolution between the characters. And in the suspense novels it’s how to the protagonist gets out of peril. Second: I create my protagonist and antagonisttheir looks, quirks, and their experiences in life that affect their personalities and the way they react to events. Third: I create a very rough outline as to how the story will progress from beginning to end. Note I said very rough as this changes as the story evolves. Fourth: I try to create a captivating opening chapter such as finding the body in the mysteries, putting the protagonist in jeopardy in the suspense novel and creating the conflict in the historical fiction. Finally: I write from my opening chapter to the conclusion of the story. I strive to take the reader on a journey that is never a straight line, but more like the line of a gyrating stock market. I place red herrings in my mysteries, adventure and jeopardy in my suspense novels and many setbacks in my historical fiction novel. However, one thing remains constantthere is always CONFLICT. The most important aspect of a novel is the conflict between the characters. Without conflict there is no story. How did I learn to write? I read a couple of books and many magazine articles on writing, but in writing as in life, the most important lessons come from doing. Remember, I said I was an avid reader. If you want to write, first read, read, read. If you read books with the idea that you may want to be a writer, then you will consciously start analyzing how the author created his work. When you start writing, write the type of story you like to read. Once you begin your writing try to find a critique group that will give you honest feedback on character development, dialogue, voice, plot, conflict and setting. But don’t automatically take anyone’s critique as gospel. Remember, it’s your story. Analyze the critiques to see if they have merit. Say you have a six person group. If one person criticizes something then it may or may not be valid. But if three or four in the group say the same thing about a segment then you should take it under serious consideration. I hope my experiences will help you with your writing and publishing efforts. Richard Brawer www.silklegacy.com
Category: Meet the Author MAY 11, 2010
Library Love Fest interviews James Grippando
Dreading cleaning the bathrooms this morning I wondered what I had to listen to to make the time fly by. I didn't want to start an audio book because I couldn't devote enough time to get into the meat of the story. Then it dawns on me that I do have a mp3 player so I could download an author interview to "listen while I worked". I visited one of my favorite sites Library Love Fest on BlogTalk Radio. BlogTalk radio is "the largest and fastest-growing social radio network on the Internet. And Library Love Fest features Virginia Stanley hosting lively conversations with authors, librarians, editors in discussing a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction.
An interview with James Grippando, author of several standalone thrillers and the series starring Jack Swyteck, Miami Criminal Defense Attorney, immediately caught my eye. A quick download and transfer to my mp3 player and I had 46 min. of entertainment to make me forget the chore at hand. I have to tell you it was a great choice. If you haven't read Grippando's latest, I'd bet you'll run to pick up a copy of Money to Burn,, that's how good it sounds. Money to Burn, one of his standalone books, is described as being ripped out of the headlines, before the headlines were printed. Writing this before the Bernie Madoff scandal and the meltdown of Wall Street, Grippando didn't realize how close to truth his fiction hits. Listening to Grippando describe the book, you realize it is so much more than a financial thriller. It has something for everyone, including a great love story. Michael Cantella, an up and coming investment banker for Saxton (can you believe it?) Silvers is on a cruise with the love of his life when they decided to literally jump ship and get married. Before Ivy Layton gets to enjoy the honeymoon, she disappears. Fast forward seven years, Cantella has picked up the pieces, remarried and become quite financially successful. Sounds like a great life until the day before his 35th birthday, Cantella discovers his bank account wiped clean. And we're off for a fast paced thriller with lots of excellent characters, some easy to love and some just as easy to hate. You can bet Money to Burn has been added to my Good Reads to be read list. Listeners are encouraged to call or write in questions to Love Fest. At one point Grippando tries to answer the question as to why so many lawyers have become authors. Grippando loved being a lawyer so that wasn't the motivator. He thinks back several years to reading Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, a book he enjoyed. Not to brag, he immediately thought, hey, "I could do that". Summarizing he says Writing a book is not as simple as rolling out of bed. Lawyers are a smart bunch and many are English majors and so it's not such a big leap to authorship. When asked what he reads he answers; some suspense to keep up with the genre, a great deal of ya because he reads what his kids read and lots of nonfiction, particularly enjoying the many historical offerings that read like a novel. I wish he had mentioned a few titles. Grippando is working on on new title set to be released in 2011, Afraid of the Dark which brings back three characters from other novels, Swytek, FBI Agent Andi Henning, from Born to Run and also (probably Grippando's favorite) blind hostage negotiator, Vince Paulo, When Darkness Falls. Grippando has written one Ya novel that has been a hit with both teens and teachers and it sounds great, combing history and mystery, Leapholes. He may just try another YA outing one day but feels his books for grownups would be suitable for older teens. He says he in to someone who swears in real life, so his characters language is clean and the violence is built by tension, not graphic detail. You can visit him at jamesgrippando.com where the first line on his webpage will draw you right in, "My dad was a stripper". This should give you a clue to his sense of humor. And he is on facebook where he invites you to chat. Want to listen to the podcast. You can find it on the Adult Services Pageon our website www.columbiactlibrary.org under Library Love Fest. Happy Reading!
MAY 9, 2010
This is Dedicated
For some time now I've thought about starting a regular feature of this blog called "This is Dedicated" to quote a dedication from the books I come across. There seems to be a subtle difference between author dedications and acknowledgements. Acknowledgements usually thank people for helping the author write the book, checking facts, moral support, legal or technical advice, etc., while the dedication can be to anyone or even, anything. There are some beautiful ones in books. What is more appropriate than this simple one today, Mother's Day.
Look for regular dedication posts on Sundays each week. Have a favorite, let me know. Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline, 2010 Dedication ~ For my mother, with love and gratitude
MAY 2, 2010
2010 Edgar Winners
April 29th the Mystery Writers of America held their 64th annual Edgar Awards banquet and announced this year's winners. The Edgar's are given to honor the best in mystery fiction and nonfiction and are named for Edgar Allan Poe. Best Novel Best Paperback Original Best Critical/Biographical Fact Crime Short Story Young Adult Juvenile Mary Higgins Clark Award Grand Master Dorothy Gilman The two I've read were winners with me also, Last Child by Hart and In the Shadow of Gotham by Pintoff. I even took the time to comment on Pintoff's on our catalog's reader reviews. Take a look. Columbine by Cullen was a best pick for 2009 on many end of the year reading lists.
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