Author Archive
Nancy Pickard has a great reputation as a mystery writer, but she seems to be at her best recently with two stand-alone suspense novels. After her well regarded Virgin of Small Plains (2006), she has followed up with The Scent of Rain and Lightning, and not to sound too blurb-like, but this one grabs you from the first pages.
Jody Linder is an adult now, but she has never fully recovered from the stormy night when her life totally changed. Her father Hugh-Jay was murdered and her mother disappeared, never to be found. Jody, who was a lively and cheerful three-year-old, was raised by her loving grandparents, part of the wealthiest ranching family in the small town of Rose, Kansas. Now Jody is living in the old family home and is about to begin teaching in the local high school. She has always searched for her mother and regularly combed the area for clues to her disappearance.
Everything changes for Jody and the people of Rose when they learn that the man accused and convicted of Hugh-Jay’s murder has been released from prison after 23 years and has won the right to a new trial. This change is mostly due to the efforts of his adult son Collin, who is now a lawyer and has proven that the mostly circumstantial evidence was not strong enough for a conviction. Though his father was not murdered, Collin’s life was also changed by that long-ago night.
Pickard is a skillful writer. Through flashbacks she returns to the time before the murder and chronicles the events that lead up to the fateful night. Rose is a small town where no one is a stranger, and where assumptions about others are not always correct. Pickard artfully depicts the life of the small town and the ranchers who live there. All of which make this an engrossing and hard to put down read, with lots of clues and surprises along the way to the solution.
June 9th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
It must be difficult to write a long mystery series featuring the same characters without making the plots predictable and repetitive. There are some authors who can pull this off, one is the the recently deceased Robert Parker who was usually able to keep his story lines fresh. Sue Grafton is another; her long running mystery series featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone has maintained its high standards since book one. This is quite an accomplishment for a series that began with A is for Alibi in 1982. The 21st and most recent title, U is for Undertow is no exception to the rule.
Kinsey was 32 at the beginning of the series and Grafton decided early on that there would be months between the events in the books rather then years. That means that “U” is set in 1988, although there are several flashbacks to 1967. Michael Sutton, who has shown up at Kinsey’s office without an appointment, persuades her to take on his case to try to help him determine what really happened when he was 6 years old and saw two men burying something in the woods. This was only days after a 4-year-old girl was kidnapped. Michael, who turns out to have a troubled past, wants to know if is memory is correct and if he saw them burying her body.
Although it turns out that there was a dog buried in those woods, the case gets to be quite involved and takes more than a day to resolve. There are several separate plot lines to juggle: the story of the 2 men who buried the dog, that of Deborah Unruh, grandmother and mother figure to a girl who was kidnapped but returned to her family at about the same time as the other kidnapping, and Kinsey’s relationship with her own family. She was raised by an aunt and estranged from her grandmother, a once formidable woman, who is now often confused. The aunt had hidden some facts from Kinsey and when those are revealed, it seems that a reconciliation might be possible.
It take a while for these stories to unfold, and the action moves a bit slowly at times but patient readers will enjoy the somewhat leisurely telling of the story as it unfolds. Series fans will enjoy revisiting the recurring series characters especially Kinsey’s neighbor and landlord Henry and his circle of friends and family.
May 26th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
Making Toast: A Family Story by Roger Rosenblatt is a touching and very personal memoir detailing the first year after the sudden death of his adult daughter, Amy who was a doctor and mother of three young children. Rosenblatt, who has had a long career as a writer and an essayist, and his wife Ginny were asked by their son-in-law to move in and live with the grieving family to help care for the children.
Ginny assumes many of the jobs formerly done by Amy in the care of the children and in many ways is repeating the traditions and tasks used when raising her own children. Rosenblatt admires and praises the work she does every day. He says that the only role for him is to be the family buffoon, making up silly songs for the children, and choosing a different word for every day. That and making toast. Toast is actually made, daily in fact, by Rosenblatt who makes the family breakfast every morning. It becomes part of the ritual for the start of the children’s day, and through this seemingly mundane task - despite the family tragedy - life goes on. The three children are very young, the youngest is a toddler. Though the whole family is suffering, the loss touches the children in ways unique to them.
This is a very poignant family story, about both death and life. This is close knit family forced to cope with an inexplicable death. It will move most readers to tears at times. If you’re interested, Rosenblatt was interviewed recently on the PBS newshour. It’s worth checking out.
May 10th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
There are probably hundreds of novels written using Jane Austen’s characters or themes, including some recent best sellers such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (reviewed by Molly). Although the seemingly endless steam of take-offs on Austen’s timeless books can be exhausting, I did enjoy The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine, a modern rendition of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.
Joseph Weissmann announces to Betty, his wife of almost 50 years, that he wants a divorce and it is is for the most common of reasons; he is involved with a younger woman who is one of his employees. Betty is quickly ejected from her luxurious New York apartment, as messy divorce proceedings begin. For the first time in her life, Betty is alone and in desparate financial straits. Convenently, “Cousin Lou”, a man to whom everyone is family, comes to her rescue with the offer of the use a small and shabby house he owns in Westport.
Betty’s two daughters are also at loose ends for various reasons. Annie is a divorced librarian with two grown sons, and her sister Miranda is a literary agent, recently gone bankrupt due to misrepresenting several of her authors, who falsified their life stories. Both decide to lease their apartments and move in with Betty. The three women quickly settle into their lives of genteel poverty with heavy reliance on credit cards. There are many poignant and humorous moments along the way. For example, Miranda decides to take up kayaking, with disastrous results. She is rescued by a handsome young man, a single father of a charming boy. Miranda quickly forms an attachment to both. Annie is also involved with a famous author who spoke at her library. Their mother is busy negotiating the divorce, even as she describes herself as a widow. And the expansive Uncle Lou includes the family in his busy social life.
Things mostly work out as might be expected, but there are several unexpected twists and turns along the way. It is not necessary to read an Austen novel to enjoy this book. You can read it for its humor and for the three women who are dealing with financial adversity and finding new lives in the the process.
April 21st, 2010
Mary K. - Central
Gail Godwin’s latest novel, Unfinished Desires, is an involved and intriguing look into a Catholic Church and a set of societal standards that no longer exists, written from the perspectives of both nuns and young women. The nuns (called “Mother”) are teachers in a Catholic girls school in the fifties and the girls are the young and sometimes mischievous students in that school. The outside world consists mainly of the parents and relatives of the girls, many of whom also attended the school.
Godwin excels at portraying adolescent girls during the fifties. They are trying to find their way in the world, shifting between best friends frequently, dealing with parents who themselves are not always making the best decisions, and sometimes struggling with school work. For these mostly Catholic girls this is an innocent era, where a show of affection between two girls was considered scandalous.
Former headmistress Mother Suzanne Ravenel has decided to write a memoir of her more than 60 years at Mount St. Gabriel’s school in North Carolina, as a legacy for her former students. As part of this process, she must revisit a particulary difficult school year, that of 1951-2, when the freshman class’s behavior forced a long tenured teacher to resign. The new teacher, the young and frail Mother Malloy, must win the trust of the class and adjust to an assignment not of her choosing. Chloe has also arrived; her recently deceased mother was an alumnus, and Chloe is now living with her uncle. Chloe’s aunt also attended Mount St. Gabriels and was a close friend of Mother Ravenel. Her presence causes a major shifting in the girls’s loyalties and friendships.
The climax of the year is a play staged by the freshman class. This play, written by Mother Ravenel when she was student at the school, has been re-staged periodically through the years, including a reprisal by the mothers of the current students. This time however, there is an added twist as the young producer has added an epilogue, that could embarass Mother. The stafing of the play has many unintended consequences for both the students and the nuns.
The well written story evolves slowly as Godwin expertly juggles the multiude of characters and the shifting time periods. Read it for an look into a long lost era for women in the Catholic church, and for its astute portrayal of the coming of age of adolescent girls.
March 23rd, 2010
Mary K. - Central
Gail Collin’s very readable account of the last fifty years of American women’s history, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from the 1960’s to the Present, begins with a woman not allowed to pay for a ticket in a government building because she was wearing pants, and ends with the historic presidential candidacy of Hilary Clinton, whose wardrobe consisted exclusively of pantsuits. Over 50 years, Collins covers changes for women that are much more substantial than wardrobe issues, and also shows the many things that have not changed in women’s lives.
Collins documents events with stories from individual women, some famous and some not. Included are interviews with many familar women, such as Rosa Parks, Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, and Sandra Day O’Connor. There are also many less well know interviewees: flight attendants, factory workers, and housewives. These interviews provide personal and first hand perspectives.
The first sections are the most interesting. During the pre-Betty Friedan era middle class women were expected to stay at home (many of them expressed their frustrations at their limited options). Single women were expected to quit their jobs when they got married, flight attendants were regularly weighed, there were no sports for girls, and there were many male only venues. The few women who did graduate with advanced degrees were expected to take jobs as secretaries. Sandra Day O’Connor had many frustrating experiences in the workforce after her graduation from law school. The Civil Rights Era is also thoroughly covered. Rosa Parks did not randomly sit down on the bus; she was carefully chosen for her role and the event was carefully orchestrated. There were strong women leaders behind the ministers who did most of the public speaking.
Collins is an entertaining writer, who has written for the New York Times editorial page for several years. This book is recommended for its inclusiveness and for detailing behind the scenes of history for things that often only get brief mention in history books. Women who are veterans of the eras described will want to share this one with daughters and granddaughters.
March 8th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper hilariously describes a stressful week in the life of a dysfunctional family. The Foxman family normally spends very little time together and it takes a death or illness to change that. The death of their father Mort brings them back to their family home to sit shiva and receive guests, following a Jewish tradition of 7 days of mourning for a close family member. Although they are very surprised that their father requested a shiva, the adult children dutifully return home to fulfill his last wish.
Judd Foxman is the third child of four and his life is currently a mess. His wife has been having an affair with Judd’s radio host boss ( Judd discovers her in bed with him and has a novel response) and he is currently unemployed. And to top things off, his wife informs him that she is pregnant and that he is the father. He is not speaking to either his wife or to the boss, at least until they both show up at the shiva.
While it might usually be considered a respite to return home for a while, it is not the case here. Judd’s brother Paul has always resented him since an animal attack when they were in high school. And Paul’s wife is Judd’s ex-girlfriend, who is desperately trying to get pregnant. Also present are: Judd’s sister Wendy who brings with her 2 small children and a husband whose first priority is his job and his Blackberry, his youngest brother Phillip who brings an older woman along, and his mother, an esteemed expert on parenting, at least when her own children are not involved.
The family dynamics slowly change over the week as the adult Foxman’s and their mother learn a lot more about each other. This is a book full of humor and ultimately love and acceptance. It is easy to imagine this story on the big screen and apparently there is a movie planned with Jonathan Tropper as the scriptwriter. Readers are welcome to try casting it.
February 15th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
Mystery readers were saddened and shocked to hear of Robert B. Parker’s sudden death at age 77 last week. Parker had a long and prolific career and a big impact on detective fiction. As I was researching his life and works, I learned a lot about him. I was not aware that he had a Ph.D. and wrote his dissertation on the works of Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald, and Dashiel Hammett, all early writers of mysteries featuring hardboiled detectives. Parker’s own works follow in their footsteps, as he developed late twentieth century tough and moralistic characters, who are not afraid to kill when necessary. His novels may be considered formulaic, but it is a formula that worked for many years because of his entertaining dialogue, fast-paced plots and likeable main characters.
Parker wrote westerns and several mystery series, but he was best known for his Spenser novels (we never know Spenser’s first name). The decades long series began in 1973 with the Godwulf Manuscript. Through more than 30 books, Spenser never lost his strong sense of justice, his gourmet cooking ability, and his sharp tongued and wise cracking ways. He remained devoted to his psychiatrist girlfriend Susan Silverman and also to his loyal sidekick, Hawk. All of the Spenser books are set in Boston, and the city has a big role. Spenser drinks in the bar at the Ritz, and navigates and walks past city landmarks. Perhaps, if we’re lucky, there is one more manscript in waiting that will wrap up the series.
There were several television series that featured Parker’s characters. Spenser for Hire featured the actor Robert Urich and ran for 3 years in the 1980’s, followed by some made for television movies. There was also a spin off series featuring Hawk. His western Appaloosa was made into a movie, starring Ed Harris. His more recent Jesse Stone series were also made into television movies starring Tom Selleck. And the rumor was that his Sunny Randall books were written for Helen Hunt to bring to the screen.
Parker is credited with bringing the mystery genre into the mainstream and onto the bestseller lists. And just as he was influenced by earlier writers, he also inspired others during his long and prolific writing career. It is fitting in many ways, that he died at his desk while writing. For more information, here is his New York Times obituary.
January 28th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
The Wisconsin Book Festival always draws a wide variety of authors, and no one can get to every program, but as it is a long time until the next Festival (September 29-Oct 3) comes along, it is always worth taking a look back at the previous schedule for reading suggestions.
One of last year’s featured titles was Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen, a first novel by the author of the memoir Stealing Buddha’s Dinner. Short Girls is about two sisters, daughters of Vietnamese immigrants, who came to the US after the war ended. As adults, the sisters have taken seemingly very different paths. Van is married and and an immigration lawyer, and Linny has moved through many relationships and jobs. Both are having problems; Van’s marriage has broken up, although she is keeping it quiet and Linny is involved in an affair with a married man, who she met through her job as a cook at a meal preparation site.
Since their mother died several years ago, the only connection between the two is through their father, who has decided to become a U. S. citizen after 30 years. Mr. Luong has worked intermitently; his main interest has been in his inventions, especially the Luong arm, which he designed to help short people retrieve items. The family members are all short, and Nguyen uses height to explore issues related to immigration, and to not fitting into American society. The Nguyen’s were unwilling immigrants, who are forced to adapt to life in the Midwest. For Van and Linny who were both born in the U.S., that means that in some ways they must reject their heritage and their native language.
This is a well-written and thoughtful novel; clearly this is familiar territory for Nguyen. Family life and conflicts are portrayed with humor and understanding. There are lots of other appealing titles on last year’s WBF list. Next up for me - probably Bonnie Jo Campbell and Lynda Barry.
January 25th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
Thanks to generous grants from the Madison Community Foundation (for the Monroe Street Branch) and the Madison Public Library Foundation (for the Pinney and Sequoya branches), the library now has a collection of Playaways. You might ask just what is a Playaway? It is a preloaded easy to play audiobook in a small case that will contain the entire unabridged book regardless of how long the text.
Although the start-up collections are relatively small, their content is as varied as MPL’s audiobook collection. For example there is foreign language instruction as well as many popular titles by authors like Michael Connelly. Also keep in mind that other libraries in the South Central system are purchasing them as well and all are searchable in the catalog.
Audiobook fans - who have not yet taken the plunge with an MP3 player - should find the Playaways to be a good substitute for books on cassette, a format that is now discontinued by most audio publishers. MPL will still maintain the cassette collection, but will not be adding new cassette titles as the technology advances.
Look for more Playways to be arriving at these three branches. The Madison Community Foundation will again donate funds to build the collection at Monroe Street. Holds may be placed on them and they can be picked up at other libraries as well.
January 14th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
Driftless by David Rhodes is one of those books that should be enjoyed and then enthusiastically passed on to fellow readers. The driftless area of Western Wisconsin is beautifully described and the multitude of characters slowly come alive through the intertwining of their stories. If there is a main character in this novel, it is July Montgomery, who was a stranger when he landed in small Words, Wisconsin twenty years ago and decided to stay. He remains fairly mysterious, but this quiet and reticent farmer is highly respected, and is always willing to help out a neighbor.
Montgomery’s story is only one of many in this small town filled with characters. Included are: two sisters, one disabled and wheelchair bound, who live together and need each other, a woman minister who truly believes what she preaches, a couple trying to survive as small farmers while they fight corporate corruption, and a woman songwriter. Their stories slowly unfold, and are told with compassion and humor. There are so many memorable and well written scenes in the book, it is difficult to highlight one or two, although Rhodes chose a humorous and compelling selection when he read at the Wisconsin Book Festival this fall.
Rhode’s reading at the Book Festival was his first in Madison, and hopefully not the last. During his talk, he said that attending a funeral for a close friend was the inspiration for this book. He thought he knew everything about his friend, but was very surprised at how many of the attendees at the funeral were strangers.
There were passionate fans of the book in the Book Festival crowd, and their questions were part of what made me interested in reading. These people really liked the book. One book group even traveled to western Wisconsin to hold their discussion. Rhodes was disabled in a serious accident many years ago and has recently resumed writing after many years. His last book, Rock Island Line, was written in 1975 and tells the story of July’s early years.
January 12th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
Two of the all-time best tennis players have recently released autobiographies and the stories of their beginnings could not be more different. Serena Williams, author of On the Line and Andre Agassi, author of Open: An Autobiography both started tennis at a very young age, and were instructed by their fathers, using very different methods. That’s where the similarities end. Williams portrays her early tutoring as endless fun, with the entire family involved in learning and drilling on the public courts in a dangerous area of Compton, California. Agassi, on the other hand, describes his early instruction from his father as torturous and brutal. Perhaps because of her upbringing,
Williams seems to unreservedly love everything about tennis, while Agassi is very clear about hating it for most of his career and unsparing in his descriptions of the personal toll the life that he did not choose took on him.
Agassi is by far the more introspective and honest in his depiction of his past, while Williams is upbeat and uncritical. On the Line reveals very little new personal information (at least for diehard Serena fans). Richard Williams, or “Daddy” is not the controversial person depicted in the press, but instead a loving and skilled coach and father. Williams rarely talks about her emotions and does not seem interested in contemplating her past.
Andre Agassi is not afraid to reveal unflattering incidents in his life: among other things, his experimentation with drugs and his short and unhappy first marriage are covered in great detail. And while Serena speaks glowingly of the Bolletieri Tennis Academy, Agassi, who was a resident, has an entirely different view. In fact, Agassi could be considered by some standards to be an abused child, although he probably would not agree. He doesn’t always present himself as very likeable, and sometimes judges his own actions quite harshly. Tellingly, he does not want his own children to play tennis professionally.
Serena’s many fans will no doubt love her book; but anyone looking for a more indepth and truthful description of the pro tennis tour should read Agassi’s book. There are common themes in both of their stories: both fought back after dropping out of the tennis rankings, both met Nelson Mandella at different times, and both are funding schools, Williams in Africa and Agassi in Las Vegas.
Any list of recent tennis books must also include Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal and the Greatest Match Ever Played by L. Jon Wertheim. Although it is not autobiographical, Wertheim has a lot of information about both of the players, as well as about the preparation and skill involved in a major tennis match, this one the very impressive final at Wimbledon in 2008. Along with Agassi’s book, this is a must read for fans of professional tennis.
January 5th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
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