THE LAST RIVER RAT: KENNY SALWEY'S LIFE IN THE WILD -- J. Scott Bestul and Kenny Salwey

Voyageur Press
Stillwater, Minnesota -- ©2001 -- 255pp
ISBN: 0-89658-457-7
Illustrations by Mary Kay Salwey
Autographed by Kenny Salwey (2002) and J. Scott Bestul (2005)

A one-year "diary" of living the life of a "river rat" in the backwaters of the Mississippi River.

Broken down first by month, and then each month having three parts, 1)River Rat Almanac, 2) Scott Bestul's report on what he learns from Kenny during that month, 3) Kenny's Tale. Each is interesting in its own way, but Scott's narration is direct and honest and brings the reader right to the Whitman Swamp with him.

An engaging read, interesting, and dare I say, unique in so many ways. Better, I think than the legendary A Sand County Almanac, and will have a comfortable spot on the bookshelf near my favorite outdoor memoirist, Sigurd F. Olson.

Highly recommended.

CLEMENCY POGUE: FAIRY KILLER -- J.T. Petty

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
New York -- ©2005 -- 120pp
ISBN: 0-689-87236-4
Illustrations by Will Davis

After being pestered by the Fairy of Frequent and Painful Pointless Antagonism, little girl Clemency Pogue vows that she does NOT believe in fairies, killing her attacker...and every other fairy in the world. Realizing that there are plenty of good fairies, Clemency and a hobgoblin set off to make things right.

A quick read that offers plenty of laughs for the adults, perhaps an interesting short story for kids, but nothing really of any substance. It's a quick adventure in the world of fairies, a little bit of action, and a short burst of triumph for the girl.

Certainly this is taking advantage of the popularity of books like Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the awful books of Eoin Colfer. If it weren't for these other books, this probably would never have seen the light of a fairy's wand.

Check it out from your library if you're looking for something quick and light to read, but don't waste your cash.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE -- J. K. Rowling

Arthur A. Levine Books/An Imprint of Scholastic Inc
New York -- ©2005 -- 652pp
ISBN: 0-439-78454-9
Illustrations by Mary Grandpre

In his sixth year at Hogwarts School for budding witches and wizards, Harry Potter learns more about his enemy, Voldemort, and watches a dear friend die.

This book, more than any of the others does NOT stand on it's own as an individual book. The whole purpose of this book seems to be a paving the way for the ultimate show-down between Harry and Voldemort, with a couple of possible surprises thrown in (surprises which are hinted at here).

The story-telling has kept us turning pages here, but the book,on whole, feels empty. The story is not a self-contained story (ala The Sorcerer's Stone), but rather the first part of a larger story.

I would not recommend this as an individual book, but would still recommend the series as an interesting and mostly enjoyable phenomenon.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ -- L. Frank Baum

A Signet Classic/New American Library
New York -- ©1984 (introduction and Signet edition) -- 219pp
ISBN: 0-451-51864-0
Introduction by Selma G. Lanes
Original drawing illustrations by W.W.Denslow

A young girl gets taken from her Kansas farmhouse by cyclone to a fantastic world called OZ, where she must face strange creatures and confront a wicked witch and a powerful wizard in order to return home.

So many people think they know this book because they are so familiar with the classic MGM movie. Of course there really is so much more in the book that it might surprise people.

I find the book to be slow at times, sometimes the obstacles in the girl's way just seem so extraneous. However, I read this book aloud twice now. Once to my daughter, and once to my two boys. Each time it managed to hold my childrens' interest. They've all agreed that we should consider reading book two in the series.

I can see where this easily would have/could have been the Harry Potter of it's day. Chock full of fantastic people and places and things. In it's day however, I don't believe it was popular for adults to read a children's book, nor was fantasy as acceptable.

More people ought to read this classic.

LONG AGO WHEN I WAS YOUNG -- E. Nesbit

Dial Books
New York -- ©1987 -- 127pp
ISBN: 0-8037-0476-3
Introduction by Neal Streatfeild
Watercolor illustrations by George Buchanan
Line drawings by Edward Ardizzone

A short autobiography of children's author Edith Nesbit.

I greatly enjoy the works of Edith Nesbit and often wish that more people would read her now. She's most famous for The Railway Children, though I don't feel it's her strongest. This autobiography, which really only covers her first ten years, is written in the same, conversational style that her books are written.

I didn't find anything particularly interesting or revealing in this book, other than that she suffered from a fear of the dark as a child, and that her sister was very good at telling her fantasy stories. I couldn't help but wonder if some of those stories her sister told became the basis for any of her own later works.

This book would probably only be of interest to a true fan of Nesbit's children's books, and even then, maybe only slightly so.

WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST -- Gregory Maguire

ReganBooks/ An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
New York - ©1995 - 406pp
ISBN: 0-06-039144-8
Illustrations by Douglas Smith

Elphaba, born green and of questionable gender at birth to an emotionally unstable and sexually rampant mother and a narrow-focused, religious leader father, grows up to become the infamous "Wicked Witch of the West." This tale of politics, sex, and treachery is her "side" of the story.

This really is an incredible weaving of L. Frank Baum's tale and an original piece of work to shed new light on the Wicked Witch's story. Though at times uneven, the story is full of duplicity and complexity that requires the reader to keep a sharp eye out for what has happened and what might be coming still ahead.

I think that I enjoyed this all the more because while reading this book I have read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz twice -- once to my daughter and once to my sons. By becoming much more intimately acquainted with the original source for this book, I much more appreciated the way Maguire was able to make connections, and I certainly looked at the original story in a new light.

I would recommend this book, but I also would recommend first reading L. Frank Baum's original series (or at the very least, the first book) set Oz.

THE SHATTERED GODDESS -- Darrell Schweitzer

Starblaze Editions/The Donning Company
Virginia Beach/Norfolk -- (c)1982 -- 183pp
ISBN:1880448807
Illustrations: Stephen Fabian
Autographed: Darrell Schweitzer


An evil witch switches her son and the heir to a throne at birth. The witch's son grows up not understanding why he is capable of performing magic, but ultimately must face the witch in a showdown which could destroy the entire world.

There was a time when I really would have enjoyed a book such as this. But that time has passed for me, I think. I looked forward to this when I started it, but soon looked forward to being done with it.

I never felt truly connected to any of the characters, and when that happens one begins to wonder, "So what?" It didn't help any that I never felt comfortable with any of the character names and even to the end of the book I had some confusion as to which names belonged to male characters and which to female. The lead character was named "Ginna," and perhaps because I have a friend, two sister-in-laws, and a niece all named "Gina" I couldn't help but constantly read the name as female.

For a fantasy story with magic, it lacked too much of both and had too much posturing and vocal threats from gods and demi-gods.

I bought this direct from the author on eBay. In part becaue I felt a little sorry for the guy (I couldn't shake the feeling that he was selling this stuff as part of his way of making a living), and in part because I remember reading his shorter works in the pulps back in the 70's and enjoying them.

Unfortunately I can't recommend it.

RUFUS AT THE DOOR & OTHER STORIES -- Jon Hassler

Afton Historical Society Press
Minnesota - (c)2000 - 126pp
ISBN: 1-890434-29-9
wood engravings by Gaylord Schanilec

A collection of short stories including:

Publisher's Note by Patricia Condon Johnson
"Rufus at the Door"
"Anniversary"
"Winning Sarah Spooner"
"The Life and Death of Delano Klein"
"Dodger's Return"
"Agatha McGee and the St. Isidore Seven"
"Nancy Clancy's Nephew"
Postscript: A Letter from Agatha McGee

I have to admit that I was half hoping to not like any of these stories. I'm not sure exactly why. Maybe it's because Mr. Hassler also runs a successful, small theatre nearby, and I'm jealous of his accomplishments. Who knows. But the truth is, I enjoyed this collection. Some more than others, like any collection.

"Rufus at the Door" conveyed small town sentiments toward those who are "different" quite well. "Dodger's Return" brought back memories of childhood acquaintance J. Orlikowski. "Wow," I thought. "That's exactly what happened with me and J."

"Agatha McGee and the St. Isidore Seven" was amusing, and ended exactly the way I expected it to, and that's okay! Not every story has to surprise you with the ending. Any ending other than what was written would have been a disappointment.

Based on this collection, I will look forward to reading Mr. Hassler's "Staggerford" books, and other collections of short stories.

KIRA-KIRA -- Cynthia Kadohata

Atheneum Books for Young Readers
New York - (c)2004 - 244 pp
ISBN: 0-689-85639-3
2004 Newbery Medal Winner

A young, Japanese girl faces racism, death, family pride, and unionization for workers in the Midwest and South in the late 1950's.

I am disappointed that this novel was chosen for the Newbery Medal Award. While not a bad book, by any means, I didn't feel that this story every struck any particularly strong chords or said anyting in a new and creative way. It seemed all too obvious that the sister was going to die, very early in the book. It also seemed too obvious that the parents were likely to vote for the union despite their talk against it.

The only thing that made this story slightly unique was that it was a Japanese family working in the Midwest and deep South. Otherwise, I didn
t feel there were any fresh angles for this kind of story.

A disappointing choice for medal winner, and not likely a book that I will go about recommending.

X-MEN: SHADOWS OF THE PAST -- Michael Jan Friedman

illustrations by Jose Ladronn
bp books - distributed by Simon & Schuster
New York - (c)2000 - 328pp
ISBN: 0-7434-0018-6

A powerful extraterrestrial being who is being held prisoner in another dimension captures Professor Xavier and replaces him with a doppleganger and attempts to destroy the X-Men and the earth.

I have generally enjoyed reading novel versions of comic book heroes, and I have generally enjoyed works by Friedman, but this book just falls flat. the 300+ pages feel padded with ...what? Not much of anything. This could have been a decent 24 page comic, but as a novel it just has nothing to hold anyone's interest.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME -- Mark Haddon

Doubleday
New York - (c)2003 - 226pp
ISBN: 0-385-51210-4

An autistic boy writes a book about his search for a killer (of a dog), and the discoveries that he makes along the way.

A very interesting book, as it gets in to the head of an autisitc boy, explaining the reasoning behind many of his actions. Some of the best description comes when he describes how he shuts down, sort of like when you press CTRL + ALT + DEL on the computer when he gets an information overload. His chapters are sequential, not 1,2,3 but lowest to highest, all prime numbers. He is a math genius and math plays a lot in to the book, yet done in such a way that even a math-loathesome person such as myself can get through it it. I can see where this book might win a great many prizes for its subject matter and it's handling of the information. However, I never really felt drawn in to the book. Certainly this is because of who is telling the story and how he (an admittedly unemotional person) does it. But by keeping my at arms length, even in the book, I couldn't feel the attachment to it that I would like when reading a book.

NICK HORNBY * SONGBOOK -- Nick Hornby

McSweeney's Books
San Francisco - (c)2002 - 146pp
Illustrated by Marcel Dzama
ISBN: 0-9719047-7-4

A collection of essays/reviews of pop music. Including:
Teenage Fanclub - Your Love Is The Place That I Come From
Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird
Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker
Rufus Wainwright - One Man Guy
Santana - Samba Pa Ti
Rod Stewart - Mama, You Been On My Mind
Bob Dylan - Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?
The Beatles - Rain
Ani DiFranco - You Had Time
Aimee Mann - I've Had It
Paul Westerberg - Born For Me
Suicide - Frankie Teardrop
Teenage fanclub - Ain't That Enough
J. Geils Band - First I Look At The Purse
Ben Folds Five - Smoke
Badly Drawn Boy - A Minor Incident
The Bible - Glorybound
Van Morrison - Caravan
Butch Hancock and Marce LaCouture - So I'll Run
Gregory Isaacs - Puff The Magic Dragon
Ian Dury - Reasons To Be Cheerful
Richard and Linda Thompson - Calvary Cross
Jackson Browne - Late For The Sky
Mark Mulcahy - Hey Self-Defeater
The Velvelettes - Needle In A Haystack
O.V. Wright - Let's Straighten It Out
Royksopp - Royksopp's Night Out
The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist
Soulwax - No Fun / Push It
Patti Smith - Pissing In A River

This collection is really more like a series of mini-essays with a song or songs providing the purpose behind the essay, rather than a series of song reviews. It's always interesting how Hornby gets from point "A" to point "B" in these collections, but few of them actually get me to want to listen to any particular song. Worth the read, but I'll admit that I'm glad to have read the library copy rather than buying my own.

+++++++++++
trade paperback version
Riverhead Books/Published by The Berkley Publishing Group
New York - (c)2003 - 207pp
ISBN: 1-57322-356-5

Includes all of the above plus:
"It's a Mann's Worlds"
"Alternative Earle"
"Sweet Misery"
"The Entertainers"
"Pop Quiz"
Discography

The above set of essays are not about any particular song, but albums or sets.

The gem found here is Hornby's description of the ever-present pop music as "aural smog." Again, I'm glad to have read these, but I'm not likely to wish I had the book on my shelf to read again or hand out to friends. (Actually, most of my friends already have a copy.)

THE MAN IN THE CEILING -- Jules Feiffer

Michael DiCapula Books/HarperCollins Publishers
(c)1993 - 186pp
ISBN: 0-06-205036-2

A young boy who wants nothing more than to be a cartoonist, learns important life lessons about failure and not giving up from his uncle, a failed Broadway musical playwright.

A fun book with lots of Feiffer cartoons. The book really hit home in many ways with me personally, as a playwright and failed cartoonist. A recommended book as a light read, particular for those interested in cartooning.

MY LIFE IN HEAVY METAL -- Steve Almond

Grove Press
New York - (c)2002 - 204pp
ISBN: 0-8021-4013-0


A collection of short stories.

"My Life in Heavy Metal"
"Among the Ik"
"Geek Player, Love Slayer"
"The Last Single Days of Don Viktor Potapenko"
"Run Away, My Pale Love"
"The Law of Sugar"
"The Pass"
"Moscow"
"Valentino"
"How to Love a Republican"
"Pornography"
"The Body in Extremis"

A top-notch collection of short fiction, by an excellent writer. All the stories seem to center around a main-character's sexual experiences.

LIFE OF PI -- Yann Martel

LIFE OF PI -- Yann Martel
Audio Book -- read by Jeff Woodman (with Alexander Marshall)
11-1/2 hours on 9 cds -- Complete and Unabridged

An Indian boy, the son of a zoo keeper, is the lone survivor of the sinking of a cargo ship which had been transporting zoo animals to Canada. He survives the lengthy journey with a Bengal tiger as companion.

An interesting story at times, but droning and boring as I listened to it. It never fully captured my attention and drew me into the tale. I'm not at all sure as to why it has received the attention that it has. I would not recommend it, though I wouldn't necessarily steer anyone away from it if they wanted to read it. Very average at best.