FRANK WALSH'S KITCHEN AND OTHER STORIES -- Bonnie Flaig Prinsen, editor

Nine Dragon Press -- tpb
Preston, MN -- ©2005 -- 174pp
ISBN: 0-9746633-1-X
subtitled: The Story Project of Fillmore County, Minnesota

A collection of essays and memories of, by, and/or about Fillmore County and its residents.

Introduction - Bonnie Flaig Prinsen
Choosing This Place
"The Big Woods" - Dana Gardner
"This Place" - Nancy Overcott
"A Sense of Place" - Becky Stocker
"In Less Than An Hour" - P.J. Thompson
"Here On The beach" - Wayne Pike
"A View of the Prairie" - JoAnne Agrimson
"Beautiful Mountain" - John Torgrimson
Small Towns
"Village Lottery" - Donovan Ruesink
"A Sign of the Times" - Steve Befort
"Happiness at Christmas from Coast to Coast" - Beverly Lewis Crowson
"Rollerskating" - Marcelle Vrieze Shipton
"Lost and Found" - Marjorie Taylor Smith
"The Tawney Store" - Gary Stennes
The Natural World
"Tornado Watch" - Trudy Schommer
"Tick Removal" - Jeff Kamm
"Fish Out Of Water" - Wayne Pike
"The Raccoon" - Tom Driscoll
"A Skunk's Legacy" - Wayne Pike
"Ginseng Hunting" - John Torgrimson
Close Calls
"Welcome Back" - Laverne C. Paulson
"The Day the Boys Took Flight" - Peter Snyder
"Christmas Eve 2003" - Herb highum
"Missing the Bus" - Tim Gossman
"Hello, Central?" - Cheryl Serfling
"Adventures in Driving" - Erik Paulson
"Pride Goeth Before the Fall" - Jeff Kamm
"The Day the Lights Went Out at Mystery Cave" - Carol Thouin
Reminiscence
"Memories of an Indentured Farm Kid" - Al Mathison
"Hot Hay!" - Marjorie Taylor Smith
"Garden Genes" - Ann Marie Lemke
"A Mother's Fear" - Herb highum
"A Railroader's Daughter" - Marjorie Evenson Spelhaug
"Spring Banquet" - Carol Hahn Schmidt
"Feathered Friends" - Bonnie Heusinkveld
"The Wheelchair Ride" - Carol Hahn Schmidt
"A Tractor Story" - Richard Prinsen
Food
"Buying and Selling with Susie" - Anna Rae Nelson
"Great-Uncle Richard and the Oatmeal Cookies" - Rose Breitsprecher
"Broken Eggs" - Peter Snyder
"A Disapponting Watermelon" - Ida Mae Bacon
"Do-It-Yourself Groceries" - Kathleen Mulhern
Characters
"Starter Fluid" - Wallace Osland
"Almost Mud Time" - Mary Lewis
"Uncle Ingvald" - Signe Housker
"There he Is" - John Brink
"Reuben's House" - Nancy Overcott
"Frank Walsh's Kitchen" - Charles Capek
"Only One Life" - Craig Ostrem
Life's Lessons
"Snoose" - Wayne Pike
"Summer School (Psychology 101) on the Farm" - Elisabeth Olness Emerson
"The Fort Snelling School Bus" - Curtis A. Fox
"The Music Prodigy" - Margaret Boehmke
"Sports Car Fever" - Jon Laging
"Guilty" - Richard Holle
"My First Cigarette" - Mary Jo Dathe
"Baseball and Red Horsin'" - Gary Feine
Biographies

#####

This is a delightful collection or remembrances of small town life. It's the real stories of a Mayberry R.F.D.-like community. Not all of the writing is easily readable, but one can tell that it comes from the heart.

I like a beginning, middle, and an end when I read something, and many of these short pieces do not have that. It's just the middle, or maybe only a beginning, and sometimes just an ending. For this, it can be hard to read, but the pieces are so short that one can do it easily enough.

THE THIRD WITCH -- Rebecca Reisert

Washington Square Press -- hc
New York -- 2001 -- 307pp
ISBN: 0-7434-1771-2

Madness and revenge highlight this story of the third witch from Shakespeare's story of Macbeth.

#####

I'm never quite sure how to feel about a story that picks up on a minor character from a more famous work. Sometimes it can be done quite well (see Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead) and other times be quite dull (see The Turquoise Ring).

This particular book does a great job of tying in many of the scenes from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and in that it is fun to watch the parallels ... to see what else might have been happening during some of the pivotal moments of the play, and then see how the two works come together in specific moments.

The "take" on this third witch is interesting, and there were times that I enjoyed the method in which she was portrayed. I did have some serious problems with the story, however. I felt it was just plain wrong to have this young woman be the daughter of Lady Macbeth (yes, I understand that this was the motivation for her revenge), long thought to have died.

Perhaps I could have accepted this convention if it weren't for the fact that this young woman, one of the three witches, was also instrumental in saving Prince Malcolm, Fleance, and causing Macbeth's delusions of seeing the dead Banquo (by placing Banquo's belongings on a chair where only Macbeth could see them). According to this book, it was also the third witch who warned the Macduff family of their impending doom, and she even tried to save the children but was trapped by the murderers and only by a bit of luck did she survive where all the others in the Macduff home were killed.

My main problem with this book, then, is that the author tried to weave just a few too many incidents into the work of one person. It might be fun for the reader familiar with the play to see these work together, but it does distract from the "reality" of the story.

And finally, I was frankly disappointed that the story had such an incredibly happy ending. it was contrary to everything else in the book, and contrary to the source for this story. It brought this story into the realm of fairy tale at the very last moment.

Not recommended except for those who might enjoy the Macbeth parallels.

TOM SWIFT AND HIS JETMARINE -- Victor Appleton II

The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures #2
Grosset & Dunlap -- hc
New York -- ©1954 -- 208pp

illustrated by Graham Kaye

Boy genius, Tom Swift, invents an atomic-powered submarine and faces a new bunch of baddies.

#####

My sons sure have enjoyed my reading these 1950's books aloud to them at bed time. Not everything holds their interest (strangely, both The Hobbit and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [two of my absolute favorites] have had them bored, but perhaps it's time for me to try those again), so I find it interesting that these books, which I find a tad dull, are still capturing young boys' imaginations.

What I find most interesting about the Tom Swift books is that the science seems a bit behind the times now, yet totally plausible, and yet was certainly ahead of the curve in the mid-1950's. Certainly all the ramifications of using atomic energy were not clear, as evidenced by Tom's lackidaisical use of uranium and atomic energy.

The chapters move along quickly, with great amounts of time passing in a single sentence. Nearly every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger, whish always had my kids asking for the next chapter, even though it was well past bedtime. I can't help but groan, though, when one a chapter ends and it looks like complete ruin, danger, or death for Tom and his buddy, Bud Barclay, and the next chapter starts with the "genius" slapping his forehead and saying something akin to: "Sheesh, Bud, I forgot to flip this switch!" In this book, both boys are about to be crushed to death by a giant squid, deep in the ocean. They try to shoot it with a special Tom Swift underwater ray gun, and nothing happens! The next chapter actually begins with Tom realizing that the ray gun's safety was still on.

And aside from his intellect, Tom relied quite a bit on circumstance to get him out of harms way.

A fun read, and judging by my sons' reactions, still a recommended read as well.

DUTCHMAN'S FLAT -- Louis L'Amour

Bantam Books -- pb
Toronto -- ©1986 -- 241pp
ISBN: 0-553-26188-6
cover art: Frank McCarthy

A collection of short stories, each with a forward by the author.

"Dutchman's Flat"
"Keep Travelin', Rider"
"Trail to Pie Town"
"Mistakes Can Kill You"
"Big Medicine"
"Man From Battle Flat"
"West of the Tularosas"
"McQueen of the Tumbling K"
"The One for the Mohave Kid"
"The Lion Hunter and the Lady"
"A Gun for Kilkenny"

#####

The choice to read this book was based on the fact that I was heading out on vacation to the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota. It seemed appropriate, then, to read some western fiction, and of course when one thinks of westerns, one usually thinks of Louis L'Amour.

I've actually quite enjoyed the L'Amour books I've read in the past. I've described L'Amour as a very good story-teller. I still hold this to be true. Perhaps not a great writer, but he knows how to engage the reader in his particular genre.

The stories in this collection vary quite a bit. Most seem rather formulaic and all rely on a few favorable circumstances for the hero to succeed, rather than based on the hero's own good works.

Even so, the glimpses of good story-telling can be found in most of these stories. Still, I would recommend a Louis L'Amour novel before this collection of stories.

THE THIRD LIFE OF PER SMEVIK -- Ole Rolvaag

Harper & Row -- tpb
New York -- 1971 -- 136pp
ISBN: 0-06-097076-6
translated by Ella Valborg Tweet and Solveig Zempel

Just before the turn of the century, a Norwegian immigrant writes letters home to describe his experiences.

#####

This book, in the form of one-sided letters (all FROM Per Smevik) sets a nice tone for the Norwegian immigrant in the mid-to-late 1800's. His letters are written either to his father, or his brother.

Although one-sided, we get a good sense of what the family thinks of this man's journey to America; what they like and what they didn't like about his being here.

I expected this to be a bit dry, but found the style very conversational and easy to read. At only 136 pages, it moves quickly.

I recommend this as an interesting read for those who might enjoy history, Scandinavian literature, or just something a little different.

THE ELVEN WAYS, BOOK 1: THE WAYS OF MAGIC -- Scott Ciencin

AvonNova -- pb
New York -- ©1996 -- 278pp
ISBN: 0-380-77980-3
cover art: Darrell Sweet


Young Tom Keeper is an artist in a time and place when being an artist is not good. Tom meets up with an angel who promises to take Tom to apprentice with a famous artist. Tom learns much about the ways of the angels during his journey.

#####

I have really enjoyed the works of Scott Ciencin that I've come across before, and so was really looking forward to this particular work. At the beginning I was really enjoying it and looking forward to my time in the novel -- how often does one come across a book in which art and being an artist plays a major part of the plot? Weaving artistry and magic and fantasy together seemed like a blend written just for me.

But then the book took a turn.

In looking back on this work I fear that it is a jumbled mess of plots that don't quite weave together well. Plots, sub-plots, and characters all seem to be tossed aside as the book moves on, and new characters and plots are revealed, leaving us to wonder just what this book is about.

One thing that I did find quite interesting is that there is much here that would seem to be would allow a pretty good case against J.K.Rowling and her Harry Potter series ... the idea that Tom can't be killed by his enemy because there is a part of his enemy inside him. Of course there's more, and the Potter books are much more entertaining, but there are more than a few such similarities. I did check the copyright, and Ciencin's book is copyright and published in 1996, the first Harry Potter book was published in the U.S. in 1998 and in Great Britain in 1997.

There is much here that makes me want to read the second and even third books, but I am disappointed that this did not turn out to be the book that it seemed to be at the start.

Reluctantly, this is not recommended.

NIGHT OVER DAY OVER NIGHT -- Paul Watkins

Alfred A. Knopf -- hc
New York -- 1988 -- 294pp
ISBN: 0-394-57047-2

A German SS soldier is in a sacrificial unit bound for, and meant to hold off the Americans at the Battle of the Bulge.

#####

I have greatly enjoyed the works of Paul Watkins that I've come upon, and looked forward to reaching back and checking out this, his first novel -- the novel which brought him some acclaim.

Fortunately this was not my first venture into the works of Paul Watkins or I likely never would have read more.

In the previous books of Paul Watkins that I've come across, his protagonists are all of the same ilk, rather dry, melancholic sorts, but they've all had goals ... something to strive for or something to discover. Sebastian Westland here seems lost. In all aspects of his life, he is lost. But more than that, he doesn't even seem to mind being lost. I was tempted to think that he was searching for a way to stay alive, but I don't know that this would be true.

With a character who is lost and doesn't care, and a setting and character background that is so incredibly foreign, what then is there to hold the reader to the story?

My recommendation is to pass on this and try one of Watkins' other books.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS -- J.K. Rowling

Scholastic, Inc -- hc
New York -- ©2007 -- 759pp
ISBN: 0545010225
illustrations by Mary Grandpre

The seventh, and last, book in the Harry Potter series, in which the battle between good and evil, Harry and Voldemort, must be settled, with one of them meeting the ultimate end.

#####

Although I was to read this book in any event, I read this earlier than planned simply because my wife and daughter had already read the book and were wanting to be able to talk about it.

I did enjoy this book more than the last couple that had come out. A richer plot, a strong conclusion, and characters that actually find ways to grow and mature made for a more enjoyable read. There were, however, times when this book could easily have been trimmed. The idea of Harry and friends stealing right under the noses of their enemy grew redundant. And their use of some seemingly basic spells and charms to pull off their thievery makes one wonder how and why these things aren't done more often.

A sequence in the Ministry of Magic seemed too easy, and a section in the most impenetrable bank seemed not only easy, but a bit dull.

A constant series of camping in the woods to avoid detection grew monotonous, and one wonders why the three friends continued to wear a cursed charm, even when they knew it was giving them such negativity ... and then when it mattered a lot, they simply took it off and kept it in a bag. Why hadn't they done it earlier?

It has been decidedly well known that there is death in this book, and even the death of characters familiar and popular with the readers. Without giving away any of the ending, I will say that none of the deaths surprised me, but there were two, maybe more, characters who did not die, which did surprise me.

Whether you like the Harry Potter series or not, it is undeniably the most spectacular series of books in recent publishing history. The expectations for this last book have easily made it the most anticipated book of the century. Anyone interested in the written word, publishing, fantasy, children's books, or even fads or modern culture, should take the time to check out this series of books.

This book was definitely one of the better in this series.

STAND BY FOR MARS! -- Carey Rockwell

A TOM CORBETT Space Cadett Adventure: STAND BY FOR MARS!
Grosset & Dunlap -- hc
New York -- ©1952 -- 216pp
Willy Ley technical advisor
illustrated -- no illustration credits given (or found on the internet)



Three young men join the Solar Guard Corps and could become the best unit in the fleet if they can learn to get along. Tom Corbet, from Earth, is the unit leader; Astro, from Venus, is the mechanic; and Roger Manning, from Earth, is the navigator with a chip on his shoulder.

#####

Another boys' adventure book from the 1950's which I read out loud to my sons at bed time. they both enjoyed it, but not quite as much as the Tom Swift book that I read previously.

Although a little harder to read that the Tom Swift series, this contained a nice "meesage" of the need for cooperation and working together. The curmudgeonly Roger Manning never really seemed to come clean with what his grudge against the Corps really was about.

Still, a pretty decent sci-fi book from 50+ years ago.

THE LITTLEST HITLER: stories -- Ryan Boudinot

Counterpoint -- hc
New York -- ©2006 -- 215pp
ISBN-10: 1-58243-357-7

Short stories.

"The Littlest Hitler"
"On Sex and Relationships"
"Bee Beard"
"Blood Relatives I)My Mother Was a Monster II)Profession"
"Drugs and Toys"
"Contaminant"
"Civilization"
"Written By Machines"
"The Flautist"
"The Sales Team"
"Absolut Boudinot"
"So Little Time"
"Newholly"
Acknowledgements

#####

It takes more than quirky characters and unusual circumstances to create short stories. Sadly this book doesn't offer anything more than such.

A massive waste of time.

TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING LAB -- Victor Appleton II

Grosset & Dunlap -- hc
New York -- ©1954 -- 208pp

illustrated by Graham Kaye

Tom Swift, Jr., son of the original Tom Swift, in his first book adventure. With a newly deisgned "Flying Lab," Tom and crew go to South America to look for a rare, secret deposit of uranium, before a band of rebels finds it. Kidnapping and aeronautic maneuvering punctuate the plot in this book.

#####

I've read this book out loud twice now, once to each of my sons. They love the story, even though some of the "science" is beyond their ken. I imagine that a young, boy genius inventor is always a favorite of young boys.

The only really disappointing part of this book, for me, was the hint of extra-terrestrial communication. It is highly suggested that a group of scientists from Mars are trying to contact the Swifts, and that we are to keep reading the series to find out when that contact is made.

As much as I like science fiction, I was hoping that this series would stay "inventive" rather than sci-fi.

THE SHIRLEY TEMPLE EDITION OF CAPTAIN JANUARY & THE LITTLE COLONEL -- Laura E. Richards & Annie Fellows Johnston

Random house -- hc

New York -- 181pp

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 59-10879

The Shirley Temple Edition

Captain January by Laura E. Richards

The Little Colonel by Annie Fellows Johnston

With illustrations from the motion picture featuring Shirley Temple

The original stories that the Shirely Temple movies were based on, combined in one volume.

Captain January tells the story of a young girl, parented by a lighthouse keeper after the ship she was on as an infant, went down in a storm. The girl's relatives discover her but decide that the keeper loves her so much and she looks on him as a father, and decide to leave her be.

The Little Colonel tells of a young girl raised by a crotchety old soldier. The old soldier comes to change his ways with the help of the girl and a servant.

#####

These books certainly have the feel of older storytelling for children. The style was a bit dry, and the portrayal of the black servants was horrifyingly stereotypical. Not something that would be allowed to see print today.

I don't recall ever having seen The Little Colonel, so I can't compare the book and the movie, but I've often enjoyed watching Captain January. The movie added some much needed plot, but the basic premise is basically sound.

Hardly a book to recommend, and even if I did, I'm not sure where anyone would be able to find it.

MAMMOTH -- John Varley

Ace Books -- hc
New York -- 2005 -- 364pp
ISBN: 0-441-01281-7

The world's richest man uncovers a mammoth inside ice, and next to the mammoth, a man ... with a modern briefcase! The man hires a staff to "fix" what he assumes is a time machine in the briefcase.

#####

I hadn't realized how much I have missed reading Varley until getting into this.

The title, and the premise as described on the jacket, didn't do anything for me, but as I have always enjoyed a John Varley book I decided to read this as well, and am glad I did!

Varley has a way of engaging the reader, bringing us into his story, rather than keeping us as observers.

This is not Varley's best ... there are a number of "problems" I had with it, and it was moderately easy to predict the outcome, but a mediocre Varley is still better than most.

Part of the problem was the dual focus that was distracting rather than intriquing. The idea of creating new mammoths from the DNA of a found mammoth implanted in modern elephants would be enough for a book, but then that's been done with Jurasic Park. The modern creation of the time machine would also be enough for a book, but has also been done in abundance. The idea of the protesters didn't really go anywhere even though there was a slight tie to them later.

Still, despite the faults, this was a fun science fiction read.

THE DA VINCI CODE -- Dan Brown

Doubleday -- hc
New York -- 2003 -- 454pp
ISBN: 0-385-50420-9

Conspiracy. The Catholic Church. Leonardo DaVinci. Throw them together for a best-selling book.

#####

It's easy to see why this book became a best-seller. The writing is crisp, the plot intricate but accessible, it relies heavily on page-turning chapter endings and rather stock characters and a couple of "red herrings" to keep the reader in surprise.

It was a rather quick read, but some of the very basic premise got off to a rather shaky start, in my opinion, but without it, there would have been no book.

One of the basic problems with a book like this is that you can really make anything in to a code to explain some kind of mystery. I could take my birthdate and use it to prove how the numbers mean whatever I want them to. And so this book does it with numbers and paintings, etc.

I predicted what was going to happen, and who the "bad" guys really were, even though some of the misleads were pretty convincing. Still, there were moments that were fun and I did get caught up in the page-turning action at times.

This is far from being a great book, but few best-sellers are.

DARK MATTER -- Philip Kerr

DARK MATTER: THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SIR ISAAC NEWTON: a novel -- Philip Kerr
Crown Publishers -- hc
New York -- ©2002 -- 345pp
ISBN: 0-609-60981-5

As told by Isaac Newtown's assistant, Christopher Ellis, Newton and Ellis investigate some unusual death's which may have a bearing on the Royal Mint.

*****

Although it took me a while to get into this novel, I rather enjoyed it, for the most part.

I never really had any sense that this was Isaac Newton, other than the fact that other characters would refer to him as such, and occassionally make reference to one of his scientific theories. He was, however, an interesting "detective" for a crime novel. He seemed to be quite masterful at observation and with a pretty good sense of human character (despite being pretty terrible at social discourse), and often tries to instruct his assistant in being a better observer. Mr. Ellis, is his strength and protector.

As with any good mystery, there are "red herrings" and extra bits of knowledge that aren't necessary for solving the crime. What I enjoyed most about the book, though, was the historical aspect of the workings of the British mint and Newton's role there. What I would have liked to seen a bit more of would be a sense of this being Issac Newton rather than a wiley detective. What I didn't care for was the relationship between Ellis and Newton's niece (Miss Barton) which had no real bearing on any other aspect of the book (other than to add a couple of steamy sex sequences).

I enjoyed the read, but not necessarily enough to seek out other books by Kerr (but I wouldn't discount one if I saw one that piqued my interest).