Xpress Reviews—First Look at New Books

-- Library Journal, 06/01/2006

Evanovich, Janet. Twelve Sharp. St. Martin's. Jun. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-312-34948-3 [ISBN 978-0-312-34948-6]. $26.95. M

This 12th installment in the popular Stephanie Plum series offers just enough mayhem, hilarity, and danger to keep readers riveted. A stranger is stalking Stephanie and reveals shocking information about fellow bounty hunter Ranger, one of her two love interests. Meanwhile, the bail bond office is extraordinarily busy, with Stephanie and her sidekick, Lula, pursuing a menopausal, knife-wielding spouse, a geriatric porn proprietor, and a timid exhibitionist. The antics of Stephanie, Lula, and Grandma are guaranteed to keep readers in stitches. Particularly memorable are a rowdy bar fight, a foot chase through a mall, a visit to a sex-toy shop, a funeral-home rock performance, and Grandma's impersonation of Mick Jagger. Tension mounts when Stephanie becomes entangled in a child abduction case and finds herself the next target of a crazed man. No Stephanie Plum mystery is complete without some passion and indecision regarding Trenton cop Joe Morelli and Ranger, and this one does not disappoint. Evanovich fans and newcomers to this series will applaud number 12. Highly recommended for all public libraries; extra copies are essential. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/06.]—Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

King, Tabitha & Michael McDowell. Candles Burning. Berkley: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2006. c.432p. ISBN 0-425-21028-6. $24.95. F

In her first work in almost ten years, King (The Book of Reuben) completes a manuscript begun by the late horror writer McDowell ("Blackwater" series), and the result is stunning and utterly unforgettable. Readers will be captivated from the very first sentence, in which they learn that seven-year-old Calliope "Calley" Dakin's father "died unpleasantly." In the pages that follow, the adult Calley describes her father's astonishingly gruesome murder and how she and her self-absorbed Southern belle mother are forced to flee in its wake and leave behind Calley's brother, Ford, her mother's favorite. The pair go to Pensacola Beach and stay at a bed-and-breakfast that eerily resembles Calley's great-grandmother's house until Calley is college-aged. During that time, Calley hears the voices of ghosts and struggles to make sense of what they tell her. This Southern Gothic recounts the most ordinary things in vivid and poetic language, and readers will savor every word like it's the best glass of sweet tea they've ever had. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [Tabitha King is the wife of Stephen King and a longtime family friend of McDowell's.—Ed.]—Samantha J. Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

Nonfiction

Ashworth, William. Ogallala Blue: Water and Life on the High Plains. Norton. Jun. 2006. c.416p. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-393-05842-5. $26.95. SCI

Ashworth (The Economy of Nature: Rethinking the Connections Between Ecology and Economics) covers the story of a vanishing ocean of potable water, mere feet below the earth's surface in a 174,000–square mile aquifer that runs from Texas to South Dakota and that is being pumped away at an astonishing 12 billion gallons a day. Taking the conversational tone of an environmental history text, Ashworth addresses the complex topic of water management and rights, putting a human face on both sides of the issue. While never reaching a definitive conclusion regarding what could or should be done to save this valuable resource (and, indeed, calling into question the validity and purpose of current conservation efforts), Ashworth nonetheless leaves readers curious about the ultimate outcome of the Ogallala aquifer and where America will turn when its great underground ocean is finally depleted. While the lack of complete intertextual citations might be thought a drawback, their omission helps keep the narrative flowing, and the extremely detailed and organized bibliography—broken down into the sections "Books," "Articles," "Technical Materials," "Miscellaneous Printed Materials," and "Web Pages"—gives interested readers all the corresponding information they could desire. Highly recommended for all academic and specialized libraries.—Susan E. Brazer, Salisbury Univ. Lib., MD

Lacombe, Brigitte (photogs.) & David Mamet & Adam Gopnik (text). Lacombe: Cinema/Theater. Schirmer/Mosel, dist. by Prestel. 2006. c.292p. photogs. index. ISBN 3-8296-0180-8. pap. $39.95. PHOTOG

This coffee-table book contains 254 duotone photographs by French photographer Brigitte Lacombe of some of the most important people in film and theater within the last three decades, from actors and writers to producers and directors. More than half of the images feature "megastars," and these have a beautiful tonal range reminiscent of Ansel Adams. The photographs vary from up-close-and-personal to behind-the-scenes impromptu snaps, with thumbnail photo plates identifying each subject. The women—often without makeup—are all beautiful, and the camera shows the striking jawlines or features that make them stars. The men, on the other hand, are a mixed bag. Some are handsome leading men like Mel Gibson and Leonardo DiCaprio; others are more roughly hewn, the kind of personalities that help bring the world of film to life. What all the images have in common is Lacombe's ability to present a glimpse of the real personality behind the public façade. The introduction is written by award-winning playwright, author, and filmmaker David Mamet; author, journalist, and critic Adam Gopnik contributes an essay on Lacombe; and a biography at the back of the book summarizes the photographer's career accomplishments. Recommended for special and large public libraries.—Karen MacMurray, Cape Coral P.L., FL

Noxon, Christopher. Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up. Crown. 2006. c.240p. index. ISBN 1-4000-8088-6. $23.95. SOC SCI

The rejuvenile is "a new breed of adult, identified by a determination to remain playful, energetic, and flexible in the face of adult responsibilities," explains journalist—and self-proclaimed rejuvenile—Noxon, who profiles the breed in this enjoyable but lightweight book. In practice, rejuvenile behavior includes playing tag, visiting Disney World, collecting dolls, and living at home with the parents well into one's professional career. Noxon offers numerous character sketches that grow repetitive over time; his contention that rejuvenilization has a broad demographic base is somewhat undermined by the fact that his examples are mostly of yuppies in what he terms "creative fields and high technology." Noxon deftly analyzes the historical construction of adulthood, framing it in terms of the workplace necessities of the Industrial Revolution, but he takes a blandly uncritical approach to rejuveniles, dismissing any doubters as "harrumphing codgers," which precludes him from really interrogating the trend's deeper social meanings. Rejuvenile is a pleasant enough read and may appeal to general readers, but academic libraries would be better served with more rigorous sociological inquiry.—Whitney Strub, UCLA

See the May 15th Xpress Reviews