Xpress Reviews—First Look at New Books
-- Library Journal, 10/1/2007
Week of September 25
Fiction | Nonfiction | Audio
Fiction
Alexander, Victoria. Lady Amelia’s Secret Lover. HarperCollins ebooks. Sept. 2007. 150p. $3.99. Historical
Rendered speechless when Amelia, his wife of six years, casually announces over breakfast that she intends to take a lover, Sir Robert Hathaway takes the problem to the one person he thinks might be able to advise him, his twin brother, Harry, a consummate rake and confirmed bachelor. Naturally, Harry has plenty of insights, but when Robert—and then Amelia—each ask for his help, the complications increase exponentially. Witty, cleverly conceived, and featuring characters graced with both passion and common sense, this charming, delightfully told tale of a couple whose marriage has lost its sparkle is classic Alexander and a little gem to be savored. Delivered via DNL Reader software, which has a number of useful features, this video ebook original novella is interspersed with short video commentaries from the author and also includes a teaser for Alexander’s next title, Secrets of a Proper Lady (Romance, LJ 10/15/07), the story of Amelia’s sister, Cordelia. The story is wonderful, but since the format dictates that it must be read onscreen on a PC (Mac users will need to buy and install VirtualPC), the ebook format will not be for everyone and may limit the overall appeal.—Kristin Ramsdell, California State Univ., East Bay
Flynn, Vince. Protect and Defend. Atria: S. & S. Oct. 2007. c.416p. ISBN 978-0-7432-7041-0. $26.95. F
When Israel launches a preemptive strike against an Iranian nuclear weapons site, the world is again on the brink of nuclear holocaust as Iran casts about for revenge and sees the United States. Enter Mitch Rapp, the central character of Flynn’s previous thrillers (e.g., Memorial Day; Consent To Kill; Act of Treason). When the CIA director is kidnapped and Iranian subs take to sea, Rapp springs into action. He has only a short window of time before the director is tortured and America’s secrets are revealed. Rapp is a sort of fantasy government-sponsored vigilante: unconstrained by legalities, he simply takes on and takes out the bad guys with abandon in this exciting, fast-paced novel. The premise is implausible (i.e., that an operative like Rapp could exert such influence on U.S. policies), but the story is timely and riveting. Fans of Flynn and Rapp should check credulity at the door and enjoy reading about the destruction of America’s enemies. Recommended for thriller collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/07.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
Vadino, Diane. Smart Girls Like Me. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin’s. Oct. 2007. c.256p. ISBN 978-0-312-37475-4. $23.95. F
Twenty-four-year-old Betsy Nilssen’s editorial job is going nowhere. Her love affair is not panning out, and her best friend is getting married and leaving her behind. All of Betsy’s problems are coming to a head just as New Year’s Eve 1999 approaches—and she’s convinced the millennium will bring the end of the world. Style blogger (bunnyshop.org) and freelance journalist (Spin magazine) Vadino’s debut novel is a familiar tale of the misadventures of a young single woman who is not maturing at the same rate as her peers. Unfortunately, Betsy’s self-professed reliance on words is overdone in this first-person narrative; her sentences are often intolerably lengthened by constant re-definition and clarification. Most damaging to the story is Betsy’s self-involvement, which borders on obnoxious. Few other characters are well developed, and the story thus feels flat. In addition, her crises are not altogether convincing, as she is too aware that they are at times silly. The Y2K obsession in particular seems a deliberate attempt to make Betsy as neurotic as we’ve come to expect a bumbling singleton to be. The book approaches a sort of charming humor at times but is ultimately clichéd and disappointing. Recommended for large fiction collections.—Amanda Glasbrenner, Chicago
Gabriel, Richard A. Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General. Univ. of Oklahoma. (Campaigns and Commanders). Sept. 2007. c.288p. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8061-3860-2. $24.95. HIST
In the eleventh book in the "Campaigns and Commanders" series, military historian Gabriel (Royal Military Coll. of Canada) has produced a biography of the Prophet Muhammad, focusing solely on his military accomplishments. He does a fine job of providing insight into Muhammad’s military strategies and his abilities as an army commander to achieve his political goals. The book briefly covers the history of Arab warfare pre-Islam and discusses the cohesion that Muhammad brought to later armies. Gabriel provides an in-depth, scholarly look at the tactics, weapons, equipment, and military transport of Muhammad’s time with several chapters covering some of the most decisive battles in history. This thoroughly researched volume offers a look at Muhammad’s rise to power, how he revolutionized warfare, and the military legacy he left behind. For readers wanting a biography about Muhammad and the founding of Islam, Barnaby Rogerson’s The Prophet Muhammad is a good choice. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.—Troy Reed, Southeast Regional Lib., Gilbert, AZ
The Goldman Family. If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer. Beaufort. 2007. c.256p. ISBN 978-0-8253-0588-7. $24.95. True Crime
Revenge, it is said, is a dish best served cold, and this is as cold as it gets. From the cover featuring "I Did It" in tall red letters with the "If" a mere afterthought, and the "Killer" in yellow type, the traditional coward’s color, to the Goldman’s "He Did It" intro through Dominick Dunne’s afterword, this book is designed to end any debate over O.J. Simpson’s guilt in the June 12, 1994, murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and Ron Goldman. One can sympathize with the Goldman family’s fight to win the book’s rights and decision to publish it—essentially to thwart Simpson’s efforts to cash in on the killings—and their attempt to gain some of the $38 million restitution owed to them by Simpson from the civil trial in which he was found guilty. Despite the sensationalistic subject and its turbulent publishing history, the book bores. It’s more a portrait of a scuttled marriage than a true crime story. Simpson plays the victim, painting himself as the patient, loving husband and dutiful dad, while Nicole is a clinging, unstable, abusive, two-timing psycho bitch. Even if this was Simpson’s death-row confession, how could any of the players perpetrating this sham think readers would buy it?
And those plunking down their bucks for Simpson’s first-person description of the murders (and though ghoulish, that’s the book’s strongest allure) get cheated; he balks. Simpson, along with an accomplice ID’d only as "Charlie," drive to the alley behind Brown’s house, Goldman enters to return Brown’s mother’s eyeglasses left behind at his restaurant, Simpson confronts him, Nicole appears from the house, they argue. Enraged, Simpson snatches the knife held by Charlie, and…that’s it! Simpson momentarily blanks out, returning to his senses to find himself soaked to the skin in blood with Brown and Goldman butchered at his feet. The book’s most chilling line appears in ghostwriter Pablo F. Fenjves prolog, in which at their initial meeting Simpson says, "I’m not going to tell you that I sliced my ex-wife’s neck and watched her eyes roll up into her head." That’s as much of a description of the murders as he offers. The book’s publication seems an act of vengeance on many people’s parts. Convincing the public of Simpson’s guilt is unnecessary, as despite the verdict from the soap-opera trial, most of the public, including those supporting Simpson when the case sadly decayed into a racial issue, already believe he did it. As expected, this book is sensationalistic hogwash that in the end just doesn’t have any real…juice. Not recommended.—Mike Rogers, LJ/LJX
Goulet, Mary & Heather Reider. It’s All About You: Live the Life You Crave. Free Pr: S. & S. Oct. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 978-1-4165-4509-5. $25. PSYCH
Once women get married and have children, their lives are no longer their own—or so they think. Just because they must meet the demands of children, husbands, and bosses doesn’t mean they can’t fulfill their individual potential. In their latest book (after The MomsTown Guide to Getting It All), Goulet and Reider, the founders of MomsTown Inc. and the radio hosts of The Mary and Heather Show, have created a book with a plan to help women get their lives back, drawing on thousands of telephone calls and emails to their web site and their radio show. Readers will find good suggestions for dealing with exercise, money, sex, and dinner, many of which are supported with references to books and web sites for further information. Unfortunately, the authors spend too much ink promoting their business. Most appropriate for public libraries, especially those with a family-resource section.—Cynde Suite, Bartow Cty. Lib. Syst., Cartersville, GA
Hirsch, Foster. Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King. Knopf. Oct. 2007. c.592p. photogs. filmog. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-375-41373-5. $35. FILM
Film director Otto Preminger gave us such classics as Laura (1944) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959); guilty pleasures like Forever Amber (1947) and Hurry Sundown (1967); and such social-issue dramas as Advise and Consent (1962) in addition to forays into Westerns (River of No Return), musical theater (Porgy and Bess), and political thriller (Exodus). Hirsch (film, Brooklyn Coll.), author of 16 books on film and theater, offers a biography to answer the many questions surrounding the director’s long career. Was Preminger’s legendary temper a genuine phenomenon, a method of manipulation, or a bit of both? How much did his romantic relationships with Gypsy Rose Lee and Dorothy Dandridge influence their careers—and his? Even after reading the results of Hirsch’s exhaustive research, you may feel as if you have come to know Preminger’s family, friends, and professional associates better than you know Preminger himself. That said, this is an objective, well-crafted look at a seminal figure in American cinema. Serious film collections should consider this an essential purchase.—M.C. Duhig, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh
Levkoff, Logan. Third Base Ain’t What It Used To Be. NAL: Penguin Group (USA). Oct. 2007. c.256p. ISBN 978-0-451-22249-7. pap. $14. CHILD REARING
Remember all that talk about dating and getting to third base? Reminding readers how much things have changed in the last 40 years, sex educator Levkoff seeks to end the hysteria about sex ed by clarifying the difference between the facts of puberty and the values every parent holds. Sex is good, says the author, and sex education equals life education. It’s not all that difficult, it doesn’t have to be embarrassing, and it could mean life or death for your kids. When parents ignore kids’ questions about sexuality, those kids turn to their peers for information—and information from kids on the school bus can be dreadfully wrong. Levkoff believes parents must share their values with their kids but in a climate of tolerance and acceptance. Kids want their parents to teach them the facts of puberty (which are just facts—no judgments here) but also to help them understand their parents’ values on sexuality so that they can begin to form their own. This great guide is written for parents; each chapter includes ten questions that kids do ask—and a good way to answer. There’s a chapter on pornography, another about kids online, and another on HIV/AIDS. Up-to-date and easy-to-read; an excellent resource for parents.—Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light; The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta." Doubleday. Sept. 2007. c.416p. ed. by Brian Kolodiejchuk. index. ISBN 978-0-385-52037-9. $22.95. REL
Mother Teresa has long been recognized for her personal life and intended identity with those in absolute poverty in India, pioneering in a ministry of love and mercy that has expanded to 77 countries. In 1979, she was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize, but she intentionally avoided the spotlight and requested that her personal life and writings remain private. A friend of Mother Teresa, Father Kolodiejchuk has compiled her writings and a correspondence that poignantly exposes her total dedication to Jesus and her struggles through 50 years of experiences of darkness, thirst, and separation from Jesus. There are parallels to the thirst and separation of Jesus on the cross in her longing for a vibrant relationship with God. She also saw this thirst of Jesus as thirst that expresses Jesus’s love for people. Her lifelong commitment to the poor was enabled by an unmistakable calling and then the love that she had for the poor. She confidently lived as a leader by example, full of joyous love for Jesus and for her sisters. A short review is totally inadequate. Recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/07.]—George Westerlund, formerly with Providence P.L.
Offer, Daniel, M.D., & others. Dialysis Without Fear: A Guide to Living Well on Dialysis for Patients and Their Families. Oxford Univ. 2007. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-19-530994-2. $35; pap. ISBN 978-0-19-530995-9. $15.95. HEALTH
The developed world is suffering from an epidemic of kidney disease, which often coexists with diabetes and hypertension. Psychiatrist Offer is one of a small but growing minority (400,000 in the United States) undergoing the treatment option of kidney dialysis for kidney failure. Together with his spouse and research assistant, Marjorie Kaiz Offer, and his daughter, freelance writer Susan Offer Szafir, he outlines—with a balance of facts and illustrative personal accounts of undergoing various treatments—how adults can live life fully as he does. The authors dispel kidney failure and treatment misconceptions; provide necessary treatment, component diet, and exercise guidance; cover the clinical and self-administered treatments of transplants, hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis; and offer pragmatic advice concerning emotions, relationships, work, finances, and travel. The book includes an adequate glossary and resource lists but lacks the illustrations and medical detail of Edith T. Oberley and Terry D. Oberley’s Understanding Your New Life with Dialysis. Highly recommended for public and consumer health libraries for its up-to-date and comprehensive coverage, high readability, and patient-centered, proactive approach.—Janice Flahiff, Univ. of Toledo Health Science Campus
Savage, Charlie. Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy. Little, Brown. Sept. 2007. c.336p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-316-11804-0. $25.99. HIST
Boston Globe journalist Savage was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize in national reporting for his work examining President Bush's use of "signing statements." In this engaging, extensively researched book, he expounds on those and many other facets of a concerted yet covert legal effort by the Bush-Cheney administration to expand the powers of the presidency. Vice President Cheney's background in the Nixon-Ford administration is emphasized to explain his staunch commitment to restoring the "inherent" power vested in the presidency by the Constitution, which he felt had been illegally constrained by Congress in the aftermath of Watergate. The book carefully reconstructs the steps Cheney and other adherents to this radical interpretation of Constitutional law have taken to advance and codify the notion of expansive presidential power. Savage also brilliantly outlines the controversial unitary executive theory and demonstrates how this theory guides the administration's legal strategy to accumulate power for the executive branch. Along with Jack L. Goldsmith's The Terror Presidency, this book provide a startling perspective on an underreported legacy of this administration. Recommended for large public and academic libraries.—Dennis J. Seese, Jefferson Madison Regional Lib., Charlottesville, VA
Audio Reviews
Preston, Richard. The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring. 10 cassettes. unabridged. 11 hrs. Recorded Bks. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4281-4290-9. $82.75; 10 CDs. ISBN 978-1-4281-4292-3. $123.75. nat hist
The California rainforest canopy is a botanical arcanum beyond imagination. These are the tallest trees on earth, some attaining 30 feet across and heights of 35 stories. Estimated to be 2000 to 3000 years old and survivors of near decimation by logging, the trees have crowns that are not only beyond reach but literally out of sight. Preston (The Hot Zone) relays the true story of these trees and of the handful of explorers compelled to defy their daunting dimensions to study them, discovering mind-boggling ecosystems in a "vertical Eden." Narrator George K. Wilson’s resonant voice evokes time and timeless majesty in this monumental story of places most of us will never see. This is a big, satisfying listen that’s highly recommended for nonfiction collections.—Judith Robinson, Univ. at Buffalo, NY
Steffler, John. The Grey Islands. 2 CDs. unabridged. 2½ hrs. Rattling Bks. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9737586-0-3. $24.95. poetry
In these narratives, which mingle poetry and prose, the listener hears the enchanting accents of voices that infuse the language with rhythmic beauty. A ghostly tale of a wife’s death, a mock census read like an obituary, a fisherman teaching his son to fish—these and other stories evoke Newfoundland’s spirit and the history of its people. The individual voices are framed by the tale of a young man, his marriage nearing shipwreck, who comes as an outsider and describes what he sees in modern Newfoundland. The text is accompanied occasionally by the sounds of coastal birds, the sea washing onto the shore, the sounds of life lived close to the land, sea, and wind. The narrative voices (the author and others) vary with the mood and subject matter, a resonant male voice telling of a young wife’s death long ago, another delivering with religious fervor a history of Newfoundland’s people and the sins for which they have been punished by being delivered to this harsh environment. Vivid descriptive details create an unforgettable sense of life in that place, starkly beautiful and hauntingly remote. Highly recommended.—Bernard E. Morris, Modesto, CA
Swann, Leonie. Three Bags Full. 8 CDs. unabridged. 9 hrs. Tantor Audio. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4001-0501-4. $34.99. f
Swann’s novel, translated from the German, is an original take on the popular mystery genre that involves animals solving mysteries. In this case, George, a shepherd, is found murdered, his body pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock of Irish sheep then take it upon themselves to solve the crime. George had always treated them like humans, reading them books and talking to them. The flock leader, Miss Maple, guides the group in the hunt for the killer. Her team includes Othello, a black ram, and Mopple the Whale, a sheep with a voracious appetite. They join with the rest of the flock to have many discussions about the crime and also for trips to Glennkill, the village, to spy on their likely suspects. And then of course they have to find a way to communicate their findings to the humans. This book is full of dry humor, comical discussions among the sheep, and insightful interpretations of human behavior. Josephine Bailey reads competently and distinguishes the different voices. Highly recommended for public libraries.—Mary Knapp, Madison P.L., WI
Week of September 18
Fiction | Nonfiction | Audio
Fiction
Bradbury, Ray. Now and Forever: Somewhere a Band Is Playing & Leviathan ‘99. Morrow. Sept. 2007. c.224p. ISBN 978-0-06-113156-1. $24.95. SF
Still writing at 87, Bradbury brings up from the vaults two novellas that he has continued to work on in different formats over several decades. Don’t worry—these aren’t dregs from an illustrious career but thoughtful explorations of universal themes, including mortality, love, and obsession. Somewhere a Band Is Playing began as a script for Katharine Hepburn and has several influences that come together in the story of a reporter who seeks out a small town in Arizona that seems to have been passed by time. Under the patina of nostalgia lies a mystery about the tensions between artists and society. Leviathan ’99 is a re-working of two plays by Bradbury and a retelling of Melville’s Moby Dick, with a possibly sentient comet taking the place of the whale and a 12-foot alien spider the place of Queequeg. The captain is no longer lame, but he remains blind to all but his monomania. Seemingly very different on the surface, the two novellas work well together; each is a bit of ghost story, delving into how death haunts us all. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/07.]—Devon Thomas, DevIndexing, Chelsea, MI
Cook, Janet Stevens. Black Skyy. Strebor: S. & S. (The Lady in Black, Bk. 1). 2007. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-59309-113-2. pap. $13. F
By day, Sandora Knight is a smart, savvy VP in a high-powered Fortune 500 company. But by night, she trades her sensible suits and briefcase for floor-length black leather, Jimmy Choo spikes, and a Glock. She’s known as Skyy, the Lady in Black, a tough, sexy vigilante dedicated to exterminating the most despicable of evildoers—those who victimize children. In her debut novel, Cook weaves an imaginative, action-packed tale of street justice told in chapters that alternate between Sandy’s tragic past and Skyy’s violent present. The story is entertaining but often beyond the bounds of possibility; some of Skyy’s adventures are too over-the-top to be believable (particularly her stint as a covert spy for the CIA). In addition, the plot is often predictable, and Cook’s prose is not always strong enough to compensate for these flaws. Still, a fun and fast-paced romp like this is likely to appeal to fans of urban fiction, and there’s more to come in the series. Recommended for large public libraries, especially in New York City and Washington, DC, where the story is set.—Jeanne Bogino, New Lebanon Lib., NY
Cook, Troy. The One Minute Assassin. Capital Crime. Sept. 2007. c.287p. ISBN 978-0-977627-64-6. pap. $14.95. F
Someone is killing the candidates for California governor—and that may not be such a bad thing, for the race has attracted a motley crew of candidates, including a rap star named Two-Bits and a former movie star named Arnold “The Mountain” Schwarzkov. Leading the pack as front runners are a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical giant, a former child actor, and Mayor Eleanor Black, who is a member of a Kennedy-like dynasty. Her brother John, the antipolitician of the family, spends his time hunting down deadbeat dads until Eleanor is almost killed and he’s forced into the ring. Throw into the mix two bumbling assassins (who are?? reminiscent of Tim Dorsey’s excellent Florida-based series), and you get a macabre tale of murder and dirty politics. After Cook’s terrific utterly original debut, 47 Rules for Highly Effective Bank Robbers, this sophomore effort is a bit of a disappointment, with humor that is often just plain silly. Still, John Black is a likable protagonist, and the plot is engaging, which make this an entertaining read. Recommended for larger fiction collections only.—Stacy Alesi, Boca Raton, FL
Russell, Ken. Beethoven Confidential & Brahms Gets Laid. Peter Owen, dist. by Dufour. Oct. 2007. 190p. ISBN 978-0-7206-1279-0. pap. $32.95. F
Best known as the director of over-the-top cult movies (e.g., The Devils, AlteredStates, and The Lair of the White Worm), Russell has also made his love of music known. He has directed opera for the stage (Princess Ida) and the screen (Tommy, Lisztomania, Méphistophélès) and made several television programs about music. So the great composers are natural subjects for Russell’s novellas. Beethoven Confidential is about two biographers’ attempts to identify the woman Beethoven called “Immortal Beloved.” As each possibility is considered, we get glimpses of his affairs with several women. The novella, originally written as a filmscript, was never made, but it retains the changing perspectives and pace of a film. Brahms Gets Laid tells the story of the composer’s longtime friendship with Robert Schumann, his wife Clara, and their children. Well written and entertaining, both novellas are based on some evidence, but Russell makes no claim to historical accuracy. The stories are less risqué than the titles suggest: there is plenty of sex, but no graphic description of sex acts. A second volume, Elgar: The Erotic Variations and Delius: A Moment with Venus, is due to be released in the United States simultaneously at the same price. Recommended for adult fiction collections.—Liorah Golomb, Wichita State Univ. Libs., Wichita
Schrefer, Eliot. The New Kid. S. & S. Sept. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 978-0-7432-9909-1. $25. F
Tricia Baxter did not set out to be a terrible mother, but poor choices in husbands, thwarted acting ambition, and frequent moves have set her children adrift. Both Gretchen and Humphrey are eager to find stability and comfort. Gretchen has used her acting skills to get away from her family and into a boarding school; she is taking a break from her minor TV career to attend college. At 15, less fortunate Humphrey is once again negotiating the hazards of a new school and trying to avoid the motel room that is now home. Both siblings seek love by insinuating themselves into the families of friends, only to find those families equally broken. After a tragedy, they end up working to create a new bond with each other. In his sophomore effort (after his acclaimed debut Glamorous Disasters), Schrefer shows a command of character studies. Recommended for popular fiction collections.—Jan Blodgett, Davidson Coll., NC
Steel, Danielle. Amazing Grace. Delacorte. Oct. 2007. c.336p. ISBN 978-0-385-34023-6. $27. F
When a major earthquake hits San Francisco the night of a swanky benefit for a neonatal hospital unit, three women’s lives are also shaken up. Sarah Sloane, the benefit’s organizer, learns the terrible truth about her financier husband when he is unable to communicate with his business partner in New York. Maggie Kent, a nun with nursing training, meets the only man who has ever tested her vows to God. And Melanie Free, the Grammy-winning singer who performed at the benefit, meets and falls in love with a “normal” man and finds that she enjoys helping people in need more than performing and trying to please her “mom-ager” who lives vicariously through her. Best-selling author Steel’s latest blends a realistic natural disaster with commendable humanitarian efforts and likable characters, but her simplistic sentence structure and repetitiveness make this novel tedious. Steel’s loyal fans, however, will eat it up, and public libraries should purchase accordingly. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/07.]—Samantha J. Gust, NiagaraUniv. Lib., NY
Yoder, Edwin M., Jr. Lions at Lamb House: Freud’s “Lost” Analysis of Henry James. Europa Editions, dist. by Consortium. Sept. 2007. c.240p. ISBN 978-1-933372-34-1. pap. $14.95. F
Yoder, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author, takes a wonderfully readable look at what might have happened had fiction master Henry James and Sigmund Freud, a firm believer in the science of the mind, ever met. Horace Briscoe, James’s houseguest, witnesses their coming together and tries, when not distracted by an amusing love affair, to record the experience. These observations are augmented by wonderfully readable letters from James to Edith Wharton and analysis notes written by Freud. While Yoder makes no attempt to historical accuracy regarding their meeting, he does a marvelous job of peppering the work with social commentary and literary allusion. A pleasure to read, this lighthearted and humorous novel will appeal to those who enjoy literary and historical fiction. Recommended for public libraries.—Dora Wagner, Northwestern Coll., Saint Paul, MN
McDougal, Dennis. Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times. Wiley. Oct. 2007. c.496p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-471-72246-5. $25.95. FILM
Jack Nicholson has the most Oscar nominations in film history, and only Katharine Hepburn has more wins. He has shunned television interviews and never cooperated with a biographer, though a dozen or so books have been written about him. Journalist McDougal (The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA, and the Hidden History of Hollywood) researched Nicholson through friends, associates, court documents, books, and unpublished documents. Raised to believe his mother was his sister, Nicholson spent ten years struggling to make it in Hollywood, toiling in potboilers like The Cry Baby Killer and Hells Angels on Wheels, writing scripts (e.g., The Trip and the Monkees movie, Head), and hanging out with other Hollywood hopefuls like Bob Rafelson and Henry Jaglom (who both became well-known directors and figured prominently in Nicholson’s career). His small but career-changing role came in 1969 with Easy Rider. With lots of interesting tidbits that will surprise fans and almost 60 pages of notes and bibliography, McDougal’s biography is the most definitive to date. Highly recommended.—Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA
Naylor, Sharon & Casey Cooper. What’s Your Bridal Style? Citadel: Kensington. Oct. 2007. c.272p. index. ISBN 978-0-8065-2829-8. $14.95. home ec
Naylor, the author of 27 wedding-planning books and a contributor to top bridal magazines, and Cooper, president of Botanicals Inc. and a floral designer for Oprah, have coauthored a compelling guide to assist brides and grooms in personalizing their wedding day. Beginning with the idea of creating a possibilities notebook (filled with sample photos, clippings, favorite color swatches), the book is replete with detailed tasks and exercises designed to help couples articulate their style preferences. Much of the work has to do with language for the requisite dialog with vendors, i.e., discovering the key adjectives, phrases, colors, textures, scents, tastes, and sounds that describe what’s desired. Every element of the nuptials is covered: Will the flowers be classic, zen, preppy, or glamorous? Should the menu be traditional, contemporary, cultural, or fusion? By the time these questions arise in the text, readers will have a clear idea of their own style preferences and each style’s characteristics. Despite the occasional fill-in-the-blank workbook format, this guide will be a welcome addition to larger wedding planning collections.—Deborah Ebster, Orlando, FL
Ruhlman, Michael. The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef’s Art for Every Kitchen. Scribner.Nov. 2007. c.256p. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-7432-9978-7. $24. cookery
Prolific food writer Ruhlman (The Reach of a Chef) has created a useful and easy-to-read reference and guide book for food enthusiasts. Made up of eight essays, A-to-Z entries from acid to zester, and only one recipe, this work breaks down the basic elements of good cooking. The essays cut to the core foundations of cooking, including such important basics as creating stocks, properly using salt, sauces, the importance of eggs, collecting the right tools and utensils, heat, a listing of core books, and, perhaps most important, developing finesse, what the author calls the most important ingredient in the kitchen. The entries are concise and well written, covering topics both simple and complex. Whether explaining the elements of a good wooden spoon or a Béchamel sauce, Ruhlman has a contagious enthusiasm. Overall, an excellent resource, especially for beginners. Recommended for public libraries.—Lisa A. Ennis, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib., Lister Hill
Greeley, Andrew. Jesus: A Meditation on His Stories and His Relationships with Women. 4 CDs.unabridged. 5 hrs.Tantor Audio. 2007.ISBN 978-1-4001-0404-8. $24.99.rel
Greeley, a Catholic priest, distinguished academic sociologist, and best-selling novelist, takes a fresh and interesting look into familiar territory. He takes a look at the parables of Jesus of Galilee and the teachings he made through these stories. Greeley clearly states his style as a homilist and not a theologian, and this stance infuses an understanding that the common person will appreciate. He looks at four well-known parables that teach a considerable amount about Jesus, his society, and the meaning of his messages. One quickly discovers that you don’t always know the whole story (including background) of several famous parables. Another key element is a detailed examination of the women in Jesus’s life and the relationships he had with them. Dick Hill’s narration is rich and comforting as he deals with a dense topic. Recommended for all public and academic libraries, especially those with special collections in religion.—Scott R. DiMarco, Mansfield Univ. of Pennsylvania
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