Anne's Book Club: April 2014

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Book Review:
In Accord by Kristin Chambers

Have you ever finished a book and hated the ending so much you thought about writing your own ending?

That's what the four women in the In Accord Book Club do. The trials and tribulations they endure in the course of the story lead to four endings of the book-within-a-book, Mariner's Cover, as different as the women who are writing them.

Hannah is a principal who helped write the school district's zero tolerence policy on drinking, and who now has to drive 600 miles to pick up her teenage daughter who got caught drinking on a field trip. She has a couple of other issues, too, one of which is major and life-changing.

Julie is divorced and is working on lifelong self-esteem issues, while trying to decide if she's ready to get into the dating scene again.

Maggie is a cancer survivor who has a secret that will threaten to ruin her marriage to an assistant district attorney.

Ellen is a social worker who is starting to see her husband for what he really is, but may get a second chance at love.

One of the reasons I like this book so much is that it's set in Buffalo so all the places and cultural references make it feel so real. Maybe that's why I like the characters so much: They could be people I really know from Buffalo. Mariner's Cove is set in Chautauqua County, which is cool too.

One of the pleasures in my life is getting a book in the mail that I didn't expect and having that book turn out to be something I really enjoyed. I looked forward to setting up an interview with Kristin Chambers very soon.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Jaspar's War
By Cym Lowell

As promised, my conversation with Cym Lowell is right here.

You can find more information about Operation: Next Chapter here.

Exciting and unpredictable, Cym Lowell’s debut novel “Jaspar’s War” is everything you’d want in a thriller.

I probably couldn’t summarize the plot any better than one of the characters does: Your premise is that the economic health of the world is under attack. Its only defense is an Aborigine, a society woman and a dog?

The society woman is Jaspar Moran, whose husband is the US Treasury Secretary. Within minutes of learning her children are kidnapped she learns his plane has crash and he is presumed dead. The kidnappers are only keeping the children alive because they believe Jaspar knows what her husband recently learned: Someone is manipulating the US President into enacting economic stimulus plans that will eventually lead to the collapse of this country, and others.

A friend of a friend introduces her to the Aborigine and the dog, who teach her a sort of guerilla warfare that will be needed to save her children, and clear the name of her husband, who is now being used as a scapegoat in a financial scandal.

Jaspar’s love of her family, and her strong faith, lead to her to do things she admits she would have never done before. Some of the action – hers and the Aborigine Nulandi’s – are over-the-top but that’s one of the things that makes “Jaspar’s War” such a fun read.

4 of 5

I received a copy of “Jaspar’s War” from the publisher in preparation for my interview with the author, which you can hear right here on Tuesday.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Current, Former Pitt-Bradford Presidents to
Sign New History Book During Event

A book chronicling the rich 50-year history of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has been published, and current president Dr. Livingston Alexander and former president Dr. Richard E. McDowell will autograph copies at a book signing next week on campus.

The book-signing event, being held to mark the release of the book, “A History of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford,” will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Frame-Westerberg Commons. The event will begin with brief remarks by Alexander and McDowell in the Commons’ first-floor lobby. Following the remarks, Alexander and McDowell will move to the Panther Shop, where they will sign books. The book is currently available for pre-order at the Panther Shop’s online store at http://thepanthershop.com. Anyone pre-ordering the book will receive a 10 percent discount. Books also will be available for purchase beginning April 25 at the Panther Shop.

The book signing, which is being co-sponsored by the Friends of Hanley Library, is free and open to the public.

“This is an inspiring story of how a fledgling, resource-starved regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh emerged as a significant player in Northwest Pennsylvania higher education,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president of Pitt-Bradford. “This is truly a story worth telling, and we’re delighted that this comprehensive and fascinating narrative now becomes the official history of our cherished institution.”

The book was written by Sherie R. Mershon, an independent scholar and freelance writer and editor from Pittsburgh. The book and its release are part of the university’s 50th anniversary celebration this year.

The 370-page book spans the entire history of the university. It begins with a brief history of the region followed by a detailed account of the efforts of many individuals in Bradford who recognized the need for an institution of higher education in north central Pennsylvania and mobilized to help make it happen.

The final chapter, “Going Beyond, 2003-2013,” highlights the university’s more recent advances and accomplishments, from the naming of Alexander as the third president to the addition of several new academic majors and extensive expansion and renovation of the campus.

In writing the book, Mershon assembled details from various documents and publications from Pitt-Bradford as well as the community, including The Bradford Era and the Olean (N.Y.) Times Herald; Portraits magazine, the university’s alumni magazine; The Source, Pitt-Bradford’s student newspaper; the Bradford Landmark Society; minutes from various administrative meetings; and official documents from other sources on campus. Mershon also gathered information from the University Archives of the University of Pittsburgh.

Mershon also conducted interviews with several members of the campus community, including McDowell, who was Pitt-Bradford’s president from 1973 to 2002; Dr. K. James Evans, vice president and dean of student affairs who has been at Pitt-Bradford since 1976; Bill Higie, a longtime Advisory Board member and former chairman for 22 years; Dr. Andy Dzirkalis, associate professor emeritus of political science who taught from 1976 to 2006; Tom Bromeley, a longtime Advisory Board member; and Isabelle Champlin, an alumna who taught anthropology for more than 40 years.

In addition to the written history, the book also features numerous photos from the 1960s up to 2013. Some of the historical photos include the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the first day of school on Sept. 3, 1963, featuring then-president Dr. Don Swarts and Bert Fisher, the first Advisory Board chairman; students peeking out of the windows of Emery Hall, which served as the university’s first residence hall; and a class in session in the Hamsher House. Recent photos include the inauguration of Alexander as Pitt-Bradford’s third president; Harriett B. Wick in front of the chapel on campus that bears her name; and then-student Tim Rooke using equipment in the Crime Scene Investigation House.

You can hear Dr. Alexander talk about the book on WESB's LiveLine by going to WESB.com/listen and clicking on the "Local Programs tab.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Book Review:
Mortom by Erik Therme

I love this book! I read the first couple of chapters, put it down for a couple of days and then read the rest in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down.

It's suspenseful, fast-moving, twisty and, at times, funny. I especially like the interaction between brother and sister Andy and Kate. The other relationships they develop, or redevelop, are interesting as well.

The story centers around a game -- could it be a wild goose chase? -- Andy and Kate's cousin Craig has Andy going on after Craig's death. Puzzles are solved, long-kept secrets are revealed and question after question is raised about Craig's life, as well as Andy's and Kate's.

As I said, I couldn't put it down. Lost an hour or so of sleep, but it was well worth it. I'll definitely be looking for Erik Therme's next book.

5 of 5

I received a free copy of this book from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review:
Muscles, Music and Murder by David M. Selcer

This is the third book in the Buckeye Barrister series and I should mention that I have not read the first two yet. Although we do get some background on Winston Barchrist I’m wondering if reading the first two books in the series would have helped me enjoy this one more.

Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but other than Winston and his computer hacker friend Trudy, the characters didn’t seem all that interesting to me. Then again, Winton is the main character and I did like him a lot. I especially liked his self-deprecating humor about being overweight.

As for the story, the first three-quarters of the book were interesting, trying to figure out how the murder of a body builder and the attempted murder of a symphony conductor could possibly be related. But the last quarter or so was rambling and redundant, giving the summary of the entire story up to that point a couple of times.

I will admit, though, that I didn’t see envision the story ending the way it did, which was a nice surprise and interesting twist.

3 of 5

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Forever
By Deb Caletti

You can listen to my conversation with Deb here. If you haven't heard of the "Doomsday" seed vault -- or even if you have -- you'll this book really interesting. And, main character Tess is one of my new favorite characters. She's right up there with Dorothy Gale and Scout Finch for me.

The Collector of Dying Breaths
By M.J. Rose

Listen to my chat with MJ Rose here. We talk about a lot more than the book, too!

The Edge of Falling
By Rebecca Serle

Listen to my interview with Rebecca here.

Monday Marathon

I have been remiss in posting interviews. I also have a couple of book reviews to post. So let's just call this the "Monday Maraton," shall we?

Don't Call Me Baby
By Gwendolyn Heasley

Popular YA author Gwendolyn Heasley tackles the world of mommy bloggers -- from the perspective of the teenage daughter of a mommy blogger.

"Don't Call Me Baby" is also a good starting point for parents of teens to talk about a lot of issues including privacy and boundaries.

The book will be available April 22, but you can listen to my chat with Gwendolyn now, right here.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Warriors
By Ted Bell

Rather than give you a review, I'll tell you this: I got the book in the mail Friday so I could prepare for my interview with Mr. Bell. When I got home, I looked at the calendar I keep there and saw that the interview was scheduled for April 8. The book is nearly 500 pages long so I "knew" the publicist would give me more time than that to read it, so I just assumed I penciled in the interview for the wrong date and it was actually April 18. Well, when I got to work on Monday and checked the calendar, sure enough, the interview was scheduled for April 8 -- today. So when I got home Monday night I started reading. I could not put it down! I expected to read half of it and thought that would make for a pretty good interview. Nope. Read the whole thing. If you haven't met Alex Hawke yet, this is a good time to it. "Warriors" is top notch!
You can listen to my chat with Ted Bell here.

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Monday, April 7, 2014

I Quit Sugar
By Sarah Wilson

In January of 2011 Sarah Wilson stopped eating sugar because 1)she learned that sugar could be a factor in her autoimmune disease and 2)she realized she was a sugar addict and didn't even know it.

What started as an experiment soon became a way of life, and now she has written "I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook."

Listen to my conversation with Sarah here