by Lorrie Goldin

Would you cut off your right arm to save your child?

That’s a no-brainer. Of course you would.

OK, something harder, then: Would you go watch a movie about a guy who cuts off his right arm when your 18-year-old begs you? Hmmm. Even parental self-sacrifice has its limits.

“Can’t we see something else?” I whine when Ally suggests seeing 127 Hours, which chronicles the real-life wilderness ordeal of Aron Ralston after his arm is pinned by a boulder. “Maybe Jackass 3D is still playing?”

“No. I really want to see 127 Hours,” Ally insists. “Close your eyes during the gory parts. Or go read in a café if you can’t hack it.”

Since it’s never a good idea to turn down a teenager who wants to spend time with her mom, I sighed and grabbed my purse. Ally wanted to get there early, predicting a crowded theater for this Oscar nominee in the run-up to the Academy Awards.

“On a beautiful sunny afternoon, right before Valentine’s Day, about a guy who cuts off his arm? Not exactly your standard date movie, even if it stars James Franco,” I countered.

We had our pick of seats, and would have if we’d gotten there 20 minutes late. As the lights dimmed, I thought about all those Disney movies I’d had to exit hastily with a sobbing preschooler who was terrified by loud soundtracks and threats to innocent puppies. Now I could look forward to my own leisurely retreat with a steaming latte while my daughter soldiered on alone.

Unless, of course, she needed me to tell her when it was safe to look at the screen again. So I stayed, wondering if this particular ordeal had made it into The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. (How to saw off your own arm ─ not how to endure a grisly movie or raise teenagers.)

Knowing beforehand that a man facing certain death not only wrote a bestselling memoir, but secured the movie rights, eased the tension considerably. Ally and I both loved 127 Hours. Besides, it only ‘does grisly’ for a very few minutes. Not once did Ally and I have to avert our eyes. And who would want to look away from James Franco? He’s such a force of life that his predicament practically evokes envy. What inspires him to persevere against all odds is recognizable to any parent.

I’m glad my daughter dragged me out against my will, pushing me, as children so often do, beyond what I thought I could bear.  Plus, the moral of the movie is to always let someone know where you’ll be, and always return your mother’s phone calls.

What more perfect way to pass an afternoon together?

All Her Father’s Guns by James Warner

ISBN: 978-0984260027

Trade Paperback: 200 pages

Vox Novus (January 7, 2011)

13.95 USD

reviewed by Nigel Voight

They say “don’t judge a book by its cover” and in this case that adage is indeed apt. James Warner’s All Her Father’s Guns is a cleverly-orchestrated story of bone-dry wit. The author skewers everyone from the Berkeley Left to the Gun Toting Right. I thought I would find this irritating after a while, as Warner is British, but then he starts in on them, too. Anyone who reads this will recognize the acerbic poignancy of an intelligent man who is clearly disenchanted with what others have written as quaint human fallibility but he sees quite differently.  And yet, you’ll laugh. Well done. This is a four and half pasta plate book that loses a half a plate, because writing like this deserves a cover as brilliant as the work itself. I sincerely hope it sells enough copies for a reissue as I wonder how many readers will pass it up because of that.

MORE RECOMMENDED READS

The Peach Keeper

by Sarah Addison Allen

Hardcover: 288 pages

Bantam (March 22, 2011)

ISBN: 978-0553807226

25.00 USD

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Before the Swarm by Nicholas Griffin

Format: Kindle Single

Print Length: 24 pages

The Atavist (March 6, 2011)

ASIN: B004QZ9QXW

1.99 USD

Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir by Jessica O’Dwyer

Seal Press (November 2010)
ISBN: 978-1-58005-334-1
Trade Paperback 312 pages
$16.95

reviewed by Jo O’Neil

In the past fifteen years Americans have adopted more than 200, 000 children from overseas. Anyone who’s thinking of adopting a child from a foreign country must ─ not should ─put Jessica O‘Dwyer’s Mamalita on their reading list. It’s an informative, harrowing, and cautionary tale of the author’s quest to become the adoptive mother of a Guatemalan baby girl.

Ms. O’Dwyer reports with clarity and honesty. She doesn’t spare herself the eyebrow-raising surprise anyone who has dealt with overseas bureaucracy will experience as she reports her naiveté about how she and her husband got ‘suckered’ into walking through the crooked and arbitrary maze that’s part of every banana republic’s government, let alone adoption system. Yet, we’re with her every step of the way as her single-minded determination to bring her beloved daughter home overcomes all the horrific obstacles she encounters. As a mother and a woman, I empathized and applauded, as an editor, I was impressed.

However, I describe this as an ‘account’ because to me it reads more like that rather than like a ‘memoir’. The private parts of the author’s life ─ her feelings about her early menopause, her failed first marriage, her relationship with her new husband ─ though discussed, are related more as a backdrop rather than as an integral part of her story. That’s not a criticism, but an observation. If Ms. O’Dwyer’s goal is to be the voice of experience on overseas adoption, she achieves that very successfully with this well-written, carefully constructed tale. As a supporter of her cause, I admire that. As a reader, I would have liked her to have delved a bit more into her other experiences around this adoption, because those were the experiences that led her on her journey to the creation of this book.

All in all, an impressive 3 and ½ pasta plates. Visit Jessica O’Dwyer’s informative and lively blog on Guatemalan adoption at http://www.mamalitathebook.com Listen to HS Radio’s podcast interview with Jessica O’Dwyer, Cathy Edgett and Jane Flint: here. Watch Mamalita book trailer below:

More Recommended Reads

How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack

by Chuck Sambuchino

Ten Speed Press (September 7, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1580084635
Hardcover: 112 pages
$14.99

Mystery Montage: A Collection of Short Story Mysteries

by Patricia L. Morin

Publisher: Top (October 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1929976751
Trade Paperback 217 pages
$14.95

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel

by Aimee Bender

Publisher: Doubleday (June 1, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0385501125
Hardcover 304 pages
$25.95

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Amistad (June 2010)
ISBN-10: 0061957844
Reviewed by Jo O’Neil

Nicknamed ‘Monkey Night’ by those who taunt her mercilessly in high school, Davidia Jone’s life-defining, tragicomic moments with an abusive mother, repulsive father, and the rich, unattainable boy she has a crush on are narrated via flashbacks which can be difficult to pull off in a debut novel. But Ms. Carter’s voice is so appealing that the reader becomes immediately engaged. The parable to the film, ‘Sixteen Candles’ works much better than you’d expect, too. The sense of predictability about the story and the “living the life she dreamed of” ending fades when a hunger for revenge adds an unexpected spice. A great beach read for romance lovers! Available on amazon.com, or your local bookseller.

The author, Ernessa T. Carter has worked as an ESL teacher in Japan, a music journalist in Pittsburgh, and a radio writer for American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest in Hollywood. She’s also a retired L.A. Derby Doll. 32 CANDLES is her first novel. Her Twitter, Facebook and author websites are as follows:

http://twitter.com/ErnessaTCarter
http://www.facebook.com/ernessa
http://fierceandnerdy.com

Paperback: 358 pages
Publisher: Vox Novus (2009)
ISBN-10: 0975361503
Reviewed by Linda C. McCabe

Good historical fiction transports the reader into another place and time. And, through the eyes of great characters, it allows the reader to understand historical events, bringing them down to a human level.

In The Widow’s Husband we see life in the small village of Char Bagh in rural Afghanistan in the 19th century. The concerns the villagers have over family, community, and about having enough food stored to last through winter are familiar, even if the names and customs are curious to our western ears. The routine of rural life in Char Bagh is disrupted by the arrival of a stranger, who it soon becomes apparent, is not a normal traveler, but instead a mystic who attracts pilgrims from miles around. This brings Char Bagh to the attention of the British military, who have settled in Kabul, which then threatens the peacefulness and stability of the village.

The novel demonstrates how the British colonized Afghanistan through bribery and force. Attempts by the British to interact with the Afghan people without first endeavoring to understand their ways and traditions lead to the inevitable clash when the people revolt in response to the maltreatment of the females in the village. The Widow’s Husband serves to illuminate events from history while allowing us to draw parallels from our own current military campaigns.

Tamim Ansary’s writing is vibrant and wise without being preachy. His previous novel, Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes won the Northern California Book Award for Best General Nonfiction of 2009.

The Widow’s Husband can be purchased as an ebook from Scribd.com, trade paperback version direct from the publisher, and it is also available as paperback or Kindle on amazon.com. Mr. Ansary’s website is at: http://www.mirtamimansary.com/ and his Facebook page is here.

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Harper Davis Publishing (March 2010)
ISBN-10: 0981915396
Reviewed by Patricia V. Davis

Cathy Edgett writes about her experience with breast cancer that while never minimizing the trauma she went through, illustrates how even a life-threatening disease can be (if we let it) an experience that changes our awareness of ourselves, our bodies, and our world for the better. Her descriptions of her treatment and how she felt throughout, what she gained and what she lost, will be a balm for anyone who is experiencing or is about to experience the same things.

Her co-author, Jane Flint, is never a martyr when she talks about her role of journaling every morning with Cathy in order to help her get through chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer. In fact, she is refreshingly and courageously frank about how this was not easy, but at times truly challenged her own perceptions of herself and her friendship with Cathy.

The technique they use to write consecutively is easy to comprehend and very palatable. The smattering of the authors’ personal poems which are mostly about nature, gives the book lush, colorful scenery which is at once calming and invigorating. This beautifully-written chronicle should be on every woman’s bookshelf, and makes a perfect gift for both patient and caregiver.

Paperback: 284 pages
Publisher: Plus One Press (August 2010)
ISBN-10: 0984436200
Reviewed by Nigel Voight

“For Blacklight guitarist JP Kinkaid and his wife Bree, their London honeymoon should be idyllic. However, their peaceful honeymoon gets sidetracked when legendary director Sir Cedric Parmeley enters his 25-year-old rockumentary into competition at the Cannes Film Festival and asks Blacklight to perform a free concert to support it. But the film Parmeley screens the night before the Festival opens is not the film the band approved. Something in that ninety minutes of extra footage poses a mortal danger to the remaining members of an old hate group. The leader of that group is a revenant from Homicide Lieutenant Patrick Ormand’s past, and Ormand will stop at nothing to take him down—even if it means putting Blacklight in the crosshairs of a sniper’s scope on the red carpet at Cannes.”

The above is excerpted from the book description for the third in a riveting series called The JP Kinkaid Chronicles. You read that correctly — riveting. And it’s not necessarily the plot, described above, that makes it so. This is not your usual murder mystery, and JP Kinkaid is not your usual male protagonist found in your usual murder mystery. JP Kinkaid is a middle-aged rock star who suffers from MS, bad judgment, and a lot of mental anguish over said bad judgment, not the least of which having to do with his long time relationship with the love of his life, Bree, who is, let’s say – the more proactive of the two by far. Then there are all the murdered colleagues he and his band members keep tripping over.

So why would a murder mystery narrated by a bewildered, ailing, middle-aged guitar player be riveting? Number one reason for me is because it’s written by a middle-aged, female guitarist who also has MS. And apart from giving us firsthand detail without being maudlin or off-putting on what it’s like to live with the disease, she writes JP Kinkaid’s fears, regrets, observations, revelations, and deep affections as though she is channeling him. Oh — and did I mention that she’s American and he’s English?
Also, her descriptions of life within the circle of a tight knit, internationally famous rock group are so full and vivid, that one might suspect (and might be right) that she has had firsthand experience with it. Her depictions of these musicians are more of what you’d expect from a colorful, yet in-depth biography rather than a fast-paced novel.

With all of the above, before you know it, you’re through first one book in the series, than the next. There are minor flaws that only someone who is scrutinizing a book for review would pick up – the ‘mystery’ part of this mystery series is not a whodunit in true mystery fashion. You never mind that the character(s) who end up dead, end up dead because they’re all so slimy, and for that reason it’s not necessarily that difficult to figure out why they died and by whose hand. But as the mystery is only the vehicle for an ongoing story of very complex, very real characters, one doesn’t mind that.

Another plus of the series is that, though I’ve heard the author in interviews say that the characters develop and grow as each book unfolds, (and that’s true) it’s therefore better to read the series from beginning to end. But from my perspective, each book can stand alone, another skill that seems natural and effortless by the author. So if you wanted to pick up London Calling — the third and my favorite in a favorite series so far — and read it first, you can. It won’t matter, because once you’re hooked on one, you’ll want to read all the others, anyway.

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Feeding Strays by Stefanie Freele

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Paperback, 268 pages
Publisher: Lost Horse Press; First edition (September 1, 2009)
ISBN: 978-0980028959
Reviewed by Patricia V. Davis

If you read only one collection of short stories this year, Feeding Strays must be it. In fact, if you’re short on time, just the titles of some of the stories in this collection are worth its price ─ “Because Condoms Seem So Desperate, She Also Buys a Fern”; “All My Drownings”; “Priests and Balloons”.

The description on the back cover says it all: “A woman hides from her husband in a fish tank and another absently bakes sponges inside her tarts. Appliances drop from the sky, men grapple with chainsaws, women struggle with hormonal violence, and abandoned boys beg on doorsteps. Enter into the territory of broken people and the folks who love them. Sensitive and unruly, sincere and absurd, Stefanie Freele’s “Feeding Strays” is a collection of fifty short stories, both slipstream and modern, about children, family, relationships, and oysters.”

Harlots’ Sauce Radio gives this collection an impressive four pasta plates. For more information on the author, (the Healdsburg’s Literary Laureate, by the way) and for autographed copies of her book, visit: www.stefaniefreele.com

Feeding Strays is a finalist in ForeWord Reviews‘ 2009 Book of the Year Awards

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Jack Wakes Up by Seth Harwood

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Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press; Updated edition (May 5, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0307454355
Reviewed by Nigel Voight

The story behind Harwood’s debut crime action novel is just as faced-paced and dizzying as the book itself. Harwood podcasted chapters of this book on his website, and thus developed a huge fan base, before clinching a deal with the book publishers in New York. They must have been as asleep as the main character, Jack, leading a quiet, lawful existence ever since he’s finally broken free of ‘demon alcohol’s’ hold, which had wrecked his acting career. In Sausalito, California, and in need of money, Jack can’t resist the offer of an old friend to help entertain some visiting Czechs looking to score some blow. Not long after, Jack discovers said old friend lying face down in his apartment with a piece of his skull blown off. Okay, okay ─ though the plot may not seem all that original, the fast pace and the great prose is irresistible. Think Quentin Tarantino meets The Maltese Falcon. Three and a half pasta plates for the work, with an extra half plate added in for the clever marketing, gives Jack Wakes Up a not-too-shabby four pasta plates. As Jack would say, “So, what’s the who?” Seth Harwood, that’s who. He’s one new author to watch.

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The God Patent by Ransom Stephens

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Paperback: 298 pages
Publisher: Vox Novus; 1st edition (December 16, 2009)
ISBN: 978-0984260003
Reviewed by Jo O’Neill

I must meet Ransom Stephens, because I need to know if this author is as intriguing in person as he is on the page. The God Patent sounded like it would be the type of existentialist story I’d never read, let alone enjoy. But I found myself fascinated not only by the plot, but by the mind of a writer who could dream it all up.

A condensed version of the book description states that “sex, drugs, and quantum physics collide with artificial intelligence, faith and free will in this perspective-altering story. The main character, Ryan McNear, submits a patent for the soul disguised as a software algorithm, concealed in engineering jargon, and his best friend rewrites Genesis and calls it a “power generator.” A few years later, what he thought was a joke is generating stacks of money amid claims that it will provide a source of limitless energy, and prove the existence of God. Ryan stakes a legal claim to the patent, but soon discovers a sinister undercurrent in the venture. Racing against time and aided by a motley group of assistants, Ryan gets caught in a battle between hard science and fundamentalist religion that threatens his sanity, his freedom and his son.

This is a complicated plot which includes a number of major characters, and you’d think it would be impossible for a debut author to pull it all off. But Stephens manages it, and it’s refreshing to read a novel with some depth of narrative. Although, as an editor, I might have suggested trimming some of the actual physics descriptions, but then again, I have to take into consideration that I am not the main audience for this book, a book that grabbed my attention nonetheless. Put it this way ─ a gal who usually reads memoir and romance, found a new genre for myself in The God Patent. Stephens reminds me of that high school science teacher who all the high school girls would sigh over and call “totally sexy.” And because we thought he was, we paid attention to what he had to say and not only learned something, but remembered it for life. The God Patent will stick with me for a long time.

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (February 2, 2010)
ISBN: 978-1400052172
Reviewed by guest reviewer, Tina Vierra of Book Passage

This is, without a doubt, one of the most compelling books I have ever read. It’s not just that it’s well-written, but that the subject matter is so unbelievable and staggering, and has such implications from our medical past, and for the future of medicine.

Henrietta Lacks was a black woman living in rural Virginia in the 1940s and 50s. A wife and mother of five, she died of cervical at age of 31, in the black ward of Johns Hopkins medical center. A few months before she died, her doctor retrieved a tissue sample from her cervix and gave it to one of his assistants (something they did routinely at this teaching and research center) to place the cells into a culture, to see if they would grow and replicate. Such cells usually died in a matter of hours, but if they could be kept alive, they would be very useful in the new field of virology.

Henrietta’s cells lived, and, as was the practice then, they named this new cell line ‘HeLa’, using first letters from both of her names. HeLa cells were so robust and replicated so fast, that their use has revolutionized medicine. From the moment the doctors at Johns Hopkins started using them, giving them out to other researchers to use, they began to spread exponentially, and the infant arm of research known as ‘virology’—the use of human cells to study medical conditions, treatments, cures, and now genetics ─ grew with them. HeLa cells are now so prevalent and common in medicine that nearly every researcher in the world has touched them. They’ve even gone up into space. They’ve been bought and sold, replicated and shipped worldwide.

And for over 40 years, Henrietta Lack’s family never knew about this. But science writer, Rebecca Skloot, heard snippets of information that got her interested in the HeLa cells, realized the significance of their story, and spent more than ten years researching and composing this book. She’s done a brilliant job weaving Henrietta’s story, those of her children, and the progress of science through the HeLa cells into a moving, riveting, personal narrative. Her access to and eventual closeness with Henrietta’s children was a dangerous course for a journalist needing objectivity to tell this story, but she handled it well. I may even forgive her for making me cry. I can’t get this story out of my mind; in fact, I will probably be thinking about it and discussing it for the rest of my life. It’s that important.

To order this book from Book Passage, click here

To order this book from amazon.com, click here

Last 5 posts by Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviewers

• Harlots Sauce June Book Reviews - June 27th, 2010
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ September 2009 - September 9th, 2009
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ May 2009 - May 13th, 2009
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Reviews ~ February 2009 - February 1st, 2009
• Snapshots at St.Arbuck's by R.G. Ryan - July 1st, 2008

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Midori by Moonlight by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

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Midori by Moonlight

Author: Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN: 978-0312372613

Reviewer: Patricia Volonakis Davis

Though Midori by Moonlight was published in 2007, I only just discovered this book a few months ago. And I’m delighted that I did.

Midori by Moonlight is categorized as ‘chick-lit’, which is a term “used to denote a genre of women’s fiction written for and marketed primarily to single, working women in their 20’s and 30’s in the post-feminist era.” And while it does fit those parameters, this extremely well-crafted novel is so much more, and can be enjoyed by so many other readers than just by those to whom ‘chick lit’ is generally marketed.

The author, Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, (an American who has spent much time in Japan, and is married to the Japanese-born musician, Manabu Tokunaga) weaves many noteworthy aspects of both the Japanese culture and the American into the plot, such as the personal restrictions inherent in Japanese society, the American penchant for regarding foreign societies in general terms of either “wonderful and unique” or “backward”, and a number of other aspects of both cultures that we would all do well to examine for their drawbacks. But she does all this with such a finesse and lack of moralizing, that readers might never become aware that this element of keen observation is subtly added to the straight-forward plot in the same way as one of the carefully chosen ingredients is flavored into the main character’s delicious home-made cakes. As I observed in my review of Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells, I wonder if it takes another writer to fully understand that the more simply-written and the more easily read a work appears to be, the more difficult it actually was to create. Midori by Moonlight, also clearly fits into that category.

The plot revolves around Midori Saito, a Japanese girl who by her parents’ standards is “an old maid.” And while they are arranging a marriage for her, she is eager to get away from the rigors of Japanese society. Along comes Kevin, an American, who asks her to marry him and move with him to San Francisco, an idea which is very appealing to Midori. Kevin seems the answer to her prayers, but after she arrives in the United States, he dumps her, the very day after their engagement party, in fact. (Naturally.) Midori only has a sixty-day visa, but she most emphatically does not want to return to Japan to listen to her parents’ Japanese equivalent of, “We-told-you-so.” So, even though she knows she’s in for a tough time, (and some humorous struggles with the English language), she decides she will do whatever it takes to stay in her new homeland.

All in all, we give Midori by Moonlight an impressive 4 and ½ pasta plates, for being a fun but very intelligent read.

Midori by Moonlight is available on all online outlets and fine bookshops everywhere. Watch the delightful book trailer below, and also look for Wendy Nelson Tokunaga’s latest novel, Love in Translation, which will be released on November 24, 2009, and is available for pre-order online and in bookshops.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhcAcZytUFI

Last 5 posts by Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviewers

• Harlots Sauce June Book Reviews - June 27th, 2010
• Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviews March 2010 - March 5th, 2010
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ May 2009 - May 13th, 2009
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Reviews ~ February 2009 - February 1st, 2009
• Snapshots at St.Arbuck's by R.G. Ryan - July 1st, 2008

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How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

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Review by Patricia Volonakis Davis

Gibson’s debut novel appealed to me on many levels – as a writer, as a teacher, as an observer of human minutiae, as a person who grew up on NY’s Long Island, and as a long time Gatsby fan. The plot revolves around a teenage girl, Carley Wells, whose very nouveau-riche indeed parents, in a ‘money can get us whatever we need’ scheme, hire a professional writer who agrees to allow Carley to make up her own story for the writer to write. They believe this act of literary prostitution is going to turn their disinterested daughter into a lover of books.

Apart from that unique plot twist, this is a standard teenage angst story of “poor little rich girl”, but the mechanics of the plot are made more intriguing by the means the writer executes to convey them. She makes no apologies for the fact, nor does she need to, that her model is F. Scott Fitzgerald. Instead, the orchestration is a clear tribute to him, via the section quotes, and the descriptions of Long Island that perhaps only a native of the area with a colorful eye and a sharp pen, as well as an impressive command of language could achieve. It takes sweat and skill to make the setting of a story as colorful as its characters, and Gibson achieves this, in my opinion, as well as her mentor in any of his celebrated books.

As a former high school English teacher myself, I spotted right off that the author, if not a teacher of that age group also, had either some very keen memories of being a teen, and was able to reflect and analyze herself and her classmates years later, or simply that she has a compassionate view of her former pupils. In an interview with her I learned it was the latter, and I then appreciated the writing on yet an additional level. This book would be an excellent choice for a high school class reading ─ the story appealing enough to keep the attention of its easily-distracted audience, while at the same time a perfect vehicle for a savvy teacher to teach not only vocabulary, but the structure of a good novel and the elements of style.

If I have one criticism it would be that the manuscript might have benefited from another once over by an editor who could be extremely objective and cull out some of the overly long bits. But I imagine it was difficult for even a good editor to be objective about this story, because Gibson is a “writer’s writer”, and her skill a force with which to be reckoned. I hope that this novel is only the beginning of her writing career. Harlots Sauce Radio will have the pleasure of airing a podcast interview with Tanya Egan Gibson later this summer.

How to Buy a Love of Reading (Dutton 2009) hardcover, ISBN: 978-0-525-95114-8, 352 pages, will be available on May 14, 2009 in all retail outlets and is now available for preorder online. Click the book cover below to see its page on amazon.com, more details, and to order the book.

To view the book’s interactive and fun website and add a story of your experiences with a book you loved, visit  How To Buy A Love of Reading.  Also enjoy the book trailer below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrQ_o7FmwKo

Last 5 posts by Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviewers

• Harlots Sauce June Book Reviews - June 27th, 2010
• Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviews March 2010 - March 5th, 2010
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ September 2009 - September 9th, 2009
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Reviews ~ February 2009 - February 1st, 2009
• Snapshots at St.Arbuck's by R.G. Ryan - July 1st, 2008

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The Fighter Pilot’s Wife by Gilberta Guth

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Published by Call Sign Press
Reviewed by Nigel Voight

Between 1951 and 1998, Gilberta met, loved, married, had children with, and eventually became the widow of, Joe Guth, a pilot in the United States Air Force. This is her story about him and their life together. Her memoir is a detailed, inside look at the life of a military wife, and, appropriately for this month’s holiday, a love story.

Using her husband’s letters from abroad and news clippings of his accomplishments, Mrs. Guth painstakingly reconstructs Joe’s life and her experiences with him, their family, friends, and the Air Force. This book is her tribute to her husband, with whom she shared, as she writes, “decades marked by joy, fear, tragedy, triumph… and love.” The author also donates 10% of each book sale to The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, aiding families of U.S. and British military personnel killed in action in the Middle East. For details, see www.fighterpilotswife.com

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Honest Conversations by Lindsey Kay

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Published by CafePress
Reviewed by Cynthia Taylor

Note: This novel was written by our staff writer, Lindsey Kay. In order for there not to be a conflict of interest, we asked one of our regular readers, Cynthia Taylor to give us her review, rather than writing one of our own.

Honest conversations are had by a few interesting characters within a Christian church, in a non-specific small town in the United States. An everyday thing, one would imagine, but not so, because two of those characters just happen to be a gay male couple, and the plot of this story revolves around their acceptance (or not) into the church.

I have particular interest in this subject, not only because, though I hate the ‘labelling thing’ so many feel we must do, I lived most of my life as “a bisexual” (meaning that I am one of the fortunate few who can fall in love with a person regardless of their sexual organs), but also because my own brother became a ‘Born Again Christian’, and I personally experienced the segregation and sectarianism of not only his church, but many others I came across.

The subject of abuse, loss of sexuality, denial, and final awakening is also discussed in the form of Zoe, the female pastor of the leadership group, a dedicated young woman who fights to get her church to come back to real Christian teachings. Though these compelling story lines don’t get into the depth they could have, as we only live with these people for about 108 pages, I would say that the conversations were indeed honest enough and this novel lived up to my expectations. I loved reading the book, which is written with heart and passion and I would most definitely recommend it, especially as a book that every person who attends any organized form of Christian worship should read. The Christian author is courageously adamant in pointing out that Christians have forgotten the actions and teachings of Christ himself…..and this is a fact that bears addressing in most modern Christian churches, as much as in the old Roman Catholic ones.

There is one small issue for me, though. All throughout the book, there seems to be a not-so-tacit suggestion that, if one is accepted by one’s church, without “giving up their gayness”, so to speak, this same ‘gayness’ that set this individual aside in the first place, would disappear through the act of acceptance by the church, and the individual gay person’s worship. And that I find very difficult to digest.

Nonetheless, when one considers that the author is herself a Christian within an organized community, a heterosexual, happy mother and wife, the book is an extraordinary act of courage, and a huge step forward for the Christian communities. If only a small percentage of the Christians read this book and make the changes the author writes about in her story happen; if this work of fiction can reach even a few hearts in the management of some of the Christian groups and make them a reality, we will be living in a much, much better world.

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Last 5 posts by Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviewers

• Harlots Sauce June Book Reviews - June 27th, 2010
• Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviews March 2010 - March 5th, 2010
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ September 2009 - September 9th, 2009
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ May 2009 - May 13th, 2009
• Snapshots at St.Arbuck's by R.G. Ryan - July 1st, 2008

Reviewed by Natasha J. Stillman

Iron Man, directed by John Favreau, (Elf, Zathura: A Space Adventure) is a slick and well-paced ride from beginning to end. Favreau has never directed a film on this action scale before, and it’s to his credit that he cast Robert Downey Jr. to play the title role. Downey Jr. certainly embodies Tony Stark — a brilliant inventor, unapologetic weapons manufacturer, and billionaire playboy. Tony finds his conscience and makes a really freakin’ cool robo-suit after he is captured by a fighting faction in Afghanistan.

While the whole playboy billionaire thing seems to be popular, wishful-thinking for comic book writers to base their superheros upon, (Batman and Green Arrow are just two others) Downey Jr. brings something new to this role. He is eminently watchable – full of brashness, humour, arrogance, intelligence, and charm. Truly ‘magnetic.’

The fantastic Terence Howard plays a military man and Stark’s best friend.  Jeff Bridges is convincing in his role, as well. (The baldness was a new look for him, which worked for him here.) The Pakistani-American actor, Faran Tahir, who played the leader of the guerilla faction in Afghanistan, (also sans hair) was definitely a presence, and will be seen next in J.J Abram’s upcoming Star Trek movie.

The main problem with the film was the two lead female characters, who were sadly underdeveloped and disappointing. They fell into the very convenient, but hardly original “madonna and whore”characterizations, far too simplified and shallow compared to what they could have been. The intrepid reporter, Christine Everhart, is played by Leslie Bibb of TV’s Popular and Crossing Jordan, and Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts, Stark’s anachronistic “Girl Friday.” Pepper supports her “Mr. Stark” through all his dastardly military dealings, and never once questions him until he has his…‘change of heart.’ Apparently, what is most important about her character is that, though she is completely besotted with Tony Stark, she keeps her legs welded shut and the snarky comments to a maximum. The copious shots of her spiked-heel footwear (product placement, anyone?) throughout the movie were also annoying. She wears them as she goes on a dangerous fact-finding mission and even during the climactic battle.

Why does Hollywood rarely put a woman in sensible shoes during the action in such movies?

It’s just plain idiotic.  Furthermore, this Pepper character whines so much about why Stark has to go out and risk his life, be a hero, and save the world, that one can only wonder if the writers have ever attributed the traits ‘honor’, ‘sacrifice,’ and ‘valor’ to women. We can only look forward to the day Hollywood turns out female characters in action movies female viewers can be proud of.

Despite these shortcomings, Iron Man is a not-to-be-missed movie, especially if you’re a fan of the action/superhero genre, and of course, of Robert Downey Jr.

Reviewed by Miranda Krebbs

If you are a fan of R.G. Ryan’s blog, you’ll not be disappointed by his compilation of stories told from his favorite seat in the corner of a coffee shop.  After reading Snapshots at St. Arbuck’s, I have no doubt that there is a “Saint” of St. Arbuck’s incarnated in R.G. Majestically he reigns over his favorite cafe, as the clientele there provides him a glimpse into the human soul.

In his book, R.G gets to the heart of precious moments with candor and wit. He invests his time observing people and finding beauty in their everyday lives. He not only tells touching tales about them, he gives each of them their own voice.  Listen and you’ll hear them – the sigh of estranged lovers or dejected seniors, the tone of love a single mother has for her child, a soldier’s pain at leaving his family for war, the blooming notes of happen-chance love.

At face value, these are thoughtful, poignant moments interlaced with comedy, joy and introspection about his own life. (For instance, his humorous horror at finding himself improperly attired in his bedroom slippers at St. Arbuck’s).

Read deeper, however, and it’s obvious that R.G. has a unique talent for capturing true emotions in a simple way. He does so as a quiet hero, waiting, with java in hand, to come to the rescue of coffee drinkers just like himself.  Shy, would-be lovers find a connection with R.G.’s gentle encouragement, an overwhelmed father of three gets assistance from R.G., as he juggles coffee and solo parenting for the first time. In short, the simple act of engaging with people who are enjoying their beverages teaches R.G. about the colorful beauty of life in our daily routines. And he passes that knowledge onto us.

The author himself sums it up best: “This book is a sort of ‘chicken soup for the caffeine crowd.’ Random snapshots of real life, real people as viewed through the eyes of hope.”

Grab your favorite brew and read Snapshots with a open heart. You’ll be surprised at your outbursts of laughter, and the fact that you’re shedding a tear or two. And if you’re lucky enough to find R.G. at one of his favorite St.  Arbucks, order him a “medium coffee, with room for cream,” and pat him on the back. You could find yourself in his second volume of stories.

Buy Snapshots at St. Arbucks

Last 5 posts by Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviewers

• Harlots Sauce June Book Reviews - June 27th, 2010
• Harlots Sauce Radio Book Reviews March 2010 - March 5th, 2010
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ September 2009 - September 9th, 2009
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Review ~ May 2009 - May 13th, 2009
• Harlots’ Sauce Radio Book Reviews ~ February 2009 - February 1st, 2009