Tuesday, December 8, 2009

“Robert James Howell - Spectrum” plus 4 more

“Robert James Howell - Spectrum” plus 4 more

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Robert James Howell - Spectrum

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 07:27 AM PST

Our wonderful father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed quietly away on November 20, 2009. He will be greatly missed by family and friends.

Born in Salt Lake City (Holladay), Utah, on September 13, 1925, to Stella Myrtle Knight and Elmer Virgil Howell, the youngest child of six children, he was raised in a home that valued church, family, education and music. He attended grade schools in Holladay and then Granite High School. He excelled in his school work and served as editor of the yearbook during his senior year in high school.

After attending college for a short while at the University of Utah and Washington State College, he joined the Army Air Corp to support the World War II effort. It was during this time in Louisiana that he met Mary Winnie Raiford, who was first his sweetheart and later his wife of nearly 62 years. After an honorable discharge from the army, he returned to Utah where he and Mary were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1946. He resumed his studies at the University of Utah, eventually earning a master's degree and a doctorate degree in psychology. He also earned a diplomate in clinical psychology. He enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a university professor, first at Fresno State College in California and then at Brigham Young University. During his long tenure at BYU, he served as department chairman and pioneered and directed the doctoral program in clinical psychology.

He was a consultant for several universities throughout the nation in establishing doctoral programs in clinical psychology. He published more than 75 research articles and 125 book reviews. Always concerned for the disadvantaged in society, he served for many years on the professional staffs of the Utah State Hospital and the Utah State Prison. He was also instrumental in establishing the community mental health systems in California and Utah. Ultimately, he specialized in the area of forensic psychology. He donated countless hours of charity work, both to the community and his church, in the area of clinical psychology. He loved his profession and his work.

He and Mary are the parents are three children, Carol, Peggy and Bruce. He was a devoted father and grandfather, generous with his time and spirit and was very involved in the lives of his children. They have fond memories of warm family times spent together at home and on vacations. He was always looking for a fun activity to do with his wife and children.

He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, and his wife, Mary. He is survived by his brothers, his three children, 16 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 11, 2009, at the Rock Canyon LDS Ward Chapel, 3050 Mojave Lane, Provo, Utah, at 12:00 p.m. Friends may call at the Ward Chapel of Friday from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. Interment will take place immediately following the funeral at the East Lawn Memorial cemetery in Provo, Utah. Condolences may be sent to info@bergmortuary.com.

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Children's Book Reviews - Publishers Weekly

Posted: 07 Dec 2009 05:13 AM PST

Picture Books

My Heart Is Like a Zoo Michael Hall. Greenwillow, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-06-191510-9

In his first book, Hall, a graphic designer, takes the idea of love being a many-splendored thing and runs with it straight to the animal kingdom. Using a heart shape as his core visual element, he creates a 20-member menagerie to illustrate the various facets of his affection: "My heart is like a zoo—/ eager as a beaver,/ steady as a yak,/ hopeful as a hungry heron fishing for a snack." Not every poetic conceit works—there's a jarring quality to having one's heart described as "crafty as a fox" or "snappy as a crab"—and more sophisticated eyes may feel Hall could have used more variation in crafting his animals (the heart shape is used mostly as a head and some form of appendage). But children just learning about shapes will revel in these pages, thanks to Hall's masterful blending of bright, saturated colors, his posterlike compositions, and the sheer animal magnetism of the species he's chosen. Teachers will also find fodder for classroom activities when February rolls around. Up to age 5. (Jan.)

Cupcake Charise Mericle Harper. Disney-Hyperion, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4231-1897-8

The plucky hero of this story may be a "plain and white and ordinary" cupcake, but Harper (Fashion Kitty) shows she's no fan of vanilla endings, leaving unresolved the conflict she sets up in the beginning. Cupcake is convinced that his relatives—Happy-Face Cupcake, Pink Princess Cupcake, and others—have more pizzazz than he does, until he meets a candle with the same problem and a bright idea. Harper's black-outlined cartoon characters appear on sparsely decorated, pastel pages to cheery effect, but it's the line-drawn facial expressions that provide most of the action. Cupcake reacts to the screwy toppings Candle brings him with appropriate horror and dubious smiles, as he is sprinkled with spaghetti, pancakes, and smelly cheese. The plot continues to focus on Cupcake's problem—Candle even apologizes for not being able to find him "something special"—but the gag ending doesn't go where some readers may suspect it's headed. After Candle retrieves a nut that a squirrel left in Cupcake's frosting, Candle stands tall atop the cupcake and delivers a closing zinger: "Hey, wait a minute.... Tomorrow, let's try celery!" Ages 2–6. (Jan.)

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, illus. by Linzie Hunter. Little, Brown, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-316-05830-8

Undaunted by her parents' objections ("We're just not ready for a dog"), Amelia develops a plan to acquire a pooch, then works it with finesse. She invents an imaginary dog named Bones (seen in a dotted outline), spends a week coaching her parents through imaginary dog ownership ("Shut the door so Bones won't get out!"), then "loses" him. From there, it's a short trip to the shelter to look for Bones—and, lo and behold, there he is ("[I]f anybody asks, your name is Bones," she whispers to her dream dog after her parents cave). Though newcomer Hunter's digitally created paper doll–like figures don't attract much visual interest, smart use of small details conveys Amelia's dog-obsessed home life. Inset panels and vignettes liven up the pages, too, along with occasional typographic accents. "We may never be ready, but Amelia certainly is," says her mother, summing up the loving parental acceptance that Stuve-Bodeen (the Elizabeti's Doll books) captures so nicely. While Amelia's airtight logic might not work in real life, young readers will enjoy participating in her success. Ages 3–6. (Jan.)

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya Donna Jo Napoli, illus. by Kadir Nelson. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4169-3505-6

While Nobel Medalist Wangari Maathai has been the subject of two earlier picture biographies (Jeanette Winter's Wangari's Trees of Peace and Claire Nivola's Planting the Trees of Kenya), this story is structured more like a folktale, portraying Maathai as healer and botanist. "These are strong hands," she tells a woman who does not have enough food to feed her family. "Here are seedlings of the mubiru muiru tree.... Plant as many as you can. Eat the berries." Nelson's (We Are the Ship) breathtaking portraits of Maathai often have a beatific quality; bright African textiles represent fields, mountains, and Maathai's beloved trees. Maathai knows that some trees make good firewood, others form hedges to keep livestock safe, while the roots of others clean dirty water. After every encounter, a Kikuyu expression is repeated: "Thayu nyumba—Peace, my people." Mama Miti, as Maathai comes to be known (it means "mother of trees"), is rewarded not with fame or power but with the satisfaction of seeing Kenya restored. Napoli (The Earth Shook) creates a vivid portrait of the community from which Maathai's tree-planting mission grows. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

While the World Is Sleeping Pamela Duncan Edwards, illus. by Daniel Kirk. Scholastic/Orchard, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-545-01756-5

"Come little sleepyhead, come with me,/ I've left my hole high in the tree./ Oh, what wondrous things we'll see,/ While the world is sleeping." Edwards (Dinosaur Starts School) issues readers this lyrical invitation as an enormous white owl swoops toward a lit bedroom window, where a child climbs onto its back for a moonlit tour of the countryside. With fluid rhyme and a calming cadence, the verse chronicles the nighttime habits of various animals. Deer frolic, rabbits play, beavers build a dam, and a raccoon eyes tempting garbage cans. (Though deer and rabbits are more active at twilight than at midnight, readers are no more likely to be bothered by this than by a giant owl offering nocturnal rides to children.) Kirk's (Library Mouse) luminescent, finely detailed gouache paintings give the animals hyperreal cuteness; their gleaming eyes have more than a hint of personification. The art also offers entertaining background diversions, as animals make surprise return appearances. This satisfying lullaby is a pleasure for ears and eyes. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

A Very Big Bunny Marisabina Russo. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-375-84463-8

Russo's tale about unlikely friends executes a familiar theme with abundant charm and humor. Lanky Amelia, who closely resembles the bunnies in Russo's The Bunnies Are Not in Their Beds, towers over her classmates, which presents problems on the playground. Fellow students won't swing the jump rope high enough for Amelia; her feet are too big for hopscotch; and "the seesaw was out of the question." When tiny Susannah joins the class, the others dismiss her as too small, and she turns to Amelia for company. But Amelia stubbornly resists the newcomer's overtures, until Susannah devises a plan to salvage dreaded school picture day. She and Amelia don funky homemade tiaras and jewelry, and they bond for good (even solving the seesaw conundrum). Featuring a saturated palate, Russo's matte gouache illustrations amplify the snappy storytelling (Susannah's innate spunkiness comes through as she hangs from a chain link fence, contrasting with Amelia's hunched surliness and pencil-thin frown). These and other wry flourishes—like the pairs of bunny ears protruding from behind a bush as the friends get fancy—should generate smiles. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

The Perfect Gift Mary Newell DePalma. Scholastic/Levine, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-545-15402-4

Lori the lorikeet (a small parrot) tries to fly across a river carrying a strawberry for her grandmother, but suddenly—"hip hop plop!"—it's gone. A chipmunk, goose, and frog all help get it back, but it's then lost to a crocodile in order to save the gang from certain doom. Now without a gift, the animals "put their beaks and jaws, feathers and paws together" and make a storybook for Grandma about their adventures. DePalma's (A Grand Old Tree) scratchy-textured acrylic illustrations depict the river in cross-section, as blue-green drops, splashes, and waves convey drama. The crisis with the crocodile has the grace of a ballet, but the story seems top-heavy with big themes: the loss of something precious, escape from an enemy, and the collaborative storybook effort. Lori grows as a character, though; the loss of her berry makes her sit down and cry like a toddler, but she saves her friends from the crocodile and coordinates the book project with a cool head. Lots of action and a satisfying ending will please young readers. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Back of the Bus Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Floyd Cooper. Philomel, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25091-0

This sterling collaboration views Rosa Parks's 1955 refusal to give up her bus seat through the eyes of a perceptive boy seated with his mother in the rear of the bus. Early on, the child rolls a treasured marble up the aisle and Parks good-naturedly shoots it back to him. He tucks the marble safely away when the bus fills with passengers and he senses trouble up front: "Some folks look back, givin' us angry eyes. 'We do somethin' wrong, Mama?' I say all soft." Reynolds's (Superhero School) lyrical yet forceful text conveys the narrator's apprehension and Parks's calm resolve, which inspires the boy. "[S]he's sittin' right there, her eyes all fierce like a lightnin' storm, like maybe she does belong up there. And I start thinkin' maybe she does too." Cooper's (Willie and the All-Stars) filmy oil paintings are characterized by a fine mistlike texture, which results in warm, lifelike portraits that convincingly evoke the era, the intense emotional pitch of this incident, and the everyday heroism it embodied. Ages 6–8. (Jan.)

Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation Pat Sherman, illus. by Floyd Cooper. Eerdmans, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8028-5319-6

Driven by Cooper's (The Blacker the Berry) textural, earth-toned oil paintings, this uplifting story spotlights the early life of Benjamin C. Holmes, born a slave in the 1840s. As a tailor's apprentice in Charleston, S.C., the boy discovers "all kinds of secret ways to learn how to read," deciphering words on street signs and in newspapers. In a memorable scene, Ben, on a rare visit home, reads the Bible to his illiterate mother, and she promises him a gold dollar when he learns to write. Sherman's (The Sun's Daughter) storytelling doesn't eschew the darker aspects of Ben's story: his father was sold off after teaching Ben the alphabet; he never sees his mother again after receiving the gold coin; and he's sent to a slave prison when the tailor flees as the Union Army approaches. Rumors that Lincoln has freed all slaves are confirmed when Ben reads a newspaper article announcing the Emancipation Proclamation to fellow slaves in the prison. Though Sherman's narrative ends there, a concluding note touches on Holmes's later life as a singer and teacher. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

Fiction

A Whole Nother Story Dr. Cuthbert Soup, illus. by Jeffrey Stewart Timmons. Bloomsbury, $16.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-59990-435-1

Offbeat humor and wordplay by narrator Dr. Cuthbert Soup propel this very kid-friendly novel about inventor Ethan Cheeseman and his "three smart, polite, and relatively odor-free children," who are in hiding. After one of Cheeseman's inventions attracts the wrong kind of attention, he and his children (who are ages eight, 12, and 14 and get to choose new aliases with each move) spend two years "on the run, scarcely keeping one step ahead of these corporate villains, foreign intelligence operatives, and members of government agencies so secretive that no one, not even those who work for them, knows their names." Throughout, Dr. Soup intersperses humorous advice for readers: his warning signs that one has selected a "bad doctor" include "he... has a tattoo on his left wrist that, when seen in a mirror, forms the name of an evil international weapons conglomerate." The storytelling, which merges deadpan narration with an absurdist sense of humor, is the real star of this fast-paced adventure. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder Jo Nesbø, trans. by Tara Chace, illus. by Mike Lowery. S&S/Aladdin, $14.99 (160p) ISBN 978-1-4169-7972-2

Provocative title aside, Norwegian author Nesbø's children's book debut is a sweet, silly, and often amusing tale. A very small boy named Nilly moves to Oslo, Norway, where he quickly meets the titular mad scientist, who has accidentally invented two fart powders. One provides classic flatulence (albeit without the odor), while the other leads to flatulence so strong that it can propel children hundreds of feet into the air. As Nilly and his new friend Lisa help market the invention, they find themselves at the mercy of twin bullies Truls and Trym and their corrupt father. The over-the-top story eventually ties in the toughest prison in Norway and a vicious sewer anaconda, but Nesbø writes with an appropriately silly tone to justify these twists. The goofiness does eventually wear thin, but Nilly's oversize tall tales, Lisa's common sense, and Proctor's insane inventions should charm younger readers, even those who might be disappointed that the book isn't quite as gross as the title implies. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (Dec.)

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux Geraldine McCaughrean. Harper, $16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-06-183665-7

Kindhearted Pepper Roux has been led to believe that "[c]hildhood was a mouse trap from which he could never expect to escape," his death by age 14 foretold in a dream. His maiden Aunt Mireille takes it upon herself to pave Pepper's path to heaven with daily prayer, constant confession, and rote memorization of last rites. So when Pepper awakens on his 14th birthday still alive, he launches himself on a sea voyage, intent on outrunning death. Mistaken for the ship's captain (his father), he is befriended by a compassionate, cross-dressing steward, Duchesse. Creating vivid characters is just one of McCaughrean's (The White Darkness) gifts—Aunt Mireille joins Dahl's Spiker and Sponge as one of the Most Evil Aunts in children's literature. Pepper flees across the French countryside from one disastrous job to another—delivery boy, horse wrangler, deli clerk, and even journalist, which allows McCaughrean to wink at readers as Pepper complains, "Copy editors cannot read anything without changing it." As his journey ends in a cleverly orchestrated climax, readers will root for Pepper to get the ending he deserves—a happy one. Ages 10–up. (Jan.)

Conspiracy 365: January Gabrielle Lord. EDC/Kane Miller, $10.99 (192p) ISBN 978-1-935279-49-5

Australian crime novelist Lord launches a gripping new series that should have clear appeal for thriller fans. Australian teenager Cal is approached by a strange man who warns him that he has 365 days to survive and suggests that the recent death of Cal's father wasn't a strange illness, but murder. Soon enough, strange events—a boating accident that appears to be sabotage, a break-in, and a mysterious call from a nurse who cared for Cal's dad—raise his suspicions even more. When he investigates a package his uncle Rafe has hidden away, he quickly gets drawn into a conspiracy involving his family, mysterious drawings, and violent kidnappers, and finds himself on the run from the police. Lord creates a tense environment, and although the action can occasionally get over-the-top, the villains are suitably vile and entertaining, and Cal makes for an affable hero. Readers should be warned that, true to the nature of the planned series (11 subsequent books will follow throughout 2010), the book ends very much on a cliffhanger. Ages 10–up. (Jan.)

Incarceron Catherine Fisher. Dial, $17.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-8037-3396-1

Fisher (the Oracle Prophesies series) scores a resounding success in this beautifully imagined science fantasy set in a far future where, many years earlier, civilization was artificially frozen at late-medieval levels in order to save the world from dangerous technologies. Simultaneously, all of the world's malcontents and madmen were sealed into an unimaginably vast, sentient prison named Incarceron, where a dedicated group of social engineers intended to create utopia. Claudia, the brilliant daughter of the cold-blooded warden of Incarceron, has been raised from birth to marry and eventually control Caspar, the simpleminded heir to the throne. Finn, a young man without a past, is a prisoner in Incarceron, which has become a hideous dystopia, an "abyss that swallows dreams." When Claudia and Finn each gain possession of a high-tech "key" to the prison, they exchange messages, and Finn asks Claudia to help him attempt an escape. While he negotiates the hideous maze of the prison, Claudia makes her way through the equally deadly labyrinth of political intrigue. Complex and inventive, with numerous and rewarding mysteries, this tale is certain to please. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)

Blood Ninja Nick Lake. Simon & Schuster, $16.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4169-8627-0

British author Lake's promising U.S. debut takes three of the most overused ideas in fantasy—the boy with a destiny, vampires, and ninjas—and combines them into a highly effective adventure. Marked by destiny, Taro has no idea that he is anything but a simple peasant until ninjas murder his father, driving Taro and his mother from their home. Protected and mentored by the ninja Shusaku and accompanied by his best friend, Hiro, Taro must come to terms with the heritage that makes him invaluable to two lords vying for control of feudal Japan, the revelation that the murderous samurai are not the noble heroes he admired, and his unexpected transformation into a kyuuketsuki (a vampire). While the ending sets up an inevitable sequel, the riveting, often gruesome, action and rich, comprehensible mythology should have readers racing through the chapters. Terry Pratchett wrote that clichés are "the spanners and the screwdrivers in the toolbox of language," and Lake uses the story's familiar elements skillfully, combining them into an imaginative and original whole. And, really, with vampire ninjas, how can you lose? Ages 12–up. (Dec.)

Far from Gringo Land Edward Myers. Clarion, $16 (240p) ISBN 978-0-547-05630-2

Soon-to-be high school senior Rick hails from a middle-class family in Colorado and is spending the summer with the Romeros, friends of his family who live in Santo Domingo, Mexico. In exchange for an immersive cultural experience, Rick will "work like mules" with the family to help build them a larger home. But nothing has prepared Rick for the hard labor or being the lone "gringo" on the project. Myers (Storyteller) writes realistically about the culture shock as Rick tries to please and help his hosts, without infringing on their pride (the Romeros cannot afford basic medical treatment, even in emergency situations, whereas Rick is easily able to shell out money, and does: "[W]ouldn't it be worse if I didn't pay? Wouldn't that offend people more?"). Complicating matters is Rick's relationship with Ellen, a wealthy American girl whose father is livid about her spending time in the Romeros' lower-class neighborhood with Rick. The third-person narrative fails to delve all that deeply into Rick's feelings; for example, Rick's desire to escape his own "family hassles" for the summer is never explained. However, this quick and thought-provoking read should spark discussion. Ages 12–up. (Dec.)

The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein Libby Schmais. Delacorte, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-385-73756-2

Fifteen-year-old Brooklynite Lotus Lowenstein is obsessed with all things French. She aligns herself with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir ("Like Simone, I will never marry and never have children. I will live a life of freedom, not one of oppression by some man"), swears by French Women Don't Get Fat, and calls herself an existentialist without really grasping what it means. She and her best friend form a French club, but trouble ensues when the only other club member—a cute classmate—drives a wedge between them by expressing romantic interest in both of them. After the girls discover the truth, they spend most of the club's trip to Montreal squabbling. Adult author Schmais's (The Essential Charlotte) YA debut is written in the form of Lotus's often whiny and superficial journal entries, placing this squarely in the realm of fluffy beach—or perhaps cafe—reading. With French words peppered throughout and frequent complaints about her parents' adversarial relationship and the general banality of life in bourgeois Park Slope, the novel feels more like a series of blog rants. Ages 12–up. (Dec.)

Girl on the Other Side Deborah Kerbel. Dundurn (Midpoint Trade, dist.), $12.99 paper (184p) ISBN 978-1-55488-443-8

Kerbel's moving if fairly predictable novel opens with one distraught girl hearing another girl crying in a neighboring bathroom stall at school. The narrative then jumps back to flesh out each girl's life. Popular Tabby is bitter about her wealthy parents' emotional remoteness and lack of attention; tormented outcast Lora tries to keep her grades up ("A scholarship is going to be my one-way ticket out of this abyss") while caring for her siblings and invalid mother. When Tabby learns that her father may be involved in shady activity at work, she rats her parents out in a moment of anger, resulting in her father's arrest. Tabby is surprised by the ramifications of her actions, including her own ostracism, which is odd considering she knows her popularity rested on her family's status. When the girls meet in the bathroom, Lora is shocked to find "head piranha" Tabby being kind to her, but it's not until a fire at Tabby's house that the girls truly connect, a conclusion that feels both foregone and anticlimactic. Still, Kerbel's depictions of each girl's very different brands of personal pain are stirring. Ages 12–up. (Dec.)

Wish Alexandra Bullen. Scholastic/Point, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-545-13905-2

Bullen delivers an enticing first novel about twin sisters—one alive and one dead. Grief-stricken high school junior Olivia moves with her parents to San Francisco to pick up the pieces after Violet's unexpected death. One night, while wearing a beautiful dress—a gift from a mysterious seamstress—Olivia wishes to have her sister back. She wakes up to find Violet's ghost waiting for her. Olivia is both shocked and overjoyed, and soon finds out that her seamstress is a cross between a fairy godmother and a genie—and that she has two more wishes (and new dresses) to come. The sisterly dynamic will draw readers in as Violet offers Olivia everything from fashion advice to counsel about boys, and Olivia gradually re-enters the world of the living, making new friends and finding romance. As Olivia's life becomes fuller it gets more complicated, too, but the story never surrenders to melodrama or gloom. Bullen's prose is solid, her head-to-toe descriptions of clothing are lavish, and she makes the sights of San Francisco come alive in this sweet story of siblings determined to remain inseparable. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)

Nonfiction

The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthy James Cross Giblin. Clarion, $22 (304p) ISBN 978-0-618-61058-7

Using extensive detail and context, this ambitious biography explores one of the country's most controversial senators. In 27 chapters, punctuated by b&w photos and political cartoons, Giblin (The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler) presents Sen. Joe McCarthy as a risk-taking, limelight-loving, revenge-seeking demagogue. The author takes readers from McCarthy's childhood in rural Wisconsin to his work as a judge, Marine, and, finally, U.S. senator. Little-known facts (McCarthy was a chicken farmer before starting high school at age 20, and he graduated in one year) pique interest early. However, the narrative bogs down somewhat. The introduction of numerous political figures and their backgrounds, international crises (alleged torture of German WWII prisoners by the U.S., battles in the Korean War, etc.), polling data, and excerpts from Senate hearings may have younger readers losing the man amid the contextual asides. (Older audiences, though, should appreciate the comprehensiveness.) While the extensive background slows the story, Giblin's unmistakable research and passion for the subject add up to a comprehensive portrayal of a complex figure. Abundant source notes and further reading suggestions conclude this expansive undertaking. Ages 12–up. (Dec.)

Children's Comics

Silverfin: A James Bond Adventure Charlie Higson and Kev Walker. Disney-Hyperion, $9 paper (160p) ISBN 978-1-4231-3023-9

Higson's first novel depicting the life of the young James Bond gets a graphic adaptation. The story opens with Bond's arrival as a teenager at Eton in the early 1930s, where, far from his suave later self, he is an outsider who soon makes enemies with a rich brute from America. The first half of the tale examines the forces that shape Bond, including the loss of his parents and his discovery of his beloved uncle's mysterious role in WWI. The second half plunges into an adventure tale as Bond attempts to determine what dire deeds are taking place behind the walls of a Scottish castle near his aunt and uncle's home, placing himself in grave danger in the process. The shift is slightly jarring, although the final few pages foreshadowing Bond's adult profession help tie the two parts together. Walker's brooding illustrations capture Britain's damp climate and the country's lugubrious culture between the wars; a reader might almost feel a chill as the young Bond hides in the Scottish moors. Ages 10–up. (Mar.)

Smile Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix, $21.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-545-13205-3;, $10.99 paper ISBN 978-0-545-13206-0

A charming addition to the body of young adult literature that focuses on the trials and tribulations of the slightly nerdy girl. Telgemeier's autobiographical tale follows her from sixth grade, when her two front teeth are knocked out during a fluke accident, through high school, when, her teeth repaired, she bids good-bye to her childhood dentist. Like heroines stretching from Madeleine L'Engle's Vicky Austin through Judy Blume's Margaret to Mariko and Jillian Tamaki's Skim, Raina must navigate the confusing world of adolescence while keeping her sense of self intact. Many of her experiences are familiar, from unrequited crushes to betrayals by friends to embarrassing fashion choices. The dramatic story of her teeth, however, adds a fresh twist, as does her family's experience during the San Francisco earthquake in 1989. Although the ending is slightly pedantic, Telgemeier thoughtfully depicts her simultaneous feelings of exasperation and love toward her parents, as well as her joy at developing her artistic talent—she's deft at illustrating her characters' emotions in a dynamic, playful style. This book should appeal to tweens looking for a story that reflects their fears and experiences and gives them hope that things get easier. Ages 9–13. (Feb.)

Copper Kazu Kibuishi. Scholastic/Graphix, $21.99 (96p) ISBN 978-0-545-09892-2

Kibuishi (the Amulet series) collects his long-running Web comic about Copper, a human boy, and his talking dog, Fred, who go on a series of short adventures, traveling through a world that is sometimes fantastical and occasionally dystopian. In one memorable strip, Copper and Fred bounce precariously across the tops of giant mushrooms; in another they enjoy a nice meal at an urban restaurant. The art is wonderful, a pastel palette capturing imaginative landscapes, and the wide variety of vehicles Copper and Fred travel in are delightfully designed. As whimsical as it all is, the dialogue sometimes gets in the way of Kibuishi's playful world. Fred is so pessimistic and filled with self-doubt that some readers may wish he couldn't talk at all. In one strip, Fred's unjustified worrying is so great that he is unable to enjoy a fishing trip because he dreads a perfect moment coming to an end. Copper acts as Fred's constant optimistic foil, telling him that it will all turn out all right, even as the wings drop off their homemade helicopter (it does turn out all right). Kibuishi's introduction explaining that he was depressed when he began the strip may go over younger readers' heads. Ages 8–up. (Jan.)

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai Stan Sakai. Dark Horse, $14.95 (64p) ISBN 978-1-59582-362-5

The heroic but sweet-tempered samurai rabbit celebrates the 25th anniversary of his first appearance in comics with this fully painted hardcover. Yokai are the evil supernatural creatures who can invade this world on dark nights; Usagi is walking through a forest on such a night when a distraught mother begs him to find her daughter, who's been stolen by a shape-changing kitsune. He meets a variety of hostile spirits and demons as he undertakes that mission. He also encounters his enigmatic acquaintance Sasuke the Demon Queller, from whom he learns that the yokai are gathering to swarm into the human world and conquer it. It's up to the two anthropomorphized little animals to stop them. Sakai's art deftly demonstrates that comics can be simultaneously cartoony and scary, especially in a double-page spread of the Demon Queen and her hoard; moreover, the comic's design, linework, and coloring are simply lovely. Unlike the bleak cynicism of many contemporary comics, this beautifully produced little book shows how much love Sakai still has for his rabbit ronin. A 2009 Eisner Award nominee for Best Continuing Series, Usagi Yojimbo is a genuine pleasure for readers of all ages. Ages 9–12. (Dec.)

The Return of King Doug Greg Erb, Jason Oremland and Wook-Jin Clark. Oni, $14.95 (183p) ISBN 978-1-934964-15-6

As a child, Doug Peterson climbed down a well near his family's vacation house and found a mythical land called Valdonia. The magical creatures of this world, who were engaged in a war with a dark queen, named Doug their king, and it was prophesied that he would lead them to victory. But Doug returned to his parents and the city, forgetting all about his mission. Years later, Doug, now a slacker 33-year-old with a son named Oscar, heads to the vacation house and end up taking on the adventure he left behind as a boy. The story is told with a light touch and plenty of gags, with modern conveniences like cellphones employed as weapons, and Doug's laid-back attitude getting them both into trouble. Clark's drawings are action-packed and full of movement, and he does a great job showing the pair's progression toward maturity through expressions and gesture. The lesson is, after all, about growing up, and both Doug and Oscar return to their world with a new attitude about commitment. That said, the moral of the story is never heavy-handed, and this fun read can be embraced by younger readers as well. Ages 13–up. (Nov.)

Series Stars

These series additions should please fans and draw new readers.

Wee Little Bunny Lauren Thompson, illus. by John Butler. Simon & Schuster, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4169-7937-1

A little bunny, whose enthusiasm readers will find both recognizable and infectious, can't sit still with a whole world waiting to be explored. He meets a chipmunk and a porcupine while playing, then returns to tell his mother all about his busy day. This sweet follow-up to Little Chick and Little Lamb is ideal for kids who like adventures, but like coming home even more. Ages 2–6. (Jan.)

Big Chickens Go to Town Leslie Helakoski, illus. by Henry Cole. Dutton, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-525-42162-7

Pecking at a bag of feed in the back of the farmer's truck, the four chickens take an unintended ride to town in this third outing. The chickens become increasingly discombobulated by the sights, sounds, and pace of city life ("Bustling waiters tripped. Sidewalk tables flipped. Chickens stewed. Napkins shooed"). Kids should delight in their wildly expressive antics and chicken's-eye view of the world. Ages 3–5. (Jan.)

Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny! Jan Thomas. S&S/Beach Lane, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4169-9150-2

In this follow-up to Rhyming Dust Bunnies, the effervescent dust bunnies interact with the aptly named title character, who's gray, sharp-toothed, and very grumpy. When they invite him to rhyme a word with "fit," he volunteers "sit" and flattens them. Next, the meanie takes a turn, demanding, "What rhymes with face?" (the apprehensive bunnies learn he has "chase" in mind). All is finally set right with a hug, and readers should find the dust bunnies as magnetic as ever. Ages 3–5. (Nov.)

The Octonauts and the Great Ghost Reef Meomi. Immedium (Consortium, dist.), $15.95 (36p) ISBN 978-1-59702-019-0

The Octonauts are a team of eight underwater explorers who resemble Hello Kitty and friends, but have the gumption of Jacques Cousteau. Capt. Barnacles Bear and his crew, which includes a bunny, octopus, and otter, find their vacation to the Great Reef City interrupted when they discover that the reef is silent and white, like a ghost town. Investigating reveals that the buildings were blocking the sun and preventing healthy algae growth. Kids should be drawn in by the zippy graphics and comprehend the message about conservation. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)

Ella Bella Ballerina and Cinderella James Mayhew. Barron's, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7641-6268-8

Mayhew's sweetly imaginative heroine returns, brought to life in lively paint and ink illustrations. When Ella Bella loses one of her ballet slippers, Madame Rosa lets her select a replacement pair. As Ella dances to her teacher's music box playing Cinderella, she enters the story itself, as Cinderella's fairy godmother and the "Fairies of the Four Seasons" enlist her help. Ella picks out a pair of silver shoes for Cinderella and tags along through the rest of the fairy tale. A whimsical romp for ballet lovers. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)

Sugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illus. by Jane and Brooke Dyer. Harper, $12.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-174072-5

With an endearing mix-and-match assemblage of humans and animals, this follow-up to Cookies and Christmas Cookies celebrates the vocabulary of love. In one spread, a mother goat in an apron looks lovingly at her offspring: "Adore means, I think you're simply delicious." Elsewhere, a girl with blonde pigtails in a kerchief offers a cookie to a kitten: "Selfless means, No, really, please, I want you to have the last cookie." As cozy and welcoming as a warm kitchen. Ages 5–10. (Nov.)

Louise the Big Cheese and the La-Di-Da Shoes Elise Primavera, illus. by Diane Goode. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4169-7181-8

In her second appearance, Louise longs for a pair of "La-di-da shoes," to make people think she "lived in a mansion, wore gold underwear, and had two ponies in her backyard." But she's thwarted at every turn: her older sister won't share her shoes, and Louise's mother buys her a pair of everyday treads. Following a tiff with her friend Fern, Louise learns the value of comfortable footwear. Blithe artwork makes the lighthearted moral easy to swallow. Ages 5–up. (Feb.)

Dodsworth in London Tim Egan. Houghton Mifflin, $15 (48p) ISBN 978-0-547-13816-9

Straight-man Dodsworth and his skylarking ducktravel to foggy London in Egan's third gentle comedy of errors. Short chapters and dryly funny narration move the story along, amusing mishap to mishap. First, the duck throws an errant dart at a pub ("It was time to leave"), followed by a case of mistaken identity at the bus station, though the two eventually reunite at Buckingham Palace. Accessible storytelling and likable characters warrant repeat readings. Ages 6–9. (Nov.)

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Book reviews - Egypt Today

Posted: 07 Dec 2009 04:58 AM PST


Tahawolat Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimin: Tafakok Al-Ideologia Wa Nehayet Al-Tanzeem (The Transformation of the Muslim Brotherhood: Disintegration of Ideology and the End of the Organization) by Hossam Tamam Madbouli, 2006


In this collection of essays, Hossam Tamam, a journalist who specializes in covering Egypt's Islamist groups, attempts to deconstruct the conventional image of the outlawed but tolerated Muslim Brotherhood. By dissecting the group's internal structure, he argues that the nation's oldest Islamist opposition group is on the verge of a significant overhaul that may ultimately end in its transformation into a modern political party.

The book includes several detailed interviews with the group's Supreme Guide, Mohamed Mahdi Akef, as well as Abdel Moneim Abouel Fottouh, who leads the group's reform camp, and Abu El-Ela Madi, who broke ranks with the group and is trying to form Al-Wasat Party, the Islamist-leaning would-be party trying now to attract Coptic and secular members.

The book was released before the conclusion of the parliamentary elections that witnessed the group's rise as the biggest opposition bloc in the People's Assembly.

Bani Bagam (Speechless People) by Belal Fadl Dar Merit, 2006

Belal Fadl, who established himself as one of the nation's top comic screenwriters, has taken the nation by surprise with his weekly full-page column titled "Qalamein" (The Arabic word for 'two slaps') published in the independent El-Destour newspaper. For more than a year his satirical column has broken all political taboos, and Bani Bagam is a collection of sketches and short stories which highlight the concerns of the average Egyptian in a satirical tone.

His book carries political undertones and draws on the same spirit as the cartoons. Keep an eye out for the striking sketch that envisages former President Anwar Sadat surviving the assassination attempt and delivering a speech celebrating the occasion at the People's Assembly.

Khorafat al-Taqaddum wal Ta'akhor (The Myth of Development and Underdevelopment: Arabs and Arab Civilization at the Turn of the 21st Century) by Galal Amin Dar el-Shorouk, 2005

AUC economics professor Galal Amin raises a very interesting question in this new and highly controversial book: Who has the right to decide whether a country is advanced or backward? According to Amin, nobody. "True, some nations may have success in certain fields while other nations fail to do the same," he writes, "but the term commonly used to describe some nations as advanced and others as backward does not apply to one specific field or fields, but is used generally and without discrimination, as if progress is all-encompassing and backwardness applies to everything."

The myths the writer tries to dispel is the idea that progress moves linearly — and that human history is connected like a flight of stairs, in which each step is better than the preceding one. This ultimately leads to the belief that the modern is better than the traditional, and consequently that some nations are better than others, which in turn leads to an inferiority complex whereby 'less advanced' nations look up to and want to emulate 'more advanced' nations.

The notion of progress is a relatively new one, Amin postulates. "I have no doubt that my grandfather did not suffer from this complex at all, and neither did my mother. But this disease did affect my father in some degree, and he passed it on to me and the rest of my brothers. Maybe it passed from me to my children as well."

The book casts doubt on the viability of using economic and technological growth indexes as suitable criteria for dividing the world into advanced and backward, and looks at concepts including freedom, democracy and human rights; concepts that we import and adopt as our own, thus falling deeper and deeper into our inferiority complex. Amin also takes a look at the issue of terrorism, suggesting that it is nothing but a ruse to enable the 'advanced' nations to gain control over the resources of the 'backward' nations.

What we need, the writer believes, is to differentiate between the terms modernization and reform. Yes we need reform, but that does not necessarily mean that we must adopt the Western ideal of modernization. "The best solution, or the reform we seek, [involves] trying to adopt the good new [concepts] while keeping the good old [values] as well, those which have not lost their meaning and their viability with time," he writes.

According to Amin, many obstacles stand in the way of adopting this kind of reform; the modernization that comes to us hiding in the guise of reform comes under the threat of military power. This modernization is supported by those who hold the power inside the Arab countries, and who stand to gain by adopting the model dictated by the powers that be.

Nubian Ceremonial Life: Studies in Islamic Syncretism and Cultural Change Edited by John G. Kennedy AUC Press, Cairo, New York, updated 2005 edition

When the High Dam was built in the 1960s, it changed the geography of some of the richest areas of Egyptian land. With this change came the disintegration of old Nubia. John G. Kennedy (professor emeritus of anthropology and psychiatry at the University of California), together with a group of contributors including Hussein M. Fahim, Armgard Grauer, Fadwa El-Guindi, Samiha El-Katsha, and Nawal El-Messiri, document and explain aspects of Nubian culture before its disintegration.

The study, which took place 40 years ago, tries to trace the changes that took place in a Nubian village that was relocated in 1933, which Kennedy anonymously calls Kanuba, 30 years before the building of the High Dam, in order to predict the changes expected to take place in the rest of Old Nubia post-Dam.

In the foreword to the 2005 edition, Robert E. Fernea writes: "The subtitle of this book has new significance today, as the fundamentalist movements (which Kennedy mentions) in past decades have now taken a more dominant role in modern Egyptian thought. Tolerance for any beliefs or behaviors not deemed to be part of a strict understanding of the Islamic faith has certainly declined since this book was written."

Kennedy shows how many of the old Nubian ceremonies held elements of ancient culture in them, and discusses what he calls "the syncretistic combinations of non-Islamic and Islamic elements found among Nubians."

The interesting chapters of the book include a study of zar as psychotherapy, circumcision and excision ceremonies, and dhikr. Today, as Nubian culture is slowly threatened by dissolution, this new edition of the 1978 book serves as a reminder to those interested in ethnic cultures of the beauty and the uniqueness of Old Nubia.

Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Qur'an Translated into Arabic from French by Mohamed Salmawy Dar El-Shorouk, 2005

Both the original versions of the book and the film have gained critical acclaim (300,000 copies sold and translated into 20 languages, in the book's case) and acclaimed translator and author Mohamed Salmawy's faithful translation retains the same nostalgic but surprisingly detached tone that author Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt so ingeniously managed to pull off.

Written in the first person, Monsieur Ibrahim records the teenage troubles of Moses, who makes ends meet by stealing from Ibrahim the storekeeper, while at the same time trying to come to terms with his raging hormones. When the boy is suddenly abandoned by his lawyer father, Ibrahim becomes a surrogate parent of sorts, plying Moses with gentle snippets of advice concerning the inextricable threads of life: love, happiness, money, women and God.

As Salmawy writes in the afterword, the novella is a marriage of extremes, attempting to bring together East and West in an eternal embrace. Its strength, however, lies not on the important information dropped in the cultural exchanges between the two protagonists, but in the simple relationship that they share as old man and young boy. The contrast between a life just begun and one waiting to end is sobering, as each slowly realizes how to attain true happiness.

Just like the story, the language Salmawy uses is simple and uncomplicated, and any reader will make fast work of the slim 70-page publication.

One gripe: Salmawy not only summarizes the events of the book in the foreword, he gives away the highlights and the events, including the ending — rather irritating for any reader, even those who have already seen the film or read the book.

Coral Reef Guide Red Sea: The definitive diver's Guide to over 1,200 species of underwater life By Ewald Lieske and Robert F. Myers HarperCollins/Osiris, 2004

When I took my first plunge in the Red Sea back in 1988, there was very little in the way of guides to tell you what you were actually seeing. The only book that was locally available was the Red Sea Fish Guide by Roupen Deuvletian, which boasted 205 full-color photos, but the photos were poor in quality and in reproduction. A weightier alternative was John Randall's Red Sea Reef Fishes, but in this book, and in the subsequent edition printed on waterproof paper, the fish were photographed as specimens, dead, out of water on plain backgrounds. While they sufficed as scientific plates, the patterns and colors of the illustrations often bore little resemblance to the living creatures seen underwater.

How things have changed.

In Lieske and Myers' Coral Reef Guide Red Sea, we have an exquisitely produced guide not only to the fish of the Red Sea, but to the mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and even the plants. I have long used Collins Pocket Guide: Coral Reef Fishes by the same authors on diving and snorkeling trips. Covering over 2,000 species from the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean, all illustrated in color, it has been an invaluable, if slightly unsatisfactory, companion, for, in including such a huge number of species from such a vast area, the authors have inevitably covered them all too briefly. On several occasions I have made an identification only to find out on further research that my 'new' fish has never been recorded from the Red Sea.

The author's current work solves this by covering only the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and South Oman.

As the authors themselves acknowledge, it is the photographs that "make this book beautiful and useful." This is an understatement. They are, without exception, stunning. Every fish, coral, sponge, sea pen or urchin et al is illustrated in full color, alive and in its natural habitat. The level of technical proficiency is excellent and demonstrates how far underwater photography has come in recent years.

The coverage of flatworms and nudibranches deserves special mention. Both groups are noted for the stunning coloration of many of their members, and the photographs of a wide range of flatworm species, many from Jeddah, are simply stunning. In perhaps the ultimate test of a field guide, I managed to put a name to a flatworm species I had sketched after a dive on Yolanda Reef back in 1998. Gone is the question mark that accompanied the sketch and in comes the legendary Gold-spotted Flatworm Thysanozoon. It is refreshing to note that virtually all the plates in the book are of Red Sea species photographed in the Red Sea — the main exception being, oddly, the sea mammals.

For most users, it is the fish section that is going to be of most interest and use. In any guide of this type, the choice of which species to include and which to leave out is going to be open to debate. To my mind, the selection is very fair. Each photograph is accompanied by a brief description including details on habits and habitat and, importantly, range. Many of these groups are complicated in that males and females can be strikingly different, as can juveniles. Some, such as the Clownfish and the Parrotfish, change sex as they grow, further confusing the picture. In these cases, thumbnail paintings often accompany the photograph to illustrate the alternatives. Similar and additional fish species are also illustrated, the co-author Ewald Lieske doubling up as artist (he took on the mammoth task of painting the 2,000 plus plates in the Collins Pocket Guide).

Fish aside, this book is a celebration of the little guys, the supporting cast of molluscs, sea cucumbers, shrimp, crabs and sea squirts that divers looking for the bigger stuff too often pass. The incredible photographs of the reef's invertebrates will, I hope, inspire divers and snorkelers alike to look harder and closer at what is in, on and around the reef.

On a practical note, Coral Reef Guide: Red Sea is a sturdy hardback that should survive the less than library conditions on dive boat, or the beach.

Intafadhat 1935: Bayn Wathbat Al-Qahira wa Ghadbat Al-Aqaleem (The Uprising of 1935: Between the Leap of Cairo and the Wrath of the Rural Provinces) By Dr. Hamada Ismail Dar El-Shorouk, 2005

This is the fifth book in the comprehensive historical series entitled Al-Ganeb Al-Akhar: Ia'adat Qira'ah Lil Tareekh Al-Masry (The Other Side: Egyptian History Reinterpreted).

It sheds light on the landmark — yet seldom remembered — nationalist movement of 1935. It was certainly landmark, having resulted in the resurrection of the 1923 Constitution, the disbanding of the Cabinet headed by Mohammed Tawfiq Nessim and, most importantly, the signing of the 20-year alliance treaty with Britain in 1936 that marked the end of the 50-year occupation and declared Egypt once again a sovereign state.

Seldom remembered, perhaps, because it was ultimately overshadowed by being sandwiched between the 1919 and 1952 revolutions?

Often referred to as the Intifadha (uprising or upheaval), the book focuses on the violent nature of the movement that sparked incidents from as far north as the cities of Alexandria and Port Said to as far south as Aswan. This provides the reader with an alternative perspective contrary to the customary staleness of 'Cairo-oriented' takes on the modern political history of Egypt. History buffs and newbies alike are bound to settle into it nicely as soon as they realize that it can be regarded as a 'behind-the-scenes' take on the events that ultimately led to negotiations with Britain.

The book is simply split into three chapters, each relaying the events in chronological order, telling the intriguing story in the three different geographical sectors of Egypt: Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt. Readers are transported through time as most of the sources used are local newspapers published in the 1930s. Visual material of any form — mere newspaper clippings, for example — would have seen it sail to the next level.

It remains to be mentioned that credibility is enforced by the fact that the editor-in-chief of this exciting series is renowned historian Dr. Yunan Labib Rizk, head of Al-Ahram History Center.

Ru'yat Al-Rahalla Al-Orobeyyoun Le-Misr: Bayn Al-Naz'aa Al-Insaniyya wa Al-Isti'mariyya (The European Voyagers' View of Egypt: Between Humanism and Colonialism) By Dr. Ilham Zohny Dar El-Shorouk, 2005

European voyagers from France, Britain, Prussia, Switzerland, Italy and Russia have been visiting —and showing an immense interest in — Egypt since the beginning of the sixteenth century. Mixed feelings of genuine sympathy for the (relatively) downtrodden versus sheer colonial opportunism are put on display through the pages of this book.

The first — and by far the most interesting) chapter, entitled, "The Voyage to Egypt," discusses the motives behind the European travelers' coming to Egypt to start with. The chapter in turn classifies these motives rather simply into three phases: curiosity and religious passion during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, academic studies during the eighteenth, and infatuation during the nineteenth century.

The next chapter sees the European voyagers placed under the microscope. From religious figures, politicians and military leaders to academics, journalists and artists, the book nicely sums up the biggest names in each category giving a brief summary of each.

The third and fourth chapters take you on a guided tour of an Egypt of the past with a special focus on the structure of the government and social aspects of the day, serving as a concise reference.

Al-Rahalla has the added bonus of being well-organized, making it almost usable as a reference book that, luckily, lacks the dryness of the scientific approach to an academic paper. It is the sixth in the comprehensive historical series entitled Al-Ganeb Al-Akhar: Ia'adat Qira'ah Lil Tareekh Al-Masry (The Other Side: Egyptian History Reinterpreted) et

Book Reviews are written by Noha El-Hennawy, Manal el-Jesri, Noha Mohammed, Richard Hoath and Karim Ezzeldin.

New audio book reviews - Sacramento Bee

Posted: 02 Dec 2009 05:26 AM PST

"Road Dogs" by Elmore Leonard, read by Peter Francis James; Harper Audio. Unabridged, 6 CDs, 6 3/4 hours, $34.99. In print: Morrow. $26.99. 272 pp.

Elmore Leonard has often been quoted that he tries to remove from his novels "the parts that readers tend to skip."

That rule - from Leonard's "Rules of Writing" - is in full force in "Road Dog," a lean, mean, action-packed novel that features three characters from previous novels. On the surface, "Road Dogs" seems like a simple novel, an uncomplicated look at three disparate people. But, like most of Elmore's novels, so much sturm und drang simmers under the surface as the author's trademark exquisite dialogue lays bare everyone's inner thoughts.

Cundo Rey (LaBrava) helps get his new friend Jack Foley's 30-year sentence knocked down to about 30 months. This is no small feat because Foley's status as a celebrity bank robber demands a long prison sentence. Foley was last seen in "Out of Sight" and readers can't help but picture George Clooney, who played Foley in the movie. Well, that's all right. Cundo takes Foley home to Venice, Calif., and installs the bank robber in one of his mansions where his wife, fortune-teller Dawn Navarro ("Riding the Rap"), supposedly has been "being pure," his phrase for her faithfulness, in anticipation of his return.

Cundo's brutal nature is matched by his naivete. Dawn immediately seduces Foley and tries to get him to help her steal Cundo's fortune. But there is a code among criminals; Foley will steal from a bank - heck, he's addicted to it - but a betraying a friend is another matter.

Elmore keeps the energetic plot moving at a brisk pace, aided by Peter Francis James' exact performance of each character. Elmore's dialogue is always a joy and James makes the most of it.

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New and Notable book reviews - AZCentral.com

Posted: 06 Dec 2009 03:33 AM PST

Get out your gift lists and jot these titles down. They are good books released for the holiday season, and at reasonable prices.

'Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera'

Ron Schick

(LB, $40)

Behind the famous paintings, there were photographs. "I still feel guilty about it," Rockwell said more than 30 years into his career. This book gathers Rockwell's "study photographs" and the stories behind them. He seldom manned the camera, but he dressed and posed models, coaxed their facial expressions, pulled back coats to suggest wind, propped toes on books to imply the act of walking. There's even a wonderful photo of him adjusting the angle of a beagle's paw (the dog looks gamely over at us and all but rolls its eyes). Most paintings are eerily true to the photos, as in 1956's "The Discovery," his last Christmas cover for the Saturday Evening Post. In others, Rockwell changed or omitted details. He stole his mailman's car to photograph it for the painting that appears on this book's cover. And when he hired a professional model to pose nude for a work called "Mermaid," his photographer was so unnerved that he never emerged from his black focusing cloth.

'Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History 1955-Present'

Gail Buckland

(Knopf, $40)

That's Tina Turner on the cover. I thought it might be Little Richard (as would you, if you know his album covers) but was relieved to be wrong. The choice of this image, cropped as it is, for the cover is a flaw in an otherwise interesting and nostalgic book. It includes Ed Caraeff's pictures of Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar afire at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (Caraeff was 17 when he shot them - he was so close that he could feel the heat); Norman Seeff's 1974 photo of Sly Stone and Kathy Silva tongue-to-tongue (ditto Alfred Wertheimer's famous image of Elvis Presley t-to-t backstage with a pretty fan); Lynn Goldsmith's photo of a heartbreakingly young Bruce Springsteen; and Richard Avedon's 1967 portraits of the Beatles. There also are unsettling images, including Albert Watson's double exposure of a leopard's face with Mick Jagger's mouth and eyes, and Ian Tilton's photo of a weeping Kurt Cobain. The book is drawn from an exhibit now at New York's Brooklyn Museum.

'Galapagos: Preserving Darwin's Legacy'

Edited by Tui De Roy

(Firefly, $49.95)

When she was almost 2, De Roy's adventurous parents moved with her from Belgium to the Galapagos Islands, where they lived in a homemade tent atop a log platform (the latter built so they could avoid the attentions of feral cattle and pigs). This book is not about De Roy and her family, but about the place with which she became intimately familiar, a place that 170 years ago was Charles Darwin's "natural laboratory of evolution." The essays she commissioned for this book were written by scientists and conservationists who love and understand Galapagos almost as much as she does. Some of them live there now. After you read what they have to say and look at the accompanying photographs, you'll understand why they're smiling. This book is attentive not only to the grand views but also to the life of the islands, the iguanas, birds, sea lions, penguins, sharks and plants that survive there. The foreword is by biologist Sarah Darwin, Charles Darwin's great-great granddaughter.

'Lincoln, Life-Size'

Peter B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt, Peter W. Kunhardt Jr.

(Knopf, $50)

In this book, you will witness the moment when Lincoln mania jumps the shark. It occurs on Page 77, which contains a full-page view of . . . something. Is it an amoeba? A distant galaxy? No, it's Abraham Lincoln's face, blown up from the 1861 inauguration-day photo that sits across the spine on page 76 (good luck finding Lincoln in that one, too). There are lots of fuzzy pictures in this book because its creators - Peter B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt and Peter W. Kunhardt Jr. - have paired familiar photographs of Lincoln with full-page close-ups in which Lincoln's face has been isolated and enlarged, allegedly to "life size." At least 10 of these close-ups are indecipherable, including those taken at Antietam and Gettysburg. The ones that are clear (the cover photo is a good example) become repetitive. The project would have been more effective if the authors had been selective and published a slimmer book. Instead, they've shown that a little life-sized Lincoln goes a long way.

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