Book Vault

With his pin-point, creative descriptions and ever-changing timbre 0f stark futuristic scenes, William J Cobb has created a novel that comes alive and takes up residence in your mind. There it lurks, springing to consciousness, allowing you to marvel again at the writing and story-telling artistry this author shares with us. The Bird Saviors is both an alarming peek into our possible future…..pink snow, demise of bird populations along with pandemic bird flu, combined dust and snow storms, drought, homelessness, marauding gangs, loss of energy sources….as well as a study of the strength of human character, fortitude, and our ability to survive through hope and love. Central to Cobb’s story is Ruby, a 17-year-old, young mother of Lily and daughter of over-bearing, Bible-thumping (self-named) Lord Jesus. As the story begins, Ruby is forced to leave her baby Lily in the care of Lord Jesus when she realizes she has contacted the bird flu. Ruby is one of the few to survive. She returns home and turns her long-time fascination with birds (and their declining numbers) into a part-time “job,” working for ornithologist, Ward. The book is peopled with many bizarre, frequently unsavory characters along with a handful of good guys. Cobb takes us on their crime sprees but sprinkles these horrific outings with just a bit of humor, making those interludes actually enjoyable. How we love to see a bad guy mess up and get what he deserves! The Bird Saviors, Ruth and Ward, hold forth hope throughout the entire book. Reading this book is at times emotionally demanding, but in the most rewarding of ways. It will remain in your mind long after you’ve closed the book. Hope does spring eternal! I highly recommend this hauntingly wonderful book.

It was a fortunate day for readers when Jean Zimmerman decided to “have some fun” (her words) with her writing by using her well-researched information to write a historical fiction novel instead of her usual biographical books. The result, The Orphan Master” is an engrossing novel that sits us down in the middle of what is now Manhattan. New Amsterdam in 1663 was lively, unruly and peopled with unsavory characters. Among the very colorful individuals dancing through Zimmerman’s pages are a man who may turn people into demons, an aristocrat with “peculiar” tastes, a spy, a murderer…..and one of these is the Orphan Master! Leading protagonists Blandine van Couvering (an orphan herself) and her handsome heartthrob, Edward Drummond, have their hands busy in this rowdy environment filled with disappearing orphans, constant threats, double crosses, and murders. While they try to locate the missing orphans they find their own lives in harm’s way. As I flipped the pages of The Orphan Master, reading faster and faster to find out who did what to whom and who the good/bad guys were, I thought to myself, “Now this is the way to learn history!” Thank you, Jean Zimmerman, for your excellent storytelling and your wonderfully painless history lesson! Personally, I think you’ve found your true calling in historical fiction writing. I can’t wait to tell readers about this thrilling book!

Are you ready for this book? As soon as middle-aged David meets seventh grader Tommie (soon he would call her Emily) a bell goes off in your head. But David is nice. He takes Emily to McDonalds and buys her food. And Emily surely needs food! David continues to be nice. As the weather grows colder, he supplies Emily with a winter coat. When Emily’s friends diss her, David is the one who comforts her. Yes, David is nice, and everything he tells Emily is the truth. He tells Emily of his “place out West,” describing a cabin in the foothill mountains of Wyoming. Because Emily is in the process of falling in love, she believes this place sounds like paradise….and she wants to go! And so Emily and David take off for Wyoming. The bells that went off in your head when the two characters met are now blaring sirens and the rumble of danger is rattling us to the core. Here the author, Bonnie Nadzam, abandons us, allowing our own imaginations to take over. We know that Emily and David love each other, but how much? We know they sleep together, live together. Is theirs a relationship of innocence and pure love, or one of an abusive sick man taking advantage of a lonely malleable girl? Does age make a difference in love? How old/young can one be to know love? Are you ready for this book? Publish Date: September, 2011

I have read some, but not all of Anna Quindlen’s books. This must surely be the best! That said, it’s difficult to write a review about Every Last One without giving up the surprise essence and drive of the book. Do NOT try to find out what happens in this book beforehand. Just read it! The story is about Mary Beth Latham, a person you could meet on the street in any town in America. She’s married, has teenage children, a job, and not enough time to get everything done to her satisfaction. Although there are some hints of what is coming, the violent climax of her previously ordinary life hits you like a fist to the stomach. We remain with Mary Beth as she struggles through the grief, the feelings of anger and hatred, her attempt to withdraw from the world. We exalt as she emerges from the dark and begins to grow, albeit in an entirely different world. Warning: this is a page turner that you’ll find difficult to put down, so you might want to devote a weekend to it! Highly recommended!

Somehow in learning American history, I missed the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. This is a fascinating period of history! The story is about two women friends, a white and a black, during the time of the Oklahoma oil rush. It is riveting and captivating. The character development is excellent. The finale is breath-taking and horrifying. You’ll not want to put the book down and it lingers with you long after you’re done. Highly recommended.

First my disclaimers: 1. I don’t read memoirs, and 2. I didn’t know who Rodney Crowell was. I read this advance galley solely on the recommendation of my rep. Once again, she proved that she knows a great book when she reads one! (For the clueless: Rodney Crowell began writing songs in the 1970. They were performed by such artists as Emmy Lou Harris and Bob Seger. His songs were mainly in the country music genre, but in the 80 and 90s he became more of a “mainstream” writer. In 1990 he received a Grammy award for the Best Country song, “After All This Time,” a song both written and performed by Crowell. He was married to Roseann Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash, for many years and produced several of her hit albums.) Chinaberry Sidewalks is the story of a young man growing up in a barren suburb of Houston, Texas during the 1950s and 1960s. Rodney’s parents were a beer-guzzling , Pentacostal woman subject to multiple sclerosis seizures, and a beer-guzzling, explosive, narcissistic father, both of whom seemed to enjoy punishing Rodney with frequent whippings. Rodney’s childhood was violent, noisy, and completely unpredictable. This book follows him from his preschool years to early adulthood when his musical talent finally brought him the attention and recognition he deserved. I found it both rewarding and heartwarming to share in this story. It’s beautifully written (what should we expect from a songwriter??), concise and compelling. I found it almost addictive and carried it with me everywhere I went while reading it. So my final word is this: you don’t have to know who Rodney Crowell is (although you will after this book) and you don’t have to be a fan of country music to recognize the beautiful prose of a talented songwriter, to understand how Rodney adored his parents even as they whipped him with Chinaberry switches, to enjoy an adventuresome childhood in a small wind-swept Texas town’ and to identify with the tribulations of growing up in the middle of it all. This is a wonderful book, a read that I would recommend without hesitation. Nancy Simpson-Brice

Remember the name John Reimringer because I believe this debut novelist is going to be giving us books to dive into for a long time. Milkweed Press, located in the Twin Cities, has a real knack for spotting talented and gifted authors. John will be appearing at Book Vault on Sept. 21, shortly after this book is published, so mark your calendars! This book is about a Roman Catholic priest. Unlike the many abuse stories that are out there now, this story tells of the grief, anguish, and guilt James Dressler experiences as a young lad serving as an altar boy, as a student deciding to enter the Priesthood, and finally as an adult having reached his goal of becoming a Priest in the Catholic church. Readers will find it fascinating to see “inside” the church, to learn that priests play cards and drink beer, cuss a bit, and can be a bit messy. Father Dressler, however, opens up another area that priests are NOT allowed to enter: women. Jim finds himself strongly attracted to a woman and kisses her. Imagine the grief, anguish, and guilt that will follow. John Reimringer’s writing is exquisite. Each and every word is precisely what it should be. His descriptions of the St. Paul area are accurate and wonderful to read, especially if you have any knowledge of the city. Vestments received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly….a real coup for debut authors. The book is also showing up on some other “must read” lists. So do yourself a favor, read the book, hop on the band wagon early, and mark Sept. 21 at Book Vault on your calendars!

Kudos to Michelle Hoover for creating two of the strongest female characters in recent fiction! Set in the Midwest, this story of two equally powerful but entirely dissimilar farm women, Enidina and Mary, starts slowly and quietly, building to a crescendo as loud and furious as the pinnacle of this book. It is a spell-binding story. The fact that Hoover used her great-grandmother’s journals as a foundation for this strong debut is frosting on this literary cake. Michelle grew up in Iowa and now teaches in the Boston area. She will be visiting Book Vault late this July. Don’t miss this short but engrossing read!

With sparse yet melodic prose, Clinch creates a story whose characters will not be soon forgotten. Three elderly brothers (Vernon, Audie, and Creed), live in what can only be described as a hovel on a upper state New York farm. They know little other than poverty and hard work. And as we currently say, “They weren’t the sharpest tacks in the box!” Their simplistic world suddenly becomes quite complicated with the death of one of the brothers, Vernon. Is the death a murder? Clinch makes use of a dozen voices to tell this always-intense and personal story. Little by little, the mysteries of the death and other family dealings are leaked out. What was once simple becomes complicated. With vivid descriptions not meant for the faint-of-heart Clinch makes the reader smell the brother’s horrific odors and walk into primitive living conditions. He forces us to almost squeal and squirm like the pig as it is hoisted up by a block and tackle towards certain death. He traps us in this mysterious tale that will linger in your mind long after the cover of the book is closed. Kings of the Earth was on Oprah’s “must read” list for this summer. Yes, it’s a tad bit dark, and yes, a it’s a little depressing, but it is excellent! Highly recommended for those who would like a change-of-pace for their reading list.

Things are changing in Percy Darling’s world. Years ago the death of his beloved wife, Poppy, left him alone but not necessarily lonely. Now Percy’s somewhat aimless daughter, Clover, has talked him into allowing the old barn on his acreage to be converted into a preschool. The building and opening of the preschool precipitates dramatic changes. Percy’s world is no longer one of solitude and quiet. His children are full of advice about how he should live his life. They become even bigger meddlers when he shows a romantic interest in the much younger mother of one of the preschool’s students. Running counter to this unfolding domestic story is the alarming development of the group, DOGS. DOGS begins as a small group of people trying to get the affluent residents of their village to be less wasteful, to live in a more “green” earth-friendly manner. DOGS pranks soon develop into stunts that border on terrorism. Percy’s gullible son, Robert, is drawn into the group and participates in the most dangerous project of all. The consequences of this dramatic “trick” will change the landscape and lives of Percy, his family, and his neighbors forever. Julia Glass, author of Three Junes, a National Book Award winner, uses her keen eye for observation of human nuances and her talented ear for dialogue in bringing us this top-notch story of family, change, and the bittersweet journey of growing old in today’s society.

Mercy Gunderson is a gutsy woman…..an undercover Black Ops army sniper just home from Afghanistan. It’s hard to put skills like that to good use in the state of South Dakota. Lack of choices, firm goals, and an aversion to going back to help her brother on the ranch all lead her to a job tending bar. Here, of course, she meets all sorts of interesting characters and, as readers, we know something is going to happen. It doesn’t take long before she finds the brutally murdered body of a former military cohort (who had saved her life) in the bar’s parking lot. Watching the current sheriff (who is also her mattress mate) handle the case in a seemingly unmotivated manner, she becomes frustrated. When asked to run for sheriff against him, she impulsively agrees. It is during that campaign for sheriff that things really get lively. Mercy seems to have a knack for finding dead bodies, and there are several to find. She discovers that handling a political race, trying to solve crimes, attempting to reconcile with her family, and dealing with old “friends” is almost more than she can handle. Mercy Kill is a Midwest Connections pick and it certainly earns that honor. It is the second in a Mercy Gunderson series, but it reads very well on its own (I have not read the first book of the series, No Mercy). This mystery/thriller is a fast read, convoluted enough to keep the reader totally immersed and flipping the pages to see what Mercy does next…..and there will be a sequel. Mercy is not going to leave us soon. Read this book….you’ll like it!

This is a wonderful book! Strong, beautiful, flowing language; compelling plot line; characters that you can call your friends; a “blast-you-out-of-the-water” ending: all combine to make this book undoubtedly one that I will call a personal favorite of 2011. You feel an urgency while you’re reading this book: just one more page (just nuke something for supper), just one more page (tell Maude I can’t talk right now), just one more page (ask your dad to take you to football practice), just one more page…. As a young girl, Judith Whitman believed in the kind of love that “picks you up in Akron and sets you down in Rio.” When she gives up her first love, Willy, she assumes that love like that is not to be had. Instead she marries the “right kind of man,” the kind of man who will provide a good, stable life for her, the kind of man whose love “picks her up on Main Street and sets her down at the edge of town.” Now twenty years later, Judith is restless. Her marriage is stagnant. Her husband is wandering. She finds herself building a personal retreat in a storage unit! And she goes there more and more often, looking at the piece of paper that has a phone number scribbled on it, a number that could take her back, back, back. Dare she? Should she? You’ll laugh out loud, you’ll reach for the Kleenex, you’ll identify and relate, but above all, you will NOT want to put this book down!