Catching UP!

No Books went to press, or back to press this week

Work began or Continued on the following:

LAKE EERIE: Haunted Homicide, by Thornton Parsons

   The police photographer snapped pictures of the body in the rowboat. Special Agent McCreary ruminated on the initial K that Renda had written in her own blood—she had recognized her killer! Trapped in a dark future between here and the hereafter, Renda Rousseau finds that even in death, she cannot escape the weasel with the Coke-bottle glasses who murdered her family. Despite her ethereal rage, she is unable to contact her twin sister, Brenda, who knows that Renda is still at the lake house. But, why? Renda will capture your heart as you join her on her heart-stopping quest to leave her ghostly realm and join David and her children in Heaven. But how? Is she doomed to haunt the lake house for eternity? Relive this riveting tale of love, betrayal, and death with Renda as she makes her way back Home. Or does she?

DELICATE DAMES, by Barbara Grengs, author of the popular teen Toby Martin series.

Four filthy rich, entitled, spunky old broads livie in an upscale senior high rise in Mendota Heights, Minnesota where they fight their boredom by playing games, but their usual games of  canasta and poker have lost their allure. So what do the girls do to add excitement, adventure, fun and satisfaction? They invent “Pop Goes the Weasel,” a game where they plan to “pop” deserving old coots. What’s not to like about conspiring to commit murder? 

IS JESUS SERIOUS? A Garro Guide for Christians

    If, like me, you struggle with some of the behaviors Jesus asks of His followers and with St. Paul's telling us we are called to be saints, I write this 4th Volume in The Jesus Series, "Is Jesus Serious?" to speak to Christians' personal struggles to meet Jesus's and Paul's expectations.

Cover Not Set

THE FLYER, Legacy Series, Vol. 4, by Elena Dorothy Bowman   Finally! The last volume in the ever-popular Legacy Series, a 4 volume time-travel series that is every bit as intriguing as Outlander.    

Cover not set.BACKWOODS MEMORIES, By Shelley Abbott   A collection of memoir essays by famed singer and songwriter, the Eastern Shore's own Shelley Abbott.

Jack's News!

  by your Official Bookstore Cat,  

and Gossip Columnist.

Hi Everyone,
    Jack here, your favorite bookstore cat with all the news and gossip.  

    Barbara Garro is hard at work on her Galley for Is Jesus Serious, but she is finding quite a few mistakes in it. I tried to tell Arline to pay better attention, but she worked on when she was out of meds. So silly not to listen to ME, her Bookstore Cat. I've told and told her that trying to work without taking her meds is Just A Waste Of TIME!

   The Writers Bloc  has 200 copies of NOIR on the way! The Good News is they should arrive in plenty of time for Launch Party the Harvest Festival.

     Also we heard from author Jan Shapin. That Great Review we posted a copy of yesterday, must be working, because now she needs more review copies. 

   As for around here, Roger is sad, because the Little Angels Day Care next door is closing down. Today is their last day.  I know he will miss all those wonderful kids a lot,because he loves them almost as much as he loves ME and that IS a lot. I'm gonna have a big big job on my hands trying to cheer him up for the next few months.

   Now as your Official Bookstore cat, I'm off to check on those copies of NOIR and RED YEAR, just to make sure they all arrive as planned.

    Meanwhile, if any of you -- my favorite authors, are going to festivals, or holding book signings, or have heard any good gossip, please let me know so I can pass the news along right here. Just drop an e-mail to: 

arline@mail.com  

with

"News for Jack" 

 in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up here  

for all the world to see!

Excellent Review for Red Year

BOOK REVIEW: RED YEAR, BY JAN SHAPIN

I have the same feeling about Jan Shapin’s books as some might have about a well-priced television in a Black Friday Sale: I will (at least metaphorically) make a running leap for any opportunity to read her books. Shapin writes with a thoughtful humanity that effectively breathes life into the smallest moments, without losing sight of the big picture. It is, after all, the small moments that tend to capture our attention in literature; it’s less the fireworks and more the quiet glances, the poignant comments, the laden pauses before responding.

As with the previous books I read and reviewed (A Desire Pathand A Snug Life Somewhere), Red Year is historical fiction that places the main character in the much larger events that are occurring in the world. In Red Year, those events include the ongoing revolution in China, with the various factions warring for control of that nation. American-born Rayna Prohme follows her visions of a better world, along with her journalist husband, to China in the late 1920s to support the burgeoning revolution and explore what’s happening on the ground.

While there, she meets and frankly becomes obsessed with Comintern agent Mikhail Borodin, who has been sent to China to support the cause of Sun Yat-sen. Sun has died, but his wife, known as Madame Sun, is carrying on his work, even as she realizes the precariousness of her own position. (It’s worth noting that Madame Sun’s sister May-ling would marry Chiang Kai-shek and join him in setting up the competing Chinese government in Taiwan.)

As is usually the case in events such as these, loyalties tend to become somewhat flexible, and Borodin eventually finds himself heading back to Moscow. Rayna insists on going with him, and she brings Madame Sun as well. But there things take a turn for the worse: Rayna has few allies in the Soviet Union, and Madame Sun discovers that she has almost none. At some point, it becomes clear that Madame Sun needs to leave Moscow as soon as possible, but the government blocks the needed exit visa. Rayna decides she wants to apply to the Lenin School, and she’s somewhat surprised by how willing they are to have her join — until she realizes that what they really want is for her to exploit her friendship with Madame Sun.

It will be up to Rayna to find out if she put all her strength of personality and character to the test to help her friend get out of Moscow and back to China, so she can continue her work of fighting for the women of China.

I had only a cursory understanding of the revolutionary events in China, although the names Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek were not unknown to me, nor were the main parts of their stories. (I think even Madame Sun existed somewhere deep in my memory, as it felt vaguely familiar.) What I didn’t realize is just how complicated the situation in China was at the time — which I freely acknowledge to be my own ignorance and naiveté — as it wasn’t as simple as one type of government or another type gaining ascendance. There were various regional factions, powerful factions at that, to be taken into consideration, and it ultimately became a very convoluted game of chess with multiple players trying to control the pieces on the board.

What I love about Shapin’s writing, in general and in Red Year, is how she sheds light on these revolutionary complexities by highlighting the events that readers can track through the story, without having to create their own visual of the different players and who was doing what, what, and how. By allowing us to see events through Rayna’s eyes, and particularly since Rayna herself isn’t a political savant and is trying to work out some of the complexities for herself along the way, we have the opportunity to see the story unfold and appreciate the very human dramas that occurred as it did.

Highly recommended. As with all Jan Shapin’s book.

Year of publication: 2017
Number of pages: 286

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Catching UP!

No Books went to press, or back to press this week:

Galleys that Went Out, or Went Out Again this Week:

IS JESUS SERIOUS? A Garro Guide for Christians

    If, like me, you struggle with some of the behaviors Jesus asks of His followers and with St. Paul's telling us we are called to be saints, I write this 4th Volume in The Jesus Series, "Is Jesus Serious?" to speak to Christians' personal struggles to meet Jesus's and Paul's expectations.

Cover Not Set

Work Began or Continued on the Following 

LAKE EERIE: Haunting Homicide, by Thornton Parsons

    Another haunting mystery from the author of Go Tell Aunt Rhody and Swanee River Moon

DELICATE DAMES, by Barbara Grengs, author of the popular teen Toby Martin series.

In her first mystery for adults, Delicate Dames, Barbara Grengs proves to be a dab hand at plotting while retaining her laurels in "Creative Characters," "Smooth Satire," and "Witty Writing."

Cover Not SetTHE FLYER, Legacy Series, Vol. 4, by Elena Dorothy Bowman   Finally! The last volume in the ever-popular Legacy Series, a 4 volume time-travel series that is every bit as intriguing as Outlander.    

Cover not set.BACKWOODS MEMORIES, By Shelley Abbott   A collection of memoir essays by famed singer and songwriter, the Eastern Shore's own Shelley Abbott.

Jack's News!

  by your Official Bookstore Cat,  

and Gossip Columnist.

Hi Everyone,
    Jack here, your favorite bookstore cat with all the news and gossip.  

   Heard from Jim Kincaid, who is recovering from surgery and getting ready to go back to work. Now that he's feeling better, he is ready to promote his new book, the story of a group of traveling students exploring life together in the Donner Pass.

   The Writers Bloc is gearing  up to release their new collection (Now that Arline Finally got it to the printer), and hope to launch it Officially at Heritage Days on September 16th. I'm real proud to have helped with that one.

   As for around here, Arline's grumpy again. She's been trying to get her pain meds filled for the last two weeks without success. Finally, she learned the pharmacy was still faxing the refill requests to her original Vet's office, closed now that he has opted out of Medicare and joined a practice with 5 other vets across town. Her new guy (one of the across-town vets who still does Medicare, finally got it straight, so maybe she'll be in the mood to cuddle now. I've missed that.

   Even the baby sister, Spunky, hasn't been up to anything lately. She just sleeps on the back porch swing, with her head on the pillow, dreaming her little-kitty dreams.

    Meanwhile, if any of you -- my favorite authors, are going to festivals, or holding book signings, or have heard any good gossip, please let me know so I can pass the news along right here. Just drop an e-mail to: 

arline@mail.com  

with

"News for Jack" 

 in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up here  

for all the world to see!

Catching UP!

Books that went to press, or back to press this week:

ARMY OF THE DEAD, Red Knight Chronicles, Vol. 1, by Ray Morand

If you liked Lord of the Rings, you will love the Red Knight Chronicles. In book one, Judicator Gwendolyn, "the celibate," is kidnapped to join an Army of the Dead, led by a former knight, Sir Victor. She embraces the future and her new identity as Captain Isobel of the "Scaled Fist." Isobel revels in her acceptance by the other warriors and tries not to be too disturbed by some shady areas in Gwendolyns past. She is impressed by the Army's domestication and the sophisticated magical powers possessed by some of them. Though to her family and wll who knew her as "Gwendolyn" she is dead -- Captain Isobel is alive and well, though it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to kill her, or  Sir Victor, or both.

Galleys that Went Out, or Went Out Again this Week:

DARK ELF: Red Knight Chronicles, Vol.2, by Ray Morand

    The Red Knight Chronicles continue with the tale of Akulina, a dark-elf former princess, who was cursed and cast out by her people for dabbling in black magic. Now, she fights for honor in the troubled kingdoms. Will she adapt when she is assigned to take orders from a new group in the king’s service? 

Cover incomplete

Work Began or Continued on the Following 

IS JESUS SERIOUS? Garro's Guides for Christians

    If, like me, you struggle with some of the behaviors Jesus asks of His followers and with St. Paul's telling us we are called to be saints, I write this 4th Volume in The Jesus Series, "Is Jesus Serious?" to speak to Christians' personal struggles to meet Jesus's and Paul's expectations.

Cover Not Set

LAKE EERIE: Haunting Homicide, by Thornton Parsons

    Another haunting mystery from the author of Go Tell Aunt Rhody and Swanee River Moon

DELICATE DAMES, by Barbara Grengs, author of the popular teen Toby Martin series.

In her first mystery for adults, Delicate Dames, Barbara Grengs proves to be a dab hand at plotting while retaining her laurels in "Creative Characters," "Smooth Satire," and "Witty Writing."

Cover Not SetTHE FLYER, Legacy Series, Vol. 4, by Elena Dorothy Bowman   Finally! The last volume in the ever-popular Legaccy Series, a 4 volume time-travel series that is every bit as intriguing as Outlander.    

Cover not set.BACKWOODS MEMORIES, By Shelley Abbott   A collection of memoir essays by famed singer and songwriter, the Eastern Shore's own Shelley Abbott.

Jack's News!

  by your Official Bookstore Cat,  

and Gossip Columnist.

Hi Everyone,
    Jack here, your favorite bookstore cat with all the news and gossip. Heard from my good friend, Author Andy Nunez, who is finishing his third collection of Eastern Shore Ghost Stories.

    That's the cover of his first one (available on Amazon.com, yunno) but he hasn't painted the cover for number 3 yet. Wonder if he could slip a ghost cat in there? 

   I do know Arline sent him a ghost story, but I'm sure he'll have to edit it heavily. She's soooo WORDy!

   As for around here, the only thing new this week is they both went to the vet. He's a new one, from India, and actually took time to talk to them. He seems to be very on the ball. No shots, either. But I think they have to go back next week for some...

   Just when we thought it was safe to let them pick us up again, they shut me and my baby sister, Spunky, both into carriers and it was Our Turn for the vet.  You can bet they were waiting with more shots! I do swear, much as we love them, sometimes you just can't trust  humans... 

    Meanwhile, if any of you -- my favorite authors, are going to festivals, or holding book signings, or have heard any good gossip, please let me know so I can pass the news along right here. Just drop an e-mail to: 

arline@mail.com  

with

"News for Jack" 

 in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up here  

for all the world to see!

Catching UP!

Books that went to press, or back to press this week.

EASTERN SHORE NOIR: a Noir Collection from the Writer's Bloc

   These stories are told in many styles. Some writers have been drawn back to memories from long forgotten times; the life they once lived, or observations of families and friends.

   Explore the emotional connections, at the very core, with keen insights that are not all black and white.Understand, that the writers are the rays of light, passing through the darkness, resonating long after the final page is turned. --- M. Rita Tiso.

Galleys that Went Out, or Went Out Again this Week:

ARMY OF THE DEAD, Red Knight Chronicles, Vol. 1, by Ray Morand

If you liked Lord of the Rings, you will love the Red Knight Chronicles. In book one, Judicator Gwendolyn, "the celibate," is kidnapped to join an Army of the Dead, led by a former knight, Sir Victor. She embraces the future and her new identity as Captain Isobel of the "Scaled Fist." Isobel revels in her acceptance by the other warriors and tries not to be too disturbed by some shady areas in Gwendolyns past. She is impressed by the Army's domestication and the sophisticated magical powers possessed by some of them. Though to her family and wll who knew her as "Gwendolyn" she is dead -- Captain Isobel is alive and well, though it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to kill her, or  Sir Victor, or both.

Work Began or Continued on the Following 

DARK ELF: Red Knight Chronicles, Vol.2, by Ray Morand

    The Red Knight Chronicles continue with the tale of Akulina, a dark-elf former princess, who was cursed and cast out by her people for dabbling in black magic. Now, she fights for honor in the troubled kingdoms. Will she adapt when she is assigned to take orders from a new group in the king’s service? 

Cover incomplete

IS JESUS SERIOUS? Garro's Guides for Christians

    If, like me, you struggle with some of the behaviors Jesus asks of His followers and with St. Paul's telling us we are called to be saints, I write this 4th Volume in The Jesus Series, "Is Jesus Serious?" to speak to Christians' personal struggles to meet Jesus's and Paul's expectations.

Cover Incomplete

DELICATE DAMES, by Barbara Grengs, author of the popular teen Toby Martin series.

In her first mystery for adults, Delicate Dames, Barbara Grengs proves to be a dab hand at plotting while retaining her laurels in "Creative Characters," "Smooth Satire," and "Witty Writing."

Cover Not SetTHE FLYER, Legacy Series, Vol. 4, by Elena Dorothy Bowman   Finally! The last volume in the ever-popular Legaccy Series, a time-travel saga that is every bit as intriguiing as Outlander.    

Cover not set.BACKWOODS MEMORIES, By Shelley AbbottA collection of memoir essays by famed singer and songwriter, the Eastern Shore's own Shelley Abbott.

Jack's News!

  by your Official Bookstore Cat,  

and Gossip Columnist.

Hi Everyone,
    Jack here, your favorite bookstore cat with all the news and gossip.

    We Heard from Tom Taylor, chairman of the Book Committee and they have approved the final corrections and are please to learn the "real" paper copier will be rolling off the press any time now. Meanwhile for folks who like electronic readers, copies are available for download at Amazon.com and for almost all e-book readers at Smashwords.com

   Everything here at home is better this week Arline's hair is growing back in and she actually got up and fed me twice this week. If she sleeps in too long, I can always get Roger to wake up. :D

     

    Meanwhile, if any of you -- my favorite authors, are going to festivals, or holding book signings, or have heard any good gossip, please let me know so I can pass the news along right here. Just drop an e-mail to: 

arline@mail.com  

with

"News for Jack" 

 in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up here  

for all the world to see!