Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web by David Weinberger ($25.00, Perseus Publishing) is quite brilliant in the same way that Marshall McLuhan defined how television was changing and shaping our lives. The author does that for the Internet in terms of how we interpret the way we share the planet. He says the Internet it going to change all our lives and demonstrates how that is already happening. He cites the changes it is having, for example, on how business is conducted. More than that, however, the Net transforms how we perceived space, time, society, morality when we measure these concepts against the real world. I routinely correspond with people of every description around the world without a second thought. They in turn explain to me how they perceive the world. It is a constant education and this book looks at the cross pollination of ideas is transforming the world by connecting people.

One of the most interesting publishers around is the Naval Institute Press and they have recently published Making War, Thinking History by Jeffrey Record ($28.95), a professor in the department of strategy and international security in the US Air Force’s Air War College. The author takes a look at the major application of US force from the Korean War to the NATO war in Serbia, starting with two analogies; the democracies’ appeasement of Hitler at Munich and America’s defeat in Vietnam. He asks what influence these two seminal events have had on American Presidents. What he finds is the role of generational experience because those who came out of the WWII experience reacted differently than those that came later. America is now engaged in a new war and this book is filled with insight as to the future.

For a personal look at what it was like to fight in Vietnam, there’s an excellent and entertaining book by Fred Snyder, Letters to Charlie…and One to Jane ($12.95, Bon Temps Press, 200 Deckbar, Jefferson, LA 70121 and from www.barnesandnoble.com). This splendid book collects the many letters Snyder, who was drafted into the US Marines, sent to the girl who would become his wife, Charlene. "Charlie and I had six dates together before I asked her to marry me. She accepted. The entire courtship cost eight dollars and fifty-three cents and we were married a year and a half later, after I returned from across the Pond. I knew Charlie for twenty years, three months, ten days, eighteen hours and twenty minutes. She died in my arms." Here’s a big round of applause for a book that deserves as wide an audience as possible. Learn more about this book by visiting Fred Snyder's Bookpage on this site.

If you believe in the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, and if you believe people have a right of self-defense, you are going to enjoy Justice Rendered 2000 by Scotty Phillips (1^stBooks, Justice Rendered Productions, POB 3682, Moultrie, GA 31776). You can get a good idea of what it’s about if you visit www.justicerendered.com or you can visit his Bookpage on this site. And what it’s about are the real life, true stories of people who were alive to tell their story because they were able to "render justice" to people threatening their lives. The simple truth of the matter is that the police cannot be everywhere and, as citizens, we have the right to lawfully own and use a gun. The stories provide a common sense reassurance that it’s better to be armed and alive than some criminal’s dead victim. And then there’s the Criminal Records Book by Derek Hinton ($19.95, Facts on Demand Press, /BRB Publications, PO Box 27869, Tempe, AZ 85285). This book tells you what criminal records you can legally use and when, which states forbid the use of misdemeanor records and which release arrest records without disposition. It’s ideal for employers, screening firms, attorneys, private investigators. Hinton is the director of communications for leading screening company.

Do you love jazz? If so, don’t miss out on Collected Works: A Journal of Jazz 1954-2001 by Whitney Balliett ($24.95, St. Martin’s Press) one of the great music critics and one who captured the essence of jazz in print as he watched it emerge and capture the hearts of millions of Americans and others around the world. This is a magnificent history of jazz and, whether you’re a novice or aficionado, you will treasure the hours of reading pleasure this book offers. Nobody did it better.

I must receive a dozen or two diet books every year. And, of cookbooks, there is no end, but I was impressed with Essential Eating, A Cookbook: Discover How to Eat, Not Diet ($24.95, Azure Moon Publishing) that features 350 "real-food" recipes ranging from Roasted Sweet Potato Tortillas to Hazelnut Butter Cookies and Tomato Florentine Soup. This is about eating well and eating sensibly with an emphasis on good digestion. Hey, if your body is happily processing what you eat, you’re happy. And healthy. Moreover, this book has received the coveted Benjamin Franklin Award from the Publishers Marketing Association. I’m biased because I am a judge for the PMA, but not in the cookbook category. That said, the award represents publishing excellence.

Too busy to read the play? Well, try listening to Hamlet One Voice, a single cassette by David I. Davies that puts the whole story at your fingertips in a very entertaining way. It’s a very professional production and you can learn more by visiting his website, davidiandavies.com.

Do you have your Social Security card with you? Even newborn babies get issued the card these days. That’s why The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Social Security by Lita Epstein ($18.95, Alpha Books) is something you should read. It provides all sorts of useful information on who, along with yourself, may be eligible, how to collect disability, getting Medicare coverage and information about supplemental medical insurance policies to cover what it does not. In short, one of those terribly useful books you will wish you had read. Well, now you can!

Back to Top

On my little street, we have recently greeted a new baby, Sophie. I gave her mother two new books just published this month that you will want to give to the new mother in your life. The first is Bouncing Back After Your Pregnancy by Dr. Glade B. Curtis, MD, OB/GYN and Judith Schuler, MS ($14.00, Perseus Publishing) that maps out the route to full recovery, covering a wide range of topics on the minds of new mothers when they return home from the hospital. It is filled with advice about postpartum distress, using birth control after pregnancy, how breastfeeding affects mothers, and much, much more.

Another book, also from Perseus, is the new, sixth edition of Taking Care of Your Child: A Parent’s Illustrated Guide to Complete Medical Care ($19.95) by a trio of physicians. It has become a classic since it was first published in 1977. With this book, any parent can effectively address health issues, empowering them to care for their child. From poison ivy to broken bones, this is a fabulous compendium of wonderfully useful information. Yet another Perseus book will prove useful too.

Parenting by Heart by Dr. Ron Taffel, PhD, ($15.00) will help dispel the myths and fears of child rearing that hold parents from doing what they know is right. The author explores how to create an environment of compassion, consequences, and communication. In other words, a place where a child feels safe, protected and appreciated.

Let’s not forget the legion of single father’s out there either. The Ultimate Survival Guide for the Single Father by Thomas Hoerner ($12.95, Harbinger Press, 2711 Buford Rd, PMB 383, Richmond, VA 23235) will be officially published next month. Ten years ago, the author accepted custody of his three children and you get to benefit from all the things he learned in the process. He learned about household chores, how to maintain good discipline, dealing with his ex-wife, grocery shopping, the whole nine yards! Now he shares this invaluable information with wit and wisdom only experience can grant. If you are or know a single father, put this book in his hands!

And there is parenting the parent who has Alzheimer’s disease. Whenever a parent is ill, the caregivers suffer too, so they need to know the dynamics of the situation. An excellent book on this topic is Alzheimer’s Disease: A Guide for families and caregivers ($18.00, Perseus), now in its third edition. The authors, Lenore Powell, Ed.D. with Katie Courtice, cover a multitude of difficult issues that include working with doctors and understanding medications, coping with the patient’s often challenging behavior, choosing a nursing homes or health plan. There are also those feelings of anger, frustration, and fear the patient evokes. An estimated ten- percent of people aged 65 to 84 are victims of this terrible disease. From the same publisher, there’s Decoding Darkness ($16.00) by Rudolph E. Tanzi and Ann B. Parson, concerning the search for the genetic causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Forecasts for the year 2050 are that 14 million Americans will die of it. This book looks at what is being done to identify its cause and, for those interested in science, this book will prove an interesting medical detective story.

Back to Top

The flood of children’s and young reader’s books never abates. Keeping up with them all is a challenge. Let us, however, look at some of the best new books that have arrived in recent weeks.

Sharkabet by Ray Troll ($8.95, Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co., 203 West 15^th Ave., Suite 108, Anchorage, AK 99501) is about a sea of sharks from Angel sharks to Zebra sharks, ideal for all ages because it is a wonderful eyeful of great artwork, combined with a light text around the theme of sharks. It’s a great way to learn the alphabet and much more.

Animals are the subject of Amazing Moments in the Wild and Peaceful Moments in the Wild ($15.00, Moonstone Press, 7820 Oracle Place, Potomac, MD 20854), both of which feature wonderful color photos of animals that will stimulate the imagination of youngsters learning that animals, too, have their moments. There is no real reading involved. Not to be confused with Moonstone Press is Moon Mountain Publisher whose new book is Blossom Tales: Flower Stories of Many Folk ($15.95) by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Sara Dillard. This book includes an Iroquois story, one created by the Egyptians, an English tale, a Persian one, all involving various flowers that would entertain any child from 5 to 9 years of age. Like most children’s books, it is a feast for the eye.

I really enjoyed Ernest and the BIG Itch by Laura T. Barnes and illustrated by Carol A. Camburn, ideal for ages 4 and up ($15.95, Barnes yard Books, PO Box 254, Sergeantsville, NJ 08557). Ernest, a little donkey, has a big itch were donkeys cannot scratch, so he takes to rubbing against the pole on which the nest of some birds resides. It’s very entertaining. This is a new addition to Twist and Ernest and Teeny Tiny Ernest, a series that will become a favorite childhood memory for those who get to know him,

From Barnesyard Books to Backyard Books, an imprint of Kingfisher, a prolific publisher of children’s books. In the Backyard Series, there’s Are You an Ant? and Are You a Grasshopper? Both are by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries ($9.95 each) and offer a second grade level of reading about these interesting insects. They will capture and hold the attention of any early reader. From the Kids Can Press comes Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? By Margaret Carney and Melainie Watt ($15.95) with great illustrations of the many other birds to be found in the mangroves. Fold-out pages add more fun. Another book from this publisher purports to be the most interesting book you’ll ever read about sleep. By Trudee Romanek and illustrated by Rose Cowles ($6.95) it is ideal for ages 9 through 14. Zzz…explains why we sleep, stage of sleep, and much more.

I loved Loud Lips Lucy by Tolya Thompson, illustrated by Juan R. Perez ($16.00, Savor Publishing House, 83-55 Lefforts Blvd, 6E, Kew Gardens, NY 11415), the story f a loudmouthed little girl who develops laryngitis and, in the process, learns the importance of listening to the world around you. The story is wonderfully entertaining for early readers and provides reaffirmation of self-esteem for African-American children as well.

Susan Jacobs has decided to become an author and publisher with Meggie the Pup’s Summer Adventure ($9.95, Blissful Biscuits, 824 Iowa Avenue, McDonald, Ohio 44437), a spiral bound little book that will take a beating as an early readers enjoys its story about a sweet Sheltie pup and its adventures in a big new world. It has already drawn a lot of praise from educators and others who know what works in a book that will get kids reading.

By contrast, there’s the giant McGraw-Hill Children’s Publishing and they have a slew of new books for young readers of all ages. The have a series called "the Incredible Journey" with large format books about the "Human Body", "Dinosaurs" and the "Planets." At $9.95 each, they are a real bargain, superbly illustrated with art and photos, accompanied by excellent texts. Perfect for those in their early school years. Their Brighter Child series at $3.99 each includes the classic children’s fairy tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Mother Goose Rhymes, and others familiar to everyone. They represent a great starter library for pre-school kids and parents who want to read them to their children at bedtime. Yet another series, The Natural History Museum, provides beginning reader books in an "Animal Close-Ups" series about insects, sea creatures, frogs and snakes, and monkeys and apes. In a series, Legends of the Americas, from Peter Bedrick Books, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Children’s Publishing, comes Gray Feather and the Big Dog : A Legend of the Plains Indians by Cesar Vidal, illustrated by Pablo Terrecilla, ($18.95) American Indian theme, and Voladores by Patricia Peterson, illustrated by Sheli Peterson. Based on a Mexican folk tale about "the flyers", ($29.95) it tells of four Voladores who fly to the corners of the universe, bringing back the rain and the sun, and the dream of a boy to join them.

Another giant among children’s books is the Pleasant Company whose "American Girls Collection" is a pure treasure of excellence. Welcome to Kit’s World 1934 ($16.95) takes readers back to that year, showing them how different that earlier time in our history was from today. Harriet Brown, along with a team of superb illustrators, have produced a great non-fiction book for youngsters aged eight and up. It is filled with great photos and illustrations, and a great text. Other new titles include Find Friends, Fortune, & Fun! It’s filled with tips on how to start a club. Then there’s Doodle Studio that demonstrates how much fun doodling can be, offering 100 doodle designs. The Brain Waves Puzzle Book will provide hours of fun with cross grids, crosswords, and silly riddles. Their Angelina Ballerina series adds Color Angelina’s World ($8.95) and the Polly Doll & Book Set ($24.95). For readers aged 10 and up, there’s an excellent Wild At Heart popular animal adventure series and Book 10 is Time to Fly ($4.95).

Back to Top

Every other month or so I try to catch up on the deluge of novels that arrive every day at the office. Hang on tight as I whiz through the latest for you, recommending or warning you on the latest.

If you are as great a fan of classic crime stories as I am, then you will definitely want to read A Century of Noir: Thirty-Two Classic Crime Stories ($15.00, New American Library) as edited by Mickey Spillane and Max Allen Collins. Here are the greats, James M. Cain, Evan Hunter, John D. MacDonald, and others, all in one equally great volume of reading pleasure. It just doesn’t get much better, unless, of course, you’re reading Elmore Leonard’s latest novel, Tishomingo Blues ($25.95, William Morrow & Co.). Even with 37 previous books under his belt, Leonard simply amazes with his ability to come up with new ideas, new characters, as this time a daredevil high-diver witnesses a murder and suddenly the fun of jumping from high places is gone. For you the fun will just begin when you open to the first page.

Let’s begin with the hardcover book, Cape Light. It is an unusual novel in that two people collaborated to write it, Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer ($22.95, Berkeley). Kinkade is famous for his landscape paintings and the novel is a kind of painting in words as he invites readers to visit the town whose name is the title. The skills of his co-author are evident as together you visit a place where people savor life’s simple pleasures, but beneath the surface they have their secret lives of struggle or sorrow. Berkley also has a novel available in softcover, among which is Christopher Cook’s Robbers ($14.00) with more plot twists than you would believe as two punks rob and kill a store clerk and begin a cat-and-mouse game with Texas Ranger Rule Hooks. You’ll be hooked, I promise. By contrast, Troublemaker and Other Saints by Christina Chiu ($12.95) takes one into the world of four Asian-American families, exploring the tensions between the old world and the new to find out who are the troublemakers and who are the saints among these interesting, flawed, but loveable people.

Asia is the background for The Money Dragon by Pam Chun ($24.00, Sourcebooks, Inc.) and she has produced a stunning work of Chinese-American fiction as she brings to life the story of Lau Ah Leong, otherwise known as the Money Dragon, considered to be the founder of Honolulu’s Chinatown. His great-granddaughter reaches deep into her family history to rediscover this legendary man. This one is well worth reading. Sourcebooks have two other titles out worth reading. Also partially set in China, there’s John Reed’s The Kingfisher’s Call ($22.00) a spy novel that reveals the harsh lesson this nation has learned. You still need agents for human intelligence gathering because dependence on satellites and other technology does not provide the whole story. This is a fast-paced tale of espionage about a team of CIA agents who engage in a dangerous rescue mission. This is a real page-turner. Unfortunately, The Last Boy by Robert H. Lieberman ($22.00) just failed to grip my attention with its story about a missing child as the search stretched on for months. Then he returns with a "message of hope for mankind." This one doesn’t really work on several levels.

The Trouble with Catherine by Andes Hruby ($23.95, Dutton) will please women readers who will identify with the main character gaining on age 30 trying to make sense of her life as she prepares for marriage. Does she really love the attractive lawyer with a big stock portfolio? This is a spiritual journey for Catherine Lacey that will resonate with readers going through the same thing. Dutton can also lay claim to another interesting novel, The Impressionist, by Hari Kunzru ($25.95) that marks a very impressive debut by the author, born in London and raised in Essex before earning a BA in English at Oxford and an MA in philosophy from Warwick University. In short, the kind of credentials that let you know you’re in for a Dickensian reading experience as we enter the world of Pran Nath Razdan, a young boy living a privileged, pampered life in 1918 Agra, an Indian city just down river from the Taj Mahal. This handsome lad is the son of an Englishman, but his Brahmin mother passed him off as that of her husband, a man of letters and the law. When things go badly for him, he begins a journey of self-discovery, reinvention, and survival. This is an utterly compelling story and, so far, one of the best new novels this year.

The Snow Garden by Christopher Rice ($23.95, Hyperion/Times Miramax Books) is a story of three college students who are drawn into a murder mystery, one that echoes a similar death twenty years earlier. This is not college with its parties and football games, but college where the wife of one of the professors has been having a love affair with one of the students and ends up drowned in a nearby river. Snowbound on campus, the plot traps the characters in events that will keep you turning the pages. By coincidence, a lake plays a role in another thriller, Palmer Lake by Thomas C. McCollum ($25.00, Shoji Books). His first book, Tainted Blood, landed the author on The Today Show and he is back with a story about cryonics and asks if a person suspended for 13 years can be brought back to life to name his murderer! Here’s a web of intrigue that takes you to the sleepy little, South Dakota town of the novel’s title. When the victim, the world’s largest benefactor of the science of cryonics is frozen as per his Will. Dare I say this will send a chill through you? For lovers of a good mystery, there’s Private Heat by Robert Bailey ($21.95, M. Evans & Co.), the first of a series of Art Hardin mysteries. Character driven and masterfully plotted, this one will introduce you to a retired counter intelligence officer turned detective. A new case involves him in the messy life of client’s niece and you will want to know how this one works its way through it.

Plume, a division of Penguin Putnam books, has a knack for finding and publishing interesting stories in softcover editions. Here are some of the latest. The Language of Goodbye by Maribeth Fischer ($14.00) is an emotional story of infatuation, grief, acceptance and joy in the debut of a talented storyteller. Her characters all come from different countries and must learn "the language of goodbye" without losing a sense of who they were and have become. Farm Fatale ($13.00) by Wendy Holden is back with her third merciless look at the lives of Londoners. This time its two couples who head for life in the countryside. It’s devilishly funny. Ruin Creek by David Payne ($13.00) in which the dreams of a North Carolina gifted scholar and basketball hero gets his girlfriend pregnant and must get married. The year is 1954 and, twelve years later, their unhappiness requires their son to find his own happiness as he must leave his childhood behind. Small town life is captured in The Cross-Country Quilters, an Elm Creek novel by Jennifer Chiaverini. It’s the third in a series of far-flung friends who join together to complete a "challenge quilt", but it is really about their lives and their enduring friendships. Finally, there’s Miss Garnett’s Angel by Salley Vickers ($13.00), a novel of self-discovery from a numb solitude, experienced by many people. A retired history teacher decided to spend six months in Venice and emerges from a sense of loss in surprising ways. Yet another impressive debut for a new author.

From Penguin Books come three softcovers that will prove entertaining. My Little Blue Dress ($13.00) is a hilarious novel by Bruno Maddox that was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. It claims to be the story of a 100-year-old woman, born on the first day of the 20^th century, but it is far from a memoir as the author takes on a journey through time and places like Paris, London and New York. The Muse Asylum by David Czuchlewski ($13.00) is the story of three recent college graduates who become entangled in a search to uncover the identity of a great American writer. This is an inventive story brought together by an enigmatic author, as each feels pursued by the other. Though not fiction, I want to also mention Recollections of My Life as a Woman by Diane di Prima ($15.00) an author who made her reputation during the time of the Beat Generation who emerged in the 1950s. She uses the first three decades of her life to explore her internal development. She tells the story of the heady days of life in New York where poetry, dance, and theatre that wrote a whole set of new rules. If you recall or want to learn about those remarkable times, you will want to read this interest memoir.

Because I am New Jersey born and bred, and because the name of the publisher, Abysmal Publishing, I took an interest in Just in Case by Alonda Alloway ($12.95, PO Box 943, Woodbridge, NJ 07095) and enjoyed this urban tale of a young boy, Taron, trying to find his way, and wreaking havoc along the way. This is a look at Black America where manhood is sometimes defined by how many conquests can be made. The result is often terrible heartbreak. The author, now a school social worker, began writing this story at age 19. Her first book, Souls Sold, was published in 1999. This is not a pretty story, but it has that magic ring of truth to it that will intrigue the reader. To learn more about the book, visit Ms. Alloway's Bookpage here on this site.

Two novels from Trigger press (Pox 3712, Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada T7X 3A9) will prove very enjoyable as Al Voth’s B-Zone: A Novel of the Gun and its sequel, Mandatory Reload, take the reader into the world of firearms. The author was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and now works as a forensic firearms examiner. Because of this, his novels, both thrillers, ring true on every page, in addition to being very entertaining. Check them out at triggerpress.com.

Bookviews continues to receive a lot of self-published novels and our policy has been to ask that these authors consider taking a "Featured Books" page for their work so that they can have a presence on the Web or to direct traffic to their own websites. Otherwise, we have to take space away from the mainstream publishing houses that have been so supportive of Bookviews for some four decades. Every so often, though, there is an exception to the rule and The Reluctant Tourist by Ronald Barnett ($15.95, iUniverse) is one. This novel was brought to my attention by the legendary Hollywood book publicist (and longtime friend), Irwin Zucker. It is based on the true story of a young, Russian-born British soldier who deserted during an aborted Allied invasion into Russia as its 1918-19 Revolution raged on. What followed was 70 years of Communist domination. He ended up making his way to Siberia and ultimately to Canada. The story of how he got there makes for fascinating reading. Why a mainstream publisher didn’t grab this novel is a mystery to me.

Back to Top

Kensington Publishing Corporation, a paperback dynamo that publishes imprints that include Zebra and Pinnacle, has a ton of new paperbacks offering a wide range of entertainment. There’s the romance writers Fern Michaels with Plain Jane and Janet Dailey being teamed with Sandra Steffen and Kylie Adams for stories, The Only Thing Better Than Chocolate. Joan Hohl tells of a woman who thinks she may be forsaking her true love if she walks down the aisle with her fiancée in I Do. From Stella Cameron comes a love story, Finding Ian, and Carl Weber tells of four Black friends Lookin’ for Luv and a decent meal in New York City. Thrillers get their outing in books that include Joel Goldman’s Motion to Kill, G.A. McKevett’s Sour Grapes and Joanne Fluke’s Strawberry Shortcake Murder. David Manuel continues his Faith Abbey mystery series with A Matter of Diamonds and for lovers of westerns, there’s William W. Johnstone’s First Mountain Man: Preacher. If you’re looking to understand today’s headlines, read Terrorism: Today’s Biggest Threat to Freedom by John Pynchon Holms with Tom Burke.

From Harper Torch comes Bill Fitzhugh’s Cross Dressing that’s an hilarious story of what happens when a twin sends his brother to a hospital on his insurance policy’s dime and he dies. Suddenly he’s guilty of fraud and decides on a scheme to escape, masquerade as his brother, a priest! Another great read is Stephen J. Cannell’s The Devil’s Workshop about a secret bio-weapons lab and the release of a terrible plague.

St, Martin’s Press has some excellent paperbacks that include Robert Ludlum’s The Cassandra Compact and Jill Jones’s Every Move You Make in which the main character gets in the crosshairs of a serial killer. And all the victims look like her! A great house for westerns, you will enjoy Matt Braun’s The Wild Ones and Terry C. Johnston’s Dying Thunder.