Southern Arizona Authors

In this book, Tucsonan Debra Schildhouse describes how she went from a big-haired blond with a fondness for cosmetics to a Bio-Touch healer, a follower of one-time-hippie, Paul Bucky, who promotes “Bio-Magnetic Touch Healing”— the practice of relieving pain through light, finger-tip touch. Schildhouse relates Bucky’s story, from a 1970s commune leader to a 21st century alternative medical practitioner, and weaves in her own. After a series of epiphanies, Bucky determined that love and light physical contact could be curative, and he established a healing and teaching practice. In her own story, Schildhouse sought spiritual solace through such practices as astral projection and previous-life regression, but she discovered Bio-Touch after her daughter incurred debilitating pain. She took Bucky’s course to become a certified practitioner, and now writes for the organization. The book includes anecdotes of patient success and a foreword by UA Heath Sciences Professor Gary E. Schwartz, supporting the efficacy of energy healing.

Christine Wald-Hopkins

The Cloud Forest by Gail Bornfield (Gail Bornfield, $12)

The Three-Wattled Bellbird shows up in this children’s book set in Costa Rica, as do howler monkeys, epiphytes (“plants that live on other plants”), and the history of Brahman cattle in the country. In “The Cloud Forest,” long-time Arizona educator Gail Bornfield tells the fictional story of how a group of children organizes to replant fields that had been clear cut, to establish a biological corridor to protect endangered species in their area. She includes color photographs to support her considerable information on the geology, biology, and environmental history of Costa Rica.

Christine Wald-Hopkins

Quartet for the End of Time by Johanna Skibsrud (Norton, $15.95 paper)

A central theme in this haunting, cerebral, enigmatic historical novel is the fluidity of time, often expressed through music. First published in 2014, now issued in paper, the book quotes composer Olivier Messiaen (after whose WW II work it’s titled) that musical rhythm is “a perpetual conversion of the future into the past.” UA professor Johanna Skibsrud places four characters in a deliberate miscarriage of justice, and then follows the characters as they deal with its consequences. She takes readers through lesser-known events in U.S. and world history (the most significant, the 1932 Bonus Army March on Washington to pay First World War veterans promised monies). In “Quartet for the End of Time,” characters struggle with economics and class; with international revolution, religion and spirituality, perceptions of identity and time, and personal responsibility. Though not a simple read, it’s lyrical, informative, thought-provoking, and affecting—particularly when supplemented by a listen to Messiaen’s exquisite labor-camp “Quartet….”

Christine Wald-Hopkins

A Teacher’s Tale by Joe Gilliland (True Directions, $ 33.95)

It could be called “Portrait of an English Teacher as a Young Man.” This nicely written memoir chronicles the childhood through early adulthood of retired Cochise College English instructor Joseph Gilliland, from his modest Texas background to his completing a graduate degree and signing of his first contract to teach college English. Gilliland’s life is representative of 20th century experience and values: his father died during the Great Depression, and his mother opened a boarding house to support her four children. Young Joe peddled magazine subscriptions and did afterschool jobs. He entered the University of Texas intending to become a physician, but his intellect and interests were sparked by his introduction to the humanities. Remarkably specific about teachers, assignments, and teaching styles, this book is a study in effective instruction, and a tribute to teachers who inspired him.

Christine Wald-Hopkins

Wisdom by Patrick Tylee (Camel Needle and Associates, $16.95)

In this sci-fi allegorical tale, Planet Earth—or, as the Jovians know it, “LittleNoisyBlueBall”—features in negotiations between the aggressive, hydrogen-scooping “Praw-Tangs” and the peaceable “Knowers” of Jupiter. Earth has tribalized itself and incurred nuclear bomb attacks, so it’s dangerous to itself and to others in the Sol System, but it’s still rich in resources, so the Jovians are willing to give it up to the rapacious Praw-Tangs. So they send a clone—”Jove” (after all, it comes from the god Jupiter)—on a duplicitous “savior” mission to Earth. Good and Evil, Knowledge and Wisdom all play a role in the action, which is cluttered with many strange-sounding, bizarre-looking beings; and busy starship battles. The central voice—Jove’s—provides a clarifying home base for the reader, though, and Tylee spices the text with pinches of humor.

Christine Wald-Hopkins

Hoofprints on the Moon by Patricia Duncan (Good Oak Press, $14.95)

Tornado, a rare, white Thoroughbred, and his young rider, Amanda, can’t be beat in the show jumping circuit — clearing the fences as if imbued with magical powers. The press proclaims the big colt a future world champion. But culprits sabotage Amanda’s success, including tampering with her tack and poisoning Tornado. Now, the duo is on course to find the villains before it’s too late.

Vicki Ann Duraine

Harry Pond Looks Homeward: the Spiritual Adventures of an Ohio Farm Boy By Jay Allan Luboff (All Things that Matter Press, $15.98)

Harry Pond returns from Vietnam to find his parents dead and unscrupulous strangers determined to buy up the local properties—including the family farm. With the help of his sister, Harry turns to the Brotherhood of the Light for celestial guidance in saving the land he loves.

Vicki Ann Duraine

Sonoran Storm: a Wally Webb Mystery by H. Edward Mitchell (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, $12.95)

After a car bomb incinerates her estranged husband, Lucinda Vargas hires Private Investigator Wally Webb to solve the case. Before the smoke settles, the crime points to the mafia and drug cartels.

Tucson readers will recognize references to local streets and landmarks (including the La Paloma Resort parking lot).

Vicki Ann Duraine