The Adventures of Hayley Cat, Books One and Two
By Rhonda Banuelos. Illustrations by MaryAnn Holley.
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. $9.50/each
Hayley Cat has the remarkable good luck to make her home in Hawaii where she lives the “Aloha Spirit,” making new friends, keeping the old, and enjoying new adventures with them every day. Whether it’s bonding with a dolphin (Book One) or enjoying a trip to a horse ranch (Book Two) Hayley learns important life lessons about the value of friendship that she shares with young readers on the “Hayley Wisdom” page that concludes each book. Author Rhonda Banuelos, a former resident of Hawaii who now lives in Marana, was inspired by her niece to create the Hayley books for merry read-alouds. Lively illustrations by MaryAnn Holley (who lives, by happy coincidence, in Picture Rocks) color Hayley’s world with fun and make these ideal reads for preschoolers. —Helene Woodhams
Please Enjoy your Happiness
Paul Brinkley-Rogers. Touchstone. $25 hardcover, $12.99 Kindle edition
He was 19 years old when he met the woman who, half a century and three failed marriages later, he would come to understand was the love of his life. She was 12 years his senior, an educated intellectual and lover of classical music with the prescience to see in him the poet and writer he would become. They met in Japan — he was young and fresh and off to see the world while she, damaged by wartime experiences, sought refuge from it. He was a sailor, given a job with the ship’s newspaper because he could spell better than anyone else; she had the unlikely job of hostess in a bar, and although they would spend only a summer in each other’s company, her influence on him was profound.
More than 50 years after they parted, the author discovered her letters in a book of poetry. Interestingly, he recognizes them first by touch, symbolic, perhaps, of what the reader comes to understand about their complex relationship, which was deeply sensual for all that it was platonic — a marriage of true minds. Rereading her letters reduces him to tears. He begins to dream in Japanese. And his response to the persistence of love takes the form of a stunning memoir and homage to Kaji Yukiko. He responds to her rediscovered letters — included in the book, and a crucial element in the narrative — in prose addressed directly to her, and we become witnesses to a love story that is as remarkable as it is moving. Paul Brinkley-Rogers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who formerly worked for Newsweek and the Miami Herald. He lives in Arizona. —Helene Woodhams
John Stuart Watkins.
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. Paperback $28.98
John Stuart Watkins, who clearly enjoys a bit of a shiver, offers a collection of spooky stories to read as the evenings draw in and the wind rattles the pods in the mesquite trees. He’s not married to a single, spine-tingling setting — his stories range between Tucson, Virginia, Hawaii, Oregon, and the passenger compartment of a jet in flight, with dramatis personae as varied as Bigfoot, the Heavenly Host, and a particularly creepy and ill-tempered air traveler. It’s a slim volume that can be swallowed up in one satisfying gulp. Watkins is president of the Tucson Poetry Society, and he does his shivering at home in the Old Pueblo. —Helene Woodhams
Tomas Keeps His Promise/Tomas Cumple con Su Promesa
By Tori D. Smith. Illustrations by Miguel Molina. Translated by Diana Elbirt
Storyteller Books. $15.
Tomas is a little boy who takes on man-sized responsibilities when his father falls ill. Not only must he milk the goats and help his mama with the chores and with his six siblings, but he also must step into papa’s place as the captain of the men who perform the dangerous flying pole dance in his Mexican village’s celebration. He is filled with doubts and intimidated by the jeers of the other dancers, but Tomas knows a thing or two about family honor and being true to his word. His display of resourcefulness and grit will be inspiring to any young reader confronted with a difficult task. Carefully detailed illustrations by Miguel Molina are an aid to understanding the ritualistic nature of the centuries-old dance. Tori D. Smith, who lives in Tucson, is the author of this bilingual book for children ages 9-12. —Helene Woodhams
Why is “Limerick” Spelled Incorrectly in this Book?
Donald B. Owen. Friesen Press. $12.99 paper, $4.99 Kindle edition
Spoiler alert! Spelling the word “limerick” without the “e” (lim-rick) shortens it to two syllables, hence making it is easier to employ the actual word in five-line, anapestic trimeter (two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable), the meter of a limerick. But the fact is, Donald B. Owen isn’t stressing the syllabic stress of his favored form of poetry. Limericks are traditionally meant to be humorous, and his little book, with more than 650 of them, is joyfully lighthearted. In Owen’s happy world there’s no subject that can’t be reduced to five bouncy lines, from music to sports and from politics to food. He even gives a nod to Jerry Sandusky, proving to the world that there’s nothing he isn’t able to comment upon in an AABBA rhyme scheme. Edward Lear would be proud of this Tucson resident. —Helene Woodhams
Pancakes for Breakfast
William Killian (Imago Press, $12)
One thing you can say about William Killian is that he doesn’t hold back. The actor, basketball coach, ordained minister, hospital chaplain, family therapist, husband, father, and recovering alcohol- and gambling- addict, puts all those parts of himself out in his poems. In his 2010 poetry collection, “All the Faces I Have Been: A Writer’s Notebook,” he reflected on his “living/acting life.” With such divisions as “Commitment,” “Children,” “Religion,” “Addiction,” and “Sex,” you get a sense of the variety of the writer’s concerns. Killian’s slim 2011 collection “From the Balcony” warmly celebrates an anniversary trip to Italy with his wife Linda.
His new collection “Pancakes for Breakfast” (the cover — a gravestone with Killian’s name on it — introduces the title with the quotation “... Wouldn’t mind dying tonight, but I want ...”) deals with Killian’s struggles with depression. Dedicating the book to others who suffer loneliness or depression, Killian includes readers in his poet’s self-reflection (“My poetry is all about the trap/ you know about the trap, don’t you --”). He shares personal despair, but he also writes empathetically about struggles of others (“..[T]that/ doesn’t keep the drivers in this town /from trying to kill” the WWII vet in his street-worthy wheelchair.) But some of the most memorable poems in the book reflect a non-sentimental, clear-eyed view of Christianity: In “Cafe Nazareth,” Killian imagines Jesus of Nazareth and atheist Madalyn Murray-O’Hair having coffee: “Jesus takes Madalyn’s hand /.... Madalyn is stunned [;] Jesus wept. “ (Jesus and Murray-O’Hair would ultimately both be betrayed by friends, he writes, and murdered.). It’s no-holds-barred, honest stuff. — Christine Wald-Hopkins
The High Meadow Ranch
Jerry Harris (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, $16.99)
The second in this Arizona cowboy series finds Lim Couch cowboying at the High Meadow Ranch just north of Prescott. Lim’s steady nature and quiet hands catch the owner’s attention and he puts Lim in charge of training the ranch’s top cutting horse prospects. Lim spends his days in the steady rhythm of the ranch until he and his family are faced with a tragedy.
Harris’ cowboy cadence is authentic as he presents snapshots of life on the range. — Vicki Ann Duraine
Lead with Your Heart: Lessons from a Life with Horses
Allan J. Hamilton, MD (Storey, $18.95)
In this training cum self-help manual, Tucson neurosurgeon and author Allan Hamilton presents 112 lessons learned from his years spent with horses. In essays such as “Find the Right Place to Start” and “Balance Fear and Curiosity,” Hamilton explores the interconnection between lessons practiced inside the pen — awareness, consistency, patience and kindness — and a successful life when you’re not in the saddle.
Hamilton is active in the field of equine therapy and author of “Zen Mind, Zen Horse: The Science and Spirituality of Working with Horses.” — Vicki Ann Duraine
