“Death at the Mall: New and Selected Poems” by Gene Twaronite. Kelsay Books. 111 pages. $23.
“Watch through the window /,” writes former Library Poet in Residence Gene Twaronite, “to write of things in plain view/like the lone black thong flapping/defiantly in a sea of white briefs.”
The 70 very accessible poems in “Death at the Mall” do reflect the poet writing “of things in plain view.” Also of his life itself — mall-walking, computer life, encounters with the homeless or a dying sea lion; family recollections, issues of aging and spirituality; and the world of writing — books, words, the imperatives of written expression.
Twaronite’s style varies, from rhyme and sestina to found poetry and adapted fairy tales, but his underlying voice is thoughtful and wryly observant. Take this, on choosing a poetic form: “First it wanted to be/a sonnet, then a sestina./Then there was that crazy/villanelle phase./… I give it birth and this/is the thanks I get./Stop trying to/control me, it says,/get off my back…”
Entertaining, too.
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
“Godfather Death, M.D.” by Jacob Delvin. Independently published. 413 pages. $24.99 hardcover; $14.99 paperback; $7.99 e-book.
Young adult fiction writer Jacob Devlin gives a caution to his readers in this new novel: Since it deals with grief and death, he writes “please be gentle with yourself.”
The book opens with 17-year-old Daniel Grimm in English class, forced to listen to a bully argue that the crash that killed 10 members of his family was not an accident. Furious, Daniel drops the F-bomb and gets himself suspended. It’s the 10-year anniversary of the accident and he heads to his family’s gravesite, where he sees a stranger he recognizes as his godfather, whom he has not seen for 10 years.
His Aunt Cass, who has raised him, forbids him to reach out to his godfather. Daniel, inevitably, does it anyway and learns (it’s in the title!) that his godfather, Miguel Mortiz, M.D. is, indeed, Death. Miguel Mortiz holds the key to an archive that catalogs all the human lives in history, each represented by a candle. When he reveals the archive to Daniel, and Daniel sees the extinguished candles of his family members, he makes a fateful decision.
“Godfather Death, M.D.” is imaginative and compelling. The reader cares about Daniel as he painfully wrestles with the unintended consequences of his decision. And the novel shouldn’t prove disturbing to readers. By weaving mythological elements about death into the narrative, Devlin himself is “gentle” with them.
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
“The Third Danger” by K. Ray Katz. Sound Choice Publishers. 364 pages. $21.50 hardback; $15.95 paperback; $4.95 e-book.
In this tale, something happens to bumbling Clyde Arnold and Neville Saunders on the way to their next beers. The KGB happens. Italian mafia happens. Gun-toting guys on camels happen. Fortunately, they have dumb luck and British Intelligence on their side — in the form of two young, beautiful M16 agents who, for no discernible reason, like the louts.
K. Ray Katz’s eighth Clyde and Neville adventure, “The Third Danger” takes place in post-WWII 1946 Europe and the Middle East. The two Brits, who live in Australia, plan to sightsee Europe with their new girlfriends and then take them home. A wartime encounter that put them on a Soviet “capture” list, along with a misadventure with the Mafia, slows them down and just as they seem to have evaded those bad guys, British Intelligence snaps up their girlfriends for “one final assignment.” C and N will brave blinding deserts, rickety steamships and even alcohol-free Muslim countries to reconnect with their ladies.
It’s a caper. You know K. Ray Katz likes his boys and their lucky blunders and their beer. It shows how writers can have fun.
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
“Changing the World One Story at a Time: Wishful Thinking and Such” by Robert Rietschel. Independently Published. 295 pages. $14.94, $2.99 Kindle.
If there’s an over-arching theme to this widely-varied collection of short fiction and non-fiction essays, it might simply be, “What if…?” Author Robert Rietschel ponders imponderables and imagines possible conclusions to both likely and unlikely scenarios, all the while wondering — in a hopeful sort of way — about where we might go from here.
Now retired from a career in academic dermatology, Rietschel observes — with some enthusiasm — that he is no longer bound by the requirement to write about dry, biomedical research and can simply “make stuff up.” And he has clearly given his vivid imagination free rein to do just that. Fact and fancy get equal time; science, speculation and philosophical musings all co-exist comfortably. For good measure, he interjects a few personal anecdotes and even updates a children’s rhyme. The pieces in this volume tend to run to no more than a few pages — readers can jump in anywhere for some bite-sized entertainment or to provoke a thought or two and do some wondering of their own.
The author of several books, Rietschel lives in Green Valley.
— Helene Woodhams
“Dinosaurs Roamed Arizona!” by Elaine A. Powers. Illustrations by Anderson Atlas. Independently published. 98 pages. $24.95; $19.95 paperback; $6.99 Kindle.
From the Petrified Forest and the Kayenta Formation to the Chihuahuan Desert, dinosaurs once abounded in Arizona. Author Elaine A. Powers gives young readers the scoop on them in this ambitious picture book.
From page one, it’s packed with information: do you know the difference between dinosaurs and other ancient reptiles? (I do, now.) Broken out by historical eras and periods, each dinosaur gets star treatment with descriptions, habitats and all manner of paleontological particulars. Of special note are stunning illustrations by Anderson Atlas that breathe life into these long-departed creatures.
And, true to Powers’ trademark style, the text is delivered in rhyme, enhancing its value as a read-aloud. The polysyllabic names of the dinosaurs might not come trippingly off the tongue, but give it a go — you and your young audience will have fun with it.
Tucsonan Powers, a former laboratory biologist, has written a number of science-based picture books for kids but had never taken up the subject of dinosaurs until now. It was a long time coming, but well worth the wait.
— Helene Woodhams
“The Electrocution of Baby Lawrence: A Murder That Shook a New England Town” by James E. Overmyer. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 324 pages. $40; $38 Kindle.
Premeditated infanticide? A mercy killing? Or simply negligent parenting?
John F. Noxon, Jr., a well-regarded attorney and leading citizen of 1940s Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was accused of electrocuting his six-month-old son Lawrence, who was born with Down Syndrome. Noxon claimed it was an accident — but the jury thought otherwise and found him guilty.
Noxon’s sensational murder trial, avidly covered in the national press, stands out in the annals of true crime for its multi-layered complexities during an evolutionary period in a small New England town. Author James Overmyer (former criminal courts reporter for Pittsfield’s daily newspaper, the Berkshire Eagle) now reframes the 80-year-old case, viewing it through the lens of the culture, politics, journalism and prevailing zeitgeist in an attempt to understand how it all shook out.
The mores of the time will startle modern readers. Down Syndrome, then a little-understood condition, was horrifically termed “mongolism”; babies thus diagnosed were typically placed in an institution at birth to live out short, tragic lives. The idea of euthanasia was gaining ground in some quarters as a way to deal efficiently with hopeless cases. Trial procedure appeared equally as medieval: the accused Noxon sat in a cage in the courtroom, a damning spectacle for the jury to take in. In the face of changing demographics, the trial was cast as elite old-timers versus immigrant newcomers.
Armed with newspaper archives, court reports including the judge’s papers and his own first-hand knowledge of the Berkshire, Massachusetts court system, Overmyer offers a full-bodied, deeply researched assessment of the trial and its five-year aftermath, sure to intrigue true crime fans.
Now retired, Overmeyer lives in Tucson. This is his fourth book.
— Helene Woodhams
“Dealing with Depositions — Tips for Healthcare Professionals” by Steven Oscherwitz, MD. Published by the author. 43 pages. $10; $9.99 Kindle.
Malpractice lawsuits can decimate careers and relationships, bankrupt practitioners and drag on for years. Being aware and prepared is key, says Tucson MD Steven Oscherwitz. With this slim, concise volume directed at health-care professionals, Oscherwitz provides valuable, easy-to-understand instructions and advice, clarifying the course of legal proceedings.
— Helene Woodhams
“A Healing Journey: Journaling Your Way Back to Wholeness After a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer by Lorraine Crawford. Published by the author. 66 pages. $12.99.
Devastated by her breast cancer diagnosis in 2022, Tucsonan Lorraine Crawford took to journaling as a therapeutic way to move forward with trust. She offers this lovely volume — filled with photos, affirmations, inspiring quotations and plenty of room for writing personal thoughts — to readers with the hope that they too will come to view their diagnoses as spiritually transformative experiences.
— Helene Woodhams
“Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball’s ‘Flying Dutchman’” by Arthur D. Hittner with a foreword by John Thorn. Revised edition. McFarland & Company. 304 pages. $35.
Art and baseball writer par excellence, retired attorney and former minor league franchise owner Arthur D. Hittner has revised his award-winning 1996 biography of Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop John Peter “Honus” Wagner. With a new foreword by writer and baseball historian John Thorn and updated appendices, Hittner here offers a convincing endorsement of a man considered by many early 20th-century contemporaries the greatest baseball player of all time.
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
“The Sturm Awakens” by Marvin North. Independently published. 336 pages. $14.99; available on Kindle.
Marvin North opens a series — “The Last Battlefield for Light and Darkness” — with this fantasy about powerful forces feuding over control of the cosmos. The feuds play out Antorris, where beasts that have been corrupted are roaming the land. Interestingly complicated Corruption Hunter Inos Sevrence — aided by a boy with magical powers — excels, but unfortunately, she, too, has been corrupted. How can this world be saved?
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
There have been plenty of new voices in fiction and debut novels so far this year. Here are four books recommended by your friends at Pima County Public Library: “City of Laughter” by Temim Fruchter, “Inverno” by Cynthia Zarin, “Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar, “Greta & Valdin” by Rebecca K. Reilly
