Fiction

So, Poppets, here comes Summer and heat and mosquitoes and, let’s be fair, a chance to walk and exercise or play tennis or golf, eat a good grilled hamburger and indulge in a Banana Split!  Thank goodness for air conditioning and iced tea, a few good movies, Rufus Cooper to enjoy the evening’s cooler air with on our walk, and pulling on a simple Summer shift to sit outside, in the evening, while reading one of my favorite types of books—a tough-to-figure-out Brit mystery—and what’s your favorite Fiction book? 

Well, some would say Danielle Steel and some Baldacci, some Mary Higgins Clark, and others Stephen King but whatever you like in your favorite “spot to read”, may I suggest some titles to be enjoyed from the following list?  Let’s begin with a very well-known and respected author of our country’s Civil War years, “A Blaze of Glory; A Novel of the Battle of Shiloh”, by Jeff Shaara, an author who researches his material well and this book reflects that. “With stunning you-are-there immediacy, Shaara takes us inside the maelstrom of Shiloh and, drawing on meticulous research, he dramatizes the key actions and decisions of the commanders on both sides, but—but—but, dear readers, what was going to interest me and will you, “here too are the thoughts and voices of the junior officers, conscripts and enlisted men who gave their all for the cause, brave participants in a pitched back and forth battle  whose casualty count would far surpass anything the American public had yet seen in this war.”  

Gallant young Southern gentlemen rode gaily out to war on their Chestnut blooded mares and/or geldings, carrying their daddy’s gun and enough ammo for three days while Southern women, with their black servants (a touch I’ve always found amusing but believable!) went up on the hillsides, and unpacked a picnic lunch to watch the battle of the day.  Ye Gods! The fact that, certainly at Gettysburg’s battlefield, there was no cover to hide behind as the troops tried desperately to get to the Union (Northern troops) guns, up on the high ridge above them, and it was like shooting ducks in a barrel—go to one of the Civil War battlefields and really listen to the stories—all true—that your guide can tell you. The courage—and blindness—the bitterness and bad decisions of the generals, the savagery of the heat of battle—all of it is here. 

When I saw the book in the library and grabbed it for the column, I was surprised to find it listed as “Fiction”, but then I read Shaara’s explanation; “This book had to be described as a novel because there is dialogue , and you are often inside the minds of these characters, but I recognize (and accept)the risk that you might not agree with my interpretations.  That’s as it should be.  My research is painstaking and I rely exclusively on original sources, in other words the accounts of the people who were there, and I make a strenuous effort to be historically accurate, to get the facts straight.” And in reading as little as I have of this wonderful period of history, the personalities, jealousies, “I know best” attitudes, he goes to great lengths to bring you into the minds and emotions of the participants, from Lee and Grant to the privates in the 2 armies.  It cost us, as a country, a lot and we lost a lot of great young men and they were magnificent, whether in victory or defeat.  Check out the book and carve out some “you time” to be transported back to a time of war, glory, anguish, dirt, disease, hunger, and, finally, being the country we are. 

This next author, John Katzenbach, writes excellent “tight” stories—no excess details or dialogue—but everything that needs to be in his stories are there—three of his books have been made into movies and while I can agree that a lot of mediocre books get made into movies—sometimes to give young actors/actresses a chance to practice their craft—I think I can say that Sean Connery and Bruce Willis are not in that category (nor were they in the same movie!) This book, “What Comes Next”, has a fascinating theme, having to do with a sadistic killer and a very frightened young girl, who is snatched off the street in daylight and her only witness is “a retired university professor diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that will lead him to lose his memory and die within a few years” and as the police drag their heels trying to find that girl, “ he comes to realize (with the help of conversations with his deceased wife who urges him to help the girl) that if he doesn’t get involved and try to find her, she will die. 

“She” is Jennifer Riggins, who is being held prisoner “by a depraved couple who run an exclusive Web site, named What Comes Next, on which viewers can watch, in real time, the horrors inflicted on the couple’s victims.”  Cute, huh? The couple can drown their captured prey, burn them, tear them apart on a rack—whatever they think will keep the people turning to their Web site .  Jennifer is “Number four” and is certainly at the couple’s mercy and thousands of fans tune in to see “What Comes Next?” I really enjoyed not only the physical courage that the afflicted professor shows but also the common sense and urging on of his wife—who has been dead several years but is “back”, urging her husband on.  I’m sure that when I check it out for me, later, that I will find all of it spine-tingling and “a good read.”  

Anyone who does not recognize the name “Clive Cussler” in Fiction has been on the planet Neptune!  He collaborates with different authors (which would be an excellent way for the “newbies” to learn their craft!), and “The Storm”, with Graham Brown, is now available and is one of those in the series called NUMA files. “”In the middle of the Indian Ocean, a NUMA research vessel is taking water samples, when  member of the crew spots a sheen of black oil ahead of them.  But it is not oil. Like a horde of army ants, a swam of black particles suddenly attacks the ship, killing everyone aboard, the ship goes up in flames, and a few hours later, Kurt Austin and other members of the NUMA crew are on their way there.” Black particles that kill everyone on board?  I’m hooked already!  Apparently, this is a scheme to alter the weather patterns of the world, killing millions, and with that black particle disaster, it’s already in place.  

Now, obviously, Cussler ( and Brown) have vivid imaginations, and their villain is Jinn Al-Khalif, who plans to make leaders of countries be subject unto him, turn over their national treasures and money to him, and his faithful “Tonto” is Sabah, one of the few who can talk to Jinn and contradict him and not be killed. The thing, or rather strongest point that Cussler insists on is both a believable scenario, constant action, and believable dialogue between his characters.  Shakespeare he ain’t but a superb story teller he is, and you will keep turning the pages quickly as the action gets faster and more intriguing.  A dam breaks, guns are smuggled, a mastermind has to be stopped—the action is nonstop and, considering the state of the world, the scenario is believable where one brilliant mind could hatch a nefarious (there’s a 50 cent word!) plot to bring world leaders to their knees in the light of major calamity to their nation and the description of what happens in Egypt when the bad guy forces the big Nasser dam to split open and put water down into the valley is the equivalent of four Niagara Falls is told in very descriptive prose. If you or someone you know likes believable adventure tales, find this book and, no, I won’t tell you the ending but then, I never do. The description of the black particles alone are hair raising enough. 

A little change of pace with Luanne Rice and her newest “Little Night” is an intriguing tale wherein “Claire Burke’s life took a devastating turn when she tried to protect her sister, Anne, from an abusive and controlling husband and ended up serving prison time for assault. The verdict largely hinged on Anne’s defense of her husband, which were all lies, and the sisters have been estranged ever since.”  So, it’s now 20 years later,and Claire is living a quiet life when her niece, Grit, turns up and the two want to build a relationship.  This will entail both of them facing the past and the wounds inflicted by Anne and her husband and, hopefully, be able to heal. Then, logically, Clare begins to think that her sister will have followed Grit to New York and while both “hold out hope for a long-awaited reunion with her”, sometime plans go on a different path from dreams. Like Jodi Piccoult, her stories are full of emotion, family, “human interest”, and I found, in my random reading, that her portrayal of Grit was exceptional, very understanding of a young girl’s anxieties and need to feel welcome, and her aunt’s graceful trying to re-connect with and hope for the best in her relationship with her sister.  This book is truly delightful and I urge you to check it out and spend a very pleasant 3 or 4 hours.  

“Wish You Were Here”,by Graham Swift, be is going to be a soap opera tear-jerker, and I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way, since human emotions can bring forth a variety of responses, with tears of self-reproach being one of them. On the Isle of Wight, Jack Luxton, the proprietor of a seaside caravan park,”receives the news that his brother, Tom, not seen for years, has been killed in combat in Iraq.. The news will have unexpected effects on Jack and his wife, Ellie and emotions will run high. I think it’s a “sleeper” and should reward the reader with family tensions while Tom was asleep and how Jack and Ellie will deal with the fact.

So, dear and faithful readers, enjoy having longer days/evenings when you can get comfy, put your iced tea glass or cup of coffee or glass of wine by your side, pick up the book you’ve been looking forward to reading and just relax and forget about your family reunion over the 4^th of July, the next installment of your income tax, and the fact that no one in Congress has progressed beyond first grade in learning how to “get along with others”—just read and zone out!  Thanks for being part of my book world! Bye!

Summer Reading Well Underway

Greetings from the ‘eye’ of the summer reading ‘storm’ as we experience a whirlwind of activities here at the library.  We are truly in the midst of our program, as we saw the end of week three on Friday and will usher in week four on Monday, the 18^th.  And what better way to welcome the new week but with a special program?

Storyteller Rosie Cutrer will be joining us in the Children’s Library at 10 a.m.  This program is not only for our summer readers but also for the citizens of the community.  Rosie has been telling stories professionally for 15 years. Do plan to come and enjoy her presentation.

Our weeks have moved by quickly.  Week one focused on night animals and our young enrollees got into our individual age groups and learned some interesting things, made some fun crafts, and just had a good time.  The adults had their first event on May 31.  It was a fun, social gathering.

Week two, we focused on NASA.  On Tuesday, we shared some NASA clips so that the young people learned a bit about life in space.  On Wednesday, our older students (fifth and sixth graders) tackled a moon habitat project which they made from tightly rolled newspapers.  Two hours later, however, they had to admit defeat.  They were trying to construct one twice as big as the model in the alcove.  They quickly learned where their engineering errors were, but we were out of time to start the project over.  Most of them took home the plans and supplies to construct the smaller one at home.  They had a great time, even if they didn’t have expected outcome. 

The teens experienced a bit of CSI Liberal with a presentation during week two by Patsy Guinn of the Liberal Police Department.  She truly sparked the interest of the young people and we appreciate her willingness to contribute to our programming agenda.   The adults did Library and Lunch on the 12^th and discussed books they were currently reading. 

Week three was entitled Night Shivers.  Our activities were not too scary, if you don’t ask the first and second graders!  Those who came Wednesday afternoon to our presentation by Mad Science of Central Kansas had a rollicking good time with Becky Myer as she mixed together all sorts of interesting things.  The following day, students ages 10 and up got to attend Who Glows There? by Dr. Patrick Ross of Southwestern College in Winfield.  It was a fascinating program in which the kids got to ask lots of questions and see things first hand. 

Alli Lyon came to the library last week to lead the teens in some Yoga.  Some of the participants reported that they felt fine during the yoga but a bit sore if they slouched afterwards.  Good posture is important.  A big ‘thank you’, Alli for leading us!

Now we are ready for week four.  Besides storytelling Rosie this week, we are also offering a special sleepy story time and stuffed animal sleepover.  Children 5, 6, and 7 are invited to wear pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal.  Following the story time, the humans leave and the animals stay for a night in the library.  This is a reservation-only event and participants must be signed up for our summer reading program.  There are a few spots left, so phone the library first thing Monday!

The teens will be enjoying a movie this week on Thursday at 3.  In this 1985 film, a nice, average teenage basketball player begins to show werewolf tendencies that suddenly make him popular at school when he leads the team to victory. The underlying message is to be yourself, regardless of how much hair you have on your body.

The adults will be taking part in Book & Movie on Thursday evening at 6 p.m.  Featured will be A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Come and join us for a discussion about the play!

Week four will wrap up with the Teen program Tai Chi at 2 p.m. on Friday.  Lydia Augustine will be our presenter.  Teens, stop by and experience this ancient art.  Wear comfortable clothing. 

Summer reading is truly a lot of fun!  Hope you can take part in some way and we’ll see you at Memorial Library!

Summer Reading in Full Swing

School’s out, Memorial Day weekend has passed and that means that summer has unofficially kicked off. It also means that the SummerReading Program at the Liberal Memorial Library is in full swing.

The Children’s programs were off to a bustling start with each age group handling individual projects.

The little ones (up to 36 months) were treated to story time and learned about pajamas. They were read Llama, llama, red pajama.

Preschoolers were read stories on owls and then made owl sack puppets.

First and second graders learned about night-time animals and made masks of nocturnal animals.

Third and fourth graders watched a video on bats and then made bats out of clothespins and craft paper.

Fifth and sixth graders took a journey through music as they learned about jazz. They listened to the melodic musings of smooth jazz and then made percussion instruments with everyday items.

The Young Adult started its program with a Game Session. The teens came in and played Just Dance on the Wii, Uno and Battleship while snacking on popcorn and drinking lemonade.

The Adult program shot out of the gate with a nite time snacking social – there were chips and salsa, chocolate cake and cheesecake and cookies. There was also plenty of good conversation as patrons in the program discussed books and what books they were reading.

The genres ran the gamut from historical romances to mysteries to non-fiction.  And we also found out that reading came in many forms. Some used the good ol’ fashioned print others went through audio books while others embraced new technology with e-readers. It really didn’t make a difference how you were reading but that you were reading.

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This coming week at the Library, the Children’s Summer Reading programs will have a space theme to it.

Join us at 1 p.m., on Tuesday, June 5, for NASA movie shorts. We’ll be showing some informational shorts about life in space.  Topics included are brushing your teeth, exercising, working in space, sleeping.  This program is part of our summer reading and is open to the public.

On Wednesday, June 6 at 3:00 p.m., we’ll be presenting a Moon Habitat workshop for 5th and 6th graders. Come and help make a moon habitat large enough to crawl into.  No need to bring anything but yourselves!

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The Young Adults will have a movie at Tuesday, June 5 at 3 p.m. A group of seven young friends from a small Northwest town find themselves on a thrilling, underground adventure, filled with humor and heart-pounding peril as they seek the secrets behind the treasure of the notorious pirate, One-Eyed Willie.

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Don’t forget that we’re on facebook at facebook/lmlibrary. It’s a great way to communicate with us. We want to let you know what we’re doing and we want to hear from you. What programs would you like to see at the Library? What books would you like us to carry? How can we better serve you – the community?

Summer Reading… Not Just for Kids!

It’s that time of year again… summer reading! Sign up has been steadily moving along this week as kids, teens, and adults are embarking on the adventures of reading through the hot sweltering days ahead.  The children and teen programs run through the end of June and the adult program runs through July. There are many activities and drawings involved through all age groups in the next few weeks.

The theme of adult summer reading is “Between the Covers”.   Frankenstein weeping while reading Gone with the Wind and Scarlett O’Hara shocked at reading Frankenstein. That’s the artwork for the theme. It’s quite adorable.  For chances to win the t-shirts and other prizes, adults who sign up will receive tickets to write down what books they have completed through the summer to enter drawings at the end of the program.  Also, the first fifteen individuals who sign up for the program will receive tote bags to cart their books (or audiobooks) around!

The first event on the adult summer reading agenda will be a Social on Thursday, May 31 at 6 p.m.  A chance for adults who are participating in the program to get together and kick start the program.  (The theme for the evening will be night-time snacks!)   Through the summer there will be a Book and Movie that has been incorporated into this summer’s theme and two films.  A Library and Lunch will be held on Tuesday, June 12 at noon and a Book Chat on Tuesday, July 10 at 6 p.m.   Two chances for participants to meet and discuss the books they are currently reading. To end the program there will be a Murder Mystery scheduled for Thursday, July 19 at 6 p.m.  More details will be released on the event as they become available.

There are no particular books that need to be read.  In case you need suggestions, on the library website check out New, Notable, and Awarded Books under the What’s New tab for books to browse.  On the library catalog interface (before and after you log in) there are links to the newly cataloged material the library has acquired including separate sections for new DVDs, music, new young adult, new gentle reading fiction, audio books, new adult, and new children’s items!  There are also links to awarded books that the library owns.  For non-fiction buffs, there are also topical searches in a variety of subjects from Antiques and Collections to True Crime.  Or ask the circulation desk!  Shannon, one of our newest circulation staffers and I had a fun encounter with a teen this week.  We both gave them so many Hunger Games readalikes they may have been overwhelmed.  Though we know they will be back next week when they’re through with their batch of books.

The teen summer reading program theme is “Own the Night”.  Teens set a goal of how many hours they plan on reading during the program's five weeks.  If they reach their goal, they are eligible to win a t-shirt and those who read 35 or more hours have the opportunity to join in on the High Readers Party at the end of the program.     

Own the Night activities will include Animals in the Night a program by Josh Jagel of Meade State Park, Game Time full of board games, video games, and card games, Follow the Evidence a program by Patsy Guinn of the evidence division of the Liberal Police Department (I’m calling it our look into CSI!), Mad Science of Central Oklahoma will explore dreams, Yoga a program by Alli Lyon, Who Glows There a program by Dr. Patrick Ross from Southwestern College, Tai Chi a program led by Lydia Augustine, Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! a program by Zach Carpenter and friends talking about why zombies are so popular, DIY Crafts where the production of ornaments and button bracelets will take place, Magician Steve Crawford, and the end of the summer reading Ice Cream Party in August!  These are the events in store for teens at the library this summer.

For both adults and teens, if you prefer to read at home instead of joining in on library activities that’s fine as well! We’d still love to see you signed up this summer and participating in the capacity that you are able.

So pick up a summer reading packet and sign-up sheets this month and grab a newsletter at the circulation desk.  Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages.   If you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to ask. Hope to see you at the library this summer!

Summer Reading Begins

                The library is bustling with activity this time of year as we approach the start of our summer reading programs.  Every age group is able to take part, so no one will feel left out.  For the adults, our program this year is entitled “Between the Covers”.  The adult session lasts longer than that of the other two.  It will go from May 29 through July 31.   Some unique things are planned for the adults, including the start of the program social, book discussions, movies, and a murder mystery.  Paulina will have more details in next week’s column.

Teens entering seventh through twelfth grade can look forward to “Own the Night” which runs from May 29 through June 29.  Sign up and set a reading goal to earn a cool tee shirt.  In addition, there will be programs taking place throughout the five weeks that you can attend, including a program by the evidence division of the Liberal Police Department, Yoga, and much more.   When you sign up, you’ll get a sheet with all the info on it.

Children from infant through entering sixth grade can sign up for “Dream Big…Read”.  Besides the reading portion of the program to earn the tee shirt, there are also age group gatherings each week for stories and crafts and special programs the whole family can attend, including Mad Science, a storyteller, and a program on nocturnal animals, to name a few.   When children sign up, they’ll get a program sheet that tells all about the activities. 

Sign up week is May 21 - 26.  We are hoping that patrons can make it into the library during that week, but if not, it will be possible to sign up after the 26^th of May.  New this year is the option to print out your sign-up sheets on line, fill them out, and have them ready when you come in to sign up.  To access each set of forms, go to www.lmlibrary.org, Adult Summer Reading will be in the column on the left.  Teens go to Youth Pages at the top of our home page, click on teen drop down, then following summer reading in left column.  For children, it’s Youth Pages on the top of the home page, kid’s page, then summer reading on the left.  All the forms can be picked up when you are at the library as well.  Parents need to accompany minors, as a media release form will need to be signed.  

Parents, the Dream Big…Read! Program is truly beneficial to your children in that it provides reading practice, through a fun program, for five additional weeks into the summer.  Research proves that children lose reading skills throughout the summer unless they read.  “Access to reading materials has been consistently identified as a vital element in enhancing the reading development of children. Of all the activities in which children engage outside of school, time spent actually reading is the best predictor of reading achievement – the more students read, the better readers they become (Allington, 2006; Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988).”  (Taken from Summer Reading Loss by Maryann Mraz & Timothy V. Rasinski at www.readingrockets.org/article/15218/)

The library affords wonderful access to reading materials to help your child keep up his or her reading skills this summer and a fun program to go along with those materials.  Why not plan to join us?  See you at Memorial Library!

 

COMING UP AT THE LIBRARY THIS WEEK

·         Sign up week May 21-26.  Stop by the Children’s Desk

·         Teen Gaming, Thursday, May 24 at 4:00

Non-fiction

"Helen, she’s back—I thought Ms. Librarian of the mid-nineties just had a column in here. Why doesn't someone give her a cat? On second thought, cats don’t read columns. Oh, well..maybe she’s lonesome and wants to talk to us about more books—and more books. I wonder if she drinks beer—I do." Hi, guys! I’m sitting here looking at another major golf tour on TV and remembering how my dear, darling grandmother, whom I called “Foof”, loved the game and, at one time, was Kansas Women’s Golf Champion—or something like that, anyway. I know she always said, “You can hit the ball a mile, but you can lose your game on the putting green”, and she was so pleased when I took Golf at Washburn University in Topeka as part of my Phys. Ed. Course. I told her my final score was some now-forgotten low number for 9 holes, and she was so proud of me—and then I said, “You know, it’s terribly annoying when you dig up grass and dirt, with your swing, but the ball is still sitting there!” Foof said “Wait a minute—you whiffed the ball on each hole—you didn’t actually hit it?” and I told her that eventually, after several swings, I certainly did hit the ball. When she stopped laughing, I learned each stroke counted --and promptly gave up the game. I love the definition of Golf—“a perfectly good walk spoiled.”

I’m about to order a pretty white, floaty dress for Summer heat and I’m sure it will come in handy when it’s between 97 and 100 degrees—and another fact I can confidently say is that this column is Non-Fiction and we will find just the perfect “read” for you, out there—I’m confident. So, let’s begin with a truly funny book, “Cruising Attitude; Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet”, by Heather Poole, and the stories she tells are endlessly funny and you can hardly put the book down!

Prince William’s wife, Catherine, “was born to parents who had both worked as airline crew before going into the party supply business—“and some of those who have married flight attendants are Robert De Niro, Wayne Newton, Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, Greece Prime Minister George Papandreous, and Kelsey Grammar, among others and while times and requirements have changed, the job is still a desirable one, with thousands of people applying each year.”

I just hooted when she said, every time she gets on the plane, she tries to identify the “Crazy”, who will say or do or demand or plans to do, on their own, something that really would make that particular flight strange, or tiring, or fraught with possibilities of disaster…and then there was the princess who didn’t like her seat, the light, had to have fresh, uncooked vegetables, wanted changed from Business class to First Class, no foam cup but a regular china mug, needed supporting help to get to the bathroom (which may or may not have been the reason the sink was overflowing with what might or might not have been brown water, clutched Heather’s arm tightly and hissed, “I haven’t asked for much on this flight, and I’ve been pretty nice on this flight considering the circumstances.” Heather said, “I inhaled deeply and nodded my head in agreement—because, in fact, she had asked more of me than any other passenger had in 15 years of flying!” The “brown water” inner vision got me! Ye Gods and Little Fishhooks! What a charmer to have to take care of.

Her stories are a great panoramic view of how the stewardesses/flight attendants got started, their early standards, and, today, in her airline, “the average age of a flight attendant is 40 years old and for the first time in history, being a flight attendant is considered a profession, not just a job. Ninety-six percent of the people who apply to an airline don’t get hired” -- you might want to read that again, should you know someone who is applying and thinking it’s a no-brainer -- they better have some brains as well as looks and ambition. Get the book and sit back to enjoy and learn what being a “stew” really is. Great reading!

Wow—what a change this next book is—“Revelations; Visions, Prophecy and Politics in the Book of Revelation”, by Elaine Pagels, and in its first pages, I was lost. ???? First of all, this gal is Professor of Religion at Princeton University and the author of a bestseller, “Beyond Belief” and her knowledge just leaps off the page!

“Revelations” is, hands down, the most controversial book of the Bible and, in her previous books, "Pagels has brought readers to the suppressed biblical texts known as the Gnostic Gospels—now, she turns to a text that is firmly, dramatically, within the New Testament canon. What is the meaning of its surreal images of dragons, monsters, angels and cosmic wars. Why were other books of revelations discarded while this one survived?"

So, she returns to the last days of the mighty Roman Empire, where militant Jews in the city of Jerusalem had been defeated and it resulted in the desecration of the Great Temple in that city; in the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, “a Jewish prophet and a follower of Jesus Christ, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgment on the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people.” Well, Christians, needing hope and promise, championed/agreed with John’s prophecies because they offered hope and promise as offering hope, but “others seized on the Book of Revelations as a weapon against heretics and infidels of all kinds”, and the book has fascinated these same people up to today. And this is what I found fascinating—“Those who loved John’s visions refused to discard them and instead reinterpreted them—as Christians have done for 2,000 years” and, perhaps, the best way to look at Revelations is each generation sees its own conflicts, sufferings, and hope in the grand visions that John had or saw.

On a fabulous trip to Greece—I’d go again next week, given the chance—the one place I thought I had no interest in climbing up another small mountain—literally!—to reach was on the island of Patmos and being able to see the cave where John was held prisoner, and where he did his writing of the Revelations. So, I stayed on board ship and have regretted it ever since—what a wonderful opportunity it would have been for this Episcopal layreader to have seen John’s cave. We were told that the reason his captors let his writings of strange visions go out to the world was that the Romans thought he was crazy and these were hallucinations and no one would take them seriously. In this writing, God sends terrible catastrophes upon Earth and its people and then steps in to save them. Not an easy book, but one that, if read one chapter at a time is worth your effort.

We seem to be getting several books written about the heroic dogs who are in war zones and the, literally, life saving skills they are taught that has saved their soldier/handler many times, and the book,"Soldier Dogs; The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes”, by Maria Goodavage, is really great to read in that it has how the dogs are trained—as well as their soldier/handlers. The lives they save are real lives “and play an increasingly crucial role in real battlefield situations.” Throughout history, dogs have been messengers, sled pullers, first-aid deliverers and scouts—“My life is in my dog’s nose”, many handlers have told the author.

A lot of the beginning training work is done “on leash” but it becomes an advanced course when the dog is taken off leash, and encouraged to move off from his handler 50 to 60 ft. and sniff out IED’s—and the first thing they learn is to bond with their “person”, and the worst thing, to me, would be to ignore the blast of explosives going on all around them (but then, I don’t like someone eating popcorn around me in the movie!)

Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Kristopher Knight—“Gunny” is a legendary trainer, tough on men and dogs, will step in and address a problem (very frank, almost brutal in making his points but sound judgement and great skills in managing men and dogs) and the lessons handed out are remembered—on both sides of the leash. If an aggressive dog doesn’t back off his target, “the trick, say the veteran handlers, is to remain calm and in control while getting the dog’s attention via a little ‘ass whupping’, whereby the dog is thrown down on his back and quickly slapped on his head—the idea is not to hurt him so much as to let him know, in no uncertain terms that this behavior will not be tolerated.” Justice, as we all know, can come from unexpected places “and it is not unheard of for other instructors or handlers to mete out quid pro quid punishment. Kick a dog hard in his belly when he’s already flat on his back, for instance, and don’t be surprised when what goes around comes around.” Yes! I’ll bet on it being the last time an unfair punishment is given to the dog by that particular trainer.

Great book—and a branch of one of my dogs, my Belgian Shepherd, Trooper, called a French Malinois, was strapped across the shoulders of a Seal Team member as they parachuted into B.Laden’s compound. They are a short-coated black and brown dog who is a little hard-headed but smart and devoted to their “person”, and that dog is still “in service” today. Wouldn’t you love to have a one-on-one talk with “Gunny” and hear his stories, both with dogs and handlers? Great book, find, heel, and read, dear readers.

Last quick look at a book is “The Man Without a Face; The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin”, by Masha Gessen. In 1999, "the family surrounding Boris Yeltsin went looking for a successor to the ailing and increasingly unpopular president of Russia and Putin, with very little governmental experience, beyond having worked as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, seemed the perfect choice."

The infatuated West were determined to see in him the progressive leader of their dreams, “even as with ruthless efficiency Putin dismantled the country’s media, wrested control and wealth from a growing middle class and decimated the fragile mechanisms of democracy.” Surprise! After just a few years, every obstacle was overcome and every opposing view silenced---those who would not be dominated left or died.” Quite a book with great insights into Putin as he was and is will be for awhile.

Enjoy a good book, here at the beginning of Summer, with, in daytime hours, a glass of iced tea (with lime, please) and, in the evening on your patio, a glass of cold white wine (perhaps a chilled “Clos de Bois”?) In any case, be sure your animals have fresh water morning and evening and be sure to read one of the books mentioned here—or all of them! Be glad you have a great library in Liberal and thanks for reading along! Caio!

Fiction

It’s a beautiful evening here in Kerrville, Texas, and the weather is 84 degrees, I’ve just returned from the fabulous Kroc Center (of which there are only 8 others in the United States!) where I set up for a dinner for seating 125 people—no, I did not do it alone—are you kidding me, Jockey?  There were six of us scurrying like drunken squirrels getting tablecloths on, silver, cups and saucers, glasses, salt and peppers, sugars and creamers—and out of the dining room by a certain time so that the powers-that-be could get in there with centerpieces, banners, set up cameras, etc.!  I had also just helped with the Lions Club meeting at noon, today, and a nicer group of people you couldn’t’ meet. Very considerate and polite, but I was tempted to tell a lady that her shorts were really a little too short for a luncheon—but then, I thought better of it (Himself always cautions me on that point—the short shorts are not any of my business—still, there was that one moment when I considered it!

Could anyone tell me what Mitt Romney’s first name is?  Just an idle question. Are there many heated discussions concerning politics, amongst your friends and relations or does everyone find it better not to?  I’m sorry for whoever becomes President since,
A. this is not a dictatorship for the individual who is president to just expect or think he can ride in on his ideas and desires and get them and,
B. who’d want to have to work with a Congress who don’t even want to talk to a president, much less each other?  Maybe, since the country has expressed its annoyance and frustration with Congress often enough, they will be easier to work with, the next 4 years? 

Well, that’s my transition—heralding fictional ideas—that transitions into letting you know this is a Fiction column.  The well-known author, Ralph McInerny was a strong and vital voice in lay Catholic activities, taught medieval studies at Notre Dame University and wrote “The Father Dowling Mysteries”, which ran on TV for several seasons, and this book, “The Compassion of Father Dowling”, is a sterling collection of his short stories not only about a mystery but the human nature behind it.  It’s printed in Large Type and, therefore, easy to read.:”The benevolent and brilliant Father Dowling has cared for St. Hilary’s congregations while still finding time to unravel the knottiest of mysteries.” His great charm is the easy-going manner he has and even understanding the criminals who did when they felt they had to do.  He is, indeed, a gentle, kindly man while, at the same time, loving the unlovable. This is a nice, gentle book sans violent sex, sadism, evil people (except for the murderers, here and there) and anyone who reads it will love Father Dowling.

To be honest (which usually I am, sometimes when it would have been easier to lie!) about this next book, I am ambivalent about, and, as your reviewer, I will explain—and my reasons are strictly my own. “The Replacement Wife”, by Elieen Goudge, is a well-received, “thoughty” book about the subject of a wife and mother having cancer, learning it’s fatal and inoperable and deciding to pick her husband’s choice of wife to replace her, as she knows his likes and dislikes better than anybody. Well—he sort of does that, picking out his own “replacement wife”, she doesn’t like it and feels betrayed and he explodes and says she should have known she was playing with fire—and then, the doctor tells her that, with the new Cancer drugs she’s been taking, she will beat the disease and live another 20 years! Yeah. That’s what I thought, too. 

Well, by and by, they decide that for the sake of their marriage and kids, they’ll just “keep things as they are”, and he will distance himself from the “replacement” and his friendly buddy gives some excellent thought-provoking questions to ask himself, and so we journey on.  No, I will not tell you the ending, that’s the point of this column-I try to encourage you to read the book yourself. I, myself was not happy with the ending, but then I’ve asked myself exactly what ending did I want, much less expect, much less count on happening? See, Camille, the wife, picked Elise, knowing, “in her absence, they would need the constant, loving support only someone as kind and giving as Elise could offer.” Well, all that’s very noble and understandable—except that isn’t whom the husband, Edward, has, in accepting the situation, gravitated towards. Beginning to get the picture, are you? I always said you all were smart—smarter than the average poppets. 

The next one is another one of these “woman’s stories”, although not at all sugary and “dumb”, just interesting and full of human interest, “The Song Remains the Same”, by Allison Scotch, and it, too, is in Large Print.  Attendez!  Nell Slattery wakes up in the hospital, having luckily survived a plane crash, only to find she has no memory of who she is, or what happened, and beginning with a kind reporter (are the two terms really synonomous?) learns she was in a plane crash, apparently trying to run away. Her husband, Peter, is trying to hide his recent affair. Her mother is trying to sweep the real story of her long-lost father “under the rug”. Her sister, Rory, is trying to protect hers and Nell’s “volatile relationship” with conflicting stories of her own.”

So, with the help of the reporter, whom she makes a pact with that they’ll tell each other only the truth no matter what, Nell sets out, while confined to a hospital bed, to discover her relationships with others. During the course of her beginning “to learn the truth” about people and events, “the problem with forgetting everything, you don’t remember that trouble is always just around the bend.”  As you can imagine, memories are just around every corner, her ex-husband is trying too hard, her mother has a new man in town and the two of them loving moments in front of Nell, that rather makes her nauseous, her reporter/partner in finding out her past, such as the house, according to Indira, her mother, in Charlottesville, Va. “that’s where your father lived. That’s where he lived the other half of his life.  That’s where he lived his life without you, your sister, and me.”  So, does Nell recover all her memory, stay with her philandering husband and his pleading for another chance, learn her parent’s past and still love them? Does your past dictate your future and how much of it do we carry with us, forever and ever, amen? 

Interesting concept and the story moves right along—as will I, now, to the next offering for your reading pleasure, and this next author is a genuine delight as can be attested to by those of us who read and admire and chuckle over Alexander McCall Smith and his stories about the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency and the delightful people who “run it”. His newest is “The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection” which, upon reading, I laughed out loud at—why, you ask?  Thank you for asking—I delight in giving extraneous thoughts. Rudyard Kipling, in his classic collection of stories about and from India, wrote about a river he called “ the great, gray, greasy Limpopo River” and I always delighted in repeating it to my Brit grandfather, and he’d laugh with me at the images it brought up,  (the Brit were always linked to India, don’cha know!)

Alors! In Botswana, home to the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency for the problems of ladies, and others, it was customary to enquire of the people whom you meet whether they have slept well.  Of course, mosquitoes may be defeated by nets or sprays, just as dogs may be roundly scolded; a bad conscience, though, is not so easily stifled.” The language is always mannered, the thoughts made clear, and the reader is “let into” the various character’s minds and motives. The head of the detective agency is the wonderful, wise, Precious Ramotswe, and she is “haunted by a repeated dream, a vision of a tall, strange man who waits for her beneath an acacia tree, and she’d worry more about it during the day if she weren’t so busy.

The best apprentice at the husband’s garage is in trouble with the law and stuck with the worst lawyer in Gaborone; her assistant, Grace and fiancée, Phuti Radiphuti, are building the house of their dreams except the contractor is crooked—and,most shocking, Mme, Potokwane, defender of Botswana’s weak and downtrodden has been dismissed from her post as matron at the orphan farm.” Calamity has indeed struck! Help arrives from the tall stranger of the dreams, who turns out to be none other than the estimable Clovis Andersen, author of the manual the ladies detective agency runs by.”  You will not want to quit reading this book when bedtime comes—Smith has formulated a style that is, if I may be so dramatic, charming and funny and very knowing about people, their motives, and dark side. So, go check out this book and congratulate yourself on having a story of people and events that are both ordinary and grave and understandable.

Hey, guys, the big 4^th of July is coming up, and even though firecrackers are largely banned, everyone knows that some will go off, somewhere, in the middle of the night—and—and—there’s always slightly burned hot dogs on the grill, potato salad and homemade ice cream and chocolate cake, right? Keep smiling, water your plants, walk the dog;(no, he doesn’t get enough exercise stuck out in the yard, all by himself! Trust me on this—or ask your vet about the importance—and companionship that a walk with you provides.) and treat yourself to a double-dip ice cream cone after a hot day.

Always remember what a privilege it is to have a library in your town, and since I can see the flaws in the one just renovated and re-opened here in Kerrville, trust me when I say you have a great director and staff and great balance in materials available to the public—i.e.you! Sometimes we take libraries for granted and maybe the good ones should be, as they try valiantly to fulfill the needs and requests of its patrons—but, again, realize that not all libraries are like ours in Liberal.  Give a compliment to Jill, our director, or anyone on staff—or even a suggestion to improve something. Take care of yourselves and your furry friends and see ya next column. Bye!