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Local Author Nancy Kenney
In The Lost Submarine: A True Story of Love and War,
author Nancy Kenney tells two tales. In 2005, sixty years after the loss of American submarine U.S.S. LAGARTO (SS - 371), the vessel was found by British divers in the Gulf of Thailand. It was the first missing submarine from WWII to be found and verified. Through the shock and joy of this discovery, Kenney, a daughter of crew member SM1 William Mabin, gathered the letters kept by her mother for more than six decades and used them and those of other crew members to tell the story of submariners' experiences and dreams during service in the South Pacific.
Interwoven with this personal account from the war years, is the story of a sailor's daughter, who lost her father when she was two and "found" him when she was sixty-two. It is a story of a lasting love for a father still missed and the determination to honor him and all submariners who have given their lives for their country. (Splattered Ink Press, 2012. pap $20)
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Another book from the Lindbergh family of writers. Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of Charles and Ann Morrow Lindbergh, has written a lovely sensitive picture book in rhyme for the very young who will love the illustra-
tions of Anne Wilsdorf. The result is Homer, the Library Cat. Homer lives in a quiet home with a quiet lady who is a librarian and works, of course, in a quiet place. One day Homer is startled by a VERY LOUD noise that causes him to jump out the window. Poor Homer suddenly is thrust into a world of loud noises from fire engines to clattering trash cans to freight trains. Trying to find his way home and out of the noise, Homer fortunately wanders into ... the quiet public library and is reunited with his lady librarian. A "purrfect" joy to read out loud.
(Candlewick Press, 2011. hdc $15.99) ~ Betsy Wagner
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Maybe this is better than an old airstream?
But, harder to find.....
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This vacation I brought along Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter which has been on my To Read Pile for a couple of years, after being recommended by Priscilla Cogan. Tom Franklin captures violence and tensions in rural Mississippi as he carefully spins the tale of an unsolved teenage crime and how suspect Scary Larry's life turns into one lived in discrimination and isolation. Details and surprises are slowly revealed in this story of a childhood interracial friendship and violence which makes it hard to put down. (Harper Perennial, 2010. pap $14.99) ~Barbara Siepker
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Local Book Clubs
Glen Arbor Book Group at
The Yarn Shop
Feb. 15 10:00
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Mar. 15 10:00
The Silver Sparrow
by Tayari Jones
The March meeting will be at Ann Wettlaufer's home. Call 231-334-7531 for directions.
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Lakeshore Readers' Book Group at Glen Lake Community Library in Empire
Feb. 27 10:15
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised our Nation by Cokie Roberts
March 27 10:15
On Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith
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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the depths of winter as experienced in Glen Arbor! For those who have missed the blustery winter weather of past years, this month's northern Michigan arctic blasts has harkened back to the good old days of real winter. Below is an article by Katie Bedard-Goytowski who writes for the Insider, the free local paper with excellent local coverage. It was a mutually delightful experience being interviewed by Katie. She signed up for our Book of the Month Club and we welcome her as a regular reviewer.
The ground hog did not see his shadow on a cloudy February 2, which may mean Spring is on its way. However, Barbara and Jill took no chances and are away this month seeking sunnier climates. Rest assured, Josephine Arrowood and Kim Mann are here to serve you. If in town, be sure to bundle up and attend the Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, February 16th on Boonedocks deck.
Barbara Siepker, Jill Webb and Josephine Arrowood |
The photo below was on the front page of a recent Benzie/Leelanau Insider newspaper.
Photo by Katie Bedard-Goytowski
The Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor has a wide selection of journals, note cards, local art and, of course, books, with many written by local authors. "The Legend of the Sleeping Bear," written by Kathy-jo Wargin, illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen and published by Sleeping Bear Press, is the most popular book, "all the time, every year," said owner Barbara Siepker. Here, she stands with books published by Leelanau Press, the nonprofi t publishing organization she established with her husband.
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Book of the Month
As a handful of family mourners gather in Notre Dame Cathedral for the funeral of an agnostic, a small woman in black sweeps up the aisle to the coffin, raises her veil and kisses the deceased. From her handbag she takes an old bicycle bell, rings it loudly, places it beside the body then saunters back past the family out the door. So begins the leisurely, gentle love story of two French teens, Leon and Louise, who in the last days of World War I pass each other on their bikes ultimately to meet and fall in love. Both are wounded by German artillery and presume the other has died. Two decades later while Leon is living with his wife and family in Paris he happens to meet Louise on the Metro but they drift apart again when the Nazis march into the city. Narrated by Leon's grandson this is a bright and sometimes humorous look at love, hardship, strengths and weakness. (Haus Publishing, 2012. pap $15) ~Jill Webb
Join our Book of the Month Club and automatically receive our monthly paperback selections at 15% off, plus $2.50 shipping, which will be charged to your credit card. When ordering additional books with this selection, you will also receive 15% off. Should you wish to substitute, let us know within a few days of receiving this email.
Sign up yourself, your loved ones or a friend to receive a book each month.
At any time you may choose to make a pre-payment of $165 for a one year subscription (12 books).
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Customer Recommendations
Katie Bedard-Goytowski is our
newest regular book reviewer
Shannon doesn't know who she is. Abandoned on the steps of the YMCA as a premature newborn, Shannon is shuttled through several unsuitable foster homes before being adopted at the age of five. But even with a mother who loves her and a sister who tolerates her (most of the time), she still doesn't feel as if she truly belongs. Marjorie Celona's debut novel, Y, chronicles Shannon's desperate search for herself and for her biological family, all the while revealing painful information about her birth mother's family, including the terrible truth about the tragedy of her birth. With overpowering insight and clarity, Celona straightforwardly reexamines the age-old debate of "nature vs. nurture," and comes down smack-dab in the middle in Y-can you really pick one?
(Free Press, 2013. hdc $24.99) ~Katie Bedard-Goytowski works in Traverse City as a freelance writer and editor, mostly for the "Grand Traverse Insider" and the "Kalkaska Leader." She also does freelance PR (public relations) work. All of that will change soon, though, because her husband (who is in the Coast Guard) is being transferred to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where they will be moving this spring, which is bound to be an adventure moving her" insane collection of books."
If it's possible to write a coming of age tale about a man nearing forty, John Kenney has done it. Truth in Advertising chronicles a season in the life of Finbar Dolan, a copy- writer at an advertising agency in New York City. Fin is nearing forty, alone, and, still haunted by the memories of a less-than-idyllic childhood, is struggling to find himself before it's too late. Readers will find themselves sympathizing with (and then wanting to scream at) Fin, watching as he makes self-destructive decisions at every turn, alienating some of the best things about his life. However, an unexpected tragedy leads Fin to make some surprising decisions, which ultimately lead him to find growth, healing, and support from places he never imagined. While the novel has a compelling plot and an even more universal theme, it can be a bit murky with the confusingly high number of characters and multiple sudden flashbacks coupled with internal dialogues. But the characters become more understandable (or less important) and Fin's constant internal struggle, coupled with a quick, dry wit, makes it a difficult book to put down. (Touchstone Books, 2013. hdc $24.99) ~Katie Bedard Goytowski
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New in Paperback
Does the future hold happiness or dread for fifteen-year-old twins, Dell and his sister Berner, after their parents are arrested for robbing a bank? Canada is another winner for Pulitzer prize- winning author Richard Ford, with pages turning expectantly as the reader traces Dell's journey from Montana to Saskatchewan. Here he meets persons of questionable worth...one of whom, though an outwardly suave American, Arthur Remlinger, "masks a dark and violent nature". Dell's days become filled with mundane, physical chores as he accompanies Remlinger's foreman, Charley Quarters, to work each day. Dell's Dad told him years before that "Our most profound experiences are physical events." Dell comes to think that "how you felt about things; what you assumed; what you thought and feared and remembered" mattered more. How Dell reaches this conclusion is a long and arduous trip, filled with hard work and surprising twists and turns. Ford's prose is simple, graphic and to-the-point. This is one more major literary gift from Ford. (Ecco, 2012. pap $15.99) ~Joanne Bender
 It takes a long time to read and digest this hefty 1000-page book, but once into the swing of moving between three main characters told in alternating chapters, it is a worthwhile, engulfing read. Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors and this is by far his most magnificent. His delivery and transitions are smooth, writing spectacular, and imagination fantastic. Add to the equation, the clandestine activities of a mysterious woman, a plagiarizing writer, and a beautiful young dyslexic woman-- all driven by encounters with the Little People in the alternative reality and parallel world of 1Q84 with its two night moons. (Vintage, 2013. pap $16.95) ~Barbara Siepker
A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity,
In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love -- tormented, funny, affecting, and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy the bisexual narrator, and main character of In One Person, tells the tragicomic story ( lasting more than half a century) of his life as a "sexual suspect," a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 in his landmark novel of "terminal cases," The World According to Garp. In One Person is a poignant tribute to Billy's friends and lovers, a theatrical cast of characters who defy category and convention. It is also an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the solitariness of a bisexual man who is dedicated to making himself "worthwhile."
(Simon and Shuster, 2013. pap $15.99)
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