Review: Thumbing Through Thoreau

Thumbing Through Thoreau: A Book of Quotations by Henry David Thoreau Compiled by Kenny Luck/Illustrated by Jay Luke and Ren Adams

“…simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run.” P160

Thoreau is known for his urgings of man to live simply and honestly. So often we get so caught up in our possessions that we miss the everyday miracles that life bestows. Kenny Luck has put together a beautiful rendition of quotes both famous and less known that encourage us to pause and remember our journey and through our recognition of life around us to improve ourselves.

Thumbing Through Thoreau is a collection of quotations taken from Thoreau's journals, writings, and personal letters. Kenny Luck, a journalist, compiled the quotes to address a variety of subjects that include society & government, spirituality & nature, and love. The book is timely and relevant to today. It is beautifully crafted and easily accessible. As a teacher it is a book that I might use in conjunction with studies of Thoreau and Emerson in the classroom. As an admirer of Thoreau I found the book to be fresh and exciting. I have enjoyed reacquainting myself with these concepts. The book will sit nearby on my desk so that I might grab it at any moment and find inspiration for the day.

Excerpt from book's Introduction:

As I stood on the edge of Walden Pond, about to make a symbolic leap into what had become in my mind a scared place, Hawthorne’s poetic observation was not present in my thoughts. For a summer day, it was unusually cold; a light mist rose above the surface of the water; and having forgotten my towel and bathing suit at home in Pennsylvania, I was forced to strip down, making do with what I was wearing in that revealing moment. I hung my clothes on a nearby tree branch and began inching my way toward the water. It was a ritual Henry David Thoreau, one of America’s first literary giants, had performed countless times during his stay in the woods.


It was June 2007, and this was my second trip to Walden Pond. I had visited the previous summer but resolved only to walk along the shoreline, avoiding the seduction of the water. “This time,” I thought to myself, “I am going in.” Although I was initially reluctant, once the water rose past by waistline, I felt an extraordinary release. I made one final push off the rock where I was standing and let go. I let the water take me. Feeling free from constraints, I had transformed into one of Hawthorne’s angels, baptized by the clear, cool waters of the pond.

My experience at Walden Pond that day was emblematic. It was the culmination of a two-year journey which led me to Concord, Massachusetts, where I hoped to retrace the steps of a man who I had never met, but felt an extraordinary affinity towards. Moreover, I saw a little bit of myself in Thoreau. Here was a man who, despite the conventions of his day, shunned every comfort and convenience. Thoreau once refused to take a doormat, for instance, offered to him by an elderly woman, hoping to avoid what he called the “beginnings of evil.” It seemed like something I would have done had I not read about it first. For the first time in my young life, I met my literary and intellectual soul mate.






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About the Author:
Kenny Luck is a graduate student at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa., and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History & Political Science from the same institution. He writes for The Weekender – an arts and entertainment weekly – and The Independent. He is currently working on his second book. He enjoys recording music, book browsing and travel.


“If I were to be baptized it should be in this pond,” wrote Nathanial Hawthorne, reflecting upon the majesty of Walden Pond one autumn afternoon in 1843. “But then one would not wish to pollute it by washing off his sins into it. None but angels should bathe here.”

 
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Review: Breakup:Enduring Divorce by Leo Averbach

Breakup: Enduring Divorce by Leo Averbach

Reviewed by Deborah L. Baker for Reader's Choice Reviews

Having never experienced divorce, Breakup was a new experience for me.  Nonetheless, author Leo Averbach allowed me to share the incredibly painful process of divorce through his gritty memoir. Averbach experiences a loss so deep and personal that it is hard to imagine. This story told through Leo’s journal shares the process he, his ex wife, and the children go through before the final act of divorce that eventually releases the family to heal.

The language is raw and at times acrid, as Averbach details his life’s downward spiral on learning that his wife is having an affair. He vacillates between trying to save the marriage, love for his wife and wanting her out of his life.  The emotional turmoil is real and heartrending.

Averbach’s wife, Paula, moves out of their home leaving Leo and the children behind. She also struggles with the decision on whether to turn her back on her marriage and family, or give up her newfound love and save her marriage and home. Paula exhibits bitterness and anger with frequent outbursts directed at Leo. His responses range from passive aggressive to outright rage.

Breakup relates the couple’s journey through various therapy sessions both together and separately, as well as their few, futile attempts at reconciliation. As the Averbach’s relationship crumbles, the family’s home environment becomes acrimonious. Through it all, Leo’s journal entries give us a very genuine and unprocessed glimpse of the inner turmoil that divorce can have on a person’s self imagine and ego.

For those going through the process of letting go of your marriage, and enduring the painful process of separation, this book is enlightening. The path to healing is often a long and painful struggle but Leo Averbach tells us in Breakup: Enduring Divorce that it is possible.  As Marcel Proust points out "We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it in full." Leo Averbach relates the process of experiencing the hurt, anger, and pain of betrayal and loss in full and uncut.

Review: By Heart: Poetry, Prison, And Two Lives by Judith Tannenbaum and Spoon Jackson

By Heart: Poetry, Prison, And Two Lives by Judith Tannenbaum & Spoon Jackson

newvillagepress
224 pages
pub date: April, 2010


A collaborative memoir, By Heart: Poetry, Prison, And Two Lives explores the journey of Judith Tannenbaum and Spoon Jackson into poetry and understanding. Tannenbaum is an artist and educator who has taught poetry in many different settings including the Arts-in-Corrections program in California. Spoon is an inmate serving a life sentence. The two met at San Quentin Prison in the 1980’s.

By Heart is a moving encounter between freedom and prison, art, beauty and desolation, silence and voice. The story is told through alternating chapters in which each tells the story of their lives and the insights they gained through learning, creating, and sharing poetry. Storytelling was an inherent trait of Tannenbaum’s extended Jewish family. The teachers she encountered during her school days promoted her imagination and helped her to harness her energy into creating stories that gave her new life and freedom. She volunteered in her daughter’s kindergarten classroom and began her journey into teaching poetry.

Spoon grew up in a small town on the edge of the Mojave Desert. As one of fifteen boys, Spoon ran a little wild. He spent his early years exploring nature, spending many hours hanging out in the dry riverbed behind their shack. His school years were largely negative. It appears that early on he was a target for corporeal punishment at school and beatings at home; he received little to no affirmations during these formative years.

Spoon is “real” with his life in prison and what put him there in the first place. He takes full responsibility for his actions while examining what went wrong in his early life that led him down this path. Spoon enrolled in high school and college classes offered to prisoners, spent hours reading and thinking during lockdowns and long weekends. Silence became a powerful friend that allowed him time for self reflection and growth. He had grown as a man during the eight years before he met Tannenbaum in the poetry class.

Tannenbaum does not save Spoon through poetry. The two poets grow through their encounters by sharing their work, exploring voice, and influencing each other’s work. They examine other poets both famous and well known as well as the poems of children and other prisoners. This is about growth and the exploration of humanity. It is easy for society to shut the prison door and forget that there are human lives closed within. By Heart shows us how humanity survives and flourishes within enclosed walls and communication.

There are many issues that can be explored as book clubs share this book. It is passionate and tender, raw and realistic. It is a love story but not love between people; it is about love for ourselves and our humanity. As an educator I was deeply moved by the story of Spoon and Tannenbaum. This is a book that I would wish for every educator to read. It is inspirational and thought- provoking. I recommend this book for book clubs, educators, and all who need to be reminded about humanity and generosity of spirit.

Review: The Missing Element by John L. Betcher

The Missing Element

John L. Betcher
CreateSpace (March 8, 2010)
978-1451512717
294 pages
Reader’s Choice Rating  * * * * *

The Missing Element is the story of James “Beck” Becker and his wife Elizabeth, who have returned to Beck’s childhood home in Red Wing, Minnesota to enjoy retirement from their covert government jobs. Of course, life is anything but quiet with Beck around.

When Katherine Whitson, a Minneapolis computer genius, disappears under mysterious circumstances, her husband George calls the local police. After receiving no help from police, George then solicits a Red Wing acquaintance to convince Beck to help find Katherine.

Beginning at Katherine’s luxury apartment in the Minneapolis Warehouse District, Author John L. Betcher puts his protagonist through a labyrinth of red herrings. Beck’s investigation starts with George as the unfaithful husband, and then his lover, to Katherine’s work colleagues and on through the ranks of an influential computer company and into the overwhelming world of computer microprocessors before he can begin to find answers.

To solve the mystery of why Katherine was kidnapped—and to save her—Beck must draw on his resources with the FBI and their computer experts, as well as the expertise of his wife Elizabeth the former CIA agent.

Betcher leads us into the world of advanced computer technology and international espionage with this captivating suspense thriller. As we follow Beck on his quest to locate Katherine we are introduced to several colorful characters. There is the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Deputy, Doug Gunderson, and his wife, Connie, who enlist Beck’s help. The brawn in this story is provided by the enigmatic Terry “Bull” Red Feather. Bull is drawn into the story when Beck requests his assistance in dealing with the nefarious characters who try to stand in his way.

The Missing Element is well-written, the plot is intriguing, and the characters are interesting. Betcher draws you in from page one and holds your interest to the very last. Unlike many recent novels, Betcher takes his time tying up the loose ends and concluding the story. This book is obviously the beginning of an exciting new series of suspense novels for Betcher. The Missing Element is recommended for those who love to curl up with an entertaining mystery/suspense novel. It offers a little something for everyone: lively characters, espionage and cyber-technology, and of course the mystery of who took Katherine Whitson and why. Fans of Parker, Grisham, and Clancy will enjoy this first installment in the James Becker series.

Reviewed by Deb L. Baker for Reader’s Choice Book Reviews

Review: Dead Man of the Year

Dead Man of the Year by Stephen Hawley Martin

Pub. Date: July2010
Publisher: Oaklea Press
272 pages

Durston Negus is a medium-sized advertising firm located in Richmond, Virginia. Brian Durston leaves a lucrative job at a Madison Avenue Agency to join the smaller firm. Promised a stake in the firm by his Uncle Rod, Brian’s future looks bright. Bright until the night he discovers his uncle’s body slumped over his desk. The police rule it a suicide which cancels out Uncle Rod’s life insurance policy. Without the insurance money Brian cannot purchase his Uncle’s shares of the firm. Who benefits? The surviving partners of course.


Brian decides an investigation is in order. While beginning the investigation the firm’s largest account goes into review and Brian must also work to save the account and the firm his uncle built. An up and coming copywriter steps in to help Brian solve the murder and perhaps save the firm. Could she be involved in the murder? Who can Brian trust?

A romance taunt with suspicion, an ad campaign that must be outstanding, partners who might have reason to murder the largest shareholder, Brian has his hands full. Will he be able to prove his uncle was murdered, inherit the money to buy his uncle’s interest, and save the agency?

This is a classic whodunit with many interesting story lines. Martin leads us through the exciting pace of an ad agency on the verge of success or failure. Brian is a hero who is reminiscent of a modern, lighter “Madmen” advertising character. He is likable though a little naive at times. The romance though sudden and a bit confusing at the beginning gains some merit as the story progresses. Dead Man of the Year has some of the feel of a cozy mystery mixed into a suspense mystery. This story is a page turner mystery. You just have to find out if it is a murder and if so who the murderer might be. This book is recommended for mystery buffs everywhere.

Review: Sixty Slices of Life…On Wry:The Private Life of a Public Broadcaster by Fred Flaxman

Sixty Slices of Life…On Wry:The Private Life of a Public Broadcaster by Fred Flaxman

Pub. Date: December 2009

Publisher: Story Book Publishers

252pp

Sixty Slices of Life…on Wry is a delightful memoir published by a small press in North Carolina. Fred Flaxman is an award winning writer, public television and radio producer, and public broadcasting executive with a great sense of humor.

Beginning with his dog, Buster, who he credits with teaching him not only responsibility but how to live, and carrying on throughout his adventures in life, Fred brings perspective to everyday life events. His wry sense of humor makes this a quick and enjoyable read. Sixty Slices of Life …on Wry will remind you of those afternoon chats with your father, or your uncle, or maybe your grandfather. It is a warm and witty account that advises against taking life too seriously.

There are plenty of anecdotes to chuckle over and enjoy. Sixty Slices of Life…on Wry is perfect for those of us who wish to enjoy the nostalgia of ‘the good old days’.

Here is a tasty morsel from Sixty Slices of Life…on Wry:

“As we drove along, I heard a strange cracking noise on the right side of the van. Crack, crack, crack, crack. I asked my daughter if she could see what was making the racket.


She looked out the window, then turned back and said to me, perfectly calmly: “Oh Daddy, that’s just the noise the side-view mirrors on the cars make as they snap off when you pass them.””

Review: The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron

The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron

Pub. Date: May 11, 2010

Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur

Format: Hardcover, 336pp

The Poacher’s Son is an explosive story of an estranged son pushed into the hunt for a murderer, his own father, in the wilds of Maine. The story juxtaposes father and son. Mike Bowditch is a young game warden while his father is a heavy drinking womanizer who poaches illegal game.

Mike returns home from his round one evening to find an alarming message on his machine from his father. The next day he learns that his father is suspected of murder and has escaped from custody. Mike enters the search to try and keep local cops from jumping the gun and shooting his father whom he believes is innocent.

Mike, already separated from his wife, is alienated from his colleagues. During his quest to prove his father innocent and save his life Mike must come to terms with his past. Mike knows that Jack can be brutal but is he capable of murder? Joining Charley, a retired game warden pilot, Mike journeys into the wilds of Maine to search for answers and his father, Jack Bowditch. They meet up with a woman who claims to be Jack’s mistress and who holds a secret that could be the key to finding the real killer.

The Poacher’s Son is Paul Doiron’s debut novel. The plot has many twists and turns and the ending will leave you surprised. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers everywhere.

Review: An Unfinished Score by Elise Blackwell

An Unfinished Score by Elise Blackwell

Pub. Date: April 2010

Publisher: Unbridled Books

256pp

A paradox of sorts, An Unfinished Score tells the story of Suzanne Sullivan, a musician, a wife, and an adulteress. While preparing dinner for her husband and their extended family, Suzanne hears on the radio that her lover, Alex Elling, has died in the crash of a jetliner. Suzanne must mourn in secret while continuing her life as a concert violist and a wife. She continues to silently grieve through rehearsals, performances, and everyday life as the wife of a composer who distances himself from emotion, mother to her best friend, Petra’s daughter Adele, and counselor to Petra herself. After a series of mysterious phone calls Suzanne meets Olivia, Alex’s widow. Olivia compels Suzanne to finish a Viola Concerto that Alex was composing before his death. Struggling to complete the score of the concerto Suzanne relives memories of her separate life with Alex and the emotions that the concerto invokes.

Suzanne is the other woman, someone who we despise in theory, but cannot help but empathize with throughout this story. She is flawed and realistic. Olivia is the scorned wife, a woman whose pain we understand but whose actions create a conflict that seems cruel. Suzanne, Olivia, Ben, Petra, and Adele are subject to the errors of humanity. An Unfinished Score is perfectly orchestrated to bring about empathy and understanding in unexpected places. It is the story of life: love, loss, betrayal, and redemption. An Unfinished Score provides a plethora of discussion points and is meant to be shared. This is a great book for group discussion. I highly recommend An Unfinished Score.

(I have to tell you that I wanted to not like this book being married and all that. Despite my personal feelings about adultery I found that I could empathize with Suzanne. This one will be in my permanent library and reread in the future. Check it out! It just might surprise you.)

Review: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

A 4-year old girl arrives on the docks in Australia alone and unable to share her name with the dockmaster. Taking pity on the girl the dockmaster takes her home with him. Having experienced several miscarriages the couple raise the girl as their own. On Nell’s 21st birthday the truth sends her world spiraling. War and life interrupt her need for the truth about her heritage. It isn’t until 1975 that Nell truly embarks on a journey to find the truth. Coming close to the truth Nell is again forced to abandon her quest. Cassandra, Nell’s granddaughter, picks up the quest after Nell death.


By overlapping narratives, adding fairy tales, and including a red herring Morton has created a fascinating story that is hard to put down. The ending is a surprise.

The character in the story are likeable and the plot although not masterful is entertaining. The story lines can get a little confusing while jumping between several of the characters stories. However, I was thoroughly entertained and curious to see the characters find the answers for themselves. While this is not a masterpiece it is a good read. I recommend the book for pure delights sake. I plan on keeping this book on my shelf because I thought it was fun. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Having enjoyed both of her first books I will continue to read this author.

I would say 4 out of 5

"Time Passing. A Triangle Life of work, love, family." p307. This story is beautifully rendered. It follows the tale of Mary Fury and Jonathan Cobb from their meeting along the Allagash River in Maine, trips to Indonesia, Yellowstone, and their life in New Hampshire. Mary and Cobb establish a life filled with love, adventure, and compassion. Although at times the story lacks a more realistic touch it is a worthwhile read. The story is poignant and timely. There is much to learn from the depth of love that is exhibited in this beautiful story. Life comes full circle. Mr. Monninger's writing style evokes beautiful images of the beauty of nature and life around us. Pick up the book and enjoy "...a quiet period, a deep chair with a good reading light..."