nonfiction

THOMAS JEFFERSON,
RACHEL & ME
Boody, Peter B.
Bartleby, Scrivener & Co. (323 pp.)
$16.99 paperback | $7.99 e-book
Feb. 19, 2012
978-1456347543
In Boody’s supernatural debut,
Thomas Jefferson returns from the dead
to the 21st century.
Jack Arrowsmith recently lost his only
son in a car accident and his wife to cancer. He yearns to reconnect
with them in some way, so he returns to the place that holds
his happiest family memories: Monticello. Thomas Jefferson lived
and died at this self-designed Virginia estate, but his spirit never
left, as Jack soon discovers. The former president appears to the
ex-history teacher, inexplicably in corporeal form and still in every
way the 18th-century statesman. Once Jack realizes that this is
no reenactor, he contacts his son’s former girlfriend, Rachel, and
insists she share this supernatural experience with him. The three
form an unlikely bond as they tour America, introducing Jefferson
to modernity, the evolution of race relations and the history
he never knew. When Rachel and Jefferson become romantically
involved, Jack realizes that their connection was forged more than
200 years ago: Jefferson has returned to resolve his past with Sally
Hemings, the slave and lover who lives on in Rachel. Boody has
written a wonderfully strange “what-if” story that demands a willing
suspension of disbelief. However, he has tempered the fantastical
elements of supernatural fiction so that most of the novel reads
true. It’s not hard to imagine an adventure with the dead president;
a ghost impregnating a living being, however, tests an already tenuous
line. Yet Boody’s writing is so good, it’s easy to overlook this
awkward bump. The author gives Jefferson a wholly authentic
voice, with genuine dialogue that bears the stamp of a bygone era.
Whatever the reader’s opinion of the third U.S. president, this Jefferson
is delightfully quirky, flawed yet sympathetic and fascinating.
Jack is a likable, reliable liaison between the past and present,
but Rachel’s personality seems trapped in time. She is introduced
as a modern thinker, yet she succumbs to a servant’s sensibilities to
satisfy Jefferson; it’s unnerving to watch a once-outspoken woman
lose sight of herself as she appeals to social conventions that no
longer exist. Overall, though, Boody’s novel cleverly introduces
history to today’s technology, politics and economy.
An engrossing, haunting story about making up for lost time.
COLLECTING
FOR BEGINNERS
Figler, Jeff
CreateSpace (178 pp.)
$33.28 paperback | Dec. 23, 2011
978-1461077435
Figler, a long-time collector who’s
written about his passion in mainstream
and niche publications, provides a handy
guide for what’s become a vocation for
some and an avocation for many.
Beyond popular categories like baseball cards and other sports
memorabilia, the author also delves into more esoteric areas like
bobbleheads and thimbles. The book is full of sage counsel for
beginning collectors, such as “You never, ever want to put your
collectibles in an attic or basement,” where heat or dampness
will eventually destroy them. Quirky anecdotes abound, such as
the story behind the gum that comes in packs of baseball cards;
it’s pink, the author writes, because that’s the only type of food
coloring the first manufacturer happened to have on hand. Figler
spices up the common sense advice he dishes out with fascinating
factoids. Who knew that a set of Ty Cobb’s dentures sold for
$7,475, or that two sticks of bubble gum once chewed by Arizona
Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzalez fetched $10,000 The
author also lays out clear instructions for making the tough decisions
that most beginning collectors face: choosing what to collect
from an infinite universe of stuff, figuring out the value of
particular items and where and how to buy them, and sorting
out tomorrow’s collectibles from today’s clutter. Each chapter
ends with a helpful review of the main points covered, although
it would have been even better if Figler had appended an index
to help readers more easily locate information about particular
collecting interests. The text is littered with bad puns, such as
“Be prepared to play hardball … for the hardball.” Sometimes he
compounds this sin by telegraphing his foul plays on words with
a parenthetical “(pun intended).” By the end of this slim volume,
some readers may wish Figler had lost his penchant for punning
in this otherwise clear, colorful and useful primer for collectors.
A breezy but thorough introduction to the pleasures
and perils of collecting.
MILLIE THE MOUTH
French, Freddi
Paris Press (64 pp.)
$14.95 | Nov. 18, 2011
9780986706615
Twin siblings Sara and Paul discover a
giant mouse named Millie in the fridge in
French’s debut picture book.
Sara and Paul are bored with all their
favorite games when Sara decides to get a drink. When she
returns with a glass of juice, Sara announces that there’s a mouse
“as big as a cat” in the fridge. A skeptical Paul investigates and discovers
that the remarkable mouse is not only larger than average
but is also able to talk. The indignant mouse introduces herself
as “a girl named Millie,” adding “Of course I talk! I’m a talking
pro! I’m not an ordinary mouse, you know.” Soon, Millie ropes
the twins into helping her bake a chicken potpie, using all the
available ingredients in the house. These include rice, bananas,
peas, a bag of potato chips, chocolate sauce, jam, ham, vinegar,
“a nice fat prawn” and vanilla ice cream—but no chicken. The
twins question Millie about the missing ingredient, but Millie
shrugs off their concerns and confidently plows on. She stirs
the strange concoction wildly, leading to a fun, surprise ending.
French’s charming tale has an exuberance and wit that should
delight any child. The big, brassy, enthusiastic personality of Millie
will jump off the page; some readers will take to Millie as a
much beloved partner in crime when she urges the twins not to
tell their mother about dinner since “she’ll spoil the fun.” French’s
simple but enchanting and expressive illustrations display the
mischievous Millie in a variety of moods and poses. Lively and
active, the drawings depict the entire story for children who can’t
read, culminating in a humorous climax.
A delightful children’s tale with an engaging, largerthan-life
lead character.
PEARLS OF ASIA
A Love Story
Geiger, Lee
CreateSpace (248 pp.)
$9.95 paperback | $0.99 e-book
Aug. 16, 2011
978-1463587567
An unexpected romance blossoms
during a murder investigation in Geiger’s
debut mystery.
When anchorwoman Michelle Osher
is found nearly decapitated in her expensive apartment, suspicion
focuses immediately on her husband, Paul. Police uncover
a pattern of calls linking Paul to Sheyla Samonte, an entertainer
at a nightclub called Pearls of Asia that features transgendered
entertainers. Samonte quickly joins the suspect list when it is discovered
that she enjoyed a lavish lifestyle on Paul’s dime, leaving
police to wonder whether she wanted a promotion from mistress
to wife. When Samonte refuses to cooperate unless Homicide
Inspector Mac Fleet takes her to brunch, Fleet knows he needs to
regain control of the investigation. That’s easier said than done,
as he grows increasingly infatuated with Samonte. Convinced of
her innocence, Fleet devotes himself to finding the real killer.
The ensuing investigation uncovers infidelities, betrayals and
a host of people who might want Michelle Osher dead. Geiger
centers much of the action on the Pearls of Asia entertainers,
whom he generally portrays with emotional depth and complexity.
Occasionally, though, Geiger gives in to the temptation of
cheap titillation and offers readers one-dimensional, hypersexual
caricatures of the transgendered women. His writing style is
similarly uneven. The book begins with snappy lines—“the gourmet
kitchen was bigger than his first apartment, and it looked
as though it made more reservations than recipes” and “jalapeno
and garlic was the best California combination since Beach and
Boy”—but later in the story, the witticisms focus primarily on
crude sexual innuendos (“does that mean I get to go down on your
periscope” or “[she] called me right as my Latin boyfriend was
rolling over to give me ‘room service’”). However, these small missteps
do little to detract from the overall appeal of this fast-paced
romp that has plenty of plot twists. Geiger deftly balances the
murder investigation with the developing relationship between
Fleet and Samonte until the book’s end, which rushes to a barely
credible and somewhat unsatisfying resolution.
An enjoyable, intelligent read that triumphs over its
minor shortcomings.
BLOOD AND WHISKEY
A Cowboy and
Vampire Thriller
Hays, Clark and McFall, Kathleen
Pumpjack Press (362 pp.)
$11.66 paperback | $4.99 e-book
May 1, 2012
978-0983820017
Lizzie, Elita and the rest of the gang
are back for blood in the second book of
Hays and McFall’s (The Cowboy and the
Vampire, 2010) series.
Following the climactic events of the first book, Lizzie
Vaughan doesn’t get much of a breather. When a friend’s niece
disappears, her Adamite (read: full-blooded human) boyfriend,
Tucker, is still coming to terms with the fact that his woman is
a vampire. While he leaves town to investigate, Lizzie is having
trouble resisting the urge to kill, as the baby she carries—the
one no one thought was possible—makes her hunger unbearable.
Meanwhile, powerful elders are arriving in the western
town of LonePine to decide if the prophecy has come true. Is
Lizzie really their new queen, the one who can save vampirekind—or
at least their own Messianic bloodline Introducing
racial issues isn’t the only adjustment the authors have made
to the vampire mythos, but it’s more than just the details that
set this series apart. Rather, it’s the way the authors utilize
those details to create meaningful conflicts and world-altering
choices for the characters. While a number of existentialist
underpinnings give the series some depth, the book is first and
foremost a thriller, upping the ante in every chapter as bullets
fly and relationships strain under the weight of old loyalties
and new revelations. In a way, it’s a shame more time isn’t spent
exploring the existence of this meta world where consciousnesses
wait out the daylight hours and immortality has all sorts
of ramifications for human spirituality. But with strong writing,
funny characters (no irony is lost on one vampiress who takes
to sporting a “Future Farmers of America” jacket) and plenty of
action, it’s hard to fault the authors for keeping the focus on a
story this riveting.
Those who missed out on the first book will really have
to hang on if they want to follow what’s happening, but it’s
worth it for this tale of love and blood in the modern West.
884 | 15 april 2012 | indie | kirkusreviews.com | | kirkusreviews.com | indie | 15 april 2012 | 885