Recommended reading
June 8, 2010
TEEN REVIEW
‘Yellow Star’
By Jennifer Roy
Syvia’s father has an uncanny knack for listening to his gut. Again and again, he turns away from danger and hides his family and many others. One day, he grabs Syvia and takes her into the cemetery, where he digs a grave for her to sleep in.
Waiting. Hiding. Running. Hiding…waiting…caught! Thanks to luck, her father’s brilliance, and Syvia’s great courage, she was one of only 12 children to survive the ghetto in Lodz, Poland.
But how? During World War II, more than 250,000 Jews lived in the Lodz Ghetto; in 1945, only 800 remained.
“Yellow Star” is Syvia’s story of survival — and Syvia is Jennifer Roy’s real Aunt Sylvia. Thanks to Aunt Sylvia’s remarkable memory, the simple words and vivid imagery of Roy’s free verse create a story that is immediate, emotional and gripping. Even though the events are horrifying, I couldn’t put this book down — Syvia’s tale is one of resilience and triumph against great odds.
Yellow Star is definitely a crossover work, appealing to readers of all ages.
By Carrie Bowman
Issaquah teen librarian
ADULT REVIEW
‘The Housekeeper and the Professor’
By Yoko Ogawa
This is a slim little book about a mathematics professor who has a car accident. The resulting brain damage allows him to remember only the last 80 minutes and anything that happened before 1975, when the accident occurred. Luckily, he therefore remembers his theorems and favorite baseball players. Each day, when the housekeeper comes, she has to begin again with introducing herself.
It’s a quirky book, but well worth the read. How the housekeeper, her young son and the professor develop a long and lasting friendship — and learn a lot about math — results in a warm and highly original story.
Elizabeth Panni
Issaquah librarian
Rust eye gets last laugh
March 9, 2010
Teased teacher turns nickname into idea for children’s book
Steve Gritton, of Issaquah, poses with his latest children’s book ‘The Trouble with Sisters and Robots.’ Gritton wrote and illustrated (above left) the book. By David Hayes
Writers just never know where inspiration will strike for their next great novel. For children’s illustrated book author Steve Gritton, it came from an unfortunate incident while cutting shelving for a closet.
“I got a tiny sliver of metal in my eye,” said the Issaquah resident who teaches at Lake Hills Elementary School in Bellevue. “I didn’t even realize it was there until the next day, when my eye got all red and puffy.”
His sister warned him to get it removed before it rusted. Gritton said, sure enough, by the time he got to the doctor, the sliver of metal had rusted.
“Being a school teacher, once word got around about the incident, everyone on the staff started calling me ‘rust eye,’” Gritton said. “I thought that would be a neat name for a robot.”
Now, three books later, the little germination of an idea has been published into the children’s tale, “The Trouble With Sisters and Robots.”
After self-publishing his first three books, Gritton’s latest work was picked up by Albert Whitman & Co. But why a company out of Morton Grove, Ill.?
“I actually submitted the story to six publishers and they were the first to respond,” Gritton admitted. Read more
Librarian pens second steamy novel, ‘Promise Me’
February 9, 2010
Deborah Schneider, author of 'Promise Me', sits beside her favorite statue in Issaquah, that of late City Clerk Linda Ruehle, on the corner of Rainier Boulevard and East Sunset Way. By Greg Farrar
Upon meeting Deborah Schneider, you wouldn’t expect her to be the author of a steamy romance novel. But you would be wrong.
And if you thought steamy romance novel summed up either her first or her second and most recent book, “Promise Me,” you’d be wrong again.
She had shopped “Promise Me” around years ago, but no one wanted it until she sent it to small publisher The Wild Rose Press, which is owned by women. They wanted to buy the book, but asked for it to be sexier, Schneider said.
“I didn’t think I could, but I guess I did,” she said during a recent interview, blushing at the mention of the racy scenes. “You never know what you can do until someone asks you to do it.” Read more
Journey to new territory
December 22, 2009
One could say Laurence Moroney is quite the prolific writer, having authored 14 books since 2000. However, unless you’re as much of a computer gearhead as he, you’ve probably missed most of his technology guides.
“With technology guides, you get started at the bottom of the food chain, writing about topics publishers are having a hard time filling,” said Moroney, a freelancer with Microsoft since 2005. “Then, once they start selling, you can pick and choose the topics you want.”
For his latest project, Moroney has chosen to switch genres from technology guide to science fiction. His first book in a planned trilogy of teen novels, “The Fourth World,” came out in October.
With two children, 9 and 12, Moroney decided he wanted to write the kind of book they’d like to read.
“My daughter, Claudia, is a ’tween, and she’s read the whole Harry Potter and Twilight sagas,” Moroney said. “So, ‘The Fourth World’ should appeal to that audience.”
The idea of a Harry Potter in space has been percolating in his head since 2004.
“It came down to five years of procrastinating and two months of furious writing,” he admitted. Read more
Local author’s book debuts after 25 years in the making
December 1, 2009
Zoe Escobar
Issaquah resident Zoe Escobar didn’t plan a career in writing. But she didn’t plan for her first book — “Beyond Cuckoo’s Nest, The Art and Life of William Sampson Jr.” — to take 25 years to write either.
“I’ve always enjoyed writing, but currently, I’m relating to Winston Churchill’s quote: Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then, it becomes a mistress, and then, it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that, just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him out to the public.” Read more
New novel ‘PW2’ explores the end of the beginning in 2012
November 24, 2009
Author MC MIller displays his three novels, including his most recent release, ‘PW2: 2012 The End of the Beginning.’ By David Hayes
MC Miller couldn’t have published his new novel at a more fortuitous time to exploit the hype involving 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar.
Hollywood rolled out the blockbuster disaster flick “2012” Nov. 13 and not long before that Miller’s novel, “PW2: 2012 The End of the Beginning,” debuted.
Not all apocalyptic tales are necessarily about the end of the world.
“The ending of ‘PW2’ pivots on a theory no one takes seriously,” Miller explained.
What “PW2” doesn’t have is a convoluted tale of a main character who must convince everyone that he’s found evidence the end of the world is approaching. Rather, Miller’s protagonist has discovered something strange, and isn’t quite sure what it means, but it sure goes a long way to explain the weird things happening.
An ex-physics professor has developed an unlikely theory involving a 13.7-billion year countdown, Miller explained, that somehow has something to do with the breakdown of expected probabilities. Miller equates it to a science fiction tale along the lines of “Minority Report,” which at its essence was a “what if” yarn. Read more
Issaquah is a stop on book’s state ghost tour
November 10, 2009
Ghost investigation shows are saturating the television airwaves, catering to a growing fascination with hauntings.
For those wishing to find locations for the nearly departed in Washington state, a new guide has been published to lead the way — “Washington’s Haunted Hotspots.”
This is author Linda Moffitt’s first foray into writing nonfiction. The stay-at-home mom from the Olympia area researched most of the locations through the Internet, including here in Issaquah.
“Pickering Barn I found off the Internet and learned more through word of mouth,” she said. “I did take several of these trips myself.”
In addition to describing the history of the barn belonging to the Pickering pioneer family, Moffitt included how the structure, rebuilt to match the original, gained its ghostly reputation.
“Abbie and William Castro were killed by a Snohomish Indian attack, and long ago, a young boy drowned in the local creek,” she wrote. “Electronic voice phenomenon (EVPs), orbs and electrical malfunctions have been reported on the property in and near the barn.”
Another local urban legend Moffitt wrote about was a ghostly sighting along Maple Valley Highway 169. A teenage girl can be spotted through a sudden appearance of fog. Reports are she is looking for a locket she lost after a car accident and she needs a ride home.
Moffitt admits she wasn’t able to track down every ghost story, especially if she hadn’t heard of it yet. She was surprised to learn about the successful ghost investigations that were performed in Issaquah’s Ankhasha’s Consignments (now Ankhasha’s Temple of the Western Gate) and the Depot Museum. Read more
Author taps into the teen scene with ‘Giving up the V’
November 3, 2009
Serena Robar
With a newly released book, “Giving up the V,” author Serena Robar, 40, of Issaquah is hoping to conquer the sticky conversation about teen sex.
Teens talk about it with friends, hear about it at school and see it on TV and in movies. So, why not address it in a book that can help parents and young women talk about virginity together? Robar asked.
Far from her first book — she began writing in 2003 — “Giving up the V” is the first where she’s tackled a really serious issue. But she hasn’t lost the fun, quirky, irony-filled prose she’s known for her from her other teen books.
In her latest book, May Valley High School student Spencer Davis has just turned 16 and as a right of passage, her forward-thinking mother takes her for her first gynecological exam. But Spencer is conflicted about the situation. She repeatedly tells her mother she doesn’t want to have sex, is embarrassed by the prospect of the pill and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. But one day, Benjamin Hopkins enters her life and her emotions turn upside-down.
In an e-mail question-and-answer interview Robar explained her new book and its importance.
Q: Why is writing important to you?
A: I have stories to tell and writing them down seemed the best way to share them with as many people as I could. And I get to work from home. Big bonus.
Q: Why did you choose teen issues?
A: I watch my 15-year-old daughter and see that things haven’t changed since I was her age. There are still bullies, teen sex, first loves, etc. Writing about teen issues resonates with me most.
Q: How do you keep current on teen issues, trends and speech patterns?
A: I have a teenage daughter and I love listening to her with her friends. Next year, she will be old enough to drive and I won’t be privy to all the gossip anymore. Hmm.
Q: How did you get the idea for your latest book?
A: I heard a gyn doctor tell his receptionist about a teen patient whose mother wanted her on the pill, even though she claimed she wasn’t ready to give up “the V” yet. Loved it!
Q: Did the book cause any controversy? If so, how did you handle it?
A: It’s been well-received. It’s a great book to open dialogue about sex between teens and parents because of the way it’s written. Teens relate to the tone and moms appreciate the candor.
Q: What would you like your readers to walk away with after reading it?
A: Be true to yourself. There’s lots of conflicting information out there, but only you know what’s right for you. Stay true to your beliefs and you can’t go wrong.
Next up for Robar, the rerelease of “Braced2Bite,” “Fangs4Freaks” and “Dating4Demons,” and her sequel to “Giving up the V,” — “So, Was it Good for You?” which tells the story of Spencer’s best friend, Alyssa, after she chooses to give up “the V.”
Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
Feast your eyes on this literary cookbook
August 11, 2009
Ever wonder what dinner with your favorite author may be like?
Well, you may not dine with them, but you can cook what they’d cook for themselves, thanks to the King County Library Foundation’s new book, “Literary Feast: The Famous Authors Cookbook.”
“The uniqueness of it makes it a wonderful gift for readers, for cooks and for people interested in both,” said Jeanne Thorsen, foundation director. “I think it is something people will really enjoy and at the same time, help support literacy in our community, which people feel very strongly about.”
The book includes nearly 100 drink, food and dessert recipes from authors and includes 92 author profiles with their personal perspectives.
The book includes recipes from the kitchens of famous local authors, like Deb Caletti, who has five fiction novels based in and around Issaquah.
“It was just such an easy thing, because I’m the ultimate library lover. The library, to me, is my sanctuary and the King County Library System is a sanctuary, plus one of the best library systems in the country. How can you not want to support it?” Caletti said. “And I owe them forever for my endless usage. I spend more hours there than anywhere else, besides my home. If I’m lost, my family knows I’m in one of the libraries.”
Caletti included her favorite sugar cookie recipe, handed down from her grandmother, to her mother and to her.
“The recipe has been in my family for a long time,” she said. “It’s one of those that are stained and messy, because it’s always out. It’s also a dangerous recipe, because it has every bit of fat and sugar for those times when you need every bit of fat and sugar.”
The recipe calls for two types of sugar and plenty of butter, making it nearly a shortbread cookie, she added.
But the concoctions you can cook up don’t just come from local authors. See what nationally acclaimed authors, like J.A. Jance, David Baldacci, Peg Kehret and Nancy Leson, are cooking up in their kitchens, as well as local chef Tom Douglas, Dr. Arthur Agatston (author of the “South Beach Diet”) and Greg Atkinson, author of the “Atkinson Diet.”
“I was really pleased, one, with the number of authors who wanted to participate — in fact, we’re starting a file for volume No. 2 — but also that other than a cookbook with someone’s name and their favorite recipe, the book talks about the authors themselves and their recipes, which really personalizes it,” Thorsen said.
It’s an easy book to cook your way through, which is what one of the library’s employees is doing now, she said.
“I would have never imagined that a cookbook about top writers would be so illuminating and entertaining,” Terry LaBrue, project author and local writer, said in a press release. It “gave me a chance to peer over their shoulders and into their lives.”
The book costs $22.95, plus tax and shipping, but proceeds benefit programs sponsored by the library foundation, like an eight-week Spanish literature seminar series, Study Zone tutoring help, Global Reading Challenge and Summer Reading programs for students.
Get the book
Order ‘Literary Feast: The Famous Authors Cookbook’ through the King County Library System Foundation link at www.thrifbooks.com/kclsf or call 369-3448 to reserve a copy that you can pick up at the library’s service center, 960 Newport Way N.W.
Grandma-Mom’s Sugar Cookies
By Issaquah author Deb Caletti
Cream together:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter
Add:
1 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Roll into small balls. Press with cookie press or glass bottom dipped in sugar.
Bake in a
350-degree oven
for 10-12 minutes.
Serves 1-12.
Reach Reporter Chantelle Lusebrink at 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.
Find a new Harry Potter adventure with locally penned book
July 21, 2009
If walking through walls in a London train station or battling an evil wizard wasn’t enough for you, then you might be interested in traveling through J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series again — but this time, with some help.
Local first-time author Nancy Solon Villaluz is hoping you’ll let her be your guide through your next read with “Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons?”
In three new books, designed as a literary commentary on the “Harry Potter” series, Villaluz explores the depths of Rowling’s series and hidden critical elements she thinks “Harry Potter” fans should know.
“This ‘Harry Potter’ commentary is meant, like Harry, to challenge the reader to walk through what appears to be a wall into belief in what they can’t see and to walk in love when things get hard,” she said, of Rowling’s deeper plot. “That message is always relevant and necessary in society, and Rowling tackles it in spades.”
Villaluz said she couldn’t be happier to see more than five years of researching and writing come to fruition.
Local author Nancy Solon Villaluz wrote a companion guide to the popular ‘Harry Potter’ series. By Greg Farrar
“To me, this is a pursuit of passion,” she said. “My journey of discovery delighted me and my book is written as a journey of delight for readers who want to know more about J.K. Rowling and Harry.”
Like some people, Villaluz admitted she was a “Harry Potter” avoider when the books took the world by storm, partly because she was a busy mother of two and partly because she believed the book series was filled with dark messages, she said. Read more
