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Featured Book: The ABCs of Storytelling: Reflections of a Story Coach, by Dr. Michael Williams
Narration provided by Wondervox.
I had the great pleasure of taking a Guided Autobiography certification course with Dr. Michael Williams as a fellow student. He has subsequently published a truly wonderful, slim volume on the craft of being a professional storyteller. I loved this book! As a workshop instructor myself now and an author of fiction, I highly recommend it. However we choose to tell stories, this book will enhance our understanding of the craft, and enlighten us in the ways of communication through words and actions. I’ve added it to my must-read list for longtime, beginner, and aspiring writers, as well as those magical beings we call storytellers.
About The ABCs of Storytelling
The ABCs of Storytelling contains 26 reflections on the art of oral storytelling from Story Coach Michael Williams. Dr. Williams learned the traditional art of oral storytelling during his 30 years of living in Scotland where he was a member of the Scottish Storytelling Directory and a popular performer and workshop facilitator. In 2005, he exchanged his teaching career for a life as an itinerant storyteller and story coach, working with adults and young people. His reflections have been gathered from his experiences as both a performer and coach working with individuals, community groups, and corporate clients. His book offers the beginner and experienced storyteller a range of tips, techniques, and reflections on this traditional art. Dr. Williams’ reflections capture the spirit of telling stories “eye to eye, mind to mind, and heart to heart.”
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Featured Book: Grow up, Rory Rafferty: A Novel, by Bruce W. Bishop (Releases Oct. 31)
I discovered author Bruce W. Bishop’s terrific historical fiction a few years ago, including Unconventional Daughters, Uncommon Sons, and Undeniable Relations: A Novel, all books in his Families Storytelling series. His research is as impeccable as his writing, and he has the gift of bringing readers into a book’s world so completely you may find yourself startled to be back in your own when you turn the final page. I also had the great pleasure of meeting Bruce when I was on a cruise that stopped in Halifax. He’s as delightful in person as he is talented with a keyboard.
His new book, ‘Grow Up, Rory Rafferty‘ is both a coming-of-age story and a coming out story, told from the perspective of young Rory Rafferty. It takes place in 1979 in Toronto, a city and time the author knows well. It shows in his vivid details and his in-the-moment narrative. As with his other books, I feel as if I’m on those Toronto streets and in those restaurants, eavesdropping on a cast of characters I won’t soon forget – if I ever do. This is a heartwarming and poignant journey to youth on the cusp of adulthood, in what may seem like a simpler time but is as complicated as growing up can be.
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Book Review: Here We Go Again, by Alison Cochrun
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez“Here We Go Again” by Alison Cochrun
c.2024, Atria $17.99 368 pages… Joe didn’t want to die surrounded by hospital walls. Would Logan and Rosemary drive him and his dog to Maine, to a cabin he owned? Would they spend time crammed side-by-side in a used van with a gay logo, keeping Joe alive, coast-to-coast? Could they do it without screaming the whole way?
Can you do me a solid?
Just one little favor, a quick errand, it won’t take long. You can do it next time you’re out, in fact. Consider it your good deed for the day, if it makes you feel better. A mitzvah. An indulgence to a fellow human. As in the new novel, “Here We Go Again” by Alison Cochrun, think of it as a life-changing thing.
She couldn’t remember the woman’s first name.
Did Logan Maletis really ever know it? Everybody at her job – administration, students, other teachers – called everyone else by their last name so the colleague she’d been hooking up with for weeks was just “Schaffer.” Whatever, Logan didn’t care and she wasn’t cold-hearted but when Savannah broke up with her in public, she did wonder if maybe, possibly, the awful names she called Logan were fair or true.
Rosemary Hale would’ve agreed with every single last one of those nasty names.
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Book Review: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading, by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann with Chris Mooney
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sezc.2024, Little, Brown $28.00 338 pages
Last night, you got between the covers and went to South America.
It wasn’t difficult. A few days ago, you walked around London in 1888; you were in the future before that; you’ve met con artists, florists, runaways, and heroines, and you didn’t even have to leave your house. You can experience many things with a book, and in “The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians” by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann, you’ll read about a different kind of adventure.
“To be a bookseller,” say the authors, “you have to play detective.”
That means determining which book with a “blue cover” is the one the customer wants. It’s asking the right questions to find the right fit for young readers and assuring book lovers that “that’s okay” if they didn’t like something.
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Terri Schlichenmeyer’s Holiday Book Gift Guide (Fiction and Non-Fiction)
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezOne thin line.
There you are, you’ve just crossed off your last person, thereby finishing your Holiday Gift List for the year. But oops, you forgot that one hard-to-buy-for aunt, and you haven’t gotten anything for your babysitter. And, and, and… you’re out of ideas. So how about something to read? See if these great books don’t give you some guidance…
FICTION
The novel lover who’s always doing good things for other people may enjoy unwrapping “Just Do This One Thing for Me” by Laura Zimmermann (Dutton). It’s the story of a daughter who always does what her free-spirited mother asks of her – even if it gets her in trouble. Wrap it up with “Time’s Undoing” by Cheryl A. Head (Dutton), a novel about a woman who’s determined to learn how her great-grandfather died, and how what it means to her safety. Bonus: this book was based on the author’s own family history.
The reader who loves twisty tales of sister love and rivalry will want to unwrap “How to Care for a Human Girl” by Ashley Wurzbacher (Atria), the story of two sisters, two pregnancies, and a whole pile of resentments. Pair it up with “Before You Found Me” by Brooke Beyfuss (Sourcebooks). It’s a tale of choosing your family and sticking together.
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Ann Cleeves Hits Another Homerun in the Matthew Venn Series
Narration provided by Wondervox.
Cross-posted from LGBTSr.com.
By Mark McNease
I’ll be talking some more about Ann Cleeves’ Matthew Venn series on the upcoming Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast.
What stands out in this series is the exploration of identity, relationships, and the shades of gray in between. It’s an effective combination of a gripping mystery and a deep, personal journey.
I’m a relatively recent fan of established mystery master Ann Cleeves. With her intricate plots and deep, complex characters, it’s no surprise that this British author is one of the leading figures in contemporary mystery fiction. She creates atmospheric settings that make you feel like you’re right there on scene, whether it’s the wild and windy Shetland Islands or the quaint, secluded villages of Northumberland.
She’s invented some of the most iconic detective characters in contemporary fiction: Jimmy Perez from the ‘Shetland’ series, and Vera Stanhope from the ‘Vera Stanhope’ series. Both protagonists exhibit layers of complexity that make them as unpredictable as the mysteries they’re trying to solve. They become like old friends who you’ve known forever, with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies.
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Halloween Books for Your Screaming Pleasure, by Various Authors
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezHalloween Books for Your Screaming Pleasure
Various Authorsc.2023, various publishers
$12.99 – $27.00 various page countsWhat’s that noise?
Was it the scrape of a branch on the outside of your walls, or the brush of a wing or a fang or a talon? Was there a monster creeping outside your windows, or just the wind and leaves? This is a lousy time for the lights to go out, so grab a flashlight and one of these great new books…
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Book Review: Not Forever but For Now, by Chuck Palahniuk
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezNot Forever but For Now” by Chuck Palahniuk
c.2023, Simon & Schuster $25.99 256 pagesYou always wanted the family business.
Started by your grandfather, nurtured by your parents, aunts, and uncles, you hoped to be the next generation of caretakers to help it grow, succeed, and readied for its owners in the future. You trained all your life to take the reins of the Family Empire, and in the new book “Not Forever but For Now” by Chuck Palahniuk, you’ll do it, even if it kills you.
They were probably too big to be in a nursery, but he didn’t care.
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Book Review: In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian’s Memoir of Trauma and Healing, by Jody Lulich
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworms Sez
“In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian’s Memoir of Trauma and Healing” by Jody Lulich
c.2023, University of Minnesota Press $19.95 232 pagesYou are a product of what your parents do.
They nurtured you, and you learned to nurture. They yelled, and you discovered that shouting was the way to communicate. From them, you got your sense of humor, your earliest political beliefs, and your initial ideas of right and wrong. You’re a product of what adults around you do – or, as in the new book “In the Company of Grace” by Jody Lulich, what they don’t.
The suicide attempt on New Year’s Eve of 1966 was not Jody Lulich’s mother’s first.
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Book Review: Code Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER, by Farzon A. Nahvi, M.D
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SexCode Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER, by Farzon A. Nahvi, M.D.
c.2023, Simon & Schuster $27.99 256 pagesYou know exactly who’s in charge here.
It’s the person in the white coat, a physician with a stethoscope around their neck and a packed pocketful of paper notes and pens. The white coat instantly gets your attention. It’s meant to quickly convey authority, and it does – so much so that you trust your very life to the person wearing it. In “Code Gray” by Farzon A. Nahvi, M.D., that white coat won’t leave you in the dark.
It was only supposed to be a friends-catching-up kind of text thread but for Farzon Nahvi and his colleagues around the country, the flurry of messages they exchanged during the pandemic became a lifeline. For each, it was good to know that their hospital’s reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t the only one lacking.
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Book Review: How to Sell a Haunted House, by Grady Hendrix
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez“How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix
c.2023, Barkley $28.00 432 pagesYou forgot that there were strings.
You forgot who was doing the talking, too. No, your eyes were stuck on the puppet with a funny voice that made you forget that this was a show, that a bit of cloth and a wooden face were only objects of theater. Didn’t you see the puppeteer’s lips move? As in the new book “How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix, wasn’t there a human holding the strings?
Driving by it, her parents’ house looked smaller then she remembered.
Then again, it had been some time since Louise Joyner had been home. Years ago, she’d escaped the place and never looked back, returning only when necessary – like now, when she and her brother, Mark, had a double-funeral to plan and that shabby old house to clear out.
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Best Books of 2022: Terri Schlichenmeyer’s Bookworm Sez!
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezBest Books of 2022
It happens every year.
The decorations come down. The last of the Christmas leftovers have been eaten. Errant bits of ripped wrapping are found and discarded. You have no more holiday candy or cookies, you look around at your empty hands, and you wonder now what?
Now it’s time to settle in and read for the rest of the winter season. For your pleasure, here are the Top Five Bookworm Picks for the Best of 2022…
Fiction
Lovers of fairy tales are in for a big surprise with “The Book Eaters” by Sunyi Dean (Tor, $26.99). It’s a dark, dark legend filled with evil dragons that look like men, princesses that are worse than second-class citizens within their realms, and a chase that will chill you. Book lovers will adore this tale, especially if you don’t necessarily need a happily-ever-after.
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Book Review: The Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten, by Philipp Schott, DVM
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezThe Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten, by Philipp Schott, DVM
c.2022, ECW Press $17.95 280 pagesOh, those tiny little claws are sharp!
You don’t expect something that small to draw blood, but there it is on the back of your hand. Fortunately, the pain is overwhelmed by the big ears and the huge eyes and the tail like a car antennae. You fell in love with your kitten one-point-three seconds after it landed in your hands and in the new book “The Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten” by Philipp Schott, it does more than purr!