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Book Review: Two Dog Books for Summer Reading
Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sex“A Dog’s Courage” by W. Bruce Cameron
c.2021, Forge Books $26.99 / $36.50 Canada 288 pages“Dogwinks” by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt
c.2020, Howard Books / Atria $19.99 / $26.99 Canada 285 pagesYour pooch is a first-class mess maker.
But what are you gonna do? A clean house won’t love you, play ball, snuggle on the sofa, or take you for a walk. You can’t teach a clean house cool new tricks and it can’t teach you, either. So this summer, ignore the mess, and grab one of these great books about dogs…
If you’ve ever loved a pup who had an unknown past, you know how much she appreciates her new home. When Bella becomes lost in the wilderness and is rescued and adopted by Lucas and Olivia, she’s very relieved and happy. But in “A Dog’s Courage” by W. Bruce Cameron, a dog like Bella never forgets her past.
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Book Review: Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore, by Patric Richardson with Karin B. Miller
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez
“Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore” by Patric Richardson with Karin B. Miller
c.2021, Flatiron Books 25.99 / $34.99 Canada 185 pagesTomorrow’s outfit is on a chair over there.
That’s where it’s been since you last washed it. What you wore today came from a basket and off a hanger, the shirt needed ironing, there was a tiny stain on the pants but who noticed? and you just bought new socks, so there’s that. Time to do the wash? Â Yeah, but get a load of this: “Laundry Love” by Patric Richardson (with Karin B. Miller).
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Book Review: The Son of Mr. Suleman, by Eric Jerome Dickey
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez“The Son of Mr. Suleman” by Eric Jerome Dickey
c.2021, Dutton $27.00 / $36.00 Canada 560 pagesThe sins of the father shall be visited upon the son.
That’s what’s said, that a son pay for his father’s misdeeds, but maybe the old man didn’t intend to leave a negative legacy. Maybe he tried his best, but something went wrong. Maybe, as in the new novel “The Son of Mr. Suleman” by Eric Jerome Dickey, Pops meant well.
Adjunct Professor Pi Suleman didn’t want to be at his employer’s event. He had better things to do, better places to be than a room at UAN, but his boss, the white woman who hired him, the wife of a powerful judge, demanded that he be there or else.
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Book Review: Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York, by Elon Green
Listen for my upcoming summer book preview with Terri Schlichenmeyer coming in early April on the One Thing or Another Podcast. – Mark
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez
“Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York” by Elon Green
c.2021, Celadon Books $27.00 / $36.50 Canada
257 pagesThere’s time for one last round.
One for the road, as they say. A tip for the barkeep, a final toast before you go, one more clink before you drink, and, as in the new book “Last Call” by Elon Green, be careful on your way out the door.
The roadside maintenance worker had been around awhile, long enough to know when something was unusual. It was May 1991, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the last trash bag he hefted seemed too heavy. When he poked the final one of eight bags, he saw freckles and called the State Police. He hadn’t touched anything in the bag, but he was ordered to have an AIDS test: the naked man inside was identified as Peter Stickney Anderson of Philadelphia, a banker and father who was gay.
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Book Review: Eleanor, by David Michaelis
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez
“Eleanor” by David Michaelis
c.2020, Simon & Schuster
#35.00 / $47.00 Canada 698 pagesLife, as they say, is an open book.
When you’re born, someone else starts writing it for you, but it doesn’t take long for you to be your own author. Through the years, you’ll scribble ideas, compose thoughtfully, add chapters, and crumple pages. Your life’s book might be a series of quick notes, long essays, one-liners or, as in “Eleanor” by David Michaelis, you could build an epic story.
In today’s world, we might call Eleanor Roosevelt’s mother abusive: Anna Hall Roosevelt never had a kind word to say to her daughter, often mockingly calling little Eleanor “Granny.” It’s true that Eleanor wasn’t lithe and beautiful like her mother; she was awkward and stern, a Daddy’s girl for an often-absent, alcoholic father.
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Book Review: Dear Child, by Romy Hausmann
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez
Dear Child, by Romy Hausmann
c.2020, Flatiron Books  $26.99 / $36.50 Canada 368 pagesThere’s no one else like you in the world.
No one with the same tongue-print or identical ear shape. Nobody else has your memories, and every experience you’ve ever had is unique to you alone. You might favor one parent or other, you may have a twin or a doppelganger, but in the end, you are one-of-a-kind. You’re irreplaceable but, as in the new novel, Dear Child, by Romy Hausmann, someone can sure try.
Hannah was sure that Sister Ruth wasn’t too smart.
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Book Review: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookwork
“Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.
c.2020, Simon and Schuster
$28.00 / $37.00 Canada 227 pagesYou hadn’t seen that container in ages.
You really can’t remember when you put it on the shelf. Sometime this year, six years ago, when you moved last? What’s in it must be worth something, though, or you wouldn’t’ve saved it. Now, as in the new book “Too Much and Never Enough” by Mary L. Trump, PhD, digging may yield answers.
No one has to explain to you who Donald Trump is but, for anyone who’s been completely out of the loop, Mary Trump is Donald’s niece (she uses his first name, always, and to avoid confusion, so will we). Trump has a PhD in psychology, worked at Manhattan Psychiatric Center while in school, was once a therapist, and taught graduate psychology. The point is, she’s got chops and it shows, especially when this book – a look at her family and, specifically, her Uncle Donald – reads like something from the True Medicine genre. Indeed, medically-based passages are nearly emotionless in their clinicality.
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Book Review: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookwork“Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.
c.2020, Simon and Schuster
$28.00 / $37.00 Canada 227 pagesYou hadn’t seen that container in ages.
You really can’t remember when you put it on the shelf. Sometime this year, six years ago, when you moved last? What’s in it must be worth something, though, or you wouldn’t’ve saved it. Now, as in the new book “Too Much and Never Enough” by Mary L. Trump, PhD, digging may yield answers.
No one has to explain to you who Donald Trump is but, for anyone who’s been completely out of the loop, Mary Trump is Donald’s niece (she uses his first name, always, and to avoid confusion, so will we). Trump has a PhD in psychology, worked at Manhattan Psychiatric Center while in school, was once a therapist, and taught graduate psychology. The point is, she’s got chops and it shows, especially when this book – a look at her family and, specifically, her Uncle Donald – reads like something from the True Medicine genre. Indeed, medically-based passages are nearly emotionless in their clinicality.
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Book Review: 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life, by Elizabeth White
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm
55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life, by Elizabeth White
c.2020 in paperback, Simon & Schuster
$17.00 / $23.00 Canada 272 pagesYour last regular paycheck has come and gone.
That was awhile ago, back before you were downsized / laid off / reassigned right out of a job and you’re not sure what to do. Your savings are nearly gone, your retirement funds are next, and you’re too young to get Social Security. In 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal” by Elizabeth White, you’ll see how to make this new life work.
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Book Review: Confessions of a Gay Priest, by Tom Rastrelli
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm
“Confessions of a Gay Priest” is a hard, hard book to read – it’ll make you squirm, it’ll make your eyebrows raise, you’ll want to toss it on the street and let semis run it over and yet, it’s stay-up-all-night compelling.
“Confessions of a Gay Priest” by Tom Rastrelli
c.2020, University of Iowa Press $19.95 / higher in Canada 328 pagesYou spent days examining your life.
Sins: that’s what you were looking for How had you displeased God? How many lies, covets, dishonors? What have you done since – oh, when was your last confession, anyhow? They say the sacrament is good for your soul, and in “Confessions of a Gay Priest” by Tom Rastrelli, there’s a lot to tell.
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Book Review: Half Broke: A Memoir, by Ginger Gaffney
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm“Half Broke: A Memoir” by Ginger Gaffney
c.2020, Norton $25.95 / $34.95 Canada 272 pagesThe last time you went riding, the weather was perfect.
Did you notice that? Or were you thinking about something, some niggling issue, a thorny problem that needed to be solved from the back of a saddle? They say that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man. In “Half Broke” by Ginger Gaffney, the same goes for the inside of a woman.
She knew she wasn’t going to get paid for the job.
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Book Review: Half Broke: A Memoir, by Ginger Gaffney
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm“Half Broke: A Memoir” by Ginger Gaffney
c.2020, Norton $25.95 / $34.95 Canada 272 pagesThe last time you went riding, the weather was perfect.
Did you notice that? Or were you thinking about something, some niggling issue, a thorny problem that needed to be solved from the back of a saddle? They say that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man. In “Half Broke” by Ginger Gaffney, the same goes for the inside of a woman.
She knew she wasn’t going to get paid for the job.
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Book Review: Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs, A Memoir, by Jennifer Finney Boylan
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
“Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs, A Memoir” by Jennifer Finney Boylan
c.2020, Celadon Books $26.99 / $36.50 Canada 272 pages
Pre-order available, releasing April 21Can you name them in chronological order?
The first one might be hard: you were small when you loved that dog. Later ones recall easier and, naturally, you remember the first pup that was all yours. Think: the names come one after another because there was always a dog and in “Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs” by Jennifer Finney Boylan, there was always love.