Newsletter for August 2024

Featured Books

Bittersweet Fruit by William LeRoy

“The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is said to be the story of a family. Comment.”

 

That was the challenge put to author William LeRoy on a high school exam. Now, over sixty years later, LeRoy — still stumped by questions leading to questions — assigns to Maximo Morgan the private dickery task of doping out multiple Grapes mysteries left dangling”

 

Formatted as a combination of fact and fiction, which is which in the famous book? Are chapters billed as history really apochryphal, ad/or those seemingly imagined in truth documentary?

 

Who, if any particular people, were the models for the “Joad Family” that made the arduous trek from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to the verdant vineyards of California so dramatically depicted in The Grapes of Wrath?

 

Did “Tom Joad” escape capture after attempting to flee a muder charge for the killing of a thug hired by landowners to bust unionization of migrant “Okie” workers?

 

And was it Steinbeck who came up with the narrative for which he was awarded the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for Literature, or would his attributed authorship be rightly called “a classic smash-and-grab: celebrated California author steals the material of unknown Oklahoma writer”?

 

Finally, on the 85th anniversary of the publication of Grapes, William LeRoy — thanks to somewhat helpful gumshoing by Maximo Morga a/k/a The Fat Man — is now able to comment.

 

Undead friends can be the family you choose. (You just can’t invite them to the bat mitzvah.) Fangs out. This is Sugar Bernstein’s new now. A former New York ad woman and nobody’s fool, this freshly minted vampire is avoiding loved ones by driving the country alone in a luxury camper van. (“Luxury” and “camper van” seem mutually exclusive concepts when your routine involves a sewage hose.) If all that’s not enough, her man is dead; an evil, blood-sucking she-creature is on her tail; and an entire Jewish family is on her case. It’s a lot.  

 

With no guidance, Sugar is struggling to learn as much as possible about the rules of undead existence. She’s dusting off the oldest and most authoritative vampire books and movies, and testing the truth of it all by trial and error. Sunlight good or sunlight bad? Enhanced senses or just over-imagination? Animal blood or human blood—is there really a difference? (Spoiler Alert: Yes.) And when it comes to life with no obvious end, how the hell do you finance it? (So much for early retirement.)

 

In her travels, Sugar finds help in surprising places—like beneath the neon signage of the Moonglow chain of RV parks—each with a secret section designated “V-parking.” And there’s even an app for that. Seems that Sugar is not the only “V” who feels #VanLife is a smart way to go. At Moonglow, Sugar feels like she can let down her guard enough to allow in some fellow travelers. But making friends is dangerous business when an infamous and evil vampire bitch is hunting you down. Opening your heart can have deadly consequences.  

 

Will Sugar outrun evil? Will she take a chance on love when her previous encounters ended in murder? Will she make it to her niece’s bat mitzvah without causing the synagogue to explode? In her shoes, what would you do? 

 

Broken Pencils by J.R. Rice

Jonah Tarver, a troubled Oakland teenager grappling with his parents’ troubled marriage, his own mental disorder, and the weight of his best friend’s death, embarks on a desperate quest to find meaning in life. On his eighteenth birthday, coinciding with his Senior prom, Jonah, along with his girlfriend Taniesha, his best friend Trevon, and a group of peers, spirals into a night of reckless indulgence in drugs and alcohol in the vibrant city of San Francisco. As tensions escalate and emotions run high, Jonah finds himself thrust into a gripping twelve-hour journey through the dark underbelly of San Francisco’s nightlife, forever altering his perception of the world. Will Jonah uncover the purpose he so desperately seeks, or will he discover that life, like broken pencils, may have no point?

 

Tommy Rocket and the Goober Patrol by Thomas Kuhn

When Nate Turner, a more or less average, well-intentioned 10-year-old, receives via robot-helicopter an encoded invitation from the secluded, anti-social, and enigmatic child prodigy, Tommy Rocket, promising free Doritos, Twinkies, and adventure, he simply can’t resist. Tommy’s gift for making gadgets and robots further fascinates Nate, most especially Tommy’s Goober Patrol, a small group of robots possessing the Prometheus Chip, the sentience-granting and epoch-marking invention of Tommy’s father. Nonetheless, whether helping Tommy hunt down a supposed rogue robot, instigating a war between the bully gangs, or spying on the community with Tommy’s network of robot-cams, Nate begins to have regrets in ever joining Tommy in his mischievous games and intrigues.

 

However, when the two young spies and hunters find themselves becoming the espied and hunted, by someone or something capable of murder, something the boys do not understand, they cease their games and squabbling to unravel the secret of their mysterious and sinister stalker. Who—or even what—is he, and why is he so interested in Tommy’s father and his fabulous Prometheus Chip? Is it for mere industrial espionage or something much darker? Together, the boys must use their individual strengths, along with the help of Tommy’s marvelous robots, to solve the mystery of their unknown and murderous antagonist, a mystery whose outcome holds the key to the continued survival of the human race itself.

 

Star Maker by Jessa Nevins

 

Dive into the electric allure of the 1980s rock scene with Star Maker. Meet Kit McKenna, a bright-eyed entertainment attorney on a mission to conquer the music world. But when she meets the charismatic Sully Fox, frontman of Gypsy Tango, everything changes.

 

 

Sully’s raw talent and undeniable charm capture Kit’s heart. Together, they navigate the treacherous waves of fame, passion, and music. With each other's support, they seem unstoppable, but the glittering lights of success bring shadows of doubt. Can their love survive the trials of stardom?

 

 

From the heady highs of love to the heart-wrenching choices of fame, Kit and Sully’s journey is a whirlwind of emotion and music. If you love a good rock 'n' roll drama, get ready to be swept off your feet with Star Maker.

 

 

Don’t miss this mesmerizing story of ambition, love, and rock 'n' roll. Will Kit and Sully’s love be the anchor they need, or will the music industry’s merciless nature be too much for them?

Star Maker—Where Love and Music Collide

Book Giveaways for August

Win a copy of The Four by Ellie Keel.  All you have to do is click on the book cover below.  It will take you to the main page.   Look for the giveaway on the left.  Follow the instructions listed.

Win a copy of The House Hunt by C.M. Ewan.   All you have to do is click on the book cover below.  It will take you to the main page.  Look for the giveaway on the right.  Follow the instructions listed.

Book Giveaway Winners for July

 

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