January 1, 2020 Post # 50

Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Quote for the day: "Torch Lake has driven writers to poetic exhaustion when trying to describe its beauty." Glen Ruggles. Michigan History Magazine. January/February 1979


Reviews


Downstream From Here: A Big Life in a Small Place
by Charles R. Eisendrath

The author was a Time Magazine foreign correspondent who ceaselessly roamed the world and was as rootless as an artificial Christmas tree. He was the bureau chief in a South American country with a wife and two small children when he was overwhelmed with the urge to put down some roots and make a home for his family. And it just so happened he had inherited a farmhouse and 140+ acres of land on the south arm of the Lake Charlevoix that is grandfather bought on the last day of World War II.

This charming and enjoyable book of essays is part autobiography, part musing on journalism, and a whole lot of putting down roots in northern Michigan. And by putting down roots I mean literally putting down roots. One of the first things Eisendrath does after moving to the farm is to plant ten acres of cherry trees as a cash crop.  This leads to a none too titillating discussion of the sex life of a cherry tree, reveals that it takes a year just to prepare the ground to receive young trees, and the correct way to prune a cherry tree to get the best harvest. The author also learns how easy it is for any number of things can go wrong and lose a crop.

The essays range from the world of a foreign correspondent to a meditation on the smells associated with a northern Michigan farm; from the odor of light oil used to sharpen tools and lubricate machinery, the stink at the bottom of a silo, the common odor of sour milk, and the all-pervasive scent of wood smoke. Other essays describe his neighbors who get by on subsistence farming, a recollection of  Charlevoix in the middle of the last century when there was a strict separation of Jewish and Christian neighborhoods. Strangely enough, many of the Jewish and Christian summer residents were from Chicago where they continually crossed paths while doing business in the Windy City. There's a great chapter on fishing, boating, and lake living in which he recalls the first time a steelhead hit his lure. He writes, "I thought at first that something terrible had happened to the rod, reel, boat, maybe the world."

Eisendrath is a thoroughly engaging author who writes movingly of how the love of place and pleasure of putting down roots is such an important part of a well-lived life. Each of the chapters or essays are small literary gems that bring past and present northern Michigan, it's people and way of life joyously alive.   


Downstream from Here: A Big Life in a Small Place by Charles R. Eisendrath. Mission Point Press, 2019, $19.95.



Fallback
by B. G. Bradley

Hunter Lake is a small, fictional U.P. village that is filled with singularly engaging characters. The people and the village exist in the imagination of B. G. Bradley and the three books, to date, he has written chronicle critical and life-changing events in the villagers' lives. I have frankly become an addict of the series of which "Fallback" is the third.

Jake O'Brian left Hunter Lake after high school, became a world traveler, lawyer, dealmaker, and an international VIP. Late in middle-age, he married a trophy wife. The man who was always two steps ahead of everybody else, confident, and very self-assured slowly comes apart when his wife becomes pregnant and he is not sure the child is his. His wife adds to his torment by constantly changing her story or mind as to who is the father. Like a wounded animal returning to his den, Jake returns to Hunter Lake hoping to find some solace and support from family and friends, figure out if there is hope for his marriage, and can he love the child if it isn't his. Making things more difficult is the fact that his wife will not tell him whether or not she wants out of the marriage.

B. G. Bradley is not afraid to experiment with narrative styles. Thumbing through his first book with all its narrative kinks and novelties I thought it would be unreadable yet I became completely caught up in the novel. He takes similar chances with narrative style and pacing with this book. Most of the book is composed of very short chapters as Jake tells his story to friends and family and wrestles with what to do. Interspersed with the chapters set in Hunter Lake are brief scenes from a host of different locations ranging from sessions with a therapist to airports, Fiji, and a hunting camp in the U.P. to name a few. At first, the reader doesn't know if all the narrative jumping about is in chronological order or are flashbacks.  Ultimately, it doesn't matter because the brief chapters become brushstrokes of a talented portrait artist adding depth and character to his subject.

Once again the author's unorthodox style snares the reader and pulls them into Jake's life and his struggle to decide on a path of his post playboy life.  The book is not without surprise twists and turns. As with all Bradley's books on the denizens of Hunter Lake, the heart of this novel helps define home, love, family, and the unexpected turns one's life can take.  I am eagerly looking forward to meeting yet another fascinating character from Hunter Lake. Hopefully in the near future.

Fallback by B. G. Bradley. Benegamah Press, 2019, $9.95



The Gray Drake: A Burr Lafayette Mystery
by Charles Cutter


Quinn Shepherd is the best guide on Michigan's legendary trout stream the Au Sable River. After a night of fundraising at a posh trout lodge, Quinn takes his Au Sable boat and floats downriver to his favorite spot and reaches for his fly rod. The next morning he's found at the bottom of the stream with his boat's anchor cable wrapped around his ankle. His death is ruled accidental. He is survived by his wife Lizzie and their six-year-old son. A year later a damaged canoe paddle is found. The police reopen the case and Lizzie is soon charged with the murder of her husband.

Enter Burr Lafayette a lawyer who was recently kicked out of his Detroit law firm and has a lot more liabilities than assets. Frankly, he's in debt up to his eyebrows and endanger of losing the building he is buying to house his new law firm and his sailboat. He is talked into meeting Lizzie, who hardly has two dimes to rub together and reluctantly agrees to defend her. The deck is stacked against Lizzie and Burr goes to trial with no idea as to how he is going to mount a defense and create any doubt in the jury, let alone reasonable doubt.

The author has done a fine job of keeping the reader spellbound as the narrative unspools and Burr continues to grab at straws hoping it will lead to a crack in the prosecution's case. The author has peopled the book with a cast of interesting characters from an incompetent judge to flawed expert witnesses and the singular lawyer Burr Lafayette. The plot features unexpected twists and turns and will keep readers guessing to the end.

The Gray Drake is a dry fly. It is also a species of Mayflies and a famous fishing lodge in which the author has taken some literary license and moved it from the banks of the Manistee River to the Au Sable. The Gray Drake is also a fine mystery, a riveting courtroom drama set in and around Grayling that will hook readers within the first few pages.
The Gray Drake: A Burr Lafayette Mystery by Charles Cutter. Mission Point Press, 2019, $16.95

Any of the books reviewed in this blog may be purchased by clicking your mouse on the book's cover which will take you to amazon where you can usually purchase the book at a discount. By using this blog as a portal to amazon and purchasing any product helps support Michigan in Books.  





    


     
0

December 1, 2019 Post #49

Sunday, December 1, 2019
Quote for the day: "... those who have never seen Superior get an inadequate even inaccurate idea, by hearing it spoken of as a 'lake,' and to those who have sailed over its vast extent the word sounds ludicrous."  Reverend George Grant, the diarist of an 1872 expedition on the lake.


Reviews



Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football
by John U. Bacon

The author spent nearly a year with the Michigan football team during the 2018 season. From spring practices to the Peach Bowl Coach Harbaugh gave Bacon full access to the team from players, coaches, trainers, recruiters, and academic advisors, to equipment managers, nutritionists, strength coaches, and even players' parents. The result is the best book I've ever read about college football.

The book provides an interesting portrait of Jim Harbaugh who was hyper-competitive even in grade school and the readers get to know some of the players and learn why they picked U of M and how they benefitted from the program. The reader learns that the academic reputation of the University of Michigan played a major role in many of the players choosing U of M. When Harbaugh is asked to evaluate the team he always echoes his coach's (Schembechler) answer to that question by saying it is what the players achieve after ten or twenty years after graduating. Did his players become good fathers, were they respected in whatever job or career they choose, were they good husbands, and were they men of character? That belief is reflected in the Michigan football players who are confident that after spending four years being on the team they are ready to face any challenge. 

The author has no respect for the NCAA as a governing body of college sports. He points out that when a southern university was caught steering its football players to sign up for fictitious, non-existent courses that were never held and for which the players received an A the NCAA
 threatened to penalize the school.  When the university argued that any student could have signed up for the fake courses the NCAA lifted its sanctions. Logically, Bacon argues that when a major basketball powerhouse was stripped of two NCAA championships because the coach supplied prostitutes to players they were recruiting, the sanctions would have been lifted if the coach had provided prostitutes to the entire student body.  

Bacon also makes it clear that fans of college football are much more passionate about their team than NFL fans are about their hometown teams. This was not news to me because I have a daughter who graduated from U of M and comes close to sweating blood during the football season. Bacon has written a unique and revealing portrait of college football and just not a recapitulation of the season's games. Anyone who follows college football will find Bacon's book as engrossing as watching their team win a national championship. U of M fans will simply devour the book.

Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football by John U. Bacon. William Morrow, 2019, $28.99 hardback.


Upper Peculiar: Tales from Above the Bridge
by Joseph Heywood

Michigan readers can always count on Joseph Heywood for solid entertainment, captivating descriptions of the Upper Peninsula's natural setting and the character of the people who inhabit this unique and sparsely populated corner of America.  Once again the author does not disappoint with this collection of short stories set in the U.P. 

The stories range in time from World War II to the present with the WW II story initially set aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress on a training mission over Lake Superior when the crew is forced to bail out because of mechanical failures. The story focuses on the plane's tail gunner who is introduced to the Porcupine Mountains when his parachute becomes tangled in a tree and the airman finds himself hanging in his parachute harness from the top of a tree as evening falls and so does the temperature. Heywood's prose, as expected, is sharp, often memorable, and funny. Heywood treats the reader to sentences like, "Death was like graduating high school. You went through the door and never came back." Or, "The sky was the color of motor oil a thousand miles past a scheduled change."

The stories range from the dead man who was "not impressed" when he discovered heaven "seemed to be a dead ringer for the U. P." to the tale of a man who "mostly accidentally killed"  his best friend. The short story "Moccasin Square Garden" introduces John Clash, Chief of Tribal Police and his friend and counterpart Houghton County Sheriff Nayar Sekhar. The pair team up to handle an explosive situation when a recently released convict is bent on mayhem and retribution. I'd like to see the duo featured in a novel. 

Like all Heywood's books set in the Upper Peninsula, the latest is packed with marvelous characters and a wonderful feel for its unique setting. It is another gem from a prolific Michigan author and state treasure.

Upper Peculiar: Tales from Above the Bridge by Joseph Heywood, Lyons Press, 2019, $27.95.



The Life of the Sleeping Bear: Views and Stories from Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
Jerry Peterson and Kathy Cole, editors

In 2011 ABC's Good Morning America ran a contest to select "The Most Beautiful Place in America." Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was voted #1. There is no better way to soak in the beauty, marvel at the grandeur, and learn about the natural and human history of this remarkable place than driving the seven-mile-long Pierce Stocking Drive and stopping at the 11 interpretive signs placed at significant points along the drive.

Produced by the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, this book serves as an excellent in-depth guide to the national lakeshore by using the 11 interpretive stops on the scenic drive as the starting point for a much more detailed exploration of the geological and human history within the area.  The brief but thorough human history began some 8,000 years ago with the arrival of prehistoric hunters.  Logging, farming, and tourism are all covered and Pierce Stocking is given credit for helping preserve the land and began buying up acreage in the area when he foresaw the establishment of a national lakeshore. When the creation of the park was delayed he built a 14-mile road over and through the dunes as a tourist attraction.  When the park came into being the first thought was to close the drive but instead, it was shortened to seven miles and paved. Stocking also opened dune buggy rides that operated from 1934 to 1978. I can still vividly remember my Sleeping Bear Dune Buggy ride from the mid-1950s.

Maritime history is especially interesting with an explanation of the Manitou Passage as a major shipping lane and a map showing the known final resting places of many of the 60 vessels lost in the area. Lighthouses and the U. S. Life-Saving Station are also covered. The authors also explain the creation of the 450-foot high perched dunes and the story of how the dunes received their name. The book also details safety precautions visitors need to take when climbing the dunes. The book is packed with contemporary and historical photographs, charts, and illustrations.

The book is a fine memento for your visit to the National Lakeshore and makes even a better guide for planning a visit. You will arrive with a better appreciation for "The Most Beautiful Place in America" and it will single-out not-to-be-missed points of interest and spots of breathtaking beauty. This beautiful book will make your exploration of Sleeping Bear Dunes even more memorable. The book can be found in bookstores or ordered direct from the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes at https://lifeofthesleepingbear.com. 

The Life of the Sleeping Bear: Views and Stories from Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive edited by Jerry Peterson and Kathy Cole. Mission Point Press, 2019, $29.95, Limited Edition $34.95.



The Words Between Us
by Erin Bartels


Robin Windsor, the owner of a small, and failing, used bookstore in a fictionalized Bay City wants nothing more than to remain invisible. Her father is on death row for corruption, extortion, and three highly publicized murders. Her mother is serving time for trying to help cover up her husband's crimes. Robin has taken an assumed name, has stopped all communication with her parents and wants nothing more than to be left alone and forgotten by the press and the public.

On the day her father was to be executed his lawyer wins a stay of execution and Robin receives a book in the mail that brings back painful memories. In succeeding days Robin receives more books which she fears may lead to her being identified and hounded by the press because of her father's notoriety and eminent execution. The arrival of the books splits the book's narrative into two storylines. One narrative returns Robin to her freshman year in high school and her relationship with senior Peter Flynt. Peter's mother was a book lover who died when he was much younger. As Robin and Peter's friendship grows Peter begins giving Robin his mother's favorite books to read. In payment for each book, Robin writes a poem about the book when she finishes it and gives the poem to Peter. When Robin is convinced Peter has betrayed her she leaves all the books on Peter's porch and flees to the U.P. to escape the press and her past life.  

The other narrative follows Robin's efforts to save the failing bookstore and, fearing exposure as the daughter of a killer, she tries to emotionally come to grips with what she believes is her parents' betrayal. It is also troubling and mysterious why Peter, after nearly 20 years, is sending his mother's books back to Robin at the rate of one a day. The two narratives, past and present, ultimately intertwine as Robin struggles to find a way to live with her past, make a new life for herself, and deal with Peter's reemergence into her life. The novel is beautifully written and will surprise readers with several unexpected plot twists. 

This second fine novel within a year by Erin Bartels of Lansing marks the debut of an important Michigan author.  It is an engrossing story featuring believable characters dealing realistically with betrayal, forgiveness, redemption, the emotional and psychological power of words, love of books. and learning to be true to yourself.

The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels. Revell, 2019, $15.99 pb.edition.

Any of the books reviewed in this blog may be purchased by clicking your mouse on the book's cover which will take you to Amazon where you can usually purchase the book at a discount. By using this blog as a portal to Amazon and purchasing any product helps support Michigan in Books.










0
Powered by Blogger.