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Here are my year’s best picks, not in order of importance but all equally valuable to readers (and they’re available on Amazon.com):
Parsifal, a novel by Jim Krusoe, Tin House Books, 264 pages, $15.95. In his childhood Parsifal lives with his mother in the forest, but when disaster strikes he must move to the big city with its strange ways. An allegory filled with wisdom, humor, and social commentary, Parsifal is about the dark edges of our souls slowly turning back to the light. A must-read among new books!
Edgewood, a novel by Karen McQuestion, CreateSpace, 324 pages, $12.95. Teen Russ Becker lives a small life until, on a late-night walk to cure his insomnia, he discovers other-worldly luminous particles in a field, which brings him into contact with
other teens who have all acquired super powers. High drama, action and mystery in this book for teens that is also a great read for adults!
Dead Horses, poems by Joan Colby, Future Cycle Press, 58 pages, $13.95. Farm Noir about the difficulties of a farming life, which include terrible accidents, crops that fail, and animals that need to be put down. Sensitive and in-depth portraits of farm people, their helpers, and loss.
Self-Hypnosis and Subliminal Technology – A How-To Manual For Personal Empowerment Tools
You Can Use Anywhere! by Eldon Taylor, Hay House, 202 pages, $17.95. Finally a self-help book that works! Even the most nervous and anxiety-prone among us can use these easy techniques to feel relaxed and confident in difficult situations (e.g. pre-surgery) and/or on a daily basis for more healthful living. Visualization and other methods are explored, as is the theory that mind-over-matter helps the body heal.
Knife Edge & Absinthe – The Tango Poems, by Lyn Lifshin, NightBallet Press, 60 pages, $10.00. Poems about passion, both for life in general and for the dance itself, and a testament to a life of romance. The push-and-pull between male and female dancers is accentuated, as is their co-operation in the creation of beauty.
An Extraordinary Theory of Objects, a memoir by Stephanie LaCava, Harper, 224 pages, $23.99. After living in New York City, Stephanie spends a year between the ages of 12 to 13 in Paris. An outsider in a group of pre-teens, LaCava’s poignant and unusual memoir pivots around her love of favorite objects and curiosities and their backgrounds and histories. With amazing illustrations by Matthew Nelson, which add to the delight of the book.
The War In HD – World War II And Vietnam, a six-disc HD DVD set by The History Channel, $69.95. Collected from hundreds of hours of formerly lost footage and edited to illustrate the experiences of veterans of World War II and the war in Vietnam, this exquisite six-disc set is a find for both history buffs and those interested in the stories of the brave soldiers of America, many of whom sacrificed their lives for us. With songs of the times, quotes from leaders of many nations, and the veterans themselves speaking about what happened to them, this is a comprehensive work that could be viewed over and over again and is particularly educational while never being boring.
The Day I Saw Your Heart, a French film with English subtitles on DVD from Film Movement (directed by Jennifer Devoldere), $24.95. An interesting plot about the complications and oddities of families, this film also contains memorable poetic imagery. Touching on subjects that are heavy in an often light manner, the film also contains protagonist Justine’s unusual Xray art installations, unlike any that you’ve seen before.
Reviewed By Christina Zawadiwsky
Christina Zawadiwsky is Ukrainian-American, born in New York City, has a degree in Fine Arts, and is a poet, artist, journalist, critic and TV producer. She has received a National Endowment For The Arts award, two Wisconsin Arts Board awards, a Co-Ordinating Council Of Literary Magazines Award, and an Art Futures Award, among other honors. She was the originator and producer of Where The Waters Meet, a local TV series created to facilitate the voices of artists of all genres in the media, for which she won two national and twenty local awards, including a Commitment To Community Television Award. She is also a contributing editor to the annual Pushcart Prize Anthology (and has received one herself), the recipient of an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, and has published four books of poetry and has had poetry and fiction in hundreds of literary periodicals. She has reviewed music for Music Room Reviews, films for Movie Room Reviews, Movie Scribes, and FilmSay, and is currently reviewing books and films online for Book Room Reviews at www.bookroomreviews.com while also showing artwork professionally.
What a thrill to see my book, EDGEWOOD, in your Holiday Gift Giving List. I especially liked this line: High drama, action and mystery in this book for teens that is also a great read for adults!
Happy hoiidays to everyone at Book Room Reviews! ツ
Thanks Karen! But your writing is great, so of course the placement of your work here is well-deserved!