San Diego Bookshelf

WHISPERS IN THE SHADOWS: AN AMERICAN’S ADVENTURE TEACHING IN ROMANIA BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN

 

By Sandra Wenner Yeaman

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

August 11, 2024 (El Cajon) -- Sandra Yeaman, a resident of El Cajon, CA, visited Iaşi, Romania in 1978. She was given a two-bedroom apartment with all the usual appliances found in U.S. apartments. She later found out her lifestyle was quite lush compared to local residents. However, on the downside she lived far from the school where she would be teaching English, and it wasn’t close to shopping.

The school at which she was a Fullbright English ­­­lecturer lacked a campus. In fact, the school only had one building. The instructors shared one room as an office and took turns acting as receptionists for the English department. When paid, the British English instructor and Yeaman were the first to be paid. Funds were passed around with the remaining funds. Yeaman and the British instructor made quite a bit more than the others.

The author only taught three days of the week. As a result, she regularly traveled to the Capitol, Bucharest, for weekend visits. Here’s an excerpt:


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THE 17TH VOLUME OF A YEAR IN INK ANTHOLOGY

 

Edited by Kimberly Lee and Kate Manning

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

 

August 11, 2024 (San Diego) -- Published by San Diego Writers, Ink, The 17th Volume Anthology: A Year In Ink, is an anthology of the creative work of San Diegans. In the 2024 version, 281 entries were submitted from all genres.

Of those, 46 pieces were selected to be in this year's anthology (23 poetry and 23 prose). Submissions include short stories, novel and memoir excerpts, creative nonfiction, satire, flash fiction/nonfiction, and poetry.


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UNDER A SECRET SKY: A SPELL-BINDING MYSTERY

Author to hold local book signing Sept. 26

 

By David Madsen

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

 

July 26, 2024 (San Diego) -- As a third generation Californian, David Madsen grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, one of the main settings for Under a Secret Sky. While researching the book, he traveled to the back gate of Area 51. Although he didn’t gain admittance, his license plate is no doubt in a secret database, which he accepts as a badge of honor. Today, the author lives in San Diego.

 

In the novel, Robert mysteriously disappears. His wife, Jean, and their precocious son, set out to find their missing family member. Threatened, then pursued by friends-turned-enemies, their search leads from their comfortable post-WWII suburban California life to a top-secret company town that invents a new way to win wars. 

Visit more reviews by Pennell Paugh in 


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RIVER OF LIGHT: ACCEPTING MYSELF AND MY POTENTIAL

By Wendy Schultz
Reviewed by Pennell Paugh
 
July 22, 2024 (San Diego) -- Wendy Schultz, a resident of Oceanside, recently released a fictional story, River of Light.  It seems so real that I initially believed the book was a memoir. It begins with the main character wanting to change her name. A judge tells her that by persisting and insisting others use her preferred name, she’ll succeed in changing from being Fresno Bakersfield Ingersoll to Clare Elizabeth Ingersoll. Schultz’s mother names her children the places at which her children may have been conceived.

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IN DEEP AND FAR OUT: BOOK II OF A TRILOGY

By Richard G. Opper
 
Reviewed by Pennell Paugh
 
July 7, 2024 (San Diego) – San Diego author Richard Opper’s most recent book, In Deep and Far Out, is the second in a trilogy that takes place in the early 1970s. In the trilogy’s first book, Gary, a Harbor cop, has fallen in-love with Mona, a woman who makes adult films and owns a bar in San Diego. Book two is in the same time, and Gary has just moved in with Mona. Immediately after he moves in, Mona is called away on business trips, one on top of the other. Her trip to Guam is focused on in In Deep and Far Out.

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SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY

By KC Grifant
 
Reviewed by Pennell Paugh
 
July 5, 2024 (San Diego) -- KC Grifant’s debut short story collection, Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny, will be released on July 11 at an online event at 5 p.m. Join Galactic Terrors readings at https://tinyurl.com/y4gj654q.
 
The San Diego author brings characters alive as they walk into a world of nightmares. She taps our deepest fears from the bowels of NYC to the mind-warping outer reaches of space. Her stories made me think about life, as well as the sources of our irrational fears.

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PHOTOGRAPHER ROY TOFT’S GIFT TO RAMONA

 
By Mimi Pollack
 
Photos courtesy: Roy Toft, Teri Kerns, and Mimi Pollack
 
June 18, 2024 (Ramona) – Ramona photographer Roy Toft, has always had an affinity for animals. This photographer has had many adventures in his life, photographing wildlife and leading tours around the world, but he calls Ramona home. He lives there with his wife, Stella, and their cat. Now he is giving a gift back to the Ramona community with the release of his new coffee table book, Wild Ramona.
 
When he was a student at Polytechnic State University, his major was wildlife biology, but a camera, a Canon AE1, given as a graduation gift by his father, changed the course of his life. Photography became his passion and his degree in biology also came in handy.

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THE GUILDED PEN – TRAVERSING LIFE, THE SAN DIEGO WRITERS AND EDITORS GUILD 2023 ANTHOLOGY

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh 
 
June 18, 2024 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Writers & Editors Guild is a nonprofit, member-supported organization dedicated to promoting the writing arts in San Diego. The Guilded Pen has been publishing anthologies of its members’ short stories, essays, and poetry since 2012. The 2023 version, Traversing Life, is the Guild’s best collection of stories so far. I enjoyed every item in the book.
 
The book contains 24 short stories, 7 poems, and 13 essays. In many stories, the authors share major life events in fiction or in memoir pieces; one tells the life events of a library book; and another writes a fairytale about a frog. The book’s theme “traversing life” is spun, whipped up, and turned into something refreshing, stimulating, thought-provoking, soul-wrenching, or simply fun. 

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ALPINE RESIDENT PUBLISHES DEBUT COLLECTION OF SHORT FICTION: JOE CABANISS’ STORIES EXAMINE TRIALS, TRIUMPHS OF COMING OF AGE

Source: Joe Cabaniss press release

June 8,2024 (Alpine)-- In his debut story collection, Life Songs And Other Passages – San Diego Stories, native San Diegan Joe Cabaniss probes the spaces between youth and adulthood and explores a road paved with uncertainty, heartache and moral dilemmas. His characters strive to understand their lives and loves amid opposing forces that foster tension and uncertainty in an often unjust and unforgiving world.

Place figures strongly in these tales, set mostly in San Diego in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Readers of a certain age may see something of themselves in these pages, while others may find universal truths that resonate. Long-time San Diegans may recognize neighborhoods where they lived or played, and surfers will note favorite beaches and recall how the sport/lifestyle taught them to embrace the Aloha spirit.


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THE LIBRARY'S SUMMER LEARNING CHALLENGE IS BACK

 
June 4, 2024 (San Diego) -- Do you like to read? Do you like to learn? How about, do you like to earn prizes?
 
Well, this summer you can do all three. The County Library Summer Learning Challenge is back! This summer’s “Read, Learn, Create” reading challenge started Saturday and runs through Aug 31. Anyone and everyone can take part.

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THE CASE OF THE ZOMBIE NINJAS: DOTTY MORGAN SUPERNATURAL SLEUTH BOOK TWO

By Erik Christopher Martin

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

May 19, 2024 (San Diego) –In San Diego author Erik Christopher Martin’s latest book, The Case of the Zombie Ninjas, the Sato Corporation moves to Elderton, Dotty Morgan’s home town. It also funds Waverly Perchance Memorial Garden, a project organized by 12-year-old Dotty.

Sato Corporation’s CEO, Mr. Sato, takes an interest in Dotty and helps her realize her dream of owning and operating a Supernatural Sleuthing Agency. However, there is a dark side to Mr. Sato’s generosity.

Below is an excerpt:


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HEAR OUR INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KEN SCHAFER

East County News Service

 

Hear full interview aired on KNSJ Radio

May 10, 2024 (San Diego) – East County Magazine Bookshelf host Reina Menasche recently interviewed author Ken Schafer regarding his first young adult novel,. An Otherwise Perfect Plan: A Novel of Mystery, Love, and Chocolate that Defies Description  Schafer started his professional writing career as a screenwriter, working for companies as diverse as Disney, Paramount and ABC, and on projects ranging from a prequel to "Sleeping Beauty" to "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and ABC Night at the Movies. He also founded Moon Jumper Press.

Kirkus Reviews praised the novel's cinematic structure, though Schafer says,"Screenwriting and novel writing are two completely different beasts," because screenplays are fundramentally visual. But he says screenplay writing's tight time requirements have influenced his writing.

An unusual facet of this coming-of-age novel is that there are no villains, Meansche notes. Schafer says this arose from the story and decisions made by the young girl's mother. "The conflict is just getting through life," he says. "We all know there's enough stress in the world without actual bad people." He's currently finishing up an audio version that will be available on Audible.

Audio: 


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BECOMING AMERICAN: A POLITICAL MEMOIR BY CARY D. LOWE

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh
 
May 8, 2024 (San Diego) -- Becoming American is an inspiring story of the author's transformation, from a child of Holocaust survivors in post-war Europe to moving to America and becoming part of America’s cultural, business, and political institutions, while he retained ties to his family roots.

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100 FOOT WAVE: THE OFFICIAL BOOK

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

May 6, 2024 (San Diego)-- World surfing champions Milton and Michael Willis share their love for riding waves of any size in their latest book, 100 Foot Wave: The Official Book. Their book provides a deeper understanding of the hows, whys, and dangers of this exciting discipline. For the Willis brothers, who grew up in San Diego's North County and Hawaii, riding big waves is a spiritual practice. They share the rigors and dangers of the sport, as well as the spiritual highs.

Their book is comprehensive, covering:

  • Contest winners and who really rode the biggest waves
  • How boards are designed and made, along with the development of surfing equipment innovations
  • The best places to find waves and how to train for riding a big wave
  • Notable male and female surfers and their contributions to the sport, and
  • Commemorations of those who have died while surfing.

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HIKING YOUR FEELINGS WITH SYDNEY WILLIAMS

East County News Service
 
Join Sydney Williams for a hike, a book signing + discussion of her new book, Hiking Your Feeling: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love
 
April 12, 2024 (San Diego) -- Turn your pain into power. Part inspirational memoir, part practical guide, Hiking Your Feelings offers a toolkit to unpack your “trauma pack” and step into the best version of yourself.
 
Join wellness advocate and wilderness guide Sydney Williams for a book signing and discussion of her new book, Hiking Your Feeling: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love, as well as a guided walk through the park. The book will be available for purchase at the MTRP gift shop.
 
Date and time
Sunday, April 14 · 2 - 4 p.m.

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THE THREAT AND PREVENTION OF SUICIDE AND ITS CAUSES

 

The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power, by Courtney B. Vance & Robin L. Smith (Hatchette Book Group, New York, NY, 2023, 268 pages).

“Papa was like a shadow that was always hanging over me.”

                                    -CORY MAXSON, FENCES

Book Review by Dennis Moore

How fortuitous and ironic that I would make this book, The Invisible Ache, the last of my more than 400 book reviews written, as I now go into retirement. This spellbinding and historic book co-written by Courtney B. Vance, a member of my church here in Los Angeles, compels me to write this review.

Along with co-author, Dr. Robin L. Smith, The Invisible Ache, pulls back the covers on social taboos, and makes this book a profound and historical commentary on race and mortality, and it resonates with me for so many profound and personal reasons full of ironies.


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ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF “HOW DOES THE COW SLEEP?” BY NICO WATERS

By Pennell Paugh
 
March 22, 2024 (San Diego)-- How Does the Cow Sleep is a charming children's picture book for ages 1 through 5. San Diego author Nico Waters shows the sleeping positions of a cow, bear, giraffe, lion, bat, rhino, cat, and human baby. 
 
Waters asks how the specific animal sleeps, and then answers with a colorful illustration that shows the animal sleeping in their natural habitat. 

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REFUGE ON THE MOUNTAIN: SURVIVAL AFTER AN APOCALYPTIC DISASTER

Local author has series of events coming up.
 
Reviewed by Pennell Paugh
 
March 17, 2024 (San Diego) -- Ocean Beach resident Cornelia Feye writes a post-apocalyptic story. 
 
After a massive solar storm causes a catastrophic global blackout, Greg and Vega escape with their extended family to their solar powered, self-sufficient mountain cabin. Their survival is threatened when a dead body is found on the path behind their home, and a gang of lawless neo-Nazis threaten to take over their property.

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THE SQUIRREL AND THE MOON

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

March 8, 2024 (San Diego) -- The Squirrel and the Moon, a picture book, is beautifully written by Jacob Haffner and illustrated by Clarissa Janeen. It’s perfect for the young reader who loves to explore a book through its pictures. The book tells a warm and tender mother/child story.

The squirrel tells his mother he’s going to the moon. When the squirrel sets out to bring a souvenir home from the moon, he discovers that his task is more daunting than he'd expected. Can he make it to the moon and back? If so, how will he get there?


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WALLED-IN WEST BERLIN: A WEST BERLIN GIRL’S JOURNEY TO FREEDOM

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

March 9, 2024 (San Diego) – San Diego author J. Elke Ertle was born and raised in West Berlin during the aftermath of World War II, when the city had become the focus of an escalating Cold War between East and West.

In her memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, she beautifully describes how her strict rearing was similar to the restrictions of the Wall on her city’s people.  

The following excerpt gives a sense of her conflict:


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WORLD BOOK DAY: FEBRUARY 23

By Jonathan Goetz

February 19, 2024 (La Mesa) -- World Book Day is an annual event organized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. The main purpose of World Book Day is to encourage people of all ages to discover the joy of books and reading. It also aims to support authors and publishers by raising awareness of their work and protecting their rights, according to Bing's Copilot. It is celebrated on February 23 in many countries around the world, including the United States.

The San Diego County Library offers a wide variety of books, as well as e-books and Kindle books, all free to readers.  Or find a list of top-rated San Diego County bookstores here:  visitcalifornia.com/bookstores-san-diego/
 

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HONEYMOON AT SEA: HOW I FOUND MYSELF LIVING ON A SMALL BOAT

Book by Jennifer Silva Redmond

 

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

February 15, 2024 (San Diego) -- In 1989-90, Jennifer and Russel Redmond set off from San Diego for Baja California on their 26-foot sloop, Watchfire, shortly after they married. After traveling through the Panama Canal, they sailed all the way to Canada, before turning around to end their honeymoon in New York City. The trip was intended to be an extended honeymoon, a chance to properly get to know each other and settle into married life, but over the months and then years, it became a way of life. However, they did eventually upgrade to the 35-foot Watchfire 2

Honeymoon at Sea is written as a travel log much of the time, with the author sharing her thoughts and feelings about the sights and people. Redmond also chronicles details of life at sea, ranging from deep sea diving to catch their next meal, to fixing a blocked toilet, to swimming to get away from sharks.


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ALL THE BAD GIRLS WEAR RUSSIAN ACCENTS: POEMS OF A UKRAINIAN JEWISH REFUGEE GRANTED ASYLUM IN THE U.S.

By Jane Muschenetz

 

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

 

February 14, 2024 (San Diego) -- Written with humor as well as heart ache, Jane Muschenetz touches on her raw feelings of becoming a refugee. At the age of 10, during the pandemic and the Russian invasion of her home country, Ukraine, she was transplanted to San Diego. 

 

Muschenetz reflects on themes that connect to identity. She then shares her growth as she acclimated to her new country, went to MIT, married, and became a mother. 


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SAN DIEGO TRUE CRIME NOVELIST RICHARD CARRICO TO SPEAK AT MISSION TRAILS FEB. 8

East County News Service

 

January 27, 2024 (San Diego) – Monsters on the Loose—a true crime novel by award-winning author and historian Richard L. Carrico—is set in San Diego in 1931. With forensic evidence at the time not quite what it is today, many murders went unsolved. In this gripping novel, San Diego historian and anthropologist Richard L. Carrico details the unsolved murders of three young women including one crime that took place in today’s Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP). In Monsters on the Loose, the author walks readers through the victims’ last days, the search for their killers, and the criminal trial of one suspect.


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A LOVELY GIRL: LOCAL AUTHOR PROVIDES INSIGHTS IN CASE OF NOTORIOUS KILLER

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

 

January 21, 2024 (San Diego) -- A Lovely Girl, the Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of One of California’s Most Notorious Killers tells of a 1958 murder as the evidence was collected. The story ends with the last woman to ever be executed in California.

 

Local author Deborah Holt Larkin tells her personal story. Larkin was 10 years old when Olga Duncan disappeared from her apartment in Santa Barbara, California. Larkin’s father, a reporter for the Ventura County Star Free-Press, covered the case and followed the story through all its court cases and final judgments.


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WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS, MEN ARE FROM MARS!

 

 

Cooked vs. Uncooked Spaghetti, by Dr. Tania Hormozi, PSYD, LMFT (Made in the USA, Muncie, IL., July, 2023, 137 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

January 12, 2024 (San Diego) - Dr. Tania Hormozi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in San Diego, California for over 10 years. She holds a Doctorate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University and a Master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is in private practice and provides therapy to individuals and mostly couples. She helps clients gain perspective, understanding, and identify solutions to problems using their own strengths and skills.

With those credentials one would think that she could have saved my marriage. After reading this book(s), you will have a better understanding of the differences between men and women, how to listen, how to express feelings, and be supportive emotionally, mentally, and physically for your female and/or male partners, and reconnect on a different level. You will have the tools to understand and truly connect with your partner. Wishful thinking!


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CHINA BOY, A WORK THAT TRANSCENDS TIME

Author Gus Lee interviews with Anat Tour, host of East County Magazine Show’s “Bookshelf” feature on KNSJ

View video

Hear audio 

January 8, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) -- In an engaging conversation with esteemed American author and ethicist Gus Lee, Anat Tour, host of East County Magazine Radio Show’s “Bookshelf” on KNSJ Radio,  explores the depths of Lee's captivating novel, China Boy.  A best-selling author with many notable books, Lee's illustrious career includes serving his time at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and his role as West Point's Chair of Character Development, and acting Deputy Attorney General.

Audio: 


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ODYSSEY'S END

By  Pennell Paugh

January 3, 2024 (San Diego) – Odyssey's End  is the tenth book in the Rick Cahill series by local author Matt Coyle.  Private investigator Rick Cahill lives in the San Diego region and as in the series’ other books, he takes the reader on real streets and neighborhoods.in  He accepts a lost-person assignment from a man he knows is a killer. The murderer is also connected to others from Rick’s dark past. Immediately, Rick’s life and those of his family members are threatened.

Here’s a sample of writing from the book:

I hadn’t seen Peter Stone in five years. Not since the night he saved my life. When he’d wielded a shotgun with deadly efficiency. Five years before that, he’d tried to kill me with a handgun. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so lucky the first time if he’d had a shotgun.

Stone had changed a lot since the night he’d blown away two assassins in his lair up in the hills above La Jolla.


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CHERIE KERR, AUTHOR OF CHARLIE’S NOTES, SHARES MEMORIES OF HER JAZZ MUSICIAN FATHER

View video of interview

Hear audio aired on KNSJ Radio

By Miriam Raftery

December 12, 2023 (San Diego)—Anat Tour, host of the East County Magazine Radio Show’s Bookshelf, recently interviewed Cherie Kerr on her award-winning book, Charlie’s Notes. This moving memoir of her father, jazz musician Carluchi (Charlie) DePietro, chronicles his struggles from his roots in a New York immigrant family to his experiences in Hollywood performing alongside some of the top celebrities in the music and the film industries.

Audio: 


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CAN LOVE OVERCOME MAGICAL HYPNOTIC TRAINING? MYSTIC PRINCE: VIXEN IS LATEST IN RICHTER’S SERIES

Book by M.A. Richter

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

December 9, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Local author M.A. Richter announces the release of Mystic Prince: Vixen. The book is a fantasy-adventure that follows Khael, an enlightened prince in 2773, who has just regained his crown. He reestablishes a government and places his mother, a princess, to oversee day-to-day governance of the realm. He wishes to travel and to negotiate treaties with other realms. He also wants to continue training to become a master mystic under a mentor.


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