An author who’s jumped genres, three picture books from one writer, farming, shipwrecks and poetry are in the spotlight as we wind down books for late summer.
“Despite Herself” by Jessie Chandler: (Bella Books, $17.95)
(Courtesy of Bella Books)
The pull I’d felt the first time I’d laid eyes on her hit me full force. The woman was a siren, one of those beautiful, mythical creatures who captivated the innocent with their irresistible songs and lured them to an untimely death.” — from “Despite Herself.”
Minnesotan Jessie Chandler saw herself as a mystery author with six books in her humorous Shay O’Hanlon Caper series that began her career in 2015 with “Bingo Barge Murder.” But at the urging of friends she decided to stretch those creative writing muscles and jump to romance with some mystery elements in a made-up genre she calls “romancification.”
Jessie Chandler
Set in Duluth, the author’s favorite city, the protagonists are Bec Harrison, a former Detroit police officer who joins the Duluth PD after a bitter divorce. Theo Zaccardo owns The Mashed Spud, a popular LGBTQ bar. The women are instantly attracted to one another, but this is a romance, so there’s lots of “Should we…?” They are thrown together when a body is found in a trash bin outside Theo’s bar. The murder weapon was a pizza cutter from Theo’s kitchen, and she becomes a suspect. As the investigation continues, Theo and Bec try to hide their growing feelings for one another, and each woman has reasons for vowing to never again get into a serious relationship. The mystery of who killed the dumpster corpse is sort of in the story, but Chandler never loses control of the romance element. She also has a little fun with her new genre, referring to “romance cliches” in fiction and a book with cover art of “a guy brandishing a sword, someone who looked like that long-haired Italian guy on the front of a gazillion trashy romances from the 90s.” The murder is solved, the lovers reveal their secrets, and it’s mostly happily ever after.
Chandler knows abut law enforcement. She is a former police officer and State Patrol dispatcher. She hasn’t revealed whether there’s another romance in her career.
“Trusty Bus” and “Not a Spot to Spot” by Elizabeth Weiss Verdick: (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, both $19.99)
(Courtesy of Beach Lane Books / Simon & Schuster)
If you have a little one who’ll take a school bus for the first time this year, “Trusty Bus” will help the experience seem familiar. Trusty, a big yellow school bus, narrates the story about how Driver Dee (a bear) watches out for the kids and knows everyone on the route. Trusty knows Driver Dee will keep his tank filled, keep eyes on the road, wait for kids who are late, and stop for a mother duck leading ducklings across the road. On the ride home, Trusty is happy because the kids hold signs of love for their school bus. Jeff Harter, who lives in upstate New York, illustrates with detailed pictures of happy kids, buildings, ducks — everything little readers will identify with on their bus ride.
Elizabeth Weiss Verdick. (Courtesy of the author)
“Not a Spot to Spot” is inspired by the birth of a spotless giraffe in a private zoo in Tennessee. But this is no Ugly Duckling story. It’s about how this rare baby was embraced by the other zoo animals and made headlines around the world. After zookeepers asked the public for help in choosing a name, the calf was called Kipekee, meaning unique in the Swahili language. Illustrator Waring, who lives in England, shows giraffes and human kids with big, wondering eyes. For little ones who feel different, Mother giraffe has this advice: “When the calf slept,/head tucked to tail,/Mama Giraffe watched over her,/whispering,/’Grow up strong and sure./Always stand tall. Be proud of who you are.”
“Make Way for Harriet and May” by Elizabeth Weiss Verdick: (Worthy Kids/Hatchette Book Group, $18.99)
May Ann thinks the world is noisy, too “people-y,” and she’s a little lonely. When she finds a “May-sized stuffed spider” in a bargain bin, she names the long-legged creature Harriet, and loves her for the ability to become a shaggy pillow, a furry sleep mask or a helpful holder of snacks. Taking Harriet with her everywhere, May makes friends with a boy who has a stuffed friend called Sherm the worm. This warm-hearted story will resonate with youngsters who have sensory sensitivities. Illustrator Yana Kozak depicts May as a bright, endearing child holding Harriet, who grins around two large fangs.
“Along Lake Michigan: Shipwreck Stories of Life and Loss”: by Michael Schumacher (University of Minnesota Press, $24.95)
A Wisconsin author looks at fourteen 19th- and 20th-century shipwrecks, detailing the last minutes of these doomed ships along with the circumstances that surrounded their voyages on Lake Michigan, which has more shipwrecks than the other Great Lakes combined.
“Global Heartland: Cultivating the American Century on the Midwestern Farm”: by Peter Simons (University of Minnesota Press, $22.95)
Simons, a historian who lives in upstate New York, explores how Midwest farmers assumed renewed strategic and cultural importance as they produced essential sustenance during World War II for overseas troops and the domestic population. From the publisher: “Examining regional political parties, Lend-Lease programs, wartime mass media, and farm-relief programs, and interspersing this history with vignettes revisiting the Mercy Wheat campaign… the postwar International Farm Youth Exchange and the Flying Farmers organization, Simons offers an enlightening consideration of Midwestern farmers’ involvement in America’s international ascent.”
“In the Tilling”: by Donna Isaac (Finishing Line Press, $22.99)
Memories of childhood North and South combine with love of food and recipes (marinated salmon to pumpkin bread) in this collection by an award-winning Minnesota poet published earlier this year. This is friendly poetry that feels like a conversation over coffee. Isaac, who has an MFA from Hamline University, recalls her brothers using pinecones to make “grenades,” her love of apricots and avocados, dealing with failing vision, her feelings on reading Charles Bukowski’s poetry. What other collection includes an Ode to Okra? As we head into fall, here are the opening lines of “Reasons to Survive October:”
October like a mellow friend/bearing vintage wine and aged cheese/has crept in on soft-soled shoes,/washing canvases with golden/fire, tinging tangerine rugose leaves…”
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