The Herald Journal, Logan, Utah, Friday, January 6, 2012
Page 12 -
Books Author struggles to accept daughter’s death By Ann Levin Associated Press
A year after his only daughter died at age 38 of an asymptomatic heart condition, Roger Rosenblatt wrote an essay in The New Yorker titled, “Making Toast.” He describes how he and his wife moved into Amy’s house in Bethesda, Md., to help their son-in-law care for the couple’s three small children, and how the myriad, mundane activities of child-rearing provided a measure of solace for his inconsolable grief. His latest book, “Kayak Morning: Reflections on Love, Grief, and Small Boats,” was written after the essay was turned into a bestselling book. What he has discovered in the more than two and a half years since her death is that just getting on with life — captured
in the closing image of the essay when his 23-month-old grandson asks for toast — hasn’t worked. “What I failed to calculate is the pain that increases even as one gets on with it,” he writes. Rosenblatt has taken up kayaking, spending hours
exploring the shoreline and eddies of the inlet near his other home in Quogue, a resort town on the south shore of Long Island, where his two sons, son-in-law and their families still gather every summer. The book reads as an exploration of his eddying consciousness as he sets out one June morning on Penniman Creek while the rest of the family is asleep. He thinks about his highflying career as a journalist, when he traveled the world writing about other people’s sadness. He meditates on the nature of water, wildlife and boats; recalls sorrowful passages of literature and poetry; and recounts conversations with a therapist friend trying to lift him out of his depression. In one poignant passage, he simply imagines what it would have been like to be
Financial conspiracy at heart of thriller By Jeff Ayers Associated Press
James Grippando’s new stand-alone novel, “Need You Now,” shines the spotlight on Wall Street and Ponzi schemes. Abe Cushman runs a Ponzi scheme that has netted billions of dollars. When the pyramid begins to fall, Cushman takes his own life. Patrick Lloyd, a financial adviser on Wall Street, learns that his girlfriend, Lilly, is directly involved in how the funds were funneled, and they break up. Lilly becomes scared for her life. Some of the investors are demanding their money back and will kill to make sure it happens. Soon
after talking to Lilly, someone puts a gun to Patrick’s head. Patrick and Lilly, who aren’t sure if they can truly trust each other, must use their skills at handling financial transactions to find the lost funds and the people who are trying to kill them. At first glance, Grippando seems to have written a thriller that reflects the public’s distrust of Wall Street. But once the twists start flying, the narrative becomes something altogether different. Readers looking for a great thriller will see a master at the top of his game in “Need You Now.” Folks looking for an in-depth look at the machinations of
someone else, less lettered, less obviously successful, perhaps a high school teacher from a working-class town. Elsewhere, he converses with his daughter — “See here, Amy,” he writes — and with God. He conjures her from memory and photos: on her wedding day; when she was 5 years old and danced on his shoes.
Eventually, he drifts and paddles his way toward a resolution of his anguish, a perspective that offers some peace of mind and lets him, again, get on with life. I won’t reveal the epiphany that releases him from his torment. Suffice it to say, it won’t come as a big surprise to anyone who has lost a loved one.
new york times best sellers COMBINED PRINT & E-BOOK FICTION 1. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson 2. “The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett 3. “11/22/63,” by Stephen King 4. “The Litigators,” by John Grisham 5. “Kill Alex Cross,” by James Patterson COMBINED PRINT & E-BOOK NONFICTION 1. “Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson 2. “Killing Lincoln,” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 3. “Heaven is for Real,” by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent 4. “Unbroken,” by Laura Hillenbrand 5. “Through My Eyes,” by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker HARDCOVER NONFICTION 1. “Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson 2. “Killing Lincoln,” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 3. “Unbroken,” by Laura Hillenbrand 4. “Through My Eyes,” by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker 5. “Jack Kennedy,” by Chris Matthews
Wall Street mixed with suspense will be disappointed, since little of that world is revealed.
Paperback Mass-Market Fiction 1. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson 2. “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” by Stieg Larsson 3. “A Game of Thrones,” by George R. R. Martin 4. “Toys,” by James Patterson and Neil McMahon 5. “Smokin’ Seventeen,” by Janet Evanovich Paperback Nonfiction 1. “Heaven is for Real,” by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent 2. “The Zombie Survival Guide,” by Max Brooks 3. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” by Rebecca Skloot 4. “Unlikely Friendships,” by Jennifer S. Holland 5. “Outliers,” by Malcolm Gladwell Keep your reading list updated at www.nytimes.com/pages/books/