A Grizzly Ending

Crooked Tree led to a pulsating, albeit melodramatic, ending. You knew from previous posts that it kept me page turning. The ending dragged, though, and I felt the final third of the book was terribly overwritten.


The answer to why to bears began their killing spree became obvious by page 200, and the rest of the book was devoted to an intricate plot to rid the community of the evil that had infiltrated. The search, which was predictably Oedipal, revealed some marginal connections between Native American, and Christian beliefs. Yes, I ws a little disappointed in the unwinding, but all in all, I think readers of King, Saul and Rice would enjoy it. It's a fresh take on a supernatural thriller.





I'm moving on to Little Klein. I know nothing about it except that it is a Midwest Connections title. The Midwest Booksellers Association regularly suggests books that are set in Wisconsin or neighboring states. This is one of them. Besides, with a little boy and dog on the cover, it has to be good!

The Last of Crooked Tree? (Crooked Tree Part 3)

If you've been following my comments about this book, I will warn you that I may stop today, until I finish the book. Then I'll try to pull things together without giving away too much. So much happened in the pages I read last night and early this morning. The pacing accelerates in the second section of the book as the tension rises, and fear grips more and more people. This section is all about anger - anger of the Native Americans at the lack of respect for nature and the refusal of the younger generation to accept lore as truth, anger in the natural world at the lack of recognition of its significance and power, and human anger caused by the inability to tame what cannot be seen or understood.

Because I know this book is slated to become a movie at some point, I have taken it in differently. I can see scenes play out in my mind, and I can just about imagine the types of music that will be used. Tonal Native American sounds will mix with pulsating drumming as each episode drives to what should be a conclusion - most end in cliffhangers that will come together near the end.

When I read The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman, a similar thing happened. I envisioned where, how and why characters moved as they did.; I heard their voices. The dark/light motif that Tom incorported throughout created a moodiness that permeated the entire storyand strengthened his major themes. That book, too, would make an amazing film. In relating that to Tom, he said that sort of cross sensory imaging is rare. To me, it just seems a by-product of puttering around in theatre as long as I have been. At any rate, rare or whatever...it makes reading even more enjoyable. I think it slows things down for me however. By the way, if you haven't read The Night Birds, you should. It's out in paper this month and has won numerous awards.

Wilson does a nice job with imagery, and dialogue. I wouldn't say that the the book is brilliantly written, but the he does have some impressive skills. I like his tempo best. The first section moves slowly and rhythmically, changing directions in a predictable pattern. It's a lot like heaviness of bears, lumbering through the forest, moving their heads from side to side as if some internal metronome is at work. As I said before, the second section of the book is more aggressive, and the events are random - like an aggitated bear poised for action.

The end result of all this change is that I can no longer read the book at night; it scares the bejeepers out of me. Even reading early this morning was creepy. As a matter of fact, this morning, a young wife had her hand on the latch leading into the cooler in a funeral home, looking for her husband who had crept down there after hearing noises. She was about to open the door (and, of course, a little dramatic irony plays out here since I knew what she would find) - my phone rang! I'm pretty sure I barked a terrified "Hello" and then tried to explain, but I don't think the caller bought it.

So, I'll be starting a new night time book to replace this one.

Jean, Jean Roses are Red (Crooked Tree Part 2)

We had lots of rosy cheeks from laughter here on Sunday, March 3o, when Jean Feraca honored us with a visit. There were also some visible tears as she related personal stories of the deep love and respect she had for her mother despite the challenges of her mother's bi-polar disease.


My former high-school teacher instinct told me from the start that there would be no daydreaming through this presentation. Jean's congenial manner let everyone know that this would be an entertaining, insightful and relaxed event. She read from her memoir, I Hear Voices, and followed up with Q&A. Most of the questions focused on her radio career, but I bet those people who purchased and read the book as a result of her presentation wish they had another chance to ask questions.

Jean's life has been rich - partially because of the opportunities her job has afforded her, but also, because she has taken the time to find the richness amid the twists and turns of her personal adventures. As far as memoirs go, this has been one of the strongest I have ever read, and I hope that, eventually, it will be recognized in a wider circle than it is presently. She encouraged everyone to write a memoir!

Personally, I was thrilled to see so many people anxious to experience a book event. Sadly, I had to turn some people away due to space restrictions. Jean graciously began with a plug for independent book stores. Honestly, I always worry a little when we host an author. We're small, and certainly not slick, like many of the stores they speak at. I worry about what first time visitors will think when they come in. But, Jean put my mind at ease the moment I met her, and we talked about the fact the Wisconsin has only 75 surviving independent bookstores. I want to ask people who pride themselves on saving a few dollars at Amazon and B&N if those places pay taxes in Manitowoc. Do they contribute a donation when asked to give one to a Lakeshore charity?

If you're travelling, this summer, please stop and patronize these friends of mine who own indy book stores:

• Steve at PassTimes in Sister Bay
  


• Glen at Creekside Books in Cedarburg
  


• Michelle at Novel Ideas in Bailey's Harbor
  

Also check out Readers' Loft in Green Bay, BookHeads in Kiel, and Harry Schwartz all over Milwaukee.
(end of PSA!)


This is Jean Feraca signing our bathroom door. It has become a tradition here for guest authors and performers to sign the "Wall of Fame" before they leave us.

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These are my "orphan" books - the ones that I have earmarked to read soon, but keep making their way back to a shelf in my office. Most customers who stop in have a book they suggest for my must-read list. Each month we get 20-30 advance reader copies of books that will be published within the next 3-6 months (and which publishers are hoping we will read and promote!) , my trade associations send books to be read and be reviewed for various publishers and websites, and then there is always the book for our next book discussion meeting. I am still committed to reading the orphans, it's just a matter of when. I bet you bibliophiles are drooling!

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The campers in Crooked Tree survived the night! I have mixed feeling about this book. At times the sentence structure is clumsy, and there are logic gaps in the plot progression. Sometimes I have to stop and look back to see where I was given a piece of information, only to find the author expected me to infer a fact without telling me what I needed to do so.

Despite that, this is a page turning thriller. Wilson got me hooked on the characters, and now nothing will stop me from working my way to the end. The section I read this morning included some nice Indian folklore, and every so often, there is a passage that I find deserves extra thought, like this one in which a Native American speaks of respect; "Our grandfathers had a respect for nature. They knew how much greater the forces of nature were than themselves. They saw into the souls of the animals, and they found themselves. They knew the bear as a cousin and paid him the respect saved for elders, knowing that he may very well hold the souls of their grandfathers. They did not hunt for fun, but for food and clothing and housing and tools. And when they killed, they did not cast aside the victuals and cart off the trophy. They offered his spirit appeasement and asked forgiveness for having had to kill him."

I'll keep you posted on this book, but, the closer I get to the end, the less you will be hearing!

Is it Cholera, Love, a Dog or a Bear? (Crooked Tree Part 1)

I never expected to like this book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Romance isn't my favorite genre, but I was very wrong about this one. There's no sloppy sentimentality here, rather a powerful story of the effects of sincere, but tortured love.

Florentine and Fermina fall in love in their youth, but she is forced into an arranged marriage. The unlikely hero rejects her rejection, and pines for Fermina for fifty yeas. The symptoms of his sickness mimic those of cholera. While he waits and dreams of being united with Fermina, Florentine clumsily occupies his time with a string of colorful women, and unfulfilling trysts. He is quirky, sardonic, and oddly enough, both pathetic and sympathetic.

The book goes far beyond the story,however. It is a skilled examination of the many forms of love - love of convenience, love of self, unrequited , heart-breaking , dangerous, and platonic loves....lust, adultery, and of course, perfect and passionate,love.

The translation from the original Spanish is smooth, and adeptly captures the nuances and style elements so characteristic of this culture's writings.

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I also cruised through The Dog who Loved Cheerios and other Tales of Excess. This is a book of little, one page dog biographies! There's Basil, whose favorite word is "braunschweiger," Arlo, the old English sheep dog who sees a doggy psychiatrist because everything frightens him, and Maddie, whom the author dubbs "most ubiquitous."

Each of the charming little essays is accompanied by a portrait of the featured persona. If you have a dog, or if you know a dog, you will relate to the pups' funny habits. If you don't have a dog...well, not to insult anyone here, but I think I know some humans with similar, engaging traits.

Pogo, the handsome fellow on the cover, runs. He runs year round and even joined a team of mountain bikers that he now considers his pack. You could say that Pogo is a true "lap" dog!

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Between life stuff, I am still working on Crooked Tree, by Robert C. Wilson, the book set to be the next Johnny Depp movie project. Tension is building with what appears to be a warning hit on the home of a lawyer working to prevent big-city developers from encroaching on Indian territory in Michigan. No doubt this plot will eventually come together with the missing/dead lawyer, and bear attack plots. This morning, two young teachers packed up and headed out for a camping trip near Crooked Tree. I suspect they're goners! The author's pacing is slow and heavy, resulting in lots of drama.

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I'll post some pictures from Jean Feraca's visit this past Sunday as soon as I find the cable for my camera!

Our Circus is Leaving Town (and a bit of Johnny Depp)

This is Jack 'R' Better, Heart-A-Rama's home for the past thirty- seven years. Since I have been involved, first an a performer, and now as a director, the venue has changed hands three time. First, it was The Boilermaker's Club, then, The Arrow Inn, and finally, Jacks.

Learning that Jack's had been sold, and consequently finding a new space for our show has been sad, exciting, frustrating, challenging...you name it. Many people are concerned about the move to Two Rivers and are confused about how that decision was made. I'll fill you in on what I know.

This was not an easy process. We had been so comfortable at Jacks that things just fell into place when we walked in the door - at least that's the way it seemed. Moving forced us to look at everything we did. The tiniest details were scrutinized to be sure that each spot we looked at would be able to accommodate what we needed to put on this show.

We looked at several sites before deciding on the Community House in Two Rivers. We had to consider the height of the ceilings so we could hang lights. The building had to have the proper electrical service to handle all the light and sound equipment we bring in. Was there kitchen space? Parking? Cast and crew prep space? Was the rent acceptable? Would the facility be comfortable for the audience? The list goes on and on.

We found some nice, wide open spaces that had basically what we needed, except for staging. That meant we would have to buy, rent, or build a stage, equip it with light, sound, backstage space and wing space. It seemed like a huge, expensive task for a temporary event,but not impossible.

I'm not exactly sure how we came upon the Community House, but when committee chairs met there to tour the space, we found it had most of what we needed already in place. Add to that, a very accommodating staff...it was the answer we were looking for.

Yes, some things will change. That's inevitable. Perhaps the show will be sprinkled with a bit more TR humor than normal this year. Does this show belong to Two Rivers? No. Being in a community, and performing in a municipal building has some nice perks, but Heart-A-Rama is a Lakeshore event. It's impact reaches far beyond Manitowoc, Two Rivers and the surrounding communities. The location is not nearly as significant as the cause.

Now, to ease some of the concerns I've been hearing....yes, we will be serving wine and beer. Hard liquor will not be allowed in the building. Yes, there will be brats, burgers, and fish (on Fridays) before the show. Yes, people will still be able to line up early to get in. Really, nothing much will change for the audience. The cast and crews will experience some changes, but we will adapt.

So, if you have friends and neighbors who are unhappy because we chose to move, ask them to read this; maybe they will get a better idea of all the things we had to consider. We need to work together, cast, crews, audience, community...to make this the Best Heart-A-Rama ever!

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This is Kevin. He has been with the show for a number of years, beginning as a tent pole. Really! His very first role in Heart-A-Rama was standing on stage with another guy, dressed in safari gear, holding up one corner of a tent. That is all he did. A lesser person would not have come back after that, but he did. Kevin is one of the most ambitions and talented people we have working with us currently. I love seeing him on stage. He has a sort of Bob Newhart vibe - he just stands there, twitches a little, and everyone laughs. Very deadpan delivery but very funny!

He also designs, builds and paints much of the scenery. He paints the advertiser hearts that hang around the perimeter of the performance hall. Kevin also works on the program - I think he did most of the program layout work this year. This year he also jumped in to design the shirts. Kevin has a little Tom Drill in him. You never know where he is going to turn up, but he's always there to hold a door open, carry clumsy set pieces around, pitch in on prop design, or dig into his costumes stash to provide extra character pieces. But best of all, when Kevin buys Heart dogs at intermission for a reduced cast and crew price, he sometimes shares one with me!

This picture is one of many I call "The Buddhist and the Beer." For some reason, for many years, I though that Kevin was a Buddhist. He was just so calm and focused all the time. Then I saw him clutching a beer for dear life one night, and I thought I was seeing things. Surely my Buddhist friend would not be partaking of the demon, alcohol! So, I asked him about it. After he picked himself up off the floor, still clutching his side lest it burst from the pressure of uncontrolled laughter (at me) he said he's is not, nor has he ever been, a Buddhist. I got the point. Since that time, each year he kindly poses for the yearly beer photo. Thanks, Kevin. (If you're a HAR person reading this, you will never know when you may be the subject for my next tale!)

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What am I reading? Well, it's not what I mentioned a couple blogs back. I got sidetracked by Love in the Time of Cholera (more on that on Monday), and Crooked Tree

Last week I stumbled across a news article saying that Johnny Depp recently bought the movie rights to a book called Crooked Tree. I think he picks unusual, and generally intelligent projects, and thought I'd check out the book. So far, I'm liking it. There's a bear attack, a dead lawyer, a judge who is more concerned with fishing than courtroom protocol, lots of Indian lore and legend, and hints of supernatural activity have begun to creep in between the lines. That's a lot in 42 pages. I'll keep you posted.