Book Picks 2011

I must admit, when I signed on for the Goodreads Reader's Challenge, I didn't think I would achieve my 51 book goal. But I did! I even exceeded it by a small bit.

Here are the top ten titles I really liked (in my read order, not order of preference). Many of them I've reviewed on this blog or at GoodReads; the title link will take you there.

Married to Bhutan memoir
Hypothermia mystery
Bone and Jewel Creatures fantasy
Wading Home contemporary
Keeper of Lost Causes mystery
The Sixth Discipline Sci Fi
Power Ballads short stories
A Witness Above mystery
The Only Witness mystery
Patrick Patterson and the World of Others SciFi

Short Story Shorts - Reviews

I have always like short stories; I appreciate the skill it takes to develop characters and a story in a limited number of words (something I have trouble doing). Here are two authors who write both short and long fiction, and have used their short story talent to showcase their work. I "met" both of them through social networking, where I also learned about the following titles.

Craig Lancaster's This is Butte, You Have Ten Minutes contains three short stories with three very different settings and characters. In the title story is "the man with the Blackberry" who is busing home after his car broke down. He is a "modern guy" and while he sends text messages to her significant other (they are at odds), he imagines names and lives of his fellow bus passengers. One of these people offers up more than he imagined, and possibly changes his life. This story is upbeat and with moments of comedy.

In the second story, we meet Alyssa ("Alyssa Alights"), a runaway from an abusive home, as she attempts to get a new life on the streets of Billings. The third, "Star of the North", is set in the Montana State prison, with lifer inmate befriending a new con, and then learning stupefying circumstances about the buildup to his own crime.

In each of these three, very different stories, the characters of the protagonists and supporting characters are clearly drawn. Realistic dialogue fits the circumstance of each story, showing the broad range of Lancaster's abilities.

Craig Lancaster is a Montana journalist. His first full-length fiction book, 600 Hours of Edward, was a 2009 Montana Honor Book and the 2010 High Plains Book Award winner. His second book, Summer Son was chosen as an Amazon Encore book.

Velda Brotherton writes from a very different perspective and place. A native of the Ozarks, she presents the regional history with great insight. The two short stories in Going To Freedom reflect her passion for history. The title story (first published in The Whitest Wash, Lost Creek Press) is set in the Depression era, with an unlikely circumstance of a family having a Bengal tiger. Ina has a particular fondness for the big cat; her husband, Lee, does not. These differing views show the relationship in the marriage as well as situation of the times.

The second story, "Blue Ribbon" (first published in Echoes of the Ozarks, Ozark Writers League), spans several decades, beginning in 1883, as we see Lena as a young romantic girl intrigues and in love with the adventure of the passing train and the young railroad man who always waves. Then Lena is old, with only her memories and dreams. The depth of passion and remorse in this story is excellent.

Brotherton has developed two different protagonists and their lifestyles. The era of each piece is well-drawn, and the rich language evokes vivid pictures of the Ozarks.

Velda Brotherton has received many awards, which include being a 2008 finalist for the WILLA in creative non fiction. Her historical newspaper columns have earned three merit awards from the Arkansas Press, and a collection of the columns is scheduled for publication as a book.

Power Ballads - Review

I received the galley from the publisher via netgalley.com. Expected publication: September 16th 2011 by University Of Iowa Press

On the Goodreads site, I marked that I'd finished reading Power Ballads six days ago. Why the delay of the review? Because I read several of the stories again. I also know I'll reread many of them in the future.

The ten short stories in Will Boast's award-winning Power Ballads are tied together by the lives of musicians. Not the headline makers or anyone of notoriety, but the everyday person who is compelled to play and perform, even when they know they'll never achieve the success of Boney James or Joni Mitchell. Some belong to the corner tavern polka band ("Sitting In"); or the hometown boys gone big ("Dead Weight")—sort of; or the choir director whose musical past is reflected in the equipment he's kept, and the passion he can't bury ("Mr. Fern, Freestyle ").

Boast also tells stories of the people who are part of musicians' intimate lives—the friends, a spouse, a sibling who—who are affected by the lifestyle in ways the musician often doesn't realize. Together these ten stories have drama and insight. My own family has handfuls of musicians; I have musician friends, and I have even done my stint in late-night jams. These stories are real.

The stories are also excellently written. The voice rings true with each character, especially the drummer, Tim, whose stories bookend this collection. Excellent writing as in "Heart of Hearts".

...When Kate saw Holly close her eyes onstage and lose herself completely in song, a shudder when through her, and she despaired that nothing, not work, family, or even sex, could ever exert such a tidal sway over her own life."

And from the title story, "Power Ballads"

I remember them, barely—a last-gasp eighties band that had lingered into the nineties like a stubborn stain before being erased by grunge and "alternative."

Lyrical language floats through each story, along with intense wording of emotional scenes. The tension in the last two stories, "Lost Coast" and "Coda", is gripping. They close the book with strength and energy. Power Ballads is a Must Read for anyone who enjoys excellent short fiction and fine writing. For the musicians out there, the connecting theme is a bonus. I am pleased to have this book in my library.