Lucci's List: September 2020

Happy September! During this transition between summer and autumn, I'd like to introduce to you these seven books from different genres that focus on change. New beginnings and fresh starts: welcome to a new season.

NON-FICTION

“A Corkscrew Please!” by Waltham's own William Francis Kennedy is an anthology of memoir, letters, short stories, and poetry. It celebrates life, adventure, and culture and is witty, entertaining, and informative all at once.

The book begins with a first hand account of military life during the Cold War. Stories about what it was REALLY like set the tone for the following sections. Sometimes cynical, always honest, this entire collection is a must read for modern history buffs.

I have been lucky enough to know the author, and have my very own signed copy of this book. It is a treasure in my collection.

"The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West" by Davis McCullough is a fact based excursion into often overlooked history.

The Northwest Territory was settled by New Englanders, mostly people from Massachusetts. They sought to bring their ideals of freedom and education with them into the wilds. The hardships they faced, the dramas that ensued, and the unique personalities meshing together made every day an adventure and a quest for survival.

I appreciated the first hand accounts that made up a large portion of this book. The link between Ohio and Massachusetts was particularly interesting to me. The panels of original portraits and sketches helped me further picture the key characters in this true life adventure.

Some parts of this books seemed dry to me, but that is probably true of any accurate history book. I wish this could be presented as a lecture; I would gladly attend.

A mysterious and not well known Chinese sub-culture includes a variety of spices, textures, and flavors into their unique cooking style. This made up an exciting diet for the author as a child growing up in Malaysia.

After experiencing bland boarding-school cafeteria food in the United Kingdom, he became even more enamored with his family's cooking traditions and unique food culture. He "played" in the kitchen, learning how to prepare family recipes. He perfected timing, seasoning, and taste.

After moving to the United States as an adult and becoming a citizen, he continued his cooking regime. He travelled back to his home country in order to create an all-in-one resource for his culture's unique meals, which were a large part of what made his connection to his family so special.

He spent this time studying under his elder aunt's traditional cooking methods, food choices, and meal plans, that had been passed down for generations.

The lifetime of fascination by his family's food culture led the author to write this book. It is a testament to history, bound by family ties.

The recipes within are accompanied by fascinating history lessons and family did-bits. The directions for cooking are clear and easy to follow. The ingredients are not difficult to find in average U.S. grocery stores.

Shopping at my local Asian food market made the experience of trying out these recipes more authentic for me.

I am more of a cook than a baker, but I couldn't resist the recipe for pineapple tarts. The recipe said it would make 60 tarts, but I made mine more like mini-pies, for a total of 20. The crust was flaky while also being crusty. The filling was perfectly chewy and sour-sweet. I did not use the optional rock sugar, and the finished product was sweet enough without it.

The author explained that there are different methods of using the same ingredients, such as baking a jelly roll, but that the tarts were traditional New Year fare. (Jelly roll instructions were also included).

My favourite recipe was a simple one that I think a Westerner's palate would exceptionally appreciate. It was, "Long Bean Omelet." This was simple to make and different enough to make breakfast feel exotic.

The stories of family are just as delicious as the recipes. I highly recommend this book for people who like a taste of culture with their meals.

"I am Sovereign" by wife and husband team Suzie and Simon Heilo is a book of mindfulness and meditation with science to back it up.

Through increasingly complex exercises explained in clear ways, this book teaches the reader how to discover an inner power that will help them achieve greater self-awareness. General acceptance of the world and the ability to manage it are powerful skills to master, and this books lead the way without being overly preachy, sappy, or technical.

"If you want to be fluent in vibration, the first step is to become fluent in your feelings - both your sensations and your emotions." This brilliant observation leads to plans and practices that can be followed to achieve this first step of emotional fluency.

Various forms of meditation are portrayed and exhibited. One meditation is the "Harmonization Meditation. Using the idea of sound vibrations to correlate with psychic vibrations that occur in the human mind-body connection made this "Sacred Body Meditation" easy to understand.

A coping skill was explained and demonstrated. The RARAA plan addresses what to do with unwanted or uncomfortable vibrations. The letters stand for Recognize, Acknowledge, Remember, Accept, and Allow. This set of steps is to be used when negative forces are encountered. Through this, a person can still maintain positive energy.

I am always interested in the mind-body connection, and this book did not disappoint me. I appreciated the clear descriptions of coping skills, the examples of meditations, and the scripted scenes to help the reader envision real people dealing with problem solving. I would recommend this book for people who are interested in mindfulness, coping mechanisms, mental health awareness, and personal connection. The authors have long resumes pertaining to the methods they describe an outline, making them a trustworthy source. This is a book to be read and absorbed slowly, or even re-read back to back, to get the most out of it and to encourage yourself to truly learn from the knowledge within.

FICTION:

"Streaks of Blue" by Jack Chaucer is a novel about a realistic situation in which a teen, inspired by a dream, devotes herself to bringing peace to a potentially deadly situation.

This book flows excellently with fast-paced action, believable underlying romance, and a strong message of inclusiveness. If we reach out to people, particularly those forgotten on the sidelines, or bullied, or ignored, and labeled, we can be a positive energy to help prevent evil outbursts such as school shootings. That is the main message here.

I had the opportunity to meet the author. He said he was inspired to write this after the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting tragedy. With two young children, it made him worry about the future, and he felt pained for the families affected. He said that the entire community was affected and heartbroken.

This idea of a community sharing pain is a powerful force in "Streaks of Blue."

I read this book cover to cover in one sitting and blame my consequent sunburn on this fantastic writing.

"The Savage War" by Esther Wallace is an epic hero tale. A young man leaves his dull life to seek adventure and to find his true purpose. He finds himself in a strange land teeming with battle and war. He discovers love, learns to respect and tolerate different viewpoints, and comes out at the end changed and ready to take on the world.

Poetic at parts and sometimes very deep, the writing is astounding.

I have had the pleasure of meeting the author, and she even gave me two beautiful bookmarks with my signed copy!

15 Minutes (A Maizie Albright Star Detective Story, #1) by Larissa Reinhart is a fun fast-paced mystery.

Maizie Albright is a former child star who, has recently graduated from college. After a stint in rehab for substance abuse, must follow the protocol of her parole. This includes getting and keeping a new job and staying out of Hollywood. She moves back home with her rich father in a beautiful forested Georgia setting. The town is a mix of old and new, and the characters Maizie meets are amusing. She gets a job as an assistant with a private investigator, and she is determined to be the best she can be.

Her adjustment to the real world is not an easy one. She gets punched in the nose at a beauty parlour; her Jaguar gets repoed, she gains 5lbs from her stepmother's awesome soul-food, and her mother-business manager is still trying to force her unwillingly into the limelight.

Told in first person, this story had me chuckling out loud. Mysteries are usually not on my reading list, but this one was an absolute perfect blend of humour, interesting characters, fast-moving plot, and all without the sticky sweetness of requited romance.

Imagine if Britney Spears gave up her wealthy lifestyle, had a nervous breakdown, moved to a small town and got a job at the local Walmart. It would be interesting to see her reactions to every day normal non-famous people, through her point of view. That is a bit what Maizie is like. She's lovable and pitiful and worth rooting for!