CHINESE TREATS
Would that we could offer steamed BBQ pork buns, fried dumplings, and shrimp egg rolls for your enjoyment while perusing two books related to China. On an interesting aside, Elio’s grandmother was Cuban/Chinese, and Susan’s four second cousins were born and raised in China. One of them, a missionary, served for twenty-one months in solitary confinement after Chairman Mao rose to power. The authors’ fascination with Chinese history – and cuisine – indeed has ancestral roots
MATSON’S CASE NO. 3
For our readers who are following retiring NYC Police Chief Robert Matson as he reminisces about tough crimes he fought as a detective on his way to the top cop job, we offer the next in the series. Detective Matson and his partner investigate crimes against merchants in New York’s bustling Chinatown, and, along the way, they come face-to-face with challenges on the international crime scene
GUEST AUTHOR – STEPHEN CHEN
Red Circle: China And Me 1949-2009
Red Circle is the autobiography of the late Stephen Chen, Susan’s friend, who wrote of the dramatic decline from his family’s life of privilege, living in a sprawling mansion in Beijing, complete with servants and the best of everything at their fingertips, to that of a street sweeper living in poverty under Chairman Mao. Chen’s father, a French professor, urged his son to master the English language. Chen had no way of knowing then that his mastery of English would one day catapult him to performing an important historical task for Chairman Mao. Or how English would set him on an amazing career path in the United States.
CHINESE PROVERBS ON BOOKS & READING
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
A good book is a good friend.
Reading ten thousand books is like traveling ten thousand miles.
Read widely and you will write wisely.
SPECIAL FIVE-STAR REVIEW – ANIMAL COURT
From an eight-year-old California reader!
Hello. My name is Preston. I am finishing second grade.
I love books, especially books about animals.
Animal Court is kind of a different story about animals.
Fictional animals tell their story themselves.
We learn about the conflict between animals and man.
These characters believe they are being abused by man.
Guns injure and kill.
The setting for the story is Africa.
The main characters are animals instead of people.
The theme of the book is universal: Man abuses animals.
The authors believe animals deserve better treatment and man’s love.
The author raises many questions.
First, man kills for sport. Why is this not illegal?
If we cannot kill humans [without punishment],
why is it okay to kill animals?
I was honored to speak to the author.
Just visit his website.
I asked him about where he finds his ideas for books.
I learned he writes every day.
His computer is not far away.
Ideas flow.
Animal Court gets five stars.
I learned that animals and man must learn to live together.
Love is good for both
MORE BOOK REVIEWS!
A SPIDER’S WEB
Five Stars – Highly Recommended
A Spider’s Web: Diary of a Senior Online Love Scam is an engaging book written in crisp and excellent prose, a must-read for anyone interested in online dating. It is resonant and beautifully articulates themes of love, scamming, and online dating. Bessie Larson’s book is both a strong warning for readers — especially women in their mid-seventies — to be wary of online dating. It is engaging and entertaining and the author’s honesty rubs off strongly on readers. It is, indeed, a compelling eye-opener that creates awareness of the pitfalls of online dating.
– Verified Reader, Kobo –
MATSON’S CASE NO. 4
Five Stars – Riveting Thriller
Award-winning author Pablo Zaragoza gives us another riveting historical thriller with Matson’s Case No. 4, an action-packed police procedural that is factually fascinating. The story takes the reader through the 1960s civil unrest and offers a broader perspective over a generation that changed America. The main focus is on the unsolved murder of a mysterious, impressive woman who, against all odds, rose from prostitute to prominence. The twisty turns in this cold case come to a wild finish and a disturbing conclusion.
– Verified Reader, Books2Read –
