Kathy Johncox, The Last Generation of Women Who Cook

The Last Generation of Women Who Cook, by Kathy Johncox

In the title story, a mother meets her grown son’s special girlfriend and realizes that the younger woman, despite other good qualities, cannot cook.  If cooking skills are no longer passed down in families, what is lost?  And…what might be gained in compensation for this loss?

In the story, “Sugar Cubes,” a three-generation family of women forms a strong circle of protection against fear by sharing an old-country custom:  dunking sugar cubes in milky coffee.

Very different from one another, the stories in this collection are sure-handed and delicious.

2012 Local Author Book Fair–December 1, 2-4 PM

The Fairport Public Library will host a festive book signing by 12 local authors on Saturday, December 1, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

Authors Charles Benoit, Dennis Bielewicz, Margaret Cleary-Osborne, Duane Cook, Sherry Gammon, Kathy Johncox, Jean Keplinger, Sean Kolczynski, Jennifer Sanzo, Bill Self, Ellen Stoll Walsh, and Elaine Webster will be there.

There will be books for children, young people, and adults.  There will be fiction and poetry; history, cookery, and business advice.  For information about specific titles, see upcoming posts.  Don’t miss this chance to meet your creative neighbors and find unique gifts for family and friends.

You’ll be just in time to hear the Firemen’s Band and see Santa arrive at Keneally Park.  For more about the Fairport “Come Home for the Holidays” events, click here.

The Legend of the Lake: The 22-Gun Brig-Sloop Ontario, 1780

Local diver Jim Kennard always draws an audience when he starts to tell about his experiences exploring underwater sites in Lake Ontario.  Kennard and Dan Scoville discovered the long-sought wreck of the of the Brig-Sloop Ontario, lost during the Revolutionary War.  Kennard also took the underwater photographs for this revision of the  history book by Arthur Britton Smith.

The legend involves the foundering of the ship Ontario on Halloween night, near Fort Niagara.  Here is an untold story of the Revolutionary War, on the uneasy border between the colonies that became the United States and the loyalist colonies that became Canada.

Arthur Britton Smith published this beautifully-illustrated book ten years ago, in Canada.  When Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville discovered the wreck of the Ontario in 2008, Brit Smith published an enlarged and revised edition of his book.  He says “The two best qualified and most determined wreck explorers on Lake Ontario are Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville.”

Life Before.Com: A Book of Memories

What was life around here like, before the Dot Com Revolution?  Donna Edgerton, Elaine Boyd, Cecelia DeJoy, Ruthe Douglas, Nellie Flavin, Sheila Konar, and Ann Rasbeck are here to tell us.

In personal narratives, they explore “how shifts in technology change the experiences and perceptions of our everyday lives.”   You may have seen the review in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.  This isn’t simply Fairport history, this is American history!

You may remember their earlier anthology, Seven Women, Seven Lives.

Rekindled

When Kalee returns to Minnesota to patch things up with her father, she finds him dead and herself the only suspect.

Author Jenni Holbrook has several books of romantic suspense to her credit, including Dark Water, Jane Doe’s Return, and In Two Weeks.  She teaches aspiring novelists at Writers and Books in Rochester, NY.

I look forward to seeing this new title.

Lost Pond

Mark Holdren is fascinated by the Adirondacks.  His first book, Spirit Wolf, was a vision quest for young people.  His second, The Raven, is set in the 22nd century in the last days of the Adirondack Park.  In his new book, Lost Pond, “a wilderness Adirondack community battles a disgraced U.S. senator and the Russian mob in a desperate effort to preserve its way of life.”  The quotes are from Amazon.

I look forward to seeing the book.

Drumming with Dexter: Drumming Through the Jungle

Author Ed Keegan entrances young audiences with his rhythm, and here is a picture book inspired by his daughter and designed to help children in grades K through 3 get started as drummers.  There is a web site with downloadable sound files for parents and teachers to use along with the book.

I look forward to seeing this book.

Beautiful Sadness: The Journey of Hope and Compassion Through Life and Loss

Joy Jennings, a hospice nurse, has seen many families, including her own, endure the loss of a loved one.  From her experience, she has distilled an inspiring series of stories of the hours when life is so precious and time is so short.

Perhaps you saw Mark Hare’s review of this book in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in early November.

I look forward to seeing this book.

Trusting God Through the Valley

Ruth McMillan Mayfield and her husband, Duane, had made plans for the future.  But when Duane collapsed, everything changed.  In this inspirational memoir, the author writes about learning to trust God and His miraculous intervention, as Duane faced death again and again. Ruth McMillan Mayfield is also the author of Visions in the Night.

I look forward to seeing her new book.

For Better, For Murder: a Broken Vows Mystery

In Lisa Bork’s first novel, Finger Lakes businesswoman Jolene Arsdale faces disaster when a dead body rolls out of a Ferrari in her auto showroom.

 

Jolene’s very realistic business concerns (zoning, parking meters, cash flow, etc.) combine with her personal concern for a sometimes-institutionalized family member and the conventions of a mystery story in a satisfying way.

 

Old high school friends and unfriends, a gossipy neighbor, an attractive ex will all be welcome acquaintances when Bork publishes the expected continuing volumes in her series.

 

The Finger Lakes setting is also agreeable, combining elements of Skaneateles with–possibly–a hint of Canandaigua or even Victor.

 

Save this one for a dark and stormy night.

Creative Shutter Speed: Master the Art of Motion Capture

Author Derek Doeffinger, formerly a Kodak writer/photographer, has published 10 other titles on photographic technique.

You may have seen one of his coffee table books, perhaps Waterfalls and Gorges of New York State or Waterfalls of the Adirondacks and Catskills (with Keith Boas and H. Carl McCall).

I look forward to seeing his latest book.

Houdini’s Gift

Former teacher Jeanne Gehret has published several read-aloud picture books on ADHD.  The books include additional information for parents. This title is from the Coping Series.

 

I look forward to seeing this book.