Until Tuesday: Book Review

Until Tuesday:
Luis Carlos Montalván
Hyperion 2011, $22.99 252 pages.

I would have loved this story of the bond between a wounded veteran and his service dog, even without some prior knowledge of the author. I have tremendous respect for the work that soldiers do, and I know that I can only begin to get my head (and my heart) around the impact that serving in battle can have on their bodies and their psyches, years later.

I'm fascinated by working dogs too. Their intelligence, devotion to their person and their task. Yes, I admit that part of me wants to rub their bellies and love them all up, because they are bred to seek love and a close bond as the reward for what they do. I know this is not allowed, and I know it's unprofessional. Can't quite stop the wistful smile from crossing my face when I admire a good looking working dog though.

Combine the two into one insightful memoir, thought provoking and emotionally resonant... I would have bought this book, even if Montalván were not a friend of a friend. I think I met him at some point, through my friend Chris Lombardi. She's just finished a book about soldiers and veterans who speak out against war.

Montalván's narrative begins with imagining Tuesday as a puppy and a young dog, being trained to be a service dog. It's touching enough to make you smile, showing Montalván's bond and respect for Tuesday, without being over the top sentimental. Tuesday's first trainer was a troubled teen. Then he was part of a Puppies Behind Bars program, before finishing the training he needed to be a service dog, to help Montalván navigate his world as a veteran with brain injuries, crippling anxiety and PTSD.

As the story progresses to Montalván's army career, and the horrifying things he experienced... Tuesday is almost like a service dog for the reader, keeping you anchored, giving you some sense of hope to focus on against scenes of overwhelming violence. Chris warned me that I might want to cry. But that wasn't what I felt. Wanted to scream in outrage. And kick things. My heart broke, seeing what soldiers had no choice but to survive.

Montalván's writing about his war experience, and about the day to day experience of PTSD, treated and untreated, has clarity and thoughtfulness. He makes it clear that PTSD isn't about hallucinations, but about not letting go of hypervigilance and the hold that memory can have, even when it's not needed in present day life. He writes with such clarity and self-awareness about the path he has taken, to come to a better sense of peace with himself. And the elemental role Tuesday played, as a companion, as a protector, as a way to stay grounded and present, even though his body and his heart remember the stresses of battle so keenly.

I stayed up until well past midnight reading this, even though I had to be up before dawn the next day to get to the Book Expo early. I didn't want to leave Luis and Tuesday, even after I turned the last page.

So this isn't just a goofy-smiling charmer of a boy-and-his-dog story, but a thoughtful reaction to the war, and Montalván's own battles to reconcile himself with his past experience as he makes a new life for himself, with Tuesday by his side.

The Sloth's Eye- Book Review

The Sloth's Eye
Linda Lombardi
Gale Cengage Learning
$25.00 May 2011 292 pages

It's a mystery set at a zoo! What's not to love? Hannah is a zookeeper, working with the small animals at a busy urban zoo. Almost immediately, we get to know her routines, and some facts about the animals she works with, as well as her eccentric human colleagues. Gruff Caleb, gossipy Margo, and Chris, the handsome blue-eyed zookeeper who turns Hannah's "insides into armadillo gruel." The mystery itself is decent, and gets rolling almost immediately.

But the most fun about this story is the behind-the-scenes routines of the zoo, and the animal descriptions. From the elephants stomping pumpkins in a zoo publicity Halloween event, to Hannah's wry descriptions of the enclosure-cleaning and animal-feeding that she's always behind on, the routines of the zoo are fascinating and informative. Descriptions of the sloths as slightly alien-looking but calm creatures, and the almost-cuddly looking sleepy wombat show both Hannah's love for animals, and Linda Lombardi's own.

One of Lombardi's other projects is her blog- Animals Behaving Badly. Lombardi collects news and videos about animal mischief and mayhem. Everything from peace-disturbing pooches to potentially evil armadillos.

She brings that same exuberant love for animals to her first mystery novel. Zookeepers work together, navigating whatever bureaucracy or interpersonal politics they might have, because the safety and respect for the animals in their care comes first. Showing her characters' love for the capybaras and wombats and chinchillas in their care, it's easy to see Lombardi's own enthusiasm. Combined with snappy dialogue, it lightens the tone of the mystery itself, making it more of a fun romp than a suspenseful thrill ride. By the end of this, you'll be hoping she's going to write more about Hannah and her fellow zookeepers. And maybe you'll be planning a trip to a zoo near you.

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For every book I read in 2011, I'm donating $1 to the New York Public Library.

Already Home- Book Review

Already Home

Susan Mallery

358 pages

Review copy sent by Eric of Planned TV Arts. Thanks, Eric!

Usually, I'm wary of a book that sounds like "chick lit," all about relationships and sadness and true love (or the lack, and aftermath, thereof.) The exception is when it involves some kind of foodie element. Then, I can't get enough, and will probably stay up far too late reading it, and wish I could meet (and eat with) at least one of the characters.

That's what happened with Already Home. After divorcing her chef husband, Jenna moves back home. When she was a sous chef, her ex did a number on her psyche, putting her and her cooking down, wrecking her confidence in her creative abilities. Despite having no retail experience, Jenna decides to open a cooking supply store. Enter Violet, a punky looking young woman with lots of retail experience, coming from a troubled family life that makes her envy Jenna's close family ties to her adoptive parents.

Just when the cooking store is starting to look like a success, Jenna's worldview takes another direct hit. Her birth parents, two aging hippies, have come to find her, wanting to get involved in her life.

I enjoyed this story because of the interesting and yummy food descriptions, of course. Jenna's creative thing as a cook is fusion cuisine, blending flavors in interesting ways. I wish it included more recipes. (There's one for Jenna's Mocha Chili, as a suggestion for a book group. But there's also an enchilada dish that gets mentioned, and some kind of smoky-flavored tomato soup, I'm intrigued.)

Jenna's return to confidence and cooking resonated for me as well. In the aftermath of her heartbreak, Jenna's love for cooking got stripped away, her confidence in improvising flavors utterly shattered. While nothing as dramatic as her emotionally abusive ex has ever happened to me, I've noticed how tied cooking confidence can be to my emotional state. Maybe I should sign up for a cooking class.

Apart from the foodie element, I like that this novel tackled complex family relationships, and seemed to do it well.  The author stays true to sorting out the complexities that come up for Jenna, her adoptive mother and her birth mother.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the way the romantic elements played out. A little bit contrived, maybe, or maybe that's me being grumpy and cynical about a genre requirement. (Or envious?)

Given how much I enjoyed the characters, and the food writing, I'm probably going to put this on the bookshelf next to Comfort Food and The School of Essential Ingredients. Possibly, on a reread, I'll have a different reaction to how the romantic elements played out.