Friday, December 23, 2005

Over the edge and between the pages


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

"Seldovia Sam and the Blueberry Bear"

Books, books and more books. What are holidays without them? You only have to meander into the post office this week to see masses of Amazon and Barnes & Noble boxes arriving daily. Keep in mind, however, that we have our own fine bookstores in the Wood River Valley, as well as excellent libraries.

Readings and signings occur over the course of the next week at these establishments.

At Chapter One in Ketchum from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, Peggy and Mickey Drexler will be celebrating the release of Peggy's new book, "Raising Boys Without Men: How Maverick Moms Are Creating the Next Generation of Exceptional Men."

The author, an assistant professor of psychology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, bases her book on an extensive research study and interviews with a variety of lesbian mothers, single mothers, sons of single moms and sons of two-mother families.

World War II naval aviator Robbie Robinson reads and signs his book "Navy Wings of Gold" from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, at Iconoclast Books in Ketchum.

Robinson, who has lived in Boise since 1998, survived a crash in the Pacific in 1944. His crewmates were killed instantly. "You don't survive when you dive a plane in at 100 miles per hour," Robinson said. "And...you don't survive on top of a ton of explosives."

But the book is not just Robinson's memories of the war. Eight chapters are devoted to fellow survivors, and one chapter was written by his wife on her home front experiences while her husband was away in the war. Chapter 19 is the personal story of Nathaniel "Blackie" Adams and the role he played in the rescue of a 20-year-old bomber pilot named George Herbert Walker Bush.

Following his military service Robinson earned his doctoral degree in Education Administration and Philosophy. Eventually he became principal of the Beverly Hills High School. He also contributed extensively to the improvement of education nationally while serving as one of the directors on the College Entrance Examination Board and chairing numerous accreditation teams for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Also at Iconoclast Books in Ketchum, Buddy Levy will read from his literary biography, "American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett," and sign copies 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29. Levy, 45, is a resident of Moscow, Idaho. He went to school in the Wood River Valley, graduating from the Wood River High School. His other book is "Echoes on Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge," a natural history of the game bird.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church administrator Susan Springer reads from her newest children's book, "Seldovia Sam and the Blueberry Bear," the fourth in a series on a young lad (Sam) from Seldovia, Alaska, 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, at Iconoclast Books in Ketchum.

Springer's other books are "Seldovia Sam and the Wildfire Escape," "Seldovia Sam and the Sea Otter Rescue," and "Seldovia Sam and the Very Large Clam."

"Seldovia Sam and the Sea Otter Rescue" was recently awarded the national ASPCA Henry Bergh Award in the "Humane Heroes" category for fiction.

At the Community Library in Ketchum, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, Ridley Pearson will discuss his books, including "Peter and the Starcatchers," a prequel to "Peter Pan" written with humorist Dave Barry, and his most recent book, "The Kingdom Keepers."

"Kingdom Keepers" is a Young Adult suspense thriller about five teenagers who end up inside Disney World after dark, and must solve a riddle in order to save the park from the dark side of Walt Disney's imagination.

In January, look for a book event for "Over the Edge," a ski resort thriller by Marc Paul Kaplan. It takes place in a rough and rugged Jackson Hole, Wyo., in 1969 and features the wily machinations of an emotionally and physically scarred Vietnam vet.




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