DigitalLit

It’s a dream come true for bibiophiles and library fans with a sweet tooth:

On Sept. 18, at 7 to 9:30 p.m., more than 15 restaurants will participate in the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library Foundation’s Fifth Annual Dessert Extravaganza.  

The event will be at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Road in Stow.

The featured item of the evening will be a beautiful blue zircon and diamond pendant necklace set in 14 carat white gold on a 16” 14 ct. white gold cable chain courtesy of Abshire & Haylan.  

Other auction items include two round trip airplane tickets from AirTran, an airplane ride from Commercial Aviation at the Kent State Airport, over 40 autographed books from popular authors, Budweiser stadium seats, a handmade quilt, golf and spa packages and much more.   

The Dessert Extravaganza is the Foundation’s major fundraiser of the year.  The money raised is used to assist the library in funding large projects that benefit the Stow-Munroe Falls communities.  Tickets are $25 and are available for purchase at the library’s circulation desk.  

For details, call Ann Malthaner at 330-688-3295.

Author Pamela Frost will be at the Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St, Hudson) Sept. 4 from 1 to 3 p.m. Frost’s new book, Houses of Cards, is a humorous (and sometimes shocking) recollection of her family’s ventures into real estate investing. Having bought the first house they “flipped” using credit cards, the Frosts moved on to bigger and ever more involved projects with fixeruppers.

Readers may remember Frost for her short story, The Shoebox, which appears in A Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Daughters. Pamela Frost lives in Medina, and manages rental properties in Akron.

For more information, contact the Learned Owl Book Shop at 330-653-2252.

I took a couple pictures from Tracy Chevalier’s visit to the Hudson Library and Historical Society Aug. 3. She talked about her upcoming book — which involves the Underground Railroad — and read a bit from her latest published novel “Remarkable Creatures” (which I’m about halfway through now, and enjoying immensely). She asked members of the audience for potential places to visit as she researches her current work in progress. After her talk, Chevalier signed copies of her books — and there was a very lengthy line!

Jack Bennett, author of Dream Hikes Coast to Coast: Your Guide to America’s Most Memorable Hikes, will be at The Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N Main St, Hudson) on Aug. t 7 at 2 p.m. Dream Hikes offers detailed descriptions and tips for making 30 “life list” hikes around the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. Bennett will give an audio-visual presentation illustrating the most remarkable hikes chronicled in his book.

Dream Hikes includes maps, color photos, directions to the trailheads and information on local weather and wildlife for each of the trails. From Arcadia National Park to Death Valley, Bennett’s easy, first-person style draws the reader into the adventure of hiking some of the nation’s most scenic trails.

Jack Bennett is a “Highpointer,” who has climbed to summits in all 50 states. A lifelong runner, hiker and mountain climber, he has completed six full marathons and one mountain marathon. He holds the Guinness World Record for climbing the highest points in all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. He has been published in American Alpine Journal and is a resident of Chardon, Ohio. Dream Hikes Coast to Coast is published by Menasha Ridge Press.

For more information, contact the Learned Owl Book Shop at 330-653-2252.

Anna Krushinski, also known by her pen name, Marie Krushing, will be signing her first novel, Dream Maker in the Desert, at the Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St, Hudson) on July 31  from 1 to 4 p.m.

 The book chronicles the adventures of Emmet Watts, an awkward 15 year old. Little does he know he is destined to join a secret society of men and women who fight the powers of darkness in order to restore balance between good and evil. The Dream Maker in the Desert is part of a projected three book series of sci-fi/fantasy fiction aimed at young adult readers.

 Krushinski is a 2005 graduate of Hudson High School as well as an alumna of The University of Akron. She and her fiancé reside in Northeast Ohio. Her parents, Joy and Lee Krushinski, live in Hudson.

For more information, contact the Learned Owl Book Shop at 330-653-2252.

Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness, by Nahoko Uehashi. 2010 Batchelder Honor Book. OK, this book wasn’t so depressing, although it is serious. Balsa is back, and she heads to her native Kanbal hoping to lay rest her personal demons of guilt regarding her foster father Jiguro and her past. What she finds is a brain-pretzel of a political plot involving Jiguro, and the stories spread to discredit him. Balsa quickly discovers that not only is her life in danger, but the whole of Kanbal is in jeopardy. In this story, the reader finds out more about Balsa’s past and her family. Balsa is a wonderful heroine — tough, smart and human. The book is rounded out nicely by several secondary characters, including Kassa, a young spear-holder whom Balsa rescues early on, along with his sister. The details in this world are wonderful — the history, the lands and the personalities there, the different people and creatures. The who’s who at the end, along with the definition of the terms used, helps.

Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. 2010 Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers. Incredibly layered and nuanced. Clay one day finds a box of cassette tapes. He discovers they are a recorded message from Hannah, a girl from his class who committed suicide. She left 13 stories for 13 people, each who were tied to her reason for wanting to end her life. There are few villains in this, just people being people. Hannah’s reasons turn out to be her own guilt connected to a couple of tragic events as well as the actions — often unknown — of those she talks about. The story alternates from Hannah’s narration to Clay’s thoughts and feelings as he listens, but the story remains easy to follow (Hannah’s dialogue is set in italics). The reader is drawn into the story as Hannah’s narrative slowly unfolds. An excellent debut book from the author, and highly recommended for both teens, parents and teachers.

Neil Zurcher, known for his “One Tank Trips,” recently added another book to his personal bookshelf with “Tales from the Road.” 

For details, visit Gray and Co.’s website.

Stefanie Wass, a local Hudson resident, has a story, “Coach,” which is featured in the recently released Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Dad. 

As a freelancer, Wass’s essays have been published in The Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Christian Science Monitor, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Life and Leisure, Cleveland Magazine, The Writer Magazine, Cup of Comfort for Mothers, Cup of Comfort for a Better World, and seven Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. Stefanie is a member of the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators and is a writing instructor at the University of Akron’s continuing education program. www.stefaniewass.com.

The Kent State University Press recently reprinted “The Bruiser” and “Beggars of Life,” both by Jim Tully, and both include an introduction from Cuyahoga Falls resident Mark Dawidziak. 

The Bruiser is the story of Shane Rory, a drifter who turns to boxing and works his way up the heavyweight ranks. Like Tully, Shane starts out as a road kid who takes up prizefighting. While The Bruiser is not an autobiographical work, it does draw heavily on Tully’s experiences of the road and ring. Rory is part Tully, but the boxers populating these briskly paced chapters are drawn from the many ring legends the writer counted among his friends: Jack Dempsey, Joe Gans, Stanley Ketchel, Gene Tunney, Frank Moran, and Johnny Kilbane, to name a few. 

Jim Tully left his hometown of St. Marys, Ohio, in 1901, spending most of his teenage years in the company of hoboes. Drifting across the country as a “road kid,” he spent those years scrambling into boxcars, sleeping in hobo jungles, avoiding railroad cops, begging meals from back doors, and haunting public libraries. Tully crafted these memories into a dark and astonishing chronicle of the American underclass—especially in his second book, Beggars of Life, an autobiographical novel published in 1924. Tully saw it all, from a church baptism in the Mississippi River to election day in Chicago. And in Beggars of Life, he captures an America largely hidden from view.

Visit  http://upress.kent.edu/books/Tully_J3.htm for details.