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Show The Emery County Review, Tuesday, July 22, 2008 AT YOUR LEISURE Book Reviews Puzzles Horoscope Entertainment FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING SWELL BOOKS Avid Reader Points Out a Couple of Great Books Kathy Ockey When Jo Sansavero, an avid reader, starts talking about reading and her love of books, she can cite numerous books and their authors without any hesitation. She said she is “not a television person” and prefers reading as a pastime. She organized a book club within her church ward and they meet once a month. She said it started with 10 members and is now down to six who meet regularly, and they also read all types of books in this club. Jo was raised in Emery County until she was 15 and her family moved to California. She graduated from high school in San Francisco, went to college in Memphis and married her husband who was in the military. They eventually returned to Emery County to retire. They have two children; one son and one daughter. Their daughter now lives in South Jordan and their son is presently in Shanghai, China working for the Olympic Committee on their computer systems. Jo also collects Gone With the Wind memorabilia and recently had a month-long display at the Ferron Library. Jo recently read The Bone Setter’s Daughter, by Amy Tan and highly recommends it to “everyone who has a mother they don’t understand, which is probably everyone.” She said it is an excellent story about a mother and daughter who are coming to really know each other. The mother is showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s and has started a list of “Things I don’t ever want to forget.” As the story progresses, the daughter learns a lot about her mother and about her life and struggles. Jo said it is a very well-written story and everyone can learn a lot about themselves, their mothers and their families Jo also recommends the book, Gods in Alabama by Jocelyn Jackson. This book is Book reviews and recommendations by the people of Emery and Carbon counties. If you have a book you would like to recommend, call 435-748-2541. C5 John MacIntyre 5: Percentage of employees with unbalanced diets who say they have high levels of energy, according to a survey conducted by ComPsych Corp. 50: Percentage of workers with balanced diets who say they have high energy. 73: Of employees with healthy diets, percent who report having high levels of productivity. 24: Percentage of employees with unbalanced diets who say the same. Source: ComPsych Corp. 10,278: Number of laptops that are reported lost or stolen each week at the 36 largest U.S. airports, according to a survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute. Jo Sansavero about a woman learning about herself and how the experiences in her childhood have affected her as an adult. She also suggests that those who choose to read the book understand that it has some strong language but is very good and has excellent writing. 69: Percentage that are not reclaimed. Source: Ponemon Institute. 14: Percentage of their annual income that Chinese consumers aged 18 to 34 save on average, according to a survey conducted by BIGresearch. 9: Percentage saved on average by Americans the same age. 65: Percentage of young Chinese consumers who are confident or very confident in their economy. SCANNING THE BOOKSHELF Jay Martin Turns History into Fiction -- and ‘Magic’ 21.8: Percentage of young Americans who are confident or very confident in theirs. Source: BIGresearch. All sports have histories, of course, but baseball, more than any other, seems part of some larger history of America, Latin America and beyond. This sense of history is part of what makes Jay Martin’s new volume of stories, “Baseball Magic,” so involving. He’s not known chiefly for his fiction. He’s a professor of humanities and government at Claremont McKenna College who wrote a classic history of late 19thcentury American literature, “Harvests of Change: American Literature, 1865-1914,” as well as major biographies of Nathanael West, Henry Miller and John Dewey. (He was an inspiring mentor in my long-gone 66: Percentage of business travelers who do not have trouble balancing work responsibilities with personal obligations and are using technology as a way to maintain their regular routines and stay in touch with loved ones, according to the results of a survey by Expedia Corporate Travel. grad school days.) But in the last couple of years Martin has been working on a biography of Alexander Joy Cartwright, the father of modern baseball, and “Baseball Magic” is a different expression of this same immersion in the history of the game. Martin’s tales, 11 in all, are mostly short. They don’t deal with actual players, but fictional ones -- amateur and professional. “The Boy Who Became a Bloomer Girl,” set in 1908, depicts an era when barnstorming teams still entertained people and made a little money doing it. The narrator, a teenage boy, wants desperately to take up a career as a baseball player but knows his father would forbid it. But the boy gets his chance to become something of a baseball hero when he’s enlisted to play (in disguise) for an all-female team one Sunday. “Reconstruction” takes place a few decades earlier in 1876. One Southern town wants to rid itself of the federal government’s Reconstruction projects and the mayor makes a wager with the supervising northern captain. If the Southern team wins, the Northerners will exit. But the drama spikes when the Northern team includes black players and the mayor of Jefferson, Miss., declares, “You and I agreed that baseball is an American sport. These players have no part in it.” Ah, but they will, as the story unfolds. Baseball shows up where you least expect it in Martin’s stories, from Jane Austen’s England to a venerable Buddhist monastery in China -- and in ways that somehow seem utterly natural. To find out more about Robert Pincus and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. Copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate Inc. HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY Holiday Mathis The sun roars, heading into the royal sign of Leo the Lion this week. The childlike aspect of Leo is playful, expressive See Page C9 for Puzzle Answers. and generous with its affection, certainly called forth now at the height of summer’s heat. As the fun activities we enjoy catapult summer’s pleasures to a feverish pitch, hearts share, artists create and lovers fall in love. It’s as though we’re trying to fit it all onto our plate, this circle of life. ARIES (March 21-April 19). The reason to take protective measures is not because you think something bad will happen. It’s because if anything should go wrong, you can say you did all you could. This week, your preventive measures will allow you to stop worrying and start enjoying your current plum circumstance. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re open-minded and the opportunities practically chase you. Early in the week you’ll come across a few diamonds in the rough. But unless you’re an expert gem cutter, this job is not for you. Affirm to yourself that it’s OK for you to gravitate toward the already cut and gleaming diamonds. You deserve it. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You like to “keep it real,” but there’s a point at which too much reality becomes tiresome. So it’s a good thing you’re not averse to coming up with some heightened version of reality at which to “keep it.” Your stories, dreams and whimsies keep those around you entertained when they need it most. CANCER (June 22-July 22). It’s conventional to think of relationships as pleasure, not business. However, you’re anything but conventional. And if your relationship were a business, and sometimes you see it that way, it’s now up for review. Make sure that both parties are getting what they need out of the union. You’re paving the way for future bliss. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Defy your budget. Luxurious living can come with any price tag. You’re off and running with new ideas. Grow an indoor garden, or buy a vintage piece of clothing that would have been completely unaffordable to you if you had bought it back in the day. By Wednesday you’ll be a fat cat, back to your usual generous spirit. THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAYS: You carry through on your decisions with the kind of determination you’ve always aspired to having. It’s partly due to a maturity level you’ve earned and partly due to the glorious reward for which you’re striving. August brings an unexpected financial boost. Your love life percolates with interesting developments through September. Winter travels keep family life going strong - a conflict that’s been going on for years will finally be sorted out, too. March changes the career trajectory. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here - you’re just trying to make a little money to support yourself and those you love. It’s time to ask for some help. To see your way around blocks to wealth, stand on the shoulders of a giant. Actively seek a mentor. If you can’t find one in person, a book is even better. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Are you nice even when you don’t feel like being nice? Do you turn in a stellar performance at work even when the obstacles seem debilitating? Every time you go the extra mile, you reinforce to yourself and the rest of the world what a winner you are. This weekend brings a luscious reprieve. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The spirit of generosity moves you with its whims. You’re inclined to trust others this week, giving your attention and lending your money quite freely. It all works out, though the attention and money your receive in return will likely come from a different source. You’ll enjoy watching the mysterious ways Continued on Page C9 67: Percentage of travelers who establish a nightly ritual of calling their family every evening before they go to bed. Source: Expedia. 1: Rank of lost productivity among the issues most impacted by employee turnover, according to a survey of U.S. executives conducted by TalentKeepers. 2, 3, 4, 5: Ranks of diminished service quality, decreased employee morale, lost organizational knowledge and higher recruiting costs. Source: TalentKeepers. 40: Percentage of sales organizations that say their sales forces did not meet last year’s sales goals, according to a survey conducted by Deloitte and Oracle. 49: Percentage of sales organizations that say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their sales force performance. Source: Deloitte. 48: Percentage of Americans who consider cell phones and other technology use to be the most dangerous distraction while driving, according to a Nationwide Insurance survey. 35: Percentage who cite our current societal mindset and busy, on-the-go lifestyles as the reason why people drive distracted. 80: Percentage of Generation X (aged 31 to 44) who admitted to driving while distracted. Source: Nationwide Insurance. 67: Percentage of Americans who say they support the construction of new nuclear power plants in the U.S., according to a survey conducted by Zogby. 47: Percentage of respondents aged 18 to 24 who said the same, the lowest of any age category. 78: Percentage of respondents age 65 and older who said the same, the highest of any age category. Source: Zogby International. 57: Percentage of Americans who say they snack in the car, according to a survey commissioned by Pepperidge Farm. 55: Percentage who admit they keep snacks in their desk at work. 29: Percentage who cozy up with their snacks in bed. 4: Percentage who will snack in a house of worship. Source: Pepperidge Farm. Idle Thought “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” -- J. R. R. Tolkien Copyright 2008 John MacIntyre inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. |
