Princeton Alumni Weekly | The Weekly Blog: Princeton Authors Archives

November 1, 2012

Herkness '79 returns to her passion for horses

Nancy Herkness ’79 (Photo: Phil Cantor)

New book: Take Me Home, by Nancy Herkness [Theodorou] ’79 (Montlake Romance)

The author: A romance novelist, Theodorou (whose pen name is Nancy Herkness) was raised in the mountains of West Virginia, the setting for her fourth book. Before turning to writing, she worked in retail, computer programming, and marketing. She is the author of A Bridge to Love, Shower of Stars, and Music of the Night, was named a 2003 “Best Up and Coming Author” in Affaire de Coeur’s Readers’ poll, and has won other awards.

The book: Claire Parker returns to Sanctuary, W.Va., after a messy divorce. As she tries to readjust to small town life and mend her relationship with her sister, she bonds with Willow, an abused Thoroughbred mare. Claire meets the horse’s attractive and rugged veterinarian, Tim Arbuckle, who is grieving for his wife and never thought he would fall in love again. When Willow becomes sick, Claire and Tim work together to try to save the horse’s life.

Continue reading Herkness '79 returns to her passion for horses…

October 26, 2012

Seligman '73 profiles three Chinese-American brothers

New book: Three Tough Chinamen, by Scott D. Seligman ’73 (Earnshaw Books)

The author: A historian, Seligman has lived in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. He has managed a public relations agency in China, served as communications director for a Fortune 50 company, and taught English in Taiwan and Chinese in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Dealing with the Chinese, Chinese Business Etiquette, and co-author of The Cultural Revolution Cookbook.

The book: At the turn of the 20th century, Chinese people who came to the United States faced prejudice. The author examines the obstacles they faced — including the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 — and the lives of the Chinese in America as he tells the story of three brothers who took a stand against injustice, fought bigotry, and advocated for equal rights.

Continue reading Seligman '73 profiles three Chinese-American brothers…

October 19, 2012

Ear *97 looks at aid-dependent Cambodia

Sophal Ear *97 (Photo: Courtesy Sophal Ear)

New book: Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy, by Sophal Ear *97 (Columbia University Press)

The author: Born in Cambodia, Ear and his family became refugees. When the Khmer Rouge took over in the 1970s, he and his mother and siblings escaped (though his father and oldest brother died) making it to Vietnam, then living in France, before moving to the United States. Today, he is an assistant professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, where he teaches courses on post-conflict reconstruction and political economy. He has worked for the World Bank and the United Nations. Aid Dependence in Cambodia was inspired by his family background.

The book: The author examines the relationship between aid dependence and governance. Cambodia has depended on foreign aid and intervention for about two decades, he argues, yet maternal mortality and inequality have increased and corruption is “entrenched as a political system in today’s Cambodia.” The long-term effects of aid dependence, he writes, “have made it difficult, if not impossible, for Cambodia to take ownership of its own development.” Ear also offers ideas on how Cambodia can move forward, including weaning itself from foreign aid “sooner rather than later,” strengthening tax collection, and reestablishing the link between representation and taxation.

From the introduction: “When I came to America in 1986, aged ten, starting seventh grade at Willard Junior High School in Berkeley, California, and not speaking a word of English, one of the first things I did was write a letter to President Ronald Reagan to thank him for fighting Communism. “

October 11, 2012

Hale '79 teaches writers about verbs

Constance Hale ’79 (Photo: Simo Neri)

New book: Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: Let Verbs Power Your Writing, by Constance Hale [Ganahl] ’79 (W.W. Norton)

The author: Hale has taught at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and UC Berkley Extension and is the author of Wired Style and Sin and Syntax — which also is the name of her blog.

The book: In this writing handbook, Hale aims to help readers make sentences that are as “enticing, graceful, sexy, and smooth as the tango.” The book, she writes, poses questions “that have dogged me,” including “How did verbs evolve into their central role in language?” “What does linguistics tell us about the way verbs drive a sentence?” And “What do we really need to know about verbs to write with confidence and panache?” In answering those questions, the book dips into “a little evolution, a little history, a lot of grammar, [and] a little usage.”

Continue reading Hale '79 teaches writers about verbs…

October 4, 2012

Wheelwright *75 pens debut novel

Peter Wheelwright *75 (Photo: Courtesy Peter Wheelwright)

New book: As It Is On Earth, by Peter Wheelwright *75 (Fomite Press)

The author: An architect and associate professor at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City, Wheelwright has practiced or taught architecture for more than 30 years. His project The Kaleidoscope House, a modernist dollhouse designed in collaboration with artist Laurie Simmons, is in the Collection of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art. In writing his first novel, he drew on his own family history — his 13th generation grandfather was Reverend John Wheelwright, a Puritan clergyman.

The book: Set in New England over seven days at the end of the Millennium 1999, As It Is On Earth follows Taylor Thatcher, the narrator and a young college professor from a fallen family of Maine Puritans who is trying to come to terms with his family’s history and religious legacy. The story also explores Thatcher’s relationship with his eccentric brother and with an Israeli photography student, Miryam.

Continue reading Wheelwright *75 pens debut novel…

September 28, 2012

Bogle '51 on long-term investing vs. short-term speculation

John Bogle ’51 (Photo: Ricardo Barros)

New book: The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation, By John C. Bogle ’51 (Wiley)

The author: The founder and former CEO of the Vanguard Group of mutual funds and creator of the first index mutual fund, Bogle is president of Bogle Financial Markets Research Center. In 1999 Fortune magazine named him one of the four “investment giants” of the 20th century, and in 2004 Time magazine named him one of “the world’s 100 most powerful and influential people.”

The book: After 60 years in the financial field, the author sounds an alarm on what he sees as the change in culture from a focus on long-term investment in financial markets to a culture of short-term speculation — which, he argues, benefits financial sector insiders at the expense of their clients. He looks at the mutual fund industry, proposes the establishment of a “federal standard of fiduciary duty that places the interests of fund shareholders first,” and recommends fixes to America’s retirement system. Bogle concludes his book with 10 rules for successful investing.

Continue reading Bogle '51 on long-term investing vs. short-term speculation…

September 20, 2012

Penick '67 explores the 15th-century Chinese court

Douglas Penick ’67 (Photo: Bill Oliver)

New book: Journey of the North Star, by Douglas Penick ’67 (Publerati)

The author: Penick has had a wide-ranging career. He’s been a research associate at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a chef, and has taught on Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian religion, history, and culture. In addition, he’s written libretti for two operas; short fiction, essays, and poetry; and three books deriving from the epic cycle on the life of the central Asian warrior hero, King Gesar of Ling: Crossings on a Bridge of Light, Warrior Song of King Gesar, and The Brilliance of Naked Mind.

The book: In this historical novel set 700 years ago, the Chinese emperor’s eunuch slave, Ma Yun, records the reign of the emperor, Yong Le, who helped return China to world power after years of decay. Narrated by the slave, the novel also is the story of two men in different positions in life who come to share a single goal. (The book is available in e-book format.)

Continue reading Penick '67 explores the 15th-century Chinese court…

September 14, 2012

Durst '96 writes epic romantic adventure for teens

Sarah Beth Durst ’96 (Photo: Courtesy Sarah Beth Durst ’96)

New book: Vessel, by Sarah Beth Durst ’96 (Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books)

The author: Durst, who writes fantasy novels for teens, called her latest book a sweeping, romantic epic adventure. “As a kid, I used to routinely check my closet for an entrance to Narnia. Vessel is my plunging into that closet and bursting out the other side into a land of sun and sand,” she wrote on her blog. Durst also is the author of Enchanted Ivy, which is set at Princeton during Reunions, Ice, Into the Wild, Out of the Wild, and Drink, Slay, Love — about a vampire girl gone good.

The book: Liyana’s destiny is to sacrifice herself so that a goddess can inhabit her body. But when the goddess never comes, she is ostracized by her people. In the desert, she meets a god of another clan and together they search for other “vessels” whose gods never came to inhabit them.

Continue reading Durst '96 writes epic romantic adventure for teens…

September 6, 2012

Isleib '75 releases second food critic mystery

Roberta Isleib ’75 (Photo: Ruthanna Terrerri)

New book: Death in Four Courses, by Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib ’75) (Obsidian)

The author: A clinical psychologist turned murder-mystery writer, Roberta Isleib has written a golf mystery series — featuring a professional golfer and a sports psychologist — and an advice column mystery series — featuring an advice columnist and a psychologist. Working under the pen name Lucy Burdettte, Isleib launched a food-critic mystery series earlier this year with An Appetite for Murder and recently has come out with the second installment.

The book: Hayley Snow, a food critic for Key Zest, a style magazine in Key West, Fla., is assigned to write about a food-writing seminar. With her visiting mother in tow, she heads to the event. Soon after the keynote speaker, a well-known restaurant critic, delivers his speech, Hayley finds him dead in a reflecting pool. The police question Hayley, who sets out to find out what happened.

Continue reading Isleib '75 releases second food critic mystery…

August 30, 2012

Johnson '75 pens legal thriller

Todd Johnson ’75 (Photo: Courtesy Bethany House)

New book: The Deposit Slip, by Todd M. Johnson ’75 (Bethany House)

The author: A trial lawyer, Johnson has been an adjunct professor of international law and served as a U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong. His debut novel was inspired by a real case from the 1990s in which a deposit slip was discovered after a farmer in rural Minnesota died.

The book: As the main character, Erin Larson, cleans out her recently deceased father’s safe-deposit box, she finds photos and papers, including a deposit slip for $10.3 million dated about three years ago. The bank says it has no record of the funds. Eventually she hires lawyer Jared Neaton to help her get to the truth.

Continue reading Johnson '75 pens legal thriller…

August 23, 2012

Kitamura '99 explores a family saga in a colonial time

Katie Kitamura ’99 (Photo: Hari Kunzru)

New book: Gone to the Forest, by Katie Kitamura ’99 (Free Press)

The author: Katie Kitamura’s first novel, The Longshot, described the brutal world of mixed martial arts, known as “ultimate fighting,” and was a finalist for the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, and The Guardian. She is a regular contributor to Frieze.

The book: The story is set in the 20th century in an unnamed colonial country. Tom, whose mother has died, and his controlling father live on the family farm with servants. When Carine, a young woman, arrives, she is caught between father and son. The story explores family tension and the political situation of a country close to civil war. Kitamura said in a press release that she wanted to examine the legacy of colonialism and “the exclusion of women from a predominantly male world.”

Continue reading Kitamura '99 explores a family saga in a colonial time…

August 9, 2012

De Jonge '77 pens another crime novel

Peter de Jonge ’77 (Photo: Daina Zivarts)

New book: Buried on Avenue B, by Peter de Jonge ’77 (HarperCollins)

The author: A contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and a former reporter for the Associated Press, de Jonge co-authored three books with bestselling author James Patterson, including Beach Road (2003) and The Beach House (2006). Three years ago, he made his solo novel debut with Shadows Still Remain, which was a Washington Post Book of the Year in 2009.

The book: The main character in his first solo novel, the feisty New York homicide detective Darlene O’Hara, takes center stage again. While following up on a tip that an Alzheimer’s patient has confessed to murdering his partner and burying the body 17 years ago, O’Hara convinces her boss to allow her to have the garden where the victim is supposedly buried excavated. But in doing so the NYPD stumbles on another corpse — that of a 10-year-old boy. The discovery leads O’Hara on a path to find the boy’s killer

Continue reading De Jonge '77 pens another crime novel…