I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of Peter Golden’s latest book, Nothing Is Forgotten. The book will be released on April 10th. I reviewed his last novel, Wherever There Is Light, in 2015.
As he showed with his previous novels, Golden is a master at weaving together different threads of the story. Nothing is Forgotten takes the reader on a multidimensional journey, traveling through a range of geography, history, culture, and especially emotions. Places are depicted vividly, with bits of the local language and cuisine dropped here and there to add flavor.
It may be of particular interest to many here in southern Palm Beach County because of its references to European and American Jews, as well as Russia and Eastern Europe.
The novel touches on various genres including coming of age, love story, spy thriller, and war, bringing them all together into a fascinating and deeply moving tale.
I highly recommend Nothing Is Forgotten.
Category: Books
Author to Speak at Loggers' Run Middle School
Local author Haley Marguerite Mariano will be discussing and signing her new book Charlie Takes an Adventure at Loggers’ Run Middle School on November 30th. The discussion will take place at 10 a.m. and includes students, friends, family and press. Those who attend the book signing will get a copy of her the book for $14.95. The book is also available for pre-order on Amazon at $19.95, so the price at the event is a bargain.
The book is about an adventurous penguin named Charlie. Charlie has no one to play with, nothing to do and winter lasts a real long time. Charlie hops on a plane to Florida hoping that will make him happy. But while he is in Florida, on numerous occasions, his trip doesn’t go the way Charlie planned. He seeks the advice of a fortune teller hoping she can point him in the right direction.
Ms. Mariano has lived in the Logger’s Run community since 1998 and attended Water’s Edge Elementary, Loggers’ Run Middle School, Don Estridge Middle School and West Boca High School. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Multimedia Journalism from Lynn University. A self-driven entrepreneur, in her free time she may be writing children’s books, running along Boca Raton’s beautiful Spanish River beach, or volunteering in the greater Palm Beach County. She holds affliations with the American Cancer Society, Boca Helping Hands and Hospice by the Sea.
Accomplished with the spoken and written word, Haley has years of Toastmasters International experience. The vivacious author is the face behind Social Inspired Leader, which has developed a large following. Join Haley (and Charlie!) as she “takes the adventure” of a motivational speaking career at www.SocialInspiredLeader.com.
The publisher is TriMark Press in Deerfield Beach.
Book Review: Wherever There Is Light
I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of a new book, Wherever There Is Light, by author Peter Golden. The book will be released in a few days, but you can pre-order on Amazon now.
Many of our local readers will appreciate how much of the story takes place in South Florida as well as the New York metropolitan area (especially parts of New Jersey).
The characters are richly portrayed and the story is captivating. It covers a lot of ground, both literally and figuratively. Just on geography they move around: Florida, New Jersey, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Paris, and Germany. With ideas it gets into art, music, business, philosophy, war, the Holocaust, race relations, family, love and more.
Central to the story are Julian and Kendall. Julian is a powerful Jewish man who has lived through difficult times and horrible loss. He’s the kind of guy you go to when you need to get something done, or perhaps undone.
Kendall, a black woman, is smart, thoughtful, and artistically gifted. They operate on different planes, yet somehow they connect. Except when they don’t.
The ending is brilliant. You won’t believe it.
Golden previously wrote his first novel, Comeback Love, and is known as well for significant non-fiction works such as Quiet Diplomat.
There’s something special about the way the best authors write. The reader can feel the author’s voice. You can tell Golden isn’t just spitting out words, but rather that he treats writing as a craft.
Do you need Community Service Hours?
Consider becoming a READING BUDDY. The Glades Road Library needs volunteers in grades 6-12 on Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. Volunteers assist children in grades K-5 with reading skills.
To be a volunteer, pick up an application at the children’s desk. A complete application packet and a one hour training session must be completed to become a reading buddy.
Call 561-482-4554 for more information.
Every Hero Has a Story
The Palm Beach County Library system is kicking off their Summer Reading program, Every Hero Has a Story, on June 5th at 3 p.m. at the West Boca Library. All ages are invited to join the program. Soar with superheroes and have a blast at your library this summer! There will be lots of free programs for kids this summer at the West Boca and Glades Road branches.
How to participate in the Summer Reading program:
Sign up at any location and receive a bookmark and a reading log to track your progress.
- Little learners, ages 0-5, will receive a rubber superhero duck after completing an activity log.
- Children, ages 5-11, will also receive a pencil and a copy of the newspaper, The Scoop, featuring jokes, activities and word games and more for signing up. Complete 10 hours of reading and receive a light-up yo-yo.
- Teens, ages 12-17, upon completion of 16 hours of reading will receive a sports pack.
- Adults, ages 18 and up, read or listen to five or more books, ebooks or audiobooks. Bring your completed reading log to your local branch and receive a spooner mug.
- All ages are welcome to participate online at www.pbclibrary.org
Everyone who completes the Summer Reading program will also receive a free coupon to a Roger Dean Stadium Baseball Game and be entered in a drawing to win a kindle fire HD6.
West Boca Author: Special Needs, Special Answers
In the course of living in West Boca it’s hard to avoid meeting old Jews. We’ve known one of them for a while now and he’s a delight. Tiny Katz is very involved in the community, particularly in Boca West and with Temple Beth El. Not long ago Tiny published a book, available on Kindle through Amazon and in other formats and places as well. See TinyKatz.com for all the options.
Tiny is a great story teller. He was even featured on the Old Jews Telling Jokes channel on YouTube:
The book is titled: Special Needs Special Answers: Memories and Milestones Toward Hope and Help for Special Needs Children and Parents. In it Tiny talks about his experiences raising a child with special needs. His storytelling ability brings these experiences to life for the reader.
Tiny takes you through his amazing life story in dealing with not only his own mentally challenged daughter, Tracy, but also numerous other children with special needs. Through the journey, Tiny reveals inspirational tips and tricks to help people with their own special needs family members and friends help their beloved ones live a happier and easier life.
Obviously this book will be particularly helpful to anyone who has a child with special needs. That’s a big community we’ve written about in the past, served by such places as the We Rock the Spectrum kids gym in Boca Greens. But the book is also worth a read to anyone else. One way or another we all encounter people with special needs. Understanding what it’s like to walk in their shoes (or their parents’ shoes) helps us deal with that.
Celebrate Italian American Heritage Month Today
The West Boca Library is having a book discussion October 8, 2014 at 2 p.m. Stacy Alesi, librarian and facilitator, will lead a discussion about “The Shoemaker’s Wife” by Adriana Trigiani.
West Boca 7-Year-Old Publishes on Amazon
Niki Kawa, a 7-year-old girl and author from West Boca, is getting some publicity for her book, Quotes are Life. She just appeared on CBS 12:
And Niki also appeared on Newsmax TV:
Ms. Kawa’s father Larry is an orthodontist in Mission Bay Plaza. Niki is a student at Pine Crest.
Published on September 12th, the book is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats:
We wish them luck from West Boca News.
Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club at City Fish Market
West Boca’s Barry Epstein has a relatively new group he describes as a non-partisan political club, The Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club. Barry is in the background of the picture above talking with the speaker from the event on September 10th, Roger Stone.
Stone spoke at length to a small audience that seemed to hang on every word. His main focus was his new book, Nixon’s Secrets.
While this author dislikes Stone (I’m currently suing him), one has to credit him for being a captivating storyteller. The new book follows on Stone’s JFK conspiracy book, The Man Who Killed Kennedy – The Case Against LBJ.
The problem with Stone is his long history of lying and deceit. He may tell a good story, but you can never know when he’s being truthful, telling outright lies, or if he even knows or cares what the truth is.
There has been extensive reporting in recent months about Stone’s involvement in apparent corruption in the Broward Sheriff’s Office, from both the Sun Sentinel and Miami’s Channel 10.
When Epstein previously scheduled Stone for a talk regarding his JFK-LBJ book I warned him about Stone’s past, and Epstein didn’t care. Anyone who watches Stone for any length of time struggles to accept one of the sad realities of our political system – that most people not only ignore a person’s dishonesty but embrace it if it’s colorful, interesting, or on their side of the political spectrum.
On the bright side, Epstein’s has created an organization that brings in interesting speakers to West Boca. In May the club hosted the exiled Crown Prince of Iran who spoke to a large audience. Also, City Fish Market put on a nice lunch.
Go on a wild safari adventure at the Library!
Go on a wild safari adventure at the Glades Public Library on July 5th at 3 p.m. All ages can meet zoo animals up close during a special visit from The Palm Beach Zoo and discover some wonderful animal books at the library. This program will last 45 minutes. Please preregister at 482-4554.