Books & music

Information is provided by publishers, authors, and artists.

Time and Tide in Acadia: Seasons on Mount Desert Island
Christopher Camuto ’73
(W.W. Norton & Company)

Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park have been described as the climax of Maine’s coast. In Time and Tide in Acadia, nature writer Christopher Camuto draws on years of walking the island’s summits and shorelines, canoeing its marshes, kayaking its tidal waters, and visiting its outer islands. To this task, he brings an appetite for observing wildlife and landscape, a regard for history and indigenous perceptions of nature, a keen interest in exploring the psychological and philosophical appeal of nature, and a writer’s love of language.

New England Primer
Bruce Guernsey ’66
(Cherry Grove Collections)

The original “primer” was a basic school text to help the student learn and remember elementary lessons like the alphabet by the use of meter and rhyme. Bruce Guernsey’s new book of poems asks the reader to look at things as simple as oatmeal or as common as moss and to see them “New Englandly,” as Emily Dickinson once put it — that is, with a vision that at once observes and penetrates. Guernsey’s lyrics are alive with images common to rural New England, but with a turn of the lens, reveal something fresh and often startling about our ordinary lives.

Ever the Twins Shall Meet
C. Norman Noble ’57
(OPA Publishing)

Ever the Twins Shall Meet picks the story up 22 years after its predecessor Changing of the Gods. This story begins in Smyrna, and from a modern perspective, the year is 88 AD during the reign of Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus. Lucius and his wife Sentia went to Ephesus to work as missionaries for the fledgling church of Jesus Christ. The hero and heroine have identical twin boys, Crispus and Marsallas. But when the boys were 3 years old, one was kidnapped, not to be heard from until he was 21 years old. A sequence of events with the two sons finds one imprisoned while the other roams free, followed by an escape, a chase, a chance meeting, another arrest, another escape, and more.

Play
Suzanne Sherman Propp ’85
(For Good Music)

Play, the new CD by vocalist Suzanne Sherman Propp, is “music for young kids and the big kids who raise them.” The compilation includes original songs, traditional songs, and Propp’s versions of songs by artists such as James Taylor. A music and choral teacher, Propp is accompanied by various instruments. The CD has been released under her own record label, For Good Music, which donates a percentage of its profits to charity.

Fieldstones of Faith: Volume II
David Johnson Rowe ’68
(Lulu)

In a follow-up to his first book, David Johnson Rowe includes more poetry inspired by his favorite scriptures from the Bible.  A senior pastor, Rowe hopes that his poems will “open up the Bible in refreshing and challenging ways” to the reader. The 68 poems range from “Abraham and Isaac” to “The Widow’s Might.”

The Essential Breastfeeding Log
Sarah Bowen Shea ’88 (co-authored with Suzanne Schlosberg)
(Random House)

The Essential Breastfeeding Log is a journal and organizer for new moms. By using the book to track a baby’s habits, mothers will see patterns emerging and will be able to get — and keep — their baby on a schedule. The log also allows a mother to: monitor how her own diet, exercise, and sleeping habits affect milk supply; chart her postpartum weight loss and baby’s weight gain; and note her thoughts and feelings during those first months. The Essential Breastfeeding Log is also filled with encouraging and practical advice.

Wham-O Super-Book: Celebrating 60 Years Inside the Fun Factory
Tim Walsh ’87
(Chronicle Books)

Wham-O Super-Book celebrates more than 200 fun and sometimes off-the-wall playthings dreamed up by two childhood friends. Wham-O’s toys — including the Frisbee, Hula Hoop, SuperBall, Slip ’N Slide, Silly String, and Hacky Sack — are all cherished companions that brought kids together decades ago and still enjoy popularity today. Released in time for the 60th anniversary of Wham-O, the book showcases these toys, featuring a history of each plaything, colorful vintage packaging and ads, and photographs.

Warrior of the Highlands
Veronica Wolff ’89
(Berkley/Penguin Group)

In Veronica Wolff’s newest romance novel, graduate student Haley Fitzpatrick stumbles upon a strange artifact while doing research for her dissertation. This sends her back in time to old Scotland, directly into the path of the notorious Alasdair MacColla, a warrior known for his enormous physical presence and bloodthirsty reputation. Assuming that this woman with the mysterious accent is an enemy spy, MacColla promptly kidnaps her. But Haley’s beauty and courage strike a chord in the Highlander. At first Haley’s frightened, but she soon discovers that MacColla is much more than the brute that modern history describes. But unless she can find a way to change the past, the warrior she’s fallen for is destined to meet a tragic end.

Lear’s Daughters
Marjorie B. Kellogg (with William B. Rossow)
(Penguin Group)

Lear’s Daughters tackles the issues of global warming, pollution, exploitation of resources, and disastrous climate change. The novel takes place in 2073, when the earth’s climate is faltering and its ecosystems are breaking down, so burgeoning populations must rely on food and energy supplies imported from colony worlds. An exploratory mission to the planet Fiix finds a world at war with itself. The pressure is on to figure out what’s going on. One explanation comes from the local inhabitants, whose seemingly primitive society is shaped entirely by the needs of survival under the planet’s harsh conditions. Sorting out local language and myth, the expedition’s young linguist finds himself drawn into Sawl culture. But local culture is of no interest to the expedition’s prospector, who is in search of new sources of lithium, which has become a crucial component of energy production back home. Marjorie Kellogg is an associate professor of English.

Egypt after Mubarak: Liberalism, Islam, and Democracy in the Arab World
Bruce K. Rutherford
(Princeton University Press)

In his new book, assistant professor of political science Bruce Rutherford explains how Egypt’s autocratic regime is being weakened and examines what could happen when the country’s aging president, Husni Mubarak, passes. Egypt after Mubarak demonstrates that both secular and Islamist opponents of the regime are navigating a middle path that may result in a uniquely Islamic form of liberalism and, perhaps, democracy. Rutherford draws upon in-depth interviews with Egyptian judges, lawyers, Islamic activists, politicians, and businesspeople. He also utilizes major court rulings, political documents of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the writings of Egypt’s leading contemporary Islamic thinkers.

Also of Note:
When I Was a Little Guy (Publish America) by J.E. Deegan ’63 is a book of children’s stories about the Little Guy, who grew up moving all around the country with his parents. Every place he lived offered new adventures, new friends to meet, and new places to see — and new opportunities to become involved in mischief. The Little Guy stories focus on the humorous and the poignant while presenting a moral lesson for children.

Since the Chicago Cubs first adopted uniform numbers in 1932, the team has handed out only 71 numbers to more than 1,200 players. That makes for a lot of good stories. For example, Dizzy Dean, Catfish Metkovich, John Boccabella, Bill Buckner, Mark Prior, and Kevin Hart all wore #22, even though seven decades passed between the last time Dean buttoned up his uniform with that number and the first time Hart performed the same routine. Cubs by the Numbers (Skyhorse Publishing) by Al Yellon ’78, and co-written with Kasey Ignarski and Matthew Silverman, tells those stories.

Chef Grant Achatz authored the photographically driven cookbook Alinea, titled for the Chicago restaurant of which he and Nick Kokonas ’90 are partners. Kokonas, who worked with Achatz to create the award-winning restaurant, contributed to the “How to use this book” section.

Peter Balakian, the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor in the humanities, has rereleased his acclaimed memoir, Black Dog of Fate: An American Son Uncovers his Armenian Past (Basic Books). The 10th anniversary paperback edition includes two new chapters that further explore the Armenian genocide.

In the media

“We’re so sensitive to embarrassment, to stepping out of line, to one another’s privacy, that sometimes we don’t step up when real action is called for.”
        — Carrie Keating, psychology professor, offering her expert analysis during an episode of ABC News’s “What Would You Do?” series

“I can’t believe how fast it’s happened and how far I’ve come.”
        — Kathryn Bertine ’97, a professional triathlete, describing to the Arizona Daily Star the ascent of her cycling career

“When you’re feeling sad, call up a loved one and schedule a time to get some coffee and talk.”
        — Dawn LaFrance, assistant director of counseling and psychological services, offering advice about the “winter blues” to readers of U.S. News & World Report

“It’s more than just flapping your hands around. It has to be meaningful and natural.”
        — Spencer Kelly, associate professor of psychology, talking to NorthWest Cable News (Seattle) about his research that reveals the importance of hand gestures when learning a foreign language

“There was definitely a huge family attraction to the decision to come here [Colgate]. It’s become sort of a tradition in our family.”
    — Kiira Dosdall ’09 talking to USA Hockey Magazine about following in her father’s footsteps as a Colgate hockey player

“Oh my God, [students consume] those energy drinks, and then they come in [to the health center] because they’re anxious or they can’t sleep and wonder why.”
    — Jane Jones, coordinator of alcohol and drug education, describing the impact of caffeine on sleeping habits during an interview with Times Higher Education magazine (UK)

Colgate bestsellers
at the Colgate Bookstore

June-tree: New and Selected Poems, 1974-2000 — Peter Balakian (English)

All the Sundays Yet to Come: A Skater’s Journey — Kathryn Bertine ’97

Unlearning to Fly — Jennifer Brice (English)

The Day Dad Ran Out Of Kisses — Bruce Healey ’84

Cultivating Science, Harvesting Power — Chris Henke (sociology and anthropology)

Woodcuts in Modern China — Joachim Homann (exhibition catalog, Picker Art Gallery)

Syndromes of Corruption — Michael Johnston (political science)

Crafting Fiction, Poetry, & Memoir — Matt Leone (director, Colgate Writers’ Conference)

Tibetan Buddhism and Modern Physics — Vic Mansfield (physics and astronomy, emeritus – deceased)

The Hill Road — Patrick O’Keeffe (English)