Gray Books

Dr. Russo has quite a twist in his writings. Robin Cook has some competition here but on a different level. I am awaiting the next "gray" happening.

Hooray! Finally, a book for those of us who are age-enhanced, or age-enriched. In other words, those of us who'll never see 50, or 60 or maybe even 70 again. See that gray hair on the cover couple? Well, believe me, snow on the roof has nothing to do with the furnace inside them. This is a book for grown-ups. Really grown up. Older, and wiser. It's a wonderful love story--with a bit of mystery thrown in, and a huge serving of erotica. (Yes, indeed, older people do think of such things!)

Mary Grace and Nick, both in their 70s, meet when Nick, a poet, comes to speak to Mary Grace's Senior Center Group. The attraction is immediate, and deep. These are with-it seniors, so Mary Grace looks him up on the internet and discovers that he'll be doing a book-signing at the local book store very soon. Off she goes to meet the poet who so intrigued her during his little talk.

Eventually, they have dinner together, learning more about each other, and their respective families. Episodes from Nick's past threaten to completely overset the new romance, but they are able to overcome the tragic situation.

Nick is a creative lover, introducing Mary Grace to all kinds of new things, and she is a most receptive student. Together, they prove that there are other routes to satisfaction than those considered typical or ordinary.

The author is a retired sex therapist who knows whereof he writes. My only very minor quibble is that he knows all the four-letter words and uses them with great joy and abandon. This is not my style, but nevertheless, I enjoyed this book immensely, and will certainly read it again and again. If you cannot tolerate that kind of language, then perhaps this wouldn't be the book for you - or your aged grandma. On the other hand, SHE just might surprise you, and prove to be younger-at-heart than you'd previously supposed.

Seriously, I hope the author can be convinced to write more of this type of book. After all, we all like to read about characters who look like us. And goodness knows, there are enough of us older folks around these days to provide a good market for more books of this kind.

Whoopeee!

The debut children's book by author Missy K., Gray Rabbit and Friends is a softcover storybook perfect for young readers who have graduated from picturebooks are ready to start enjoying wordier fare. Playful black-and-white illustrations embellish this anthology of five very brief tales featuring an eclectic cast of woodland creatures. In "Gray Rabbit and the Bully", the little gray rabbit joins forces with his friends and neighbors to stand up to Jack Rabbit, the troublemaker bully of the woods. In "Gray Rabbit Makes a Deal", Gray Rabbit must think of a wonderful present no one else has to give to the fierce (and hungry!) Golden Eagle in return for safe passage - but what can he possibly find to give? "Brown Bunny and the Four Seasons" teaches young people about the cycle of the seasons, and the security of knowing that spring will return no matter how cold winter gets. "Gray Rabbit Finds a New Home" has the simple, memorable moral that home is where the heart is, no matter how fearful or anxious one might feel about making the change. "Gray Rabbit Wants to Fly" is the final tale, about learning to love and embrace one's own best qualities even though there are some things (such as flying) that not everyone can do; "Every animal has at least one thing that they do better than any other animal." A charming collection highly recommended for young people, or for reading aloud during storytime or bedtime.

The illustrations are colorful, yet simple. The text consists of catchy rhymes making the book educational and, at the same time, enjoyable for young children.

Gray Shades of Blue is entertaining, insightful, and educational. The author, Philip Bulone, is a former NYC cop and a natural storyteller. His talent as a raconteur builds as he takes the reader on a journey from the streets of Brooklyn in the 1960s, to jungles of Vietnam and back to NYC in the midst of a fiscal and social crisis that lasted well into the 1980s. It is with a delicate sense of irony that the author describes the reality of police work in the mean streets of the city where the ideal is compromised because the world is a place with relative degrees of good and evil. This book is a must read for a generation of indulged, protected and coddled young adults that grew up in the fantasy world of the suburban dream. The book depicts life as it is and not as it should be, and the reader is led to understand that you define yourself ultimately by how you respond to events.

For those of us surrounded by the omnipresent gray squirrel they seem banal and often a pest. But for my inner city Latino children in a bilingual first grade, this book made real the interaction of animals in a suburban neighborhood. They understood how the squirrel interacts with other animals - often stealing their food; how the squirrel helps grow trees by hiding acorns (we learned about acorns the same week). The picture of the squirrel eating acorns was perfect. We learned how birds depend on feeders for their food. The illustrations were lovely and inventive - they especially liked the photo of the squirrel sleeping with his tail over his head for a shade (we acted it out with our hands) and the dog chasing the squirrel and cat. The neighborhood was unfamiliar to them as the housing was very different but they loved the animals. This book was a most positive teaching aide.

This book is outstanding. Gray Vengeance, Gray Rider by C.A. Wiese is one of the best books that I have read in many years. It is full of constant and realistic action,it keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat.
The author has a clear, defining style that is definitely her own.

Forrest wrote an amazing little book about Gray Whales. It is handy enough to use while whale watching.

Enough content in the book to give you a better feel for these magnificent creatures.

The last book in this wonderful series meant to help children understand the important balance of nature, animals, and humans. Gray Wolf had been living at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Preserve after being rescued from being stuck on a cliff in the last book. Gray Wolf with another young wolf, Sage escape and move through the forest of the park. The Game Wardens search for them concerned that hunters, the dangers of the woods to sheltered animals, and even other wolves will harm them. Also, the State Troopers have found out about the missing wolves and will shoot them on sight. The Wardens pursue in helicopters, but Gray Wolf and Sage find paths through fir trees, along the river, and eventually discover an abandoned cabin. The wolves come across a bear and flee deeper into the woods. The Wardens finally track them down only to discover the wolves have become apart of a wolf pack and have their own cubs. The story flows and challenges the reader to consider that the space in which animals move is presently limited. The illustrations are scratchboard black and white prints that give a handcrafted quality to the book. The technique shows the harshness and the contrast between human and animal habitats. I read this book to my five year old that loves dogs, wolves, and the forest.

This book is a real page-turner. I could hardly put it down. Stylistically, the book reminds me of Dan Brown's DaVinci Code for the intrigue, Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October for the role of technology as a "separate" character", and E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime for sheer imagination in bringing together larger-than-life personages of America and Europe, with one skill none of those authors can claim: brevity. In the hands of an amateur, this book of 124 pages would be 1000 pages long. Bravo!