Author hopes book sparks equine appreciation
Seems like all little girls go through a horse phase.
To a certain extent, Paula Morin is still living hers. Only she’s turned her interest into a book, “Honest Horses: Wild Horses in the Great Basin” (University of Nevada Press, 392 pages, $24.95 paper), from which she will read at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Auntie’s Bookstore.
“It was my father who instilled in me a love for all things equine,” the Spokane photographer/artist wrote in the preface to her book, which she both wrote and took pictures for.
“Honest Horses” is the result of interviews about the wild horses that inhabit an area including five states (Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho and California) with “people who have known and worked with wild horses intimately in many contexts on and off the range.”
As Morin wrote, “Wild horses have been a lightning rod for controversy for generations, especially with respect to their purpose and place on the open range that is their home.”
Her hope, she wrote, is that by taking time to reflect on the “silent relationships that may emerge between the image and words” of her book, readers may feel a “deeper appreciation of wild horses in the Great Basin.”
Wallow in the Springs
The latest issue of Willow Springs, Eastern Washington University’s literary journal, is filled with particular treats of prose and poetry.
Of the former, Spokane’s Edgar-winning author Jess Walter leads the way with a change-of-pace story titled “Sex Talk,” which tells the story of a young boy’s learning about sex and other issues of adult life from his drunken father.
Sherman Alexie, formerly of Wellpinit, Wash., and now of Seattle, contributes a nonfiction piece titled “My Encounters with the Homeless People of the Pacific Northwest” that is no less entertaining than his fiction.
Besides poetry by Idaho’s Robert Wrigley and Tess Gallagher, there’s also a “conversation” with Marilynne Robinson, author of “Housekeeping” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Gilead.”
Willow Springs can be found at various area bookstores. Subscriptions to the semiannual publication run $13 year, $20 for two. Call (509) 623-4349 or go online at http://willowsprings.ewu.edu.
Still even stronger
Speaking of Jess Walter (see above), the author of “Citizen Vince” has seen sales of his book rise appreciably since winning the Edgar Award a few weeks ago. The book, which has earned nearly universal reviews, ranked No. 296 on Tuesday on Amazon.com’s sales list – up from 3,002 the day before.
One difference: Nancy Pearl, former Seattle librarian and author of “Book Lust” and “More Book Lust,” gave the book a rave review on her National Public Radio show Tuesday morning.
Walter’s next novel, his fourth, “The Zero” (Regan Books, 336 pages, $25.95), is due out Sept. 1.
Thanks also to Spokane reader Hugh Davis for pointing out that Time magazine had named Walter one of “5 Mystery Writers Worth Investigating” in its June 26 issue.
And note this: Anyone who has such tips should send them along to me at danw@spokesman.com. Those whose names get mentioned will be eligible for a free book.
Diamond chatter
Beth Mary Bollinger’s book “Until the End of the Ninth” (AuthorHouse, 176 pages, $14.95 paper), from which she will read at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Auntie’s Bookstore, is built around one of the most infamous sports incidents in history: the 1946 bus accident that killed most of the Spokane Indians minor-league baseball team.
No less than Tommy Lasorda, former manager of both the Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers, blurbed the book this way: “This is an amazing book. It’s a must for any baseball fan.”
Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.
Book talk
“Moscow Public Library Book Group (“The Jane Austen Book Club,” by Karen Joy Fowler), 6:30 p.m. Monday, 110 S. Jefferson St., Moscow, Idaho. Call (208) 882-3925.
“Dark City Mystery Book Group (“Wet Grave,” by Barbara Hambly), 7 p.m. Monday, Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington. Call (509) 838-0206.
“Modern Fiction Reading Group (“Life of Pi,” by Yann Martel), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Valley Barnes & Noble, 15310 E. Indiana Ave. Call (509) 922-4104.
The reader board
“Pamela Aidan (“An Assembly Such As This”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
“Paula Morin (“Honest Horses”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
“Beth Mary Bollinger (“Until the End of the Ninth”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
“Florence Boutwell (“The Naval Supply Depot at Velox”), signing, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Edgecliff Park, Sixth Avenue and Park Road. Call (509) 927-1721.