The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker is a novel taking place in New York, 1899. The story weaves two mythical creature from two different cultures to create a different kind of story altogether.

The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book -to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post.

Glen Wel­don is a non-fiction book chron­i­cling the fic­tional his­tory of the Man of Steel in comic books, radio, TV, the­ater, music and movies. Mr. Wel­don is a con­trib­u­tor to NPR’s pod­cast Pop Cul­ture Happy Hour and author of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography. Q. As you mentioned in your book, Superman is not “just” a hero, but also a symbol. This is not a marketing ploy but a status which the fan base bestowed upon him. Why do you think that is? A. Some of it comes down to timing: His status as the first true superhero sets him apart, ensuring that he’ll always be the ideal other heroes get measured against. He created an archetype that persists to this day. But if World War II hadn’t come along — which transformed him from an outlaw hero in the Batman/Shadow/Zorro mold to a patriotic symbol — who knows if he’d be seen as the icon he is today? People needed a hero to help them localize the anxieties of wartime — to show them that Good always triumphed. It’s a lesson that imprinted itself onto the collective consciousness of the country — and the world — and still hangs around….

Superman: The Unauthorized Biography by Glen Weldon is a non-fiction book chronicling the fictional history of the Man of Steel in comic books, radio, TV, theater, music and movies. Mr. Weldon is a contributor to NPR’s podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour.

We may think our problems are uniquely human. But animals and humans get the same diseases. How might we better understand human health and illness if we harnessed knowledge from veterinarians, the doctors that take care of other animals?

Zoobiquity explores how jaguar breast cancer, dolphin diabetes, flamingo heart attacks, canine PTSD—and more—are transforming human medicine.

The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book -to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post.

F. Scott Fitzgerald had much in common with “The Great Gatsby” narrator Nick Carraway. He had many famous and well-to-do friends who invited him in to their inner circle to share the decadence of their lifestyle in the 1920s. Fitzgerald’s young artist, writer and multi-talented friends inspired his classic novel about one of America’s most indulgent periods. Today, we can find intriguing parallels between Fitzgerald’s iconic characters and the actors who portray them in the 2013 film directed by Baz Luhrmann. Living in Gatsby’s world may be an enviable fantasy, but at least we don’t have to pay as much for electricity! Created by Electric.com

Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff tells about the epic search for missing World War II Coast Guard soldiers who were on a rescue mission. The book provides and intense glimpse into a forgotten moment in history.

Article first published as Book Review: My Mother’s Secret by J.L. Witterick on Blogcritics. About: My Mother’s Secret : Based on a True Holocaust Story by J.L. Witterick is a fictionalized account of an actual woman who hid 15 Jews (and a German soldier) in her small house, located in a small Polish town, during the Nazi invasion of World War II. While the lines in the book between fact and fiction are blurred, it is still a fascinating read. 208 pages Publisher: iUniverse (March 25, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 1475962576 My rating for My Mother’s Secret – 5 Buy this book from Amazon.com More Rec­om­mended World War II books on Man of la BookStore Thoughts: My Mother’s Secret by J.L. Witterick (website | Facebook)tells the story of Franciszka Halamajowa and her daughter Helena, two women with enough guts and street smarts to last several lifetimes. While the subject might sound depressing, this book (which targets towards the lower end of the YA crowd) is an uplifting testament to the acts of one woman and her family. The book is told in a very sparring manner (and hence a very quick read), the author writes in a matter-of-fact manner using short sentences, paragraphs…

I knew Nora Ephron’s work without knowing that I knew it. She wrote, and sometimes also directed, some classic movies, such as When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. None were favorites, but I liked most of her movies. When I was shopping for some reading material for a long trip, I was excited when I stumbled upon one of her books, “I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.” I wanted to get a feel for her writing and her voice — independent of what came across on the Silver Screen, which can be clouded by acting choices. Buy this book in paper or electronic format* Though the book is not new (it was published in 2006), it was a national bestseller when it was published, and it continues to hold up as a popular book because of the author’s legacy and because of the broad appeal it has for women. I guess, too, I was feeling a bit reflective about aging when I picked it up. Though I am almost half Ephron’s age when the book was published, I am still starting to see the stamp of time and…

This Star Wars novel follow Han, Leia, and their kids along with Chewie, Lando, Luke and our two favorite droids as they all end up in the middle of a rebellion

Earlier this week I reviewed Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953 by Elizabeth Winder. I found that even though Sylvia Plath had a short life she led an interesting one. I tried to come out with 10 positive facts about Plath’s life instead of her much discussed depression. Books by Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath published her first poem in the Boston Herald in 1941. Sylvia was 9 and the poem was titled “Poem”. At age 12 Sylvia’s IQ was recorded at 160. Also at 12 the local newspaper, The Townsman, published more of her work and was writing a poem a day. After WWII (around 1947) Sylvia started a five-year pan pal correspondence with a German teenager named Hans-Joachim Neupert. Even though Sylvia was accepted to Wellesley College for free, she chose to go to Smith College and worked her way through school. Sylvia worked in manual labor which later became fodder for her poem “Bitter Strawberries”. In May, 1953 Plath was accepted, along with 19 other girls to work in New York City as a guest editor at Mademoiselle Magazine. Unlike the morbid way we remember Plath, she was a fun loving girl who was…