By AL PARKER
While several nonfiction books have hit my desk in recent days, it's a cracking-good mystery that grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go.
Northwestern Michigan College writing instructor and Record-Eagle contributor Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli has written "Dead Dancing Women" (Midnight Ink, 372 pages), a murder mystery set in northern Michigan. When frazzled journalist Emily Kincaid flees Ann Arbor, she's looking for peace in the northern woods. Instead she finds the severed head of an old woman in her garbage. The victim is a member of a controversial group -- Women of the Moon -- who praise the earth while dancing around a bonfire. Emily teams up with Deputy Dolly Wakoski ("a lot like Barney Fife, but not as pretty") to solve the mystery that deepens when other members of the group turn up dead. If you love mysteries that toss in lots of local flavor, don't miss this book.
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"When the Water Calls We Follow" (Favors Ventures, 194 pages) is written by passionate boating enthusiasts Jim and Lisa Favors. In the past five years, the Favors have gone from weekend boaters to living aboard their boat on a 6,000-mile Great Loop trip, from Charlevoix to Chicago, down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, then around Florida up the eastern Atlantic Coast, along the Hudson River through the Erie Canal and back to the Great Lakes. It's a compilation of adventures and fellow boaters, or "Loopers," they met along the way. The Favors will begin a second loop trip this month.
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Journalist-broadcaster Nancy A. Nichols offers a more somber lake story in "Lake Effect" (Island Press, 180 pages). Nichols and her sister, Sue, grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Waukegan, Ill., a town famed for its toxicity. Years later, Sue was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 41. On her deathbed, Sue asked her sister to write about her illness and its possible links with the contaminants in their hometown. While writing the book, Nancy herself was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This work raises questions and teaches important lessons about where we live and its lasting impact on our health.
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Former Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadet Richard Hill has penned a memoir with almost the same title -- "Lake Effect: A Deckhand's Journey on the Great Lakes Freighters" (Gale Force Press, 224 pages). Using journals he kept during his sailing years, Hill has written a coming-of-age tale that will appeal to those curious about life on the lakes.
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"Tahquamenon Country: A Look at its Past" (Michigan State University Press, 140 pages) has been written by Sprague Taylor, a lifelong resident of the eastern Upper Peninsula and a scholar of its history. Originally published in 1991, this work examines the history of the oft-overlooked eastern U.P. This is an easy and entertaining read for anyone interested in the U.P. and its rich heritage.
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In her first book, Mary Ellen Geist offers "Measure of the Heart: A Father's Alzheimer's, a Daughter's Return" (Springboard Press, 224 pages). When her father's Alzheimer's got to be too much for her mother to shoulder alone, Geist decided to leave her job as a high-powered CBS radio anchor to return home to Michigan. Instead of career honors and deadline adrenaline, she chose to live her life by different priorities -- to be guided by her heart and not by career accomplishments and recognition. This is an inspiring read for caregivers across the nation.
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"Dream Homes Michigan" (Panache Partners, 224 pages) by Brian Carabet and John Shand offers readers a photographic tour of dream residences created by a group of 40 Michigan architects, designers and builders. With almost 200 color images, this book showcases the state's best in residential design.
Al Parker, of Traverse City, is an award-winning writer and lifelong bibliophile. He can be reached at aparker48@aol.com
