The format of BookSense.com's online content requires me to write dozens and dozens and dozens of individual "reviews" for books of all kinds. These reviews consist of three to four sentences designed to both describe and promote a particular title. BookSense.com's monthly Co-op Reimbursement Program and two regular features I develop, write, edit, and produce for member bookstores: Reading the News and Books on Film all include these short but hopefully punchy and informative writeups.

Following are five of my most recent reviews written for the Co-op Reimbursement Program:

All He Ever Wanted
By Anita Shreve
Best-selling author Anita Shreve delivers yet another emotionally intense and brutally honest look at the complexities of love in All She Ever Wanted. It's the early 20th century, and arrogant English professor Nicholas Van Tassel has become obsessed with Etna Bliss, a woman he met while fleeing from a hotel fire. Unaware that the secretive Etna does not share his feelings, Nicholas proposes marriage and she accepts...but for reasons other than affection. When he finds out the identity of Etna's true love, Nicholas puts into action a series of events that will end up having tragic results.

The Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts
Thought making pastries was an impossibly complicated affair best left for experienced bakers and chefs? Dessert-auteur Yard shatters all culinary preconceptions in The Secrets of Baking. Arranged around "starter" recipes for time-honored basics like chocolate sauce, vanilla sauce, dough, caramel, and lemon curd, these confectionary concoctions are indeed incredibly easy to make, infinitely adaptable, and, yes, always delicious. The home pastry revolution starts here!

When a Parent Is Depressed: How to Protect Your Children from Effects of Depression in the Family
By William R. Beardslee
The problem of depression in adults and children has been well documented -- but what about the effect clinically depressed parents have on their kids? Accomplished children's psychiatric expert Beardslee explores a difficult, common, and rarely talked about issue in this welcome book. He contends that depression can easily spread like a virus through families, but also offers thoughtful and honest advice on how families can face their problem -- and become a stronger unit in the process.

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It
By David Niven
What with everything going on in one's life -- job, family, finances, etc. -- it can be a bit of a struggle to be happy. Thankfully, David Niven has waded through thousands of pages of research done by scientists and academics on the subject of happiness, and distilled their findings down to this insightful and encouraging book. Like the title suggests, the solutions are somewhat simple: enjoy what you have, turn off the TV, and believe in yourself are just a couple of Niven's suggestions. It's good advice for feeling good!

Mosque
By David Macaulay
Macaulay's series of books on world architecture continues with this intimate and thorough look at the construction of a mosque in late-16th century Turkey. As usual, Macaulay -- an accomplished author and artist -- uses a compelling fictional story as a backdrop; in this case, it's the tale of Admiral Suha Mehmet Pasa, a dying aristocrat who decides to use his wealth to fund the building of a mosque. With detailed depictions of the mosque's construction and a sweeping tour of the surrounding city, Mosque is an engaging and gentle portrait of Islam.

© 2002 Andrew Duncan | All rights reserved | Do not reproduce without expressed consent of author.