Local titles to put on your reading list
It’s time to put that outdoor furniture away and start moving inside as we approach these colder days. It’s also time to sit inside, preferably by a warm fire, and there’s not much better than spending a cold evening with an exciting book to read. Below are some suggestions of books by a few of our local authors; many of the books can be found in our area bookstores.
“Marching On” by Paul Castellani (Donwood Books)
I was very excited to receive in the mail the latest book by Delmar resident Paul Castellani, which picks up the story where his last book “Natalie’s Wars” left off. It’s 1950 and Natalie Costello is trying to forge a life of her own during a time when so many women were dependent on their husbands. Natalie’s husband is psychologically damaged from his time in the war and being cared for in a VA mental hospital in Canandaigua. Castellani has a gift for writing moving dialogue that keeps the story chugging along at a fast pace. He also captures perfectly the time and place--reading this book is like taking a time capsule back to the Capital Region 70 years ago. This book also hits on the then-national paranoia of the time with Mccarthyism, but most importantly Castellani creates characters you care about.
“The Gorge” by Ronald M. Berger (Bublish)
If you love the Adirondacks and especially whitewater rafting, this riveting fiction book is for you. Delmar resident Ron Berger was a licensed whitewater raft guide from 1992-1997, and he has used that experience to capture the thrills and excitement of trying to capture a killer in an almost inaccessible 12-mile canyon of the Hudson River Gorge. From the first page I liked the veteran criminologist Richard Carlyle who is intent on tracking down the ecoterrorist who has killed two people. Berger knows this area well, and he captures the beauty and the danger of the Adirondacks along with the thrills of rafting through the Hudson Gorge.
“One of Thirteen” by Catherine Zampier (Saratoga Springs Publishing)
This beautifully illustrated children’s book follows the adventures of Olga, an independent young girl who is one of the 13 Russian immigrant children in her family. The story takes place in the 1940s in Maplewood, the small hamlet between Watervliet and Cohoes. Zampier, who lives in Saratoga Springs, captures the joy and love that is usually found in big families. After the story there are questions related to family heritage and discussion questions that will help young people talk about the importance of family.