New releases -- Marylandia
Here's a look at several new books with a Maryland connection -- either from local authors or with a local theme.
Dear Everybody, by Michael Kimball (Alma Books). In unsent letters, diary entries and other snippets, the Baltimore novelist recreates the life of Jonathon Bender, a Missouri weather forecaster who came to a sad end.
Buddy System (Oxford University Press). Geoffrey L. Grief. a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, explores the world of male friendships, and breaks them into categories ranging from "must friends" to "rust friends".
Becoming Billie Holiday, by Carole Boston Weatherford (Wordsong). In this children's book, poems from the singer's fictional memoir, combined with illustrations by Floyd Cooper, chronicle the rise of an American icon. (October release)
Treasure in the Cellar by Leonard Augsberger (Maryland Historical Society). In 1934, two Baltimore boys found a hoard of gold coins in a rowhouse basement. This is the story of their discovery -- and the resulting legal battles over ownership.
The Oyster Wars, by David Faulkner (Pipe Creek Press). The Westminster resident, a retired FBI agent, writes of a bygone age when young men became forced laborers on the Chesapeake Bay, and captains fought over the water's precious oysters.
Castleman in the Academy, by Charles Rammelkamp (March Street Press). In a series of connected short stories, the local fiction and poetry writer describes a teacher's struggle to inspire students and bring meaning to his own work.
