Jon is the receiving manager and unofficial wellness director at Northshire and has worked here since 1998. He loves all things guitar- and listens mostly to blues, classic and selected contemporary rock, and most of all, music that defies genre- most especially The Derek Trucks Band. He loves the Maine coast and most frequently finds himself reading sports non-fiction, music memoirs and selected contemporary lit fiction. Personal gods include guitarist Derek Trucks and writer Ann Patchett.
$17.00
ISBN: 9780593184226
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Published: Dutton - November 17th, 2020
Although recently republished (2020), Russell's memoir actually dates back to 1966 which makes it a remarkable time capsule for both basketball fans and students of civil rights struggles in the U.S. Russell is a straight shooter who pulls no punches and has many a tale to tell of his formative and college ball years, but mainly of his time, achievements, and adventures in the young and newly-founded league that was the NBA in the '50s and '60s. ~ Reviewed by Jon Fine
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250816856
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Published: Henry Holt and Co. - September 20th, 2022
Cin Fabre is a heroine "before her time", a projects-raised hustler (i.e. tremendously hard worker but also wheeler-dealer) living life on her own terms, fighting off the endless misogyny of her male peers and supervisors and forcing her way into the boys' club through virtue of both "nature" and "nurture." The “nurture” of her driven but non-affectionate mother and negligent and abusive father, and the quick, calculating and determined nature she inherited from both. Her unprecedented success at an early age and as a minority woman in the questionable moral morass of a Wall St cold-calling brokerage may bring the reader to the book, but the haunting tales of her Bronx childhood that she has brought to life so vividly here are the richest part of her story. ~ Reviewed by Jon Fine
$20.00
ISBN: 9780385348737
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Published: Crown - February 15th, 2022
In crafting a day by day, nearly hour by hour record of the lives of Winston Churchill, his family, staff, cabinet members and even German foes, Larson offers readers a decidedly inside view of WWII/The Blitz from 1940-1941. Perhaps I now know more than I would truly ever intend to know about daughter Mary's social life, but the information and perspective gained, most especially for a moderately history-challenged reader such as myself, will always be invaluable to me. ~ Reviewed by Jon Fine
$18.99
ISBN: 9781419752452
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Published: Abrams Books for Young Readers - June 14th, 2022
A clever and warm-hearted trip into the mountain fog humorously reminds youngsters that not all unknown or unfamiliar creatures (or people) are monsters to be feared. Hakim the donkey learns repeatedly that appearances can be deceiving- the scary monsters hidden in the mountain mist are just friendly animals whose appearance is, at first, distorted by fog! And then, in a fitting, final twist, the one creature we encounter who really is a monster is Hakim's friend. Loving everyone for who they are despite appearance is the message of kindness that kids will enjoy as they read and re-read this one, again and again. ~ Reviewed by Jon Fine
$27.00
ISBN: 9780593420034
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Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons - June 7th, 2022
Romance is a "hot" genre right now and the reason is simple: more and more, we all need some heartwarming stories these days. Nora is a "Romance Channel" writer with two kids, nursing the wounds of being left by her layabout husband. Until her latest, auto-biographical, script is arranged to be filmed on location in her backyard "Teahouse " and Hollywood heartthrob Leo stays over, begins to share the family's daily sunrise routine, and proceeds to win over the variously challenged hearts of Nora and the kids. Kind of too good to be true, right? But when Leo leaves to do a huge movie project and suddenly "ghosts" them all, how in the world will this one end up with a happy ending? There's only one way to find out. ~ Reviewed by Jon Fine
