China lives with Mike McQuaid, a Houston police officer and his 12 year old son Brian. Mike is disabled and wheelchair bound. He was shot while he was on temporary duty with the Texas Rangers. Another theme in the story revolves around Mike's acceptance or non-acceptance of his disability.
If you want to know the "who did it?", you'll have to read Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert, published by Berkley Prime Crime in 1998. I won't give away the ending. However, let me say that once this book arrived in my mailbox, I kept my nose in the book until it was finished. I've reread it several times since. Not bad for a person who usually doesn't like murder mysteries.
If you're a mystery fan, may I strongly recommend this book to you? Along with the mystery, you'll discover some delicious sounding recipes for chile. Did you know that according to Texans, "real chile" doesn't have beans in it! You'll also find information on the historical uses of chile peppers along with some current uses. This book has something for everyone: the mystery lover, the chile lover, disabled people who feel they have nothing to contribute to society, and the gardener. It should be a book that will satisfy many people on your Christmas list this year.
The Essentials of Bonsai
The Editors of Shufunotomo, a publisher, have published over 50 books on Bonsai. These were, of course, in the Japanese language. This book, The Essentials of Bonsai is an English translation of materials found in the Japanese language books. It was published in the United States by Timber Press, originally in 1982 and is now in its eleventh edition. An introduction to the book was written by Donald Richie.
Since I have an interest in Bonsai, I find this book fascinating. The chapter on bonsai styles carefully explains each style, after teaching the reader proper Japanese term and its pronunciation Bonsai is viewed as an art and as a replication of a part of nature in miniature. Therefore, each detail of the bonsai, from the roots to the leaves, has a special name used to describe it. A bonsai master carefully considers all aspects of the tree/shrub before creating the bonsai. It is difficult for Americans, with our desire for instant gratification to appreciate the years of training the Japanese put into a single bonsai tree. The remainder of the book contains a detailed description of the types of trees used for bonsai, how they are grown, how to train them into a Bonsai specimen, and how to maintain the final Bonsai. Each step is fully illustrated making this an excellent "how to book".
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