THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING by Nancy Pickard will be published in May, and what a wonderful novel/mystery to look forward to. The writing is first rate, and the mystery involving.

Set in a small farming community in Kansas, the story follows the Linder family, the major ranching family in the community. The murder of the oldest Linder son and the disappearance of his wife is the focal point of the terrible secret that engulfs their young daughter and the whole community. The ending is very much a surprise.

I fell in love with the Linders, with all their warts as well as solid values, and didn’t want to put this book down. Hopefully Nancy Pickard will find a way to incorporate them into another novel. Recommended by Julie. (Hardcover, $25.00, to be released May 4, 2010)

Having the privilege of reading books before their publication date is one of the joys of working at the Raven Bookstore.  You all have a treat to look forward to April 6th, with the publication of THE BLACK CAT by Martha Grimes, who once again has brought us Superintendent Richard Jury of the London Metropolitan Police, along with a talking dog, Mungo!

Mungo can speak to the black cat, and we the readers have the fun of hearing the dialogue.  Not so for Richard Jury, but he solves the crime anyhow.  And the ending will surprise you.  Somehow Martha Grimes can convey murder without making me run away from the details - a nice balance to some of the other mystery writers I enjoy, like Carol O’Connell. (Hardcover, $25.95) Julie recommends.

For those of you familiar with the mystery, “Who in the Hell is Wanda Fuca?” By G.M. Ford, you are aware of this writer’s sense of humor.  That humor continues in NAMELESS NIGHT, not one of his Waterman or Corso series, but a fine suspense novel on its own.

Paul has been living in an assisted living home since an accident 7 years ago, which not only messed up his face, but left him unable to remember anything, even daily tasks.  He has another accident and the resultant surgery to his head starts releasing some memories.  In pursuit of his lost identity he stirs up government forces, which in the post 9/11 era puts him and those close to him in danger.  The action gets intense and scary, but the humor relieves the tension.  I will be reading more G.M. Ford novels even if it takes me into early morning, as this one did. (Paperback, $7.99) Recommended by Julie.

THE GATHERING STORM by Robert Jordan is the 12th in “The Wheel of Time” series that I began reading about 15 years ago, following the recommendation of a KU student.  It’s pure fantasy, taking you into a world that speaks of strange, frightening creatures, as well as telepathic abilities.  The fate of the wold hangs in the hands of Ran, who was raised in a small town, discovered to be the “Dragon Reborn” and destined to fight the corruption causing the death of the planet.

The author, Robert Jordan, died about 2 years ago, leaving his followers anxious about the fate of this series.  His widow found Brandon Sanderson, and he has done a superb job of continuing the series in Jordan’s original voice.

For pure escapism these are great, but start with number 1.  There are three more after this 12th one. (Hardcover, $29.99) Recommended by Julie.

WALKING ON WATER by Madeleine L’Engle

I read this book years ago and was reminded of it after recently reading Wrinkle in Time.  L’Engle is an author who submitted that novel 23 times before it was accepted, so she knows intimately the struggle between staying true to your inner vision and compromising to produce a salable commodity. She writes about her Christian faith and its intersection with creativity, but the book transcends the limit of a single faith perspective: it deals with the creative process flowing through the writer, artist, photographer, etc. when they allow themselves to be “vessels”.

An inspiring book for all the artists amongst us.  It reminded me of the fun I had with clay when I didn’t worry about the end product – like being a freed child.  (Hardcover, $13.99) Julie recommends.

THE GATHERING STORM by Robert Jordan is the 12th in a series, “The Wheel of Time” that I began reading about 15 years ago, following the recommendation of a KU student. It’s pure fantasy, taking you into a world that speaks of strange, frightening creatures, as well as telepathic abilities. The fate of the world rests in the hands of Ran, raised in a small town and discovered to be the “Dragon Reborn”, destined to fight the corruption causing the death of the planet.

The author, Robert Jordan, died about 2 years ago, leaving his followers anxious about the fate of this series. His widow found Brandon Sanderson to write THE GATHERING STORM, and he has done a superb job of continuing the series in Jordan’s original voice. (Hardcover, $29.99). Recommended by Julie.

It is so nice to read a book that highlights what one person can do to make life better for so many. I felt this way about Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (about creating schools for girls in Afghanistan), and now William Kamkwamba’s THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND has made the same difference, on another continent, for the people of his village by building a windmill to pump water to his drought stricken area. Using bicycle parts and scraps of wood, and his intelligence and bits of education, he transforms and saves many lives.

The other thing that was so impressive to me about this book was to see the world from William’s perspective. He grew up without our forms of communication, and hearing stories of lion hunts and creation tales from his grandfather and father. His village got a video player and monitor when he was a youngster and the village watched “Terminator” and thought that was what was really happening in the United States! This was a time before his family was finally able to afford sending him to a school in a nearby town.

A well written read for an uplift about life. (Hardcover, $25.99). Recommended by Julie.

Looking for books for kids, maybe 4 and over?  We have a number about animals that  should appeal to most children and all lovers of animals.  BAD DOG MARLEY by Grogan and KATJE, THE WINDMILL CAT by Woelfle, are about pets who get into trouble,and then find a deeper love and secure home after performing heroic acts.  A HOME FOR DIXIE by Jackson, and TWO BOBBIES (a dog and a cat) by Larson are wonderful tales of rescued dogs and cats, two from Hurricane Katrina.

WHY NOT by Mary Wormell will please both children and parents because the kitten is adventurous and Mom is able to teach her kitten to be careful.  Teaching children to be careful and comfortable with dogs is the aim of NOT AFRAID OF DOGS by Susanna Pitzer.

And finally, we have two books, THE TALE OF PALE MALE by Winter, and CITY HAWK by McCarthy about red-tailed Hawks living near Central Park in NYC–amazing to not only New Yorkers but those outside the city as well (there really is a large population of birds in Central Park because they are on a flight path between Canada and the south).  For your budding naturalist these are excellent books.  And for your older naturalist (8 and over), ENID BLYTON’S’s NATURE LOVER’S BOOK is a joy–published originally in 1944 in England, it contains drawings, paintings and descriptions that will satisfy all.  It is indexed well so that you can look up trees, flowers, birds, and even poems about these.  Finally it is also divided into seasons, and what you can expect in each one on your walks.  This will be enjoyed by adults as well as children.  Recommended by Julie.