Kitsap Sun from Bremerton, Washington • 24

40 Sunday June 4 2017 Kitsap Sun Books Two views of life from Bellingham see Is you have to conquer your Another Bellingham poet Rick Hermann has self-published a modest book that fits pleasingly within hands Hermann's perspectives are shaped by his gender his generation and his diagnosis of disease Like Rena Priest he also grapples with mind games that can bedevil sense of purpose and well-being The first section of his book called Reasons lb Stay includes a journal entry from a day when he was feeling sickly and discouraged and shows the way he wrote himself into a better frame of mind awake to the breath we are taking or letting go of is a good practice And not too scary after he counsels himself Poems that follow include one on another on and a joyful and hilarious to Geese" Other sections focus on dreams and mortality a mix of free verse and rhyming poems there's even a ditty about life-prolonging medical intervention This may be more of a grab bag than you would find in most books but when you are your own publisher you can do what you wish The Bookmonger is Barbara Lloyd McMichael who writes this weekly column focusing on the books authors and publishers of the Pacific Northwest Contact her at bkmongerQnwlinkcom This work let's see how two poets living in the same mid-sized town in the Pacific Northwest tackle some of life's intangibles and try to make them somewhat more effable We'll join them in combing through the woolly tangle of love dreams privilege malady morality and moods Press which recently relocated from the Sound region to Tillamook has just published Blues" by Lummi tribal member and Bellingham-based poet Rena Priest Dedicating this collection of poetry to the homesick matriarchy" Priest juxtaposes safety with risk fluidity with stability and the stinging pink of a slapped cheek with someone who's feeling blue The very first poem a Beautiful Flare of suggests that there are no pat answers Priest considers self-control against pursuit of one's cravings and finds that each pathway has its perils As well into the 21st century we might have hoped that all of that Freud ian hooey about the Madonna-Whore Complex could have been ditched by now but Priest's work suggests that our society is still impacted by those archetypes Her poems like and nibble away at conventional expectations of marriage and the construct of the wife as a household Contemplations of desire both succumbed to and thwarted carry on in poems titled for the Love of Bunny" Frosted Cake" and is a Scissor" into a Meanwhile Dream Girl's Waking Life" and Salon" provide searing critiques of our society's most cynical commodifications of desire Pungent observations and skillful use of language abound in Blues" But it may be one of Priest's shortest poems "Pruning the -that best crystal izes the conundrum as she sees it: makes you pay for wanting something easy The trick you KRL's Most Wanted Material requested at the library BOOKS ON DEMAND 1 Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (109 holds) 2 Hillbilly Elegy by Vance (86 holds) 3 The Fix by David Baldacci (83 holds) 4 Man Overboard by Judith A Jance (74 holds) 5 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (69 holds) Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (66 holds) 7 Camino Island by John Grisham (61 holds) The Women In the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (60 holds) 9 The Hidden Life of Dee by Peter Wohlleben (58 holds) 10 A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (56 holds) EBOOKS ON DEMAND 1 Hillbilly Elegy by Vance (180 holds) 2 Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetteriy (152 holds) 3 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (94 holds) 4 A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (88 holds) 5 Big Uttie Lies by Liane Moriarty (87 holds) 6 The Fix by David Baldacci (68 holds) 7 The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman (56 holds) 8 Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (54 holds) 9 All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (51 holds) 10 Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (49 holds) DVDS ON DEMAND 1 Hidden Figures directed by Theodore Melfi (187 holds) 2 La La Land directed by Damien Chazelle (172 holds) 3 Lion directed by Garth Davis (128 holds) 4 Arrival directed by Dennis Villeneuve (120 holds) 5 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them directed by David Yates (119 holds) 6 Fences directed by Denzel Washington (115 holds) 7 Moan directed by Ron Clements (114 holds) 8 Passengers directed by Morten Tyldum (111 holds) 9 Manchester by the Sea directed by Kenneth Lonergan (104 holds) 10 Rogue One directed by Gareth Edwards (102 holds) Big Bang stax shares her wisdom in DAMIAN DOVARGANEVAP Actress and author Mayim Bialik joins her intelligence with experience in "Girling Up" understanding the broader concept of what is being female is very MAYIM BIALIK LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES Mayim Bialik plays smart on Big Bang Theory" and is smart in real life with a PhD in neuroscience as evidence She joins her intelligence with experience in Up: How to be Strong Smart and Spectacular" a wide-ranging handbook on navigating the emotional and physical hurdles of growing up It's as forthright as Bialik herself is in conversation with comic book-style graphics adding a lively touch The roots stem from Big Bang episode in which her character Amy and boyfriend Sheldon (Jim Parsons) lose their virginity That prompted Bialik to write an essay for her website Grok Nation on what it's like to be a late bloomer and complicated intimacy can be on TV and in real she said Her discussion of modesty absent religion or politics caught the eye of publisher Philomel Books and followed said Bialik who recently signed for two more years of Bang She's also a mother of two boys ages 8 and 11 In an interview Bialik discussed what's covered in the book which was reviewed by a school counselor an obstetrician and a neuropsychologist The AP: In you write that you considered it important to write a holistic guide Beyond calling on your own experience what research was required? Bialik: I mean to sound arrogant at all but there a lot of research because I literally wrote the book of my life The science and the nutrition all that stuff all the stuff about learning and coping that was gathered from the perspective of someone who's been in therapy a long time and has had to do a lot of introspection And I was trained as a scientist AP: What ages is it intended for? Bialik: saying 11 to 18 and anyone who loves someone in that bracket AP: When you were that age where PHILOMEL VIA AP Up: How lb Be Strang Smart and Spectacular is wrfttan by Mayim Bialik PhD did you get information such as this? Bialik: I My mother was raised in a very religious household her parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe We talk about these things I learned about it as I got older I was an exceptionally late bloomer 1 necessarily think there was a problem with that but I didn't want to present that as the only way to be in this book But it took me a long time to understand and come to terms with a lot of aspects of being female AP: The book tells readers there are different ways to look to be educated to get jobs even how breasts may develop Why was it important to you to present such a range of possibilities? Bialik: Because always been the one that's different I always felt a tremendous sense of shame around it still different as an adult My sons know that a boyish female They know that I like boxing and sports cars more than their father (laughs) I want girls who are like that to know that OK And I want girls who are not like that to know it's OK AP: What do you consider the key takeaways from your book? Bialik: The first thing is knowing the basics of how your body works and how the brain works You are in charge of your body The notion of understanding the broader concept of what is being female is very important And a realistic set of expectations of what your life can look like This is not a book very sparkly and shiny and says you can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it I like those books when I was 14 and I like those books now as a woman You get to do everything you get to choose what your everything is Wolf is quick and tense read JEFF AYERS ASSOCIATED PRESS "Full Wolf Moon" (Doubleday) by Lincoln Oiild One-half of the writing team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child delivers his latest novel featuring Jeremy Logan a man who seems to attract paranormal phenomena wherever he goes In Wolf Child uses cutting-edge science and the beautiful Adirondacks landscape to tell a quick and tense story Logan is known in certain circles as an due to his uncanny ability to find the truth behind what seems to be supernatural in origin This time not seeking a puzzle to solve he just wants peace and quiet He has a reservation for a cabin in an isolated area of the Adirondacks to work on a book struggling to find time to write He hopes the isolation and atmosphere will inspire him Then a dead hiker is found and it appears he was mauled by a bear Residents become concerned that a rogue animal might be running around in the woods Someone whom Logan knows but seen in some time arrives to ask for his help in uncovering the truth Bite and claw marks are inconsistent with a bear and since the hiker was killed during a full moon some people are worried the killer is a werewolf Logan reluctantly agrees to look into the matter and soon uncovers evidence that it indeed might be a werewolf When the next full moon occurs another person is attacked and killed in the same manner Some of the supporting characters in Wolf as strong as they could be with a longer narrative but every other element works and the novel is quite chilling Stem dishes in to a According to a Source A BIVII stitutes a weekly point system that forces her undercover reporters to compete for the most tantalizing story Victoria then ranks her employees based on the shock value of each bit of enticing news Those on the bottom each week will be fired Ella's drive to succeed is suddenly through the roof Everyone in life suffers from her need to attend every important event in town desire to please her boss each week slowly transforms her into someone her family barely recognizes Her relationships suffer Her priorities sway And when Victoria demands an exclusive Ella is forced to consider taking advantage of her friendship with Holiday to a is a lively fast-paced novel that takes a fascinating look at the underbelly of Hollywood reporting Readers will experience an array of emotions ultimately rooting for Ella to find her authentic self in a sea of fabricated lifestyles UNCEE RAY ASSOCIATED PRESS "According to a Source: A (Thomas Durme Books) by Abby Stem Do you ever wonder how celebrity gossip outlets uncover all that juicy info? How can media sources gain access and report on the private moments of Hollywood starlets? The job is a huge undertaking both physically and emotionally in Abby debut novel to a Ella Warren is a reporter for the online celebrity news website The Life paid to attend A-List parties and grand openings of the hottest clubs in Los Angeles and to meet her famous friend Holiday Hall for drinks at Chateau MarmonL Thanks to connections Ella is able to infiltrate inner circles and VIP areas without hesitation Although good at her job Ella lives in a constant state of anxiety that her cover will be blown and her reputa- tion will spiral away into the abyss along with her career Tb make matters worse new boss Victoria is a tyrant The woman in.