Other articles by J.c. Martin:

Tucson stars in 3 murder mysteries Here's the latest on Andrew Greeley Titles for kids take top 'Audie' awards as best audiobooks So, who wants to read 'Hoodoo'? You do UA undergrad humor is captured in 3 volumes Some of these writers to be at festival 'Early Tucson' packed with old photos Locals cover history, love, war, more Birds used to teach lessons in local book southern arizona authors : Husband-wife team produces readable guides

Construction
West-Press
Printing Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Health Care
CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President

Jim Koweek, owner of the Arizona Revegetation & Monitoring Co., a plant nursery in Southeastern Arizona, has written a lovely, chatty, informative book about Southwestern gardening. "Just Add Water," (Sonoran Wind Press, $20), carries the descriptive subtitle "The Realistic Guide to the Land, Landscaping, and Gardening in the Higher Elevations of the Great Southwest," which he identifies as 3,500- to 6,500-foot elevations.

You know you're in the hands of a veteran when he begins his book with the declaration that here in the Southern Arizona there are five seasons: summer, fall, winter, "Company" and "Too Hot for Company," concluding unabashedly, that "summer is our most exciting season." I know at least one gardener who could not agree more.

Lee Karpiscak, assistant director of the University of Arizona Museum of Art, working on a Fulbright research scholarship, traveled in 2004 to Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic. In her four months in the republic, she interviewed 17 Slovak visual artists. The result, "Dreams Intersect Reality: Slovak Visual Artists in Their Own Words," (Bratislava City Gallery, $20), is a valuable collection of biography, philosophy, history and art — with photos — combined into a 9-inch-by-12-inch format.

It is published in English and Slovak. Supporters include the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic.

The pain and frustration of families dealing with severely emotionally damaged children is the topic of mental health advocate Kate L. McLaughlin's, "Mommy I'm Still In Here: One Family's Journey With Bipolar Disorder," (Behler Publications, $13.95). It is a story McLaughlin can write from personal experience.

"Corpsman Up!" (self-published, $16.95) comes from the U.S. Naval Reserve's senior chief hospital corpsman, Charlie "Doc" Rose. Retired since 1991 from the military unit he served so long and loyally, Rose adds personal, civilian details to the account of his corpsman service, which began in Vietnam when he was a teenager.

The Rev. Dr. George L. Tolman declares in the introduction to his autobiography, "Tales, Trails, Trials and Triumphs: Memoirs of a Western 20th-Century Preacher," (Inkwater Press, $22.95) that his book is for his children and grandchildren so that his family, as one daughter put it, "can learn who you really are." It is a pleasant account of an active, compassionate churchman who traveled the world always hoping to find ways to improve it.

In "Mean Monkeys," (Publish America, $21.95), King Damon proposes the idea that a new and powerful breed of homo sapien is on its way. Evil, violent and devious, its identified members may have met their match in a bright, young television reporter.

"Of Stranger Things," (AuthorHouse, $11.99) by David Iadevaia, Pima Community College astronomy professor, is a science fiction yarn involving gravity-defying material that may explain some of the wonders of the ancient world. Nicely written with likable protagonists and a suitably unlikable villain.

"Kitty Cat Kitty Cat" (Tate Publishing & Enterprises, $6.99), written by J. Northmore Sturtevant and illustrated by Kristen Polson, is a sweet, witty take on a little girl's love for her cat. The cheerful illustrations suggest slyly that the cat suspects this is not without its perils. The book comes with a free audio download.

"Walk Me to Midnight," (Capstone Fiction, $15.95) is Jane St. Clair's first novel, but she brings to the task careers in short fiction, journalism and a stint on television's successful "Sesame Street" show. Her protagonists include a radio talk show psychologist, a successful novelist (who reads a lot like Truman Capote) and a strong, silent cowboy for romantic interest.

The plot gets going when psychologist Susan Rutledge learns of a wealthy friend's suicide — assisted suicide — and the subsequent enrichment of her husband of one week. In a cover letter, St. Clair notes that although her novel is published by a Christian publisher, "some Christian bookstores are not accepting it."

"The Quarter Moon Poet" (Publish America, $12.95), written by Elizabeth M. Marquez, is a collection of rhyming observations on life. Rhyming is a fairly daring thing for poets to do these days.