by Earl Hamner, CCM '48, and Tony Albarella

Pop quiz: What do the "Twilight Zone" and "The Waltons" have in common?
Answer: A writer

Because two of the longest-running television shows of all time seem to be part of such disparate genres, the fact that they shared a writer may seem a little odd. But Earl Hamner, Emmy-winning writer, producer, narrator and creator of "The Waltons," says, "I was able to bring a quality to it that hadn’t been there before, which was a kind of integration of folk tales and folkish material."

That flavor comes through when reading his eight scripts, which aired in the early '60s and remain in syndication today (as does "The Waltons"). He penned the scripts after writing "Spencer's Mountain," which became a movie and later evolved into the Walton's Mountain saga in the early '70s.

Although the scripts are intriguing by themselves, Tony Albarella adds a wealth of behind-the-scene anecdotes and insider information after each script. Readers will also find additional dialogue, scenes that were never filmed and an in-depth interview with Hamner.

Order information: Amazon.com, local and online booksellers.

by Jeffrey Marks, Ed '05

The body of a perfume model is discovered in Marissa's business office. The police are even more interested to learn that the victim was her ex-husband's new sweetheart. In self-defense, Marissa follows her own investigative clues through Greater Cincinnati's urban streets and seemingly quiet neighborhoods. As she searches for the truth, mystery fans will be led through an intricate web of red herrings, plot twists and dead ends. The journey is worth it.

Marks, whose UC degree is in education, has established himself as an award-winning mystery novelist, book editor and short-story writer with 10 volumes to his credit. Among them are mysteries starring Ulysses S. Grant ("Ambush of My Name" and "A Good Soldier"), several Silver Dagger anthologies ("Criminal Appetites," "Derby Rotten Scoundrels," "Magnolias and Mayhem") and a how-to guide to successfully market genre novels.

Order information: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Joseph-Beth

by Wendy Beckman, UC public information officer

Beckman's workbook for communicators contains a treasure trove of good advice based on sound principles, all presented in an easy-to-follow format. What’s more, her practical guidelines are sprinkled with entertaining asides and humorous stories about communication wisdom gained from some of her own missteps.

Among communication modes examined are public speaking, group meeting management, collaborative writing, interviewing techniques, productive Web site searches and strategies for overcoming writer's block. The author, who is also a teacher, designed the workbook as a help to both seasoned professionals and students. Among other topics of interest are computer hardware, software, graphics, photography and commercial printing.

This is Beckman's third nonfiction book. Other works are, "National Parks in Crisis: Debating the Issues," see review online, and "Artists and Writers of the Harlem Renaissance."

Order information: Kendall/Hunt Publishing

by Joe Martinelli, Eve '54

Blessed with an ability to recollect his growing-up years in hilarious detail, Martinelli has written this affectionate homage to the "Little Italy" community within Cincinnati's Walnut Hills neighborhood. He doesn't claim that life was easy in the years during and after the Great Depression and World War II, but says that for a boy growing up in those times, days were filled with another kind of richness. The things he recalls fondly include close family ties, true friends, playing sports, singing in amateur musicals, discovering girls, goofy misadventures, meeting girls, working after-school jobs and learning more about girls.

Martinelli, who now lives near Pittsburgh, was among authors honored at an Ohioana Library Association reception at Cincinnati's main library in 2004. His three-act musical, "Zoot Alley," about an unforgettable eighth-grade dance (an event also mentioned in his book) premiered in Lebanon, Ohio, in 2004. The script is available at UC Libraries.

Order information: Amazon.com, Borders Books, local and online booksellers

by Peter Kaufman, A&S '72

Kaufman's central character, Billy McCord, is weary of failed relationships and the hypocrisy of his life in the 1970s. With nothing to anchor him to Cincinnati, he decides to try his luck in Alaska. He soon discovers that in spite of its raw beauty, abundant wildlife and towering mountains like Barometer, the north country is not quite the paradise he anticipated. Billy's affection for an emotionally fragile, sympathetic girl and the friendship of a pair of roughneck cannery workers bring him contentment only for a while.

A first-time novelist, Kaufman excels at descriptive narrative. Readers will have no difficulty visualizing Billy’s triumph at pulling huge salmon from numbingly cold streams, nor his muscle-wrenching exhaustion after 18-hour days of shoveling fresh-caught crabs from slippery fishing boats to the processing plant docks.

Order information: Amazon.com, Silvercrest Publishing

by C.M. (Cora Price) Miller, Eve ’84

Too many of Rosemont’s young children are dying. Could the drownings, poisonings and lethal falls merely be bad luck in a poor neighborhood where children aren’t carefully supervised? Audrey Wilson, Miller's admirable amateur sleuth, thinks it’s something more sinister and begins following her own leads. Incredibly, the master criminal is someone so close to her that Audrey nearly becomes a victim herself.

This is the fourth mystery adventure Miller has written about her smart and sassy heroine. Previous reviews: “Accruel Way to Die” and “What She Left Behind” Visit Miller's site.

Order information: IUniverse, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or local bookstores.

by Sue Ann Painter, DAAP '73,
and
by Mark Painter, A&S '70, JD '73

Which of these American presidents was the first dean of UC’s law school? Who served as a governor, congressman and senator? The answers -- and insights into the personalities and contributions of these presidents from Ohio -- are in two slender books written by UC alumni Mark and Sue Ann Painter.

President Taft was the former dean of the law school and a law alumnus. It was President Harrison who served as the Indiana Territory's first governor, then held office in the U.S. Congress and Senate. The paths these two leaders from Greater Cincinnati took to the White House, and their lifelong service to their country, are stories worth knowing.

Mark, a judge on the Ohio First District Court of Appeals, and author of "The Legal Writer" (see review) and Sue Ann, co-author of a new architectural history of Cincinnati and a principal in PSA Consulting, wrote the presidential books for the new Jarndyce & Jarndyce Press series about Ohio presidents. It is designed for readers age 12 and older.

Order information: Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Jarndyce & Jarndyce, Barnes & Noble in Ohio and the Cincinnati Museum Center Shop.

by Marcy Knopf-Newman, A&S '92

Sub-titled "Transforming Breast Cancer Stories into Action," this book provides a single source where readers can find differing points of view about the disease and its impact on women's lives. Recognition of the commonalities in these dissimilar texts, the author hopes, will ultimately transform how people think about breast cancer.

Knopf-Newman includes women’s personal accounts of their struggles because the writing often served as a positive effort toward healing. Some narratives reveal society's growth from a time when breast cancer was suffered privately to one where the disease is openly discussed. Others speak of their efforts to solve cancer’s scientific and environmental challenges, while some work to resolve public policy and political power with feminist sensibilities.

Order information: Amazon.com and local bookstores.

by Kevin Grace, UC archivist and assistant professor

This UC baseball researcher and teacher of "The Social History of Baseball" introduces another entertaining book this summer about the Cincinnati Reds. This one details the team’s exploits in the first half of the 20th century, including several innovations to the “national pastime:”

Cincinnati played the first modern night game under the lights in 1935; initially very controversial, night baseball gained credibility because it spurred record attendance. The Reds also were the first to sign ballplayers from Cuba, while black American players continued to be barred from playing on white pro teams, and the Reds' management was the first to turn opening day into a community celebration.

Grace again presents rare and never-published photos from his personal collection and the UC Archives in his book, which follows last summer's "The Cincinnati Reds, 1950-'85" (see review). Among former players pictured are UC team captain Ethan Allen, who had a 13-year career with the Reds, and Miller Huggins, who played for UC and minor league teams while earning his UC law degree. Huggins played with the Reds from 1904-'09.

Order information: UC Bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Joseph-Beth Booksellers and local bookstores.