Local Publications
Isle Pages
New releases from
Hawaii authors
CORRECTION
Saturday, June 19, 2004Leonard Villanueva's book published by BeachHouse is entitled "Kaipo & the Mighty 'Ahi." In a review on Page G23 of Mauka-Makai on June 13, it was misidentified as "Kaipo and the Magic 'Ahi.".
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.
"A Guide to Hawai'i's Coastal Plants"
By Michael Walter
(Mutual, $11.95)Since most of us in the islands live in "coastal" areas, this is a highly useful guide to the stuff growing all around us. Includes color photos of plants, descriptions, their role in ancient Hawaii, scientific data and whether or not the species is endangered. A scarily high percentage of these plants ARE endangered. It also includes an appendix with maps, glossary and discussion of coastal threats.
"Pacific Places, Pacific Histories"
Edited Brij V. Lal
(University of Hawaii Press, $57)A kind of think-tank publication, this item brings together a summit conference via essays by Pacific scholars on what they think about the places in which they live and/or grew up. Full of pithy, interesting observations, but at the same time it's excessively sensitive rather than exuberant. It's like the air has been let out of the tires of a dune buggy. The quality of writing varies, and some essays hit home more than others, depending on your interests.
"Earthquest Hawai'i 2054"
By Richard Ziegler
(Ziegler, $8.50)You can't watch the current movie "The Day After Tomorrow," about a global-warming flooding catastrophe, without wondering how Hawaii would fare. And so here's a self-published novelette by HCCprof Ziegler, who a few years ago also co-wrote "Red Sun," a what-if scenario about a Japanese invasion of Hawaii. There isn't a lot of plot here -- mostly it's a description of Hawaii with a much smaller coastline -- but Ziegler has thought through not just the science, but also the political, sociological and pop-culture aspects of putting Honolulu under water. Thought-provoking. Great illustrations by Olga Shevchenko.
"I Never Liked Those C-130s Anyway --
Memories of Twenty Years in
the U.S. Coast Guard"
By Malcolm Smith and J. Wilfred Cahill
(Trafford, $21.95)There's a badly bent Coastie H-52 helicopter on the cover of this amusing print-on-demand memoir, the loser of an altercation between aviator Smith and a large turboprop tyransport called a C-130. The cockpit was salvaged and is now in the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. Smith, one of the few enlisted sailors to mustang into a command pilot position in the Coast Guard, has a flair for telling his reminiscences in Alaska and Hawaii Coast Guard in an amusing fashion.
"Keiki's First Word Book"
Illustrated by Lance Bowen
(BeachHouse, $10.95)Unlike other beginningHawaiian primers, this one takes advantage of modern scholarship to include newer words for items like "sunglasses" (makaaniani la) and "truck" (kalaka) and "baby stroller" (ka'apepe).
"Kaipo and the Magic 'Ahi"
By Leonard Villanueva
(BeachHouse, $14.95)Kaipo is a kid in old Hawaii who likes to innovate, not easy in a traditional culture. Kaipo learns both persistance and patience while earning the respect of others. Villanueva's story is fine; his art is spectacular.
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