C.A. Wulff explains that, as with so many different aspects of life, there are two kinds of people: “There are People Who Have Pets, and then there are ‘Pet People.’ ” Wulff, author of Circling the Waggins: How 5 Misfit Dogs Saved Me From Bewilderness, and her partner, Dalene, are emphatically Pet People.
Wulff, an artist, blogger and animal advocate who lives with Dalene and their menagerie in a cabin in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, says of animal rescue, “Once involved in it, it becomes impossible to ignore an animal in need.” She takes in a boxer mix who grows to an enormous size and intellect, and a puppy whose previous owner’s children’s abuse may have resulted in brain damage. The women also harbor a trio of “miscreant” shedding cats, mice with respiratory infections and an obese Chihuahua.
As she faces the heartbreaking prospect of losing Dillon, who has reached the astonishing age of 20, the other pets offer comfort and hope. Wulff excels at depicting the endearing personalities of the many dogs and cats that share her life.
Circling the Waggins (331 pages, softcover), both merry and painful, costs $14.99 from online retailers. C.A. Wulff’s previous book is Born Without a Tail.
Department store memories
Only memories are left. Gone But Not Forgotten: A Freedlander Legacy gathers those memories of the venerable Freedlander’s Department Store in Wooster, which closed in 1989 after 105 years in business. Ann Freedlander Hunt, great-granddaughter of founder David Freedlander, talked to dozens of devoted former employees and satisfied customers.
David Freedlander, who came to the United States from East Prussia in 1876, was a peddler who settled in Wooster in 1884; he was the first Jewish resident. The one-price, no-haggling policy at his new haberdashery confused customers at first, but the store prospered, becoming a downtown landmark in the hands of David’s son, Herman, and later Herman’s son, Harold.
Hunt describes changing fashions, the effects of war and the Depression, and how Freedlander’s, with the cooperation of area farmers, helped drive the Ku Klux Klan out of Wayne County.
There are special features about Christmas memories of Toyland and the frenetic Dollar Days sales. Most of all, people remember the hands-on leadership and philanthropy of Herman Freedlander.
Gone But Not Forgotten (219 pages, softcover) costs $18.95 at many Wayne County retailers, including 11 Buehler’s locations; or by calling the author at 330-264-8288.
Ann Freedlander Hunt will sign Gone But Not Forgotten from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the “Dazzle” Ashland Symphony craft/gift show at Ashland University’s John C. Myers Convocation Center, 401 College Ave.; $3 admission. She also will appear at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Wooster YMCA, 680 Woodland Ave., and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Buehler’s, 1114 W. High St., Orrville.
Poems, short stories
Floriana Hall’s Short Stories of Angels, Hope, and Laughter include her inspirational poems along with stories about her family (which includes a demanding robot vacuum), short morality-themed fiction and musings on the dilemma of being a Red Hat Lady who doesn’t like to wear a hat.
Some stories are written in the first person, like one about a 1984 European tour; in others, the author refers to herself and her husband of more than 60 years as “Flo and Bob,” or “Grandma and Grandpa.”
Hall credits angels for helping her survive a house fire and heart bypass surgery.
Short Stories of Angels, Hope, and Laughter (251 pages, softcover) costs $14 from online retailers. Floriana Hall lives in Akron; her previous books include Small Change and Daddy Was a Bad Boy.
Events
Mandel Jewish Community Center (26601 S. Woodland Road, Beachwood) — Local authors Isaac Yomtovian, Marlene Englander and Hinda Z. Saul, and Linda Rocker are the first speakers at the 13th annual Festival of Jewish Books and Authors, which begins at 11 a.m. today with Cleveland Day and continues through Nov. 18. $15 for nonmembers. www.mandeljcc.org or 216-831-0700.
Midpark High School (700 Paula Drive, Middleburg Heights) — Chris Crutcher, author of often-banned teen (Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories) and adult books, speaks and signs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Independence Civic Center (6363 Selig Drive) — Laura Taxel and Marilou Suszko discuss and sign Cleveland’s West Side Market: 100 Years and Still Cooking, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Malone University (Cattell Library, 515 25th St. NW, Canton) — The 2012-13 Writers Series continues with Jennifer Miller, author of The Year of the Gadfly, about a journalism student who imagines that she communicates with the ghost of Edward R. Murrow, 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Canal Fulton Public Library (154 Market St. NE) — North Canton author Mike Johnson talks about and signs his novel Long Journey to Destiny, set in the Netherlands in the early days of World War II, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Registration is requested at 330-854-4148, ext. 306.
Lake Forest Country Club (100 Lake Forest Drive, Hudson) — Cleveland sisters Lisa and Laura Roecker sign The Lies That Bind, second in The Liar Society series, joined by fellow young-adult authors Janet Gurtler (Who I Kissed) and Miranda Kenneally (Stealing Parker), 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Nordonia Hills branch, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield) — Laura Taxel discusses and signs Cleveland’s West Side Market, 7 p.m. Thursday. Registration requested; call 330-467-8595.
Gospel Book Store (4900 Oak St., Berlin) — More than 40 authors appear for a book-signing event, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Laurel Lake Retirement Center (200 Laurel Lake Drive, Hudson) — Jennifer Chiaverini returns with The Giving Quilt, 1 p.m. Saturday. Call the Learned Owl Book Shop at 330-653-2252.
Books-A-Million (335 Howe Ave., Cuyahoga Falls) — Stow author Les Roberts talks about his Milan Jacovich mystery series and signs Whiskey Island, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Strongsville branch, 18700 Westwood Drive) — Gail Bellamy shares holiday stories and signs Cleveland Christmas Memories, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Registration required; call 440-238-5530.
— Barbara McIntyre
Special to the Beacon Journal
Send information about books of local interest to Lynne Sherwin, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309 or lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance.
