Books

Local researcher and ghost-tour guide Jeff Provine recently published “100 Things to Do in Oklahoma City Before You Die” (third edition), which adds to his collection of Haunted Oklahoma and Haunted Oklahoma City publications.

Co-authored with TV producer Dennis Spielman of “Uncovering Oklahoma,” the newest book features a bucket list of 100 attractions that are great picks for families, singles, older folks and anyone wanting to see something new, such as hunting for fairy homes at Will Rogers Gardens or visiting the Pigeon Museum.

Published by Reedy Press, the book shows there is no excuse to be bored in Oklahoma.

– Staff report, The Oklahoma 100

Summer stretches before us welcoming lazy days for reading books and warm nights to enjoy movies. A great way to do that is to start by reading the book and then watch the movie.

For the family:

• “Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter

• “The Night at the Museum” by Milan Trenc

• “Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery

• “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” by Richard and Florence Atwater

• “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson

For teens & adults:

• “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” by Ann Brashares

• “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett

• “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak

• “Divergent” series by Veronica Roth

– Rebecca Hastings, The 100 Companies

I avoid rich people, but I’ve spent decades listening to wealthy people.

Rich people are on a mission to spend their money. It’s not always pretty. They squander it. Wealthy people are on a quest to leave something to future generations – just as they may’ve inherited it from previous ones.

Rich people tell others about their money. Wealthy people tell their money to go and make more money. When wealthy people talk to people about money, they often whisper. I’ve been listening – and taking notes. Now I’ve written a book with their secrets so I could share them with you.

“Money Secrets: A Little Book of Wisdom” published Friday, Nov. 4. Find it, and my other books, on Amazon.

– Jeff Arnold, RIGHTSURE, The Arizona 100

Stephen Chbosky, the Pittsburgh native known for his highly acclaimed book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” released his second Pennsylvania-set novel, “Imaginary Friend,” in 2019.

The tense story follows a boy named Christopher, who’s tasked with a mission that will determine the fate of his family and the entire town. He must build a treehouse in the woods before Christmas – or everyone around him will die. Woven into the narrative are references to Pittsburgh region landmarks such as Primanti Bros., South Hills Village Mall and historic coal mines.

If you’re a horror lover, add it to your Halloween reading list.

– Maggie Medoff, WordWrite, The Pittsburgh 100

Midway through dinner, as the tequila was starting to work its magic, Chuck Norman said, “Chris, tell us about your company – and please tell us about your hair.”

When Chuck and I finally stopped giggling and slapping each others’ shoulders, I told the others about my story. I also told them Chuck was the very first person who knew me well before my surgery who had seen me in person (not on Zoom) and had the courage to say something about it in front of others.

We grabbed the empty tequila bottle and staged a photo to commemorate the moment. 

Order here on Amazon. Or on Headscape.me.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies

For nearly three hours, as I leaned back in a surgical chair that left my scalp exposed for their work, they employed a device called a microfue with synthetic saffire that is harder and more precise than a steel blade.

They encircled each graft, made a small incision into my scalp to encapsulate the roots, and removed my follicles. They were able to capture one to three follicles in each graft. 

They then began reversing the earlier procedure – instead of extracting hair follicles, they spent the next three hours planting them in rows around the area outlined on my scalp. 

Order here on Amazon, or on Headscape.me.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies

Summer is here, and if you’re going on vacation you’re probably starting to think about which books to pack. We’ve scoured the 2022 summer beach reads lists and compiled our top eight picks, including reads by Black, Latino, Asian and LGBTQ+ authors. Grab a book and get comfy, it’s going to be a long, hot summer.

Novels:

• “Astonish Me” – Maggie Shipstead

• “Olga Dies Dreaming” – Xóchitl Gonzalez

Romances:

• “Boyfriend Material” – Alexis Hall

• “By the Book” – Jasmine Guillory

• “People We Meet on Vacation” – Emily Henry

Mystery Thrillers:

• “Counterfeit” – Kirsten Chen

• “Portrait of a Thief” – Grace D. Li

• “The Guest List” – Lucy Foley

– Taylor Lawrence, Jones PR

My new barber Kevin suggested I become a special client – those who had no hair on top but lots on the sides. “I take clients several times a year to Istanbul, Turkey and accompany them to a famous doctor there. He can move your hair follicles from the side and put them on top and you’ll have a full head of hair again!”

“I’m too old for that,” I’d say.

“Turkey is the world’s center for hair transplantation,” Kevin said. “I’m telling you, Chris, you would look amazing. You will look so much younger and you’ll be so much happier.”

Order here on Amazon, or on Headscape.me.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies

My girlfriend Edith, overhearing me tell a prospect how we’d find each other – “I’m 6’1” and balding,” – giggled uncontrollably.  “You’re not balding, you’re bald.” 

Later, before Jan and I got married, she and her daughter Catherine went shopping for her wedding dress. A sales clerk behind the counter was talking about a book she was reading. “The premise of the book is there are aliens already living amongst us,” the woman said. “They look like regular humans, but they are always bald and wear glasses.” 

Jan burst out laughing and told the group, “Oh my gosh. I’m marrying an alien!”

Learn more about “Headscape” or order via Amazon.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies

During my first wedding at age 22 – three weeks after the partial meltdown of nuclear reactor No. 2 on Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island – college fraternity brother Hank West grabbed the small remaining dollop of my brown forehead hair, proclaiming to the entire wedding party, “Two Mile Island!”

In Greenville, South Carolina, I caught the eye of the young cavalier publisher, Bern Mebane, who had a penchant for promoting managers and then assigning and deploying patronizing nicknames. Whenever I entered his orbit the next three years, he’d proclaim – “Herr Schroder!” – cleverly mocking my German last name and, it seemed, my departing hair.

Learn more about “Headscape” or order via Amazon.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies

My best hair day ever was in seventh grade when the yearbook photographer took class officer photos. My hair looked near-perfect that day – full, clinging smartly across my head with a slight curl down across my forehead.

Back then, I thought I’d have that head of hair all my life, even if it one day turned gray. I was proud of my hair, thinking it was one of my most appealing attributes.

A year later, when the annual published our eighth-grade photos, I’d begun nurturing a creeping widow’s peak. My destiny was writ atop my forehead for all to see.

Learn more about “Headscape” or order via Amazon.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies

During my first haircut, I listened to men in other chairs. One discussed a woman found dead in her apartment.

“The police determined the last thing she ate was chocolate-covered graham crackers and decided she had a bad reaction to them and died,” he said.

I looked at my brothers in fear. We had chocolate-covered graham crackers in our freezer. I’d eaten many and liked them. Not anymore. To this day, I haven’t eaten any. I don’t even enjoy the campfire tradition of s’mores – graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. I’ve never cared much since for haircuts or barber shops either. 

Learn more about “Headscape” or order via Amazon.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies

A CEO’s best hair day was in seventh grade. He then proceeds to lose it – in more ways than one. With his wife’s support and escorted by his brother and barber, Chris Schroder flies to Istanbul, Turkey, for hair transplants, moving 5,000 follicles from the side of his head to his previously barren top – at age 62.

Read one man’s journey from bold to bald, and back again. “Headscape” meanders through two marriages, several states and various jobs, ending with revealing his new youthful look.

The reactions were not what he expected, leading the author to several unintended discoveries.

Preorder here. 

– Margaret Willard, The 100 Companies

The sun is higher and days are longer. It’s the perfect time to grab a book and head outdoors. Take some “me” time to dive into an interesting and fun read while soaking up some vitamin D:

• “One Italian Summer” (Rebecca Serle): Not your typical love story and not to be overlooked.

• “Disorientation” (Elaine Hsieh Chou): A satire you’ll laugh and learn with.

• “You Made A Fool of Death With Your Beauty” (Awkwaeke Emezi): To be released in May, for anyone who’s looking for new beginnings.

• “It Ends With Us” (Colleen Hoover): The kind of story you can’t put down.

– MaryGrace Williams, The Atlanta 100

February is Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate Black art and literature. Some great reads include “The Skin We’re In” by Desmond Cole, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “The Three Mothers” by Anna Maliaka Tobbs.

Another way of celebrating Black joy is by watching movies that celebrate black voices. Movies such as “Moonlight,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and  “Judas and the Black Messiah” are well worth seeing.

Celebrate, learn and reflect – it’s important to keep amplifying black art not just this month, but all year round.

– Jeanine Bertou, Jones PR

No matter if you like romance novels, biographies, thrillers or historical fiction — the summer is the perfect time to dust off the local library card to download or borrow books to keep you entertained during this hot season.

Here is a sneak peak onto my mid-Summer list, available in print and audiobook:

1. “God Spare The Girls”

2. “Somebody’s Daughter”

3. “Should We Stay or Should We Go”

4. “Much Ado About You”

5. “Evvie Drake Starts Over”

6. “The Flatshare”

7. “The Ugly Cry”

8. “The Wreckage of My Presence”

9. “Sunshine Girl”

10. “The Personal Librarian”

11. “So We Meet Again”

12. “The Summer Job”

13. “Trust Exercise”

14. “The Souvenir Museum”

–  Taylor Ketchum, APR, Jones PR

Here is a list of recommended titles for summer reading:

1. Of Women And Salt (Gabriela Garcia) — Novel about how your roots influence your present.
2. The Flatshare (Beth O’Leary) — Easy read about flatmates who fall in love through sticky notes.
3. Dream First (Ellen Marie Bennett) — Part memoir, part self-help to remind you to swing big.
4. Girls With Bright Futures (T.Dobeier) — Fictional look at three moms focused on college admissions.
5. Early Morning Riser (Katherine Heiny) — Charming and funny novel about the many ways love appears in our lives.
6. Good Company (Cynthia Sweeney) — Will spark conversations about marriage, friendship and parenthood.

– Taylor Ketchum, Jones PR

Adventures with Divot & Swish in Costa Rica: The Superpower of Courage is the perfect book for your little ones. While entertaining for you, the book also teaches your child how to be brave and persevere through any challenge or obstacle, even when they may be afraid.

Travel with Divot & Swish through Costa Rica (and soon, many more places!) as they explore diverse cultures, learn new sports and develop valuable lessons that author Beth Brown, Ph.D., refers to as “superpowers.”

Visit online to learn more about Adventures with Divot & Swish, download coloring pages and buy your copy today.

– Carolyn Taylor, Jones PR

History: The Three Mothers, by Anna Malakia Tubbs — An important read as we celebrate Black History Month. Read about how the mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin shaped a nation.

Powerful: City of a Thousand Gates, by Rebecca Sacks — Read about the heavy emotion from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, showcasing the point of view of multiple characters.

Tear-Jerker: The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah — Set in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression, a story of one American woman who fights to support her family and how women rally together in a crisis.

– Taylor Ketchum, Jones PR

You should continuously be working on yourself, but especially in September because it is Self-Improvement Month. With this in mind, we have pulled together a list of books to help you become your best self:

1. “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear.
2. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in personal Change” by Stephen R. Covey.
3. “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle.
4. “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds” by David Goggins.

Grab a book, take some notes and get to work on becoming a better you.

– Nicona Lane, Jones PR

It is almost like Christmas again looking at all the new books being released over the next 12 months.

From novels to memoirs to short stories and poetry, there is something for everyone – avid or novice readers or even those who have taken a respite from reading. Visit here and here to see highly anticipated books hitting the shelves this year. 

A couple of books I’m adding to my reading list are Hilary Mantel’s final book in the Thomas Cromwell trilogy, “The Mirror and the Light,” and “The Glass Hotel” by Emily St. John Mandel, award-winning author of “Station Eleven.”

– Kelsey Swithers, The OJT 100

Too many Christmas gifts these days are tech-based. Whether it is a tablet or laptop, everyone wants to be plugged in. This Christmas, try something different by giving your loved one the gift of a good book.

A great choice would be “Gunpowder Express,” the newest Widowmaker Jones Western from Oklahoma-based author Brett Cogburn. This exciting new book from the grandson of the real Rooster Cogburn is available for pre-order now and will be released on Dec. 31. For those of you who need to stay plugged in, do not worry; the book comes in a digital download form as well.

– Daniel Seitz, Jones PR