Summer King, Winter Fool

By Lisa Goldstein

Valemar is a young courtier in the court of King Gobro of Etrara. Valemar doesn't have much on his mind besides poetry, courtliness and his standing in the court. His king, Gobro, is not well liked or respected, dismissed as a fat fool.
The people of Valemar's world worship a trinity of gods, Sbona, the mother and her two sons, Callabrion and Scathiel. When Callabrion descends to the world, winter begins and Scathiel ascends to heaven. Then when Callabrion ascends to heaven, Scathiel descends and summer begins. This is how they mark the changing of the seasons. Only this winter, something has gone wrong. The festival of Callabrion's ascension has been celebrated at the proper time but the days are not growing longer, they are growing shorter and coldness rules the land. The people grow uneasy and worried, fearful of famine.
Narrion, like Valemar, is a young courtier in Gobro's court. But unlike Valemar, Narrion's mind is full of plots and intrigues. Acting on Gobro's orders, Narrion tricks Valemar into leaving Etrara and going to Tobol An. Valemar believes his life is in danger and he agrees to hide in Tobol An. There he meets the woman in charge of the huge library of Tobol An, Taja. Taja thinks she is just a peasant woman who runs the library, but she is actually a powerful poet mage, she just doesn't know it yet.
Valemar, like Taja, thinks he is just a courtier. But he is really the true heir to the throne of Etrara, which is why Gobro wanted him out of Etrara. Whether this was to protect him or because he was a threat to Gobro's throne, whatever Gobro's intentions were doesn't matter because Gobro is soon dead, killed by his sister Callia, who takes the throne. Gobro was a spendthrift and Callia's rule is bankrupt. So she declares war on neighboring Shai, hoping to gain its riches for her own.
Valemar, back from Tobol An, takes up arms in the war against the Shai and ends up captured. The war goes badly for Etrara and it is overrun by the Shai, who rule with an iron fist. Rumors begin to circulate throughout Etrara of a rightful heir to the throne who will lead them to freedom. The Shai, eager to susspress these hopes, begin to search for Valemar. And Valemar, escaping from captivity, thinks that maybe it is time for him to assume his proper role as king.
Meanwhile, Callabrion has still not ascended and the days continue to shorten and darkness and cold rule the land. Soon it won't matter who is king, if summer never comes.

This was an OK story. It never really captured my interest and I found the idea of the three gods who are real beings who walk among the people not very appealing or believable. Actually, the whole story was kind of like that, with details that just didn't feel true or real. It was more like a story of a dream than a story of a real place, with real people, events and history.

For another review, see https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lisa-goldstein/summer-king-winter-fool/.

24-Karat Kids

By Dr. Judy Goldstein and Sebastian Stuart

Shelley Green has just finished up her training as a pediatric physician and has landed a cushy job with an upscale pediatric office and all her dreams are starting to come true.
Moving from a working class lifestyle to that of a well-off young physician means some adjustments need to be made. What with the new hairstyle, the sophisticated makeup, the trendy clothes, the la-de-dah new friends and the marvelous new apartment, Shelley's fiancee can scarcely recognize her any more and he is not happy. And Shelley is not happy that he can't seem to accept the new Shelley. They both end up the arms of others and the engagement is at an end.
Caught up in her new job and new lifestyle, it all kind of goes to Shelley's head. But she never lets the lifestyle affect her main priority, her young patients. She loves kids and she loves providing medical care for them. In fact, adding in her sexy new boyfriend and her rich new girlfriend, seems like life can't get any better. But sometimes life in the fast lane is not all it is cracked up to be and rich people are famous for looking out for number one. Shelley is about to get a harsh lesson in who you can really trust.

For the most part, I enjoyed this story of a working class woman getting to enjoy the perks of the rich and famous. Shelley is suddenly earning stacks of dough and hanging out with folks who hobnob with the A-list celebs. She enjoys it and her new job and reading about her transformation from dowdy medical student to the new hot pediatrician in town was interesting and fun. However, the medical stuff where she visits with her little patients just wasn't very compelling. About the most interesting case turns out to be misdiagnosed Lime disease. Other than that, the patients are mainly used as a vehicle to point out how stupid and selfish their rich, self-involved parents are. For example, one famous parent is about to have a melt down because her nanny is leaving for a couple weeks and the rich bitch's 18-month-old baby is not potty trained. The mom "doesn't do poop" and wants Shelley's advice on how to get the baby potty-trained in the few days left before the nanny takes off. Shelley has to explain that babies that age are not capable of controlling their bowel movements and that potty training is not possible. But the mom rallys and comes up with a plan: she and the baby will go and stay at a resort near where the nanny will be visiting and every time the baby needs to be changed, she will have her driven over to the nanny's house so the nanny can do it. Holy crap! And that is typical of the wealthy, successful parents depicted in the story. Also the hot new boyfriend and wealthy new girlfriend are mostly there just to show us what creeps the wealthy classes are.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The medical cases were not compelling, though, not even the girl with the Lime disease. For a book titled after her patients, the "24-Karat Kids," it is surprising how little they figure in the story. Mostly it is about Shelley and her transition from deprived to affluent. The ending is very contrived and obvious, as the author lets you know several times that rich people are not to be trusted. Shelley is probably modeled after the author herself as Goldstein is also an upscale pediatrician practicing in Manhattan. And Goldstein's despite for her patients' rich parents comes through very clearly. Makes you wonder what cruelty and heartbreak the author experienced in her own life that has turned her so thoroughly against the upper crust.
Despite these problems I had with the story, overall I enjoyed it and read it in only two days, which is always the sign of a book that can capture and hold the reader's interest.