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Donovan's Bookshelf

April 2016 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

Prime Picks
Biography & Autobiography
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Mystery & Thrillers
Novels
Reviewer's Choice
Young Adult/Childrens

Biography & Autobiography

Being Selfish: My Journey from Escort to Monk to Grandmother
Sarah Marshank
Published by Sarah Marshank/Selfistry
978-1-68222-814-2      $18.95
Through BeingSelfish.com $29 for personalized signed copy
e-book 978-1-68222-815-9              $9.99
www.amazon.com 

 Sarah is twenty-two, facing a second unplanned pregnancy, and faces a difficult decision: whether or not to have her baby. Although raised in a traditional Jewish household, she searches for her own definitions of right and wrong, and this is just one of the many choices she confronts in Being Selfish, a memoir that documents a life journey as she moves from naive choices to a better, life-affirming path.

The first thing to note about Being Selfish is that it's all about the journey to finding one's path and purpose in life: an endeavor that is inherently selfish and which involves (for Sarah) a search of over twenty years of discovery: "If I don’t have this baby, then I can just get on with my life, continue along the path I’ve been on. And what path is that?You know! The path I’m on. MY path. The path that doesn’t have me birthing the child of some Rastafarian man I hardly know and certainly don’t love. The path that doesn’t have me living through another abortion. The path that leads me to fulfillment of my dreams, to a meaningful career, to my perfect mate, to happily-ever-after. THAT path."

Before her journey, the author was on such a conventional path, but was slowly suffocating from her decisions. Moral and ethical challenges to her behaviors lead her into a quagmire of inner struggles that cause her to take the first steps in developing a relationship with herself.

How does one move from being a paid escort to becoming a monk and then re-emerging into life with newfound family connections? It's a process that involves being selfish and self-centered for a time, while remaining committed to finding the heart of truth.

As she moves through relationships, psychic trials and physical disasters, and rich encounters with all kinds of people, Sarah slowly comes to embrace the finer art of 'selfistry' as part of the wider journey to self-realization, and moves to a place where she can regain a real sense of purpose and peace.

Readers who are on their own journeys will find fascinating Marshank's memoir of discovery, and will relish the process of her 'full immersion into life' which brings with it newfound joys and freedoms.

Being Selfish is a roadmap and a guide to the process which begins with a selfish kernel of self interest but expands to embrace the world - and with it, the pilgrim reader who would follow in similar footsteps, but to the beat of their own drum. 

Being Selfish: My Journey from Escort to Monk to Grandmother

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Good Morning Diego Garcia: A Voyage of Discovery
Susan Joyce
Peel Productions, Inc.
ISBN  9781943158904 (trade paper)    $15.99
ISBN 9781943158911 (Amazon Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Morning-Diego-Garcia-Discovery/dp/1943158908/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457104629&sr=8-1&keywords=9781943158904

It's a long journey from Ojai California to a pleasure yacht on the Indian Ocean, and one normally undertaken with a certain degree of expertise under one's belt, using a roadmap for success.

Susan Joyce had neither. What she did have was a shaky marriage, a comfortable (if not naïve) life in Southern California, and the lure of a different world which was accompanied (she discovered later) by a set of falsehoods and dangers that nearly cost her life.

Good Morning Diego Garcia: A Voyage of Discovery documents the process whereby she grasps for something greater than stability and comfort, only to find herself nearly losing everything - a second time.

Not everyone would opt to embark on a sailing trip only to find out too late that it's taking place during monsoon season. Not everyone would jump at the offer to help crew a new boat with a set of strangers when one's own experience as a sailor is limited. And few would survive the storms that batter ship and psyche alike as Joyce comes to discover that the illusions in her world are all too stark and real, and hold the possibility of ending everything she knows.

To call Good Morning Diego Garcia a memoir or a travelogue - or even a sailing yarn - would be to do it a grave disservice. Joyce's ability to take the higher road of adventure and insight and elevate them to new heights in a format that transcends all of the usual approaches to either memoir or travel story makes it a standout in both genres.

One the reasons why this is so is the author's attention to plenty of dialogue between everyone involved, and to presenting different perspectives on hopes, dreams, and events: "I prepared pork chops and coleslaw for dinner, and pondered the life jacket answer for a few moments, imagining what strange creatures might live in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean eagerly waiting to nibble on toes and fingers of a human floating in a life jacket. “An opportunity like this can’t be missed,” Charles said, pouring us wine."

Another reason why Good Morning Diego Garcia shines so strongly is that it's, quite simply, the kind of adventure of a lifetime that so many dreams of and so few achieve (not the marital challenges; but the ideal of sailing exotic seas on a luxury yacht.) It all sounds so alluring, so romantic, and so wonderful.

Hold that thought. Good Morning Diego Garcia explores the other side of it. And it'll bring along a wealth of readers - memoir fans, armchair travelers, sailors of large and small ships, and would-be-adventurers - for a rollicking good ride filled with rolling waters and cultural encounters, history, politics, and people living in limbo in more ways than one.

The edge of adventure has never felt so compelling. 

Good Morning Diego Garcia: A Voyage of Discovery

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Juncture at the Still Point
Sandra Jung Hall
Patchwork Publishing
9780972311212     $14.95
http://www.amazon.com/Juncture-Still-Point-Journey-Growth-ebook/dp/B01D0SPEZO

Stories about infant fatalities are challenging to write and often heart-wrenching reads, and Juncture at the Still Point is no exception as it follows a three-month-old infant with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1, a progressive disease expected to kill infant Heidi Hall within a year of her diagnosis.

Juncture at the Still Point is written by Heidi's mother and follows the family's grief and chaos as they face a terminal diagnosis, an infant's disability and short life span, and the ups and downs of questions, confusing answers, hope constantly revived and then crushed, and the relentless progress of a debilitating condition.

Amid disaster and angst are insights on survival, growth, friendships, and more, though, and it's these nuggets of wisdom, insight, and life-affirming revelations that make Juncture at the Still Point more than a story of a child's terrible health issues.

Growth is life-affirming and even happens through the loss of all hope and in the face of death: "Through we wouldn't have predicted it at the time, our life with Heidi would become fuller, more beautiful, more purposeful, and even more fun than the life we had imagined with her before the diagnosis. Later, moments would come to be shot through with the sweet sharpness that comes with a heightened appreciation of the instant and consciousness of presence.  Later, the world would be new to us again.  I don't regret my inability to relate to some people in the same way that I did before Heidi's diagnosis.  One finds there are relationships worth preserving, worthy the effort to breech that divide between the person she was prior to catastrophe and the person she is now.  Other relationships are revealed as not as valuable as once believed."

As much as Juncture at the Still Point is about Hall's process of grief and struggle, so it truly shines with these nuggets of wisdom about life's slings and arrows and how to fjord the larger river of pain: "Events, circumstances, and our reactions to them are the components of life. Maybe when one embraces what life brings, including the bad "luck," there is a chance he or she can find  good sort of ferocity within, like that of a "dragon mom" as defined by Rapp.  Or perhaps of a disabled child who's been dealt a crappy genetic hand, but learns to navigate the world on her own terms."

The process may seem inevitable from the first chapter, but surprisingly, it's not set in stone. Sandra Jung Hall's journey and experiences pair grief and struggle with life-affirming insights, and it's this juxtaposition that makes Juncture at the Still Point a powerful, highly recommended read not just for parents struggling with child illness, disability and mortality; but for any who would think about the deeper meaning of life, death, and the richness that lies between these juncture points. 

Juncture at the Still Point

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On Stand-By South of Heaven
Steven Koss
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B01BPPQG6U      $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/On-Stand-South-Heaven-Struggle-ebook/dp/B01BPPQG6U

Many readers will realize that at some time in their lives, they may need to care for parents, even if they don't have a good relationship with them and even if they have lives elsewhere. Steven Koss was such a son, who dropped his life upon learning of his father's diagnosis of cancer and moved from Florida to Ohio, confident that he could help make a difference in his father's last months of life.

In truth, what is revealed in Koss's account in On Stand-By South of Heaven: Coping with Cancer - My Struggle, My Journey, My Growth is far more than a story of altruistic or loving care: it's a saga of nitty gritty struggle on many levels, all spiced with the specter of death, and it comes from a son who entered his father's world only to find it packed with fights with physicians, lawyers, social workers, and financial institutions.

The fact that Koss did not have a close relationship with his father when he learned of the brain cancer diagnosis only serves to reinforce that his choices are indicative of a powerful personality whose determination to make a positive difference belayed the fact that end of life scenarios often become quagmires of struggle on many levels. Fulfilling a care promise made to his grandfather, Koss takes the leap.

In truth, he was facing his own dilemma with unemployment, looming bankruptcy, and financial, so his father's growing needs neatly juxtaposed with his personal need to choose a different direction in life.

One notable feature of this story is his candid assessments of family relationships and the difficult choice of caring for a distant father: "I was caught in a tough spot.  I told Jack years earlier I would come when needed, but not before.  I felt it was my duty to take charge as the only person able to.  On the other hand why should I sacrifice for someone who was not there for me as a child?"

Duty, sacrifice, and ethics and morality come into play as Koss considers the pros and cons of his choices and makes a difficult decision to help: "There were so many variables, and the effects on the people in my life would be severe.  A part of me wanted to get out of Florida because that road was stagnant.  I thought it might be time to reengage in college.  This is the selfish side talking.  Another part of myself didn’t want the responsibility of care giver.  There were too many unknowns in this equation up north.  My life in Florida was very predictable and comfortable.  I took in the fact that nobody could handle my father.  Jack needed me, but did I owe this to him or my father?  I’m sure most people like me, ask themselves, “Would they do it for me?” I already knew the answer to that, “No”, but I had given my word to Jack."

Few stories of choices at the crossroads of life are as clearly analyzed and portrayed (usually it takes an outsider's dispassionate involvement to clearly make such observations), and few results of these choices are so enticingly analyzed throughout as in this compelling memoir.

The author's ability to candidly self-assess as well as to present all sides of stormy situations are one of this story's great strengths: "Staring off into the gulf, it came to me that going home was the right thing to do.  Not because I gave my word, although this is important, but because in giving a part of myself up for someone else was the greatest gift I could give in life.  I thought of people serving others and I wanted to do my part, I wanted to be like them. Now that I think back on it maybe it was a selfish decision.  My life in Florida was not excellent by any means.  I wasn’t feeling particular good about myself."

Family connections and dysfunction, loneliness and fear, and struggle don't end upon death: Koss finds himself cast adrift even while freed of some end of life challenges, and still must find his way in the world - this time without parents: "There was still a ton of work to do as my father had no will.  I was still meeting with lawyers and brokers regularly.  I was dealing with the courts and the DMV.  I was a full time student and worked at least 30 hours a week.  I was visiting my grandfather twice a week and my mom once a week. I might have looked fine on the outside to most but I too was dying slowly.  I had no passion for the days and I kept getting through with drugs and alcohol.  When there is a hole in your soul you’ll try and fill it with anything."

In the end, the life lessons he learns will provide a new foundation where one didn't exist before - and leaves readers of On Stand-By South of Heaven with and skills to apply to other life challenges.

Why take the higher road? Because its riches promise far more than any comparative safety or smoothness of the road more traveled. Steven Koss's journey towards these riches in On Stand-By South of Heaven is a powerful indicator of how to live a life well examined and ultimately secured by positive, growth-inducing choices. 

On Stand-By South of Heaven

Return to Index



Pilgrim Wheels
Neil Hanson
High Prairie Press
978-0-9826391-2-2           $14.95
www.highprairiepress.com 

Pilgrim Wheels: Reflections Of A Cyclist Crossing America tells the story of Neil Hanson's cross-country bicycle ride, and the many revelations he discovers in his encounters with people along America's roads and byways. It's a story of life changing experiences focused not on the destination, but on the journey itself.  Pilgrim Wheels is a superior production, and does a terrific job of capturing the experience of a cross country bicycle ride using crystal clear descriptions.

Hanson himself provides an introduction that deftly defines his process: "A pilgrimage isn’t necessarily to anything, and not necessarily from anything. In fact, I suspect the greatest pilgrimages don’t start off as pilgrimages at all, but rather as something else. Possibly an adventure. Maybe a journey at just the right time in a person’s life. That’s what this story is about. The idea of an adventure, that evolved into a journey, and from which a pilgrimage blossomed."

An idea that became an adventure evolved into a journey into something greater than originally conceived, and Hanson's ability to carry both bikers and non-bikers along for the ride is part of what makes Pilgrim Wheels such an engrossing read.

Descriptions capture the philosophies and nuances of Hanson's experiences: "I think those of us on two wheels feel a bit disconnected from the enclosed vehicles that represent the safe, status quo in the world. I like the image of a frontiersman riding out in the open on two wheels, akin to the horseman who’s part of the world he rides through, rather than a spectator who experiences the world filtered through steel and glass. On two wheels, we feel the heat of the sun on our backs, we breathe in the nuance of the scent around us. We’re experiencing the world of the road, not watching it from a climate controlled rolling theatre. We feel the wind buffeting our face or pushing us gently from behind."

The ideal reader of Pilgrim Wheels should not expect a travelogue full of routes or places, or even an account of touring basics; but a journey story spiced with the appeal of personal observation blended with philosophical reflection: "Dave sometimes wonders if I find more joy in life than he does. He’s not saying that my life has more joy in it, but just that I seem more able to notice and savor the joy that’s there. I don’t really know if he’s right or not, but if he is, then it’s also true that Dave notices adversity less than I do. He just takes the wind shift in stride. He gears down and just keeps pedaling."

Descriptions are powerfully written and offer readers a compelling 'you are there' feel that captivates the reader regardless of his or her level of knowledge about bicycling or bicycle touring: "The tailwind was a bonus that turned this day of adventure into what might be the nicest day on a bicycle I’ve ever experienced in my life."

Pilgrim Wheels is a fine recommendation for anyone who would enjoy an armchair journey across America on a bicycle with Hanson, or who wants to prepare for the kinds of challenges a cross-country venture could bring. 

Pilgrim Wheels

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Sister Jaguar's Journey
Sister Judy Bisignano and Sandra C. Morse
Maketai, Inc.
9780990968818    $19.95
www.sisterjaguarsjourney.com 

Sister Jaguar's Journey is written by a Dominican nun who spent nearly seventy years in a lifelong quest for God, only to find everything she was seeking in the most unlikely of places: the Amazon rain forest. How a nun invited to speak to a community in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest becomes the student herself, re-discovering God while learning plant medicine and native ways, makes for a gripping and unique account.

It's not every day that a staunch believer in traditional Western Christianity not only comes into contact with a 'primitive' culture, but becomes personally immersed in and spiritually challenged by it.

But most of all, it's a special treat to follow the path of a woman who comes to embrace very foreign ideas, from the wisdom of Pachamama (Mother Earth) to rituals and beliefs that allow her to not just fully embrace other spiritual ways, but to let go of a faith with too many roots in self-depreciation and fear.

From Bisignano's forced exit from the convent as she stood up for justice and defied the spoken and unspoken rules of the Dominican circle to Sister Judy's fierce determination to follow her beliefs through the most turbulent of circumstances, one of the most striking facets of her journey is her flexibility in the face of rigid both internal and external systems.

Accounts of personal and spiritual transformative journeys typically hold one thing in common: their participants waver in their beliefs and paths. Sister Judy didn't waver; she jumped ship. She directly confronted her internal messages and deliberately placed herself in situations that led her to constantly question and search for new clues to different perspectives on life.

Her life-affirming journey is a testimony to flexibility and change, both spiritual and social, as she becomes involved in issues of justice and absorbs and imparts wisdom, finding a place for herself as a plant teacher in her new Amazon community.  Her path celebrates and reveals this community: another fine point setting Sister Jaguar's Journey apart from other life-change autobiographical chronicles.

The result is a fine spiritual saga which holds several facets that set it apart from any other. This Dominican nun's transformation is told using lively, compelling language refecting a zest for life and adventure, and charts an engrossing odyssey.

A video version of Sister Judy's story (9780990968823, $9.95) offers added value in visually bringing the rainforest peoples and environment to life.


Sister Jaguar's Journey

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Turning Blue: A Life Beneath the Shield
Lawrence Hoffman
Page Publishing
9781682891049     $24.95
www.pagepublishing.com 


Turning Blue: A Life Beneath the Shield provides the autobiography of an author who longed to wear a uniform and be part of an organization: a desire that would lead him from ball games and Scouts to joining the NYPD force in 1984, there to become a veteran police detective.

In contrast to many police stories which recount crime encounters and department politics, Turning Blue offers a satisfyingly different approach in documenting not only street encounters and detective work, but how this work is absorbed into an officer's psyche, belief system, and everyday life outside of the force.  Turning Blue is at its strongest when depicting this process, which takes stories of detective work and juxtaposes them with personal insights on how challenges to psychological and physical survival are reconciled with life-altering events and tragedies.

There are stories of struggle and strife; but these are contrasted with touching moments of kindness which serve to emphasize that an officer's work is not all about conflict and confrontation.

From Columbian drug dealers to team operations, descriptions are precise and sometimes include a surprising touch of humor: "Generally, these things never go as scheduled. Most criminals have no concept of time, and it annoys the shit out of me.  Is it too much to ask that you sell me my illegal guns and controlled substances at the agreed upon time? As narcotics cops, we are completely regulated by time."

These insights blend with Hoffman's family life and personal perspectives to provide a well-rounded coverage highly recommended for anyone who enjoys police protocol and true-crime accounts, adding a healthy dose of psychological depth that many police stories lack, making for a highly recommended, engrossing read.
 

Turning Blue: A Life Beneath the Shield

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Fantasy & Sci Fi

Darkstorm
M.L. Spencer
Stoneguard Publications
978-0-9971779-0-9       $5.99
www.MLSpencerFiction.com  


Darkstorm presents Book One in the Rhenwars Saga: several more in this series are to be expected. Two nations teeter on the brink of war, each backed by powerful forces, and it may take an unholy alliance with black magic to achieve the positive goal of thwarting an apocalyptic event.

Being the prequel to the series, Darkstorm is a perfect introduction for newcomers and, for prior fans, fills in much information about the setting and people of this dark fantasy world; but readers anticipating a light, entertaining leisure read should be cautioned. As events play out, social and moral issues revolving around magic's use and its ultimate effects are highlighted, offering much depth, detail, and much food for thought.

Spencer's descriptions are sharp and pointed, drawing connections between characters, their physical attributes, and their moral and psychic abilities: "Arden Hannah was just as alluring as she was vile. It was a powerful and frightening dichotomy."

There are few clear-cut delineations of good and evil offered in the story and, as a result, choice is depicted as a changing (and sometimes questionable) set of options in a series of scenarios in which good intentions lead to bad results.

There is much temptation to become a 'darkmage', and even when a goal seems to lie in the realm of what is noble, the end results are often anything but good. As Braden and Quin struggle with magic, their choices, and their roles in their world, so readers are drawn into a story line that delivers powerful action but offers unexpected side dishes with introspective examinations of motivation, circumstances, and consequences.

As the plot evolves, readers come to see that the real struggle is not just between competing magical forces and methods of wielding them, but between different moral concepts and values systems.

The female characters of Sephana and Merris are as well-drawn and mercurial as their male counterparts, moving neatly from vixen and seductress to authoritative women both in charge of their destinies and, alternately, helpless against events that cascade over them all.

Intrigue, political alliances, and differing methods of displaying power and authority often come together through passages that expose the inner thought processes and relationships of protagonists as they interact with each other and with their world's social and political constraints: "Gazing at her former mentor, Merris was reminded of exactly why she had never liked the woman. Sephana had a way of positively exuding competence; it was a trait that made others trust her and turn to her for guidance. It lent credence to her gentle arguments and weight to her quiet authority."

Readers who enjoy political intrigue, psychological suspense, and military action will appreciate the attention to detail in Darkstorm that brings a magic-infused world and its peoples' struggles to life. 

Darkstorm

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Henchgirl
Rita Stradling
Rita Stradling, Publisher
978-0-9910822-4-7     $14.99
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B016KYHO3U
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/henchgirl-rita-stradling/1122797673
Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Henchgirl


Henchgirl, Book One of the Dakota Kekoa series, opens with an intriguing 'excerpt' from a book about dragons which has been banned from the public school system, and tells of how two species who were never supposed to meet became entwined through actions of humans, whose manipulation of chemistry dissolved the natural barriers designed to keep the two species apart. While this introduction sets the stage, Chapter One moves to the first person (and quite a different scenario) as a savvy protagonist faces a vampire who is just one of the dangerous forces lined up outside a club.

Dakota isn't really human: she's acting undercover in the human world as the spawn of dragon and human (a 'dracon'), and she's on a secret mission as rising tensions between dragon and human worlds portend war. As such, she not only walks the line between the two worlds which have made her, but she faces adversity and strife that are social and political in nature, grasping the basics of power, control, prejudice and politics with equally compelling attention to detail.

Take her family ties, for one example. She lives in a monstrously large ocean-view mansion, her power dampener allows her to read emotions and sift through souls, and she works for her grandfather, using her abilities to support her alcoholic mother and her siblings.

Just as the worlds of human and dragon mingle throughout the story, so the strengths and weaknesses of each come to life in the psyche and efforts of Dakota, who represents the pivot point where dragon and human concerns intersect.

A myriad of subplots revolving around different protagonists rounds out the atmosphere of Henchgirl and continually adds new insights into Dakota's world, but the swirl of action always centers on her challenges, decisions, and interactions within both worlds.

Perhaps the strongest facet of Henchgirl lies in Stradling's ability to craft powerful scenarios, compelling characters, and motivations that lead to higher purposes and concerns than the typical fantasy fueled by either dragons or teenage protagonists.

Dakota's ability to be an assertive 'bad girl' as well as a teen on the cusp of greater powers, and the dilemmas that come with each problem she must confront, makes for an engrossing leisure read that will reach beyond fans of teen magic stories or dragons and well into adult audiences seeking feisty protagonists and gripping story lines. 


Henchgirl

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The Living Miracle: A Love Story
Donna D. Vaal
Dorrance Publishing (Rose Dog Books)
ISBN:  978-1-4809-6677-2
e-ISBN: 978-1-4809-6700-7        $16.00
www.Thelivingmiraclebook.com
  
   
The protagonist in The Living Miracle: A Love Story was born in 3044 at The Center of Life in an age that has outgrown the need for a god and which births synthetically created babies. All babies are now born at a creation complex overseen by Master Izanagi, who has further plans for using the non-human humanoids which are often created along with their DNA counterparts as twins.

This is where the story begins - but it doesn't progress in a linear fashion and it doesn't go where readers may anticipate. There's nothing predictable about this world, where life and love are uncertain and strangely defined and where a loving boy gives new life to his numbered humanoid twin, acknowledging her as a piece of humanity rather than a toy or a casual creation.

Herein lies the problem, for an artificial being rescues her twin and thus is truly born into something completely different: an individual with a soul from God, charged with hiding her reborn consciousness until the time is right. The 'doll', 'computer', and 'thing' has come truly alive as a reward for her selfless act. What's next? Plenty, as The Living Miracle shows.

The two remarkable children must remain unremarkable in the eyes of their elders if they are to survive: "The Mosouka was programed from birth to understand things far above age, or human experience. Hiroto was an exceptional child. Like his great grandfather Master Izanagi Okamura, he was a genius with an IQ yet to be recognized on the charts. Had the Principled Noyen not been so busy with his own insane need to replace God, he would have recognized the genius in Hiroto." And so begins a game that weaves recovery, love, transformation, and belief into a compelling story that's hard to put down.

Is this a possible future? In a world bereft of God, focused on DNA structures and genetic manipulation, what place or purpose does a living miracle have? While twins and their connections are the central theme of this story, moral and ethical issues abound in a tale saturated with thought-provoking moments analyzing family connections, plots for control and dominance of life, death, and spirituality itself.

In a world where God is questioned and man has taken it upon himself to dictate reproduction and define humanity itself, is there a place for any reminders of miracles and a higher truth?

The Living Miracle is like no other. Compelling, filled with rich insights, and hard to put down, it creates a long and winding road documenting humanity's purposes, illusions, and its journey back to the certainty of a higher power in an age overtaken by godlessness. Both religious readers and secular followers will find The Living Miracle an intriguing and gripping story of an all-too-possible future altered by one miracle that stands alone as the flame to a bigger fire of hope. 


The Living Miracle: A Love Story

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What the Clocks Know
Rumer Haven
Crooked Cat Publishing Ltd.
ISBN:  9781910510896
    
ASIN: B01C8PQHAQ              $2.99
www.crookedcatpublishing.com
http://www.amazon.com/What-Clocks-Know-Rumer-Haven-ebook/dp/B01C8PQHAQ


Margot is changing her life: she's dumped her boyfriend, quit her job, and has moved to London in search of herself, unsure of what her next move should be.

This question is answered for her as the old house settles in around her (or, does she settle into it?) and brings with it strange dreams, other lives, and a ghostly possibility.

It's not unusual to find a ghost story couched in the broader tale of a lifestyle change; but what brings What the Clocks Know to real spooky life is its ability to timeslip the protagonist between Victorian and modern London to enter different worlds that each serve as a microcosm of love, hate, and everything in between.

The scene opens with a poignant depiction of this state of mind. The protagonist is in mourning for a lover; a solitary affair in which she wishes herself dead, as well. There is a price to be paid for having been 'born old', and that price is death. How Margot comes to be in this state and where she stands in the worlds she traverses is the subject of a haunting saga that immediately opens with the timeslip potentials in life provided in the enchanting young adult novel Charlotte Sometimes.

From these clues one quickly determines that Margot is not uninformed on these matters, and that her life is actually a set up for the final act in which a journey out of her world will become longer and go farther than she could have imagined.

Diary entries and death sentences, crazy dreams and unreal entities, wicked arguments, parallel lives, and friendships holding promises of renewal, and spirited women tamed and lost … all these elements combine in a powerful novel packed with eye-opening imagery and tales of spirits dead, alive, and evolving.

What does it take to find a soul mate in another world, or to live a full life in two dimensions? What happens when two bodies sharing one soul unite? Margot may be running away from something, but she finds she's actually running into another conundrum as well: one from which she may never escape.

The entire production is a gripping read, highly recommended for ghost story enthusiasts, timeslip novel readers, and anyone who likes romance and powerful protagonists facing unexpected circumstances. 


What the Clocks Know

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Mystery & Thrillers

The Bricklayer
Rene Natan
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B007PKCHBI   $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Bricklayer-Rene-Natan-ebook/dp/B007PKCHBI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456413778&sr=8-1&keywords=Bricklayer+rene+natan

 A construction company would seem an unlikely setting for murder, but the success of The Werkstein doesn't make it immune to fraud and its deadly consequences, as readers quickly realize as dangerous events unfold in The Bricklayer.

It all begins when a female engineer is hired to join the company's all-male crew, and though owner Fred expects problems, murder is not on the list of his worries.

As deaths begin to accumulate, identifying Fred as a likely suspect, a suspicious police detective views Fred's friendships, his behaviors, and his attempts to woo an officer in his own unit as mounting proofs of Fred's deadly intentions, and sets his radar on stopping the next murder.

The Bricklayer builds a story line that is anything but predictable. A construction worker's attention to precision bricklaying and working with stone would not seem to indicate a dual talent for successful murders, much less his choices in making decisions that barely hide his intentions. A police investigator's ability to connect the dots leads him in unexpected directions, and a series of murders might ultimately have their roots in something entirely different than logic would dictate.

It's not just up to the police to solve the crimes: readers are drawn in by Fred's actions and the motivations of those around him, and murder is only one of the many issues that permeate a story about a woman working in a man's world, company liabilities and assets, collateral damage, and murky inquiries.

The Bricklayer swings between Fred's world, the police department, those who work in the construction company, and evolving relationships with a deft attention to building drama and connections. It should be mentioned that there are numerous subplots and characters throughout, so this is no quick and easy read.

Readers receive a slow build-up that takes its time in forging these connections, and will appreciate the attention The Bricklayer brings to moving its protagonists into position for some fine revelations. It is a fine pick for readers seeking a story that pairs intrigue and romance with an engrossing series of escalating events that lead to a satisfyingly unexpected conclusion. 

The Bricklayer

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Cyber Horror: The Beginning of The End
C.H.A
Publisher: C.H.A
ASIN: B01BO9THAE       .99
www.cyberhorror.com 


Cyber Horror opens not in a laboratory but with a hospital fountain, where a boiling water eruption targets people in a purposeful way and defies control. Days later, playground children confront mysterious bubbles from the sky that change upon contact, and a few days after that, a baseball game is challenged by mysterious circumstances. Readers will know these events are connected by their back-to-back presentation, but the story that evolves in Cyber Horror is more satisfyingly complex than readers might initially imagine, and involves computer viruses with human victims, hackers who craft specialty malware, organic viruses that self-replicate, and a brilliant researcher's discovery run amok.

All these elements contribute to a tale filled with suspense, laced with computer science, and linked to motivations and purposes of evil creators and those forced to deal with a nightmare unleashed.

The strength of Cyber Horror lies in a story line that rests upon scientific discoveries and their ultimate impact on an unsuspecting public. As containment and control break down, madness and mayhem spread in an unusual, unpredictable manner. Characterization is well done and the blend of powerful, believable protagonists, special interests, and the unpredictable outcomes of experiments gone awry create an involving read that's hard to put down.

Fans of apocalyptic sci-fi, medical thrillers, horror, and hard science fiction will find plenty to like in Cyber Horror, which features a fine premise and the interactions of many protagonists who hold special interests and abilities affecting the progression and ultimate outcome of events.

Though the novel's outcome is definitive, the door is left open for more, and horror readers will easily find themselves looking forward to this possibility. 

Cyber Horror: The Beginning of The End

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Fraternity of Fractures
Mark Pannebecker
AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-5049-5755-7 (sc)    $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-5049-5754-0 (e)    $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/Fraternity-Fractures-Mark-Pannebecker/dp/1504957555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456331641&sr=8-1&keywords=Fraternity+of+Fractures

Fraternity of Fractures opens with a girl called Phoenix, the white heat of a perfect crime in the making, and the smoky evening world of a St. Louis neighborhood about to serve as the backdrop for a clever event.

The first thing to note about Mark Pannebecker's writing is that it's as precisely attuned to creating atmosphere as the methodical crimes it describes: "In the distance a police siren sang, but Phoenix wasn’t concerned—as Justin was prone to say, “It’s the ones you don’t hear that get you.”

The second thing to note is that events often build to a seemingly-predictable conclusion, only to change mid-step, keeping readers on their toes. The cleverest of crimes may thus only result is a single coveted item being stolen, or the murky possibilities of attraction may occur between women as easily as between men. The sultry sounds of rock music from the 1980s are used to cement an atmosphere and sense of the times that revolves around places, personalities, and lifestyles teetering on the edge of disaster.

Don't expect a singular approach in Fraternity of Fractures. The story's not about a perfect crime, relationship, era, or location, but about the interrelationships of protagonists who are each searching for their place in the world. Such an atmosphere tends to be dark and brooding, pairing objectives and desires with observations which lead readers in unusual directions as past and present become interwoven with both social reflection and personal experience: "While waiting for Phoenix and Dylan, Justin looked at a newer, utilitarian building down the street and thought again about how it didn’t fit in. No connection to the past, he thought again. The newer building reminded him of his father and when he turned away to look at the aesthetically more pleasing architecture of an older building his thoughts turned to his mother. No respect for the past."

Because of these sifting, shifting scenes, Fraternity of Fractures is likely to stymie readers anticipating a one-dimensional crime saga or a story of changing relationships on the edge of society, so one of the novel's special strengths may also be a reason (for some) for setting it aside. Brooding atmospheres and twists of fate, changing concepts of love, loyalty, the appropriateness of stealing from the rich, and a sense of dancing passions, purposes, and changes that keep protagonists and readers on their toes will not produce a read attractive for many a general-interest follower of mystery and suspense genre formula writings.

Such complexity is better reserved for those who appreciate literary devices that move beyond formula productions to probe the alleyways and atmospheres of characters who examine their motivations for stealing, the influences on decisions which lead to higher levels of crime, and the relationships that evolve and dissolve as part of this evolutionary process.

To call Fraternity of Fractures a 'crime novel' or a 'novel of suspense' would be to do it an injustice. Embracing elements of different genres (mystery, suspense, crime) and yet rising above them all with a sense of purpose and atmosphere that satisfyingly wings its way above and beyond most genre reads, it's an involving and evolved piece that ultimately connects the changing courses of very different lives.

Not for the mild-mannered reader in search of light entertainment, Fraternity of Fractures not only invites its readers to think - it demands it. The smoky backdrop of 1980s St. Louis in the midst of a crime wave is only one facet of a story about of fractures, healing, and change: an exquisite standout in a world of fast and dirty crime scene whodunits that sketch their worlds without truly capturing their complexity.

Fraternity of Fractures

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Insatiable Hate
Dennis A. Nehamen
Golden Poppy Publications
978-0-9890572 5 7   $15.99 Paperback, $2.99 ebook
www.dennisnehamen.com 


Because Insatiable Hate picks up where Dennis A. Nehamen's Mistaken Enemy ends, it's recommended that readers have a priority familiarity with and affinity for Enemy to appreciate the smooth segue into events in Zach's life that is represented in this latest thriller.

Here Zach faces the aftermath of events that took place in Mistaken Enemy which makes him seem guilty of crimes he never committed, with the real perpetrator all too visible and all too intent on destroying his life.

Many of the themes that permeated the prior book continue here: revenge, conspiracy, murder, criminal activities, and a whirlwind of deadly circumstances that keeps Zach and those he loves in the center of danger. Readers who appreciated Zach's struggles in the first book will find added interest here as Zach continues to handle hate crimes and obstacles that seem insurmountable.

Serial killers and international intrigue, moments of relief nearly comic in their logic ("What was I complaining about? I didn’t have any of those pressures. For me, it was just one lousy guy trying to kill me."), and the interplay between family and deadly forces is well done. These all expand Zach's personality and purposes and provide prior fans and newcomers with another wild adventure where everything is threatened and nothing is safe.

Insatiable Hate isn't just about hate and revenge: it's ultimately about tenacity and its ability to alter the course of events. Zach's efforts will continue to involve hearts and minds accustomed to thriller formats and will delight audiences with the notion that even when the inevitable seems inescapable, there's always hope.

Prior fans of Zach's adventures will find this latest story packed with nonstop action, while newcomers will want to turn to Mistaken Enemy for more. 

Insatiable Hate

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Island of the Dolls

Jeremy Bates
Ghillinnein Books
978-1-988091-8-2       $$24.50 hardcover, $2.99 Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Island-Dolls-Worlds-Scariest-Places-ebook/dp/B019O6C5GW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

www.jeremybatesbooks.com 

Island of the Dolls adds to the 'World's Scariest Places' series with Book Four. Each book's setting is actually a real-world place, and so Isla de las Mune-cas (the Island of the Dolls) is actually a floating garden in Mexico. A legend about a drowned girl and dolls that haunt the premises forms the foundation for a gripping story that is a fine addition to the series, but also stands well on its own, making it an attraction for newcomers.

The tale opens with a little girl's near-drowning and the threat from gruesome dolls that leads her to flee. The compelling opener immediately shifts to the first person as the protagonist awakens from a nightmare and an alcoholic binge from the night before. He's part of an ad hoc TV documentary group that has come to investigate the legend of an area haunted by dolls, but the truth is even more bizarre when they find themselves immersed in murder, mayhem, and a legend that may prove all too real for comfort.

Island of the Dolls excels in creating gripping scenarios and building believable protagonists who move from disbelief and personal angst to terror. It employs many of the devices professional thriller authors use, creating solid characters and making them walk out of their familiar worlds into scenarios that challenge their beliefs and connections to each other, the world, and reality itself, and it provides a satisfying dose of horror wrapped in the compelling events of an investigation that takes many unexpected twists and turns.

This means that the action is vivid, the protagonists convincing, and the winding plot leaves nobody behind as it weaves through a virtual maze of creepy possibilities.

Readers might feel that some of the tension and scenes are a bit drawn out (such as when the protagonists face a dark crawlspace or hole and argue about who should face its dark possibilities), but this serves to neatly heighten tension and just when the build-up seems too much - snap - an unexpected discovery is made which could be either benign or explosively shocking.

Inject more than a small degree of social reflection into events ("Elizaveta recalled life in Saint Petersburg in the early- to mid-nineties. The brutal winters, the jostling for food and other basic supplies, the overcrowded buses, the cynicism and aggression, the robberies and racketeering, the misfortune and disdain etched on everyone's faces. Despite all this, her compatriots certainly had more than Solano—yet were their lives any better than his? Were they more fulfilled?") for a powerful saga that reaches out, grips strongly, and proves hard to put down.

Thriller fans and readers of Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and other masters of the art will find much to love in this highly recommended, action-packed read. 


Island of the Dolls

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Novels

Awakening Kali
T. S. Ghosh
Zharmae Publishing Press, L.L.C.
Ebook: ASIN: B01806MTKY     $4.99
Paperback: 978-1943549436    $14.95
http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Kali-T-S-Ghosh-ebook/dp/B01806MTKY

Awakening Kali is set in the 1900s in Bengal and opens with the myth of the Indian goddess Kali, who savors the taste of the demon blood she has consumed and dances a primal victory dance of destruction until she realizes that she may have destroyed something she loves.

Fast forward to quite a different world in 1937: one in which Kali slumbers and her wrath has left the world. In this world, Chhaya is the youngest daughter in a family that doesn't want her, and she finds a new beginning in life when she is married off to a man who really loves her.

But Chhaya's world trembles under the weight of love, newly awakening the destructive fires of Kali. Is Chhaya cursed or blessed, and will the slumbering powers of her own passion destroy everything she loves?

Awakening Kali is a unique read about another culture, another time, and cross purposes. It's infused with pending disaster, it creates a captivating story of wrath and various forms of mental illness, and it places characters at odds with their world.

The rich culture and traditions of India are an integral part of a story infused with mythology and social tradition, while Chhaya's choices and challenges and India's perspective on mental illness is exquisitely portrayed, woven into a tale of love, madness, and change.

Dialogues between protagonists create powerful scenes in which insanity is displayed and probed: "Forget the cleaning today. The cleaning doesn’t matter. Don’t you know what today is?” He gave her a forced smile. “It’s Independence Day! India is finally free of the British! It’s monumental! It’s what our parents and grandparents dreamed of! The entire city is celebrating. We need to take the children and be a part of this historic moment!” He watched the change in her face as she absorbed his words. He saw the glimmer of rational thought battling with the madness in her brain. For a moment, he thought he caught a glimpse of the old Chhaya, his Chhaya, peering up at him. And then, in a flash, she was gone. And the madwoman returned in her place. “I don’t care what day it is! I have to get the house cleaned! I have to! Don’t you understand?” She gave him a frantic look."

Self-knowledge is often a part of mental illness, and as Chhaya descends into a dark place, she admits what is going on even as she's helpless to change it: "Of course, it wasn’t the gods that she was angry at—at least, not right now. No, it was Arun she was angry with. It was his fault that she had lost count. After all, it was his stupid, idiotic story that had distracted her. She paused. Was it really just a story, though? Or was leaving them something he was truly considering? Was he really that unhappy? Part of her brain laughed at its own query. Of course he was that unhappy—he was living with a wraith, a phantom of a wife who haunted him with her lunacy and her rage. Because that’s what she truly was—a dark, angry, cavernous shadow that shrouded everything and everyone she touched. No wonder he wanted to leave her."

Many stories about mental illness are set in Western cultures. To find one that reflects the cultural norms and social perspectives of another world is exceptional, and to wind a plot from the different perspectives of protagonists caught up in this world and its limited choices - well, that is extraordinary.

Awakening Kali is more than a novel about obsessive-compulsive mental disorder. It's a story of how that condition becomes a part of Indian society and how it transforms the lives of all it touches, offering a riveting, compelling read that is hard to put down and especially recommended for any with an interest in mental health stories in general and Indian culture in particular. 


Awakening Kali

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By Your Deeds
Boston Teran
High Top Publishing
978-1-56703-068-6      $9.95
www.hightoppublishing.com 


By Your Deeds tells the vivid story of one Violette Sier, a female attorney of the 1920s New York who finds herself traversing the globe in defense of her latest client, an American war hero who is being detained and imprisoned overseas; but to call this a story revolving around detective work or courtroom battles would be to do it a grave disservice.

By Your Deeds is also the story of a young career woman who follows her impossible dreams, of a nation coming of age against the backdrop of war, of survival against all odds, and of a decorated soldier's last dream of traveling to Mongolia retracing the journeys of Genghis Khan: a pursuit that places him in more danger than his what he faced during wartime years.

There's more than one way of obliterating purpose in life, and though Harlan has learned this during war, it's a lesson that is destined to return to him time and again in the course of this story ("Sweeping it away is meant to symbolize the impermanence of life and the world. It is part of the lesson to be experienced and learned.").

At a pivot point in history where war gives way to powerful and significant events and when men and women stand on the cusp of empowerment, Violette and Harlan are oddities in a world still churning with political and social violence.

Patriotism and passion, endearment and idealism, and forms of tyranny and oppression all come together and haunt Violette and Harlan's movements as they dance around the social structure and culture that is Europe and beyond - and around one another: "She was a moment of wordless beauty. If he could have dreamed her up, he would have. He felt like a lonely soul on a rooftop who had just been found. She'd entered his existence and consumed it like a fever, but in the back of his mind was a stealthing fear this could all only promise sorrow."

Envision a ballet. Every movement is precise. Every description is crafted for maximum effect and social, legal, and political processes are honed to sharpened edges as Violette faces circumstances she never dreamed of, in which "A thousand dreams went off inside her head like tiny sparklers."

The best novels come with quests, romance, good and bad deeds, retribution and redemption. By Your Deeds follows these processes, using two vivid protagonists to explore life and love in a long journey that examines deeds done and undone, using sterling language that is precise and bright: "They lay together in silence in the dark of a warm night in the sanctuary. They had spent it all. One’s leg hung over the other’s like a draped hour hand. The air was heavy as a long summer from their breathing. You look to find important words but to what end? No matter how armed you are with words or passion, with caring or love, in the end you are left clinging to one truth–time is mortal."

With its wider-ranging examinations crafted within a story of redemption, forgiveness, and discovery, all wrapped with crystalline words and compelling descriptions, what's not to like, here? The package simply shines and will attract fiction readers seeking vivid writing and a compelling novel of transformation and adventure. 


By Your Deeds

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Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions
Jennifer Morse
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B019QW65Z6       .99
http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Godmothers-Directions-Jennifer-Morse-ebook/dp/B019QW65Z6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453476231&sr=8-1&keywords=Fairy+Godmothers+of+The+Four+Directions

One might anticipate from its title that Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions will be a fantasy or the fable retold; but Jennifer Morse's background is in psychology, so here she uses the parable of the fairy godmother to examine choices and attitudes. Yes, this is couched in a fairy tale format; but it's anything but fantasy leisure reading, as readers will quickly discover.

Picture Cinderella's stark world after her parents died, for example. Unloved and grieving, Cinderella throws herself into work in an effort to cope with her loss and the cruelty that newly dominates much of her world. This process paves the way for a fairytale rescue - but not before she moves past her grief to arrive at the heart of what she truly desires and wishes to be. (In this case, in keeping with the original story, everything revolves around the Prince.)

The Cinderella character and fairytale is neatly juxtaposed with psychological insights in passages that pair a young girl's changing priorities and perspectives with the arrival of a miracle in her life. Under Morse's hand, these hurdles, barriers, and transformations are exposed as what must take place in order for Cinderella to be able to receive her gifts and perceive the truths of her world, and the idea of the singular rescuer becomes much more complex in Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions.

As the story's retelling embraces psychological concepts, scientific insights and science-based research evolves, and readers will be pleasantly surprised by a tale that succeeds in the difficult effort of taking a well-worn fantasy and injecting into it a completely different avenue of understanding: "Your mirror neutrons live next door to motor neutrons. Mirror neutrons are activated by your imagination, dreaming, even intuition. When the mirror neutrons ignite they cause a ripple out effect to the motor neutrons. In this way you are, literally and physically, preparing to live your goals by first dreaming them."

What a fine way of absorbing psychological insights! It could be said that Cinderella doesn't dream high enough: that her goals of achieving love and centering her psyche on a man are, in fact, self-limiting, and that the power of the fairy godmother is reduced by Cinderella's objectives. Feminist readers will undoubtedly take issue with this focus; but Cinderella undertakes these journeys alone, builds independence, and discovers newfound strengths, and so her goals evolve beyond the singular purpose of finding a man and basking in love.

The wider-ranging strength of Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions lies in its ability to serve as a guideline to translating ambition, opportunity, and life goals from fantasy into reality. Cinderella's growth process embraces mystical as well as psychological and scientific concepts and sweeps readers along for a walk into (and out of) her world. The result is a powerful examination of vulnerability and change that takes the trappings of a well-worn fairytale and injects it with new life.

Readers of psychology, fantasy retellings, and self-help books will find Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions a satisfyingly different approach that succeeds in packing much food for thought into what initially appears to be a simple retelling. 

Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions

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Forever Gentleman
Roland Colton
Anaphora Literary Press
9781681142296    $40.00
http://anaphoraliterary.com 
 

Forever Gentleman is a historical novel set in Victorian London and blends the author's love for architecture, music and history as it steeps its story in the sights, sounds, and flavors of the era and follows Renaissance man Nathan, whose struggles as an architect and a musician bring him in contact with the ladies and lords of high society.

Nathan's gifts bring him love in unexpected places; but they also are challenged by his economic misfortunes and by threats that give him clear choices between romance or seeking safety in another country.

From the squalor of Debtor's Prison to judges, courtroom dramas, and the beckoning possibilities of a new life that takes his beloved piano concertos to new heights, Forever Gentleman is about a young man finding his place in society and the social trials and snafus (and romance) that confront him along the way.

Readers who like atmospheric, sweeping historical sagas cemented by the personal goals, observations, and challenges of protagonists who interact on many levels will relish Forever Gentleman's special ability to turn out a rollicking good read while remaining true to the history and influences of its times.

It's a romance, it's a mystery, and it's a history all wrapped into one satisfyingly beautiful production, and is highly recommended for anyone who appreciates a depth and attention to detail that results in a powerful story line. 


Forever Gentleman

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Ghosts of Mateguas
Linda Watkins
Argon Press
978-1-944815-01-1  eBook      $2.99
978-1-944815-00-4  Print         $16.95
http://lindawatkins.biz/
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Mateguas-Island-Novel-ebook/dp/B01BJ38QAW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1454931282&sr=8-7&keywords=mateguas+island
Nook:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghosts-of-mateguas-linda-watkins/1123373406?ean=2940157740245
Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/ghosts-of-mateguas

Ghosts of Mateguas joins others in the Mateguas Island saga in providing the third novel in a series that excels in blending supernatural forces with a family's relationships and the lure of an island which has changed all their lives.

Here the story continues (prior familiarity with the preceding books is recommended) with the "Puffin Man" (who is dating Susan), Karen Andersen (who wonders about the true origins of her infant son and his connection to Mateguas Island), and a family that returns to the island which served as a scene of terror in the past.

The changes aren't over, yet: as each family member uncovers new challenges and horrors and a new body emerges to add to the previous roll call of carnage, it seems the lure of Mateguas Island is not only alive and well, but irresistible, once again holding the power to attract and change the lives of all who encounter it.

Bill, Karen, Terri, and Dex's fates seem predetermined and unshakable - or are they? Amidst a series of events that winds around a terrible truth and requires its protagonists to make difficult choices, Ghosts of Mateguas offers a compelling saga of grief, guilt, and perseverance that deftly combines suspense with supernatural intrigue.

Prior fans of the series, especially, will find the further interactions between the characters to be engrossing and satisfying, staying true to prior events while adding deeper insights and tension and intrigue to the mix and adding a dose of revelations and truths that draw together prior events in a satisfying new story just as well-crafted as its predecessors. 

Ghosts of Mateguas

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The Gilded Cage
Judy Alter
Alter Ego Publishing
978-0-9960131-2-3
$14.99 paperback, $4.99 digital
http://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Cage-Novel-Chicago-ebook/dp/B01C348KTS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456334542&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Gilded+Cage+Alter

One doesn't expect a fictional story of two privileged people to reflect the historical transformation of one of America's largest cities; but any with an interest in Chicago history will quickly discover The Gilded Cage is just such a gem - a history embellished with all the drama of fiction, bringing events and protagonists to life.

Any good novel captures the sights, smells, and scenes of its setting, and The Gilded Cage opens right away with these feelings: "He would never forget the smell. It crept into the railroad car and clung to his clothes and the prickly plush seats on which he’d sat and slept for two days. It was almost strong enough that he thought he could reach out and touch it. A whiff of animal odors, a hint of sewage, but mostly a swamplike mustiness, oppressively heavy."

As the murky muddiness of early Chicago comes to life, along with the uncertainty of a traveler who could have lived anywhere else and perhaps enjoyed a better environment ("He hesitated, peering uncertainly out the window to see only an empty, muddy field with small buildings in the distance. In his mind, he saw Lockport, New York, with its neat frame homes with white picket fences, carefully tended shops, lovely old trees. Or New York City—he could take the train back to the city and carve a sophisticated life for himself there."), the story of how a Quaker child evolves into a man who reaches for more than a tranquil country community life creates a vivid introduction to Chicago's world.

Readers journey with Potter into this world, experiencing his marriage, his interactions with high society's functions, and the social and political forces working to transform the rugged city into something more modern.

Few novels can capture all the forces affecting an urban struggle for modernity. That The Gilded Cage does so through the perceptions and efforts of protagonists who hold various disparate special interests, from women's suffrage to architectural and building challenges, is testimony to a well-rounded survey of how early Chicago evolved and the forces at work to transform it.

From fires and riots to amazing triumphs, Potter and Cissy are part of how and why their world changes. The Gilded Cage provides readers with a vivid re-enactment of Chicago's most amazing period of history through their eyes. Culminating in the fairytale World’s Columbian Exposition, The Gilded Cage shows why sometimes you can't go home again - or how a world can change to the point where it can no longer be called home.

Readers of historical fiction (especially those with an affinity for Chicago) will relish every page of this inviting, atmospheric story. 

The Gilded Cage

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Juvenal's Lament: A Political Fable
Alan Thompson
W & B Publishers

9001 Ridge Hill St., Kernersville, NC 27284
9781942981541           $17.99
Author's website: http://mindsonshelves.com/
Publisher's website: http://a-argusbooks.com/home.htm 


Juvenal's Lament: A Political Fable anticipates a prior affection for political settings and processes from its readers; but those holding such an affinity will find it replete with a fine blend of intrigue and insights. While its setting is in the (realistic) near future of America, the story line is close enough to modern times that it should be viewed as a fable or a novel, and not as political sci-fi in the traditional sense.

Tommy Sawyer is chosen to serve out a dead congressman's remaining term, but he doesn't expect to become involved in an impeachment trial of a Chief Justice. Events that follow create a tangled web of political confrontations and questions ranging from murder to corruption at the highest levels of political office.

What's a lone man to do - particularly one who has been chosen to be just an office placeholder before the next election? There are plenty of options, as Tommy discovers when a task urged upon him by officials and his wife becomes something much more complicated: "I had experience in Washington.  Would I agree to run in the special election to fill out the remaining nine months of the term, while they settled on the district’s next real Congressman? I thought not, but my wife – herself a native of Washington, D.C., and still owner of an historic Georgetown mansion – sought to convince me otherwise.  “You’re always complaining about the government,” she said.  “Now you can do something about it.” “One man?  In nine months?” “Maybe not.  Maybe you’ll run again.  They all do.”  She paused.  “And who knows?  Given your history, nine months might be enough.”

As the fable unfolds, Tommy's strength as a political outsider with insider status sets the stage for a series of events that are politically confrontational even as they are personally life-changing.

Readers can never accuse the protagonist of sitting quietly or taking events lightly. Tommy and his opinions are one of the driving forces of Juvenal's Lament and ultimately serve to depict the psyches, motivations, forces of corruption, and dangerous influences in mainstream governmental processes and procedures.

As terrorism, political manipulation, and disconnects between public interests and political processes comes to a boil, Juvenal's Lament becomes a heady rush into disaster tempered only by Tommy's ability to resist established procedures while lending his different voice to this world.

It's difficult to neatly peg this story. At times it's a murder mystery, at times an investigation into political process, and at other moments, a probe of life-changing events: "Had I learned anything that mattered?  Perhaps Lucinda’s mother was involved in the Radcliffe suicides.  If so, was that just history, or did it have anything to do with the plot against the Chief Justice?  Or the deaths in Greenwich Village?"

Can one man truly make a difference? That’s one of the central questions driving Juvenal's Lament, a political fable that combines the fervor of a coming-of-age saga with a blossoming of personal and political processes in an era where America stands on the cusp of freedom and fascism, not entirely unlike where the world stands today.

Readers of detective and mystery stories, political process, and intrigue and investigation who enjoy a complex, ever-changing roll call of characters and special interests will find Juvenal's Lament a satisfying and unique story. It neatly juxtaposes the personal ambitions and life of one Tommy Sawyer with a crescendo of legal and political events that could lead to either all-out disaster or new beginnings; all resting firmly on the pros and cons of democratic political processes and how power is ultimately acquired and wielded. 


Juvenal's Lament: A Political Fable

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Patch of Dirt
Richard Lutman
Hawkins Publishing Group

P.O. Box 447, Bellflower, CA 90707
978-0-9962145-2-0            $13.95
www.hawkinspublishinggroup.com 



Joe Oliver is a weather-beaten, thirty-something cowboy in Montana, out looking for work, when he stumbles on a strange deal involving a sixty-something ex-Vietnam vet and his much younger wife.

It turns out that the task at hand is more than the usual ranching job. Rita and Frank are looking for someone to be the biological father for their child and Joe seems the perfect candidate for the job - until Rita falls in love with him.

A nasty triangle of complexity evolves, placing Joe in the much more dangerous position of having to solidify his feelings and make some difficult choices. What began as another ranch job has just turned into something far more complicated than anyone could have predicted.

Patch of Dirt is about ordinary people facing bad weather, bad ideas, and poor outcomes. It adds many elements to the Western theme that are satisfyingly unexpected as it probes the emotions and motivations of three very different characters, and it tells of a loner who has eschewed close connections until Rita enters his life. And even then, for him, circumstances are not cut and dried nor filled with sudden love, but foster a slow simmering of ambivalence.

As Rita snoops through Joe's soul and confronts her own mixed emotions, the characters uncover consequences from their actions and choices ("She knew Joe was breaking into pieces she couldn’t mend.  She hadn’t meant for that to happen."). Joe and Rita find themselves in discussions and situations that lead each to question their lives and decisions.

That's one of the many strengths of Patch of Dirt, which takes many matters of the heart (from spirituality to sex and interpersonal connections) and closely examines them all.

Richard Lutman's attention to probing the separate psyches of Frank, Rita and Joe ("Even after marrying Rita he still felt a growing loneliness and fear.  At sixty-five his life was nearly over.  The last of his line, he wanted to finally be called Dad and maybe even Grandfather.") creates a powerful result when these individual examinations come together in an explosive reaction. As each protagonist probes their past and their interrelationships, the central theme of the story blossoms until each separate figure's struggles and regrets becomes driving forces in their choices for their future.

Readers anticipating a one-dimensional or shallow Western adventure will find Patch of Dirt something far more complex, showing how three very different people share their lives, come together, and depart. It's a powerful story that transcends the usual limits and perceptions of the Western romance, and will delight and surprise readers who seek something more than light action or casual romantic interplays. 


Patch of Dirt

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Pearlie
Judy Iverson
CreateSpace
9781523815401     $13.75
http://amzn.com/152381540X 

To call Pearlie a ghost story would be to oversimplify its intentions, because even though a ghost is involved, the real story is about the circumstances that created her - and here's where Pearlie really shines. How does a relationship spanning generations result in tragedy and a haunting? And what will keep the deadly scenarios from happening again?

Pearlie takes the ghost story format and elevates it into a saga of intergenerational relationships, examining how patterns are formed, repeat, and sometimes proceed towards inevitable conclusions unless something alters them.

Chapters take their time to build suspense and craft the set of circumstances surrounding Pearl's creation and ultimate demise, documenting family sufferings, blessings, and why one spirit is compelled to hang around after death.

Struggles to keep families together against all odds, fundamental belief systems and messy complications, and issues of accountability and angst drive a story that is as much about family interactions and patterns as it is about a wandering old soul's effects on these patterns.

All this is why readers looking for the typical ghost/haunting saga from Pearlie could be disappointed: there's far more depth here than in a singular ghost story, and a satisfying complexity revolves around family history which focuses on the bigger picture, where Pearl's presence is just one facet of what is passed between generations.

Readers who consider a ghost the icing on a cake of intergenerational angst and skeletons in the closet will find Pearlie a wonderfully evocative read, especially recommended for audiences who delight in stories of family history, mystery, and ultimately, forgiveness. 


Pearlie

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Re-Enchanting Nature
David Vigoda
Collioure Books
978-0-9728250-0-9
    $15.95
www.davidvigoda.com 

Frank is a photographer who has spent his life documenting disasters, but now he's on a different kind of mission: one that seeks to capture not despair and terror, but what is good and hopeful in the world.

His journey to the mountains of France only serves to emphasize his isolation, for there is nobody to greet him upon arrival and no connections to touch base with. He is alone, and his seclusion will be one of the facets that makes his re-connections with the world so vivid.

David Vigoda's special strength lies in his ability to take ordinary settings and circumstances and elevate them into accounts packed with extra-sensory life and perceptions: "Stepping onto the stairway beneath a brilliant mid-day spring Mediterranean sun, nodding goodbye to the co-pilot, he reminded himself that the only way to enter a new world was through the center of the old and that there could be no decisive move forward without the seductions of hesitation. At the bottom was a piece of old carpeting drenched in cleanser, an improvised response to a recent explosion of hoof and mouth disease among British herds, and as the liquid squished around his shoes he smiled at the attendants and gazed at the palm trees thinking that he had died and been reborn. ‘That’s why the attendant in Heathrow was so cheerful, she was my guide to the afterlife. I died there and the plane was my coffin. But that long claustrophobic corridor was also a birth canal, and the plane a bird carrying me to my new life. Emerging from it was rebirth, the disinfecting mat a purification."

Under his hand, the process of rebirth and protagonists whose very different lives and forms of chaos intersect make for gripping descriptions of vulnerabilities and revelations without neglecting intricate descriptions of the most subtle of details, such as a dinner between a physicist and a philosopher and how their discussion evolves into touch and something more.

Of necessity, these descriptions are sometimes lengthy and adopt a step-by-step examination of the process of connection. There's nothing quick about Vigoda's representation of these experiences, and readers searching for stories that skim over these smaller details in favor of nonstop action and drama might find themselves stymied by the slow, inevitable documentation of relationships and close encounters.

But that's one of the delights afforded to those who would take the time to absorb a fine meal rather than inhaling aromas on the run: they settle, they grasp, and they become an irresistibly compelling piece of a story line that moves deftly beyond two isolated and lonely individuals and into the trajectory of their lives and decisions and the intersection of choices both good and bad.

Using this slower approach, truths sparkle like gems from casual and serious encounters: "She stared at him, eyes still pleading for forgiveness, for him not to be too hurt. “To know how to free oneself is nothing,” she said. “The hard part is knowing how to be free.” She knew she was quoting from a novel again but at that moment, wanting so much to change the look in his eyes, she couldn’t think of a better way to speak the truth." Arrogance, survival, science and nature, and the worlds of art and science ultimately lead to new definitions of love, new confrontations of myths, and original insights into reality, choice, and consequence.

Readers who look for a novel well steeped in philosophy which takes the classic love scenario and turns it upside down will find much to relish in this evocative story of loners who seek to reinvent not just themselves and each other, but their worlds. 


Re-Enchanting Nature

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Welcome to the Show
Frank Nappi
Sky Pony Press
9781634508922          $9.99
www.skyhorsepublishing.com 


It's unusual to say that a third book of a series stands well on its own and doesn't really require the support or a prior knowledge of the others, but Welcome to the Show is such as production, adding to the Mickey Tussler series about an autistic baseball prodigy.

Set in the 1950s, this baseball saga continues the story of Mickey's rise to fame and connects major league playing with life's challenges in such a way that even non-baseball fans will find Mickey's progress absorbing (although baseball enthusiasts will be the most likely followers of Mickey's on- and off-field exploits.).

Frank Nappi's attention to detail and his honest appraisal of the times pulls no punches, so readers anticipating a light or breezy coverage of autism and social issues of the 1950s will find plenty of passages more detailed than might be anticipated from a casual baseball saga.

The protagonists in Welcome to the Show clearly reveal their thoughts, hopes, and worries ("Molly worried what people were saying, what they were thinking, and how they would treat her special boy. She also worried each time either Mickey or Arthur shared with her another incident that, in her opinion, placed her boy in peril."). Some are specific to Mickey's condition and others are more general expressions, but all psychological revelations hold food for thought and a depth unexpected for a 'baseball story': another reason why Welcome to the Show is notable when compared to other books about either autism or sports.

From encounters with prejudice about special needs in society ("Regular folks and other kinds should not mix. It ain't natural.") to games that teach Mickey about life ("Baseball, Murphy, like life, my friend, can only be understood backward…It can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward."), Welcome to the Show is about achievement against all odds and the ripple effect of a game that spills into life experience, ethics, and psychological growth.

So many factors entwine here that it's difficult to say Welcome to the Show is about any singular person or event. It is ultimately about the game of life itself, and continues a powerful series (prior books not seen by this reviewer) by exploring the evolution of this process, using a focus that any reader - baseball fan or not - can easily understand. 


Welcome to the Show

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Reviewer's Choice 

The Black Panthers at War
Gina M. Dinicolo

St. John's Press
9780966298673   
$12.99 paperback and $7.99 Kindle
http://www.ginamariadinicolo.com 


Readers of The Black Panthers at War: The 761st Tank Battalion and General Patton's Drive on Germany might at first anticipate a review of the notorious California Black Panthers group during the 1960s civil rights era, but this is a serious history about one of the most significant fighting forces in American history and should be in the collection of any serious military reader.

The 761st unit not only fought the Germans during World War II, but made a name for itself as the first African American tank unit to see combat. It served under General George Patton to fight on Europe's front lines. The unit experienced some of the most intense fighting of the war as it worked alongside Patton's Third Army to forge inroads that would lead to military success.

It should be noted that military readers of World War II history should also expect a healthy dose of biographical details about the tankers, descriptions of the social and political forces of the times, and a lively survey that embraces the personal lives and perspectives of many of the men, as well as their military struggles.

This well-rounded approach adds depth and an animated and compelling personal tone to the account, bringing the unit's entire experiences to life ("They moved through the frigid morning air. The roar of tank engines and the crunching of Sherman tracks broke the silence. The sound of German guns added to the cacophony.").

Military accounts often fail to add "you are there" details, or they focus excessively upon battle events overshadowing the lives of the men fighting. The Black Panthers at War uses these men and their leaders, including those in Washington, to recount this slice of history. These features make for a recommendation beyond its primary audience of military history followers and will attract anyone who would understand the special significance of the Black Panther force's achievements and the changing lives of its members. 

The Black Panthers at War

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Nurse Commitment
Dr. April Jones
CreateSpace
9781508655671      $25.99
https://www.createspace.com/5341862

Dr. April L. Jones has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Organizational Psychology which lends her the expertise and ability to analyze business structures and their internal organizations and structures, and her Nurse Commitment addresses a key issue in health management: attracting and retaining nurses.

It applies basic business concepts of team building to the nursing profession with a special eye to managing multi-generational teams, addressing staffing problems not unique to nursing, but to a wider range of business environments.

Six years of research went into the method described here, so this is not just an opinion piece, but a data-supported method that delves into the makeup of multi-generational workplaces and their special challenges.

Chapters consider how employees become committed to their workplaces (or not), how this commitment differs between generations and workplaces, and how employers can foster the kinds of employee dedication that build stronger organizations.

From the emotional challenges of affective commitment to the obligatory responsibility patterns of normative commitment, readers receive an analysis of different degrees of commitment and their patterns of behavior, connections between age and nursing credentials, how managers can use employee development plans with a different eye to implementing better work team models, and how employees can better assess their own progress through worksheets and employer assistance programs.

The result provides a strategic model for a voluntary development program that takes the special strengths and focuses of each different generation into account to build a better overall team.

While nurses and healthcare institutions will be the logical readers of this eye-opening, revealing approach, many a business will want to pursue its infallible logic and attention to building not just explanations and ideals, but an implementable program based on solid research which is heavily footnoted with references and bibliographic materials throughout. 

Nurse Commitment

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Snapshots: An Extraordinary Glimpse at Ordinary Lives
Alasdair Gardner
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B01BPLNYQO            $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/SNAPSHOTS-Extraordinary-Glimpse-Ordinary-Lives-ebook/dp/B01BPLNYQO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457276955&sr=8-1&keywords=Snapshots%3A+An+Extraordinary+Glimpse+at+Ordinary+Lives

With so much talk about seeing bigger pictures, finding hidden meanings in life and words, and creating works that embed these bigger-than-life concepts into ordinary experiences, it's refreshing to find a book that focuses on the smaller segments of what makes life extraordinary; and that smaller piece is Snapshots.

The five short stories in this collection capture one small piece of a life. Each piece is stand-alone, but each segment holds within it a kernel of observation that both connects it to the other stories and provides a self-contained revelation all by itself.

Take "Timmy's Truck", for example, in which a Yankee businessman trying to assimilate into his new Virginia environment looks to buy a pickup truck, only to find it's actually a vehicle for something much more than integration.

Or think about the camaraderie, companionship, and underlying competition in "The Poker Game", a regular series of interactions whose rules and psyches are shaken by a newcomer to the group who introduces a different kind of game.

Test drives through culture and social mores, games turned all too serious by one change in makeup and strategy, and issues of love, loyalty, health and disease, and slightly altered consciousness make for joyrides through space, time, morality, and individual lives.

Passion and poetry, office politics and angst, new beginnings and odd conclusions - all these are deftly captured in snapshots of the moment that capture pivot points where change can either stall or progress.

Like exquisite gems, they shine alone. Presented as they are in a collection holding a light entwining of themes and approaches, they are even stronger, and will delight readers of literary short stories who enjoy short vignettes that glimpse and reveal individual lives. 

Snapshots: An Extraordinary Glimpse at Ordinary Lives

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Young Adult/Childrens

Alone (#1 Flamestone Trilogy)
Holly Hook
Holly Hook, Publisher
ISBN:  1523368934           ASIN: B019TOP8HM
Price: 0.99 Kindle              8.99 Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Alone-Flamestone-Trilogy-Holly-Hook-ebook/dp/B019TOP8HM
http://www.amazon.com/Alone-1-Flamestone-Trilogy/dp/1523368934/ref=sr_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455979626&sr=1-19&keywords=Holly+Hook

 Alone is Volume 1 of the Flamestone Trilogy and opens with a bang: a smartphone tags the protagonist's best friend as 'MISSING', sparking the angst and attention of Elaine, who is on a journey to both save her friend and deny the possible connections between herself and her murderous father.

There's only one way of proving her different psyche, and that's to embark on a journey to find her friend. Best friends tell each other everything - but Talia never mentioned possible abuse from her foster family. Best friends keep no secrets - but Elaine has harbored one which she cannot seem to share with anyone. And best friends don't give up on one another - even when the situation seems hopeless, and even if the journey involves walking out of everything Elaine finds familiar.

Alone begins this quest and brings Elaine to a world with no smartphones, no technology support, and too many monsters. It's a world in which her rejection of her family background might have been the wrong move: a world in which these murderous impulses may be the only things standing between life and death.

Elaine's going to have to traverse strange lands and develop a skill set she never knew before - and readers are going to ride along for her heart-wrenching journey. It's just that simple, because once Alone is begun, it's hard to put down.

Feisty protagonists, excellent twists and turns of plot, and gripping moments of pursuit and life-or-death confrontations keep readers on the edges of their seats. Young adult to adult readers of fantasy, horror, and intrigue will find Alone is solidly cemented by protagonists who are not just believable, but absorbing. Their purposes, failings, and adventures become an intrinsic part of a saga that paints a stunning portrait of survival against all odds.

And yes, it's Book One. Be forewarned: more adventures will continue the journey introduced here! 

Alone (#1 Flamestone Trilogy)

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The Flower Fairy Superhero
Noam Atinsky (transcribed by Bryan Atinsky)
The Flower Fairy Superhero Publishing, LLC
Hardcover: 978-0-9888226-0-3    $24.95
IBooks: 978-0-9888226-1-0    $5.99
Kindle: 978-0-9888226-3-4     $5.99
http://www.theflowerfairysuperhero.com

There was once a little girl named the Flower Fairy: a super heroine of a different nature, who loves to help people. Her bright red shoes enable her to fly, she holds an enchanted basket, and her mission is to help anyone in need.

When she comes upon a queen whose castle has been stolen from her by an ogre, she confronts an evil monster who is big, scary, and hungry. He's sure she will fight him - but her weapons are magical flowers and a big heart.

The real value of a superpower lies not in confrontation and battle, but in viewing 'evil' in a new, positive light: one that can change even the monster inside.

What happens next offers young picture book readers of all ages (and their read-aloud parents) a joyful story with an underlying, positive message.

The bright, simple drawings by Francisco X. Mora are presented in a format enhanced by a read-along audio that highlights words as they are spoken. The pages can be set to turn automatically, and professional voice-over actors enhance the compelling story line. The result is a delightful multi-media package that winds a powerful message within a light, fun story of a magical girl who wants to spread goodness through the world through her actions: a message parents will relish in a voice-saving format they will appreciate.  The book in this format is available on IBooks. There is a Kindle version with audio, but not highlighted.  There is also a hard cover print version on Amazon with a special price if you buy both the print and Kindle version.

The original 'flower fairy' was an American child, Noam, who loved stories involving superheroes who helped others. She was only five when she was killed, along with other family members, in a car accident in Israel - but months before her death she wrote a puppet play, dictated the story to her father and mother, and it was performed before her death at her 5th birthday party. It lives on in this book.

It should also be noted that part of the proceeds of all versions of the book go to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

The Flower Fairy Superhero

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Grammy’s Glen
Toni Atkinson
Booklogix
www.booklogix.com


Grammy's Glen consists of a poem and illustrations (the latter not seen by this reviewer) and tells of a wise woman who lives alone in a glen, surrounded by animals and natural beauty. She tends her animals and enjoys the lovely scenery alone, until a girl and her brother stumble upon her world and partake of its magic.

Children will find this gentle poem a fine introduction to a world of natural wonder, while parents will appreciate the fact that there are no threats of looming darkness or danger to spoil the feel of a fine day outdoors.

From observing colorful fish and ducks to watching vivid green turtles, it's enough for Grammy and the children to sit and enjoy their world. The poem imparts the sense that drama and adventure can be present even in the most gentle of observations.

The theme may promote seeing "through the eyes of a child," but Grammy's ability to enter this world and absorb and reflect the peacefulness of nature is what makes this piece special.

When paired with colorful illustrations, Grammy's Glen will be an excellent picture book recommendation for readers of all ages who would find adventure in the peace of nature and lives lead by animals. 

Grammy’s Glen

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Khahari Discovers The Joy of Family
Evan J. Roberts
Empowered People Press
978-0-9966463-1-4             $9.95
www.influentialandhighlysuccessful.com
www.khahari.com
 


From the beginning, baby Khahari is passionately loved, and there's much to be done to prepare for the new arrival. The routines and expectations of new parents are captured in a light rhyming verse and a picture book presentation that celebrates family from the initial discovery of a new baby's imminent arrival to bringing the child home and raising it.

Illustrations by Janine Carrington offer large-size, fun, and very colorful drawings of family scenes, while the gentle text will lend visual support to a vivid family story that steps a child through the process of anticipating the joy of a newborn's arrival. In almost every image the parents and child are smiling, laughing, and enjoying life: a bright and positive message that captures the joys of discovering the world.

As Khahari grows up, he experiences the world for himself and discovers his own joys, from a family zoo visit at the age of two to the interjections of Mister Fearful, who would question even the easiest of outings.

How the family keeps Mister Fearful at bay and enjoys the world together makes for a warm, cozy rhyme that captures a family well versed in hugging, kissing, and displays of affection.

Part of successfully interacting with the world is having faith and a positive perspective: these are taught here as the family picture unfolds and grows. Kids and parents using Khahari Discovers The Joy of Family as a read-aloud will find it a delightful supporter of a family's drive to experience the best life has to offer, creating a positive message that makes for a standout read highly recommended for parents looking for supportive and fun texts.


Khahari Discovers The Joy of Family

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