August 2014 Review Issue

Table Of Contents
Arts
Who Says That’s Art? A Commonsense View of the Visual Arts
Michelle Marder Kamhi
Pro Arte Books
Paperback: 978-0-9906057-0-6       $TBA
Kindle edition: 978-0-9906057-1-3
E-Pub: 978-0-9906057-2-0               $9.99
http://mmkamhi.com/proarte

Michelle Marder Kamhi is a scholar and art critic, and her expertise lies in her ability to get directly to the point. The point provided here is an assessment of what qualifies a piece to be deemed 'fine art'; and in this, Kamhi's scrutiny is unerring. 

Who Says That’s Art? A Commonsense View of the Visual Arts deals with the radical transformation of visual art since the early 20th century: changes the author deems "deeply disturbing, even appalling."  The exact nature of these changes, and their overall negative effect, is documented in chapters that excel in specifics: references, analysis, and critical insights on what does or does not deserve to be called 'art'. 

Readers will find these insights supported by subjective perspectives as well as by thorough scholarship. Kamhi's enthusiasm for visual art often meets with disappointment at museum and gallery offerings: "Affixed to the roof’s east parapet … was a long curved slab of dark-grey bronze, entitled Horizontal Curve II—so undistinguished that it could easily be mistaken for part of the wall itself. Having found it, I thought 'This is it?' Wasn’t visual art supposed to catch the eye and hold it? And wasn’t it supposed to stir the heart and mind? How could the art of our time have come to so little?" 

Central to the discussion is what separates an 'expert' viewpoint from a 'common-sense' perspective.  In Kamhi's view, contemporary work that receives an 'expert' stamp of approval is more often a reflection of economic, social or political influences than it is of genuine quality : "…as Warhol is said to have declared: 'Art is whatever you can get away with.' Since the early years of the twentieth century, what reputed artists have gotten away with is astonishing indeed. It ranges from Black Square paintings by the Russian modernist Kazimir Malevich (1879–1935) to cans of excrement labeled Merda d’artista (“Artist’s shit”) by the Italian postmodernist Piero Manzoni (1933–1963) to a shark preserved in a tank of formaldehyde…" 

Art lovers who sense that many public displays considered 'art' are, in fact, a travesty will find much to applaud in Who Says That’s Art? With no holds barred, Kamhi hones in on the question of what should properly be considered 'art'. Now, don't expect a chatty personal viewpoint here: keep in mind that Kamhi is both a scholar and a critic. She includes extensive endnotes throughout and maintains an informed (yet accessible) approach as she probes what constitutes an art form, why the art world has migrated away from any reasonable standards, and how viewers can understand the difference between genuine work and the 'pseudo art' that fills museums and galleries of "contemporary art." 

Kamhi raises points certain to incite controversy, as in her assessment of modern photographic 'art' forms often on display: "…nowadays scarcely anyone in the artworld questions the status of photographs, any photograph, as art. In fact, photography (both static and video imaging) has largely displaced painting in the contemporary artworld." 

One chapter astutely focuses on matters related to the neuroscience of perception, including the relatively recent discovery of the “mirror neuron” system: “the same neural system that is involved when we engage in an action also activates when we observe the same or a similar action by another agent. . . . Of particular relevance for art is the fact that mirror neurons are normally activated not only by observing actual instances of emotional expression and action in others but also by seeing images of such phenomena. . . . such observation not only activates the brain’s visual areas, it is also registered in the [relevant] motor areas. . . ." 

Kamhi does not argue that 'real art' is dead: only that a greater measure of critical discretion needs to be applied to identifying it. And here's where she shines, providing non-specialists with a scholarly yet accessible account that not only explains how to distinguish genuine art, but also promises to enhance its appreciation whenever such gems are to be found! 

And for the neglected true artists faced with the overwhelming proliferation and promotion of 'pseudo art', there's even a radical concluding suggestion inviting them to band together for a greater purpose than promoting only their own work. It is the perfect icing on a cake packed with flavorful insights and reflections!
Biography & Autobiography
Don't Die With Regrets
John A. Brennan
Escribe Publishing Inc.
0615975860       $19.95
www.escribepublishing.com 

Don't Die With Regrets: Ireland and the Lessons My Father Taught Me comes from an Irish writer whose saga begins in ancient Ireland but quickly moves to the present day as he travels the world on a journey of self-discovery and revelations.  

The basic focus is upon what it means to live life to the fullest so that time is not wasted and at life's end there are few regrets for 'what could have been'. The course of Brennan's life not only holds true to his pursuit, but offers readers food for thought during similar searches for meaning. 

This takes the form of stories depicting lessons learned from both a childhood in Ireland and a coming of age in America. His personal journey is backed by a long family history and spiced with illustrations that document the Brennan family and its experiences. 

Anticipate first-person stories that offer vignettes of wisdom stemming from everything from a fishing incident to a garden's lessons on hard work and which teaches basics on handling people both nasty and positive and using one's talents to understand the world at large. 

At each stage Brennan offers his own perspective on growth, evolution, and how even routine habits lead to a better understanding of the world: "I can always judge my performance by counting the number of times during the day that I have bitten my tongue…This simple act sets the tone for the rest of the day and serves as an important reminder. I have discovered that aggressive people feel justified only if they receive negative feedback." 

And so Don't Die With Regrets is not only about making the most of one's time, but doing so with a focus that attracts good people and insights and neatly deflects negativity and soul-consuming strife. 

There are spiritual insights, social insights, and travel encounters as well as family history; all woven into a blend of autobiography and inspirational writing designed to simultaneously entertain and educate. 

Any reader looking for such a blend will find Don't Die With Regrets to be a delightful, thought-provoking read.
Through the Woods
Margie Mack
CreateSpace
978-1496067210     $14.95 ($5.99 Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/Through-The-Woods-Margie-Mack/dp/1496067215/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404572607&sr=8-3&keywords=Through+the+Woods

Through the Woods is memoir writing at its best; which is saying a lot considering the form is widely used and just as widely abused.

A good memoir ideally should be written by and about a public personality already established in the public eye… but then, there's the other memoir writer, who is less famous but no less talented.

Author Margie Mack began a new life in rural Illinois at an early age, living with her grandparents after her parents' divorce when her mother (an aspiring pianist) wanted her to have a more stable home than she could offer.

It was here that she discovered refuge in and connections to the wildlife and beauty that was Fox River, right outside her door - and here that she also absorbed the values and insights of senior relatives and neighbors who influenced her childhood years.

All this is reflected in a balanced memoir of those golden years, with her delights in newfound rural nature tempered by her grandparents' uncertain health. Mack's ability to bring readers into her early life and see the world through childhood eyes captures the wonder, magic, and small pleasures that youth brings, all wrapped up in passages that are poignant and moving portraits of yesteryear: "There were only twelve homes on our little dirt road up to the fork. But only seven of these homes, not including ours, were occupied in the winter months. It's funny how a small thing like a fork in the road can define who you know and who you don't."

Small kindnesses to strangers, holiday traditions and expectations, faith and love: all these are wound into Mack's memoir and draw readers into her life through vignettes laced with compelling images and perceptions.

Now, don't expect a memoir filled with epic struggles and high drama: Through the Woods isn't that kind of read.

DO anticipate a series of personal reflections on how ideals, experiences, and even spirituality and morals are absorbed from family interactions. It's a lesson (and a reminder) in giving. And in our high-octane, adrenalin-addicted, high-drama culture, this relative simplicity is an uplifting breath of fresh air. 
Wheels Up
Captain Steve Taylor
Joggling Board Press
9780991491100     $22.95      www.stevetaylorbooks.com

Wheels Up: Sky Jinks in the Jet Age is an unexpected treat: unexpected because of its humor. But when you look at the cover art (which shows a pilot poking up through a little hole in his aircraft's roof to wave at the camera) and read the book's subtitle, these are definitely clues that the contents of Wheels Up holds more than just a story of flying big planes.

Oh, this piece is there, of course: but the purpose here isn't to provide a serious account of exploits and air encounters: it's to chronicle the true-life antics of a pilot who is an ex-boxer, an air force pilot, and more. So expect a blend of autobiography along with hearty accounts of mishaps, ironies, and close encounters with strange passengers that included his 23-year-old daughter who, ironically, harbors an intense fear of flying.

Captain Taylor’s ex-wife, as well as his daughter, experienced a condition the author calls ‘FREUD’ (Flying Represents Early Ugly Death). You’d think an experienced pilot could allay this fear. But no: to some, flying is a dangerous endeavor. And the difference between irrational fear and ordinary apprehension creates a fine line between astute worry and sheer panic.

In the course of exploring his family's fears, Captain Taylor provides much insight into phobias and the real dangers of airplane operations; so the story becomes more than a narrative about one woman's fear but documents the very real phenomenon of 'fear of flying' and the realities involved in adapting to plane flight.

Because this is an autobiography, there are digressions, so readers seeking JUST airplane-oriented tales will find some chapters document other aspects of Taylor's life, such as hunting with a big-egoed but inexperienced hunter, or shooting out the tires of a garbage-dumper who invades his property.

The sky jinks are only a part of a bigger picture which translates to life encounters that hold more than a touch of irony and lessons to be learned. It's a pleasure, however, to see an autobiography that pairs comic relief (as in the hilarious story of Captain French Bread and his flight attendant) with serious reflection, adding a dose of pilot's experiences to supplement other outrageous pranks and fun moments: "Bob Norris did not get his reputation by not finalizing his jokes. He had left the airplane soon after we arrived at the gate and went to operations to secure paper with an official letterhead. When Pidd arrived at the bulletin board there was the phony safety memo about the fire hazard from faulty coffee makers."

It's this attention to humor and lessons learned from flying and life that makes Wheels Up an uplifting, memorable and fun read recommended for airplane enthusiasts and general autobiography readers alike.
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Haeven
John R. Spencer 
New Generation Publishing
ASIN: B00J8WED04     $7.99
Print edition: 978-1910162873     $14.99        
www.Solarium-3.com
www.newgeneration-publishing.com

Any who have appreciated the unique strengths of Solarium-3 are in for a treat: Haeven is published and ready to go, and embraces the same strengths of Solarium-3 without some of the usual detriments of trilogy titles.

It's time to take a stand on trilogies (starting with this book) and to point out that what is clearly stated as 'Book One of a trilogy' should be viewed as just that, and not as a stand-alone feature to be read independently (or instead) of the other books.

Haeven requires familiarity with its predecessor Solarium-3 on many levels, and while, yes, you could read it as a stand-alone story… why would you?

The groundwork has been wonderfully cemented in Solarium-3 and it's time to move on with the saga rather than wasting chapters re-creating the wheel of events: that Haeven does so will delight fans who have returned for 'more, please'.

Here the fragile safety that has built a sustainable environment is being threatened by a crack in both dome and psyches, requiring Solarium-3's inhabitants to consider going outside into a much-changed world. Is there more of a risk outside than inside? That’s the lingering question in a story that, once again, builds a seemingly-predictable scenario only to break all the rules with a series of events that keep readers on their toes and thinking.

Children (here, the only hope of the future) threatened by illness and contamination become one of the focal points in a gripping saga that once again gains its strength from psychological insights: "His mind was working, but painfully. Mai Ker had kids now. It was different than before. And he had kids. Everything was more complicated. It was not just fears, or feelings. Now it was practicalities, and far reaching implications. Things that were too confusing for him to contemplate right now."

Any who have studied the dynamics of social interaction will realize that this technique is one of the strengths of Spencer's  trilogy, elevating it from your usual survivalist focus.

As the struggling Solarians make headway in exploring their changed boundaries, they also make new inroads in exploring each others' place in the world. The characters achieve much more depth here; which is as it should be in the second book of a series.

And there's plenty of mystery and surprises; which is saying a lot for a premise that at first seems too entirely predictable.

It's rare to find a story that truly departs from an anticipated conclusion and wraps the element of surprise into its progression. It takes a real artist to create a logical path supported by innuendo and facts and then offer a twist that leads in an entirely different direction.

Solarium-3 was good; but Haeven is great and will lead readers to hunger for the final book, ReGeneration - especially as Haeven ends with a cliffhanger.

That John R. Spencer has succeeded in this effort in both Solarium-3 and Haeven lends to a compelling odyssey even veteran scifi readers will find hard to put down.
Solarium-3
John R. Spencer 
New Generation Publishing
ASIN: B00C781Q56        $7.99
Print Edition:     978-1909593312, $14.99  
www.Solarium-3.com
www.newgeneration-publishing.com

Solarium-3 is Book One of a trilogy and is lightly based upon real-world events as scientists seal themselves in a self-contained domed environment only to find their man-made habitat is flawed. Up to this point, all sounds familiar: the departure begins when they beg Project Control to release them and stop the experiment, only to find Control refuses them freedom.

What happens thereafter creates a complex, engrossing scifi read made all the more captivating and realistic by its grounding in an actual experiment (Biosphere 2) where the scientists stayed in their self-contained, sealed environment for two years. That experiment became more of a lesson in psychology and interpersonal conflict than habitat maintenance: Solarium-3 is where the similarities between Solarium-3 and Biosphere 2 diverge.

Here the scientists (who live in a series of interconnected 'pods') are committed to four years - but they become as devoted to getting out as they were to getting in when their environment becomes toxic and threatens their lives. So why is there any question about halting the experiment under these life-threatening conditions?

The truth may at first seem a bit predictable (either that the true experiment is something different, or that something has happened outside their sealed world), but Control hasn't actually vanished: it's just not talking. And so what seems a conventional progression of events turns into something satisfyingly different.

And when it does, all their lives will be changed forever.

Solarium-3 begins as any good science fiction read should: with a believable scientific premise and scenario and realistic characters whose personalities and concerns involve readers in the story. All this serves to create a solid foundation of logical events and actions that test characters and readers alike with unexpected twists and puzzles that range from a mysterious power-killing light show in the skies to what becomes a lesson in not just personal survival, but perhaps of the human race as a whole.

Chapters are filled with psychological and social insights throughout and include passages that reflect not just the characters' experiences and interactions, but their feelings: "What had started out as a complex, highly con-trolled scientific excursion into a well-planned future had been twisted into a radically unpredictable venture into the unknown. He had arrived here almost a year ago as a scientific researcher and a confident team leader. Now he felt like a befuddled comic trying to come up with one-liners to explain life."

It's this attention to psychological depth and detail that makes Solarium-3 such a wonderful, believable read: that, and a sense of urgency as inhabitants both inside and outside of the dome seek a sense of normalcy from an increasingly chaotic environment.

Any reader of survivalist scifi knows the typical progression of such a story line as characters struggle to build a new world and face off in power struggles. It's all about taking control of environmental challenges, new situations, and even of each other.

Who will 'win' under such circumstances depends not so much upon survival of the fittest as it does the ability of everyone to move outside social convention to place greater good over individual gain.

One thing is for sure: readers will avidly follow the adventures and interactions of this band of survivors as they build their strange new world, and will be sorry when the story ends.

But not too sorry: remember; this is Book One and segues neatly into the next offering, Haeven.
The Narrow Path to War
DL Frizzell
BookLogix
9781610054997     Price $14.95
www.DLFrizzell.com

The Narrow Path to War is Book One in the 'Marshals of Arion' series, a fine space saga revolving around mankind's only interstellar colony which faces threats not only from asteroids, but war. It's the focus on this war that makes for solid military sci fi reading spiced by protagonist Alex, who likes to place himself in challenging positions whether it be during storms or in conflicts.

Now, most military sci fi reads are sorely lacking in 'hard science fiction': the science is often just not there. Not so in The Narrow Path to War, which opens with the bang of a 'guster storm' (composed of an electromagnetic conduit with supercharged particle funnels) and introduces readers to the possible foolhardiness and bravery of Alex, who wants to be on the wall (the most dangerous place to be in such a storm) and in the center of danger.

Magnetic shock waves, lightning storms, and explosions contribute to high voltage, high-octane and nonstop action in The Narrow Path to War; and that's another successful device that sets the story apart from your typical military sci fi read. By focusing on science, action and interaction, and political and social confrontations in the midst of this swirl of activity, Frizzell succeeds in placing the drama and interest right where it should be: with powerful protagonists and the intersection of their special interests.

There are possible traitors, accusations of electronic weapons, and a trail that leads through a 'labyrinth of hazards' that only a professional tracker and frontiersman can conquer. There's an intriguing interplay between raw frontier justice, survival, and the challenges of a fragile space colony facing threats both from nature and from their own kind, and there are mysteries revolving around spies and uncertain alliances.

There's even a quasi-romance amidst this evolving insanity: one which ultimately places Alex in a dangerous position. And in a world where everyone keeps secrets and alliances are always fluid, Alex comes to believe that Kate may well be the only person he can truly trust.

Anticipate twists and turns of plot, an unusual and satisfying attention to hard science throughout, and a focus on character development that differentiates The Narrow Path to War from the usual approach of a 'military science fiction' novel. Readers who enjoy the genre but find the 'military' focus often too overbearing will welcome the differences The Narrow Path to War introduces, and will find it a far superior read to most genre offerings.
Health
My Guide: Manage Chronic Pain
Rebecca Richmond
Richmond Pickering Ltd.
978-0-9572372-5-4     $26.00 (£17)
Kindle for $10.50    (£6.17)
www.richmondpickering.com
www.manage-chronic.pain.com
http://www.amazon.com/My-Guide-Manage-Chronic-Pain/dp/0957237251/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1405606518&sr=8-14&keywords=manage+chronic+pain

Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Guide-Manage-Chronic-Pain/dp/0957237251/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

As the population ages, surely My Guide: Manage Chronic Pain will prove of steady, increasing interest; because with that aging process too often comes chronic pain from one condition or another.

Surprisingly, while there's a host of books on the market about pain, too few offer a variety of real, effective management solutions.

Now, My Guide: Manage Chronic Pain isn't designed to replace a doctor's advice. It's intended to supplement that advice with specific strategies that worked for author Rebecca Richmond, who suffered some seven years of constant pain and who employed the devices herein to achieve not just pain reduction, but a return to an active and busy lifestyle.

Any who have suffered from lasting pain know what an achievement this is, lending credibility to the book's varied approaches and its promise that these different pain management strategies will actually work together to significantly change a sufferer's life.

And if this sounds miraculous, keep in mind that Rebecca Richmond is not talking 'cure', but 'management'. There IS a difference.

Chapters focus on this process by building a management profile of strategies that include meditation and other mind-body techniques. Right off the bat, Rebecca Richmond advises readers that the process is intended for the open-minded reader (and, having gone through any traditional management process, you'd think any struggling with chronic pain would harbor this willingness to try anything for relief): "This book is for people who understand or who are open to the idea that our minds can have an effect on our well-being, and how we cope with and manage pain. That doesn’t mean that the pain you are feeling is imagined, but it is important to accept that there are ways you can reduce the intensity in which you feel it."

The program is presented in a step-by-step series of chapters that build upon one another, creating stepping stones of techniques and explanations of the physical and mental challenges of chronic pain.

Differences in pain tolerance levels and perception, ways to thwart pain through routines by building endorphins, and understanding how the conscious and unconscious mind are affected by pain make for enlightening discussions that prepare readers for the next step: taking control of mental processes to short-circuit the common pathways of pain.

Sleep switches, how to live more effectively in the "eye of the storm of everyday events", incorporating flexibility and calmness into one's lifestyle to (most importantly) change reactions to life's daily events may seem like small things; but in the bigger picture of pain management, these attitude adjustments can ultimately play big roles.

Even more importantly, My Guide: Manage Chronic Pain points out that there is no single pathway to effective chronic pain management. Together, all these tools work - as Rebecca Richmond has proved with her own life experience. Individually, they are simply pieces and small tools contributing to the larger picture.

And that's why My Guide: Manage Chronic Pain needs to be read and absorbed in its entirety. From living 'in the moment' and recognizing physical (and mental) signs of well-being and symptoms of stress to fostering life-enhancing relationships and tackling fear, all the tools are here for lasting, positive change. More importantly, as Rebecca Richmond demonstrates through her own life adjustments, they work. All that's required is a willingness to foster flexibility, try new things, and use the many approaches contained in My Guide: Manage Chronic Pain, a workbook of hope and positive results.
The Neurotic’s Guide to Avoiding Enlightenment
Chris Niebauer, Ph.D.
Outskirts Press Inc.
978-1-4787-0043-2         $8.88
http://www.amazon.com/Neurotics-Guide-Avoiding-Enlightenment-Self-improvement-ebook/dp/B00J2I7Z8G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1404488612

 The Neurotic's Guide to Avoiding Enlightenment: How the Left-brain Plays Unending Games of Self-improvement asks one basic question: do self-improvement efforts really work? From this query one might think that the rest of the book would be about such efforts and their pros and cons; but this is actually a science discussion and uses the latest brain research to discern the physical and psychological results of self-improvement efforts.

It may surprise some readers to note that the left brain is capable not only of making up stories and explanations, but of creating its own perception of ego and self. Under such circumstances, which result in creating games the brain pretends not to be playing, is it even possible to aim for real self-improvement? Does this mean that the self-improvement industry perpetuates myths of one's true ability to change?

 Expect an unusual discussion here that takes the foundations of neuroscience and psychology and considers them ala Alan Watts and Eckhart Tolle, often blending seemingly-disparate approaches to the topic of enlightenment and self-improvement to arrive at a different conclusion synthesizing the research and perspectives that lie at the boundaries of spirituality and science.

 The Neurotic's Guide to Avoiding Enlightenment provides no pat answers and while it's accessible to any general-interest reader, it offers no single path to its conclusions. In a nutshell, this means that it throws in a range of studies and considerations that, when taken as a whole, contribute to a bigger picture less limited in scope than either spirituality or science books offer on the subject.

 Chapters operate like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle as they consider the inherent paradox of the self-improvement concept and how myths and reality are juxtaposed in the process of understanding.

And lest you think this comes from a typical New Age or spirituality writer, it should be emphasized that author/college professor Chris Niebauer's degree is in cognitive neuropsychology. As such, he has a grounding in solid science; but for this effort he focuses on an 'experience first' approach to provide a multi-faceted consideration of his subject. And (lest you think 'professor' equals 'lecture') one of his book's strengths is its interactive nature. Exercises and places for self-reflection center upon decreasing the ego's hold and refocusing consciousness from fictions created by the mind.  Only then, Niebauer maintains, can real advancement proceed.

Forms of consciousness and scientific engagement in the process of self-exploration are not the same as 'enlightenment' - which isn't touted as a goal here, by the way. Niebauer's goals are much more modest and, by his own definition, much more achievable: "Rather than “going for nirvana” this book is about experiencing a slight shift in perspective one might call the neurotic’s alternative to enlightenment, but this slight shift may be enough. You recognize that no situation can make you feel anything; it is the interpretation of the situation that defines the experience."

The result draws important connections between left- and right-brain thinking and posits a different form of perception of self and the world than most would provide. The many examples of how we trick ourselves (even in the process of self-exploration) are supported by solid scientific reference while psychological and spiritual explorations are accessible even by readers with little background in either discipline.

The Neurotic's Guide to Avoiding Enlightenment succeeds in its goal of providing a reasoned assessment of reality, illusion, ego and self; probing the process behind the psyche's development and perceptions and offering readers much food for thought and illumination. 
Our Journey with Prostate Cancer: Empowering Strategies for Patients and Families
Judith Anne Desjardins, LCSW,BCD, MSWAC
Spirit House Publishing
www.spirithousepub.com
www.judithannedesjardins.com
978-0-9904994-0-4            Price: $19.95

Readers who anticipate that Judith Anne Desjardins' Our Journey with Prostate Cancer: Empowering Strategies for Patients and Families will be an autobiography of experience would be missing the point, here: it's not just another experiential story, but is intended as a Guided Meditation for inspiration and empowerment, and as such is an important tool in one's cancer-fighting artillery.

From the initial shock of diagnosis and handling the emotions that affect individuals, families, and circles of friends to weighing prostate cancer treatment options and results, Our Journey with Prostate Cancer provides plenty of medical and spiritual insights and considers the entire process of recovery to include spiritual development; not just those surrounding treatment options and alternative therapies.

In this, Our Journey with Prostate Cancer digresses from other cancer stories: it takes the doctor-centric focus of diagnosis and gives a dose of power back to the patient, who actually faces many choices and options, from reactions to treatment to overall life changes.

Patients are often isolated in their pain and concerns, doctors adopt professional detachment, and in such a milieu, spiritual and psychological concerns may be pushed aside. Our Journey adopts a cooperative attitude about the experience (thus, the 'our', which includes readers as well as patients) and considers quality-of-life choices for patients, family members, medical professionals and any on the front lines of cancer treatment and research.

Chapters are packed with recommendations on handling everything from anxiety attacks to fear, whether it surrounds cancer, money concerns, or personal relationships. They include journal excerpts, visualization exercises, and discussions with God, family and self.

Judith Anne Desjardins has created a unique chronicle in the annals of cancer experience and research by incorporating a range of multi-faceted approaches to handling cancer and its challenges, juxtaposing perspectives from journal entries (by not only herself but others), and creating an atmosphere of positive honesty: one which provides concrete images, approaches, and insights.

Any reader interested in choosing empowerment over illness will find Our Journey with Prostate Cancer an inviting, easy and thought-provoking read, filled with a variety of reflections, strategies and options!
History
American Boys: The True Story of the Lost 74 of the Vietnam War
Louise Esola
978-0-9960574-0-0                  $19.99
www.louiseesola.com

American Boys: The True Story of the Lost 74 of the Vietnam War is recommended for military collections and any interested in Vietnam War events. Now, there are hundreds and hundreds of books on Vietnam events and the market's nearly saturated with every possible approach, from memoir to social and political analysis; so what sets American Boys apart from the ranks and makes it a recommended read?

For one thing, it focuses on a little-covered segment of the war: the sinking of the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans off the coast of Vietnam; a tragedy that killed 74 Americans. Plenty died in battle, mishaps, and all kinds of events during the siege: what makes this different is that the U.S. government then denied that they actually died in the war and, furthermore, kept their names off the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.

Why?

American Boys probes this event, its lasting impact on family and friends, and, especially, why the U.S. government chose to try to suppress the circumstances surrounding the Frank E. Evans' sinking by burying the truth and memories of those who lost their lives.

Chapters read with the drama and urgency of fiction as they cover people, events, and the creation, purpose, and politics behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In a way, American Boys is as much about the Memorial and its underlying meaning as it is about those who lost their lives and weren't acknowledged; and this is one of the reasons why the book is so important.

Where other books would cover the Memorial's objectives and success, this one documents one of its failures. Where others would gather information from historic record, Louise Esola probed declassified documents from a number of sources, from the National Archives, and Naval History and Heritage Command to The Nixon Library and beyond in an effort to set the record straight about whose names appeared on the Memorial and who were left out.

Where others might argue about those 74 lives and draftees who gave their lives under different conditions (and were commended for their service), American Boys pinpoints why omissions occur and the politics behind them. In particular, it focuses on the circumstances that dictated that the tragedy surrounding the Evans occurred in waters not designated by the U.S. Government as a "combat zone" of the Vietnam War - and, therefore, made these men ineligible for the memorial tribute.

All of this history could too easily have taken the form of a dry tome, accessible only to the most passionate of military scholars. The fact that Esola employs a semi-fictional device to personalize the lives of those lost is commendable, making American Boys available to a far wider audience of non-military-history readers who will find it a lively, involving account: "Just two months into his first overseas deployment, Stever longed for home. He hoped Nixon could do something about the war he'd heard so much about as a student at California State in Los Angeles, this war he now watched from a distance, firing away with a combination of excitement and dread, past the flickering lights of the compartment and the shouting of coordinates over the noisy radios, at targets he couldn't see or hear."

It's a 'you are there' feel rare in nonfiction, and it's a device that succeeds in involving readers far more than sets of data could have achieved.

Louise Esola is self-publishing this account after years of struggle with publishers and agents to have it see the light of day. Because there is so much information surrounding Vietnam history and events, apparently it's a challenge to publish anything more on the subject; let alone in a format that reads like fiction but embraces the facts of nonfiction.

For readers born after the war and its immediate impact, American Boys provides a solid set of personal insights. There's a lot of important information on 'why the wall', and 'why names were included or omitted': "A decade drifted by; they woke to a new one. People were saying the war had been a waste, a mistake, a wrong turn in the fog. "Was there a point when the looming collision might have been averted?" one Vietnam War historian would ask. Rhetorically and with no answer. And now two women found themselves woven into the droves of mothers and sisters, brothers and wives, children and fathers, descending upon Washington in the fall of 1982. All of them longing for meaning, for a chapter that would close the book. Something that memorialized their loss in a war nobody wanted to remember. Something that said: This all really happened. There'd been nothing like that. Nothing. Nowhere. And then came the wall."

Those seeking just a set of dry facts and dates may argue with the passion here - but there are plenty of books packed with dry history and too few that bring that history alive for readers; much less focus upon a handful of individuals who were never recognized for their sacrifices.

American Boys is that rare offering, and deserves its own commendation as a piece of powerful research into a segment of Vietnam history that many have tried to bury over the decades...one that deserves to not be forgotten.
Literary
The Bed
Nikos Vlachos
BookBaby
ASIN: B00KZ2DI84              $1.99
http://www.amazon.com/Bed-fails-laugh-laughter-love-ebook/dp/B00KZ2DI84/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403366121&sr=1-1&keywords=the+bed+by+nikos+Vlachos 

The Bed is a great read: it promises (and delivers) an involving story that moves deftly, logically and seamlessly through different time periods and brings the reader along for a ride, where events are linked by a bed and human dramas that evolve over a lifetime of experience. It's also presented as a play; but don't expect that the format will either get in the way or limit its audience to actors alone.

Reading a play from a book is different from reading a short story or a novel: scenes are set, characters explained, and emotions are dictated not by building a plot, but by directing the actor/reader.

The Bed also contains set notes, details for stage directions, and everything directors and actors need to produce the 2-act romance, from props to background music (and yes, it has seen stage production; so it's intended for such production).

So keep this in mind before pursuing The Bed: A Two-Act Romantic Comedy - then let all preconceived notions of 'what makes a play' soar out the window; because you'll find many of them don't fly, here.

The story begins in 1983 Chicago with a young couple's wedding day and moves quickly through the decades well into the future, to the year 2045. And if you're anticipating confusion from this time-traveling setting, think again: one of the attributes of The Bed is its uncommon ability to wheel through scenes of time changes with little interruption of plot, character, or setting.

All scenes take place in the bedroom (thus its title, The Bed), which will please play directors seeking simple settings with minimum changes; while readers normally skeptical of picking up and reading a play format (versus a short story or a novel) will find the tale of a struggling painter and a registered nurse to be delightfully accessible and engrossing.

The true power of a play is to fully immerse viewers (or, in this case, readers) in its story: in this, The Bed more than succeeds. The second ideal power of the play format lies in a steady progression that reflects changes in time, characters, and the movement of life's ups and downs: here, also, The Bed succeeds - an especially notable point given the vast changes in time frames (from 30 hours later to years and then many decades down the line) which (under a lesser hand) could all too easily have proved confusing.

It's not easy to create a play that virtually sweeps readers along the time stream, following characters who logically progress and mature and who face newfound relationship challenges because of this evolutionary process.

That Nikos Vlachos is able to add more than a dose of humor, depth, and understanding to his romance (and make it more than accessible to readers who would not normally pick up the play format to read in lieu of a story format) is a tribute to his ability to quickly weave together vivid, real-life accounts that move from a couple's initial infatuation to a growing distance brought about by children and change.

And the bed's place in all this? It's there from the start, from its presence as an unexpected (and not entirely wanted) wedding gift to Sara's ultimate evolution.

Take this as a hint: The Bed moves in unexpected ways from realistic moments to a futuristic world which still holds a place for romance. How? Read it and find out for yourself!
There's an App for That
Ed Toolis
Ed Toolis, Publisher
9781483522234            $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Theres-App-That-Ed-Toolis-ebook/dp/B00KND464K

With the equivalent of the Library of Alexandria at our fingertips in the form of smartphones and apps for just about everything, it's logical to assume that there could be an app for deciphering the puzzles of human nature and life itself. Possibly this app would hold its own ironies, inconsistencies, and even comedy - and that's where There's an App for That comes in.

The opening act introduces 'everywoman' character Cynthia, who runs, late, into a suburban Chicago train terminal only to find there's no change machine in sight. She's used to driving into work but when her car won't start, she rushes to take the train - only to find that everyone around her is absorbed with their tablet or smartphone.

Each bystander is involved in a different online pursuit, from a divorced man connecting with his kids ("…with our busy lives, this is the only time I get to have any Facetime with my kids.”) to a teen interested in online, on-the-go spiritual consultations: "…just as Cynthia was about to say something to a teenage girl, the girl slumped her shoulders and moaned, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been six months since my last online confession.”

There's an App for That cultivates a tongue-in-cheek style of comedy which blends real-world observation with embellishment and wry social commentary, using vignettes with different settings that always come full-circle to point out the fallacies and ironies inherent in thinking everything in modern life comes with (or is improved by) an 'app'.

There's an App for That is written for the generation which believes in the concept that there's an 'app for everything important' - even interpersonal connections in a non-cyber world - and which distrusts anything not presented via a screen and an online connection.

From public transit woes to the courtroom antics of a trial revolving around the nonprofit 'Smartphones for the Homeless' and its nine-year-old originator (named by some as a dangerous criminal and heralded by the homeless as a savior), you simply never know what app-oriented scene Ed Toolis will present next.

Comments on legal and political processes are woven into scenarios where apps dictate the psyche and progress of interpersonal interactions and social institutions alike, as in 'Public Education' with its wry observations of political process: "…welcome to School District 127’s public hearing on next year’s proposed budget. We especially want to welcome those who have downloaded the Public Hearing App, made possible by the new transparency law. In the past, only twelve people on average have attended these meetings."

The reality is that "There are now 1724 “Top 100 ‘Must Have’ Apps” articles out there on the Web." And one collection of short stories that points out their inherent limitations, making There's an App for That a rare comedic social commentary surfing the sea of too-serious, app-obsessed cyberspace.
Mystery & Thrillers
Admit to Mayhem
D. J. Adamson
Horatio Press
ISBN: 978-0-993078-0-8 

Admit to Mayhem is a Lillian Dove mystery: and for those unfamiliar with this character, let it be said that Lillian is a recovering alcoholic (five years sober) and has a number of compulsions and issues; not the least of which is poor taste in men.

She also seems to be a storm attractor: a harbinger of emotional storms and attractions that range from dead-end to deadly - and that's where Admit to Mayhem gets interesting.

Not everyone would call in the emergency of a burning building spied in the wee hours of dawn and then hike over to it to be sure no children were trapped inside. Not everyone would enter a burning room to rescue a stranger … a stranger who then vanishes, leaving Lillian to face death in a burning house. And not everyone would then embark on a quest to solve a mystery revolving around a building that has had not one, but several arson attacks against it.

 Is there a connection between a sixty-year-old arson fire that killed a family and this latest event? Lillian Dove slowly realizes that there is such a correlation, against all odds, and her personal, chance involvement becomes a storm of passion centering upon unsolved mysteries that ultimately come full circle to affect her own quest for recovery.

Admit to Mayhem's sequence of events has Lillian tense and on edge, but those who know her well believe her imagination is simply working overtime. Despite these challenges to her perceptions, Lillian persists, displaying a tenacity that unwillingly draws her into affairs involving mysterious intruders (who invade a windowless condo and disappear) and her increasingly dangerous role as a possible eyewitness (…but, to what?)

As Lillian realizes that her life is in jeopardy, she becomes increasingly involved in both a mystery and with a fellow investigator who just may be the one man she's (finally successfully) chosen for a healthy relationship: "If you continue to insist you saw someone, it could mean you’re an eye-witness to first degree arson, a felony, Charles had warned. What if it wasn’t a meth head? The whole town was talking about how I was an eyewitness."
 
Can her budding new relationship survive not only the storm of her idiosyncrasies and her tenacious quest for the truth, but a looming danger that threatens to engulf them all?

Admit to Mayhem does what any good mystery should do (but too few genre reads achieve): takes the time to create a feisty, believable protagonist with a myriad of concerns outside the mystery that draws her in, fills her life and the novel's progression with a series of unexpected encounters, and ties up the loose ends of family, friends and romance with a murder investigation that leads to personal and professional revelations.

In a nutshell, Admit to Mayhem is a well-rounded, engrossing read that creates a memorable, believable protagonist and uses her to immerse readers in a series of challenging probes that end not in court, but in the very human realm of motivation and twisted purposes.

Don't expect a neat ending, here: the story does conclude, but also leaves the door open for more - and that's something to eagerly anticipate!
An Intimate Murder
Stacy Verdick Case
Before the Fall Books
978-0-9837137-6-0    Paperback $14.95, Ebook $4.99
www.StacyVerdickCase.com

Catherine O'Brien is a detective on the St. Paul Police Force: a homicide detective who works with her partner, Louise, in what initially appears to be the open-and-shut case of a son's murder of his parents. But Catherine has formed her first opinion way too quickly, as further investigation shows; and what seems to be a too-simple case rapidly turns into a complex series of events that lead Catherine and Louise on a desperate chase.

Now, unlike many a mystery detective story where the P.I. or police investigator has a nose for intrigue, Catherine is a horse of another color. She actually 'fell into' the job she has; and while she's good at it, it probably wouldn't have been her first career choice: "Why did you become an investigator, Catherine? You never want to investigate.” I sighed. “I have an overwhelming need for justice.” She rolled her eyes heavenward. “I do. Most people don’t know that about me. If killers would pick a better time to off someone, instead of waiting until I’m about to have a sweaty, freak fest with my husband for the first time in weeks, then you’d see a whole different Detective O’Brien.”  

The murders she's investigating are particularly vicious slayings, the husband and wife have been done in by different weapons, and they apparently knew their killer. This is deduced by the looks frozen on the deceased victim's faces, by the bodies themselves, and by clues Catherine and Louise pick up from the crime scene.

But the story's just beginning, and as readers absorb the methods and processes followed by an unusual crime-investigating duo, they will also appreciate the unexpected, underlying humor that pops up throughout an otherwise-serious murder mystery: "I was not at all qualified to negotiate with this woman. My favorite line from Born Yesterday (the Judy Holiday version not the sucky remake), “do what I’m telling you” kept running through my brain. I wanted to shout at Jane, just do what I’m telling you – a far from diplomatic response."

From retaliation to surveillance missions, Catherine is drawn into events that ultimately lead to her becoming a victim - and possibly a murder candidate - herself. And as for the tragedy surrounding the Luthor family … it's not the first time for them, either.

Add romance to an investigation into revenge and greed and you have a spicy, fast-paced, first-person detective saga that produces winning characters and a satisfyingly-compelling mystery that will keep readers guessing to the end.
The Day She Died
Bill Garrison
Castle Gate Press
ISBN 978-0-9904399-0-5
ISBN 978-0-9904399-1-2 (electronic)    Price TBA
www.castlegatepress.com

Now, here's a genre mystery with a twist: it's also a time travel story. And if, by this, you're anticipating a theme similar to Somewhere in Time, think again: it's not a romance but a mystery plain and simple, and therefore carries with it all the intrigue and suspense applied to a tense thriller; but with the time travel factor adding more than a feel of divergence.

Yes, there's romance - but there's also a twenty-year-old unsolved crime and the rare opportunity to go back in time for clues to make things right on many levels.

And this is where The Day She Died gets delightfully complex and unique: as protagonist John comes to unearth these clues of the past, the fine line between dreams and reality begins to fade - and with them, important keys to resolution. New opportunities emerge under new realities and different rules of conduct when John finds himself in his old apartment reliving the worst day of his life: the day when Kim disappeared twenty years ago.

The past is now 'today' - yet, John holds memories of this strange old world, and with his encounter comes the unexpected hope that most time travelers harbor: an opportunity to change and correct past errors. But, at what cost?

As readers follow this unusual, winding plot of investigation and hope they become immersed in John's thought processes as he investigates Kim's circle further, probing clues he'd originally passed by: "Who was Ray Pope? Okay, this was 1985. What kind of man was he in 1992 when Kim disappeared? What kind of man would this lanky assistant coach become? How would he know Kim?"

And as his investigation continues, John finds himself mired in a deadly game that moves beyond Kim's disappearance and is spiced by time travel's enticing possibilities, which even include a wedding to the girl of his dreams: "Kim had vanished, and John’s life had changed forever. But in these pictures, Kim lived, and John continued to date her. It was a future John never had."

Even when he finds what he's looking for, the story doesn't end there: the overall mystery still drives events and John feels compelled to see it through to the end - even if what he's newly regained might once again vanish.

If it sounds like this description is tiptoeing, it's only because The Day She Died is delightfully sinuous, packed with revelations and the unexpected. Although the time-travel piece may sound confusing, it's not: Bill Garrison paints a believable, easily-followed story line that will immerse even the most seasoned of mystery readers and time travel enthusiasts, to surprise and delight right up to the end.

And in the mystery and time travel worlds, that's no mean feat!

Mystery readers tired of predictable plots and singular dimensions will find The Day She Died offers a different tale designed to challenge and delight!
The Game Plan
Foley Western
Publisher: M-Y Books
ISBN: 978-1-909908-98-7

The Game Plan opens with a heated business meeting between UK executives at Ambratat, Ltd. about updating surveillance equipment (sparked by hate mail and threats) and moves quickly outside business circles to the crux of the matter: threats that move into bona fide murder attempts.

Dan owns a computer software company and it's questionable whether the threats stem from his personal playboy behaviors or from something deeper; but all this is about to become clear as chapters explore both corporate and personal connections to violence.

There is a game plan; but it's operating on all sides and much like a good game of chess, strategy is both key to success and obscure to its players. In order to have a game plan, one must know the game; and the elements of this particular game unfold in a tense thriller that will keep not only its players guessing, but its audience.

As chapters reveal friendships, international business connections, complex love and sex arrangements, and a ghostly killer that keeps vanishing and re-appearing, Dan finds his life consumed by a nightmare that becomes increasingly complex and ominous.

Kidnappings and attacks move from business circles to international political realms, investigative agents are lured into a dragnet of danger as Holly and Dan find their lives not just threatened but changed forever, and Jack's struggle against time involves a host of perps and some unlikely forces, from a captured kidnapper to a dying man.

As the focal point shifts to the Middle East, with Holly barely escaping disaster and Dan being held prisoner by converted Muslim Abdullah Hamza, readers are enveloped by a myriad of encounters, from business and political special interests to well-drawn protagonist concerns.

What's needed is a foolproof game plan that ultimately demands action and interaction at a level some of the protagonists have never experienced before. Their ability to pull off this final game will change not only their lives, but possibly the face of international alliances.

The Game Plan is a well-drawn thriller that has its roots in business circles but rapidly expands to include elements of a solid investigative mystery filled with international intrigue and a dash of romance. One of its threads is the blossoming relationship between Holly and Dan, tested mightily by events that haunt them and threaten their lives.

The protagonist of Holly is feisty yet attracts the protective impulses of Dan and her cousin Jack, sometimes against her own wishes and abilities.

Bombs, terrorism, and international politics all intersect in chapters that hold plenty of dialogues, set scenes well, yet retain an element of surprise about unfolding events.

As with a good juggling show (and a good thriller) there are a lot of balls in the air midway through; but The Game Plan succeeds in keeping all of them logical and progressively involving and though some things (such as Holly and Dan's evolving love against all odds) are predictable, the outcome of events is by no means set in stone.

And those are the basic elements that separate a good suspenseful story read from the mundane: a good thriller (such as The Game Plan) will grab readers from its first chapter. The Game Plan moves quickly from what seems a business-oriented read to one that dances on international grounds of high-octane action, reactions and interactions.
The Perfect Coed
Judy Alter
Alter Ego Publishing
ISBN 978-0-9960131-1-6 (digital)   $3.99
ISBN 978-0-9960131-0-9 (trade paperback)    $12.99
http://www.judyalter.com         

Few mysteries open with a single paragraph of eye-popping intrigue, but The Perfect Coed is full of such moments and its introduction is apt warning that readers will rapidly become involved in something far from mundane or predictable: "Susan Hogan drove around Oak Grove, Texas, for two days before she realized there was a dead body in the trunk of her car. And it was another three days before she knew that someone was trying to kill her."

True, The Perfect Coed's title sounds more like chic lit than a mystery; plus, it tends to not follow the standard formula writing of the mystery genre. And that's where it gets interesting.

Protagonist Susan is both intelligent and combative. She's abrasive with those who love her, let alone when a coed's body is discovered in the trunk of her car, effectively placing her under suspicion of murder.

There's only one solution to this dilemma: become a self-made investigator. And so the process of Susan's name-clearing begins: a move which eventually invites the inevitable when someone on campus begins to stalk her.

The stalker obviously doesn't know who he's dealing with, however, and Susan's feisty personality serves her well as she finds herself struggling not only to solve a murder, but to prevent her own demise.

Up till now, The Perfect Coed sounds somewhat predictable. After all, a plethora of murder mysteries center on protagonists who are not professionals and who take on the task of investigation only because they (or loved ones) are threatened.

But a big 'plus' of Judy Alter's approach lies in its ability to gently lead readers up the garden path of predictability, then take a sudden turn. Ergo, what begins as a murder investigation turns into something much more complex as readers discover that Susan's singular purpose has turned into an unbelievably complex series of events that threatens more than her own life.

It's the hallmark of a good murder mystery that the stage is properly set, the personalities of all the players are well-developed, and the plot evolves into something much more than a standard read.

Susan's discoveries on what was a quiet Texas college campus hold far greater ramifications than a single sociopath's intentions, and will involve readers in a growing web of terror and tension that's delightfully well-wrought.
Widowmaker
Charles L. Carson
KaleBoy Publishing
No ISBN             $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Widowmaker-McManus-Thriller-Charles-Carson-ebook/dp/B00IH5IQ8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392532137&sr=8-1&keywords=widowmaker+charles+carson

How could the media not jump on the story of vanished Syrians found halfway around the world in China, eviscerated and discarded? And how could widowed Harvard lawyer and disgraced prosecutor Jack McManus, barely recovered from his last struggle with personal and professional trials, not be drawn to investigate?

The answer is that both are inevitable, with illegal and immoral organ harvesting emerging from Jack's probe of such disparate elements as the reason for a string of airplane crashes, a powerful Oligarch, a Buddhist enclave.

So what role does Russia play in this already-complex mix? The prologue opens with yet another mystery to add to the pile, deftly setting a scene of treachery, subterfuge, and political manipulations at the highest levels of Russian society.

It's quite a jump from Russia to San Francisco, where a jury verdict has rendered Jack through with being a defense lawyer Having just wrapped up his last case, he flies cross-country to Washington, upon special request, to rejoin the Department of Justice (despite their stormy relationship of the past) as Director of International Operations.

He's just beginning to relax into a life much changed when he's called to investigate the source of the previous year's string of still-unresolved airplane crashes: a task that in due course reveals a far greater danger and another world-wide threat that takes him away from his family and into the embrace of high-stakes risks.

The next thing you know, Jack is flying around the world in hot pursuit of the truth - and getting dangerously close to a fact that will change not just the world, but his own life; ultimately threatening everything he holds closest to his heart.

Widowmaker is thriller writing at its best. There's just enough character depth to compel readers to care about the protagonist and his life, just enough information given to clarify events of the past and their meaning to present-day affairs, and just enough intrigue to spice an ever-changing story line: all this achieved without getting lost in a maze of details, or weighted down by loose strings, unlike so many thrillers these days.

Jack McManus provides his logic in a series of first-person reflections, insights, experiences and encounters that juxtapose nicely with chapters related in the third person, chronicling events and discoveries. The result is a satisfying progression of incidents that lead Jack increasingly into the tenuous world of terrorism and its justifications.

And there you have it: a Jack McManus thriller that excels in the unexpected, provides a worldwide case that eventually hits too close to home, and which involves thriller readers in nonstop action and intrigue from its very first page.

How could even the most seasoned thriller reader not jump on this story?
Novels
Ange'el
Jamie Le Fay
Jamie Le Fay, Publisher
978-1-63315-932-7      $3.78
Website: www.AngeelSeries.com
Ordering Links: http://www.amazon.com/Angeel-Jamie-Le-Fay-ebook/dp/B00K8N8N6M

It's difficult to neatly 'peg' Ange'el, because it doesn't fit easily into any genre. Define it as 'romance', 'young adult', or 'fantasy' as you will … then break those defining walls; because Ange'el is so much more than any singular genre limitation.  

Yes, it is a romantic story: but Ange'el will equally appeal to non-romance-novel readers because of its swift action and fantasy.  

Yes, it also features fantasy and magic … but that doesn't mean its audience need be your usual sci fi/fantasy genre fans, because the underlying setting and romance move beyond standard plot and definition to incorporate many other elements of intrigue and adventure.  

And to limit its audience to mature young adult readers would be doing adults a disservice: Ange'el will appeal to all these groups! 

Morgan's arrival in New York as a speaker for her beloved Hope Foundation brings her into contact with both a handsome control freak (Gabriel) and a series of events that lead her to believe her life is in danger. 

Ah - so it's a mystery/romance, right? Wrong; in that mystery is only one of the elements employed to lend strength and diversity to Ange'el, and the romance is a side dish to the story, not the main event. 

So what is the main event? That's for Morgan (and the reader) to discover as a straightforward business trip turns into a mission involving her in a war between two ancient cultures and an impossible magic that she's believed in all of her life.

There are awakenings and revelations, there are warnings and dragons and heroes, and there are protagonist insights into the source of her strength and motivations and the wider connections involved: "Morgan felt sadness as she understood that Amalia’s and Sky’s powers came from anger, rage, hate, and disillusion. This was not the empowerment she sought for women and girls, and yet this story was not so different from many other stories in her own world. Is anger the only route for women’s empowerment? she wondered."

It is these tidbits of insight that elevate Ange'el from a simple genre read, adding inspirational insights for readers and creating a quest whereby other entities challenge perception, history, and motivation: "What reform should I expect? Where and when is my voice going to be heard? Is Sky going to listen to my people? The people she hates and despises with every single cell in her body? Is the Ange’el prince ever going to fight for us when he could not be bothered to fight for his people at a time when Sathian’s men and the dragons ravaged our land? What reform should I expect?” 

The question revolves not around what kind of heroine Morgan will become; but where Morgan's place will be, in such a world. And Gabriel? Without spilling beans, suffice it to say that he, too, is much more than he initially appears - and his evolution will also change not just her life, but the world. 

So if it's cross-genre reading you seek, with vivid protagonists and unexpected involvements, then Ange’el is the item of choice, recommended for its fast-paced action, super-charged fantasy, and memorable protagonists. 
At the End of Meadow Street
Michael Paul
Damianos Publishing
ISBN: 9780988229587 Paperback
ISBN: 9780988229594 eBook
www.damianospublishing.com

At the End of Meadow Street isn't about the end of the block; it's about the last summer of childhood, a cocky sixth grader who seeks to make his mark on his world ("It was the last day of sixth grade and I was penciling in the word shithead on the corner of the desk behind my notebook. I had thought about writing my initials, but figured shithead was a better way to mark my legacy…"), and coming of age.

In this respect At the End of Meadow Street joins so many other similar accounts, chronicling the last sweet days of youth and the evolution of adult perceptions and fears that accompany growth: "Middle School was approaching in the fall and aside from everything changing … I didn’t feel ready for a big new world, or leaving the one I was used to so I tried not to think about it."

From risky adventures that could lead to tragedy ("They kneeled and grabbed my legs as I held onto the back tire with both hands. My cheek was lying flat on the mud and I shivered from both the cold earth and the fear of losing my friend.") to an embarrassing father's quirks (riding an old bicycle to a grocery store) and handling crushes with those mysterious creatures, girls, the protagonist's concerns  epitomize the transition from childhood to young adulthood.

Secrets kept from parents, hidden lives and plots, and the formulation of adventures that promise spirited memories and discoveries: this is the essence of a progressive story of adolescence, spiced with some degree of cursing and a very real brotherhood of friends on the cusp of change.

It's Americana at its best, it's a lazy, slow summer's last gasp, and it's all about growing into one's persona and life. The protagonist stands ready to leave his childhood behind, and At the End of Meadow Street invites readers to follow this process, presenting a novel that perfectly captures modern culture and pre-teen pursuits with deft precision and compelling imagery and events.

Recommended for any who enjoy solid, believable and compelling coming-of-age reads, At the End of Meadow Street does not disappoint in its focus on the dual drives towards comfortable familiarity and a more adventurous (but unpredictable) future.
The Boys of Chattanooga
Clyde R. Hedges
Clyde R. Hedges, Publisher
9781477650394              
Paperback - $12.15     Kindle - $1.00
www.booksbyclyde.com

http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Chattanooga-military-political-incredible-ebook/dp/B006IJSS2Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1403021104&sr=8-2&keywords=the+boys+of+chattanooga

It's military history fiction at its best, it's a novel about political entanglements and human interests, and it's the story of three common soldiers and how their decisions change the face of American history: all this wrapped in a cloak of action and strong characterization. That's the face of The Boys of Chattanooga, a novel that holds the ability to cross over from military fiction readers to general-interest audiences who initially might have little interest in either politics or American history.

For those who don't know their American (or military) history, the 1863 Battle of Chattanooga was not only one of the most pivotal of the Civil War; it was also the least understood. Controversy swirls around the battle that ultimately spelled the end of the Confederacy and the impossible situation that led soldiers of the Army of the Cumberland to take matters into their own hands and lead a charge under 'impossible' circumstances, without orders from superiors.

All this is personalized in a tale that involves readers in politics and military strategy as seen through the eyes of three common Union fighters initially in it for adventure. Friends Billy, Matt and Clarence can't wait to enlist and see action. Duty and adventure make for compelling motives luring three idealistic and enthusiastic young men who get more than their share of both in events that unfold with deadly precision.

The Boys of Chattanooga promises (and delivers) understanding through a series of encounters that test each boy and his courage. But also included are struggles with some of the lesser-revealed realities of war: the drudge work that holds none of the romance and action of battle: "The Rebs were as good as licked, and I was sick with dread that I’d never get to fight because the 89th was left behind to garrison Chattanooga."

And then there's Matt who, with some fighting experience under his belt, isn't at all enthusiastic about the prospect of fighting.

In the course of describing these three disparate personalities, Hedges immerses readers in not only the causes, challenges and processes of the Civil War, but the motivations and perceptions of those on the front lines; and that's just one of the strengths of The Boys of Chattanooga.

As the story evolves, readers absorb a combination of history and insights about who decides how a battle progresses, and how these decisions are formed: "If Rosecrans had followed his instructions, much of the fighting in Tennessee and the Mississippi Valley would have been concluded last year. The Rebels simply wouldn't have had another army to retake the field if Van Dorn's had been destroyed as it should have been. For a few brief days in 1862 the road to Alabama and Atlanta lay open, and then Rosecrans's delays closed it again. Grant knew that Rosecrans stopped because his men had fought for four solid days. They needed to eat and rest, and they had definitely earned the right to do so, but many times an army commander had to push when no push was left in his men, but you did so to save lives and to end a drawn out conflict."

Conflicts from within (as well as battles outside the ranks) are well outlined: "You might have got the best of me, and we'll leave now. But don't worry about the battle. Everybody knows we're going to do all the fighting, and you guys are just going to sit here in your fancy rifle pit. The one Rosecrans had you dig, so you could hide from the Rebs."

Add the fact that Hedges uses the first person to document the personal aspects of soldiers' experiences and blends in history so seamlessly that it reads like part of the action (rather than background facts) and you have an involving read that promises to truly entertain while educating at the same time. That's unusual in a military history novel, making The Boys of Chattanooga accessible and a rare recommendable to history buffs and general-interest readers alike.
Evergreen
Clyde R. Hedges
No ISBN, Publisher, Price

Evergreen offers the perspective of a college professor and is romance writing at its best, but don't expect your candy-coated, one-dimensional portrait of a couple 'made for each other'. This gritty, realistic story that follows their growth both as individuals and in a relationship. And by providing such depth, Evergreen goes where few romances dare as it probes the life of Craig, who nurtures his evergreens in much the manner he does his life: with close, personal inspection and attention to detail.

In the opening chapters of this drama, readers find Craig is married to Karen, a fellow teacher - but this isn't about their safe, comfortable relationship. It's about a romance of the past: a romance brought to renewed inspection by a letter from a former student of his previous love, Ellen.

The floodgates of memory are thus opened and Craig walks through them as he recalls that Ellen was not only the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, but the force that changed his life forever.

Chapter Two is the beginning of Craig's flashback to his high school years, and its here that the romance really begins - not with his present-day relationship with wife Karen, but with his adolescence and relationship with teacher Ellen, reminiscent of elements of The Graduate and other coming-of-age stories but with more emphasis on the romance part.

This is one of the appeals of Evergreen, and one of the facets which sets it apart from either typical coming-of-age stories or genre romances: the fact that it provides more depth and emotional exploration than either approach tends to offer.

Yes, there's a new English teacher, and romance between them has already been built into the first chapter. But beyond that set-up, there's much to say, starting with Craig's initial impression ("Standing with Mr. Norman and Miss Amerest and Mr. Alms was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. She would be our English Lit teacher first semester, and American Lit the second. As soon as I saw her, I knew that I and every other boy assigned to her classes had been blessed.") and moving into the blossoming love between them.  All this takes place in a small town in Kansas: a setting that offers much familiarity, routine, and few surprises … thus, the new teacher has much to offer in more ways than one. 

At this point it would have been easy to take a predictable path; yet Clyde R. Hedges doesn't just focus on two people, but the politics and psychology of an entire town. His attention to detail throughout the story's progression is simply delightful, with realistic and fun twists along the way ranging from a smart, savvy woman's intervention on behalf of her students to insights into the motivations and perceptions of very different characters who occasionally clash: "Hank had begun to falter when Miss Wisely mentioned arresting the Redfields. That would mean a full house, and he might have to spend the night guarding them."

In fact, it's because of his teacher that Craig is now married to Karen - and it's due to her teaching that he knows as much about love as he does. This psychology and focus on understanding permeates every section of Evergreen and spices interpersonal relationships with a depth that avoids shallow surface perceptions: "…the Karen I’ve observed likes you very much, so much it scares her. Yes, she was planning on dumping you, or turning you over, to make it sound a little better, but only because she doesn't want to get deeply involved with you." "Why would that scare her?" I asked her. "Because she has plans. She wants to go away to college, and she wants to please her father and mother, and because she wants to be single and free when she gets to her new campus."

Graduation is not only just around the corner for Craig: so are decisions that only he can make; that center around love and how to recognize and pursue it: "This is why you have to leave now," she whispered. "Karen isn't the only one who has to make good decisions." "I don’t want to go," I told her. "I don’t want you to," she admitted. "But that’s a bad decision. We have to make good ones."

As Craig considers his peers and the adults around him and how love grows or is thwarted by life's events, his teacher is there to help him. Her wisdom is the beacon that ultimately guides his life and choices, even while they indulge in a relationship that can't continue: "I’m also old enough and wise enough to know that we can’t go on forever. You mean far too much to me to burden you with a woman who is twenty-two years your senior. The day will come when you need to be with a younger woman who can give you life time companionship and love, and the children you deserve so much."

All this is why Evergreen should not be marketed as a 'romance' alone, but as a 'literary, coming-of-age romance'. It's so much more than a singular genre effort, and will reach well beyond the usual romance novel enthusiast to captivate readers with questions of right and wrong, choices and consequences, and decisions that hold a lifetime of impact.
The Honeyeater
Yolanda A. Reid
E-leaf Press
978-0-9837440-0-9      $5.99
Website: www.thehoneyeaternovel.com
Vendor: www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFFPOBY

Eulalia marries a young, brilliant doctoral candidate and so the stage seems set for a perfect life to evolve; but life is never that easy and when her childhood sweetheart and new husband Fabio has an affair with her sister, things quickly get messy.

In any other romance the rest of the story would center around these two characters, but here comes the twist: Eulaia gets on with her life with a new love before Fabio re-enters the picture and now she faces a real conundrum: to forgive, forget, and return to a beloved figure from her past, or move on.

And that's where The Honeyeater gets sticky: their marriage wasn't just a romance, but an affair that involved reconciliation between two adversarial families. And much as the protagonists face their own personal conflicts, they also reflect a history of male infidelity and patterns of culture clashes.

The Honeyeater is rich and multi-faceted in many ways; so if you're expecting a quick or predictable read, you're out of luck. It's a complex read steeped in the culture and traditions of Panama from the nation's religion to its colorful culture, and descroptions capture all these facets to build not just plot and character, but an equally compelling atmosphere: "One dish she liked to cook, she had invented the recipe, I think,—was Papa’s favorite meal: stewed iguana in a mango, pepper, and onion sauce, served with white rice. Guavas and mangoes for dessert and ginger ale to “liquefy the hotness.”

Eulalia's observations of her family's interactions in affairs of love and marriage, her coming of age and associations with Fabio, and her own evolution are all delicately woven into the story of two Panamanian families who don't get along, and who find that a forbidden love threatens to tear apart all the carefully-constructed, fragile bridges of understanding that have reluctantly been built in the wake of Eulalia and Fabio's romance.

Yes, it's a love story; but, it's so much more. It's also a story of eternal life, full circles, and transition points with the color and atmosphere of Panama encircling all and adding a richness and depth most novels lack.

What begins as a singular story of one woman's family connections and struggles with romance thus evolves into a cast of characters with different cultural observations and interactions, and what seems to be a set course of events rapidly changes to embrace a far bigger picture.

Without spoiling any surprises, suffice it to say that The Honeyeater is about far more than Eulalia and Fabio; but presents a history of events that intertwine and ultimately tell of women transformed. 
Make Me
Rhiannon Holte
Exposure Productions
Prices at Amazon:  $7.70 for the paperback and $2.99 for the eBook
ISBN-13: 9780578144085
www.makemeover.us 

Rhiannon Holte's novel Make Me is exciting on several levels. For one, it's a recommendation for mature young adult to adult readers and creates an unusual story based on the author's real-life best friend, a Hollywood wanna-be who, like so many aspiring actresses, became prey for the sordid users that hover around the industry seeking to take advantage of fallen angels.

Another notable device employed here: a contemporary, believable scene that revolves around two teens who inadvertently create a website that goes viral, forcing upon them all the changes that fame brings: outsiders, special interests, paparazzi, and a suddenly-exploding fan base that threatens their friendship.

Finally, this entire process is cemented with its own website (http://makemeover.us/ ) which pairs stunning visuals and vibrant blog discussions with the real-world events and people behind the novel in a move that brings everything to vivid life.

And now, for the book itself: even with website support aside, it's a winner: fresh, unusual, revealing, and dramatically unpredictable. Just what is needed for mature teens looking for something contemporary, web-supported, and thoroughly unpredictable and engrossing.

It revolves around Anya Allen, a Hollywood wanna-be who "…knew that beauty is the fairy dust of fate. She also knew that if a girl wanted to be a star, she would need something more precious than beauty, something rarer than talent. She needed luck."

Make Me is about where her drive for success will bring her in life and it presents imbedded, website-supported photos and references throughout to add spice and reality to its written descriptions of all involved in Anya's life and quest for recognition: "Javier wasn’t just good with a camera, he was also a major computer nerd. He made us an awesome website and created a free app that featured an avatar of Anya."

From California to New York, the pressures and pleasures of creating a persona and product that resonate and go viral are documented in lively chapters filled with contemporary sights, sounds, and lingo. Passages documenting the costs and process of such fame are particularly powerful testimonies to the stresses involved: "Some of the other passengers were looking at us and a few took pictures with their cells. I didn’t want the psycho fringe spreading rumors about her being even more unstable, so I said yes. But I didn’t feel good about it. The closer you get to someone the more it hurts when things go bad."

Anya's ability to break rules in more ways than one results in a series of conflicts, challenges, and encounters with self and public personas alike that ultimately test the boundaries of friendship and support systems.

When violence eventually catches up with them and affects their circle, it's narrated with a close eye to detail and a realistic voice that pulls readers into events and their consequences: "Tommy’s leg was in pieces but at least he was alive. We later found out from the police that it was Haiku Girl. She had put one of those pressure cooker bombs in the bottom of the basket but was so nervous about activating it that she didn’t even look to see whether a man or a woman had come out of the building to pick up the flowers. (Can you really learn to make a pressure cooker bomb on the internet? Seriously?)"

The real question is: who would sell their soul for a piece of the spotlight? And which protagonist really needs the makeover that is one of the constant themes permeating this novel? You'll just have to read Make Me for some answers: it's a gripping, involving real-life story with a contemporary voice that just won't quit.
Once Upon a Wager
Julie LeMense
Crimson Romance
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-8158-8 
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-8159-5     $4.99
www.onceuponawager.com          

First off, it should be said that an affinity for Regency-style romances is recommended for any who happen upon Once Upon a Wager, which adopts the style as it presents the saga of a 1800s romance between an earl and a member of a slightly lower class.

The setting is England, the politics, society and concerns of the upper-class of the Regency period swirl around a story steeped in conflicted romance, and Julie LeMense succeeds in upping the ante by providing not only the anticipated Regency-style devices of dialogue and 1800s history, but moral and ethical issues that accompany the affairs and romances of the times.

LeMense's approach combines the best of both traditional and historical Regency writings; and that's just one of its strengths.

Readers of Georgette Heyer, Amanda Quick and other history-oriented Regency writers can anticipate a focus on historical setting that successfully builds a believable setting, while those anticipating the sensual focus of more recent Regency authors won't be disappointed by the steamy passages between the charming earl Alec Carstairs and the beguiling commoner Annabelle.

Alec has betrayed his honor and his standing by associating with Annabelle and in the wake of their breakup, it's up to him to move on. But this is easier said than done, and the story of their evolving relationship is vivid and provocative, dancing delicate steps between sexuality and social insight: "Annabelle was free in a way he’d never been, full of life and laughter. She was warm, vital, and sparkling, like flames in the night. But never had someone been more unsuited to the path that he must follow. His happiness was not his own. It did not matter that he wanted her, that he could no longer deny his desire. How shocked she’d be to know that while he had been untangling her hair, he’d been imagining it wound around him, her body naked beneath his own."

Another satisfying distinction between this and other Regency styles: Once Upon a Wager seeks (and achieves) a balanced representation of the perspectives of male and female protagonists. This lends a depth and understanding to each character's social, political and emotional reactions that is simply not evident in competing romances that tend to focus primarily on female observations and only add in male concerns as a (one-dimensional) afterthought.

Indeed, Once Upon a Wager is anything but singular: its characters are well and fully developed, the romance is firmly rooted in believable, compelling historical details, and the death of a beloved son that rocks everyone's world is woven so finely into the story line that readers will find compelling the added drama surrounding an innocent bet that goes terribly wrong and tears Alec and Annabelle apart.

It's about honor as much as it's about love; about sacrifice as much as about selfish abandon, and it's about political and social alliances in the aftermath of a love that faces strife not only from family members but from social positioning and obligation: "Miss Fitzsimmons is a fine woman from a respected family, and she has a pristine reputation,” he replied. He had been over her qualifications any number of times. “She’s a skilled hostess, which will be an asset as I move forward in Parliament. She will value our family’s name and its legacy.” “I recognize that logic.” His mother sighed. “Those are the same assets your father sought to gain when he married me.” “Which validates their worth, don’t you think?” he asked…"

They say time heals all wounds and certainly time winds inexorably onward for Alec and Annabelle, who lead separate, different lives only find themselves unexpectedly connected once more, against all odds. But will the scars of war and tragedy mar not only body, but mind?

Part of the outcome of Once Upon a Wager is predictable and part is startling. Suffice it to say that a combination of exquisite tension, attention to historical setting and detail, and the more unusual approach of developing both male and female romantic perceptions makes Once Upon a Wager a satisfying read for romance fans in general and Regency readers in particular.
The Point
G. Nykanen
G. Nykanen, Publisher
Paperback: 978-0989878456    $15.99
ebook: 9780989878449    $4.99
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989878457

KOBO: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/The-Point/G36IvCwd5Eml1hxqAUdo0g?MixID=G36IvCwd5Eml1hxqAUdo0g&PageNumber=1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-point-g-nykanen/1119633545?ean=9780989878456

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/G.NykanenWriter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8251248.G_Nykanen

What is The Point? It's quite simply a novel revolving around college student Nora, who drives away from school and a failed relationship to seek refuge in her small hometown; there to lick her wounds and recover. Her flight, however, turns out to be one not towards safety but en route to danger when she falls under the spell of Dane, a budding small-time criminal who finds his increasingly-violent, newfound relationship with Nora provides exactly the kind of sexual excitement lacking in his life.

This is how a dangerous psychopath is born - and innocent Nora's unwitting involvement will change both their lives through the darkness that winds its way around them both in The Point.

While billed as a 'thriller', this novel is so much more. It's psychological tension at its best, probing the motivations of violence and its birth and feeding. It shows how vulnerability can lead to danger and, in turn, how surviving danger can ultimately create newfound strength, determination, and vision. And it offers plenty of moments which readers can readily identify with, from Nora's initial disappointments in love ("She’d been hoping he’d confess his love. She was searching for any sign that he felt as connected to her as she did to him.") to how and why she comes to feel more connected to Dane.

Ultimately it's these connections that lie at the heart of the thriller package, inviting readers to consider the sources of dangerous attraction and its eventual results. As Nora's odyssey moves swiftly from initial magnetism to deeper discoveries, chapters present the rationales she employs to overlook warning signs that something's very wrong.

It takes a clever deputy who has long known of Dane's potential for violence to thwart the inevitable; but it also takes a series of revelations on Nora's part as she struggles with other romantic possibilities and recovery on different levels.

As Dane descends into a world of violent manipulation of women (and there are graphic scenes, be forewarned - but G. Nykanen pulls back from outright shock, employing good taste to set the scenes of depravity without going over the top in describing sordid specifics), he comes closer and closer to moving from torture to outright murder.

What will stop him, and what will keep Nora safe? And will Nora rise to the call when her friend Lucy falls under Dane's spell? It's a series of escalating encounters for all involved, providing a solid story packed with psychological insights on motivation, action, and purpose; all wrapped up in a thriller that keeps its mystery right up to its unpredictable conclusion which offers a satisfying counter to the darkness that permeates much of the story.
Terms of Engagement
Lorrie Farrelly
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B006NFFKWO      $19.95
http://www.amazon.com/Terms-Engagement-Lorrie-Farrelly-ebook/dp/B006NFFKWO/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403449838&sr=1-4&keywords=terms+of+engagement

Book Two of Terms of Engagement (a story that began with Terms of Surrender) may be set in 1885 Wyoming Territory; but to call this a 'historical novel' might be doing it a disservice. Anticipate romance, action, and the gripping saga of a woman trapped in a brutal marriage, who inadvertently falls in love with good doctor and widower Robert Delvin - and that's only the beginning of a story that will quickly prove a fatal attraction to readers…fatal only because once you pick it up, it's nearly impossible to put down.

Second books in trilogies usually demand at least a cursory familiarity with the first novel, to make sense. While obtaining and reading Terms of Surrender will quickly become of interest, it's by no means a requirement for appreciating Terms of Engagement.

There's romance, history, intrigue, and more than a healthy dose of action; all bound within a plot that both supports Book One and stands well on its own.

The first thing to note is that past events are deftly summed up in a prologue that sets the stage for the adventures of physician Robert and his five-year-old daughter. Robert's newfound, growing passion for his new patient is only equaled by his commitment to a young daughter whom he protects against all evils after his initial distance from her life.

Terms of Engagement is all about Rob's evolving relationship with Tess (not the continuing saga of Michael and Annie that was presented in Terms of Surrender - although they do make cameo appearances).

And in comparison with the high drama Book One, the opening 'acts' could be said to be milder. It's evident that Lorrie Farrelly has refined her approach to focus on a slower buildup of tension without sacrificing her ability to grab and involve readers as she develops emotional connections between two very different protagonists. This slightly different development approach incorporates the same tension-building strengths, but with even more depth than in Terms of Surrender.

And for those who appreciate genre-crossing reads, there's also a touch of the supernatural, as Rob's guardian angel Gavin has informed him he still has much to do in the world, and changes to make. Will Tess be one of those changes, or will a vengeful husband and an assassin stop their love?

You could say 'of course not'; but Terms of Engagement is anything but cut-and-dry reading and draws readers into the choices and predicaments of Tess and Rob both as individuals and as a possible couple: "I've made so many missteps," she said, looking down at her hand in his. "So many wrong choices. For Scottie's sake, I can't afford to make any more."

That Michael and Annie's relationship swirls between and around them links the two plots and lends a continuity and familiarity to this separate (yet subtly interconnected) story of their evolving love.

It's romance reading at its best; and while readers of Terms of Surrender may at first find startling the slower buildup in Terms of Engagement, the final result is an even more intricate development of characters, setting, and plot; adding political scenarios and involving readers in a tense story that's based on real-world Western history and events.
Terms of Temptation
Lorrie Farrelly
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B00BP2UTO4        $12.99
http://www.amazon.com/Terms-Temptation-Lorrie-Farrelly-ebook/dp/B00BP2UTO4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403451596&sr=1-1&keywords=terms+of+temptation

Terms of Temptation is Book Three of the trilogy begun in Terms of Surrender; and it's here that newcomers should be advised to at least be familiar with its predecessors. Temptation continues the lives and loves of the Cantrell and Devlin families but takes another turn in introducing the romance between Deputy Game Warden Bram Killoran and feisty Kinley Cantrell, who is more than capable of taking care of herself and defending the animals she so loves…

So much so that it seems unlikely that Bram has any chance with her, as he is equally headstrong in a different direction.

All this changes when life's circumstances throw them a curve ball of love and adventure, prompting each to reconsider their choices, lives, and objectives.

Another satisfying device: their love is anything but soft and evolving. At first it's actually a spirited clash of personalities that slowly builds mutual, grudging respect between the two disparate forces. Like an antimatter collision, what would seem to cancel each other out instead merges to build something greater.

But wait, there's more… more than romance alone. There's a familiarity about Kinley (previously introduced as the toddler in Terms of Engagement) who now uses the troublesome events of her childhood to hone a forceful personality larger than life's trials themselves.

And supernatural beneficial angel Gavin is back, too - even though it's only the second time he's appeared to help out a non-blood relative. In fact, expect a host of family members and protagonists throughout who lend both depth and a satisfying complexity and familiarity to the story of an unusual love.

Terms of Temptation ties all three books together (as well they should, in a trilogy), with prior characters interacting with new ones, and previous connections presenting different angles.

Taken individually, the three books in this trilogy read like separate adventures with light connections; but in Terms of Temptation everything is joined together, loose ends are tied up, and family connections are made and strengthened.

It's about abandonment and recovery, tension and release, and the problems created by a man just trying to do his job and a girl who loves animals above all else in life.

You'll just have to read all three books to discover for yourself how different they are - and how their final linked exploration proves satisfying. Highly recommended for any who want interconnected yet separate plots, passions, and interests; especially those who want their trilogies to stand strongly both singly and as a unit.
What If It’s Love?
Alix Nichols
Amazon US link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L3J9Y72
Author blog: http://www.alixnichols.com   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlixNichols  
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AuthorANichols
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22535198-you-re-the-one  
Email: contact@alixnichols.com
Paperback: 978-1500467876      $7.99
Ebook:    $3.99

Romances should ideally include a sexy cover (to lure potential readers) and should hold captivating opening lines and settings that invite newcomers to read on. If you like romances that provide unexpected twists right from the start, you'll love What If It’s Love?

The very first sentence gives forewarning of this approach: "I’m moving to Paris,” Lena said. Gerhard’s eyebrows went up. “Oh.” Oh? That’s all you can say when your girlfriend tells you she’s going away? She gave him a long stare, then turned away and shifted to sit on her heels."

Lena knows it's unreasonable of her to expect an emotional outburst from one who excels at hiding his feelings, so her journey to the city of romance really represents a fresh start on so many levels. It's presumably about finishing her college thesis in a different environment; but (inevitably) it's actually more about pragmatic change as Lena very quickly adapts to leaving her partner and life in search of a better fit.

Of course, the inevitable happens in the form of a chance encounter with a charismatic Frenchman who embodies everything her neglectful boyfriend was not, and they fall in love.

If you think this is the end of What If It’s Love?, think again: it's not. A dirty little secret is unearthed that ends their relationship, and passion seems to be extinguished by betrayal and disappointment as quickly as it was fueled by shared emotional connections.

Surprises embedded within the story line include an heiress protagonist who is anything but spoiled and entitled, a pragmatic portrait of the twists and turns of romance and its intersection with reality, and a lovely Parisian setting in the form of the quirky little La Bohème cafe and its circle of patrons.

The mark of a superior romance lies in a combination of solid characterization and setting with a believable story line that's grounded in romance but embraces wider circles of psychological interactions.

What If It’s Love? achieves all this; and though it's based on the author's short story 'You're The One', no prior familiarity is needed to become immersed in this account. Another bonus: each chapter is introduced by a vivid poem by Marina Tsvetaeva, described as "one of the greatest Russian lyrical poets of the twentieth Century",  whose verses set the tone for each new development, as in Chapter 8: "After this sleepless night, I’m awash in lightness,/Poised and serene—a star in the Milky Way./Rainbows fill every sound, erupting brightly,/Icy-cold streets smell like Florence in early May."

Another winning development: Lena's new boyfriend (after Rob) is not the neglectful soul she started out with, but an alluring individual in his own right: "Dmitry was also always supportive, even protective of her, but without a trace of machismo. …He wouldn’t have let her fend for herself. He was perfect." So will she choose perfection over something obviously flawed?

What qualities are involved in romance, and how is a 'tipping point' arrived at that either furthers or kills love? That's the crux of Lena's journey as she sorts out the kind of man she really wants, based on a combination of attraction and character.

Romance readers (even the most seasoned) should expect all the hallmarks of a good romance: reflection, breakup, reunions and ideals - all woven into the story of characters discovering their true intentions both to themselves and with each other. 
Science
Nanostructure Physics and Microelectronics
Dr. Sujaul Chowdhury
Narosa Publishing House/Alpha Science International Limited
No ISBN/Price TBA
www.narosa.com               www.alphasci.com

Textbooks on physics and textbooks covering electrical engineering are relatively commonplace, with more appearing yearly to attract the budgets, minds and curriculum of college professors interested in the latest, rapidly-changing research in these fields.

What aren't as common are books which combine the two, directing details to those pursuing a MS in physics and pairing physics with microelectronic processing details: that's why any professor teaching courses in either subject needs to consider the adoption and assignment of Dr. Sujaul Chowdhury's Nanostructure Physics and Microelectronics.

It stands apart from its competitors in several important ways; not the least of which is by its ability to simultaneously serve as both a student textbook and a professor's lecture agenda. This is no light accomplishment: straddling the line between the two necessarily means the book's structure must be accessible by both for somewhat different purposes.

Thus, Nanostructure Physics and Microelectronics is written in the form of lecture notes (indeed, it's based on the 10th version of the author's own lecture notes for the two-semester classes he's been teaching for decades), but provides a basic, progressive approach beginning with semiconductor theory with all the math, charts, graphs, and visuals a lecturer would ordinarily present in the course of his discussion.

One would think that this material would be covered elsewhere, and it is: the beauty of Nanostructure Physics and Microelectronics lays not so much in original research as in an original structure that pulls together a compendium of science and research studies under one cover: information that would ordinarily appear widely scattered and diffused across a number of physics and microelectronics references.

With this approach in mind, grad students receive a solid series of discussions that begin with a foundation in Fermi energy processes, semiconductor modeling, and elemental semiconductor physics and applications and progresses to atomic structure analysis, binary compound properties, crystal growth, and energy bands and gaps.

Adding in-depth physics as an intrinsic part of a discussion of microelectronics offers a rare opportunity for thorough grounding in both; all this supported by a wealth of formulas and graphics that explain major points and build a progressive knowledge base.

Drift velocity, saturation points, low and high magnetic field filling factors: all these are well illustrated both by discussion and through visual examples and formulas.

Part I holds a solid foundation introduction while Part II delves deeper into the physics of semiconductor nanostructures: all arranged so that even students who know little about the topic (but who study at the grad level) will find it accessible.

It's rare that a textbook can be recommended for either self-study or classroom assignment, but Nanostructure Physics and Microelectronics achieves both and provides the knowledge base that students need without requiring consultation of numerous references to glean bits and pieces of the bigger picture.
Quantum Mechanics
Dr. Sujaul Chowdhury
Narosa Publishing House/Alpha Science International Limited
No ISBN/Price TBA
www.narosa.com               www.alphasci.com

That Dr. Sujaul Chowdhury can write for grad-level students has already been proven with Nanostructure Physics and Microelectronics; but the publication of Quantum Mechanics also proves he can write just as easily for students pursing BS degrees in physics. 

Here undergraduate students receive a detailed textbook written with the idea that a wave is associated with a material particle (i.e. wave and particle coexist): everything is defined and based on this premise, with mathematical structures supporting quantum mechanics theory discussions. 

Now, there are plenty of texts covering quantum mechanics: what differentiates Chowdhury's from competitors is his attention to creating a stand-alone course-in-a-book that combines calculations and mathematical formulae with physics theory and real-world applications.

It's intended for use as a two-semester course of study, can be used either by professors as a sourcebook for lecture materials or by students pursuing courses in quantum mechanics, and it discusses different approaches to calculation from Born series and approximations to what happens in the case of degenerate unperturbed eigenfunctions.

The basic difference (and strength) of this text lies in its ability to equally appeal to professors seeking ready-to-go lecture notes and students who want a calculation-supported discussion of quantum mechanics.

Rich in math and science, Quantum Mechanics is highly recommended for any college, professor or student pursuing an undergraduate course of study in quantum mechanics. Its organization is superb and its content is logically arranged and quite accessible.
Self-Help
Bridging to Joy
Mary Taylor Carr
BookLogix
9781610054966    
www.bridgesc.com     $TBA

There's one prerequisite for successfully reading Bridging to Joy: Achieve Your Greatest Path to Success and Fulfillment; and that's a strong interest in developing new avenues that lead to transformation and self-awareness. Without this goal in mind, Bridging to Joy won't resonate - and without resonating, its message is futile.

That said, Bridging to Joy asks some hard questions, prompting readers to consider why things have to change, the realities that lie with different choices, and why understanding cyclic transformations is key to personal empowerment and self-awareness.

While actual self-worth seldom changes, perceptions do: both internal perceptions of self and external influences the world brings to that self. There are healthy choices and unhealthy choices at each step of the way, and patterns of familiar movements versus the unknown: all of which contribute to either joy and achievement or ennui and despair.

Don't expect Bridging to Joy to be a set of admonitions: it's a workbook intended for readers already serious about adopting the process of empowerment and change; and in order for it to be a true self-help book, the first prerequisites are an open mind and a desire to change.

The purpose is to provide skills and strategies for honing goals and achieving them, negating barriers to success that often stem as much from negative internal messages as life's challenges.

Chapters from a business consultant and transformation coach incorporate many elements of both worlds. Business and new age pursuits often seem in direct conflict, so it's unusual to have a co-mingling of seemingly disparate purposes. Bridging to Joy represents a rare alliance between  these two powerful forces and comes from an author who chose to leave a successful corporate position to form her own coaching business.

There are admonitions, to be sure, such as "You have the power to accomplish whatever you commit to becoming." But what differentiates Bridging to Joy from similar-sounding approaches is its commitment to outlining the exact steps to 'getting there' - and that's what makes it a standout in both the self-help and business genres.

Chapters explain how to identify mood changes as opportunities for real change, how to identify negative emotions and recognize how they control perceptions and actions, and how to begin the process of 'who I am today' through a series of exercises and explanations of their results.

At some point readers might wonder what all this self-realization has to do with joy: in fact, it has everything to do with finding joy. Living a joyful life involves self-inspection, attitude changes, the careful cultivation of gratitude, and more. Awareness here is equated with both joy and understanding the basic premise that "All the circumstances of our lives are opportunities to make a choice." And this involves documenting the costs and promises of such options.

Bridging to Joy is all about the 'how' of this process. From building patterns of discipline to replicate successful approaches and differentiate them from repeated negative choices to understanding how one's belief system "determines how you define success or nonsuccess", Bridging to Joy is for any who would take the next big steps in life and understand the kinds of changes intrinsic to a life of happiness.

It provides a foundation for understanding, points the way to a path of better options, and blends elements of psychology, self-help, spirituality and business savvy into a compelling account highly recommended for readers interested in making positive changes in their lives.
Domestic Violence: My Freedom from Abuse
Beth Praed
Beth Praed, Publisher
ISBN 978-0-615-60785-6      .99
http://www.amazon.com/Domestic-Violence-My-Freedom-Abuse-ebook/dp/B007LRZX2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404848006&sr=8-1&keywords=Domestic+Violence%3A+My+Freedom+from+Abuse

There are a number of titles on domestic violence on the market, but no other book is as clear (or as direct) about what abuse means and what possibilities (and responsibilities!) lie in real freedom. Those ready to listen and understand will find Domestic Violence: My Freedom from Abuse a powerful tool for recovery and change, providing the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Readers who haven't experienced domestic violence might have no idea that even choosing and reading a book on the topic could feel (or prove) dangerous to an abused woman: that's one reason why Domestic Violence: My Freedom from Abuse is a short, easy read.

It's designed to be picked up and put down quickly, presents its information in easily-digestible ideas (backed by an award-winning blog site for those who would read further), and will appeal both to those struggling with domestic violence and others who would help them.

First of all, it defines 'abused' and recounts experiences of women who have shared their stories of abuse. Don't expect a comfort-oriented discussion, here: these stories are blunt, honest, and often painful and may require time to absorb (thus furthering the intention of this book to be picked up and put down repeatedly as the need arises).

Beth Praed spent much time in abuse support groups listening to others' stories and came to realize that many facets of abuse are similar, even though the circumstances can differ. "A List of Possible Abusive Behaviors" thus provides invaluable identifiers to help readers understand what constitutes 'abuse'.

The focus here is on identifying abuse, understanding options and paths that lead to healing and resolution, and determining a course of action.

Although much of this information is scattered in other discussions on the topic, the value of Domestic Violence: My Freedom from Abuse's approach lies in its ability to provide a succinct synthesis of facts in a form that's easy to understand.

There are also specific chapters packed with details that aren't readily found elsewhere, such as 'Protecting Your Children', 'Going to Court' and 'A Note About Child Protective Services'. These, in particular, are often sticking points that survivors need to understand in order to make the best possible decisions about their future.

Abuse is all about control, lack of control, and choice. It frequently isn't consistent ("Her abuser did give her some things, but he would decide what she was allowed to have."), which often makes identification and action such a challenge for victims. 

From watching out for signs of abuse so that the same mistakes aren't made ("If your new boyfriend showers you with gifts and declarations of love, be wary.") to what is truly involved in the idea of 'freedom from abuse', this hard-hitting handbook offers tough questions, inspiring possibilities, and plenty of concrete insights on the entire process, from recognizing abuse to dealing with the aftermath of freedom.
Social Issues
Rule of Law
Dustin D. Romney
CreateSpace
978-1499159783        $6.99
http://www.amazon.com/Rule-Law-Must-Amend-Constitution-ebook/dp/B00KGLJS88/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1404401580

Rule of Law: Why and How We Must Amend the Constitution makes a solid case for revising and revamping not just government, but the Constitution itself: so one might initially anticipate that such a call to action would be filled with personal opinion. Such an assumption would be wrong, however: Rule of Law supports its case through a combination of historical precedent and analysis and reasoned arguments that incorporate legal, social, economic and political concerns. As such, it's a recommendation for any who would consider the 'pro' arguments involved in a Constitutional overhaul.

Chapters point out the obvious (that current political process just isn't working) and also consider reasons for this failure; but the 'meat' of Rule of Law doesn't lie in statements of fact, but in proposed solutions.

This may sound complicated; but it's not: the 'rule of law' is actually quite simple and is very clearly spelled out from the beginning: "There is an inherent understanding in all of us that rules should be enforced, and if they are unenforceable

or otherwise unsound, they should be changed. That serves as a solid definition of the rule of law, and it captures a central premise of this book. The rules of government are spelled out in the Constitution. Yet we have strayed so far from it that much of it is now unenforceable. How did we get here? How does this affect our political processes? What can we do to fix it? These are some the questions addressed in this book."

And, to be clear, the 'rule of law' wasn't created by Dustin D. Romney, but is a basic political and legal concept that sounds good on paper, but is too seldom applied to the real world.

This is where Rule of Law comes into play: it's about the 'how' of applying this basic idea to the highest levels of governmental structure, offering specifics and not the generalities one might anticipate from a suggestion to revise the Constitution itself.

Chapters take different clauses and closely examine them for 'true meaning'. They study controversial viewpoints of Congressional process, consider points for revision, and reference legal and political analysis and precedent in the course of suggesting alternatives based not on ideals, but upon reality of how laws are interpreted and applied.

No sacred cow is left to graze in its field of uncertainty: Romney tackles government debt and dubious economic policies, why regulation efforts only further problems, and provides damning evidence of the incongruities of current governmental process: "The Constitution was crafted to limit the scope of Federal programs. If Federal money should be spent on any project that has a worthy goal then where is the end of Federal spending? Apparently, according to Congress and the Courts, there is none, at least none other than what is politically unwise."

Don't expect this analysis to be without controversy: Romney makes some pointed observations that are certain to ruffle some feathers: "If voters place upon government the responsibility to offer charity and fairness, in terms of wealth distribution, with no limit, then there will be no end to using other people’s money to achieve these ends. This is why charity and fairness belong in the private sector where wealth goes to the people who earn it and random luck falls on everyone with no bias or political agenda; and where free people are likely to be charitable. A social safety net should not exist to right the supposed wrongs of the free market. It should be there to simply help struggling people; which will inevitably exist in any system; get back on their feet, and that implies a strict limit on its use." 

From wealth disparities and regulatory inconsistencies to observations of reality, Rule of Law pulls no punches and offers many solid insights: "Some say the poor in other developed nations are much better off than in the U.S., but no other developed nation has such a large and steady influx of low-skilled workers. It is also worthy of note that this influx of immigrants indicates that they see something promising in the United States which the detractors of income inequality do not."

So if it's a status quo read that is desired, don't go here. Rule of Law is all about creating a new set of conventions, supporting them with a combination of historical and legal precedent and analysis, and proposing solutions for many current political stalemates.

It will take an open-minded reader (specifically, one open to the idea of Constitutional amendment) to fully appreciate the contentions of Rule of Law and to critically consider the government's role in all facets of society, from privacy issues and due process to economic structures.

The contrast between 'what is' and 'what should be' is fairly irrefutable: the question is, how to we get to where we should be? Rule of Law takes a major step towards answering this question, and is a recommendation for any concerned with political process and civil liberties.
Spirituality
A Search for Bible Truth
Bill Shuey
Outskirts Press, Inc.
ISBN - 978-1-4787-3153-5
www.amazon.com

It's unusual to find an examination of the Bible that comes from a doubter's perspective; but as Bill Shuey quotes upfront before you even read a word of A Search for Bible Truth: “By doubting we come to questioning and by questioning, we learn truth.” Peter Abeland"

And thus readers expecting an interpretation based on faith and trust alone are in for a surprise: A Search for Bible Truth takes an analytical look at Biblical text, questioning Church doctrine as it relates to actual Bible words, considering methods of interpretation, and providing the reader willing to consider an open-ended dialogue with plenty of food for thought.

This is not to say that A Search for Bible Truth is based on the author's particular interpretation: the intent here is to provide the methodology and tools whereby readers can hone their own critical skills and analytical perceptions to arrive at greater truths and accuracy than traditional Bible teaching would encourage.

As such, subjects discussed in various chapters promote religious tolerance during the process, not dogmatic thinking; and they offer scholars and lay readers alike an opportunity to identify what elements differentiate the two analytical approaches.

Exactly what are some of the problems with traditional interpretations versus fundamentalist perceptions? Shuey doesn't provide generalities, but specifics: while this may challenge those used to blanket acceptance without closer reading, it will delight scholars who want clear, dispassionate and analytical approaches to Bible interpretation: "For the fundamentalist believer, God is the infallible author of the Bible and those who penned his thoughts were merely scribes. For the non-believer, and some more liberal Christian adherents, the true originators of the Bible were mere human writers —and therefore the real authors.   

Certainly it is true that A Search for Bible Truth is not the first observation of textual problems contained within the Bible.  In fact many of the issues raised in this book no doubt have been debated in seminaries and other institutions of Biblical study.  The problem is that these difficulties are rarely revealed to, or discussed with, the lay people…"

And what, exactly, are the issues addressed here? Among them, many a startling insight: "… these Bible writers may have shared the same self-serving motivations as the later church scoundrels is a consideration." If you're a reader who considers the Bible to be the literal word of God, this may seem blasphemous and offensive - but if you're interested in a closer inspection on that Word's origins, reinterpretations, and possibly a greater understanding of the real intentions and word of God, then A Search for Bible Truth is the item of choice.

It holds no favorites and pulls no punches in its identification of Biblical inconsistencies and possibilities, it takes particular, popular parables and stories and provides closer inspection on writer's intent ("Could the gospel writer of Mark have felt compelled to introduce the 40-day wilderness trek to establish agreement with the dozens of uses of 40 days or years, and then did the writer of Matthew just plagiarize the storyline for continuity’s sake?"), and it creates an atmosphere of inquiry and questioning, not blind acceptance, whereby a Christian reader can form a more realistic perception of the Bible and its meaning.

Sometimes this takes the form of adversarial interpretations, so be forewarned. Again, this is not for the fundamentalist who refrains from questioning the written 'word of God'. Anticipate many startling insights that basically 'nail' these inconsistencies: "The gospel of Mark, which is considered by most reliable Bible scholars to be the earliest of the synoptic gospels, makes no mention of the birth of Jesus.  The writer merely has Jesus coming from Nazareth of Galilee (Mark 1:9) and appearing at the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist.  This begs a question: if the earliest writer had no knowledge of Jesus’ birth, how did later writers come by such detailed and sometimes dissimilar information?"

Readers who want an intellectual, critical, reasoned analysis that promote deeper thinking will find it here, in an enlightening read that could be deemed 'radical' in some circles and merely logical and sensible in others: "Christian people are often reticent with regard to questioning anything that is contained in the Bible.  There often appears to be a not so subtle mindset that the mere act of critical thinking could at worst jeopardize one’s eternal salvation and at best cause spiritual decline.  That’s why revealed religion provides us with a unique ability to unconditionally accept what has traditionally been taught and avoid even the slightest prospect of any other viewpoint or interpretation.

However, human beings are endowed with the power of reason."

However way you cut it, A Search for Bible Truth is recommended by this reviewer for any who would gain greater understanding of Biblical meaning through a wider-reaching, applied study and questioning process.
When Love Speaks
Maha Khalid 
CreateSpace
978-1500122072                 $8.65
 http://www.amazon.com/When-Love-Speaks-Unusual-Conversation/dp/1500122076/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1403243129&sr=8-1-spell
An e-book on Amazon is available at $4.99 or free with the paperback version.

When Love Speaks An Unusual Conversation with Love is about Maha Khalid's difficulties with love, her spirit-crushing encounters with love's challenges, and why love remained so elusive for her. It's also about acceptance, the ideal (versus the reality) of love, patterns of love and rejection, and how Khalid came to realize that needing, wanting, and loving were often very different things.

Through her friendship with an unusual individual who introduces her to elements of Sufism and divine connections, Khalid came to understand higher principles of what love is (and is not), and imparts her newfound wisdom here, in When Love Speaks.

It's difficult to neatly categorize When Love Speaks: perhaps this is because it's not a singular creation. It incorporates elements of autobiography, but primarily in the context of the author's search for love's definition. It considers psychology and spirituality  - but in the process of explaining and exploring higher levels of love's opportunities for transformation and change. And it reaches even higher and further in offering a consideration of the process of 'growing into love', with all of its depth and meaning.

Thus, readers of autobiography, psychology, spirituality and self-help will all be likely audiences for When Love Speaks.

Messages range from the potential of different kinds of friendships to hold love, to allowing time and space within one's self to reach out to another, question the presence (or absence) of mutual love, and nurture the seeds of affection in an unhurried manner: a slow progression often lacking in modern, fast-paced connections.

From how transformation works to connect newfound values and love to finding joy in something other than accumulating worldly possessions, When Love Speaks is all about finding, recognizing, and using the joys and opportunities inherent in daily life experiences - and perhaps this is the book's greatest strength.

Any who would consider a set of reflections well grounded in not just the ideal of love but which identify lasting, satisfying work, people and perspectives will find When Love Speaks to be a powerful set of admonitions that hold the opportunity for reader self-inspection (and, ultimately, successful living).
Why NOT Women Priests?
Lawrence J. O'Brien
No ISBN, Publisher, Price

Why NOT Women Priests? A Way to Atone for 17 Centuries of Official Discrimination against Females is an in-depth history of the patterns and paths of the Catholic Church, and charts its relationship to women over the centuries and how practices begun in early Roman times have spilled over into modern times, much to the detriment of the Church.

One might expect such an analysis would come from a priest, historian, scholar, or expert in religious studies; so it's surprising to note that Lawrence J. O'Brien is a former altar boy (turned skeptic) who began his critical inquiry of Church matters even while attending a preparatory seminary. His encounters with priests, his studies of Jesus, and his studies of papacy history only reinforced his increasing skepticism of some of the Church's perceptions, rituals and underlying beliefs.

All this ties in perfectly with current trends analyzing the future of the Catholic Church and creates a strong foundation for analytical thinking in Why NOT Women Priests? O'Brien's decision to write this book in order to dispel myths and more finely tune questions about the past, present, and future of the Catholic Church results in a critical observational piece that focuses on how (and why) the Church should empower women to foster its own growth and health in the 21st century.

An introduction considers, first of all, how such empowerment will benefit the Catholic Church, charting the histories of organizations that fail to achieve such goals and why they subsequently stop working. This sets the tone for an exploration of the Church's evolution, how its basic tenets are rooted in Roman traditions, and how Biblical fiction has been perpetuated by various members of the Church: "It is remarkable to note that the distortion of reality that has produced the false and scurrilous picture of Mary of Magdala did not take root until more than five centuries after Jesus was crucified, when a Pope--inconceivably referred to as “Gregory the Great” and later canonized by the Roman church--quite consciously and deliberately fictionalized the story of Mary Magdalene to suit his needs of the moment."

But this is no ordinary review of historical (or even Biblical) fact alone: one of the delights of O'Brien's analysis is his attention to giving a different 'spin' to history: one more reasoned and analytical than most: "Gregory I had benefited from the "Invasioni Barbariche." While the word “barbarian” has had the fairly neutral meaning of "foreigner" in many European languages, it also includes such clearly pejorative descriptives as uncivilized, cruel, rude, uncouth, unmannerly and brutal. During nearly two centuries, wave after wave of mostly young and virile people emerging chiefly from Germanic lands had been on the move across Europe in what historians refer to as the "migration of nations.” Moving down from the North, up from the South and across from the East, their only unifying plan seemed to be to storm the gates of Rome. Despite the negative terms commonly used to describe these migrating populations, it should not be surprising that they embodied the good and the evil, the gentle as well as the rapacious. It turned out that the behavior of these “barbarians” was often distinguished by a decency more pronounced than could usually be found among the Roman people. Their respect for and treatment of women, despite rough manners and coarse living, greatly improved upon prevailing Roman patterns of behavior toward females."

It's passages (and approaches) such as this that makes Why NOT Women Priests? an exceptional piece, moving beyond simple history, analysis or dogma to consider why the Catholic Church perpetuated a policy of keeping women from the highest echelons of Church power.

From early Roman times to the founding of America and its interactions with Native Americans, women's leadership roles and gender relationships are analyzed in perspective of partnership, domination, and the evolution of Christian traditions and thought.

From Pioneer reading matter (which always included the Bible) to a survey of canon law and the Vatican's stand on abortion, women's liberation movements, and the Church's evolution since Jesus, Why NOT Women Priests? provides a powerful survey supported by footnoted research, quotes from source materials, and inspections of how different priests, popes, and Catholic entities formed and affected the Church.

What will it take to form a priesthood more in keeping with the color- and gender-blind sentiments of Jesus? For one thing: a radical restructuring which begins with the ordainment and acceptance of women in higher leadership roles: just one of the key facets that, O'Brien maintains, can lead to a much more powerful, effective Church structure.

Any with an interest in keeping Catholicism alive and growing well into the next century should consider the historical, social and spiritual analysis and arguments that form Why NOT Women Priests?
Travel
State-Sponsored Sex and Other Tales of International Misadventure
Claire Noble
CreateSpace
978-1494703158               $8.99
http://www.amazon.com/State-Sponsored-Sex-Other-International-Misadventure/dp/1494703157/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403360901&sr=8-1&keywords=9781494703158

State-Sponsored Sex and Other Tales of International Misadventure is travel memoir writing at its best, packed with vignettes from the outer limits of world experience designed to delight, entertain and educate any armchair reader who appreciates humor injected into eye-popping action.

The chapter headings alone should tell you that you're in for something different from the usual travelogue. You won't find such descriptions as 'Axe-Murdering Troll Seeks Same', 'Up the Yin Yang' or 'The Bitch in the Kitchen' in every travel book, for example! And what stories they are: the chapters are only a lead-in for the zany, wild ride readers can expect from this carousel of wonder.

There's no lazy lead-in to these sagas: action begins with a bang and shoots through descriptions that are peppered with autobiography. Claire Noble admits that a childhood in a typical West Texas town didn't begin to prepare her for encounters on the road of life, despite an all-American focus and despite the fact international influence was everywhere: "I may have craved adventure, but I had no idea what to expect. Much like 1950s predictions of life in the twenty-first century, my concept of life beyond the El Paso city limits was not entirely fact based. For instance, my initial insights into the venerable and ancient culture of the Orient came courtesy of the Peking Palace restaurant in El Paso, Texas."

So she was especially vulnerable and wide-eyed when she journeyed beyond Texas's border and even beyond the U.S.'s border. That she was able to openly embark on such a trip can be blamed in part on neighborhood street names that hinted at different environments likely not brown, parched, or dull.

Don't expect travel encounters alone, here: Noble includes a healthy dose of autobiographical reflection as she considers the impact of pregnancy on body and soul, muses on places visited and re-visited over the decades, and cultural and political influences on places around the world:

"Two years after opening, Krispy Kreme Hong Kong closed its doors forever. It was not consumer dietary conscientiousness that killed it, but Hong Kong’s brutal retail rental environment. Selling donuts did not pay, not enough to rent in Causeway Bay. The problem with optimism was that the line between it and naiveté was not clearly delineated. Like the proprietors of Krispy Kreme, we also arrived in Hong Kong betting on success. Arriving in Hong Kong in 2000, I was on an adventure, but returning to Hong Kong in 2006, I was on a mission."

As she faces down such unlikely scenarios as her daughter's diagnosis of scarlet fever in Hong Kong and its impact on those around her, family life and cultural differences continue to be the highlight: "…even though Hong Kong no longer maintained vestiges of Dickens’ days like debtors’ prisons and child labor, it did quarantine people in its holiday parks in the event of disease outbreaks. Holiday parks were Hong Kong’s version of a KOA campground. In the event of quarantine I knew Brigitte would not be going alone. We would both be shipped off to some remote New Territories location."

Hers is not just a journey through different cultures (as so many travelogues portray): it's a journey exploring Noble's place in those worlds and their impact on her life.

In this, State-Sponsored Sex truly shines, carving out a unique spot for itself in the plethora that makes up the travelogue genre and providing readers with a constantly-changing combination of international encounters, cultural ironies, and their overall affects on the lives of all concerned.

Debut memoirs aren't usually this vivid - or this varied. State-Sponsored Sex is fast, it's furious, it's down-to-earth, and it's inviting: what more could one ask for from a travel adventure that entertains even as it educates?
Young Adult/Childrens
P.R.A.C.T.I.C.E. Coloring and Activity Book
Andrea J. Hill-Sanders, et.al.
BookLogix
9781610054751          $9.95
BookLogix.com

P.R.A.C.T.I.C.E. Coloring and Activity Book pairs large-sized black and white illustrations with keys to practicing love and responsible displays of emotion, and couples these line drawings, ready for coloring, with easy language analyzing the foundations of love and its meaning in children's and adult's lives.

It may sound weighty and demanding, but it's not. One of the glories of P.R.A.C.T.I.C.E. Coloring and Activity Book lies in a format that takes ordinarily-complex topics and transforms them into easily-digestible nuggets of wisdom accessible by an age group that otherwise might not absorb these kernels of wisdom until much later in life.

The young protagonist, Max, learns not just about his own emotions and reactions, but the effects his actions have on others: "…as he got older, there were some mornings that Max would forget to tell his mother how he felt about her….On the days that he forgot, Max didn't feel as happy inside. He wondered if his mother felt the same way. And that made him feel awful."

Lessons in perception boil down to the idea of  "practicing love"… but how is this done, exactly? This basic idea and its implementation form the foundation of a lively, thought-provoking theme offered up to young picture-book readers who still enjoy coloring, yet are approaching the maturity level of being capable of reading and absorbing simple messages about understanding love.

Max isn't the only protagonist featured here: there's his friend Riley, a host of wise adults, and other lessons that range from learning from one's mistakes and solving problems to understanding the importance of practice in "making perfect".

Each example is illustrated with line drawings ideal for coloring, and each is presented using large print and simple explanations geared to young hearts and minds.

In addition to the coloring, youngsters are invited to use a more complicated "word find" grid to find words such as "love", '"trust" and "forgive", and are encouraged to incorporate the basic concepts of practice and thoughtfulness into a fundamental understanding of how emotions operate in the world.

It's a fine, positive, and reinforcing introduction to kids just beginning to understand the world outside themselves: the coloring and activity format is the perfect fortification for these basics!
A Simple Idea to Empower Kids: Teen's Edition
Kathleen Boucher
Balboa Press
Publisher address: 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403
Publisher email: www.balboapress.com
ISBN 978-1-4525-9389-0  (sc)  Price: $16.95
ISBN 978-1-4525-9390-6 (e)    Price: $3.99
Number of pages: 23 pages
http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Idea-Empower-Kids-Teens-ebook/dp/B00K0DT0YY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402789049&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Simple+Idea+to+Empower+Kids+%3ATeen%27s+Edition

 Parent Kathleen Boucher wanted one thing for her children, above all: for them to feel empowered in their lives and choices. Now, most parents want their children to be happy and to become achievers: the question lies in how this is translated to teachings that will work.

All this might lead to the expectation that A Simple Idea to Empower Kids: Teen's Edition will be a weighty read: not so! And those who equate a weighty tome with complexity and depth will be pleasantly surprised by this short (23-page) guide which fills half its pages with oversized graphics to add appeal to a message that's easy on the eye and psyche. 

After all: this is a teen's reader, and as such it works better using graphics and large-size print than it would with pages of dense, daunting material that would appear indigestible (and unappealing) to short attention spans. 

The message is clear and stated from the outset: it's based on a combination of love, choice and belief - the belief that "From the beginning of time until the end of time there will only be one of you on Earth. Only one! This means you are very special exactly as you are right now." 

Concepts such as 'giving permission' to let words and actions hurt (or not), understanding that one's every reaction involves choice as well as impulse, and visualizing dreams to help make them real, viable motivators for living a better life assume the form of admonitions spiced by cartoon graphics throughout. 

These are some powerful, self-motivating messages; so they require this format (alternating snippets of admonition and wisdom with reinforcing graphics) to prove effective for teen audiences. 

'Believe you can do it.' sounds like such simple advice; but it's surprisingly difficult for teens, especially, to absorb. Parents often impart this message in much more roundabout, general terms and couch it with so much detail and depth that it becomes lost or overwhelming. 

It's all about confidence-building strategies: this handbook should be just the first step towards building empowerment in kids of all ages, and offers an easy recipe for success that kids (and parents!) will find appealing, logical and digestible.