December 2015 Review Issue
Magnify:
Focus on Key Customers, Deliver Value and Spark Your
Profits Magnify: Focus on Key
Customers, Deliver Value and Spark Your Profits provides
business leaders with a precise analytical system and approach to
serving customers and earning profits. Magnify
is recommended not for casual business readers, but for those who seek
concrete
steps, facts, and strategies to transform their marketing
plan. This
audience will discover that Magnify is
a workbook; and this requires reader participation in an approach that
involves
making wise marketing decisions and planning actionable
strategies. SWOT
Analysis is the tool offered to clarify a business
mission, target a
customer base, define a specialty, and use suppliers - but the
process
doesn't end here. This analytical
tool examines the current
business situation to understand how to change its competitive
positioning by
focusing on its strengths and mitigating its
weaknesses. Chapters
provide a step-by-step guide to marketing management, from initial
analysis to
marketing decisions and proposed strategies. They leave
nothing
unexplained and assume no prior reader experience in using the 80/20
rule to
predict and improve results. The
workbook approach requires entrepreneurs to plug in their own
perceptions, and
this requires a good degree of higher-level thinking and insights.
Examples peppering the workbook inspire readers to take
action based
on the premise "Delight
key customers
and the business will be delighted with its profits. Let's learn to
predict how
valuable key customers are and how threats delimit the target market of
a
business." From defining
the characteristics of key customers to targeting such
customers with a
direct marketing campaign and devising ways to appeal to prospects who
share
these desirable traits, Magnify does
just that. The workbook takes smaller elements
of business success
and translates them to an actionable 'bigger picture'. Add
in business examples from a variety of companies that plug easily into
this
step-by-step guide and you have a winning tool that takes
twelve key
marketing decisions and incorporates them into a system any business
can apply
to its marketing plan. All that's required from the reader is a
willingness to
change.
Dr. Betsy Kruger
Strategic Power
978-0-692-53581-3 $29.95
www.amazon.com
Return to Index
Adao’s
Dance: A Search For Meaning And Peace
Russ Masterson
Jig House, Publisher
Prepublication Manuscript: ETA November 10th, 2015
Email: russmasterson@gmail.com
He was sixteen, and dreaming a prophetic dream about a journey, an
encounter
with a holy man, and words that would change his life: that's the
opening of Adao’s
Dance: A Search For Meaning And Peace.
The enchanting story takes a different approach than most and roots its
spiritual investigation in a young man's soul, which visits a place of
lessons
where a man may know his past, but doesn't judge it.
Adao then embarks on a quest, charged with 'slaying the dragon'; it unfolds that Adao lives in an isolated village bound by its myths and legends, and that his proposed journey thus breaks physical as well as psychological and spiritual boundaries.
Raised without spiritual focus, Adao is rootless ("Father and Mother had taught me nothing of the unseen, as many of the people in the prairie considered such heavenly thoughts to be primitive, a crutch until a more advanced understanding of humanity and the physical world developed. My only exposure to the ancient beliefs that spoke of the unseen came by history class at school and hearsay around the village from time to time.") and believes he will not be missed at home: the perfect formula for undertaking a spiritual quest with an open heart, inquiring mind, and nothing to hold him back.
His encounters with leaders and philosophers make for an engrossing set of insights that ultimately add to his individual pursuit of enlightenment ("The grand leader went on to speak about a variety of issues and philosophies. His certainty and passion were electrifying to me.), a process which takes each bit of passion and wisdom and joins them into something ultimately greater than their parts.
Will he return a hero because of the beast he's conquered in inner and outer worlds? Will friendship and love enhance or detract from his journey? How does a 'spiritual guide' work, and what happens when death enters the bigger picture?
As Adao faces love, sacrifice, and the dangers of the Dragon's voice, he also faces choices, consequences, and change as he leaves everything of comfort to follow an elusive voice in the wind. This spiritual quest will appeal to a wide audience; but is especially recommended for readers of spiritual fiction and stories written by Carlos Castenada and the like.
It takes a willing heart to embark on a journey far from the familiar, and to fully appreciate the depth and perceptions of Adao as he follows both his heart and an unusual invitation will require a reader who finds spiritual questions and quests stimulating. Spiritually curious readers, especially, will find Adao's Dance a powerful, accessible, and compelling read.
Adao’s Dance: A Search For Meaning And PeaceReturn to Index
Brroop
Kris Rhodes
Grip and Grin Press
1524
E Ohio St
Indianapolis, IN
46250
No ISBN, $TBA
Prepublication manuscript: ETA _______________
gripngrin@outlook.com
Brroop is free verse, it's 'weird fictional poems' capturing surreal moments, and it's a poetry collection that defies easy categorization but leaves the poetry reader with a haunting feeling long after imbibing of its imagery and destinations.
From an intriguing opener with 'In Reverse, We Do Not Die', which posits a state in which life's trajectory is reversed to the grave and even, unexpectedly, beyond in a challenging vision of immortality to a form of Christmas greeting that is not so jolly, but invites the unknown ("Merry Christmas, suit of clothes that walks by itself/following folks in a great show of stealth/coming close to our ears as we go on our way./Suit of clothes, come and dance! Suit of clothes! Come and play!"), these are ethereal, compelling and unexpected scenarios that hold little predictably and, therefore, are delightfully fresh - and often startling.
Elements of the unexpected extend to the length of the poems as well as their contents: some sections contain works as short as three lines, while others eschew the traditional poetic structure to become observational pieces, as in 'I Signed the Papers This Morning. All of Them Will Die.', a bittersweet piece about a father/daughter encounter after things have changed: "We had a pleasant chat/about her boyfriend. I like him. She is not so sure./She knows what I've done, I'm certain. And she has her/studies, and her little romances. These things continue."
Brroop specializes in tonal inconsistencies and in the juxtaposition of rhyme with free verse and snippets of life's experience, injecting into its diverse approaches an aura of cynical mystery and observation that is unique in its perspective.
Readers who look for variety, often-startling imagery, and most of all, diversity and the unexpected will find Brroop a welcome departure from the poetic norm: one that challenges conventional boundaries and offers something far more complex than your usual poetry collection. Fans of poems that make and break rules will love its varied approaches.
BrroopReturn to Index
The
Collapse and Recovery of Europe, AD 476–1648
Jack L.
Schwartzwald
McFarland & Co., Inc., Publishers
Box
611,
Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
Print
ISBN: 978-1-4766-6230-5
$39.95
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4766-2257-6
http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com
The collapse of the Western Roman Empire led to over a thousand years of chaos and re-creation before a new system would evolve to lead Europe back into the realm of organized civilization, and researcher Jack L. Schwartzwald's The Collapse and Recovery of Europe, AD 476–1648 is key to understanding this process and time period.
This volume is a companion to his introductory The Ancient Near East, Greece and Rome: A Brief History, which concluded with the fall of the Roman Empire: familiarity with the prior history is recommended for a smooth continuation of the saga in this title, which details the history of Byzantium (the successor state to the Eastern Roman Empire), the struggles of Western Europe in the absence of Roman rule, and the evolution of the nation-state from the ashes of the old empire.
One might think such coverage would be weighty and limited to graduate-level history students alone, but Schwartzwald has taken care to tailor these events for readers who may not necessarily hold college-level backgrounds in Western European history, and that makes it a recommendation for general history readers, as well.
It's important to note that tone and approach have a lot to do with this access: descriptions are heavily footnoted, but are also packed with lively language: "The wholesale slaughter of defenseless Jews proved such a confidence-builder that on experiencing the unfamiliar babbling of the Hungarian Magyars a bit further down the road, Count Emico’s crusaders did not hesitate to issue their battle cry anew. But peculiar language or no, the Hungarians were already Catholic. They had renounced shamanism under duress during the reign of their saint-king, Stephen I, on New Year’s Day 1001. Truth be told, the conversion had not gone well."
As Schwartzwald describes events, individuals, and social and political struggles, the result is a captivating survey that draws even general readers into the drama and controversies of the times: "The slightest indiscretion might land one before the “consistory,” a body of clerics and town elders empowered to pass judgment in morality cases. Such vigilance seems hard to justify for men who believed that an individual’s salvation or damnation was predetermined by God; but the reality in Geneva was that man’s fate was determined by a far harsher judge: the great and powerful Calvin."
It's no mean feat to produce a read equally accessible by scholars and lay readers; no light accomplishment to heavily footnote a researched piece but keep the language inviting enough to draw in and immerse even readers with little prior familiarity with European history. That Schwartzwald accomplishes all this in a manner designed to successfully satisfy both disparate audiences is testimony to an achievement that offers the rare opportunity to appear in both college-level history collections and general lending libraries alike.
The Collapse and Recovery of Europe, AD 476–1648 may sound like a weighty, imposing read, but its ability to pair facts with descriptions that are involving and engrossing set it apart from many other accounts and make it an outstanding recommendation and accomplishment, indeed.
The Collapse and Recovery of Europe, AD 476–1648Return to Index
Embracing
the Wild in Your Dog Embracing
the Wild in Your Dog: An Understanding Of The
Authors Of Our Dog's Behavior - Nature And The Wolf
considers
the relationship between domestic dogs, wolves, and humans, and is a
recommendation for any dog owner who seeks a discussion of the
differences and
similarities between dogs and their wolf brethren. This
isn't to say that Bailey claims that the wolf and the dog share the
same
characteristics: he's careful to point out where their heritage links
and where
it diverges, and also analyzes human influences on a dog's personality,
traits
and development. Coming from a canine trainer with more than enough
experience
in obedience, this means that Embracing the
Wild in Your Dog isn't so much about control
techniques as it is
about understanding the wild nature of the domestic dog and how to
redirect
these natural tendencies to tailor aggression and change undesirable
habits. That
said, the 'wolf' in a domestic dog isn't something to be dominated so
much as
something to be embraced: it's this process of acceptance and
fine-tuning that
leads a canine trainer to the type of control that syncs with a dog's
nature,
resulting in harmonious interactions for all involved. This
is not a 'dog training' book, however: readers who approach it as such
may be
disappointed. It's about understanding a dog's underlying psyche, its
sources,
and how to interact with the animal with this knowledge in mind; and
the
approaches use the author's experience growing up in the Alaskan wild
and his
encounters with wolves as the starting point for such an
understanding. Unique
in its approach, filled with the author's insights ("…I changed how I handled Ranger
and became a bit of a
wolf myself in doing so."), and considering how
leadership is
established between species, Embracing the
Wild in Your Dog is a delightful blend of memoir
and insights into
wild and domestic animal alike, and is highly recommended for canine
owners who
seek more animal psychology than the usual 'how to train your dog' book
offers.
Bryan Bailey
Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
9781619333833
$10.95
9781619334717
$16.95
www.TamingtheWild.com
Return to Index
Blue Eel
Lorne Dixon
Cutting Block Books, PO Box 1521, Winchester VA 22604
978-0-9961159-5-7
List Price (Paperback): $15.95
List Price
(eBook): $7.99
www.cuttingblockbooks.com
Blue Eel is a horror story about justice and revenge, developing its initial compelling tension from child Laurie's encounter with a neighborhood monster and examining simmering truths which lie just below the surface of a young child who stumbles into an impossible trap.
Laurie's carefree decision to sell class calendars on her own, to earn money for a coveted dog, leads her to neighbor Bruce at a trailer park, whose invitation to come inside raises warning flags her parents have carefully instilled about never entering a stranger's house. But Bruce's abode holds both shelter and a glowing figure that is inexplicable and fascinating; and results in an encounter from which she barely escapes - not without suffering its consequences.
As the story line moves from a child's perspective to a newspaper morgue and a detective's viewpoint, just enough description and tension are crafted to create a sense of mystery and wonder. There was no reason for her parents to suspect that their neighbor was anything but harmless, but their little girl is forever changed because of it - and she may now harbor something hidden and dangerous, herself.
Blue Eel is about takeovers, glowing monsters, invasion, and impossible investigations. It begins with a child and blossoms into a personal quest, children transformed, retired cops on impossible missions, and journeys that lead far from home.
A mysterious blue eel swims through the story line and represents alien worlds, consciousness, and attempts to fit in as well as take over a world - and the entire production is cemented by characters diverse in interests, intentions and psyches.
Take a horror story, add in science fiction elements, and tie everything together with a solid investigative approach backed by psychological depth and you have in Blue Eel a multi-faceted novel that draws horror and mystery readers and evolves into a gripping yarn of bigger pictures, which proves hard to put down and satisfyingly impossible to predict.
Blue EelReturn to Index
First
Circle Club
Alex Siegel
CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1517544737 $12.99 Paperback
ASIN: B015TXPP0M
http://www.amazon.com/dp/
Virgil has been betrayed and murdered: a typical story line usually covers events up to a murder or ends there; but the delight of First Circle Club is that this is only its opening act, as Virgil then finds himself in hell, pushing papers for eternity until an assignment by the Devil himself returns Virgil to Earth on a new mission.
Why would the Devil team up with delegates from Heaven to stop a murderous force that escaped from his realm? Why would he pick Virgil to be part of such a team? And how can even otherworldly forces stop a killer with superior supernatural powers?
One of the delights of First Circle Club is that nothing is predetermined or set in stone: the unexpected lingers around every corner and every twist of plot, providing even the most seasoned reader of supernatural or detective stories with something different.
Author Alex Siegel has made his name and fame with his Gray Spear Society novels, and while prior fans might anticipate a similar approach, in reality the only similarities between the two lie in some supernatural events and connections to heaven and hell. Everything else is refreshingly vivid and different, from protagonists forced to work with the enemy for a common cause to an unending mission that restarts with new facets at several points where one might think the story will conclude.
From cooking up a time travel saga to tracking both a copycat serial killer and an original threat, First Circle Club excels in just the right blend of intrigue, detective story, and thriller with more than a dose of the supernatural thrown in to create unexpected moments, making it a winning choice for any reader who likes to be kept on their toes with cults, unlikely teamwork, and demons.
First CircleReturn to Index
The
Lucifer Spore
Stephen Chensue
Chen Tzu Creations
ISBN number (eBook format): 978-0-9967415-9-0 $.99
ISBN number (print format):
978-0-9967415-0-7
$12.80
http://chentzucreations.com/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-
iTunes bookstore by title search
Other science fiction stories have created scenarios where the Arctic or Antarctic ice holds buried extraterrestrial secrets and danger, but The Lucifer Spore takes a familiar scenario and carries it a step beyond reader expectations in outlining scientific team's discovery of alien capsules containing spores and what happens when a political struggle for control of the alien spores blends with a threat that could transform or eliminate humanity.
The adventure starts in one million BC, when a primitive, starving woman hunting for food in the forest stumbles upon a glowing, tree-like being. The descriptions are fabulous and paint exact, involving images of events as readers follow her encounter: "She could see tiny fires flashing under the god’s skin and hear its humming heart as its arms moved over the plot of fresh mushrooms poking from the earth like pale penises."
The next time jump lands readers in 1581 CE, when an imperious duke embarks on a vendetta to erase the pagan clans who worship in a cave with mysterious symbols etched into its walls.
Now fast forward to the modern Antarctic, where astrobiologist Ravi Lakshmi is tasked with locating and analyzing meteorite fragments to uncover evidence of extraterrestrial life. It's nearly time for him to return to his NASA laboratory when he stumbles upon the biggest find of his life and (for a self-taught street-smart urchin who has already changed his world through tenacity, talent and perseverance) what promises to be his biggest achievement.
Ravi has long been dedicated to locating alien life forms but now he's stumbled on its reality, and the meat of The Lucifer Spore lies not in this discovery, but in what happens next. Experiments and escape plans, a mushroom's impetus for change, and an epiphany that involves a femme extraordinare. A journey of sacrifice and pain leads readers on a path that incorporates more and more special interests and a deeper and deeper mystery as Ravi unravels the truths behind humanity's origins and purpose.
The Lucifer Spore is more than science fiction: it also laces its intrigue and mystery with more than a dose of spiritual reflection as it examines the reasons for humanity's leaps in progress and what these hold for the future. All this is wound into a plot with ever-expanding protagonists and special interests to create a satisfyingly complex read.
Science fiction and thriller readers alike will find The Lucifer Spore's descriptions solid, its actions logical and impeccably presented, and the final outcome intriguing and open-ended, holding out a possibility for more adventure.
The Lucifer SporeReturn to Index
Secondary Impact By now it should
be evident to prior fans that
the words 'Dr. Danny Tilson novel' actually promise a medical story
well on par
with the best works of Robin Cook and other notables; and Secondary Impact's
addition (the fourth
book in the series) maintains the usual high quality of plot,
character, and
tension development as it follows events surrounding Dr. Tilson's
latest
challenge. A court injury
to his daughter's beau during a
basketball game leads Dr. Tilson to take precautions even though his
possible
future son-in-law has no initial serious symptoms of head injury.
Readers are
treated to a real-world assessment procedure as Dr. Danny diagnoses and
comments on the prevalence of sports injuries and their
dangers. But when
disaster strikes at his own door, Dr.
Tilson has a vested interest in examining his bedside manner, his
diagnosis,
and his methods of imparting information, even though it may be too
late. And
when he embarks upon a line of experimental research that could
mitigate
disaster, his daughter's beau's life is on the line in the process of
testing
his theory. Add in an
ongoing, escalating conflict with cruel
ex Rachel and the recipe she cooks up for causing ongoing trouble and
you have
a multi-faceted story line that moves quickly between professional
physician,
father, and family man and juxtaposes a medical dilemma with personal
struggle. Secondary
Impact isn't just about the outcome
of a sports
injury or a creative surgeon's abilities: it's about the outcomes of
many
stormy relationships and, ultimately, about new life and new
beginnings. It
also can't be categorized as a 'thriller' in the usual sense of
high-level,
nonstop action. Powered by solid protagonists, a touch of intrigue, and
a host
of complex interpersonal relationships, the novel stays true to its
characters
throughout and is highly recommended for any fan of medical experiences
mixed
with personal challenge.
Barbara Ebel
No Publisher, $TBA
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0-9911589-7-3
eBook ISBN-13: 978-0-9911589-8-0
Website: ______________________
Return to Index
Big
Jim
David Lucero
The Light Network
978-0-9966403-8-1 $14.99
www.LuceroBooks.com
"Big Jim" Peck is a professional game hunter in Africa whose live has evolved from wartime encounters to hunting animals; but when a client is killed in a hunting expedition gone awry, he's forced to hang up his guns and retreat to his African plantation in the face of an ongoing investigation.
All this could have provided the 'meat' for the story; but the fact that it's actually the prologue for events to come places Big Jim in the category of a novel with much more to offer than the singular story of a safari-type business gone awry, when an American journalist seeking a story of the big game hunting experience entices Big Jim to return to the bush.
From the dangers of a rogue Cape buffalo (whom villagers believe to be infused with an evil spirit) to Mary's awakening not just about the methods of game hunting, but the politics of game management and encounters in Africa, Big Jim is replete with undercurrents of social change, wildlife management, and hunting politics and is thus a recommendation for readers who want more than a singular action novel.
The ideal reader of Big Jim will be one who wants a setting steeped in African history and politics, who will appreciate a hunter's perspective as well as insights on wildlife management processes and challenges, and who desires all this couched not in your usual nonfiction format; but in a novel replete with insights on relationships and motivations.
The 'you-are-there' action captures attention ("The first slug struck the cat in the side of the head, blowing out its left eye. The second slug entered the animal’s ear and blew open its fleshy, heavily-maned top of the head where its skull would be if the lion had a skull to mention. The simba roared and collapsed its full weight on Big Jim and clamped shut its jaws. Big Jim cried in pain as the sharp teeth dug into his forearm."), but it's the interplay between reporter Mary, hunting company owner Big Jim and his partner, and the wider questions of African issues, that capture attention and pose a host of unexpected insights into the process of exposing Africa's special world and all its nuances: "“Don’t lie to me,” he snapped back. “I understand your profession and reason for asking questions. But this is no simple story. People have already been killed by whatever is out there, and if we don’t stop it more people will die.” Mary was startled. She had not expected her handsome adventurer to turn on her so suddenly. “I only wish to make certain I write the facts as they are,” she said, in a rather limp tone."
The extraordinary is evident not only in the near-supernatural abilities of the dreaded Cape buffalo, but in the prowess of Big Jim, the tenacity of Mary, and in the thoughts and motivations of all who surround them, presenting a delightfully involving African saga for readers which explores so much more than the thrill of the hunt alone.
<Big JimReturn to Index
Death
of Hesperus
Hannah Rhee
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B01230H5IE $4.01
http://www.amazon.com/Death-
Death of Hesperus takes place in the far north and centers around Sassa, who is more than familiar with the permanence and presence of death in her world, and who follows a snowy path of fear and loneliness, defying all the forces that would rip love away from her.
Superstition is a fundamental belief riding on the thin edge of folklore in her world; but she's about to cross the line when she embarks on a journey that leads her straight to the death of a loved one.
Under Hannah Rhee's hand the backdrop of the North, from its Northern Lights to its demanding environment, come to life. Under her pen, Sassa's dilemmas and encounters with different worlds and old traditions serve to clarify both her belief system and relative isolation and her choices when she faces Lorentz's demise.
It's rare to find a saga that takes time to spice its environment with exact images and impressions filled with powerful images when it has so much psychological ground to cover; but Rhee's approach successfully builds a foundation for understanding connections between physical environment and psychological states of mind: "Snow reigned in the season when all dies. Life waited, deep beneath the layer of frost, for the chance to blight the perfect white of the icy hands of death. As far as Sassa knew, this could be Hälundlet: Ice and peace."
Caves and darkness, deities rejected, and powerful stolen souls all make their appearances as Sassa, armed only with a kitchen knife, makes her way through a polar world haunted by both myth and reality.
Filled with exquisite descriptions and an uncommon ability to evoke compelling mental snapshots presenting a sense of place and purpose, Death of Hesperus juxtaposes an incredible journey with powerful observations of environment throughout: "Now being so close, she could see clearly the wall’s texture. It was crystalline and slightly translucent, with a milky-white glow coming from within. Like moonstone, she thought, smiling."
Tradition, an epic journey, an ultimate transformation: all these elements lend compelling vision and strength to Death of Hesperus, a novel that skirts fantasy and history to provide readers with a gripping saga of death, loneliness, and change; all set against the backdrop of an incredible far Northern world that holds a horrible truth and tempers opportunity with hope abandoned.
Death of HesperusReturn to Index
Fire
Canoe Finnegan
Denis J. Harrington and Charlie Steel
Condor Publishing, Inc.
PO
Box
39
/123
South Barlow Rd.
Lincoln, MI
48742
978-1-931079-12-9
$12.95
www.condorpublishinginc.com
www.charliesteel.net
The title of the historical novel Fire Canoe Finnegan is compelling, offering an immediate mystery until readers learn (and many likely will recall) that 'fire canoe' was the Native American term for the paddle wheelers that plied the rivers of Missouri and beyond.
Clint Finnegan falls into the job of steering one of these massive boats by default, but his time aboard the river ship is brief as it is robbed and set adrift, sending him on an overland journey in search of the stolen money and a beautiful passenger whom he's encountered only very briefly.
Finnegan is a take-charge kind of guy: the perfect hero for a rough-and-tumble frontier world where Indians are in the process of banding together to thwart the 'Iron Horse' that threatens to cross the country and destroy their way of life, and where robbers with special interests traverse this dangerous, wild territory with apparent ease.
He's just the kind of guy to embark on a mission to retrieve the money and girl - and just the kind of person to persevere against all odds.
Fire Canoe Finnegan is an exquisite read on many levels: its dialogue is realistic, its history of the times and region is well-researched and vividly presented, and its action is well done. Any who relish Western themes and historical depth will appreciate the attention to detail that brings the era and setting of Fire Canoe Finnegan to life in a read that is a gripping standout in both Western or historical novel genres.
Fire Canoe FinneganReturn to Index
A
Ladder of Panties
Sandeep Jayaram
CinnamonTeal Publishing
Prepublication Manuscript: Pub Date: May, 2015
Email: sandeepjayaram69@gmail.com
First of all: the name. A Ladder of Panties provides an unexpected image, to say the least - and invites curiosity as to its subject. If you've guessed this will present a blend of sensual description and possibly a dose of romance, you'd be only partially correct: A Ladder of Panties is so much more, and offers two disparate protagonists whose lives came together, part, and meet once again.
What happens to love when it's settled into other relationships for years? Inky and Sri are about to find out, and the process of discovering anew what has evolved in their separate lives is just one of the attractions in A Ladder of Panties.
Yes, it's sensual: so if a healthy dose of sexual description isn't desired, look elsewhere. Yes, it's romance - but the kind of romance that stems from long-term associations and new discoveries; not the fiery storm of first encounters - so if it's a barrage of nonstop passion that's desired, that's also not what A Ladder of Panties is all about.
As chapters unwind and protagonists reveal their lives, quirks, and eccentricities (both sexually and emotionally), readers are drawn by both ebbs and flows in the relationship and Jayaram's attention to description, which holds some unexpected, refreshingly different images packed into as little as single line: "Seeing his blank eyes, all nine yards of Malaika’s whine wrap around."
All this is steeped in the tea of Indian culture, deliciously refined and presented in sexual and emotional observations that take the written word and create a palace of impressionistic art with each scene: "People dressed up as what they were not. Film actors, pop stars, historical characters, tribesmen and fairy tale folk. People, who could not, nay, would not be themselves. These were people one could break the conversational roti with. Have a drink with. Dance with…And not fall in love with. That felonious emotion had been trapped and imprisoned in a white plastic bag."
What is the ladder? What's in the white bag? How deep does one have to dig to arrive at one's most precious goals? Ambiguities, connections, and change: all this is wrapped into a story line that is ultimately compelling and revealing of not just sensuality and romance (that's its façade), but the intricacies of Indian culture and the wellsprings of human failures and successes.
A Ladder of PantiesReturn to Index
The
Mayan Red Queen: Tz'aakb'u Ahau of Palenque
Leonide
Martin
Made for Success Publishing, Inc.
P.O.
Box 1775, Issaquah,
WA 98027
978-1-61339-8463
$5.99
www.mistsofpalenque.com
www.madeforsuccesspublishing.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1KKNNmX
Young Mayan ruler K'inich Janaab Pakal is marrying the shy, retiring Lalak, whose only inclination towards royalty lies in her lineage. Happier with animals than with people, she would seem an unlikely candidate to become a ruler; but an overly possessive mother-in-law has chosen Lalak just because she'll be no threat to her role in her son's life - unlike the woman she banished, who was Pakal's true love.
As Lalak struggles with her evolving relationships with son and mother-in-law, she also comes into her own abilities, which go beyond serving as breeding material for Pakal's lineage. When he embarks on a spiritual quest to rebuild a connection to the gods, she discovers a sexual mysticism that will change not just their relationship, but the world.
Fast forward to modern times, when an archaeologist uncovers clues to her heritage in the course of her research and embarks on a journey to discover more. As Lalak discovers that the 'veil' that clouds her true abilities is one of self-doubt and suspicion, so Francesca finds the parallels in history that will lead her to accept her own connections to an ancient Mayan heritage.
Field journals written by Francesca Nokom juxtapose nicely with Lalak's evolving world and as Francesca closes in on the true identity of the Red Queen of Palenque, an endeavor that has taken ten years of hard research, so she makes personal discoveries about her rich world's real influences.
Detailed accounts of archaeological processes punctuate the story line and provide a realistic feel to the progression of events. The attention to contrasting ancient and modern Mexican settings is also well done and adds depth and meaning to overall events, while Martin takes time to detail the methods of investigation that are involved in archaeological research.
Oracles and divine visions, priests and priestesses, goddesses and oracles, and ancient medicines that can repel malevolent forces: all these are drawn together in a clear portrait of ancient Mexico and the lush jungles surrounding Palenque.
It should be noted that this is Book Three of a series and concludes with an open ending inviting Book Four; but it also stands well on its own and assumes no prior familiarity with the series. Under Martin's hand the Mayan world and its underlying influences come alive, making for a thriller highly recommended for readers who also enjoy stories of archaeological wonders.
The Mayan Red Queen: Tz'aakb'u Ahau of PalenqueReturn to Index
Tales
from Alturas: The Puerto Rican Mystique Tales
from Alturas: The Puerto Rican Mystique
provides a series of exquisitely-crafted short stories designed to
highlight
the positive effects Hispanics have had in the world. It does so by
featuring
the struggles of different families and individuals and then takes the
usual
devices of love, loss, and family a step further in considering the
social ties
that both bind and break in Hispanic culture in Puerto Rico. These
different stories, set in a rural mountain town, provide a series of
revelations about the culture that uses familiar social challenges to
identify
uniquely Puerto Rican approaches to life, with fictional Puerto Rican
villages
and protagonists representing many of the cultural concerns unique to
this
group. Take
'The Girls', for one example. The short story features a circle of
girls ages
twelve to fourteen years who discuss the murder of one girl's
step-brother and
a rape that went unpunished until his return from New Jersey
as a rich, successful young man as lavish with his gifts as he is
close-mouthed
about his secrets. Chaves'
turns of plot make for a far more complicated tale than one of rape and
redemption
- and that's one hallmark of Tales from
Alturas: each tale seems to be heading in a
predictable direction,
then offers a twist to present powerful insights into family
connections and
Puerto Rican culture. 'Petra's
Dilemmas' is another example of this satisfying approach: it opens on
an
Alturas porch in 1947 on a sultry and quiet evening - but soon all hell
breaks
loose; and the description is exquisitely wrought: "Petra yanked the cable overhead,
extinguishing her
porch light and flung her body flat against the ground. No
one in Alturas
could call anyone's mother a whore without immediately endangering his
life. All lights along the mountainside blacked out, leaving
the task of
illumination to the full moon." From
neighbors' brawls to night decisions and unfinished business, the story
deftly
outlines both the singular world of Petra's
life and the interconnected community of her mountain village. Steeped
in Puerto Rican culture and encounters, Tales
from Alturas: The Puerto Rican Mystique is a top
recommendation for
any who would better know Puerto Rican daily lives and concerns through
the
fictional eyes of protagonists who each take a different cultural
thread and
unwind it for some startling, revealing surprises.
Emma Chaves
Floricanto Press
7177
Walnut Canyon Road,
Moorpark, CA 93021
978188205558
www.floricantopress.com
Return to Index
Notes
From a Very Small Island
Anthony Stancomb
Thistle Publishing
978-1910670453
$14.99
http://www.amazon.com/Notes-
Anthony Stancomb and his wife are living in London and leading successful lives when an opportunity to move to the sunny isle of Croatia (an event previously explored in Under the Croatian Sun) arises. Their move presented many cultural encounters and challenges; and these encounters continue in Notes from a Very Small Island, which details their ongoing adjustments to Croatian culture.
One might think from such an outline and plot that events would be somewhat predictable in general scope - couple moves, faces cultural shock, and makes changes that lead to better adjustments and lives - but there's more going here on than personal relationships.
The story cultivates a refreshing immediacy by using an astute eye to closely examine what it means to fit into (or not) a very different world: "By now it seemed as if we had been accepted by maybe half of the 2500 souls living on the island, but it had been a struggle, and we were still left with the other half to win over. I had assumed that fitting into the local community would be relatively easy, given that Ivana was Croatian by birth, but I’d been wrong. Ivana’s parents might have both been Croatian and had taught her the language, but that wasn’t enough for most of the islanders."
The process of these observations betrays a wry sense of humour and not a little angst as it pinpoints just why it's hard to make connections in a small community: "I suppose it was rather Anglo-Saxon of me to have thought that smiling faces would welcome us as the first outsiders to come and live on the island for two generations. Nonetheless, I did think that our arrival might at least have generated a modicum of enthusiasm, seeing that we had turned our backs on the evils of capitalism, consumerism and credit card debt to espouse their ancient and simple ways!"
Croatia - even one of its remotest isles - is not an easy society: there's a sense of readiness surrounding war, a vivid sense of lives lived under an umbrella of violence, and an equally vivid exploration of why efforts to fit in or bond with Croatians often fail: "We were being taken up the stairs by the bearded doctor, when we heard the first unmistakable crump of artillery guns, and a second later the building shook from the explosions somewhere by the harbour. We froze. ‘Nothing to worry about,’ said our ex-St Thomas man. ‘They won’t be aiming at the hospital, and even if they do, they’re such lousy shots, they’ll never bag us.’ Not exactly reassuring."
Stancomb finds himself in the role of observer, contrasting his British world with that of Croatia and coming to understand the legacies of past and present pressures on the country as generations of sea-faring peoples transition to different lifestyles.
From the EU's effects on immigration to the tendencies of the new generation to eschew the physical labour that dominated and sometimes crippled the lives of their parents and ancestors, Notes from a Very Small Island provides a rollicking read that follows the author's encounters and observations and uses them to go far beyond most expat accounts of dislocation and eventual adjustment.
Through Stancomb's eyes, one gets a sense of Croatian history and cultural change, and the effects this has on the presence of expats and aliens from other countries. The result is far more than a travelogue: it's a delightful, often surreal observational piece that considers both the bigger picture of relocation and the effects it holds both in-country and on evolving connections: "Their presence also made us realise that we had changed in other ways. In England, we had always made such an effort not to argue in front of the children, but now, we argued regardless."
Notes From a Very Small IslandReturn to Index
Bibi
& Babu in Peru,
Volume 2
Bonnie Toews & John Christiansen
Whistler House Publishing, an imprint of Signalman Publishing
ISBN: 978-1940145481 (print)
ISBN: 978--1940145488 (e-book)
ASIN: B01724H9RI
$16.99 softcover $9.99 e-format
www.bibiandbabu.com www.
Publication Date: October 23, 2015
Volume Two of the picture book travels of Bibi and Babu introduces young readers to Peru, pairing a first-person travelogue with a dazzling array of photos that begin with Peru's archaeological relics and history and moves through the country, touring the modern city of Lima's museums and galleries and visiting Peru's countryside.
Several features set Bibi & Babu in Peru apart from the usual geography orientation for elementary-level picture book readers in grades 3-6; and the first is an unusual combination of travel diary, geography and historical facts tailored for an age range that typically receives only geography approaches tailored for reports and research.
This perspective succeeds in immersing kids in the sights, sounds, and flavors of Peru in a manner that research-oriented books couldn't capture, juxtaposing facts about the country with the authors' own first-person experiences: "As we walk around outside before entering the museum, we are fascinated with the flowers and colonial architecture of the building."
This is not to say that historical facts aren't an intrinsic part of the book: sidebars of information juxtaposed with museum holdings and discussions provide plenty of information on the country's evolution and past. But the real treat that sets this part from the ordinary geography approach lies in the personal touches in passages that provide a 'you are there' feel to the authors' travels: "Here, in the Santa Domingo Church, we are filled with awe. It is not just history wandering through these chambers, it is also the meeting place of so many worlds: sacred, pagan, mythical, spiritual, AND astronomical."
Maps and photos drive the tour as Bibi and Babu survey museums, take train and bus rides, arrive at small towns, and view the country's natural and human wonders.
It would be a shame to limit this picture book to young audiences alone: many an adult looking for an eye-catching and involving, simple introduction to Peru will find themselves attracted to the travelogue, making Bibi & Babu in Peru a special recommendation for read-aloud, educational and leisure reading purposes for all ages.
Bibi & Babu in Peru, Volume 2Return to Index
Brink
of Dawn (Chosen
Book 2)
Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef
Evolved Publishing
ISBN = 9781622533152
Paperback $14.95
Ebook $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-
With so many elements taking place in Brink of Dawn, a young adult fantasy, it's hard to see where such a saga could fail to impress. Take a thriller, add Native American influences, and mix in a healthy dose of the supernatural. Now follow two young protagonists on their quest to find other members of the Chosen group and discover their ultimate purpose and you have a follow-up in a thriller series that perfectly gauges the attention levels of young adult readers and provides a gripping, action-packed saga.
Brink of Dawn is narrated in the first person and is replete with emotional insights and a driving force that invites empathy and involvement right from the start: "He’s always looking out for me. I used to get into fights, but even when they were my fault, he’d always stand up for me. Now I need him more then ever. The fate of the world is at stake, and he’s still here beside me, standing up for me. He’ll die to protect me if he has to, but I don’t need him to protect me anymore. I need him close, to wrap his friendship around me like a blanket, to connect, to feel human. Lately I’ve had a hard time feeling human without him."
While familiarity with the prior book would be desirable, it's not absolutely required from newcomers who may have entered late with Book Two, which picks up where Wind Catcher ended.
As Juliet and best friend Troy journey from the small town that nearly ended their lives to the bigger city, and larger threats, they discover not just the truth about their destinies, but undergo tests that will ultimately determine whether they will form a successful group or will become divided and fractured by their own abilities.
Brink of Dawn is about new beginnings (literally and figuratively) and a treasure that many would kill for. It documents the rise of a powerful interplanetary force and defense that requires unusual sacrifices of its young charges, and traces the sacrifices and choices that create miracles, traitors, and defenders alike.
As in Wind Catcher, betrayal, faith, and love are themes woven into the thriller format - and be forewarned; Brink of Dawn also ends in a cliffhanger that portends future adventures. Who is good and who is evil? All is not black and white, and readers move deftly through a gray world of possibilities in a satisfying thriller saga which holds wonderfully unpredictable twists and many thought-provoking moments.
Highly recommended for young adult (and many an adult) thriller/fantasy readers who look for solid action, powerful characters, and an approach that breaks the usual genre boundaries to offer something refreshingly different.
Brink of Dawn (Chosen Book 2)Return to Index
Clean
Mia Kerick
Young Dudes Publishing
9781517581046
$ TBA
Teens receive messages about the dangers of drugs from a range of
media and social interactions, but often there is still the promise
that
ingesting a drug will mitigate psychological pain and overwhelming
emotions.
Attracted to drugs because of their confusing, evolving feelings, many
a young
adult falls into the drug world, never to emerge.
While Clean opens with a preface about this subject, it chooses the novel format (not nonfiction) to deliver its hard-hitting message about why teens choose drugs and what happens when they try to erase the harsh realities of their environments by creating an artificial inner bliss.
The first thing to note about Clean is that it's a psychological examination; not a thriller piece. Where other books would focus on drug-taking events and interactions between individuals, Clean tasks its characters with something different: revealing their motivations and emotions: "… it’s not like I want to think about this stuff, but I can’t stop myself. The “stuff” I don’t want to think about is really people. The people I have hurt so much lately because of my bad habits."
A prologue opens with Lanny's latest drug of choice (a common household item) but then moves backwards in time, five months earlier, to where his hookup with a male classmate is ending. Perspectives switch between the two boys, and readers are treated to gritty observations that punctuate stiff language with gritty insights: "Times like this I wish my life had a giant red bail out button I could press and just disappear. I’d press it right now I would."
Sex, drugs, school and home pressures, and changed home lives: Clean mixes its drug experiences with messages about the different kinds of pressures teens experience, how they perceive and handle them, and the temptation to flee (however temporarily) life's realities. It also reveals how taking drugs alters not only their experiences and awareness, but affects the reactions of others who react differently to the changed behaviors of a person high on drugs.
All this is wrapped in a plot that moves back and forth through time in clearly-marked chapter headings, charting changing encounters from home life to the wider world, and surveys how kids stumble onto the wrong path and how they come clean.
What does it mean to be and stay clean; to live a drug-free life confronting all one's demons past, present and future without the mitigating aid of a chemical? Add an ongoing romance between two boys who struggle with different aspects and impacts of love and drugs and you have a very different story than most: a hard-hitting, street-wise series of encounters that don't let up and which stay true to the sexual and social milieu of teen life.
Supplement these insights with parents' perceptions of their children and you have a multi-faceted story that, more so than most, hones in on the reasons for staying sober or choosing chemicals in a story fueled by the contrast between a star athlete who chooses drugs and the efforts of a 'loser' to escape his destiny.
CleanReturn to Index
< The
Scent of Something Sneaky Teenager
Emily is spending the summer working at an accident-prone inn,
encountering a
series of circumstances that seem too frequent to be coincidental. Like
any
good sleuth, Emily smells foul play - but when drugs are linked to the
inn, her
friends become involved to help her get to the bottom of a plot that
reeks of
purpose. Familiarity
with the prior book (Something
Stinks)
is not required for newcomers ages 9-14 to appreciate Emily's character
and
adventures. Teens will appreciate the scent-driven clues and
impressions
throughout, which begins with the alluring aroma of coffee and evolves
into
something that simply smells wrong. The
inn summer job sounded like fun, initially - but it's about to get a
lot more
challenging as Emily's investigations only uncover more
puzzles. Septic
smells. Soaps and lotions. Pies and baking ingredients. Chlorine.
Something
burning. As Emily uses her sleuthing skills to uncover clues, so she
uses her
head (and nose) to get to the truth surrounding a series of
inexplicable
disasters - one which will immerse her in an effort that places
everyone in
danger. Replete
with swift action, delicious olfactory intrigue, and spy action that
steps
fearlessly into danger, The
Scent of
Something Sneaky is a top recommendation for
pre-teens and teens
looking for a leisure read that's action-packed and vivid.
Gail E. Hedrick
Tumblehome Learning Inc.
P.O.
Box 171386, Boston, MA 02117
978-0-9897924-8-6
$9.95 (US $9.95) (CA
$10.99)
The
Scent of Something Sneaky - Tumblehome Learning - Science &
Engineering
Books For Kids & More
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