December 2023 Review Issue
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Literature
Mystery & Thrillers
Conquering
the
Darkness
Cassie Sanchez
Silver Labs Press
979-8-9868224-4-0
$14.95
www.CassieSanchez.com
Conquering the Darkness, the third book
in The Darkness Trilogy, continues
and concludes the saga of romance and struggle that made the prior
series
titles so enticing to sword-and-sorcery fantasy audiences. It is highly
recommended for prior fans, who will find this tale rounds up and
neatly
concludes an epic saga.
A
captivating
prologue outlines the horror of bad decisions, the portent of coming
doom, and
the power of a Stone that, as one of four, holds promise and pain that
no mortal
should control.
The Stones'
charge to
regulate magic and maintain control resulted in greed, murder, and
ambition
that has shaken their ability to be utilized for the sake of good.
Darkness
clings to the land as solidly as the ill weather which opens this
story, but
hope lies in formidable warriors and clashing purposes that portend as
much
opportunity for salvation as for disaster.
Cassie
Sanchez
employs the same attention to psychological depth as in her prior
books,
whether she is describing warrior motivations, struggles for
redemption, or
flawed heroes that find themselves both aligned with and pitted against
internal and external forces of evil. Descriptions replete in such
psychological depth are compellingly rendered and inserted into the
action:
"Jasce fisted his hands, not wanting to hear
anymore as shame and
regret assailed him, emotions he wasn’t equipped to deal with. He held
his
head, unable to bear the thought of Barnet traveling to the Bastion to
rescue
him from the hell that had been his life. Bile rose to the back of his
throat,
the tea and whiskey swirling in his gut along with a wretchedness he’d
never
experienced."
From queens
who
manipulate those endowed with magic to struggles to keep Drexus from
using the
power of the Stones to create more misery in the course of his bid for
conquest, Sanchez crafts a fast-paced saga that is as astute in its
psychological, moral, and ethical clashes as it is in the ringing
swords of
physical battles.
From issues
about
whether the Stones are serving their intended purpose and are working
correctly
to the costs of alliances which prove untenable, Sanchez juxtaposes
various
special interests and strengths in a moving magical journey.
"...if she used its power, she might cause more
harm than
good." Intention and outcome drive a crescendo of action and
revelation that are powerful concluding attractions for those who found
the
prior series titles engrossing.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a captivating sword-and-sorcery series which juxtaposes
fast-paced
action with equally thought-provoking psychological and social
reflection will
find Conquering the Darkness an
intriguing story of love, survival, and redemption.
Return to Index
The Cycle of Eden: Two Sides of Corruption
Daniel Varona
Atmosphere Press
979-8891320147
$19.99
Website: www.cycleofeden.com
Ordering: https://a.co/d/6XQAhKX
The
Cycle of Eden:
Two Sides of Corruption picks up
where
The Cycle of Eden: The Young Revolution left off. It
will especially
attract readers who enjoyed the prior story of Seth, the Young God who
inherited the Seed of Light from his mother and became a key figure in
the
classic battle between Light and Dark that has shaken the world of Eden.
A wide cast of characters and creatures occupy
these battling sides, from corrupted angels to talking skeletons,
fierce martial
artists like Valentina, to talking dogs such as Chase. There is plenty
of
fantasy to get lost in.
Between the search for peace and its
incarnation in the worlds of people and animals to Seth's ongoing
uncertainty
about the mechanics of his role as the prophesied Young God adds depth
as he
struggles with the darkness in his own soul, which belays his mission
and his
psyche. This also is a deep secret that he keeps from those around him,
further
affecting his actions and abilities as he confronts his own nature as
well as
the world around him.
Two
Sides of
Corruption expands the
characterizations,
influences, and story begun in The Young Revolution.
This adds to its
value as a fuller-faceted story set in a world which already received a
firm
foundations of introduction and intention, attracting readers into the
increasing dilemmas and evolving confrontations.
Daniel Varona embeds his story with a
whimsical touch and action-packed scenes which sizzle with drama as the
characters struggle to achieve their goals:
“What!?
What are
you talking about you?! Holy phalanges! Don’t go down the mountain!”
screeched
Mandible, holding on for dear life, screaming as Cranium maneuvered
straight
for the treacherous canyon! The whole plan was about to go tumbling
down the
gorge, but thankfully a living angel was by their side. Valentina leapt
over,
and with a powerful shove she knocked them back on course!"
The dialogues and interactions which power this
tale are compelling, offering satisfying twists and turns as new
threats
evolve.
It's payback time. The capacity at which
some of the characters to extract vengeance and torture, even on their
companions, is especially well done:
"Jezu
remained silent. Her unmeasurable disappointment was worn on her
sleeve, it
could be felt throughout the entire region she governed, sapping away
at his
infamous spirit, spoiling the inevitable. He didn’t know what to do. He
always
simply followed her orders, and that sadly was always his reality, for
that
was how she made him to be.
The result is a fantasy highly recommended
to prior readers of the Cycle of Eden story; notable for its fast pace,
complex
relationships, and underlying moral and ethical foundations.
Libraries looking for strong fantasy series
stories and readers who enjoy epic productions will find Two
Sides of
Corruption not only thoroughly engrossing, but
thought-provokingly rendered.
Return to Index
Far From Mortal Realms
Karen A. Wyle
Oblique Angles Press
978-1-955696-92-0
$13.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
Website: http://www.KarenAWyle.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Far-Mortal-Realms-Novel-Humans/dp/1955696926/
Readers attracted to the intersection
between fairy tale and fantasy will find Far From Mortal
Realms a
satisfying juncture between the two, using folklore to explore a
budding
relationship between fae folk and humans.
Father-and-daughter
lawyers Abe and Adira toe a special line in building relationships
between
disparate peoples. They specialize in contracts that close the
loopholes the
fae are inclined to leave open-ended in their relationships with
humans,
helping smooth the interactions between humans who would tap fae magic
for
their own purposes and professional fairy bargainers who can't resist a
good
proposition—especially if it works to their benefit.
The heart and draw of the story are
summarized in a few captivating opening lines of reflection:
"Would
their
law practice take her to some new Fair Folk realm today, and if it did,
how
would that realm compare to this peaceful New England town? Would it
have
tempests or calm skies, recognizable trees or carnivorous vines, fae
resembling
humans or more mindboggling creatures? And what puzzles would she and
Dad be
called upon to solve, what sly schemes to detect and thwart? How would
they
outwit the Fair Folk today?"
The saga
that evolves
is part chess game in which characters make moves and develop mindful
ways of
benefiting from their connections, part examination of family
relationships
that evolve against the backdrop of personal and professional
challenges, and
part adventure story. Each approach brings the characters closer to the
possibilities
of the fairy world than they'd ever before experienced, even given
their
expertise.
Karen A.
Wyle writes
with a close attention to building psychological relationships fraught
with
challenge and growth:
"For now, Clara was in blissful ignorance, rather
than suspense or
terror. And Abe had no idea how to tell her what had happened, how he
had
failed to see disaster coming and then failed to stop it, how a mincing
mockery
of a human being had played him for a fool. . ."
As Adira
enters a
realm in which she most say goodbye to her parents, not knowing if they
will
ever meet again, her involvement with a fugitive and various mythical
figures
continually challenges her to reconsider her training and everything
she knows
about the fae world and its underlying rules:
“You know, do you not, that with all the
enchantments at our command,
we cannot dream, nor reproduce a dream unassisted in order to add it to
our
realms?” Adira glanced over at Explorer, now arranging the shells it
had
gathered into some sort of picture, before saying, “I did know that.
Does it .
. . annoy many fae, or offend them, for mortals to remind them of that
fact?”
The goddess smiled. “Indeed it may, though only the most vain would see
the
offer in that light. No, the complexities lie elsewhere. And if you or
your
father intend to market mortal dreams, you should learn about those
complexities.”
Filled with
action
and adventure, creative twists and turns of plot, and realizations on
the sides
of both mortals and fae that bring them closer together in
unpredictable ways, Far
From Mortal Realms introduces a
vivid scenario where special interests collide and coalesce and Adira
is forced
to make moral and ethical decisions that will change everything.
Libraries and readers seeking a fantasy
solidly grounded in psychological growth and intersections between
disparate
characters will relish the blend of action and insight that makes Far
From
Mortal Realms a standout in the genre.
Return to Index
The Price of
Thorns
Tim Susman
Argyll Productions
978-1-61450-580-8
$24.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook
Website: http://www.thepriceofthorns.com
Ordering: https://argyllproductions.com/product/the-price-of-thorns/
Readers of
sword-and-sorcery and dark fantasy who look for epic and complex reads
steeped
in action and compelling descriptions will find The
Price of Thorns a strong account of stealing and wielding
power. The story simmers with unusual descriptions and compelling
characters,
overlaid with a touch of humor to ice the cake of action:
"Nivvy knew that there were times in his life when
it would be
better for him to stop talking, but so far, he had not managed to
recognize a
single one of them before it happened.
“Oh aye? What name will you give?” The boy hefted the rock. Clump of earth. Clump of earth. Nivvy
had a strong belief in the power of faith, but it had been sorely
tested of
late."
From kings
and idiots
to spells and secrets, disgraced thief Nivvy explores new possibilities
when
the mysterious woman Bella hands him an assignment that could return
his good
reputation to the Thieves Guild—stealing her kingdom back.
Even Nivvy's
confrontation with ghosts arrives with a wry sense of humor:
"The ghost seemed unmoved. Nivvy tried
encouragement. 'You’re
supposed to be guarding—accompanying—this crown, see? What’s it going
to look
like if you show up on the shore with your face all twisted up like
that?
You’ve got to be regal and impressive.'”
Tim Susman navigates a wide
range of topics and choices
that the flawed hero Nivvy faces as he steps into a role that's unusual
and
challenging, even for him. Susman builds an action-packed story of
beggers,
crowns, and a kingdom filled with ancient stories and modern threats
that adds
intrigue and action to a tale of redemption and struggle.
An appendix of stories that
underlie the kingdom's
culture and legends adds further enlightenment to the main tale, but
it's
Nivvy's navigations through myths, legends, and gods which powers the
reader
through a kingdom replete with a special form of magic and power.
Libraries and readers who
look for epic reads that pair
nonstop action with revealing psychological depth will find the
characters,
journey, and fantasy components of The Price of Thorns a rich read. Filled
with unexpected revelations and satisfying twists and turns, the story
represents a powerful synthesis of action and intention that leads
readers into
a world replete with wizardry, unexpected truths, and legends that
drive
nations.
Return to Index
The Return
Anna M. Elias
Independently Published
9798862807844
$4.99
ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Return-Book-3-Vessels-ebook/dp/B0CJLYL5TR
Book 3 of the fantasy series The Vessels
continues the saga of diverse, broken humans who continue to host
spirits, even
though rogue spirits are leading other spirits and humans to become
darker.
Eric's return has unleashed more evil into the world, as evidenced by
the
hateful Governor Ron who joins him in a dangerous bid for power.
Familiarity with the previous books in The
Vessels series is highly recommended in order to move into a seamless
continuation here, which juxtaposes elements of faith with fantasy and
Native
American mythology for a multifaceted read.
Audiences who appreciated the prior stories
will find The Return furthers and enhances this
account of rising evil
and a classic good-versus-evil battle that emerges from individual
choice and
opportunity.
As Governor Ron slowly loses his soul to
Eric, the world's experiences of conflict, hate, greed, and prejudice
rise and
threaten to take over. How can love win?
Anna M. Elias creates another fine
exploration of sacred and supernatural thrills and chills, presenting
fine
contrasts between action and deeper-level thinking that are cemented by
atmospheric, thought-provoking descriptions of experience:
"Tal
had
hosted plenty of spirits when she was alive as a vessel, but she had no
idea
how living as a spirit would feel. She wasn’t too surprised that the
sensations
were more internal than external. She was part of the wind that tugged
at the
sagging walls and broken window frames instead of simply hearing the
metal
clang or feeling the breeze blow past. She was inside the sun that
brightened
grass and weeds in the cracked sidewalks versus feeling the warmth of
it on her
face and skin."
Detective investigations accompany insights
on forgiveness and higher-level spiritual thinking, moving the fantasy
components into realms suitable for spiritual reading groups and book
club
discussions:
“A-Are
you some
kind of witch? Or devil?” His body shook beyond control. “B-Back to
haunt me
for all the things I’ve done wrong?”
“It doesn’t work
like that.”
He snorted. “So,
you’re some kind of saint?”
“Doesn’t work like
that, either.” She folded her arms across her chest. “What I am is
truth. A
mirror to who you are and the things you need to make right.”
As with the other books in the series, the
heady mix of supernatural intrigue, thriller components, and spiritual
reflection may prove challenging to some, but the purpose and outcome
of this
series and the characters who strive to accomplish goals above and
beyond their
individual missions and interests creates a compelling story that
defies pat
categorization.
In the end, the Vessels and their missions
revolve around bigger events and thinking than struggles for redemption
or
individual meaning:
"He
had
shared love and asked forgiveness. He’d conquered his darkness."
Libraries that have seen patron interest and
attraction to the prior books in The Vessel series will find this
healing story
of second chances and mystical adventures to be as compelling as its
predecessors.
The
Return is about spirits in
transition that find
renewed purposes and connections in their choices and impact. Its
powerful
blend of intrigue, action, and religious flavors make it every bit as
alluring
and philosophically and spiritually revealing as the other books in the
series.
Return to Index
Geographies
Carmelinda Blagg
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-025-3
$17.99 Paperback / $8.99 ebook
www.atmospherepress.com
Geographies
is a literary collection of short stories that link a sense of place to
human
endeavors and experiences, offering a diverse set of tales that cement
the
experiences of young and old with an atmosphere of geographic influence.
Take
'A Bowl
Full of Oranges,' for one example. Elderly protagonist Jozef Bastin's
memories
are linked to a hunger which has followed him through a lifetime of
experience:
"All Jozef Bastin
has ever stolen are the
oranges. At the age of seventy-nine, Jozef’s sense of purpose has
become
eclipsed by a singular hunger he doesn’t understand."
He
never gets
around to eating the oranges he so lovingly steals. Instead, he offers
them to
others. As his compulsive stealing grows, so does his fastidious
arrangement of
the bowl of oranges in a prominent spot in his home and life.
As
the story
evolves, so do the pivot points in Jozef's life which have led to this
moment
and habit. Binding all are captivating, ethereal descriptions of this
place:
"Jozef feels as if
he is gliding on the surface
of the air, all the darkness beneath him, sunshine spilling through the
shadows
of trees along the parkway. The lush beauty of spring fills his lungs
until his
chest hurts."
The
diamond-sharp
edges of history and oranges meld in a compelling life story steeped in
a
citrus glaze of revelation.
'The
Things She
Said,' portrays another persona that follows the trends of Conner's
life since
his wife's death. It surveys the changes that move between family
members and
life and death, cultivating a vivid eye for transition points where
geographies
and boundaries shift:
"This
is
not a hospital bed. It’s a meadow. Smell the air? Hear those birds? he
said.
And? she
said. And…?
And…you love me."
As
the history
of his relationship with Libby unfolds, readers glimpse the world of
survivors
who are "sturdily, unhappily fine."
The
result is a
collection of literary and psychologically astute short works that is
highly
recommended reading for followers of contemporary fiction; especially
those who
look for stories rooted in transformation and geographic landscapes of
discovery.
Libraries
will
want to recommend this collection to patrons who seek stories that
reflect the
intersections of a sense of place, loss, and discovery.
Return to Index
Misfits
Mark Jonathan
Harris
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-989-1
$17.99 Paperback / $8.99 ebook
www.atmospherepress.com
The
short
stories in Misfits live up to the book's title by
outlining the
dilemmas, perceptions, and reactions of people who don't quite fit the
mold of
convention. Each features atmospheric contrasts of troubled
personalities who
face life-changing encounters.
Take
the arrival
of an unexpected gift in 'The Mink Coat,' for one example. Narrator
Brenda has
long been estranged from her mother, but the arrival of her mother's
most
prized possession creates a rift in one relationship even as it applies
the
salve of memory and connection to another.
Mark
Jonathan
Harris portrays the journey of this mink coat and its underlying impact
with a
fine attention to life changes and defiance. This lends the coat
additional
impact and meaning as Brenda moves into other life circumstances:
"Unlike Montreal,
divided by class and language
and ideology, Chicago was a place where contradictions were more easily
tolerated, where rich and progressive weren’t viewed as antithetical,
where you
could wear expensive Italian boots and still rail against capitalism.
Here my
mink evoked admiration, not scorn."
The
cost of a
coat given to a daughter who has been disavowed, and the family
connections it
represents, are thoughtfully endowed with energy and insight as the
story
progresses.
In
contrast,
'Chicken Soup' weaves a cultural food battle into its relationship
examination,
probing a surly employer's struggles with her employee over food, life,
and
choices.
Ignoring
Rose's
daily insults becomes one of the efforts Amelia must make in order to
satisfy
her obligations and moral charge, which includes taking care of herself:
"She can’t let a
crotchety old woman who has
stopped caring about life drag her into misery.
Each
story
presents a different type of misfit, psychological profiles that are
tested by
adversity and unexpected encounters, and personal challenges that lead
to both
alienation and unexpected consequences for decision-makers placed in
impossible
roles.
The
result is a
collection especially highly recommended for students of literary
psychological
works. Steeped in the definition and persona of the misfit's adaptive
process
to life experiences, each story represents a vivid inspection that
deserves
widespread attention, book club debate, and library recommendation.
Return to Index
Cast Your
Footsteps
Agnes Mae Geisenhoner
and Martha Voorhees
Independently
Published
979-8862007541
$26.99
Hardcover/$15.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
https://amzn.to/49oh5f2
It's not
unusual to
pay tribute to bygone years and a family member via publishing their
writings.
What deserves special note, in Cast Your
Footsteps, is its vigorous and uplifting notes of just why
Agnes Mae
Geisenhoner proved such a lasting force in her family and, via her
words here,
to the world. Her granddaughter, who persevered in bringing her
grandmother's
gift to publishing fruition, explains her motivations for this pursuit:
"To the strong and tenacious women who walked the
path paved by
Agnes, may her legacy be a beacon of courage and empowerment. She
blazed a
trail for independence and resilience, qualities that have been
imprinted on
our lineage, and for that, we are eternally grateful."
The tapestry
of
family experiences and history is woven upon the choices, stands, and
commitments of prior generations whose leadership can prove a beacon to
not
just the family, but those outside its borders. These examples rarely
come to
light with such an enthusiastic display of experience, which is one of
the
hallmarks of this story. The account reads with the drama of fiction,
but captures
the major turning points, influences, and choices of a woman whose wish
to have
her words published was thwarted by running out of time to choose a
publisher.
From her
early
formative years as a 1800s farm daughter to the evolution of her love
of history
and family and her firm convictions that the underdog deserved respect
and
support in the wider world, Agnes Mae Geisenhoner represents not just
the
influences of the past, but the moral and ethical drives which honed
her
choices.
Her
granddaughter only
knew her for twenty years of that life, so discovering this written
legacy (Cast Your Footsteps)
provided a treasure
trove of knowledge that assumes additional relevance and power when
sent into
the wider reading world for outside eyes to absorb.
Family ties
and times
come to life through Geisenhoner's observations, from group fishing
trips and
the many places she visited and lived in to the encounters and
relationships
she cultivated, which were changed by the mettle of her convictions and
growth.
History also
comes to
life under Geisenhoner's experiences. Family relationships assume
three-dimensional form while the social issues which form from her
convictions
are powerfully captured in a manner modern audiences will well
understand:
"Maybe folks did not have enough food to give them
the strength to
fight for these rights. In that case, then the government should step
in and
help build up their strength, so that they could fight back. For how
could God
allow a country to prosper, when that country had no compassion on its
poor?
But everyone seemed to fold their hands (especially the ones who had
full and
plenty) and say, “Well I’d like to help but there is not much that one
person
could do; so why worry?” Maybe there wasn’t’ much that one person could
do
alone. But if they united, certainly they could do something."
More so than
most
memoirs, Cast Your Footsteps is a
tribute to not just a grandmother, but her family's lives and love. The
multifaceted life and talents of this woman and the juxtaposition of
family-growing moments with life-changing events makes for a powerful
tribute
that should be part of any book club discussion of family legacies.
Genealogy
groups, in particular, will be fascinated with the idea of how living
history
is created from family ties generations later.
Cast Your Footsteps is also highly
recommended for libraries
interested in accessible, appealing, powerful stories of bygone eras
and the
people who lived, loved, and celebrated their moments.
Return to Index
Justin DeLoretto
DartFrog Blue
978-1-961624-18-4
$25.99
Hardcover/$14.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
https://dartfrogbooks.com
The
Ride of My
Life: From Street Gangs to Motorcycle Clubs to Social Worker provides
a
powerful memoir about street gang and motorcycle club life that
incorporates an
unusual message about the life values such gangs can reinforce. One
doesn't
typically think of gangs in a positive light, but Justin DeLoretto's
presentation of the pros and cons of gang activity and life translates
to a
vivid inspection that is eye-opening and thoroughly engrossing.
From its opening lines, The Ride of My Life captures the
realities and illusions of DeLoretto's
experience in a captivating manner readers will easily understand:
"There
are
things that everyone knows. I have lived long enough to know that, when
everyone knows something, the something everyone knows is probably
wrong. In
fact, I’m a walking example of the fact. You see a guy, a young guy,
he’s a
biker, he’s in a club, he’s always in fights, the police take an
interest, he
does some jail time–not a lot, but then he does some more–so you know
his
background. Broken family. No ambition. Neglected. Beaten as a child.
Well, I
was that young guy, I was a biker (still am), I was in a club, and if
you
didn’t see me fighting, I was probably asleep at the time. That was me.
But the
rest of it? Doesn’t describe me at all."
DeLoretto's clarity in
exploring the line between common perceptions
of bikers and clubs and its reality creates a series of insights anyone
interested in social issues and gang activity will need to know;
especially
because:
"What
most
Americans know about motorcycling clubs is what they read in the press
or see
in television news bulletins. The biker life the press and TV describe
often
has very little to do with the life bikers actually lead."
As he reviews the values and
perceptions that motivate
and reinforce this community, readers receive a wider-ranging series of
insights on clubs, support groups, and peer influences than most
accounts of
motorcycling even begin to offer.
DeLoretto's transitions from
club life to being a social
worker bring readers along for a heady ride, contrasting environments
which may
seem polar opposites to outsiders, but which actually hold many facets
in
common. His unique background lends to observations about the job and
his
clients which come not from the usual middle-class experience, but from
the
fringes of social experience. This, in turn, translates to invaluable
observations
about the effectiveness of his work and position:
"They
listened
to what I had to say, and they said whatever experience and other
people told
them we wanted to hear, but it was just role playing. They had no real
intention of changing. Working with people like that–trying to change
the
habits of people who have no intention of changing–can be soul
destroying. It’s
the kind of thing that gets you wondering why you bothered to come in
in the
morning."
While The
Ride of
My Life might seem a memoir designed to appeal to anyone with
a background
in motorcycle clubs or gangs, its special value lies in examination,
honesty,
and self-inspections that make it particularly and highly recommended
for those
aspiring to make social work more effective.
College-level classrooms
tackling all kinds of subjects,
from counterculture and alternative living to memoirs that capture
growth and
values, as well as students of social work and counseling, will find The Ride of My Life powerful, gritty,
candid, and hard to put down.
Return to Index
Saints and
Skeletons
Ana Manwaring
Indies United
Publishing House, LLC
978-164456-616-9
$14.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
www.indiesunited.net
Saints
and
Skeletons: A Memoir of Living in Mexico presents the foundations of Ana Manwaring's
JadeAnne Stone thriller
series, but holds the potential to reach both these readers and
newcomers who
may hold little familiarity with Manwaring's works.
This vivid
memoir of
her travels through Mexico and Central America, which began in the
summer of
1991, traverses other cultures, capturing the rich flavors of foods,
romance,
and adventure as armchair readers follow in her footsteps.
More so than
almost
any other travelogue about Mexican experience, the nation comes to life
as
readers walk the gritty roads of countries steeped in the cultures and
flavors
of non-Western influences:
"Doña
Carmen,
our instructor, marched us to the central market. It was a mole
experience.
There were vats of mole, tubs of mole,
mountains of mole. Mole
verde, mole rojo, the famed Oaxacan mole negro and
mole of
every color in between. Each stall crowded into the huge market
building
brimmed with mole. Mole, spicy
and chocolaty, pervaded the air
with its fragrance. It blended with the meat smells of the butchers’
corridor,
mingled with the sweet ripe smells of fruit and the pungent herbaceous
odors of
vegetables in the greengrocers’ section. The scent of hot bread and
tortillas
baking melded with the mole, becoming an almost
palatable smell. Our every
breath was wrapped in mole. It settled over the
household goods and
wafted through the clothing aisles, spilling out the many doorways,
down the
narrow sidewalks, and into the dusty exhaust-choked streets of the
city."
From winding
(and
often uncertain) travels through the mountains of Michoacán to budding
romances
and relationships, the evocative flavors of Manwaring's life are
compellingly,
vividly portrayed:
"I liked
meeting
new people too, but not hot chicks with mota. I
was a decade older,
starting to pooch out, or I felt like I was getting fat, and I didn’t
feel up
to par. No way I could compete with pretty, fluent Spanish speakers for
Fernando’s attention. And I wanted it all. The bad angel on my shoulder
whispered, “You’re paying for it all.” I maimed the cilantro and
started
toasting the quesadillas."
The
resulting
"you are here" exploration is exceptionally enlightening in its
revelations, encounters, and experiences, whether they be cultural
misunderstandings or expressions of enlightenment:
"I failed to
look up discutir because I was certain it meant
“to discuss.” Why
wouldn’t he want to discuss a path forward? The irony is, I didn’t
learn the
meaning of the word—argue—until I started writing this book."
Libraries and readers
interested in a travelogue that explores relationships, food, and
cultural
perceptions, injecting adventure into every moment, will find Saints
and Skeletons
outstanding in
its presentation, revelations, and attractions.
Return to Index
A Search for
Sanity One Step at a Time
Evelyn Leite, MHR, LPC
Living With Solutions
9798988772705
$12.95
Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Search-Sanity-One-Step-Time/dp/B0CHGG2KJQ
Anyone who has
struggled with addiction well knows that efforts to escape life can
lead from
denial to self-destruction. Finding the way out of these patterns of
life
engagement can be difficult, as Evelyn Leite demonstrates in her memoir
A
Search for Sanity One Step at a Time.
Unlike similar-sounding
accounts of recovery, Leite adds
an unexpected component to revelations of her life experiences—that
addiction
holds a spiritual side that can eventually lead to not just a way out,
but a
better relationship with God.
The blend of religious
inspection and the routes of the
recovery process receive inspiring personal insights as Leite's life
unfolds. It's
unusual to find such a specific story that reviews the dual process of
spiritual discovery and recovery, but Leite's words capture both,
dovetailing
them in ways that are candid, revealing, and thought-provoking:
"I
want to
trust that Jesus died for me, and I'm feeling huge relief, but a part
of me is
still dubious. Deep inside me is this voice declaring, 'This is
garbage. Why
would you believe it?'"
Damned, blessed, or crazy?
These are some of the labels
Leite struggles with as she moves towards enlightenment, revising her
ways of
dealing with relationship crisis and life itself.
The journey towards the
light of realization and a new life
approach receives powerful analysis in this story, which will inspire
others
mired in addiction. This audience receives a beacon of promise while
following
Leite's path away from trauma.
In short, her memoir opens
doors for readers via example,
providing a key to redemption that follows her from making troubled
choices to
enlightenment.
Libraries and readers
looking at faith-based stories of
recovery and revelation will find A
Search for Sanity hard-hitting, brutally honest, and filled
with promise.
Return to Index
Urban Nomad
Freddie Kelvin
Tread Softly Press
979-8-8427-5634-6
$14.95 Paper/$4.95 ebook
Website: www.freddiesfotosforever.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Nomad-Memoir-Freddie-Kelvin/dp/B0B9STGJFD
Urban
Nomad: A
Memoir follows the life of British author Freddie Kelvin,
whose family
escaped the Nazis and fled to England. In too many ways, Freddie is a
major
contrast to his parents, rejecting his Jewish roots and any plans for a
conventional life to assume the trajectory of a wanderer.
His explorations of self and
the world evolve in this story,
where he jumps between various careers and countries with astute
cultural
reflections on revised opportunities and choices:
"The
big
question looming for me, of course, was whether I would succeed in
“changing
sides.” Migrating to London with a new, anglicized name clearly
suggested that
this was my game plan. If I was looking for Jewish students in my
class, there
were only two, apart from Roy and me, and it seemed to me that both of
them had
also relinquished their Jewishness."
Peppered with black and
white photos that capture the
high points of his experiences, Urban
Nomad arrives with the passion and perspectives of a man
whose search for
self embraces family, different cultures, and social issues and
experiences
within and between nations. These reflections emerge as he considers
the
consequences of his professional and personal growth and forms new
realizations:
"The
defendant
was a white physician, and the jury’s decision was five to four along
purely
racial lines. I was shocked, and discussed the case with a surgeon at
Methodist
Hospital who had grown up in a small Kentucky town. He informed me that
any
discussion of race there was taboo and suggested that I find out the
race of
the plaintiff. I called the attorney. “Yes,” he said, “she was Black.”
“So,” I
inquired, “why did you take the case in such a racially charged town?”
He
replied that he did so because he saw no way that he could lose. What a
striking reflection on the legal system and the state of our nation! It
was one
matter to encounter racism at a personal level, but quite another to
see, at close
quarters, that justice was similarly polluted. There are many trials,
of
course, where race is a huge factor in the outcome. Nevertheless,
experiencing
this miscarriage of justice in front of my very eyes was unassailable
evidence
of the chronic racism that has always affected this country."
The result is more than a
personal travelogue, but a
growth experience that follows a young man's entry into the world with
an
astute juxtaposition of personal, professional, and political
wanderlust.
Libraries
and readers seeking a story of growth that
embraces more than individual experience, traversing disparate
landscapes that
add their own special flavors of revelation and understanding into the
mix,
will find Urban Nomad an absorbing
read. It will attract leisure readers as well as those interested in
bigger-picture reflections and thinking.
Return to Index
Greenhorn
Cheryl Hunter
Cresting Wave Publishing, LLC
978-1-956048-22-3
https://gocwpub.com/
In Greenhorn, the curse of
Cuerno
Verde is alive and real, threatening the narrator with a dead Comanche
chief
whose legacy reaches out to embrace her and her family.
Native American rituals, confrontations with
ancient evil, lost children, and what it takes to live in a valley
continually
confronted with the wrathful legend of Chief Cueno Verde for some two
hundred
years mark a story that creates intrigue and supernatural attraction
from its
opening lines.
“With
his dying
breath, Cuerno Verde pulled himself up to standing on the flat rock and
let
loose a powerful cry, cursing forever the white man who would invade
the
homeland of his people.”
When Nicole finds she has been
"chosen" to confront this apparition and its legacy, she doesn't step
right up to the challenge. ("My feelings were a cross between
fascination—not to mention feeling honored—and wanting to bolt out of
there as
quickly as possible.") Indeed, she doubts the signs that she
can be a
hero, questioning her qualifications as a high school student holding
limited
ability to tackle a force and mindset that generations have suffered
from.
But, her family became permanent Greenhorn
Valley residents before the current bad events began to surface,
placing their
membership in the community in a precarious position that only Nic can
resolve.
Nicole's discoveries don't lead immediately
to her empowerment. She's just an ordinary girl who wants to get on
with her
new life: "...nothing wrong had ever occurred to us in all
the years
we’d been coming up here before, but that didn’t prove anything. I
decided the
best action is no action, at least for now, so I’ll just get back to
living my
life like before.
I’ve got high school
to start, after all."
Destiny calls, however, and she soon finds
herself over her head in adult situations that tap both an inner power
she
never knew she had and circumstances well beyond her control.
Cheryl Hunter's special blend of intrigue,
revelation, coming-of-age, and discovery can reach from young adult
into adult
reading circles.
As Nicole struggles to build new confidence
in the wake of life-changing events, readers will find captivating the
narrow
escapes that Nicole and her family experience in the course of becoming
unwittingly and unwillingly involved in a community curse that shakes
their
family foundations and future.
Young adults receive a study in
spirituality, discovery, the lasting impact of anger and vengeance, and
the
nature of revelation and opportunity that can either be grasped or set
aside.
Conversely, adult themes of maturity and proactive thinking permeate a
gripping
story:
"I
could fix
this. Life did not have to be this messed up. There had to be a way to
get it
all to stop—to have the big, churning, forward-moving machine that this
world
was slow down enough to get a handle on it. I needed to freeze
time. Once it was all
hard-frozen, I would get my hands inside and move it around the way
things
should have gone in the first place...I realized the true nature of my
Pulling:
it was leading me back home to myself. Calling me to be the best me I
could
be."
It's rare to see a supernatural saga turn
into a life message that will draw young adults with intrigue and
conclude with
new empowerment possibilities. Greenhorn is all
this and more—a vivid,
enlightening story that libraries and readers will find compelling,
unexpected,
and thoroughly engrossing.
Return to Index
The Lower
Power
Michele W. Miller
HOW Club Press
978-0-9910668-3-4
Hardcover:
$24.99/Paperback: $14.99/Ebook: $9.99
Website: https://MicheleWMiller.com
Ordering: https://amzn.to/3tVjzRW
Supernatural
suspense
combines nicely with a historical backdrop in The
Lower Power, a novel which will appeal across genres to
thriller audiences and those interested in stories rooted in 1990s
inner city
milieu.
In New York
City, a
crack epidemic has affected Raven and her friends. Raven has overcome
her
addiction and is back on track to become a lawyer, but her involvement
in New
York's challenging social issues and street scene lures her back into a
world
that, she discovers, is being directed and ruled by an unknown force.
As
recovering addicts,
she and her friends are in an unlikely position to become heroes to
anyone, and
yet they also stand in a perfect position to solve problems as a new
epidemic
looms and their discoveries place them in an unusual position of power.
Michele W.
Miller
paints a compelling portrait of each member of this circle of friends
as they
discover they share a terrifying nightmare and the possibility that
their group
may be the only force able to stop it from becoming real.
The
dialogues between
struggling past addicts who try not to fall back into dangerous habits
are
realistic, bringing Raven, Juan, Gina, and others to life as the
struggles and
violence in their lives threatens to bring them down collectively and
individually.
Miller
excels in
marrying these character-reinforcing dialogues and interactions with a
sense of
purpose and discovery that brings readers into the underbelly of
society.
A "wet
brain" is barely alive, having sold its soul to the devil of addiction.
But it functions enough to cause disaster and change.
Readers and
libraries
interested in stories that arrive steeped in the atmosphere of
adversity and
revised possibilities will find The Lower
Power's ability to weave real-world flavors with supernatural
and social
elements gives it a compelling draw, making it hard to either predict
or put
down.
Return to Index
The Man Who
Forgot to
Remember
Bill Garwin
Independently
Published
979-8863987361
$9.89
Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Forgot-Remember-ebook/dp/B0CKTSYJGZ/
A mnemonist
never
forgets anything. This talent can be both a blessing and a curse. In The Man Who Forgot to Remember, it's
both, because Jules Bronsky has forgotten a detail that is key to
saving his
life. His infallible memory can be damaged if it was created under
stressful
conditions. And nothing is more stressful than dying.
Determined
to repair
his broken memory and save his life, Bronsky taps attorney Atticus
Wright to
join him on a road trip of revelation and discovery.
Bill Garwin
creates
an intriguing story whose tension and attraction rest as much upon
reflections
about memory as it does upon the influences of Mob bosses, money
launderers,
encrypted messages, and magicians.
Thriller
readers used
to formula stories that are predictable will find quite the opposite
here,
where the characters move from individual dilemmas to bigger-picture
realizations. These involve the FBI and special interests that would
use
Jules's memory and its impairment for their own purposes.
The
reflections
during the chases and discoveries that follow are nicely rendered and
thought-provoking as these disparate personalities intersect and
interact:
“Augie, I do everything I can to stay positive.
When I don’t, I just
keep rolling out bad memories. I get sucked down. I know it’s important
I not
let that happen. But honestly, I’ve never met anyone like you. It’s
almost like
you’ve constructed your own world and refuse to let anyone get you
down. I can
learn from you.”
As new
opportunities,
revised leverages, and startling discoveries permeate and elevate the
dilemma
of a broken perfect memory, readers along for the wild ride will find
the
story's revelations intriguing and thoroughly engrossing.
The
juxtaposition of
the disparate personalities of Jules, Atticus, and Skye Duffy, who are
on a
road trip of unprecedented wonder and danger, create a story that is
action-packed, unexpectedly humorous at just the right moments, and
filled with
insights and thought-provoking revelations.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a vivid tale that draws on many different levels of action and
insight
will find The Man Who Forgot to Remember just
the ticket for a suspenseful, enlightening experience.
Return to Index
Paws
on the Pier
M.G. Wetherholt
Dancing Corgi
Press
978-1-943654-28-4
$10.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Paws-Pier-M-G-Wetherholt/dp/B0CGZMTBF6
Paws on the Pier presents a mouse-sized dilemma that pairs a murder
mystery with a
unique viewpoint, cementing its dilemmas with appealing and unexpected
perspectives and evocative language. It will prove a draw for murder
mystery
readers seeking something completely different from the usual genre
production:
"Being travel-sized
is not always advantageous.
By the third time Olivia’s mascara missile hit me in the back, I
wondered if
this trip wasn’t better as a dream than as reality. The nice thing
about being
a mouse is that you can fit in very small spaces without being seen.
The sucky
thing about being a mouse is that you can be easily squished by
practically
everything."
Hazel
Huntington
Graymouse just wants to get away for a vacation. The last thing on her
mind was
becoming involved with either humans or murder. In actuality, both
assume
central roles in her life as she joins "vain, mean" vacationer Olivia
for the ride of her short life.
M.G.
Wetherholt
creates a whimsical story of discovery from Hazel's perspective as
events
unfold: "I’m not certain if Olivia was screaming or yodeling,
but by
the way she was gyrating, I guessed that she wasn’t happy."
Due
to a
lightning strike, Hazel is no ordinary mouse, and she brings Olivia in
as a
participant (however reluctantly) in unfolding events.
Readers
of all
ages will appreciate the blend of humor and intrigue in a whodunit that
defies
the usual progression of an adult-focused murder mystery to feature
something
completely different.
The
result is a
charming examination of morals and murder that will keep readers
involved and
guessing to the end.
Libraries
strong
in murder mysteries that seek short works with big, expansive tales to
tell
will find delightful and unusual the specter of a pint-sized
investigator that
drags a human into matters beyond both of their comfort zones.
Return to Index
Rivers of
the Black
Moon
Andrew Goliszek
The Wild Rose Press,
Inc.
978-1-5092-5389-0
$19.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
www.thewildrosepress.com
Rivers of the Black Moon is a medical
murder mystery set in 2022
Scotland. Investigator James Macfadden's probe of victim Richard
Zarnoff leads
him in an unexpected direction when he realizes that the researcher was
on the
cusp of making a big announcement about his discovery. What did he know
that
made him an unwelcome target, and how will his death impact other areas
of
medical research and discovery?
Macfadden's
unrelenting quest for answers leads him in disparate directions, from a
secret
biological weapons project that supposedly never existed to the history
of a
joint weapons program between the USSR and USA which led Zarnoff to
threaten to
expose the truth, resulting in his demise.
Matters are
far more
complicated than political history or repressed entanglements of state,
for
Macfadden is forced to reveal secrets that, in turn, create conundrums
for
others. He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't:
"Macfadden wasn’t sure he should be telling her
anything, but the
poor woman had nearly died. She’d lost her home, was running for her
life and
leaving her country, not sure if she’d be able to show her face there
again.
The least he could do was tell her what MI-6 knew of Richard Zarnoff
and what
they suspected may have been the reason he was killed."
From a
president
whose position is unraveling to struggles with insurmountable odds and
threats
to international relationships and special interests, Rivers
of the Black Moon melds the high-octane passion of a
thriller with the problem-solving detective work of a mystery, combines
these
flavors with political intrigue, and evolves a work that embraces
medical and
ethical dilemmas on many different levels.
Libraries
and readers
seeking stories steeped in medical conundrums, romantic possibilities,
and
political strife will find Rivers of the
Black Moon a compelling tale filled with satisfying intrigue
and twists
right up to the end.
Return to Index
Breaking Cycles
Nikki A Lamers
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-028-4
$16.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Breaking
Cycles
is the first book in the 'Mending Shattered Hearts' romance series, and
is the
steamy love story of a bad boy and a good girl who get together to form
something greater than the sum of their parts.
Motorcycle mechanic Grant
Young's attempt at a daring
escape from his life resulted in disaster. Enter the beautiful Ella,
who forces
him to confront his demons and self-destructive impulses. But, will her
love
and example be enough for him to turn his back on his habits? Grant
owes Ella a
big debt, as well, which he struggles with.
Nikki A Lamers switches the
point of view between Ella
and Grant, adding depth and contrasts of experience to the story as
each reveal
their lives and values in alternating chapters.
As Grant physically
recuperates, Ella wonders if she'll
play a role in his life, and if there's really a chance to have a
relationship
with him.
Also at odds is Grant's
image of what he brings to the
table and has to offer the attractive Ella:
“You’re
an
incredible man with so much heart. When you love, you love hard. Look
at your
brother as an example. You have so much to give.”
“Even if I have a
lot to give, that doesn’t mean I deserve to have it. Not everyone
deserves a
happily ever after, Ella. I ruin everyone who dares to love me.”
Lamars creates a compelling
story that revolves around
efforts made to recover, grow, and love. Her tale of redemption,
psychological
and physical strife, and the allure of an attraction that promises new
directions for everyone results in a romance story that is promising
and
uplifting even as its characters struggle with themselves and one
another.
Libraries and readers
seeking steamy romance tales that
delve into psychological growth and transformative processes will find Breaking Cycles a winner.
Return to Index
Homecoming
Chaos
D. W. Brooks
Life: The Reboot LLC
979-8-218-15050-1
$17.95 (paperback)/ $7.99 ebook
Website: authordwbrooks.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Chaos-D-W-Brooks-ebook/dp/B0CKS9P7PF
Homecoming Chaos is a 'Model MD' novel of
romantic suspense that
follows Jamie's return home after a failed wedding that led her to flee
her
family and job for an overseas refuge.
Now she's
back,
rebuilding broken bridges and facing a murder mystery and an attractive
detective who is determined to uncover the truth.
Jamie's
experiences,
perspective, and challenges neatly dovetail with insights into the perp
and
others who circle around her life. These add depth and intrigue to the
story of
an unusual homecoming that challenges many characters:
"After his release from prison, he had to confront
the women who’d
contributed to the end of his life as he knew it. It didn’t go well.
The first
woman he’d confronted in that parking lot ended up dead."
From company
politics
and a father who feels responsible for security's failure to protect to
choices
that Jamie, too, now regrets, D. W. Brooks spins a compelling saga. It
revolves
around those who seek chaos, those who try to prevent it, and
individuals who
return to their roots in an effort to consider better and different
options in
their responses to adversity.
The blend of
romance,
intrigue, and family ties is well done. Brooks creates a compelling
series of
chaotic encounters in which disparate characters harboring their own
special
interests and prejudices grow from their mistakes as well as their
successes.
At stake in
Jamie's
decision-making process are the family business, the outcome of a
murder
investigation, a hot detective's ability to love her, and a future that
is
determined not by past chaos, but present-day growth.
Brooks
focuses on
characters that evolve through desperation and surprising circumstances
which
test their moral and ethical mettle as well as their abilities to
evolve and
change. This creates an attraction that nicely supplements the
investigative
tone of the story, providing draw for readers who look for more than a
murder
mystery or romance alone.
Libraries
and readers
interested in multifaceted stories of growth, family ties, and hard
decisions
that lead full circle will find Homecoming
Chaos a compelling story of dreams, nightmares, and revised
perceptions of
home and self.
Return to Index
Hundred
Beam
Bridge
Ted Marr
Allsym
Publishers
979-8988936527
$18.88
Hardcover/$16.88 Paper/$8.88 ebook/$12.00 audio
Ordering: https://bit.ly/hbbbook
Google
Audiobook: http://bit.ly/HBBaudiobook
The 11th-century and
China's Song Dynasty forms the historical backdrop for Hundred Beam Bridge: The Lions and The Pixius, where Chinese
history and culture comes to life.
Hasan
Arslan, a
master bowmaker, has political aspirations which place him at the heart
of
revolutionary struggles and a war which involves the Arslan men in
battle and
their women in the pursuit of supportive roles and wealth.
The
emotional forces
driving issues of race and culture are just as powerful as the
political
divisions and issues affecting the Song Dynasty and Chinese and Arabs.
Encounters between Muslim and Chinese traditions and cultures move from
clashes
and challenges to understanding (in some cases). In others, the
differences
between these two groups spark further discord and ambitions on both
sides that
inject issues of danger and honor into the political struggles.
As the
sweeping
narrative moves between families, men and women, and forces that clash,
the
demands that change the relationships of men and women are one of the
highlights of the history:
"Kara’s directive was most unusual. Women rarely,
if ever, wielded
such authority in the male-dominated Song society. However, Kara and
Pendo were
unusual leaders. Kara realized as he rode home from the palace that the
only
one suited to the enormous task at hand would be his unfailingly
competent and
reliable wife. She would have to make the right decisions. It might as
well
start now."
The choices
are as
wide-ranging as giving a Gelolu child a Han name, accepting women's
newfound
roles of strength in conflict, and making decisions that join two
disparate
branches of a family, even the world is seeing both unity and division
in
time-held traditions.
It's unusual to have
such a multifaceted subject appeal to a wider audience than readers of
early
Chinese history, but Hundred Beam
Bridge's ability to
build a seamless interplay between emotional and
political transformations, injecting all into a cultural overlay that
both
explains and explores this foreign world and times, lends it an
accessibility
to a much wider audience than those with prior expertise and interest
in the
era.
Hundred Beam Bridge is highly recommended for libraries strong in
fictional accounts of
ancient history, and for readers who look for emotionally charged
characters
that reflect a sense of their passions, times, and transformative
experiences.
Return to Index
A Kind of
Homecoming
Gary Baysinger
See Square Press
979-8-218-03817-5
E-book: $0.99
Website: www.garybaysingerauthor.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C42JQMGZ
Fans of
historical
romance novels will welcome A Kind of
Homecoming's special flavor of attraction as a physical and
mental
collision experienced by would-be nurse Rose Maddox leads to love amid
the rise
of world political conflict.
The setting
is 1913
England, where Rose literally is swept off her feet by young German
Sebastian,
who shares many of her passions and dreams. The world is their
oyster—until it
is not, with the rising drums of war reinforcing their differences and
proving
an obstacle to any relationship dreams each may have harbored.
As Rose
throws
herself into the rigors of being an Army nurse, cleaning up after the
infantry's battles, she can't help but wonder how the pain and
suffering she
witnesses fits into the beliefs and ideals she once held: "She wondered how this fit in with God’s master
plan."
Gary
Baysinger
creates a bittersweet story of shifting relationships set against the
backdrop
of World War I. Sebastian, too, is worn down and defeated as he
participates in
war in a very different way. Baysinger is particularly adept at
capturing the
blows to soldier experience that marks their perceptions of
possibilities for a
non-combatant future:
“It should’ve been me. If I hadn’t stopped to help
Hans, I would have
been right where Gerd was. If I had told him to wait, he’d be here, and
I’d be
out there.” He croaked out the words, “I think I got him killed.” He
sobbed for
a few seconds before rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. “I’m
sorry,
I can’t do this anymore. The lives we’re living, the things we say and
do,
they’re like words in a book that will never be read. Nobody will ever
understand the things we’ve seen.”
Vivid and
immediate
in its contrast of different lives buffeted by the choices and ideals
of the
times, A Kind of Homecoming captures
the challenges felt by all kinds of individuals who traverse war and
peace with
hopes for the future and questions about their participation,
identities, and
abilities.
From issues
of
patriotism and opportunity to confrontations with the "lottery of
fate" that transforms dreams and dreamers alike, A
Kind of Homecoming represents a vivid story of war and
transformation that will appeal to libraries and readers seeking
succinct yet
powerful explorations of World War I's impact on individual ambitions.
Return to Index
Live
Not by Lies
Patrick Coffey
Beck &
Branch Publishers
979-8986606965
$19.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Live-Not-Lies-Patrick-Coffey/dp/B0CHL96V1D
Readers
of
historical fiction who harbor a special interest in Soviet Union events
will
find Live Not by Lies a particularly enlightening
survey of over fifty
years of Soviet Union experience and social and political change.
The
story
focuses on two families who experience these transformations
differently. Many
of the characters are based on real-life figures that played prominent
roles in
Russian affairs. These individuals and families come to life under
Patrick
Coffey's hand.
Leonid
Eitingon
directed Trotsky's murder and also impacted the lives of millions of
Soviet
residents. In contrast, Boris Anokhin's family (a fictional construct,
for the
purpose of building drama) is among those whose lives were decimated
not only
by political and social strife, but the lies that were perpetuated to
support
repression and death. The high-octane injection of action, fact, and
fiction
into this story lends it deep drama, political revelations, and
attraction.
The novel's
introductory preface explains that "The
foundation underlying the edifice of the Soviet Union, Solzhenitsyn
wrote, was
lies."
The
extent,
perpetuation, and nature of these falsehoods and their impact on the
daily
lives of Russians from all walks of life is the focus of a powerful
exploration
in contrasts that considers the ultimate impact of lies whose legacies
are
passed between generations:
“Irina, I’ve told
you many lies,” she said. “I had to
do so. You were too young to be able to live with the truth. But you’re
nine
now, and I won’t lie again. Like me, you’ll need to pretend to believe
all the
lies they tell you at school. Next year you’ll be a Pioneer, and you
must sing
all their songs and march in all the parades. If you don’t, they’ll
come after
me. Your father’s not a Communist, and I’m not either, even if I
pretend to be.
I don’t know where he is, and he’s not allowed to tell us. He’s working
for
them because if he doesn’t, they’ll hurt us. And the man whose coat you
saw is
my boss. I didn’t lie about that. He was also my interrogator when we
were
arrested after the train ride, and he’s not a bad man."
Coffey's
ability
to reveal the heart of lies formulated not just to foster ideologies,
but
survive them, makes for a story that is surprisingly easy to absorb
even for
those who may come to it with little prior knowledge of Russian
affairs. This
audience is enlightened by a timeline of political events which serves
as a
simple introduction or reminder to readers who may lack this background
of
Russian historical knowledge.
The
story's
ability to draw together disparate viewpoints on the nature of these
lies and
their necessity creates many interesting pivot points whereby readers
may
contemplate moral, ethical, and paradigm-changing outcomes of lies that
hold
their origins in the best and worst of intentions.
The
resulting
heady mix of revolution, revelation, and inter-generational impacts is
not only
highly recommended for libraries interested in either Russian history
or
historical fiction, but for reading groups that would enjoy a
multifaceted
story encouraging debates about Communism, absolute truths, and utter
lies.
Return to Index
Mulligan
Mark Greene
Independently Published
979-8853509399
$15.00
Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Mulligan-Mark-Greene/dp/B0CDNMH5SB
Mulligan
is a
historical romance novel that re-envisions a life changed by 'what if'.
What if
the narrator (who moved to Florida with his family when he was in high
school
and found himself mired in a life of disappointments, poor choices,
addiction,
and angst) had never moved to Florida? What could have been his life?
Mulligan
tells
of what happens when a sixteen-year-old discovers his family's plan to
move and
refuses to take part in it. When he learns of a money fact that could
cement
his intention not to move, Mickey
Kelly
finds himself stepping up into adulthood and decision-making that both
force
him to change and reinforce his new trajectory as an independent person
in
charge of his choices and destiny.
Young adults who choose Mulligan will find his coming-of-age saga
to be compelling;
especially in its observations of adult/child relationships and the
evolutionary process of entering adulthood:
"Maybe
because
I am nineteen and still invincible or maybe because my father is not
here to
tell me I am not good enough or smart enough to do this, maybe that's
why I
can."
Mark Greene's ability to
assess the impact and nature of
alternative choices on the timeline trajectory of events introduced in
the
book's prologue makes for especially thought-provoking reading as young
and new
adults enter into Mickey's growth process and follow his journey over
the
years.
From his focus on athletic
excellence and his intense
training to new opportunities in relationship and life choices that
arise in
the course of his journey, readers will find not only
thought-provoking, but
worthy of discussion, the pivot points Mickey faces after his family
moves
away.
Greene's ability to craft a
dream of athletic achievement
against the backdrop of a young man's journey also benefits from
changing
points of view as Dani and others intersect with his life.
Sometimes these shifting
perspectives are seamless, and
other times the move between first- and third-person narration feel
surprising;
but they always serve to embellish and expand the characters and their
decisions and attractions.
The result is a different
coming-of-age story that
follows a teen into adulthood and revolves around a predicament that
immerses
the protagonist in issues surrounding relationship destruction,
reconstruction,
and grassroots rebuilding from scratch.
Libraries and readers
seeking stories that serve well as
book club or discussion group material about the growth of young adults
into
adulthood will find Mulligan
compelling.
Return to Index
Pinball Wizard
Michael D. Meloan
IF SF Publishing
978-1-7333864-8-7
$15.00
https://www.amazon.com/Pinball-Wizard-Michael-D-Meloan/dp/1733386483
Pinball
Wizard
is a novel of love, free fall, redemption, and friendship in which
protagonist
Ralph cultivates a friendship with writer Charles Bukowski while
navigating the
world of programming work and military demands.
Michael D. Meloan creates a
thought-provoking inspection
of life that arrives steeped in the brawl of relationships that teeter
on pivot
points of confrontation and change, spicing his story with compelling
dialogue:
"She
started
crying again, then talked through her sobs. 'Well…you don’t have any
talent
either. You’ll just be a cog in some big company until you’re an old
man…then
play checkers and feed pigeons when you’re all bent over.'
I suddenly felt my
father’s nasty disposition rising up. 'At least I will have done
something,' I
said. 'You’ll spend your whole life chasing a crazy dream, just like
your
mother. I hope you don’t end up in a nuthouse like she did.'”
A son faces his father's
deteriorating mental condition,
contemplates his own inheritance of possible insanity, and hones a
variety of
relationships that follow the young man into new adventures. Readers
who look
for thrills and adventure will realize that Pinball
Wizard's wild ride through life comes steeped in invitations,
alcohol, and
a sense of discovery.
With Bukowski playing a
central role in Ralph's life
(along with cameo appearances by Sean Penn, Bono, and other cultural
icons),
the story brings people, places, and purposes to fruition with an
ironic
inspection and twists of plot that follows Ralph's drive to figure out
his
persona and options.
Literary audiences and
libraries seeking modern literary
works that traverse cultural revelation to examine the heart of
opportunity and
action will find Pinball Wizard a
compelling story as suitable for leisure reading as it is for
discussion in
book clubs and classrooms devoted to contemporary coming-of-age stories:
“I
read in the
downtown public library during the day, and slept in the alleys at
night. Told
stories in the bars to hustle drinks. Normal people bored me—I couldn’t
live
that life, couldn’t be around that. But in the end, the bums bored me
too. The
only thing that lasts is wine.”
Return to Index
Rome's Last Noble Palace
Kimberly Sullivan
Independently Published
979-8-9868844-2-4
$14.99 print/$4.99 ebook
Rome's
Last Noble Palace | Kimberly Sullivan
Rome's
Last Noble
Palace follows the lives of two
different women who live in different centuries. There's 1896 American
Isabelle,
who has been sent to Rome to live with her aunt and be primed for a
successful
marriage; and, a century later, doctoral candidate Sophie,
who can't
believe her good luck in landing a position as an intern in Rome’s Near
Eastern
Art Museum.
A ghost in
the room
begins to haunt Sophie's days, contrasting the worlds and opportunities
of 2018
Rome with those of 1896, an era when women were expected to marry well
and not
much more.
Kimberly Sullivan creates a memorable
contrast in social and personal expectations as events move between
these
disparate worlds:
"Every
letter
from her mother reinforced her objective that Isabelle rise in society.
She
could only imagine how much more hope her mother poured into her
private
letters to Auntie Elizabeth. Only severe seasickness prevented her
mother from
boarding a steamliner and managing her daughter’s marriage eligibility
in elite
Roman society firsthand. Auntie Elizabeth was a kitten compared to the
fierce
lioness her own mother would be. Was it really such a surprise that
both women
had grown weary of Isabelle’s long Roman sojourn, with no husband in
sight?"
When Isabelle is attacked by a nobleman who
feels it is his right to take what he feels he owns, readers will find
the
tense reflections, revelations, and forces that buffet both women to be
thoroughly absorbing, realistic, and thought-provoking.
The women confront specters of honorable and
dishonorable men and forces that try to dictate their paths in the
world. Each
confronts the obstacles of their heritage and self-perception which, in
turn,
lends to new dreams and opportunities proffered only to the brave and
savvy.
A ghostly warning from the past evolves to
try to prevent a similar happenstance from destroying another woman's
life in
the future, and readers will find the juxtaposition of intrigue, social
norms,
romantic possibilities, and revised interpersonal relationships to be
compellingly realistic and satisfyingly unpredictable.
The landmarks and hallmarks of Rome come to
life through a blend of historical accuracy and Sullivan's personal
familiarity
with the city, capturing the milieu of urban projects and the specter
of its
Palazzo Brancaccio, Rome’s Last Noble Palace.
Libraries and readers interested in novels
replete with vivid insights on art, women's lives, and historical
currents of
change that move through Roman affairs will find delightfully realistic
and
compelling Rome's Last Noble Palace's study of two
seemingly disparate,
yet connected women whose lives dovetail in unexpected ways.
Return to Index
Running Mates
Emily Locker
Bancroft Press
978-1-61088-622-2
$18.95
www.bancroftpress.com
Running
Mates is a novel perfect for
modern times,
reflecting the opportunities, anguish, and attitudes which stem from a
small
town facing a major clash between liberal and conservative elements.
At the heart of the conflict is teen
activist Annabelle Morningstar, whose stand on the unionization efforts
that
affect her favorite local bookstore bring her to the attention of
conservative
boy Gabe Delgado, whose ideals of the American Dream, embodied by his
Cuban
heritage, do not include defying the democracy which has offered his
family
vast opportunities to participate in an active political system
supporting
freedoms and rights.
The clash between these two high school
students reflects on and ripples into their community as they find
their ideals
tested and an unexpected attraction developing between their seemingly
disparate purposes and perceptions of what makes America great.
More so than most novels that echo modern
events, Emily Locker's Running Mates holds the
ability to hold up a
mirror to underlying issues of acceptance, using youth activism to
spotlight
the ideals of conservatives and liberals alike. It's rare to see equal
attention
paid to these elements, but Locker's ability to evolve not just a
political
perspective, but a personal one which is still able to embrace love and
relationships makes for a remarkably non-judgmental, compelling
coming-of-age
saga that all ages will appreciate.
Of particular strength and note are
dialogues between these young people who realistically debate adult
issues and
concerns with the passion of youth and conviction:
“...being
close to
Ms. Adler isn’t an excuse to ignore what she’s doing to her employees!
And,
when it comes to something personal, it sucks that you won’t do the
hard work.”
“Mason,”Del
admonishes him. “You’re upset. Don’t say stuff you’ll regret.”
“Will I?”Mason’s
eyes flash, but I see a flicker of doubt.
“If that’s what
you think of me,” I say, “why are you even here? Why don’t you run to
your AOC
wannabe girlfriend and leave me alone?” I stare at our table, willing
my eyes
not to water.
“AOC wannabe isn’t
an insult, Annabelle. You used to know that.”
As each character finds their dreams
compromised, their ideals challenged, and the real world of complexity
more
challenging than their black-and-white thinking has indicated in the
past, both
find ways to not only adapt to new ideas, but accept opposing forces
without
hatred.
Perhaps the most important message embedded
in Running Mates is one that still needs to be
absorbed in modern times:
the finer arts of compromise, acceptance, and respect.
Annabelle and Gabe must learn these lessons
and more if they are to move forward in personal and political ways. So
do
readers.
Through Gabe and Annabelle's experiences,
the world changes. The potential for affecting many a reader heart and
mind,
too, is vast, unexpected, and alluring. Few other novels can lay claim
to such
possibilities and objectives. Few others demonstrate how the political
and
personal can not only clash, but come together to form new
opportunities and
mandates for change.
This is why, ideally, Running Mates
will not be limited to YA audiences and libraries alone, but included
in book
club, classroom, and discussion groups interested in bridging the
widening gap
between conservative and liberal thoughts and actions.
Return to Index
Tatae's Promise
Sherry Maysonave and Moises J. Goldman
DartFrog Blue
978-1-959096-96-2
$34.99 Hardcover/$24.99 Paper/$11.99 ebook
www.DartFrogBooks.com
Based on the true story of a young woman who
was one of only 200 who escaped Auschwitz concentration camp during
World War
II, Tatae's Promise follows the story of Moises J.
Goldman's mother,
Hinda Mondlak Goldman.
The advantage of presenting this saga as
historical fiction rather than memoir lies in the authors' ability to
add
background information, atmospheric flavor, and descriptions of the
war's lasting
impact on her life and family. These stemmed from eleven tapes in which
she
painfully recorded her experiences, under mandate from the last words
of her
father before he was murdered by the Gestapo: "You will live;
you will
tell."
Entrusted with these tapes, Goldman shared
their contents with Sherry Maysonave, whose passion for exploring this
life and
presenting it to an audience has, thankfully, resulted in Tatae's
Promise.
What differentiates Tatae's Promise
from other survivors' accounts is its sense of immediacy, fostered by
descriptive "you are here" moments that place the reader alongside
Hinda Mondlak as she observes her world under siege and attack:
"Hinda’s
feet
shifted, registering the earth’s convulsive vibration as the ground
under them
quivered. Her chest heaved, and her breath slowed. Her hand flew to her
mouth.
The massive roof and walls crashed downward, crumbling with loud cracks
that
echoed, multiplying the eerie sounds. Her beloved synagogue disappeared
in the
blaze. Government orders. Not Polish ones, but official Nazi commands:
Burn all
synagogues in German-occupied areas of Poland."
From the moments a loving single father is
torn from his daughters and taken into custody to Hinda's mandate to
survive
the camps under impossible conditions; readers enter the world and
history of
Polish Jews in a manner that is immersive, compelling, and chilling:
"Marching
beside Hinda, Rachel sobbed. Mostly, she cried about the reality of
being
captured, but also because of her fear of the giant horses. She could
feel
their breath on her back, which chilled her spine. As she marched
onward, the
square at Auschwitz loomed in her mind’s eye. Two readied nooses waited
in the
gallows, one for Hinda’s neck and one for hers."
From kindness that arrives in unexpected
forms to struggles that embrace Hinda and her family, few other memoirs
and
historical accounts capture so powerfully the atmosphere and
experiences of
Polish Jewish people.
Four main characters contribute their lives
to this story, serving as powerful testimony of the determination to
not just
survive atrocities, but honor promises made in the throes of death.
With its added value of emotional and
atmospheric richness, Tatae's Promise is a 'must
have' acquisition for
any library looking at high-quality fiction and nonfiction accounts of
Polish
Jewish history, concentration camp experience, and the power of
survival. These
explorations will also attract book clubs interested in selecting and
contrasting a few quality titles on all these subjects, powered by an
oral
history that comes to life through solid literary excellence and
collaborative
determination.
Return to Index
A Thread So Fine
Susan Welch
Muse Literary
978-1-960876-28-7
$25.99 Hardcover/$15.99 Paper/.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Thread-So-Fine-Susan-Welch/dp/1960876287
A
Thread So Fine is a novel of
family ties, childhood
loyalty, and adult strife as two siblings come of age in the 1940s to
find
their lives and relationships tested by tragedy and loss.
Despite the invisible thread that links them
with love, Eliza and Shannon find their very different goals for their
futures
divide them in unexpected ways, sending each on a separate journey of
discovery
and revelation that tests their faith, their sins of omission, and
their
futures.
Susan Welch crafts a story that intersects
the lives of different women who come and go from Eliza and Shannon's
worlds,
creating contrasts in perspective, values, and belief systems. These
result in
a compelling examination of each character's connections and
perspective.
Underlying all is a quest for life meaning that continues to buffet and
influence each sister's growth process:
"Almost
four
years later, life had not returned to normal, and Shannon doubted it
ever
would. What would normal mean with Eliza gone?"
Time passes, as do opportunities for forming
new and better relationships as the sisters navigate their separate
lives and
reflect on the forces which drove them to make disparate choices.
From revised definitions of success and
wealth to shifting social norms that bring with them new opportunities
for
different directions, Welch focuses on the moments of revelation that
spin and
influence these new life possibilities:
"How
playful
and impromptu the photograph seemed—something she’d never noticed
before. It
occurred to her now that they actually loved one another."
The result is a powerful story of family
ties and realizations that lead to renewed efforts to regroup:
"Again,
Fa
was asking her to bury her needs in the shadow of Shannon’s trauma.
Again,
pushed aside by Shannon’s neediness. Confusion set in; it’s not Shannon
who did
this."
Libraries interested in starkly compelling
stories of sisters will find this novel worthy of acquisition, but it's
the
book club reading group interested in women's experiences and
connections that
will particularly enjoy the directions and questions raised in the
course of
Welch's moving account. A Thread So Fine is highly
recommended for general-interest
readers to students of modern women's literature and stories about
psychological growth.
Return to Index
Trempealeau
John T. Umhoefer
Talus Books
979-8-9866726-0-1
Paperback: $26.99; eBook: $9.99
www.TalusBooks.com
Trempealeau is the first book in the
Trempealeau Stories series,
blending thriller elements with post-apocalyptic sci-fi atmosphere as
it
follows the discovery of a structure that will change the world.
The story
begins in
1974, when Skylab observes a great circular structure buried in the
snow near
Minneapolis. Fast forward to Wisconsin in 2003, which opens with a bang:
"No one briefed Carr about the damn thing. The end
of the world
was pretty clear from 270 miles up."
The circle
that was
observed decades earlier holds the power to fracture every fault line
on the
planet in an Armageddon that will end humanity's reign on Earth. The
growing
quakes whose epicenters reside at the heart of this mysterious place
portend an
awakening power and patterns that have become undeniable.
As the
mysterious
geologic circle some 55 miles across comes to light in different ways,
Paul
Meadows mourns his lost friend Pete Flottmeier (who disappeared decades
earlier) and finds himself immersed in the heart of a struggle between
mysterious forces and a decades-old obsession over the truth. This
challenges
not only his mental acuity, but his perception of reality itself.
John T.
Umhoefer's
ability to craft a novel that is compelling on different levels makes
for a
riveting, unpredictable marriage between personal psychological
challenge and
circumstances which reinforce a mystery that could both solve and
change
everything.
The shifts
between
local color (including Wisconsin backdrops and tribal concerns),
personal angst,
and bigger-picture thinking of world salvation and reality itself
create
unexpected links between subjects and engagements that evolve with many
satisfying surprises along the way.
Thriller
readers will
especially appreciate the components of tension, special interests, and
discovery which permeate a cat-and-mouse game of conflicting objectives
between
characters and special interest groups, while sci-fi readers will enjoy
the
juxtaposition of unexpected forces that keep the story ever-changing
and far
outside any notion of pat formula writing.
Libraries
and readers
seeking books that exemplify the intersection between thriller and
sci-fi
genres with a story replete in discovery and revelation will find Trempealeau packed with surprise and
delightful twists and turns that make it unpredictable and hard to put
down.
Return to Index
Vincent's
Women
Donna Russo
Next Chapter
Publishing (Magnum Opus Imprint)
978-4-82418-577-8
eBook $5.99;
Trade PB $12.99; Hardcover $22.99
Website: www.authordonnarusso.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CF96T2B9
“You think you know
him. You don’t. You think you know
what happened to him. You do not.”
Vincent's Women:
The Untold Story of the Loves of
Vincent van Gogh represents
historical fiction at its best by melding the myths and facts of the
artist's
life with a dramatic biographical inspection that explores underlying
truths
about the pivotal moments of Vincent's life.
Narrated
by Johanna van Gogh Bonger (Vincent's
sister-in-law), it translates to fiction the hundreds (out of nearly
thousands) of letters
between Vincent and his brother Theo, adding the value of Johanna van
Gogh-Bonger’s diaries and correspondence with Theo van Gogh, along with
the
journals and memoir of Paul Gauguin. This triangle of factual writings
results
in a dialogue of discoveries and insights which will prove especially
attractive to art collections that include fictional representations of
artists
alongside nonfiction surveys.
General-interest
readers who have some basic familiarity with van Gogh's mystique and
legends
will also find Vincent's Women compelling. The
story addresses many
questions about his life, from his missing ear to his madness and
suicide.
The
opening,
however, comes in 1924 from a narrator who confesses, on her deathbed,
facts
about her life that affected its course, art, and insights. Perhaps
this is an
unfair time to reveal such truths to her son—but it also is likely the
last and
perfect time, creating a completely compelling confessional tone that
draws
readers into the questions and answers not just about van Gogh's life,
but the
motivations of those around him:
"It’s not well done
of me. To dive into it. My
son and I were speaking of his work and mine. In mine, it is there. The
string,
the true thread of such surprising colors. The colors of women, of
love, and of
lust."
Her
evocative
voice drives a series of events that conclude in revelations and
surprises
driven by an article published in the American Journal of Forensic
Medicine and Pathology in
Dec. 2020 that postulated the logic in this story and about Vincent's
death.
Donna
Russo
excels in vivid descriptions of these pivot points in Vincent's life.
These
drive the fact-based story in a manner that explains, explores, and
provides
powerful insights into the artist's self-destructive impulses and
actions and
how they were perceived and interpreted by those around him:
“I know your soft
heart, my darling. But a single word
from you—just the sight of you—and he will never leave. He will get
worse.”
“Worse!” Kee recoiled. “What can be worse than burning
your own flesh?”
“Burning ours. He is mad, surely you can see—”
The
result is a
multifaceted exploration of van Gogh's artistry, insanity, and
relationships
that examines personal perspectives in a unique manner designed to
attract both
art readers and those who hold only a cursory knowledge of the times
and van
Gogh's life and creations.
Backed
by solid
research and driven by the devices of fictional drama and dialogue, Vincent's
Women is especially highly recommended for art libraries that
may not
usually contain fictional works, but which will find Russo's
scholarship and
the marriage between it and embellished drama to be astute,
thought-provoking,
and revealing.
Return to Index
The Wall at the Sugar Factory
Sherry V. Ostroff
Bushrod Press
9798862381344
$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Sugar-Factory-Novel-ebook/dp/B0CL1VDJ2K
The
Wall at the
Sugar Factory is a historical
novel set in Ukraine, Russia in 1919. It follows the life of Shaindel
Pogrebiski, who faces a much-changed world in the aftermath of the
civil war
which has transformed the nation and brought turmoil to her life.
Amid rounds fired into a peaceable living
room home are first-person reflections that make Shaindel a compelling
character from the first moments of the adversity that shakes her life:
"Another
lull
in the shooting. Were the monsters rearming? Or did they need to rest
and drink
and fortify themselves with more vodka? I almost chuckled at the
thought.
Destroying homes and people’s lives required sustenance. I wanted to
pray for
God’s help and protection. But the thoughts of Avrum returned: Prayers will not save you. Action will."
The anti-Jewish riots which rock the nation
introduce a quest for peace and survival which charge Shaindel with
protecting
her family, her life, and her world. She fails in some of her tasks
while
facing the anti-Jewish sentiment which (some scholars say) laid the
groundwork
for the Nazis which were to rise decades later.
Sherry V. Ostroff's powerful inspection of
these lives and the world of Ukraine after the turn of the century
creates a
"you are here" feel with an inspection of social and political
struggle and strife. The story follows the rise of hatred in a range of
characters that step up to confront hate and prejudice.
A sojourn in Rumania and efforts to emigrate
to the U.S. embrace a series of challenges that lead Shaindel far from
her
homeland as family in America grows and years of waiting for refuge and
freedom
challenge her focus on building a new life under different conditions.
The memories of deadly pogromists who
destroy her family and attempt to bury her cultural roots receives
graphic
exploration, which may serve as triggers to readers who struggle with
similar
family history and heritage:
"I
could not
erase the nightmare Avrum and I had witnessed while hiding inside a
neighbor’s
shed. Papa being dragged out of the house. His clothes ripped away,
forced to
dance in front of neighbors while soldiers poked their knives at his
pale flesh.
Mama crying, running after him, her hair flying everywhere. Three
soldiers
grabbed Mama. Forced her toward our house, but then changed their
minds. They
dishonored my mother in the middle of the street. I can still hear her
screams
and the hideous laughter when Papa fell to the ground."
These experiences contribute to a
full-bodied story of struggle and redemption which follows a journey to
Ellis
Island and freedom based on Sherry Ostroff's family experiences and
legacy. The
Wall at the Sugar Factory is told mostly from her
grandmother Shaindel’s
point of view, paying tribute to her mother as Ostroff fictionalizes
her family's
story for the world to absorb.
The result is a thought-provoking, powerful
novel of survival and social change that is especially highly
recommended for
libraries strong in modern Jewish historical fiction. More so than most
novels,
it personalizes the politics and perspectives of bygone years,
incorporating
them into family struggles and immigrant experience that brings the
world of the
early 1900s to vivid life.
Return to Index
Abolition for the People
Colin Kaepernick, Editor
Haymarket Books
978-1-64259-963-3
$27.00 Hardcover/$19.95 Paper/$27.00 ebook/$14.95 audio
www.haymarketbooks.org
Abolition
for the
People: The Movement For a Future Without Policing and Prisons
presents
thirty essays, edited by activist and former football star Colin
Kaepernick,
that focus on the politics, processes, and morality of policing and
prisons.
Key to this inspection are
specific analyses of
anti-Black and racist links between policing and the Black community.
Essays
address the ideals, realities, myths, and illusions of justice in all
kinds of
community settings, from the disabled to racially-driven encounters.
The introduction captures
the focus and intention of this
collection in a powerful synthesis:
"Abolition for the People draws on
historical analysis, empirical data, and the firsthand accounts of
survivors of
interpersonal and state-sanctioned white-supremacist, anti-Black, and
hetero-patriarchal violence in the form of the carceral state to make a
straightforward argument: Neither prisons nor police keep people safe,
nor do
they create the conditions necessary for communities to thrive."
Ideally, this pointed and
often controversial series of
discussions will be pursued not just by book club readers and students
of
sociology, but by criminal justice system participants at all levels,
as well
as those who consider venturing into a career that supports these
systems.
From interviews with
activists and family history to
statistical support for how prison systems and imprisonment target
particular
groups of already-marginalized people and support power structures that
repress, Abolition for the People provides
powerful arguments and discussions about the status quo and its
reflection in
the prison system.
Creating
added
value, each essay includes a 'reader's guide' of questions and points
designed
to spark group discussions about various ideas and ideals the essays
tackle.
Perhaps
ironically, part of the controversial component of this examination
lies in the
identification of prejudicial trends that activists themselves tend to
exhibit
against all good intentions:
"Unfortunately, as
mainstream society continues
to develop a critique of the criminal justice system, there is still a
need to
center the leadership and analyses of Black, Indigenous, and other
women of
color abolitionists. Instead, popular discourses around abolition are
appropriated for reformist strategies and white-male-led think tanks.
Meanwhile, BIPOC women and LBTQI community organizers, such as
current and former sex workers and formerly incarcerated survivors of
color,
continue to work despite being underesourced, underrecognized, and
susceptible
to state violence. Their experiences and political analyses continue to
be
marginalized."
This resulting far-reaching
vision of abolition should be
made a part of any social issues, criminal justice system, and
psychology
library, ideally used as foundation material for debates and
discussions in a
wide-ranging set of communities and leaders who would revisit the idea
and
ideal of abolition and justice.
Abolition for the
People is a powerful manifesto
for change that documents failures, illusions,
and the potential for doing better.
Return to Index
Countdown to
Christmas
Dianna Houx
Independently
Published
979-8371024350
$12.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
Countdown
to Christmas - Holiday Countdown Book 1 - Ebook – The Dianna Houx Shop
Book 1 of
the Holiday
Countdown series, Countdown to Christmas,
tells of a granddaughter's unique plan to transform her home into a
festive
holiday inn to give her dying Granny Josephine a last glimpse into the
pleasures of yesteryear and hosting an event for the holiday season.
Sparked by
her
grandmother's dreamy reflections of a house packed with people and
celebratory
energy during the holidays, Grace learns how the now-staid town of
Winterwood
would magically transform into a "real Christmas wonderland" and
cultivates her own vision to create a present-day miracle that will
give her
grandmother much joy.
If she can
pull it
off.
As Grace
learns that
the efforts of returning present-day habits to past attractions
represents a
mighty uphill battle in many new ways, she learns how to cultivate
habits,
dreams, and determination to make the Christmas season something
extraordinarily special not just for her ailing grandmother, but the
wider
world beyond their doorstep.
Dianna Houx
succeeds
in creating a holiday story that is classic Hallmark in its positivity,
problem-solving experiences, and emotionally connective characters,
from
Grace's initial mandate to return Christmas to holiday hearts to
capturing
"the vibe of a big, happy family" that is intrinsic to creating a
quality of life, especially in one's later years.
From
"decorating
queen" Molly's efforts to a host of characters who find themselves
unexpected participants in a transformative experience, Houx brings to
life a
small town's varied talents, individuals, and perspectives that
juxtapose to
create a greater good and value in individual worlds that seem fixed in
present-day angst.
Romance,
perhaps
predictably, evolves against this backdrop of hope, but there are also
lessons
embedded in the story that give readers much additional food for
thought:
"Don't feel bad about accepting help when you need
it, especially
when the very people offering to help are the ones you made an
agreement with
for that very thing."
The moral,
ethical,
and psychological impacts of giving, getting, and innovating come to
light in a
story of evolving relationships that begin and end with love.
Her
grandmother was
trying to die. But her actions and secrets also "...came from a place
of
love, even if it was misguided." The lessons of ill health and giving
come
home in a title that does what a great holiday book achieves: brings
love into
the home for a closer look at motivations and connections.
Libraries
and readers
looking for a holiday experience that reflects the new beginnings that
may be
derived from tapping into the power of love, yesteryear, and connection
will
find Countdown to Christmas a
celebratory romance that begins with one ambition and blossoms to
embrace the
psyches and connections in an entire town.
Return to Index
Creating
Your
First Novel
Hank Quense
Strange Worlds
Publishing
9798989116300
$6.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Your-First-Novel-Quense/dp/B0CJPNFFBH
Creating Your First
Novel joins many other advice
titles for authors, but arrives with a
difference—it points out that writing any book involves not a singular
attempt
to put pen to paper, but a series of steps that make the act of writing
only
one part of the greater project.
Few
authors
would stop to consider that the act of writing a book is the same as
one of
creating a business; but when viewed in this light, one's first novel
assumes a
very different prospective that needs the particular enlightenment and
explorative focus that Hank Quense presents here.
The
nuts and
bolts of a novel-writing effort are explored through insights that
embrace all
aspects of a novel's production, from the problems with too many
subplots
("Subplots shouldn't stop the main plot from going forward. By
this I
mean, don't insert an entire five-thousand-word subplot in between two
main
plot scenes.") to understanding the difference between story
design
and storytelling.
Aspiring
authors
receive advice that can be broadly applied to a range of endeavors, yet
embraces the typical challenges, writer's blocks, and sticking points
that too
often keep a novel from fruition:
"...creating a
story is a complicated operation.
What with the characters, plots, setting, scenes and other stuff, new
writers
sometimes get paralyzed by wondering where to start."
Formulas
for
success embrace literary, business, and practical skill sets that many
authors
may not be fully versed in, creating opportunities for learning
approaches and
techniques that can bring a creative effort to publication success and
public
attention.
Creating Your First
Novel is a lesson in
bigger-picture thinking that moves from the art of
creative writing and editing to the nuts and bolts of marketing,
promotion, and
business savvy.
Libraries
and
wannabe writers seeking an all-in-one approach to a first attempt will
find Creating
Your First Novel a winner.
Return to Index
Easy in Harness
Alan Cohen
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-032-1
$19.99 Paperback/28.99 Hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com
Easy
in Harness: A
Productive Approach to Hiring a Good Manager should be in any
business
library, discussed in college-level classrooms where managerial
operations are
being taught, and considered by entrepreneurs and leaders interested in
analyzing management and hiring dilemmas.
From ideals of leadership
and traditional approaches to
supporting it to employee perceptions and what employers need to know
about not
just hiring, but their organizational structure's underlying influences
and
message, Easy in Harness presents
bigger-picture thinking about the psychology and sociology of business
leadership that should be at the top of many management considerations.
Alan Cohen presents his
arguments and vision of
leadership in a way that contrasts many traditional views of employee
and
employer relationships:
"...the
entrepreneur leads with the carrot and uses the stick only when
absolutely
necessary—and so creates for his employees the impression not only that
they
are responsible for the success of their department or organization
but also
that they are valued, supported and safe. The autocrat, by contrast,
by using
the stick first, creates anxiety, uncertainty, and insecurity, and
conjures a
hope that, by doing as asked, the employee may someday feel less
anxious,
uncertain and unsafe. It is not for no reason that autocracy is
sometimes
called by other names: dictatorship, tyranny, despotism,
totalitarianism and
arrogance..."
The opportunity for
reflection and debates that ideally
should arise from discussions of these principles offers a wide-ranging
approach
to business management that places Easy
in Harness above and beyond the promise and delivery of
similar-sounding
business books.
Another difference between
Cohen's approach and other
authors and businesspeople is his focus on what works, what doesn't,
and why.
There is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to management (which is why
individual values and style contribute to the effort), and Cohen
juxtaposes the
disparate psychology of employee and manager in a variety of business
scenarios:
"Though
impartiality
is often promoted as desirable, even as a gold standard of
interviewing, one
form of encouragement that is often effective, in my experience, is to
let the
best candidates know how well you think of them and how much you would
like
them to come to work with you. Use of this approach does require
judgment,
since not everyone responds well to positive feedback."
Cohen's survey of common
workplace dysfunction and its
wellsprings and resolution thus leads to insights and discussions
invaluable in
their nature, creating an opportunity for enlightenment that should be
on the
bookshelves (and in the minds) of any manager seeking to employ a
pragmatic,
constructive approach to building better cooperative business
relationships.
Return to Index
Goody
Celeste
Chris Riker
BookLogix
978-1-6653-0707-9
$15.99 Paper/$7.99 ebook
Website: www.ChrisRikerAuthor.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Goody-Celeste-Chris-Riker/dp/1665307072
"Those we love
define who we are. They teach us
to accept that we’re neither terrible gods nor nameless grains of ocean
sand,
but rather something in between, unique and irreplaceable. The
slipstream of
our years brings souls alongside us for a time. We cannot keep them;
that’s not
what souls are for. If we’re wise, we let the ones we love change us.
We
remember them, and we hope, as deeply as hope flows, that they remember
us."
Goody Celeste combines a sense of magical realism with a
feminist bent in a novel
that pairs the coming-of-age experiences of three teens with the
oversight of
young witch Cece who, in 1969, helps these young people even while
struggling
with her own challenges with an absent husband missing in Vietnam.
As
these
characters find their lives entwined, they acknowledge that "the summer
of
my witch" changes them, drawing connections between Cece and her boys
that
lead them all into unexpected arenas of growth and new realizations.
The
magic in
this story lies not in a typical growth pattern, but in a process of
revelations and counterpoints that bring together and contrast
disparate
individuals whose wild rides through 1960s culture and attractions are
tempered
by their relationships.
Chris
Riker's
lyrical prose also produces exceptional results that defy any
definition of a
staid coming-of-age progression to inject poetic and magical elements
into even
seemingly mundane shared experiences, such as a day at the seaside:
"Determined not to
be bested in the ocean, not
even by a goddess, I made my way out to the sandbar and waited. Waves
do funny
things. Physics suggests they amplify each other when they join up.
That’s all
well and good, but it’s not something you comprehend when your eyes are
inches above
the surface and the first swell blocks your view."
Goody Celeste also embraces the atmosphere of the times so
seamlessly that the
contrasts of these disparate forces is compellingly attractive, as in
descriptions that offer unexpected contrasts between atmospheres from
Carl
Orff’s 1936 masterpiece from Carmina Burana (the O Fortuna
movement)
with the contemporary pop group The Cowsills.
These
references
keep the story pulsing with possibility, perception, and the flavor of
an era
in which opportunities for cultural and social enlightenment came from
a wide
range of forces that intersected lives in a manner unique to the 1960s.
Thus,
the series
of events and connections that drive these three young people and the
witch who
oversees them makes Goody Celeste a highly
recommended marvel of
contrasts and unprecedented opportunities.
Readers
who
enjoy novels of magical realism, growth, and a unique sense of place
and time
will find Goody Celeste defies pat categorization.
It rewards those who
imbibe with a rich, lyrical "you are here" journey that will attract
libraries, book clubs, and discussion groups alike with remarkable,
notable
celebrations of life:
"We grasped little
and were infinitely better off
for our ignorance. Youth was the best holiday of all, unrecognized and
uncelebrated, tenuous yet remembered forever. This time neither knows
nor needs
purpose. It is. It is. Life may be on a joyless march to steal
innocence. It
did not matter. Not here, not yet. Under the sun, three stupid,
carefree boys rode
bikes to the beach."
Return to Index
The Judge
and the
President
David H. Moskowitz
Huge Jam Publishing
978-1916604117
$25.00
Hardcover/$16.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
Website: www.thecreativepositivist.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL9N3HR
The Judge and the President is the third
volume in The Judge and the Creative
Positivist series,
providing an important assessment of the judicial system and political
ties
which should be on the reading and debate lists of any serious
political
science student and general-interest readers alike.
Its legal
analysis
reflects the author's promotion and reinforcement of the notion of
"creative positivism" as it casts a close lens of inspection on the
2020 Presidential election process and the legal, historical, and
sociological
precedents it both made and broke.
The
advantage of
having such a survey come from the pen of a law professional is its
ability to
reference a wide range of supporting research, statistics, and
documentation. This
approach places David H. Moskowitz's analysis of events above and
beyond any
subjective viewpoint.
Scholars
will find
these references key to understanding and supporting Moskowitz's
contentions,
but the actual writing itself is presented in a style designed to
appeal widely
to non-scholar audiences, as well. The examples are particularly
thought-provoking in their considerations of not just federal but local
legal
systems, operations, and precedents:
"Here are the questions. Are the Tower Health
hospitals tax exempt
according to the law in Pennsylvania? When the relevant state statute
is
ascertained pursuant to the rule of recognition, is there a difference
between
the law in Montgomery County and the law in Chester County, even though
there
is no relevant difference in the facts in the two counties? The two
judges that
heard these two cases are at the same level in the judicial hierarchy.
It
necessarily follows that the rule of recognition provides a different
answer to
the question of the tax exempt status of Tower Health hospitals in two
adjacent
counties in Pennsylvania. Law-ascertainment is not the same in these
two counties,
even though the same statute is authoritative in both counties."
Consequently,
when
the judges in these two adjacent counties, each applying the
same
state statute, reach different verdicts – with one court
holding that the
Tower Health hospitals are tax exempt and the other finding
them to not be
tax exempt – the complexity in the law is
illustrated. The law
is different in two adjacent counties applying the same
statute to the
same corporate entity. This is just one of many examples of
the complexity
of the law, including the law concerning the legal systems
involved in the
process for electing the president in the U.S.
The
opportunities
spark thought-provoking insights throughout on more than just Trump's
impact on
the 2020 election process, giving readers a more solid foundation of
knowledge
about America's judicial and political system as a whole.
This, in
turn, will
lend deeper, more solid insights into the relevance and impact of
events which
might at first seem singular or local in nature, but which hold
wide-ranging
results for ideals of democratic political processes.
Moskowitz
expresses
reasoned opinions that should serve as the foundations of classroom
debate in
legal and political issues circles, from high school to college levels
and beyond:
"I believe that judges should dispense justice as
well as apply
pre-existing legal rules. They may not be able to do both in all
situations.
They may be criticized for deciding either the correct decision or the
just
decision. They obviously cannot be bound to do both if the just result
conflicts with the correct result. The judge cannot be equally
obligated to do
mutually inconsistent acts if doing one or the other necessarily means
that the
result is subject to criticism for being either incorrect or unjust.
The judge
is both bound in some difficult to measure fashion to apply the
pre-existing
legal rules and to also disregard them or to alter them in the
appropriate
cases."
The result
is more
than a singular review of law or politics, but a series of cases,
decision-making insights, and inspections of political and legal
processes that
form some of the foundations of American society. Ideally, law
libraries,
political science students, and the general reading public interested
in
political and legal history and analysis will equally find value and
important
food for thought and discussion in The
Judge and the President, which uses the 2020 election to
analyze democracy
in action.
Return to Index
Love's
Guest: Reflections of Inspiration and
Wonder
Edited by Marc
Aronoff
Red
Elixier/Monkfish Book Publishing Company
978-1-960090-26-3
$22.99
Paper/$9.99 ebook/$9.99 Audio
www.lovesguest.com
Christian
mystic
Marc Aronoff's Love's Guest: Reflections of Inspiration and
Wonder: An
Annotated Selection from The Spiritual Dialogues by Saint Catherine of
Genoa
is a lovely illustrated edition of a classic book in spiritual
thinking. It
provides spiritual readers with a keepsake edition that reflects a
meticulous
hand to all aspects of Saint Catherine's representation:
"I spent months
searching for the correct
illustrations to represent Saint Catherine of Genoa’s prophetic words.
When I
saw the artwork of bestselling author and ordained minister Jan
Richardson, I
found what I was looking for—a unique clear voice through image, with
an
intangible clarity that also speaks of a journey through Love."
The
inspirational works were supported by the efforts of not just editor
Marc
Aronoff, but a spiritual community which contributed disparate insights
and
approaches to better understand and reflect Saint Catherine's writings.
These
works are displayed in segments augmented by illustrations, offering
digestible
food for thoughts that flow into one another like a river:
"Oh Lord, what
manner of Love is this? What is
this Love which is ever changing us from good to better, continually
bringing
us nearer to our end? And yet, as we approach, it more closely plunges
us into
an ever profounder ignorance of our situation."
Saint
Catherine's ardent affection for "sweet love" and its incarnation and
expression in many forms celebrates her Christian roots and the kinds
of
affection and adoration that lies in absorbing God's word and
intentions
through the lens and mirror of illumination and reflection.
As
questions,
insights, and opportunities for further discourse and reflection are
offered
via Saint Catherine's works, readers will especially appreciate the
succinct
format that allows opportunities for discussion and insight.
Love's Guest
is both a celebration of Saint Catherine's ongoing relevancy to modern
audiences and an opportunity for spiritual discussion groups to delve
deeper
into the connections between God's promise and word and the sentiments
they
embody.
Libraries
will
find Love's Guest a welcome addition, while
spiritual readers looking
for thoughtful, appropriate gifts will find this illustrated book
appeals on
intellectual, artistic, and religious levels alike.
Return to Index
Me
and The Times
Robert W. Stock
Independently
Published
9781662942402
$18.99
www.amazon.com
Me and The Times comes from a 30-year veteran of The New York Times
who is in the
perfect position to reflect not just on his life, but the changing
world of journalism
in general and The Times in particular.
A
fortuneteller's early prediction opens Robert W. Stock's memoir with a
reflection on the influences that led to his involvement and writing
and
journalism, which didn't begin as a career path that had been ordained.
The
book's
subtitle reflects this journey ("My Wild Ride From Elevator
Operator To
New York Times Editor, Columnist, And Change Agent),
promising more than a
staid personal life review.
The
important
value in this wide-reaching memoir lies not just in a lively story of
personal
experience, but broader inspections of the internal and external
influences on
an aspiring journalist's career, including his years as a PR publicist:
"The pressure to
place positive articles with the
national media was the main source of my tension, and it was heightened
by a
kind of incestuous competition. Avco had hired the powerhouse public
relations
firm Hill & Knowlton to handle its corporate publicity.
H&K had
contacts all through the media. They would learn that an article I had
inspired
was about to appear almost as soon as I did, and the race would be on:
Who
would get to Victor Emanuel [Avco’s
chairman] first to take credit
for
the piece? A substantial article in The New York Times was the brass
ring of my
Manhattan merry-go-round, but the reporters and editors there were
famously
unwelcoming to flacks."
From
talented
co-workers and editors at The Times to issues of authority, diplomacy,
and
editorial processes and goals, Stock outlines a milieu and changing
times that
may be unfamiliar to many readers, but draws them into a captivating
story of
how a basic respect for and understanding of words drives not just the
writer,
but the community in which they appear.
A
job at The
Times isn't just a gold ring to reach for, but a pinnacle of personal
and
professional achievement that brings with it the charge of moral and
ethical
choices that daily operate under the veneer of producing, fine-tuning,
and
creatively presenting writing and observations.
Stock
outlines
all these facets and more through encounters with individuals and the
public
which bring to life behind-the-scenes Times encounters. These dilemmas
and
achievements too often didn't receive public attention, flying under
the radar
of common perception and knowledge—until now.
Me and The Times does what any superior memoir should achieve: it
documents more than
individual pursuit, rising to the challenge of, in itself, capturing a
journalist's journey through changing social and political norms.
Libraries and readers
seeking memoirs that are compellingly written, thought-provokingly
analytical,
and revealing in their examinations will find Me
and The Times does not disappoint. It deserves a place not
only
on library shelves, but in discussion groups and book clubs devoted to
profiling exceptional works that outline the tasks and dilemmas of the
American
writer and editor.
Return to Index
NeuroMastery
Ugochukwu Uche, MS,
LPC
Independently
Published
979-8-35091-702-4
$12.99 Paper/$6.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/NeuroMastery-Retraining-Conquer-Anxiety-Attacks/dp/B0CJ6DWND9
Because
there is more
knowledge in general-interest circles about PTSD and the lasting
impacts of
psychic trauma, perhaps there is no better time than now for the
self-help
message and hope offered in NeuroMastery:
Retraining Your Brain to
Conquer Anxiety, Fear, and Panic Attacks.
Ugochukwu
Uche here
presents an important opportunity for healing that employs the latest
research
in cognitive neuroscience and counseling psychology. He discusses the
neuroscience of these conditions and reviews the cycles of fear
contributing to
feedback loops and response patterns that too easily become engrained
as habits.
Readers may
not
expect the neuroscience to then take a detour into mindfulness concepts
and
applications, but part of the promise and allure of Uche's title is its
ability
to walk a fine line between science and new age thinking. It uses the
attributes
and findings of both to create new pathways for recovery.
Mindfulness
meets
cognitive behavior strategies in chapters that review the approaches,
philosophies,
and results of each. Self-help readers receive a rich series of
insights into
emotional self-care that appraises these strategies and cements them
via the
experiences of Lucy, a twenty-six-year-old client who entered therapy
interested in confronting and changing the recurrent panic attacks and
anxieties which challenged her life.
Chapters
contain not
just theories, but applied revisions of habits and lifestyle that, in
Lucy's
case, were held beneficial results. These changes are clearly
delineated in
chapters that support them with scientific references, categorizing
them in
ways ordinary readers can easily apply to their own lives.
Libraries
and readers
seeking self-help insights and routines specific to panic attacks and
anxiety will
find no better approach than NeuroMastery,
which cultivates an applied science approach to a condition which
affects and
limits far too many.
Return to Index
The Never End
John Reed
Palgrave Macmillan
978-981-99-0764-9
$119.00
https://www.amazon.com/Never-End-Orwell-Origin-Animal/dp/9819907640
Literary and
historical allegory readers fascinated with George Orwell's Animal Farm will want to make The Never End: The
Other Orwell, the Cold War, the CIA, MI6, and the Origin of Animal
Farm a "must read" on their supplementary
bibliography
lists. It tackles Orwell and his work in depth, offering a revisionist
examination and close inspection of the influences, creation, and
message of
the work that rivals many traditional lines of thought.
These aren't
off-the-cuff essays, but represent some twenty years of thinking and
history.
John Reed introduces his collection with a taste of the depth and
controversy
it embraces:
"Orwell wasn’t the benevolent white savior that
we’d made him out
to be; that he’d been complicit with the CIA, etc., and that, however
intentionally, a campaign against revolution, and for that matter
political
change, had originated in the farm animals, or, “the proletariat,” as
Orwell
might have identified them in his youth. I had the evidence—in
overwhelming
plenty. Orwell’s collaborations with the Congress for Cultural Freedom
(CCF),
the British Secret Service, and what was to become MI6— all that was
already
known. Animal Farm’s massive
distribution as front-line, Western propaganda in the Cold War. And
Orwell’s
lists. And I had the motivation. 9/11."
As his study
traverses Orwell's "literary canonization" and the traditional and
unorthodox analyses surrounding them, readers will find themselves
continually
startled and challenged by the mindset and connections made in works
steeped
not just in literary traditional, but social inspection and analysis
that takes
a step away from the usual Orwellian inspection process.
Extensive
quotes
illustrate underlying themes of how the animals were managed and
controlled
that will give rise to especially vigorous classroom discussions,
especially
among audiences who already have imbibed more traditional perceptions
of Animal Farm.
Between
investigations about whether the work was based on an unpublished
Russian short
story or how it was politically deployed to manipulate minds upon its
publication, Reed raises some intriguing questions. These strike at the
heart
of not just literary tradition and a revered figure of revolution, but
the
process by which literature connects to political institutions and
special
interests who would deploy it as yet another opportunity for social
influence
and change.
Surveying
issues of
"selling out" and supporting a system or sparking the kinds of change
that lead to shifts in social and political reality, Reed offers a
wide-ranging
discussion that delves into history and social order as deeply as it
draws
together links between disparate lines of thought and different
disciplines:
"It is often difficult to find truth in the
presumption that
history is a march forward. Recent decades, in the United States and
the world,
may well make an argument to the contrary. The war against Rome is
seemingly
unwinnable, and yet, sometimes when I glance around a room—at a
reading, at an
opening—I am amazed to see that we are all still here, two millennia
later,
soldiers in the same army, our orders long lost, but our direction
still true.
We, the Celts, the Christians unblessed by Constantine, the Barbarian
hordes,
and the theologians of the Protestant Reformation, are here, embodied."
The result
is
footnote-laden, weighty in its analysis, and damning in its revelations:
"...our Orwell obsessions are revelatory of
ourselves, and yet our
consciousness and our consciousness of Orwell has so evolved that we
have lost
our memory of the referent. Orwell, in criticism and cultural
beatification, is
exemplary of fifty years of postmodernism; the signifier has become the
signified. His grand gift of writing so clearly about so much with so
little
constancy and so much equivocation has left us a legacy of a trick
mirror."
Libraries
strong in
either Orwellian studies or literary analysis should consider the
intellectual
and social draw of The Never End to
be outstanding, exceptional, and unique, making it a highly recommended
addition for college-level and university holdings.
Return to Index
On God's Path
David Henry Maring
BookBaby
979-8-35090-853-4
$19.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Path-Journey-Outhouse-Courthouse/dp/B0CLXGRPZZ
On
God's Path: My Journey From The
Outhouse To The
Courthouse is a life memoir that spans over thirty years and
many changes,
documenting how David Henry Maring was blessed in his life with
supportive,
strong parents, equally "trustworthy and kind" siblings, and a
Christian faith that grew with him over the years, from age ten onward.
His memoir,
more so
than most personal stories, lays hands on the spiritual nature of
Christian
foundations in family life and how these translated to choices and
reactions to
the world at large. Thus, his life story doesn't just evolve into, but
represents the kind of steadfast faith that drives every facet of his
personal
and professional worlds.
Maring
incorporates
the reflections and experiences of his family, starting with his
mother's early
reminiscences of her choices to have six children (against medical
advice) to consider
how a work ethic and philosophy in her own life translated to building
strong
values in her children.
His mother's
early
memories of her own upbringing and the structure she brought to
Maring's world
moves readers from early childhood to growing up with a self-employed
father
who worked seven days a week to make his small gas station a success.
It then
reveals the rituals of rural America, from traveling fairs to early
efforts to
earn money and friends.
Many of
these
memories are of bygone years that will seem odd to current generations,
as
Maring presents experiences nobody born in recent decades could have: "Other memories on Ashland are of a
world that no longer exists. Like the man bringing a block of ice
several times
a week."
The heart of
this
story lies in how religion guides Maring's family and their lives as he
traces
moves, different churches, and family interactions with a few
surprising
revelations:
"Daddy would never discuss matters of faith. Every
time Spring
Gully got a minister who liked deer hunting, the new pastor would ask
Daddy to
take him. My father would agree, but only on the following condition,
'Don’t
ever talk to me about the Bible' he said. 'If you do, I will never take
you
hunting again.' Surprisingly, they agreed to this condition."
Other
important
points lie in how Maring sojourns from a strong home foundation into
the wider world,
there to encounter distinctions among people that lead him to further
cement
not just his ambitions, but his determination to fine-tune his life.
Some of
these experiences offer readers marked (perhaps even controversial, and
good
fodder for group discussion) insights on the life encounters that
shaped
Maring's psyche:
"I took a lot of ribbing from customers who were
rednecks. I just
laughed at the coarse things they said. Though inside, I was fuming. It
made me
see distinctly that while I might not have two coins to rub together, I
was a
gentleman and not a redneck. And I sure as hell was not White Trash."
From
pressures to
pursue a military career to financial challenges that plagued the
aspiring
young lawyer's uncertain career, Maring pulls no punches in describing
his life
and faith with an immediacy and honesty that will draw readers into the
roots
of his choices.
What do
justice and
injustice have to do with following God's path? Plenty, because Maring
hones
moral and ethical behaviors in the process of becoming a justice server
that
reflects his strong passion for the basic tenants of God's word:
"I believe that God’s plan for my life was realized
by my public
service in the judiciary. Throughout my legal career, I pushed reform.
God’s
hand was upon me as I outmaneuvered powerful political forces and
brought
quick, speedy justice to our citizens by my rulings and orders."
Few memoirs
capture
the lifelong experience of choosing and reflecting God's path. Fewer
are
specific about the incarnation of God's desires within the context of
the
judicial system.
On
God's Path thus will reach beyond
the usual Christian
memoir reader and into circles of legal debate and discussion revolving
around
issues of justice and personal conviction. It deserves a prominent
place in any
library collection devoted to legal and judicial experiences.
Return to Index
One Knife, One Fork, One
Spoon
Patty Friedmann
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-012-3
$16.99
www.atmospherepress.com
One
Knife, One
Fork, One Spoon is a literary work of dark humor that offers
a rare glimpse
into a family torn apart from the lens of irony and disparate
upbringings and
worldviews.
From the start, Patty
Friedmann's observations are
unrelentingly candid, edged with a crystalline sharpness that dissects
family
dynamics with a firm knife of conviction and passion:
"Daddy
was a
professor of philosophy and religion at Tulane, and he’d found a
Newcomb girl
who was too confused to be in a sorority. She had tight,
every-which-way curls
and an Arkansas twang that made her sound dumb when she wasn’t, and
boys were
afraid of her. So she sat for hours listening to my father talk about
Heidegger
and what he called the “forgetfulness of being” until, I guess he liked
to
think, he’d tripped something in her philosophically, and she’d
forgotten
everything she’d learned in the Baptist church."
Renna considers her own
family dynamics and the fact that
how she "doesn't trust anybody" plays a major role in her decisions,
approaches to life, and drive for power and knowledge.
Friedmann's account of this
journey is powerfully
revealing as Renna examines facets of life that are absorbing,
revealing, and
thought-provoking, as well as ironically whimsical:
"Now
I know
why men hunt. The business of getting meat is a lie; what they want is
to see
blood. And while watching blood sport performed by someone else thrills
a lot
of them, much the way pornography titillates, what they truly need is
to know
that they themselves have drawn blood, opened out guts and bone.
They’ve gone
to the limit, and nothing has happened to them. A person can take power
from
such knowledge. I imagine it’s the same full pleasure in life that
people
who’ve had near-death experiences seem to carry around the rest of
their
days."
It's rare to see
philosophical reflections wound into the
psychological component of life experience and topped with dark humor
that
cements everything together, but One
Knife, One Fork, One Spoon is compelling because of these
unique facets. It
will draw literary readers who receive more than the face value story
of an
illicit relationship that causes psychological walls to crumble.
Libraries and readers
seeking thought-provoking stories
that also lend well to book club or classroom discussions will find One Knife, One Fork, One Spoon a
creative, winning novel that considers the process of evisceration,
redemption,
strength, and growth.
Return to Index
Pacific State
Grant Price
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-340-5
$22.95
www.blackrosewriting.com
"‘He
took my
child from this world,’ said the woman. ‘Now I ask you to take his
world away
from him.’ A bulb threw spoiled light onto a grim room. In it, a woman
who
hadn’t had the misfortune to experience such squalor in life. In it, a
woman
and a girl for whom squalor was their life."
Pacific
State is Book 2 of the Sundown
Series, but
requires no prior familiarity with the opening salvo of the first book
to prove
immediately accessible to newcomers.
Protagonist Owen Resler spends his days
manipulating data for Big Pharma, stepping into a role of corporate
acquiescence and participation that he'd once eschewed as a rebel.
Increasingly
restless about his life choices and position, Owen is perhaps in the
perfect
position to find his interests dovetailing with those of assassin Mia
Warsaw,
who is charged with killing a business leader.
As a supporting character notes early on:
‘I
no longer
believe in this system we have created,’ she said. ‘It has been good to
me, but
now it has taken away the only thing I would never have given up.’
The death throes of this system and the rise
of forces within it that object to and struggle with different levels
of data
and misery form the heart of a novel which poses both a possible future
and a
redemption process that confronts its course of inhumanity.
Grant Price's ability to craft a believable
futuristic world in which characters move between their greatest hopes
and
desires and the reality of what their choices have evolved on a broader
sale
makes for a powerful story. It's supercharged with compelling
confrontations,
twists, and tactics that continually challenge the characters to step
up to new
perceptions and options.
The political impact of their personal
visions and the contrast between individual experience and society-wide
ramifications makes for a satisfying sci-fi cyberpunk story that
embraces
intrigue, rebellious natures, disasters, and redemption that arrives in
unlikely forms and conditions.
Of special note are evocative futuristic
descriptions that are especially vivid in their depiction of this
landscape, in
which technology comes to roost and perhaps die in the arms of
humanity's
revamp:
"Through
the
viewport Mia observed the grey-beige city that was laid out like a
gigantic
circuit board. Organic on artificial, animate against inanimate, a
fortress
beset on all sides by threats, but which had nevertheless managed to
hold out
so far. Soon enough, though, a wave would come that would be too large
for
Berlin to withstand. And everything within it would be drowned."
The result is more literary than most
cyberpunk creations, more psychologically astute than the typical
thriller
story of intrigue and dangerous connections, and more original and
compelling
than many.
Libraries and readers seeking near-future
worlds that stand out for their feel of authenticity and doom will find
Pacific
State a winner.
Return to Index
Race
Consciousness
Carol E. Leutner
MegaShift Publishing
978-1-0878-8478-3
$20.00 Paper/$9.99 ebook
Website: https://carolleutner.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Race-Consciousness-Personal-Political-Journey/dp/B0CFZJ59XD
Many books have been
written about racial issues, but few adopt the reasoned and balanced
juxtaposition between political and personal experience as Carol E.
Leutner in Race
Consciousness: A Personal and Political Journey.
Leutner grew up in Baltimore
in the 1960s, a product of
her times and the evolving racial consciousness that led her on many
different
paths. She worked with the Navajo Nation, which solidified her
perceptions of
systemic and ongoing racism, and then entered into an interracial
marriage
where she raised two biracial daughters, all the while absorbing the
social and
political consciousness of her times. As part of this ongoing process,
she
reflected that knowledge back into her choices, actions, and
observations.
Leutner's memoir of personal
empowerment and
relationship-building creates a dialogue that moves between experience,
ideals,
and difficult choices made in navigating a biased system:
"I
couldn’t
take on another fight, especially one against the D.C. public schools.
This was
a stubborn, middle-aged White man who was insensitive to our unique
circumstances and needs."
Her political encounters and
efforts lend a particularly
intriguing piece to the larger puzzle of confronting systemic racism
under all
kinds of settings:
“Like
I told you
when we met in D.C. in June, you have an interesting background. You
know the
practice of development and policy. You just have to find the right
fit. We
have few Americans in professional posts and even fewer women. Use that
to your
advantage,” he said, while directing me to my temporary office."
As her years in development
work and law evolve, Leutner
is continually challenged to reinvent her life, her goals, and her
abilities as
she decides which battles are worth fighting and when to set them aside
for
greater goals.
These insights and their
accompanying social and
political revelations are particularly powerful when they are couched
in
personal experience and historical precedent outlined by one who lived
these
times and navigated these experiences.
All these facets contribute
to a powerful story that
deserves a prominent place not just in libraries strong in women's
memoirs, but
in discussion groups tackling issues of systemic racism and the
influence and
incarnation of racial politics in American society.
Return to Index
The Reign of the Anti-Santas
Colin Dodds
Independently Published
Deluxe Lump of Coal
Edition: 979-8-218-27900-4 - $24.24
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-reign-of-the-anti-santas
Thrift Edition: 979-8866510825 - $13
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMPQV1BK?ref_=ast_author_ofdp
The
Reign of the
Anti-Santas presents a Christmas misadventure that exposes
the
"truth" about the North Pole, Santas, elves, and the forces that
manipulate the holiday season. It's a tongue-in-cheek romp through the
season
that will delight adult readers unused to Christmas stories not for
kids.
The tone of the exposé excels in dark humor, ironic
observations, and condemnations of
corporate greed that augment the story of Santa and the forces that
influence
the holiday season:
"The
humans at
the Pole all shared a common look—lumpy, frumpy, and funny-looking.
They
occupied a sexual gray zone where they wouldn’t arouse Mr. or Mrs.
Claus. That
was by design. Alone at the Pole, Mr. and Mrs. Claus were prone to
extreme
boredom. Their eyes did wander. But in any dalliance, the interloper
would take
the blame, along with their employer. The annals of the toy industry
are
littered with bankrupt companies that had sent someone too fit, frisky,
or
bright-eyed to further their interests up north."
As the exploration
continues, business backgrounds blend
with cultural revolution at the North Pole to create unexpected moments
of
revelation and whimsy:
"There’s
more
than one reason that you’ll only be home for Christmas in your dreams.
The
first is because you moved on. You outgrew the place. You have nice
things to
say about it now that it’s not cramping your style or stomping your
pretty
face. Then time marches on, and the reason is different. Home, as you
knew it,
no longer exists. That fucking place hasn’t existed for decades and
will never
exist again. So dream on with your presents on the tree. The North Pole
I found
was hipper, with younger, better-looking toy executives, dance clubs
and
singles’ bars."
As the adventure unfolds,
readers receive pointed
observations, historical fantasy, elf gossip, and intriguing
examinations of
what Christmas, Santa, and elf endeavors really mean from an
extraordinary
point of view that crafts an alternate history of North Pole culture
and
conundrums.
Between Santa's legitimate
and illegitimate children and
elf Elvin's escape from federal custody, to Wall Street influences on
the
Christmas spirit, readers will delight in the dark humor, wry
inspections, and
fantasy that tints real-world actions with inspections of underlying
intention
and impact much in the manner of Orwell's Animal
Farm.
All these elements, wound
into a vivid plot that keeps
readers laughing, guessing, and thinking, make The
Reign of the Anti-Santas a top recommendation for readers who
would imbibe of a very different adult holiday title than most, as well
as for
book clubs seeking lively discussion provokers.
Return to Index
Self-Care for the Creative
Stefani Fryzel
Muse Literary
978-1-960876-12-6
$20.99
https://www.amazon.com/Self-Care-Creative-Survival-Creatives-Sensitive/dp/1960876120
Self-Care for the
Creative: A Survival Guide for
Creatives, Empaths and Highly Sensitive People is
highly recommended
for artists who navigate different emotional and creative landscapes.
It addresses
the specific needs of creatives, with an eye to presenting self-care
strategies
to support their sensitive natures and navigate blocks that may stifle
their
creative forces.
These strategies are
concrete, easy, and meaningful in a
way that more general self-help titles don't address, producing
insights into
the creative mind and the myriad of life influences that can all too
easily
quash it.
Stefani Fryzel's
book is brutally candid with the
depth of her inspections as she considers how creative people move
through
life's challenges at the expenses of their own inspiration:
"Sometimes
our approach to self-care (or lack
thereof) can be a bit like boarding a plane without any safety checks.
That
thing is gonna crash. When you give everyone and everything else a
first-class
ticket to your time, effort, and attention, and there’s no concept of
putting
on your own oxygen mask first before helping others, then I’m sorry to
say,
your flight time is a short duration to Destination: Overwhelm and
Burnout."
From protecting one's
sensitivity to their environment,
to building a physical creative space that protects and fosters those
who
struggle with emotional quandaries, Fryzel creates a unique program of
opportunity and response that is designed to strengthen and build
creative
forces.
Her presentation of examples
of creative processes and
realizations weaves case histories into suggestions that reinforce the
special
nature and struggles of the creative individual.
Libraries and readers
seeking a specific self-help book
that promotes the creative impulse will find Self-Care
for the Creative packed with concrete strategies for
kind self-care
and routines and choices that support these efforts.
Return to Index
When Wisdom
Arrives
Rosalyn Rourke, MSW
Muse Literary
978-1-960876-21-8
$24.99
Hardcover/$14.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
Website: rosalynrourke.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/When-Wisdom-Arrives-Imagined-Unworthiness-ebook/dp/B0CFYWRWT1
When
Wisdom
Arrives: From Imagined Unworthiness to Freedom pays tribute
to healthy
self-image, love, and the power of adaptation through a blend of fable
and memoir.
It reviews the life of eleven-year-old Gem, who feels ashamed of her
body
weight, and thus hates herself.
Underlying
spiritual
and psychological notes permeate Gem's story to provide enlightenment
and words
of wisdom to all ages who read her story. Some thirty years as a
psychotherapist lends authenticity and wisdom to Rosalyn Rourke's
account,
which charts a path out of suffering and into freedom which is
specific, rather
than idealistic or ethereal.
From
shattering the
illusion that self-worth is tied to body size to the looping
self-destructive
thoughts that limit Gem's opportunities, and the assistance of a wise
leader
who teaches her a more positive path forward, When Wisdom
Arrives represents an accessible
fable that can
reach a wide audience with insights and practical applications of
revised
approaches to life.
Rourke's concept of the 'True I' and how its
realization and acceptance can move people away from being stuck into
more
proactive and positive pathways and choices translates to a series of
insights
that will prove invaluable to readers interested in tapping into the
life-force
of authenticity and revised self-image to thwart many negative messages
and
teachings.
If this
story sounds
personal, that's because it comes from more than the author's training;
but
from her own life experiences. These are incorporated into Gem's story,
along
with case history examples of others who have walked similar paths to
wisdom
and self-empowerment.
"Do
not touch
or add to hurtful thoughts."
This lesson,
deeply
incorporated into Gem's story and explored throughout variations in the
theme
through others' experiences and case histories, makes for a powerful
tool for
discussion, enlightenment, and empowerment. When Wisdom
Arrives ideally
won't be limited to library lending shelves in self-help or spiritual
circles,
but will be used as discussion material for book clubs, psychology
readers, and
those interested in examining and reforming better approaches to life.
Highly
recommended
for its succinct, accessible message of transformation, When
Wisdom Arrives's promise and
delivery of routes to real
freedom is invaluable.
Return to Index
Advice to
9th Graders
Pathfinder Club and
Pops the Club
Out of the Woods
Press
978-1952197024
$21.95
www.outofthewoodspress.com
Readers in
grades 7-9
will find Advice to 9th Graders: Stories, Poetry, Art & Other Wisdom a youth-driven set of inspirational
writings that assume many forms, but share the unified goal of sharing
advice
and inspiration that rang true for and helped the young authors here.
One such
example
takes the form of a letter to incoming freshmen ("Changes Over Time"
by Ashley Villatoro-Gomez), which
synthesizes the freshman experience and provides keys to making the
most of
opportunities that are unique to the high school freshman year.
Advice here is specific and delves into not
just the 'how' of making and understanding decisions, but the 'why':
"...don’t
rely on friendships. I’m not saying you should stop being friends with
them,
trust them, or anything above those lines for that matter. But
sometimes you
just have to focus on yourself. Trust me when I say this: Most of the
time
friendships you build will likely end, but that’s just from my personal
experience. Eventually, you’ll find new friends with whom you can build
new
connections and memories."
Contrast this with "Grades," which
resides under the chapter "No Free Pass," in which Zaleeyah Ross
invites 9th graders to better consider the connection between grades,
psyche,
and opportunity:
"Focus on your grades, they’re very important. When
I was in 9th
grade, my mom always reminded me how important my grades were. To tell
you the
truth, I always lied to her about them. I’d tell her I had made all As
when
really, I had a bunch of Cs. My self-confidence was very low, and I
felt
self-conscious in class. I never raised my hand, never asked for help.
And that
took a horrible toll on my grades."
The
peer-based advice
provides newfound opportunities for understanding, wisdom, and
insights. These
will lend especially well to classroom and reading group discussions.
Having these
words of
wisdom come from young people is invaluable. Libraries and readers
seeking life
insights that are delivered in accessible, succinct, impactful writings
will
relish the opportunities for enlightenment presented in Advice
to 9th Graders, which should be on the shelves of any 9th
grade library collection.
Return to Index
Chipper
Races Right
Kimber Fox Morgan
Creative, Simple
Wonder Press
978-1-7370386-9-6
$18.99
Hardcover/$15.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
www.kimberfoxmorgan.com
It's time
for the
annual Arctic Race, and Chipper and his animal friends are training for
the big
event. The problem is that the fiercely competitive Rocky the Raccoon
is also
determined to win.
Kim Sponaugle provides
lively, whimsical, compelling
illustrations that bring Kimber Fox Morgan's story to vivid life,
documenting
the fun and competition of an Arctic race that attracts a wide range of
animal
participants, from rabbits and moose to domestic pigs and chickens.
The diversity and fun of
these competitors permeates a
story that extols the virtue and fun of snow play and striving to win,
cementing all with a rollicking rhyme covering events with the
action-packed
staccato of a news reporter's coverage of key moments.
When an issue arises
mid-race that forces Chipper to
reconsider his goals and values, young readers receive a
thought-provoking
insight into Chipper's world and the underlying impact of winning,
losing, and
fair play.
These subjects can be
explored by parents and adults who
will find the read-aloud adventure lends to both leisure attraction and
bigger-picture thinking and discussions.
Libraries and adults seeking
picture book stories that
sizzle with entertainment value but also hold important topics for
enlightenment on subjects of kindness and competition will find Chipper
Races Right a fun, positive read.
Return to Index
Clarity of Sight
Dani Resh
Warren Publishing
978-1-960146-60-1
$30.95 Hardcover/$18.95 Paper/$4.99 ebook
www.warrenpublishing.net
Clarity
of Sight,
the second book in the Magic Shoe series, opens with a succinct roundup
of
setting and atmosphere that pulls young adults into the story from its
opening
descriptive paragraph:
"The
days
seemed endless in Underfoot with no communication from the outside
world. No
mail, no cell phones, absolutely no word from up top. I got why the
Vins had
shut themselves off since the Wrathful and their unbreakable magic had
proven
to be a very real threat, but this was infuriating. As a Cerebral, I
was used
to looking for signs, but I had nothing to work with. Nothing at all."
Maria's powers, as well as
her fears, have only grown in
Underfoot. Missing her parents and struggling with everything that has
impacted
her since that fateful night when everything fell apart, Maria seems to
be in
no shape to confront more chaos. When an evil entity leads to the
capture of
her friends, Maria is pulled into a battle which will both answer her
questions
and present her with more impossible choices and losses.
Dani Resh's satisfyingly
complex fantasy ideally will be
chosen by prior readers of Maria's exploits in Compass
to Vinland, which opened with the wellsprings of her
growing abilities and the underground world that harbors her deepest
promise
and danger.
This audience will welcome
Maria's journey as she
traverses realms containing the Wrathful, Native Americans, dangerous
Siren songs,
and the allure of being able to control her abilities to make a
difference in
more than one world. Maria's personality expands in this book, matching
the
quandaries of her powers as readers absorb her newfound abilities to
confront
danger, protect her friends, and make hard choices about the future.
The
warnings she
receives about the impact of her choices are engrossing portents of
potential
quicksand along the way: "You must be cautious when traveling
over
tumultuous, murky waters."
Resh crafts a particularly
compelling sense of high drama
and tension throughout Maria's confrontations, which keeps readers on
edge and
guessing about outcomes and the consequences of making the wrong
choices:
“That
thread of
yours almost killed us,” Rusty said. “Look where it was leading you.” I
couldn’t believe I had almost walked over a cliff and taken Rusty and
Pan with
me. It was a terrifying thought."
The fast paced and
unpredictable twists and turns to the
story assure that a wide age range will find it captivating and hard to
put
down, making Clarity of Sight
especially recommended for libraries seeing popularity with Compass to Vinland who want a smooth and
captivating continuation of the Underfoot experience.
Return to Index
Looking
for a
Leprechaun
Richard Lopez
Bear With Us Productions
979-8-218-17689-1
$17.95 Hardcover/$10.00 Paper/$2.99 ebook
Website: www.justbearwithus.com
Ordering: threelittlebirdspublishing.com
In
the picture
book story Looking for a Leprechaun, Rich lives in
a magical world of
beauty, but everywhere he hears voices claiming he doesn't belong there.
A
wise fairy
promises Rich that if he finds a leprechaun, he will also discover
where he
belongs. His journey leads him to confront many different communities
which he
obviously doesn't fit into, yet he can't seem to reach his goal. The
magical
fairy encourages him to persevere with a hopeful rhyme, but Rich still
finds
his place in life elusive.
Edixon
Rodriguez
provides colorful, large-sized, whimsical illustrations that allow
young
readers to become absorbed in Rich's journey and world.
The
combination
of an adventure story, a search for discovery and self, and a sense of
magic
will please kids who look for tales involving fairies, hope, and
self-enlightenment; while read-aloud parents will appreciate the
opportunity to
reinforce these underlying themes as Rich perseveres in finding his
place.
Libraries
and
adults looking for warm fantasy stories of quests that contain
important
messages about identity will find Looking for a Leprechaun
compelling,
attractive, and fun.
Return to Index
Mirror of Wolves
N.P. Thompson
Inky Cove
978-0995994263
$12.99 Paper/$7.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Wolves-Arcanium-N-P-Thompson/dp/0995994269
The second book in The
Arcanium children's fantasy
series, Mirror of Wolves, returns
to
Ty Baxter's world, where he has become focused on developing his
magical
abilities after being stranded in Arcania. He has learned a lot about
this new
world in the weeks since the first book ended, absorbing its wonder and
promise
while also developing a new fixation on justice after learning that his
mother's death long ago was no accident, but murder.
The big question remains,
however: is he the one
prophesized to end a dark sorcerer's rule? A magical object would seem
to hold
the answer to this key question, but Ty must locate it, first, facing
new
challenges in a quest that involves him and his companions in a series
of
dangerous adventures.
Kids in middle school and
older who look for
action-packed fantasy adventures that center on a quest and discoveries
of self
and purpose will find Mirror of Wolves
stands nicely alone, as well as proving a powerful continuation of the
themes
and relationships introduced in River of
Crows.
The seamless intersection of
this world's special
interests and challenges provide alluring elements of fantasy, from
dragons to
magic, alongside psychological growth opportunities. These test the
characters
and present the perspectives of not only forces that appear to be on
the side
of good, but those who hold malicious intent:
"Malachai
had
finally had enough. His latest encounter with the so-called Chosen One
and his
equally annoying friends was the last straw. Something had to be done
about
them all before they did irreparable damage to his long-term plans.
Something
permanent. And, honestly, after all the trouble that lot had caused
him, he was
really going to enjoy watching them die."
Action-packed descriptions
and passages lend to a story
vivid in its imagination, well-developed in its characters, and filled
with
quest-oriented goals that present satisfyingly complex twists and turns
of
plot.
Like its predecessor, Mirror
of Wolves creates the opportunity for both entertainment and
thought-provoking insights about the nature of power, courage, and
wielding
force for the sake of something more than individual ambition.
Libraries and readers
looking for vivid adventure
fantasies that attract through powerful characters that clash and
create new
possibilities through their actions and growth will find Mirror
of Wolves a delight.
Return to Index
Poppy's First Adventure
E.J. Stelter
DartFrog Plus
978-1-959096-38-2
$24.99 Hardcover/$14.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
Website: www.Poppy-adventures.com
Ordering: www.dartfrogbooks.com
Poppy's
First
Adventure: Le Pont de Papillion is a rhyming picture book
written by E.J.
Stelter and illustrated by Noah Warnes. It introduces energetic puppy
Papillion
(Poppy) and her goals for travel. Her littermates seem content with
nearby
explorations, but Poppy dreams of going to lands far away—Avignon in
particular
(because it rhymes with her name)—and follows her nose into adventure
and
discovery.
From embarking on a train
ride and viewing attractions
through the window to navigating Chicago O'Hare's busy airport and
making new
friends in Paris, Poppy finds the world filled with surprises and
wonder.
Parents who choose this
animal story for read-aloud will
find the rhymes inviting, the travel illustrations realistic and fun,
and the
story driven by a sense of wonder that includes encounters that reveal
more
about life, adversity, and how humans treat animals.
The opportunities for
widespread discussions on
everything from adventure experiences and new environments to making
new
friends and better understanding others invites adults to embark on
adventures
in conversation and understanding with the very young.
Poppy's
First
Adventure's winning sense of positivity and discovery makes
it a top
recommendation for picture book libraries seeking memorable and lasting
acquisitions, and for read-aloud adults seeking to pair wonder and
discovery
with important life lessons.
Return to Index
Poppy Pendal
Gets a
Puppy
De Anna Moyes
DartFrog Kids
9781961624030
$5.99 ebook
Website: https://deannawritesbooks.com/
Ordering: www.dartfrogbooks.com
Poppy Pendal Gets a Puppy is a picture
book story of the experience
of getting a puppy, but it actually moves beyond the typical pet
adoption approach
to consider issues of disability, adaptations to environment, and the
willingness of young Poppy to help her new charge as he navigates his
home in
different ways.
De Anna
Moyes
supplements the usual story of a child's growing relationship with a
new pet
with side notes about the adaptation process which branches out to
include the
entire family in a creative, loving effort to support a puppy that is
different.
Ksenia
Logovaia's
illustrations are large-sized and inviting to very young readers who
receive
this story as a read-aloud, while the underlying messages about love
and
perfection create many opportunities for dialogues between adults and
kids
about all kinds of subjects.
Libraries
and parents
seeking read-aloud choices that are educational, inviting, and fun will
find Poppy Pendal Gets a Puppy a
special
attraction whose message goes beyond kid/pet relationships to delve
into the
mechanics of lending support to those who are ability-challenged.
Return to Index
Werecats
Resurgent
Mark J. Engels
Fazed Angle Media
979-8-9881902-5-7 $15.99
Paper/$5.99 ebook
Website: https://www.mark-engels.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNHJJQ23
Werecats Resurgent, the third book in the
Werecats series about
were-lynx Pawly, provides another riveting fantasy thriller that
expands the
themes of family struggle and reconciliation.
Taking
center stage
is Mawro, who appeared in the previous books with his own agenda for
bloodletting. He learns how the twins' Afflication manifested, and what
forces
are actually major influencers and creators of the werecats and their
lethal
abilities. Intent on tapping Pawly's abilities on behalf of his rogue
state
employer, Mawro continues to present the were-family with dangerous
confrontations and challenges.
Lenny, too,
contributes his motives and wisdom to the fray as three military forces
find
the family's abilities key to their missions.
Mark J.
Engels set
the stage for these confrontations in the previous books, which means
that Werecats Resurgent would best
be enjoyed
by prior fans of Pawly's adventures. This will provide a seamless move
into the
milieu of this final story, where the objectives, power plays, and
family
strife prove even more compelling for their connections to complex
international dilemmas.
The ancient
clan of
were-cats experiences attacks and possible dissolution as their
secrets,
identities, and origins are exposed piece by piece, with a host of
special
interests attempting to dictate not just their survival, but their
deployment.
More so than
its
predecessors, Werecats Resurgent
cultivates a quasi-military atmosphere as the story moves through
subterfuge,
detection, DPRK's technology deployment, and more forces of battle and
confrontation.
The clashes
are
vividly portrayed, Pawly's family's uncertain position in the eye of
the
international storm becomes even more engrossing in this story, and the
blend
of fantasy with paranormal thriller elements (and even romance)
provides a
satisfying, compelling mix that can easily cross genres to attract
readers who
will find the multifaceted saga thoroughly engrossing.
Replete with
elements
of political and military might, yet tempered by the well-developed
personalities
and connections between were-cats and humans, Werecats
Resurgent proves as delightful a read as its predecessors,
further expanding the family's dilemma and Pawly's emergent mission to
be a
leader of not just her clan, but a wider group.
Libraries
and readers
seeking exceptional action and a story that neatly expands the werecat
themes
of its predecessors will find Werecats
Resurgent gripping.
Return to Index
Winnie’s
Christmas Treasure Hunt
Joy K. Ball
Independently
Published
979-8-9870922-3-1
$13.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
Website: www.joykball.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Winnies-Christmas-Treasure-Hunt-Adventures/dp/B0CJBVFCLK
Winnie’s Christmas
Treasure Hunt is an appealing
holiday picture book
featuring illustrations by Manuela Pentangelo as it pairs a lively
adventure of
discovery with an unusual holiday setting in the desert environment of
Arizona.
Here,
kids
decorate cactus with Christmas lights while a little bird who studies
at school
with them wonders where they all go at night.
As
she hatches
all kinds of plans to enter a child's home to experience the treasures
her
desert friends assure her are there in abundance, Winnie finds new
enlightenment and opportunity in a holiday party hosted by a teacher
who
reviews the basics of the holiday season for bird and child alike.
Joy
K. Ball
cultivates a very different approach to understanding the holiday
season, which
is seen through the eyes of a curious bird who experiences the warmth
of not
just colorful holiday trappings, but the underlying friendships and
connections
which motivate them.
Parents seeking colorful and unusual read-aloud stories that reinforce the real sentiments of the season will find Winnie’s Christmas Treasure Hunt a treasure in and of itself.
Winnie’s Christmas Treasure HuntReturn to Index