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Donovan's Bookshelf

February 2017 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

Prime Picks
Biography & Autobiography
Spirituality 
Reviewer's Choice
Social Issues
Mystery & Thrillers
Novels
Young Adult/Childrens

Biography & Autobiography

Molding My Destiny: A Story Of Hope That Takes One Child From Surviving To Thriving
Patrice M. Foster
Patrice M. Foster, Publisher
978-0-578-18146-2                $9.50
https://www.amazon.com/Molding-My-Destiny-Surviving-Thriving-ebook/dp/B01MQTOAVT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481847292&sr=8-1&keywords=molding+my+destiny 

www.PatriceMFoster.com 

By the time author Patrice M. Foster was ten, she had been molested, abandoned by her parents, and moved from foster home to foster home. By the time she graduated high school, she had been raped, arrested for drugs, and had been a prostitute so she and her sister could eat. She didn't trust or love anyone. For many like her, the story would have ended there. 

But Foster searched for the things missing from her life and psyche - love and connections; things she had observed in other lives, but which were absent from hers - and in her quest she eventually found a way out of the depression and insanity that had shaped her world. 

Molding My Destiny is her story about this process and, more importantly, about the process of building a successful and loving family from a broken past. It's an inspirational, revealing read for anyone who faces even an iota of the challenges Foster struggled with. 

From bitter lessons about the norms foster kids face from peers and the world around them to a mother's inability to care for her kids, Foster's search for love, a sense of place, and a real home sweeps the reader through her life and through the range of observations, emotions, and struggles that influenced her ability to survive and grow. 

It would seem unlikely that someone with this background would overcome feelings of loneliness, isolation, and the grim environments that framed her early life; but as Foster grows up and faces reforming her world with her own family, she walks a careful line between passing on the angst of her past and creating something new and positive for her future. 

More so than most memoirs about overcoming adversity and impossible conditions, Molding My Destiny is, ultimately, a powerfully positive view of what can be achieved through determination and renewed, better-informed connections between past and present. These points are powerful rendered by a writer who depicts emotions, choices, and consequences with relentless passion. 

Foster "...was used to fighting for everything in my life and now I had earned the right to choose who would be worthy of my time." Her realization that her self-esteem, happiness, and love lies within and not with a man, a mother, or including people in her circle that didn't support her makes for a thoughtful exploration of growth and evolution that holds striking messages for all readers: "Part of the process involved opening myself up to people who cared for me and letting go of friends and family who mistreated or disrespected me, rather than keep them in my life simply to have others around me." 


Molding My Destiny: A Story Of Hope That Takes One Child From Surviving To Thriving

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Washed Away: From Darkness to Light
Nikki DuBose with James Johanson
Outskirts Press
9781478777458      Paper: $27.95 Kindle: $9.99
www.outskirtspress.com            http://a.co/hLf6vpT 

Model and author Nikki DuBose struggled with a variety of mental health issues for nearly twenty years; all while forging a career in the demanding fashion industry. Her problems began in childhood, where she was emotionally and sexually abused, and as patterns of self-abuse influenced her choices and progress in life, she found her self in a puzzling juxtaposition between success and failure as she worked as a TV host and began her modeling career. 

While on the surface she appeared to be successful, traveling the world and leading a life that seemed enviable, in reality her struggles with PTSD, eating disorders, and mental and physical challenges were never-ending and became life threatening on more than one level. 

Washed Away: From Darkness to Light tells her story and illuminates the forces which contributed to her warped self image and the paths she took to emerge from her personal version of hell. 

It's written for audiences who suffer similar mental ailments and for those who would better understand and reduce the shame surrounding such struggles. Even though DuBose's path led her to a religious revelation and spiritual focus, it's not written for those who would receive a lesson in Christianity, but for any who would understand the various options leading to survival and recovery. 

Readers should be warned that DuBose's life is tumutulous and her memoir describes sexual abuse, graphic inappropriate actions upon a child by many of the adults who should have been protecting her, and shows how these familiar patterns repeat into adulthood. It also details the physical health challenges that entered the picture more and more often as DuBose continued to abuse her body and mind. It's not an easy read: it's filled with strife, angst, and agony. 

It also includes some unexpected aspects, such as the author's connections with paranormal phenomena and her insights about these events. 

Readers who seek graphic, compelling memoirs that ultimately focus on victim mentality and how to recreate one's identity and self image in a more positive light will find Washed Away goes further than most memoirs of abuse to chronicle the way out and the road to recovery, offering inspirational guidelines that will appeal to religious and non-religious readers alike. 


Washed Away: From Darkness to Light

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Spirituality

What the World Does Not Know Nor Understand
10dollar
10DolaPublishing Ltd.
ASIN: 78536283                    $9.95
www.10Dola.com 

https://kdp.amazon.com/bookshelf?ref_=kdp_AC_TN_bs 

What the World Does Not Know Nor Understand is a book about the Spirit: what it is, how it presents itself, and how it interacts with the world. All this is considered by '10dollar', the pseudonym of an author who grew up as part of a prominent tribe noted for its special and specific powers, from levitation to controlling the forces of nature. 

10dollar grew up with an affection for science and a lifelong goal of developing his many gifts, and his privileged position in a high-profile family led to further contacts with powerful personalities and spiritual and psychic forces from all nations. The vision of his publishing company involves encouraging humans to reflect the contract between the Spirit and earthly beings, his purpose is to change lives, and his book supports the choice of the Holy Spirit and reviews its influences upon and presence in the world, with the ultimate goal being to make people endorse the contract between the Spirit and earthly beings. 

New age and spiritual readers should anticipate, from all of this, a wide-reaching journey through spiritual and human affairs which takes a close look at matters often misinterpreted by humans in their various social, cultural and spiritual pursuits. Ignorance of the differences between Spirit, Dragon, and special Earthly pursuits that affect knowledge and power can prove costly, 10dollar maintains, and his book is designed to answer questions about the Spirit, how it operates, and the threats posed by the Anti-Spirit. 

In the course of his discussions, 10dollar reveals the source and roots of 'supernatural' abilities and also probes the structures and incarnations of Spirit, beings, secret organization of the Dragon, and much more. 

What the World Does Not Know Nor Understand demands an open mind and spiritual and intellectual flexibility from its readers, and also packs in so many revelations that it requires time and slow reading and re-reading to absorb its tenants properly. These challenges and cautions are offset by an intriguing ability to move from the outer limits of probing new age and psychic ideas relating to Spirit and humanity to the practicalities of how to examine and consider such forces as mega-churches and their connections to social ills and issues of greed as they make demands upon the poor and set up pyramid schemes for gullible members. 

Recommended for the spiritual and new age reader already harboring an ability to think out of the box and beyond normal religious doctrine, What the World Does Not Know Nor Understand will reach audiences with a powerful, wide-ranging message about religion, philosophy, science and a spiritual force that impacts every person on the planet. 


What the World Does Not Know Nor Understand

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Reviewer's Choice

Absence of the Loved
Wade Stevenson
BlazeVOX Books
978-1-60964-274-7         $16.00
www.blazevox.org 

Many poems and poetry collections focus on the presence of love, but Absence of the Loved is about that aftermath where love is gone, poetically describing the void left behind, the process of passing into something else, and what happens when transformation and change confront a relationship: "This morning we were born for something else". 

Winter mornings, maddened minds, the compulsive drives of love and passion, and possession all coalesce in passionate, emotional pieces that grasp the essence of not a light romantic dream, but the agony and ecstasy of bonding with another both physically and emotionally. 

From the throes of breakup and pain ("When I’m not grieving I trumpet destruction") to the inevitable progress towards a turning point where grief turns to renewal, Absence of the Loved is a poetic breakup diary like no other, chronicling the intimate passage of days and pain with the deft precision of a romantic martyr as the writer considers the absence of one with a 'penchant for parting'. 

Again and again the times before departure are analyzed and probed, the impetus for change considered, and the faded spark of love from which the inevitability of leaving reviewed: “One day I will go so you will at last understand/This simplest of lessons: everything flows.” 

How long will loss last when "what we are is made of half of each other’s wholeness"? It may not be a lifetime, but these moments are perfectly captured in a poetic gathering of experiences that intricately chronicles just what the process of and pain of letting go involves. 

However, “The Absence of The Loved” is not just about loss. Although it starts that way, there is a progression, and fans of poetry will appreciate the various depths and nuances of feeling. In the end the poet transfigures his loss into a vibrant, radiant presence. The young woman that he loved becomes a symbol for “the loved”. In the moving final poem “You and You Again”, the circle is closed, there is no more absence --- what remains is Amor. 


Absence of the Loved

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The Attachment Bond: Affectional Ties Across the Lifespan
Virginia M. Shiller
Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield
Hardback: 978-1-4985-2253-3  $100.00
eBook:      978-1-4985-5172-4  $ 99.99
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498551724/The-Attachment-Bond-Affectional-Ties-across-the-Lifespan 

Attachments shape relationships, defining their nature, evolution, and quality; but although there is a wealth of research and information about this phenomenon, until now there's been no single book synthesizing this data to present a clear foundation title on the subject. 

Licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor Virginia M. Shiller's purpose in writing The Attachment Bond is to make this information accessible to a wider audience than psychologists alone by taking data, research, and clinical experiences and combining them into a comprehensive, simple, accessible presentation. 

Chapters thus translate attachment theory's intricacies with a lay audience in mind, making accessible the latest data and studies surrounding personal relationships and how they evolve from early childhood into adulthood as they trace the history of the study of attachment theory. 

Vignettes cement and round out these studies and provide accessible and personal links between theory and real-world experience, considering both the observations of professional psychologists and clients who serve as examples of attachment theory in action. 

From questions of whether the security of attachment predicts behavior problems during early childhood and risk factors associated with disadvantaged family structures to an extensive NICHD study following over 1,000 children from infancy to age 15, assessing the development of their social skills and the influence of parents and teachers during the process, The Attachment Bond moves beyond singular environments to consider attachment insecurity, bonds, parenting philosophies, and social influence. 

The juxtaposition of research results and studies with case studies and the attention to explaining the impact of these studies and their review on the overall attachment theory's development presumes no prior psychological expertise. While psychologists will likely be the primary readers of The Attachment Bond, it's important to note that a secondary audience of non-experts, from parents to early childhood educators, will find it equally accessible. 

The result is a solid, research-based overview that is recommended for psychologists, parents, and educators alike, representing a surprisingly accessible synthesis of study and real-world applications as it probes the latest developments in attachment theory. 


The Attachment Bond: Affectional Ties Across the Lifespan

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The Lies We Tell Ourselves
Jon Frederickson
Seven Leaves Press
9780988378889             $15.95
www.sevenleavespress.com 

The Lies We Tell Ourselves: How to Face the Truth, Accept Yourself, and Create a Better Life is about identifying and accepting the lies we tell ourselves in the process of handling life, and it's recommended for anyone who would more clearly see the truth in their life choices and the path to peace. 

Why is it that attention to fixing one's psyche too often results in only adjusting fantasies and the fallacies that affect self image and surface feelings; not one's deeper self? True healing comes from identifying shameful facets of psyche and actions and, more importantly, accepting responsibility for the choices that stem from these actions. It's a process that involves identifying and separating reality and truth from illusion - and that process brings with it many reasons for telling ourselves (and others) lies. 

Chapters pair personal insights and examples with bigger-picture thinking on why truth is rejected or not embraced, how illusions create barriers that can keep disagreement and differences at bay, leading to a blend of denial and grief, and efforts to change others to make one's inner pain go away. 

These spiraling facades cause many to lose self-image and become lost in obsessions and negativity as a rejection of feelings and self becomes a rejection of others. 

The Lies We Tell Ourselves should be considered the first step in the healing process of self-help psychology readers. Identifying these lies, their origins, and their effects is the start of a long, arduous journey that can't be undertaken without this base knowledge, and Jon Frederickson clearly explains the difference between apparent causes of problems and underlying reality, showing how to confront these buried forces to gain real understanding and move away from falsehoods. Its precise path is highly recommended for introspective self-help audiences. 


The Lies We Tell Ourselves

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Psychology in the Light of the East
Margot Esther Borden
Rowman & Littlefield
978-1442260269            $55.00
www.rowmanlittlefield.com 

Psychology in the Light of the East is recommended reading for college-level psychology students who want to integrate Eastern thinking into Western psychology traditions, and blends philosophy, psychology and spirituality in a survey of these two diverse worlds and the areas where they compliment one another. 

In order to locate these meeting points, a history of Western psychology is required, and Margot Esther Borden provides this with a review of how psychology evolved over the decades, the places where psychology, spirituality, and philosophy intersect, and how different disciplines view ideas of consciousness, the human psyche, healing processes, and, finally, human potential. 

Case history examples pepper a presentation that includes quotes from major Eastern and Western thinkers, while attention is given to ideologies, methodology, physical experiences and emotional reactions to them, and the importance of spiritual dimensions in the psychology arena. 

Traditional Western psychoanalysts sometimes shun spiritual worldviews, especially if they don't fit into Western religious thinking. Thus, techniques reflective of our psycho-spiritual nature and potential such as mindfulness meditation, prayer, and teachings from both Western and Eastern spiritual traditions are not typically part of a Western psychologist's approach. 

By demonstrating how to better integrate these traditions for maximum therapeutic benefit and insights, psychology students and practitioners receive a clear exploration of how to tailor their approach for more effective client care and responses, and will find Psychology in the Light of the East a clear road map of approaches backed by real-world sessions and history alike. 

This book will also be helpful for individuals seeking psycho-spiritual healing and development as it provides a deep understanding of the many paths inwards and therefore, how to endeavour toward our greater potential.  

Very highly recommended. 


Psychology in the Light of the East

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Social Issues

A Look in the Mirror
Darrell Cass
AmericaBooks
9780692474228             $14.95 Paper; $4.99 ebook
www.alookinthemirror.net 

It's almost as if Darrell Cass climbed into a time machine to take a look at America's immediate future, and found it frightening. Such is the feel from reading A Look in the Mirror: The Disintegration of Our Morals, Values, Ethics and Society - Can America Be Saved?, which is the most contemporary book on modern America precisely because it nailed many of the nation's political undercurrents, manipulations, and trends even before the November 8th, 2016 election. 

A Look in the Mirror chronicles the progressive, deliberate demise of America's social structure begun by and influenced by corrupt business and political processes, follows their progression through over thirty years of political maneuvering and manipulative behaviors, and closely analyzes the root causes of these actions and how they've escalated to erode democratic processes and ideals over recent decades. 

As chapters reveal deliberate efforts by both individual and corporate entities to do the right thing, only to be thwarted by special interests, legal barriers, and a rising tide of warped priorities, A Look in the Mirror presents both admonitions and damning charges that pull no punches to either side. 

From natural gas and auto racing to medical and insurance fraud, media snafus, monopolies, and bank meltdowns, chapters at first appear wide-ranging and disparate, but ultimately contribute to a frightening 'bigger picture'. Several chapters have been updated to include the latest damning evidence about Trump's special interests and the ironies involved in the fact that a man connected with federal fraud, money laundering, and billions in failed debt could rise in the system to become President:  "As a reward, he is now president and we have the first "foreign born" First Lady." 

In Darrell Cass's analysis, there is no 'good side/bad side', and nobody is immune from blame: men nor women, Republication, Democrat or 'Other', or business or political entities. Of special interest is specific documentation on the clever ways 99% of Americans and the world have been subjugated by special interests that employ clever methods of brainwashing and hypocrisy, spinning statistics, evidence and truth until the boundaries between myth and reality appear well blurred, to most Americans. 

The question is: can America be 'saved' - and if so, how? 

Darrell Cass may have written a new addendum note for his book and revised some sections to reflect the latest election results and what it portends for the future; but he didn't have to write much, because basically his message had already been hammered home throughout his book. The latest election results were just a confirming endnote putting the icing on the cake of corrupted and co-opted democratic processes. 

Any American concerned about the country's social and political progress will find A Look in the Mirror draws important connections and makes some statements that may be hard to swallow; but which cannot be ignored. 

It doesn't just ask that every American take a hard look at both government and their own individual lives and values.  It demands it. 


A Look in the Mirror

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Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State
Parag Khanna
CreateSpace
978-0-9982325-0-8         $19.99 Paper; $7.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Technocracy-America-Info-State-Parag-Khanna-ebook/dp/B01LX46FXZ 

Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State presents a common contention: that American democracy is broken. But, unlike most competing books, global scholar Parag Khanna  looks beyond American shores for solutions to fixing it in an unexpected move that allows for some unusual perspectives. 

There are more 'technocratic' democracies in the world than the U.S., and their processes and successes hold many insights into America's political and social woes. Khanna's decades of living in other countries and studying their political arrangements leads to a book that advocates not a return to the past, but a forward-thinking vision where leaders would jointly manage the executive branch and where governors could unite in an entity that would enjoy more immediate powers and results than our current Congress. 

The author's close-up observations of how the successful Singaporean and Swiss systems work forms the foundation not of a set of ideals and dreams, but for the basics of a working democratic process that has already been tested and fine-tuned, abroad. What factors connect these very different systems? "...what matters most is that Switzerland and Singapore are both verifiably democratic and rigorously technocratic at the same time. They both have a high percentage of foreign-born populations, national military and civil service, strong linkages between education and industry, diversified economies, and massive state investment in R&D and innovation." 

Other nations who can't afford to experiment with political processes have already identified their strategic niches and have put innovations into place that apply their inherent niche assets in new ways on the global arena. 

Technocracy in America may sound radical in some of its concepts, but its appearance represents perfect timing for America's new government, which stands poised on the brink of revolutionary changes. Should they go in the direction of this book, many might come to believe that democratic processes could be preserved and enhanced, bringing the nation up to speed in a technocratic environment which other democratic nations of the world are already successfully navigating. 

Political and social science students, as well as concerned general readers, will find Technocracy in America satisfyingly specific in its examples and democratic in its focus, offering a different approach to change that acknowledges and enhances past successes while looking forward to a future that embraces technology and democracy in a different manner. 


Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State

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Mystery & Thrillers

Exiles: A Mystery in Paris
Lawrence J. Epstein
Fig Hollow Publishing
ASIN: B01N95U9UL             $.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N95U9UL 

"If you're a young American, and it's the middle of 1925, and you want to be a writer, the voice of your inner hidden heart sings out a desperate yearning for Paris." 

This unexpected introduction to a mystery provides a compelling, evocative opener that promises more depth than your usual 'whodunnit' or problem-solving mystery; perhaps because the protagonist isn't a professional detective but is a would-be writer who finds himself in Paris with the dual goals of honing his literary skills and solving the mystery of a Lost Generation writer's demise. 

He's aided not by the local police, but by the owner of the famous Shakespeare & Co bookstore, Sylvia, and he's hampered not just by his lack of familiarity with investigative processes, but by old war wounds and betrayals that come back to haunt him as he follows cold clues and warm hearts. 

Lawrence J. Epstein's purpose is to puzzle the reader as much as the protagonist: thus, Exiles: A Mystery in Paris winds its way through murky threats and the kinds of patterns that struggling writers typically follow as Daniel Levin strives to earn a living and make his name in literary circles as a powerful new writer. 

Part of the charm of Exiles lies in its ability to depict the subtle nuances of the literary community as a whole. As Daniel moves through various relationships in search of more than one truth, hr encounters Hemingway, editor Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and more. In each encounter he is invited to reveal himself and his prowess; yet too often he discovers he's still in the process of reinventing his craft and life, which feels diminutive against the impressive achievements of others: "I came to Paris precisely because I would have no past and no family. I can't tell you about myself because I have given up my self. I am here to build a new one." 

As he confronts choices in his new life, defines why he writes and what his passions are, and continues to encounter famous personalities who reside on the "top floors of the Tower of Literature", he makes discoveries about what is lost, found, and their values. All this is overlaid with a mystery that brings Daniel to the realization that the pursuit of justice and truth supersedes any other goal in his life, and takes over his determination to become a powerful author as the literary figures in his world are threatened on more than one level. 

From encounters between Americans and Europeans and their very different perspectives on and approaches to the world to Daniel's slow immersion in a very different kind of war, descriptions are powerfully presented and twists of plot well done, keeping readers both entertained and on edge of their seats about what is to come. The addition of philosophical reflection is another delightful facets of Daniel's story: "I don't know if I can ever let go of the guilt." "Then hold on to it, but don't let it be a brake. Let it be an accelerator. If it is to accompany you for your life let it not be used to block you or stop you or let you not think clearly." 

Haunting and evocative, Exiles: A Mystery in Paris is hard to put down and is especially, highly recommended for mystery readers who look for exceptional stories that stand out from the crowd, eschewing the predictability of formula writing for a refreshingly and tantalizingly original result. 


Exiles: A Mystery in Paris

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Levant Descending
Charles L. Carson
KaleBoy Press
ASIN: B01N9QG6P6        $2.99
CharlesLCarson.com  

https://www.amazon.com/Levant-Descending-McManus-Thrillers-Book-ebook/dp/B01N9QG6P6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484239002&sr=8-1&keywords=charles+l+carson

Jack McManus knows all about Hyacinth, the mysterious emailer whose activities are somehow connected to something big building in the Levant region, a large area east of the Mediterranean Sea that can be geographically and politically viewed as something between a no-man's land and a hotbed of controversy preparing to explode. He knows he's failed at his attempt to distance himself from Department of Justice affairs to return to private life, and that his special skills make him indispensable to the United States government. And he suspects that the early morning package just delivered to him by the military, a weighty set of papers named Levant Descending, is about to change his life. 

One of the forces at work in Jack's life is questioning who is pulling his strings like a puppet. He certainly isn't making these choices ("...someone, somewhere had figured that I could contribute something to this question. Possibly someone I had never met or would ever meet. Someone I don’t know was in charge of my life."), but as he moves deeper into the layered meanings of Levant, he comes find that whatever is doing the manipulating also has the CIA and other major entities flying blindly into possible disaster. 

One special pleasure in the Jack McManus series is that family is never far behind the action. As Jack confronts international scenarios that are far beyond anything he anticipates, he keeps being reminded, in small ways of the age-old questions central in his life: "Is my duty to raise my children? Or is my duty to answer my country’s call for help? Seems I can’t do both." This issue is central to the lives of many who serve their country, and lends a very human, personal touch to the political dilemmas and espionage challenges that plague Jack's world and lead him far from what he most loves. 

Readers closely follow Jack's thinking as he faces the puzzle of fourteen missing planes, the involvement of Hyacinth in a dangerous competition, and a series of speculations on all sides that could lead to disaster: "Hyacinth now knows others are aware of something going on out there on the border. But, I’m sure he has no idea if we can connect up the dots. He could only speculate. And speculation can be dangerous." 

Jack has all the questions but Hyacinth may hold all the answers in a deadly game that plays out like a chess match with checkmate always looming for either side. With two clever, one-of-a-kind opponents, who will win? 

Thriller readers - even those new to the McManus series - are in for a treat with Levant Descending. The novel's tension is exquisite, the connections between this and other McManus stories are strong and yet arranged so as to allow this latest to be a stand-alone highly accessible to newcomers, and the ongoing juxtaposition between personal and political concerns is delicately and perfectly balanced to keep readers on a tightrope of tension throughout. 

Very highly recommended! 


Levant Descending

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Moynihan's Journey: And the Clash of Civilizations
Leo Gher
BookBaby
ISBN (Print) 978-1-48357-996-2           $18.95
ISBN (Ebook) 978-1-48357-997-9        $  2.99
http://leogher.com            

Imagine Romeo and Juliet as star-crossed lovers living not in Europe, but in a Muslim country. Now add a contemporary setting, the typical elements of an international thriller that romps through global settings, and two political movements that clash on an international arena of social change to get a sense of the backdrop and compelling plot and subplots of Moynihan's Journey: And the Clash of Civilizations.

Leo Gher's attention to building these subplots takes the thriller category to new heights as some of the action revolves around a murdered Pope, a spy in an Egyptian military unit, a world-wide religious war between Christians and Muslims, and cultural clashes that involve Tom and Zara in conflicts that would seem to belay any possibility of romance between them.

It would have been all too easy to stick to high-octane drama and action scenes, given such a diversity of scenarios, but Gher's focus on detail even goes right into traditions and clothing and strives for a far deeper portrait of the peoples, cultures, and sources of their conflict than a surface thriller could achieve. Readers should thus expect a good deal of description that's key to understanding the plot and subplots: something that more cursory thriller enthusiasts may chafe at (as it slows the story line a bit), but which enhances and builds upon social and political insights to add an exciting realistic feel to the story line. 

Another source of this depth and attention to detail may lie in the fact that author Leo Gher has lived and worked in the Middle East and Central Asia for more than three decades. This experience enhances the story of what happens when a "blue-eyed Satan" enters Azeri girl Zara's life precisely at the point where she longs for something "unlike she'd ever known" to enter her life. 

Her desire for this difference leads her and American diplomat Thomas Moynihan on a journey that moves far beyond romance and into the realm of world-changing clashes. 

Readers with an affection for thrillers will find the tale intriguing, literary students familiar with Romeo and Juliet will find that references to Shakespeare's classic scenes (such as the nightingale) are delicately and definitively wrought at different points throughout the story line, and novel readers who enjoy complex stories of murders, kidnappings, confrontations between Arabs and Westerners, and secret operatives will find these elements add complex and satisfying moments as international agreements and relationships are forged. 

Imagine star-crossed lovers at the pivot point of a mighty clash between two powerful cultures to gain a feel for the blend of personal and political intrigue that makes Moynihan's Journey: And the Clash of Civilizations such a passionate saga of assassination and change. 


Moynihan's Journey: And the Clash of Civilizations

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Russian Holiday
Kenneth Eade
Times Square Publishing
978-1541179004                    $11.65
http://a.co/9c8jifJ 

Aleppo is in the headlines daily, and the very first word in Russian Holiday opens a story that begins there, as Robert Garcia observes a blasted world: "It reminded him of those surreal black and white photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atom bomb had been dropped.  Once a thriving metropolis, now a graveyard inhabited only by terrorists and their mostly unwilling civilian subjects – slaves, held captive by the boundaries of their destinies." The problem is that Robert's not an observer, but a participant, gripping a sniper rifle as he plans to take out a high-ranking general and ISIS terrorist. 

As the tables quickly turn, Robert finds himself on the other side of a gun, and it looks like even his Arab-looking features and flawless command of the language can't talk him out of execution. It will take some kind of miracle to save him - and then an unexpected Calvary arrives the form of Russians. As an independent agent, Robert has nothing to lose by accepting a ride that leads him out of Syria and deeper into Russian territory in a series of encounters that provides him a new Russian military 'family' circle and new alliances. 

Russian Holiday is a sequel to Paladine, but requires little prior familiarity with its predecessor for newcomers to get up to speed quickly. It moves rapidly from Syria to France as Robert, in the company of his new Russian friends, encounters a series of jihadist murders in Paris and finds himself involved in surveillance and subterfuge that tests his best espionage capabilities. 

As he tracks down rebels in small villages and finds that old friends have become new enemies, Robert's keen powers of observation track Syrian Army members and bring him into engagements with rebels under conditions where survival appears impossible. 

Readers of international thrillers and military fiction will find the nonstop action and espionage scenarios gripping as Robert faces certain death time and again, only to emerge victorious. The action is fast-paced, the setting adroitly described, and the portraits of rebel, Russian, and American special interests against the backdrop of war are particularly well done so that all sides and their special interests become frighteningly clear and real. 

Russian Holiday may be a sequel to Paladine, but it stands firmly on its own two feet as a remarkably gripping war scenario in which one man edges through a blasted world, his survival always a matter of question in a cat-and-mouse match that rolls across Europe in the company of enemies. 


Russian Holiday

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Zero Day: China's Cyber Wars
T.L. Williams
First Coast Publishers
9780988440067             $15.95
http://a.co/bFnegGg 

Most thriller stories don't come with the authority of Zero Day because they are from authors who use their imaginations to build scenarios of espionage, global interactions and dangers, and military, political, or social conflict. But author T.L. Williams doesn't just sit at his writing desk: as an ex-CIA senior officer, he lived many hair-rising scenarios as he served undercover for thirty years throughout Asia and Europe. 

Perhaps this is why Zero Day: China's Cyber Wars comes with a particularly realistic feel, offering fans of spy thrillers and international espionage a well-written, high-octane piece of fiction as it moves from China to West Virginia in its pursuit of an all-too-realistic scenario of a Chinese plot to control America by undermining its economy. This story could not have a more timely publication date, considering events surrounding the 2016 American election and possible Russian intervention. 

Chapters are gripping as they carefully construct a cast of characters with special interests on all sides, from a Chinese assault on the American dollar through cyber attacks on America's banks to a snitch's revenge and a former Navy SEAL's desperate undercover work across Asia to stop the plot. 

Few authors can say their book was reviewed by the CIA pre-publication; but Zero Day has that honor. Few can say that their intrigue is rooted in experiences and scenarios that could come true with relatively little effort. And few authors could create powerful characters and settings that attend as closely to building believable people with vested interests in their lives and actions as does this book. 

As the events of Zero Day evolve, readers will find plenty of surprises that ultimately question who is on what side in an evolving cyber war scenario that closely examines world communications and the vulnerabilities of interconnected systems. 

If it's a powerful work blending political, technological and personal achievements that is desired, Zero Day is the item of choice; highly recommended for any readers who enjoy a healthy dose of technological angst in their spy/thriller/espionage reads. 


Zero Day: China's Cyber Wars

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Novels

The Beauty in Ms. White
C.O.B.
Grey Line Press
978-0-9830028-7-1                  $4.99

www.greylinepress.com 

Novella formats are particularly challenging to write because characterization, plot, and format, of necessity, must be succinct yet powerful, making the most of every word. The Beauty in Ms. White is a perfect example of the best use and practices of this format, opening with the image of a loser in life who finds himself being evicted from the apartment he's called home for ten years. 

How did the tenant with the most seniority in the building not see the inevitable coming, upon its sale in a hot real estate market?  Because he's been on a month-to-month lease through so many changes that he somehow believed that a rent increase would happen over eviction, because he hates change and would have preferred to make this downtown Philadelphia apartment his home forever, and because he has successfully avoided responsibility and decision-making. 

It's only when he's forced to leave that he realizes that he needs the change and that he can call a new abode 'home' and come to accept its differences. Even deeper is the feeling that he "has no control over things"; that he is making motions in a "life not really lived". 

"When you're forced to pack up your entire life, you can't help but assess it." This self-assessment process and midlife crisis is one of the foundations of The Beauty in Ms. White, which places the protagonist on the crux of a sea change that will lead him further into an unexpected direction so profound that he believes "this had to be fate."

As a voyeur into another's life, he is easily fascinated by subtle nuances, observations, and extrapolation. His early disillusionment with people, his love of the city, his interest in safe routine - all these have both crafted the art of a lonely author and cemented his self-imposed prison. When his fantasy goes awry and his outsider status is confirmed, he finds he is "haunted by the person I want to become" - and is adrift. But, she awakened him. Can he awaken her, in turn? 

Fans of the novelette format will find the attention to detail, psychological introspection, and a fine line between fantasy and reality to be compelling and deftly portrayed in The Beauty in Ms. White, which takes the art of living an unrealized fantasy life to a whole new level. 

How are inhuman monsters made? Through the very human experiences of loneliness, angst, fantasy and hope: all powerful depictions in a story that holds many poignant moments and a powerful, startling conclusion; and which is highly recommended for literary fiction readers looking for psychological depth and a powerful turn of events. 


The Beauty in Ms. White

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The Controversial Mayan Queen Sak K'uk of Palenque
Leonide Martin
Made for Wonder
9781613398814             $17.99
https://www.amazon.com/Controversial-Mayan-Queen-Palenque-Mists/dp/1613398816/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1402423805&sr=8-1 

The Controversial Mayan Queen Sak K'uk of Palenque is the second book in the Mists of Plaenque series, and centers around Sak K'uk, the spirited daughter of the first Mayan ruler, who faces political and spiritual challenges after an enemy attack on the city which destroys their temple, crops, and ruler. 

Sak K'uk escapes death, but the perilous mission she finds herself on is nearly as challenging as facing the gods of the Underworld; for she is tasked with a quest that will involve her holding onto the throne in the midst of anarchy, fostering her son to his destiny of becoming a leader, and facing accusations that her Underwood experiences are fantasies that didn't really happen. 

As the world of ancient Mayan Palenque come to life, readers with any degree of familiarity with the history of the early Mayans will find their struggles, culture, and jungle world receives an unusual attention to detail that perhaps stems from the fact that author Leonide Martin is a retired university professor well versed in adding supportive, well-researched facts that bring historical fiction to life. 

Readers who seek action over history and who want stand-alone works may find that the open-ended conclusion (which paves the way for more series additions) and the close attention to background and detail belies the faster pace of an Indiana Jones-style adventure - but this is not Indiana Jones, even though it holds the appearance and many of the trappings of a Jones-style action piece. 

The Controversial Mayan Queen Sak K'uk of Palenque is well-done, entertaining, and revealing as Martin takes time and attention to build the psychological, political, and cultural profile of a Mayan leader simultaneously struggling with family life and the future of her people. In addition to social and political strife, the emotionally charged and complex relationship between Sak K'uk and her son is particularly well detailed: both survived a devastating attack, both supported each other and defied death - and the same experiences that bound them closely together threaten their relationship and independence as Sak K'uk must learn to allow her son Pakal the freedom to make decisions about his life and loves. Having this kind of psychological detail in a historically-rich adventure story lends it an extra dimension that is unexpected and compellingly engrossing. 

Readers who like well-researched historical works that add depth to a fictional extrapolation will find The Controversial Mayan Queen Sak K'uk of Palenque a vigorous, revealing journey through ancient Mayan traditions and struggles. 


The Controversial Mayan Queen Sak K'uk of Palenque

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Night of the Eleventh Sun
Steven Burgauer
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B01MDRXQ8K    $1.99
http://a.co/botZ8WY 

Fans of Jean Aul and other writers who provide stories about early humans on Earth will find Night of the Eleventh Sun to be refreshingly thought-provoking as it focuses on a Neanderthal man's world and his interactions with the incoming homo sapiens species. 

Strong Arms is well adapted to his environment and is a hunter who has achieved much; but when he spies another clan coming toward him one morning - one whose members aren't quite as he is - it is the beginning of a series of strange, wonderful, and frightening encounters with those who seem to be related to him in some way, but who are different. 

These new humans don't just move differently; they have a different way of interacting with the world around them - and Strong Arms discovers that all his survival skills can't prepare him for the invading forces that soon take over his clan, his life, and his world. 

Steven Burgauer's ability to portray the thoughts and feelings of Neanderthal man is excellent. Strong Arms faces the problems he created when he exiled a young man and other clan members from his group, experiences feelings and drives that portend well for survival even if he doesn't quite understand the reasons behind them, and moves through a world created and determined by the Nature God to explore how magic operates in conjunction with natural law. As he does so, readers gain insights into the possible explorations and thoughts of Neanderthal man and his changing place in the world. 

From the desperate - even forbidden - attempts of a maturing girl to find a mate to the forces of natural selection and clan economics, Burgauer explores all facets of clan makeup, interactions, and psychology within a fictional story that creates involving characters fully immersed in their environment and its many changes and challenges. 

As Strong Arms faces the elimination of everything he's built and known about his world, he tries to reason out life's purpose even as he becomes one of the last remaining eight hundred Neanderthals on the planet. In this changing world, even uncommon intelligence still has few options for survival. 

Delicately and intricately wrought with a heavy focus on the thoughts and perceptions of one who walks through a world both familiar and increasingly alien, Night of the Eleventh Sun is an engrossing read especially recommended for readers who would consider the transitional changes and choices experienced by one species being replaced by another during the process of evolution. 


Night of the Eleventh Sun

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The Prince's Plan
E. M. Youman
Will Records Publishing
978-0-9965326-1-7 (Ebook)  $4.99
978-0-9965326-0-0 (Print)     $23.99
Website: http://www.emyouman.com 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32263729-the-prince-s-plan

Ordering links:
24Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=1679063

Amazon: Won't be available until February 7, 2017

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-princes-plan-e-m-youma/1124690314?ean=2940153490151

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1156712650

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-prince-s-plan

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/666355 

Singer Danny is a typical musician: an addict who has been with many women, ruined many lives through his self-centered inattention, and who is trying to redeem his soiled past by locating and making amends to a particular young woman whom he'd once abandoned. 

Marnie's a lot like him - a recovering addict - only she's looking for love and waiting for her life to begin. 

Neither suspected a new focus would be introduced by the other - but, it happens. When Marnie accepts a job with Danny, working as his personal assistant, a kettle of fish evolves as her job embraces exes, controversy, and publicity. Add the attentions of an unwelcome suitor to an already-complicated situation for a story line that is exquisitely fraught with tension. 

The fact that both characters are flawed in similar ways, and that they come together against a backdrop of unusual circumstances, creates a tale that is inviting and intriguing. There are no pat solutions or approaches to their relationship as Danny struggles with addiction, enabling behavior patterns, and forging a different kind of relationship with Marnie: "He resisted the urge to pat her head and tell her everything would be okay. Sympathy would kill her. How many times had his family hugged him and given him another chance, which he had abused by using behind their backs? She didn’t need him to be nice. “Do you even want to change your life around?” 

Many such moments of insight are presented throughout The Prince's Plan, solidifying its plot and the human strengths and weaknesses of two characters who must find their own individual revised paths in life before coming together as a couple. 

Readers who look for love stories firmly centered in realistic scenarios and protagonists who are not only imperfect, but broken, will find The Prince's Plan weaves a solid tale spiced by family drama, permeated with mood swings, and complicated by patterns of the past and an effort to build a different future: "All she ever wanted since Paul turned her life upside down through alcohol and drugs, was to go somewhere where no one knew her as a whore or a victim." 

Romance readers who appreciate more psychological depth and social commentary than most typical love stories hold will find much different - and much to like - in The Prince's Plan. 


The Prince's Plan

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Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness
Beverly Scott
Word Project Press of Sonoma
13-978-0-9970349-2-9           $12.95
www.bevscott.com 

Beverly Scott's grandfather, who died when her father was a child, was a shadowy figure in her life: nobody talked much about him and her grandmother told her little. It took curious family members and much investigating to reveal a powerfully compelling truth and family secret. 

Although it's presented as fiction, Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness represents the author's perception of this tale, where "...the bones of this story are true but the flushing out of the context, human emotions and the reasons for decisions and impulses are created from my imagination. These are my efforts to put myself in the time period and the lives of the primary characters." 

It opens in 1911 New Mexico, where Sarah's husband Sam is dying, leaving her alone to manage five children with no means of support, and evolves into a decision to leave the sandy, rattlesnake-infested world Sam has brought them to for a wagon journey back home to family roots in Nebraska. 

From skinning rabbits to finding safe crossings during the journey, Sarah faces quicksand bogs and many dangers as she tries to keep her family together. Scott could have kept the focus on Sarah's perspective and trials; but her book's second section focuses on Will, a "sod buster" who gains employment on a cattle drive as he searches for a way home, guilty about abandoning his children and wife even as he dodges the law and becomes involved with another woman.  

How these disparate lives come together makes for a Western story of struggle, redemption, betrayal, and family ties that winds its way through hearts and minds as deftly as it moves through early America's rugged landscape. 

Journeys and their opportunities and consequences, Civil War history and its lasting impact on these choices, and a special focus on not just the lives but the psyches and motivations of the men and women who eked out lives on the frontier, built and broke family ties, and made decisions that had impacts on lives decades later makes for a Western story that goes well beyond well-researched history or leisure adventure to closely examine the far-reaching significance of individual lives. 

Readers of Western fiction who enjoy a solid blend of history and psychology, and who seek more than just a frontier flavor in their fiction, will find Sarah’s Secret a revealing and absorbing read. 


Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness

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Secondhand Romance
Jessica Stevens
Warren Publishing
9781943258215             $15.95
www.warrenpublishing.net

Secondhand Romance opens with wedding day plans. Everything is in place; everything planned. The story revolves around two people who'd never dreamed of marrying - but their blossoming love has taken only a few short months, marriage plans are happening quickly, and Rita discovers she's a hopeless romantic who just wants to be with Luca for the rest of her life. What isn't in place, and what isn't planned, is a tragedy that turns her life upside down and doesn't offer her even days of marital bliss before everything goes horribly wrong. 

Fast forward three years, where Rita's life is still in stasis in many ways, and she's living in limbo. Though Rita's tragedy has changed her, life still moves on, and despite the opener of Secondhand Romance, the rest of the story isn't about the tragedy but about recovery and adaptation. Though her twin sister's pregnancy is a reminder of what she lost on that fateful day of the double wedding, Rita's course in life has been forever altered, and she slowly comes to discover that a different path lies ahead. 

Jessica Stevens walks a fine line between producing a romance, a tragedy, and a story of evolution. Readers will find that Rita's many changes are realistic; especially points where she is 'stuck' and can't envision a different future. This sense of reality is one of the strong points of Secondhand Romance and gives the story line an extra, added boost with a flavor of real-world experience that doesn't hold to formula writing paths or results. 

Secondhand Romance is about the nature and progression of Rita's recovery, and it paints a vivid picture of the years after tragedy and how she comes to make new discoveries about life and romance that will sweep her in unexpected directions. It's a powerful, revealing romance that will make the perfect beach or leisure read for women who like their steamy scenes light and their romances replete with absorbing psychological depth. 


Secondhand Romance

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White Lake
Susan Amond Todd
Warren Publishing
9781943258284             $14.95
www.warrenpublishing.net

Cynthia is a typical suburban housewife who has it all: a successful husband, a big house, children who are achievers, and a career as a nurse. Nothing could be better, and everything in her life seems set and perfect. But even the most perfect life has a way of taking a u-turn, and even a 55-year-old woman can find her set course taking a different trajectory. 

Troubling doubts, secrets exposed, and shocking revelations send her on quite a different journey of discovering the identity she'd thought was cast in stone by time and choice, and as Cynthia faces her possibilities, so she makes the kinds of decisions she once would never have contemplated. 

White Lake is a revealing story that holds many twists and turns: death, confrontation, rebirth, renewal and revelations. Susan Amond Todd's ability to portray Cynthia's growth and process of adaptation embraces the aftermath of tragedy and life-altering circumstances without a tone of melodrama, while her ability to detail the slow progression of how love builds also foregoes overdone emotion in favor of a more studied analysis of the anchors between past and present experience and how people change and learn how to love in new ways. 

Matters of the heart are seldom predictable, but they are usually educational. White Lake successfully pinpoints moments which are pivot points in individual lives, and makes for an engrossing read especially recommended for women who enjoy the process of seeing their characters grow and change in unpredictable ways. 


White Lake

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Young Adult/Childrens

Bullies, Coasters, Hermits, and Heroes
Suse Wilcox
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B00W891GXQ            $5.99
http://a.co/14L6UBW 

Bullies, Coasters, Hermits, and Heroes will reach ages 10-13 with its vivid saga of Sarah and Jamie, who are facing fun summertime play and adventures and who have many plans for making the months exciting. 

Not included in these plans are encounters with neighborhood bullies and hermits; nor did Sarah and Jamie interpret 'excitement' to mean more than exploring nature and the outdoors world they so love. 

It's unusual to find philosophical and life-affirming messages in a leisure read for advanced elementary to early middle grades, but one of the surprising pleasures of Bullies, Coasters, Hermits, and Heroes lies in its attention to detail that goes beyond the usual leisure read to incorporate insights about a hard-working (and sometimes frustrated) small businessman father, a strict German mother, and circumstances in life which often translate to enlightening life insights for the young protagonist. Jamie's first-person impressions and thoughts are deftly captured: "Your life has a beginning and an ending, neither of which are within your control. The heart beats, the beating stops. What happens in between reflects your desire to experience life and to use the talents you have been given. You can't procrastinate. You simply cannot."

Young Jamie has plenty of questions about life, makes plenty of observations ("Some appeared to have no desire to change their situation. They didn't even take care of what they had. Their trailers were dirty and messy. They left litter strewn across their yards. How could they fulfill their purpose if they didn't strive for something else? Why didn't they at least take care of what they did have? Did something happen to break their spirit, or were they born as coasters?"), and part of the spirit of adventure in Bullies, Coasters, Hermits, and Heroes lies in her discoveries about these people and their worlds. 

Too many elementary to middle grade reads eschew social insight and observation in favor of leisure reads filled with adventure and shallow characters. The special pleasure of this story lies in its ability to deftly provide the fun and excitement young leisure readers seek while peppering these encounters with thought-provoking social observations.  The book presents a variety of topics appropriate for discussion in book clubs, church small groups, and literature classes. 

From how a hermit has made particular lifestyle and values choices to seasonal adventures and encounters with people from different walks of life, the addition of these philosophical, religious, and social questions throughout lends an extra depth and introspective feel to the story line which makes it a top recommendation for parents who want their kids to read for more than cursory pleasure, and for kids who like characters who ask lots of questions about their world. 


Bullies, Coasters, Hermits, and Heroes

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The Great Snail Race
Don Jordan
Don Jordan/Juliana Haubrich, Publishers
ASIN: B01LWJFEYQ       $4.99
 http://a.co/140QldO 

Kids ages 3-7 and parents looking for fun, original read-aloud picture books on Kindle will relish The Great Snail Race, an engaging story about a little snail who could. 

The little snail leads a comfortable sea life on Latimer Bay right in front of boy Luca's house; but his kind are known as some of the slowest creatures in the Bay. Snappy is not happy about this label, because in fact he's one of the fastest snails in the world. How to emphasize this fact? By organizing a race! 

But just because he's the swiftest doesn't mean he's a shoe-in for the lead: when an impossible obstacle seems to prevent his success, Snappy must become fastest at problem-solving, as well. 

Gorgeous color drawings by Juliana Haubrich capture the zippy little snail and the sea life around him. 

Adult read-aloud parents will find this an engaging story holding some 41 pages of detail on the snail's sea world and his determination to live up to his reputation. 


The Great Snail Race

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Not So Easy Road: The Story of a Little Boy Who Kept his Promise
Dr. April L. Jones
Visionary Consulting Services, LLC
978-1539357384            $26.38
www.amazon.com 

www.barnesandnoble.com 

www.audible.com 

His name is Mose Jones Jr.; but everyone calls him "Lil Boy" because he seems too small and too smart for his age. Lil Boy and his family are black people who live in a small town, and though they are not rich, there is no lack of activities, even though Lil Boy's family are sharecroppers and some of the fun is also work, such as fishing or hunting. 

As the children's story evolves, readers learn of how Lil Boy handles a particularly feisty pig, learns valuable lessons on community service, politics and family relationships, and makes some promises to himself that will lay the foundations for his moral and ethical approaches later on in life. 

Not So Easy Road does a good job of chronicling one boy's growth and evolution, his sharecropper family's experiences, and how he handled problems in his young life. Lil Boy's optimism that one day his life will be better is evident throughout the book and in his activities, and as he begins school and learns what democracy is about, his inherent inquisitiveness leads him to question various facets about his life and the inequities he sees in his world. 

A peppering of color illustrations throughout adds visual embellishment to this elementary-grade story of determination, struggle, and the family ties and character development that led Mose Jones Jr. to become a community leader and the first black commissioner to be elected into office in Lawrence County, Alabama. 

This biographical portrait is especially recommended for children who would learn how a combination of personal perseverance, strong family relationships, and curiosity led Mose Jones Jr. to go further than anyone around him, to make a difference in his community. 

Any children's book collection strong in portraits of black community leaders will find Not So Easy Road an engrossing, revealing and lively read. 


Not So Easy Road: The Story of a Little Boy Who Kept his Promise

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Rubiks: The Rabbit Mysteries Book 1
Suse Wilcox
Joie Press
ASIN: B01GM5WFA4            $2.99
http://a.co/0EpVUre 

It's Logan's tenth birthday; a day he will surely celebrate with the gift of something he's wanted for three years: a dog. Unfortunately, fate and his elders deem otherwise, and instead of a dog, he gets something very different: a dwarf rabbit. His disappointment is crushing, because all his expectations of having a dog so it can serve as both playmate and protector are crushed by the presence of a caged, "regifted" bunny who can be neither. 

Logan and the reader are in for many surprises as Rubiks grows on him and comes to represent something larger in his life in this powerful story of a ten-year-old who is disappointed with his birthday gift. 

A good amount of rabbit information, from behavior to care, hops into this fun story of how the little bunny grows on Logan despite his initial efforts to reject it. And as time goes on and his brother and the kids at school are less interested in teasing him over his new pet, Logan comes to find Rubiks a surprising plus in his life; especially when a mystery evolves that can only be solved with the bunny's help. It turns out that Rubiks has some unexpected talents in this direction, and as Logan becomes involved in something beyond his abilities to solve, it's up to Rubiks to pull him into the kind of adventure he never thought he could experience with a rabbit. 

Unique, amusing, and refreshingly realistic in its portrait of family and friendships, the first book of Rubiks: The Rabbit Mysteries is a fun leisure read highly recommended for any advanced elementary to middle grader reader who enjoys pets, mysteries, and a dose of fantasy added into the mix. 


Rubiks: The Rabbit Mysteries Book 1

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Three Paws
Bob Jenkins
Bob Jenkins, Publisher
ISBN:  978-0-9979960-3-6     $6.99
www.amazon.com 

What would happen to the world's animals if humans vanished from the land overnight? And what if these creatures began evolving into something different? Such is the premise of the young reader's fantasy Three Paws and Other Stories, a children's book slated for ages 9-12, but which promises to reach older audiences who enjoy animal protagonists and fantasies akin to Watership Down and other tales (sans humans, of course, in this case). 

When the skies glow green and firestorms rage, many animals are killed - but some survive. Three Paws takes her place in a world where animals are newly sentient, are members of Fur Clans, and where their 'powers' are reflections of what humans used to take for granted. 

It's a world where bears, raccoons, skunks and beavers are friends, where the Covenant of Good Manners allows them to live together, and where Story Talks and ceremonies are part of their lives. 

Ancient ways and modern approaches mingle well in this animal fantasy and create fine tales of life-affirming habits and interactions: "Some of these things they learned from their Papa Beaver and Mama Beaver before their parents make them go away. Some of these things, they just knew. It is a great mystery. All beavers, and all animals, have the old knowledge buried deep inside their bodies. When they need to know it, they just know it. It is the ancient way." 

From how an injured three-pawed beaver becomes the healer for her clan and rejects some of its early traditions about leaving home to how ancient ways are assessed, acknowledged, and respected in this strange new world, readers are given an animal world that is refreshingly different. 

This first book in the 'Sharp Teeth, Flat Teeth' series exploring the world of the Fur Clans who have evolved in the Woods Beyond the Broken Lands is recommended for young fans of animal-oriented fantasy who will appreciate Flitter's debut story of “Three Paws,” which marks her successful new role as Story Talker of the Fur Clans and sets the stage and background for further tales. Younger readers will find Three Paws filled with not just action and adventure, but numerous thought-provoking moments that will keep them interested to the end. 


Three Paws

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What Kyle Can Do
Conni Branscom and Brooke Luckadoo Hicks
Warren Publishing
9781943258277             $14.95
www.warrenpublishing.net

What Kyle Can Do receives bright, large drawings by Marcin Piwowarski to accompany the story of seven-year-old Mya, who enjoys being a big sister to her siblings. There's a difference in her family when brother Kyle is born, however, for he has Down syndrome, and all the things Mya had dreamed of doing with her new brother seem impossible. 

The message here isn't about Kyle's limitations so much as his possibilities. As Mya learns what Down syndrome means for her and her family, she also absorbs the basics of the condition and the possibilities of Kyle bringing joy to her family's life, and young readers are brought into her journey of discovery. 

Parental read-aloud assistance will enhance this story; especially since it opens the door for discussions of Down syndrome and why Mya comes to realize that having such a brother "makes her family special". 

The positive spin on this condition involves a young girl's appreciation for what her brother is and the many things she can do with him; not what could have been or should be - and this is what gives this picture book its important message, highly recommended for families facing the arrival of a Down syndrome child.


What Kyle Can Do

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