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Donovan's Bookshelf

February 2019 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

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


Fantasy & Sci Fi

 
The Dragon's Harvest
Jason F. Boggs
Mill City Press
9781545641347             $21.99
www.thedragontrilogy.com 

Devil's Dragon may have introduced the series with a bang, but The Dragon's Harvest takes the adventure a step further in a stand-alone compliment to and second book in the trilogy. Here, Nelson Jones is on a mission to uncover the meaning of the sun gates that lead humans and Aesini to confront an impossible power play. 

At stake is the survival and resurrection of The New Era, the continued existence of aliens who value nature over technology, and alliances forged by adversity, which face newfound challenges from dangerous discoveries. 

Nemesis Ira Bilis returns to throw a monkey wrench into the mix, but as battle lines are drawn, the struggles proves far more complex than human, alien, or competing forces could imagine. Even as Bilis relishes her newfound power, its bloody aftermath, and the fact that The New Era "is back, for good this time", a new force is unleashed that causes everyone to take a second look at their status, goals, and ambitions in this changing world. 

From ideas of the will of Gods and questions about whether they can be defeated to simmering regrets over lost love, fear of failure, and hate tempered with love, The Dragon's Harvest takes some unexpected turns that prior readers of Devil's Dragon won't expect. 

Perhaps this is the greatest strength of The Dragon's Harvest: its ability to build upon prior scenes, then turn them upside down to pair action-packed scenes of confrontation and rescue with unexpectedly thought-provoking moments of character growth and insight. 

As Jessie Freeman and Ira Bilis clash, brute force leads to new power plays and opportunities that leads each to reevaluate their relationship and lives. 

The result is a fantasy that neatly juxtaposes military confrontation with a love/hate relationship set against the backdrop of emerging powers and new forces: one that leads readers on a rollicking journey through changed worlds and lives to emerge into a strange new world neither side anticipated. 

Prior fans and newcomers alike will appreciate the fast-paced action, vivid confrontations, and complex relationships between humans, aliens, and adversaries alike in a pick highly recommended for readers who like their adventure fast-paced and their characters well drawn. 

The Dragon's Harvest

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Mother of Rebellion
B.K. Boes
Beyond Here Publishing
Paperback $19.99 ISBN: 1-948673-00-2
Hardcover $29.99 ISBN: 1-948673-01-0
eBook:       $  3.99
http://a.co/d/eRpUwOa 

Mother of Rebellion takes place long after The Schism, the great war that divided the continent of Leyumin before an uncertain series of smaller conflicts finally descended upon the land, thwarting any promise of lasting peace. 

Two nations are left to vie for the title of Unitor: one determined to achieve its goals by force; the other by political consent. 

The five very different individuals profiled in Mother of Rebellion are essential to this process, and their quest for a better life unites them in developments replete with hardship and dreams. 

As readers venture into the lives of a slave-wife, a warrior, a guardian of history, a disciple, and a young nobleman, they receive different histories, perspectives, and goals which lead them into a shared vision and mission. 

From efforts to make peace and undo family angst and heritage to changing visions of faith, personal loyalty, illness and destruction, and marriage, the complex and compelling world of Mother of Rebellion demands of its readers an attention to detail and social and political interactions. This focus is amply rewarded in a plot that is visionary, revealing, and hard to put down: a smorgasbord of different personalities thrown into the mix of nation-building or destruction (depending on perspective). 

Mother of Rebellion takes different journeys and common heroes and winds them into a story of invaders, desperate missions, winning and losing, and military, political, and psychological transformation. 

Readers looking for complex worlds and entwined destinies will relish this saga for its fast pace, different characters, and changing notions of warriors and heroism. All these facets contribute to a rich palate of action and insight to keep readers thoroughly engrossed and wondering about the conclusion right up to an action-packed, unexpected confrontation. 


Mother of Rebellion

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Health

Cooking after Brain Injury: Easy Cooking for Recovery: Book 3
Susana Stoica, PhD
Healing Alternatives Press
ASIN:
 B07KWGLNQP           $9.95 Kindle
http://a.co/d/dzyZrG3 

Cooking after Brain Injury: Easy Cooking for Recovery: Book 3 adds to the others in this series, specifically designed as brain-friendly primers for those with brain injuries who typically find the usual cookbook approach too complex and confusing. 

Those with little familiarity with brain injury might not realize that cooking is one of those cognitive skills that becomes a real test after traumatic brain injury. Even those who were accomplished cooks prior to the injury often find themselves unable to comprehend the basic steps and processes of cooking. 

Cooking after Brain Injury is from an author who experienced two such injuries on the same day, and who spent ten years retraining herself in the kitchen. Her work resulted in many new approaches to cooking that adjusts for common obstacles, from problems with concentration and sequencing to putting together a complimentary menu.  The recipes in the books also address brain injury side effects like weight gain and food sensitivities, providing reference table that help users choose the best suited dishes for their needs. 

Introductory sections cover the basics of which dishes to start with, explain the classification criteria and the special codes applied to the recipes, and builds on the simpler recipes presented in the first and second books in the series (which are required stepping stones to attempting the dishes in this third book). 

Unlike most series titles, these books are broken down into series for a specific reason. Those suffering from brain injury are easily confused and overwhelmed by too much information not properly structured for easy comprehension, so these shorter cookbooks are more inviting. The clear delineation between the books allows for the progressive re-learning of kitchen skills. 

Repetition in duplicating the dishes is encouraged. To avoid limited meals, Dr. Stoica encourages brain-injured users to get together with others to select recipes from the book so that proficiency can be built even as entire meals are produced.  As cooking after brain injury is a tiring proposition, the author provides larger quantity recipes for dishes that can be portioned and frozen, as well as specifying the steps necessary to process specific frozen dishes when defrosting. 

Tips on bulk food production for the freezer and how to handle it and steps for cooking several dishes in a meal address confusion and many common obstacles that tend to making cooking problematic. 

Many cookbooks promote healthy recipes for healthy living; but this set also promotes healing by doing, making cooking a part of the brain's exercise regimen during the recovery process. By providing only author-tested recipes, strategies for foolproof production that circumvent common confusion areas for the brain injured, and rating recipes by complexity so cooks can choose among them depending on their mental fitness on a given day, Dr. Stoica returns independence to those who typically consider cooking an “impossible dream” after a brain trauma. 

The recipes themselves are simply and clearly presented, from an Apple Plum Soup and German Potatoes with paprika and sour cream to Chicken Liver Pate and Eggplant Schnitzel. Appealing color photos introduce each new dish. Ingredients lists are common to most cookbooks, but the clear differentiation between preparing ingredients and the dish itself and serving and reheating suggestions also assume a step-by-step clarity that leaves nothing to wonder about. Ingredients lists, for example, include processing notes. 

Book 1 features the very simplest of dishes to get started, from Asparagus with Garlic and Mushroom Soup to Tuna Salad and Berries with Whipped Cream. Book 2 expands the recipe selection with more difficult recipes requiring more attention to detail, from Cabbage Soup and Guacamole to Bok Choy with Garlic and Gazpacho Soup. 

The emphasis on step-by-step processes that breaks up typical cooking directions for easy absorption and understanding by those who may not be able to concentrate or quickly process steps makes this series a top recommendation. These books should be in the tool boxes of anyone recovering from brain trauma and the therapists helping them regain their independence through brain-exercise therapies by providing, especially those who may have been accomplished cooks prior to their injury, a sense of accomplishment and feeling of being once again useful and an active part of everyday life activities. 

Cooking after Brain Injury: Easy Cooking for Recovery: Book 3

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Managing Parkinson's With Diet
Yuchi Yang RD
Independently Published
978-1731507686            $14.99 paper/$7.99 Kindle
http://a.co/d/4E5rdXh 

Managing Parkinson's With Diet is quite clear in its approach, backed by author Yuchi Yang's authority as a registered dietitian. It's designed for Parkinson's patients who seek to supplement medical treatment with dietary support, and is not intended to replace a physician's care. With so many Parkinson's books claiming miracles, it's important to note that this practical diet guide addresses a more down-to-earth and common concern in Parkinson's care: fluctuating diets, especially surrounding protein intake. 

Managing Parkinson's With Diet opens with the latest research findings about Parkinson's, but the heart of Yang's book lies in designing a uniquely appropriate diet and understanding the special needs of Parkinson's patients. This is especially significant given studies that indicate diet has a big influence on Parkinson's symptoms. 

Specific examples of protein-rich, healthful choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are accompanied by references to balanced plans specific to the needs of Parkinson's sufferers, who too commonly are diagnosed with malnourishment. 

Tools are provided for self-assessment and to supplement the approaches of physicians and registered dietitians, from how to calculate one's dietary fiber needs to understanding the ratio between carbohydrates and protein. 

The information is provided using charts, examples, and an unassuming tone that makes many of the concepts accessible by and appropriate to not only Parkinson's readers, but caretakers seeking a primer on the basics of nutrition. 

Educational tools range from food categories to how to design an individual meal plan. The extensive, specific tips on healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners also include Chinese, Japanese, and Middle Eastern theme choices, which successfully diversifies the options. 

Recipes for such simple dishes as Egg Stir Fry Rice or Stir-Fry Onion and Kidney Beans assure all the pieces are put together in a way that any caregiver or Parkinson's cook can easily understand. 

Doctor's offices handle medicine and treatments, registered dietitians working with physicians provide information, and Managing Parkinson's With Diet completes the triangle of empowerment by supplementing both with clear medical research, applied to diets that are simple to understand and follow, and appealing. 

Managing Parkinson's With Diet should be a staple in any Parkinson's caregiver, family member, or patient's self-help arsenal for better health. 

Managing Parkinson's With Diet

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Mystery & Thrillers

Dark Touch
Ellie Lewis
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68433-176-5         $17.95 Paper/$5.99 Kindle
www.blackrosewriting.com 

Dark Touch is the first book in the Glass Star Trilogy and introduces Sloan, who is being stalked not by a jealous boyfriend, but by an evil entity. Unlike a human stalker, this evil force can stalk her through her dreams, as well. 

Sloan is depicted as a strong protagonist whose spunky, independent Seattle world isn't dominated by dating or social involvements: "Come on Sloan, you never date! Seattle guys are fun.” “How do you know I’m not already seeing someone?” She raised an eyebrow. “Because every time a hot guy has ever approached you I have heard you say the following two words—Fuck. Off.” She made little quotation marks in the air. Millie was not exaggerating. Fuck off was my go to statement when guys tried to ask me out. It worked like a charm. “I can’t argue.” 

Sloan isn't just an assistant at a law firm; she's a blossoming and talented young artist about to confront supernatural forces she'd never believed in. Her life is set to change in many ways; not the least of which is through a relationship with James, a man she admires, and the idea that she may be facing her last few days of life. This proposition leads her to quit her job and fully engage with a new task, which leads her straight into danger. 

What sets Dark Touch aside from other genre writings is its creation of a feisty, determined protagonist who is not just believable, but compelling. Readers will appreciate Sloan's spunky personality and grit, essential ingredients to facing Darrow and his army of winged warriors. 

Torn between a dark force and a white, golden warrior, Sloan becomes the pawn in an otherworldly. But, why is she so important? Love, injury, recovery, and confrontation permeate an emotionally charged, riveting story line that places Sloan far from her familiar life against forces she'd never imagined. 

Readers receive more than just an action-packed story. Sloan's determination and clarity shine in a tale that reveals a bigger picture with the Dark Ones and their influence not just in human lives, but the balance of energies in the cosmos itself. 

More so than most, Dark Touch is hard to put down and, fueled by Sloan's drive to survive, is one of the best new publications to appear this season, in this genre. Very highly recommended! 

Dark Touch

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The Dead Don't Talk
Lawrence J. Epstein
Fig Hollow Publishing
ASIN: B07LF13Y3G              $0.99
http://amzn.com/B07LF13Y3G 

Danny Ryle isn't an investigator: he's a politician with an ability to fix problems. But in The Dead Don't Talk, the problem is a murder, and Danny just happens to have a background that might lend to even this dilemma's resolution as he taps the knowledge of his retired father, a former hit man. 

There's more than one issue with this plan, however. Long Island is replete with suspects, and Danny has no experience sorting out the clues in a murder mystery. Maybe he should have become an accountant, like his mother wanted. 

The police have been very professional; but it's obvious they've missed something. Can Danny's talent for making things right piece together a string of impossible clues to do what the professionals have failed to achieve, solving a complex series of interrelationships? 

There are no easy answers and no obvious leads, but Danny has something the police do not: access to master thieves and a ring of individuals who can threaten and blackmail their way into anything. It's these dubious associations that provide Danny with a unique edge and a number of conundrums that revolve around re-election polls and an old murder investigation. 

With Danny's life on the line, it quickly becomes evident that the case is anything but cold. A murderer still is on the loose, and he'll do anything to suppress the facts. Danny is headed for trouble that even his savvy father may not be able to fix. 

The Dead Don't Talk is narrated in the first person, which gives it immediacy and intimacy that draws readers in. Dialogues between father and son move from practical daily matters to ethereal philosophical reflections on life and further create connections for readers who will find themselves immersed in the personalities, ambitions, and perceptions of two very different characters: "You have a lot of information but absolutely no solid leads in Siegel’s murder. So you have no clues, no leads and you’re putting your life in danger. For what, exactly? To help an old man find some comfort before he dies. Believe me. I’m an old man. I’d like some comfort. Comfort never comes. Just one day you close your eyes and there’s darkness. You can’t find comfort in the face of that reality. People try by promising angels singing in Heaven. And after the promise a guy dies and he’s sitting on a lawn listening to angels singing. He’d go crazy from boredom in five minutes. There’s no comfort in Heaven either. You just die. An eternal darkness, an endless void. Take your choice. You can suffer in this life. More than you can imagine, Danny, when you get older. Or you can stare into the vast, dark hole of nothingness. Life’s great.” 

These explorations into relationships and problems that draw father and son together are part of what elevates this murder mystery above others, crafting scenes and encounters that go far beyond a 'whodunit' to probe the connections, disassociations, and relationships between family members, politicians, and community. 

Infused with political observations as well as a foray into the dark side of murder, The Dead Don't Talk serves up an inviting, delicious read that lingers in the mind long after Danny faces an ethical conundrum that could either make or break his life. 

The Dead Don't Talk

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Deliberate Deception
Joe Porrazzo
Porter House Press
978-0578-42518-4 (Hardcover)            $27.09
978-0-578-42262-6 (Paperback)           $17.99
978-0-692-15711-4 (eBook)                 $  2.00
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Porrazzo/e/B004H328YC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Author website:  https://www.joeporrazzo.com/ 

Don’t let the advertising fool you: Deliberate Deception is the second book in a trilogy, but that doesn't mean it requires prior familiarity with its predecessor, Solemnly Swear. It's relatively rare to note a trilogy addition that truly stands alone while enhancing others in the series; but Deliberate Deception is such an accomplishment, forging new ground while seamlessly integrating all the details of protagonist Alex Porter's life and personality. As such, it promises vivid interest not just to prior fans, but to newcomers who will appreciate its fast pace and engrossing plot. 

Alex, a retired Air Force OSI agent turned private investigator, faces another big challenge to his skills as he confronts the results of a greedy corporation's raffle where the unexpected prize is death. 

It's been only seven months since his wife and daughter were killed and Alex is still in full-fledged grief; but he is cognizant enough to respond when a lawyer's friend goes missing in Tucson. It's no surprise that his probe results in his own life being in the crosshairs; but when he uncovers allies among those who would harm him, the story really ventures into the unexpected. 

The first big plus to Deliberate Deception is Alex's journey, which moves deftly from grief to full investigative mode with more than a few surprises during the process. Alex is steeped in military procedures, circles, and connections; but even these experiences don't translate to easy solutions to complex criminal activities. Joe Porrazzo's attention to detail flushes out Alex's personality, motivations, and conundrums to create not just compelling action scenes, but a character who is completely realistic and likeable. 

Tough security questions, high tech answers, and Alex's first PI contract after moving to Tucson wind into a story line replete with action, intrigue, and a newfound problem that perp Diggs may just have to eliminate. 

As a new holiday season (Alex's first without his wife and daughter) and romance enter the picture, readers are treated to a fast-paced story of a capable, authoritative PI who may be moving too quickly on many levels even as he perceives himself as inexplicably moving too slowly, compared with his past momentum. Readers will identify with his self-assessment and predicaments as they move through an engrossing series of changing scenarios. 

His new girlfriend Missy is also cautious about changing her life ("Missy turned to leave, burdened by feelings of dread. She tried to shake them but she was convinced Alex wasn’t coming back. These feelings were new to her. Her whole life, she had fended for herself and never had to worry about anybody else. She was in uncharted territory and the panic wouldn’t let go."). As both explore new territory, events heat up to tackle themes of murder, responsibility, love, and unlucky, innocent people killed by greed on the cusp of what they believe to be their luckiest day of life. 

Politics, terrorism, and greed together create a story that is hard to put down, filled with unexpected twists and turns powered by Alex's recovery and growth and Missy's newfound revelations about the world and her place in it. Once begun, it's nearly impossible to put down. 

Readers looking for a thriller that grabs hold and doesn't let go will find Deliberate Deception just the ticket for a superior and satisfying blend of psychological detail and suspense. 

Deliberate Deception

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Triad of Murder
Trisha Sugarek
Independently Published
978-1729561751            $7.99 Print/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1729561756/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_wz0rCb9FYJYJB 

Book #9 in the World of Murder series is, as its predecessors, inspired by real life events which add an extra dimension of authenticity to the story line. It opens with the dilemma of Penny, who is experiencing an independent life after being buried in childcare and being a wife for eighteen years. A special arrangement has been made with husband Tony that preserves the semblance of their twenty-year relationship while allowing her more freedom; but when she meets Lyle at a bar, things change not because he loves her, but because he, too, plans to entrap her. 

Investigators O’Roarke, Garcia and Sneed, come to investigate a murder where Penny is the victim. Could Penny's husband, who loves her, be the perp? As the homicide detective team uncovers a myriad of perps, mishaps, and convoluted triads of circumstance, readers receive a vivid and fast-paced investigative story that offers more suspects than answers and keeps the action taunt with a guessing game that holds no obvious answers and many possibilities. 

As a love relationship and a special arrangement morphs into shootings, a cunning perp, and boys who inadvertently become part of a bigger picture they'd never planned, Triad of Murder excels in a romp through juvenile involvements and adult activities that challenges investigators and a community alike. 

Stella, Jack, Phoebe, and friendships gone awry intersect over a murder that will keep readers involved in police procedurals and family relationships right to the end. 

While mystery fans and prior readers of the series will find this a compelling addition, true crime enthusiasts should also place Triad of Murder (and the entire series, for that matter) on their reading radars: the reality-based events and action are exquisitely detailed and the story is hard to put down. 

Triad of Murder

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Novels

Born to Hustle
Edward A. Dreyfus
Edward A. Dreyfus, Publisher
978-0692192436            $16.95
http://a.co/d/deZkJVM 

Born to Hustle is a novel about identical twin brothers with an abusive childhood who identify with strong figures in adulthood: con men, gangsters, and the personas of men who take charge, control, and action. 

Their past experience has forged a bond that consists of co-dependency and an attraction to power without the kind of critical thinking that would temper that draw. Their lack of power in the past leads to a fascination with the avenues they perceive as empowering their lives; but their very closeness and choices leads to a rift between them that threatens to destroy everything. 

In many ways, Born to Hustle is a story of the lasting impact of an abusive childhood on siblings who have devised ways to survive. In others, it's about adulthood choices and their influences on life trajectories. As the brothers find their lives changed by their foundation idea that "money is power" they come to question not only their lives, but their close relationship, identifying ways they are different: "How is it that Alan can so completely detach himself from hurting people? he thought. Despite their obvious similarities, he often thought about how different they were." 

Even as they resist the idea of psychological intervention, their lives benefit from self-examination and a slowly evolving layer of critical thinking that influences everything. 

On the surface, Born to Hustle is a focus on the streetwise quest for authority, meaning, and power. But underlying this series of encounters with the 'bad boys' of the underworld is an attention to psychological inspection that gives Born to Hustle the flavor of an introspective slice of shattered illusions and perceptions as one brother confronts another's new love and refutes a blossoming relationship's validity. 

Brutal in its psychological honesty and compelling in its careful dance between twins who may not be as similar as it seems, Born to Hustle creates a dialogue of change and growth even as it traverses the streets of survival and assumptions. 

Readers who like their novels replete with psychological inspection and re-evaluation will relish this story's attention to recovery, self-inspection, and evolution. Brian and Alan exist in a world where survival has traditionally been a knee-jerk response rather than a reasoned, critical effort. Their individual and shared changes, set against the backdrop of a street-savvy grasp for power and stability, are engrossing, realistic, and educational in this highly recommended, powerful drama. 

Born to Hustle

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Daring Dreamer
Deborah King
Liberation Publishing
ISBN: 9781733588805          $10.99
www.deborahkingbooks.com 

Daring Dreamer is the first book in the Inspiration in Cologne series, and tells of changes that transform the relationship of two best friends living in Cologne, Missouri. It should be mentioned early on that while the story intends to be part of a broader set of experiences, it is complete unto itself, and features neither a cliffhanger conclusion nor the feel of a divided-up story line. 

Janna is a young woman still recovering from a traumatic loss in years past that haunts her and keeps her from forming meaningful relationships, emotional ties, and roots. Seeking a way out of this quagmire of ennui, she travels around the rural areas of Missouri until she comes upon the picturesque town of Cologne, where she sees opportunity for a new life far from ghosts of the past. 

Her best friend Shelby is also in need of change and is invited to join her in forming a new life far from what she's known. Opening a new business together in this new town seems just the ticket for becoming part of the community and embarking on a meaningful journey. 

There's only one problem when two friends struggle to change: one may move at a different speed than the other. When romance is added into the mix, Janna believes her heart's desires are attainable, if only she can rid herself of the lingering trauma that affects everything she touches. 

Deborah King's messages about perseverance, self-examination, new beginnings, and old limitations are nicely woven into a story about changing relationships sparked by new opportunities. 

As Daring Dreamer evolves, readers are treated to an uplifting first-person saga of a thirty-something woman who decides to take big risks and pursue her dreams against all odds, and who sees her change of attitude and atmosphere pay off in a big way. 

In contrast, her best friend holds similar values but a different approach to achievement, and their anxiety levels, conflicting perspectives, and volatile lives are explored through shifts in points of view that capture not only their external messages and internal responses; but those of suitor Richard. As Melinda, Ginny, and others become involved in their business pursuit and personal dream, many influences coalesce to create a story that is genuinely compelling and which feels true to life circumstances and interpersonal relationships. 

Janna opens up to Richard and allows romance to blossom against all odds, and readers receive thought-provoking insights into how she's accepting her new life ("I genuinely didn’t expect to deviate from my life’s plan. When Todd asked me to visit Cologne with him and investigate the property he actually wanted me to buy, I surprised myself. The property exuded peacefulness. I had no idea how much I wanted—no, needed—peace in my life.”), which are nicely juxtaposed with a shared dream that Shelby and Janna still hold dear. 

Daring Dreamer closely examines a shared dream, the different avenues of achieving that goal, and the pursuits of two women who strive for success and who recognize their limitations and possibilities. 

It is an inspirational story that manages to combine the themes of romance and change with womens' business pursuits and the mechanics of re-careering and re-envisioning the future in an excellent mix of leisure read and thought-provoking inspection of the process of formulating and following one's most impossible goals. 

Women who cultivate their own dreams will find this a powerful story filled with the efforts and insights of one who is a 'daring dreamer' and who invites her audience to become the same. 

Daring Dreamer

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THE MAGIC LIST: Girl Invictus
Mark Tiro
Second Dharma Books
Amazon ASIN: B07MFDFPJZ
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-948037-04-4         $3.99
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-948037-05-1   $12.99
Amazon Ebook URL:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFDFPJZ
Amazon Paperback URL:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/194803705X 

THE MAGIC LIST: Girl Invictus provides another Spirit Invictus novel to expand the experiences of the others in the series and again turns teen Maya's world on end. 

This time she is living a normal day which changes forever when she loses track of time, then finds herself lost in time. Suddenly her family doesn't see her. A pen and paper magically appear as she tries to navigate her familiar yet changed life; but their appearance isn't the only thing that's magical about her revised situation. 

As Maya comes to realize that she has a unique opportunity to realize all her dreams, she also comes to acknowledge the underlying cost of magic, and faces conundrums that involve old friends and magical voiceless exchanges and every memory of every lifetime that's been forgotten until her encounter with mysterious David brings them back. 

Maya believes she's experiencing an afterlife; but it's much more than that. She holds the power to change everything, but at a big cost. And her failed memories, other lives, David, and mixed-up timelines intersect in a challenging new reality that pushes her to create a growing list that chronicles past, present, and future events. 

From her dissolving abilities to deny and repress to whether or not she's the sole cause of all the effects changing her world, Maya's beliefs and abilities are challenged, and readers enter a world filled with mystery, confrontation, and experiences that border on spiritual revelations. 

Because Maya is a teenager, one might anticipate this series to be directed to teens. Because it involves Maya's probe of life purpose, a reader might anticipate a religious component. And because it involves her journey through possibilities, a decidedly new age element lends much to a metaphysical adventure. 

But to relegate this latest or the series as a whole to any singular readership would be to do it an injustice. Maya's ongoing explorations of meaning in her life and the world blends a coming of age story with a thriller overlay, adds a personal quest through impossible situations that confront and revise Maya's paradigm of reality itself, and leaves readers thinking long past the mystery of the magic list itself. 

Maya's journey continues to be captivating in this latest incarnation, and both newcomers and prior fans will find especially thrilling the underlying truths she uncovers from the ongoing puzzles in her life. These pull her from childhood into adulthood and lead her to acknowledge her anger and strength, to release them, and to be reborn. 

THE MAGIC LIST: Girl Invictus

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Reviewer's Choice

Famous Dishes from Around the World: Healthy, Tasty, and Affordable
Platos Famosos de todo el mundo: saludables, sabrosos, y económicos
Executive Editor: Stephanie Maze
Publisher: Moonstone Press, LLC
ISBN: 9780972769723     Price: $14.99               
To order, contact:
(Website) www.moonstonepress.net/ 
(Distributors) www.ipgbook.com 

Famous Dishes from Around the World/ Platos famosos de todo el mundo is a bilingual cookbook presented in English and Spanish for lovers of good ethnic foods who may still be unfamiliar with their ingredients. The book provides an outstanding selection of top international dishes that are identified with a particular country, both with authentic recipes and variations thereof.  

What sets this collection of recipes apart from that of other cookbooks is its focus on a single representative dish for each featured country. Familiar to many Americans, each of these iconic dishes is associated with a particular nation and is chosen with deliberate purpose: "Beyond emotions and memories, however, the dishes in this book represent something deeper: They are a collection of national and well-known culinary creations that have become intrinsically identified with a particular country because of their history. As such, they are a symbol of national pride and cultural identity with the country of origin, pride that is carried on from generation to generation." 

Famous Dishes/ Platos Famosos includes recipes for Irish Stew, Israeli Cabbage Rolls, Mexican Fajitas, Swedish Meatballs, and Indian Fish Curry, among many others, with names that can be recognized by those who have sampled ethnic cuisine from around the world. The cookbook features a number of advantages: ingredients that can be shared across a variety of the featured dishes; dishes that are budgeted and won't break the bank; and recipes that are authentic or slightly tweaked to make them as healthy and accessible as possible. 

Readers of this cookbook can expect to find not only a satisfying diversity of iconic foods, but a variety of international dishes that are appealing, surprising, and easy to produce as well. One of the featured dishes – American chili – for example, includes turkey, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and a range of many other delicious ingredients.  

Each dish is accompanied by a color photo, a historical information sidebar, and a box with the nutrition breakdown of each recipe.  

With its emphasis on familiar-sounding comfort foods and hearty mainstays, Famous Dishes from Around the World, Platos famosos de todo el mundo is recommended over and above other introductory ethnic cookbooks because of its recognizable national dishes, its diversity, its attention to healthy ingredients, and the ease with which the recipes can be prepared in the kitchen. 

Famous Dishes from Around the World: Healthy, Tasty, and Affordable

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Getting Past Childhood Bullying
Stacey J. Miller
BPT Press
978-0984228539            $14.95 Paper/$6.99 Kindle
http://a.co/d/755llKi 

Getting Past Childhood Bullying: How Adults Can Recover From Trauma That Began at School outlines a common dilemma many adults face: childhood trauma from bullying. Unlike PTSD in adulthood, such trauma hold special nuances and problems that make them long-lasting shocks difficult to recover from. 

Stacey J. Miller goes beyond outlining situations and the problem to create a four-part program of healing and strategies for recovery. Most powerful of all, however, is her examination of common adult strategies for handling school bullies, which too often fail to make a difference for either survivors or those who didn't make it: "Phoebe should have been enjoying every moment of her teenage years and looking forward to what came next. Instead, she was gone, and the teenagers who had tortured her had, at the end of court proceedings, walked away with probation and community service. The South Hadley High School administrators and teachers had avoided all legal responsibility. They didn't even have to take a day off work, as far as I could tell. There was no justice for Phoebe Prince or her family. And there was no comfort for me, either." 

Anyone who has been a victim of childhood bullying will readily recognize Miller's scenarios and case histories; but again: the meat of the title lies not in familiar scenarios and unrequited justice, but in strategies for recovery. 

These range from an online approach that moves from being savvy about safety to empowerment ("Celebrities would call it reputation management. Business leaders would refer to it as building brand. It all comes down to one thing: controlling what people discover about you when they find you online. You can expand your online footprint so that it speaks to the abusers and others who were part of your childhood experiences, along with everyone else who wants to know who you are. Your online profile should convey exactly what you want to reveal about yourself.") to locating and reaching out to a former childhood bully to achieve resolution ("It may do you both some good to connect. While you can't change what happened in the past, you may be able to provide a different conclusion that would be easier to live with. The bully may want to atone for the mistakes he or she made. Perhaps you will want to open the door to allow that."). 

There are many paths to resolution, growth, and burying one's nightmares of the past. Miller outlines recognizable methods of doing so and helps adult survivors handle their ongoing trauma from childhood bullies. Her accessible, practical, example-filled guide should be considered a basic primer and a 'must read' for any adult struggling with the lasting impact of childhood bullying. 

Getting Past Childhood Bullying

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Juggling - From Antiquity to the Middle Ages
Thom Wall
Modern Vaudeville Press
978-0-578-41084-5         $25.00
www.thomwall.com 

Anybody who's ever wanted to throw a ball and juggle anything in life will welcome the rare opportunity to learn about its evolution in Juggling - From Antiquity to the Middle Ages: The Forgotten History of Catching and Throwing.

Readers who might think juggling holds a singular Western history will be surprised to learn that it actually was discovered in several cultures, all isolated from one another, and can be documented as early as 2,000 BCE, in the tombs at Beni Hasan in Egypt. 

Thom Wall opens with a pointed observation about why documenting the history of juggling is so difficult to pinpoint: "As with dance, so with juggling—the moment that the performer finishes the routine, their act ceases to exist beyond the memory of the audience. There is no permanent record of what transpired, so studying the ancient roots of juggling is fraught with difficulty." 

The chronicles that follow are arranged chronologically, from ancient writings, relics, and indicators of juggling to modern times. Good-sized color images of relics and writings often accompany footnoted research documenting juggling's evolutionary process, providing readers with both a visual and text record of its appearance in art forms, history, social interactions, and human society. 

It should be noted that Juggling doesn't just assemble historical evidence. Wall discusses the quality of the evidence itself and the extrapolations that can be made from it: "Though this passage doesn’t describe a literal performance, it does serve as evidence that jugglers were performing with swords and on tightropes in present-day Turkey as early as the 4th and 5th centuries." 

This approach lends an authoritative, critical thinking perspective supplementing the historical examination, offering readers more than just clues to juggling's appearance and performances over the centuries. Readers actually learn how to analyze and assess data and draw conclusions from a survey that is dedicated to exploring all aspects of juggling, from its social and sports impact to its legal ramifications: "The jongleur’s performances in early medieval Ireland were regulated by the law—or at least there were rules set forth for the compensation of audience  members accidentally injured by jugglers during performances." 

Readers will find juggling's story broader than anticipated, crossing disciplines with a deft attention to detail that follows juggling's influence on not just societies and cultures, but gender roles: "Anthropologist Avigail Morris, who spent considerable time studying gender roles in traditional Tongan society, asserts that hiko exemplified the feminine ideal in Tonga and that “the motions and gestures used in the game bring out beauty and gracefulness in females of all ages”—in particular, the flexible and graceful motions of the wrists.” Morris explains that hiko’s mystical origins align it with “traditional concepts of beauty and sexuality” and allow a girl to “show off just how feminine she could be” (Morris, 2009)." 

This history requires of its readers some prior affinity and affection for juggling; but richly rewards a reader's basic interest. What seems like (and is) a complex, scholarly approach to the subject takes on a lively feel through embellishments and discussions that successfully relate juggling skills and approaches to wider examinations of social organization, skills development, and cultural evolution. 

Jugglers especially (but general-interest audiences, as well) will appreciate the surprising accessibility and depth in Juggling - From Antiquity to the Middle Ages: The Forgotten History of Catching and Throwing, a primer packed with unexpected insights and an exquisitely involving attention to detail. 

Juggling - From Antiquity to the Middle Ages

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Killing Vincent: The Man, The Myth, and The Murder
I. Kaufman Arenberg, MD
N3M Publications
9780578406961                $44.95
www.killingvincent.com 

Killing Vincent: The Man, The Myth, and The Murder disproves a common myth about the "mad artist", Vincent van Gogh, and his "suicide", making a case for a far different scenario surrounding his death. It's a combination of true crime, and an unsolved romantic murder mystery. It is a psychological probe into history that is a 'must' for any reader interested in Vincent's life and death. 

Dr. Arenberg maintains that Vincent wasn’t a depressed and insane individual who shot himself in a wheat field. Instead, he was not “mad”.  Yet, Vincent stumbled to his accommodations, bleeding from an abdominal wound that killed him. Who created that fatal injury? Did Vincent shoot himself? A modern forensic analysis confirms that the wound was not self-inflicted; therefore, not suicide, but murder. 

Modern forensic science is applied to history in an intriguing manner, offering not just detailed insights on van Gogh's death, but on the process of verifying historical facts and tackling long-cold cases of murder, suicide, or mysterious death.

One should be forewarned that this is no casual inspection. For example, research into and photographs of letters in Vincent's own hand, documenting his 'vertige' attacks, show how differences in translation approach and generic terms may have contributed to differences of interpretation that alter diagnoses, perspectives, and medical viewpoints. 

Dr. Arenberg's medical background is invaluable as he pursues an analysis that includes his opinion about Vincent's attacks, his health, medical diagnosis, and the impacts of his recurrent disorder on his art. However, Dr. Arenberg maintains that Vincent’s medical issues did not impact his death. Dr. Arenberg pulls no punches in giving his opinion of popular and possibly erroneous conclusions of the past: "In contrast to being remotely suicidal, you have alternately to accept that this genius's primary need was to create and capture all the beauty in the world that he saw so clearly. This unbelievable creative drive and process that generated one or two masterpieces a day would not willingly be snuffed out in any moment of despair." 

From an in-depth probe into the artist's psyche, a new diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome emerged. In addition to progressive, investigative steps into physical evidence, such as the murder weapon, Dr. Arenberg leaves no stone unturned; whether it be forensic reenactments of the murder and discussions of the crime scene or examinations of motives and likely perps. 

Color drawings throughout, created by artist Darrell Anderson specifically for the Killing Vincent Project, accompany the author's location photos and images from new forensic studies. 

The result is simply an unparalleled 'must', recommended not just for art enthusiasts, but for true crime and history readers interested in the process of re-examining a homicide cold case and its impact on modern-day audiences. 

Killing Vincent: The Man, The Myth, and The Murder

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Living on the Empty Stage
Sondra Bennett
New Insights Press
9780999580165                      $19.95
www.lifeperformancepractices.com  

Living on the Empty Stage: Performing Daily Life in the Light of Self-Awareness is a wonderfully written new guide at the intersection between self-help and spiritual awareness. Its foundation is based on using the strategies of acting to improve one’s “life performance” yet at the same time seeks to help readers achieve greater self-awareness. 

Readers seeking new methods to improve, change, and adapt will appreciate this guide. It offers a unique blueprint designed not just for immediate gratification and change, but for a life of better daily performances leading to a more fulfilling existence. 

The book opens with the idea that the Empty Stage Awareness is the neutral ground from which we can adopt any frame of mind. The chapters, which are presented in five 'Acts,” then explain how there are Five Performance Styles, and each of us is usually dominant in one or two of them. Once you know your Performance Style, you can begin identifying your tragic and comic characters, creating a ‘Performance Style Profile', cultivating a higher sensitivity toward humanity, and crafting a dynamic performance model that rises above how you approach your usual roles in life. 

The chapters’ discussions show how daily events, challenges, and perceptions can be changed to improve one's performance at work, at home, or anywhere, by assessing one's abilities and perspectives, and making social and spiritual changes that lead to growth and transformation. 

Living on the Empty Stage's discussions of spiritual and psychological advancement will appeal to anyone seeking a new approach to understanding our chosen roles, performance styles, and the process of changing and enhancing them. It is highly recommended for those seeking new ideas in self-help and self-awareness. 

Living on the Empty Stage

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Poetry of Peace
Cherie Kephart
Bazi Publishing
978-1-947127-09-8                        $12.95 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
www.bazipublishing.com 

Cherie Kephart's introduction to Poetry of Peace explains that her life "...has been about ascension. I have traveled from the innocence of a child filled with wonder, aspirations, and belief in the impossible, to the deepest depths of darkness. Harnessing the strength of spirit, I found my way through the shadows." 

In a nutshell, this captures the essence of her lyrical writings, designed to expose, explore, and open readers to these nuances of light and darkness and their impact on choices and growth. 

The Rumi quote that precedes Kephart's works is also an indicator of her focus and direction ("The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”) as both complicated and ethereal reflections move from free verse to haiku in the process of exploring wonder, growth, darkness and beyond. 

At times punctuation is eschewed in favor of a smooth flow that lends to different emphases and interpretation based on the reader's focus and perspective: "The air dances between us/without beauty or grace/I’m a child without a jacket/my mother insisted I take/a dolphin deprived of waters/in which to swim. I am lost/in the wreckage of what I no/longer feel,/no longer believe,/no longer know." 

At other times, Kephart is quite clear in her rhythm and movement and directs readers along a path that leaves little to the imagination: "I escape the dungeons/of my thoughts and leap/into tomorrow as if today/did not exist." 

In any poetry collection there lies an ethereal moment where the connection between poet and reader has been forged and the work speaks for itself as it guides writer and reader in its exploration: "I pursue the parade of pink petals/countless flowers in the fields of grace/yet my eyes are shielded from sight./One day I will see." 

Poetry enthusiasts who appreciate free verse, first-person journeys and who want not just a road to peace but a delineation of the process of getting there will find Poetry of Peace as much about the inner notion of contentment and growth as it is about wider-ranging notions of peace. 

Kepart's work is poignant, reflective, guided and remarkably astute: just the inspirational ticket for a world or readers struggling with their own ventures into darkness and light. 

Poetry of Peace

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Small Town Big Money
Colby Williams
Colby Williams, Publisher
Hardcover - 9781732781023        $25.95
ebook - 9781732781016                      $11.99
Website:
https://smalltownbook.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Town-Big-Money-Entrepreneurship/dp/1732781028/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/small-town-big-money-colby-williams/1129718374?ean=9781732781023
Available for retailers via Ingram 

Small Town Big Money: Entrepreneurship And Opportunity In Today’s Small Town is about operating a small business in a small town, and comes from an entrepreneur author who owns and runs a coffee company in such a town in Missouri. Colby Williams doesn't deem his venture a 'small business', however. He identifies as an entrepreneur, and his focus and book embraces that effort. 

Unlike too many books about small business, Williams pulls no punches in outlining the pros and cons of any given entrepreneurial effort: "Getting started is hard. Longevity is hard. Being financially successful in business seems like a million years away, and it all feels that much more difficult when you live in a town in which a used espresso machine costs the same as a house just five blocks away." 

Another big difference between this book and more general approaches is that it considers specifics, from gaining funding from reluctant investors and what drives their perception of an entrepreneur's pitch and prior successes and (surprisingly) failures ("People who hit the bottom and climb to the top are a great investment, so don’t be afraid to let your pitch audience know how you’ve struggled to get where you are today.") to the many differences of a startup venture created in a small environment. 

In such a place, failure may actually be a starting point for future success: "...in a small town, failure can be extra-intimidating. Everyone knows you and knows your family. We already discussed how quickly word travels here. Some of that is gossip. There’s an element of schadenfreude – a few people will love dishing about your failure. It makes them feel better about themselves. But the vast majority will watch what you do next. Maybe you lose everything, go bankrupt, sell the last piece for pennies - if you aren’t afraid to show your face soon after, owning the points at which you went wrong, then a small town is a great place to receive love and support and to start again. As long as you haven’t lied to or tricked anyone, and as long as you don’t owe money to everyone in town, falling and bouncing back is something to respect. This frees you up to innovate, create, and take risks in your small town without fearing shame. Use that failure for fuel." 

By covering the basics of small town atmosphere and how its unique size and community translate to support systems unavailable in larger cities, Colby Williams not only makes a big case for small town residents to achieve their dreams, but offers chapters that explicitly detail how to research, fund, manage, and grow a small venture. 

By adding case history examples of success and failures and lessons to be learned from them, Small Town Big Money in effect crafts the kind of atmosphere it seeks to explore in its subject: a small book advocating big ideas and supporting big dreams. 

The process of realizing these dreams is quite exact. Williams outlines the roots of achievement and identifies common pitfalls and cautions. Any would-be entrepreneur residing in a small town will find much invaluable information encouraging the effort in a book that outlines the basic principles and practices of successful business practices that hold an eye to "building an empire that can last."

There's no better place for aspiring entrepreneurs to begin than with this accessible survey, which is both educational and compelling with its chatty tone and real-life, encouraging examples of risk-takers and achievers. 

Small Town Big Money

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Young Adult/Childrens

The Adventures of Fawn Book 3: Far and Yet So Near
Al E. Boy
Al E. Boy, Publisher
978-1979086516            $11.99 Paper
http://a.co/d/fRlcLEg 

Fans of Fawn's process of growth and discovery have a third book to relish in an adventure which continues to challenge the young reindeer with more than seasonal expectations. 

Fawn and friends become involved in the Reindeer Games of 1849 when Santa gives his duty as overseer to veterinarian Doctor Mary Weather (Santa's betrothed) and a series of crises evolves, from a health challenge involving TB to a blizzard. 

Simple black and white drawings illustrate the dilemmas Fawn faces, from reindeer suffering from mindless trances who try to walk off cliffs to the discovery that the reindeer are somehow being controlled. And in the midst of such a crisis rises an added dilemma: will Fawn be sold? 

The atmosphere and depth introduced in the prior books expand further with Far and Yet So Near. Fawn continues her growth process, faces a countdown to another (and possibly very different) Christmas, and faces thieves, reindeer-napping, and the meaning of life when everything changes to where even friends and family fall apart. 

Readers of all ages will find that spirit of adaptation, transition, and survival embedded into a read that would at first seem to appeal primarily to children, with its animal friends and Christmas setting. Far and Yet So Near actually presents many themes suitable for older readers, from innovative and assertive actions to individual decisions about how to live life and interact with others. 

Fawn is the perfect heroine: indecisive, yet wanting to do good and uncertain, yet willing to expand her skills and abilities to help others. Love, loss, and threats to everything Fawn holds dear keep readers involved up to an unexpected conclusion which nicely expands Fawn's growth and abilities. 

Anyone looking for a gentle adventure replete with lessons on adaptation and giving will relish Fawn's ongoing evolution, set against the trappings of Santa's world, in a story recommended not just for Christmas; but for all seasons and all ages. 

The Adventures of Fawn Book 3: Far and Yet So Near

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Forgetting the Dreamtime
G.V. Loewen
Austin Macauley Publishers
97811788784308   
$14.95 Paper/$4.51 Kindle/$20.58 Hardcover
www.austinmacauley.com 

Forgetting the Dreamtime is Book 1 of the Kristen-Seraphim Saga and opens with a teen protagonist rebelling against her evangelical parents' many rules. Kristen's stubbornness and mutinous attitude actually serves her well in the scenario that evolves to place her at odds not just with her parents, but against a threat to everything she loves. 

Forgetting the Dreamtime is a young adult coming of age story that holds complex situations, language, and relationships between Kristen, her parents, and her inner voice. While adolescent correction is one of the guiding purposes to her parents' lives, Kristen is a rebel who can't be controlled. Nothing is beyond her grasp, whether it be a best friend/lesbian relationship, a defiant attitude towards religious oppression, or forward progress in a new domestic relationship with Mike. 

When Mike discovers the truth about her age, he's hit with a combination of horror and admiration that creates further conflict, while a "meet the parents" dinner is replete with religious back-and-forth jockeying that will spark a smile in readers who may find familiar the counterstrikes and innuendos of family struggles at the dinner table. 

Spiced by Kristen's observations of impossible things around her and larger questions of an evolving battle between good and evil, the story marches into unusual territory and becomes something much more than the journeys of a rebellious, spunky teen.

Mature teens to new adult readers will find Forgetting the Dreamtime difficult to easily peg. The combination of quest saga, coming of age story, fantasy elements, and the reality of complex family and love relationships will not only appeal on a broader level than the usual teen read, but injects questions and perspectives that lead readers to think about Kristen's directions and choices. 

It should be cautioned that racy language and situations are embedded in this candid, striking story. G.V. Loewen doesn't overuse these elements (they are all key to building story line and characters), but they do elevate the story to audiences who can handle a story of evolving sexuality and spiritual inspection. 

Readers seeking a multifaceted tale that is intriguing, involving, and filled with confrontation and evolution will delight in Forgetting the Dreamtime, a chronicle that is racy, lively, and hard to put down. 

Forgetting the Dreamtime

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Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us
Maggie Daniels and Matt Michel
Bookbaby
978-1543950557            $10.48
Strxia Website:  https://www.strxia.com
Amazon e-book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K8XSS86
e-book Price:  $3.99
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Strxia-Odds-Are-Against-Us/dp/1543950558
Bookbaby Paperback:  https://store.bookbaby.com/book/strxia

Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us is an elementary-grade 'portal fantasy' that sets itself apart from so many other fantasy stories for this age range by injecting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles into the story line (physics and engineering, in particular.) The fact that these concepts are research-backed and not hastily tossed-in quasi-concepts, as in so many sci-fi and fantasy reads, elevates this story above others. 

The premise revolves around parallel universe Strxia, which is governed by the same physical laws as Earth. An elite group of scientists has seized control and is trying to manipulate the laws of math via odd number utilization, and it's up to math-savvy geek Seth and his baseball team to save the day. 

Many elements of Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us would seem to indicate its appropriateness not only readers ages eight to twelve, but for a wider audience as well. Plays on words (as in the title), creative technical thinking about parallel universes and their influences upon one another, and the inclusion of adult special interests (such as the opening pages, which feature a board of directors intent on preserving sports programs threatened by a budget cut) make for subjects and approaches that are more mature than most elementary or middle-grade fantasies offer, with appeal to even adult readers. 

Strxia has been tested on youth test readers ages 8 to 15, as well as many adults.  The 8-year-old likes the action and adventure, the humor, and becomes exposed to the physics even without total understanding or, importantly, frustration.  Older readers tend to absorb the physics principles and want to try the math. 

That said, Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us cultivates a lively discourse and believable characters who face a myriad of choices as they navigate their different worlds. 

Strxia is an enticing choice for children with initial interest in baseball or science, and offers a fun challenge for any child who enjoys action and adventure reading. Only cursory knowledge of baseball as a sport is necessary to enjoy the book. 

While the guise is that of an inviting leisure read, the combination of science information, critical thinking skills needed to absorb the story line, and the interesting, challenging two universes whose experiences connect them make for a story more than a cut above that of a casual reader. 

From jocks who demonstrate surprising botanical knowledge to an indoor apartment-dwelling geek's confrontation with impossible situations such as giant talking flowers, Strxia excels in a story filled with surprises, it stays true to its foundation of STEM science concepts, and it invites young readers to expand their knowledge through a story line that romps between worlds. 

Purposeful, compelling, and filled with action and scientific insight, Strxia is highly recommended reading for educators who want to support traditional nonfiction STEM approaches with stories designed to challenge and test both the imagination and science acuity.

 
Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us

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