February 2023 Review Issue
Literature
Mystery & Thrillers
Alien Plague
Christopher Koehler
Independently
Published
979-8402449732
$8.99 Paper
https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Plague-Christopher-Koehler/dp/B09QMVSD4N
When
interstellar
probe The Sagan returns from its
investigation of a nearby star system, it brings with it an alien
plague that
challenges mankind in a way no other has ever done.
Dr. Avery
Hutton is
both the narrator of this story and part of the experiment to bring
back
complex life. His effort should have been safe, as these samples were
limited
to space station Randleman, in orbit above Earth. It would have been,
if the
plague had been anything like Earthly plagues. But, it's not.
Events
unfold with high-octane
tension and high-tech revelation as Dr. Hutton discovers that the
Hortus
microbes contain properties that make them uniquely deadly and
impervious to
the usual obstacles faced in an alien environment like Earth.
Hard science
is
nicely wound into the story, from issues of adaptation and repeat
exposures to
how Beta Strain life moves from quarantine to a threat. The cure might
require
mass gene therapy or leaps in infectious disease control.
So many
facets of
this story feel familiar to modern-day pandemic experience that Alien Plague should receive additional
attention from those who will find its interpersonal dialogues and
reactions
frighteningly similar to today's methods of addressing COVID.
As a total
breach of
containment looms, Dr. Hutton may be the only man able to save humanity
from
what it has brought back from the stars.
Readers who
anticipate an action-packed thriller alone, such as Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain, will find more
psychological depth in the characters' interactions in Alien
Plague.
Dr. Hutton
and his
boss, Dr. Diane Victorovich, make headway in their research and their
efforts
to control disaster by creating yet another virus, drawing readers into
a
futuristic story that holds many familiar-sounding quandaries.
The story
may be set
in the distant future, but its relevance both in building interpersonal
and
professional relationships and its methods of addressing threat and
evolving survival
tactics will resonate beyond the usual sci-fi audience.
Libraries
looking for
genre crossovers that tap into modern experiences, yet pose an
otherworldly
conundrum, will find Alien Plague
an
intriguing read recommendable to a wide audience of sci-fi, thriller,
and
social issues readers alike.
Return to Index
Forged of
Fire
Stacy Von Haegert
Dragon Crest
Publishing
ASIN: B0BMSKYXPF
$17.99
Hardcover/$11.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
Website: https://stacyvonhaegert.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Fire-Adult-Fantasy-Book-ebook/dp/B0BC6LPG55
Forged of Fire is the first fantasy in a
new adult trilogy. It
opens in 776 BCE where Zander's father (the king) oversees a ritual
that
promises either death or rebirth to its participants. It's one which
could
change the balance of power and Zander's own future, but a surprise
twist
introduces darkness into the ritual to produce unexpected results.
Fast forward
to the
present, where retired warrior and royal Ashdon LaGoryen seeks a
solitary,
peaceful life, only to find that the House of the Dragon has stretched
its
talons and powers beyond the usual boundaries to immerse him in
conflict and
new possibilities for his future.
Kielyn
Allister also
finds herself transported into realms she never knew existed as she
faces the
stuff of legends via a "farce of a marriage" to a vampire and a new
life in a castle.
The meeting
of these
minds (and hearts) produces (perhaps an inevitable) romance, but also
creates a
dangerously powerful connection where a legend seems to have
predetermined
their destinies. All they have to do is walk into their new roles. Or
defy
them.
The blend of
romance,
fantasy, and intrigue simmers tension and twists of story, inviting
those
beyond the usual fantasy genre followers to appreciate the special
challenges
faced by two strong characters whose union is not exactly on either's
radar.
Of added
value are
dashes of humor which present irony and interest to spice the story's
action: "Ash supposed his earlier torture
sentence was a bit much. He really needed to get control of this damn
dragon.
Before he torched the whole countryside with its wrath. He should
probably also
have someone tell Gilly she could get up off her chamber floor."
All these
elements
contribute to the trappings of a fantasy which is a cut above the
ordinary
genre production in its embrace of both adversity and growth-inducing
new
possibilities for each of its main characters.
Readers will
find
much more than an attraction between a moral and an immortal in Forged of Fire. Its story of adaptation
and revised perceptions of the world and one's place in it creates
believable,
engaged characters whose decisions are unpredictable and involving.
Libraries
seeking new
adult fantasies forged in fiery confrontations, nefarious deals, and
dragons
will relish the different brand of psychological and interpersonal
confrontations that marks Forged of Fire.
Return to Index
The Triumph
of Beauty
Robert Albo
Independently
Published
979-8366081894
$14.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/TRIUMPH-BEAUTY-DARK-MATTER-NECKLACE/dp/B0BMYLQGPG
The Triumph of Beauty adds to the Dark
Matter Necklace series and
is set in 2052. Alice Blair wakes up in the future sporting a
middle-aged body
and the knowledge that she was responsible for changing the course of
humanity,
producing a drug-dependent world that quashes hope and dreams.
All her
friends have
grown up, literally overnight, leaving her alone in this future world,
with its
new technology and frightening lack of positive possibilities. Alice
has
managed to form new daily routines, navigating this strange milieu
through special
spider glasses, but is determined to rectify her bad influence of the
past to
lead the world into a better milieu. This effort involves interacting
with a
power-hungry artificial intelligence, making a deal with it to
re-introduce
beauty to a forsaken world in exchange for helping it get to an alien
planet.
Young adults
who
choose this book (and who have a grounding in the prior books in the
series)
will find Alice's challenges and determination powers a sci-fi scenario
that is
anything but predictable.
This new
society's
blind obedience to authority, sacrificing
beauty in the process, leads Alice to traverse dangerous
territory both
on Earth and beyond it as she makes an impossible deal and searches
past history
for salvation via her connection to dark matter.
She is the
only one
who can embark on this process of personal and global redemption, and
her
choices and challenges will determine the fate of humanity itself.
Robert
Albo's
thought-provoking and wide-ranging adventure embraces the spirit of a
young
woman who doesn't settle for guilt over the results of her past
actions, but
decides to remain proactive and engaged in the future.
While The Triumph of Beauty both adds to the
series and creates a stand-alone story of achievement against all odds,
it also
holds many possibilities for discussion points that would lend to a YA
sci-fi
book club audience's enjoyment and debates.
From truth
and lies
to the wellsprings of inspiration and possibility, The
Triumph of Beauty crafts a story that deserves a prominent
place in any YA collection (and many an adult sci-fi holding) where
there's an
interest in stories that move beyond fast-paced action and
technological
challenge into arenas of moral and ethical quandary and discovery.
Return to Index
Exposed
Deborah Jean
Burris-Kitchen, Ph.D.
Atmosphere Press
9781639887132
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Exposed uses poetry, short stories, and photography
(the latter by Dr. Heidi M. Williams) to explore issues of social
injustice,
love, and toxic masculinity. This approach creates an unusual and
powerful
synthesis and contrast between black and white image and written word.
From the
start, these
disparate contrasts are juxtaposed, as in the poem 'To
be Short, Blonde, Female, and White,' in which the writer
reflects that "My skin color is a
cruel reminder/Of what my brothers and sisters/Have done to people of
color./They may hate me for it."
Hate,
poison, and potency
are just a few of the themes running through discourses that expose
emotional,
cultural, and social connections and disconnects in a manner that
departs from
the usual staid ego-centric focus of too many poetry collections.
Intent on
exposing
not just her personal connections and reactions but social injustice
and
ironies, Dr. Deborah Jean Burris-Kitchen creates a collection of
literary
inspections that attacks American caste systems, women's repression,
and the
forces that contain them.
A great deal
of anger
is embedded into these protests and proclamations: "...mine
is a loving God who embraces me/While I fight to escape the body, I
have been
imprisoned/erroneously/Your maltreatment of me has/infuriated him/Take
a good
long look at me/I am beautiful, strong, and powerful/Because I walk
proud and
tall next to him..."
With its
passionate
voice, compelling images, and vivid, damning survey of the "petty
bourgeoisie" and their methods of legitimizing atrocities, Exposed reveals not just the author's personal
outlook and experience, but the underbelly of America itself.
Libraries seeking contemporary social issues
works that not just protest, but roar, will find Exposed
a powerful
example of personal and political examination. It ideally will find its
place
not just on a shelf of contemporary women's writings, but on the lists
of
discussion groups and book clubs interested in works and words that
arrive on
fire to spark debate and reflection.
Return to Index
O C E A N
Anastasia Lindsey
Atmosphere Press
978-1639887057
$22.99
www.atmospherepress.com
O C E A N is a poetry collection about
tides of grief, waves of
healing, and the pull of something bigger than the human soul. Life
itself is
steeped into works that arrive with no title to portend the punch of
the
poetry.
Anastasia
Lindsey
produces weeping words that sparkle and glisten with evocative free
verse
phrasing: "I dreaded the rain/every
time the clouds/came rolling in/I knew it was my collection/of tears
from the
week/ready to let me have a/taste of my own sadness."
The poems
present a
storm of sorrow before metamorphosing into the healing rains of an
ocean of
life promises. Before this transformation, they move from first-person
pain to
third-person observation in a form that demands of its readers an
emotional
flexibility in moving fluidly from observer to observed: "she
doesn’t show the bad and the ugly – she doesn’t show her
tears/although bright, warm, and vibrant/she’s hidden/amongst her fears
and
insecurities – she feels forgotten/just when you think you/couldn’t
love her
enough – she stays awake at night/wondering if she is loved."
The
intersection of
the ocean comes later, in a wave of evocative poetic description that
marries
heart and soul with the unrelenting tides of nature: "I
am immersed into the undiscoverable/our human eyes have not
seen/can you see me?/a second passed and a whisper entered my
ear/“welcome… to
the Milky sea…”/bioluminescent film coats the top of the water/it’s on
my skin,
filling my pores/in my eyes, they are glowing."
It soon
becomes
evident that this collection is about more than grief or healing, but
is ultimately
about love and inevitability. These threads wind through the
collection,
joining the poems in a mosaic of extraordinary word pictures that
depict
relationships, transition points, and growth.
Anastasia
Lindsey's
exploration of her life and the tides that consume and carry it will
appeal to
readers of emotional free verse autobiography that brings with it a
sense of
place, purpose, and connection that expands from personal experience to
universal ties.
Lindsey lets
her
"wild side" free in these works, and libraries looking for emotional
explorations of that side in contemporary free verse will find O C E A N a draw.
Return to Index
Our Lives in
Verse:
Everyday Poetry
Ann Brubaker
Greenleaf Wirtz
WestBow Press
978-1-6642-7639-0
$9.95 Paper/$2.99 ebook
Author Website: www.anngreenleafwirtz.com
Publisher: www.westbowpress.com
Our Lives in Verse: Everyday Poetry pays
tribute to common,
ordinary life in a simple yet evocative manner that translates to its
accessibility and understanding by poets and non-poets alike.
Here, the
trappings
of literary strength lie in both a lifelong familiarity with and
appreciation
of poetry and Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz's desire to comprehend,
capture, and
embrace everyday experience. Her fine art creates a work that both
celebrates
poetic efforts and remains vivid and easily understandable to her
readers. She achieves
this with poems that reflect experience through the lens of her faith,
adding a
spiritual component that will especially reach readers on similar paths
to
linking everyday experience with spiritual reflection.
There's a
fine line
between poem and prayer, which Wirtz traverses with a delicate step.
Some of
her writings are more spiritual letters to God, as in 'Our Community, a
Prayer
in Verse':
"Regardless the generation,/Challenges are ever
present,/For
certainly the way is never easy,/But good-hearted faith and
the/Determination
to succeed do prevail./Thank You, Dear Lord, for our town,/A vibrant
refuge,
life-giving with hope,/For our place and time in its history, and/Upon
this,
our sheltering home..."
Others
celebrate
ordinary wonders, such as a summer's drive in the country, captured in
'The Hay
Bales of Summer':
"My car made its way/Down the winding road,/A lazy
jaunt to see
the sights/Of farmland and pasture/In the afternoon light.../Garden
flowers
were rioting,/And farm fields flourishing,/When startling my gaze/As
they came
into view,/Were hay bales to frankly amaze."
In
representing
moments of everyday life and times and injecting these with expressions
of
gratitude and wonder, Wirtz pays tribute not only to God, but to life.
Libraries
seeking
literary works that remain true to poetic form and description while
celebrating miracles of place and time will find Our
Lives in Verse: Everyday Poetry a fine choice that holds the
ability to reach literary and non-poetry readers alike.
Return to Index
Peace in the
Midst of
the Storm
Kaleb Thompson
Resource
Publications
978-1666733990
$28.00
Hardcover/$11.00 Paperback/$6.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Midst-Storm-Kaleb-Thompson/dp/1666733997
Peace in the Midst of the Storm will
appeal to Christian readers
and collections interested in literary connections to faith. It focuses
on
overcoming obstacles that impede faith and confidence, on adopting a
selfless
behavior set that approaches both mortal and spiritual life with hope
and
proactive thinking, and it solidifies the kind of faith that connects
individuals to the freedom of choice they must maintain to strengthen
their
spiritual bonds: "I choose to live
the rest of my life in peace/Through my battles and mistakes, I’m
forgiven..."
From
acknowledgement
of the spiritual presence left behind by a dearly departed one in
'Heavenly
Shadow' ("The battle you fought was
won and the race you partook in was gracefully completed/Another angel
was
chosen; no need to tirelessly be included with a world deemed so
shallow and
dense/Our minds have processed that you are no longer with us, but with
our
hearts, you will never be deleted...") to a foray into
another's
egotism and the karma it transmits into the world in 'Broken Mirror',
Kaleb
Thompson's strength lies in an ability to connect daily life events
with
ethereal considerations of growth and Christian perspective.
These
elements weave
through every poem to solidify its spiritual and emotional draw.
Whether
discussing
imperfection and humility or "...the
importance of spiritual and mental release as I am no longer held
captive to an
unapologetic nightmare...", Peace
in the Midst of the Storm depicts a variety of life-inducing
storms and the
methods by which peace (both emotional and spiritual) are derived from
closer
inspections of choice, consequences, and paths towards enlightenment.
Peace in the Midst of the Storm will
especially appeal to readers
of faith, who will find within its poetic notes a wisdom about how to
approach
life and its deepest currents of challenge, and connections to
spiritual
thinking. Christian collections, in particular, will find it both
literary in
form and filled with food for thought and debate in its subjects.
Return to Index
I Was Dying…Then I Changed My Mind
Güngör Buzot
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-697-5
$16.99
www.atmospherepress.com
I
Was Dying…Then I
Changed My Mind: My Journey From Illness and Opioids to Healing,
Liberation,
and Transformation is a memoir
about living, dying, euthanasia, and a woman who was imprisoned not
only by
bodily pain, but by the expectations which limited her options and
treatment
protocol.
Readers who anticipate that this story will
be one of reincarnation, euthanasia's processes, or physical challenges
alone
will find much more in Güngör Buzot's story. As she
reviews the
suffering that takes over her life and seems to dictate that peace can
only be
found in death, Buzot provides thought-provoking insights through
eye-opening
passages:
"Over many years, doctors, outstanding in their
profession and in
whom I trusted implicitly, would inform me that I either needed an
operation or
that the illness I suffered from had no cure. The more I went to
doctors, the
more they prescribed painkillers, addressing only symptoms, while my
overall
health deteriorated day by day. Pain took on such a role in my life
that when I
was not in pain, I felt something was missing. I did not know how to
live
without suffering."
Anyone who
has felt
this (or known someone whose lives seem dictated by suffering and pain)
will
find in I Was Dying…Then I Changed My Mind nuggets of hope and possibility that can come from
considerations of
alternative medicine solutions. These are what changed Buzot's
trajectory and
life.
That this took place after over sixty years
of chronic pain will prove an inspiration to those who have long been
on this
path of illness, and who have come to believe there is no hope in life
and no
solution but death.
Chapters weave through the recovery process
with an attention to how Buzot became more and more dependent on
painkillers
and then faced addiction issues on top of ongoing physical health
challenges.
Her drive
towards
healing was not always an uphill journey of discovery. It was
exhausting,
debilitating, and challenging, requiring her to accept different
physical and
mental insights, new alternative therapy routines, and the most
challenging
part—taking care of herself. This required a different mindset about
not only
her options and abilities, but the roles of her family and friends in
supporting her in a different way: "I
was starting a journey to recovery, but I longed for a place where
others could
look after me. I could barely make the journey alone."
The notion
that
"traditional medicine" also includes traditional mindsets to support
it that also need to be revised is part of what makes I Was
Dying…Then I
Changed My Mind an exceptional
read.
Layers of habit, perception, predetermined
ideas surrounding health and disease, and insights needed to also be
revised in
order for real recovery to happen.
Those who have long struggled with
illnesses, ailments, addiction, or life challenges that immersed them
and their
loved ones in battles will find I Was Dying…Then I Changed My
Mind
filled with much food for thought not only about alternative approaches
to
healing, but the required psychological changes that need to accompany
any true
move towards lasting health. The spiritual component that winds into
this
process is also inspirational and enlightening.
Libraries looking for memoirs that support
physical and mental health alternatives will find that all the steps
towards
new possibilities are outlined in I Was Dying…Then I Changed
My Mind, a
memoir that is vivid, candid, and ultimately hopeful.
Return to Index
Love Queen
Mireille Parker
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-618-0
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Love Queen: The Making of a Master is a
memoir of both recovery and
discovery. What do you do when you can't travel, can't escape, and have
no job,
money, or health?
You start
over.
This
experience comes
to readers in the form of journal entries that capture Mireille's life,
from
2007 when she was a 28-year-old teacher and would-be writer to the
present day,
where she is in flux and finally forced to stay still and contemplate.
"What is it that makes me always want to be
appreciated? What is
it that needs constant reassurance of love? How can I rise above these
petty
feelings and be as strong as an anchor on the seafloor? Is it my
upper-limiting
belief that we need to be a certain way for things to be right, or else
I am
just like my parents?"
Questions
are both a
part of this journey and the reason why these journal entries reflect
life's
progression so powerfully. They bring readers not just into the milieu
of
Mireille Parker's life choices and development, but encourage
self-inspection
in her readers.
From strange
attractions and connections to the power of love and the transformative
experience of coping with its ebbs and flows, Parker brings readers
into a
world buffeted by revelations about growth, healing, and change.
Parker hopes
that the
very act of producing this book will prove cathartic: "I
am hoping that in the writing of this tale my thoughts will
form some order and my life too. I need a reason to get up and stay
awake. I
can imagine that with the regular setting down here of thoughts and
words, this
story will take on its own life and move through me like Life itself."
It
does—albeit
possibly not in the manner she anticipated.
Readers and
book
clubs that choose this memoir for its unique life experiences and
discussions
of various emotional and physical survival tactics will find much food
for
thought and debate because this book encourages deeper-level thinking
about not
just surviving, but staying present in and engaged with life.
Libraries
looking for
memoirs about growth and opportunity in adversity and life influences
will find
Love Queen: The Making of a Master
rich in its descriptions of love, life, and the challenge of learning
how to be
here now.
Return to Index
Hidden in
the Shadows
A.D. Vancise
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-691-3
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Hidden in the Shadows introduces several
unexpected facets as
twenty-three-year-old protagonist Evie Day confronts a mystery that
draws her
back to the small town of Woodsville, Arkansas; there to reveal a
well-hidden
secret that threatens to embrace her life and the entire community.
It's been
five years
since Evie left. She never wanted to come back. But, charged with
looking for
photos for her grandfather's funeral, here she is; reviewing his life,
experiencing nostalgia both for his times and her past, and
reconsidering one
photo which has always been a mystery to her.
As she
experiences
automatic writing and forces that seem to reach out from a spirit
world, Evie
finds herself confronting more than a mystery alone, but the forces
lurking in
her own psyche: "Something was
twitching beneath her consciousness. Something dark, something… ugly.
Stuck
somewhere between her subconscious and the here and now. Just out of
her reach.
Like words sitting on the tip of a tongue."
A.D. Vancise
excels
in crafting a dark, atmospheric story that moves from Evie's return
home to a
growing force that threatens to not just solve a puzzle, but take over
her
life.
The tension
is nicely
wrought, the characters strong and purposeful in their perceptions and
intentions, and the story moves nicely between personal and
bigger-picture
thinking as Evie comes to realize many startling truths about
Woodsville and
her life.
Another
device deftly
employed to inject tension into this thriller is the juxtaposition of
Evie's
third-person experiences with the first-person reflections of the
leader of a
dangerous children's foundation who has created a haven for clients.
His tastes
run to an attraction to forbidden youth.
As murderous
evil
arises, Evie's interference may prove the only cap to the deadly force
that is
miring itself in the town under the eyes of everyone.
Libraries
seeking
thrillers that are firmly based on community and individual actions,
and which
hold elements of surprise through twists and turns readers won't see
coming,
will find Hidden in the Shadows
does
a fine job of connecting the dots between a mysterious photo that
actually
holds all the answers to a young woman who navigates unfamiliar and
too-family
territory, past and present.
Return to Index
Manning a
Raptor
AA Freda
West
Point Print and Media LLC
978-1957582931
$24.99 Hardcover/$14.99 Paper
https://www.amazon.com/Manning-Raptor-Aa-Freda/dp/1957582936
Thriller
readers can here
expect another powerful interplay of the commanding personalities of
James and
his wife Sam, who navigate business, political, and personal interests
with a
forthright assertiveness that powers both their relationship and the
story's
evolution.
Here, the
Coppis head
a powerful global empire that influences (if not holds) the effort to
overthrow
governments. Their latest venture into acquiring railroads and fielding
accompanying political and economic controversy involves both
characters in a
fight that challenges not just their opulent lifestyle and ambitions,
but their
relationship with their growing family.
AA Freda
paints an
involving story of power, love, and international intrigue that carries
the
characters from their lavish lifestyle and success into the murkier
waters of
political influence and control. The obstacles and complexities that
wealth
introduces to their family life also tests ethical and moral compasses
as
employees, employers, and friends find their connections tested and
their
commitments questioned.
Events
unfold in
cat-and-mouse games that became complex as interplays between
characters
introduce further issues into the husband-and-wife relationship and the
structure they fight to preserve around their family life.
As fictional
writer
and company controller Miles Cornish surveys the above-board
proceedings and
back-room operations of the business and its leaders, it's hard to say
what
element is more commanding or compelling: the personal strengths of the
main
characters, or the issues that arise to test them.
James notes: "Sic transit gloria
mundi." When Sam questions his conclusion, he
lets her know
what someday she will have to step up to replace him as leader: “It’s Latin––an ancient Roman saying. The
literal translation is, ‘thus passes
the glory of the world.’ What it means is that ‘all glory is fleeting.’ It’s to
remind someone who is having
success that it won’t last forever.”
The
rollicking
journey of intrigue that Sam and James experience will delight both
newcomers
to their action-packed adventures and those who have enjoyed previous
Coppi
stories.
Libraries
and readers
interested in thrillers that profile two equally powerful partners in
love,
business, and foreign affairs will find Manning
a Raptor a powerful exploration that grabs with social,
political, and
psychological inspection and doesn't let go.
Return to Index
Once to Die
T.S. Epperson
Multivalent Press
9788986606408
$16.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNLTM9JS/ref
Once to Die is the first book in The
Other Side of Dead series, and
is a novel of Christian suspense that will appeal to Christian
collections
seeking blends of spiritual stories and intrigue.
Perry is
homeless and
endangered by witnessing a drug deal on the streets. Father John is
also
endangered—but by a temptation that invites him to cast aside some of
his most
treasured beliefs as he struggles with exhaustion and new possibilities.
Add an
unexpected
twist with a priest's confrontation with murder and redemption for a
sense of
the combined power of a spiritual quandary and a murder mystery under
one
cover.
Seasoned
murder
mystery fans will find many of the familiar trapping of suspense in Once to Die. However, the stakes are
higher because choices and temptations faced on the earthly plane hold
a
resounding spiritual impact on eternal life.
A flawed
character's
move from a life of independence, strength, and spiritual lack to one
awakening
to renewed possibilities of heaven drives the story, rather than the
usual
focus on mystery alone. This lends Once
to Die the attraction of philosophical, psychological, and
religious
insights that inject added value into its plot.
The story
opens with
the death of a young man. A radio report on his death laments the
tragedy of
another youth's life wasted on the streets, but this turns out to be
the tip of
the iceberg as the story moves into unexpected territory.
From the
culture and
community of the police who investigate to the spiritual sanctuary of a
weary
priest who finds the death almost more than he can bear, Epperson
creates a
multifaceted story that examines good and evil, the gray area
in-between, and
the efforts of both good and questionable men to follow the paths
ordained by
God.
The
relationship
between Perry and Father John is particularly well done, with its
contrasts
between the questions and decisions each faces and the unexpected
connections
that evolve from their association. Social expectation and perceptions
blend
nicely with dialogue that reinforces their different worlds and the
ways they
intersect.
The result
is a
mystery and Christian inspection that may contain streetwise language
and the
momentum of death and danger, but juxtaposes these traditional mystery
routes
incorporating a sense of discovery and growth that makes for a solid,
Christian-based foundation.
Christian
collections
looking for mysteries and fiction that places spiritual confrontation
at the
center of the plot will find
Once to Die an excellent,
thought-provoking story.
Return to Index
The Paper
Pirate
Dawn McIntyre
Running Wild Press
978-1-955062-18-3
$19.99
Website: www.dawnmcintyreauthor.com
Ordering: Paper
Pirate: McIntyre, Dawn: 9781955062183: Amazon.com: Books
The Paper Pirate blends humor with a cozy
mystery to invite readers
into small-town bookstore The Paper Pirate, owned by five partners who
face a
threat that targets their store and their homes. Why would bookstore
owners be
subject to peril? Because a rare book sparks greed and makes them all
vulnerable.
It doesn't
help that
the owners also harbor their own secrets. These threaten exposure under
the
close scrutiny of a crook whose search reveals more than the hidden
notes of a
wealthy man's ancestor.
The story
celebrates
both booklovers and the secret worlds books can harbor as events
unfold: “Books were my escape when I was a
lonely
kid. The characters were my friends, their adventures were my
adventures when I
wasn’t allowed to have any of my own. I started out getting my fix in
libraries, but as I grew up and could afford to build a collection of
my own I
began haunting book stores, and I’ve just never stopped. My
life has been rich because of books. My
life has been a joy because of books.”
Dawn
McIntyre's approach
creates bibliographic undercurrents that will especially attract fellow
enthusiasts of written word and intrigue alike.
McIntyre
crafts the
perfect story for small-town pursuits and scenarios, exploring book
contracts
and publishing, the possibilities of treasures hidden in plain sight,
and the
puzzles that accompany a special form of adversity that refutes logic: “But we bought the place five years ago,”
Felicia almost whined. “Did someone just realize they wanted the book
in the
past couple of weeks? And, we’re a store.
Why the hell didn’t they just waltz in and buy it?”
Why, indeed?
Much
more is taking place than is evident at first and on the surface,
making The Paper Pirate as much a
study in
hidden lives and social influence as it is a bibliofile's dream of
unearthing
treasure hidden on the dusty shelves of a book collection.
Libraries
looking for
cozy mysteries that are solidly grounded in the book world will find The Paper Pirate a fine choice.
Return to Index
The Queen's
Player
Anthony R. Wildman
Plutus Publishing
Australia
978-0-6489454-4-4
$14.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Queens-Player-Years-William-Shakespeare/dp/0648945448
The
Queen's Player:
The Lost Years of William Shakespeare Book 2 is a historical
mystery that
turns a literary figurehead into a detective. The first note to present
to
potential readers is that they need not have a prior background in
either
Shakespeare or his times. Anthony R. Wildman introduces the milieu with
an
attention to detail that injects atmosphere and background information
seamlessly into a story riddled with political and social observation:
"The
archbishop waited, fingers twitching at his robes as he tried to
disguise his
impatience while Henry of England, newly crowned as the fifth king to
bear that
name, sent packing some importunate friends from his younger days who
had come
to court in expectation of preferment. Remember
that he is but a youth, a little voice in his head kept
telling him, though he may seem older than
his years.
Listening with half his mind as the king berated his former friends, he
remembered what the old king, bent and worn with the cares of his
crown, had
said of his son: ‘a rude youth, which with grief will end his father's
days’."
This grounding in the times
is important to understanding
the plot's progression as Shakespeare becomes a key name both in
dangerous
political maneuvers between nations and in the world of Elizabethan theatre, where his literary
reputation is on the rise.
The Queen’s
Men is
not a chess move, but a troupe the young Shakespeare joins to further
his
acting ambitions. But, too soon, he finds the group and himself mired
in
affairs that seem to pull him away from his intention to become a
theatre
great.
Wildman's
meticulous
research into these times is evident in the passages of detail which
explain
the interconnections between common man and their leaders while
offering a
unique foray into young Will's investigative involvements.
Readers who
delight
in mysteries will find the added attraction of a good deal of
historical
insight enhances the realistic feel of the plot, while those who choose
The Queen's Player for its
historical or
literary references will be drawn into an accompanying dilemma that
increasingly challenges Will to operate far from his familiar artistic
comfort
zones.
From a dank
prison
cell in Verona (which Will manages to escape from) to the conflicts
which
affect his role in the acting company and his ambitions outside of
detective
work, Wildman presents a thriller steeped in both espionage and actor
experience:
"Though dressed in his usual woollen doublet and
patched hose, he
somehow managed to move and look like a young woman. It was a
remarkable skill,
to create such an illusion with nothing more than his voice and some
tricks in
the way he walked and held himself. Not for the first time, Will
realised that
this pleasant and amusing young man was also a very fine actor."
The
Queen's Player's
blend of history, mystery, and biography places it a cut above
fictional
explorations in any of these genres. Its ability to attract on
different
levels, yet keep the story line engrossingly realistic and accessible
to all
kinds of readers, makes for a story highly recommended to libraries and
individuals looking for well-detailed, nicely-researched,
intrigue-laden
fiction.
Those who choose The
Queen's Player will come away from it not only satisfied with
their time
travel journey into Elizabethan times, but with a better understanding
of
Shakespeare, steeped in the lingering atmosphere of a story replete
with
satisfyingly unpredictable twists and turns.
Return to Index
A Song for
Leonard
A.I. Fabler
Wild & Lawless
978-0-473-63843-6
$16.99 paper/$3.99 ebook
Website: https://www.aifabler.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPPW7685
"How
long is
three minutes when every second commands your attention, and every one
of them
ends up being relived over and over, until it has become a pattern in
your
DNA?"
A Song for Leonard presents a mystery of
a different ilk, opening
with the reflective passage above and moving into an unusual encounter
that
takes place in 1978 on the streets of New York City, where a beautiful
singer/songwriter is murdered on the streets. Was she a perp that chose
the
wrong victim?
One wouldn't
expect a
polite New England girl to demand money in a street mugging, to own a
small gun
to back her demand, or to smile with a mouth full of blackened teeth
like a
nightmare Medusa. Fast forward to 1996, eighteen years later, when
Charles
Bateman returns to New York City to confront his demons and the mystery
surrounding Suzanne Finch's murder and the implication of Charles, her
intended
victim, in the crime.
Intent on
clearing
his name, Charles embarks on a journey of discovery that juxtaposes his
defense
with his investigation into the singer's motivations, life, and the
legacy of
her songs—particularly 'A Song for
Leonard', which may hold strange answers to dangerous
questions.
Readers who
follow
this New York-steeped crime story will find Charles's foray into the
arts world
inviting and thoroughly engrossing. A.I. Fabler creates an atmospheric,
tension-laden read in a tale replete with unexpected twists and turns.
The story
and
characters come to life in ways the typical murder account don't touch,
making A Song for Leonard a
powerful
investigation of New York City culture and conundrums that grabs the
imagination with many possibilities couched in a powerful series of
revelations
and self-discoveries.
Libraries
seeking
exceptional intrigue that unfolds over different social strata of New
York
City's culture and changing times will find A
Song for Leonard a standout. Its intrigue and inspection
lingers in the
mind long after resolution is reached and answers provided in this
musical
interlude of discovery.
Return to Index
A Town
Called Why
Rick Lenz
Chromodroid Press
978-0-9996953-3-3
$16.99 Paper/$6.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Town-Called-Why-Rick-Lenz/dp/0999695339
In A Town Called Why, people know detective
Frank Gaines as a man of achievement and courage. What they don't know
is that
he's also a man harboring deep insecurities and doubts. These lead him
into
therapy, where he not only tackles his problems, but falls in love with
his
therapist. Like Frank, she harbors Apache blood and special abilities
that
compliment her savvy wisdom and attraction.
It's a
recipe for
disaster when Frank's relative is murdered and therapist Sunny must
inform him
that his sacred duty is to not just find a killer, but to torture and
murder in
turn.
Rick Lenz is
adept at
capturing the natural and human worlds of Arizona:
"A Mexican gray wolf, then three, then a dozen
stare at the
desert, immense, motionless, aglow. As if with a single eye, they see
the
unshadowed forms of sheep bones, an empty prairie dog town, rabbit
brush,
piñon, creosote bushes, and a half dozen kinds of cactus. A purple
block mesa
looms ageless in the distance. The only noise, apart from the insects,
is a
gourd rattle, sounding like a diamondback in an upside-down kettledrum
on a
sheet of granite."
Ordinarily,
readers
can expect a certain supportive atmosphere to accompany any mystery.
But Lenz
looks to achieve more than a casual backdrop, steeping his characters
and their
dilemmas in the culture, environment, and influences of Arizona and its
native
peoples. This adds an extra element of intrigue by embedding mysticism,
moral
and ethical dilemmas, and Native American heritage into the mix of a
murder
mystery.
Add a dash
of romance
for a sense of the appeal and complexity of A
Town Called Why, in which a seasoned detective finds his own
moral compass
tested and pointing in a different direction than his career has
dictated in
the past.
These
insights extend
beyond Frank's special form of angst and into general observations
about his
job:
"...police work can also be self-serving and
worse—at least for
some cops. It can also be lonely. Sometimes, it’s like being a little
boy,
playing … pretending to be tough, like people are looking at him with …
maybe
not always respect, but at least they pay attention to him. Most people
know
he’s there to keep the peace as skillfully as possible. They can’t see
into
whatever his little insecurities might be. Why would they want to?
Except now
he’s off where people couldn’t possibly be looking in on him; he’s all
by
himself, wandering up some godforsaken excuse for a road toward some
other
desolate soul."
A Town Called Why is a vivid portrait of
self-doubt, new
directions, cultural and social influences, and murder that places
Native
American communities and ideals in the center of a detective's
unfolding
revelations.
The
philosophical
reflections on the part of more than one character are exceptionally
revealing:
"She wonders about her generous
nature. But that’s never taken her anywhere useful. No matter how kind
she is,
or reasonable, or even a twisted sort of honest sometimes, she’s still
... what
she’s always been."
Libraries
and readers
that look for remarkable stories of cultural identity and discovery
couched in
murder mystery scenarios will find A Town
Called Why an outstanding read. Tense, character-driven, and
culture-steeped, it is filled with atmosphere and intrigue tempered by
unexpected twists and turns that keep both Frank and his readers
thoroughly engaged.
Return to Index
Werewolf for
Hire
Sue Denver
JGF Press
978-1959431824
$11.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Werewolf-Hire-Sue-Denver/dp/195943182X
Werewolf for Hire is the first novella in
the Sara Flores, Werewolf
P.I. series, and follows the
supernatural mystery of an investigator who just so happens to have
been turned
into a werewolf. Sara thinks she might be the only werewolf on the
planet, but
she may not be alone. She never thought she'd be taking on P.I. cases
in her
new form, but she can't turn down Lillian Knudsen. Not
when the woman
believes she is a murder target, and that Sara's special skills could
save her.
Sue Denver
creates a
riveting story that juxtaposes the struggles of a P.I. facing changes
to her job,
skill set, and life with the equally monumental struggles of an
ex-military
amputee woman who faces an unknown adversary on American turf.
As Lillian
and Sara's
new worlds collide in an unexpected way, new friendships evolve, along
with
controversies that test the mindset, recovery process, and future
prospects of
each woman (or, should we say, woman and woman/wolf?).
Transforming
hurts.
That's only one of the new realities Sara faces in her new form as she
goes to
bat for Lillian, only to find the battle has become personal on her own
turf,
affecting her future possibilities and survival potential, as well.
Werewolf for Hire builds its strength
upon not just mystery, but
growth and discovery as each main character reaches for a different
life carrying
the baggage from the past along with them.
Intriguing
moments
personalize Sara's discoveries about her new condition to add a touch
of wry
humor to her inspections:
"She never screamed from the pain of transforming.
Not because she
was holding it in. Sara wanted to scream more than anything. She
screamed
inside her mind with all the power she could give. But nothing came
out. Sara
suspected it was a werewolf evolutionary thing. They wouldn’t have
lasted into
the 21st Century if they screamed when transforming."
The special
blends of
military and civilian issues, PTSD from different sources, and the
mixed
signals of the living and dead create an especially vivid story that
entertains
and involves on different levels of intrigue and psychological
inspection.
Werewolf for Hire is especially highly
recommended for libraries
seeing patron interest in paranormal as well as P.I. scenarios. This
intersection, combined with the added attraction of psychological
growth and
discovery, also should place Werewolf for
Hire on the radars of book clubs interested in
thought-provoking mysteries
that go one step beyond the usual whodunit (or, who will do it)
scenario.
Return to Index
Bewitching a
Highlander
Roma Cordon
CamCat Books
9780744305074
$17.39
Hardcover/$16.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
Website: www.camcatpublishing.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Bewitching-Highlander-Roma-Cordon-ebook/dp/B09RGRT53G
Bewitching a Highlander blends Scottish
romance with supernatural
overtones as it follows healer Breena MacRae's search for her missing
father.
This endeavor leads her into the clan hold of the Campbells, where she
encounters fiery leader Egan Dunbar.
Attraction
between
the two supercharges their missions and secrets as each dances around
the
question of heritage, romance, and separate quests that might lead to
betrayal
and family threat.
By injecting
the
story with more than issues of attraction, Roma Cordon creates a
magnetic pull
towards physical and psychological revelations through descriptions
steeped in
powerful force:
"His lips searched, probed, then devoured hers,
they were warm,
strong, sinful, and wicked against hers. The taste of mint leaves on
his lips
made her delve further into the kiss. Breena fought to breathe, caught
up in
this whirlwind of luscious emotions that tugged and flooded her. It was
like
what she’d imagined happening if she drank an entire bottle of port
wine,
multiplied a hundred times."
While it's
evident
that romance readers are the primary audience for this story, look
deeper to
discover more themes ranging from the wealth and opulence that divides
clans
and individuals to the influence of history on the evolution of rival
clans and
secrets that reach from the past to affect the future.
Steeped in
Scottish
traditions, influences, and flavor and seasoned with a romantic
interlude that
draws each character from familiar territory and preset notions into
new
worlds, Bewitching a Highlander is
about wielding love as a force of discovery, redemption, and
transformation.
As events
draw close
to a confrontation with the Campbells and matters of their own hearts
and
family roots, Breena and Egan's different perspectives and heritages
coalesce
in unusual twists that will keep romance readers guessing about
outcomes and
motivations.
Are they
willing to
risk sparking a clan war for love?
Libraries
looking for
steamy romances well steeped in cultural exploration and historic
events will
find Bewitching a Highlander a
compelling historical romance that holds the power to attract on
different
levels.
Return to Index
The
Blanchard
Witches: Stitches in Time
Micah House
Kendrell Publishing
979-8-9856075-7-4
$26.95 Hardcover
Website: https://www.blanchardwitches.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Blanchard-Witches-Stitches-Time/dp/B0B5Y6HV3Y
The Blanchard Witches: Stitches in Time
continues the story
introduced in Prodigal Daughters,
starting
where the last story left off—with the disappearance of family member
Beryl.
This third book in the series expands family relationships and
realizations as
the witches move through both familiar and unexpected territory on a
journey
that tests both their paranormal abilities and their survival.
The current
leader of
the coven, Artemis, finds her edict to guide the family greatly
challenged by
forces both within and outside its circle as more members vanish before
their
eyes and the entire family structure is threatened. Who will be next?
Everything
is about
to change in a way even wise elder Zelda can't see coming. She knew
about
Beryl—but the others were a surprise even to her.
As
connections
between witches, blood Blanchard kin, and wry irony intersect with the
growing
mystery, readers are introduced to a realm in which family ties are
tested by
their own members.
Micah House
cultivates an undertone of discovery which traverses generational
differences
and individual and clan abilities alike. Dialogues and new
considerations
create surprising insights: "Can you
guys imagine what’s going to happen whenever we find a way to get
everyone back
and we tell Fable—militantly atheist Fable—that there is a God, and
it’s her
big sister!”
Readers may
not
expect the time travel component which intersects with family lives and
experiences, but this adds to the paranormal fantasy elements to create
a vivid
timeline of unexpected connections, family secrets, and intrigue
solidly rooted
in Southern traditions and culture.
These
revelations, in
turn, encourage thought-provoking assessments of powers and their
underlying
influences: "How could she be
expected to police thought. A
person couldn’t help what thoughts crossed their mind. But she’d been
thinking
about it lately and had come to the conclusion that the thought itself
wasn’t
the catalyst, it was her speaking the thought which turned it into a
spell."
As further
details about
the Blanchard family unfold, prior series readers will especially
appreciate
the time taken to evolve further inter-generational connection. An
attempted
rescue via time travel creates a deadly repetitive cycle that traps a
would-be
savior in a fatal loop of past and present conundrums. The Blanchard
family's
incarnation through various timelines and influences between past,
present, and
future evolves a delightful foray into possibilities that are affected
by
choice, motive, and surprising family identities.
Readers of
paranormal
fiction and libraries looking for standout series reads will find this
latest addition
to the Blanchard family saga a riveting story that juxtaposes love,
proactive
efforts, and paranormal heritage in a moving saga that's hard to put
down and
impossible to predict.
Return to Index
The Bones of
the
World
Betsy L. Ross
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-694-4
$18.99 Paper/$26.99 Hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com
"Here
we are
again. How can it be that we don’t learn, that we clutch at low-hanging
branches of wrongs and misunderstandings from the past, fearful always
of
difference? Why this continuing predisposition toward creating
otherness?"
It's rare to
see a
novel about suffering, redemption, religious clashes, and social
inspection
blended with a time travel piece that tests the patterns and illusions
of
different cultures and peoples, but The
Bones of the World speaks the language of pain and contrasts
experiences
ranging from Holocaust to Inquisition through Rachel's observant eyes.
The first
note to
make about this story is its lovely associations between myth and
reality.
Rachel awakens in a strange mansion, having been delivered by Harry,
who may
have drugged her to take her away from danger and protect her.
The rich
inspections
and contrasts between mythical figures and the strange reality Rachel
finds
herself floundering in create a powerful surreal atmosphere from the
start: "Inside the high stone walls, oaks
just visible from Rachel’s second-story window reached for the heavens,
dreaming of the selfless beanstalk that gave its life to provide for
Jack and
his mother." This sets the stage with a sense of place that
continues
to steep the novel with "you are here" immersive experiences.
Characters
(such as
Inés, charged with honoring the Ancestors by tending their tombs, even
though
the Children are her latest charges) are introduced to reflect the
nature of
loss, survival, and ghosts that haunt the living, dead, and graveyards
alike.
Ross is a
master of
contrasts as different worlds collide: "The
first time the teenaged boys, festooned in red, white, and blue,
appeared on
the streets of the old city with automatic rifles, Rachel had been
returning
from a night at the opera."
Among the
astute
historical and social inspections that move Rachel from past to present
are
thought-provoking questions about the choices her Jewish people have
made to
survive, and the costs they may have unwittingly incurred as a result.
This gives
the novel
an added layer of social and philosophical reflection that will lend to
book
club debate as Rachel navigates Ghetto experiences, the Golems of
Jewish legend
and their various forms, her incarnation as Sariah, living in Portugal
before
the Inquisition changes her life, and disappearances that terrorize the
Jewish
community facing new survival tactics and choices during the Holocaust.
Rachel's
legacy
brings with it the mandate to decide how she will react to and live
with her
peoples' history of ancestral suffering. These are far from reasonable
times,
as Ross points out. Indeed, has reason ever guided the Jewish people to
lives
not infused with trouble?
As Rachel's
proximity
to an enchanted cemetery forces her to re-examine her history and
progression,
readers receive a story that is thought-provoking in its contrasts of
worlds
and the familiar patterns seemingly disparate situations evolve.
Ross's novel
is
atmospheric, compelling, and thought-provoking.
Ideally, The Bones of the World will not only
become part of any Jewish fiction library, but will be profiled as a
book club
or reader group discussion option lending to revised inspections of
Jewish
experience and tradition as "lives are left unlived" and everything
changes.
Return to Index
Clara in a
Time of
War
C.J. McGroarty
Atmosphere Press
978-1639884315
$18.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Clara-Time-War-C-McGroarty/dp/1639884319
Clara in a Time of War is set in 1777
Pennsylvania, where wife
Clara is holding down the farm while her husband Malachi is off
fighting the
war. Faced with responsibility for family, work, and far from her
Philadelphia
urban roots, Clara is both exhausted and lonely. When she helps a
wounded man who
winds up in her carriage house, Clara receives the first indication
that her
set life will be changed not just by war, but by love.
A vivid
first-person
introduction sweeps readers into Clara's reflections and story: "I
can
only tell you, forthrightly as I may, how my life, my old life, you
might call
it now, was swept away as capriciously as a leaf in the wind and some
other
life put in its place."
As she moves
into
unfamiliar territory, developing an emotional attachment to the wounded
man
while awaiting her husband's return, Clara finds the ripples of war
reaching
her doorstep in many different ways.
On its
surface, Clara in a Time of War
would seem to be
a love story about kindred spirits who touch in a time of crisis. Dig
deeper to
discover that this is a story of a woman's blossoming in a way that
refutes her
life's values, trajectory, and commitments on many different levels.
The war
provides a
backdrop of transformation and change. This, in turn, brings Clara into
a
milieu in which she observes stranger Decan O'Reilly's manners
affecting not
just her own life, but the habits and responses of her family:
“Rob
wants to learn Irish,” he said.
“And you will be his tutor,” said Declan.
“Right enough,” Jamie declared and went back to his seat.
Right enough. Something else of
Declan O’Reilly’s that
over the last few weeks had become my son’s.
The result
is a
powerful review of the secrets, transformations, and challenges that
war brings
even to isolated pockets of rural life.
Clara's
story of a
stranger's impact on her world is captivating, injecting history and
politics
with emotional ties that prove hard to put down and thoroughly
compelling.
Libraries
looking for
historical novels about early America will find that history comes to
life in
this powerful story of Clara's transformative experiences.
Return to Index
Distress
&
Determination
James Wollak
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-546-6
$19.99
www.atmospherepress.com
The title of Distress & Determination doesn't
portend
a genre read in either Regency or historical fiction, but James Wollak
incorporates elements of both as he reveals the trials not of the usual
young
woman associated with Regency-based novels, but young gentleman
Frederick
Darcy. His self-confidence and legacy is tested when, not even twenty,
he finds
himself assuming the role of the master of Pemberley estate.
Wollak
prefaces the
story with a somewhat daunting cast of characters both within and
outside the
Darcy family. The Lintons, Duvalls, Rutledges, and other families are
also
listed which may introduce the feeling that this novel will be weighty
and
laden with many personalities and perspectives. Readers will be
delighted to
learn that the complexity is accompanied by a story cemented in action
and
psychological allure.
As the story
opens,
Frederick has been expelled from Cambridge for gambling and behavioral
issues,
sent home in disgrace to face a father who had expected so much more
from his
son. In fact, Frederick resisted temptation, and readers gain the first
sense
that this young man has a moral compass that could serve him well in
the trials
to come.
As he
becomes
conflicted over his legacy and its impact on his life, readers follow
the
familial and interpersonal relationships which test this moral compass,
and the
lessons his relatives try to impart to him about not just his role as
the
Master of Pemberley, but its impact on his freedom:
“...on the one hand it is very attractive to talk
about freedom and
think that you can do anything you please; but there are few people who
can
truly do so.” She looked at him. “Such freedom is for monarchs, or
itinerants
and vagabonds—not for a gentleman like your father, or even those who
honestly
earn their living in trade.” She thumped her cane. “As far as I am
concerned,
you can have freedom. You know that I admire those who perform their
duties and
carry out their responsibilities.” He nodded. “Yes, I can see that you
think
your path has been determined for you; no more choices for you, it
seems. But
do you think I was ever able to go off and do exactly as I pleased?”
This passage
exhibits
one of the many strengths of the novel, following a new adult into
adult
choices, consequences, and experiences. All lead Frederick to assume
the reins
of a more commanding role in his family, relationships to his sister
and
others, and in his own life.
For every
young man
who has chafed at the burden of a legacy and the responsibilities it
imposes,
Frederick's role and confrontations will prove not just understandable,
but a
strong emotional draw. The story invites discussion and food for
thought over
social propriety, personal values, and the trust and forgiveness a
family both
cultivates and struggles with.
James Wollak
creates
a moving saga that follows this young man into adulthood and the world
of 1835
as he navigates many obstacles, from social and familial expectation to
his own
sense of self and his role in family and life.
Libraries
looking for
Regency-based coming-of-age stories that use a young man's evolutionary
process
to cement a story of growth will find Distress
& Determination a powerful story. It is aptly named,
steeped in
involving scenarios and personal relationship issues, and thoroughly
reflective
of the Regency times and values that affected society in the 1800s.
Return to Index
Fade to Blue
Hank Scheer
Top Reads Publishing
9781970107357
$16.99
Paper/$4.99 ebook
Order: https://www.amazon.com/Fade-Blue-Hank-Scheer-ebook/dp/B0BS4DXMFJ/
Website: https://www.topreadspublishing.com/book-list/fade-to-blue/
Combine a
thriller
story with the ethical inspection of an overworked medical researcher
convinced
that her work can change the world for the foundations of a powerful
examination of medical possibility and danger that is Fade
to Blue.
The story
opens with
pain ... Sarah's pain, as she struggles to rebuild her stamina after
quitting
smoking. This effort accompanies a brutal work schedule surrounding the
search
for a treatment for Alzheimer's that could change the world.
It all could
be so
much easier if she were free to conduct the one forbidden experiment
that could
result in real change. The lure proves too much as Sarah gives in to
her
convictions that her research is illuminating a path of positivity that
others
can't see, only to find that, in fact, its results introduce a
nightmare,
involving her in terrorism and brain-destroying power.
Hank Scheer
crafts a
powerful story and a set of characters that swirl around Sarah's
decision with
equally significant objectives and perspectives that clash in unusual
ways.
There are
chase
scenes, foreign backdrops, and forces set in motion that jeopardize not
only
Sarah's life and her purpose, but the results of an experiment gone
dangerously
awry. As deaths
mount and Sarah finds
herself far from her objectives and her supportive friends, readers
follow her
into a world replete with ethical and political twists.
Scheer
masterfully accents the changing landscapes and situations that
move from a research's illicit decision to lives and nations affected
by the
release of a new force of adversity and challenge into the world. He
navigates
Sarah's changing perceptions with a deft hand to outlining criminal and
legal
special interests alike; both of whom intersect with Sarah's life in
unpredictable ways.
Thriller
readers (especially those interested in medical conundrums
which lead the protagonist into uncharted ethical territory) will
relish how
the technological and medical aspects of the story neatly dovetail with
individual
perspectives and special interests.
Libraries
seeking medical thrillers which do a fine job of adding
international intrigue into their mix will find Fade to Blue a
powerful story
of pain, redemption, and an earth-shattering mission to deploy a drug
which
could be used for good or evil, depending upon who controls it.
The strong
characters, fast-paced action, and ethical dilemmas create
thought-provoking
reading suitable for book club discussion, contrasting nicely with
other
standout medical thriller genre reads.
Return to Index
The Fall of
Faith
Jeff Berney
BAQJAC Entertainment
978-1-7343921-4-2
$21.99
Hardcover/$12.99 Paper/$7.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Faith-Jeff-Berney/dp/1734392150
The Fall of Faith doesn't sound like it
will be a thriller, but a
delve into the story reveals that its roots lie not just in religious
discourse, but in a plot that revolves around sin, survival,
redemption, and
death.
The story
opens with
trucker Jimmy consuming food in a diner at the crack of dawn. Jimmy
displays a
style of pondering that feels unusual for a truck driver: "As he stared at his receding hairline, he
acknowledged, if only
to himself, that his life had been filled with neither luck nor
courage. He had
always been more comfortable inside himself than out in the world."
Perhaps it's
because
he's now on the cusp of giving up the trucker life. Perhaps it's
because other
changes are also on the edge of moving his life into unpredictable
directions.
His run-in with a senile old man is just one experience that changes
everything
overnight, moving him into a life that juxtaposes death and faith with
transformation.
Jeff Berney
takes the
time to inject evocative atmosphere into this story:
"He loved the fall in Missouri, and especially in
his hometown of
Kansas City. The air had a crispness about it that woke your senses.
Sounds
traveled farther. And the leaves would turn shocking colors of reds,
oranges
and yellows before raining down like a firestorm to the cold ground
below.
Jimmy felt more alive when the rest of the world was preparing to
hibernate."
Metaphors
and
insights permeate a tale replete with the unexpected as characters
inject
further thoughts and dilemmas into Jimmy's life:
"You can quit. Leave your girl and your pride
behind and ride off
into the sunset. But you know why the movies always fade to black as
the hero
rides into the sunset? Because if they lingered on that shot too long,
you’d
see nothing special happens when you ride away. The next town is the
same. Your
problems ride shotgun with you wherever you go.”
The chance
encounter
Jimmy has with a stripper reveals a secret that not only shakes him,
but the
town and the world he's so carefully construed and moves through.
Berney's
story is
anything but the usual genre read. Its characterization, plot
progression, and
the detailed, realistic atmosphere of Missouri and Kansas that come
alive under
Berney's hand leads readers into realms which are entirely
unpredictable.
This is just
one of
the compelling aspects that make The Fall
of Faith a journey into more than murder and belief, but an
examination of
life changes that lead an ordinary trucker into a world he never saw
coming.
Libraries
seeking
suspenseful stories that embrace philosophical, psychological, and
social
influences will find all these elements and more in The
Fall of Faith, which is highly recommended for readers
seeking
surprises in powerful writing.
Return to Index
A Florist
Called
Daisy
Elsie G. Beya
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-695-1
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
A Florist Called Daisy features a sassy,
proactive, independent
woman who has not added "pursue a man" to her to-do list—until she
attends the after party of the indie band Cardinal and encounters its
lead
singer, Stewart Burns. A celebrity crush is not her style, but Daisy
Gordon
experiences an attraction that moves her from her usual comfort zone of
observer to being an active participant in Stewart's world.
Stewart does
more
than bring out the best in her. He questions her inherent pessimism
about life:
“'She thinks everyone she loves will
leave her,' Nan answers for me. I sigh, pushing my teeth together. They
do.
Eventually."
Humor drives
the story
line, injecting interpersonal clashes that come as much from Daisy's
encounters
with those around Stewart as with her own heart:
“It's not what it looks like!” I shout out as I
chase her, the steps
have never seemed so steep, so mountainous.
Izzie bursts through my bedroom door with such force, she could have
easily ripped the hinges out.
“It looks like you’re shagging Stewart from Cardinal!” Izzie screams.
Then yes, it is what it looks like.
As Daisy
struggles to
maintain control of situations she sees spiraling out of control,
readers
follow her floral-wrapped foray into romance with an eye to
understanding the
thoughts and trials of an independent woman who finds herself involved
in a
romance that's over the moon—and clearly over her head.
Elsie G.
Beya does a
fine job of exploring the life of an already-strong woman who tackles
love with
the same degree of clarity and force that has made her successful in
business
and life, only to find that old habits don't work well in new
situations.
Her
depiction of
Daisy's struggle to not only admit her heart, but tell Stewart that she
loves
him, and how this effort is thwarted by his lifestyle and other
relationships,
makes for a moving saga that is at once fiery, dramatic, and thoroughly
understandable.
Powered by
the firm
and boisterous personality of a woman who doesn't take no for an
answer, A Florist Called Daisy will
attract
women who enjoy their romances laced with emotional growth and
revelations that
move beyond relationship-building to personal empowerment and maturity.
Libraries
seeking
romance reads that depict an "anxious coward" will find this story of
a character that is firmly rooted in the world of flowers and growth to
be
absorbing, filled with unexpected twists and turns that bring Daisy and
her
readers closer to a depth of love that can withstand public inspection.
Return to Index
Hiking Underground
Amy Smiley
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-592-3
$17.99
www.atmospherepress.com
"Was the whole world dreaming, or just one young
woman?"
Hiking
Underground is a novel about
ordinary daily life in New
York City that assumes the surreal overlay of descriptive personal
experience.
It opens with the chapter 'I.Alice', which poses the image of a woman
who "...always
walked between two worlds, so it was hard to say where one began and
the other
ended."
The juxtaposition of these milieus leads
Alice and her readers into her past and present, from recovering from a
tonsillectomy as an adult to rejecting the vapid reactions and
popularity of
teens in favor of an individualistic attitude that leads a boy to love
her
because "...it was the very thing that made her beautiful,
said the
first boy who ever loved her—that way she had of expressing what lived
inside
of her, while others seemed to rove around, staring into cyberspace as
they
chatted from the sides of their mouths."
From her
middle-class
New Jersey roots into adulthood, Alice has been stirred and shaken by
the
influences and tides of society and her own role as an outside observer
during
much of it. Between her relationship to mother Jenna, who observes her
daughter
with mixed pride and puzzlement, to the tides of life which wash her
from past
memory to present-day experiences and choices, Alice's world and
conundrums
come to life with simple, yet powerful reflections: "It
was all she ever wanted, to love with ease and laugh with
ease. To just be."
Her father
Hank might
also wonder about the inevitable progression of his life away from its
dreams:
"For all she knew, her father, Hank, was at his
desk at that very
moment, staring off into space and measuring the gulf between himself
and the
world around him, full of disgust for family, work, and all the other
absurd
conventions that pinned him down when what he really wanted from life
was
adventure. That was gone now, beaten out of him, and it was getting
harder to
find a reason to go on doing anything at all."
Amy Smiley
draws this
family's disparate individuals and their dreams together with the
deftness of a
tightly-knitted emotional quilt of dreams. She captures, within this
overlay, a
sense of life's changes and the unexpected influences that both attract
and
pull apart individuals, families, and relationships.
Her close
attention builds
atmospheric detail, philosophical and psychological reflection, and
close
inspection other characters' lives (such as Emma, who tackles the
challenges of
motherhood with an attention to detail that belays any insufficiencies
in
traditional approaches):
"But when it came to assuredness, one could find it
in the way she
gripped rocks and branches on a steep hike, or how she could reveal the
essence
of an object in a drawing, or how she could become one with the rain
when she
ran across a soaking lawn. So motherhood was not a thing she took for
granted,
ever, and doubted it was even a universal condition. Every day brought
with it
different demands, challenging her to figure things out as best she
could."
Son Adam
reflects
part of his mother's fluid fascination with life's realities and
demands: "When did a person enter sequential
history, Emma wondered. And at what age would Adam distinguish his
imaginings
from real possibility? She wasn’t sure she always lived by such
distinctions
herself."
As mother
and son
move through urban and nature worlds, the paintings and metamorphosis
that
links Emma, Adam, and Alice become evocative dances that move through
seemingly
disparate personalities to make deft connections.
The result
is a novel
that reaches out and grasps the heart of life's progression and the
family
relationships that form, break away, then rejoin in unexpected ways.
Libraries
looking for
powerful stories of everyday life juxtaposed against the undercurrent
of
extraordinary abilities and observations will find the descriptions and
connections of Hiking Underground
a surreal, compelling attraction.
Return to Index
A History of
Silence
Cynthia J. Bogard
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-633-3
$19.99
www.atmospherepress.com
A History of Silence opens with a
startling prologue set in 1986
Texas, which depicts a murder scenario:
"Professor Johnny Wharton the Fifth had finally
found the ultimate
way to keep us all talking about him. He’d gotten himself murdered,
bled out
all over the expensive Persian rug that graced the floor of his
spacious
office. Stabbed to death with the office scissors, I’d heard from our
department secretary, Maria, her voice hushed and excited...Even in
death, the
man had a huge ego. His funeral had to be held in an architecturally
interesting, historically important church built circa 1855."
The wry
sense of
humor cultivated in Maddie's introduction continues (albeit under
different
circumstances) as the story moves back in time. Events follow how the
professor's daughter Jenny runs away to Madison, accepts the overtures
of a
scary friendship despite her alienation from her past and determination
to
remain free and solo, and then becomes involved in a web of
disappointments and
changes that reverberate through her present and past lives.
Maddie and
Jenny
aren't the only characters Cynthia J. Bogard cultivates in her story.
As
Maddie's lesbian lover leaves her against all odds and Johnny's wife
Liz seeks
to reconnect with her daughter, a web of deceit, realization, and
discovery
evolves that spins a different kind of yarn as four women's lives
intersect and
connect in unpredictable ways.
Each
character's
voice is represented in alternating chapters which bring these
disparate
attitudes and perceptions to life:
"It was hard to keep trying, hard to keep giving
when silence and
insults were your only rewards. It was hard to keep caring, a shameful
thing to
admit about your own flesh and blood, your only daughter, your only
child. But
when Johnny’s sorrow could be heard in his voice, or times like this,
when
Jenny’s contempt for me was written in red on a birthday card envelope,
I found
myself wishing I had had a son instead — or no children at all."
Jane Meyer's
growth
involves acknowledging the price a father has imposed as a legacy to
his
wayward daughter. It also involves acknowledging the cost of her own
infatuation with a college professor who treats her as other than a
grandfather
or mentor. These realizations lend to vivid scenes in which a teaching
assistant assumes a very different role than she'd originally
envisioned: "It was terrifying to think
something
so illusory could cause such a lack of control in my life."
The result
is a
powerful interplay between disparate women who each circle around
Jonathan and
their own goals for their futures.
Libraries
looking for
women's fiction that builds quiet psychological drama based on a
central
figure's violent and dangerous tendencies will find that A
History of Silence creates a vibrant story of what happens
not
only when women are silent, but when they roar.
Book club
discussion
groups will find A History of Silence
replete with themes that lend to debate and closer inspection.
Return to Index
Holy Water
Robert Schwab
Warren Publishing
978-1-957723-64-8
$18.95
www.warrenpublishing.net
Holy
Water is the coming-of-age story
of new adult (and
would-be doctor) Landon Ratliff, who has come to New Orleans to pursue
his
passion for healing people. Instead of immersing himself in traditional
medicine,
he confronts the passion and purposes that brought him to this point
and
profession, encountering alternative ideas in the process.
The first note to make about Holy Water
is its astute examination of not just a career, but life's meaning.
Landon is
an impressionable young man new to the wider world, and New Orleans
culture
offers not just opportunity, but insights into the diverse and changing
nature
of that world—and his place in it.
From the story's opening lines, it's evident
that young Landon is not your typical staid medical student, but holds
the
uncommon ability to see life in a very different way: "If you
tattooed
a map of the United States onto the tanned, toned back of a pretty girl
in a
skimpy top, the Mississippi River would coincide roughly with the
course of her
spine."
Anatomy never looked so good—and neither has
the story of an aspiring doctor.
The time is 1993—the perfect setting for a
journey of discovery. This sense of extraordinary events to come
emerges even
during a plane trip and the observation of the map of America that lies
below
him which is, here, compared to the opportunities offered by the
opposite sex:
"Where
her
neck muscles came together would be Minnesota. Her scapulae would be
somewhere
around St. Louis; New Orleans
was hidden under the beltline of her shorts. Like most single
twenty-six-year-old men, Landon pondered the mysteries of her New
Orleans area,
then dismissed any thought of striking up a conversation."
This literary descriptive tone lends an
inviting aura to a story that sashays through medical and social
challenges
alike, steeping Landon's world in an added New Orleans flavor that
pulls him
away from preconceived notions of his training to become a doctor.
As he is forced to confront memories that he's
kept hidden, Landon finds his future is at stake. His long-time mentor
Kiki
confronts the forces changing his relationship with Landon as he moves
into a
love entanglement that also introduces currents of change.
Robert Schwab builds an exquisite, delicate
tension from Landon's life that at times demonstrates flowery,
compelling
language and at others assumes the languid flow of daily life and
realizations
of growth: "There was a girl and music and a place to learn
who he was
and what he could become."
People are entitled to their secrets. Even
doctors. What Landon experiences in the course of immersing himself
both in
medicine and in the culture of New Orleans becomes a lesson in love,
complex
entanglements, and the introduction of fate and fortune that leads him
on an
unexpected journey.
With its
troubled
waters that are stirred by new revelations and unexpected chance
encounters,
Landon's world comes alive through metaphor and experience to reach out
and
grasp a wide audience:
"...he needed an anchor, something to remind him
who he was. It
seemed as if everything had changed. Even the river, so golden and
beautiful at
sunset last night, was an angry mess now, belching trash and tree parts
into
the gaps between the rocks guarding the levee."
Libraries and readers looking for novels
replete in New Orleans flavors that follow a blossoming young man from
his
career ambitions to personal success will find Holy Water an
evocative
read.
Return to Index
In the Event
of Death
Kimberly Young
Post Hill Press
978-1-63758-666-2
$28.00
Hardcover/$14.99 Kindle
Website: www.Kimberly-young.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Event-Death-Novel-Kimberly-Young/dp/1637586663
In
the Event of
Death is a novel
about
childhood trauma and its ongoing impact on Liz Becker, a mother, wife,
and
business owner, decades later. An event planner in Silicon Valley, Liz
struggles in 2008 when an economic downturn forces her to become
involved in
end-of-life events she's always avoided lest they dredge up troubling
memories
of the past.
Liz fears
death. Her
new business venture demands that she face those fears—and when she
does, all
hell breaks loose.
Planning
memorial services
entails many of the same trappings as planning a celebration, with
flowers,
speeches, and food, but Liz knows the stakes are completely different.
She must
balance the need to support her family with the emotional toll of
reliving the
loss of her younger sister when Liz was just ten years old. Liz becomes
immersed in a journey that threatens to upend the stability she has
fought to
maintain since childhood, but which ultimately leads to healing and
recovery.
Kimberly
Young's
moving story of life, death, and the generational experiences in
between,
creates a study in survival tactics. Liz grapples with
unforeseen
pitfalls in her business, changing dynamics within her family, and
disturbing
revelations about her sister’s death.
Under these
challenging
circumstances, cracks in integrity and intention appear in various
characters,
setting up dramas that will grab readers’ attention and immerse them in
life’s
quandaries and questions regarding death, grief, and the way forward.
These
themes will resonate especially well with book clubs looking for
meaningful
subjects to discuss. Humor and fast pacing make this book surprisingly
easy to
read despite its sometimes dark subject matter.
Libraries
seeking
novels exploring inter-generational issues related to family life,
financial
challenges, the rituals and taboos around death, and the power of
forgiveness
will find In the Event of Death
a satisfying addition to their shelves. In the Event of Death is
a
captivating study in family secrets and revelations that ultimately
bring loved
ones together on the cusp of the "hard work of dying."
Return to Index
In the Heart
of the
Linden Wood
Ekta R. Garg
Atmosphere Press
9781639887460
$18.95
www.atmospherepress.com
"The
strength
of a heart doesn’t have limits."
In the Heart of the Linden Wood is a
story of magic trees, evil
kings, grief, and courage. It tells of Christopher, a king wracked with
sadness
upon losing his wife and child. Lily was the only person who truly
believed in
him, so her loss is an especially hard blow. Nothing can shake his
focus on
himself—until the magical trees begin to die and he is tasked with not
only
finding out why, but embarking on a mission to save them (and himself).
This
involves a quest
into the heart of betrayal, evil, and redemption. Christopher may be
unable to
mend his own broken heart, but his kingdom rests upon his ability to
regain the
self-confidence and strength which he had placed in his wife's hands.
Christopher's
search for the courage and heart to rule Linden is, in effect, a search
for his
own abilities and heritage, which brings him deep into a woods of his
own
making as well as those which support his rule.
Is
Christopher too
deep in his grief to leave his castle and re-enter the world to
discover its
connections and solutions?
Ekta R.
Garg's story
may seem like a classic fantasy, but under the veneer of kings,
struggles, and
magic lays an attention to emotional details that make In
the Heart of the Linden Wood as much a psychological draw as
an
adventure story.
The magic of
heart
stones reveals truths and revelations Christopher has never anticipated
at this
point in his life, bringing readers into an evocative story of
self-discovery
that holds many lessons on how magic involves strengthening the heart
by any
means possible.
The
potential of In the Heart of the Linden Wood
to draw
from a wide audience and to serve as a discussion point in reader
groups
interested in tales of self-discovery, growth, and ripples of impact in
the world
makes for a highly recommended tale that libraries will find
multifaceted and
compelling.
Christopher's
journey
of self-exploration translates to a newfound ability to direct his
kingdom onto
more positive paths of discovery, reinforcing the ideals of courage and
leadership.
Return to Index
Jayne and the Average North Dakotan
Chandler Myer
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-699-9
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
You can take
a boy
away from the Midwest, but can you take the Midwest out of the boy by
revising
his community connections? Sure you can.
LGBTQ
audiences and
libraries catering to them will find Jayne and the Average
North Dakotan a fictional study
in intriguing contrasts
as middle-aged North Dakotan Randy Larson struggles to find a place in
the gay
community. He is adopted by flamboyant drag queen Jayne Mansfield, who
introduces him to a world both familiar and alien at the same time.
Chandler
Myer injects
a wry sense of humor into razor-sharp descriptions which add elements
of
surprise into a tale that begins with a high school swim session:
"A mile-high waterspout agitates the Minot High
School indoor
swimming pool. I heroically battle the dyspeptic current, spending more
energy
calling for Mother than implementing any swim training. In my defense,
none of
the swimming instructors ever mentioned waterspouts, indoor or outdoor,
so I
looked to my usual comfort source. The razor-sharp concrete deck tears
my hand
as I pull myself to safety. Intense seasick-ness reverberates through
my body.
If I could just sleep, this would all pass. A thunderclap startles me
to
semi-consciousness. “WELL, LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN!”
Is Randy
dreaming, or
is his past catching up to his present world?
Readers who
embark on
the rollicking ride Randy experiences will find much to appreciate
about the
manner in which his transformations are delivered.
For one
thing, Myer
excels in a wry first-person sense of inspection that captures not just
Randy's
influences and conservative roots, but the changing culture which
uproots him.
As much as he fits into this world, he also has long resided outside
it—and
still does, in many ways.
His
education under
the wing of a seasoned gay culture veteran (and on his own) results in
a sea
change of emotion and conflict as Randy learns a new language and
different
forms of friendship and connection:
“Well, no, I haven’t had experience with women.
I’ve never been
interested.” His sincerity encourages me to keep talking. “And, if
we’re
honest, I haven’t had much experience with men, either.”
“That’s too bad. Why not? You’re a cute guy, in my humble opinion.”
I really want to run around like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
yelling, “He said I’m cute! He said I’m cute!” But I realize he’s just
being
nice. We’re having a conversation like real friends, and I should enjoy
that.
There is a
saying
that "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Randy
experiences this as he examines his move to Washington and whether he's
doing
it solely to recreate the life he had back in Minot. His goal of
independence
feels shaken by both the support systems and connections he's
cultivated,
accompanying the question of whether he's really finding himself, or
falling
into another pattern of dependency and convention (albeit defined in a
different manner in a new community).
Is Jayne a
fairy
godmother, or the devil?
Randy
struggles with
the well-meaning but dominating Jayne's moves to push him further and
faster
than he's willing to go (and with developing a meaningful gay romance
for the
first time in his life). His readers follow him into a milieu which is
as
astute at examining his patterns of action and reaction as in exploring
the gay
community's rich undercurrents of sexual and emotional connections.
The result
is a story
that is unconventional in its depiction of a thirty-something
coming-of-age
world; in its contrasts between straight and gay experiences; and in
vivid
characters who each reflect their origins and different perspectives of
life,
love, and everything in between.
Libraries
seeking
realistic LGBTQ novels will find Jayne and the Average North
Dakotan a study in growth,
understanding, and the
varied support systems which emerge from an "exploration year" to
revise and open a closeted life.
Return to Index
The Judges
Eric J. Matluck
Next Exit Press
979-8-9864253-0-6
$22.95
Hardcover/$16.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Judges-Eric-J-Matluck/dp/B0BS2FT5YQ
The Judges shows how much life can alter
when a simple task prompts
transformation. It tells of acclaimed pianist Mary Sorabi, who wins
First Prize
in the Graffman International Piano Competition in Philadelphia at age
thirty,
and finds her world changed because of this achievement.
The judges
who award
her this honor open the ceremony by stating that their decision was
fraught
with challenge. Mary's response is simple:
"Bullshit, Mary thought. No decision is ever
difficult. What’s
difficult is rationalizing it, especially when you have to rationalize
it to
someone else. And whose benefit is that line for? The winner is going
to think
he or she didn’t really win by that much, and the loser is going to
kick
himself or herself for having come so close but not quite making it.
Losing by
a single point is as ridiculous and cruel as being told by a doctor
that he
could have saved you had you seen him yesterday."
While these
opening
events might portend a foray into musical territory, Eric J. Matluck's
novel
takes quite a different turn, because Mary's world isn't altered by her
win so
much as by the presence of a different judging panel that appears in
her home to
assess her life. They aren't there temporarily. They are assigned to
judge
various experiences as Mary works through controversy and achievement,
only to
find her every choice rated on a different scale than she's ever known.
Matluck's
novel
embraces spiritual, psychological, and social perspectives from the
viewpoint
of a nameless observer who narrates the affairs that change Mary's
trajectory.
This multifaceted examination lends the novel a metaphysical feel that
will
attract thinking readers interested in a foray into musical circles and
higher-level considerations of their impact on ordinary audiences.
Mary is
prompted to
do much self-examination about her life purpose, art, and her impact on
the
world. This (and the presence of the mysterious judges) leads to
different
inspections of her life purpose. As an artist, a critic, and a
self-examiner,
Mary finds within her new music program and accompanying judgments
about it the
courage to reconsider her life's accomplishments.
Matluck
injects wry
humor into these inspections, but the real meat of the story lies in
its
philosophical and artistic connections between and reflections of music
and
life, which create astute and thought-provoking passages of revelation
to draw
readers on different levels:
"...she realized that she never could and never
would know what
Schumann was thinking, not because she never knew
him but because she never was
him. You can know someone as intimately as you like, but
you’ll never really know what’s running through his or her mind,
because
everybody’s thoughts are locked away; cloistered. So she started going
through
her own thoughts, letting the music conjure memories of people and
places she
knew and remembered, and by doing so the music started to reveal
itself, with
certain phrases and certain passages evoking images from her past that
meant a
lot to her. And finally, she realized, Kreisleriana
did touch her and did move her, and that was when she
understood the
magic of how music communicates."
The result
is a
powerful story that cultivates musical notes to interweave artist,
composer,
and judge, expanding the subject into the greater issues of life.
Libraries
looking for
thought-provoking stories of artistic and personal transformation will
find The Judges an astute
reflection of the
power and nature of right, wrong, and those who would define and
influence
both.
Return to Index
Memoirs of
Spurius
D. László Conhaim
Broken Arrow Press
978-0-9843175-4-7
www.dlaszloconhaim.com
At first
glance,
contemporary readers—particularly those who are not intrinsically
attracted to
the genre of historical fiction—might not realize the gem they hold in
their
hands with Memoirs of Spurius. The story
features a figure who
lived in second-century BCE Rome, and whose actions crushed the cult of
Bacchus. It will take an open mind to new possibilities in historical
writing and
one able to spot connections between the ancient and modern world to
uncover
the delights embedded in Memoirs of Spurius.
The novel draws many
parallels between the past and present, from cultism and terrorism to
the
actions of a leader whose choices not only influence but transform his
world.
D. László
Conhaim's
efforts in recreating and depicting the times are particularly notable,
given
the dearth of information about these events. Close attention to the
historical
record and archaeological evidence helped fill in many gaps. Our
narrator,
Spurius Postumius Albinus, thus comes to life as a believable character
whose
actions as Rome’s consul are understandable within the context of his
circumstances and which surprisingly foreshadow the politics of
today.
One way
Conhaim makes
his story so vivid and relevant, even for readers with little to no
prior
familiarity with ancient Rome, is in the use of the First Person to
bring
Spurius to life as he recounts and ponders his duties in bringing order
to a threatened
society:
"Still
rivaled by neighbors on the Italian peninsula, the state was weaker
then, but
by the age of my consulship we had subdued every major enemy at home
and also
abroad. Thus, when we suddenly discovered the state threatened by an
internal
foe, some of my colleagues in the Senate suggested that the gods were
punishing
us for having neglected public morals at home in favor of building the
empire.
Now, if the gods’ method of exposing our slippage was indeed to
threaten Rome
with a false and pestilent religion, then they had consequently made me
the
champion of her moral revival."
The
political and
social struggles that unfold, and the moral and ethical questions that
arise,
offer countless discussion topics for book clubs.
For
example:
"As
the cult
gained in popularity and influence throughout Italy so did the amount
of
chattel offered to the god for the maintenance and enjoyment of his
rites. Thus
the wealth of the sect burgeoned to a size comparable with the treasury
of a
small state. Through free will or coercion, people began signing away
whole
estates and bequeathing legacies to or through the cult, in effect
giving Italy
away to the Bacchanalians . . ."
Indeed, so
many
thought-provoking talking points arise from this novel that it would be
impossible for one review to detail them all. Nor would it be wise to
expose
all the elements of surprise and insight embedded in this powerful
exploration.
Suffice it
to say
that Memoirs of Spurius shatters
any notion that a work about
ancient Rome will be one weighed down by plodding facts. Under
Conhaim's hand, Memoirs of Spurius
is lively, timely,
and holds so many possibilities for debate that it earns top
recommendation for
libraries and readers alike.
Return to Index
Mother Knows
Worst
Sofia Bella Roma
Mascot Books
978-1-64543-362-0
$17.95
www.mascotbooks.com
In Mother Knows Worst, Rose knows she has
never been good at self-inspection. She has also failed at acting,
leading to
her next endeavor in life: law school. This latest effort comes with an
unexpected side dish of romance with an Indian boy that leads Italian
girl Rose
to therapy to question her trajectory and experiences.
It's Anil's
mother
who takes the lead in prompting Rose to question many things she had
taken for
granted about herself and her place in the world. As she navigates the
stormy
waters of a mother-in-law who injects resentment and discord into their
lives,
Rose comes to realize truths about her own family roots and the choices
in life
which bring her to re-examine her motivations and options.
Sofia Bella
Roma does
an outstanding job of depicting Rose's process of growth, juxtaposing
her
self-examination with the life events that lead her into positions of
discomfort.
Her
examination of
the changing roles of wives and mothers with marriage is particularly
astute,
as is her consideration of the insidious undercurrents that direct
their
influences:
"Rose felt like she was losing her mind. This was
when Rose
started saying to herself, What is in
this bitch’s cooch juice that no one can see how she manipulates? Rose
started to notice it with other mothers too. She would listen to her
friends,
and after their husbands or boyfriends would be around their mothers,
it was
like they changed and were tweaked."
From a son's
motivation for not supporting his wife and wanting his family's
approval to a
daughter-in-law's perception of a changing marriage that is heading
into murky
waters she never saw coming, Roma creates a compelling series of
psychological
interplays and revelations that are realistic and involving.
Rose faces
accusations from those outside as well as within the family as things
begin to
go awry not just between herself and her husband, but her husband and
the
world. Centering her emotions and self-respect are friends who inject
thought-provoking observations into the mix: Amy
laughed. “It may be enabling, but you had so much going on and you
did what you had to do to survive. You were in full blown survival
mode. I
think it is more complicated than saying you are an enabler.”
The result
is a
lively, thought-provoking journey into one young woman's marriage,
cross-cultural encounters, and life. Mother
Knows Worst is recommended not just for novel readers seeking
stories of
women's experiences, but for reading groups interested in the
psychological
entanglements between different cultures and generations.
Libraries
that choose
Mother Knows Worst for its
entertainment value will find much more reasons for recommending it
than its leisure
read attraction alone.
Return to Index
Pull of the
Moon
Joanne C. Parsons
Independently
Published
978-1734943634
$11.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Pull-Moon-strangers-heartache-ultimately/dp/1734943637
Edmund
Kenney is not
the kind of man to push a woman around. Even in the 1800s, the setting
of Pull of the Moon, he's a poor
Irishman
with dreams beyond struggling to survive. Maybe that's why he moves
from a
Massachusetts home and family to embark on a journey that moves him
from shame
and life between households and countries to new possibilities: "I stood tall despite my trembling legs
as my feet touched land after the long voyage. No longer the mangey
Irish
greenhand, I was Edmund Kenney, whalehunter."
Frances
Foster is an
orphaned Irish immigrant who left her home with family in search of a
better
life, only to find herself indentured and trapped in poverty and
servitude. Her
new life in America feels like "lambs going for slaughter" as she and
her sister, fifteen and sixteen, find themselves alone and buffeted in
a world
that requires them to be linked to a man, whether by marriage or in
servitude.
Where is God
when
Frances needs him? Apparently nearby, because she is called upon to
help the
frail Lenora and care for her newborn. Everything changes as she is
"sold
like a cow" and ensnared in a different manner than Lenora, who is
married
to Edmund.
Pull of the Moon follows
the journey of
three strangers, who each suffer broken promises, heartache, and
ultimately,
for some, the courage to start over. It does so with a special gift for
profiling different characters, their motivations, and the rationale
behind
their perceptions and actions, giving the story a strong psychological
depth
that keeps readers thoroughly immersed.
The strata
of social
standing in the Irish immigrant community in America come to life as
James
Wilson confronts the "shanty Irish Catholic" who would wed his
daughter, and Edmund in turn thinks little of Wilson's heritage:
“You’re a
waste of my time. Find another fish to hook. I’d be lowering myself to
marry
into your family. A bunch of fallen Catholics who didn’t have the
courage to
stand by their faith.” He sneered, “All for money.”
Little about
their
beginning relationship has to do with love. It's a practical
arrangement that
evolves into something more complicated than Edmund, his father-in-law
James,
or Frances ever could have imagined.
Joanne C.
Parsons
does an outstanding job of probing concepts of greed, slavery, and
cultural
influences that move from Ireland to Massachusetts and into forays
around the
world.
The story
moves
between third- and first-person discussions, involving readers in
different
ways as the entwined lives and loves of Lenora, Edmund, and Frances
come to
life.
Especially
notable
are the discussions of women's and men's roles in a world where love,
fairness,
and servitude aren't readily defined as they are today. Each character
is in
thrall in different ways, both by their heritage and by their
perceptions of
themselves and their roles in life.
The result
will
heavily draw historical fiction readers especially interested in the
Irish
community and its strata of relationships and social standings,
providing
strong literary writing that blends high drama with choices and
consequences
that invite understanding and new realizations.
Parsons
creates a
compelling story of three very different yet entwined lives whose
choices,
secrets, heritage and objectives bring them together in complicated
ways.
Libraries
looking for
powerful stories of the 1800s Irish community in America and especially
for
tales replete with social and psychological inspection will find Pull of the Moon especially compelling
in how it portrays these disparate lives and the forces that influence
not just
their progression, but their relationships and how they perceive
opportunity
from angst and repressive circumstances.
Return to Index
Sister
Liberty
Gregory Hill
Daisy Dog Press
979-8-218-08169-0
$16.99
Website: https://www.gregoryhillauthor.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Liberty-Gregory-Hill-ebook/dp/B0BGMMDXKF
Sister Liberty, the first volume of the
Stables Family Chronicles,
opens with an "author's note" by C.J. Stables, who recounts his birth
in 1942 and his family circle and upbringing. Actual author Gregory
Hill adds
his own introduction after this (he's identified as the 'ghostwriter'
of this
novel) that follows the family link into modern times with an added
note of
humor that permeates the story that follows.
The
ghostwriter's
challenge of traveling to the world of the 1800s to properly begin this
family
history again is delivered with the force of a writer seasoned with
humor: "It’s often said that the man who
knows
he has a small anus does not swallow coconuts. As I continue to wrestle
with
this project, I’m beginning to suspect that, in answering Mr. Stable’s
call,
I’ve swallowed the whole fucking deserted island."
The actual
tale
begins in 1885, with a murder. But the perp isn't fleeing—he's turning
himself
in.
In addition
to wry
humor, Gregory Hill excels in a sense of observation that juxtaposes
contemporary language with powerful images that contain both a sense of
place
and a strong sense of people:
"Speaking in his clusterbomb of a voice, Arthur
would pace the
cell’s hardpacked floor while Annie tidied his grammar and rendered
sensible
the overall rhetorical shape of what would be his last words. These
were the
happiest moments of a marriage that had endured twelve years of famine,
had
produced one child, and which was very nearly at its end."
As a romp
ensues to
America and through issues of religious folk, intolerance (and
tolerance),
revivals and unwritten rules, and the odd lesbian couple who find
themselves,
ironically, encountering an Indiana cult (the Solemnites, whose edict
forbids
pleasure), irony and religious satire abound which is guaranteed to
lightly
offend and generate much laughter in the process.
Under the
veneer of
social and religious connections, Hill adds a heavy dash of atmosphere
permeated by commentary that is unexpectedly wry throughout:
“Are you afraid of the werebear?”
Auguste’s eyes grew wide, his mouth dropped open. “Holy smoke! I think
I saw it last night!”
“Saw what? And it’s holy smokes,
plural.”
The result
is a
delightful romp through mystics and cults, a fractured American Dream,
an
immigrant experience of the odd kind, and the rollicking world of the
late
1800s which introduces a literary and historical flavor not to be found
elsewhere.
Libraries
seeking
entertainment and literary value will find Sister
Liberty an outstanding read that is hard to easily categorize
but easy on
the eye, destined to attract a wide audience looking for a novel that
is
thought-provokingly original.
Return to Index
The Songs of
My
Family
Jillian Arena
Atmosphere Press
9781639886579
$17.99
www.atmospherepress.com
How would
you live
your life if you were responsible for a car accident that killed a
family?
Myra Jenkins
faces
just such a quandary in the novel The
Songs of My Family after a tragic accident places the blame
and guilt
directly upon her. In the novel's opening chapter, Myra is finally
facing the
Garcia children who have lost their parents.
The eldest
child,
aged sixteen, refuses Myra's gesture of help, further identifying it as
coming
from a pat and privileged life the kids thoroughly reject:
“We are not a charity case, Ms. Jenkins. In fact,
before you killed our
parents, we were living rather comfortably. So please, don’t insult us
with
your stupid gifts and expect it to make everything all right just so
you can
sleep at night. I have to watch over my sister and brother now, and I
will not
teach them to take handouts from people like you, people who think they
can buy
their way out of anything."
Through her,
Myra
comes to realize she can never begin to make things right. Or, so she
thinks.
Life has a
way of
changing perceptions and convictions, so when unexpected events bring
her full circle
back into the kids' lives, redemption turns out to be yet another
opportunity
as these very different worlds intersect.
At first,
readers
will anticipate that The Songs of My
Family is about moves towards recovery. The high degree of
racial and social
inspection, however, reveals the kinds of connections which are
unexpected,
bringing two disparate groups together through a shared tragedy that
brings
with it new opportunities as well as grief.
The strength
of this
story lies in how these cultural and social disparities come to light
within
the needs of Myra to make amends and the kids to stay together as a
family,
even though orphaned. As readers pursue a mixed bag of experiences that
come
together under unusual circumstances, they will find within the
richness of
family connections that can be formed from shared adversity and
struggle.
Jillian
Arena's story
explores many questions about family make-up, connections, and stormy
emotional
relationships that ebb and flow with the tides of Myra's life and the
children's future prospects.
Libraries
seeking
novels about family change, growth, loss, and evolution will find The Songs of My Family a powerful tale.
It also deserves recommendation to book clubs exploring issues ranging
from
ethnic differences and perspectives to family make-up and recovery
processes.
Return to Index
To See God
Bruce J. Berger
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-157-9
$22.95 Paper/$6.99 ebook
www.blackrosewriting.com
To See God is a novel about faith, divine
missions, and a quest for
truth which arises when a devout Greek Orthodox nun experiences a
vision that
informs her that her black grandnephew in America is the second coming
of
Christ.
Because this
story
completes a trilogy, it's recommended that newcomers pursue the prior
books
before embarking on this final conclusion to an epic spiritual quest.
Faith,
family, and
distance bring together a family divided as the story introduces new
conundrums, the possibility and impact of miracles, and underlying
questions
about God's purpose and mystery.
Christian
readers
will find these thoughts engrossing and captivating adjuncts to the
spiritual
and emotional quandaries faced by each character as they struggle to
understand
both themselves and God's vision.
"There are many venerated icons of Jesus..." This
examination shakes preconceived notions of how Jesus might re-appear
and what
countenance he might assume, in the process also shaking both spiritual
and
social presumptions about the Second Coming and its incarnation.
As Jewish
and
Christian beliefs and interests clash and force social, legal,
religious and
emotional quandaries and confrontations, readers will find themselves
inspecting their own teachings and ideals about life and the nature of
Divine
missions.
To See God represents not just a process
of acknowledgment, but
discovery on many different levels as the characters interact, share a
tragedy
that leads to mourning and redemption, and ultimately consider the dual
importance and validity of Jewish and Christian family and faith.
"Are we not living proof of God’s story?"
To See God certainly is. It is highly
recommended for spiritual
readers—especially those who familiar with the prior books in the
trilogy, who
will find this concluding volume thought-provoking, essential reading.
Return to Index
Witchy
Illusions
Stephen Spotte
Open Books
978-1948598590
$17.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook
Website: https://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/witchy-illusions/about-book.html
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Witchy-Illusions-Novel-Stephen-Spotte/dp/1948598590
Witchy Illusions is set in the 1500s and
follows the trial of
fifteen-year-old Mademoiselle Ambrosine, accused of witchcraft. Readers
who
expect that events will come from her perspective will find the first
pleasing
surprise is that one Barthélemy de Chassenée, her lawyer, is actually
the chief
participant and observer of events. He employs a first-person
descriptive
prowess to bring this world to life ... albeit, from the afterlife.
The second
surprise
(especially given its serious subject) is an undercurrent of joviality
that
runs through dialogues and encounters as the protagonist interacts with
other
post-living beings and reviews the circumstances of his life and demise:
"...here
it is: Monsieur Chassenée, you are dead.”
“What?”
“You
no longer kill time, so to speak, among the living. You have become a
specter like me, a ghost. Death has struck you down, my friend. You
have acted in your last play, at least as a living being. As the saying
goes, la farce est jouée.”
“Oh, dear God!” I said.
“Révigny shook his head in mock sadness. “He can’t help.”
As events of
the
witchcraft accusation, the resulting trial, and the social and cultural
impact
of beliefs surrounding witches during these times comes to life,
Stephen Spotte
produces a wonderful, evocative story that reflects on many historical
facts
and experiences, embracing spiritual, social, and philosophical
reflection
alike:
“I’ll pause a moment and pose a question many have
pondered: if Satan
can act alone in causing any misery he chooses, why is he so eager to
encourage
witches?
I can only speculate and offer this theory. It’s probably more fun
planning and then making mischief in the company of fellow believers
than
alone. And what more delightful venue for a being who embodies ultimate
evil
than a drunken orgy?"
Magical
realism meets
historical fact head-on in a delightful exploration that presents a
feisty
young woman, a lawyer who sometimes finds himself at a legal loss, and
a
portrait of inevitability about the outcome of a trial that then takes
satisfying twists and turns into arenas of the unexpected.
While all
these
elements will delight readers of historical fiction, they also create a
vivid
dance between the drama of fictional accounts and the reality of the
times.
This will attract readers who may know little about this era, but will
find it
comes to life between the narrator's observations and the accused's
court
appearances.
Witchy Illusions is a delightful survey
of demons, legal
determinations, illusions and realities, and belief systems under
attack.
It is highly
recommended
for libraries seeking exemplary examples of how history and its
underlying
influences can come to life under the right pen, reaching beyond its
intended
audiences to those who are simply looking for entertainment. This
audience will
appreciate the surprises and insights that unfold a sense of magic with
thought-provoking material suitable for book club discussions.
Return to Index
The 7 Secret
Keys to
Startup Success
David J. Muchow
Skyhorse Publishing
978-1-5107-7064-5
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
So many
business
books on startups have swamped the market that readers might wonder
about the
need for yet another. David J. Muchow cultivates a different approach
in The 7 Secret Keys to Startup Success: What
You Need to Know to Win that sets his book apart from
similar-sounding
titles about startup operations.
For one: he
identifies, early on, the choices of supportive partners that must be
made to
reinforce the startup's position and role. These range from partners to
lawyers
and accountants. Accompanying advice tells how to best utilize these
services
to form the type of company and employee situations that best support
the
startup's objectives.
The second
chapter
moves to risk management, examining the nature of a business's risk,
how to
identify and evaluate the risks, and providing examples of common
startup and
real-world experiences of risks that led to disaster.
From
understanding
and protecting intellectual property to legally managing money and
avoiding
liability in the process of building a new business, David J. Muchow
tackles
the kinds of hard development questions that many competing business
books skim
over. He also takes a more comprehensive view of the startup process
than many
books in the field, that tend to concentrate on the usual subjects like
marketing and finance.
Perhaps this
is
because Muchow brings decades of practical and broad
experience to a wide
range of subjects, being a serial CEO, corporate lawyer, inventor,
investor,
former prosecutor, and a faculty member for Law, Business, and
Entrepreneurship
at Georgetown University.
Another
difference
lies in the book's adventure component, unusual in a business title.
Like Rich
Dad, Poor Dad, it’s entertaining to read, with a continuing
adventure story
after each chapter that illustrates the principles in the chapter. The
adventure involves Professor Scooter Magee, who travels around in his
classic
Austin Healey convertible fixing troubled startups. Along the
way Scooter
fights off mob figures and falls under the spell of a mysterious femme
fatale. Think: Professor Harrison Ford in Raiders
of the Lost Ark
meets Silicon Valley.
While
candidly
acknowledging the chaos and promise that invades the startup's new
world and
vision, Muchow adds practical real-world advice and experiences that
lead
entrepreneurs away from the typical sinkholes that would challenge or
destroy
their new venture from the start.
Advice is
specific
and candid; from new routines to instigate to considering the peril in
not
seeing the bigger picture as a myriad of smaller challenges test new
businesses
and their leaders: "You must be able
to focus while also knowing what’s going on around you that might
explode. But
how can you do this when they’re contradictory goals? There are ways
and you
need to build this into your company’s DNA by adopting the right
processes."
The 7 Secret Keys to Startup Success: What You Need
to Know to Win
does not guarantee startup success. It does
identify common pitfalls and how to avoid them to lead a business from
uncertainty onto rock-solid ground.
Entrepreneurs
contemplating a new startup, and business libraries catering to them,
will find
The 7 Secret Keys to Startup Success:
What You Need to Know to Win just the right blend of specific
instruction
and overall advice on how to tailor a winning proposal and foster it to
fruition.
Return to Index
Communication
&
Beyond
Rodney G. Miller
Parula Press
978-1-7374895-2-8
$14.99
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Communication-Beyond-Rodney-G-Miller/dp/173748952X
Website: https://communicator.rodney-miller.com/p/communication-down-under.html
Communication & Beyond deserves
inclusion in any collection
strong in higher education, educator biographies, or Australian social
innovative education processes. It synthesizes Rodney G. Miller's
encounters
and participation in the evolution of communication study and teaching
in
Australia, noting changing faculty personalities, educational mandates,
and the
growth of communications studies programs and curriculum and their
impact on
both the university and Australia as a whole.
While some
might
think that Communication & Beyond
would be of limited interest to those outside Australia, the book
outlines the
process of developing collaborative programs that moved outside
individual and
university circles to affect educational progression in many other
facets of
society. Its examination of the evolution of sociological and
ideological
interpretations of communication documents will pertain to other
countries, as
well. Its survey profiles changing institutional and governmental
culture that
affected learning strategies and ideals, improved education resources,
and led
to institutional advancements that fostered innovation throughout the
community.
The focus of
Communication & Beyond
fosters
bigger-picture thinking about the interactions between institutions of
learning
and the community, tracing the impact of new programs and ideals as
they ripple
from academic into public arenas.
Miller's
story
expands into international circles to document the effects of QUT's
development
efforts on other segments of world society, making the importance and
impact of
this survey even more evident.
Communication & Beyond's
accessible and thought-provoking
examination of human communication studies translates to an effort that
should
be not just absorbed by, but debated in educational and community
circles around
the world, joining other notable explorations of higher education
processes and
impact in libraries ranging from university to education collections
alike.
Return to Index
Communication
Essays
Rodney G. Miller
Parula Press
978-1-7374895-4-2
$15.99
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Communication-Essays-Rodney-G-Miller/dp/1737489546
Website: https://communicator.rodney-miller.com/p/communication-best-practices.html
Communication Essays provides seven
essays about the fine art of
building public debate, discourse, and communication. It is
authoritative and
key to both improving community interactions and fostering democratic
principles.
These
explorations,
written from 1979 to 2010, pinpoint the foundations of building strong
public
communication processes, considering best practices that have been
distilled
from landmark businesses displaying success because of their successful
problem-solving approaches.
The
translation from
business circles to public debate and communication objectives is
achieved with
an eye to exploring how some approaches break down and thwart the very
process
they intend to support: "When the
goal of communication is just to “get a message out,” stakeholders
understand
intuitively that their views, feelings, or perspectives are not
considered
important."
These
examples
provide important insights into various approaches to communication,
from
stylized methods to those which support principles of institutional as
well as
individual advancement, compiling benchmark approaches that have proven
to be
successful and superior.
As the
essays move
through different communication protocols and methods in different
kinds of
institutional, business, and public settings, communications students
and those
majoring in business receive a powerful set of contrasts between
different
programs and their encouragement of the types of questions and
interactions
that further their organizational strength and purpose.
The result
is a
powerful survey that displays how systematic personal communication can
foster
growth, change, and dialogues that promote organizational and community
trust
alike. Each paper comes with bibliographic references that both support
the
essay and lend to further research and reading.
A
wide-ranging
audience will appreciate these discussions, whether they are students
of
communication studies, business, government, or linguistics.
Return to Index
The Dark
Side of
Grace
Ronald Chapman
Terra Nova Books
978-1-948749-87-9
$18.95
www.TerraNovaBooks.com
Thriller
readers
interested in stories of terrorism and journalistic investigation that
delves
into spiritual and psychological dilemmas alike will find The Dark Side of Grace both a compelling
draw on various levels and
a fitting adjunct and sequel to the previous A
Killer’s Grace.
Opening in
New Mexico
with a terrorist bomb that sends reporter Kevin Pitcairn and his love
Emily on
a search for answers, The Dark Side of
Grace introduces its story with the backdrop of the state's
countryside.
This injects the welcome dose of a sense of place and atmosphere before
the
drama begins with a sudden explosion that pulls apart this quiet
countryside: "A huge, gray cloud cascaded up
directly ahead of them, towering against the idyllic blue skies,
endless
carpet of snow-covered land, and brilliantly backlit mountains. It
seemed
surreal—a perfect landscape scarred by what was clearly a plume of
destruction."
Pitcairn's
reactions
are unexpected, keeping readers both wondering and absorbing a
different
personality whose ability to find humor and meaning in even great
adversity is
one of the strengths and commanding forces of the novel: "Pitcairn
could not help but laugh. It was an insane moment which
brought with it a release. “When you’ve seen the humor, you’ve seen the
truth,”
he reminded himself as he turned to watch the billowing cloud. Already
its
fringes were beginning to dissipate and feather off into the morning
light."
As the story
moves
into spiritual realms, from discussions of making amends to inspecting
the
ideal of Grace which injects moral, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas
into
Pitcairn's job and choices ("...how
can you make it right when you’ve killed someone?"), it
evolves on
different levels that make it impossible to say that it's the usual
thriller
genre read.
Sparked and
driven by
the motivations of its characters to not just solve problems, but
understand
the religious and moral motivations in the fabric of their lives, The Dark Side of Grace crafts adventures
and encounters which lead characters and readers to debate the nature
of
redemption, good and evil, and the essential ingredient of prayer in
discovering better choices and truths in everyday adversity.
Christian
readers and
book discussion groups centering on the importance of prayer and
Christian
living will find plenty of food for thought as events unfold to test
concepts
of how Christian belief incarnates in the decisions and choices of man.
"Our lives are prayer being lived."
The
spiritual force
of a novel that appears with the trappings of a thriller but moves
deeply into
realms of social and political enlightenment as well as Christian
values and
concepts makes The Dark Side of Grace highly
recommended for Christian readers seeking deeper inspections than
adventure
reads usually offer.
Whether it's
addressing the lasting impact of PTSD or the healing process of faith
and
posttraumatic growth, The Dark Side of
Grace will prove not only riveting on an entertainment
level, but hard to
put down as it winds through issues of enlightenment, faith, recovery
from
trauma, and better living.
Return to Index
Disability
Pride
Ben Mattlin
Beacon Press
978-0807036457
$26.99
Hardcover/$14.99 Audio CD/$13.99 Kindle
www.beacon.org
The
Americans With
Disabilities Act reshaped the face of access in America; but until now,
its
impact on generations pre- and post-ADA has received relatively little
close
inspection.
This is why Disability Pride is such a notable
landmark examination, and why any library strong in disability issues
needs to
include it in their collection. Ben Mattlin, himself disabled, notes
the
social, economic, and political influences that define "success" as
well as "disability" and "achievement."
His exact
attention
to not just historical developments and social change, but the
platitudes and
clichés surrounding the perception of disability provides quick (and
sometimes
brutal) condemnation of the facets of society that would either condemn
or
overly praise the disabled community for attempting to live life at its
fullest.
He also
considers the
hard questions of privilege and the influence of gender, sex, and
economic
status in the disability mix:
"How you define yourself in a world full of
judgments and
challenges can be vitally important. But your outcome depends, too, on
your
circumstances, your resources. Can you afford the supports you need to
live a
good life? And if you can afford them, do you have access to them?"
His
definition of
'disability pride' of necessity involves the kind of blunt inspection
that will
likely make readers uncomfortable as they examine their own perceptions
of
ability, disability, and what constitutes pride: "I
inadvertently picked up on a kind of disability code that was
common then: minimize the impact, hide it, sweep it aside as a mere
personal
detail—and get on with your life. This, I see now, was the opposite of
disability pride."
Perhaps
nowhere else
does the impact of the ADA to cut across gender and class status to
enable the
community to not just enter mainstream America, but take fuller
advantage of
its possibilities, receive such attention as in Disability
Pride.
With its
history,
social inspection, contrast of experiences of different generations of
disabled
individuals, and the ADA's role in changing the hearts and minds of an
entire
nation, Disability Pride provokes
the
kinds of discussions and insights that should appeal widely to reading
groups
and those debating generational differences in disability experiences.
As Mattlin
reviews
profiles of a wide-ranging series of individuals, it becomes evident
that there
is no homogeneity among disabled people. The group's very diversity
indicates
that its needs, experiences, and perceptions differ widely.
All this
stirs into
the melting pot of the disabled and abled community alike, with the ADA
at the
heart of new promise and potential for future generations:
"The more we make friends with our disabilities and
come to value,
even cherish, our existence, the easier that path may become for other
disabled
people...The ADA empowered many of us to dream of such a reality. To
imagine a
fully inclusive society where unramped stairs and stares of pity are
reminders
of a vile past, known only in history books. Thirty-plus years on,
perhaps some
of that change has already started happening."
Indeed, it's
a
beginning. Disability Pride should
take center place in any discussion of past, present, and future
inclusive
actions and perceptions of the disabled community as a whole.
Return to Index
Dominant
Species
William Burke
Severed Press
978-1-922861-36-8
$13.99 paperback, $3.99 Kindle
Ordering: https://a.co/d/dRLkFuE
Website: www.williamburkeauthor.com
In Dominant Species, love and death run too
closely to high technology and danger for the likes of well-trained
mercenary
Dave Brank and his lover Emily Lennox. Having survived a terrible
confrontation, they can't begin to relax and heal before the next
challenge—North Korea's confiscation of genetically engineered
dinosaurs from a
secret lab. Their intelligence is growing by leaps and bounds,
threatening
mankind with a singularity that is far from the usual computer-driven
AI
scenario.
Horror,
sci-fi, and
high-tech components marry well in the story that features not just the
tense,
high-octane action of a thriller, but the ethical and moral dilemmas
humans
face as the creators of something they no longer can predict or control.
William
Burke's
inclusion of action and quandaries based on this consideration of the
role of
the creator in destroying intelligent creatures makes Dominant
Species a standout. The story captures not just the levels
of human concerns and individual pursuits of special interests, but the
perspectives of the creatures themselves as they experience a sea
change,
moving from primitive response to calculated reasoning: "Vulcan
let out a hiss, barring them from attacking. Staring down
at the cluster of humans his primitive instincts gave way to more
evolved,
abstract thought patterns. He formed a plan."
The contrast
between
human and animal perspectives allows for an intriguing mix of elements
between
the typical thriller format of international struggles and the sci-fi
challenge
of a genetic engineering experiment that proves more successful and
deadly than
its creators ever could have imagined.
Burke weaves
a
cat-and-mouse game of survival into political and thriller components
to keep
readers engaged on many different levels. The contrast between horror,
light
injections of humor, and overlay of social and political inspection
results in
a story that operates nicely as a dance between sci-fi possibilities
and human
follies.
The result
is a
multifaceted, thoroughly absorbing action read that moves through a
futuristic
dilemma with the precision of a thriller, the special interests of a
work of
international intrigue, and the ethical quandaries of a creation that
evolves
beyond any predictable progression.
Libraries
seeking
works that operate as both horror and sci-fi reads will relish the
strength and
action-packed progress of Dominant
Species and its ability to capture and hold attention through
satisfyingly
unpredictable scenarios and developments. These also will spark
bioethical
debates in book club circles.
Return to Index
The Greatest
Love Story Never Told
Avi Raa
Nirvana Foundation
9798374196740
$18.95
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSL7YR66
The
Greatest Love
Story Never Told: Liberating Jesus and Mary from Christianity should
be a
mainstay in any Christian collection not because it explores the usual
contentions of Christian history; but because it defies many of these
traditional perceptions.
Its controversial message
won't be for every
Christian—but it should be, because within its challenge of Church
doctrine and
the extreme efforts made over history to rewrite the image of Jesus the
man
lies an intention to place Jesus in the kind of perspective that makes
him even
more of a spiritual figurehead:
"When
it comes
to understanding Jesus, the single most important question humanity has
failed
to ask is, “What did this young man find within him that he was willing
to
sacrifice everything for the sake of sharing it?” If only Christians
had asked
this one question, without supplying it with a two-thousand-year-old
stale
biblical answer that he was a “Messenger of God”, they would have
discovered an
entirely different Jesus - one more
alive and vibrant
than he who hung on the cross."
Vibrant, uplifting, and
filled with reworkings of
traditional Christian history, The
Greatest Love Story Never Told indeed walks the dangerous
path of
revisionary works in challenging some of the most closely-held legends
of
Christian belief.
From Mary Magdalene's real
role as the wife of Jesus and
one of his apostles to her very human broken-heartedness over his
crucifixion
and the roots of why he was envisioned as rising from death after three
days, The Greatest Love Story Never Told
not
only adopts a broader perspective in re-interpreting the life of Jesus,
but
does so with fiery passion.
This often translates to
condemnations of not just Church
doctrine, but challenges to the form of history that it created in the
name of
not God, but its own special interests.
Many of these passages will
offer much food for thought
in other ways, envisioning possibilities that could have stemmed from
events if
they were interpreted and presented differently: "...there
is no Christianity without Mary and her internalization
of Jesus’ truth. If Mary Magdalene had been a man, in all likelihood
her
Christianity would have replaced that of Jesus’."
By now, it should be evident
that, inherent in the
controversial reworking of Christian history, there is enlightenment in
the
discovery of a living man who was something even more intriguing than
the
mystical figure the Church created from his life.
Christian collections
willing to consider this book's
revolutionary and outspoken revisionist approach to Christian history
will find
it sparks not only debate and food for thought, but a different, more
revealing
appreciation for the path Jesus walked.
Libraries appealing to
Christian readers and thinkers
will find The Greatest Love Story Never
Told: Liberating Jesus and Mary from Christianity essential
for reading
groups interested in different views of how Christian fact and fancy
evolved.
The book encourages reflection and debate as it forms an unusual
perspective on
Jesus' life and the way it was taken over and interpreted by the
special
interests of a Church undertaking to cement its power in the world.
Return to Index
It's a
Tango, Not a
War: Dancing with Type 1 Diabetes
Karen Meadows
Agua Fria Publishing
9798985236705
$14.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
www.KarenMeadowsDiabetes.com
It's a Tango, Not a War: Dancing with
Type 1 Diabetes doesn't dance around the subject of staying
healthy with
Type 1 diabetes. It engages readers with the promise of action and
success,
blending humor with practical lifestyle change recommendations that
support
both the emotional and physical process of adjusting to a diabetes
diagnosis.
This is the
book that
ideally would accompany initial diagnosis. It takes the feel of a war
away from
the equation, instead pursuing the idea that diabetes offers not just
challenges, but new opportunities for building a better life.
From
understanding
why blood sugars go up and down (sometimes against logic or efforts to
keep it
stable) to addressing the progressive challenges of the disease, Karen
Meadows
promotes the idea of a tango over a struggle.
This
perspective
alone lends the book an unusual flavor as it taps into the myths and
realities
of a new diagnosis and offers food for thought that belies the
inevitability of
decline that such a diagnosis used to portend:
"Another myth you may have bumped up against is the
assumption
that because you have diabetes you are likely to be depressed.
Depression has
long been linked with all types of diabetes and may affect
you...Getting
support from a professional who knows depression and what to do about
it is
essential. Meanwhile—all of us have emotional responses to life
difficulties,
and a number of those are associated with diabetes self-care. A
lesser-known
diagnosis to investigate is Diabetes
Distress...Diabetes distress is not a mental illness. And
it appears
much more frequently than clinical depression among people with
diabetes."
As Meadows
reviews
the effects of obtaining a Fitbit to encourage physical activity, the
process
of finding and building a diabetes support team, and adjusting to life
with
diabetes, she also adds her own life experiences into the mix.
It's not
being overly
dramatic to point out that her experiences and book could even save
lives. A
case in point is when she had to educate a physician about the signs
that she
was entering a dangerous state that could lead to coma and death: "My diabetes educator and the ER nurse
saved my life. My father and the unwise doctor might have unwittingly
let me
die. In crucial moments, even near coma, I spoke up for myself. I am
proud that
I knew what to say and was able to convince the unenlightened doctor in
charge."
This is just
one
example of why It's a Tango, Not a War
tops many of the other books about diabetes, a new diagnosis, and its
progressive effects. Readers who absorb Meadows' own dance will find
many
lessons on not just adjustment, but finding renewed purpose and better
living
with diabetes.
Libraries
and book
discussion groups interested in health, recovery, and daily wellbeing
will find
plenty to talk about in a book that provides the blueprint to better
living
with diabetes. It's as much a book about personal empowerment and
building
self-awareness as it is about managing the disease.
Return to Index
Lose It For
The Last
Time
Amy Newman Shapiro,
RD, CDN, CPT
Snewman Media
978-0-9886071-4-9
$19.95 Kindle $7.99
www.LoseItForTheLastTime.com
The second
updated
edition of Lose It For The Last Time
is the first and last diet-oriented book a reader should consult in the
effort
to lose weight. Last, because it will prove definitive, to many,
eliminating
the need to add more diet instructions to one's personal library.
Plenty of
books have
been written either promoting specific diets or covering why diets
don't work
long-term, but Lose It For The Last Time's encouragement of
self-assessment to determine
eating habit triggers and how to change them goes the extra mile by
helping
readers adopt new habits that become part of an ongoing lifestyle
change.
The first
edition of
this book was published almost a decade ago. The many scientific and
technological advancements which have taken place since dictated the
need for
an updated edition incorporating these tools and changes, making this
second
edition a suitable replacement for any library's aging, outdated copy
of the
prior book.
This
self-help
blueprint allows readers to read,
reread, think about and
implement the approaches in each chapter of Lose It
For The Last Time, embarking
on a weight loss program designed to last a lifetime.
Examples
from clients
who worked with the author accompany specific insights into unhealthy
and
healthy behaviors accompanying food choices, exercise, and more.
At every
step,
Shapiro adds her own reflections, experiences teaching others, and
client
weight loss efforts to reinforce the messages.
The result
is a
self-help book that goes beyond 'diet' and which will appeal to anyone
looking
for a lifelong learning opportunity for adjusting habits for permanent
weight
maintenance.
Libraries
seeking
weight loss books that are accessible and involving will find Lose It For The Last Time an excellent
choice promising lasting results.
Return to Index
Macbeth's
Spinners
Justine Johnston
Hemmestad
Antimony and Elder
Lace Press
978-1-955329-10-1
$9.99 ebook
Publisher: https://aelpress.com/index.php/store/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Macbeths-Spinners-Justine-Johnston-Hemmestad-ebook/dp/B0BGQXWJ7P
Macbeth's Spinners is based on ancient
Greek and Roman legend, opens
in 11th century Scotland, and poses a "what if" fantasy that uses the
foundations of Shakespeare's classic, twists it in an unusual manner,
and
contrasts witches, Apollo, and the gods with the affairs and
perspectives of
men.
Readers can
anticipate, from this literary and legendary coverage, a vivid story
set on the
playground of new possibilities. What they won't expect is the
accompanying
psychological depth that examines not just the trappings of legends and
man's
purposes, but romance and deeper revelations:
"Apollo, however, could not accept the freedom in
their reality;
he did not know what it meant to be unhindered by the weight of
vengeance. They
knew how beleaguered he was, for they could feel it in the air like
minuscule,
sharpened teeth. Little did he know that they saw him for who he was – vain, self-consumed, and
self-righteous –
rather than the benevolently healing deity he projected himself to be."
As spells,
illusions,
and power struggles play out, Macbeth's Spinners poses the literary and
social
inspections of men, witches, and women who vie not just for power, but
for
control over their lives and destinies.
Justine
Johnston
Hemmestad writes with a vivid attention to detail, capturing motive and
meaning
within these interactions:
"Writing about him was the only way to calm her
mind and separate
her fears from his manipulative grasp. She wrote faster than time
moved…about
Apollo’s wickedness, her memory of his love, and even her fear of him.
She had
to be honest, for writing equaled truth. Her script would be added to
the Book
of Life with a single hope of her heart; her truth would register in
this
moment of time. The most powerful spell she had ever cast was written
in the
Christian canon long before, and therefore she had used the
transformative
power in writing to spread wings she did not have to create."
Between gods
whose
power seems inevitable (and impossible to vanquish) to women who rise
against
them to control of their own destinies, the story excels in vivid
clashes and
revelations about the nature of these individual strengths: "...she knew instantly that as long as
she ran from Apollo, as long as she sought places to hide from him, she
would
never be free, and her captivity would be self-imposed, a
product of his
captivity."
To call Macbeth's Spinners a fantasy alone would
be to do it a grave injustice. Its multifaceted plot, clashes between
gods,
women, and traditional ways of viewing and acting, and its quest into a
romance
torn between a god and a man provides much food for thought. This lends
particularly well to book club discussions about power plays, different
forms
of love and freedom, and the injection of legend and fantasy into a
quest for
truth.
Libraries
looking for
literary and psychological depth in a story that stands out from the
crowd of
legend-base fantasy pursuits will find Macbeth's
Spinners a worthy addition which should reach a broad
audience with its
tale of enchantment and cross-purposes.
Much in the
way
Shakespeare twists his stories to provide unexpected and
thought-provoking
conclusions, so Hemmestad creates a final turn of perspective that
readers
won't see coming.
Return to Index
The Maid and
the
Socialite
Lynda Drews
Little Creek Press
978-1-955656-47-4
$17.95
Website/ordering
link: http://littlecreekpress.com/bookstore/
True crime history
readers in general and Wisconsin residents in particular will relish
the events
and explorations of The
Maid and the Socialite: The Brave Women
Behind Green Bay's Scandalous Minahan Trials. In the milieu of Green Bay’s early 19th
century's politics and attitudes toward women, Drews’ powerful
storytelling
voice, presented with the drama of fiction and the compelling research
of fact,
traces the stands of an illiterate maid and a college-educated
socialite
against the city’s celebrated surgeon and closet abuser, Dr. John R.
Minahan.
At the end of the 19th
century, syphilis was on the rise.
Nobody was immune to its touch, whether the rich and famous, artists
and
politicians, or ordinary people. What does this have to do with crime?
Because it was wielded as a
sword of accusation and abuse
by the socially celebrated Dr. John
R. Minahan, who accused two women of the disease in order to stifle
their
intentions to expose him publicly for the abusive monster he was.
Illiterate
maid Mary
Cenefelt and college socialite Mollie Bertles had little in common
other than
their connection to Dr. Minahan and their intention to speak out. Turns
out
they also shared the dangerous eye of his intention to destroy them,
resulting
in further determination on their parts to speak out and tarnish his
reputation
with the truth—even if it cost them their jobs and positions in life
and
society.
Lynda Drews
develops
this story with the drama of fiction and the compelling research of
fact-driven
progression, liberally quoting from archival records, letters, and
written
documents to trace the progression of each woman as she makes her
stand. She
also explores the fate that brought them from disparate statuses to
share a
wrenching experience both during the abuse and in its aftermath.
The truth
emerges
with a powerful storyteller's voice from the opening lines, drawing in
even readers
who may usually eschew historical nonfiction or true crime's tendency
for
formula approaches to facts: "The
Green Bay, Winona & St. Paul train screeched to a halt on
January 9, 1893,
its cowcatcher encased in ice, and Mary Cenefelt stepped off, a small
suitcase
in each hand. She had lived on her sister’s charity for three months,
and Mary
had returned to the cities of Fort Howard and Green Bay seeking
employment and
hope. She had no way of knowing the hell that awaited her."
As Drews
delves into
these women's' experiences and decisions to pursue justice that led to
the
courts and shook the foundations of typical legal proceedings, she
recreates
the times and the back-and-forth contentions that destroyed reputations
and
tested the justice system alike: "Attorney
Martin insisted that Dr. Minahan was entitled to a fair trial before
twelve
unbiased jurors. Attorney Olin said he would consider the proposition
of
proceeding with eleven. Since the civil case was expensive to conduct,
Judge
Hastings said he was not ready to call a mistrial. Instead, he would
question
the rest of the jurors before he made a ruling."
"Inhuman
behaviors," society duties, overt and unspoken rules, and the impact of
these women's' decisions on family life and reputation alike are
explored with
an eye to revealing the true courage and costs of their determination
to buck
the system and their own life trajectories to stop Dr. Minahan by any
means
possible.
Mollie faces
losing
her husband and her boys. Twenty-six-year-old Mary sees little chance
for
happiness in her future. As pressure on the two of them comes from all
levels
and walks of life, Mollie and Mary find themselves facing ruin and
despair,
questioning their ability to continue pursuing the truth: "Her only option was to yield to Minahan’s demand
and have Dr.
Fairfield burn her signed statement."
Green Bay
and its
social and political connections swirl throughout the story as a
compelling
look at the then-small-town atmosphere that linked various levels of
society
and resulted in backroom agreements and political entanglements.
Mary feels trapped into accepting Minahan's terms. Mollie was an optimist and an early feminist. Yet, against all odds, these two disparate women persevered, and ultimately won.
Drews focuses on the emotional
and physical impact of abusive behavior, revealing these aspects with
precise
insight and description that could prove triggers to modern readers who
have
experienced similar circumstances in modern times.
From
jealousy and
entrapment to a stormy divorce that shook Green Bay at all levels,
Drews takes
the time to capture the atmosphere and impact of the times.
This true
crime
history is absolutely compelling in its progression, social inspection,
and
contrast between two women from very different walks of life who take
courageous stands against Green Bay's famous surgeon and closet
abuser, Dr. J.R. Minahan.
While
libraries
strong in either true crime or Wisconsin history will be the logical
audience
for this story, it ideally will receive additional attention from book
clubs
interested in pursuing topics of justice, abuse, and social and legal
influences on courage.
Two
improbable women
fought the same man and won, confronting not just one man, but an
entire
structure designed to support his reputation and actions.
To call The
Maid and the Socialite
a
work of historical true crime alone would be to do it an injustice. Its
probe
of courage and perseverance against all odds will give modern women
food for
thought and encouragement for fighting their own abusers.
Return to Index
Milestone
Visual
Documents in American History
Craig Kaplowitz,
Editor
Schlager Group Inc.
9781935306726
$395 print & ebook
http://www.SchlagerGroup.com
Milestone Visual Documents in American History
is a study in visual
images that helped shape America, and contains multiple volumes under
one cover
that explore these visual impacts over the decades.
Volume 1
covers
1540-1858, the second covers 1859-1940, and the third moves from 1940
to 2021.
Entries arranged chronologically by year follow the same uniform
arrangement of
Fact Box, Document Image, and Analysis. This makes it easy to move
between the
decades with cross-comparative attention to details between them that
lend to
scholarly study and ready understanding of their connections and
features.
The reason
why this
venture is so weighty and expensive is that it represents a vast
synthesis of
visual materials to highlight the heart of visual images that have
represented
and interpreted American experiences from the country's inception.
More than a
gathering
of such images, the authors take the time to analyze and place within
the
timeline the images' creators, purposes, perceptions, and choices in
depicting
American history. This lends especially well to high school to
college-level
classroom discussions on a wide range of topics, from American
history's
representation and depiction to the background and intentions of each
visual
image's creator.
The
accompanying
commentary both places the image(s) in context and allows students an
analytical insight into the process of capturing and displaying history
with
all its inherent prejudices, influences, and outcomes.
Editor Craig
Kaplowitz selected each image for its individual strength as well as
its
opportunity for classroom discussion. Of particular note is the
analytical
prowess that not just invites, but compels students to consider how
views or
claims about American historical events are influenced by images and
approaches
to their creation.
Questions
for further
study complete the educational prowess of this collection by prompting
students
to look beyond the book's representations to consider viewer influences
on
historical events and their depiction.
Bibliographic
references for further reading include books, articles, and websites.
These
additionally enhance the wide-ranging educational impact of this
collection.
Pricey it
may be; but
any library or school with a special interest in engaging students in
the
process of better understanding how visuals affected historical facts
and
analysis, and how they reflect both the creator's focus and the
changing milieu
of the times, will find Milestone Visual
Documents in American History a key acquisition well worth
its price tag.
There is no
price to
be placed on critical thinking development. Milestone
Visual Documents in American History's added value in this
department makes
it a standout.
Return to Index
My Days with
Emma
Paul Dunion, EdD
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-571-8
$17.99
www.atmospherepress.com
My Days with Emma: A Soulful Path to Elderhood
holds the trappings
of a memoir combined with the spiritual reflection of an inquiring
mind, and is
a moving account of a mentor relationship between a senior wise woman
and a younger
man contemplating aging and life.
The entry
into golden
years ideally involves a form of inquiry that re-assesses remaining
life and
choices made past, present, and future. My
Days with Emma solidifies and highlights this inquiry
process by following
the author's journey into being an elder; reviewing the ambiguities of
aging,
changing relationships between men and women; and considering the
promises and
purposes of maturity and growth during later years.
Many books
have
surveyed the spiritual progression of such an effort; but, more so than
most, My Days with Emma represents
a unique
journey not because of its subject, but because of its presentation.
Paul Dunion
offers a
raw inspection of the process of developing compassion, gratitude, and
a realization
of the special opportunities of this time of life: "We
can stop taking life for granted in stage four. We might drop
through levels of feeling we have been gifted by life, let-ting go of
the
attitude that life owes us."
Another fine
example
of the difference between his efforts and other memoirs is the
acknowledgement
of not just the process, but the difficult challenge of achieving
wisdom and
clarity: "...gratitude for a single
breath was not something I could easily access. It made sense to me
and, at the
same time, felt extremely foreign."
The
differences
between this concept of 'soulful eldering' and books on aging which
talk about
how to inject power and prowess into one's revelations for future
generations lies
clearly on the side of a more spiritual attitude towards not just
aging, but
one's changing relevance to the world: "Soulful
eldering is not interested in arriving but rather in being devoted to
serving
something larger than oneself."
By entering
a
potentially foreign place, tackling its possibilities and challenges
head-on
and with a spiritual flavor to psychological growth, and surveying how
a
"mature spirituality" unfolds and flowers, Paul Dunion has done the
hard
work of outlining paths of new positivity, growth, and possibilities.
Spiritual
and
philosophical-minded readers interested in a different view on aging,
meaningful relationships between all ages, and elders who embark on a
"soulful path" to discovery will find the encouragement, ideas, and
insights in My Days with Emma offer
a
focus on opportunities which don't exist in most similar-sounding books
on either
aging or spiritual enlightenment.
Libraries
looking for
memoirs that hold the potential to reach widely outside the genre of
either
memoir or spiritual reflection will welcome the opportunity My Days with Emma brings to the
discussion table, and can easily recommend it to book clubs looking for
vivid
reflections that encourage soulful self-inspection.
Return to Index
My Husband Chose The
Homewrecker Over Me, Now What?
Yolanda Randolph & Roshonda N. Blackmon
RettieBooks
9781734385380
Paperback: $17.99; E-book: $9.99; Hardcover: $20.00
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=yolanda+randolph&ref=nb_sb_noss
My
Husband Chose
The Homewrecker Over Me, Now What? makes a big promise to its
readers from
the start—the promise of recovery from heartache and betrayal in love:
"With
each
chapter,
I’ll take you through my own personal burn, sharing stories of my
process of
maneuvering past my heartache and divorce in hopes that my story will
be a
motivation for you to push past your pain and to focus on your healing."
It is a candid account about
being burned, confronting
bad choices and unintended good consequences, and the process of facing
betrayal and reconstruction. It features an eye to salvaging not just
one's
financial life, but emotional connections to life, faith, and new
possibilities
in love. The roller-coaster of emotions experienced during this journey
is
explored with a sassy, lively voice that reviews the peaks and valleys
of
infidelity and divorce.
The advice to fellow women
who are walking the same path
comes not from a psychotherapist or relationship expert, but one who
has
confronted her own heartbreak, illusions, healing, and recovery
process.
Yolanda Randolph and Roshonda N. Blackmon explore all these elements
and more, following
what happens when a marriage breaks apart.
Many books on the market
seem to offer similar-sounding
approaches; but what sets My Husband
Chose The Homewrecker Over Me, Now What? apart from most
others is its
candid blend of memoir and self-help exploration, which adopts both a
determined tone and one that exposes all the raw moments of heartbreak
and the
processes that strengthen the soul:
"I
spent
countless hours fighting to stay afloat, consoling the argument between
my mind
and that mean ole sour-hearted reflection in the mirror, and working
hard not
to allow myself to become the bitter, angry black woman whose husband
dumped
her. Let’s face it, heartache sucks! It’s that one thing that drags us
by the
hair and knocks us down—locks a tight
grip on us as strong as gorilla glue."
From exes who, like ghosts,
seem to "come back again
and again" to haunt and thwart recovery to moving on to the tests of
character and misunderstandings that emerge from different situations
when one
attempts to lead a Christian-based life, Randolph and Blackmon pull no
punches
in either Randolph's candid assessment of herself or the situations
that draw
her towards or away from her foundation of faith.
Another difference lays in
the chapter about kids and the
impact of infidelity, heartbreak, and emotional currents in the home.
Readers
receive the astute admonition that "...kids
need time to process, too, after breakups, changes, and divorce. There
was a
void in their lives, too, just as much as there was one in my life." The
story goes on to expand into the scenario of a stepfather also
departing: "First their father is gone and
now
this! The stepfather may not be the biological father, but his presence
is
still missed around the house when he’s no longer around."
The in-depth details about
the household impacts of such
events offers readers much food for thought about the adjustments and
clashes
between all family members as healing takes place, and is an invaluable
part of
the curative process that's often missed in books about divorce and
recovery.
The result is a
Christian-based examination of marriage,
lapses, recovery, and redemption that places the onus of strength on
the woman
who faces a home-wrecking situation and emerges from it to forge a new
life not
just for herself, but her whole family.
Libraries strong in
Christian stories of redemption, revitalization,
and rejuvenation will find the honest tone and practical insights into
recovering from a breakup offers not just much food for thought, but
many
discussion points that Christian reading groups can raise and learn
from.
Return to Index
Reef Road
Deborah Goodrich
Royce
Post Hill Press
978-1637584965
$27.00
Hardcover/$31.95 Audio cd/$9.99 Kindle
www.posthillpress.com
Reef Road is a novel of murder and
intrigue with the added
attraction of surprises and twists of disparate lives brought together
by
death. In most circumstances, such a plot would deem the book's genre
as a
'murder mystery,' but to do so would be a literary injustice, because Reef Road is the perfect example of
literary and psychologically-driven action that takes suspense to a
different
level.
Readers are
introduced to "the wife" in a prologue set in 2020, where two teen
surfer boys breaking all the rules with an illicit outing at Reef Road
stumble
onto a severed hand on the beach.
The prologue
of
discovery leads from third-person experience to a first-person
narrative in the
next chapter. It introduces the specter of Noelle, who was "marked for
death" by a killer when she was only 12 years old. This event has
changed
many lives, and these play out in chapters that follow, moving between
perspectives and experiences to draw intriguing links between
seemingly-disparate lives.
One never
knows how
wide the ripple of untimely death will spread to affect others: "I grew up under the shadow of a dead
girl—a girl I had never met, whose family had not heard of me, a family
I would
not know if I passed them on the street, nor would they, in turn, know
me. Yet
the death of this girl long before I was born has clung like pollen to
my
life."
In this
case,
Noelle's fate lends a fearsome resonance to a life that is synthesized
through
a writer's thoughts, a young woman who faces her own missing family,
and the
events on Reef Road, past and present, which reach out to change
everyone.
The
progressive
movement from past to present and the delicate dissection of these
perspectives
creates a thought-provoking literary mystery that both tugs on the
heartstrings
and piques the mind.
Deborah
Goodrich
Royce is especially skilled at crafting the kinds of characters whose
lives not
only dovetail unexpectedly, but entwine unusual tendrils of influence
to change
paths that at first feel inevitable: "Linda’s
unseemly outburst with me that night helped her to see that the path
she was on
was untenable. And I was the gateway to a different path. At least I
was the
gateway for Linda to begin to consider that she would be able to forge
her own
path."
The
back-and-forth
movements between first- and third-person descriptions of events create
a
satisfyingly compelling contrast between observation and experience
that
develops a "you are here" atmosphere and then steps back to place the
experience in perspective.
The suspense
unfolds
on both a psychological and mystery level to juxtapose intrigue with
revelations in a manner that introduces many surprises and insights
readers
won't see coming.
The result
is a novel
of psychological suspense and intrigue, cemented not only by the sense
of place
that is Reef Road, but characters that revolve around past and present
events
with no guarantee that the future will prove any different.
Libraries
seeking
literary reads that incorporate vivid characters and situations where
there is
no going back from the brink of discovery will find Reef
Road a compelling vision of "what if" and
"why" as the wheel of destiny moves between monsters and men.
Return to Index
SatisFRY:
The Air Fryer Cookbook
Mona Dolgov
You Live Right Publishers
978-1-7366756-1-8
$19.99 Paper/$8.99 Kindle
www.youliveright.com
SatisFRY:
The Air
Fryer Cookbook should be boxed along with one's new air fryer
as a basic
manual to both using the fryer and linking its cooking method to
healthier
eating practices.
Specific meals, such as
breakfasts or snacks, accompany
dishes such as desserts. The latter may not immediately come to the
mind of a
new owner of an air fryer, but needs to be explored as part of the
fryer's
wide-ranging possible applications.
The introduction begins with
a discussion of which fryer
accessories should be added to one's kitchen tools to expand the air
fryer's potential.
This moves into a discussion of spices, then a chapter of breakfast
recipes. These
form a foundation of knowledge for the different uses of the air fryer,
from
baking muffins to making "perfect" grilled sandwiches.
Rather than attempting an
all-encompassing cookbook, each
dish is designed to profile the different types of cooking possible in
the air
fryer. Appealing, full-page color photos of finished dishes add visual
emphasis
to the ways in which the air fryer excels over many conventional
approaches.
Chapters move on to complete
meals with the same
attention to methods of cooking, nutritional content, and Mona's own
tips for
shopping for ingredients or adding value to the recipes.
The result
should ideally be presented to a new air fryer
owner, along with the device. It's the easiest way of getting started
quickly
and pursuing all the different options the air fryer holds for
producing a wide
range of dishes.
Return to Index
What the
Hell is An
Economy?
Eric Johnson
Independently
Published
ASIN: B08HTSQNWR
$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/What-Hell-Economy-Eric-Johnson/dp/1735631906
The title of
Eric
Johnson's book might lead some to think this is another basic primer on
economic terminology, history, and structure; but What
the Hell is An Economy? offers much more than a cursory
overview
of government and banking processes. It makes the case for a
decentralized
economy, pointing out the pitfalls of the historical direction of
banking and
business.
In the
course of this
exploration, Johnson (an engineer self-educated in finance and
business)
reveals not just answers to questions about economic direction and
processes,
but insights into the steps that consumers can make to protect their
money
through better understanding and decision-making.
That his
fifteen-year
self-education resulted not just in personal empowerment and
enlightenment, but
this book lends to its accessibility by a far broader audience than the
usual
business reader or economics student.
Johnson
assumes no
prior reader familiarity with (or even an interest in) economic
subjects. He goes
beyond translating economic terms, creating lively discussions that
clarify and
survey such potentially confusing subjects as bitcoin:
"Think
of
bitcoin as a ledger, a digital record of transactions, with this ledger
copied
on thousands of independent computers. The ledger stores a perfect
record of an
ever-growing list of all bitcoin transactions, keeping track of the
transfer of
ownership of bitcoin from one owner to the next. It helps to imagine
that all
bitcoins are stored in virtual lockboxes, where a “digital key” (a long
unique
number) is used to mathematically transfer the bitcoin from one lockbox
to
another. Whoever possesses the digital key to open the lockbox owns the
bitcoin
inside.
And the definition of
money itself: "Money is anything that many believe
can be used to store and transfer wealth."
Whether it's bank transfers,
government spending and
borrowing, or investment funds under discussion, Johnson applies this
same
attention to detail, clarifying the processes and terms that allow
newcomers to
economic concepts complete access to all manner of business and
government
relationships and economic interactions.
The result is much more than
a primer of terms. It's a
wide-ranging, accessible discussion of the perils, pitfalls, and
promises of
management and economics that involves all levels of reader in better
understanding money management on individual, corporate, and
government-wide
levels.
Containing a powerful
message promoting decentralization,
("The same unwinding that normalizes
interest rates will also push our economy back towards more
decentralization.
The decisions on the allocation of wealth will be made by the empowered
many
and not the few. It is the decentralized portions of the economy that
will
create the wealth that the centralized portions require for
redistribution, and
that will allow us to recharge the dollar wealth battery."),
the
second edition of What
the Hell is An Economy? ideally
should reach discussion groups interested in understanding the notion
of
economic centralization and decentralization and its influences on
wealth,
compassion, and social programs alike.
Return to Index
The
Adventures of
Lefty & Righty: The Windy City
Lori Orlinsky
Mascot Kids
978-1-63755-427-2
$18.95
www.mascotbooks.com
The Adventures of Lefty & Righty: The Windy
City is the
whimsical picture book story of socks that fall into an adventure when
they
escape the dryer to embark on a Chicago exploration. Where are they
heading? To
a White Sox game, of course!
A rollicking
rhyme
accompanies the socks through Chicago landmarks, from taking the Blue
Line
through Jefferson Park to exploring Soldier Field, the Field Museum,
and
grabbing a water taxi.
Kids receive
a survey
of Chicago's highlights as the socks experience a fun day before the
big game
begins.
And when it
does ...
socks and kids are in for a surprise.
Adults who
choose The Adventures of Lefty &
Righty: The
Windy City for its geographic value will find the fictional
components of
adventure wind nicely into the explorations of Chicago's milieu.
Kenn Vidro's
engaging
illustrations lend drama and visual attraction to Lori Orlinsky's
story,
inviting leisure readers to learn about Chicago and baseball through a
pair of
odd eyes indeed.
Readers that
choose
this story for its attractive visuals or Chicago foundations will
relish the
story's inviting format, engaging rhymes, and the opportunity to teach
the very
young about the Windy City, powered by the lively presence of two fun
characters.
Return to Index
Bobo's Wild
Chase
Ivan Lin and
Stephanie Fu
Pistachios Publishing
979-8-9863326-0-4
$17.99
www.pistachiospublishing.com
When Mr.
Moore leaves
town, he entrusts the care of his sprightly dog to the young girl and
her
father who live next door.
Charged with
walking
the dog, the child insists she can hold onto Bobo's leash tightly. But
perhaps
not tightly enough, because Bobo escapes when a squirrel proves
irresistible to
him, leading child and father on an urban run. Robyn Ng's fun
illustrations
capture the strangers that become involved in the effort to capture
Bobo.
As the girl
chases
Bobo in and out of places that involve other people, unexpected
connections
from strangers result from the small kindness she takes a moment to
impart into
both her hectic effort and the world around her.
On its
surface, kids
will appreciate the zany story of a dog walk gone awry. Dig deeper for
the
kernels of wisdom which make this story far more alluring for adult
read-aloud
participants who seek to instill in the very young an appreciation for
handing
out kindness even in the midst of adversity.
This
audience, as
well as libraries catering to elementary picture book readers, will
find Bobo's Wild Chase more than
another dog
story. It's an adventure in friendship, diversity, and giving that
deserves
profile, inter-generational discussions, and top recommendation.
Return to Index
Healthcare
Heroes
ABCs: A Journey through the Alphabet with Your Healthcare Hero Team
Courtney Booth
Independently
Published
979-8-9871369-0-4
$11.99 Paper/$26.99
Hardback/$2.99 ebook
www.courtneyboothbooks.com
There are
plenty of children's
picture books about health and nutrition, but few focus on the
providers of
this care or the teamwork required to foster good health in patients of
all
ages. This is why Healthcare Heroes ABCs:
A Journey through the Alphabet with Your Healthcare Hero Team is a standout in the literature of
health information for kids.
The
alphabetic format
takes on new life through an exploration that opens with the job of
anesthesiologists and ends with Z for the "zillions of other healthcare
heroes" that participate behind the scenes to foster well-being.
From medical
social
workers who work to match people with services to lactation consultants
that
help new moms learn how to feed their babies, a wide range of
healthcare heroes
is covered, from emergency care providers and counselors to teachers
and
researchers.
Bright,
full-page
color illustrations by Christina Michalos illustrate Courtney Booth's
exploration, providing warm images of links between providers and young
recipients of health care services.
4 to
8-year-olds that
absorb these messages about the wide variety of service providers and
their
efforts to keep people healthy additionally have a fine opportunity to
consider
future careers in the industry—ones that move way from the traditional
doctor/nurse options.
The result
is more
than alphabet coverage, and also more than the usual narrowed focus on
a
particular kind of healthcare provider. Its ability to survey the range
of
services and workers that make up the healthcare team and industry
makes Healthcare Heroes ABCs an
enlightening
review that even some adults will find educational as they read aloud
to the
very young, as some of these service providers are relatively new.
Return to Index
The Little
Door
Stormy Lynn
Independently
Published
979-8520864127
$7.99 paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Door-Stormy-Lynn/dp/B098H61W7P
The Little Door is a coming-of-age YA
fantasy designed to attract
readers through vivid adventures. It opens with the punch of a
first-person
experience of drowning. The narrator realizes that she's dying, but
just as she
is about to succumb, a helping hand rescues her.
Rose's vague
memory
of this childhood accident usually resurfaces in dreams, but is also
sparked by
her parents' bitter battles beyond her bedroom door. This time,
determined not
to let her nightmare affect her last day in junior high school, Rose is
off to
a different kind of adventure in which growth and new opportunities are
on the horizon
... unless she drowns in events that shake her world and her perception
of
self, reality, and her future.
Stormy Lynn
crafts a
compelling fantasy which presents the world of Other-Siders, in which
Rose is a
curious human creature that stands out. The world of Mavarak doesn't
take
kindly to humans and the trouble they tend to bring, but Rose also
commands new
possibilities that appear through little doors to change all kinds of
purposes
and the nature of reality itself.
Lynn's
depiction of
the growing connections between Rose and Rylan and the mission that
drives them
both takes the time to inject atmosphere with descriptions that cement
the
broader purpose of Rose's experiences with small details such as a meal
with
delicious new flavors.
From bonds
between
Keepers and Guardians and Wood Dweller interests to a major snafu that
leads
Rose to threaten the world by introducing Other-Siders that force the
Wood
Dwellers to leave their beloved village, Lynn creates a moving tale of
vying
forces and special interests where Rose becomes the focal point of
controversy,
confrontation, and change.
Much like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,
Rose's inadvertent influence upon this fantasy world changes her and
everything
around her. Time moves differently in this milieu. Can Rose finish what
she
started ten years earlier?
The
underlying
messages about responsibility, choice, and moral and ethical behaviors
that
revolve around Rose's encounter with a strange new world adds to the
fast-paced
adventure component. This elements create a remarkably vivid, moving
saga
highly recommended for young adult and adult fantasy readers alike.
Libraries
seeking
contemporary examples of YA fantasy couched in bigger-picture thinking
will
find The Little Door just the
ticket
for book club and reading group discussions.
Return to Index
A Logger's
Tale: An
Origin Story
Gary John Gresl
Visiphilia Press
9781948326179
$10.99
https://www.amazon.com/Loggers-Tale-Origin-Story/dp/1948326175
A Logger's Tale: An Origin Story is a
children's myth story that
revolves around 'Hodags' and the Northwoods legends surrounding them.
This
Wisconsin legend will attract a wide audience, from young followers of
American
myth and folklore to Wisconsin residents well familiar with the
wilderness of
the north woods who like vivid accounts of fantasy and magic.
The Hodag
holds the
added value of being a multi-personality. Some view it as a monster;
but it
also can be something more. This emerges when a Logger becomes involved
with a
Hodag and comes to realize its transformations as being something less
monstrous and more amazing.
Janet
McClintick
Roberts provides enchanting, colorful illustrations based on her own
"encounters" with Hodags. These bring the fun story to life as young
readers and adult read-aloud companions follow the mystery of the Hodag
through
its connections to look-alike Loggers and seasonal lumberjack
experiences.
Most
children's
stories about legends offer relatively one-sided representations. One
of the
special pleasures in A Logger's Tale
(besides its Wisconsin atmosphere and roots) lies in its ability to
provide a
multi-faceted vision of both legends and how they evolve as it reveals
how
Loggers tackle the problem of the Hodags' tall tale legend and special
form of
magic.
The result
is an
outstanding story especially recommended for libraries looking for
fantasies
based on regional American environments and legends.
Return to Index
Love is in the Air
Karen M. Bobos
Bobos Babes Ltd.
979-8-9859822-3-7
$17.99
Hardcover/$2.99 Kindle
www.bobosbabes.com
Love
is in the Air
is a Bobos Babes adventure picture book that excels in positivity and
fantasy.
It's set in the land of Harmony, where a variety of creatures interact
in a
kindly manner—especially on Valentine's Day.
The three Bobos sisters are
helping their parents prepare
for the momentous occasion, and Alli the alligator nanny has come to
keep them
company one night while their parents celebrate.
A rollicking rhyme carries
the story, introducing kids to
a variety of supporting cast creatures with a quirky twist that brings
these
personalities to life: "Karl the
Crocodile was Ali the Alligator’s husband./He was the love of her
life./Even when
they were little baby hatchlings,/He dreamed of making her his wife."
Whimsical illustrations by
Jazinel Libranda capture the
dilemma faced by the siblings and their nanny when a perfume potion
goes awry,
embedded with a magic that turns good intentions upside down.
From singing swans to a king
and queen who are still in
love three children later, love is certainly in the air—and so is
adventure.
Read-aloud adults who choose
this sparking picture book
will find many nights of adventure pleasure, between Libranda's vivid,
colorful
illustrations and the unexpected events that add a potent difference to
the
aura of love that pervades the kingdom.
Elementary-level library
collections seeking a fantasy
centered on proactive girls and magic will find much attraction in Love is in the Air's tale of mishaps,
redemption, and adventure.
Return to Index
Needles, The
Forgotten Christmas Tree
Richard Wagner
Mascot Kids!
978-1-64543-708-6
$19.95
www.mascotbooks.com
Richard
Wagner's Needles, The Forgotten Christmas Tree
deserves year-round mention and should be included in any
elementary-level
collection seeking evocative seasonal stories that hold impact beyond a
singular holiday event. Its ultimate message of hope, perseverance,
overcoming
bullying and poor self-image to achieve goals, and more will involve
picture
book readers and their adult read-aloud companions in a saga that is
warm and
lovely.
Sydni Kruger
provides
snowy Christmas tree illustrations to bring to life the story of a
diminutive
tree that faces constant messages that he's not good enough: "The
other trees would tell him that he was too small and nobody would want
him.
This frightened Needles. What would happen if no one brought him home
for
Christmas?"
Needles is
determined
not to be neglected, forgotten, or left out of the festivities, and
this
strength carries him through many changes.
Adults who
choose Needles, The Forgotten Christmas Tree
for read-aloud will find the story suitable for a number of nights of
exploration.
A slow reading pace will assure that its many messages will be
discussed with
the very young ("Would
he be forgotten and dry up and turn
brown, never to be decorated? Needles told himself, No! He would not be forgotten, and he would not
give up hope.").
While it may
be
tempting to view the story as a Christmas saga alone, in fact, Needles, The Forgotten Christmas Tree
deserves year-round recognition and feature as an important opportunity
for
kids to learn the foundations of positivity and differing perceptions
of beauty
in the world.
Return to Index
Nora, a
Neanderthal
girl
Mary A. Graves
Bowker Identifier
Services
979-8-9862889-0-1
$12.99
https://www.amazon.com/Nora-Neanderthal-girl-are-Hominins/dp/B0B2THDWP7
Nora, a Neanderthal girl is a historical
novel for young chapter
book readers. It recreates a day in the life of a Neanderthal girl Nora
and her
cousin Runi, who lived more than 20,000 years ago in a cave with
friends and
family.
Mary A.
Graves
injects what is known about Neanderthals and their times with a lively
fictional tone of action that helps young readers view this as a
leisure
adventure while absorbing prehistoric background history embedded in
the tale.
Vivid color
photos
also highlight this sense of adventure with realistic scenarios,
bringing the
past to life in a tale that opens in a cave in Europe or Asia. The photos showcase
evidence of Neanderthal
life found at different Neanderthal sites. The first photo is
of Shanidar
Cave where an anthropologist and his team dug up Neanderthal remains in
a 1951
expedition. Colorful illustrations by Isabelle Arné pepper the tale to
complete
a strong visual component that adds interest to the plot.
The
juxtaposition of
past and present events is nicely portrayed as detailed descriptions
bring
Nora's world to life from the start:
"Nora feels a soft
breeze
on her face. She yawns, shivers, then snuggles down under
the animal
skins covering her. She sighs softly, opens her eyes, and looks up. Her
eyes
follow the sunlight slowly moving across the ceiling of the cave. She
hears her
mom adding wood to the fireplace nearby."
From the
fine art of
scraping deer skins to a favorite meal of deer meat and chestnuts,
Nora's world
comes to life with descriptions that enhance a young reader's
understanding of
the distant past.
The result
is a rare
opportunity to absorb the Neanderthal world while enjoying Nora's
fictional
life. The tale represents the best merging of the worlds of fiction and
nonfiction, educating kids about prehistoric life and how Neanderthal
children
may have experienced it.
Libraries
seeking
chapter books that pair entertainment and leisure reading value with
the
supportive foundation of anthropological science will welcome Nora, a Neanderthal girl's rare ability
to synthesize fiction and nonfiction in one fell swoop.
Return to Index
The Wood
Dwellers
Stormy Lynn
Independently
Published
ISBN: TBA
$7.99
Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.stormylynnwrites.com/
YA readers
seeking
fantasy and paranormal adventures will find The
Wood Dwellers a fine sequel to the tale spun in The Little Door, where Rose faced an
unwanted summer vacation at
her grandparents' place in the isolated woods until magic entered the
picture.
In this
sequel, the
magic continues and grows ... and so does Rose as the story opens 496
days (and
counting) after she left Mavarak. She is entering 10th grade at high
school and
presumably will have much more on her plate than magical encounters.
Think again:
because
the magic continues, as it is wont to do.
Stormy Lynn
does
provide a recap of events so that newcomers won't be left entirely
adrift, but
given the strength of the events prior to this point, it's highly
recommended
that YA readers have a grounding in The
Little Door to achieve a fuller sense of the past precedent
that sets the
stage for Rose's continuing adventures.
Here, she
has (with
great effort) "forced the thought of
the half-elf, half-human species—the Wood Dwellers—out of her head."
But she finds that one can take the extraordinary out of daily
thoughts, but
not the soul. Once touched by magic, it has a tendency to be drawn to
miracles.
And so
(perhaps
predictably) Rose falls into another fantasy encounter in which the
alluringly
beautiful village of Mavarak again pushes to the forefront of her life.
This time,
Rose must
regain her lost fighting ability to support her reputation as a
warrior—abilities
lost when she became too human, too long ago.
Joining her
for the
wild ride is Drew, Rylan's younger brother who, at age 12ish, is there
to greet
her when the little door comes back to draw her yet again into another
world
and life.
Stormy Lynn
embeds
her story with intrigue, eccentric characters, thoughts about wisdom
and
maturity, and a compelling progression that marries a coming-of-age
story with
the observations and experiences of a girl on the cusp of realizing her
powers
and the choices they bring.
From battle
plans and
the call for Rose to step into her role as a warrior to lead them to
Rylan and
Drew's involvement in a fantasy world that at times feels like a dream,
Rose
embarks on a mission that tests both her friendships and her special
abilities.
Lynn's
evocative
story of maturity and purpose drives a tale replete in rebellion and
the
dilemmas faced by a teen who walks between two very different worlds.
Young adults
seeking
a story that is vivid, compelling, and refreshingly realistic, driven
by
psychological growth as much as fantasy adventure, will find The Wood Dwellers crafts a mercurial
plot as compelling and involving as C.S. Lewis's classic The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Libraries
looking to
make associative recommendations to this audience will find The Wood Dwellers a draw to Lewis fans
seeking "more, please."
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