January 2017 Review Issue
Dark
Twin
Veronica Dale
Nika Press
978-0-9969-521-2-5
$3.99 ebook, $14.99 print edition
http://www.veronicadale.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-
Dark Twin is Book Two of the Coin of Rulve series, and begins with the promised birth of twin grandsons who are called to save their land from the despotic Spider-king. Shortly thereafter, their mother is forced to flee with one of the twins in order to protect them both. The double portents of her absence and the boys’ as yet unknown powers conclude an introduction that leads to the young Teller's evolution in the next chapter. There, his encounter with a snake is just one of the dangerous Spider-king threats he faces.
Teller is closely watched by the adults around him, who are well aware of his heritage and its dangers. But the boy himself has only vague intimations of this ("At times he felt like a disturbed seed in the ground, as if people were constantly brushing away the dirt above him to see if anything was sprouting yet."). Teller evolves into a compassionate young man who faces his world with curiosity, courage, and determination. But will these qualities be enough to defeat the evil force that has controlled his world long before his birth?
Veronica Dale's Dark Twin excels in its portrait of how a cruel overseer becomes an intrinsic part of a boy's evolutionary development after he is snatched into the Spider-king's lair. In an intense process that changes and challenges his very memories of everything that was good in his life, Teller becomes a young adult torn between his commitment to a despot and a deep inner call. Only gradually does he begin to understand what he must give, what it would cost, and what he would get in return.
The juxtapositions between darkness and light, lies and truth, and choices that hold the power to change many lives are deftly woven into a story line that holds as much spiritual and political insights as it does the struggle of an oppressed people desperately in need of hope.
Familiarity with Book One, Blood Seed, is recommended for a smooth transition to the settings and powerful influences on Teller's world. Even though Blood Seed held different protagonists, its dark metaphysical background and depth provide a firm foundation for this continuation of the theme, which offers the same solid approach to spiritual and psychological insights as its predecessor.
Firmly rooted in the fantasy genre yet laced with elements of intrigue, political purpose, and moral and ethical issues, Dark Twin is especially recommended for readers who like their fantasies complex and thought-provoking.
Dark Twin
Return to Index
The
Gift-Knight's Quest
Dylan Madeley
Matador Books
1784621412
Price: $4.61 Kindle, $18.99 Paperback (varies)
http://squareonecomics.com/
Chandra takes the throne when the King and Queen die, but her reign is heavy, requiring her to lead an empire suspicious that instead of being a leader, she's an assassin. The burden of proof falls on her to prove both her innocence and, simultaneously, her ability to be a ruler.
Derek is her personal guard, but he's no different than the rest of the populace in suspecting that his new queen isn't all that she says she is - especially since her family's ancestors once ruined his own chances at leading a very different, more privileged life.
Take two disparate individuals; one struggling to prove her innocence; the other convinced of her guilt but bound by order and convention to help her. Add a plot that moves from past to present influences as Chandra struggles with mandate, an unwanted and unexpected new role, and her own suspicions. Then stir in Derek's own struggles with his past for a fantasy story filled with subplots, special interests, and two very different individuals struggling with heritage and coming of age.
The Gift-Knight's Quest may sound like an entertaining read, but it's replete with complexity. There's much background and underlying influences to transmit in the course of the story, so readers expecting a linear read might find themselves unexpectedly immersed in the flashbacks and dialogue required to fully explain the setting and influences of the past and why the characters are at different pivot points in each of their lives. The dialogue between various characters at both upper and lower levels of society offers many insights about the kingdom and its rulers, however, and is not extraneous to the story, but supports it nicely: "We’re taking control of our lives and careers.” She replied. “Why should either of us worry about that?” Lucen had a swig from his own chalice. “I sometimes wonder if our advisors don’t think it’s prudent to control people who are becoming more like them.”
Where other writers might have glossed over details or injected and revealed them later in the story's progression, Dylan Madeley takes the time to build a firmer foundation than many fantasies hold - and this means that readers expecting nonstop action and adventure could feel that the attention to detail is too slow and steady.
It’s only after this foundation is built that the real action begins to build, and suddenly - having absorbed the personalities and backgrounds of individuals and kingdoms - readers are hooked.
What aspiring youngster doesn't believe him/herself to be unique, holding the ability to make a difference in the world - especially one born to privilege or to a clan with a set mission in the world? Readers who take the time to absorb the full-bodied social and political structure of this world will be more than rewarded with a rich, multi-faceted story line that draws one into a realm replete with struggle and change, laying the foundation for a series recommended for fantasy fans who like their stories complex and well-detailed.
The Gift-Knight's Quest
Return to Index
The
Juniper Wars Book 2: Killdeer Winds
Aaron Michael Ritchey
WordFire Press
9781614754350
$15.04
https://amzn.com/1614754357
Fans of apocalyptic survival stories who like their futuristic sagas on the dark side will relish Book 2 of The Juniper Wars, which is set in not-too-distant 2058 after the Sino-American War has decimated several generations of men and the Sterility Epidemic has rendered 90% of survivors sterile.
In this world, five Western American states are now territories, barely functioning. Cavatica and her sisters (introduced in the first book of the series, Dandelion Iron), are still struggling to save their ranch. Prior familiarity with Dandelion is recommended, because Killdeer Winds picks up where Dandelion left off and continues the story, focusing on the mysterious boy Micaiah, the evil forces who are searching for him, and the sisters' increasing involvement in an elusive search for the truth.
There is a range of disparate forces at work in Killdeer Winds that keeps the tale fast-paced and unpredictable. Just as readers start to predict that a series of events will take place, Aaron Michael Ritchey gives the story a twist to take it in an entirely new direction - and that's one of its greater strengths.
Another surprise is a Western frontier theme that runs through a chronicle replete with action and adventure. Think of a darker side to the Wild Wild West TV show, whose characters operated on the borderlines of a familiar Western theme with some odd, otherworldly influences thrown in.
The aftermath of war and its futuristic enactment is particularly well done in passages that are grippingly thought-provoking: “You can’t imagine the Sino, Cavvy. It was a journey into the heart of darkness. Apocalypse Now. In the end, it all fell apart. The whole thing. It was years of chaos and bloodshed as the hierarchy and discipline of the troops fell apart. The United States armed forces turned into a killer robot, headless, mindless. Only slaughter mattered. Murder on a scale undreamed of. It made World War I look like a Weller family fight. The generals thought our technology and drones could do the work but it takes people on the ground to do the actual slaughtering because in the end, people are far cheaper than technology, and we are far better at murdering than machines are.”
Soldier clones, confrontations between disparate groups and special interests, and a journey that takes Cavatica and her band through the remnants of Western America creates a moving adventure that is vivid. Replete with observation on the various processes of social survival, this also makes the novel hard to put down: "We dropped down out of the Rockies and roared through Salt Lake City in the morning light. The SLC hadn’t been salvaged as much as re-colonized by the Mormon folk. It looked rather pleasant. The Mormon women had torn up the streets to plant crops. Funny to see avenues of green, tilled by women with their hair covered. Mormons in the Juniper had gone back to polygamy, which made sense I guess, given there weren’t many men around. I still couldn’t imagine sharing my husband with a dozen other women. Both Sally Browne Burke and the Archbishop Corfu hated the Mormons and discounted their religion as heresy. But what if people were people, doing the best they could? Sharlotte had accepted Nikki and Tenisha’s gillian love. Could I hate them for something that was beyond their control?"
This juxtaposition of intense battle scenes and struggles for survival, combined with an overall mystery and a journey towards truth, makes Killdeer Winds a powerful, absorbing, and highly recommended read, especially for fans of post-apocalyptic survival narratives who seek an uncommon tone and touch.
The Juniper Wars Book 2: Killdeer Winds
Return to Index
The
Fisherman's Bride: The Untold Story of the Wife of
Simon Peter
Catherine Magia
KHN Press
978-1540310446
$9.99
Catherine
Magia - Home
Imagine a woman in love with a legend: a woman whose name has "become dust" over the centuries, with nary a footnote to her name, who married a man destined to become a legendary martyr. This is the perspective of Biblical times presented in The Fisherman's Bride: The Untold Story of the Wife of Simon Peter, a spellbinding portrait of not only the conversion of one man, but the blinding light of another (Jesus), whose influence changed the world.
Right from the start, the evocative and compelling tone of The Fishman's Bride casts its line and draws in readers with a deftness that borders on enchantment: "When he called to me, he awakened something beyond the binds of mortality, beyond flesh and skin. It was the memory of light, an exquisite and perfect love embedded within the soul. He taught me to discover the raw material of divinity within the self. He taught that sin splinters the soul, and that we are broken, shards of our own darkness weighing us down."
Perhaps this is because Catherine Magia uses an uncommon perspective and outsider's view of events. And, by 'outsider,' this means observations that come from beyond Jesus' inner circle, yet are closely connected by love and association.
The protagonist is 'daughter' and 'wife' - she has no name. Being nameless, her identity is defined by title and by the men in her life: her father Ephraim, the wealthy suitor whom she rejects, and the poor fisherman she chooses instead, in just one of the bold moves that will redefine her life and highlight her defiance of convention.
But
when a young
carpenter enters her world and heals her dying mother, this young woman
finds
herself on a journey that leads her into new definitions of love,
faith, and
commitment.
Also included in the saga are stories of fortunes made and lost, faith
thwarted
and regained, fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the impact
of
social and political change upon entire communities.
Catherine Magia's
attention to embracing the extent of daily living in Biblical times,
from
different methods of preserving fish to different attitudes encountered
during
their travels, brings the story to life: "My
husband usually avoided the sojourn to the metropolis due to the
multitude of
pilgrimages. With every religious festival, myriad caravans traveled to
the
city of glittering limestone and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was
approaching.
I would accompany my husband, crossing out of Galilee into the
unwelcoming land
of Judea. Despite sharing
one God, Judeans regarded their northern brethren as bumpkins,
incapable of
understanding the finer things in life. They were city folk, educated
in
Aramaic and Greek, condescending to us villagers. Even our accent was
repugnant
to them."
Readers of Christian literature and Biblical retellings will find this story a powerfully written, compelling account of the impact of Jesus on all layers of society, narrated from the eyes of an outsider to his central group of believers who uses the ordinary life experiences of an unnamed wife to chronicle an extraordinary journey of love, faith, and miracles.
The Fisherman's Bride: The Untold Story of the Wife of Simon Peter
Return to Index
Kleptomaniac:
Who's Really Robbing God Anyway?
Dr. Frank Chase Jr., TH.D
Book Baby
ebook: 9780975521762
$2.99
Print:
9780975521779
$17.47
www.fcpublishing.com/about_
Kleptomaniac: Who's Really Robbing God Anyway? The Untwisted Truth About the Centuries Old Tithes and Offering Deception examines the history of church tithes, a practice from the early days of Christianity which takes a darker turn as its history and connections to actual Scripture are probed from its original applications to modern times. But if readers expect a supportive Scripture-based emphasis on the value of tithes, it should be advised that Kleptomaniac does not toe a party line of religious propriety but offers a sobering and critical examination of the notion of tithes and how it has changed over the centuries.
Church-goers who struggle with the idea of tithes and Church donation processes will discover that there's reason for their concerns. There is an ongoing battle for truth and orthodoxy surrounding these matters, and this too is covered as Kleptomaniac analyzes the Biblical roots and intention of tithes and how the Church has applied them over the centuries.
This book is dedicated "To those who have suffered the wrath of family, friends, pastors, churches and other Christians for changing their giving practice from mandatory tithing to New Covenant, post-tithe freewill giving, remember, this fight to reveal the truth about tithing started centuries ago. People from many denominations and religious groups have held views against tithing long before we were born and the debate still rages on in the annals of theology."
That tithing has long been a powerful controversy is reflected in the Introduction's dedication: "To those who have been excommunicated from their church, to those who feel shunned, to those who have lost friends, to those who have been cut off from fellowship and to those who want to give from their heart without a percentage mandate, your voices will echo through the pages of this book. Also, to the believers from past generations who died never knowing that a curse on their lives never existed for not tithing, may this book be a light to your descendants who are still afraid to question tithing."
Despite its fiery contentions, Kleptomaniac's approach rests firmly on a combination of historical precedent, experience and analysis, and Scriptural quotes that back Dr. Frank Chase Jr.'s scrutiny. Chapters thus adopt a scholarly tone as they pull quotes from Scripture to analyze them: "I will examine the different tithes as separate items for context. The Bible gives specific instructions on how to distribute the tithe and to whom the tithe belonged. Who did God command to receive the tithe and who paid the tithe? Numbers 18, lays out the legal legislation on tithes under the law. However, before we look at this text, let’s jump forward to the New Testament. Hebrews 7:5 is the nail in the proverbial coffin that says who can collect tithes."
From keywords and comparing Bible references to how tithes were (and are) being stolen from early to modern times, Dr. Chase's scholarly analysis is precise, well detailed and reasoned, intricately researched and referenced, and yet is very accessible to lay audiences: "I think this book presents convincing doctrinal evidence that no money tithe argument can be established because it is inconsistent with Scripture, context and history. Although the Bible clearly describes that tithing took place in many verses, it does not mean that we continue the practice through commuting the tithe to money. The description of tithing food in the Old Testament does not equate to a money tithe prescription in the New Testament."
Dr. Chase's attention to detail in covering the history of tithing and his analysis of what constitutes an authentic tithe in keeping with God' Biblical directives includes a great deal of research into early Greek and Hebrew writings, creating a weighty yet authoritative, accessible piece filled with empirical evidence and discussions central to the tithe's place in Christian theology. Although its research-backed history is not light reading, its attention to well-researched detail is impeccably presented, and represents a breath of fresh air to a topic typically laden with more emotion than reasoned inspection.
The result is a thought-provoking read which is very highly recommended for any Church member interested in the history and ongoing debate over tithes, their mandate, and where and how they are spent.
Kleptomaniac: Who's Really Robbing God Anyway?
Return to Index
33
Traits of Successful Children 33
Traits of Successful Children is
directed to parents who want
to teach their kids how to create and focus on life goals leading to
success,
and outlines a host of attributes shared by successful children, from
becoming
tech-savvy and adopting a suitable mentor to understanding how
etiquette works,
creating a bucket list of goals, and even crafting a resume. While
some of
these processes would initially seem to indicate an older audience's
involvement, the pleasure of 33 Traits of
Successful Children is that each trait is
outlined with a child in
mind. Thus, the discussion of the importance of etiquette is reinforced
by
links to Emily Post and other etiquette sites, while the admonition to
"ask for help" goes beyond making a request and accepting its results
to show how this action encourages a team effort and ultimately
connects the
child to a collaborative process with shared goals rather than
operating in an
isolating environment, alone. It
should be
mentioned that the author's website promotes creating resumes for
children, and
this website branding is on every page and listed in the 'resumes'
section as a
key resource supporting the book. This
note aside, 33
Traits of Successful Children is not
about building resumes alone; but about understanding and fostering
positive relationships,
attitudes, and approaches to life at a much earlier age than one might
expect.
The result is an accessible, simple, yet specific series of actions
that invite
parents to encourage the types of habits that lead to lifelong
success. Americanada? William
L. Seavey
is an international investor, journalist and businessman who has
undertaken a
daunting task: to chronicle the history and future of U.S./Canadian
relations
and the fluidity of the border between the two nations. That he's
married to a
Canadian woman and holds business interests across this border also
lends a
personal expertise to his blend of political, economic and social
history,
creating a read especially timely in its appearance during an era where
America's borders and influence are being reconsidered on all
sides. Americanada?
was written a year after Canada installed a new prime minister, "the
relatively young son of Pierre Trudeau," and was updated just after
America elected Donald Trump as President. Portions of the book and
especially
its concluding chapter had to be re-written to reflect the latest
sentiments and
affairs between the two nations in the face of these political
changes. It's
surprising to
note that most Americans know relatively little about Canada in
contrast to
their typical Canadian counterparts, who know much about America. This
has led
to misunderstandings, misperceptions, and the general feel in this
country that
Canada is somewhat an extension of America - and that perception, as
demonstrated in Americanada?
-
could not be more mistaken. Yes,
the two
nations share a border and are democracies; but much of their
similarity ends
there. Real political and cultural differences have evolved from
historic
interactions between the two nations, and continue to this day. Largely
undiscussed and unacknowledged by the average American, these could
evolve into
a potential series of conflicts down the line which are all the more
sobering
given the fact that Americans still continue to view their Canadian
neighbors
with ignorance and arrogance. In
creating a
historical and cultural probe of these two countries, William L. Seavey
offers
a discussion based on interviews with Canadians and an overall probe of
the
controversies between the two nations. While admitting that some topics
- such
as economics - are too complicated to tackle and offer no easy
solutions,
Seavey presents many concrete insights on other issues, which can serve
to
bring the two nations closer. His
message is
intended for Canadians as well as Americans. Canadians are invited to "…consider giving thoughtful,
informed and sincere
Americans a chance to make an effort toward understanding you and your
contributions to North American progress and diversity."
while
Americans face an even greater challenge: to "…: take your northern neighbor
seriously, remove any
blinders you might have about Canadians in general, and cease being so
xenophobic and quite so nationalistic." Why
should
Americans care more about their northern neighbor? Because "...most of the time, Canada is
simply not on American
radar screens. Most of us don’t know about Canada’s history, politics,
demographics, cultural concerns or economics--and we could care less.
Even
about its people. This is really very shortsighted because we can stand
to
benefit from each other in myriad ways and even more so in the
future.
This lack of knowledge is, frankly, rather shameful. And the survival
of our
both our countries may well depend on a more cohesive, cooperative,
informed
cross-border reality." The
timing
couldn't be better. As it looks like President Trump is reconsidering
all
foreign relationships, so the average American should be re-examining
their own
knowledge base about the world; and where better to begin than right
next door,
with Canada and with Americanada? This
book also
considers many practical matters for Americans threatening to relocate
to
Canada in the wake of Trump's election, outlining many differences
between the
countries that Americans should know before they pack their bags: "A Canadian, such as my wife, can
continue to live in
the United States indefinitely, earn income and even get Social
Security and
Medicare--and not live in fear that the Canadian government will
require her to
pay taxes annually to a country in which she doesn’t have physical
residency...Not so an American living in Canada, as reported in several
recent
stories by the Wall Street Journal. The United States, which has always
required its citizens to report income regardless of where its citizens
reside
(one of only two countries in the world to do so), has implemented a
five year
campaign to hunt for undeclared accounts based on the 2010 Foreign
Account Tax
Compliance Act, or FATCA, which went into effect July 1, 2014. The
results have
been devastating for Americans living in Canada who file local taxes
but
generally assumed that their foreign savings and retirement accounts
couldn’t
be dunned by the U.S. government." Add
case history
examples, interviews, analysis of possible expanded trade coalitions
and
alliances, and issues ranging from refugees and trade barriers to
cooperative
possibilities between the two nations for a solid discussion accessible
not
just to students of political science and international relations, but
to
general-interest readers on both sides of the border who want to learn
more
about their neighbor and the options for improved
relationships.
Cubicle
to Cuba: Desk Job to Dream Job Heidi
Siefkas
isn't the first author to leave a corporate job for a life of writing
and
adventure; but she's one of the few who found this path heading to
Cuba: a land
exotic, forbidden, and in many ways not too far from her own familiar
world.
And while her adventures begin with and always seem to return to Cuba,
they
embrace a lifestyle that takes her on world travels which are also
narrated
here. Cubicle
to Cuba: Desk Job to Dream Job
follows Heidi Siefkas through
Cuba after she makes a life-changing decision that catapults her from a
safe,
secure, albeit demanding cubicle job to an uncertain, vivid life as a
world-traveling writer, and it "...will
teach you about Cuba, but it will also inspire you to think out of the
cubicle,
travel more, and embark on your own Life 2.0." Unlike
many
workers, Siefkas didn't leave because her job was changing for the
worse. She
left because she felt 'stuck' in the choices she'd made, even though
she was in
a managerial position at a new start-up. The overall structure of her
life was
frustrating, so when an unexpected call from a friend offered the
chance to
travel to Cuba in a new capacity as a tour guide, she decided to take
the
plunge into the unknown and accept far different working conditions
than the
set roles and cubicle world politics that were stifling her. Cubicle
to Cuba chronicles this process of
change, but what really
sets it apart from a travelogue or the usual "I left my job for
freedom" approach is the author's attention to detailing the daily
experiences of Cuban travel and life; especially when she outlines the
spirit
of Cuba's peoples: "After
nearly twenty
trips to Cuba, I have witnessed the spirit of the entire island as
turning
lemons into lemonade. It’s a Cuban way of life. The Cubans I’ve met are
passionate and kind with a stoic essence of the Midwest or Scandinavia.
However, it’s their zest for life and living in the moment that makes
Cuban
culture rich and distinct. If life deals them a bad hand of dominos or
worse,
they move on, perhaps laughing about it. They enjoy the simple things
in life
such as smoking a good Cuban cigar, drinking a Cuban coffee, sipping
Havana
Club Reserve, or just watching the world go by with a friend, neighbor,
or
family member." With
passages such
as these, Cubicle
to Cuba deftly
reveals the heart of the country and its peoples, juxtaposing cultural
observations with travel tips and experiences revolving around
bathrooms,
water, safety, and more. After setting its foundations in Cuba, Siefkas
visits
and contrasts other places using a precise "you are there" feel and
specific insights that allow for clear comparisons of Cuba's
differences to,
say, Hawaii: "With
a distance of more
than eight thousand miles between Cuba and Kauai, some amazing
similarities
struck me on my first summer on the Garden Island. First and foremost,
many of
the plants are the same...The second similarity between the two islands
is the
love of pork. Even a novice of Cuban cuisine and culture knows that
pork is
fabulous, succulent, and the national dish. And the same holds true for
Hawaii...The
third commonality is island time. Compared to the pace of the Mainland
(continental United States),
Hawaii
takes it slow. There is no “in a New York minute” pace in Hawaii.
That wouldn’t be aloha. However, aloha island time is still not like in
the
Caribbean, and Cuba
takes the cake. There, living in the moment, not being in a rush, and
watching
the world go by are a part of Cuban life." Cubicle
to Cuba is a lively journey that is
highly recommended for
general readers and, especially, for two audiences: those who want
experiential
accounts of Cuba, and corporate workers who dream of taking the leap
into a
different kind of lifestyle.
How
I Am Different In the
interests
of daily chronicling and analytically reflecting his life, Thom Kudla
spent one
whole year entering his thoughts, free verse impressions, and
experiences; then
spent a second year responding to each daily entry from the prior year.
How I Am
Different is the result of this
inspection process, and delivers a disparate gathering of thoughts and
impressions that swing from philosophical analysis to emotional
observations. Readers
with a
prior affection for free verse, philosophy, and journaling will find
this an
intriguing method of self-analysis and "in the moment" living which
captures daily life experiences and translates them to prose poems and
stanzas
packed with ideas and insights: "Lonely,
he sits and wonders/how he can afford/to give his love away/when he
receives
none." From
universal
truths and altered perceptions brought about by the passage of time to
the
nature of insanity (repeating mistakes of the past) and reflections on
the
changes to humanity brought about by the computer age ("...people will forget what real
human interaction is
like and the slightest touch will scare them back into the barren glare
of
their computer screen. People will wonder why there are no children
being born.
The act of making children will be just as forgotten as the joy of
simple human
interaction. Love is virtually unheard of when life is virtual. The
computer is
the end of human civilization, reflected across our eyes."),
the blend of initial reflection and return to the thoughts of that same
day, a
year later, makes for an intriguing juxtaposition of ideas, impressions
and
reflections over a period of time. It
should be
acknowledged that this is a diverse scattering of thoughts and
observations, as
may be predicted by daily entries produced over a long period of time.
There's
no uniform theme aside from the precision and discipline involved in
daily
chronicling; and aside from the passage of time and the structure of
re-examination each corresponding day a year later, the 'glue' that
binds this
collection together lies more in its evolutionary process than in any
singular
approach to life. There is, however, attention given to a structure
that
clearly juxtaposes the prior year with a continuation of the
observation a year
later. Clear "Year One/Year Two" title lines and only slight changes
to each piece's name ("Language of Joy" in Year One and
"Language of Madness" in Year Two) leave nothing to wonder about the
initial entry or its continuation. Readers
receive a
selection of poetry juxtaposed with short prose in a format that
translates
Thom Kudla's reflections on his own daily life progression to the
movements
experienced by many of his readers making their own journeys through
life. The
result is 365
days of peaks, valleys, and ideas that deftly chronicles the difference
a
single year makes in one's life: a literary work that will captivate
anyone
interested in journaling and a uniquely precise, narrowed focus on
life's
progressive changes.
Donna Kristine Manley
Christiana
Press, LLC
978-0-9777835-3-3
$4.99
http://www.resumesforchildren.
33
Traits of Successful Children
Return
to Index
William L. Seavey
Crisis Response Publishing
978-0-9854193-2-5
$19.95
americanada.us
Americanada?
Return
to Index
Heidi Siefkas
Heidi Siefkas, Publisher
ISBN: 978-0-9971963-2-0 (paperback) $19.95
ISBN: 978-0-9971963-3-7
(ebook)
$ 9.99
www.heidisiefkas.com
Cubicle
to Cuba: Desk Job to Dream Job
Return
to Index
Thom Kudla
To a T Books
ebook: 978-1-365-21445-5 (ebook version—available everywhere ebooks are
sold)
$9.99
Hardcover: 978-0-692-68763-5 (only available from author’s
website)
$35.00
www.thomkudla.com
How
I Am Different
Return
to Index
The
Illiterate Investor
Rene Pineda
Tellwell Talent
ISBN (paperback) 978-1-77302-375-5
Price: $17.95
ISBN (hardcover) 978-1-77302-377-9
Price:
$22.95
ISBN
(ebook)
978-1-77302-376-2
Price:
$ 9.95
www.renepineda.ca
www.amazon.com
There
are many,
many 'how to invest' books on the market today, directed to varying
degrees of
reader financial expertise; but how many are written with the
bare-bones
"illiterate investor" in mind? Only one.
When
author Rene
Pineda lost his job and couldn't replace it, he decided to investigate
the
lucrative world of investing in the stock market. Like so many others,
he
lacked any experience in the process; but, unlike many others, he then
embarked
on a learning process that clarified the many puzzling terms, ideas,
and
investment strategies of the stock market.
His
studies
revealed hidden fees, expensive broker arrangements with other
"illiterate
investors", and also uncovered the path revealed here: one involving
becoming an independent, self-managing stock market investor through
understanding strategy choices, comfort zones, overall market and
individual
stock trends, activities and indicators, and more.
This
process is
clearly explained in a chatty presentation that juxtaposes admonitions
and
warnings with clear approaches novices can take when entering the stock
market
for the first time. The
Illiterate Investor
explains, using plain and simple English, the basics about investing in
the
stock market which every investor needs to know in order to insure
financial
freedom.
Quotes
from
financial advisors, websites and articles, clear definitions and
discussions of
topics such as charting and how to identify trends, and explanations
that
include cautionary points both clarify the entire stock market
investment
process and forge a guiding path for complete novices who might
otherwise place
their hard-earned monies in the hands of expensive or unscrupulous
brokers.
The
result is
clear, winning learning processes that provides the foundation for
encouraging
would-be investors to get their feet wet in the stock market and then
develop a
learning process and overall strategy that, like the author
experienced, leads
to financial success and well-reasoned investment choices.
The
Illiterate Investor is highly
recommended; especially for
those who know nearly nothing, but who seek an especially accessible
method for
absorbing the basics of how to begin; but also for people who lost
money or
tried before, and want to get back into trading. It's timely,
necessary, and
easy to understand: a "must read" basic.
The
Illiterate Investor
Return
to Index
Learn
ANY Language
Janina Kilmas
Real Life Language
ASIN: B01ITRQ5VI
$6.99
http://a.co/hxaI6xP
Learn
ANY Language: A Practical Guide to Learn Any Language to Any Level of
Fluency
is directed to novice language learners with no experience in learning
languages; not to those who have mastered several already. As such, it
begins
with the basics of what language is, how it is learned, and the
author's own
experiences growing up in an English-speaking household with little to
no
contact with foreign languages.
Mastering
Spanish
in school still didn't result in any real fluency in the language, so
Janina
Kilmas embarked on a journey to gain these skills; the results of which
are
posted on her blog and here in her basic primer.
The
first thing to
note (besides its audience: the bare-bones, non-linguist) is its
method. You
don't have to be a child with uncommon abilities to absorb a language,
nor do
you have to be surrounded by a language's native speakers in order to
gain
fluency. What is
required is an
attention to detail and a method of quick comprehension.
Pages
of
introductory detail encourage newcomers to learn a new language,
pairing an
overview of common myths and misconceptions about the process with a
light
historical review and survey of what defines 'fluency' in any given
language.
Later
chapters
hold more specifics about technique, from close, deep reading and
workbook
notes to understanding word patterns in other languages, listening to
books on
tape in foreign languages, and navigating different levels of language
learning
to build a progressive foundation of knowledge.
It
should also be
advised that this is no quick process: readers who look to gain fluency
in a
short period of time should know that fluency and quality language
learning
commonly do not translate into 30- or even 90-day time frames.
All
this said,
beginners new to the idea of learning a foreign tongue from scratch
will find Learn
ANY Language offers a delightful
start to the process and provides much encouragement and basic
methodology.
Learn
ANY Language
Return
to Index
Write
to Influence!
Carla D. Bass
Orlean Press
9780997593006 $18.95
www.carladbass.com
Write
to Influence! is a gem -- much more
hard-hitting than the
typical "how-to" book on writing. It’s more specific in its approach,
teaching writing skills to purposefully craft words to present a
powerful
message, intended to influence readers.
Interested
in
powerful, super-charged writing? With Write
to Influence! you will produce
attention-grabbing pieces in all
kinds of business and professional, real-world scenarios where standout
writing
means the difference between success and failure.
This
stand-out,
strategy-oriented book analyzes specific examples and passages to allow
readers
plenty of insight into the basics of not just composition, but
rhetoric,
arguments, and the kinds of critical thinking skills that apply to
creating and
presenting the written word.
Write
to Influence! is directed to the
business professional who
may not have a talent for writing, but is required to write
effectively
as part of the job. This book is specialized and important --
translating to a
host of business and professional pursuits, from personnel appraisals
and grant
applications to reports, bid proposals, marketing efforts, and more.
Therein
lies the core difference between this how-to guide and general books on
writing. Plenty of examples accompany exercises designed to reinforce
the
teachings in
Write to Influence!
Write
to Influence! is a powerful tool
for individuals wanting to
get ahead, as well. Why? Selections for jobs, scholarships,
fellowships, and
more are often made based on the strength of the written application or
resume.
This book teaches writing skills to put forth the strongest possible
case
needed to edge out the competition.
Chapters
focus on
a series of "word sculpting" tools that tailor one’s writing to
achieve a clear, strong, and unambiguous message. Write to Influence!
then
presents valuable strategies that help the writer define the core
message,
identify what facts to include, and organize information for maximum
impact.
Chapters also reveal how to translate written words to public
presentations,
offering keys to a process that expands upon the main objective of
writing and
speaking: producing standout results.
The
ultimate goal
of writing is to inspire, influence, and craft precision
communications. All
too often, however, the very professionals who could most benefit from
these
approaches receive dry writing books that focus only on basic mechanics
of
grammar.
Write
to Influence! is unique in its
genre. In short, it is a
winner!
Write
to Influence!
Return
to Index
Rene Pineda
Tellwell Talent
ISBN (paperback) 978-1-77302-375-5 Price: $17.95
ISBN (hardcover) 978-1-77302-377-9 Price: $22.95
ISBN (ebook) 978-1-77302-376-2 Price: $ 9.95
www.renepineda.ca
Janina Kilmas
Real Life Language
ASIN: B01ITRQ5VI $6.99
http://a.co/hxaI6xP
Carla D. Bass
Orlean Press
9780997593006 $18.95
www.carladbass.com
The
Actress
Michael Hicks Thompson
Shepherd King Publishing
978-0-9845282-4-0
$18.00
www.michaelthompsonauthor.com
Christian readers who love a good mystery are in for a treat with Michael Hicks Thompson's The Actress, the second book in the Solo series, because it peppers Scripture quotes and a diverse cast of characters from all walks of life into a lively story replete with intrigue, humor, and religious inspection.
It's not an easy job to keep all these facets in balance while juggling a series of puzzling events, but The Actress performs in a lively manner, enriched by the fact that it is inspired by a true story.
The tale is narrated by Martha McRae, a newspaper publisher (and its only writer), Mississippi boarding house owner, and community member in a 310-person small town which is facing a celebrity in its midst.
One wouldn't expect a famous movie star to shoot a local farmer in the middle of the night in Solo, Mississippi, but it happens - and Martha's investigative hackles are raised by the sobbing wife of the dead husband. Of course she becomes involved, because: "I’m the only reporter for The Bethel County Gazette. The knowing is easy. It’s the unknown that takes time to uncover. In a small town like Solo, we know everything about everybody. It’s strangers who keep us up at night. And crickets."
The actress has been involved in a death before, with unresolved conclusions; but this one seems fairly straightforward: she saw a man attempting to break into her bedroom, and shot him. The problem lies in a note found in his hand, and the only possible conclusion is that more is going on than meets the eye.
Was it self-defense? Murder? Or something else?
What sets The Actress apart from most murder mysteries is a wry sense of ironic humor that permeates events seen through Martha's eyes, paired with a Christian perspective that keeps the story line clean, reflective, and delightfully revealing - all this tempered with passages about Mississippi culture that include social insights, as well: "Mississippi already had its fair share of negative publicity, what with the Ole Miss riots a few weeks ago. Segregationists were still protesting the enrollment of James Meredith, a black military veteran. Two civilians and a French journalist had been killed. The negative stories would set us back for years."
The subtlety of these approaches belies any belief that the story will become preachy, staid, or predictable. These characters are firmly rooted in their small-town traditions and beliefs; but this doesn't mean they are inflexible, prejudiced, or single-minded: in fact, these beliefs ground them and enable them to examine their world and its events with a solid foundation of faith mixed with social consciousness. Are there coincidences, or does God have a purpose in mind even in a murder? Watch for the clues that ultimately lead to real answers.
The result is a delightfully lively, clear, clean production filled with a fun group of disparate characters whose choices and decisions affect and reflect a small town's God-fearing approaches to life, justice, and death. Christian mystery readers will be delighted with its wry observational style and the humor which is embedded into a search for the truth.
The Actress
Return to Index
A
Deep Thing
A. K. Smith
The Wild Rose Press
978-1-5092-1048
$16.99 print, $ 5.99 e-book
Goodreads: https://www.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/
Nook: http: //bit.ly/2fa2Lux
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.
Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/
Bookstand: http://www.
The
Wild Rose
Press: http://catalog.
Website: http://www.
It's not every wife whose husband has something buried in the jungles of Mexico, prompting her to embark on a journey of discovery that tests both her diving skills and her courage. Not every widow finds herself saddled with both an angry adult stepson who offers little solace after a tragic accident and the promise of a diving trip that was her husband's last gift to the boy, which becomes her duty to fulfill for him. And not every journey will reveal a series of dangerous choices that hold the power to change both of their lives forever.
But, that is the legacy Tim Jackson has left for them: an uncertain adventure that will ultimately and posthumously reveal who he really was, and which threatens to embroil those he loved and left behind in a game just as dangerous as the one that took his life.
Think an Indiana Jones-type thriller with the nonstop staccato beat of jungles, dangerous dives, and a treasure hunt like no other. Think of a series of surprises set in the Yucatan jungle that continually test the characters and surprise the reader. Then wrap this adventure in the cloak of a mother's struggles with grief and a conspiracy that reaches out to replace her husband's memory with something beyond anything she's ever known.
A. K.
Smith's
prose embraces a combination of fast-paced action and psychological
revelations, giving it a juicy blend of tension and insight that makes
for a
well-done story. A better edit job might have caught the light
peppering of
grammatical errors throughout ("...she
desperately wished she grabbed the strange maps and papers out of Tim’s
briefcase."), but don't significantly dent the
plot.
Another plus is the attention given to detail and the rationalizations behind Kendall's actions. Readers aren't left to wonder about either her options or why she makes the choices she does: "How could anybody know about the briefcase? She wanted to tell them, but instinct silenced her. First, she needed to understand the contents of the briefcase and what they meant."
Finally, the entire piece is drawn together by the threads of disparate special interests that embrace corporate espionage, high-stakes adventure, and an evolving relationship between a stepmother and a son left grieving after his father's untimely death.
Add little acts of heroism and big steps out of comfort zones for a gripping story that is attention-grabbing on many levels, highly recommended for fans of world-hopping, multi-faceted adventure thrillers who look for an added bonus of psychological depth and human emotion in their adventure reads.
A Deep Thing
Return to Index
Fool
Whiskey Hero
JT Blundell
New Pulp Press
9781945734052
$14.95 paperback; $4.99 ebook
Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Fool-
Author
Link:
www.newpulppress.com/bookpage/
https://www.facebook.com/
"Hawaiian Shirt Guy" is scared out of his mind, cowering as deeply as he can into the plastic upholstered booth of The Dirty Pickle, a pub which lives up to its name. Why he's afraid and what's to come opens Volume 1 of the "Drunken Fool Thrillers" with a bang as Shirt Guy is threatened and an ex-Army Corporal well into his cups reluctantly decides to take action. His reward for stopping a murder? Arrest.
Pair an alcoholic ex-military soon-to-be-divorced man who struggles to help his addicted brother with a teen witness on the run who is sought by cops and killer alike, add a liberal dose of alcohol into the story line, and shake them up for a story of murderers and vengeance which moves well beyond singular purposes to involve an entire city in a desperate hunt and a cat-and-mouse game.
Fool Whiskey Hero's point of view alternates between third person observations of teen Nyla's life and purposes and first-person Grady's experiences, and this not only keeps the story alive and kicking, but easily clarifies whose perspective is being featured in its alternating chapters.
As a smart wife becomes involved over her head and a video's contents link them all, tension builds in a series of encounters that clearly defines both characters and their environments using precise, immediate language: "Again and again, Nyah played the video. Maybe this time the men aren’t in the alley or the other cop doesn’t show up. Maybe her Father doesn’t arrive or when he does he isn’t betrayed. Maybe he isn’t shot or doesn’t die. Maybe this time, her world doesn’t end. Each time she prays it turns out different. But it doesn’t, it never does. Nyah lost count how many times she watched that video while leaning against her mother’s tombstone."
Driven by the nitty-gritty emotions of its characters, Fool Whiskey Hero succeeds in not only exploring events, but examining the psychology driving interpersonal interactions and choices: "I have hated and loved Reece alternately all our lives. I’d wanted to kill him at times, but there were also moments when I wanted to hug him till it hurt. He was my brother. Reece was there for all my favourite moments as a child. He was beside me for every beating the old man ever laid on me. We were linked. I knew no matter what he’d always love me and need me."
The result is more than an action thriller: it's a very real human interest piece designed to attract readers who seek more from their stories than entertaining puzzles. Ultimately it's the human psyche that drives these experiences, and Fool Whiskey Hero is highly recommended for anyone looking for that special prize of emotional connection in a cracker-jack series of confrontations.
Fool Whiskey Hero
Return to Index
Hugo
Duchamp Investigates: Les Noms Sur Les Tombes
G.N. Hetherington
CreateSpace
978-1535219693
$16.00
https://amzn.com/1535219696
Hugo Duchamp Investigates: Les Noms Sur Les Tombes is the third volume in the series revolving around feisty detective Hugo Duchamp and his cases and returns the newly-injured detective to the spotlight in a new adventure. Hugo is still recovering from injuries sustained during the last case, but there's no rest for the weary when Dr. Irene Chapeau finds her life and career in turmoil and under threat.
But the real action takes place not on the political playing field but in Montgenoux’s graveyard, where "rest in peace" is about to be thwarted by a man intent on making the entire town pay for what it's done to him.
Friends lie, mirrors lie, and sometimes the scars of psyche and soul that are so well hidden from the world finally erupt in unexpected ways. Dr. Chapeau discovers this as danger escalates - and so do Hugo, Miriam, and others who become involved in her world as events edge ever closer to catastrophe.
As Irene probes conspiracies, dubious associations, the death of men who may have known what the mayor was up to, and apparent suicides that are less easily identified as murders, Hugo and Irene find themselves caught in a web of intrigue and danger that increasingly casts them as prey in a dangerous game.
Political whitewashing and efforts by Hugo and others to keep the investigation in Montgenoux on track create a satisfying series of encounters between investigators, politicians and special interests forces. Hugo's personal life offers him a safe harbor against these disparate forces ("Hugo wrapped his arms around Ben, his left hand going instinctively towards the curl on his forehead, the right wrapping around the scar on his hand. This was his safe place, when all the pieces between them became one.") - but how safe will it remain?
Fans of detective sagas will find Hugo a savvy, unique character whose investigative prowess is equaled only by the changes affecting his personal relationship, which moves onto more solid ground even as his professional life seems to be dissolving: "…the reason neither of us look to the past or look to celebrate it is probably the same reason that brought us together in the first place. But we aren't children anymore, it’s time to put our phantoms to bed and look to the future. I’m tired of being alone. I’m tired of surviving my past. It’s all irrelevant now, it doesn’t matter anymore that my mother deserted me, or my father hates me, or even if I decide to see either of them again. I’m a man now. I’m an adult and it’s only really since I met you that I’ve realised I’ve been hiding behind it all, using it as an excuse to keep people away from me. I don't need my father to love me. I don't even need to know why my mother deserted me anymore, she just did, the problem was hers, not mine, and I’m not even sure I care to know why anymore,’ he pulled Ben to him. ‘I want to be truly happy, not just to believe I am. This house is a good place to start, I think.’"
It's these personal moments and their presence within a murder mystery that challenges Hugo's standing in his new home which makes for a riveting plot about different kinds of commitments, including those that last beyond the grave. As the threats begin to strike closer to home, Hugo is on track to experience some of the greatest changes not only in his career, but to his set course in a life he's only finally committed to fulfilling.
One of the most striking features of Hugo Duchamp's mysteries is the dual focus on his life and personal struggles, which juxtapose nicely with each mystery he's involved in. In Les Noms Sur Les Tombes, just when everything seems to be coming together, they fall apart. A striking investigative pursuit wound within the struggles of a different kind of personal life make this a standout addition to the series, with a conclusion that leaves the door wide open for more, pulling readers in with a gripping emotional feel throughout that builds to a shocking crescendo and yet another twist in Duchamp's never-singular course in life.
Hugo Duchamp Investigates: Les Noms Sur Les Tombes
Return to Index
Brake
Failure http://amzn.to/2hJfKph http://amzn.to/2gLOUef http://amzn.to/2gLNTDh It's
hard not to
continue reading when a story's opening paragraph starts with a blend
of humor
and angst injected into virtually the same set of words: "‘There’s a dead man at the
door,’ Mrs Whitaker
hissed, leaning over the desk. Nurse Betty sighed, took a bite of
donut, closed
the magazine on “How to get Slim for the Millennium” and heaved herself
out of
her swivel chair." What a way to start a New
Year's Eve! Events
only get
hotter from there as a crazy, out-of-control scenario becomes replete
with
characters as diverse as an English debutante in control of her life
until she
finds herself dumped in Kansas and decides to join a survivalist group,
the
savvy people-reader Sheriff Hank Gephart, whose unexpected inability to
stop a
careening life places his own in jeopardy, and an unlikely romance that
explodes on the cusp of the new Millennium. With
such a
disparate set of characters and special interests, one might expect
that
encounters in Brake
Failure would
become a little disjointed; but the fact is that even though everyone
is
careening full-tilt towards disaster, nothing is set in stone, and
nothing
feels confusing. Alison
Brodie's
ability to draw her readers to the precipice of complexity and then
deftly
weave all events into an evolving masterpiece of humor, angst, and
disparate
special interests makes for an involving and fun story where characters
take
unexpected turns to change seemingly-set courses in life. While
the stormy
romance between Sheriff Hank and the wayward Ruby
Mortimer-Smyth would
seem unlikely, Brodie's ability to deftly portray and play out the
impossible
makes for a story line that is an emotional train wreck in some ways
and a hilarious
tongue-in-cheek spoof on predictability in others. Descriptions
are
unusual and striking ("Her
worst
feature was the electric shrubbery of used-tea-bag coloured hair that
framed
her face.") and the ironies of life well
depicted, always with
Brodie's trademark injection of wit: "She
glanced down at the brochure in her hand: Purdy’s Pet Nutrition. This
was the
account Edward had to win. She leafed through pages of healthy-looking
dogs
with their equally healthy-looking owners. Diet for Fur Balls. Fresh
Breath
Right Under Their Noses. Feline Incontinence. Is this what’s
brought me
here? She thought bitterly. Fluffy’s bladder?" Fans of
romances,
unexpected people, and clashing yet funny encounters of the odd kind
will
relish Brake
Failure's ribald,
rowdy tale: original, fun reading at its best.
East
– A Novel East
– A Novel is set in 1994, when
junior lawyer Vince decides to
leave his stifling world of legal processes and issues and embark on a
road
trip across Australia. His
excitement at
changing everything in his life is deftly captured in the very first
paragraph,
which will also grab reader attention and attraction; especially
amongst those
who relish classic road trip adventures: "The
bonnet in front of me is big and white. Rain on the windscreen – the
wipers
sweep it away. The clouds are grey, the road is grey, the suburbs are
grey and
I am leaving. There is joy in that. I’m leaving it behind – a life –
small,
petty, viciously circular. Out in front is the road and I don’t know
where it
will end. I am free. I’m almost young." The
life of a
suburban lawyer recedes rapidly in the rearview mirror as Vince opts
for a very
different life and drives into it without regrets, taking readers with
him in a
vivid exploration of new environments, new relationships, and changing
perspectives about what is valuable in life. All the small decisions
have been
traded for either larger ones or a "go with the flow" feel, and Vince
soon discovers that part of that flow leads to something entirely
unexpected. Of
necessity,
there are many "goodbyes" as well as "hellos" in Vince's
adventure. At times readers may wonder if what he's leaving behind to
continue
his journey is as important as where he is heading. But as he reflects
on his
changed status in a new life with a limitless horizon, he also
discovers that
the ties that once translated to comfort have morphed into a very
different
definition: "I
drive all day and the
barren land gradually becomes more fertile. There are golden fields of
hay
around me, some of it in bales. I turn the radio on and listen to the
news. In
the west bush fires are burning and insurance company executives are
nervous.
All of a sudden I don’t feel so bad about being one of the
property-less mob at
the age of thirty. No house of mine will burn." As
Vince meets
many different people, from drifters to drillers, he formulates the
concept of
a 'gentle god' that watches over the world and begins to realize that
his
choices and journey are part of something greater: "The web showed itself to me
because my journey is
true. There’s power in those pieces of light; power to change things,
to make
things turn out right …" The
result is a
road tale that takes interpersonal connections and discoveries and
elevates
them to a new level of introspection and growth, making East - A Novel
highly recommended for
readers who like their stories introspective as well as adventurous,
and who
look at the road trip experience as one example of growth-inducing
decisions.
Gibb
River Road Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ Twitter:
https://twitter.com/damian_ Gibb
River Road is a rough road in
Western Australia's outback,
the Kimberley region, and is notorious for being a hellish ride even in
a
four-wheel drive jeep. It's also the title of a story about Jacob, an
Englishman who has traveled halfway around the globe to Darwin,
Australia to
find (or finish) himself. One
attraction in Gibb
River Road is that the two men who
newly encounter one another are very different: one is heterosexual,
the other
"very gay". The nature of their evolving relationship will
rely
not on predictable patterns of same-sex interactions, but the process
of
bridging two disparate mindsets, experiences, and perceptions of the
world. There
are some
puzzles, such as those revolving around Jacob's decision to go to
Australia to
solve his problem, rather than traveling somewhere in England to find a
different way out, closer to home. But these questions are offset by an
intriguing story line that charts the evolving relationship between
these two
very different men. Jacob
finds
himself attracted to William for the man's high energy and perspective
on life,
among other things. For William, it's a recovery process as he moves
away from
the shattered remains of his old boyfriend, who left him for a richer
man, to
enter the unknown of a relationship with a heterosexual man during a
journey
across a foreboding desert in a strange country. A
challenging trip
undertaken on one of Australia's most difficult Outback roads would
have been
intriguing enough; but add the scenario of two men finding themselves
and each
other and a question about their ultimate survival for a passionate
story that
takes a step beyond romance to delve into the meaning of life itself. This
story of
blossoming love provides a compelling saga of a journey to
self-realization,
acceptance, and romance, and is highly recommended for any fan of gay
fiction
who seeks an inviting, engrossing adventure read replete with the
realistic
sounds, scenes, and culture of Australia and its Outback.
Halcyon
Summer When a
lonely
thirty-something man encounters a band of young trespassers on his
property
(including a feisty fifteen-year-old girl) trouble begins to brew.
James is
well aware of the dangers of courting forbidden flesh, but even a
friendship
with someone underage is better than nothing - or so he
thinks. As the
events of Halcyon
Summer unfold, however, James and
the reader are about to find that wisdom and savvy can fail in light of
other
forces which occur when two lonely souls of any age encounter one
another.
James lives on an estate of heirlooms and treasures, but his
inheritance is
empty without interpersonal connections. The coquettish young Jill,
wise beyond
her years, injects herself into his staid life, seemingly effortlessly.
And for
all his hesitations ("He
couldn’t
possibly let a fifteen-year-old constantly get the better of him. The
other
sensibility, that he couldn’t possibly let a fifteen year old stranger
become a
fixture, was neatly elbowed aside."), James
finds himself
succumbing to forces outside of his control and intentions. When
friends turn
to lovers in a hedonistic party atmosphere, despite the fact that
neither
initially wished for these events to take place, a sexual and emotional
journey
evolves that will test both their personalities and abilities. "We never attend to the full
horror of the possible."
But the point is that Halcyon
Summer
achieves this goal as its story unfolds, provoking readers to think
past the
specter of a forbidden relationship and into realms of moral and
ethical
conundrums and, ultimately, faith. One
doesn't expect
the story to wind up where it does, from its rootsy beginnings. From
the impact
of aging on decisions made in youth to a parent's sneaky interventions
and
exceptions to long-standing rules, Halcyon
Summer turns from a steamy story of sexual
exploration to a serious
survey of how relationships grow despite great differences and even
(perhaps,
especially) under conditions of adversity. Readers
should
expect strong sexual scenes, challenging definitions of what
constitutes 'home'
and 'family', and revised perceptions of relationships between those of
vastly
different ages whose maturity levels sync in unexpected ways. Halcyon
Summer is about these transition
points and is especially
recommended for leisure readers interested in how romantic connections
are made
and evolve.
Heels
Over Head Executive
Henry is
happily entrenched in a high-stakes job cutting global deals when his
position
vanishes, leaving him struggling not just for work, but for the source
of his
identity. What
could this
conundrum - and the specter of his beautiful wife's affair, which
simultaneously
attacks his personal world - have to do with murder and revenge?
Plenty, as
Henry is about to discover when his attempt at rebuilding his world
with a new
job only sends it on a dangerous downward spiral. Heels
Over Head is about law gone awry,
an entrenched, comfortable
life tumbled into a strange new world, and a man's painful reminder
that
reality is at times on a collision course with illusion. In a war
between the
sexes, and between business and legal issues, who will be the winner? And
what do
tattoos have to do with Henry's entanglements? Henry's
life isn't
the only one being turned upside down, and Clay G. Small deftly creates
a
supporting cast of characters that hold their own places in a
decades-long
cycle of revenge and complicated relationships. Under another hand, it
would
have proved all too easy for Henry's story to become overly
complicated; but
each character plays a key role in changing Henry's life and all
dovetail
nicely as an atmosphere of intrigue and danger builds to a satisfying
crescendo
that takes readers far from what initially appears to be a simple story
of
unemployment and re-creating one's identity. The
result is a
fast-paced, involving read that moves through many changes as
protagonist Henry
faces some of the biggest choices of his life, only to find that many
them have
come full circle from the past. Without spilling beans, suffice it to
say that
even with Henry's actions, all is not as it seems - and the door is
left well
open for further insights even as events lead to many surprises and an
unexpected outcome for all.
The
Last Things Last
Things: A Story of Friendship, Of Love, Loss and Renewal
opens with the specter of Bridgette's unborn baby girl, who may be born
with
Down Syndrome, and tells what happens when the father she's about to
marry
decides that this diagnosis is a deal-breaker. The
knowledge that
he harbors some unacceptable behaviors and selfish attitudes shakes her
world
as much as her baby's diagnosis and so Bridgette finds her life course
irreparably changed, as a result. But The
Last Things isn't just about what happens next -
it's about endings
that bring new beginnings and new revelations to relationships: "I don’t think we can do it. I’ve
been thinking about
it since you told me. It would just change our lives too much and I
don’t think
it’s something we’re prepared or want to do. We’ve got great careers
ahead of
us. We’re going to go on to larger and better newspapers. We’re going
to be a
power couple. How can we be a power couple if we have a child with a
disability
to worry about?” Her eyes narrowed. “Elliott, we’re talking about our
daughter,
a little life we’ve made together. How can you think about being a
power couple
right now?” There's
even more
going on than a decision over an unborn child: a woman has taken her
life
because of Bridgette, and this different kind of loss coupled with her
own
emotionally wrenching situation sends Bridgette onto a path she never
could
have conceived of taking. Suddenly
reporter
Bridgette makes an about-face in her life, her career, and her entire
world,
walking out of set habits only to become involved in an accident that
will send
her life in yet another direction - this one, ultimately and hopefully,
for the
better. Last
Things is about how relationships
end and begin. It's about
how courses in life are challenged and changed, and tells how a woman
who is
responsible for two deaths finds the courage to face them and change
who she
is. Most of all, it's about selfishness in its various forms, love in
its
various forms, and surviving and even thriving in a life with a
handicapped
child. The
choices
Bridgette makes brings readers along for a thought-provoking,
emotionally
filled adventure through love and friendship in a story that's
grippingly hard
to put down.
Moki
Steps Mackenzie
Campbell
has better things to do than stand in front of a class of reluctant
young
learners begging them to properly diagram a sentence. She's a professor
of
linguistics at a fine university who has built a reputation as an
expert in
Uto-Aztec languages. Why is she wasting her time participating in a
failed educational
experiment with a group of reticent eighteen-year-olds? The
call from an
ex-boyfriend comes out of the blue and promises a big discovery that
will
change everything; but just as sudden are a series of events that cause
him to
go missing, leading her on an expedition to a slot canyon which holds
more than
a few questions. Can an old Navajo woman's letters lead to a cache of
gold
hidden by the Aztecs as Cortés massacred them? Predictably,
there's a treasure map - and equally inevitable are the reasons why
Charlie's
discovery are certain to lead straight into danger. Less clear, at
first, is
Mackenzie's role in this process; but motivated by the promise of a
research
trip of a lifetime and a discovery that would add to her credentials,
the
professor soon finds that love and achievement in this case run hand in
hand,
straight into deadly danger. One of
the
strengths of Moki
Steps lies in
its ability to build fine tension right from the start with a series of
logical
events. Take a self-proclaimed "nerdy" professor who feels stuck in
both career and personal choices, take her out of her familiar world of
academia and on the field trip of her life, and add romance into
escalating
intrigue. Stir. Then capture the culture and sense of place of the slot
canyon
lands of Arizona
and add an elusive enemy. The result is an exploration that excels in
vivid
descriptions of place ("He
placed one
foot in front of the other, testing each step. She didn’t look down but
continued following him, aware that Vic was right below her. The ledge
was
almost two feet wide and level. To reach the cave, they had to pass
through a
thin stream of water that had been diverted by a cleft in the rocks
next to the
bigger waterfall. Getting wet was a given.") as
it leads
readers step-by-step through Mackenzie's adventure. The
physical
challenges of a rugged journey are well described, the psychological
makeup of
a band of explorers is probed ("Henry
had taken on Sandy’s
role, becoming the whiner of the group. There always had to be one,
even in a
group this size. There were only six of them now. What was Sam doing?
If he’d
come with them, he would have stayed back with Sandy.
Been patient with him. But if Sandy
hadn’t left them, she realized, they might have voted to go back. Now
they had
to get to the end of the canyon, and with luck, find Charlie."),
and tension escalates into ambushes, gunmen, and confrontations between
different special interest groups. The
result is a
fast-paced, vividly realistic adventure story that tests character
connections,
motivations, choices, and chance. It's never a good idea to go into the
canyons
alone. But Mackenzie has an entire support group behind her: J. Reed
Rich's
readers of Moki
Steps.
Ocean
Echoes Marine
biologist
Ellen Upton is about to embark on a research cruise that will change
her life
on more than one level. Her ultimate goal is to make a difference in
the world
- and the discovery of a new species could certainly do that. She's
given up
everything - even love - in pursuit of this goal, unpredictable as
romance's
currents can be, and her choices counter the relentless tide of
predictability
of her own set course in life. "There
would always be more to know." And
one thing Ellen
doesn't know is that her work - and her heart - are about to change in
ways she
can't predict. As
readers wind
through the personal and scientific discoveries of Ocean Echoes,
they receive a wealth of natural history
information embedded into a story line that draws intriguing personal
connections between Ellen's scientific investigations and matters of
the heart.
From a reflection on the color red and the idea that "Love leaves that kind of a mark.
Love changes us
forever" to her tendency to hide from the world
and bury
herself in her beloved research, Ellen takes new chances and finds
herself
experiencing a storm of controversy. Some of her discoveries have no
logical
explanation, which defies her worldview and everything she's stood
for. Ocean
Echoes is about a woman who
continually challenges herself.
Driven by events that defy everything she's studied or experienced,
hers is a
wild ride through nature and matters of the heart and will provide
romance and
women's fiction readers with more depth and density than most
one-dimensional
focuses on relationships alone. Readers
who enjoy
multi-faceted stories of careers, science and nature, and those who
love the
ocean that Ellen begins to see as alive, will
find that Ocean
Echoes is an
evocative read especially strong in metaphor and imagery, marked with
the
personality of a scientist who seeks her own way of becoming alive and
surviving the changes in her life.
The
Theory of Talking to Trees Ordering
Link: https://www.amazon.com/ The
Theory of Talking to Trees tells of
Stephen Christiansen, who
has moved past the tragedies of his youth to become a successful author
involved in an eight-year engagement with a wonderful woman. His life
is coming
together and he's affluent and well-respected - until he attempts to
stop a
robbery on the street, and is shot. This
pivot point
in his life careens him into an unusual friendship with the would-be
victim
Isaac, who shares Stephen's love of writing (but very little else), and
involves a descent into madness that translates into surreal scenes and
the
stark reality of the chasm between entitlement and privilege and
poverty and
despair. In many
ways, The
Theory of Talking to Trees arrives at
the quintessential point in time in American history where change is in
the
wind, with Stephen's perspective and life changes mirroring those in
this
country. Even
his most
minute lifestyle choices and decisions are closely examined against the
microscopic
prism of change that is to follow ("Stephen
refers to abundances of un-used time as the dead periods of the day,
which he’s
minimized since he learned the value to be found in living."),
while the fraying emotional connections between Phoebe and Stephen are
precisely dissected in passages that contrast not only different
perceptions,
but vastly changing values systems: "You
spend your time focused on climbing ladders, and you make it seem like
you take
my feelings into account. You take me around to all of your gatherings,
your
events, and you would love to be able to say I’m your wife so you can
show
everyone exactly how much you’ve gotten your life back together. You’re
obsessed with confirming the two of us because that’s how you show
you’ve
changed from being who you were before. You’re motivated by advancing
your own
self-interest.” As
Stephen
descends into a world that initially seems far from what he's built,
quickly
moving into dangerously familiar territory, he finds himself facing the
reasons
for his love of writing, his love of the life he's carefully
constructed, and
the forces that would bring everything crashing down around him as he
confronts
losing the two most powerful influences in his life. The
Theory of Talking to Trees is no
easy leisure read, and is
best digested slowly. Its particular brand of angst and its probe of
models for
pain and change are thought-provoking and don't lend to hasty reading.
That
said, readers who seek complex psychological stories of evolution and
change
will relish the engrossing saga of a man who has everything and then
nothing,
and who is forced to re-evaluate his path in life and the meaning of
everything
he professes to love because of a single circumstantial encounter with
a
stranger. Such
audiences
will find the psychological developments and tension in The Theory of Talking to Trees
makes for
an exquisite, unique story that's compellingly hard to put
down.
The
Wolf of Dorian Gray The
Wolf of Dorian Gray: A Werewolf Spawned by the Evil of Man is
the first book of a series revolving around the classic figure of
Dorian Gray
and his struggles with evil, which takes the form here of the last
remaining
wolf in 1800s England. As in
the original
Oscar Wilde Portrait
of Dorian Gray,
Dorian faces the temptations of wicked forces and the drive to be good;
but
unlike Portrait,
a wolf enters
the picture to grow from a persecuted, hunted beast into a dangerous,
malevolent force that enters London with malevolent
intentions. In this
scenario
Dorian may be the only force that can stop or transform it - or, is he
just
another pawn in the devil's game? From
artist Sage's
relationship with the enigmatic and handsome Dorian Gray and the
reasons behind
her attraction to him ("Dorian
is my
dearest friend. He is kind and has a pure soul and a simple nature.
You’ll try
to influence him or spoil him somehow. This is the one person who adds
more to
my art then I could ever explain and I couldn’t stand to lose him.”)
to Dorian's sexual exploits with Sibyl and the mirrored experiences of
wolf and
Dorian as they become more confident about their prowess and places in
the
world, The
Wolf of Dorian Gray
crafts a masterful synthesis of two disparate characters who find their
journeys and perspectives intermingling. Rarely
does
romance and revenge intersect so pleasurably and delicately, forming a
dance of
passion and purpose that embraces a soul search and a confrontation
between
choices of salvation and sin. The
result is
especially recommended as a concurrent read with Wilde's original
masterpiece,
taking the original Portrait's
complexity a step further in adding a werewolf into the evolution of an
entirely new facet of Dorian Gray's persona, complete with a surprise
conclusion examining who is truly monster and who is master. Literary
readers
with the original in hand will relish this wide-ranging,
thought-provoking
extrapolation on Dorian's theme.
The
Year of Loving Sarah's
personal
life is unwinding: her art gallery is struggling to stay solvent in a
tough
market, her parents are dead, both her marriages have ended, her
children are a
mess, and her best friend has cancer. What else could go wrong in her
life? Change
is the last
thing she wants in her stormy world; but it assumes the guise of two
very
different men who enter her life, seeking a relationship with her. Each
brings
something to an already-full table. Should Sarah even be thinking about
imbibing? In many
lives,
tribulations hit all at once. A year of emotional hell and change is
not an
unusual occurrence in the course of life; but what is
unusual in The
Year of
Loving is that two very different ways of giving
and receiving love
and support are added into a life already poised on the brink of
disaster. As
readers follow
Sarah's transformative process, past influences, and present
challenges, they
come to realize the options always inherent in the opening or closing
of any
door and the self-driven opportunities that can be faced even at the
age of 50.
As Sarah discovers she's never too old to forge new paths in life, so
she
enters into heady romantic possibilities that differ from any choices
she's
made in the past. The
Year of Loving chronicles an
independent woman's struggles
for achievement in many different ways. Don't expect a knight in
shining armor
to sweep into her world: her romantic interests are flawed, only human,
and
anything but dominating controllers. Do
expect a sassy, candid tale of emotional and physical scars,
distraction and
commitment, conversations that reflect real-world experiences, a
healthy dose
of humor (“Why
can’t I sleep over?” “We’re
not at that stage,” I said. “What stage are we at?” “The booty call
stage.”),
and a learning process that links choices of the past to realities of
the
present ("I
shrugged and returned to
the present, to the warm and solid man standing so close to me. “All I had to do was accept being
a third class
citizen; accept their condescension. Listen to George continually
telling me
that I was crazy and incompetent and a rage monster and that no one
else but
him would ever want me.” “You didn’t get out of that marriage soon
enough,”
Carl observed, his blue eyes scanning my face. “It does explain a few
things. To
be clear, Sarah, I’m nothing like the Calhouns.”) The
result is a
lively, fun romp through life that carries readers through the options
and
choices of a heady year in which everything changes and Sarah learns
how to
live the life she chooses not just in response to, but in spite of, the
swirl
of relationships around her. Women will find it the perfect leisure or
beach
read.
Alison Brodie
Amazon Digital Services
ISBN: 978-0-9954568-2-2
ASIN:
B01MRQVFGA
$3.99
https://www.goodreads.com/
Brake
Failure
Return
to Index
Peri Hoskins
Tane Kaha Publications
ASIN B01G65WXDE $2.99
http://perihoskinsauthor.com
http://amzn.to/1Ui4t9V
East
– A Novel
Return
to Index
Damian Maher
CreateSpace
9781535041430 $9.95
www.amazon.com
Gibb
River Road
Return
to Index
G. V. Loewen
Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Co.
978-1-68181-863-4
www.sbpra.com
Halcyon
Summer
Return
to Index
Clay G. Small
Greenleaf Book Group Press
Print ISBN:
978-1-62634-343-6
$15.95
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-345-0
www.gbgpress.com
Heels
Over Head
Return
to Index
Betta Ferrendelli
Privately Published
The
Last Things
Return
to Index
J. Reed Rich
Arête Book Group
978-0-9976352-0-1
$19.99
www.aretebookgroup.com
Moki
Steps
Return
to Index
Sheila Hurst
Soliton Publications
ASIN: B01M23UVHM
$3.99
http://a.co/2HQxDd4
Ocean
Echoes
Return
to Index
Karl Dehmelt
Apprentice House Press of Loyola
University Maryland
9781627201211
Website: karldehmelt.wordpress.com
The
Theory of Talking to Trees
Return
to Index
Brian S. Ference
Brian S. Ference, Publisher
9780998325200
$9.99
http://a.co/6PIw68Z
The
Wolf of Dorian Gray
Return
to Index
Traci L. Slatton
Parvati Press
Print ISBN:
978-1-942523-06-2
$19.99
EBook ISBN:
978-1-942523-07-9
$
4.99
www.tracilslatton.com
The
Year of Loving
Return
to Index
Chatur
The Laundry Man
Subhash Kommuru
Kommuru Books
978-1-946312-00-6
$8.99
Website - www.KommuruBooks.com
Ordering
Link - https://www.amazon.com/Chatur-
Chatur is a hardworking man who runs a door-to-door laundry service in India - thus his title, 'The Laundry Man'. His friend, Gadhu the donkey, carries Chatur and the laundry from the river, where it's washed, to the various houses of his clients, where he delivers the completed jobs.
Despite their cooperative arrangement, the two really have very different goals in life: Chatur wants to be a successful businessman and is driven to gain more customers and work, while Gadhu's nature is to take it easy and enjoy life.
When Chatur overburdens him, Gadhu's favorite saying is: "You gotta take it easy, man!" Is Gadhu's inherent laziness keeping Chatur from getting all the customers he can? Maybe Chatur should be thinking about a different kind of animal helper: one who likes to work.
Atal the elephant seems to better fit Chatur's needs - or does he?
Good reading skills or an adult who reads this picture book aloud will enhance a child's enjoyment of this story, which offers a fun reflection about a workaholic's obsession and its ultimate impact not only on his business, but on his values.
Kids will receive three fine messages here: the value of hard work, what happens when a push for profit supersedes quality of life, and how different approaches to work and play yield very singular results. These messages, rarely presented in a picture book for young readers, come through clearly and strongly and are a powerful feature of a well-done, fun, thought-provoking story that kids and their adult readers will thoroughly appreciate.
Chatur The Laundry Man
Return to Index
Chemistry
C. L. Lynch
One Tall Tree Press
Print ISBN:
978-0-9953070-0-1
$14.99
E-book ISBN:
978-0-9953070-1-8
$ 3.99
https://www.goodreads.com/
Young adult books that start with a bang tend to follow through on their promise of being engrossing reads, but Chemistry follows this formula and takes it to a new level of tension by presenting an opening paragraph that makes what follows difficult to either predict or set aside: "I used to fear the imaginary: monsters, ghosts, mummies, things that go bump in the night. These days I focused on more realistic threats, like car accidents, social humiliation, or conservative world leaders. But here I was, facing attack from the kind of horror that I long ago relegated to child-ish nightmares. Except I was awake, and this was real, and I was probably going to be killed in a painful and gory way. Maybe I should’ve gained some comfort from the fact that I was loved."
This is just one indicator that Chemistry is especially recommended for high school to 'new adult' readers seeking a blend of paranormal adventure, romance, and gore in a production which isn't above peppering its story with swearing, as is appropriate for character and scene.
Teen Stella's world appears to be ending because her parents have suddenly decided to uproot her from everything familiar, dragging her halfway across the country with only a few weeks' notice in the middle of the school year.
There are a few surprises right from the beginning: Stella freely swears heavily in front of her parents, who bat not an eye at her use of foul language; but such is in keeping with her overbearing presence - and one of the reasons why she doesn't suffer fools lightly or make friends readily.
Surprise is in store, however, when she gets to her new school to discover that the geek in her chemistry class likes her - and that undead hoards will literally 'eat her alive' if she lets them. What kind of place have her parents taken her to? And can she truly have a different kind of romance with the kind of boy no parent could approve of?
Chemistry doesn't just tell a story - it roars it; between sultry language, vast psychological changes, and a process that keeps even Stella on her toes and re-envisioning the possibilities for her future self: "I could tell him, “Kiss me,” and he’d do it. I paused, trying to work up the words. I was trying to reconcile who I was with who I could be. No, Stella Blunt had never been a sap for soppy romance. No, Stella had never done the kissyface stuff. Yes, Stella had always been the “ugh, get a room” type. But Stella could change, right?"
As a zombie invasion leads her to question even her newfound relationships, Stella finds herself on the business end of a chainsaw, facing possibilities she never could have imagined.
Between the spicy language and heady confrontations with death and the undead, Chemistry is not recommended for the younger teen; but for mature teens to new adults will more than appreciate its spunky heroine and parents who are willing to engage in chopping down zombies as Stella finds herself confronting love and Survival 101 at the same time.
Chemistry holds many surprises; among them the underlying themes of self-acceptance and female empowerment, which are part of Stella's personality. It also holds a wry sense of humor that permeates characters and situations as background noise in a gory set of encounters.
Mature young adults seeking something quite different in the way of zombie apocalypse and paranormal romance reads will relish the sense of the unexpected which Chemistry holds in abundance.
Chemistry
Return to Index
The
Frog Prince: The Brothers Grimm Story Told as a Novella
Mike Klaassen
Bookbaby
9781483586366
$3.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/
When seventeen-year-old Prince Gerit slips away from his castle duties to enjoy a little relaxation and recreation in the forest, hunting and fishing, he doesn't know that his desire to escape responsibilities will lead to a vast change in his life. Thus opens Mike Klaassen's retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm story from quite a different perspective, embellishing the theme until the satisfyingly rich take-off moves far from its original rendition.
Those familiar with Klaassen's prior retelling of Hansel and Gretel will anticipate his similar attention to wide-ranging detail here, while newcomers will be delighted and surprised by the twists of tale The Frog Prince takes in its new incarnation.
The arrogance of a young prince untested by the world quickly comes to light when he falls into a bog and commands a passing old woman to help him: "Of course. Of course. Of course, you are an important young man," said the woman. "But if I save your life, what will you do for me?"Gerit was shocked. As a prince, he expected people to do his bidding without argument. But this contemptuous crone intended to bargain for terms."
Missing from the original story was the essence of a life transformed from that of an entitled prince to a lowly frog. Missing from the original is the psychology of this transformative process which challenges the revised prince with a strange new life. And also absent from the original are the nuances of betrayal, love, adapting to a life that requires different reactions to the world, and a questionable quest to return to what was.
All these facets weave into a version of The Frog Prince which is hauntingly familiar yet compellingly different. As Prince Gerit lives, learns, adapts, and struggles, readers receive quite a different perspective of all the characters involved in his story. It moves beyond frogs, princes, and romance and deftly into the give-and-take and sacrifices of politics, kingdoms, and young adults who inherit the issues of their elders. Lessons on how to be a responsible ruler and the lingering effects of life as a frog make for a thought-provoking exploration of Gerit's evolving world.
While fairy tale fans who look for retellings will be the obvious enthusiasts of Mike Klaassen's original novella, it's the student of fairy tale forms intent on contrasting this version with its Grimm original who will be especially delighted.
The Frog Prince: The Brothers Grimm Story Told as a Novella
Return to Index
Jorie
and the Magic Stones
A. H. Richardson
Serano Press
978-0692358924
$14.95
http://a.co/9i8MHoH
Jorie and the Magic Stones is a chapter book story that tells of nine-year-old Marjorie ("Jorie"), sent to live with her maiden aunt, who anticipates a staid lifestyle devoid of any adventure or excitement. What she discovers couldn't be further from the truth, because Mortimer Manor hides an entire secret world replete with dragons, magic, and a quest involving three stones. All this is further solidified by an unexpected friendship that leaves her not isolated in an old mansion with a cranky spinster, but involved in an effort that could change the world.
All the elements of a powerful adventure along the lines of the classic Narnia series is there, but tailored in such a manner that the chapter book reader just beyond the early primer stage will find much to entertain and delight them.
A.H. Richardson adds a good amount of dialogue and spicy interactions into the story line. One might not expect local dialect to enter into some of the interactions ("Why, if it isn’t Master Rufus. Come in. Come in, lad. Don’t be jes’ standin’ out there.” She gave him a warm smile. “Aren’t you the early one! Oi’m makin’ breakfast and Oi’m sure the mistress wouldn’t mind if you ’ad a bite.”), but the conversations are interesting and relatively easy to understand, offering early opportunities for chapter book readers to absorb approaches typically presented in stories for more advanced readers.
There's nothing simple about the events that unwind in Jorie and the Magic Stones; but this means that chapter book readers on the cusp of moving on to more demanding reading structures will find it a perfect stepping stone towards this direction.
From powerful interpersonal connections forged against the backdrop of magic and mystery to a spunky girl's determination to succeed against all odds, Jorie and the Magic Stones is especially recommended for young fantasy readers likely to benefit from this 'bridge' between the chapter book format and the next level of full-fledged reading in an exquisitely-done story replete with atmosphere, adventure, and strong interpersonal connections.
Jorie and the Magic Stones
Return to Index
My
Journey To Crazyland
Suse Wilcox
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B00DAMPVP4 $2.99
http://a.co/4h9rBWq
Teen Justine just doesn't fit in with her family, and is about to leave for summer camp when a raccoon leads her on an unexpected adventure to a place called 'Crazyland' where she faces an unusual task: identifying the messages that have shaped her personality and life.
If this seems like ethereal thinking for a teen novel, consider the fact that My Journey to Crazyland is anything but a light adventure or fantasy read: it embeds philosophical and spiritual reflection into its story line and invites teens to think about their values, life goals, and influences as they follow Justine's entry into a crazy world where she observes lives "...either destroyed by ambivalence or renewed by the miracle of faith." The story is all about a young teen's consideration of wisdom and how it's found ("Circumstances don’t make who you are; your decisions of how to live despite your circumstances make you who you are, so choose wisely."), and as events evolve, so does Justine's consciousness and awareness of her choices in life, and their consequences.
Reasons for being, lessons to be learned, unconditional love, and a way out of Crazyland are all themes that enhance Justine's journey and educate teens about their life values and choices as Justine's adventure continues. As Justine questions everything, she reflects on words of wisdom she's heard in the past ("Grandma Jean once told me that some old people are simply old, not wise, and that true wisdom is a spiritual gift that cannot be earned from the number of degrees you have, or from anything else.")
More so than your usual leisure adventure, My Journey to Crazyland is especially recommended for teens seeking contemplative depth from their stories. It simply excels in this approach, crafting a story that should appeal to new adults, as well.
My Journey To Crazyland
Return to Index
Pumpus
Has a Flowing Idea!
Praba Soundararajan
BOON-dah LLC
978-0-9974809-3-1 (hardcover)
$14.99
http://www.boon-dah.com/books/
Pumpus Has a Flowing Idea! is directed to 4-7 year old elementary school readers (Pre-K - 2nd grade) and tells of a precocious young inventor whose fascination with Einstein, Tesla, and other scientists helps him craft science-based solutions to problems.
In this case, the problem stems from a lack of batteries for the flashlights they brought for their treehouse sleepover, and the solution lies in an invention easy to duplicate.
Definitions and explanations for axles, dynamos, and how electricity is generated are embedded into a short tale that highlights innovation and creative thinking. A concluding section reviews the science involved in the story (via a catchy 'Pumpusville Times' newspaper article), provides a bibliography and a suggested science project, and reviews electrical safety.
Illustrations (initial rough drafts reviewed here) promise bright and fun characters that help walk kids through the science, creating whimsical characters as well as clear illustrations of the projects and science involved.
As a picture book illustrating both science principles and how kids can duplicate electricity discoveries, this story will enhance classroom discussions and could serve as a fine reproducible handout for young experimenters taking courses that introduce basic electrical concepts.
Pumpus Has a Flowing Idea!
Return to Index
Use
Your Words
Subhash Kommuru
Kommuru Books
978-1-946312-01-3
$8.99
Website - www.KommuruBooks.com
Use Your Words is the picture book story of two brothers who are good students fluent in English, Hindi and French, but who decide to use gibberish to communicate. This annoys their mother, who grounds them and sends them off to bed - but what happens next is anything but expected as the two brothers embark on an unforeseen journey.
When Ramesh and Suresh get a dose of their own approach to language, they begin to understand both their mother's ire and the importance of making good decisions and communicating well.
This message is couched in a lively encounter that will delight the very young, but is best transmitted through parental read-aloud assistance, as the concepts and language will benefit from the interactive process and will make for an easier read with adult assistance.
Some of the language could have received better editing ("Suresh bust up with laughter." should have been 'busts', for example), while some requires an understanding of Indian culture and celebration ("Oh, they're playing Holi games, and he was trying to warn his us!" is rooted deep in the celebration of the festival of Holi).
The overall content and approach are well done, the large-size color drawings by Nayan Soni are interesting, and the underlying message is one that all kids should learn, making Use Your Words a fine example of the importance of communicating effectively.
Use Your Words
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The
Zoo of Impossible Animals: Into the Underzoo
Rob Crisell
De Portola Press
9780692473634
$15.00
http://a.co/bRcXlNb
The Zoo of Impossible Animals: Into the Underzoo introduces readers ages 9 to 13 to Jake and his sister Miranda, who have been shaken by their family's move from urban Washington, D.C. to rural New Mexico. But a new environment isn't going to be the only challenge they face: the appearance of an ink-eating monkey at their house leads Jake and Miranda to the Zoo of Impossible Animals, a secret facility that finds and captures semi-mythical animals called “cryptids.” And this is where the adventure really heats up.
Rob Crisell adds mystery into the formula when animals begin to vanish, leading Jake and Miranda to stumble into even more deeply-held secrets holding wider-reaching implications than the zoo itself.
This adds an extra layer of intrigue to the story, elevating the tale from one about a zoo with amazing animals to include elements of intrigue, espionage, and special interests that segue into diabolical intentions.
Part of the attractiveness of Rob Crisell’s story lies in its attention to depicting exotic animals that allegedly live throughout the world, while the rest lies in teen protagonists who find themselves grappling with not just impossible creatures, but impossible odds of survival.
With an Indiana Jones-style series of adventures (albeit resting upon purposeful teen protagonists) The Zoo of Impossible Animals: Into the Underzoo specializes in a brand of adventure that is reminiscent of the heady action and science-gone-awry feel of Jurassic Park, and will delight any tween to middle-grade leisure reader looking for an adventure especially crafted for their reading abilities.
The Zoo of Impossible Animals: Into the Underzoo
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