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Donovan's Bookshelf

January 2022 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

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


Fantasy & Sci Fi

An Island of Light
Timothy S. Johnston
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
1554555817           $21.95
www.timothysjohnston.com/anislandoflight
Trailer: https://timothysjohnston.com/anislandoflighttrailer/ 

An Island of Light is the fourth book in the Rise of Oceania series and covers a murder in the underwater city of Trieste. In 2080, the number of people living on the ocean floor topped 100,000. By 2130 (the year this story is set in), Trieste has faced battles for independence, led by Mayor Truman McClusky, from the U.S., China, and the USSR.

As the story opens, Meg McClusky is about to commit premeditated murder. Her intended victim, Admiral Taurus T. Benning, is one of the most powerful military men in the Gulf and Caribbean regions. He believes this gives him license to do anything he wishes. She—and he—are about to have another thing coming. 

This futuristic political and murder mystery is replete with thought-provoking moments, high-octane action, and an engrossing evolution that offers many satisfying twists and turns. These events are marked by observations that are intriguingly defined ("Irony at its most violent."). 

As a murder attempt against the city's mayor results in Meg's intention to protect everyone in her city, intrigue builds on the history of countries attacking Trieste and the community becoming a pivot point in world political strife. 

The city's mayor has long been playing a dangerous game against the world's underwater communities. The last thing he needs is domination by the United States Submarine Fleet. The last thing Meg needs is to become caught up in the political forces that operate through high-tech submarines, as she's already involved in the murder of a man who murdered she and her twin brother Mayor Mac's father. 

As Mac's political determination clashes with his family relationships, both Meg and Mac face challenges to their lives and their community, confronting a plot that could overthrow everything they've worked for. 

Timothy S. Johnston crafts another action-packed social examination of a futuristic underwater community threatened by the political struggles within and outside of it. 

Readers holding prior familiarity with submarine warfare will relish the authentic descriptions of sub environments and interactions, while those who are more interested in the evolution of psychological trauma and recovery processes will especially appreciate the attention to detail given to Mac and Meg's past and present challenges. 

As both recover from past trauma and face present conditions in different ways, readers will find the interplay between personal and political choices to be realistic and thought-provoking. 

Take a murder mystery, combine it with a futuristic setting, and add elements of psychological and social reflection for a sense of the action and focus of An Island of Light, which requires no prior familiarity with its predecessors in order to prove thoroughly engrossing on many different levels. 

Thriller, sci-fi and mystery audiences alike will find it crosses these genres with high-octane action and appeal. 

An Island of Light

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Literatue

Bride of the City, V. 1
Acharya Chatursen
Translated by Pratibha Vinod Kumar and A.K. Kulshreshth
Cernunnos Books
978-9811495502            $22.90 Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Bride-City-Vaishali-Ki-Nagarvadhu/dp/9811495505 

Volume 1 of Bride of the City introduces an Indian story set in Vaishali. The tale first appeared in the 1940s, written in Hindi, and here receives a new translation that brings with it the opportunity for Westerners to appreciate this classic. 

Its author, Acharya Chatursen, was one of India's most prolific writers, producing some eighty volumes spanning the genres of fiction, drama, politics, literary criticism, poetry, and medicine. 

Here, he tells of an abandoned infant found in an orchard who is destined, by her extreme beauty, to become a courtesan (a Bride of the City) under Vaishali’s laws, which maintain that such beauty must be shared. 

Many women in her position would have been broken, but the determined Ambapali decides to instead hone a position of power from her circumstances, building an unexpected strength that enables her to not just survive, but flourish. 

Western readers might think that the subject and origins of Bride of the City require prior familiarity with Indian culture and history, but Chatursen excels in capturing these elements, along with the atmosphere of the times and this nation, in an evocative manner that requires no previous knowledge of or special interest in India, from his readers: "Spring was beating a retreat. Evening had descended, but the lights of thousands of lamps lit the city of Vaishali. Throngs of people were on their way home after the day’s work, on horseback, in chariots and on foot. Some people, dressed in bright colours, were clearly out to socialise. Slowly, the bustle subsided, and the lights became fewer and farther between. Then darkness descended on Royal Avenue. There was a wine shop on the southern fringe of the city. A single oil lamp bathed it with a flickering light in which the large pots of wine seemed to perform a drunken dance. The old shopkeeper sat slumped on his bench. The roads outside were mostly deserted by then. The remaining trickle of pedestrians consisted of the poor – fishermen, butchers, boatmen, barbers, potters. These were the trades that dominated this part of the city." 

Under his hand, the perceptions of men and women's roles in this society are explained and defined: "Bhardwaj spoke without standing. ‘Are we to understand the wife is not her husband’s life partner? And that she is not inseparable from her husband for rituals?’

Angiras said, ‘They stay life partners, but on the clear terms I have mentioned earlier. The husband and master has more rights.’

Vaishampayan said, ‘So, men and women are not equal?’

Aitreya stood and interjected: ‘No. And I wish to add here that my contribution to the code of conduct specifies a man may have many wives, but a woman may not have many husbands. I also wish to codify that for four generations from a paternal viewpoint, there may be no marriage within blood relations.’" 

From soldiers to interactions between castes, friends who help princesses and kings, and the cycles of a spiritually rich life challenged by change, Chatursen captures the legends and facts of history in a fictional survey that explores changing lives and the choices that dictate not just individual futures, but the evolution of a country. 

From depictions of piousness and beauty to how very different lives intersect to change each other and their world, Chatursen cultivates a powerful story that historical fiction readers will find involving and educational. 

Readers interested in stories of changing personal and political empowerment, status quo challenges, and the influence of a beautiful young woman destined for more than a sanctioned life as an obedient courtesan will find Bride of the City thought-provoking, enlightening reading. 

Collections strong in Indian history and women's issues will find Bride of the City a powerful literary and historical acquisition. 

Bride of the City, V. 1

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Bride of the City, Volume 2: Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu
Acharya Chatursen
Translated by Pratibha Vinod Kumar and A.K. Kulshreshth
Cernunnos Books
978-9811495533            $18.90 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Bride-City-Vaishali-Ki-Nagarvadhu/dp/981149553X 

Bride of the City, Volume 2: Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu is recommended reading for readers who have absorbed the introductory events of Book 1. It continues the story of Ambapali, who was forced to become a courtesan (a 'Bride of the City') under Vaishali’s laws, which dictate that a woman as beautiful as she cannot be only one man’s wife. 

In this continuation of her saga, Ambapali thirsts for revenge. Having built herself an unexpected and unusual position of power, she is still constrained by the many rules that dictate her actions in this position. She also seeks revenge. 

Acharya Chatursen builds social, political, and spiritual components into her ongoing story as he captures Hindi society and interactions between castes in what can only be described as a sweeping epic that spans hearts and minds of all levels of Northern Indian society in 500 BCE. 

From soldiers and generals to common men and women, Chartusen's story embraces a wide range of disparate special interests as Ambapali continues her journey. 

Readers traverse a wide range of communities and experiences in the course of this story. The spiritual components are particularly well done as beliefs, shadow threats, and spiritual foundations are revealed. 

The story is delivered from many different perspectives, so readers should cultivate the ability to absorb a wide cast of characters and different levels of concern and reactions as the characters interact. 

From divided rules and debts to decisions that ripple out to translate into social and political changes, Vaishali's war and battles to recover its glory are brought to life as Ambapali's Palace of Seven Worlds foundations are shaken to their roots. 

Historical fiction readers, especially those with a particular interest in Indian events or women's roles, will find this (and its predecessor) exceptional reading. 

Collections interested in Indian literature and women's issues, who look for stories thoroughly steeped in historical fact and social inspection, will find both volumes of Bride of the City essential reading. 

Bride of the City, Volume 2: Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu

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The N.M.E.
Ryan A. Kovacs
PHIR Publishing

978-1-7370627-5-2
$18.99 paperback; $25.99 hardcover; $7.49 ebook 

www.amazon.com 

The N.M.E. features the surprising format of a novel in verse and presents Michael and his friend Bruno, who are on a mission to kill Michael's father. 

Bruno introduces the story. He "was’a man/that some would call legend/others’d call an imposter./he was not real/ an’/he was not fake./he was a man/who, when born/did not cry for, he wasn’t afraid of this/ugly world." 

This introductory passage cements the fact that not only the format, but the language, will be anything but staid. Ryan A. Kovas creates a vivid sense of place and people as he follows the story of two men, who are imprisoned, yet embark on a mission of revenge. 

Poetry fans will find rare and exceptional the idea of crafting an entire novel in poetry; much less one which features a lingo very different from most fiction. 

This approach captures emotion and experience in unexpected ways as the perps analyze their motives and expectations about their task: “what are you going to do/when you finally confront your father?”/she asked eagerly./Bruno spoke up/“how many times does the guy have t’say/kill’m b’fore ya understand that?”/I know you’re going to kill him./but, are you going to declare who you are?/tell him what he did to you?/what you had to endure when he left you?”/she directed her questions t’me." 

The language and usage will undoubtedly challenge some, but literary readers who appreciate the epic poem format and its ability to capture both raw emotions and the language of a son bent on patricide, who considers his actions and reactions on different levels, will find this makes for a gritty and revealing story of how one man becomes "notorious" via intentions and deeds. 

The N.M.E. will best be appreciated by literature followers interested in different poetic structures, idioms, and stories that are embedded in reflective language filled with surprises and insights. 

Audiences who study the epic poem structure typically receive little modern renditions in this style. The N.M.E. is such a creation and resides in a class of its own, recommended as a thought-provoking psychological and social examination of pain and redemption on different levels. 

Literary collections strong in epic poems and modern literature need to add The N.M.E. to their holdings. 

The N.M.E.

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The Second Death of E.A. Poe and Other Stories
Jack Matthews
Personville Press
ASIN:
B09GJ95753               $4.00
www.personvillepress.com 

The Second Death of E.A. Poe and Other Stories is a fun gathering of odd and insightful inspections. It opens with "Trophy for an Earnest Boy," which tells of a college sophomore football player who harbors a "wildness of spirit" and dreams about his future success. 

Only a nineteen-year-old could take a game that is a miserable experience for a "...gullible, earnest nineteen year old boy who went out on a soggy field and struggled in the icy mud for two exasperating hours" and turn it into a lesson on winning, losing, and an ethical dilemma over a trophy's assignment. 

Contrast this with "Indispensable Ghosts," in which a collector of 16th century devotional literature considers a fellow collector who is "...grimly possessed, frying like a rasher of bacon in a chrism of bibliophilic madness." 

Everyone needs someone or something to push against, as the narrator's wife observes: "...some people need that sort of tension, don't they?" "What sort?" "Somebody to push against. To feel their presence against." Waldo Kiefer serves that function in this story, which juxtaposes literary collectors of devotional material in a competition which erupts into a professional war between competing bibliophiles, where more is at stake than ownership. 

Readers of these literary examinations will find Jack Matthews cultivates a diverse set of scenarios, voices, and experiences that especially stand out with metaphorical representations. 

His language is bright, original, and refreshingly startling. This is one reason why each short story is a standout—that, and his attention to capturing different details in disparate lives and experiences. 

Each story is refreshingly unique. Each captures the nuances of choices which often embrace betrayal, loyalty, and passion. 

Literary readers seeking a collection that embeds whimsy and fun into its life inspections will find The Second Death of E.A. Poe and Other Stories is filled with unexpected moments and revelations that shine. 

The Second Death of E.A. Poe and Other Stories

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A Sky Full Of Wings
Ksenia Rychtycka
Finishing Line Press
164662615X           $14.99 Paper/$24.99 Hardcover
Ordering Links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Full-Wings-Ksenia-Rychtycka/dp/164662629X 

A Sky Full Of Wings, Ksenia Rychtycka’s first poetry chapbook, adds to the publisher's New Women's Voices series, and delivers on the promise of its evocative title as it captures a journey through Europe to her ancestral homeland of Ukraine, moving far from the first-generation Ukrainian-American poet's familiar home. 

Both a sojourn that connects modern-day America with family roots in another culture and an inspection of evolving values and new experiences, A Sky Full Of Wings embraces the heritage of grandparents who left everything behind to journey to America and a mother who returns to her native land in 1990 after fleeing the old world: "With Father, Mother danced the tango, fast/as gunshots once chasing her across Europe./Here, mother treads slow—pointed toes/and stiffened arms—relearning first steps/on native soil." 

Themes of escape, return, evolution, and revisiting the past permeate lovely free verse expressions: "You’ll think it’s silly, but let me tell you/when a lime-green bird flew onto my Kyiv/balcony, things changed for the better." 

The dances of life, the interplays between nature and emotional response ("My door was open and the sky was sad."), and the circle of life between generations comes to light during the course of a journey that captures the family's move from Ukraine to Detroit, and their longing for reconnection: "Oh, my child, if you knew how much your family longs to see you,/you would fly to us from the farthest corners." 

From new realizations about the homeland's experiences which evolved after the family left to reunions of the heart and soul that draw broken families back together some fifty years later, Ksenia Rychtycka creates a vivid exploration of homelands, immigrant experience, and new associations. 

A Sky Full Of Wings should be a part of not just women's literature and modern poetry collections, but any library seeking to reflect family connections and immigrant experience: "...lost years/shuffled underfoot as we all came together one last time." 

A Sky Full Of Wings

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Under Her Skin
Lindy Ryan and Tony Miller, Editors
Black Spot Books
978-1-64548-044-0         $14.95 Paper/$5.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Under-Her-Skin-Toni-Miller/dp/1645480445 

It's rare to see horror and poetry mix, but Under Her Skin represents an unusual meeting of the minds. Contributors provide works that embed the trappings of horror into lyrical description, making for highly recommended reading for horror and poetry readers alike. 

Tabatha Wood, Mercedes M. Yardley, Cassondra Windwalker, and others provide varied themes, approaches, and poetic structures that create a diverse series of horror inspections. 

This diversity is one of the strengths of Under Her Skin, illustrating various definitions of horror, both internal and external, as the poems describe confrontations and revelations alike. 

Take "The Right Frequency" by Jessica McHugh, for example. Here, the dead awaken: "My body erupts/in a riot of ghostly roots/braving my heart/like a hunt..." This succinct, moving story of a form of awakening and haunting moves from graveside to knock on the front doors of the living. 

Contrast this with "Shed" by Vivian Kasley, which describes a different form of transformation and horror: "Each month I shed./Skin, thick layers of arid lining, painful blobs of disappointed./blood, and another chance./Each year I shed./Youth, tears that sting, dewy charm and tethered dreams,/friends, more blood, and more chances." 

As the shedding of hopes, dreams, and life turns into an unexpected series of changes, readers connect the dots between life shedding its form and the finality of turning into a non-living entity. 

Each poem captures a different aspect of horror. Each represents a very different countenance of horror. 

Even their formats diverge in a satisfying manner. Some poems are dialogues, some are self-inspections, and others provide accounts of transformation, danger, and revival. 

All are hard-hitting pieces, spiced with black and white eerie visuals by Marge Simon that intersperse with written word throughout the collection to bring the atmosphere to life (or, is it death?). 

Volume 1 of this collection of women writers of horror poetry is unparalleled in its scope, creativity, and literary strength. It is highly recommended for any collection strong in women's writings, horror, or literary works. 

Under Her Skin

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Biography & Autobiography

The Actual Dance
Samuel A. Simon
The Actual Dance, LLC
978-1-7379097-0-5         $14.99

https://www.theactualdance.com/ 

Many, many books have been written about and by cancer survivors; but The Actual Dance didn't begin as the usual memoir of experience. It was a one-act play written by a husband whose wife struggled with breast cancer. 

More than a testimony of struggle, however, The Actual Dance is a love story that follows how two individuals meet, fall in love, and grow into their lives with one another. 

The story is not fiction, but a memoir/play that has seen hundreds of performances at dozens of venues. Another difference is that it's more than an account of love and health challenges. It's a story of how the author became a LovePartner™ and a caregiver, how his role grew and evolved during the course of wife Susan's illness, and how he came to new spiritual and psychological realizations because of this. 

The Actual Dance could have been titled 'How to Be a LovePartner™, because its instructions ultimately provide guidelines and paths for others facing the illness of a loved one and the threat of their loss. Why, then, is this story called The Actual Dance? Samuel A. Simon explains his choice in a lovely tribute to life's energy: "There is a dance, a dance that one day each and every one of us will dance. The dance takes place in a grand ballroom with a fabulous orchestra. The orchestra, I think, plays whatever song the dancers themselves want to hear...The Actual Dance...can be wonderful, and intimate, and beautiful. As the breathing slows and becomes shallow, the sound builds, and the dance intensifies. The breathing slows and softens even more, and the dance becomes more intense, and even more intense, and then even more intense! And then it stops. The dance ends. The music ends. It is as if the world itself has ended." 

Simon found himself in this envisioned ballroom at the pivot point of his thirty-fourth year of a good marriage. It was the "perfect time of our lives," when everything was smooth and stable. Until it wasn’t. 

As The Actual Dance evolves, it lives up to its name, providing a breathtaking series of steps and movements that lead Simon into new and unfamiliar territory as the spouse of a critically ill wife. 

How he handles the fear, loss, and struggle forms one aspect of this dance: "Unlike any other period in my life, I wrestle with who I am and what I am supposed to be. For nearly twenty-five years...I’ve received significant recognition and experienced enormous pride in my children and family. Now I walk deep in the valley of the shadow of loss. Who am I? What am I supposed to be? Where am I supposed to be?" 

As the "new normal" becomes a blur for him and he journeys  into unfamiliar territory, his faltering steps turn into a different kind of dance as he ventures into being a partner and friend who gains clarity into the process of living and dying. 

Caregivers and those charged with offering love and support receive specific insights into this changing process and its promises and pitfalls as Simon navigates unfamiliar territory and grows from his experiences. 

Simon cultivates a powerfully descriptive voice throughout that captures this world in a manner that is thoroughly compelling: "Every day, I listen. I listen with my heart where my love sits for any indication that a new orchestra has been called to play the song that only Susan and I can hear. Is that them playing? Is that the orchestra playing our song?" 

The result is not a staid "how to" book, but a journey that is, indeed, a dance. Metaphorically displayed and beautifully presented, The Actual Dance is an invitation not to mourn or accept defeat, but to take the first moves into a different series of actions, reactions, and understanding. 

Any collection strong in memoirs and books about cancer survival and caregiving, as well as surveys of family relationships and changing connections, will find The Actual Dance a standout in its approach and ability to inject a celebratory, positive tone that reinforces love connections against all odds. 

The Actual Dance

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An Indelible Event and Detour Through a Global Childhood
Henry M. Silvert
Independently Published
978-1-09835-699-6         $28.99 Paper/$7.99 ebook
Author website:  www.Henrymsilvert.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Indelible-Detour-Through-Global-Childhood/dp/1098356993 

More so than most memoirs, An Indelible Event and Detour Through a Global Childhood represents a vivid account of survival, transformation, and a journey through other cultures. It is highly recommended reading for those who look for travelogues blended with life-altering events. 

At age six, author Henry M. Silvert was a creative, gifted child who played violin and bridge and approached life with a "can do" attitude. A life-threatening car accident may have changed his trajectory, but it didn't defeat his attitude; because Silvert grew into a political activist, employing a social inspection that embraced both his South American experiences and childhood and a growing optimism undaunted by the rigors of adversity. 

The juxtaposition of personal life interests and experiences with bigger-picture thinking about social issues and personal impact on the world contributes to a story that moves at a fast pace from childhood to adulthood. 

From outings to Parque Rivadavia where he was charged with interacting in Spanish, a language he barely knew ("...this was a new country, whose people spoke an unfamiliar type of Spanish, and I didn’t know anyone. Besides, I had hardly spoken with anybody but my family since we arrived in the city. However, my father encouraged me to do all the talking.") to going to undergrad school in New York City and moving from Latin America to the U.S., Silvert provides an uplifting journey that traces his footsteps of evolution and experience. 

The contrast between these different worlds is one of the most enlightening parts of this memoir: "City life excited me because of the fond memories I had of living in many cosmopolitan cities in Latin America. Yet, I had never lived in New York City, and many of my friends in Hanover and Norwich had told me that the city was very dangerous. I knew that these people rarely if ever visited the city, so I didn’t believe them, but their admonitions stuck in the back of my mind. They warned me not to walk outside after four in the afternoon and, never, under any conditions, to take the subway after five. As soon as I arrived in the city my experience completely contradicted these warnings." 

Like anyone else, Silvert has worries and concerns about entering the world. What stands out here is his childhood influences and attitudes about approaching these worlds. These make for enlightening moments as he approaches social issues in America and abroad with a background that at times clashes with his educational ambitions and perspectives. 

These insights contrast different cultures and attitudes to elevate his memoir above that of individual experience, offering insights on life and social conditions that keep readers thinking about not just his experiences, but global interactions and differing interpretations of political and social worlds alike. 

Whether An Indelible Event and Detour Through a Global Childhood is chosen for its memoir foundations or its cultural inspection, it's an engaging read about physical and mental challenges, how worldviews are shaped, and how adversity and dark times can be offset by attitude which moves from a childhood accident to an identity relearned and re-envisioned. 

Readers seeking a memoir embracing a global perspective are in for a treat. 

An Indelible Event and Detour Through a Global Childhood

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Entrenched
Linda Lee Blakemore
Leonella Press
978-1-7369947-1-9
Hardcover: $29.99/Softcover: $21.99/ebook: $14.99
Publisher Website: www.LeonellaPress.com
Author Website: www.LindaLeeBlakemore.com 

Entrenched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go is about one woman's experience entering into, surviving, and letting go of a destructive relationship. It depicts a series of failed relationships that revealed similar patterns of choices in men and their attitudes towards her. 

Many autobiographies take a similar approach to revealing these issues, but what differentiates Blakemore's story from others is her attention to underlying issues of her familiarity with and attraction to abuse and, even more importantly, the lasting impact of abandonment. 

Her story acknowledges and embraces a basic contradiction and psychological quandary...she came to see that "staying with a man who left would keep her forever entrenched in the very thing she needed to move beyond." 

Blakemore realized that stories have more than one perspective, and took the unusual approach of inviting her exes to read her drafts and provide their own stories of what had happened between them. Some declined. Others accepted, adding a focus on honesty and clarity that is evident through the trials and processes Blakemore endured to survive. 

From prenups and business interests to coming together and separating, Blakemore charts the promises and pitfalls of relationship-building with an astute eye to exploring the illusions, influences, and choices that often lead to bad decisions. 

When a child is hurt, Blakemore faces one of the hardest decisions of all, parsing various behaviors to get at the heart of which should be forgiven and which hold long-term dangers not just for herself, but others. 

Entrenched is more than a memoir about holding on and letting go. It's about considering the long- and short-term consequences of relationship choices and influences not just on oneself, but the world at large. 

Women who live in, tolerate, or struggle with abusive situations will find Blakemore's descriptions thought-provoking, familiar, and revealing. 

The conclusion of her story of life lessons holds hope for all who find themselves in her position—which is, sadly, likely to be an unexpectedly wide audience. 

Entrenched

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Not Book Club Material
Aaron Zevy
Tumbleweed Press Inc.
9798596940893             $10.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Club-Material-Aaron-Zevy/dp/B08TFYJF6Q 

Not Book Club Material is a memoir packed with wry humor, mouth-watering revelations, and insights that are candid, thought-provoking, and fun all in one. The introduction to this collection captures all these facets in a few succinct lines: "Before my first collection came out, I toyed with the notion of adding a recipe section in the middle of the book because many of the stories were about the Egyptian Jewish food I was raised on. Books, especially self-published story collections by completely unknown former powder paint salesmen are, as it turns out, surprisingly hard to market and I thought the recipes might be a compelling hook. One July morning, over a breakfast of scrambled eggs at the cottage, I made the mistake of casually suggesting it might be of interest for book clubs. I actually thought it was a pretty good idea. This led my sister-in-law to utter the sentence which became the family’s favorite line in the summer of 2020. “Your book,” she said in her completely honest and unfiltered style, “is not book club material.” 

Thus, the title was born...and a rollicking ride through a life that introduces (and quickly answers) the question of what makes a good book club read and why this book likely doesn't fit that definition: "Book clubs, they explained, read thick best-selling novels with complicated themes, motifs, and plotlines. Grey matter material they could discuss over coffee and low-fat gluten-free banana muffins. They went on to list a bunch of books as examples. Most of them appeared to have the word Crawdad in the title. Anyway, book clubs, they stated emphatically, did not read short story collections." 

This belays the point that book clubs, above all, enjoy vivid, thought-provoking material. Ironically, Not Book Club Material's stories represent these very things, and it would be a shame if book clubs judged the title by the size of its tales. Here lies bright, sparkling jewels of insight and experience in fun mix of reality and fantasy that features a host of characters and dilemmas and more than light references to food. 

Take the opening story, 'Home Made Cake'. Here, facts about his mother's Cairo life meld with the memory of a Cairo French patisserie owned by Greeks, called Home Made Cake. Zevy brings to life the atmosphere of Cairo and his family's love for this quirky place: "...every time they spoke about the patisserie on rue Ismaili Pasha I never, not once, heard the words Home Made Cake. Only Om Met Kek. Of all the food my family was nostalgic about after leaving Egypt, the one they missed the most was not Egyptian at all. It was from Home Made Cake." 

The strange pronunciation comes back to haunt him in adulthood when Zevy decides to get to the heart of his memories about Home Made Cake, only to stand corrected. 

The delightful family stories usually conclude with ironic twists. Each stand-alone piece adds to the strength of the collection as a whole, providing enticing tidbits of facts and whimsy to delight the heart and mind like sugar on the tongue. 

Perhaps now, more than ever, there is an exceptional need for the laughter, fun, and family reflections of the stories in Not Book Club Material. And these facets make for, ironically, perfect book club material indeed as readers navigate the Jewish culture, Egyptian heritage, and observations of food, love, and learning that permeate this collection. 

Jewish, literary, and general-interest humor and memoir readers who delight stories of in food and family will all find Not Book Club Material a major attraction. And, yes, book clubs interested in any of these subjects should put it high on their reading lists. 

Not Book Club Material

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One Hit Wonder
Kevin R. Kehoe
Izzard Ink Publishing
9781642280715             $22.95
www.izzardink.com 

One Hit Wonder: The Real-life Adventures of an Average Guy and the Lessons He Learned Along the Way is a memoir that delivers its message with a blend of humor and thought-provoking inspections. Its story of one who faces both success and challenges on different levels will intrigue anyone who feels that their life story is just 'ordinary'. 

A foreword by best-selling author and Kevin Kehor's friend Robert “Cujo” Teschner perhaps best sums up the intention and presentation of Kehoe's life: "If you ask him what his mission is, he will tell you that it is to leave the planet a better place than he found it . . . in some small way. If you ask him about his personal values, he can rattle them off quickly and with a description of what each means to him—excellence; service; sacrifice; integrity; responsibility; and generosity. Finally he’s a guy who—as one friend put it—takes you to places where you might not go on their own." 

Indeed, if the purpose of One Hit Wonder is to lead readers to "places where you might not go on your own," this goal is more than filled as Kehoe's life unfolds. 

From Kehoe's Catholic roots and Irish heritage to his business successes, his struggles with cancer, and his humble attitude about living a good life, readers receive a vivid story of adventures, escapades, and thought-provoking moments: "I’m not the smartest guy on the planet, and I’ve been around long enough to know that, and keep trying anyway. I don’t know famous people, but I like the people I do know. I’m an average guy with some thoughts about how to live and maybe even be happy in a world where, too often, by the time you’re my age, you’ve either exhausted all patience with people and want to buy a cabin far out in the woods, or you’ve learned to accept people for who they are and live with that." 

Why read a memoir by an "ordinary guy?" Because, within this cloak of ordinary life lies nuggets of wisdom and experience that serve as inspiring models for those who also seek to live better, more engaged, effective lives. 

With advice on everything from health to approaches to divorce for the "good-deed doers and nice guys of the world" to interpersonal relationship decisions that support the morals, ethics, and positive approaches Kehoe honed in his life, readers receive a vivid portrait that juxtaposes his life experience and lessons with pointers for "doing life better." 

From the nuts and bolts of hiring and working with landscapers and other business people to Kehoe's thought-provoking consideration of his life results ("Have I made the most of what God gave me, and have I contributed and done enough to make my own little world better for everyone around me?"), One Hit Wonder serves up inspiration in a digestible form that makes it a hit not just for memoir readers, but those seeking self-help inspirations presented in a form that is easy to read, understand, and apply to their own life trajectories. 

Collections strong in memoirs, self-help, and inspirational as well as business guides will find plenty of real-world experience and accessible information in Kehoe's thought-provoking memoir. 

One Hit Wonder

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Open Up
Alex Woodard
For The Sender, LLC
9780983988632             $6.99
https://www.amazon.com/Open-Up-Alex-Woodard-ebook/dp/B09M9J4SQX/ 

Open Up offers a true story of growth and maturity as the narrator, a singer-songwriter, seeks to establish his identity and life apart from his mother's dementia, continuing the story begun in a previous book: "This book’s slightly raucous, unruly fraternal twin, Living Half­way, told my life-in-a-day story through that bitter angel’s eyes, as I navigated the loss of my mom, as I knew her, to dementia. I didn’t focus my lens as tightly on her journey in those pages, but the frustrated social commentary woven through the tale was as much a mirror to my own grief as, dare I say, an ode to what many of us think about our comparative culture, but rarely express." 

Newcomers anticipating a staid review of life, dementia, or independence will find Alex Woodard's gritty recollections pull no punches as he reviews the paths of his career, choices, and family interactions. 

It uses lyrics to explore emotions both past and present, drawing many evocative connections between these different experiences and time frames: "On the drive home, I told Chuck what I’d seen, and after his post-show whiskey, we wrote a song for her, wondering what her place looked like, and if she had anyone waiting for her at home. The lyrics weren’t only just about might’ve-been’s, though. I sing the chorus in a low murmur, at first hearing my mom in every word...Is that my mom, or me?" 

The narrator moves through the promise and toxicity of social media, grapples with evolving life connections and new ideas, and embarks on dialogues of discovery with his mother's fading memories, his own experiences and interpretations, and the impact of his past. Readers gain a blend of social, familial, and personal inspection that brings different worlds, possibilities, and the consequences of actions to life. 

Particularly moving are passages in which the author reconsiders his story and other paths in life: "I watch travelers drift in front of my truck’s hood, trudging to their rental cars or own cars or other people’s cars, their heads at right angles to their bodies, staring down at their phones. They’re programmed, just like me, living within the four walls of their hand-held device, one side built with well-designed do­pamine bricks, the other with sturdy confirmation bias, one side with rigid comparative happiness, the other false narratives." 

The result is a moving autobiographical expression that takes a step away from dementia's usual description to reflect on deeper life influences: "And while my mom has forgotten her past, I’ve forgotten my present, that I ever wrote this song, this reminder to my heart to find the fire waiting under love’s door, whatever she may look like." 

Open Up is a gift waiting to be unwrapped: the story of a songwriter son who opens his heart to those he loves and to strangers who read his story for inspiration, advice, and insight. 

Open Up

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Rise Above It, Darling!
Judy White Staber
The Troy Book Makers
978-1-61468-671-2         $21.99 Paper/$9.99 ebook
www.thetroybookmakers.com 

Rise Above It, Darling: The Story Of Joan White, Actor, Director, Teacher, Producer and (Sometimes) Mother provides the biography of a woman who made a name for herself in theater, but was less effective as a mother. It is written by her daughter, who pulls no punches in contrasting the disparities between her mother's theatrical talents and involvements and her role at home as a single working mother. 

At the age of four, Judy Staber was placed in what was effectively an orphanage for the children of busy actors. Usually kids stayed at this institution for only a few years. Judy, however, remained there until age 16 because her mother Joan was thoroughly engrossed in her career and had little time to raise her children. 

This daughter's attempt to understand, define, and forgive her mother provides a thought-provoking story that will resonate with any reader critical of their parents' choices and presence or absence in their lives. 

The idea here is not to condemn, but to understand, reconcile, and outline a different kind of parenting style than the usual portrait of a devoted mother figure who always stays at home and chooses children over career. 

Theater tales, her mother's writings, and Staber's own insights dovetail in a story that captures performances, opening nights, and Joan White's children's involvement in the theater world as they witnessed their mother's successes and failures. 

Memories of Staber's sibling are added to round out the insights into the theater world and her mother's struggles to succeed. The synthesis of child's-eye perspective and evolving career challenges is really quite remarkably portrayed: "...when they got to the Comedy Theatre in London, Mother had misgivings, West End first-night audiences were more choosey. She was proved right. The audience just sat there, resplendent in their dinner jackets and jewels, and dared the actors to make them laugh. Worse was the reaction from those seated in the normally friendly ‘Gods,’ (the cheap seats). They booed and hissed and shouted all manner of unseemly epithets. Mischa Auer was distraught. After a lifetime in Hollywood films, he was unused to dealing with audiences that, although ‘live’, appeared to be dead or obstreperous." 

As Judy White Staber absorbs lessons from her mother's teachings, experiences, and her own role in her mother's life, she imparts insights that document her mother's leading roles in many different worlds. 

These lively accounts of the acting milieu will delight entertainment and actor readers who will find the bygone years of the 20th Century captured from a fresh bird's eye perspective by one who was both an intimate part of this world by way of her birth, and yet lived outside it. 

Joan White's acting roles and impact on the theater world never ended. As her daughter celebrates her mother's achievements, readers receive an uplifting story. 

Better editing might have made the read smoother, but Staber's words and experiences still shine, and are recommended for anyone interested in what happens to family structures under the rigors of the acting environment. It's a kind tribute to a great lady and kids who turned out all right in the end: "She wanted to be remembered kindly, who doesn’t, and to make amends where she could."  

In the end, Staber does more than remember her mother kindly, here. She celebrates Joan White's life in a vivid, accepting manner that will, in itself, prove inspirational reading for both career moms and their kids; especially those immersed in and affected by professional acting. 

Rise Above It, Darling!

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The Wolcott Circus
Michael Snarr
Gatekeeper Press
978-1-6629-0771-5
Hardbound: $24.95; Softbound: $15.95; Ereader: $10.99
https://www.amazon.com/Wolcott-Circus-Michael-Snarr/dp/1662907702 

The Wolcott Circus provides memoir readers with an intriguing story of a college frat exploit in 1965 that turned out to be more than a prank. It's a story that evolves beyond a single semester or year to depict a "sneak" that moves from 1965 to 1971, involving and re-involving the members in an exploit that keeps them connected beyond the usual college fraternity years. 

Set against the backdrop of an "amazing world" of bygone years in which these events held unique opportunities to grow, Michael Snarr's descriptions also capture the 1960s era, experiences that "transformed my life and changed it forever," and connections which kept resonating, posing new challenges and satisfying moments through the years. 

Anything seemed possible in 1965. In 1974, the author's frat house and home, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house at 51 North Wolcott, burned down. With it went a "golden era" which Snarr reflects on from the vantage points of time and hindsight: "I didn’t think about this being the demarcation of my life on campus, or a symbol of how the world would be different going forward, having just passed through one of the most tumultuous periods in US history. Looking back, though, it was both." 

As readers embark on this journey through bygone times, they absorb the lessons learned from a frat boy's life and the ongoing "sneaks" which result in life-changing events. 

Along the way, the sights, sounds, smells, and circumstances of the frat experience come to life in amazing stories that readers will find thoroughly engrossing and eye-opening. As Snarr recalls and shares these vivid memories, he acknowledges that "Boy, were those good years. Every one of them." 

How and why they evolved this way forms the nucleus of a story which will thoroughly engross future generations as it captures both the nuances and frat culture of bygone times and their ongoing moral, ethical, and psychological impact. 

Snarr often told his buddies that "someone needs to write a book about all this." But, he didn't know that he was destined to be the chronicler of the past, bringing to life the shared destinies and efforts of a special group of new adults. At a recent fraternity reunion dinner he reminisced "...how lucky I had been to be part of something that was dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others. So, I just took it all in, letting the spirit emanating from the men around me just linger. Even though I didn’t know everyone there, I felt a connection. I was glad I had become part of something bigger than me." 

Life is a whirlwind of choices. Reading this memoir should be one of them. 

As Snarr concludes: "Luckily, the only thing that burned up that night was the house." The memories remain forever, captured neatly for future generations in The Wolcott Circus. 

The Wolcott Circus

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Mystery & Thrillers

After the Fact
Jeff Cooper
Red Adept Publishing
978-1948051835            $12.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948051834

After the Fact is a legal thriller that follows attorney Jack Collins as he moves from a small Connecticut office to the big time in New York City, where his clients and co-workers include elite, wealthy, famous people. 

Clearly, he's hit the big time in the legal world. Or, has he? The truth is closer to the fact that Jack has entered into a dangerous situation in which he's not a celebrated legal bigwig, but a pawn in a larger blackmail plot blackmail that involves his boss. 

The foundations of the intrigue open not with Jack, but with Abigail and Harold Walker and the big mistake she makes in ending his life. Four years later (which begins in the first chapter), people are still paying for her choice, and are making their own life-changing decisions based upon it: "He was just thirty-one, yet carried the regrets of a man twice his age. And this morning was his chance to finally live the life he should have lived long ago." 

As different characters pursue divergent paths in life that move from the criminal world into the justice system, Abigail Walker draws old friends into the fold of danger, creating circumstances that test their relationships and loyalties. 

Readers who expect that Jeff Cooper will limit his observations and dilemmas to protagonist Jack Collins alone will be delighted at the avenues this story takes as it embraces a host of victims and criminals. 

Everyone holds a special interest and a particular perception of their place in the world. These attitudes are explored within an evolving series of conundrums that test not just Jack, but everyone around him. The psychological depth is astute and welcoming as the legal thriller moves from a tortured, sick old lady's struggles to career criminals and lawyers who find their abilities and ideas tested on different levels. 

The inspections of wealth, power, and possible redemption on various sides is especially well done, adding to not just the intrigue, but the social, ethical, and psychological depth of all the characters. 

Those who anticipate After the Fact to be another courtroom drama will welcome a story that largely takes place outside legal chambers. It probes the heart and soul of characters who are each challenged, in different ways, to handle public scandal, heartache, and the consequences of their actions. 

The psychological and social components of this suspense story are well-done and inviting, lending to a story packed with confrontation, realization, and ideals of fresh starts that are haunted by past decisions. 

It's a legal thriller that grips with action and vivid characters whose dilemmas remain multifaceted and absorbing to the end, and should find a welcome home in any legal thriller collection. 

After the Fact

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An Apology to Lucifer
Wayne and Sean Haley
D. X. Varos, Ltd
978-1-955065-30-6         $4.99 ebook
978-1-955065-29-0         $18.95 Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Apology-Lucifer-Sean-P-Haley-ebook/dp/B09JF9CQKL 

An Apology to Lucifer is a paranormal thriller that delights with intrigue, and opens with a story of fallen Angels and an eternal pledge for redemption. The prologue sets the metaphysical stage for the tension that evolves as Wayne and Sean Haley pursue the story of a precious book the Vatican will do anything to get their hands on, the real story behind Lucifer's fall from Heaven, and a Boston psychoanalyst, author, and atheist who becomes involved in the mystery of why his good friend Albert, a controversial exorcist, took his life. 

The answers to many disparate special interests' questions lie in a book that will change the world. It's a book that should not exist, and its presence represents a threat to social and spiritual order that leads a host of contenders to want it for their own purposes. 

As book authenticator Lorenza Pellegrini, atheist David Wright, and Father Thomas Morelli find their lives unexpectedly joined by a dangerous purpose and pursuit, readers enjoy a chase through different worlds and possibilities as the investigations revise history and reconsider the impact of belief systems. 

The Haleys inject a sense of wonder into their story that considers the impact of an ancient war and decision and antiquarian special interests on present-day lives: "All of those old books and people acted like they were made of gold when they saw them, Carlos thought. So many words printed on pages. Knowledge that made people crazy, happy, or angry. It was not something that Carlos wanted to worry about." 

Their story is replete in vivid descriptions of world-changing events that keep readers spellbound: "The wind was howling up there. She believed she heard screams from across the city. The storm had intensified significantly in a very short period. The reverberation from the thunder nearly knocked her to the ground. The wind was ripping at her clothing and hair. Unholy sounds were coming from the black cloud—like the screaming of a thousand demons. She could feel the blood starting to drip from her ears." 

Those who enjoyed The DaVinci Code and other stories of metaphysical intrigue and inspection will find the thriller component is strong, here; as is the inclusion of demonic forces that influence mortal affairs. 

While An Apology to Lucifer will appeal to thriller audiences, it will prove equally engrossing to those who like supernatural and metaphysical inquiry. These readers will find this story replete in both nonstop action and solid ethical, spiritual, and moral examination. 

An Apology to Lucifer

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Counterintelligence
Michele Packard
Platform Publishing
9798691626647            
$4.99 digital, $9.99 paperback, $19.99 hardback
https://www.amazon.com/CounterIntelligence-Aesop-Michele-Packard-ebook/dp/B09M92GD59 

Counterintelligence takes place in a world where a virus has changed everything, and opens with an astute inspection of the changing political climate in the U.S., which is seeing its freedoms erode from a deluge misinformation and misunderstandings. 

Matti and her family of genetically altered intelligence pros stand in the middle of this hurricane of change virtually alone, since the President who had employed her is no more, and a new administration leaves her team in limbo. 

That's not to say that she's idle. Far from it. She maintains a  professional acuity during nonstop action that places herself, her family, and her friends in a crescendo of investigation and danger that challenges even their supercharged abilities. 

Counterintelligence takes place in a very believable world reinforced by current events. Michele Packard takes the time to explore motivations, changing loyalties, challenging choices and impossible consequences, and political changes. 

This mix of thriller and social and political inspection keeps the action fast-paced, but what really powers the story is Matti's ongoing exploits, courage, and determination. 

If the characters seem larger-than-life in their ability to confront their enemies and each other, that's because the story itself is intrinsically woven into a milieu of believable events that keep the characters (and their readers) on their toes and hyper-aware. 

A wry sense of humor lends comic relief (“Does Doc McHottie realize that he probably won’t be working in the public sector anymore, after this?”), while Matti's determination fuels a series of proactive responses to her changing situation. A heady dialogue that connects characters and reinforces their purposes also keeps the story riveting. 

Thriller readers used to the usual pragmatic approach of heroes will find something different in Matti: a sassy sense of purpose and courage that dictates her actions and confrontations to keep her not just realistic and likeable, but thoroughly engrossing. The musical references and contemporary song lyrics that pass through Matti's mind during the action scenes will especially delight contemporary pop music fans. 

How has Matti's world been changed from birth onwards by an edict to protect America? 

This thriller moves from past to present and considers a much-changed future in a manner that will attract political fiction readers as well as fans of espionage, action, and powerful female protagonists. Counterintelligence is very highly recommended for its unique brand of social inspection and death-defying action. 

Counterintelligence

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Crystal Skull
Daniela Valenti
Independently Published
979-8499893852            $6.79 Paper; $1.29 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Skull-Sentinel-10-Novel/dp/B09K1TWFJB 

Thriller readers who enjoyed Desert Rose will appreciate the follow-up story in Crystal Skull, which blends elements of suspense with the genre trappings paranormal and romance genre trappings. Familiarity with Desert Rose will provide a smooth transition to this story of Amanda Griffith, a Sentinel 10 psychic who is still struggling with the death of her first love and soul mate Alain Proctor while trying to build a new relationship with James. 

Someone is killing Sentinel 10s. And it's someone only Amanda's extraordinary powers can stop (even though she proved powerless to stop the forces that led to Alain's death). 

As Amanda faces the cartel of death, premonitions of possible futures underlie her past and present decisions. Her search for stability shaken, Amanda must decide on her priorities in life, syncing her memories and dreams with real-world challenges and threats that shake the foundations of her world and choices. 

As in Desert Rose, Daniela Valenti develops tension from two areas: romance and paranormal confrontations. As Amanda and James embark on a new life together, her abilities are tested in new ways that keep them on their toes and growing together. 

Vivid descriptions spice the action throughout: "She raised her arms and poured her psychic pulses into her shield. It was an entirely novel approach for her, and she hoped it would work. The force-field greedily absorbed her energy, growing stronger but also storing it. The demonic vortex of debris continued its dance, occasionally slamming into her shield. She bided her time, preparing for the final blow." 

As the specter of Alain re-enters her life, Amanda is charged with deciding whom she really loves and how to move on and survive: "She still loved him. Yet...he was leaving her again! Forever lost to her. So close, and forever out of reach. Love could not save him then, and it could not bring him back now. And she’d better get over it fast because she was about to enter a fight for her life, and that of every Sentinel in her cohort." 

The balance between paranormal confrontations, love, and changing life decisions creates a delightful interplay between suspense and romance that will attract audiences not normally familiar with thriller/paranormal reads. 

Newcomers will find that Valenti weaves past and present events in a manner that makes Crystal Skull accessible and inviting. 

Challenged with resetting her priorities and interests not just twice, but multiple times, Amanda's conundrums and unexpected confrontations are thoroughly engrossing and completely unpredictable contributing to a story that is hard to put down. 

Crystal Skull

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The Devil's Heart
Robert Rapoza
Bowker
978-1732391239            $13.99 paper/$3.99 ebook
http://www.robertrapoza.com 

The Devil's Heart opens in the southern Argentinean jungle where Professor Jim Grady and his archaeological team are on the verge of a great discovery. Grady is called away from his team and returns to find they have vanished without a trace.  

Desperate for help, he calls upon fellow archaeologist Nick Randall and daughter Samantha, who are charged with tracing the team's steps through the jungle to locate both them and their find. 

When they enter a chamber and fall into the clutches of a deadly adversity, Nick and Sam discover they've stumbled into a legendary mystery that threatens not only the relic they've discovered, but their lives. 

A Nazi stronghold, military engagements and battles, and efforts to free themselves profiles Sam's strengths and cunning as much as her father's abilities. That's one of the strengths Robert Rapoza hones in this vivid adventure. 

Think Indiana Jones, but in a jungle setting where a female character's push for both the truth and her own survival are just as powerfully depicted as the efforts of her father. Add nonstop confrontations and actions which turn a jungle foray into a series of revelations that tests Nick's ability to respond to military tactics and battles and his daughter's ability to survive. Then, top all these events with a romp through international affairs and special interests, for the ingredients of a solid action story that intrigues on many different levels. 

As The Devil's Heart moves from the jungles to Germany and Sam and Nick uncover a dangerous plot and truths, the story crafts a sense of purpose beyond survival that tests both the father/daughter relationship and each individual's unique expertise. 

Robert Rapoza's special brand of nonstop, staccato action will especially please thriller audiences who like their stories spiced with ongoing confrontations. These encounters keep emerging from different and changing circumstances, and will also attract readers who will appreciate the specter of a strong young woman as determined to participate in her own survival process as her father is to rescue her from danger. 

Readers will find the psychological inspections just enough to support the plot's action and mystery, and will appreciate the political intrigue that emerges as one of the surprises. 

Fast-paced, unexpected in its twists, and engrossing...what more could one ask for from an action adventure story? 

The Devil's Heart

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Enough to Make the Angels Weep
Ernesto Patino
Black Opal Books
978-1-953434-23-4   $15.99 print; $5.99 e-book
Ordering: https://amazon.com/dp/B09FJ4Q136  
Author website: www.ernestopatino.com 

Imagine you're a professional P.I., hired to solve a murder that completely stymies your best investigative efforts. There are simply no clues, no suspects, and only the body of an elderly woman that reveals nothing. When historical examination unfolds a strange plot to murder the descendants of an elite Mexican unit of Irish fighters, Joe Coopersmith finally hits the investigative jackpot. Or, has he just become mired in the quicksand of past events? 

Enough to Make the Angels Weep is a story that, on the face of it, is about the death of Dorothy Delaney. Four years later, the relative who hires Joe to solve this mystery seeks answers that will force the police to re-open the case. What she and Joe uncover are answers that actually open a world of trouble connecting past to present, introducing new threats and perceptions that might best have remained buried. 

Ernesto Patino creates a progressive series of inspections that add heat to a cold case and bring into question ongoing efforts to quash the truth. 

How a battle from the past reaches out to take the life of a woman in her eighties (and, more importantly, why this matters) makes for a riveting journey through the past as Joe seeks closure for Carolyn, money for Cecilia's project, and answers about his own moral compass: "Had he struck a deal with the devil? He wondered. And he wondered if he’d let him off too easy." 

Vivid in its mystery and historical inspection and thought-provoking in Joe's journey through disparate lives and their influences, Enough to Make the Angels Weep takes many satisfyingly complex twists and turns as the mystery unfolds. 

While readers anticipating a simple whodunit may find some of these directions unexpected, they are always intriguing, and fit nicely into a story that holds many layers of inspection. These elements make Enough to Make the Angels Weep highly recommended both for avid genre fans and those who only occasionally choose mysteries (and, when they do, who seek more depth and development than the usual mystery story.) 

Enough to Make the Angels Weep belays the usual formula approach to produce a story more creatively powerful than many in its genre. 

Enough to Make the Angels Weep

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FitzDuncan's Alchemy
John J. Spearman
Independently Published
9798480203714             $4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/FitzDuncans-Alchemy-FitzDuncan-Book-2-ebook/dp/B09JL14TF6 

FitzDuncan's Alchemy is the second adventure revolving around Casimir FitzDuncan, exploring the conundrums that evolve when a swindling attempt backfires and the swindler becomes the victim in a similar scheme. 

The historical mystery takes place six weeks after his last adventure. That experience involved a plot by the younger of two royal princes, Wim, to usurp his older brother, Albert, in the royal succession. Prior readers who appreciated the setting, characters, and adventures of Casimir in the first book are in a perfect position to appreciate the ongoing dilemmas presented in this follow-up story. 

Newcomers will find that Fitz recaps his past and his connections to royalty in a succinct, easily accessible manner, while prior readers will find that this review of past events refreshes their memory, setting the stage for what is to come. 

From dubious partners and a ruse to confiscate the gold to Caz's creation of a dangerous game that evolves with cat-and-mouse precision, John J. Spearman captures a sense of history and intrigue, adding a touch of humor to Caz's first-person experiences as he develops a "where's the money?" tale of intrigue. 

Interacting with Caz is the also-loveable character of Freddy (nee Lord Rawlinsford), his "somewhat-intended" Greta Hawkins, and a host of other individuals, including Lucy’s father, the Duke of Gulick. A romp evolves that embraces action and adventure, social and political change, and confrontations that result in injury and angst. 

Spearman is adept at weaving these disparate lives into a story of kidnapping, subterfuge, threats, and power plays that operate on psychological, financial, and political levels. 

The result is a multifaceted story especially recommended for prior fans of FitzDuncan's exploits, who will find much to relish about his latest adventure as well as a conclusion which leaves the door ajar for more. 

FitzDuncan's Alchemy

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Her Flawless Disguise
Barbara Ebel, MD
Independently Published
978-1-7349847-3-6                $3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Her-Flawless-Disguise-Barbara-Ebel-ebook/dp/B09HVCLJS4 

Her Flawless Disguise is a medical novel that departs from Dr. Ebel's previous medical mysteries. It will reach a wide audience interested not just in mystery stories and medical thrillers, but ethical conundrums at the intersection of medical practice and patient experience. 

Molecular Genetic Pathologist Dr. Hook Hookie's mission in life is to search out medical clues to illness through DNA analysis. 

As perps such as middle-aged Duane Harper and plotter Belinda Sisko are introduced and special interests affect her medical investigations, readers receive a story of intrigue revolving around art theft, schemes, and the efforts of a DNA doctor to put the pieces of a puzzle together: "In the new, modern world of high-tech inventions and crime-solving methods, he believed that nothing was ‘virtually impossible’ to detect or discover like Kent Wadsworth had said." 

Will a cancer survivor's second chance at life result in changed outcomes for the medical group and patients around her? 

Can a detail-oriented lab technician find the missing pieces that careless perps left behind as clues? 

Dr. Barbara Ebel's medical background contributes to a realistic backdrop and a probe that reaches from a mystery investigation to embrace ethical issues, as a cured patient embarks on a path that threatens disaster. Her ability to weave disparate characters and special interests into a story filled with medical and moral conundrums contributes to a riveting cat-and-mouse investigation that excels in twists and turns readers won't see coming. 

All is not narrated from the perspective of Dr. Hook and his associates, either. By including the perceptions and purposes of Belinda and Duane and considering the impact of their actions, Dr. Ebel creates a complex, involving story that considers patient recovery and choice as much as medical professional responses and reactions. 

The result is a medical thriller that operates on more than one level, inviting readers into a fine tale of schemes, redemption, and the choices involved in living life and surviving adversity. 

Her Flawless Disguise

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Hot House
Lisa Towles
Indies United Publishing House, LLC
978-1-64456-421-9         $12.99
indiesunited.net/hot-house

Last year, P.I. Mari Ellwyn was shot. This year, she's recovered and is looking for a partner to back her up. In Hot House, she taps ex-cop and former detective Derek Abernathy to watch her back. 

The story opens with a cryptic text from Sophie, moves to a quick roundup chapter in which Mari admits her limits  ("...whomever was threatening Appellate Court Judge Conrad McClaren was somehow threatened by my investigating the matter, and that finding the “who” and “why” now held more significance than I thought. But there was a third reason, one I’d barely even acknowledged to myself, about why I had to find these answers. The fate of my family and my heart depended on it."), then provides a succinct but hard-hitting impression of her new partner: "Unmistakable Beantown accent. Light hair, gap-toothed smile—I always liked that—bad skin, and earnest green eyes. My mother would say drug use from the bad skin, and she thought gap-teeth were indicators of a big heart. I’m usually wrong about first impressions. We’ll see." 

These two quotes capture Lisa Towles's ability to employ strong descriptions with hard-hitting, sharp jabs to heart and mind which immediately draw readers in and waste no time in outlining characters, action, motivations, and reactions. 

A sense of humor threads through serious confrontations to and examinations of Mari's personality, which comes to life as she encounters new people and situations, Towles provides a story as notable for its powerful psychological interactions as its plot.
 

Mari is a savvy P.I. who leaves no stone unturned. She even investigates her potential partner's likes and dislikes: “All right, fine. How’d you know I like Sweet’n Low?” he asked with an attitude now that wasn’t there a minute ago. “And not only that but three. Where do you even buy that shit nowadays?”

“I’m a private investigator, Mr. Abernathy. It’s my job to know stuff about the people I work with.” “Oh, is that what we’re doing? Working?” He didn’t hide that he was both amused and flattered." 

As she surveys people of interest and influence, the life of charming Sophie (who was used to getting anything she wanted), and a bullet journal that holds an unusual approach and secret, Mari and new sidekick Derek find their skills challenged. Their controversial investigation culminates in vanishing journalists and a clever spy's secret notes which include Mari's family as part of the focus. 

Between the contrasts between seemingly disparate cases and the investigative team's foray into dangerous political waters, Towles keeps the tension high and the mystery componenet solid. 

But, it's her exceptional characters that really drive the tale, leading readers into a page-turner that's hard to put down. The moral and personal conundrums provide hard-hitting personal and professional challenges to the new P.I. team as they learn more about their cases, each other, and their own hearts. 

Fans of investigative thrillers and mysteries will be the audience for Hot House, but its ability to craft a sassy, fun series of dialogues and inspections, its portrait of capable, savvy protagonist Mari, and its ongoing mystery of Sophie Michaud's logbook creates an exceptional read with a powerfully unexpected conclusion, leaving the door more than ajar for a follow-up. This will attract audiences both within and beyond the thriller and mystery genres. 

Hot House

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Kirkwood
John Alvah Barnes, Jr. and Naomi Lynn Barnes
Alvah Arts
978-1-7350947-6-2    $4.99 ebook/$14.99 print
www.alvaharts.com 

"If you want my opinion, electrocution is a lousy way to try and kill yourself," she said softly. 

The Kirkwood Medical Center is prestigious—just the kind of place that might entice an ex-musician into taking on the quieter, more lucrative job of being a biomedical electronic technician. But when Jay's test of a piece of medical equipment lands him in the hospital, it also reveals a series of mysterious malfunctions that lead to a greater mystery involving he and ER nurse Debbie Farrell in both a romance and an investigation. 

Readers of medical thrillers will find Kirkwood features strong tension, intricate characterization, and a compelling plot development. 

The story opens with a bang of recovery from a potentially lethal accident. It keeps a quick pace as readers catch up to Jay's dilemma as he recovers from a terrible shock and tries to avoid the defibrillator that sent him into the ER in the first place. 

This quickly moves to bigger-picture thinking as Jay investigates what comes to look like deliberate sabotage, navigating both increasing danger and a steadily building romance at the same time. 

Readers will enjoy the realistic and action-packed emergencies that permeate Jay's world to keep the story both on track and unpredictable. Tension is delivered in just the right doses, the workplace romance evolves with a realistic approach, and the machines, operations, and atmosphere of the OR and hospital processes are pragmatically portrayed from the first-person insights of a character who has everything to lose and much to gain in the evolution and outcome of his job and life. 

John Alvah Barnes, Jr. and Naomi Lynn Barnes provide a gripping story of investigations, intrigue, and revenge that takes full advantage of its medical world backdrop to feature a dilemma that involves Jay on more than one level. 

Readers looking for a satisfying blend of thriller, mystery, and workplace romance will find all these elements in a story that uses hospital politics and policies to cement an intriguing story of revenge, redemption, and love. 

Mystery and thriller readers alike, particular libraries that see strong patron interest in Robin Cook-style medical stories, will find Kirkwood a worthy, well-crafted selection. 

Kirkwood

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Knights of The Air, Book 1: Rage!
Iain Stewart
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-131-4         $18.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

Knights of The Air, Book 1: Rage! blends a military story with aviation history to create a thriller story replete with nonstop action. It is recommended for audiences who like their stories multifaceted. 

Discussions of piloting challenges and friendships weave real-world military events with a backdrop of impossible scenarios. Add a dash of old demons (which character Lance keeps deeply hidden even from Arthur and Clayton, until they can remain a secret no more) for an involving story that takes military aviation and World War I encounters to different levels. 

Readers who anticipate a World War I fictional piece alone will be surprised to find that Rage! represents a powerful intersection of military and aviation history. This novel is replete in military confrontations, strategies, and clashing political alliances based on real-world events, while military or aviation history readers will find satisfying the different directions the story takes as it toes the line between fact and fantasy. 

The aviation encounters and air battles are vividly portrayed, which will delight readers who look for action in the skies: "Lance scanned the sky—still no sign of Jasta 6. There wasn’t much point in providing high cover if the ground fire shot down Arthur and Ball’s flights before Jasta 6 even arrived, so Lance led his flight down in a curving dive to ambush the defending machine gunners from behind. They never saw C Flight before Lance fired his Vickers. Bullets kicked chunks of turf and flesh into the air, catapulting bodies out of the machine gun emplacement like a giant threshing machine." 

Military-minded readers will take special interest in specific descriptions of battle strategy: “Lance is right. The high-altitude Huns will come over in droves, and Lance is our best high-level hunter. On the other hand, the letter is signed by Petain. Who outranks even Trenchard by a very long way.” 

The result is an action-packed saga that covers elite pilots who struggle to keep their relationships, lives, and battle approaches intact. 

Military history readers who like their stories couched in the drama and psychological examinations of fiction will find Knights of The Air, Book 1: Rage! a story of combat, unexpected romance, friendships tested by war, and a rise to leadership commanded by events that test even the most seasoned of pilots. The language and consideration of lasting impacts of decisions is riveting: “Hawker, Leefe Robinson, and now Albert Ball were brave and popular leaders who deserved their Victoria Crosses. But their brainless tactics caused men to die who should have lived. We need to become smarter. To beat the Circus on a consistent basis, we need better tactics, better training, better discipline.” 

Knights of The Air, Book 1: Rage!

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The Man Who Transformed Africa
Peter D. Cimini
Halo Publishing International
9781637651162             $19.95 Paper/$8.99 ebook
www.amazon.com 

The Man Who Transformed Africa: The Rebirth of a Continent appears in a second edition to provide a political and religious thriller centering on Vatican intrigue and influences. 

A clash between liberal and conservative cardinals leads to a different kind of pope, who uses his position to conduct a Catholic war on poverty, the likes of which shake the foundations of his church. 

Can he really sell Vatican treasures to fund and prop up the middle class in Africa? As the first two years of his project unfold, interactions between the pope, an ex-president of the U.S, and an African nationalist bring the nation's conflicts to the forefront, using a fictional backdrop to examine the real-world dilemmas in modern Africa's social and political choices. 

The strength of this novel lies in its ability to weave suspense into a story that highlights Africa's unique scenario of wealth existing side by side with extreme poverty. This approach offers a solid, close inspection of Africa's nations and their approaches to everything from infrastructure to healthcare and production. 

Peter D. Cimini has long been interested in Africa's contradictions, injustices, and possible futures. The Man Who Transformed Africa represents a different way of exploring how its ongoing dilemmas may be addressed, considering how middle-class elements are injected into a milieu in which a powerful religious force becomes proactive in paying more than lip service to addressing poverty. 

Especially intriguing are the legal and political interplays between this pope and elements of social order challenged by the mandate to change. 

From his carefully planned objectives to the unforeseen forces that work against them, Cimini creates an interplay between special interests and long-range planning that considers how economic status and social order can change (or not). 

Cimini's novel is filled not just with intrigue and evolving, changing political structures, but close inspections of motivations, processes, and how can church officials influence these through the management and distribution of papal wealth. 

No light read, this dense, educational, involving story will best be enjoyed by those with some prior interest in Vatican processes and the history of social dilemmas in Africa. 

This audience will welcome the close inspection Cimini provides during the course of his story, and will find that this fictional survey of the Build Africa Together program holds not just a good read, but much food for thought. 

Set in the near future, it's a tale of conflict, redemption, and a long-term visionary project that shakes the foundations of many engrained beliefs and approaches to poverty, which makes a riveting and thought-provoking read. 

The Man Who Transformed Africa

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Razormouth
Howard Butcher
Deep Reef Books
9781737960300      Hardback: $29.95/ebook: $4.99
howardbutcher.com 

Razormouth: A Novel of Blood in the Sea is a nautical thriller that is as much about marine life and natural history as it is about a collision between intellectual scientists and a vicious cartel. 

Two marine biologists conducting research in the Bimini Islands discover evidence of a new deep-sea threat. Simultaneously, a dead man appears on their dock to involve them in a Colombian drug cartel's actions and direct confrontation with the sadistic "Queen of Cocaine," Concha Dores. 

That's the basic plot; but Howard Butcher's ability to craft descriptions that capture the exotic marine world and human intrigue alike supercharges the tale from its opening lines: "Cael Seabrook took the morning flight from Miami to Bimini in the Bahamas, early summer 1983. It was his first time flying, his first time leaving the USA, and his first time seeing an ocean from the sky. The world was fresh and new and extraordinary; he felt higher than the airplane he rode in. Like he’d hit the mother of all jackpots. He was a twenty-eight-year-old ichthyologist flying into the best future he could imagine." 

The "you are there" feel to the story doesn't just draw readers in; it immerses them in a world regulated not just by research aspirations and findings, but the rapacious nature of mankind. 

Thriller readers used to staccato action may not be surprised at the story's high octane events; but Butcher's attention to metaphorical description adds a lyricism that is unusual in the thriller genre: "A mile beneath the wings of the plane, hazy blue radiance spanned from horizon to horizon. There was no land anywhere—just deep, boundless ocean, liquid brilliance shining back the sun, etched with tiny waves and ribbons of foam." 

Also compelling, as events evolve, is the blend of intrigue and international concerns as scientists Seabrook and Aja, dedicated to the rigors of research, become embroiled in a plot that involves big money, special interests, cartel killers, and a new discovery in the "hungry, deep sea." 

Bahamian police, politics, and deadly danger converge as the story unfolds, with many surprising twists and turns marking its progression. For instance, Seabrook's conflict with Reverend Bastareaud leads to a murder investigation that implicates him, while struggles on local, national, and international waters emerge to immerse a range of characters in a harrowing conflict that unfolds on many different levels. 

Butcher is a master at crafting believable characters, scenarios, dialogue, and scenes that crackle with tension and keep readers thoroughly engrossed. Why is this story especially believable and vivid? Perhaps this is due to the fact that author Howard Butcher has worked as a shark researcher in the Caribbean Sea and as an apprentice commercial diver in the Gulf of Mexico. His experience gives authenticity and real-world description to his thriller. 

Seabrook can't believe what he is facing . . . or what he must do to try and stay alive and rescue his true love, Aja. Readers will find his struggles and decisions both believable and thought-provoking. 

Set against the backdrop of a scientific world rocked by more than one discovery, Razormouth is the kind of thriller that will attract both readers of international intrigue and those who like blends of science and murder mysteries with truly formidable villains. 

Razormouth

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Restitution
John A. Daly
BQB Publishing
978-1-952782-50-3         $19.95 Paper/$8.99 ebook
Website: https://www.johndalybooks.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Restitution-Sean-Coleman-Thriller/dp/1952782503 

Restitution is the fifth book in the Sean Coleman thriller series and opens in 1970s Mexico, where a young boy taught to handle a gun at an early age faces a violent confrontation. He assumes that his mother is involved in turning tricks for drugs, and the violence comes from a drug cartel looking to eliminate competition; but this isn't quite the truth. And ten-year-old Alvar receives restitution money for his actions, which involves his mother's death and shakes his family's foundations. 

Fast forward to present-day 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Security guard Sean Coleman has come here to attend a bachelor party. Romance is also on the wind—but so is adversity, as Sean faces the rise of past threats and future possibilities. 

John A. Daly crafts a suspenseful thriller replete in desert encounters, crime cartels, and a struggle to deal with soulless individuals. 

As Sean faces gunfire, interstate chases, and moral and ethical dilemmas, he is reminded by others that "...You are a good man. I’ve seen you with the weight of the world on your shoulders, and I’ve seen you lift that weight. When I look in your eyes, I don’t see bitterness. I see kindness. I see sincerity. I see a man who wants, and tries, to do the right thing. I see a man who others should aspire to be.” 

Will this sense of propriety and commitment remain intact against the onslaught of criminal forces? 

Part of the reason why Daly's latest book works so well, both for newcomers and prior fans of Sean's world, is that it closely considers the elements of crime that affect not just the psyches of criminal decision-makers, but those that fight against them. 

Replete against the developing plot is a moral and ethical interplay of emotions that juxtaposes fast-paced action with serious character development and changing perspectives. 

Restitution may be the fifth book in the series, but its solid attention to detail and action makes it a powerful read on levels that move beyond suspense alone, providing an especially satisfying story for those who like their thrillers multifaceted, operating in arenas of personal assessment as well as physical struggles for survival. 

Restitution

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A River of Lies
John Crossan
DartFrog Books
978-1-956019-14-8         $15.99 Print/$4.99 ebook
Publisher: www.dartfrogbooks.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com 

Imagine that your girlfriend has been found murdered, washed up on the beach, and that you are the immediate suspect in her death. In A River of Lies, Carmen Vaughn struggles with both a girl's demise and his uncertain legal position. This moves him to become actively involved in solving her murder and clearing his name. 

It's a good thing Carmen's college professor, Timothy Pickering, is an ex-prosecutor who's in the perfect position to help him. It's a bad thing that P.I. Adrian Watson and Carmen discover that the current prosecuting attorney is deliberately hiding evidence in order to prove that Carmen is the murderer, protecting the real perp. 

Pickering must gauge just how truthful Carmen is being, while struggling with evidence and facts that challenge his reputation and skills. 

As evidence comes to light that Jillian may have been dating more than one person at a time and that she may have become involved in something over her head, Professor Pickering and Carmen find themselves in the crosshairs of a murder investigation that takes many unexpected twists and turns. 

John Crossan creates an excellent interplay between victims, perps, and special interests as he unfolds this story. Committed to playing the victim card, attorney Victoria Donovan seeks to mask her real involvement in this special case as readers move through changing scenarios that escalate tension in different ways. 

Crossan examines the ethics and conundrums of all involved—even professionals who try to play both sides of the law: “You and I both know how often prosecutors lie to the court and get away with it. We are talking about Victoria Donovan, Tim! For the past decade, she has been looking for every opportunity to advance her career, even if it is at the expense of a defendant. She has repeatedly thumbed her nose at the defense bar as long as I have known her. You think lying to a judge is beneath her?” 

The result is a fast-paced story of murder and a seemingly cut-and-dried case that embraces a host of threats as the characters interact, struggle to preserve their lives and secrets, and make new discoveries about lies and truth. 

Murder mystery readers who want a more complex examination of motivations, influences, and legal processes will find A River of Lies builds exquisite tension as it exposes some unexpected truths. 

A River of Lies

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The Rookie and the Raven
Kevin Wilde
Independently Published
979-8478413781           
$21.99 Hardcover/$12.99 Paper/$8.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/ROOKIE-RAVEN-present-gripping-thriller/dp/B09JJ9DKXK 

The Rookie and the Raven is a thriller that will especially delight readers who like stories of cat-and-mouse games and espionage. 

When CIA trainee Christina Jordan is called upon to track an arms shipment and capture sleeper agent Raven, she feels her novice skills being tested, challenged, and awakened by the daunting tasks at hand. 

A prologue introduces an intriguing scenario involving the Shaman, whose telephone conversation with the Contessa reveals that he's fulfilled his duty. The reader learns the arms have been placed on the ship, and the mercenaries are lined up. Part 1 opens ten days before an attack. It introduces Nicholas Crowe, an agent of the European Intelligence Community who has become privy to the arms shipment and, later, to the secrets the arms dealer, Terlizzi, held before a bomb was planted in his limo, leading him to involve Crowe in retribution for the thwarted murder attempt. 

As Christina and Crowe's efforts mirror one another's increasingly dangerous conundrums, readers embark on a romp through various nations as the two solve logistical problems and tackle bigger issues. 

Author Kevin Wilde shifts points of view as he moves through Crowe's first-person observations and third-person descriptions of evolving events. 

As the mercenaries are infiltrated, loyalties are bought and sold, bombings take out adversaries and build new enemies, and vivid action permeates the efforts of Christina and Crowe to survive and complete their missions against all odds. 

Kevin Wilde excels in nonstop action, surprising twists even seasoned suspense story readers won't see coming, and a vivid series of encounters which reflect "...the cat and mouse deciding who would move first, although both knowing only one was truly in charge." 

Between tested loyalties to the duplicity that operates on an international scale, readers will appreciate both the changing scenarios and actions and the struggles of each character to stay alive. 

Can those cursed with bringing disaster find a happy ending from these ongoing, violent tests? 

Readers will find that The Rookie and the Raven joins the forces of a relative novice and a seasoned agent in a story filled with hard-hitting punches of realization and action. Just the ticket for a cold winter's night: a vividly unpredictable read. 

The Rookie and the Raven

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She-Wolf in the Shadows
F.B. Nobles
Crystal Publishing, LLC
978-1-942624-72-1         $15.95
www.amazon.com 

She-Wolf in the Shadows describes Doctor Ava Wolfe, who has it all: intelligence, a career, and wealth. So much so that she attracts the attention of wannabe lover Sean “Mac” MacIntosh, who envisions riding on her coattails of success. 

Ava's intelligence keeps her from falling prey to his plot. Indeed, HE becomes the victim when he vanishes and involves the community and Ava in finding out the truth. 

F.B. Nobles keeps the action fast-paced as both Ava and Mac's perspectives are presented: "Threaten me, will she? Take away my clubs? How can I get and keep this bitch I had to marry off balance? Mac thought. She may be beautiful, but she is also conniving, cunning and mean." 

Ava's mission of revenge has made Mac persona non grata in Halifax. But just-as-clever Mac fosters his own schemes and connections, so the cat-and-mouse game of revenge is elevated by the plays each make (financially, psychologically, and socially) to discredit one another in the community. 

Readers who like stories of control, manipulation, and unexpected developments will appreciate the chess-like strategies Mac and Ava employ to deal with one another. 

As each extend (and overextend) their influences, readers are treated to a rollicking ride through clashing special interests and intelligence tests that keeps them wondering about outcomes and changing perspectives. 

From investigations and counter-moves to romance and how Ava moves from thinking to feeling, Nobles crafts a story of intrigue and love that is both entertaining and thought-provoking...one in which gold-diggers and lovers get what they asked for, albeit in unexpected ways. 

Neither fully a mystery nor a romance, She-Wolf in the Shadows excels in creating a sense of intrigue and psychological inspection that pits two agile and savvy contenders against one another. 

It seems unlikely that an acrimonious divorce will lead to true love, but somehow this happens, in an unanticipated manner. This will delight readers rooting for Ava's goal of living 'happily ever after.' 

Those who seek an equally powerful pairing of fiery personalities and purposes and elements of intrigue and self-examination will relish She-Wolf in the Shadows, which should be on the shelves of any romance or mystery library, recommended for readers who look for unexpected twists and depth in both genres. 

She-Wolf in the Shadows

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Silent Winter Solstice
Bonnie Oldre
Gatekeeper Press
9781662916533             $14.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
www.GatekeeperPress.com 

Nothing speaks of murder and mystery more than a body discovered and then gone missing. Library assistant Beth Williams faces a special conundrum when this happens to her in Silent Winter Solstice, a cozy historical mystery set in a small town in Northwestern Minnesota in the late 1960s. 

It is a few days before Christmas when Beth makes her discovery. Apollo 8 is on course for the moon, and anything seems possible. Beth has just broken up with Ernie, after realizing she doesn't want to be a doctor's wife after all, and is now living independently from her parents for the first time. 

As the Apollo 8 landing creates attention and excitement, Beth struggles with her own special conundrums, which nicely juxtaposes with the cozy family atmosphere that Bonnie Oldre cultivates: "Soon, her mind wandered from the picture on the TV screen to wonder about Crystal. Had she been imagining things? Was she still alive, out there, somewhere? Beth didn’t believe it but, if she was, would she go back to living with Allen in that sleazy whorehouse? The poor girl...Beth tuned back in as the voice of one of the astronauts described the moon as “foreboding…stark…unappetizing.” He sounds homesick for Earth, she thought. I bet he wonders if he’ll ever get home again. She glanced around her, appreciating the cozy family scene. As the half-hour program neared its end, the three astronauts took turns reading from the book of Genesis in the Bible. Beth leaned over and tapped her father’s foot to wake him. He wouldn’t want to miss this." 

This atmospheric detail is part of what makes Silent Winter Solstice especially appealing. Under the snowy layers of a December family setting lays the threat of a murder and a perp who enters Beth's life to track her movements and alter her perceptions. 

As she and best friend Evie Hanson pursue the truth, books, libraries, and small town and family interests alike converge on the holidays to introduce a special flavor of murder and mystery to everyone's lives. 

Oldre excels in juxtaposing the atmosphere of the late 1960s and changing times with Beth's observations of home and community. Silent Winter Solstice exemplifies the fundamental roots of a cozy mystery, integrating intrigue with community and individual interests. 

Readers who look for holiday spirits, 1960s atmosphere and concerns, and mystery wound into a small town's developments and community will relish Silent Winter Solstice's ability to bring all to life, with a healthy dash of suspense added for just the right touch. 

Silent Winter Solstice

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Novels

The 31 Near-Death Experiences of Jenny Black
F.E. Shearer
Pumpjack Press
978-1734519747            $16.95 Print; $7.99 eBook
www.pumpjackpress.com

Loretta Sparkman is becoming a zombie in The 31 Near-Death Experiences of Jenny Black. It's not the brain-eating specter of horror novels; but rather, Loretta reflects that “I’m certainly not hungry for brains. And it’s not that my ability to think and be smart and read and talk and love and so on is gone. It’s just, I’m no longer sure who’s doing that stuff anymore. Like, there’s no ‘I’ inside me.” 

Matthias, her husband, responds with questions about the specific way in which Loretta is fading from life and emotional connections. As the story evolves, so do ethical considerations that move from the introductory description of Loretta's changing state of mind to events that provoke medical conundrums and social inspection. 

F.E. Shearer's story is compelling on several levels. First, it excels in character descriptions that capture underlying emotions and reactions in a succinct, hard-hitting manner: "Loretta sees in the slump of his shoulders—pushed down now by the weight of a decades-old scream—a man determined to do good in the world." 

As Loretta moves from increasingly reactive, zombie-like response to life to embracing a host of new challenges, she becomes involved in a case of misplaced sperm — a PR nightmare for the university where she works — and simultaneously, her childhood friend Jenny's near-death occurrences. Each holds special challenges to her and her work for the university, forcing Loretta to re-engage with life in a different manner than she chose in the past. 

Her friend, world traveler Jenny, is on the cusp of a new experience for 2020. And it doesn't involve predictable change, either for her or for Loretta. 

Jenny has had twenty-two near death experiences, which medicine has yet to explain. Her ability to draw Loretta into a strange new world of possibilities embraces many evolving issues that change both their lives. 

Readers won't anticipate the concurrent development of issues related to medical research, including bias in mental illness diagnoses, treatment, and progression; scientific racism; and the cosmological limitations of cultural analysis. 

As consciousness, neuroscience research into the nature of reality, and spiritual and philosophical elements are brought into play, Loretta and Jenny find their connections changing on more than one level. 

Readers will find in The 31 Near-Death Experiences of Jenny Black a story that evolves on many thought-provoking levels. Those who anticipated a zombie horror scenario from the book's opening introduction will instead find a delightfully unexpected series of inspections into social and medical communities that comes full circle in a surprising way. 

Collections strong in stories about social and medical issues will find The 31 Near-Death Experiences of Jenny Black riveting reading that considers self, ego, and how near-death experiences lead to revisions of life, death, and what lies between them. 

The 31 Near-Death Experiences of Jenny Black

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Binge
Anne Pfeffer
Bold Print Press
978-0-578-34629-8         $0.99 preorder
www.annepfeffer.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com 

Binge tells of Sabrina Hunter, whose goal in life is to become a best-selling novelist. Now twenty-seven, she works at a dead-end job under demanding boss Josh and is no closer to her goal of being a full-time writer. 

Her life is made tolerable by binging on candy, and as she puts on more weight, Sabrina ("Bree") acknowledges that the failures in her life are causing stress and promoting binge eating responses. 

Alone in her life without a partner, but fixated on the romantic writing she produces that envisions better possibilities (if not for herself, then for her fictional characters), Sabrina embarks on new routes that bring her to the cusp of realizing one of her greatest dreams. 

As she struggles with diets, spirituality, and new options in career and love, Sabrina questions her motivation for losing weight and the changes this effort will introduce to her life. 

Her concerns expand to broader inspections of her world as she questions why God seems so unfair, why she appears incapable of getting what she wants, and how new revelations about family and loyalty are affecting the patterns of her life. 

Anne Pfeffer crafts a fine women's read about life changes, transitions, and sacrifice. As Sabrina's focus on weight loss transforms to bigger-picture thinking, her life shifts and her relationships and ideals bring with them new opportunities. 

Pfeffer is especially adept at capturing the flow between Sabrina and family and love matters, keeping her character fully engaged in both her own pursuits and her interactions in business and personal worlds alike. 

While stress-eating is one theme of the story, Pfeffer carries these habits into a broader spectrum of psychological examination that makes for an involving story of one woman's determination to "live the dream." 

Fiction readers who appreciate portraits of contemporary women who forge their own roads to success in different ways will find Sabrina and her upward trajectory realistic, satisfying, and memorable, all in one. 

Binge

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Black Truffle & Spice
Mathis Bailey
Independently Published
978-0-9959193-4-1                $19.99
Website: www.Mathisbailey.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com 

Black Truffle & Spice is a novel celebrating food, cooking, and modern living. It joins Confused Spice and Brown Sugar & Spice with another story of LBGTQ romance and urban living. 

Half Indian/French food critic Darshan Singh is observing prep cook Anushka in action in her restaurant kitchen. It's obvious that author Mathis Bailey knows his food, because delicious descriptions are part of this story's allure to foodies: "Darshan watched her over stuff a crêpe with tandoori chicken, green peppers, and onions; their edges charred to a crisp. Gooey Camembert cheese was added last, with a thick dollop of spicy crème fraiche to finish it off. The dish was an Indian dosa spinoff, this was what the Indo-French fusion bistro was all about." 

More than culinary aromas are in the air. Romance, too, simmers steadily on the stove with a come-on scent that lures readers into a vivid kitchen scenario with a full pot of relationship potential and promise. But wait...something tastes different. 

Even though the man of her dreams has walked into Anushka's life, exhibiting an intoxicating allure of "pink peppercorns and burnt leather," something else is actually simmering beneath the surface. 

As the story moves from this opening scenario to the main feature (chef Pierre Jackson, owner of the new Spice Café, whose sexuality lives up to the name's alluring promise), readers are treated to a different kind of romance that embraces personal and professional ambitions alike. 

Mathis Bailey infuses his story with special interests, private lives, backburnered passions, and business partners. 

As Pierre's partner Zola begins to tread on dangerous grounds and romantic competitions escalate on the culinary playing field, Bailey provides an astute examination of hearts and kitchens at war, and ethnic roots that are tangled and complex. 

Darshan is Indian. Zola is black. He's a chef. She's a cook. He's rich. She's poor. And Pierre has not known much of this information about Darshan's background—or his latest business pursuit. 

Zola is flirting with more than unrequited love and cultural bias. Her actions are coming home to threaten Pierre's own beloved café and, fueled by Anushka's information and conniving, all involved are about to face crashing and burning both in their love lives and their careers. 

Bailey's ability to move readers from kitchen to bedroom and back again, his attention to exploring culinary and social bias, and the interactions between ex-husbands, potential future husbands, and lovers who operate in different worlds makes for a steamy, alluring story. 

The descriptions of foods and how they add layers of intrigue and surprise to the romance set Black Truffle & Spice apart from the usual one-dimensional romance focus, making it an exceptional read: "She set the macarons and coffee on the table. The smell was rich and intoxicating. He took a bite of the rose-flavored macaron. It crumbles under his teeth. The cream melting on the roof of his mouth and tongue. It was baked to perfection. Her father ate it in three bites and washed it down with French coffee, which left a thin layer of froth on his lip. It took him a moment to lick it off and start on another macaron. This time saffron. He gobbled it up. His favorite so far. He wondered would they ever do paan flavored." 

As Anushka and Zola face heart-shattering confrontations over their love, readers are treated to a story of choice, consequences, and food world conundrums that explore a milieu beyond the usual romance focus on passion and promise alone. 

The resulting multifaceted story will simply delight culinary fans, whether they are romance genre enthusiasts or novel readers looking for an involving, delicious read. 

Black Truffle & Spice

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Daughter of Hades
Mack Little
‎Inklings Publishin
978-1-944428-68-6                $15.00 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FCQC8YZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0 

Daughter of Hades is a unique historical novel that embraces LBGTQ relationships, pirate ships, escape from slavery, and interracial connections alike. Its story is replete in diverse elements as it explores 1600s Barbados and "alliances of convenience" that evolved on many different levels. 

True stories about slave ships, evolving relationships between Maroons and buccaneers, and connections between Maroons and landowners form the foundations of this piece, and will educate readers about these changing times and their impact. 

The focus on interracial relationships, the story of Chinese man Lei (who tells about his experiences on the Hades and the fall of the Ming dynasty), and the prevalence of same-sex relationships aboard pirate vessels all have their roots in real-world events. These lend to a vibrant story that holds much educational value for readers who may not know much about the Caribbean during these times, but will see this world vividly through Lei and Dinny's eyes. 

Other characters provide their own realistic experiences. Slave Geraldine's rape and humiliating fate changes her life.  Assaulted at the hands of her owner, Owen Craig, she faces a path to freedom which begins at sea and introduces new obstacles and opportunities. 

As she becomes a pivot point in a deal that is based on revenge and retribution, the story moves through various lives affected by these complex social and political relationships. 

Mack Little excels in creating a historical novel backed by solid facts and experiences the average reader won't know about, and events they won't see coming. 

Under her hand, the 1600s come to life through interpersonal relationships that both reflect and challenge the standards of their times. 

It should be noted that graphic descriptions and erotic moments are part of this story. Little includes these as a matter of course, exploring the various facets of lives which embrace both heterosexual and LGBTQ partnerships and the social milieus of their evolution. 

The result is a vivid story of the 1700s Caribbean world that brings to life love, conflict, and the paths individuals choose in a world that offers both opportunity and adversity, as violence changes heroes and villains alike. 

Daughter of Hades is highly recommended reading for anyone who would better understand this era and the forces that influenced the course of Caribbean history. 

Daughter of Hades

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Entente
Stephen Finlay Archer
Manzanita Writers Press
9780990801955             $14.95
www.manzapress.com 

The ancient clans' pact and influence that was outlined and developed in Searchers expands in Entente, Book Two of The Irish Clans series. 

Here, Irish revolutionaries involve Germany in their cause as World War I emerges, challenging Irish Republican Tadgh McCarthy and his lover Morgan to continue their battle for Irish freedom, albeit under the cloak of a wider-ranging war. 

As these events take place, Irish-Canadian Collin continues to agonize over his vanished sister Claire's fate and his own failing marriage. 

The interplays between politics and personal lives and family clans and world events, that began in Searchers broadens and continues in Entente, where the overlay of war changes everything in a blend of fact and fiction that keeps readers involved not just in politics, but personal lives. 

Stephen Finlay Archer's ability to weave history into a gripping, action-packed story line that captures disparate characters' special interests and dilemmas keeps his series absorbing even for readers who may harbor little initial interest in the historical fiction genre. 

Morgan and Tadgh's relationship and concerns were introduced in Searchers, but here the two really blossom as world events expand to encompass and challenge their beliefs and objectives. 

From blockades and risky confrontations to preparations for a Rising that operate within the confines of bigger conflicts, Archer creates another thoroughly engrossing story that contrasts Irish interests and perspectives with events going on in the rest of the world. 

His ability to keep these developments moving swiftly on both a personal and political level makes Entente a powerful story. It builds on its predecessor's events, but also stands nicely alone as it weaves a tale of Irish forces continuing their struggles under the atmosphere and outside conflicts of other nations during World War I. 

Readers who like historical fiction infused with the lives of ordinary people turned revolutionaries will find Entente's ability to craft believable characters and scenarios based on historical truth spiced with fictional events makes for riveting reading that, once again, is hard to put down. 

Entente

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Etta's Fishing Ground
Eva Pasco
Independently Published
979-8495162594            $19.95
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09J8WMH9Q/
 

Readers of contemporary women's fiction who look for evocative stories will find Etta's Fishing Ground an inviting read. 

The story is set in Rhode Island, where Etta's fishing ground is located in the remote southeastern corner of Providence County, bordering Connecticut. It captures the atmosphere of the small town of Foster, which has a history of low crime and Klan rallies. Nothing much ever changes there—but nothing stays the same forever. 

Obie's wife's best friend Etta is a real catch. And he should know since he's a stickler for details—as a former police officer used to documenting facts. 

As Obie, wife Muriel, and others navigate the changes in their lives in later years, shattered psyches and discordant notes introduce new perspectives, challenges, and events. 

Etta's "pageant-perfected poise" leads her to offer uncommon advice to Muriel as humor, revised purposes and lives, and small town dilemmas enter into the picture. 

Eva Pasco is adept at capturing these scenarios with an astute eye to detail: "Etta stepped aside for Muriel to cross the threshold into the great room and forge on ahead to the kitchen while she shut the door behind them, closing them in for a kill. Preoccupied with unzipping the carrier she set on the counter, and removing an object of pretension, Muriel found her tongue. “Thought you and Keith might enjoy my cheesy sausage-and-croissant casserole for tomorrow’s breakfast.” Any footing she thought she’d regained for striking up a conversation on the subject of Keith slipped away." 

As legal and criminal proceedings enter the small town's relationships picture to further entangle its residents, Pascoe provides a compelling portrait of gambles, absurdity, and irony that embrace the town's residents with an overlay of unsolved murder and muddled feelings. 

Pasco's background as a lifelong native Rhode Islander enhances a story that captures community interactions, culture, and a specific sense of place. 

As murder, sexual contention, looming divorce and the promise of a fishing hole refuge coalesce, readers should break out the cheesy sausage-and-croissant casserole and settle in for a warm romp through Foster that leads to Etta's fishing ground's real impact and meaning. 

Etta's Fishing Ground proves a delightful novel of small-but-growing town pains that keeps readers involved in a myriad of disparate, delightful lives and motivations. It is highly recommended for any collection where novels about simmering love and hate reside alongside small town trappings of family, connection, and angst. 

Etta's Fishing Ground

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Finding Cristina                 
Emilia Rosa
Independently Published
979-8747686946
Paperback: $19.99; large print: $29.00; Kindle: $9.99
https://www.amazon.com/Emilia-Rosa/e/B093YQ2MHY 

Finding Cristina is set in the 1920s in Rio de Janeiro, where young Cristina inherits her father's house—and a load of debt. Pianist Cristina already feels ill-equipped to handle his estate, her mother's growing illness, and the new demands placed on her life, but when romance enters the picture, she feels at odds with just about everything in her world. 

As truths, traps, and concessions emerge, Cristina defies social norms, receives life lessons from a countess, and explores a secret from her past that changes everything in her present, including her goals for her future. 

Readers will be delighted in the manner in which Emilia Rosa presents her spunky, strong character's response to the mystery and love that lead her in unexpected new directions. 

Rosa creates a story nicely steeped in Brazilian culture. This is likely because of her personal background, growing up in Brazil, and the childhood years she spent in Rio de Janeiro. 

As Cristina confronts the truth about her heritage, readers receive a warm story of transformation and problem-solving that follows Cristina's road to a very different life than the one she'd envisioned for herself. 

Replete in family connections, secrets revealed, and a romance that introduces these changes, Finding Cristina's journey through the social and musical world of Brazil and beyond will especially appeal to women who like their female protagonists strong, flexible, and subject to change. 

Emila Rosa has already started the sequel to Finding Cirstina, so stay tuned. 

The romance that encourages this transformation is a strong reason why Cristina keeps moving forward in her life and perspectives. The story that operates on different levels to involve readers with its powerful blend of intrigue, romance, and personal inspection, and is highly recommended reading for those who like evocative psychological inspections set in Latin America. 

Finding Cristina

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The Fourth Wall
Scott Petty
Atmosphere Press
978-1639881178            $18.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

Readers of supernatural fiction who enjoy vivid suspense stories of war and monsters with an Afghanistan backdrop will find plenty to relish here. Army reservist Captain Thomas Jett seeks to escape the demons that plagued him in the U.S., only to discover they are even more prevalent in Kandahar, Afghanistan. 

It'd be easy to pin a mass murder under wartime conditions to the Taliban, but locals insist that something more sinister is going on, and Jett is tasked with listening to them and uncovering the real source of these murders. 

One would think that a pragmatic military officer would be the last to accept the possibility of supernatural influences, much less devise a method of thwarting them, but Jett is no ordinary man. In fact, he's the perfect person to tackle an impossible scenario that holds ramifications for the rest of the world. 

Author Scott Petty is a veteran of the Afghanistan war, and is in the perfect position to bring the country, its peoples, and the story to life. The unexpected weave of a murder mystery with supernatural forces is offset by the military environment and inspection which perfectly dovetails two seemingly disparate ways of viewing the world. 

To avoid the confusion some military books bring to civilian readers, Petty provides a glossary of military terms that introduces the story. A reading of these terms will assure that no military abbreviations are misunderstood. 

The story opens with a pull that many in military service will find familiar: “You look like you just got kicked out of fairyland and landed in the real world. Was everything gumdrops and cherry trees for you? One minute you’re in fairyland, the next minute…BAM, welcome to Afghanistan.” 

As Jett acknowledges the one-handed observation imparted by a sassy Air Force man, he immediately introduces readers to the juxtaposition of reality and fantasy that will extend beyond military and civilian service to grow into an observation about the supernatural and modern worlds that coexist side by side. 

Readers who like military operations, supernatural stories, and magical realism will find just the right touch of all these elements and more in The Fourth Wall. 

Petty adds different characters and narrative choices to move the story along, capturing diverse points of view and satisfying transformations. Jett writes of his dilemmas ("You know where I am. You know what an important clue this is. It’s not just a game. My (incomplete) draft of the CONOPS is attached to this letter. It may look like a game or a description of a dream, but it isn’t. It will look strange to you, but if it was complete, and if I was there to explain it, you would understand. Don’t send the cavalry after me just yet (or your crazy mother-in-law…is that something you mentioned or my imagination?)."), documenting personal reflections and inspections that are constantly challenged by evolving circumstances. 

His war turns out to be not against the usual adversaries, but the minions of another reality itself. And that is a big challenge for a military man to handle. 

The military command structure and Jett's place in it receive close inspection in a vivid manner that will delight those familiar with military operations in general and Afghanistan in particular. Its unexpected backdrop brings characters and extraordinary circumstances to life, making The Fourth Wall a story of intrigue and action that will appeal beyond the usual military or supernatural reader. 

Anyone interested in a thriller/suspense mystery that features exceptionally strong grounding in both real and mystical worlds will find The Fourth Wall unique, compelling reading. 

The Fourth Wall

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Hot Air
Charlie Suisman
Independently Published
978-0-578-99328-7         $12.99
Website: https://charliesuisman.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09GZV971P 

Hot Air is a series addition to the introductory story Arnold Falls that will delight both prior readers and newcomers who are interested in upstate New York scenarios. 

The story of Arnold Falls picks up where the first book left off, with a series of fun local conundrums and dilemmas which bring a smile to the face from the prologue's introductory lines: "The fact of the matter is, somebody stole the statue of Hezekiah Hesper, and for months nobody noticed...The old rogue had then languished in a corner of Benjamin Arnold Park, ignored by all except the dogs, fine judges of character, unwavering about the sort of tribute Hesper deserved. When the statue was removed from its stand one moonless night in March 2018, Hesper was in people's thoughts the same as he ever was, which is to say, not at all." 

Will and narrator Jeebs have been together since last fall. Now is the sleepy summertime when nothing usually happens. But change is in the wind for this small town, and as events unfold, "living in the present tense" becomes a thing of the past. 

As two gay men reflect on how everything seems warm and peaceful in their summertime world, Chapter 2 introduces more characters and a sense of transformation from the third person perspective as things change. 

Judge Harschly faces a not-so-antisocial hermit in his courtroom and senses something is off in his jurisdiction: "Over the years, Judge Harschly’s ears had become highly reliable tuning forks, sensitive to the merest wisp of a tendril of off-note prevarication. A Rolls Royce of b.s. detectors, as his wife says." 

Marvin the Hobo and others bring with them a discordant bag of possibilities that evolve to challenge the small town's traditions and façades. 

In a world both bent on staying the same yet facing changes from outside forces not always understandable or under its control, can the small town's residents preserve what they value most in life? 

Charlie Suisman crafts a fun story of a different kind of small-town milieu. He spices his tale with strong dialogue between disparate characters, laces events with a wry sense of humor and observational irony, and weaves a dance of confrontation and change that embraces hot-air balloons, fraying feelings, and new lives. 

Small town events permeate this wonderful romp through life to provide ongoing whimsy, while serious inspections of evolving times keep these disparate individuals realistic and emotionally moving. 

From mystery and turmoil to performances that entice audiences to become involved in various characters' choices, Hot Air is a delightful tour de force that juxtaposes serious messages with light-hearted inspections. Just the ticket for a warm read on a cold winter's night. 

Hot Air

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A Kiss for Maggie Moore
Micki R. Pettit
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68433-838-2         $19.95 Paper/$6.99 Kindle
www.blackrosewriting.com 

In A Kiss for Maggie Moore, protagonist Margaret Emma Moore is sassy, brash, and forthright. Her first-person story represents this personality from its opening lines as Maggie confronts a pretentious competitor and his statement that she is "just a girl". 

Fast forward a few years in the future. Maggie and Bucky are best buddies and have evolved a close friendship since that day on the hill when she defied his pat perception of her. A beautiful new neighbor girl enchants Bucky with her countenance and attitude, which are far different from Maggie's assertive persona. 

Melinda Thomas becomes their best friend in an unlikely trio of opportunity and angst that changes them all. 

As a perhaps-predictable romance emerges, Maggie is faced with a moral and ethical conundrum that tests not just her courage, but her heart. 

While A Kiss for Maggie Moore is a coming-of-age story that might seem destined for young adult readers alone, it would be a shame to limit its audience to this group. 

Maturity brings with it small prices to pay and large costs for bad decisions, which Maggie discovers during her growth process. From new responsibilities and new reactions to revised lives, Micki R. Pettit crafts a memorable saga of a small town and individual lives facing changes. 

rom drugs to love, Maggie is "beginning to understand self-loathing." 

As she moves through revised relationships, threats, and small town experiences, her experiences will delight readers of all ages who look for feisty, strong young women willing to do battle not only with the world outside themselves, but with their own inclinations and reactions. 

Pettit's story is vigorous, enlightening, and filled with strong characters who cultivate different visions of their futures. This memorable read deserves repeated consultation and a place on the bookshelves of any reader of coming-of-age stories and small-town life. 

A Kiss for Maggie Moore

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La Esmeralda Imperfecta
David Carroll
Camino Alto Publishing
978-1-956705-00-3         $10.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
www.amazon.com 

From its title, one might assume that La Esmeralda Imperfecta: Paradise Lost in Costa Rica will either appear in Spanish or be the nonfiction story of a move to Costa Rica gone awry. 

Neither supposition is true. This novel is in English, with Spanish words added throughout to reflect its Costa Rican setting; and the events that unfold are fiction, even though the prologue provides a short history of the country's evolution. 

Part of this evolutionary process is the drug trade, one of the focuses of this novel. Readers are forewarned of the story's likely direction in the prologue's concluding words, which lead directly into the first chapter, in which a pilot crashes and a country begins to stir to life one early morning—a life not always appreciated by those new to its rhythms: "Juan Carlos didn't need to wake up early, and he valued sleeping into the mid-morning, but no way was that happening. Country living is gonna take more time getting used to than I expected, he admitted to himself with annoyance. “First one rooster, then another, and the next—to fuckin’ infinity. The whole damn town cockadoodlin’ with roosters. And right behind the roosters come the birds screechin’, monkeys howlin’, dogs barkin’, and bitches bitchin’.” 

As events move into the cocaine trade, set against the backdrop of volcanoes and action, readers receive an adventure story that traverses the underworld of Costa Rican society as it probes both the country's underbelly and the pulse of its wonders. 

David Carroll takes the time to capture the sights, sounds, and smells of a nation; whether it's the physical beauty of the area or its civilized attractions: "They ordered shrimp cocktails, conch drenched in butter and garlic, and grilled mahi-mahi. The meal was delicious. Macho paid and handed the waitress a fat tip. She passed him her phone number." 

From how lucrative incomes evolve outside of conventional circles to relationships built upon "powder sales associates and close friends," Carroll's ability to probe the lesser-known (but equally vibrant) world of Costa Rica will feel authentic to those well familiar with the country's heartbeat as well as newcomers to Costa Rica who might only have heard of its tourist attractions. 

From family matters and uncertain, mercurial friendships to how Juan Carlos and Rafael (Rafa) manage adverse situations in a risky business, the dual processes of life and love unfold in a manner that reaches out to not just embrace, but immerse readers in Costa Rica's culture. 

This explosive story of the pursuit of wealth, happiness, and love reveals all aspects of Costa Rica's worlds, which exist in layers alongside one another. The plot does a fine job of mingling a sense of place and purpose with cultural and social insights. The resulting tale of intrigue and action keeps readers absorbed as well as wondering about the ultimate outcome of family men involved in dangerous ventures. 

La Esmeralda Imperfecta will reach a wide audience; but especially those already interested in Costa Rica. It holds thriller components, but should be described as something more, because its psychological and social inspections are just as central as the intrigue. La Esmeralda Imperfecta also holds cultural insights, but with a twist that focuses on Costa Rica's lesser-known milieu. 

Readers of stories steeped in other countries who want a vivid and candid inspection of Costa Rica's motivations, business, and society will find La Esmeralda Imperfecta outstanding. 

La Esmeralda Imperfecta

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Like A Complete Unknown
Anara Guard
New Wind Publishing
978-1-929777-25-9                $18.99
www.newwindpublishing.com  

Most novels about teens speak of the parents' insistence that their child at least graduate high school, but Katya Warshawsky’s parents are different. They insist she drop out of school to begin her working life. And Katya, an aspiring artist, wants more from her life than working on a cleaning crew. 

And so she runs away. It's the late 1960s: an era of flight, freedom, hippie dreams and hopes, and the promise of a new world which beckons Katya with change—albeit in a different manner than her parents had envisioned for her future. And Chicago isn't the bastion of counterculture opportunities Katya had hoped for. 

When she gets into trouble and needs medical help, she involves widowed doctor Robert Lewis in her plight. He already helps those less fortunate; but when Katya appears and then vanishes, he's drawn to find her. This pulls him away from his office and from traditional medical practice and into a world he's only touched lightly. 

As Katya confuses freedom and opportunity for love, her feelings and emotions are solidly represented: "This was what she had longed for; it was the true beginning of her new, free life." 

Trusting Katya doesn't know anything about drugs, and little about the counterculture life she's poised to enter. Her naivety and trust are part of what makes her so vulnerable to the ideals, paranoia, and follies of those around her. 

Doc, on the other hand, is savvy, straight-laced, and wise. 

Anara Guard does a fine job of juxtaposing these two seemingly disparate individuals, showing how their lives come together by chance, the lessons each learns from the rising tides that buffet their world and expectations, and the plight of street teens who are homeless and vulnerable. 

As Katya's predicament brings her full circle to contemplate returning home and Doc's encounters lead him further from his practice, readers receive an involving window into the hearts and minds of those who face restrictions on their trajectories in life and chafe against them. 

This story of change, transformation, and growth captures not only the social and political milieu of the 1960s, but its pitfalls and opportunities. Readers who want a sense of what these times were like and the struggles experienced by those both within and outside of the system will find Like A Complete Unknown a vivid, thought-provoking story that captures this world from two different experiences. 

Like A Complete Unknown

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Long Live the Night
Brandon Collier
Xanetik Entertainment
978-0-9895203-8-6         $14.99
www.xanetik.com 

Long Live the Night is a novel about slaves and pirates, struggles for survival, and adventure. It is recommended reading for those interested in stories of pirates, politics, and kings. 

From swashbuckling fights involving leader Prince Ade from the Gold Coast to a treasure hunt that tests loyalty and alliances alike, Brandon Collier crafts a tale that embraces both nautical and landside adventures. 

The characters are often “like ships in the sea with nowhere to go" as an island economy changes, international relationships and special interests are tested, and new alliances are forged, from Nassau to Spain and beyond. 

Many have Ade to thank for their changes in fortune. Others curse his name. Rodrigo and his sister Selima are among those whose lives were changed for the better, having grown up very poor on the streets of Marbella, Spain. Rodrigo was a thief who often got caught until he changed his life, first by working at a local inn catering to sailors and then by becoming a cook for a ship tasked with bringing slaves to the new world, as ordered by King Philip the Fifth. 

Each of his decisions changes his life and that of his sister. Each leads them into a world far different than street life in Europe. 

Brandon Collier presents a wide-ranging story that moves around the world and through disparate lives. Having a sense of the time of these events would have been helpful, but the focus on each character's background, interactions, and revised purposes creates a lively journey that carries readers from land to sea and back again. 

Long Live the Night is a moving story of battles, struggles for treasure and survival, and the intersecting lives of disparate people who find their interests and purposes aligning in unusual ways. 

It's a novel highly recommended for historical fiction readers and those who look for satisfying blends of action and adventure, and social and political inspection. 

Long Live the Night

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A Long Time Ago in the Future
Robert C. Marsett
Ranges Press
978-0-9841030-2-7                $11.87 Paper/$9.65 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Time-Ago-Future-Chronical/dp/0984103023 

A Long Time Ago in the Future opens in 1974 in North Slope Alaska, where Vietnam veteran Bob Hasett has relocated in hopes of finding peace after his wife's death. 

What he discovers, instead, is a conundrum revolving around crime, an Inuit woman's involvement, and a challenge to his sense of duty that introduces new problems into his life. 

Bob faces more than the needs of a woman recovering from her own adversity: he confronts wolves, bears, and some of Alaska's most dangerous hunters. 

As his involvements in pipeline security and matters of the heart evolve, Bob finds himself part of an unlikely team that operates against all kinds of threats. 

It's ironic that the woman who got him involved in this mess is also the one to save him from himself. 

Robert C. Marsett creates a vivid story of self-discovery, challenge, and a relationship which brings both characters into new arenas of ethical and moral inspection. 

As skeletons emerge from closets, Marsett inspects different characters' motivations, interactions, and intersections.  The result is a vivid story of transformation, adversity, and courage that operates on many different levels. 

Readers anticipating the usual story of a Vietnam veteran will find this vivid present-day inspection of Alaskan life creates adventure and revelation as Bob attempts new choices and makes challenging crossings in the river of his life. 

The Alaskan backdrop is vibrant, providing a brilliant atmosphere for this story of new connections, skills, and survival tactics. 

A Long Time Ago in the Future is highly recommended for fiction readers interested in stories that blend adventure with personal discoveries made on many different levels, and should be in any collection strong in Alaskan themes and action stories. 

A Long Time Ago in the Future

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The Love That Frees
Rebecca Leo
Big Table Publishing
978-1-945917-70-7         $17.00
www.bigtablepublishing.com 
 

The Love That Frees is a sequel to The Flaws that Bind and continues the story of Jacqueline, who has fled an abusive marriage in Jamaica and now struggles to make a new life for herself with $350 in hand and three exhausted children in tow. 

It's 1979, and the hurricane they face as soon as they arrive in St. Croix is only one outward indication of the storms that continue to shake their lives even after freedom is supposedly achieved. 

Dependent on friends who are also experiencing their own life transitions, and stuck in a cycle of poverty that keeps their options limited, Jacqueline must forge new dreams and opportunities even as her life appears to be coming full circle to return her to her oppressive situation. In her efforts to flee David and this past, Jacqueline must forge new relationships that test her on many different levels. 

While readers ideally should be familiar with the events in The Flaws that Bind to get the fullest flavor and benefit from this sequel, in reality, newcomers need not worry that they will find Jacqueline's history confusing. 

Rebecca Leo weaves a recap of past events into the story early in the tale so that readers understand not only Jacqueline's history, but the fears and motivations that drive her to recreate her life. 

From journaling to creative writing and child-rearing, Jacqueline learns to develop the kinds of insights that not only "get to the heart of things" but provide lessons in how to perceive alternative routes in her life and choices. 

This process is simply fascinating. Rebecca Leo takes the time to detail the psychological complexity of Jacqueline's endeavors, the life events and forces that both send her reeling and offer new opportunities that she must teach herself to recognize and consider, and the behaviors of family and friends who influence her along the way. 

As Jacqueline analyzes her family influences and their impact and learns new routes to love and freedom from different sources in her life, she fosters the courage to make real changes that will alter the course of her future and that of generations to come. 

Leo's story provides no easy paths or predictable subplots. Much like life, it winds through intricacy, ironies, circumstance, and life influences with an attention to detail that is complex, yet appealingly recognizable. 

Life goes on—and so does the road to a love that offers truly different options rather than simply repeating patterns of the past. 

Readers will welcome the opportunity to understand how a single mother arrives at the point where her life blossoms. They will find that The Love That Frees offers inspirational and realistic scenarios and evolutionary events that mirror much of the unpredictability and resilience of people living life to its fullest. 

Its reflections about the road to recovery operates on many different levels, providing a warm story of how one family not just survives, but comes to thrive against all odds. 

Collections strong in epic stories about love and change will find The Love That Frees a powerful addition. 

The Love That Frees

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McCarthy Gold
Stephen Finlay Archer
Manzanita Writers Press
9780998691046             $14.95
www.manzapress.com

Book 4 of the Irish Clans series takes place after the Easter Uprising chronicled in the third story, and follows The Clans' search for the McCarthy gold treasure and the ongoing efforts of Collins to find his sister. 

Containing more of a treasure hunt atmosphere than the previous books, McCarthy Gold will engage readers with a different tone and flavor that retains the historical backdrop while moving into puzzles and problem-solving scenarios to intrigue those interested in hidden treasures and suspense. 

Each character continues to develop as new dilemmas affect their choices. Will Collin permanently abandon his wife and their newborn child in Canada to pursue the truth about his sister's whereabouts? Can Tadgh and Morgan keep their activities secret from the Protestant Times and other forces like rogue policeman Boyle that would interfere with their mission? 

From the historical religious significance of the O'Donnell Clan to Boyle's hunt for treasures (now likely in possession of the McCarthy Clans Pact), Stephen Finlay Archer provides a story that entwines politics, passion, and intrigue with an edict to fulfill forefathers' noble plans: "We are the generation chosen by God and destiny to recover the treasures of our Clans so that they can be used to fuel our glorious revolution." 

Once again, history and mystery entwine with cultural revelations that probe the foundations of social and historical change in Ireland. 

Because the Clans and their stories and books are interwoven and build upon a foundation established in Book 1, it's highly recommended that readers adopt a sequential pursuit of this series. The rich development of characters, perspectives, and missions of transformation and discovery could not be gained from reading just one of these books, while the progressive action and adventures that build upon one another to further the story are nicely constructed. 

McCarthy Gold introduces new considerations about the affects of heritage, wealth, and the attitudes of traitors and believers on events that unfold here. 

Its development further intrigue and suspense keeps the action vivid as the historical backdrop expands, making for a fine series addition that continues to grow its characters and purposes against a historically accurate, rich backdrop of action. 

All these books should be standard acquisitions for any library interested in Irish history and culture. 

McCarthy Gold

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Open
Marisa Rae Dondlinger
Moonshine Cove Publishing
978-1-952439-23-0         $16 paperback; $6.99 Kindle
Website: www.marisaraedondlinger.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com 

Open introduces a surprise from the start: Lila's husband, Alex, has just proposed an open marriage after trying futilely to defeat the grief and ennui which has permeated their relationship after their third child is stillborn. Lila's first-person reflection on the lasting impact of this event on their relationship is astute: "We functioned well as a family, as co-parents, but when it was the two of us? That required talking. A concerted effort to pretend we hadn’t become strangers. After spending the afternoon with the kids, staying engaged, emotive, happy, I had nothing left to give. To myself. And certainly not him." 

Tackling the lasting depression that stems from the loss of a child often leads to revised decisions about life and marriage. The tragedy that unifies some couples in grief is tearing apart Lila and Alex, who hold different ideas about how to react, and how to rebuild their family. 

They are losing each other over the battle for another pregnancy. More importantly, they are losing their selves and their existing family unit. 

Readers who have been in similar circumstances will readily recognize the struggles Lila and Alex face as they come to terms with and confront not just a terrible loss, but their future together. 

Dondlinger provides an insightful portrait of how Lila reconsiders their past dreams, present-day experiences, and new perceptions of her husband: "When the kids got home from school, I explained that I had to visit my mom for a couple days. A plausible explanation given her issues. Instead, I drove to Chicago, walked the streets where we met, fell in love, married. Back then, it was easy. We shared the same dreams. Interests. Values. Sure, we argued occasionally, but always came out on the same side. Lovers. Friends. Parents. I challenged myself to see it from his perspective, drew upon our sixteen years together, but came up empty. Nothing could excuse his duplicity, his callousness." 

As she changes and grows, so do her observations of how to create a different life with a revised purpose: "But this wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about how my pain was hurting those I loved. It was about being a good mother. I couldn’t bring Milo back, but I could learn from my mistakes. Put my children first." 

Alex has at last captured her attention by proposing an open marriage arrangement.  It's up to Lila to explore all her options, and their impact on their family. 

Dondlinger creates a heartfelt novel that traverses Lila's healing process. Her choice of the first person brings home Lila's thoughts, emotions, and the logic behind her responses, crafting an exploration of re-inventing a marriage on a different level while healing from a host of past psychological wounds. 

She moves between Alex and Lila's viewpoints with clearly labeled chapters that include self-examination from both sides of the marriage. Especially astutely presented are moments of self-analysis in which Alex and Lila come to terms with their grief and different ideas about managing life: "I encouraged parents to keep a health journal for their kids. Sometimes it takes a global perspective to home in on the real issue. Other times, small issues mutate and spiral. I dispensed this advice, followed it with my children, yet dismissed its value when it came to me." 

The result is a powerful saga of loss, recovery, growth, and transformation that will completely engross and involve any who have walked in Lila and Alex's shoes. Women's fiction collections will find it a solid acquisition, while discussion groups on grief, open marriage, and family values and processes will find much to consider by examining Alex and Lila's experiences. 

Open

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The Potentials
Kathleen Rapp
Padua Publications
978-1-7358603-0-5                $14.98 Paper/$7.98 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Potentials-Novel-Journey-Beyond-Expectations/dp/173586031X 

Readers of Christian fiction are in for a treat with The Potentials. It's a story that doesn't open in the usual manner that foretells religious developments: "They emerge from the darkness, these thieves in the night. No words are spoken, no looks exchanged. Yet without hesitation, each assumes his position in order to block any possible escape. Once they have encircled me, they advance. Obviously, they have zeroed in on others like this before. It’s too well choreographed to be otherwise. The message is clear: I’m their mission, not a target of opportunity. Barely a foot away, I see final judgment cemented in their cold, indifferent eyes. Their body language screams that punishment is soon to follow. So be it. Nothing I can say will prevent it. One thing I can do: stop their foul breath from polluting my face." 

And that's one of the many pleasures to be found in The Potentials. It holds intrigue, psychological suspense, and conundrums that capture reader interest from the start, creating a mystery that then moves into spiritual arenas that invite contemplation through an exploration of new possibilities and other worlds. 

From the start, The Potentials crafts a series of intriguing conundrums as protagonist Sunbeam moves into memories, dreams, and secrets that test her courage, relationships, and the senses, which slowly return to embrace the world's possibilities. As she reconciles the horrors of a nightmare with the emerging new realities of her life, Sunbeams faces new realizations that expand her ability to not just survive, but grow. 

Kathleen Rapp's story is a powerful, moving tale of adaptation and change. By shrouding Sunbeam's evolution in mystery and following her footsteps through newfound discoveries, connections, and abilities, Rapp creates a memorable character whose life represents an emotional rush of twists, turns, and revelations: "Life just is. Living, now that ain’t so simple.” 

The heartwarming tale of flawed individuals who are each on paths of growth is a thought-provoking, emotional story that touches the heart on many levels. 

Even readers accustomed to thriller and mystery reads will find much to enjoy in The Potentials, which draws with realistic, alluring characters and situations, fostering many surprises even for savvy readers who won't see this conclusion coming. 

The Potentials

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Revolution
Stephen Finlay Archer
Manzanita Writers Press
978-0998691091            $14.95
www.manzapress.com 

While it may seem that revolution already fuels the atmosphere in the first four books in the Irish Clans series, Book 5 takes a closer look at the unfolding events that opened the series in 1915 and moves towards a civil war in 1922–1923. 

Once again, the lasting legacy and rekindled growth of the McCarthy and O’Donnell Clans add fuel to the fire of anti-British forces and internal debates that threaten to tear Ireland apart. 

Hidden treasure and new possibilities again play a major role in the uprising as individuals pursue both personal goals and wider-ranging ideals. But the heart of Revolution lies in its ability to depict connections between historical events, the 1900s challenges that affect Morgan and Tadgh's lives, and the forces that bring them to the brink of drowning. 

From puzzles and their connections to quaffing drinks in pubs that foster the plans and rudiments of war, Morgan and Tadgh navigate an increasingly dangerous atmosphere that's on the brink of exploding. Readers are introduced to Irish culture and sentiments in a manner that brings these times and perspectives to life. 

As Archer builds his series, it's evident that its foundation of solid historical facts (reviewed in the back of each book, to provide history buffs with detailed information) lends to the evolving story. 

It's easy to absorb medieval Irish history, myths, and culture when these elements are presented through the eyes, hearts, and experiences of memorable characters whose individual concerns and pursuits become embroiled in Irish politics. 

Revolution both enhances the series and, once again, concludes in a cliffhanger designed to set the stage for the next addition to the series. 

Archer's ability to build intrigue, incorporate a secret pact and treasure hunt into Ireland's evolving struggles, and present all events through the eyes of characters who each hold personal strengths and ambitions creates a story that is engrossing, hard to put down, and another strong compliment to the series as a whole. 

Collections strong in historical fiction, treasure hunt intrigue, and Irish culture and history will find each book in this series a sterling example of the ability of historical fiction to educate in a lively, compelling manner. 

Revolution

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Rising
Stephen Finlay Archer
Manzanita Writers Press
9780998691008             $14.95
www.manzapress.com

Book 3 of The Irish Clans, Rising, continues the evolving story of Irish rebels Tadgh and Morgan, and Irish-Canadian Collin, whose sister is still missing. Here, Tadgh and Morgan participate in the Dublin Easter Rising while Collin makes the decision to leave his wife and newborn son to continue his search for his missing sister in Ireland. 

As the Clan continues to look for the Clans Pact treasures and faces many opponents, the tides of war rise. The 1916 era is brought to life by Stephen Finlay Archer's attention to not just historical detail, but interpersonal relationships. 

As events move from Canada to Ireland and characters move beyond their comfort zones to tackle new problems and possibilities, readers gain a vivid sense of the times, its influences, and the conundrums faced by all as the world changes: "This is only the beginning, Sean. You mind me. We will exterminate the British here in Ireland." O'Casey pretended not to hear. 

From a battle on the Irish Sea at Dublin, Ireland to terrible situations experienced by those devoted to the Cause in that city, and clues provided in the Clans Pact, readers receive a combination of treasure hunt, evolving social and political challenges, and changing hearts and minds. Each character is charged with operating outside of their experience and expectations, growing from their decisions and world influences alike. 

Between dangers on the waters to intrigue on shore, Archer juxtaposes disparate journeys of life and death and brings tension to a riveting new level as each character searches for answers, lives through atrocities, and uncovers answers to their personal and political conundrums. 

It's hard to say what is more compelling: the intrigue and plots evolved by rebels Tadgh and Morgan as they struggle to uncover the Clans Pact secrets, or Collin's desperate attempts to find his missing sister against all odds. 

Sometimes, the love for one's life and country clash. Sometimes the characters despair of any kind of resolution that will allow them to live in freedom, health, and happiness. 

The intrigue and questions keep Rising fast-paced as Archer highlights the ideas and actions that lend to an inevitable clash, personalizing Irish and world politics in a manner that will keep even readers without a ground in Irish affairs engrossed and wondering what will happen next. 

That's because each character's individual perspective, efforts, and convictions shine in a story replete with action, unexpected twists, and ongoing challenges. 

Historical fiction and Irish readers are in for a treat. 

Rising

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Risky Restoration
E.F. Dodd
Warren Publishing
978-1-954614-66-6         $17.95
www.warrenpublishing.net 

Risky Restoration is a novel about dating, revenge, attraction, and moving forward from failed relationships. It is a story designed to delight women, who will readily recognize themselves in the obsessions of Kez Walsh, who can't quite move on from her ex-husband (he is remarrying while she remains mired in a sense of romantic failure). 

The world of online dating and the quagmire of becoming involved in friends' romantic dilemmas while continuing to support them makes for not just familiar-sounding problems, but fine reading. Kez navigates her world and brings her besties along for the ride into new relationships that hopefully don't mirror what she's tried to leave behind. 

E.F. Dodd is especially astute at pinpointing the patterns and associations which both keep Kez stuck in the past and finding new ways to move on with Jackson...methods that involve confronting her ex once and for all: "Leaning down so we were face-to-face, I said, my words like chips of ice. “Look at yourself, Miller. Take a good, long look in the mirror, once you regain feeling in your testicles, and think about the man you see looking back at you. I wonder if you’ll even recognize him because I sure don’t.” I walked away, holding out my hand to Jackson. He looked over at where Miller was still crumpled on the ground, then down to my outstretched hand. The anger in his eyes eased off a bit, and his lips tipped up into a smile. His palm engulfed mine, and he led me back down the hill, neither of us wasting another look at Miller. “And here I was going to be your knight in shining armor,” he said blithely. “That guy usually turns out to be some asshole wearing tinfoil. I like you much better in jeans.” 

As humor, irony, evolving friendships and old ties intersect; Dodd creates an inspection that comes steeped with romance and revised ideals of Mr. Right. 

A road trip, an attraction, and a final accounting bring everything into perspective as Kez contemplates moving on at last. Dodd masterfully juxtaposes all these ideas and special interests in a story that maintains a fast pace as it moves through events both funny and pointed. 

Risky Restoration probes a dating game that women will find captivating and recognizable. It's an exploration of love, friendship, and growth that leads to a steamy conclusion and unexpected revelations. 

Readers of women's literature and romance stories that embrace growth processes are in for a treat. 

Risky Restoration

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Rx
Garin Cycholl
Atmosphere Press

978-1639881444            $18.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

First, do no harm. But, can this edict be followed in modern times? There's only one problem with assuming your dead father's identity as a doctor. You may be called upon to operate outside your skill level, and your venture may come to light even if a small town is your base of business. 

That's what happens to a clever con man who reflects the disintegration of America around him as he comes to suspect that a new and virulent virus might be coming from a local chicken coop. 

Presenting the specter of a new civil war in America that has begun on many levels, both internally and externally, the narrator embarks on a romp through life that is filled with threats, opportunity, and irony. 

The narrator struggles to define his fluid identity in this rapidly-changing world, seeking to grasp new meanings of value, purpose, and perspective as everything familiar slips through his grasp. 

What are the ethics of grief? As he confronts his own losses and those of others around him, the protagonist finds his fictional role as a physician gives him special insights into the flim-flam men and patients who have evolved their own schemes to survive. 

As he begins to see signs of an evolving pandemic and comes to suspect its roots, he faces a moral and ethical conundrum, because his own barely-adequate disguise and farce has placed him in a position where he can't expose what he comes to suspect as the truth. 

What is Skaggs cooking up in his henhouse? It's certainly more than eggs. 

As the narrator considers his part in possible end times ("Was I myself watching the country in some slow burn—a fixed, congenital fascination with the end?"), readers receive a combination of wry humor, social inspection, and moral and ethical conundrums that reflect both modern dilemmas and personal challenges against a backdrop of irony. 

Garin Cycholl has created a novel that reflects modern times with its violence, threats, and ironic situations; but weaves an atmosphere of intrigue and fun into the inspection. 

The result is a delightful romp through modern America that will delight readers looking for something different, based on today's social dilemmas. 

Rx

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Searchers: The Irish Clans
Stephen Finlay Archer
Manzanita Writers Press
9780990801931             $14.95
www.manzapress.com 

Searchers: The Irish Clans is the first book in a series of novels about the Irish revolutionary wars between clans. It's especially recommended for historical novel readers who want an in-depth touch of the military, social, cultural, and religious history of Ireland's clans, politics, and Celtic heritage. 

It's a fictitious epic that presents the premise of a secret Clans Pact that hides wealth from the British, crafting an engaging series of clashes and scenarios from real-world experiences. 

In this opening story, a death in 1915 Ireland fuels the flames of revolution while concurrently, in America, Irish immigrants who remain connected to the Old Country become immersed in the conflict. Three very different characters are drawn into this fray: Claire, an Irish girl who has amnesia by Tadgh. She has connections to the past that could influence future choices; Tadgh, a rebel sea captain who becomes embroiled in a decision that will lead to his validity as a Clan Chieftain; and Collin, a Canadian husband faced with an impossible choice. 

This story operates on many levels as it outlines a search for identity, wealth, redemption, and validity which captures disparate personal transformations. 

Irish peoples around the world became embroiled in the revolutionary clashes that emerged between 1915 and 1923. Searchers displays an attention to detail that captures these events as they evolve on more than the home soil of Ireland. 

From growing commitments to the cause displayed by Morgan and others to relics, secrets, and emerging political battles with the British, Stephen Finlay Archer crafts a story replete in the special interests, that's both personal and political, centered on and reflected by characters who stand up to each other to support their ideals of the Irish identity. 

Dialogue between these characters neatly sum up and outline many of these dilemmas: "Don't ya be throwing Denis McCarthy's words back at me, Sean," Tadgh protested. "Parnell tried the pen, and the British bastards spoke with forked tongue. Look what's happening to the Home Rule Bill to finally integrate our homeland. These demons are allowing for the buildup of arms for the Ulster Volunteers to stop the bill by force if necessary." 

Readers might think they need prior familiarity with Irish history in order to appreciate the evolving scenario in Searchers, but the only prerequisite is an interest in Irish culture and affairs. 

Archer takes care of the rest, personalizing the simmering politics of the nation and times by creating a host of characters who display special interests and values. These take on new meaning under the changing, volatile political environment that affects the world. 

The result is a fine introduction to the series that successfully crafts a series of encounters and scenarios to set the stage for future stories of each individual and Ireland as a whole. Historical fiction collections and any interested in Irish heritage will welcome the detailed survey introduced in Searchers: The Irish Clans. 

Searchers: The Irish Clans

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Shared Sorrows
Vincent Panettiere
Independently Published
9781667807676             $12.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Shared-Sorrows-Vincent-Panettiere/dp/1667807668 

Shared Sorrows is a story of longevity, thirty years of marriage, and reconsidering life's purpose. After a family history of death and a violent confrontation with a stranger, two characters confront their mortality and life's meaning. 

Frank DioGuardia dreads October. It's a month when he's traditionally been depressed because it's the anniversary of his father's death and this coming October, Frank will surpass his father in age. What will he do when his goal to outlive his sire has been reached? 

Vincent Panettiere explores the ongoing impact of the past's influence on life and death, creating a vivid story that closely examines real and imagined events and their blows: "...while the death of someone racked with terminal cancer is not unexpected, the impact of the actual event is profound." 

Frank's trajectory changes when a chance encounter with a stranger brings him into the ER and world of physician Laurie McDevitt, who harbors her own form of grief and questions about its resolution. 

These two disparate individuals interact in a story of heroism and redemption that navigates six months of transformation. 

From social conflicts and issues surrounding rapists to "living for the right reasons," Frank is forced to reconsider both his objectives and his impact on the world. 

Panettiere creates a fine interplay between Frank's growth process, his evolving relationships, and his method of looking at the world and his place in it changes over time. 

As Shared Sorrows journeys through survivors' memories and perspectives and social issues that bring them together to challenge them both, readers will find the novel replete in inspections that prompt them to analyze and think of their own approaches to adjusting to life and formulating goals. 

These elements make for an especially thought-provoking story that lingers in the mind longer after the reading is done. Shared Sorrows is a top recommendation for audiences interested in thought-provoking stories of growth and change. 

Shared Sorrows

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Shenandoah Dreams
Clinton Harris
Legacy Book Publishing
978-1947718890           
Paperback: $19.95/Hardcover: $24.95
http://www.shenandoahdreams.com

Prepare to be inspired. 

These are the words of Bridgett McGowen's Foreword introduction to the novel Shenandoah Dreams, in which 12-year-old Johnny grasps his dreams, realities, and new opportunities as he grows up in the 1930s in an honorable but poor farming family. 

Clinton Harris provides the first-person focus on a young man set to embrace his dreams in new ways as the Great Depression unfolds alongside Johnny's life: "I always had a vivid imagination, but one day I knew I wouldn’t have to just dream anymore, I could actually be who I wanted to be." 

Harris provides a story that moves from this foundation of hope and dreams into a future where dreams of the past permeate the nightmares of war's realities. As Johnny contrasts what his life has become with what he'd once dreamed it would be, readers gain a sense of just how much has changed from experience, the perspective of maturity, and the challenges of war: "This is not what I envisioned when I was a child. I wanted to be a pilot, flying to the lure and praise of those around me, a celebrity in its own right. My flights now do bring praise, praise for not dying that day and bringing my aircraft home in one piece. Praise for protecting my comrades, praise for blowing my enemies out of the sky. As a child I wanted praise to save lives, or to bring joy and wonder to people through my skill as a pilot, now I do fly, but I earn praise for the opposite, I don’t earn praise for saving people, I earn praise for killing them." 

This juxtaposition of life's evolution, dreams, and decisions born of love and hardship brings readers into Johnny's world on a tide that draws and then pulls back as Johnny moves from the farm to war and then returns home much changed, to a very different milieu. 

Harris injects a good deal of thought-provoking philosophy into his story which will delight readers who seek more than an involving tale alone: “You see son, when the sun sets it is simply giving way to the night in order for a new day to come, essentially a new start. Just as in life we sometimes have to allow the sun to set on our past in order to move forward with our future. People don’t see their misfortunes as anything but that, but in reality our misfortunes and setbacks are lessons to make us stronger and prepare us for the long-term hardships that life actually brings us between the good times." 

With the "panoramic glory" of the Shenendoah Valley as its backdrop, Shenandoah Dreams excels in a sense of place, purpose, and contrasts between childhood memories and adult dreams. As Johnny uncovers lessons about values, survival, and interpersonal connections, readers gain a vivid story of life trials and the ongoing dreams that mitigate their impact to lead him in a different direction. 

Evocative, beautiful, and compellingly thought-provoking all in one, Shenandoah Dreams is a story of choices made in dealing with pain, family, and life. Its inspirational lessons on life's impact and revised approaches to it makes for a story replete in psychological and literary examination, highly recommended for readers who like coming of age stories that cross generations of experience. 

Shenandoah Dreams

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Solitario: The Lonely One
John Manuel
Atmosphere Press
978-1639881376            $17.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

"You have to love the life on the river. The chance to teach, to lead. To figure out a way through each rapid." 

Climate change brings with it new opportunities and revelations in Solitario: The Lonely One, which follows Texas river guide Robbie Ducharme on the journey of a lifetime when rising waters lead him to a river run through a desert arroyo that has seen no previous water explorers. 

One of the great pleasures of Robbie's life is canoeing through the Rio Grande, introducing clients to the outdoors. The trouble that changed this life two years before has passed, and Robbie is back to work, doing what he loves. 

His latest journey, however, ventures into an undiscovered territory of relics and ancient peoples that introduce new threats to his love life and relationships. 

Any reader who has embarked on a river trip will readily recognize the sights, sounds, and experiences presented in John Manuel's story: "Everyone took it well at first, exchanging comments about this being a “surf and turf” trip, fake arguing about who weighed the most and, therefore, needed to get out and push. But by noon, the humor of the situation had vanished. People slogged in silence over the sandbars, dragging the boats behind them. The sun beat down, the heat went up." 

As client Jason Holmberg and Lara Hart, a client who went missing years ago, and other characters bring past and present worlds on a collision course, intrigue builds over a canoe adventure that will ultimately test the loves of Jason's life. 

Is it time to step away from everything that's happened on these trips over these last years? Is it time to also abandon what he loves? 

John Manuel creates a fine story of intrigue and confrontation that returns Janey to Jason's life, while capturing the heart-pounding experiences of river running against emerging issues of love, trust, and reality versus fantasy. 

Group and individual experiences on the river bring with them new opportunities and adversity alike as readers embark on a vivid adventure brought to life by Manuel's descriptive attention to detail: "Gradually, the clouds gave way to patches of blue. The walls lit up like movie screens. A falcon darted out of one of the boquillas. Ducks flew past headed upstream. Around every bend, distant views of the towering canyons grew more and more dramatic." 

Anyone who has wanted to run a river, make new discoveries, or connect the dots between past and present experience will find Solitario: The Lonely One a powerful story of a desert legend, The Solitario. It brings to life the experiences, thoughts, and hearts of characters who make new discoveries about themselves and their place in the world, and should find a solid place in any fiction collection. 

The appeal to readers who would run that river of life and intrigue themselves, albeit vicariously, is unparalleled. 

Solitario: The Lonely One

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Still the Night Call
Joshua Senter
Roubidoux Press
978-1-7375856-1-9                        $7.99 ebook
978-1-7375856-0-2                        $21.99 Hardcover
Audible ASIN: B09L5765JL        $14.95 Audio
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/STILL-NIGHT-CALL-Joshua-Senter-ebook/dp/B09B2WDT5Y
Website: www.joshuasenter.com   

Still the Night Call revolves around a staid, calm Missouri dairy farmer named Calem Dewayne Honeycutt, who sees his world and livelihood changing at the hands of social and political forces beyond his control. 

The Night Call referenced in the book's title is the force of worry and angst that comes, too often, under cover of darkness, "intertwining fact and fiction until they become a mutated gospel of the world around you as well as your place in it." 

Calem struggles with his inner demons and their presence in his life as he faces guilt over what could have been, and his role up to this point in his life: "You are guilty — guilty of it all! The goal you missed. The move you didn’t make. The lies you can’t take back. The hurt you can’t fix...You’ve been born at the wrong time in the wrong country on the wrong planet. And all this you could have changed, all this you could have done differently. This is what the Night Call assures you, even if you try to believe it’s not true — even if it’s not true." 

Calem makes final decisions about how he will inject truth into this world and change his choices and goals. Readers receive reflective descriptions that capture this simple rural farmer's logic and echo his sense of place and purpose: "...tonight I’ll have some fried hogsuckers fresh out of the crick with Miles. And then, before the Night Call begins in earnest, I’ll shut it up right quick. I’ll get off this damn conveyor belt. I’ll escape the herd. Nobody is gonna wrangle me up no more. I’m gon’ be free." 

Joshua Senter creates an excellent story of family, place, and adversity that reveals disparate connections and struggles. The dialogues he incorporates between these simple folk and their interconnected lives is particularly well done, capturing family interactions as Calem traverses a path that carries him away from all that he loves. 

Many of his struggles to separate reality from illusion from lies reflect current societal efforts to do the same. Senter's story thus resonates on levels that wouldn't have been possible even several years ago, reaching audiences who will find much to relate to in Calem's world and the ways he chooses to empower himself against its tides of change: "There’s lots of us who wonder what’s actually real and what we’ve just been lead to believe is real.” 

From unreliable weather and environmental conditions to the human condition, Still the Night Call reveals matters of the heart, family, and rural living. 

In many ways, Still the Night Call is a call to action. The first step is reading this book. The second lies in recommending it for discussions about free will, choice, civil war, and social change. 

Still the Night Call

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The Sweet Shrub Inn
Hilah Roscoe
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-096-6         $17.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

In The Sweet Shrub Inn, Cora Graham is training to be a therapist, but finds it difficult to help herself as her life falls apart.  Dumped by her boyfriend and called back to her small-town home to help an estranged father diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Cora is pulled into a conundrum involving handling the Sweet Shrub Inn, which her father has purchased. 

It's hard enough to handle a parent's slow mental decline without adding in lost loves from the past, but Cora's move forces her to do both. These unresolved issues form the nexus of conflict and transformation that make The Sweet Shrub Inn an involving story. 

Hilah Roscoe employs the first person to capture Cora's emotions, responses, and interactions with others. This creates a depth and familiarity that makes the twenty-four-year-old's life vivid and understandable on an intimate level. 

As a romance with Jenson (who once rejected her overtures) evolves, Cora wonders if she's simply repeating past mistakes and patterns, or truly breaking out of them to create something new for her future. 

Readers who look for romances tempered by the pulls of daily life and family relationships will find The Sweet Shrub Inn a satisfying story that excels in self-reflection as Cora considers the changed course of her life and her wish for a different future outcome from romance: "I want to tell him that, in a perfect world, we would live in the same place and get to see each other more often than every few weeks. But the truth is, I don’t know that he’s prepared to hear me say these things. He’s got feelings for me, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s contemplating what it would be like if I were to be back here in Taloowa full time. And I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that a big part of me is scared of being too honest with him again. I know things are different now, but just how different, I don’t actually know." 

Anyone who has struggled with returning to the past to right wrongs and make different choices will find Cora's dilemmas involving and revealing. 

The result is a compellingly delivered story about running away from heartache, only to come full circle. 

Women who relish tales of self-discovery and change will find The Sweet Shrub Inn hard to put down. 

The Sweet Shrub Inn

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Taken by the Wind
Ci Ci Soleil
Beach Read Press
9798985066029

https://audreymillerwrites.com/beach-read-press/          

Taken by the Wind is a novel steeped in inspections of new beginnings, endings, and Miranda Wright's efforts to control what happens in her world. 

Her ability to remain flexible in the face of adversity is apparent from the start ("...she spun around, her heart racing as a splintering sound rendered the air, followed by a crash and a loud thud. She ran to the window to see a large branch fallen across half the patio; her giant planter lay in shards among the collateral damage of the once-potted petunias. “Well, shit. That’s not good timing. Okay…” she thought aloud. “Change of plans. So, no guests on the patio.”), as she's determined that no wind will alter her trajectory and plans. 

But as she finds herself the author of a best-selling book, Taken by the Wind, Miranda begins to experience the blow-back of fame, fortune, and fan fantasies about her influences and life. 

Suddenly, everything is out of control. And Miranda finds herself losing her edge, on many levels ("I’m trying hard to fight my way back to where I was."). 

How close to reality is the story she's created, and how does it influence the course of her life? 

Readers will find Taken by the Wind an exceptional story of change, transformation, and new opportunities. 

Life gets messy, sometimes. How various characters handle ongoing adversity and changes over a period of time lends a realistic, thought-provoking atmosphere to Taken by the Wind that will especially engross women interested in changing fortunes, love, and relationships. 

The result is a novel that will delight women who look for already-strong female protagonists who are not afraid of re-examining their relationships, attitudes, and perspectives in the face of new experiences. 

Taken by the Wind

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The Trouble with Belonging
Magdalena Stanhoff
Independently Published
978-83-962426-0-0                $3.99 ebook
Website: https://www.magdalenastanhoff.com/
Ordering: www.amazon.com 

The Trouble with Belonging is a novel of street kids, strangers who become family, and struggles for survival. It tells a story of Chen Kehuan, a "lone wolf" who has no friends or family, and whose accidental meeting with the street kid Nikki at the age of eight creates an unusual and uncertain bond formed by coincidence and necessity. 

Nikki is also a loner with no sense of belonging to anyone or anywhere. Kehuan seems an unlikely defender or parental figure for her; but as the two develop connections from very disconnected lives, they traverse unfamiliar territory as they grow older. 

Taiwanse, Polish, Korean and other cultures come to life as Nikki and Kehuan's story evolves. Magdalena Stanhoff brings these worlds to life with an attention to psychological and social descriptions that form solid backdrops for the events that move the two into more social situations. 

As caretaker Anna observes her young charges, she uncovers cultural and psychological clues about their backgrounds: "Then there was also Korean. It had taken Anna some time to realize that when the Soengs came over, they weren’t talking with her stepson in the same language which Kehuan and Veronica used between themselves. When she’d finally worked it out, she became curious, since these kids were supposed to be Kehuan’s relatives. It would be simple to ask Veronica about the language, but she wanted to get to the bottom of it all, and so she found that box with old photos and a few letters and documents in her husband’s closet." 

The discussions of racism, Anna's mystery, and how Nikki and Kehuan evolve a relationship makes for a powerful story of psychological and social revelation. 

Stanhoff creates a wonderfully evocative tale of two children whose connections turn their lives upside down in unexpected ways. 

Her story illustrates third culture experiences, issues of abandonment, trust, and love, and the sense of "inescapable necessity" that keeps Kehuan firmly connected to Nikki against all odds. 

Readers looking for novels replete in cultural experiences, identification, and social inspection will find The Trouble with Belonging compelling, warming, and thought-provoking, all in one. 

The Trouble with Belonging

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You Speak for Me Now
Sandy Graham
Independently Published
9798536818060             $17.00

https://www.amazon.com/You-Speak-Now-Sandy-Graham/dp/B09M544RL9 

You Speak for Me Now introduces young Emma Simon, who is trying to fit into a normal classroom environment after years of attending a school for the deaf. She's entering her teens as a stranger and oddity in a classroom filled with students have shared hearing abilities, but she's also a minority girl of color navigating a sea of possible prejudice. 

However, class leader and kind extrovert Johnny McEwan recognizes her as a fellow soul, right away: "Humility came from an empathy that invariably led him to stand up for the less fortunate. That first day, Emma struck him as one of them. Discussing her with his mother introduced him to the world of sign language and like learning to play the piano, he made mastering it a project." 

Therein lies the key to changing not just class dynamics, but Emma's life, making it both inclusive and connected in ways she couldn't have envisioned in her years in a school for the deaf. 

As Emma traverses 11th grade and grows into adulthood, the support and struggles she experiences in childhood blossom into unexpected controversy as she becomes embroiled in social and racial issues. 

Did she deliberately plot to have a US citizen murdered, or was she the victim of a man who tried to kill her? 

You Speak for Me Now holds many unexpected twists and thought-provoking moments that move beyond a story of prejudice or a young deaf woman integrating into society—and that's part of its charm. 

Sandy Graham could all too easily have made this a predictable story about integration issues. Instead, he creates a masterful inspection of "the American Way" and various challenges to its institutions that arise from clashing perspectives and social strife. 

As violence escalates and issues of moral and ethical choices enter the picture, readers are treated to a milieu in which Emma becomes the focal point of social controversy. 

Graham's ability to depict his character as representative of the tragedies that divide Americans and challenge hearts, souls, and values creates a story that operates on many levels. 

His ability to begin with the nexus of personal experience and perspective and work outward to embroil Emma in the types of social issues that confront Americans today makes for a thought-provoking novel that is thoroughly involving and enlightening. 

Collections strong in fictional representations of American cultural and social struggles will find in You Speak for Me Now a powerful story of interconnected lives, ironic twists, and democratic challenges that move from the personal to the political and back again in a compelling, thought-provoking manner. 

You Speak for Me Now

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Reviewer's Choice

Beyond the Human Realm
Gene Helfman
Luminare Press
978-1-64388-659-6         $4.95 ebook/$16.95 paper
Website: https://genehelfman.pubsitepro.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1643886592 

Given that the key character in this story is an orca, one might be tempted to think that this book's audience will be young people who relish animal-oriented fiction. It would be a shame to make this assumption, because Beyond the Human Realm's special brand of environmental mystery lends to its appreciation not only by literary readers, but adults who look for vivid stories steeped in and powered by conservation issues.

The story opens with a captive whale's experience of daily life: "Each day was a replica of the one before. And the one before that, as far back as he could remember. His routine only changed when they wanted him to perform silly tricks, before they gave him food. A split-tail got into his pool (he hated that). She blew a whistle twice, pushed a ball with her nose, and threw the ball to another on the hard land. It was obvious what they wanted him to do." 

This whale was captured very young, and has no memory of freedom. Everything changes when another, very different whale, Nan, is introduced. She has had quite a different life: “I imagine I’m escaping,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I know it’s a fantasy, but, for a brief moment, I’m away from here.” Her response hurt his feelings, knowing that she would rather be somewhere else than with him. But she had known freedom, while he had been a captive essentially all his life." 

As the story evolves the whale's life changes. And, not for the better. 

Gene Helfman introduces Dr. Rudy Laguna next: a scientist whose new home in the Pacific Northwest lends to his studies of fish behaviors and his growing fascination with orcas. 

From encounters with Cassie, who is equally fixated on the whales and chooses them over romance, to scientific curiosity which leads to data-collecting and new revelations, it's evident that Beyond the Human Realm represents a special brand of eco-fiction. It offers mystery, twists and turns of plot, evolving insights about ocean creatures and their natural history, and solid science set against the backdrop of a compelling story of human and whale evolution and interaction. 

Helfman excels at interplays between these two disparate worlds, profiling the dilemmas faced by human and whale interactions. From romance to responsibility in freeing an aggressive captive whale, Helfman's story touches upon different moral and ethical conundrums, outlining contrasting perspectives of human and animal worlds. 

Beyond the Human Realm is a vivid, engaging work of fiction that's especially recommended for readers who like strong natural history and science injected into their stories, cemented by human and animal concerns. 

Beyond the Human Realm

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Duke Ellington: Notes the World Was Not Ready to Hear
Karen S. Barbera
with Randall Keith Horton
Armin Lear Press
9781956450040             $35.00 Hardcover/$16.95 ebook
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/duke-ellington-karen-s-barbera/1140566774;jsessionid=B49591BCF1F24B1F68941BC2E7784C37.prodny_store02-atgap11?ean=2940165616259
 

Jazz music giant Duke Ellington chose Randall Keith Horton as his assistant composer, conductor and pianist in 1973. Horton, the co-author of this book, is thus in the perfect, unique position to contribute information and enlightenment to Karen S. Barbera's survey of four of Ellington's (today) less familiar compositions, part of a controversial show that prompted racist reactions from American society. 

While jazz enthusiasts may anticipate the music history and biography in Duke Ellington: Notes the World Was Not Ready to Hear, its inspection of race relations in America might come as a surprise. The unexpected connections between social issues and musical choices create a compelling examination of more than just Ellington's influence and experience beyond the jazz world, showing how pioneering thinkers can change the status quo through the arts, and discussing how Horton's changing roles led him to a revised consideration of Ellington's works and their impact. 

Perhaps this is why, in repressive societies, music and the arts are considered instruments of dangerous change and influence, and are subject to being banned. As Duke Ellington: Notes the World Was Not Ready to Hear evolves, it becomes an inspection of the personal, the political, and the artistic mind's intersection. 

The story opens as autobiography, tracing how the authors met, by chance, on an Amtrak train. The underlying importance of a seemingly casual encounter is portrayed with a philosophical and social flair: "Horton delivers a string of softly phrased words, a totally non-judgmental bridge of understanding and common ground, at least with me. He kindly says, “Yes, we have to be vigilant about what we do and do not allow into our minds. What we allow in is powerful. It leaves a lasting impression; good music, good ideas, good images, good deeds move us forward; the negative stuff, unfortunately, not so much.” 

As Horton moved from briefly being Duke Ellington’s former assistant composer, conductor and pianist in the early ‘70s to being hired by Ellington's family after his death (to "concertize her brother’s three Sacred Concerts, and by his son Mercer Ellington and G. Schirmer Publishing to write a full-length concerto grosso orchestration of his father’s magnum opus, the big band piece Black, Brown and Beige. These were extended-length works that Ellington considered ‘the most important music he ever wrote,’ but which remain largely unknown, and certainly under-appreciated to this day."), a partnership born of a serendipitous encounter emerged to produce this ground-breaking coverage. 

It should be cautioned that Barbera's is no light examination. It's a heavily footnoted, well-researched foray into the world of musical composition, interpretation, and choice that considers not only Ellington's opus productions, but Horton's process of lending them new life and relevance: "The “Ellington-Horton” Beige continues the composer’s story of Harlem life from the early 1920s with era-specific samplings of Ellington songs, then reach into the mid-twentieth century with the interpolation of Come Sunday and the Twenty-Third Psalm in anticipation of the mid twentieth century American Civil Rights era.  Horton’s embedding of three additional Negro spirituals and five Harlem song samplings now underpin each of the three movements, broadening elements of connectivity, consistency, richness, meaning and cinematic quality that some critics argue were particularly lacking. It is in Beige where Horton feels Ellington’s musical intentions most powerfully." 

As Horton interprets these works, conducts orchestras, and refines his vision for translating Ellington's most unique pieces, it's evident that this is as much about Horton's life and professional challenges in the musical world as it is about Ellington's musical legacy. 

Barbera does justice to both, entwining lives, music, and social challenges and capturing each for audiences who may have relatively little technical musical background, but who will appreciate the many insights on how compositions are interpreted and brought to life. 

While jazz music fans will be the obvious target audience for Duke Ellington: Notes the World Was Not Ready to Hear, it should prove just as inviting and educational for collections strong in musical biography and American civil rights history: "...imagine the daring and conviction it took for Ellington to write, conduct and produce an even more outspoken musical revue—22 years earlier — that was unapologetically outspoken about America’s racial issue and featured an all-black cast." 

Duke Ellington: Notes the World Was Not Ready to Hear

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Golf 360
Stephen Altschuler
Sacajawea Press
9798475167342             $16.99
https://www.amazon.com/Golf-360-Current-Players-Considering/dp/B09L56BZKP 

It's unusual to find a golf book that can appeal to a wide audience of all types of players. Typically, golf coverages are tailored either to newcomers to the sport, or those already well versed in golf who seek to improve their swings or learn more advanced techniques. 

Golf 360: For Current Players and Those Who Are Considering the Game lives up to its subtitle by providing lessons and appeal for all levels of player. All that's required is a prior interest in the game. 

Another plus that sets Golf 360 apart from competing golf titles is its well-rounded approach, which adds spiritual and psychological components into the discussion of playing and improving. 

Instructions cover such basics as keeping a steady head during shots, learning new techniques from the pros, and deconstructing different methods employed by golfers who hold a proven track record of success. 

Instructions in the first segment cover the physical aspects of golf, but the heart of this survey lies in its second and third sections, which cover mental aspects of golf shots and how to troubleshoot common problems and barriers to success. 

Each segment includes case history examples and is delivered in a lively, personal tone that instructs, educates, and entertains: "I think it’s a good way to play this game, for all of us. One shot after another, not reacting much to the outcome, just regrouping, recalculating, with your only reaction being how to play the next shot. Of course, we all have our particular personalities, and I’m not saying to stifle all expressions of pleasure and annoyance. Just tone it down some. Restrain yourself and focus on the matter at hand. For what’s at hand is playing golf. And playing decent golf requires your full attention and concentration." 

Readers may expect (and receive) the lessons on techniques, rules, and improving one's game; but the surprise inclusion of spiritual and psychological lessons are just as astute and important to success. 

Making them an intrinsic part of the instruction and pairing them with case history examples of revised approaches to golf not only sets Golf 360 apart from most of the other golf how-to books on the market, but places it in a special category of its own. 

It's highly recommended for all levels of player, those who would better understand golf from a spectator viewpoint, and for any library collection where golf attracts patrons. 

Golf 360

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Grand Theft Weight Loss
Michael Alvear
Woodpecker Media
ASIN: B09L8K4PPH             $9.99
https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Theft-Weight-Loss-Discoveries-ebook/dp/B09L8K4PPH 

Grand Theft Weight Loss eschews expensive products from the diet industry in favor of exploring the science behind these diet plans, which is accessible to anyone. 

Its science-based premise allows readers to develop their own custom diets without the need for expensive specialty foods or memberships in programs, and also allows for a satisfying contrast between approaches to dieting that incorporates the goal of all such diets: permanent weight loss. 

Michael Alvear synthesizes the latest findings of brain researchers, Addiction Medicine specialists, evolutionary biologists, behavioral psychologists, and physiologists as he explores various studies and the process of integrating healthier eating habits into one's existing lifestyle. 

He provides a compelling introduction that readers will find surprisingly attractive, in contrast to the usual dry diet book: "Scientists broke the weight loss code without telling anyone about it. They didn’t even tell each other. Hell, they don’t even know that’s what they’ve done. For example, when brain researchers discovered The Meal-Recall Effect they didn’t realize they developed a technique that cuts hunger by up to 50%." 

This lively tone, with its underlay of humor, also sets Alvear's book apart from the typical diet survey, offering a format and approach that readers will find hard to put down. 

As readers absorb scientific discoveries and information, many related insights are provided that will delight readers who look for links between everyday experience and the dieting process. Many unexpected connections are made, such as the importance of memory in dieting: "Your brain is in constant prediction mode. It needs data to guess how hungry you are, what you should eat (if you should eat) and how much will fill you up. The data it gets is often confusing, contradictory, and vague. Maybe the brain is having a hard time making sense of the hunger hormones. Maybe a food ad triggered a hunger that wasn’t there before, sowing confusion. Maybe the brain can’t separate the need for fuel from the desire to calm itself with food." 

From the challenge involved in establishing proper baselines to taper off addictive eating habits and snack choices to insights on portion control ("A meta-analysis of sixty-five studies involving 109 separate observations showed that doubling the amount of a portion results in approximately a 35% increase in the amount of food eaten. Scientists can come to no other conclusion: Bigger portions incentivize us to eat more."), the result is a science-based/backed survey that proves as inviting to digest as chips. 

Humor, science, and concrete links to daily choices and practices make Grand Theft Weight Loss a top recommendation for would-be dieters. It is easy to read, apply, and enjoy, and should be required reading for anyone tired of the usual programs and approaches that rely on diet industry-provided facts and figures. 

Grand Theft Weight Loss

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Hold On To Your R.A.F.T.!
Charles Humphrey, Jr.
Willa Robinson, KP Publishing Company
978-0-692048-11-5         $14.95
Website: www.charleshumphreyJr.com
Ordering: Hold On To Your R.A.F.T.!: Principles to Preserve Godly Purpose: Humphrey Jr, Charles: 9780692048115: Amazon.com: Books 

Hold On To Your R.A.F.T.! Principles to Preserve Godly Purpose outlines the principles of Responsibility, Accountability, Faithfulness, and Transparency (R.A.F.T.). It explores each of these elements with an eye to emphasizing life purpose as it relates to crisis, opportunity, adventure, and self-image. 

Definitions of achievement and success take on new meaning as Charles Humphrey Jr. questions why popular, wealthy, successful, gifted, and prominent people often choose destructive and self-destructive paths despite their seeming bounties and blessings. 

Hold On To Your R.A.F.T.! answers this and other questions as it reviews the tenants people live and die by, considering the epidemic of "letting go" that has resulted in a vast segment of the population drifting away from their moral, ethical, and spiritual foundations. 

It should be noted that Humphrey tailors his discussion to men: "They are letting go of the basic principles and foundational values that got them to their place of prominence, prosperity, and popularity. Men are letting go of the cornerstones of their manhood. With ease, they abandon cornerstones like respect, integrity, consistency, and being a man of your word." 

Women may chafe at being left out of the picture and discussion, here, but there's more at stake than ego. Humphrey discusses what happens to everyone when these principles are abandoned: "The problem is when men let go, they are not only letting go of critical life principles, they are letting go of something much greater. They are letting go of purpose." 

The impact of such decisions affects everyone in the world, so there should be no singular audience for a survey that assesses the problem and considers how to mitigate the impact of letting go with a newfound attention to building and rebuilding a sense of life purpose and spiritual connections. 

The ability of faith to help cement life purpose is outlined throughout the coverage, as are nautical references about safety, staying in the R.A.F.T., and perseverance. 

Christians who turn to Hold On To Your R.A.F.T.! will appreciate the Bible-based quotes, the attention to incorporating spiritual support systems into life, and the focus on reconciliation with people and God that runs through the case studies and examples of those who have somehow gone off course. 

Men who choose Hold On To Your R.A.F.T.! will find it an enlightening spiritual self-help title that addresses the challenges of maintaining faith, staying the course, and leading a God-inspired life through challenges and temptations to go astray. 

Its special blend of self-help and spiritual examples provide not only much food for thought, but is recommended for Christian discussion and men's groups, who will find its examples and directions purposeful and specific. 

Hold On To Your R.A.F.T.!

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Jazz Puzzlers
Kyle Branche
Independently Published
979-8537835851            $11.99

https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Puzzlers-Search-Challenger-Puzzles/dp/B09HHKFLJ2 

Readers with a special love of jazz music (or who know jazz followers that seem to already own every history or biography on the subject) now have another fresh approach to jazz knowledge: the challenges presented in Jazz Puzzlers: 70 Word Search Super Challenger Puzzles + 7. 

Here lies the perfect opportunity for the jazz genre expert to test his knowledge about the people, trends, and styles of jazz through a series of word search puzzles that pose different levels of difficulty. 

Readers might anticipate a set of puzzles that are geared to very basic knowledge levels; but Kyle Branche has conducted meticulous, in-depth research into his subject. This goes well beyond a simple approach geared to novices. Indeed, herein lies an opportunity to not only solve puzzles and self-test knowledge, but to learn more about jazz, in a different manner: "What I try to do, with regards to song selection for this series, is to create or weave a story through the history of music based on the artists and bands that I’ve chosen to be in each book." 

The puzzle sections start off with full artist/band discography song selections, then are further arranged by music albums and focus on classics, from single to double and triple albums and live shows. 

Jazz album titles are included under the names of the puzzle subjects, mixing bands, composers, and artists by instrument. The "super challenge" nature of the puzzles translates to being "...larger in grid size on average, looking up multiple-word song titles with a challenge level of medium to high. Word placement is utilized in all directions – left to right/right to left, top to bottom/bottom to top, bottom left angled to top right and reverse, and top left angled to bottom right and reverse." 

Designed to encourage more thinking about jazz music as enthusiasts move through tricky and mind-challenging puzzles, Jazz Puzzlers appeals on many levels: as a leisure pursuit to wile away the hours on public transportation; as a series of brain challenges to keep mind and memory engaged; and as a probe of jazz history and the people who made this musical genre great. 

Given an overwhelming category of music to cover, cuts were necessary. Kyle Branche did so with an attention to preserving the foundations of both challenging puzzles and information and producing a smooth review of the jazz genre. 

From Louis Armstrong to the Dorsey brothers and Duke Ellington, all the powerhouses of jazz receive specific examination through word puzzles that will challenge even the most savvy puzzle-solver and jazz fan. 

Jazz Puzzlers is a presentation that operates on different levels; but more specifically, a jazz enthusiast can tap into prior knowledge and bring it to the surface as the puzzles encourage visual acuity and mental flexibility. 

Other books in this series provide different musical focuses, but the specific subject analysis of Jazz Puzzlers is designed to appeal to an audience already well versed in the subject, who want to reconsider and test their perceptions of jazz music, musicians, and history. 

Jazz Puzzlers

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Marriage Minded
Marcia Naomi Berger, LCSW
She Writes Press
978-1-64742-179-3
$16.95 Paper/$19.95 Audio/$8.49 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Minded-Dating-Guide-Lasting/dp/1647421799
 

Marriage Minded: An A to Z Dating Guide for Lasting Love is recommended reading for women who want to embark on constructive dating routines with a solid goal in mind: locating the best marriage prospect. 

Inherent in this effort is the knowledge of what makes for a good match and self-knowledge of one's needs, aspirations, and blind spots. That's where the dating advice in Marriage Minded comes into play. It helps readers set the stage for dating approaches that lead to the best results by identifying and overcoming obstacles early in the game. 

An A-Z chapter arrangement allows readers to jump to sections about everything from kindness and hookups to identifying compatible values and keeping expectations realistic. 

This unique format lends to easy browsing by subject for those who want to delve into specific dating and marriage issues, but so many of these subjects are interconnected that Marriage Minded is best digested in an orderly manner in its entirety so that no topic or approach is neglected. 

The onus for locating and creating the framework for a lasting marriage isn't just on the potential partner, but the seeker, as Berger points out: "A man might seem to have all the basics. He could be good-looking, caring, and share your values and some interests. But is he fun to be with? While it’s not realistic to expect to be continually entertained or excited by him, if you often feel bored in his presence, move on. The exception to this guideline is feeling bored or depressed because of your own life circumstances. You can’t fairly expect someone else to make a life for you. Make sure to do this for yourself. Cultivate your interests and try new things. You’ll be happier and more appealing." 

Tips move from dating to what makes a successful marriage: "It’s not the presence of conflict that stresses the relationship; it’s how the couple responds. Coping with differences positively and respectfully can keep a marriage thriving." 

Marriage Minded encourages readers beyond the initial realm of dating and selection and into the marriage itself, creating a thought-provoking review that will appeal to women (and also men) who are both single and looking, and married and seeking to improve their relationship. 

Marriage Minded thus is recommended reading for a wide audience of women (and men, too): daters of any age, and also those who are already married and who want to make better choices and decisions that support the relationship. 

Marriage Minded

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Old Testament Readings & Devotionals, Volume 5
C. M. H. Koenig

C.M.H. Koenig Books
978-1-956475-00-5                $14.99
www.cmhkoenigbooks.net 

Old Testament Readings & Devotionals, Volume 5 is the fifth addition to a projected 14-volume study of Old and New Testaments and examines portions of second Samuel, first Chronicles, and Psalms. 

As with its predecessors, the Bible selections are paired with associated devotionals excerpts from Robert Hawker (1753–1827), Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), and Octavius Winslow’s (1808-1878) works. 

The intention is to provide an in-depth chronological review that allows for daily contemplation in digestible segments that even the busiest Christian can readily absorb. 

Because these devotionals are taken directly from each author's works, spelling and grammar fluctuates—but not so much that the readings aren't smooth. C. M. H. Koenig has tweaked some of the words to make them uniformly simple to read through, while the Scriptures associated with them are either direct quotes or paraphrases from the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible. 

This volume contains some particularly provocative food for thought. Some devotionals provide background and set the stage for the day's reading through introductions, as in Hawker's commentary for Day 33's readings of 1 Chronicles 18: "Reader! while reading the wars of David, do not overlook the spiritual wars in which David’s Lord engaged for the salvation of his people. Jesus hath indeed spoiled principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." 

Other sections take a single passage and elucidate its value, as in Day 74's reading of Psalm 24, with accompanying commentary by Spurgeon: "The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully.” Psalm 24:4

Outward practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. It is to be feared that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt; if so, they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day." 

Footnotes provide additional cross-references to other Biblical associations that further enhance the reader's ability to absorb not just these single passages and commentary, but interrelated Biblical insights. 

It's hard to properly emphasize the value of having these devotionals in a format and with references that elevate their connections to modern daily experience. 

C. M. H. Koenig has done all the footwork and research to bring them into the light. All that's needed is a Christian reader interested in Bible study and contemplation. 

This audience will find the succinct daily devotional format the ideal method of choice for reading and re-reading the Bible in the manner it should be: with repeated, close attention that eschews speed in favor of better understanding and appreciation for its messages and their underlying meanings. 

Old Testament Readings & Devotionals, Volume 5

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Old Testament Readings & Devotionals, Volume 6
C.M.H. Koenig (compiler)
C.M.H. Koenig Books
978-1-956475-05-0         $14.99
www.cmhkoenigbooks.net

The sixth volume of Old Testament Readings & Devotionals continues to expand the series with another segment that allows Christians interested in Bible study to access to the Old Testament in a new way. 

This book covers portions (or all) of 1 & 2 Chronicles, first Kings, Song of Songs/Solomon, Proverbs, and Psalms. The primary focus is the reign of King Solomon, from 970 BC – 961 BC, and the works often refer to scripture other than the key verse(s) or scripture reading passage. Some are cited in the original works and others are not. 

Each reading is generally one chapter, accompanied by devotional excerpts from Robert Hawker (1753–1827), Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), or Octavius Winslow’s (1808-1878) works. 

Newcomers to the series might anticipate a dry, scholarly rendering of philosophical and spiritual inspection, but C.M.H. Koenig continues to delight with a study that blends flowery, enlightening language from the pen of his chosen commentators: "It is hardly possible to read the order of things observed in the days of David, without having our minds led out to consider yet more, the beautiful disposition and order made in the house of our Almighty Spiritual David, the Lord Jesus Christ, after that he had taken to himself his great name, ascended up on high, led captivity captive, and sat down on the throne of his kingdom." 

The enthusiasm and faith shine in passages which are both revealing and celebratory, providing a lively tone that may prove unexpected to those used to drier Biblical probes. 

The meticulous pairing of Scripture passage and commentator analysis will delight readers who look for inspiration as much as enlightenment, as in a pairing of a Bible passage from Kings 4:20-21 (“Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt. They offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”) with a delightful inspection by Hawker in his Poor Man's Old Testament Commentary: "Perhaps the splendor and greatness of Solomon’s person, court, and subjects, were never equaled by any prince. He not only governed his own people, but other nations were tributary to him...But delightful as this relation is, as an history, the glory of it is nothing compared to the spiritual sense, considered with an eye to Jesus and his kingdom. If the Reader will read the 72d Psalm with this chapter, and mark the features of both in reference to the Lord Jesus, he will discover that though in that psalm many things said in it may be applied to Solomon; many more in it cannot be applicable at all to him; and must be applied to the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Daily reflections such as these do more than educate. They inspire. And, isn't that one of the underlying foundations of the Bible: to provide stories, proverbs, and inspections that lead readers down the path of understanding and reflecting God? 

C.M.H. Koenig does all the legwork of making these important connections between Biblical content and Christian belief, choosing passages and supportive analysis that move into daily living with messages and considerations to support the Christian experience and belief system.

Bible students are in for a treat with this latest addition to a series that continues to expand heart, mind, and spiritual roots. 

Old Testament Readings & Devotionals, Volume 6

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The One Inside
Tammy Sollenberger
Pure Carbon Publishing
978-0-9676887-5-6         $16.95 Paper/$7.99 ebook
www.purecarbonpublishing.com 

The One Inside: 30 Days to Your Authentic Self offers a key to self-analysis designed to help readers reach and understand their real selves through a 30-day series of self-reflective exercises. 

The clinically proven Internal Family Systems method comes from a therapist who has employed the technique successfully, both in her own life and with her clients. 

Many self-help books and programs promote developing better self-awareness; but how many offer a step-by-step program to inner harmony that can be easily explored in small, digestible pieces through "soft curiosity, compassion, and kindness."? 

The One Inside utilizes the IFS model to promote further acceptance of internal dialogues, fine-tuning them to create assets from what at first seem like negative messages: "One of the assertions of the IFS model is that all parts of you are trying to help you in their own way. They have one idea of how to help and they stick to this idea, not knowing that it may cost you in other ways, particularly if other parts are not in agreement or aligned. What if we were open to what these parts wanted to tell us instead of trying to change them or make them go away?" 

While many readers will find this system new, it should be noted that therapist Tammy Sollenberger didn't create it. The Internal Family Systems Model of psychotherapy was founded by Dr. Richard Schwartz over thirty years ago. She just fine-tunes that model for modern times, shorter attention spans, and the rigors of modern living. This gives readers an opportunity to apply various components of the system to resolving ongoing conflicts in typical approaches to life. It "...helps us understand, work with, and heal the conflict going on within, the disharmony we are all experiencing." 

Case histories and examples reinforce this program of growth, compassion, and self-examination. 

All that's required in order for The One Inside to prove successful is a willingness to self-analyze, understand, and give voice to the components of reaction that affect attitudes, relationships, connections, and interpersonal communications. 

Readers dedicated to self improvement will find The One Inside contains all the instructions needed to better understand the messages that different parts of the psyche impart, and how better to integrate them for a more positive outcome in all aspects of life. 

There is no shaman needed, in order to access this inner wisdom. All that is really required is willingness to self-examine and change...and the step-by-step instructions provided The One Inside, which is highly recommended reading for psychology, self-help, and new age collections and readers. 

The One Inside

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The Physics and Poetry of Eastern Herbal Medicine
Judyth Shamosh, PhD
Pure Carbon Publishing
9780967688749             $25.95
www.purecarbonpublishing.com 

With so many books on the market covering herbal medicine and Eastern traditions readers might wonder at the need for yet another. However, the evidence of Dr. Shamosh's unique approach lies in The Physics & Poetry of Eastern Herbal Medicine's subtitle: How Modern Physics Validates Eastern Medicine. Here in lies the difference between this book and others. 

Readers already familiar with Eastern medicine (specifically, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine) receive an exploration that focuses on both the history and language of Eastern medicine, whose "foundations are based on the same sophisticated theories that modern physics has recently rediscovered in the twentieth century." 

Traditionally poetic, metaphorical descriptions of this medicine typically stymie the usual Western analytical mind and descriptive process, which is why many of these concepts have not been covered and connected in other books. Another reason why they've remained hidden for so long is that scientists studying both Eastern and Western medicine rarely add a grounding in either linguistics or physics into the mix. 

Dr. Shamosh tackles the daunting prospect of integrating these seemingly diverse elements into an analysis that exposes the roots of not just Eastern medicine, but its unique approach to problem-solving. This bringss this tradition into an arena more understandable by mainstream medical students and anyone interested in exploring the foundations of Eastern approaches to health, disease, and medicine. 

As the chapters review Ayurveda perceptions, phases of health and disease, and Chinese medical terminology, readers who keep an open mind to absorbing spiritual, psychological, and scientific concepts alike will find the synthesis of these areas lends to a deeper understanding of not just illness, but treatment approaches and options. 

Dr. Shamosh draws connections between Eastern and Western concepts and ways of viewing the world: "Climate and weather are something everyone has experienced because we live in the conditions created daily. Therefore, describing bodily conditions in terms of internal weather renders The Five Phases and their attributes understandable in a more experiential way. These different climatic conditions capable of invading the body are called pathogenic (capable of producing disease) factors in Eastern medicine."

Specific contrasts between Western and Eastern herbal choices and perceptions allow readers to better understand the underlying philosophy and science affecting prescriptions and different approaches to herbal applications. 

Herb listings are linked to functional principle and organ system, providing medical students and lay readers alike with specific keys to understanding the links between modern lifestyle choices and health or disharmony. 

For example: "...Chinese Medicine...asserts that most mental symptoms are due to phlegm, ama or toxins that obstruct the system of the Heart-Mind or shen. The source of these toxins is unwholesome foods, such as processed foods and the greasy, slimy, and energetically hot animal products to which people have become habituated. These patterns of disharmony in the Heart-Mind-System can lead to symptoms of manic-depression, violent behavior, confusion, and lethargy. Therefore, if we choose a high-protein animal-based diet, our body-minds become toxic, stagnant, dull, and confused. Consequently, one will not be able to discern The Six Tastes accurately enough to determine which of The Six Tastes are present in an herb or food." 

The result is an educational, accessible, pleasing synthesis of Western and Eastern thinking which offers a base of history, builds upon it to cover modern living, medicine and times, then creates a discussion of what best promotes harmony and health. 

Medical students, lay readers, and those who cross over from various philosophical, spiritual, and medicine disciplines to choose The Physics & Poetry of Eastern Herbal Medicine will find it an enlightening, thought-provoking read. It covers systems thinking, interdependent relationships between health, poetry, and science, and how everyday experience and analysis may better be integrated for a different approach to personal empowerment and medical approaches to healing. 

The Physics and Poetry of Eastern Herbal Medicine

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SOL: Still Our Lions
Gary Evans
Cresting Wave Publishing
978-1-956048-06-3         $18.95
www.amazon.com 

SOL: Still Our Lions provides a sports history of the Detroit Lions that is highly recommended for sports collections and those with an interest in Michigan sports. 

From the roots of the Lions and the birth of the Spartans to the NFL's interactions in Detroit and its influence on Detroit culture as a whole, readers receive a concurrent history of sports and Detroit. 

Gary Evans weaves social and political observations and influences into this story. This may surprise readers who anticipated a play-by-play description of great games alone. Those who choose SOL: Still Our Lions anticipating this approach will find that the coverage reaches out to fully embrace the cultural changes which affected both Lions fans and the city as a whole. 

Aside from great wins, epic failures, and playoff history, the story of the Lions is much more than that of a single team. It's a story of Detroit's evolution and the influences on its growth. This wider-ranging approach creates an absorbing history that will initially attract sports enthusiasts, but holds the potential to reach beyond this audience alone. 

Blending the formats of a sports examination, a memoir, and a social history is no easy task. All these elements are to be found in SOL: Still Our Lions, which crafts an interplay between personal experience and team efforts to personalize the sports history facts: "The original Tecmo Bowl, released in 1989, was a smash hit, at least in my neighborhood, even though most teams, including my Lions, were not represented. The team featured only a handful of teams. And because the first Tecmo Bowl software didn’t have a license with the NFL, they couldn’t use team names—a game might be Chicago versus Miami, but not the Bears vs. the Dolphins." 

Behind the story of wins and losses are changes that affected players and fans alike. All these and more come to life in a sports history that holds information for a wide audience; from those with a special interest in Detroit's bygone era to NFL enthusiasts and readers who hold an affinity for the Lions. 

SOL: Still Our Lions

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War in the Mountains
J. L. Askew
Covenant Books, Inc.
978-1-64468-576-1         $23.99 Paper/$9.99 ebook
www.covenantbooks.com 

War In The Mountains: The Macbeth Light Artillery at Asheville, NC 1864-1865 belongs in any military history collection strong in American battles and strategy, documenting a mountain conflict that precipitated a special kind of crisis during the War Between the States. 

It gathers experiences of the mountain war in North Carolina and East Tennessee, exploring raids, skirmishes, and battles that challenged leaders and fighters to adapt military operations and approaches to a different kind of environment and battle milieu. 

As Union raids, confrontations, and new laws challenge both sides, J.L. Askew provides a military history that is especially pointed in its step-by-step examination of these struggles: "Before the Yankees could recover and replace the losses suffered that evening, the Confederates wanted to complete the destruction of the railway bridge. The following night, another set of rebel scouts, members of Henry’s Battalion, descended on Mossy Creek and this time were able to set the bridge afire, completely destroying it. This action forced the Federals from their stronghold at Bull’s Gap, which they abandoned two days later. With these successes, General Vaughn began implementing plans to drive them even further west." 

Askew's focus provides many insights that the typical, wider-ranging Civil War story doesn't offer: "Hardened veterans of Second Manassas and Antietem, the Macbeth would see a different face of war in the mountains, fighting a different kind of enemy, often not in any uniform, native Southerners disloyal to the Confederate cause, conscript evaders, and deserters." The focus provides perspectives that compliment other Civil War military coverages, filling in many gaps about the special circumstances, conditions, and challenges facing fighters on both sides. 

Mountain warfare is unlike other types of battle environments. Askew captures these experiences using a narrative style that reflects the drama of fiction reinforced by the researched facts about these battles. 

The result is a foundation study highly recommended for any military history collection strong in Civil War events. 

War in the Mountains

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Working While Black
Dr. Tana M. Session
Isabella Media
9781735725642             $26.95
www.isabellamedia.com 

Working While Black: A Woman's Guide to Stop Being the Best Kept Secret is highly recommended for business and women's issues collections. It shares the stories of black professional women who have tackled a system that works against them on many different levels. 

More than a series of biographical business sketches alone, this collection is especially strong in offering different remedies and insights into these problems, strategies for furthering a career against all odds, and tips into how to get around that system's often-unspoken rules of engagement. 

Ironically, many of the obstacles that black women face in the corporate world are the very reason why they start their own successful businesses, so there is an upside story about building success in the face of adversity. 

That said, it shouldn't need to take prejudice to spark the extraordinary effort that entrepreneurship involves. This candid collection of stories of Black women from different backgrounds and experiences provides specifics on what happens to them when they try to move through the corporate world in the same manner as white employees. 

From mentors and sponsors to "being the only one" to represent an experience of success, these stories enlighten, educate, and provide solid examples of just how oppression and prejudice operates in the workplace. But, it's the keys to overcoming prejudice and achieving against all odds which make this collection so eye-opening. 

As Working While Black moves through executive worlds and workplace encounters, it captures different kinds of interactions, choices, and approaches to educate all readers about typical barriers to success and how to overcome them. 

These stories expose secrets and routines, presenting lessons on growth (i.e. "[Michelle] advises women of color to figure out what will work for them and drive their individual career trajectory. One of the things that she learned is that membership in the corporate elite just doesn't come easy, and in her opinion, it requires more than just intellectual horsepower. Being a member will require grit, a keen sense of self-awareness, and the right mentors and sponsors.") 

Working While Black should go beyond being added to the shelves of libraries interested in books about prejudice, business success, or women's issues. It should be given to every young Black woman aspiring to succeed. 

Working While Black

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Young Adult/Childrens

The Aquamarine Surfboard
Kellye Abernathy
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-124-6         $11.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

In The Aquamarine Surfboard, Condi is thirteen and is dedicated to surfing. Her ambition to learn is stymied by the changing atmosphere of her small beach town, which is turning into a resort area with private beaches and limited beach use for those who don't own them. 

Also moving in alongside newfound threats to her lifestyle and world is mystery, as she meets a fellow surfer, is invited to enter a forbidden surfing area, and then encounters Koan, the Riddlemaster of the Sea, and other strangers who introduce her to quite a different world residing alongside her own familiar town. 

Suddenly, Condi is a stranger in her own home, her ambitions and future tested by forces she'd never known existed. 

One reason why this story will appeal beyond young adults who already like beach and surfing stories is Kellye Abernathy's ability to create an atmosphere of mystery from the start: "People say Windy Hollow is haunted. A lonely place, the tall tower of stone juts out of the sea on the far side of the cove, catching the worst of ocean gales and ragged surf. A crooked finger of shore bridges the tower to a high overlook. There the ruins of an abandoned mansion and an ancient spa hotel perch side-by-side, crumbling into the sea." 

Another is that Condi freely enters areas forbidden to most kids in her town. Her ability to reject barriers to her goals, whether it be entering the world of the rich surfer kids from the big houses around the cove (who largely have the sport locked down) or to enter areas forbidden to those who can't afford the cost of a surfboard or wetsuit is part of the underlying message of this adventure: Never give up on your dreams. 

Abernathy infuses these dreams with the salty air of the seaside ("Don’t. Think. Just. Breathe. Pressing her toes into the smooth deck of the terrace, she leans into the breeze. Eyes closed, she lifts her chin, setting her breath to the salty thrum of the sea. In her mind’s eye, the wood under her feet melts into a polished surfboard.") as she hones worlds of fantasy, reality, and a gray area in-between, cementing them with the feisty, determined Condi's dreams and activities. 

As untold stories and hidden truths come to light, Condi embraces new opportunities that change her life with her grandmother Grand Ella and the dreams that she fosters from the arrival of her beloved surfboard Aquamarine, which introduces new challenges and relationships. 

The weave of mystery and evolving connections are very nicely presented. Readers become engaged with Condi's life and objectives through this combination of psychological insight and interpersonal relationships, which evolve from unexpected places to impart unanticipated lessons. 

As she interacts with the Beachlings, she learns new ways of viewing the world: “'Telling never works anyway,' Trippy says with a snort. 'People must find their own way.'

'Don’t ever interfere with another’s journey,' Charlene cautions. 'I understand,' Condi promises." 

The result is a fine story that both entertains and provides many thought-provoking moments. Its story of a magical journey that tests Condi's desires and sense of community alike will attract teens who will find her ambitions and experiences thoroughly absorbing.        

The Aquamarine Surfboard

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Arko: The Dark Union (A Sci-Fi Adventure Series)
U.W. Leo
Ultra Particle
EBook: 978-1-7375361-3-0               $2.99
Paperback: 978-1-7375361-0-9         $9.99
Author website: https://www.uwleo.com/
Publisher: www.ultraparticle.com 

Middle grade to young adult readers who enjoy works of speculative fiction and adventure will find Arko: The Dark Union fits the bill with its blend of Indiana Jones-style action and sci-fi thriller. 

A group of scientists journey to Mexico's Yucatan with their families to conduct research in the jungle. Twelve-year-old Ariel Hyden's father is one of them, but Ariel is a "child scientist" himself with a vivid imagination, inquisitive mind, and educational curiosity beyond his years. 

He's part of a group of twelve-year-old friends experiencing typical summer fun when everything changes into a more serious venture. 

U.W. Leo brings to life the pyramids and atmosphere of the Yucatan jungle, and the Mayan myths and legends that swirl around the archeological relics it holds from ancient times. 

He also establishes early on that this group of kids holds special abilities and talents that set them apart from their peers. 

These foundations of myth and reality emerge further as the story develops into extraordinary areas of inspection, theory, and dilemmas. 

Leo injects science into these fantasy realms to give Arko a realistic, thought-provoking backdrop: "...you can’t cover the pterosaurs in screens or metamaterials for a simple reason.”

“Which is?”

“They won’t be able to fly.”

Isaac pondered this for a bit. “Of course, you’re correct. So

what do you propose?”

“Camouflage using simple lighting.”

“Meaning?”

“We’ll attach a system of lights to blur their appearance, like

they used in the Vietnam War on Phantom jets.”

“I know of it. That project was called Compass Ghost, but

back then the lighting could only achieve partial obscurity.” 

As pterosaurs appear and mysteries evolve, adults and children become caught up in the realization that myths about Quetzalcoatls and prehistory are coming to life to introduce new realities and dangers that could change their world. The influence of a strange, technologically advanced structure buried in the jungle becomes apparent as the children are charged with very adult assignments and new roles. 

The adult elements of a thriller format, unusual to see for this age of reader, come into play as human threats clash: "Zhukov furrowed his brow. What should he do now? He was unsure. The systems were malfunctioning terribly. Someone was toying with them, and quite maliciously. Perhaps it would be best to wait and do nothing. But then his crew members might see it as a sign of weakness. The men relied on the foundation of his mettle. If he weakened, everything could come crashing down. Still, he found himself contemplating at length. His hesitations were cut short by Ivanovsky." 

As Gaia, Gustav, and adults and children alike confront Arks, spaceships, pterosaurs and other impossibilities, they come to realize that their choices and actions are the pivot point for humanity's future. 

It will be the "next leap of human evolution" to embrace these changes and see them to fruition. 

U.W. Leo's powerful story offers food for thought on many different levels. It holds many adventure and fantasy elements like Indiana Jones, but also contains a deeper flavor of self-realization and improvement that gives all ages a story that builds a new sense of purpose and insight. 

There are numerous characters and special interests and influences involved which may challenge tweens with complexity and subplots, but ultimately adds to the story's diversity and unpredictable events. 

Tweens and young adults who look for high-octane action injected into thought-provoking stories will appreciate Arko: The Dark Union's ability to engage on many different levels. It's the first book in a series and ends on a note of possibility that portends more adventures and challenges to come. 

Arko: The Dark Union (A Sci-Fi Adventure Series)

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Burning Bright
Michele Kwasniewski
Rand-Smith Publishing
978-1-950544-34-9
$20.00 Paper/$8.99 ebook
www.Rand-Smith.com 

Burning Bright continues Dani Truehart's story (introduced in Rising Star) and follows her dream of stardom. A year has come and gone, and Dani has had a string of musical hits during that time. Now sixteen, she's touring the world and making new friends, hobnobbing with the stars. 

And she's still considering her roots, influences, and who her friends truly are. Are they the fans that spearhead her movement, The TrueHart Nation, who follow her shows like Grateful Dead groupies? 

Are they the people she left behind in her rise to fame? 

Or is the real challenge of stardom to deal with not the love, but the underlying greed of those who would take advantage of her revised position, using past connections to build future wealth by hanging on to her shirttails? 

Michele Kwasniewski builds on the first story, continuing Dani's self-examination and considerations of the world around her. 

From encounters with the paparazzi in London to the ability of her fans, the TrueHarts, to destroy those who threaten their image of Dani in any way, Dani must reconsider her personal impact in order to find a way through and past a hectic, demanding career that leaves little time for personal space or contemplation: "There is not one minute of the day when I’m not expected to be somewhere, fulfilling a publicity obligation for MEGA, preparing for an upcoming event, or learning something new. I’m exhausted, harried, and constantly annoyed." 

Her compelling story works best when read as a follow-up to Rising Star, but also stands well on its own as a portrait of a successful young woman who considers the end results and impact of her talents on herself and the world around her. 

Young women who would undertake their own bids for fame and fortune will find Burning Bright (and its predecessor) a powerful examinations of culture, community, friendships and motivations that keeps both Dani and her readers guessing about her choices, their consequences, and the ultimate outcome of her life. 

The cliff-hanger conclusion of Burning Bright portends another addition to the series as Dani continues to field challenges beyond her control. 

Collections strong in young adult novels about young achievers (especially those who already have Rising Star) will find Burning Bright a powerful saga of strength, adaptation, and ongoing life challenges. 

Burning Bright

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Cloud Monsters
Francine Piriano-Davila
Mascot Kids
978-1-64543-821-2         $14.95
www.mascotbooks.com 

Cloud Monsters is recommended for advanced elementary to middle grade readers, who will find its action-packed fantasy story just the ticket for an involving leisure book choice. 

The story is narrated in the first person from the perspective of Jack, Charlie's older brother, who is ready to help his sibling celebrate his birthday. But, it's a day filled with more than gift surprises when the cloud monsters invade and begin to carry away everyone he loves. 

It's not unusual to have a storm in the middle of spring, but this one comes out of nowhere to change a bright, sunny day, and heralds the arrival of monsters. 

When aliens force Jack's family to flee the party, they stick together even when the impossible happens. 

It's unusual to see an alien invasion scenario in which the entire family is involved. Typically, the teen protagonist operates outside the family unit in struggles with monsters; but here, the entire family becomes involved in an impossible adventure. That's one of the strengths of Cloud Monsters. Jack is not operating alone, and his entire family faces the prospect of threat and a new life together. 

Both alien and humans share an ideal: "We are all family, and we help each other." 

The expansion of the concept of interconnected lives that grows to embrace alien experience and a changed concept of home results in a vivid story that carries its characters and the reader far beyond the usual alien invasion scenario. 

Young readers who enjoy stories about monsters that may prove to be otherwise, will find Cloud Monsters thought-provoking. Its unexpected twists and turns keep them thinking about who the monsters really are, and how survival and a better life can emerge from seemingly insurmountable adversity and strife. 

This novel approach to the alien invasion theme is refreshingly different. 

Cloud Monsters

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Eighteen
Jenny Jaeckel
Black Rose Writing
9781684338610             $19.95
https://www.blackrosewriting.com/womens/eighteen 

Eighteen-year-old Talia is searching for her place in the world, and speaks to readers about this process. Her story opens on a gray day, as she rides the Green Tortoise bus into Washington to begin her new life. 

From the start, her first-person discussion is evocative and compelling: "The thing I wanted to tell you about, the thing I forgot to tell you about, was that time two years ago I saw seven rainbows all in one day, and I thought it was a good sign, but of what exactly I didn’t know. It was before I started college, before I met Renee, and before I met George and messed things up with George, and my days started feeling like I was climbing over mountains made of a thousand sharp peaks." 

As she confesses that "the idea of home was one which has always slipped through my fingers" due to her hippie parents' commune journeys and their break-up, the origins of her nomadic existence and longing for a home she never knew become engrossing realistic and poignant. 

From the start, Jenny Jaeckel's character is straightforward, savvy, and cognizant of the impact of this past on her search for a future. She's also candid about her fear of change and new things, despite the fluidity of her background and life. 

As she moves into a relationship with George, who harbours a passion for sailing and life, she begins to explore something also new to her—love: "I could feel his beating heart, and my own heart pressed up against his back, and I wondered about liking and I wondered about love." 

Just as she's formulating these new ideas, however, George is offered an opportunity that takes him on a different path, challenging Talia to identify her course in life in a more definite and different manner than she's ever had to do before. 

Jenny Jaeckel's story of the legacy of being a child to parents who are rootless and separated, and the struggle to find a place in this world that feels firm and true, is thoroughly engrossing. It will especially appeal to those raised under similar circumstances, who will find Talia's efforts to move on from both her childhood and adult decisions to be compellingly realistic: "And even though I was supposed to be moving on, even though he’d made things pretty clear, I was still thinking about George." 

A year later, Talia is still in love. And she doesn't know what to do about it. Her decision to move ahead without moving on changes everything. 

This coming-of-age story is sweet and inviting. Talia comes across as a three-dimensional character because Jaeckel draws together all facets of her life: past, present, and future. Her ability to capture Talia's dreams and memories and weave them into the process of making important decisions about the rest of her life are convincing and gripping. 

Readers of all ages who enjoy coming of age stories will appreciate Talia's efforts to move beyond her upbringing and into a different future that brings her closer to a sense of belonging and connection than she's ever had before. 

Eighteen

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Fedor
Brant Vickers
Atmosphere Press
978-1637529447            $18.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

Young adult historical fiction readers will find Fedor an intriguing story based on the true life of Fedor Adrianovitch Jefticheff (aka JoJo the Dog-Faced Boy), an exhibit subject of P.T. Barnum's Circus in the late 1880s. 

More than a circus curiosity, Fedor was an intellectual, an avid reader, and encountered many notable, famous individuals during his time. From his vantage point in a cage as a circus attraction, Fedor's life unfolds to prove richly attractive even to young adults who likely will not have heard of him before this story. 

Brant Vickers creates a vivid fictional survey that is narrated from Fedor's first-person perspective, bringing events to life: "They didn’t believe the stories told about us by our manager. They were smart. Young Nicholas kept looking penetratingly at me. I smiled, but he couldn’t make it out,  and didn’t react. I think the empress recognized somehow that I could understand, so she switched to German, not knowing that I speak three languages. That made me smile. Again, I don’t think they could tell I was smiling." 

Choosing a delivery that moves from the perspective of the main attraction to observations of the impact that circus displays have on viewers creates a particularly thought-provoking series of interactions. These provide much more than one individual's story, but probes the politics and approaches of the circus world and its place in 1800s society. 

The political, literary, and intellectual discourses enjoyed by Fedor, who speaks three languages and is well-read, outline not only his abilities, but a sense of the cultural, political, and social forces of the times as readers are introduced to this world. 

These juxtapose with candid psychological inspections about being the subject of curiosity rather than a human being capable of experiencing emotional depths and desires like anyone else: "He didn’t really get to know me at all, and I realized he never intended to. He only wanted to be able to say he met me." 

Under another hand, it would have been all too easy to maintain a focus on circus life, the prospect of being a curiosity on display to the world, or the social interactions between circus people and others. But Vickers provides a full-faceted inspection that reflects changing times and opportunities as others in positions similar to Fedor's find their lives changing: "I think we’re a curiosity for towners. They don’t see us purely as freaks or blacks, but we bring in the kids and locals accept us now. Mille and Christine speak several languages and can help teach the little babies, too,” Krao said." 

The result is a vivid display that operates on many levels. Fedor is highly recommended for young adult collections strong in not just historical fiction, but social inspections that move between psychological and cultural insights. 

Populated by realistic people, plans, and experiences, Fedor's bid for freedom lingers in the mind long after his story ends. 

Fedor

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Finish the Story! Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid
Jeffrey Bensam
Storyopolis Ventures LLC
978-1-7373361-3-6         $13.99
www.storyopolis.com  

Finish the Story! Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid tells of two children who are watching TV when a storm knocks out the power. What is there to do? Grandma has a story to tell them; but it's not your usual tale. It's a time-travel adventure that involves two kids in Harriet Tubman's secret mission for the Union army. 

As it evolves, this story attracts readers who may not know the history of this part of her life, using fictional components to invite kids to not just read and learn, but participate in the plot's development through a format embedded with interactive elements designed to keep kids both engaged and thinking. 

Jeffrey Bensam creates a platform upon which the young reader joins characters Danny and Kenna in exploring Tubman's real story. It tells of "a military mission that took “General Tubman” from a famous conductor on the Underground Railroad to the first woman to lead an armed military assault in U.S. history. On your Civil War adventure, you’ll need to help Danny and Kenna steer their way through mazes, find hidden clues, and solve puzzles. Finally, you’ll need to help Danny and Kenna decide which of three paths they should take to finish this story." 

From free downloads of challenges and puzzles that can be shared with a group of friends to critical thinking encouragement to be found in hidden inconsistencies within this story, young people are invited to engage not just in history, but in decision-making, problem-solving, and considering history's mysteries. 

More than just an individual pursuit, Finish the Story! Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid can be used by adults for children's groups to guide them to learn in an exciting new way that builds not just history knowledge, but critical thinking skills. 

With its bright, colorful illustrations and activity-reinforced story, Finish the Story! Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid is in a class of its own as a fine learning tool designed to engage even the most reluctant young history learner. 

Finish the Story! Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid

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The Friendly Bookshelf
Caroline and Katherine Brickley
Blossom Children's Media Group
9780998782714             $18.99
www.blossomchildrensmedia.com 

In The Friendly Bookshelf, a picture book for young readers, Bibli is introduced as a bookshelf who was the very first bookshelf in his library. As the library grew, Bibli found himself surrounded by other bookshelves, and is relegated to the back of the children's room. Only Ms. Grammar, the head librarian, visits him regularly to choose a book from his aging shelves. 

One day, Bibli begins to wonder about the existence of a story about a bookshelf like him. Surely, in this now-expanded library, there must be such an autobiographical representation! 

And so Bibli sets out to find that story, but is quickly censured by the other shelves. "Bookshelves are meant to hold stories, not have ones of their own." they tell him. So Bibli tries to "be the best bookshelf he can be," but continues to carry his question. One day, he can't help but reach out to a little girl who similarly feels excluded and unseen. And everything changes, as a result. 

Daniela Pérez-Duarte provides whimsical drawings that nicely capture the little bookshelf's personality and world. 

The Friendly Bookshelf contains fine messages about loneliness, inclusion, meaningful connections, and friendships. Its ability to create a story that eventually answers his question in an unexpected way makes for a tale that provides readers with a gentle message about representation, being true to who you are, and making space for everyone — no matter how different they may seem on the outside — to feel included. 

The Friendly Bookshelf

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Happenstance Farms: A New Home
S. McMichael
Ek-9 Solutions & Services LLC
979-8985032802            $11.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Happenstance-Farms-Home-S-McMichael/dp/B09JFH73KJ 

In Happenstance Farms: A New Home, young horse rider Savanna faces change when her trainer moves away and she is brought to a new horse farm to work with someone different. 

At the old farm, she had lots of friends. Here, she is a stranger. Her horse, Coffee, has also been brought into this new environment, and both must adjust to different situations. 

S. McMichael provides an appealing picture book story of horses, young riders, and change. The vivid color illustrations which capture Savanna's new world and the people in it are strong draws complimenting a story of finding new connections at Happenstance Farms. 

Read-aloud parents will want to use this story to warm young horse enthusiasts to the idea that change and new experiences can be welcoming. 

The affectionate approach, which adds adventure and interest for picture book readers, will best benefit by adult discussions of how to welcome change. 

The beautiful drawings reinforce a message of embracing rather than confronting life changes, offering many opportunities to absorb important lessons about growth. 

Happenstance Farms: A New Home

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Malik's Magic African Alphabet Hat
Malik and Oni Adunni
Mascot Books
978-1-64543-991-2         $16.95
www.mascotbooks.com 

Malik's Magic African Alphabet Hat pairs a rollicking rhyme with a geographic survey of Africa. This picture book story will delight those seeking to teach kids about Africa's diverse cultures and peoples: "One day Malik’s dad, Abdullar, promised/that they’ll travel to see/landmarks and places and do things/in African countries from A to Z." 

It also offers an unexpected lesson about grief, recovery, and the magic in a hat that allows Malik to fulfill the travel plans his father wished for him. 

Lovely, colorful illustrations by Rashad Malik Davis accompany a story that captures the festivals and peoples of the Ivory Coast, Burundi, South Africa, Rwanda, and other African nations. 

As Malik fulfills his dream journey via magic and his father's vision, he not only learns about other cultures, but develops a "state of awe" about his father's shared dreams and how to achieve them. 

Educational and evocative, the story will resonate with any who look for picture books combining adventure with a collection of multifaceted discoveries about African heritage. 

Malik's Magic African Alphabet Hat

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Max and the Isle of Sanctus
John Peragine
Crumblebee Books
978-1-7353896-9-1
$24.99 Hardcover/ $14.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
www.lostevineyardpress.com 

Max and the Isle of Sanctus adds the second fantasy story to John Peragine's Secrets of the Twilight Djinn series for young adults. It is especially recommended for prior fans, who will find Max's latest challenges thoroughly engrossing action reading. 

As Max confronts a fire-breathing dragon and the rising powers of an evil Djinn, his nautical world comes to life in a first-person presentation that immediately involves readers in its atmosphere: "As I opened the cabin door, I had to hold my hand up to shield my eyes from the bright sun reflecting off the water and the pristine white walls of ice that surrounded the bay. Horns blasted from the Ice Palace far above the bay." 

Can Max's magical powers cope with the onslaughts and threats he faces from multiple sources? Add the fact that his beloved mother faces a terrible curse, and it's evident from the start that Max more than has his hands full. 

While prior Max readers will find his latest experiences thoroughly engrossing, it should be noted that newcomers receive references to past events and settings that allow them, too, to enter Max's latest story supported by knowledge of past events: "I remembered reading about ice giants in the book my father had given me, Secrets of the Twilight Djinn. They had dominated the tundra and had ruled most of Arctus before Agus the Just, my dad, had created the snow bears to drive them out. No one had seen them for centuries, and it was assumed that they were gone forever." 

The problem is that Max's magic is unpredictable. He must rely on friends and helpers to achieve his goals. 

From explosions and potions to a desperate search for a missing mother and a dubious reliance on a form of magic that "lies in the heart" and is not always on tap when needed, John Peragine offers another adventure-packed saga that will delight young adults interested in tales of transformation, discovery, and courage. 

The strong characters, from Max to Annalinda and other supporting people in his life, compliment encounters that continually test Max's abilities and courage: "...the infection of the Djinn had spread across the high seas. Nowhere was safe." 

While young adults from middle grades to high school will be the main audience for this story, many an adult fantasy fan will be equally delighted by the dilemmas and history of a struggle for magic and control. 

Max's ongoing ability to learn and grow from each impossible task creates a delightful interplay between adventure and education, keeping readers thoroughly engrossed. 

Fueled by a character challenged by his unreliable abilities and changing life, all ages will find much to enjoy as Max and his Spice Thieves continue to confront the Twilight Army in new ways. 

Max and the Isle of Sanctus

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Max Goes to Town
Cynthia L. Clark
Outskirts Press
978-1977244390            $15.95 Paper/$3.99 ebook
www.outskirtspress.com 

Max Goes to Town is based on a true story, and will warm the hearts of young picture book readers who like tales about cats. 

Paintings by Blueberry Illustrations are beautifully rendered and provide a warm and alluring scenario that captures the sassy personality of cat Max. His adventure is presented in a rollicking rhyme that reflects Max's ongoing presence and importance to the humans who live in his house. 

When the family decides to go to town for dinner without him, Max takes matters into his own paws. 

It's hard to keep a determined cat from wandering, as his family discovers after his first foray into the wider world. 

A surprise ending shows how the family handles their little stowaway's determination to join them.  Max Goes to Town is a delightful story that kids with cats will find especially inviting and fun. 

Max Goes to Town

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Open Eyes, Happy Heart
Carolyn Thompson
Independently Published
978-1735440118    
$24.99 Hardcover/$9.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
Website: www.openeyeshappyheart.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735440116 

It's rare to see a subject embracing sexual abuse and childhood trafficking arranged in such a way that teen audiences can absorb the details without graphic, inappropriate descriptions, but Open Eyes, Happy Heart: A Story of Healing from Sexual Abuse and Childhood Trafficking is designed for this audience. This is an even more important note because, of all the age groups of reader for this subject, teen audiences are the most vulnerable to these threats and need to read about them—albeit in an appropriate manner, represented here. 

Spiritual questions about God's intentions and purpose (in allowing Carolyn Thompson's childhood abuse) intersect in a memoir that presents her hidden history sans the graphic descriptions that usually keep this subject far from teen hands. 

The Biblical references and religious foundations of this book thus will appeal to Christian audiences who want materials appropriate for young adults. 

Broader issues of God's purpose, forgiveness, and finding not just freedom but joy from life after such experiences are addressed in the course of reflecting on these religious questions: "That Scripture started life change. I was now sure of my Heavenly Father’s purpose: my childhood suffering wasn’t for nothing. While He grieved it because He loved me, He could also see the path that presented the greatest opportunity to minister to others. If I was willing to share my testimony, He could use that to save lives. That rocked my world down to its core. When the dust settled, I had a completely new perspective on the Holiness of God." 

Through adult experiences of love and divorce, Thompson searches out and presents discussions of patterns of behavior that "create a positive loop," both in interactions with others and through self-analysis and processing trauma. 

Open Eyes, Happy Heart provides specifics on healing on many different levels: psychologically, spiritually, and socially. As Thompson reviews her life's ups and downs, she creates the connections between Scripture and God and adversity and joy that allow the entire family to come together to consider how life challenges may better be absorbed. 

The result is highly recommended for a variety of collections, from those geared to teen audiences to religious, psychology, and self-help holdings. 

Open Eyes, Happy Heart

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The Polar Bear and the Dragon: Dawn of an Alliance
Debbie Watson
Mission Point Press
978-1-954786-05-9                $14.95 Paper/$7.95 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bear-Dragon-Dawn-Alliance/dp/1954786050 

Whitney is thirteen, and this summer was supposed to be filled with plans and excitement. But what evolves that year, described in The Polar Bear and the Dragon: Dawn of an Alliance, is anything but a good time as she faces terrifying nightmares and the emergence of strange new abilities and develops unexpected longing for a father she’s never met. He perished trying to save a family from a burning building the night she was born. 

Faced with all these challenges, Whitney's first instinct is to confide in her mother Susan, whom she feels close to. But even that reliable rock of strength is thwarted when Whitney senses that doing so could put her mother’s life in danger by those who now threaten her. 

Whitney feels entirely alone until a circle of new friends emerges from an unexpected place to help her face a life that's becoming far different from anything she's ever encountered. 

Traveller, a visitor from Yagdi, has returned to Earth in search of young Whitney. She soon discovers that traveling long distances, especially with a little dragon named Aiden in tow, is a difficult task and regrets having closed her portal between the two worlds. 

It turns out that Whitney's destiny is far stranger than she could have imagined as she faces these impossible beings, learns about her early charge to be a Protector Warrior (the 'Chosen One'), and grows into her abilities and a heritage far outside what she has always known. 

Whitney's unique perspective on life, as well as her powers, hold the key to saving not only her life and her world, but the lives of her new acquaintances and their distant world. 

Even at age thirteen, Whitney's experiences and upbringing help her understand others: "Whitney felt a new resolve building inside her.  Knowing how difficult this would be for her own mother helped her understand the depth of concern Aiden’s parents must have to send their young son away to keep him safe." 

Her empathy, changing perspectives, and connections to family, friends, and new possibilities keep The Polar Bear and the Dragon: Dawn of an Alliance a riveting read on more than one level as Whitney figures out how best to help herself and those around her. She and new friend Edward find themselves in training for the struggles to come. 

Debbie Watson has crafted an engaging fantasy for young adults. It operates on different levels as it explores personal transformation and renewed connections between self and the world. 

As magical realism combines with a coming of age story with a twist, readers become engrossed not just because of its fantasy elements, but by their influence on young Whitney's evolving persona. 

Having the psychological growth factor an intrinsic part of not just realizing new powers and stepping up to use them appropriately, but re-drawing perceptions of and connections to the world, results in a read that is captivating both for adventure-oriented readers and those seeking stories of young women on the cusp of personal empowerment. 

The Polar Bear and the Dragon: Dawn of an Alliance opens a series that is highly recommended for middle grade and young adults, whether they are interested in fantasy or coming-of-age sagas. It should be noted that this is the first book in a two-book series, so readers who appreciate this story have another to look forward to. 

The Polar Bear and the Dragon: Dawn of an Alliance

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The Polar Bear and the Dragon Dream Jumper
Debbie Watson
Mission Point Press
978-1954786394           
$22.95 Hardcover; $14.95 softcover; $7.95 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bear-Dragon-Dream-Jumper/dp/1954786395 

The Polar Bear and the Dragon Dream Jumper, Book Two of a two-book series, is recommended for prior fans of Book One who want to continue the ongoing story of teens Whitney and Edward, newly charged with protecting young Aiden, the future dragon ruler of Yagdi. 

Aiden awaits his own transformation into a powerful force; but until that time, Whitney and her friends must keep him safe. And threats abound from a dangerous potential ruler who would take over Yagdi before Aiden comes into his powers. 

What's a good way to attack one's enemies? Divide them. Whitney’s alliance has been divided as some must return to Yagdi to battle their enemy while Whitney and Edward remain on Earth. They must protect the young dragon, Aiden, just as communication between alliance members becomes increasingly difficult. 

Middle grade readers and teens ages 10 and older will find the dilemmas Whitney faces captivating on many levels as she struggles to thwart forces that would take over and quash the banished wizards who have created a nightmare. 

As new "amazing assets" to their cause step up, Whitney and Edward face an impossible mission that tests their resolve, their perceptions, and their blossoming abilities. 

As in her prior story, Debbie Watson focuses on the alliances, growth opportunities, and revised visions of life that drive the characters onwards and upwards in their mission. 

Fear forges alliances to a "hideous boss," but something with much greater powers motivates those who defy him. 

As the dream jumper/wizard and young Whitney summon their powers for the final confrontation, readers receive an epic series of encounters that reflect an underlying belief that "everything happens for a reason." 

Even disaster? 

Watson's story is a powerful fantasy that will appeal to middle graders and young adults into new adult audiences. 

As both Traveller and Whitney cultivate new directions in their lives ("I plan to surround myself with those who give me happiness.”), readers receive a vivid adventure that reflects revised values and visions of the future. 

Collections strong in epic fantasy sagas will find this series a fine acquisition that operates as both entertainment and psychological education. 

The Polar Bear and the Dragon Dream Jumper

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Popper and Friends: Popper Finds a New Home
IL Ritchie
Mascot Books
9781645439929             $16.95
https://www.amazon.com/Popper-Friends-Finds-New-Home/dp/1645439925 

Popper Finds a New Home introduces the first book in the 'Popper and Friends' picture book series, and enjoys whimsical, delightfully appealing drawings by Yulia Potts as it presents a little woodpecker who grows out of his bed and his familiar life. 

Not only is he no longer a baby, but it's time to leave his parents' home and build his own nest. 

As Popper enters an unfamiliar outside world filled with possible locations that don't really work well for woodpeckers, he's charged with learning all the elements that make for a good woodpecker home. 

His new nest must not be near water or low to the ground and it must be outside, where he can "create his home in the fresh air." Indeed, there are so many requirements for the perfect woodpecker abode that Popper wonders if he'll ever find the perfect locale. 

Kids learn about woodpecker natural history, problem-solving, independence, and growth as Popper navigates this new world, makes new friends, and faces his first real dilemma in life. 

Popper Finds a New Home introduces these concepts for the young, cultivating an encouraging voice that, in the end, leads to Popper's unexpected choice and a successful outcome. 

Read-aloud parents will relish this early lesson on maturing and achieving goals, supported by the observations and help of those who become unexpected new friends. 

Popper and Friends: Popper Finds a New Home

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Rising Star
Michele Kwasniewski
Rand-Smith Publishing
978-1-950544-16-5        
$20.00 Paper/$8.99 ebook/$17.46 audio
www.Rand-Smith.com 

Book One in the Rise and Fall of Dani Trueheart series, Rising Star, reaches young adult girls interested in stories of struggle and achievement. It documents the story of fifteen-year-old Dani, who is being pushed by her mother to use her musical talents to become a pop star. Dani seems just as driven towards reaching this goal. Or, is she? 

Ironically, just as she's beginning to reconsider her scheming mother's influence, Dani achieves her dreams and leaves familiar circles to enter a world filled with new influences and people who push her in different directions. 

Sporting a new legal guardian, a new manager, and dubious new friends, Dani moves into the music industry and her singing career without benefit of the forces that have supported her all her young life. 

One strength to Rising Star is Michele Kwasniewski's attention to capturing Dani's evolving feelings as she butts heads with her parents and the world: “So much has happened in the past few days. Everything is changing except for the fact that my mom cannot stop making everything about herself. I feel horrible because I said some terrible things to them. But I gotta be honest, Martin. I really meant what I said. I just wish…I don’t know…”

“That you’d said it differently?” I nod at the phone. “Yeah.” 

Dani's first-person observations, analysis, and insights drive the tale of a talented young woman's first forays into the professional world, the challenges this world poses to the young and uninitiated, and what happens when she leaves not just family, but all her familiar support systems behind. 

Dani may be moving on (and moving upward), but at heart she's still an impressionable, naïve teenager. And her desires and abilities are still fluid. 

Kwasniewski is also skilled at capturing the emotions and motivations of everyone around Dani. While Dani still gets to tell the story from her perspective, her growing maturity and ability to understand what drives others to achieve creates moving dialogues between parents, friends, and new influencers alike: "I never asked to do all this in the first place. I was just a little kid who wanted to take tap. This was all her idea!” I shove my hands in my pockets. “I just wish she loved me for who I am. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

My dad stares down at me, listening and chewing his lip. “I know it’d mean more coming from her, but she does love you very much. I’m sorry she doesn’t express it as well as she should, but you and Geena mean the world to her. Maybe if I let her know how you’re feeling…”

“No! Dad, please don’t. It’ll only make things worse. You know every time someone says something that isn’t positive, she takes it personally and gets all upset. Then she’ll somehow turn it into something to be mad at me for, like I was bad mouthing her or something..." 

Sometimes you don't know what you want, but have to accept that life brings the best you'll get. 

As Dani moves into, through, and past her new life, young women who read her story will find themselves taking a second look at their own life trajectories and influences. 

The result is a moving story not just of achievement, but coming of age. This rising star shines brightly. Collections strong in young adult fiction for young women who reach for their own goals will find Rising Star examines the foundations of achievement in a satisfyingly complex, different manner that doesn't eschew the concept of success and stardom, but looks at them in a different, life-changing light. 

Rising Star

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Romancing the Darkness
Tyler R. Snyder
Crystal Publishing, LLC
978-1-942624-62-2         $19.95
www.amazon.com 

Book 1 of a young adult fantasy series, Romancing the Darkness, leads readers into a rich milieu in which Tristan defies the rule which governs his life (that royals and commoners cannot mix) and finds himself in trouble. Rayna is a princess. He is her half-elf guardian. And he's something more, to the headstrong princess. 

As a guardian, Tristan has heard and believed in these guiding words all his young life: “Protect the royal family members with your very being. And protect each other.” 

But as the edicts of his duty fade and fall under siege from forces of destructive Dividers, Tristan learns that he may be the only force that can save them. 

One discovery Tristan makes is that, despite his upbringing, his world is always changing...and so are the roles of royals, guardians, and others. In order to maintain his place and purpose, he must adopt a brand of flexibility, in turn, that was never part of his training. 

Rayna doesn't want to be protected. She wants to fight the evolving battle. And Tristan finds that his purpose and efforts are changed by her attitude and the rise of forces that may prove undefeatable by the strengths that either of them holds. 

Tristan finds himself in prison, separated from Rayna and Morgan and his charge to keep them safe. He manages to overcome this and other obstacles, noting wryly that "saving everyone does have its perks" while he fights a war in which winning is the goal. Or, is it? 

Tyler R. Snyder crafts a young adult fantasy replete not just in action, but moral and ethical issues as Tristan seeks to redefine his goals, his loyalties, and his purposes in life. 

Snyder adds social inspection to this story as the characters evolve, from protected princesses who become fighters for a surprising cause to guardians who must accept their revised roles. 

The characterization and interplays between Tristan and those around him are nicely done, filled with unexpected twists that keep young readers engaged and wondering, while the action and fantasy elements are solidly compelling. 

The result is a fine story of personal and social evolution that will delight young adult fantasy fans looking for an exceptional adventure story. 

Romancing the Darkness

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When Sadness Comes to Visit
Faith Joy Solum
Faith Joy Books
9781737572619             $15.76 Hardcover/$9.99 Paper
www.faithjoybooks.com 

When Sadness Comes to Visit illustrates a problem for picture book readers (indeed, all ages will benefit from its message): that when sadness lies in the heart, it's important to 'sit' with it and acknowledge it rather than deflect its underlying messages via the distractions of life. 

But, parent coach and former behavioral health specialist/author Faith Joy Solum offers more than advice on how to 'sit' with and connect more fully with one's emotions. She also gives an anecdote to sadness and grief that comes along with 'sitting': gratitude. 

When Sadness Comes to Visit cultivates two important approaches to sadness: acceptance, and cultivating gratitude in order to move on more effectively in life. 

The story opens with a child's-eye reflection: "When my feelings come to visit, I always invite them in." This is followed by an acknowledgement that some feelings are more difficult than others ("When sadness comes to visit, he usually stays the longest."). 

Accompanied by blue Sadness and differently colored visual figures, the story chronicles how Sadness follows the young narrator throughout his life and day. No matter what is happening or how hard the young protagonist tries to hide, Sadness is close by. 

Sadness often brings along his friends, Pity, Shame, and Regret. 

Faith Joy Solum does one of the best jobs this reviewer has seen (in 40 years of reviewing) of illustrating emotions and their impact in word and pictures for all ages. The impact is especially powerful paired with the beautifully captivating illustrations by Ethan Roffler. 

Picture book readers and their read-aloud parents will readily understand these emotional characters and their impact; especially the difference between the uninvited Sadness, who will stay a very long time, and Gratitude, who
"...doesn't usually stop by. I have to invite him over." 

Empowerment, understanding, and acknowledgement are the strengths of this picture book story and are the perfect places for growth and better approaches to understanding Sadness and Gratitude alike. 

If there were only one primer chosen about exploring emotions for the very young reader and their families, When Sadness Comes to Visit should be at the top of the list for every home and in lending libraries where young children come to visit books and emotions alike. 

When Sadness Comes to Visit

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Zulu the Pupa
Joyce Y. Taylor
Independently Published
978-1-956202-00-7         $17.99 Hardcover/$12.99 Paper
www.joyceytaylor.com
  

Zulu the Pupa is the first picture book in the 'A Tale of Dung Beetle' series and features an unusual protagonist in the form of Zulu, a beetle pupa who lives in the 'land of the rainbow nation, South Africa.' 

Zulu was told by his parents early in life that he will grow to become the greatest, best dung beetle of all. Then they move away from Zulu, leaving him all alone. He begins to doubt himself...and the smelly world he's inherited. 

All the other creatures around him, from ants to fireflies, operate in a supportive community and do great things. Nothing Zulu does seems either amazing or helpful to the world, in comparison. 

Zulu makes friends, but their skills do not match his. He finds himself unable to dig with the ants, sing with the crickets, or fly with the ladybugs. In fact, he seems to have no useful skills at all... 

Until everything changes. 

To support her uplifting story of adversity, individual achievement, and life objectives, Joyce Y. Taylor crafts especially bright, gorgeous, large-size color drawings of Zulu's world. 

From early lessons on self-acceptance and transformation to insights about cultivating positivity and achievement, Zulu the Pupa introduces an unusual little character who doesn't seem to fit into the productive environment around him. 

Natural history facts about the dung beetle, a glossary of pronunciation for the South African names, and discussions of envisioning present-day and future purpose in contributing to life in an uplifting manner create a picture book which is especially vivid and unexpectedly thought-provoking for its focus on the dung beetle. 

Read-aloud parents and adults looking for early lessons about change and positive perspectives will relish the opportunity to reinforce these messages with Zulu the Pupa, the first in a series. The story concludes with a mystery, creating a smooth introduction and setting the stage for a follow-up story.

Zulu the Pupa

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