July 2015 Review Issue
Biography & Autobiography
Harebrained:
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
Meg Myers Morgan
Gem Publishing
978-0-692-41673-0 $4.99
Kindle $14.95
Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/
Meg Myers Morgan is a mother, a professor, and a wife, and her essay collection reflects the duality of her life and its humorous aspects: perfect for readers looking for some light reflective reading blending autobiography with philosophical insight.
Why pick Harebrained over other humor/autobiographical blends? For one thing, it's easy reading: just the ticket for offsetting more complicated works that demand a philosophical, reflective background from its readers. The opening essay, for example, uses one of the author's influential teachers as its subject and clearly shows where the early impetus for writing came from and how adult encouragement leads to ultimate success: "…I felt certain someone as magical and inventive as Mrs. Humble could help me with my biggest goal in life: to write a book.When I told her one day during free time, she pulled down her big, thick glasses, turned and twitched her head like an ostrich, and said: “Well, there’s no time like the present!” And she slammed a large stack of blank paper down in front of me."
Ultimately, it's the lessons learned from experience that make the essay - in this case, a child's acceptance of the difficulties involved in writing: "Two important lessons came out of that experience: The first was that it is incredibly arduous to write a quality book filled with interesting and original thoughts. And the second is that it is truly difficult to satisfy the reader. Perhaps impossible."
Expect a free-flowing series of essays (and a play and a poem!) that follow the author's life and highlight transition points and learning experiences. Enjoy a discussion that focuses on success, failures, and family interactions - as in a Thanksgiving that begins with a furious wasp bite and ends with a scalding.
Harebrained is all about connections between community, family, and life's slings and arrows. It's hilarious, easy reading and it's accessible to all as an example of the autobiographical essay form at its best. Speaking of 'best', Morgan's real strength lies in the ability to produce unexpected twists to each essay's conclusion and, ultimately, to take the opening story of the series and neatly sandwich it between layers of fun interaction, concluding with the wellspring of inspiration that opened the collection and ultimately produced a vivid, successful writer.
Harebrained: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
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Business
Get
Hired!
Mara Braverman
Succeed At Work Press
ISBN 978-0-9908763-0-4 (Kindle)
ISBN 978-0-9908763-1-1 (ePub) $3.99
www.SucceedAtWork.co
Ordering Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Get-
Barnes
& Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
iBooks:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Get Hired! 20 Steps to Your First Professional Job — from Building Your Resume to Proving You’re the Person to Hire at first glance seems to join a host of similar-sounding job-hunting strategy guides; but this book holds an important difference in identifying the process of creating and marketing a professional image, and thus stands out above 'how to write a resume' and 'how to conduct an interview' approaches.
The entire focus is not upon producing content, but on standing out from the crowd to get hired. This involves some twenty different steps that, yes, includes resumes and interviews; but also features the specific approaches that differentiate 'stand-out' from 'average'.
It's easy to say one should present a professional appearance; something else to identify the elements that identify 'professional'. Get Hired! achieves this with chapters of detail that pinpoint these differences and include many considerations other career books miss, such as making sure that one's credit report is powerful and accurate, and making a convincing case to a company that you're the one they should hire over others.
Many elements are involved in handling situations and circumstances to ensure such a polished attitude at all stages of the process: take the phone interview process, as just one example: "Control the setting. Ideally, the phone interview will be scheduled for a time and place where you have privacy and are unlikely to be interrupted. But the call may come at any time, so always carry with you your resume and notes about points you want to make. Arrange a signal with your family and friends that means, “I need privacy and quiet while I take this call.” Think ahead about what you’ll do if a call comes while you’re at your current job. Is there a private place to take the call? Could you step outside? Or would it be better to arrange a time to speak later?
Control extraneous noise. Turn off music, the radio, or TV and close windows and doors. At the start of the interview, apologize for the noise you can’t control. For example, “Please excuse the traffic noise. Your call came while I was driving, and I’ve pulled into a parking space.” If the noise is still too loud, ask if you can call back when you’ve reached a quieter location."
It's all about being not just a 'good fit' for the job, but a great fit. Where other books admonish with generalities, this one offers precise paths to success. Where other books adopt logical processes for producing acceptable results, Get Hired! always identifies the elements that differentiate 'average and acceptable' from 'great'. And, it's these elements that will land the job!
Get Hired!
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Fantasy & Sci Fi
Dawn
of Wonder (The Wakening, Book 1)
Jonathan Renshaw
Publisher: Jonathan Renshaw
ASIN:
B00VV63K22
$3.99
www.jrenshaw.com
When the opening pages of any given fantasy novel begin with a map and a list of name pronunciations, the reader knows complexity will surely follow – and a delightful, winding style of complexity it is, with Dawn of Wonder taking its time to build character, plot, subplot, and motivation – something all too many modern books miss in the effort to churn out quick formula productions.
Dawn of Wonder centers on a young country-boy adventurer whose world is shaken when startling news reaches his village. It is news that will change all their lives.
True to the genre of epic fantasy, there is a journey; there is a threat to everything Aedan knows, involving an ancient power's rise; and of course the young man gets into trouble and finds himself in way over his head. But these are just the outer layers of a story that is packed with depth and complexity. These layers, when pulled away, just keep revealing more surprises.
If it's a quick-thrills read that's desired, move along. Dawn of Wonder foregoes 'quick and saccharine' for the satisfying choice of 'long and compelling', building the details of a vast production.
I can't wait for Book Two. If this first story is any indicator, it will be along the lines of a Robert Jordan 'Wheel of Time' epic series.
Dawn of Wonder (The Wakening, Book 1)Return to Index
Haw
Sean Jackson
Harvard Square Editions
978-1-941861-06-6
www.HarvardSquareEditions.org
Preorder: http://harvardsquareeditions.
Amazon: Haw
Haw's very title doesn't give much warning about its contents, much less about its futuristic society setting and a father's struggle to save his son from corruption - and that's just one intriguing facet in a genre replete with dystopian writings, here: one just doesn't anticipate the events coming, in Haw.
Bioengineer Lucas and his son live in a city on the edge of disaster, and so they flee to a rural farming community, where his son falls in love with one of the sons of a family.
There are a lot of contrasts in this story: the gritty urban world versus rural struggles, the different facets of love in a time of disaster, and the choices involved in a commitment to personal and community survival. Against this backdrop, the rough world is deftly portrayed: "All he can think about is water. He’s seen rusty tanks and leaky lines, the stagnant reservoir ponds choked with bacteria. Lucas knows the hardships facing his efforts to find enough velocity to scour the city pipes clean to protect the city’s fragile supply of drinking water. It’s a losing battle. Some are saying it’s already lost."
A nuclear reactor's possible collapse with its wide-ranging social and political ramifications that go beyond radiation, choices made while navigating one's way through the ranks to survive socially and politically, and the collapse of individuals, institutions and communities all prove compelling when accompanied by solid observations and protagonists: "Orel does not know of the preacher’s sudden and tragic death upstairs. Nor does he know of the new widow’s suicide on the heels of this tragedy. And he can never know of the giggling girls’ weeping route to troubled family in Kentucky. Ghost stories are one thing; brutal deaths are another. But he has seen the eerie letters and the words they spell out in his closet. He has an idea, a very good idea, that something went terribly wrong in this church."
With a title such as Haw, it's hard to predict the nature of the yarn to be spun and the stories played out. Ultimately, it's about love, death, and finding peace in a stormy, changing world. Deliciously dark and compelling insights interspersed with moments of enlightenment and hope are the driving force of a novel that focuses on the course of survival and what is lost in that process. Very highly recommended: a powerful read that's hard to put down!
HawReturn to Index
Pearls
of Destiny
Neil
E. Clement
MTCC Publishing Company
978-0-9895378-9-6
$4.99 Kindle, Nook,
and Google
Books
www.mtccpc.com
At first it seems like an accident: a gamma ray hits Planet Irth and destroys all life on it, leaving only its outer colonies as survivors. But as the survivors discover more, they come to realize the event was actually a deliberate attack - and their secret weapon, The Pearls of Destiny, may come into play in a kind of retribution that has not been seen by the universe before.
What does all this have to do with P.I. Jem James Telemachus, who opens the story with a fiery encounter with a disgruntled but striking female stranger? Plenty; because Telemachus has just gotten himself a lucrative contract with a rich client who wants him to locate her sister and bring her home safely. The only trouble is, his new search-and-rescue mission falls directly in the path of a greater danger and calls upon his unusual second sight ability to add an investigate edge to the story.
Science fiction readers should, therefore, expect a plot that toes the line between sci-fi and an investigative detective story. Add more than a light dose of political involvements and intrigue and you have much more than a saga of a world's destruction and resulting revenge: it's a winding, first-person analytical piece that centers around the search for Maggie and the cast of characters involved in her life.
That's not to say that science fiction isn't embedded into the story line ("Humankind has little choice but to leave the nest or face zero possibility of long-term survival. Which might explain why I am now standing in the lead habitat looking out the viewport at the yawning more-than-ten-miles-wide circular mirror surface that is the entry to the worm tunnel that should take us to the vicinity of the star we call Vega.") - only that in many places, it isn't the main attraction.
There are political overtones ("In 2053 the people of the free world became fed up with being subjugated by political power systems clearly favoring the wealthy while simultaneously bleeding and subjugating the masses."), personal lives, and the concerns and relationships of individuals as well as humanity as whole.
All these meld into a story that is complex, changing, and especially recommended for both science fiction and investigative fiction readers looking for something out of the ordinary; something that transcends either of its genres to provide a riveting, remarkable plot that begins with a missing woman and eventually evolves into black hole weaponry and intelligent beings. The Pearls of Destiny covers everything that happens between and, without spoilers, ends with an unexpected bang that draws together Telemachus's concerns and universe-changing events.
Pearls of DestinyReturn to Index
Regina Shen: Resilience
Lance Erlick
Finlee Augare Books
P.O. Box 1805
Palatine, IL 60078
978-0-9914643-5-7
$12.95 (print), $3.99
(Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/Regina-
Regina Shen and her family are outcasts in a world being deluged by rising waters from climate change - but a hurricane is proving to be the least of her problems as The World Federation which has condemned her family discovers that her unique DNA may prove the salvation of humanity itself; and so she goes from an unwanted outcast to a wanted outcast.
Only Regina's knowledge of the swamps and wetlands created by climate change can keep her from the clutches of a savvy and sly Federation: but, for how long? She now has two problems: locating the family lost to her in the storm, and avoiding the bounty hunters and clutches of the Federation that rules her world.
Under a different hand, Regina Shen: Resilience (the first book in a projected series) could have been more one-dimensional (so many young adult dystopian stories are). Using a different approach, it could have focused on the physical challenges of disaster, on a teen girl's coming of age, or on a family's obstacles to survival. But any who expect Regina Shen to be your typical teen disaster story are in for a surprise: it tackles issues of freedom, domination, change in the face of challenge, and a feisty girl whose flexibility and love of learning prove her keys to success.
Regina's acceptance of her world creates a story that is believable and involving on both a political and a personal level - and that's a fine line indeed, incorporating elements of past and present events to create an atmosphere of future reality firmly cemented in present-day fact: "…life outside the Richmond Swamps seemed unimaginable. This was the only world I knew, unless you counted the literary world of banned books by ancients such as Charles Dickens, Isaac Asimov, and David Brin."
In such a future, the fine lines between 'good' and 'evil' are blurred - but Regina stands out firmly as 'good', even to strangers who encounter her. In such a world, the elements of survival are intrinsically linked to an ability to present a refreshingly honest face to strangers: "Therese couldn’t help wondering why the injured girl so interested Antiquities, the Federation, and her. Regina was a tough girl, a survivor, not unpleasant in the way other desperate souls became during and after storms. It had been the lack of guile that convinced Therese to help her…"
It's Regina's perceptions of the wants, needs, and efforts of those around her (strangers she encounters, who become 'family') that drives a story line that is personal as well as political ("Guilt. I’d added burdens on her while she tried to help me stay safe. Already, I thought of the twins as my sisters, though they couldn’t replace Colleen. But more bodies meant more heat signatures for patrols and bounty hunters to find."). These elements, together, create a story line that is compelling, vivid, realistic, and with far more psychological depth than the usual young adult dystopian read.
In Regina's world, there's a lot to gain and a lot to lose. Resilience's satisfying conclusion leaves the door open for more Regina stories but provides a logical ending for this particular saga, which makes for both a powerful predecessor to a series and a rewarding stand-alone read.
Regina Shen: ResilienceReturn to Index
Regina Shen: Vigilance
Lance Erlick
Finlee Augare Books
PO Box 1805
Palatine, IL 60078
978-1-943080-01-4
$12.95
(print), $3.99 (Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/Regina-
This second novel in the Regina Shen series continues the engrossing post-apocalyptic saga begun in the first book. The setting is a world where the ice caps have melted and created two levels of society, and Regina is one of the outcasts here until authorities discover her unique DNA makeup, which holds possibilities for the continued existence of an increasingly threatened humanity.
Book One set the stage and should really be enjoyed before Vigilance; but even newcomers to this series will be able to quickly absorb its setting and characters, which open with Regina's concerns about her new family and threats to its existence. She's on a mission, hunting for a kidnapped sister - and to do so, she must jump the wall and enter a forbidden world filled with uncertainty and threats.
Part of what drives the action in the Regina Shen series is psychological depth: Regina doesn't just react to events; she strives to understand the people behind them: "Alice was cute in a big-girl way. But she had hunger in her eyes to get what she wanted. In the swamps, I avoided bartering with her type. They tried to steal what you brought, and then steal what little they bartered in exchange. Afterwards, they gloated at your misfortune."
In any fictional account, it's this level of emotional depth and attention to motivations behind actions that elevate the superior read from the mundane nonstop staccato action thriller - and Regina Shen: Vigilance features this in abundance.
From the psyche of the Federation and its different lifestyles ("“You want to race?” I asked. “That’s Marginal,” she whispered. “The Federation promotes Harmony, not competition.”") to nefarious plans to exploit Regina's DNA for less than altruistic or survival purposes, the story line is fast-paced but loses none of its tension by exploring different protagonists' motivations and concerns.
The result is a gripping sequel in the series, highly recommended for both prior fans and newcomers to Regina Shen.Regina Shen: Vigilance
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Health
Creating
Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient
Ronda Parsons
Rowman & Littlefield
4501 Forbes Blvd. #200
Lanham, MD 20706
9781442227552
$38.00 www.rowman.com
Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient offers a positive new approach to handling dementia patients and stems from the author's ten years of experience. It's designed to help fellow caregivers understand the stages of dementia and how to create connections and positive experiences through them all.
This guide is highly recommended for caregivers and professionals who deal with dementia and Alzheimer's patients on a daily basis. Where other guides may talk about communication and management, this book reaches beyond these subjects and addresses the fundamentals of life - joy and meaning - and emphasizes patient individuality; not a 'one size fits all' program.
Chapters empower caregivers by exploring their key roles in defining and imparting this sense of meaning and joy in everyday interactions, and they outline the types of experiences that lend to not just better understanding, but alternative ways of interaction that achieve better, more positive results for everyone.
In many ways Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient fills in the gaps created by similar-sounding books by discussing the complications of memory changes and the psychological reactions of patients and caregivers during the process. Each chapter concludes with tangible insights, communication tips that emphasize flexibility and understanding, and approaches that lend dignity and joy into every encounter.
Compelling and satisfyingly specific, Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient offers what few others have achieved: a sense of renewed purpose and concrete approaches that go beyond 'handling' and move into areas of positive experiences for all involved.
Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia PatientReturn to Index
Exploring
Your Unplanned Pregnancy: Single Motherhood, Adoption, Abortion
Questions and
Resources
Tyne
Traverson
Cairde, Karuna & Hedd Publishing, LLC
c/o Taylor English Duma LLP
1600 Parkwood Circle, Suite 400, Atlanta, Georgia
30339
978-0-9862583-0-5 - paperback - $12.95
978-0-9862583-1-2 -
ebook
$3.99
ASIN number: B00UOANN50
http://
Exploring Your Unplanned Pregnancy is designed to be a woman's companion as she explores the choices, consequences, and possibilities of not just a pregnancy, but an unplanned event - and here is where this book differs substantially from other books on pregnancy and motherhood.
It pairs information with discussions of the decision-making processes at every turn, and is carefully couched so as to not promote a set course of action. Considering the social and ethical eggshell-walking this must have involved, this is no light achievement.
Nobody facing an unplanned pregnancy needs to read a book forcing them on a particular path. Ideally, a discussion should be informational and strive for a sense of dispassionate exploration of all the options: in this, Exploring Your Unplanned Pregnancy more than succeeds.
From 'Avoiding Overload' to 'Basic Questions', chapters covering the biological father, abortion, single motherhood, and adoption choices are couched in such a manner as to lend to at-a-glance information and reference as well as browsing or cover-to-cover reading.
Those who already have a sense of the process can use it to review the facts and options, while those newly informed about their pregnancy will find it a virtual treasure trove of detail. From resource chapters to overviews of single motherhood and the types of family dialogues which can take place, this leaves nothing to wonder and should be in every general lending library as an essential reference.
Exploring Your Unplanned Pregnancy: Single Motherhood, Adoption, Abortion Questions and ResourcesReturn to Index
Oral
7™ Hygiene Instructions Paint Your Mouth
Dr. Garth Pettit, GarGar the Dentist
Your Smile 2 Shine Pty. Ltd.
978-0-9873462-8-5
$4.99
www.amazon.com
We're all familiar with the admonition to brush your teeth, but dentist Dr. Garth Pettit (a.k.a. GarGar the Dentist)'s Oral 7™ Hygiene Instructions Paint Your Mouth advocates something a little different: the concept of 'painting' one's mouth to not just clean teeth, but cover surfaces with a protective layer of paste, foregoing the usual rinsing that brushing involves.
His prior books presented a colorful range of animals and various approaches to teach very young children how to 'mouth paint'. Oral 7™ Hygiene Instructions Paint Your Mouth foregoes all the simplified animals and directions to appeal to a slightly older audience who doesn't need these devices, but does need the how-to information.
Colorful dental models are used to outline the basics of mouth painting, while accompanying directions not only impart the basics of oral hygiene but delve into tooth anatomy, how plaque develops, the differences between harmful and helpful plaque, and more.
While this is directed to kids, it's provided at a higher level of information than Dr. Pettit's previous books, and holds plenty of information to reach adult audiences, as well, making Oral 7™ Hygiene Instructions Paint Your Mouth an accessible program of care recommended for all audiences.Oral 7™ Hygiene Instructions Paint Your Mouth
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Poetry
City
Times and Other Poems
Vihang Naik
AuthorHouse
ASIN: B00J2PMXXG
$3.99
http://www.amazon.com/City-
Most modern poetry collections strive for the emotional connection and the ethereal description of self and place, so it's refreshing to see a different, more philosophical and studied approach, in City Times and Other Poems, a collection well grounded not in observational emotion, but in reflection.
The collection is divided into six segments that, when taken together, read like a travelogue of experience that focus on the urban inhabitants of cityscapes and their lives and meaning.
Between self and observation there are discussions of the paths of wisdom, how human beings mirror their environments, and what transpires in the places between ego and enlightenment. Naik treds lightly in this area and produces a collection that is rooted in the process of reflection and analysis. Perhaps his strongest works are represented in the sections 'Mirrored Men', which takes the image of man and juxtaposes it with creatures in nature (the chameleon, the crab), and his section on wisdom ("Do not touch rainbow/with reason…nor should you/divide the atom further-/you'll end up rhyming/without flavour.")
The short free verse pieces are succinct and loaded meaning: highly recommended works for any poetry reader seeking a more philosophical, observational style and flavor than most modern poets would impart.
City Times and Other PoemsReturn to Index
A
Journey in Thoughts
Isaac Mack Toney Jr.
AuthorHouse™
1663
Liberty Drive
Bloomington,
IN 47403
ISBN: 978-1-5049-0649-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-5049-0648-7 (e)
www.authorhouse.com
The first thing to realize about Isaac Mack Toney Jr.'s poetry collection A Journey in Thoughts is that it's free verse which asks questions of life, as evidenced in the first poem 'Why'. Connections between questions of emotions and the heart are drawn which bask in the timeless questions of mankind and love: "Tell me why can’t I see the sun through that silver lining?/And tell me why is my heart the one that always needs refining?"
There's some rhyming structure in some of the verses, but one benefit of A Journey in Thoughts is that it allows its thoughts to flow without consideration of hitching itself to a particular iambic pentameter or rhyme format: thus, when the rhymes do occur, they feel natural and not forced.
Toney's topics proceed from inward inspection to wider philosophical contemplation, as in 'On Man and Age', where readers are given a short examination of the aging process: "A man and his age can be left to themselves,/A man and his age can be counted old and satisfied."
If it's contemplative poetic journeys that are desired, spiced with (but not dictated by) rhyme and a personal touch that melds philosophical with psychological elements, then A Journey in Thoughts is the item of choice.
A Journey in Thoughts
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Self-Help
The
Bullied Anthology: Stories of Success
Author: Multiple Contributors
Reading
Harbor
9780692452219
$14.95
www.readingharbor.com
The Bullied Anthology: Stories of Success is dedicated to misfits and outcasts - any who have found themselves on the wrong side of popularity - and provides a powerful anthology that's unexpected in its subject: how to turn the results of bullying into a success story.
That's not to say that bullying is condoned: far from it! It IS to say that it's possible to make lemonade out of lemons by translating bullying's effects into positive strengths for meeting life's challenges.
Chapters reveal this process through survivor experiences: "Survivors take the negativity that they were fed and, instead of letting it transform them, transform it. They learn from it and grow from it. They use their experience as fuel to light their inner fire, to motivate them toward their goals. They become smarter, wiser, and kinder—pushing themselves beyond ordinary boundaries. They use their misfortune to propel them forward into a future brimming with success and happiness. These are their stories."
Narratives are diverse and consist of first-person autobiographical pieces outlining the bullying experience and how it was integrated into a bigger picture of strength. These aren't ideals; they are specifics; and herein lies the exceptional approach of this book: "I continued training and even started competing in various tournaments, which built my physical and mental strength. I learned that bullying doesn’t have to be a part of anyone’s life. I began setting high goals for myself because I knew that if I could overcome bullying early in my life, I could do anything I set my mind on. I gained the clarity, discipline, and confidence that would eventually lead me to go to school to attain my career goal as a paramedic for SWAT. I want to help and protect others in their most vulnerable times of need."
If it's a celebration of the process of translating adversity into success that's desired, then The Bullied Anthology provides the impetus for understanding. Certainly, given the current popularity of this hot topic, the book should be in every educator's collection and provided as a wellspring of inspiration for any who are struggling with bullying in their lives.
Return to Index
Sports
Reality
Check: Travels in the Australian Ice Hockey League
Reality
Check: Travels in the Australian Ice Hockey League
opens in
an unusual manner, pairing a map of Australian hockey cities and their
vast
distances with chapters divided by meet dates and descriptions of
action as
vivid as: "Raw
hockey and earthy delights
in the timewarp museum." A large
'cast of
characters' follows before the story begins: enough to warn that there
are two
prerequisites to appreciating Reality Check:
an appreciation for the sport of ice hockey and an ability to enjoy an
Australian setting. Those
two
prerequisites met, readers can expect a vivid saga about a thriving
national
ice hockey league that documents interactions between players both
within and
outside the team and achievements of a little-revealed Australian
sports
culture. Chapters
stem from
the author's personal travels with two such teams and are replete with
solid
descriptions of the 2014 Australian Ice Hockey League season. From
successes to
failures, social and political challenges, and the pure sport of ice
hockey, both
newcomers and those familiar with the AIHL will find much to appreciate
in this
documentary. As with
any sports
coverage, it's the personal insights that make the book, far beyond the
technical descriptions of plays and the game - and it's here that Reality Check
especially excels: "Pat
says Mick didn’t yell at the group when he
addressed them after that loss Ice Dogs, he just laid down some home
truths,
and it carried weight coming from him. “You could see he was passionate
about
it. And this is a guy who really has no ties to the team besides Jack
McCoy,
who is not even around this year. He just loves it, he comes on his own
time,
drives us, cooks for us, takes care of us. And aft er he spoke to us, I
think
we all took a look in the mirror and said ‘Why are we here?’ And then
things
started picking up.” The
result is
satisfying, well-detailed 'must read' for any fan of ice hockey who
wants to
delve into the world of Australia's
ice hockey winners.
Will Brodie
Combiner Publishing
4/151
Clarke Street Northcote
3070 Victoria
Australia
Email: info@willbrodie.com
ISBN number: 9780646932040 Price: $16.25 USD
www.willbrodie.com
Reality Check: Travels in the Australian Ice Hockey League
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Mystery & Thrillers
Desperate
for Death
Judy Alter
Turquoise Morning Press
PO Box 43958, Louisville, KY 40253-0958
978-1-62237-405-2
$3.99
Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/
Arson. Kidnapping. An unexpected inheritance from one who should have been an enemy. Accidents. An ex who may be involved in more than heartbreak. All this is just what Kelly doesn't need - and just what she gets, in Desperate for Death, which recounts her stormy involvement in not just one, but a series of mysteries that challenge not only her investigative skills, but her life.
One satisfying aspect of Desperate for Death which sets it apart from other murder mysteries is its staccato action in which everything happens at once, little seems connected, and life becomes a series of challenges. Fast-paced action keeps readers involved in not only events, but Kelly's response to them, and in her efforts to keep her head above stormy waters.
Another pleasing point to Judy Alter's approach is that her characters are fully developed: Kelly is a mother, and her interactions with her family are just as compelling as are the mysteries life hands her: "“Why didn’t you just google it?” “Because you’re sitting right here, and I knew you’d know the answer.” Mixed feelings. I was flattered she thought I’d know the answer, but then again I couldn’t be doing her homework for her. “Is it in your American history book?” “We don’t have a book. We have a syllabus, and we’re supposed to use the internet.” I bit my tongue to keep from saying, “So why didn’t you?” Education was changing too much for me."
It's these interludes from supercharged drama that keep readers immersed, because the realistic personality, obligations and family life of a woman with way too much on her plate translates to a story line that is simply compelling. Too many mysteries pass over this depth and produce one-dimensional characters, but Alter's focus on interactions, choices, and consequence keeps the action firmly centered where it should be: on the psychological impact and connections between all involved.
Add a zany wedding scenario to the mix and you have a murder mystery that's replete with fast action and plenty of compelling personal scenes to provide the 'glue' as events unfold: something that will keep readers riveted, involved, and interested right up to its unexpected conclusion.
Desperate for DeathReturn to Index
Dying
Wish
James Raven
Robert Hale, Publisher
9780719816932 $TBA
http://www.james-raven.com/
Dying last wishes aren't usual and are usually honored - unless they involve a strange request to burn down one's house with everything in it, as is the case in local author Grant's last request to his personal assistant Hilary.
Death permeates the story line because Jeff Temple is also struggling with a different kind of death, six years after the death of his beloved wife from cancer, when she was forty-six. While his only daughter is now grown and he's met someone else, Erin is never far from his thoughts, which is why investigator Jeff Temple is in a graveyard but trying to set aside the past and focus on his job's latest case of which involves a couple's disappearance.
The two worlds are about clash in a strange way involving a pristine forest in Britain's Hampshire, a detective's determination to track down a killer, and a dying wish that holds more than a few leads to something darker than either detective or personal assistant can know.
The joy of this Jeff Temple title lies in its ability to stand strongly independently from others in a series, requiring no prior familiarity from readers in order to prove immediately captivating. James Raven's ability to deftly include necessary background history where needed but focus on the immediate picture of the latest puzzle means that readers need have no acquaintance with previous events in order to find Dying Wish immediately accessible; and there's no sense of a plot left hanging at the end, either.
As far as the mystery itself: satisfying (unpredictable) twists and turns keep not only Jeff Temple and readers on their reader immersed in a series of interconnected questions. As one puzzle begins to form a bigger picture, the evidence points to no single truth until much further into the story line, which effectively makes the reader into a silent partner in Jeff Temple's quest for justice and truth.
From the media's ability to involve its readers in possible answers to surprise developments and contrasting witness observations as a result of this media involvement, Dying Wish serves up a satisfying dish of intrigue, interpersonal relationships, and subplots with connected puzzles that all lead up to a grand finale of grim discoveries and a confrontation that may prove Temple's final undoing. To find out, read the story, which is recommended for murder mystery readers who enjoy surprises and will appreciate the slowly evolving human horror permeating and marring the history and pristine atmosphere of New Forest.
Dying WishReturn to Index
Murder
at the Yeshiva
S. Bird
Dog Ear Publishing
4011 Vincennes Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46268
978-1-4575-3868
Publisher, $TBA
Publication Date: July 2015
www.stewartbird.com
A Jewish homicide team, murders involving a Yeshiva student, and some unlikely puzzles involving the young man's life are overlaid with Jewish cultural insights from the start, making Murder at the Yeshiva an immediate draw because of its promise of something different in the world of murder mysteries.
'Shuman the Human' is Jewish, part of an investigative dynamic duo, and is assigned to the case because of his heritage - but even his status as a member of the only Jewish homicide team in the City is about to be challenged, because this murder has its roots spread all over the place, and Jewish heritage is but one piece of its evolving puzzle.
As students and rabbis are interviewed and motive remains a puzzle, Shuman finds himself on the wrong end of ignorance with a window of opportunity rapidly closing and more questions than answers evolving.
Add in a drinking problem, the threat of an estranged wife afraid of his increasing alcoholism, an upcoming retirement, and a tenacity on the detective's part that gets him into increasing trouble and you have a plot that begins with a boy's murder and evolves into much more.
Murder at the Yeshiva starts with a simple premise - but murder is seldom simple; especially when it's immersed in subterfuge with concurrently-running subplots and special interests. Slowly, readers become privy to information that Shuman does not know - and just as slowly, the gears of a murder machine begin to come together and ramp up.
Part of the compelling draw of Murder at the Yeshiva is this attention to detail, which takes a relatively straightforward scenario and develops it into something unexpectedly complex. And while readers who want quick action and predictable paths in their murder mysteries may find themselves chafing at the bit of a slower-moving plot than some, the pleasure here lies in this exquisitely delicate evolutionary process.
It's about unsolved murders, cold cases, children and fathers, and new directions in life afforded by retirement and challenge alike. That Jewish culture and family becomes one of the pivot points in the plot from its opening act only makes it that much more full-faceted and engaging.
S. Bird takes the time to build characters, atmosphere, subplots, motives, and mystery. Under his hand the plot thickens like a pudding, carefully stirred and tended until, many chapters into the story, readers find themselves thoroughly immersed in a well-cooked saga that's as much about Shuman's evolution as it is about solving a murder.
Murder at the YeshivaReturn to Index
Oranit:
Crossed Lines
Michael Benjamin
Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
ASIN: B00WR7WCRS $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Oranit-
Mysteries are usually set in domestic locales for U.S. readers: when they cross international borders, they often turn into 'thrillers' and their tone and approach changes from the mystery format to an emphasis on political interactions; so it's a pleasure to read an approach that keeps the mystery live and cooking in Oranit: Crossed Lines.
Set in the new Israeli settlement of Oranit, the investigation begins when an Arab collaborator's death is hushed up by the Palestinians who discover his body - and who hated him. Plenty of motivation for murder exists, as former Israeli military security member and Oranit resident Jeannie discovers when the cold case is handed to her for defrosting and new inspection.
As her probe uncovers not just motivations for murder but a smuggling operation and ongoing illegal activities tied to the highest levels of social influence in her small community, Jeannie is forced to investigate not just an old crime, but present-day connections that even reach into her family.
It seems that everyone in the community is involved in this matter in one way or another, and the more she tugs on its well-woven string, the more facets and connections are revealed.
What sets a mystery apart from a thriller is its focus on problem-solving and intrigue. What sets a superior mystery apart from a lesser production is an equal attention to action and characterization that brings people and their motives to life.
Be advised: Oranit: Crossed Lines is no light mystery read, but takes an intense, complicated route that is winding, convoluted, and demands reader attention as multiple threads unwind. Strange intimacies and uncertain attractions, family relationships and cryptic messages, and plots brokered by both dubious individuals and community citizens permeate an investigation that leads Jeannie on the chase of her life.
Always, the mystery is the driving force, empowering a read that incorporates element of the thriller genre, with its political focus, but stays true to its course of exploring an Israeli community's hidden undercurrents. And that's Oranit's delight, and strength.
Oranit: Crossed LinesReturn to Index
Rampage
Alan Brenham
Black Opal Books
Ebook: 9781626942905 $3.99
Print: 9781626942912
$12.99
Publication date: July 2015
www.blackopalbooks.com
This Jason Scarsdale thriller sports a brooding cover of three threatening, hooded figures and a promise of chaos and confrontation which doesn't disappoint in an introductory chapter that opens with the blows of a sledgehammer to a tombstone and just keeps knocking out the hits.
Murder and robbery take place from the beginning, which draws in readers with violence and questions in a harsh world juxtaposed by Detective Scarsdale's family life in Chapter 2, where he's getting his daughter ready for school.
These kinds of contrasts (extreme confrontation, then interludes of relative peace) enhance the story line with a give-and-take tidal feel that takes the time to present characters, outline situations, and then falls back to allow for reflection and insight.
So many thrillers and detective stories abandon this more methodical pursuit in favor of the 'staccato approach' that is nonstop in delivery; and while some readers might prefer that method, Rampage is a good example of the attributes and superior approach of taking the time to develop a story in a manner that mirrors life's realism.
The world doesn't operate in a nonstop action manner. There are pauses and events which are less dramatic and equally insightful, and these are key to presenting a story line that's realistic and involving.
Here they serve Rampage well as the complexities of revenge, murder, family life, a slowly-evolving relationship, and more assume a feel that can only be described as compellingly pragmatic.
Mystery and detective story enthusiasts will thus find Rampage more than a cut above the ordinary, mirroring life's ebbs and flows with a story line that appeals on many levels, from personal relationships to professional challenges, murder and mayhem to complex resolutions. All of this makes it highly recommended.
RampageReturn to Index
To
Russia
for Love
Kenneth Eade
Times Square
Publishing
ASIN: B00TPIPI14
$8.50
http://kennetheade.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/
Seth Rogan's girlfriend Natasha is on special assignment, working as an undercover agent for the Russian Federal Security Service when she is kidnapped, and Seth finds himself once again in Russia undertaking an uncertain rescue with the aid of dubious operatives who doubt his amateur investigator skills.
To Russia for Love is recommended for readers who enjoy stories of spies, Russian intrigue, and the entwined political interests of the Ukraine and GMO seed company interests, and delves into world of a biologist caught up in a conflict of conspiracy and corruption surrounding GMO foods. It's not a novel for the light thriller reader, but is filled with political insights about the Ukraine and its world relationships in general and GMO activities in particular. As such, it incorporates these realities into a story line packed with action and presenting the desperate efforts of a bad spy to free his woman from government kidnappers.
Action is swift and tension and characterization is well done; but it's the sequence of events that holds attention as Seth moves through this foreign land with relatively few tools, ill-prepared for the role of either rescuer or spy. Despite (or perhaps because of) his lack of professional background in either, he succeeds where more seasoned operatives have failed - and edges ever closer to a bigger truth in the process of uncovering who has captured Natasha, and why.
GMO foods, international politics, and quests for power: steeped in the flavor of modern times, To Russia for Love is international thriller reading at its best.
To Russia for LoveReturn to Index
Twisted:
A Tracy Turner Mystery Novel
Keyla Hunter
978-1505392272 $12.99
www.keylahunter.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/
A pro golf course is not your typical setting for murder - but then, other murder mystery writers have placed intrigue in unlikely sports scenarios; so why not Keyla Hunter? Another incongruity is that the investigator protagonist in Twisted is the newly-appointed head of events, so her ordinary purpose doesn't lie in the realm of inquiry, but in publicity. So she may be prepared for the limelight, but not for a murder and the framing of her very best friend just one day into her new position.
Such an opening promises that Twisted will be an involving murder mystery as it brings a relative newcomer to the process of murder investigation and places it squarely in her lap, because nobody will believe her best friend is innocent. That Tracy is ill-prepared for her new role is evident from the first line: "“Oh, Pierre, just do without the truffles!” I said. My high heels clanged across the poolside’s black and white checkered tiles as I hurried to the Ethereal Room, where tonight’s banquet was being held.""
While Tracy had thought herself unqualified for the new PR job that landed in her lap ("What did I, Tracy Turner, aged twenty-six, five foot nothing, know about heading the PR & Events Department of one of the largest and most prestigious resorts in the world? She is out of her league in the world?"), in this scenario she's truly a fish out of water - and it shows.
Because Ryan has lived a flamboyant gay lifestyle and is deeply in debt, this adds to the evidence against him and makes him not only the prime suspect with a good motivation for murder, but the only suspect. As Tracy learns more about the hidden life of a man she considers her best friend, she becomes more resolved to help him - against all odds, as it turns out. Any good story will cover motivation; and the fact that Hunter probes all kinds of motivations adds to the depth of her production: "I was the one who poured out my heart to him, but he never let on that he had issues of his own. Was I such a lousy friend that he felt that he couldn't confide in me? What else had he hidden from me? As I learned of his troubles, my resolve to help him only grew stronger."
Suspects who are upset about Tracy's questions, connections between old friends, a daring break-in during a search for evidence that reveals only an old shoe, and a long ride in a car trunk when a dangerous man is confronted: these are only a few of the elements that keep Twisted a fast-paced, engrossing saga involving murder mystery fans in a story filled with twists and turns, odd characters, and a healthy dose of the unexpected.Twisted: A Tracy Turner Mystery Novel
Return to Index
Novels The
Color of Our Sky The
Color of Our Sky offers a
unique friendship between two
girls belonging to two different caste systems in India.
It opens steeped in the flavors and color of India
: "I could hear the sound of our laughter, smell my
childhood—the
food Aai used to cook and lovingly feed me—that wafting floral smell of
saffron
in the pulao, turmeric perfumed dal, the sweet rasgullas. There wasn’t
any such
smell of course, not anymore. All that was left was just a musty odor
from
closed doors, from buried secrets." It's a
journey
undertaken by a ten-year-old girl slated to become a temple prostitute
in India, who finds herself
part of a foster family in Bombay
instead. The friendship between eight-year-old Tara and ten-year-old
Mukta will
be a bond that will last a long time to come. The feisty tomboy
personality of Tara contrasts well with that of the
timid Mukta, creating an endearing relationship. It
would have been
all too easy for this friendship to be the focus and end of the story -
but
wait, there's much more! The action actually takes place when Mukta is
kidnapped from Tara's
home a few years later. Eleven years afterward, Tara (who has always
accepted
blame for the event) embarks on a journey to India to
find out what happened to her childhood friend - and finds that her
search
leads directly back home, to closely-held family secrets. Descriptions
are
well immersed in Indian culture and observation, and bring setting and
emotions
to life: "In my bedroom, I lay down on my bed and watched the ceiling
fan
whir above me. This was where I was lying when Mukta got kidnapped. Was
the
fear I felt today even close to what she must have felt? Did anyone
deserve to
have a life after they had destroyed someone else’s?" It's
this turn of
events that truly makes The
Color of
Our Sky an outstanding story that
juxtaposes past and present
worlds, two caste systems, a unique friendship, and a search for the
truth. The
world of human trafficking, the disparate cultural connections between
Bombay
and Los Angeles, the grief and guilt of lost connections … all this
comes to
life in a first-person story not intended for young adults, but for
adult
readers who will relish Tara and Mukta's journey and its many
revelations. Grayland Grayland
opens with a bang as Marina
encounters the dead figure of Rachel in a dreamscape where Marina
longs to join her. But Rachel committed suicide, and Marina
is left seeking closure, acceptance, or something more. This
'something
else' is what Grayland
is all
about, moving readers from Marina's process of mourning and grief to
living
life again in a horrible autumn that seems endless. Family
and
friends, beach fires and work, and the ethereal presence of the
mysterious gray
man always on the edge of Marina's mind wind a slow, lazy smoke trail
that only
strengthens as chapters explore events of past and present and the
threat of a
transformation that is taking over Marina's life: "My life has changed again; a
shift has taken place,
and it’s too late to do anything about it." Grayland
's story line moves deftly through family relationships, interactions,
and a
growing threat that interferes with carefully-built relationships in
Marina's
life: "Everything
is wrong. My life.
The people in it. Me, I’m wrong. Wrong on so many levels. I hate
everything." As the
mysterious
gray man becomes a more powerful force in her life, Marina
faces many choices - and can't confide in anyone about any of them: "Sometimes the gray man is there,
or at least I think
he is, because upon waking I think about him. About the encounter in
the
hospital, how grateful I am for my recovery. About the fact I
have two
more favors remaining. About his eyes, and how they make me shiver.
About the
power he has to change my life, and all I have to do is say the words." As a
beach
discovery takes over her life, readers are drawn into the compelling
saga of Marina's
struggles for survival. The story moves full circle through beach,
life, family
and friends and leads to a place that opens and closes with Rachel and
an event
that knocked Marina off her feet and threatened her perceptions of the
world.
What is the force that ties them together, and what does the gray man
have to
do with it? Grayland
is about life, death, and everything between the two, and is a
gently-moving
saga of love, dreams, manipulation, and struggle that will enchant
novel
readers looking for a powerful saga of recovery. How
To Train Your Knight Most
medieval
novels don't offer up a steamy romance theme; but then, How To Train Your Knight
isn't your usual
historical novel, but offers a gripping love story set in 1276 that
opens with
the bang of a screaming woman accosting Sir Marcus Blackwell, a holy
crusader
forced into a marriage with a foul-tempered widow. Lies,
ladies,
she-witches, murder and love are vividly portrayed as characters are
well-developed and dialogue and description nicely done to capture the
sounds,
scents, feel and lingo of Medieval times (without resorting to
confusing
vernacular, which makes for an exceptionally smooth read). Where
other
romances would fall into modern description, How
To Train Your Knight stays true to its times,
tailoring its graphic
sexual encounters with a sense of the decorum and trappings of Medieval
times.
From the period clothing of the era which is removed with a different
touch
("…finally he
undid the leather ties
holding the three sheaves, and her knives clunked to the floor.")
to a woman's acceptance of the pleasure involved in making babies
(which
doesn't translate to the usual confession to a priest if a husband is
involved), Stella Marie Alden excels at presenting powerful
protagonists who
both express their sexuality and discover riches of the heart in the
process. Because
romance is
the key, binding factor in How To Train Your
Knight, audiences should be genre readers
looking for a healthy dose
of history to spice the steamy interludes. These factors contribute to
a powerful
story line that is as much about sexual awakening and love as it is
about the
process of becoming a powerful partner and surviving the medieval world. The
Plot to Finally Liberate Cubans From Communism The
Plot to Finally Liberate Cubans From Communism
is historical
fiction at its best and tells of how a group of Cuban patriots struggle
to
overthrow communism and replace it with a democratic government. As
such, it
requires of its audiences an interest in the political and grassroots
movements
of Cuba
and the lives and welfare of its peoples. Readers
with such
an affinity will find the story line vivid and action-packed, focusing
on the
efforts of a band of fighters to provide a bloodless coup to improve
the lives
of Cubans. David
Walker 'The
Expeditor' has received a half million tax-free dollars from two
different
groups; one in Miami and one in Washington, to bring the rebels'
leader, a
double agent, to Miami. this agent is predestined to be the next
President of
Cuba, after the coup. The
Plot to Finally Liberate Cubans From Communism
has 'thriller'
written all over it: the intrigue, the plots, the international
struggles, and
the politics are classic hallmarks of the genre. But one added value
elevates
this work beyond the usual one-dimensional thriller, and that's its
attention
to underlying historical detail, which accurately reflects the
struggles of
Cubans to overthrow Communism. From
fishing
villages and ocean pick-ups to embargoes and political ramifications of
events,
the novel is steeped in background history and provides a moving saga
of
individual effort and political ramifications: "“Americans don’t realize it, but
Cuba isn’t shutoff from the world, the
American people are shutoff from Cuba; by our American Government’s
past
policies,” said David. “If Andy and his bosses can add the Naval
Commander of
the Caribbean
region and the State Department head to the meeting, I think you should
take
their deal…"" There's
sex and
romance, there's intrigue, there's political and social insights: all
woven
into a story line that ultimately educates the reader about Cuba
even as it entertains with a powerful story of a coup's wide-ranging
ramifications. What better way to learn about the country's politics
and
possibilities than through the vivid force of a dramatic
novel? Purple
Haze To
appreciate the
full flavor of Purple
Haze, it's
first important to understand that it's a novel about awakenings and
powerful
protagonists, from the sexual discoveries of newly ex-priest (and
virgin)
Porter and spirited yacht business owner (and sexually experienced)
Rachel to
her best friend Mary and the cast of characters that swirl around them.
Smiley's ability to explore the spiritual evolution of Porter's world
without
injecting a tone of preachy morality creates a complex, in-depth
treatment that
is a pleasure to read. His
approach
translates to a number of graphic scenes as Porter literally runs into
Rachel,
the woman of his dreams, and each discovers within the other a
wellspring of
complimentary sexual and social force. So if candid imagery bothers
you, move
on: Purple
Haze wouldn't be the
powerhouse it is without a few steamy encounters between protagonists
who use
these interactions to grow stronger. Perhaps
one of the
strongest facets of Purple
Haze
is its ability to depict two already-powerful individuals who discover
within
their attraction the ability to become even stronger and more
purposeful. Where
other novels about male/female relationships would subtly depict one or
the
other as the superior force, Purple Haze's
attention to an equality of vision, purpose, and experience means that
readers
are treated to an uncommon attention to detail that will result in a
graphic
and titillating read for male and female audiences alike. Don't,
however,
presume this to be a romance in the usual sense. Smiley adds additional
elements of purpose in a yacht business's demands, an evil
manipulator/rapist's
exploitation of women, and Porter's newfound determination to do
something
about it and help rectify the social and political wrongs in the world
in the
process of creating a new company with new vision. Perhaps
that is
the strongest facet of Purple
Haze
- and why this is a top recommendation for novel readers unafraid of
stories of
sexual and
social awakening. Its
ability to spin a romance through the bigger picture of social
responsibility
juxtaposes love, sex and the honing of ethical approaches to life,
making Purple
Haze a complex but absorbing story
all the way around.
Amita Trasi
Bloomhill Books
ISBN: 978-0-9861556-0-4
(paperback)
978-0-9861556-1-1
(ebook)
Paperback: $14.99
ebook: $4.99
Amazon: http://amzn.to/
ibooks: http://apple.co/
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/
Return
to Index
Maddie DeLange
Merchant Blue Publishing
PO
Box 82852
Portland,
OR 97282
978-0-9961290-0-8
$3.99 e-book; $11.99 trade paperback
maddiedelange.com
Return
to Index
Stella Marie Alden
Soul Mate Publishing, Macedon, NY 14502
Kindle Unlimited
ASIN: B00WRNKOOU $2.99
www.stellamariealden.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/
Return
to Index
J. Sydney Davis
Creative Publishing Partners
No ISBN, $TBA
Prepublication Manuscript: No ETA
Email: creativepublishingpartners@
Return
to Index
K.J. Smiley
Amazon Digital Services. Inc.
Softcover,
$9.95
E-book, $6.99
978-1-4951-5031-9 Publication Date: July
2015
www.amazon.com
Return
to Index
Tokyo’s
Mystery Deepens If
Michael
Pronko's prior Beauty
and Chaos
captured the exquisite essence of the urban heartbeat that is Tokyo,
then this follow-up essay collection, Tokyo's Mystery Deepens,
is its soul,
offering up pieces of Tokyo's
psyche through the observations of a visitor who became immersed in its
culture. Ask
Pronko about
the process and he'll say: "My editor
keeps saying this book shows how well I’ve adapted to Tokyo,
but I’m not sure that’s true. Maybe I have accepted some level of
confusion and
disorientation, and work around it, just to keep going. I have more
Tokyo
habits, and find myself reacting at times not like an American, but
like a
Tokyoite." Perhaps
the bigger
question here is: how has Tokyo
adapted to Pronko? The answer lies within pages that reveal not only
Tokyo's
heart and soul, but the process whereby visitors become not just
observers, but
participants in the city's pulse. Examples
reflect diversity
in such vignettes as 'Apology Speed', in which the author mirrors the
essential
politeness that is the hallmark of Japanese modern culture ("Perhaps the best sign
of adapting to Tokyo
life is apology speed. I’ll never be a native speaker, but I am already
a
“native apologizer.” On that day, and others, too, I had a sense of
pride in
doing something so correctly Japanese.") or
'City of Small
Gestures', which successfully captures the subtler nuances of the
Japanese
public persona ("Tokyo
body language,
slight as it is, keeps the social network flowing with as full and
complex a
range of meanings as in more openly demonstrative countries like
America, where
emotion is always on public display.") As
chapters flow
through Tokyo cultural experiences, readers receive a rare glimpse of
the
structure and nature of Tokyo's underlying psyche, whether it be
adaptations to
rainy seasons, the new culture of youth dragging shopping in wheeled
bags and
disrupting unspoken public train etiquette and paths of movement, or
how
compact living in small spaces is achieved. This
collection -
along with Beauty
and Chaos -
should be required reading for any Westerner bound for Japan.
It's a powerful, intimate consideration of many aspects of Japanese
culture
that is difficult to locate elsewhere; much less in a series of lively
inspections handily presented under one cover.
Michael Pronko
Raked Gravel Press
978-1-942410-07-2
$TBA
www.amazon.com
Return
to Index
The
Headmaster's Cave
D.S. Allen
ASIN:
B00O6E7CD4
170 Pages
Price Kindle: $2.99 Price Paperback: $7.49
http://www.amazon.com/dp/
www.dsallen.org
Book covers are not usually mentioned in the course of book review - not unless they are truly compelling, as is The Headmaster's Cave, designed to capture young adult attention with the scene of a cave, a raging sea, and a boy hanging on to a cliff edge by his fingertips. One could not wish for a more persuasive reason to find out more; and once immersed in the events, The Headmaster's Cave does not disappoint.
Over a hundred years ago, seven children and their headmaster vanished in the cave - including one of George's ancestors; a fact that has haunted his family for generations. A mysterious email states that the mystery has been solved and invites George, Dougie and Katie to learn more - but only Dougie takes the bait; and when he, too, vanishes, it's up to George and Katie to solve the mystery.
One couldn't ask for better tension in a read recommended for advanced elementary through middle grade readers. There's the influence of years of jokes and bullying among George's peers concerning his family's relationship with The Headmaster's Cave; there're minefields of danger involved in an escapade that involves George drawing on limited knowledge along the way ("He loved to watch wilderness television programmes and read survival books, so he searched through his memory banks on building fires."), and there's a host of difficult possibilities that must be examined and either accepted or discarded in the course of investigations ("What if he were telling the truth? His ancestor had been the killer. It would be unbearable if it was true. That the monster who had stalked his nightmares for so long belonged to his family?").
In the end the truth about The Headmaster's Cave and the events surrounding it will come as a surprise - but not until chapters of thrilling adventures, self-examination, and challenging encounters spice a read designed to draw in even the more reluctant reader, providing a vivid story that explains some events but leaves the door open for further adventures.
The Headmaster's CaveReturn to Index
Spinner
Michael J. Bowler
YoungDudes Publishing
64
Windsor Street,
Gerdview, Germiston,
Gauteng, South Africa,
1401
Email: louisjharris@
9781511943086
Paperback price: $18.99; ebook price: $6.99
http://michaeljbowler.com/
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/
Amazon Preorder: http://www.amazon.
Teen Alex is a 'spinner' in more ways than one: he is wheelchair-bound and holds a special ability; but that doesn't mean he's helpless, even though his life is hell between an evil force that stalks him and a sadistic housemother who has uncovered his strange ability and is using him.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg. One satisfying feature of Spinner is that Alex is defined not by his disability but by his abilities; and these strengths, as well as the underlying terror in the story, are far more at the forefront than any of Alex's limitations.
Alex is a "sweet-faced boy" who looks like a nice kid, and so attracts the interest of potential foster parents - but his special ability to 'spin' people keeps him moving from place to place. It seems inevitable that eventually he'll find a place where this power is exposed and then exploited. It seems inevitable that this will lead, in turn, to a greater confrontation than he's ever faced before. And it forms the nexus of a story line that centers around growing evil, Alex's ability to heal those around him, and his inability to connect with those he heals on any kind of meaningful level: "He’d just helped the boy, for the seventh time already, and Juan was still afraid of him."
As with any solid story, the bigger picture is the important piece - and Spinner's strength excels as chapters move from their foundation in Alex's feisty personality and gift to his exploration of a mysterious past and an uncertain future: "Alex had nothing but dreams, shadows of who he was and where he’d come from."
Spinner incorporates elements of horror into a young adult read that is riveting and centered upon powerful protagonists that are well-drawn. Underlying it all is a search for a real home and a place to belong. The 'added value' in this story doesn't lie in its slow buildup of horror: it lies in its slow evolution of Alex's life and in scenes that take the trappings of teen horror and turn them into something much more developed than the usual teen horror story presents.
Young adult to adult readers will find Spinner compelling and vivid: a drama that will surely lend to a future incarnation in film or stage!
SpinnerReturn to Index