March 2023 Review Issue
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Literature
Mystery & Thrillers
Angels of
Antila
RG Shacklett
Independently
Published
979-8373774963
$10.00 Paper/$8.00 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Antila-Accounting-Seville-Confessions/dp/B0BNTXTH7K
Angels
of Antila: A
True Accounting of the Seville Pox, or The Confessions of Alonso is
an
alternate history sci-fi story that postulates a "what if" scenario
in which the first voyage of the Spaniards to the New World brings
smallpox and
devastation to the invaders—not the Native Americans they encounter.
Alonso, a
young
linguistic prodigy and Franciscan monk who travels on the Santa Maria on Columbus'
first voyage, confronts
many moral and ethical dilemmas as events unfold in this alternate
story, but
the tale doesn't open with his perspective. Instead, it presents the
first-person experience of a young Native American girl who has just
entered
puberty and who contemplates taking a husband—her duty as the only
progeny of
her clan leader father.
This
daughter holds
different opinions about guiding her life. Her mother, the widow of a
war
chief, helps solidify the lessons reinforced by clan tradition and a
Seer who
predicts a future in which strangers invade their land.
RG Shacklett
does an
outstanding job of contrasting the forces influencing this new world,
from
traveler and postulant Alonso to belief systems which clash and
explanations
which are designed to foster political special interests rather than
addressing
reality: "There was no fever,"
insisted the Admiral. "It was witchcraft, and I found the antidote."
The
contrasts between
clashing perceptions and explanations of what drives the characters
towards new
worlds and destinies are nicely done, involving readers in both sides
of an
encounter which transforms all involved.
Shacklett
creates a
world steeped in both magic and belief systems that are shaken by the
fervor of
circumstances beyond anyone's control.
His
re-envisioning of
the Columbus encounter offers much historical food for thought in an
alternate
history story that is character-driven, turning events and illnesses
upside
down in a thought-provoking manner. The vivid characters supplement a
form of
action that embraces conflicting forces and perceptions alike, creating
suspense and interests from its portraits of illness, cures, and
redemption.
Libraries
looking for
alternate history sci-fi that offers the opportunity for a deeper
examination
of contrasting, diametrically opposed cultures will find heroes come
from
unlikely (and different) places in this intriguing tale of suffering,
death,
and a world on the wrong path, driven by a young woman's choices and a
wise
Seer's predictions.
Return to Index
Burn the Ship
(Pirates of New Earth series, Book 3)
Sarah Branson
Sooner Started Press
978-1-957774-06-0
$18.99 Paper/$1.99 ebook
Website: www.sarahbranson.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Ship-Pirates-New-Earth/dp/1957774061
Burn the Ship is the third book in the
Pirates of the New Earth
series begun in A Merry Life,
continuing
the saga of mother and pirate Kat, who made such a splash in the first
book and
continues her foray into uncharted territory here.
Unlike
typical pirate
stories, Burn the Ship assumes a
cyberpunk overlay of dystopian angst as Kat juggles her duties. She
faces the
added task of serving justice to the world and eliminating human
trafficking on
Earth while serving dinner to her family and keeping her personal life
intact
and separate from the political and social issues that drive her to be
a
leader.
Kat is, in
short, a
force to be reckoned with. As an officer in the Bosch Pirate Force, she
is
charged with entering the fray of a blossoming threat while addressing
both her
family's needs and the ghosts from her past that continue to haunt her,
affecting
her choices and values:
“Yes, well, Kat does like to remind all of us at
length that her past
was far more difficult than anyone else’s.”
I feel the words like a stab, and I know everyone at the table heard
the comment by the silence that follows it, but then my husband
smoothly
continues, “And speaking of children, we should really return to ours
and relieve
your mother, Kat.” He pauses for effect before adding, “Don’t you
agree, my
love?” The smile on his lips does not reach his eyes."
As powerful
as the
social and political turbulence Kat navigates are matters of the heart
which
keep redirecting her special interests from home to broader social and
political issues.
Readers
looking for
rollicking rides through dystopian worlds that are replete in emotional
currents and undercurrents will especially relish the confrontations
that lead
Kat to re-examine her closest connections in life: "I
slowly sit back down, not taking my eyes off this man I have
laughed with, cried with, fought next to, and yes, even bought drinks
for. Cal
Greene is still tracing the leak; Ludlow is only one possibility. He
may be telling
the truth. But if it turns out he is lying and did give away our
position,
nothing will stop me from killing him."
Mystery,
high drama,
and new opportunities for Kat blend into the kinds of conundrums that
can
destroy, shake, or build a family. How she chooses to navigate these
disparate
worlds makes for a powerful dystopian adventure story that will attract
not
only Kat's prior fans, but newcomers who like exceptionally powerful
female
protagonists who tackle the dual and concurrent challenges of family
and
freedom alike.
The new
possibilities
which emerge from Kat's actions and reflections promise to attract a
wide
audience with components of thriller, mystery, adventure, and women's
literary
inspections, as well as those reading the sci-fi genre it will be
identified
with.
(Pirates of New Earth series, Book 3)
Return to Index
Blow the Man
Down
(Pirates of New Earth series, Book 4)
Sarah Branson
Sooner Started Press
978-1-957774-09-1
$18.99 Paper/$1.99 ebook
Website: www.sarahbranson.com
Because Blow the Man Down is the fourth book
concluding
the Pirates of New Earth sci-fi series, it's recommended that readers
have at
least an initial familiarity with pirate mother Kat and her unusual
pursuit of
justice and family before joining her on her final adventure. Those
with such
background will already know of Kat's evolutionary process, conundrums,
and
special challenges in remaining true to both her mission to end human
trafficking and meeting her family's needs. Both pursuits continue in
the year
2366, as Kat faces both the culmination of her life's pursuit and a new
threat
when her children are abducted.
Torn by the
blows to
her heart's deepest desire, Kat's initial feeling that "the world is
now
in balance" shatters with each event that further proves she is not in
as
much control as she'd imagined.
As events
unfold, Kat
faces threats even in places she'd formerly felt safe, and begins to
wonder if
she and her allies can ever defeat the storm that has driven both human
trafficking on New Earth and the man who once enslaved her.
Sarah
Branson builds
a story that centers not just on Kat's strength, but the emotional
currents and
forces that buffet those around her. One such character is fellow
former slave
and survivor Carisa, who has adopted extraordinary measures and
compromises in
order to endure:
“Kat, I was good at blending in and being invisible
on Bellcoast, and
it helped for a year or so after you escaped. When Abernathy finally
called for
me, it was you who helped me survive. You had taught me to disconnect.
And
while that isn’t healthy in this world,” she makes a circle with her
finger,
“it was essential in Abernathy’s."
As Kat
begins to
realize the real impact of past, present, and future decisions she must
make
about the course of her life and its pursuits, readers absorb a
powerful
crescendo of events that both challenge her convictions and solidify
her life
purpose.
Sarah
Branson creates
just the right special blend of action and discovery that keeps Kat
growing,
evolving, and challenged to do and be more.
Women who
look for
characters that can serve as role models for adaptation and courage
will find
Kat's dilemmas and scenarios emotionally compelling, realistic, and
educational.
Libraries
that choose
Blow the Man Down should consider
the
series as a whole. Each book builds another piece of Kat's character
and world.
Together, the series books create a world both realistic and thoroughly
absorbing.
Book clubs
interested
in stories of proactive women who confront new lessons about their
convictions
and power in life will find many discussion points sparked by not just Blow the Man Down, but the series as a
whole.
(Pirates of New Earth series, Book 4)
Return to Index
Children of Alpheios
Diana Fedorak
The Wild Rose Press
978-1-5092-4776-9
$21.99 Print/$5.99 ebook
Website: https://www.dianafedorak.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/diana-fedorak/e/B0BQGWQRVP
Readers of medical thrillers and action
stories will find Children of Alpheios
a futuristic sci-fi mix that can appeal to a wide audience through a
story that
is vividly portrayed, action-packed, and hard to put down.
From the start, Children
of Alpheios displays a mystery infused with medical
intrigue to draw readers into a purple puzzle: "Alina
rolled the vial between her fingertips, noting Mandin’s blood sample
contained
a purplish undertone. They had never requested her permission for an
experimental lab test. Dr. Olek would have informed her. Did Dr. Daxmen
take
one of the vials of blood used for Mandin’s diagnostics?"
Mandin is a baby born in a genetically
engineered colony on a new world. Even in this world of differences,
Mandin
stands out; for his DNA makes him as desirable as a lab rat and a
possible
research project as feared by his young mother, Alina.
Perhaps
predictably,
Alina must flee her colony home (into the wilds of the planet Eamine)
to
protect her child. She's aided by a gruff pilot who protects her from
many
forces as she navigates this strange new world which Mandin's birth has
introduced to her life.
As she and Kiean climb ice walls, navigate
treacherous terrain, and forge places of new safety and understanding
both with
one another and their world, connections develop which change the
purposes and
perspectives of each.
Sci-fi readers that enjoy stories firmly
embedded in strange new environments will appreciate the time Diana
Fedorak
takes in world-building descriptions, while those who look for
fast-paced
action, intrigue, and satisfying twists and turns will appreciate the
medical
mystery that drives choices and the pursuit of new lives.
Used to hiding her heart, Alina admits that "The only permanent relationship she
could grasp was with Mandin." Her priority doesn't allow her
the
flexibility to contemplate long-term connections with others.
Many a mother reading this story will
heavily relate to Alina's charge and mission: "If
her fate was being solely responsible for the most important
decisions affecting her and Mandin forever, so be it. She couldn’t
afford a
thought for inconsequential matters, or fanciful longings." As
Alina
finds there is more at stake than her child's life and happiness, she
grows to
accept a different role in the world that brings with it a more
proactive view
of her destiny and choices.
Libraries looking for epic fantasies rooted
in world-building scenarios will find Children
of Alpheios a top-notch read that stands with the best of
fantasies
designed to lure readers with identifiable emotional quandaries and
issues of
personal, social, and political connections.
Return to Index
The Cycle of Eden: The Young
Revolution
Daniel Varona
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-736-1
$22.99
www.atmospherepress.com
The
Cycle of Eden:
The Young Revolution is a fantasy space opera that introduces
the
"young revolution" of Eden, a world based on rebirth, where the
living are caught in an ongoing struggle between darkness and light
which never
seems to resolve.
Wars decide how Eden will be
reborn in a new cycle, and
this current situation isn't any different. Daniel Varona provides the
insights
and introduction to this scenario which are essential for understanding
the
impact of Eden's patterns and why things are different now.
New potential lies in this
cycle's latest prophesied hero,
Seth, who finds himself
alone in a world sinking once more into darkness.
Varona is skilled at
capturing a "you are here" feel of the atmosphere: "The
mounted cannon ejected the harpoon
with a metallic sting, ringing for a few seconds. The depth of the
giant spear
was tracked by the number of clicks the metal wire sounded off, like a
machine
gun. The connection suddenly halted and seized its tightening grip on
whatever
it hit. A full second later, a deep and mournful roar erupted from the
gloomy
blue, causing a shockwave to rattle the once calm waters."
As Seth's purposes merge
with those of Valentina (who is
fighting against forces that would make slaves of her people) and
others
characters, a conjoined mission of disparate individuals evolves. Each,
in
their different way, becomes a force for promoting the Age of Light
against the
darkness Eden seems destined to fall into.
The pace and action are
fast, the characters many, and
the intricacies of Eden's political, social, and psychological
influences are
intriguing. Readers can expect a fantasy that works on both an
entertaining
leisure read world-building manner, and one which injects a degree of
complexity into the changing scenarios of Eden and those who struggle
through
its cycles of promise and failure.
The dialogue between
characters as they fight and
confront myriad forces is also very nicely done:
“Damn,
girl! I
ain’t seen a chick move like that before! Now how may I repay ya?”
greeted the
reckless man in a far-too-friendly manner. Valentina aimed a
fist at him. “Shut it before I shut it for you. You’re not the first
man I’ve
saved.”
Fans of space opera and
world-building fantasies will
find this first book in the series compelling, concluding with a
powerful
vision of world-changing gods and attempts to free Eden from its curse
that
conclude in a cliffhanger for future books to explore.
Libraries seeking vivid,
complex world-building fantasies
will find The Cycle of Eden: The Young
Revolution a compelling tale worthy of acquisition.
Return to Index
Death of the
Antagonist
Ron Jensen
Pacific Hilltop Media
979-8-9874893-1-4
e-book: $7.99/Paperback: $12.99/Hardcover: $16.99
Website: www.Ronjensen.org
Ordering: www.amazon.com
Imagine
being
attacked not by outside forces, but via the neural networks of one's
own brain.
Many would call this "mental illness," but in Death
of the Antagonist, the breached inner sanctum of the mind
comes from aliens who intend to use one Ian Preston as a portal for
invasion.
The story
opens from
the invader's perspective as they arrive on Earth and encounter a busy
Seattle
street scene. The "target time period" is correct. All the scout
needs is the appropriate host. But, his senses overloaded by data, he
winds up
fleeing.
Ian Preston
knows
that "nothing he does can stop time
and the downward spiral of his life."
He's in the perfect position to become the focal point in
a struggle
against this invader, which draws to him two disparate individuals
whose lives
are also in flux and on the edge of society—a homeless man and a sex
worker.
You could
not find
more unlikely heroes for an epic battle. Usually the warrior figure is
somewhat
flawed, but intrinsically admirable. This ragtag band of disparate
individuals
existing on the fringes of society at first seems the least likely to
save the
world. In reality, they are not just its best option; but its only
option.
Ron Jensen
crafts a
story that layers its drama slowly, beginning with the perspective of
the
elusive invader and then moving deftly into Ian's life.
From his
evolving
relationship with Aurora and the spiritual discussions they have about
God and
psyche (“I didn’t say God has some
checklist. All I’m saying is there are rewards for trying to do the
right
thing. But it takes some focus, some effort. The closer you get to God,
the
more obedient you have to be.”) to wisdom imparted by a
homeless man who
offers unexpected connection and salvation (“Life
is conflict,” his voice is almost a whisper, “but it has a
purpose.”), Ian is drawn into a crazy situation. This forces
him to
reexamine the bizarre path his life has taken and its ultimate meaning
and
impact in the greater world.
Jensen's
ability to
juxtapose these spiritual, psychological, and social insights within
the
context of an invasion that occurs on different levels will especially
intrigue
readers seeking more than a light entertainment piece with the classic
good-versus-evil confrontation.
It draws
readers into
a magically transformed world and introduces uncommon sides to its
characters,
forcing them to adapt new survival tactics and bigger-picture thinking
in order
to change themselves and the human race as a whole.
“Life is conflict. Get used to it.”
The mandate
for
transformation and survival permeates a rich story that embraces
science
fiction themes, but places them in an environment where each of the
characters
is forced to adapt to something far outside their experience or logic.
In this new
milieu,
love seems to be a detriment: “Did you
really think you could win them with friendship? With some warm, fuzzy
reunion?” The beast leans forward, his lip curling slightly. “… with love?” Or, is it?
Readers
introduced to
the bigger-picture questions of life, survival, decision-making
processes, and
encountering something far beyond the usual ken of mankind will find Death of the Antagonist both steeped in
drama and conflict and thought-provokingly rich in its approach to
life-and-death options.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a sci-fi story that incorporates the vivid nonstop action of a
thriller, the depth of a psychological probe, and the otherworldly
encounters
of a host of creatures who change individual perceptions of life
purpose will
find Death of the Antagonist
outstanding in its special blend of fast-paced confrontation and
character
development. These profile a brand of insights and revelations that are
powerfully positive against all odds:
"Life is just getting started. Your purpose is
about to blow your
mind.”
Return to Index
New Dragon
Soaring
G.S. Carline
Dancing Corgi Pres
978-1943654253
$19.95 Paper/$.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/New-Dragon-Soaring-Shadows-Book/dp/1943654255
New Dragon Soaring is the third book in
the Dragon Shadows series
featuring dragons, girl pirates, and curses. In this book, Lisette de
Lille and
Tristen de Rocco have a young daughter, Alara. The kidnapping of their
child by
a Ruhee, a vengeful women obsessed with Rocco, separates the couple and
leads
them into different discoveries as each strives to find their baby.
Between the
events
which led to Alara's birth in the aftermath of battle to the specter of
a
savior turned deadly force because of a love that takes a dark turn,
G.S.
Carline paints a compelling story replete with twists and turns that
both
serves as a standalone tale and enhances the prior series novels.
Exploring
moon and
blood dragons and how they differ to the yet-unexplored powers her new
daughter
may exhibit, the story provides a satisfying blend of quest and
discovery that
involves readers of all ages in a special tale of combat and revelation.
Carline is
especially
adept at portraying the different kinds of growth each character
experiences
both individually and as part of a couple. Embedded within Rocco's
lessons on
transformation from dragon to man and back, for example, are
instructions on
everything from relationships to parenting choices:
“Like Lisette, you are a moon dragon. Unlike
Lisette, your power lies
in your anger.” She sat in the soft green moss and grasses. “You must
harness
this feeling in order to transform and be the kind of dragon your
daughter
needs.”
“I know you keep saying I must help Lizzie raise Alara, but I just
don’t see how that will be possible—I’ll be at sea for months at a
time. Why
can’t Lisette handle those duties?”
Lamya stood, her eyes full of fire, pointing back at the campsite, her
voice loud and words biting. “Because that is your daughter, and you
are the
edge of the blade on which she walks. Lisette will bring her goodness,
kindness, but make no mistake—a child born of two blood dragons is born
into
righteous anger. Your control of your own rage is what will teach her
to do the
same.”
The strength
of New Dragon Soaring doesn't just
lie in a
quest or the uncovering of personal power, but in the discoveries
surrounding
transmitting this power and these lessons to new generations.
There is
plenty of
struggle, battle scenes, and interpersonal interactions between good
and
not-so-good forces, but Carline takes the time to examine the
psychological
influences on all choices, making the characters believable and
compelling.
Libraries
and reads
looking for action-packed sword-and-sorcery fantasies that take the
extra step
in explaining the growth of power and connections will find New Dragon Soaring a sterling example of
a series book that holds equally powerful appeal to prior readers as
well as
newcomers.
Return to Index
Scales and
Stingers
K. M. Warfield
Creative James Media
978-1956183726
$12.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Scales-Stingers-K-M-Warfield/dp/1956183728
Sword and
sorcery
fantasy readers seeking epic and memorable stories will find Scales and Stingers, the first in the
Heroes of Avoch series, to be a compelling introduction to a world in
which
half breed Thia Bransdottir is shunned. Her father's protection
vanishes upon
his death, and she is slated for religious work in a cloister, but her
story
doesn't end here.
Jinaari
Althir is
sworn to protect Thia throughout her life no matter where she goes. Her
unwillingness to trust anyone after her father is killed leads her to
wonder
about everyone in her life—even those seemingly charged with protecting
a
half-Fallen like herself.
Thia has
never run
from anything. Does this make her courageous? As she comes to know Adam
and a
host of people that swirl around her, some with special interests and
some with
their own preservation in mind, Thia discovers innate abilities she'd
never
considered. These are brought to the forefront both by new challenges
and those
who observe her closely: “Thia, you adapt
faster than anyone I’ve ever met. A fighter is trained to see openings
and
react to them, take advantage where we can. You weren’t. But you’ve had
things
thrown at you that would make most people I know crawl into a ball and
never
come back out.”
It's not in
Thia to
quit—or to make friends. She must learn different ways of reacting to
life and
adversity if she is to not just rise above her heritage as half-Fallen,
but
embrace its strengths.
K. M.
Warfield crafts
a story that is compelling as different characters deal with
banishment, shame,
courage, and unexpected strengths. From warlocks and unusual
homecomings to
secrets that bind a disparate group of friends, Warfield's ability to
build a
story based on changing political and social environments creates a
tale that's
hard to put down.
Perhaps
Thia's
greatest lesson isn't just to learn to trust others and herself. It's
to know
how to oppose and guide the forces at work in her kingdom: "Wisdom isn’t telling someone what they should do,
it’s showing
them the support they need to make the decision themselves.”
Libraries
looking for
introductory series titles in sword and sorcery fantasy arenas will
find the
character-building moments in Scales and
Stingers to be vivid draws that nicely juxtapose social
action and dilemmas
with individual struggles.
Return to Index
Season of the Dragon
Natalie Wright
Menaris Books
979-8987491218
Price:
$22.95 Paper/$4.99 ebook/ $38.99 Hardcover
Author Website: www.NatalieWrightAuthor.com
Ordering: https://amzn.to/3jVaROA
Many a fantasy series has
featured a protagonist divided
as much by their own psyches as outside events. Most focus on the
heroic
emergence of the character under duress. Few present the specter of a
new adult
loner, Quen Santu, whose two hearts drum to a different beat than what
she was
created to do—destroy the world.
Quen's odyssey and purpose
is always under review and
struggle as she considers her limited future options. Becoming a
herdwife is
not one of them. Perhaps she should study the art of war? Certainly,
magical
ability also eludes her.
But destiny does not. For,
beneath her skin lies a
changling Nixan—the shadow soul who pushes for a metamorphosis that
would
squelch everything Quen is or wants to become. Letting it win would
involve
loosening that wild spirit to destroy everything. Quen both houses the
force
that could end all and is perhaps the only one who can stop it.
On the face of it, this
first book in the Dragos Primeri
series is the usual adventure and struggle to overcome impossible
adversity.
Look deeper for the emotional connections to life and love which Quen
represents, from her affection for a father that supersedes death
itself to evolving,
unexpected friends who turn into lovers to help support Quen's human
side.
The young woman at war with
herself also battles the
forces that would harness her innate condition for their own special
interests.
This adds a further social and political inspection to her trials and
exploration of self and its connections to the outside world, which
fears her
potential even as some plot to control it for themselves.
As vivid as the emotional
and changing currents are of
this journey is the descriptive force Natalie Wright employs to explore
not
just Quen's abilities, but the magic of this world: "Pelagia
turned and flourished her remarkable cape. As she did, a
few butterflies moved, breaking the pattern. Quen gasped. I
thought they’d
used dead butterflies to construct the cap,but these are alive. How
does she
control them to make them behave in such an odd way?"
Desperate for answers about
her path and purpose, Quen
will even walk into a spidery brass web leading to a "hall of iron ribs
and glass." She is a Doj’Anira—twice
blessed, with two different countenances that attract dynasty
leaders and opposing forces alike.
The
emotional
draw embedded in her journey will pull readers as well, offering ties
to not
just magic and new possibilities, but the sacrifices of newfound
supporters:
"Grief made
everything ache. Her arms were like
two soggy tubers gone to mush. Quen clambered up the wall and dug her
fingers
into the ice on the ledge above, but they were already tired from
helping hoist
Nivi. Heartache sapped her strength to pull. She hung like a carcass,
her legs
scrambling in vain to push up. She howled in frustration. Strong hands
gripped
her wrists. “Mourn him later,” Rhoji said."
By now, it should be evident
that this fantasy world and
adventure shines in more than one manner. From inner turmoil and
struggles with
power and good and evil to the forces that offer spiritual and
political
redemption at a price, Quen resides at the center of too many conflicts
both
within and outside herself. Her readers will find themselves carried by
the
power of her observations, growing love for selected others, and slow
realizations of what her abilities and determination really bring to
the world.
Libraries looking for
fantasy series titles that open
with a bang of psychological and political allure will find that few
can equal
the force of Season of the Dragon.
Its attraction comes from many different strong subplots, each cemented
by a
courageous woman who defies her destiny and heritage and, in so doing,
begins
to see the opportunity of being the result of her mother's bargain with
a
different kind of devil.
Return to Index
Corpse
Beneath the
Crocus
N.N. Nelson
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-738-5
$16.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Corpse Beneath the Crocus may sound like
a murder mystery, but its
subject is literary in nature and emotional in content. In detailing
the
experience of grief, loss, and re-creation, Nelson brings to the table
the
added value of growth and revelation, injecting a sense of new
possibility and
beginnings under impossible circumstances.
Take 'A
Seed' for one
example. It compares life to a seed, then metamorphizes to reflect a
personal
stage of growth: "Sometimes life is
like a seed/And sometimes I am the seed The waiting change/The
burst of freedom/The power buried beneath turned
soil..."
'Lost' is
about the
"waves of reflection" that follow loss and batter against life itself
as newfound coldness results in "Crying
the flood/Crying for the beautiful soul/Wandering somewhere in the
dark..."
All the
works are not
succinct expressions. 'Bizarre Mind', for example, explores "Cirque du
ridiculous" in considering the meandering pathways of thoughts and
hearts
challenged by reality and imagination, and the mercurial boundaries
that
separate them.
The
heartache of loss
and the pain of transformation are captured in a work that chronicles
the
process of going down the rabbit hole of loss and emerging into a new
world, transformed.
Libraries
and readers
seeking poetry collections that are candid, vivid expressions of this
process
will find the free verse of Corpse
Beneath the Crocus compellingly rich in its study of the
emotional peaks
and valleys of grief.
Return to Index
Poor Tom
Martin Drapkin
HenschelHAUS Publishing
978159598-932-1
$16.95
Website: www.drapkinbooks.com
Ordering: info@henschelHAUSbooks.com
Poor Tom is a humorous story of Jewish
literature. It tells of
Julius Dickman, who wants to be a mensch by being a good son and father
figure,
but harbors a full sack of insecurities, phobias, and worries that
prevent him
from being effective in his own life; much less in another's world.
The ironies
and
inconsistencies of his life often assume the feel of the Shakespearian
play
that his father is so enthralled with, King
Lear. Perhaps if his name hadn't stemmed from the Bard's
influence, Julius
could have been more powerful in his life ("Sometimes
I wish they’d given me a nice, short, masculine, one-syllable name—Bob,
maybe,
or Biff. Al would be okay. I think I’d have been more successful with
women
that way.").
Nonetheless,
it is
what it is. Until it isn't, which is a circumstance retirement
introduces to
his father, changing their relationship and challenging Julius to step
outside
his own sense of self and world worries to adopt a bigger role in life.
Martin Drapkin is astute at
weaving the subtle marks of Jewish heritage, literary influence, and
psychological dilemmas into this story, examining Jewish culture and
conundrums
with an eye to injecting them with both recognizable scenarios and
extraordinary outcomes.
As Julius considers possible
careers that don't contain drama, questioning the photography which
keeps
leading him into stormy situations, the humor rings true in even his
dreams of
embarking on a different life:
"I even
had
the idea to start my own painting business. I wouldn’t call it Dickman’s Fine Painting, though.
Maybe Julius’s Mediocre Painting.
Or even Poor Tom’s Painting,
with no descriptor one way or the other. I’d be a one-man operation. I
don’t
want to work together with anyone or manage or supervise anyone else. I
don’t
want to have to make conversation. I just want to do my work alone,
preparing
the surfaces and applying the coats of paint with brushes and rollers
as
carefully as I can, not making messes, and cleaning up thoroughly, and
maybe
listen to my CDs of plays while I did my work—just the comedies,
though, and
maybe some of the histories, but not those damned corpse-strewn
tragedies
anymore."
He's sick of his life assuming
the progression of a Shakespearian piece; but keeps falling into the
kinds of
situations that challenge his desire to do well and be better.
Drapkin's story weaves a fine
portrait of Jewish life and culture, an uncertain character's wavering
resolve
to become more than he was raised to be, and family history and drama
that
intersects with the stage in unusual ways.
Replete with wry social
inspection and psychological complexity, Poor
Tom is a top recommendation for readers of Jewish literature
and libraries looking for excellent contemporary voices that capture
Jewish
thinking—the latter via a romp through the hopes and dreams of a
chronic
worrywart who longs to play a different role in life.
Return to Index
Words
and
Graphics - Blue Sunshine
C.O.B.
Grey Line Pres
ASIN:
B00P2SX8NQ
$1.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Words-Graphics-Sunshine-C-B-ebook/dp/B00P2SX8NQ
Blue Sunshine presents the second book in the Words and
Graphics series, creating a love story out of free verse, prose, and
color
images that is a compelling literary approach to exploring sexy,
challenging
life connections.
From
the moment
of waking up beside a stranger to the love and anguish that evolve from
a
chance encounter, Blue Sunshine
captures emotions and relationships using a vivid descriptive approach
that is
thought-provoking:
"We both smiled, and it was her smile that
told me she was still there of her own free will. Then, quiet, as if
with the
mystery solved, there was nothing left to say; there was only the
awkwardness
of what needed to be done. The reality of her leaving, me being
ashamed, both
of us left with regret."
Between
travels
through South Africa, confrontations over pregnancy, and evocative
poems
peppered throughout (such as 'A Glimpse of Our Future in the Present
That We
Were Unable to See Through the Haze'), the story unfolds with the
complexity of
a relationship and the gentle lyrical inspections of philosophy and
life
experience combined.
Happy
endings,
new beginnings, and love found and lost all resonate through these
visual and
literary intersections, embedding Blue
Sunshine with a portrait of discovery and intergenerational
differences of
viewpoint and inspection.
The
collection
is a literary mosaic of poetic and prosaic dialogues and art centered
on love,
heartache, and irony.
Libraries
seeking literary works that toe the line between fiction, experimental
literature, and poetic inspection will find Blue
Sunshine an excellent acquisition featuring approaches that
are both
powerful and accessible to a wide audience.
Return to Index
Wave Pulse
Michael Zucaro
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-706-4
$24.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paper
www.atmospherepress.com
Wave Pulse is a poetry collection
dedicated to representing the
waves of life change that pulse through worlds of man and nature alike.
Centered in the experiences of humans and environment, each poem is a
powerful
observation of the banality, focuses, representations, and the
"spontaneous patterning" of daily conversations, random events, and
underlying connections.
Many of
these
inspections stem from inspirational observations, as in 'FROM A PHOTO
OF A HOPI
PRIEST BY ADAM CLARK
VROMAN': "seedjar spills into
night/snake priest jaws gripped/eyes glisten..." One doesn't
need a
photo to reinforce these visual words—their description and impact are
enough.
Others
reflect the
magnetic attraction of science, as in 'OF COSMOGENESIS', which crafts
an
evocative physics-laden discourse connecting waves of science with
life: "atoms protons electrons/neutrons arc,
quarks! What/sparks neurons in our veins?"
The flow and
pulse of
waves of life, light, and insight resonate through free verse designed
to
contrast the bluster and focus of human affairs with the wider-ranging
limitations of and possibilities in nature.
Wave Pulse is an energizing collection of
inquiries into the models
and spirits of man and nature. Libraries that pursue it for its
contemporary
literary style will find much to recommend to poetry readers interested
in the
flux and rhythms of life.
Return to Index
Windows
Mark Dornblaser
Independently
Published
978-0-578-32054-0
$21.95
Website: www.fireandicephoto.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com
Windows blends nature photography and
poetry in a visual and verbal
exploration that tells of windows into other worlds, and taking the
time to
look through them.
This is
exactly what
Mark Dornblaser does in a book that offers viewers the opportunity to
absorb,
reflect, and draw new connections between illuminating scenes and their
inspirational roots.
In order to
foster
this feeling in the reader, Dornblaser presents each poem on a facing
page with
one of his color photos. The twilight image of an illuminated barn
accompanies
"Scene from the Road" in which the narrator reflects on a place where
"The early snowmelt seeps into the
low seams of the fields,/a sinuous sheen of slate blue weaving through
a
rolling sea of white." and "A
weathered, peeling barn is quiet,/and a rusting combine lies idle."
Illumination
comes
from both image lighting and written reflection as Dornblaser muses
about the
wellspring of that inspiration.
Each poem is
vividly
portrayed, incorporating nature observation and employing color and
descriptors
that not just compliment the color images, but match their impact.
Another
example lies in 'Cayman Blues', in which a multi-blue ocean world is
supplemented by a poetic examination: "Cobalt
coast,/cerulean sea,/indigo ocean,/they beckon me." The
layers of blue
are reinforced by both image and words.
Numerous
books
pairing words and images appear each year. Most aren't integrated
nearly as
well as Windows, and merely stand
as
two disparate art forms under one cover, holding too few connections to
one
another.
Dornblaser's
powerful
photos and written words are symphonies of experience, reflection, and
observation inviting readers to look out the window of their own lives
to
experience their world in its fullest glory. They explore the soul's
reaction
to this world ('Wisconsin Highlands', for example, describes where "I long for the stillness of a
Wisconsin Highlands early evening.") and moves into the
narrator's
place in both observing and living within this world: "Night
approaching,/my breath is frosty, though I can feel/Winter
has lost her edge."
The
intersections of
man, nature, and a sense of place are clear. Look through Dornblaser's
windows
to receive observations that are life-affirming testimonies to
connections
between self and the world.
This rare
view
belongs in any poetry or arts lending library, and on the shelves of
those who
would follow the author on inner journeys and artistic observations.
Return to Index
Butterfly of
Hope:
Finding My Wings
JoAnn Santore Dickson
Independently
Published
979-8844093654
$15.95
https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Hope-Finding-My-Wings/dp/B0BJH64512
Butterfly of Hope: Finding My Wings is a
memoir about facing
illness and spiritual roots, and listening to life-changing messages in
adversity that push author JoAnn Santore Dickson's life into new
directions. It
addresses a variety of topics as it moves through Dickson's life, from
loss and
self-healing to not only getting life back, but delving into the past
to consider
better choices for the future.
Dickson's
goal was to
accept herself unconditionally and embrace new facets of spiritual
realization
that helped form a different personality and perspective on life. This
is
achieved both in her actions and reactions to her experiences and upon
publication of her book, which points the way for others on the same
path of
self-discovery.
As Dickson
moves from
her Christian Science upbringing that led her to resist going to the
doctor
after a car accident delivers alarming symptoms weeks later, to a state
in
which she pays more attention to her body and soul, readers will
appreciate her
progression. Especially strongly described is her relationship with
family,
which steeps the story with additional conversations about relationship
ideals,
spiritual realizations, and a life complicated by health challenges on
all
sides.
As Dickson
learns how
to stay strong for others as well as herself, she moves into training
programs
that help her better achieve her emotional, spiritual, and physical
goals.
By writing
her
memoir, Dickson does more than explore the process of emergence. She
gives
wings to her readers, who in turn can use her experiences and lessons
to tackle
their own possibilities of growth and flight. She offers insights into
not just
accepting change, but how to run and fly with it.
Libraries
looking for
memoirs steeped in spiritual and healing processes will find much to
like in Butterfly of Hope: Finding My Wings,
which is spiced with journal entries that reflect the author's
progressive
realizations about her life and her approach to it.
Return to Index
Good
Morning, Hope
Argita and Detina
Zalli
Sandra Jonas
Publishing
9781954861060
$14.95
Paperback/$26.95 Hardcover/$6.99 Ebook
Website: www.sandrajonaspublishing.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Morning-Hope-Refugee-Heartbreak-ebook/dp/B0BLT9BP7H
Good
Morning, Hope: A True
Story of Refugee Twin Sisters and Their Triumph over War, Poverty, and
Heartbreak belongs
in any
library interested in stories of refugee experience in general and
Albanian
history in particular. Also about family, strength, and the bond
between twins,
it's likewise for any reader interested in stories of growing up
struggling and
fighting for a better life. It chronicles the efforts of an Albanian
family to
flee the financial meltdown in their country in 1997, but it doesn't
end with
their successful escape to England.
In some ways the story is
just beginning at that point
because the twins and their parents then move into a social milieu
nearly as
challenging as the environment they fled.
As the story evolves, from
mystery helpers who assist the
family's flight to circumstances that threaten to separate the family
at
numerous junctures, Argita and
Detina Zalli
present the emotional
tension both outside and within the
family as they confront the pressures of their choices:
He
reached out to
Mom. “Are you all right, Dita?”
Mom still hadn’t
said a word to him. Her eyes shot darts at him. “How can you ask me
that?” she
snapped. “Do you have any idea what we have been through during the
last hours?
Why the hell didn’t you call us?”
“Well, because we
don’t have a phone, do we?”
Another thought-provoking
component to their story is the
prejudice against immigrants and refugees, which the children
experience in a
land that took so much effort to reach and initially showed so much
promise. As
events unfold, these ongoing struggles challenge the family to adopt
new
methods of handling their vastly changed world: "The
bullying and racism at school had been too much for us. But I
didn’t want to fight anymore."
The Zalli twins powerfully
detail the emotional tides and
revelations that force disparate individuals to come together: "I had been a good actress so far, but
how could I pretend that the past didn’t exist? How could I pretend
that we
would work well together with two girls who hated us and had caused us
so much
suffering? How could I forgive them without their asking for
forgiveness?"
The result will move beyond
readers interested in
Albanian experiences and into general audiences attracted to stories of
refugee
survival, prejudice, and integration processes.
This is a book for libraries
and readers seeking vivid
first-person chronicles that embrace family, a sense of place, and
alien
territory. Good
Morning, Hope is a study in adaptation and courage that
chronicles growth against all odds, documenting how one family blossoms
even in
the midst of social, political, and psychological storms.
Return to Index
Mise En Place: Memoir of a
Girl Chef
Marisa Mangani
River Grove Books
978-1-63299-565-0
$16.99
Paper/$8.99 ebook
Website: https://marisamangani.com/miseenplace/
Ordering: https://a.co/d/4KRgQB4
Mise
En Place:
Memoir of a Girl Chef joins a rising number of nonfiction
books that blend
autobiography with insights on becoming a professional chef. It follows
Marisa
Mangani as she develops her taste buds, cooking skills, and ambition to
pursue
a career in the kitchen.
The world of professional
cooking has largely been a
man's job. The respect, training, and kitchen atmosphere is laden with
testosterone. Mangani discovered all this and more as she entered an
arena far
from the explorations she had previously made in counterculture life.
Her memoir departs from
others in that it isn't just a
record of cooking. It's a story of kitchen management and
behind-the-scenes
politics that captures some engrossing, thought-provoking experiences:
"Together
with
the pot-washing station at Italy’s far reaches, Italy/pizza/pot is a
kitchen
within a kitchen. For the first three months of the fair, it operated
as such,
with a pizza manager named Steve and his entourage of seasoned
dough-flippers
creating the theatrical effect required by Chuck Sanders. But the
little
microcosm became too big for itself and pizza cooks and pot washers
began clocking
each other in and out, logging sixteen-hour shifts for all. My
instructions
when I’d discovered this while tallying time cards upstairs in the
office was
to go down there and fire them all. Fire
the kitchen during the lunch rush? With all those hungry staring eyes? Fire
them I did, afterward grabbing anyone I thought could flip a pizza
crust
without making too many holes in it, to keep the station afloat while I
trained
and retrained to keep the ship on course while millions of judging eyes
looked
upon us novice pizza schlubs through the pickup window."
Mangani's varied jobs,
duties, and challenges aren't just
limited to steamy kitchens. Her pursuit of new discoveries and travel
led her
into many types of culinary situations, all explored here.
This is one of the
highlights of this book, and a feature
which keeps it from becoming another staid account of growing wiser in
the
kitchen.
From nutritional revelations
to fielding the changing
taste buds of a toddler, Mangani probes the world of changing tastes
and her
fluctuating place in it, juxtaposing personal revelations with new
insights
into food's place in her world and her changing relationship with it.
She is
influenced by family experiences and kitchen encounters alike: "After a forced father-daughter
tomato-eating episode, with Daughter gagging, she said it was the
texture that
turned her off. She no longer ate bananas either, or any other fruit
for that
matter, unless it was in juice form."
Mise
En Place is
a travelogue, a hedonistic exploration of living life to its fullest,
and an
embrace of the culinary and food worlds that move outward from the
inner
sanctum of restaurant kitchen operations to home life and other
cultures.
The result is a romp through
the hospitality business and
the world that goes far, far beyond the usual chef's memoir.
Libraries looking for
travelogues of personal discovery
and revelation which come replete with added flavors and textures will
welcome Mise En Place's outstanding
diversity.
Return to Index
The Struggle
Brian Storm
Brian Storm Books
979-8-9852911-1-7
$29.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook/$26.99 Large
Print
Website: www.BrianStormBooks.com
Ordering: https://a.co/d/6zsAdIi
The
Struggle: 10
Years Later is an addiction memoir refuting the common notion
that heroin
addicts always come to a bad end. This could have easily been the case
as Brian
Storm moved through addiction to more powerful drugs and descended into
a life
of crime and struggle.
And yet, the book offers the
ultimate message of hope
with the example that even the most addicted individual has
opportunities to
recover and change his life.
Given its subject, readers
might anticipate the story be
filled with graphic trigger experiences of violence, murder, suicide,
and
substance abuse. And, it is. No punches were pulled in the making of
this
memoir.
But, underlying its candid
streetwise message of a white
Philadelphia rapper boy's life gone awry is an inspirational example of
how
Storm turned his life around against all odds and influences. It serves
as a
testimony to new possibilities, and to never losing hope during life's
battles.
From the start, Storm
presents cautions and insights that
will compel readers to learn more, introducing his saga with
reflections on why
and how The Struggle was written:
"I
wrote this
book to share my experience, strength, and hope for recovery from drug
addiction and alcoholism. You will read about how I used drugs and
alcohol to
fit in and have fun with my friends. Over the years, I became a person
I never
thought I would become. I hope this book opens the eyes of both addicts
and
non-addicts and gives a better understanding of how addiction can
affect anyone.
I tried to be 100% honest in my writing, but the time frames and
details may
not always be completely accurate. This is because drugs and alcohol
have taken
a toll on my memory."
The gritty, honest language
and descriptions reinforce
the fact that this life experience comes from the streets and the
heart: "This moment was the lowest I’d ever
felt in my life, at least up until this point. But as I sat there in my
own
self-pity, little did I know that a Christmas angel would come to save
the day.
As I sat on the curb, crying my eyes out, at least two dozen people had
passed
me without even blinking an eye. This made me feel even worse because
it proved
that nobody gave a fuck about me."
As low points of despair
contrast with high points of
hope from unexpected places and experiences, Storm keeps his readers on
track
with stories of his evolutionary growth process and how it was affected
by
circumstances both within and beyond his control.
Young adults, particularly,
who are on the road towards
the spiral Storm experienced will find much to gain from his account of
seeking
acceptance from his friends while finding himself trapped in a cage of
his own
choosing, encouraged by influences that did not hold his best interests
at
heart.
Neither did he. This is
perhaps the most hard-hitting
message of all: the juxtaposition of social and internal pressures that
made
his path and choices seem logical, no matter their self-destructive
outcomes.
While The
Struggle
easily reaches all ages, its greatest impact will be on young adults
finding
their ways in life.
Libraries that choose The
Struggle for its candid, gripping accounts of a downfall and
recovery will
find it especially lends to young adult group and book club discussion.
It
offers many keys to understanding better choices that come not from the
philosophical, protected world of the achiever, but from one who has
fallen and
yet still successfully risen into a different life and new ways of
viewing and
defining opportunity and recovery.
Return to Index
Where Yellow
Flowers
Bloom
Kim Cantin
Precocity
Press
ASIN: B0BVC7HY42
$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Where-Yellow-Flowers-Bloom-Unimaginable-ebook/dp/B0BVC7HY42
Where Yellow Flowers Bloom: A True Story of Hope
Through Unimaginable
Loss is a mother's memoir of the gripping tragedy that
resulted in the loss
of her home and the positive life she had built. It opens with a vivid
experience that occurred when the family was buried in their home by a
landslide.
As Kim
Cantin
documents events from 2017 onward that involved struggles with fire and
the
products of California's changing weather, readers gain a sense of what
it
means to survive not just one, but a series of life-altering
environmental
events. These reach from the crazy weather events of 2017 to the
pouring rains
of 2018 that produced avalanches that ran through their home at 35
miles per
hour.
Where Yellow Flowers Bloom cultivates a
"you are here"
experience as it narrates the blows Cantin's family endured:
"The
dark,
thick slime seeped in under our doors. The muddy water came up through
the
bottom of our front walls and front doors. I looked down at Chester,
lying on
the floor near my feet. I told him, “Let’s go!” But he tilted his head
and
looked up at me hauntingly as he lay on the carpet. Chester did not
move. He
seemed to know there was no escape. I heard a horrifying, unfamiliar
noise that
sounded as if I were standing under the walkway of Niagara Falls. Like
the roar
of an oncoming train, mere inches away."
Kim Cantin
believed
her entire family would die that night. Her house totally destroyed and
her
loved ones missing, she barely survived, herself.
One of the
strengths
of her story, which lends to its vivid appeal, lies in daughter
Lauren's notes
about her experiences, juxtaposing with her mother Kim's reflections
about
being survivors against all odds:
"My baby had been buried alive, totally alone,
entombed. My mind
wanted to shut out the horror she’d endured. She told me that during
the chaos,
she felt like the rest of the family had gotten out and left her. That
broke my
heart. Never in a million years would we have done that, if any of us
could
have moved from our location to help her. With the slide’s power and
chaos,
none of us had the ability to help each other. We were separated in our
home by
the roaring force of the slide that came down the mountain like an
avalanche.
It flowed like powerful thick wet cement, and rendered each of us
helpless."
David and
Jack Cantin,
as well as dog Chester, were lost. Jack was not found for three years.
The
search Kim was to undertake involved the community and brought together
strangers who helped: "I witnessed
some of the best of human kindness." This joint effort to
save her
family resulted in compelling examples of kindness and concern from
strangers
that was to set the course for recovery and the rest of their lives.
Where Yellow Flowers Bloom
is more than a portrait of a family disaster. It's a riveting account
of the love and perseverance that carry a mother and daughter into a
new life where kindness becomes intrinsically entwined with survival.
The lessons Kim receives
are
given back in different ways; one of which is the publication of this
memoir: "It reminds me to accept my life’s
changes, and to work to thrive and move forward. I know for sure that
this is
what my husband and son would want for us. And, maybe, just maybe, they
helped
this coincidence to happen."
As hope and
goodness
emerge from inconceivable circumstances and loss, readers gain a sense
of how
hope and faith become tied to community response and support efforts.
They also
receive a diverse portrait of kindness in action from all types of
community
members.
Libraries
looking for
memoirs of tragedy, adversity, grief, and, ultimately, hope will find
that Where Yellow Flowers Bloom is
an
especially powerful portrait—one that should join any other true
stories about
surviving the impossible.
Return to Index
The
Billionaire's Club
Jeff Nesbit
Bancroft Press
978-1-61088-610-9
$27.95
www.bancroftpress.com
The
Billionaire's
Club is a novel about political
reporting, the power of money, and the efforts of a writer trying to "...do
my best to write something that didn’t take yet another piece of my
soul with
it into the digital abyss."
Cautious
about his
connections and involvements,
Washington Post reporter Seth Thomas still finds himself in over his
head with
his latest assignment, which morphs into a puzzling pursuit of truth
that
thwarts his initial desire not to become mired in something that
compromises
his values.
As
he follows the trail of
money that leads through risky
bank practices and loans, his journey takes him to Iceland, where
Jasper
Olafsson cautions him: “If you want to help, find some
answers. And, after
you do, don’t vanish like the others.”
Jeff
Nesbit opens up more
than a few cans of worms as he
shows how Seth becomes increasingly involved in and aware of the
"billionaire's club" members and mandates: "Extremely wealthy
people kept making money on top of the piles they already had … for one
significant reason: They had access to precisely the kinds of
investment
opportunities denied the other seven billion on the planet. No strategy
or
lucky break could get you into this exclusive club…only the kind of
money
controlled by a very small group."
As
investment strategies,
club members, and networks that
move money come to light, readers receive a vivid probe into financial
entanglements that involve Seth in pyramid schemes and questionable
business
practices conducted on a world-wide arena.
Nesbit
is especially adept
at entwining financial savvy
into a plot in which Seth, who is largely operating outside this
milieu, makes
discoveries that lead increasingly into dangerous territory inhabited
by
billionaires playing with the world's financial stability.
The
story he grasps after
relentless pursuits and
eye-popping realizations shakes his own foundations of how he perceives
influence and power in the world, making for a story ripe with
discoveries that
challenge Seth's values in choosing a story lead over money.
Libraries
looking for a
vivid thriller atmosphere backed
by real-world financial realities will relish The
Billionaire's Club's
engrossing, fast-paced probe of schemes, risk-taking, and moral and
ethical
challenges.
Return to Index
The
Chanteuse from
Cape Town
John Constable
Ink!
9781399935159
$16.42 Paper/$9.99 ebook
www.inkpublishingservices.co.uk
The Chanteuse from Cape
Town is a
hardboiled noir mystery that
centers on P.I. Sol Nemo's efforts to help his friend, whose wife has
been
kidnapped. This leads him deep into South Africa's underworlds and into
social
situations he'd never envisioned, also landing him in life-threatening
situations when his efforts result in him being shot and the kidnappers
getting
away.
Even more
determined
to succeed, Sol moves from Pretoria to Cape Town and beyond as his
motivation
to get results becomes a personal obsession.
In addition
to the
surprising depth of social examination that accompanies this murder
mystery,
John Constable injects a wry humor that adds to the atmosphere: "We parted company after that. As
Bezuidenhout walked away, I heard his phone’s ring tone. I’m oft en
surprised
by people’s tastes in music. On this occasion, I was nonplussed to hear
the
disco strains of Stayin’Alive.
Given the captain’s rate of cigarette consumption, I reckoned this
might
qualify as wishful thinking."
Operating
far from
his Port Elizabeth base, Sol finds himself encountering dead bodies,
nuns, brackish
waters, and personal threats. Throughout the story, Constable takes the
time to
capture the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of Sam's South African
world—even
when he is in desperate straights: "A
bottle of Castle beer with condensation dripping down its sides would
be a good
start, as would a long drink of orange and lemonade with ice, or
simplest of
all would be plunging my face into the mountain stream close by my
parked
car."
Libraries
that choose
The Chanteuse from Cape Town for its
intrigue will be delighted to find the background and culture almost as
absorbing as Sol's evolving dilemmas with cat-and-mouse game that
becomes a
struggle not just for truth, but for life.
Return to Index
The
Dark Waves
of Winter
David M. Olsen,
Editor
Kelp Books, LLC
9798986946207
$28.00
Hardcover/$14.50 Paper/$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Waves-Winter-David-Olsen/dp/B0BRDFBYQ1
The Dark Waves of Winter is a literary short story crime anthology
that both compliments the prior collection, The
Silver Waves of Summer, and stands on its own. It gathers
the
works of extraordinary writers who spin compelling yarns based on
beaches,
waves of adversity, and navigating crime.
The opening short story
'Room and Board' by Vinnie
Hansen, is about a
Santa Cruz, California couch surfer whose helpful friend gets him a job
at the
Surf Museum. They hope that gainful employment will get Jayden off the
couch
and into mainstream society, as well as providing him with a coveted
surfboard.
Instead, the docent job
both exploits the past
patterns Jayden has
developed with his friend Matt and introduces new conundrums as he
navigates
his friend's ulterior motives and the cost of their
connections—especially when
he screws up and steals the wrong surfboard.
In the process of making
good on his promise to
Matt, Jayden discovers
that crime can be alluring: "His
heart raced, but damn, this was fun, like making the drop on a big
wave."
Readers will
relish
the blend of surf culture and suspense that evolve as Jayden rides unto
unfamiliar territory, fumbling criminal activity and work life and
leaving
havoc in his wake.
Shannon
Hollinger's
'Undertow' is a study in contrasts as it reveals a plot that also
evolves out
of an old connection that emerges from the past. Ex-cop Reggie finds
himself
drawn into a nefarious situation when his chance encounter with old
acquaintance Scotty leads to a strange job—to watch Scotty's wife, who
has been
unwell since a surfing accident.
"Perhaps Reggie should
have known that it wouldn’t
go as planned.
And he should probably feel bad about what’s happened. But he doesn’t.
Not at
all. Because it’s impossible to believe that something that feels so
right
could possibly be wrong."
The
assignment goes
awry and tilts into uncharted territory as Reggie faces the failures of
his
past and a riptide of events that leads to yet another terrible result.
Each story
excels in
connecting crime scenes with the psyches and conundrums that disparate
personalities exhibit and face as they enter the treacherous territory
of
emotional connections and life adversity.
Readers who
enjoy
surfing and water themes combined with crime revelations will find The
Dark Waves of Winter
a compelling anthology where every short story reflects its own
creative light.
Libraries
on the
lookout for crime anthologies of new voices that are powerfully
rendered will
welcome The Dark Waves of Winter
into
their literary and mystery collections.
Return to Index
Diamond
on the High Seas
Karen Gilleland
Independently
Published
9798363242922
$24.99
Hardcover/$14.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/DIAMOND-HIGH-SEAS-Diamond-Dennison-Mystery/dp/B0BQHMD2QW
Diamond
on
the High Seas
is a nautical mystery that takes place aboard a
cruise ship and sails through uncharted waters. It tells of protection
service
owner Hope Diamond's charge to embark on a cruise to protect her
husband's
cousin from an assassin. But that's only the tip of the iceberg when
murders
(plural intended) enter the picture despite her best efforts.
From
the
tongue-in-cheek choice of naming the main character 'Hope Diamond' to
her
already-complex dilemma of ending her relationship with FBI Agent Matt Dennison (who also happens
to wind up on the same cruise), Karen
Gilleland cultivates an atmosphere of odd circumstance, interconnected
lives,
and irony that adds an undercurrent of emotional suspense to the story.
As
agent and
traitor begin an odd dance, Hope finds herself in the middle of danger
on the
ship, mired in a business she loves more than Matt. Or, does she?
Different
characters interact with Hope and Matt to add their own special
interests and
secrets into the growing complex mix of intrigue.
Karen
Gilleland
crafts a story that moves between personal and professional adversity
with a
changing target that operates in a relatively closed environment of
both the
cruise ship and emotional attachments.
Gilleland
spices
her plot with the seasoning of emotional and moral change and adds more
than a
dash of cruise ship culture and atmosphere that challenges each
character to
fulfill their missions while listening to their hearts.
As
their jobs
lead them into murky waters, Matt and Hope dance around the bigger
picture
before it is fully exposed to introduce additional challenges into
their lives.
The
stormy
atmosphere builds nicely, adopting a tension throughout that keeps
readers
engaged in the different threads of possibility that emerge from
unexpected places
aboard ship.
Libraries
and
readers seeking mysteries steeped in realistic atmosphere,
interpersonal
special connections, and professional challenge will find Diamond
on the
High Seas cultivates a special
brand of investigative insights that range from FBI approaches to a
protection
service owner's increasing involvement in matters over her head, heart,
and pay
scale.
Return to Index
Edgar
and Shamus Go Golden
Gay Toltl Kinman and Andrew McAleer, Editors
Down & Out Books
978-1643962788
$18.95
Paper/$7.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Edgar-Shamus-Go-Golden-Detection/dp/1643962787
Edgar
and Shamus Go
Golden: Twelve Tales of Murder, Mystery, and Master Detection from the
Golden
Age of Mystery and Beyond compiles stories that reflect
old-fashioned
murder mystery formulas, demonstrating that the classic puzzle,
whodunit, and
questionable alibis from suspects remains as captivating to modern
mystery
readers as in the past.
Twelve
well-done
contemporary examples of this draw takes
the Golden Age of Mystery's form and translates it to diverse tales
that pays
tribute to the classic detective form cultivated by Agatha Christie,
Dashiell
Hammett, and G.K. Chesterton. They demonstrate that the mystery genre
has never
abandoned the roots of its golden heyday of detective writing, but has
instead
carried its old form to new heights.
This
Golden Age flourished
between two world wars. It
produced classics that resonate today. Edgar
and Shamus Go Golden follows in its footsteps, infusing the
classic form
with contemporary flavors.
Take
John McAleer's 'Case of
the Illustrious Banker', for
example. Unearthed some eight decades after its creation, this short
story
features the crime-fighting debut of 1920s London-based private
detective Henry
von Stray who, at the behest of Scotland Yard, investigates the
baffling murder
of a notorious banker. 'Illustrious Banker' is just one example of the
treasures unearthed and contrasted in this anthology.
The
collection opens with
'The Outsider' by Martin
Edwards. In its opening line, Darius Fortune protests that he is "not a detective." Indeed, he is an
American enigma who has arrived in London determined to solve possible
double
murder that keeps him up nights and in thrall to his investigative
abilities
and non-professional challenges to solve an impossible puzzle. Gwyn's
involvement in her beau's struggles places her in a unique position as
the
story unfolds.
The
first-person narrator
who participates in this
effort, a "scholar on sabbatical and a dabbler in criminology," is
well aware of his pursuit, failings, and her own limitations in the
field.
Despite this, Gwyn is more than capable of not just participating in
her beau's
efforts, but able to follow through with investigative approaches he
never saw
coming.
As
an old lady's death
involves Scotland Yard and tests
Gwyn's determination and investigative savvy, readers receive a story
well
steeped in a woman's viewpoint and ways of seeing the world.
In
contrast is Kristen
Lepionka's 'Saints or Harridans',
set in 1938 Los Angeles, where barkeep Nicky finds himself drawn into a
puzzle
presented to him by former lover Annette Wexley, who left him to return
to her
husband many years ago.
Now
she's back ... and with
a "damn good bluff"
that involves Hollywood games, vixen manipulation, and a murder that
places
Nick in an unwelcome spotlight.
Each
story is steeped in a
sense of place. Each considers
the mercurial roles of men and women placed in extraordinary
circumstances
through chance and choice, and each excels in representing the
hardboiled
detective atmosphere replete in 1920s investigative fiction.
Readers
and libraries
looking for throwback stories of
the past which feature contemporary authors and new perspectives on
puzzles
will find delightful and compelling the diversity of dilemmas
illustrated in in
Edgar and Shamus Go Golden.
Its
contributors all are
well published, with numerous
stories and novels to their names and reputations. They will expand
their
audiences through participation in this anthology. Going back in time
is well
worth the effort in this sterling example of Golden Age approaches.
Collections
strong in the
mystery genre that look for
historical connections to past murder mystery approaches will find this
gathering an intriguing probe not only into the causes of death, but
the minds
of perps and investigative entities alike.
Return to Index
Haunting
Pasts
Trevor Wiltzen
Wiltzen Publishing
978-1-7774212-4-3
$3.99
https://www.trevorwiltzen.com/
Haunting Pasts
provides another
investigation that surrounds
waitress and part-time sleuth Mabel Davison in a cold case she'd
thought she
long put to bed. Mabel thought she'd set aside this quasi-profession.
As the
working single mother of two young boys and guardian of her niece, she
more
than has her hands full without reawakening ghosts of past
investigations.
But
sometimes the
past reaches out to haunt you. Such is the case that literally stumbles
into
her diner to threaten her family, dredging up ghosts of the past that
could
tear apart everything she's built and shake her future's foundations.
She's
already nearly
lost everything fighting for her community and family. Now she stands
on the
cusp of further changes and challenges, delving into lies and carefully
hidden
truths to find a serial killer lies at the heart of controversy.
Trevor
Wiltzen
injects social issues into the confrontations Mabel faces with family,
friends,
and those who operate in murky territory. A Christian mother confronts
a hero's
confession that he is gay, hurling accusations at Mabel when she tries
to
defend him: “How dare you talk to me! You
did this! You! No wonder the town hates you! You and all your ungodly
ways.
Living alone in sin without a husband! Raising two feral boys!"
As
dialogues
between characters and confrontations blossom, it turns out the killer
(who is
likely someone she knows) is just one of the many challenges she faces
in a
world where friends are dropping like flies and adversity is everywhere.
Newcomers
to
Mabel's life will find that Trevor Wiltzen does an excellent job of
summing up
her past experiences to ease their entry into her latest case.
The
characters
and community milieu are nicely developed and realistic, contrasting
Mabel's
home life with her proclivity for getting into trouble and identifying
perps
who hide under the guise of ordinary individuals and lives.
Her
desire to
protect others contrasts nicely with the illusions she fosters about
those around
her and the realities a serial killer introduces through actions that
draw
increasingly too close to home.
A
thread of
humor runs through Mabel's perceptions and responses, adding further
depth to
this story of life's ironies and realities.
The
result is a
haunting tale that leads Mabel to more closely examine her past. It
also
prompts readers to follow her into the process of assumptions and
identifying
their beliefs about systemic racism, good and bad decision-making
processes,
and wisdom gained from realizing that layers of good and evil lie
beneath the
surface of what seems to be a safe haven.
Libraries
and
readers seeking stories that blend an amateur investigator's efforts
with
growing insights about her community of choice will find the issues and
relationships presented in Haunting Pasts
intriguing. It will also attract interest and discussion from book
clubs that
look for mysteries engrained in the affairs of killers, investigators,
and
social questions that challenge communities in flux.
Return to Index
Infinity
Catherine Coulter,
Editor
Suspense Publishing
ASIN: B0BLR9KYD2
$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Suspense-Anthology-Catherine-Coulter-ebook/dp/B0BLR9KYD2
Infinity: A Suspense
Magazine Anthology
features a host of notable writers, from Susan Wingate and Tosca Lee to
E.J.
Howe, and provides an adventure-oriented thriller collection that
excels in the
unexpected.
Thriller
readers
usually don't receive laugh-out-loud moments. Nor does the genre
typically
embrace a broad spectrum of age ranges in its protagonists, or
perspectives
laced with the bite of irony and unusually poetic inspections.
All these
facets and
more support a diverse selection that travels time, space, and the
suspense genre
to pick out those gems that truly stand out from the crowd.
Take
J.T. Ellison's “Louche 49," for one
example. 1985 Paris
comes to life through the eyes of assassin Annalise, whose latest
"easy" assignment has gone very, very wrong. The outcome of her failure
is outlined from the start:
"The woman with the
blue suede shoes will sit
at table ten. If she orders the tartare, the job is done. If she orders
the
sole, something went wrong. Do not order the sole. Those
were the final
words before the call had been terminated and she was sure she’d never,
ever
have to debase herself by admitting defeat. Do
not fail. She has no idea that, were she to order the
sole,
it will come with a lethal dose of poison in the tender white flesh.
The
patrons of the restaurant will assume she’s choked on a sliver of bone,
the
waiter who deboned the fish tableside summarily dismissed, and the body
taken
to a field near the Bois de Boulogne for a discreet burial."
A lie will
buy her
time while she seeks to fulfill her mission. The progression from Paris
to
modern-day Nashville represents a sea change in perspective as readers
seamlessly shift into another reality which holds unexpected
consequences and
insights.
Another
satisfying
twist of tale lies in Kelley Armstrong's "The Joy of Wrong Numbers."
Here, a grandma recovering from a heart attack in a hospital stumbles
upon the
joy of wrong numbers when a mishap results in the unexpected.
Armstrong's
ability
to inject fun into a thought-provoking story is only one of the
attractors,
here: "How does one go from “Whoops,
wrong number” to a recipe exchange? Well, first, one needs to be my
grandmother."
One accident
can lead
to a lifestyle change. In Gran's case, it certainly does, as daughter
Lily
finds that the wrong number pursuit may result in the right thing for
her.
Each story
is unique.
In a genre replete with formula writing and often-predictable results,
it's
refreshing to find a gem of unpredictability and diversity. Such is Infinity.
Libraries
looking for
short story thriller collections that stand out from the ordinary with
writers
who each craft very different visions of suspense, horror, and the
intersection
of thriller and life endeavors will find much to relish in Infinity, which should be held up as an
example of truly creative thriller
writing.
Return to Index
The Logos
Prophecy
Martin Treanor
Fire Hornet
Codex/DRPZ Publishing
ASIN: B0BM4G3CTM
$9.99 ebook
www.FireHornetCodex.Com
The Logos Prophecy
is the first book in
the Fall of Ancients
series, and provides a thriller rooted in metaphysical intrigue and
conspiracy.
The story
opens with
the death of Cambodian villagers by the Khmer Rouge each time they come
looking
for the American soldier who deserted his post during the war. Young
Daney
observes him, and somehow escapes the Khmer Rouge's attention just as
the
soldier also manages to evade their every visit. She also notes his odd
actions
and comes to realize that the impact of war is not the only thing
changing
lives around her.
When an
ancient
symbol entwines her world with that of conspiracy theorist Ary Long and
scientist Jordan Burke, a world-hopping exploration of discovery
unfolds which
connects disparate cultures and special interests alike.
As history
and
tension unfold, the tale grows to embrace comet impacts, direct
descendants of
the Aryans, the efforts of ancient peoples to remake the world in their
own
image when opportunity strikes from above, and the legacy they leave
after
their rewrite of history.
Martin
Treanor deftly
weaves intrigue, metaphysical, scientific, and social issues into a mix
that
brings to mind The Celestine Prophecy's
power and allure—but in a manner that brings history and mystery to the
forefront of this tale of an underlying powerful group that has long
and
secretly dictated the course of humanity.
How could
they hold
such power? Part of it is metaphysical and part is because of "Corrupt humans, who desire only power
and wealth. But they too were fooled. Their greed made them susceptible
to
manipulation."
As Ary and
Jordan
find themselves immersed in a troubling puzzle, their eyes are opened
to a form
of human history never exposed before. It's powered by two groups (the
Gnostics
and the Aryans) that would either destroy or preserve Logos and its
legacy.
Treanor
creates a
captivating story that traverses nations, history, and individuals with
a heavy
hand towards intrigue and revelation.
Libraries
seeking
captivating blends of history, mystery, thriller, and scientific
discovery will
find The Logos Prophecy a fine
story
that blends an Indiana Jones-type series of discoveries and adventures
with the
draw of a metaphysical mystery that delves into human intentions and
influences.
Book clubs
interested
in The Celestine Prophecy and
similar
spiritual adventures will find the action and thought-provoking,
suspense-throbbing discoveries in The Logos
Prophecy hard to put down.
Return to Index
Salt Island
Lisa Towles
Indies United
Publishing
978-1-64456-588-9
Kindle $3.99, Paperback
$16.99, Hardcover $26.99, Audiobook $15.99
Website: www.indiesunited.net
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Island-Investigations-Thriller-Book-ebook/dp/B0BW4QLC2R
Salt Island is
the second book in the
E&A Investigation Series.
It follows former CIA operative-turned-private-P.I. Mari Ellwyn's
investigation
into a CEO's blackmailing and the witness determined to bring his
corrupt ways
to public and legal attention.
Mari's new
business
partner, Derek Abernathy, is thrown into her complex world as
unexplained
deaths take an even more dangerous turn for them both, placing them in
the
crosshairs of a conflict that evolves beyond a singular case to embrace
many
facets of wrongdoing and threat.
On its
surface, Salt Island may be labeled
a work of
suspense and intrigue. Scratch that appearance to find it's fraught
with layers
of satisfying complexity that drags moral and ethical conundrums into
the fray.
The peace
before a
storm is captured in a surprising prologue that opens not with
adversity, but
the image of a surreal place of safety powered by a gently rocking
boat. This
peace is suddenly shaken by a body in the water that changes everything.
The
first-person
narrator's father was a spy before he went missing, and so the corpse
introduces both a mystery and a flashback to possibilities the
protagonist
would rather not think about. Especially since this former officer of
the law
should not have been in the area in the first place. The situation is
further
complicated by the question of whether her boat and discovery lie in US
waters
and jurisdiction.
With this,
Lisa
Towles takes off on a globe-hopping journey of discovery which probes
international waters and past and present events alike.
Old friends,
new
news, assertions and rebuttals in the legal arena, and deadly purposes
evolve
in the course of Ellwyn and Abernathy's venture into unknown waters and
unfamiliar territory. From chemical dumping and toxic relationships to
family
secrets and discoveries that rock Mari's personal life as well as her
professional acuity, readers are treated to changing subplots and
revelations
that lend a dance of danger to the story.
Towles is
especially
adept at entwining personal and political circumstances in such a way
that
readers are kept guessing about outcomes. Who is the perp and who the
good guy,
and what entangled relationships keep circling back to a missing
father's own
agenda?
Thriller
readers thus
receive a far more complex story that many; yet it's one which is
firmly
planted in the personalities and lives of not just perps, but their
pursuers.
Another plus
is that
each partner is charged with reconsidering not just their involvements
and own
lives, but each other: “That’s an
unthinkable betrayal! How could you do this?” I asked, realizing that
Ivan knew
about this on our call just now and he hadn’t mentioned it. My anger
was false,
though, and he knew that. He was protecting me. That’s what partners
do."
Salt Island is a
gripping suspense story
that reveals many
unexpected connections, yet takes the time to inject a sense of place
into the
sense of purpose, creating a "you are here" experience no matter
where the partners are in the world: "We
sat there for thirty minutes, sheltered by the wind in the protected
chess park
of Santa Monica Pier on a grungy table eating the most delicious
Mexican food
from my favorite taqueria, while I told him the story – at least part
of the
story..."
Salt Island both
enhances and expands
Ellwyn's world from her prior
appearance in Hot House, standing
nicely alone as a riveting work of espionage, wrongdoing, and
discovery. It
will attract and grab the attentions of those interested in stories as
much
about uncovering personal secrets as in crime-busting efforts.
Libraries
seeking
exceptional thriller reads powered by the passion and purpose of
unexpected
revelations that continue to the story's concluding lines will find Salt Island more than worthy of
acquisition.
Return to Index
Shadow
Valley
Nik Xandir Wolf
Kelp Books, LLC
978-1-7373228-7-0
$22.00
Hardcover/$14.95 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Valley-Nik-Xandir-Wolf/dp/B0BMNXKZHH
It's
unusual to
recommend a suspense crime story to readers who also enjoy surfing
stories, but
Shadow Valley neatly fills both with
its special flavor of intrigue which journeys from Panama to the
beaches and
counterculture communes of Santa Cruz, California; then back into the
murky
waters of romance, family angst, and death.
Nik
Xandir Wolf moves
through these shifting worlds so deftly that readers can't help but
walk in the
two characters' shoes as they navigate their blossoming relationship,
the
events that land them on the run (as well as on a search for the truth
about
Heath's past), and perilous truths about family connections which are
not what
they seem.
The
opening
chapter explores Heath's early roots and family, which represent
unexpected
ties to a world Heath should ideally never know:
"As a hired killer who
never knew his
own father, Hector had hardened himself against love and all of its
variations.
Then, in his mid thirties, he met this girl, Lindsay, and she cracked
that
shell wide open. And then they had their son, Heath. And it was as
though
Hector’s entire understanding of the universe had been violently ripped
away.
This girl and this boy left an imprint on his soul so deep, and so
complete,
Hector was transformed."
Most
novels
about couples don't include the special brand of tension that is
cultivated in Shadow Valley. Under
Wolf's hand, both
relationship and political and social challenges come to light in a
strange
dance with death that keeps Heath and Rori in the crosshairs of
discovery and
danger.
As
events unfold
through Heath's first-person experiences, readers absorb Rori's
certainty that
the duo must face adversity together at all odds (and costs): “We need to stick together. Forever.”
Libraries
and
readers seeking vivid suspense stories that are fast-paced and
powerfully
connected between characters and readers will find Shadow
Valley outstanding for its vivid action, sense of place, and
evolving sense of purpose as Heath and Rori struggle with themselves,
one another,
and forces that would change their lives. Shadow
Valley features many surprising twists that readers will
love.
Return to Index
Star Tangled
Murder
Nancy J. Cohen
Orange Grove
Press
978-1-952886-25-6
$14.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://nancyjcohen.com
Star Tangled Murder is the eighteenth book in the Bad Hair Days
cozy mystery series—but that doesn't mean that newcomers need pursue
the other
17 books in order to start with and thoroughly enjoy this latest
addition.
The
4th of July
holiday has led hairdresser Marla Vail and her detective husband Dalton
to visit a historical village in Florida, where they plan on steeping
themselves in American history ... until a simulated battle becomes too
real. A
body is left on the battlegrounds, raising the investigative hackles of
husband
and wife.
What
ensues is a romp through American and
Seminole Indian history in a probe that takes place on domestic soil,
but
ventures into foreign territory with another hair-raising tale.
How
many modern
folk die via tomahawk? Which cast member in this insidious play took
the next
step into becoming a murderer, changing the plot of an entire village's
holiday
celebration?
With
a
hairdresser's precision for employing effective cuts, Marla joins her
husband
in the probe, only to find that they are not confronting one suspect,
but the
murky undercurrents and secrets of an entire village.
Forced
to assess
intention from strangers in a world she barely knows, Marla's
investigative eye
for trouble uncovers too many possibilities in even the most casual of
encounters: "Was Uriah passing on a
friendly warning, or did this threat come from him directly? She
couldn’t
ascertain his purpose and tossed out another query to test him."
As
astute as the
methodology is between husband and wife, which contrast according to
their
skill sets, is the character-building and community-revealing force
Nancy J.
Cohen employs. History and mystery entangle in unusual manners as the
story
unfolds, revealing a series of lies and possibilities that become even
more
convoluted and puzzling as Marla and Dalton delve deeper. As the
history and
more murders evolve, the duo finds themselves ever more twisted in a
mystery
that leads Marla to consider when to obey her more savvy husband's
detective
edicts and instincts and when to embark on her own course of action.
The
result is
delightful in its progressive unfolding of facts and fancies, cemented
by
characters that encounter a strange twist on American history and
pursue these links
to their surprising conclusions.
Libraries
seeking cozy mysteries replete in psychological strength and American
history
drama will find Star Tangled Murder
a
compelling portrait of a historical reenactment gone awry.
Return to Index
Throwaways
Elliott D. Light
Bancroft Press
978-1-61088-528-7
$25.00
www.bancroftpress.com
Jake
Savage wasn't thinking
of murder when he set out to
photograph the gorgeous but deadly lionfish underwater. And yet, a
young girl's
body drifts into his line of sight, forcing him to move from the beauty
of an
invasive species in the Florida Gulf to the deadly possibilities of
murder.
Jake's
first instinct is to
pass on the unexpected opportunity
to investigate another murder. He's in the middle of an alternate world
when
another case literally drifts by. But, some things in life, you simply
can't
ignore:
"...her
body
drifted past me and the sun
returned. I didn’t want to go to her, to see what I knew were the
tortured
remains of a once-living human being. I had seen ravaged bodies up
close and
dreaded the idea of seeing hers. I wanted her to leave. I wanted her to
disappear. If I just waited a few minutes, she would be out of my
sight, a speck
in the vast Gulf waters. A voice pleaded with me to let her go, but
despite
being repulsed by the mutilation of her face, I simply couldn’t leave
her to
the whims of the wind and tide. She deserved better."
And
so Jake moves his
readers from an underwater photo
shoot and concern about ecosystem invasion to a different kind of
incursion on
heart and soul which pulls him into a new pursuit of the truth.
Jake's
search for answers
leads him into unexpected new
territory, including race relations issues that arise from even a man
of god
who confronts him when he searches for truth on the doorstep of faith: "Couple
of white girls get in a bind, and the two of you come here for help.
When black
and brown girls go missing, no one thinks twice about them. I don’t
wish those
girls any harm, but what happens to them isn’t my problem.” The harsh
words
from a supposed man of the cloth stunned me.
As
the story evolves, it
turns out that Jake has come to
Key West in pursuit of more than one ideal. His dream job of tracking
fish
populations and playing with software has already been challenged by a
stroke
suffered by his foster mother Ethy, who raised him, but always reminded
him he
wasn't really hers.
Charged
with caring for
Ethy, Tess Simpson also proves an
unexpected adjunct to Jake's life as he juggles his obligations, a new
home,
and possibilities in murder and young runaways that bring social issues
to his
doorstep: “What? You thought she’d see you as heroes coming
to save her? You
see a girl who ran away from home who can be saved with hugs and sweet
words.
Alicia didn’t just run away. She was discarded. People like you saw her
on the
street and looked the other way.”
Elliott
D. Light builds a
compelling story based on these
issues as much as the murder scenario and Jake's own life challenges.
Light's
ability to juxtapose the lives of disparate individuals who become part
of the
complex puzzle of Megan's death and Alicia's disappearance brings many
confrontations to the table as social issues and racial concerns
entwine with
life-and-death situations.
All
these elements make Throwaways
more than just
another whodunit, but a social probe that places Jake in the center of
a
maelstrom of controversy, leading him into a personal confrontation
with the
murders in his own past history.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a multifaceted story that
moves both outwards to embrace a community and internally to unravel
the
puzzles affecting Jake's past and present will find Throwaways
thoroughly absorbing. It's powered by realistic characters whose
pursuit of
truths against all odds lead them in unexpected directions that readers
won't
see coming.
Return to Index
The Typhon
Affair
Lou Earle
PHiR Publishing
979-8-9867452-4-4
$17.99 Paper/$7.49 Kindle/ebook
www.phirpublishing.com
The Typhon Affair
returns intelligence
agent Mac Sisco and his Team
Apogee to center stage in the second book of a thriller trilogy that
follows
Mac's ongoing efforts to save the world.
This time,
the
Director of the National Security Agency, Admiral James Clausen,
receives a
signal that Mac's prior efforts have not fully thwarted the bid for
world
domination, causing him to recall the team and send them on another
globe-trotting series of confrontations.
Lou Earle
augments
the nonstop action of events with time and attention to detail that
builds both
the physical and psychological profiles of Mac and those around him: "Sisco was a fit thirty-five year old
who at six feet one and 180 pounds looked more like a young real estate
broker
from Texas than a lethal weapon. His standard attire was jeans, a polo
shirt,
his favorite custom full quill Ostrich boots and occasionally a Larry
Mahan hat
to top off the effect."
With a
physical
presence that melds nicely with psychological strengths, Mac is a
formidable
figure that comes alive in the reader's mind. But, perhaps he's not
daunting
enough to stem the tide of takeover that forces from the first book, Apogee, continue to pursue in this
follow-up.
Other
characters,
such as President Holbrook, also cultivate their own auras of
effectiveness and
intellectual prowess, their words both reasoned and educated as they
respond to
a rapidly evolving threat to world order. Holbrook's language is as
studied as
his approach to juggling world politics:
"Holbrook answered
solemnly, “of course we must
immediately inform
them. But we would be premature to do that yet, since we are still
speculating.
Any leaks could cause a worldwide panic, which would be catastrophic
and only
exacerbate the already combustible environment.”
As Typhon's
Chaos
exhibits the potential for worldwide disruption and mass terrorism on a
level
never seen before, Mac and his team are tasked with the seeming
impossible—to
confront an enemy who seems to be everywhere, and yet nowhere.
Earle's
ability to
dovetail political cat-and-mouse games with social inspection lends a
realistic
tone and attraction to The Typhon Affair
that places this thriller on par with the best of established genre
authors.
In tackling
a tricky
situation from which there may be "no defense or recovery," the fate
of not just the world order but humanity itself literally rests on
Mac's
shoulders. If his mission should fail, the world goes with it.
Thriller
tension does
not get any better than this. Libraries and readers seeking an
exceptional
story packed with unexpected twists and turns, strong characterization,
and
astute social and political inspections will find The
Typhon Affair a winning acquisition and read.
Return to Index
Velma Gone
Awry
Matt Cost
Encircle Publications
978-1-64599-417-6
$27.99
Hardcover/$17.99 Paper/$6.99 ebook
www.encirclepub.com
Velma Gone Awry
is a mystery set in
Brooklyn during the Roaring
20s. It follows a middle-aged Hungarian P.I., 8 Ballo, who enjoys a
relatively
simple and satisfying life until he's hired to locate the missing
daughter of
Fritz Hartmann, a wealthy German businessman.
His efforts
force him
out of his comfort zone as 8 delves into the life of Velma, a
twenty-five-year-old woman who at first seems more than capable of
taking care
of herself. Velma considered herself a flapper. The fact that she's
been
missing three days and there's no ransom demand is puzzling, indicating
to 8
that there may be more at stake than a simple abduction for money
scenario.
As 8 moves
in and out
of her life and his own fugue states, readers learn that both
characters are
not what they initially seem. Each harbors dreams and takes actions
that are
not always supportive to their goals.
Velma's
mystery has
awakened in 8 a renewed passion: "It
must be Velma who’d thrown him back into disturbing fantasies of being
a hero.
Once again, in real life this time, he’d been tasked with saving the
girl. He
didn’t mean to fail."
Readers
won't
anticipate the blend of historical and social inspection of the times
that
permeates Velma Gone Awry, but this
strength is just one of the pleasing surprises of the vivid story:
"8 had fought alongside
just about every ethnicity
there was
during the Great War, and he’d mostly found that backbone and integrity
didn’t
have much to do with the color of skin or who your parents were. While
the
Black and white units were segregated, that didn’t always last when on
the
Western Front."
As 8 moves
into
impossible, challenging scenarios, his feelings about his moves
translate to
themes embedded in the overall story: "He
didn’t realize where he was going until he was almost there."
The fact
that
readers, too, won't realize the outcome until they are nearly there
makes Velma Gone Awry a powerful
tale of
intrigue, redemption, and discovery that comes full circle from Velma's
circumstances to her family's history.
Libraries
looking for
full-bodied mysteries that display equally captivating elements of
historical
and social intrigue will find Velma Gone
Awry just the ticket for a more literary and complex
inspection than a
simple whodunit alone.
Return to Index
Among the
Fallen
Henry Mitchell
Creative James Media
978-1-956183-58-0
$16.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Among-Fallen-Henry-Mitchell/dp/1956183582
Among the Fallen
focuses on a sleepy
Appalachian village, but
doesn't open with the ordinary world. Instead, it introduces a milieu
in which
portents of change between the Two Worlds charge Wendl with introducing
Gobnait
(aka Abigail Trammel) back to the Stream from the world of the Fallen.
Readers come
to
realize that the Fallen's world is our own familiar one. Abigail is no
spring
chicken. Well into her elder years, Abigail prides herself in
maintaining
abilities her peers have not.
Wendl
VonTrier is
just the new renter in town—or so she thinks. Why is a visitor coming
off-season and unannounced? It's none of her business, Abigail
thinks—but it
turns out to be entirely her concern, because the visitor lies at the
heart of
an edict to change worlds and her own future via the challenges Wendl
introduces to Abigail's set life.
As crimes,
victims,
and puzzles mount, readers will find this story a special blend of
magical
realism, murder mystery, and a tale of evil, redemption, and other
worlds that
come to center on one small town and an aging woman who holds
unexpected
answers to odd circumstances and questions.
"How
perverse
are the gods. More inscrutable, even than dragons."
Given the
keys to a
special kind of kingdom, will Abigail use them?
Henry
Mitchell mixes
mystery, literary reflection, magical realism, and discoveries with
Appalachian
community culture in a manner that lends to the book's enjoyment by
fantasy and
novel readers alike.
Its magic is
rooted
in two worlds, its characters operate on the edges of both, and its
action and
psychological tension develop many surprises in the course of events
which draw
all kinds of people into a transformative encounter.
Libraries
will find Among the Fallen easily
recommendable to
patrons interested in mystery, magical realism, fantasy, and small town
rising
forces alike, creating a bridge between fantasy and fiction that, like
its
characters, operates equally powerfully in two genre worlds.
Return to Index
Create
Destruction
Ryan A. Kovacs
PHiR
Publishing
ASIN: B0BRNW1JY7
$7.49 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Create-Destruction-Phase-Book-ebook/dp/B0BRNW1JY7
Create Destruction
adopts an unusual
format in presenting a novel
in verse. It's centered around a crazy doctor hell-bent on harnessing
the
psychic abilities of a 12-year-old for his own nefarious intentions.
While the
poetic
component of the story may thwart the typical novel readers looking for
thrillers in the usual prose format, Ryan A. Kovacs successfully
creates a
compelling draw both in plot and form which will appeal to more
literary-minded
readers interested in epic dramas.
The process
of
explaining destruction as the power of "...the
undeniable action/that man chooses—/the very thing he creates" assumes
a vivid set of descriptors that follow the bad doctor into moral,
ethical, and
uncharted territory via the perspective of young Thomas, who
participates in a
deadly experiment.
As the major
player
representing the doctor's vision, Thomas harbors his own personality,
doubts,
and struggles. These carry him into revelations about his own evolving
abilities and their direction: "My
mother always told me that/we say more with our bodies than with our
mouths/and
nothing could be truer about the mad doctor/and I suppose/nothing could
be
truer about me …"
Readers who
at first
might find the verse structure a struggle will be surprised at how
intensely
Kovacs draws readers into Thomas's perspective, experiences, and
evolving sense
of purpose under the doctor's hand and his own evolutionary process.
The verse reinforces
the specter of an ambitious, thought-provoking inspection of
responsibility,
choice, exploitation, and the talents utilized by a boy who comes to
realize he
is being employed as a weapon. Passages prove thought-provoking and
impactful
than if they had been rendered in prose, neatly drawing readers into
Thomas's
dilemmas: “Nothing matters because we
have lost the meaning of life./Until we understand that once again/we
are only
ever moving backwards in time.”
The result
is a
powerful story that combines the experimental creativeness of
literature with
the draw of a thriller and the power of fiction to produce an
accessible,
revealing story that should attract a wide audience.
Ideally, Create
Destruction will be profiled not
just for its unusual form of a novel in verse, but for the embedded
psychological and philosophical discoveries that bring Thomas and his
questionable abilities and guidance to life.
Return to Index
Cult’s Prey
Mary Longley
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-710-1
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Cult’s
Prey opens with a
seemingly-ordinary morning in
the commonplace world of Maddy. She's embarking on the second phase of
her
life, which includes exercise. But something has gone awry in the
process,
because her friend Jazz has become immersed in a new church that mutual
friend
Jacques believes has all the makings of a cult. The three friends are
not
immune to its draw, either, as events prove.
As Maddy, Jacques, and
Jazz find their lives
entwined and changed in unexpected ways, they build both resistance to
and
connections with the cult and each other that challenge their
perceptions of
cults and religious fervor:
“How
dare this
cult play games with my livelihood? How can people who claim to be
doing God’s
work, do so many hateful things to others? This is about the zealots’
thirst
for power and control,” Jacques railed.
The cult targets the
three friends in
different ways, and as its methods and purposes emerge, readers receive
a
thought-provoking discourse not just on cult attractions, but how New
Life of
Hope actually represents a growing tide of repression and fascism in
America.
The underlying social
and political
commentary is presented through the changing experiences and
perceptions of the
three friends, who find themselves in an unexpected struggle internally
and
externally at a time in their lives when they should be relaxing and
exploring
other options.
Mary Longley is skilled
at contrasting the
changing lives and perceptions of each character. Maddy faces
challenges to her
university job and her future, Jazz finds herself drawn ever deeper
into a
spiritual conundrum, and Jacques explores the angles and oddness of
behaviors
which increasingly indicate that the population around him is being
drawn into
the cult by nefarious means.
Jacque's own
observation captures the
changing atmosphere of this engrossing story in a nutshell: “I
might sound
like a broken record, but this whole thing is Get Out meets Invasion of
the
Body Snatchers,” said Jacques."
The result is a
rollicking ride through
changing belief systems, organized underworld activities, and the
evolution of
a police state that replaces freedom with fear.
Important lessons,
these, for modern times;
making Cult’s Prey an attraction not just for
leisure readers, but
discussion groups looking to open dialogues about cults, followers, and
methods
of cult conversion that fly under the radar until they are too apparent
to be
denied ... and too strong to resist.
Return to Index
Cybill
Unbound
Catherine Hiller
Heliotrope Books LLC
978-1-956474-18-3
$8.99 Kindle/$17.00 Paperback
Website: https://www.catherinehiller.net/index.htm
Ordering: Cybill
Unbound
Cybill Unbound
is a work of fictional
erotica that explores a
middle-aged divorced woman's sexual reawakening. It is a recommended
pick for
women interested in how the challenges of separation and upcoming
divorce open
new doors for a woman whose life has been relatively staid.
At
forty-two, Cybill
realizes she is probably too old for many men. Men and her children
have been
the focus of her youthful years, but "Now
most men wouldn’t want her, and her children didn’t need her. She
didn’t think
her job marketing textbooks was going to compensate for this."
Readers
might not
expect the wry undertone of humor that accompanies Cybill's
explorations, but
this is just one of the facets that make the story compelling and
recognizable
as she spreads her sexual wings and flies into uncharted territory.
Readers
receive some
edgy material both sexually and socially as Cybill encounters a variety
of
lovers that bring with them social inspections that are as candid and
revealing
as the sexual approaches they introduce.
From
"goy-toy" Quinn, for whom she wears a Star of David necklace that
makes her feel "... as mischievous
and saucy as if she was wearing a red lace garter belt under a long
black
skirt" to Lucas, who seems to demand that she put her life in
danger
during a snowstorm to fulfill her obligations to him, Cybill finds
herself
taking flight in a variety of situations that test her sexual and
social
mettle.
Readers
(especially
women) who enjoy candid stories of risk, transformation, exploration,
and
social inspection will find Cybill
Unbound fun, intriguing, titillating, and thought-provoking
in its contrast
between disparate lovers and characters who each exhibit different
traits and
survival instincts that work in different milieus, from online to in
person.
Libraries
seeking
fiction that traverses erotic and psychological growth much in the way
Erica
Jong did in her Fear of Flying will
find this journey of a middle-aged woman a satisfying contrast in
evolution
from a different vantage point.
Return to Index
Daughter
of the Shadows
Kerry Chaput
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-167-8
$22.95
Paper/$6.99 ebook
www.blackrosewriting.com
Daughter
of the
Shadows is the second book in the Defying the Crown series
and opens in
1667 Quebec, where secret Protestant Isabelle spies on her Catholic
husband. On
the surface, she is "A supportive
soldier’s wife and a Daughter of the
King. But these guises are nothing more than a front that hides the
burning of
my Protestant heart."
So
opens a fiery
first-person story that captures the
clash between belief and political systems and social forces set to
tear
asunder the fabric of a Catholic-dominated world.
Kerry
Chaput's ability to
inject passion and description
from the perspective of a woman whose life has thus far been a story of
betraying her people, leaving them to perish in France while she made
her
escape to a new life, is the beating heart of a novel that is
represents a
vivid work steeped in not just French history, but romance and
adventure.
Isabelle's
growing lies to
support her efforts bring her
in increasing conflict with her heart. Those around her, who are wiser,
inform
her there is more at stake than guilt or personal atonement for one's
transgressions: “The question, Isabelle,
is not what you have done wrong, but what you will do with this
opportunity.”
Isabelle
finds herself in
many conflicted circumstances,
learning how to survive an Iroquois raid, handle church gossip, and
maintain
secrets that could ruin everyone at court (including the king), and
finds
herself navigating a thin line between treachery and conviction. When
issues of
loyalty and power emerge, Isabelle must make decisions that change not
only her
life and those she loves, but people who struggle and chafe against the
rules
and power of their kingdoms.
Historical
figures from
Antoinette to the Huguenots come
to life in a way that both educates and entrances.
The
passions and purposes of
not just religious conviction
and political ambition, but a strong woman who is at once a wife and a
traitor
to her heart, come to life in a story that grippingly recreates the
times while
requiring a minimum of historical background knowledge from its
readers.
Libraries
will find that the
only prerequisite to
complete enjoyment of this novel is a light interest in history and a
heavy
interest in fictional stories that embrace romance and action to the
fullest.
Readers who choose Daughter of the
Shadows for these possibilities will find the story
captivating, hard to
put down, and written in a manner that both supports its predecessor
and yet
requires no prior familiarity from newcomers in order to prove
immediately
compelling.
Return to Index
Everybody
Knows
David Wesley
Williams
Jackleg Press
9781737513469
$17.00
www.jacklegpress.org
Everybody Knows is a satirical novel that blends Biblical
allusions with political and social commentary about modern times. It
brims
with the atmosphere of a rainy period in small town Tennessee that is a
microcosm of a world under siege.
Even
readers who
don't normally enjoy Biblical references will find delightful the
language and
approach David Wesley Williams cultivates in building this world:
"It was dusk on a
Sunday, some ten
years after the year the world didn’t end. It was early that summer in
a town
called Lower Grace, in the west of Tennessee, in
the great nation under God, and under water—or up in flames, all
depending.
No cranny of the country was safe, no crook
or bend. The West was burning up. In the Midwest there were dust storms
like
something out of Deuteronomy. Elsewhere were tornadoes and hurricanes
and epic
electrical storms; government weather radar, just before it went down,
recorded
a single lightning bolt that stretched from Kennebunkport, Maine, to
Paducah,
Kentucky. There were sinkholes, spontaneous combustions, plagues of
insects—winged fuckers the size of Piper Comanches."
From
the
"high lonesome sound" of banjos and musicians to the process of
facing the coming storm by tempting fate, the political and social
milieu of
the South comes to life in a compelling narrative marked by literary
style and
passages steeped in Tennessee culture: "And
the Tennessee deck, the pleasure deck, did thrum with dancing and
fighting,
carousal and every kind of country music there was; some of it was even
real."
In
a likeable
romp through this environment, there are mistresses and politicians;
tyrants
and escaped felons; the advantage of hindsight (the novel is set in the
near
future) paired with the irony of a world in which current tragedy is
but a
guiding light to what the future holds; and a sense of post-apocalyptic
struggle that embraces the lives of disparate character almost as an
afterthought to the tragedies that mark their days.
Everybody
knows
what's coming, but the band plays on.
As
beautiful
language permeates an elusive dance between parody and reality, Everybody Knows becomes a welcome beacon
of promise and possibility even as its unusual characters face climate
change
and political challenges to Southern tradition. The crazy,
heartbreaking,
choppy seas of life carry characters and readers onto the shores of
change as
posthumous notes of a dying America are played.
Libraries
and
readers looking for evocative literary works replete in social
inspection and
ironic observation will relish the linguistic lure of Everybody
Knows, which cultivates a wild roller coaster ride
through the lives of seafarer and survivor Trimble, convicted murderer
Cheatham,
and others under siege in a crumbling South.
Return to Index
Give My Regards to
Nowhere: A Director’s
Tale
Richard Engling
Polarity Ensemble
Books
978-0-9776610-7-7
$16.95 Paper/$6.99
ebook/ Audiobook TBA
Website: www.polarityensemblebooks.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSB6BLBR
Give
My Regards to
Nowhere: A Director’s Tale sounds like a memoir, but it's a
comic tale of
love, backstage operations, and the challenges faced by Chicago theatre
director Dwayne Finnegan when his big ideas to raise a small production
to
lofty fame result in lost funding.
Driven by
his
artistic vision and undaunted by the lack of money, Dwayne enters a
crisis of
existential and artistic magnitude that challenges his relationships,
ideals,
and "inner Zen."
But, not his
self-confidence.
Determined
to pursue
his dream against all odds, Dwayne pulls others into his idea, crafting
a
scenario that Shakespeare never saw coming.
Richard
Engling
paints a realistic backdrop of theatre drama, backstage confrontations,
and a
host of special interests that affect Dwayne's dream and his ability to
pull it
off.
Even the
arguments he
has at home with Angela hold humor as they evolve in ironic ways:
“Anybody can make a
mistake,” Dwayne said. “I’ll
call them. I’ll see if
I can get the penalty expressed.”
“Expunged, Dwayne. Expunged. I don’t know what the hell will happen if
you ask to get the penalty expressed.
Maybe then it’ll be a hundred dollars.”
At the heart
of the
story lies serious acting challenges and the aspirations of a disparate
cast of
characters who all see their livelihoods and dreams going down the
drain, and
who work (sometimes at odds) to rise to the occasion and meet the new
challenges.
Dwayne's
determination empowers not only himself, but his ragtag cast of
characters and
dreams: "They could actually be
brilliant. If only. Holy Jesus, savior of stumbling humanity and lost
causes,
bless this show."
The
rollicking ride
through the underbelly of the acting world and the determination of a
man who
sees this world fall apart and come back together in a new way as the
show goes
on will attract anyone interested in drama, theater, Chicago backdrops,
or a
drive to succeed against all odds ... however impossible they may seem.
Libraries
looking for
humorous stories about moving forward that hold thought-provoking
insights about
struggles and kindnesses will find Give My Regards to Nowhere an inviting novel of perseverance and
artistic pursuits that ultimately teaches how to "be alive in the
moment."
Return to Index
His Lying
Got Me
Funny
Tulasi Ranganathan
Palmetto Publishing
978-1-68515-522-3
$24.99
Hardcover/$14.99 Paperback/$7.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/His-Lying-Got-Me-Funny/dp/1685155227
His Lying Got Me Funny
is a humorous,
fictional account of growing up
in a "...crazy but super-loving, overly hugging, and touchy
Iyer family" steeped in the culture of South India. Tia's ambition
drives
her to a new life in America, but her cultural ties send her back home
to the
man of her dreams that she was dating before she left.
She brings
him to
America and they marry; but though you can bring someone into another
milieu,
that doesn't mean you can change him. So Tia finds as she discovers her
beloved
is actually a compulsive liar whose dishonesty has crafted an illusion
she fell
in love with.
As Tia
uncovers the
extent of his lies in two countries and faces both legal repercussions
and a
renewed effort to find the man she thought she loved, she faces
ex-girlfriends;
the challenges of being friends with Sameer; and the impact of his
decisions
and approach to life on her own ideals and experiences.
Tulasi
Ranganathan
blends cultural inspection, social issues, and humor into Tia's story
as she
navigates two very different worlds, as well as the disparate
viewpoints of men
and women.
The humor
creates a
fun thread for the story, whether it's about Tia participating in a
simulation
with her skirt over her head, hanging upside down and prompted to
fulfill her
assigned role as a gunner in a game; or Tia's ongoing confrontation
over the
impact Sameer's lies have not only on her, but those around her.
Funny,
thought-provoking, and culturally insightful, His
Lying Got Me Funny is a fictional romp through a modern
Indian
girl's trials and tribulations. It incorporates a fun sense of
discovery along
with the disappointments and enlightenment that run side by side in her
life
experiences.
Readers
seeking books
with female characters who are proactive, talented, and yet firmly tied
to
their cultural roots will find His Lying
Got Me Funny an intriguing inspection of relationships,
ideals, and
emotional ties that brings to life not only Tia, but her family,
friends, and
ambitions.
Return to Index
Other
Worlds
Were Possible
Joss Sheldon
Rebel Books
978-3347753686
$17.99 Hardcover
and large print/$11.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook; Audiobook TBA
https://amazon.com/other-Worlds-Were-Possible-Sheldon/dp/3347753682
Other Worlds Were
Possible
is a fictional work of political and social
commentary. It features the parable of a happy, ideal community
confronting
"aliens" in their midst who defy the community's approach to living
with the earth, promoting its exploitation, instead.
Sound
familiar?
That's because the story of Sunny and his clan's confrontation with
others and
themselves mirrors the microcosm of forces that clash in their views of
their
impact on the planet and the methods of managing it.
The
story
teaches by example as it moves from a hunter/gatherer society to
profile the
impact of those who live not with the land, but to "utilize" it.
These awaken some uncomfortable (but essential) truths that need to be
acknowledged and considered by readers who would assess the urges to
build or
destroy.
Fables,
truths,
illusions and realities open this story to draw readers into Sunny's
mind and
his clan's history.
Early
on, issues
of generosity, gratitude, and change receive the added touch of
subliminal
messages about everything from kinship to abundance:
"As Crow moved into his
prime, there
could be no doubting the matter. He was the most successful hunter
anyone could
recall. Thanks to Crow, everyone was able to eat meat for both lunch and dinner. But his peers no longer rubbed their bellies, to show their
appreciation. They hugged their
bellies, to comfort themselves from the stomach pains this meat
induced."
Clan
names such
as Serenity and Delight become examples of irony as the clan grows,
changes,
and finds itself equally alien, in comparison to its roots.
Joss
Sheldon
masterfully depicts this transformation process and the methods by
which the
clan moves away from its initial origins to confront strange and
foreign people
who "...really were a threat. They
were not content with conquering the living. They wished to conquer the
dead!
They were not just waging war on their people,
but on their land; on Mother
Nature herself."
As
the parable
unfolds, the clans-folk experience confusing and distressing grief that
lends
to philosophical and psychological inspection on a level they never
experienced
before. Sheldon considers both group decisions and individual rituals
in the
course of exploring the clan's confrontations both within and outside
their
group.
Libraries
and
readers seeking political fables, wry social examinations, and a story
of
transformation that comments on the history and specter of imperialist
actions
will find plenty of discussion points suitable for book club and
political
group debates in the cutting edge that is Other
Worlds Were Possible.
Return to Index
Please
Write
J. Wynn Rousuck
Bancroft Press
978-1-61088-
603-1
$22.95
www.bancroftpress.com
Please
Write
is a novel that uses letters to build
its characters. It opens with a letter by Winslow that tells his
grandmother
about the unwelcome addition of a puppy to the previously-one-dog
household of
Winslow, wife Pamela, and husband Frank.
Grandma
Vivienne responds
with a letter back ... to the
new family member she has named "Zippy," for its proclivity for
dashing around the house.
As
Winslow's life with Zippy
evolves, readers receive a
warm story that reaches out to embrace not only a lost dog's new home,
but a
family that needs him—whether they know it or not.
The
correspondence lends an
intriguing element to the
story not only because it comes from a grandmother's distant
perspective of
family relationships and interactions, but because it's largely written
to a
canine. And yet, the principles, lives, and underlying influences on
this
family come to life through this unusual observational process from one
outsider to another: "Pamela and Frank are expecting a baby.
A baby is
a kind of people puppy, although a baby takes much longer to grow up
than a
puppy does. The period between being a people puppy and being a
grown-up is
called childhood, and this will be a really fun time for you."
As
the story and lives
evolve to embrace topics ranging
from codependency to family therapy, presenting challenges that test
their
ability to communicate and relate to one another, readers find the view
of this
evolutionary process benefits from the perspectives of different family
members
who offer disparate views of what is happening.
J.
Wynn Rousuck's unusual
letter-writing approach to
following this family's evolutionary process lends a personal touch
that pairs
observation with insights on different forms of therapy and recovery.
It gives
a tone of revelation to family connections which come to life under
different
forms of examination.
The
result is a novel that
will appeal to libraries and
readers interested in stories that cultivate unusual approaches to
family
dynamics. Please Write represents a different spin
on these
relationships, moving through life changes with the call and response
of animal
and human observers who prove to be unexpected major players in a
family's
evolutionary process.
Return to Index
A
River of Crows
Shanessa Gluhm
Touchpoint Press
978-1-956851-58-8
$18.99
shanessagluhm.com
A
River of Crows demonstrates that
the impact of a child's
disappearance never goes
away. Also vanished is the family structure and support system that
dissolves
under the pressure of a mystery that affects everyone.
Sloan's
brother Ridge
went fishing with their father and never returned. Her emotionally
unpredictable Vietnam vet father, the suspect in his son's
disappearance, is
arrested and charged with murder. Her mother, torn by these events, has
fallen
into madness.
Twenty years
later,
Sloan herself is in the middle of a divorce and still struggles with
the
question of what really happened to her brother and her family.
Her decision to return
to the scene of the
possible crime, Crow's Nest Creek, leads to a strange encounter with a
crow.
That, together with the bizarre appearance of the body of
another boy,
leads Sloan into an effort to uncover the truth ... even if it kills
her.
Shanessa
Gluhm
crafts a thought-provoking story of revelation, family ties, discovery,
and
murder. She injects nuggets of wisdom into the tale from the start,
spicing it
with revelations about life, optimism, and adversity: "No
marriage is
unraveled by pulling a single thread. Just like no family is. Sloan
understood
that all too well."
Living
up to its
initial promise, A River of Crows pulls on many
disparate threads of
experience and possibility that then take unusual turns. As the plot to
destroy
a family thickens, a cast of characters participate in events that lead
to both
an inevitable outcome and an unusual twist on predictability. This
approach
keeps readers thoroughly engrossed in the psychological dynamics of
changing
possibilities.
When
events move
into a trial that tests love and survival abilities alike, Sloan finds
the
courage to not only discover what really happened, but revise her
ideals of
family, friends, and forgiveness.
Readers
who
choose A River of Crows for its mystery will find
an unexpected draw and
value in the emotional components which keep the plot action-packed and
charged
with transformation.
Libraries
that
choose A River of Crows for their collections will
find it lends
particularly well to book club discussions about family ties and how to
rise
and recover from the ashes of devastating loss.
Return to Index
Sanctuaries
Vince Sgambati
Standing Stone Books
979-8-8896-565-8
$18.00
Publisher: www.standingstonebooks.net
Distributor: Small
Press Distributions, Spdbooks.org
Sanctuaries is a
powerful story of
adoption, family connections,
and being a disparate enigma in a world where relationships and
same-sex love
are not part of the usual family discussion.
The anguish
of
unvoiced conversations and the sense of "not being real" do more than
permeate young Gianni's life. They influence what kinds of
relationships he
will develop in the future, and how they will play out.
Raffaella (a
middle-aged Jewish-Italian Holocaust survivor) would seem an unlikely
choice
for a young boy's attraction, but they share an affection for classic
films
that introduces them to other worlds—and each other.
Another odd
choice of
connection lies in Gianni's embrace of Gabriel, an African-American
drag queen
who takes him under his wing when nineteen-year-old Gianni stumbles
into the
world of queer culture in an exploration of New York City's Christopher
Street:
"Saturday night on
Christopher Street, summer of
1969, resembled a
Hollywood studio lot where Westerns shared the set with the Ziegfeld
Follies.
Men, some wearing Stetson hats and unbuttoned flannel shirts, or no
shirts at
all, and drag queens in Dolly Parton wigs, eyed Gianni as if he were an
angel
come to Sodom and they could smell the newbie on him."
By this
time, Gianni
is "pretty sure I'm gay." His exploration of his sexuality, the
choices in relationships which are driven by mutual recognition of
underlying
emotional currents, and his personal foray into making himself
"visible" in a world experiencing turbulence from the Vietnam War and
counter-culture rebellion creates a realistic tale that's hard to put
down.
Firmly
cemented in
the events of the 60s, yet replete with explorations of self and the
unspoken,
unacknowledged feelings that ripple underneath the surface of
traditional
concepts of right and wrong, Sanctuaries
is a story of discovery, healing, and cultural collision as Gianni
faces many
'firsts' and more clearly begins to see how he fits in:
"There were drag queens
and drag kings. There were
lesbian
feminists. There were men who seemed to hate 'nelly queens.' Sylvia and
Marsha
founded an organization called STAR, a radical collective focused on
the needs
of trans and gay youth, many of them sex workers. Gianni knew there
were
schisms, but he didn’t understand the depths and anger until today. He
both
loved and hated his first gay march."
Libraries
seeking a
LGBTQ novel that explores a young man's coming of age and developing
courage to
reconsider his psyche in the face of many social and political
challenges to
his thinking will find Sanctuaries
a
compelling story. It holds the added value of offering many disparate
topics
suitable for book club discussion groups, and is a memorable read
that's hard
to put down, replete with the sensitive countenance of love and
self-acceptance.
Return to Index
Society,
Suspicious
Freeman Smith
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-706-4
$24.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paper
www.atmospherepress.com
Society, Suspicious
represents political
satire at its best,
blending a first-person observational style with experimental fiction
in a
manner designed to challenge reader perceptions and ideals.
Freeman
Smith's saga
opens with a bang: "I faked my death
in Paris, which proved far easier than I had imagined. The one time in
my life
I devoted my mind and soul to planning. Real planning. France is not
like
America. A few hundred years older, maybe not wiser, but definitely too
tired
to deny or regulate a man’s personal freedoms."
A stolen
citizenship
card from a dying man leads the narrator into a life "...free
of fame and chaos and forced narcissism." The
self-professed "Mr. Mojo Rising" has been a busy man in America,
playing the 'victim/hero' in a variety of scenarios that keeps testing
his
identity and fostering his participation in the nation's "collective
narcissism."
The
poet/rebel
narrator crafts so many observations and dialogues that readers ride a
roller
coaster ride of irony and social inspection that moves from money to
madness
around the world, juxtaposing a jaunt through others' lives with a wry
sense of
embellishment and commentary that runs over disparate lives like a
river of
judgment.
Whether
attacking
affirmative action and prejudice, the love child of a
seventeen-year-old's
dalliance, or scenes from a play that offer serious messages, the
strobe light roller-skating
foray is certain to intrigue, offend, and give rise to all kinds of
thoughts.
Whether he's
embedding poetry, play scenes, or nonfiction into his saga, one thing
is for
certain: this experimental work will challenge some and intrigue
others.
Ultimately, its romp and realizations deserve attention and discussion
in book
groups interested in satirical experimental fiction firmly embedded in
social
inspection.
Society, Suspicious
will do well in
libraries that look for
contemporary satire, experimental literary fiction, and stories that
reverberate
with contemporary angst.
Return to Index
Theresa
et al.
Jean Hackel
Pond Reads Press
978-1-64343-722-4
$19.95 paper/$9.99 ebook
www.jeanhackel.com
Theresa
et al. is a novel that follows a trajectory
that begins with the disappearance of Theresa Cole, who has discovered
that an
eagerly-awaited unborn child carries a genetic defect that leads her to
consider having an abortion.
Her
husband is
stationed in Afghanistan and her sisters want to help, but their very
religious
mother becomes part of a plot to save mother and unborn child against
all odds.
And so a rift between mother and daughters opens wider as the horror
that has
led Theresa to run away expands to involve her kin.
Theresa
herself
hates the thought of abortion. She and her husband Charlie had many
plans for
their child—a normal child born of love, a perfect
child physically and
intellectually. Her unexpected journey away from that ideal moral
landscape
that has embraced her all of her life results in pain, adversity and
anguish,
immersing her family in a series of challenges that batter their
relationships.
Jean
Hackel's
novel is a microcosm of the battle over abortion affecting American
households
today. As mother Maureen searches for signs from God that she is doing
the
right thing, each character faces paradigm-changing circumstances that
force
them to re-examine virtually every value in their lives.
Hackel
covers
these circumstances with an astute eye to representing all sides,
creating
interplays of family dynamics and wrenching emotions over the birth of
a child
with Down syndrome and the impact of that birth on everyone:
“Theresa,
can
we do anything for you?” Mary asked, stroking her sister’s arm.
“It’s a
little late,” Theresa said sarcastically. “You could have rescued me
weeks ago.
That would have helped.”
“Your sister
tried,” Charlie’s father said. “Believe me, she tried.”
“Oh, really?”
Theresa responded in a voice that suggested skepticism.
Maureen, from
the other side of the table, looked at her daughter and felt mainly
shock and
dismay. It seemed clear that Theresa was going to blame other people
rather
than herself."
As
struggles
stress and challenge ideals of love and sacrifice, readers will be
drawn not
only into Theresa's dilemmas, but into those faced by everyone who
knows her.
In Theresa
et al.,
the author’s
ability to look at all sides of the birth of a child with Down syndrome
and the
impact of a variety of choices associated with this event creates an
evenly-presented story that focuses on the very human and
understandable
reactions of different characters.
These
storylines
lend themselves to discussions by readers interested in not just
abortion
issues, but in the difficulties involved in raising a disabled child as
well as
the medical, social, religious, and psychological conundrums that swirl
around
a family reconsidering what it means to be a good Christian.
Libraries
will
find the story's many characters and their interactions create a
compelling
novel that will attract readers of fiction about mothers, children, and
family
ties.
Return to Index
A Third
Option
E. Aly
Marshwinds Press
978-1-7341170-6-6
$12.95 Paper/$20.95 Hardcover
www.uniquereads.com
Does
ambition
preclude romance? In Amy Leonard's case, it may prove an unlikely and
unwelcome
obstacle to achieving senior partner in her company—a goal she has
strived and
fought hard for.
As the story
opens,
Amy already has a lover and roommate in Tom. In many ways, her life is
predictable and its course has been set. Relatively quickly into the
story, it
becomes evident that Amy's life course is not on the same page as
Tom's. In
fact, it's set to change in a way that challenges her greatest ambition.
As readers
move
through Amy's increasing dilemmas about what she envisions as being
valuable
for her future, they face, alongside her, choices which are both
different and
irrevocable. Each option holds the possibility of totally transforming
her
life, but no option seems completely satisfying.
Her protégé
in the
company, Reggie Boykin, offers her another choice that adds new
possibilities,
but his idea also places him at risk in new ways as he takes his own
big step
into the unknown and struggles to keep a secret from Amy that he has
hidden all
his life.
E. Aly
builds a
romance from unlikely roots, adds the conflict created by job and two
co-workers who face their own life-changing moments, and follows each
through
the mire of ethical and emotional choices. The focus on emotional
evolution,
changing priorities, and the juxtaposition of work world and family
life
creates a satisfying backdrop for an evolving relationship that rests
on rocky foundations.
As Reggie,
Tom, and
Amy find themselves mired in an increasing love triangle-style dilemma,
each
must make choices that seem to go against everything they've believed
and
fought for.
A Third Option
is a study not in
traditional romance and
relationship-building, but what happens when life introduces surprising
twists
to carefully planned life paths. Each of the characters feels compelled
to step
up to the challenge in different ways, holding different feelings, and
these
lend a fine layer of complexity to the story.
While the
result can
be billed a 'romance', A Third Option
actually is far more detailed than the usual story of love. As Amy, Tom
and
Reggie re-examine their lives and options, new paths emerge which
recreate
ideals of love as well as testing their characters and life objectives.
Libraries
looking for
love stories that emerge from turbulent roots and surprising
connections will
find A Third Option attractive and
recommendable, especially to book clubs seeking more than the standard
romance's progression.
Return to Index
Unresting
Death
David Lehner
Defoe Books
979-8370437366
$8.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Unresting-Death-Trilogy-David-Lehner/dp/B0BV4D6XB6
Unresting Death is the second book in the USA Trilogy
series, and will especially attract prior readers of The
Far and the Near, continuing the story of political and
social
conflict and the forces that intentionally mask the real purposes and
actions
of government entities.
The
story opens
with an alluring atmosphere of intrigue as Private Kirby struggles with
repairing an engine. It's only as he's walking away from it that an
explosion
demonstrates that he was literally a step away from death.
In
stark
contrast is the second chapter, which presents the characters of Craig
and his
parents, who live in a prestigious neighborhood thanks to his father's
job in
law and connections to the mob. The undercurrent to this façade of
success lies
in a gambling habit which has placed Craig's father in a dangerous
position.
As
more characters
are introduced in following chapters, a progressive series of events
accompany
them to tie these figures together, representing diverse walks of life
and
fantasies about the future which dovetail in unpredictable ways.
Craig
Rosen's
drive for answers in college leads to his nefarious association with
those who
would influence and command free elections in America. How an ambitious
young
man finds his ideals and questions twisted to other purposes is just
one of the
subplots embedded in a story filled with thought-provoking contrasts
between
characters and intentions:
"What Craig wanted to
learn was how it
came about that a person, or religion, or society, could bring people
to
believe things that were not true.
Once
Craig asked himself that simple question, a huge sprawling complex of
insights
and ideas opened before him."
From
wealthy
segments of society to down-and-out characters like Mac McCaslin (who
is "...alone, abandoned, with no one to
blame, and nothing to be done ... Always some threat or trouble
somewhere. The
birds of the air must live like this, Mac thought.
And yet they get by."), the story
evolves on different levels and from different perspectives as it
embraces
social conditions and political special interests alike.
As
these seemingly
disparate figures find their lives unexpectedly interconnected, readers
will
relish the psychological and social juxtaposition of a changing world
in which
each character faces difficult choices and transformations that seem to
them to
be unlikely, given their backgrounds.
He did not know where
he was going, but he
was not going home.
Unresting Death doesn't assume the typical condemning
approach of either right-wing or left-wing politics, but leaves its
examination
flexible enough that readers can easily interface with and form their
own
opinions of what "side" the characters represent.
David
Lehner is
especially astute in setting up surprises even seasoned novel readers
won't see
coming. Issues of justice, redemption, and poor or logical choices are
neatly
woven into a story which introduces its characters (and their
followers) to
bigger-picture thinking—even if it kills them.
Libraries
seeking a fine novel of interplays between political forces and moral
and
ethical challenges will find Unresting
Death vivid in its disparate characters and their social and
political
setbacks and challenges.
Return to Index
The
Vast Clear
Blue
Karen Winters
Schwartz
Red Adept
Publishing, LLC
978-1958231098
$11.99 Paper/$9.99 ebook
Website: www.karenwintersschwartz.com
Ordering: https://a.co/d/fUR33fp
The Vast Clear Blue is about a wife's betrayal, a husband's
flight to Central America in response, and a new milieu of
relationships which
bring with them different forms of complexity and engagement. Readers
who
choose this story for its promise of new beginnings from loss and angst
will
find that it opens with a compellingly different tone:
"I would have sex with
that chicken,”
she stated. Mark laughed. What the hell was she talking about? But then
he
laughed again, and she joined him, because of course she would not have
sex
with a chicken. She was simply putting herself in the place of the hens
that
they were watching through the car window—the hens that scratched and
pecked at
the earth of Belize."
Mark
wonders if
he resembles that rooster because his encounter with Kendal, a fellow
American
whose complicated relationship between her older, dying husband and her
lover
(his best friend), develops a connection neither saw coming.
Karen
Winters
Schwartz steeps her novel in the atmosphere of Belize and the warmth of
its
environment. Readers unfamiliar with this country or its milieu receive
a fine
exploration of both the region and the hearts and minds of visitors who
undertake to explore its byways in the course of solidifying their own
mixed
intentions and confusing relationships.
The
three main
characters (Mark,
Kendal, and
her lover Aaron) dance around one another and the life, impending
death, and
demise of relationships that bring them to form new connections with
one
another.
As Mark
recalls his
wife Cathy, their children, and the infidelity which drove them apart,
he
reassesses his own role in the marriage:
"...he had the vague
memory of his eyes finding his
wife on the
couch that Christmas morning; and instead of the warm glow of love, a
fleeting
thought had skipped through his mind: she didn’t look quite as good as
she had
when they’d married—a few extra pounds, that new haircut he didn’t
love, an
older, slightly pasty face...He pushed his hands through his hair and
looked
out to the churning gray sea. What kind of man was he to think such
thoughts on
Christmas—or any time, for that matter? As if the years had only taken
from Cathy
and left him still in his early twenties. He had, in some basic way,
failed."
This
and other
revelations weave into his new life abroad to bring growth and
acknowledgement
of the part his changing attitude might have played in his marriage's
failure
... a pattern he may be in danger of repeating now. Mark left behind
many
unresolved questions and family when he fled his wife's infidelity. He
also
left anger and broken responses, but took some with him.
His
self-examination and his evolving new and changing old connections in
life
makes for a moving story about divorce, change, and transformation that
will
lead readers to think more deeply about their own approaches to and
ideals of
love and life.
All
the
characters receive close inspection, from the kind of man Aaron seems
to be to
elderly husband Charlie's demise and his young wife's response.
The Vast Clear Blue is about navigating changing friendships
and love. Its powerful surveys of all three characters create many
discussion
points which book clubs will find thought-provoking, creating lively
food for
thought and debate.
Return to Index
365 Quotes
To Accelerate Your Career And Find Balance In
Life
James Espey, OBE
Cherish Editions
978-1-913615-60-4
$12.95
Paper/$8.56 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Quotes-Accelerate-your-Career-Balance/dp/191361560X
365
Quotes To
Accelerate Your Career And Find Balance In Life is a business
book of
succinct advice that flies in the face of other books on the same
subject that
require more reading time than a busy worker may have. By condensing
sage
business advice into quotes that offer digestible instruction and food
for
thought, James Espey offers an
unusually accessible collection of wisdom gleaned from business leaders
in all
kinds of industries.
The topics
are
typical for a business book, ranging from branding considerations and
building
a company to developing leadership qualities and making philanthropy
part of a business
vision.
Espey well
knows the
effort of building a career from scratch: he moved from being one of
the
poorest kids in school to starting a career in the grocery trade,
eventually
working his way up the business ladder to head a global marketing firm.
The succinct
quotes
gleaned from his years of efforts are designed to help readers not only
'brand'
themselves and solidify their objectives, but apply insights and words
of
wisdom to the processes which continue to propel them upwards and
onward.
Each
admonition is
followed by further food for thought: "Most
new brands fail, but one terrific success will make up for a string of
failures. You must take risks if you are going to get anywhere."
Intriguing
and
attractive line drawings by Cris Black accompany these details and
illustrate
the quote in eye-catching ways, as in the orchestra which accompanies
the quote
"An orchestra without a conductor is
only a room full of musicians and instruments. Management is simply
getting
things done – it is leadership that gives direction and sets the
course."
Business
readers and
libraries will find 365
Quotes To Accelerate Your Career And Find
Balance In Life the
perfect reference to consult during business and life changes. Its
inspirational, practical advice and considerations make it a standout
that
blends personal and business pursuits, with practical advice for
managing both.
Return to Index
Alpaca's
System
II: Complete Guide to Sorcery
Sanchez Jose
Independently
Published
978-0-6454511-2-2
$9.95
https://alpacassystem.com.au
Self-help
spirituality readers will find Alpaca's
System II: Complete Guide to Sorcery a survey of sorcery's
definition, a
progressive examination of how one becomes a sorcerer, and a model for
contemplating the energy and path that may bring one's life into a more
enlightened state of being.
Sanchez Jose
considers the
development of personal and
spiritual power with an eye to understanding how intention and the
energy body
interact, and how they may be trained via a different definition of
"sorcery" than the usual image of magic and wand-waving:
"Sorcery can be taken
as the art of
accumulating energy, personal power –
which is then used to alter perception and perform actions that lay
beyond the
spectrum of “ordinary” by the means of intention. It is the art of
freedom that
allows practitioner to liberate from imposed limitations and become a
master of
his own reality."
Contrary
to the
typical approach of many new age spirituality titles, Jose illustrates
different concepts of energy (such as the tonal and nagual), marrying
these
concepts to ideals of spiritual and psychological growth to encourage
readers
to take the steps into self-examination that involve deeper-level
inspections:
"The point is not in
what you can do
with the help of all the technological devices and social
interconnections, but
in who you really are and how you feel deep inside, beneath the level
of ego
and even the level of physical body. There, on the deepest level, we
have
potential to be strong and disciplined – to be impeccable, to shape
ourselves
in any possible way, to explore the multi-dimensional energetic reality
and to
transcend beyond the human stage of evolution."
The
differentiation between seekers and sorcerers is nicely defined:
"Sorcerers, however,
realise that the
path of concentration on superficial – the path of an ordinary human
leads to
nowhere as it locks us in a relatively narrow spectrum of possibilities
that
are defined by rational limitations. Instead of entertaining themselves
while
waiting for an end and making the everyday life as simple and safe as
possible
– sorcerers go the other way, concentrating on comprehensive
development of
their structures on both the physical (Tonal) and energetic (Nagual)
levels."
As
Jose guides
readers through the process of identifying and striving for this
particular
type of wisdom, chapters accomplish the difficult task of achieving
balance
from and during the process. This helps wisdom-seekers better identify
the
structures for achieving awareness and enlightenment, showing how not
just to
gain it, but optimize its impact on daily life.
The
result is a
textbook on enlightenment, self-liberation, and practical processes and
applications of wisdom that offers spiritual readers a guided focus on
self-healing and developing personal power.
Libraries
and
readers seeking blueprints for deep-level change will find Alpaca's System II: Complete Guide to Sorcery
clear, accessible,
and engrossing.
Return to Index
Alphabet Soup
Michael Bach
Page Two
978-1-77458-085-1
$16.95 Paper/$9.95 ebook
www.pagetwo.com
Alphabet
Soup: The
Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work addresses the
special business
challenge of building a LGBTQ2+
inclusive workplace, and is highly recommended for business leaders,
entrepreneurs, and anyone who understands that the effort invested in
doing so
creates riches and returns for the entire workforce.
Michael Bach
is a
diversity expert whose 2020 book on the topic, Birds of All
Feathers, quickly rose to
best-seller status. This companion moves from the 'why' to the 'how' of
the
process, discussing how sexuality affects workers in the workplace, how
to
create the feel of a safe place at work that accepts disparate
individuals, and
how to not only make straight people comfortable in such a diverse
atmosphere,
but how to attract and retain LGBTQ2+ workers.
Bach's first book set the
stage by introducing a
discussion on
diversity. Alphabet
Soup
continues the effort, covering "...sexual
orientation and gender identity and expression; the magical, mysterious
world
of the LGBTQ2+ communities; and how people can do a better job of
creating
inclusive spaces for those of us who don’t fit into the box of
“straight” and
“cis.”
One
of the purposes of this
book is to educate readers
about this community's diversity and special needs. The other, beyond
fostering
understanding and acceptance, is to reveal the process of integrating
all these
diverse worlds in a way that supports business pursuits.
As
Bach moves through
examples, stories, and insights,
business leaders receive an eye-opening guide that will confront many
popular
myths; the first statement being that there is no singular LGBTQ2+
community,
but a host of communities embracing all kinds of people.
Workplace inclusion
challenges are discussed in
light of these complex
relationships and associations, with chapters profiling business goals
for not
just attracting workers, but customers:
"No
one wants to go to work and feel unsafe. No one wants to volunteer in a
place
where they could face violence or discrimination because of who they
are. No
one wants to feel like they don’t belong in their temple or school. You
will
attract and retain LGBTQ2+ people (as employees, customers, volunteers,
patients, and so on) if you first make sure yours is a safe space."
Key
takeaways conclude each
chapter with reviews of the
concepts.
The
result is replete in
revelations that support not
just better understanding, but revised business organizational
structures and
strategies that assure all participants an equal role in transforming a
business.
Libraries
looking for
business books that promote
diversity and inclusion will find Alphabet
Soup especially notable not just for its insights about the
communities
that identify as LGBTQ2+, but the essential changes that represent a
sense of safety and
acceptance for everyone.
The message's ideals and
practical examples should
be discussed early
in any business class interested in promoting not just financial savvy,
but a
business structure that is more flexible, accommodating, and accepting
than the
traditional workplace has been in the past.
Return to Index
Courts of
Law Not
Courts of Justice: Why Justice is Hard to Find in America
Eric D. Oberer
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-762-0
$28.99 Hardcover/$18.99 Paper
www.atmospherepress.com
Unlike most
critiques
of America's judicial system, Courts of
Law Not Courts of Justice: Why Justice is Hard to Find in America
does not
assume a one-sided approach, but considers the problem of justice from
a
variety of viewpoints. It provides a huge service to law readers in
exposing an
array of opinions, precedents, and analyses from both sides of the
legal bench,
serving as a starting point of information for broader discussions
about equity
in judicial proceedings.
Eric D.
Oberer comes
not just from the usual worlds of academia or law, but spent much of
his
childhood in high-crime White and African-American neighborhoods. This
lent his
pursuit of legal work (as a "guns, drugs, and violent crimes"
prosecutor in Baltimore) a special connection to street crime scenarios
that
allowed him to apply ideals of fundamental civil rights to scenarios of
crime,
punishment, redemption, and innocence.
The history
of
America's legal system and the evolution of the modern urban criminal
justice
system's processes and patterns are nicely covered. The survey probes
definitions of evidence, reviews criminal investigations proceedings
both
within the court system and before and after its processes, and
analyzes how
miscarriages of justice are perceived and committed.
Especially
thought-provoking are connections between policing and racial
perception which
give rise to bigger pictures of social issues embedded in and reflected
by
criminal justice system operations.
Footnoted
references
from the legal world accompany examples of court decisions, methods for
generating arrests, and the limiting choices faced by the justice
system in
general and Baltimore City in particular: "Baltimore
City could arguably move many more cases through the system if it hired
more
judges and court employees and built a new courthouse. But can you
really bring
thousands of citizens in each day for jury duty?"
That Courts of Law Not
Courts of Justice proves
as accessible to non-legal readers of social issues as it will to those
studying criminal law and justice translates to a primer that should be
in all
kinds of collections, from law libraries and college student holdings
to
general-interest public libraries seeing patron interest in social and
racial
issues.
Oberer's
history,
filled with case histories, commentary, and connections between past
and
present American judicial evolutionary processes, is a powerful
consideration
of what the definition of how the ideal of "Equal Justice Under Law"
actually translates in modern American society. It's highly recommended
reading
for anyone either entering the justice system professionally or looking
at its
results from the outside.
Return to Index
C.J.S.
Hayward in
Under 99 Pages
C.J.S. Hayward
CJS Hayward
Publications
979-848539272
$11.99
Hardcover/$5.99 Paper/$.99 Kindle
cjshayward.com/books
Anyone who
has followed
the spiritual writings of C.J.S. Hayward well knows they are
thought-provoking,
lengthy productions designed to engage spiritual thinkers and audiences
in
intellectual discourse.
This is why C.J.S.
Hayward in Under 99 Pages
represents a significant achievement, appealing to modern readers who
may not
have time or inclination for a tome of hundreds of pages, however
relevant or
intriguing they might be; but who will find this a fine synthesis of
his works
that touches on the highlights.
The attempt
to
consolidate so many trains of thought, literary, spiritual, and
philosophical
references, and intellectual discourse into such a diminutive work must
have
been daunting, given the length and breadth of Hayward's previous
writings.
Those
familiar with them
might expect that the idea that the scope of these works could even
begin to
fit into 99 pages would be a task especially daunting (perhaps nearly
impossible). And yet, Br. Christos achieves this goal, offering six
chapters,
an introduction, and an epilogue that touches upon the basic principles
more
heavily outlined in his previous works.
Readers who
would
gain an introduction to Christian Orthodoxy principles in general and
Hayward's
extensive reflections on it would do well to begin with C.J.S.
Hayward in Under 99 Pages. Its ability to capture audiences
with discussions that are lively and contemporary makes it a top
recommendation
for book clubs interested in debates and discussions over spiritual
concepts
and analytical approaches:
"Where the reader only
sees one question, an
ancient reader saw at
least two other questions that are invisible to the present reader. As
well as
the question of "How?" that evolution addresses, there is the
question of "Why?" and "What function does it serve?" These
two questions are very important, and are not even considered when
people are
only trying to work out the antagonism between creationism and
evolutionism."
Return to Index
The
Evolution of
China's Anti-Poverty Strategies
William N. Brown, PhD
Springer
9789811972805
$59.99 Hardcover/$49.99 Paper
www.springer.com
The Evolution of China's
Anti-Poverty Strategies:
Cases of 20 Chinese
Changing Lives reveals a program replete with new examples of
how China's population
has overcome poverty. It is highly recommended reading for social
issues
students interested in alternative anti-poverty strategies that have
proven
successful in the real world.
The book is
based on
Dr. Brown's personal travels through China from 1988 onwards, when he
moved
there to study Chinese. It follows family travels around Southeast
China, where
he observed rural and urban poor Chinese that were not only optimistic
about
their future, but active participants who embraced the Chinese Dream as
part of
their daily lives.
How did
China achieve
what many Western nations grapple with? They didn't rely on economic
development to end poverty, but instead educated and provided even the
remotest
communities with the infrastructure and education to encourage citizens
to
participate in and build their own anti-poverty programs.
In 2019, Dr.
Brown
again embarked on a journey around China to chart what had actually
changed in
25 years of idealistic effort. What he saw proved that even the
remotest of
areas benefited by the wide reach of China's anti-poverty program.
The power of
this
story lies in Dr. Brown's personal observations, conversations, and
interactions with ordinary people affected by seven decades of
conscious anti-poverty
efforts.
He found
that the
entire country had progressed much more rapidly than he would have
thought, the
people were optimistic about their national programs and personal
lives, and
restoration efforts that took place not just economically but in
farming and
ecosystem revision via community involvement were far more effective
than the typical
government approach of trickling down wealth or bequeathing aid for the
poor.
The result
is an
eye-opening survey, on many levels. For students of Chinese history and
culture, The Evolution of China's
Anti-Poverty
Strategies provides the personal insights, interviews, and
touches missing
from more scholarly debates about China's people and policies. For
those
interested in the social issues of various nations and China in
particular, The Evolution of China's
Anti-Poverty
Strategies provides a blueprint of entrepreneurial efforts
that demonstrates
how prosperity may be encouraged at all levels of society.
These case
histories
should ideally be part of any library interested not just in China, but
the
social effort of overcoming poverty and enpowering people at all
economic
levels. The Evolution of China's
Anti-Poverty Strategies should also be part of book clubs
and groups
discussing anti-poverty issues and strategies beyond the typical
Western
experience and focus.
Return to Index
First, Eat
Your Frog: And Other Pearls for Professional
Working Mothers
Elizabeth Kagan
Arleo, MD
Armin Lear Press Inc
978-1-956450-58-3
$18.95
https://www.amazon.com/First-Eat-Your-Frog-Professional/dp/1956450580
First,
Eat Your
Frog: And Other Pearls for Professional Working Mothers
centers on
work/life integration processes in a more thought-provoking, studious
manner
than the usual discussions of work and parenting, and will appeal to
mothers
who are not just going to work, but cultivating a professional career
and
approach to work and life.
These
insights are presented
in the form of eight
selected pearls of wisdom that advocate developing a growth-oriented
mindset,
then adopting routines that support that process. Working mothers well
know the
overwhelming feeling that is involved in giving fair time to what is,
in
effect, two important jobs.
First,
Eat Your
Frog provides the tools that can adjust and improve mindset
towards better
functioning in both environments, and points out that it is possible to
maintain two efforts that often seem to lead in opposite directions.
Ambitious, career-oriented women will find the nuggets of "how" embedded into a book that reviews the basic principles that lend to better organization, time management, and prioritizing strategies.
Dr.
Elizabeth
Kagan Arleo doesn't claim that her book is "one size fits all." It
adds to literature on the subject by synthesizing and presenting many
real-life-tested approaches to achieving balance and sanity, gathering
Arleo's
own experiences and those of others to use as examples of common
pitfalls and
how they can be addressed.
The
strategies are
accompanied by a powerful note; a "...reminder
to myself and others to be
kind and gentle to and with yourself in terms of planning and getting
things
done. We only have one life to live so we need to enjoy the process,
the
getting there, not just the end result."
Illustrated
examples of organization, from computerized
"to do" lists to paper monthly planners, impart the basics; but the
meat of First, Eat Your Frog lies
in
chapters that not only provide real-world illustrations, but review the
pearls
of wisdom for their underlying messages: "Let’s
explore why we, as professional working mothers, tend to apologize too
often or
when there is no actual reason to do so. First, the topic will be
explored in a
point-counter point style discussion. Second, the psychology of
apologizing
will be considered. Third, you will find specific practices to utilize
to
overcome over-apologizing."
The clarity
of this
process leaves no room for confusion and plenty of encouragement for
discussion
not just in book clubs, but in professional and parent groups where
work/life
balance is a topic of concern.
Libraries
and readers
who choose First,
Eat Your Frog will
find its drive towards enlightenment and pattern adjustment makes for a
series
of concrete reflections not just on the balancing act, but the process
of
creating more satisfying, fulfilling dual careers in motherhood and
business
achievement.
Return to Index
The
Friction Factor
Tyler Martin
Two Valleys Publishing
979-8986402048
$17.95
www.twovalleyspublishing.com
The
Friction
Factor: The Busy Person's Guide to Sustainable Diet and Exercise identifies
the common cause of diet failure as being one of a basic inefficient use of time and energy. This
leads to problems scheduling and following through with exercise and
diet
regimens.
The
added requirement
to pack more into an already-too-busy life results in friction which
drags at,
limits, and ultimately can sink the best of diet and exercise hopes.
The
solution? Eliminate the friction component, using The Friction Factor to identify typical obstacles to diet and
exercise.
Tyler
Martin is a certified
personal trainer who uses his
expertise to craft real-world solutions to organizational dilemmas that
thwart
good health.
Chapters
discuss the
influences on making a health plan
work, from knowing one's body and mental inclinations to setting
attainable
goals, designing workout and diet programs that work on many different
levels,
and making lifestyle adjustments that address the barrier of physical
fitness's
mandate to get and stay fit.
More
than just a how-to on
exercise and diet, Martin's
book is a strategic assault on lethargy and ennui which advocates
developing
and adhering to a pattern of habits that not only support, but embrace
fitness
goals. The far-reaching impact of this strategy goes beyond diet and
fitness,
holding the opportunity to revise approaches to life: "...developing
effective habits is a universal necessity for
anyone seeking success in virtually any area."
Former
athlete Martin is in
the perfect position to
explain not only the routines of perseverance, but more efficient
exercises
that can be done in a home gym environment, eliminating much of the
need for
travel elsewhere for achieving fitness goals.
The
result is a "down-home"
approach that
promotes discipline and understanding both exercise options and the
kinds of
organizational and commitment routines that reinforce exercise to
assure it
takes a prominent, regular position in even the busiest lifestyle.
Libraries
looking for
fitness books that embrace
lifestyle changes will find The Friction
Factor an excellent choice, as perfect for discussion in
fitness groups as
it is useful for individual pursuit.
Return to Index
From
Oversight to Overkill
Simon N. Whitney
Rivertowns Books
978-1-953943-22-4
$32.95
Hardcover/$22.95 Paper/$7.99 ebook
Website: www.rivertownsbooks.com
Ordering: Bookshop.org
From
Oversight to
Overkill: Inside the Broken System That
Blocks Medical
Breakthroughs—And How We Can Fix It is not a book
about political
interactions, as one might expect from the title. It's a powerful
survey of
stymied research in the health arena as the result of a system that was
devised
to protect, but too often tamps down, limits, and delays medical
breakthroughs.
As such, it offers a powerful consideration of how potential
breakthroughs too often
become bogged down in non-scientific overkill regulations.
Simon N.
Whitney
focuses on the Institutional Review Boards which exist at every
hospital and
medical school where research is done—a process that readers outside
the
medical industry may not have heard of. He explores how initially
well-meaning
oversight processes become laden with regulations and directions that
bypass
scientific approaches, too often wandering into the realm of excessive,
unsupported cautionary measures that limit and even kill
breakthroughs.
All kinds of
processes in the medical industry are affected by this regulatory
nightmare,
from consent forms that would take a PhD to understand to cumbersome
oversight
approaches that kill rather than save live by limiting
research that should ideally be explored on an expedited
timeline.
From the
racial bias
inherent in these approaches to federal oversight that has been "strict
but not wise" and the moral and ethical quandaries faced by patients
and
medical personnel alike, Whitney takes the time to craft eye-opening
examples
of a range of impacts of overkill measures on patients, healthcare
participants, and regulators alike:
"Most
of the
literature about the SUPPORT debate focuses on the consent form and the
effects
of more or less oxygen. I have never found an article that discusses
the debate
from the point of view of the parents and their children, yet their
experience—the experience of more than a thousand families—is the
controversy’s
moral core."
From
Oversight to
Overkill identifies ways in which the system is
broken, suggests
routes to reform that should result in better and faster medical care,
and
addresses the major overhauls needed to the IRB system.
Heavily
footnoted
with source notes and bibliographic references that represent fifteen
years of
hard work and research, From Oversight to Overkill is
quite
simply a "must have" reference for libraries reaching
general-interest patrons and health professionals. Ideally, it won't
just
repose on library shelves, but will be recommended to reader and
healthcare
discussion groups for its many insights and lead to lively debates
among
healthcare professionals and users of the American medical system.
Return to Index
Handwritten
Notes
Carrie Pierce
Hiccup Press
979-8987090305
$11.95 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Handwritten-Notes-Learn-Powerful-Enrich/dp/B0BJN7H7VV
Handwritten
Notes:
Learn How a Small, Powerful Act Can Enrich Your Life covers
not just how to
write notes, but how to communicate more effectively and personally via
a
rapidly-diminishing art form: the handwritten (not typed!) note.
Readers
expecting a primer
on how to write actually
receive much more than another creative writing lesson. Carrie Pierce
addresses
the wider-ranging impact of the handwritten note, discussing the
broader force
of personal interaction rituals that have been largely replaced by
technological distance and a from-the-hip shooting style of impulsive
responding.
Handwritten
notes require
more thought, purpose, and
thinking about others. They inject a form of personal psychological
inspection
as communiqués are put onto paper, taking the modern propensity for
succinct
interactions and expanding it into a deeper effort that promises
greater
rewards via improved life connections.
The
promise of personal
enrichment is presented from the
start: "If you read the book closely
enough you might convince yourself that this practice of writing notes
by hand and
sending them out into the world can do more than simply express
thoughts, it
can actually fill your life with greater joy and abundance."
While
this sounds lofty (and might, indeed, feel impossible) to generations
raised in
the age of technology, Pierce explores how heartfelt communications can
change
relationships and lives.
Both
a lost art and a form
of magic, the effort of
putting a thought to paper via pen fulfills the promise of a type of
closeness
that has largely been dissolved by the distance created by typewriter,
computers, and voice commands.
From
the neuroscience behind
note-writing efforts to
famous notes of others and the psychology that drives them to succeed
where
other avenues of communication fail, Pierce makes a thought-provoking
argument
for the power of the pen and the influence of written words that take
time to
be produced.
Handwritten
Notes
teaches by example, including reflections on Carnegie and others whose
approaches fulfilled the goal of creating and fostering authentic
connection.
It also considers the long-term effects of isolation created by
reliance on
devices and technology over personal interactions, including case
histories of
disparate individuals. These include the author's own father, whose
health and
psyche was heavily impacted by the distance created by COVID isolation.
The
book is far more than
another 'how to write' guide,
but a social survey of the handwritten note's impact, potential, and
inspirational results. Handwritten Notes
represents a promise, an opportunity, and a return to basics.
Libraries
and readers that pursue its wisdom will find
its promise of abundance to be inspirational reading, promoting a form
of
connection that can reap surprising rewards via deeper authentic
relationships.
Return to Index
A Happy
Christmas
Ceilidh
Zoe Tasia
Independently
Published
ASIN: B0BPB1CPZD
$.99 ebook
Website: www.zoetasia.com
Ordering: https://books2read.com/u/4D6ddr
Fans of
short
two-hour sci-fi and fantasy stories will find A
Happy Christmas Ceilidh a fine addition to the Shrouded Isle
series. It offers not just a fine Christmas story, but a compelling
tale of
fun, family, and community.
Much in the
matter of
an O. Henry story, Zoe Tasia presents the dilemma of holiday dreams
that one
couple cannot afford. Tempering this altruistic approach to the holiday
is a
series of challenges, from a moving elf on a shelf to an unwelcome
snowman and the
changing world of Becca, her boyfriend Greg, and her children, teenage
daughter
Jessie and younger daughter Tate.
It's a cozy
mystery
spiced with Christmas seasonal celebrations, Scottish culture, and
island life
which both dovetails nicely with the prior books in the series and
stands well
on its own for newcomers.
As Tasia
develops the
natures and perspectives of each family member, readers receive a warm
survey
of magic and seasonal giving that is steeped with many of the literary
devices
of O. Henry in its development of ironies and life inspections.
While teens
and young
adults will find this story attractive, it would be a shame to limit
its readership
to this audience alone. Many a busy adult looking for a shorter
seasonal read
that embraces the warmth of caring and clues to solving puzzles will
find A Happy Christmas Ceilidh
compelling,
uplifting, and satisfying, with its special blends of place and
changing
purposes.
Tasia's
focus on
building community characters and added notes of cultural and social
interaction creates a story that is as warm and cozy for winter pursuit
as it
is embracing in the concern that each of the characters exhibits
towards
others.
Libraries
looking for
shorter reads will welcome A Happy
Christmas Ceilidh whether they have prior books in the series
or want a
stand-alone seasonal story.
Return to Index
How
Did Life End Up With Us?
SS O'Connor
Otium Press
978-1-7391559-0-2
L10.99
Website: https://twitter.com/SSOConnorAuthor
Ordering Link: https://www.bookdepository.com/How-Did-Life-End-Up-With-Us-Sean-OConnor/9781739155902?ref=grid-view&qid=1675952430050&sr=1-1
"We
live in a
world in which knowledge is power, and it’s rare to find someone who’s
willing
to take people out of a
problem
rather than showing how clever they are by taking them ever deeper into
it."
How
Did Life End Up
With Us? is the first book in the Secrets of Life quartet,
and offers a
chatty, appealing discourse on the perils of taking life and humanity
too
seriously.
SS
O'Connor has spent his
life "trying to boil
things down," condensing research and theories about life into a
readable
narrative. The fact that he writes about science from the perspective
of a
non-scientist only makes his effort more readable to fellow non-science
followers who remain interested in the philosophical, scientific, and
social
nuances of life.
In
this optimistic
assessment of the progression of life,
O'Connor provides a whimsical observation that draws on disparate facts
about
human evolution and presents them in a manner that's reflective and fun:
"If
we’re
alive, it’s because our ancestors bred successfully. None of them died
celibate. They and their offspring could be said to have made the right
decisions about how to
survive. And
since evolutionary biologists are fairly confident that 99.9% of all
the
species that have ever existed would later become extinct, that tells
you
something about how successful we all are - and also the burn-out rate
in
life."
From
how humans make
decisions that support survival and
evolution to processes of selection, diversity, specialization, and the
origins
or disappearance of species, O'Connor's consideration of triggers for
evolution
and development are laced with science and humor that lends to reader
enjoyment
as well as reflection.
With
its witty
considerations of the origins of altruism
and growth processes, O'Connor provides just the right blend of serious
observation and humor that brings together a myriad of life experiences
and
facets: "Richard Dawkins says that
all living things are just vehicles for their genes. But he also says
that
humans are unique in being able to override the instructions those
genes are
giving us. So, does that imply that because we’ve got intelligence and
self
criticism and empathy and all the other good stuff… that our altruism isn’t just a biological
imperative? Can this mean that we truly are separate and superior
beings?"
It
would be a shame to limit
this book's audience to
individual pursuit alone. Ideally, How
Did Life End Up With Us? will be pursued in classrooms and
used as book
club debate material for its lively discourses and reflections on the
process
of life and the elements that make us both human and ironic.
Libraries
will find How
Did Life End Up With Us? a compelling read blending biology,
anthropology,
and human history in a lively and reflective process of
self-examination and
fun.
Return to Index
How Far Do
You Want
To Go?
John Catsimatidis
Matt Holt
Books/BenBella Books, Inc.
9781637743430
$30.00 Hardcover/$15.99 Kindle
www.benbellabooks.com
The
financial sky's
unlimited in How Far Do You Want To Go? Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire, which covers the basics of leadership and
money management, inspired by an immigrant's rise to riches.
John
Catsimatidis
weaves autobiographical details into his account, but the meat of the
book lies
not just in his personal experiences, but how they led to the
decision-making,
leadership, and money management lessons that propelled him to success.
As much as
it is a
tribute to the business savvy that grew in him, it's also a pledge of
allegiance to America, which offered him many opportunities. As readers
peruse
his life story and the achievements that evolved from education and
perseverance, they also absorb the special keys to success that drive
individuals to rise above their circumstances to take next steps that
lead to
success.
The
observations that
cement these life lessons are nicely woven into the business savvy the
author
learns and the questions that accompany growth. When given his first
car, he
writes: "The car was mine, and it
gave me a sense of freedom I had never experienced before. I wasn’t
entirely
sure what to do with it, but I definitely liked the way that freedom
felt."
Catsimatidis's
Greek
roots are not left behind in his assimilation into American culture.
This is
reinforced by the Church and by experiences that lead him continually
back to
his roots and foundation lessons:
"Thankfully,
there are many successful Greeks in America. Who
better than the church to bring them together? “This isn’t about making
money,”
Father Alex often said. “You guys all have money. Those of you who want
fame,
you already have fame. Up until now, you didn’t have each other, and
now you
do.”
Catsimatidis's
special weaving of community, political, social, and financial
connections
translates to a story that, peppered with black and white photos,
emphasizes
the riches that come not only from financial and social success, but
from
within.
All these
values are
reinforced in a narrative replete with a close examination of the
American
Dream that's realized as Catsimatidis grows his independent grocery
business
into the conglomerate Red Apple Group, combining his interest in
entrepreneurial avenues with his conviction that community and society
connections are equally important.
The result
may sound
like another "how to be successful" financial guide, but in fact, its
accompanying astute survey of American ideals in action is its greatest
strength.
Business and
self-help readers who choose this book expecting a blueprint that will
propel
them to achieve the status quo either financially or socially will find
that How Far Do You Want To Go? is
so very
much more.
Money
doesn't mean
much without purpose, values, ethics, and drive.
That
Catsimatidis
blends all these themes and more into his account of becoming a
billionaire
makes How Far Do You Want To Go?
especially attractive. It's recommended for a broad range of readers,
from
business and entrepreneurial audiences to those seeking stories of
success,
immigrant experience, political and social evolution, and a just plain
outstanding, captivating read whose lessons are couched in discovery
and
achievement.
Return to Index
Intersections
Andrew Spink
Audacity Press
979-8-9874521-0-3
$25.99
Hardcover/$15.99 Paperback/$9.99 ebook
https://andrewspink.com
Intersections:
Life-Changing Stories From my
Rideshare Passengers
takes its readers on a rollicking ride through disparate lives as it
follows
individuals in rideshare situations.
Opening with
a
life-changing airport ride bringing three strangers together, the
collection
focuses on the encounters that bring all kinds of life learning lessons
to its
participants. Even if all they wanted was a simple ride to somewhere
else.
From chance
meetings
which rekindle love and connection to those that draw driver Andrew
Spink to
become emotionally invested in the lives of his temporary charges, Intersections traverses the fate that
creates extraordinary situations from happenstance.
How will
these chance
encounters affect these passengers? Will they go on to live their
lives, or
find themselves forever changed by a single rideshare?
Spink
provides
intriguing, thought-provoking scenarios which indicate that the process
of
sharing might extend beyond momentary intersections in life to
profoundly
affect everyone involved.
Readers who
choose Intersections for its
promise of
enlightening, unexpected rendezvous will find Spink's participation in
and
documentation of this process results in an inspection of
opportunities, ironic
chance situations, and the kinds of life-changing moments that can
crystallize
only in close quarters shared by disparate riders for a brief period of
time.
The examples
are
presented in the form of case histories that read with the drama and
inspection
of fiction (including dialogues), but represent discoveries that will
resonate
with readers interested in short biographical sketches featuring candid
confessions that were made to an Uber driver privy to the most intimate
of life
stories.
There are
nine dramas
in this collection. Each are based on the true experiences of Spink's
rideshare
passengers, and each offers a moving story of self-discovery,
overcoming
adversity, and healing that comes from challenged and changing lives.
Readers
seeking
inspirational true tales that read with the drama of fiction but are
backed by
real-life experience will find Intersections:
Life-Changing Stories From my Rideshare Passengers an
uplifting collection
driven by drama and capable of provoking the reader's own consideration
of how
lives intersect and change from chance encounters.
Return to Index
A
Look Into the
Secrets of Credit Repair
Diana Donnelly
Independently
Published
979-8986572512
$16.77 paper/$5.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Look-into-Secrets-Credit-Repair/dp/B0BQHMD37X
A Look into the Secrets
of Credit Repair:
How to Fix Your Score and Erase Bad Debt: 6-Step Strategy + 609 Sample
Letters
to Take Control of Your Finances and Outsmart the Credit Bureaus is for any reader interested in improving
their credit rating or recovering from bad debt situations, and offers
a
six-step program for handling debt and poor credit ratings.
Credit
scores
affect lifelong endeavors. That's a harsh reality for many to absorb,
along
with the knowledge that one's financial status and choices can either
expand or
limit possibilities.
Diana
Donnelly
takes a hard look at what goes into a credit score, how to boost it and
fund a
desired lifestyle without taking big risks and becoming trapped in
endless
debt, and how to understand the underlying financial institutions,
rules, and
applications of credit scores.
Chapters
assume
no prior reader financial savvy, but teach the basics of embarking on a
'Simple
Credit-Building Strategy' designed to demystify the credit score
process. They
build upon one another as they impart a progressive understanding of
common
financial choices and their impact, including poor choices that seem
like good
ideas at the time:
"Closing your credit
card to avoid
paying your debt or because you feel as though you can never catch up
on missed
payments is like moving your unfolded laundry from your bed to that
chair in
the corner of your bedroom: it’s still there, and it still needs to be
dealt
with. Even if you have good reasons to close your credit card, like
maybe you
don’t want that specific credit card account anymore, closing the
account can
harm your credit score."
This
and other
facts may surprise not only new adults, but many who believe themselves
relatively well versed in the world of credit.
Applying
her 30
years of experience in real estate, Diana Donnelly synthesizes decades
of
acquired practical knowledge into a formula for success that readers
from all
walks of life and financial circumstances can easily follow.
Especially
revealing are the insights into handling debt that draw direct
connections
between these choices and one's resulting credit score: "The
debt you owe the creditor will count as one negative mark on
your report, and the same debt you owe that has been transferred to the
debt
collector will become a separate negative mark on your report."
How
do people
get in trouble and find themselves underwater, burdened with debt and
poor
credit? Donnelly explains not only how this happens, but how to affect
repairs
that reflect new healthy financial habits.
Libraries
and
readers seeking books that pinpoint specific pitfalls and opportunities
in the
credit world will find A Look into the
Secrets of Credit Repair packed with not only insights into
the process,
but better financial approaches and choices that can repair even the
worst
credit report.
Return to Index
N-4 Down
Mark Piesing
Mariner Books
978-0-06-285153-6
$18.99 Paper/$29.99
Hardcover/$14.99 ebook
www.harpercollins.com
N-4
Down: The Hunt
for the Arctic Airship Italia is the true story of one of the
greatest
rescue efforts in human history, chronicling the adventure with the
dramatic
descriptive flair of fiction backed by the facts of nonfiction.
Mark Piesing
was
looking for a mystery when he stumbled upon a musty old book entitled With
the Italia to
the North Pole.
It was a book that would entwine him in an enigma more than ninety
years old,
and which equally reaches into modern audiences with its allure and
drama.
In 1928, the
arctic-exploring airship Italia (code-named N-4) was returning,
triumphant,
from its adventures when it crashed at the North Pole. In other
circumstances,
this would be the end of the story. Instead, it triggered then-famous
Arctic
explorer Roald Amundsen and others to embark on an impossible rescue
effort
that would result in his own disappearance and yet another polar
mystery.
Readers who
undertake
this journey with Piesing will hear the rumble of the zeppelin engine
in their
ears, feel the frosty bite of the Arctic on their faces, and will
become
immersed in the amazing history and mystery he uncovered and pursued.
His personal
exploration involved physical journeys to the far north as he "stepped
back into a fantasy world" via museum visits, old documents, and relics
a
time when the North Pole lured the most intrepid of explorers, then
shrouded
them in disaster and mystery.
The
underlying story
is an account of zeppelin travel and its heyday in the "Roaring 20s,"
which opened a new era of exploration and the possibilities of access
to remote
regions of the planet. Gripping stories of how the promise of the
zeppelin age
turned into a tragedy that involved some of the greatest explorers of
the times
makes for an account as vivid in its narration as any fictional read.
One reason
why this
story is so vivid is Piesing's attention to detail. His descriptions
create an
evocative a "you are here" atmosphere:
"Like many airships of the
time, the gondola was
embedded into the
envelope of the airship. Nobile’s men could climb up a ladder directly
into the
keel of the ship. Once inside, the crew could walk down along a fairly
flimsy
V- shaped corridor stretching the length of the ship, which might bring
to the
imagination the corridor of an alien spaceship. At one end of which, in
the
canvas-lined keel, the men could find spare parts, cans of fuel, a
hammock to
sleep on, and emergency supplies. However, little thought had been
given as to
how any crew members still in the envelope would escape if there was a
crash
landing. This oversight would have terrible consequences."
This is key
to the
story's ability to attract beyond the usual historical mystery reader,
promising to reach suspense and thriller readers who normally choose
fiction
for its dramatic attraction over the typical dryness of nonfiction
facts.
N-4
Down: The Hunt
for the Arctic Airship Italia is a sterling example of the
intersection of
truth and descriptive writing. Libraries that select this for their
collections
should do more than file it away in the nonfiction section. Ideally, N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship
Italia will be profiled as an absorbing adventure story that
requires
little prior familiarity with the times or the far north in order to
capture
and hold attention.
Return to Index
Quantum in
Pictures
Bob Coecke and
Stefano Gogioso
Quantinuum
978-1-7392147-2-2
www.quantinuum.com
While the
line
drawings throughout Quantum in Pictures
and its simple language might indicate to some that this book might be
appropriate for a library's children's section, in fact, it's a primer
that can
be used by anyone interested in quantum mechanics or physics, young or
old. It's
best audience will be those able to absorb the mathematical concepts
that are
intrinsic to understanding the quantum world.
The book
employs
pictures alone (diagrams in black and white and color) to illustrate
these
basic principles, educating readers about quantum concepts in an
accessible
manner that includes a solid amount of mathematical detail and
references.
Amateurs and
specialists alike will benefit from the authors' attention to making a
complex
subject surprisingly user-friendly ("...we
came up with simple, friendly names for many of the concepts
involved.").
A companion
to the
prior Picturing Quantum Processes,
this introduction creates a foundation of knowledge that can easily
serve as a
stepping stone for readers who wish to take the plunge into the quantum
world,
whether they hold physics or computer backgrounds, or are lay readers.
Added
value is created via an online connection, as all the chapters of Quantum In Pictures are also available
as videos on Quantinuum’s YouTube channel, which adds some special
guests.
Using
pictures to
talk about complex quantum subjects enables its grasp by a far wider
audience
than the usual student of science. The wide range of subjects, from
teleportation to spider bites and how math formulas may be translated
to and
transmitted pictorially makes for an unexpectedly lively format that is
thought-provoking
and attractive.
From spider
and cap
tests to understanding errors in visual terms, it soon becomes evident
that Quantum in Pictures is
anything but a
children's picture book.
Its serious
lesson in
accessibility and visualization deserves a place in any science library
collection where quantum discussions are of interest, creating a
pathway for
understanding that pairs visual math with solutions to complex problems.
Return to Index
Regenerative
Agriculture:
The Climate Crisis Solution
Stephen Erickson
The Great Healing Press
978-1-7332027-2-5
$10.99
www.thegreathealing.org
Regenerative
Agriculture: The Climate Crisis Solution poses both a simple
and a complex
solution to not just climate crisis, but environmental degradation as a
whole
by promoting regenerative agriculture, which focuses on processes of
soil
renewal and support.
While
some may initially
wonder at the expansive promise
of a seemingly a small approach, Stephen Erickson's book makes a
compelling
case for a process of rejuvenation that offers big payoffs for its
application.
Erickson
defines
'regenerative agriculture' as being "...based
on these principles applied
in combination: Cover crops, compost, crop rotation, minimal
disturbance of the
soil, animal integration, no synthetic pesticides, and protecting the
soil’s
internet."
Chapters
unfold the true
bigger picture inherent in
achieving this goal, as well as the obstacles and pitfalls that are
likely to
be encountered along the way.
Many
of this book's
contentions will prove controversial
to traditional farming and land management approaches. From how tilling
"destroys underground networks" and the premise that "No-till
or minimal till regenerative
farming is the best way to protect it" to liquid carbon
pathway
solutions, building carbon sequestration via regenerative agriculture,
and
other methods of regenerating the soil, this book promotes idealism
with a
sense of "how-to" reality that both makes a case and supports it with
tested agricultural changes.
The
ultimate purpose of this
book isn't to provide
another idealistic view of how to transform the planet, but to give
potential
farmers a practical lesson plan on how they, too, may incorporate
regenerative
principles and approaches into their agricultural business plans.
Stephen
Erickson reviews
everything from organic produce
and farming practices to new opportunities for profits in processes
that
support the land. He considers the studies and results of efforts
towards more
regenerative processes.
His
argument that this form
of farming is best designed
to survive climate change is compelling:
"Regenerative
farms, with their healthy soil microbiomes, are far better suited to
withstand
rising temperatures and other severe climate consequences in store for
us.
Robust regenerative ecosystems retain significantly more moisture, keep
soil
cooler, and better sustain soil life and crop yields compared to the
biologically devastated, carbon-releasing soil of industrial ag farm’s
dying ecosystems."
Regenerative
Agriculture should not only be a mainstay in any library
strong in
agricultural business, but ideally will become a discussion title in
book clubs
and reader groups of future farmers and those involved in agricultural
business.
Its
fast-paced contentions
and practical eye to
juxtaposing a blueprint for better farming with practices that enhance
a
farmer's bottom line creates a book that is as practical as it is
idealistic.
Return to Index
Speaking
While Female
Dana Rubin
Real Clear Publishing
978-1-63755-030-4
$30.00
www.realclearpublishing.com
In
the
chronicles of history, male speech-makers are typically highlighted
while women
are portrayed as clapping on the sidelines of their success. That's why
Speaking
While Female: 75 Extraordinary Speeches by American Women is
especially
powerful and important—it captures women's voices and showcases their
strength
to illustrate that women are no less capable in this department than
men.
They've just been understated and buried in a patriarchal society's
representation of historical characters and strengths.
Dana Rubin's
survey
of women's voices in America exposes and captures their nuances,
passion, and
equally powerful presentations. Rubin herself is curator and founder of
the
Female Speech Bank. As a notable speaker, Rubin created this project to
highlight women's voices, illustrating and returning their power to
historical
and social significance and, through this book, hopefully widespread
knowledge.
This
collection,
although very accessible to individual pursuit, would really shine when
utilized by drama students, in women's issues classrooms, and by
women's
history discussion groups. The speeches themselves raise many important
points
both in their content and by their choice of words and passion.
Another
important
note is that these works assume a chronological strength made uniform
by their
historical journey through women's experiences from the 1800s to modern
times.
Many won't anticipate that a modern-sounding subject such as Lucy
Stone's
impromptu speech "Disappointment is the Lot of Women" would be presented as a moving speech in October
17, 1855 at the Seventh Women’s Rights Convention at Smith &
Nixon’s Hall
in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Stone's
words ring with
strength and protest:
"The
question
of Woman’s Rights is a practical one. The notion has prevailed that it
was only
an ephemeral idea; that it was but women claiming the right to smoke
cigars in
the streets, and to frequent barrooms. Others have supposed it a
question of
comparative intellect; others still, of sphere. Too much has already
been said
and written about woman’s sphere. Trace all the doctrines to their
source and
they will be found to have no basis except in the usages and prejudices
of the
age."
This
is just a single
example of an eye-opening
collection that corrects the absence of women in the history of
America's great
orators, bringing to life the topics, repression, and achievements of
not only
the speech-maker or writer, but her fellow female audiences at that
point in
time.
A
wide range of library
collections will see popularity
with this survey, which ideally will not just be studied by
individuals, but
utilized in group and classroom settings, as well as book clubs, as a
source
for debates and consideration of women's words and the force with which
they
were written and delivered. Their impact on modern audiences interested
in
women's history and issues cannot be stressed enough.
Return to Index
The Tender
Path of
Grief and Loss: Compassionate Stories
and Practical Wisdom to Help You Heal
Robert Jackman, LCPC
Practical Wisdom
Press
978-1-7354445-6-7
$19.95 Paper/$8.99 ebook
Website: www.theartofpracticalwisdom.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Tender-Path-Grief-Loss-Compassionate/dp/1735444561
The Tender Path of Grief
and Loss: Compassionate
Stores and Practical
Wisdom to Help You Heal adds to psychotherapist Robert
Jackman's Practical
Wisdom Healing Series, which includes Healing
Your Lost Inner Child and its
Companion Workbook, and Healing Your Wounded Relationship. It
tackles the pain of loss and the deep grief that accompanies it with
powerful
descriptions that will resonate with anyone who is struggling
to heal
after experiencing loss:
"...fearful sorrow is not
the bogeyman. We are, in
actuality, in
fear of ourselves, seeing ourselves so small and trivial next to this
titanic
grief. This unwelcome friend is more a part of us than we know, our
beginning
and ending. Take a pinch of this raw sorrow, so new and unknown. Taste
its
bitter edges and realize it isn’t lethal, but ignoring it just may be."
The guiding
light and
strength of this book lie in the disparate stories of grief that
Jackman
includes as examples of healing and transcendence. Each story presents
a
different kind of loss and reactions that illustrate how to acknowledge
and
face defeat and its ongoing presence in life.
The three
phases of
the "tender path" are covered through various examples: "In
the first phase of the tender path,
we respond to the loss based on the emotional landscape within us at
the time
of the loss." These offer a progressive series of lessons
that take
each loss experience and add wisdom, insights, and lessons to help
readers
understand the disparate processes of grief and how different people
react to
them: "You will learn the difference
between grief and depression and the reasons why some people can’t move
on. You
will also learn how to determine whether you are choosing restorative
or
indulgent responses to the pain of your loss."
The "tender
path" to healing embraces three phases: "the
shockwave, the stretch, and the solace." Each holds
insights key to not just understanding, but moving along in the process.
Jackman's
focus on
maintaining fluidity and strength, and his assessing focus that
acknowledges
there is no right or wrong way to grieve, outlines the invitations and
signposts during the process that point the way to growth and healing.
This
approach serves as a blueprint for those afraid of getting stuck at
various
places as loss is integrated into the rest of their lives.
The stories
supporting this process present diverse, heartfelt, eye-opening
insights into
the various phases of traversing the "tender path" towards healing.
Each represents a window of opportunity for readers to use the
experience to
consider their own transformative options and processes.
Can loss
come to be
seen as not just an outcome, but an opportunity? Those grieving may not
perceive this; but in the end, the transformative prospects can be
many. The
result is a primer that should be on the reading lists not just of
those who
have lost and are grieving, but any human being who would better
understand how
to find hope in hopeless situations.
Choosing the
"tender path" involves an amazing journey of growth and realization.
Its message offers wide-ranging opportunities for reflection,
discussion, and
insights on the individual level and for those in groups, making The Tender Path of Grief and Loss a top
recommendation for libraries seeking self-help and psychology books
filled with
uncomfortable truths and comfortable insights that support and
encourage
discussions.
Return to Index
True
Crime Redux
Stephanie Kane
Bancroft Press
978-1-61088-610-9
$25.95
www.bancroftpress.com
True
crime readers
fascinated by Stephanie Kane's opening
references in her fictional novel Quiet Time, which
contained more than
a few elements of truth based on her own family story, will here
discovery that
Quiet Time wasn't just based on fiction, but on
Kane's life. That she
takes additional time here, in True Crime Redoux,
to more fully explore
the realities of her family entanglements and the truths that emerged
from them
is testimony to both resilience and a search for truth that will
thoroughly
engross readers from the start:
"In
1973, Duane
Frye had been indicted for his
wife’s murder. The charges were inexplicably dropped, and for the nine
years
during which I was married to their son, the crime was not discussed.
After we
divorced, I tunneled into an existence strangely like my protagonist’s:
corporate lawyer by day, haunted at night by Betty’s murder and the
feeling
that somehow our wedding had been the catalyst for the explosion of
rage that
ended her life. By the early 1990s, it was time to put my ghosts to
rest."
Perhaps
it was serendipity
that the novel she'd written,
which was changed so radically that the real events remained largely
disguised,
emerged again to become the focal point reopening a cold case with a
warm
confession from the murderer's sister.
With
her notes and draft
copies subpoenaed in a move that
led Kane to question "what I’d done to real people to exorcise my own
ghosts," the dual process of being a writer and exposing the truth
evolves
in a powerful manner that is as thought-provoking for its examination
of the
fine line between fiction and fact as it is for its true crime
investigation.
Readers
will be entranced by
this complex story, which
moves through emotional turbulence and criminal investigations alike.
The tale
assumes the factual deliverance of a memoir, a crime probe, and a
literary
reflection as it embeds its story with the authority of solid literary
expression: "A telling detail captures the essence of what is
being
described. Like a perfectly framed snapshot, it says more than it
depicts. And
it embeds itself in one’s memory."
Kane's
probe of murder,
crime, family connections and the
psychological ramifications of confession and eventual justice is
nothing short
of riveting.
Libraries
seeking true crime
stories for their
collections will find that True Crime Redux lends
especially well to
book club recommendation for its powerful threads of discussion on
everything
from family secrets and legacies to the processes of justice and
redemption
which draw innocent and guilty alike into a complex web of secrets and
a
family's deadly entanglements.
Return to Index
US: The
Resurrection
of American Terror
Rev. Kenneth W.
Wheeler
Precocity Press
979-8-9851494-9-4
$29.95
Hardcover/$19.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/US-Resurrection-Rev-Kenneth-Wheeler/dp/B0BM3HHFFJ
US: The Resurrection of
American Terror
is a memoir of Black anger
and struggle, and comes from an Evangelical Lutheran pastor who
identifies
white supremacy as the real terrorist threat on American soil.
Using his
experiences
growing up in the Jim Crow South, Wheeler embarks on a historical and
personal
examination of racism and prejudice which exposes how its roots and
spreading
contamination have touched not only seven decades of his own life, but
the
experiences of every Black person in modern America.
History
blends with
civil rights struggles and insights about the roots and impact of white
supremacy as readers receive an unusual blend of scripture references
and
social examination that embraces scholarly and spiritual works alike.
From
community-wide
grief in response to senseless shootings to personal, political, and
social
examination on the deepest levels, Wheeler shows how his search for
answers led
him to look to Biblical references to explain and explore Black
experiences:
"When I learned of this
shooting I immediately
turned to Psalm 88.
It is a Psalm that is rarely used in the Church because it conveys such
total
bleakness. The Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann calls Psalm 88
a Psalm
of deep lament. The words of Psalm 88 are the words spoken by people
who have
faced an evil that has turned their world upside down. The evil has
left them
disoriented. The enigma of slavery was the beginning of our nation’s
disorientation. You stand in a place where everything that once gave
you
meaning and mooring and balance has been taken from you at an instant."
The
heartfelt nature
of this memoir reflects both a call to action, a drive for wisdom, and
Wheeler's own experiences in a major white Lutheran denomination that
was
glaringly scarce in its own examples of racial diversity. The hopes
expressed
by such a congregation seemed more like "white noise" than sincere
efforts to be inclusive or representative.
The
religious roots
of the writer and US: The Resurrection of
American Terror sets this memoir apart from most others. Far
more than
another civil rights history or personal story of struggle, US: The Resurrection of American Terror
offers an unusual blend of scholarship and religious inspection that
make it especially
recommendable to religious library holdings.
These
audiences, as
well as libraries catering to diverse populations interested in issues
of Black
participation in largely White groups, will find US:
The Resurrection of American Terror holds many groundbreaking
insights that deserve to be included in book clubs and social issues
discussion
groups.
Return to Index
What
Love Can Do
Katharine Hope
Levy
Romance Without
Borders Publishing
979-8-9874570-0-9
$14.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
Website: www.katharinehopelevy.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSCZDB3F?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_D634XK9GXCZ1ERRB082B
Second
chances
do not come easy, and are not always seen as such. What
Love Can Do is a literary romance story about lost
opportunities and new chances.
Jennifer
Bantam is
entering her forties—but many would never know it. Attractive and
outwardly
confident and self-sufficient, she harbors a sensitivity that is shaken
by an
unexpected text from Matt Conroy, a beau from twenty years ago.
Communication
reveals
a situation which has long plagued Matt, and which she had blocked from
her
memory. Now, after all these years, he is ready to confront its lasting
impact—only to find that she's moved on so thoroughly that the past has
become
shrouded in secrecy and the bliss of ignorance.
Jennifer
and
Matt share many ideals; not the least of which is about love: “My mom used to say that cardinals teach us
that real love takes time and that you need to be patient and
persevere, and
when the right person comes along, you’ll know it because you’ll be
able to see
into each other’s hearts and souls. She said that with true love, all
things
are possible.”
As
they relearn
how to be with one another, absorb forgotten lessons of the past, and
contemplate entering and leaving a new relationship, each becomes
changed by
not only the second chance of their encounter after so much time, but
by their
connections to others.
Jennifer
was
with Brad for three years before they broke up over the issue of having
children she coveted and he didn't want to raise. As she and Matt
discuss past
relationships, why failures occurred, and differences in ideals and
approaches
to life, they begin to realize that second chances may not be all they
seem.
When
a different
kind of second chance evolves from serendipity and long repressed
desire,
Jennifer finds herself on a whirlwind of change.
Tasteful
but
graphic sex scenes pepper the story, adding sultry attraction for
romance
readers who like their stories hot, whether they are physical
descriptions or
emotional revelations.
The
humor and
play that permeates this story is as compelling as the discussions
about maturing
love and expectations between the couple, and the fiery passions they
reawaken
in one another. Katharine Hope Levy creates a warm, compelling love
story that
rests as much on transformation and two powerful individuals coming
together in
different ways as it does on the juxtaposition of past and present-day
experiences and expectations. Cemented by equally powerful characters
that
discover renewed possibilities in their lives by joining together, What Love Can Do is heartwarming and
embracing.
Libraries
and
readers seeking women's fiction that tingles with renewed connection,
vibrant
considerations of individuality and growth, and blossoming passion that
operates on physical and psychological levels alike will find What Love Can Do steeped in powerful
attractions.
Return to Index
Which
Would You Rather?
Graeme
Puckett
Brown
Dog Books and The Self-Publishing Partnership Ltd.
978-1-83952-517-9
$15.83 Paper/$5.99 ebook
www.selfpublishingpartnership.co.uk
Which Would You Rather? features
a
sociopath misfit protagonist named Brian Rayment, whose proclivity for
social
snafus lands him in a series of mishaps and crimes that continually
challenge
his well-being and his world.
His
perception of life comes not from rose-colored glasses, but lenses
tinged by
artistic observations, film references, and angst.
Between
the tricks he likes to contemplate playing on others and his checklist
of
irritations with neighbor Tony Bartlock, Brian moves from petty
annoyance to
murder with a deftness that incorporates his years of film passion and
his
personal camera's eye observing the world around him with a jaded and
judgmental attitude.
Readers
expecting the typical murder mystery or tale of intrigue will find that
Graeme
Puckett excels at getting into the mind of the psychopathic
personality.
Brian's motivations, conclusions, and errant behaviors become logical
and
understandable under Puckett's pen—but there's also a wry humor that
flows
underneath Brian's interactions with others:
"His random answering
system wasn’t
working, mainly because they were messing it up. They wouldn’t ask
proper
questions. If they approached it like twenty questions – just yes/no
answers –
then perhaps we could get somewhere. He decided to abandon it and be
creative.
‘He had a big, mouthy mouth and small, tiny, titchy teeth.’ It occurred
to
Brian that he never seemed to see or describe any normal-looking
people. Maybe
he should throw in a few normal attributes for the sake of realism. ‘He
had an
ordinary nose and some ordinary hair.’"
This
humor drives the story line, adding a whimsical taste of irony and fun
as Brian
navigates all kinds of unexpected situations:
"Brian was very rarely
rendered
speechless, so he didn’t quite know how to handle it. He tried to say
something
but physically couldn’t say anything. How could a person you were
placing under
arrest just tell you to ‘shut up’ and ‘stop being silly’? It was
completely the
wrong reaction. It just wasn’t true to life. You’d never get that
happening in Prime Suspect."
The
world never quite fits into Brian's expectations and experiences, and
so he
makes adjustments (sometimes radical) to achieve the kinds of outcomes
that
come from talking to the police or serving as a witness. The result is
an
unexpectedly fun crime spree romp which follows Brian into a murky
world of
increasing challenges and trouble.
The
logic is impeccable in Brian's reactions to his quicksand of
involvements. The
story builds a satisfying tension surrounding a flawed character whose
efforts
to gain traction in his world just land him deeper into trouble.
Libraries
looking for British-based scenarios and stories of murder gone awry
will find
much to appreciate in Which Would You
Rather?, which follows Brian into a leap of faith, possible
romance, and an
irresistible which-would-you-rather scenario that pushes him ever
deeper into
situations he struggles to escape.
Return to Index
Your
Best Life
Mike X
X-Up Press
979-89858043-0-0
$28.00 Hardcover
Website:
www.mikex.com/book
Ordering:
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Best-Life-Fulfillment-Abundance/dp/B0BSMQM57T
Your Best Life:
Tactics, Tools, and Insights
to Create a Life of Fulfillment, Joy and Abundance provides a blueprint for creating an
extraordinary life, but it doesn't take the usual route of self-help
and
enlightenment books. Instead, it purposely violates typical conventions
by
"going wide" instead of narrowing its topics and focus, packing in
visuals for more than a linear experience while employing sparse
formatting
that is easy on the eye.
Chapters
may be
read either in progression or by skipping around, as the topics lend to
browsing and encourage taking the time to absorb the ideas presented.
The
author's
admonition to "highlight, scribble, doodle, then share" makes this
book more recommendable as a personal acquisition and journal than a
library
lend, but its messages and invitations are such that it will ideally
reside
permanently on a home bookshelf for regular review rather than in a
library
offering only a week or two of limited reading time.
From
Mike X's
inherent skepticism about the laws of attraction and his take on how
this
concept can be successfully applied, to the jobs of living consciously
and
purposefully by honing communication and perception processes that are
purposefully enlightening, Your Best Life
is filled with practical life applications.
That
these are
more than ideals and actually work is cemented by stories and examples
backed
by science and facts. The approaches to better living are concrete.
They begin
with possible typical life scenarios in which Mike X changed his own
approaches:
"It turns out that the
same principles
apply whether you’re trying to talk a guy out of jumping off a bridge
or trying
to make your spouse feel better after you said something stupid and
insensitive. The first step is always the same: connect. You need to
establish
the strongest possible connection at the current moment in time. (It
doesn’t
matter how connected you were yesterday.) With the guy on the bridge,
that
begins with asking his name and telling him your name. With your wife,
you
could skip the introductions, but—until she feels like you’ve really
connected
with her and with how she feels at this instant—you’re a stranger to
her."
These
examples
are followed by the "how" of better approaches that blend studies in
neuroscience and other disciplines with concrete moves that defy the
usual
magic-tamping patterns of life.
The
breadth of
these tools and tactics requires only a flexible mind open to
adaptation and
new avenues for reaching personal, interpersonal, and life success.
Readers
interested in taking the next step into personal transformation and
enlightenment will want to take Your Best
Life and run with it. Its examples and ideas are meant to be
put into
action and are eminently achievable for all readers at all walks of
life,
making Your Best Life a highly
recommended self-help title over many others.
Return to Index
Your Space, Made Simple
Ariel Magidson
Blue Star Press
9781950968916
$29.95
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Space-Made-Simple-Approachable/dp/195096891X
Your
Space, Made
Simple offers formulas for
affordable DIY interior decorating, and should be made a staple on the
bookshelves of anyone renovating their home.
It opens
with the
usual review of the design process, but then departs from similar
interior
design books by providing a series of blueprints for design options
that
encourage uniformity of style and thinking.
These take
the form
of 'recipes' for redesigning various rooms of the house, from kitchen
and
bathroom to dining room. The section on outdoors space is particularly
important because modern living has begun to embrace the outdoors in
much the
same inclusive way as the indoors, with weather-resistant furniture,
patios,
and heating structures offering opportunities for extending the house's
square
footage of living space.
The recipes
include
sizing techniques for assuring that all designs are in sync with each
other and
the house's structure, melding art, design, and function in different
ways
based on individual routines and habits. Lists of equipment needed for
the
redesign, options, and assessments include organizational directions
for
getting the job done.
Color
photos,
diagrams, and layouts accompany insights from Ariel Magidson's work
with
clients in developing concepts that also are sensitive to political
concerns
about cultural appropriation and literal and symbolic impact.
Your
Space, Made
Simple goes far
beyond most
interior design displays to consider not just the usage of a home, but
the
message it embraces, reflects, and embeds in its design choices.
Libraries
and readers
seeking DIY interior design books that offer recipes not just for
success, but
psychic support will find Your Space, Made Simple filled with insights and ideas that other design
books miss.
Return to Index
August
or
Forever
Ona Gritz
Fitzroy
Books/Regal House Publishing
9781646033072
$8.95 Paper/$8.49 ebook
Website: onagritz.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/August-Forever-Ona-Gritz/dp/1646033078
August or Forever provides children with a story of siblings
and blended families, and tells of ten-year-old Molly, whose older
half-sister
Alison lives on another continent entirely. They maintain connection
through
letters, but it's not the same as being under the same roof, like many
of her
friends enjoy. At last, however, Alison is coming to visit with them
for an
entire summer ... and there may be a way Molly can get her to stay.
As
Molly learns
more about being a sister and discovers some secrets about why Alison
lives so
far away, she comes to realize that her illusions about this sibling
and the
expectation that she will conform to Molly's ideal of sisterhood are
unfair.
Is
blood thicker
than distance? Raised apart, Molly and Alison still hold a family
connection
which comes into play and keeps them together even when psychological
and
physical distance separate them.
Ona
Gritz crafts
a compelling story of what it means to be sisters. Through ten-year-old
Molly's
first-person insights, new realizations about her older sister's
perspectives
and approaches to life come to light to provide thought-provoking
insights for
siblings who pursue August or Forever.
This special form of enlightened understanding evolves a tale that
revolves
around dreams, expectations, and changing realities:
"The one person who
gets this about me is
Diane, which is why she’s the one person I’ll let join me in my room
while I
draw. We’ll sit next to each other on my bed, and she’ll quietly work
on poems.
Diane loves to write, but never gets to do it at home for obvious
reasons. I
guess I’d always assumed it would be the same for Alison and me. We’d
sit in
our shared room in the evenings, each silently working."
August or Forever is a warm story of sisters who are very
different in many ways, yet bonded in others. Its message and
exploration of
these different experiences and ideals will encourage young readers to
better
understand their own siblings—especially if blended families are
involved.
The
mystery
revealed in family history and her older sister's secret adds a further
touch
of intrigue and revelation to a story that offers just the right blend
of
revelation and discovery to the sibling encounter.
Libraries
seeking novels about blended families and sister relationships will
find August or Forever deserves not
just
profile on a library shelf, but recommendation to classrooms interested
in
assigned reading and opportunities for group inspections of family
makeup and
illusions.
Return to Index
Becky Likes
Boys
Diane Campbell Green
DCG Books
979-8-9865899-2-3
$9.99
Website: www.dcgbooks.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Becky-Likes-Diane-Campbell-Green/dp/B0BSJFF2TH
Becky
Likes Boys
is the sixth book in the Becky Chalmers series for advanced elementary
to
middle grade readers. Like its predecessors, Becky's 1960s life is
revealed
with a close attention to contrasting Becky's experiences, perspective,
and
coming of age with the cultural and social milieu of the '60s. This
makes for
the perfect choice for modern young readers who would learn about this
period
of time and the forces affecting its young people.
The
story opens with Becky
and her sister-friend Sharon
discussing the elementary school's spring dance, which will be their
first.
Diane
Campbell Green does a
fine job of both introducing
the adults in Becky's life and adding their perspectives to Becky's
world: "In the Chalmers household, Becky’s
mom, Jackie, focused on her daughter’s first dance. Jackie was ready to
launch
Becky, her oldest child, into the grown-up world of school dances.
After all,
Jackie had met Jim when they were both nine-years-old."
While, at
times, an adult reader might wonder at points
of authenticity (in the '60s, adults were seldom identified by their
first
names, by children), one can argue that, for the sake of relevance to
modern
young readers and their experiences, any slight adjustments such as
this make
the story more accessible and realistic to modern audiences (today,
many adults
are known to children by their first names).
As Becky
faces the
"bumps and curves" of a maturing body and the mental changes that
lend new interest to different relationships with boys and their
potential for
change, readers receive a realistic portrait of a girl facing physical
and
emotional maturity challenges in nearly every aspect of her life.
Realistic
dialogues
capture not just peer interactions, but shared family experiences.
Adversity is
portrayed as an obstacle that introduces creative thinking; especially
one
Christmas when first the oven, then the power, go out on the cusp of
the
biggest entertainment day of the year:
“It’s nice to be inside
and with family on
Christmas Eve,” Jackie said.
Overnight, ‘nice’ turned to worry; then to catastrophe. When Jackie
checked the turkey an hour after putting it into the oven on Christmas
morning,
it was as raw as when it first went in. The oven was simply not
working. Jackie
panicked turning to her husband, “Jim, what am I going to do? I have a
dozen
people to feed this afternoon.”
“Becky,” Daddy said, “go tell Mrs. Edwards our oven is not heating up.
We can’t cook anything here.”
Becky slid on the ice, covered now with a thick layer of snow. At the
Edwards house she gave the message to Pat. Right at that moment, all of
Cadwallader Court lost power when a tree, heavy with ice and snow
snapped the
last of the working power lines. The adults huddled.
From its
title,
readers might anticipate a story replete with boy-crazy dilemmas, but
there's
much more going on than boys alone.
Through
various
shared experiences and questions about school, boys, changing
friendship, and
new ventures, Becky receives life lessons that set the stage for growth
and
opportunity.
Green brings
Becky
and her world to life. Libraries seeking stories rooted in the milieu
of the
1960s will welcome yet another exploration that brings these times and
this
girl to modern audiences as it explores how enemies become friends and
individuals from disparate experiences (even boys and girls) learn to
connect
with one another in new ways.
Return to Index
Bobby and
Bubba's
Small Adventures
Anthony Coombs
SilverWood Books Ltd.
978-1-80042-197-4
$25.99
www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk
Bobby and Bubba's Small
Adventures is a
picture book that
introduces Bobby and Bubba, British bulldogs that live in the middle of
London.
Their walks of discovery around Chelsea are illustrated by Adam Share,
who
brings to life the appeal of two dogs that survey and explore their
British
environment.
Adults
who choose Bobby
and Bubba's Small
Adventures as a nightly read-aloud will find plenty of detail
and fun in
these "small adventures" as the bulldogs explore their world and
their perceptions of it.
From Bobby's
emergency visit to the vet by Daddy Alexander to Bob and Bubba's love
of
grooming (which feels suspiciously like a spa day adventure), Anthony
Coombs
presents the world through these dog's eyes, capturing the delight of
their
daily interactions with one another, their family, and their world.
Youngsters
interested
in dog stories will find much to enjoy in this title, which embeds life
lessons
into these experiences in a manner adults can employ to discuss values
with the
very young: "It dawned on them that
while happiness may depend upon ourselves, true happiness is found in
the
little often unremembered acts of kindness to others. It was that, and
not
their new found stardom, which made this day their ‘best by far’."
Bobby and Bubba's Small
Adventures is an
exploration of life
experience, choices, and lessons that deserves feature both in
elementary-level
libraries and through home read-aloud discussions that bring forth the
underlying positivity and messages of these dog's-eye experiences of
life and
growth.
Return to Index
Chantz
Tim Rayborn
Thousand Acres Press
978-1-956450-60-6
$7.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW2QB2YH
One minute,
everything is ordinary and fine. A rock concert featuring the Mystic
Wedding
Weasels engrosses twelve-year-old witch Jilly Pleeth and her friend
Lluck in a
fun event. The next minute, reality changes in another fantasy addition
to a
series that returns Lluck and fellow characters to a new magical
adventure.
Jilly notes
that
everything changes, for an instant, and band singer Chantz may have
something
to do with it. Her enchanting voice is a spell that draws Jilly beyond
fandom
and into a scenario that awakens her sense of danger. She knows
something is
wrong—but even the savvy friends around her don't seem to sense
anything awry: "Something from that
fantastical world
she’d just been dragged through seemed to have hitched a ride back and
was keeping
a keen and unwelcome eye on her."
Singer
Chantz becomes
the focal point in a new fantasy encounter which continues to test
Jilly,
Lluck, Qwyrk, and others who have been profiled in previous books in
the series.
While
newcomers can
easily delve into this world via smooth reflections and introductions
that
refer to past events while focusing on evolving dilemmas, prior fans
will find
especially inviting the ways in which these disparate lives dovetail to
face
new challenges and growth processes.
Tim Rayborn
adds
humor into the discoveries. This will delight readers used to the staid
approaches of fantasy quests and adventures:
“It says here that the
Sluagh are fearsome, but not
invulnerable.”
“Well, I know that; I kicked some of their feathered arses in York,
quite literally. Sent them packing,” Qwyrk said with a bit of pride."
All magic leaves a trail.
As a team of
magic-wielding, savvy kids
uncover clues about their latest adversary and consider the forces that
can
breach enchanted barriers, pre-teens, teens, and many an adult reader
receive a
vivid adventure notable for its ongoing character development and
connections
both to past books and growth processes that test these young peoples'
evolving
powers and perceptions.
Chantz,
Jilly, and
Lluck aren't the only characters receiving feature and focus here. A
host of
others (including Moirin, who faces a stolen life, illusions, and a
lost
brother) bring their own special concerns into the fold to share center
stage
with the kids.
Libraries
seeking fantasy
stories that either expand their series origins or stand nicely on
their own
will find Chantz a compelling
adventure that embraces magical realism as well as fantasy. It neatly
juxtaposes real-world concerns (such as rock concerts) with the
concurrent
presence of magical forces underlying them for a rich read in fantasy
and
social ideals alike.
Return to Index
Colors
Carter Carver's Way
Rosilyn Seay
PicBooks Publishing
979-8-9863447-0-6
$16.95
http://picbookspub.com
Colors
Carter
Carver's Way
is a children’s picture book about a smart young African American boy
named
Carter. Carter loves school and is good at many things. He simply does
not
understand the concept of colors. He's managed to keep it a secret by
finding
different ways to guess the colors presented to him.
Carter
fears
that eventually his classmates will find out that he doesn’t really
know his
colors and has to guess them. When that happens, he’s sure they will
tease
him. Should he keep his secret safe by just staying home from
school?
His
wise mother patiently
listens to his concern and
comes up with an idea. Hopefully, with a little support at home and
some
creative consideration on his part, she can help him think through his
issues
and possibly find a resolution.
Colors
Carter
Carver's Way is more than a story about color perception.
It's about
problem-solving, positivity, support systems, and handling the
inevitable
teasing that comes from being perceived as different or lacking by
one's peers.
Through
Carter and his
mother's reactions and approach to
his big issue, kids ages 4-9 receive insights on how their everyday
problems
may be solved through some creative alternative thinking.
Colors
Carter
Carver's Way provides many lessons suitable for adult and
child interaction
and discussion. Ideally, it will be chosen as an example of positive
and
creative approaches to life's adversities, empowering a child to
reconsider
their own abilities, disabilities, and attitudes.
Return to Index
Eudora
Space Kid: Do
the Robot!
David Horn
Independently
Published
978-1-7366774-5-2
$2.99 Kindle/$4.99 Paper
www.eudoraspacekid.com
The
third book in the Eudora
Space Kid chapter book
series provides young readers with another space-based adventure. Do the Robot! presents the dilemma faced
by third-grader Eudora, a technology and math kid whiz who has been
adopted by
aliens and lives in space on a ship.
She
aspires to become the
spacecraft's chief engineer
someday, though her proclivity for disaster and trouble thwart her
ambitions.
When she inadvertently breaks Lootenant Commander Walter (the
AstroFleet's only
robot officer on board, and her friend), Eudora is charged with fixing
her
mistake ... or tricking the entire space ship into thinking Walter is
actually
okay and is not broken.
Eudora
excels in making "big
plans" that often
go awry, with hilarious results. Chapter book readers absorbing her
latest
conundrum's odd twists and turns will be entertained by her dilemmas
and the
peppering of black-and-white drawings that accompanies them.
David
Horn adopts a chatty
tone as Eudora explains and
explores her life: "Engineering is
just using math and science to make cool machines and things. Like the
ship’s
engines. And to make cool things, I also needed to learn about computer
coding.
So I taught myself that stuff too. You can’t believe the fun you can
have when
you can do all these things. Like the time . . . oh, I’ll tell you
about that
tomorrow."
This
lends further
attraction as readers absorb an
action- and technology-packed space adventure that tests Eudora's
abilities in
different ways.
Libraries
either seeing
popularity with the prior Eudora
books or new to her space-faring conundrums will find Book 3, Eudora Space Kid: Do the Robot!, a fine
blend of humor, problem-solving approaches, and action and adventure.
Return to Index
Fudgsicle
Tinée
Furlbert
KP Publishing Company
9780947482121
$24.95
www.kp-pub.com
Novi
and her mother open
this picture book story with an
exploration of the chocolate Bermuda fudgsicle, but young readers
attracted to
ice cream will soon find that the story expands to consider more than a
sweet
treat.
Gherdai
Hassell introduces
bright, fun illustrations to
capture Tinée
Furlbert's
words, bringing Novi's world to life as her Caribbean mother decides to
introduce her both to the new treat and novel concepts about life and
her place
in it: "Just like you, it's a smooth
chestnut dynamic delight," Novi's mom said.
Unlike
the American notion
of a fudgsicle, these
Caribbean delights come in many flavors. As the child observes the
different
hues of brown and relates them to people she knows, readers will relish
the
attraction each flavor brings to the personalities Novi pairs them with.
"Delight"
is the common word
used throughout
descriptions which celebrate different people of color and their joyful
presence in Novi's life.
The
story empowers black and
brown girls to not just
understand color differences, but celebrate them.
Especially
recommended for
read-aloud inspection and fun,
Fudgsicle's lesson in positivity is
the perfect choice for parents seeking to teach the very young a lesson
about
celebrating delicious differences in life and between people of color.
The
lessons on
self-awareness, developing confidence, and
handling disappointments that accompany this basic understanding of
others and
self offer many opportunities for discussion and insight, all couched
in the
delicious flavors of a special Bermuda treat.
Return to Index
The
Gatekeeper
of Pericael
Hayley Reese
Chow
Independently
Published
979-8583619184
ebook: $0.99, paperback: $4.57
Website: https://hayleyreesechow.com/
Ordering: https://books2read.com/thegatekeeperofpericael
In
The Gatekeeper of Pericael,
twelve-year-old Porter has the task of channeling spirits from the
alternate
universe of Pericael while maintaining a seemingly-ordinary life as
part of a
family on Earth—a family charged with being Gatekeepers between the two
worlds.
When
a soul
thief enters this scenario and challenges Porter's desire to maintain a
delicate balance between two worlds, he finds himself in Pericael,
struggling
to survive and maintain and absorb his powers as the gatekeeper's son.
Faced
with
bigger-picture thinking, young Porter can't help but wish his life was
simpler.
He expresses this frustration in ways and during events that other
books might
present differently (but less realistically). True to his young nature,
Porter
isn't as interested in being heroic as he is in living an ordinary life
and
being accepted by his peers. This juxtaposes with his loftier position
and
mission in life and provides a (perhaps) annoyingly realistic portrait
of a boy
who just wants to play games and remain less than a superhero despite
his
heritage and mission.
While
some young
readers may balk at the way Porter faces his challenges and how sisters
Fira and
Conri confront the same adversities in a different manner, the strength
of this
story lies in many of its realistic scenarios in which a young hero
really
doesn't want to step up to the job that tests his childhood.
The
growth process, as it so often is, proves so sudden that some might
say it's nearly a magical transformation of attitude; but growth isn't
always a
linear process. The lessons Porter receives and rejects are suddenly
absorbed
in a satisfyingly unpredictable manner that remains true to life's
leaps
forward.
From
Ames and Yassa to Fira and Conri, a host of characters both
support Porter's evolutionary process and contrast nicely with it with
their
own perspectives on courage and purpose.
The
result is surprisingly complex for a pre-teen fantasy, but provides
characters whose choices and actions don't always embrace the idea of
heroism,
but the desire to live their lives in ways they choose rather than what
destiny
ordains.
Libraries
seeking fantasies that hold the opportunity for wide-ranging
discussions and insights among children's and preteen book clubs will
find the
spirited psychologists twists and turns of The
Gatekeeper of
Pericael
lend to discussion as well as attractive
leisure reading.
Return to Index
Hometown
Heroines
Betty Bolté
Mystic Owl Publishing
979-8-9860450-3-0
$4.99 ebook/$14.99 paperback
www.bettybolte.com
Young adults
who
enjoy historical fiction about brave, proactive girls will find Hometown Heroines: True Stories of Bravery,
Daring, and Adventure a satisfying blend of romance and
proactive thinking.
It profiles young women who rise to the challenge of helping not just
themselves, but those around them, whether they be family or strangers.
As an
introduction to
the genre of historical fiction, Hometown
Heroines makes an important case for the fact that history
need not be dry
and dull. Each of the nineteen profiles of 1800s girls that Betty Bolté
chooses
in her book features a vivid life filled with pivotal moments that
demand
newfound skills or choices that test each young woman's mettle.
Bolté well
knows the
typical problems with presenting history to young people. She grew up
hating
history's dryness and boring attention to dates and details, but became
resolved, as an adult writer, to introduce a different type of story to
young
adults that brings events to life.
Perhaps one
key to
why these tales stand out from other types of YA historical writings is
that
Bolté presents the stories with an especially strong feel of
familiarity
reinforced by her travels to the regions each young woman lived in.
This lends a
special
"you are here" feel to the stories as each girl navigates a different
milieu that results in local commemoration of her actions and choices.
The
characters range
in age from seven to twenty years old. Each demonstrates capability,
courage,
and a reasoning process that, combined with action, led them to take
charge of
and resolve adversarial situations.
Each
biographical
sketch includes a "just the facts" section that synthesizes only the
facts, for historical accuracy, citing their sources so students have
references to consult when producing papers or conducting further
research.
The result
is an
especially lively portrait of young girls and women who chose uncommon
and
proactive paths in their lives against all odds. Hometown
Heroines is a cornucopia of portraits in courage that read
with the vivid re-enactment drama of fiction, but holds breathtaking
adventures
that will captivate a wide age range.
If only one
collection of female biographical sketches could be chosen to represent
both
historical events and portraits of courage, it should be Hometown
Heroines. The synthesis of fictional drama with plenty of
fact-based, research-supported information makes it a standout, as
recommendable to leisure readers and non-history fans as it will be to
those
who enjoy reading about proactive young women who face their challenges
with
courage and resolution.
Return to Index
Isabel
and the Invisible
World
Rick Allen
Headlamp Books
979-8986070254
$18.95
Hardcover/$11.99 Paper
www.headlampbooks.com
Picture
book readers ages
3-7 will find Isabel and the Invisible World a
study
in scientific discovery that presents a young girl, her magnifying
glass, and
her passion for observing strange worlds around her.
Isabel
is interested in not
just observing life in
unusual places, but solving mysteries. Her magnifying glass enlarges
things,
providing clues that can solve such disparate puzzles as what is eating
her
mother's garden plants and what is causing her dog to itch.
Large-size,
colorful
illustrations by Nadia Ronquillo
capture Isabel's interest in solutions that solve problems around her.
"By
stopping
to observe, she sees things other children overlook."
Through
Isabel's
experiences, young readers are also
encouraged to more carefully observe the world around them and the
mysteries,
big and small, which deserve attention and closer inspection.
Ideally,
a magnifying glass
gift will accompany any
read-aloud effort or a self-reading child's pursuit of Isabel's world.
Return to Index
Kaitlyn’s
Wheel
Chris Halvorson
Bancroft Press
978-1-61088-553-9
$25.00
www.bancroftpress.com
Alien
abduction stories
rarely mix with romance, but Kaitlyn's
Wheel takes a different approach to the usual abduction
theme in adding
romance into the picture.
Two
disparate
eighteen-year-olds in different parts of
the country experience the possibility of an alien abduction in
different ways.
One sees it as a possibility that her father hasn't died of cancer, but
still
exists. The other uses it as an excuse for his absence at school.
Kaitlyn's
observation of a
UFO the night her father left
them sparks within her a desire for something more to come of life's
end than
inevitable death, so when she meets Zachary, whose contentions about
abduction
have gone viral and made him a media focus, his alternate reality
validates her
beliefs.
The
relationship they
develop between them is based on
not just new possibilities, but a lie that leads Zachary into as
dangerous
territory as Kaitlyn's passionate pursuit of a belief that influences
her life
perceptions and choices.
As
Zachary and Kaitlyn
explore not just their connections
but the beliefs that brought them together, they discover truths that
again
rock their foundations and expectations about their lives and each
other.
Chris
Halvorson creates a
winning combination in his examination
of two disparate sides of an extraordinary issue, considering how
truths and
lies change each character both individually and as a couple.
As
an antidote to
depression, Zachary's story begins to
change both his outlook on life and his perception of his influence in
the
world. Even then, he knows that "he’d shied away from the
truth, but
now he wasn’t so sure what that truth even was."
As
their thoughts about
aliens becomes mercurial and
challenging, their relationship changes. Readers will find the
characters'
growth process especially intriguing, given the different perspectives
under
close inspection throughout the story. A surprise twist also lends
satisfying
insights as the alien experiences become bigger than either life itself
or each
character's perception of their life-changing influence.
YA
collections looking for
thought-provoking stories that
focus on the growth process of and connections between teens on the
cusp of
changing their worlds will find Kaitlyn's Wheel powerfully
rendered and
thoroughly engrossing for the emotional growth process paths its
characters
choose, navigating through alien and romance experiences alike.
Return to Index
Lauren the
Cow
T.I. Frazier
Meritxell Andreu
Publisher
979-8-9859038-2-9
$20.99
Hardcover/$9.99 Paper
Website: www.tifrazier.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Cow-T-I-Frazier/dp/B0BQTFCSVL
Picture book
readers
are in for a treat with Lauren the Cow,
between T.I. Frazier's inspirational story of a cow who aspires to be
something
special and Meritxell Andreu's colorful illustrations that bring Lauren
and her
world to life.
Happy Lauren
is a
Jersey cow that lives on a farm with her mother. She wants to be a
"jumping cow," but her wiser mother informs her that this goal isn't
achievable for a cow. If there's another thing that Lauren is, it's
stubborn.
Obviously, all that's required is some training. And so she sets off to
achieve
her goal by getting stronger and testing her limits.
As parents
read
Lauren's story aloud, there's plenty of opportunity to add supplemental
notes
about perseverance, belief, empowerment, and all kinds of other themes
kids
need to know in order to pursue their own "impossible" dreams. As
other creatures become involved in Lauren's dream, lessons about
friendship and
support systems also enter to form a bigger picture.
Powered by
lovely,
colorful drawings that bring this world to life, Lauren
the Cow holds an adventure and a message that adults will
find powerfully perfect for kids who need encouragement to envision and
reach
for their own "impossible" dreams.
A surprise
twist to
the story adds further delight to a picture book highly recommended for
libraries
and home collections alike.
Return to Index
Making
Friends With Feelings
Keith Ruffner
Neugroove LLC
9798987165603
$18.99
Website: https://www.makingfriendswithfeelings.com/
Ordering: https://neugroove.com/collections/childrens-book/products/copy-of-making-friends-with-feelings
Keith
Ruffner's Making
Friends With Feelings is a gentle picture book exploration of
emotions for
the very young, and uses cute bunny images illustrated by Kate Gleyzer
to add
appeal to the story.
The
basic focus is on
developing understanding and
compassion for others. Even little bunnies can feel confused, sad, or
scared
for different reasons.
Bunny
Molly has been in
foster care for a long time, and
is facing a new place. Even though it sports toys and appeal, she is
frightened
and uncertain. But on the floor near the play equipment is another
bunny that
seems to feel even sadder than she, and so Molly reaches out. Bunny
Shiner
observes the two from the top of the play castle and is confused about
his
friendships and role.
Each
emotion, from sadness
to confusion and fear, is
described, represented in appealing, colorful pictures, and repeated
three
times so that read-aloud adults can emphasize the emotion being
discussed.
An
array of emotions unfolds
as the story progresses,
from thinking and feeling to courage, happiness, and the desire to
connect. The
story features an emotion-based plot that easily explains each bunny's
different reaction and the conflict they can introduce.
The
result is an exploration
of emotions that engages all
ages with a story of bunnies who face others and themselves with
"courage,
courage, courage."
Adults
who choose this story
to help the very young
understand their feelings will find Making
Friends With Feelings visually compelling and emotionally
astute.
Return to Index
Making Friends With
Monsters
Sandra L Rostirolla
Pinkus Books
978-0-9991891-8-4
$15.95 Paperback/$28.00 Hardcover/$9.99
ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Friends-Monsters-Sandra-Rostirolla/dp/0999189182
Making
Friends
With Monsters is a YA
novel that tackles the
heady subjects of depression and unbalanced families. It explores how
to not
just understand, but talk about the too-often-unspoken 'monster in the
closet'
that affects family relationships, yet reinforces its isolating message
with
silence.
Yes, the author admits the
book's contents and approach may be 'triggering' to some. It should be.
The
monsters she tackles still walk among those in society who face
suicide,
shaming, and family dysfunction which remains confined to the four
walls of
home, growing with the tacit acceptance of the edict not to tell.
The first-person narrator
opens
the story with a bang of realistic observation about family dynamics,
farm
life, and a growing mental illness that takes over Sam's family: "The moment Dad picks
up the phone, a sickening feeling races through
my stomach, like I know something bad is going to happen. Kind of like
in a
scary movie, when someone does something they shouldn’t do, and that
wrong
decision sets off a chain of events that may seem unrelated, but really
they’re
connected by a Monster that’s hiding in the dark, slowly scratching at
the
wall, waiting to attack."
Drought and stressful
times have
awakened the beast at the heart of this family's world, and as chaos
and
unpredictability devour and threaten routines and ordinary life, Sam
too
descends into a form of angst that threatens to erupt.
The wrong decision
outlined in
the introductory chapter continues to grow as Sam's family experiences
turbulence and Sam's relationship with his beloved older brother
disintegrates,
isolating Sam and shutting out everyone: "I
don’t wear Ben’s jersey to look cool. I wear it because, well, I used
to wear
his stuff because I wanted to be him. Who wouldn’t? He’s a sports hero
who has
a ton of mates and the best girlfriend. Now, I wear his jersey because
it’s the
only way I know how to feel close to him. He’s changed so much; I don’t
know
who he is anymore."
Making
Friends
With Monsters depicts,
more carefully and
realistically than most, the inner sanctum of family relationships and
what
happens when they are breached from a force within.
Sandra L Rostirolla is
especially adept at capturing daily routines, outside life forces of
adversity
which buffet the family, and the psychological profiles of parents and
siblings
who become lost in the process of confronting and containing an
emotional storm
that threatens to grow beyond their ability to survive.
As Sam confronts his
brother's
demons, his father's choices, and his own role in changing family
dynamic, YA
readers receive a powerful saga of change and confrontation that will
lead them
to examine their own family dynamics and perceptions of different forms
of
dysfunction and mental illness:
"I’ve
stopped
agonizing over whether Dad’s Monster is on the verge of swallowing him
whole.
Ever since the water truck incident, when his Monster decided our
family’s need
for water was more important than its hunger, I figure Dad’s Monster
has a ton
more digging to do before it even scratches Dad’s
surface. Of course, this way of thinking is my Monster refusing to
acknowledge
the possibility of Dad being on the edge."
Sam's ability to swim
through
murky waters of individual and group monsters to perceive not just
truths, but
possible ways out, creates a compelling novel that is gripping from
beginning
to end. As the emotional currents carry family and Sam into new and
uncharted
waters, young readers will be not just invited, but compelled to
examine themes
of mental health and illness.
Making
Friends
With Monsters is highly
recommended not just
for YA libraries seeking novels replete with themes of family evolution
and
mental conditions, but for adults leading discussion groups about books
and
scenarios relating to family mental health and illness. This audience
will find
especially inviting the numerous observations, events, and realizations
which
lend particularly well to group discussion and YA insights about not
just
living with and enduring, but handling forces of adversity that can
lend to
unexpected strength.
Return to Index
Moraline
Cintia Alfonso Fior
Rising Advocate Press
978-1-959963-00-4
$9.99
Paper, $18.99 Hardcover
www.risingadvocates.com
Moraline
will
reach ages 8-12 with a message of power and purpose that incorporates a
variety
of experiences, from a girl's experience with bullying and being an
outsider to
an encounter with a Native American spirit that sends her on a quest of
self-realization and inspection.
This
may sound like heady
reading for this age group, but
one of the values of Moraline lies
in
its ability to inject bigger-picture thinking into the usual pre-teen
experience. This is because its foundations lay in peace education.
Cintia
Alfonso Fior's purpose is to craft a story that draws with action and
adventure, but equally powerfully introduces new, disparate
perspectives on
racism, inclusiveness, and social justice.
The
novel's focus on
children's rights, environmental
education, and conflict resolution creates scenarios which introduce
Moraline's
initial flight from her adversaries, then moves into experiences and
pathways
which elevate her purpose and teach her about interconnected peoples
and life
experiences.
Used
to running from
trouble, Moraline is charged with
absorbing different ways of dealing with life and better understanding
her own
options and the impact of her choices. This gives her young readers
equal
empowerment as they receive concurrent lessons on being alone, feeling
connected or alienated, and moving in unfamiliar circles which charge
Moraline
with growth.
The
juxtaposition of
adventure, strange encounters, and
Moraline's evolutionary process is well done, introducing mystery as
well as
revelation. This will keep young readers engaged as she surveys a world
she
thought she knew well, only to find surprises changing her choices.
Libraries
and adults looking
for reading that goes beyond
entertainment value to educate kids about all kinds of subjects, from
interpersonal relationships and connections with nature to tactical
retreats,
engagement choices, and perseverance will find that Moraline
lends to group or classroom discussion as well as
individual pursuit.
Moraline
is
highly recommended for adults who seek to instill higher-level thinking
about
peace, social justice, and life and community connections in young
readers.
Children matter, and have powerful voices. Perhaps that is the most
critical
lesson Moraline offers.
Return to Index
My Sister Wants an
Elephant
Lynne Podrat
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-731-6
$12.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Randy's younger sister
is insane. And his
mother seems to be enabling her. In the picture book story My Sister Wants an Elephant, narrated by
Randy, almost-two-year-old
Jerica makes a birthday request the family seems to actually entertain.
A tone of jealousy runs
through Randy's
protest of his little sister's demand, because Randy's wanted a llama
"forever," but has yet to receive one.
The family lives in a
Philadelphia
apartment, which was the initial excuse for Randy's llama request not
being
granted. When they moved to a regular house with space indoors and out,
Randy
still did not get his dream pet. So, why isn't Jerica's elephant dream
immediately discounted?
When he gets over his
jealousy, Randy
decides to join forces with his younger sibling.
Lynne Podrat's My Sister
Wants an Elephant sports especially whimsical, engaging,
creative color illustrations by Sarah Gledhill that enhance the story
of
Randy's decision to insist on achieving his long-term dream.
Emotional peaks and
valleys are charted as
Randy considers his sister's ability to get their parents to agree to
the most
impossible dream, and his lessons on how to turn adversity into new
possibilities.
From fairness to
approaching parents with
one's needs, My Sister Wants an Elephant
surveys many issues, offering many lessons in the course of revealing
Randy's
family connections and his deepest desires.
Parents who choose this
story for read-aloud
will find the laugh-out-loud moments many and the education value about
family
ties, compromising, adoption, and sharing lend to ongoing discussions
and
insights.
Return to Index
Odriel's
Heirs
Hayley Reese
Chow
Independently
Published
978-1652953302
ebook: $0.99, paperback: $8.01
Website: https://hayleyreesechow.com/
Ordering
Links: https://books2read.com/odrielsheirs
Odriel's Heirs is the first book in a YA fantasy series of
the same name, and will appeal to teens who like proactive, strong
female
protagonists, world-changing stories, and action-packed scenarios of
conflict
and growth.
The
first lines
of the novel paint a powerful portrait of the Dragon Heir: "Kaia Dashul wove a ball of fire between her
fingertips, feeling
the rage simmering beneath a tangle of excited nerves as she watched
the
festival from the shadowed wood."
Her
inherited
power is meant to protect her people from the threat of a dangerous
leader's
undead army. However, so many years have passed peacefully that this
legendary
threat has become a simmering possibility that seems relatively remote
from
everyday life, making the Dragon Heir feel like more of a present
threat than a
stop gate to evil.
Kaia
is just beginning
to learn how to control and apply her powers when the undead re-emerge
to
threaten everything. She runs away to join the battle and fulfill her
destiny,
only half-trained in her powers. As rage, driven by teenage hormones,
combines
with her coming-of-age and great responsibilities to save not only
herself, but
her people, Kaia's situation appeals with not just fantasy adventure,
but the
realistic portrait of a young woman who really just wants to be
accepted and
loved.
As
she
associates with the Shadow Heir who wields a similar ability and learns
the
true meaning of a potential hero's connections and disassociations with
the
world, Hayley Reese Chow builds a vivid series of battles and scenarios
in
which epic events sweep archetypal figures off their feet.
The
juxtaposition of teenage angst and adult purpose are particularly well
done as
Kaia not only walks into her destiny, but strides into battles greater
than
those within her.
The
confrontations which drive the action are many and are graphically
portrayed,
lending an aura of reality to the tale: "With
a spin and a wide sweep of her blade, Kaia managed to fling the eyeless
beasts
from her body and take three paces before another group tried to pull
her back.
She chopped at them with her blade and took a step before another one
locked
its arms around her neck. With one more stumbling lunge she passed
through
Dorinar’s defense. Screeching, the cobalan on her back slammed into the
light
barrier as if it were made of brick. More white-skinned cobalans piled
up
against the yanaa shield, breaking against it like a rough sea on the
rocks."
Odriel's Heirs is a solid, compelling opening story to the
series, creating an entire world that revolves around a young woman's
blossoming powers and ability to decide how to employ them.
Libraries
looking for world-building epic fantasy stories that center on strong
females
and supporting characters that exhibit equally interesting blends of
power and
decision-making prowess will find Odriel's
Heirs well-written and hard to put down.
Return to Index
Pack
of the Lost: The
Uninviting Forest
Nikita Kapoor
Paper Lily Press, LLC
979-8-9868117-0-3
$9.95
Paper/$7.95 Kindle
www.nikitakapoor.net
Pack
of the Lost:
The Uninviting Forest provides teen readers with a riveting
animal-centric
fantasy. A pack of sentient wolves faces a cave-in at their home and is
forced
to scatter into the nearby forbidden forest without their leader.
Young
wolves Jasper
and Daffodil discover that the forest holds strange delights as well as
unfamiliar challenges and adversity which come from nature and humans
alike,
but they also uncover the roots to special abilities which
explain many puzzles about their origins and connections.
As
Jasper learns to climb a
tree, shocking the humans,
his search for his littermates becomes a quest for identity and an
understanding that moves beyond the typical wolf pack's intentions and
perceptions and into realms of reality he'd never known existed.
A
magical amulet, a ghost,
and a quest lead the wolves
into increasingly unfamiliar and dangerous territory marked by legends
and
adversity as the story unfolds.
Nikita
Kapoor crafts an
adventure replete with action,
changing scenarios, forces of myth and magic, and the power of sentient
wolves.
They develop the ability to see dark sides, strength, and new
possibilities in
the form of Felix, a wolf ancestor ghost.
The
dialogue and actions of
the wolves, as they navigate
precarious worlds with new purpose and understanding, creates a
compelling
story. It is an
attractive leisure
choice for readers of Watership Down
and other animal-oriented adventure tales, and is highly recommended
for
libraries seeing patron interest in animal-based fantasies.
Return to Index
The
Secrets of Windy Hill:
Becoming Jesse
Patsie McCandless
Light On Publications
9781732506633
$18.99
Print/$8.99 ebook
Website: www.PatsieMcCandless.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Windy-Hill-Becoming-Jesse/dp/1732506639
The
Secrets of
Windy Hill: Becoming Jesse - Book 2
is a fine sequel to Becoming Jesse,
which introduced an orphan boy born in 1947 New York City, who lives a
life
steeped in magic and the possibility of discovering answers to the
riddles his
secretive mother left for him.
The
first book included a
quest for a missing
grandmother, a villain, and a scheme that tests Jesse's heart's desire
by
diverting his greatest wish into an effort to thwart evil.
This
sequel returns Jesse
O'Neil's focus on his quest,
following him to a remote New England island where he moves from the
big city
to rural Windy Hill, which also holds new challenges and secrets.
At
every step of the way,
Patsie McCandless embeds her
story with magic and adventure, whether it be secret staircases,
magical
mystery shells, secret doors, or the legacies of magic that other
characters
experience along with Jesse.
McCandless
builds just the
right blend of adventure and
action into a story that follows Jesse into unfamiliar territory and
new
possibilities he'd never expected. As he navigates new secrets,
revelations,
and perils, advanced elementary to middle grade readers will appreciate
the
pull on heart and mind that comes from magic and evolving emotional
connections
and conundrums.
The
result is a story
steeped in love and learning that
follows an orphan into the kinds of relationships, connections, and
quests that
lead him to the Light and the truth behind magic.
Many
of the underlying
lessons of this action-packed
adventure will lend to group and classroom discussion and debate as
teachers
and adults guide young readers to make the most of Jesse's changing
attitudes
and growth.
Libraries
seeking stories of
action and discovery will
find the mystery-infused magic comes to life in a winning tale that
needs no
introduction to Becoming Jesse in
order to prove accessible and compelling to newcomers.
Return to Index
The Stallion
and His
Peculiar Boy
M.J. Evans
Dancing Horse Press
9781737361862
$12.95
Website: www.dancinghorsepress.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/M.-J.-Evans/e/B004GM
Readers
won't expect The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy
to be
more than a horse story, but its setting during World War II (and the
lesser-known fact that the Nazis relied on a horse breeding program to
supply
them with the mounts they used to carry out their European campaigns)
lends it
the value of a historical novel and the allure of a story that leisure
reading
horse fans will relish.
The tale
centers on
the life of Witez, a Polish horse stolen by the Nazis and brought to
Czechoslovakia for their breeding program. A local non-communicative,
autistic
village boy, twelve-year-old Teodor, is assigned to be the horse's
groom. And
then the magic begins.
M.J. Evans
portrays
not just an unusual piece of World War II history, but probes the
sentiments
about autism and mental conditions during an era where little was
understood
about either. Evans carefully portrays the sentiments and perceptions
of the
autistic boy who becomes tasked with an extraordinary job: "Teodor watched the tiny world go by, a world into
which he had
been born but had experienced very little. He neither desired, nor was
given
the opportunity, to interact with it."
Much as
Teodor finds
himself unexpectedly responsible for and fostering a large animal's
re-entry
into a different world, so he himself is carried, by this relationship,
into
new territory in a world which is transforming and reinventing itself
around
him. The post-war milieu which emerges is one in which Teodor and Witez
both
find an extraordinary place as they are rescued, sent to America, and
become
part of a bigger picture than either could have dreamed.
The
reflections on
this relationship are very nicely presented and specific: "No one knew how hard the boy struggled to control
his emotions
with all the changes and upheaval he was facing. His very survival
depended
upon order and routine . . . of which little was to be found. He lost
himself,
or perhaps it would be better to say that he saved himself, in caring
for
Witez."
The result
is a
powerful evolution that moves from Nazi-occupied Europe to America;
from
captive breeding programs to the show horse circuit; and from the
confined,
repressed world that Teodor is familiar with to a winning relationship
that
changes horse and boy alike.
The
exquisite blend
of historical fact and intricate details about autism are wound into a
novel
replete with much attraction, making for a highly recommended pick that
libraries should profile for any young reader interested in horses and
the
remarkable impact they can make in therapeutic situations.
Return to Index
Topanga
Canyon: Fire
Season
Barbara Bryan
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-728-6
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Teen Matt
has a lot
on his plate in Topanga Canyon: Fire
Season. His mother is an alcoholic, he's been sent from
Chicago to his
grandfather's ranch in California, and his urban roots preclude any
familiarity
with horses or ranching life.
What he
wants is to
get back to his familiar world, where he knows its struggles and has
developed
strategies to handle them. What he gets is not just an unfamiliar
environment,
but new challenges that come from the men and horses he is ill-equipped
to
handle.
Nearly
fifteen, Matt
finds himself facing too many adult situations in which he is forced to
determine the intentions of unscrupulous characters, consider how to
help his
grandfather save his ranch from repossession by the bank, and how to
handle a
nefarious character that is capable of wrecking a revenge that destroys
everything his grandfather has worked for.
All these
issues and
more permeate a story that is filled with new connections and
possibilities as
Matt learns new techniques for handling horses, men, and life.
Young adult
readers
who choose Topanga Canyon: Fire Season for
its exciting-sounding promise of fiery results won't be disappointed.
Barbara
Bryan builds the boy's character with a series of intriguing dilemmas
that add
to the action and adventure embedded in this horse-centric tale.
While
adults, too,
will find Matt's learning process revealing, it's the young adult
reader
already interested in horses and coming-of-age plots that will best
appreciate
the vivid scenes and dilemmas Matt faces as he grows into his boots and
confronts
too many adult conundrums.
Libraries
seeking
crossover titles capable of reaching from young adult to adult
audiences will
find Topanga Canyon: Fire Season a
rich blend of insights that lend to thought-provoking reading, book
club
discussion, and leisure enjoyment alike.
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