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Donovan's Bookshelf

March 2024 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

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


Fantasy & Sci Fi

The Exiled Queen
Roxana Arama
Dhawosia Publishing
979-8989873104             $14.99 paperback/$4.99 ebook
Website: https://roxanaarama.com/books/the-exiled-queen-a-roman-era-historical-fantasy/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Exiled-Queen-Roman-Historical-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B0CSF1P4CT

The Exiled Queen: A Roman Era Historical Fantasy opens with an impressive listing of characters, 'main gods', and a map; all of which portend a complex read that proves satisfyingly engrossing, as well. 

A young princess is featured in the opening lines of the story: 

"Every year on midsummer day, Princess Andrada waited for King Cothelas to come and wish her a gods-blessed birthday. Every year, he was too busy ruling Kerta to visit his daughter. But this year was different because she was turning ten..." 

That's not the only reason why this year will prove different, as Princess Andrada finds. Not only has her father been too busy being king to celebrate her birthday, but despite their living in the same place, she's never met him. 

So spins a yarn that moves from a young princess's hopes and disappointments to follow her into adult roles where she will assume positions of power she'd never imagined, face dangers she's both ideally and ill-equipped to handle, and confront the real nature of her legacy and future. 

Roxana Arama injects Andrada's story with elements of suspense, surprise, and revelation which operate on different levels, from social and political revelations to developing her inner and outer beauty and handling the attraction her efforts receive, which are not always welcome. 

Friends swirl around her to protect her even as Andrada's legacy is eroded not just by a replacement chain of command, but by the perceptions, attitudes, and interests of the common folk ruled by them. 

Even the replacement queen Una's perspective is tailored so that her role and rule are logical and easy to relate to: 

"Una wanted to tell him not to fear, that everything would soon be as before. She wasn’t there to take his place in the queen’s heart. She was there only because of her goddess-given duty." 

In presenting characters and possible adversaries who are often likeable in their own ways, Arama adds complexity and gray areas to the traditional black-or-white perspective of conflicts and confrontations, which will immensely satisfy fantasy and historical novel readers seeking powerful female presences and situations which are not driven by linear thinking. 

Young Prince Dapyx of Valdavia faces his own coming-of-age challenges and grows under the events that emerge; the Cartographer hones not just his art but his involvement as a potential killer of royalty; and other characters come to light with their own special interests and conflicting perceptions of events and how the kingdom should be ruled. 

The Exiled Queen is a gripping story replete with not just action, but psychological depth and revelation as all the characters grapple with uncertainty, revised roles, and struggles between religions that have different faiths and perceptions of gods (of which Andrada represents the crux of conflict even as she pursues a life of safety and enlightenment, in direct conflict with the emergence of her role and life). 

The result is a vivid saga that doesn't scrimp on action and political and religious interplays between characters, but does include deeper layers of personal and social revelation that will simply delight libraries and readers seeking solid blends of history, fantasy, and proactive, powerful female characters. 

The Exiled Queen

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The K5 PROTOCOL
Andria Stone
Independently Published
979-8864317914            
$10.95 Paperback/$4.99 eBook/$19.95 Audiobook
https://www.amazon.com/K5-PROTOCOL-Science-Fiction-Thriller/dp/B0CL5HF184 

THE K5 PROTOCOL: A Science Fiction Techno Thriller lives up to its promise of sci-fi intrigue, opening with a bang of action as the introductory scene depicts a dilemma: "Four men lay dead, and the Earther feared he would never get off Xobos alive." 

Being stalked by not-quite-human beings on an alien world is bad enough, but Earther Flint Maddox also struggles with himself when he stumbles upon his best friend, dead in a cornfield, which triggers a neural implant he was unaware of. 

This implant has long waited for this moment of awakening. 

For Marshal Flint Maddox, the internal force leads him to realize that his friend's death was due to aliens who have kidnapped his friend's daughter, as well. His realizations send him off Earth on a hunting expedition that leads him to deputize a posse of four androids, steal a spaceship, and realize that his new awakening is only the beginning of a new persona and motivation to not only get the girl, but dig out the roots of a dangerous plot.

Thriller readers who don't normally read sci-fi will find the high-octane action of the suspense format translates as well into space and alien affairs as it does on Earth. 

Sci-fi readers who typically eschew genre thriller reads will find the magic formula here lies in an approach which is anything but predictable formula writing, injecting space missions and realizations about the Vekonis race with intersections between would-be rescuer and captors. These takes many unexpected twists and turns as Sofi and Flint find their pasts intersecting with new opportunities in this very strange future. 

From Flint's entry into the warrior's life as he confronts the Vek (which leads him to find that physical torture, humiliation, and blackmail work even with alien races to provide the "trifecta of persuasion") to bigger-picture revelations that motivate Flint to move beyond his role as a concerned uncle to become a world-saving superman, readers receive a satisfying special blend of ingredients that make this story thoroughly compelling and hard to put down. 

Libraries seeking supercharged tales that skirt the definition of 'sci-fi' and 'thriller' with a technological thrust of intrigue and the unexpected will find THE K5 PROTOCOL worthy of acquisition and recommendation; especially to patrons who are widely read in either genre that think they have seen everything. 

They haven't. THE K5 PROTOCOL dashes into unexpected territory and departs with the prize of excellence. 

The K5 PROTOCOL

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The Sheriff
A. M. Linden
She Writes Press
9781647426286              $18.95
Website:
https://druidchronicles788ad.com/index.html
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Sheriff-Druid-Chronicles-Book-Three-ebook/dp/B0C9HN87XP 

The Sheriff is Book 3 in the Druid Chronicles series. It will best be appreciated by prior readers of the Chronicles, who will find this book a vivid story of Stefan, a young Saxon peasant in early medieval Britain who has battled his way up to being captain. It is then that he discovers that his military might has not earned him the commendation he expects, but an actual demotion when his wealthier rival pulls political strings to take his position. 

Now appointed as sheriff and relegated to Codswallow (a poor shire far, far away), Stefan faces a hostile town that prior sheriffs have struggled with, finally to give up and leave. 

When he joins in a search for a vanished princess from the kingdom next to theirs, Stefan finally sees an opportunity to regain status and fame—if he can solve the mystery of the princess's disappearance. 

While A. M. Linden's story can stand alone for newcomers, ideally it will be chosen by prior series readers for its ability to embellish upon and expand the atmosphere, purposes, and politics of the times. Its social and political insights come not just from Stefan's viewpoint and encounters, but from others around him: 

"The innkeeper had known, even as the brigands were riding off, that the sheriff’s intervention was a reprieve, not a rescue. Still, given enough time, the bandit overlord’s temper would cool, and his wounded feelings might be salved by a sufficient increase in the extortion he was being paid, so Jonathan had been on the verge of congratulating himself that he’d cheated death again when the two messengers arrived from the capital, looking for the sheriff." 

The result is a powerful saga of 'profane passions' and encounters that will keep readers on their toes as they walk through Stefan's world and realizations. 

Libraries and readers seeking a vivid story soaked in both medieval history and fantasy, replete with action and thought-provoking realizations, will find The Sheriff a powerful compliment to the series. 

The Sheriff

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Titan's Tears
Chad Lester
Independently Published
979-8-9896121-1-6        
$18.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook/$29.99 Hardcover
https://chadlester.ink/ 

Fans of techno-fiction that look for sci-fi embedded with elements revolving around genetic engineering will find Titan's Tears a powerful suspense story that will attract thriller genre readers as well as sci-fi audiences. 

The gothic intrigue opens with a snowy night and a young mother with a newborn who makes the hardest choice of her life: leaving her baby at a hacienda where others will care for her. 

Fast forward to grown-up daughter Belle, who is residing in Alaska post-singularity and who faces her uncertain roots and the knowledge that a special power may reside inside her. 

How did she come to be thirty, unemployed, and stuck in a remote Alaskan village where nobody will talk to her? The roots of attraction lie within a plot that thickens as it probes Belle and her world. 

Chad Lester creates a powerful saga of transformation, challenge, and evolution by painting his picture through the eyes of not just Belle, but Seth, Sophia, and other characters that move back and forth in time. These shifting viewpoints and time frames are identified in chapter headings, which make their transition points smooth and uninterrupted as a terrifying truth takes hold in the reader's mind. 

The unexpected is often delivered with a wry dose of comic relief: 

"As she gazed at the painting, she heard a creaking sound. Something moved beneath her feet. The floor was shifting. Startled, she stepped back. The large fireplace twisted to the side to reveal a hidden chamber beyond. Mr. Dearborn motioned for her to come in. “Forgive the theatrics, but I always wanted one of these.” 

From buried bunkers to an equally well-masked reality, Lester plays out his story with such easy transitions between action-packed events and character discovery that readers will remain engrossed throughout. 

Libraries and readers seeking powerful introductions to the newly blossoming 'techno-sci-fi-thriller' genre will find Titan's Tears a great example of superior writing and powerful plot development. Its characters live and breathe a new reality in a dangerous near-future where work, murder, and the rise of the machine coalesce in unexpected ways. 

Titan's Tears

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Literature

Florida: Poetry and Prose
Glenn Erick Miller
Independently Published
979-8865384595             $3.99 Paperback/$.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Florida-Poetry-Glenn-Erick-Miller/dp/B0CN3S3ZGX 

From the birdlife in Florida's rookeries and rivers to the gators in its rivers, and the sense that nature is always shifting our feet, Florida: Poetry and Prose provides a rooted glimpse into humans’ conjoined relationship with nature. This will delight both residents of that state and those who would feel its tides and currents from afar. 

Glenn Erick Miller creates a vivid collection of poetry solidified by prose pieces to bring this ever-changing milieu to life, using language that is evocative and dynamic. Many are unexpectedly surreal visions, as in the poem 'Harvey Keitel Drives': 

"Harvey Keitel drives,
misses a turn,
and we end up at the wharf.
We rumble over rotting planks,
dodge lazy pelicans
and fat tourists,
clam bars
and Florida-sized margaritas.
I blink, and we’re back on the parkway."

The tastes of sandalwood, sun, and singular events create and serve up the unexpected as Florida becomes a backdrop to death and growth: 

"I’m in the back again,
falling behind again,
searching for stairs
or a slope of sand—
some way up."
 

From going out on precipices and taking risks, outlined in 'Daredevil' ("Depth is just/another/kind of height,/but height/is nothing/with a net./So I am a net,/but not for catching.") to the poem 'Sweat' which explores )"...the zenith/where you spy the hammocks/and the herons/and the Gulf/and the churning storm), this sense of place is firmly rooted both in Florida's mercurial atmospheres and the follies and fears of human effort to change them. 

The prose portion works to ice the cake of experience with two stories that reflect characters who navigate Florida's culture and its nature, making for a conclusion which provides intriguing insights into the survival process: 

"The beagle led the way up the side of the house, past a row of pineapple bushes that Iris had planted beneath the kitchen window. Surrounding them were several other exotic tropical plants, none of which Ed liked. To him, all plants in Florida looked like aliens, about to strike out with bright, fleshy tongues. And in the rising winds of the storm, the plants jumped and gyrated, making them even uglier." 

The result celebrates, defines, and captures slices of the Florida experience from the perspective all of its residents, both human and wildlife. 

Libraries seeking a literary collection that reveals new layers of Florida’s environment and human culture will find Florida: Poetry and Prose a welcome synthesis of all of the state's undercurrents, whether they lie in climate change, natural evolution, or human affairs. 

Florida: Poetry and Prose

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Good Housekeeping
Bruce E. Whitacre
Poets Wear Prada
978-1-946116-27-7         $18.00
www.poetswearprada.com 

Think 'good housekeeping' and the women's monthly magazine may spring to mind, but Bruce E. Whitacre's collection, Good Housekeeping, is about much more than recipes and cleaning house. It features poems that arrive with the delivery of a social inspection that is unexpected, if one associates the title with mainstream thinking. 

Whether tackling gay marriage, midlife crisis, privilege, or issues of housekeeping, Whitacre's words are powerful, intellectual, and force readers to think: 

"I sing the body domestic in sonnets Hooveric/...Housekeeping is why/Greed is the root of evil yet it keeps us alive..." 

In many ways, these pieces are studies in contrasts between the "dispossessed" who "take the streets" and the inner sanctum of home, which is too often breached by the world ("Some days it is the only door that opens to you/or that closes on your mess./'I'll handle this.' Click./Words of a saint./Heavy Duty. Light China. Normal Wash. ProScrub/to Heat Dry or not is the only/decision I am up to today."). 

The light as darkness falls (as in the poem of the same name) can be cast from the household within, or the knock of the world outside that door; but whether forces come from inner turbulence or outer influences, they remain powerful portents of change, endurance, and transition in Good Housekeeping. 

Libraries seeking poetry delivered with a social thrust of inspection and life observation will find that Good Housekeeping pulls no punches in either its subjects or delivery, traversing the pinnacles and apexes of mainstream and alternative homes and thinking with equal dexterity and force. 

This also makes Good Housekeeping an exceptional recommendation for contemporary poetry book club discussion groups interested in free verse that captures the outer limits of social decorum and artificial and real constructs of what makes life worth living. 

"Something is always coming." 

Good Housekeeping

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Hackett At Large 
Jack Fitzgerald
Victura Publishing
ASIN: ‎ BOCRDXVLRW           $2.99 eBook/$9.99 Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Hackett-Large-Tales-Reporters-1961-1968/dp/B0CQLXPFCT/ref=monarch_sidesheet 

The short stories of fictional reporter Benjamin Hackett in Hackett At Large: Tales From a Reporter's Life in Paris, 1961-1968 represent an exploration of the cultural milieu of that city during a special time in its evolutionary process. They traverse a range of celebrity special interests and survey personalities of the times to provide whimsical and thought-provoking insights. 

Take Hackett's introduction, "A Duet With Frank." Here, Benjamin J. Hackett enjoys a Parisian spring in 1961 as he pursues his newspaper column subjects, writing about celebrities and the rich and famous passing through the city in his syndicated column, "An American in Paris." 

His encounter with new Yalie wanna-be reporter Christopher Roberts moves from mentoring to an encounter with Frank Sinatra, who is enjoying a winning streak at gambling while navigating just such paparazzi as Hackett, who would win an interview with him. 

As Hackett's life, with its rough childhood, big dreams, and subplot of what led to a flight to Paris (when fame in New York City might have been more logical) makes for an engrossing story of two very different personalities growing through a chance encounter. 

In contrast is the dance presented in "Ben Hackett-The Fifth Beatle" as a trio of reporters grows their methods, fame, and success, keeping at-home publisher Sid House at bay while creating opportunities that are personal, political, and fulfill a writer/reporter's dream. 

Hackett's uncommon ability to snag interviews with a string of celebrities keeps him employed and in Paris, but his latest encounter during the sizzling summer of 1965 brings his questions into a more personal realm as the Beatles challenge him personally and professionally, in new ways: 

“So, when did you stop wetting your bed?”
“Who’s said I’ve stopped?”
The four howl in delight, especially John who cries out, “That’s it lad! Dig into the rubbish. More, more!”
The Beatles are enjoying the moment and want to go on and on, but Ben suddenly cuts Paul off. “Okay, okay, boys, now my turn. Let me ask you this: what’s the worst thing about being a Beatle?” 
 

General-interest readers will relish the sense of 1960s-era political and social challenges and changes. These embrace the celebrity world that spins fine yarns about achievement and adversity; a feisty reporter that has risen from impossible conditions to achieve unprecedented success; and the social insights and challenges which evolve from his controversial subjects and choices. 

However, it's the aspiring reporter who will find Ben Hackett's world the most creative, realistic, and likeable portrait of a fellow professional who delves (with unabashed urgency and cheeky, fearless creativity) into worlds often hidden from reporter eyes. 

Jack Fitzgerald specializes in interweaving stories that keep Ben and his readers evolving and confronting new people and situations. Authentic, real personalities, from entertainers to models and politicians, come alive to represent the atmosphere and concerns of the 1960s through disparate eyes and experiences. 

For all these reasons, Hackett At Large: Tales From a Reporter's Life in Paris, 1961-1968 is highly recommended for libraries strong in literary short stories that embrace a sense of place, purpose, politic and perspective in different and revealing ways. 

Book clubs interested in the entertainment world's past and those who choose to report on and become engaged with its characters, as well as literary readers seeking winning methods of fictional representation in this milieu, will find the wide range of subjects will pique vivid discussions in a collection that romps through Paris's cultural melting pot. 

Hackett At Large

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Spilled Ink & Coffee Stains
MK Standby

Yorkshire Publishing
978-1-960810-19-9         $5.99 eBook  
www.YorkshirePublishing.com 

Spilled Ink & Coffee Stains is a poetry gathering that narrows the lens of life observation to a close inspection of the roots of pain, pleasure, and transformation that lie in everyday experience. 

Quite simply, this translates to a collection that begins with birth, juxtaposing pain and pleasure: 

"A tune held ‒
of summer kisses and winter heartbreak
in the heart of the grieving widow.
And in the founding breath of a newborn,
a song to the air of life."
 

MK Standby's writings are often accompanied by coffee stain images capture the intricacy and irony of this life/death interplay: 

"The darkest days still linger in the shadows of my
mind.
I see them in tangled bed sheets and broken sleep,
a film playing on repeat behind tired eyes –
wakefulness a welcome reprieve."
 

The free verse pieces are succinct, yet hard-hitting. Often, the message is delivered in a few short sentences. 

As Standby navigates new relationships, different beginnings, and observes life's anguish and ecstasies, the collection assumes a powerful, uniform impact of stories and notes that tell of "summer love and winter heartbreak." 

The result is a collection perfect for reflective readers of free verse modern poetry. It holds equal ability to examine matters of the heart and society with an equally close microscopic lens of focus wound into literary poetic structures that invite and surprise. 

Libraries seeking powerful examples of literary life explorations will find much to recommend in Spilled Ink & Coffee Stains, which should ideally also be highly recommended to book clubs seeking succinct, thought-provoking poems especially suitable for a coffeehouse setting. 

Spilled Ink & Coffee Stains

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Biography & Autobiography

Finding Miracles: Escape From a Cult
Andrew LeCompte
Connections Press
979-8-9887483-5-9         $16.95
Website: andrewlecompte.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Miracles-Escape-Andrew-LeCompte/dp/B0CQPG7Y18/ 

Finding Miracles: Escape From a Cult joins other literature about the experience of being in a cult and escaping from it, documenting Andrew LeCompte's journey in search of God and those who portend to transmit, reflect, or personify spirituality and spiritual promises. 

The first important note is that LeCompte was no casual follower, but an early devotee of A Course in Miracles and David Hoffmeister, who was a teacher of the course: 

"I had been a devoted student of A Course in Miracles, a spiritual text published in 1975. I had edited David’s first book, Awakening through A Course in Miracles, and done it very well. It had become the central book of his ministry. David’s having picked me for that job was proof to me that I was chosen, chosen to help David shape the words of Jesus as they came from his mouth and promulgate them to the masses in books and videos." 

His familiarity with the work, its writer, and the belief system structured into and represented in A Course in Miracles provided a seamless journey into the new Utah community of David’s Messengers, which promoted severing all family ties and connections with those not members of his following. 

The foundations of LeCompte's willingness to join and find a supportive spiritual community play out from childhood onward as he absorbs lessons from his parents and struggles with an empty feeling of longing for love and connection: 

"I interpreted the spanking and her silence to mean not only had I done something wrong, but that I was not worthy, not worth speaking up for. My misdeed had exposed and defined who I really was. I felt a huge emptiness inside." 

From his lonely pursuit of community and love to the initial promise his work, studies, and newfound spiritual community offered, LeCompte provides a compelling journey. It clarifies the allure of cult messages and why their promises and visions resonate with so many who are also lost, alienated, or longing for love and connection, chronicling how their messages transmit into ugly realities that many won't be able to escape. 

From Angel Walks and talks to the components of convictions which weave cult members together and promote ideals and spiritual connections which ultimately can prove dysfunctional and dangerous, LeCompte's reflections, more so than other books about cult behaviors and indoctrination processes, strikes at the heart of what makes such groups both promising and dangerous: 

The Messengers made several beautiful music videos, one of which repeated the idea from the Course “Decide for me.” I was continually trying to have the Holy Spirit decide for me." 

The result is eye-opening, intensely personal, filled with spiritual and psychological growth and realizations, and ultimately will compel all kinds of readers to examine their own belief and support systems and the structures that promote them. 

Libraries seeking powerful memoirs that resonate on spiritual and psychological levels that offer plenty of material for book clubs and meeting groups discussing religious attractions, independent thinking, interests in God, and miracles and messengers will discover, in Finding Miracles, a powerful series of insights that deserve widespread discussion: 

"The community took from me but never gave back. I lost my voice, actually had trouble talking for a while, was depressed and suicidal. They did not see me as a person." 

Finding Miracles: Escape From a Cult

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The Mystical Symphony
Judith Bowen
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-101-4                
$16.99 Paperback/$25.00 Hardover/$6.99 eBook
www.atmospherepress.com 

The Mystical Symphony: A Memoir of Healing, Vision, and Wonder is a healing journey of growth. It follows Judith Bowen's transformation into a seer when her visions send her from conventional church wisdom and thinking to follow her own mystical path of revelation. 

Her first vision appeared when she was fifteen. In it, Bowen discovered the promise of a new way of incorporating faith and sacred elements in life that drove her to grow, spiritually and emotionally, in new directions.

From the start, Bowen cultivates a candid assessment of a world and community initially anchored by the Lutheran Church. As her life begins to revolve more and more around health and healing challenges, readers receive insights into the adversity/recovery process. This injects a different tone of inspection into the metaphysical component to enhance the mix. 

As her life unfolds and moves between childhood and adult realizations, readers will appreciate the contrasts between different forms of growth: 

"I knew clearly by the age of ten that I would leave as soon as I could. I knew that the place where I lived was not enough. I did not have the words then, but my heart knew." 

From different churches and involvements to insights about spiritual music and its impact, Bowen creates revelations that will prove invitingly thought-provoking to a wide audience of readers that may come from different religious and life experiences: 

"Hildegard von Bingen, especially her music, lingers in me through these many years. I remember the first time I heard her music, how it soared and flowed through my body in silver-and-gold streams. The feeling was very close to the shimmering light and flow of energy that I felt when I was fifteen." 

The resulting tapestry of psychological and spiritual movement will delight libraries seeking memoirs that are highly recommendable to spiritual thinkers. Its powerfully compelling revelations prove accessible, interesting, and deeply reflective. 

The Mystical Symphony

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Mystery & Thrillers

Blood of the Father
Donald E. McInnis
J&E Publications
979-8-9865516-3-0         $18.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
www.donaldmcinnis.com 

ew authors are in a position to as realistically portray the challenges of being a lawyer as lawyer/author Donald E. McInnis. That is why Blood of the Father is a legal thriller filled with rare, vibrant descriptions that will especially resonate with readers already familiar with the legal system. Its protagonist, A.J. Hawke, represents many of the dilemmas McInnis also faced as a young lawyer, which will feel familiar and eerily realistic as the story unfolds. 

San Diego County Supervisor and mayoral candidate Katherine Pansky bursts into Hawke's office unannounced, with a demand that he represent her—and a confession that she's shot her senator husband for raping their teenage daughter. 

There's only one problem. The evidence suggests otherwise. 

As Hawke delves more deeply into Katherine's request and motivations for obscuring the truth, he finds himself facing an increasingly dire series of conundrums that leads him away from lawyer work and into the role of a crime investigator working against his own client's confession of murder. 

Drew Hawke obtains his early trial and makes his case, but the clock is ticking down on his ability to uncover and present the truth to the court. 

The story adds to the A.J. Hawke, Attorney at Law legal thriller series, but also stands alone as an outstanding story that blends political, legal, and crime scenarios in an atmospheric and compelling series of twists and turns that challenge Hawke in unique ways. 

Readers who enjoy thrillers that examine legal proceedings such as defense-killing strategies and maneuvers will find the in-court and out-of-court descriptions engrossing and the unexpected developments satisfyingly unpredictable. 

All these elements lead Blood of the Father to be highly recommended to libraries; both those harboring the prior Hawke series titles and newcomers seeking stand-alone, strong legal thriller writing. 

Blood of the Father

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The Crooked Queen
Daniel A. Crane
DartFrog Plus
978-1-961624-00-9         $5.99 eBook
www.dartfrogbooks.com 

The Crooked Queen follows a law school dropout who finds her education just enough to send her into the PI business. There, she discovers a quandary surrounding the murder of a fourteenth century noblewoman depicted in a work of art that has disappeared (along with the man claiming to be its owner). 

The man's concerned daughter draws Lacey into a search for the truth, where she learns about Portugal's traditional azulejo art form, which is embedded into the mysterious events that happened both in the distant past and is occurring again in the present. 

Readers will be surprised and delighted by the art discussions and Portuguese history which evolves from Daniel A. Crane's pen—but these are not the only attractions of The Crooked Queen. 

Its characterization is powerful and the underlying mysteries strong as events test Lacey's investigative abilities against the backdrop of a threat that seems as mysterious as those of a vanished painting and man. 

The atmosphere of Portugal is transmitted even during chase scenes such as this, where Lacey finds that Black Jacket has an uncanny way of making appearances and disappearances: 

"Without warning, he veered off to the right between two buildings into a tight alleyway. Lacey ran after him and made the turn. The alley fell toward the Rossio square in a narrow canyon of cobblestone flights sandwiched between shops and apartment buildings. Brightly colored streamers and awnings fastened from building to building formed a fluttering ceiling unable to contain the greasy smoke of a thousand roasting sardines. Revelers crowded the alley, scrunched in outdoor chairs drinking beer at hole-in-the-wall cafés, dancing gaily to accordions, or flipping sardines on grills." 

Portuguese history and culture thus come to the forefront as Lacey makes discoveries about both and the art community, which foster her understanding of the nation and, ultimately, the influences behind this missing work of art. 

The Crooked Queen is thus a delightful blend of education and intrigue. It will attract libraries and readers seeking more depth and lively insights from their mysteries. Libraries will be especially compelled to recommend it to book clubs interested in stories steeped in historical and cultural revelations that operate just as powerfully as the underlying mystery itself. 

The Crooked Queen

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A Fishy Tale
John J. Jessop
JJJESSOP LLC
‎978-1735817873             $11.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Website:  johnjjessop.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Fishy-Tale-John-J-Jessop/dp/1735817872 

A Fishy Tale blends comedy with a murder mystery designed to keep readers both laughing and intrigued. It opens with this wry humor: 

"Tod Carlson and his brother Bill, professional fishermen known as the Carlson Brothers, had heard from kinfolk that record-sized fish were being pulled from Smythe Mountain Lake. Tod figured that was why the Blue Ridge Bass and Beer fishing tournament had over two hundred registered participants this April. The Carlson Brothers never missed this tournament, the event’s slogan being If you don’t catch a bass, there’s still plenty of beer." 

Then it probes the murky waters of murder as the trials of a contentious (but affectionate) marriage merge with a move and discovery that keep Dr. Jason Longfellow (PI and amateur sleuth) and nurse wife Chelsea on their toes. 

Jason may be a problem-solver, but an adequate boatsman he is not. John J. Jessop displays more humor as Jason attempts to navigate treacherous new waters. Boaters will recognize both the terminology and effort involved in captaining a vessel: 

"Jason aimed Luscious between the two front pilons, moving very slowly. This was the first time he had put the boat on the lift. Chelsea heard him counting under his breath, a sign that he was stressed and upset about the near crash. The man in the other boat sat watching. Chelsea put her hand on Jason’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “Jason, you can do this. It’s just like parking a car, only not.” 

What do you do when you inherit a fortune? You fulfill your dreams. For Chelsea, this lies in not just making a move, but creating her own business: Chelsea Longfellow, PI, and Associate. Their first case (that of a murderer who is targeting fishermen at night) is a serious one because the future of the Blue Ridge< Bass and Beer Tournament is as much at stake as their reputations. 

The unexpected blend of boating and fishing experience, murder mystery, and wry inspections of marriage and watery circumstances, with the humor overlay, works very well. These elements create a compelling story that should entertain even readers who do not normally choose comedy or murder mysteries. 

A Fishy Tale's ability to cross lines of discovery while leading with laughter makes the story engrossing, unpredictable, and fun as the search for a murder suspect embraces a community in turmoil. 

Libraries seeking murder mystery reads that lure and capture readers with unpredictable, novel approaches will find A Fishy Tale perfect for recommendation both to those who enjoy exceptional murder tales and others whose interests lie beyond the norm. 

A Fishy Tale

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Lurk-Life Balance
Carrie Ann Knox
Xotolithic Press
978-0-9990032-4-4                 $14.99
www.carrieannknox.com 

Lurk-Life Balance adds another book to the Sonic Sleuths series and opens with a mishap faced by the host of an event that almost nobody has attended. The narrator discovers that an announcement has been made about its cancellation just as confused attendees begin arriving, not sure they are in the right place. 

They are in the right place. But, at the wrong time. 

Audiologist Quinn Bailey, the subject of prior cozy mysteries in the series, spearheads a failure and a revelation that turns into another investigative quandary as the dual disaster of a failed office opening and an accident involving the attending mayor place her in an unwelcome spotlight of attention. 

And that's just the opening salvo to events which keep on delivering one-two punches to Quinn as a business event turns into a psychological and political disaster. 

Carrie Ann Knox's propensity for humor as she explores ironic disasters, weaving in events of Quinn's past (such as her involvement with the mafia sting a year earlier), creates a seamless story. Lurk-Life Balance will immerse newcomers just as readily as prior fans of Quinn's escapades and investigations. 

The disastrous event is explained using this wry, ironic observation about life's fallacies and failures as the story expands to embrace much more than a new audiology business's debut to the community. 

The introduction brings with it murder, mystery, and mayhem which Quinn navigates with equally deft displays of observational skill and audiology savvy. This involves readers in a story that embraces murder accusations, hard sells, and a tinge of blackmail as Quinn ventures into unfamiliar territory despite her prior experience with problem-solving under extraordinary conditions. 

Knox's ability to build a new story on the foundations of prior adventures that new readers might not have enjoyed, then making it accessible to a wide audience, is excellent. The allusions to past events, people, and circumstances are so well done that old fans will only be reminded via references; not put off by lengthy regurgitations of prior events. 

The result is a thoroughly engrossing and highly recommended cozy mystery that enhances prior Quinn adventures in the Sonic Sleuths mysteries. It expands the talents and problem-solving possibilities faced by characters willing to make hard deals to exact their freedom, with Quinn disarming threats as quickly as they emerge. 

Libraries will be delighted to include it in their collections. 

Lurk-Life Balance

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One Night Stand
Mukul Deva
Cernunnos Books Pte. Ltd.
978-981-18-8615-7         $13.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/One-Night-Stand-Mukul-Deva/dp/9811886156 

One Night Stand is set in Singapore and follows five disparate characters whose lives are changed by the events of a single night which reveals their innermost secrets, hidden characters, and quandaries that sent all five to the pivot point of a bar and a night to remember. 

An especially notable, evocative beginning draws readers from the very first lines: 

"There are nightclubs, and there are nightclubs. And then there is me. Nostalgia." 

Is life "just another one night stand"? Ex-cop turned businessman Sayan Iyer (who faces struggles with an unfaithful wife), Singapore socialite and mother Christina Tang, who harbors a secret, and other characters are about to find out as inner horror dovetails with external events that test each character's political, social, and psychological mettle. 

Mukul Deva creates a tense thriller packed with notable revelations and transformations as people who find themselves in the wrong place at the right time also find their lives and concerns simultaneously enriched and challenged by events they cannot control. 

As motive and opportunity questions play out, the close inspections of each character bring to light new revelations which, when taken as a whole, contribute to a series of unpredictable events that expands from personal to community concerns as persons of interest are identified and contrasted. 

Singaporean society and culture is the highlight at each step of the way, building both intrigue and understanding as the plot thickens. 

Libraries and readers who enjoy their thrillers steeped in the logic, culture, action and psyche of atmosphere and place will find Singapore comes to life in a manner which gives the tension and intrigue a full-bodied flavor of revelation. 

This is why One Night Stand comes especially highly recommended as a thriller with stands not only on the collective and disparate psyches of characters, but on the sense of history, place, and purpose that brings readers off the streets and into the abodes and concerns of Singapore's world. 

One Night Stand

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Out of Time
Cathi Stoler
Level Best Books
978-1-68512-544-8         $16.95 Paperback/$5.95 eBook
Website: www.cathistoler.com
Ordering: https://amzn.to/3RhOwrs  

Out of Time is a Nick Donahue Adventure that excels in high-octane action as it follows Marina DiPietro and Nick Donahue through a deadly international espionage cat-and-mouse game with ISIS. 

It opens with an immediate, alluring bang of intrigue that proves impossible to put down: 

"Just ask Marina. If you want to know how I wound up tethered like a sacrificial goat to a flimsy spire swaying in the wind on top of the world’s tallest building, maybe she can explain it. Probably tell you I had a special knack for getting into trouble. And, she’d be right." 

Will Dubai be Nick's last living memory? Not if Marina can help it. After all, it was her case, to begin with. Nick's initial plan to tag along to keep her company fails when he finds himself the focal point of events that have led him to this shocking moment in time. 

Cathi Stoler personalizes her characters in a manner that needs no prior introduction to either Nick and Marina or the Middle East scenarios and challenges which absorb their energies and test their survival abilities. 

This attention to character detail, melded with atmospheric observations that provide a "you are here" feel to readers, enhances the action and suspense as the tale unfolds, adding a depth missing from too many genre thriller and mystery reads. 

Like Dick Francis's writings, a racehorse is involved. Marina is charged with exposing potential attackers who would exact a ransom to keep the horse safe. It turns out that the story is about much more than horses, because ISIS is involved, and their objectives center on far more than famous horses. 

The scenario of an evolving threat that will spark a world crisis builds Marina and Nick's objectives, from an individual assignment to an effort to save the world from a deadly terrorist plot. 

The clues Nick must cobble together come from contemporary references and characters that at first seem unlikely threats. One of the joys of this story is how these insights come together, moving from social observation to political revelation: 

"That was the trouble with social media. Everyone wanted to shout about what they were doing, where they were going, and who they were screwing, without realizing what the consequences could be. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been. I found this guy within minutes and here he was telling all. He assumed I actually had a job offer and had already accepted it. Not too smart on his part. But Klingons? He was probably a twenty-five-year- old who must have watched Star Trek reruns. How did it relate to the project he mentioned? I thought about the Starship Enterprise and its battles with the Klingons. Suddenly, I got it. I ran to the rear cabin and woke up Marina. “I know what they want, and it’s worse than we imagined.” 

The result is a thriller that excels in action-packed revelations, twists and turns, and in depicting the tests of Nick and Marina's best abilities as the clock ticks down on world peace and human survival. 

Libraries and readers seeking exceptional stories that hold the possibility of reaching well beyond traditional genre readers with the powerful one-two punch of superior characterization and plot will find Out of Time hard to resist. 

Out of Time

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Pirate Trap
Matt Cost
Encircle Publications
978-1-64599-508-1
$26.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
http://encirclepub.com 

Pirate Trap adds to the 'Trap' mysteries involving Clay Wolfe and Port Essex, presenting a new mystery to entice seasoned investigator Clay Wolfe with a promise that no serious P.I. would want to turn down. 

Who wouldn't want to uncover a long-missing pirate treasure? 

More importantly, who would want to prevent such largess from seeing the light of day? 

Clay Wolfe finds out when he agrees to undertake a search-and-recovery mission somewhat outside of his expertise, only to find that, in fact, the assignment by an antiques dealer may be the only thing that shakes him from his intense depression over his grandfather's demise. 

Of course, other entities (many nefarious) are also involved in the hunt, from a sex doll businessman to a motorcycle gang and even Clay's fellow crewmembers. 

Pitted against good guys and bad, Clay can't help but stumble into trouble, feeling that the endeavor is largely an individual pursuit (even if gangs with special interests are involved). 

As he struggles with visions of Grandpops, the involvement of lovely lasses from the past, and clients who are killed and found in his office, Clay fields blows from near and far, edging ever closer to a truth that will shake his trajectory and force him to hone new abilities to survive and thrive. 

Because Matt Cost's story adds to a series, readers may think this would require familiarity with Clay's previous adventures. Not so. The characters are exquisitely drawn, the Port Essex setting realistic in its atmosphere and nuances, and Clay's past encounters are not a prerequisite for enjoying his pirate treasure hunt, here. 

Libraries seeking stand-alone titles that excel in building tension over adults involved in a pirate treasure hunt on grown-up turf will find Pirate Trap a satisfying hard-boiled mystery that adds romance into the fires of truth and discovery to delight genre readers seeking twists and turns they won't see coming.

Pirate Trap

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Running on Broken Bones
Will Pepper

Hustle Valley Press, LLC
ASIN: ‎B0C927PNY6               $4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Running-Broken-Bones-Tanto-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0C927PNY6 

As a sequel to You Will Know Vengeance, this new Tanto thriller offers a compelling sequel that takes place a decade after Tanto was imprisoned by a secret government agency. 

Not one to take a back seat in prison, he finally has made his escape. Many things have changed in ten years ... including his health. Is he actually equipped to engage in the kinds of subterfuge, escapes, and escapades that he fielded in his youth? 

Prior readers of Tanto who know him from You Will Know Vengeance will be delighted with a story that continues the high-octane intrigue, but with an added blend of savvy that comes from both aging and the wisdom of accepting physical limitations. 

Will Pepper is especially skilled at opening his stories with bombshells that compel readers to move into the action: 

"While most Americans spend their Sunday mornings watching sports or listening to robed men tell magic resurrection stories, I schedule my day around an eighty-five-year-old prostitute who ensures I don't swallow my tongue. Sure, anyone can do this, but I am loyal to a fault. Plus, this bag of bones won't ask questions unless you pay her to, like I do." 

One doesn't anticipate that the hero will be diaper-clad, or subject to therapies and madness that challenge the mind and lead into unexpected territory; yet Pepper creates a protagonist whose surprising choices and course in life forces him to challenge his own limitations. 

"How do I fix myself when I can't even communicate?" More importantly, Tanto escapes torturers, trackers, and his own barriers to discovery, only to be kidnapped as he faces impossible circumstances beyond his control. 

As Pepper spins an intriguing cat-and-mouse game of survival, breakthroughs, and strategies for useful actions that can be used against one's enemies, the story evolves a satisfying tension powered by an aging character who has lost none of his ability to hack, manipulate, and problem-solve his way out of danger. 

"I’m not looking for a slow fix. I needed something, if not permanent, then drastic. Like the ice pick lobotomy, but hopefully with better side effects." 

Thriller audiences shouldn't be looking for a slow fix to Tanto's problems, either. They will find that this simmering cauldron of adversity and challenge is packed with unexpected twists and turns that keep the protagonist and his readers on their toes. 

With a nose for trouble and survival, running on broken bones becomes not impossible, but achievable. Tanto's escape and latest trials will thoroughly engross readers and libraries interested in thrillers that push the boundaries of medical ethics, prison scenarios, and the scenarios of aging prisoners who just won't quit. 

Running on Broken Bones

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Ties That Kill
Deven Greene

Castle Bridge Media
979-8-9872083-9-7         $16.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Ties-That-Kill-Thriller-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0CPMHR4W3 

Ties That Kill is not your usual medical thriller, but is billed as a "Mid-Life Crisis Thriller." This translates to a story that takes a stroke and genetic blood clot risk to new levels as a patient not only discovers he has a host of half-siblings who may harbor the same internal killer, but has attracted the attention of an external killer bent on murdering them all. 

DNA may connect each of them, but it holds no ability to thwart an assassin. That component of inherited risk must come from Dr. Martin Starling, a chemistry professor, who needs to overcome not only his own medical condition, but the threat to his siblings that tarnishes his reputation. 

Deven Greene evolves an intriguing premise as the professor and patient also becomes the key suspect in a murder spree that targets his family. 

Revelations about his heritage are juxtaposed with the medical and murder mystery that emerges from it as he navigates unfamiliar relationships and questions how to incorporate them into both his life and his search for answers: 

"He’d never met anyone like her before, and now there she was, his long-lost half-sister. Should he make an excuse and get off the phone, never to speak to her again? Or should he try to develop a brotherly relationship with her? It wouldn’t be unreasonable to suspect that someone in her profession might require some protection, or at least guidance, now and then. Could an association with her lead to endangerment of his own family? At the very least he felt obligated to warn her about her risk of having abnormal fibrinogen. If she had inherited it, her daughter could have, too." 

As his mid-life medical crisis turns into a midlife career change, Martin finds himself in a dangerous position, poised between life and death in a different way that challenges both his perceptions of family and self and his role as a chemistry professor. 

As a detective stalks him even as Martin pursues the truth, readers are treated to a satisfying series of twists that keep them guessing about outcomes, purposes, and evolving relationships. 

Libraries and medical thriller readers seeking stories that operate well outside the realm of formula reading or predictable plots will find Ties That Kill a standout and a winner. It's every bit as engrossing as Robin Cook—but contains a personal touch that brings its characters, as well as its changing dilemmas and ethical challenges, to life. 

Ties That Kill

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Novels

Brothers in Service - Through Thick & Thin
Lindy Bell
Day Agency Publishing
978-1-7365604-4-0         $18.95 - Paperback/$ 4.99 - eBook
Website: https://lindybellwrites.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Service-Through-Thick-Beyond/dp/1736560441 

Brothers in Service - Through Thick & Thin is the second book in the Beyond the Badge series, which tells of three best friends who move away from childhood to accept jobs in the fire and police departments. 

Each character receives in-depth examination by Lindy Bell, who not only reveals the actions and requirements of service in these jobs, but creates demons, dilemmas, and growth experiences that test the secrets and mettle of each young man. 

The "you are here" focus evolves from the start: 

"He didn’t fit. No matter how hard he tried, Riley Sullivan just didn’t fit. With the ambulance siren wailing overhead, he tried one more time to make room for his long legs in the cab’s jump seat. He never thought riding in an ambulance would be this uncomfortable." 

Bell takes the time to build a sense of place, personality, and predicaments that both draw the friends together and threaten to move them into new areas with obstacles that challenge their long-term friendships. 

She develops characters and career challenges for each, creating growth experiences and opportunities that lend to each friend's ability to navigate not only their personal conundrums, but the art of maintaining long-term relationships and friendships through it all. 

From new career opportunities to personal losses that test and demand camaraderie on a different level, Brothers in Service - Through Thick & Thin examines the fine art of effort and recovery. It paints a moving portrait of how adult friendships can be tested even if they rest on the foundations of loyalty and shared respect. 

Between its realistic, accurate portrayal of the fire service and situations which range from sexual harassment at work to mentors, superstitions, and how diverse personalities can maintain close friendships even when life circumstances threaten to tear them apart, Bell has crafted a winner, here. 

Libraries and readers interested in close examinations of male bonding, service career choices, and life growth processes will find Brothers in Service - Through Thick & Thin both a satisfying sequel to the first book in the Beyond the Badge series. It's a powerful, highly recommended, ongoing exploration of ability, different kinds of relationships, and dealing with life challenges that also reveals nuances of tackling careers in service. 

Brothers in Service - Through Thick & Thin

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The Cat Tender
Martin Drapkin
Three Towers Press/HenschelHAUS Publishing
9781595989635              $16.95
Website: www.drapkinbooks.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Tender-Martin-Drapkin/dp/1595989633 

Meet Maggie Mullen, an independent woman nearing her thirties who, in The Cat Tender, has built a comfortable career (as a catsitter) and patterns (nightly soaks in her clawfoot tub with kitty Lucy at hand and Frank Sinatra wafting music into the air). 

Perfection never lasts for long, as Maggie discovers when an invitation to her younger sister's wedding demands her attendance, her prowess in giving the happy new couple a toast, and requires her to depart from her cat-infused lifestyle to enter alien realms of social interaction. 

Maggie wonders why so many women feel incomplete without a mate, asking thought-provoking questions that book clubs following women's writings will find perfect for debate: 

"I don't get all this seeking out someone to have a relationship with...Or maybe we're just hard wired to seek out and have mates in order to keep the species going...Maybe we should be more like birds. Maybe instead of all this furious seeking to couple up with whoever—straight, gay, other variations—people should just sing out to one another when they want or need a partner, short-term or long-term. There could be different tunes for different purposes." 

As the wedding offers Maggie new revelations and opportunities, the threads of humor Martin Drapkin employs wind through the story to add a delightfully whimsical accompaniment to the wry inspections Maggie makes about couples, love, events, and her place in the world. 

The Cat Tender is especially recommended for libraries seeking lively, cat-infused examinations of independence and women's lives, and for book clubs looking for discussion material about couples, connections, and careers, as seen through the eyes of a maid of honor who considers weddings a "pain in the ass." 

The Cat Tender

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A Change of Location
Margaret Porter
Gallica Press
979-8-9856734-5-6         $15.99  paperback; $5.99 ebook
margaretporter.com 

In A Change of Location, Hannah Ballard's career is her life. Like a black hole, it consumes and overrides everything—even romantic possibilities. Until now. 

Margaret Porter surveys behind-the-scenes movie set location manager Hannah, whose knack for finding movie landscapes while remaining nearly anonymous in her efforts creates the perfect lifestyle for her.

 

Her personal research for a period drama leads her to Somerset and an estate that is flawlessly poised for publicity and success. It seems impossible that Hannah could fail in this job, but she does so epically. She is set to return, tail between legs, in search of something different when an invitation to attend a village festival leads to a very different avenue that redefines the nature of success. 

Even though a powerful relationship (perhaps predictably) develops between Martin Latimer, Marquess of Milverston, and Hannah, the forces that divide them are even greater, forcing Hannah to make yet another devastating decision about her future. 

Little rests on a staid development of 'happily ever after', as a result, which makes A Change of Location especially compelling for readers who enjoy realistic developments over idealism. 

Hannah's ability to navigate and analyze unfamiliar surroundings and people becomes the driving force in a novel that explores her international sojourns, matters of the heart, and the people and places that motivate her to step away from her former successful patterns and into different relationships and milieus. 

Margaret Porter is especially adept at crafting the intersections of these lives, exploring how they motivate and change not just protagonist Hannah, but those who circle her world. 

The result is a revealing novel of new possibilities and life that covers unemployment, romance, heartbreak, other cultures, and new lives. 

Libraries seeking recommendable, realistic stories for patrons who seek enlightening novels will find A Change of Location the perfect ticket for a warm account of movie-making and a dash of personal magic. 

A Change of Location

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The Contraption
Barton Allen Stewart
Independently Published
0-9785817-2-5        $14.95 Print/$7.95 Ebook
www.BartStewart.com

The Contraption is a literary novel that pays homage to life, death, and transformation. It opens in an ordinary neighborhood, where a strange light leads to equally odd events in which a woman transformed leaves her suburban community for a different world. She is accompanied by bizarre folk who escort her into new possibilities. 

Before Audrey left, she and the strangers were holed up in her room, draping it in white so that not a spot of color showed. Audrey was not religious, but idealistic. Her relationship with military man Matt is only one of the sacrifices she'd made to suddenly change her course in life. However, Matt is not ready to give up on her. 

On one extraordinary afternoon, a set of circumstances evolves a new experience and personality for Audrey (now Prindibin), who becomes mired in a performance that tests her views of reality and the incongruity of her experiences and commitments. 

From the moment she answers the door to find three strange women who introduce her to their church and the idea that she is "Ascendant" (for her work with animals and disadvantaged children), Audrey becomes involved in ideas and perceptions that move beyond spirituality and into paranormal realms. These strangers force her, in a manner those who are a familiar part of her life have not, to contemplate new possibilities: 

"This visible, conventional life around you is like the outer layer of dead skin cells coating the body. One of them said, “You can do without it!” They told Audrey she had a “glow of radiance” about her which they immediately recognized. These three were eccentric, and following their own drummer, but at times she found them nothing short of fascinating. “Have you ever contemplated your true place in the universe?” one of them asked her." 

As she becomes mired in the work of the Church of the Mountain of Radiance, the newly transformed Prindibin makes sacrifices for God, tries to help the persecuted heroes of the church, and carries those around her into new visions and perceptions of miracles: 

"All of them thrilled at the thought of it being recognized as a miracle, which would work to the benefit of everyone at the Home Base. Everybody associated with Prindibin could be considered at least fractionally blessed, which would help with advancement. That’s if the event stood up to investigation." 

The devices which contribute to her reformation resonate on all sides as the church tackles belief systems and the norm, making Prindibin the focal point of change. 

Barton Allen Stewart crafts a story that tackles issues of redemption, healing, and change, injecting additional layers of philosophical and existential questioning into the experiences of characters who one day find their lives at a crossroads. 

As Matt forces her to examine her new beliefs and their relationship, threads of disparate interests and approaches to life evolve. These create fine introspections on the parts of each character, providing thought-provoking insights to readers. 

Libraries and readers seeking stories that take spiritual revelation and revolution a step further into intriguing territory will find The Contraption worthy of not just individual reading, but the pursuit of many different themes in book club discussion groups interested in stories of revelation and shifting beliefs and relationships. 

The Contraption

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Dreams of Drowning
Patricia Averbach
Bink Books
978-1-960373-17-5                 $18.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Drowning-Patricia-Averbach-ebook/dp/B0CRJ17DTD 

Dreams of Drowning is a work of magical realism that opens in 1973 Toronto where Amy, an American expat, is hiding as an illegal immigrant following her twin sister’s death by drowning. 

Her chance meeting with Arcus, a Greek student, holds the possibility of romance, but they each harbor secrets they’re hiding from each other. 

Fast forward to 1993, where retired archaeologist, Dr. Jacob Kanter, is grieving the loss of his wife while trying to avoid his son’s plan to place him in a nursing home. Remembering his love of sailing as a youth, he boards a ferry boat expecting a short harbor cruise, but the mysterious ship traverses time leading his story to merge with Amy’s in unexpected ways. 

As their relationship evolves, Jacob and Amy become involved in the mystery of a second Phaistos Disc, an ancient Greek relic that may hold the key to both their futures. This involves readers in a mystery of historical and psychological importance that leads each character to reassess their experiences and intentions in a new light. 

Different losses, different kinds of grief, and the remarkable legacy of Greek history entwine with both characters' lives in unanticipated ways. Patricia Averbach grows a story that leads Dr. Kanter to connect the dots of history and personal events while Amy finds unexpected portents of change in a whispered promise that leads her to reassess her sister’s death and into the water toward a reenvsioned future. 

“This year you’ll go swimming, and you’ll find her well. There’s healing in the water.” 

Libraries and readers seeking evocative novels steeped in mystery, magical realism, and healing processes will embrace the vivid imagery and sense of revelation and discovery that make Dreams of Drowning a surreal, compelling read. 

Dreams of Drowning

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Eat Dessert First
Michelle Paris
Apprentice House Press
978-1-62720-511-5        
$23.99 Paperback/$34.99 Hardcover/$6.49 eBook
Website: www.michelleparisauthor.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Dessert-First-Michelle-Paris/dp/162720511X 

Eat Dessert First is a novel replete with insights about a big woman with a big heart and baking skills that too often preclude finding a love who realizes her true value. Abbey knows she is fat. The left-handed compliments that she fields too often are designed not to encourage her to lose weight, but to shame her. 

Immersed in a bakery job to supports her ailing mother, the last thing Abbey seeks is romance. She can barely stay afloat financially and emotionally after giving up her architectural career to become a caregiver. 

That's why it seems too good to believe when a handsome customer asks her out. If it's too good to believe, it usually is. This baggage comes with an existing marriage, so Abbey bails.  

Her next encounter with romance is also unexpected: a handsome bachelor at a party. At least he's not married. Too bad he comes with a vengeful ex, however. 

As Abbey navigates issues of love, weight, value, and self-esteem, readers will be drawn into the sights and smells of the bakery world and a life replete with warmth and adversity. 

Abbey discovers that the bakery job that was forced by circumstance reflects her real passion in life (more so than architecture ever was), and as she identifies these interests, she begins to make new moves towards changing her life as her self-esteem blossoms: 

"What was best for her mother needed to be a priority. If that turned out to be Sacred Heart, Abbey would find a way to pay for it—maybe even go back to being an architect. This thought saddened her, and that surprised her. She had always enjoyed being an architect, but not as much as she enjoyed baking. She realized she was passionate about baking. The cake she made for Magda was proof of that. As she had put on the final touches, she marveled at her creation. It was such a rush to feel that kind of pride. She had wanted to run out onto Main Street and drag passersby into the bakery and say, “Look what I did!” 

What else is she passionate about? Time and this novel will tell; but one thing is certain: readers who imbibe of the special flavors driving Abbey's life in Eat Dessert First are in for a cozy treat that is alternately funny, revealing, ironic, and interesting. 

Libraries seeking women's fiction that arrives with a dose of mouth-watering descriptions and lively engagements will find Eat Dessert First features a taste of something special. 

Eat Dessert First

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Fiona's Fury
Roxy Blue
Roxy Blue Publishing
979-8-9893533-0-9         $16.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
www.authorroxyblue.com 

Smart, sexy Fiona has no time for men. She's the CEO of a successful flower shop who has remained on good terms with ex-husband Quade, but is too busy to search for a replacement. That is, until she finally decides to move on from him, and the beast within him is loosened. 

Roxy Blue paints the picture of a feisty, determined, middle-aged woman in Fiona (who also happens to harbor a wicked sense of observational humor about life): 

"Remember to breathe...good work Fiona!” Clearly Celeste misinterpreted the sound of deep disgust that just escaped from my chest cavity. But at least, thank goodness, it was a sign that I’m remembering to breathe. I mean, God forbid what might happen were Celeste to forget to remind us to breathe! Lord...all dozen of us dying in a miserable, sticky, rainbow-slicked heap right here in the middle of Om Wellness Sanctuary. Can you envision how that headline would read? Twelve Middle-Aged Ninnies Collectively Forget How to Breathe During Tragic Art Movement Therapy Session." 

Fiona's passion and her wry sense of life's twists and turns serve her well as she faces an unexpected control freak and the possibility that he will micromanage her life ... and maybe even her death. 

Steamy sexual scenes alternate with new discoveries and threats as Fiona finally meets her floral supplier, Bo Thompson, in person, only to find that the background threat in her life possibly means that she can't pursue love. 

Roxy Blue's ability to weave Fiona's confrontation with a psychopath into her concurrent pursuit of romance and resolution creates a compelling saga that's hard to put down. 

Libraries and readers seeking a superior story that juxtaposes self-discovery with navigating two very different kinds of challenge will find Fiona's Fury just the ticket for a warm read with hot overtones of pleasure and pain. 

Fiona's Fury

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A Flame Worth the Candle
Arthur Kevin Rein
Open Books
978-1948598705             $19.95
https://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/a-flame-worth-the-candle/about-book.html 

A Flame Worth the Candle is a novel of growth and confrontation that swirls around Sam and Diane, who believe a family curse is finally broken, only to find that nefarious circumstances are coalescing to once again introduce family conflict, crime connections, and new challenges into their world. 

It's been less than two months since the duo confronted the crime family Manticore, and seemingly won, but Steve Manticore is back; as well as the ghost of a father long imprisoned and suddenly, mysteriously, freed, who comes looking for his daughter Diane. 

Associations between former convicts and friends introduce present-day dilemmas to past experiences as Sam and Diane struggle with family, the world, and one another in situations and reflections that Arthur Kevin Rein is particularly adept at bringing to life: 

"The next day, more silence between Diane and me. No phone calls, not even a text. None from me to her either, so there was that as well. The sadness of losing her was setting in. I was sick of everything, the resort, my clothes, my brothers and sister, even the summer. I was to the point that going back to school for my senior year looked inviting, and that had never happened at any point of my life. I was like a worker bee without a queen. Why collect pollen if there was no honey to be made. Why cut the grass or collect the garbage? Everything seemed pointless." 

As the story evolves, questions and riddles permeate their individual and conjoined lives as Sam and Diane battle their psyches, adversaries that often stem from family connections, and each other. 

Rein creates a solid, powerful portrait of young lives in flux, buffeted by the special interests and adversity of outside interests. Characters are strongly portrayed, past events reviewed in a seamless manner that allows for quick immersion in the duo's backgrounds, and escalating confrontations are realistic, growth-inducing scenarios that attract and hold reader interest with immersive first-person reflections. 

The result is a novel that will appeal to young adult and new adult readers alike. It represents a gripping saga of transformation and old and new habits and patterns that both entertain and lead readers to think more deeply about the ramifications of choices that separate the main players, then bring them back together in an unusual way. 

Libraries will find the swirl of action, intrigue, and conundrums to be satisfyingly unpredictable, creating a story filled with subplots that make A Flame Worth the Candle hard to put down. 

A Flame Worth the Candle

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Flight of the Wild Swan
Melissa Pritchard

Bellevue Literary Press
978-1954276215             $18.99 Paperback/$18.04 eBook
www.blpress.org 

Flight of the Wild Swan is the fictional biography of Florence Nightingale, and dramatizes her life and times while staying true to the historical facts surrounding her world and her impact in it. 

From the start, Melissa Pritchard cultivates a sense of realistic psychological and social reflection of the 1800s, cemented by her use of the first person and vivid language that doesn’t just draw readers into Florence’s story, but grabs them, shakes them, and compels them to listen: 

“She wakes in stale darkness, same nightmare, always. A common grave, hundreds of the sweat-soaked, freezing. The dead, their arms tightening around her, pulling her down. An indistinct murmur of voices. Some still in uniform, most  writhing, naked. She cannot save them. Cannot save herself. This time the waking is different. This time she is dying. She is sure of it. The nurse, Anna, will find her in the morning. Then what?” 

This end times introduction then takes a turn into the past to follow Florence’s education, upbringing, her unusual entry into the male-dominated world of medicine, and the “zeal for reform” she cultivates and introduces to social circles in her life. 

While some might anticipate a prerequisite to enjoying this story would be a prior interest in either medicine, biography, or Florence Nightingale’s life in particular; in actuality no such requirements are necessary. As with any exceptional book, the author’s ability to craft a story that is timeless and holds no interest boundaries creates a literary production that will prove appealing across the board to a wide and disparate audience who look for unique, transformative, and riveting life stories. 

Markedly suitable for book club, women’s, and history group discussions are the passages which candidly present the dilemmas of women of the times who would navigate systems not designed to recognize or use their abilities: 

“As you know, we are the first female nurses to ever work within the British army’s hospital system. The French military have their Sisters of Charity, but our British military has had no medical help from women. We are the experiment. As such, it is imperative we proceed with utmost diplomacy. Because we are women, we may not be as welcome as you might expect. We will have to prove ourselves. How? First by obeying the orders of the medical officers and doctors. Second, by our efficiency, decency, and skill. We must take great pains not to offend.” 

The result will appeal to the biography enthusiast who appreciates the “you are here” embellishments of fiction, the follower of women’s shifting roles in the 1800s, fans of Florence Nightingale who want to immerse themselves in a vivid portrait of her world and perspective, and any library or reader seeking an especially compelling, lyrical story of a rebel who defies the edicts of her times to make a difference in her life and in those surrounding her. 

Flight of the Wild Swan

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Magdalena
Candi Sary
Regal House Publishing
978-1646033348             $18.95 Paperback/$6.49 eBook/$17.49 audiobook
https://www.amazon.com/Magdalena-Candi-Sary/dp/1646033345 

'Heartwarmingly creepy' is not usually a label ascribed to either a romance or a ghost story, but the unexpected entwining of both subjects in Magdalena deserves not only this descriptor, but further acclaim. 

Ghost story enthusiasts are well aware that formula writing abounds in this genre. But not in Magdalena, where a reclusive woman takes a fifteen-year-old neighbor under her wing, only to discover that the complicated relationship forces her out of her house, into the public eye, and into dilemmas she never saw coming. 

Dottie finds herself in the eye of a historic mystery and superstition, battling different types of ghosts—those which emerge from the past and others embedded in present-day affairs. 

The mystery piques reader interest as much as the heartfelt explorations of maternal connections, love, and loss. 

Candi Sary opens her story of revelation with a gripping reflection: 

"In my dream, they're both still with me, the girl and the ghost." 

Shades of the classic Rebecca's powerful opening ("Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again.") come to mind as Sary pulls readers into Dottie's world, packing it with literary reflection, emotional energy, and unexpected encounters. 

Sary is adept at moving readers through entwined scenarios as Dottie opens her story with reflections about how she wound up in this impossible place: 

"When I wake, I don't feel changed anymore. Not here in this sad room where they've put me. I prefer the lights out so I don't have to see what I've become. I just want to fall back asleep and close my eyes and dream again about the girl and the ghost, and how we were before I lost them." 

As Dottie becomes involved with not just Magdalena but an ex-mobster and the aftermath of a miscarriage which has changed her relationship with her husband (and her life), readers become completely enthralled with events that lead in unexpected directions. 

Do miracles really happen? Yes—but they can come with a terrible price, as Dottie discovers. 

Readers who choose Magdalena for its ghostly promise will find the spirited evolution of relationships offers far more than a singular form of horror. 

With every step that Dottie takes, that leads her in new directions of recovery and anguish, readers will find a powerful narrative of psychological and social revelations that create deeper-level thinking about grief, recovery, and new paths forward (some of which actually lead backwards). 

Magdalena is highly recommended for libraries seeking literary ghost stories that function on a deeper and different level of horror and revelation, while readers attracted to mysteries and intrigue will find the story thoroughly engrossing. 

Magdalena

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Moonshadow Over Red Moon Hill
Cynthia L. Clark
Outskirts Press
‎978-1977268617             $19.95
Website: https://cynthialclark.com 
Ordering:  Moonshadow over Red Moon Hill: Clark, Cynthia L: 9781977268617: Amazon.com: Books

Moonshadow Over Red Moon Hill is a novel of romance and unpredictability in which Brody Mars finds his staid and common life challenged by a letter which lures him to Red Moon Hill. 

Tessa Mackenzie had been equally set in her ways until she, too, is drawn to Red Moon Hill by extraordinary circumstances that shake her world. 

Sporting familiar and similar patterns, each character predictably encounters the other, feels an unexpected tie that grows as intrigue forces them together with shared reactions and responses, and comes to recognize new possibilities, both alone and as a possible couple. 

Cynthia L. Clark satisfies readers who anticipate the romance component, but adds a side dish of self-enlightenment and growth that stems from sorrow and emotional transformations. 

This element of surprise works well as it dovetails with mystery and suspense. It draws readers into seemingly disparate lives forced to eschew patterns of predictability in favor of close inspections of how true love only emerges from self-reconciliation. 

Brody and Tessa confront and navigate forces neither has ever chosen or experienced from life before, their shared objective changing their separate mandates to allow room for conjoined efforts. 

Murder, business partners in cahoots, and arson piques their interests and challenge their best intentions with further new approaches to life, death, and what lies in-between. Thus, Brody and Tessa come to realize and accept truths that motivate them to pursue each other as much as the truth. 

Libraries and readers seeking a story in which suspense takes center stage alongside evolving romance and characters who come to embrace new, unexpected strengths in themselves (and in a possible partner) will find Moonshadow Over Red Moon Hill an astute study in grief and growth. It provides an entertaining backdrop to adaptation processes, offering many a surprise along the way. 

Moonshadow Over Red Moon Hill

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The Odyssey of Mrs. Naomi Billingsley
Sally Stevens
Atmosphere Press
9798891321281              $16.99 (pb)/$8.99 (ebook)
www.atmospherepress.com 

The Odyssey of Mrs. Naomi Billingsley follows one woman's solution to a staid Midwestern lifestyle—creating a vivid fantasy world in which action and adventure intersect with reality, to spice things up. 

What evolves (instead of drama) is a concurrent immersion in colorful fantasy imaginings which pique the interest of her psychiatrist, who envisions that Naomi's oddities will make him a celebrity in the psychology world. And so he explores this milieu with her with both healing and personal fame in mind. 

Dr. Birnteller has a wall full of degrees and acclaim. All he needs is one big break to make him famous. Noami represents that break ... but only if he can tame or cure her. 

As events unfold, patient and physician find themselves on the wrong side of sanity as Noami's world-building method of coping with boredom enters into reality itself to affect the good doctor and others around them. 

Readers, too, are carried into uncharted waters as they enter Naomi's creations, which Sally Stevens vividly portrays: 

"In no time at all, it seemed, Mrs. Billingsley along with the entire congregation, the rest of the deacons, the hand­bags and Bibles, and the folding chairs were floating in the new sea that had suddenly relocated itself remarkably close to Mayfield. As the floodwaters pushed everything and every­one farther out into the waves, Mrs. Billingsley saw, looming on the horizon, a gigantic creature, a huge black whale, dra­matically rising from the water, its jaws poised in a wide-open position. It occurred to her that perhaps she should alert someone to the situation, but then she remembered. It was probably all part of the plan." 

The good doctor's life also begins to change in extraordinary ways, and he comes to admit that the arrival of Naomi Billingsley as a new patient might have changed many things intrinsic to his own life and sense of reality: 

"...my wife said to me, ‘Armando and I are flying to Lisbon tonight, Leonard. I wish there were time for you to get to know him, but life is short and I know him pretty well, so I’ll vouch for him. I know you’ll be fine…I know in your heart you care deeply for me. It’s just your medical training that’s gotten in the way of our having an intimate relationship. I thought if you met him, you’d feel better about all this.’ Lisbon, for God’s sake…my wife doesn’t even speak Portuguese.
“But then…then she said, ‘There’s a meatloaf in the oven, and I made your favorite Jello mold. I can see you’re upset, Leonard, so Armando and I won’t stay for dinner. Perhaps a lit­tle “time out” would be good for you.’ And Armando picked her up…PICKED HER UP…and carried her out the door. He came back for the suitcases in the hallway, and then they were gone.”
 

Reality and fantasy clash on the playing field of mental illness or health and recovery that seems not just dubious, but perhaps not the best treatment option. Readers receive a lively discourse about relationships, panaceas for boredom and predictability, and extraordinary methods employed to evade uncomfortable truths. 

Stevens does an excellent job of juxtaposing emotional responses and questions of mental acuity as events unfold to test both characters in a dance between fantasy and alternative world-building. (Or, perhaps it is reality, simply unobserved until now?) 

The strong characterization and unpredictable adventures that rise up to enfold both characters also will attract readers interested in fiction that enlightens while maintaining an extraordinary atmosphere of discovery. 

The Odyssey of Mrs. Naomi Billingsley

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Passage to Moorea
B.R. O'Hagan
Pedee Creek Press
978-1-7342263-4-8         $16.95

https://www.amazon.com/Passage-Moorea-Thomas-Scoundrel-OHagan/dp/173422634X 

Fans of the first Thomas Scoundrel book, Scoundrel in the Thick, will find Passage to Moorea fills in many blanks from the past as it takes a step 10 years back into Thomas's life to follow the 23-year-old as he stows away on a German warship, becomes a sugar plantation owner in Hawaii; and battles both the gentlemen and the thieves who controlled Hawaiian society in the late 19th century. 

A letter from the famous author Jules Verne to Thomas in the fore piece and the prologue set in 1872 that follows set up a sense of anticipation for the adventure ahead:  

"Watching you swing from the drapes and fly down from the balcony with no less than a dozen club-wielding Polynesian warriors in pursuit was pure exhilaration for me, and I dare say, for every one of the stuffed shirt aristocrats who held their breath as you and those brutes battled your way to the museum’s front doors. I have been unable to stop that scene from playing over and over in my mind, and so I have determined (with your kind permission, I pray) to incorporate it into my latest Voyage Extraordinaire, to be published in the Magasin d'Éducation et de Récréation in September. I will send you a pre-publication draft to review." Jules Verne 

The opening scenario depicts anything but a gentleman manager, banker, or art promoter in Thomas, who takes the reins of a lively and thoroughly engrossing read, crafting a "you are here" experience which brings with it the tension of a thriller and the immediacy of a heart-stopping personal foray into trouble: 

"...a sound broke the stillness. Not quite a real bark, Manatea thought, more like the hoarse cough of someone who was dying. Then another cough, followed by a growl. The warriors froze in place." 

The tempo of the events and confrontations assume the feel of a swashbuckler, but it is tempered by the political and psychological confrontations Thomas fields as he navigates the world of art and the birth of Impressionism, and as he struggles to stay one step ahead of the team of Irish and Tahitian assassins who pursue him around the globe. 

As the story unfolds, he encounters dozens of strong characters who come to life even in the briefest of passages:  

"Mcllvaney had no special appreciation for the arts, but he did value his job. He understood that if so much as a single strand of hair was mussed on the head of one of tonight’s guests by some hoodlum—or Tahitian– who snuck in off the street he would be transferred from the posh hotel district he had worked up to over the past ten years to a frozen and grimy streetcorner in the Bowery or Five Points." 

Once again, adventurer Thomas is a flawed hero who manages to wiggle out of seemingly impossible situations with both his reputation and his unshakeable objectives intact. Exquisite threads of living history wind into the story so seamlessly that readers will absorb a wealth of social, cultural, and political influences without a thought that they are receiving an education in the guise of an action-packed wild ride as Thomas confronts one deadly challenge after another in his quest to help his friends and build a future with the woman he loves. 

Libraries and readers seeking historical novels steeped in events of the time but laced with powerful psychological and political tones will find Passage to Moorea both a powerful introduction to the prior Thomas Scoundrel novel and a stand-alone worthy of acquisition, patron recommendation, and discussion and debate on the parts of history-reading book clubs. 

Passage to Moorea

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The Rise of the Haugenberrys
Zach Boddicker
Daisy Dog Press
978-1-08-821078-9         $16.99
https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Haugenberrys-Zach-Boddicker/dp/1088210783 

The Rise of the Haugenberrys represents a romp through depravity, counter-culture experience, and musical circles. It's delivered from the perspective of a spinster who, from the start, presents a wryly ironic, candid assessment of her ability to examine and thwart systems: 

"I’m AJ Washburn: spinster, fag-hag, amateur comedy emcee. People like groups of three. Here’s another: Doer of Stuff. That’s what I’ve settled on, that’s what I tell people, bippity boppity boo. One thing I like to do is receive a free college education." 

Through her eyes, the rise of the Haugenberrys band from a dive-bar impulse to unexpected fame comes to life in a vivid and ribald manner that rocks through the world, bringing AJ's schemes into reality on other than personal playing fields. 

The wry sense of humor that permeates this story from the start continues as AJ spins her scams and agreeably makes her mark on the world without compromising her role as an encouraging sidekick in the music business: 

“We sold out the Lo-Ball last weekend, but it just isn’t large enough for a pair of singing, wrestling giants,” I said. “They need more room. Some wrestling mats would be nice.”
The part about the mats wasn’t planned, just kinda flopped out. Gil looked at the ceiling. “Where would you even find wrestling mats? Craigslist?”
 

As she traverses environments ranging from the Purgatory Ballroom (which once catered to musical giants and now contemplates hosting depravity in a vastly revised form) to producers at NBC and bigger-name obstacles and entries to fame and fortune, readers will find the vivid language, feisty and fearless female narrator, and explorations of the ironies and inconsistencies of the music and arts world to be engrossing. 

AJ's drive and personality lends the story a rollicking flavor that rides through life intent upon unearthing nuggets of wisdom and reward alike: 

"Was I overly excited about it? Not really, just another stepping stone in a forever of them. I had a month, maybe ninety days, before wrapping up the estate sale, and having to re-acclimate to the doldrums of the normal economy.
“I need a job with benefits,” I said. “Health insurance, at the very least. I’ve got issues.” 

The result is a tale that is vividly portrayed, engrossingly realistic, horrifyingly candid, and hard to put down. 

Libraries anticipating that this novel about the rise of a band will be similar to other musical novels will want to note that, in reality, The Rise of the Haugenberrys is similar to nothing else. That makes it outstandingly unique, unexpected, and highly recommended reading. 

The Rise of the Haugenberrys

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Street Corner Dreams
Florence Reiss Kraut
She Writes Press
978-1-64742-591-3         $17.95 Paperback/$8.99 eBook
Website: www.florencereisskraut.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Street-Corner-Dreams-Florence-Reiss/dp/1647425913 

Street Corner Dreams will attract book clubs and reader groups interested in exceptionally vivid stories of Jewish families, history, and confrontations within immigrant communities and between gangs. 

Set in Brooklyn’s Jewish neighborhoods in the 1930s, it brings this era and these cultural identities to life with a spicy, flavorful saga. The journey covers how street gangs became prevalent, why they were motivated to do so, and how the Jewish community interacted with these forces as it struggled to find its own footing and make roots in its adopted land. 

From deaths before and upon arrival and money concerns that kept families filled with angst and worry to the social and financial concerns that created a street culture in response, Florence Reiss Kraut creates a novel steeped in historical events and precedents. Jewish culture and traditions are revealed as life and death are tackled, showing how different generations interact and change within their families and communities as well as in mainstream American society. 

As the immigrant Brooklyn family survives a changing environment straddling two world wars, readers become steeped in not just gang activity, but the realities of their allure and the forces that influence their actions and community perceptions. 

The high-flying emotions which enter when romance raises its controversial head are as solidly depicted as the other themes of the story, reinforced by realistic dialogue: 

“Are you crazy, coming into my uncle’s store like that?
What were you thinking?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to see where you work.”
“Well, don’t do that again. They’d kill me if they knew I was seeing a Jew.”
Morty’s chest constricted. There was that word again. He felt like he had been punched in the chest. This was the second time she’d called him that. Did I tell her I hated it when she said that? He didn’t think he had made an issue of it. He was upset with himself. I’m a coward, he thought. Now he said, “A Jew? It sounds like a curse word. Is that how you feel about me? That’s the most important thing about me? That I’m a Jew?” 

Book clubs seeking lively discussion material about Jewish culture, gang activity, immigrant experience, and Brooklyn's past will find Street Corner Dreams thoroughly engrossing and filled with points perfect for debate. 

This is also why libraries will want to include Street Corner Dreams in any collection strong in historical fiction that brings the Jewish immigrant experience to life. 

Street Corner Dreams

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Sun Eye Moon Eye
Vincent Czyz
‎Spuyten Duyvil
‎978-1959556831             $25.00
https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Eye-Moon-Vincent-Czyz/dp/1959556835 

Sun Eye Moon Eye enters the world of Hopi musician Logan Blackfeather and his journey through the turbulence and trauma of the 1980s. What seems like as a road trip experience turns into the chronicle of a downfall as Logan finds himself involved in a death, incarcerated in a mental hospital, and at the bottom of his life's hopes and dreams.

There's only one way to go. Up. So Logan embarks on a different kind of journey, which is evocatively presented: 

"In the beginning there was no beginning. And no end. No time and no direction. Time floated on the silence, an unawakened moment. In perfect silence a breath is a symphony. In perfect darkness, a candle a sun." 

Having given up his beloved music after his breakdown, Logan is now in a vulnerable position—which also proves the perfect place to reassess its meaning in his revised life: 

"Music, sometimes, was the spark he used to span the gap that he was. Sometimes was the only way to ground himself." 

Readers who follow Logan's path will find it replete with contrasts between his heritage and his future, past and present challenges, and relationships and jobs that trap him between White and Native American worlds. 

Vincent Czyz creates the perfect storm of downfall, realization, recovery, and survival tactics as he creates a character whose ambitions and failures get the best of him, but also point him towards more positive options for his future. 

Czyz is especially adept at embedding Native traditional and spiritual reflection into Logan's story, which teeters on the brink of contemporary and past anguish: 

"This will be your Ghost Shirt. You have seen some of these shirts hung with feathers and strips of rawhide, even thin tails of human hair. They are painted with eagles and hawks and crows with outspread wings, with colorful two-headed birds and buffalo-horned beings, with five-pointed stars like those on the flag the Blue Coats wave or a red daybreak star. Others are decorated with constellations, crescent moons, circles divided into four parts, streaks of red lightning, feverish spots. Wovoka has said that the bullets of the soldiers cannot harm you when you wear your Ghost Shirt." 

Readers and libraries seeking powerful descriptive language, a stark contrast between past and present worlds, and influences that drive a fallen character to envision new beginnings (even at what seems like the end) will relish the atmospheric, evocative words that permeate Sun Eye Moon Eye, lending it both a degree of thought-provoking insights and more than a dash of hope: 

"Weight fell away from him like shed clothing until he was the lightness of his bones, wind singing through his ribs. Until he was a spiny feather whirling inside a dust devil across the hard landscape. Direction was inside him, was all around him. Knowing that he’d fallen in with his destiny as surely as his destiny existed, he ran." 

Sun Eye Moon Eye

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Reviewer's Choice

Creativity: Crossroads in k12 Education: Take Flight in Creative Learning
Kirk Schiebold
Apple Books
ISBN: n/a                 $39.99
https://books.apple.com/us/book/creativity-crossroads-in-k12-education/id6461866071 

Creativity: Crossroads in k12 Education: Take Flight in Creative Learning is a book that not only all educators should read, but anyone concerned with educational processes, objectives, and history. It's a lesson in alternative teaching approaches that parents, educators, and the general public need to learn, if the educational system is to move forward and up from its downward trajectory.

Creativity and correctness often clash in the educational system, bringing with them "...misconceptions of discipline-based education, that through an emphasis on submissive imitation and forced instruction..." 

Kirk Schiebold's own epiphany about education's failures when he "took flight and surveyed my opportunities" resulted in a new paradigm and (thankfully for fellow educators) this book, which outlines an alternative pathway to juxtaposing educational quality with creativity in teaching and learning. 

These approaches embrace many unusual approaches, including analyzing recurring dreams and offering personal and case history examples of how various teachers in his life and career introduced ideas that captured the attention and interest of youth: 

"We pushed our hands into the cloudy water and swished it around. It was wet, gooey and textured—like the raw hamburger and egg mixture mom used to make my favorite Italian meatballs. Mr. Welfare made learning fun and interesting, arousing our curiosity and holding the attention of a bunch of squirrelly fourth graders!" 

Schiebold doesn't make suggestions that eschew set educational standards. Indeed, he mentions and embraces them by showing how creative teaching can operate within the boundaries of these systems: 

"The teacher frames a problem within a reality-based context. The teacher sets the parameters of the problem: we have to be reflective and innovative, committed to diversity. Basically any lesson created has to fit into the national and state standards for teaching English. Any piece of local or universal truth discovered or created can fit into the national and state standards for teaching English." 

By undertaking teaching and curriculum reform within the existing framework, but pushing the creative element beyond its typical borders, Schiebold creates a mandate for change which is practical, inspiring, and achievable for those operating within a traditionally rigid, non-creative environment and system. 

No educator should be without the points raised in Creativity: Crossroads in k12 Education: Take Flight in Creative Learning This is why it should be considered a 'must' for any library strong in education references and parenting books, and also very highly recommended to book clubs interested in debating and discussing issues surrounding education system reassessment and rejuvination.

Creativity: Crossroads in k12 Education: Take Flight in Creative Learning

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From Hardship to Hope
Judith Gwinn Adrian and Jaylin M. Stueber
HenschelHAUS 
978159598-960-4            $18.95 Paper/$9.99 eBook
Website:
judithadrian.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Hardship-Hope-Crossing-Divides-wealth/dp/1595989609 

Fictionalized, shared autobiographies are rare, but there is perhaps no other form which would prove as alluring and hard-hitting as From Hardship To Hope: Crossing The Great Divides Of Age, Race, Wealth, Equity, And Health. Written during the siege of COVID and exploring the parallel, diverse belief systems of Zoe and Ruby Blue as they navigate individual and shared experiences, From Hardship To Hope creates a lesson in connection and choice that is transmitted against the backdrop of some of the most challenging plague years humanity has ever experienced. 

The "autofiction" blend is connected and enhanced by drama and fictional devices of expansive setting and psychology as Zoe and Ruby Blue reflect some of co-authors Judith Gwinn Adrian and Jaylin M. Stueber's experiences. 

Through their shared insights and collaborative efforts comes a story fraught with insights about prejudice, social reaction, change, justice, and philosophy. It takes a world-transforming virus a step further by entering the lives of a group of people who were transformed by COVID and the world changes it introduced. 

COVID's disruption introduces characters (based on reality) that might never otherwise have met—pregnant, homeless, Black teen Ruby Blue, who is temporarily housed with Zoe, a White, aging widow. Zoe's privileged heritage contrasts heavily with that of Ruby Blue, whose incarcerated husband and life reflect a very different reality. 

At first, their differences take over as they meet and clash.  

Introductions by both authors explore the birth of not only shared connections spawned by ideals that didn't match at all, at first; but a unique collaborative process that gave them much while demanding their time and participation: 

"Something I noticed throughout this project was that as our characters grew, so did we. Why? Because their growth allowed us to learn from each other, particularly through our more uncomfortable conversations. It was hard to write together at times because we are both passionate about our stories and sometimes it is difficult to hear the other person out when it is your truth." 

When the story opens, Ruby Blue feels herself completely alone, with her man absent and the baby growing inside her. Her sense of being alone dovetails powerfully with Zoe's introduction, which explores the process of aging and becoming 'invisible': 

"...wrinkled, gnarled, and desexualized, I visualize myself liquifying, watching the rhythmic blue pulse when my hands are still. No question I’m invisible to most people, even though the pulsing in my veins infers life. A still dignified, withering creature, I am blandly Midwestern and genetically British. I do know how to sit with grace, one leg behind the other to lower myself into a seated position, gently as a flutter, sitting with decorum and gentility. Whether erect posture is useful at my age is questionable, but it is a carryover; taught as one of my parents’ many family-honored decrees." 

Readers can't help but be fascinated by both the contrasts and the similarities between these seemingly disparate lives, which extends into new realizations and transformations that wouldn't have been possible without COVID's intervention in seemingly set destinies. 

Book clubs seeking autofiction that reflects values, beliefs, and individuals who struggle with changed lives will find From Hardship To Hope an immensely powerful discussion point that surveys social, political, and racial issues using a compelling duet of voices. 

Libraries will want to both include and highly recommend From Hardship To Hope to a wide audience (including book club discussion groups) seeking powerful, memorable stories that both resonate and stand out from the crowd with a literary, social, and philosophical prowess rarely observed in modern fiction. 

From Hardship to Hope

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Hidden Price Tags V. 6: Dissertations
C.J.S. Hayward
C.J.S. Hayward Publications
979-8376521939
$15.00 Hardcover/$12.24 Paperback/$5.00 eBook
https://cjshayward.com/hpt6 

Dissertations adds to the eight-volume opus that is C.J.S. Hayward's masterpiece on Eastern Orthodoxy and technology, expanding the subject of technological allure and danger by discussing AI and dark patterns as they relate to Scriptural texts. 

This discourse builds on his prior thesis subjects, which offered readers "...a theological critique that used theology to see things that are not seen in mainstream artificial intelligence research and for that matter are not seen in mainstream academic critiques of artificial intelligence." 

Readers might not anticipate the scholarly depths of an Orthodoxy approach to science, but it resides here, from theorems and hypotheses on boundaries and space to arguments and justifications that reveal Scriptural perceptions and analysis in a different light. 

More so than many of his prior writings, Dissertations represents the scholarly, analytical brain of Hayward, who provides logic, arguments, and insights fit for a master’s thesis. Two of the three were master’s dissertations, and the other was regarded by his advisor as 'M.Phil. work done to M.Phil. standards'. These dissertations were written for UIUC (for the math dissertation) and Cambridge (for the theology dissertation). This volume also comes packed with footnoted references and quotes from other authorities and analysts. 

From functionality arguments to optimality assumptions, Hayward provides readers with complex, enlightening insights into spiritual thinking that stem from three masters' thesis writings, cementing many of his prior books and insights with a heavier dose of analytical observation. 

The result ideally will be read in conjunction with his past 'Hidden Price Tags' series titles and his introductory The Luddite's Guide to Technology (which synthesizes the contentions expanded upon in the Hidden Price Tags works). 

Libraries seeking scholarly contributions to subjects of faith, modern culture, and science's influences will find Dissertations a powerful piece; especially when read in conjunction with its other series siblings. 

Hidden Price Tags V. 6: Dissertations

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Jesus: The Egypt Years
Femi Martin
Independently Published
979-8223044406             $14.99
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Egypt-Years-Femi-Martin/dp/B0CDZWB937 

"We’ve got to answer one question, and the question is, why doesn’t the holy family settle down in one place in Egypt?" 

Jesus: The Egypt Years opens by defining the focus of its study with a question that will lead Christians to reconsider what they already know about the history of Jesus and his family's movements. 

With so many examinations of Jesus's life already published, it's satisfying to view a new one which reads like a novel, adding description, tension, and insights into the holy family's life using a "you are here" feel that is delightfully original and unexpected: 

"Joseph is still worried, even near to paranoia, about the new baby. Even the woman he’s married to worries him. If not for the warning from the angel of God, he would have divorced Mary.
“We might find a bed there,” he says.
“We have no money, Joseph,” says Mary.
Joseph stops the donkey and looks into the bag containing the presents the three wise men gave to baby Jesus. He takes out the frankincense.
“This should pay for our stay.”
When the innkeeper sees that they have a baby with them, he takes compassion on them, especially when Joseph says they’ve been travelling all day with the baby. He looks at the frankincense and sees that it’s of superior quality. He’s instantly amazed.
“Where did you get this?” he asks as suspicion grows..."
 

Femi Martin builds an account of the family's movements that follows the birth of a baby and its impact on the family. It reviews the reasons why they moved so much and the early experiences which impacted Jesus and his entire family, building the foundations of faith and influence that influenced Jesus as a youngster as much as the family that surrounded, protected, and nurtured him. 

From their attempts to hide from Herod's spies and live on what God provided to the first three and a half years in which Jesus and his family followed a nomadic lifestyle, Martin brings the times and politics to life as the swings of misfortune and danger lead to continual reassessments of safety, belief, and human failings and feelings. 

The emotion-laden story recreates Jesus's early influences as the child struggles to understand why they are always running and the forces that overlay his parents' relationship and actions. 

This, in turn, will prompt Christian readers to view the holy family in a new, more reflective and understanding light that incorporates a deeper spiritual, psychology, and social understanding of the times than most accounts of Jesus can achieve. 

The roots of Jesus's thinking and influences are thus revealed in a manner especially accessible to a wide audience of readers, who will find these reflections perfect for church and group discussion as well as individual pursuit. 

Christian libraries seeking accessible, lively, thought-provoking focuses on Jesus which walk the extra mile in delineating the social, political, and cultural influences on his family and life will find Jesus: The Egypt Years especially inviting, well worthy of acquisition and recommendation. 

Jesus: The Egypt Years

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The Little Black Book of Tax Wisdom
Mike Kowis, Esq.
Lecture PRO Publishing
978-1-7328630-9-5        
$9.99 Paper/$4.99 eBook/$6.95 Audiobook
Website: www.mikekowis.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Tax-Wisdom/dp/1732863091 

Readers who expect that The Little Black Book of Tax Wisdom: Quotes, Quips, & Quiddities Every Tax Advisor Should Know will contain staid tax subjects and wisdom should be advised that the serious subjects of taxes are offset by quotes and quips designed to lighten the tax preparer's load in unexpected ways. 

When arranged into logical categories, from tax liars and cheaters to Uncle Sam's oddities, they become even funnier—and more pointed: 

"If Justice Holmes was correct that “[t]axes are what we pay for civilized society,” then the question in this case is how much civilization the taxpayers will be required to purchase.”
– U.S. Representative Homer Thornberry 

Quotes come from a wide field of experts and intellectuals, from politicians and founding fathers to economists, media, and even the mob ("A good lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than ten men with machine guns." – Al Capone). 

If anyone maintains that law and tax professionals are a dry and stale subject (and group), The Little Black Book of Tax Wisdom: Quotes, Quips, & Quiddities Every Tax Advisor Should Know defies that notion. 

It will make the perfect gift for one's tax advisor, and deserves a place on the bookshelf of any library appealing to humorists, taxpayers, or general-interest readers looking for reflective fun in their reading choices. 

The Little Black Book of Tax Wisdom

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Not On My Watch
Bob & Joan Hatrak
Villa Magna Publishing
978-1-940178-68-4
$34.99 Hardcover/$24.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://villamagnapublishing.com/ 

Not On My Watch: A Beloved Prison Warden's 30-Year Fight for Justice in the Prison System is an important library acquisition for anyone interested in justice system issues, operations, and conundrums. It documents the experiences of Bob Hatrack, the youngest warden to oversee America's largest maximum-security prison (Rahway State), and follows his entry into prison reform and the changes he instigated at a rigid and dangerous institution. 

From its opening lines, this memoir delivers on it's title's promise to create a vivid, engrossing story replete in a story not only about the world behind prison bars, but Hatrak's many experiences outside of his chosen work and career. 

This gives a full-bodied experiential feel to the memoir, broadening its horizons beyond the usual singular focus on the prison system to expand and reflect upon diverse elements that influenced Hatrack's approach and often-revolutionary prison reforms. 

How did he achieve all this? One word provides the foundation: boxing. 

In the 1970s, the New Jersey justice system was not known for giving second chances. Hatrack entered the system with a unique perspective and gave its residents that chance: 

"Often, the most powerful stories are of redemption, but not everyone is willing to give someone the opportunity to redeem themselves. Bob Hatrak earned respect by doing that. He is a man of second chances, of giving the benefit of the doubt, and he is a man of principle." 

Through work release programs and combining an innovative management perspective gleaned from experiences with Trenton's prison system to his early instigation of fourteen new rules, from 'hands-off' approaches to prisoners that advocated a touchless respect on both sides to instigating violence control routines tacked unresolved inmate riot demands of the past, Hatrack addressed some of the most deadly and persistent prison processes, transforming them and the watchers and inmates that had become stuck in their rules and routines. 

So much is provided, here, on prison issues, reform processes, and approaches to management that any library with an iota of interest in justice system issues will find the approach lively, eye-opening, and worthy of discussion on many different levels, whether the group be students involved in prison system issues or book clubs interested in bigger-picture discussion about individual impact in decision-making roles. 

This is why Not On My Watch is very highly recommended for libraries ranging from specialty collections in justice systems to general-interest institutions seeking thoroughly inspiring, engrossing reading that documents one man's progressive thinking and determination to make a difference. 

Wide-ranging, indeed, because Hatrack's programs and innovations reached well into the greater world: 

"It didn’t take long for our work to reach the local and national newspapers and appear on local and national television. It amazed us to learn that our idea had “crossed the pond” and adapted into a Juvenile Awareness Program, in full swing, in England on the BBC! Even Prince Harry sat through a complete session." 

Not On My Watch

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Paris for Life
Barry Frangipane
Savory Adventures Publishing
978-0-9836141-3-5        
$28.95 Hardcover/$17.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Life-Notes-Lifetime-out/dp/098361413X 

Do you want to go to Paris? Start here. Paris for Life—Notes from a Lifetime in and out of Paris will take you there for a memorable visit that follows in Barry Frangipane's footsteps as he leaves the beaches of Florida in the 1970s for the allure and promise of the City of Light. 

The year Frangipane spent in Paris was not all sweetness and light. He grappled with studying the language, faced (and escaped) terrorist bombings and riots, and worked in the heyday of the tech industry; all while navigating more unfamiliar territory—falling in love. 

From the start, a wry sense of humor permeates his explorations, understanding of, and growth in Paris: 

"Over a thousand people took my picture during my first hour in Paris. They came by the busload, excited to take a photo, then returned quickly to their buses. Even as I stood on one leg while making faces, their shutters continued to snap. As I waited for more than an hour for my friend Heidi to show up, I imagined each of these tourists upon returning from their vacation in France, showing off their photos of Notre Dame. They would notice me standing at the base of the Gothic arch outside the front entrance, eyes crossed and tongue sticking out, forever photobombing their travel memories." 

The first thing that strikes readers is the openness with which the young Frangipane approached Paris culture and experience. His descriptions brighten the sights, sounds, tastes, and fun of the city in a way that armchair readers will appreciate—especially since it captures the feel of youthful enthusiasm and learning: 

"When the meal was ready, she said, 'Tonight, we’ve made a typical Brittany dinner. Cauliflower in a salted butter-and-cheese sauce, crab-stuffed avocado, and fish cooked in a butter-wine sauce. This beurre blanc sauce was invented over a hundred years ago only an hour from here in Saint-Julien-de-Concelles. Jean, pour Barry a bowl of our local cider.'
I navigated the cauliflower with no problem, but the avocado was new to me. At twenty years old, I had never eaten an avocado. It wasn’t in my mother’s repertoire. But it looked a lot like a crab-stuffed baked potato, so I wasn’t really concerned until Jean poked Anne while pointing at me and laughing. Odile could see the confused look on my face as she said, 'In France, we don’t eat the rind of the avocado. Isn’t it a bit tough?'”
 

New friendships were honed over multiple courses of French food. New love evolved from the spirited absorption of French culture and byways. 

Stroll long the beaches of Paris and its iconic landmarks and streets with Barry. Savor the tastes of ice cream and love. 

Many other books speak of Paris. Paris for Life lives it. 

Libraries and readers seeking not a historical recap of the city but a personal foray replete with passion and experiential moments should place Paris for Life at the top of their lists. Its ability to translate the moments of wonder and culture that is intrinsic to understanding and appreciating Paris's many flavors is boundless. 

Paris for Life

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Productivity is Power II
Hillary Rettig
Infinite Art Press
978-0-9899440-9-0         $24.95 Paperback/$4.95 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Productivity-Power-Creative-Business-Professionals/dp/0989944093 

Productivity is Power II tackles a subject usually skirted in business books: disempowerment processes and how they affect business structures, individuals, and corporations at the highest levels. 

Disempowerment's symptoms may mask as laziness or complicity, but it holds its roots in far deeper, more troubling corporate culture and is often the insidious result of trauma, perfectionist demands, improper management processes, and outright power and prejudice displays. 

Where do the tendencies to transmit disempowerment and repression come from? Begin with family, move into society as a whole, then translate it to professional pursuits and you have the root causes of a dysfunctional power structure many struggle against. 

Now re-envision that scenario with empowerment in mind, for a hint of how Hillary Rettig translates the situation to actions and choices which deliver not only better productivity, but healthier relationships. 

Chapters review the philosophy, psychology, and sociology of unproductive behavior patterns, linking them to examples of disenfranchisement which can permeate a pursuit without its participants even noticing the deeper ramifications of their actions. 

Readers receive a survey that goes beyond stating ideals or problems, teaching new thought processes in the perception of work, success, relationships, and everything related to honing more productive efforts: 

"You’ll need to learn to tolerate all this weirdness, at least for a while. You’ll especially need to make sure that it doesn’t send you spiraling back into perfectionism and procrastination. Persevere gently—always gently—and the weird feelings, which are kind of like “perfectionism’s last stand,” should eventually go away. Meanwhile, time management (Part V) will help you to deal with the “problem” (not really) of “too much time.” Hopefully, you’ll eventually decide, at some not-so-distant point, that, “Dammit, I am not going to treat myself badly anymore, no matter how badly I think I’ve screwed up! It’s not worth it, it feels terrible, and it doesn’t help a thing.” That’s when you’ll know you’ve turned the corner away from perfectionism, and toward a happier, brighter, kinder, more abundant, and more productive future." 

We’ve all known or lived with perfectionists; including ourselves. What makes Productivity is Power II particularly enlightening is its can-do approach to revising habits and objectives to season them with more mindful actions, reactions, and thoughts. 

The coping strategies for deflecting the impact of "...harsh people, exploiters, and other problematic types" translate to effective life approaches that will reach beyond business settings and into the nuts and bolts of living a more effective, peaceful life. 

Libraries and readers seeking important keys to personal, political, and corporate transformation processes will find all the basics and growth-encouraging routines here. Productivity is Power II's ability to present scenarios of destructive interactions and teach how to convert them to productive, positive options and soul-building life experiences makes this book a 'must' not just for business and self-help collections, but especially for discussion groups interested in absorbing the processes of better living and working. 

Productivity is Power II

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Reimagining Success
Maureen Fallon-Cyr, LCSW
DartFrog Plus
978-1-961624-28-3         $16.99
www.dartfrogbooks.com 

Reimagining Success: Manifesting Happiness and Fulfillment reinterprets the meaning of success, delving into the physical, cognitive, and spiritual aspects of that definition in order to guide readers into a deeper examination of the incarnations and cost of success. 

From the start, Maureen Fallon-Cyr presents some surprising interpretations and insights on the subject: 

"In today’s world you can’t escape the trappings of success. Media feeds, television, and self-help books continuously entice us to boost our success in finance, parenting, weight loss, exercise, fashion, aging, and even meal preparation. So why would I write a book that speaks to success? Because I was tired. Over the years, I worked hard to be successful in many arenas, only to feel unsuccessful and unfulfilled. No matter which success program I ventured into, I quickly slipped back into old habits, disheartened and let down—I wasn’t “changing for the better,” I wasn’t manifesting the “me” I wanted to be, and when I did achieve a goal, I often suffered from imposter syndrome—I could barely own my achievements or was unable to savor the joy that came with the accolades. I was living a generally good life, but I wasn’t feeling successful." 

Her self-analysis also reflects on why a reader already motivated in self-help and self-examination areas would want to choose Reimagining Success over similar-sounding titles. One reason would include prior failures to achieve a feeling of success and an interest in finding new pathways, interpretations, and aspects of success that are more achievable and ultimately more (shall we say) successful. 

In order to achieve this level of satisfaction, Fallon-Cyr creates and promotes a reinterpretation process that closely considers elements of different aspects of success, showing how to view and choose new visions for more effective results. 

Chapters delve into building support systems, releasing prior practices and formulations of success, and better understanding the foundations of achievement and their wellsprings of inspiration. 

At every step, Fallon-Cyr provides supportive research evidence, case histories, and data that reinforces her reinterpretation of what constitutes success and its motivating influences. 

The result is a deeper inspection than many would anticipate, which eschews surface-level psychology in favor of alternative views of success, motivation, achievement, and satisfaction. 

This will encourage discussion groups from a wide range of sources, from psychology and business to self-help readers, making Reimagining Success a highly recommended, invaluable tool for change at personal, social, and political levels that libraries can encourage and recommend. 

Reimagining Success

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Rethinking Money and Finance
Richard G. Patterson
Independently Published
979-8824051612             $10.00 Paperback/$3.00 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Money-Finance-Economics-Morality/dp/B0CKBBLT9Z 

Rethinking Money and Finance: Economics, Common Sense and Morality makes a powerful case for how economics and the drive for money are destroying both the planet and human relationships, threatening the world and humanity with eventual extinction. 

Others have made this argument before, placing the blame on economic systems and financial pursuits; but what sets Rethinking Money and Finance apart from others is not just its contentions, but the time Richard G. Patterson takes to explore the underlying foundations of value and economic theory that affect how systems and people make choices. 

Chapters use the 2007-08 financial crisis as a focal point for creating insights and understanding, reviewing past financial history in a thought-provokingly different light. This will lead readers to better understand these and other economic impasses and crises, and their roots in misguided strategies and thinking. 

No punches are pulled in this process: 

"...liquidity is a double-edged sword. It may encourage “investment” but it also encourages “trading” and “speculation.” Financial markets theoretically designed to spread the risk and keep the wheels of industry turning end up making it possible for George Soros to make a billion dollars in 1992 by “shorting” the pound sterling and forcing the British government to alter its monetary policy. While an expert might be able to point out that Soros was simply seeing an opportunity created by a mistaken monetary policy and insist that regulations and enlightened government policy can prevent financial crises, it may also be that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way investment in business is generated." 

The candid nature of Patterson's observations create dialogues and inspections especially recommended for high school to college-level classes in economics and financial history. His ability to juxtapose historical events with examinations of influences and opportunities for change will spark students to discuss and debate many of these points. 

An extensive bibliography and footnotes enhances the scholarly applications of this work, supporting its contentions; but the overall style of delivery is such that even lay readers not well versed in economic theory will find the discourses quite appealing and accessible. 

The problems are clearly presented: 

"Mainstream economics conflates the creation of surplus goods through technology with the accrual of "profits" to individuals or corporations. It fails to see that money should not be a commodity with a price determined by supply and demand and that the only thing achieved by financial markets is the concentration of money and power in the hands of a few along with an unending series of "crises" that destroy lives. It justifies all this with a simplistic model of human interaction and the pretense of being a science based on mathematical models." 

The solutions lie in deeper examinations that Patterson provides, which lean into arenas of philosophical, moral, and ethical concerns. 

Libraries and teachers seeking a primer on economic impact that rests on the foundations of the 2007-08 financial meltdown, but then builds positive reflections and possibilities for change (and even transformation), will find Rethinking Money and Finance an intriguing, powerful survey. 

Rethinking Money and Finance

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The Science of Energy
Payman Sattari
Pragda Press
979-8989627516
$29.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paperback/$14.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Energy-Language-Truth/dp/B0CPC9CBJ2 

The Science of Energy blends scientific with metaphysical and philosophical inspection as Payman Sattari examines the nature of reality, the impact of the observer, and the results of applied metaphysics on worldviews. 

If this sounds like New Age quasi-scientific thinking, be advised that The Science of Energy is not just theoretical. Within its examinations of DNA, atoms and cells, and the concurrent development of science and philosophy lies a grounded approach to inquiry that will please readers that normally eschew metaphysical thinking: 

"It is intuitive that mind has something to do with the dance of matter that surrounds us—that it is involved somehow. But what it is and how exactly it fits in is not so clear. To deepen our understanding of the mind’s place within the overall order, we must begin by identifying it." 

As Sattari moves through elements and themes in scientific and philosophical discovery, readers receive a reasoned and methodical discourse that will especially lend to group discussions among science and new age circles alike: 

"We must be absolutely clear in that, despite the fact that this branch of science studies “life” and not the inanimate objects of physics, it still does not deal with the reality of the subjective observer. Biology is still concerned with life at the physical level and studies the behavior and composition of living cells in much the same way that physics studies atoms. Mostly, it is concerned with function, composition, and behavior. Even still, certain aspects of living organisms fundamentally set them apart from the universe of the inanimate. One of the most visible of these is the will." 

By linking science to metaphysical and philosophical approaches to life, Sattari forges new ground in examining how memory and identity dovetail with scientific and metaphysical pathways to realization. 

The result is an accessible, enlightening, thought-provoking series of insights that libraries strong in either scientific or metaphysical thinking will find not only highly recommendable to patrons, but to book clubs interested in creating discussions about connections between the material world and inner being. 

The Science of Energy

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The Secret World of Children
Meri Wallace, LCSW
Precocity Press

‎979-8989204328             $19.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook
www.precocitypress.com 

The Secret World of Children: Understand Why Your Kids Behave the Way They Do reviews nine developmental reasons why kids behave and misbehave, explaining to parents the rudiments of belief systems, perceptions, and lessons that adults may have never thought of (or intended to pass on to their kids). 

The purpose of this treatise is to not just explain, but explore the dimensions of such systems and teachings, helping parents understand the messages and impact of how they teach kids to handle common life issues from bullying to separation anxiety and daily routines. 

Each behavior receives a translation to real-world events that adults will readily understand, showing how to provide the type of encouragement and support that builds character and strong children. 

Examples can be found in as simple an effort as showing a child how to iron a shirt: 

"Avoid perfectionism. When your child is ironing for the first time and is upset because there are many wrinkles left in the shirt, it’s best to say, “Ironing is hard and you’re just learning how to do it. We’ll keep working on it together.” If you expect perfection from your children and readily criticize their attempts telling them, “You didn’t do it right. I’ll do it myself,” they feel inadequate and defeated, and may not try again. Your words and attitude can be internalized by your children, and they might become their own worst critics." 

While the intended result is to encourage better parenting through example, Meri Wallace perhaps won't have intended the side benefit of outlining strategies and common reactions that resonate not only between adults and kids, but adults and their own peers. 

Her delineation of attitudes and examples inherent in life encounters will help adults better understand the roots of their own responses to life and others around them. This makes The Secret World of Children not only an invaluable exposé of children's behaviors and how they learn, but an exploration of adult patterns of action, reaction, and interaction with all ages. 

For these reasons and more, The Secret World of Children is highly recommended for new parents, those who want to learn more about how and why kids learn and react to life in certain ways, and their own roles and engrained lessons towards others. 

Libraries seeking parenting titles that go the extra mile in linking common reactions to life-long lessons, as well as book clubs interested in the psychology of relationships and modifying perceptions and attitudes for more positive, growth-oriented results, will find The Secret World of Children a winner. 

The Secret World of Children

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The Secrets of the Hidden Workforce
Lisa Toth

Yorkshire Publishing
978-1-960810-40-3         $20.00
www.YorkshirePublishing.com 

Lisa Toth's life work revolves around helping individuals with disabilities find meaningful jobs that contribute to the workforce in effective, positive ways. The Secrets of the Hidden Workforce follows her other writings and radio show, revealing how to find purpose and meaning in work. It offers a program and insights that any worker can utilize to further identify their own goals for work and leisure. 

The Secrets of the Hidden Workforce provides a blueprint to understanding the secrets of work satisfaction and contributions. It is also a memoir of how Lisa Toth created an agency to inspire people, then moved into a job coaching people with developmental and other disabilities. She successfully juxtaposed her personal ideals, philosophy, and approaches to life and work with the concrete results discovered and promoted in her company and workforce counseling. 

Toth's insights about how her desire to help others created a new career path will particularly engross readers who look for ways of giving to others while making a living. 

Her insights on caregiving, creating positive scenarios, and contributing in different ways acknowledge the obstacles and successes of her efforts: 

"My experience in caring for Violet led me to think about the importance of positive caregivers in my own life—for example, when I was ill and needed some personal care for myself. I found that it makes a difference when someone who is doing something for me has a truly caring attitude. If they do not, I hate what they are doing; if they do, I appreciate that they truly want to care for me. This personal reflection on caregiving helped me realize that I always want to make the people in my care feel they are truly being cared for." 

This is how a book that purports to be about career, work, and meaningful contributions evolves into bigger-picture thinking that proves essential for all these efforts and more. This is also why The Secrets of the Hidden Workforce offers a wide-ranging series of insights that ideally will form the foundations for many a lively book club, business, or psychology discussion group. 

Libraries who choose The Secrets of the Hidden Workforce expecting another business book about jobs will be pleasantly surprised at the broad reach of Toth's subjects. They range from not just accepting but supporting diversity and the disabled to how to tailor, create, and tap a workforce that may need extra support, but returns the effort in uplifting ways that change the entire business internal culture. 

The Secrets of the Hidden Workforce is very highly recommended for all these reasons, presenting a standout approach and philosophy that's easy to absorb and engrossingly supported by case history examples and personal insights. 

The Secrets of the Hidden Workforce

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Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships
Brad Englert
Fast Company Press
978-1639080748             $23.95
www.fastcompanypress.com 

Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships represents a step above the usual business guide on networking to tackle the deeper issues and promise of a business relationship: creating a genuine bond that rests as much on mutual learning and support as it does on the personal connections that normally bring friends together. 

By identifying, acknowledging, and understanding the properties of a business relationship fueled not just by goals and objectives, but genuine connections, business leaders and entrepreneurs have much to consider and grow from as they craft their influence and broaden its reach. 

From understanding a new supervisor’s challenges and responding to them in a supportive manner that accepts revised goals and expectations (and understanding that the bigger picture to this relationship involves promoting organizational health as well as profit) to the notion that “You don’t always win, but you have to try,” Brad Englert uses his own experiences and examples from the real world of business pursuits to illustrate the nature and changes of authenticity. 

Much of Englert’s experience drives this discussion, from how he implemented consistent incidence reporting procedures to identify and mitigate the causes and effects of power outages to “building customers into advocates” who work hand-in-hand to troubleshoot issues. These real-world examples offer concrete advice and insights that promote being curious, learning from people, keeping them in the communication loop, and more. 

Where many business books promote the general concept of networking, Englert moves beyond to discuss the specific concept of forming deep, lasting, and motivational business relationships at all levels, from supervisors to customers. Englert deftly and effortlessly delivers these insights, often with a dose of humor - a true professional who deeply understands what he's talking about.  

The result is a guide that leads business readers through various types of relationships, whether they be with bosses, leaders, reporting routines, or staff, discussing typical pitfalls and promises in each circumstance. 

Emerging and established business leaders seeking leadership books that cut to the chase with powerful, real-life examples of how to psychologically master the "critical hard skill" of building lasting business relationships will welcome this book.    

Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships

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Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash
Lena Gibson
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-364-1        
$24.95 Paper/$6.99 ebook/Audiobook TBA
Website: https://lenagibsonauthor.wpcomstaging.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Switching-Tracks-Trash-Train-Hoppers/dp/1685133649 

Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash spins romance and action from a futuristic dystopian setting in a manner that defies any sense of pat categorization as sci-fi, romance, or adventure story. Its ability to break from traditional formula approaches to writing in any of these genres lends its appeal to a wider audience as Lena Gibson follows trash scavenger Elsa, who is barely surviving on garbage in 2195 Southern California when she unearths a dangerous treasure. 

The maps promising six Doomsday bunkers laden with food and survival supplies seem too good to be true. It is. Elsa discovers that, along with the maps, there is a dangerous host of competing special interests that all share the objective of locating these bunkers for the same reasons. 

As she hops a train to encounter individuals that each operate outside the predatory belief system of the almost-all-controlling corporation GreenCorps, new possibilities arise that, in turn, demand new response and growth from those who would truly reap the benefits of a discovery that leads to not just survival, but real change. 

Can a life of misery, slavery, death, and confrontation be changed by a new pursuit? Lena Gibson reveals more than the physical mechanics of switching tracks into a new life as the ragtag group meets, coalesces, shares interests, and develops new paradigms for survival and its ultimate costs and meaning. 

The story is rich in hope and a newfound opportunity represented by the promise of a different world and life, which intrigues the characters in different ways. This motivates them to set aside old habits and differences in a rare conjoined effort to do, see, and distribute something new into their worlds. 

It's a sense of adventure and interpersonal connection that has long been missing from a milieu in which greed and self-satisfaction have taken over, fueled by corporate control: 

“Sounds like fun to explore, like a hunt for treasure.”
Excitement built, along with the fluttery sensation inside. “That’s how I see it. That’s why I couldn’t sell the tube, even when we were hungry. It meant opportunity.”
 

While Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash may be chosen for its entertainment value or enjoyed by sci-fi or adventure-seeking audiences, its real value lies in its promise (and delivery) of change and renovation as the characters move beyond shared interests to consider the opportunities both within and outside themselves, to change their worlds and those around them. 

Libraries and readers seeking a wide-ranging story of survival and transformation that also holds many topics to pique book club reader interest will find Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash a voracious story of hope, struggle, and challenge that ends with the door wide open for another adventure. 

Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash

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Traveling in Wonder
Autumn Carolynn
Autumn Carolynn Photography
979-8-218-30855-1        
$39.99 Hardcover/$31.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
www.autumncarolynn.com 

Many travelogues assume a similar pattern: the narrator embarks on a world journey replete with tactile and mental experiences and revelations. 

Traveling in Wonder takes a different approach. It comes from a former flight attendant who traveled to 30 countries over a thirty-year period. She didn't just touch down and leave: she stepped off the plane to immerse herself in each of these worlds, moving through different personal and career objectives as she made discoveries about herself and diverse cultures around the world. 

Choosing the memoir format gives these experiences a "you are here immediacy" that doesn't end with a quick assessment or dip into the country, but involves in-depth surveys as Carolynn moves from studying abroad in Germany, Ireland, Hungary and more European countries to becoming a flight attendant, visiting more countries such as Iceland. She describes many forays into U.S. states; then becoming a travel agent, delving into Asia before her current incarnation as a photographer working in Costa Rica, Portugal, and Morocco. 

Each new phase of life and career brings with it more than a taste of the nations Carolynn experiences: 

"I was taken back by the intricate beauty of France. All the buildings were composed of a creamy white stone, with romantically swirled ledges in front of every windowpane with flowerpots underneath. The buildings constituted large blocks stories high, so I couldn’t see the sky. However, this was equaled out by large trees throughout the streets that captured the aura of autumn mist. The fashion in France was breathtaking. I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it. Everyone fit in with the sophisticated surroundings and truly cared about how they dressed." 

Carolynn's gorgeous color and black and white photos liberally pepper her experiences, adding to the feeling of journeying alongside her as readers venture into each country. At the start of each experience is a checklist she created for herself to remind her of goals and cement the events that transpired, from making new friends to lessons learned from that experience. 

Her self-examination is every bit as important as her experiences: 

"As I watched the reflection in the water, I reflected on my trip in Oceania. I never would have thought taking a chance to try something completely out of my comfort zone would end up in the ultimate adventure of a lifetime. For the first time in a long time, I truly felt courageous." 

The result blends photographic visual and psychological excellence into a journey that libraries will find inviting, gently thought-provoking, and packed with excitement and insight alike. Wanna-be travelers will find the variety of travels and the life-changing career transformations to be equally vivid and attractive, whether they plan on riding along with Carolynn in an armchair with Traveling in Wonder, or embarking on a similar journey themselves, keeping wonder at the forefront of anticipations about immersion into unfamiliar territory. 

Libraries will find it a fine addition that expands the usual travelogue approach, highly recommended to a wide range of armchair or destination travelers. 

Traveling in Wonder

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The Truth Too: Lamentations and Woes
Mikah, Co-Authored with the Holy Spirit
Red Letter Edition
979-8-9892428-2-5         $35.99
www.KingdomManagementTeam.faith 

Readers of Mikah’s prior work already know that this spiritual leader works in conjunction and through the Holy Spirit. The opening chapter explains how Mikah was appointed, during a spiritual cleansing of her mother’s home, by Father to assume a ministry to the world: 

“Not only are you a sweet fragrance, but you are the aroma that goes before My throne constantly. I am calling you to a ministry to teach and evangelize. I am quickening your heart for one reason. I am going to make your heart strong and hard so when I talk with you, you will be able to teach with understanding and authority. I am taking the mantle off this family and putting it on your shoulders.” 

From how Mikah was moved to write to reach a wider audience, to reflections on the Word of God which too often are misinterpreted or fall on deaf ears, this treatise navigates the common pitfalls of belief, interpretation, and representation in religious circles to preach methods of deliverance, address spiritual defilements, and understand obedience, curses, and the trials of testing which require believers to step up to better understand the Word of God and the incarnations of God’s presence in everyday life. 

Photos capturing circumstances of this physical presence in Mikah’s life reinforce the vision and focus of the narrative, presenting physical examples of God’s incarnations in the world that support contentions made in the text. 

Specific examples of spiritual challenges are accompanied by Scripture quotes that reinforce messages from God and perspectives of how they can be supported and applied to daily thinking. That only makes them more vibrant and accessible to spiritual thinkers and leaders interested in delving more deeply into the Word of God and how it appears in the world. 

Christian libraries and discussion groups seeking controversial and enlightening material for discussion and better understanding will find The Truth Too: Lamentations and Woes a powerful study in possibilities and perspective that delves into Scripture, applies it to historical precedent and human habits, and guides readers on a journey of discovery and consideration that could only come from a close relationship between Mikah and God. 

The Truth Too: Lamentations and Woes

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The Woman Who Forgot Who She Was
Vivian Probst
Lifemark Press
979-8370392856             $12.99 Paper/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Who-Forgot-She-Was/dp/B0BXNBHN2Q 

Readers of literary women's fiction, romance, and psychology will find The Woman Who Forgot Who She Was a powerful story. It centers on successful bank president Avery Victoria Spencer, who finds that her success isn't enough to stave off the aftermath of a trauma that has left her with dissociative amnesia, leading her to forget her husband and prior life. 

His appearance marks the unwelcome return of reminders of the past, which he can recall (with hurt) and she cannot (with healing). 

This shakes the foundations of who she thinks she is, arriving simultaneous to a financial conundrum that threatens everything she's tried to build in her new life, despite her glaring lack of memories about the past. 

The result is a reemergence as Avery is forced to connect the dots between past and present to find out who she truly is (which lies somewhere in-between two worlds). 

Vivian Probst creates a powerful saga of self-discovery which mirrors many a woman's attempts to connect to a deeper authenticity to better focus and fuel their careers and personal connections in the world. 

Avery serves as a mirror of ambition and effort, moving from an initial accident that leaves her not knowing who she is (yet wanting to die) to the façade of success in a new life which still harbors too many ghosts from the past to prove either viable or sustainable. 

Readers introduced to Avery's dilemmas and husband George's own anguish about the events which drove her from his arms will find much bigger-picture thinking a plus in the story. Each character evolves and slowly comes to accept one other, the past, and the answers and treasures which come from confronting guilt, self, and the future. 

Probst follows Avery's journey with a thoughtful hand to exploring the dynamics which prompt old pain and debts to re-emerge in unexpected ways and places, there to fester and encourage both new pain and revised opportunities. 

Many of Avery's experiences will lend perfectly to discussion groups interested in how women survive trauma, grow, reinvent themselves, and create purposeful new pathways in the world. 

As the first book in a four-part series, The Woman Who Forgot Who She Was is an immensely powerful introduction to all kinds of growth-oriented themes which will surprise and delight readers with its depth and drive towards financial and mental prosperity. 

Libraries seeking literary works of women's fiction which do more than scratch the surface of self-empowerment will find The Woman Who Forgot Who She Was highly recommendable to patrons and book reading groups that seek examinations of growth and change, powered by relationship currents that take unusual turns. 

The Woman Who Forgot Who She Was

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The Woman Who Fell Out of Fear
Vivian Probst
LifeMark Press
‎979-8489223126             $12.99 Paper/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Who-Fell-Out-Fear/dp/B09HQ5K6BL 

The second book in the Avery Victoria Spenser Fables series moves from the despair and anguish portrayed in the first tale to a more celebratory sense of the outcome of discovery and transformation. It represents a perfect dovetailing of time, place, and personality as protagonist Avery continues to address, make discoveries about, and repair the emotional traumas of her past, observing how they reincarnate in present-day events and experiences. 

Avery is, in many ways, triumphant about her vast discoveries and healing process, depicted in the first book (which covered her transformational realizations). However, discovery often comes with the price of a bone-cutting weariness as manic energy wanes and a quieter despair and recovery process sets in. 

Suddenly, the emotional reserves which seemed limitless and relatively untapped prove that they have their limitations, after all. Avery may have preserved her place as a much-improved bank president—but at the cost of emotional pleasures in life that lead her to view the world in a bleaker light. 

Vivian Probst mentions, in her introduction, that putting together Avery's story was like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Readers will enjoy the exploration of emotional and social puzzle pieces that lead Avery in more unexpected directions as she puts together past and present to evolve different options and interests for her future. 

The strength of the story lies in this process and in the insights that come with finding a new place she can call home—even if she doesn't quite know where that space resides, and cultivates new interests and habits in response. 

As she ponders what will happen if she doesn't host her promised and much-anticipated charitable events, Avery takes the next steps into a new life, which involves "...casting off falseness and self-loathing, which are masks that you wore because you did not know" as she enters into the tough proposition of becoming a Ruler of Your Own Life. 

The life lessons, connections, and challenges she experiences are an intrinsic part of growth. Avery confronts the fear and limitations which have held her back, so readers will find much to think about and book clubs receive many subjects suitable for debate on a range of topics, from women's empowerment to the dual challenges of romance and growth. 

Libraries seeking a multifaceted novel that both stands well alone and furthers and compliments the first book in the Avery Victoria Spencer Fables (The Woman Who Forgot Who She Was) will find The Woman Who Fell Out of Fear powerful and a compelling acquisition. 

The Woman Who Fell Out of Fear

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The Woman Who Found Her Fire
Vivian Probst
LifeMark Press
‎978-0975342299             $12.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Found-Victoria-Spencer-Fables/dp/0975342290 

The third book in the Avery Victoria Spencer Fables series, The Woman Who Found Her Fire, further investigates the impact of unresolved past trauma on present-day romance as star-crossed lovers Avery and George face the aftermath of a breakup and continue to struggle against trauma's lasting impact on their perceptions and choices. 

Once again, Vivian Probst has created a masterful interplay of characters and juxtapositions of traumas, recovery processes, and roads to realization and empowerment which do not come easy. Indeed, the cost in relationship impact may be more than both Avery and George can navigate as they aspire to successful outcomes, both individually and as a couple. 

Probst's passionate voice resonates through the story as Avery finds herself in unpredictable circumstances, from demonstrating kindness to a complete stranger to testing her ongoing love for George against all odds. 

As with the previous series titles, a host of related issues about women's empowerment (both internally and externally) come to light: 

"Avery knows how hard it was for her to become a bank president. All a guy had to do was be in the right pecking order. She had to run circles around these guys; it had taken pressure from her friend Evelyn and some media promotion to make it. Avery resents that inequality."

The themes that drive Avery's self-image, achievements, ability to love and give, and drive to survive and thrive her past, come to light in different ways that ultimately propel her into new directions. 

The result is another compelling addition to and expansion of Avery's life and transformations. The Woman Who Found Her Fire is highly recommended to a wide audience, from libraries seeking hard-hitting insights into women's lives and issues to psychology discussion groups about trauma's effect on life and love, and book club and reading groups interested in a powerful psychological profile of growth. 

The Woman Who Found Her Fire

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The Woman Who Forgave Herself
Vivian Probst
LifeMark Press
978-1735513416             $12.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Forgave-Herself-Victoria-Spencer-Fables/dp/1735513415 

The fourth book in the Avery Victoria Spencer Fables series, The Woman Who Forgave Herself, is a powerful, logical conclusion to a series steeped in discovery. It continues to follow Avery through past and present life changes as an old photo forces her to confront the damage from a past trauma that has impacted her future. 

Believing these crushing events were all her fault, Avery heads out in a rainstorm and, distracted, is hit by a car. She winds up on life support, where the choice between life or death is presented by the Angel of Life, who argues that she still has much opportunity and work in remaining in this life, even as Avery makes a case for leaving it and starting over with a clean slate. 

As in her prior books, Probst leads readers through a series of tough questions, difficult answers, and unexpected realizations as Avery faces perhaps her biggest challenge of all: acknowledging her part in causing pain, while forgiving herself for her errors and omissions. 

When Avery confronts George about who he really is and faces her own much-revised life, readers learn about giving and forgiveness. Avery absorbs new knowledge that forces her to consider George's past and the part she played in impacting his life. 

Regrets and transformation work hand in hand as Avery grows physically and mentally, continuing her work on herself by acknowledging her impact in the world and on important choices. 

As Life confronts Death and makes a case for Avery to continue her journey, readers receive a powerful study in contrasts and possibilities that will fuel their own self-examinations about choice and change. Meanwhile, as George finally faces his own unresolved agonies, he, too, must decide his fate. Now that both remember, each must choose what ‘for better or worse’ means. Be prepared for an unforgettable conclusion. 

Libraries and book clubs will find that each book in this series can operate alone, but is best absorbed as a unit of growth and discovery. Each fuels and furthers discussions and reflections about love, survival, and interpersonal impacts and choices. 

The Woman Who Forgave Herself, as with the entire series, is highly recommended reading for those interested in literary fiction about women's psychological, spiritual, and life empowerment processes. 

The Woman Who Forgave Herself

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Young Adult/Childrens

Breksta's Academy
Natasha Quay
Ensisheim Partners LLC 
979-8-218-22946-7                 $14.99
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNNJMKQJ/ 

Breksta's Academy is a teen coming-of-age fantasy centered on Breksta Vilkas, who has enjoyed an idyllic childhood in a small village where friendships and support systems abound. That is, until soldiers arrive and cause her mother to flee with her from the only home Breksta has known. 

When she is taken from her mother and forced to become a cadet in an academy, Breksta faces a completely alien environment alone, without the support systems she has enjoyed all her young years. 

Natasha Quay spins an intriguing story that follows Breksta's evolution as she hatches a plot to make a bid for freedom with her roommate Hestia when a new blanket of terror not only thwarts their dreams, but portends a deadly outcome fueled as much by the secrets Breksta's mother has kept as by the vastly revised circumstances she now faces alone. 

Quay's ability to craft a compelling character and dilemmas grows a vivid story as Hestia is subjected to a process to remove any memories of her friendship with Breksta, leaving her with an "unquestioning loyalty to her mother and the Academy." How can Breksta confront this situation? 

The questions of self-esteem and growth juxtapose with Breksta's growing realization about her life and the secrets behind her upbringing, giving young adults a vividly dramatic story that brings the protagonist and her world to life. 

Libraries seeking fantasy recommendations for young adults which embrace themes of growth and self-empowerment will find Breksta's character strong and her dilemmas unpredictably action-packed. 

Breksta's Academy

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Charlie Chaloosy is Often Quite Choosy
Brad Mason, Ed.D.

Yorkshire Publishing
978-1-960810-36-6         $20.00
www.YorkshirePublishing.com 

Charlie Chaloosy is Often Quite Choosy incorporates a rollicking rhyme in the picture book story of Charlie, who has a problem: 

"Charlie always seemed to pick,
things he liked the most.
For instance, all he ever ate
was peanut butter toast."
 

It's not only food that falls into the "everything matters" perception young Charlie holds about life. From clothing to activities, Charlie picks and chooses his desires so narrowly that almost nothing suits him. 

Young picture book readers (and parents who choose Charlie's story for read-aloud) receive a gentle lesson in choices and consequences which reveals how Charlie discovers and expands his world. 

More so than most picture book stories about choosy children, Charlie Chaloosy is Often Quite Choosy is about the process of growth and its unexpected, welcome results. 

Adults seeking to explain the wider options in a life lived not in fear and limited enjoyments, but a broader acceptance of new things, will find Charlie Chaloosy is Often Quite Choosy colorful, revealing, fun, and appealing to all ages. It's highly recommended for both individual and family reading, as well as elementary-level school libraries who will find its colorful character appealing and enlightening. 

Charlie Chaloosy is Often Quite Choosy

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Closet of Dreams
Mark Ukra & Tara Mesalik MacMahon
BookLogix
9781665301657             $12.99
www.booklogix.com  

Closet of Dreams introduces nine-year-old Child, who has a lot of big dreams (as well as many big fears). 

These fears are sparked by real encounters in life, such as clashes with class bully Eddie which almost prompt Child to forego the bigger dreams in his closet of opportunities.  

Young readers follow Child's adventures as he explores the contents of his Closet of Dreams and interacts with animal friends, and will enjoy a vivid tale illustrated with black and white art by Donna Dyer, which brings the story to life.  

As Hilda the hound dog points the way to possible fantastic adventures, Child finds that what he doesn't choose to do makes almost as great an impact as what he does.  

From finding the best way to share a secret to seeking help when he gets stuck, Child learns many lessons during the course of pursuing these dreams which will give young readers thought-provoking reflection; especially if this story is encouraged and supported by adult read-aloud efforts.  

Libraries and adults looking for gentle stories of adventure, courage, and magic will find all these elements and more in Closet of Dreams, a story of team-building and friendship that engages young readers on various issues and understanding opposing forces in life.  

Closet of Dreams

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Ephraim's Garden
Loralee Evans
Independently Published
978-1-7923-9021-0         $11.95
www.loraleeevans.com 

Ephraim's Garden will appeal widely as both a read-aloud book that adults can enjoy for the very young, and as an attractive fable story for kids up to age ten. 

The green valley of Ephrath is tended by gardener Ephraim, who has built an attraction for all ages through his efforts, interesting young, would-be gardeners who both appreciate the beauty and aspire to become garden guardians themselves. 

Ephraim gathers his young followers and gives each of them a plot to tend in preparation for planting. He warns them that "... the work is not easy, and you will not see the results of your hard work right away." 

Jared is a young person who believes in hard work, the garden, and Ephraim's promise. His dedication (and that of fellow avid young plot-tenders) attracts the interest and derision of bullies who aren't interested in putting out that kind of effort. 

Their scorn brings tears to his tenderhearted friend Lissa, who is always easily affected by what others think. She tells him the root of her sorrow: 

“They said that we’re fools to work this hard, and that if Ephraim really cared about us, he would give us gardens that are already beautiful, not plain patches of dirt.” 

By now, it's plain to see that Loralee Evans has crafted a story about much more than gardening. She surveys matters of the heart, reasons behind emotions and reactions to them, and teaches young readers survival strategies that embrace understanding and better responses, as the story unfolds. 

Lovely, large-size, colorful images from Shutterstock.com pepper the tale and enhance it with beautiful accent points of children and gardens as Lissa's dilemma unfolds and Jared is called upon to tap unfamiliar resources in order to support her. 

The notes about real-life conundrums go far beyond a simple portrait of bullies and victims, creating an in-depth inspection of such related topics as self-doubt, courage, kindness, and supporting others' choices as they navigate obstacles in their lives. 

The result is a picture book story that is packed with wisdom, insight, and discussion material suitable for parents and kids and any adult working with children to build greater understanding about how to be a friend and how to address life's challenges. 

Libraries will also want to recommend Ephraim's Garden to discussion groups for young readers, as it holds many insights perfect for kids learning hard lessons about perseverance, friendship, and choice. 

Ephraim's Garden

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Mirror Tree
AnneMarie Mazotti Gouveia
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-151-9 (Hardcover)
$17.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook /$35.99 Hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com 

Middle grade fantasy readers who enjoyed Book 1 in the Drifters Realm series will find Mirror Tree a captivating adventure story. It's centered around twelve-year-old triplets and an older brother who embark on a journey, armed with magical backpacks, to stop the supernatural Guardians who are ruled by their uncle.

More than an action story of magic and confrontation, however, Mirror Tree includes insights into growth, issues of right and wrong, and tests of not just courage, but mettle, as the siblings confront rising evil forces, themselves, and each other. 

Young readers who think that AnneMarie Mazotti Gouveia's second series title requires familiarity with the first book would be mistaken. A list of characters and their relationships and abilities opens this story, allowing kids to browse the impressive list of people and powers before delving into battle presented in the book's opening lines: 

"A teenage boy screamed desperately in the dark, “Help Me!” as Roe ran through Drifters Square, her pale green eyes blinking wildly while tears streamed down her face from the smoke-filled air." 

Sacred rings, trapped lions, and legendary lost libraries come into play, challenging each of the characters not only by outward circumstance, but through inner mandates to address changes and new opportunities. 

Roe well knows that "There was no room for secrets in this quest they were on." And, yet, each harbor secrets that might kill them all. 

Gouveia creates a powerful story of truths and big secrets that need to be uncovered and dealt with. Mirror Tree is an absorbing quest tempered by a series of discoveries that tip the young adventurers into new opportunities portending peace and hope. 

At the end of the story, the path forward is clear and the door more than ajar for the next confrontation. 

Libraries seeking compelling leisure reads for middle grades will find Mirror Tree a fine accompaniment to the first book in the series, offering the kind of high-octane action, paired with psychological, moral, and ethical inspection, that will give young readers plenty to discuss and consider. 

Mirror Tree

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The Phoenix and the Ant
SMVL Trudeau
Ant and Phoenix Publishing
978-1738020201             $10.99 Paper/$3.67 eBook
Website: www.smvltrudeau.ca
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Ant-SMVL-Trudeau/dp/1738020207 

The Phoenix and the Ant will reach young readers in grades 6-8 with an action-packed fantasy story revolving around a young girl's discovery of forbidden magical abilities and her protective father's efforts to keep her secret from endangering her life. 

Wizardry and magic nearly ended the kingdom. This is why Ti-Seta's unexpected development is so dangerous (the popular opinion is that all magic is black). A girl who can transform into a phoenix would be the most threatening specter of all to a wounded kingdom barely recovered from its battles with magic and still focused on seeking out and eliminating its last vestiges and impact from their lives. 

Ti's father (a general) is both in the perfect position to save and redirect her and in a terrible bind when his own daughter falls onto the list of bad influences which should be exterminated. And so he does the only thing he can: he sends her away to a prestigious school. 

The road to Ti's redemption is fraught with danger because, in order to get there, she must traverse a broken, dangerous land in the company of a dubious crew of individuals. Each harbor their own reasons to confront or support each other and the status quo. 

SMVL Trudeau laces his story with thought-provoking insights about individual and group relationships and the choices of a young girl who could theoretically transform and save herself—but chooses not to: 

"Slayer had the thought that Ti could just turn into a phoenix and fly out of there with Priot. If they were careful, they could fly all the way to Yaudi on their own. He knew she wouldn’t. They were all doing this for her." 

These deeper-level inspections of motivation, purpose, ethical behavior and evolving odd friendships may feel unusual for a middle-grade story, but nothing about The Phoenix and the Ant is typical. Its focus on shifting relationships, new realizations, and a physical phoenix challenged with also transforming mentally creates an action-packed tale with an underlay of thoughtful dilemmas that readers will find thoroughly engrossing. 

The result is a leisure read adventure that will grip young imaginations, layered with bigger-picture thinking introduced within the action and drama of Ti's struggle to not just survive, but find a place in the changing world where her abilities are accepted. 

Libraries seeking attractive leisure reads that can translate well to young reader book club discussion groups about all manner of behaviors and struggles will find The Phoenix and the Ant a powerful story of growth, acceptance, and revitalization that embraces both individual and social change. 

The Phoenix and the Ant

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Squirrels in Antarctica
Sari Karplus
Independently Published
979-8-9860297-4-0 
      
$21.95 Hardcover/$13.99 Paperback
www.squirrelsbook.com 

Squirrels in Antarctica is a delightful picture book based on a brand-new word game. The zany drawings by illustrator Todd Wilkerson bring a variety of animals and places to life, like the relatively rare (but not impossible) specter of squirrels in Antarctica, hippos cleaning dishes at the kitchen sink, a porcupine riding a bike in Paris (wearing pink), and more. 

Young readers and read-aloud adults are invited to enjoy and participate in ideas of the absurd as animals appear well outside their environments and comfort zones to repose, dance, and fly through impossible scenarios. 

Kids who enjoy humor, whimsical scenarios, and delightful prompts to imagine all kinds of impossibilities within the world (and beyond) will appreciate the story's vibrant, revealing dance through unlikely scenarios. 

Squirrels in Antarctica is highly recommended for its creative perspective, its originality, and its delightful, colorful romp through life. It should find a place on library shelves and in the hands of adults seeking creative, lively, imaginative picture books.

Squirrels in Antarctica

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