May 2020 Review Issue
Fantasy & Sci Fi Mystery & Thrillers
Crucibles of
Power
C. T. Fitzgerald
Independently
Published
9798616940483
$12.99
Paper/$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Crucibles-Power-Threat-Angeals-Fitzgerald/dp/B0851MBVQ9
The
island nation
Athlan is a civilized light in the darkness of the world in Crucibles
of
Power...but nothing lasts forever, and it too faces the
threat of
instability and destruction from dark forces. Only the defenders of
Athlan, the
Marfach Gardai, can prevent disaster in Book 1 of the Threat
of Angeals series.
Epic
fantasy readers who look for vivid settings and descriptions
receive a healthy dose of each in this story, Book 1 in a four-book
series,
which benefits from C.T. Fitzgerald's strong descriptions: "Cean
stood
before the main gate of the Ban Castlean, the Ivory Castle, chest
heaving, eyes
bright. Pushed by some otherworldly force, he had run for two days and
nights
to arrive on time. The walls were massive and carved with runes. The
rock of
the fortress was white, glowing in the sunlight, on an island nation
where all
other rock was hard, black basalt. There was no explanation. The entire
castle
was carved from the living rock of Radahar."
Caen
Mak-Scaire is ready for battle and indeed shows his prowess with
sword and courage as he is summoned to battle a deadly ancient
opponent.
Exhausted by a series of confrontations which test his abilities even
before
his goal is reached, he journeys through a land that holds equal
opportunity
for defeat and promise.
As
a fisherman's son turned warrior faces the challenges of Angeals, he
also discovers a higher purpose in their involvements in his world: "I
am the Cath Angeal: the Death Angel. I decide who lives or dies. You
will be
put into situations. You will have to make decisions. Your decisions
will have
consequences in the real world. If you choose to save people, they will
be
saved. If you kill, they will die. Your decisions will determine your
fate. I
can tell you no more. Remember, be true.”
But,
are they relics of the past or portents of his future? As the
timeline becomes mercurial and he is charged with protecting his
people, Caen
finds within himself power, determination, and most of all, the hope
for a
better future.
As
Mother Earth herself joins the fray, a host of characters on both
sides struggle for survival and a world revision which may consume the
last
vestiges of civilization.
Readers
seeking an epic fantasy replete with battles, strong forces,
convincing characters, and men and women who confront Gaia and other
forces at
odds with their world's survival will find Crucibles of
Power fits the bill for an invigorating, compelling read
that builds a series of confrontations and special interests.
Supernatural
warriors require extraordinary heroes to defeat them, and these forces
are in
place in a story that probes the nature of good, evil, and the choices
and
consequences of warriors and ordinary individuals called upon to be
heroes.
C.
T. Fitzgerald
creates a compelling blend of battle scenes peppered with philosophical
and
psychological insights. These draw readers into a story that is hard to
put
down, following Caen's evolution into a Warrior worthy of participating
in the
biggest battle of all.
Epic
fantasy readers are in for a treat.
Return to Index
It Takes Death to
Reach a Star
Stu Jones and Gareth
Worthington
Vesuvian Books
978-1-944109-52-3
$21.95 Hardcover,
$17.95 Paper, $8.99 ebook
Audio: free
through Audible subscription or available everywhere else for $24.95
www.vesuvianbooks.com
The scenario in It
Takes Death to Reach a Star is almost uncanny as it relates
to the latest
coronavirus outbreak. Set in 2251, the story documents the aftermath of
a
world-wide plague that strikes at the end of World War III, decimating
the
population and leaving only one conflicted Siberian city intact.
Two groups
struggle in that city: a poor group naturally immune to the plague and
an
elite, rich group which has been bioengineered to be immune. Mila is a
member
of the poor group, forced to work for an organization which wants
revolution.
Demitri is a member of the elite group, but is ill and dependent upon
an
expensive, forbidden drug to survive.
The choices made
by these two disparate individuals hold the power to change not just
their
lives but the remnants of humanity in this vivid story.
There are plenty
apocalyptic stories of survival on the market, but the difference
between a
contrived, mundane production and an extraordinary presentation such as
It
Takes Death to Reach a Star lies in its depth of
characterization, culture,
and a sense of place created by the authors. The insights, reflections,
and
descriptions presented throughout the story are supercharged with
energy and
vivid language: "To my genuine surprise, I don’t dream of
shadows and
flame. Three hours feels like twelve. I’m a new woman, or might as well
be. At
least I’ll be able to work tonight. Clief will be happy, and Clief
being happy
means a room for a while yet. I swing my feet over the edge of the cot
and
lower my head to whisper a short chain of rehearsed words. The Graciles
abandoned faith long ago, but for us—for me—the power it has to
sustain, to
motivate, to generate hope, is more powerful than the evils at my door."
It should be
cautioned that It Takes Death to Reach a Star is
no quick thriller or
sci-fi read. Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington take the time to create a
complex
society utilizing in-depth psychology and detailing the political,
psychological, and social influences in a very different world. This
translates
to a satisfyingly detailed account that is anything but quick to
pursue.
Readers interested in simpler scenarios should look elsewhere.
Many apocalyptic
thrillers offer such simplicity, but what is more satisfying and unique
about
this story is that it takes time to build a society and atmosphere that
follows
its characters through the sights, sounds, and streets of an
almost-alien city,
contrasting its social makeups in the process: "This side of
Zopat is
run-down and desolate. What was a shadowy blessing before has now
become a
curse. Here, there’s no swelling mass of people to disappear into, no
businesses to enter and blend into, just street after darkened street."
Perhaps part of
this book's intense language and style comes from the fact that neither
author
is a writer alone. Stu Jones is a career law enforcement officer with
over a
decade of experience, and this background lends a realistic, gripping
touch to
the descriptions of struggles with authority and survival processes.
Gareth
Worthington holds a degree in marine biology
and a PhD in endocrinology, in addition to being a sci-fi writer.
Together, these
two created a riveting novel that grabs attention, crafts a realistic,
thoroughly engrossing scenario, and probes the roots of tyranny and
forces that
work against impossible odds (including their own training,
backgrounds, and
natures) towards elusive freedom.
Warning: once
begun, It Takes Death to Reach a Star proves
difficult to put down!
Return to Index
Continued Miracles, 2nd Edition
Debra L. Stout
Independently Published
9780986174612
$15.00
debrastoutauthor.com
Don't believe in miracles? The second
updated edition of Continued Miracles: Inspiring Testimonies
of God at Work
in the Lives of Everyday People shows how God removes
obstacles to lead
believers to better paths, whether it be away from addiction and prison
or via
circumstance and connections such as pets.
These experiences define miracles and
demonstrate how God operates, with testimonials recounting adversity,
struggle,
and pain with the purpose showing how each was overcome, defining the
nature of
a miracle and its spiritual impact.
Each story is very different. Often, the
'seeds of faith' are planted early on but are not followed until a
miracle
changes everything. Other times, the individual narrating the account
seemingly
stumbled onto the path (guided by God) of understanding and devotion.
Each story offers a conclusion and a
reflection, inviting readers to consider the presence of miracles in
their own
lives, and those moments which served as transformational vehicles.
In addition to quotes from Biblical passages
reinforcing the divine nature of these experiences, the 'Your
Responses'
section requires that readers do more than absorb another person's
miracle and
experience, inviting them to analyze their responses to the story: "What do you think of Dolores’ story? Would
you have made the same decisions if you were in her situation?"
and "Would you be able to forgive if you
were Sam? Is there someone you need to forgive now?"
This interactive encouragement goes beyond
gathering testimonials about the presence and methods of God. It
encourages
readers to take a closer look at their own lives, events, and the
reactions,
presumptions, and spiritual lessons to be learned from individual
choices and
responses.
Under another hand, it would have been too
easy just to gather stories and add a few Bible passages. But Debra L. Stout's
added value to this approach involves creating an interactive lesson
from these
miracles. This sets Continued Miracles apart from
most other collections
of spiritual experience and, indeed, is an intrinsic part of the
Continued
Miracles concept of sharing and growing.
Readers are invited to write their own
miracle stories to embark on a journey that embraces journaling,
reflection,
creating a testimonial, and most importantly, considering its impact
and
message: "How did my miracle affect
my belief, faith, and trust in God? Scripture that applies to my
miracle: What
would I like someone else to learn from my miracle? With whom have you
shared
your miracle story so far? What was the outcome? Did I miss my miracle?
Think.
A coincidence is not a miracle and a miracle is not a coincidence."
Those on a spiritual path who would do more
than read messages will find Continued
Miracles a powerful documentation of living faith not just
experienced, but
reflected and examined.
Return to Index
The
Silent Path: Awaken to Your Highest
Possibility
Avi
Meditation Farm
978-0-578-63706-8
$16.95
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Path-Awaken-Highest-Possibility/dp/0578637065
Website: www.meditationfarm.com
The Silent Path: Awaken to Your Highest Possibility provides the perfect introduction to
meditation for newcomers to the practice. It speaks about cultivating
individuality and purpose in life against the onslaught of collective
thinking
pressures.
Avi
points out
that few modern systems "are working for the liberation of the
individual." Most are juggernauts of collective melding that work for
themselves. This is why meditation can provide answers that society
cannot.
It's individual-centric, and just as society cares little about inner
pursuits,
so the foundation question "Who am I" cannot be addressed by society,
but marks a path of self-inquiry that meditation supports.
Those
who embark
on this journey will realize new possibilities, from renewed purpose
and
identity to revised approaches to life itself. And that's what The
Silent Path
is all about.
Readers already contemplating a personal
journey towards enlightenment will find The
Silent Path intriguing in many ways. For one, it points out
that a
spiritual path and a religious path are different: "Spirituality
has nothing to do with religion. If spirituality is
a living garden where beautiful flowers are growing, religion is a
museum where
all those once-beautiful flowers are now wilting...While religion
emerges out
of the mind of man mostly for his selfish desires, spirituality takes
birth in
the longing heart of an individual. Spirituality is an existential
longing to
know who you are; it is the desire of the universe to know itself
through
you."
Later discussions synthesize and further
illustrate this concept: "Spirituality
is always a leap of faith. It’s like walking to the edge of the
mountain and
jumping off without worrying whether you are wearing a parachute, or if
someone
is down there to catch your fall. That moment of trust when you reach
deep
within and take the leap, is the moment of your spiritual liberation.
The rest
of the journey is simply to realize the fact that you have already
found what
you are looking for."
Readers
unfamiliar with these processes may initially believe this discussion
will
revolve around philosophical or ethereal concepts of higher purpose,
but
there's a grounded benefit to many of these approaches that translates
to
improved everyday life. One example lies in pain sufferers: "When you watch the pain intensely, the
energy of watching completely transforms the way you experience pain.
Although
the source of pain is in the body, it is the mind that makes it real.
Mind
controls everything, including the sensations of physical pain. When
you gain control
over your mind, you gain control over physical pain as well."
As
Avi applies
the concepts and approaches of spiritual enlightenment and meditation
to every
facet of daily living, readers come to understand that the benefits of
following this silent path go beyond enlightenment on the spiritual
realm to
permeate every facet of life.
As
an anecdote
to the Culture of Doubt, The
Silent Path: Awaken to Your Highest
Possibility
is more than just uplifting. It's simple, achievable, and easy for
anybody to
digest. It offers a course of action and a set of admonitions that
should
resonate with a wide audience, lies within no single religious realm,
and can
be understood and applied to all lives, across the board.
Those
with an
interest in self-help and spiritual growth will find The
Silent Path
an excellent beginning to embarking on a different life journey
grounded in the
pursuit of happiness and renewed purpose.
Return to Index
The Assassin and the Pianist
David Nees
Independently Published
ASIN: B084ZWT3FN
$1.99 Kindle
Website: www.davidnees.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Assassin-Pianist-Book-Dan-Stone-ebook/dp/B084ZWT3FN
The Assassin and the
Pianist
explores two very different worlds that unexpectedly clash when an
isolated,
talented classical pianist rescues an assassin who has lost his memory.
Christina uses her country cottage refuge as
a place to experience peace, quiet, and uninterrupted practice on the
piano as
she prepares for world concerts and acclaim. Taking in a stranger
during a
storm wasn't part of her agenda. Nor was falling in love.
But she does both, and not only does her
life change, but a new spark is added to her musical efforts that
promises to
make her exceptional pianist—if heartbreak doesn't kill her inspiration.
For his part, assassin Dan Stone wasn't
looking for anything but escape and survival from an assignment gone
awry.
Having lost his memory, all he knows is that bad people are looking for
him,
and Christina's isolated cottage proves a good place to recover and try
to
regain a sense of his past.
Romance wasn't on their agenda, but as it
evolves, questions of past worlds, new threats, and a future together
draws
readers into an exceptional story of survival and achievement.
David Nees does an excellent job of crafting
a stand-alone story that requires no prior familiarity with the other
four
thrillers in the Dan Stone series in order to prove compelling to
newcomers.
More than most series titles, this is a complete story that focuses
more on
unwinding events than recreating past history, and this makes The Assassin and the Pianist immediately
compelling.
Equally inviting is the contrast between two
very different lives and worlds, how they come together, and the
different
forces beyond outside menaces that threaten to tear them apart. It's
rare to
see a thriller/romance that works so well on so many levels, but The Assassin and the Pianist achieves
its goal of providing a multifaceted read that will satisfy audiences
who look
for both love and bigger-picture confrontations and action.
The Assassin and the
Pianist
will be welcomed by readers who look for stories with strong emotional
ties,
which follow the growth experiences of characters and conclude with
realistic
approaches to expanding the possibilities of all the characters.
It's an involving thriller about making
choices and living one's life, and how both are reconsidered when new
opportunities emerge to challenge established patterns.
Thriller and romance fans alike will find it
a gripping tale.
Return to Index
Black Camel
Ed Mitchell
California Coast Publishing
eBook:
978-1-7342065-2-4
$ 9.95
Trade
Paperback: 978-1-7342065-1-7 $15.99
https://booksbyedmitchell.com/
The Black Camel is an undercover political
assassin with a reputation for always hitting her target. That's why
Al-Qaeda
hires her to spread terror attacks across the USA in an effort to force
the
U.S. out of the Middle East. And that's why it will take a crack team
of counter
terrorists to stop the Black Camel...a team that includes a FBI Special
Agent
and a jaded Israeli Mossad Field Officer.
While it may seem like a newcomer beginning
with Volume 5 in The Gold Lust series would be at a disadvantage, it
should be
emphasized that each book is a stand-alone production. Black
Camel opens with a list of characters and their jobs, a short
but intriguing prologue that establishes setting and background, and
then moves
to a captivating question at a Virginia wedding that immediately gains
the
reader's attention: "Why do I want
to marry a man who’s a magnet for danger?”
With the prologue and first sentence,
readers are off and running as it becomes evident that the bride is
right to
worry. An unwelcome visitor, a Muslim watcher with a camera, is
stalking the
wedding from afar—and the threat is just beginning.
While urban firebombs, a connection between
an air show and a murdered farmer, and Allah's Avengers in America test
the
FBI-team, readers are treated to a fast-paced story of intrigue and
action that
punctuates explosions and confrontations with dangerous decisions on
both sides
of the War on Terror.
Ed Mitchell's military background again
lends realistic action and description to a story that is powerfully
compelling
as readers romp through close encounters, near misses, and the
evolution of
terrorist attacks on American soil.
America needs her defenders...but the price
of participating in defense may tear apart love, family, and normal
life on
many different levels. It should be noted at this point that female
operatives
play important roles as the story evolves, proving just as assertive
and savvy
as their male agent counterparts. A subplot involving two women's
relationship
and the complicated challenge a man's love inserts into it adds further
depth
and dimension to the thriller.
The result is a heady romp through a
much-changed, threatened America that moves from personal lives and
challenges
to political intrigue. Readers of Black Camel are
in for a treat!
Return to Index
The Burden of
Darkness
Barry Finlay
Keep On Climbing
Publishing
Paperback: 978-0-9959379-8-7
$12.99
Kindle:
978-0-9959379-9-4
$ 4.99
Website: www.barry-finlay.com
Amazon profile
page: http://bit.ly/2BarryFinlay
The Burden of Darkness is the fifth
in the Marcie Kane Thriller
Collection and involves Marcie Kane and hubby Nathan Harris. Nathan is
suffering from PTSD after a Tampa hotel fire nearly claimed her life
and that
of the President of the United States. While her quick thinking saved
them, it
could not prevent the rise of terror and tension in Nathan's mind every
time
thunder sounds or something sparks these horrible memories.
At first, this
FBI consultant seemed fine. They married. Life moved on until the PTSD
claimed
part of his personality, confidence, and life. Now it is the dominant
force
affecting their lives and relationship, and even Marcie's quick
thinking and
savvy reactions can't seem to change its relentless course.
The Burden of Darkness is an astute survey of
the insidious process of PTSD.
Its ability to create a thriller that incorporates descriptions of a
life gone
awry due to the tensions of being active agents is particularly well
done: "He
stopped working; the gym was a distant memory and he had little
enthusiasm for
anything. It seemed like he struggled between letting her do what she
wanted
and being with
her constantly to provide the
protection he thought she needed. She had suggested help, but he
insisted he
was fine."
From handling
Nathan's panic attacks, nightmares, and a husband's denial of any
problems to
another threat that evolves from outside their relationship, Marcie has
her
hands full, and even her formerly-capable husband can't help.
As she comes to
realize the dangerous extent of his condition while confronting an
adversary
whose terminal disease gives him added strength, these seemingly
disparate
threads of connection become interwoven with a bigger picture of
further
danger.
The strength in The
Burden of Darkness lies in its ability to move from the
microcosm of changed
lives to the macrocosm of an endangered society and the impact of one
strong
woman's decisions that affects them both.
Another strength
lies in the psychological revelations Nathan discovers during his
recovery
process...insights that will, in turn, help Marcie in her quest to help
her
husband and others: "The term brainspotting is easier to
remember. It's
something new she introduced me to. It's hard to understand and even
harder to
explain, and if you'd asked me two months ago, I would have told you it
was
voodoo. The doctor said it combines elements of a bunch of different approaches. She said the
reprocessing part of
the equation is the most important. It involves helping the brain
digest and
store appropriate emotions from experiences that are causing the
problem. It’s
like retraining the brain to stop thinking the next event will be like
the
last.”
As psychological
discoveries and recovery leads to newfound love and new tools for
healing,
readers are informed about not just the causes and impact of PTSD, but
its
recovery process.
Meanwhile,
adversary Strand is going downhill, and has limited time in which to
exact
revenge using clever drones and a grudge against Marcie that he has
cultivated
for years.
Nathan's
overriding message that leads him back to being an effective husband
and FBI
agent is also the battle cry in a story that is evocative and
compelling:
"Anxiety will not dictate the terms. I’m in charge."
The result is a
suspense thriller that is an outstanding follow-up to Remote
Access, yet
leads readers on some unexpected journeys. Those who like their
thrillers
especially strong in interpersonal relationships and connections and
character
psychology and evolution will welcome The Burden of Darkness
for its
compelling blend of action and insight.
Return to Index
Charleston Green
Stephanie Alexander
Bublish, Inc.
Paperback: 978-1-64704-050-5
$14.99
Ebook: 987-1-64-704-051-2
$
4.99
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Charleston-Green-Novel-Stephanie-Alexander-ebook/dp/B08562Z171
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/charleston-green-stephanie-alexander/1136546725?ean=9781647040505
Communicating with the dead is not on her
list of things to do, but in Charleston
Green Tipsy discovers that her new home harbors unexpected
guests whose
union is not only stormy, but creates a special posthumous angst
because wife
Jane believes Henry killed her and then himself...an accusation Henry
vehemently denies.
'Psychic investigator' was also not a role
Tipsy expected to play, but as she's drawn into the history of Jane and
Henry's
dilemma, she probes not only the circumstances of their deaths but
their
personalities, secrets, and motivations.
Stephanie Alexander does an outstanding job
of not only outlining a mystery and the dilemma of a psychic who would
rather
not imbibe in the problems of the afterlife as she faces her own
relationship
and family dilemmas, but who finds her own psyche buffeted by too many
emotional entanglements.
Tipsy is a struggling artist who never gets
the time to fully realize her talents, she's broke, and she's on edge
because
the everyday world and her psychic connections keep colliding,
especially
around Henry's techno-puzzles.
As she struggles to maintain equilibrium
with new beau Will and forge a new life for herself, she comes to find
that her
future happiness is intrinsically tied just to not her own past, but
her
ability to uncover the truth about Henry and Jane.
Readers will appreciate Alexander's
attention to detail, drama, and the interactions and concerns of both
worlds,
and will find the mystery woven into the story a nice icing on the
descriptions
of Tipsy's life.
It would be a shame to limit Charleston
Green to either readers of
psychic fiction or mystery fans. These audiences, as well as historical
fiction
readers and those who want a romp through life and the influences of
afterlife,
will find Charleston Green a
thoroughly engrossing saga.
Return to Index
Devolution
John Casey
Adelaide Books, LLC
Hardcover: 1951214056
$27.40
Paperback: 1950437019
$22.30
https://www.amazon.com/DEVOLUTION-Devolution-Trilogy-John-Casey/dp/1950437671
Devolution
is the first book in a spy thriller series by John Casey and tells of
Michael
Dolan, a staffer at the Pentagon who is approached by the CIA to use
his unique
skills to stop a terrorist attack in Europe. Now an undercover agent,
Dolan
finds himself tasked not only with a threat to society, but a threat to
his own
carefully constructed psychological state of mind.
As cat-and-mouse espionage games play out,
Dolan employs his tech-savvy prowess and ability along with his
military
background and political experience to navigate dangerous waters indeed.
The story doesn't open with Dolan's life or
abilities, however. It sets the stage for events to come by presenting
the
efforts of agent Lauren Rhodes, who coordinates a mission that involves
deploying a new deadly device. It's a mission seven months in the
making which
thus far has seen no success, with only loosely linked evidence and spy
material to show for a concerted effort.
Once Dolan enters this complex picture, the
story becomes much more than one of espionage and spy games. John Casey
injects
a healthy note of psychological self-inspection into Dolan's efforts.
This
creates added value in presenting a character who is a cut above the
usual
seasoned spy.
Dolan inspects many facets of his psyche and
brings readers along for his self-revealing ride: "He’d
also heard that one wouldn’t dream about doing something
they wouldn’t do in real life. Not that you wouldn’t want to do it or
think
about doing it. It’s more accurate to say one wouldn’t ever do
something in a
dream that they wouldn’t dare to do when awake, like committing murder.
Which
led him to wonder, why was he was prevented from helping his friend? In
a real
situation he would, without hesitation. Instead he freezes, his friend
is
killed gruesomely and he wakes up sweating, eyes wide and heart
pounding. It
was an evil dream. It scared him. He hated it and wished it would go
away. And
he also liked it."
As the story unfolds, this extra
psychological inspection keeps Dolan's character believable and
complex,
inviting readers into the action using an emotional component designed
to keep
them engaged in the step-by-step moments of his experiences: "Dolan’s heart rate had slowed by the
time he was back to his original hiding place in front of the house. He
felt
confident he now had the upper hand and he was fully in his zone. He
hadn’t
felt this way since Afghanistan, and he welcomed it like an old, dear
friend.
He was calm. Precise. Lethal."
Committed to his mission, Dolan never gives
up and always does his best. That edict is challenged and changed by
circumstances that keep readers on edge and thoroughly involved.
Those seeking a seat-of-your pants thriller
that avoids the usual formula character and writing in favor of
something
refreshingly different will find Devolution
a fine story that is riveting and hard to put down.
Return to Index
Dharma: A Rekha Rao Mystery
Vee Kumari
Great Life Press
Print: 978-1-938394-42-3
$14.95
Ebook: 978-1-938394-43-0
$
4.99
www.greatlifepress.com
Dharma
features Rekha Rao, a thirty-something Indian American professor of art
history
who faces many conundrums. Her father has been murdered, her family is
fixated
on getting her a beau to marry, and she's struggling with PTSD while
recovering
from an abusive relationship.
Any of these situations would be cause
enough for angst. The last thing Rekha needs is to become involved in
another
murder and its investigation, but her background in art history may
reveal the
clues needed to find the real perp in both cases. And so Rekha embarks
on a
journey that places her squarely on an investigative hot seat.
From a cross-dresser whose lies could hide
either a hidden impulse or a murder to a suspect list that continues to
grow,
Rekha's skills and psyche are assaulted by moves that place her in
danger and
threaten her carefully built recovery from PTSD.
As she probes the murder and its connection
to an art relic, the idol of the Hindu Goddess Durga, Rekha struggles
with her
own attraction to the fiery detective on the case, her family's
attempts to
choose an appropriate Indian suitor as her next beau, and a sense of
duty that
keeps her questioning apparent truths about the real murderer's
identity.
Dharma
is a lively story about duty, discovery, and growth as much as it is a
murder
mystery steeped in Indian tradition, yet set in Los Angeles.
Vee Kumari does an outstanding job of
weaving the process of Rekha's awakening and various avenues to romance
with
her pursuit of truth, both in the murder cases and in her own life.
This
juxtaposition of goals and values keeps the story fast-paced for
mystery
readers, yet involving for those who look for cultural insights and
psychological growth in their protagonists and stories.
Dharma's
powerful female character is not only intellectual and clever, but
fuels the
engrossing romance story of a woman deciding between two very different
suitors. It will please those seeking strong characterization that
drives an
underlying story of intrigue and revelation.
Return to Index
Final Act
Van Fleisher
Independently Published
Print: 978-1-7320833-1-8
$TBA
Ebook: 978-1-7320833-2-5
$2.99
www.vanfleisher.com
Final Act
provides a sequel to Van Fleisher's prior thriller Final
Notice, but requires no prior familiarity in order to appeal
to newcomers because it recaps the prior book's events in a succinct,
satisfying prologue.
The story's concept is simple: a smart watch
invention that can predict one's day of demise is intended to help
people get
their affairs together, but an unexpected result is that some use this
knowledge to enact programs of revenge or vengeance.
Final Notice
followed that initial development. Final
Act expands the idea to what those around the watch-holder
would do if they
held such knowledge.
A cast of characters follows the prologue,
but doesn't explain their roles. This is left for the story to fill out
as it
follows the dilemmas of Vijay Patel, the VT2’s inventor, and Zoe
Brouet, the
FBI agent trying to contain the trail of deaths left by wearers of the
VT2.
To add a contemporary twist to an
already-engrossing setting, a tumultuous election year involving a
foreign
power's interference in the U.S. elections complicates matters for the
two who
are trying to monitor and control the fallout from the VT2 device.
As the story moves from California to
Massachusetts and New Hampshire, readers are treated to a vivid romp
through
relationships, politics, and technology that builds a complex,
compelling
interrelationship between all three.
As a member of the original team that
developed VT2, Alek Belikov holds information that is desired by
opposing forces.
Coerced into helping them lest Jennifer and Zoe be murdered, Alek finds
his
special interests at odds in a battle for both control and redemption.
The intrigue and thriller components of this
story are very well done. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as
the
cast of characters navigates the uncertain waters of political clashes
and
special interests over a technology and political process gone awry.
What makes this story especially strong,
however, is its moral question: "Would
you kill, knowing you would never live to stand trial?"
The answer to that question creates a
riveting story that is impossible to put down for political thriller
fans
seeking something different.
Return to Index
Giacomo's
Daughter
Rosanna Savone and Diana Savone (aka The
Savone Sisters)
Liv Luhv Rahyt Inc.
978-1-7344688-0-9
$15.99
https://thesavonesisters.com/books
Giacomo's Daughter introduces a new crime thriller series centered
around
Sofia Spera, and presents a realistic
Mafia story replete with violence and social observation. Its vivid
descriptions might disturb readers looking for a lighter treatment, but
it
pointedly captures the realities of this world for those who look for
historical stories about domestic violence that pull no punches.
Max
Denaro heads a powerful Italian mob family, the Scalici Squad. He's
coveted performer Sofia Spera since he first saw her sing, and has made
her his
wife. Now Sofia is trapped not just in a marriage, but a dangerous
world that
even her father Giacomo can't save her from.
But
eighteen-year-old married-to-the-mob Sofia is no delicate rose
paling in the face of danger. She's a spunky, determined, feisty young
woman
who cleverly fights not only her newfound Mafia connections, but
society's view
of a woman's strengths as she takes matters into her own hands. She
concocts
schemes that take advantage of her aura of innocence, which makes for a
sly
cunning many a male could not match.
The
only problem is that her cleverness results in an unexpected danger
when she inadvertently sparks the infamous Detroit Mob War.
Rosanna Savone and Diana Savone do an
outstanding job of capturing the origins of Sophia's spunky attitude: "According to her strict Catholic
parents, well-behaved women didn’t run around on stage making
spectacles of
themselves. Good women weren’t created for entertainment. At least,
not for
wide audiences. They were created for a higher purpose, a more noble
cause,
only to be enjoyed by one special man. Her future husband.
From
the culture of an immigrant Sicilian father who believes that
women are only suitable to be nuns, whores, or wives to a husband who
literally
owns her, Sofia's 1924 world seemingly holds few other options. Or,
does it?
Sofia's
determination leads to a series of conundrums that results in
her best friend's disappearance, her husband's lies about his
involvement in
that event, and her decision to confront him, even while naked, about
the
truth. Max really doesn't know what to do with Sofia, sometimes. On the
one
hand, she's his beautiful heart's desire. On the other hand, her
ability to
manipulate him occasionally backfires, causing him to question her
motives and
loyalties: "Not allowing Max to brush her question away
easily, Sofia
continued, “Again with the laughing. Do you blame me for thinking it?
That’s
what you do, right? Besides being a bootlegger… You do kill people.”
Growing
wearisome of her antics, Max stared right into Sofia’s eyes. Giving a
severe warning
to his mouthy wife with his deliberate glare, he replied, “Yes, I do
kill
people, but that’s no laughin’ matter.
As
Sofia takes advantage of a man's innate tendency to protect a woman,
provokes courtship in order to gain answers which create further
dangerous
situations, and encounters mob connections and surprises that endanger
her life
and those around her, readers receive an engrossing story indeed.
Max
has held the power over her from the beginning of his attraction:
"You are my wife,” Max reminded her, but it came out as a barked order.
“And it’s death do us part.” Now everything is about to
change...for both
of them.
The
gritty reality of mob politics, social interactions, and 1920s
sentiments towards women and their value contrast nicely with young
Sofia's
changing situation and determination to rise above her destiny against
all
odds.
Rosanna Savone and Diana Savone create
powerful characters and capture the underlying nuances of mob
encounters and
politics, profiling the wellsprings of Sofia's courage and changes as
she
navigates a strange world her father Giacomo never raised her to
survive in.
As she cultivates new connections and allies
based on a mutual life-threatening fear of Max, the Savone sisters add
other
characters both within and outside the mob community in an engrossing
story of
special interests that is compellingly realistic, streetwise and
gritty, and
hard to put down.
The underlying focus on domestic violence
and sociopathic mob men sets this story apart from most other stories
about the
mob, adding a rare dimension of history, psychology, and intrigue to
the story
of Sofia's survival.
Readers of fiction where women's strengths
are prominently displayed will relish Giacomo's Daughter, a crime thriller that rests firmly on the
evolutionary process of a beautiful daughter who develops and pursues
her own
best interests in the midst of the city-wide mob confrontation she
inadvertently (and sometimes purposely) helped to build.
Return to Index
A
Goan Holiday
Anitha Perinchery
Independently Published
ebook: 978-1-7337986-3-1
$ 4.99
Paperback: 978-1-7337986-4-8
$19.99
Price: Free on Kindle Unlimited.
Website: www.AnithaPerinchery.com
Ordering links:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733798641/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
A
Goan
Holiday
provides another amorous romp across India by Anitha Perinchery, who
brings the culture, politics, and social caste system of her Indian
heritage to
life as nicely as was done in the previously-reviewed thriller One
Monsoon
in Mumbai.
This
story takes a different turn. It's a medical thriller that
involves spunky heroine Anjali in a series of complicated encounters
with two
exes, a clinic which could be a front for illegal operations, and a
vindictive
neighbor who keeps trying to drive her out of town, and who holds the
power to
affect her brother's position.
As
other characters such as Dr. Joe face their own strange encounters,
including meetings with family members in the afterlife, A
Goan Holiday
ramps up to include romance and intrigue combined with ironic
encounters and
reconnections: "This can’t be happening, her mind screamed,
wildly. In
her dreams, they’d met again a thousand times. Each time, she’d been a
diva,
unleashing royal fury on him for ripping her heart apart and trampling
on the
pieces. Each time, the agony of loss overwhelmed her pride and anger,
and she
cried loud, ugly sobs which left her humiliated even in her
imagination. She
was finally—finally—trying to put the painful chapter behind her, and
she ran
into him exactly when she bore a close resemblance to a drowned rat."
American
readers think 'medical thriller' and associate it with the
in-clinic intrigue crafted by writers such as Robin Cook, but Anitha
Perinchery
excels in a culturally-based, powerful examination not just of illicit,
illegal
activities in the Indian medical community, but the impacts of class,
caste,
romance, and cultural changes in a small Goan town.
Her
story thus moves beyond the clinic's walls and into the milieu of
Indian society. It offers a surprise in the return of Seema, the
protagonist in
One Monsoon in Mumbai, as well as other characters
who here are
presented from quite a different perspective as Anjali struggles with
conflict,
contemplates suicide, and uncovers her own brand of investigative
intrigue.
Just
as in One Monsoon in Mumbai, a spunky, progressive,
determined, yet very human female protagonist drives the story line,
creating a
read that is compellingly difficult to put down.
Return to Index
The Mystery at
Mount Forest Island
Pat Camalliere
Amika Press
978-1937484729
$17.95 Paper/$5.95 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Mount-Forest-Island-Historical/dp/1937484726
The Mystery at Mount Forest Island
is the third contribution to the Cora
Tozzi Historical Mystery series and
remains firmly rooted in a real-world setting and history.
Blinded in an auto accident, Valerie Pawlik
longs for the life and independence she once had as she learns to
navigate a
dark and dangerous new world. But there's much more to her story than
adjusting
to a new disability as she embarks on a mission to find the mother who
abandoned her and solve the mystery of her beloved uncle's murder.
Questions of family loyalty in Al Capone's
circle and the Chicago mob scene draw generations of interconnected
peoples with
an injection of paranormal encounters and the evolution of a new
Valerie who is
fully cognizant that her quest could result in difficult answers ("It’s been so long. Maybe I won’t like
what we find. Maybe we’ll make things worse. Maybe this isn’t a good
idea.”).
As tension in The
Mystery at Mount Forest Island mounts, so does a
delightfully intricate series of encounters that challenges Valerie's
new
missions and ability to fulfill them.
One doesn't anticipate the injection of gay
love between friends, mobster connections and secrets, and a romp
through
family history that become key themes in a story filled with exposed
secrets
and revelations, but The
Mystery at Mount Forest Island
excels at weaving personal lives with bigger-picture historical and
political
entanglements. As the cast of characters interacts over time, a fine
story
evolves that combines historical mystery elements with psychological
insights.
Pat Camalliere's tale doesn't require prior
familiarity with its predecessors in the series, although this will
provide a
solid foundation for further exploring the Cora and Cisco Tozzi
family's
connections and encounters.
What it does require is a mystery reader
able to appreciate historical settings, family genealogy, and a quest
story
that is delightfully complex and filled with many characters whose
lives and
goals become interconnected on more than one level.
Such a reader will relish this story's layers
of detail and Chicago lore and will find The Mystery at Mount Forest Island
a compelling twist on the historical fiction genre. It takes a mystery
and runs
with it through generations of family entanglements, the lasting impact
of life
choices, and the consequences of love.
The Mystery at Mount Forest Island is highly recommended for both
mystery and historical fiction readers searching for something
different.
Return to Index
One
Monsoon in Mumbai
Anitha Perinchery
Independently Published
ebook: 978-1-7337986-0-0
$
4.99
Paperback: 978-1-7337986-2-4
$12.99
Free on Kindle Unlimited.
Website: www.AnithaPerinchery.com
Ordering link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QCLM4H1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
One
Monsoon
in Mumbai
presents Seema Rawat, cyberspy, who is, predictably, a nerd (less
predictably) involved in a complicated romance and a spy mission. How
does an
Indian girl move from being a pickpocket to becoming a top cyberspy
assigned to
target the handsome Adhith Verma, son of India's finance minister?
The
first strength to note is that the sights, sounds, smells and feel
of urban Indian streets comes to life through Anitha Perinchery's
observational
descriptions: "She crouched on the road and squinted through
the
windows of the taxi at the office building, trying not to breathe in
the
exhaust fumes from the succession of vehicles cruising down the road.
The heat
radiating from the asphalt had her drenched in sweat within seconds.
“Aey,”
exclaimed the driver. “Are you crazy or what? You can’t sit on the
street. Some
poor fool will hit you and have his licence taken away. Get up, please.
And
gimme my money.” “In a minute,” Seema muttered. The crook she was
supposed to
be covertly investigating was at the entrance. If she paid now, the
taxi would
take off, leaving her exposed."
Anyone
who has visited or lived in India will breath in a deep breath
of urban atmosphere upon reading this book, and will find familiar the
cultural
and social observations embedded in Seema's world. One doesn't expect
comedy to
emerge from such a crowded and embattled atmosphere, but irony is
judiciously
added into the mix to spice the story and bring Seema's confrontations
and
conundrums to life.
Convoluted
encounters evolve that lead overly protective auntie Madhu
to join forces with the personality Seema is supposed to be covertly
investigating. A terrorist attack on South Mumbai and Adhith's showdown
over
Seema's presence in the office adds to a rollicking, spicy, relentless
roll of
events and personalities. These surge through the streets of Mumbai and
into
the hearts of readers who will find Seema's story compelling,
action-packed,
and hard to put down.
Perinchery
doesn't omit the complex family relationships that involve
honor, pride, jealousy, and marital arrangements that affect child and
parents
in a complex series of perceptions and deceptions about choice and
consequences: "What you think of as my forgetting where I
came from was
my unwillingness to take any more of my father’s taunts.”
Between
its engrossing cultural and political inspections, the dilemma
of a woman facing romantic prospects with two very different men, and a
spy's
rocky career moves, One Monsoon in Mumbai isn't
about just one storm,
but a series of confrontations steeped in Indian atmosphere, intrigue,
and fun.
Readers
looking for a romantic thriller that is more than a cut above
the ordinary and who particularly enjoy stories set in India will
appreciate
the details and impact of this spy adventure. It's a production that
tickles
the funny bone while adding intrigue and mystery to keep the conclusion
unpredictable and engrossing.
Very
highly recommended as a standout in Indian action fiction.
Return to Index
Zona
Romantica
James Gilbert
Anaphora Literary Press
9781681145204
$20.00
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Zona-Romantica-James-Gilbert
http://www.anaphoraliterary.com/
Amanda
Pennyworth is beginning a new job as American Counsel in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It's a position that seems a dream job at
first, but
turns into a nightmare when a famous expat writer vanishes and Amanda
becomes
involved in searching for him.
At
first the reader might wonder why a Counsel would be drawn into such
an investigation, but keep in mind that this is Mexico. The layers of
politics
surrounding the Mexican Federales and local authorities immerses Amanda
in
layers of subterfuge and corruption that raise more problems than they
solve
about not just one man's life, but a plot that thickens.
Amanda
shows an uncanny ability to absorb many of the investigative
processes of those professionally involved in the PI business. From
utilizing a
facial recognition technique that involves equating animal cues with
faces and
names to navigating both State Department protocol and her rising fears
that
something is very wrong in Mexico, the story embarks on a satisfyingly
complex
journey.
Readers
need have little familiarity with Mexican politics or culture
in order to appreciate Zona Romantica's setting and
action. Everything
is laid out during the course of the story, from the position and
processes of
the typical American Counsel to the motivations of an intuitive
investigator
who sees "...a different edge of things."
From
a journey into a botanical forest and ransom money that doesn't do
the job to Amanda's strange feeling that somehow Joshua Talbot knew he
was
about to be kidnapped, Zona Romantica winds through
all kinds of
connections and clues as it crafts a satisfying, engaging mystery
designed to
keep readers moving through Mexico with Amanda, discovering clues
embedded in
cultural revelations and special challenges.
The
dash of romance added to the intrigue and historical references
keeps Zona Romantica a thoroughly inviting read,
juxtaposing personal
and political observations right up to an unexpected conclusion.
Return to Index
Brown Soda
Robert Rubenstein
Amazon
ASIN: B0863S3LYN
$7.70
https://www.amazon.com/Brown-Soda-Robert-Rubenstein/dp/B0863S3LYN
The narrator of this story, Mark Mangosteen,
has many fears which he's held all his life. To him, imagination often
reflects
reality and it is difficult to discern between them. Brown
Soda focuses on the evolving life of a man whose imagination,
vulnerability, and sense of alienation led him to become an advocate
for
special needs children as an adult.
As Mangosteen describes romance and new
people in his life which "result in a chain reaction that
would
change my life," readers are treated to a survey of the observations
and
life of a man on the autism spectrum who tries to help children until
he is
indicted for his actions ("The
serious ashen faces of the society I represented had come for me.")
Accused of rape and taken away from the life
and job he's so carefully cultivated, Mangosteen faces his own demons
and those
of society, which judges him and forces him to rip apart the family
he's built.
Robert Rubenstein's descriptions are
emotionally compelling and hard to forget: "Shackled,
I signed the declaration as Socrates screamed. He knew
something was about to happen— to him, to his brother, his mother and
me. Life
had come hard and stark to claim him. To rip apart his memories. His
family was
broken—Humpty Dumpty on the floor. He went into his bedroom and beat
the
Messiah drum. To see my face then, one might be reminded of a painting.
The
horror on a footbridge in a cloud of blood. It was a nuclear bomb
imploding
without a classroom desk under which to crawl. The shards of glass had
pierced
my soul. My face conveyed a silent scream."
As Mangosteen embarks on a dangerous journey
that changes the adulthood he's carefully built from the uncertainties
life
choices, readers are treated to a novel replete with moral, ethical,
and
psychological challenges and changes.
As he confronts Remy's lies and impact and
struggles to maintain his relationship with the special children he has
adopted, Mangosteen becomes a whirlwind of controversy involved in a
socially
unsupported effort while trying to protect his own children from their
mother’s
wrath and her delusions of flight (she wants to go skydiving without a
parachute.)
Repeatedly accused of molestation by Remy
and others which stems from how he interacts with them, Mangosteen
considers
the court's perspective and definition of molestation (which can be as
pervasive
as providing the children information to help prevent the very deed
he's being
accused of) as he struggles to maintain everything he's built and
believed in.
Brown Soda is
about survival, moral behavior, and love. Rubenstein excels in
capturing these
conflicts and conundrums and paints a vivid story of a man's struggle
to retain
control of his world:
An engaging philosophical story of social
inspection and strife, Brown Soda crafts
a compelling read packed with metaphor and psychological description
alike. It
is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in custody issues,
child
protection, and evolving relationships against all odds.
Return to Index
Complex
Jungle
Mara Ocean
Immerser
9798623222985
$3.99
Pre-order Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0852D6PDD
Publisher Website: immerserpublisher.com
Tamara
Tambellini could be any American citizen. She's looking to
move away from home into an urban apartment with her shepherd dog.
She's not
enthralled about her new place, but few rentals will accept larger
dogs. She's
about to be less thrilled when she uncovers the truth about the
apartment's secret.
Complex
Jungle
is about starting a new job, entering a new world, and being surprised
by its magical qualities. Tamara is feeling more and more uneasy in her
new
apartment, but attributes her creepy feeling to overthinking until
something
happens that she can't ignore.
As
she enters a realm where trees talk, Reapers creep into apartments
and threaten humans, and enchantment is a superpower, Tamara finds she
holds a
rare immunity that sets her apart from her fellow apartment dweller
victims.
The building is obviously a portal to danger, and just as obviously,
she's one
of the few to sense or understand the full extent of the threat.
Readers
who believe they're reading about a new adult encountering many
'firsts' in her life will be surprised and delighted to find Tamara's
story an
adventure that leads them into a magical alternate reality. This
remains
grounded by Tamara's practical side even as it's tested by her special
abilities and perspective.
Mara
Ocean does a fine job of crafting a story that lives well on the
borders of real-life experience and the extraordinary, providing enough
realistic detail to allow new adult readers to become engrossed in
Tamara's
journey and struggles.
With
its focus on her evolving emotions and maturity as she confronts
these extraordinary situations, Complex Jungle uses
emotional connection
to drive both mystery and action: "Leaning forward on the
bench, I
placed my chin in my hands. It was all beginning to overwhelm me. I’d
known I
was probably the one to break the curse, but I’d had no idea just how
big the
whole operation was, and I was currently feeling very small."
Mature
teens to new adult readers will relish a story that reflects
many of their concerns about moving out, moving on, and growing up even
as they
absorb the elements of fantasy that make Complex Jungle
an unexpected
journey into an extraordinary reality underlying the familiar urban
apartment
building.
It's
highly recommended for its ability to weave an emotionally driven
plot with a novel of intrigue and investigation.
Return to Index
Don of the Q
Michael Guillebeau
Madison Press
Paperback:
978-0-9972055-7-2: $13.99
Ebook:
978-0-9972055-6-5 $
3.99
https://www.amazon.com/Don-American-Quixote-Atomic-Age-ebook/dp/B083BB5773
This modern-day
spoof on Don Quixote, Don of the Q, introduces a
Quick Stop clerk who
suddenly loses his memory when "the world blinks" and he conjectures
that he's an angel sent to Earth to do good. His puzzlement at being
behind a
store counter immediately turns into an altruistic gesture when a
checkout
customer complains about the price of the beer he's purchasing: "Much
money as I’ve spent in here, this damned well ought to be free.” Maybe
this is
my purpose here. “Take it, bro.” I smile, proud to add a momentary
exchange of
sunlight to the semi-darkness of the convenience store cave. I give him
generosity; he will give me thanks. We will go on with our day
brightened by a
positive moment with a stranger who is now a friend. “With blessings.”
It's evident at
this point that hilarious interchanges will be a part of Don
of the Q as
the determined clerk, aided by fellow clerk and sidekick Sancha, forays
into
the world to do good despite all the odds against his actions resulting
in a
better environment.
There's another
twist to this modern incarnation of Don. He harbors an atomic bomb in
his
basement. It vanishes. And someone is out to get him and locate the
bomb.
In a society gone
mad, Don and Sancha of the Q represent a romp through insanity as they
journey
through minority neighborhoods and encounter individuals struggling
against
their own windmills of adversity.
Philosophical
reflections pepper the saga, creating compelling observations of how
people
live their lives unaware of each other and the world: "People
always
notice skin-deep changes on the outside, and never the large changes of
the
heart."
When Don is
captured and made part of the search for the bomb and his father,
nobody knows
whether to view him as a genius or an idiot.
Readers should
prepare for a wild ride with a lot of laughter. Social observations are
funny
and astute as Don navigates the uncertain waters of women, government
bureaucracy, and a deadly threat. As Don's attitude spills into the
world
around him, readers are treated to a fun and thought-provoking blend of
observations and encounters: "Heaven’s for heroes and angels.
This is
just people making the best of a bad situation.” “Maybe that’s the same
thing.
Look at that woman over there, helping the young mothers take care of a
crowd
of kids. Yesterday when we came here, I saw her sitting on the side of
the road
with a WILL WORK FOR FOOD sign. Today, she has food and work. Her hands
have a
purpose. And everybody else is a little bit better off for it.”
Michael
Guillebeau creates the perfect madcap romp through modern
society that requires no prior familiarity with the classic Don
Quixote
(but those with such a background will certainly relish the literary
allusions
here).
The
modern-day Don and Sancha are likeable characters, immersed in
urban culture and encounters with women and ethnic groups that operate
on
different levels than government agents and authorities. They face
their own
impossible circumstances and battles while imparting lively
observational
viewpoints.
Think
Dr. Strangelove blended with One Flew Over
the Cuckoo's
Nest...only set in the macrocosm of a society gone just as
mad as Don
possibly is.
The tongue-in-cheek humor, social insights, and
action-packed
encounters will both entertain and enlighten readers interested in a
lively
blend of honor, world destruction, warped family relationships, and
comedy.
Don of the Q is highly recommended
as an original, involving
read that pushes the boundaries of comedy, stormy relationships, and
social
commentary alike.
Return to Index
Eden
Linda Naseem
Independently Published
9781974579952
$12.50 paperback, $2.99 Kindle
Ordering: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BQJQYT3
Website: https://www.lindanaseem.com
Set in San
Francisco in the mid-1960s during the height of the hippie movement and
Vietnam
War, Eden tells of the prophetic dream of teen
flower child Lani, whose
boyfriend Harv Stetson is sent home in a coffin. There's one twist to
the
story: in a prophetic dream about his death, she'd seen him as a black
man. And
when she opens his coffin, that same black man is there...not Harv.
Chapter 2
explains the puzzle from Harv's perspective, but adds an extra
dimension of
angst as events unfold with the reader now cognizant of both Harv and
Lani's
very different realities.
Between a
sergeant who condones a deadly choice, a girlfriend who can never
understand
the politics and pressures of being a grunt in Vietnam, a prophetic
dream that
threatens the best-laid plans, and the atmospheric unraveling of
American
society during the 1960s, Eden represents a
compelling blend of murder
mystery, 1960s social exploration, romance, and more.
Linda Naseem
excels in capturing the scenes of this era through the experiences of a
girl
who wanders through its mysteries: "I fly home. The night is a black cape
I’ve wrapped around
me. I’m invisible. I can go anywhere and no
one will know I’m
there and no one will bother me. My
eyes
are the size of dinner plates. I
can see
without light. My
mouth is a beak and I
am a giant owl hunting the tiny mice of the city, my feet soaring
inches above
the sidewalk. The
music rings in my ears
and I hum as I fly. I
don’t know who the
band was, not a well-known one but it doesn’t matter.
Everyone got stoned and had fun."
As race relations
enter into the picture to influence decisions and deadly choices,
readers are
treated to an absorbing interplay of events solidified by events of the
1960s.
Again, the
atmospheric reflections of changing morals and values of the times are
exquisitely portrayed: "Is this how Petra feels? Her bed is shared by a
different guy every
night. She enjoys
it but I don’t like
being touched, prodded, and rubbed by hard hands that don’t care what I
need. I don’t want
guys who pinch and squeeze and
bite. I don’t know
why it’s called
making love: it
isn’t love. Love
hurts your heart, not your body. I
don’t want love in any form. It
hurts no matter how you define it."
As truths, lies,
dreams and reality become jumbled, readers receive a powerful survey
that is
mercurial and hard to put down. Eden is a powerful
novel that will leave
its readers reflecting long past its final surprises and insights.
Return to Index
The Flying
Cutterbucks
Kathleen M.
Rodgers
Wyatt-MacKenzie
Publishing
978-1-948018-78-4
$15.95 paper/$4.99 ebook
www.wyattmackenzie.com
The Flying Cutterbucks is a story about a
serial sex offender, a family
of women forced to stay silent in order to survive, and the legacy this
creates
which is passed down through the decades. It's also a surprising
contrast
between modern-day US politics and elections and the pain that erupts
both from
this secret and the tensions that come from the election of a man who
seemingly
condones sexual violence against women.
When Jewel
returns home to help her mother get the house in order after her
father's
passing, she gains the opportunity to finally come to terms with past
and
present challenges. A mother who doesn't know what happened to her son,
a
daughter who faces the truth about a missing father, and their combined
code of
silence contribute to a story that is multifaceted and compelling.
Just because a
rapist dies, doesn't mean his legacy doesn't live on. It is alive and
well in
the hearts and souls of women who continue to live their lives
cognizant of how
he's changed them forever. That's what Trudy discovers when a
mysterious grave
visitor in a Lexus defaces a tombstone with the one word the family has
struggled to suppress all these years.
Kathleen Rodgers
provides this emphasis in various ways as Jewel, Trudy, and Georgia
interact,
allude to their shared adversary and pain, and continue to struggle to
not only
make peace with the past, but with present-day events that seem a
further
assault on their recovery process.
Death does,
however, hold the opportunity for new beginnings. As the women begin to
let go
of terror and close-held secrets made for the sake of survival, they
also begin
to each change in ways that bode well for a different kind of future.
The Flying Cutterbucks excels in depicting
haunted lives and a renovation
process that involves more than a house. It shows how the women
reconnect and
become closer as each recognizes in the other a different method of
coping and
survival. This results in a strength that finally moves beyond
alienating each
other and protecting themselves from the world.
The Flying Cutterbucks is a powerful story of
women returning from the
dead (in a manner of speaking) to finally recover not just from assault
and
secrets, but from the lasting patterns, habits, and the alienation that
stemmed
from it. It will immerse readers in a world of
discovery, recovery, and
revised family lives, and is highly recommended for readers seeking an
evocative, compelling story of family relationships and change.
Return to Index
The
Further Life of Rusty Kenneficke
Keith Thye
Classic Day Publishing
9781598492774
$18.95
hardcover/$4.95 ebook
www.keiththye.com
The
Further
Life of Rusty Kenneficke is the second book in the series and
continues the story of a man who survives a terrible year in 1979 and
moves
into happiness for a while. Now a legal threat could change everything
he's
struggled to build since.
Revenge,
retribution, and Boomer's inability to let Rusty move into a
better life after the disaster mark a story that, like its predecessor,
is
replete with growth stories about an evolving man, his motorcycle
business, and
his life.
The
tale opens with a threatening anonymous note from a sender who
obviously knows about both Rusty's birthday and his past, then takes a
quick
turn back to 1979, the origin of events that have returned to haunt him
today.
As chapters move through the 1980s and into the 90s, following Rusty
and
Boomer's concurrent evolution, readers are treated to another road trip
through
time and place that focuses on friend Boomer's scams, woman problems,
and
Rusty's place in that world.
Keith
Thye writes with a seasoned hand that expands upon details from
Book 1, adding an extra dimension of interpersonal relationships that
explore
the growth processes of both men.
His
scenarios are realistic, absorbing, and compelling as money turns
heads, changes minds, and causes shifts in values and ethical behaviors.
Readers
expecting another road trip receive a different kind of journey
that is as much about Boomer's life and choices as it is about his
intersection
with Rusty's world.
It
should be noted that the open-ended conclusion paves the way for
Book 3, which will conclude the trilogy. There's no neat tie-up of
angst to an
investigation that becomes inconclusive and troubling.
With
its astute observations of this process and two very different men
whose lives coalesce, The Further Life of Rusty Kenneficke
is an
absorbing story of choices and consequences that leaves readers
reflecting long
after the realization that arguments can take on dangerous lives of
their own.
Return to Index
Jefferson Wept
Frank Muskeni
Independently
Published
978-7326746-6-0
$19.99 for libraries; $4.99 for personal
purchases
www.muskeniliterarycollectioncom
Jefferson Wept should be on the
reading lists of anyone who wants
to absorb the political background and insights of this
still-blossoming
American system.
Readers who want
to learn more about Jefferson's political evolution, his impact on
America, and
the basic tenets of his democratic vision will find Jefferson
Wept the
perfect item of choice for understanding these principles. It weaves
fiction
with fact to make American political heritage and processes compelling,
understandable, and intriguingly accessible to modern readers who may
lack this
background.
The saga opens
with a review of Jefferson's history and interactions: "Nearly
two
centuries would have to pass before Jefferson's words of the ideals of
Liberty
were finally realized. He was deliberately kept from contributing to
the very
Constitution upon which all his concepts of freedom and citizen
governance were
to be implemented. The Federalists wanted no democratic voice in the
architecture of the document, especially his. So, they sent Jefferson
as far
away from the Constitutional Convention as they could. He was to go to
France
so as not to tinker with inclusions of democratic sentiment such as a
bill of
citizen's rights. And there he stayed until the Federalist deed was
done."
Lest readers
think that this will be the focus of the story, it should be pointed
out that
the introductory segment concludes with reference to a time travel
machine that
leads Jefferson to travel to the future (our time) to see just how his
political
ideals and involvement have been enacted, here to either excel or die a
cruel
death on the doorstep of true democracy.
There's a
satisfying ebb and flow to the structure of the story that takes its
time to
create a fantastic scenario, then inject into it lessons about
Jefferson's
influences, beliefs, and how they are represented in modern American
society.
From Jefferson's
early evolution, involvement with the teleportation device, and
determination
to travel to the future to the political changes he finds there
(especially the
contrast between his initial ideals and their political incarnation in
modern
times) readers are treated to a hard-hitting intersection of fiction
and
nonfiction which succeeds in drawing out the origins and concepts of
political
principle against the backdrop of a fictional ride through time.
Historical facts,
from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to Jefferson's inquiry over
what
became of the first amendment and why and how the original principles
became
warped over time, provide readers with thought-provoking background
history
that sets precedents and the stage for discussions beyond the fictional
overlay
of a traditional time-travel piece.
Dialogue and
questions between characters strengthen these political concepts and
debates: "I
am sure that you have read that a politician thinks of the next
election and a
Statesman thinks of the next generation. It may be difficult to ever
change
that aspect of human nature; that so few among politicians have; that
piety and
altruism to think past their own careers, but there is another way.
Make the
People educated and involved and they, because they love their
children, will
become a nation of Statesmen as they take charge and put an end to the
layers
of bureaucracies that constitute your present-day governance.”
Where other
authors might have chosen a nonfiction format and thus lost the
general-interest reader without a background or special interest in
Jefferson,
American political evolution, or Federalist history, Frank Muskeni has
successfully created a powerful intersection between story and
political
history.
Return to Index
Lake of Urine: A Love Story
Guillermo Stitch
Sagging Meniscus Press
Paper: 978-1-944697-94-5
$21.00
Ebook: 978-1-944697-96-9
https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Urine-Story-Guillermo-Stitch/dp/1944697942
Lake of Urine: A Love Story focuses, for much of
the time,
on Willem Seiler, who is slightly insane and obsessed with measuring
everything
in his world in a compulsive habit that envelopes everyone around him.
It
considers what happens when he falls in love with a member of the
family he
'holes up with' for the winter. For the rest of its 214 pages, it
charts the
quiet progression of that family member, Noranbole, and the fates of
her mother
and sister.
Seiler's fixation is evident in the very
first paragraph of his chatty first-person reflection: "What a winter! It
was the deepest we had ever known, and I am uniquely qualified to say
this
because I know exactly how deep it was—I measured it with a piece of
string and
there hasn’t been as deep a winter since...This is the piece of string,
and if
you were to stand on the Wakelings’ back porch and hold it while I took
the
other end and walked, I would be able to touch the Flemings’ front door
and go
no further. It would have to be you on the porch as I am no longer
welcome
there. Interestingly, there are no other landmarks of any kind along
the
circumference that the string’s tip describes around the Wakeling house
which
correspond exactly with its length. So the Fleming house is a very
exact
measurement."
From this introductory passage, it's quickly
evident that the character harbors not just a distinctive, analytical
perspective about the world, but cultivates a unique voice as he
expresses his
experience. Readers will find Willem Seiler a dichotomy—at once an OCD
madman
and a lucid observer of the oddities and incongruities of the world
around him.
As he measures the depths of lies and life,
Willem finds that although his miraculous string can plumb the depths
of a lake
nobody has been able to gauge, it can't adequately cope with matters of
the
heart.
As the story progresses, it becomes evident
that, although Seiler would have
us believe he is the protagonist, Noranbole truly is, in the classic
sense of
the word.
At once hilarious, ironic, and a
psychologically astute piece of literature, Lake of Urine: A Love Story presents
a series of astounding, gleeful scenarios that excel in a sense of
surprise as
characters make choices and present personas in public and private that
are
spiced with some big words and broader ideas.
This is no light read, despite the prevalent
sense of humor in its consideration of unusual connections between
disparate
personalities. It requires an attention to detail, language, and psychological development. However, it
pays back this investment with a vivid, unique story that keeps readers
entertained, guessing, often perplexed, sometimes disgusted, and
regularly
delighted.
Always intricate in his atmospheric
descriptions, Guillermo Stitch excels in juxtaposing a sense of place
with the
psychological developments, contrasts, and clashes between characters: "Oh,
happy lark! Sleepy cows loll about in their pasture, their big brown
eyes on
the travelers, seeming to wish them well as they go. Horses,
happy-tired from a
day’s labor, peer over gates and flick their ears in greeting.
Delightful
sights, scents and sounds abound in the air about them; here the
summery
buzzing of bumble bees, borne on the breeze that blows round the
wheelwright’s
shed, there a troop of tiny blue birds that swoop and perch on the
mule’s
rump."
Readers seeking a literary work akin to One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but set in the
outside world and a
microcosm of family dynamics and changing relationships, will find the
language, scenarios, and unexpected developments in Lake of Urine: A Love
Story fits the bill perfectly for a
funny, thought-provoking
frolic through sanity, insanity, and social and family
life changes. It's
thoroughly recommended for lovers of the transgressive, and is not for
the
faint-hearted.
Return to Index
John Curl
Homeward Press
0938392042
$20.00
www.johncurl.net
Because
the main characters in The Outlaws of Maroon are
fourth
graders, one might automatically think that the audience for this story
would
be elementary-level readers. However, John Curl bills it as an "adult
novel about the world of children," and this billing gives adults
permission to acknowledge that just because children feature
prominently in the
story doesn't mean that children should be its sole readers.
Indeed,
this is a story of 1950s Cold War America and how a group of
children face the lies of grownups during McCarthyism and the threat of
development that will take away the forest and their special place.
They become
radicalized in the process of absorbing adult changes, messages, and
challenges.
As
police searches, confrontations, and danger from the adult world
spills into the special dreams and refuges they've created, children
and adults
alike are changed by a myriad of forces, from developers to political
undercurrents of repression and control.
Reflections
on these changing conditions are nicely woven into the
story, which probes personal motivation and changing perspectives: "So
you told them she’s a subversive because she wouldn’t approve some real
estate
deal?” “She is a subversive. Her husband was at least. I did not make
that up.
This all didn’t have to happen. No one had to lose. Helen can be so
hard
headed. She gets such fixed ideas into her head. Foolish. She almost
dares you
to break her will. It would have cost her nothing. Everyone would have
won. She
simply refused. And now look where we are. If she would have simply
agreed last
fall, everything would have been fine, and none of this would have
happened.
This was the only way left to me. The development will improve the
neighborhood. That stretch of sidewalk is isolated and dangerous.”
John
Curl's literary novel is highly recommended reading for all
adults. Because it embraces the perspectives and lives of children and
adults
alike, juxtaposing them against the backdrop of evolving social and
political
changes, a depth and attention to detail is cultivated that keeps
readers
engaged with the different age groups, competing forces, and changing
perspectives that influence them all.
Curl's
ability to weave escalating threats and violence into a complex
series of interchanges between adults and between children alike
creates a
remarkably astute atmosphere designed to keep readers of all ages
involved
until the surprising crescendo of a battle for justice over competing
dreams of
Maroon's future.
Return to Index
Redlined
Richard W. Wise
Adelaide Books
9781951214753
$27.10 Hardcover, $19.60 Paper, $7.99 Kindle
www.adelaidebooks.org
Redlined:
A
Novel of Boston is set in 1974 and focuses on the Jamaica Plain
section of town. This area has been redlined by banks, due to the
housing
market's crash, which sets the stage for racial steering
and blockbusting,
prompting the transition from a healthy neighborhood to a
slum. Abandoned
buildings proliferate as crime rises.
When
a building is burned and the body of a community activist is
uncovered, fellow community organizer and Marine combat veteran
Jedidiah
Flynt and assistant Alexis Jordan become determined to stop
the
destruction of the neighborhood. They assume the role of amateur
investigators who
probe the arson and death with a focus and determination reflective of
their
abilities.
All
too soon, however, adversity strikes even closer to home. Jedediah
and Alexis face their own prejudices, pasts, and the initial discomfort
of a
forthright, sexual woman confronting a former Marine already
uncomfortable with
the power women have assumed in society and the workplace. These
experiences
capture the first phase in the blossoming women's movement that was to
change
many of these roles.
This
interpersonal interplay of emotions sets the stage for a dual
confrontation as the unlikely team forays into unfamiliar territory
both
personally and politically.
At
first, Redlined reads with the setup and motivation
of a
murder mystery. Readers are in for a bigger treat, however, because
Richard W.
Wise incorporates real, contemporary social issues and tensions into
this
story, along with a special dynamic between the investigators, which
elevates
his read beyond a typical whodunit.
From
Jedediah's ability to face Alex's charge that he is a
"consummate opportunist' whose worldview affects his life choices and
taints his perspective to their shared zeal and campaign, the politics
which
plays dirty tricks behind the scenes in Boston affairs, and gang
members (a coalition
of actors; real estate agents, developers, crime syndicate,
who make money
from the destruction of an urban neighborhood) who play a key part in
community
choices and makeup, Richard W. Wise tailors the kind of story that is
steeped
as much in Boston's unique cultural and social makeup as it is in
community
struggles to change it.
While
investigative mystery readers will be the likely audience of Redlined,
the story will especially appeal to women who like their characters
strong and
purposeful. Another audience will be readers familiar with Boston's
cultural
milieu, who will find Redlined an absorbing series
of conundrums that
lead ever deeper into the heart of a community's manipulations,
politics, and
social interactions. Highly recommended.
Return to Index
Search Heartache
Carla Malden
Rare Bird
9781644280591
$18.15 Hardcover/$11.49 Kindle
www.rarebirdbooks.com
Search Heartache is
a women's literary fiction piece that stands out from the crowd. It
presents
the life-changing revelations of Maura Fielder, who stumbles upon her
husband's
secret on his computer. This leads her to confront everything she's
taken for granted
in her approach to life.
Many similar-sounding books have tackled
divorce, infidelity, and changing relationships between men and women,
but what
sets Search Heartache apart from
these stories is Carla Malden's attention to exploring the intersection
of
computer lives and real-world heartache, adding an unexpected humor
that
permeates an often-surprising story of life, death, love, and
discovery.
Another plus is that this story will reach beyond women readers and
into male
audiences who will find it astute and accessible, offering many insight
and
much food for thought.
Irony and a wry sense of fun flavor Maura's
observations from the start as she interacts with husband Adam in their
Los
Angeles milieu: "Adam didn’t answer.
He was watching a promo for the new Ken Burns documentary. This time
out: the
Dust Bowl. They were hyping it as the worst manmade ecological disaster
in
history. “I wonder if that’s true,” Adam said. “What?” “About the Dust
Bowl.”
“People thought it meant the end of the world,” I said, uninterested.
“Maura,
people always think everything means the end of the world.” “It’s blowing right on
me,” I
said. “Would you turn off the air?”
From the nightmare she uncovers about her
husband's obsession after she snoops through his secret online life to
how she
handles her discovery and assesses its impact on their relationship's
history
and values, Search Heartache excels
in revealing not just the immediate problem at hand, but also capturing
the
types of connections that either bind a married couple or tear them
apart: "My marriage was supposed to be like
that Buddhist adage about hands—how we have a right hand and a left
hand and
they never fight or take credit. The left hand doesn’t say, “I wrote
that
word.” The right hand never says, “I turned that page.” They simply
help each
other. When one hand is injured, the other takes over. My marriage was
like
those hands, intertwined so that sometimes you couldn’t even tell which
finger
belonged to which hand. But this morning, I was the hand that stirred
the
oatmeal, and Adam was the hand on the mouse of the computer, and they
were
bodies apart."
As new revelations, connections, and choices
drive Maura into another life entirely, fraught with both challenges
and
promise, readers of women's literature will find this story a
powerfully drawn
psychological drama that is compellingly realistic. This authenticity
is powered
by Carla Malden's ability to juxtapose real life backdrops and events
with an
acknowledgement of the lasting impact of these choices: "Adam
may have lit the fuse, but I was the bomb who
exploded."
Search Heartache
is a gripping first-person story that does an outstanding job of
probing the
evolution of love, change, and choice. It reveals many mercurial points
of view
before coming full circle in an unexpected and satisfying way, and will
delight
fans of women's fiction and literature who will find in Maura a
powerful
character whose dilemmas are at once challenging and, in an ironic
manner, fun.
Whether Search
Heartache is chosen as a beach read or a more
thought-provoking work of
literature, it's a tale that will linger in the mind long after its
final
revelations.
Return to Index
Son of
Nothingness
Ona Russell
Sunstone Press
9781632932983
(paperback)
$19.95
9781611395884
(epub)
www.sunstonepress.com
A man's search
for meaning in 1940s California consumes his world but results in a
revelation
that affects not just his life but two nations in Son of
Nothingness: A
Novel of Appearances.
It's been seven
years since Andrew Martin's 4-F rejection by the army. He's a lawyer
whose
cases receive much public attention, yet he struggles with issues
related to
the rejection, including an odd disability, and a confrontation with
the Bar.
When new legal
challenges change his course, it's apparent that Andrew may have lost
his
famous 'golden touch' in the courtroom, as well. His search to uncover
truths
about the past is only one facet of his obsessions, angst, and revised
purposes
in life. Only his faithful parrot Emerson, attuned to his moods, offers
some
respite and adds meaning to the place he calls home.
Andrew recognizes
this value when he contemplates the reason for returning home in the
face of
his personal investigations into Nazis who have fled Europe and who
possibly
live undercover in his very community: "Home. I wanted to go
home. But
home to what? My bird, of course. Emerson, poor thing. A creature of
the jungle
whose ability to survive there had been domesticated out of him. A
weakened
being. All talk, like his owner. Yes, I’d go home to my bird. My home.
A
modernly furnished cage where I was imprisoned by a calendar, by the
next
anniversary, and the next."
Ona Russell takes
the time to capture Andrew's conundrums as he struggles with his life,
history,
and its purposes. His recognition of the ongoing impact of the war
comes to
life throughout the story in vivid depictions of and contrasts between
personal
and social insights: "I felt afraid, like a kid forced to
look under
the bed at night. He brought his arm closer. 20405. Twenty thousand,
four
hundred and five. Behind those impossible numbers were trains and
showers,
ovens and gas. Swastikas, salutes, and yellow badges. Mountains of
decaying
flesh. Horrors I might have been forced to see for myself had my number
not
been 4-F."
Patriotism, duty,
and survival mode often clash as Andrew makes his way through a
civilian world
carrying the weight of the Army's successes and failures with him.
Russell's use of
the first person represents a fine job of capturing these experiences
and their
ultimate impact from Andrew's changing perspective. This adds an extra
dimension to his legal and ethical conundrums to bring his story to
life. Can
love find a place within these existential and career crises?
The added value
of Son of Nothingness lies in its powerful internal
discussion of a man
thwarted from his desire to serve and its impact on his civilian
existence. The
journey Andrew undertakes is revealed on multiple levels as he
encounters women
and legal actions, faces an identity crisis, and revises not just his
goals but
his moral perspective about survival.
The social and political sentiments of the times, including legal
processes,
also come to life under Russell's hand: "The comparison
wasn’t
hyperbole. The Guild needed a new precedent. Anything smelling of class or
racial injustice. They wanted another Sleepy Lagoon, the murder case
that had
brought them fame. Defending all those Chicanos, losing in court, and
then,
years later, getting their convictions overturned. Noble, one might
say. But
they were idealists, and, as in Scopes, weren’t above risking the
person to the
principle. Was López such a case? I didn’t know, but I’d muddied the
waters by
suggesting it was."
The result is a
passionate, involving story about evolving a sense of place, purpose,
and
revised objectives that keep readers thoroughly immersed in a vivid
tale of
Andrew's growth, discoveries, and 1940s world.
Return to Index
Advance Chess - Extrapolative Insights of
the Double Set Game (D.4.2.11), Book 2 Vol. 4
Siafa B. Neal
Cold Coffee Press
9781518655459
$35.00
www.smarturl.it/siafabneal
Book 2, Volume 4 of Advance
Chess - Extrapolative Insights of the Double Set Game
(D.4.2.11) compiles drawings of board layouts and color
photos of the
special 3D double set board game structures, and is recommended reading
for 3D
chess players who have purchased the Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model
playing
board, who want further insights specific to the double set game's
approaches.
Diagrams are one of the most valuable
components of this book because they clearly document not just board
layouts,
but specific moves and strategies.
Game objectives, game setup configurations,
how chess pieces move between layers, and equations for attack
movements,
displacements, and horizontal and vertical plays are all covered in
full color.
These illustrated forms take the player step-by-step through the board
and its
various options.
The photos and diagrams work together to
teach strategy, placement, and board makeup. They are key to
understanding
advance chess processes, logic, and applied equations and calculations.
The result is about as close as it gets to
personal one-on-one instruction, presenting a clear discussion of moves
and
play options that teach the makeup, approaches, and strategies
particular to
the 3D chess playing environment.
Those already well versed in conventional
chess who seek the next level of playing will find Advance
Chess - Extrapolative Insights of the Double Set Game (and
Neal's set as a whole) specific to understanding the game, its
possibilities,
and the moves that make for successful plays.
Return to Index
Beyond Truman
Douglas A. Dixon
Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield
Hardback: 978-1-7936-2781-0
$90.00
Ebook: 978-1-7936-2782-7
$85.50
Paperback: 978-1-7936-2784-0
$39.99
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793627810/Beyond-Truman-Robert-H-Ferrell-and-Crafting-the-Past
Beyond Truman: Robert H. Ferrell and
Crafting the Past is a scholarly,
historical survey of a widely respected Hoosier historian and the
evolution of
history-making in the twentieth century and beyond.
Readers with some background in American
historical scholarship will be pleased with Dixon's ability to entwine
Ferrell's
work, set against the
nuances of revisionist
controversies, postmodernism, and various approaches to
analyzing the past.
Beyond Truman provides
a rare attention to detail that embraces current debates over Ferrell's
impact
and approaches with methods of historical analysis. These offer
important food
for thought in considering twenty-first century “new approaches” to
history
which have many of their foundations in Ferrell's research and era.
While
American history, politics, and
biography readers will be the primary audience for Beyond
Truman, it
is quite accessible to lay readers interested in the methodology of
historical
scholarship, its history, and its impact. Packed with numerous detailed
footnoted references and illustrations, Dixon's own scholarship and
supporting
bibliographic materials are impeccable.
Return to Index
Bigger, Better, Braver
Nancy Pickard
Top Reads Publishing, LLC
Paperback: 978-1-970107-12-8
$18.99
Ebook: 978-1-970107-13-5
$
8.99
www.topreadspublishing.com
Bigger, Better, Braver: Conquer
Your Fears, Embrace Your Courage,
and Transform Your Life is all about stepping out of one's comfort
zone to embrace life, and encourages a big leap from set patterns in
life to
taking on new challenges. It's a top pick for readers who want to make
this
move, but who don't really know how to do so.
The first step in the series of steps Nancy
Pickard outlines actually involves examining the common barriers to
taking
risks. From underlying childhood messages and experiences to
understanding why
and how fear becomes a driving force for living life, Bigger, Better, Braver explores
the process of identifying and making decisions from the heart to
foster better
living.
Pickard asks some pointed questions that
readers will want to consider: "How
many times have you let yourself down? How many promises or goals got
tossed by
the wayside? And how often do you let yourself down when you wouldn’t
dream of
doing that to someone else in your life? Yet, somehow, with yourself,
it seems
to be okay. We rarely give ourselves the reverence we give others. What
would
it be like to be as accountable to yourself as you are to other people?"
It should be noted that Pickard's
exploration involves psychological, moral, and philosophical
inspection. Those
who anticipate a blueprint they can follow without such
self-examination will
not be using this book to its best advantage. It comes with the charge
to
change in a better, more positive way. Exercises, examples, and
workbook pages
for reader fill-in offer enlightening insights into this process and
its
results and potential: "By owning
more of who we are, we become less reactive and set ourselves up for a
successful leap toward our vision. This is not about making ourselves
wrong.
It’s about emotional education and becoming more whole."
There is no singular philosophy driving this
approach, which represents a synthesis of Buddhism, Law of Attraction,
journaling, and insights from popular culture: "One
of my favorite quotes is from Robert Heller, a 19th century
businessman, who said, “Fear is excitement without the breath!” So when
you’re
feeling fearful, remember to breathe deeply. All the other
physiological
responses are the same ones you feel when you’re excited. Your heart
races,
your palms sweat, your energy is high, and you may feel fidgety or
tingly.
Bruce Springsteen considers these as signs that he’s ready to step out
on stage
and perform."
The result of these combined influences is a
chatty, accessible, thought-provoking set of admonitions that invite
and
encourage change-oriented readers to take their own first steps to
revising
their lives and perspectives. It's a powerful exploration from a
Certified
Integrative Coach through The Ford Institute for Transformational
Training that
uses Nancy Pickard's own experiences, both personally and
professionally, to
build a bridge for reader transitions.
Bigger, Better, Braver is a highly recommended,
integrative approach that requires that its readers approach life
differently.
Return to Index
Compilations Pertaining To Random Access To
Problematic Probabilities or (R.A.P.P.), Double Set Game (D.2.50 ) -
Book 2
Vol. 3
Siafa B. Neal
Cold Coffee Press
9781515309207
$39.31
www.smarturl.it/siafabneal
Book 2, volume 3 of Compilations
Pertaining To Random Access To Problematic Probabilities
or (R.A.P.P.),Double Set Game (D.2.50 ) will reach computer
engineers,
gamers, chess players, and toy manufacturers with a very specific key
to
Advance 3D Chess. It is especially recommended for readers of Neal's
previous
volumes who are avid players of the game.
Unlike most manuals about playing, even
chess, Siafa Neal's book holds a specific purpose: "The
essence of this book intends to synergize the Cognition Informatics
thought processes of Chess Players to higher levels of mental awareness
of
alternatives to the game’s possibilities which includes the Double Set
Games.
Three-Dimensional Chess offers many beneficial effects. Most prominent
of these
include higher levels of cognitive cognition which improves a Player’s
mental
aptitude and capacity to absorb and to adsorb new data over time. This
benefit
aids to reduce the likelihood of age-related dementia which associates
with the
memory inability to absorb new information. In addition, another
beneficial
attribute is it allows Players to develop sustainable focus strategies
that
results from constant practice of 3-Dimensional Chess games. The effect
of
constant practice increases the level of synaptic electrical activity
in the
neuro-synaptic spheres of the brain. As a wise conjecture stipulates,
“If you
don’t use it, you lose it.”
This puts the game, instructions, and
promotion beyond simple leisure, making a case for a type of analytical
skills
development that will interest not just chess players, but those
looking beyond
expanding skill sets to improving mental acuity.
Diagrams explaining double set games and
probabilities include handwritten identifiers of board layouts and
color
representations to allow the eye easy access to the different board
moves.
These are supplemented by color photos of
the playing boards which accompany step-by-step discussions of
equations,
logic, and different move options that change the board makeups,
positions, and
strategies.
From physical diagonal attack movements and
play forfeits to illustrations of positions, this is an astute series
of
compilations covering random access to problematic probabilities. It is
a key
acquisition for 3D players looking for study guides, examples, detailed
descriptions and equations, and visual examples of the Longitudinal
Star Gate
14 Model playing board.
Gamers already familiar with conventional
chess who seek additional challenges will find this game and book take
the next
step to a new level of playing.
Return to Index
Denied! Failing Cordelia Book Two: Pride
& Legal Prejudice
Simon Cambridge
Xlibris
Hardcover 978-1-5144-8891-1
$39.99
Softcover 978-1-5144-8892-8
$25.99
eBook 978-1-5144-8893-5
$
3.99
https://www.amazon.com/Denied-Failing-Cordelia-Parental-State-Dependency/dp/1514488914
Denied! Failing
Cordelia Book
Two: Pride & Legal Prejudice provides the second
book in a
trilogy about an adoptive father's efforts to battle through the courts
in a
dependency case that led him to advocate for both her and his parental
rights.
It
should be noted that this second book
follows on the heels of preceding history. Readers should ideally have
read the
first book, The
Cankered Rose and Esther's Revenge, and its extensive background before embarking on
this ongoing story of
court struggle, legal team efforts, and parental and child rights.
Those
with such
a background who already know the detail and legal descriptions of its
predecessor will find Pride
& Legal Prejudice an outstanding continuation of the story. It
is a gripping focus not just on court proceedings and legal team
maneuvers, but
the father/daughter relationship under question.
From Cordelia's escape and adventure as her
father tries to assure her safety to Cambridge's struggles with legal
propriety
versus the child's ultimate best interests, this story is replete with
reflections that focus on the conundrums he constantly faces which tear
him in
different directions: "Yes,
it was technically illegal [Cordelia's
flight
to be with the author in Washington State], but the court
had determined
that reunification was the central goal of the case. Yes,
Cordelia was a supervised child under the legal authority
of the DCFS but she was also the victim of what her attorney had
already
determined was gross mismanagement by the department. After all, we had
a
hearing date contesting the DCFS on this very point. Yes,
in the sense that she was a kiddo with RAD and her
behaviors were being shaped by this reality. Her prospects would always
seem
better to me in the Seattle area than they ever had or would in Los
Angeles. On
the other hand, I would strongly advise against following suit if there is any chance at all of the
legal path working as well as it should when reunification really is
the goal
of the case."
It
should be
noted that in no way does Cambridge's account purport to represent
legal counsel
for other adoptive parents caught in court battles. This is a memoir
designed
to document a particular case, set of circumstances, and the logic
behind
decisions which, at times, were legally conflicted. It is not intended
to serve
as a blueprint for others to follow.
That
said, Pride & Legal Prejudice outlines
a series of confrontations and courses of action, along
with the evolving and changing relationship between father and teen
child that stemmed from this conflict and their efforts to reunify
against the
backdrop of a dependency case that offered few easy choices and which
crushed
most of them when they were made. This focus adds an
extra dimension of
understanding and legal savvy to a story that rests on emotional
connections and
conflicts.
There's a back-and-forth feel to events as
Cambridge reviews the failures of court and community proceedings,
missed
opportunities, and misguided interventions: "I
wanted the commissioner to consider the available family focused
opportunities
that still existed at the time for Cordelia, including the full range
of
Seattle-based options, and to reflect on the many missed openings that
existed
when my daughter was most committed to the idea of reunification."
At the same time, insights are candidly
given into the circumstances which led this dependency case to evolve
in the
first place: "Both Maureen and Mr.
O’Reilly argued that I had made insufficient progress in my completed
case plan
because I was refusing to accept my daughter’s embellished version of
the
parenting mistakes that had led to our having a dependency case to
begin with.
The DCFS and the CLC both saw this as “denial” and even arrogant. My
opponents
also believed that I was incapable of following court orders and that I
was
more interested in defying the court’s decisions for my own
reunification
goals. In turn, such goals—or at least my approach to them—were viewed
by both
Maureen and Mr. O’Reilly as “obsessive” and “unhealthy.” This
is especially
notable because it would have been all too easy for Cambridge to build
a one-sided
case without equal opportunity to explore the perceptions of those
opposing
him.
His approach lends a full-faceted feel to
the legal proceedings and their underlying emotional conundrum that
will
enlighten and intrigue not just parents going through similar court
conflicts,
but members of the legal community, social services providers, and
anyone
involved in legal cases revolving around parental rights and
parent/child
relationships.
His observations of the overall process and
its impact beyond his own case and experiences is particularly well
done: "On the other side of the door to Room
101, it is highly unlikely that anyone enjoys what they do or feels
that they
have had a good day when they go home. Secondary or vicarious trauma is
probably as much an issue for court commissioners as it is for the
public
defenders and social workers. I would see miserable parents, bored
children,
frustrated public defenders, harried attorneys, and a commissioner who
has
spent several decades working her way through a very dysfunctional
caseload.
Commissioner No has probably seen relieved parents and angry parents,
abused
children and those more than happy to be allowed to return home whether
or not
they were first detained for valid reasons. Yet, in this same
dysfunctional and
chaotic environment, decisions are made in the cool light of legal
truth to
“sever and terminate” the parent-child bond. While for some parents and
children this might be a matter for relief or sullen indifference, for
other
parents and their children it is not."
Anyone concerned about the ultimate impact
of court proceedings and choices on a child's best interests must read
this
book. It's a compelling testimony of the promise, ideals, and
nightmares of the
court system—one which should be considered by a wide range of readers
interested in child protection issues.
Return to Index
Disruption Games
Trond Arne Undheim
Atmosphere Press
978-1647647285
$18.99
https://www.amazon.com/Disruption-Games-Thrive-Serial-Failure/dp/1647647282
When does managing company failure become a
growth opportunity? Disruption Games: How
to Thrive on Serial Failure advises companies on how to not
only recover,
but use that failure as a stepping stone to greater heights. It
maintains that
failure needs to be managed as carefully as success, and it provides
the keys
to doing so under a range of circumstances.
One might expect futurist Trond Arne
Undheim's book to be idealistic, filled with untested admonitions, but
it
cultivates a proactive real-world approach to everything from better
communication in a startup situation to fostering innovation. This
approach
takes advantage of innovation fads and not just managing but embracing
failure's underlying opportunities for innovation and change.
Chapters delve into these subjects with
footnoted references to global business pursuits and methods,
considering how
approaches and attitudes are revised and the unexpected benefits
experienced by
global corporations such as Bosch: "Innovation
scouting, accelerators, and all good external sources of innovation
cannot
compete with the fact that a company has much more control with
internal
ideas—and can incubate them far more effectively. Plus, the indirect
benefit of
such effort is culture change toward a more innovative company, which
is much
harder to achieve by acquiring an innovative startup or simply
partnering with
one."
Fast, low-cost, measurable methods of
commerce development are considered and contrasted with traditional
methods of
doing business.
Business readers should ideally be
change-driven and interested in the specific forms of innovation which
have
proven to promote real growth and new directions.
This audience will appreciate an approach
that loads its ideals with real-world examples of success from around
the
globe, creating a structure that allows fellow business movers and
shakers to
consider the heart of true innovation and change.
From the underlying characters of company
serial founders to opportunity costs and raising venture capital, Disruption Games excels in specific
examples, approaches, and game-changing plans for addressing both
success and
failure. It is recommended reading for any forward-thinking
businessperson
interested in not just learning from business failures, but embracing
and
growing from them.
Return to Index
Human Rights, What Are They Really?
Robert Stephen Higgins
Bradich Books
978-0-9810631-1-9
E-book US$3.95; Paperback
US$11.95
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/560218
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Rights-What-They-Really/dp/0981063101
Human Rights, What Are
They
Really? makes an assertion that may surprise and
anger many, initially—that some claimed human rights are ideals, are
not
necessarily inalienable, and should not be part of what is popularly
seen as a
'human right'.
Robert Stephen Higgins is quite clear about
the origins of his examination and this book's intention: "Through my adult life I have been conscious of a
border between
my natural rights as a person and the power of governments and other
organizations over me. Regrettably, there has been systematic operation
by both
over that border. This has included the aggravating inclination to tell
me what
to think on certain general issues such as what rights a person has. As
I see
it, rolling back this incursion requires a clear, unequivocal
definition of
universal and permanent human rights that marks the ground where
governments
and other organizations may not tread. This book is my endeavour to do
that." What ensues is the discovery of human rights by
analysis, in
much the same way as theorems in mathematics are discovered. The result
is a
list of fundamental rights that is quite different from the United
Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
His close inspection of the boundaries
between individual rights and government ideals, the process of
defining,
refining, and implementing 'true rights', and issues that move into
wide-ranging circles such as resource management, allocation choices,
and the
right of ownership applies these ideas to institutions and individuals
across
the board.
Higgins applies the theory of rights to
business with disturbing results. For example, he claims that in an
employment
situation the employee owns the value of what he/she created and should
be paid
for that instead of for his/her time. Also, that when a company
extracts
minerals or fuels from the ground they are not ownerless. Rather, they
are
owned by everybody in common and everybody should be
compensated. These
are only a couple of the fall-out results from the theory.
Higgins promotes conversion to a true human
rights-based social arrangement that would operate like the rules of
the road,
providing a code for human conduct in any situation. This will require
many
changes in not just legal and social structures, but attitudes: "In a community, attitudes determine
what is regarded as acceptable and what is not, and therefore generate
the
flavour of a society in terms of freedoms and taboos. In a human
rights-based
society, a specific range of attitudes will naturally accompany the
philosophy
on human rights. This range is quite different from that existing
currently,
and the more so as the society in question is in contradiction of
fundamental
rights. Therefore, conversion to a human rights-based society will
necessitate
some or many profound changes in attitude."
With its application of an objective theory
of human rights to a range of issues from capital punishment to world
poverty
and its analysis of forces opposed to the enactment of the theory, Human Rights, What Are They Really? is a
wide-ranging discussion that should be essential, required reading for
American
history, social and political studies, and debate courses from the high
school
level on up.
Return to Index
Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril
Rick Steiner
Cirque Press
9798625267472
$35.00
Paper/$5.00
Kindle
Amazon: High-res print and e-book versions
to purchase on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Oasis-Earth-Planet-Peril-Chance-ebook/dp/B085ZR1KNG
Free download: Low-res FREE PDF available
HERE.
Oasis Earth: Planet in
Peril
does what other books often fail to achieve—it delineates the current
precarious state of the planet and mankind's contribution to its
decline and
looming fall, offering a game plan for redemption in the face of
certain
disaster. Rick Steiner maintains that humans have only ten years left
to end
mankind's unrelenting assaults on the biosphere. But he doesn't stop
there.
This approach may sound similar to other messages,
but Oasis Earth does more than
present a set of dire warnings. It backs up its contentions by
documenting each
separate piece of the interconnected whole of Earth's various
ecosystems,
including humanity's rise and current downward progression, then
provides a
second section packed with sustainable alternatives to the current
trajectory.
This is an immense subject...too broad for
most books to properly tackle. It's too easy to become bogged down in
detail
and overlook the bigger picture when the topic is as historically,
scientifically, and ecologically complex as this. But Rick Steiner's
gift lies
in the ability to synthesize the facts into easily-digested admonitions
and
insights: "The current trajectory of
global environmental decline points toward a rapidly approaching
dystopian
future for civilization and the biosphere. As we exceed planetary
boundaries,
the way humans live on the Earth will change, one way or the other,
very soon.
Either we will adapt our lifestyle to a sustainable biosphere, or we
will not
survive.
Too many discussions consist entirely of
text without illustration, but Oasis
Earth includes hard-hitting, artistic photos from the U.N.
Environment
Program’s international photographic competitions, NASA, Greenpeace,
and others
to back the facts and provide visual embellishment. This crafts an
inviting,
accessible atmosphere that pairs hard-hitting footnoted references and
statements
with colorful food for thought.
The call to action section is quite
specific: "We the people have to
make the environment a central issue at all levels of governance -
local,
regional, national, and international. Politicians need to understand
that it’s
not just the economy that matters, but also environmental
sustainability, and
the two are inextricably linked. Citizens need to nominate and elect
candidates
who support progressive environmental policies, and need to express
concerns on
environment to all elected officials, proposing not just general views
but
specific, science-based legislative and administrative actions."
Oasis Earth
is filled with admonitions for positive change at all levels of
society, pointing
out that competing plans for idealistic changes don't necessarily
acknowledge
the drive for consumer goods or the greed of not just corporations and
governments, but individuals. Steiner points out that a redefinition of
'progress' itself needs to become part of humanity's toolkit for
salvation, and
this will involve a revision of ideals not just on a political or
social level,
but personal values and perspectives on life.
Steiner juxtaposes scientific facts and
cautionary tales from past collapses of society, pinpointing
large-scale human
failures and the lessons to be learned from them, creating a survey not
only of
past patterns of failure and redemption, but how the future might look
if these
fixes were undertaken and human purpose itself was transformed.
Books on ecological conservation and
sustainability run the gamut from dry studies to simplistic
admonitions. Oasis Earth represents
a much-needed
middle ground in its ability to synthesize hard data into a digestible,
revealing set of insights the everyday reader can readily understand.
The inclusion of practical guidelines for a
revision of human goals and perspectives adds an invaluable conclusion
to the
force of this collection: we all live in the same place. Setting up
personal
and political avenues for preserving the environment is key not just to
human
health and happiness, but our long-term continued survival.
Return to Index
Simply Amazing Women
K.C. Armstrong
WMAP Publishing
Hardcover: 978-1-7347058-0-5
$28.99
Paperback: 978-1-7347058-2-9
$19.99
Ebook: 978-1-7347058-1-2
$ 8.99
www.wmapradio.com
If ever there was a good time to publish an inspirational collection of
stories, it's now. Simply Amazing Women
is about choosing the kinds of responses during adversity that
translate to
survival and courage. While these mini-biographies were compiled before
Covid-19, they highlight the ongoing need for inspiration now as never
before,
and are intended, like those in its predecessor Simply
Amazing Special
Author’s Edition, to provide the
encouragement to not just go on with life, but make it the best
possible.
The examples
posed by these women all demonstrate paths to rising above adversity.
Readers
receive a survey filled with intense battles involving self-healing,
transformation, and the kind of self-improvement that leads to helping
others
both through example and by outward-oriented effort.
Take 'A Mother's
Love', a hard-hitting interview with mother Marcy Stone about an
amazing
journey into motherhood against all odds. K.C. Armstrong's
interview
here is designed to follow the building blocks of how Marcy Stone
evolved her
life perspective and came to rely on it to face and overcome many
obstacles in
her life. From how she overcomes impossible predictions to her
realizations of
what it really means to be a mother, her story is filled with insights
readers
will find hard-hitting, remarkable, and clear in their progressive
learning
opportunities.
Another
thoroughly engrossing piece is 'A
Song of Gratitude', an interview with Dr.
Feyi Obamehinti, who met her abusive mother for the first time at age
16. Dr.
Obamehinti's life experience not only led her to become a prominent
Christian
figure serving as an example for other women, but helped her build a
strong
family without many of the challenges she faced as a child: "Sometimes, we have to become what we
never had. For me, that meant being a loving, caring and present mother
for our
daughters."
As
these
remarkable lives unfold through interviews designed to pinpoint the
origins of
their strengths and perspectives, readers are treated to a moving,
inspirational account offering various strategies for overcoming
adversity.
As
a new world
replete with fear, death, and division emerges, there is no better time
for
reading and considering this book's underlying message about not just
survival,
but building and rebuilding a better life from the ashes of disaster.
Very highly
recommended as a torchlight guiding the way to transformation.
Return to Index
Welcome
to the Darkside: A BDSM Primer
Rajan Dominari
AKO Publishing Company
9781734527100
$12.99
Author Website:
https://rajandominari.com
Ordering:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734527102
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1136603956
Vroman’s: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/book/9781734527100
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781734527100
First, a definition: BDSM is an acronym that
stands for Bondage/Discipline, Domination/Submission and
Sadism/Masochism. Welcome
to the Darkside: A BDSM Primer is an introduction to this
topic and its
sexual applications, presenting a positive, supportive spin for those
who want
to explore their less sexually accepted inclinations: "BDSM
is
ultimately about two or more people trusting and caring for one
another,
sometimes expressing this via erotic play sessions. This is one of the
reasons
I feel that BDSM is so attractive to those that want to become involved
with
it."
Readers receive candid, graphic descriptions
of the interplay between partners and will appreciate descriptions of
the
underlying emotional interactions which accompany these sexual plays
and
choices: "Selfishness and
self-importance are synonymous in the case of damaging personality
traits to
have when you’re trying to be submissive. Most new and/or untrained
submissives
tell themselves that they won’t submit unless they get something in
return."
There's a fine line between those with
experience and knowledge of BDSM practices and newcomers. Rajan
Dominari takes
the time to thoroughly explore this difference between individuals and
in group
situations.
From clear explanations of BDSM's common
terminology and its overt and underlying meanings to the etiquette of
how to
act, react, and new ways of considering the opportunities in sexual
exploration,
Welcome to the Darkside cultivates
an
approach that is candid, sexually and emotionally explicit, and leaves
nothing
to wonder about how the process works.
The advice goes beyond this book to address
common issues of becoming part of such a community, including gaining a
mentor
who will support such explorations: "I think mentors are
awesome. They
help you navigate a community that’s likely new to you, and they are a
useful
resource for learning the etiquette and language of BDSM. ... To make
sure that
your potential mentor has good intentions, you should lay out two
simple rules:
no play and no sex. A real mentor wouldn’t want these things anyway,
and any
mentor worth their salt knows this as well, so if they refuse, you know
where
they stand."
The result is a guide that covers the entire
definition, approaches, individual and group interactions, social and
sexual
meaning and makeup of BDSM. It's a rare collection of guidelines that
will
prove especially essential to those newly entering this world.
Return to Index
Woman in Scarlet
Karen L. Adams
Adams Enterprise
Hardcover (IngramSpark): 978-1-9994043-1-4
$24.99
Ebook
ASIN: B07GZ8TPXJ
$4.99
Amazon ebook purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GZ8TPXJ
Ebook
ISBN 978-1-9994043-3-8
$5.99
Universal purchase link for other major
retailers: https://books2read.com/WomanInScarlet
Woman in Scarlet
offers a true memoir of Karen L. Adams' 28 years of service in the
formerly-male-only Royal Canadian
Mounted Police, and is a lively survey not just of the RCMP's
activities and
history, but the growing presence of women in the ranks and the
challenges
faced by these early participants.
Adams
was only
22 when she joined the first group of female recruits. Her idealistic
vision of
service and respect received many challenges at the hands of men who
had long
viewed the RCMP as being off-limits to females, and who gave her a hard
time.
This even involved a physical confrontation with a fellow member of the
force!
Adams
takes the
time to explain not just the internal influences on the force, but the
external
political and social strife which affected her perceptions and life: "The whole of the RCMP was watching
every move by members of the first troop of female officers. The media
was
inquisitive and reported to the country on our arrival in communities
across
Canada. My belonging to the RCMP resulted from a political decision,
forcing
the reluctant organization to accept women members. And it was obvious
the RCMP
was looking for any excuse to demonstrate that women could not cut it
as
regular members."
While
her encounters
with fellow members and the public takes the form of a memoir, it could
be
argued that Adams also crafts an account suitable for women's history
holdings,
documenting the step-by-step process of integration that she, as one of
the
early women in a male-only profession, helped foster.
This
feeling is
reinforced not only by encounters which survey her public appearances
and
image, but the evolution of her purpose as she delved into her dream of
teaching: "In the New Year, my first
troop as an operational training instructor was all male. Up until 1989
troops
were still separated by gender and not integrated. I believe the
proportion of
female recruits back in the day was two troops annually, in other words
64
women a year. The training academy staff scrutinized every move the new
female
instructors made, concerned the male recruits would not respect us.
Speaking
for myself, I believe respect is not granted on the basis of rank.
Respect has
to be earned and I worked very hard to be credible, inside and outside
of the
classroom."
These specific insights about the process of
integration, social acceptance, and political forces both within and
outside
the RCMP contribute to a story that moves far beyond one individual's
life and
experience. Woman in Scarlet
documents the ideals, philosophy, psychology, and sociology of all
women who
struggle to gain acceptance in male professions.
The result is a memoir that blends Adams'
life and professional dreams with some very solid insights into how
other women
can succeed against all odds. This story belongs not just in
autobiography and
memoir collections, but in any library strong in law enforcement
experience and
RCMP history in particular. It creates a legacy that goes beyond any
original
intention of capturing her experiences for her family, to reach future
generations of women.
Return to Index
Write Through the Crisis
Samantha Shad
Axillar Books
978-1-7338652-1-0
$11.99 paperback, $6.99 ebook
www.samanthashad.com
Write Through the Crisis
comes from a "veteran of living through crises" and provides a
powerful approach for unprecedented times, showing readers how they,
too, can
use the tools of writing to stave off depression, isolation, and ennui.
Samantha Shad wasn't broke or quarantined, but
she did survive living with a psychopathic mother who committed
infanticide and
created a life that always teetered on the edge of chaos and crisis
after
crisis. Shad turned to writing to mitigate the damaging effects of
these
constant challenges, and here advocates writing as a technique any
literate
person can use to heal themselves.
She notes: "You don’t
have to like living in disaster-mode, but you can use
it to make your life better. I did. This book tells you how to make the
best
out of a crisis by using it to write yourself to a richer soul."
This approach advocates finding your own
healing process and writing 'voice' and demonstrates how to do so by
better
understanding storytelling options, writing forms, how ideas and dreams
are germinated
to result in positive goals, and more.
Psychology, creative writing tips, and
self-help healing skills are woven into an account that should be a
blueprint
for those facing Covid who want to see and reach towards a light at the
end of
a challenging tunnel of darkness.
As Shad discusses the mechanics of creating
characters, plots, and themes, readers will be encouraged to put pen to
paper
to follow their own dreams.
Why not? Those under quarantine now have all
the time in the world to write their way to a better perspective, and
with the
lively, accessible Write Through the
Crisis, they now have the tools to do so.
Return to Index
An Old Man and
His Penguin
Alayne Kay
Chirstian
Blue Whale Press
978-1-7328935-6-6
(hardcover) $16.99
978-1-7328935-7-3
(paperback) $10.99
www.bluewhalepress.com
An Old Man and His Penguin: How Dindim made
João Pereira de Souza an Honorary Penguin
displays colorful, realistic art by Milanka Reardon as it provides
picture book
readers and their parents with a story set on an island off the coast
of
Brazil. Here, João finds a penguin soaked in oil, spends much time
cleaning him
up, and discovers in him a new companion.
The two come to
love each other as Dindim becomes part of João's world, but João
realizes that
his penguin friend needs the companionship of fellow penguins more than
a new
home among humans. And so he attempts to do the best thing for his
buddy, and
the inevitable happens. Or, does it?
An Old Man and His Penguin holds a number of
important messages about
human/animal relationships, love, oil slicks and their impact on sea
life, and
loneliness.
Its underlying
focus on letting go and reaping rewards from non-possessiveness offers
an
outstanding lesson about love for the very young, delivering this
message in a
colorful tale that repeats and emphasizes its point in a creative,
compelling
manner.
Adults looking
for an inviting animal story with an important message will welcome
this
appealingly different seaside tale.
Return to Index
The
Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island
Scott Semegran
Mutt Press
978-1087878645
Paper: $15.99/ebook: $3.99
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08678RWD4
Website: https://scottsemegran.com/books/the-benevolent-lords-of-sometimes-island.html
It's 1986 in Texas, and a war is being
conducted by two groups of boys who find themselves stranded on an
island with
a battle raging between them.
The Benevolent Lords of
Sometimes Island could serve as the poster child for a
psychology class in group dynamics. Scott Semegran's story, narrated in
the
first person by young suburbanite William Flynn, adopts a sense of slow
horror
reminiscent of the approach of Stephen King. All appears frighteningly
normal
at first, but evolves into a dangerous situation cemented by adversity
and
isolation in a dangerous pairing of events.
The groups of middle school kids in question
already harbor relationships 'as thick as thieves', as the young
narrator
observes. This lends to the dilemma as this close-knit band of buddies
confronts something dangerously beyond their middle-America experience.
Semegran's choice of voice for this narration is compelling, setting
the
story's unique feeling and atmosphere from the start: "Earlier,
I said that middle school was the time in my life when I
first experienced real danger, but I failed to recall a time in my life
during
elementary school when, in fact, I also experienced something quite
dangerous.
Sorry I didn’t mention it earlier, but that’s how it goes with memories
sometimes. They can appear and disappear in your mind like fireflies
dancing
across your front lawn on a warm spring night."
Remember: this is a slow-building horror
story. It takes the proper time to build moments of levity, play, and
unsuspecting encounters into its percolating plot about dangerous
changes and
situations. This is one of the outstanding features that makes
William's story
feel compellingly realistic.
As events unfold and challenges evolve
beyond the usual childhood conflicts, readers are treated to a crazy
adventure
involving the threat of the Thousand Oaks Gang, the added impact of a
setting
that encourages deadly truths to emerge, and the changing perspective
of a
middle grade boy well on his way to becoming an adult.
Semegran's cultivation of a first-person
voice that is evocative and compelling drives the story line and makes
for an
absorbing read fueled by William's very real reactions to his changed
life: "Here’s the thing about adulation for
an introvert: it’s kryptonite. After about an hour of stares from
strange
students and congratulatory handshakes from grinning teachers, I was
ready to
cover myself in the sheet of anonymity that a ghostly wallflower like
me
enjoyed so much. Being anonymous is only truly appreciated after it’s
gone. I
guess if I learned anything that day, it was this: I didn’t want to be
famous."
Middle grade leisure readers are in for a
treat. Adult teachers and literary readers should also consider using
some of
the ideas in this story for classroom discussion, debate, and
education, much
as Lord of the Flies was used as an
iconic literary representation of group dynamics.
It's a highly recommended, superb example of
psychological twists and interpersonal encounters gone awry.
Return to Index
Cassie Pup's Favorite Ladybug and Snake
Stories
Sheri Poe-Pape
Publisher: Sheri Poe-Pape
978-1797051543
Hardcover-$13.99
Softcover-$10.99
Kindle-$3.99
Website: www.sheripoe-pape.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com
Cassie Pup's Favorite
Ladybug
and Snake Stories enjoys bright, fun drawings by Harry Aveira
that introduce young children and their read-aloud parents to bugs and
snakes
via inviting rhymes.
The collection opens with 'Lucy the Loony
Ladybug?' which presents a forest ladybug's dilemma when she begins to
change
colors. As these changes venture into some fantastic territory (who
wants to be
Scotch plaid?), she struggles until the remarkable Clem Chameleon,
fully
rainbowed, makes a proposal.
The dialogue includes some rollicking lingo
that parents will want to use to illustrate the different choices of
language
and how words can reflect personality: "Reminds
me much as the old timers howl/you
are truly 'a horse of
a different color!' ”
'Claiborne the Cha Cha Cobra' is a dancing
fool. But in a contest, can her evocative sways win against dancing
king Miko
Mongoose?
These lovely pieces, embellished with the
captivating, colorful work of Harry Aveira, will draw in both prior
Cassie Pup
fans and new readers who will enjoy the poetry that follows original
creatures
and their special dilemmas.
As an early introduction to poems, fantasy,
and description, Cassie Pup's Favorite
Ladybug and Snake Stories is an attractive production holding
original
presentations backed by large-size, compelling drawings that bring
ladybug and
snake to life.
Return to Index
I Dreamed You
Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
Suteki Creative
978-1948124508
$14.95 hardcover/$7.95 paper/$1.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/I-Dreamed-You-Justine-Avery/dp/1948124505
I Dreamed You
is the gentle love poem of a mother who, before she became pregnant,
felt she
was missing something from her life...someone who would assume the form
of a
child in the future. She writes this poem for that child, and it is
presented
in an evocative combination of gentle rhyme and images that will best
be
enjoyed by mothers who read it aloud to the very young.
Justine Avery tackles a difficult
subject for a young picture book reader: that of bringing a child into
the
world and how life changes because of it. Her account isn't just for
mothers,
but any adult who would welcome a child into their lives, whether it be
parents, grandparents, or adoptive parents.
The rhymes are compelling and crafted to
draw readers into this story: "In
quiet times and busy times/when everything seemed just fine,/something
was
missing./It was you, meant to be mine."
The words reinforce the sense of love,
belonging, connection, and change that a child brings to a family. They
encourage discussions between adults and children in a warm, supportive
story
packed with lovely drawings reinforcing I
Dreamed You's encouraging messages.
Return to Index
Speak No Evil
Liana Gardner
Vesuvian Books
978-1-944109-85-1
$19.95 Hardcover, $17.95 Paper, Ebook: $8.99
www.vesuvianbooks.com
The connection between truth-telling and
evil was never so firm as in Speak No
Evil...only, it's not what you think. Here, truth is directly
connected to
the growth of an evil force, as foster child Melody Fisher knows all
too well.
The story opens with fifteen-year-old mute
orphan Melody in custody for stabbing a football star classmate. How
did she
get to this point in life, a far cry from a good life with parents at
age nine?
Melody tells her own background in a
flashback that recounts an encounter with snakes and her unique ability
to sing
the deadly serpents into tranquility. Her father is a snake handler in
Appalachia and her mother died from a snakebite, but Melody's own
connection to
snakes continues to haunt her life and is just one of the many
influences that
sets her apart from the norm.
Her mother's church also was deeply involved
with snakes, linking them to faith and God. After her mother's death,
her Uncle
Harlan forces her to handle snakes as a test of her faith...something
her
mother had forbidden. Torn between her mother's admonition and her
uncle's
insistence, Melody finds her own hopes influencing her decision: "It was too soon after her death. But if it
meant God might listen to my prayer, I had to try."
Riddled by sorrow and events that keep
testing not only her survival skills and faith but questions of good
and evil,
Melody finds the snakes are always present in her life years later,
either
metaphorically or physically: "The
raging sense of loss and overwhelming heartbreak rose out of the desert
of her
past, like a snake ready to strike and swallow her whole."
Liana Gardner does an outstanding job of
entwining a suffering orphan girl's coming of age with the story of a
special
ability that represents a tightrope walk on the edges separating good
and evil
intentions.
Melody's character is well done and drives a
story line that keeps mature young adult readers wondering about her
future as
she faces her snakes and demons in more than one encounter.
Compelling, gripping, and evocative, Speak
No Evil is a study in personality
development, horror, how support systems for teens can either succeed
or fail,
and the impact a caring adult can have on a teenager's life.
It's an empowering story that embraces
abuse, best friends, secrets, and loyalty that will keep not just
mature teens
but new adults involved until its unexpected, satisfying conclusion. It
should
also be noted that Speak No Evil is
one of 6 that made the final ballot this year as a Bram Stoker Awards
Nominee
for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel.
Return to Index
Spin
K. J. Farnham
K. J. Farnham
Publishing LLC
9781732283220
$13.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
Website: http://www.kjfarnham.com
Sixteen-year-old
Jenna Kemp is a typical teenager with a circle of friends, a boyfriend,
and a
good home and life. It seems incongruous that her world would spin out
of
control from a childhood trauma that resurfaces, but as she begins to
drink and
do drugs in an effort to repress it, her life begins to fall apart.
Six and a half
months after her disappearance, her mother Bonnie is still looking for
answers
about what happened and where Jenna went. When she stumbles upon
Jenna's old
diary, answers begin to surface that offer clues and condemnation over
Bonnie's
involvement in Jenna's downfall.
As Bonnie
uncovers answers, Jenna's former best friend and others who have been
part of
her life struggle with their own involvement in Jenna's downward
spiral.
Jenna's diary powers these revelations and provides revealing insights
into the
process of repressing painful traumas: "After lying for so
long to
everyone, including myself, I'm more terrified of telling the truth.
Maybe
keeping my distance from Eli will make it easier to keep my memories
and secrets
locked away."
This series of
insights into the struggles of a victim to repress memories under
impossible
circumstances drives a young adult story that touches readers with an
emotional
grip few other stories of mental illness can duplicate.
Perhaps this is
because the diary format and changing perspectives of mother, daughter,
and
friends create a satisfyingly complex, believable juxtaposition of
rationales,
emotions, and responses. These all lend credibility and understanding
to the
experience from different vantage points.
Add the efforts
of detectives and family to solve a puzzling missing person case, the
mystery
surrounding Jenna's past, and the coping process of survivors of sexual
abuse
for a story that is revealing, riveting, and thrilling, all in one.
Usually, stories
of trauma and survival revolve around the victim alone. By expanding
this
circle to family and friends, K. J. Farnham creates a dialogue between
self and
community that goes beyond most trauma victim stories to inject
psychological,
social, and family dynamics into the equation of a teen's struggle.
Spin is
a captivating young adult read that lingers in the mind long after the
story's
conclusion.
Return to Index
Zany Can Do
Anything
Nicole Hansen
Handersen
Publishing
978-1647039004
$11.95
Paper/$19.95 Hardcover/$4.95 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Zany-Can-Anything-Nichole-Hansen/dp/1647039002
Zany is a unicorn
with a uniquely positive view of daily living and its many
opportunities. His
explorations of this world and his reactions to it begin with picking
out the
perfect outfit to greet each day (in the introduction, this is a
'superhero'
assembly of safari hat, star glasses, the required cape, and a grass
skirt).
As fun, simple
rhymes accompany a series of bright drawings by Tevin Hansen, young
picture
book readers enjoy the tale of a savvy little unicorn who has 'to do'
lists to
help direct his day, cultivates an awareness that healthy foods are
just as
important as coveted sweets (and that 'health' can arrive in unexpected
food
packages), and harbors the desire to take risks and experiment, whether
it be
with art, sports, or choosing different kinds of books to read.
Kids follow
Zany's explorations and positive perspective on life and absorb the
underlying
messages that new things aren't always easy to learn or cultivate, it's
ok to
make mistakes, and individuals need to take unique approaches to life.
Young picture book readers receive a series of uplifting messages during this amusing story of a colorful little unicorn who grasps life's opportunities with both paws.
Zany Can Do AnythingReturn to Index
Dead Dogs Don't
Bark
Tolu A. Akinyemi
www.tolutoludo.com
978-1999815929
$10.88 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Collection-Poetic-Wisdom-Discerning-ebook/dp/B07H4YH16T
Dead Dogs Don't Bark
... And
They Don't Bite is another reflective, inspirational,
uplifting free verse poetry collection by Tolu A. Akinyemi who, in this
second
collection, continues to capture the basics of motivational thinking in
poems
that support the premises of Dead Lions
Don't Roar while expanding on its themes.
From poems about Akinyemi's native Nigeria
and experiences that shaped his life to the title poem, which entreats
the
reader to "...let the world hear
your bark/Be a bright spark/Make a difference...", these
works provide
stimulating and reflective poetic pieces that discourage life's
mediocrity and
entreats readers, "Don't be a
tourist/When you could have been the pilot."
Some may think that everyone can't be a
guiding light...but these poems continually reinforce the notion that
one
person can, indeed, make a difference in the world, however small.
Though Akinyemi admits he is a "work in
progress," he also acknowledges role models and leaders, the
possibilities
of evolving ever upward in spirit and intention, and the methods by
which daily
life may be addressed, assessed, and honed. The goal is to live dreams
where
the poet and reader can "burst apart at the seams" with eyes wide
open.
Heartfelt, thought-provoking, and inspirational,
Dead Dogs Don't Bark nicely
supports
new approaches to considering life and its changes, and makes for an
excellent
game plan for building a better world.
Return to Index
Foundlings
and Other Misfits
Estelle Gilson
Garden Oak Press
978-1-7323753-7-6
$14.99
www.gardenoakpress.com
Foundlings and Other
Misfits
collects 41 poems and 15 short stories that represent observations of
families,
children, and the ironies of daily life conundrums, such as finding a
pear
stuck in the toilet. It's a synthesis of experience that blends flashes
of
humor with serious inspection of evolving from a foundling to honing a
life
purpose: "Wet at the ghetto
gate/without clothes, speech or food/I am taken in, taught never to be
naked,
speechless/or wet again./I think it love 'til the cashier asks a
price/—
teaching learning never ends —/then swallow understanding./Hold it in."
From mismatched Gemini twins and longings
for connection and reconnection to a rail against psychotherapy's
conclusions ("...all
you bastards are innocent./I'm the one ruining my life./Now
what?/Hemlock?/Screw you, Socrates!"),
Estelle Gilson provides a vivid inspection of life which
shines in
poetry and prose alike.
Take
'The Man Who Sold His Mother', for example.
This short story revolves
around Horace Ross, a man who decides to sell his mother. "Promise me one thing." How many times had she
sworn him to
the oath. "No matter what happens, you won't stick me in an old age
home." Well, he wouldn't."
Anger,
irony,
and fun coalesce in a story that tells what happens when he packs ma
and a
wheelbarrow into his car, only to find that he can't give her away for
free.
And his mother actually likes the barrow, deeming him as being
considerate for
saving her the effort of walking.
Estelle Gilson's ability to weave anger and
observation into humor to provide a taste of something different is one
of the
facets that connects her poetry and prose pieces to keep them lively
and fun.
Other strong features of this collection as
a whole are its close inspection of life events, relationships, and the
evolution of a girl's independence as she moves from foundling to savvy
child
able to deflect the unwelcome advances of a predator (among other
events).
The result is a powerful literary and
psychological inspection that lingers in the mind longer after the
collection's
final short story.
Return to Index
Little Tea
Claire Fullerton
Firefly Southern
Fiction
978-1-64526-259-6
$14.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Tea-Claire-Fullerton-ebook/dp/B0817J667Y
Set at Greer’s
Ferry Lake in Heber Springs, Arkansas, Little Tea
explores the
bonds of female friendships that have lasted through the ages, coming
home, and
coming to terms with aspects of Southern culture.
Claire Fullerton
sets the stage when three childhood friends reunite after a decade of
separation. "I’ve had more friendships than I care to list
come and go
over the years. People I thought would be in my life forever fell by
the
wayside for one reason or another, some leaving me baffled and bruised
and
second-guessing. But Renny Thornton and Ava Cameron have remained. The
progression of years and disparate locations has not altered our bond
one iota.
We became friends when we were thirteen, and now that we’re “a little
older,”
each of us realizes we’re in it for life. Our dogged loyalty to each
other is
partially based on longevity. We’ve invested too much time in each
other to
turn back now. We overlook the fact that we’re as different as night
and day in
what our lives have become, because we began at the same starting
point. Born
to a certain sect of the South so staid in its ways few people ever
leave."
Their reunion is
laced with childhood memories as narrator Celia Wakefield reflects on
her
coming-of-age on her family’s 3rd generation
farm in Como,
Mississippi. In the
midst of
deeply-engrained cultural beliefs about the racial divide in the Deep
South,
readers are swept into a family saga impacted by society's opinion of
Celia's
close friendship with the spirited Thelonia, who goes by the nickname
Little
Tea.
Readers of
women’s fiction and Southern fiction will find Little Tea
thoroughly
engrossing and satisfyingly unpredictable as each character undertakes
an
emotional journey that is captured with a lyrical, lilting attention to
detail:
"I’ve heard it said you don’t recognize the best times of your
life
unless you see them in hindsight, but I beg to differ. I knew every
moment of
this day for exactly what it was, and each crystalline variable seemed
to me a
highlight: the selection of the low heels and white sleeveless dress I
wore,
the arrival of Renny and Mark and Ava, the secret flutter of my heart
every
time I met eyes with Tate."
Little Tea is the story of the
ties that bind during changing
times and documents the bravery it takes to move forward. Readers of
women's
literature will find it a compelling story of Southern friendships and
their
evolution.
Return to Index
Poet
in a Pin-stripe Suit
Jay M. Mower
Garden Oak Press
978-1-7323753-8-3
$15.95
www.gardenoakpress.com
Poet in a Pin-stripe
Suit
features well over a hundred poems divided into sections that range
from 'The
Swamp Witch' and 'Roller Derby' to 'Beyond Electricity, Strange
Encounters, and
Visits to Dystopia'. Each section offers writings that closely inspect
different experiences and life encounters, capturing a sense of place
and a
moment in time.
Take 'That Old Black Magic', for example.
Its slice of life/love feel evolves from a description of magic moments
that
blend with a Halloween backdrop: "Louis
and Keely‘s vocal ends/followed by a bumblebee buzz/on the sax while my
last
sip/of scotch whiskey disappears/off the rocks. Halloween and
Keely,/I‘m drawn
to magic spells, witches/and a spider that spins elastic/catenaries, no
visible
knots,/glistening across the morning/sidewalk to a weatherworn fence..."
The blend of atmosphere and romance is
well-done, with the latter an unexpected injection into the setting of
smooth
jazz, sharp whiskey, and past love.
'Passages' offers a glimpse of the writer's
inspection of life as he observes "...collies
fly into fuchsia Frisbees,/boys soar into Japanese warrior kites/on
Central
Park green and see money/as a knife we plunge into each other,/like
cords of
wood loom as future pyres." As he sees the universe abiding
and
changes looming, his conclusion is to capture the appeal of small
moments and
pleasures: "...I'll not wait/for a
fireworks extravaganza,/but live for a trice of ice cream."
Jay M. Mower cultivates a back-and-forth perspective between
bigger-picture
thinking and small slices of life. He excels at forming connections
between the
two that capture the fleeting moments and threats of life, be it "the
big
one" earthquake or the lack of a tsunami's roar that leads him full
circle
to the ordinary before a concluding extraordinary event changes
everything in
'An Eerie Evening'.
This blend of speculation and reality,
imagination and daily life, and the intersection of ordinary experience
and
extraordinary encounters to be found within them and the mind creates a
collection that is evocative, wonderfully written, and a breath of
fresh air.
Readers can easily follow the juxtaposition
of literary and daily affairs in poems that bridge the gap between
intellectual
and everyday experience, making Poet in a
Pin-stripe Suit widely accessible to all.
Return to Index
Seven
Gifts in The Rain
theSailor
Strange Land
ASIN Ebook: B005K01ATU
$ 4.03
Paperback: 979-8605986614
$12.00
Website: http://strangeland.nz
Amazon link (ebook): https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Gifts-Rain-theSailor-ebook/dp/B005K01ATU
Amazon link (paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Gifts-Rain-theSailor/dp/B0849HM3RL
Seven
Gifts
in The Rain
opens with a parable about a little girl who grows
up and dies before ever knowing her true adversary and purpose—a girl
who chose
to live in a time where mankind was on the cusp of change, yet never
saw her
real potential, living an unrealized existence instead: "Her
life,
which had once been open, inquisitive and mystical, shrank into a
solid, firmly
structured matrix built entirely around the need for material comfort.
Any
struggle would have to be of her own making. But she made nothing. In
the
company of her peers, she sank slowly and steadily, and quite
willingly, into
the seductive quicksands of mature adulthood."
An
Angel is telling this story to a boy who wonders about a girl who
never fought, who never identified an adversary in her life, and whose "...elders
had drawn a veil over her mind and left her only eyes with which to
see."
But
the Boy is different, and so are these seven interlaced stories
about human potential, purpose, and the obstacles that obscure vision
and
intention. These stories originate from seven books, each of which "...contains
a story illustrating one of the gifts...When you have read all seven,
you
should understand the purpose of the guardian's seven gifts, and the
reason for
them being unveiled at this time."
Thus,
the reader and protagonist embark on a philosophical, ethereal
series of encounters that each hold a lesson about life and living and
dying,
bringing readers into the realm of life's inspection and meaning
through tales
such as 'Charlie's Angel', about a shipwreck and a seagull.
In
one such story, strong descriptions of the power of storms and the
sea lead to an old Bosun who experiences yet another shipwreck and
reflects on
the gifts the sea has given him: "He and the Captain were the
lucky
ones, he reflected, to have such clarity of thought as only the sea
could give.
To see life in its simple forms, uncluttered by all the confusion of
riches and
social graces; and the obligations and blindness they create. The
Captain had
found peace, and so, one day, would he."
It
would have been too easy to allow each story to stand alone and
resonate with the reader, but discussions between boy and Angel of the
lessons
learned from each event reinforce each tale's perspective and possible
impact.
Often, there is more to each than meets the eye, and so the deeper
lessons
imparted in the course of these debates hold philosophical and
spiritual
lessons for readers.
The
gifts from the sea that form the foundation of these experiences
and life lessons are teased from the wind, sand, and stars of nature
and are
given to any who would delight in stories that serve as more than just
entertainment devices.
Seven
Gifts
in The Rain
is highly recommended reading for readers of
metaphysical fiction, who will find its gentle philosophical and
visionary
reflections to be compelling, inviting, and thought-provoking life
lessons.
Return to Index
Side By Side But Never Face to Face
Maggie Kast
Orison Books
978-1949039085
$18.00
https://www.maggiekast.com
Past, present, and future become mercurial
as Greta and Manfred see their life perspectives shift and the gap
between them
widen, with tragedy highlighting the underlying differences between a
refugee
from Germany and a woman who has "...never
known war or borders or boots. She hadn’t even been born forty years
ago when
Manfred ran for his life. Raised in harmonious comfort, she barely
understood
why Mutti had refused to have her Fredi circumcised, why she had
painted over
the dates in his baby book to make it look like he had been baptized
Lutheran
at birth. Now, without warning, calamity had shoved its way into
Greta’s
presence, decimating the rich and varied pleasures of their life
together."
There is confidence that the grief will pass
and their relationship will continue to survive: "We've
had good times,” said Greta in the morning, speaking
through tears, “and we will again.” But in the face of death
and all its
changes, a transformative process threatens to change many facets of
life.
It would have been easy to have the focus
rest solely on Greta's shoulders, as women's grief is often more easily
observed
and captured. But Maggie Kast takes the time to focus on Manfred's
struggles,
as well, and this lends a powerful perspective to their story, bringing
the
emotional turmoil to life from both sides: "He
wanted to order her alive, but all that came out was dry sobs."
Side By Side But Never
Face to
Face is not just a story of grief and survival,
but a summation of the coming together of a couple distanced by
circumstance
and cultural connections. As stories reveal this disparity, readers are
treated
to lyrical observations of these differences which proves compelling: "She felt free to criticize but was
nonetheless infatuated with all the sights and smells that had formed
Manfred.
His “fatherland” would always be her “otherland,” its yellow facades
and sunny
vineyards and damp coffeehouses the Austria she had married."
As the stories that accompany the novella
move beyond Greta and Manfred to probe the lives of other family
members,
readers receive a full-bodied exploration of the lingering effects of
family
heritage and struggle that brings to life the process of coupling and
growing
together.
The language, too, evolves and changes in
each of these descriptions of daily life unwinding: "You
married your husband largely for his freedom and nerve, for the
way he suddenly stopped on the street, took a deep breath, and raised
his arms
to embrace the world, knowing he deserved its gifts.
He reached like a tall stalk to speculate
about the world beyond his limits, and he sent down searching roots to
probe the
muddy depths of behavior, his and yours."
These changes in character, purpose, and
literary style coalesce to profile interconnected lives that are not
linear
productions, but lively, growing entities. They traverse the world,
exploring
different traditions and belief systems from Germany to Minneapolis to
Vietnam.
Readers looking for a powerful literary
collection that takes daily life challenges and moves them outward like
a
ripple into society and psyche alike will find Side
By Side But Never Face to Face a compelling read replete with
psychological, spiritual, and cultural strength.
Return to Index
Snapshots
Eliot Parker
Morgan James Publishing
978-1642797138
$14.95
www.MorgnJamesPublishing.com
Snapshots represents just
what its title insinuates—a collection of short story vignettes
designed to
capture slices of life in succinct revelations that make for both quick
reading
and lingering impressions, much like a photograph.
Each
short piece is carefully crafted to capture individual lives and
reflections on the moment when they change.
Take
'Hub2000' for one example. The narrator is working his last
graveyard shift for United Parcel Service, and Hub2000 is the employee
terminal
he's entering for the last time as he moves on in his career.
Veteran
Owen encounters first-day employee Bryce on the bus at this
hub. Bryce is new, enthusiastic, and "ready to go." Owen is seasoned
and ready to leave, but he's called upon to serve as Bryce's mentor for
the
night. Their brief encounter changes both when a strange package leads
to a
restricted area, an escapee, and a strange truth that transforms Owen
in a
shocking, truly unexpected conclusion.
'The
Ten Pin' documents a bowling experience on steroids when Brett,
who grew up in a bowling alley, encounters Justin and finds a
kidnapping leads
to a horrific conclusion. Everything leads back to the bowling
alley—but in a
twisted manner that reveals another side to Justin.
Eliot
Parker's ability to take these 'snapshots' and add extra
dimensions to what begin as ordinary life experiences is what sets this
collection apart from others.
Each
story specializes in a twist that challenges readers to think
about their expectations and prejudices about outcomes, people, and
circumstances.
Each will delight short story enthusiasts looking for literary works
strong in
tension development, plot, and the ability to craft something
unexpected and
different from disparate life experiences.
Return to Index
Sometimes
She Smiles
J. A. Hailey
Indiependent Publishing
ASIN: B082K7KNC2
$2.99
https://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-She-Smiles-J-Hailey-ebook/dp/B082K7KNC2
Sometimes She Smiles
excels in vignettes and slices-of-life encounters that make for
succinct,
hard-hitting reading for attention spans limited by busy lives. It
tackles many
different subjects in a collection designed to make the most of the
short story
in as broad a representation of subjects as possible.
The opening story, 'Act of Goodwill', offers
a dialogue-driven philosophical encounter between Saint Peter of the
Pearly
Gates and John, who could go either way, and who had an eternal life
game plan
that turned into a Ponzi scheme involving cryogenics and his mistaken
notion
that "I am the first human to have
not died.”
Humor is unexpected in this jovial
conversation about possibilities, injecting a sense of irony into the
story: "But why am I here, if this is indeed
the gateway to heaven?” “You’re facing the wrong way.” “What? That
fiery place
behind me? Wow, and it actually has a sign over the gate, just like the
poet
fellow said. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. How did he know?” “He
didn’t.
But he gave us the idea and the words, so we made the sign. He was
reciting the
poem when we booted him in.”
For
quite a different take, consider 'Humans
Are Virtuals', a short piece excerpted
from a larger work and crafted into the standalone story of a virtual
world
containing intelligent beings who converse with the wheelchair-bound
Stephen
Dawkings.
A
philosophical
and scientific discussion evolves to consider the origins of geniuses
and
morons, the involvements of these 'virtuals' in human lives, and the
possibilities of sanity and insanity as they relate to these odd
interfacers
with human affairs.
A
light
proofreading would have caught the punctuation errors peppered
throughout the
pieces, which would have made for a better reading experience.
This
caution
aside, the meat of the diverse stories in Sometimes
She Smiles is always intriguing and provides fun food for
thought in
stories that are easy to grasp and intriguingly different.
Return to Index