May 2022 Review Issue
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Literature
Mystery & Thrillers
ALT
Aleksandar
Nedeljkovic
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-265-6
$19.99
www.atmospherepress.com
"A lot can happen in a
second.
You can decide if you’re going to love someone for
the rest of your
life inside of a second.
It’s enough time to recognize an idea that can lift
up a civilization
or start a war that will destroy countless lives.
It’s about how long it takes the AI mind of Newseam
Neural Network to
construct a tailored news story to fit a headline like this one: The
Systems
That Aren’t Busy Being Born Are Busy Dying.
A second is a measure of singularity closest to
zero in which the past,
present, and future are all contained as one, where what has been, what
is now,
and what might be, can still change one another."
ALT is a dystopian novel set in the near
future which opens with
the above introductory bang of revelation, charging into that future
with a
fire and passion that will captivate even non-sci-fi readers.
In this
future,
decaying world ecology has resulted in the evolution of high technology
to answer
humanity's problems. This takes the form of Sundance, a plan to harness
unlimited solar energy by altering humankind's co-existence with
nature.
Sundance may be the last best hope humanity has to save itself.
As ALT explores alternative pathways to
survival,
it profiles the human impulse to turn to technology for answers, over
behavior
modification. Perhaps this is why its story of greed, struggle, the
cultural
experiences of different age groups, and diverse survival training and
tactics
is so compelling. It mirrors many of the issues and struggles between
groups
that readers face in modern times, but places them in a futuristic
perspective
that highlights their long-term impact and meaning.
Aleksandar
Nedeljkovic is especially adept at describing these experiences through
different viewpoints as the novel embraces not just technological
shifts and
struggles, but young people who have unwittingly devised their own
training
methods for survival by the choices they make to utilize this
technology: “Open world games. Players can
modify the
games and create their own ways to play. There are still game
environment
restrictions obviously, mostly technical limitations, but they all run
on
adaptable algorithms that constantly rewrite the games as players
change the
structures. So, the games are constantly changing. Remodeling is all
the fun,
you just have to balance the freedom of an open world with the
structure of a
storyline. And you really have to pay attention to the flow of the
game,
shifting objectives, changing rules, that type of stuff. It’s more like
real
life.”
As the rules
of these
games change, so do the rules of real life as the countdown in the
final stages
depicted here affects characters Moonie, Miles, and a host of others
who play
games in both alternate realities and real life.
The
intersection of
high-tech devices and alternate reality states with the very real
issues facing
these individuals is especially well crafted, juxtaposing a delightful
aura of
intrigue with an ethical dilemma that surrounds the costs of saving the
world: "...deep down he believed that the
greater intentions should count for something. When you’re trying to
save the
world, nothing should be off-limits."
The result
is a
powerful saga that is hard to put down, spinning a realistic story of
opportunity, anguish, and the fallout between individual sacrifice and
social
preservation.
While ALT will likely attract sci-fi readers
interested in dystopian scenarios, it should prove of equal interest to
novel
readers. It should also ideally be considered for book clubs where
debates over
technological progress and its price tag and promises will be fueled by
this
story's thought-provoking plot.
Return to Index
The Bonds Between Us
Emily Ruhl
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-258-8
$17.99
www.atmospherepress.com
The
Bonds Between
Us reaches fantasy readers with the first book in
the Web of the Wyrd
trilogy, introducing Katya Anders, a young woman cursed to spend
eternity alone
until a soulmate mark on her wrist appears to portend that she will
gain a
partner.
Mateo is
both
everything that compliments her and something that confuses her,
because he
really shouldn't be part of her future and fate. Indeed, she should be
running
from him, because pursuing love against all odds can hold fatal
repercussions
for them both.
Katya's
research into
Venice's myths helps solidify her place in the world even as it
alienates her
from what she truly wants for her future. As destiny forces Mateo and
Katya to
work together and evolve an uncertain relationship against all odds,
her quest
for the truth from Venetian folklore turns into a struggle to survive
and grow
on many different levels.
Emily Ruhl's
story of
shifting emotions, uncertain connections, and paradigm-defying choices
cultivates an atmosphere of discovery and revelation, couching these in
a
fantasy that juxtaposes personal ambition and perception with
bigger-picture
thinking.
As Katya
evolves a
purpose beyond her initial love for Venice and her existing life,
readers are
brought into a realm steeped in controversy and challenge.
The
emotional
component of Katya and Mateo's relationship is only one facet that
makes The
Bonds Between Us a powerful saga.
Other
notable
features include issues of past bonds and broken promises, encounters
with the
Devil, and conflicts between prejudice and innocence that lead to a
debate over
whom to punish and who should be rewarded for their loyalty.
Ruhl
cultivates
suspense, mystery, and ethical and moral dilemmas that are even raised
by the
Devil: "Why would a Daski—a monster—like
you want to defend a
group of people that wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter you in the most
painful way
they know how, as though they were righteous slayers driving a wooden
stake
through the heart of a vampire?”
The story
invites
readers to examine friends, enemies, and the influences on their
choices
through an engrossing first-person saga that follows Katya into issues
of
right, wrong, and what it takes to defend a flawed city.
Fantasy
readers
seeking a compelling story of a young woman who confronts her own
preconceptions and motivations for choosing sides will find The
Bonds
Between Us hard to put down, and a fitting
introduction to the series.
Return to Index
Cyber Fighter
William Joseph Hill
Independently
Published
9781082737930
$16.99
Hardcover/$12.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081SJRMJ1
Blend
martial arts
with sci-fi action and what do you get? Cyber
Fighter, with its special blend of science and social
observation. It's
powered by unlikely hero Brian Baldwin, a geek who volunteers to
download a new
martial arts software app into his brain.
Perhaps
predictably,
his newfound fighting abilities attract the military, who views him as
little
more than an enhanced cyber fighting machine capable of achieving what
an
ordinary human cannot.
Satisfyingly
unpredictable are the series of events that lead Brian on a vivid
virtual and
real-world journey. Also surprising is the humor that runs as a current
through
these action-packed encounters: "Without
warning, the beautiful satin dress that Chun Zhiyi was wearing split
along
slash marks that opened, the silk threads separating in clean cuts that
widened
in an almost slow-motion movement. The dress fell away from her body in
pieces,
flopping to the forest ground around her, and revealing her underwear.
As Zhiyi
looked at her body, her face flushed with embarrassment. She covered
herself
with her fans and glared with rage at Brian. “Damn you!” She exclaimed.
“That
was a Vera Wang!”
From
flashbacks to
agents who look like Matrix avatars to agents who find their encounters
with
Brian thwarted, William Joseph Hill keeps the action swift and the
observations
intriguingly ironic: “Good
afternoon, Agent Rand. I understand you’ve hit a snag?” Kate
turned to look at
Brian, remembering how he mucked things up by crashing her hidden
control room
back at her temporary residence. “You could say that, sir.” Brian
couldn’t help
but notice the eerie resemblance of this Salisbury character to one of
science
fiction’s greatest writers. He turned to Kate to mutter so the webcam
mike
couldn’t hear. “I thought Isaac Asimov was dead.”
Hill is also
adept at
charting Brian's increasing dilemmas as he moves from being a martial
arts
warrior to a possible killer: "He
knew how to kick ass, but kill? That was an exponential jump in warrior
response that he wasn’t sure he had the stomach for."
These
philosophical
and ethical conundrums power the story as much as the vivid martial
arts
confrontations and the science and subterfuge that are the hallmarks of
an
exciting read.
Fans of dark
sci-fi
humor will find plenty to relish in a story that is unpredictably
wide-ranging,
incorporating the latest technological, social, and political dilemmas
into a
military/martial arts series of confrontations.
It should
also be
noted that the door is left more than ajar for more adventures... which
will be
welcome, given the fast pace, fine premise, exquisite action, and
satirical
inspections of Cyber Fighter.
Cyber Fighter is especially recommended
for libraries strong in
sci-fi, military sci-fi, and action reads. Hill intends his story to
serve as
the foundation of a screenplay and, more so than most, it's easy to
envision
the strength and action-based scenes of this story in a movie theatre.
Return to Index
Fatal Shadow
Noel Coughlan
Photocosmological Press
978-1-910206-17-1 $16.99
Paper/$2.99 ebook
Website: https://photocosm.org/
Ordering: https://books2read.com/FatalShadow
Fatal Shadow presents the first book in
the Champions of Fate epic
fantasy story of Drinith, whose kingdom has been toppled, leaving her a
wandering exile determined to raise an opposing force from others who
survived
the siege.
Evading
pursuit from
tyrant Magian the Infinite partially due to the magic of foresight that
comes
from oracle Quiescat, she is well aware that magic is fading, leaving
her
vulnerable to a final attack.
Desperate to
save
both herself and her people, Drinith takes a big risk as Quiescat
struggles
with his own fading force in the world and attempts to venture into
unknown
territory that challenges his status and talents: "Mortal
men dreamed, why couldn’t he? Was even that scrap of
comfort to be denied to him? The dead don’t dream, and he had been
marked for
death."
From
ambushers and
assassins to the evolution of more than one conspiracy that places
Drinith in
the middle of battles she didn't even know were being fought on
different
levels, Noel Coughlan creates a fantasy force to reckon with. He
invites
readers to absorb the mercurial alliances and purposes of a world
divided and
under siege, using Drinith and other characters to explore the nature
and
simmering underbelly of this milieu.
All Drinith
wants is
to feel safe, and to have this feeling of safety mirrored in the world
she
seeks to influence. Ironically, her influence is already on the wane as
she is
captured, manipulated, and finds her role as a royal leader threatened
by
forces that operate both within and outside of the familiar enemy's
territory.
Coughlan is
especially adept at portraying the psychological tension and interplays
between
characters on the cusp of both growth and failure.
This nicely
compliments the physical and mental battles that drive both sides with
passion
and purpose, creating both a vivid story of conflict and a tale of
courage and
redemption.
What is the
ultimate
goal of such a struggle?
As war rises
within
the kingdom and within hearts, Drinith's charge to regain what she has
lost,
but in a different manner, creates a powerful introduction that both
sets the
stage and begs for more. Fantasy readers and libraries catering to them
will
find Fatal Shadow an engrossing
first
step in Drinith's journey.
Return to Index
I, Bionic
Jess K. Hardy
Mystic Owl/Owl City
Press
978-1648981685
$13.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Bionic-Ignisar-Jess-K-Hardy/dp/1648981682
I, Bionic is an Ignisar novel that
follows Elanie, who has
installed the LunaCorp hormone upgrade to enhance her sexual appeal.
Yes,
Elanie is bionic. And something is wrong.
The Ignisar
is a
spaceship geared for pleasure. Elanie has been commissioned and sold as
one of
the crew, with a particular duty. However, she suspects that her latest
bionic
upgrade isn't working, and with this introduces a host of new
challenges she's
never faced before.
Jess K.
Hardy creates
a futuristic story that compliments and expands upon her sci-fi romance
Love in the Time of Wormholes.
Readers
familiar with this backdrop will be especially appreciative of the
twists and
turns taken in I, Bionic. The book
opened the Ignisar series with the interstellar pleasure cruise
environment,
setting the stage for this different viewpoint from the perspective of
a bionic
woman whose mission changes.
As she
becomes
involved with the ship's physician Sem, who grows to love her and joins
in the
effort to make her better, readers are treated to a graphic sexual and
emotional journey that traverses both unfamiliar futuristic scenarios
and
familiar matters of the heart.
As Sem
loves, loses,
and finds himself caught in a maelstrom of possibilities and questions,
readers
embark on a wild ride through Elanie and Sem's changing lives in an
atmosphere
where nothing is set in stone: "It
felt as though they lived in a literal dream world where everything
they could
ever want or need simply appeared out of thin air, then vanished
without a
trace when it was no longer desired."
I, Bionic tackles issues of passion and
purpose on many different
levels. Its ability to move through social strata that embrace a
community of
bionics used to having what they want, a couple frustrated about what
they can
achieve and get, and a quest to become "luminous, vital, alive,"
provides an engaging exploration that explores the growing love between
flawed
characters who each search for their own ideal of perfection.
Readers of
sci-fi
romance who appreciate graphic sexual and emotional encounters will
find I, Bionic both unpredictable
and
thoroughly engrossing.
Return to Index
A Merry Life
Sarah Branson
Sooner Started Press
978-1-957774-01-5
$18.99 Paper; $8.99
ebook; $15.99 audiobook
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1957774002?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
Website: https://www.sarahbranson.com/
A
Merry Life is
the first book in the Pirates of New Earth series. It opens in
2349, where
the human survivors of climate change and pandemic crises have forged a
new
life in a new world.
Kat Wallace has inherited
the legacy of these Old World
humans in a milieu based on the ability to survive not just the
environment,
but the predatory humans around her.
Kidnapped by human
traffickers, Kat's struggles and
efforts to regain her freedom lands her in the pirate nation of Bosch,
where
she forges a new identity, purpose, and ideals of freedom.
"Dying
is not
an option. At least not today. Freedom is my only goal."
As Kat absorbs Bosch's
unwavering dedication to the cause
and reflects this in her own passion for independence, readers receive
a
dystopian novel driven not just by individual relationships and goals,
but by
community-building paradigms that threaten established world orders.
Kat's new identity is deeply
rooted in her new home: “I’m Bosch. I do not
run from an enemy.” So
deeply that she may be overlooking what it means to be human as she
confronts
those who have unleashed terror and pain into her existence.
Sarah Branson creates a
compelling saga of a life not
always so merry. From the wellsprings of Kat's newfound strengths and
sense of
purpose to her choices in wielding her own axe of confrontation and
change,
readers receive a satisfying adventure replete with personal growth,
social
inspection, and confrontations over control and Kat's own
responsibility for
inflicting pain on others.
The ethical and moral
dilemmas woven into her story
create a dystopian environment replete with elements not often seen in
dystopian stories of struggle as Kat confronts what kind of survivor
she will
be, as well as the kinds of justice and strength she will encourage in
this new
environment.
Readers who look for more
than just a satisfying
futuristic adventure story of survival will find plenty of social,
ethical, and
psychological inspections in A Merry Life
which bring this futuristic world and its competing forces to vivid
life.
A
Merry Life is
highly recommended for libraries strong in dystopian sagas as well as
book
discussion groups who will find it holds plenty of points for lively
dialogue
on the nature of survival, community-building, and loyalties to self
and
ideals.
Return to Index
Save the
World
J. Scott Coatsworth
Other Worlds Ink
978-1-955778-34-3
$19.99 Paper/$6.99 Kindle
www.otherworldsink.com
Save the World: Twenty Sci-Fi Writers Fix the Planet
is an
anthology that charged twenty sci-fi writers to produce original
stories about
saving the world from climate change.
Many sci-fi
apocalyptic collections revolve around the last days of humanity and
the world,
but this focus on fixing climate change provides a more positive tone
with an
eye to exploring and expanding the possibilities for resolving global
conflict
in the best possible way.
The
solutions
proffered range from engineering marvels of science to wider-ranging
approaches
to and concepts of what it means to save the world from a climate gone
wild.
Take the opening
story by N. R. M. Roshak, "By The
Light Of The Stars." The setting is Hawaii, where a date is going awry
between
two women who turn out to have very different mindsets about science.
One believes that the volume
of stars in the sky aren't
real, and that NASA is a conspiracy group that fosters lies about
space. The
narrator faces Mishael's very different vision of science and space in
much the
way modern travelers through life vie with different mindsets as
Mishael
cements her beliefs with insights into the motivations of big
businesses that
keep people in the dark: "If we
believe there's other planets out there, we won't care so much about
fucking up
this one. So industry is way behind this too. The Koch brothers. Big
Oil. All
the details are on YouTube if you wanna know more."
Readers
might not
anticipate the social inspection that comes with this interaction, but
Roshak
creates an unexpected link between personal experience and scientific
belief: "I learned to trust my own judgement
when I was a kid, and people kept trying to tell me I was straight. I
got told
girls should like boys, dykes are ugly, and being gay is wrong. And it
was all
bullshit. If someone tells me something that doesn't fit my experience,
I gotta
have a good reason to believe it."
Saving
turtles is
just one of the unexpected developments that reaches out to embrace
readers in
a thoroughly thought-provoking story that links the macrocosm of the
universe
with the microcosm of personal experience and belief systems.
"Thirty-Five
and
Change" by M.J. Holt is another attention-grabber that highlights the
diversity and creativity of this anthology as a whole.
Here, the
narrator is
changed by a plasma cloud that encircles the Earth and prompts
disappearances
and the visit of a niece who is "the most oppositional person I ever
met."
From
harbingers of
disaster to revolutionary efforts to rebel against extinction, this
story, too,
embraces both personal experience and bigger-picture thinking in a
story that
is unexpected and compelling.
Each tale in
this
hard-hitting collection holds the ability to transform the reader's
perception
of pipe dreams, future possibilities, and individual values systems and
efforts
to change self and society alike.
Each
features a
disparate group of people who make a difference in their world and the
world,
providing an ultimately positive perspective of life both challenged
and
changed by climatology and those who operate both within scientific
circles and
outside of them.
Sci-fi
audiences
expecting another apocalyptic collection of cataclysmic forces will
find a
different tone in this anthology. It offers hope, profiling alternate
lifestyles that present new opportunities, perspectives, and visions of
the
future and the individual's role in changing it.
Libraries
strong in
LGBTQ+ literature and cli-fi science fiction alike will find Save the World a strong literary work
that will attract both audiences.
Return to Index
The Singing Shore I: Sea and Song
E.P. Clark
Helia Press
9781952723247
$4.99
https://books2read.com/SingingShoreI
What happens when magical promises fail?
In The Singing Shore I: Sea and Song,
Dasha seemed destined to bring great magical powers to the world. In
reality,
she can only offer visions of terror and destruction; not resolution or
salvation. What use is a power that portends disaster without offering
a
solution?
E.P. Clark
creates a
vivid story of a flawed potential heroine's journey, and the story
blossoms
into a coming-of-age saga that embraces an old form of untamable magic
whose
very unpredictability could prove the world's salvation.
Dasha is
called upon
to tap her powers in different ways. But will she become the powerful
sorceress
she's supposedly destined to be, or will her abilities cause the death
of
everything around her?
It's unusual
to see
an epic fantasy saga embrace spiritual and romance components
simultaneously. Sea
and Song weaves these themes
together with a sense of place and spirit that proves compelling as
Dasha
explores not just her evolving abilities and place in the world, but
the
presence of magic in unexpected situations: "There was no
sign of any
magic as Dasha had ever understood it. But she could feel there was a
kind of
magic being worked even so."
Clark's evocative descriptions power this
journey as much as the strong characterization that develops between
Dasha and
those who interact with her: "The note she drew was higher,
but even
sweeter than the one before, like fresh berry juice chilled in the last
of the
previous winter’s ice."
It should be
noted
that this is the first book of a trilogy. Though Sea and Song
is a fictional
story, the background
for this book was drawn from the history, mythology, and geography from
what is
now Russia and the Nordic countries; especially Finland. From gender
roles and
social rules in Slavic and Russian communities to the matriarchal world
of Zem
and its influences and forces, this fantasy thus is embedded in the
rich
cultural and social inspections of the real world. Perhaps this is what
lends
the story its especially compelling, realistic feel within the
trappings of a
fantasy setting.
Clark
presents all
the pertinent background influences and information at the back of his
book,
which allows readers a smooth entry into the main story, uncluttered by
the
wealth of information that so neatly concludes the saga.
Sea
and Song is a powerful story of
love, righteousness,
discovery, and growth that ends with both a surprise and a cliffhanging
promise
of more to come.
Fantasy libraries attracted to in-depth,
world-building sagas that richly embrace Nordic heritage and
matriarchal
worlds, embedding both with an unexpected spiritual component, will
find Sea
and Song just the ticket for patron interest and discussion
groups.
Return to Index
White Storks of Mercy:
Formation
Joni Anderson van Berkel
Independently Published
978-0-578-95780-7
$19.95
Paper/$5.95 Kindle
www.whitestorksofmercy.com
White
Storks of
Mercy: Formation is the first book in a projected magical
realism trilogy
and opens with a lovely description of clairvoyant supernatural storks
that soar
over the skies in the Bronze Age.
Events move from ancient
Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty to
twentieth century Portugal as the Sacred Stork of the Bach, Tara,
embarks on a
time-traveling journey to locate women who are willing to help her
reset
humanity's moral trajectory.
Tara's mission involves
rescuing selected women and
transforming them into White Storks of Mercy whose mission is to use
their
newfound immortality and loyalty to Tara to enter human form and
promote
transformation.
All is not about altruistic
good deeds in this story,
because Tara's jealous sister, an ancient Egyptian Siamese cat named
Reba, is
set to thwart her good intentions and tries to corrupt the cause of
White
Storks of Mercy, using magic to turn their power in a different
direction.
Joni Anderson van Berkel's
ability to capture the magic,
moral dilemmas, and changing tides of influence from ancient to modern
times
enhances a story that evolves on several different levels. While
fantasy
readers will find its magical components thoroughly engaging, readers
who look
for more depth will find that underlying the magical encounters and
conflicts
is a running stream of ethical considerations involving storks, women,
and
humans in an alternative vision of healing that takes place on many
levels.
The motivations and power
plays of healers and wounded
alike intersect on a broader playing field of adventure to expand the
concept
of magical realism and what it means to use magic to make dreams come
true and
redirect human affairs.
Readers seeking compelling
reads equally steeped in
mythology, history, and revised views of good, evil, and the choices
that lie
between them will find White Storks of
Mercy: Formation engrossing and hard to put down.
Its special blend of magical
realism and the quest of
disparate peoples to live in harmony provide many points for book
discussion
groups, making it a top recommendation for libraries strong in fantasy
and
folktales that go beyond action to probe the motivations and
perceptions of
those involved in quests for power, healing, and peace.
Return to Index
Blue
Electrode
Margaret Barbour
Gilbert
Finishing Line Press
978-1-64662-540-6
$14.99
www.finishinglinepress.com
Blue Electrode is a poetic journey through illness (seizure disorder, specifically...thus, the title's reference) and healing that captures, in powerful visual history, the evolution of a life buffeted not only by illness, but the prejudice surrounding it.
Some of these poems reflect on the monster within, as in 'Gorgon', in which the author considers "I am one of those,/unstable as water/with wings and snaky hair,/whose look turns men to stone./Woman, island, I live alone."
Others are stark representations of the medical experience: "At the moment I am all wired up and/buckled into a $9,000 belt with tape recorder/—getting a 24-hour recording of my brain./Like Medusa or one of the/Gorgon Ladies, I have over 100 tiny blue/electrodes all over my scalp, wires coming/out of my head and a collar of blue/electrodes around my neck."
Individually, these works capture experiences of the moment as the poet struggles to transcend her own sickness with personhood. Collectively, Blue Electrode holds the ability to not just captivate, but grab and shake its readers in its own associative seizure of life, death, and the worlds that lie between; whether they involve illness or romance.
They also represent diverse poetic forms and structures. “County Graveyard in Alabama,” for example, is a villanelle, and “Thanksgiving Dinner” is a sonnet, and “The Blue Hour” is an elegy in free verse. Gilbert displays equal skill in moving between these forms, as well as an astute ability to employ the particular poetic device at its best.
Those with epilepsy well know its impact on the entire family, and these wider-ranging subjects are included in the poems, as in "Little Sickness" which captures a mother's reflections about her daughter's sickness: “I feel sure that, as a child, you had/Petit Mal. You looked and sounded as if/you were day dreaming, and you did not/respond or hear or react when we/talked to you." It should be noted that the book's title, Blue Electrode, refers to one of the electrodes used to hook a person up to an EEG, a machine which records the brain for neurological disorders (only one of which is epilepsy).
From a family challenged by financial burdens caused by illness and love to vivid descriptions of having a seizure ("My eyes are closed/the look that you see on buses/when a blind person with a dog/and stick gets on and sits in/the front of the bus."), Blue Electrode is a captivating portrait of a life in epilepsy that needs to be included not just in poetry collections, but in the health sections of any library strong in self-help and individual experience.
The poems are ultimately about healing and a life that has transcended epilepsy.
The author has been seizure-free since 1989. Blue Electrode is her second chapbook of poems. Swallow Barn, a new collection, will be published by Dancing Girl Press of Chicago in 2022.
Blue ElectrodeReturn to Index
Love, Guns
& God
in America
Christian Fennell
Firenze Books
978-1-7772810-4-5
$17.99
https://www.christianfennell.com/
One would
expect that
the third book in a trilogy would require prior knowledge of the
others. Not so
with Love, Guns & God in America,
the third in 'The Real and the Imagined' series. It both compliments
its
predecessors and stands nicely on its own to attract newcomers.
Christian
Fennell's
novel presents a vivid, soul-searching account of life and death in
America, opening
with a compelling reflection: "In
the coming of time; in the coming of love in the time of America, a man
will
lift his head from a thick and darkening pool of his own blood. Hellish
pain
rushing forward, and he’ll say, Jesus fucking Christ."
The
narrative style
of this story is different than in most novels. For one thing, it lacks
quotation marks around its dialogues between characters. But what it
lacks in
speech quotes is made up for in an organizational structure that places
dialogues
in paragraphs that make it easy to follow the give-and-take of the
conversations.
Just as
mercurial are
tenses and observations that move in and out of characters' lives and
perspectives: "That’s okay, we’re
looking for Uncle William in California, and they walk on, in the
woods, on
their way to those sunny, forever blue skies of California."
The novel's
structure
may take some getting used to, but the riches of the journey are well
worth the
adjustments to a writing style which is evocative and steeped in
metaphor and
insights.
Passionate
observations of life in different strata of the American psyche drive a
story
that is a raw inspection of the violence and confrontations of both a
nation
and the individual: "There might be
a whisper, or a look, maybe a word or two, but that was it. The law ran
its own
way—it always did, but ya knew that line too. If you were from here,
you did.
At least back then. Perhaps, not anymore. It’s all changed. So why
stay? What’s
here? Nothin, that’s what. It’s all a new line, all the free zones
gone—where
you could really find a life, all of it shut down and sucked dry by
their
self-righteousness. The goddamn religious right and their ideas of a
better
life; a better heaven, for you and me. Their damn fears. He looked back
over
his shoulder. All of it flamed on by you. Your inflated ego. Your
goddamn
money."
Ultimately, Love, Guns & God in America is a
study in reality, adversity, shifting perspectives, and the courage to
change.
Its literary inspection of the American milieu will especially appeal
to
readers of contemporary American literature, both modern and
experimental, who
will find in these observations nuggets of insights for surviving
modern times:
"It’s not like there are endless
opportunities. They don’t last forever. We can’t watch them all go by.
At a
certain point, we have to act. To have that courage. And we have ours,
don’t
we..."
Libraries
strong in
fictional literary works will find the trilogy in general and Love, Guns & God in America in
particular to be worthy of acquisition, both for individual pursuit and
group
discussion.
Return to Index
The Past We Step
Into
Richard Scharine
Atmosphere Press
978-1637528235
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
The twelve
short stories
in The Past We Step Into represent
a
slice of American life, history, and culture. It captures the resonance
of
immigrant experience, changing social and cultural milieus, and the
efforts of
people to step from past influences to present-day experiences.
Each story
serves as
a microcosm of that experience and the lives which evolved over a
fifty-year
time frame. They are interconnected in the sense that each generation
builds
from the influences of the past, but forges new paths forward under
different
conditions.
"Saturday
Night
In Front Of the Iga" opens the collection with a first-person
inspection
of the narrator's immigrant heritage, spiced with and reinforced by
family
stories that bring to mind vivid images bygone years: "When
I was a little boy my mother always combined that story with
a description of her family coming to America, and my young mind
pictured my
great-grandmother tucking up her skirt and climbing on to the prow of
the ship
in order to be the first to see the promised land, a sort of floating
Statue of
Liberty."
With this
backdrop in
mind, the narrator maintains that "transportation and romance go hand
in
hand" and then spins a story that reflects both.
"Genealogical truths died with that generation."
But,
they also live on in this one as new facts come to light to reinforce
family
history, dumb luck, and the influence of both chance and purposeful
ventures as
a farming family's economic status changes after Pearl Harbor's
bombing: "Farm prices went sky high, and
while I
was wearing underwear made out of feed sacks the day the Japanese
bombed Pearl
Harbor, by V-J Day we were middle-class."
"Why is it that I remember what should have been
bad times so
happily?" Because good and bad are wound into the overall
experience
as the 40s and 50s come to life and love comes full circle.
Compare this
journey
into the past with the subsequent short piece, "Thirteen Springs."
Here, a Wisconsin family man embarks on another journey into the past
to
explore rural roots and a family history cemented by thirteen springs
in the
countryside.
Each tale
captures a
piece of family history and memory that examines good and evil,
positive and
negative forces in the world, and influences of the past on new
generations. These
are legacies that both look back upon and ahead to the marks they will
leave on
the world by their perspectives and approaches.
Each tale
both
captures a microcosm of experience and represents another step forward
in time
and place.
The Past We Step Into's literary memoir
format will attract
audiences interested in family narratives, but will prove especially
intriguing
to those interested in genealogical research and the foundations of
belief
systems and experiences.
Libraries
strong in
literary short stories that capture slices of life and family
connections alike
will find The Past We Step Into
appealing to a wide audience, from literature students to
general-interest
readers who appreciate family sagas and life-changing experiences.
Return to Index
A Blind Man
Crazy for
Color
Rob Couteau
Dominantstar LLC
978-1-7360049-9-9
$19.95
www.DominantstarPublications.com
A Blind Man Crazy for Color: A Tribute to Léon
Angély
documents an early 20th century retired clerk who collected art by
Picasso,
Modigliani, and Utrillo before these artists were famous. Despite his
failing
vision, Léon
Angély
could see the promise of these
artists before those around him acknowledged their talents. He employed
a young
girl to help him make his selections when his sight no longer permitted
him to
personally enjoy them.
The book is
illustrated with original artwork by Picasso's model and muse, Sylvette
David,
who posed for the painter in 1954 when she was only nineteen years old.
Her
black and white and color sketches accent this colorful portrait of Léon's
life, motivations, involvement in the art world, and the pieces he
collected.
Previously
unpublished information about the blind man's passion and his influence
on the
art world enhances a survey that should be required reading and
acquisition for
any serious art history student and the libraries catering to them.
The
well-researched
treatise is supported by documentation that ranges from birth and death
certifications to Rob Couteau's personal research into Sylvette David
who, at
eighty-seven, adds her memories to the story to expand reader insights
about
both Picasso and David's life and their art involvements.
Readers also
receive
revealing inspections of the process of interviewing artists and
capturing their
historical and artistic impact, adding to A
Blind Man Crazy for Color's importance as a survey that goes
beyond a
singular biography of an art enthusiast to delve into the world of
artists, art
appreciation, and muses.
The blend of
all
these elements demonstrates the interlinked potentials and importance
of
artists, muses, and those who appreciate, purchase, and analyze their
work: "Although he died impoverished and
nearly forgotten, and although the identity of his youthful guide is
still
enshrouded in mystery, le Père Angély helped to preserve what
Richardson calls
the “sacred stuff of art” – regardless of whether his motivation was
merely
pecuniary. Léon and Joséphine may also have inspired the greatest
artist of the
twentieth century."
Serious art
libraries
should consider this extraordinary recreation of artistic ambitions
against all
odds a mainstay that stands out in many different ways.
Return to Index
Caught with My Pants Down and Other Tales
from a Life in Hollywood
Jim Piddock
DartFrog Books
978-1953910981
$17.99 Paper/$5.99
Kindle/$27.99 Hardcover/$26.95 Audio
https://www.amazon.com/Caught-Pants-Other-Tales-Hollywood/dp/195391098X
Caught
with My
Pants Down and Other Tales from a Life in Hollywood is a memoir packed with colorful
description, outrageous adventures, and entertaining observations. In
short,
it's the perfect encapsulation of a Hollywood and Broadway life as a
writer,
actor, and insider, dosing its autobiographical inspections with a very
large
amount of humor that will have its reader laughing and thinking at the
same
time.
Friend and fellow British actor Eric Idle
provides an introduction that celebrates friendship and years in the
industry,
paving the way for an appreciation of Jim Piddock and his life that
will
especially intrigue readers interested in both British and American
acting
milieus.
Serendipity played a part in the production
of this book. Piddock never intended to be an author, or to craft a
memoir of
his experiences. Luckily for the world, he did. A ninety-minute
interview
onstage with a Wall Street Journal reporter broke a
long theatrical
hiatus and led Piddock ultimately to chronicling his Hollywood
experiences.
From the start, there is a fresh air of
introspection that brings Piddock and this world to life, especially in
its
contrasting descriptions of British perspectives and sitcoms, as well
as
American producers and actors: A British sitcom set
in America was
either way ahead of its time (less likely) or caught with its pants
down in
no-man’s-land (more likely). The critics weren’t sure either. One major
newspaper said it was “the freshest, most original comedy of the year”
and
another said it was “possibly a new low point in television comedy.”
Looking
back at it now, I’d say they both had a valid argument. And at
least
nobody said it was boring.
From evolving friendships and professional
relationships to interviews, castings, ironic and successful encounters
on and
off the stage, and political and social clashes between British and
American
actors, Caught with My Pants Down depicts
a lively culture
while educating audiences about the trials and tests British actors
face when
operating in Hollywood and on Broadway.
The result blends the revealing atmosphere
of a gossip piece with the professional inspections of an industry
insider who
evolved with his career and friendships. The challenging roles that
expanded
Piddock's capabilities and creativity will particularly intrigue
aspiring
actors.
Readers interested in memoirs, Hollywood,
British and American interactions, a wide range of professional acting
pursuits, and one man's growth through it all will find this an
attractive,
involving read.
Return to Index
Coming Alive
Anne Ierardi
Shanti Arts Publishing
978-1-956056-19-8
$26.95
(print) $7.99 (ebook)
www.shantiarts.com
Coming
Alive is
a memoir that embraces Anne Ierardi's spiritual and psychological
evolution as
she searches for meaning and revised purpose in her life's faith-based
journey.
More so than most memoirs
that offer similar-sounding
accounts, Coming Alive is an
artistic
portrait in discovery and self-realization that charts the author's
fifty-year
course to a "theory of relatedness, the I and Thou," narrating the
move from Catholic roots to wider-ranging series of religious
revelations.
Her move from her childhood
faith of Catholicism moves
through the social issues and reforms that redirected her course and
faith into
new arenas, following her effort to form a more authentic life.
The memoir opens with her
church job falling apart,
reflecting on the impact of a male-dominated religious sector that
never has
acknowledged her achievements and education. Ierardi is quite candid
about the
other facets of her life that have butted heads with her chosen
vocation: "Yes, I was there physically, and
yes,
I did my best to care for them pastorally. Yet I didn’t feel safe
there. I
didn’t really know who my allies were. How could I be me? I could not
come out
without losing my position. I was different in so many ways: educated,
urban,
feminist, Catholic turned Baptist, and gay."
From Catholic dilemmas
during early days in seminary to
the evolution of a special brand of faith and education that embraces
the other
components of who she is, Ierardi follows the course of her spiritual
calling
and the evolution of conundrums surrounding it with an analytical eye
to
contrasting the disparate influences in her life: "While
I thought my life in seminary was moving in a Good Orderly
Direction—Julia Cameron’s metaphor for call—I was unprepared for what
lay
ahead."
LGBTQ libraries, in
particular, will find many of her
reflections of the process of coming alive socially, spiritually, and
emotionally to be thought-provoking mirrors of gay Christian leaders
who
struggle with their calling and their identity within and outside the
church.
As she becomes a pastoral
therapist and focuses her
energy and work in new directions, Ierardi provides a road map of
self-discovery
and religious growth that will prove especially compelling to other
Christian
leaders who struggle with many of the same dilemmas in their vocations,
beliefs, and lives.
Through its story of
discovery and new paths, Coming Alive
charts the special process
of aligning faith with social interactions, capturing a sense of self
that
embraces, accepts, and fosters growth.
"Abide in me, and I in you"
is the Bible edict
mirrored in this engrossing memoir, which is highly recommended for
Christian
collections that strive to embrace diversity, cultural differences, and
the
path that lies between being a good Christian and embracing one's
authentic
self.
Ierardi maintains that "Life is a bigger mystery than we can grasp. We can
either spend
our days running away from life or running toward life. I have crossed
many
bridges in my life and I have tried to make bridges."
Coming
Alive is
one of those bridges, and deserves a place not just in memoir and
spiritual
libraries, but on the reading lists of LGBTQ readers and Christians who
would
better integrate faith with diversity and acceptance.
Return to Index
The Gift of Great Sorrow
Louise Braün Frank
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-296-0 $17.99
Paperback/$25.99 Hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com
The
Gift of Great
Sorrow is a memoir of love, loss,
and grief... and something more. While Louise Braün
Frank's basic
experiences might at first seem to mirror many writings by those who
have
struggled to make a new life after a death, the great sorrow depicted
here is
different, celebrating life's daily routines, choices, and the
opportunities
for positive perspectives which emerge even during devastating
conditions.
Frank lost
both of
her children in their early twenties within two years from Friedreich’s
Ataxia,
a hereditary disease neither parent knew about or knew they had.
Perhaps the
greatest
gift of this memoir is the fact that, unlike many other books, Frank's
focus is
different: "I never asked “why?” The
only question I asked was “how?” How could I be a great mother to my
babies?
How could I be the mother they will need? How could I help them find
purpose in
their lives and guide them through this debilitating disease. And the
obvious,
inevitable, and most frightening question of all…how would I be able to
survive
the pain of watching their lives diminish, cruelly cut so short, and
survive
the agony of losing both of them? "
Hers was the
most
basic of questions: how to create and live a life knowing that health
challenges and, ultimately, death would arrive much sooner and more
certainly
than in the typical family.
Frank's
father
provided the basic simple tenet that became her guiding light in the
years that
followed: “Watch them live…don’t
watch them die.”
Her world
became one
of repurposing life and channeling grief over what future inevitably
into
avenues that supported that life. This approach is the greatest gift of
all,
giving readers in similar health-challenged circumstances the
opportunity to
celebrate the days of life even among those of suffering and medical
crises.
As her
children
followed their parents' lead and looked for purpose in their short
lives
through giving to others, readers receive a sense of the family
dynamics and
processes that led them to experience joy in the midst of suffering.
At once a
memoir and
a road map for others who find themselves struggling with chronic pain,
end-of-life conditions, or diagnoses that affect their futures, The
Gift of
Great Sorrow is not just a memoir
of love, loss, and grief; but a story of rebirth and rejuvenation that
will
inspire and soothe any who need its message of hope and achievement.
It's highly recommended not just for
libraries strong in health issues, memoirs of recovery, or family
dynamics; but
for discussion groups tackling grief or health challenges. These
audiences will
find the message in The Gift of Great Sorrow to be
delightfully
inspirational and especially relevant.
Return to Index
Love
Letters
from Janey
Richard Cheu
CheuWrites
978-0-578-34920-6
$18.00 Paper/$10.95 ebook
www.cheuwrites.com
"Life as an American-born Chinese in
the decades after World War II was one continuous anti-Asian incident."
Relatively
few
writings capture the milieu of growing up in this environment than Love Letters from Janey: 50 Years of
Breaking Barriers Together, a testimony to love,
perseverance, and changing
social norms. Its 167 letters from Chinese-American woman Janey Mildred Young serve as both a tribute
to her life and love and a portrait in courage as Janey confronts the
turbulence of an America making its way through racism and women's
rights
issues.
Why
is Janey's
story particularly and uniquely revealing? Because "The
generation of Chinese Americans to which Janey’s and my
parents belonged established a beachhead in the struggle to obtain
civil and
legal rights for all Asian Americans. Most of them, except for the very
rich or
corrupt, were thwarted in their efforts to achieve economic or
professional
success in a white society."
This
quoted
passage is written by husband Richard Cheu, who provides an equally
fine
tribute to his wife in a preface that not only reviews her life during
these
times, but her many achievements against all odds: "Janey
proved that Betty Friedan was right. Over the next five
decades, she was a curriculum developer and systems engineer at Bell
Laboratories, one of the first two women and the only Asian American
woman to
receive the highest technical award at that company, and associate
director of
the Institute for Science, Technology, and Social Education at Rutgers
University."
Richard's
words
continue throughout these letters from Janey, adding social and
political
perspective to writings between them which consider their differences,
draw new
connections, and reflect hopes, aspirations, and fear as their love
grows: "The other day a friend of mine gave
me
some very acute objective criticisms of myself. It certainly made me
stop and
think and try some quick reevaluations. It all seemed to boil down to
my trying
to live up to a certain idealist image, sort of how I think I should be
or
living up to a certain character I want others to see in me. I guess
this is
what you term a “façade.” Needless to say, when one trusts another, it
is so
much easier to be honest and sincere. So I guess it is because I trust
you so
completely that I can be completely uninhibited and truly honest."
While
Janey's
writings alone would have been compelling, it's husband Richard who
places them
in the perspective of their times and the events which affected not
just they
and their families, but the Chinese community and culture in America.
This
juxtaposition of emotional letters reflecting on religion, wealth,
values, and
growing love provides the foundation of experiences, but it's the blend
of
Richard's astute commentary
and Janey's
exuberant reflections that give this book its special depth and
atmosphere.
Without either one, the result would be singular. Together, it's a
masterful
reflection on Asian-American experience, culture, changing times, and
how one
couple navigates these family and societal forces to build a life both
individually, as professionals, and together.
Like
a good
marriage, Love Letters from Janey
becomes more than its individual writers. It's very highly recommended
reading
for a wide audience, especially those interested in Asian-American
experience
and social, political, and family perspectives. Women's issues readers
seeking
a celebration of life and achievement will also find much food for
thought here
as Janey makes positive connections that evolve not just her and her
husband's
worlds, but affect her conservative Chinese family's perspectives on
marriage,
women, and duty.
Libraries
with
patrons interested in love stories, memoirs, Asian-American history,
women's
rights, or intergenerational relationships will find Love
Letters from Janey a top choice.
Return to Index
No More
Neckties
Loren A. Olson, MD
Oak Lane Press
978-1-7379956-2-3
$15.95 Paper/$9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/No-More-Neckties-Memoir-Essays/dp/173799562X
Readers of
essays
about psychiatry, aging, and life changes will find Dr. Loren A.
Olson's No More Neckties a fine
blend of medical
and personal memoir.
It
compliments the
prior book, Finally Out, with a
focus
on Olson's evolving life, from family secrets and forming relationships
within
the gay community to sexual and social revelations that influenced the
course
of his life.
The chapter
titles
that segregate these experiences into subjects are particularly
evocative
("Can I Pray Away the Gay" and "I Didn't Expect Sex to Be This
Difficult," among others), setting the stage for discussions of gay
lifestyles and the move from attempting a heterosexual life to entering
the
world of gay relationships in midlife: "I
left my marriage at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS crisis. I knew few
gay
people. I didn’t know how to begin dating as a middle-aged gay man. I
worried
about how my daughters would introduce me to their prospective
boyfriends. Once
again, I had magnified the negative and minimized the positives.
Whitney and
Krista had plenty of boyfriends, but not one ever made my sexual
orientation an
issue."
This frank
approach
isn't limited to graphic sexual encounters, but also is represented in
psychological self-assessments which are equally hard-hitting: "I never intended to break my vow to
their mother or to walk away from my children. Yet I have never
second-guessed
my decision to come out."
No More Neckties's special perspective in
following a family man's
transition from a heterosexual marriage to accepting his feelings for
men will
gain it attention from any reader who has been (or knows somebody) 'in
the
closet' and who is interested in the process of coming out and growing
into
one's true identity.
By
reflecting on
past, present, and future relationship possibilities, Dr. Olson injects
positive reflections into his memoir that will serve as inspirations
and road
maps to others who are making (or have made) such transitions: "But all of us have evolved into much
more complicated individuals than we anticipated. We have expanded our
world to
include a new definition of family."
Libraries strong in
memoirs about the gay experience and the process of making the leap to
a
different definition of family and connection will find No
More Neckties unerringly frank and attractive to patrons.
Return to Index
Circadian
Algorithms
Tom B. Night
Independently
Published
9798404135985
$17.99
Hardcover/$12.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
Website: https://tombnight.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T625YHC
Circadian Algorithms is a sci-fi thriller
about dreams, reality,
and forces that control both. The story opens with promising
neuroscientist
Darwin, who finds himself on the wrong side of the law. He reflects on
the
cause and effect of his demise as the authorities threaten this
stay-at-home
dad and newly wanted man, sending him on the run.
Wife
Madeleine is the
aspiring career pursuer in their family, reaching ever higher up the
corporate
ladder. She will do anything to tip the balance of success to her
side...
including making choices that impact her family and, ultimately,
Darwin's place
in it.
Who has
Darwin
become? As he faces the critical impact of his decisions, readers enter
a world
rocked by not just his downfall and attempts to correct his errors, but
by
Madeleine's moral and ethic dissolution.
Darwin never
expected
that his career and his wife's ambitions would dovetail with a
dangerous
group's plot to control dreams for their own gain. His failure to
recognize the
power in a procedure which changes her and threatens to transform the
world
under the wrong hands costs him heavily as he tries to back away from
the
results of research gone awry.
Tom B. Night
presents
this circadian nightmare in alternating chapters between Darwin and
Madeleine's
perspectives, which are aptly titled to assure no chance of confusion
as their
entwined lives and increasing alienation from one another and the real
world
evolves.
Night
captures both
the psychological profiles of these two and their conjoined dilemmas
over a
scientific discovery that proves as deadly as it is promising. This
makes for a
riveting thriller surrounding the efforts of those who would take
control of
and profit by the procedure.
His
attention to
portraying high-octane action weave seamlessly into the science and
interpersonal relationships of the plot: "Darwin
ran out to the open bridge wing and had what felt like an acid
flashback to
Rick Larson leaping from one of the Golden Gate Bridge’s towers; former
Chief
Engineer John had not made it to the water, if that had been his
intention,
though from the bridge’s height it wouldn’t have mattered. Darwin
looked up to
where he’d jumped from, and it was clear even to him that all the
various
antennas were now useless. He reentered the bridge and was surprised to
find
Preston visibly shaken given how unconcerned he’d been when someone he
knew
personally had done something similar. Odd."
The result
is a highly
recommended choice for libraries and readers interested in Robin
Cook-style
science dilemmas and the special brand of suspense that runs through
his and
similar stories of science gone awry, and individual efforts to save
the world.
Return to Index
Corrupted
Souls
Lynn-Steven
Johanson
Level Best Books
978-1-68512-100-6
$16.95
https://www.amazon.com/Corrupted-Souls-Joe-Erickson-Mystery/dp/1685121004
In Corrupted
Souls,
Chicago detective Joe Erickson has just returned to the force after a
medical
leave of absence when he becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder
case.
His first shrink didn't
think he was fit to return to
duty, as he not only missed sessions when he was involved in the last
case, but
hasn't completely addressed the issues that led to his work-related
acute
stress disorder. The solution? Get a shrink who will give him a pass to
return
to work.
But the pass she gave him
didn't anticipate that he would
enter the fray of yet another murder case that places him in many of
the same
uncertain positions as in the past, testing his ability to respond and
to
recover completely from his prior trauma and depression.
As Joe assumes the duties
that require him to probe a
hate crime's deeper social connections, he enters a world which can
only be
explained by a conspiracy theory that is all too real. It's also one
which
requires he enter a neo-Nazi world that operates under the radar, yet
is
increasingly powerful and threatening.
Lynn-Steven
Johanson evolves a mystery that operates on many levels. It's a tale of
intrigue, of social unrest and undercover activities—a survey of one
man's
resiliency and ability to recover from past trauma to use his newfound
strengths to address a conundrum that touches his life in unexpected
ways.
Joe's
personality and issues come to life in the course of solving a mystery
that
navigates a killer's motivations and a hate group's processes. It turns
out
that the target hits closer to home than Joe expected. And so the story
offers
many gripping moments that will especially please seasoned mystery
readers as
well as those with prior familiarity with Joe's life and adventures in Rose's
Thorn and Havana Brown.
Surprise
revelations, satisfyingly unexpected twists and turns, and detailed
psychological challenges mark a tale that tests Joe and his love
Destiny
Alexander as they work together for their future while Joe embarks on a
quest
for justice and answers.
Libraries strong in
detective mysteries will find Corrupted Souls
an excellent story that
works well either as a stand-alone read or as an extension of Joe's
previous
mysteries.
Return to Index
The Cuban
Gambit
Jay Perin
East River Books
978-1-7364680-5-0
$14.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
www.EastRiverBooks.com
The Cuban Gambit is the third book in the
One Hundred Years of War
series, and opens in April 1986 in the White House's situation room.
Here,
President
Temple fields a volatile world rocked by AIDS, a nuclear explosion in
Russia,
and the betrayal of a woman Temple once loved as a daughter.
As Jay Perin
unfolds
this story of greed, political alliances, and too many presidential
secrets,
readers are quickly immersed in an environment that weaves a David and
Goliath story
of intrigue into a tale of personal strife and sacrifice.
The story
moves from
America to India and other countries which become embroiled in a
military
crisis and changing political alliances.
As the
Kingsleys,
Sheppards, and Barronses families interact on a dangerous
playing field,
readers who enjoy historical suspense stories of political and personal
intrigue will find much to appreciate in a myriad of characters with
disparate
interests that interact on the world stage.
From drugs
and
suicides to keeping memories alive, Perin juxtaposes changing scenarios
and
various games that play out around conference tables, in bedrooms, and
in
offices.
A special
strength of
this story lies in the intrigue that evolves from interpersonal
relationships
to affect and direct complicated lives and political and personal
choices
alike: “Something is
going on,” Brad agreed. “I finally have an opportunity to
prove myself, and you don’t want to let it happen. It would take away
every
excuse you ever used to justify your preference for my brother.”
The blend of
business
and political interests in a story that hops around the world exploring
the
impacts of these concerns lends to a gripping saga that will require of
its
readers an attention to a more diverse set of characters than most
books
feature.
While prior
familiarity with the others in the series is desirable in order to
appreciate The Cuban Gambit's
background and
ability to continue expanding its premises, people, and scenarios from
previous
books, newcomers will find its special brand of action involving.
The Cuban Gambit is especially
recommended for libraries strong in
history, political struggles, and decision-making processes for the
greater
good that influence even the closest personal relationships.
Return to Index
Dark Country
Monique Snyman
Vesuvian Books
978-1645480730
$17.95
Ordering: https://books2read.com/DarkCountry
Thriller
readers who
enjoy more than a touch of supernatural intrigue in their reading will
appreciate the blend of horror and thriller components that make Dark Country a thoroughly compelling,
edge-of-your-seat read.
Perhaps this
is
because many of the scenarios presented are based on real events that
occurred
in South Africa—horrible crimes and clashes that cause Monique Snyman
to
describe her story as "a fictional tale with one foot in reality."
Esmé Snyder
is an
occult crime specialist in South Africa who has seen many terrible
things
during the course of her work. But this latest discovery, and the
trials that
follow, test even her world-savvy experience as she faces a serial
killer who
taps supernatural forces to decimate his prey, placing her in the
spotlight of
his deadly game.
Complicating
her
efforts is an equally savvy media presence which elevates the threat
with news
that terrorizes and involves the public in her investigation.
As
mythology,
history, and cultural relations coalesce in a blinding clash of forces
that
place Esmé in the center of a dangerous match, readers will find
Monique Snyman
brings both the investigative and the supernatural potions of the story
to life
against the backdrop of South African culture. Readers need no prior
familiarity with that country's history or landscapes in order to
appreciate
this story.
Dark Country holds many philosophical
and thought-provoking
inspections throughout, as the head of Snyder International Religious
Crime
Investigative Services contemplates the passion and purpose of her job
beyond
capturing dangerous killers: "Unfortunately
for me, and others plagued by the paranormal, these things do exist.
It’s
acquiring logical evidence which makes it difficult to prove how
insignificant
and insufficient humans are in the greater scheme of life, the universe
and
everything. So, while in public I choose to actively ignore whatever
pseudopsychological attacks comes my way, I do see these otherworldly
creatures
as an invaluable research opportunity. Each nuisance, every
disturbance, is one
tiny piece of a magnificent puzzle that could solve questions mankind
has never
even dreamed of asking." Indeed, her motive was never just to
fight
crime, as readers discover in the course of riveting actions and
reactions.
As the saga
tackles
issues of magic, belief systems, and their impact, readers gain astute
insights
while absorbing the underlying messages couched in horror/murder
mystery
events: "Disbelief might be a
natural barrier against esoteric attacks, but barriers of any kind are
not
indestructible. It’s not a matter of religion, race, intellect, or any
of the
other things differentiating one person from another. It’s about
whether or not
the unknown force is strong enough to break down the barrier to affect
you, and
if you’re strong enough to resist. Life, love, faith, the entire bloody
universe, isn’t black and white or linear or logical. It defies those
known
barriers. It’s a squiggle, a fuzzy concept, an unknown variable."
These astute
reflections and considerations of broader meanings of good, evil, and
crime-fighting efforts elevate Dark
Country in delightfully unexpected ways, lending to its
appeal to a broader
audience than readers of supernatural horror or crime-solving genres
alone.
Those who
like their
first-person characters contemplative as well as powerful and
effective, and
who enjoy stories of personal, social, and criminal investigation, will
find Dark Country a compelling
read. It
stands out for many different reasons, from its satisfyingly
unpredictable plot
to the injection of life perspectives that keep readers thinking, as
well as
thoroughly engrossed.
Return to Index
Drone Child
David H. Rothman
Independently Published
978-1736783191
$26.48 Hardcover/$9.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle/$12.95 Audio
https://www.amazon.com/Drone-Child-Novel-Family-Survival/dp/173678319X
Drone
Child: A
Story of War, Family and Survival may sound like a sci-fi
title, but it's
actually a military action thriller in which a Congolese teen
electronics
genius, Lemba Adula, is kidnapped and forced to use his prowess to fly
drones
in a war, lest his parents be killed. The reader roots for him to
escape his
captors and save his sister from sex slavery.
Readers might anticipate a
very explicit story that would
have precluded young adult readership; but David Rothman keeps his
story clean
and the violence present, but not as graphic as it could have been.
This gives
the story a wider audience, reaching into younger circles that need to
be
educated about the realities of war and its social issues as the novel
unfolds.
The barbarities of the conflict in Ukraine make Drone
Child all
the timelier, although Rothman's themes are timeless. An audiobook
narrated by
TV-and-movie actor Dion Graham, one of the stars of the audio world,
could
further expand the audience.
Drone Child
takes the form of a first-person memoir in which the
narrator reviews the
circumstances which took him from a loving, supportive family to life
as a
child soldier forced to do the bidding of machete-wielding thugs and
pirates in
his struggle to survive. It opens
with a candid assessment designed to capture reader attention from the
start: "The problem with a war memoir is
there's no suspense. You already know I live. I need to tell you, too,
that I
not only survive, I thrive. Even less suspense. But such is the nature
of the
horrors I'll share with you."
The story then embarks on a
dramatic survey of love,
riches, hate, and evolving terrorist activities that murder individuals
and separate
families and friends.
By way of the memoir written
decades after the
horrors Lemba Adula witnessed and suffered, audiences will
benefit from
his juxtaposition of personal and social experience and the rigors of
war and
survival. It all comes to life with a special quality of
introspection to give Drone Child an
authentic, compelling flavor.
Many military novels have
been written about child
soldiers. Few offer the unique perspective of this story, in which war
is the
backdrop against which individuals and societies struggle with the
moral and
ethical implications of choices sparked by conflict.
The dilemma of a child who
becomes immersed in military
actions and is confronted by the changing nature of loyalties is
captured in
dialogue and encounters that keep readers thoroughly involved: "'I kill enough enemies,' I asked, 'I
go back to Kinshasa?' How I missed Josiane and my café life! 'Not back
to your
father and mother?' I said I missed them, too. 'Well,' Sako said,
'you're
already with your family. We're it.'"
Readers who look forward to
a story of military
engagements in Africa will find that much more takes place, narrated
from a
young man's vantage point as he comes into his military prowess and
navigates
treacherous teachings. Rothman is especially adept at capturing the
milieu in
which a holy war is promoted and run amongst children: "After
these latest killings, Demon Killer couldn't resist a
chance to act concerned and reinforce his holy ways among the children.
'An
accident,' he told them in his most reassuring tone. 'This is what
happens when
you don't listen to your gun.'"
Fortunately, this child also
listens to his heart, and
narrates those occasions when it delivers a different message about his
past,
present, and future.
As he navigates war and its
aftermath, moving into a
position where he and others try to uplift their country, readers
receive
thought-provoking growth stories that will especially lend to group
discussions, whether they take place in high school social issues
classes for
mature teens or in book club circles.
From how trauma is absorbed
and recovery instigated to
how the Democratic Republic of Congo makes choices both on a political
and a
social level, the individuals and intertribal warfare that overlays
their lives
are realistically depicted and represent many of the real-world issues
affecting that country today.
Rothman's ability to use the
microcosm of a child's
experiences of war to translate it to bigger-picture thinking about
community,
relationships, and conflicts results in a gripping story highly
recommended for
a wide range of readers; especially those interested in the lives,
motives, and
influences of modern-day Africans.
Return to Index
A Fatal
Gilded High
Note
Cecelia Tichi
Independently
Published
979-8985121629
$15.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Gilded-High-Note/dp/B09RMQF1GK
Fans of cozy
mysteries strong in both historical background and romance will find A Fatal Gilded High Note fits the bill
with a story of intrigue that meets all of these requirements.
It revolves
around
two married, avid opera enthusiasts, Val and Roddy DeVere, who find
themselves
tapped for their investigative skills when a murder at the opera draws
them in
personally.
For Val, the
investigation becomes a struggle to clear her name as she's fingered as
the
perp and goes to trial. For her lawyer husband, who defends his wife
before a
jury, it's a case that is not open and shut. Both try to find the real
perp
while battling the possibility that their lives and careers will be
devastated
by the accusations and trial outcome.
While A Fatal Gilded High Note is part of a
series of mysteries encountered by Val and Roddy, it stands nicely
alone for those
unfamiliar with the duo's past exploits.
Readers will
note
that, from the opening lines of the story, Cecilia Tichi cultivates a
powerful
first-person inspection that brings her characters and their world to
life: "My husband followed opera the way some
men tracked racehorses. The celestial voices, he said, gave reason to
endure
New York winters."
Using these
descriptive personal reflections, the world of 1899 New York society
comes to
life in a revealing manner that draws even non-historical-mystery
readers into
the atmosphere and intrigue surrounding Val and Roddy's latest case.
Another
powerful
attribute that sets Tichi's work apart from others is its attention to
blending
this atmosphere with social, cultural, and personal notes that are also
enhanced
by use of the first person, as well as reflective passages that capture
and
contrast past and present: "Roddy
ordered an oyster cocktail while we waited and sipped champagne. Inches
from my
handsome husband, I felt more and more vexed as he speared oysters with
a tiny
fork, as if Rector’s succulent oyster cocktail was a familiar dish. In
truth,
the lobster palace prompted uneasy thoughts of a certain young man who
had been
a law student with a bon-vivant hobby
mixing cocktails, and a bachelor ‘stage door Johnny’ at lobster
palaces—in
other words, my husband before I entered the picture, my husband as a
New York
playboy."
Equally
strong are
the social, economic, and cultural contrasts that evolve during the
course of
the story. Val may be currently privileged (she even has a maid), but
her roots
lie in very different socioeconomic circles: "From
mining camps to a private railroad car…and to my Roddy. At
times, the distance caught me in life’s vise. From the pine-clad
mountain
ranges with Papa, the vast canyons steeped in purple gloom, the dry
streams and
rocky hollows…his calloused hands at work in blazing sun and icy cold,
his eyes
always in search of ores that eluded him for so many years before the
Big
Bonanza Lode. The riches didn’t change my papa. He worked all the
harder in
Virginia City, where he insisted I go to school and polish my voice and
my
manners."
Tischi's
story
doesn't just embrace New York City's milieu. The contrasting worlds of
Louisiana and Florida are added to the mix as the investigation
broadens,
making for an engrossing story that mixes mystery with social and
political observation.
Tischi is
especially
adept at juxtaposing personal lives and these social surroundings. She
draws
readers into the overall world of the late 1800s and provides pleasing
examinations that both support the mystery and enhance its progression.
A Fatal Gilded High Note has the ability
to attract beyond the
usual mystery reader audience with these cultural notes. Libraries
strong in
mystery, historical novels, and women who are proactive and engaged in
their
world beyond marriage will find this story a winner, deserving feature
and
recommendation to a wide audience.
Return to Index
It's Murder Dontcha Know
Jeanne Cooney
North Star Press
978-1682011331
$16.00
www.northstarpress.com
It's
Murder Dontcha
Know: A Quirky Murder Mystery with Recipes will delight
murder mystery
cooks with a story steeped in trouble and bubbling with intrigue. It's
a cozy
mystery embedded with humor and fun as it unfolds the dilemma faced by
an
unlikely band of friends in a small-town Minnesota café.
One of the immediate
attractions of the tale is an
uncommon opening that portrays not the mystery, but the challenges
faced by the
first-person narrator: "The evening
breeze caressed my cheeks and propelled shivers down my arms. It was
the
closest I’d come to a sexual experience in more than a year. Physical
intimacy
had been missing from my relationship with my husband, Bill Connor,
during the
last three months of his life."
Widow Doris Connor, having
buried her husband with his
drama, is in search of a little peace and quiet when she moves to the
small
town of Hallock. When family and friends move in with her, bringing
their own
needs and drama, it seems like her search for serenity will prove
elusive. Add
a local robbery, a murder, and her own family's implication in these
events for
a scenario in which Doris is compelled to enter a fray far beyond her
experience or desires.
As she becomes an unwilling
and inexperienced
investigator, Doris quickly finds herself both over her head and
unusually
skilled at digging into the truth—even if that reality is buried in
small-town
relationships and unexpected motives for murder.
Jeanne Cooney crafts a
chatty, compelling cozy mystery
that romps through a number of unusual characters who each hold clues
to not
just the murderer's identity, but the undercurrents of this small
town's lives.
The maturity of this circle
of growing friends and their
ability to navigate personal pain and community special interests alike
adds a
realistic flavor to the story as Doris considers who is using people,
who is a
threat, and who is a friend.
As they close in on the
truth, readers receive a surge of
relationship complexities that each tie into the murder scenario in an
unusual
way. The recipes that pepper the story serve as an added attraction.
The result is a cozy mystery
filled with small-town
atmosphere, shifting relationships and alliances, and special interests
that
lead to a final confrontation.
Libraries strong in cozy
mystery books will find It's Murder Dontcha
Know fosters a
quirky, delicious recipe for attracting a wide audience.
Return to Index
Killer
Killer
Frank May
Lost Ridge Press
978-1736915004
$9.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736915002
Yes, Killer Killer is a murder
mystery.
But when the perp isn't human and the killing floor takes place in a
watery
preservation reserve for sea creatures off a 450-acre island that
houses a
research institute, zoology and intrigue meld in surprising ways. This
story is
thus particularly highly recommended for fans of both mystery and
animal
research.
The new Head
of
Cetacean Behavior, Lee Ingram, never suspected he'd be involved in a
murder
investigation when he took the job, but his dedication to sea life is
interrupted when a maintenance diver's body is found floating in one of
the sea
pens.
This is when
his
savvy inspections of animal behavior is tested, added to his
enlightening
probes into human behavior and the intersections between the two.
Frank May's
dual
focus on science and behavioral quandaries gives added dimension to the
murder
mystery scenario which firmly roots it in scientific processes and
research.
This approach requires no prior affection for or familiarity with sea
life or
science in order to be fully appreciated by murder mystery readers
looking for
a different atmosphere in their whodunits.
The
action-packed adventure
and sea forays also move into unexpected ethical realms as May explores
the
Institute's concepts and challenges from many different angles: "As trainers gained experience,
individual orcas’ personalities bloomed. Whales like Akhlut thrived on
performances.
It was their time to interact with someone, something, besides the
walls of
their enclosure. Their glazed-over eyes longed for stimulation. A way
to grind
out the monotony of the day. Trainers knew keeping the orcas locked in
tanks
was unethical. Even though it meant the end of their careers, it had
been a
relief when Marineworld had opened the CRI. Their partners had a
fantastic
space to retire. They were in the ocean, where they belonged. The
company made
things right after decades of the questionable choices. Enthusiasm for
the
project had only increased when the board had presented their plan for
reintroduction."
This added
value
focus creates not just a mystery, but an educational piece that delves
into the
special issues involved in sea life management and refuge politics and
processes.
The "you are
here" atmosphere is particularly well done as Lee navigates matters of
the
ocean and the heart with a vivid inspection that brings this world to
life: "Ever so faintly, a recognizable sound
resonated in the distance. He wished it hadn’t. He waited, listening.
It
repeated. This time closer. The familiar khoosh of air being expelled
from a
blowhole. It explained why she hadn’t answered him. Panicked, he
searched for
the closest beach. It was no use. He was too far from the launch point,
and
there wasn’t another spot to reach shore until after the stacks. His
mind
flashed to Akhlut. That feeling of helplessness with nothing but the
void
beneath him. He cozied his kayak up to the rock face. The rational half
of his
brain shuffled through facts. There wasn’t one documented attack on a
human by
an orca in the wild. They ignored humans and continued to their
destination.
Ollju, Akhlut, and the others were contained."
Killer Killer's ability to present an
intense mystery amidst the
backdrop of an oceanic research milieu sets it in a category apart from
the
usual formula-written murder story.
Replete with
mammal
zoology and high-octane adventure on the water, Killer
Killer is a captivating read especially recommended
for
genre readers looking for a very different environment containing
mystery-solving challenges that do not neatly fit into a predictable
story
line.
Libraries
with
patrons who enjoy complex murder stories that educate as well as
entertain will
want to include Killer Killer in
their collections.
Return to Index
The Potrero
Complex
Amy Bernstein
Regal House
Publishing
9781646032501
$18.95 Paper/$9.99 Kindle
https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/product/the-potrero-complex/
The Potrero Complex is set in a
familiar-feeling near-future world
in Maryland, following five years of a pandemic that has changed
everything.
Journalist
Rags
Goldner is sick of covering the devastation that is big-city Baltimore,
and
seeks a quieter refuge in smaller town Canary. But adversity follows
her in the
form of a missing teenager case that commands her attention and her
reporter's
eye for detail, and suddenly Rags is involved over her head in a
dilemma that
moves from the fate of one missing teen to a plot that involves much
more: "Rags hadn’t been in town five minutes
and already she could tell things were going to get complicated—and
complicated
was the very thing she and Flint
were
trying to get away from."
The
post-pandemic
world Rags navigates contains many vestiges of modern-day experience,
giving it
a realistic tone that eases readers into an immediate future that feels
all too
possible: "Over half the people in
the room wore respies—the latest generation of facemask respirators,
which
looked like translucent teardrops covering the nose and mouth; they
simply
could not believe that the era of contagion was actually over. Rags did
not
count herself among them, putting herself automatically at odds with
many of
those around her. At least no one was required
to wear a respie now—a small sign of progress."
As she probes missing papers, a troubling puzzle, a conspiracy, and a growing mystery that reaches out to affect her life, Rags leads readers on a journey replete with health hazards, threats, intrigue, and threats not just to individuals, but freedom in America.
Amy
Bernstein's
ability to place all these forces and influences in perspective gives
the story
a powerful tone that makes for absolutely compelling reading.
Anyone
immersed in
the experience and possible outcomes of social change after this
pandemic will
find The Potrero Complex
frightening
and hard to put down, presenting thought-provoking insights on the
progress and
erosion of freedom in the name of safety and social preservation.
It's a story
highly
recommended for libraries interested not just in thriller and suspense
stories,
but accounts that encourage close examination of liberty, life, and
making a
stand to preserve both against all odds.
Book club
readers
will find these themes packed with discussion points, while those
interested in
mystery and suspense will find this social inspection firmly rooted in
a
compelling drama that features a surprising outcome.
Return to Index
Worse Than
Murder
Stephen Wechselblatt
Barringer Publishing
978-1-954396-15-9
$14.95 Paper/$9.95 ebook
www.barringerpublishing.com
Worse Than Murder is a literary murder
mystery that departs from
the usual formula writing approach to add metaphysical elements and
psychological questions into the task of solving a murder.
Homicide
detective
John Carver is no newcomer to the force. He's a seasoned
investigator who
thinks he's seen about every kind of murder, over the years. Until now.
His
latest case not only leads him to reconsider his perceptions,
motivations, and
logic, but reaches out to involve his daughter in a dangerous game.
As the story
unfolds,
Stephen Wechselblatt uses changing viewpoints (clearly identified in
chapter
headings) to add a multifaceted flavor to the dilemmas that evolve.
The tale
opens from
the first-person story of psychic Alicia Flores, who experiences a
particularly
grisly vision of the death
of young
woman Betsy Lamb. Such abilities come with a heavy price tag: "This
was
the price I paid for my gift, watching tragedy unfold...I alone bore
the awful
gift of knowledge. I alone carried the burden of being too late—unable
to
protect the innocent."
In contrast
to
Alicia's emotional response and quandaries is Carver's staid approach
to
murders and perps: "There was
nothing at all like working a murder."
Their very
different
approaches, attitudes, and experiences as this case presents a series
of
dilemmas like no other makes for an especially intriguing juxtaposition
of
crazy-making quandaries. These pit a pragmatic investigator's stark
worldview
("...spirits didn’t exist, and
Alicia was nuts.") with a streetwise, savvy woman's unusual
connection
to another realm.
Carver's
role as a
concerned father also enters the picture to change his focus,
motivation, and
views: "Empathy as a father outpaced
expertise as a cop."
Worse Than Murder thus unfolds on many
levels, embracing readers
with more than just a whodunit approach alone.
Its ability
to craft
a picture-in-picture view of two individuals challenged and changed by
a
special brand of evil in a murder mystery that is unpredictable in its
twists
and turns creates a story both hard to put down and much more
thought-provoking
than most.
Worse Than Murder is highly recommended
both for mystery
collections and for discussion groups. Readers will welcome a murder
mystery
that dives into uncharted waters with an especially thought-provoking
approach.
Return to Index
The
Blanchard Witches
of Daihmler County
Micah House
Kendrell Publishing
979-8-9856075-0-5
$14.95 Paper/$24.95
Hardcover/$9.95 ebook
https://micahbhouse.wixsite.com/blanchardwitches
The Blanchard Witches of Daihmler County
opens a projected 6-part novel
series recommended for both fiction readers and fantasy enthusiasts.
It's an
intergenerational saga filled with magic, surprise, and entertaining
stories.
Family
interactions,
evolving powers, hidden killers, and attacks that involve and test
relationships capture vivid dilemmas in a tale that embraces both
supernatural
forces and interactions between old and young.
Readers who
choose The Blanchard Witches of Daihmler
County
will find its evolving story of loss, acceptance, change, and conflict
features
many insights and engrossing moments: "Pain
was just a word, an adjective, Salem had used to describe many things
before; a
headache, a stomped toe, tax time, her brother when he was at his most
irritating. The word took on a new depth and meaning now. It seemed
absurd that
such a small, four-letter word like pain could carry such a punch to
her heart
as it did now."
From potions
to
intriguing shifts in events that affect the entire family and the old
23-room
mansion that houses them, Micah House creates a tale spun on the
foundations of
both magic and family connections.
People are
killed
every day. But the small town of Daihmler finds such events uncommon
and shocking.
Even more controversial and challenging are the supernatural forces at
work
behind the death, which the Blanchard clan seems especially well (or
ill)
equipped to handle.
It's rare to
find a
satisfying intersection between supernatural fantasy, intergenerational
relationships, and small town special interests woven into a mystery
that grips
all characters on different levels.
Micah House
takes the
time to build these relationships and the mystery, and as Yasmine
confronts the
threatening werewolf Patric and comes to realize the truth, so readers
may consider
their own connections to forces which take over their lives and change
their
paradigms.
Why didn't
Yasmine
run away from this complicated situation when she could? It takes the
words of
a killer to open her eyes to what her soul already knows. House builds
a
powerful psychological aspect into the thriller component to bring the
story to
life, crafting a riveting tale that's hard to put down and often
unexpected in
its twists and turns.
Leisure
readers with
a special interest in mystery and intrigue experienced by a family
firmly
rooted in its community and its belief system will find much to enjoy
in The Blanchard Witches of Daihmler County,
and will look forward to more.
Return to Index
Blue Bird
Matt Gibson
Remain Pure LLC
978-1-7358110-8-6
$12.99 Paper/$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Bird-Matt-Gibson-ebook/dp/B09T3VXSW7
Blue Bird is the story of a man whose
world revolves around booze,
and is steeped in descriptions of the alcoholic stupor that permeates
his
vision of the world: "The underside
of my arm stuck to the dining room table as I reached for the bottle.
The table
is white oak, stained light brown, the same color as a rum and ginger
ale. So
the drink spillage acts as a kind of glue.
It's a rum table. The entire surface is a glistening sheet
of
goodness."
The narrator
explores
both the staid possibilities of living an ordinary life or choosing his
world,
which revolves around the bar, brutal honesty, and encounters with
others that
embrace small acts of kindness as well as desperate flights and
confrontations.
Matt Gibson
creates
an atmospheric read that (it should be cautioned) might trigger
alcoholics in
recovery or those who find it difficult to process stories so
thoroughly immersed
in the culture of drinking.
These
descriptions
and vivid encounters are tempered by a special brand of dark, ironic
humor that
captures the urban environment of tent cities, the homeless, the image
of the
bluebird who serves as both a neighbor and a reminder of possibilities,
and
profound thinking "soaked in a veneer of rum."
"The bluebird was right: We are all dying. I was
just very good at
it."
What remains
to be
explored is the path chosen for this end game. That's the subject and
focus of
a hard-hitting story that embraces the gritty process of
self-inspection and the
lure of self-destructive acts: "Sadness
can just show up in your bed. You never invited her over. You
can't kick her out. She might leave next
Thursday. She might stick around forever."
Blue Bird is a vivid portrait of wonder
and depravity. Gibson's
ability to capture the perspective and world of a character entranced
by booze who
filters life experiences through the haze of its allure makes for a
story that
is hard to put down.
In the
beginning (and
end), it's all about the rum, the bar, and a character who talks to
birds,
relates to them, and ultimately finds himself all too human.
Its
philosophical and
social forays make for a thought-provoking incursion into a world
affected by
alcohol and assumption with a story that will appeal to libraries
strong in
contemporary urban fiction.
Return to Index
Dancing With
David
Siegfried Johnson
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-257-1
$18.99 Paper/$7.99 Kindle
www.atmospherepress.com
Readers of
Biblical
novels who enjoy Christian fiction blended with historical mystery will
find Dancing With David just the
ticket for
an engrossing saga of revelation and action that's on par with some of
the best
thrillers, such as The Da Vinci Code.
Siegfried
Johnson
posits the idea of a female arriving before the next return of
Jesus...a
miracle child whose existence revolves around a hidden seventh tablet
that
links archaeologist David Aaronson's discovery of a 3,000-year-old
autobiographical
psalm of David near the Dead Sea with the miracle child of Stella Maris.
Although
this is a
fictional story, Johnson makes clear its roots in reality in an
introduction
which provides Biblical readers with a foundation for its
possibilities: "Dancing
with David is premised on two
actual
events in the archaeological history of the Dead Sea: (1) the 1956
discovery in
Cave 11 of the Great Psalms Scroll, which included a psalm often
labeled Psalm
151 and described as David’s only autobiographical song; (2) the 2017
excavation of Cave 53, a joint project of The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem
and Liberty University in Virginia, its lead archaeologists concluding
that
Cave 53 had once housed Dead Sea scrolls which were likely looted by
locals and
sold to antiquities dealers."
This
backdrop helps
cement events in a manner that neatly pairs action-packed drama with
nonfiction
elements to bring the story, characters, and possibilities to life.
Christian
readers may
find that the premise of Dancing with David challenges them to think outside the box of
traditional Christian
beliefs and teachings. What at first appears revolutionary, however,
turns out
to hold foundations in Bible teachings and interpretations, making this
story
suitable for Christian group discussion.
God's propensity for surprising his people
is outlined in a first-person story that vividly captures many
possibilities: "...what
if God planned something very different than centuries of professional
theologians have imagined? What if God’s next step in the redemptive
plan is to
send another baby, this time, a girl? Why, after all, should it be
surprising
if God’s plan unfolds differently than long expected? Was not a virgin
giving
birth to a boy in a Bethlehem cave two thousand years ago drastically
unlike
long-held Jewish messianic expectations? Could it not happen again?"
The story operates on many levels: as a
mystery, a thriller, a Biblical inspection, and an alternate
interpretation of
events and potentials.
Whether readers choose Dancing with David
for its action-packed story or its Biblical insights, one
thing is
certain—readers of (and libraries catering to) Christian fiction are in
for a
thought-provoking treat. The mystery and story involves not just a
captivating
quest for a missing tablet, but viewing the books of the Bible and
God's word
in a satisfyingly different manner.
The dance
extends an
offer to readers of a partnership in faith, and is highly recommended
for
Christian readers who enjoy both drama and contemplative reads.
Return to Index
Darling
Mercedes M. Yardley
Black Spot Books
978-1-64548-119-5
$17.95 Paper/$5.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Darling-Mercedes-M-Yardley/dp/1645481190
Readers of
gothic
fiction who look for vivid plots that portend both disaster and the
unexpected
will find both in droves in Darling,
the story of Cherry LaRouch, who fled the small town of Darling,
Louisiana at
age sixteen.
She's built
a life
for herself and her children far from that world, but when her mother
dies,
they return to Darling to face threats that come from both within the
house
they inhabit and in the town itself.
As children
begin to
vanish, Cherry's dilemma literally hits home and becomes all too
personal as she
struggles to uncover a deeply depraved, long-held truth about Darling
and its
residents.
Mercedes M.
Yardley
employs the usual trappings of a horror story, but weaves within them
the
concurrent struggles of a girl who fled her small town with a bad
reputation in
tow and returned an adult woman whose children face some of the same
repressive
forces: "In Darling, she was just
Cherry, Iris’s pretty daughter, and there was nothing more to her than
that.
Until she became Cherry, Iris’s troublemaker daughter who got pregnant
in high
school, that is."
Cherry's
personal
involvement with the evolving disasters gives her a feeling of guilt
and
responsibility. This powers the plot with a gripping and realistic
feel.
Yardley is also adept at capturing the lingo of the South and this
region,
embedding her characters with personality and a dialect that reinforces
this
sense of place: "Mrs. Getchell
glowered, and her frizzy gray hair managed to look offended. “Oh, hush.
You act
like you ain’t got a lick of sense. Put that boy to bed and tuck him in
good.
He’s been near hysterical without you for these past few hours.”
As repeated
disasters
rock her world and solidify her entanglement with Darling, Cherry finds
that new
possibilities and prejudices over the past bring her under a suspicion
which
she can't deny: “I can take a lover if I
want a lover. Ain’t no business of yours. No business of anyone here in
Darling. As for the rest, you think I don’t know? At first, I thought
it was
random, but now I’m not so sure. Could somebody be doing this to me, do
you
think?”
Readers of
horror
literature will find all the trappings of a powerful story in Darling, which is liberally spiced with
the feel of the South and a place that lures Cherry and her family to
disaster.
The many
surprises,
unexpected twists and turns, and revelations as Cherry unwillingly and
unwittingly becomes mired in the town's threats creates a gripping tale
that
comes to life in many different ways, using the horror component to
explore the
South's culture.
Horror
literature
readers and fans who want more than just a story of evolving evil will
find
much to like in Darling, a gothic
horror piece that follows one woman's departure, return, and struggle
to
survive her decisions.
Return to Index
The Dead
Cartoonist
Fred Andersen
Palavr Publishers
978-1-7368454-2-4
$9.75 Print/$2.99 ebook
Website: www.fxandersen.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Cartoonist-Comics-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09V6NSWGX
Cartoonist
Nate
Thurranger is an artist who thinks that the only reason for getting the
daily
paper is for its comics, which he reads avidly and knows by heart. His
own
strip, At Loose, may not be found
in
the regular newspaper pages, but he believes it to be every bit as good
as Pearls or Rose
is Rose.
It's edgy
social
commentary at its best, and so only appears in the pages of alt-and
college
papers. Nate has never questioned his devotion to his art. Until now.
An
appreciation for
comics and social commentary will enhance the reader's experience as he
follows
Nate through an evolving world of romance, intrigue, family
interactions, and
snafus.
As Nate
journeys far
from his Belmont, California apartment and enters the adventures he'd
depicted
for his comic characters, readers receive a lively interplay of action
and
intrigue as he encounters Milton Morey, the creator of the Seven Gables strip that features a solid
family portrait which has
been an ongoing success since Nate was a youngster.
In the real
world,
Milt knows that people are watching him. In Spain, he has successfully
escaped
his home in the seaside village of Burriana well aware of the irony of
his
position: "He wondered if his readers
would find it funny, the author of the gentle family comic strip now
incognito,
unwashed, and on the run."
Fred
Andersen injects
bolded descriptions of comic panel action into his story to add further
reference and reinforcement to the comic strip milieu and its
real-world
counterpart.
As Nate's
European
comics conference and Milt's world intersect, a kidnapping, a ransom
payment,
and the possibility of ideological issues affecting the comic writer's
world
come into play, mingling with romance to add a full flavor to the story.
From good
and bad
investments to business pursuits gone awry, Andersen's survey of the
comics
industry and some colorful characters who find they are actively living
the
adventures they attempt to illustrate for their readers makes for a
thought-provoking, fun read.
Andersen's
ability to
juxtapose the truth about comic strip characters and real personalities
creates
a romp through threats and bigger pictures of America's place in the
world
which will delight novel readers seeking multifaceted productions.
The Dead Cartoonist is at once a social
commentary and a story of
loyalty and intrigue that will delight a wide audience. It belongs on
any
fiction shelf, but ideally should appear alongside collections strong
in comic
strip history and culture.
Return to Index
Dirty Diana
Yolanda Randolph
RettieBooks
978-1734385342
$12.00 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Diana-Mistress-Yolanda-Randolph/dp/1734385340
Readers of
women's
fiction who are familiar with the typical scenarios and diversity this
genre
embraces will find that Dirty Diana
represents a step in a different direction, in terms of subject and
approach.
Diana James
is in
love. But, in this scenario, she is the "other woman" in married man
Adam's life, confronting not only the possibility that she's finally
found a
soul mate, but the reality that he is already more than taken, with a
wife and
family.
Under such
circumstances, Diana ideally should back away, realizing that her
connection
with Adam is in fact tenuous and contrary to the life he has
successfully
built.
Instead,
convinced
that she is (and will be) better for Adam than his current situation,
Diana
embarks on a mission of marriage-destroying acquisition that places
Adam in the
position of rejecting her once and for all.
Hell hath no
fury
than a woman scorned. Diana's resulting vendetta illustrates a flawed
character
that readers will come to both hate and better understand.
Yolanda
Randolph
holds the amazing power to capture her characters' tangled emotions as
love and
hate run together like disparate rivers forced by circumstance to
co-mingle.
It's
impossible to
thoroughly like the main character (an unusual feature in a woman's
story); but
it is equally possible to thoroughly understand her dilemmas,
rationale, and
the wellsprings of her hopes and rage.
Randolph's
ability to
elicit this rare understanding and emotional response in readers who
pursue
Diana's story and viewpoint creates a read that is engaging, volatile,
and hard
to put down.
At stake is
more than
Adam's marriage and Diana's happiness. Readers also will appreciate the
circumstances which lead each to question their trajectories and
ultimate
goals, and will find the tale of duplicity a fine study in how
obsession turns
into stalking, with deadly results.
These
psychological
profiles create a story that moves in directions readers may not
anticipate,
making Dirty Diana a powerful saga
of
careening disaster that operates and attracts on many different levels.
Why would
women want
to read such a story, and why should libraries include it in their
collections?
Because characters like Diana, with her betrayal, hate, and passion,
exist in
real life. The more you know them, the easier it is to identify the
motivations
that lead to abuse and a warped sense of justice.
Dirty Diana is a study in caution and
passion that is highly
recommended for women who want to pursue a story replete with life
lessons and
examples of struggle, survival, and motivations for extreme behaviors
that lead
to dangerous love triangles.
Return to Index
Don't Poke the Bear
Robin D'Amato
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-290-8
$18.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Don't
Poke the
Bear is set in New York City in
1995 and follows three friends who juggle rigorous work weeks with
personal
time and their relationships with one another.
Allie, Rihanna, and Natia are determined to
live a bohemian lifestyle despite the pressures around them to conform.
Jim,
Allie's younger boyfriend, who works as a server in a café, also
aspires to
make a life for himself outside the financial and social demands of
society.
Poking the bear in these cases involves
either holding off from or selecting when to jab establishment values
and representatives
in different ways. As the story evolves, each character forges a path
towards a
middle ground that embraces karma, regrets, more purposeful choices,
and the
tides of change.
Past and present relationships and ethic
history entwine throughout this story to create a compelling contrast
in
perspectives between generations. Robin D'Amato employs
this device to
show how poking the bear holds different
possibilities that
influence future choices and perceptions as time goes by.
From
disparate
romantic relationships to shifting goals and visions of what it means
to evolve
life and love in New York City, D'Amato adds a heavy dose of ethnic and
social
inspection to the tale. This creates satisfying contrasts in the
different
roads that brings these young people together in the most unlikely of
circumstances.
All three
friends are
defeated in their initial goals. All three recover in different ways
and learn
to forge alternative lifestyles against all odds.
With its
emotional
contrasts and encounters and focus on the colorful and diverse culture
that is
New York City, Don't Poke the Bear
provides a contemporary novel with a realistic, involving plot that's
especially recommended for new adults living in urban areas or those
familiar
with New York City's unique cross-cultural melting pot.
Its atmospheric descriptions and realistic
dilemmas make for a thoroughly engrossing story of relationships,
evolution,
and revised romantic goals.
Return to Index
Future Skinny
Peter Rosch
Art Cult Books
979-8-9854739-0-2
$12.95
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09SKQ6BNV
"How will the world know you?" In this
case, by the
quality and content of portents of the future.
Future Skinny is a novel of intrigue and
destiny. It revolves
around an anorexic who also has visions of the future when he
binge-eats.
Obsessed
with both
staying thin and making money from his revelations, Casey Banks finds
himself
in a dilemma and a special form of hell when he has a vision of his
girlfriend
committing murder.
Casey's
special skill
places him in increasing danger as he faces a volley of bullets and
confrontations that challenge his ironic pursuit of a more normal life
against
odds that lay both outside and within his control.
Peter Rosch
crafts a
unique story that takes many unexpected twists and turns. At once a
tale of
obsession, murder, prediction, and struggle, it neatly fits in no
singular
genre category, but will reach across them to engage readers of
mystery, social
issues, suspense, and novels about flawed individuals who find in their
faults
an unexpectedly powerful ability to survive.
From what
defines a
normal lifestyle and weight to perceptions of powers that defy both
relationship-building and naysayers of psychic abilities, Rosch creates
a story
that blends intrigue with psychological inspections that operate on
different
levels.
As
institutionalization and his relationship with Lylian affect his eating
disorder and his perception of his future, Casey reaches for new goals
that
confinement can't help him achieve: "I
want to live out my days as the best version of myself."
Think One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but
with the added value of intrigue and relationship conundrums that lead
two
disparate individuals to become tangled in odd circumstances ultimately
beyond
their control.
Libraries
strong in
psychological fiction that operates on both a suspense and
self-inspection
arena will find Future Skinny an
intriguing concept. It's nicely developed and spiced with thriller
components
throughout as Casey's journey changes him with a new vision of a future
Casey
who is different from his current incarnation.
Return to Index
Here and Away
Aea Vereland
Independently
Published
979-8483299387
$5.50
https://www.amazon.com/Here-Away-Mx-Aea-Vereland/dp/B09JJF9HHW
Completing
the
trilogy of coming-of-age novels about a character who exhibits gender
dysphoria
is Here and Away, which provides
more
interlinked stories in which the young narrator traverses a puzzling
world.
"Are you out of your mind?" This is a rhetorical
question
that she has often asked me. I don't know the answer. If you were
sometimes out
of, and sometimes in your mind, wouldn't you notice a difference? And
where
would you be when you're out of your mind?"
From
choosing
descriptive adjectives to describe this strange yet oddly familiar
world to
interacting with adults and peers, the narrator brings to life their
own
oddities and inconsistencies about how they view the world and their
place in
it.
It should be
noted
there is no definitive beginning, middle, or end to this story. Like
its
predecessors Seagull Lane and In the Neighborhood, the narrator's
perceptions and changing lessons from the world are presented as
vignettes of
encounters that each hold their own carefully crafted visions and
insights of
different lives and social presences.
As the
narrator
grows, so do these relationships and perceptions.
"Eccentric sexlessness will be my bag,"
they explain to
adults.
Readers who
look for
different ideas of life and elements of fantasy that blend with a
different way
of considering reality will find Here and
Away just as evocative as its predecessors, continuing and
completing the
journey of social and psychological inspection and introspection as
family and
worldly relationships continue to grow and change.
Return to Index
Hiro's War
Rebecca Taniguchi
Gaman Publishing LLC
978-1-7370704-0-5
$17.99 Paper/$7.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Hiros-War-Rebecca-Taniguchi/dp/1737070405
Hiro's
War is a novel
about the life of World
War II veteran Hiroshi Koga, whose family was moved to an internment
camp
amidst rising national prejudice against American Japanese.
Motivated by
love for
his country despite these actions, feisty Hiro
becomes
a popular, highly decorated staff sergeant in the segregated
100th/442nd.
On the battlefield, Hiro discovers a zone of mental centeredness and
clarity to
rise above the chaos and lead his men to victory. But upon his
return
home, he suffers not only continued bigotry, but also
the psychic
repercussions of an unjust court-martial by his vindictive
colonel.
Compounding
this
trouble is a grave misunderstanding between himself and his
platoon lieutenant, Toshio Ando, who apparently did nothing to
help Hiro
during the court-martial and is, in Hiro’s eyes, responsible for the
death of
his best friend in the last days of the war.
The story
opens as
Hiro and Ando prepare to attend a bicentennial veteran's reunion and
moves
backs to the war years when Ando, who was never interned in his native
Hawaii,
asks Hiro about being imprisoned by their own government. Hiro speaks
first of
the horrors of the camps and then the bravery of both prisoners and the
Japanese Americans who went on to fight. As the war unfolds, we learn
that Ando
had, unbeknownst to Hiro, tried in vain to help him in
his court-martial.
Behind his calm and measured demeanor, Ando now struggles with
misgivings over
their comrade’s death and Hiro’s anger toward him.
Clearly,
Hiro’s war
continues well after the cessation of battle as he and his peers deal
with
their nightmares of fighting while facing continued prejudice at home.
As Hiro
reflects: "Tight as the men in 442nd were,
it seemed to me that we had each ended up with our own war in our
hearts. At
our reunions, one veteran regaled old comrades with stories of combat
while
another couldn’t utter a word. One man was haunted by an atrocity that
another
couldn’t or wouldn’t remember. We could only give one another the
freedom and
support to deal with our better angels and our worst demons as best we
could,
to come to our own resolutions about our wars, which truly knew no
end.”
Though Hiro
and Ando
are possessed of different temperaments, their wars and their peace are
inextricably bound.
The
bicentennial
reunion proves a turning point in the story, as the post-war action
years move
into the present of 1976 and Hiro finally confronts his thin-skinned
colonel. A
haunted Ando goes on to lead a crusade for justice for Hiro over the
next two
decades, and the men seek peace within themselves
and between each other. Along with
Ando, Hiro reconsiders the
different forms of betrayal he had faced and the
difficult decisions
the war had introduced to his life, and readers receive a
compelling
portrait of not just prejudice, but changing concepts
of heroism, justice and redemption.
Lies long
held secret
by the government about Japanese Americans are revealed, as
are more
benign secrets kept by the novel’s characters,
including secrets kept
"out of love” between Hiro and his wife. Together, Ando and
Hiro
acknowledge that compassion, truth, and trust are the only way to
rediscover
one’s true center and live, fully
present. The country offers
reparations for the internment as the old soldiers complete their final
battle.
Because
Rebecca Taniguchi
takes a sweeping approach to Hiro's saga, readers receive an
unusually
wide-ranging probe of twentieth-century Japanese American
life, focusing on Hiro's energy and his passion, his hopes and
his fears,
as he struggles for justice and peace. Through his story,
we consider the
relics of war, which include physical and psychic wounds, and
the long-term effect of government fears about
Japanese citizens.
These spill into public perceptions, tainting the
past and the
present.
As Taniguchi
builds
her story, she blends history with cultural and social
insights to capture
a sense of the changing times via dialogue and interpersonal
interactions. Hiro
stays at the center of many dilemmas, but other characters
contribute
prominently to evolving scenarios as they each search for a meaningful
life and
dignity beyond their military actions. Dialogue between
characters brings
to life many of the underlying challenges faced by
Japanese
Americans, from employment to relationships, as in this scene
between Hiro
and his brother-in-law: “You can work in
defense-related jobs?” I
thought back to the government’s fear that we would sabotage the Boeing
factory
in Seattle. Besides the businesses Lawson had mentioned, I knew Chicago
had
steel mills that might call for sensitive hiring. “Even munitions,”
Lawson
said. “You just have to figure out how to make your way. We’re not
Caucasian
and we’re not Negro here, and we have to get around the people who see
us as
‘Japs'.”
Readers who
look for
stories of the Japanese experience from different vantage points that
are
wider-ranging than most will especially appreciate Taniguchi's
attention to
broadening her characters' lives, as time passes.
Hiro's
War is
fought on many levels: ethical and
moral, philosophical, psychological, and cultural. It should find a
place in
(and is highly recommended for) any library strong in World War II
experiences,
Japanese cultural struggles in America, and novels that represent the
ability
to traverse generations of experience to probe the roots of difficult
choices
and ultimate redemption.
Return to Index
In the
Neighborhood
Aea Vereland
Independently
Published
979-8720717568
$5.50
https://www.amazon.com/Neighborhood-Mx-Aea-Vereland/dp/B09FRZX619
In the Neighborhood provides a sequel to Seagull Lane, and ideally will be read
after the introductory story
sets the stage with its young narrator's experiences. While there is
enough
background information provided to allow newcomers access to this life
and its
encounters, Seagull Lane provides a
fine introduction that serves as an excellent precursor to these
ongoing
experiences.
Here, the
narrator is
in 6th grade and continues to explore the world of 1960s Southern
California
and the disparities experienced as a gender dysphoric student
with
schizotypal personality disorder.
These sound
like
strong buzzwords requiring some degree of psychological or social
savvy; but in
fact Aea Vereland makes the story come to life through a series of
discoveries
that require no prior familiarity with either condition.
In the Neighborhood may best be viewed as
a series of
interconnected stories as Ginny (aka Willoughby) continues to move
through
experiences both real and imagined.
More about
gender stereotypes,
school pressures to conform to a birth gender identity, and details
about
gender issues expand the story and evolve Ginny/Willoughby's life in a
way that
helps readers from all walks of life relate to the protagonist's
challenges.
During the
summer
before the class is set to enter junior high, the narrator explores all
facets
of these changing relationships and their own evolving perceptions of
what
these mean.
The result
is another
story of growth, social ironies and inconsistencies, and the evocative
journey
of a youngster who sees the world differently than most.
Readers of
fiction
about gender dysphoria and social norms will find the story just as
thought-provoking and revealing as Seagull
Lane, while literary collections will want to include both as
examples of
astute social and psychological analysis.
Return to Index
Kachro
Chandrakant S. Desai
Independently
Published
979-8760498793
$8.54 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/KACHRO-Chandrakant-S-Desai/dp/B09L3VXDM2
Readers of
biographical fiction will find Kachro
a fine life journey that moves through spiritual and physical realms as
it
follows Kachro through life in a search "...for
his Timba, through the murmur of his song, in darkness and silence."
His name is Chandresh, but his nickname, Kachro, means "dirt." As
such, he finds that "...no witch,
shaman, or bhuvo can cast a spell to diminish him, as he was dirt."
As he moves
through
life, embracing peace where he finds it, mystical experiences mingle
with life
lessons to lend substance and meaning to his search for enlightenment.
Literary
readers who
enjoy spiritual and philosophical inspections will find much to relish
in Kachro because it embraces both
as it
moves through this pilgrim's encounters, much in the manner of Herman
Hesse's Siddhartha.
From "how to
measure and calibrate life" to tales of the great Shiva and the impact
of
Kachro's constant coming and going on those around him, Chandrakant S.
Desai
crafts an evocative, spellbinding journey that should ideally be
digested
slowly and thoughtfully.
Like Siddhartha, beneath its cloak of
simplicity lies the aura of complexity that captures movements through
life and
its realities, illusions, and possibilities.
What seems
like a
simple read layers this complexity into its stories in a manner
designed to
bring meaning and thought-provoking insights to a broad spectrum of
literary
and spiritual readers.
Libraries
interested
in literary novels that embrace such concepts and couch them in
biographical
journeys replete with transformative encounters will find Kachro a fine addition.
Return to Index
Loon Rangers
James McVey
Saddle Road Press
9781736525845
$22.00 Paper/$9.99 Kindle
Website: www.saddleroadpress.com/loon-rangers.html
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Loon-Rangers-James-McVey/dp/1736525840
Loon Rangers is a literary novel about
Miles Radke's community
service assignment to survey loons for the summer. His brushes with the
law and
his tendency to drift through life are in stark contrast to his
assigned
partner, wildlife biologist Annie, whose dedication to her craft
carries her
into wilderness situations with a steady attention to detail and a
mission to
document and preserve nature.
During a
canoe trip
into a remote area of the Adirondacks, Miles experiences many sea
changes as he
encounters and considers a stability and purpose that's long been
lacking in
his own life.
Perhaps
predictably,
romance blossoms between these two disparate individuals. Less
predictable, and
equally satisfying, is a concurrent growth of appreciation for nature
and work
which gently transforms Miles into a "loon ranger" as his new job
impacts not just his personal perspective about life, but his habits: "We split up, walking in different
directions, which is good because I'm dying for a smoke. It's not that
I'm
trying to be a sneak about it, it's just that the habit seems
unbecoming of a
wildlife professional. It's all about perception. People expect their
scientists to be clean-cut and free of vices."
Transformation
often
works on many different levels. James McVey does an excellent job of
documenting
its process as physical and emotional changes are sparked not only by
encounters with Annie and her mission, and by nature, but by
confrontations
with lumberjacks and others who hold different perceptions of the value
of the
great outdoors.
As in life,
Miles
comes to realize that "it sounds more complicated than it really is."
"It," in this case, is documentation, work, love, life purpose, and
everything in-between.
McVey's
ability to
capture both the atmosphere and beauty surrounding a nature study, and
the
evolution of those who operate in this milieu, creates a novel that is
hard-hitting and replete with lovely imagery and thought-provoking
encounters.
Readers and
library
collections seeking a literary exploration and contrast of outdoor and
inner
worlds will find Loon Rangers
evocative and gently compelling.
Return to Index
New Madrid
Robert Tomanio
Woodhall Press
978-1-949116-95-3
$18.95
Website: https://roberttomaino.weebly.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/New-Madrid-Robert-Tomaino/dp/1949116956/
New Madrid,
Missouri
in the early 1800s is a relatively lawless town overseen by sheriff and
loner
Jack Ellard, whose propensity for violence has resulted in his
expulsion from
the Army and a job he is good at, but which sometimes conflicts with
his desire
for peace and privacy.
When a young
girl
goes missing, Jack finds his new life, possible new romance, and
relationships
tested as he embarks on an investigation that leads him straight into
the very
types of conflicts he so carefully avoided in the past.
Religion in
the
former of a determined preacher isn't the only thing that comes to
town. So
does a form of danger that Jack is ill equipped to handle alone. Thus
the
interference of two very unlikely allies, preacher Elijah Prescott and
a
city-raised Native American Chata, inject even more quandaries into
Jack's
already overly complicated life.
As Jack
discovers
that missing girl Abigail's mother Sarah is also keeping secrets, along
with
his new comrades and many in the town, he finds himself questioning the
reality
around him as this murder mystery Western becomes something even more
complex.
Readers who
enjoy
multifaceted stories will enjoy a tale that defies easy categorization,
reaching beyond its initial tag as a 'Western' to embrace mystery and
even supernatural
elements.
It's unusual
to see
witches and justice issues woven into a plot in which a flawed loner
hero
becomes the central representation of a dubious form of good in a
struggle
against evolving evil. Robert Tomanio deftly wields the power of his
pen to
create a compelling portrait of characters who are different than they
initially appear.
This focus
on
mercurial characters and special interests keeps readers not only
involved, but
on their toes as the story evolves in many satisfyingly unpredictable
ways.
Whether it's
a
Western, a mystery, a love story, or a tale of prejudice and justice,
one thing
is certain: New Madrid captures the
action and ethical dilemmas of a cast of characters who find their
secrets and
special purposes tested, and will cross genres to attract a disparate
group of
readers, as well.
New Madrid should ideally become the
focus of many a book club
looking for discussion material surrounding fiction that takes history
and
predictability and turns them upside down to create thought-provoking
reflections on social, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas alike.
Return to Index
The Nexus
Games
Shami Stovall
Capital Station Books
978-1957613048
$14.99 Paper/$4.98 Kindle
https://sastovallauthor.com/
The Nexus Games offers a special brand of
urban fantasy mixed with
thriller elements to keep its readers engaged and moving through a
fast-paced
adventure, and is highly recommended reading for litRPG fans attracted
to
stories of high-tech magic tinged with some of the feel of The Hunger Games.
When Special
Forces Soldier Alex Kellan awakens in
a world of magic and high technology, he believes he's in a dream
state. He
already thought he was being stalked by unknown would-be assailants in
the real
world, but this milieu is something outside his experience entirely as
he
navigates a treacherous environment ruled by the outcomes of The Nexus
Games
that he's being forced to compete in.
A military
man on
leave would seem to be the perfect competitor in any game, but Alex
holds some
added attractions from his skill set and his perspective on life. These
are
about to be challenged and ultimately transformed as Alex discovers
everything
he's relied on has changed.
Shami Stovall paints an
engrossing picture of a world
askew and a savvy military man's newfound quest. The intrigue and
action are
juxtaposed nicely with fantasy elements, giving the story the feel of
magical
realism, but with a realistic military twist to its pursuits: "Kellan opened his mouth to rebut the
statement, but caught his breath short. The videos hadn’t
shown the arcana. They had all abruptly ended right after
the children came over to help him. Kellan had thought it odd in the
moment,
and he wondered if it had been done intentionally. But why?"
Is he insane? Can he make
the ultimate self-sacrifice for
the sake of something he hadn't even known existed in his prior life?
Stovall wields swift action
and adventure with precision.
Her ability to capture not just a fantasy world but a pragmatic
contender experiencing
a dangerous new game creates a story that is satisfyingly fast-paced
and filled
with unexpected twists and turns.
While The Nexus Games
will find a place in
urban fantasy collections, it also holds attraction for novel readers,
fans of
suspense and action stories, and gamers, who will find the dashes of
humor give
added value to a story that evolves a compellingly unpredictable plot.
Return to Index
Pioneer
Passage
JF Collen
Evolved Publishing
LLC
9781622536398
$18.95
Website: jfcollen.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Passage-Journey-Cornelia-Rose-ebook/dp/B09NF34GTD
Book 3 of
the Journey
of Cornelia Rose series, Pioneer Passage,
continues to follow Cornelia Rose's journey on the Oregon Trail as she
leaves
family and familiarity to cope with the wilderness's challenges, using
skills
she never knew she had.
What's not
to love
about an early pioneer story that opens with an especially compelling
"you
are there" feel?: "Gritting her
teeth, Cornelia Rose Entwhistle Wright clamped her mouth shut and
refused to
vomit her morning’s breakfast as it surged up her throat. She leaned on
the
oxen’s yoke, exhausted by the effort, but kept walking."
This tone of
personal
inspection is evident throughout Cornelia ("Nellie")'s story as she
navigates a treacherous land, new possibilities, adversity, and her own
heart:
"Mercy, this scenery not only captures my breath, but it
squeezes my
heart full of elation! she thought. Nature
presents to my view hill,
valley, and mountains in every direction, changing my expectations of
splendid
landscape entirely from the countryside I loved in the Hudson Valley of
New
York. Here, I witness a more beautiful sight than I have ever beheld."
Nellie
encounters
many new ideas on the journey, as well, as sights are set on the Great
Salt
Lake City and encounters evolve between people whose religions are
unfathomably
different from her engrained Catholic faith.
It's unusual
to see a
pioneer woman depicted as not just inherently savvy, but quite
educated. Nellie
fits both these descriptions, and her character is quite well-rounded
as she
faces pioneer life and challenges with a spirit and knowledge well
fitted to
both her personality and her commitment to her marriage.
JF Collen's
portrait
of a woman who embraces changing mindsets and friendships represents a
convincingly realistic account of pioneer life and Oregon Trail
experiences
that focuses on women's' disparate lives and motivations for
undertaking the
arduous journey.
As Nellie
assumes
roles she never envisioned and new interactions with Native Americans
and all
types of other people she'd never experienced before, she grows in many
surprising ways.
By bringing
these
times and women to life, Collen provides an engrossing story that will
be well
suited to historical fiction library holdings; especially those strong
in
American pioneer experience in general and women's history in
particular.
Return to Index
Power Park
David Keay
Independently
Published
978-1667817194
$12.00 Paper/$5.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Park-Novel-David-Keay/dp/1667817191
Power Park: A Novel features a range of
characters that live in
West Moreland and face their different visions of what should happen to
the
1937 former wonder the Power Amusement Park—once a marvel, but now an
aging
artifact.
The unlikely
list of
characters interested in the park's history and possibilities range
from
renegades and rebels to business people who envision different
possibilities.
Then there's the park's strange history—it's a twenty-thousand-year-old
roller
coaster? Is this a surreal re-envisioning of facts which can be deemed
either
fake or real, depending on one's mindset and perspective?
From
dossiers filled
with unspecified clandestine "evidence" to plans to level the park
and replace it with a modern-day technological wonder, the characters
and their
lives become embroiled in the future of an institution that holds as
much
mystery as it does the promise of resurrection.
These
elements are
captured and narrated through a veil of irony and satire that weaves
social
inspection with individual lives and motives for embracing or rejecting
both
change and the truth.
David Keay
creates a
masterful dance and interplay between these competing factions,
employing
literary devices that embrace attractive descriptive elements: "Here we see Brian, ringing the
doorbell of his best friend Jimmy, but nobody's home."
As harmless
pranks,
initiation rituals, grassroots projects, and humor abound, Keay's story
assumes
the literary lure of a social inspection that embraces many different
perspectives.
Sometimes
the
characters vote against their own best interests. Sometimes they evolve
bigger-picture thinking based on tenuous "facts" and uncertain
truths. And sometimes, the power of The Park's history, possibilities,
and
future proves a compelling force that changes hearts, minds, and
ambitions.
Power Park: A Novel is especially
recommended for high school to
college-age readers of contemporary satire. Its social, political, and
psychological inspections are not just fun. They are sterling examples
of
literary usage that deserve not just casual leisure pursuit, but to be
part of
any classroom discussion about the literary devices of modern-day
satirical
observation.
Return to Index
Sandman:
A Golf
Tale
David W. Berner
Roundfire Books
978-1789049121
$9.95
https://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Golf-David-W-Berner/dp/1789049121
What
does a
young boy's newfound interest in golf have to do with a homeless man
who hangs
out near the course? As the story of these two disparate individuals
emerges in
Sandman, it's evident that what sounds like a book
limited to golf
enthusiasts actually opens its themes to embrace social issues, thus
expanding
its audience from the golf course to general-interest readers who
relish
stories of survival and change.
Two
boys who
play golf regularly have seen Jimmy almost daily, but when he vanishes,
they
discover that the greenskeeper has chased him away, calling the police
on him
for sleeping on the property.
This
sparks a
different kind of relationship between all—including the reader, who
receives
not just the perspective of the budding golf players, but the homeless
Jimmy
himself: "This is how it would go when Jimmy was on the
course. At the
green’s edge, facing the tee box some 390 yards away, Jimmy took deep
breaths,
closed his eyes, and began to walk down the middle of the fairway. He
was blind
to the world, but it didn’t matter in the early hour. The sunlight
hadn’t yet
cracked the horizon. With each slow step, he allowed all of his senses
to take
over. The birds chirped, there was the mustiness of dirt and dampness
of dewy
grass, and the turf gave in like a pillow each time his toes pushed off
for the
next stride."
Readers
who
anticipated a golfing story alone will be surprised at the scope of
this
account, which moves not just into social issues, but philosophical
reflections
about life: "Life is not meant to be lived badly, he
thought. I
will not do that. Experiences, the good and the bad, are the doors to
happiness. Heartache and joy run alongside one another. Love is found
and lost,
and both feed us. The only constant is where we find ourselves, the
land we
walk on, this turf, this ancient sandy earth, the sea, and the wind.
Life plays
out on nature’s heavenly spaces. We fail and we prevail."
Also
unexpectedly moving is Jimmy's link between golf and nature: “The
wind here
is a beautiful thing,” Jimmy said, standing on the 14th tee. “It’s as
much a
part of this land as the sea and the turf. If you accept this, you can
weather
it.”
As
Jimmy assumes
the three-dimensional persona of more than just a homeless man living
alongside
a golf course, golfers in the novel and readers alike become part of a
unique
process that moves from a homeless man's dilemma to his rare gifts of
golfing
and life knowledge: “Do you see the church steeple? Far along
the horizon?”
Jimmy asked. “That’s your aiming point. Your target is God, if you
will.” Jimmy
smiled, hoping to ease the man’s mounting fears with a bit of light
humor. “But
then there’s Hell out there, too,” the man said, referring to one of
the
course’s fiercest hazards, Hell Bunker. It is a monstrous hole in the
ground,
300 square feet of sand and seven feet deep. If one’s ball ends up
there,
consider it in the belly of the beast. “Nothing to worry about,” Jimmy
said.
“No concerns on your tee shot and we’ll work around it when we get
there. It’s
all about managing.”
Readers
who
enjoy both golf and philosophical and social reflection will find that Sandman
fits the bill on both counts. It is an exceptional read filled with
surprising
insights and attractions that make it both a literary standout and hard
to put
down.
Return to Index
Seagull Lane
Aea Vereland
Independently
Published
9798703435557
$6.56 Paper
https://www.amazon.com/Seagull-Lane-Aea-Vereland/dp/B09FC9ZY7X
Seagull Lane is a coming-of-age story
that will appeal to adult and
young adult readers alike. It surveys the personality and life of an
11-year-old with schizotypal personality syndrome, and life in 1960s
Southern
California.
While it
explores
gender dysphoria and psychological issues, it also delves into magical
realism
and social norms with an eye that employs metaphorical descriptions
that are
evocative and unusual: "At Robert
and Maya's wedding, even though their cake contained no vegetables, it
was even
stranger than the one at Charity and Ernie's wedding. Maya and Robert's
cake
looked like an alien-made artificial asteroid which, falling to Earth,
had been
severed by razor wire looped atop a chain link fence. It appeared that
raccoons
scavenging at night along the base of the fence had playfully tussled
over and
finally shared half of the asteroid that was inside the fence, but that
a human
had found the other half and, instead of eating it, had called the
Smithsonian."
These and
other
delightful atmospheric descriptions of time-stopping experiences are
just one
reason why Seagull Lane stands out
from other novels, promising to attract a wide, appreciative audience
of
literary readers.
Another
reason is the
astute psychological inquiries and revelations the narrator presents
during the
consideration of puzzles in adult interactions, the challenge of
understanding
gender and social differences, a growing awareness of different
perceptions
about life and sense of place in it, and more.
Seagull Lane provides many
thought-provoking introspections and
moments of revelation as it navigates friendships, family
relationships, and life's
challenges.
"...when you stack up what you learn in school next
to what you
learn in real life, the most interesting things are the things you find
out on
your own. If finding out things on your own was the job of kids,
instead of all
kids learning the same things, then we'd spread out and discover
different
things, then tell them to each other."
Seagull Lane is a celebration of learning
these differences in
different ways. It's a look at absorbing life from various angles, and
is
highly recommended reading for literary collections looking for
coming-of-age
novels that comment on and contrast different ways of looking at the
world.
Return to Index
This Storied
Land
Marilyn Oser
Independently
Published
9798417836855
Paper: $18; epub: $6
www.marilynoser.com
This Storied Land is a novel of the
history and struggles of the
Middle East, and is grounded in the lives and hearts of Jewish settlers
and
Arab inhabitants who confront each other and their hopes and dreams in
the
1920s.
Marilyn Oser
opens
the story with a surprising scene: "Here
is a man on another man's back." She follows this with an
explanation
that embraces the humor, historical references, and personal
perspectives that
are hallmarks of this novel's attraction, painting the opening scene in
a
honeymoon to The Land (Palestine) which brings to life its riches and
possibilities.
Oser makes
sure her
readers receive any history associated with these places and times,
steeping
her novel with background descriptions and explanations ("Ashkenazi Jews
are those whose ancestors settled in northern and eastern Europe.
Their traditional language was Yiddish...Sephardi
Jews are the descendants of
those who settled long ago in Spain and North Africa and Western
Asia—as well
as those who never left Palestine. While they used many
languages—Ladino,
notably—Sephardic Hebrew was the language commonly spoken in Palestine.").
This assures
complete
understanding of the roots, history, and influences of characters such
as
Rivka, who is born and raised in Russia and is "...Ashkenazi in her
bones," and Avram, a Sephardi born in Palestine.
Oser's
careful
employment of language, description, and history emphasizes the
interactions of
various peoples in the region, promoting a rare understanding of their
past
influences and present-day motivations. This keeps This
Storied Land a full-flavored production that requires no
prior
knowledge from its readers in order to prove enlightening.
Oser's
ability to
meld personal events and perspectives with the historical and political
influences of the region creates a novel steeped in activity, insight,
and
personal perspectives as the characters find their places in the
region, both
individually and as a community.
From
Palestine to New
York and from military to social engagements over the decades, This Storied Land evolves a tale built
on the experiences and legends of those who developed the Middle East.
As events
move from
the 1920s to the 1940s and beyond, a rich scenario is created starting
with
these early pioneers that blends nonfiction historical backdrops with
realistic
fictional characters to bring to life the evolution of the state of
Israel.
This Storied Land is very highly
recommended for anyone who would
better understand Israel's heritage and meaning, whether it be its
promise to
Jewish people of the world or its challenge to Palestinians and
neighboring
countries who shared or influenced its evolution.
Readers who
want a
historical overlay laced with the drama of fiction will find This Storied Land thoroughly absorbing,
as well as educationally revealing. Book and history discussion groups
will
find it includes plenty of fodder for spirited debates.
Return to Index
Uncle Joe's
Muse
Micah Thorp
Open Books
978-1948598545
$17.95 Paper/$9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Joes-Muse-Micah-Thorp/dp/194859854X
Followers of
literary
fiction will find Uncle Joe's Muse
a
fun, engrossing story of a struggling (yet still-aspiring) rock band
filled
with misfits who have failed in their roles as husbands and fathers,
and are
facing yet another failure with their musical careers in Uncle Joe's
Band.
Enter
twelve-year-old
rebel Allison, who shows up on the porch of the band's house with the
mandate
by her mother to stay with her father for the summer.
Allison's
presence
changes everything, challenging the lifestyle they've built for
themselves,
their ambitions, and their uncertain futures, both individually and as
a band.
The band has
a history
of failures... will they fail at this unexpected important task of
supporting a
fatherhood that none of them had succeeded in before?
Micah Thorp
describes
the members with an unerring attention to honest psychological detail: "Like the band’s sound, the band
members were a complex morass of anti-intellectual, unsocial and
unhealthy
personage, notable for their nodular livers, honeycombed lungs and
never-ending
break ups. Relationships were particularly difficult for the individual
musicians. The emotional intelligence of the band mates could best be
approximated by watching the verbal interplay between professional
wrestlers,
or the behavior of feral cats."
As the story
unfolds,
Thorp injects into this sordid milieu the foundations of unexpected
stability
and new possibilities.
The band
members work
together on the new parenting challenges which range from Allison's
venture to
the mall with a boy to her equally mercurial and undefined hopes for
her
future, which she explores with Ian as their friendship evolves.
Thorp
focuses on
family relationships, dysfunction, and new beginnings as fathers, band
members,
and children hone both their separate and interconnected visions of the
future.
His story is
especially revealing as it contrasts ambitions, dreams, and family ties
during
the course of a journey that changes all its participants.
On the face
of it, Uncle Joe's Muse covers the
efforts of
adults who have never manned up to their life objectives and
responsibilities.
But underneath these relationships lies an undercurrent of change
steeped in
California culture and changing definitions of what constitutes musical
and
personal success.
Allison, her
father,
and her surrogate father band members evolve in different ways against
the
backdrop of these changing times.
Readers who
choose
the novel for its musical roots and coming-of-age flavor will be happy
to see that
it reaches for more than a few predictable notes, expanding the
characters and
their ambitions to new levels. Uncle
Joe's Muse is highly recommended for readers of maturity
stories that represent
evolution at different stages of life.
Return to Index
Violet's Vow
Jenny Knipfer
Independently
Published
978-1-7379575-1-5
$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Violets-Vow-Botanical-Seasons-Book-ebook/dp/B09V38Z3C6
Violet's Vow is the second novella in the
Botanical Seasons series
set in the 1890s. The story revolves around flower shop owner Violet
Brooks,
who faces both business and personal conundrums as she continues to
pursue both
justice for her deceased husband Roger and a new romance that swirls
around a
man who may have had a hand in his death.
Violet's
ability to
open her heart to new possibilities while fielding past history and
stunning
new revelations gives this romance story the special added attractions
of
intrigue and entangled lives.
The sights,
colors,
and smells of flowers permeate the story, adding atmospheric elements
to events
("A faint scent of lavender and rose
accompanied her nearness and words.") as Violet engages help
from
unexpected quarters to arrive at a truth which rocks her perceptions of
the
world.
From
differences in
classes and social standing which affect Violet's experiences and
perceptions
of future possibilities to motivations and influences on letting
Roger's death
remain a mystery, Violet faces as much confrontation from within as
from those
around her: "Deep inside, Violet
heard that whispered plea to let go of her vow for justice, and she
tried to,
but she found it to be more difficult than she had imagined."
Women who
choose this
novella for its promise of romance and intrigue won't be disappointed.
The
story fulfills both, with its dual pursuit of love and the truth,
challenging
Violet and her readers to take a leap of faith as she continues on a
trajectory
that could affect her ultimate happiness.
As she
struggles over
holding a grudge, letting go of the past, and acknowledging fault in
her
present courses of action, Violet's dilemmas reach out to embrace
readers who
may have faced their own conflicts between truth and its impact on
reality.
The result
is an
involving story that captures the times through one woman's ability to
forge a
happier future for herself. Readers of women's fiction who like stories
set in
the past and sparkling with vigor, surprises, and love will find plenty
to
appreciate as Violet pursues puzzles and revelations in Violet's
Vow.
Return to Index
The World
Against Her
Skin
John Thorndike
Beck and Branch
978-0-9994457-2-3
$12.00
www.beckandbranch.com
The World Against Her Skin tells of a
mid-life crisis experienced
by Ginny, who has been married for over twenty years when she embarks
on an
affair with a younger surgeon, eventually leaving husband Joe to go
live with
him.
Her story
opens with
telling Joe the truth about what's been going on, when she admits she
wants a
divorce so she can move to Miami for a new life. Her own parents'
marriage is
hopeless and her choices seem to mirror theirs, even though she holds
visions
of a vastly revised future for herself: "Her
wishes are still unfair: if only Joe would disappear for a few weeks
until she
leaves for Miami. She doesn’t want to explain her plans to him or
anyone else.
She just wants to start living with Rich. In the end they will marry,
she is
sure. He has said he wants to, and has already left his own wife and
children."
She didn't
expect her
dreams to fall apart so quickly, though. She didn't think that she
would become
unfettered, without a home.
As she finds
herself
unexpectedly adrift, on the road, and with few connections left, Ginny
must
examine the raw pain of her choices and their consequences and the new
opportunities it brings for revised old relationships and better new
ones.
John
Thorndike
creates a story about "the other woman" which personalizes these
choices in different ways as Ginny interacts with the world around her:
"Ginny’s glad they’re having this talk.
She should have started it years ago. There were lots of things she
might have
done if she hadn’t been so obsessed with Rich."
As a
struggle with
morals, values, and revised approaches to life turns into a struggle
with
drinking, Ginny faces many obstacles. She knows she needs structure to
avoid
drugs and booze, but her downward spiral continues.
Thorndike is
masterful at capturing not just the circumstances of her fall, but the
logic
behind Ginny's actions.
At different
life-altering junctures, Ginny makes both good and bad decisions that
are
backed up by reason, moral examination, and perceptions of
opportunities which
may really be adversity in disguise.
Ginny's
search for a
new life outside her comfort zone introduces her to others who approach
their
lives in different ways. This lends balance and insight to her growth
process,
resulting in insights that acknowledge the gray area between good and
bad
choices: "She did not do everything
right as a mother. But some things, yes."
More
introspective
and inviting than most, The World Against
Her Skin not only follows a wife and mother into unfamiliar
territory, but
explains her rationale for making such a journey.
There are
plenty of
novels about 'the other woman,' but few tackle their subjects in a
reflective
manner that allows for understanding how choices evolve in the ebb and
flow of
changed lives.
Women's
fiction
readers will find The World Against Her
Skin especially thought-provoking reading.
Return to Index
Black,
White, and
Gray All Over
Frederick Douglass
Reynolds
Mindstirmedia
978-1-63848-521-6
$30.75
Hardcover/$16.99 Paper/$6.99 ebook
Website: https://authorfrederickreynolds.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1638485216
Black,
White, and
Gray All Over: A Black Man's Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement
is a
memoir and a study in prejudice, achievement, and war and peace on the
streets.
It is written by a policeman/detective author who documents "how the issues relating to policing
and violence play out on the streets in tears and blood."
Frederick
Douglass
Reynolds fostered criminal connections in his younger years that would
seem to
preclude his professional involvement on the other side of the law. He
became
homeless before embarking on his career in law enforcement, and so
arrived at
his profession with a streetwise, keen observational eye and attitude
not
shared by many of his fellow officers.
From his
inside experiences
in gangs that led to his successful participation in the police's gang
unit to
his candid assessments of the approaches that led to his professional
success
("I have always been a stickler for
details because that is where the devil hides."), Reynolds
provides a
dual examination that proves as savvy about internal investigative
processes
within the department as it is in portraying interactions on the street.
As his
relationships
within and outside his department change, so do his realizations about
good
guys, bad guys, and influences on their choices: "Many
years after the OJ case, I testified at Fort Compton on a
gang-related shooting. Darden was the defense attorney. He lost this
case too,
but I found him more gracious in defeat this time than when he went up
against
Johnnie and his Dream Team. We talked afterward in the hallway, not
about
either case, just general conversation. I realized that he was a nice
guy who
had just gotten caught up in the tidal wave of Black rage sweeping
America in
the aftermath of Rodney King and Latasha Harlins."
Numerous
books detail
the experiences of being a detective or police officer. Few come from
Reynolds'
background and vantage point, and even fewer offer Black, White, and Gray All
Over's thought-provoking inspections of racism,
personal growth, and
professional conundrums that evolve in the course of police work.
These different
perspectives set Black,
White, and Gray All Over
in a class of its own, making it a recommendation not just for
collections strong in true crime or police operations, but for those
considering prejudice, racism, and the impact of social discontent and
change
on department relationships and operations.
The personal memoir tone
keeps readers involved with a
"you are here" atmosphere while the bigger pictures are being
crafted, making Black, White, and Gray
All Over additionally recommended for discussion groups
strong in police
work's legal and social issues.
Return to Index
Bravery Becomes You
Sandra Travis Bildahl
Worthwords Publishing
978-1-7366851-0-5
$14.99
Paper/$2.99 Kindle
www.worthwordspublishing.com
Bravery
Becomes You: On the
Road to Fearless and Free
poses the question "what if you were brave," but is actually
a
memoir that charts Sandra Travis Bildahl's quest for renewed
passion and
purpose as she stands at the crossroads.
While readers might expect a
series of admonitions from
such an opening, it's also a memoir that charts Sandra Travis Bildahl's
life as
she stands at a crossroads: "...there
I stood at the crossroads of bloom or fade knowing that I wasn’t done
growing,
having fun, or wanting my life to have meaning, purpose, and a sense of
adventure. And I knew I’d better do something about it soon
because…reality
check…time was no longer on my side. I had arrived at a new stage of
life where
my old reliable answers about who I am weren’t
resonating. And yet, I couldn’t figure out what to do about it."
Bildahl goes on to say that
the very impulse to embrace
something new and different translates to opportunity. Her story is
about
mustering the courage and impulse to make those dreams happen, even in
one's
advancing years.
Bravery Becomes You evolves a special
form of "inner
stretching" to confront the various fears that hold one back from
taking
leaps in new directions. Its blend of autobiography, psychology, and
encouragement tempers its advice with eye-catching chapters ("Your
Turn" and "View from the Scenic Overlook") to provide self-check
reflections on what is limiting the creative impulse, how to address
it, and
how to become "open to new views of life."
The nuts and
bolts of
what it means to "get braver" and translate this courage into
confident action is intrinsic in every description of Bildahl's own
search for
the kind of life she desired.
There's also
a
light-hearted side to her stories as she shares incidents and
adventures with
family members and confronts the patterns of worry and fear that
dictated so
many of her perceptions about her life before her journey began. The
risk
doesn't lie in cultivating adventures...it's in not trying new things.
Many books address
transformation, changing mindsets, and aging gracefully. Bravery
Becomes You adds to this literature, but addresses its
courage-inducing messages to older readers who are just as able to
transition
to different lives as those younger and more flexible...if they
overcome the
innate fears that lay under the surface of desirable change.
Bravery Becomes You is
a
top recommendation for self-help and women's issues collections; but
especially
for discussion groups strong in transformative processes. These range
from book
clubs to self-help groups, women's groups, and psychology groups: all
of whom will
find Bravery Becomes You
a
powerful portrait in achievement and how to successfully grasp new
goals, as
well as an appealing memoir of fun and change.
Return to Index
Climate Restoration
Peter Fiekowsky with Carole Douglis
Rivertowns Books
978-1-953943-05-7
$19.95
www.rivertownsbooks.com
Climate
Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race
contains a
warning about the human race's current trajectory and its focus on
achieving
net zero carbon emissions as a solution to climate change.
It comes from a scientist,
engineer, and visionary who
does more than critique the logic of current approaches. He provides a
different view of returning the climate to a condition that is good for
all
life on Earth—a world in which atmospheric CO2 levels are below 300
parts per
million. In contrast, the goal of net zero emissions will leave the
world with
a dangerous level of about 460 parts per million, which is not
conducive to a
healthy state.
Where most books might focus
on the contrasting goals and
arguments pro and con, Peter Fiekowsky provides specific routes for
achieving
the revised goal of climate restoration, from employing synthetic
limestone and
fostering marine permaculture to enhancing atmospheric methane
oxidation.
Clear discussions of the
problem, different approaches,
and the solutions recommended by this author assume no prior science
background
or knowledge of the various forces affecting climate change. This makes
Climate Restoration's science-based
survey accessible to a wider audience of general interest readers who
here
receive all the tools necessary to thoroughly understand the issues and
the
science behind them.
Technical footnotes, tables
and charts, and statistical
figures support Fiekowsky's discussion throughout, providing additional
studies
for pursuit by those who would better understand the source materials
supporting his contentions.
The good news is that all
his solutions are within the
grasp of today's technology. All that's needed is a better
understanding of
these issues and the importance of focusing on climate restoration
versus other
actions that have been suggested to reduce carbon emissions.
Fiekowsky even considers the
economics of how these
adjustments may be funded and encouraged, which also differentiates
this book
from other discussions of climate change problems.
Climate
Restoration's
pragmatic, science- and solution-based discussion is highly recommended
for any
library interested in the ongoing issues of climate change and the
future of
life on Earth. It should also earn a place as a foundation title for
any
discussion group studying ecology, climate change, and methods for
positively
altering the future of life on this planet.
Return to Index
Dream Incubation
for Greater Self-Awareness
Kelly Lydick
Pure Carbon
Publishing
978-0-9676887-7-0
$15.95 print/$6.99 ebook
www.purecarbonpublishing.com
Dream Incubation
for Greater Self-Awareness: A
Handbook is a study in the
history
and biology of dreams, as well as a self-help guide on how to link
dreams with
expanded self-awareness and improvement techniques. It's a recommended
acquisition for libraries interested in psychology, self-help, and
dream
biology, and covers all these topics in a guide designed to help
readers better
understand their dream milieus and their opportunities for
transformation.
There are
many books
about dreams on the market, but Kelly Lydick's sports a major
difference. It
embraces techniques designed to help the reader's recall and more
effective
interpretation of dreams, linking the biology and psychology of the
dream state
to greater self-awareness.
Chapters not
only
consider the nature and impact of dreams, but include a brief history
of dream
practices and perspectives that contrast disparate approaches to
understanding
and using dreams.
The mix of
psychological and biological insights creates an approach that differs
from
most, offering a foundation for understanding dream theories and
practices in
new ways.
Perhaps the
strongest
attribute of Dream Incubation for
Greater Self-Awareness lies in its ability to
creatively promote the
idea of 'incubation' so that dreamers have the opportunity to not just
interpret what befalls them in the dream state, but create and direct
the kinds
of dream experiences that lead to new revelations and understanding
upon
awakening.
This final
piece of
the dream puzzle places empowerment in the hands of those who would
create and
direct the atmospheres in which dreams emerge to foster greater
opportunities
and insights.
While some libraries
may chafe at the thought of adding yet another 'dream interpretation'
title to
their collection, it should be emphasized that Dream Incubation for Greater Self-Awareness is not just about
interpretation. It's about a wider-ranging process of incubation
that
allows readers to take better charge of a process which taps the
subconscious.
The resulting new connections can be recalled and employed for better
living,
making this book a standout in dream literature.
Return to Index
The
Full Extent:
An Inquiry Into Reality and Destiny
Richard Botelho
Windstream
Publishing Company
9780964392632
$17.99
http://RichardBotelho.com
The Full Extent: An
Inquiry Into Reality and Destiny
is a philosophical and scientific discourse
that delves into the nature of reality. It considers whether a "true
reality" can ever really be known or identified.
Reality
is, in
fact, layered, complex, and hard to quantify or identify—so how can
Richard
Botelho create an inquiry which successfully navigates the pitfalls of
supposition, assumption, and quasi-scientific processes? By
identifying, from
the start, the foundations of such an investigation, rooted in an
inquiry that
tackles known facts and links them to new possibilities: "The
structure
of this book will be to introduce one incredibly compelling experiment,
investigate the primacy of Consciousness, consider the course of
Spirit, review
the management of destiny, position the human future, and demonstrate
the
progression of the universe to its teleological end."
Readers
who
choose The Full Extent should ideally be well
versed in scientific and
philosophical processes, and should arrive at this book with a preset
interest
in the nature of reality and the questions of predetermination and
destiny.
Those
with such
a background will find this discourse involving, enlightening, and
backed by a
satisfying foundation in science and inquiry that includes math and
logic
formulas.
It
should be
noted that The Full Extent does not attempt to be
an end-all answer to
such questions, but the opening salvo to a broader inspection that
blends
established scientific knowledge with social, spiritual, and
speculative
investigations.
As
theories
about the universe, its origins, and its reality are analyzed, readers
will
also be attracted to Botelho's astute consideration of areas in which
science
is stymied by its own process: "...science itself is
beginning to
realize the absurdity of the initial singularity argument and
constructing
competing theories."
The
subjects are
wide-ranging here, it should be cautioned, for those who anticipate a
singular
philosophical bent. From UFOs and interconnections between body, mind,
soul,
and spirit to human overexploitation of the Earth's resources and God's
role in
matters, Botelho's topics are both broad and thought-provoking.
Philosophy
and
science students who hold interest in both subjects, and who enjoy
analysis
that blends human affairs into bigger picture thinking about reality,
the
universe, and everything that operates on macro and micro levels, will
find The
Full Extent a logically arranged, astute discussion that
opens the door to
and paves the way for more inspections.
Return to Index
The Heretic's Book of Death
& Laughter: The Role of
Religion in Just About Everything
Steven Darian
Linus Learning
978-1-60797-972-2 $28.00
www.linuslearning.com
The Heretic's Book
of Death & Laughter is
a wide-ranging survey of religion, philosophy, and history that goes
where few
other books attempt to go. It surveys the influence of religion on
almost every
part of our life, as revealed by the studies and journeys of the
author, whose
comments ripple through time and space.
One example is the
traditional story of Adam and Eve,
that begins the presentation, and sets the tone for the lively
observations to
follow:
ALL
ABOUT ADAM
The
first thing
you want to watch out for––is apples. I
mean, look what they
did to Adam:
Narrator:
How do
you like them apples,
Adam?
Adam: They’re
the only apples I’ve ever seen.
But I’ve
heard there
are other fruits in the Garden. Is it true?
Narrator: Like what?
Adam: I
don’t know. Persimmons?
Narrator: Too Chinese.
Adam: Macintosh?
Narrator:
Too
Irish. Actually, it’s Scottish.
This ribald sense of wit
takes a serious topic and adds
the humor necessary to digest the many insights into the different
themes of
world religions and their role in human affairs across the centuries.
Steven Darian’s
unique approach makes for a historical examination like few
others...one that
provides the opportunity for believers and unbelievers alike to partake
with
delight.
Religious history is
accompanied by reports from news
media and commentaries by the Heretic. This makes for a blend of
scholarly,
documented examination and whimsical yet thought-provoking comments
that
illustrate the ironies and inconsistencies of the Bible, the Koran, and
other
approaches to religious ‘revelations’––from both ancient texts to
people living
today.
Well researched, but with
attention to details and
discrepancies in historical reporting about beliefs and traditions long
handed
down and revised over the centuries, The Heretic's
Book of Death &
Laughter holds special appeal for all thinking and
questioning readers of
religion.
Hopefully, the book will
assume a key role not just on
library shelves, but in discussion groups where humor and history
intersect
with religion and popular culture. Its astute and sometimes
controversial
examination of religion's place in the world––makes for a survey that
takes
readers from Biblical to modern days, in a romp through the often
frozen-in-time customs that have varied so little, for hundreds, even
thousand,
of years, to the changing influence of religious convictions that often
dominate our social, economic, political, & lives.
Few books hold the ability
to pair weighty scholarly
research with witty analysis that challenges preset and long-held
perceptions.
Thinking readers will find more than light food for thought in The
Heretic's Book of Death & Laughter, that offers maps,
photos, and
illustrations, to keep the traveler wide-eyed and sometimes
incredulous, till
the end of the journey.
Return to Index
Keys to Healthy Communication
Bobby R. Patton,
Ph.D., Rusalyn H. Andrews, Ph.D., and Jennifer Page Daily,
M.D.
Tridox Publishing
9780578317861
$17.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Keys-Healthy-Communication-Authenticity-Empowerment/dp/0578317869
Keys
to Healthy
Communication: Authenticity, Empathy and Empowerment is about
improving
physical and mental health through building better relationships, and
focuses
on the elements of communication which lend to (or detract from) this
process.
Readers who view themselves
as victims of their emotional
responses and who are interested in taking the leap to enacting changes
are the
ideal audience for Keys to Healthy
Communication, which shows how to identify and rewire
relationship-damaging
responses to create better outcomes more in line with building
authenticity and
empathy.
Introductory chapters
emphasize the physical and
psychological connection between better health and better mindset,
while later
discussions center on the basics of determining reality, right and
wrong, what
influences healthy or unhealthy relationships, and how to restructure
inherently damaging responses to foster better communication and
results.
A key prerequisite to
understanding and employing these
techniques will be the reader's interest in and ability to self-examine
and
adjust reactions, perceptions, and habits with the goal of fostering
healthier
responses.
Each element of this
three-stage key to more effective
communications (authenticity, empathy, and empowerment) thus receives
in-depth
discussions designed to encourage readers with insights, exercises,
check-in
points, and best practice examples.
The result is a fruitful
discourse on the elements of
positive change that lend to not just individual study and pursuit, but
to
communication and discussion among a wide audience of couples, groups,
and
therapy participants with a special interest in building strong
relationships,
starting with self-adjustments.
Self-help and psychology
library collections will find Keys to Healthy
Communication an
excellent acquisition that resonates on many levels, holds the ability
to
educate many, and evaluates the roots of dogmatism, prejudice, and
defensive
behaviors that erode the processes of effective life interactions and
connections.
Return to Index
Lennon, the
Mobster
& the Lawyer
Jay Bergen
Devault Graves Books
978-1-942531-42-5
$28.95
paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.lennonthemobsterandthelawyer.com/
Fans of the
Beatles
rock group may think they've read it all, given the plethora of books
about the
group and its individual members; but they can't make this claim until
they've
read Lennon, the Mobster & the
Lawyer:
The Untold Story.
Unlike other
biographies about the Beatles, this book will appeal to a wider
audience than
rock music history fans alone, probing the issues of artists' rights,
mob
relationships, legal processes, and lawyer and judge operations with
equal
attention to detail.
Attorney Jay
Bergen
was partner in a major New York legal firm when he was tapped to
represent John
Lennon in a battle over the ownership and rights of his musical
creations.
The lawsuit
revolved
around an attempt by Roulette Records owner and mobster-connected
Morris Levy
to circumvent and acquire Lennon's works by releasing an unauthorized
version
of the same record Lennon had created, Rock
'n Roll. Levy had used rough mixes of John's
unfinished Rock 'n'
Roll recordings, claiming that the former Beatle had
verbally agreed
to the arrangement. The resulting lawsuit and countersuit between Levy
and
Lennon was about more than a single album's ownership. It would
establish
precedent for determining musician rights, and occurred at a pivotal
time in
Lennon's life, as he was on the cusp of becoming a father and family
man in the
1970s.
Many Beatles
fans
that have focused on their music will have missed this legal struggle,
which
operated largely behind the scenes.
This is yet
another
reason why Bergen's story is essential reading for any Beatles fan as
well as musicians
who want to protect their creative rights.
Bergen's
in-depth
survey moves between courtroom proceedings and his first-person
accounts of
interactions with Lennon on not just professional, but personal levels.
His chatty,
accessible tone reflects a serious relationship and struggle that
captures the
minutiae of back-and-forth court proceedings as well as Lennon's
concern over
his case's impact on Yoko and his life.
Many
insights into
the business of music and its promotion are also provided as the case
winds
through court.
Readers who
anticipated yet another Lennon biography should prepare for something
satisfyingly different in this legal treatise.
It's a far
wider-ranging
survey than most Beatles examinations and offers a rare opportunity to
not just
see inside a judge and lawyer's minds, but to examine the processes by
which
creative works and their ownership are established and protected. All
this
melds with Bergen's personal observations of John and Yoko to add depth
and
lively interpersonal discourses to the legal battle.
Anyone
involved in
the business of making, promoting, or protecting musical rights needs Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The
Untold Story as a study in perseverance and process.
It's very
highly
recommended.
Return to Index
Moro Warrior
Thomas McKenna
Armin Lear Press Inc.
978-1-956450-08-8
$30.00
Hardcover/$21.95 Paper
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moro-warrior-thomas-mckenna/1141322687?ean=9781956450088
History
collections
strong in Asian history in general and World War II exposés
in particular will want to acquire Thomas McKenna's Moro
Warrior: A Philippine Chieftain, an American Schoolmaster, and The
Untold Story of the Most Remarkable Resistance Fighters of World War II
in the
Pacific in their holdings.
It's a
remarkable
venture into 1942 Philippine history that delves into the Moros
(Philippine
Muslims), who were the first U.S. soldiers of the Pacific War to
challenge
Japanese troops in jungle warfare. They were also the original
inhabitants of
the southern Philippines, and were the only Muslim population ever
formally
colonized by the United States.
Thomas
McKenna's
survey reads with the drama of fiction, making it an enticing history
attractive to readers who may hold little prior familiarity with the
Philippines or with Moros. The facts that form the background of his
probe are
couched in action-packed scenes, social and political insights, and
military
events that juxtapose personal lives with McKenna's research conundrums
and achievements.
From
disrupted trade
networks and the involvement of different peoples in the jungle warfare
to
different difficulties faced by these diverse tribes, McKenna succeeds
in
depicting the challenges and changes war brought to an archipelago
populated by
very different communities: "The
sedentary Tirurays of the highlands faced different difficulties.
Because they
could no longer easily disappear into the forest, they were in constant
danger
of having their crops stolen or their labor exploited by both the
Japanese and
the guerrillas."
His
attention to
these contrasting milieus and details that explore the cultures and
lives of
the diversity of the Philippines also lends to including Moro
Warrior in not just Asian or military history collections,
but
in those which explore the nature and extent of Philippine culture.
Dialogue
between
characters, maps, and author notes personalize the entire experience,
making
for an unusually gripping read that should be part of any reading list
strong
in the Philippines and their history and culture.
McKenna
intended this
book as a tribute to his honorary uncle. It holds a sad posthumous
note: "When
it came time to tell my honorary uncle that this book was finally
finished and
ready to publish, it was too late. I had been away for too long and he
was
gone. I had failed to say goodbye to him or to thank him or to reassure
him
that his story would be told before he died. This book, the first of
two
planned books about Mohammad Adil, Edward Kuder, and the Moros in the
twentieth
century, is a belated tribute—a posthumous citation, as it were—to
Mohammad
Adil and his fellow Moro guerrillas."
That McKenna
persisted to bring this tribute to the public eye is testimony to not
just
perseverance, but to filling the gaps in a story that needs to receive
a world
audience.
Moro Warrior is highly recommended and
holds the promises to appeal
to a diverse audience with its special blend of lesser-known facts,
original
research, and attention to capturing the lives, thoughts, and culture
of a
nation challenged by war.
Return to Index
Policing
Bodies
I. India Thusi
Stanford University
Press
9781503629745
$90.00
Hardcover/$28.00 Paper/$28.00 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Policing-Bodies-Work-Desire-Johannesburg-dp-1503629740/dp/1503629740
Policing
Bodies: Law, Sex Work,
and Desire in Johannesburg
is a study about sex work, a legally gray area in South Africa, and one
in
which regulatory and police work remain largely discretionary and
undirected.
It should be emphasized at
this point that Policing Bodies is
a study. It incorporates a great
deal of
research as well as presenting social, ethical, and legal inspections
about the
ideals, processes, and challenges of policing sex work: "Although
I began my research ambivalent about whether sex work
should be (de)criminalized, the limitations of promoting human rights
by
policing and criminalizing conduct became evident as my research
progressed. I
began to seriously question whether a human rights approach to sex work
should
ever contribute to more policing of sex work, even if the policing is
limited
to sex workers’ clients. This issue is important, as there is growing
concern
about the appropriate role for police, if any, in society."
The analytical portions of
this research piece are
well-done as I. India Thusi
considers the geography of the neighborhoods where sex work is done,
the fabric
of urban life in Johannesburg, and the types of reforms needed to
provide
transparency in the policing of sex work.
Thusi's
attention to
social inspection creates additional, powerful dialogues about the
special
nature of and conundrums involved in policing sex workers: "The interests of police and sex workers frequently
align, even
though this relationship is often treated as static, flat, and
polarized. There
is an assumption that the police enforce sex work regulations against
sex
workers at a much higher rate than they do against clients. This is no
doubt
true in certain circumstances, but the reality is most likely more
complicated.
Police may be targeting clients with alternative motivations, and
clients may
be able to buy their way out of trouble, creating the perception that
only sex
workers are being arrested because only they are being booked. In
imagining a
state where decriminalization exists, it will be important to
acknowledge the
complexity of the relationship between police and sex workers and to
promote
strategies for security that look beyond the police."
From how
samplings
were obtained and interviews conducted to author bias inherent in and
acknowledged during the research process, Policing
Bodies provides astute examinations that embrace both the
nature of sex
work and police relationships and the influence of research bias on
reporting
these cases: "The legality of the
act was relevant only to the extent that it influenced how the sex
workers were
policed and perhaps to understanding how they should negotiate their
relationships with police officers. I could appreciate arguments made
by
advocates from various sides of the argument. Although I anticipated
that I
might lean toward the “pro-sex” stance, I was not completely sold on
any
particular approach. My research would be undertaken from a neutral
position,
one that did not necessarily promote any particular advocacy agenda.
However,
as I became immersed in my research, spending nights on the streets of
inner-city Johannesburg speaking to sex workers, becoming a friend to
the many
sex workers who operated from the streets of Rosebank, my orientation
on this
subject rapidly shifted."
The result
is a
powerful study that, though centered on Johannesburg, holds
implications for
any society in which sex work remains on the fringes of legal and
ethical examination.
With its
numerous
footnoted references and studies providing both support and additional
bibliographic research opportunities, Policing
Bodies is a unique scholarly consideration that should be
considered a
mainstay not in just South African libraries, but in any collection
strong in
social and legal issues in general and sex work and law enforcement in
particular.
Return to Index
Raising Kids
for
Tomorrow's World
Stan and Cheryl
Schuermann
Pen It! Publications,
LLC
978-1-63984-124-0
Paperback: $13.99/Hardback:
$19.99/ebook: $3.99
www.penitpublications.com
Raising
Kids for
Tomorrow’s World: 12 Keys to Preserving the Faith is a faith-driven survey of childrearing that will
appeal to Christian parents
who desire to instill lasting faith in the next generation. Based on I
Thessalonians Chapter 2, this study is a unique and thoroughly biblical
approach to parenting. It is gleaned from the Apostle Paul's own
description of
how he parented the church in Thessalonica and addresses many
challenges
parents face today.
This biblical guide to "raising little
pharaoh" encourages creating a culture in the home where a child's
faith
can develop and grow. "Our opportunity as parents through our
words and
life is to paint a portrait of the One our children do not yet know.
With
broad, sweeping brushstrokes and the finest detail, we create a
beautiful
portrait of the unseen God. Through our illustrating, our children will
come to
understand he is the Lord and desire to obey his voice. Whom your
children
follow will be the most important ongoing decision of their lives."
Thirty-six short chapters form a blueprint
for discussion and reflection. Each chapter concludes with a
section to
"Consider and Apply" that sums up the concepts and offers an
opportunity to deepen the reader's understanding and arrive at
practical
application.
This allows for specific links between
modern-day challenges and Biblical direction, and will please Christian
parents
who choose it for either independent study or discussion in a Bible
study or
Christian book group.
Raising
Kids for
Tomorrow’s World is recommended
for Christian parents who would better cement the concepts of faith
into their
family and daily teachings to educate and guide kids into the faith: "Parents
are always teaching because children are always listening and
observing. How do
you respond to the events, blessings, and annoyances in your life? How
do you
respond to store clerks, your boss, the government, the
not-so-experienced
referee in your child’s soccer game? Do you show a sincere fondness and
love
for the people you encounter? You will be a commentary on life. And you
will
show your children how the puzzle pieces of this life fit together."
Return to Index
The
Seven Graces of Ageless Aging
Jason Elias
Five Element Healing
Press
978-09966542-3-4
$18.00 Paper/$9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Graces-Ageless-Aging-Possible/dp/0996654232
The Seven Graces of Ageless Aging: How To Die Young as Late in Life as Possible is for those who would rewrite the basic
script of what it means to grow old, and invites readers from all walks
of life
to reconsider this process.
Many books
about
aging write about youth-preserving routines, from exercise to
nutrition.
Helping the brain rewire its most basic tenets about aging, however,
involves
more than physical approaches. It involves cultivating a new paradigm
of the
process, from what it means to retire to reconsidering life, from
relationships
to embracing mindfulness on many different levels.
Jason Elias
cautions
that this does not involve a "one size fits all" approach, but
represents a mindset that embraces flexibility and positivity.
His
contentions come
backed by research and studies from different disciplines, as well: "There are many current studies that
substantiate the theory that stress in older people can be reduced
through
mindfulness—living in the present, right here, right now...Research
attests to
the positive effects of mindfulness in the alleviation of excess worry.
Worry
projects past hurt into the future. When we become present to the
moment, worry
dissipates."
As the
examples,
stories, and advice unfolds, the focus on aging "naturally and
gracefully" is supported by concrete actions that others have
undertaken
to move into and embrace aging as a new opportunity for growth.
Elias
advocates
"living life fully to the end." This involves an interconnected
embrace of physical and mental approaches that, together, promote the
feel of a
full, purposeful life.
As chapters
move
through mental and physical subjects, Elias refutes some common
perceptions of
health: "Many scientists and health
professionals assert that inflammation causes many diseases and
promotes
premature aging. It’s important to note, however, that inflammation
serves a
natural purpose...The body's inflammatory response often saves our
lives, and
helps the body overcome its challenge. The danger lies with chronic
inflammation..."
The "seven
graces" he embraces are, in fact, a blueprint for not just facing
advancing years, but reconsidering and reworking their structure and
importance.
Health
collections,
new age readers, and general-interest readers who look for
research-based
advice will all find plenty of food for thought in this outstanding
alternate
vision of aging, which advocates making the most of one's years in many
different ways.
Return to Index
Suddenly Retired
Donald J. Hurzeler
Kua Bay Publishing, LLC
979-8-9857875-3-5
Hardcover: $24.99/Paperback: $16.99/ebook: $7.99
Website: www.DonHurzeler.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VWP43M4/
Suddenly
Retired: A
Roadmap for What Comes Next reflects author Donald J.
Hurzeler's
experiences with COVID and career trajectory derailment. It also
mirrors the
realizations and conundrums faced virtually overnight by everyone
around the
world, many of whom found carefully laid plans changed in ways they'd
never
anticipated.
It's a rebuttal to the many,
many retirement books on the
market that assume a pragmatic approach when, in times of disaster,
there is no
such opportunity, and it provides solutions and observations perhaps
unique to
this era.
There are thus many
surprises in Suddenly Retired;
especially for readers who have already absorbed
a plethora of retirement guides that advocate a singular strategy based
on a
stable environment that allows for much advance planning.
One surprise is that
retirement has upsides and downsides
which shift with age and milieu. Another is that there is no singular
definition of 'retirement'. What works for one person as a definition
may be
entirely wrong for another.
Donald J. Hurzeler promotes
a flexibility in approach
which highlights the real difference between his book and others on the
subject. This lies in the title itself. 'Suddenly' portends the
unexpected. And
no matter how organized a planner for the future may be, sudden
retirement
brings with it a special set of challenges that relies on the ability
to make
sudden and quick adjustments.
Chapters consider
workarounds to the suddenness of the
specter of retirement and the process of disassociating from past
patterns,
whether in career or expectations from life in general.
Hurzeler adopts a chatty,
accessible tone that belays a
foundation filled with facts and solid advice. This makes for an easy
read that
will prove interesting as well as eye-opening: "Honestly,
very few of us get the gold watch, the big party, and
the “little something extra” to send us on our way to a wonderful
retirement
after a long and universally agreed-upon successful career. Most of us
get an
inadequate briefing by Human Resources on what to expect, a booklet on
the
process, and a mass of confusion about how things like healthcare plans
work
going forward. A whole lot of important decisions that can make or
break us
financially in the future are thrown at us all at the same time. We get
a layer
cake and cup of coffee in a side room with a bunch of people attending
because
most people like those things. And we get a quiet send-out through the
back
door after handing in our credit card, cell phone, company ID, and
parking
sticker."
Acknowledging these changes
and remaining open and
flexible to them can be as simple as accepting that lava landscaping in
Hawaii
is far simpler than terraforming a new environment to preset
expectations.
Ultimately, this is the core
message in Suddenly Retired: preset
expectations
without that ability to adjust, learn, and re-envision are hard to find
satisfying.
Filled with Hurzeler's own
experiences making both good
and bad retirement decisions, Suddenly Retired advocates a kind of
structure
that is always willing to bend with changing conditions.
This is why it's a standout
in the literature, and
deserves a place in any library and in personal collections where
retirement
planning is of interest. It offers a different form of adventure and
encouragement than most—one that stems not just from pragmatic
financial
planning, but accepting the volatile and changing nature of later
years: "One of our best retirement decisions
was to frontload our retirement with the more adventurous things we
wanted to
do in life."
Climb that mountain. Read
this engaging, enlightening
guide to get there.
Return to Index
Think Before
You
Shoot
Santino Zafarana
GOFF Books
978-1951541781
$70.00
https://www.amazon.com/Think-Before-You-Shoot-Photographs/dp/1951541782
Think Before You Shoot: The Art of Taking Creative
Photographs might
sound like many other photographer artist's guides to improving shots;
but this
book isn't about technical prowess with either camera or darkroom.
It's about
the
underlying impulse that goes into perceiving a photographic moment and
the
techniques that support both this perception and the process of
capturing these
instances in a manner that is not just technically adept, but
creatively
original.
Lovely,
full-color,
full-page images provide stunning examples. The facing pages emphasize
the
technique being illustrated and analyze why this image works,
supporting the
advice.
Take
Technique #11,
'Be Aware of Your Background,' for example. The advice maintains that "Paying attention to your background
will make all the difference in your ability to create impressive
photographs.
More than 50% of a great photograph depends upon the background; for
the other
50%, learn to wait for the right subject to enter the space."
This is then
supported by analysis of the featured image: "When
I discovered this background, I knew I was going to be able
to create a fabulous photography—I just needed patience. And so, I
waited, and
sure enough, eventually the perfect subject came along."
Santino
Zafarana's
ability to create both visual and written insights into what makes for
a
superior photograph and how to envision and capture it offers a
standout book
in the photography how-to market that is reinforced by an oversized
hardcover
collection of eye-popping works.
The result
is
recommended not just for libraries strong in photography guides, but
for arts
holdings that would center on the process of capturing and crafting
truly unique
artistic results via techniques that go beyond how to take a picture.
Return to Index
Thomas
Jefferson
Family Secrets
William G. Hyland Jr.
Palmetto Publishing
978-1-68515-572-8
$29.99
Hardcover/$22.99 Paper/$8.99 Kindle
www.PalmettoPublishing.com
Readers of
American
history and biography will find William G. Hyland Jr.'s Thomas
Jefferson Family Secrets a powerfully in-depth (if not
daunting) production that chronicles not just the nuts and bolts of
Jefferson's
actions and importance, but the relationships and family dynamics that
surrounded and supported them.
It feels
daunting
because the biography opens with a long list of characters from
different
generations of Jefferson's family and from his life. Readers with
little prior
familiarity with Jefferson's world may find this long list
intimidating,
portending a complex read, but Hyland's own preface to his work
emphasizes the
personal focus he gives to a largely political icon, portraying the
lively
series of personal insights his book promises to highlight: "During the last seventeen years of his
cloistered family life, his story was infused with high drama in a
congealed
world of alcoholism, domestic violence, family jealousies, bankruptcy,
and a
grisly murder. Then came a humiliating series of political wounds,
including an
alleged sexual affair with a slave, corroding Jefferson’s personal and
professional reputation."
While the
account
embraces the drama of fiction, it's based on thorough research, which
Hyland
also emphasizes from the start: "This
book pierces Jefferson’s private family veil, uncovering the dynamic
relationship
between Jefferson and his grandchildren, sealing their roles as central
figures
in his autumn years. Through firsthand accounts of the people closest
to him in
his final years, I reveal little-known poignant scenes, bringing
Jefferson’s
family out of the shadows into vibrant life."
As he
analyzes
Jefferson's family relationships, the degree of their closeness and
complexity,
and the dynamics of their influence, Hyland creates a far more
psychologically
detailed account of Jefferson than almost any competing biographical
examination.
Even more
importantly, Hyland details of changing family roles and relationships
in
response to social and political changes, tying in Jefferson's heritage
and
influences and the stormy milieu of his leadership.
Hyland is
especially
astute at highlighting common misconceptions, reviewing controversies
surrounding Jefferson's life, and presenting a full-faceted view of
Jefferson's
personality and relationships, linking these elements to Jefferson's
political
choices and public persona.
In a
nutshell, any
reader of biography or political history who would better understand
Jefferson
must read Thomas Jefferson Family Secrets.
It should be a mainstay in collections of American history, biography,
and
social issues; as well as part of discussion groups interested in books
of
historical significance that outline not just psychological family
profiles,
but how these interact with social issues and political decision-making
to
affect the world.
Return to Index
Richard Warren
Brewster
Protean Press
9780991352067
$19.95 (paperback),
$9.95 (Kindle/ebook)
Website: https://linktr.ee/richardbrewster
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991352068
Witchcraft
Legacy:
Stories from the Big Attic is the
perfect example of how family legacies and history can affect future
generations. It tells of how Richard Warren Brewster and his brother
Sam
uncovered a trunk of books and writings in their attic that once
belonged to
William Stoughton, the chief judge of the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials.
The survey traces four centuries of these
books and how their history is handed down, from 1650s stories of
Providence to
family memories that revolve around these events. This approach creates
a clear
connection between past choices and present-day impact that juxtaposes
a
genealogical survey with American history and a family's changes.
More so than most books about Salem's
history, Witchcraft Legacy traces the emotions,
impact, and experiences
of these days, providing rare and close attention to detailing the
movement of
these books from the 1600s to modern times.
It's unusual to find a history (much less a
family history) thoroughly embedded in the emotions, choices, and
reactions of
a wide playing field of characters over the centuries. Brewster keeps
his
account firmly rooted in these experiences, giving the discussion more
the feel
of a memoir than the usual researched history of Salem witchcraft.
This approach results in a livelier
collection of insights and growth-inducing experiences than the usual
Salem
history provides, fueled by the antique journals' handwritten opening
lines: “Those
Evil Spirits haunt me Every Day…”
As the two
young boys
decipher the meaning of these writings, an exciting set of
possibilities
emerges which are tested over the years that follow, with the research
into
these books offering new revelations. Brewster's personal involvement
in and
motivations for conducting this research and linking it to his family's
history
and his own life creates a lively interplay: "At
the time of our discovery, Sam and I thought that the “Evil
Spirits” referred to some ancient curse. The “evil spirits” that
haunted Henry
Peacham, that would not let him eat, hear, read, or pray were noted, by
hand,
in a family book, in the family’s steamer trunk, in the family’s attic,
and had
come from the family’s homestead in Maine. To me, the curse was
undoubtedly
connected to the family...Over the course of a rainy winter in
Manhattan a half
century later, and after corresponding and working with an
archivist at Oxford,
where Stoughton did graduate work in the 1650s and, indeed, purchased
the books
that Sam and I found, I learned the true meaning of his flyleaf notes:
The
lines beginning “Those Evil Spirits haunt me Every Day” were excerpts
from a
Jacobean poem by Thomas Randolph, railing in fury at the bill
collectors and
creditors who were beating down his door to collect their money. The
rest were
random notes of Stoughton’s thoughts and excerpts from a book called The Worth Of A Penny, Or A Caution To Keep
Money, by Henry Peacham, first published in 1641,
before William Stoughton traveled from Massachusetts to
England."
This
somewhat lengthy
quote serves as a microcosm of example that demonstrates the special
allure of Witchcraft
Legacy—its ability to connect
generations of family history to examine both American experience and
the
author's life.
Witchcraft
Legacy was written during the
COVID lockdown. It's
fortuitous that Brewster used this time to organize his thoughts,
family
legacy, and the intriguing story of these books, because otherwise,
these facts
might never have come to be published.
Highly recommended for memoir readers,
American history students, and fans of genealogical research and family
legacies alike, Witchcraft Legacy's ability to
combine intrigue,
research, facts, and personal experience under one cover makes for a
rare
glimpse into a unique inheritance that should be on the shelves of any
general-interest
and many a specialty library.
Return to Index
Your Sleep
Map
Thad R. Harshbarger,
Ph.D.
Psych Maps Press
979-8985665505
$19.95
Website: www.yoursleepmap.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Sleep-Map-Navigating-Insomnia/dp/B09X1YV7QG
Your Sleep Map: Finding Your Own Path to Relief
from Insomnia is a
self-help book that will prove attractive to those who need to fix
their sleepless
nights. It comes from a clinical psychologist who reviews the main
sources of
insomnia and different techniques for resolving such problems.
One
satisfying aspect
to this coverage is that it doesn't adopt a "one size fits all"
solution, as is the case with many other insomnia books. Instead, it
reviews
chronic insomnia symptoms with an eye to mapping out possible avenues
of
resolution. This allows readers to tailor their options to match the
best
information with the most relevant scenarios.
The approach
actually
represents a shortcut to synthesizing the volumes of information
written about
insomnia to help readers reach the most likely solution for each
individual
problem.
The
circadian issues
covered range from the basic "can't fall asleep" to "can't stay
asleep." Each circumstance receives Dr. Harshbarger's special brand of
analysis, mapping linking scientific research to proven solutions
whether the
problem lies in getting to sleep, awakening in the middle of the night,
or
waking too early to feel completely refreshed.
Everyone is
different. The problems of insomnia lie in diverse situations, so it's
logical
that its solution also needs to be flexible in order to account for
these
individual differences.
The mapping
solution
presented here offers the biggest bang for the buck. It's the fastest,
easiest
way for readers to move through the wealth of literature and science on
insomnia to arrive at their own hand-tailored solutions. Few other
books
advocate skipping large tracts of information that may not be relevant
to one's
unique situation.
From keeping
records
of bedtime routines to assuring a continuity of approaches, Your Sleep Map depicts the promises and
pitfalls in a manner that lends to building not a singular approach,
but a tool
kit that works for different individual.
Any reader
with sleep
issues (and libraries looking for science-based solutions paired with a
savvy,
streamlined approach to quickly reaching them) will find Your
Sleep Map just the ticket for achieving the goal of a good
night's sleep.
Return to Index
Allie the
Albino
Squirrel
E.K. McCoy
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-263-2
$13.99
www.atmospherepress.com
E.K. McCoy's
engaging
picture book story Allie the Albino Squirrel
receives equally colorful illustrations by Ghazal Qadri as it tells of
squirrel
Allie and her family, who live in a big oak tree.
Allie faces
her first
day of kindergarten at Acorn Academy with trepidation. What will all
the other
students think of her? She's the only albino squirrel in Waverly Woods,
and she
stands out. Her unique countenance has kept her from playing with her
brothers
and their friends, and she's sure that school will pose similar
problems as her
peers see her big difference from them.
"The color of your fur doesn't define you,"
her wise
mother advises. As the school experience plays out, Allie learns some
powerful
lessons about love, acceptance, differences, and coping with prejudice
and
peers.
E.K. McCoy's
gentle
story is just the ticket for read-aloud by a parent addressing a young
child's
concerns about being different. It couches its message in a cheerful
pictorial
about a squirrel family's interactions, so it's easy for parents to
approach
the subject in a non-threatening way.
As Allie's
mother
points out that "squirrels are made in many different colors," young
readers receive a story about how to handle not just their own
differences, but
those of their peers.
This story
of
acceptance, tolerance, love, and positivity will resonate with any
adult
seeking to teach the very young about getting along with others and
accepting
differences in the world and in themselves. Allie
the Albino Squirrel is highly recommended for picture book
collections
looking for lasting, meaningful stories containing lessons about
acceptance.
Return to Index
Bunster, An
Easter
Story
Christine Hwang
Panzer
Mascot Books
978-1-63755-085-4
$11.95
www.mascotbooks.com
Bunster, An Easter Story is a board book
highly recommended for the
very young. It follows Bunster's day watering daffodils, collecting
eggs, and
loading his 'squad' of ducklings into a basket to provide "unexpected
cuteness to celebrate Easter."
As Easter
festivities
and traditions are explored, Bunster's efforts to celebrate with his
disparate
friends enjoys an engaging series of drawings and encounters by
Christine Hwang
Panzer. These will prove especially attractive for read-aloud parents
looking
for a spirited, colorful story about Easter celebrations from a
rabbit's
viewpoint.
The positive
portrait
of Easter being a "happy celebration and time with new friends" makes
for an enriching tale that embraces inclusiveness and positivity alike.
Parents
seeking a
board book representation of Easter that emphasizes interpersonal
connections
will find Bunster, An Easter Story
a
vivid story, filled with fun.
Return to Index
Butterfly Love From Above
Melissa Stuart
Performance
Publishing Group
978-1-956914-60-3
$20.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paper
https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Love-Above-Melissa-Stuart/dp/1956914609
In Butterfly Love From Above,
Star
has just lost her best friend, a butterfly named Twinkle. Twinkle was
her
special friend, beloved above all others. They have amazing adventures
together, they fill each others' days... and then suddenly Twinkle is
no more.
Melissa Stuart's picture book story of grief
receives lovely large-sized, colorful illustrations by Kate Solenova as
it
follows this friendship, until one day a dark cloud looms over
everything upon
Twinkle's loss.
Star knows she will never find another
friend like Twinkle. But her wise mother offers advice that Star finds
important: “All the precious moments you shared are like a
treasure chest to
which only you hold the key! You can open it anytime you need, even if
it’s
just to take a peek. You will see that just like treasures full of
diamonds and
jewels locked safely away under the sea last a lifetime, so does the
special memories
locked in your heart. It’s proof that love lasts forever, even when the
one we
love is no longer here.”
Ultimately,
it's
Twinkle's own words that live on in Star's heart, encouraging her to
take new
risks.
Many picture
books
have been written to help kids through grief. Butterfly Love
From Above's focus not just on
grief but on moving
forward to live, laugh, and love again provides an important message
that
parents will want to share and discuss with children.
Additionally, Butterfly Love From Above
is highly recommended as a therapy tool to help children move forward
not just
into and out of grief, but to possibilities beyond loss.
Within Butterfly Love From Above's
survey of that process lies the opportunity for recovery that is an
important
key to facing not just life, but death and its aftermath.
“Always
look up! I’m right here, little Star!”
Return to Index
Careers for
Girls
Anne Daly
CKD Press
978-1739817503
$19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Careers-Girls-sandbags-dream-BIG/dp/1739817508
Careers
for Girls:
Let Go the Sandbags and Dream BIG is a STEM educational
picture book about
encouraging girls to dream big. Part of the special irony of this
admonition is
because STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) guides
tend to be
largely male-dominated and oriented towards encouraging boys. Anne
Daly's
survey of careers for girls takes a giant leap forward in addressing
the
disparity created by male-dominated role models.
Boys are already pushed into
STEM programs by parents,
teachers, and cultural expectations. Girls need an extra push... and
that's
where Careers for Girls comes in.
Parents and educators alike
are charged with using this
book to empower girls because, as Anne Daly points out: "If
we don't get girls interested in STEM careers, how can we
expect them to choose STEM subjects?"
Ideally, Careers
for Girls will be shared between adults and girls. Career
ideas range from
cartographer and ceramics engineer to data scientist and electrician,
covering
what skills are involved in each selected career and why and how girls
can find
them attractive. Geneticists, for example, hold the potential to "make
us
all superhuman."
From marine biologists to
glassblowers, each career is
linked to a STEM pursuit and tailored to pique the curiosity and
adventurous
spirit of a girl who may find that career inviting and exciting. Daly's
colorful illustrations compliment facts that survey the careers and the
skills
sets they use.
Any
collection strong
in STEM teachings and subjects and early career preparation needs this
outstanding picture book survey, which transmits not just facts, but
empowerment.
Return to Index
Dear
Friends: Pops
the Club Anthology
Amy Friedman and
Dennis Danziger
Out of the Woods
Press
978-1-952197-12-3
$17.95
Paper/$7.95 Kindle
www.outofthewoodspress.com
Dear Friends: Pops the Club Anthology is
the eighth anthology from
the Pops the Club nonprofit organization helping youths affected by the
prison
system, gathering powerful stories by kids who grew up alongside gangs,
violence, and life-challenging milieus.
The chapter
headings
alone portend an unusual impact in their sources of subjects ("Our
Hood," "Our Humility," "Our Homies," "Our
Honesty."). Color illustrations throughout provide artistic
embellishments
both captivating and complimentary to the written artistry of this
anthology's
contributors.
Each of
these topics
receives essays and poems that are striking, hard-hitting, and filled
with
impact and insight. Each piece is delivered with an unerring honesty
that
teens, in general, seem to hone and which this group, in particular,
has
cultivated to a high literary level.
Riva
Goldman's
"The Song" offers one such inspection, derived from a school
assignment that led to a different choice of writing topic than the one
close
to her heart: "That’s the setting
for the first time those lyrics resonated with me—a sad, angry, weird,
misunderstood teen, and I was sure that no one knew what it was like to
be me,
what it was like to feel so misunderstood and so sad. It was true that
behind
my eyes I felt despised, disliked, and somehow Townshend understood all
that,
every bit of it. The words of his song made me feel, at last,
understood, even
if he wrote about blue eyes. I have brown eyes, but he had captured the
essence
of what I felt in my relationship with my mother in those days, and
intermittently for the rest of her life."
Often, the
fine line
between free verse poem and essay is blurred for the sake of powerful
reflection, as in Jessica De La Mora's
self-inspection piece "Disgusting": "I cannot smile with a
meaning, I smile because I want others to believe I am okay. I don’t
want
others to worry about me, I need them to think I’m okay. Once I hear
the
question “Are you okay?” I break down immediately. I can only blame
myself for
holding in everything I hold in. I build up my emotions and
problems. Imagine an empty
cup with pure negativity. It’s like swallowing a cup full of acid. I
feel like
I am drowning, like I am dying. I don’t know how much longer I can hold
my
emotions in."
If one
phrase could
describe the soul of this literary explosion of emotional inspections,
it would
be "don't hold back." Nothing is held back in its writings from kids
with incarcerated loved ones, and readers should not hold back from
reading and
absorbing these pieces.
Dear Friends is especially highly
recommended reading for high
school students who seek candid discussions of life's trials and the
ability to
survive them. When used as a reading group or book club pick, Dear Friends holds the rare opportunity
to not only reflect poetic and literary expressions, but represents the
lives
and spirits of young writers who don't come from staid walks of life,
making
their own courses through angst and challenge in the world. Their
literary
marks are unerringly precise and powerful.
Return to Index
Dr. Rosie
Helps the
Animals
Jennifer Welborn
Waterbear Publishing
978-0578829296
$16.99
Hardcover/$10.95 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Rosie-Helps-Animals-Jennifer-Welborn/dp/0578829290
Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals is a picture
book that features an
African-American girl who loves animals. Rosie's mom, a veterinarian,
lets her
help care for them, answering questions about honey, compresses, and
other
techniques she incorporates into her practice to help her animal
patients.
Young
Rosie's
participation and concern give her the ability to begin helping animals
herself, and as she moves from barnyard to more fantastic large animal
patients, young readers receive a whimsical story steeped in animal
care
information and fantasy alike.
As the story
becomes
more and more fantastic, kids and read-aloud parents will especially
appreciate
how Rosie moves from problem to problem, building on the healthcare
insights
and routines her mother has taught her and applying them to the most
challenging of animal cases.
Rozillia MH
provides
inviting, colorful illustrations that capture Rosie and her animal
world.
The blend of
fictitious drama and real-world animal care information makes for a
satisfyingly dramatic fantasy story laced with nonfiction elements that
adults
can use to discuss animal care basics and homeopathic remedies with
kids.
There are
many
learning opportunities in Dr. Rosie Helps
the Animals, from basic animal care and empathy to how a
youngster may be
proactive in helping improve lives in the world around her.
Based on
real-world
veterinarian approaches, but far more diverse in its embrace of
powerful
solutions and approaches to life, parents of young children who want to
impart
the basics of appreciation for animals and self-empowerment alike will
find Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals an
inviting
story.
Return to Index
Drummond:
Learning To
Find Himself In the Music
Patrick R. F. Blakley
Independently
Published
979-8429926469
$12.99
https://PRFB.net/Drummond
Young adults
looking
for stories about music and a student's venture into the world of a
middle
school marching band will find Drummond:
Learning To Find Himself In the Music an engrossing tale of
musical
ability, fitting in, and standing out.
Drummond at
first
believes that band is "just another class in school." Little does he
know that it will prove both a microcosm of his interactions and
problems with
the wider world and a milieu in which he can grow and prove himself
through revised
skills and approaches to life and friendships.
Middle grade
readers
who choose Drummond will find it a
story grounded in musical explorations. Patrick R.F. Blakley seamlessly
incorporates many insights into various band instruments as Drummond
experiments
with new ideas beyond drumming and comes to realize the different
opportunities
posed by both music and the interpersonal relationships it fosters
through
group efforts.
Educators
and parents
seeking to instruct kids about music, band, and life will find all
these
elements and more as Drummond makes his way through a new environment
and finds
his revised place in it.
Blakley's
attention
to relationship-building, group efforts, and individual growth create a
winning
first-person story in which Drummond learns about marching bands,
music, and
himself.
The many
explanations
of musical instruments and the process of using them to create music
cements
the fictional growth as Drummond evolves, but the focus on "this
extraordinarily divine world called marching band" also portrays a
boy's
coming-of-age moves through competition and life.
Drummond: Learning To Find Himself In the Music
draws connections
that young readers will find engrossing. It's a recommended read for
leisure
audiences who will find its many musical insights to be both
educational and
compelling, and should be a choice for any middle grade library
collection.
Ideally, it
will also
be part of a classroom assignment, discussed for its psychological
revelations
as Drummond learns about his strengths and employs them in a group
effort to
make music.
Return to Index
Dusty's Big Oops!
Tammy Fortune
Tammy's Toolbox, LLC
978-1-7346949-5-6
$10.95 Paper/$2.95 ebook
www.dustythedog.com
Dusty's
Big Oops!
is an appealing picture book portrait of a first day at school gone
awry, and
follows the obstacles to learning presented by a dog who joins his boy
at
school, causing both to make mistakes.
Pieter Els and Nika Pieterse
provide engaging
illustrations that highlight Tammy Fortune's story of what it means to
make a
mistake and learn from it.
The story is narrated from
Dusty the dog's perspective as
he tails his beloved owner Danny to school. He anticipates the new
environment
as being fun, but also holds a degree of worry about it, and wonders if
young
Danny feels the same.
What could possibly go
wrong? And what if it does?
Fortune lays out the process
of trying new things,
adopting a positive perspective about life, and tackling the results of
big
decisions and choices gone awry in a lesson that helps youngsters
accept new
possibilities and learn from bad experiences.
There is also an
undercurrent of diversity and lessons on
inclusiveness as Danny's classroom holds many different personalities
and
opportunities.
Kids will laugh at Dusty's
ability to unleash chaos in
the classroom, and adults will appreciate the opportunity to point out
how to
accept responsibility when "my oops
kept getting bigger and bigger."
Dusty's
Big Oops!
presents the perfect marriage between fun and learning, and promises an
engaging story that helps adults deliver not just one but a series of
important
life messages.
It's highly recommended as a
leisure read for young
animal lovers that will spark further opportunities for engagement and
absorbing early lessons on positivity and turning negative problems
into
insights on better choices.
Return to Index
The Lobster
Tale
David Horn
Independently
Published
978-1-7366774-2-1
$2.99 Kindle/$4.99 paper
https://www.amazon.com/Lobster-Tale-Eudora-Space-Book-ebook/dp/B09TC5WZLK
Book 2 of
the Eudora
Space Kid series, The Lobster Tale,
will
attract advanced elementary-grade readers with its vivid tale of kids
who
decide to rescue lobsters from a watery buffet death at a spaceship's
New
Year's Eve party.
Humor
abounds as the
kids hone their mission, led by third-grader Eudora Jenkins, who has
been
adopted by aliens and lives in space on a large AstroLiner, the Athena.
Eudora is a
math and
science whiz. The normal trappings of a schoolgirl charged with
learning even
as she lives aboard one of the most amazing vessels in space makes for
a
satisfying difference in plot that elementary grade readers will find
intriguing.
Black and
white
illustrations by Deven Hoover pepper the saga as Eudora evolves a
scheme to
rescue her lobster friends and faces (again!) the brig for her efforts.
David Horn's
injection of a healthy dose of not just humor but relationship insights
compliments
the action component of the story: "Lootenant
Londo is scared of his boss, Vice-Captain Stella Ying. One time
Lootenant Londo
was five minutes late to a meeting with Vice-Captain Ying, so she made
him
carry around a huge grandfather clock on his back for a whole week. He
kept
getting stuck in doorways."
From an
older sister
("Molly Monster") and her challenges to Eudora's escapades, Horn's
lively tale appeals in many levels: "If
you can’t tell, my sister is a goody-twoshoes know-it-all. In fact, if
Molly
were writing this story, it would probably be all about her homework."
Combine a
chatty tone
with both action and psychological insights and finish the dish with
more than
a light dash of humor for a sense of the attraction in The
Lobster Tale. It's a
zany, whimsical space story that invites young readers on a rollicking
ride
through homework, the universe, and a young girl's determination to
influence
the choices of the First Annual Qlaxon and Planetary Republic Cultural
Exchange
and Dinner Buffet.
Return to Index
My Dad and
the Dragon
Montserrat Coughlin
Kim
When a Dragon Comes
9781737507116
$21.99
Hardcover/$13.95 Paper/$5.99 ebook
Website: www.whenadragoncomes.org
Ordering: www.amazon.com
My Dad and the Dragon attracts picture
book readers and read-aloud
parents with the winning story of an ordinary family that holds a big
difference. The father has a dragon in him. And that dragon is called
'cancer'.
Colorful
illustrations by Rebekah S. Cheresnick enhance a story that refutes the
common
notion of what cancer can be. For one thing, there's the idea that all
"people with cancer look really sick." But, the child's father
doesn't appear to be ill.
As the story
progresses, a wise mother invites the kids to help "fight cancer as a
family." This involves radiation, surgery, and other treatments which
are
described using terminology a young child can readily understand.
Most
important is the
focus on how a family can support a parent in the course of such a
battle.
The result
is a
powerful set of insights into the unpredictable environment that cancer
can
introduce to the family, exploring how kids can work with parents to
help
battle the 'cancer dragon' in various ways.
Parents and
educators
seeking to teach the very young about this process will find My Dad and the Dragon the perfect
introduction to a difficult subject.
Return to Index
Of Courage and
Sacrifice
Matt Hartle
Independently
Published
979-8757251615
$11.99 print/$4.99 Kindle
Ordering: http://www.amazon.com/author/matthartle
Website: http://www.matthartle.com/writingauthor#/bot-trilogy/
Of Courage and Sacrifice is a sci-fi
story of bots and battles and
presents the first book in a projected trilogy. It's recommended for
teens
interested in both robots and futuristic struggles.
Adam Wesley
and his
friends know that society is crumbling around them. But they've just
finished
high school, and are anticipating another summer of parties and fun.
That is,
until their
first outing brings them into contact with a reconnaissance robot that
represents not just one-time disaster, but a portent of what is to
come. When
they return to the city, martial law and robot rulers are the new
environment,
changing everything in their upward trajectories.
Forced to go
underground to survive, Adam and his friends find themselves in a
completely
different milieu as they battle the bots and fight to survive, building
a
resistance that is surprisingly low-tech to fight the high-tech threat
that has
invaded their world.
Matt Hartle
excels in
creating a fast-paced story of teens who confront overnight changes.
Their
world moves from flawed to threatening, making the prior imperfections
seem
like a cakewalk in comparison to present circumstances.
What can be
done when
one has achieved a semblance of safety that cannot last? Long-time
friend and
confirmed nerd Skip informs Adam that long-term thinking is in order...
something Adam has never been good at doing. Skip is eccentric,
brilliant, and
perhaps their only hope for not just surviving the bots, but staving
off their
threat.
Hartle
combines high
technology with an action-packed series of engagements that will keep
teens
reading and wondering about outcomes and choices. The adventure
component
blends nicely with the psychological profiles and dilemmas as teens and
bots
confront one another and a revised future Adam never saw coming.
Against all
odds, Adam embarks on a mission that challenges his abilities,
friendships, and
survival tactics.
The result
is a
fast-paced story that ends with a cliffhanger of possibilities as Adam
begins
to grow into his powers and faces the possible end of the world.
Libraries
strong in
teen sci-fi and robot scenarios will find Of
Courage and Sacrifice an excellent story of courage and
adversity in a
world that literally changes overnight.
Return to Index
One Day
Asher's
Yarmulke Flew Away
Robert Rubenstein
Barnes & Noble
Press
979-8765525067
$15.48
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T668NFP
One Day Asher's Yarmulke Flew Away
presents young readers with a
dilemma: "One day before Shabbos,
Asher’s yarmulke flew away. It went up, into the wind, into the snow,
into the
sky. It made circles, it made squares, it made pretty designs—up, up,
into the
wind, into the snow, into the sky."
Lovely color
drawings
accent the story as not only Asher but others with yarmulkes begin to
experience problems keeping them on their heads. Once a taste of
freedom has
been gained, it's hard to return to the past. And Asher still has to
buy the
challah for his family's Shabbos celebration. He doesn't have time for
chasing
errant yarmulkes.
"Why all this trouble, and how far must he go for
an answer? he thought." The power of prayer is
employed as Asher
questions "Why?"
This
whimsical,
delightful story will appeal to Jewish picture book readers and their
read-aloud parents, who will find Asher's problem fanciful as he
attempts to
regain his beloved yarmulke while fulfilling his task.
His journey
carries
him into new territory, prompts questions about his purpose and
perspectives,
and ultimately leads to a magical solution for a problem Asher didn't
even know
he had.
While Robert
Rubenstein's story will especially appeal to young Jewish readers, it
shouldn't
be limited to this audience alone. Its fanciful story's lessons about
flexibility, being needed, and perseverance blend with a magical
journey that
couches its serious life inspections with a sense of wonder.
All ages and
all
ethnicities need this message and the delightful way it's imparted in One Day Asher's Yarmulke Flew Away, a
story of adversity which turns into a gift that holds a lasting lesson
for
young Asher.
Return to Index
Popoto:
The Maui
Dolphin
Noemi Knight & Alvin Adhi
Pink Flamingo Press
979-8-9853264-1-3
$14.99 Hardcover/$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TL4Q6RF
The Maui
Dolphin (or Popoto) is a
small, endangered New
Zealand dolphin, the subject of Noemi Knight's engaging picture book
which
explores not just this dolphin, but the native Māori peoples' legends
about it,
overall dolphin natural history, and more.
This is
narrated through the
first-person reflections of
Popoto, who lives with Hector's dolphin (a close cousin) off the shores
of New
Zealand.
Picture book
readers receive fun color
illustrations that
are filled with character and provide lively embellishments to the
story.
They also
receive a review of
environmental issues
surrounding human activities on the waters: "We
have many natural enemies, like sharks. But our most dangerous enemy is
fishing
nets left behind by irresponsible human fishers."
The ultimate
message is about such
threats as trash in the
ocean. It implores kids to become educated, concerned, and involved in
protecting the oceans not just for Popoto, but all marine life.
Adults
looking for a picture book that
pairs a natural
history story with an environmental discussion will find Popoto:
The Maui Dolphin an
inviting blend of science and environmental examination.
Through
Popoto's
experiences and life, kids receive an invitation to become more
conscious about
their decisions and impact on the world. This thought-provoking, vivid
picture
book story holds a broader message than adventure alone, for all young
readers
and the adults who choose it for read-aloud enlightenment.
Return to Index
Shifter
Michael J. Bowler
Independently
Published
978-1733329057
$12.99 Paper/$2.99
Kindle/$18.99 Hardcover
Website: www.michaeljbowler.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Shifter-Healer-Chronicles-Book-2-ebook/dp/B09R2K41L7
Book 2 in
the Healer
Chronicles, Shifter, continues the
saga of wheelchair hero Alex and his supernatural powers. His special
friends
also return to confront a new threat that emerges when they are all
still
trying to recover from past events. Readers of Spinner will find this ongoing coming-of-age
fantasy depicts a troupe of teens who harbor gifts that prove
attractive not
just to enemies, but the U.S. military that discovers and decides to
exploit
them.
At age 12,
Alex's
twin Andy "held Death in his hand." They may be twins with special
abilities, but each harbor very different perspectives on these powers
and
their use.
Their story
opens
with contrasting experiences between ages 5-12, setting the stage for
an
adventure that moves to present-day events with such engaging chapter
headings
as "You Sure She's Alive?"
Michael J.
Bowler
provides a recap of prior experiences to help newcomers neatly segue
into these
latest confrontations, crafting high drama and revelations for prior
fans in
the process. This approach demonstrates a solid attention to detail and
revelation that grabs young adults with action, psychological insights,
and
mystery, from the beginning.
The contrast
between
Andy's callousness over the deadly results of his actions and abilities
and
Alex's conscientious worries about the same things are very nicely
presented.
Their dichotomy powers a vivid tale of life, death, and the twins'
connections.
Whether
willing or
not, Alex is bound to Andy in ways they never could have predicted.
Their
separate powers are made stronger when they work together, even if the
ultimate
results represent different goals to each.
The
injection of
moral and ethical quandaries as each boy explores his potential, and as
the
military oversees experiments designed to make the most of these
powers, makes
for a thought-provoking story not just of growth, but social
development.
Replete with
surprising twists and turns, Shifter
juxtaposes mystery with growth-inducing insights, stressing the
different
perspectives of the twins, how their evolving abilities may be used for
good or
evil, and how that perspective can also shift under new rationales for
old
behaviors and responses.
The result
is a
fantasy/supernatural story that is every bit as powerful as Spinner, but which stands alone with a
strong attraction for those new to these events and characters.
Libraries
strong in
young adult fantasy and coming-of-age stories will find the blend of
supernatural and emotional growth represented here to be astute and
compelling.
Return to Index
Special
Proper Magic
Michael McAdam
House of Gargs
978-1-7781190-1-9
$16.99
http://twogargs.com/spm
Special Proper Magic will attract young
adults with its intriguing
story of magic in an enormous sprawling British home, Locksley Hall,
owned by
the Whitingham family. This structure's air of mystery has long created
a sense
of intrigue and threat in the nearby town.
An only
child,
thirteen-year-old Adrian Whitingham has just come home from boarding
school to
face a summer with too-busy parents who are quiet, proper, and too
involved in
their routines to pay him much attention. It promises to be a dull
experience... but nothing stays dull at Locksley Hall for long,
especially
since Adrian has determined to use his time off to explore some strange
abilities that he's been demonstrating.
Unlocking
these
secrets changes his life in unexpected ways that will delight young
readers as Special Proper Magic
evolves.
As Adrian
learns
about who he really is, and about the nature of the magic and spirits
haunting
his life, readers receive a vivid fantasy story that proves hard to put
down,
filled with satisfying insights: "...some
ghosts miss being alive so much they’ll do anything to live again,
clinging on
to anything that reminds them of life… like living people. That’s what
haunting
is. It’s a ghost who can’t—or won’t—let
go of what used to be because they can’t face what is...“She
strikes me as just that type. So used to being the centre of
attention that she can’t stand that she isn’t any more.”
As Adrian
and his
cousin Holly search for the missing Ethan and answers to their
questions about
who they are, summoning a bravery neither really feels, an engrossing
blend of
mystery, supernatural elements, and a summer experience evolves.
Young
readers will
appreciate Michael McAdam's dual attention to building suspense and
relationships which change as Holly and Adrian build new connections to
each
other and their lives.
McAdam
crafts a fine
adventure steeped in the English countryside, exploring new
possibilities and
connections that close some doors while opening others. He leaves the
door of
future possibilities (and books) ajar while deftly concluding Adrian
and
Holly's tale in a manner that will attract and maintain the interest of
middle
grade readers.
Special Proper Magic is highly
recommended reading for young adults
looking for magical stories of connection and for libraries seeking
superior
leisure reads about magic, ghosts, and problem-solving as the spirit
world
touches Adrian and Holly and brings with it unexpected life lessons.
Return to Index
Sword and
Sorcery:
Frostfire
Ethan Avery
Stories By
Storytellers
979-8-9856228-2-9
$24.99 Hardcover/$5.99 ebook
Website: www.storiesbyethan.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T62HGFC
Sword and Sorcery: Frostfire is a young
adult epic fantasy story
that revolves around Erevan, a street kid whose friend has been jailed
because
of his mistake. It contrasts his life and dilemma with that of
privileged girl
Aireyal, who has been accepted into a prestigious school of magic
despite the
fact that she really has no magical talent.
Ethan
Avery paints an engrossing story of two very different teens
who exhibit
(and often rely on) reckless impulses. These traits have changed their
lives in
unexpected ways, and are poised to change them again through adversity
that
brings their individual dilemmas into a bigger picture encounter with
forces
set to change society.
As the two
main
characters confront their skills, new possibilities, and what they
really wish
to become, young adults receive the powerful story of a quest which
operates
both internally and externally.
Fans of
sword and
sorcery stories will find plenty of action scenarios that draw
attention with
confrontation and a call for courage, but those unfamiliar with the
genre will
also appreciate how Avery incorporates a sense of duty, purpose, and
changing
perspectives as evolving new abilities portend failure: "She
felt her very future drop like a boulder off a cliff. There
was nothing to feel, except for defeat. But the mix of forced
confidence within
her gave a gross feeling of division. She still believed she could do
it, even
though she now knew she couldn’t."
A cast of
supporting
characters also presents strong influences and possibilities. These
include the
apothecarist’s assistant Zale, the beautiful Morgana (who stands in
stark
contrast to Aireyal's dubious attributes), and Erevan's father Sir Lee,
who
attempts to teach his son some important life lessons.
As the lives
of each
character entwine and are changed, young adults will appreciate the
attention
to psychological profiles that blend with high-octane action in a quest
story
that stands out from the crowd.
Whether
reading Sword and Sorcery: Frostfire
for its
action-packed fantasy or its coming-of-age story of two very different
young
characters, readers will find it a fine dance between thought-provoking
insights about growth and opportunity and a vivid adventure.
Sword and Sorcery: Frostfire deserves a
place in libraries catering
to young adult fantasy readers.
Return to Index
Unburied
Patrick Scott
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-259-5
$19.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Unburied opens The Loci of Power series
with Cycle 1 and tells of
college girl Faye, who has moved far from her Arizona home, endeavoring
to lead
a new life in this very different environment. Unfortunately, old
habits plague
her new milieu and attract unwanted help. This keeps directing her to
the fact
that no matter how hard she seeks to bury the past, it continues to
influence
her present-day circumstances.
Faye is no
ordinary
college student. She shows a hostile, proactively angry face to the
world that
helps protect her against forces beyond her control. Her conflicted
inner world
is reflected in experiences, settings, and reactions captured by
Patrick Scott's
attention to psychological detail: "She
reveled in the disjointed feelings running through her veins and
cutting her
off from the world at the same time. Left without the support of two of
her
roommates who had promised to meet her, she managed to remain safe, not
consuming anything she did not want. She possessed unparalleled
training to
keep herself safe."
This creates
the feel
of a wounded anti-hero as Faye navigates the world with the confidence
that she
can control it.
As the story
unfolds,
what she at first thinks to be college pranks and tests turns out to be
all too
revealing of her special qualities as she makes new friends, tackles
new and
old issues, and finds many of her current issues coming home to roost.
Scott adds
comic
relief at unexpected moments to bring a full flavor to Faye's story: “What were you expecting?”
“Someone less…” Ari trailed off for a moment and shook her head. “Less
fowl.”
As her
experiences
begin to threaten her family and friends, Faye joins forces with the
older,
more experienced Moira, who forces her to confront things she doesn't
want to
think about.
Scott
creates an
involving story of a college student's alternate worlds and their
conflicts. He
depicts transition points in Faye's life which lead her to confront
issues and
opportunities she'd long shoved into the background of her busy life.
Teens will
relish the
blend of intrigue, action, and psychological revelations in Faye's
story, and
will find its pace and changing relationships just the ticket for an
engrossing
read.
The result
is a saga
that's just beginning, setting the stage for other books in the fantasy
series
with a strong introduction that's hard to put down and easy to love.
Return to Index
A Very
Chilling
Mystery
Steve A. Erickson
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-251-9
$20.99
www.atmospherepress.com
A Very Chilling Mystery is a children's
book written and
illustrated by Steve A. Erickson. It tells of a cold, cold place which
contains
mysteries (yes, it's the refrigerator), and captures the secret world
of food
in an especially delightful, rollicking rhyme: "If
it wasn’t dark in there,/What would the food be doing/Among the
Tupperware?/Well, I am here to tell you,/There’s life inside that
box./When the
door is shut, the light stays on/And that frosty space? It rocks!"
The vivid
dance and
musical antics of various fridge denizens commands young reader
attention both
by the fun rhymes and unexpected scenarios they paint and the equally
vivid
illustrations Erickson uses to embellish his story.
Even the
most
reluctant of young eaters will find plenty to like in a tale that
celebrates
hidden lives, mystery, and food facts, all couched in whimsically
imaginative
description: "Then there is the milk
carton/Who becomes extremely grumpy/When it stays past its “best by”
date/And
turns quite sour and lumpy."
Adults who
want to
teach the young reader a bit about food but who face resistance to
staid
nonfiction accounts will find this assessment of the good and the bad
in a typical
refrigerator to be a fun way of absorbing food facts and fancies. It
lends to
both adult read-aloud and individual pursuit by youngsters who already
have
good reading skills.
A Very Chilling Mystery also serves as
both an example of poetic
prowess with its winningly whimsical approach to food and the
mysterious
possibilities that lurk behind closed doors.
Return to Index
Winter
& George:
A Path Across the Sea
Natasha Nelson
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-235-9
$12.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Winter & George: A Path Across the Sea
is a picture book that
is especially evocative both in its gorgeous full-page color
illustrations and
its lyrical language: "Winter sat on
the damp wooden planks of the pier with George, her older brother and
closest
friend. They sat with their legs crossed and their heads together
staring up at
the stars twinkling like tiny golden fairies.
It recounts
the
moon's rise, which portends the "adventure they've been waiting for"
as George exhibits enthusiasm and Winter feels fear over the
possibilities the
shining moon path offers them.
From the
lovely
promise and support of Moon Blossoms to George and Winter's very
different
reactions to magic, picture book readers receive an evocative story of
different approaches to life and friendship that couches fantasy with a
lesson
in facing fears, problem-solving, and evolving different new strengths.
Parents who
choose Winter & George: A Path Across
the Sea
for read-aloud will find many opportunities to help children explore
the
underlying themes of life approaches and support systems.
The lovely illustrations enhance a story that is thought-provoking, whimsical, and fun, recommended for adults who want to give picture book readers an adventure and learning experience from one vivid story.
Winter & George: A Path Across the SeaReturn to Index