May 2024 Review Issue
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Literature
Mystery & Thrillers
Avarom
and the Black Riders
J.L. Stewart
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-180-9
$22.99 paperback/$32.99 hardcover/$9.99 ebook
www.atmospherepress.com
Avarom
and the
Black Riders is a story of pirates, a Red Queen, mystical
soldiers, and a
target on the back of the Queen’s bodyguard Avarom, which invites a
host of
special interests to pursue him.
Having not just one but
multiple adversaries, each with
their good reasons for wanting him dead, tests Avarom in unexpected
ways that
being the Queen’s Champion did not portend.
The Black Riders who are
after him howl for vengeance,
but the real threat comes from within, as Avarom is pitted against them
and
multiple forces, only to find his own resolution and circumstances
demand he
place his Queen’s transition (after her kingdom was destroyed) above
his own
struggles for survival.
There’s more to the story,
however; because his Queen is
also his heart’s desire, and so his mandate to protect her is more than
political or business-driven. A personal mission leads Queen Nakir to
invite
the aid of a Hellstorm which may be ultimately uncontrollable.
Battles and confrontations
mark a story which also
injects wry humor into the bigger picture as Avarom’s deepest secrets
move
beyond his Queen’s knowledge to inject discovery and surprise into
others:
“You
must know I
mean neither you nor Avarom any harm. I knew you were a force for good
before
your change, but I just wanted to know if that power had somehow
influenced you
to waver from your original path. As for Avarom, despite his lineage, I
also know
he is a force for good to be reckoned with. I also know that the only
thing
holding his evil side in check is a tune played by a magical flute.”
The struggles test Avarom’s
resolve, his choices, and the
perceptions of him by others who question the types of amends he makes
for his
actions while under the control of his father.
Is Avarom good, or evil?
Countenances deceive, inner
turmoil clouds judgment, and the motivations of both sides prove that
shades of
gray operate at all times.
Readers seeking a vivid
fantasy adventure that embraces
the nature of choice and mercurial definitions of good and evil actions
will
find Avarom and the Black Riders
not
only entertaining, but filled with thought-provoking encounters and
questions
about human nature.
This also makes it highly
recommended for fantasy book
club discussion circles and libraries seeking recommendations that hold
deeper-level thinking about the nature of heroism, love, good, and evil.
Return to Index
Beacon and
Ice
N.K. Carlson
Creative James Media
978-1956183788
$16.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Website: www.creativejamesmedia.com
Ordering:
https://www.amazon.com/Beacon-Ice-N-K-Carlson/dp/1956183787
Beacon and Ice is the third book in the
epic fantasy series The Chronicles of
Terrasohnen. Although
young adults are indicated as its audience, it would be a shame to
limit this
action-packed adventure to only youth; because many an adult will find Beacon and Ice a stimulating story.
The tale
opens with a
reference to the past. The last time Rein was in the Elvin city of
Crain, he
had been fleeing the attack on his human hometown of Coeden.
The recap of
past
events that leads to the opening of Beacon
and Ice invites newcomers to quickly absorb prior influences,
settings, and
battles that moved from Gray Man’s plans to attacks that changed the
face of
the region. Reith’s new role as human ambassador to the elves placed
him in a
position of power and influence that continues in Beacon
and Ice, where the threatening Shadow once again looms in an
attempt to destroy the people of Terrasohnen.
Supporting
characters
Dema (a “torch in the night,” whom Reith fell in love with), dwarf Yaz
(appointed by the Queen to be Dema’s guide), Reith’s close friend
Ellamora, and
others offer their different origins, objectives, and shared interests
to the
story, flushing out its action with strong psychological twists and
personalities.
N.K.
Carlson’s
ability to weave a disparate group of characters into an overall power
struggle
that involves physical and mental journeys empowers an epic story that
arrives
with many satisfying twists and in-depth action. A journey to a frozen
river,
lost temples, and confrontations with monsters and humans alike keep
the tale
fast-paced and unpredictable.
Vivid
descriptions supercharge
events via energetic encounters with adversity:
“The beast stopped, stood on its hind legs and
bellowed a cry of pain
to the mountains, which reverberated around and around, nearly
deafening Reith.
The monster turned, snarling at Reith. Reith retreated to where Dema
stood
ready with her long dagger in hand. This time, the creature went
slowly,
instead of springing forward. It had learned a sharp lesson in steel.
Blood
dripped from it as it stepped toward them, leaving dots of red in the
snow
behind it.”
The result
is an epic
fantasy of an “interrupted life” in Crain and an intimacy tested by
events
which also interrupt other friendships and connections.
Libraries
and readers
of all ages who look for epic journeys fueled by equally memorable
personalities will find Beacon and Ice
a powerful saga that enhances the series while standing nicely alone
for
newcomers to Carlson’s world.
Return to Index
Broken (Book 1 of the Young Hellions Series)
Braxton A. Cosby
Cosby Media
Productions
979-8885262743
$24.99
Hardcover/$16.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
Fallout
The Broken Series - Cosby Media Productions
Broken is set in 2035. Humanity has
largely succeeded in pulverizing
itself (and all life on the planet) out of existence. This is the
aftermath,
where Keesa Donovan and her younger brother Kiran, having lost
everything, eke
out their lives in a slave pod in Georgia.
The usual
teen angst
about coming-of-age issues (including romance) is tempered by an
equally
confusing confrontation with latent ESP abilities and visions of the
future.
These lead Kessa on a quest to find her new place in this damaged world.
At this
point, it
should be noted that Broken
introduces the Young Hellions series. Keesa’s powerful struggles over
her
identity and place coincide with her bid for freedom as discovery after
discovery places her at odds with her environment, as well as her
destiny:
“’Unless you haven’t been paying attention, I don’t
really care about
my life,’ I shout.
’And that’s what makes you so special, Keesa, doesn’t it?’ Cress asks
as he
walks toward me. I freeze at his words. ‘At least, that’s what you think. But you see, I know that you
don’t really believe that. I know you’d rather live than die. Why else
would
you care so much about your family?’”
The vivid
immediacy
of this future world, its devastating legacy and struggles for
revitalization
and survival, and Keesa’s growing self-empowerment as a young Black
woman destined
for greater things than slavery and subjugation makes for a thoroughly
engrossing story. The saga is powered by ambition and destiny, and teen
readers
of fantasy and sci-fi will find this thought-provokingly revealing.
The
aftermath of the
world-wide nuclear war also receives intriguing social analysis, here,
elevating the story above and beyond those which focus on survival or
political
efforts alone.
The
interpersonal
relationships Keesa develops in the course of her quest for answers add
further
deep dimensions of influence into her story:
“You be the fire! Tell them to hold on just a
little longer. They have
to. You have to! Because if no one else does, if no one else ever told
you so, I believe in you.”
The resulting story of nuclear war survivors, leadership, and ideological and physical struggles takes a giant step away from many competing genre reads, leading followers far from the mundane and into arenas of resistance, resilience, and unity.
Libraries
seeking
post-apocalyptic fiction that operates as strongly on a level of social
and
psychological inquiry as it does in the physical elements of survival
and
discovery will find Broken a
compelling collection addition.
Return to Index
Collapse Years
Damir Salkovic
The Mad Duck Coalition
9781956389203
$15.00
Website: https://themadduckcoalition.org/product/collapse-years/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVNMYBDK
Collapse
Years
is a fictional exploration of societal collapse, ghosts, and
governments and
families in disarray. It opens with the story 'Hantu', in which Arjani
observes
a ghostly dragon from her position in a refugee camp, which her family
huddles
in as the world around them collapses.
The sea has overrun their
island, forcing them onto the
mainland, where circumstances feel little better than the calamity they
escaped, from a place which they once called home.
In this story, Hantu are
awakened by these series of
disasters:
"The sea rages and
its waves eat people’s homes.
When there is turmoil, hantu are released. Ghosts with one foot in this
world
and the other in the next."
As fear, magic, and
transformation take place even during
these end times, Arjani finds the courage to escape the pharma camp to
head
into unknown new worlds and opportunities.
The next story, 'Carriers',
explores the quarantine
guards, bureaucratic chaos, and idiocy that impacts Myung-soo's
changing world.
As events unfold, readers
are treated to a vision of a
collapsing society duly reported on by an aspiring on-scene witness who
strives
to achieve notoriety and success even as humanity devolves. His dream
is that:
"...the
Big
Media Companies would descend on his feed like vultures, fighting tooth
and
nail over his photos, showering him in royalties."
His world of feast or famine
rests solely on his ability
to report disasters in a compelling manner. His ambition rests on a
social and
political disaster that could arm his photojournalism with passion and
success:
"The
last of
the known infected had been penned into the Red Zone, a pre-Unification
military base repurposed into the nation’s largest viral containment
camp.
There they awaited recovery, or death, or the increasingly elusive
cure,
well-provisioned and isolated, guarded by soldiers and cared for by
teams of
medics. Through all of Myung-soo’s research and reporting in the
Itaewon bars,
no source, government or otherwise, could confirm the number of
detainees, or
which units were still at their posts, or the names of pharma
transnationals
operating inside the Red Zone. No photojournalist had ever set foot
within its
gates. It was pristine source material, and Myung-soo was determined to
carve
it out for his own."
Perhaps the greatest
strength of the interlinked stories
reflecting the newly structured human world in Collapse
Years lies in their ability to examine the nature and
costs of survival, and what it means to stay human under impossible
conditions.
Libraries and readers
seeking apocalyptic stories that
explore and cement the processes of de-evolution of the human spirit
will find Collapse Years offers not
only powerful
observations and voices, but powerful contrasts in ideals of success
and
survival. These elements make the book a perfect recommendation for
book clubs
seeking exceptional material for debating end times and new beginnings.
Return to Index
Earth’s Last
Starfleet (Book 2 of The Third Age
Saga)
Daniel Peyton
Cosby Media
Productions
979-8885262637
$17.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
Space
adventure novel (cosbymediaproductions.com)
In Earth’s Last Starfleet, Earth’s
Last
Starship Earth (Book 2 of The Third Age
Saga), the people
of Earth survived an
invading force of aliens solely protected by the spacecraft Orlando. As
peace
descends upon the world and humanity relaxes, hero adventurer Captain
Brian
Shepard finds that his life has returned to relative normal. And he
doesn’t
like it.
It’s time
for new
adventures and impossible wins. Be careful what you wish for. Adversity
arrives
in the form of Ko, the former ruler of the Soreth before the fall of
Soreth
Prime, whose ambition and power threatens not just humanity, but the
entire
universe.
Perfect.
This is just
the kind of challenge Brian likes.
The Earth
Space Navy
has grown since his first battles. He’s no longer alone with the crew
of the
Orlando, assuming the role of Commander over the fleet and learning how
to
navigate not only space and time to confront Ko’s threat and the
Fanglerian
homeworld, but how to field the power and purposes of an entire fleet
of
battleships.
Daniel
Peyton’s story
injects a wry sense of underlying humor to Brian’s interactions with
his crew
and his considerations of how he might change the fate of humanity and
the
universe at large:
“Brian looked back at his first officer. “The enemy
fleet. Do we have
any idea if they’re following us?”
Braxton smiled. “No, sir. All the ships in our fleet are equipped with
advanced
sensor dampening devices. While at full tactical alert, the device is
automatic. Once we entered hyperlight, they could not follow us.”
“Good, we need some peace right about now.”
The
technology of the
Sorenth before their fall, the puzzle of stopping an impossible weapon
that has
no ‘off’ button, and the action-packed scenes mark a military sci-fi
story in
which technology and problem-solving are as vivid as the action-packed
descriptions of war:
“Tactical yelled, “They’re firing!”
Weapons poured out from the Tol’konian ships and blazed across the
shields of
the Fengler/Human fleet.
Tactical called out, “Shields are holding. They’re preparing to fire
again.”
“Fire all weapons!” Braxton ordered.
They returned fire with torpedoes and energy weapons. One of the
smaller
Tol’kon cruisers exploded. Then the enemy fired, and the USS Argentina
split in
half.”
As Earth’s
last
Starfleet faces a battle for survival and Brian finds his taste for
adventure
tempered by his absence from family, friends, and a peaceful life,
forces come
together to pose greater challenges, such as an addiction to power that
may
prove unshakeable even in times of peace.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a military sci-fi story replete with action juxtaposed with
thought-provoking scenarios of power struggles and ultimate impacts on
the
psyches and ambitions of leaders and followers alike will find Earth’s Last Starfleet a standout,
offering more depth than most military sci-fi creations.
Return to Index
Infinity 7:
War of
Gods
Braxton A. Cosby and Keshawn Dodds
Cosby Media
Productions
979-8888962169
$22.99
Hardcover/$16.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
The
Capes novel - Cosby Media Productions
Infinity 7: War of Gods feels like it
opens midway into the action
(“I
accept your surrender,” the towering, green mountain
humanoid said as
the crunching sound of cervical vertebrae waned inside the vice grip of
his
right gloved hand.”), but its opening lines merely serve to
capture reader
attention as its following paragraphs reveal the setting and lead-up to
this
defeat.
It also should be
noted, at this point, that Infinity 7:
War of Gods is the follow-up to Infinity 7: Gods
Among Men and marks
the conclusion of an 18-book (and 5-comic
Dark Spores) series of
stories, and will best be imbibed by prior fans of the rich world Braxton A. Cosby and Keshawn Dodds, along
with four other authors, have created in this saga, both for
appreciation
of past events and maximum interest in their ultimate outcome.
While
newcomers to
the series can slip into its allure with little understanding of the
past, it’s
the avid follower that will embrace the return of characters from
previous
books, who face the concluding results of their experiences in an
unpredictably
alluring manner.
From a
powerful army
of committed men facing their greatest challenge in the Space Pirate
Stratus to
the countenance and objectives of those who might seem as gods to
cultures not
as advanced in technology or the finer art of fighting, Infinity
7 creates dialogues and clashes that are thoroughly
engrossing:
“You are no god,” a random voice boomed from the
crowd.
Stratus addressed the crowd. “Am I not? Do gods not possess the power
to both
give and take life? After what I’ve done to your pathetic excuse of an
army,”
Stratus paused as a sinister smirk spread across his jaw, “am I not now
among
the conversation of those you both fear and idolize?”
“We had a deal,” another voice erupted.”
Flashbacks
(such as
one from five years prior in Chicago, Illinois) fill in many blanks for
newcomers as the events progress, moving from off-planet to Earthly
realms as a
diverse cast of characters participate in or confront dreams,
conflicts, drugs,
and Conglomerate makeup and special interests.
The main
character,
Paladin (shades of Western heroism!) draws together many of these
seemingly
disparate threads of action and interest as he fulfills his role as
leader of
the Capes while mourning his lost love and the tattered remains of
those he
deems family.
There is the
classic
good versus evil scenario, with Super-Normals confronting the heroes;
there are
bigger picture intentions about controlling and enslaving not one
world, but
the universe; and action-packed, vivid scenes draw these interests
together in
a tangled web of clashing objectives and visions of power and future
control.
Cosby and
Dodds
cultivate a unique form of action that juxtaposes bigger-picture
thinking with
individual strengths, questions, and objectives. These drive the plot’s
evolving scenes, creating satisfyingly unpredictable twists and turns
that add
depth and entertainment value to a story that will attract fans of
superhero
sci-fi and urban fantasy alike.
While
Paladin’s
objectives sometimes blur the boundaries between individual action and
responsibility and group participation, his struggles remain realistic,
sometimes flawed, and always engrossing.
Libraries
looking for
vivid superhero action and scenarios which shift with breathtaking
regularity,
especially those already in possession of prior Cosby and Dodds
productions,
will welcome the concluding force that is Infinity
7: War of Gods.
Return to Index
Legacy of
Dragonwand
Book VI
Daniel Peyton
Cosby Media
Productions
979-8888962220
$17.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
The
Dark Lady
- Cosby Media Productions
Legacy of Dragonwand Book VI is a
sword-and-sorcery fantasy that
joins the Dragonwand series in the capital city of Thendor. Here, The
Dark Lady
and Baron Thorn pose equal yet disparate perils to the city. These can
only be
confronted (and possibly resolved) by human/Lord Dragon Markus, who may
be the
only force capable of protecting the land.
This
shapeshifting
hero confronts not only evil, but the legacy of his efforts and
ambitions as
Thendor wavers between vying forces which are bent on control and
injecting
misery into hearts by tainting them with dark, corrupted magic.
A desperate
search
for and control of the Heart of Darkness, and a uncommon association
between
Lord Dragon and his newly discovered great-great grandfather Steffen,
places
the Dragonwand
Core at the heart of both darkness and light. Here, Markus
confronts Dragon-creating forces, not one but two disparate forms of
evil, and
a legacy that tests his ability to be a hero (even though, as a boy
Dragon, he
is ill equipped to face adversary Korvarsk
in
battle).
As Steffen,
Korvarsk, and Markus
find their lives entwined on a far more complex playing field than the
usual
good-versus-evil confrontation, embracing personal elements of
unexpected
connections, love, and revelations, young adult and adult fantasy
readers alike
will fall under its spell. The characterization, setting, and action
are huge
draws that are well-done and captivating.
Libraries
looking at
sword-and-sorcery series additions will be especially pleased to note
that Legacy of Dragonwand Book VI operates
as
both a satisfying adjunct to its predecessors and a very accessible
stand-alone
adventure that leaves the door wide open for more books in the series.
Return to Index
The Long
Haul:
Pursuit of Hope
Lena Gibson
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-423-5
$24.95
Paperback/$6.99 eBook/Audiobook price TBA
www.blackrosewriting.com
Although The Long Haul: Pursuit of Hope is the
second book in the Train Hoppers series, newcomers will find its blend
of
post-apocalyptic survival and dystopian community to be as inviting as
did those
who enjoyed the first book in the series.
Set in 2195,
the
story tells of GreenCorps, which has a stranglehold on seeds and
controls a
chunk of the former United States. Elsa has the key to the Doomsday
seed
bunkers which would eliminate this control—which makes her a person of
interest
who faces danger and discovery.
Her world is
the
exact opposite of privileged girl Ginger, who also longs to escape her
circumstances—but for vastly different reasons. Her flight from her
privileged
life introduces her to the harsh realities of thirst and deprivation
that
separates dissimilar classes of survivors, leading her to become a
member of
the resistance. There, she battles her own family.
Lena Gibson
crafts an
intriguing contrast and connections between these disparate lives,
creating a
train-hopping series of encounters that test the morals and mettle of
each of
the characters in different ways.
Always
facing and
escaping GreenCorps pursuers and the impact of their choices, Ginger
and Elsa evolve
a renewed sense of purpose and connection. Their relationship fuels the
entire
story with action and discoveries that create much food for thought:
“She might have passed on the responsibility for
growing food, but
there was so much more to do to redistribute wealth and free the people
enslaved by GreenCorps by
circumstance and lack of equality.”
Gibson’s
story is
more than that of individual survival. How
one survives emerges as being even more important than the basics of
food,
water, and shelter as the characters face issues of privilege and
control, evolving
a new vision for not just their futures, but that of humanity’s
survivors.
Libraries
and readers
seeking post-apocalyptic adventures that juxtapose nonstop action and
train-hopping tension with equally provocative moral and ethical
concerns will
find The Long Haul: Pursuit of Hope
an astute story of survival and growth. It lingers in the mind longer
after the
conclusion because its roundup of issues of equality and family are
wonderfully
revealing and surprising for a genre usually rooted largely in
entertainment
value.
Return to Index
A Moonrise
in the
Fire
Tessia Ives
Silver
Raven Press
979-8990068704
$13.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Moonrise-Fire-Tessia-Ives/dp/B0CVBQQN4P
A Moonrise in the Fire is narrated by
Talvi, who confesses, from
the first line of her narrative, that she “has no powers.” In a world
where
everyone holds abilities, this is a serious lack that translates to no
choices,
either.
Talvi finds
purpose
and a sense of strength in being the keeper of Starstone Temple in her
forest
town—but even this task threatens to vanish when a dangerous stranger
arrives
on her doorstep to threaten what little she has.
Caelan is as
attractive as he is mysterious, so Talvi finds herself confronting not
just the
threat to her childhood love and the absence of the Elemental forces
within her
that every other person holds, but traversing three realms in a quest
that
concurrently involves struggling with this Fire Elemental’s dangerous
draw.
Romance,
wilderness
environments, and the attraction of power and love grasp reader
attention with
compelling dilemmas spiced by romance and danger alike. Talvi’s
struggles thus
emerge to embrace far bigger-picture thinking than her singular life’s
ambitions.
Tessia Ives
creates a
likeable and realistic character in Talvi, presenting her as flawed
hero whose
world is shaken as much by the presence of new potential as the
contrasting
absence of her own powers.
How she
gains
empowerment, finds love, heals self and those around her, and learns to
navigate realms, gigantic creatures, and new possibilities makes for a
vivid
story.
Events are
further
enhanced by Ives’s attention to atmospheric descriptions and in-depth
character
development, which takes the time to build a realistic, memorable
series of
dilemmas and opportunities into Talvi’s life and growth process.
The result
holds more
weight than many fantasy romances, but pays its readers amply for their
efforts, via satisfying twists and turns and compelling scenes that go
beyond
the simpler approaches of too many genre reads.
Libraries
and readers
seeking fantasy romances that operate on a bigger playing field than
that of
love and attraction alone will find the quest and psychological
insights of A Moonrise in the Fire
set it above and
beyond the typical genre read, creating many vivid hours of immersive
adventure
that readers will welcome as they explore Talvi’s world alongside her.
Return to Index
Sword and
Soul
K.M. Warfield
Creative James Media
978-1-956183-66-5
$16.99
Website: www.creativejamesmedia.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Soul-K-M-Warfield/dp/1956183663
Sword and Soul is the third book in a
sword-and-sorcery fantasy
trilogy that began with Scales and
Stingers. It continues the saga of Thia Bransdottir, who is
shunned because
she is half-Fallen.
Paladin
Jinaari
Althir has sworn to protect her from her own dangerous
half-heritage—but to do
so, he must not only join her on a quest, but figure out how to
confront the
part of her which is eroding her health and trying to kill her.
The danger
emerges
from without and within as Jinaari and Thia struggle to juggle her
ability to
heal with the irony that she may not be able to cure herself. Jinaari
has
promised the gods that he will protect her at all costs. But, how does
he
protect her from herself?
K.M.
Warfield crafts
a vivid story of friendship, courage, struggle, and healing in Sword and Soul. It requires no prior
familiarity with the relationship evolved in prior books, in order to
prove
immediately compelling and accessible.
The main
characters
are involved in delivering character Gnat to safety, as well. This
mission adds
to their complexity and challenges as the journey becomes one of
confronting
forms of evil in their various incarnations, facing choices between
present-day
mandates and future goals:
“Why leave it for others? Aren’t we supposed to be
killing monsters,
defeating evil?”
As Jinaari
juxtaposes
his assignment with his powerful role as the Shield, the Protector of
Avoch, he
is forced to consider how far he will go to protect not only Thia’s
body, but
her soul.
Complicating
matters
are the perceptions others have of Thia’s countenance:
“I see only a Fallen witch. One who stole the
scepter, slayed our kin,
and has no honor.” He glared at Jinaari; his face twisted in hatred and
contempt. “Or have you brought her to us to atone for her sins? A whore
for us
all to take generations of pain and loathing out on?”
As Thia
faces new
choices, so Jinaari finds his definition of and mandate for her support
shifting.
Libraries
and readers
anticipating the third volume in the fantasy trilogy (as well as an
excellent
stand-alone adventure that evolves relationship quandaries and new
challenges
about friendship, support systems, and social perception) will find Sword and Soul a vividly immersive
experience.
Return to Index
Paradise Lost
Paul Buchheit
Resource Publications/Wipf
and Stock Publishers
979-8-3852-1079-4
$27.00 Paperback
www.wipfandstock.com
Paradise Lost: A Poetic Journey is a
literary poetic
reinterpretation of Milton’s classic. It employs traditional structures
(sonnets,
common meter, iambic hexameter, and dactylic
heptameter, to name just a few) to create an intersection of poetic and
prose
narration.
So few poets employ these forms in modern
times that one likely audience for Paradise
Lost: A Poetic Journey will be literature students and
teachers devoted to
exploring the potentials and applications of traditional rhyme and
storytelling
devices to classics such as this.
As an early
example
of how Milton’s story plays out under Paul Buchheit’s hand, consider
‘Satan
Frees Himself’, which is presented using iambic
tri- and tetra-meter:
“A burst of frantic speed
propelled the Demon now.
He snapped his captive chain
and turned away to lead
his partner with a vow
of vengeance, to obtain…”
While
purists might
have anticipated a reconstruction of Paradise
Lost using just one or several of these traditional poetic
forms, the
broader juxtaposition here (as well as identifying each form usage in
the
book’s table of contents) allows for not only a smoother narrative, but
a
better understanding of the contrasting impacts of the meters
themselves.
Milton’s
original Paradise Lost was a story
written in
blank verse. For maximum appreciation of what Buchheit has achieved
here, it’s
important that the original epic be either pursued side-by-side with
this
reinterpretation, or have recently been read and analyzed, for best
cross-comparison of the employment and impact of these forms.
High school
to
college teachers will especially welcome Paradise
Lost: A Poetic Journey for its opportunities for deeper-level
analysis of
the relationships between structure and narrative.
This is why Paradise Lost: A Poetic Journey is very
highly recommended as enlightening, vivid reading for anyone pursuing
the
classics with a different eye to identifying what makes them powerful
and
effective.
Libraries
will
welcome this addition to any serious poetry or literature collection.
Return to Index
Source of a River
Gary Morse
Independently Published
979-8-9892783-0-5
$21.99
paperback/$9.99 eBook
Website: https://drgarymorse.com
Ordering:
https://www.amazon.com/Source-River-Gary-Morse-ebook/dp/B0CXZC4XJ7
Readers of literary novels
who look for fiction that is
immersive (literally) in its review of a life changed by adversity and
accident
will find Source of a River just
the
ticket for a solemn venture into survival tactics. It opens with an ice
fishing
accident that changes the dynamics of an emotional clash between John’s
parents
when he is medically dead, for a time, but is ultimately revived.
Eight-year-old John’s return
to life does not mitigate
the impact or inheritance of family depression, which follows him into
adulthood. Twenty years later, he still struggles with his childhood
trauma,
adult choices, and the influence of women who do not always act in his
best
interests.
From his involvement in new
mental health services for
youth to how he rebuilds better connections in a world tested by
traumatic
experiences and their lasting impact, John’s growth impetus comes from
various
directions. Each forces him to consider the kinds of perspective and
attitude
changes that can lead to real healing.
Gary Morse’s attention to
psychological depth and detail
creates a riveting story where legacy clashes with alternative options
for
change. Morse is particularly adept at presenting characters whose
lives and
backgrounds intersect in unexpected ways to change not only their own
futures,
but the world around them.
Source
of a River
may open with contrasting forms of survival efforts, but it ultimately
adds
issues of faith, new definitions of progress, and relationship
evolution based
on landscapes and explorations to challenge the characters in different
ways.
As older woman and classmate
Claire introduces him to
gorgeous new environments and opportunities, John finally takes the
first steps
in walking into a world free of the grasp of past trauma and the
influence of
self-destructive patterns of reaction. Vivid scenes accompany this
sense of
discovery:
“John
blinked.
Startled, he didn’t know what to do. He watched her as she blew a
second slow
breath that fluttered across his cheeks, his nose, his eyes. He closed
his
eyes, imagining a light caress. He smelled something sweet, like the
German
wine they had been drinking. Another warm breath swept over his face
and down
his neck, stirring something inside. The sensation flickered, and then
soared,
leaping forward, reaching the aching cavity inside him. Warm and light,
the
sensation rose again, swelling through his chest. His ache, he
realized, had
given way to a different feeling, something much more alive.”
Libraries
and readers
seeking a literary backdrop replete with psychological and
interpersonal
growth, seasoned with the environmental changes introduced by new
places and
perspectives, will welcome Source of a
River’s exquisite sense of place and transformation.
Return to Index
The Verdigris Stories
Mariana Sabino
K+P Press
978-1-7359346-2-4
$16.99
Paperback/$9.00 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Verdigris-Stories-Mariana-Sabino/dp/1735934623
The
Verdigris
Stories features eleven literary and psychological short
stories that excel
in diverse characters who share the trait of being outsiders, in some
manner.
A world-hopping series of
events drives these characters
to experience their environments and new possibilities in novel ways.
Take ‘Voyageurs’, for
example, which opens in Dublin with
a rainbow’s good omen, welcoming Yuri to a place he hopes to reside in
for a
year. It’s a rainy place which his friend Marcello eschews, but Yuri
was driven
to leave his small village for the unknown at all costs:
“As
for their
mother, he can only see Milena in jean shorts and Havaianas
sandals, as rooted to the village as the mangroves,
tsk-tsking him for wanting to see the world. “They’ll eat you and spit
you out
like an olive pit,” she said before he left. He answered he had to go,
he just
had to.”
His experiences lead him to
re-evaluate his perceptions,
life, and future in a thought-provoking story that encourages readers
to do the
same.
In contrast is ‘Inanimate
Life’, set in Prague and
presented in the first person, which solidifies the immediacy of
isolation and
unexpected potentials for change:
“I
was tense, not
because of the weather—the helter-skelter I found exciting. It was the
dead,
you see. Their presence sometimes renders me liable to certain
misperceptions.
But if I am mistaken, it’s only about one or two details. I was
expecting a
phone call—from the living, which was rare. It had been years since I
had a
living friend…”
The narrator maintains that “The inanimate are tricksters.” As the
story unfolds, the nature of
this trickery and illusions creates a different, thought-provoking
series of
insights on painting, life, and portraits affected by the dead and
living
alike.
Each story is a microcosm of
different journeys that take
place mentally and environmentally. Each features a narrator or
character whose
drive to change may be either overt or covert, but is embedded in
experiences
that emerge to challenge and change perception and connections.
In ‘Inanimate Life’, that
challenge leads to revised
insights about the nature of interactions between living and
dead—including the
narrator, who has a foot in different worlds and an observational style
that
thwarts his artistic eye in unexpected ways.
Libraries looking for short
stories that consider
different incarnations of wanderlust and change will find The Verdigris Stories especially
recommendable to literary readers
seeking thought-provoking reflections that arrive steeped indifferent
cultures
and lives, as well as book clubs looking for lively discussion topics
about the
nature of discovery and transformation.
Return to Index
Biography & Autobiography
Becoming Modigliani
Henri Colt M.D.
Rake Press
978-1-959185-00-0
$24.99 (Paperback), $14.99 (eBook), $ 27.99
(Hardcover)
www.amazon.com
Becoming Modigliani
comes from a physician and traveler who largely writes medical texts;
but here
he tackles the life and medical challenges of Jewish-Italian artist
Amedeo
Modigliani, who died at age thirty-five of tuberculosis meningitis.
The combination of medical, cultural, and
artistic inquiry cannot be beat; especially coming from a doctor with
credentials in medicine. This enhances the survey of art, adding the
effect of
STIs, alcoholism, war, and health decline on psychological and artistic
endeavors.
Readers might anticipate that prior
familiarity with Modigliani, his world of the early 1900s art community
in
Europe, and medical challenges of the times would be necessary. Not so.
Dr.
Colt provides background in all these areas while paving the way for
readers to
discover the underlying influences and impacts of disease on
achievement,
psyche, and art.
Numerous footnoted references to research
are testimony to the avidly studious nature of this story, which
surveys
everything from Modigliani's muses, love, and temperament to the
changing
social and political world around him. Of special interest are passages
that
link Modigliani's experiences and perceptions to the greater world and
the
medical and health issues that permeated both:
"If we are to believe
some of the anecdotes about Modigliani, he was increasingly prone to
rowdiness,
public displays of anger, refusals to seek help and apparent
drunkenness. He
was prone to mood swings even as a child, and may have been highly
sensitive or
vulnerable to deep emotions. Unknowingly, he may have turned to
mind-altering
substances as a form of self-medication and only later began to suffer
from
their adverse consequences. Modern scientists debate the adverse
effects of
alcohol and cannabis on mental health and personality, including, for
example,
the potential for cannabis to increase the risk of early psychosis,
especially
if used by adolescents and young adults."
Also especially notable are passages which
review and consider Modigliani as representative of his times and the
medical
issues which permeated them. This is why art lovers, history buffs,
scholars,
and healthcare and social sciences readers alike will find much to
appreciate
in this biography. It links history, art, and medicine in an unusual
manner to
enlighten readers about the roots of inspiration, artistic creation,
and life.
The process of artistic creation is
documented in a precise, analytical manner that takes the physician's
eye for
diagnosis and interpretation to new levels, always rooting these
inspections
firmly in Modi's world and art:
"In some paintings, the eyes are a
soft, light blue-gray. In others, only one eye is darkened. “With
one eye
you look out at the world,” Modi told Leopold Survage in
1918, “with the
other you look in at yourself.” We can only wonder whether
Modi was fully
aware of the negative turns his life could take as an adult, even as he
became
an increasingly accomplished visual artist."
Art and medical libraries alike will find
this journey unique and important, and will want to choose Becoming Modigliani for not only
collections rich in art
biographies and explorations, but for reading groups interested in the
intersection and impact of health on artistic ambition.
Return to Index
Inmates in
Charge
Walter Beamon
KP Publishing Company
978-1-960001-46-7 $29.95
Hardcover/$19.95 Paperback
www.kp-pub.com
Inmates
in Charge:
Top Level Leadership - Lacking Vision, Corrupt, & Couldn't Be
Trusted is
a memoir that reveals the duties and experiences of an African American chaplain in the US Air Force
Chaplaincy … but to peg
it as a military read alone would be to do it a grave disservice. Inmates in Charge actually holds
invaluable lessons on racism, leadership, belief systems and control
processes
and imparts a healthy set of insights in all these arenas, which
civilians and
military minds alike will appreciate.
The “inmates
in
charge” Walter Beamon refers to don’t come from an insane asylum
(though many
of their repressive actions teeter on this brink). They represent
engrained
prejudice in leadership at the top levels of the Air Force Chaplaincy,
and were
referred to as such by not just the author, but fellow
African-Americans in the
military.
Memoir
readers will
find the usual chronological assessment of life changes from childhood
to
adulthood, but with a difference. With the focus on Walter Beamon’s
life comes
accompanying insights into faith, duty, and his efforts to cultivate a
decisive,
often controvesial leadership against all odds. Beamon thus offers
insights on
military processes and structure which lend to a better understanding
of the
role of chaplains in the counseling and leadership routes.
Of
particular
interest is the way in which racism exhibits itself in missed
opportunities,
passed-over promotions, and other ways which mirror civilian business
and
political environments (but with a difference):
“Chaplain Scott had achieved more than any other
chaplain, African
American or White by serving as Command Chaplain at three of the most
important
commands in the Air Force, but he never reached the status of general
officer.
As I pondered this information about the circumstances related to
Chaplain
Scott’s career, I decided that they were “unjust and unfair.” I
wondered how a
person could accomplish so much and yet be denied promotion to general
officer
rank! He never shattered the glass ceiling. I am compelled to believe
that the
reason he didn’t was because the “inmates” were in charge.”
The lessons Beamon absorbs
about the nature and solidity
of the military network and its unacknowledged glass ceilings
translates to a
powerful survey that opens with personal encounters, but quickly moves
to
social, organizational, and political reflection.
There are also invaluable
examples of shaking that tree
of limitation and adversity, and the consequences of employing
controversial
attitudes and tactics within a structure cemented by racism:
“In
1997, after
four years serving as the Wing Chaplain, making the controversial
decisions
that I had made, I knew there would be some repercussions. The inmates
would
not allow me to move on in my career without some form of punishment. I
did not
know what it would be or how it would happen, but I prepared my heart
and mind
for “something” to come down.”
Libraries and readers
looking for exposés
on leadership, racism, military
processes, and engrained attitudes (especially collections appealing to
Black
patrons interested in military chaplain roles) will find Inmates
in Charge a revealing, eye-opening experience.
Return to Index
The Road to
Boston
Steven Clark
Independently
Published
979-8877908918
$16.00 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Road-Boston-Steven-Clark/dp/B0CW64BM35
Few can say
their
lives are memorable enough for a single book, let alone multiple
volumes; but
this second book in Steven Clark’s memoirs demonstrates that depth and
detail
can require more than one title … especially when the quality of
memories,
illustrations, and variety of vivid experiences are captivating.
In The Road to Boston, Clark continues his
life journey through military and college experiences, cultivating an
ongoing
dream of getting to Boston and far away from the dysfunctional
alcoholism of
his mother in Missouri.
As he
reveals a
mother whose mid-life crisis propelled him away from home, and a stoic,
distant
father whom he subconsciously imitated, Clark explores the
psychological and
social impact of life changes that lead him both away from home and
towards new
goals. These are presented in the intellectual and lively life tone of
an
author who grasped new realities and possibilities with both hands,
formulating
his own definitions of growth and meaningful living as he entered the
1970s to
create his own path forward.
Clark
discovers that
the opportunities for enlightenment and realizations come from many
choices,
from girlfriends to educational and social encounters. Each holds the
ability
to influence not just his life direction, but his perception of the
past and
its impact on his future:
“I did feel better being away from St. Louis and
that awful sense of
failure; again, having escaped what I perceived was Dad’s influence
over the
city.”
The road to
Boston is
paved not only with good intentions, but the salt and blood of military
training, encounters with good old boys, and an ability to appreciate a
wider
circle of acquaintances and friends than his upbringing afforded:
“I dealt with Bennett’s sourness, thankful his
pepper was balanced by
the salt of the men in the Battery. They were good old boys; it was a
good old
boy place. A third of the battery was related to each other. A large
Confederate flag hung in the motor pool, proudly flown when the battery
went on
annual training. They were down to earth, plain, good guys to be with.”
Clark’s
ability to
walk out of his world to embrace new experiences and possibilities is
powerful
as he reflects on the ongoing influence of his childhood while taking
steps
away from it and some of its impact. This elements contribute to a
memoir
steeped in positive perspectives and uplifting encounters.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a memoir documenting recovery, discovery, and life experiences
(which
will especially appeal to teens on the cusp of their own independence)
will
find this second volume in Steven Clark’s memoir not only a fine
adjunct to the
first, but an excellent stand-alone opportunity. It will spark
discussions
about family, psychology, substance abuse, and wider subjects of the
changing milieu
of American experience.
Return to Index
Mystery & Thrillers
Broken Hope
Carrie Rubin
Indigo Dot Press
978-1-958160-07-7
$13.99
Paperback/$4.99 eBook/$12.99 Audiobook
https://carrierubin.com/my-books/broken-hope
Broken Hope is a medical, psychological
“revenge thriller” that
rests upon the actions and threat of Dr. Hope Sullivan, who is known by
many as
an especially compassionate physician, but who also holds a secret
agenda that
belays any notion of that compassion in action.
Revenge is a
dish
best served cold, as the saying goes. In this case, Dr. Sullivan’s
special
brand of vigilante service goes beyond moral and ethical boundaries to
address
her perceived wrongs and make her feel better about her choices … until
someone
finds out about her deepest secret.
Suddenly,
Dr.
Sullivan faces a psychological and physical threat that challenges the
methods
she’s employed to find meaning and purpose in her activities. The
stalker is
relentless in his pursuit, forcing Dr. Sullivan into increasingly
deadly
scenarios as she struggles with her own viewpoint and mandate and the
clash of
these interests with a force bent on destroying her.
Carrie Rubin
excels
in dovetailing personal psychological inspections with the bigger
picture of an
adversary whose actions and choices are, in actuality, not so very far
from the
good/bad doctor’s approach to life.
She creates
an
intersection between medical and moral decision-making which poses many
intriguing thoughts and moments to readers, embedding the action and
thriller
components with realistic scenarios of blackmail, revenge, and
accompanying
dilemmas, from suicide to dangerous discoveries others make about the
situation:
“’Hmm?’ she asks. ‘Do you think I’m guilty of
something?’
He rasps nothing in reply, unsure if it’s a trap or not. Wonders, too,
if he
has it all wrong. He was wrong about Dr. Sullivan. What if he’s wrong
about
this doctor too? What if his wife’s death really was unpreventable?
What if his
obsessive quest to right an injustice stems only from his inability to
accept
the fact that Jasmine is gone?”
While the
thriller
and medical world elements are very strongly presented, supporting
tension with
background Broken Hope lies beyond
the clever cat-and-mouse games which drive the plot.
First-person
insights
and reflections address issues ranging from charges of negligence to
outright
criminal intent. There are many vivid scenes of confrontation (such as
suicide
and overwhelming grief) which may prove triggering to some readers; but
these
lend authenticity and familiarity to the story, boosting it into realms
of
greater understanding and reader connection.
The result
is a
thriller that contains psychological depth and insights on motivation,
choice,
and impact. Its focus on moral and ethical dilemmas adds philosophical
and
social twists to the plot, making Broken
Hope especially highly recommended for libraries seeing
patron interest in
medical thrillers that take the time to develop more complex
interpersonal and
revenge scenarios beyond the usual murder setting.
Return to Index
Deep Wedded
Blues
Joy Ann Ribar
Wine Glass Press
9781959078227
$17.95 Paperback/$4.95 eBook
https://joyribar.com/
The fifth
book in the
Deep Lakes cozy mystery series, Deep
Wedded Blues, opens with Alonzo and Frankie preparing for
daughter Sophie’s
bridal shower. Alonzo has known Frankie for twenty years, but in many
ways she
is still an enigma.
It’s been
less than a
week since Frankie’s life shifted, yet already, lover and investigator
Garrett
Iverson re-enters her world, even though Frankie still hasn’t fully
absorbed
the shock, its impact on her future, or Garrett’s presence—and his
former
partner Dani’s surprise appearance, as well.
Invited back
to
Duluth to consult on a different investigation, Garrett and Dani pose
quandaries and challenges to Frankie’s relationship even as wedding
plans
progress, only to hit a wall of intrigue.
Joy Ann
Ribar flavors
her cozy mystery with a taste of baked goods, warmth, and small town
associations that lend atmospheric backup to the developing story and
action:
“Frankie looked around the kitchen. The dough from
the cooler was
rolled out and cut into donuts, which were now resting on the far
counter. A
bowl of lemon icing sat waiting nearby and a delightful aroma was
drifting from
the oven.”
This creates
a
realistic “you are here” feel to the tale that involves readers equally
in Sun
Velvet Cake and butterhorn recipes, the politics surrounding
development plans,
wedding plans, and Amish community issues.
A warm sense
of place
is added to unfolding characters and quandaries that require no prior
familiarity with previous series titles in order to prove immediately
accessible (and equally compelling) to newcomers.
From land
acquisitions issues to Garrett and Frankie’s evolving love, Deep Wedded Blues is a finely tuned
story of not just intrigue, but Wisconsin community involvements and
Amish
culture and issues.
Libraries
seeking
cozy mysteries that either stand nicely alone or compliment a series
will find Deep Wedded Blues the
prefect
recommendation for a cold night and warm reading.
Return to Index
The Desperate Trials of Phineas Mann
Mark Anthony Powers
Hawksbill Press
978-1-7370329-8-4
$16.99
www.hawksbillpress.com
Think
‘medical
thriller’ and Robin Cook usually comes to mind. This should be replaced
by Mark
Anthony Powers, because the arrival of another addition to the Phineas
Mann
thriller series lends added value to the genre by profiling the
diagnostic
physician’s application of his talents and medical eye to
bigger-picture
circumstances.
In The
Desperate
Trials of Phineas Mann, these
involve not just diagnostic medicine, but the accompanying human
fallacies that
introduce bias into medical and problem-solving situations. Phineas
faced
similar circumstances in prior novels; each of which taught him more
about
ethical, moral, and investigative conundrums.
The fictional cases (that challenge even
Phineas) come across as especially realistic because of Mark Anthony
Powers’s real-world
job as a medical consultant in the field of pulmonary medicine.
Another conundrum Phineas faces is that, with
severe and rapidly progressive Parkinson’s disease at the age
of seventy-five,
his skill set and the respect for his abilities is rapidly waning among
his
peers, often leading him to be tapped only for impossible puzzles:
“He
had become
their last resort for hopeless mysteries—but only if a baffled
physician
happened to remember that Dr. Phineas Mann still existed.”
Phineas is aging out of his own
abilities—and it doesn’t look pretty, from his side. Or, is it merely a
matter
of ageist thinking on the part of others, who inject bias into his
assignments?
As in the other Phineas stories, Powers
creates satisfyingly rich details about accompanying issues, which even
include
examinations of political influences on healthcare:
“’VIP
medicine…Hmph.’ The ‘special’ VIP treatment the rich and famous often
receive
sometimes leads to extra tests and the risks and red herrings those
tests
create. In this case, it was the opposite, a government official, now
deteriorating in an ICU free-fall, had insisted on excessive
privacy—and consequently
his physicians never got to know him.”
The challenges Phineas faces as colleagues
and others practice medicine inject satisfying reality into procedures,
choices, and outcomes, both in patient management and medical
approaches:
“From
Phineas’ seat
on Iris’ front side, he could tell that Moro was palpating Iris’ bony
posterior
landmarks to identify the pelvis site for sampling—and still he
explained
nothing. So much for his promise that he’d tell her what he was doing.”
Complications, nostalgia, the rigors of an
aging physician’s physical ailments, and lawmakers, dubious
partnerships, and
medical and ethical objectives marry with intrigue and tension. This
creates a
delightful interplay between medical experience and outcomes.
Powers includes just the right mix of
tension over various issues to intrigue readers who may not anticipate
many of the
story’s subplots and accompanying dilemmas.
The result holds surprises for even the
experienced Phineas, delights for readers, and reviews of medical,
social, and
political conundrums which consider bias in all forms and incarnations.
Libraries and readers seeking a vividly
realistic medical thriller will find this display of insights over
success,
crime, and complications go beyond standard medical mystery to prove
especially
thought-provoking. The
Desperate
Trials of Phineas Mann is perfect for either individual
pursuit or book
clubs that look for medical thrillers replete with topics for ethical
and moral
debates.
Return to Index
The Emerald
Cross
Ken Cruickshank
Glendoveer Press LLC
978-1-960981-13-4
$16.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Website: www.kencruickshank.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com
Readers who
enjoy
spirited thrillers replete with military background, experiences, and
intrigue
will find The Emerald Cross an
appealing, notable draw. It features a complex interplay of characters,
from
wounded ex-Green Beret hero
Jamie Morales (who returns
home missing an eye and psychically suffering) to a mother whose
possession of
a valuable emerald cross from a Mexican drug lord poses danger to his
entire
family.
Drawn
into a dangerous game that rivals his armed forces experiences’
complexity and
the potential for personal disaster, Jamie is forced into a role that
taps his
military skills in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. This spins a fine yarn
of
intrigue, deception, and psychological challenge.
Initially,
these circumstances would seem to be in the bailiwick of the police, as
Jamie
seeks to assign them the task he is facing:
“Jamie turned and approached the police chief who’d
just arrived.
‘Marco Delgado has killed my entire family. I expect authorities or the
military to hunt his ass down.’”
But
as his pursuit of justice dovetails with a mission of vengeance and
confrontation, Jamie moves ever deeper into political confrontations
revolving
around moles, secrets, and the intersection of Mexican and American
special
interests.
Spiced
with DEA encounters, military skills put to unexpected use in civilian
life,
and underlying motives that affect not just the ownership of the
emerald cross,
but the lives of those involved in its management, Ken Cruickshank crafts a series of
encounters that are vivid in their complexity and possibilities:
“’Power. Riches. Beautiful women. These are
intoxicants to men striving
to be the next king of kings in the drug realm,’ Washington had once
told
Jamie. He’d added, ‘The cycle won’t end in my lifetime. But if the DEA
and
others don’t stand up to them, who will?’”
Cruickshank
tempers
action with psychological entanglements and revelations, leading
thriller
readers to more closely examine their own concepts of justice,
vengeance,
survival and exploitation.
Cultural and
artistic
revelations permeate the story, adding further layers of intrigue and
mystery
as the plot evolves.
Libraries
will want
to recommend The Emerald Cross to
patrons interested in military thrillers that revolve around vigilante
efforts,
PTSD and healing, and the circumstances that drive an ex-hero to pick
up the
reigns of battle as a civilian to tackle extraordinary opponents and
circumstances that buffet both his life and his potential for healing.
Return to Index
In the Mind of a Spy
Bruce M. Perrin
Mind Sleuth Publication
ASIN: B0CW1HWYVQ
$3.99 eBook/$10.99 Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Spy-Sleuth-ebook/dp/B0CW1HWYVQ
In
the Mind of a
Spy (which joins Bruce M.
Perrin’s
Mind Sleuth series) tells of Jesse Bolger, whose unexpected encounter
with high
school classmate Robert Gleason leads him to believe that Russian spies
have
hatched an active plot to infiltrate and destroy the United States.
Jesse believes he’s listening to a hoax, so
he listens with half an ear to a nearly impossible story. However, he
is soon drawn
into events when the FBI identifies him as a participant in the plot
and a
possible double agent. Gleason conveniently vanishes, leaving Jesse
high and
dry.
What is the actual truth? In order to answer
this question, Jesse must move outside his comfort zone and experience,
conducting an investigation that immerses him in not one, but several
deadly
games.
He can’t do this alone. So he hires private
investigator Rebecca Marte to join him, and together they unravel facts
that
could, indeed, change the course of America’s future.
Perrin crafts an intriguing story that takes
the usual Russian spy activity to new levels, embedding his saga with
two
strong personalities whose association and psychology guides readers
into new
territory in unexpected ways. Consider Jesse’s assessment of the FBI
interrogator’s methods:
“The
notion that
he, a person who had struggled in high school art and had no training
since
could sketch a scene close enough to aid in the investigation was
ridiculous.
But then, Jesse was sure the agent wasn’t really interested in his
drawing
ability. Rather, he was interested in how he would handle the
additional mental
load of sketching the scene on top of the requirement to keep all of
his fibs and
their implications straight.”
The fine art of this work lies in how it
fulfills its promise of depicting a ‘mind sleuth.’ Jesse employs
psychology as
he delves beneath the surface of events to arrive at new revelations
about
motivations, actions, and likely outcomes.
In
the Mind of a
Spy exposes the modus operandi
and
nature of not just the spy, but investigators whose experience and
viewpoints
create scenarios and possibilities beyond the typical investigative
approach of
assembling facts and figures.
Perrin’s story is, first and foremost, a
terrorist plot exposé, but the
undercurrents simmering beneath its surface are those of tides of
change and
challenge. These keep readers immersed and thinking about the
cat-and-mouse
games which challenge both perp and problem solver in new ways.
Rebecca also applies this special brand of
psychological inspection to events as they play out:
“…whoever
had
dressed Jesse in those rags for the final part of their run knew
exactly what
they were doing. Given the obvious socioeconomic differences between
the two
men, no one would suspect they were together.”
Libraries and readers looking for the
devices of a spy thriller that are enhanced by psychological
revelations and
analysis will find In the Mind of a Spy thoroughly
absorbing. Readers
interested in a story that introduces thought-provoking insights about
the
nature of spying and countermeasures will find it realistic,
engrossing, and
powered by characters who are unforgettable and unpredictable.
Return to Index
It’s Murder,
You
Betcha
Jeanne Cooney
North Star
Press of
St. Cloud
978-1682011485
$20.00
https://www.amazon.com/Its-Murder-You-Betcha-Mystery/dp/1682011488
Cozy mystery
readers
who enjoy a special sense of community and place in their stories will
welcome It’s Murder, You Betcha,
which comes
steeped in the culture of the Minnesotan farming town of Hallock.
This second
book in
the ‘It’s Murder’ series features an ice fishing expedition gone awry
when Doris
and her sister uncover not fish, but a body. The elderly woman they’ve
treated
to the outing is understandably upset, and so Doris becomes involved in
the
investigation to quell her agitation, only to find that a virtual
blizzard of
lies, deception, and secrets prove ever more puzzling and involving as
her
probe progresses.
Jeanne
Cooney takes
the time to fully present the countenances, relationships, and
connections that
keep Doris and her associates involved in not only the mystery, but
each other
and their community:
“The sun reflected off the snow and her wire-rimmed
glasses. With her
impish expression and whisps of white hair sticking out every which way
from
beneath her pink knit hat, Rose, who was short and getting shorter all
the
time, reminded me of a pixie. Or perhaps a leprechaun, considering she
had
immigrated from Ireland as a child. How she and her family ever ended
up
settling in the land of Swede and Norwegian Lutherans, I had no clue.
Then, she
became my mother’s best friend and, later, a second mother to Grace and
me.”
From
relationships
with sisters and friends to thought-provoking revelations about town
matters
and personalities, Cooney’s descriptions often inject a sense of humor
into the
story even as they deliver a side dish of insights and possibilities
that
mystery fans will find revealing:
“’But he died, Grace. He just got murdered. Jeez,
sometimes you’re…’ I
let my words fade. What was the point of needling Grace for being…Grace?
’Anyhow,’ I tried again, ‘Dickerson said that Dot’s now too grief
stricken to
think about anything, including money.’
My sister laughed so hard that she almost fell off her chair.”
Humor
abounds even in
succinct phrases (“To take stock of the
entire street, Grace rotated her head in Exorcist
fashion.”), keeping readers absorbed and
involved as the story
reveals a host of possibilities, confrontations, and surprises.
Fueled by
Minnesotan
culture and atmosphere and community relationships which are put to the
brink
of breaking over a murder, It’s Murder, You
Betcha’s special brand of
down-home atmosphere, humor, and entanglements makes it a winning
choice. It’s
especially recommended for libraries seeking to expand cozy mystery
collections
with a strong regional American community focus, and for newcomers and
prior
readers of Doris and her sister Grace.
Return to Index
Ridgetown
Jim Tindle
Oxford Book Writers
978-1-961636-70-5
$19.99
Hardcover/$14.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Ridgetown-Novel-Jim-Tindle/dp/1961636700
Ridgetown opens (but does not remain) in
Blue Ridge, Georgia; where
a discussion is taking place about the possibility of overthrowing the
U.S.
government. Unlikely? Perhaps not.
Conversants
Coker and
Hatton have just left Blue Ridge on their way to Carthage, North
Carolina. They
have a strategy in place for enacting change—but tonight they are on a
hit
mission to take down one who beat them to their goal of shooting up
electrical
power substations.
Fast forward
six
months to Los Angeles, California, where the novel’s main protagonist,
Arsen,
is tapped to travel to Blue Ridge to confront and disable a secret
militia
uprising. Suddenly, Coker and Hatton’s involvements and actions make
more
sense. Or, do they?
Arsen
uncovers a
rabbit warren of complexity and subterfuge in a mission that leads him
to
confront militia members one by one. As he does so, he also confronts
his own
ideals, skillsets, and personal challenges as a cat-and-mouse game
forces him
to tackle past historical precedent and events and their present-day
impacts:
“…it was as dark as dark can be in that goddamned
jungle while we were
dug-in waiting for a Viet Cong death squad that had been terrorizing
villages
in the area. It’s amazing at the various emotions wandering through
one’s mind
in a situation like that. You’re worried about ever seeing family and
friends
again, you’re worried about taking a bullet right between the eyes, and
you’re
worried about the eight men for whom you’re responsible.”
James Bond
comes to
mind with many of Arsen’s moves and flamboyant adventures; but Jim
Tindle
tempers any tendency towards overly enthusiastic encounters with a
thought-provoking tone of deeper discovery. This leads to psychological
revelations and (literally) explosive changes that challenge all sides
involved
in the fray of social and political change.
This
approach results
in a thriller that excels in high-level suspense, surprise insights and
revelations, and action delivered with a sense of social and personal
inspection. These elements lead readers to care about Arsen’s ultimate
objectives and experiences, as well as the impact and ideology of those
he
deals with. Events force him to face the elusive Crimson Fox in a
journey that,
at times, is surrealistic and always involving.
Libraries
and readers
seeking thrillers that juxtapose edge-of-your-seat action with
involving
military and civilian special interests will find Ridgetown
an attraction on many different levels to many audiences.
It will attract those who enjoy thriller and suspense stories with its
surprising twists, as well as others seeking to experience and gain
higher-level thinking and psychological depth from their reading.
Return to Index
The Spanish Sacrifice
Jay Perin
East River Book
979-8-9882648-1-1
$4.99 eBook
www.EastRiverBooks.com
The
Spanish
Sacrifice is the sixth book in
the
One Hundred Years of War series, blending history
with vivid suspense
and action that binds the political and social tension built up in the
previous
books. This is why, ideally, readers of The Spanish Sacrifice
should be
fans of the prior series titles. It enhances the progressive action
with
further details and fast-paced adventures, yet supports and expands
characters
with more developments readers won’t see coming.
Former American president Temple has
designated Lilah to carry on his legacy—but she comes with her own
baggage and
special interests, which are not always in sync with his agenda.
Murder, blackmail, vengeance and revenge,
and corporate and political ambition coalesce in this story, the first
in a
two-part grand finale designed to draw together disparate threads of
influence
and action in a crescendo of action-packed concluding events.
There is no single stage upon which this
action plays out. Globe-trotting events move from America to Paris and
Spain,
and from political offices to corporate boardrooms, with a swift and
logical
eye to building action that is unpredictable, filled with satisfying
twists and
turns.
Allies and networks, antitrust
investigations, romance, and a clash of vivid personalities drive the
story in
directions even prior series readers won’t see coming:
“Patrice
did her
idiot sons a disservice by not acknowledging the one man who would’ve
knocked
some sense into their heads. Richard could’ve shielded Brad from
Godwin’s
machinations. Richard would’ve told his brother to be grateful for the
good
fortune tossed his way in life, including the wife he got handed to him
on a
platter.”
The interplays between special interests and
family alliances, subterfuge and revelation, and political
entanglements and
goals are very well written and incorporated into the psyches and
special
interests of a host of characters:
“What’s
going on
now is a subversion of our democracy. An extra-constitutional ruling
system is
being built, and it affects all of us whether we realize it or not. I’m
here to
give our
elected leaders my opinion.”
The result is a rich addition to the series
that continues to guide it towards a conclusion that remains mercurial
and
thought-provoking throughout The Spanish Sacrifice.
Libraries seeing patron interest in the
previous series titles will welcome the opportunity to add yet another
brick to
the construction of the intrigue and personalities that Jay Perin built
in his
previous novels. He supports this structure with an ongoing, delightful
blend
of historical facts in this adaptation of Indian epic mythology, the Mahabharata.
Return to Index
Novels
Amy
Unbound
Martin Sneider
Jewish
Leaders Books
979-8989776108
$28.95
https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Unbound-Martin-Sneider/dp/B0CV4LXJ2C
The
protagonist in Amy Unbound fields an
unhappy marriage and a successful law career when her story opens, but
the new
election of Obama as President creates within her newfound idealistic
goals of
social justice pursuits. These, in turn, give her the impetus to change
her
personal life, as well.
Sick
of the Feldman family dynamics and her husband’s always-broken
promises, Amy
confronts his patronizing, gaslighting ways and leaves for Washington.
Her
story opens at this point and moves into new possibilities as Josh
finds
himself, once again, repeating old patterns, feeling stuck:
“Not for the first time
would Josh
spend a sleepless night alone in their king-sized bed. And not for the
first
time would he try to figure out if there was any way to get their
marriage back
on track.”
Men and
women will
readily relate to the story of a powerful woman who grasps the reins of
new
opportunities while a husband is puzzled that she would do so without
him.
The 2009
inauguration
of President Obama was a heady time of hope. Martin Sneider both
captures this
political atmosphere and translates it into the personal decisions men
and
women faced as a result of these new possibilities for the future.
Where many
similar-sounding stories about marital challenge seem to focus on the
female’s
point of view, one special note to Amy
Unbound is that the story isn’t just about Amy’s revelations.
Despite the
book’s title, Martin Sneider takes the time to equally depict an
already-strong
woman’s foray into the unknown, and its impact and concurrent changes
on Josh’s
marriage and life:
“Josh was awakened the next morning by a text ping
from his cell phone.
From Amy. About time, he thought. He read the seven-word text, and his
jaw
dropped.
’Will be in D.C. for the foreseeable.’
A seven-word message after 48 hours of separation? He then checked his
email
inbox. Maybe Amy had sent a lengthier explanation. Nada. Zero. Nothing
from
Amy. Josh was shocked. What did she mean by ‘foreseeable?’”
As events
emerge from
Amy’s increasing involvement in the Chicago Alliance for Social Justice
and her
political connections in Washington, Josh also begins to move in
different
circles of family and friends. He finds himself better understanding
situations
normally on the periphery of his experience, such as his gay brother
Rand’s
life and feelings:
“Rand had some friends over that evening, and Josh
found it strange to
be the only straight guy in the room. The friends couldn’t have been
more
welcoming. It dawned on Josh, not for the first time, how isolated his
brother
must have felt to be the only gay guy in a room full of heteros.”
Family
members don’t
automatically jump up to support Amy’s endeavor. Indeed, her St. Louis
visits
home spark contentions that further impact Amy’s trajectory and her
marriage,
leading her to more closely examine not just her husband, but her
entire family
support system and their behaviors towards her.
Even as Josh
focuses
on how to repair relationship damage (or control it better), Amy stands
at a
crossroads in her life, facing the promise and mystery of a new
relationship.
Is it worth jettisoning the remnants of her tattered marriage with
Josh, who
was her best friend and love for most of her adult life?
Sneider’s
portrait of
not just Amy’s side, but the entire family’s dance around danger makes
for a
thought-provoking, moving story. Amy
Unbound will reach a wide audience of men and women
interested in
political, psychological, and social transformation.
Both Amy and
Josh are
challenged (and changed) by new opportunities and moves. Forced to
examine or
reexamine their deepest ideals and how they solve or avoid problems,
Amy and
Josh spin circles around one another—and around the actions and
motivations of
family members who prove to be both “friend and foe.”
The process
by which
Amy is forced to come full-circle is especially inviting and revealing.
This
will attract book club discussion groups interested in topics of
marriage,
strong women who make bids for freedom and empowerment, and men and
women who
manage to keep love alive despite vast changes, plots, and plans.
Amy Unbound will interest any library
looking for novels steeped in
social, political, and psychological depth. The characters, entire
family, and
the outside buffet of political forces on all their worlds is a
sterling
example of interconnected worlds and cross-purposes depicted at their
best.
Return to Index
Beyond
Stonebridge
Linda Griffin
The Wild Rose Press
978-1509254279
$16.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Website: https://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/beyond_stonebridge.htm
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Stonebridge-Linda-Griffin/dp/1509254277
Beyond Stonebridge is a sequel to the
novel Stonebridge, is set in 1959,
and continues the story in the
aftermath of an abusive relationship that ended with death.
Readers who
believe
the saga ends with that demise will be surprised to learn that Jason’s
death is
only the beginning of new dilemmas, questions, and traumas. These
include wife
Rynna’s pregnancy while she still grapples with the impact of Jason’s
abuse; disabled
quiet cousin Ted, who moves with her to Brenford in hopes of a new life
sans
the sordid memories of abuse and what happened to Jason; and a spirit
which
lives on after death, bent on revenge.
Leaving
Stonebridge
Manor resolves little. The move actually
introduces further trauma as Jason’s legacy lives on and Rynna despairs
of ever
being entirely free of his clutches (“She
was on the edge of despair. He would never leave them in peace.”).
As the
miracle baby
transforms Ted and Rynna’s new little home, questions arise of how
Jason can
get custody of little Robert from beyond the grave.
Linda
Griffin’s
ongoing story of recovery, dilemmas, and transformation is especially
highly
recommended for prior readers of Stonebridge.
This audience, armed with the history and precedents of
Rynna’s previous
life with Jason and the truth surrounding his actions and demise, will
find
this sequel thoroughly engrossing and hard to put down.
The ongoing
challenges pair with how Ted and Rynna confront and overcome them,
creating
engrossing reading where joy and angst co-exist as the characters
continue
their upward trajectory towards love, freedom, and a vastly revised
future.
Libraries
and readers
interested in ghostly paranormal backdrops that touch upon romance and
center
on issues of possession, recovery, and redemption will find Beyond Stonebridge an absorbing saga of
sacrifice and promise. It is both uplifting and compelling.
Return to Index
The Clearing
Cassandra J. Kelly
Boyle & Dalton
978-1-63337-776-9
Hardcover: $26.99/Paperback: $16.99/eBook: $6.99
www.cassandrajkelly.com
The
Clearing
will delight readers seeking an Ohio backdrop to their stories, and
also will
attract those interested in fictional explorations of the impact of a
health
crisis on young people in families that already struggle with financial
concerns.
Sadie is twelve when her
mother’s diagnosis of multiple
sclerosis introduces grief and angst into her childhood world. She
seeks to
walk out of this sadness by escaping to the forest outside her home;
there to
absorb lessons of Appalachian herbal lore which distract her from the
pain she
cannot escape at home.
When she meets Cali (a feral
child) in the woods, the two
find their friendship changes each of their lives and perspectives in
unexpected
ways.
Cassandra J. Kelly documents
a family under siege from
health and financial crisis—a too-common occurrence in modern times—but
cultivates insights, emotions, and viewpoints from the eyes of youths
impacted
by ongoing health issues.
The story opens with car
problems in the middle of
nowhere. A sick mother is forced to consider how to solve this dilemma,
while
the daughter who drives her laments their lack of a cell phone and
reflects on
her upbringing and life with a sick mother.
The impact of this illness
has followed her from school
days to the time when she was forced stayed home to care for her mother:
“I
found every
reason possible to leave class in the middle of the day, and my mom was
used to
picking me up. I developed an unspoken habit of calling on her infusion
days
because I knew she needed me just as much as I needed her.”
Kelly’s focus on
adaptations, survival tactics, struggles
with mortality and treatments that preserve life but don’t guarantee
its
quality, and the Ohio world that grounds the young protagonist creates
a
thought-provoking series of events. These follow Sadie’s interactions
with
father Gabe Daniels, her new friend, and her dying mother.
More so than most fictional
explorations of death and
childhood trauma, The Clearing
holds
the ability to mark moments of energy-producing encounters which happen
alongside the daily grind, embedding life in Sadie’s story, with its
fluxes
between looming death and moments of joy.
The natural world that
reflects and supports Sadie’s growth
is an intrinsic part of the story that keeps the girl on an upward
trajectory
with new possibilities that don’t all center on the sadness and loss of
impending death.
Libraries and readers
seeking a story about different
forms of family, love, support, and the impact of long-term medical
crises will
find The Clearing a vivid,
memorable
read that should attract a wide audience.
Return to Index
Half Sick of
Shadows
Micah House
Kendrell Publishing
979-8988729655
$28.95 Hardcover/$16.95
Paperback/$9.95 eBook
www.blanchardwitches.net
Half Sick of Shadows is the fifth book in
the Blanchard Witches
series, following The House of Duquesne
with a continuation of family ties, new directions, and confrontations.
These
lead surviving family members to question their ongoing role as the
keeper of
secrets between supernatural forces and humanity.
Familiarity
with the
prior books will lend to the enjoyment and absorption of this saga,
which sends
Salem, Fable, Jerry, Seth, and a host of returning characters in
disparate
directions as they confront forces both within and outside their family.
The solitary
Blanchard family find themselves testing their own self-imposed
boundaries as
circumstances draw them ever closer to danger and discovery.
It should be
noted,
at this point, that there is a wide cast of characters in this
installment
(some deceased, whose legacy lives on) that belays any notion of a
singular
witch story or a linear plot. Its broad set of personalities and their
ongoing
interactions will prove especially inviting for prior series fans, who
won’t
need to re-absorb the relationships and history of past events.
This
familiarity lends
nicely to understanding the new and old nuances that flavor Half Sick of Shadows with an absorbing
set of realizations and connections that continue to grow:
“’You really do love my boys, don’t you?’
‘I really do. I promise you I will not let anything happen to Con. No
one is going to harm that boy.’
‘Thank you, Jerry.’
She wept. She wept from fear, and she wept from gratitude. Somehow over
all
this time Jerry Miller had become an indispensable part of life without
her
even paying attention. He was always there for her and her boys. How
had she
never noticed? Or maybe she had. Maybe that’s why her instincts drew
her to him
for help tonight above anyone else. Jerry had become the father she
needed at
this stage of her life, and this was perhaps the first time she’d ever
fully
appreciated it.”
From family
struggles
with grief and abandonment issues to a new crime that Demitra Blanchard
tackles,
to a mysterious albeit inexperienced assassin out to kill anyone
Blanchard, Micah
House crafts another engaging Blanchard family experience that is
thoroughly
absorbing, filled with satisfying supernatural, psychological, and
problem-solving twists and turns, and expands the Blanchard history and
possible futures touched upon in previous books.
Libraries
and readers
who have enjoyed the ongoing Blanchard Family dynamics will find Half Sick of Shadows takes a big step
closer towards resolution and revelation as the witches confront each
other,
their legacy, and the impact of Huntress Artemis.
Return to Index
In Extremis
Matt Duggan
ManVsFilm
978-1-7337943-3-6
$24.99
Website: www.mattduggan.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com
In Extremis provides the second novel in
the literary/historical The
Rosy Dream series. The tension emerges from the first few
paragraphs as, in
short order, first-person narrator Jack faces “The
collision of random events: murder, seizure, fire” in
California. He finds himself in an ambulance, surrounded by fire. And
that’s
just the opening salvo of a journey that carries Jack and his followers
through
a convergence of events that keep him connected to both the film
industry and
the ironies of life.
Matt Duggan
creates
an absorbing interplay of characters and conflicts in this second
installment
of the ongoing mishaps and revelations of Jack Darmody.
From friend
Chris’s
death, which affects EMT Evan and brings Jack back to his own struggles
with
mortality twelve years prior upon his good friend Billy Barber’s
murder, to
money-making endeavors, secret probations, and Jack’s association with
Dr. Jan
Thomason (‘Doc’), Duggan creates a vivid interplay between characters
and
shifting jobs and experiences:
“Over the years, all my raven talk opened Doc up.
He had his own
leviathan chained to the sea floor. But as Nietzsche said, ‘He who
fights with
monsters should be careful, lest he become one himself.’ Doc’s pain
seared
itself into his heart. He blinded himself to it. It drove his intense
work
ethic. His patents, his books, his career. I always joked that he was
the real
Übermensch, the Superman. I hadn’t added any value to society, but here
was
Doc.”
As a music
video
project introduces new possibilities for redemption, success, and
revised
truths, Jack faces the possibility of rejuvenation after a long series
of
confrontations with self and others.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a feel of Kerouac’s classic ‘On the Road’, but in a more
contemporary
romp through California culture, its arts community, and the endeavors
of a
young man struggling with his potential for success and failure, will
find In Extremis builds upon the
previous
story, but requires no prior familiarity in order to prove a
stand-alone
winner.
Steeped in
California
culture and a coming-of-age journey, In
Extremis offers a vivid portrait of change that will delight
all ages.
Return to Index
Insecticide:
A
Republican Romance
Douglas Robinson
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-196-0
$19.99 Paperback/$9.99 ebook
www.atmospherepress.com
Insecticide: A Republican Romance pairs
the efforts of author
Douglas Robinson with researcher Bill Kaul in a novel that holds the
drama of
fiction laced with the overlay feel of nonfiction. Documents and events
are
paired in a manner that suggests Robinson is writing about a real
world. In a
manner of speaking, he is.
He’s created
an
alternate history in which W.
Averell “Dogsbody”
Harriman convinced Prescott Bush to set up a new Republic of Texas in
1931. And
that’s not the only difference that sets this milieu apart from what
really
happened. It’s best that readers who imbibe here already know their
American
history, because this knowledge will lend appreciation to Robinson’s
special
blend of political, social, and sci-fi scenarios, which move from that
history
to cloning, giant insects, and more.
Who is
Prescott Bush, and why is fifty-something James Quincey
Percival IV (who has worked for Harriman Investments for half a decade)
both
indebted to him and questioning the man’s integrity and countenance? As
the
story unfolds, political and social satire mingles with the
developments in
Texas to reveal “danger and opportunity” with fire ants, freak
electrical
storms, supporting character revelations, and more:
“’Boys, boys,’ I say, feeling very uncular.
‘Come on. Enough already. We’re not here to make
policy. We’re the mouthpieces of the people who make
policy.
Settle down for crikey’s sake.’ After they leave, I jot down some notes
on
their remarks to pass on to Henry. He should know what his people are
saying
about him.”
Robinson
constructs an intriguing, thought provoking set of
scenarios, clashes, and possible and impossible encounters that revolve
around
George (“Poppy”) and other characters. They discover their lives are
set on a
course of ironic and odd changes, whether it be condom movements, the
Church’s
problem with insects, the challenges facing the President of the
Republic of
Texas (George), and more.
This will
especially delight readers who appreciate
intricate blends of satire, history, speculative events, and sci-fi
social
scenarios in their literature; especially those attracted to works
which
challenge pat categorization.
Libraries
that choose Insecticide:
A Republican
Romance for its different form of
political and social observation will find it easy to recommend to book
clubs
seeking out-of-the-box thinking and scenarios that lend to discussion
and
laughter in equal measure.
Return to Index
Mahjong at
Mara’s
Debra Green
Denouement Press
979-8989544905
$19.95 Paperback/$9.95 eBook
Website: www.DebraGreenWriter.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/MAHJONG-AT-MARAS-Debra-Green/dp/B0CR7TXZD5
Mahjong at Mara’s will attract a wide
audience of fiction readers,
from those who especially appreciate contrasts in cross-generational
encounters
and relationships to readers of women’s and family stories.
Binding
these
subjects are mahjong experiences which offer opportunities for group
get-togethers and dialogues that unfold from the veneer of a game.
A prologue
sets the
story in 2019, with Giselle and her father driving west thru
Pennsylvania. The
move is not her choice, but offers the opportunity to get away from a
relationship which has become dull and too predictably set in its ways
for a
young adult:
“She had been frustrated with her relationship with
Dante for some
time. He had become boring. He wouldn’t go into New York with her, go
to a
movie, a museum, or anywhere else to escape their tiny lives. He liked
his. She
couldn’t breathe. In her mind, she was already at college at Princeton.”
Readers then
take a
step back into the past of 2018, where Lila raises her son Dante and
counts him
as one of her blessings, despite the difficulty of being a single mom
after
9/11 claimed his father.
A cast of
supporting
characters emerges, from lonely elder Mali Berkowitz to Gladys, a
caustic
divorcee whom Mali dislikes.
All these
forces
coalesce around and find comfort in the game of mahjong and
interactions with
others who participate. An odd sense of mixed community and age ranges
become
engaged over the shared interest.
Debra Green
crafts a
fine series of personality interactions, viewpoints, age ranges, and
concerns
that come to life in Mahjong at Mara’s. The
game also introduces facets of life that lead to revelations between
related
and unrelated players, who discover new insights and connections.
Participation
not
only holds new opportunities, but introduces different challenges to
existing
friendships both within and outside the circle, as Dante discovers:
“Dante wasn’t sure which was more difficult to
share with Rashon, that
he now occasionally played mahjong with the group of seniors or that
twenty
bucks an hour was, in fact, his hourly wage.”
The result
is a warm
examination of evolving friendships, some adversity, and transition
points of
youth that lead to unexpected revelations and interests, from growing
love at
an advanced age to the changes between young participants who absorb a
different world and insights from the mahjong setting.
Libraries
and readers
seeking a cross-generational exploration of disparate lives and the
wisdom to
be obtained from their intersection will find Mahjong
at Mara’s invitingly thought-provoking. It’s an excellent
choice for book club reading group discussions, from women’s groups to
fiction
readers seeking topics that reflect insights on troubled youth,
squabbles and
conflicts in friendships, and complicated relationships between seniors
and
young people.
Return to Index
Mia’s Journey
Diane Byington
Red Adept Publishing
978-1958231456
$16.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
Website: www.redadeptpublishing.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Mias-Journey-Diane-Byington/dp/B0CY9WL3L2/
In Mia’s Journey, soon-to-be-launched
astronaut Mia Gray is in a car accident weeks before her first
mission—which
changes her life, goals, and abilities. Overnight, Mia is set adrift
from
everything she’s valued in her life, and from the skills that once set
her
apart from others. Even her dreams have changed:
“I daydream about how it will feel to be without
gravity, without
sound, without a tether to the world I’ve always known—it will be
glorious,
exhilarating, free.”
Newly bound
to Earth
for the rest of her life, Mia struggles with her latest limitations,
recovery,
and reinventing her future as she puts aside old dreams and comes to
realize
there are new ones to replace them.
Before she
does,
however, she rids herself of old connections … including her husband.
Everything has and must change, and so Mia embarks on a personal
journey to
reassess her goals in life and discover how she can obtain a new
perspective.
A new
program
introduces a new challenge and forces her to revise her ideals in order
to
survive a grueling assignment:
“For now, I stand in the doorway and take in the
space where I’ll be
held prisoner for the next two weeks. No, it’s not helpful to think of
it as
being held prisoner. Rather, it’s the place where I can relax and
refresh. That’s better.”
Intrigue
enters the
picture, with bomb-making and other efforts propelling Mia far from
what she
anticipated for her new life.
Readers
interested in
stories steeped in emotional growth, intrigue, and discovery will find
the
characterization and twists of Mia’s
Journey provide many satisfyingly unexpected moments.
How she
discovers
that there are actually “many ways to fly” will keep readers engrossed
to the
end. Libraries will want to recommend Mia’s
Journey to book clubs seeking lively discussion opportunities
about
life-changing experiences, healing, and transformation.
Return to Index
Quantum
Voices
Stephen Spotte
Open Books
978-1948598767
$17.95
https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Voices-Novel-Stephen-Spotte/dp/1948598760
“And so we were at war.”
Such is the
opening
of Quantum Voices, a novel that
captures the experiences of scientist Anax Grayson as a Marine during
the
Vietnam War. But, don’t expect an ordinary story of battle, here. Anax
stumbles
upon a neurological mystery in a fellow Marine, whose special condition
involves seeing ghostly, extra-corporeal projections of his dead twin
brother.
As Anax
documents war
experiences and neurological insights, readers are treated to a
satisfyingly
different story of Vietnam. It brings to life facets of interaction and
relationships that operate on a deeper level than most stories about
Vietnam:
“We communicate in
military jargon, a sort of pidgin. We use it for two reasons. It
abbreviates and thus streamlines language, making it
more efficient just as mathematics is reduced to symbols; and it
enhances the
sense of camaraderie. We are “brothers” because we speak a common
language not
spoken or generally understood by civilians.”
Journal
entries
document past traumas, breakthroughs, and moral and ethical dilemmas,
creating
an absorbing story steeped in psychological and philosophical
revelation about
perception, connections, and belief systems:
“That I have been sent to a foreign place and
instructed to kill people
with whom I have no quarrel is sufficient evidence that the god
worshipped in
western religions does not exist, which leaves a dilemma: what sort of
obligation will I feel if confronted face to face by an enemy
combatant?”
Although Quantum Voices is a work of military
historical fiction, the story excels in a powerful interplay of
scientific and
psychological inspection, as well. The added value of the tale lies in
arenas
that embrace history, but move into this milieu to create a depth and
subjects
unexpected in typical approaches to military fiction.
Anax’s
complex
journal and experiences ultimately move beyond personal inspection,
serving as
a guidepost or blueprint for deeper psychological and scientific
understanding.
This is why
libraries
and readers interested in the military fiction genre will find Quantum Voices exceptional. Its
employment of journal writing lends an immediacy and personal touch to
Anax’s
observations. This approach allows for reflection on the evolution and
incarnation of ‘self’, as much as the responses to outer and inner
stimuli, driving
the story into unpredictable, thought-provoking realms of discovery.
Return to Index
Scatterings
Elena Storer
Independently
Published
979-8-9889756-0-1
https://www.elenastorerscatterings.com/
Scatterings is a novel set in California
in the 1980s. It weaves
together the real events
of Santa Cruz’s
serial murderer (the Trailside Killer) with the fictional abduction of
a twin
sister. Santa Cruz culture comes to life as psychologist author Elena
Storer wields
her craft to create a powerful account of a family torn asunder by
emotional
currents and the violence that changes their lives.
The
relentless storms
that buffet the region in winter portend an equally powerful set of
emotional
and social struggles that bring both Northern California and the era to
life.
From the
very
beginning, Storer captures all the nuances of this world’s times and
culture,
painting a fine backdrop for the trauma that emerges to impact the
lives of all
characters—perp and victims alike:
“A red, green, and yellow poster of Bob Marley
smoking a giant reefer
faced a campaign placard of President Carter and Walter Mondale with
toothy
grins and the now-ironic caption: “We’ve earned your trust. Four more
years!
Carter-Mondale 1980!”
Viola Newman
faces a
momentous birthday marked by her unexpected cruelty to Miranda. These
circumstances are only the tip of the emotional iceberg that ends her
life
while introducing Miranda to a deadly world of possibilities that smack
an
idyllic setting with murder, kidnapping, and danger.
Viola’s is a
nightmare case in which there is no body and no suspects. Miranda is
drawn into
it when she, too, faces threats and a scenario that tests her survival
skills:
“The time it took for O’Connell to catch his breath
felt to Miranda
like they were trapped in a slow-motion horror film with subtitles that
were
out of sync.”
As Miranda
pursues
her dissertation and life while navigating grief and puzzles about past
and
future, readers receive an emotionally charged story. (Warning: this
might
trigger readers who hold a history of violence in their lives):
“I am so sorry. Loss changes you, and the missing
never goes away. But
to lose those you love at the hands of a monster who relishes his
cruelty and
depravity… that is the worst of the worst.”
Viola’s
referring to
not just herself, but her entire family, including a godmother. The
real
meaning of her words strengthens as everyone struggles. As the
Trailside
Killer’s link to Viola emerges, Detective O’Connell’s investigations
draw them
ever closer to an unprecedented truth that shakes not only their lives,
but
their formerly quiet and close California community.
Six months
of
darkness as events play out draw readers into the specter of a
relentless
killer whose shadowy modus operandi challenges life with death.
The
emotional layers
are deftly added as family, friends, and strangers come together in
shared
grief and the objective of preventing more. Storer is particularly
adept at documenting
the very real psychic assault on the Santa Cruz community as the
Trailside
Killer maintains a mercurial countenance and creates ongoing chaos and
impact.
Libraries
and readers
seeking stories steeped in emotional connections and interplays between
characters who harbor their additional traumas (whether they be
potential
victims or threats) make for a powerful story. Scatterings
is especially recommended for psychology and book club
reading groups seeking fictional tales (based on reality) of grief,
violence,
recovery, and healing.
Return to Index
Scout’s Honor
John McNellis
Hubbard House
978-1-7363525-4-0
$6.99 eBook/$16.99 Paperback
www.johnmcnellis.com
In Scout’s Honor, which opens in 1969,
eighteen-year-old Eddie Kawadsky's life has unraveled. His father was
killed in
Vietnam, his grieving mother abandoned him, and he’s homeless and
broke, as a
result.
That’s why
the
proposal of a seemingly well-meaning neighbor, which comes in the form
of a
job, sounds inviting. The offer could bring him back on track to
fulfilling his
dreams of college and achievement.
Unfortunately,
the
proposal to transport marijuana over the Mexican border places him on
the wrong
side of the law, and when Roy abandons him too, Eddie finds himself on
the lam
and out of options.
Forced to
assume a
new identity to hide from authorities and others, Eddie works hard to
craft the
life of success and achievement that he’s always dreamed of, while
navigating
the ongoing impacts of staying hidden and preserving his new identity
against
all odds.
Will anyone
ever
forgive him his trespasses and subterfuge? How can Eddie restore honor
to his
life without threatening everything he’s worked for?
John
McNellis creates
a powerful “world of sighs” as he follows disparate characters who each
search
for stability and honor in their own ways; both independently and
through their
life-changing interactions with one another.
Not quite a
thriller,
skirting the edges of romance (but filled with psychological
transformative
experiences that send the protagonist on a moral and ethical journey
just when
everything he’s wanted is within his grasp), McNellis grows a story
replete
with moments of revelation and insights:
“His youthful absolutes had long since been
stripped away, but he’d
retained one certainty: Margaret would leave him if she knew. Maybe he
could
justify everything else, but not his wretched decision…”
Readers
expecting
another story of Vietnam’s impact, creating and maintaining a false
identity,
or navigating love under conditions of searching for redemption and
honor will
find Scout’s Honor doesn’t neatly
fit
into any singular category.
As such, the
novel
will attract audiences interested in tales of discovery and change that
move
their action with character developments which take many unexpected
turns to
pose a number of uncommon dilemmas.
What is
success?
Redefined in Scout’s Honor, the
novel
will attract libraries and readers interested in a reflective piece
about
evolving, changing relationships and secrets that shine with the
overlay of
conspiracies and revised definitions of success.
Return to Index
Ten Nobodies (and their
somebodies)
Martin Drapkin
Three Towers Press/
HenschelHAUS Publishing, Inc.
978159598-981-9
$16.99
Paperback/$8.99 eBook
www.HenschelHAUSbooks.com
Ten
Nobodies (and
their somebodies) is a novel about disparate personalities
and odd
characters whose lives intersect. These lives originated in Martin
Drapkin’s
musings about ‘nobodies’ who served the rich and famous, and how the
dovetailing of disparate classes and experiences provided unexpected
opportunities for both.
He employs the first person
to bring these musings and
perspectives to life, beginning with a muse to William Shakespeare, who
is an aging
sexton and widower when he meets the bard in 1595.
A historical overview
documents his mourning before they
meet, and a series of enlightening encounters identifies his position
as a
possible muse and inspirational figure in Shakespeare’s life as the
story
unfolds.
In contrast is the piece
about Lewis Carroll and his ‘tea
party assistant” which introduces not just a different era, but more
insights
about the role of a friend, muse, and helper:
“I
met Mr. Dodgson
shortly before Christmas of 1896, backstage after an opening of Alice in Wonderland at the Prince of
Wales Theater in London. My insufferable older sister, Evelyn, was
playing the
lead role and my younger sister, Lily, had the role of the Dormouse.
Mr.
Dodgson was cooing over Evelyn and telling her how wonderful
she was and what a perfect little
Alice she’d been and how her performance
so put him in mind of the real
Alice, his beloved “dream-child,” and on and on. It almost made me
sick. Yet, I
thought, how interesting he appeared: a tall, thin man with white hair,
standing quite erect, wearing a black broadcloth cleric’s suit, collar
turned
back, and a white tie. And gentle. So gentle. I’d never seen anyone
quite like
him before, and was intrigued.”
As the stories progress, the
roles of aides, maids,
fortunetellers, hairstylists, and other kinds of assistants come to
light in a
survey of famous personalities and the kindred spirits they attracted.
The whimsy, fun, and
thought-provoking moments that
permeate this work of fiction also offer thought-provoking insights
into
mentors and their influences. This creates a delightful interplay
between
characters and perceptions.
Drapkin is especially strong
in his ability to capture a
sense of the times, creative personalities who were supported by
‘nobodies’
equally memorable in their approaches to life, and in outlining the
ideas and
experiences that grew creative personalities and relationships alike.
The result is a fun frolic
through disparate lives which
receives satisfying contrasts in outlook, experience, and purpose. It’s
a
fictional romp that libraries will find easy to recommend to short
story
readers looking for something different.
Return to Index
Thirty Days
Hath September
Ronald Dwinnells
River Grove Books
978-1-63299-817-0
$16.99
www.rivergrovebooks.com
Thirty Days Hath September opens in the airs over Germany in 1943,
where First
Lieutenant Delbert Vines contemplates what his fiancée Mildred would do
if he
was killed in battle. When the bombardier faces an explosion that sends
his
plane careening into oblivion, Mildred’s gentle voice offers him an
alternative
… but not one she will recognize or understand, as he becomes lost to
her.
Fast forward
to 1982
Kentucky. Mildred still mourns Delbert, who has been missing in action
for over
forty years. She’s now facing a challenge which could prove equal to
Delbert’s
loss, forcing her in an entirely unexpected direction in life, where
she seeks
resolution of the past while entering a new milieu.
The
story moves from past to present and back again as it unfolds.
Ronald Dwinnells cultivates a fine narrative of love, aging, and the
last
wishes of a woman who seeks to be reunited with the love of her life,
but finds
herself confronting an odd assistant in the process.
The
aid comes from frustrated would-be doctor Jack
Maizel, who is not your usual med school student. He holds a basic
dislike of
his chosen profession (which he’s been pushed into by his parents), and
also
harbors distain for some of the needier patients which cross his path.
As Jack builds an
unexpected connection to
Mildred and discovers within himself a newfound empathy for her as a
patient
and a person, he discovers his former attitude towards his profession
is being
challenged and revised by his struggles to help her, resulting in new
dialogues
with peers and teachers:
“The lesson here, Mr. Maizel, is
you must always approach all ailments and complaints seriously, and you
must
have a differential diagnosis. There are so many things that can mimic
each
other. Did you even have a differential on her condition?” Without
giving him
time to respond, Dr. Jones looked toward the other acting intern. “What
about
you, Mr. Zuri? Any clues? What do you think about Miss Dixon?”
Readers will
anticipate the life-changing
experience Mildred faces … but not the concurrent newfound revelations
and
value that Jack discovers in his search for answers and hope, leading to an unexpected twist.
Underlying themes
of kindness, forgiveness,
and discovery give the story emotional accents of further interest that
will
attract readers especially drawn to novels about growth and discovery
at any stage
of life.
Libraries and
readers seeking a warm story
of past and present choices and a search for missing links and love
will find Thirty
Days Hath September an evocative creation.
Return to Index
The Three Layers of a Moment
Samar Reine
Carmel-By-the-Sea Publishers
979-8-9884110-2-4
$16.99
Website: https://samarreine.com/
Ordering: https://a.co/d/1PA679C
Although
The Three Layers of a
Moment is the third book in The
Pioneer Ranch Saga trilogy, readers who come upon it
without prior
knowledge of previous events will find it a compelling stand-alone
novel.
The
quote that drives all the books remains as relevant here as it did
in previous experiences, as a family struggles with issues and
interpersonal
challenges:
“There are three layers to a moment—your
experience, your awareness of
the experience, and your interpretation of it.”
Veterinarian
and mother of two Bryce opens this story with tender
ministrations to the elderly and the sick Kelcy, who is facing the end
of his
life. His legacy to her is summarized in a few potent lines:
“He’d marked a century, but as
always, Kelcy didn’t dwell on the gloaming of his life, only on its
glitter. ‘The
bells toll for me, but I still have something to say. Tell me again,
what have
I taught you all your life?’ She was a veterinarian and the mother of
two, and
she wanted to placate the man who had buttressed her childhood.
‘Get up, look up, show up, and
never give up.’”
She
is a fan of “Life, nature,
intelligence. All good and beautiful things,” who enters into
a
relationship with one who “feels sorry
for the ugly.”
As
Bryce leans into further relationship revelations and a life that
evolves from family interactions, love, and transformation, readers
receive a
series of insights which will not only keep them reading, but thinking:
“Bryce leaned into her husband
and whispered, “Maybe our problem is we don’t know what we’re not to
each
other, but need to be.”
The
story unfolds in rich origami layers of revelation and connection
as Bryce and those around her confront their losses, the impact of
grief, a
historic family ranch’s threats, and the arrival of a stranger who
poses yet
more issues at a vulnerable time in the family’s world.
As
her marriage teeters between disaster and change, Bryce is called
upon to make decisions that test past precedent, current events, and
future
goals and connections.
Readers
of previous Samar Reine novels will find the same rich
attention to detail which gives her characters three-dimensional depth.
Texas
and New Mexican culture blend with family experience to cement the
sense of
environment that the historic Pioneer Ranch embraces, while influence
and
technology offer both new opportunities and contracts that reinforce
family and
outsider connections alike.
Libraries
and readers interested in a dynamic story of suffering,
recovery, and new directions will find The
Three Layers of a Moment vividly compelling, whether it’s
chosen as a
stand-alone read or as a complimentary expansion and part of the
trilogy.
Return to Index
Victory in
Europe
Robert Kofman
Lion Valley
Publishing
978-1-7329910-4-0
$17.95 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Website: https://www.robertkofman.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Europe-Novel-World-War-ebook/dp/B0CS12G6PZ
Fans of
Robert
Kofman’s World War II historical novel Ike’s
Journey will appreciate the ongoing saga continued in Victory in Europe, which focuses on
Commander Ike Eisenhower’s
quandaries, decision-making challenges, and headaches. He oversees not
only
strategies for the course of military engagements, but the head-butting
antics
of generals Montgomery and Patton, who represent vastly different
expertise and
opinions of how the war should be fought.
Because the
novel
picks up neatly where Ike’s Journey stopped,
Victory in Europe is especially
recommended for prior readers, who will appreciate the evolutionary
nature of
progressive events which continue to challenge President Eisenhower’s
command
and leadership concepts.
As in his
previous
story, Kofman excels in creating a satisfying contrast between military
and
political duties and objectives. His ability to personalize these
decisions
lends an ease and understanding to historical events that highlights
the drama
with action and psychological insights, whether Eisenhower is tackling
generals
or promoting his plans to VIP influencers:
“A sea of solemn nodding heads responded to his
admonition. The Supreme
Commander continued. ‘This operation is not being planned with any
alternatives. We’re going to cross the channel, throw every resource we
have
into the invasion, and crush Hitler’s Atlantic Wall! Overlord must and
will end
with the Allies firmly ashore in France!’ Eisenhower grinned broadly
and joked,
‘In a few minutes, Hitler will have missed his one and only chance of
destroying the entire high command of the Allied forces with a single
well-aimed bomb!’ The room of VIPs rippled with laughter.”
Ulterior
motives for
various encounters, from stopping Patton to taking risks by
psychologically
manipulating major players and decision-makers, make for especially
thought-provoking reading:
“I don’t want to shut down Georgie again. But I
also don’t want to
throw away the opportunity to be on the Rhine while there’s still good
campaigning weather. While Monty’s plan is undoubtedly born out of his
massive
ego to stay in the spotlight and steal the show from Patton, I like how
it uses
the paratroopers as a force multiplier. I feel like I have coins
burning in my
pocket with those paratroopers sitting idle back in England. I must get
them
into the fight!”
The result
juxtaposes
behind-the-scenes insights with military, strategic, and psychological
interplays that delve deeper into the heart of World War II experiences
and
decision-making quandaries than many historical novels achieve.
Libraries
and readers
who appreciated the tone and development of Ike’s
Journey are in for a treat here. Victory
in Europe offers a rare opportunity for understanding the
motivations and
choices of major Allied decision-makers and forces in a different light.
This
approach also
makes Victory in Europe equally
highly recommended for book clubs seeking World War II military stories
simmering in both action and cat-and-mouse games that operate on many
levels.
There are many topics which will prove perfect fodder for lively
discussions!
Return to Index
Walk the
Earth as
Brothers
Henry Rozycki
Addison and
Highsmith/Histria Books
978-1-59211-386-6
$29.99 Hardcover/$9.99 eBook
Website: https://www.henryrozycki.com/
Ordering: https://linktr.ee/henryrozyckiwrites
Walk the Earth as Brothers is a novel
about two Jewish brothers in
Warsaw who, in 1939, face a changing world that tears them apart,
leading them
on very different paths to survival.
Ian winds up
in
Paris, where he falls in love but again finds himself fleeing close
connections
when his life is threatened, sending him away from this woman’s embrace
and
mystery to seeming safety in Casablanca.
Brother
Daniel, who
winds up in the Siberian Gulag, also finds unexpected romance under
adverse
conditions and threats to his life. But he, too, faces a similar
difficult
choice in whether to leave his love for freedom and reunion, or live
the rest
of his days imprisoned.
The history
and fate
which affects these two brothers’ lives, relationships, and choices are
firmly
rooted in reality, but the contrasts and similarities between their
individual
adversity and survival tactics are vividly portrayed with all the
passion and
fire of fiction.
Each woman
teaches
her young man new things about the world and how to react to it, as
Alicia does
for Ian when she poses astute questions about his future:
“You can’t be a piece of driftwood anymore, or you
will be smashed into
a million pieces by the tidal wave that is our world right now.”
Ian can’t
quite make
out this bigger picture that he’s supposed to be part of, but he learns
the
hard way as new encounters, friendships, and revelations buffet his
world to
change his experience and his perception of his place in it:
“’What have you been doing?’ Ian asked ‘Jerzy.’ He
rarely went out with
them. In his little kit bag, he kept a Bible, and he spent hours
silently
reading it now. Conversations were rare. Ian was content to give him
room,
assuming that after running, hiding, changing identities and God knows
what
else, he now had time to rest, recuperate, and to seek solace from that
book,
that it was not all random, that whatever one chose to do did have
impact on
what happened next. Ian was trying to do the same and failing. He
wished he’d
not grown up so fiercely secular, so he could find the answers he
sought in
‘Jerzy’s’ book. Or be like Christophe, asking no questions. Either one
would
definitely make it easier.”
While Walk the Earth as Brothers will prove
especially attractive to readers of Jewish history and experience, it
would be
a shame to limit its audience to Jewish audiences alone. The cultural
and
political revelations which come to light in the course of each
brother’s
education and progression are worthy of book club and reading group
debate—particularly for those interested in World War II scenarios
which depart
from the usual focuses on survival tactics alone.
Libraries
seeking
novels about growth, family relationships, transformative life
encounters, and
the intersection of personal and political struggle will find Walk the Earth as Brothers invigorating
and provocative, lending well to discussion and debates about Jewish
culture
and World War II’s different impacts.
Return to Index
Catherine Conmy
Blackbeard Books
9798218973551
$16.99
Print/.99 Ebook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXX1LGV8?ref_=ast_author_dp
In Where
I See You,
Piper has stormed out of the house. She “lugs her sorrow with every
step.” It
turns out that it’s a sorrow of confusion, because the reality is that
Piper
has a baby she doesn’t remember and a life which has been pieced back
together
from a terrible accident.
Elliot and
Piper are
engaged when everything changes. Now she wonders where her life has
gone,
realizing that Elliot has somehow been transformed in her apparent
absence from
the world.
But, Where
I See You isn’t just
a story
of recovery. It’s also one of discovery, from a world impacted by
technological
advances that actually do a grave disservice to the disabled to a
relationship
similarly impacted. The changes drive the couple in different
directions, as
each holds increasingly disparate ideals of what life should be.
From the contrasts
between urban chaos and rural respite to the moral and ethical
challenges in
technological advancement’s promises and threats, Where I See You turns a dystopian setting into a personal
stage for exploring relationships, feelings, and the process of self
and the
world ‘coming undone.’
Another plus of the story is
that it shifts viewpoints
between Piper and Elliot. This gives the plot added value as these
perspectives
change.
“We
are forced to
face the consequences. There is no way to hide this time.”
From rituals
and
reality to a world designed to “…bring attention away…”
Piper and Elliot find their relationship conundrums dovetailing
with technological, social, and psychological changes that transform
their
ideals of life, death, and what lies in-between them.
The slow
simmer of
shifting realities is delivered in bits and pieces. This succeeds in
keeping
readers engaged, on their toes, and constantly surprised by the
directions the
plot ultimately takes.
What will
life be
when a life-changing procedure takes place? More importantly, what will
the
relationship become?
Catherine Conmy’s exquisite
interplay of dystopian
background, change, and the process of absorbing and entering a new
life makes Where I See You a
thought-provoking read
not only highly recommended for general library collections, but for
book clubs
seeking a redefinition of and new directions in what constitutes a
dystopian
scenario.
Return to Index
Wildcat
Jeffrey Dunn
Izzard Ink Publishing
978-1-64228-097-5
$17.95
Paperback/$9.99
eBook
https://izzardink.com/wildcat/
Wildcat:
An Appalachian
Romance
is a literary
story of love and loss set against the backdrop of the Rust Belt, where
a
retired teacher returns to his hometown with a vision of renovating the
Hotel
Wildcat. His journey home reveals transformations he'd never expected,
calling
into question the possibility of a mine-driven community entering the
new age
world, carrying its baggage of explosions, anguish, and company town
pain with
it.
Just
as Wildcat harbors its own ghosts of
the past, so the catastrophic changes that rocked the narrator's world
in his
senior year return to haunt him as he and the community try to escape
the
darkness of historical precedent to enter a new era against all odds
and
influences.
Jeffrey
Dunn creates a compelling
narrative as seen through the eyes of a character that discovers the
pull of
the past tugs on not just memories, but heartstrings.
Lured
back by the town's magical changes
and promise, the teacher also finds himself in a transformative romance
that
takes past experience and gives it a new twist while injecting some of
the
darkness of those experiences into his new life.
As
he surveys choices and loves of the
past, motivating factors for escape come into play to slowly reveal why
he left
in the first place—and why he returned:
"It
was quiet, spooky
quiet, so quiet, in fact, that after the moving truck drove away, it
felt like
a cemetery, and then I thought that all post–World War II housing plans
must be
cemeteries, too. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, this belief that I was
born and
still lived in a cemetery. I knew right then and there that I needed to
find a
way out."
Jeffrey
Dunn builds the town's past and
present carefully, piece by piece, as events swerve from mills and dams
to
failures in human endeavors that affect the protagonist and everyone
around
him. History is woven into these events with such an adept touch that
readers
absorb this atmosphere with a seamless interplay of people and
perceptions.
These lend nicely to character reactions to their world's pain and
promises.
Dunn's
novel will be perfect for readers
seeking stories about community transformation processes, the seepage
of past
events into present-day attempts to change, and the Appalachian
environment.
Libraries
will want to recommend this
novel to anyone seeking a story set in the Rust Belt where dreams and
reality
coalesce to bring new realizations about the past, present, and
possible
futures.
Return to Index
Almost
Everything You
Wanted to Know About Tickling
Duncan Taub
Independently
Published
979-8879766431
$14.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Almost-Everything-Wanted-About-Tickling/dp/B0CVSG13PN
Almost Everything You Wanted to Know About Tickling: An International Study will pique the interest of readers interested in tickling in particular and relationships in general. The role of tickling in the lives of some 2,000 women around the world receives close inspection, from its perception as a positive bonding experience to instances of abusive tickling. For at least some relationships, tickling serves an important function.
Taub believes that tickling
was not previously studied in
depth because “tickling research does not advance scientific careers or
help
secure grants, the driving forces for research.” He then explains why
he could
do this study:
“These
reasons,
however, were not barriers for a retired researcher. With the resources
that
have recently been made available on the internet, neither was the
cost, which
would have been prohibitive until the internet provided easy access to
freelancers across the world.”
The book based on his
research is filled with careful
science and fascinating commentary. It will hold up in
research-based
collections but, more importantly to the general reader, it is a fun
read and
would be a great topic for a book discussion.
Return to Index
Blood and
Verse
Chris McAuley and
Jeff Oliver
Cosby Media
Productions
979-8888962244
$19.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Blood
and
Verse (cosbymediaproductions.com)
Blood and Verse provides Dracula fans,
dark poetry followers, and
history buffs with a re-envisioning of the Dracula mythos and its
aftermath
that coalesces powerful poetry with equally powerful imagery.
The
intersection of
the fictional classic, nonfiction (elements of such added for value and
expansive understanding), and rich visuals and word images creates a
deeper
plunge into the mythology and figures of Stoker’s original, translating
them to
new depths of realization and experience for modern readers.
Fans of
horror and
gothic literature may find the format of this exploration to be
unusual—but any
challenge experienced in the reading is worth the effort of absorbing
literary
devices that may lay outside the usual milieu of the horror genre
enthusiast.
Prose and poetry marry as the reflections of Dr.
Abraham Van Helsing’s journal intersect with searches for
truth.
The verse
itself,
rhyming and pointed, assumes a dark countenance of observation married
with
reflective experience to bring readers intimately into the quandaries
and
puzzles the investigator faces:
“This entry will be much different than the ones
I’ve quilled before.
The nurses restrained him once more.
I’m now going to document his habits.
He’s sleeping now and has a disgruntled snore.
It’s ear-piercingly loud.
It has a very high-pitched sound.”
Even more
stark and
startling are passages which capture the psychological underpinnings of
legend
and psychological revelation:
“Dracula consumed blood for corruption.
Blood selfishly served his needs.
He created the monster inside of him when he bowed to the darkest of
Kings.
He opened the gates when he drank from that skull.
He fell violently to his knees.
In exchange for his soul, he died for revenge.
Then received everything he could ever need.”
The story’s
progression unfolds a myriad blend of insights that both adds to and
increases
the horror component as readers follow in the footsteps of an
investigation
into Dracula that even Stoker may not have envisioned.
The result
is both
literary and entertaining: a bloody, thought-provoking marriage of
form,
history, legend, and literary device that will be especially welcomed
by
libraries seeking additions to horror collections that operate outside
the
usual box of terror.
Return to Index
Breaking
the Bias of English
Vivian R. Probst
LifeMark Press, LLC
978-1735513478
$14.95 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/BREAKING-BIAS-ENGLISH-English-Disempowers/dp/1735513490
Breaking
The Bias Of English:
How English Disempowers Women And How To Fix It In Only Six Words! takes the next step towards tackling
prejudice and change by proposing a seemingly small change that
actually holds
big impact—adjusting six words whose usage is embedded with bias.
These six words are identified here by Vivian R. Probst, a linguist who mission is to
equalize the English
language to include women. These ‘gendered words’ have bias so solidly
incorporated into their usage that they inject (both subconsciously and
consciously) prejudice into every facet of English usage.
Probst’s
personal mandate is to identify, address, and instigate
changes results via this manifesto, which she names WEnglish for
WEquality
(WFW). While English may seem a complex and ultimately all-embracing
language
to many, in reality it is packed with gender-specific words that
actually have
little room for ‘we’ or ‘us’.
Probst’s
mission, upon making this linguistic discovery, was clear:
“This linguist wants to make
English work for those of us who aren’t men as well.”
She
is equally cognizant of the fact that her approach and mandate may
not touch everyone:
“NOTE TO READERS: If you believe
that equality between our sexes isn’t an issue or that English is fine
as it
is, this book is not written for you. But please feel free to read on
as it
might give you much-needed insight.”
Of
course, Breaking The Bias
Of English is unlikely to be pursued by those
who not only hold the
belief that English is fine as it is, but that gender bias in language
doesn’t really
matter. However, any reader concerned about bias, prejudice, women’s
issues, or
social change will find that Breaking
The Bias Of English
offers key lessons not only in the English
language, but in the more subtle (and obvious) linguistic
forms of and
influences on empowerment and disempowerment, as well.
Rich
in these lessons, Probst’s account is specific in identifying
‘easy’ fixes. These may challenge grammar and spellcheck programs, but
they
adjust pronouns and language to reflect a more conscious approach to
reducing
its inherent bias:
“‘She’ and ‘Her’ are our next
most powerful and common words in English because these are its first
and only
references to those of us who aren’t men in the 100 most common English
words.
What a tragedy! WFW believes that we should stop and pay particular
attention
to these.”
While Breaking The Bias Of
English is likely to
be valued and chosen primarily by women’s groups and
others interested in breaking the boundaries and bonds of gender bias,
it would
be a shame to limit its intellectual and social value to a single
interest
group.
Ideally, Breaking The Bias Of English
will be chosen by
general-interest libraries (who might point out its topics for book
club
discussion groups); by English teachers at the high school level and up
(for
discourse on language’s power and impact); and by social issues readers
concerned about how to enact, in practicality, lasting changes in the
most
basic of life approaches … language.
Return to Index
Centering
Pura Vida
Lily E. Espinoza
Alive Book Publishing
13
978-1-63132-230-3
www.alivebookpublishing.com
Many books
advocate
for placing people of color in positions of power, but Centering
Pura Vida comes with a difference: it focuses on what
these circumstances actually look like, presenting them in the voices
of
real-world participants.
Students of
color
relate their encounters with programs promoting positions of
leadership,
authority, and inclusion. These case studies illustrate inclusion
theories in
action, outline problems and solutions, and contrast disparate
diversity
support programs in colleges.
Lily E.
Espinoza was
only twenty when she stumbled upon her dream job in a job announcement:
“…to serve as a Vice President of Institutional
Effectiveness at a
community college, and then to become a college president. That moment
felt
magical and exciting, as if sirens had sounded off: TARGET AQUIRED! I
saw my
future in the crosshairs. I had found what I was meant to do with my
life! I
knew instantly that I wanted to dedicate myself to working at the
community
college for my career. I wanted to be someone who made sure that
students did
not fall through the cracks. I wanted to be that person who makes sure
institutional resources were utilized directly on student success
efforts. That
programs, services, funding, and facilities were geared toward students
first.”
As she honed
her
dream and turned it into her daily reality, she also faced the candid
realities
of working in higher education, confronting the challenges of ideals
versus
obstacles to enacting them, to improve student lives.
The phrase
“pura
vida” is prevalent in modern-day Costa Rica. It translates to embracing
a
simple or pure life. 20 years of Espinoza’s experience is represented
by this
phrase and transmitted by book title, intention, and the illustrations
she
provides readers who follow in her life goals and consider higher
education’s
transformational opportunities.
Readers
expecting a
biographical format alone may be surprised by the book’s analytical
side, which
tackles subjects ranging from organizational structure to educational
philosophy as Espinoza constructs diversity programs and fosters
student
awareness and empowerment.
Philosophy,
psychology, and organizational theory mingle in a manner that outlines
higher
education structures, barriers, and opportunities in a way that even
readers
not involved in educational systems can readily understand.
As she
outlines the
ideals and realities of the transformation process, readers will gain
much
knowledge not just about systems and their revision, but the kinds of
ideals
and actions that make “pura vida” an active participatory possibility
(under
the right guidance).
Libraries
and readers
already inundated with books about higher education goals will find
many
differences in Centering Pura Vida. The
title was purposely created to attract attention beyond higher
education
circles alone, and promises thought-provoking revelations and much
fodder for
book club and business management discussion groups.
That’s why
it should
be chosen as a mainstay of any collection devoted to considering social
change
processes, how they look and feel in the real world, and how to make
inclusion
a living incarnation rather than an idealistic theory.
Return to Index
Consolidated
Wisdom
Gene S. Jones
Dreamquest Publishing
9780998324029
$24.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
www.genejoneswisdom.com
Consolidated Wisdom: The Ultimate Book of
Quotations for Success,
Happiness and Health gathers insights and advice from ancient
to modern
times, serving as a source of inspiration for those who struggle with
modern
challenges.
The delight
of this
presentation lies not only in the diversity of quotes that Gene S.
Jones
cultivates, but in the book's arrangement, which injects these quotes
into
chapters with subjects as diversely appealing as 'Business &
Leadership',
'War & Peace', 'Feng Shui, Health & Harmony' and
'Observing Human
Nature.'
This
organization
allows for a specific form of navigation on the reader's part—one which
eschews
the usual placement of admonitions and advice in typical quote
collections in
favor of a novel approach. Jones emphasizes the historical context of
wisdom
and experience, juxtaposes words from all kinds of sources and
perspectives,
and maintains a bigger-picture perspective on the issues confronting
humanity,
which have emerged over human history and remain as relevant today as
they did
in the past.
Also notable
is the
extent of attribution to the authors of these quotes. Jones takes the
time to
succinctly note each author's background, historical era, and key
contributions
and influences, placing each quote within the context not only of
shared
themes, but the disparate writers who created them.
The result
is a
consideration of wisdom and ageless admonitions that should serve not
just as
an inspirational read, but as an example of historical and social
perceptions
of what constitutes success and happiness.
Libraries
and book
club discussion groups interested in a collection that is lively,
wide-ranging,
and in-depth in its presentation and interpretation of phrases and
sayings will
welcome Consolidated Wisdom as a
standout. It’s highly recommended for historical, inspirational, and
psychological
value and enlightenment.
Return to Index
Debunking
Teenagers
Daphne Adler
Independently
Published
979-8-8573-2207-9
$19.99
www.debunkingteenagers.com
Debunking Teenagers: 200
Research-Based
Parenting Strategies To Help Your Adolescent Successfully Navigate The
“Tempteen” Years addresses the special challenges of
parenting teens. These
are created by a combination of struggles for maturity, social
influences, and
a parent's conundrums over navigating world influences and messages to
help a
teen grow.
More than a
pat
survey of such influences, Debunking
Teenagers reveals the nuts and bolts of not only social and
political
perceptions and how these are formed and guided, but the kinds of
approaches to
parenting that encourage dialogue over conflict.
Examples of
such
approaches include discussions of dominant male roles in victimization
processes, how to identify behavioral problems early on and how to get
appropriate help, and monitoring social and online activities for early
warning
signs of issues.
At each step
of the
way, Adler includes instructions for "digging deeper" into underlying
issues, offering take-aways that address character and promote
improvements in
physical appearance and mental health. Of particular strength and note
are the
insights on how parents can utilize controversy, conflict, and
alternative
tools to foster and further more effective communications with teens.
These
guidelines and
examples will prove invaluable; especially to parents who receive
plenty of
idealistic admonitions, but little practical advice that hones in on
the actual
process of fostering better relationships. The surveys of what doesn't
work
(and why) are just as important as insights about what does work paired
with
alternative choices to traditional thinking about as common an issue as
the
family dinner.
An added
bonus is the
wealth of footnoted references that point the way to research-based
information. These serve as both support for Adler's contentions and
tools for
additional reading, should parents want to delve into the source
materials
supporting her contentions.
The result
will be
considered, by many parents, to be not just a guideline, but a godsend.
Debunking Teenagers should not only be
included in libraries strong
in parenting guides, but should ideally be made a key part of any
parenting
discussion group and given to adults working with teens to help foster
better
ways of introducing teens to adulthood.
Return to Index
Family: In
Search of
Genuine Belonging
Paul Dunion EdD
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-111-3
$17.99
www.atmospherepress.com
Family: In Search of Genuine Belonging
explores an important topic:
how family love can fall apart in even the most loving of circles.
“Blessings”
of
different family structures and dynamics accompany the identification
and
definitions of families that centers on different incarnations; from
“too much
family” (with entwined identities that aren’t separate) to shame-based
families; those dedicated to supporting heroic countenances; and others
which
require a scapegoat or mascot in order to function.
Each
incarnation is
treated to Paul Dunion’s analytical eye with the idea of exploring how
denial,
personal truths, chaos, or facades of looking good to those outside
family
translate to experience tempered by appearance.
Case history
examples
support these identifications, reinforcing their boundaries and
often-unspoken
assumptions and rules; but it’s the ‘blessings’ conclusion to each
identification which holds the most uplifting opportunities for
reconsidering
ideals of perfection, survival, adaptation, connection, and,
ultimately, love.
Plenty of
books on
the market already tackle the nature of family relationships and
connections.
The difference in Family: In Search of
Genuine Belonging lies in not just its definitions of family
circles, but
in its supportive realizations about how each type of family structure
can
offer new possibilities and blessings:
“Living
in the
shadows of shame can feel normal.
You don’t belong there!
Your parents felt terribly out of control and desperately
employed shame to regain control.
Or they brought to you their own childhood shame
with them, modeling self-loathing.
You don’t belong there!
Your essential goodness sits in the recesses of your psyche,
waiting to be reclaimed.”
Family: In Search of Genuine Belonging needs
to be part of any
psychology, family therapy, or group discussion where family bonds and
entanglements are of prime interest. It also will enjoy a home in (and
is
highly recommended for) general-interest libraries interested in
self-help
titles that proffer important, practical information on the roots and
impact of
disparate family structures and ideals.
Return to Index
Hidden Price
Tags
Volume 8: Artificial Intelligence
C.J.S. Hayward
C.J.S. Hayward
Publications
979-8876241801
$5.00 Kindle/$10.00
Paperback/$20.00 Hardcover
Website: https://cjshayward.com
Ordering: https://cjshayward.com/hpt8
Hidden Price Tags Volume 8: Artificial Intelligence
joins others in
Hayward’s series connecting spirituality and technology; this one
narrowing the
focus to AI and its promises, failures, and need for mindful
applications.
C.J.S.
Hayward is no
novice at technology. He takes the time not just to install and use it,
but to
think about its greater impact and the reasons why a seeming
advancement may
prove to be something else entirely, promoting detrimental assumptions,
thought
processes, and habits that clash with spiritual intention.
“The more things change, it seems, the more they
stay the same.” So
Hayward discovers as he carries readers into his experiments with
realizations
that prove especially thought provoking. These reference other thinkers
and
spiritual writers, contrasting notions of technology and progress while
presenting Hayward’s own experiences and resulting decisions from them.
Hayward’s
reflections
on ChatGPT, for example, and how a product claimed to be intellectually
stimulating actually is the opposite, creates thought-provoking reading
for
spiritual-minded readers who arrive with their own questioning
processes intact
and engaged:
“Advertising copy for ChatGPT claimed that it could
stimulate the
imagination, and I looked at it for a second and said that it could
probably do
that used a certain way, but the more likely outcome would be that
people would
have it do their thinking for them.”
Hayward’s
ability to
connect the dots in thinking about the pros and cons of AI as it
relates to
values, spiritual enlightenment, and everyday living is powerful—and
often
unexpected. Readers might not expect discussions about virtue to appear
in a
book about AI, for example, but there are plenty of opportunities
within the
overall theme for broader discourse and critical thinking, which
Hayward
provides with a combination of scholarly reference and psychologically
astute
insights.
The result
nicely
complements his prior books, offering a specific focus that delves into
the
nitty-gritty of technology’s applications, promises, and ultimate
impact on a
spiritual thinker’s life.
Hidden Price Tags Volume 8: Artificial Intelligence
is particularly
highly recommended for group discussion and debate, as its contentions
are
designed to spark critical thinking and highly attuned dialogues in
groups
ranging from library book clubs to spiritual and philosophical circles.
In the brave
new
world of generative AI, Hayward offers a prophetic voice and an
assessment of
hidden aspects of the project that the hype will never tell you: jobs
are not
the only thing artificial intelligence is costing us.
Return to Index
Milestone
Documents in World History: Exploring the Primary Sources That Shaped
the World
Eric
Cunningham, Editor
Schlager
Group
978-1961844049
$445 Hardcover/$410
ebook/ Hardcover + Ebook bundle: $490
Website: https://www.schlagergroup.com
Ordering: https://www.schlagergroup.com/9781961844049/milestone-documents-in-world-history/
Milestone Documents in
World History:
Exploring the Primary Sources That Shaped the World joins a
widening set of
source material reference books that identify and explore humanity’s
major
documents and their impact.
Weighty
in subject and price, the coverage is essential for world history
collections
seeking an all-in-one synthesis of primary documents which have served
as and
represent the pillars of human thinking and achievement.
This
second edition is the first update in the fifteen years since the
original was
published, and provides over 40 new entries across four volumes of
in-depth
reference material.
The
cross-section of ancient and modern documents begins in the first
volume, which
covers 2350 BCE–943CE with such
references as Homer’s Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and writings by Dao De
Jing and Confucius. It
moves forward in history, juxtaposing major thinkers and documents from
around
the world.
This cross-cultural slice of
world-changing works offers offers high school and
college-level students
and scholars an especially astute
contrast between major thinkers, encouraging references, associations,
and
discussions which might otherwise prove challenging to assemble.
Volume 2 covers 1019–1821
with such classics as the Magna Carta,
featured alongside works
such as Ibn Battuta’s Travels in Asia and
Africa.
Each volume synthesizes and
condenses a period of history
by profiling the greatest thinkers and writers of the times. As notable for
its
diversity and inclusiveness as it is for its organization, delivery,
and
opportunities for cross-comparisons of historic documents and events,
it also
offers scholarly
commentary
with each primary source. This makes it suitable for students and
researchers
interested in not just the source materials alone, but a critical
analysis of
each source and its overall importance in world history.
The
scholarship, presentation, contents, and nature of this updated second
edition
makes Milestone Documents in World
History: Exploring the Primary Sources That Shaped the World
a top
recommendation for any world history collection considering itself to
be
authoritative and inclusive.
The
identification of ‘milestone’ achievements is outstanding, offering an
unprecedented opportunity for study and contrast which is simply
unavailable
elsewhere.
Return to Index
Not From Here
Leah Lax
Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers Ltd.
9781804680179
$20.99
Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://amzn.to/3vH8k0n
There was a
time when
the publication of Not From Here: The
Song of America would have seamlessly joined a host of
immigrant-celebratory, experiential memoirs whose purpose was to
reflect one of
America’s greatest strengths: families that are “not from here” and who
participate in society as New Americans making contributions to the
nation’s
psyche; not strangers from elsewhere.
It’s a sad
note that,
today, Leah Lax’s exploration in Not From
Here has earned her not the acclaim her book so deserves, but
cancellation
and controversy. That makes its publication actually more valuable, not
less,
in that its subject, approach, and reflections will fuel insights
(perhaps
unwelcome, by some) on Jewish influences, psyche, experiences, and the
ultimate
process of joining the great melting pot of this nation. That’s ironic,
because
in Not From Here, Lax keeps the
camera focused outward, asking what is this country where her family
once
landed, and finds in testimonies of immigrants a raw and revealing
portrait of
America.
Lax
approaches this
history and these experiences in the manner of a song unfolding,
interviewing
others whose roots were “not from here” to reveal and probe their
family and
life experiences in America. Concurrent threads of musical references
and
insights into emerging and changing attitudes towards new arrivals to
America
create often-controversial food for thought that would be ideal for
discussion
groups interested in how immigration is politicized and how immigrants
are
dehumanized today.
And yet …
there is
the music that comes from moving away from one’s comfort zone, as Lax
did in
her interview process for her book.
Like so
many, Lax’s
own family stories were buried, paved over by a focus on the American
dream
over a heritage that involved flight, hardships, and struggle to get to
this
country and participate in its democratic processes:
“I was born a grandchild of refugees, but my family
never told me our
stories; my grandparents’ experiences in coming to the United States
were
intentionally buried in favor of their American Dream. All through my
childhood, I wondered, Who are we?”
As she
explored
others’ stories, some of which came from Pakistan (where feudal systems
still
exist today), Vietnam (where escaping the rising Communist Party
involved
fielding pirates and hiding gold), and El Salvador, where constant
gunfire
scared the birds away, Lax considers her own evolving life. She became
Ultra-Orthodox as a teen, was married in an arranged marriage at 19,
and was
thoroughly immersed in Hasidism for many years until she vacated her
set course
to live openly as a lesbian, and as a writer of both prose and of
libretti --
for several prominent composers.
Music is
only one of
the threads which connect these stories, peoples, and lives. Also
intrinsic to
Lax’s effort is a reflective, celebratory tone of discovery, both of
self and
family connections, and of this country, which creates
thought-provoking
movements of transformation as these insights are digested and form
startling
contrasts between past politics and modern history:
“In the same innocent way that Ali had loved his
first wife, he had
loved America. That was what I heard in his voice that day — the sound
of a
jilted lover. Today, I would not expect an FBI agent to politely
question Ali
over the telephone. Neither would Ali get to use his knowledge, his
patriotism,
his eloquence, and his considerable integrity to convince an FBI agent
of his
rights. Instead, faceless ICE agents could pick him up, take him to
some
undisclosed place where no one could reach him or even find him, charge
him on a
technicality that just might be fictional, and quite possibly deport
him. Our
world has already changed.”
Controversial?
Hell,
yes. But insights and arguments surrounding immigrants have always
proved
hard-hitting and uncomfortable. Readers who choose to experience the
discomfort
of confronting their own and engrained American prejudices will find a
light of
positivity and change resonates through these insights and experiences.
The
passionate pleas
of Lax’s writing make it a song of hope as well as revelation:
“Today I wish I could take Ali’s love of our
country to Americans young
and old of every color and gender, to people whose families have
forgotten
their roots and to those who have just arrived. I would ask every one
of them
to please, please read how Ali fell in love with America because everyone here feels so free, not afraid of
anything.” I would say, all of these years after Ali told
his story,
please tell me what he found here is still true.”
So much
so—that not
only is Not From Here: The Song of
America a top recommendation to libraries and readers for its
ability to
evolve beyond a memory to shake the very foundations of modern belief
systems—but for those Texas readers who will find both shocking and
educational
the insights on Jewish heritage, New American experience, and the ways
in which
democratic ideals may be challenged from within, built from psyches
buffeted by
politicized special interests.
Return to Index
The Power Paradox
Art McNeese
Independently Published
979-8362039103
$9.99
Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Paradox-Winning-Downward-Mobility/dp/B0CWDXM344
The
Power Paradox:
Winning through Downward Mobility may sound like a business
or social
survey rather than a spiritual probe of discovery, but its focus on
Christian
leadership and pastoral services lends it a special value and approach.
These
will attract Christian audiences interested in issues of strength,
weakness,
and religious perspectives on power.
From the beginning, Art
McNeese injects his exploration
with vivid insights linking Christian faith and ideals with
psychological and
social reflections:
“Think
about
weakness in your own life. If you’re like most people, you may run from
vulnerability. You may choose self-reliance over God-reliance. You’re
tempted
to follow the
cultural philosophy of me-first. You automatically assume that
revealing your
weaknesses to others is a bad thing. But what if weakness is actually
your
friend? What if there’s more to be gained from a position of weakness
than a
position of strength?”
As McNeese’s exploration
progresses, readers receive
thoughts on life approaches that pair insights and advice with Bible
quotes
reinforcing his observations:
“Leadership
means
being part of the secret service. I have a friend who exhibits this
quality. He
has made millions in his life and gives away most of what he earns to
help
others. He has developed a special trust designed to resource people in
need. I
can’t imagine how much money he has given away over the years. But he
insists
on his gifts being anonymous. He refuses to let his generosity be
known. Most
of us can serve with passion in the event there’s some ‘payoff’ in
terms of
recognition. But how many of us bring the same enthusiasm to
opportunities to
serve behind the scenes? Where nobody sees and nobody knows?
1 Peter 2:12: ‘Live
such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing
wrong,
they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.’”
These provide spiritual
thinkers with concrete examples,
reflections, and insights on the processes and incarnation of power
(especially
in leadership roles; whether they involve church or business).
Readers won’t expect
allusions to the unexpected, such as
the dilemma of a squirrel in the toilet; but these, too, hold lessons
in
leadership and faith that inject the realities and ironies of daily
living with
important realizations about identity, fear, and the ultimate solution
of
turning to faith and God for resolution:
“The
only healthy
element for a human being is in the grace and will of God. Whenever we
forget
the grace of God, we find ourselves confused and uncertain. Anytime we
try to
find our value through others instead of God, we’re destined to be
intimidated,
lost, and terribly frightened.”
Christian readers and book
clubs (and libraries catering
to them) will find The Power Paradox:
Winning through Downward Mobility a thought-provoking
discourse about faith
and power which will prompt many an avid reading circle discussion.
Despite a title which
initially feels as though The Power Paradox
will appeal primarily
to business or political leaders, the discourse is highly recommended
to all
Christian readers. This audience will find The
Power Paradox’s insights and reflections on life, faith, and
power to be an
important intersection of subjects. It’s perfect for cultivating a more
faith-based perspective about power, shifting roles, and contributions
to
belief and life.
Return to Index
Rock & Roll
Nightmares: Freeze Frame
Staci Layne Wilson
Excessive Nuance
978-1737513988
$16.50
paperback/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CTDDVY7M
www.rock-n-roll-nightmares.com
Rock
& Roll
Nightmares: Freeze Frame pairs spooky short stories with
hard-hitting images
photographed and modeled by Ali Chappell. It will attract horror fans
interested in weird, creepy, contemporary vibes and tension.
The stories are steeped in
cultural backdrops and
references that will delight those already interested in rock and roll
culture
and gossip. This audience will especially appreciate the chapter
headings,
which are steeped in often-unexpected humorous music allusions, such as
the
introductory ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Body Bag’ or ‘She’s Got a Ticket
to Die.’
Music historian Staci Layne
Wilson excels at these kinds
of references, employing her art in an unusual manner as horror
scenarios come
to life with the added value of musical interludes.
Take ‘Stake Another Piece of
My Heart’ for one example.
Here, a musician who observes the strong gaze of an audience member and
stranger who has come to her performance three nights in a row finds
that he is
able to communicate with her telepathically.
Mavis has quite a following
of fans. What she hasn’t
earned before is the longing gaze of a predator. Her musical success in
Mavis
and the Mixed Messages confronts a different form of attraction and
interest as
she is steeped in the rock and roll lifestyle, but harbors a secret
even her
most avid fans don’t know.
This mystery admirer draws
her by his age and his
different observational manner:
“Unlike
most
concertgoers, this man did not mouth the lyrics to her songs or nod his
head in
time to the music. He didn’t even stand up or shake his fist in the
air. He
just sat there, perched very tall and straight, hands folded in his
lap,
watching her.”
He is destined to draw her
attention with something more
deadly, as well.
In contrast is ‘Saturday
Fright Fever,’ in which DJ
Deshawn Roundtree (aka ‘DR Funk’) finds himself entrapped with others,
such as
dancing queen Plum, in a disco nightmare of bondage and horror.
Each story stands out for
its different perspective on
the rock and roll scene and disparate brands of horror that emerge from
concerts, music, and strange attractions.
Rock
& Roll
Nightmares: Freeze Frame will prove an outstanding
recommendation by
libraries to any reader interested in the horror genre paired with a
heavy dose
of contemporary cultural experience. Its ability to maintain different
threads
of both horror and musical inspection sets it apart from most other
approaches
to horror writing and atmosphere.
Return to Index
The
Slow Runner’s Nirvana
Craig A. Grossman
Xebec Publishing
979-8-9886493-0-4
$16.95
Paperback/$6.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Runners-Nirvana-Discovering-Presence/dp/B0CVPRDP8W
The Slow Runner's Nirvana: Discovering A Path to
Joy in the Presence of
Pain began as a suicide note to family and close friends.
Thankfully, matters
didn’t end there, because Craig A.
Grossman didn’t collapse under his pain and fade away, but tapped into
it to
fuel the rest of his life after 40 years of struggle with depression
and a
sense of failure.
The
evolution of an ‘ethical will’ into a blueprint for runners,
depressed individuals, and those seeking examples of a way out of life
struggles other than suicide makes for a blend of memoir and
opportunity. The
Slow Runner's Nirvana should be on any bookshelf
where topics of
depression, ambition, mid-life assessments and recovery are of interest
… and
running.
From
the start, Grossman is candid about his life and the feeling of
emptiness
which accompanied apparent successes:
“Somehow I snared a highly
intelligent wife, and two children followed. Having pursued the
twentieth-century road map to privilege and success, I had everything,
but as
is the cliché, so very painfully cliché, I was not happy and had
learned
nothing of value. So cringingly trite, but this is where I stood at the
dawn of
middle age.”
As
he enters a marathon and encounters different kinds of stresses and
challenges, Grossman outlines his fear in new ventures and
opportunities:
“The more I learned, the harder
things became. The more I knew, the more there was to worry about.
Every book
and article I read, however framed, really seemed to be about possible
problems, and every problem seemed possible. Nothing was ever decided.
Everything was tentative and provisional. This was all new turf. I had
no basis
in experience on which to rest. All I had was gargantuan fear and a
desire to
allay my fear by addressing possible problems.”
Grossman
considers the consequences of wisdom and contemplation and
forges a novel direction in his life that moves him away from his
pre-40s notions.
This reveals the nuts and bolts of growth to offers readers in similar
mental
situations some nuggets of wisdom that can result in effective change:
“I have been naturally unhappy.
Staying aboveground has been a struggle. I am forever fighting my
natural
internal state and interpretation of the world. Survival is work. Doing
what I
need to do to be a father, husband, and friend is work. Happiness is
possible
and achievable, but it is a life’s work, daily effort, hourly effort. I
cannot
choose to be happy and be happy.”
The
result is a powerful survey that deserves to be on the shelves of
general-interest libraries seeking materials about mid-life crisis,
depression’s impact and incarnation, and the choices which can lead to
meaningful transformation.
Grossman’s
bigger picture memoir
contrasts the typical American vision of success with insights on
mental
illness, all tempered by the physical pain of a new marathon runner who
tests
his limits in different, unexpectedly healing ways.
In a world
fraught with a sense of uncertainty, fear, and
purposelessness, The
Slow Runner's Nirvana
provides a course away from pain, making it a ‘must’ recommendation for
readers who would not only understand some of the wellsprings of their
suffering, but possibilities for mitigating or replacing it with
something
better.
Return to Index
You Only Go
Extinct
Once
Bob Lorentson
Independently
Published
979-8218262037
$10.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Website: www.boblorentson.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/YOU-ONLY-EXTINCT-ONCE-Anthropocene/dp/B0CM3YFPCX
You
Only Go Extinct Once: Stuck
in the Anthropocene with the Pleistocene Blues Again comes from an environmental scientist who
has an especially engaging form of delivery for scientific facts and
history,
served up with a wicked sense of humor, as is evident in a subtitle
which bows
to a Bob Dylan song.
Another clue to the
readability and fun of this book lies
in chapter headings which are anything but scientifically staid (“One
Squid to
Rule Us All,” “In Vegetables We Trust. Or Do We?,” and “Can Goat Yoga
Save the
World?”).
Sections divided into
‘Plants and Animals’ and ‘The
Humans’ make for logical paths of inquiry as fifty essays explore the Anthropocene and human interactions with
nature. It exposes many thought-provoking theories and contentions that
will
especially appeal to any reader who might have thought science and
natural
history to be dull topics. From the
foreword:
“My
theory is this: Plants and animals mind their own business, and
when threatened, will fight with all the resources at their disposal to
remove
the threat. Humans
mind everyone else’s
business, and when threatened, will dispose of all the resources they
have and
increase the threat.”
The notably lively close
look at what constitutes human
beings and both separates them from and connects them to the animal
world makes
for a survey that grasps the fundamentals of scientific inquiry and
entertainment value alike. This book should attract readers as much for
its
humor as for its interesting science, nature, and timely
environmental
themes.
You Only Go Extinct Once even delves into
the moral and ethical
boundaries of a scientific investigation of the natural world, offering
many
topics suitable for classroom and book reading group debate as it romps
through
studies, biases, lies and truths, and often ends chapters with hilarity
(From "The Evolution of Lying":
“I’m sorry, but I have to end this essay
prematurely as my pants just caught on fire.”)
The result
is a
special invitation to appreciate the investigations, questions,
answers, and
quandaries revolving around animal and human lives, environments, and
choices
and actions.
Libraries,
science
teachers, and all ages who might ordinarily eschew the dryness of
scientific
discourses and education will be drawn to this essay collection. It
will reach
into a wide audience, from teens and teachers to general-interest
readers
looking for a bit of fun to spice up their scientific education.
Return to Index
Alycat and the Sunday
Scaries
Alysson Foti Bourque
Pelican Publishing
9781455627790
$17.99
www.pelicanpub.com
In the
picture book Alycat and the Sunday Scaries,
it’s
Sunday, the day before the start of the school week, and Alycat is
scared … not
of Sunday, which she ordinarily loves; but Monday.
As Alycat outlines all the things that could go wrong on Monday, from
rain to a
pop quiz she could fail, her wise mother sends her out to play, to
“enjoy
today.”
When Kit the
kitten
confesses she’s afraid to ride her new bike (which is bigger than her
last
one), Alycat and her friends help her overcome her fear. Then they help
Spotty,
who has climbed so high that he is afraid to try to get down.
As a host of
fears
unfold and Alycat is called upon to lend a helping paw, young readers
receive
insights into fear, friendship, and the power of cooperative support.
Adults who
choose Alycat and the Sunday Scaries
will
appreciate how the tale evolves to be about much more than a fear of
going to
school or confronting the day. They will find that the story’s
disparate
circumstances offer an easy segue into discussions about anticipation,
fear,
and problem-solving through friendship support, which helps reinforce
the value
of cooperative actions.
Elementary-level
libraries will want to include Alycat and
the Sunday Scaries in their picture book holdings as an
excellent
opportunity for helping the very young address all kinds of fears.
Return to Index
Alyssa’s Wishes
Susan L. Read
Izzard Ink Publishing
9781642281064
$17.95
Paperback/$9.99 eBook
www.izzardink.com
Alyssa’s
Wishes
is a middle grade novel about a girl who follows her artistic talents
and
dreams into new territory, uncovering novel possibilities in ‘magical
thinking’
that takes away the appearance and predictability of normalcy and
injects life
with excitement.
The story opens with
first-person protagonist Alyssa
reflecting that, for her, ‘normal’ is something that is simply not a
part of
her life. When she enters school, she is confronted with peers’ lives
which are
definitely not like hers, from her father’s idea of ordering pizza
every night
for a meal to slowly realizing why her father lives such a hermit-like
lifestyle.
An art assignment propels
her in new directions when
Alyssa is encouraged to use art to reflect on her own life and carries
this
assignment into uncharted territory.
Susan L. Read crafts a story
in which a young student is
just beginning to confront the incongruities of her life with her
father,
before disaster strikes and changes her world:
“Everything
I
understood and loved about my life has been snatched away.”
As Alyssa becomes involved
in projects that move away
from the initial assignment, from educating peers about puppy mills and
their
impact to transforming her own life, Read’s vivid portrayal of these
experiences draw attention and attraction while educating readers about
many
facets of life, love, and survival:
“Puppy
mill
survivors can have both physical and mental scars from their past
experiences,
and Poppy definitely has both. But she has made lots of progress in
just one
week.”
When her father begins to
confront his own visions of
family and his failure to engage with life, Alyssa taps her magical
thinking
and newfound passions to transform both of their lives.
Alyssa’s
Wishes is
about survival, magical thinking, and the power young people have to
change
their lives. It will delight middle grader readers and libraries
catering to
them, who will find this story holds much fodder for reading group
discussions.
Return to Index
The Day I Had a
Dinosaur
Ashley Wall and Vaughan Duck
MamaBear Books
978-1-960616-11-1
$17.95
Hardcover/$2.99 eBook
www.mamabearbooks.com
The
Day I Had a Dinosaur is a first-person picture book story
that opens with
an ordinary day playing in a sandbox. When the ground shakes, an
unexpected
Tyrannosaurus Rex enters a young boy’s life. They become instant
buddies. He’s
not alone in his new friendship, however.
Again, the ground
rumbles, and his friend
Noah appears, riding a Brachiosaurus. What do good friends do? They go
to the
park to play.
Ashley Wall and
Vaughan Duck pair whimsical
illustrations with educational information throughout, from the
pronunciations
of the dinos to accompanying scientific information about their natural
history.
Perhaps
predictably, the kids’ playground
doesn’t work for the big dinosaurs. So, they have to get creative and
invent
their own play space that welcomes their new large friends.
As more dinos
make their appearance,
accompanied by human pals, the story exudes a delightful atmosphere of
fun
paired with dinosaur facts that read-aloud adults will find
delightfully
entertaining and educational, all in one.
More is going on
here than play and
dinosaur facts alone, however. Embedded into the story are accompanying
messages about diversity, friendship, problem-solving, adaptation, and
building
inclusive support systems. These themes will especially delight adults
looking
for picture books that feature basic examples of cooperative thinking.
Libraries and
adults will choose The Day I Had a Dinosaur
for its
delightful blend of whimsy and thought-provoking underlying messages,
which
will encourage conversation and enlightenment among young audiences.
Return to Index
Embracing Your
Past to Empower Your Future
Lori Ann LaRocco
and Abby
Wallace
Embracing Your
Past to Empower Your Future,
INC.
978-1917054560
$24.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Your-Past-Empower-Future/dp/1917054564
Many
books for teens and adults speak of racism and healing; but rarely
does a reader receive a specific guide to healing and history such as Embracing Your
Past to
Empower Your Future.
It focuses
on four
families whose loved ones were enslaved, resulting in tangled family
trees and
a legacy of struggle that affected generations.
Each family
receives
in-depth focus with not only historical records and evidence
documenting their
unique experiences, but personal interviews from contemporary
descendants,
peppering and expanding their stories.
The Allen
family’s
loved ones were illegally captured in Africa in 1860, over fifty years
after a
prohibitive law was enacted to prevent such kidnappings. She documents
their
later involvement in forming the independent living commune Africatown.
Their
great-great-granddaughter documents the importance of community in
overcoming
enslavement and racism’s impact.
The
Madison’s family
employed storytelling to pass their oral history to future generations,
telling
of entanglements with President James Madison, Jr.’s family and the
surprising
legacy of valuing knowledge. This translated into future generations
empowered
by their educational pursuits.
The
Quanders, one of
America’s oldest and most consistently documented Black families, has a
long
and powerful history of political activism, faith, and struggle.
The Brooks
family has
three generals in their immediate family, and are noted for their
extensive
contributions to not just military, but social change.
The ways in
which
struggles for freedom translate in each of these families represents a
powerful
intersection of experience, repression, and not just survival tactics,
but
empowerment processes that passed between generations to modern times.
How these
four families
achieved their goals under different conditions and in different
manners
provides not only inspirational and vivid reading, but should serve as
fodder
for classroom and reading group discussions about the legacy of Black
history
and experience.
This is why
all
general-interest libraries and collections catering to teen readers
must have
this book in their holdings. Embracing Your Past to Empower Your Future
should be
prominently displayed and continually recommended for its combination
of
footnoted history, vivid examinations of contrasting Black experience,
and
powerful examinations of how those who were initially “voiceless” came
to
cultivate and transmit the most powerful voices of all, through time.
Return to Index
Fairy Day Games
Mari Sherkin
Mascot Kids
978-1637555064
$19.95
www.mascotbooks.com
Fairy
Day Games
is written by Mari Sherkin and illustrated by David Gnass, and pairs a
rollicking rhyme with a fantasy overlay that will delight picture book
readers
and read-aloud adults seeking a whimsical sense of fun and games.
From the
start, the
pairing of these fun scenarios by Mari Sherkin with Gnass’s lovely,
colorful
illustrations creates a joyful experience adults will find especially
attractive from its opening lines:
“Fancied up toadstools and dancehalls in logs/for
titmice/and
fairies/and even the frogs.”
It’s party
time! The
songs the fairies sing for others are happy and bright, the dances are
lively
and fun, and the narrator admits she is ‘too large’ to attend. As she
envisions
being welcomed into the party under different conditions, young readers
will
enjoy the lively tone and uplifting nature of this story.
Fairies,
friendship,
and love—what’s not to like? Adults seeking a fantasy story replete
with action
and connection will appreciate the opportunity to engage the very young
in a
whimsical, animal-character-and-fairy-fantasy based tale of fun and
games.
Return to Index
Feral
Maril and Her Little Brother Carol
Leslie Tall Manning
Independently Published
978-0-9600177-7-5
$14.99
Paperback/$4.99 ebook
Website: www.leslietallmanning.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Leslie-Tall-Manning/author/B00VRZ3FOK?ref
In
Feral Maril and Her Little
Brother Carol, Marilyn has her hands full. Her mother is in
prison, leaving
her to shuffle through the foster system with younger, mentally
challenged
brother Carol in tow. Vague childhood memories of someone called the
Tan Man
lead her to dream that finding him will result in a better place, but
before
she can do so, her ex-con father shows up and is granted custody.
Now
Marilyn faces a dangerous predator bent on getting rid of Carol so
he can have her to himself.
As
fraught with danger and heartache as her childhood and adolescence
are, Marilyn harbors the survival traits of being a stubborn, positive,
creative
thinker. The plan she hatches could save them both.
Marilyn's
journey through the South in search of her brother and a
place to call home is replete with warmth and insights alongside a
special
observational sense of environment which marks Marilyn's ability to
assess
people and places alike:
"Looking at
my surroundings, I questioned where the mini-bus picked him up, since
it didn’t
seem like there’d be a safe place to stand with all the sticker bushes
and
smell of fox pee, and water moccasins that could mosey up from one of
the
nearby tributaries."
Readers
don't just follow Marilyn's journey. They come to love her,
cheering for her efforts and feeling sorrow when new challenges arise
to
further complicate her young life.
Leslie
Tall Manning's story is grimly realistic in its portrait of
childhood abuse and adversity. This may serve as a trigger for readers
who
harbor the scars of trauma from their own lives. Her ability to delve
into
Marilyn's influences and explore how her character emerges intact from
all
these confrontations creates a gripping story that is hard to predict,
put
down, or pigeonhole.
Manning
presents Marilyn as not a young hero, but a person struggling
with emerging strengths and character flaws that influence her choices
and
actions. Revelations may be as overt and hard-hitting as reflections on
freedom
and independence, or as subtle as Tan Man's real meaning, and how
different
relationships formed between strangers become guideposts in their lives.
The
result is especially recommended for book clubs and libraries
seeking stories about coming-of-age experiences which incorporate
threads of
growth (from physical to attitude adjustments) into their sagas in a
rich,
powerful manner that will appeal to mature teens to adults.
Return to Index
Sylvia Locke
and the Three Bears
David Horn
Independently
Published
979-8-9885430-1-5
$5.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
Website: www.eudoraspacekid.com/sylvia
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVNQFQ62
Sylvia
Locke and
the Three Bears pairs David Horn’s first book in the
‘TairyFails’ series
with black and white illustrations by Judit
Tondora. It explores the life of bad girl Sylvia Locke, who lives in
Fairy Tale
Land. Even though she was abandoned by her parents (who were more
interested in
travel than in their child), that’s no excuse for acting out, bullying
other
children, and rudeness. This young mischief maker is bent on causing
chaos
until she receives her come-uppance in the form of an encounter she
can’t
control.
Elementary-level
chapter book readers will appreciate how bad girl Sylvia slowly changes
as her
story moves through a series of adventures that test her mind and
mettle.
Sylvia,
who
assumes the role of narrator of her own story early on, is just as
funny as the
initial observer (the Wizard of FLOSZ)’s introductory report of events
in this
wild and woolly kingdom:
“But after all
these years, Sylvia is still living on
our dirt road. Misbehaving! She doesn’t even help GramGram and Gramps
with any
farmwork. They have to do it all! Sylvia just sits on the porch in a
rocking
chair, checking her phone all day. Or she disappears into the woods,
and no one
can find her. Not even me! My flying bunnies are scared of that forest.
I live
on this tiny dirt road, posing as a simple farmer. I don’t even need my
spy
gadgets or bunnies to know all about Sylvia. Gram-Gram keeps their
front door
and windows open.”
Sylvia is both irrepressible
and impish. It seems like nothing
will change her trajectory and attitude … but a magic mirror named
Reginald just
might do the trick.
Secrets, deals, tricks, and
traps permeate a different
fairy tale atmosphere than most, following Sylvia’s antics with
satirical wit
and action that will keep chapter book readers engaged and laughing.
From parents missing in the
Mythical Mountains of the
Lost, and quests to find the Earrings of Power, to life in Fairytale
Land (where
“a lot of things want to eat you”), Sylvia
Locke and the Three Bears represents original action and
humor at their
best.
Libraries
seeking
chapter books vivid in their action and satirical in their presentation
of
events will relish Sylvia Locke and the
Three Bears as a fine acquisition. It’s highly recommended
for elementary
chapter book readers seeking a fresh, original voice and novel
atmosphere in
their fantasy reading.
Return to Index
Welcome to
the
Amazing Forest Town of Squirrelsville
Paul L. Padgett
Dreams to Realities
979-8386937010
$11.00 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Amazing-Forest-Town-Squirrelsville/dp/B0BYB8XJNS
Welcome to the Amazing Forest Town of Squirrelsville
presents
picture book readers with the inviting story of a squirrel population
interested in growth and developing morals that support one another.
What makes
this clan
and their forest town amazing is the sense of unity and concern that
promotes
working together, appreciating nature, and building a world in which
each
squirrel “does their part in working for
their little world.”
Paul
Padgett’s
inviting coverage of how togetherness is fostered is enhanced by lovely
color
illustrations by Moch Shobaru. These captures the whimsy and feel of a
community that faces various disasters and discoveries, from the threat
of a
campfire that wasn’t put out properly to Dr. Mangosteen, whose mandate
is to
keep little kits healthy with her medicines.
The nature
of
community togetherness, shared problem-solving efforts, and solutions
that keep
the entire community healthy and happy creates a gentle lesson in
proactive
thinking and cooperative support systems that read-aloud adults will
find
especially inviting for discussions about individual and community
effort.
Return to Index