Pick of the Month:
Quite simply the single best
book of that month's
Recommended Reading!

From the December 2024 issue:    

The Dark Night of the Soul
Daniel Hryhorczuk
Golden Bough
978-1-7352400-3-9                             $14.99 Print/$3.99 eBook
Website: www.danielhryhorczuk.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Night-Soul-Daniel-Hryhorczuk/dp/1735240036 

 The pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine serve as important contemporary backdrops for a powerful story of faith, death, and life, creating a entwined story of lives buffeted not just by war, but by individual choice and clashing belief systems.

 More so than many novels of Ukrainian history and culture, The Dark Night of the Soul is delivered with the stinging blows of physical and metaphysical change and the real pain the war has unleashed on many different levels.

 As Hryhorczuk maintains: “The human evil that threatens us is far worse than any supernatural evil. Ukraine is where the best in humanity confronts the worst in humanity. The challenge is difficult, and we are facing our own dark night of the soul. But the night is darkest before the dawn.”

From the November 2024 issue:    

Against All Odds
Tristian Smith
‎TWS Publishing
979-8990888906
$27.99 Hardcover/$18.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Against-All-Odds-Tristian-Smith/dp/B0D8K36XWG

Against All Odds is a memoir, but to confine its recommendation to fans of autobiography alone would be to do it a disservice. Unlike most memoirs, the story rises from personal experience to political activism in a manner designed to illustrate not just trauma and recovery, but how one individual evolved beyond what life handed him at an early age to cultivate a drive to give back to society in novel ways. Smith’s focus on giving back by improving not just his circumstances, but those of others, gives his story an extra dimension of meaning and insights.

Also notable is advice to would-be foster parents on how to provide the special services and support that youngsters in the foster care system so desperately need.

Libraries should consider Against All Odds a ‘must’ for collection enhancement and recommendation to all kinds of patrons, ranging from would-be foster parents to readers tackling social issues and considering opportunities for enacting meaningful, lasting change. 

From the October 2024 issue:    

Beyond Everest
Corinne Richardson with Pem Dorjee Sherpa
DartFrog Plus
978-1-961624-85-6         $15.99
DartFrog Books 

Beyond Everest: One Sherpa’s Summit and Hope for Nepal is not your usual mountaineering story of scaling the famous mountain, but documents the life of a Sherpa whose summit of Everest saved him from poverty and opened new doors to success. 

Sherpa stories often remain untold because of the language barrier and the need to know English. Enter writer Corinne Richardson, whose abilities made Beyond Everest possible. 

Of special note is her focus on economic conditions, which are largely omitted from similar-sounding Everest stories in favor of an adventure focus. This gives the story added value by surveying poverty, how communities struggle and develop pathways towards better living, and the economic impact of tourism and adventuring on participants and countries hosting exploration opportunities. 

The result is a rare survey, highly recommended for libraries that want to move beyond typical Everest mountain climbing and into worlds addressing adventure tourism’s economic and cultural impacts.

From the September 2024 issue:    

On the Front Lines of Democracy: An Election Official’s Story of Protecting the Vote in 2020
Jackie Wu
Golden Torch Press
979-8-9911228-0-1                 $14.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
Website: www.jwuconsulting.com/book 

On the Front Lines of Democracy: An Election Official’s Story of Protecting the Vote in 2020 presents a month-by-month survey of events in 2020 America that melds insights into Jackie Wu’s life and status as a first-generation American, the child of immigrant parents, with observations of democratic processes specifically, voting rights, which are intrinsic to a fair and free democracy. 

While its focus is on what it’s like to be an election official making decisions and overseeing this right to vote, On the Front Lines of Democracy even more importantly documents the daily struggles and wars for preserving rights that have been eroded or vanquished in other countries. 

Readers interested in election administration processes receive all the nuts and bolts of such efforts as experienced by Wu in 2020, opening with the health challenges COVID posed to election workers and voters alike. 

On the Front Lines of Democracy is very highly recommended for libraries seeking personal and political works covering democratic processes in general and voting in particular, for readers interested in absorbing insights about democracy backed by the power of personal experience, and for book clubs and reader groups seeking debate and discussion materials about the nature and preservation of voter rights in America.

From the August 2024 issue:   

Black Men and Racial Trauma
Yamonte Cooper
Routledge/Taylor & Francis
9781032554112     
$170.00 Hardcover/$35.96 Paperback/$31.69 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Men-Racial-Trauma-Interventions/dp/1032554118 

As Cooper chronicles the many impacts of racism, his concurrent attention to the equal possibilities of healing creates a discourse on racial profiling, disparities, and history that moves between subjects of developing Black capitalism and mindset to social techniques employed to undermine Black male agency. These sometimes arise from unexpected places, such as feminist efforts. 

Eye-opening and certain to be controversial, Cooper’s analysis, contentions, and revelations are firmly rooted not just in psychology and mental health, but in social and historical analysis. This creates a powerful set of insights not to be found in any other book on black males, their psychology, or social analysis.

Libraries and book clubs will want to take note of this extraordinary and important survey.

From the July 2024 issue:    

Intimate Conversations
Larry Ruttman
Torchflame Books
978-1-61153-477-1                    
$50 Hardcover; $30 Paperback; $12.99 ebook
www.torchflamebooks.com

Intimate Conversations: Face to Face With Matchless Musicians holds many surprises.  In Larry Ruttman’s book, the issue of the future of classical music is discussed.

Ruttman’s discourses lies in a close inspection of the role and future of classical music in a changing society. These topics will not only involve anyone interested in music: they will spark important discourses between musicians and their audiences about the culture, adaptations, and information necessary to keep classical music on the radars of future generations.

Libraries seeking close inspections of classical music’s contemporary meaning will want to make Intimate Conversations a foundation acquisition for any serious music library. It’s a top choice for general-interest collections interested in why music remains so important and necessary to life, highly recommended for book clubs interested in interviews that will prompt discussion, debate, and reflection about the nature and evolution of classical music today.

From the June 2024 issue:    

How Much is Enough?
Claire Berger
Canoe Tree Press
978-1-961624-46-7                   $17.95
www.DartFrogBooks.com 

How Much Is Enough? Getting More By Living With Less is billed as an ‘interactive memoir’ and presents chapters that can be read in any order. Twenty-two chapters ask questions about different forms of wealth and value. 

While Berger’s life values and encounters form the crux of this book (which is why it is billed as a memoir), the interactive portion concluding each chapter invites readers to delve deeper into their own values and definition of what constitutes real wealth. 

Heady reading, perfect for libraries and book club discussion groups debating wealth, acquisition, value, and what ultimately constitutes happiness.

From the May 2024 issue:    

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. 

From musical interludes to interviews with immigrants who harbored different visions of opportunity in America, Lax creates a dialogue of hope, revelation, and discovery that juxtaposes startling, perhaps controversial truths about being Jewish and from an immigrant family in America. Given all the discussions and prejudices which surround this topic, it’s essential that Not From Here be included in any concrete discussion about Jewish heritage, immigrant experience, American ideals, and both the failures and promises of the nation. 

The fact that it will prove controversial and provoke dialogues and debates in many an audience is actually a ‘plus’ when it comes to opening minds and hearts to new realities.

From the April 2024 issue:    

Everything Slows Down
Garry Cosnett
Secant Publishing
979-8988641056                       $24.00 Hardcover/$7.99 eBook
www.secantpublishing.com 

Everything Slows Down: My Hidden Life with Depression: How I Survived, What I Learned demonstrates that the topic of depression (in particular, living with long-term depression) has not been exhausted by other memoirs and medical guides on the market. 

Garry Cosnett’s journey documents the tidal back-and-forth of drugs, treatments, and the influences which dictate their assignment and use. 

Cosnett’s candid accounts of successes (whether limited or more long-term), failures, ongoing challenges, and the shifting nature of drugs and their applications makes for a story that will educate a wide range of followers, from medical students and psychiatrists interested in the experiences and course of depression to fellow survivors who will not just walk in Cosnett’s footsteps, but learn from his choices. 

From the March 2024 issue:    

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

Fictionalized, shared autobiographies are rare, but a taste of excellence, From Hardship to Hope demonstrates that this collaborative approach can produce exceptional results. 

The "autofiction" blend is connected and enhanced by drama and fictional devices of expansive setting and psychology in a story fraught with insights about prejudice, social reaction, change, justice, and philosophy. 

The contrasts between pregnant, homeless, Black teen Ruby Blue, who is temporarily housed with Zoe, a White, aging widow, gives readers an impactful scenario in which  Zoe's privileged heritage contrasts heavily with that of Ruby Blue, whose incarcerated husband and life reflect a very different reality. 

This impact is why From Hardship To Hope is very highly recommended to a wide audience (including book club discussion groups) seeking powerful, memorable stories that both resonate and stand out from the crowd with a literary, social, and philosophical prowess rarely observed in modern fiction. 

From the February 2024 issue:    

How Boys Learn
Jeff Kirchick
Atmosphere Press
9798891320963                        $16.99 Paper/$8.99 ebook
www.atmospherepress.com 

How Boys Learn's fictional focus is on toxic masculinity and how boys learn it. While nonfiction parenting books have addressed this topic, few hold the power or attraction of the approach cultivated by Jeff Kirchick in How Boys Learn. 

It offers blueprints for action, reaction, and positive change in the guise of short story examples that contrasts male perceptions, actions, and opportunities for change. 

How Boys Learn both shows and tells. It tells of men of all ages who are not immune to epiphanies about their lives, prejudices, and approaches to being male; and it shows these progressive learning experiences through reflective, diverse short stories that sparkle with insight. 

Libraries, parenting groups, any adults working with teens, and many a young reader alike will all find its diverse examples thought-provoking and worthy of both individual contemplation and group discussion. 

From the January 2024 issue:    

Infectious Injustice
Justin Cook
Fulton Books
979-8-88731-972-8
$53.95 Hardcover/$41.95 Paper/$9.95 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Infectious-Injustice-Survival-Corruption-Incarceration/dp/B0CKC1PVP9

Blistering attacks on the American incarceration system are not unusual, but what sets Justin Cook's passionate discourse Infectious Injustice: The True Story of Survival and Loss against Corruption, the COVID-19 Disaster inside of San Quentin, and the Dumpster Fire that is Known as Mass Incarceration apart from most others is his attention to eye-opening details about prison management. This not only identifies injustices, but results in concrete advice on how inmates can survive them.

Cook penetrates the inner sanctum of the "cesspool" that is San Quentin State Prison, cultivating a gritty, glaring tone as he captures a culture that most people outside of the justice system do not fully understand.

Ideally, Infectious Injustice should be required, assigned reading for inmates and those who have any interest or involvement in a prison system. Its candid, controversial and passionate arguments will prove critical for discussion and debate among a wide circle of readers, from book clubs interested in memoirs of prison experience to social justice and injustice classes, political science students, and anyone with a concern about fighting fear, repression, and incarceration disasters that operate undercover, in open defiance of democratic and humanitarian principles today.

From the December 2023 issue:    

Easy in Harness
Alan Cohen
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-032-1
$19.99 Paperback/28.99 hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com

Easy in Harness: A Productive Approach to Hiring a Good Manager should be in any business library as well as discussed in any circles where leadership and management roles are of interest.

Its astute focus on the practicalities of what works, what doesn't, and why provides a survey of common workplace and manager dysfunction and considers the roots of building better business relationships based on cooperative sharing, making this book a foundation guide for any entrepreneur or visionary thinker interested in conducting leadership activities on a whole new, enlightened level.

From the November 2023 issue:    

Keeping Your Seat at the Table
Nori Jabba
1st World Publishing
978-1-4218-3536-5
$21.95 Paper/$14.95 Audio/$9.97 ebook
Website: www.keepingyourseat.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Seat-at-Table/dp/1421835363

Plenty of books discuss women's empowerment and gaining a foothold in business circles and political positions of influence, but few address the underlying challenge of how to manage and hold onto these roles.

That's why Keeping Your Seat at the Table deserves a prominent place in a wide range of collections, from women's issues to business books, self-help titles, and those appealing to women searching for keys to not just obtaining, but maintaining power.

Between its insights into leadership qualities and its blend of research, stories, and insights, Keeping Your Seat at the Table provides a perspective and approach that makes it an invaluable, unique addition to any collection and conversation revolving around empowerment, management challenges, and not only keeping a seat at that table of influence, but redefining it.

From the October 2023 issue:    

Labels of Empire: Textile Trademarks. Windows into India in the time of the Raj
Susan Meller
Goff Books
978-1-954081-25-3                    $150.00
Publisher:www.goffbooks.com
Website: www.labelsofempire.com 

Libraries and readers seeking a blend of visual excellent and authoritative and detailed historical research will find Labels of Empire suitable for any collection strong in India's arts, history, and culture. 

Susan Meller gathers a set of high-quality, striking examples of textile labels and bazaar prints to illustrate the events that linked and drove Eastern and Western interests and culture during the Raj era. 

The image-driven account, backed by years of research and authoritative notes, translates to a wide-ranging survey unparalleled in art or history literature, making Labels of Empire a exceptional, unprecedented, and highly recommended library reference.

From the September 2023 issue:    

ACTing Now
Norman B. Schwartz
Worthy Reads/Cresting Wave Publishing
978-1-956048-17-9                    $15.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/ACTing-Now-Approach-Techniques-Acting/dp/1956048170 

ACTing Now: A New Approach to the Old Techniques of Acting should be on the shelves of any library interested in drama education and performing arts. It features a more modern approach to cultivating good audition and acting choices, and should be a 'must' for any performing arts or aspiring actor's reference collection. 

Certain to spark controversy over its sometimes-vastly revised approaches, ACTing Now features exercises and objectives that embrace intention, action, the actor's responsibility to adhere to the script, and inner and outer choices that support the best possible interpretations of a scriptwriter's intentions.

 

From the August 2023 issue:    

Bacon Master of the Apocalypse
Frank Morin
Whipsaw Press
978-1-946910-27-1
$29.99 Hardcover/$15.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook
Website: https://www.frankmorin.org/books-shop/books/bacon-master/bacon-master-of-the-apocalypse/ 

Mix rich food-oriented references with a futuristic theme for a mouth-watering story replete in hijinks, humor, and hilarious encounters in Bacon Master of the Apocalypse.  

Frank Morin's hero, Rasher, is anything but predictable. Events, too, spin a yarn of surprise and delight as Rasher attempts to be something he is not, but finds himself in a role he never aspired to nor predicted. 

While Bacon Master of the Apocalypse will likely be chosen for its epic fantasy promise, libraries and readers who look for greater literary prowess and themes that promise to expand the initial audience from sci-fi to general interest reading will find the book attractive and unique.

From the July 2023 issue:    

Fast Fiction Volume 2: Man vs. Machine
Scotty Cornfield
Flagstone Press
ASIN: ‎B0C3BGX6S5                               $10.49 ebook/$15.95 paper
Website: www.scottycornfield.com 
Ordering: https://tinyurl.com/9unxrswn 

Just how much can be written in 101 words? A lot, as Scotty Cornfield proved in his original Fast Fiction and here, again, in companion volume Fast Fiction Volume 2: Man vs. Machine. 

This collection proves the power of a collaborative effort between AI and human writer. 

As these connected prompts unfold between man and machine, a battle of wits and creative responses to words evolves that will prove especially enlightening discussion material for any classroom (high school on up) interested in exploring the wellsprings of reaction, intuition, and the scenarios and approaches that differentiate human reactions from machine-generated words. 

Or, is there a difference? 

You decide. After all, you're the reader ... and you're only human. Or, are you? 

From the June 2023 issue:    

50 States of Mind
Ryan Bernsten
Bite-Sized Books Ltd, UK
978-1-7393107-4-5
$25.99 Hardcover/$15.99 Paper/$8.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/50-States-Mind-Rediscover-Democracy/dp/1739310748

If there's one thing most Americans will agree on, it's the fact that America is terribly divided, these days. Or, is it? 

The most intriguing aspect of Ryan Bernsten's story is his personal exploration through America asking questions about the nation's democratic processes and future. 

Democracy is always a fluid work-in-progress, Bernsten reminds us. It takes this book to understand why.

From the May 2023 issue:    

Better to Win
Bill Wong
Ronin Road Press
979-8-9878036-0-8                  $16.00 Paper/$7.99 ebook
Website: www.bettertowin.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Win-Hardball-Leadership-Influence-ebook/dp/B0BZGW3VLG

Better to Win's salvo of campaign and political experiences and encounters creates solid, compelling stories about "how to win hardball campaigns where underhanded and often unethical tactics are employed." These aren't idealistic contentions, but represent political and social tactics that have been proven to work, tested on life's playing field of adversity and confrontation.

While the examples utilized in Better to Win come from Wong's political world, they can be equally employed in business circles, social milieus, and any environment where tacit privilege and prejudice too often take the upper hand.

It's savvy intersection of life and political experience offers lessons that have been hard-win but, here, are easy to absorb.

 

From the April 2023 issue:    

Defcon
Michele Packard
Independently Published
979-8-9876077-0-1    
$5.99 ebook, $11.99 paperback, $19.99 hardback             
Website: www.michelepackard.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com

Defcon doesn't fit neatly into any pat genre read. Military in nature, but with a psychological force that lends it a deep personal flavor; thriller in action, but tempered by family relationships and close friendships; and flavored by political and historical information that invite debate and thought, Defcon is quite simply a standout for its adventure, tone, and powerful, female-driven protagonists.

Matti is one of a triplet of enhanced children. Her strong family ties have resulted in prodigy who also have extraordinary abilities, and who join her in her efforts to neutralize threats to the U.S.

Even seasoned thriller readers will be surprised and amazed by Defcon because Matti's character is spunky, sassy, and infused with proactive thinking and behaviors that translate into a passionate story infused with history and social observation.

Defcon is very highly recommended not just for prior fans of Matti's adventures, but for newcomers and libraries seeking exceptionally vivid thrillers spiced with song lyrics and proactive thinking.

From the March 2023 issue:    

From Oversight to Overkill
Simon N. Whitney
Rivertowns Books
978-1-953943-22-4
$32.95 Hardcover/$22.95 Paper/$7.99 ebook
Website: www.rivertownsbooks.com
Ordering: Bookshop.org

Most would admit the American medical system is broken, and might anticipate that From Oversight to Overkill: Inside the Broken System That Blocks Medical Breakthroughs—And How We Can Fix It would focus on the politics of why, casting blame in different directions.

But, even more important to the book's value is its proposals for fixing the methods that serve to limit medical research, breakthroughs, and fast solutions to medical issues—the Institutional Review Boards which exist at every hospital and medical school where research is done.

This focus places From Oversight to Overkill above and beyond more political or general medical system reviews, and should ideally be part of any just any health library, but discussion groups of medical professionals interested in resolving issues intrinsic to translating the latest medical findings to improved treatment and delivery systems.

From the February 2023 issue:    

Milestone Visual Documents in American History
Craig Kaplowitz, Editor
Schlager Group Inc.
9781935306726                          $395 print & ebook
http://www.SchlagerGroup.com

Libraries strong in American history, whether they be high school or college-level collections, will find a powerful set of selected milestone achievements in Milestone Visual Documents in American History, a study in visual images that helped shape America. 

It adopts a powerful visual approach to materials that have represented and interpreted American experiences from the country's inception, accompanying these with the analysis and reflection necessary to spark debates and discussion among all level of American history student. 

Each image was chosen for its individual strength as well as its opportunity for classroom discussion, making for a winning reference that justifies its high price tag with widespread relevance and usefulness throughout the educational system.

From the January 2023 issue:    

EINSTEIN: The Man and His Mind
Gary S Berger and Michael DiRuggiero
Damiani
Website: https://einstein-themanandhismind.net/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Man-Mind-Hanoch-Gutfreund/dp/8862087845/ 

So many books have been written about Einstein that readers might wonder at the need for yet another, but EINSTEIN: The Man and His Mind gathers photo highlights from the Berger Collection to capture Einstein's persona and achievements in a manner that has somehow been missed by the wealth of Einstein books already on the market. 

Rich in images, source material quotes from Einstein's own writings and letters, and backed with solid research that blends biographical background and notes with vintage photos for maximum impact, EINSTEIN: The Man and His Mind is a 'must' acquisition for any collection seeking an authoritative representation of the man and his contributions.

From the December 2022 issue:    

The Lonely Toadstool
Kristin Addington Culpepper
Weave Sunshine Publishing
979-8985777215                         
$18.99 Hardcover/$12.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
Website: https://www.weavesunshinepublishing.com/copy-of-about
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFTSZ5TD 

The Lonely Toadstool: A Children’s Books About New Friends That Come as We Find Our Voice is a celebration of growth that should reach a wide range of readers and read-aloud adults with an important message about community and connections that is especially important in divided, lonely times. 

The picture book story depicts  little toadstool's cry for help, his longing for support systems, and the surprising response his effort to connect brings back to him. 

Replete with important messages for modern times and wrapped in gorgeous colorful illustrations by Ruthie Arthur , The Lonely Toadstool provides all ages with an essential illustration of kindness as well as the importance of expressing emotion, asking for help, setting boundaries, and being more inclusive in their friendships. 

From the November 2022 issue:    

Crow Country
Emily Sullivan
J.A. Publications, Ltd.
978-0-9794124-4-8                   $15.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook
www.japublicationsltd.com 

and 

Crow Country Audiobook
Emily Sullivan
J.A. Publications, Ltd.
Narrator: Will Hahn                              $21.83
www.japublicationsltd.com 

Whether readers choose the print version or the audio of Crow Country, they can expect a real treat from the intersection of the Western and post-apocalyptic genres that are its backdrop. 

Readers used to thinking that the Old West is set in a particular time will find this futuristic backdrop alluring and surprising. 

Crow Country's powerful sense of place, purpose, and post-apocalyptic Colorado backdrop makes it a top recommendation for a wide range of readers who will find it a literary powerhouse of a read, while those who choose its audio incarnation will be delighted by narrator Will Hahn, whose  powerful, rich voice lends just the right touch of drama to the story. 

Readers of this apocalyptic Western novel may think they already know Emily Sullivan's powerful work, but listening to it in audio imparts another layer of depth. 

Both versions are simply outstanding.

From the October 2022 issue:    

Halfway From Home
Sarah Fawn Montgomery
Split/Lip Press
978-1-952897-25-52                  $16.00
https://www.splitlippress.com/halfway-from-home

Halfway From Home is an essay collection that imparts grief over the past and the hope for a better future. The poetic, lyrical lilt of these essays is like the kiss of love, deeply connected and involving. This is how language sings. This is the song of place, time, connection, hope, and life. Ideally, this is why the essay form can be so expressive and haunting—under the right hand. Sarah Fawn Montgomery's is that hand, creating a hard-hitting, memorable collection that transcends its form to reach into the hearts and minds of a wide audience of literary and psychologically astute readers.

From the September 2022 issue:    

Twas The Night
Pamela McColl
Grafton and Scratch Publishers
‎978-1927979303                         $36.00 Hardcover
https://www.amazon.com/Twas-Night-History-Classic-Christmas/dp/1927979307

Readers seeking a keepsake treasure trove combining the artistic Christmas spirit with history and cultural references will find Twas the Night an outstanding example of scholarship that gathers and features excerpts from a wide range of literary sources.

Another one of the foundations of Twas the Night's strength is its inclusion of hundreds of vintage images and works of art which accompany the analysis.

While one might think this should have been done already, over the years, if not time and again, it might come as a surprise to note that this is the first in-depth coverage of the poem's origins and incarnations.

Any collection looking for superior, solid, artistic, historical examinations of Christmas must include Twas the Night as a highly recommended mainstay. Whether a library is focused on art, history, popular culture, or Christmas, Twas the Night represents an outstanding work of literature and a compelling read the entire family can enjoy.

From the August 2022 issue:    

Oh Great, Another Vampire Book
Diane Hunter
Independently Published
‎978-0578395074                        $14.95 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Great-Another-Vampire-Book/dp/057839507X 

Since Anne Rice first published Interview with a Vampire, there has been a glut of look-alike vampire stories on the market that largely feel the same. Not so with Oh Great, Another Vampire Book, which adds satirical wit into the mix for a taste of something different. 

An ages-old vampire finds people boring, until a war breaks out to challenge the vamp population's relationship with humans. 

The social and political satire that permeates the action will prove especially satisfying to literature readers who may be well familiar with the vampire genre, but look for out-of-the-box interpretations and presentations, from its examination of "woke culture" to its thought-provoking consideration of media influence and responsibility. 

Readers and libraries looking for a literary, refreshingly original read will find Oh Great, Another Vampire Book a breath of fresh air that tackles surprising contemporary issues in unusual ways. 

From the July 2022 issue:    

Poteet Victory
J. Robert Keating
Atmosphere Press
978-1-63988-282-3                $36.99 Hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com

Many biographies of Native American figures have been written, but few hold the impact of a well-researched life that blends the facts of nonfiction with the power of a dramatic fictional draw like Poteet Victory.

The book represents a powerful study of an extraordinary Native American artist whose works revolutionized historical depictions of Native American history and lives.

Its unique, powerful blend of dialogue, quipping, interpersonal interactions, and artistic and social development and observations of Poteet come alive in a form nonfiction alone never could have achieved, making Poteet Victory a top acquisition for any collection interested in Native American affairs.

 From the June 2022 issue:    

The Mill
Cailyn Lloyd
Land of Oz LLC
ASIN: ‎B09LMQSN5M           $3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Mill-Cailyn-Lloyd-ebook/dp/B09LMQSN5M 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote: "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." 

The Mill will attract readers who like thrillers that include supernatural elements.

Its special combination of intrigue, mystery, thriller, and atmospheric police procedural cultivates a rich, emotional story that is a breath of fresh air in the genres of either mystery or thriller.

Can a ghost have a mental disorder? Sure, it can. The events that play out in the Mill are captivatingly original.

From the May 2022 issue:    

Bravery Becomes You
Sandra Travis Bildahl
Worthwords Publishing
978-1-7366851-0-5                     $14.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
www.worthwordspublishing.com 

Bravery Becomes You: On the Road to Fearless and Free poses the question "what if you were brave," but is actually a memoir that charts Sandra Travis Bildahl's quest for renewed passion and purpose as she stands at the crossroads. 

It's rare to find a memoir that operates equally effectively on the levels of autobiography and self-help, but this inspirational survey is just what is needed to help readers survive modern COVID society. 

Sandra Travis Bildahl offers a powerful inspection of how opportunity can come from adversity, prompting attitude and perspective changes that lend to not just survival, but thriving. 

If only one self-help memoir were to be chosen in 2022, it should be this powerful, revealing story of transformation that hold many powerful admonitions and lessons for the world. 

From the April 2022 issue:    

The Boy Who Loved Boxes
Michael Albanese
The Weight of Ink
978-1-7328987-3-8                    $9.95
www.TheWeightofInk.com

Anyone who cultivates order and organization in their lives and who has found COVID to be especially brutal in attacking predictability will find The Boy Who Loved Boxes holds a key message not to be found elsewhere.

This will also appeal to those with short attention spans, as it's presented in a format akin to a children's picture book, but contains an essential message all ages need to hear.

While it might have once been questionable to choose the picture book format for an adult audience, during these stressful years where people have very short attention spans and limited coping capabilities, it's just the ticket for an encouraging, stress-free read.

From the March 2022 issue:    

Purpose Work Nation
Brandon Peele
Independently Published
9798411780376           $15.00
http://purposework.us

Purpose Work Nation is is a powerful survey of business and human affairs that links diversity to strength and eschews the predatory, inhumane approaches of the "eagle" in favor of the "bison way" which confronts white supremacy and positions the workplace as the starting place to effect real social and political change.

Readers may initially be drawn by the book's promise of keys to better leadership, but they'll find its wider-ranging approach to building a better culture ripples into society with lasting and positive impacts on human rights that lead to a better quality of life for all. 

Idealistic? Yes. Achievable? Absolutely. 

Purpose Work Nation is highly recommended for libraries strong in social and political issues, civil rights, business, and American civics.

From the February 2022 issue:    

Bars for Days
Mic Nickels
Independently Published
979-8756328882                       $17.99 Paper/$7.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Bars-Days-Mic-Nickels/dp/B09MDDLV6C 

Bars for Days is a Reviewer's Choice that defies pat categorization, offering an unusual opportunity for social, familial, and interpersonal inspections.

It's a vivid chronicle of the hip hop world and a life that blossoms in the Information Age that captures the momentum and atmosphere of the world he moves in to provide a vibrant interactive experience very highly recommended for a wide audience; even normally-reluctant younger generations who usually eschew the written word and descriptions any longer than a Tweet.

From the January 2022 issue:   
Rise Above It, Darling!
Judy White Staber
The Troy Book Makers
978-1-61468-671-2                     $21.99 Paper/$9.99 ebook
www.thetroybookmakers.com

Daughter Judy White Staber's attempt to understand, define, and forgive her actress mother provides a thought-provoking story that will resonate with any reader critical of their parents' choices and presence or absence in their lives. 

The idea here is not to condemn, but to understand, reconcile, and outline a different kind of parenting style than the usual portrait of a devoted mother figure who always stays at home and chooses children over career.

Rise Above It, Darling is a powerful story highly recommended for memoir readers, career parents and their children, and anyone interested in mother/daughter relationships.

From the December 2021 issue:   

Ghost Runners: An Olympic Dream Betrayed
Robert Rubenstein
Independently Published
979-8480247794
$27.95 Hardcover/$19.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Runners-Olympic-Dream-Betrayed/dp/B09GJMCH7G

It's rare to see a historical novel and sports examination that also chronicles anti-Semitism and prejudice in the athletic world, blending in-depth research and facts from pre-Nazi Germany through World War II.

Rubenstein's close inspections of real-world events surrounding the American Olympic team in Nazi Germany in Berlin in August of 1936 (during the Holocaust) will interest and attract novel readers not just for its sports milieu, but for its close inspections of racism and the forces that contributed to the rise of oppression in various forms, against various peoples, around the world. Even champions.

Perhaps the real power of Ghost Runners lies in its ability to meld an impressive historical backdrop with a fictional consideration of special interests and the political struggles that inject themselves into an athlete's choices and competitive drive to win against all odds.

In this milieu, winning against all odds includes more than physical ability. It's about reconsidering the kinds of decisions and influences that dictate the rules of the game itself, even at its highest levels.

From the November 2021 issue:   

Ghoul n' the Cape
Josh Malerman
Earthling Publications
978-1-7369284-2-4                          $75.00 (Limited Edition)
www.earthlingpub.com 

Josh Malerman's special brand of horror in Ghoul n' the Cape is not for the light reader, but for fans of literary productions who enjoy stories that push the envelope of myth and imagination. 

As a disparate group of characters face the limits of myth and imagination, a cross-country journey provides a surrealistic attention to detail and imagination that is refreshingly unique, always unexpected, and hard to put down. Ghoul n' the Cape is a recommendation that stands in a class of its own, but which will especially appeal to literary horror readers.

From the October 2021 issue:   

Trailblazers
Gabrielle David
2Leaf Press
978-1940939797                              $34.99
www.2leafpress.org 

This first volume in a six-book series is a top recommendation for collections seeking a lively, definitive, diverse series of biographical sketches of black women's lives. 

It covers women from all walks of life, all economic and social backgrounds, and includes both familiar and less familiar names. The achievers' lives are linked to their social influence and lasting impacts, also surveying the forces on all sides which kept these women repressed and their achievements lesser-known even within the civil rights community. 

Its coverage of flagship programs, cooperative and individual efforts to effect positive changes, and personal ambition leading to broader social changes is unparalleled, making it a top recommendation for all ages and for collections strong in civil rights history, activism, and women's achievements. 

From the September 2021 issue:  

Racing with Aloha
Fred Haywood
Morgan James Publishing
9781631953712                  $14.95
Website: www.racingwithaloha.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Racing-Aloha-Inspiring-Barefoot-Champion/dp/1631953710 

Combine Hawaiian cultural explorations with a focus on a surfing great for a blend of competition challenges and Hawaiian culture and life, add in Western attitudes towards and perceptions of Hawaiians, and finish the project with a memoir that is delightfully vivid for a taste of a personal life blended with Hawaii's unique peoples and environment. 

These facets make Racing with Aloha much more than a memoir alone, but a fine mirror of Hawaiian history and interests that will delight anyone with an interest in the state's achievements and peoples. 

From the August 2021 Issue:  

Amanda911
Mark Schreiber
Pleasure Boat Studio
978-1-7370520-1-2         $21.95
Hardcover                       $16.00 Paper
www.pleasureboatstudio.com

Sixteen-year-old Amanda Dizon's fall into a well during the presidential primary campaign leads to unwanted media attention, celebrity status, and a political focus that Amanda is ill-equipped to handle.

As a concerned grandfather fields social media and reporters and a teenager grapples with newfound fame, Amanda911 becomes a tale impossible to predict, holding social, political, and family relationship twists and turns that will attract not just young adult audiences, but readers of all ages looking for something refreshingly original in tone and subject.

From the July 2021 Issue:   

Earth’s Climate Heroes
VIBE (Verdani Institute for the Built Environment) and Daniele Horton
978-1736866917            $13.99 Paper/$7.99 ebook
Website: https://www.verdani-institute.org/earths-climate-heroes
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Earths-Climate-Verdani-Institute-Environment/dp/1736866915 

In an era where environmental awareness commands attention to detail and a sense of personal connectivity and empowerment about making choices that support the environment, it's best to begin with the energy and positive perspective of youth. 

That's why Daniele Horton's Earth's Climate Heroes is particularly notable. Its attention to empowering ages 5-10 through the experiences of a diverse group of concerned young citizens who join together to tackle their community's challenges provides a "yes we can" feel that will be essential to creating new generations who not only understand the science behind environmental degradation, but their own roles in making the kinds of decisions that either contribute to or alleviate the problem. 

From the June 2021 Issue:  

This month represents an exception to picking out a single book to profile, because three very different, equally invaluable books are especially highly recommended reading. 

First up: 

Badass Pix with a Cheap-Ass Camera
Annie Mack
Cresting Wave Publishing
978-1735413525                 $22.95 Paperback, $19.95 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Badass-Cheap-Ass-Camera-Annie-Mack/dp/1735413526

There are so many photography how-to books on the market that one might wonder at the need for yet another. The proof of an exceptional read lies not so much in the subject as the author's approach to it, as is Badass Pix with a Cheap-Ass Camera. 

No special equipment or artistic expertise is required to absorb the foundations of what makes a photo exceptional versus just acceptable, here. 

The lively, sassy, spunky and direct explanations cultivated by Annie Mack will especially appeal to aspiring photographers on a budget. 

Secondly, consider: 

Gaslighting Recovery Workbook
Tara Wilson
Vox Publishing House
979-8730697584                              $11.99 Paper/$2.99 ebook
https://www.facebook.com/voxpublishinghouse

A number of books define the term and offer examples, but Tara Wilson's guide on how to not just identify but overcome gaslighting in a range of situations provides an essential key to recovery and a better life. 

The clues on what to do in gaslighting situations offer invaluable information that's simply not found in competing discussions. 

Finally, there's the passionate youth-celebrating title: 

Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life Changing Stories of Young Heroes
Marianne Larned
Stone Soup Leadership Institute, Inc.
978-0-578-89380-8                         $29.95 Book/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092Z6LF1M 

Anyone who thinks youth are self-centered and inherently incapable of making a difference needs to consider this survey of some 100 biographies of young people concerned about the environment and its preservation and acting on their beliefs. 

Each story profiles a climate change trailblazer committed to making a difference. 

How to choose between these books? Don't. Include them all: each is an exceptional, highly recommended read or library acquisition.

From the May 2021 Issue: 

You Might Feel a Little Prick
Reuben Leder
FriesenPress
978-1-5255-7309-5         $22.99
www.friesenpress.com 

Medical thriller readers won't anticipate the level of literary satire embedded into the story You Might Feel a Little Prick, but from its title to its story of a couple's search for justice, the truth, and moral and ethical redemption, this is a story delightful in its language, presentation, and intrigue. 

Reuben Leder's creation of a very different brand of thriller that blends wry humor into corporate shenanigans and struggle will intrigue readers from different genres who receive a more literary and engaging saga than most.

From the April 2021 Issue:

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops
Allison Hong Merrill 
She Writes Press
978-1647421892        $16.95 Paper/$9.95 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Ninety-Nine-Fire-Hoops-Allison-Merrill/dp/1647421896

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops follows Allison Hong Merrill's extraordinary journey from Taiwan and her family's Buddhist faith to America, where she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dropped out of college to join a mission to Taiwan, married, and wound up in Utah, where her ideals and perceptions clashed with a culture she had long envisioned but little understood.

As she moves between different cultures and generations, Merrill creates an exceptionally strong account of Mormon and Chinese worlds as they intersect with other cultures in different places, capturing the nuances of these movements and their lasting impacts beyond the unexpected course of her own life.

Memoir readers with a special interest in contemporary Mormon culture or Chinese immigrant experience will find Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops extraordinary.

From the March 2021 Issue:

Memories Live Here
Marc Sheinbaum
Independently Published
9798552235629 $10.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
Author website: www.marcsheinbaumbooks.com

Blend an AI evolutionary tale with a thriller and think deep psychological inspection for a glimpse of the unusual approaches taken by Marc Sheinbaum in Memories Life Here.

While the most likely audience for this story will be sci-fi readers with a special interest in AI or supernatural themes, to describe Memories Live Here as appealing to these genre categories alone would be to do it an injustice.

It's a powerful saga replete with a fresh, rich approach to mystery and psychological and sci-fi elements, and will appeal to a wide audience.

From the February 2021 Issue:

Fishing for Something
Andrew Scott Bassett
Luminare Press
978-1-64388-352-6
Ebook-$4.99; Paperback-$15.95; Hardcover-$28.95

www.andrewscottbassett.com

Estranged brothers who embark on a road trip to follow their father's last wishes find many surprises along the way that teach them about both his life and relationships and each other.

Fishing for Something is a moving journey towards redemption, reconciliation, and family ties.

More of a philosophical and psychological sojourn than a road trip alone or a fishing expedition, it will attract literature readers looking for a solid story of discovery and healing.

From the January 2021 Issue:

The Sugar Maple Grove
John E. Espy
Open Books
978-1948598361            $21.95
http://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/the-sugar-maple-grove/about-book.html

While racial strife in bygone era Kentucky is the focus of this hard-hitting story, The Sugar Maple Grove, more so than most historical fiction, holds key lessons for modern times on how prejudice comes to take root in everyday life.

Through the eyes of a woman who revolts against prejudice and murder, lessons are imparted on social and cultural changes and how these affect perceptions of and circumstances of freedom in America.

Hard-hitting and unexpectedly relevant to modern times, The Sugar Maple Grove's review of processes and developments nicely illustrates the concept of 'simmering the frog' in which prejudice slowly grows...and also the concept of individual responsibility, courage, and empowerment.

From the December 2020 Issue:

What Dragons Like
Jared Eastley
Lurth Worx LLC
9781735570808 $19.95 Paper/$29.95 Hardcover

www.LurthWorx.com

There's no doubt that kids love dragons and that picture books featuring them hold a special allure, but even in a category where dragon books abound, What Dragons Like is an outstanding standout.

Few competing dragon picture books capture the sense of fun and imagination of this story, which outclasses the competition with 34 fine art paintings by different contributors to accompany an interactive format that encourages kids to explore their own tastes for fantasy and adventure.

From the November 2020 Issue:

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times
Lois Ann Nicolai
Bookbaby
Black & White: 9781098319786   $14.99   
ebook:  9781098319793      $ 2.99    
Color:  9781098327569 $32.44 

www.loisnicolaiauthor.com

Lois Ann Nicolai moved from being a wife and mother of six to an activist at age 50 after her husband died. After twenty-six years in Indiana, she made a sea change in her life that resulted in a move to Princeton to become an international activist and peacemaker. Her memoir of these times follows her decision to make this big move, her encounters with other cultures around the world, and the lasting impact her work had on other lives.

Readers looking for an inspirational memoir and blueprint of to make big changes in their own life purposes will find Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times an exceptional story.

From the October 2020 Issue:

The One Singularity
RD Palmer
RD Palmer, Publisher
Paperback: 978-1-7328491-4-3 $14.99
Ebook: 978-1-7328491-3-6 $ 4.99

http://www.rdpalmerbooks.com

Fans of the classic computer takeover story Colossus and similar stories of AI intelligence will find The One Singularity in a category of its own as it surveys the political, ethical, moral, and psychological influences of mankind's ability to craft a superpower that perhaps will oversee its demise. The contrasts between those who support its specific use to those who shun its creation are satisfyingly presented, involving readers in a story that keeps concepts of 'the enemy' mercurial and thought-provoking.

Its powerful story and changing perspectives features far more depth and philosophical, psychological, spiritual, and political inspection is provided than most other high-tech stories about supercomputer takeovers, making it a compelling read and a top recommendation for sci-fi and science readers alike.

 

From the September 2020 Issue:

Let Them Eat Pancakes
Craig Carlson
Pegasus Books
978-1-64313-440-6                              $27.95 Hardcover/$18.99 Kindle
www.pegasusbooks.us

 Most restaurateurs who dream of opening an establishment in Paris have their hearts set on gourmet fare and their restaurant experience firmly in hand.

Craig Carlson not only dreamed of introducing the French to an American-style diner, but he did so with no prior experience in either business or restaurant management. 

Let Them Eat Pancakes is an outstanding survey of an endeavor that seemed doomed to failure on many levels. It takes a culinary and cultural romp through French cuisine and presents a lively, compelling story that will appeal to anyone with an interest in French affairs and American and French food. 

Its lively tone and presentation makes it a highly recommended standout in both travel and culinary literature.

 

From the August 2020 Issue:

The Quarantine Bears
Jay & Meg Sutherland
The Booth of Us
978-0-578-72239-9         $$29.99 (coupons available)
Publisher: www.theboothofus.com
Amazon: www.amazon.com
Bookbaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/The-Quarantine-Bears
Website: www.TheQuarantineBears.com 

The Quarantine Bears pairs a rollicking two-line-per-page rhyming picture book with the story of a family of bears who awaken from hibernation expecting to enjoy another season in the sun. But something is different this year...as they go for a family run, they observe that everything is closed, and people are wearing masks outside: "The stores were all closed, the streets were all bare/and a few folks in masks almost gave us a scare!" 

They turn on the television to find that they have woken up to a nightmare. What's a bear to do? Lay in supplies, of course. 

As they develop new habits indoors and under new rules, the bears discover there is actually "plenty to do", and forge new habits and lives for themselves as they await safety and recovery. 

The Quarantine Bears's realistic yet friendly tone makes it the perfect item of choice to help the very young adapt to new realities. "This can't last forever" is one of the messages in a lively story that does a terrific job of pointing out new realities and how to live a good life under them. 

Parents will find this appealing family of bears and their observations and decisions provide easy lessons for kids on how to live under COVID restrictions, yet anticipate a positive new day in the future. 

It's highly recommended for parents looking for an introduction to COVID rules and their rationale, for the very young. 

From the July 2020 Issue:

 Our Bodies Stay Home, Our Imaginations Run Free
Lora L. Hyler
HenschelHAUS Publishing, Inc.
978-1595987747            $8.99
https://www.amazon.com/Bodies-Stay-Home-Imaginations-Free/dp/1595987746 

 One of the most challenging aspects of COVID is not just explaining restrictions to young children, but helping them create a positive viewpoint of life despite these new limitations on their freedoms and actions.

 Our Bodies Stay Home. Our Imaginations Run Free offers a solid foundation for discussing COVID and safety to kids ages 6-12, but its special value lies in exploring how they can create a meaningful life despite COVID.

 Second grader Maya realizes that today is a different day, but comes to understand the new opportunities each day brings.

 This book is key to helping young people understand new options, not just new restrictions, and is highly recommended as a starting point for important, positive discussions. 

From the June 2020 Issue:

Nod
J.M. Stephen
D.X. Varos, Ltd.
Paperback: 978-1-941072-74-5 $18.95
Ebook: 978-1-941072-75-2 $ 6.99

https://www.amazon.com/Nod-J-M-Stephen/dp/1941072747

Nod is a compelling retelling of a Biblical land that only receives casual mention in the early part of the Bible, but here receives embellishment and a perspective that is compelling, unusual, and hard to put down.

Its original approach is delightful as it draws different relationships between traditional Biblical figures and weaves a story into the nearly-forgotten land of Nod, creating an epic saga that holds the power to reach Christian and secular readers alike.

With its unique perspectives and ability to view Biblical relationships and events from a very different vantage point, Nod is highly recommended as a literary adventure that is original, unexpected, and hard to put down.

From the May 2020 Issue:

Don of the Q
Michael Guillebeau
Madison Press
Paperback: 978-0-9972055-7-2:   $13.99
Ebook: 978-0-9972055-6-5          $ 3.99
https://www.amazon.com/Don-American-Quixote-Atomic-Age-ebook/dp/B083BB5773 

Don of the Q is a delightful, quirky spoof especially recommended for students of the classic Don Quixote, and presents modern-day twist on the tale when a convenience store clerk gets amnesia and comes to believe he's an angel sent to Earth to do good.

The irony lies in that his efforts often result in disasters, as bad guys search for the atomic weapon he just so happens to have in his basement and Don is captured and forced to thwart his own intentions.

The blend of humor, zany fun, and literary references combine to create a delightfully original story that spoofs not only its predecessor, but life itself.

From the April 2020 Issue:

Bucking the Artworld Tide: Reflections on Art, Pseudo Art, Art Education & Theory
Michelle Marder Kamhi
Pro Arte Books
Paper: 978-0-9906057-3-7 $18.00
Kindle: 978-0-9906057-4-4   $ 9.99
Epub: 978-0-9906057-5-1 $ 9.99

Publication Date: May 15th, 2020

https://www.mmkamhi.com/

Anyone involved in the world of art curating, definition, and promotion should read Bucking the Artworld Tide. It shakes the foundation of today’s art establishment, challenging its basic tenets., highlighting the glaring disparity between old and new forms of artistic expression, and pointing to fundamental differences in how (and whether) the viewer can understand and appreciate works on their own terms, without “expert” explanation.

Quite simply an outstanding rebuttal to popular notions of what constitutes art , this book offers a debate and newfound appreciation for true artistic expression.

From the March 2020 Issue:

If She Had Stayed
Diane Byington
Red Adept Publishing, LLC
978-1-948051-47-7 $9.99

https://www.amazon.com/She-Had-Stayed-Diane-Byington-ebook/dp/B084D619KF

What would you do if you found a time machine and used it to change your life? What if the secrets uncovered during this journey proved threatening and deadly? Would you give up your memories and life to travel into the past and rewrite everything? A museum curator's involvement in a time travel journey combines a mystery with risk-taking choices over time travel, career, and romance to create a compelling, memorable story that is more multifaceted and absorbing than either a mystery or time travel saga alone could have achieved.

From the February 2020 Issue:

Teller
Michele Packard
Independently Published
9781655144257 $9.99

www.michelepackard.com

Mattie Baker is everything one could desire in a thriller about a feisty nearly-superhuman agent. She has special abilities, she's spunky and sassy, and her assertive, proactive spark translates to a read that stands out from everything in the genre.

In Teller, the final volume of the series, she faces the loss of everyone she loves and her own life, as well. This spitfire's recovery involves revenge and retribution, and provides an emotionally charged, high-octane romp through crime and love that will keep readers both guessing and enchanted by a thoroughly original, refreshing protagonist that grabs her world with both hands and charges into danger.

From the January 2020 Issue:

The California Immigrant
Barbara King
Cypress Point Press LLC 
978-1733536905            $16.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/California-Immigrant-Monterey-Bay/dp/1733536906

The California Immigrant is steeped in the Croatian community and documents how world politics invades a quiet town and leads Martin to become politically active to help his fellow countrymen back home. It juxtaposes the culture of California and its mixture of ethnic groups and immigrants with the broader questions of an America posed on the brink of conflict, blending the concerns of rural farmers and local small townspeople into changing worldviews which many of the immigrants foster through their actions and choices. 

In many ways, The California Immigrant represents the quintessential mix that is American culture, which takes the roots and concerns of an array of different peoples and blends them into an evolving society, creating something completely different than its individual units or origins. Barbara King does an outstanding job of capturing not just one immigrant's experience but the cultural backdrop of California at the time of the Pearl Harbor bombing, following its impact on all immigrant lives and the events which give rise to prejudice and strife in American society.

Readers interested in California history who look to the novel format for an easier way of absorbing that experience will find no better place to begin than with The California Immigrant, a striking story of a Yugoslavian immigra

From the December 2019 Issue:

Lustily Ever After
Stephanie Bentley
Story by Miranda Ray
978-1089023753            $6.95 Audio/$2.99 ebook
https://www.lustilyeverafter.com/ 

Anyone who has ever read much in the romance novel genre is well aware of the typical devices common to the majority of romance reads that include highly dramatized, passionate scenes, idealized perceptions of love and attraction, and more. 

Now imagine all these romance approaches with a tongue-in-cheek exaggerated twist, brought to life in audio, and you have an idea of the fun and humor permeating the audio version of Lustily Ever After. 

The story quite simply makes fun of these romance stories. The more a listener is familiar with these genre reads, the funnier the audio production becomes. 

Add the trappings of a musical to the irony with its very musically adept interludes for a hilarious spoof no romance reader (and many with only a casual familiarity with the genre) should be without.

Add the trappings of a musical to the irony with its very musically adept interludes for a hilarious spoof no romance reader (and many with only a casual familiarity with the genre) should be without.

From the November 2019 Issue:

David - Savakerrva, Vol 1
Lawrence Brown
Independently Published
978-1096469919 $19.99 Paper/$7.99 Kindle

www.savakerrva.com

Take an extraordinary boy from Detroit who has always seemed ordinary, add an alien invasion's long-range impact, and blend a coming-of-age story with a legacy that changes the world for a thoroughly engrossing, original tale designed to appeal to adult and teen sci-fi readers alike.

David - Savakerrva, Vol 1 holds the ability to reach readers of all ages, creating a plot that is filled with feisty characters, intrigue and mystery, epic battles, and imaginative scenarios.

Readers who like sweeping epics and compelling characters will find this story a standout, highly recommended above other reads for its involving characters and original premise.

From the October 2019 Issue:

 The Way We Work: On the Job in Hollywood
Bruce Ferber, Editor
A Vireo Books/Rare Bird Books
9781644280140                   $18.00 Paper/$14.99 Kindle
www.rarebirdbooks.com

 Readers interested in Hollywood history and media studies have a wealth of biographies, autobiographies, and studies to choose from; but Bruce Ferber's The Way We Work: On the Job in Hollywood stands out from the crowd because it focuses on different industry experiences from different perspectives.

 The essays come from successful Hollywood directors, writers, and producers who offer their personal experiences and insights, creating a unique and practical guide on real-world situations and Hollywood encounters.

 There are many titles on the market on how to break into Hollywood, but few include the nitty-gritty of daily experiences and social and political interactions, making The Way We Work a practical, invaluable guide for anyone who wants to know what it's really like to work in Hollywood.

 

From the September 2019 Issue:

Marion's 25
Marion Hill
Red Mango Publishing
978-0998761268 $9.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998761265

Professional book reviewers rarely take the time to stop and assess the bigger picture of standout titles among all the books they have either read or reviewed, which is why Marion Hill's Marion's 25 is a rare breed among book lists and recommendations.

Marion Hill has nine years of experience reading and reviewing books, but this selection of only 25 gems is a standout because it crosses many genres and chooses writings that are truly diverse and representative of the cream of the crop.

Such a list invites book readers to expand their horizons of reading, from classics to modern literature, in a way that virtually guarantees what any bookworm looks for: a solid, superior, memorable read.

Marion's 25 is a great place to begin to pinpoint the best of the best, which can lead to a great expansion of knowledge and an attention to trying new things.

From the August 2019 Issue:

Get Your Life Together, Girl
Danielle A. Vann

https://www.danielleavann.com/

Everyone has a choice to make about how they will live their lives: by embracing circumstance, accepting fear, or overcoming adversity to move into a better, more self-determined state of being. Many self-help books hold insights on this process, but none are as hard-hitting or specific as Danielle A. Vann's Get Your Life Together, Girl: a real manifesto for change.

Self-help readers interested in taking action to see opportunity in obstacles and 'live in growth' could have no better blueprint for this process than this book, which is very, very highly recommended not just for its far-reaching ideals, but for the very solid specifics of how to get to a state of mind that embraces change and actionable choices.

From the July 2019 Issue:

Never Sit If You Can Dance
Jo Giese
She Writes Press
9781631525339 $16.95

www.shewritespress.com

On the face of it, Never Sit If You Can Dance is a memoir about Jo Giese's mother; but it's also a celebration of mother-daughter differences, evolving relationships from childhood to adulthood, and a dance between two very different individuals who find themselves becoming closer as the years go by.

While this book would be a hit especially recommended for Mother's Day, its bright, effervescent celebratory manner will find an audience year-round. It's very highly recommended as an inspirational read that moves beyond one woman's life and one daughter's changing relationship with her mother.

From the June 2019 Issue:

Solve the Divorce Dilemma
Sonia Frontera
Coventina House
9781733569521 (Ebook) $ 6.99
9781733569538 (Paperback) $12.99

Website: https://www.soniafrontera.com
Amazon Sales Page: http://bit.ly/get_off_the_fence
Universal URL: https://books2read.com/u/4XRByN
Sales Via Author Website:  https://www.soniafrontera.com

Women who want to assess the potential survival of their marriage should consider Solve the Divorce Dilemma: Do You Keep Your Husband or Do You Post Him on Craigslist?: Get Clear, Get Strong and Get Off the Fence. A Roadmap to Freedom ... Sister's Guides to Empowered Living one of the most powerful tools in their toolkit of understanding.

Under the guise of a whimsical, chatty piece lies an undertone of serious strategies for testing and rating one's relationship to see if it's truly time to call it quits, or if it's possible to make major revisions.

There are many, many books on the market about divorce, but Sonia Frontera's tone and techniques hold a satisfying difference from most, allowing women to take back control of the process how to make judgments and changes more clearly. Designed to supplement professional help, Solve the Divorce Dilemma is not a pro- or anti-divorce treatise, but one which encourages readers to enter this analysis with eyes wide open, and should be the first 'go-to' guide for any woman contemplating marital change.

From the May 2019 Issue:

#LookUp: A Parenting Guide to Screen Use
Judy Stoffel
Wise Ink
978-1-63489-201-8 $14.95

www.thelookupbook.com

Readers might anticipate a discussion of limiting or eliminating screen time by the title of this book, but parents receive a broader (and better) guide that goes beyond admonitions about monitoring content to consider how media actually changes family interactions and relationships and perhaps physically harms childrens' developing brains.

Parents are encouraged to become more knowledgable and involved about their kids' devices in a guide that addresses habits that affect interpersonal relationships and create solutions all ages can use.

The broader social, psychological and political perspective of this book makes it a top pick.

From the April 2019 Issue:

I Did It...You Can, Too!
Fiona Harewood
Hope Publishers
978-0-9838774-0-0 $15.00 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
www.fionaharewood.com

Anyone who would return to school after a hiatus needs this primer, which comes packed with information not only on how to re-enter school to complete a degree or goal, but why this is necessary.

From locating resources and mentors to considering financial aid and family adjustments, this book goes the extra mile in connecting the dots between life goals and higher education, offering the kinds of approaches and ideas that must be considered for a successful return to the education system.

No returning adult learner should embark on this endeavor without first consulting this book.

From the March 2019 Issue:

We Sit
Paintings by Marley Kaul
Poems by Taiju Geri Wilimer
Mill Studio Press
9781732389403             $20.00
www.marleykaul.com

We Sit represents a powerful synthesis of art and poem and juxtaposes free verse
with intricate color images on facing pages. The collaboration between Marley Kaul
and Taiju Geri Wilmer offers an exquisite, delicate dance between word and vision
that is spiritually insightful, psychologically powerful, and philosophically
introspective, all in one.

Many poets and artists have attempted shared projects. Few achieve the impact and
appeal of We Sit, which should be in literary and arts collections alike.

From the February 2019 Issue:

Cooking after Brain Injury: Easy Cooking for Recovery: Book 3
Susana Stoica, PhD
Healing Alternatives Press
ASIN: B07KWGLNQP $9.95 Kindle
http://a.co/d/dzyZrG3

Cooking After Brain Injury empowers those brain-injured individuals who either associate cooking with independence or who used to be cooks before their injury, and creates a structured series of introductory cooking lessons specifically tailored to those who struggle with ordinary tasks after brain injury.

With its shorter size and step-by-step instructions adjusted for those with limited attention and abilities, the series in general and this book in particular offer a progressive series of lessons to re-introduce adult cooks to kitchen basics in a way they can absorb.

The author herself is recovering from brain injuries; and her prior background as a good home cook combines nicely with relearning tools that no brain-injured reader should be without.

From the January 2019 Issue:

Driven: An Oaktown Girls Novel
Suzanne Falter
New Heights Publishing
978-0-9969981-3-0         $12.99 paperback, $4.99 eBook
Author website: suzannefalterfiction.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L9GGJCR

Driven is a  winning novel not just for its plot, which outlines the personal and business dilemma of a LBGT woman whose woman-owned car repair garage is facing stiff competition, but for its exquisite, gritty portrait of California's Oakland community.

Replete with personal and business relationships, competition, and true-to-life insights on the San Francisco Bay Area's changing economic and cultural scene, Driven succeeds in providing a compelling portrait not just of Oakland's atmosphere; but of the many forces and conflicts that drive social change and affect interpersonal relationships on many different levels.

Readers with a special affection for and familiarity with the San Francisco Bay Area will find much to appreciate in Driven's lively story of competition, contention, and, ultimately, survival on many levels.

From the December 2018 Issue:

The Yankee Way: The Blueprint that Created America
Troy Tyson
Courant Publishing, LLC
978-1732781207            $14.95
www.theyankeeway.com

Given the rhetoric that revolves around American strengths and wellsprings of beliefs, it's important to step back with a consideration of the foundations of these central forces, and that opportunity is provided in The Yankee Way: The Blueprint that Created America.

 Readers of historical and political issues will find that The Yankee Way offers a rare set of insights into the basic ethnic traits of Yankees, who developed moral and ethical principles that were passed from the early New England Puritans to their descendents.

  By considering these foundations, this book provides a rare opportunity to trace changing values and systems from early to modern America, and should be read by any American voter wanting a survey of where the nation's most treasured values began.

From the November 2018 Issue:

Pleasuria: Take As Directed
John J. Jessop
Köehlerbooks
978-1-63393-727-7         $16.95
www.koehlerbooks.com

Link a doctor's midlife crisis and attempt to move into something more exciting than a medical career in pharmaceuticals to a murder mystery revolving around his new P.I. license and expertise in drugs for an outstanding medical thriller on the scale of Robin Cook, but with more personal challenges.

The blend of funny observations, a murder mystery, and a physician's reinvention of his life makes for a completely engrossing story holding many twists and turns and more than a little psychological depth.

From the October 2018 Issue

Postcards From The Void
Guy N. Smith, et.al.
Darkwater Syndicate, Inc.
978-1-946378-15-6 (paperback)      $19.99
978-1-946378-16-3 (hardcover)      $29.99
Amazon (Kindle e-book):  https://www.amazon.com/Postcards-Void-Guy-N-Smith-ebook/dp/B07G8YBY9Q
Paperback: http://www.darkwatersyndicate.com/store/p54/Postcards_From_The_Void.html
Hardcover:  http://www.darkwatersyndicate.com/store/p55/Postcards_From_The_Void_Hardcover

 Fans of Stephen King, Joe Hill, and other extraordinary writers of eerie horror are in for a treat, because this collection of twenty-five short stories truly represents the best of not just Darkwater Syndicate authors and archives, but the cream of the crop for the genre as a whole.

 The odd twists of plot in stories centered around strange environments and places will truly surprise even the most experienced reader of horror fiction, while the deliveries and diverse voices make each of these pieces original and powerful works supported by fine black and white images throughout.

The abandoned places, ghost towns, and pilgrimages into horror could not have been better done and are highly recommended as superior, completely engrossing reads.

From the September 2018 Issue

Devil's Den
Jeff Altabef
Evolved Publishing
9781622531388 $15.95 Paper; eBook: $3.95
www.evolvedpub.com
https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Den-Nephilim-Thriller-Book-ebook/dp/B07GC367K1/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533990576&sr=1-1&keywords=Altabef+devil%27s+den

Having a protagonist who must fight his personal demons as well as threats from a cult who kidnaps the daughter of a long-time unrequited love lends a special complexity and satisfying set of surprises to Devil's Den.

Realistic insights and reflections on cult activities in society make for an engrossing facet to a story that is well detailed and hard to put down.

 The result is a standout story in the thriller genre that excels in superb tension, the blend of supernatural forces with a mystery overlay, and a plot that keeps readers on their toes and guessing until the end.

From the August 2018 Issue

 Escapement
Kristen Wolf
Pixeltry
ISBN:  978-0-9996103-1-2    $14.99
ASIN:  B07DN1BLC9                      $  5.99
Purchase link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DN1BLC9/
Author website:  www.kristenwolf.com

 Escapement: An Exquisite Tale of Love and Passion is an exceptionally evocative story of the European classical world as seen through the eyes of struggling composer Cristofer Vaughn and his housekeeper Henri, a gifted artist in her own right who is hiding behind the guise of a man for reasons of her own.

 When a patron's gift changes and challenges both their lives, their deepest dreams and creative impulses are threatened.

 Escapement weaves a beautifully lyrical atmosphere surrounding European classical worlds with the dual stories of two struggling artist, but it's Kristen Wolf's passionate language that ties everything together for a thoroughly compelling story that is hard to put down.

 

From the July 2018 Issue

They Must Be Monsters
Matthew LeRoy & Deric Haddad
The Manor Publishing House
978-1-7324489-0-2           
http://theymustbemonsters.com/ 

In a different approach, this true story of the hysteria which gripped the nation over the Manhattan Beach preschool sexual abuse allegations of the 1980s might have limited itself to those events alone. 

Matthew LeRoy & Deric Haddad use several different approaches to elevate the story beyond its initial events: they include research conducted at the time and over a period of many years; they adopt a fictional delivery format to add drama and insights on all the people involved in the case; and they move far beyond the case to document the evolution of mass hysteria and its impact on society as a whole, from social to legal transformations.

The result is more than an astute documentation of one case's events, but moves into realms of how mass presumptions and erroneous belief systems are conceived, spread, and become an accepted part of popular culture. This riveting lesson should be assigned to any sociology, history, or psychology student and anyone who would learn how the McMartin Preschool Trials serve as a valuable lesson for understanding historical events from the Salem Witch Trials to modern times.

From the June 2018 Issue

Chipless
Kfir Luzzatto
Pine Ten
Kindle: 978-1-938212-72-7 $4.99
EPUB: 978-1-938212-73-4 $4.99
Paperback: 978-1-938212-71-0 Price TBA
Website: https://www.kfirluzzatto.com
Ordering links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRB84MX
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1128306551?ean=2940155189688
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/chipless
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/808184

While most sci-fi is designed for entertainment value, the best of genre reads encourages readers to think about possible futures and their impact on humanity, and Chipless is one of those reads that stimulates the brain. The premise is simple: in a futuristic society, chips are placed in infant brains to help present diseases.

However, such chips can also be manipulated; and it takes a chipless girl to confront the reality of these artificial enhancers of humanity and the so-called utopia they promise. Fans of dystopian fantasy who like to think about the definitions and roots of tyranny versus freedom will relish Chipless not just for its vivid twists and turns of plot, but for its wider-ranging lessons on utopia and control.

From the May 2018 Issue

Your Greatest Adventure
Mande Buckmaster
Mande Buckmaster, Publisher
Trade Hardcover: 978-1-7320568-0-0     $16.99
Trade Paperback: 978-1-7320568-1-7     $  7.99
Kindle Edition: 978-1-7320568-2-4          $  2.99
www.amazon.com

Lovely, bright illustrations are always the centerpiece of a good picture book and Your Greatest Adventure includes these in abundance; but what really makes this book a standout is its creative and imaginative approach to a mother and young son who create fantasy adventure from seemingly-mundane household chores.

The adventures are crafted by a clever mother who finds a way of including her child in not only her daily routine, but in envisioning something fantastic from the most routine tasks in life.

Parents looking for a whimsical and fun approach to parenting will relish Your Greatest Adventure as much as youngsters who will appreciate its zany focus.  Very, very highly recommended for its exceptionally colorful illustrations that accompany an equally colorful vision of the world.

From the April 2018 Issue

Rare & Exotic Orchids
Joel L. Schiff
Springer
ISBN: 978-3-319-70033-5 (Hardcover)      $37.85
ISBN: 978-3-319-70034-2 (eBook)              $29.99
http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319700335

Most books about orchids are fairly singular productions with audiences limited to botanists who enjoy specialty reads; but the pleasure in Rare & Exotic Orchids lies in its ability to reach into general-interest audiences with little prior background in botany or orchids. It  offers a particularly lively format, includes plenty of scientific detail for seasoned readers but adeptly explains history, science, and background for non-scientists, and adds special insights on their cultural importance and why international communities around the world take special note of orchids

 The result creates a lively blend of history on the discoveries of new exotic orchids and how individual plants captured different hearts and minds to early explorers and scientific insights, supported by lovely color photos throughout, that will attract even casual orchid fans or newcomers to the topic .

From the March 2018 Issue

The Wingman
David Pepper
St. Helena Press
9781619848719 $15.99/$8.99 Kindle

www.davidpepper.com

The Wingman offers a gripping political thriller with a difference: it tells of a savvy political reporter whose eye for trouble turns a subliminal sense of discomfort during an interview into a full-blown investigation of political candidates that leads to a terrible truth.

As secrets are exposed, Jack discovers his hint of trouble has turned into the revelation of covert warfare and corruption at the highest levels, posing a choice he'd rather not confront.

Gripping, unexpected, and replete with political savvy, social commentary, and personal involvement, The Wingman proves hard to put down and is a highly recommended pick for thriller enthusiasts seeking something different.

From the February 2018 Issue

The Language of Bears 
John Eidswick
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B075L6BFBQ $4.95
978-1549736179 $14.99
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/LANGUAGE-BEARS-John-Eidswick-ebook/dp/B075L6BFBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513205129&sr=8-1&keywords=Language+of+Bears
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36332085-the-language-of-bears
Author Blog: https://eidswick.blog/

The Language of Bears is rich in detail, complex in its descriptions, and offers a powerful blend of personal and social commentary as it weaves the story of one Adam, who wants only peace from his world, but consistently gets adversity and angst, even though he is a farmer with simple needs, living off the land.

When strange, otherworldly elements affect his quiet life and present new challenges to his perceptions of reality, Adam is faced with choices that doesn't always make sense, an accusation of witchcraft, and the specter of his early American world affected by a technological wonder from the future.

Vivid and compelling, this is a literary piece that's hard to put down.

From the January 2018 Issue

Sky Theater: Essays on Rural Life and Community from the Editor of Dakotafire Magazine
Heidi Marttila-Losure
Prairiesummer Books
978-0984890736
$34.95 for the color version (a black and white version is also available for $14.95; the color Kindle version is $9.99) 

http://dakotafire.net/product/sky-theater-essays-rural-life-community-editor-dakotafire-magazine-color-photos/ or https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Theater-Community-Dakotafire-Magazine/dp/0984890734

Grassroots rural community development and powerful leadership programs rarely receive gorgeous color visual embellishment much less a focus that embraces community values and the evolution of rural, local advocacy, but Heidi Marttila-Losure's memoir is a sweeping, wide-ranging survey that contrasts rural and urban community support systems, and does so in a manner that is lively, compelling, and thought-provoking.

The result is an assessment that is unique, creative, and provides a rare set of insights into exactly how cooperative systems work on a small-scale level. It's easily one of the most powerful and visually compelling discussions to appear in 2017.

From the December 2017 Issue

Out of Rushmore's Shadow
Lou Del Bianco
Niche Content Press Corporation
ISBN: 978-0-9989987-2-5 (paperback) $18.95
ISBN: 978-0-9989987-3-2 (e-book) $ 9.99
ISBN: 978-0-9989987-4-9 (hardcover) $29.93

http://a.co/d9ot4J5

www.rushmorebook.com 

www.barnesandnoble.com

Out of Rushmore's Shadow: The Luigi del Bianco Story - An Italian Immigrant's Unsung Role as Chief Carver should be in every American history collection because it performs an important role in correcting history that even authoritative discussions of the building of Mount Rushmore have neglected. In fact, when grandson Lou Del Bianco began researching its history, his grandfather's role as master carver on the project was not mentioned anywhere in the literature.

Thus began a research effort to document his grandfather's role, experiences, and influences in the Mount Rushmore project: an occupation and calling that would last a lifetime.

Even more important is the secondary story of Luigi del Bianco's immigration to America and how this immigrant came to serve such a key role in the creation of one of the nation's greatest monuments.

No history collection should be witout this key acquisition.

From the November 2017 Issue

Blood Business: Crime Stories From This World And Beyond

Edited by Mario Acevedo and Joshua Viola

Hex Publishers

978-0-9986667-9-2

Price: $27.99 (hardcover), $4.99 (eBook)

www.HexPublishers.com

Blood Business is a mystery collection like no other; so readers anticipating any of the usual genre productions, whether it be noir or whodunit writings, will be surprised and delighted to find this collection includes healthy dose of horror and dark psychology wrapped nicely in the guise of crime-solving efforts.

The 'stories from this world and beyond' label is nicely supported by quite a variety of approaches that keeps readers on their toes.

Another big plus: each piece is a gem. There's no 'filler' to this anthology, which is very, very highly recommended as an exceptional approach that crosses genres and promises to delight an exceptionally wide audience seeking engrossing, literary productions.

From the October 2017 Issue

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
David A. Bossert
Disney Editions
978-1-4847-8037-4 $40.00
www.books.disney.com

If it weren't for the 1927 hit Disney had with Oswald the Rabbit, the Disney empire might not be where it is today - yet, the animated Oswald had a rocky ride between initial rejection to acceptance and fame, and when Disney lost the contract to their first major character, it would take six decades for them to regain.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is a foundation work of animation history as it covers these events, offering a history of animation practices of the past, a coverage of rights lost and regained, and episode reviews as it packs its survey with animation frames and vintage photos alike.

From the September 2017 Issue

Our Game Too: Asian Pacific Americans in Major League Baseball
Dr. Billy W. Simpson & Dr. Jennifer Simpson
Elevation Book Publishing
978-1-943904-11-2 (hc) $26.95
www.elevationbookpublishing.com

Avid baseball player and enthusiast Dr. Billy W. Simpson and his wife Dr. Jennifer Simpson have much to offer in this book, which reviews the history and lesser-known experiences of Asian Pacific Americans in major league baseball: a chronicle that has received relatively little to no attention elsewhere.

From discussions of player experiences and prejudice in the sport to how generations of players from Asian roots made a different in the sport's statistics and plays, this should be a 'must have' addition to any collection strong in baseball history: there's nothing quite like it on the market, and offers many insight that will delight even the most devoted sports fan who professes much prior knowledge about minorities in the spart.

From the August 2017 Issue

Holy Crap! The World is Ending!
Anna-Marie Abell
Alien Abduction Press
Paperback: 978-1-947119-01-7    $15.99
Hardback: 978-1-947119-02-4         $28.99
Epub ISBN: 978-1-947119-03-1    $  4.99
Mobi ISBN: 978-1-947119-04-8
http://www.writtenbyanna.com

Blend a paranormal romance with a sexy alien, surprisingly hilarious overtones to the story of a mission to save Planet Earth, and a rollicking revision of "Take Me To Your Leader" that lends a surprising tongue-in-cheek, wry humor to an apocalyptic scenario and you just begin to get a sense of the delights in store in Holy Crap! The World is Ending!

 This is an unexpected story that promises to be one of the most creative science fiction discoveries of the year, especially recommended for genre readers who like their stories to cross genres and cross boundaries in an edgy, fun consideration of alien abduction and uncertain alliances.

From the July 2017 Issue

Your Crocodile Has Arrived
Laurie McAndish King
Destination Insights
978-0-9986615-1-3
www.destinationinsights.com 

Your Crocodile Has Arrived: More True Stories from a Curious Traveler provides an armchair romp around the world as it follows Laurie McAndish King's cultivation of a sense of wonder and destinations that go beyond cross-culture encounters to enter into the adventure realm. The blend of humor, history, and first-person travelogue makes for a compelling standout that's hard to put down, and very highly recommended indeed~

From the June 2017 Issue

Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World

Dada Maheshvarananda

Inner World Publications
9781881717584 $19.95

www.innerworldpublications.com

Any educator or leader working with youth will be familiar with competition-based games; but the glory of this title is that it promotes cooperative strategies for team-building, encouraging processes that will translate, decades later, into business and other pursuits. . Cooperative play encourages healthier values and this book provides a solid framework for this process. No collection should be without its specifics, which pair philosophy with specifics for creating opportunities for sharing and friendship.

From the May 2017 Issue

Heading Home: Field Notes
Peter Anderson
Conundrum Press
9781942280217             $14.99
www.conundrum-press.com

Fans of the literary fly-fishing philosophical best-seller A River Runs Through It are especially in for a treat with Heading Home, because this account contains a similar blend of metaphorical observation and philosophical reflection that keeps its story lively and its writing supercharged with emotion. 

Under the guise of a Western landscape and story lies the heart of a poet and the kinds of descriptions that are evocative and striking, turning this story of the author's journey into the Western wilderness into a powerful blend of discovery and enlightenment, very highly recommended as an exceptional literary work that grabs the mind and imagination and doesn't let go.

From the April 2017 Issue

The Bone War of McCurtain County
Russell Ferrell
Rabelais Publishing
978-0-9833551-5-1                $16.95             

http://a.co/4iooHMX

A scientific, corporate, and political war fueled by a strange discovery sounds like fodder for fiction; but the special delight of The Bone War of McCurtain County: A True Tale of Two Men's Quest for Treasure, Truth, and Justice lies in the fact that this Indiana Jones-style adventure is, in fact, nonfiction. 

Seldom is a gripping read like this replete with so many insights into special interests and social, scientific and political subterfuge, but The Bone War is a stellar example of what happens when reality runs head-on into special interests on all sides. This vivid, well-detailed story of a clash between cultures is hard to put down and very highly recommended as an engrossing, unique scientific saga.

From the March 2017 Issue

Touch No One

Joseph Hirsch Black Rose Writing
1612968279                       $17.95 
www.joeyhirsch.com

Cyberpunk was born in the 1980s and is a sub-genre of science fiction, set in a future filled with technological achievements not always equalled by social awareness or evolution.  Most novels that fall under the heading of 'cyberpunk' were fairly original creations when the genre began; but over the decades the 'new' shine has worn from the genre until too many of its plots are filled more with technological spoofs and wonders than real stories with depth. 

That's why Touch No One is more than a cut above the norm - that, and its inclusion of an investigative mystery element that keeps readers involved in a winding plot centered around a host of not just technological wonders, but their impact on humanity as a whole. Woven into the detective/mystery theme are bots that are servants and best friends, currency that is 'dark', human enhancements that reduce human beings, and much more.

The title Touch No One is just one indicator of something special: a standout in a realm of tired technological devices that will keep readers happily guessing to the end.

From the February 2017 Issue

Rubiks: The Rabbit Mysteries Book 1
Suse Wilcox
Joie Press
ASIN: B01GM5WFA4                     $2.99
http://a.co/0EpVUre

 It's a crushing moment for ten-year-old Logan when his long-anticipated birthday gift of a dog turns out to be a bunny - and, a secondhand one, at that.  All he can think of is that he'll be the school laughing stock - and that Rubicks can't possibly be the companion animal he'd envisioned from his future dog pet. 

It's a surprise when quite the opposite happens, and when a mystery involves both Logan and Rubicks in a series of events that changes Logan's mind about the value of his new pet. Advanced elementary to middle school grades receive a fine blend of fantasy, adventure, and an underlying series of insights about pets and their value in this different story that represents a fun leisure read with an important message.

From the January 2017 Issue

 The Frog Prince: The Brothers Grimm Story Told as a Novella
Mike Klaassen
Bookbaby
9781483586366                      $3.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRXWKB9/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481904820&sr=1-1&keywords=the+frog+prince+klaassen

  The only thing teen prince Gerit wants to do is escape from the castle for a little fishing and time away from royal responsibilities, but when his precious moments away are interrupted by a fall into a bog, he considers it his royal right to command an old woman passing by to help him - and is annoyed when she asks for a reward in exchange. As he resists her suggestion and pays for it by falling into more adventure than he'd bargained for, Prince Gerit finds that he's experiencing a different kind of life that makes his castle duties look good.

 The Frog Prince as originally told by the Brothers Grimm was only part of the tale: Mike Klaassen reveals the other, deeper impacts of the young brash prince's decisions in a story that follows the frog's life and changing perspectives about both watery and human worlds.

Fans of fairy tale retellings are in for a real treat in this psychologically complex, compelling read.

From the December  2016 Issue

 Deborah Rising: A Novel Inspired by the Bible
Avraham Azrieli
HarperLegend 
978-0062563552                     $2.99
http://a.co/gIj1jeL                www.AzrieliBooks.com

 A flair for vivid descriptions that recreate Biblical times with an unusually compelling attention to detail, a story line embracing one of the relatively minor characters in the Bible which elevates the life of Deborah to unexpected meaning, and a solid representation of the life, times, and various political and social concerns of Jesus Christ lend to a story that is highly recommended reading for all.

 Too many Biblical retellings suffer from a staid focus and predictable approach; but Deborah Rising is an exceptional production that hones a dramatic retelling of Deborah's world from many different perspectives. From how women live and the beauty of her environment to Deborah's precarious life and escapes from death, her story is well captured in a delightfully intricate yet absorbing story line that is hard to put down: the hallmark of a superior production and a standout in the genre of Christian literature.

From the November  2016 Issue

 Red Death
Jeff Altabef
Evolved Publishing
978-1-62253-319-0  
Paperback = $17.95 List
Hardcover = $30.95 List
eBook = $3.99
www.JeffAltabef.com

 November’s issue was exceptionally large due to authors moving reviews from prior months into the holiday area, so it was especially difficult to choose this month’s standout ‘Pick’ – but Jeff Altabef’s Red Death deserves acclaim for its ability to reach beyond its intended young adult fantasy reader audiences well into adult circles, and for its complex, sweeping saga of a brother and sister who find themselves on the wrong side of their society when a brother’s special abilities solves a long-standing community health problem.

 One would think acclaim would result from a breakthrough such as this; but in fact curing a plague only brings the wrath of the establishment down upon the heads of Aaliss and her younger brother, who soon find themselves in a strange new world outside of their comfortable society.

 Reminiscent of The Hunger Games’ dystopian world but fueled by a combination of social angst, political confrontations, and siblings who puzzle out the inconsistencies of their world, Red Death is a complex and fine read that weaves in elements of thriller, sci-fi and young adult perception.

From the October 2016 Issue

 

The Whizbang Machine
Danielle A. Vann
Waldorf Publishing
978-1-943847-92-1      $14.95
www.WaldorfPublishing.com

 It’s rare to see a young adult story that features a collaborative investigation by a grandfather and his granddaughter, but The Whizbang Machine does a wonderful job of outlining a warm relationship between the two as they struggle to understand the supernatural forces and messages revolving around a typewriter’s output.

 In 1960, Patricia Ward’s The Secret Pencil featured a mysterious silver pencil that helped send a young investigator on the chase of her life as it wrote its secret messages; but The Whizbang Machine holds the added attraction of a family curse and a conundrum that leads the two relatives on a problem-solving mission involving family heritage and a magic typewriter.

Young adults and all ages will find the story well-done and steeped not just in mystery and supernatural elements, but replete with strong characterization and adventure.

From the September 2016 Issue

 
Code Name: Papa
John Murray as told to Sharron Murray, With Abby Jones
Archway Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4808-1945-0 (sc)     $20.99
ISBN: 978-1-4808-1946-7 (hc)     $37.95
ISBN: 978-1-4808-1947-4 (e)       $ 7.99

https://amzn.com/148081945X

 Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about Code Name Papa isn’t that it’s part of a trilogy or that it’s a thriller, but is that it reads with the high drama and immediacy of fiction, yet represents the factual story of a family man who led a double life as a middle-class American father and a secret agent.

 Author John Murray worked his way up the ladder to head an international covert team charged with ridding the world of dangerous political enemies and terrorists. As an undercover agent, Murray traveled the world and faced down terrorists; but to his family he was anything but adventurous, dangerous, or cunning – he was a family man, and a Papa to his kids.

 Code Name Papa makes for especially riveting reading when one considers that his dual life often impacts his personal world in unexpected ways. His autobiography takes on thriller elements as it provides a page-turner that’s absorbing and hard to put down.

From the August 2016 Issue

Side Effects: What Candidates Don't Tell You 
Tomas Payne
Finlee Augare Books
ISBN: 978-1-943080-25-0 (print)      $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-943080-26-7 (e-book)   $4.99
https://amzn.com/B01G0KUW0G

With the 2016 political elections coming up fast, citizens who want to learn how to read between the lines of political promises should well consider the advice of an author who is a CPA and who has a MBA in finance and a BS in political science.  

Side Effects: What Candidates Don't Tell You for general-interest audiences who may not be well versed in political subterfuge and methods for uncovering the truth, and its advice applies to all parties as it provides the basic tools of how to identify and understand rhetoric and differentiate it from fact.

Data, charts, and close analysis of how to inspect arguments and contentions on all sides provide the powerful keys to assessment that any voter should master before deciding on a proposition, candidate, or law.

From the July 2016 Issue

A Fairy-tale Ending: Book One of the Charming Tales 
Jack Heckel
Harper Voyager
978-0062420695             $6.99
http://amzn.com/0062420690

 The Pitchfork of Destiny: Book Two of the Charming Tales
Jack Heckel
Harper Voyager Impulse
978-0062359322             $6.99
http://amzn.com/0062359320 

The entire purpose of this 'Pick of the Month' section is to choose one title that stands as the singularly best title received that month, regardless of genre - but this month, an exception is being made to this rule because both books are not just equally powerful, but are connected in a series ("The Charming Tales"). 

The immense pleasure of these books - especially for prior fans of fairy tale re-tellings - lies in their tongue-in-cheek humor paired with twists of perspectives no matter who the character may be: egotistical prince, a dragon with a bad reputation, or Princess Rapunzel, who tries to be 'more than her hair'. 

Not all is what it seems in such a land: a misunderstood dragon who only wants a bite of barnyard animal once in a while gains a bad reputation when a belch leads to a fiery title, and a troll tired of his bridge-hugging lot in life decides to become a fish eater. 

Hilarious and delightfully original, both A Fairy-tale Ending and Book Two, The Pitchfork of Destiny, are not to be missed!

From the June  2016 Issue 

Lump Lump and the Blanket of Dreams
Gwen Jackson
Friesen Press
978-1-4602-6439-3  (ebook)
978-1-4602-6438-6 (paperback)    $11.49
www.friesenpress.com
There are numerous children's picture book retellings of folk legends from around the world on the market today, and many for Native American stories - but Lump Lump and the Blanket of Dreams is an exceptional addition to the genre literature that deserves to be included in any picture book collection where Native American stories are a feature. 

Among the facets that make this a standout: captivating full-page, full-color illustrations that are unique and gorgeous presentations, a story line based on Navajo culture and folklore elements that creates an original saga while staying true to its roots, and the participation of Navajo weaver Barbara Teller Ornelas, who contributed one of her blankets for a drawing and who served as a consultant to keep the story authentic (Ms. Ornelas' weavings are in the Smithsonian, the British Museum, and many other galleries). 

Little bear Lump Lump just can't seem to go to sleep despite all preparations. His task is to gather materials from the forest, with the help of his animal friends, so that Spider Woman can weave him a Blanket of Dreams to help him sleep. Parents and kids will find the story engrossing and the Navajo references a powerful feature to a fine tale.

From the May  2016 Issue

Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling?
Lama Tsomo
Namchak Publishing
9780990571100    $27.95
www.Namchak.org 

Many books about Tibetan Buddhism attempt to make the basic concepts and spiritual facets of the practice accessible to Westerners; but few achieve this task with attention to science, humor, and a combination of spiritual wisdom and social  insights as does Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? A Westerner's Introduction and Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Practice. 

From why people get 'stuck' in processing lives and choosing paths to colorful visual insights, meditative connections, and strategies for mindfulness and change, the joyful perspective that is steeped within this book's pages are an attractive, lively alternative to treatments that are all too often weighty or dense. 

If only a few books on Tibetan Buddhist practices were to be selected from the many on the market, Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? A Westerner's Introduction and Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Practice would be a top recommendation, happily standing heads and shoulders above the rest.

 

From the April  2016 Issue

 

What the Clocks Know

Rumer Haven

Crooked Cat Publishing Ltd.

ISBN:  9781910510896    
ASIN: B01C8PQHAQ

ASIN: B01C8PQHAQ              $2.99

www.crookedcatpublishing.com

http://www.amazon.com/What-Clocks-Know-Rumer-Haven-ebook/dp/B01C8PQHAQ

 As a reviewer who began reading timeslip stories with young adult classics such as Time at the Top, Charlotte Sometimes, andHalf Magic, it's fair to say that a certain predisposition to stories of time travel and magic exist - but that's not the only reason why What the Clocks Know resonates so strongly to make it a top recommendation as an exceptional story.

 It's a ghost story, it's a romance, and it's a saga of past lives and clues to a mystery that are revealed through diary entries and a compelling saga of two souls living different lives in one body.

 When their worlds collide, nothing is predictable or common, and the adventure that results doesn't just grip the reader: it grabs them and pulls one into several worlds at cross-purposes with one another.

 Any reader who began with early timeslip classics and who may have found little exciting since the decades-oldTime And Againwill relish the twists and approaches of What the Clocks Know: a standout in the genre.

From the March  2016 Issue  

Transformed: San Francisco
Suzanne Falter & Jack Harvey
New Heights Publishing
978-0-9969981-0-9
$0.99 ebook                      $12.99 paperback
Website: suzannefalter.com
Ordering link:
http://www.amazon.com/Transformed-Francisco-Charley-Electra-Story-ebook/dp/B018RKHYNU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451351898&sr=8-1&keywords=transformed+san+francisco

Transformed: San Francisco isn't a standout just because it's set in my hometown, or because its protagonists are anything but your usual gumshoe detectives. It's a standout quite simply because the lives, perspectives, and approaches of these characters provide a satisfying mix of personal and professional angst, savvy, and innovation, and because once begin, Transformed: San Francisco's unexpected plot and characters make it nearly impossible to put down. 

Fine, twisting plots and subplots create a progression of events that keeps readers not only guessing about outcomes, but on their toes. Fans of mystery and intrigue who tire of the usual, predictable formula approaches will find Transformed just the ticket for an engrossing, unpredictable read. 

From the February  2016 Issue  

The Murdered Messiah series
Len Lamensdorf
SeaScape Press, Ltd.
www.lenlamensdorf.com    www.murderedmessiah.com  

Plenty of books have been written about the life of Jesus and the politics of his times: some fiction, some nonfiction. Most are dense, challenging reads that either rehash similar perspectives and information or simply translate the life of Jesus into plain English from Biblical versions. 

It's a pleasure to see something different, and a standout, in Len Lamensdorf's The Murdered Messiah series: told over a five-book series, each book delves into a particular facet of his life and follows not just his evolution, but the political and social struggles of his times. 

Anything but dense, the story assumes a lively, real feel and even readers thoroughly immersed in the story of Jesus will find plenty new to relish here, making the entire series a top recommendation.

From the January  2016 Issue 

Darker the Night
Lisa London
Deep River Press
918 Twin Oaks Farm Rd
Sanford NC 27330
9780991163571-E-Book     $9.95
ISBN 9780991163557 –Trade Paper      $18.95
ISBN 9780991163564-Large Print          $24.95
Publication date: February 19, 2016
http://darkerthenight.com/     www.amazon.com 

What psychological and political forces lead to a young person's recruitment in an ethically questionable, ultimately horrifying series of events? Events surrounding the development of Hitler's Youth Corps are strikingly portrayed in Darker the Night, a vivid story of young Hedy, a is a winner in a competition certain to make the Fürher proud of his young warriors. This win will earn her a position in his Youth Gathering in Cologne, a high honor, indeed, for one not yet fourteen. 

Young adults receive a thought-provoking and powerful story of how youth were affected by his ideals and encouraged to participate in increasingly dark events in a vivid read especially recommended as a companion view of the other side when pursuing the Diary of Anne Frank. 

From the December  2015 Issue 

Fire Canoe Finnegan
Denis J. Harrington and Charlie Steel
Condor Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 39 /123 South Barlow Rd.
Lincoln, MI 48742
978-1-931079-12-9            $12.95
www.condorpublishinginc.com     www.charliesteel.net 

Think 'Western novel' and authors such as Louis Armour spring to mind: usually writers whose only productions lie in this genre. But think Fire Canoe Finnegan for something satisfyingly different: a 'western' theme packed with well-researched historical background that holds the rare attribute of being an absorbing leisure read and a solid fictionalization of real American history. 

As if the title wasn't enough to spark interest, the character of Finnegan, an assertive, take-charge kind of guy who is between jobs when he falls into the unlikely position of piloting a steamboat down the Missouri River, grabs attention right from the start. 

Add romance, intrigue, and a series of challenges and then wind in the story of Native Americans facing vast changes from the white man's intrusion on their world and you have a captivating story that elevates the idea of 'Western' a step above the norm, making it highly recommended for any with an interest in American history and vivid drama.

From the November  2015 Issue

Killer.com
Kenneth Eade
Times Square Publishing
ISBN: 1517277205           ASIN: B0117UFSCG
www.amazon.com 

Some of the factors that makes Killer.com such a gripping read is that it does an outstanding job of blending the realistic atmosphere of a courtroom drama with the thrill of a detective investigation, rounding everything off with a discussion of real-world cyberstalking dangers. 

Readers with a special affection for courtroom scenes and psychological tension will relish the progress of Killer.com, which allows plenty of room for surprises and much food for thought about its realistic scenarios. The result is a compelling story that's hard to put down, and highly recommended as a cut well above most courtroom crime reads.

---

From the October  2015 Issue 

The Millennial Reincarnations
Daniel M. Harrison
Publick Media Publishing
978-1513603766      $18.00

http://www.dmh.co/the-millennial-reincarnations/

 There are few books that can claim to be compelling, original reads; especially those that skirt the borders of a philosophical piece, a new age exploration, and a spiritual examination wrapped in the guise of fiction – but the pleasure of The Milleannial Reincarnations lies not in its ethereal subjects, but in its invigorating language and sweeping examination of world peoples and influences on life choices and planetary ecology.

 Harrison uses bright, vibrant language, a fictional format, and a dual focus on faith and opportunity as he posits scenarios in which milleannial generations – and thinking – transforms hearts and minds.
 

It’s complex, rich, and engrossing all in one: that it achieves this feel with so many seemingly-disparate threads running through it is testimony to a story that simply reaches out and grabs its audience. Very highly recommended as a unique, five-star read!

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From the September 2015 Issue 

 Linked Through Time
Jessica Tornese
Solstice Publishing
614 Wal-mart Drive
Suite #209
Farmington, Mo. 63640
1477570799     Price- $1.99 Kindle/ $10.99 print
My website: www.jessicatornese.com
Ordering link: http://www.amazon.com/Linked-Through-Time-Jessica-Tornese/dp/1477570799/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437093960&sr=8-1&keywords=linked+through+time&pebp=1437093960200&perid=12S1FS8GXFK4XBC97ZGJ

Timeslip young adult fiction has been a top genre read for this reviewer, from Edward Eager’s time-travel sagas to the works of L.N. Boston, Edward Ormondroyd, Penelope Farmer, and many more. Such is the history and shared methods of this genre that over a period of time they all tend to assume the same basic structure: a teen falls into another world and struggles to return home. 

Linked Through Time ups the time-travel ante by having protagonist Kate wake up in the 1960s living the life of an aunt she’s never met. If she thought that living at her grandparents’ house without benefit of celluar service was a challenge, this life is a whole different ballgame, forcing her into a world of relative poverty, country living, and a dangerous knowledge of what is to happen to this aunt. 

Is everything predictible, and can Kate’s choices change the future? The timeslip devices may sound familiar but Tornese’s approach takes the story line a step further and lends a delightful feeling of surprise that will satisfy even the most seasoned, avid reader of timeslip young adult fiction enthusiasts.

---

From the August 2015 Issue 

 Rowdy
Christopher Madsen
CPM Publishing
978-0-9960260-0-0    $55.00
Contact: rowdystory@yahoo.com
http://www.rowdystory.com

 In 1998, author Christopher Madsen discovered a derelict, leaky sailboat named Rowdy which reeked of neglect and mystery. The process of rebuilding her and uncovering her murky past led him on a journey that traversed East and West coasts, involved exhaustive research, and ultimately drew the author as much into researching nautical history as into the physical act of restoring an old, once-grand boat.

It’s this lively approach which makes Rowdy so much more than just another nautical story or account of a boat restoration project: in restoring Rowdy to her former magnificence, Madsen’s research filled in many gaps in nautical and ship-building history. Add color and vintage, historical black and white photos and illustrations which are liberally peppered throughout and you have a read that goes far beyond any sailor’s story to chart an investigation that traverses time and excels in historical research and vintage history.  "Five Stars"

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From the July 2015 Issue 

 
Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient
Ronda Parsons
Rowman & Littlefield
4501 Forbes Blvd. #200
Lanham, MD 20706
9781442227552    $38.00     

There are so very many books on the market directed to 'managing care' and 'handling' dementia patients - and so many more dementia patients needing help - that it's refreshing to see a more human, caring approach focused on the basic elements of living  (joy and meaning) rather than 'management' in Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient.

Ronda Parsons’ specific title is packed with insights on how to tailor these elements for dementia mental states, offering a virtual treasure trove of recommendations and approaches that eschews the usual clinical 'management' terms and ideas to address the very personal dilemma of how to make the ending years of life just as meaningful and important as the early ones.

Outstanding in its concept and approach and specific in its 'how to' arena,  Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient should be in the libraries of caregivers, families, health providers, and any concerned about maintaining high quality  of life for dementia patients.

From the June 2015 Issue

These Boots Are Made for Butt-Kickin': The MisAdventures of Miss Lilly, Volume Two
Kalan Chapman Lloyd
Lloyd Words
5906 S. Knoxville Ave, Tulsa, OK 74135
kalanclloyd@gmail.com  
www.kalanchapmanlloyd.com
Print ISBN 978-1-312-93526-6
Digital ISBN 978-1-312-93525-9

 Delightfully fresh and original in its story of a butt-kickin’ lawyer who opens the saga with a confession that he’s the perp who pulled the trigger (and shot his opponent in the toe), These Boots Are made for Butt-Kickin’: The MisAdventures of Miss Lilly, Volume Two is a rollicking fun read that doesn’t just cross genres: it busts them apart. 

Think detective story, Western, legal thriller, and mystery and then throw in a sassy protagonist with a propensity for outrageous candidness and actions that border on legal rebellion of system and process and you have a fun, unpredictable story that is a breath of fresh, original air and a hilariously fun read.

From the May 2015 Issue

Weird Tales
Lyn Murray
Golden Panda Publishing
ASIN: B00UTNS8RK     ISBN: 978-1508841128
www.amazon.com   www.goldenpandapublishing@gmail.com 

Weird Tales  revitalizes a genre that falls somewhere between science fiction and horror - and which saw its golden age in magazines from the 1920s which fostered such great talents as Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft.

Since then, horror has taken somewhat of a large step away from 'weird' - which is why it's essential to read Lyn Murray's Weird Tales for a sense of what has been missing in many modern short stories  of the unexpected.

These are compelling, visionary tales that offer twists that don't depend on bloodbaths or deep trauma.  In typical 'weird' format they often come steeped in the supernatural - and always come with extraordinary visions and satisfying surprises.

So sit back, relax, and let Lyn Murray's stories tell themselves: they provide testimony to an approach that may have seen its heyday in bygone years, but which is still alive and powerful under the right hand.

From the April 2015 Issue 

Beauty and Chaos
Michael Pronko
Raked Gravel Press
978-1-942410-00-3   
http://www.michaelpronko.com 
http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Chaos-Essays-Tokyo-Life-ebook/dp/B00PDH4KVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425658188&sr=8-1&keywords=Michael+Pronko

An interest in Toyko's culture and people is the only requirement to appreciate Beauty and Chaos, a vivid and compelling account of the city from a professor who uses the essay to bring the city's streets to life. 

This isn't your usual travelogue: it focuses on the ironies, inconsistencies, chaos and beauty inherent in Tokyo's world and packs in passages that are evocative and beautiful even as they offer compelling visions of Tokyo's unique attributes. 

Tokyo is well known for its fast-paced urban life, but under Pronko's hand, now it can develop into something much more. No armchair traveler or potential visitor should leave home without absorbing the city through Beauty and Chaos.

From the March 2015 Issue 

Beware the Sheep
M. Lewis-Lerman 
Opta Ardua 
ISBN for Hardcover: 9780986342332 -- priced at $24.99 
ISBN for Softcover: 9780986342363 -- priced at $15.99 
ISBN for .mobi (Kinde): 9780986342370 -- $5.99 
ISBN for .epub (all other ereaders): 9780986342301 -- $5.99 
mlewislerman.com 
amazon.com/author/mlewislerman  

What a curious title! What could this book be about? The opening lines seem to have little to do with rural living: could it be a murder mystery perhaps involving wool? 

And that's the beauty of Beware the Sheep: straight away, you've uncovered the magic in a book that sounds like one or two possibilities but turns out to be something different - and in a world where everything is boxed, labeled, and fairly evident, this is a winning feature indeed. 

The twists and turns of Beware the Sheep are simply delightful: you may not always know where you're going, but the adventure lies as much in the journey as in the action - a fact many authors forget, but which M. Lewis-Lerman keeps firmly in mind as a character and setting evolve that will reach beyond teen readers well into adult fantasy enthusiasts. 

At once a fantasy for middle school to adult readers, a mystery, and a tale of magic, Beware the Sheep holds the special attribute of offering compelling characters, well-done atmosphere, and an unpredictable plot - what more could one ask for, from a fantasy?

From the February 2015 Issue 

 Tales from Little Lump: Night of the Undead Snow Monkeys
Jeff Folschinsky
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B00OO2I6K6                 $0.99
www.amazon.com 

Japanese snow monkeys: how could something so adoreable be so deadly? But perhaps a bigger question is: how did they get to the town of Little Lump in Texas? How did they come to be an undead threat? And what are the good residents of Texas going to do about it?

Well, any town that can stand down an alien invasion with a .22 can more can cope with undead cuties, as Night of th Undead Snow Monkeys only goes to show.  Readers of the original Tales will know that aliens who came in peace were gunned down by an over-enthusiastic small Texas town's determination to prevent invasion at all costs. But no prior familiarity is required for this continuation of the horror theme as the Texas shoot-em-up approach is applied to a greater horror in the form of undead cuties. 

It's side-splitting humor, it's zany small town ironies and characters, and it's the American spirit against any elements of the supernatural or th alien at its best.

If you're looking for serious zombie apocalypse tales - look elsewhere. Night of the Undead Snow Monkeys requires that its readers have a funny bone in place - and then it tickles and tweaks it until the result is uproaring laughter: something very few horror books can claim to offer. 

So go ahead - open the door, aim your weapon, and get ready to party with Night of the Undead Snow Monkeys. It promises a night you won't forget, and is very highly recommended as a standout read.

From the January 2015 Issue 

Red Star Diary of 1916
Rena Corey and Bill Noxon
Bygone Era Books, Ltd.
9781941072189       $14.95 paperback/$4.99 e-book
www.BygoneEraBooks.com
Ordering:
http://www.bygoneerabooks.com/#!coming-soon/c1wxj 

World War I histories are usual dry affairs, of special interst to military readers, but not especially accessible to the general reader who may seldom pick up an account of this conflict.  Red Star Diary of 1916 was found by Rena Corey in a flea market in 1993 - but the story didn't stop there. It was a bit of luck that its buyer specialized in antiquarian documents and took a shine to Bill Noxon's story, using the few clues it contained to track down its author. Her discovery of Bill Noxon's life apart from his diary adds to his teenage reflections to create a complete picture and involving account of his life and changing world.  

Unlike most histories of World War I, Red Star Diary of 1916 doesn't come from a journalist, a military fighter their family, or anyone associated with media, politics, or society. It's from a comparative outsider who evolves from his concerns of daily living and his move from city to the country to take in the wider, evolving world.  

If you've read a lot of World War I history, you know that it's a fairly singular subject. Most approaches concentrate on historical events and don't capture daily life in a diary format; and most come from adults, not from teen observers. And Red Star Diary of 1916's maker was deceased - so Rena Corey's first task was to recreate his words and life as he would have, creating a factual, textual documentary and avoiding the usual tendency to produce chapters in favor of the more personal approach of the diary's original format. Quotes from Bill's diary are thus interspersed with Corey's words to round out and tell the entire story, and her additions appear in italics to clearly differentiate her voice from his unedited reflections.  

Add a wealth of period illustrations (photos, handbills, postcards, maps, advertising, and more) and you have a unique presentation powered by the unusual collaborative efforts of a young boy's words and an antiquarian document enthusiast's attention to recreating vivid history from a single youth's diary. 

Very few other stories of World War I hold the intimacy and perspective of Red Star Diary of 1916, making it a standout recommendation not only for readers of the subject, but those interested in the process of re-creating history from original writings and antiquarian works.

From the December 2014 Issue 

The Laced Chameleon
Bob Rogers
Booklocker.com, Inc.
9780991296118        $16.99
http://www.amazon.com/The-Laced-Chameleon-Bob-Rogers/dp/1626464219

Francesca Dumas is a New Orleans belle who leads the lavish life of a lady of high society, until her love is shot dead and she declares revenge. Her determination to find his killer changes her life of parties, riches and high society and brings her into a world replete with danger - but this is only a piece of the real story in The Laced Chameleon.

The novel is set in 1862 New Orleans during the Civil War, when the Union Army occupied New Orleans, and delves into the social and racial structure of the city by presenting the life of a 'quadroon' (a person resulting from biracial sex, with three white grandparents) who moves in the world of rich white men. In an arranged union between women of color and white men in antebellum New Orleans, Francesca is the product of such a union, and her place in society and her abilities to move within it are strictly regulated.

Through her eyes and the author's attention to historical detail readers are treated to insights on the intricacies of such a world.

But it's not just a historical novel, though its setting is firmly rooted in historical fact - it's a mystery, as well, and Francesca proves a fitting investigator of a murder.

Part of what makes The Laced Chameleon such a well-done approach is that Francesca's world is vividly portrayed. She doesn't just fall into the role of an investigator - she's pushed in. Her skills at surviving her world will serve her well in her new role, because life just got a lot more complicated.

And the attention to small details - such as the appearance of monies bearing separate images of George Washington and enslaved black cotton pickers, or the question of what kind of currency - Confederate or Northern - is acceptable payment - are little points that serve to reinforce the bigger picture of 1800s New Orleans.

Facing a mortgage from her father, a notorious gambler, and the possibility that her lover's murderer is the same man who stole her friend Emily, Francesca has even more reason for pursuing the truth; only the truth proves not as simple as tracking down a single killer nor uncovering a singular motivation for murder, and her choices at every turn hold implications for independence, changed status in society, and a journey that will change her world.

It's rare to find a historical mystery so well-grounded in the flavors and atmosphere of the antebellum South, and one which so thoroughly injects New Orleans atmosphere into every chapter. This backdrop strengthens the character of Francesca, her life, and her purposes and helps identify the source of her tenacity, creating a believable, living protagonist whose concerns and approach to life is well grounded in the politics and social mores of her times.

The characters she encounters are equally believable, equally logical in relation to the society atmosphere of the times, and are powerful adjuncts to Francesca's world, which is overrun by Union soldiers, lawyers, high society and politics.

From links between deaths of friends to the involvement of policemen and doctors, this is an engrossing saga that depends on one woman's cleverness and ability to delve into close-held secrets and associations for answers that will ultimately return her life to a semblance of normality.

Any who look for a historical murder mystery that's more than light reading will find The Laced Chameleon a top, winning recommendation.

From the November 2014 Issue 

Retirement Basics
Donna Davis
Golden Goddess Press
ASIN B00OWJ76SO       $5.99
www.retirementbasicsforboomers.com 

No matter how far away you are from retirement - or, how close, for some - it always inevitably winds up around the corner, in your face, and quite often that's when finances are truly assessed and found lacking. 

Most retirement books address their concerns to those young enough to change course, leaving baby boomers, in particular, out in the cold. 

That's why Retirement Basics: Help for Broke Baby Boomers is a standout, and so key to many: it appeals to late-in-life retirement planners who haven't built a nest egg and who may already be living on the edge. One might not think such an audience would be able to consider retirement - but Donna Davis proves that with just a little more planning, they can. 

Chapters are specific to the process, to an under-considered audience, and are key to any baby boomer worrying about retirement. In a world where retirement guides appeal to younger generations or salaried readers, this is a standout - and highly recommended!

From the October 2014 Issue 

Mystery and Misadventure - An Old Acquaintance
M.D. Hall
ASIN: B00NBA6UUA           $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NBA6UUA 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NBA6UUA  

It's very clear what influences M.D. Hall has cultivated in the course of producing Mystery and Misadventure - An Old Acquaintance: from a chatty introduction and ending by a wry narrator who duly warns readers of the quiet atmospheres of horror to come to short stories that excel in taking ordinary events and plain people and infusing growing horror into their experiences, this is Twilight Zone style at its best, plain and simple.  

M.D. Hall is a master at building this kind of atmosphere, and if Twilight Zone were in production today, would likely become one of its chief writers.

 Twilight Zone may be long gone, but its spirit lives on in these diverse and hard-hitting scenarios: so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. But don't get too comfortable. Just when you thought it was safe to delve into a short story collection revolving around ordinary lives, incongruous circumstances rise up with a bite of the unexpected. Such is the grip and delight of this exceptional collection!

From the September 2014 Issue

Cannon Fodder
Margaret Taylor
Margaret Taylor, Publisher
9781311269942                $3.99

Website: http://steamtrainsandghosts.wordpress.com/
Ordering links: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/424257
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cannon-fodder-margaret-r-taylor/1119059298
http://www.amazon.com/Cannon-Fodder-Margaret-R-Taylor-ebook/dp/B00JD0GNEU

Cannon Fodder is the perfect example of a book which doesn't know exactly what it wants to be - a mystery, a fantasy, or a young adult read - and in normal circles, that would spell trouble. But add more than a healthy dose of unexpected humor, which is relatively rare in any of these genres, and you have a superior read filled with unpredictable moments, ironic observations, and a young protagonist who isn't at all sure that his ultimate goal is to live up to his training as an evil overlord.

Usually when a story tries to combine too many disparate elements, it falls short. Cannon Fodder holds the rare ability to shine in all genres, whether its reader seeks a solid, involving mystery, a fantasy replete with destructive gods and evil schemes, or a young adult coming-of-age exploration.

Perhaps it's the humor that binds everything together, but Cannon Fodder goes beyond an entertaining read to stand out as a memorable, exceptional story recommended for any who want a story line that stands out from the crowd and creates genre-breaking action.

From the August 2014 Issue

Who Says That’s Art? A Commonsense View of the Visual Arts
Michelle Marder Kamhi
Pro Arte Books
Paperback: 978-0-9906057-0-6       $TBA
Kindle edition: 978-0-9906057-1-3
E-Pub: 978-0-9906057-2-0               $9.99
http://mmkamhi.com/proarte

There's so many evolving, changing and controversial styles moving from artistic circles into the general public that it's refreshing to have an accessible, scholarly survey that considers the foundations of not only what is art, but what is NOT art.

Michelle Marder Kamhi is both a scholar and an art critic: with these credentials to her name one might expect a dry or ponderous rendition, but Who Says That's Art? is quite the opposite, providing a lively and specific discussion that invites artists, patrons, critics and the general public alike to consider the standards of art and what differentiates real art from more casual pursuits. 

As such, this is a top recommendation for any who would consider the foundations of art, its contemporary applications and critical standards, and who would debate these ideas both within and outside of the artistic community.

From the July 2014 Issue

41 Strange
Diane Doniol-Valcroze & Arthur K. Flam
Amazon Digital Services
978-0-615-97935-9             $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/41-Strange-Diane-Doniol-Valcroze-ebook/dp/B00JMJ32Q4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401637934&sr=1-1&keywords=9780615979359

It's rare to find a short story collection whose offerings not only excel in bizarre turns of plot, but which provide satisfyingly diverse tales that constantly lead readers in unanticipated directions, but 41 Strange is such a creation and is especially recommended for fans of Ray Bradbury's classic 'The Illustrated Man' or followers of Serling's classic 'The Twilight Zone' TV series.  Take a look at look at any of the stories in 41 Strange - say, 'Cut It Short', in which a door-to-door salesman peddles something nobody else has … a customizable calendar. Much like Ray Bradbury's famous 'The Illustrated Man', his calendars tell a story and entwine their readers in terrible tales which grab victims such as innocent Betty, who normally has a routine to dissuade all salespeople who come to her door.
Macabre, engrossing, and well-done: if you like the ironies and drama of 'The Twilight Zone' and appreciate the short-short story form with a literary focus that excels in unexpected concluding twists of tale, 41 Strange is very highly recommended!

From the June 2014 Issue

The Renaissance
D. Medina Lasansky, Editor
Periscope Publishing Ltd./Prestel, Distributors
9781934772256     $45.00 
www.prestel.com

It's important to note, first off, that The Renaissance is no light read for general-interest audiences, but a scholarly work covering different aspects of the Renaissance, from its doctrines, politics and social impact to the art and popular culture that evolved from its concepts and heritage. Thus its audience will be college-level readers who want not the usual (singular) focus on Renaissance art, but a wider-ranging collection of scholarly essays that each holds different themes and perspectives.

But if you expect a singular, weighty affair, you're in for a big surprise: The Renaissance is quite the contrary, offering important connections between classic Renaissance affairs and modern history and culture that results in some surprising twists. One wouldn't expect Lady Gaga to be part of such a history, for example. And yet, there she is - along with satisfyingly diverse explorations connecting Renaissance culture to modern affairs.

While its primary audience will still be art and history collections strong in Italian Renaissance subjects,  The Renaissance Revised, Expanded, Unexpurgated could (and should) reach beyond the realm of the scholar into the general-interest world and is highly recommended as a surprisingly accessible, involving read.

From the May 2014 Issue

One Heartbeat Past Normal
Dennis Timothy
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B00IHI0MXM            $8.95
http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Past-Normal-Dennis-Timothy-ebook/dp/B00IHI0MXM

It's rare to find a collection of short stories where the author has truly mastered the form: and by 'mastered', I mean has put together a diverse selection of themes and writings that excel in unexpected twists.  One Heartbeat Past Normal is such a collection, and receives top recommendation as a truly remarkable exploration of the strengths of the short story form.

Some are one-page zingers; others hold several pages of detail. 

Dennis Timothy's forte lies in little twists of plot that lead readers along a seemingly-predictable path, then change at the last minute. For seasoned readers who continually seek  and seldom find true surprises, this is simply a delight.

Twilight Zone fans, sit up and take note: if you like this genre, you will love One Heartbeat Past Normal!

From the April 2014 Issue

Gateway to Intimacy: A Married Couple's Guide to Love, Romance, Passion, and Phenomenal Sex
Ed Gomez
Millstone Press
978-0-9911686-0-6              $16.95
www.millstonepress.com

Would that every newly-married couple pick up Gateway to Intimacy! A lot of grief would be avoided.

Now, there are numerous 'sex manuals' on the market - and surprisingly, most focus on improving physical prowess over mental change: not so Gateway to Intimacy, which approaches intimacy from the psychological perspective and maintains that without attention to a courtship that involves the heart, mind and soul - any physical expression will fall short of its mark.

Its focus on 'Relationship-Building Sex' strategies is for readers who would move beyond sexual fantasy and other enhancements to embrace the deeper spiritual and psychological insights that contribute to exceptional experience.

From the March 2014 Issue

Timelapse
Lorrie Farrelly
9781469953502
Amazon Digital Services (ebook, $3.99)
CreateSpace (paperback, $11.69)
ACX (audiobook, price varies)
http://www.amazon.com/Lorrie-Farrelly/e/B008P3LJ0O
https://sites.google.com/site/yourbestreads
       
It may be because this reviewer maintains a bias towards 'timeslip' novels; or it could be that because of this bias, it's easy to spot a timeslip story that moves beyond anticipation into the realm of the unexpected … but whatever the reason, Timelapse certainly hit its mark with a complex story that's never easy or predictable.

It's a 'what if' thriller that borders on a detective story but its method is anything but canned, while its changing action embraces romance, intrigue, and time travel all in the same story.

If this seasoned reader of timeslip stories can find an exceptional read in Timelapse, so will any audience that enjoys genre-busting adventures centered around believable protagonists and satisfying twists of plot. 

From the February 2014 Issue

The Bullies' Predatory Footprint
Terri Ryan
Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B00F3AJP62       978-09523249-42        $12.99
http://www.amazon.com/Bullies-Predatory-Footprint-Terri-Ryan-ebook/dp/B00F3AJP62/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1389288132&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Bullies+Predatory+Footprint

You simply can't refute the lasting importance of The Bullies' Predatory Footprint, which compiles writings of experts in the field who consider not just your usual schoolyard bullying practices, but toxic behavior patterns throughout society as a whole.

In expanding the discussion to follow such behaviors from school to the workplace and beyond, The Bullies' Predatory Footprint goes far beyond most discussions that revolve around childhood bullying to consider its wide-ranging effects on home, school, and personal life into adult years.

It's about time that the focus on bullying expanded its boundaries of thinking: this does the job.

From the January 2014  Issue

Tales From Little Lump - Alien Season
Jeff Folschinsky
ASIN: B00FJIEID8            $.99
http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Little-Lump-Alien-Season-ebook/dp/B00FJIEID8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1386274163&sr=1-1&keywords=Tales+From+Little+Lump+-+Alien+Season

When you still think about the plot of a story months beyond its initial reading, that's the mark of an exceptional tale - and Tales From Little Lump - Alien Season more than fits this bill.

Perhaps it's because this reviewer is already a Christopher Moore fan and used to Moore's wry sense of humor; perhaps it's because that combination of odd characters and hilarious representations isn't readily seen in novels these days, and perhaps it's because the spoof on aliens and government deception is couched in language and settings readers can readily have fun with.

However way you cut it, Tales From Little Lump - Alien Season is both difficult to easily categorize and a fun, fun read for any looking for out-of-the-box tales.