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Donovan's Bookshelf

September 2015 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

Independent Press Profiles
Prime Picks From Larger Presses
Biography & Autobiography
Fantasy & Sci Fi
History Lessons
Mystery & Thrillers
Novels
Short Stories
Young Adult/Childrens

Biography & Autobiography

The Everywhere House
Sherry Lincoln
Goldminds Publishing, LLC.

1050 Glenbrook Way, Suite 480
Hendersonville, TN 37075
978-1-930584-32-5   
www.goldmindspub.com 

The author's childhood home was next to the town library: a fortuitous circumstance because, over the years, she could view her house every time she went to the library. When she observed construction going on she presumed the house was being remodeled, only to find it was being torn apart to make way for the library's expansion. 

Imagine her surprise when she discovered that almost every piece of the house's structure would be repurposed by Habitat for Humanity and, upon visiting them and finding pieces of her past in their habitat ReStore, she'd embark on a trip down memory lane to relive her fondest memories of growing up in the 50s and 60s. 

From her parents' move to the house they would come to call home to how various house parts evoke philosophical reflections, as in a memory of torn screens ("…there are times in our lives when a “screen” is torn and something we care about simply vanishes through it. Sometimes the very best thing we can do is just let it go and hope that it finds a good place…Screens are a kind of shield, aren’t they? They are designed, in part, to keep what should be inside, inside, and what should be outside, outside."), the everywhere house is firmly rooted in autobiography but, like the author's house, expands this concept outwardly. 

In creating a memorial for her bygone house, Sherry Lincoln has move past the typical boundaries of autobiographical writing to provide something different than either a 'this old house' survey or a story of her childhood; it's an examination of roots, ties, and what happens when a house is 'deconstructed' and moves away from these root bound plots. 

In taking Thomas Wolfe's famous concept of 'You Can't Go Home Again' to another level, The Everywhere House is a recommendation for anyone whose memories and dreams are no longer bound to a sense of place and continuity, and will appeal to a wide audience from autobiography readers to those whose fond recollections of the past lie directly in the present path of progress. 

The Everywhere House
Return to Index

I Thought He Would Be in Jail
Captain Steve Taylor
Stevetaylorbooks, Publisher

1546 Fiddlers Den Ct.
Mt. Pleasant SC 29464
978-0-578-16366-6           $TBA
www.stevetaylorbooks.com 

Few authors can craft an autobiography from a single comment; but Captain Steve Taylor holds such an ability as he tells of the origin of his book's name: "The book title is a remark made by a surprised classmate of my older sister when he discovered I had become an international airline captain:  “I thought he would be in jail.” 

Like his prior, hilarious Wheels Up, readers are thus off and running into a zany coming-of-age story that winds its way through the 1950s and 60s to explore the author's family influences which emphasized he could do anything, despite an unassuming early proclivity to not exceed expectations. More so than most, Taylor is able to capture these early encouragements that so often mean the difference between an expectation of failure or success: "Some would say I was spoiled, and they are probably right, but until I began to be tempered by the reality of the outside world I enjoyed the power, the confidence, and the invincibility this created. I woke up in the morning with a huge plus on my ledger, and after doing much bad throughout the day, I still went to bed with a plus." 

As Taylor evolves, his family evolves along with him, accepting the inevitability of changes and moving along a trajectory that is amazingly flexible and well-reasoned: "The best thing that happened to me, other than my new job, was the final failure of the farm as our family livelihood. Dad decided it was too small and poorly equipped to make the income we needed. He took a job working as a fuel oil deliveryman in the daytime while operating the projection booth at night in the Mt. Pleasant theater. Now our farm became just my playground— no more picking beans, no more working on the tractor all day, and no more feeding thousands of chickens. All I had to do was make money at my summer movie job, take care of my show animals, milk the cow, and play." 

By incorporating this sense of ongoing changes, positive responses to them, and a sense of satisfaction at each adjustment, Taylor succeeds in doing what few autobiographies achieve: nailing down the origins of work ethic, a positive attitude, and ultimately, satisfaction in life: "I loved my job, and it taught me that the priorities I placed on the components of work greatly affected the benefits. I determined that the more skill brought to a job and the more fun I had doing it, the more pay and respect it produced." 

It's a combination of luck, the ability to forecast and ride with change, and a feeling of mischief and fun that makes I Thought He Would Be in Jail a satisfying read; not quite as shocking in its moments of risqué behavior as in Wheels Up, but just as satisfying. 

Readers of autobiography, coming-of-age stories, and particularly, of Taylor's prior Wheels Up (about his airline mishaps and hijinks) will find this story offers many insights into his family, background, friendships, and a rich family heritage which has made him the Captain he is today. 

I Thought He Would Be in Jail
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Letter from Alabama: The Inspiring True Story of Strangers Who Saved a Child and Changed a Family Forever
David L. Workman
David L. Workman, Publisher
ASIN: B00VQIIODK 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VQIIODK 

Letter from Alabama is a powerful memoir of the author's life, and documents what happened when, as an infant, his mother dies and his father later abandons him at a young age, leaving him with an Alabama woman who, desperate to find any relatives, takes a big leap of faith in mailing a letter to a newspaper in a distant state asking for help in locating the family. 

The leap paid off, relatives emerged, and thus little David's life was diverted from its dangerous trajectory into a life where half-brothers and other family stepped in to raise him. 

More than just an autobiography of survival, Letter from Alabama offers up family history and a social history of the 20th century, blends in insights into family connections and the process of accepting and rearing a wayward child, and maintains a steady combination of historical review juxtaposed with personal revelation in the course of considering blended families, broken homes, and choices. 

Make no mistake: all this is relayed in the context of a family history; so readers who want the history without the intimacy should look elsewhere. Letter from Alabama is a study in miracles and circumstance: as much as it adds intriguing elements about small-town color, it's ultimately about how a young boy emerges from uncertain roots to become a successful man. Readers interested in blended family interactions and a successful emergence from a broken home situation will relish Workman's vivid writing and experiences. 

Letter from Alabama: The Inspiring True Story of Strangers Who Saved a Child and Changed a Family Forever
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Mo(u)rning Joy
Kalan Chapman Lloyd
Lloyd Words

5906 S. Knoxville Ave
Tulsa, OK 74135
978-1-312-93528-0/978-1-312-93527-3
$13.99/$4.99
www.kalanchapmanlloyd.com        www.amazon.com 

Be forewarned: Mo(u)rning Joy: A Memoir is about death: specifically, a baby's death and a mother's mourning process. Any who anticipate this to be other than an emotionally wrenching saga should look elsewhere, because Kalan Chapman Lloyd doesn't sugarcoat anything and, as a result, readers become immersed in her saga of pregnancy, the death of her unborn baby, and its aftermath. 

Many memoirs have been written about losing a child: what places Mo(u)rning Joy more than a cut above the rest is an attention to one simple story and how to keep going in the face of tragedy. With a key admonition from a friend inspiring her to this goal ("I don’t want this to define our family: this tragedy.”), Lloyd found a way to move through mourning - and so will the reader following her saga. 

Like all pregnant mothers, Lloyd had a birth plan that did not involve a baby who had been dead inside her for at least two weeks before labor was induced. Striking, pointed insights throughout capture each moment of the experience as though it were part of the 'now': "Our dream, our expectation, our hopes that we’d wrapped into a tiny little person too small to even be able to live up to all those plans, was gone." 

From handling pity to lacking memories that would have made their child more 'real' and better-formed, Lloyd tackles the highs and lows of mourning with an immediacy and skill that brings readers not just into her life, but into her mind and emotions. Faith, pain, and everything in between are charged with heady experience, growing wisdom, and not a few obstacles along the journey. The result is a vivid, candid, and hard-hitting story speaking to the heart of pain and re-living life, recommended for those who have loved and lost and mothers who never even got the chance to hold their child. 

Mo(u)rning Joy
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My Ship Has Sails
Margie Mack
CreateSpace
978-1514172209                $14.95
http://www.amazon.com/My-Ship-has-Sails-2/dp/1514172208/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438100902&sr=1-1&keywords=my+ship+has+sails&pebp=1438100879236&perid=1GP2WC8J3W3TZJPGCEZD

 My Ship Has Sails continues an autobiography begun in Through the Woods, is especially recommended for prior readers (who will gain a deeper set of insights into Mack's early years), and begins with a young girl who moves from a quiet rural life with her grandparents to an uncertain new world living in Chicago with busy entertainer parents who are away most nights. 

It was a move that was to bring her into adolescence in the big city with parents who were nearly strangers to her - and a move that would shape the rest of her life. 

But My Ship Has Sails isn't so much about the destination as it is about the journey, and it recounts the surging culture of 1960s America and its effects on her coming of age with the precision and immediacy of one whose love of music changed her life. Mack's gift as a wordsmith and musician shine in passages that capture the subtler nuances of both worlds: "They say that music is the strongest form of magic, that it is the language of the soul bringing people who would ordinarily be at odds into unison. That is what happened to us that night. There was no color, no status, no age. Just human beings having the gift of pleasure, which human nature cannot do without, showing us that where words leave off, the music begins." 

From a supportive stepfather and parents who instilled in her the forces that would define and direct her life to the re-emergence of a biological father who would challenge her perceptions, Mack's ability to bring readers along for a rollicking ride through her youth and its defining moments makes for a sparkling, vivid autobiography that recreates not only her world, but that of coming of age in the 1960s: a time of great change and promise. Against such a backdrop, even the nature of 'family' is closely examined and ultimately transformed, making My Ship Has Sails a top recommendation for any who would enter another's life and understand it's most intimate, defining moments. 

My Ship Has Sails
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William The Conqueror Vs King Harold
Jesse Lee Vint
Wolf's Eye Books

6704 NE 14th Avenue
North Charleston, NC
9781507524138     $14.50 Paper    $5.99 Kindle
www.jesseleevint.com 

It should first be mentioned that William The Conquerer Vs King Harold began as a screenplay and only converted to novel form after the screenplay lost its investors - but maybe that's a good thing; because the story line in novel form is a vivid read entwined with concepts that would have proven difficult to fully translate into film. It's these facets that make for a novel that is everything historical fiction should be (and too often is not): gripping, replete with psychological as well as historical insights, and perfectly tuned to the reader's emotions, tweaking them like a guitar string through the course of events. 

All begins with a shipwreck and evolves from there, with knights struggling with issues of honor, supporting characters questioning the schemes of their lives and their place in the world, and outside events affecting them all. 

As with any historical novel, the real 'meat' lies not so much in accurate historical background (although this is important, and William the Conqueror vs. King Harold holds plenty of facts to support its action), but in protagonist choices in reacting to events. Where others might fail - especially in capturing the subtler nuances of the Dark Ages' times and culture -  William the Conqueror vs. King Harold succeeds in depicting the roots of concepts of courage and bravery against the human backdrop of choices influencing how life is lived. 

It's this human element, often difficult to capture in historical novels or screen reproductions (the latter of which often center more on action and light characterization than probing underlying currents of influence and emotion), that sets this story apart from competing Dark Ages accounts and makes it a vivid, engrossing read, recommended for fans of historical fiction and those who only lightly touch upon the genre or know relatively little about the times. 

William The Conqueror Vs King Harold
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With New Eyes: The Power of Perspective
Heidi Siefkas
Wheatmark®

1760 East River Road, Suite 145
Tucson, Arizona 85718
ISBN: 978-­1-­62787-­260-­7 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-­1-­62787-­261-­4 (ebook)
www.wheatmark.com 

Heidi Siefkas opens her memoir by throwing herself out of a plane. It's her first parachute jump and she approaches it with an uncommon fearlessness that leads her tandem partner to believe she's done it before; but in comparison to the year prior (during which she recovered from a broken neck and got a divorce), this free fall seems nothing. And that's the opening draw of With New Eyes, an autobiography which is (using Siefkas' own words in describing her first parachute jump) 'simply awesome'. 

Against the backdrop of tragedy, new life is born. Before her free flight into change, the author was happily married; juggling home with an active career and physically fit lifestyle, and seemed to have everything. The balls of health, marriage and career were perfectly juggled. Then came the freak accident, traumatic injury, and recovery already detailed in her prior When All Balls Drop, and life changed in an instant. 

With New Eyes picks up where that account left off, but new readers needn't have prior familiarity with the story in order to begin here. It's recommended for a seamless continuation, while prior fans will find much more depth and insight about the post-disaster recovery and newfound attitude that Siefkas cultivates as a result of her life-changing experiences. 

In some ways this makes With New Eyes the stronger read for newcomers, who will readily absorb the processes of reinventing oneself. Within this process lies transformation, hard lessons, new perspectives, and newfound openness to experiences. Called back to her childhood home as part of this pilgrimage of self-discovery, Siefkas delves into the dating scene, naming her dates for her experiences ('Mr. Got Away', 'Mr. Con Man') and offering insights revolving around trying not only new relationships and men, but new experiences. Each one broadens her horizons and changes her perspective. 

With New Eyes is recommended for readers of inspirational autobiography and memoirs who want insights into the process of self-discovery and creating a new life. Feisty and thought-provoking, it's a saga that starts from the point of losing everything and rebuilds a life, taking its readers along for an exhilarating ride in the process! 

With New Eyes: The Power of Perspective
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Fantasy & Sci Fi

Aquarius Rising Book 2: Blood Tide
Brian Burt
Double Dragon Publishing

P.O. Box 54016
1-5762 Highway 7 East
Markham Ontario L3P 7Y4 Canada
9781771152549
eBook(MSRP): $5.99  Paperback (MSRP): $16.99
http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Tide-Brian-Burt-ebook/dp/B013KCUQTE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1439252169&sr=1-1&keywords=9781771152549
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=9781771152549
Apple iBooks:  http://itunes.apple.com/CA/book/isbn9781771152549
Kobo:  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/search?query=9781771152549&fcmedia=Book
Double Dragon Publishing site:  http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-254-0 

Book Two of the 'Aquarius Rising' trilogy shows that in a truly superior trilogy, the second book may hold an ability to stand alone but ideally will be chosen after the first is digested, only because the characters, setting, and crisis so exquisitely portrayed in In the Tears of God are smoothly continued here, with such a background. 

Here the ruined reef cities of Book One are being rebuilt in the aftermath of the deadly Medusa Plague that threatened to turn all creatures to stone, and the grief felt by the survivors has taken a deadly turn as insanity threatens Megalops, whose wife and daughter have become statues in a grim Aquarian memorial to the victims of Medusa. 

With any deliberate act of destruction there arises the potential for revenge and further chaos - and so a retaliatory virus aimed at the humans who nearly destroyed their world promises a massive devastation in return. In such a scenario, adaptation embraces not just survival but the impetus for revenge and so it appears that reef and human worlds alike are poised for a final blow that will make the rise of the oceans seem like an inconvenience in comparison. 

Protagonists from Book One are rapidly re-introduced here in an approach that will especially, immediately engross prior readers with familiar characters. From the strategy of using a civil war to an opponent's advantage to psychic battles for control, the characters in Blood Tide are facing some of their greatest challenges to survival yet - from one of their own. 

Readers should anticipate a heady combination of action and intrigue based on the events of Book One, in a post-apocalyptic setting that questions heroes, leaders, and a looming war between Mother Earth and Mother Ocean. Based in a world that's survived climate change, the impact of loneliness, life-or-death decision-making processes, and the effects of ongoing conflict illustrate the very different challenges of handling interactions between two worlds almost inhabiting the same body of Earth, making Blood Tide a top recommendation for readers who like 'climate change' dystopian stories with more than a dose of philosophical reflection paired with nonstop crisis mode style action. 

Aquarius Rising Book 2: Blood Tide
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Gift of the Blood God – Drawn
Sydney Whyte
Amazon Digital Services
9780473319960             $2.99 Kindle
http://SydneyWhyteauthor.blogspot.co.nz   www.amazon.com 

Gift of the Blood God – Drawn is Book One of the 'Faelings Doom' series, and is recommended for readers who like their romances juxtaposed with a bit of paranormal mystery, fantasy, and tension. 

In a world where magic lingers, adult twins Melory and Lorrie deftly navigate their lives and careers - until a storm drives them into another world where their experiences, talents, and prowess don't match well with the new challenges that surround them. 

Before one is even a chapter into Gift of the Blood God, graphic sexual scenes and experiences are presented: it should be cautioned that readers should not be younger teens; but preferably young adults and adults, who will find the inclusion of candid sexual events an unusual (but intriguing) addition to the plot. 

This audience will find the scenes of sex and swearing are not overdone, but add a compelling and realistic feel when presented in the wider context of very real characters facing the demands of the unknown. References to sexual encounters with other creatures are clearly described and intriguing: "Never mind the old tales; never mind the myths that the Priesthood of Ancient times could call the Faeling forth; summon them as shadow creatures from their incarceration in stones of the earth… who in their right mind would want to do that anyway, sucked on by a creature that weren’t even human. It was disgusting!" 

But sex and swearing is by no means what Gift of the Blood God is all about; these are just devices within the greater saga of twins trapped in another world where romance and death, revenge and intimacy, and love and danger are too closely related for comfort. 

Move a cast of well-drawn characters into this backdrop and the ultimate result is a story line that is satisfyingly unpredictable and set in a world that is well developed, with protagonists that include priestesses and gods struggling with the sexual ties that bind. 

Gift of the Blood God – Drawn
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The Goddess Embraced
Deborah L. Davitt
Amazon Digital Services
978-0-9860916-1-2       $5.99 Kindle
www.edda-earth.com
http://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Embraced-Saga-Edda-Earth-Book-ebook/dp/B0128CEAH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438180758&sr=8-1&keywords=9780986091612&pebp=1438180732602&perid=1XHC53BN9EHAZ6QH48N7

The Valkyrie set this series in motion with a hard-hitting fantasy involving the modern Roman empire, a sorceress, murders of gods and mortals alike, and a plot that stretched through time to pit human people against the powers of the gods.

The Goddess Denied continued the saga. 

And now, there's The Goddess Embraced - a fiery saga of gods at war with one another, humans serving as collateral damage, and a struggle to avert the end of the world. With a large cast of characters, plenty of prior history, and a powerful story that picks up ten years after the last book ended, fantasy readers are in for an action-packed treat. 

From powerful spirit-children and curses to the unexpected specter of Loki trying to avert Ragnarok (an event he's long awaited), The Goddess Embraced presents another satisfyingly complex and winding tale that is hard to put down, replete with mystery, romance, and fantasy. 

From musings about individual powers and roles in what is destined to come ("Your sister sees a deterministic future, shaped by Apollo of Delphi’s memories. The fact that she does not remember seeing me, may mean that Apollo will never know that I exist once more. I am thus an outlying factor in all my own calculations.") to mad godlings, the entwining of powers, bodies, and spirits, and the flow of memories between beings, the story is supercharged with constant contact and change - and, therefore, is fluid in its approach to drama. 

While newcomers may want to pursue the prior books to more easily absorb characters, atmosphere, and history, those with such a background will find The Goddess Embraced represents a powerful fantasy that uses Norse runes and other symbols to differentiate between the constantly-evolving points of view. 

Complex? Yes: casual readers need not apply. Accessible, satisfying, and thoroughly engrossing? Absolutely! Fantasy readers who like their stories wide-ranging, their protagonists numerous, and their fantasy worlds gripping and realistic will find The Goddess Embraced the perfect read. 

The Goddess Embraced
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Skinshifter
Alycia Christine
Purple Thorn Press

3514 Bobtown Road, #203
Garland, TX 75043
$3.99 Amazon Kindle edition: 978-1-941588-27-7 (release date: September 25, 2015, pre-order available now)
$15.99 Trade paperback print edition: 978-1-941588-28-4 (release date: September 25, 2015, no pre-order available)
$3.99 Smashwords edition: 978-1-941588-29-1 (release date: December 24, 2015, pre-order available now)
Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Skinshifter-Sylvan-Cycle-Book-1-ebook/dp/B010GDI96M
Smashwords page: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/558919
Author site: http://www.alyciachristine.com
Publisher site: http://www.purplethornpress.com 

Skinshifter is Book One of the Sylvan Cycle series, and explores a magical metamorphosis centered around the re-emergence of previously-defeated Asheken deadwalkers who return to power with vengeance in mind seeking to not just vanquish the enemy who once conquered them, but to enslave them. 

Thus werecat Katja faces the sudden destruction of her clan and an effort that represents a struggle against everything she knows in her world - including her well-kept secret of being a 'skinshifter'. Katja has lived with her siblings since their parents died, so she's known no other life and no other home. All this changes as she's thrust into the world with no family support systems, forced to personally refute the notion that skinshifters in her world are a curse. Ironically, her abilities are one thing that may save the world. 

Fantasy readers will need to cultivate several things to appreciate this book's focus and direction: an affinity for third-person, limited point-of-view storytelling and an ability to accept an intelligent animal's world, replete with werewolves, humans, mages, elves, and more. The fantasy is well drawn and those familiar with genre reads will have no trouble readily accepting and absorbing a scenario in which dream premonitions and friendships between trolls and intelligent animals (among other encounters) are not just possible, but common. 

Action is well done, tension is wonderfully detailed and maintained throughout, and fantasy readers will find in Katja an appealing, believable character whose quest and concerns drive a story line that is vivid, accessible, and involving; making it a special recommendation for readers of animal-based fantasy worlds where anything is possible. 

Skinshifter
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Steel, Blood & Fire
Allan Batchelder
CreateSpace
ASIN:  B00AW53RMQ      $3.99 Kindle
978-1491091753              $17.29 Paper
www.immortaltreachery.com 

Steel, Blood & Fire represents Book One of a series which is recommended for readers seeking an ongoing saga spread out over several (forthcoming) books. Those with an appreciation for stories that include satisfyingly complicated protagonists, action and confrontation and high drama in a dilemma faced by a notoriously great warrior who loses his abilities just when his skills are most needed by the world will find the story a gem. 

What would such a warrior do, when confronted by a simmering disaster that only his recently-lost powers can prevent? How far would such a fighter go to regain his abilities? As a soldier used to winning by sword and violence, Tarmun considers transforming his very being through an unholy alliance with a sorceress, if that's what it takes to return to the fighting field. 

Besides the surprising series mention, one thing to note about Steel, Blood & Fire is that it lives up to its title: its fantasy is tightly wound up in battles, blood, and confrontations which use action to its best advantage and hones motivation until it's an unpredictable and fine art. 

It should be forewarned that there are gruesome scenes right from the start, juxtaposed with many unexpected moments that keep the action both soaked in blood and intriguing even to the most seasoned fantasy or warrior saga reader. 

What other fantasy would include gigolos, autistic characters, and supernatural terrors alike? Because Steel, Blood & Fire takes its time (as it should) to build up complex, believable, and engrossing characters, it needs more books: a requirement that will delight fans of the epic fantasy/supernatural chronicle, who will appreciate the story's unexpected twists, thoroughly-developed characters, and engrossing dilemmas. 

Steel, Blood & Fire
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History Lessons

MYTHOS And COSMOS: Mind and Meaning in the Oral Age
John Knight Lundwall, PhD
No ISBN, Publisher, Price
Pre-Publication manuscript: ETA Fall 2015
Email: knightjl7@msn.com 

There are some philosophical and 'new age' books intended for the general-interest reader that are suitable for skimming and easy reflection; and then there are writings such as MYTHOS And COSMOS: Mind and Meaning in the Oral Age which are directed to those interested in more of a historical, analytical approach. Designed to challenge popular thinking rather than placate the unexamined mind, MYTHOS And COSMOS makes an unusual case for the early intellectual prowess of ancient man. 

If this sounds like another new age read on ancient civilization superpowers, think again: chapters focus on why scientific process has presented ancient man either as a mindless primate or an alien-inspired genius, instead considering how the process of evolution indicates that early man likely had many of modern man's strengths. Gaps in recorded information aren't due to alien intervention or nonexistent skills so much as the ravages of time on recorded signs of intelligence. 

MYTHOS And COSMOS represents the work of a scholar with a life-long commitment to examining ancient myth more closely. He completed his doctorate in comparative myth studies; then applied it to his continuing education. Jungian psychology, he maintains, lends a more accurate thought; that "…our conception of history is often the product of the ego" - and with this in mind, he selects and tackles points in history that have remained incongruous over the centuries. 

From what constitutes a 'literate person' and his observations, recordings and psyche to the evolution of cosmological thinking, how narratives often cross the boundary from historical fact into mythos, and how knowledge is fragmented and distorted over time, MYTHOS And COSMOS surveys a range of evidence - written, oral, and artifacts alike - to reveal the assumptions underlying broken, fragmented evidence. 

In the process of piecing together possibilities, Dr. Lundwall does more than recreate history: he considers the processes, influences, and politics involved in assigning direction and meaning to ancient data. 

Are ancient thinkers primitives? Does modern technology provide the illusion of intelligence through comparative analytical processes? And are the foundations by which we compare and assign judgments uncertain, in and of themselves? These questions and more are contained in a scholarly yet accessible examination of historical, archaeological, and psychological evidence ancient and modern, recommended for readers seeking history, science, psychology and philosophy all wrapped up in a quest for what truly constitutes the realities of ancient cultures, considering how modern investigators organize and analyze historical record as well as the evolution of the processes and patterns leading to understanding. MYTHOS And COSMOS: Mind and Meaning in the Oral Age
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Mystery & Thrillers

Am I The Killer?
Dan Petrosini
Dan Petrosini, Publisher

16715 Pistoia Way
Naples, FL 34110
978-1-1515004622      $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Am-I-Killer-Dan-Petrosini-ebook/dp/B013ME4Q32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439392741&sr=8-1&keywords=am+i+the+killer

Plenty of 'whodunnit' mysteries revolve around locating the perp. The majority of them feature the investigator's viewpoint and readers either know the identity of the killer or follow the leader in uncovering it. 

True to its intriguing title, however, Am I The Killer? offers a different perspective: one in which the first-person protagonist admits he could be the killer - but really doesn't know if he's guilty or not. Thus begins a yarn of not just discovery but self-discovery as an ex-soldier with memory issues faces the possibility that he could have beaten to death a guy he never liked. 

Peter's always tried to do the right thing, but life has dealt him some hard blows; and it seems that no matter how much he tries, his choices just lead to trouble. Now he's in the biggest trouble of all - and this saga begins with his arrest and works backward and forward in recounting the circumstances that led to and from this point. The big question is: what's he going to do now? 

The answer involves a quest to remember; one which moves through drug treatments, memory tests, and Peter's dreams and revelations to lend clues about who he really is: "Vinny trudged up the stairs just when Billy Wyatt got slammed on the head. Was I dreaming or in another trance? This time the episode was really vivid. Details of Wyatt’s house were exactly as they were. It felt so real that I began to panic. It couldn’t be a dream, could it? Holy shit, was it really me who hit him? I struggled to pull off my sweat-soaked shirt, and I hit the ground with a thud." 

Witch hunts, police seizures, closed cases, open hearts… as events swirl around Peter's struggle to discover himself, readers are treated to a vivid series of insights surrounding evidence and puzzles. 

"Sometimes you solve a case but never know what actually happened." The juxtaposition of Peter's first-person world with a third-person investigator's efforts creates a satisfyingly multi-faceted, well-rounded story that grabs readers from the first few paragraphs and doesn't let go until its unexpected end. Readers of detective fiction will find the psychological depth and detail of Am I The Killer? simply sterling. 

Am I The Killer?
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Beneath the Bridge of Murder
Trisha Sugarek
Writer at Play
978-1503099135      $TBA
Prepublication Manuscript: Pub date: September 2015
www.writeratplay.com 

Beneath the Bridge of Murder (Book 6 in the 'World of Murder' series) just goes to prove several things: that a series of murder mysteries can each successfully hone very different settings, characters, and circumstances that join neatly together under a universal theme; and that an ability to build tight, unpredictable characters is possible across a number of series titles, if the author is as skilled as Trisha Sugarek. 

This mystery opens on the seedier side of life, with a homeless man who approaches an affluent couple on the streets of New York and a Civilian Militia Company member who rescues them from his unwanted attentions. 

A prelude to the story then changes in the first chapter, which presents a closer inspection of homeless life under a bridge; a setting which quickly evolves to a senseless murder that's tied to the prologue. 

Enter detectives O'Roarke and Garcia (prior fans will recall them from the earlier books): cops called upon to investigate the murder of a homeless man. So far, nothing new or surprising here … that evolves later, as the two find that a missing man was beloved, that the encampment is filled with personalities and motivations, and that what seems a simple death is actually something far more complicated. 

Beneath the Bridge of Murder uses many of the satisfying devices of Trisha Sugarek's previous murder mysteries: solid characters, twisting stories, motivations that are anything but cut-and-dried, and a plot that, here, involves vigilante purposes and homeless issues. 

From a military man's flashbacks and ability to escape the fate of other homeless individuals to an organization run with military-style precision and relentless in its purposes and its insistence that its own members toe the line (even when that line crosses into ethical conflict) Beneath the Bridge of Murder is a powerful mystery that creates many disparate threads at first, but succeeds in weaving them together with the story of detectives O'Rorke and Garcia's personal lives and concerns. 

The series just keeps evolving and, cemented by these detectives' personalities and approaches, keeps on getting better and better. It's not easy creating book after book that both stand alone and interact well as a series. The 'World of Murder' series does just that, and its latest addition is a winning recommendation for both newcomers and prior Sugarek fans. 

Beneath the Bridge of Murder
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A Book About a Film
C. W. Schultz
CreateSpace
978-1508595939     Price: $13.40, £8.68, €11.82
http://www.cwschultz.com/a-book-about-a-film/ 

A Book About a Film actually isn't exactly a book about a film - not if you're expecting a nonfiction exploration of how a production is created, and not if you're looking for any insights on independent filmmaking. It's actually a true-life thriller that revolves around a film's production, though, and it novelizes the lost/incomplete/controversial film 'The Cornfield People' while considering its gripping story of life, death, and everything that lies between. 

We're not talking a big film, here: few people have had access to or watched the movie - which means the majority of readers of A Book About a Film will find themselves on equal footing, new to the subject under discussion. While many maintain the film actually doesn't exist, its status as a cult classic implies otherwise. 

The story that revolves around this film's rumors and mystery is vivid, taking readers away from the reality of The Cornfield People's possibilities and into a world of secret societies, ulterior forces, tangled webs, and complex twists that at times adds a wry touch of irony to the discussion. 

No light pursuit, the read includes: acronyms, cinematic terminology, quasi-terrorism, debates about life and death, and a narrative surrounding the evolution of an urban legend. Money, an intriguing story, the Periodic Table of Elements, production analysis and director choices: all these are wound into a saga that is heavily footnoted and researched. 

There's nothing simple about 'The Cornfield People' (even some of the actors have no clue of its intentions) - and nothing easy about reading through its evolution in A Book About a Film, but readers interested in cult classic film mysteries in general and this hidden gem in particular will find C. W. Schultz's narrative to be complex, gripping, and ultimately hard to put down - even if you've never seen or heard about 'The Cornfield People' before. 

A Book About a Film
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Gravity Games
John R. Matsui
Poison Pine Books

101 Wortley Road, London Ontario Canada N6C 3P1
ISBN: ebook: 9780993754814
ISBN: paper: 9780993754838
Price: $14.95 USD
Website: johnmatsui.com
Ordering link: http://www.amazon.com/John-Matsui/e/B00L8GIQ2E 

The first thing to note about Gravity Games: A Nathan Sherlock Foodie Thriller is its attention to descriptive detail, which takes the finer music of depth and tunes it to a new level recommended not for mystery readers who want quick and casual descriptions, but for those who appreciate detail: "For an instant, Nathan tried to ignore it, wanted to ignore it. A couple dozen steps, a mere twist of a filigreed brass door knob and wave after wave of the airborne emissaries of Norwegian Tilsit, cabbage rolls, and thin merlot will muddle the nasal topography. But it won’t mask the memory, the piercing stench, nor his duty. Nathan detected not only murder, but very recent murder, perhaps murder in progress." 

Can Nathan smell not only food, but murder? And what does this special ability hold for new circumstances that tweak not just his olfactory senses, but his ability to solve crimes? Readers are about to find out; in the process learning of one investigator's strange ability and how it led him to a life of crime problem-solving that operates on a different level than most detectives: "By literally smelling death, his life intersected with police starting at age 14. On his way home from school, his nose detected, and he dutifully reported, a woman’s death." 

Delightfully different in its approach, even Nathan's nose for trouble is challenged in Gravity Games, which winds science into the mix and invites mystery fans to investigate realms that usually lie outside the typical genre read. 

It would have been all too possible for such a talent to turn one's life upside down, but Nathan has a formula for keeping his personal world on track, and it's never failed him before - until now. He's a famous food and wine personality and his skills in this arena compliment his other unique abilities. Everything is about to change, all spiced with an unexpected dose of humor throughout ("Agent Cheeseburger was about to make another point when a striking blonde stepped from behind his broad back.") to provide a comic relief not usually seen in murder mysteries. 

As far as the case itself, suffice it to say that one scientist's discovery could change the world; so when he's kidnapped, Nathan is tapped to use his special skills to save him. Terrorism and food usually don't mix; but here they are explored in exquisite passages that keep readers guessing and involved. The hallmark of a solid mystery read is its ability to captivate even the most avid of genre readers: Gravity Games doesn't just involve; it immerses readers in the finer details of the story. 

Highly recommended for any mystery fan who also happens to cultivate an affection for food and special problem-solving abilities. 

Gravity Games
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Shards of Reality
Alex Siegel
Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
ASIN: B010H402M4              $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010H402M4 

Shards of Reality is Book 4 in the 'Seams of Reality' series, represents the final book in the saga, and features a group of watchful sorcerers who look out for humanity in an uncertain alliance with the human race. Somewhat predictably, humanity is leery of their superpowers (especially after a mess was made of things earlier) and questions the notion that these paranormal forces are being used for good purposes: thus the sorcerers are being tracked and watched by the FBI and others. 

Everyone's waiting for the group to make a final mistake that will land them in prison, and some of the strongest political forces in the country want to see sorcery banished, whether or not it's being used for good or evil. 

At the heart of this latest conflict is mankind's uncertainty, a top leader that believes in using murder and torture to achieve his aims, and a force that is tasked with staying together as a community while considering fresh starts for all of them. 

Siegel deftly sums up the group's key members, history, and purposes in the very first chapter so newcomers to the series won't find themselves lost in what actually is quite a complex blend of paranormal abilities, spiritual overtones, and political interactions. While prior familiarity with the previous books in the series is recommended to flush out protagonists and events, it's not an absolute necessity in order to enjoy the events that follow - and for Book Four of a series, that's a notable achievement. 

Sorcery is all about imposing will on the world; but it's also about honing abilities, understanding their place in the world, and considering the elements that constitute true justice. Also be advised that there are spiritual references throughout, which makes this more than a secular thriller/paranormal novel and lends it a depth usually not seen in the genre. Where can the greatest warriors in the universe find a peaceful place to rest? The answer is a surprise. 

Connections both telepathic and physical, murders and unexpected journeys, and a final, unexpected twist that will delight even avid followers of the 'Seams of Reality' series makes for a powerful crescendo of action, faith, and struggle that will captivate newcomers and prior fans with something refreshingly different - and, sadly, conclusive of this series. 

Shards of Reality
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Vortex
Paul D. Marks
Timeless Skies Publishing
Trade Paperback (Distributed through IngramSpark and
CreateSpace)
ISBN: 978-0-9914735-5-7, Trim size: 5.5 X 8.5, Retail
Price: $10.95
Kindle Edition: ISBN: 978-0-9914735-4-0, Retail Price
$2.99
EPub Edition: ISBN: 978-0-9914735-6-4, Retail Price
$2.99
www.PaulDMarks.com 

Zach Turner is home from Afghanistan and the horrors of war; but getting away from conflict just isn't on his horizon. While all he wishes to do is forget the past, it's right on his tail in the form of a speeding red Camero operated by a former best friend who accuses Zach of betrayal and treachery. 

In a chase scene typical of the classic detective/noir thriller style, Zach races through L.A. with a hapless girlfriend at his side: "At some point we’d have to cut inland. Checked the rearview, hoping we’d lost them. Clear. If we were lucky maybe they crashed and burned. Yeah, it’s not good to wish that on people, especially your friends. I was brought up right. But what the hell, I’d just come from a fucking war zone. And now I felt like I’d never left it." 

And that's just the opening salvo in a nonstop staccato action noir fiction story that, in less than two hundred pages, packs in a mystery/thriller that can't be beat. 

From the dry, dusty L.A. basin atmosphere to the perceptions of a wounded veteran whose combat doesn't end with service, events of the war return to haunt Zach's life at home. 

It's not easy to capture and build atmosphere while crafting a complex noir plot using a limited number of words; but what might take other writers hundreds more pages to spin, Paul D. Marks creates with just a few deft swipes of his pen: "We strolled—yes strolled, it just seems like the right word—down the rough-hewn planks of the Santa Monica Pier. Ocean waves crashing a few yards away. And just like everything in L.A., the pier was the star of movies and TV, The Sting and Forrest Gump, Iron Man and even Hannah Montana. We bought smoothies and walked to the end of the pier, past Bubba Gump Shrimp with its fake fish shanty look. Leave it to Hollywood to turn a make-believe soldier’s dream into a reality." 

A superior writer can create believable protagonists, settings, and inject a smoky, fast-paced mystery into everything using a minimum of words to describe and capture experiences. Vortex lives up to its name, quickly creating a maelstrom of action and purpose to draw readers into a whirlpool of intrigue and mystery centered on a believable protagonist and his dilemmas. 

Noir detective readers looking for a short work that is immediately gripping and well-written will find the perfect item of choice in Vortex, but be forewarned: once picked up, it's nearly impossible to put down before the end. 

Vortex
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Novels

At the Death
Alex Phakos
Hampshire United Publishing
978-0-9961206-0-9    $8.99 Kindle
www.hampshireunited.com 

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Hampshire-United-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00VL9NUYC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437578228&sr=8-1&keywords=9780996120609&pebp=1437578235422&perid=0TB3PH66WD3EGSVMSYVF

At first glance one would think that a soccer-oriented book about playing the game would require of its readers a prior affection for soccer; but in actuality At the Death is so much more, embracing spirituality, coming of age, and the game of life itself - and because of all this, At the Death is recommended not just for avid soccer fans, but for any who would absorb a saga of striving, success and failure, not only in this life, but in the afterlife as well. 

First of all, there are strong young players who have more on their minds and in their hearts than soccer: "If her teen years had taught her anything, it was most roadblocks were only temporary, as long as you never gave up on your dreams. That belief defined her as an overachiever, in everything she did." 

Secondly, perspectives and motives on how to live life come not just from players of soccer, but from those who interact with the game in other ways: "He failed, he felt it deeply, he learned from it, and he grew. That’s why I coach." 

Third (and perhaps best), At the Death takes all this, wraps the trappings of soccer in a series of life lessons, and cultivates an approach that, is both solidly based in the game and embraces the wider perspectives of life well-lived and death well-received. 

All this is couched in vivid game plays that soccer fans will find true to the sport and its competitive challenges, bringing the game to life and the strategies and plays of soccer from field to reader attention. 

The goal? It's elusive and challenging as players navigate the fields of their lives, intersect with opposing forces, and find themselves on quite a different playing field in the afterlife where unfair advantage and uncertain competition brings with it new rules and requirements: "Your intimate thoughts and all of your actions are known to many.” “Yeah, but it’s different if you don’t know that anyone else knows,” Brady said. “There are advantages to being dumb and happy.” 

If life is about how the game is played and how new, changing rules are absorbed, then At the Death reflects this. As its protagonists consider their options in confronting, as a team, Heaven itself, individual abilities merge into a group perspective that is invitingly philosophical and reflective, moving far beyond the sport to embrace the elements central to human growth and evolution. 

While readers who hold an affinity for the sport will delight in the vivid descriptions of soccer moves and shots on goal, those anticipating 'just a soccer novel' will be rewarded with so much more. Its value is much broader, examining life's purpose by following the inspirational motivation of eleven team members who ultimately impart a love of the sport, a reason for its importance, and lessons on how to win in more ways than one way, combining a soccer narrative with spiritual encounters as an intersection with life itself.  

At the Death
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Beneath The Greater Sky
Andrew Voelker
Publisher: Andrew Voelker
978-0-9898024-0-6            $3.99
www.andrewvoelker.com

http://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Greater-Sky-Andrew-Voelker-ebook/dp/B00RIFHNCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437925782&sr=8-1&keywords=9780989802406&pebp=1437925765021&perid=1THTE7H45AFST5BAY047

Beneath The Greater Sky provides a gripping, intriguing story on more than one level not because its protagonist has lost a child, but because all events are told from a would-be father's perspective, and because they move neatly from personal tragedy to more challenging experiences. 

It's one thing for a man to face the death of his unborn child and the dissolution of his marriage and decide to undertake a journey as a kind of memorial to what was and what could have been. It's another to turn that journey itself into an unexpected saga not just of loss, divorce, and recovery; but of the uncertain world of frontier justice and another loss that he is accused of bringing about. 

As Ryan's world changes from a Chicago suburb to Wyoming, readers will quickly come to realize it poses not just a novel of personal experience but a mystery, as well; all fueled by powerful character development that is just one of the hallmarks that make Beneath The Greater Sky a superior read. 

Because Ryan's thoughts and emotions are at the forefront of the story, readers will find it easy to enter, quick to read, and thoroughly engrossing. Because different and unexpected elements are added to the tale of mourning and survival, the account adopts a three-dimensional quality that is satisfying and effective. And because it includes many of the elements of danger and action that thrillers utilize to best advantage, it's a well-rounded and powerful creation designed to appeal not just to men or women attracted to stories of recovery, but to a broader audience looking for a good, solid blend of mystery, adventure, a dash of romance, and much self-discovery. 

Beneath The Greater Sky
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Dandelion Angel
C.B. Calico
4th Floor Press

139 25th Avenue NW
Calgary, Alberta T2M 2A4
Canada

eISBN (Kindle, mobi): 978-1-897530-66-5
eISBN (Kobo, epub): 978-1-897530-67-2
Price: $6.99 CAD ($5.42 USD)

http://www.amazon.com/Dandelion-Angel-Novel-C-B-Calico-ebook/dp/B0112SC9CA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438190479&sr=1-1&keywords=dandelion+angel

 On the face of it, Dandelion Angel tells of undiagnosed borderline personality disorder in mothers and the legacy this hands down to their daughters who know nothing of psychological interpretation but much about the impossibility of pleasing a demanding parent. In choosing this approach Dandelion Angel hits far closer to home than most stories in which families seem to quickly understand the intricacies of psychology, focusing on the heart of a mysterious, unpredictable family structure that hands down far more than love for generations to contemplate. 

Ute, one of the mothers featured in the novel, is impossible to please: she is a 'hermit' whose heart is ruled by fear, with an uncommon ability to tolerate pain but hold it in places where pain usually releases. 

In describing her world and her daughter Caren's own legacy, Calico's words are exquisitely sharp and precise in their vivid vision: "Every year, she hoped to recapture the intense excitement she used to feel as a girl; and every year, she was disappointed again, because Christmas seemed all about shopping after work, in overcrowded stores, with irritable sales clerks and too many hurried customers; and with endless, tedious preparation; and long hours of travel along busy, and sometimes icy, highways. She hadn’t really felt anything in a long time. There was no connection to this beautiful house, which should have felt like her home, or to the tasteful decorations that she had busied herself with for days, or even to Tom, who was peacefully sleeping next door. She was alone. And there, suddenly, she felt like a child again—completely isolated, as if living under a thick glass dome, forever watching the world outside without being a part of it. She had carried this feeling with her all her life, and no move, no promotion, no amount of money or luxury, could take it away." 

As readers follow generations who inherit Ute's legacy, they will find the descriptions of family dynamics exquisitely wrought and pointed: "…she had meticulously planned the Andalusia trip, and—as usual—paid a fortune to please her mother. How could Ute be so cruel? And why did Caren try so hard? He had fallen in love with her because of her intelligence, her incredible sharpness. She could talk about anything; she was highly articulate and opinionated, could argue so convincingly and forcefully she’d win any debate, any case in court. And yet, here she was, at her parents’ home—a dependent,  frightened child desperate for her mother’s approval." 

Mothers and daughters. Achievements and failures to communicate. A biography project that threatens much and promises newfound insights. Traumatic memories from war, repressed until they are discounted. All these facets weave a powerful saga that holds out the promise of new blossoms, spring, revival, and how good people emerge from traumatic situations. 

Any novel reader who wants a story of women's family connections replete in psychological depth that successfully shows (rather than telling) will find that Dandelion Angel  eschews the usual distance of third-person observation by drawing key connections between its protagonists. Can knowing and understanding pain alleviate its force?  Dandelion Angel offers many compelling insights that create much food for thought in a vivid psychological examination with an uncanny ability to hit close to home - and the heart. 

Dandelion Angel
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Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story
Jonathan LaPoma
Laughing Fire Press
978-0-9988403-6-9
             $16.95
Publication Date: September 2015
www.amazon.com               www.jonlapoma.com
http://www.laughingfire.com
    www.facebook.com/jonlapoma
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25586052-developing-minds
 

Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story follows a group of recent college grads through their first year of teaching at dysfunctional urban public schools - especially 24-year-old Luke, a would-be writer who finds that his creativity and passion for the written word are crushed by daily teaching disputes which are far from what he anticipated in the job. 

The worst challenges in a career often take the form of a competition before one is even aware that a contest is taking place. Such is the case with Luke, who finds it a daily struggle to be a high school teacher in a process that is stifling his creativity and his real dreams. 

Therein lies the crux of the issue: how to make a living while still being an artist, without crushing the very thing that lends meaning to life? 

Unexpectedly, as the year moves on, Luke begins to see outside of his artistic focus a little more, to observe the roots of discontent in his young students' lives. The more he makes connections between their neglect and abuse and their actions, the more he is called upon to confront his own dark past. 

Unlike most stories about public school teachers, there's more of an attention to realistic interactions, here. Luke isn't a savior: he's a young adult on the cusp of adulthood trying to find meaning in his own life. The students aren't inherently evil beings: they are confused and coming of age in a turbulent world and culture influenced by social and physiological changes alike. 

Luke's own struggles with drugs and mental illness, his interactions with inner city urban youth, and his growing angst are reinforced by events and interactions that are realistically, pointedly portrayed without the usual over-dramatization seen in most stories of teachers and students: "I hoped they bought that I was sick. I hoped they couldn’t see the panic in my eyes. I hoped they didn’t realize that even the slightest of resistance would have sent me screaming through the door and doing snow angels under the GW sign out front. I hoped they’d for once just be kind to me. Why was that so difficult? Compassion. And as that bell rang, my wish had been answered. For whatever reason that day, there were no “She can do whatever she wants”s or “This is stupid”s. They opened their books and got to work." 

Sometimes brilliance lies not in the overly dramatic, but in the ability to pick subtle interactions and inject gentle insights about their nature. Sometimes the meat of a title lies not in fire and flames, but in simmering passion. Such is the nature of the coming-of-age experiences depicted in Developing Minds, which offers a multi-faceted exploration of growth, maturity, and eventual transformation on the parts of all involved. 

Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story
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Instant Mystic
Gail Gray Helm
Morning Glory Press
978-0-9964430-0-5 

It's fiction - but, it's delicious fiction. How else can one describe chapter headings that assume the form of foods - Mango Lassi, Red Licorice, Crunchy PB&J, and more? And for those who equate food with angst, there's always 'Bad Egg' or 'Flaming Hot Cheetos'. What can it all mean? Take a big bite from Chapter One, to begin. 

In just a few paragraphs, readers receive the sense that food is magical, even for a protagonist who suffers from finding only dubious leftover takeout in his fridge: "He walked to his kitchen, opened his small old refrigerator and looked pensively inside, hoping a delicious breakfast might just await him. No such luck. Instead he grabbed a white paper carton seeping orange stains and wolfed down baingan barta leftover from Sunday night in Little India. The curried eggplant was slimy and unctuous. He should have thrown it out in this morning’s trash instead of making a garbage can of his stomach. Too late. He gulped down some mango lassi and hoped that the magical compensatory live yogurt cultures might kill whatever weird stuff was growing in the eggplant." 

At first the story that evolves from this sensual food feast seems to indicate this will be a short story collection with each chapter centered around a different protagonist; but in fact Instant Mystic's charm lies in its ability to create a host of characters and then weave their lives together. 

Dev has a flair for learning foreign languages. Lupe's Café, his destination, also attracts another artist: Adrianna's not a wordsmith, but a painter. Jay (in the next chapter), in contrast, is a fashionista who dresses in sharkskin, accepts translated documents from his friend Dev, and is a smuggler and a dandy. And Tara is making something from her former home, 'Gypsy Tart', and weeping for her past, present and future: "Tara punctured the tin of evaporated milk and poured it over the dark muscavado sugar. She began to whip them together and to weep. She wept for herself and the harder she beat the mixture the harder she cried." 

Amnesia. Kidnapping. The illusions of food, cross-cultural encounters, possible holy men, and holy hell. Love explored as a malady and as a promise. Food smells and culture permeate chapters that take all these loose ends and a disparate cast of characters and wind up their actions, interactions, beliefs, and symbols into a multi-faceted read not for the casual novel reader, but for those who like to think about interplays between personalities, belief systems, and cultures. 

Readers who enjoy quasi-spiritual stories with a healthy dose of ethnic foods and discovery (paired with some thriller-type action that challenges protagonists and keeps them ever-changing) will find in Instant Mystic a delicious recipe for engagement and involvement. The food and cross-cultural themes that power much of the action and encounters is simply delightful, making it a top recommendation for readers who enjoy ethnic foods and varied, unpredictable interactions. 

Instant Mystic
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Into the Hidden Valley
Stuart Blackburn

Bygone Era Books, Ltd.
978-1-941072-25-7
$17.95 paperback/$4.99 ebook
www.BygoneEraBooks.com 

Open in India, 1910, where son Charles is reading a tombstone about his father's untimely death in an earthquake. It is only upon his father's demise that Charles realizes the role this civil servant played in Indian political affairs, and the dangerous legacy he's inherited as a son of British descent struggling with his country's worsening relationship with India. 

As historical novels go, Into the Hidden Valley is a gem: it takes a relatively remote portion of India and uses it as a microcosm of social, historical, and political observation, creating a valley as replete with secrets as the life that left it. 

And as Charles peels away these layers of mystery one by one, he comes to realize that his father, who is viewed as something of a hero because of his ability to crush Indian rebellion, is actually something more; revealed in a notebook left with his legacy. 

Readers move into George's life thereafter, from the time he left England for good as a hermit set adrift from all roots to become an ICS officer, to his increasing involvement in punitive expeditions and uprisings quashed by British enforcement efforts and the Government of India. 

From containment and control of frontier Tibetan borders to his responsibility in caring for his child, all facets of George's life are explored in a series of revelations that will change son Charles' world. Charles then embarks on a journey following his father's footsteps to meet a man who may well be old and gone, now - and as he follows the route his father has taken, Charles comes to realize just how foreign a world his father had traveled: "In a hidden valley halfway to Tibet, he was an uninvited visitor among people wearing tattoos and red-cane belts, half-naked and speaking a language of which he knew nothing." 

Stuart Blackburn does an outstanding job of pairing the history of Indian, British and Tibetan relationships with the personal story of a son's discoveries about his father's hidden life. 

Which of his father's expeditions are his true successes? Decades of deception, cover-up, and acquiescence shake Charles' image of his father and negate the posthumous honors he receives. This powerful saga of British/Indian relationships as seen through the eyes, decisions, and choices of one British clerk makes for a riveting story that's hard to put down, bringing Indian and Tibetan history and culture to life. Historical novel enthusiasts will find it a solid, gripping chronicle. 

Into the Hidden Valley
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The Maven Trap
Billy McCoy
No Publisher, ISBN, $TBA
Prepublication Manuscript: ETA Fall 2015
Email: billyemccoy@gmail.com 

The Maven Trap's first-person saga begins delicately, with a young boy's over-dependence on his mother and his father's sudden and confusing demise; after which his beloved mother "metamorphosed into a brutal stranger." The power and passion of this story line is excellent. 

The Maven Trap may begin with a bang, but it concludes Lionel's childhood experiences of abuse, religion, and uncertain family relationships fairly quickly and moves into the adult realm of thwarted social encounters, a goal of becoming a scholar and author, and a series of mishaps that lead the damaged narrator to struggle with social interactions and professional goals alike. 

To Lionel, everyone seems crazy and unsupportive; from his mother to his property manager and a series of girlfriends who each have their own issues and reasons for being unable to navigate their own worlds; much less his. 

As he searches for things and people of value in his life, recurring themes of religion, abuse, insanity and instability seem to mark his every move, leading Lionel in and out of scenarios where goals are hard to set or achieve and where support is nearly non-existent. Used to structures under which he not only chafes but struggles to survive, Lionel is faced with re-creating his adult world using few tools. 

The Maven Trap relates a host of encounters and traps experienced by the hapless Lionel; not the least of which include experiments with Buddhism, attempts to live a life with less material needs, and an ongoing search for a life partner and romance. At each step Lionel grows - and with each encounter he finds meaning in his choices, his influence, his world and his possible futures. 

Against the dual backdrops of Mobile, Alabama and Minneapolis, the story of a man at odds with his world and life makes for an involving saga of self-discovery and enlightenment, spiced with the gritty feel of everyday realities and life and infused with a feeling of quiet desperation. It's recommended for novel readers who enjoy a blend of self-examination and changing perspectives on crime, punishment, redemption, religion: the saga of a quietly desperate individual searching for transformation, forgiveness, and something more from life. 

The Maven Trap
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Short Stories

 The Fall of Icarus
N.R. Bates
978-0-9931905-7-5 (epub)    $1.50
978-0-9931905-8-2 (print)     $6.99
NR Bates Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Icarus-Elevator-Girl/dp/0993190588/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437921763&sr=8-1&keywords=9780993190582 

The Fall of Icarus offers three interlinked short stories sharing the locale, flavor, and focus of Paris and tells of falls, flights, and endurance in the lives of three very different individuals. All this is done in a production well below a hundred pages: an amazing achievement, given that so much is imparted using so little space. 

In 'The Elevator', Ianos becomes trapped in a shabby, tiny old French elevator and when the doors finally open, something magical changes his life and introduces him to a Paris of loss and possibility. How many times will he embark on that journey? A surreal saga captures reader interest.

'The Fall of Icarus' is also about flights: this one injecting the allegory of a mythical son who ignored direction and traveled too close to the sun into the life of one who chose to "…follow a middle way—not too bright, not too foolish, and not too confident. I succumbed, and I did not excel in any way. Perhaps without realizing it, I followed this path as a means of real escape and not the imagining of escape by taking flight." 

It, too, is replete with the possibilities introduced by the unexpected experience which defies preset notions and logic. 

'The Girl' features a protagonist even more lost (she can't remember her own name, but she is immersed in recording the stories and words of others - to the point of lacking of her own life). Can an unexpected tale introduce her to new choices and experiences? 

All three stories excel in a sense of wonder and feature delightful twists and contemplative scenarios all immersed in Parisian atmosphere and powerfully surreal moments. Readers with a special affinity for the short story format who want to see atmosphere and psychology works flavored with a tinge of the eerie will delight in these well-done literary pieces. 

The Fall of Icarus
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Love Letters and Other Passages of Darkness
R. J. Erbacher
Infinity Publishing
1094 New DeHaven St. Suite 100
West Conshohocken, PA  19428-2713
978-1-4958-0315-4            $19.95
info@buybooksontheweb.com
Goodreads link- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25750150-love-letters-and-other-passages-of-darkness?ac=1 

Love Letters and Other Passages of Darkness is short story writing at its strongest, and will appeal to readers who require diverse plots, compelling and sometimes eerie experiences, and strong characters from their short story formats. 

The unifying theme is simple: each protagonist is charged with facing a dark force in his life and reacting to or overcoming it. In some cases this means submission; in some cases dominance - and in others, it's a twist of the story that leads readers in a satisfyingly unexpected direction entirely. 

In this process there are no other familiar guideposts or unifying approaches: one may just as easily experience a medieval castle as a fantasy world, or step into a haunted house from a shopping mall, for example. The changing landscapes are just one of the delights of a collection that succeeds in keeping its readers on their toes and poised for action. 

Take the introductory 'Love of the Black Lady', for one example. Alan is standing alone on a balcony in the Virgin Islands viewing what may prove his last extraordinary sunset. What does one do, knowing it's the last day? A last supper? A final romantic fling? A review of the processes that have led to his alienation from the world so empty that there is nobody left to say "I'm sorry" to for his choice and untimely demise? 

In this case the darkness stems from his own soul and a life lived without purpose, in relative isolation from his surroundings. Everything seems to lead up to this moment - until an unexpected, surreal lover takes charge. 

From a king tired of his responsibilities to his people to spirit wisdom, a beautiful forest of confusion, and revenge in the workplace; these are dark, brooding pieces that incorporate violence both physical and mental and take readers to the outer limits of pain and pleasure. 

Short story readers who appreciate slow build-ups, diverse themes and settings, and engrossing stories will find Love Letters and Other Passages of Darkness a powerful collection worthy of attention.

Love Letters and Other Passages of Darkness
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Young Adult/Childrens

BetterNot! And the Tale of Bratsville - Teaching Morals and Manners
Gene Del Vecchio
BetterNot! Enterprises, LLC

200 E. Del Mar Boulevard, Suite 304
Pasadena, Ca. 91105
978-0-692-471050      
$15.99 Hardcover, $9.99 Paper, $5.99 ebook
http://www.amazon.com/BetterNot-Tale-Bratsville-Teaching-Manners/dp/0692471057/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436297646&sr=1-1&keywords=betternot

BetterNot! And the Tale of Bratsville opens unexpectedly, in a "small town with deep swamps all around…a strange, eerie place…" : the perfect introduction to invite kids ages 4-8 to embark on a journey that pairs a rollicking rhyme with the tale of a town where the kids are just out of control. 

Roderick Fong's drawings add a realistic but fun touch to accompany the story of a town gone wild … as indicated by its name, Bratsville. 

Neither threats nor punishment works with these kids: what will? Perhaps a touch of magic is needed! 

Teaching basic morals and manners in a picture book is quite a trick if the end result is to be entertaining and thought-provoking to truly reach kids. The tendency in many picture books which attempt this goal is a preachy tone: but not here. 

Under Del Vecchio's hand the town comes to life, the dilemmas of frustrated parents are neatly charted, and the solution lies in an unexpected route involving one BetterNot. It's a challenge to take this message in a new direction; but BetterNot! And the Tale of Bratsville succeeds by using a powerful blend of color illustration and written word that deftly hones in on unacceptable behaviors and extraordinary solutions. Parents using this for read-aloud will be equally delighted by the story's fresh, vivid approach which features many unexpected moments that makes it a top, highly recommended read! 

BetterNot! And the Tale of Bratsville - Teaching Morals and Manners
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The Boy Who Walked A Way
Nancy Janes
CreateSpace
9781479139071     
Kindle: $1.99   Paperback: $10.50  Audible: $17.46
http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Walked-Way/dp/1479139076/ref=sr_1_1?        

The Boy Who Walked A Way is set in 2162, where violence has left a young boy alone and embroiled in a war. His life is about to be changed, however, by an invisible benefactor who offers him a path away from the violence and adversity that dominate his world - and so Jal embarks on a journey that leads him to new experiences, new friendships, and a sense of salvation in a world gone mad. 

The notion of a peaceful kingdom existing amid the confusion and chaos of war is not a new one. What is refreshingly different in The Boy Who Walked A Way is the emergence of a gentle fantasy that begins with the trappings of a war-encrusted science fiction read but quickly develops into much more. 

As Jal finds a way out of his crazed life, his journey of self-discovery involves a spiritual quest as well, offering young adult readers the vision and promise of a peaceful world even if one's surroundings are otherwise. 

Under Janes' hand, daily encounters include new lessons on life within a lyrical, inspirational account that blends an allegory with humor and a host of characters, different perspectives, and some unexpected twists. 

In one sense The Boy Who Walked A Way attempts quite a few messages and approaches, which may prove challenging to linear readers unused to underlying messages and spiritual concepts embedded into a fantasy setting. It all succeeds well, and ultimately reveals God's ability to protect and change not just Jal's life, but the wider world. Middle school readers and up will appreciate the quest, Jal's struggles, and ultimately, a lyrical sense of purpose in life. 

The Boy Who Walked A Way
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Colors! Take the Dog Out!
Lynne Dempsey
Lynne Dempsey, Publisher
ASIN: B00VVT72DW      $1.99 Kindle     $9.99 Paper
http://www.amazon.com/Colors-Take-Dog-Lynne-Dempsey-ebook/dp/B00VVT72DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438357102&sr=8-1&keywords=Colors+Take+the+Dog+Out

Colors! Take the Dog Out! also receives Mandy Newham-Cobb's vibrant drawings, which lend interest to a simple survey of nine basic colors using the same 'search for the dog bone' additions that made the companion Numbers title so engaging. 

A little dog, Coco, asks: "Do you like colors?" and introduces a young girl picking colorful flowers (and grass!) with a host of her friends. Each alternating panel includes the color's name - and when things move beyond flowers, some delightfully unexpected moments are introduced. Boys like baseball and girls prefer flowers … or, do they? 

Adventure follows, dog bones are cleverly sprinkled throughout for kids to find, and very young readers will appreciate the progression of a story that takes a few unexpected (but simple) turns and holds the ability to both educate and delight. 

Colors! Take the Dog Out!
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Don't Call Me Kit Kat
K. J. Farnham
CreateSpace
978-1500850333  
Price: $13.95 (paperback) $2.99 (Kindle)
Website: http://kjfarnham.com/dont-call-me-kit-kat/
Ordering Links: Amazon.com: Don't Call Me Kit Kat (9781500850333): K. J. Farnham: Books (paperback) 

Don't Call Me Kit Kat offers many predictable elements in its middle school story, and at first seems unremarkable. Katie is at an age where appearances and associations really matter. She's conflicted at school (with its cliques, betrayals and angst) and at home (where her parents are divorcing), and Katie feels that her world is coming apart, leaving her powerless to effect any real change. 

The subject may open with an approach similar to other middle school stories; but then its special strengths shine as strongly as its characters, because Katie's personality immerses readers not just in the events surrounding her life, but in her responses to them - and that makes for a compelling read that's hard to put down. 

Each predictable facet is offset by an unpredictable series of revelations as Katie navigates the many obstacles that limit her happiness and ability to feel fulfilled. Readers will thrill with her successes, draw breath as she heads pell-mell into a dangerous choice, and will relate to many of her emotions as she interacts with her world: "…what am I going through, exactly? Even I can’t explain it very well. I just felt how I felt and feel how I feel now. Sometimes I don’t even know how I feel anymore, because my mind has gotten so used to focusing on gorging myself and then getting rid of it all. Whatever feelings I happen to be ignoring at the time included." 

In effect, Katie embarks on a journey down a dangerous rabbit hole to another world and back again. It's the journey, and her growth and revelations about places where she has choices and power in her life, that make Don't Call Me Kit Kat such a compelling read, recommended for middle school grade readers also struggling with issues of fitting in and standing apart from the crowd. 

Don't Call Me Kit Kat
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Elizabeth's War
D.L. Finn
BookBaby
9780996258210 - Print    $8.91
9780996258203  - eBook  $2.99
Library of Congress Control Number:  2015911423
http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeths-War-D-L-Finn/dp/0996258213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437925141&sr=8-1&keywords=9780996258210&pebp=1437925123695&perid=0MRSNTHPW1DE6XZVW36H

Elizabeth's War is set on a farm during World War I and tells of how the war affects Elizabeth at home when her father and brother are sent off to battle. Advanced elementary to early middle school readers will find it a short (but pointed) saga of home life during the war from an eleven-year-old's first-person impressions, which immediately presents a tragedy when the retiring Elizabeth doesn't respond to her brother's pleas for help. 

How can a girl not used to taking charge, and unable to handle emergencies, be an effective replacement for an authoritative leader on a farm? The story moves beyond portraying World War I's affects on those left behind to investigate the psychological profiles, challenges, and changes brought about by a world's transformation. 

Elizabeth goes through the usual childhood experiences, from chicken pox to an evolving, more mature relationship with her mother and older sister. As the world heats up and suffrage movements, romance, and newfound dreams change her family, Elizabeth must accept a new place not only in her own previously-comfortable surroundings, but in a wider changing world; and much as her family is fighting the war abroad, so she struggles with a less defined war right at home. 

Her realizations and growth power a compelling read highly recommended for girls in grades 4-6. 

Elizabeth's War
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Emma’s Dilemma
Molly McCluskey-Shipman
Goldminds Publishing
Prepublication Manuscript: ETA Fall 2015
http://www.goldmindspub.com/#!emmas-dilemma/cctx 

Emma’s Dilemma provides a simple story for ages 3-9, telling of a young school girl's dilemma over a school-assigned family tree project. 

As she contemplates some fantastic solutions to her problem, Emma begins to get a real sense of what the project is actually all about - and an idea of how to handle it by applying some, simple out-of-the-box thinking. 

A semi-rhyme structure juxtaposes colorful drawings with pages containing no words, breaking up the usual picture (or early chapter) book structure. Young readers receive all the possibilities in Emma's mind, from monkeys and spaceships to royalty: but no matter how much she muses, she still faces a predicament. 

The answer to her problems lies not in a fertile imagination alone; but in the application of healthy dose of reality: a process that will delight young readers with good fantasy but, in the end, brings it all home - including vocabulary material, discussion questions, a Chinese symbolism game, and more. 

Emma’s Dilemma
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Heat
Lis Lucassen
Storm Publishers
978 94 92098 10 8       .99 Kindle 
www.stormpublishers.com 

http://www.amazon.com/Heat-Lis-Lucassen-ebook/dp/B00WXI5E3K 

Dan and Lynn are two young adults who meet at a resort, are feeling overpowered by the heat of their environments and the passion of their individual pain, and find in each other a companion to share their worlds: but only if they can trust enough to reveal their common experiences and let go of some of the angst. 

By switching between third-person perspectives on Dan and Lynn, readers are privy to not just their secrets, but their emotional courses: a good approach to understanding each protagonist's innermost feelings. 

It should be warned that action is slow to build: readers anticipating an instant understanding of events and a quick delivery system may be disappointed. There are hints along the way ("He hated the oppressive feeling, but not nearly as much as he hated the other things. The whispers of sympathy, or the way people seemed to tiptoe around him when dealing with him.") that Lucassen takes time to develop his story - and that's one of the strengths of Heat. 

Where other novels would 'cut to the chase' in quick urgency to immerse readers in emotional secrets, Heat takes its time bringing out and building its protagonists. Where other young adult readers would simmer in an action-packed read unrelated to life's actual progress, Heat attends to building scenarios and situations to achieve more depth than most. And where other stories of love would take a near-instant attraction and build individual personalities around it, Heat first focuses on building the bridges of emotional understanding. 

While this might translate to a lot more description and a slower pace than most, Heat is to be commended for an approach that succeeds in creating a scenario that supports two damaged individuals and the healing process that goes on between them, creating a powerful read recommended for those who don't need nonstop staccato action to appreciate the realities of life, love, and everything in between.  Heat eventually delivers its passion in a logical fashion that truly evolves from what has gone on before: "You’re like a passenger trapped in your own life, headed for a future that others built for you. You’re not at the helm. You’re not holding the wheel. Someone else is. And no matter how loud you scream that you want to get out, or you want to take the exit, no one is listening.” 

Heat
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Hope for Garbage
Alex Tully
Ann Tully Phillips, Publisher
978-0692024836       $2.99 Kindle     $6.99 Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Hope-For-Garbage-Alex-Tully-ebook/dp/B00JSJ0PF4
Website: www.alextullywriter.com 

Trevor McNulty is a seventeen-year-old living with an alcoholic uncle and barely getting by when he meets rich girl Bea, who is pretty, edgy, and just the shining beacon of hope he needs in a life reduced to picking through garbage for survival. 

Unfortunately, Bea comes with her own family baggage which, when added to Trevor's woes, prove nearly overwhelming. Can his habit of turning trash into treasure be translated as neatly into relationships and life itself? 

At first readers might believe Hope for Garbage to be a predictable story of survival; but it's much more. Within the saga of Trevor's uncertain world and the forces that control and dictate it, is a story of boundaries, rules, dreams, and how the human spirit survives under the direst of conditions. 

Trevor has been handed a lot of despair, and even the hope he cultivates for something good turns to an exploration of two very different worlds and their unexpected similarities. As Trevor matures and considers his options, readers are right there with him; and by the time he hits the wall, Alex Tully's detail-oriented focus has immersed the viewer in Trevor's world to the point that his actions, choices, and challenges become personal for readers, as well. 

Tully's ability to thoroughly analyze Trevor's reactions and actions invite readers into not just an observational role, but an affection for a teen's struggles: "The look of hurt on her face felt like a punch in Trevor’s gut. He had never seen her like that before. He wanted to run to her and tell her it was all a big mistake. But he was frozen, just like in a dream. He kept his eyes on the floor and just prayed the nightmare would be over soon. He just wanted to get the hell out of there." 

Tully's ability to build many questions and no easy answers means that Trevor's life and times prove especially realistic, eschewing the possibility of predictability and venturing into the realm of uncertain results. Readers of young adult fiction will find much to relate to as Trevor navigates his life, trying to keep secrets, maintain a positive perspective, and build something different than what he's been raised with. 

Hope for Garbage
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Lily’s Story
Don Gutteridge
Bev Editions
978-0-9916798-9-8   $9.99 Kindle   
978-1-77084-388-2   $32.95 paperback
www.smashwords.com 

In Moore Township, Ontario Canada, in 1845, Lily is a pioneer girl whose mother hates Indians, and who faces a world rapidly changing from that of a frontier town to something much more; something that will force her to take her family's survival skills to a new level. 

Plenty of novels have been written about frontier days and frontier gals; but Lily's Story is different: it doesn't just tell her story; it immerses readers in the sights, sounds, and sentiments of her times: "Many nights, curled in the straw of her loft, she heard the drumbeats come across the tree-tops from miles away and settle into their clearing as if they had been aimed there. They were not like her heartbeat, back and forth, nor like the sprightly songs Mama sang in her other language when she was “feeling better” and sitting before her spinning wheel in the bright sun of the garden she had helped to clear. It was a pounding, repetitive music that set her heart ajar, that made her dream of strange creatures who preferred breathing in the dark, that made her long to know what words would be sung to such cadence, what dances would find their feet in such grooved frenzies." 

There's a big difference between a novel that describes events and one that plunges its reader into its setting and world. Gutteridge holds the ability to bring this strange frontier world to life as readers absorb Lily's interests, fascination with the unknown, and reactions to how her parents settle the land. These feelings are precisely captured in succinct, hard-hitting descriptions ("Lil’s bones rang like tuning forks.") filled with insights on the moments and seconds of Lily's experiences of her world. 

Readers expecting staccato action and momentous events will find plenty of tense moments and unexpected twists; but it's really Lily's observations and psyche that fuel a story more notable for its intimate descriptions than for unfettered drama. Gutteridge's ability to keep Lily's character vivid and her experiences as fast-paced as the romance and cultural and technological changes that drive her world, makes for exquisite reading: "Underneath the camouflage she was sure she could hear the water still moving, its voice faint, tinsel, palimsest – like a dolphin’s song from a distant sea. She heard the weasel’s ermine belly dragging at the burrow’s edge, felt his ferret’s glare on her heart. Then he was gone, scrambling underground, his ears picking up the same sound that made Lily leap straight up and freeze." 

A solid historical novel will impart this sense along with facts that depict bygone times and worlds. Lily's long life and many experiences take her from frontier times to the birth of a new village, a new home, and a new world. That she carries readers along for a heady ride through politics, sleigh rides, train rides, and the advent of World War I makes for a compelling read hard to put down and especially recommended for readers who want more than 'show and tell', but a vivid saga that brings a woman's many years and transitions to life against the backdrop of astounding changes. 

Lily’s Story
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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

 Just what a teen always wants: a summer spent in prison! At least, that's what the protagonist feels in the opening of Linked Through Time, a debut novel in a series centered around fifteen-year-old Kate, adding to her ongoing time-travel experiences (other books in the series not seen by this reviewer) when a summer to be spent with grandparents in rural cow country Minnesota turns into an ordeal. 

Kate wakes up in the past - 1960, to be specific - living the life of the aunt she resembles but has never met. Now it's more than living at her grandparents' house without computer or cell; it's living a life of poverty in the countryside, struggling with romance and the confusing results of her time traveling, and facing her new life with a terrible knowledge of the future: that her aunt drowned that same summer. 

As events unfold, Kate discovers that not everything is known or predictable, and she faces some dilemmas about how - or if - she can (or should) change the past to get back to the world she was so set on rejecting. 

Timeslip young adult books have been around for many decades now. New variations on the theme thus tend to assume a 'formula' feel - but Jessica Tornese's focus on more than just time-travel events, including the moral and social questions they bring up, sets her books apart from most past and present stories on the theme. 

Kate's dilemma comes to life, both her worlds feel realistic and engrossing, and her powerful desire to return home is reminiscent of Dorothy's newfound appreciation of what 'home' actually comprises in The Wizard of Oz. 

As with any timeslip story, it's the author's ability to bring events of the past to life and juxtapose them with present-day concerns that makes for a compelling read: Linked Through Time packs in these qualities. It should be mentioned that, given that this book is part of a series, it ends with questions and possibilities. Readers looking for a neat wind-up conclusion won't find a cliffhanger here, exactly - but Tornese does leave the door wide open for more - and that's a welcome approach for those who love Linked Through Time! 

Linked Through Time
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Making It Home
Suzanne W. Roche
Oak Lei Press
978-0-9961484-6-7     $10.99
www.amazon.com             www.timetotimekids.com 

Many 'timeslip' novels assume the similar formats begun so many years ago and presented by so many great authors: children stumble into the past, learn to cope with that era's atmosphere, and search for a way back home. And given its title, one would expect a similar approach from Roche in Making It Home - but hers is quite a different presentation and offers far more than most fantasy 'timeslip' stories by incorporating a focus on realistic historical events. 

Take the opener, for example: "It's the turn of the twentieth century, and change is in the air—and over land and on the seas. Railroad tracks are being laid across countries like never before, and steam locomotives are taking people farther than they ever imagined. Steamships are replacing all the old sailing ships, and ocean travel is faster and more common now. You could say the modern world is chugging (or sailing) along at a brisk speed." 

This provides a lively, specific foundation for the first chapter ('Max unlocks the past by mistake, and the children end up in 1892') and allows for a true appreciation of historical setting before opening with the character of teen Peregrine, who loves her grandfather's unusual antique shop: "Inside, relics from around the world hung from and overflowed every inch of floor and wall space. A heavy smell—some combination of furniture polish, mothballs, and musty leather—kept everyone but the most serious antique collectors away." 

This quote is provided as just one example of how Suzanne W. Roche succeeds in creating atmosphere, drawing young readers into her story and injecting it with attention to real, lively historical events throughout: a strength that creates a particularly powerful atmosphere in Making It Home.

Vintage black and white and color illustrations throughout capture the times well - as in 'Roof with a View', which holds an intriguing shot of a small rooftop crowded with people and the caption "People often slept on rooftops on hot summer nights." 

Where other timeslip stories might provide a one-dimensional focus on the protagonists and their efforts, Making It Home excels in juxtaposing fiction with historical facts, neatly interchanging experience with atmosphere to bring both to life. 

Add an appendix of 'History in the Making', keys to reproducing antique games and recipes, and notes about 1900s life and you have a marvelous, unique story line that succeeds in marrying a fictional story to nonfiction reality: something rare in the world of not just 'timeslip' sagas, but middle school fiction in general. The result is a top recommendation for any who want to bring history alive for young readers. 

Making It Home
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Numbers! Take the Dog Out
Lynne Dempsey
Lynne Dempsey, Publisher
978-0989787536    $9.75 paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Take-Dog-Out-2/dp/0989787532/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438355851&sr=8-1&keywords=Numbers+Take+the+Dog+Out

Addition and subtraction are the foundation skills covered in a simple introductory reader illustrated by Mandy Newham-Cobb which encourages kids to count from 0-10 and back down again. A very simple animal-illustrated format pairs the numbers and their addition and subtraction capabilities with a friendly chase scene involving hats, bones, animals and humans. 

As Coco and her friends count from zero to ten and back, young readers will enjoy an easy adventure that begins simply, with one animal, and then gets busier and more action-oriented as each number is introduced. 

The book is vibrant with color, satisfyingly simple as an introduction for young readers just learning numbers, and includes plenty of 'action scenes' lending to parental read-aloud and easy reader learning (including dog bones scattered in each picture for kids to easily find - and count!). 

Numbers! Take the Dog Out
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The Secrets Of Yashire
Diamante Lavendar
CreateSpace
978-1493783762      $6.99

Ordering Links:
The Secrets of Yashire: Emerging from the Shadows: Diamante Lavendar: 9781493783762: Amazon.com: Books
Smashwords:  Smashwords – The Secrets of Yashire - Emerging from the Shadows – a book by Diamante Lavendar
Website:  Diamante Lavendar - Author and Writer 

The Secrets of Yashire: Emerging from the Shadows at first seems like another young adult fantasy genre read - until you realize that the action takes place in the protagonist's mind. Brianna is a sixteen-year-old with an adult's perspective on life and who is challenged with a life out of control and an effort to reign in the destructive impulses of her world. 

She seems the least likely person to fall into a fantasy realm that tests her with tasks that include bringing unconditional love back into a kingdom - but this is what evolves in an unexpected journey that slowly moves readers from her relationships and special challenges to something more: a higher purpose, if you will. 

Psychological insights peppered throughout provide clues to Brianna's state of mind ("Why the hell do I do this crap? I keep getting myself into more and more trouble. I need to stop doing this. I’m starting to hate myself.") as they set the stage for her philosophical, psychological and spiritual journey. 

If the 'meat' of a young adult piece lies in its ability to realistically and engrossingly chart the move of a young adult to adult, then The Secrets of Yashire achieves this goal and more. As Brianna moves into higher-level thought processes, so readers follow and note her evolutionary process. One might expect complexity from this approach; but in fact The Secrets of Yashire is an easy read which will appeal to young adult fantasy readers; but delivers more than expected with philosophical and spiritual messages embedded into its events. 

Don't expect a fast pace, here: Lavendar takes time to build up protagonist and setting and while some may chafe at the lack of staccato action, used to reads that gloss over depth in favor of entertainment, the fact is that the attention to relationships and growth is every bit as important as the fantasy that unwinds. Pre-teens and young adults alike who don't need a rushed pace will find it a compelling saga of a teen's journey through both inner and outer worlds that concludes not with a neat or trite wrap-up, but with further possibilities.

The Secrets Of Yashire
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