September 2024 Review Issue
Literature
Mystery & Thrillers
The
Forbidden
Summoning
Tim Rayborn
Thousand Acres/Armin
Lear Press
978-1-963271-33-1
$27.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
Website: https://timrayborn.com/
Ordering: https://arminlear.com/
Readers of
epic high
fantasy well know there is much to choose from in this genre; but for
complex
and alluring deep reads, the availability list whittles down. Tim
Rayborn is
able to construct worlds with a hand to psychological and atmospheric
build-ups
which are engrossing from his story’s opening lines:
“The earth bleeds.”
In a dark and cold stone chamber, a figure sat in mid-air, his legs
crossed, his long grey robe trailing to the floor. With cruel eyes, he
gazed
into an orb of pulsing light floating above his outstretched palms.
Scrying
into its center, he beheld the rumbling that shook a far-away barren
landscape,
its ground splitting open along the seams of ancient land-wounds.
Primal
energies born of a loathsome magic disgorged, stinging the surface of
the
ruined plains. Shadowy, swirling mists poured forth, free after
centuries of
imprisonment.
The process
begun of
loosing disaster upon the world in the prologue segues into the first
chapter,
where Dorinen faaces a shadowy entity that eludes them. It’s not only
vanished,
but it’s taken their friends. As Rayborn builds these characters, so he
concurrently injects a ‘you are here’ attention to their surroundings:
The frigid, damp, pre-dawn air filled her nose, but
it seemed off. She
sensed a foulness, like burnt hair and scorched flesh, weaving through
the
aromas of dew and moss, leaf and wood. She paused and committed this
pungent
stench to her memory.
These
seemingly-small
details lead to a story that is steeped in attraction and compelling
horror
that creates an immersive experience as Dorinen faces her greatest
terrors and
finds her mettle and abilities as a monster slayer tested. On the verge
of
finally confronting her enemy and losing the battle and her life,
Dorinen is
saved by a strange figure dressed in purple that seems able to control
the
beast. How can a “colorful dandy” clothed in velvet and joviality do
what her
seasoned sword cannot?
He’s not
only a
killer, but a healer. Known by many names, Dorinen knows him as a
legendary
figure to her people who seemed more myth than reality—until Ramwin
stands in
front of her in the flesh with all his powerful magical abilities.
Rayborn
doesn’t just
focus on a singular protagonist, but introduces a host of players in
ensuing
chapters. There’s Andra, a magical lyre player on the cusp of
graduating from
arts college, who employs music like a finely tuned force. She’s still
learning
to hone its power, but her abilities give her an edge in what is to
come and
the journey she will undertake. Psychological surprises about Andra’s
interests
will pique reader interest as her character evolves.
There is
monk and
friend Narick, whose support and friendship helps Andra in many
ways—especially
when he joins her on her journey and influences her developing musical
ability
to heal, and confront danger.
Rayborn’s
literary
gift lies in cementing characters within a backdrop of magic which they
both
take for granted and are challenged to employ in the best ways possible.
His
portraits of
magical gems and their cost, a reclusive noble family’s role in raising
the
deadly Vordlai, and evolving relationships as Andra, Dorinen, Mylth,
and Narick
journey together and find their abilities and special interests
connecting them
in unexpected ways makes for thoroughly engrossing reading.
Especially
delightful
is a progressive series of challenges that requires the characters to
step up
individually as well as part of a group effort.
Libraries
and readers
seeking high fantasy that features outstanding performances from its
characters, interlocked lives and mandates for growth and change, and a
quest
that promotes different ways of viewing the world will find The Forbidden Summoning exceptionally
vivid, compelling reading that’s hard to either predict or put down.
Even more
satisfying
to note is that additional books will appear in the series. This should
particularly delight libraries and readers who enjoy this book and will
look
for more.
Return to Index
Halcyon
Dreamworlds
Lee Baldwin
Baldwin Book
ASIN: B017PUJJZE
$2.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017PUJJZE
Readers of
detective
investigations, hard sci-fi, and cyberpunk will find Halcyon Dreamworlds: An Avatar
Paradise of Seduction and Death a riveting
study in how these influences
combine to create an out-of-the-box plot with elements of thriller
tension.
It should be
mentioned here that Halcyon Dreamworlds
introduces The Catapult of Singularity
series with a bang, opening with an Arizona detective’s murder
investigation
that quickly segues into a mind-bending futuristic story of mental
control and
intentions to steal all the real estate in New York City, thanks to a
murderous
computer simulation that challenges not only the psyche, but every
player’s
life.
How can a
detective
solve murders which take place in another reality? That’s only one of
the
questions driving the fast-paced action of Halcyon
Dreamworlds, building a satisfying contrast between reality
and “real
dreamworlds” which reaches out to capture the lives of individual
participants
… and even orchestrate their deaths.
Cyberpunk
fans and
gamers will especially appreciate the intersection of realities that
Lee
Baldwin delivers in his vivid story. A host of characters’ special
interests
coalesce in this shifting landscape of seduction and danger, brought to
life by
descriptions supercharged with insight, possibility, and physical and
mental
revelation:
“Beatrice! I feel you! Your lips. Your little
tongue. Everything.”
Logan’s mind first struggles to right itself, but with eyes closed, she
surrenders completely. She knows not where Logan ends and Yuri begins.
Doesn’t
know if her arms hold Beatrice or SacredPetal. It no longer matters.
They are
two star-girls, young and alive in extravagant new reality, all
whispered
endearments, stroking hands and breathless hearts.
Readers may
also find
their own ideas of reality tested as characters dip into avatars and
revelations about the lure of Dreamworlds and its impact on their lives:
Go on Dreamworlds without Petal’s gold spider cap?
Unthinkable! She’s
too damn hooked on her goddess-dream of being Yuri, tasting things,
loving
things, the warmth of SacredPetal’s living body. She watches kids in
the mall
wearing fake spiders in their role play, sees the convincing and
pervasive lie:
each American life belongs to the Dreamworlds.
More so than
most
cyberpunk or hard sci-fi writers, Baldwin cultivates the ability to
inject
deeper-level life thinking into his story. This will give even seasoned
sci-fi
readers pause for thought about technological attractions and the
possibly
dangerous lure of an all-too-real alternate reality.
Those who
imbibe of Halcyon Dreamworlds need
to buckle their
seatbelts for a rollicking ride through technological, psychological,
philosophical, and shifting worlds. More than entertainment alone, it
encourages
questions about real world values, perceptions, and future
possibilities in
entertainment and living.
This is why
sci-fi
book clubs will be particularly interested in this story, which segues
among gripping
contrasts of romance, discovery, and mind-stretching truths to keep
both characters
and readers thinking.
Libraries
that select
Halcyon Dreamworlds will find it a
top recommendation for fans of William Gibson and others who have
produced
revolutionary sci-fi art to expand the genre’s boundaries and the
reader’s
mind.
Return to Index
The Scotty!
Eric J. Hildeman
Msffl
979-8869367365
$16.00 Paperback/$5.00 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Scotty-Eric-J-Hildeman/dp/B0D4C5JXMW
The Scotty! is an interlocking series of
quirky sci-fi stories
revolving around the invention of an instantaneous transportation
device that
gives its user god-like powers. It’s a device named for Star Trek’s
engineer
Scotty, which will especially attract and delight Trekkies.
Opening in
the year
2073 with a private journal entry, it’s evident from the start that
Eric J.
Hildeman attends to adding underlying ironic, satirical humor into the
mix:
My latest government assignment ordered me to the
Peace Frog, which was
a Mary Jane establishment in Pasadena, California. The air inside was
filled
with a thin haze caused by constantly smoking patrons and, because
nearly all
the gonge was flavored, the indoor fog smelled of berries, peppermint,
chocolate, vanilla, as well as cannabis. It was a candy-chronic
conglomeration;
a reefer redolence; a pot-pourri.
From quests
for
answers and gullible participants in a zany excursion to the
consequences of
employing the Scotty, these threads of humorous inspection give the
stories a
marked degree of fun. This helps the entire effort stand out from the
crowd,
while remaining serious about the subjects of power and control:
I remember that while we were all at our usual
watering hole one night,
I overheard hazelnut Barbara and macadamia Latona gossiping about
Paulo, the
Brazil nut. He was kind of religious, so the conversation somehow got
coded in
Jesus-talk, but it was clear enough what the subject matter was.
As training
in using
the Scotty proceeds, with various governments attempting to fine-tune
who gets
to use it and how it impacts the world, Eric J. Hildeman creates a
series of
adventures that swirl around the fact that “the
fate of the entire planet is now constantly at stake.”
As the
Scotty is
employed for such dubious efforts as world-changing and spying on naked
women
alike, the follies and failures of humanity come to light in the forms
of
seemingly disparate characters whose own special interests influence
the
Scotty’s use, promise, and impact.
Libraries
will
welcome a sci-fi story replete with elements of wry social inspection,
literary
strength, moral and ethical considerations. Attempts to Scotty
personalities
and ethical concerns with high-tech transformations make The
Scotty! worthy not just of individual patron recommendation
to
readers within and outside of the sci-fi genre, but book clubs and
reading
groups interested in the many debates which will likely arise from a
community
consideration of technology employed for the “greater good.”
Return to Index
Spirit Light
Ross Hightower
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-455-6
$19.95 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
www.blackrosewriting.com
Spirit Light is the third book in the
Spirit Sight Saga centering
on Minna and her sister, and provides returning readers with a vivid,
unexpected continuation to their saga.
The Empire
is newly
cognizant of just how dangerous Minna and Alyn Hunter are. Armed with
this
knowledge, the ante between them is upped as the sisters represent an
underlying yearning for freedom which ripples through the Empire like a
virus.
Minna and
Alyn still
need to fully embrace and expose their mother’s plan if they are to
gain
headway in their battles, however. Underlying that goal are equally
powerful
draws to resolve conflicts not only outside, but within them.
Once again,
Ross
Hightower creates an utterly compelling quest saga that embraces the
special
interests of empire and individual alike.
Between
coming into
not just their abilities but their family’s history and legacy and
confronting
an impossible regime armed with knowledge, foresight, and strength, the
sisters
rise into their abilities with the charm and character of driven young
women.
Theirs is
not the
only perspective cultivated, here. As in former books, other characters
step up
with their own perspectives and concerns. Ulf, Minna’s love, adds his
own
insights as events unfold. Minna longs for a quiet life with him with
home,
family, and freedom a part of their lives:
They fell silent again until Minna asked, “Do you
think we’ll ever be
able to have a normal life?”
Ulf chuckled. “What would a normal life be like for you?”
Minna pulled her head back so she could look up at him. “A house in the
forest.
A cozy, warm house. Two children, a boy and a girl.” She looked at his
chest
and gave a small laugh. “Hunting, teaching my children to hunt.
Festivals,
stories by the fire, crisp autumn days and those snowy winter days when
the
forest is so quiet.” She fell silent, her smile fading. Then she laid
her head
back on his chest. “All of that.”
As Minna
struggles
with trust and how to shape the world she ultimately wants to raise a
family
in, readers receive a vivid story of a mother’s legacy, a daughter’s
mandate,
and a host of characters whose changing lives and special interests
intersect
on a field of personal and political struggle.
Hightower is
especially adept at bringing these new characters into Minna’s milieu
to expand
the purposes and perceptions of this world, resulting in an engrossing
study in
transformation and world-changing that will delight fantasy readers
interested
in sweeping epic journeys firmly rooted in personal experience and
change.
Without the spirits’ gifts, what was she?
That is the concluding
question.
Libraries
seeing
popularity with the other books in Hightower’s series will certainly
want to
add Spirit Light to their
collections, recommending it above many others to patrons seeking
series
fantasies replete with elements of revelation over final battles won
and lost.
Return to Index
Spirit Sight
Ross Hightower
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-027-5
$16.95 Paperback/$.99 eBook
www.blackrosewriting.com
The first
book in the
Spirit Song trilogy, Sprit Sight,
places accompanying maps and supporting info online, accessible by a
scan code,
freeing the story to begin properly with the impact it needs to form a
one-two
punch of attraction from the start.
Minna has
lived in
the mountain village of Fennig for her entire short life. Against the
backdrop
of an unexplored wilderness, the little town has prospered despite
being on the
edge of a corrupt empire. Minna’s ability to see and commune with
spirits is in
direct opposition to that empire’s edict, but her remote location
affords her a
sense of connection and opportunity that few others in the land can
claim.
Perhaps
predictably,
the long arm of the empire reaches out to touch and destroy her
peaceful life
and threaten her connection to the spirits. Branded a witch, Minna and
her
similarly-endowed sister are condemned to isolation and worse, but
their story
doesn’t end here.
The
Inquisition
captures her sister, forcing Minna on a journey far from everything she
loves
and into situations which ensnare and embrace her on very different
levels,
testing her skills, expectations, and abilities.
As the two
sisters
separately grapple with their spirit connections, threats to their
lives, and
the ultimate purpose and nature of their abilities, readers are treated
to a
vivid story that sizzles with action, adventure, and revelation. The
“you are
here” feel is powerful whether the perspective is from Minna, her
sister, or
other characters:
Stiff and sore, she struggled into a sitting
position and sat
shivering, staring blearily around at the men as they prepared to
depart. They
gave her some dried meat and a bit of water for breakfast, then
replaced the
hood and hoisted her onto a horse while she was still chewing. When her
thighs
contacted the saddle, she gasped, ejecting the contents of her mouth,
which
slithered down her neck and lodged in the collar of her dress.
Ross
Hightower gives
equal consideration to the other side of the story, probing the
experiences,
motivations, and characters involved in the Inquisition process:
While every brother was required to have a certain
sensitivity to
Daga’s essence, for most, it was only enough to stand in the presence
of a
witch with minimal discomfort. Inquisitors were chosen for their
ability to
detect witches.
As he weaves
quests,
journeys, strange encounters, and shifting perspectives into a
thoroughly
compelling saga, readers from new adults to adults who are attracted to
coming-of-age fantasies will find Hightower’s ability to juxtapose his
characters’ growth, special interests, and rationales makes for a story
that
takes its time to develop compelling characters on all sides, yet
proceeds with
an excellent tempo through events that don’t rush, but simmer with
possibility
and intrigue.
As Minna and
her
sister struggle with their abilities, their fates, and their destiny,
readers
will become as immersed in their quandaries and growth as in the world
that
dictates their freedoms and imprisonment.
Libraries
seeking
fantasy quest stories that cross the line from young adult to new adult
and
adult readership will find much to enjoy and recommend in Sprit Sight’s revelations about dreams,
abilities, and employing
magic and legacy in a manner that supports the greater good.
Return to Index
Spirit
Sight, Volume
2
Ross Hightower
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-310-8
$16.95 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
www.blackrosewriting.com
Fans of the
first
story in the Spirit Sight trilogy
will find Volume 2 an equally powerful effort that continues to play
out the
cat-and-mouse moves between the Empire which would keep Minna from
stepping up
to her full powers and the spirit world which would imbibe her with a
spirit
guide able to overcome much adversity.
There’s only
one
thing the Empire can do after Minna makes such a connection: set a trap
to make
sure it can’t come to full fruition. There’s only one problem with this
concept
… Minna faces being alone and lost, once again, as she faces her
greatest
challenge to date and finds herself wandering instead of connected by
love and
new possibilities.
Once again,
Ross
Hightower crafts a powerful vision of possibility buffeted not only by
social
and political tides, but by the growth of Minna and characters around
her that
are all forced to step into personas and abilities they’d barely
acknowledged.
Loyalties are tested, goals reset or strengthened, and Minna faces new
challenges as she solidifies all kinds of connections and goals.
One of the
great
values in this story lies in the fact that Hightower takes the time to
consider
the smallest of experiences, reveling in the moment to strengthen the
realistic
sense of Minna’s life and encounters. This lends a sense of immediacy
to this
second effort which is every bit as strong as the first, even adding
wry bits
of humor into the mix:
Minna sighed, picked up her spoon and took a bite.
It was wonderful!
She closed her eyes and forced herself to chew slowly. It had chunks of
venison, potatoes, carrots and a small fruit and spices that she
couldn’t
identify, all in a thick gravy. Lost in the sensory experience of
eating, the
world faded away, small involuntary moans escaping her throat. When she
swallowed, she opened her eyes to find Aron watching her, eyebrows
arched.
As
perspectives shift
between Minna, her sister Alyn, friend Aron, inquisitor Harold, and the
subjects of traitors and witches which drive their world, readers enjoy
a
full-bodied story that emerges from different perspectives to coalesce
on the
subjects of a shifting world paradigm and the changed lives of
characters who
find their purposes dovetailing and changing in unexpected ways.
Especially
intriguing
are the underlying motivations and changing lives of characters who
find these
intersections unexpected and challenging, leading them to question
their own
motivations as well as the changes of those around them:
Minna felt awkward, not sure how to approach what
she wanted to ask.
Not only was this woman a stranger, she was one of the most powerful
women in
the Empire until a few days ago. Why would such a woman agree to help a
Alle’oss girl from a small,
remote
village?
Libraries
and readers
who enjoyed the first book and who seek a continuation of Minna’s saga
and
discoveries will find Spirit Sight,
Volume 2 a worthy addition that supports the first book and
takes Minna and
her readers in new, unexpected directions.
The
cliffhanger
ending portends further action and trials.
Return to Index
Stormflower
Keegan and Tristen
Kozinski
Crooked House Publishing
978-0-9982440-7-5
$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Stormflower-Tristen-Kozinski-ebook/dp/B0D5MJVHCK
Stormflower follows the life and efforts
of Jade to redeem herself
after poor choices result in the betrayal of the Redeemers, the death
of her
brother, and the loss of everything she held dear in life.
All she
wants to do
now is lick her wounds, hide with her secrets, and rest. Unfortunately,
sitting
on the sidelines is not her destiny, because Jade may be the only
person in the
world able to solve the rise of plagues and new deadly dangers set on
destroying everything.
The first
note to
make about the story is the attention Keegan and Tristen Kozinski give
to
building atmosphere and a sense of place that cements Jade in her
cocoon of
reflective comfort:
The sound of the rain surrounded her, thunderous in
its deluge and
soothing in its rhythm. She lay curled within her blankets, swaddled,
warm,
bleary in her fresh waking, and cuddling a stuffed fish. The air
smelled of
lavender, tempting her back to unconsciousness and the cotton candy
colors of
her dreams. She might have heeded it. Should have heeded it. But she
knew her
house, knew its silences and sounds and functions, knew it from the
tiles
underfoot to the floor above she never used.
This not
only sets
the stage for events to come, but creates a fine contrast between
refuge and
risks that Jade is forced to confront as she is pulled out of her
personal hell
to enter a worldwide challenge that she’s already played a major role
in
creating.
As the story
unfolds,
readers traverse city-complexes and mazes where the number of reverants
is on
the rise. Jade uncovers more and more strangeness as she confronts the
legacy
of her past and disparate possibilities of changing the future.
Another
major plus to
the story is its action-packed scenes, which permeate twists and turns
of plot
with supercharged tension and nonstop actions, paired with revelations:
The closest Purifiers crowded around her, Serras
was screaming over the
earpiece, demanding what was wrong, but Jade could barely hear her. She
curled
tight between the seat bases, clutching her ears, her face, and
sobbing.
Memories and hallucinations filled her world and her mind, a parade of
everyone
she had killed, topping off—every time—with her brother.
These
variable
scenarios embed the story with puzzles, surprises, and shifting demands
that
Jade faces in the course of her strange journey. All these forces exact
a toll
that places her in a dual position of power and uncertainty as she
employs her
courage and knowledge in new ways.
The threads
of
psychological revelation that permeate the action with intrigue and
discovery
make Stormflower a passionately
involving saga. It is complex in its world-building, attractive in its
main
protagonist’s flaws and struggles, and hard to put down.
Will Jade
ever be
free of her interior and exterior troubles? The compromise she is
forced to
make in the course of her pursuits raises many questions which conclude
in
somewhat of a cliffhanger, portending further books.
Libraries
interested
in stories that sizzle with action and concurrent psychological depth
will find
Stormflower a deep draw for sci-fi
and fantasy readers seeking a world-changing story that’s evocatively
different
from most genre reads.
Return to Index
Dying of Lassitude and Ennui
Phil Fletcher-Stokes
Independently
Published
979-8879399707
$13.00 Paperback/$6.00 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Dying-Lassitude-Ennui-Phil-Fletcher-Stokes/dp/B0CVLGJ8W5
Dying
of Lassitude
and Ennui is a poetry collection by a 77-year-old who
reflects on social
and psychological oddities and ironies of life. Whether he’s tackling
lesbians,
Ukraine’s situation, or depression, Phil Fletcher-Stokes writes free
verse with
a hand inspired:
I can't see anyone crying any tears over me unless
it's tears of joy
that there's one less 'old boy' to put a drain on the planet's
dwindling human
resources. Who's going to wipe my ass and clean up after me if I can't
make it
to the toilet in time after suffering a stroke all alone in my pokey
little
condo? The answer is NOBODY…
A sense of
jaded
angst runs through these works like a river, prompting a cautionary
advisement
for sensitive readers who react over ‘trigger topics’ or atmospheric
reflections. Those seeking joyful inspiration from their poetic reads
need look
elsewhere, because if the tone and presentation of these reflections
leans more
towards explorations of sources of misery than focus on lighter
subjects:
The misery gene is obscene and has no meaning.
Its only purpose is to demean your quality of life
to the point where you find yourself leaning over
high ledges keening to jump.
As distain,
despair,
and determination to reveal the failings of literary precedent move
readers
from poem to poem with pointed and often ironic reflections in which
Fletcher-Stokes is “trying to undermine the mainstay of the poetry
establishment with my bitter scathing disdain,” readers will come to
appreciate
the underlying social and literary themes that lend to a
thought-provoking
survey of discovery.
Libraries
seeking
poetry collections that depart from many of the traditional devices of
the
genre to reveal a purposeful exploration of the ‘golden years’ that
encompass
hell as much as the promise of any heaven will find the dark allure of Dying
of Lassitude and Ennui especially suitable for patrons
interested in
powerful explorations of the force and perceptions of depression.
Return to Index
Icons
Jonathan Reeve Price
The Communication
Circle
978-0971995482
$14.95
Hardcover/$9.95 Paperback/$5.98 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Icons-Poems-Jonathan-Reeve-Price/dp/0971995486
Icons is not your typical poetry
collection. It lives up to its
title and promise by delivering observations on computer icons
reflecting not
just programmer code, but the powers of practicality. An icon condenses
lines
of potentially confusing code into a tappable, one-hit-solves-all image
that
acts (to the author's mind) as a "small poem."
The author
doesn’t
begin with his poetry. He sets the stage with reflections on his
background,
the evolution and importance of icons, and details about visual and
philosophical connections which meet and marry in the field of computer
worlds
and human lives.
The icons he
surveys
don’t just lie in computers, but in the greater world at large. Here,
they are
condensed into single words and accompanying singular descriptions, as
in the
poem ‘360’:
This icon launches code,
Spins the Earth around its axis,
Turns a city street into a whirl,
And races like an angel around a volcano.
The
unexpected
marriage of computer-generated processes (such as the code
‘border_none,’
designed to avoid putting a box around content) and broader life
perspective
(as in ‘Download,’ defined as “the
process of bringing content and code from the cloud”) creates
a synthesis
of poetic, social, and IT wonder that will especially attract
programmers and
those unused to an art form reflecting and connecting engineering and
life
connections.
Budding
philosophers,
too, will find in reflective pieces such as ‘Insights’ a fine sense of
revelation and connection that invites discussion and contemplation:
When you look within, is this
What realization brings? Has wisdom
Hit so hard that you see stars?
Enlightenment comes cheap when an icon
Promises to turn numbers into second sight.
Libraries
seeking
poetry collections that hold a seemingly-singular focus, but branch out
from
that approach to embrace meanings and reflections firmly rooted in
worldview
and experience will find Icons an
attractive enhancement of not just contemporary poetry collections, but
suitable for top recommendation to non-art and engineer types who will
be
happily surprised at how relevant their insights and focus actually are.
Return to Index
Invitations
Bruce Ballard
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-328-5
$16.99 Paper/$8.99 eBook
www.atmospherepress.com
Invitations:
Fiction and Poetry From A Life of Writing
will attract literary audiences
interested in collections that reflect on health in general and the
experience
of living with Parkinson’s in particular. As such, it embraces elements
of both
memoir and health guide as Bruce Ballard investigates the progression
of his
condition in a very different way than most medical surveys.
Literature
readers will find the structure of the book features longer fictional
pieces
juxtaposed with shorter poems about Parkinsons which take the form of
sonnets
and haikus.
Another
surprise
is that the collection is more about life than Parkinson’s. Readers who
anticipate a survey of all facets of living with the disease will find
refreshing Ballard’s focus on all facets of living life in a milieu
where
Parkinson’s challenges are but one aspect of these experiences.
Whether
he’s
describing the intense experience of a visit to the sex club Elixir
or
exploring Parkinson’s in a dozen haikus that reflect that milieu,
Ballard’s
voice is alternately stark, candid, reflective, and immersive.
Examples
of
these hard-hitting poems include:
A moth fluttering
Its wings makes more noise than me
When my voice goes soft.
And:
After two hours at
The gym, I leave, breathe deeply,
And exhale the Moon.
It
should be
cautioned that sometimes the sex scenes are steamy. This only lends to
the
attraction of a collection that explores the disparate themes of love,
sex,
life, and death in a manner that pulls no punches and delivers no
disappointment.
Libraries
and
readers looking for literature that operates on the thin line of
memoir,
philosophical reflection, life experience, and health challenge will
welcome Invitations:
Fiction and Poetry From A Life of Writing for both its
literary backbone
and its ability to serve as a thought-provoking read for individuals
and book
clubs alike.
Return to Index
Bones:
Anorexia,
Anxiety and My Path to Self-Love
Robyn Shumer with
Natasha Stoynoff
DartFrog Books LLC
978-1-961624-81-8
$25.99
Hardcover/$15.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
www.DartFrogBooks.com
Bones: Anorexia, Anxiety and My Path to Self-Love
is a memoir that
delivers a one-two punch of recovery and discovery. It joins many other
memoirs
about struggles with anorexia, but is delivered with a difference—Robyn
Shumer
addresses underlying cultural paradigms about weight and acceptance
that gives
her personal story further depth.
Her account
of mental
illness, coming of age, and perceiving and handling life challenges
(albeit,
sometimes not in a healthy way) gives readers in-the-moment experiences
that
delve into the basic question: why starve?
Like a good
storyteller,
Robyn Shumer dramatizes and captures the nuances of her life,
synthesizing her life
experiences into ideals and reactions that, under her hand, make
complete
sense; if not to a small child grappling with big problems, then to
adults who might
wonder how anorexic tendencies grow.
Personal
journals
formed the backbone of her foray into the past, and are likely the
reason why her
exploration assumes an immediacy and intimacy not to be found in many
similar-sounding memoirs about mental illness or eating disorders.
From the
time
eight-year-old Shumer first stepped on a scale and acknowledged her
preoccupation with weight, readers are drawn into an obsession which
developed
against all odds and reality:
I carefully stepped onto the metal platform,
spacing my bare feet
evenly for the best weight distribution. And with a deep breath, I made
my
quiet plea: Dear God, please, please
don’t let the number be in the forties. I don’t want to be fat. Had
I
said it out loud for my mother and the doctor to hear, they would have
told me
I was crazy, that what I was praying for made no sense. I was an
active,
athletic kid and had always been underweight for my age and height,
always the
skinniest among my friends and the tiniest in the class picture.
Also much
more impactful
than most coming-of-age memoirs is the clash between childhood
experience and
adult encounters. Sex raises an ugly head and further prompts a focus
on
maintaining a low weight and high control of impossible adult
situations.
Shumer’s descriptions of such encounters are powerfully rendered:
Back in our classroom, the principal, Mr. Bruno,
showed up at the door
in his trademark polyester plaid pants. My throat tightened. He’d come
for me;
I was sure of it. The librarian must have overheard our sex talk and
tattled.
Before he even motioned to me, I’d already gathered my Hello Kitty
backpack and
risen from my seat.
As she grows
up to
discover women who are “true leaders,” whose actions and countenances
pave the
way for her own growth, readers receive a vivid discussion. These
embrace mother/daughter
perceptions and interactions,
a child and young woman’s views on adult power and purpose, and a
process of
struggling with and conquering mental illness moment by moment. The
entire
memoir is enlightening and revealing.
Book club
discussion
groups and psychology groups centered on coming-of-age experiences,
anorexia,
or women’s empowerment will find much to discuss in Bones,
which synthesizes the concerns and logic of a young woman
who struggles with her own condition, family, and world pressures.
This is no
story for
the faint of heart. The candid intimacy of the author’s life is
revealed, right
down to the bones of contention and disturbance. These, in turn, link
to and
explore common misconceptions about eating disorders which will prove
essential
reading and debate material for a wide audience.
Under her
hand, food
isn’t just a source of comfort. It’s the impetus for distress and
anguish, as
well.
Libraries
interested
in memoirs about not just anorexia, but mental health will find Bones an appropriate and powerful
acquisition. It stands above others with a tone and perspective that
tackles
growing up, motherhood, and the life lessons and perceptions we
transmit to
ourselves and those around us.
Return to Index
Cancer Moon:
How I Survived the Best Years of My Life
Jenna Tico
She Writes Press
978-1-64742-762-7
$17.95
amzn.to/4aC1kkC
Cancer Moon: How I Survived the Best Years of My
Life is a memoir about expectations,
life’s nuances, unexpected challenges, and recovery and growth. It
comes from a
woman who faced vast changes in her twenties, the “best years of her
life.”
Readers
expecting the
typical approach to survival may be surprised at the exuberance and
vivid
experiences that are delivered with a lively embrace of life and its
value:
“For me, the twenties represented phases of the
moon: the only constant
being change and the amount of light visible. At the start, I
waned—shrinking
away from the person I’d constructed to survive childhood and launching
straight into an ego death, or whatever you want to call the time when
we feel
the compulsive need to cut our own bangs and bang people who make us
feel
shitty about ourselves. After that ran its course, I went fully dark—at
least
to the naked eye—in the shadow of partners who had not tackled their
pain and,
in my survival, became new. Then I grew…”
The
relationships
Jenna Tico cultivates in an effort to match her energy level each give
her (and
her readers) important lessons about adaptation and growth:
“Other than the part of myself who came into the
world believing I
deserved more from lovers than the polite reciprocity one might give a
bartender or to a particularly well-trained dog? Somewhere in the
course of
longing for Phantom and accepting his fame as an excuse for treating me
like
yet another thirsty fan, I had lost the thread of myself. Standing in
front of
the elevator, I thought I wanted Phantom to sweep me up in his arms, to
choose
me. In retrospect, what I actually wanted
was confirmation I wasn’t crazy for feeling our synergy, which seemed
to run so
fiercely beneath the marrow of time.”
Sexual
explorations,
attitudes and ironies, and especially candid, revealing insights about
relationships and personal growth permeate an evolutionary story filled
with
vivid encounters with all kinds of people.
Cancer Moon is about a process of
discovery that drives Tico’s
psyche and soul. It also will provoke questions and discussions among
women’s
and book reading groups about the nature of male and female encounters
and the
kinds of experiences that lend to not just opportunity and romance, but
growth.
Tico packs
her story
with relationship-building examples that move from personal experiences
to
bigger-picture life questions:
“Just how far out into the middle of the road do we
have to go for a
girl to walk home in the middle of the night and not dwell on the
footsteps
behind her? To scan the internet and not find one single word about
blacking
out at a party; piecing together the story of the night by the pieces
of
clothing which don’t quite line up, aren’t quite where she left them,
wasn’t
quite what she planned.”
In contrast
to many
women’s memoirs reflecting on life experiences, Cancer
Moon offers a supercharged atmosphere with its engrossing
forays into action, reaction, and transformation. This allows plenty of
room
for contemplation and consideration of the impact of relationships and
expectations on life’s chosen pathways and byways.
Libraries
and readers
that choose Cancer Moon for its
rollicking ride through growth-inducing situations good and bad will
find it
raises many questions about challenging relationships, right and wrong
moves,
and the shades of gray which lie in-between to define them.
Return to Index
A Life, In
Letters
Rodney Rhoda Taylor
Crestingwave
Publishing
978-1-956048-24-7
$14.99
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Letters-Story-Resilience-Sequins/dp/1956048243
What began
as a
college assignment evolved to this book, a collection of interlaced
personal
letters composed through years of Rodney Rhoda Taylor’s life about the
rigors
and joys of life, from growing up to coming out as gay and conquering
the fear
of rejection that comes with this act.
Unlike most
memoirs
or letter books, it is delivered with the overlaying feel of hope and
the
opportunity for an interactive experience with its reader, as Taylor
adds blank
pages at the conclusion of each letter that encourage readers to add
their own
experiences, revelations, and insights into the mix.
By
encouraging
journaling and reflective insights on the reader’s part, Taylor has
created
more than the typical coming out memoir, expanding his focus from the
personal
to the community as he creates opportunities for dialogues in his
readers’
lives.
The
collection kicks
off with ‘The Innocent Years’ reflected in letters to Santa written
over the
years which detail an early interest in dolls, inclinations that spark
the
anger of a concerned father and the meanness of an older brother, and
changing
awareness that, even at a young age, observes socially correct toys and
those
deemed unacceptable:
For Christmas, can I have the six million dollar
man toy? He’s a boy
doll, so my daddy should like that. I like how he has powers and can
run really
fast and see things with his eye. Can I also have Barbie and her camper
and a
Play dough set?
The young
writer’s
age is not noted in these Santa letters, which might have proved
intriguing to
readers interested in connecting the dots between gender awareness and
youth,
but the progressive growth of the writer makes for intriguing insights
into the
perspectives of gay youth about the world and the attitudes shaping
their
lives.
Each letter
represents a building block of this awareness which goes where few
autobiographies, memoirs, or diaries provide in detailing big and small
pivot
points of experience.
The young
writer’s
wisdom also evolves:
PS I’d also like a Cher doll. She is pretty and I
love her dresses. Can
you leave her in my room instead of by tree? That’s so I won’t get in
trouble
asking for a doll.
Lest readers
believe
Taylor remains mired in childhood or lingers there too long, it should
be
stated that the adult writings are even more powerful as he absorbs
prejudice,
religious attitudes, and reflects on the disparities between
contentions of
love and expressions of disrespect at best and hate at its worst:
You’ve even gone as far as to say we’ll “burn in
Hell” for our
“lifestyle.” What exactly do you mean by “lifestyle”? I ask as we live
our
lives pretty much the same way you do. We are born, go to school to
achieve an
education for a better way of life, date, marry, create lifelong
friendships,
divorce, and pursue hobbies that interest us and make us happy. The
only
difference I can see between us is that you insist on telling us how to
live
and how disgusting you find us. I find this very perplexing as we don’t
do this
to you or yours.
Through this
growth
process, it is hoped that readers will not just be fellow gay audiences
who
will likely nod with recognition over every letter’s expression, but
those who
are straight or live well outside the colorful zone of gay pride who
need the
insights and revelations of these letters.
Sadly, that
is too
seldom the case … but in any event, A
Life, In Letters encourages dialogue, self- and
community-wide reflection,
and thought-provoking reflections. Book clubs, in particular, will find
it
packed with fodder for all kinds of discussions, from coming-of-age and
awakening gender realizations to navigating prejudice, hate, and the
impact of
attitudes and opinions about gay lifestyles.
Libraries
interested
in adding a book that departs from most memoirs or LGBTQ+ writings to
address
issues and lives from a deeper reflective perspective will find A Life, In Letters attractive, inviting,
and well worth acquisition and recommendation.
Return to Index
The
Velvet
Hammer
Chief Judge
Belvin Perry Jr. and Amy Mitchell
Post Hill Press
979-8-88845-501-2
$19.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
www.posthillpress.com
The Velvet Hammer:
Judge Belvin Perry, Jr.'s Capital
Murder Cases and Memoir belongs
in
libraries and on the reading lists of those attracted to memoirs in
general and
legal insights on murder cases in particular. It marries both subjects
in a
vividly wide-ranging story of death penalty cases in which Judge Perry,
Jr.
occupied a key position, offering readers a ‘you are here’ atmosphere
of legal,
moral, and ethical insights that will prove particularly interesting to
students of legal history and judicial conduct.
Perry
does more
than chart top cases from his bench. He provides an overall assessment
of
judicial processes as a whole, considering the arguments that buffet
America’s
justice system over the presence, applications, and management of the
death
penalty.
Numerous
books
offer condemning views of the death penalty, so it’s especially
important that
this judge’s perspective receive widespread attention and classroom and
reading
group assignment, here.
The
specifics of
how the death penalty applied in different ways to capital murder cases
he
prosecuted or presided over are particularly enlightening reading for
those
either involved in the justice system in any way, or general-interest
readers
that hold special attraction to death penalty coverages and issues.
The
memoir
portion of his story surveys his childhood as an African American
coming of age
in the Deep South, and his progression to a position of power in the
justice
system. This adds an extra dimension of interest to memoir readers as
well as
those seeking autobiographical sketches of African American life and
experience.
Footnoted
references to legal cases and legislative statutes support the
information with
opportunities for further reading, but within Perry’s experiences lies
the
kernels of understanding how these laws are applied in a courtroom,
contrasting
past and present methods:
The jury
unanimously voted to put the defendant to
death. I waited for Judge Kaney to make the final decision. He was a
middle-aged man with glasses and light brown hair parted to the side.
He was
well-regarded in the legal community, but I had a feeling he would not
agree
with the jury’s vote. At that time, judges were not bound by the jury’s
decision. From what I remembered, Judge Kaney had not sentenced anyone
to
death.
In
this case,
Perry explores how the judge’s independent ruling impacts all involved:
Judge Kaney
sentenced Joseph to life in prison,
overruling the jury’s unanimous vote.
“Were this a ball game or a soccer match, it would be possible to say
it was a
close match, but death wins 1–0,” he said. “The Florida Supreme Court
has ruled
that death sentences must not be ‘a counting process, but a reasonable
judgment.’”
The victim’s mother turned pale as she sat quietly in the courtroom.
Imagine
how horrible she must have felt knowing her only daughter was murdered
in such
a terrifying way, but now her killer would get to live.
While
The
Velvet Hammer bring a variety of contrasting capital murder
cases to life
(sparking a trigger alert for readers who eschew absorbing violent
scenarios),
its real value lies in a deeper probe of how death penalty decisions
are
formulated, applied, and resonate with impact on victim and murderer
alike.
For all these
reasons, The Velvet Hammer is highly recommended
reading and a top pick
for libraries interested in acquiring memoirs of African-American
lives, works
that probe moral and ethical boundaries, and books that can serve as
debate and
discussion sparks for classrooms and students of criminal justice as
well as
reading groups and book clubs.
Return to Index
City Gone
Askew
Matt Cost
Encircle Publications
978-1-64599-543-2
$17.99 Paper/$6.99 eBook
http://encirclepub.com
City Gone Askew returns readers to the
1920s Brooklyn milieu of
previous 8 Ballo adventures as
it follows the Hungarian
PI’s latest challenges and colorful friends and enemies.
Here,
8 rubs shoulders with famous people (think Dorothy Parker and Coleman
Hawkins),
experiencing dangerous associations as he investigates a wife’s
conviction that
her husband was murdered. 8 finds himself pulled into a secret eugenics
movement, a stolen ancient relic, and mysterious German operatives who
threaten
him.
Vivid
confrontations
are supported by strong characterization and dialogue, highlighting
both
tensions in the moment and the bigger-picture special interests of all
characters:
Bugsy pulled a pistol from a holster under his suit
jacket. It looked
to be a Walker Colt, not as efficient as some of the more modern guns,
but
certainly intimidating, most likely why the man carried it. He pointed
the long
barrel into the side of 8’s head.
“I don’t much like the word no,” Bugsy breathed.
8 knew that the man-child gangster wasn’t beyond pulling the trigger.
He turned
his head so that the barrel was at his forehead.
“You got three seconds to pull that trigger or put that gat away before
I stick
it up your ass,’ he said.
As 8 sports
authentic
Klan outfits for his task of infiltrating various groups to get at the
truth
and carries out his charge of burrowing beneath facades to find out who
the
real Karl Vogel was, he finds his relatively straightforward assignment
rapidly
becoming far more complicated.
As steeped
as the
story is in 1920s Brooklyn, it requires no prior knowledge in order for
readers
to appreciate the tensions and culture which swirl around 8’s milieu
and his
mandate.
Matt Cost
seamlessly
weaves all references into the story in a manner which imparts
knowledge
without interrupting the mystery’s lure.
Additionally,
his
ability to add historical details which are intriguing, adding value to
his
reader’s knowledge base and experience, are part of what makes 8’s
story shine:
8 had picked up three authentic Klan outfits for
them to wear as well
as white gloves for Pearle. It turned out you couldn’t just get a sheet
and do
a bit of sewing on that and add a pillowcase over your head but had to
purchase
it through the purser. The Klan uniforms and the bric-a-brac of various
offices
was a money-maker for the Klan leaders, often quite lucrative. This was
not the
only thing different about the Klan of today from its origins in the
aftermath
of the Civil War. While Black people were still targeted now in the
’20s, the
scope had broadened to include Catholics, especially the Irish and
Italians,
and the Jews.
Cost’s
attention to
building this tension, revealing special cultural and social details,
and
probing some of the underlying political clashes of the times makes for
a story
that is thoroughly engrossing, filled with satisfying twists, turns,
and
insights, and hard to put down.
Libraries
that have
either seen prior patron interest in 8 Ballo’s world or who look for
mysteries
replete with atmospheric as well as meteoric twists and turns will find
City Gone Askew a superior PI story,
worthy of acquisition and recommendation to book clubs and individuals
alike.
Return to Index
Desert
Reunion
Michael Craft
Questover Press
979-8-218-37594-2
$6.99 Kindle, $17.99
paperback, $28.99 hardcover
Website: www.michaelcraft.com
Ordering: https://www.michaelcraft.com/buy.html
Desert Reunion adds another tale of
intrigue to a blossoming series
that revolves around mature gay investigator Dante O'Donnell and his
sidekick
Jazz Friendly (a black female ex-cop who once almost jailed him, but
since has
found Dante to be resourceful and purposeful in ways she lacks).
These
seemingly
disparate misfits join forces on their latest case involving Zola
Lorinsky, who
stands accused of murder. Their mission is to uncover the truth and
clear her
name. But this effort involves a foray into Palm Springs culture,
lifestyles,
and carefully hidden secrets that they must expose first, to gain
justice.
Their
step-by-step
consideration of methods and madnesses will attract readers interested
in a
thorough, progressive buildup of murder possibilities. They are served
up
spiced with dialogue and interactions that heighten the tension:
“Arcie scrunched her brow. “What’s ‘posset’?”
I told her, “It’s like a custard. Richard Gibbs made a batch yesterday,
here,
and then let it refrigerate overnight, to be served as dessert today.
But it
couldn’t have been ‘poisoned,’ not in the classic sense, because
Wendy’s
husband said he tried some this morning, and he’s fine.”
“Meaning,” said Jazz, “if the recipe was spiked with something, it was
lethal
only to Wendy—which would prove the intent to kill.”
Wendy’s
death leads
to questions of love, affection, and intention … and so Jazz and Dante
find the
truth mired in revelations and insights that challenge them personally,
as
well:
“I asked, ‘But just to clarify: He was, in fact,
openly gay, right?’
’Definitely. And that’s my whole point in dredging this up. Right now, you see, he’s my aunt Heather’s
main squeeze, and he has these major plans to spend her money on his
wacky
Institute for Wishful Thinking—as I like to call it. So he really can’t
afford
to let Heather find out that he’s gay or ‘bi’ or anything not focused
on her.’”
When ironic
events
swirl around a second murder that introduces even more questions, Dante
and
Jazz move ever closer to a truth that will rock their worlds, testing
both
their investigative prowess and personal values.
As in his
other Dante
and Jazz mysteries, Michael Craft threads his plot with insights into
the gay
community, lives changed by schemes and subterfuge, and a murder that
tests not
only problem-solving skills, but moral and ethical boundaries.
Prior
readers (as
well as newcomers) will find Desert
Reunion lively and thought-provoking. Its characters excel in
three-dimensional
depictions that reflect not only their perspectives, but the dilemmas
and
dreams of an entire community.
Libraries
will want
to highly recommend Desert Reunion
to
book clubs interested in mysteries that simmer with tension and social
and
psychological discovery.
Return to Index
The
Independent
Brad Goodwin
Sweet Briar Press
979-8-9910315-0-9
$16.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
www.bradgoodwinauthor.com
The Independent is a political thriller
whose prologue opens in
2040, where D.A. Jack Sanborn is shamed by his failure to protect a
teen
victim.
After
introducing the
dilemma, the story fast forwards four years. Jack is now a law
professor facing
his greatest challenge not from legal battle, but from his wife’s
stillbirth
and near-death experience.
Jade Xu is a
prickly
DC reporter whose bloodhound-like tendencies to pick out the truth and
deceptions have earned her a reputation. She always works alone. But an
upcoming
presidential election is slated to dovetail and transform both their
lives as
intrigue and danger unfold to embrace Jade and Jack in a deadly game.
Readers who
choose The Independent will find
many of its
contentions and circumstances familiar, eerily akin to modern times
(albeit
with higher tech) as Jack finds himself moving from legal snafus into
political
possibilities he’d never dreamed of.
Jade’s
newfound
associations and purposes emerge against the backdrop of political
opportunity
which raises questions very similar to modern American experiences.
Brad
Goodwin brings these to life through dialogues and encounters that
highlight
special interests and disparate group ideals:
“I’m surprised that someone of your convictions
would take up with someone
who stands for…nothing at all, really.”
“If you want to call the dismantling of a destructive two-party
monopoly
nothing.”
“And what would that leave in its place, Jade, other than utter chaos?”
“Oh, I don’t know. How about a Congress that actually works together to
solve
America’s problems?”
Jack’s
experiences,
too, clarify the interests and approaches of special players
participating in
his upward trajectory:
“…this isn’t about your country. This is about you.
And that’s the
difference between us.”
Readers of
political
thrillers may be surprised by the novel’s near-future setting and some
of the
avenues it takes to probe situations of discovery and change. The fact
that the
story is driven by the hopes, psyches, and experiences of not one but
two major
players (Jade and Jack) creates a satisfying synthesis of disparate
experience
that is strengthened by twin forays into dangerous ideas and territory.
Goodwin
creates
disparities in character ideals, responses, and revelations, then pulls
them
back and forth like puppets on a political string. This lends to a more
intense, involving story than thriller readers usually receive, based
as much
on character development and political irony and involvements as it is
in moves
that force each character away from preconceived pathways of growth and
resolution.
Embedded
with the
fire of promise, the passion of purpose, and a moral and ethical
compass that
changes with new influences and discoveries, The
Independent is highly recommended reading for fans of
political
thrillers, in particular, who will find its shifting sands of
opportunity to be
thought-provoking and surprising.
Libraries
that select
The Independent will welcome the
opportunity to recommend it to a wide audience … even patrons that
ordinarily
eschew thriller genre reading for its often-too-predictable plots.
There is
little
predictable here—Brad Goodwin's debut thriller is full of
eminently
satisfying twists and turns.
Return to Index
The
Kingfisher and
the Crow
Tim Diaz and Peter
Marino
Bookpress Publishing
978-1-960259-22-6
$28.95
Hardcover/$19.95 Paperback/$9.95 eBook
www.BookpressPublishing.com
The Kingfisher and the Crow blends
mystery into a political
thriller replete with elements of crime, murder, and investigative
conundrums.
New
Congressman Jerry
Sharpe suspects that Mildred Hawthorne murdered his mother decades ago.
Now
he’s finally in a position to exact revenge, and so he embarks on a
campaign to
similarly impact her life. He has her loved ones murdered one by one to
make
her suffer as he did, but there’s one thing standing in his way: crime
reporter
Skylar Nicholson, who is struggling to save her career. A juicy story
of a
vengeful congressman would be just the ticket to propel her to
notoriety, but
can she risk becoming the eye of his powerful storm?
Her second
motivation
is that she holds connections with her Aunt Millie, who is now an
elderly
victim despite her checkered past and their relationship. Motivated to
gain
answers and expose secrets, Skylar finds her own family history getting
in the
way of her work and a powerful new enemy standing in the path of
achievement
and the truth.
Viewpoints
shift
between Skylar and Jerry. While chapter headings identifying these
changes
might have contributed quicker clarify, it’s fairly evident whose
perspective
is unfolding.
The
juxtaposition of
these lives, their motivating interests, and the conjoined professional
ambush
Skylar experiences when Frank Bergeron, her nemesis from the Times,
and
her ex-husband, Chip get together to publicly diminish her exposés
and determination.
As murder
and
political relationships emerge, so do undercurrents of social
observation,
including insights on the double standards and repression surrounding
women by
political powerhouses:
The Good Samaritan was full of men who could forget
to wear their pants
and the political circles would think it was cute, but if she forgot
her face,
no one would take her seriously.
And if
no one took her seriously, no one would talk to her.
With her
investigation hampered by personal and political struggles, Skylar
finds
herself ever deeper in a mire of good old boys, family skeletons, and
intrigue
which moves ever closer to drowning her in the secret circles of the
political
special interests she is set upon exposing.
Jerry’s
astute
manipulations and considerations create a particularly intriguing and
excellent
juxtaposition of character and purpose to Skylar’s efforts, involving
readers
equally in the choices of disparate individuals who find themselves not
only at
odds with one another, but playing dangerous special and political
games.
Like chess
pieces,
they try to outmaneuver one another against the bigger picture of
American
politics and special interests. There is no clear winner in this
game—just
monsters wearing the guises of ordinary citizens or passionate
politicians.
Tim Diaz and
Peter
Marino are particularly adept at building characters whose divergent
special
interests both clash and illustrate deeper moral and ethical
conundrums.
Revenge, cruelty, suffering, and redemption all circle around the drain
of
political special interests in a manner that adds intrigue and
unexpected
twists to the evolving story.
Between
well-developed tension, strong characters, and a realistic social and
political
atmosphere of behind-the-scenes manipulation and interests, The Kingfisher and the Crow successfully
crafts a multifaceted, riveting story that is highly recommended for
libraries,
book clubs, and individuals that seek more than a simple whodunit, but
an exposé
of why and how suffering begets cruelty even at the highest levels of
social
and political achievement.
Return to Index
The Orphan
Girl
David Nees
Independently
Published
979-8327146563
$14.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
Website: http://www.davidnees.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Girl-Book-Stone-Assassin/dp/B0D63MD81L
The Orphan Girl is the ninth book in the
Dan Stone Assassin series,
opening with a family attacked and killed in Mexico—all but a child,
who just
so happens to be Dan Stone’s young friend.
From the
moment the
two men stalk and murder the family to Dan’s increasing consideration
of
legacies and limitations which buffet his loved ones and those around
him,
David Nees contributes another wide-ranging thriller packed with
subplots
supported by astute dialogues and psychological insights:
“And what a hell of a family we
are,” Dan said. He took a long swig of his bourbon. “An
old spinster man
who probably needs a housemaid to help him take care of himself, an
overworked
spymaster who runs covert ops all over the world, and that’s her life
and a
professional assassin.” He looked at the others. “We make a hell of a
family.
We going to raise her to be a female assassin?”
“Don’t even joke about it,” Jane said. Her tone was sharp.
“Black humor. But we’ve got to admit we have a problem with no obvious
solution.”
Dan admits
that
normalcy is more than missing from his life, given his job and the
ongoing
onslaughts of nefarious influences. But, can he provide a legacy of
stability
to a young person that he, himself, does not have?
As a core
mission is
deluged with cross-purposes that seem to thwart its objectives, Dan is
challenged on many sides to evolve a new paradigm of values and
survival skills
that operate despite political pulls and shady influences.
One of
Nees’s
strengths in the other Dan Stone thrillers in general and The Orphan Girl in particular lies in his
ability to cast a wide
net of intrigue and subplots. He then draws them all together against a
backdrop of personal objective that keeps the characters and their
experiences
vivid.
The
unexpected twists
and turns of plot as Dan navigates both familiar and unfamiliar
territory will
keep even seasoned thriller readers (and past Stone fans) on their
toes. The
underlying moral and ethical inquiries into the job of assassin and
survivor
are intriguing adjuncts to the action-packed story.
All these
elements
are why libraries should consider The
Orphan Girl to be either a fine stand-alone thriller
acquisition or a
fitting series enhancement, recommendable to patrons and reading groups
interested in discourses that are captivating and thought-provoking.
Return to Index
Rhoda
Rage and
the Goldfish Letter
Charles Baran
Line by Lion
Publications
978-1-948807-42-5
$27.99
www.linebylionpublications.com
Mystery
readers
seeking a story as steeped in gay culture as it is in intrigue will
find Rhoda
Rage and the Goldfish Letter a study in contrasts and color
that eschews
the usual plot around a P.I. for a story even more attractive for its
South
Florida gay community setting.
Rhoda
Rage is a
drag performer who has achieved much local notoriety, but one workday
is
different. She arrives to chaos, a murder, and a missing favorite wig
maker,
all of which spiral her into P.I. mode as a strange note leads her on a
personal mission to find out not only whodunit, but why.
Charles
Baran
excels in creating a vivid set of characters set against the backdrop
of the
gay community. Just as unexpected as Rhoda’s flamboyancy paired with
murder
intrigue is the sense of humor which heavily runs through the story,
offering
many laugh-out-loud moments as events play out and bring the drag
community to
life:
To Rhoda’s surprise, Alfredo had found a track of Mendelssohn’s wedding
march
on Spotify and played it at full volume while the crowd banged their
drinks on
the table and yelled, “Kiss! Kiss!”
These
colorful
moments create a backdrop of authenticity, fun, and thought-provoking
insights,
building the intrigue with the added value and flavor of various
characters who
each play a part in Rhoda’s investigation, and often wind up on her
growing
list of suspects and possibilities.
As
Rhoda delves
deeper into the mysterious goldfish message that was Big Molly’s last
note to
her, she edges ever closer to understanding the events that brought
many of her
ambitions to a standstill.
Charles
Baran’s
mission to craft a story well steeped in gay lifestyles, disparate
characters,
and murder investigations that are anything but formula or staid
succeeds in a
read that is powerfully diverse and refreshingly novel, from its main
protagonist Rhoda to the cast of colorful characters that swirl around
her.
This
attention
to community-building detail moves Rhoda Rage and the
Goldfish Letter
far beyond the usual murder mystery and into matters of impersonation
efforts,
acts, and choices that marry Rhoda’s circle of players with
bigger-picture
impacts.
Libraries
seeking mystery additions that operate well out of the box of
predictability
will find Rhoda Rage and the Goldfish Letter a
particularly attractive
addition for holdings seeking to expand backdrops of gay community
subsets,
activities, and color.
Readers
seeking
added value from these strengths will find Rhoda Rage and the
Goldfish
Letter a compelling winner and a standout in both murder
mystery and gay
fiction genres.
Return to Index
The
Righteous Arrows
Brian J. Morra
Koehler Books
979-8-88824-280-3
$20.95
Paperback/$31.95 Hardcover/$7.90 eBook
www.koehlerbooks.com
The Righteous Arrows is a novel of
military intrigue. It returns
characters Kevin Cattani and his fellow intelligence officer, Soviet
Ivan
Levchenko, to new action-packed tension as their separate missions
drive them
apart and onto a collision course.
This “novel
of
retribution” opens with a cast of supporting characters and background
information, assuring that newcomers who lack experience with the duo’s
prior
adventures in The Able Archers
aren’t
lost.
Events swell
to
embrace the actions and counteractions of two dedicated spies whose
efforts to
support their separate nations result in espionage and military
maneuvers. These
portend a deadly future not just for America and the Soviet Union, but
the world.
Brian J.
Morra excels
in creating tension and suspense in his story, from the start:
Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to be a
spook, or if you prefer,
an intelligence officer, a spy, an international man of mystery. This
started
for me as a fantastic dream—a means of escape for someone desperately
seeking a
way out of a boring existence in a dead-end town. I never actually
thought such
a silly pipedream would come true. Was I driven by patriotism? A thirst
for
adventure? A chance to see the world? Or simply the need for a steady
paycheck?
The answer is probably “all of the above.”
The tale
builds a
steady nonstop staccato blend of action and insight that keeps the
characters
realistic, their political convictions absorbing, and their
confrontations
unpredictable.
Interspersed
with
this action are involvements with family and friends that lend an
equally
realistic depth to Kevin’s life, ambitions, and influences.
From
treachery to
mischief-making in Moscow, Morra’s story seamlessly moves between
America,
Afghanistan, and other international milieus. This sends readers on a
perilous
journey through the first-person descriptions of military man Kevin,
who
experiences one of the most deadly and challenging actions in his
career.
Libraries
and readers
seeking tales of military engagements and intrigue that moves beyond
the scope
of the traditional thriller focus to dive, not just delve, into
international
waters of political and cultural influence will find plenty to like and
celebrate in The Righteous Arrows. It
marries history, mystery, and psychological revelations in a convincing
manner to
keep readers thoroughly engrossed and discussing issues of leadership
and
political impact.
Return to Index
Sarita
Natalie Musgrave
Dossett
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-313-1
$18.99
Paper/$27.99 hc/$9.99 eBook
www.atmospherepress.com
Historical
thrillers typically lean towards thriller elements more than historical
backdrops, but Naralie Musgrave Dossett’s Sarita
does an outstanding job
of blending both in a story that simmers with descriptive tension from
its
opening paragraphs:
As I pushed the
.410 shotgun into the saddle scabbard,
I paused, sensing a subtle change in the air. The insects had fallen
silent; even the chortling of the white-winged doves
roosting in the high branches had stopped. The hair on the back of my
neck prickled. Buster raised his head, ears swiveling. Turning in a
circle, I searched the heat-wobbled horizon.
Her
employment
of the first person and her engrossing story of how a young woman is
pulled
into struggles that are unexpected experiences for her gender in the
1920s
creates a plot that rests firmly not just on revenge and redemption,
but on a
determined young woman’s decisions to transcend her gender’s
limitations to
cross the Rio Grande in search of a killer.
Murder
mystery,
thriller, and Western elements come into play as Sarita’s singular
mission
evolves into something far greater, and more deadly, than she could
have
envisioned.
Dossett’s
ability
to drive readers into this milieu translates to a thoroughly engrossing
story
spearheaded by a strong female protagonist whose interests, abilities,
and
determination shine.
The
tension is
so finely tuned that the pivot points in Sarita’s endeavors prove
captivating:
I’d prayed Mozo’s
suspicion had been right, and I’d
find something at Santa Rosa to guarantee the Rangers would come after
Javier,
but what I’d found was more than I’d dared to hope for, and more than
I’d
thought to fear.
From
childbirth
tragedy to the rigors of tracking a killer that leads to even more
secrets and
challenges, Dossett creates a vivid tale that leads readers through a
frontier
world with allusions almost poetic in their atmospheric observations:
Mama had said
getting bit by a snake was like being
vaccinated with a vial full of bacteria.
Libraries
and
readers seeking powerful elements of history and thriller that share
equal
billing in their depth and deployment will find Sarita
an exceptional
acquisition.
Return to Index
Another Dance
Angela Youngers
Bookpress Publishing
978-1-960259-03-5
$28.95
www.BookpressPublishing.com
Another Dance isn’t just about ballroom
dancing, though that’s one
of its themes. It’s also about love, loss, grief, recovery, and moving
forward.
This is what
Annie
Obless faces a year after her husband’s death. Mired in emotions that
lead her
to eschew the usual grief group method of healing, Annie instead opts
for a
ballroom dance class as a method of mitigating her emotional pain.
This choice
leads her
to dance instructor Milo Warner, who taps her to be his dance partner
in the
course of teaching ballroom dance moves.
What could
have
proved a too-predictable, familiar story assumes different qualities
under
Angela Youngers’s storytelling ability, which adds unexpected insights
into
Annie’s narrative:
The screams of my children
used to elicit in me the natural parental reaction: concern whether
someone is hurt, frustration over the same
dumb sibling fight they’re always having, annoyance at the high
shrieked peels
of my daughter and even higher yips of my son. But now, when I hear
their
screams, I fall into an even darker place. I think about my husband’s
last
night with us. Is this the sound that sent him over the edge? Were the
kids and I too much to handle? Did he not love
us enough to stay? When I hear my children scream—no matter if it is
from
laughter, anger, fear, or hurt—all I can think about is Jason and how
he will
never hear those screams again. And how maybe…he didn’t want to.
This is a
good point
to mention that suicide and its aftermath and impact are among the many
threads
running through Annie’s life and experiences. This may trigger readers
who
struggle with their own feelings after a loved one’s death, but
ultimately
points out paths of healing which can emerge from unexpected life
encounters.
These
emotional
insights add powerful psychological complexity to the novel as Annie
both
recovers and discovers new moves for her life and perceptions of the
past.
They prove
involving
and revealing surprises in a story that shifts through and contrasts
past and
present perceptions and expectations:
I expected to be with Jason until we were old and
gray. I expected him
to be the last person I ever kissed, ever slept with, ever fell asleep
beside.
I never expected to be a widow before forty, raising two children on my
own,
and living with my younger brother. I never expected to be so familiar
with
loneliness.
Another Dance unfolds a warm series of
revelations that are
revealing, dramatic, educational, and alluring, all in one. These
elements make
the novel highly recommended for libraries and readers seeking
realistic
accounts of recovery from a loved one’s suicide. Book clubs, too, will
find its
many insights worthy of discussion and debate.
Return to Index
Anyone But
Her
Cynthia Swanson
Columbine York
9798990807426
$17.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
www.cynthiaswansonauthor.com/anyone-but-her
Anyone But Her opens in 1979, when teen
Suzanne’s mother has been
killed during a robbery at her record store. No ordinary teen, Suzanne
is a
psychic who experiences her mother’s return and absorbs the warning she
brings
about her father’s new girlfriend.
Fast forward
to
Suzanne as an adult, with a family of her own. Her return to Denver
leads to
the unexpected as she rents the space her mother’s old store resided
in, only
to find that past reaching out in unexpected new ways that even a
psychic
cannot foresee.
Cynthia
Swanson
excels in creating evocative, compelling scenarios in which Suzanne is
buffeted
both by her uncommon abilities and the results of her choices that stem
from
her special circumstances.
Swanson
builds
excellent characterization, presenting a feisty, determined,
intelligent woman
whose life becomes mired in dubious connections as Suzanne’s mandate to
break
up father James and fiancée Peggy results in deals and decisions which
challenge her present and resonate into her future and family.
Intrigue
marries with
hidden agendas to create a riveting story that surveys Suzanne’s
shifting
mission and discoveries that move her into realms of danger as well as
discovery.
Libraries
seeking
stories that are absolutely spellbinding as they probe family secrets,
hidden
pasts, and future impacts will find Anyone
But Her an excellent acquisition, highly recommended for
novel readers
seeking disparate characters and twists and turns that are not easily
predictable.
Return to Index
Asayi
Sharon Curcio
Fifth Wind Publishing
979-8-9900358-2-9
$12.99
https://www.amazon.com/Asayi-Autistic-Journey-Topple-Medieval/dp/B0D3LTHRRL
On
the face of
it, Asayi: An Autistic Teen's Journey to Topple a Shogun in
Medieval Japan is
a medieval Japanese saga—but, look deeper to note that its underlying
themes
about ghosts, autism, politics and political unrest, and changing
social mores
that buffet tradition are as deeply present as the historical backdrop
the plot
embraces.
Asayi’s
world is filled with magic, whether it lies in the brushstrokes of the
art she
employs with precision or the sweeping gestures of art and social
consciousness
which permeate her life.
It
should be
cautioned that, despite Asayi’s age, this is not a story for young
people. From
violence and explicit descriptions of a new husband’s rape to Asayi’s
proclivity for getting into trouble with those who are unfamiliar with
her
autism and mannerisms, the story contains an undercurrent of stark,
graphic
revelation that is highly impactful (and might even trigger adults
struggling
with their own issues related to autism or violence).
Because
Sharon
Curcio pulls no punches in her descriptions of Asayi’s abilities,
disabilities,
and trials, readers receive a hard-edged, thought-provoking tale
immersed in
vivid scenarios as Asayi’s bids for freedom continually results in
threats to
her life and wellbeing:
“What can you tell
me about the girl who chips ore
here?Kiyo said you rescued her from the Eta.”
“I did. They were beating her, so I bought her. Traded two blades to
the Eta
woman for her release. When we arrived here, Kiyo bathed the girl. Kiyo
said
that the girl had brand
marks on her legs.”
“Umm. Branding as punishment. The mark of the Shogun who speaks in
fire.”
Curcio’s
ability
to bring Asayi’s perceptions to life while simultaneously exploring the
culture
and politics of Shogun Japan and the various social stratas that
operate within
it enhances a story powered by her equal attention to building Asayi’s
strong
character.
The
result is a
novel of ghosts, family ties, autism, and Japanese history and culture
that is
very highly recommended for libraries seeking memorable collection
additions
for patrons interested in either autism or Japanese history, as well as
general-interest readers seeking a powerful good read.
Return to Index
Beyond the
Bukubuk
Tree
Loretta Goldberg
MadeGlobal Publishing
978-84-122325-8-5
$4.99 eBook
Website: https://lorettagoldberg.com
Ordering: Beyond the
Bukubuk Tree: A World War
II Novel of Love and Loss
World War II
novels abound
and quite often include love stories amidst battles—so what makes Beyond the Bukubuk Tree different and
attractive over others? It’s Loretta Goldberg’s attention to building a
story
replete with secrets on the parts of participants, who prepare for
inner and
outer battle in different ways.
Young Jewish
physician Jake Friedman believes
he’s inadvertently
caused the death of a colleague. Veteran Alex Whipple has never quite
recovered
from his stint in World War I, and is haunted by specters from his past
as he
reaches for redemption by battling bullies in his present world.
Both
are assigned to duty with the Lark Force battalion, a group which
suffers from
a lack of support and respect. Charged with defending the port town of
Rabaul,
the odds tip against them when the Japanese unexpectedly invade.
Loretta
Goldberg
incorporates many unexpected elements into her story, from a growing
attraction
between the soldiers to the secrets in their hearts that they struggle
with
even amidst the rigors of attraction and confrontation.
Goldberg is
especially adept at crafting almost poetic descriptions of pivot points
and
moments that lend to each character’s self-realization and growth:
With his blood a frozen river of bleakness, Wip
gazed at the man he
thought he knew. Jake’s hazel eyes—when they shone with joy, when they
focused
in intense thought, or burned with disapproval, when they clouded with
an
unshared thought; he’d ruffled every strand of Jake’s bushy hair, and
seen Jake
pat it down for inspection; and the wanting curve of his lips, Wip had
thought
he could interpret—all these he’d charted, and internalised as the one
who
meant the most to him, ever. And now, this body inhabited a world of
possibilities unavailable to Wip. Jake’s body was a liar, and he, Wip,
a
sucker, his ‘forever’ dream gone.
The vivid
descriptions and equally thought-provoking psychological dilemmas that
force
the characters both together and apart creates an ebb and flow of plot
to keep
readers engaged and guessing about outcomes.
Also
especially
notable are issues of moral and ethical values which are also tested in
the
heat of battle and the passion of love.
Libraries
interested
in World War II novels that depart, sometimes radically, from the usual
backdrop of military might will find Beyond
the Bukubuk Tree worthy of acquisition. It’s not often that
sensual love
scenes contrast so powerfully with life-changing portraits of survival
struggles and death.
Return to Index
Dear Eliza
Andrea J. Stein
Flashpoint Books
978-1-959411-70-3
$18.95 Paperback/$9.49 ebook
www.girlfridaybooks.com
How many
people hear
from a dead parent ten years after their demise? Not many. Certainly,
Eliza
didn’t predict that her father’s death would rock her world with a
letter
written by her deceased mother, who gave instructions it be delivered
to her
upon her father’s demise.
Dear Eliza outlines a scenario in which
Eliza grapples with
shocking news that affects not just her knowledge and choices, but her
entire
family.
Unexpected
help (and
romance) arise when her brother’s best friend Josh tries to help.
What makes a
family?
Eliza confronts many new realizations as she grows to understand not
just the
meaning and impact of her mother’s choices, but how they translate into
her own
life, affecting her sense of identity.
Readers
interested in
questions of genetic and environmental heritage and influences, Jewish
culture
and inheritances, and family truths will find that all these facets
intersect
with Eliza’s own process of self-acceptance and facing challenges.
Andrea J.
Stein is
particularly adept at portraying the reflective process which
accompanies
choices to confront, reveal, or keep family secrets—especially as they
change
outcomes and relationships:
She wasn’t at all sure she could count on him
taking her side in this,
especially if it meant airing the family’s dirty laundry in public.
The insights
come not
just from Eliza, but supportive characters who join her journey of
discovery:
“Stop being so hard on yourself, E. You’ve been
through a lot.” He
paused his foot rub. “And when it comes to your relationships with
people, you
have to decide for yourself what’s right. If you want to talk to Scott,
talk to
him. Let him tell you to leave him out of it, if that’s what he wants.”
The result
is a
powerful tale of inheritance, control, secrecy, and family connection
that will
provide juicy food for thought, provoking discussion in reading groups
looking
for novels about Jewish culture, family legacy, and the impact of
Jewish heritage.
Libraries
will want
to recommend Dear Eliza to patrons
grappling with their own family legacies and secrets. Its inviting tone
and
progressive unfolding of events that transform relationships, and
realistic
scenarios are not just revealing, but utterly compelling.
Return to Index
The Decision: A Novel
of Germany
Karen A. Wyle
Oblique Angles Press
978-1-955696-35-7
$16.49 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Decision-Novel-Germany-Karen-Wyle/dp/1955696357/
The Decision: A Novel of Germany belongs
in any fiction collection
where readers are interested in the experiences of Jews living in Nazi
Germany.
The story starts and concludes with a bicycle incident that, in fact,
really
happened. The events that lead to that culmination have been
fictionalized to
embrace drama and conjecture—but, under Karen A. Wyle’s hand, what a
journey it
is!
The bicycle
accident
embroils three boys and their families in a direct confrontation with
the
regime, which holds unexpected results for and impact on all their
lives.
The
juxtaposition of
daily living and the rise of social and political changes that will
ultimately
affect the boys’ lives are nicely done, involving readers in realistic
scenarios that are thoroughly engrossing as well as thought-provoking.
The
frightening sentiments that are on the rise in the nation are eerily
similar to
modern events:
“You know, they’re only letting your precious
Hitler give speeches
again because the Nazis did so badly in the last election. He’s a
loser,
wasting his time with a bunch of losers.”
Hans clenched his fists. “There sure were a lot of those losers,
marching and lining the streets and waving and then cheering at what
Hitler
said.” At everything he said, even the parts Hans hadn’t much agreed
with, but
this was no time to mention that.
“Is he crazy, or just ignorant? Doesn’t he know everything Jews have
done for Germany?”
Despite the
plethora
of books on the market about Nazi Germany and Jewish treatment, few
cement the
lines of how prejudice, racism, and conflict evolve as does The Decision: A Novel of Germany.
Although its
title
adopts the singular (The Decision),
in fact a cascade of decisions and underlying influences act and react
to bring
Hitler to power and justify his process of returning validity and pride
to the
German psyche and experience.
Wyle presents this story
from the point of view of a
Christian boy growing to manhood in Berlin during and after World War
I.
This focus on providing
insights about these events from a young person’s viewpoint allows her
to
narrow the focus from the broader adult-oriented spectrum of attention
usually
afforded to novels of Nazi Germany to the impressions and growth of
young
people, both German and Jewish, raised under the cloak of rising
struggles and
national pride.
This is why The Decision both stands out from the
crowd as an important examination of how attitudes are changed and
friendships
buffeted by clashing ideologies, and lends to classroom or reading
group
discussion about all kinds of subplots intrinsic to a complete
understanding of
the Jewish and German experience.
It’s also
why libraries
should not only consider The Decision: A
Novel of Germany an important acquisition, but should
highlight its
contents to drive it to audiences who will study it for more than
entertainment
value alone.
Return to Index
Doctor Fearless
Lili Anne Dean
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-231-8
$17.99 paper/$8.99 ebook/$26.99 hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com
In Doctor
Fearless,
charismatic, rich surgeon Victor represents a countenance of narcissism
and
ability that proves a dangerous attractor to women—three, in
particular, who
become ensnared by his looks, charm, and financial prowess.
Lili Anne Dean alternates
points of view between Victor,
Susan, Priscilla and Amelia as she explores Victor’s efforts to “become
a
better man” against all odds, and the impact these attitudes and
efforts hold
for the women in his life.
As exposés,
public judgment, and better understanding emerge, boundaries are
traversed,
ideals reconsidered, and lives broken and pieced back together against
a
backdrop of excellent tension and psychological draws.
Dean’s ability to bring to
life the shifting perspectives
of all participants lends a healthy analytical and revealing quality to
the
events which embroil all (including the reader) in a tale of redemption
and
growth that mirrors that of the fictional the story of Elizabeth Bennet
and Mr.
Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
Victor’s journey from a man
“driven by professional
ambition to someone who valued empathy and human connection” is one
which also
changes those who love or resist him.
Doctor
Fearless excels
in unfolding a struggle for redemption that transmits heartbreaking
moments and
choices to those affected by Victor’s ripples of change.
Book clubs and psychology
groups interested in closely inspecting
the roots of narcissistic beliefs, how they affect and infect the
around the
narcissist, and how they color perceptions and reactions will be
especially
attracted to the book’s ability to outline all these elements as more
in the
lives of interconnected individuals.
The result
is a
satisfying blend of romance, psychology, and suspense that, libraries
will
find, attracts patrons from wide walks of reading interest, from
thriller fans
to those who just want an eye-opening read about impact and
transformation.
Return to Index
Downriver
Jennifer M. Lane
Pen & Key
Publishing
978-1-7366691-2-9
$16.99
Website: www.JenniferMLanewrites.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Downriver-Poison-River-Jennifer-Lane/dp/1736669125/
Downriver begins in a 1900s Pennsylvania
coal town, where young
Charlotte Morris is orphaned when her parents die of poisoning. Sent to
a
Maryland fishing village to live with strangers doesn’t mitigate her
passion
for justice and vengeance against the coal boss who orchestrated
pollution in
the name of profit, and so she returns like a fiery phoenix to exact
both.
As boss Nel
Prichard’s many transgressions emerge, so his influence stretches from
Pennsylvania to her new home in Chesapeake Bay as pollution stretches
to affect
residents there, too.
Charlotte
faces much
more than a singular objective and challenge. As she learns to deal
with
bullies and sinister threats that shake her determination and life,
Charlotte
finds that the politics of profiteering holds a long arm and a
dangerous
attitude towards moral and ethical beliefs.
She also
hones
attitudes and talismans that support her ability to confront and
survive:
I have no need for a mermaid’s purse, for magic or
fairy tales, but I
can’t let it go. A good luck charm never hurt anyone. It sure wouldn’t
hurt Emmett,
who could use all the luck he can get. And I could use a bit of
renewal, even
if I didn’t want a new life. I examine the little black pod as I walk
back to
the post office tucked inside the train station. Rebirth and renewal,
indeed.
The key to
appreciating
Jennifer M. Lane’s story lies in an interest in history, justice, and
problem-solving. This places protagonist Charlotte in the heart of a
swirl of
special interests. The blend of social, political, and business
interest
arrives with psychological inspections designed to encourage readers to
think
about adversity, love, redemption, and vigilante-type justice pursuits.
Wise
accomplice
Emmett helps temper the mood and Charlotte’s dogged pursuits through
well-done
dialogues that also reinforce strong characters involved on different
levels:
“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” he says.
“The world is full
of things you’re better off not knowing. You can’t put the cork back in
this
thing, Charlie.”
Lane also
weaves in
astute portraits of other issues of the times, reinforcing the
historical
backdrop and setting which are both so essential to the plot’s
progression and
atmosphere:
Emmett clings to the pigsty fence with one hand,
doubled over with a
coughing fit while our cousin Sophie looks on in horror. They’re just
months
apart, both of them fifteen. Emmett’s too young to be falling apart
like this,
and Sophie’s too young to be losing so many people.
Again: the
astute
psychological depth of this story gives it an attractive countenance
even for
readers not normally given to choosing historical fiction.
Libraries
that choose
Downriver for their collections will
find it easy to recommend to a wide range of readers interested in
stories of
feisty young women, pursuits of justice and vengeance, and the
psychological
and political atmospheres of the 1900s that surrounds them.
Book clubs,
as well,
will find much fodder for a variety of discussions ranging from women’s
lives
and the evolution of proactive thinking to how solidarity and change
emerge
from seemingly powerless situations.
Return to Index
The Drift
That
Follows Will Be Gradual
Alan Rifkin
Open Books
978-1948598798
$19.95 Paperback/$9.95 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Drift-That-Follows-Will-Gradual/dp/1948598795
The Drift That Follows Will Be Gradual is
a novel that builds on Alan
Rifkin’s debut collection Signal Hill. Its novel-in-stories focuses on the aging life and
world of Richard
Leviton, who finds his shifting years from the 1980s to the 2000s carry
him
through divorce, the loss of his home, financial instability, and
cultural
change so challenging that he now feels rootless and lost.
He has neither the tools nor the bandwidth
to help his son Philip anchor his own shifting life. And so the two
dance
between aging, homelessness, and Los Angeles cultural drift in a manner
that
both binds and separates them from their lives and each other.
As the
stories
evolve, Alan Rifkin creates a sharp series of life observations that
embrace
generational and cultural differences and transformations in an
evocative,
thought-provoking manner filled with contrasts and revelations:
Did anyone else see? Would Leviton himself—a newly
divorced father,
suddenly nearing forty—ever again have space to dream like a writer? It
had
happened so quickly, this passing of the torch.
Readers who
choose
this novel for its wide-reaching events and cross-comparisons will be
surprised
and delighted to find that the characters of Richard and Philip create
rich
observations of irony and challenge embedded in everyday life
experience. These
insights quite often assume an almost poetic delivery:
The street was quiet, the world unchanged, even
brutally so—birdsong
and foliage, and beauty with all the justness simply sucked out of it.
The
interconnected
story structure builds excellent tension, characterization, and a
progressive
sense of discovery that is reinforced by these shifts in perspective
and place.
Libraries
seeking
literary explorations of Los Angeles culture, aging, and ongoing life
purpose
challenges will find The Drift That
Follows Will Be Gradual’s ability to build episodes that
interlock with
ease and insight make for an attractive recommendation to patrons who
enjoy
strong tales of literary, psychological, and cultural revelations.
Return to Index
The Golden
Age of Red
Doug Villhard
Mabel Publishing
979-8-9865378-4-9
$15.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Age-Red-Grange-Galloping/dp/B0D6R73L9M
In
The Golden Age
of Red: A Novel of Red Grange, The Galloping Ghost, college
football player
Red Grange is tired of being known for his sports prowess. All he wants
to do
is get his business degree and settle down into a calm, predictable
life.
He is on track to achieve
this dream when a particularly
notable game thrusts him into a limelight he never wanted. The football
industry declares him the greatest player ever and wants him to support
his
extraordinary single-day plays with a career based on repeat
performances that
further his fame and achievements.
Shot down by his own
abilities, Red struggles to not
disappoint others and loved ones while remaining true to his course.
Doug
Villhard sets
Red’s life and achievements against the backdrop of the Roaring 20s,
when
sports enthusiasm by the general public reached an unprecedented climax.
“What are we to each other?” Red asks
Polly (who is not only not his
girl, but is not really anyone
else’s, either). This query dovetails with his own drive to accept
fame’s
benefits and wealth while redefining his own goals, which go beyond
sports to
enter into realms of family, friendships, and vastly revised life
circumstances.
Comic relief
permeates events to add the value of giving pause to the story’s
serious
considerations of outcomes and choices:
Just as Red flies into the end zone and the ball is
landing safely in
his grip…the dog, having run out on the field, trips him. Red Grange
and
Wildcat Wilson slam into the ground without the ball. They both look
down to
see the little dog’s jaw locked onto Red’s pants. “Cut! Cut!” the
director, Sam
Wood, yells. “That damn dog. Reset everyone. Dammit. Reset all the
cameras.”
Red and Wilson burst out laughing. They look ridiculous lying there,
both
wearing lipstick with makeup smeared all over their faces, wearing
their famous
jersey numbers.”
The
biographical and
historical components that power this work of fiction add elements of
reality
and insight into not only football culture, but the 1920s milieu that
propelled
it to new heights in American eyes.
Doug
Villhard creates
a delicate dance between discovery and the evolution of the NFL and its
social,
sports, and political ties as Red considers the intersection and
consequences
of professional and special interest behaviors and choices.
Of special
interest
to history and sports fans is the psychological components of Red’s
relationships and changes, which evolve as a result of his talents,
involvements, and ambitions.
This is why libraries
seeing patron interest in historical fiction about 1920s America, or
football
history in particular, will find The Golden Age of Red of special interest. Its strengths in
depicting the life and environment of a football player whose strengths
prove
more diverse and challenging than even he could have predicted makes
for a
story that pits romance and relationships against professional and
moral
considerations. Sports enthusiasts and those interested in college
football are
in for a real treat as they absorb Red’s story.
Return to Index
Green
Forest, Red
Earth, Blue Sea
Jim Gulledge
Koehler Book
Publishing
979-8888243886
$19.95
(paperback)/$26.95 (hardcover)
Website: https://jimgulledge.pubsitepro.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Green-Forest-Red-Earth-Blue/dp/B0D4B6FQHC/
Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea is a
novel embracing the sweeping
family saga genre. It follows the evolution of generations of a North
Carolina
family that experiences the ebb and flow of changing life experiences
through
the legacy of an heirloom that is passed down between families.
Presented in
the form
of stories that each build a portrait of these lives and connections, Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea
embarks on an epic journey through communities different from one
another, yet
central to the unified countenance that is North Carolina as a whole.
Readers need
not have
a familiarity with the region in order to appreciate the setting,
atmosphere,
and lives lived within it. Jim Gulledge provides all the background
necessary
to easily understand and absorb this state’s culture and diversity as
events
unfold.
Part of the
reason
why these North Carolina regions come across so realistically is that,
in fact,
they are real, based on Gulledge’s
personal familiarity with the settings he describes. While not having
lived
full-time in any of them, he’s obviously absorbed enough of their
culture and
history to be able to reflect their strengths in engrossing manners in
the
course of this story.
As for the
tale
itself—anticipate a saga that moves from Reconstruction to modern
times,
contrasts the very different cultures of Scots Irish pioneers, cotton
farmers,
Native Americans, fishermen, and pirates, and creates dialogues which
embrace
dialect differences to cement the realistic countenance of all involved:
“Lamb, you saw what you saw. Won’t no ghosts or no
haints. Sometimes,
the curtain gets thin between this world and the other one. They ain’t
forgot
you. He’s never going to leave or forsake you. You can count on that.”
From Jule
Elliott’s
lies to her child to White-man wars, aging challenges, and social
clashes,
Gulledge’s story embraces and juxtaposes various forces at work in
changing the
nature of family connections, relationships, and social structure as
the years
pass and life goes on.
The result
is
evocative, thought-provoking, strong in cultural contrasts, and
especially
highly recommended for libraries and readers seeking realistic and
thoroughly
engrossing sagas set in the Tarheel State. This journey simmers with
tension,
personal and social issues, and a sense of discovery and recovery that
join all
the characters in life’s dance.
Return to Index
I Paint the
Sky
Laura Kemp
Lost Meridian
Press
979-8990658806
$14.45 Paper/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/I-Paint-Sky-Laura-Kemp/dp/B0D4JDJJ9N
I Paint the Sky is a historical romance
novel that tells of
nineteen-year-old Emily, who marries a man she barely knows, becomes
pregnant,
then discovers his dark, violent nature. While trapped by the bonds of
holy
matrimony, Emily decides to flee on the Oregon Trail to seek refuge
with her
uncle and aunt in the Black Hills.
The last
thing she
needed to encounter was another man. Caleb is a dangerous attraction,
though, who
harbors his own pain and determination not to repeat patterns of the
past.
Laura Kemp
moves her
perspective between the victimized Emily and the oppressor who feels
victimized
by her hate, husband Marvin. These shifting perspectives lend
understanding to
the story as each character feels justified and vindicated in their
disparate
pursuits and special interests.
Women who
have
experienced stalking and marital violence may be triggered by this
story, but
its depth of characterization, historical backdrop, and solid attention
to
exploring the psychology of oppressor and victim alike gives it a depth
that
ultimately makes it a recommended healing tool even as Emily’s bid for
freedom
goes awry.
Kemp is
particularly
strong in her descriptions of the Oregon Trail’s challenges and the
efforts of
her characters to move past their heritages into better lives against
all odds.
The tension
is well-developed,
while the contrasts between Emily’s past and Caleb’s determination to
transform
his future with different choices and behaviors and the shadow cast by
a
relentless husband who won’t let her go creates a triangle of intrigue
and
interplays that are engrossing, featuring unexpected twists and turns.
Sexual
encounters are
graphically but realistically described, making the overall tone and
progression of I Paint the Sky
compelling.
Libraries
interested
in acquiring historical fiction based on women’s changing lives in the
face of
new opportunities and hardships will find I
Paint the Sky a fitting collection addition. It can be highly
recommended
to historical novel fans, readers of women’s fiction and experience,
romance
enthusiasts, and book clubs seeking discussion material surrounding
Oregon
Trail experiences and new opportunities for women.
Return to Index
If You Can’t
Run
John Marks
Independently
Published
9798334659315
$14.99
http://amazon.com/author/marksjohn
If You Can’t Run is a novel about legal
and political struggles. It
opens with a confrontation by Judd which points out the clash between
legal
intention, realities, and personal moral and ethical codes:
“It was bad news, to be sure, the toughest kind
that OLS attorneys
sometimes must bear—telling a legislator, in so many words, that his
pet
political project would likely falter under the scrutiny of the
judicial
branch. For Judd, the task was especially difficult in cases like this
one,
when beneath the apolitical demeanor his job required, he
wholeheartedly
supported the policy aim of the problematic bill.”
The issue is
about to
take an even more personal turn as Judd faces an active shooter who
takes aim
at not just legislation, but legislators and consulting attorneys.
During the
madhouse riot that ensues, Judd recalls one piece of advice for
surviving such
an event: “If you can’t run, hide. If you can’t hide, fight.”
And so he
does. He
can’t run, so he MUST fight—and that’s the crux of a story built upon
legal and
personal struggles over firearms, crime, ninja attackers, and
situations that
test all of Judd’s skills—not just his legal prowess.
The nature
of that
fight and Judd’s choices in the aftermath of the event receives a close
inspection. John Marks highlights the dovetailing clash of political,
legal,
and personal pivot points and special interests.
As the
Capitol
shooting takes center stage and Judd confronts demons and impossible
new realities
about institutions he’d once held relatively sacred, he absorbs new
truths.
These include revised insights on media pursuits, reporting tactics,
definitions of what it means to be a hero (and why one person is often
singled
out from a group’s contributions), and the rigors of Tennessee law and
political special interests. All these lead him to question his own
ideals and
legal beliefs.
Judd’s
experiences
both mirror and contrast with many issues swirling in modern American
society,
from gun rights to rationales for employing firearms in a variety of
scenarios.
Readers who
choose If You Can’t Run
anticipating (from
other creations by John Marks) a sense of mystery and intrigue will
find
there’s added value from the social, political, and psychological
inspections
which are built into the story, forcing protagonist Judd to confront
his
deepest motivations and beliefs.
“Expertise in the law does not necessarily give one
expertise in the
political gamesmanship that goes into making it.” This, Judd
must cultivate
in his own time and way.
The tension
is nicely
played out, the contrast between personal and political motivation
reveals
numerous surprises and revelations, and Judd’s special brand of
expertise and
discovery drives a plot that is thought-provoking and
engrossing.
If You Can’t Run is an immersive,
sterling experience especially recommended
for readers who like a murder mystery that incorporates social and
political
dilemmas into a twisting plot.
Easy to
recommend;
hard to put down.
Return to Index
Lines of
Force
Steve Bellinger
Independently
Published
979-8335272407 $12.00
https://amzn.to/4dEsvMR
Lines of Force: The End of the
World as We Know It will delight
readers of apocalyptic fiction
who look for scenarios of global catastrophe and survival.
When a scientist stumbles upon a
forty-mile-wide cosmic ice mass, the Skyler-Bernard (“Sky Burner”
becomes its
popular name), it’s at first believed that its close passage to Earth
will
afford little more than spectacular views. The fact that this comet
holds an
iron core and a strong magnetic field gives light cause for concern;
but as it
draws closer, its potential for wrecking planet-wide havoc becomes
apparent.
Steve
Bellinger
juxtaposes this scientific phenomenon with the lives of various
characters who
never expected to become disaster survivors. These ordinary people are
just
living their lives until their relationships, ambitions, and hopes
collide with
planetary changes that demand they set aside everything they have ever
known or
believed in.
These hosts
of
characters slowly come to understand the nature of these changes, even
though
at first they resist the insights on geo-magnetism, which scientific
inquiry
offers as a heads-up on events to come:
“I do believe this is just the beginning.”
“I suppose it’s possible,” Ty shrugged. “But there’s no point in
alarming
people.”
“The beginning of what?” Stephanie said.
From
adjusting radio
signal detection devices to perceive magnetism to Rocky, Birdie,
Stephanie, and
Oscar’s roles as eyewitness observers and survivors of the
super-tornados,
flooding, wildfires and volcanoes that emerge in response to this close
contact, Bellinger juxtaposes a sense of discovery with
paradigm-changing,
transformative planetary changes.
Their role
as
reporters and witnesses brings a renewed sense of purpose to the
survival
process as they view the devastating calamities and wonder if they will
live
through them, and if humanity as a whole can navigate such a changed
world.
A renewed
sense of
purpose and resolution comes with a sense of GAIA philosophy and
revised
approaches to reporting that include proactive problem-solving and
thinking on
levels no human has previously attempted:
“Somewhere in here is a strong vortex. It got many
times stronger when
the pyramid was damaged. We need to neutralize it.”
“And how in the hell do we do that?” Rocky shook his head.
“We need a lodestone. A special lodestone. Gaia will tell us where to
find it,”
Oscar said. “We need to get to the American Southwest. And I must come
with
you.”
The tension,
sense of
purpose and revelations, and choices that revolve around utilizing
magnetism in
new ways creates a fine contrast between personal perspective and
applied
science. These are perfect formulas, when combined with
character-testing and
development approaches, for a vivid read that will simply delight those
who
look for the perfect blend of science and psychology in their disaster
fiction.
Libraries
seeing interest
in this genre will find Lines of Force:
The End of the World as We Know It
an excellent choice that should be highly recommended to patrons
looking for
the latest global disaster scenario.
Spoiler alert: the cliffhanger ending
doesn’t promise continuation … but it more than hints at this
possibility.
Return to Index
The Mask
Hunter
Anna Wilmans
Pantera Books
979-8-9907480-0-2
$19.95
www.pantera-books.com
The Mask Hunter represents historical
fiction married with a touch
of fantasy extrapolation by author Anna Wilmans. It contains real
events driven
by projections and probabilities that embrace ethical and legal issues
surrounding grave robbing and more.
From museum
purchases
and old warriors who interact in Roman times to issues surrounding
antiques
smuggling efforts and the mystery and legend of a fictional funerary
mask of
Alexander the Great, Wilmans interweaves fact and fiction so seamlessly
that
readers won’t be able to discern the difference between the two.
While
purists may
dismiss these qualities as diminishing the novel’s historical value,
general-interest readers will find these techniques succeed in drawing
them
into the milieu of the antiquities trade, smuggling processes,
modern-day
dilemmas faced by those who would either preserve or profit from relics.
The blend of
intrigue
and real topics of debate and discussion creates a moving story that
centers on
former archaeologist Parthi Guthrie’s descent into the dark side of
historical
collection when she becomes involved in finding out what really
happened to the
famed Mask of Alexander.
As the story
winds
between history and antiques smuggling, intrigue and tension are built
into
characters that vie for control of their pasts and present.
The
injection of
ethical dilemmas in documentation, discovery, and fact-gathering is
particularly thought-provoking as the mystery unfolds:
“My dear, I am the chief
authority on your project. As I just told you, the other committee
members wouldn’t know a votive from an amphora
handle. You can pretty much write what you want.”
How could this be? How could
the great scholar advocate fabrication of scientific data?
“Look, the degree is what is important. Once you have it, you can go on
and really learn about your subject. This dissertation thing is
only a formality.”
As political
and
psychological motivations emerge for acquiring and studying the Mask of
Alexander, readers are treated to a host of insights and revelations
that keep
the story supercharged with passion, purpose, and pain.
Wilmans is
also
especially masterful at employing the first person to its greatest
benefit to
capture atmosphere as well as intrigue:
The same smell of urine
that I remembered from visits in the past assailed my nostrils. This
had always been a popular pit stop for
people too lazy to find a proper bagno.
The building itself, and all it symbolized, had always held a morbid
fascination for me. It was a microcosm of the Roman Empire, the site
that inspired the term “bread and circuses” to describe the reason for
the fall
of this once-great civilization.
This creates
a
satisfying draw that moves the novel’s attraction beyond fans of
historical
fiction alone, into the realm of mystery and discovery that lends it an
all-embracing countenance.
The result
is a story
that is thoroughly engrossing and very highly recommended for libraries
seeking
multifaceted reads that move beyond genre borders to attract
general-interest
audiences.
Return to Index
Moonshine by
Moonlight
Ann Hanigan Kotz
Bookpress Publishing
978-1-960259-21-9
$28.95
Hardcover/$19.95 Paperback
www.BookpressPublishing.com
The setting
of Moonshine by Moonlight takes
place in
1923 Carroll County, Iowa, where prohibition leads farmers to turn
their
livestock farms into much more profitable illegal moonshine production
facilities. While this places them on the wrong side of the law,
leading to
efforts to constantly thwart federal regulators like enthusiastic new
agent
Alvin Truly, it also gives them a stability and livelihood they’d never
managed
as traditional farmers.
As it
becomes harder
to evade the law, the distillers form a syndicate led by a particularly
clever
bootlegger, who builds a whiskey empire by crossing state lines. It’s
an effort
Agent Truly can’t allow to continue, but the cat-and-mouse games
employed by
two clever adversaries immerse many other lives in an effort that forms
the
crux of not just one, but many social and legal dilemmas in Moonshine by Moonlight.
Ann Hanigan
Kotz is notably
adept at juxtaposing these different sides of the law and the
individuals who
hold convictions central to their support or defiance of the times:
“I’m the lone Protestant among these beer-drinking
Catholics. I’ve
heard their priest even defies the law!” It felt good to speak his mind
even if
he still held back about his anonymous calls to law enforcement.
“I feel for you, pal. I know what it feels like to be the only one who
cares. That’s why I joined a group of fellas who share my feelings. It
isn’t
right to break the laws. If we all did it, we would have anarchy on our
hands.
As a patriot, we must obey and support our government.”
As a myriad
of
disparate characters join in the fray of social and political clashes,
the
1920s come to life in a manner that personalizes both citizen and
governmental
perspectives. This will prove as educational as it is compelling.
The
characters that
participate in Carroll County's underground whiskey industry test not
only
unfamiliar waters, but acknowledge differences in the melting pot of
America
that keep them apart and occasionally, unexpectedly, bring them
together
through shared special interests:
“Where you from, Bill? I don’t recognize you.”
“Brayburn,” he said. “It’s on the edge of Audubon County. You heard of
it?”
Finn hadn’t. He knew that area was Danish country rather than German.
And they
were Protestant. “You said something about fellas you meet with? What’s
that
all about? Friends of yours?” Finn could feel excitement rising. He had
never
fit in with those around him. To have compatriots who were like-minded
would be
a relief. He could be himself, say what he wanted.
Moonshine by Moonlight will thus prove of
special interest to
historical novel readers interested in tales of 20th
century
regional America, who will find the social, political, and
psychological depth
of the story to be an alluring introduction to Prohibition years in
general and
Iowan culture in particular.
Libraries
interested
in stories that arrive embedded with regional attraction will want to
choose Moonshine by Moonlight for
its ability
to outline 20th century American history in a
personal, revealing
manner.
Return to Index
Secrets of
the Blue
Moon
Jan Heidrich-Rice
NDY Press
9798990977112
$16.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.janheidrichrice.com
Readers seeking a fictional portrait of the South replete with marital discord and a search for family legacy will enjoy reading Secrets of the Blue Moon, the story of Marnie Putnam, who seeks respite from her marriage in a small Georgia town, only to find herself haunted by more than her own past and choices.
Two women died in the house where she is temporarily boarding. Years earlier, their deaths under a blue moon caused ripples of shock throughout the community, changing more than a few lives.
Marnie’s move seems to have reactivated consequences of that night, along with the ghosts of her own past. Marnie finds herself buffeted by events that include her own mother’s death years prior and the mysterious protective orb that followed her to keep her safe thereafter.
In addition, she’s now also plagued by eerie noises and visions at night, a dive-bombing crow, and questions about some of the quirky town residents’ honesty and intentions. When another blue moon rises and yet another heinous death takes place, the spirits deluge Marnie, demanding she help them find answers and justice.
At every step, Heidrich-Rice embeds her characters’ questions and self-examinations with the atmosphere of Southern manners and ghosts. Can friends brainwash friends to commit horrendous crimes? Could certain individuals have benefited from all three deaths, that transpired under two separate blue moons, years apart?
As secrets emerge and evolve, readers are pulled into Marnie’s investigations with an atmospheric aura and strong literary presence that proves hard to put down.
Libraries seeking Southern
ghost stories, tales of fractured
relationships and legacies of murder, and fiction about women who stand
up to
past and present adversity will welcome Secrets of the Blue
Moon’s
haunting countenance. It’s a top recommendation for patrons ranging
from
women’s fiction readers to those who enjoy supernatural elements,
intrigue, and
psychological revelation in their stories.
Return to Index
Untertauchen
Arthur M. James
Fulton Books
9798889825449
$29.95 Paperback//$9.99 eBook
www.artmjames.com
Untertauchen is a historical novel based
on the true story of a
Jewish couple who survived Hitler’s Thousand-Year Reich, living
underground in
Germany in a manner that challenged not just physical survival, but
mental
connection and acuity.
The story
opens with
a prologue set in 1910, long before the events of the Third Reich that
are the
focus of this story. It sets the stage with an introductory portrait of
Jewish
community neighborhood and interactions in Germany, moving through
family
experiences in a small German village from 1910 to 1911, providing
succinct
snippets of personal and cultural flavors before moving to the main
event in
the first chapter, which opens in 1932.
It is a
world which
is “not too big” … yet. And still, prejudice between Jewish immigrants
and
native Germans abounds, as Sophie’s vacation turns into a nightmare
realization
of the prevalence of anti-Semitism.
Leopold,
Sophie, and
their family face even more trials as Germany evolves and SA tactics
arise. As
the underground “Jewish grapevine” reveals increasing danger, young
Hans and Anna
face a hierarchy determined to obliterate all the Jews at any cost.
Arthur M.
James
injects tension into a story that comes not just from political and
social
undercurrents, but forces within and outside the family. Developments
which at
first appear small hold deep and lasting implications for conflict and
rifts
between individuals, families, and German and Jew alike:
“Unknown to Hans and Anna, these and similar
developments portended
consequences that would alter their lives forever.”
The
decisions that
mandate physical and mental survival place these characters in
increasing
danger that traverses physical and psychological blows to affect and
challenge
moral and ethical visions of the world and their place in it.
At each
juncture of
change, James succeeds in communicating both the weight of oppression
and the
promise of transformation of a nation that has experienced defeat and
is
determined to rise up again, against all challenge and no matter the
moral
cost.
The losses
mount in
many different ways:
“Bronze was not the only metal missing. Germany was
in short supply of
everything the fighting demanded. A house-to-house collection would
start the
following week. Citizens would have to turn over every scrap of copper,
tin,
nickel, steel, and iron.”
From the
howling
winds of the Russian steppe and the winters which buffet Berlin and
Europe with
relentless force to the equally daunting psychic injury that emerges
from
decisions made by desperate people, James attends to integrating all
the
conflicting facets of the German experience through the eyes and hearts
of
those who both experience and promote dehumanization processes.
Acts of
defiance and
survival encompass and mark Hans and Anna’s life as their concerns
shift and
life continually challenges them to survive.
James brings
to life
all the facets of living underground in a society marked by storms of
oppression, promises of revitalization, and those who pit Germans
against their
Jewish neighbors.
There is no
easy
overlay of experience, here. James takes the time to fully explore and
express
the lives of these characters as they take ever-darker turns and demand
more
and more just for survival.
This
attention to
building character, detail, and history is why the novel comprises
almost six
hundred pages. It may look daunting to some readers, but the depth of
the
characters and the attention given to capturing the overt and subtle
nuances of
their life experiences and changes sets Untertauchen
apart from simpler explorations of the same era and subject.
This is why
libraries
seeking more meat, depth, and involvement from World War II fiction
about the
Jewish experience in 1930s Germany need this book. Its insights about
survival,
married with fine intrigue and tension, creates a captivating
historical saga
that is sweeping in its nature and thought-provoking in its countenance.
Its focus on
the
basics of survival and the shifting forces that continually provoke the
characters to reassess in order to survive will attract general book
club
reading groups as well as Jewish reading circles revisiting and
discussing the
daily experience of an underground existence.
Return to Index
What
Was Lost
Melissa Connelly
She Writes Press
978-1-64742-784-9
$17.99 Paper/$12.99 eBook
Website: www.melissaconnelly.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/What-Was-Lost-Melissa-Connelly/dp/1647427843
Many
novels
review circumstances that revolve around returning home, but What
Was Lost
provides a different milieu, contrasting victims of abuse with the
social
systems that support or thwart them between the decades from 1970 to 2000.
Marti is in
her early
forties before she returns to her small Vermont town to face her
demons.
Described as a “scurrying rat searching her way out of a maze,” Marti
has kept
secrets for far too long. Is she finally tapping into her courage by
returning
to the town she fled so long ago, or is she embarking on a fool’s
journey that
will cast her back into the hell that shaped her life?
Even Marti
admits the
potential folly of her quest:
It made no sense: this compulsion to see Mrs.
Colgan in order to
correct past lies, all while creating new falsehoods.
But the urge
to
confront and confess drives her to also acknowledge the vast social
changes
that have taken place since her original crisis. It’s a milieu readers
will
find exceptionally vivid and thought-provoking as Marti’s journey home
influences her future prospects as well as family and past connections.
Melissa
Connelly
creates a story that follows a fourteen-year-old’s trials and the
ongoing
impact her experience has held over her head for decades. More so than
many
novels about such events, Connelly evolves a sense of place, changing
times,
and characters that operate differently in reaction to various social
challenges.
She’s
been burned. Why would she play with fire?
As readers
absorb
Marti’s proclivity to move within and beyond her past patterns,
reactions, and
challenges, the novel spins an enticing story. It will especially
attract book
clubs looking for discussion points about survivors, victims, and the
impact of
changing social values.
People who
aren’t
triggered by Marti’s struggles will find the evolution of her
empowerment to be
particularly engrossing as she navigates relationships and returns to
the past
to confront her aggressor in a new way.
Libraries and readers
interested in stories that simmer with social reflection will relish
the
journey through time and place that Connelly experiences and transmits
in What Was Lost, which features
several surprises in twists and turns of plot for added depth.
Return to Index
The AI Glossary
Richard R. Khan
The AI Glossary Publishing Corp.
978-1738383429
$27.99
Hardcover/$19.99 Paper/$6.99 eBook
www.theaiglossary.co
The
AI Glossary:
Demystifying 101 Essential Artificial Intelligence Terms for Everyone
is a
reference highly recommended not just for teens and students, but for
adults
who may lack the background knowledge to understand the emerging AI
environment.
Contrary to what might be
popular belief, AI is not
infallible. It is as subject to built-in bias and mistakes as humans
are, and
requires special consideration in use and an understanding of its
processes
that applies critical thinking to any AI support or decision-making.
Enter The
AI
Glossary. It is designed to alleviate the linguistic
challenges affecting
such understanding, offering readers of all ages an appropriate
methodology for
demystifying AI jargon to better understand its techniques and
operations.
Richard R. Khan delves into
different forms of AI and its
architecture, considering the concepts underlying its processes.
Policymakers,
technologists, and students alike will find this glossary does more
than define
terminology. It operates as an interface between AI and human pursuits,
offering invaluable tips to understanding AI’s basic vocabulary to
better
assess its potential and pitfalls, for bigger-picture applications.
From defining and
understanding cross-validation
techniques to how data is divided, tested, and applied to real-world
endeavors,
for one example, The AI Glossary
encourages lively dialogues between students as well as a deeper
understanding
of AI’s applications.
Examples of each term in
actual use reinforces and
supports Khan’s intention of going beyond a mere dictionary of
definition to
consider in-depth subjects related to AI’s evolution and use.
Libraries and readers
seeking practical books that also
inject wit and black-and-white visual comic relief into the very
serious
subject of AI will find The AI Glossary
surprisingly accessible because of Khan’s attention to creating a
lively survey
instead of a dry discourse, as most computer books tend towards. It’s
thus an
essential reference for all manner of audiences and collections that
not only
demystifies AI, but returns its use, control, and operations to the
milieus of
the general public.
Return to Index
Best Climate
Change
Stories
Ron Sauder, Editor
Secant Publishing
979-8-9903562-3-8
$8.99 eBook
www.secantpublishing.com
Best Climate Change Stories both stands
out from the crowd of
growing cli-fi reads and expands the definition of climate impact by
gathering
powerful, uncommon accounts of individuals who face climate challenges
in very
different ways. This is because their experiences of said changes are
also very
different, depending on their geographic location and psychological
profiles.
Thirty-four
original
short stories craft diverse and divergent scenarios that focus not so
much on
the science of world changes as the psychology of how human beings
respond to
impacts in their own lives. This focus represents the strength of an
admirable
collection that considers both individual and community challenges
alike.
Another
notable
difference between this anthology and similar-sounding books is that it
represents an unusual collaborative effort stemming from an
international
contest sponsored by the Book Bin, an independent bookstore in Onley,
Virginia,
and Secant Publishing, an independent publisher in Salisbury, Maryland.
Contributors
from the
UK, the Netherlands, the US, Australia, Austria, Canada, France,
Ireland, and
South Africa add wide-ranging diversity to these experiences which
gives the
basic foundations of the book added value and impact.
Take ‘Bitter
Almonds’
by Andrea Dejean, for one example. Here, the changes a gardener
observes in a
passion that experiences shifting seasons and accompanying challenges
to
maintain the garden’s life evolves into a consideration of what will
really
remain—or matter—in the end:
Where were the violets that somehow usually managed
to emerge from
between the roots of the roses? Native to the area, they were one of
the few
things that grew unbidden in the poor soil of their yard, but perhaps
she had
smothered them to death, spreading hopeful handfuls of enriched earth
around
the recalcitrant roses after dragging the body-heavy bags of “special:
rose
beds” from her car.
Compare this
succinct
observation with Cedric Rose’s ‘Brownian Motion,’ in which a young
adult on the
cusp of adult concerns considers a conservationist spirit at odds with
a
shifting environment filled with toxic bacterial and equally toxic
human
attitudes towards nature.
Each story
poses a
thought-provoking scenario firmly rooted in individual lives and
impacts. Each
will prompt not only food for thought, but vivid discussions in book
groups and
classrooms interested in considering climate change impact in different
ways.
Libraries
that pick Best Climate Change Stories
won’t be
disappointed. The ‘best’ promise is more than fulfilled in a collection
that
stands out from any other.
Return to Index
Chinese Satire
Compiled and Edited by Xiuwu R. Liu
Hermit Studio
979-8987005545
$25.00
Hardcover/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Satire-Quotations-Xiuwu-Liu/dp/B0BFTYQ24L
Chinese
Satire:
Sources and Quotations began as a teacher’s compilation for
a college
course in Chinese satire, but its publication in book form will reach a
wider
audience interested in the mechanics and culture of Chinese wit and
commentary.
Xiuwu R. Liu compiles a
virtual treasure trove of proverbs,
sayings, political and social commentary, organized in selections that
range
from historical writings to contemporary reflections.
These quotes and notes
provide satisfying insights
especially suitable for not just classroom debate, but book club
discussion
groups. One example comes from ‘The
Plum in the Golden Vase, or, Chin P’ing Mei’:
As
I was saying, in
the future, you ought to amend the reckless way you go about your
business. As the sayings go:
On first meeting one should express no more than
three-tenths of one’s thoughts;
Never under any circumstances should one disclose
the whole content of one’s heart.
Even one’s wife may harbor duplicitous intent,
Not to mention people in the world at large. (Yüeh-niang) (ch. 72)
Accompanying clarifications
and explanations of the
context and background of the writers allow Westerners access to the
underlying
literary, historical, social, and cultural influences which directed
original writer
observations and perspectives.
Xiuwu R. Liu compiled these
from his philosophical collection Deflating
Human Beings: Sources and
Quotations from Around the World. A new appendix
includes sources
saved over the years, plus most of those introduced in sixteen
histories of and
reference works in Chinese literature in English (including in
translation).
Translation
and
online references conclude the value of a gathering which is highly
recommended
not only for university settings where students of Chinese history,
philosophy,
and culture will find much to discuss, but for general audiences
interested in
the origins and mechanics of satirical observation in general and its
incarnation in Chinese culture in particular.
Libraries that choose
Chinese
Satire for its
wide-ranging
and authoritative, scholarly coverage will find it a fine study in
Chinese
tradition.
Return to Index
The Christmas Coat
Kathleen Shoop
Independently Published
978-1711321882
$9.99
Paperback/$2.99 eBook
Website: www.Kshoop.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Coat-Kathleen-Shoop/dp/1711321885
The first book in Kathleen
Shoop’s holiday ‘Tis the
Season’ series, The Christmas Coat,
captures the holiday spirit in a diverse manner akin to the first
series title The Tin Whistle, but
with different
characters, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
As in The
Tin
Whistle, the protagonist Elliot
Ebberts has achieved success as an adult. Despite his progress,
however, he is
cranky. Business and family duties collide one day and his special
‘lucky coat’
goes missing, further causing angst and issues as Elliot faces life
without it.
As in the
famous
Dickens story, this protagonist has confused material wealth with
success.
However, he has built a loving family amidst his drive for lavish
displays
which he believes translates to love.
Trapped in
his mental
marriage of wealth, job success, and life achievement perception,
Elliot is
ripe for a fall as the holiday imposes new demand and challenges his
busy
schedule. Shoop presents this disparity of values in a vivid manner
from the
story’s opening lines:
The noise. Dear God, the voices. Teen boys—the
shifting vocal tenors,
the girls, squealing instead of simply talking. They wouldn’t shut up
and
Elliot Ebberts couldn’t hear his own thoughts. And it was nearly
Christmas,
dammit. The happiest time of the year, yet all he felt was tension
tangling in
his belly.
As Shoop
draws
readers into the increasingly challenging quandaries of Elliot’s past
and
present, more threads of poverty, wealth, kindness and value are
revealed that
tie into bigger picture thinking that families and book clubs, in
particular,
will find important for read-aloud discussion:
His mind flew to his
parents back in Fresno. They’d kept his bank account stocked, but the
money that flowed from them to him never did a
thing to lift him out of the depression that kept him from holding a
job. He
didn’t need money. He needed purpose. And apparently a freakishly weird
coat.
He’d been given the job. And inside him, somewhere at the
center of the darkness was a seed of… something… he couldn’t define it
or label
it but it was there. For the first time he thought somehow he might
keep this
job. He wasn’t going to screw it up.
As far as
holiday
reading goes, The
Christmas Coat is
an important survey that encourages deeper-level thought about a
variety of
topics ranging from action and inaction to giving, kindness, love, and
community connection.
All these features
make The
Christmas Coat a
top recommendation for libraries seeking to build not just a strong
kids’
section of holiday materials, but vivid stories adults can use to
consider
their own definitions of success and life purpose.
Return to Index
Daughter of Sekhmet
Abigail Keyes
Armin Lear Press/Thousand Acre Books
978-1-963271-35-5
$24.95
Paperback/$9.99 eBook
www.arminlear.com
Daughter
of Sekhmet
melds history with fantasy and will especially delight young adult
readers
interested in ancient Egyptian society.
Terminology gleaned from
ancient Egypt for deities and
places are presented in a glossary meant to stream a reader’s
understanding
from the start. That doesn’t mean that Daughter
of Sekhmet is unduly complex, however, despite the daunting
appearance of a
glossary before the novel even opens.
Those who persevere will
quickly find that action
cemented by first-person experience is powerful from the opening lines
of this
story:
With a swift swing
of my fighting staff, I send my opponent to the ground. I hover the end
of my
weapon over his face, not daring to look away. One last strike, and I
could end
him.
Modeled as a three-part
series, Daughter of Sekhmet surveys
the politics, social undercurrents, and
clashes in an Egyptian world where women’s status is treated quite
differently
and where protagonist Sati chafes at restrictions to her combative and
determined nature:
With
a grumble, I
step back and twist my rough linen shendyt back to center. Well, truth
be told,
it’s not really mine. It belongs to Iti. And it doesn’t quite fit me.
It’s not
a garment meant for women. But the dresses Mawat would have me wear are
too
delicate for fighting.
As the Great God, the Great
Royal Wife, and other
characters emerge, the intersections between Sati and other members of
her
world shift and grow. From her debut as an appointed scribe to General
Setankh
to terrible truths about plots over succession to the throne, the power
of the
pen that Sati wields as deftly as a sword, and struggles with the Fire
of the
Powerful One, divergent forces invading her heart emerge.
Abigail Keyes crafts a
powerful setting and character in
ancient Egypt affairs and Sati’s world. Her attention to building an
inquisitive, proactive, powerful female protagonist who closely
examines and
participates in her world will be especially compelling to readers
seeking not
just early historical settings, but the perceptions and actions of
women who
refuse to settle comfortably into their social positions.
These elements meld with
political insights to create a
story that is hard to either predict or put down.
Libraries seeking
acquisitions highly recommendable to
history or women’s fiction readers and book clubs, as well as its
intended YA
audience, will find Daughter of Sekhmet
solid in its backdrop and psychology. Its ability to move through this
world
through realistic experiences and perceptions drives a journey nicely
rooted in
compelling personal and political mandates for change.
Return to Index
Devolution of Power
William L. Kovacs
Paperback-Press/A & S Publishing
978-1-960499-79-0
$9.99
Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Devolution-Power-Rolling-Preserve-Republic-ebook/dp/B0CWSXX2F1
Devolution
of
Power: Rolling Back the Federal State to Preserve the Republic
offers a
lesson in preserving the republic by returning power to the states from
the
federal government. As a method of addressing state differences and
preventing
a new civil war, William L. Kovas makes proposals that are central to
important
discussions about what divides or unites the nation.
Kovacs avoids the usual
method too many authors employ of
critiquing current events to focus on the heart of solutions that can
preserve
the democratic process and freedoms. His wide-ranging proposal of how
to
restructure America offers a heady blend of powerful ideas married to
practical
considerations of just how federal power may be rolled back and
transferred to
state control.
This proposal of devolving
and moving power structures is
no idealistic theory or easy venture, but documents a well-reasoned
approach
that students of civics and American politics and history would do well
to
debate and consider.
Chapters offer many specific
historical examples of the
abuse of power, policies that hide agendas to control society, and the
transformation of all democratic institutions to better achieve the
ultimate
goals of managing, not controlling, political and social structures:
If
Congress is to reclaim
its role as the nation’s lawmaker, it must reclaim its legislative
authority
over spending, emergencies, and wars. If Congress begins to reclaim
these
powers, it will realize the federal government, as structured, is too
big and
too complex to manage all the laws, policies, and programs it has
accumulated
over the last century. When it does, it will seek to form a governing
structure
that allows the federal government to manage issues of a genuine
national and
international nature and transfer domestic matters to the respective
states. At
that time, discussion over the devolution of power to the states will
begin.
Kovacs provides a reasoned
assessment of political and
social influences, the decaying state of modern America, and how the
revised
status of the federal government may return it to being an entity the
people
trust.
All these topics and more,
supported by reasoned
historical and political analysis and facts, make Devolution
of Power a highly recommended, powerful survey that
should take its place at the top of political science reading groups,
classrooms, and individuals interested in the nature and future of
America.
Libraries will want to
acquire and recommend Devolution of Power
as not just a study
in American ideals and structure, but a proactive, positive statement
of
formulating a new direction for the nation, detailing exactly how to
get there.
Return to Index
Gray Wrath
Terrence Poppa
Demand Publications
978-0-9664430-8-0
https://www.amazon.com/Gray-Wrath-Terrence-Poppa-ebook/dp/B0DB2M6JWV
Gray
Wrath is
billed a ‘thriller’, but its subject and approach also lends to its
attraction
to sci-fi audiences interested in alien encounters and
world-threatening
events.
The tale opens with renegade
assassin Michael Kendon’s incarceration and
interrogation. As he faces torture by the security directorate, one of
the
keepers of the secrets of the Collaboration, an organization he once
was
commited to and a part of, he also contemplates the bigger picture
involving
the future of mankind.
As an asteroid diverted by
aliens to obliterate the human
race looms in the background, Michael is the sole person who may be
able to
stop it—if he can overcome the attacks and restrictions from fellow
human
beings.
Terrence Poppa employs a
masterful hand at dovetailing
tension and revelation throughout the course of a story that probes
varying
political intentions in the face of an overwhelming threat:
When
the sound of
boots faded, Kendon leaned back against the granite wall. He could not
bear to
look at Meller. His tortured body was clear evidence of what the plot
to defeat
the Breeder agenda had come to: nothing. After all those years of
secret effort
and quiet hope, it was a complete failure.
This is no straightforward
struggle with aliens, however.
Kendon’s personal experiences, confrontations, and interactions also
play a
major role in questions of humanity’s survival or demise, with issues
of trust,
special abilities, proactive thinking, and loyalty between killer and
victim
coming into play to inject satisfying thriller and psychological
components
into evolving events.
As facedowns with snipers,
massacres, and conspirators
evolve, Kendon’s mandate shifts in satisfyingly unexpected manners to
draw
readers into a story as embedded in personal confrontation as it is in
alien/human struggle.
Poppa’s dance between
thriller and sci-fi lends to a read
that is exciting, unpredictable, and thoroughly engrossing. Lethal
abilities
combine with an adventure that blossom to incorporate healing into its
milieu.
The psychological tension
and action blend seamlessly in
a plot designed to prove gripping on more than one level.
The result is a heady
adventure that will reach beyond
one genre to involve audiences interested in action-packed events,
unexpected
twists, interpersonal relationships, and considerations of what
constitutes a
healing journey.
Libraries seeking
exceptionally vivid thrillers that
arrive with the added attraction of insights into redemption, survival,
and
recovery will find Gray Wrath a
finely-tuned, top recommendation.
Return to Index
Holding
IT
Together
Robert MacNeil
Christie, PhD
Bear Claw
Press/Omega Publishers
979-8-9907779-0-3
$18.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
Website: www.BearClawPress.com
Ordering: www.TheHopefulRealist.com
Holding IT Together: Social Control in an Age of Great
Transformation offers a
thought-provoking probe into the mechanisms of social control and their
impact
on humanity’s ability to survive dilemmas of its own making. It’s an
important
discussion point not only about systems of control and manipulation,
but how
chaos and creation are chosen, enacted, and juxtaposed by human ideals
and
social networks.
Dr.
Robert MacNeil Christie
embeds history
surrounding social deconstruction and construction with the kinds of
modern
references that readers will relish. These include such
solution-oriented
observations as:
Instead of growing reliance on external energy
sources to drive
automated equipment managed by just a few technical workers,
appropriate
technology would engage workers in creative ways. Such ways would
inherently
involve more labor, not less; it would also call for more learning,
creativity,
and craft. Economic de-growth goes hand in hand with developing
technologies
and production processes that enhance human creativity and wellbeing
because
craft and high purpose would drive production instead of immediate
efficiency
and short-term profit.
Christie’s
different
contrast between social systems, perceptions, economic approaches and
philosophies, and environmental and social impacts of such systems
allows for a
much greater flexibility and understanding than most books about either
social
systems or climate change.
In defining
the
nature and terms of great transformations and applying them to
underlying
systems of control, manipulation, and idealism, Christie offers an
unprecedented opportunity for readers to apply the basics of economic
understanding to the major issues facing humanity’s survival today.
Especially
intriguing
is the manner in which Christie points out disparities, possible
solutions, and
major revisions of ideal and insight that will lead humanity away from
the dark
edge of destructive impulses and towards goals that promote not just
better
choices for environment and world, but which revise the opportunities
and
approaches of individuals who operate under such systems and
assumptions.
Hope is
embedded
throughout his approach:
By a great transformation, I mean two things.
First, the two hundred
years or so of “industrial progress” have so disrupted the entire Earth
System
that the conditions for many life forms on the planet put them into
immediate jeopardy—a
great transformation emerging. Second, the Industrial Era has also
caused
fundamental changes in the structure of society itself, resulting in an
extreme
hierarchy of social control from a financialized political economy,
which has
come to dominate society itself. We cannot yet determine the outcome.
It
depends on whether or not, and to what extent, we humans respond
effectively to
subdue the disruptive Earth-System changes we have caused—a great
transformation either way. The New Great Transformation of society is
well
underway.
Libraries seeking
treatises on the major dilemmas of modern society and living, who look
for
well-researched blends of and contrasts between different viewpoints
and
behavioral and idealistic impact, will find Holding
IT Together
especially relevant and important to book clubs
and college-level discussion groups interested in a survey that is
delivered
with the one/two punch of historical precedent and the special
challenges
involved in building a new ‘ecological civilization.’
The
challenge in
doing so is clear:
The determination of that direction depends
entirely on human awareness
and, above all, radically different human actions.
Return to Index
Integrating Geek Culture
into Therapeutic Practice
Anthony M. Bean, Editor
Leyline Publishing
978-1955406321
$45.00 Paperback/$29.99 eBook
https://shop.geektherapeutics.com/products/integrating-geek-culture-into-therapeutic-practice-the-clinicians-guide-to-geek-therapy-2nd-edition
The second, updated edition
of Integrating Geek Culture Into Therapeutic
Practice: The Clinician's
Guide to Geek Therapy revisits
and expands upon its 2020 predecessor, offering a fresh perspective on
the
concept and role of the ‘geek’ in contemporary American society. This
edition
delves deeper into how clinicians and scholars alike can effectively
utilize
games and gaming in therapeutic sessions to build rapport with clients
and
encourage their progress.
Contributions from various
therapists and analysts from
diverse professional backgrounds enrich this work. The articles explore
a wide
array of topics, from Matthew J. Fellows, MA, who discusses how comic
book
characters can convey values and emotions to Ph.D. Shane Tilton’s
exploration
of comic book conventions and fandoms, examining the emerging values
and
support systems within geek culture. Each article emphasizes the
crucial
connections between geek culture, its participants, and the therapist's
role in
harnessing this environment to promote growth, connection, and deeper
understanding:
It
is important not
to condemn the concept of being a geek or the activity being enjoyed
based on
rating, time spent, or games played (as seen in the past definitions of
geek),
but to see through the play itself into what the player is
experiencing, what
drives them to a certain character or avatar, or the individual’s
experience
of the virtualized and fantasy
worlds.
Individually, these articles
both analyze and create a
portrait of what constitutes ‘geek culture.’ However,
their collective impact is where the book truly shines,
offering psychologists and mental health clinicians a comprehensive
understanding and a powerful tool to incorporate into their therapeutic
practice.
As geek culture continues
its ascent into the mainstream,
bolstered by the ever-expanding internet, Integrating
Geek Culture Into Therapeutic Practice evolves from a niche
resource to an
essential read for practitioners aiming to better comprehend the lives,
motivations, and aspirations of their clients.
Psychology libraries focused on contemporary intersections between
psychology,
social environments, and therapeutic approaches will find this book an
indispensable addition. The definitions of geek culture presented here,
along
with its ongoing relevance and practical applications, make it a
critical
resource.
Integrating
Geek
Culture Into Therapeutic Practice is highly recommended for
psychology
reading groups and therapists' gatherings, especially those interested
in
exploring client identity and cultural connections.
Return to Index
The Iraq I Knew Book 1: Into
the Storm
Col. Burl W. Randolph Jr.
MyWingman, LLC Publishing
979-8848848533
$19.95
Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Website: https://mywingmanllc.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Iraq-Knew-Hussein-Weapons-Destruction/dp/B0D5WJ3D9Y
Why should readers already
well versed in military
operations in Iraq choose The Iraq I Knew:
From Saddam Hussein to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) to Al Qaeda in
Iraq
(AQI): Into the Storm? Quite simply, because it adds elements
of military
and social observation to expand reader concepts of the peoples,
culture, and
social and military clashes that permeate both that nation and the
experiences
of those who served in Iraq and participated in battles.
Audiences interested in
military experience (especially
civilians who may hold relatively little familiarity with the rigors
and
demands of military life) will find a ‘you are here’ atmosphere
permeates the
story as they follow Col. Burl W. Randolph Jr. into Iraq.
Chapters discuss self-care
in the face of pre-deployment
and deployment, explore the daily tasks and experiences of war, and
cover
transitioning back to civilian life when still experiencing the
automatic
survival responses of battle.
Perhaps the finest moments
of The Iraq I Knew take place
within Randolph’s experiences with
multiple tours of duty in Iraq, where each return introduced him to
many
different milieus and people that layered into the complexity that
constitutes
Iraq.
These repeated returns and
their differences, in turn,
forced Randolph to change in unexpected ways, in response. Combat
veterans with
multiple deployments under their belts (or, who are facing such) will
thus find
many insights that are unique to this book. They are seldom explored in
such
detail elsewhere, despite the plethora of “I was in the war” veteran
memoirs on
the market today.
Randolph provides clarity to
his readers by capturing not
just events, but the psychological changes they demand and bring to the
military table:
We
needed to be
agile to advance against the enemy when we had the initiative. You may
be
sitting for two hours, traveling for three hours, stationary for an
hour, then
engaged in battle tracking for the next four hours, so you have an
irregular
sleep cycle. Knowing when to shutdown was a critical skill that would
serve me
well while navigating an uncertain future.
The dual focus of Randolph’s
experiences both within the
military, in Iraq, and back home create added value for those who would
consider the various incarnations and impact of military PTSD and
repeated
requirements to adjust to impossible situations that even exist once
back home:
The
drug and
alcohol behaviors were more immediate manifestations of the deployment,
and so were other behaviors. Throughout the
cities of Killeen, Harker Heights, and Copperas Cove, there were
thefts,
robberies, and even armed robberies attributed to Soldiers. Arguments,
fights,
occurrences of disrespect, and even drug dealing within the unit were
all parts
of the haunted homecoming we endured while trying to return to normalcy.
With its potential to prove
eye-opening and educational
to military people, their families, and civilians alike, The
Iraq I Knew transcends any identification as a military
autobiography, a story of PTSD, or an exploration of Iraq’s many faces
alone.
All these facets are why The Iraq I Knew is especially and highly
recommended for
general-interest libraries, as well as military-oriented collections.
Discussion groups, whether consisting of vets or civilians, will find
it holds
many insights and much material for debate and discussion.
Return to Index
Mind Training
Ravinder Kaur Taylor & Eldon Taylor
R.K. Books/ Progressive Awareness Research, Inc.
978-1-62000-387-9
$24.95
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mind-training-ravinder-k-taylor/1145980335
Mind
Training: The
Science of Self-Empowerment will attract psychology,
self-help, science,
and general-interest libraries and collections with its survey of the
ability
of the mind to craft patterns of positive thinking that help
troubleshoot life
perspectives.
After
exploring the
science of brain operations, latest research, and how the mind reacts
to life
events, Ravinder Kaur Taylor &
Eldon Taylor tackle the heart of issues surrounding change—how to
retrain and
redirect the mind to make more positive choices.
Discussions of subliminal
and subconscious controls and
methods are particularly enlightening as the survey considers different
forms
of bias and influence, the “tall” but achievable goal of changing one’s
personality to better empower transformative thinking.
Case history examples come
from research as well as
personal lives, reinforcing the theory and practical results of mind
training
techniques as well as the potential of these techniques to change
belief
systems as a whole.
Mind
Training
will find its place in two primary collections: on the desks and
reading lists
of science and psychology theorists with a special interest in
self-help and
empowerment; and in the hands of readers committed to doing the work to
better
understand past patterns of reaction and the potential for actively
transforming their future.
This is why Mind
Training: The
Science of Self-Empowerment is a top, recommended pick for
libraries building general-interest to science and psychology holdings,
and
especially for both individual use and book club or psychology group
discussions on topics of transformation, empowerment, and better
understanding
the link between scientific concept and actuality.
Return to Index
Miracle at
Angels
Bend
R. Christian Bohlen
Carpenter's Son
Publishing
978-1-956370-28-7
$17.99
(paperback)/$6.89 (ebook)
https://rchristianbohlen.com
Miracle at Angels Bend: A
Contemporary Tale of Finding Joy through
Jesus Christ presents Biblical thinking with a creative
approach, artfully
tailored to our times while preserving traditional Christian teachings.
While some
might
initially anticipate that this story will require a special mindset and
background, in reality, Miracle at Angels
Bend’s guide to faith provides insights for new and lifelong
Christians. It
probes how the Holy Spirit guides and works in lives. Readers learn
about the
life of Jesus and compare it to their own.
Themes of
healing,
hope, and growth permeate this contemporary presentation of Biblical
values and
concepts, with an emphasis and value on finding joy within Jesus
Christ. The
book truly stands apart by marrying a metaphorical tale with spiritual
insights
not to be found in many other fictional pursuits about living Christian
values.
R. Christian
Bohlen
injects this sense of joy and purpose throughout his story, giving
readers an
uplifting feel of rejuvenation and realization that is unique,
juxtaposing a
contemporary twist with insights suitable for Bible discussion groups:
“Nate was the last person he wanted to be thinking
about. The poster
child of selfishness. The complete opposite of anything Jesus ever
taught. For
the first time, Josh viewed him as pathetic, absolutely blind, and
someone to
be pitied. In the past, Josh had envied his utter lack of care for
anyone,
seeing how it freed him to throw himself—swan dive—into pools of
indulgence of
every kind. Josh just kept walking, angry, not caring about anybody,
bitter in
the realization of who he had become and the idiots that surrounded
him. He
wandered the streets of the neighborhood, still hearing the beating
drums and
blasts of bass guitar in the distance.”
The town of
Angels
Bend, via four main characters, comes to life. Hispanic culture, mental
illnesses, and addiction are presented with respect, allowing readers
to follow
these characters and perspectives into new Biblical perceptions and
studies:
“Church doctrine was not her thing. She enjoyed the
energy and emotion
of a good sermon, and she loved the music, friends, and positivity in
the air.
The chapter began: ‘Tonight, for the last time, Jesus and His apostles
are
gathered for a supper—the yearly Passover meal…Just as Moses led the
Israelites
out of physical slavery, Jesus was preparing to deliver all mankind
from
spiritual bondage and oppression into a spiritual promised land.’
Hannah paused
to consider this comparison which she had heard about often and knew
was
important. Spiritual bondage.
Addictions, for sure. But
what about
the quicksand of her emptiness, guilt, and grief—and her increasing
hopelessness of escaping them.”
The special
dilemmas
Hannah faces, for example, from guilt and a loss of identity to
pill-stealing
habits which fly in the face of faith and commitment enliven the story
with
contemporary facets that contrast well with reflections on Jesus’s
message.
Forced to
reconsider
her relationship with Marcus and reject some of the choices he’s
brought her
to, Hannah finds her identity crisis entwined with choices that have
forced her
away from her beliefs and values.
Miracles
unfold in
different ways and spiritual brains are educated during the course of
unfolding
events. Readers receive thought-provoking insights on growth and
revelation
which fuel many of the characters, sparking enlightened thinking on
their
parts, as well.
Miracle at Angels Bend’s contemporary
Christian perspective is
highly recommended for individual Bible study and Christian reading
groups. It
examines the nuts and bolts of faith, placing character interaction and
education into a realm of essential insights about applied Christian
thinking
and behaviorial choices.
It’s certain
to spark
many a spirited discussion in Christian minds and reader groups.
Return to Index
Ojo
Donald Mengay
Saddle Road Press
9798990054325
www.saddleroadpress.com
Ojo
is a work
of literary fiction that explores the 1980s experience of youth, love,
discovery, and transformation. Its powerful metaphorical, descriptive
language
is evident from its opening passages:
Tommy
impregnates
me with the idea, gasps in my ear, jerks to present matters, our heads
drifting
toward drunk divines showering the world—with autumn. Or is it fall? My
fall.
From grace to this. Cheek to earth. Soil around. In my nose. Tommy
hovers with
a mouthful of dirt while glass lengthens from the two of us, mirroring
up.
Watercolors sit, a day gone amiss. What a thing to say. To think of
drunk
divines gilding the earth. With—this guy takes liberties. Does he think
he’s a god or is he on some kind a kick?
Readers who join Tommy’s journey will find its quasi-poetic love story of gay experiences and events are steeped in social and cultural observation. Jake arrives in Ojo after the death of his lover Peacoat in a gay-bashing confrontation.
The town of Ojo represents a refuge, an opportunity,
and
a new beginning. It also lies in the heart of cowboy country, so its
culture
also represents a dichotomy.
Jake’s reaction to violence
is to run and escape from his
past—including a bewildered mother who can’t understand either his
distance or
his very different life. The pain he causes during his flight is not
only
internal to his psyche and experience, but affects everyone he leaves
behind.
His mother writes of this alienation with a pain-laden hand that
speculates
about the rationale behind his silence:
If
it has anything
t do with that boy that died some people are sayin he got murdered by
that
quack minister you were followin i tried to tell you. the last i heard
theirs
two ladies say he did it he may even end up in the slammer. It seems
like you
should be over the death a that boy by now I mean thats a part a life.
Hurting and searching for a
safe and loving place in a
gay-hostile world, Jake meets Mexican-American youth Tommy. Their
mutual
attraction turns out to be far more than a fling.
Mengay explores the very
different cultural milieu of the
town of Pandemoniam and its impact on Jake’s evolving sense of self:
By what chance am I
here? To think of the first time I
set eyes on Pandemonium, a town that ironizes its own name in its
current
state, masking its beginnings, tents thrown like discarded bones in the
bowl of
a valley, now so prim and orderly, just below the switchbacks that
carry you
skyward in a series of hairpins, up and over Guanella Pass to Grant.
The town
shrinks the higher you ascend until it disappears, a place that at eye
level is
as inviting and impenetrable as a fortress.
These and similarly
evocative descriptions form the
backbone of a story that captures a sense of the times and the presence
of gay
culture and connection as the “two hombres” pursue their romance while
facing
the reactions of Ojo’s working-class residents:
At
the Ojo Diner,
kitty-corner from the trailer, Tommy peers into Jake’s eyes from
dark-roasted
beans. The clatter of dishes is enough to wake the dead or the
never-slept.
Neither notices the glances of the locals as Tommy fondles Jake’s hand.
The experience of being blue
collar, queer, and fielding
the slings and arrows of small-town thought come to life through many
subplots.
These embrace the experiences of the HIV years during the 1980s before
moving
to modern pandemic times, focusing on the influence of church and
community
which ebbs and flows through Tommy and Jake’s love story.
Its special blend of
coming-of-age story and the
challenge of being a survivor when one’s entire disparate, chosen
family dies
creates heady personal connections between historic events and
psychological
growth.
It’s hard enough to be a
young adult moving into adult
circles. Add homosexual identity into the mix, then move into a
working-class
milieu for further immersive complications. These elements build
three-dimensional
characters that are not only believable, but attractive in their
struggles to
not just survive, but love and thrive against all odds. Their efforts
to
reconcile past, present, and future objectives is particularly well
written, as
are the reactions of relatives and strangers around them.
Ojo
will
resonate within the queer community, but also will reach beyond it to
engross
and educate traditionalists and those who also come from mixed roots
and small
towns. Its perspective shifts from white working-class culture to
Mexican-American experiences, lending further food for thought about
being gay
and simultaneously facing cross-cultural challenges. Passages in
Spanish
reinforce the differences between Tommy and Jake’s family, origins, and
community.
It should be noted that
sexual encounters are graphically
portrayed, at times. Libraries and readers shying away from explicit
gay love
scenes should thus choose differently. But those acknowledging the
realistic
scenarios, encounters, and processes of both casual and committed
sexual
relationships won’t be stymied by the candid descriptors which emerge
during
the course of Jake’s story.
As the two struggle to
create a sense of home, the
juxtaposition of different environments is particularly
thought-provoking and
nicely rendered:
He
sighs deeply as
the two stroll northward around the lake under sycamores set when
landscape
architects, in an effort to replicate a giant green back east, sought
to stage
the concept here in the west, transfer it from the Big Apple to the
Queen City,
a desert at the time, a history lost on Jake and Tommy…
Libraries looking to add to
their queer literature
shelves will find the story’s capacity for reaching into a wider
audience than
LGBTQ+ readers alone makes Ojo a
powerful recommendation.
Ojo will appeal
to gay audiences, readers of modern literature, and college-level
creative
writing and literature classrooms where stories that hold beautifully
descriptive language, solid characterization, and supportive dialogue
are of particular
interest.
Return to Index
On the Front
Lines of
Democracy: An Election Official’s Story of Protecting the Vote in 2020
Jackie Wu
Golden Torch Press
979-8-9911228-0-1
$14.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
Website: www.jwuconsulting.com/book
On the Front Lines of Democracy: An
Election Official’s Story of Protecting
the Vote in 2020 presents a month-by-month survey of events
in 2020 America
that melds insights into Jackie Wu’s life and status as a
first-generation
American, the child of immigrant parents, with observations of
democratic
processes—specifically, voting rights, which are intrinsic to a fair
and free
democracy.
While its
focus is on
what it’s like to be an election official making decisions and
overseeing this
right to vote, On the Front Lines of
Democracy even more importantly documents the daily struggles
and wars for
preserving rights that have been eroded or vanquished in other
countries.
Readers
interested in
election administration processes receive all the nuts and bolts of
such
efforts as experienced by Wu in 2020, opening with the health
challenges COVID
posed to election workers and voters alike.
Wu’s ability
to
candidly assess the work of an election team and officials, their
motivations
of tackling hard questions and work that leads them away from their
families,
and the impact of their actions and beliefs creates an engaging account
that
will attract even readers who largely operate outside of political and
electoral systems:
The reason why election workers can devote so much
of themselves to
their work is because of their loved ones. Nothing matters more than
making
sure that everyone has a chance to vote and that the election is
administered
accurately, effectively, and efficiently. They are exhausted, but they
do not
give up. Elections are heavily scrutinized, and the public and media’s
attention is squarely focused on election results on Election Night,
which
never seems to come fast enough.
The tone is
enthusiastic, analytical, confessional and revealing as 2020’s
elections and
special array of challenges are probed. The personal involvements,
experiences,
and perspectives lends more of an interactive atmosphere to the stories
which
draws readers with heady questions about political and social
commitments and
actions.
From
experiences
managing pop-up voting to processes created to reinforce voter rights
even in
the midst of what proved to be a pandemic, Wu captures the special
nuances of
2020’s events with an eye to outlining the efforts involved in
maintaining
voter integrity and freedom.
Wu’s book
explores a
special sense of duty and democratic ideals that reinforce
behind-the-scenes
experience of voter system management as well as front-line public
relationships and connections which emerge between election officials
and
voters.
The personal
touch
evident throughout lends a sense of drama and insight to this story
which
personalizes the entire experience.
All these
nuances are
why On the Front Lines of Democracy
is very highly recommended for libraries seeking personal and political
works
covering democratic processes in general and voting in particular, for
readers
interested in absorbing insights about democracy backed by the power of
personal experience, and for book clubs and reader groups seeking
debate and
discussion materials about the nature and preservation of voter rights
in
America.
Return to Index
Politics, Principle and
Standing Up to Donald Trump
Kristen Renwick Monroe
Ethics International Press Ltd.
978-1-80441-524-5
$112.00
Hardcover/$38 Paperback
Website:
https://ethicspress.com/collections/hardback/products/politics-principle-and-standing-up-to-donald-trump
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Principle-Standing-Donald-Trump/dp/1804415243
Politics,
Principle
and Standing Up to Donald Trump, written by a political
science professor
with thirteen student coauthors, examines Republicans who oppose Trump,
focusing on their ethical questions and concerns surrounding Trump and
his
politics of hate.
As such, it offers a more
wide-ranging consideration than
competing analyses of Donald Trump, one emphasizing the political
milieu of his
actions, belief system, and those who either defy or agree with his
actions and
vision.
It’s hard to recommend yet
another Donald Trump treatise
because so much has been written on the man that sounds too similar.
But
Kristen Renwick Monroe successfully crafts a dialogue that stands above
and
beyond most considerations, provoking voters to debate, action, and new
political and ethical insights about Trump, the Republican Party, and
shifting
American politics as a whole.
This wide-ranging embrace of
so many contrasts represents
the perfect blend of analysis and controversy. This gives added value
in
flavoring its subject with the overlay of moral analysis, which is
present in
the introductory chapter’s analysis of what the modern Republican Party
is
doing by choosing to support Trump:
Is
Trump an
aberration, someone unique who has upended traditional Republican Party
politics? Do the current battles reflect a redefining of what it means
to be a Republican, a struggle for the
heart and soul of the Grand Old Party, as some have suggested? Is Trump
reshaping Republican conservatism,
or is he abandoning ideological principles altogether, making loyalty
to Trump
the defining characteristic of being a Republican? Or is something even
deeper
at work here? Does the MAGA movement signal a threat to democracy, a
national
shift toward populism with an authoritarian bent? Any consideration of
moral
courage within the Republican Party must begin by addressing these
questions in
order to provide a historical context within which we can then
construct a
thoughtful if skeptical, objective, analysis of Republicans who
challenge
Donald Trump.
Each chapter centers on a
key individual who have raised
different kinds of ethical challenges to Trump. The book considers the
disparate attitudes, beliefs, moral foundations, and the impact of
their
choices on the overall support or negation of democratic principle in
general
and Trump in particular.
Readers thus receive more
in-depth rationales and debates
than is allowed in the usual Trump coverage. Information is presented
in
personal reflections, interviews, and attitudes designed to enlighten
audiences
about the moral and ethical foundations that are being shaken not only
within
Trump and political circles, but throughout American politics and
society.
Having a book that
encourages such reflections and
debates among its readers is key to a more in-depth appreciation of
moral and
ethical issues as they operate in society as a whole.
A quote by interviewee Miles
Taylor is illustrative:
“There
is a quiet
resistance within the administration of people choosing to put country
first.
But the real difference will be made by everyday citizens rising above
politics, reaching across the aisle, and resolving to shed the labels in favor of a single one:
Americans.”
This is why even collections
already feeling overburdened
by the plethora of Trump titles on the market will find it not just
attractive,
but necessary to acquire Politics,
Principle and Standing Up to Donald Trump. The process of
defying
charismatic or bullying behaviors receives a probe that will prove
essential
reading for a wide audience, from classrooms at the high school to
college
level to book club reading groups interested in moral and ethical
boundaries.
Return to Index
The
Psychology of Dungeons
and Dragons
Jamie Madigan PhD
Leyline Publishing
Inc.
978-1-955406-27-7
$19.99 Paperback & eBook
https://shop.geektherapeutics.com/products/the-psychology-of-dungeons-and-dragons
The
Psychology of
Dungeons and Dragons: How to Be a Better, More Engaged, and Happier
Player or
Game Master is an essential read for both seasoned and new
game players, as
well as psychologists and game designers who seek to understand why
this
classic role-playing game has become the gold standard in gaming. The
book also
appeals to teen players who are curious not only about the game itself
but also
about the psychological and social impact of participating in such
group-based
endeavors centered on action and problem-solving.
Dr. Jamie Madigan begins with a fundamental question:
why do we play? This question sets the tone for the chapters that
follow, which delve into new territory in exploring the psychosocial
significance of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and its
players. Throughout
the book, Dr. Madigan consistently formulates and answers 'why'
questions, from
examining how the game's open-ended freedom of choice resonates deeply
with its
players to understanding the role of imagination in both individual
pursuits
and cooperative ventures.
To fully appreciate the depth of this analysis, readers
should have at
least a basic understanding of how D&D operates. Dr. Madigan
skillfully
avoids the pitfall of over-explaining the game's mechanics, instead
diving into
the psychological impact, analysis, and insights that lie within the
dragon's
lair of D&D. His observations and conclusions offer valuable
advice not
only for fellow gamers but also for game designers who want to
understand what
makes D&D so uniquely compelling and how to leverage these
insights to
create other impactful game systems.
The book covers a wide range of topics, from building a sense
of individual
heroism and empowerment to insights from the game's content creators.
Readers
who want to build upon D&D's success—whether in creating their
own games or
applying the game's principles to life—will find specific guidance that
can be
applied to many gaming and life endeavors. For example, Dr. Madigan
advises not
to deny players the opportunity to do awesome things and feel
competent.
Instead, he suggests presenting them with these opportunities while
challenging
them on other fronts in the same encounter or activity.
The book also explores how games influence behavioral changes
and how
psychological analysis can illuminate the mechanics of making choices,
understanding consequences, and grappling with the intention to rescue,
do good,
or solve seemingly impossible problems. Each chapter concludes with
practical
advice on how to apply the chapter's insights to your game,
synthesizing
specific strategies for players who want to go beyond merely
considering the
psychological impact, motivations, and behavioral conditioning that are
integral to D&D's appeal.
Dr. Madigan's clear and engaging writing style makes complex
psychological
concepts accessible to everyday readers. He addresses strategy,
dilemmas, and
personal growth in a lively manner that not only explains the
psychological
aspects of the game but also invites readers to celebrate them. From
the
application of Self-Determination Theory in a gaming context to the
relevance
of Moral Foundations Theory in understanding the choices and scenarios
presented by D&D, The Psychology of
Dungeons and Dragons is a fascinating exploration for a wide
audience.
For these reasons, The Psychology of
Dungeons and Dragons should be included not only in
psychology collections
but also in general-interest libraries that cater to a broad range of
patrons.
Book clubs interested in gaming insights will find plenty of material
for
contemplation and discussion. This book is highly recommended for its
ability
to bridge professional psychological analysis with everyday
experiences, making
it a valuable resource for both gaming enthusiasts and those interested
in the
intersection of psychology and play.
Return to Index
Sacrifice: The Final Chapter
Ron Farina
Lagrange Books
9781957780030
$36.95
https://lagrangebooks.com/our-books/nonfiction/sacrifice-the-final-chapter/
Sacrifice:
The
Final Chapter concludes the
trilogy begun in Who Will Have My Back and
continued in Out of the
Shadows, completing Ron Farina’s powerful inspection of
disabled American
veterans and their sacrifices. It is not a fictional story, but a
nonfiction
exploration and assessment that captures their experiences and stories
in a
manner key to a better understanding of military life and the special
challenges faced by enlisted people and their families.
No library or individual interested in
veteran’s affairs should be without each and every book in this set …
but
especially Sacrifice: The Final Chapter, whose
powerful conclusion and
experiences drives home the emotions of men and women who have served
their
country in different ways, whether they be soldiers or contractors.
Farina’s focus on daily, moment-by-moment
experiences and reflections lends his collection a sense of immediacy
and ‘you
are here’ connections that most books about veteran affairs fail to
create.
His language is vivid and embracing:
In
the instant
that the lead Humvee fitted itself above the bomb, the spotter, his
hand
steady, his fingers curled around the detonator, pushed his thumb down
on a
nickel-sized button. Windows of nearby buildings shattered. Dust and
smoke
billowed high above the convoy. Fragmented steel pierced the Humvees.
Chunks of
pavement rained down on
everything. The turret gunner, a big soldier who everyone called “Big
Mac,”
blasted by the explosion, jack-in-the-boxed out of the turret. His
body,
splintered bone and ripped flesh, lay on the ground in a crumpled heap.
He was
alive. Barely.
Via this and similar descriptions, now is a
good time to note that Sacrifice: The Final Chapter
could trigger
readers who harbor their own special struggles with PTSD or military
memories. Audiences
unfamiliar with these milieus, however, will find the uncommon and
important
approach to documenting these lives and experiences is worth the pain
of living
alongside, for a little while, the individuals who struggled to survive
and
made a difference on so many levels.
Farina explores the aftermath of service and
its impact on families, as well:
Christmas
came and
went. Family scattered again. Lorenzo turned three. A few months later,
May,
Hayden’ first birthday, just days after Nicole’s, a time Nicole would
have
loved more than anything. There’s no sell-by date on grief; life goes
on. Misty
dove headlong into her new career, her babies, her husband, a new
house, the
aftermath of Nicole’s passing. But she still has conversations with
Nicole, one-sided
now, sometimes even talking out loud.
The entire experience of serving one’s
country thus comes to light in a series of encounters driven by
passion,
military and social issues, and psychological circumstances of recovery
and
growth. The stories recreate dialogues and personalities with an eye to
personalizing the hopes, dreams, and fears of those who served in
different
capacities.
The result is not only a fitting conclusion
to the trilogy, but a set of insights that would do well to see the
light of
book club, classroom, or service group discussions.
That’s why libraries should consider Sacrifice:
The Final Chapter an essential collection addition, whether
they’re looking
to build a focus on military personnel experiences or a better civilian
understanding
of what such service demands from individuals and families, no matter
what war
or battle they’re fighting.
Return to Index
Surviving the Warming
Lorin R. Robinson, PhD
Open Books
978-1948498774
$19.95
Paperback/$9.95 eBook
https://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/surviving-the-warming/order.html
Surviving the
Warming: Strategies for Americans is
an excellent addition to the reading lists of individuals and libraries
that
have seen a plethora of books about the political and scientific impact
of
global change, but less about the personal impact of living with a
legacy that
future generations will have to face.
While predicting that global
warming will ultimately
change civilization as we know it, Lorin R. Robinson offers hope on how
the
world can be reconstructed and how humanity can continue—and this is a
source
of strength that differentiates Surviving the Warming from other books on
the
subject.
From how climate change will
shift populations around the
world, changing how and where food is grown and distributed, to
employment
outlooks and the case for moving off-grid as much as possible, Robinson
considers not only ‘how did this happen?’ but, more importantly,
assesses
survival strategies based on his analysis of how individuals and
families can
respond to climate crisis.
A prerequisite to
appreciating just how far Robinson goes
in addressing this problem lies in the acknowledgement of the presence
and
power of climate change, which is already changing the world now, and
will do
so even more radically in the future.
The coming years will not
only challenge where and how we
live, but also underlying values associated with consumption,
distribution and
living conditions.
Robinson
asserts
that people must be realistic and reduce expectations in order to
accept global
warming’s growing limitations. The mantra he suggests to use in
developing
viable lifestyles is ‘simplicity, self-reliance and sustainability’.
Robinson does more than
present and assess all these
issues. He provides keen insights into how adjustments can be made now,
considering
their resulting impact on socioeconomic and political milieus.
All this makes Surviving the Warming a
powerful standout in climate change literature, contrasting the
worldwide and
society-wide changes to come with how adults can today assure that
their kids
and grandkids cultivate the kinds of thinking and survival skills that
will
assure a high quality of life and flexibility in thinking. Its focus on
multi-generational families goes a long way in translating traditional
thinking
into future planning.
The value of this approach
is simply priceless. Surviving
the Warming is a highly recommended ‘must read’ for
anyone interested in future thinking, shifting events, and helping kids
develop
the kinds of skills that will assure their survival in this challenging
future
world.
Return to Index
Tender Paws
Wendy Lyons Sunshine
Health
Communications, Inc.
978-07573-2495-6
$14.93 Paperback/$12.99 eBook
www.hcibooks.com
Tender
Paws: How
Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs crosses
a
line. It’s not a moral or ethical line—it’s a behavioral line between
how we
treat people and how we treat animals, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
illustrates how
the connection between these attitudes and behavioral choices affect
strategies
for both childrearing and pet management.
This unusual association may
at first seem odd to readers
used to books that deal with one or the other topic but not both
together, but
it doesn’t take many paragraphs of reading to understand that Sunshine
is
outlining key strategies, perceptions, and connections that are
intrinsic to
successful outcomes, whether they be with puppies or children.
Take, for example, her
juxtaposition of science-based and
parenting principles. Sunshine doesn’t just rest her findings on
idealistic
viewpoints. She delves deeply into the world of science to find
supportive
research conducive to better choices for puppy training and addressing
fears
with better insights about their origins and management.
To
truly be
available to the emotional experience of another, we have to be in a
well-regulated state. That’s one of the golden rules of therapy from my
days of
working with humans. There’s no point in me turning up all hot,
flustered,
angry, upset, and tired because then I’m not listening to you, I’m not
available now. Our own trauma, our own belief systems, our own
unconscious
biases can also be barriers to acknowledging a dog’s care and support
needs.
And now, to the challenge of
library subject categorization.
Yes, on the face of it, this is a dog training manual offering a
decidedly new
age approach to understanding and better methodology, flavored with
research
and tried-and-tested approaches.
Look deeper, however, to
discover that the book is every
bit as important for parents or self-help readers considering
psychological
impact and relationship-building as it is for animal lovers seeking
better ways
of interacting with their pooches and understanding the dynamics
affecting
them.
This is why
libraries will want to not just categorize Tender
Paws in the dog or animal
section, but point out to potential readers that its invaluable lessons
apply
as much to parenting and general life interactions as they do to dog
trainers.
It is very
highly
recommended because of its blend of new age and research-based
insights, its
ongoing connections between kids and dogs, its specific dog-training
alternative thinking, and for its case histories which offer both
entertainment
and much food for thought.
Return to Index
Thought Choice
Power
Plebeius
Plebeian Publishing
Company
979-8-218-48626-6
$17.35 Paperback/$14.99 eBook
thoughtchoicepower.com
Thought Choice Power is a sociological survey that holds special and
important
applicability to modern-day politics and social conditions, and thus
comes
highly recommended for readers of political, governmental, and social
affairs
who would choose this book for its intense discussions on leadership,
political
ideals and processes, and the power of developing guiding principles
that lead
to better choices.
What
causes
society-wide meltdowns? What would our country’s past leaders think
about
present-day events? And how can individual thought translate to actions
that
result in better options and choices?
These
questions
and more form the crux of a survey that rides a heady wave of history
and
psychological discovery. These elements will prove perfect for readers
who are
given to inquiring minds and examining ideals of happiness, safety, and
the
foundations of the “more perfect union” that America’s founders
envisioned.
At
this point,
it should be noted that capitalization is employed to identify major
players in
these political and social games. This may disturb followers of proper
English
grammar, but adds emphasis where it’s needed and reveals the power of
language
in the bigger picture of examination:
Are We not yet
familiar with how those starved for
Power carry out their business? Time it is for us to acknowledge how
the
various Creatures of Control use disputes to turn our attention away
from their
actual plans because they have proven themselves eager to divide us
into more
manageable groups far less likely to be concerned with any idea
involving “the
perfection of policy”. In other words, We need open our eyes to the
fact that
the Creatures of Control understand humanity’s intrinsic desire to
organize
around shared interests, habits, and lifestyles – they realize We are
instinctively tribal, and they always stand ready to push the buttons,
flip the
switches, and turn the knobs of fear and distrust.
As
relationships
between understanding, status quo, and the logic of Thought and Choice
are
explored, book clubs and classrooms will find plenty of material for
debate and
discussion as the history and social survey unfolds.
Libraries
will
thus find Thought Choice Power of special interest
and importance to
developing collections strong in examining social and political ideals
with an
eye to pointing out underlying assumptions, relationships, and,
ultimately,
strategies for change. By reviewing the history of such developments, Thought
Choice Power creates new opportunities for social reflection
which are
especially highly recommended given the atmosphere and events of modern
life in
America.
Return to Index
The Tin Whistle
Kathleen Shoop
Independently Published
979-8573389844
$10.24 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
Website: www.kshoop.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Tin-Whistle-Kathleen-Shoop/dp/B08QLY97Z6
Christmas stories for kids
abound, but less common are
tales for adults that the entire family and all ages can enjoy. Such is
The Tin Whistle, a tale of orphans,
growth, hope, and how an act of kindles in childhood translates to new
realizations in adulthood.
Though the tale opens in
1854, when Jewish orphan Jacob
Gusky awaits Santa’s visit at his
orphanage in Manhattan, it doesn’t reside there. The unexpected gift of
a tin
whistle and events that move Jacob from childhood to a successful
adulthood
with a family and department store business moves the tale into new
arenas as
it follows the ongoing influence of the whistle and its renewed
appearance decades
later.
As far as holiday
tales go, The Tin
Whistle
evolves a set of insights on extravagance, kindness, emotional
connections, and
unexpected intersections between poverty and wealth which successfully
reveals
how the latter concepts are represented not only by material largess,
but
psychological and philosophical growth and perspective.
The concurrent story of
Frannie, forced to give up her
daughter Molly when poverty impacts her child-rearing ability,
dovetails nicely
with the life Jacob has built as an adult, creating moments of
inspection and
realization which prove not just insightful, but engrossing:
She
reached up and
cupped the man’s face. “Your health has me worried. I worry you’ve
become
obsessed. And though my heart soars at the notion, the extravagance—”
“The only extravagance is if we don’t do it. Keeping so much when...”
Shoop’s ability to contrast
poverty and wealth in ways
which encourage revised perspectives on both in her readers is part of
what
lends The Tin Whistle a rich depth
that
many holiday stories lack.
Her other strength lies in
playing out the threads of
interpersonal connection which link past and future, divergent focuses
on
wealth acquisition and dissemination, and the changing viewpoint of a
man who
comes to perceive alternate incarnations of kindness and giving in new
ways.
Is there such a thing as
‘enough’ when it comes to
giving?
The many themes The
Tin Whistle embraces will provoke book club reading group
discussions,
interest among library patrons seeking a different kind of holiday
read, and
families who can use it as a read-aloud to foster discussion and
newfound
understanding of giving, wealth, and life meaning.
All these facets make The
Tin Whistle a winning library acquisition, highly recommended
for patrons
seeking stories that embed, revise, and analyze the true holiday spirit.
Return to Index
The
Adventures of
Bunny and Fawn
Michael Lingo
Michael S. Lingo
Books
979-8990348905
$14.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Bunny-Fawn-Michael-Lingo/dp/B0D3BHJ613
The Adventures of Bunny and Fawn opens to
a new day’s beginning in
the forest. The day awakens with singing birds as it introduces best
friends
Bunny and Fawn, who have lived together all of their lives.
Picture book
readers
will be delighted with the lovely forest scenes of artist Damien Hall,
who
enhances Michael Lingo’s gentle adventure stories about two friends who
are
nicely settled in comfortable, predictable lives and relationships …
until
everything changes.
The friends
help one
another and also impart wisdom and support as potential scenarios for
disaster
evolve (“Take a deep breath and try to
remain calm,” says Fawn).
Between
storms and a
home that is falling apart to issues of being separated, stuck, and
threatened,
Fawn and Bunny find ways to not just survive, but learn and thrive from
the
adversity which shakes their home.
Lingo’s
ability to
embed mindful thoughts about choices, solutions, and independence into
his
story of friendship gives read-aloud adults plenty of opportunities for
encouraging social understanding in the very young.
The Adventures of Bunny and Fawn’s
juxtaposition of insights with
adventure makes it the perfect item of choice for elementary-level
libraries
and read-aloud parents seeking stories that prove inspirational and
different.
Return to Index
Coal Dust
and Dreams
M.J. Evans
Dancing Horse Press
9781737361886
http://www.dancinghorsepress.com/
Coal Dust and Dreams is steeped in Welsh
culture, history, and
phrases. It follows the adventures of a girl and her pit pony, who work
in the
coal mines of Wales.
Middle grade
readers
already familiar with Evans’ intriguing method of pairing history with
horses
will find this latest adventure as thoroughly engaging and attractive
as her
prior books.
Here, a
grandmother
responds to her granddaughter’s questions about Welsh history and pit
ponies by
narrating a tale of “unsung heroes” who worked in the mines of Wales in
the
1930s (these would be the horses, as well as the miners.)
Young Bethan
opens
the tale with an intention not to work in coal, but enter grammar
school, which
her parents have scrimped and saved for. As part of a poor Welsh
family, this
is a luxury.
M.J. Evans
takes time
to describe Bethan’s home life and poverty, personalizing the Welsh
atmosphere
to set a stage that reveals her motivations, background, family
influences, and
the Welsh community.
As Bethan
becomes
unexpectedly involved with mines and horses, her life radically changes
from
its set course. This introduces many challenges—not the least of which
is her
growing affection for ‘pit horse’ Dobbin.
Between
stumbling
into the world of horse competition to facing prejudice against girls
who would
dare compete in a man’s world, Bethan has her plate full as she hones a
renewed
vision of her future—and that of Dobbin. She violates the prohibition
of
females working in the mines and then faces a choice between exposing
her
transgression and supporting Dobbin.
Her ability
to step
up and into new responsibilities when family tragedy strikes both
drives the
story’s history and underlying drama and lends it a realistic,
compelling aura
kids will find attractive and engrossing.
Coal Dust and Dreams may initially
attract horse-crazy girls
interested in equine stories, but to limit it to that audience would be
to do
the story a grave disservice. Its real-world background history, social
and
cultural insights, and lessons on perseverance, problem-solving, and
confronting prejudice all give Coal Dust
and Dreams a supercharged injection of value beyond the usual
girl-and-horse tale.
This is why Coal Dust and Dreams is very highly
recommended for elementary-level libraries and middle-grade readers
alike, who
will find the absorption of Welsh history seamless as the story
intersects with
a vivid growth experience.
Return to Index
The Paper
John K. Addis
AE Press
978-0-9983656-4-0
$24.95
Hardcover/$17.19 Paperback/$5.95 eBook
www.johnkaddis.com
Michigan’s
milieu
comes to life once again in The Paper,
a novel about two 12-year-old boys whose new paper route takes them
into the
mystery and danger of the dark house down the block.
Perhaps the
surreal/realistic atmosphere is especially compelling because of its
roots in
real-life events … or maybe it’s because Addis personalizes narrator
Jimmy
Logan’s memories as he reflects on the events of the 1980s that changed
his
young life’s trajectory.
Either way,
the
allure of The Paper is
unquestionable. The story blends elements of thriller, psychological
inspection, and small-town events with the clarity and precision of a
seasoned
writer more than lightly familiar with his subjects and environment.
Added
value lies in unexpected developments which careen two boys into the
realm of
the supernatural.
All these
elements
coalesce to produce riveting, superior tension backed by strong
characterization as shifting friendships and perceptions are revealed.
Embedded
within these experiences are notes of maturity and realizations that
invite
teen readers to think:
“…next time, we’ll tell German jokes back, deal?”
“Well, no,” she said. “I think that’s mean. I don’t want to be mean.”
“But they were mean to you first.”
“I know,” she admitted. “But bullies are the bad guys. I don’t want to
be the
bad guy. Otherwise I’m no better than them.”
These
elements of
moral and ethical contemplation may come as a surprise—especially since
the
story’s entertainment value lies in the areas of intrigue, mystery, and
discovery. However, challenging family and interpersonal relationships
inject
just the right added value of psychological insight to keep the plot
both vivid
and thoroughly engrossing.
With so much
high-octane action and intrigue, powered by Jimmy’s personality and
strengths
and the supernatural mystery which layers all events, it’s easy to
relish the
action and attraction of The Paper,
which should be on the acquisitions lists of any elementary to middle
school
library interested in attracting leisure readers.
Return to Index