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Reviewer's Choice
For Such A Time As This
John O. Acree
https://authorjohnacree.com
Independently Published
9798334050259, $24.99, HC, 125pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/SUCH-TIME-AS-THIS/dp/B0DBB8S773
Synopsis: A gripping historical drama, "For Such a Time as This" by John O. Acree follows the compelling journey of Standing Bear, the noble Chief of the Ponca Indian Tribe, as he battles injustice and fights for his people's survival.
Set against the harrowing backdrop of the Ponca's forced relocation and the infamous Trail of Tears, Acree deftly crafts a powerful narrative that weaves courtroom battles, governmental deceit, and the unyielding spirit of a people determined to endure.
With the publication of "Four Such a Time as This", Acree has masterfully brought to life the resilience and dignity of Standing Bear and his tribe, making it an unforgettable read for those who value history, courage, and the triumph of the human spirit. Discover the untold stories of heroism and perseverance in the pages of "For Such a Time as This".
Critique: Exceptional, informative, inspirational, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "For Such a Time as This" by John O. Acree is an extraordinary and highly recommended pick for community and college/university library Native American History/Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "For Such a Time as This" is also available in paperback (9798334049895, $14.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Standing Bear (c. 1829-1908) was a Ponca chief and Native American civil rights leader who successfully argued in U.S. District Court in 1879 in Omaha that Native Americans are "persons within the meaning of the law" and have the right of habeas corpus, thus becoming the first Native American judicially granted civil rights under American law. His first wife Zazette Primeau (Primo), daughter of Lone Chief (also known as Antoine Primeau), mother of Prairie Flower and Bear Shield, was also a signatory on the 1879 writ that initiated the famous court case. (Wikipedia)
Red Men in Red Square: Chief Big Eagle and the Russian Indianists
Claude Clayton Smith
Shanti Arts
https://shantiarts.co
9781971191270, $24.95, PB, 250pp
9781971191287, $8.50, Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Square-Claude-Clayton-Smith/dp/1971191272
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-men-in-red-square-claude-clayton-smith/1014682386
Shanti Arts
https://shantiarts.co/uploads/files/stu/SMITH_RED.html
Synopsis: Originally published in July 1994, and now brought back into print for a new generation of appreciative readers, "Red Men in Red Square: Chief Big Eagle and the Russian Indianists" is a captivating and a true story that chronicles the extraordinary journey of American writer Claude Clayton Smith and Chief Big Eagle of Connecticut's Golden Hill Paugussett tribe as they travel to post-Soviet Russia in 1990-1991.
Invited by a Gorky Institute professor who is translating Smith's book on the Chief, they discover the "Indianists" (a passionate subculture of Soviet nonconformists devoted to Native American traditions) and find themselves navigating a crumbling Soviet empire, where the bleakness of everyday life contrasts sharply with the warmth and vibrancy of the people they meet.
Through Smith's engaging account, readers are transported to a time of political upheaval and quiet resilience. "Red Men in Red Square" offers a rare glimpse into an unlikely cultural exchange that defied borders and ideologies. Essential reading for anyone fascinated by Native American/Russian history, identity, and the unexpected human connections that shape our world.
This new edition of "Red Men in Red Square" updates the Indianist movement to the present day, with timely insight into the Russia that Putin now rules with an iron hand.
Critique: Fascinating, informative, deftly crafted, unique, and an unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library 20th Century Native American and Russian/Soviet Union History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, this newly updated edition of "Red Men in Red Square: Chief Big Eagle and the Russian Indianists" showcases author Claude Clayton Smith's distinctive flair for the kind of eye-for-detail and reader friendly storytelling style and is an inherently engaging and memorable read from start to finish.
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Claude Clayton Smith on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/838506.Claude_Clayton_Smith
Serve Others. Live Without Fear.
Lance J. LoRusso
https://lancelorussobooks.com
LoRusso Press
9798995969815, $24.99, HC, 130pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Serve-Others-Live-Without-Fear/dp/B0H4WV2JH7
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/serve-others-live-without-fear-lance-j-lorusso/1150279174
Synopsis: Fear is an insidious, relentless, omnipresent force affecting our lives. It is all around us, supported and fueled by negativity and stories of failure.
Fear has only one positive value: Motivation.
Properly harnessed, fear can provide the fuel you need to achieve your highest goals and most noble aspirations, and there is no higher goal than to live your life in service to others.
Through stories of personal achievement, tragedy, triumph, and courage, "Serve Others. Live Without Fear.: How to Build a Fear-Free Mindset in a Fear-Driven World" by Lance J. LoRusso provides a blueprint to keep fear from controlling you and preventing you from reaching your potential. Whether you are an entrepreneur facing challenges every day, a public safety professional putting your safety second to the well-being of others, or a person simply struggling to see a clear path forward in an uncertain world, you will be enriched and empowered by the lessons inside.
With "Serve Others. Live Without Fear", you can come to feel the power that derives from pushing fear aside as you soar to new heights. You have nothing to lose other than the boat anchor that fear becomes in the lives of most people, and everything to gain.
Critique: Original, informative, insightful, motivational, and an inherently inspiring read from start to finish, "Serve Others. Live Without Fear.: How to Build a Fear-Free Mindset in a Fear-Driven World" by Lance J. LoRusso is a deftly crafted and 'reader friendly' blend of biography and personal development/self-improvement that is an exceptional and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Self-Help & Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Serve Others, Live Without Fear" from LoRusso Press is also available in paperback (9798995969808, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Lance LoRusso is a former law enforcement officer turned attorney and author, who draws upon the decades he spent where law, violence, media pressure, and public service collide. He has worked as a patrol officer, hostage negotiator, investigator, trainer, and public information officer, and has represented nearly 200 officers involved in shootings and other critical incidents. Those experiences gives his writing an authenticity that comes from knowing what happens after the shots are fired -- at the scene, inside the investigation, in the courtroom, and under the glare of the media. It also informs his nonfiction, where Lance turns hard-earned experience into practical lessons on law enforcement, leadership, communication, professional development, and navigating high-stakes careers. His work spans educational nonfiction, crime fiction, and motivational memoir, but each draws from the same source: decades of experience with people making difficult decisions when the stakes are real. Named the National Fraternal Order of Police's 2021 Attorney of the Year, Lance also serves as General Counsel to the Georgia State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.
The American History Shelf
Ribbons of Green
John Fleck & Robert P. Berrens
University of New Mexico Press
www.unmpress.com
9780826369680, $24.95, PB, 296pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Ribbons-Green-Albuquerque-Landscapes-Southwest/dp/0826369685
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ribbons-of-green-john-fleck/1148560112
Synopsis: Dry one year, overflowing the next, the Rio Grande has sustained its arid valley for millennia.
With the publication of "Ribbons of Green: The Rio Grande and the Making of Modern Albuquerque", co-authors John Fleck and Robert P. Berrens seek to understand 21st century Albuquerque's relationship with the Rio Grande by exploring the social and ecological interactions that describe how this high-desert city developed astride a capricious river.
In every phase of the Duke City's history, living with the Rio Grande posed problems that required collective action by its stakeholders to irrigate, build river crossings, drain the valley's floor, and protect residents from flooding.
These collective decisions ultimately changed the course of the river, resulting in intentionally designed "ribbons of green" that dominate today's cityscape. The Rio Grande in turn altered the collective psyche of Albuquerque. For many residents, the city's bosque is their only interaction with nature, but these green corridors are very much a human creation.
"Ribbons of Green" explores how Albuquerque built its environment to create a valley floor that its residents have come to adore and how, in a climate-altered world, we might keep it.
Critique: "Ribbons of Green: The Rio Grande and the Making of Modern Albuquerque" by co-authors John Fleck and Robert P. Berrens is an original, informative, deftly crafted, and seminal study of the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico and the Rio Grande river that both shaped the city and how the city was to shape the river. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for the benefit of the non-specialist reader with an interest in the subject, "Ribbons of Green" is informative enhanced for the readers benefit with the inclusion of a fourteen page Bibliography, fifty-two pages of Notes, and a fifteen page Index. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99), this trade paperback edition of "Ribbons of Green" from the University of New Mexico Press is a unique and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Environmental Studies and Regional American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: A former science journalist, John Fleck is a writer in residence at the Utton Transboundary Resources Center at the University of New Mexico School of Law and a professor of practice in water policy and governance by letter of academic title in the Department of Economics at the University of New Mexico. From 2016 to 2021 he served as the director of the University of New Mexico's Water Resources Program. He has been writing about water in the West since the 1980s and is the author of Water Is for Fighting Over: And Other Myths about Water in the West and the coauthor (with Eric Kuhn) of Science Be Dammed: How Ignoring Inconvenient Science Drained the Colorado River.
Editorial Note #2: Robert P. Berrens is an environmental economist and a Regents Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of New Mexico. He is also the former coeditor of Contemporary Economic Policy and the associate editor of Water Resources Research. His research interests include water resources, ecosystem services, biodiversity and endangered species, forest resources, wildfire risk reduction, climate change, and environmental policy. He is a coauthor of Energy Use in Bitcoin Mining: The Environmental Impact of Cryptocurrencies.
The Military History Shelf
The American Home Guard: State Militias from World War I to Today, 2nd edition
Barry M. Stentiford
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476658865, $55.00, PB, 268pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/American-Home-Guard-State-Militias/dp/1476658862
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-american-home-guard-barry-m-stentiford/1149528711
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-american-home-guard
Synopsis: Since colonial times Americans have used the militia to maintain local order during both war and peacetime. States have intermittently created, maintained, deployed, and disbanded countless militia organizations outside the scope of the better-known National Guard.
With the publication of "The American Home Guard: State Militias from World War I to Today, 2nd edition", Professor Barry Stentiford tells the story of these militia units -- variously called home guards, State Guard, National Guard Reserve, and State Defense Forces.
Ironically, the very existence of the National Guard made the creation of other militia forces necessary during periods of war. State Militia forces were organized to fill the vacuum left when the National Guard was called up, depriving states of an organized militia that could repel invasions, suppress riots, control strikes, or guard the waterfront.
This history analyzes the challenges that faced the State Guards as states sought to build their new militia with leftover men and material. It also examines the roles of the State Guard: providing relief during and after natural disasters, providing military training for future draftees, and broadening participation in military units during wartime by giving a role to men who, because of their age or occupation, could not join the federal forces.
Today modern state militias, born to an ancient tradition, must define a role for themselves in a society that increasingly views them as anachronistic.
Critique: The newly updated second edition of an original, seminal and groundbreaking study, "The American Home Guard: State Militias from World War I to Today" by Professor Barry M. Stentiford is occasionally enhanced with the inclusion of B/W historical photos, twenty-six pages of Chapter Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a three page Index. Informative, documented, and an inherently interesting read from start to finish, "The American Home Guard: State Militias from World War I to Today, 2nd Edition" is a prized and recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library American Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students and military history buffs that this trade paperback edition of "The American Home Guard: State Militias from World War I to Today, 2nd Edition" is also readily available from McFarland & Company in a digital book format (Kindle, $35.99).
Editorial Note: Barry M. Stentiford (Ph.D., history, University of Alabama) served in the Air Force, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. He is a professor of military history at the U.S. Army's School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir, revised edition
W. D. Ehrhart
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476660455, $29.95, PB, 259pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Vietnam-Perkasie-Combat-Marine-Memoir-Revised/dp/147666045X
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vietnam-perkasie-wd-ehrhart/1150136675?ean=9781476660455
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/vietnam-perkasie-2
Synopsis: Now in an newly updated and revised edition, "Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir", is W.D. Ehrhart's classic account of his 13 months as a Marine in Vietnam. It is the only memoir of the war that is written from the point-of-view of the 18-year-old living the experience -- rather than the voice of the author recollecting the war later in life.
There is no wisdom of hindsight, no looking back after the passage of years or decades, no intellectualizing or sense making with the benefit of reflection. This is the voice of a teenager finding himself in the midst of a war that makes less and less sense as his time in Vietnam goes on.
In his memoir, Ehrhart delivers the war as he lived it. The reader knows what he knows: no more, no less. "Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir" comes as close as any written account to what that war was like for a young American slogging through the rice fields and villages of an alien land where death was always just a shadow away.
This new and revised edition includes a new preface and 32 additional photographs, all but two of which were taken by the author in Vietnam in 1967-68.
Critique: Essential reading for students and military historians with an interest the Viet Nam War as experienced by a young teenaged American, "Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir - Revised Edition" features a two-page 'Military History of W.D. Ehrhart' and occasional B/W historical photographs. Unique, original, informative, fascinating, "Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir - Revised Edition" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Viet Nam War History/Biography/Memoir collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students and military history buffs that this trade paperback edition of "Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir - Revised Edition" is also available from McFarland & Company in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Memoirist, poet, editor, and Marine veteran W.D. Ehrhart taught English and history at the Haverford School in Haverford, Pennsylvania. The author of twenty books, his prose and poetry have appeared in hundreds of publications including the Los Angeles Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Utne Reader, Reader's Digest, American Poetry Review and the Virginia Quarterly Review. He was a major presence in the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary The Vietnam War.
The Education Shelf
The Best 392 Colleges, 2027
Robert Franek, et al.
The Princeton Review
www.PrincetonReview.com
c/o Random House
https://randomhousebooks.com
9798217125234, $26.99, PB, 896pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Best-392-Colleges-2027-Depth/dp/B0G2X4XZ4D
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-best-392-colleges-2027-the-princeton-review/1148772790
Synopsis: The Princeton Review's college rankings started in 1992 with surveys from 30,000 students. Thirty-five years and more than a million student surveys later, we stand by our claim that there is no single "best" college, only the best college for you... and that "The Best 392 Colleges, 2027" will help you find it!
Straight from students to you, "The Best 392 Colleges, 2027" is comprised of:
392 in-depth school profiles based on candid feedback from more than 172,000+ students, covering academics, administration, campus life, and financial aid
Insights on unique college character, social scene, and more
Direct quotes from students about their school's professors, campus culture, career services, and more
Also featured in "The Best 392 Colleges, 2027" are Ranking Lists & Rating Scores including lists of the top 25 colleges in 50 categories based on students' opinions of academics, campus life, facilities, as well as every school's Financial Aid, Selectivity, and Quality of Life
There is also detailed admissions information about competitive applications, test scores, tuition, and average indebtedness, as well as comprehensive information on selectivity, freshman profiles, and application deadlines at each school.
Of special note is the free access to 2 full-length practice tests online (1 SAT and 1 ACT) to help you prep for the important admissions-exams part of your admissions journey.
Critique: A respected standard for assessing the best college for a particular student (and an enormously valued resource for highschool counselors and parents as well), "The Best 392 Colleges, 2027" is a thoroughly 'student friendly' compendium of in-depth profiles and ranking lists to finding the right college for the right student. "The Best 392 Colleges, 2027" is a critically important, essential, and invaluable addition to personal, professional, highschool, and community library College/University Admissions collections.
Editorial Note: The experts at The Princeton Review have been helping students, parents, and educators achieve the best results at every stage of the education process since 1981. The Princeton Review has helped millions succeed on standardized tests, and provides expert advice and instruction to help parents, teachers, students, and schools navigate the complexities of school admission. In addition to classroom courses in over 40 states and 20 countries, The Princeton Review also offers online and school-based courses, one-to-one and small-group tutoring, as well as online services in both admission counseling and academic homework help.
The Science Shelf
Bakous Unified Field Theory: A Timespace Perspective
Ronny N. Bakous
Independently Published
9798172643347, $29.99, HC, 449pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Bakous-Unified-Field-Theory-Perspective/dp/B0HK71C17N
Synopsis: With the publication of "Bakous Unified Field Theory: A Timespace Perspective", Ronny N. Bakous presents a proposed framework in which time is treated as the primary structural dimension of reality and space emerges through temporal progression. At its foundation is the Bakous Energy Field (BEF), an underlying energetic substrate through which gravity, matter, entropy, consciousness, and the laws of physics are interpreted as interconnected features of a single timespace architecture.
This newly expanded second edition of "Bakous Unified Field Theory" develops the theory across cosmology, quantum behavior, black-hole dynamics, particle interactions, entropy, consciousness, mathematical formalism, and testable predictions. It also introduces further treatments of time-force, dimensional structure, harmonic field behavior, and the relationship between energy and observable reality.
BUFT does not discard established physics, rather it seeks to extend and reinterpret it through a unified timespace perspective, offering a broader theoretical framework for examining how the universe is structured, evolves, and can be empirically tested.
Critique: A seminal, thought-provoking, iconoclastic, and groundbreaking study that is exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Bakous Unified Field Theory: A Timespace Perspective" is an ideal introduction to the Unified Field Theory for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject. While this hardcover edition of "Bakous Unified Field Theory" is unreservedly recommended for community, and college/university library Science & Physics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and the general public that this hardcover edition of "Bakous Unified Field Theory" is also readily available for personal reading lists in paperback (9798172645280, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: in addition to his work on BUFT, Ronny Bakous established a new branch of physics (quantum relativity) designed specifically to underpin the development of this framework. His work is self-directed and a product of deep intellectual engagement and is both a culmination and a beginning -- an invitation into a new physics.
The Cookbook Shelf
Taste of Home Cozy Comfort Recipes
Taste of Home (Editor)
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9798889772279, $22.99, PB, 320pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Cozy-Comfort-Recipes/dp/B0GPDS68YR
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taste-of-home-cozy-comfort-recipes-taste-of-home/1149904530
Synopsis: Imagine serving up succulent meatloaf just like mom used to make, or a bubbling, cheesy casserole that fills the whole house with an irresistible aroma. Each recipe comprising "Taste of Home Cozy Comfort Recipes" comes from a real home cook and is paired with a beautiful, full-color photo, so you know exactly what deliciousness awaits. It's like having a friend in the kitchen, guiding you to create those perfect, comforting meals.
"Taste of Home Cozy Comfort Recipes" is a prized DIY compendium of classic comfort dishes and new meal menu ideas that are suitable for all dining occasions, both formal and informal, range from golden fried chicken and creamy Mac 'N' Cheese, to savory soups and decadent desserts, to side dishes and savory snacks.
Critique: A 'kitchen cook friendly' compendium of more than 250 palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, emotionally comforting recipes for 'any-night' meals and family gatherings, this trade paperback (8.06 x 0.7 x 8.94 inches, 1.84 pounds) edition of "Taste of Home Cozy Comfort Recipes" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. Profusely and beautifully illustrated with color photos of finished dishes throughout, each individual recipe presents a listing of ingredients, cooking instructions, prep time, and serving numbers. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Taste of Home Cozy Comfort Recipes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Taste of Home is America's #1 food/lifestyle brand, inspiring togetherness through cooking, baking and entertaining. Featuring recipes shared by today's home cooks, Taste of Home magazine has hundreds of thousands of subscribers throughout North America and publishes best-selling cookbooks and newsstand specials. The brand's web site is a top destination, featuring kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques, cooking videos and more. Taste of Home has more than 7 million fans on Facebook, 2.1 million followers on Instagram, 2.7 million Pinterest followers and receives more than 28 million unique monthly visitors. Visit Taste of Home on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to learn more.
Best Ever Batch Cooks
Good Food, author
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9780600640325, $24.99, HC, 240pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/GOOD-FOOD-Best-Batch-Cooks/dp/0600640329
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/good-food-best-ever-batch-cooks-good-food/1149600136
Synopsis: Whether your goal is to save time, reduce stress or simply waste less food, batch cooking is the perfect solution and with the publication of Best Ever Batch Cooks: Over 100 Fuss-Free Freezable & Prep-Ahead Meals" from Good Food, recipes from 100 of the best ever batch cooks make meal prep and planning easier than ever.
Batch cooking ensures that you always have something nourishing, delicious and ready to eat when you need it most. "Best Ever Batch Cooks" has clear instructions for storing, freezing and reheating every single recipe, as well as an introduction featuring tips for getting started and making the most of your freezer.
Recipes featured in Best Ever Batch Cooks" include:
Breakfasts such as American Blueberry Pancakes and Overnight Oats
Snacks and sharers such as Ploughman's Sausage Rolls and Jamaican Veggie Patties
Meat, poultry and fish such as Big-batch Bolognese and Mango, Lime & Chilli Prawn Fishcakes
Veggie dishes such as Easy Lentil Curry and Easy Vegetarian Chilli
Soups, salads and sides such as Spiced Lentil & Butternut Squash Soup and Green Bean Casserole
Bakes and desserts such as Rhubarb Crumble, Ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Best Ever Chocolate Brownies
Every recipe uses simple-to-source ingredients, is written using easy-to-follow steps, and is accompanied by full nutritional values and a photograph of the finished dish.
Critique: Each of the 100 recipes showcased in "Best Ever Batch Cooks: Over 100 Fuss-Free Freezable & Prep-Ahead Meals" from Good Books includes prep time, cooking time, serves number, an ingredients list, step-by-step instructions, and nutritional information. Original, unique, 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, "Best Ever Batch Cooks" will prove a welcome and popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Good Food has been the home cooks' choice for over 35 years. It's the UK's most popular food media brand with goodfood.com reaching over 50 million users. They are the proud owner of the UK's number one food website; a brilliant app, a market-leading food magazine and the UK's largest food event - Good Food Show - as well as a hugely successful series of cookbooks.
The Ultimate High-Fibre Handbook
Jenny Tschiesche
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9780600640462, $26.99, HC, 192pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-High-Fibre-Handbook-Support-Immunity/dp/0600640469
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ultimate-high-fibre-handbook-jenny-tschiesche/1149388352
Synopsis: Drawing on nutritional science and years of clinical practice, with the publication of "The Ultimate High-Fibre Handbook: Boost Health · Support Immunity · Live Longer", nutritional expert Jenny Tschiesche breaks down how fiber works alongside high-protein and low-carb diets, and its profound impact on digestion, microbiome health, blood sugar regulation and longevity.
"The Ultimate High-Fibre Handbook" is the ultimate DIY guide to increasing your fiber intake naturally, without fiber supplements or fads like fibermaxxing.
"The Ultimate High-Fibre Handbook" includes:
70 nourishing recipes that are naturally high in fiber
Step-by-step tips to gradually increase your fiber intake without discomfort
Hydration and cooking methods to maximize your fiber tolerance
Practical guidance on the best whole food fiber sources
From hearty lentil stews to seed-based breads and gut-friendly smoothies, "The Ultimate High-Fibre Handbook" is both a recipe book and a roadmap to a healthier way of eating. Rediscover this vital, overlooked nutrient that is foundational to your lifelong health.
Critique: "The Ultimate High-Fibre Handbook: Boost Health · Support Immunity · Live Longer" by Jenny Tschiesche is beautifully illustrated with color photos of finished dishes. This is a thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' compendium of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, health promoting compendium of dishes that range from Black Bean Tacos, Spiced Lentil & Spinach Soup, and Cinnamon Multigrain Porridge with Blueberries, to Berry & Beetroot Smoothie, Oat & Almond Energy Bites; and Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies. While this hardcover edition of "The Ultimate High-Fibre Handbook" from Hamlyn is a prized pick for personal, family, professional, and community library Health & Cookbook collections, it should be noted that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Presenter and nutrition expert Jenny Tschiesche is a renowned speaker, content creator and bestselling author. She has a Foundation Degree and Diploma in Nutritional Therapy from Bedfordshire University and Institute of Optimum Nutrition. Jenny is an inspired and inventive cook who has worked with athletes, sporting bodies, people dealing with illness, parents, fussy eaters and children. She has helped thousands of clients and conducted seminars, workshops and lectures globally - in schools, at festivals, to corporates and to Olympians. As a gifted presenter, she is also a regular contributor to the national press, BBC radio and TV.
Lettuce Riot
Becky Selengut
Sasquatch Books
www.sasquatchbooks.com
9781632176646, $34.99, HC, 224pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Lettuce-Riot-High-Protein-Salads-Punch/dp/1632176645
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lettuce-riot-becky-selengut/1149817751
Synopsis: Move over, basic iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing; the world is tired of your sad, restrictive, and out-of-season leaves and ready for DIY salads with vibrant texture, diverse ingredients, and riotous color and texture!
"Lettuce Riot: High-Protein Salads That Pack a Punch" focuses on the pure joy of protein-rich dinner salads in all their forms -- asking, "What even is a salad?" (The answer, of course, is you can't pin salad down! You must surrender to its ineffability.)
Showcasing 50 recipes de-emphasizing a greens-based salad (think dense bean salads and taco salads!), "Lettuce Riot: High-Protein Salads That Pack a Punch" offers plenty of wry humor and wordplay, protein counts of each recipe backed by a nutritionist, 35 full-color photos, and humorous margin doodles. Chef Becky Selengut (who is also the author of "Misunderstood Vegetables") brings lightness and fun to a once-derided mainstay of the dinner table.
"Lettuce Riot: High-Protein Salads That Pack a Punch" features recipes for an impressive variety of salads ranging from Salt and vinegar potato salad with dill pickles and potato chips; Cobb Salad with Katsu Tofu; Chickpea chopped salad with chorizo, olives, almonds, fennel, piquillos and sherry vinegar dressing; and Grilled Chicken and Charred Corn with Lime, Chili, Cilantro, and Cotija; to Buffalo Cauliflower, Chickpea, and Tempeh Salad with Red Cabbage and Blue Cheese Dressing; and Jewish Deli Salad with Pickled Beets, Lox, Dill, Capers, Bagel Croutons, and Everything Spice.
Then there are the DIY recipes of mix-and-match dressings like Roasted shallot vinaigrette with balsamic and Greenest Goddess dressing. Plus salad 'toppers' like Crispy Spiced Chickpeas and Shiitake Mushroom "Bacon".
Critique: "Lettuce Riot: High-Protein Salads That Pack a Punch" by Chef Becky Selengut is your new go-to guide to shaking up your salads for maximum flavor impact. This large format (10 x 7.3 x 10 inches, 1.25 pounds) hardcover culinary volume dedicated to salads and salad makings is profusely illustrated, offers clear ingredient lists and instructions for each unique salad, and is unreservedly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Lettuce Riot: High-Protein Salads That Pack a Punch" from Sasquatch Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $20.99).
Editorial Note: Becky Selengut (https://www.beckyselengut.com) is an educator and chef based in Seattle. She is the chef on the M/V Thea Foss and the author of five other cookbooks: Misunderstood Vegetables, Good Fish, Shroom, How to Taste, and Not One Shrine.
The Money/Finance Shelf
No Loose Ends
Adam Zuckerman, author
Jess Wakefield, contributor
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394374809, $35.00, HC, 480pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/No-Loose-Ends-End-Life/dp/1394374801
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-loose-ends-adam-zuckerman/1148032814
Synopsis: With the publication of "No Loose Ends: The Smart & Slightly Morbid Guide to Estate Planning & End-of-Life Tasks", attorney, estate planning, and end-of-life educator Adam Zuckerman delivers a clear, plain-English guide to the entire spectrum of planning, from wills and trusts to caregiving logistics, funeral decisions, digital assets, and what actually happens after someone dies.
"No Loose Ends" does not just explain paperwork. It explains the system your family will rely on for funerary purposes.
With clarity, empathy, and a touch of dark humor, Zuckerman connects estate planning, end-of-life decisions, and post-death responsibilities into one understandable framework. Readers gain the high-level context most families only learn in the middle of a crisis.
"No Loose Ends" covers:
How wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives actually work together
What executors and family members realistically face after a death
The practical realities of probate, funeral planning, and settling an estate
How to organize financial, property, and digital information so it can be found and used
Where families commonly get stuck, and how to prevent loose ends
With insightful commentary by certified funeral service provider Jess Wakefield, "No Loose Ends" is specifically designed by Adam Zuckerman to give readers confidence before meeting with an attorney, financial advisor, or funeral professional. "No Loose Ends" will also help you ask better questions and make informed decisions.
Throughout "No Loose Ends", readers are guided to practical tools and additional resources from Buried in Work, bridging education, action and more. This is because estate planning isn't just about documents. It's about clarity, preparation, and making life easier for the people you love.
Critique: Comprehensive, exceptional, impressively well written, organized and presented for the benefit of the non-specialist general reader, "No Loose Ends: The Smart & Slightly Morbid Guide to Estate Planning & End-of-Life Tasks" is especially, particularly, and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, senior center, and college/university library Funerary & Estate Planning, Last Will & Testaments Creation, Estate & Trust Law, and Wealth Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "No Loose Ends" from Wiley is also readily available for Funerary Industry professionals and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.00).
Editorial Note #1: Adam Zuckerman is an attorney, MBA, and the Founder of Buried in Work, which provides resources that help families and businesses simplify estate planning and end-of-life tasks.
Editorial Note #2: Jess Wakefield is a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) and past president of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association.
The Photography Shelf
Alleys & Ruins: A Photographic Memoir
Xavier Nuez
https://www.nuez.com
Old Light Editions
9798995624608, $125.00, HC, 304pp
Ordering: www.nuez.com/book
Synopsis: "Alleys & Ruins" by Xavier Nuez is a magnificently illustrated and a kind of 'you are there' large-format photography memoir. The printing, paper, binding, scale, and photographic sequencing are integral to this truly remarkable and visual study.
Xavier Nuez's storytelling style is as eloquent and it is engaging. Here is a sample:
"In 1987, I walked into a job interview and my brain snapped.
Within a day, I went from outgoing and confident to unable to hold a conversation. There was no diagnosis, no treatment, and no name for what had happened to me.
Six years later, I walked into a dark alley at night with a camera, and the fear stopped. So I kept going. For twenty-five years and 1,200 nights across more than fifty cities, I wandered the alleys and ruins of North America with a fifty-year-old Hasselblad, chased by gangs, guns pointed at me. And I kept going back, because the only place the dread couldn't find me was in the dark.
This is the story I planned to take to my grave."
Strip away the photography and you still have a riveting narrative. Strip away the memoir and you still have a singular, haunting body of contemporary photography. Together, they create something without a clean precedent."
This book tells two stories. One is how I became the kind of person who would plant a camera in a city's most dangerous places and think, "Yeah... this feels right. I'll just stand here flashing bright lights for the next three hours. Hope nothing bad happens." The other is the collection of things that happen when a man does such a thing, consistently, for twenty-five years."
Critique: Original, exceptional, memorable, intensely personal yet with a universal resonance, "Alleys & Ruins" by Xavier Nuez is comprised of 240 photographs and is a simply extraordinary and inherently fascinating illustrated memoir from start to finish. While this hardcover edition of "Alleys & Ruins" from Old Light Editions is a unique and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir & Photography collections.
Editorial Note: Xavier Nuez is an acclaimed, award winning art photographer whose unusual, innovative and painterly approach to lighting and photography has created a distinct celebration of all things scary, ugly or boring.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
Harboring The Enemy: The Civil War Heroine History Forgot
R. C. Duffy
https://www.rcduffy.com
American Legacy Media
https://www.americanlegacymedia.com
9780981848983, $14.95, PB, 173pp
Publication Release Date: November 11, 2026
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Harboring-Enemy-Heroine-History-Forgot-ebook/dp/B0HJ78QXNB
Net Galley
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/880007
Synopsis: Charleston, 1861.
Anna Itgen is a twenty-year-old German immigrant, newly married and expecting her first child, when cannon fire erupts from Fort Sumter and upends her world. Within months, her husband is killed at the Battle of Port Royal.
Then as a single mother, Anna works alongside her neighbors to survive the Union blockade, all while a Confederate prison sits within view of her window, packed with starving captives. She begins slipping bread to guards and prisoners alike.
Anna hides an escaped Union officer in her cellar and is summoned before the Confederate provost marshal on charges that could hang her. Choosing her integrity over self-preservation, Anna Itgen risked everything for a stranger who wore the wrong uniform.
"Harboring The Enemy: The Civil War Heroine History Forgot" by R. C. Duffy is her true and documented story.
Critique: A deftly written biography based on meticulous research and impressively 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Harboring The Enemy: The Civil War Heroine History Forgot" by R. C. Duffy is a simply fascinating read from start to finish. A fact based biography that reads with all the emotional suspense and thrills of a novel, "Harboring The Enemy" is an impressively original and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Civil War History/Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: R. C. Duffy (https://www.rcduffy.com) is an accomplished educator, writer, and lifelong advocate for literacy and learning. With extensive experience teaching English composition and literature in both secondary and post-secondary settings, Duffy has dedicated a career to helping students develop strong communication, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills. Her work has included teaching college composition, concurrent enrollment courses, and English language arts, where she has earned a reputation for creating engaging learning experiences that challenge students intellectually while supporting their individual growth.
Pilgrimage of the Spirit
Puja A. J. Thomson
Roots & Wings Press
9781928663188, $18.95, PB, 230pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrimage-Spirit-Journey-Countries-Cultures/dp/1928663184
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pilgrimage-of-the-spirit-puja-a-j-thomson/1150467950
Synopsis: With the publication of her personal travelogue and memoir, "Pilgrimage of the Spirit: My Journey Across Countries, Cultures, and Faiths", Puja A. J. Thomson shares her questioning of her beliefs and how she found the courage to follow her inner guidance as it she swept across continents, encountering differing cultures and faiths.
Not merely a tourist seeking entertainment, she grows beyond the limitations of her upbringing in Scotland. In her teens, she connects with Christians behind the Iron Curtain in Communist East Germany; as a young woman, she meets her spiritual teacher in India, becomes a follower, and is given a new name. She explored new ideas of love and generosity within her open marriage in the USA. She later lives in Osho's Commune at Rajneeshpuram, Oregon, before making her home in New York.
She learned that there are as many paths as people, and we are all one in our shared humanity, even with those who appear to be different. Through joy and heartbreak, she discovers there is light and dark within everyone, even beloved spiritual teachers.
"Pilgrimage of the Spirit" will inspire readers to follow their own intuition to people and places that call them!
Critique: "Pilgrimage of the Spirit: My Journey Across Countries, Cultures, and Faiths" showcases author Puja A. J. Thomson's genuine flair for the kind of narrative and anecdotally driven storytelling style that fully engages the reader's total attention from start to finish. Part memoir, part travelogue, and with astute insights and inherently thought-provoking commentaries, "Pilgrimage of the Spirit" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "Pilgrimage of the Spirit" from Roots & Wings is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Puja A. J. Thomson on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15008253.Puja_A_J_Thomson
How to Lose a Life You Love
Mike Karame
Mike Karame Publishing
https://mikekarame.com
9781764794510, $29.99, HC, 280pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/How-Lose-Life-You-Love/dp/1764794516
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-lose-a-life-you-love-mike-karame/1150927432
Synopsis: In his riveting memoir, " How to Lose a Life You Love: A Memoir of Conditioning, Collapse, and Sovereignty", Mike Karame addresses the question -- What happens when the life you built becomes the life that buries you?
For nearly thirty years, Mike had devoted himself to creating the life he had always imagined. Nineteen of those years were spent running his own horse club in Lebanon, while motorcycles, paragliding, kitesurfing, business, and travel became part of a life driven by discipline, risk, adventure, and freedom.
From the outside, it looked like a life chosen. But beneath it lay a quieter truth. Much of it had been shaped long before he realized he had a choice.
In the pages of his life story Mike traces the invisible conditioning that teaches us to trade our own voice for approval, obedience, success, and belonging. From a childhood marked by war, control, and emotional absence, to a life built through ambition, rebellion, and risk, to a devastating collapse in Australia that cost him almost everything, and to the unexpected love he found in the ruins, this memoir asks one central question:
What remains when everything is taken away?
Raw, reflective, and deeply human, How to Lose a Life You Love is not a personal life story about losing everything. It's a memoir about finding the part of yourself that was never lost.
Critique: Candid, informative, insightful, thought-provoking, and an inherently compelling read from start to finish, "How to Lose a Life You Love: A Memoir of Conditioning, Collapse, and Sovereignty" by Mike Karame is especially recommended to the attention of readers with an interest in unusual and personal transformation themed memoirs. Exceptionally well written and presented, "How to Lose a Life You Love" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "How to Lose a Life You Love" from Mike Karame Publishing is also available in paperback (9781764794503, $24.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: As a writer, Mike Karame (https://mikekarame.com) explores the hidden forces that shape our choices, the identities we inherit, and what remains when the life we built falls away. Drawing on nearly three decades of adventure, entrepreneurship, and profound personal loss, he invites readers to question the stories they've mistaken for their own and rediscover the freedom that cannot be taken away.
Greek by Osmosis: My Life on A Small Greek Island
Laura Aristidou Candris
Independently Published
9798218745615, $14.99, PB, 334pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Osmosis-Small-Island-Recipes/dp/B0G368HMC2
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/greek-by-osmosis-laura-candris/1149012985
Synopsis: "Greek by Osmosis: My Life on A Small Greek Island" by Laura Aristidou Candris is a warm and witty memoir chronicling an American woman's decades-long immersion into life on a small Greek island after falling in love with a charming Greek student.
From navigating a real estate market with no agents, to building a house via faxes and faith, Laura discovers a special world without secrets, ruled by Island Time, mysterious bureaucracy, and endearing customs. Along the way, she battles cement-eating ants, goat invasions, and attacks by a murder of crows, while learning to cook Greek foods at her angelic mother-in-law's elbow.
With humor and heart, she captures the joys and frustrations of learning Greek and adapting to island life -- where the night sky stuns, hospitality abounds, and even doing the laundry is an adventure. Infused with Greek words, recipes, and mishaps, "Greek by Osmosis" is a kind of love letter to an island, a marriage, and the beautifully chaotic adventure of becoming part of another culture.
With its deft blending of heartfelt storytelling, vivid sensory detail, authentic Greek cuisine recipes, and affectionate observations Laura invites her readers to experience Greece not as tourists, but through the eyes of an insider who reveals the beauty hidden within everyday island life.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Greek by Osmosis: My Life on A Small Greek Island" by Laura Aristidou Candris is a simply fascinating life story that will have immense appeal for readers with an interest in contemporary Greek culture, travelogues, and cooking. While "Greek by Osmosis" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Laura Aristidou Candris is a graduate of Transylvania University (in Lexington, Kentucky, not Romania) where she met Aris, the charming and brilliant Greek student she married at age nineteen. Like many who love writing, she chose law school, earning her degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Laura practiced law for thirty-four years, all but two of them in Pittsburgh, and became a mediator late in her career. She was also a corporate spouse: Aris rose from Senior Engineer B to become President and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company -- and she never got a nickel of legal work from it.
They loved everything about Pittsburgh -- except the weather and the roads. The climate drove them to retire to Naples, Florida, for the months they're not on the beloved Greek island. In Naples, Laura serves on nonprofit boards, volunteers in the community, participates in four book groups, cooks, and writes.
The General Fiction Shelf
The Other Side of Tanner
Pam Avery
https://www.pamaveryprinted.com
Shades Creek Press
9798256293963, $24.95, HC, 298pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Tanner-Pam-Avery/dp/B0HFVTLMGN
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-other-side-of-tanner-pam-avery/1151129192
Synopsis: An emotionally compelling and deftly crafted novel that deftly combines political intrigue, family drama, mystery, romance, and redemption into a sweeping story about the secrets people keep-and the healing that comes when those secrets finally come to light, Pam Avery's new novel, "The Other Side of Tanner" is set against the backdrop of the North Georgia mountains, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Florida.
Critique: Original, exceptional, and an inherently riveting read from start to finish, "The Other Side of Tanner" is brought to an impressive level of literary excellence by author Pam Avery's distinctive style of character and narrative driven storytelling. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "The Other Side of Tanner" is also available in paperback (9798256294441, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Pam Avery (https://www.pamaveryprinted.com) writes from the heart of the South, capturing the beauty of ordinary moments, the strength of community, and the stories that often go untold.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Twelve Tables: A Novel of Ancient Rome
Richard Barager
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9798897475247, $28.95, HC, 280pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Tables-Novel-Ancient-Rome/dp/B0HF6M1163
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-twelve-tables-richard-barager/1151083890
Synopsis: ROME, 462 BC.
To save his family's failing farm, sixteen-year-old Marcus Atilius is sold into debt servitude by his own father. Plunged into the city's underbelly, Marcus must endure a world of cutthroat trading stalls and gritty warehouses, all while navigating a forbidden entanglement with a woman far above his station. Survival demands sharp guile and moral compromise.
As a bitter class struggle pushes Rome toward the brink of civil war, Marcus vows to beat the elites at their own ruthless game to win his freedom and a fortune worthy of the woman he loves.
Yet his rise brings a fateful choice. An historic demand sweeps the city for the Twelve Tables -- a revolutionary legal code to protect plebeians from patrician tyranny. With a corrupt aristocrat holding the tether to his trading empire, will Marcus protect his hard-won power, or risk everything for the soul of Rome?
Critique: As a novelist, Richard Barager's genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style raises "The Twelve Tables" (his historical novel set in Ancient Rome) to an impressive level of literary excellence. Deftly crafted with an astute attention to background detail, "The Twelve Tables" is a fun and fascinating read from start to finish -- and one that is especially and unreservedly recommended for fans of historical novels set in antiquity, as well as community library Historical Fiction. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Twelve Tables" from Koehler Books is also readily available in paperback (9798897475230, $19.95).
Editorial Note: Richard Barager (www.RichardBarager.com) is the author of The Atheist and the Parrotfish and Altamont Augie. Richard completed undergraduate studies and medical school at the University of Minnesota and was a nephrologist in private practice for thirty-five years. Long devoted to medicine and fiction, he now writes full-time (and no longer at night!). He believes fiction explores meaning in ways science cannot and has a way of discovering the truth.
The Bootlegger's Daughter: A San Francisco Tale
Joseph Andrew Cerny
Starling Publishing
https://www.starlingpublishing.com/portfolio/the-bootleggers-daughter
9798993547527, $24.99, HC, 355pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Bootleggers-Daughter-San-Francisco-Tale/dp/B0G22D4WLQ
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bootleggers-daughter-joseph-andrew-cerny/1148837693
Synopsis: What secrets hide behind a child's wagon?
Born to Irish immigrant parents in a San Francisco still rebuilding from the devastating 1906 earthquake, young Ann White comes of age during some of America's most transformative decades.
As Prohibition takes hold, her father turns to bootlegging to support the family, drawing Ann into the hidden world of Prohibition-era bootlegging of hidden whiskey, whispered secrets, and difficult choices.
What begins as a childhood in a hardworking Irish immigrant family soon becomes a journey through the Spanish Flu pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, and the ever-changing landscape of San Francisco.
Rich with historical detail and unforgettable characters, this sweeping family saga explores resilience, sacrifice, love, and the enduring strength of a woman determined to persevere through life's greatest challenges.
From the hidden corners of Prohibition-era speakeasies to the hopes and heartbreaks of a family striving for a better future, "The Bootlegger's Daughter" is an inspiring story of courage, heritage, and survival that will stay with readers long after the final page.
Critique: Although a deftly crafted work of historical fiction, and all the more impressive when considering that this is Joseph Andrew Cerny debut as a novelist, "The Bootlegger's Daughter" is inspired by a remarkable true story, and one that transports his readers to the vibrant, turbulent streets of early twentieth-century San Francisco, where opportunity and hardship walk hand in hand. The author's genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style is particularly effective in drawing the reader full attention from start to finish. An impressive and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library historical fiction collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Bootlegger's Daughter" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9798993547510, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Joseph Cerny was born in San Francisco and is a descendant of several bootleggers. In 1988, after graduating from the University of California, San Diego, with degrees, including one in American History, he attended Old Dominion/Eastern Virginia Medical School and graduated in 1992. After a career as a family physician spanning nearly thirty years, Cerny is now a volunteer for Placer County Museums in Northern California. He dresses up in period clothing and gives tours of old- town Auburn, a former Gold Rush town, in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. He also gives tours of Bernhard House, an old hotel converted into a home, with wine-making complexes on the property.
Hymns of Blue Hollow
Kemma MarShall
https://kemmamarshall.allauthor.com
Blue Hollow Publishing
https://bookshop.org/shop/Blue_Hollow_Publishing
9798998692550, $25.99 hc / $4.99 Kindle 466pp
9798998692512, $25.99 (IngramSpark paperback)
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Hymns-Blue-Hollow-Southern-Historical/dp/B0HCKF8QT3
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hymns-of-blue-hollow-kemma-marshall/1148788723
Synopsis: In the Appalachian hills of 1941 Tennessee, where moonshining is a way of life, Esther Primm knows the rules. Keep your head down. Survive and want nothing. Trust no one. She has lived by them her entire life. But there is one thing she has never survived.
Being seen.
When her world is swept away, Esther finds herself in a place she was always warned never to go. There, she finds a secluded estate and Clarissa Johnson, an older Black woman who has spent a lifetime staying on her side of the fence. And Ian Huggler, a brooding German widower carrying a grief he can't speak of, who looks at Esther in a way no one ever has.
But the life Esther escaped isn't finished with her.
An obsessed preacher believes she still belongs to him, hiding his darkness behind Sunday sermons, while the local sheriff watches everything and says nothing. Each of them is hiding something. And in Blue Hollows, secrets don't stay buried. They come for you.
Critique: Original, eloquent, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting read from cover to cover, "Hymns of Blue Hollow" by Kemma MarShall is a compelling historical romance set in the American south and showcases the author's impressively genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style full engages the reader from start to finish. While unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Romance collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated romance fiction fans that "Hymns of Blue Hollow" from Blue Hollow Publishing is also readily available in paperback (9798346013068, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Kemma MarShall (https://kemmamarshall.allauthor.com) is an author, artist, and researcher who calls North Carolina home, where the whispers of the Appalachian hills and the stories of her ancestors fuel her creative soul. With 26 years of marriage and a family shaped by love and resilience, she draws from the richness of her own life to craft deeply layered and evocative tales that linger in the heart and mind.
Firebrands
Vicky Oliver
https://vickyoliver.com
Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592117642, $19.99, PB, 300pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Firebrands-Sizzling-Gilded-Age-Style-Morals/dp/1592117643
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/firebrands-vicky-oliver/1149543562
Synopsis: It's the fabled 'Gilded Age" and the city of New York is fairly crackling with unrest, ambition, and the scent of revolution.
Helena James (suffragist, speaker, and trouble magnet) stands at the heart of it all, rallying crowds and rattling politicians. But when her beloved sister Summer falls for Derrick Dupre, a mysterious tycoon with a velvet smile and a hidden past, Helena's fight for justice gets personal.
Brimming with twisty suspense, romance, forbidden lust, and humor, with the publication of Firebrands, novelist Vicky Oliver deftly explores the lighter side of the feminist movement, the darker side of industrialization, and the loving but confounding side of sisterhood.
Critique: As an accomplished author, Vicky Oliver has a singular gift for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style that makes her 'Gilded Age' novel of 'money and morals', "Firebrands", come alive for the reader from start to finish. Original, exceptional, an entertaining read from start to finish that is unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Firebrands" from Histeria Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Vicky Oliver (https://vickyoliver.com) graduated from Brown University with a double major in English Honors and Political Science and received her Master in Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Writing [Fiction] from the New School in 2022. She has published six nonfiction books covering career topics, three at Sourcebooks and three at Skyhorse, including 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions (Sourcebooks), which sold almost 100,000 copies. Vicky Oliver has also published 15 personal narrative essays (four in anthologies) and serves as the Nonfiction Editor as well as an Art Editor at LIT magazine, the journal of the New School's MFA program. She also co-hosts the Resilient Women podcast for Relatable Media.
The LGBTQ Fiction Shelf
The Pacific End
Jacob Anthony Moniz
https://www.jacobanthonymoniz.com
Votive Editions
9798234111357, $16.99, PB, 324pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Pacific-End-Jacob-Anthony-Moniz/dp/B0HHGL7HBP
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pacific-end-jacob-anthony-moniz/1151231752
Synopsis: When Caleb Simao returns to his rural California hometown to prepare his childhood home for sale, he expects a brief visit.
Instead, memories of Brandon Murphy resurface.
Ten years earlier, Caleb and Brandon's relationship grew on the margins of a community shaped by religious conservatism. What they built felt, at first, like a way out. But it had also made them vulnerable. Against mounting pressures, their bond fractured, ending in betrayal and a moment of violence neither one could fully process.
Now, moving through the familiar landscapes of his past, Caleb is drawn back to that final year together. As he attempts to build a life elsewhere-and pursue a tentative new relationship -- Caleb must confront questions of desire and repression, distance and return, and what it means to carry someone with you long after they've gone.
Critique: An impressively original and carefully crafted LGBTQ+ coming of age novel by Jacob Anthony Moniz, "The Pacific End" showcases the author's exceptional and character driven storytelling style. An inherently compelling read from start to finish, this paperback edition of "The Pacific End" from Votive Editions is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library LGBTQ+ Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Jacob Anthony Moniz (https://www.jacobanthonymoniz.com) is a writer and visual artist from California. He holds degrees from UC Santa Cruz, NYU, and the University of Notre Dame. His writing has appeared in Catamaran Literary Reader, Penumbra, Chicago Quarterly Review, The Ocotillo Review, and Southeast Review, among other journals and publications.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
If She Needed Me Again And Other Stories
James Brennan
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798901745564, $16.00, PB, 156pp
Publishing Release Date: January 5, 2027
Synopsis: "If She Needed Me Again And Other Stories" is a sharply observed and deftly crafted short story anthology by James Brennan with themes of private disappointments and quiet acts of defiance carry the weight of turning plot points. Written with tenderness, humor, and an eye for the contradictions people rarely admit aloud, each of these stories find drama in the ordinary places where love frays, pride falters, and grace arrives unexpectedly.
Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "If She Needed Me Again And Other Stories" is seventy year old English Professor James Brennan's debut short story collection. The stories comprising "If She Needed Me Again And Other Stories" are eloquent, original, deftly crafted, provocative and memorable -- and collectively are an inherently interesting read from start to finish. While this paperback edition of "If She Needed Me Again And Other Stories" from Atmosphere is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.00).
Editorial Note: The short fiction of James Brennan has appeared in Slab, Edge, Halcyone, Evening Street Review, Sequestrum, and elsewhere. He earned his MFA at Bennington and his ALM at Harvard Extension School. He is also a Professor of English at Quinsigamond Community College.
A Pearl Is Just An Accident
Julie Esther Fisher
https://julieestherfisher.com
Silent Clamor Press
https://www.silentclamor.com/a-pearl-is-just-an-accident
9781971238302, $28.99, HC, 356pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Accident-Julie-Esther-Fisher/dp/1971238309
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-pearl-is-just-an-accident-julie-esther-fisher/1149970919
Synopsis: "A Pearl Is Just An Accident" by author Julie Esther Fisher is a compendium of interconnected stories about Eliza James and the collective subject of confronting a treacherous legacy of family secrets and childhood trauma. From her work as a paintings conservator (someone who restores damaged art to its original beauty) to the fractured memories of her London upbringing, Eliza's journey reveals how the past refuses to stay buried.
Whether Eliza is uncovering hidden scars beneath centuries-old portraits or wrestling with the devastating relationship between her parents, she discovers that some damage runs too deep for any restoration. Through exquisite prose that moves across the Atlantic from London flats to art studios, from family dining rooms to a brief refuge in the Scottish Highlands, Julie Esther Fisher crafts an unflinching portrait of survival and the weight of inherited pain, touched with wry humor.
The collection's title story, 'A Pearl Is Just An Accident' explores how we transform life's most unwanted intrusions-like the irritant that becomes a pearl through layers of protective nacre. Fisher excavates the buried archaeology of trauma with unflinching precision, revealing how damage can calcify into something harder, stranger, and unexpectedly luminous. With the meticulous eye of a master restorer and the sensibility of a poet, she maps the territory where beauty and brutality intersect, where survival becomes its own form of art.
Simply stated, "A Pearl Is Just An Accident" is a devastating examination of how we inherit damage from those meant to protect us, and how we might-against all odds-transform that legacy into something we can bear. These stories illuminate the slow, necessary work of building protective layers around our deepest wounds, creating something that might even shine.
Critique: Original, exceptional, deftly crafted, memorable, and a compelling read from start to finish, "A Pearl Is Just An Accident" is an extraordinary series of connected short stories that showcase author Julie Esther Fisher's genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style that raises her stories to an impressive level of literary excellence. While "A Pearl Is Just An Accident" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of readers with an interest in the psychological fiction genre that this hardcover edition from Silent Clamor Press is also readily available in paperback (9781971238005, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Julie Esther Fisher (https://julieestherfisher.com) has published stories and poetry in Alaska Quarterly Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, Waxwing, The Citron Review, On the Seawall, and many other places. Winner of several awards, including Grand Prize Recipient of the Stories That Need to be Told Anthology, Sheila-Na-Gig's Editor's Choice Award for poetry, and Sunspot Lit's Rigel Award, she has been short-listed in numerous other contests and received multiple Best of the Net and Pushcart nominations. Her poetry chapbook, On the Lip of Night, is published by Finishing Line Press.
T.V. Holiday's Angelface
T.V. Holiday
Independently Published
ASIN: B0GYVBMV86, $3.00, Kindle, 65pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/T-V-Holidays-Angelface-Holiday-ebook/dp/B0GYVBMV86
Synopsis: Haunted by memories of a woman he never allowed himself to pursue, a man is forced to confront whether loyalty, fear, and responsibility have led him away from the life he was meant to live.
"Angelface" by T.V. Holiday is a contemporary literary novella on the subject of love, timing, and the emotional cost of the roads we choose in life.
Critique: Original and an interesting read from start to finish, "Angelface" by T.V. Holiday is an impressive work of deftly crafted fiction that effectively showcases the author's character and narrative driven storytelling style and raises his novella to an impressive level of literary excellence. Simply stated, "Angelface" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: T.V. Holiday is a multi-award-winning author from Cleveland, Ohio who resides in Southern California. He is a former United States Marine where he reached the rank of sergeant and served as a Combat Correspondent. In his spare time, he enjoys working out, reading, and going salsa dancing.
A Peculiar Coupling
Christine Wilson
Vanguard Press
c/o Pegasus Publishers
https://pegasuspublishers.com
9781837941926, $16.99, PB, 314pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Peculiar-Coupling-Christine-Wilson/dp/1837941920
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-peculiar-coupling-christine-wilson/1148775216
Synopsis: "A Peculiar Coupling" by novelist Christine Wilson is the story of Vera Slater, a modest, middle-aged woman living in post-war New Zealand.
After three decades as a housewife and now facing financial ruin, she is compelled to enter the workforce. Employment changes everything for her. She discovers that a lack of formal education, life experience and reduced circumstance matter little when motivation and self-belief are at hand.
George her husband of thirty years cannot keep up. Her fulfilment becomes his dismay as she embraces her new life wholeheartedly.
Vera is inspirational, demonstrating that humble beginnings need not spell the extinction of one's hopes and dreams.
Critique: Original, exceptional, and showcasing author Christine Wilson's genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style raises her novel, "A Peculiar Coupling" to an impressive level of literary excellence. A fun and fascinating read from start to finish, this paperback edition of "A Peculiar Coupling" from Vanguard Press is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Christine Wilson is also the author of "The Elusive Silver Lining" (Vanguard Press).
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop
Jill Steeples
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781785134098, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/the%20cotswold%20christmas%20bookshop
Synopsis: Licking her wounds, Isla heads home to the Cotswolds. Keeping her devastating redundancy a secret from her proud parents, she seeks refuge at Finch's, the enchanting bookshop she worked in as a teenager. With the owners struggling with their health, Isla steps in to manage the shop hoping to convince them that the business has a future.
Isla likes nothing more than chatting to people about books, but her safe haven is soon disturbed when she comes face-to-face with her first love, Charlie Brace, made worse by the arrival of Guy Madley, the incredibly handsome property consultant who has advice for owners Jon and Miriam.
As Christmas approaches, Isla has decisions to make. Does her future lie in London or can a whole heap of books and a sprinkling of festive magic offer a life that she could never even have dreamed of?
Critique: Deftly written by experienced romance novelist Jill Steeples, this large print paperback edition of "The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop" from Boldwood Books is a wonderfully fun read from cover to cover -- making it a popular and recommended addition to both the personal reading lists of Christmas themed romances and community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Jill Steeples (https://jillsteeples.com) is an author who specializes in feel-good, escapist fiction. Set in the close communities of cosy English villages, her books explore the themes of starting over, friendship and love across the ages, as well as the healing properties of nature and the great outdoors. Her novels are described as heart-warming and uplifting, designed to leave a smile on your face.
Hope and Hot Chocolate on Mistletoe Lane
Victoria Walters
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781805571032, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/hope%20and%20hot%20chocolate%20on%20mistletoe%20lane
Synopsis: Holly Wynter never planned to return to Birchbrook. But when an old friend calls with a festive job opportunity, it could be just what her fledgling events business needs. So reluctantly, she agrees to return to create the world's best festive experience at Birch Tree Farm. Even though she hates Christmas with all her lonely heart.
Paul Ryan hasn't seen Holly for ten years, ever since that fateful day she ran away. While she dreamed of a high-flying career in the city, he stayed in Birchbrook, helping his parents run the local cafe. Though these days he's been wondering if he's meant for something bigger.
As Christmas lights twinkle across the town, old memories resurface and long-buried feelings begin to stir. But Holly can't stay in Birchbrook, even if it might hold the key to her happiness.
Could this holiday season be the chance to finally admit they want to be (and maybe always have been) more than best friends?
Critique: A holiday romance not to be missed, this large print paperback edition from Boldwood Books, "Hope and Hot Chocolate on Mistletoe Lane" by Victoria Walters is a fun and engaging read from start to finish -- and one that is especially and unreservedly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance collections.
Editorial Note: Victoria Walters is a full-time author living in Surrey. Victoria writes sweet and spicy rom coms set in the book world, and her new autumnal small town romance "Love and Latties at Pumpkin Hollow". Victoria is also the author of the bestselling uplifting and romantic series "Glendale Hall" and the cosy crime series "The Deadley End Mysteries". She can be followed on Instagram at @vickyjwalters, on X at @Vicky_Walters or on Facebook and TikTok at Victoria Walters author.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Man From Red River
Kirk Hamilton
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444857573, $26.00 / $22.10, PB, Large Print, 192pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781444857573
Synopsis: The McKenna boys, Wade and Mike, came to Amarillo to buy cattle for their new ranch. They had high hopes for their future...but what they didn't realize at the time was that one of them had no future left to live.
A bushwhack and murder left the surviving McKenna with a vengeance quest. But his targets were well-connected, and well-protected. He was beaten, he was shot at, and he was left for dead, but there was no quit in him. He was going to kill the men who'd slaughtered his kin...and nothing was going to stop him!
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and a true action/adventure western novel of gun smoke vengeance, this large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series of the "Man from Red River" by master storyteller Kirk Hamilton is a thrilling read from cover to cover and highly recommended as a choice pick for the personal reading lists of dedicated western fans and a prized addition to community Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Kirk Hamilton at FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/kirk-hamilton
A Six Gun Says Goodbye
E. Jefferson Clay
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444857566, $26.00 / $22.10, PB, Large Print, 224pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/9781444857566
Synopsis: Hank Brazos' reunion with his commanding officer was cut short when Colonel Clairborne was kidnapped. His daughter received a ransom demand for twenty thousand dollars. For Brazos, the course was clear: save Clairborne, then pay the kidnappers in spades with bullets and fists.
Duke Benedict had other ideas -- continue the hunt for Bo Rangle and stolen Confederate gold.
They went their separate ways, only to rendezvous in a gunfire hellstorm when the kidnappers decided to kill them both as down-payment for the Colonel's safety!
Critique: E. Jefferson Clay is a master of the action/adventure western genre. "A Six Gun Says Goodbye" once again demonstrates his gifted storytelling style that makes his novels a 'must' for his growing legions of fans. This large print paperback edition of "A Six Gun Says Goodbye" from the Linford Western Library series is an unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by E. Jefferson Clay at FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/e-jefferson-clay
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Blood Rituals: A Van Hazard Mystery
Douglas J. Ostling
Cryptic Glyph Press
https://crypticglyphpress.com
9798992980134, $16.00, PB, 386pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Rituals-Van-Hazard-Mystery/dp/B0H6N9PRK3
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-rituals-douglas-j-ostling/1151127691
Synopsis: "Blood Rituals" is a dark, twisty mystery suspense thriller by novelist Douglas J. Ostling in which resolute insurance investigator Van Hazard is hired to recover an ancient Mayan manuscript that's left a bloody trail from Mexico to Manhattan.
The Xibalba Codex was stolen from a murdered curator before its unveiling in a New York museum. The chief suspects include a pair of bitter rivals with links to the priceless artifact: the mercurial tomb robber with a mysterious past who found it in a Yucatan jungle temple, and an eccentric scholar and descendant of Mayan shaman priests who believes he's the manuscript's rightful custodian. Hazard's unwavering pursuit of the Codex is hindered by a treacherous ring of antiquities traffickers, the beguiling lure of a haunted old flame, and the festering wrath of an overdue debt dead set on final reckoning.
It should be noted that "Blood Rituals" is a stand-alone entry in Douglas Ostling's the Van Hazard Mystery Series featuring the volatile investigator's exploits recovering lost and stolen art. Hazard is a man at war with personal demons and an increasingly unhinged world. Kyoko Dunne, his fearless partner in crime-solving, usually keeps him from going over the edge, but this time he'll have to survive a deadly curse to collect his fee.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting read from start to finish, "Blood Rituals" showcases author Douglas Ostling's impressive flair for the kind of imaginative, character and narrative driven storytelling style that is ideally suited for the suspense thriller genre. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Blood Rituals" from Cryptic Glyph Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Douglas J. Ostling, is an author of full-length fiction and short stories who has also written, produced, and directed dramatic works for independent TV. He has been assistant director of the Summer Writers Conference at New York University and was assistant producer of Readers Almanac when it aired on National Public Radio. Blood Rituals is a standalone follow-up to The Art of Obsession, his introductory entry in the Van Hazard Mystery Series.
The Chromatic Protocol
Wesley K. Alexander
https://wesleykalexander.com
Independently Published
9798199608404, $24.99, HC, 287pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Chromatic-Protocol-Wesley-K-Alexander/dp/B0H3PHS8S9
Synopsis: FBI analyst Sarah Chen cannot recognize faces. That may be the only reason she can see the killer.
Sarah has spent her life compensating for prosopagnosia -- a neurological condition that makes every human face unreadable. She identifies people by voice, gait, posture, and behavior. It is how she survived after a bombing in Mumbai left her damaged at age seven.
At least, that's the story she was given.
When an Assistant U.S. Attorney is strangled inside the Hoover Building by something the cameras can barely see, Sarah is pulled into a case no one else can explain. Eight days earlier, another victim died the same way. Both men served on a classified DARPA committee. Both received encrypted messages signed only -- M.W.
The killer is wearing a metamaterial suit that bends visible light. Invisible, disciplined, and methodical, he moves through the federal system as if he already knows every protocol designed to stop him.
Sarah's team has the science to find him: thermal vents, UV scatter, particulate displacement. But the man inside the suit is always one step ahead.
Then the classified files reveal the truth Sarah was never meant to learn. Her face blindness was not caused by a bomb. It was engineered. She was Subject One.
Now the one analyst trained to see what everyone else misses must decide what to do with a truth that rewrites her entire life -- while hunting a killer with nothing left to lose, and a scientist who believes invisibility is only the beginning!
Critique: Original, high tension, and a compelling read from start to finish, "The Chromatic Protocol" by Wesley K. Alexander is a riveting high-concept techno-thriller on the themes of 'perception, institutional betrayal, and the cost of finally seeing clearly'. Author Wesley Alexander's genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style is ideal for the techno-thriller genre, making it an unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Chromatic Protocol" is also readily available in paperback (9798199506625, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Wesley K. Alexander (https://wesleykalexander.com) is a lifelong aviator and technologist who has launched his fiction writing debut with "The Chromatic Protocol" -- a speculative thriller about perception, technology, and institutional secrecy. His fiction explores the fragile line between what people see, what they remember, and what powerful systems can make them believe. He blends grounded procedural tension with near-future technological unease, focusing on the systems people trust before they realize those systems can be turned against them. Wes also publishes technical writings relating to aviation and recently published the Part 108 BVLOS Readiness Playbook for uncrewed aircraft operations.
Death on the Royal Yacht
S. J. Bennett
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9798892427142, $29.99, HC, 336pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Royal-Yacht-Majesty-Investigates/dp/B0GNZ33ZZJ
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-on-the-royal-yacht-s-j-bennett/1149731543
Synopsis: 1966, Caribbean Sea.
The Queen of England is touring the islands of the West Indies aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Her schedule is packed with official visits, but when her new diary secretary, young Pamela Sinclair, is found dead in her cabin, the whole trip threatens to be thrown off course.
Pamela's death from an overdose of prescription pills is surrounded by details that don't add up. It looks as though she was afraid of someone on board, and Joan McGraw (the Queen's loyal sidekick and assistant private secretary) is the leading suspect.
With the whole world watching, the real circumstances surrounding her death must be uncovered, and quickly. Luckily for the Queen, she and Joan are experts at floating from one engagement to the next as the tour continues and the killer roams free -- for now.
Critique: The sixth book in author S. J. Bennett's unique 'Her Majesty The Queen Investigates' murder mystery series, "Death On The Royal Yacht" continues to demonstrate author S. J. Bennett's effective storytelling style that makes his novels a genuine tread for cozy mystery fans. Unique among cozy mystery amateur female sleuths, is that our heroine is the Queen of England who must (this time on the high seas) investigate a murder and find out 'whodunnit' after all manner of clues and plot twists. An entertaining and fun read from cover to cover, "Death On The Royal Yacht" is a highly recommended pick for both personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Death On The Royal Yacht" from Crooked Lane Books is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by S. J. Bennett available at FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/s-j-bennett
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Murder
Jacqueline Frost
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9798892427357, $29.99, HC, 304pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Deck-Halls-Boughs-Murder-Christmas/dp/B0GFD4WMRN
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deck-the-halls-with-boughs-of-murder-jacqueline-frost/1149863016
Synopsis: New parents Holly White and Sheriff Evan Gray are sleep deprived but incandescently happy to be celebrating their baby's first Christmas. Their family, friends, and neighbors are spoiling the newest addition. Adding to the perfect holiday season is the recent completion of their newly built home. All that's left to do is move in and send off those change-of-address cards.
But their cup full of cheer turns sour when Holly discovers a dead body.
It all started with a sweet trip down memory lane -- Candy Cane Lane and Toyland being two of Holly's favorites as a child, and she had been looking forward to sharing them with her baby. Then she stumbled upon the body of Greysen, the animal keeper, left among the reindeer at the petting zoo.
Earlier in the day, Holly witnessed a fight between Greysen and a stranger. The reindeer petting zoo had originally been empty that day with no reindeer in sight until they reappeared along with a corpse.
As Holly fights to keep the Christmas spirit alive, she is Greysen's only chance at justice -- and her baby's only chance at a happy first Christmas.
Critique: Another deftly crafted cozy mystery by a master of the genre, "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Murder" by Jacqueline Frost is a fun read from cover to cover. The newest and seventh entry to Frost's popular 'A Christmas Tree Farm' murder mystery series, "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Murder" is a 'must' for the growing legions of Jacqueline Frost fans and an unreservedly recommended popular pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated cozy mystery buffs that this hardcover edition of "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Murder" from Crooked Lane Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99)
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Jacqueline Frost on Fantastic Fiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/jacqueline-frost
A Body in the B&B
Katie Marsh
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781836787471, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/a%20body%20in%20the%20b
Synopsis: It's a perfect location for murder.
When sisters Jennifer and Lizzie Christie inherit their aunt's dilapidated B&B, in the beautiful Lake District village of Lupton Water, the only thing they have in common is how much they hate their housemate, Declan Moss.
The two of them fell out thirty years before, and now they're mid-life, mid-menopause, and about to be mid-disaster. And not just because Jennifer's cat Clementine and Rose's dog Gizmo have taken an instant dislike to each other.
But when Declan's body is found in the bathtub, the sisters are top of the suspect list. Can they and their pets bury the hatchet long enough to find out who the killer is? Or will they become the next victims?
Critique: Launching a new cozy mystery series by author Katie Marsh, "A Body in the B&B" is replete with deftly crafted characters, a series of unexpected plot twists, and two unlikely and amateur female sleuths who happen to be feuding sisters! A fun and thoroughly engaging read from start to finish, this large print paperback edition "A Body in the B&B" from Boldwood Books is an extraordinary and especially recommended pick for personal and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should also be noted that "A Body in the B&B" is also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781836787402, $93.95 / $79.86, CD & 9781836787419, $93.95 / $79.86, MP3-CD).
Editorial Note There is an online listing of books by Katie Marsh on FantasticFiction at: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/katie-marsh
Mrs Hudson and the Samarkand Conspiracy
Martin Davies
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444863079, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 352pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/mrs%20hudson%20and%20the%20samarkand%20conspiracy
Synopsis: It's summer in London, and things are quiet. But while Holmes and Watson chafe at their inactivity, a train, carrying a vital encoded communication, is entering a tunnel in an obscure region of the Balkans -- never to be seen again.
The case of the disappearing train is only the beginning of the nation's difficulties. The missing message must be found and decoded, and a diplomat's wife must be rescued from the clutches of a pernicious blackmailer.
The nation is in danger, and if a diplomatic scandal of disastrous proportions is to be avoided, even Sherlock Holmes' brilliance (augmented by his housekeeper Mrs. Hudson) may not be enough!
Critique: Another deftly crafted 'Holmes & Hudson' historic mystery by Martin Davies, "Mrs Hudson and the Samarkand Conspiracy" is a fun read from cover to cover and a 'must' for the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans -- especially those that had always held that Sherlock's housekeeper represented more than met the eye. Davies fully captures the spirit of the Sherlock Holmes canon and this large print paperback edition from Boldwood Books is an ideal pick for personal and community library Historical Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that it is also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (9780750553193, $111.95 / $95.16, CD & 9780750553209, $111.95 / $95.16, MP3-CD).
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Martin Davies on FantasticFiction at: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/martin-davies
A Season For Justice
John Pilkington
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781807346218, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781807346218
Synopsis: England, 1618.
Ex-magistrate Robert Belstrang receives a plea from a dying friend, Sir Richard Mountford, to visit him at Foxhill Manor. However once he arrives, he discovers that Sir Richard is not dying, but merely desperate.
His brother John has been killed in an explosion at the family's iron foundry, down in the remote Forest of Dean. They cast cannons for the Royal Armouries - a royally privileged and lucrative business. But Sir Richard does not believe John's death was an accident, and implores Belstrang (the only man he can trust) to investigate.
But when Belstrang starts to ask questions, the mystery only deepens and once the truth begins to unfold, it does so with dangerous implications reaching far beyond England's shores.
This time Belstrang must follow the trail to the bitter end, which could result in the saving of his own estate - or his total ruin.
Critique: John Pilkington is a master of the historical mystery genre with "A Season for Justice" -- the concluding title in his simply outstanding 'Justice Belstrang Mystery' series set in 17th Century England. A fascinating, entertaining, fully engaging read from start to finish, this large print paperback edition of "A Season for Justice" from McFarland & Company is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Historical Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by John Pilkington on FantasticFiction at: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/john-pilkington
FireLine
Peter Berk
Ie Snaps! by Ingramelliott
c/o IngramElliot Publishing
https://www.ingramelliott.com/fireline.html
9781952961465, $29.99, HC, 208pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/FireLine-Peter-Berk/dp/1952961467
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fireline-peter-berk/1150529251
Ingram Elliot Publishing
https://www.ingramelliott.com/fireline.html
Synopsis: An unhinged scientist introduces a nano-based chemical compound into the Potomac that's designed to purify the world's waterways but that instead sets the river on fire and rapidly spreads directly toward Manhattan, with only the young chemist who first warned against the experiment the worlds best hope of stopping it.
"FireLine" Is a simply riveting novel in which author Peter Berk takes his readers from the heart of Washington, D.C. to the Statue of Liberty -- all of which are directly impacted by an out-of-control firestorm snaking its way to the Atlantic where it could go on to threaten every corner of the world.
A science gone astray, apocalyptic disaster novel, "FireLine" also touches on such personal redemption, heroism in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, friendship and even father-son dynamics.
Critique: Deftly crafted, "FireLine" by Peter Berk is a compelling techno-thriller that explores the complex intersection of artificial intelligence, advanced technology and the potentially catastrophic consequences when powerful systems move beyond human control that (according to today's AI experts) could lead to an extinction event for the human race.
Berk brilliantly combines his original and compelling techno-thriller with timely questions that are now the stuff of the evening news broadcast and governmental debate about the rapid advances of AI and how much control should we surrender to technology -- and what happens when we can no longer take it back? A novel for our times, "FireLine" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "FireLine" from Ie Snaps! by IngramElliott is also available in paperback (9781952961458, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Peter Berk (https://freshfiction.com/author.php?id=50957) has written eight novels, six TV pilots and a dozen screenplays, including several with his father, Howard Berk, which became the basis for the TimeLock series of novels. The original TimeLock novel was a Finalist in three categories of the 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards (Science Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, and Global Thriller) and was named a Distinguished Favorite in the TechnoThriller category of the 2024 Independent Press Award. TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy was published in 2023 and late 2024 saw the publication of Peter's political murder mystery, First Line of Defense (and the publication of his son Jordan's time travel thriller, The Timestream Verdict). In the summer of 2025, IngramElliott published TimeLock 3: The Millennium Paradox and at least two more novels in the TimeLock series are currently in the works.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Eternal Dusk Part 1
James Upsilon
James Upsilon Books
https://www.jamesupsilonbooks.com
9798992499551, $2.99, Kindle, 315pp
Pre-Publication Review: Publishing Release Date: January 19, 2027
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHFMT71N
Author's Website
https://www.jamesupsilonbooks.com/portfolio
Synopsis: Set in Averium, a world in which every choice for good or ill alters the fabric of magic itself, "Eternal Dusk Part 1" by novelist James Upsilon is the story of Astrid, a Black Mage, among the last of her kind, sworn to seek vengeance on the Light Mages who slaughtered her people based on the color of their blood -- and their attempt to overthrow all of Averium.
Her life's purpose is to bring the kingdom to its knees, a single Mage against an enemy as numberless as the sands of the sea. But how far is she willing to go to find revenge? Will she sink to the level of her adversaries? Or are there lines even she is unwilling to cross?
Teresa is a paradox, a timid half-medusa who has spent the last decade trapped in an old church in fear of her life. Though she has no desire for revenge herself, she joins Astrid in her quest out of devotion. To her, the world is new and beautiful, but also frightening and complex. She must fight to find her place in a nation that sees her very existence as a threat.
Cyrus is the ArchKnight, chosen by the Goddess of Light and Unity, sworn to protect The Realms at any cost. Twelve years ago, he ordered the atrocity that brought about the end of the decades-long Great War with the Black Mages, killing Astrid's mother in the process.
Now, his worst fears are confirmed: A Black Mage has been spotted on the outskirts of Averium. He will do whatever it takes to protect his people's fragile peace, even if he must cross further ethical lines. What remains to be seen is what it will cost him to do so.
"Eternal Dusk Part I" is a story that tells both sides of a conflict in which no party is entirely innocent, but no misdeed without its reason. Will the people of Averium find their moral footing amid their biases and shifting values? Or will The Realms fall into greater chaos?
Critique: Original, exceptional, nuanced, and riveting, "Eternal Dusk Part 1" showcases author James Upsilon's extraordinary flair for the kind of imaginative, character and narrative based storytelling style that is ideal for the heroic fantasy saga genre. Emotionally and psychologically engaging from start to finish, this Kindle Edition of "Eternal Dusk Part 1" is especially and unreservedly recommended (when print editions are available in January 2027) for community library Epic Fantasy collections and (now that it is currently available in a digital book format) a 'must' for the personal reading lists of all dedicated epic saga fantasy fans.
Editorial Note: James Upsilon has been writing almost as long as he can remember. He has broad interests and has crafted literary works in a variety of genres and styles. There is an online listing of his books at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51764201.James_Upsilon
The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps
Elizabeth Hrib
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781807955328, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/the%20infirmary%20for%20dragon%20burns%20and%20midair%20mishaps
Synopsis: Burn nurse Eden has accepted a job from her old mentor at the Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps, hoping for peace and quiet in Ember Ridge -- a charming mountain town famous for singed tourists and reckless dragon riders.
Instead, she arrives to find the infirmary in chaos.
Her mentor is stranded out of town, wild dragons are causing havoc and Eden is left running the infirmary on her first day. Worse, she keeps crossing paths with Vaela, the town's dragon wrangler, whose talent for surviving impossible situations is matched only by a talent for getting under Eden's skin.
Vaela is everything Eden hates: brooding, reckless and arrogant.
But when local dragons begin acting strangely and the kingsguard descends on Ember Ridge, whispers spread of the Wretch -- the most feared dragon in the realm. Eden and Vaela are forced into an uneasy partnership to save the town, but every argument between them sparks into something hotter and far more dangerous than they expected.
Because falling for a dragon wrangler was never part of Eden's plan. But neither is watching Ember Ridge (and her guarded heart) go up in flames!
Critique: A deftly blended combination of fantasy, romance, adventure, and dragons, "The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps" by Elizabeth Hrib is an original, clever, and fun read from cover to cover. While this large print paperback edition of "The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps" from Boldwood Books is a solidly and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Fantasy Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dragon themed fantasy fans that it is also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781807955243m $93.95/$79.86 CD & 9781807955250, $93.95/$79.86 MP3-CD).
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Elizabeth Hrib on FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/elizabeth-hrib
In the Algorithm We Trust
Ryan David Ginsberg
https://www.ryandavidginsberg.com
The Ginsberg Publishing House
9798986976662, $11.99, PB, 249pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/ALGORITHM-TRUST-Ryan-David-Ginsberg/dp/B0FGN68PRG
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-algorithm-we-trust-ryan-david-ginsberg/1147764139
Synopsis: Following the Siege of Washington, D.C., the power of the Algorithm is made absolute. Now, every left ear bears a Data Gathering Device, granting the Algorithm access to every thought and desire. Cameras surveil Americans' every move. Dissenters are publicly tortured. The history of pre-Algorithmic Times has been altered. And border walls keep all foreigners out and Americans in.
This is the America Hugo Rodriguez is born into. A Data Gathering Device is implanted at the moment of his birth, immediately beginning his process of indoctrination. Every moment of his life, even the moments he spends in his crib, is dedicated to gathering data for the Algorithm to then use in its customization of everything: his TV shows, his education, his friendships, his relationships, and his propaganda. But when Hugo visits his first zoo, where all dissenters are kept on public display and the Algorithm personalizes only their method of torture, he learns for the first time what is really at stake. Not just his perfect life. Not just his Perfect Match. But his freedom.
A chilling, provocative, political and techno-satire, "In the Algorithm We Trust" focuses not on rebellion and uprise, but instead the most critical element of any dystopia: those who just go along with the system, until they too become complicit.
Critique: There are two novels that everyone concerned about personal freedom in an unfree world are "1984" by George Orwell and now "In the Algorithm We Trust" by Ryan David Ginsberg. As an author, Ginsberg demonstrates a genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style that makes an extrapolation of current technological and political trends vivid and real and possible. An inherently fascinating and deftly crafted read from start to finish, "In the Algorithm We Trust" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Dystopian Fiction collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "In the Algorithm We Trust" from The Ginsberg Publishing House is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).
Editorial Note: Ryan David Ginsberg (https://www.ryandavidginsberg.com) lives in California's Central Valley with his wife and three dogs. When he isn't writing, Ryan works as an educator, teaching students around the county to be empathetic, inquisitive, and thoughtful about the world around them. Either that, or he's posting online to TikTok or Instagram, where he shares his writing and commentary on politics, technology, and the state of modern society.
The Poetry Shelf
Life Travels
Tina Harrach Denetclaw
Finishing Line Press
https://finishinglinepress.com
9798899904455, $27.99, HC, 44pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Travels-Tina-Harrach-Denetclaw/dp/B0GVXLFCR5
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/life-travels-tina-harrach-denetclaw/1149815312
Finishing Line Press
https://finishinglinepress.com/product/life-travels-by-tina-harrach-denetclaw
Synopsis: "Life Travels" is Tina Harrach Denetclaw's debut as a published poet. Each of the poems comprising this collection were written at a time when calm courage was the only path forward for Tina and her Navaho husband, this collection of articulate verse deftly explores the underpinnings of a life prepared to embrace purpose in the face of adversity; to sense self and place when the moorings are unlashed; to gather the small moments; to see beauty in the arc of time and the remarkable people who fill one's life.
Here is a sampling of her word-smithing style:
Smudge
In the winter night sky
facing south
near to the horizon
it's the smudge of light
just behind the scorpian
steam rising from the teapot.
Sometimes I get lost
in my own neighborhood
But I always know which way it is
to the center of our
Galaxy.
Critique: Original, unique, deftly crafted, meditative, memorable, the poetry and verse comprising "Life Travels" showcases the word-smithing eloquence, imagination, and articulate talents of Tina Harrach Denetclaw. Raised to an impressive level of literary excellence, it is all the more impressive when considering that "Life Travels" is her debut as a published poet. Simply stated, "Life Travels" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Poetry collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for literary students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Life Travels" from Finishing Line Press is also available in paperback (9798899904073, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Tina Harrach Denetclaw is a clinical pharmacist by trade. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in Eclectica Magazine, Silver Birch Press | Poetry and Prose... from Prompts Series, The RavensPerch, Leading the Way: The Wisdom of the Navajo People, Synkroniciti, and Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine. She was a semi-finalist for the Brett Elizabeth Jenkins Poetry Prize, and in the Finishing Line Press 2025 Open Chapbook Competition. She and her Dine (Navajo) husband live in Northern California where her husband is a biology professor, first reader of her poems, and favorite muse for her writing. They have five cats.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides, Vol. 1
Marina Lisa Komiya, author/illustrator
Diana Taylor, translator
Takumi Graphics
c/o Fantagraphics
https://www.fantagraphics.com
9798875002298 $22.99 pbk / $16.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Their-Frontlines-Lives-Japanese-Brides/dp/B0FWHSRRM7
Synopsis: This sensitive and affecting manga debut follows the lives of two Japanese war brides following WWII, and the simmering tensions around identity, sexuality, and cultural change as their country rebuilds from the devastation.
A New York Public Library Best New Comic for Adults 2026
After Japan lost the War, the country was thrown into devastation. No one felt this devastation as much as Japanese women, who, left with few paths to choose from, took low-wage jobs, fell into sex work, and wed American G.I.s. In their affecting graphic novel debut, Marina Lisa Komiya follows the lives of two Japanese women and the American soldiers they marry in this tumultuous time period.
Best friends (and possibly lovers) before the War, Haru and Yoriko are separated in the evacuation of their town during the air raids. As they search for each other afterward, Haru gets by as a waitress, while Yoriko sells her body at a brothel. Their fortunes change when they each meet respectful American soldiers, who take their hand. Arthur, a Japanese-American, grapples with the inner conflict of his dual identity, while Scott is at once fascinated by Japanese culture and wracked with guilt over the destruction American forces have wrought.
Amidst the postwar desolation, love and understanding finds a way, in this powerful work of manga that explores sexuality, identity, and unlikely cross-cultural connection.
Critique: Expertly translated by Diana Taylor, Marina Lisa Komiya's On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides, Vol. 1 is a historical fiction black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) chronicling the difficult lives of two Japanese war brides, each of whom weds an American G.I. in the aftermath of World War II. Haru and Yoriko were once best friends and possibly lovers; separated during the evacuation of their town during air raids, each faces an uphill battle just to eke out a living. Haru earns a pittance of wages as a waitress, while Yoriko joins a brothel and sells her body. Each meets an American G.I., which opens the possibility of marriage as a door to a better life. The G.I.'s are themselves complex characters; Arthur is a Japanese-American balancing his dual identity amid a war-torn nation struggling to rebuild, while Scott admires Japanese culture and feels deep guild over the destruction caused by American forces. On Their Frontlines is a profound and powerful exploration of emotion, desperation, sexuality, morality, and humanity, highly recommended for both personal and public library graphic novel collections.
Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel
Travis Baldree, author
Samuel Sattin, adaptor
Shanti Rittgers & Sarah Webb, illustrators
Ten Speed Graphic
c/o Ten Speed Press
https://crownpublishing.com/imprint/ten-speed
9781984862310, $28.00, HC, 208pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Lattes-Graphic-Samuel-Sattin/dp/1984862316
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/legends-lattes-travis-baldree/1149674208
Synopsis: After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword. The battle-weary orc aims to start afresh, opening the city of Thune's first-ever coffee shop. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success, not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her dreams a reality, she won't be able to go it alone. After all, the true rewards of an uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether they are drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup -- Viv may find something deeper here than she ever imagined!
Critique: Collaboratively produced by the team of author/storyteller Travis Baldree, adapted to a graphic novel format by Samuel Sattin, and the artistic talents of co-illustrators Shanti Rittgers and Sarah Webb, "Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel" is a full-color, action packed, epic fantasy action/adventure in a graphic novel format. A fun read from cover to cover, this hardcover edition of "Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel" from Titan Comics is a very highly recommended and certain to be enduringly popular pick for personal, community, and college/university library fantasy themed graphic novel collections. It should be noted for dedicated fantasy fans that "Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note #1: Travis Baldree is an author; a Locus, Nebula, and Hugo Award finalist; and a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate.
Editorial Note #2: Samuel Sattin is a best-selling, Eisner-nominated writer, editor, and narrative designer of immersive stories across animation, comics, games, and publishing. His books include the national bestselling UNICO Awakening series, Buzzing, Side Quest, The Silent End, and (as co-author) both A Kid's Guide to Anime & Manga and The Essential Anime Guide. He also adapted Cartoon Saloon's Academy Award-nominated Irish Folklore Trilogy into acclaimed graphic novels.
Editorial Note #3: Sarah Webb is an illustrator and cartoonist from Alaska, currently living in Los Angeles. She is the author and artist for the webcomic Kochab, and has drawn backgrounds for TV animation at Cartoon Network, Disney TVA, and Nickelodeon. Her favorite drink is a very sweet matcha latte.
Editorial Note #4: Shanti Rittgers is an Indonesian-American illustrator living in Los Angeles. They've designed characters for animation and games, and made Google Doodles. Once a barista, they now practice medieval combat sports in their free time. They take their coffee as black as the night sky.
Edgar Allan Poe: A Tale of Mystery and Intervention
Norm Konyu
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781806182169, $12.99, HC, 56pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Edgar-Allan-Poe-Mystery-Intervention/dp/1806182165
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/edgar-allan-poe-norm-konyu/1149650145
Synopsis: hen theatrical producer Thomas Evans meets his old friend Edgar Allan Poe in a gloomy tavern, he has a mission: to pull Poe back from the abyss, if only for one evening. As skulls crowd the table and death-haunted ideas spill forth, Thomas counters Poe's macabre obsessions with verse, wit, and impossible hope... urging him to imagine a life beyond despair.
"Edgar Allan Poe: A Tale of Mystery and Intervention" by Norm Konyu is graphic novel comprised of wondrous art, with each sumptuous double-page spread reinterpreting a classic Poe tale (The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, and more) twisting familiar symbols into something both reverent and slyly subversive. The result is a work steeped in dread and humour, rich with atmosphere, shivers, and visual invention.
"Edgar Allan Poe: A Tale of Mystery and Intervention" concludes with an insightful postscript in which Aurora-Award winner Norm Konyu unpacks each literary reference and reflects on Poe's lasting influence on his own work and modern horror. Perfect for Halloween and beyond, Edgar Allan Poe is a love letter to the weird, the macabre, and the stories that refuse to let us go.
Critique: Original, unique, dramatic, and a fun read from cover to cover, "Edgar Allan Poe: A Tale of Mystery and Intervention" by author/illustrator Norm Konyu is an impressive and memorable tribute to one of America's iconic storytellers and is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Graphic Novel collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Edgar Allan Poe: A Tale of Mystery and Intervention" from Titan Comics is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Norm Konyu (https://mooseboy.co.uk) has been a professional animator for companies such as the BBC, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network. In 2024, he won the Aurora Award for the Best Graphic Novel Category with A Call to Cthulhu, and is the creator of The Junction, Downlands, and The Space Between the Trees. He was also the Senior Animator on BAFTA and International EMMY award-winning preschool series Hey Duggee. A Canadian, Norm currently resides in the UK.
The Audiobook Shelf
Death in the Dordogne
J. R. Leigh
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781806566518, $93.95 / $79.86, CD (8 Hours 45 Minutes)
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/death%20in%20the%20dordogne
Synopsis: In need of a break, DI Archie Darling and his trusty Dalmatian companion Juno set off in their camper van to explore the quiet beauty of rural France.
Their journey begins in the Dordogne, to attend the wedding of an old friend Craig. Archie is instantly charmed by the incomparable soothing rhythms of French village life and the picturesque wedding venue, the Manoir la Poisse. So, when one guest is found dead and then another, Archie is reluctant to get involved.
When it becomes clear however that the French police are keen to brush the truth of the deaths under the carpet, Archie's professional sleuthing instinct proves impossible to resist. Before he knows it, Archie is creating his own list of suspects from the many wedding guests, an alarming number of whom have dubious alibis, and ticking off clues.
And as he gets closer to unmasking the killer, Archie and Juno are faced with a dilemma - risk the consequences of meddling or leave town before they're in the crosshairs of a killer!
Critique: A part of author J. R. Leigh's 'Di Archie Darling Mystery' series, "Death in the Dordogne" is now available for his growing legions of fans in complete and unabridged audio book CD and MP3-CD formats from Boldwood Books. Deftly narrated by vocal actor Gerard Logan, "Death in the Dordogne" is an absolute 'must' for dedicated cozy mystery enthusiasts and a high priority recommended for community library mystery/suspense themed audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: There is an online listing of books by J. R. Leigh on FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/j-r-leigh
Editorial Note #2: There is an online listing of books narrated by Gerard Loga on Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Gerard+Logan
Crusader's War
Michael Jecks, author
David Thorpe, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781837033065, $130.95 / $111.31, CD (11 Hours 20 Minutes)
9781837033072, $130.95 / $111.31, CD (11 Hours 20 Minutes)
9781837033126, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/crusader's%20war
Synopsis: Once-close brothers, Fulk and Odo, now find themselves on very different paths - separated by past tragedies and Odo's growing religious fanaticism. While Odo descends into ruthless zealotry, believing himself God's chosen leader and abusing his stolen wife Sybille, Fulk struggles to hold onto his humanity amid the carnage of war.
But the fractured pilgrim army must continue their Holy crusade, marching from the triumphant siege of Nicaea to the towering, commanding walls of Jerusalem. The journey is hard and full of peril -- and some dangers are hiding in plain sight.
Finding unexpected solace in the companionship of the resilient former courtesan Guillemette, Fulk must navigate a treacherous landscape, ravaged by starvation, disease, and the horrors of discontent within their own camp.
But will the conquest of Jerusalem bring these crusaders ultimate redemption and the chance for a new life, or will the gruesome cost of this war damn them all forever?
Critique: Michael Jecks is a master of the historical action/adventure genre with his novel, "Crusader's War" continuing the story of a medieval era crusade where life was short, cheap, and brutal. Effectively narrated by highly skilled vocal actor David Thorpe, this complete and unabridged audio book is available in both CD and MP3-CD editions from Boldwood Books and offers the listener a true 'theatre of the mind' experience. "Crusader's War" is an especially recommended addition to personal lists and community library Historical Fiction themed audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: There is an online listing of books by Michael Jecks on FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/michael-jecks
Editorial Note #2: There is an online listing of books narrated by David Thorpe on Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=David+Thorpe
Barbarian and the Throne
Adam Lofthouse, author
David Thorpe, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781836785552, $130.95 / $111.31, CD (11 Hours 45 Minutes)
9781836785569, $130.95 / $111.31, MP3-CD (11 Hours 45 Minutes)
9781836785613, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/barbarian%20and%20the%20throne
Synopsis: Constantinople, 388 AD.
Videricus, son of Vithimer, heir to the throne of the Greuthungi, runs from the City Guard, his latest theft from the markets in hand. Unwittingly he bumps into a colossus of a man. Armored in glistening scales, draped in a gold trimmed white cloak, the man is Stilicho, a protectore of Rome. Little does Videricus know his life is about to change forever.
Videricus and his companion Ulrich join the Roman army and fight under Stilicho, as he leads his men against a band of renegade Goths. In battle, Videricus must first learn what it is to be a killer of men, before he can hope to grow into a respected leader.
But as the Eastern emperor, Theodosius, prepares himself once more for the brutality of a civil war, Videricus walks a dangerous line between loyalty and devotion. And on the banks of the River Frigidus, flanked by the snow peaked Alps, east will face west in a devastating battle that will change the course of the empire forever.
Critique: "Barbarian and the Throne" by novelist Adam Lofthouse is part of the author's epic saga series 'Shadow of Rome". Now available in the complete and unabridged CD and MP3-CD audio book formats and brilliantly narrated by the vocal storytelling talents of David Thorpe, this story of adventure in armies of Ancient Rome will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for personal and community library audiobook collections.
Editorial Note #1: There is an online listing of books by Adam Lofthouse at FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/adam-lofthouse
Editorial Note #2: There is an online listing of books narrated by David Thorpe on Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=David+Thorpe
The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl
Clare Marchant, author
Helen Stern, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781807038342, $104.95 / $89.21, CD (8 Hours 10 Minutes)
9781807038359, $104.95 / $89.21, MP3-CD (8 Hours 10 Minutes)
9781807038427, $43.50$36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/the%20curse%20of%20the%20saltmarsh%20girl
Synopsis: 1665: When Margery arrives in Saltmarsh looking for her mother, she finds silence, secrets, and backs turned.
But she is not the only thing that has arrived. As the Plague falls on the village, leaving almost no man, woman or child alive, rumors circulate - about a demon dog, about lights floating above the waters, about voices in the dark... And about a girl, one who has brought a curse.
With Margery's mother missing, it becomes clear that these remote, desolate marshes are about to become the most dangerous ground she's ever stepped on...
Now: A beautiful young opera singer named Angel Bailey has arrived in Saltmarsh. She's there to visit her adoptive brother, but she's also running away. Because, after years of longing to know where she came from, she's received word from a woman claiming to be her sister, saying their birth mother's dying wish is to meet the child she abandoned.
But when Angel becomes fascinated with the story of another mother and daughter, and a centuries old curse on the marsh, the land beneath her feet is about to shift forever!
Critique: An original, exceptional, and deftly crafted historical novel by a master of the genre, Clare Marchant's "The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl" is brought to life in a true 'theatre of the mind' experience in the form of a complete and unabridged audio book impeccably narrated by the vocal storytelling talents of Helen Stern. "The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl" is available in both CD and MP3-CD formats from Boldwood Books and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Historical Fiction audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: There is an online listing of books by Clare Marchant on Fantastic Fiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/clare-marchant
Editorial note #2: There is an online listing of books narrated by Helen Stern on Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Helen+Stern
Murder at Christmas
T. A. Williams, author
Simon Mattacks, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781837031566, $93.95 / $79.86, CD, (6 Hours 30 Minutes)
9781837031573, $93.95 / $79.86, MP3-CD, (6 Hours 30 Minutes)
9781837031634, $43.50 / $36.98, PB, Large Print, 510pp
Ulverscroft
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/search/murder%20at%20christmas
Synopsis: Private investigator Dan Armstrong, accompanied by his wife and his canine sidekick, Oscar, are spending the days before Christmas in a luxurious Alpine chalet tucked away in a hidden valley. It should be the perfect escape, except the owner is in fear for his life in a house full of secrets.
Amid perfect winter wonderland scenery, the more Dan discovers about his host and the other guests, he realises that all is not as it seems. What should be a happy family party is riddled with rancour, mistrust and hatred.
Then the snow falls fast and heavy -- and within moments, someone is dead. Accident, suicide, or murder? As the snow closes in, Dan has to work out if he's looking for a killer, or whether he and Oscar are barking up the wrong tree.
Critique: The latest 'whodunnit' by gifted novelist T.A. Williams in his simply outstanding 'Armstrong & Oscar Cozy Mystery' series, "Murder At Christmas" is aptly narrated by the superb storytelling skills of Simon Mattacks. Complete and unabridged, available in a CD or MP3-CD format from Boldwood Books, "Murder At Christmas" is a guaranteed popular pick for personal and community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: There is an online listing of books by T. A. Williams on FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/t-a-williams
Editorial Note #2: There is an online listing of books narrated by Simon Mattacks on Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Simon+Mattacks
The Library CD Shelf
Live at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
David Bode
davidbodemusic.com
MunckMix Live Recordings
$15.00 CD / $9.00 digital
Bandcamp
https://davidbodemusic.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-2026-new-orleans-jazz-heritage-festival
New Orleans native saxophonist David Bode presents Live at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a live stage recording of his performance along with a multitude of talented music artists on woodwinds, trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, keyboards, drums, and more. Brief interludes of stage banter in between beloved jazz favorites and one of Bode's own songs ("Cold Train Funk") make Live at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival the next best thing to being in the show's audience! Live at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is a treasure for jazz connoisseurs, highly recommended. The tracks are Introduction; Happy People (Kenny Garrett); Lover, You Should've Come Over (Jeff Buckley); Stage Banter 1; Monkey Puzzle (James Black); Stage Banter 2; Lush Life (Billy Strayhorn); Syeeda's Song Flute (John Coltrane); Stage Banter 3; Cold Train Funk (David Bode); Stage Banter 4; Airbag (Radiohead); Dear Prudence/Don't Let Me Down (Lennon/McCartney).
Naptown Blues - Songs of Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers
https://christopherwyzeandthetellers.com
Big Radio Records
$25.00
Big Radio Records
https://www.bigradiorecords.com/product-page/naptown-blues
Naptown Blues - Songs of Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell is a tribute album to two legendary blues artists of the pre-war era. The CD includes a 24-page insert and history booklet about Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell. Christopher Wyze & The Tellers have created a resounding and memorable performance of select, genre-defining blues songs, in this resonant treasure, ideal for both personal and public library music collections. Highly recommended! The tracks are I'm Going Back To Tennessee; Naptown Blues; How Long - How Long Blues; The Truth About The Thing; My Own Lonesome Blues; Midnight Hour Blues; Kokomo Blues; Tired of Your Low Down Ways; You Got To Reap What You Sow; Prison Bound Blues; and Birthday in Jail.
Reunion
Mama's Broke
Free Dirt Records
freedirt.net
$23.99 vinyl / $TBA CD
Free Dirt Records
https://freedirt.net/products/mamas-broke-reunion
Mama's Broke is the multitalented Canadian duo of Amy Lou Keeler and Lisa Maria. Reunion is their soulful folk-without-borders album of twelve original songs. The heartfelt compositions are brought to life by Amy Lou Keeler on vocals, guitar, banjo, and shruti box; Lisa Maria on vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo; Paul Kowert on double bass; Philippe Bronchtein on pedal steel; and Bill Allison on double bass. The music of Reunion immerses the listener in the moment, and encourage thoughtful reflection. Reunion is a treasure for fans of the genre, highly recommended. The tracks are Failing; Heaven; Build it Up; All Alone; The Nameless; The Forsaken Lover; Wildflowers; Dig Deep and Win Wisely; Bridges; Fifolet Waltz; Old Fashioned Love Song; and No Great Reunion.
Aphelion
April Stace
https://www.aprilstace.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $TBA digital
Creator's Website
https://www.aprilstace.com/aphelion
Aphelion is a captivating, new age harp music album by harpist, composer, Episcopal priest, and theology professor April Stace. The beautiful, original songs inspire serenity and wonder for the great mysteries of life. Aphelion is a treasure for connoisseurs of masterful harp music, highly recommended. The tracks are Intuition; Holding onto Winter; Train Song; Writing Again; Little Steps; Rice's Hill; Garden; Ojito; Darkness A Gift; Souvenir; wild Patience; Rainbow; Divertissement; and Aphelion/Trisagion.
The Political Science Shelf
The Oligarchs' Arithmetic of Plunder
Leslie St. James
Crown and Lantern Books
9798996383603, $67.99, PB, 1200pp
9798996383610, $34.99, Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Oligarchs-Arithmetic-Plunder-Leslie-James/dp/B0H6ZWTTV4
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-oligarchs-arithmetic-of-plunder-leslie-st-james/1150504424
Synopsis: For three decades after World War II, the United States operated under a set of enforceable constraints that forced capital to absorb its own costs. Wages rose with productivity. Pensions were funded. Jobs were stable. A single working-class income could sustain a family, buy a house, and send children to college. Then in the 1970's and '80s those constraints were dismantled.
The dismantling was not an accident of globalization or the invisible hand. It was the result of a fifty-year campaign by named individuals operating through identifiable institutions: think tanks, courts, regulatory agencies, financial firms, and the political coalitions they assembled.
Step by step, the load-bearing elements of the postwar settlement were removed. Labor law was hollowed out. Pensions were converted from employer obligations into worker risk. Immigration was weaponized against wages. Arbitration clauses replaced courts. Stock buy-backs replaced reinvestment. The wealth that once circulated through workers, communities, and the public balance sheet now flows to a narrow stratum of dynastic families and the new tech oligarchy that has joined them.
"The Oligarchs' Arithmetic of Plunder, Volume I: The Worker" by Leslie St. James is a forensic accounting of how this happened. It is the first volume of a planned four-volume investigation. It. draws upon regulatory filings, court records, financial disclosures, and decades of published reporting, as it traces the dismantling chapter by chapter. The architecture of enforced equilibrium. The campaigns that breached it. The extractive dominance that followed. And the counterrevolution now culminating in techno-feudalism, where data centers, algorithmic management, and programmable identity threaten to replace what remains of American democratic constraint.
This political/economic study is written for two readers simultaneously.
To the American: here is what was done to us, and how.
To the reader abroad: here is a mechanism you can recognize early, before it takes the same form in your own country.
In the pages of "The Oligarchs' Arithmetic of Plunder, Volume I: The Worker", the names are real, the money is traceable, and the arithmetic is documented.
Critique: A deftly crafted, erudite, seminal and groundbreaking study based on extensive and meticulous research, "The Oligarchs' Arithmetic of Plunder, Volume I: The Worker" is American political and economic history documenting the dramatic changes imposed upon the working class by what would come to be called the 1% during the second half of the 20th Century and leading to the economic, political, social, and cultural framework of a dysfunctional American today. "The Oligarchs' Arithmetic of Plunder, Volume I: The Worker" by Leslie St. James is an extraordinary, iconoclastic, revelatory, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal and professional reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Political, Economic, and Class Sociology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. The first of a four volume series, "The Oligarchs' Arithmetic of Plunder, Volume I: The Worker" is essential reading for economic and political science students, academia, governmental policy makers, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: Leslie St. James writes on political economy, labor history, and the mechanics of
concentrated wealth. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School and an MS in computer engineering from the University of Southern California, and has worked in the technology industry, at investment banks, and at investment research firms. The work that follows comes not from the academy or the policy networks that usually narrate these subjects, but from inside the firms and markets it examines. His approach throughout is forensic. His claims are built from named firms, documented transfers, and money that can be traced from source to destination,
so that a reader who distrusts the messenger can still verify the message against the public record.
The 21st Century Millian Manifesto
Harry Zeng
Outskirts Press, Inc.
www.outskirtspress.com
9781977294272, $12.95, PB, 56pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/21st-Century-Millian-Manifesto-Framework/dp/1977294278
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-21st-century-millian-manifesto-harry-zeng/1151219820
Synopsis: With the publication of "The 21st Century Millian Manifesto: A New Framework for Democracy, Merit, and Liberty", Harry Zeng presents a comparative political treatise proposing a modernized, meritocractic electoral framework designed to break hyper-partisan deadlock in Western democracies.
Synthesizing John Stuart Mill's classical liberal philosophy with contemporary 21st-century geopolitical analysis, the manifesto critiques the structural deficiencies of both the Chinese party-state and the US duopoly, offering an actionable blueprint to revitalize modern civil society through institutional meritocracy.
Critique: Deftly crafted and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The 21st Century Millian Manifesto: A New Framework for Democracy, Merit, and Liberty" by Harry Zeng is a seminal, compelling, thought-provoking and groundbreaking study that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library International Relations collections and supplemental Contemporary Political Science curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for political science students, academia, governmental policy makers, and political activists that this paperback edition of "The 21st Century Millian Manifesto" from Outskirts Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Harry Zeng is a Political Science and Japanese Double Major at Carleton College. Formed by a global education across China, Switzerland, Japan, and the United States, his work synthesizes classical liberal philosophy with contemporary systems design. The 21st Century Millian Manifesto is his foundational contribution to civic reformation.
The Business Shelf
muddled, meager & messy
Wendy Beth Moore
Iguana Books
https://iguanabooks.ca
9781771807678, $17.99, PB, 131pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/muddled-meager-messy-masterclass-entrepreneurs/dp/1771807679
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/muddled-meager-messy-wendy-beth-moore/1149920361
Synopsis: Marketing doesn't fail because you're bad it. It fails because it's muddled, meager, messy and drowned in noise.
After 40 years in marketing, entrepreneur Wendy Beth Moore has seen the same pattern derail businesses again and again: chasing shortcuts instead of doing the work that actually drives results.
A masterclass in marketing for entrepreneurs & small business owners, this fully updated 15th Anniversary Edition of "muddled, meager & messy" cuts through hype with practical, hard-earned insight.
There are no magic bullets here. Just the disciplined work of clarifying your value, understanding your customer and building marketing that holds up in the real world.
If you are ready to rethink your marketing and tighten up your approach, "muddled, meager & messy" gives you the clarity to build marketing for your business that will hold up over time.
Critique: Critically important and informative reading for entrepreneurs, business owners, and corporate executives, this 15 Anniversary Edition of "muddled, meager & messy" by Wendy Beth Moore is extraordinarily and thoroughly 'reader/user' friendly in organization and presentation. This combination of DIY instructional guide and how-to manual is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for MBA students, academia, aspiring entrepreneurs, and novice business owners/managers that this paperback edition of "muddled, meager & messy" from Iguana Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Wendy Beth Moore is a revenue growth strategist with 40 years of experience helping businesses cut through marketing noise and drive meaningful results. Grounded in behavioural science and practical strategy, she focuses on how people actually think, decide and choose. Her work across B2C and B2B industries has earned international recognition for effectiveness and innovation. (https://iguanabooks.ca/book-author/wendy-beth-moore)
The Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Lowriding
Stephen Rife
Perago Press
9780998382173, $29.95, PB, 440pp
Publishing Release Date: November 2026
Synopsis: "Lowriding: Cinema in the Era of Customized Content" is an updated and abridged edition of author and film critic Stephen Rife's detailed cinematic history study "Brass Ring: Achievement, Error, and Amendment of the Hollywood Blockbuster" (2019). Students of film history interested in changing forms of cinematic presentation and how they have evolved over the years will find plenty of history and food for thought in "Lowriding", as it provides an in-depth, critical examination of film changes from analog to digital; examines changing viewer experience as a result of these departures; and considers the differences between traditional and modern productions.
Readers will ideally be college-level students or serious film critics and scholars who will appreciate "Lowriding" with its outstanding attention to detail, which demands no less than complete attention, a film background, and critical thinking skills from its audience.
Those with such experience will find that the heady blend of film history, critical analysis, and social inspection weaves an account that moves between past and present cinematic experience as it selects quotes from industry professionals and movies, considers past, present, and future forms of cinematic expression, and delves into the underlying historic technological, social, and artistic influences upon both producer and audience.
Students, contemporary film producers, critics, and industry analysts will find it's worth the time and effort to read "Lowriding: Cinema in the Era of Customized Content" as a compendium of reflective history, analysis, and insight.
Critique: Exceptional, analytical, iconoclastic, and a fascinatingly detailed cinematic history/criticism study that, although primarily an abridgement of film critic Stephen Rife's seminal and groundbreaking study "Brass Ring: Achievement, Error, and Amendment of the Hollywood Blockbuster", this edition of "Lowriding: Cinema in the Era of Customized Content" from Perago Press is updated with new and additional commentary, examples, illustrations, as well as an eleven page Bibliography. Thought provoking and extraordinarily well written, organized and presented, "Lowriding: Cinema in the Era of Customized Content" is a unique and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Cinematic History/Criticism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Stephen Rife is an educator and video artist whose work has been screened at such venues as Exit Art, the Exploding Cinema, and the Walker Art Center.
The Parenting Shelf
Potty Mouths: The shit I would say if I could talk
John Vanis
Outskirts Press, Inc.
www.outskirtspress.com
9781977294197, $32.95, HC, 26pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Potty-Mouths-shit-would-could/dp/1977294197
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/potty-mouths-john-vanis/1151114483
Synopsis: Ever wonder if your baby could talk?
They would probably speak the brutal truth- "Where's the DAMN bottle?" to "Wipe my ASS!"
"Potty Mouths: The shit I would say if I could talk" by John Vanis is not your ordinary children's book. It is a laugh-out-loud look at early parenthood through the most chaotic narrator imaginable - a newborn with zero filter and a full arsenal of profanity.
This adult-humor picture book flips the script on traditional baby stories, delivering sharp satire, raw honesty, and the kind of exaggerated inner monologue every exhausted parent has secretly imagined.
Packed with outrageous baby commentary, over-the-top rants, and brutally funny observations about feeding, crying, sleeping, and surviving the newborn stage, "Potty Mouths" deftly blends parenting humor, satire, and illustrated comedy into a fast, punchy read. Each page channels the voice of a tiny tyrant who's hungry, confused, overstimulated, and absolutely done with everyone's nonsense - making it perfect for parents who appreciate bold jokes and aren't afraid of a little (okay, a lot of) profanity.
Again -- this book isn't for kids. It's for the parental grown-ups who need a break, a laugh, and a reminder that parenting is messy, ridiculous, and sometimes best handled with humor. If you've ever wondered what your baby really thinks, John Vanis gives you the unfiltered version -- and it's gloriously chaotic!
Critique: Original, unique, with a universal resonance for anyone having to raise a baby of their own, and laugh-out-loud funny from cover to cover, "Potty Mouths: The shit I would say if I could talk" by John Vanis (himself a father who is also drawing upon his own experiences with having kids) is an unreservedly recommended pick for personal and community library Parenting and Humor collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Potty Mouths" from Outskirts Press is also readily available in paperback (9781977293107, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: John Vanis is not an award winning author. However, according to his children, he has won 'Best Dad of the Year' award for the past thirteen years. And now, he's exploiting his silly adventures with his kids for monetary purposes, LOL.
The Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Humanity's Tipping Point and the Return to Unity
Cheryl Seas Gorder
Independently Published
9798182493550, $17.95, PB, 161pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Humanitys-Tipping-Point-Return-Unity/dp/B0H6PN72R1
Synopsis: For thousands of years, humanity has searched for answers to life's deepest questions. Why am I here? Why do I feel disconnected? What is consciousness? Is there a deeper purpose to our lives?
In a world marked by division, anxiety, and rapid change, many people sense that something deeper is happening beneath the surface of current events. But what if these challenges are not signs of collapse -- but symptoms of transformation?
"Humanity's Tipping Point and the Return to Unity" is thought-provoking exploration in which Cheryl Seas Gorder draws upon wisdom traditions, psychology, mythology, spirituality, and emerging scientific perspectives to reveal a powerful pattern hidden beneath humanity's greatest stories:
The journey from unity, through separation, and ultimately toward conscious reunification.
At a time of unprecedented division and uncertainty, Gorder offers a hopeful vision of humanity's future -- and a reminder that what appears broken may actually not just be awakening, but remembering.
Perhaps the greatest tipping point facing humanity is not technological, political, or economic, but the journey to unity. -- And perhaps that journey has already begun!
Critique: Timely, thought-provoking, observant, insightful, as well as an inherently fascinating, inspiring, and informative read from start to finish, "Humanity's Tipping Point and the Return to Unity" by Cheryl Seas Gorder is an exceptional and unreservedly recommended addition to the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in philosophy, religion, spirituality, and metaphysics. Extraordinarily well written, organized and presented for the reader's benefit, "Humanity's Tipping Point and the Return to Unity" is also an unreservedly recommended acquisition selection for community and college/university library collections and supplemental Philosophy/Spirituality curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: It should be noted that there is a Spanish language edition: "El Punto de Inflexion de la Humanidad y el Retorno a la Unidad" (9798182493550, $17.95, PB, 170pp).
Editorial Note #2: There is an online listing of books by Cheryl Seas Gorder at: https://www.amazon.ca/Books-Cheryl-Gorder/s?rh=n%3A916520%2Cp_27%3ACheryl%2BGorder
The Literary Studies Shelf
Following the Footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder: An Editor's Reflections
Nancy Tystad Koupal
South Dakota Historical Society Press
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813713, $29.95, HC, 176pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Following-Footsteps-Laura-Ingalls-Wilder/dp/B0HF3P3WSC
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/following-the-footsteps-of-laura-ingalls-wilder-nancy-tystad-koupal/1151070770
Synopsis: A part of the Pioneer Girl Project, with the publication of "Following the Footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder: An Editor's Reflections" Nancy Tystad Koupal compiles more than a decade's worth of blog posts, covering a vast range of topics related to Laura Ingalls Wilder including: LauraPalooza conferences, behind-the-scenes accounts of publishing the Pioneer Girl Project and Little House books, fascinating vignettes about Wilder's life and their influence on her writing, and more.
The final chapter includes a full-length essay that investigates the puzzle of Wilder's posthumously published Little House novel, The First Four Years.
Koupal also muses on her own life's work as an editor, which has given her extraordinary perspective into the working relationship between Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter and editor, Rose Wilder Lane.
Koupal argues that Lane's editing, often brilliant, allowed Wilder's deep understanding of her stories and characters to sing. "Even as her skills increased, Wilder listened to her editor,"
Koupal writes. "She continued to rely on Lane for the polish and restraint that editors impose, for the sure advice about which episodes to omit, what episodes to combine, and how to craft effective openings and transitions that complemented the music of the whole. But Wilder was always the author, Lane the editor, and together, they created classics of American literature."
"Following the Footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder: An Editor's Reflections" weaves Koupal's insight into the intricacies of editing with her lifelong fascination with Laura Ingalls Wilder. The result is a captivating and highly readable series of blog entries that Wilder fans of all backgrounds are sure to learn from and enjoy.
Critique: Occasionally illustrated with historic B/W photos, "Following the Footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder: An Editor's Reflections" is a 'must' for the legions of Laura Ingalls Wiler fans and will prove of immense interest to authors, publishers, and hardcover bibliophiles with an interest in the editorial process. Extraordinarily informative and a simply fascinating read from start to finish, this hardcover edition from the South Dakota Historical Society Press is a unique and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental Laura Ingalls Wilder curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Nancy Tystad Koupal (www.pioneergirlproject.org) is the Director Emeritus of the Pioneer Girl Project and founding director (1997-2020) of the South Dakota Historical Society Press. She received an M.A. in English from Morehead State University in Kentucky and did postgraduate work in American literature at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Koupal is the editor of Pioneer Girl: The Path into Fiction (2023), Pioneer Girl: The Revised Texts (2022), Pioneer Girl Perspectives (2017), and Our Landlady (1996), a collection of L. Frank Baum's satirical newspaper columns.
The Foundations of Tarzan
Jon C. Stott
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476687872, $39.95, PB, 199pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Tarzan-Sources-Themes-Adaptations/dp/1476687870
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-foundations-of-tarzan-jon-c-stott/1149642050
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-foundations-of-tarzan
Synopsis: Since Edgar Rice Burroughs first published Tarzan of the Apes in 1912, the story has been retold and adapted many times in a variety of media. After such success, Burroughs claimed that this book launched him from impoverished husband and father to wealthy, famous writer without any experience or training. However, Burroughs's biography tells a different story: he actually grew up in a well-to-do family and drew from knowledge of classic literature while writing his most renowned tale.
With the publication of "The Foundations of Tarzan: Sources, Themes and Adaptations of the First Two Novels", Professor Jon C. Stott examines the first two Tarzan novels, "Tarzan of the Apes" and "The Return of Tarzan", as coming-of-age stories in which the jungle orphan is finally recognized and accepts his role as the British nobleman Lord Greystoke.
"The Foundations of Tarzan" also identifies the literary influences of the Tarzan books ranging from classical mythology to Kipling's "The Jungle Book" -- and examines each novel and nine subsequent adaptations, exploring the themes, symbolic landscapes and continuing relevance of Tarzan.
Critique: Simply stated, "The Foundations of Tarzan: Sources, Themes and Adaptations of the First Two Novels" by Professor Jon C. Stott is essential reading for the legions of Edgar Rice Burroughs fans with its fascinating insights into this literary treasure. A sterling example of original and meticulous literary scholarship, "The Foundations of Tarzan" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library 20th Century American Literary Criticism & Popular Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Jon C. Stott, a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, has previously published works on independent baseball and the beer industry.
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