Return to home
page Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers
Home / Small Press Bookwatch

Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 14, Number 12 December 2015 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Art Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fiction Shelf Biography Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Self-Help Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Walking in Grace with Grief
Della Temple
Button Rock Press
http://www.dellatemple.com
9780996387804, $14.95, 126pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Part memoir and part meditation guide, "Walking in Grace with Grief: Meditations for Healing After Loss" combines Della Temple's personal story of loss with teachings of energy awareness, mindfulness, and conscious living. Filled with stories of hope and profound confidence in life after life, providing comfort and nurturing for anyone dealing with loss. Della Temple believes it's time to broaden the discussion about death and dying. It may not be necessary to walk the normal stages of grief: from anger, denial, bargaining and depression to the final destination of acceptance. She believes that others too can start at acceptance and stay there throughout their journey of recovery. This might fly in the face of what's considered "normal grieving", but what the author experienced during her period of mourning was an amazing feeling of ease, comfort and nurturing - what she refers to as Grace - that kept her from drowning in the mire of doubt, wishful thinking and regret. "Walking in Grace with Grief" includes meditations for healing that are easy to follow and useful for not only the most pressing moments of grief and loss, but throughout your lifetime.

Critique: Impressively well written and exceptionally well organized and presented, "Walking in Grace with Grief: Meditations for Healing After Loss" is as compelling a read as it is inspired and inspiring. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Walking in Grace with Grief" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

Unspeakable!: A Mother's Journey
Kay Armstrong Baker
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478710813, $11.95, 202pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After her daughter's death in 2000, Kay Armstrong Baker began journaling, compelled to express herself in writing as a way to cope with this unspeakable event in her life. "Unspeakable!: A Mother's Journey" is a compilation of her journal entries that comprises a personal account from the heart of her grief, despair, anger, and hope. It's an honest, heart-wrenching, yet hopeful book that bravely deals with what most parents fear the most-the loss of a child. A child's death leaves a tremendous void for parents, an emptiness that settles within the very core of their being. Kay shares her personal experience in the hope that other grieving parents can gain comfort from it, and know that they are not alone in this convoluted journey called grief. "Unspeakable!: A Mother's Journey" is also for family and friends and those who support parents who stumble along this path of the unspeakable.

Critique: Candid, immensely personal, informative, thoughtful, "Unspeakable!: A Mother's Journey" is a compelling and highly recommended to the attention of any parent or other family member that is grieving the loss of a child. A critically important addition to community library parenting and contemporary American biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Unspeakable!: A Mother's Journey" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Hasan
Drew Saunders
Glendower Media
www.glendowermedia.com
9780914303145 $14.95 pbk / $2.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Sometimes the horror and devastation of war are just normal. Sometimes the noise, the dirt, the destruction and the pain is just part of the day. Sometimes the death and the loss is just what goes to make up your life. Sometimes you just want out.

Critique: Hasan is a work of fiction, yet it is based on the all-too-real war crimes perpetrated against Syria's people. Author Drew Saunders, who has won awards for his work from Eastern Michigan University, portrays a living nightmare and its direct effects upon children who are trapped within it. Hasan is a stark and unforgettable story, harrowing to the final page.

Bohemian Highways
Guardian Stewardship Editions
9780991134915 $29.95 www.gsebooks.com

Synopsis: After World War II and to the early 1980s, artists, writers, architects, performers, spiritual seekers, freethinkers, political dissenters, and social revolutionists gathered in California, intent on creating a new way of seeing and interacting with the world. The result was an unstoppable counterculture that blazed its way across the American tableau, forever changing the national and international spirt of art and culture.

Learn more about the fascinating individuals and groups who created an art, architecture, music, and, often, a productive creative mayhem along the entire Pacific coast, from the remote reaches of northern California, south to the beaches of San Diego. Bohemian Highways is published in conjunction with the 2015 California Preservation Foundation Annual Conference.

Critique: A slipcase encloses this inspired anthology about the avant-garde social, cultural, and artistic movements of California from the 1950s to the 1980s. Second in the "Bohemian" series, Bohemian Highways: Art & Culture Abide Then Divide Along the California Coast is an extraordinary tour of striking developments in modern art history, packed with eyebrow-raising anecdotes as well as insights into the genesis of cultural transformation. Also highly recommended is the first volume in the series, "Bohemian Crossroads: Art & Culture Collide Then Subside on the Monterey Peninsula" (9780991134908, $29.95).


The Art Shelf

Digital Paintings Techniques: Volume 7
3Dtotal Publishing
www.3dtotalpublishing.com
9781909414259, $49.99, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in its seventh year, "Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 7" continues the tradition of showcasing the latest digital painting trends and techniques from industry experts, including Renee Chio and Cris Delara. Renee is a classically trained animator and self-taught illustrator with five years of experience in the animation industry and a massive fanbase. Delara is a pin-up specialist with nearly twenty years of experience in various artistic industries. In this latest volume of a truly outstanding series, aspiring artists will learn how to create robot concepts, scar environments with a natural disaster, sculpt hard-surface air vehicles, craft matte paintings, and design concept cars.

Critique: Profusely illustrated, informed and informative, "Digital Paintings Techniques: Volume 7" is thoroughly 'user friendly' from beginning to end. A pleasure to simply browse through and an exceptionally well organized and presented instructional, "Digital Paintings Techniques: Volume 7" is a "must-have" for any aspiring digital artist and would prove to be an enduringly popular addition to art school and academic library Art Studies reference collection.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Sustainable Fitness
Z. Altug
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781497598232, $22.95, 622pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Written by Z. Altug (a licensed physical therapist and performance specialist with more than twenty-five years of experience in his field) as an easy-to-follow companion guide to medical treatment, "Sustainable Fitness: A Practical Guide to Health, Healing, and Wellness" helps readers understand how to self-manage their recovery and health after visiting the doctor. Organized into six parts, "Sustainable Fitness" covers health and wellness, healing and recovery, weight management and nutrition, mind and body training, an exercise menu, and wraps up with a comprehensive resource section Formatted as a series of lists and handouts so you can quickly access the information you need, "Sustainable Fitness" is a guide that benefits patients and health professionals alike. "Sustainable Fitness" reveals how a proper understanding of exercise, nutrition, stress, sleep, habits, and your purpose in life can give you the ability to achieve and maintain your best level of physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Sustainable Fitness: A Practical Guide to Health, Healing, and Wellness" is very highly recommended for community library Health/Medicine instructional reference collections. Impressively accessible for the non-specialist general reader, it should be noted that "Sustainable Fitness" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

Surviving Cancer: Our Voices & Choices
Marion R. Behr
WWH Press
377 River Road. Branchburg NJ 08876
www.wwhpress.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0615856004/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
9780615856001, $20.95, 268pp

Synopsis: Compiled and presented by Marion R. Behr, "Surviving Cancer: Our Voices & Choices" is a compilation commentaries by a diverse variety of medical professionals with respect to the subject of breast cancer, its treatment and its impact on the lives of patients and their families.

Critique: Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Surviving Cancer: Our Voices & Choices" is a compelling read and very highly recommended for the personal reading lists of patients, family members, and medical professionals dealing with the various issues imposed by a diagnosis of breast cancer. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, content, organization and presentation, "Surviving Cancer: Our Voices & Choices" is a critically important and highly recommended addition to both community and academic library Health & Medicine reference collections. It should be noted that 20% of the profits from the sale of "Surviving Cancer: Our Voices & Choices" are donated to cancer charity.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Ghost Dog
Helen Currie Foster
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781505378269, $12.99, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Ghost Dog" by Helen Currie Foster is the second and latest installment in her outstanding 'Alice MacDonald Greer' mystery series and finds our intrepid sleuth caught up in the intriguing world of Texas country folk music when one popular artist is found dead in a swimming pool and another goes missing. The body of folk icon Annie Temple is discovered just before a concert at the chic recording studio and retreat of Twin Springs, and police suspect a young singer-songwriter, Tessa McElroy, of the murder. It seems that Annie recorded a commercial using Tessa's signature song without her permission. But Alice has concerns about the business practices of the recording studio -- and owner Ray Gimble's strange obsession with killing an engaging stray dog. Alice is also hired to help a local rancher deal with the abandoned belongings of Blanton Geddes, the fabled bad-boy singer known for sporadically disappearing -- except this time, he's left behind not only his truck but also an unpublished novel and recordings of a new song cycle. Set against the rustic beauty of Texas Hill Country, "Ghost Dog" features lively dialogue, quirky characters, and heartfelt music as the small-town lawyer unravels an old mystery to solve a new one.

Critique: Simply stated, Helen Currie Foster is a master of the mystery/suspense genre and "Ghost Dog" is a riveting novel replete with unexpected twists and surprising turns that will prove to be a genuine 'page-turner' of a read for all mystery buffs. Of special note is the inclusion of two original poems at the end of the book. Very strongly recommended as an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Ghost Dog" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.99). Also very highly recommended is "Ghost Cave" (9781505414301, $12.99 PB, $8.99 Kindle), the first of the Alice MacDonald Greer mystery novels.

The Bequest
Nancy Boyarsky
BellBoy Books
9780692481721, $9.99, 270pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Nicole Lewis leads a hectic life, balancing work at L.A.'s most prestigious law firm and a long-distance romance with her English lover. Things go sideways when she tracks down a missing office mate, the firm's in-house investigator, and finds him murdered. Robert's murder, his mysterious wealth, and his inexplicable bequest make Nicole a target for the police, the paparazzi, and the killer. As Nicole's love life takes an unexpected turn, she uncovers evil and corruption among the city's most powerful people. "The Bequest" plays out against the backdrop of Los Angeles, with its peculiar mix of balmy weather, the celebrity-crazed media, and a corrupt power structure hidden by the veneer of glamour and wealth.

Critique: An impressive and deftly crafted mystery replete with unexpected twists and surprising turns, "The Bequest" is a terrifically entertaining read and very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of mystery novel enthusiasts that "The Bequest" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99). Also highly recommended is Nancy Boyarsky's "The Swap" (9780692298442, $9.99 PB, $2.99 Kindle), her first mystery featuring Nicole Lewis.

A Racket in the Burbs
Ben Broeren
Privately Published
www.bendbroeren.com
9780996776301, $12.00, 238pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Ron McCallister's job is to be a hard-ass, to keep unwelcome degenerates out of Starlet's Alley. The strip club is the only locally owned business in Chicago's suburb of Woolrich. The pay beats working anywhere else nearby, and Ron can keep tabs on the city's scum, both well-connected and otherwise. Ron's life changes when a stripper who piques his interest, Carey Sullivan, saves his life from sleazy mob subordinates. The brush with death pits both of them against municipal politicians, local police, and the mobsters who own them. Carey and Ron rely on their wits, a growing cadre of like-minded friends, and a little outside help to strike back at local thugs and attempt to take back their lives. During their struggle, a desire ignites between them that burns brighter than a freshly-lit Molotov cocktail.

Critique: "A Racket in the Burbs" by Ben Broeren is a work of compelling fiction that is inspired by the backdrop of Operation Family Secrets, a real life FBI investigation that crippled the Chicago mob. A riveting read from beginning to end, "A Racket in the Burbs" is very highly recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "A Racket in the Burbs" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

No Need To Know
Mark A. Hewitt
Black Rose Writing
PO Box 1540, Castroville, TX 78009
9781612965789, $23.95, 592pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A major security breach finds the CIA's closest secrets divulged and dozens of their highly-placed spies exposed and killed. As the Agency investigates the source of the disclosures, an old Office of Strategic Services file and the former Director of Central Intelligence become the focal point of their research. A race is on to find the file's secrets. If al-Qaeda's wins, they can acquire "suitcase" thermonuclear devices to attack America. If the CIA gets there first, they can make a deal with a Russian billionaire and trade the missing treasure for the weapons al-Qaeda craves. The political awakening of Duncan Hunter continues as he battles radical fundamentalists across the globe, he thwarts the terrorists' best plans and eliminates their leaders. He survived their latest attempts to kill him when he's finally cornered, captured, and dragged to an al-Qaeda lair. Inside lurks certain doom at the hand of his bitterest foe.

Critique: Impressively well written, "No Need To Know" is a deftly crafted thriller from beginning to end and showcases author Mark A. Hewitt as an exceptionally talented writer of the first order. Very highly recommended for community library collections, "No Need To Know" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition. Simply stated, "No Need To Know" is the stuff of which block buster movies are made! For personal reading lists it should be noted that "No Need To Know" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

The Museum Heist
Kameel Nasr
Curiosity Books
www.themuseumheist.com
9780996175340, $14.95, 230pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the early morning hours after St. Patrick's Day, 1990, two men disguised as policemen gain access to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a stately four-story Italian mansion in the Fenway district of Boston. They handcuff the guards, wrap their mouths with duct tape, and proceed to commit the largest robbery in history. The stolen masterpieces, including Vermeer's The Concert, a Degas, a Manet, and three irreplaceable Rembrandts, are valued at half a billion dollars. Despite a $10 million reward, and the combined efforts of the FBI, Scotland Yard, INTERPOL, and the Canadian Mounted Police, the treasured art is never recovered.

Jump to twenty-five years later. Paris is an ex-con, a classics professor and superbly gifted art forger who is passing the time at a self-storage facility he bought in out-of-the-way New Mexico to earn a living while figuring out what to do next with his life. When a suspicious out-of-towner arrives to check on his belongings, Paris' curiosity gets the best of him. He breaks into the man's storage unit only to find the stolen art now missing for a quarter of a century. With the $10 million in reward money under his belt, Paris sets off for Boston to fulfill his dream of building a classical museum of his own. In order to help the eccentric Lieutenant Lowell nab the illusive thief, Paris dives back into the world of obsession and deception which may send him back to prison.

Critique: "The Museum Heist" is based on the real-life robbery of the famed Gardner Museum and a fast-paced, wily whodunit filled with intrigue, romance and stimulating scholarship. Author Kameel Nasr, an international adventurer and art connoisseur, shines a penetrating light on the motives, habits, and sometimes less-than-noble intentions in the demi-monde of world-class art collecting. Along the way, author Kameel Nasr has created a wonderfully satisfying mystery novel for anyone interested in historical fiction. "The Museum Heist" takes the reader on a veritable roller-coaster ride of suspense. A meticulous portrait of the underbelly of the art world at its highest echelons, "The Museum Heist is very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading list of mystery buffs it should be noted that "The Museum Heist" is also available in an inexpensive Kindle edition ($2.99).

Gallery Pieces
Larry Witham
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.larrywitham.com
9781480824348, $17.99, 258pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In his forties, Julian Peale is getting a fresh start. Formerly in Navy intelligence, he's cast his lot in the New York art world. He's landed a job with the venerable Medici Studios, which also contracts with the NYPD and FBI. On a winter morning, they've run a sting operation to track Russian art smugglers. The caper goes awry, but an odd bit of evidence remains: four art catalogs with graffiti markings. So begins "Gallery Pieces", an art mystery that will keep readers guessing until the end. Peale follows the clues where they lead. He meets a heavy at the Miami Art Fair, chases a mystery bidder at Merriweather's auction in Manhattan, and crosses paths with a Brooklyn performance artist whose pranks are dangerously entangled in the Russian intrigues. Step by step, Peale enters an art world permeated not only by the avant-garde, but by the Russian mob, hackers, forgers, hipsters, and the history of art looting in Europe during WWII. When Peale least expects it, the catalogs lead him on another trail. He is drawn into a long-forgotten mystery surrounding his grandfather, Maxwell Peale, who had been a "monuments man," a soldier who helped reclaim art looted by the Nazis. Peale is on his way to discovering paintings stolen in postwar Europe. Finding the culprits, however, brings him closer to home than he'd imagined.

Critique: A deftly crafted masterpiece of mystery and suspense from first page to last, "Gallery Pieces" clearly documents author Larry Witham as a master of the genre. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all mystery buffs that "Gallery Pieces" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Gold in the Coffins
Dominic Certo & Len Harac
Harmita Press
http://harmitapress.com
9780578155609, $28.95, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Co-authored by Dominic Certo and Len Harac, "Gold in the Coffins " is a taut tale of greed, murder, and revenge as combat-weary Marines take on the crooks of Wall Street. "Gold in the Coffins" follows the story of a tight band of retired Marines who bonded during a bloody tour of duty in Vietnam, only to find themselves facing a darker enemy back home, the demons of Wall Street. Donnie DeAngelo survived Vietnam and the rough streets of his childhood by never giving up the fight, whether his enemy was the Viet Cong or the mob. Defying all odds, he launched a successful coffee and food business, and decided to take his company public, but a Wall Street power broker has other plans for his business: force him and his comrades into bankruptcy and loot the spoils. When Donnie threatens to blow the whistle, his best friend winds up dead-and it looks like Wall Street has drawn first blood. Donnie and members of his former platoon are betrayed by the system they once fought to defend, leading them to conclude that revenge is a dish best served bloody.

Critique: A work of fiction that reads like a documentary expose of the kind of Wall Street corruption that almost led to a second Great Depression just seven years ago, "Gold in the Coffins" is a riveting read from beginning to end. A deftly crafted story of unexpected twists and turns, "Gold in the Coffins" is certain to be a popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Gold in the Coffins" is also available in a paperback edition (9780578155166, $18.95) and in a Kindle format ($6.99).

Still Night in L.A.
Aram Saroyan
Three Rooms Press
561 Hudson Street, #33, New York, NY 10014
www.threeroomspress.com
9781941110331, $15.95, 220pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Michael Shepard, a detective with his own set of problems, is hired one morning by a fashionable young woman at her Hollywood apartment. Soon he's embroiled in a murder investigation that may shed light on a nearly forgotten tragedy. A divorced father wondering how to set his son on a better course in life, the detective gets into deepening trouble as he negotiates a vivid panorama of the town's modern-day beautiful and damned. Author Aram Saroyan harnesses the hardboiled styles of Chandler, Hammett, and Ross MacDonald into a contemporary tale of information age intrigue. The text is supplemented with cell phone photos taken by Saroyan in the same environs in which the story unfolds.

Critique: Aram Saroyan is an internationally known poet, novelist, biographer, memoirist and playwright. With the publication of "Still Night in L.A." Saroyan demonstrates that he is also a master of the mystery genre as well. A terrifically entertaining read from beginning to end, "Still Night in L.A." is very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading lists of mystery buffs it should be noted that "Still Night in L.A." is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).

Death's Angel
George A. Bernstein
GnD Publishing LLC
http://suspenseguy.com
9780989468145, $12.95, 314pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The second serial killer in less than a year is prowling the streets of Miami, systematically killing off some of South Florida's most beautiful young women. Detective Al Warner is just back on The Job, fully recovered from a bullet wound that cracked his skull during a deadly chance encounter with another madman. Due to rigorous physical therapy, Warner is in the best shape of his life, but his days are laced with headaches and his sleep fraught with terrifying dreams. Lack of rest clouds his usually laser-sharp mind, but doesn't slow his single-minded hunt for this new killer. Warner and the FBI's BAU become more frustrated as each new death provides plenty of evidence it's the same Unsub, but no new clues to his identity. They learn the killer's name, Angie Dedios, and eventually realizes it's really "Angel de Dios"... the Angel of God... but they are helpless as more beauties die with no new leads as to this deadly "angel's" real identity. Then Warner's love, Sharon Clark, becomes a target for this madman, and Warner must stop him before she is his 8th victim. Only chance again brings them all together in one final deadly dance of terror.

Critique: A masterfully crafted suspense thriller from beginning to end, "Death's Angel" is a terrifically absorbing read and very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Death's Angel" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Chimera Murders
Frank Maldonado
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781502855534, $15.65, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Blood, fear and mayhem are served up in generous portions as love turns to murder in "Chimera Murders", a psychological thriller by Frank Maldonado. It's a race against time as two good friends fight to stop an unseen evil that penetrates into the very depths of terror!

Critique: A deftly crafted novel of unexpected twists and surprising turns, "Chimera Murders" is an absorbing read from beginning to end and one that documents author Frank Maldonado's exceptionally storytelling skills. "Chimera Murders" is highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading lists of mystery fans it should be noted that "Chimera Murders" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.00).


The Fiction Shelf

The Shakespeare Mask
Newton Frohlich
Blue Bird Press
c/o Yorwerth Associates LLC
410 Fieldstone Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715
www.publishingcoaches.com
9780996048408, $29.99, 372pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the early sixteenth century, a precocious young nobleman draws the attention of the Elizabethan court and of The Virgin Queen herself. A writer and patron of the arts, Edward de Vere is volatile, controversial-and brilliant. He leaves a trail of women and scandal in his wake. But his plays, when he's in the queen's good graces, charm the court. His sonnets turn feelings into sound. Yet the rules of the court say a nobleman may not publish. An earl's name is too sacred for the theater. If DeVere must write, he must do so anonymously, and employ a runner, an almost illiterate cobbler's son from Stratford by the name of William Shakespeare, to claim his words.

Critique: Author Newton Frohlich invested some fifteen years in researching the controversial life and times of William Shakespeare. The result is a truly impressive novel in which close attention has been paid to historical detail. An inherently fascinating and entertaining read from beginning to end, "The Shakespeare Mask" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Historical Fiction collections. Of special interest to Shakespear enthusiasts, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Shakespeare Mask" is also available in a paperback edition (9780996048439, $15.95) and in a Kindle format ($13.14).

The Thundering
Megan Davidson
Champlain Avenue Books
2360 Corporate Circle Drive, Henderson, Nevada 89074
http://www.champlainavenuebooks.com
9781943063093, $13.99, 292pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: What is "normal"? That question consumes psychologist Cathy Morgen when she takes on the case of a devastated teenager named Joseph. In the spring of 1961, Cathy receives a distressing call from the director of Summerhaven Mental Hospital in Portland, Oregon: They need her expertise. Over her husband's angry protests, Cathy drives to the asylum, where she observes a bizarre sight: a kicking, neighing boy behaving exactly like a panicked mustang. What horrors, Cathy asks herself, have caused Joseph to give up being human? Thus begins Cathy's heart-wrenching quest to unravel the mystery of the talented, traumatized "horse-boy" - and in doing so redeem herself for failing to save a similar young patient. Many people are working against her, including an arrogant chief psychiatrist, a doctor who favors a host of barbaric "therapies," and her own spouse. Near escapes, brilliant insights, shocking confessions, and unthinkable betrayal will all play a role in helping Cathy discover the true meaning of "normal"...and the key to healing Joseph's broken psyche. "The Thundering" is a haunting and uplifting tale of brutality and compassion during the darkest times of America's mental healthcare crisis.

Critique: An exceptionally and deftly crafted novel from beginning to end, "The Thundering" is an inherently fascinating and thoroughly absorbing read from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Thundering" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Wait Until I'm Dead!
Elda M. Dawber
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781499766349, $14.50, 346pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Surviving family horror is one thing. Having the courage and determination to reveal it is another. DJ Brava, romance novelist extraordinaire, has the courage. She has the determination. She has friends covering her back. But when unearthing one family secret leads to another and another can she survive the fallout? Some family members beg her to wait until they're dead. Has one of them gone too far in a misguided effort to protect someone -- or something? Structured as a memoir within a novel, readers move through the main character's history of childhood trauma and healing. But it is her actions in the present that propel the story through a series of compelling revelations affecting numerous characters in unforeseen ways. The dialogue is crisp and the humor rich. Emotional connections are profound, and the topic is one that touches the lives of millions.

Critique: A masterpiece of literary fiction with an inherently absorbing theme, "Wait Until I'm Dead!" is a deftly crafted novel from beginning to end and one that documents the impressive and complex storytelling skills of Elda M. Dawber. Very highly recommended for community library Contemporary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that 'Wait Until I'm Dead!" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

Francesco's Song
C. M. Furio
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781512091847, $16.00, 388pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set amidst the drama of Fascist Italy, "Francesco's Song" is the gripping story of one man's struggle to survive. Based on her family history, author C.M. Furio tells the poignant story of young Francesco as he grows up in the small seaside town of Mola di Bari. The saga of birth, love and death in rural southern Italy unfolds as Italy becomes involved in the cataclysm of world events. Francesco's carefree youth ends when, the oratory of Mussolini and the false sense of patriotism seduces him and he joins the military police of the Italian armed forces, the Carabinieri Reali. Stationed in Yugoslavia and later in Milan, everything he treasures is threatened as he confronts events during the war and witnesses firsthand the destruction of his homeland. Fleeing from the occupying Nazi, Francesco is sheltered by sympathizers of a growing resistance movement. He enters the darkest period of his life. where his only dream is to be reunited with his family and the love of his life, Francesca. Based on letters and war-time documents found in the author's family home "Francesco's Song" is a moving portrayal of the struggles of the Italian people during the war years and the customs that bound them. It is the story of an immigrant who never lost the love for his homeland and who valued family above all else.

Critique: Impressively well written and deftly drawing from real-life sources, "Francesco's Song" by Colomba M. Furio-Spigner is an exceptionally crafted novel and an absorbing read from beginning to end. Indeed, "Francesco's Song" is one of those works of literary fiction that will linger on in the mind and memory of the reader long after the novel itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Very highly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Francesco's Song" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.00).

Sovereignty Betrayed: Imperium Proditum
Richard T. Morrison & R. Stephanie Good
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781496915153, $29.95, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A great secret lies hidden within our Constitution that five great statesmen took an oath to conceal. They knew that once revealed, that secret would turn jurisprudence on its head, and likely divide our Nation as never before. Do not make light of what you will read. Oft times, our history borders on a thin line between fact and fiction. So does the novel "Sovereignty Betrayed: Imperium Proditum" written by the collaborative team of Richard T. Morrison and R. Stephanie Good. While it was penned as historical fiction, its premise is one to be taken very seriously. For written within these covers are self-evident truths that constitutional scholars will be debating for years to come. Given today's political climate, "Sovereignty Betrayed: Imperium Proditum" is one of those works of historical fiction that one day could well turns out to be fact!

Critique: Impressively well written and an inherently fascinating read from beginning to end, "Sovereignty Betrayed: Imperium Proditum" is strongly recommended for the personal reading lists for anyone who enjoys a well crafted historical novel, as well as being commended for both community and academic library Historical Fiction collections.

The Apocalypse Men
John Cheney
Shurland Press
9780692518984, $12.95, 350pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "We know the state of the world, we know its history, and most of all, what it will be!" With these chilling words, a new terrorist group sets off a series of horrifying attacks, claiming they are destined to fulfill prophecy from the Book of Revelation. CIA analyst Kyle Ferguson and American intelligence must decipher the group's messages to stop them before it's too late. But as the attacks escalate, Kyle discovers he alone may hold the key to stopping the Apocalypse Men. Forced to confront his scarred past and an uncertain future, Kyle embarks on a journey that will challenge everything he hopes and fears, knows and believes.

Critique: A riveting action/adventure novel from beginning to end, "The Apocalypse Men" by John Cheney is very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. This is the stuff of which blockbuster movies are made! For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Apocalypse Men" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

The Mother Of Invention
Nina Miller
Wasteland Press
18 Village Plaza, PMB # 177, Shelbyville, KY 40065
www.wastelandpress.net
9781681110288, $14.99, 274pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Claire Goldstein dislikes change, but she is about to be overwhelmed by a tsunami of problems. The editor of a newsletter for the Arts and Sciences College at a university in upstate New York, her values and beliefs are challenged when she is instructed to write a series of articles which present hydrofracking in a neutral light. At the same time, her son Stephen, a student at the university, is secretly planning a major anti-fracking demonstration on campus that will threaten his life and her career. There are rumblings of malaise in her marriage to Marco Capobianco, a social psychologist. Her closest friend Maude, who is many years older than she, has developed a serious health problem, and asks Claire to make an extremely difficult commitment. And her very old Bolshevik grandfather, who lives in a nursing home after a stroke rendered him speechless, has apparently fallen in love with a woman Claire considers utterly inappropriate.

Critique: A fully absorbing, complex, and entertaining novel from beginning to end, "The Mother Of Invention" showcases the impressive literary talents of author Nina Miller and is high recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Mother Of Invention" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

The Pawnbroker
Edward Lewis Wallant
Fig Tree Books
www.FigTreeBooks.net
9781941493144, $15.95, 279pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: At 45, Nazerman, who survived Bergen-Belsen although his wife and children did not, runs a Harlem pawnshop. But the operation is only a front for a gangster who pays Nazerman a comfortable salary for his services. Nazerman's dreams are haunted by visions of his past tortures. Remarkable for its attempts to dramatize the aftereffects of the Holocaust, "The Pawnbroker" is likewise valuable as an exploration of the fraught relationships between Jews and other American minority groups. That this unique novel, a National Book Award finalist, remains so powerful today makes it all the more tragic that its talented author died, at age 36, the year after its publication. The book sold more than 500,000 copies soon after it was published.

Critique; Arguably a masterpiece of contemporary American literature, "The Pawnbroker" is very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections. A compelling and inherently absorbing read from beginning to end, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Pawnbroker" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

We'll Live Tomorrow
Will Everett
Galatea Press
www.galateapress.com
9780996287104, $14.95, 385pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In an aid compound in southern Afghanistan, under the watchful eyes of the Taliban, lives Hunter Ames, an American grappling with a dark family history and a growing midlife malaise. As he tries to find meaning in the chaos, he meets the mysterious Karimullah, a former bacha bazi sex slave hunted by his master. "We'll Live Tomorrow" follows the unusual friendship the develops between the two. But menacing forces surround them, imbuing their friendship with the promise of salvation and the prospect of tragedy.

Critique: A deftly crafted novel of impressive complexity, "We'll Live Tomorrow" is a masterpiece of contemporary fiction and a thoroughly absorbing read from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted that "We'll Live Tomorrow" is also available for personal reading lists in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

A Sudden Gust of Gravity
Laurie Boris
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
http://laurieboris.com
9781519181930, $14.99, 286pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Christina Davenport, waitressing to pay the bills, has abandoned her childhood dream of becoming a magician -- until she meets the mesmerizing Reynaldo the Magnificent. He hires her as his assistant for his magic and juggling show; she hopes she can play the role without cutting his giant ego in half. Devon Park, a surgical resident, is escaping his own problems when he visits the street performers in downtown Boston. But the young doctor worries that the bruises beneath Christina's makeup go deeper than the training accident she professes. Convinced the doctor's interest is more than clinical, the mercurial magician attempts to tighten his grip on Christina. Now she needs to decide if the opportunity Reynaldo offers worth the price of admission?

Critique: An impressively well written novel from beginning to end, "A Sudden Gust of Gravity" confirms author Laurie Boris as a master of the Contemporary Romantic genre. An inherently absorbing and entertaining read throughout, "A Sudden Gust of Gravity" is very highly recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "A Sudden Gust of Gravity" is also available in an inexpensive Kindred edition ($0.99).


The Biography Shelf

Walking Out the Other Side
Alan S. Charles
Privately Published
http://walkingouttheotherside.com
9780996830607, $24.99, 338pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Walking Out the Other Side: An Addict's Journey from Loneliness to Life" is the personal story of a journey from childhood to adulthood, from addiction to sobriety, from fearing life to living joyfully. Readers will join Alan S. Charles through the dramatic ups and downs of his life from an adventurous childhood to the tragic early death of his father and his traumatic home life with a mentally ill brother and depressed mother. Readers will learn of Alan's attempts to overcome his past through professional sports such as baseball and harness racing, and then a high profile career in sales. They will plummet with him into a twenty-four-year cycle of cocaine addiction and recovery. Before it's over, Alan's addiction will destroy his aspirations and relationships and almost kill him. Yet he will ultimately walk out the other side. Anyone who has experienced addiction will relate to Alan's story. Anyone struggling with recovery will find hope in these pages. Anyone with addicted friends or family will get a clear picture of how the addict's mind works and how they can best cope with their loved one's behavior while practicing hard love to protect themselves. "Walking Out the Other Side" is a cathartic read that will have a profound impact and maybe even lead to believing in miracles.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Walking Out the Other Side: An Addict's Journey from Loneliness to Life" is a compelling and inherently fascinating read from beginning to end. "Walking Out the Other Side" is very highly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Walking Out the Other Side" is also available in a paperback edition (9780996830614, $19.99) and in a Kindle format ($8.69).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Flourish
Phil Rehberg
Disciple Publishing
9780986382307, $10.95, 266pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Flourish: A Guide To Your Growth In God's Community" by Phil Rehberg is a compact guide to living your life in Christ. It is a handbook for spiritual growth. "Flourish" is for longtime believers as well as newer believers who want to be transformed into the "image of the Son" (Romans 8:29). It explains many of the important principles for following Jesus. Since the greatest commands are to love God and love others, "Flourish" is centered on relationships. Most of the chapters are short so you can pause and absorb what you have just read. "Flourish" can be used for daily devotional or study. In order to make this a good experience for readers, almost every scripture referred to in "Flourish" is quoted in full. There are about thirty pages of quoted scriptures and fifteen blank pages at the end for note taking.

Critique: "Flourish: A Guide To Your Growth In God's Community" is informed, informative, thoughtful, thought-provoking, inspired and inspired. Simply stated, "Flourish" is very highly recommended to all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliation. It should be noted that "Flourish" is also available in a Kindle edition ($0.99).

The Evolutionary Testament of Co-Creation
Barbara Marx Hubbard
Muse Harbor Publishing
http://www.museharbor.com
9781612641720, $21.99, 548pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Evolutionary Testament of Co-Creation: The Promise Will Be Kept" by Barbara Marx Hubbard offers an extraordinary evolutionary and future-oriented perspective on the Gospels of Jesus Christ. Barbara reveals that many of the miracles Jesus performed are actually similar to those acts that we currently aspire to achieve today, but so often without consciousness of Christ love. "The Evolutionary Testament of Co-Creation" builds on the great themes in the New Testament, such as Jesus' statement: "You will do the works that I do, and greater works will you do in the fullness of time..." and St. Paul: "Behold I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, we shall all be changed..." These statements are coming true. The Promise is being kept. We are all being changed. We do have the power of what we called gods. We can destroy the world and we also can restore the Earth, evolve ourselves and all of society. This is the last trump, and the trumpet is sounding for our generation. "The Evolutionary Testament of Co-Creation" invites us to form Evolutionary Bible Study Groups to join together to consider and deepen the guidance for the meaning of our new Christ like powers to be used for a positive future for all Earth life.

Critique: An impressive and unique contribution to Christian Metaphysics, "The Evolutionary Testament of Co-Creation: The Promise Will Be Kept" is an informative, absorbing, and inherently fascinating read that is highly recommended, especially for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in an iconoclastic and gnostic approach to Christian Studies.


The Self-Help Shelf

How to Do the Impossible: And a Whole Lot More
Stan Reynolds
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781514279540, $27.00, 132pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Do you have problems that you need to solve or things you must get done? Here is a systematic approach, like you have never seen before, to help you achieve your goals and improve your productivity. The author has taken time proven self-help principles and presented them in an intriguing fashion utilizing a mnemonic device, the LOGIC DIE(TM). This new tool has already helped numerous solve problems and achieve goals. The LOGIC DIE(TM) system is so unique that you cannot even imagine what it is; all thought when you see it you will say, "Why didn't I think of that!" The LOGIC DIE(TM) system is a true innovative break-through in cognitive processing. You will find it to be quick to learn and easy to apply. It provides a simple path for gaining knowledge and understanding enabling you to make wise decisions and develop realist manageable plans of action that get results. This system delivers the intellectual underpinning that is required for us to overcome our greatest obstacles. It is intuitive in nature and packed full of common sense.

Critique: Offering a quite unique approach, "How to Do the Impossible: And a Whole Lot More" is as practical and effective as it is informative and inspirational. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "How to Do the Impossible: And a Whole Lot More" is highly recommended for both community and academic library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "How to Do the Impossible: And a Whole Lot More" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

The Power of 10
Rugger Burke
Mill City Press, Inc
https://www.millcitypress.net
9780990975311, $27.00, 282pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Power of 10" is a practice for engaging the voice of wisdom through inquiry and advocacy. Inquiry raises our awareness of what is through inviting us to examine our current state of being; advocacy prompts us to live into what is possible. Together, inquiry and advocacy evoke the voice of wisdom, that is, the quiet, still voice inside us, the confluence of knowledge, experience, and insight flowing through all living beings that speaks through our bodies, hearts, and minds. As we learn to listen to it closely, the voice of wisdom reveals our true nature and purpose, calls on us to commit to something greater, and guides us toward being our best selves in every thought, word, and action. At its heart, "The Power of 10" sensitizes us to our own, unique purpose, and helps us discover that spark of the divine at the core of our being. Put simply, it is a practice for engaging your voice of wisdom to become the greatest you -- the you who is meant to be.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative introduction, information about the number 10, and the names of people cited in his book, "The Power of 10" by Rugger Burke is organized and presented in two major sections: Inquiry and Advocacy. Also featured are three appendices (Our Toolkit; Descriptive Terms; List of Common Values); and twenty-three pages of Endnotes. Impressively accessible for non-specialist general readers with an interest in improving themselves, "The Power of 10" will prove to be a unique and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement reference collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Power of 10" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

The Millionaire's Message
Bryan James
Kallisti Publishing
332 Center Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
www.kallistipublishing.com
9780984816279, $11.00, 98pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The readers of "The Millionaire's Message: The Homemade Millionaire's Secrets of the Rich and Free" will meet Michael Zors, a man who began with nothing and now has a lot. He has a message that has the potential to make the reader one of the elite, one of the rich and free, enjoying a life of success and happiness, a life that is just a dream for most people no matter how hard they work, a life where the reader becomes the boss and reap the rewards reserved for bosses. What does it take? Only the willingness to learn the simple secrets and processes that people like Zors use to accomplish anything.

Critique: A quick and easy read that is specifically designed and written for the non-specialist general reader who would like to improve the quality of their life by increasing their access to the money an improved life-style would require, "The Millionaire's Message: The Homemade Millionaire's Secrets of the Rich and Free" is highly recommended and potentially life-changing. It should be noted that "The Millionaire's Message: The Homemade Millionaire's Secrets of the Rich and Free" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Jericho River, second edition
David W. Tollen
Winifred Press
http://winifredpress.com
http://davidtollen.com
9780985451721, $12.95, 356pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in a second edition, "The Jericho River" is one of those unique novels that takes the reader through a magical world shaped by myth and history. Young Jason Gallo sails the river on a dangerous quest to rescue his estranged father. He battles minotaurs and pirates, flees barbarians, stumbles into mummies' tombs, and outwits fairies, philosophers, and scientists. Along the way, he finds love and betrayal, faces the legacy of a broken family -- and flees a hidden foe who threatens all he holds dear. But Jason's tale is more than an just another action/adventure story. The river flows like a kind of time line, carrying the young man through historic lands including Sumer, Babylonia, ancient Greece, Medieval Europe, Napoleon' empire, and many others, each in chronological order. The result is a tracing the history of Western Civilization, from its Middle Eastern origins to the modern era. Professor Gallo, Jason's father, is a historian, and his notes outline the journey, revealing the truth about Cleopatra, King Arthur, and the fall of the Roman Empire. He explains how Snow White began as a goddess and why Eve was created from Adam's rib, as well as the origins of coffee, the cat, chivalry, the Internet, Atlantis, and so much more.

Critique: Impressively well written and an exceptionally entertaining read from beginning to end, "The Jericho River" is enhanced with the inclusion of twenty-six vivid historical illustrations and three maps. An inherently fascinating and absorbing novel, "The Jericho River" is highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library original fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Jericho River" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

Dragons Realm
Tessa Dawn
Ghost Pines Publishing, LLC
www.ghostpinespublishing.com
www.TessaDawn.com
9781937223175, $14.84, 364pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Mina Louvet is a fighter, a human with a powerful will to survive in a world dominated by warlocks, soul-eaters, and shifters. Identified by the king's witch as one of the rare, invaluable females in Dragons Realm who can give birth to a dragon's son, she was stolen from her parents as a child and taken to the Keep to be reared in the ways of the Ahavi. As one of the few, the elect called the Sklavos Ahavi, Mina is expected to feed her master's fire, reanimate his blood, and above all else, give him strong dragon offspring: children who will one day rise to power. But Mina, to her great misfortune, is far too intelligent for her own good. She has a stubborn sense of justice, and she is wholly incapable of blind submission. Dante Dragona is as cunning as he is lethal, as methodical as he is dangerous, and as terrifying as he is powerful. As the eldest of three dragon princes, he is destined to succeed his merciless father to the throne of Castle Dragon. But first he must do his duty to the Realm by governing one of its harsh, unforgiving districts and claiming a Sklavos Ahavi. Hardened by the sadistic abuse he endured as a child and shaped by the tragic suicide of his twin, the prince lives only to fulfill his obligations to the monarchy: to maintain law and order in a bestial land, to contain its magical inhabitants, and to keep the kingdom safe from its mortal enemies, the Lycanian shifters across the sea. Like all primordial dragons, he rules with an iron fist, dominates with absolute power, and punishes with fire. Those who oppose him die a swift and brutal death be they subject, enemy, or slave -- the Realm has no tolerance for weakness. When the iron resolve of a dragon prince clashes with the stubborn will of a slave, bonds will be broken, alliances will be tested, and a kingdom will be set ablaze.

Critique: As a novelist, Tessa Dawn is a master of heroic fantasy and gothic romance. "Dragons Realm" is original and deftly crafted, a riveting and entertaining read from beginning to end that is replete with unexpected plot twists and turns. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library fantasy fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of fantasy enthusiasts that "Dragons Realm" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


Copyright ©2001

Site design by Williams Writing, Editing & Design