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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 15, Number 3 March 2016 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Education Shelf Fiction Shelf
Political Science Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Biography Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Parenting Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Relationship Shelf Military Shelf American History Shelf
Woodworking Shelf Science Shelf LGBT Studies Shelf
Business Shelf Art Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Museum of Unheard (of) Things
Roland Albrecht
Already Not Yet
www.alreadynotyet.org
9780996944205, $20.00, 272pp, PB, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Roland Albrecht's "Museum of Unheard (of) Things" is the catalogue raisonne of the world-famous "literary cabinet of curiosities" in Berlin, which holds the record of being the most visited museum in the German capital. The museum collects unique objects to which curator Roland Albrecht has patiently lent his ear in order to hear the unheard (of) story each of them has to tell. This volume is the first publication to assemble all the 78 stories in the current collection, all categorized according to weight, translated into English for the first time. Included are unheard (of) tales about a clock of a Swiss inventor who promoted "New-Time" (where the day was only twenty hours long, an hour fifty minutes, and a minute fifty seconds) and was subsequently arrested by the authorities; the first portrait ID card in history created for Michel de Montaigne; a fork which reveals the secret history of a meeting of chefs in the Alps; the stone that inspired Thomas Mann to write many of his stories; and the scandalous relationship between the Brothers Grimm and alphabet soup. "Museum of Unheard (of) Things" concludes with a story about the museum itself which may make some readers ponder about the veracity of its existence. These extraordinary tales of seemingly ordinary objects invite the reader to imagine the world differently by listening more carefully and intimately to all the things that surround our everyday lives.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and absorbing read from beginning to end, "Museum of Unheard (of) Things" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library collections, as well as the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in the strange, the weird, the obscure, and the kind of things that made 'Ripley's Believe Or Not' so popular for so many decades.

Leadership And Soft Skills For Students
Cary J. Green
Dog Ear Publishing
4011 Vincennes Road, New Augusta, IN 46268-3005
www.dogearpublishing.net
9781457539190, $19.99, PB, 164pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In today's competitive educational and employment landscape, brains alone won't get you very far. Truly successful students and young professionals exhibit certain skills that make them really stand out from the crowd. They communicate well, dress and act professionally, solve problems, and seem to be natural leaders. "Leadership And Soft Skills For Students" is an instructional guide to acquiring these important leadership and soft skills. Educator and mentor Cary J. Green draws upon his more than 20 years of teaching students to show everyone how they can thrive in their education and in their career by applying the three Rs of Readiness, Relationships, and Results. Readiness teaches you self-awareness. Relationships teaches you to communicate effectively and connect with others in your personal and professional life. Results teaches you to be future-oriented and to set and achieve your goals.

Critique: Whether one is in high school, college, or graduate school, or at the beginning of a career, the advice and practical exercises contained in "Leadership And Soft Skills For Students: Empowered To Succeed In High School, College, And Beyond" are useful for building confidence, social skills, and a professional image. Very highly recommended, especially as a resource teaching invaluable networking techniques that classroom study doesn't cover.

Freedom: The End of the Human Condition
Jeremy Griffth
WTM Publishing and Communications
GPO Box 5095, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia
http://www.wtmpublishing.com
9781741290240, $22.95, PB, 798pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Why do we thinking, rational, immensely clever, supposedly sensible beings behave so ruthlessly, competitively and selfishly that human life has become all but unbearable and we have nearly destroyed our own planet? Are we a flawed species, some sort of evolutionary mistake, fundamentally worthless beings -- or are we possibly the absolute heroes of the story of life on Earth? How are we to make sense of the awesome contradictions of the human condition? Yes, how are we to truly understand ourselves -- because without redeeming, biological understanding there can be no real peace for the human mind, no basis for the much-needed psychological rehabilitation and maturation of the human race.

Venturing, however, into the heart of darkness of this most foreboding of all frontiers for the human mind of the issue of self, the issue of what the human condition really is, has been a near impossible task. When the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote, 'O the mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall, frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed', he was acknowledging how fearfully depressing the issue of the human condition has been for virtually all humans, and why, therefore, our condition has never been truthfully 'fathomed' -- 'truthfully' because innumerable explanations have been put forward for the human condition, but none have genuinely confronted and, by so doing, solved the human condition.

But no longer is this the case, because Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith has been able to venture right to the bottom of the dark depths of what it is to be human and return with the fully accountable, true explanation of our seemingly imperfect lives. At long last we have the redeeming and thus transforming understanding of human behavior! And with that explanation found all the other great outstanding scientific mysteries about our existence are now also able to be truthfully explained -- of the meaning of our existence, of the origin of our unconditionally selfless moral instincts, and of why we humans became conscious when other animals haven't. Yes, the full story of life on Earth can finally be told -- and all of these incredible breakthroughs and insights are presented here in this 'greatest of all books'.

Critique: Impressively well written, persuasively argued, deftly organized and accessibly presented, "Freedom: The End of the Human Condition" is a compelling and articulate read throughout. Highly recommended for both community and academic library collections, "Freedom: The End of the Human Condition" will prove to be of compelling interest to both academia and the non-specialist general reader.


The Education Shelf

The Pigeon Books
Brenda Van Dixhorn
Shell Education
5301 Oceanus Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1030
www.shelleducation.com
9781480769922, $16.95, PB, 72pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Children will love analyzing these hilarious, fun books about a silly Pigeon who tries to get away with too much! Students ages 8 and older will learn to analyze various story elements through the fun, challenging activities and lessons provided in this instructional guide for literature. This guide is the perfect tool to aid students in analyzing and comprehending these goofy stories. Appealing and challenging cross-curricular lessons and activities incorporate research-based literacy skills to help students become thorough readers. These lessons and activities work in conjunction with the text to teach students how to analyze and comprehend story elements in multiple ways, practice close reading and text-based vocabulary, determine meaning through text-dependent questions, and much more.

Critique: Brenda Van Dixhorn's "The Pigeon Books" is a choice pick for classroom teachers and home-schooling instructors to use as reading skills development curriculum materials. "The Pigeon Books" is also simply fun for parents or caregivers to share with children, while making an educational game out of a silly story. Highly recommended.


The Fiction Shelf

The Airshipmen
David Dennington
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781518642524, $24.99, PB, 660pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After WorldWar I, Lou Remington leaves the Marine Corps and joins the Navy to fly airships. He is sent to England to train with his crew to fly R38 back to New Jersey. After a terrible accident, he falls in love and settles down to a blissful life in rural Yorkshire. But the British come knocking at his door with offers for him to assist in building the safest and mightiest airships the world has ever seen. Accepting the position could lead to a spectacular career with infinite rewards - or maybe cost him his life. The British Airship Program is a morass of infighting and political intrigue. Two teams are pitted against each other, each to design and build their own massive airship, modeled as ocean liners of the sky - one will fly to Canada, the other to India. By design, only one team will survive this deadly competition. As an outsider and seconded liaison officer between the two teams, Lou Remington's mission is simple: Keep the peace between the warring parties and help prevent another national tragedy. But it is the misguided passions of the charismatic Lord Thomson, which have more to do with a certain Romanian princess than with aviation, which threaten Lou's goals and forever change the lives of all involved, foreshadowing the demise of the British Empire.

Critique: An impressively crafted multilayered novel, "The Airshipmen" is a fully absorbing read from beginning to end and clearly showcases author David Dennington as a gifted storyteller of the first order. A solidly entertaining novel, "The Airshipmen" is very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Airshipmen" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

The Secrets of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
M. Carol Coffey
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478761518, $20.95, PB, 90pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As the ruler of two kingdoms, Ethiopia and Yemen, Sheba controlled the Red Sea, an important trade route, and was a legendary trader-with precious spices and stones and gold at her command. Sheba had heard of King Solomon and wanted to meet the man who was known to surpass all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. Solomon ruled Israel and built a magnificent temple in Jerusalem that housed the Ark of the Covenant; he believed in the One True God and authorized the Bible's Song of Songs and the book of Ecclesiastes. Sheba traveled six long months over the Arabian Desert to meet King Solomon in Jerusalem, where she showered him with gold and gifts, hoping to establish new trade routes. "The Secrets of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba" brings the story of the infamous meeting between these two influential people from ancient times to vivid life.

Critique: Thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, "The Secrets of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba" is a fascinating and absorbing read that will be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates a well-crafted and biblically based story. Very highly recommended, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Secrets of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

Otma 82-The First Day: Trial and Resurrection
Serge Jusyp
iUniverse, Inc.
c/o Author House
1663 Liberty Dr. Suite #300, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
9781462021765, $27.95, HC, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: At fifty-nine, George Harvey, a retired teacher, makes a sudden realization of where death might actually lead and alters his life with changes in ways he could never have previously imagined. George finds himself propelled on a headlong journey to another world, where he searches for the truth. Though they are strangers at first, George joins forces with a single mother and two young men, each seeking their own truth. With no easy answers, George, Luba, Philip, and Alyosha experience what seems impossible. Now they must decide if what they have learned is not just real-but inevitable. Each answer inspires more questions, and these four apparent survivors of death must now decide for themselves: When does life really end?; Can broken lives ever be reconnected and restored?; How dangerous are our beliefs and our faith?; Are we destined to be put on trial at some time and place in the cosmos?; Can our darkest fears ever be overcome or our most cherished dreams realized?; Is there only one path after death?; What does time really mean? Their search for truth challenges everything they once believed about life, death-and what may follow.

Critique: A deftly crafted and complex metaphysical novel of the first order, "Otma 82-The First Day: Trial and Resurrection" by Serge Jusyp is a deftly crafted, entertaining, thought-provoking, and occasionally iconoclastic novel that is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Metaphysical Fiction collections. It should be noted that "Otma 82-The First Day: Trial and Resurrection" is also available in a paperback edition (9781462021772, $17.95) and in a Kindle format ($3.99).

Snake Garden Paradise
Kenneth Hart
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781475012965, $10.00, PB, 242pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Snake Garden Paradise" by Kenneth Hart is a set in the mid 1970's. The major characters are young people who carry the baggage of their years with the spirit of the times. They are part of a generation who grew up on the dream of a better society, and thought that it would come as easily as all other things had come to them. They brought their energy, confidence, and self-absorption to their projects with creativity and the brash sureness that was part of their country and their age. "Snake Garden Paradise is a novel about how some of them dealt with change and personal loss. People who entered their twenties in the 1970's were already recoiling from an amount of cultural disillusionment. They were old enough to remember the New Frontier of John Kennedy and impressionable enough to have bought into his vision for America. The Civil Rights Movement had affected them, and they had viewed the injustices that were perpetrated against certain underprivileged of the society. They had objected to the Viet Nam War, and they had taken part in political demonstrations. They had stood witness to America's Space program, and they had learned that the possibilities of what man together could achieve were closer to the dreams of fantasy that any before them had supposed. They saw the pop culture as something that they created, and they assumed the music that went with it was just one in what would be an endless series of manifestations of their creative visions. In addition to this array of experiences, about which they knew better was the world of street drugs. Marijuana and what was known at the time as non-addictive cocaine were their tickets to both economic freedom and to worlds yet unexplored. They saw the drug as something they could use with impunity and discarded any information to the contrary as inaccurate hypocrisy.

Critique: Although a work of fiction, "Snake Garden Paradise" author Kenneth Hart has paid close attention to historical detail in the social, political, and cultural context of his novel. The result is a fully absorbing read from beginning to end and an enthusiastic recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Snake Garden Paradise" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99). Also very highly recommended is Kenneth Hart's first novel (set in 1969) in his Ron Tuck series "Reinforcements" (9781470184971, $14.00 PB, $3.99 Kindle, 444pp).

The Valles Caldera
Gary L. Stuart
Gleason & Wall Publishing
9780986344121, $14.95, PB, $6.99 Kindle, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In Book One in The Angus Series, "Ten Shoes Up" (9780986344107, $14.99 PB, $6.99 Kindle, 360pp), Angus came down off his mountain refuge, became a U.S. Marshal and rejoined civilization. That was in 1881. In Book Two, "The Valles Caldera", almost two years have passed when Angus gets another assignment. He's back in the saddle, riding the Rio Chama south to its confluence with the Rio Grande in New Mexico. "The Valles Caldera" is a pressure cooker novel set in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains. For millions of years the caldera escaped human notice. In the 1700s it sustained generations of Indians, Hispanics, and Anglos. It also became a perfect hideout for Mendoza Mendoza and his men. They hope to ambush Marshal Angus and his posse. But Angus and No Mas won't be stopped.

Critique: Once again author Gary L. Stuart has written a truly riveting western action/adventure novel that is a solid entertainment from beginning to end. Of special note are the descriptive action scenes and unexpected plot twists. Like "Ten Shoes Up", "The Valles Caldera" is very highly recommended for western fiction fans and community library collections.

Tom Ugly
Helen Joan Vandepeer
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781495365690, $9.59, PB, 140pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Tom Ugly" by Helen Joan Vandepeer is the story of Mary, an aboriginal girl who gives birth to her baby Tom alone. The father is Old Tom, a man who refuses to acknowledge his son and throws both mother and child out into the night. So begins the life of Tom Ugly as an outcast from both the indigenous tribes of Australia and the new European society. A boy who belong a nobody.

Critique: A deftly crafted and compelling story from first page to last, "Tom Ugly" showcases author Helen Joan Vandepeer as a truly gifted and original storyteller capable of producing an impressively consistent and entertaining narrative. Highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Tom Ugly" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

No Man's Land
Michael Califra
Hadrian Books
9780692342541, $14.00, PB, 332pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Berlin, 1989. Richard, an expatriate American, is working a profitable yet "pointless" job selling software for a small U.S. firm in West Berlin. Among his companions are Katarina Weber, a married mother whose hedonistic escapades help distract Richard from the emptiness of his existence; Knut Heino, a theology student who considers work the consequence of original sin and aims to avoid it by entering the priesthood; and Klaus, a former East German border guard who fled over the Wall and could never adjust to life in the West. Stranded in the isolated enclave of West Berlin without the means to leave, Klaus asks Richard for a favor that requires an excursion to the East German capital. There he meets Traudi Franzke, a young nurse addicted to the communist ideals inherited at an early age from her father. The relationship that ensues between Richard and Traudi, separated from reality by the notorious concrete border, exposes hopes long since betrayed but clung to, nevertheless. Throughout that momentous year, Richard straddles the two distinct worlds of East and West Berlin until events send them careening toward a collision that destroys Traudi's life, completing a journey from an age of ideologies to the "end of history".

Critique: "No Man's Land" by novelist Michael Califra is a compelling and multilayered story set in the heart of the Cold War era and recreates a divided Berlin with impressive accuracy as the background to an original story of intense personal struggle. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "No Man's Land" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

An X-Ray Affair: Or a Modern Comedy of Errors
Chris Malone
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781517799823, $9.95, PB, 220pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Niall McFadden is a prosperous doctor, married and living a sedate life in the mid-west, but after years of mediocrity he covets a top job in an academic institution. Using guile and deception he reaches his goal, but he is quickly out of his depth, and his limited competence soon has disastrous consequences. "An X-Ray Affair: Or a Modern Comedy of Errors" is a humorous exposure of the world of academic medicine that includes Niall's adventures in extra-marital sex, fraud, misconduct and pure hubris.

Critique: A deftly crafted and original story from beginning to end, "An X-Ray Affair: Or a Modern Comedy of Errors" showcases the exceptional storytelling talents of novelist Chris Malone and will leave his enthusiastic readers looking eagerly toward his next literary effort. Highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "An X-Ray Affair: Or a Modern Comedy of Errors" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Journeys Off the Road
Alan Hilfiker
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781502326942, $16.00, PB, 198pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: An old man with a lifelong secret seeks out a German priest in "Old Soldiers". A rancher tracks down a wolf ravaging his livestock in "Alpha Lupus". An army radio technician with a history of running away seeks to escape death in wartime Holland in "The Deserter". In keenly observed encounters ranging from the German battlefields of World War II to a quiet communion on a New York City park bench, Alan Hilfiker's "Journeys Off the Road" is a collection of poignant, intimate, and memorable short stories about men and women trying to find some measure of grace, or power, in a morally complex world.

Critique: The short stories comprising "Journeys Off the Road" wonderfully showcase author Alan Hilfiker's impressive storytelling talents. An exceptionally entertaining and original anthology, "Journeys Off the Road" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.

Till Father's Found
Jackson Adams
Privately Published
9780692605639, $14.95, PB, 334pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: James and Theobald arrive in Oxford University to study Theology. One is searching for evidence of his biological father, who mysteriously disappeared before he was born. The other finds himself caught up in a movement to reform Christianity led by the Evangelical Doctor, John Wyclif. Though separated by centuries, the two tales intertwine, both finding more, and less, than they originally thought possible.

Critique: "Till Father's Found" is a unique, original, and deftly crafted novel, and impressively entertaining read that will hold the reader's fully rapt attention from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Till Father's Found" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

The Wiregrass
Pam Webber
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
www.thewiregrass.com
www.pamwebber.com
9781631529436, $16.95, PB, 392pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Nettie has spent every summer of her life in the Southern Wiregrass town of Crystal Springs, Alabama. This year, she hopes the small town's relaxed pace will give her a break from the unrelenting physical and emotional changes of puberty. But a chance encounter with Mitchell, a seductively handsome yet secretive young man, turns Nettie's summer plans and her heart upside down. As their relationship grows, Nettie realizes Mitchell is harboring a dark and dangerous secret one that, when revealed, rocks the core of the sleepy little town and has Nettie and those she loves running for their lives.

Critique: Smoothly written, deftly crafted, "The Wiregrass" is a compelling and entertaining read from cover to cover. Clearly author Pam Webber is an impressively gifted storyteller of the first order. "The Wiregrass' is very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Wiregrass" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.49).

Resting Places
Michael C. White
Open Books Press
4735 South SR 446, Bloomington, IN 47401
www.openbookspress.com
9781941799239, $16.95, PB, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After receiving the devastating news of her son's death, Elizabeth ekes out a lonely and strained relationship with her husband, Zach. While he takes comfort in support groups, Elizabeth becomes withdrawn and seeks solace from the only thing that helps her forget: alcohol. A chance meeting with a man on the side of the road spurs her to travel cross-country to the site of her son's death in the hope of understanding what had happened. During the trip, she undergoes a transformation, one which allows her to confront the demons of her past but also to acknowledge the possibilities of her future. Through the wisdom and kindness of a man she meets along the way, she finds a means not only of dealing with her pain and her guilt, but of opening herself to the redemptive power of love, and of faith in something.

Critique: An inherently absorbing novel from beginning to end, "Resting Places" is ultimately an inspiring, upbeat story of genuine faith in what we cannot see except with our hearts. Showcasing author Michael C. White's impressive skills as an original and accomplished storyteller, "Resting Places" is an especially recommended addition for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Resting Places" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Silk Road: The Journey
Kenneth Canatsey
Xlibris Corporation
1663 South Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.xlibris.com
9781514405369, $19.99, PB, 398pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It is 1966, and the narrator and his roommate are leaving their California college town in order to hitchhike to New York City and join their friends who are already there. So begins what will become a 20,000 mile journey of loss and redemption. "Silk Road: The Journey" by Kenneth Canatsey is a tale of travel, adventure, and a young man's coming of age, evolving under unexpected and, at times, the most unusual of circumstances. Here, the changing landscape becomes an active - although not always benign - participant in the story. Above all, "Silk Road" is a chronicle of impermanence, in which the narrative - on one level a series of adventures in which places and events change, and bonds between people are formed, developed and severed - becomes, on a deeper level, an examination of transience, as the protagonist searches for meaning and permanence to the farthest ends of the earth, but is able to find it only when he returns home. A spirited, free-wheeling and ultimately sobering story of irreverent and reckless youth.

Critique: Exceptionally well written with impressively original storytelling, "Silk Road: The Journey" by novelist Kenneth Canatsey is uncommonly entertaining from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Silk Road" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

As All My Fathers Were
James A. Misko
Northwest Ventures Press
www.jimmisko.com
9780964082649, $19.95, PB, 416pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Richard and Seth Barrett are devoted to running the family ranch on Nebraska's Platte River. It is their intent to keep doing so the rest of their lives; however, the terms of their mother's will requires them to travel by horse and canoe along the Platte River, to understand why their maternal grandfather homesteaded the ranch three generations earlier. From the grave, she commands them to observe industrial farming's harm to the land, air, and water. A 90-old bachelor farmer, with a game plan of his own, butts in and threatens to disrupt and delay the will's mandatory expedition. Using a gullible hometown sheriff and a corrupt local politician, a conniving, wealthy neighbor, seeking to seize the property, thwarts their struggle to keep their ranch and meet the will's terms. The Platte River, a mile wide and an inch deep, becomes its own character in this turbulent novel and lives up to its legend as being too thick to drink and too thin to plow.

Critique: An extraordinarily well written and unfailingly entertaining read from beginning to end, "As All My Fathers Were" showcases the impressive storytelling talents of novelist James A. Misko. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, "As All My Fathers Were", it should be noted for personal reading lists that this outstanding novel is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.95).

The Governess
Noorilhuda
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781500998561, $18.99, PB, 530pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: At thirty-four, John Lockwood was the best landlord in Berkshire because for despite his absences, his tenants remained happy; he was the richest - the crops and investments both yielded annual benefits; he was the sole heir to his aunt, Lady Cavendish's estate; his advice was sought by peers and friends, and political entrants; he was at the prime of his life, a robust man, with few creases in the face, and he had children to carry his name forward. Still, he wanted to burn everything down. He wanted none of it. It repulsed him. From the abundance of it all, to the gratitude of tenants, to the praise of gentry, to the demands he could not shake off no matter how many creditors he juggled. He hated it all. His good fortune gave him a headache. His children gave him no joy and he hated himself for it. He felt like a disease. He didn't wish to be anywhere for more than a few seconds. He simply wanted an escape it all. Jane was the perfect wife and daughter till a single act of selfishness took it all away from her: "I cannot imagine a sentence more severe than a person limited not by his or her own abilities but by the opinions and expectations of others. And having been made to organize in such a way, comes the remuneration, but no penance or escape." And when their paths cross, the fiery odd relationship guides each towards their inner truths.

Critique: A compelling and deftly crafted novel from beginning to end, "The Governess" is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Noorilhuda's (a senior broadcast producer and freelance journalist currently working in Islamabad, Pakistan) debut performance as a novelist. Solidly entertaining and highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Governess" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Open Country
Jeff Richards
Paycock Press
3819 North 13th Street, Arlington, VA 22201
www.gargoylemagazine.com
9780931181436, $14.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Open Country" a striking debut novel by Jeff Richards, which told in the form of eighteen interwoven stories. Set during the Civil War, "Open Country" offers readers a lyrical and historically presented experience of 19th Century America's defining conflict. These are interrelated tales of love and war, told to potent effect in the vernacular of the time, in which family and human relationships and the music of the time take center stage over the blood-soaked trenches and battlefields.

Critique: An inherently compelling read from beginning to end, "Open Country" is an extraordinary work of historical fiction that is very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Open Country" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

General Houston's Little Spy
Cara Skinner
Tate Publishing
127 East Trade Center Terrace, Mustang, OK 73064
www.tatepublishing.com
9781680284362, $15.99, PB, 180pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "General Houston's Little Spy: A Texas Revolution Story" is the story a girl named Samantha (who originally only wanted to marry her fiancee, Danny Autry, and settle in Texas) as she finds herself embarking on a dangerous mission to assist General Sam Houston and his small fledgling army in their fight for Texas independence against Santa Anna's superior military force.

Critique: Impressively well written and a thoroughly absorbing read from beginning to end, "General Houston's Little Spy: A Texas Revolution Story" is a terrifically entertaining historical novel that is very highly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "General Houston's Little Spy" is also available in a Kindle edition ($13.79).

Goodnight Sunshine
Mark Cameron
Catch Our Drift Productions
PO Box 62, 15 - 292 Gower Point Road, Gibsons, BC, Canada, V0N 1V0
www.catchourdrift.ca
9780994095305, $17.95, PB, 348pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Sleepwalking through life on a quiet island near Seattle, Oliver Bruce is struck twice in one day. Emerging unscathed from an accident that leaves his SUV a crumpled mess, Oliver finds a fragment of a letter about an invention that could change the global energy sector. The discovery brings Oliver face-to-face with the widening chasm between the life he is living as a tedious existence as a cafe owner, husband and father, and the richer life he longs for. Drawn toward the mystery behind the message he intercepted, and to the wife of the man who wrote it, Oliver finds himself on a mission to locate the invention by embarking on a journey that takes him into the jungles of Ecuador. Told against a backdrop of colorful characters and exotic locations, "Goodnight Sunshine" unwinds Oliver's gradual descent from youthful optimism to mid-life malaise, ultimately forcing him to re-evaluate his core beliefs and to face the true source of his discontent.

Critique: A deftly crafted and skillfully written novel from beginning to end, "Goodnight Sunshine" is highly recommended and unfailingly entertaining read documenting author Mark Cameron as an especially skilled and original storyteller. Indeed, "Goodnight Sunshine" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections.

Epiphany
Nickolae Gerstner
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781516839353, $19.95, PB, 322pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Philip Rockcastle discovers that an unimaginable crime paved the way for him to become a priest. Now pastor of a neighborhood church, is he doing what he was meant to do or is his life a mistake? He feels responsible when his counseling efforts drive a mentally troubled parishioner to seek validation for fantasies by making a bogus confession to a murder. Troubled, he visits Tara, a divorced mother of two young boys. The visit is innocent. He is not in love with her. He tells himself that frequently. When a mysterious young girl finally tells him her name, Philip is too shocked to believe, too hopeful to discredit. The young girl and Philip's niece scheme to catch the actual murderer, but he catches them. For once in his life, Philip has no time to reflect. He must act. "Epiphany" delivers an intriguing plot with snappy dialogue and unforgettable characters whose efforts combine to solve a murder. More important, Philip solves the dilemma of his life.

Critique: An original, deftly crafted, and compelling read from beginning to end, "Epiphany" documents author Nickolae Gerstner as an impressively gifted novelist. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted that "Epiphany" is also available for personal reading lists in a Kindle edition ($19.95).

Keeping It Cool
Taylor Hardman
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478752493, $27.95, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Bill Evans feels his life plan is on track. He has his own heating and air conditioning company in the hot California town on the banks of the Colorado River. He has enough work to survive if he keeps expenses down. The repairs and upgrades on an old house he bought at auction are coming along. Then, a box of old letters sends him on a detour. A beautiful young history teacher offers to help him research the events described in the letters and learn more about the soldier and the young woman who had dreams of their own. Soon there is more than just research involved. Having your own business is never easy, certainly not in a tight economy, and complications are soon multiplying. Can Evans meet all the challenges and still find time to follow his heart?

Critique: It's interesting to note that "Keeping It Cool" is a novel that skillfully benefits in terms of background accuracy from its author, Taylor Hardman, having worked as a highschool teacher and worked in his family's heating and air conditions business. A deftly crafted and thoroughly entertaining read from beginning to end, "Keeping It Cool" is highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Keeping It Cool" is also available in a paperback edition (9781478750727, $15.95) and in a Kindle format ($5.99).

An Undisturbed Peace
Mary Glickman
Open Road Media
http://www.openroadmedia.com
9781504018340 $16.99, PB, 378pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Abrahan Bento Sassaporta Naggar has traveled to America from the filthy streets of East London in search of a better life. But Abe's visions of a privileged apprenticeship in the Sassaporta Brothers' empire are soon replaced with the grim reality of indentured servitude in Greensborough, North Carolina.

Some fifty miles west, Dark Water of the Mountains leads a life of irreverent solitude. The daughter of a powerful Cherokee chief, it has been nearly twenty years since she renounced her family's plans for her to marry a wealthy white man.

Far away in Georgia, a black slave named Jacob has resigned himself to a life of loss and injustice in a Cherokee city of refuge for criminals.

A trio of outsiders linked by love and friendship, Abe, Dark Water, and Jacob face the horrors of President Jackson's Indian Removal Act as the tribes of the South make the grueling journey across the Mississippi River and into Oklahoma.

Critique: "An Undisturbed Peace" is a compelling novel taking as its theme the infamous 'Trail of Tears' event that saw the wholesale exodus of Native Americans from their homeland as governmental forces removed them to more hostile reservation locations further west. The result was a kind of death march and an enduring blot on the history of America that still reverberates to this day. "An Undisturbed Peace" is an exceptionally written read from beginning to end and clearly documents author Mary Glickman as a novelist of consummate literary skills. Very highly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "An Undisturbed Peace" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Jake & Clara
David R. Stokes
Critical Mass Press
www.davidrstokes.com
9780996989206, $18.99, PB, 348pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Jake & Clara" is a novel by David R. Stokes that is based on a true story about scandal, politics, Hollywood, and murder, at the dawn of the Jazz Age. When Warren Harding won the White House in 1920, his campaign received millions from Jake Hamon known as "The Oil King of Oklahoma". Harding planned to make Jake the most powerful businessman in America. But Mrs. Harding (some called her "The Duchess") had one condition -- the married man had to end his affair with his long-time mistress, a girl named Clara. Jake and Clara had been together for ten years, since she was seventeen and he was thirty-seven. But Jake coveted the powerful Washington job, and he dumped Clara a couple of weeks after Harding was elected. A few days later, Clara shot Jake. By the time Jake died, Clara was in the wind. A headline-grabbing national search was conducted for the beautiful fugitive. Clara "sightings" were reported far and wide. A pair of colorful lawmen found Clara in an unlikely hiding place and brought her back to Ardmore, Oklahoma to face the charge of first-degree murder. What followed was one of the most sensational murder trials of the era. A "dream team" of powerful lawyers surrounded Clara in the courtroom. Soon Hollywood came calling, wanting to put Clara's story on the big screen -- starring Clara as herself.

Critique: A riveting page-turner of a read from beginning to end, "Jake & Clara" reveals author David R. Stokes as a first rate novelist of consummate storytelling skills. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Jake & Clara" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

Switch-a-Wish
M. B. Earnheardt
Three World Press
www.threeworldsproductionsllc.com
9781943477050, $11.99, PB, 278pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Chris and Amanda Claridge are that couple. They look happy. They live in a well-kept home, have three little girls and fit squarely into the roles of husband and wife. Chris is a handsome college professor who easily charms everyone he meets. He loves his job and can't wait to go to work everyday. Amanda is a dedicated mother and caretaker. She tends to the kids and appreciates how important her job is, even if others don't get it. Underneath the surface of this functioning family, things are unraveling. Marital problems are about to split them apart when something magical happens. Chris and Amanda make a bedtime wish that forces them to live life as the other person. Chris must pretend to be his wife as he takes on childcare and household chores. Amanda steps out of her heels and into her Chris's shoes to tackle his job as a college professor. The role reversal is a revelation for the couple. Neither one has it as good, or bad, as they expected. Can Chris and Amanda make it past the secrets they have kept from each other? Will this new perspective give them the chance to find their way back to love?

Critique: Deftly crafted from beginning to end, "Switch-a-Wish" is a consistently engaging entertainment that showcases author M. B. Earnheardt as a consummately skilled novelist. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Switch-a-Wish" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Codename Cupcake
Jillian Green DiGiacomo
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781519165015, $12.95, PB, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Frazzled mom, Molly Peterson is recruited by a superspy agency to infiltrate the PTA and save the world. Midwood Elementary School is cooling at an alarming rate and Molly must determine the cause and help prevent a potential calamity. A staunch PTA avoider, Molly is disappointed to learn that her assignment will require her to not only join the PTA but "become" the PTA in order to spend as much time as possible in the building . With a back drop of ordinary school functions including back to school night and a fall concert, "Codename Cupcake offers a new twist on the superhero genre. It is fast paced and funny with the underlying message that life really is better when you have super powers.

Critique: "Codename Cupcake" by Jillian Green DiGiacomo is a deftly crafted and absolutely entertaining satire that reveals the author to be an extraordinarily gifted and original storyteller with an impressive gift for wit and humor. Very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Codename Cupcake" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Monday's Edition
Paul Lawrence
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478762713, $17.95, PB, 294pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Martin Adams is a single man that lives in a small East Texas town. He is an IT professional - a computer expert. He works at four different banks by contract three or four days a week. That is his first passion. His second passion is gambling on college and professional football. He started betting in the early 1980's and has not stopped. Not only did he bet with bookies from his home, but he has been to Las Vegas many times in 20 years. He has bet at sports books in Vegas and played all the casino games. He finally quit going to Las Vegas and just concentrated on betting from his home. Some years he would win and some years he would lose. Martin fully explains the basics of football and betting. On opening day of the professional football season one year, he discovered an incredible secret advantage that enabled him to win any pro game he bet on. A secret so powerful, that he could not bet with any of his usual bookies - they would eventually cut off. His only choice was to return to the gambling capitols of the world - Las Vegas and Reno. He would increase his bets to the extent that could make him a multi-millionaire in one season. And that is what he did. What he did not know, that there were the many problems he would face with this choice. He also includes some history of Las Vegas, the dam, and how the 'strip' started. After several weeks, he got on the casino's 'black list', because he always won. Due to the transparency of the Internet, he came to be known as 'the man who never loses'. They could not figure it out. Word got out to casinos all over the state of Nevada. Consequently, he was banned from many casinos. He was accused of cheating and knowing the scores of games in advance (they were getting close). They would throw many roadblocks in his way, but he was able to sidestep them almost every time, due to disguising himself and the help of his friends, who would make his bets. How long can he keep it up?

Critique: With a unique combining of fantasy and gambling and the highroller world of casinos, "Monday's Edition" by Paul Lawrence is a terrifically entertaining page turner of a read from beginning to end from a consummately skilled author with a genuine knack for original storytelling. "Monday's Edition" is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library General Fiction collections.


The Political Science Shelf

Economic Conservative/Social Liberal
Mark Bragg
U.S. Investment Company
www.independentvoters.com
9780615548944, $12.95, PB, 114pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 2014, America bought $508 billion more in foreign goods than foreigners bought from us. The largest single destroyer of jobs in America (nearly 30 million jobs have been exported) has been our enormous trade deficit But why is this subject never mentioned in presidential campaigns? For the simple reason that no one knows what to do about it. Most Members of Congress are lawyers with no real business experience or economic background.

Originally created for the poor, Social Security was for those unable to support themselves in their old age - before it was forced on everyone as a savings account. Unfortunately, that money was stolen first to pay for the Vietnam War and then satisfy other "unfunded federal liabilities". Those are promises the federal government has made with no revenue to pay for them. Few people are aware that the missing money was replaced with IOUs, which Uncle Sam is now borrowing to repay.

While author Mark Bragg agrees it was necessary for an environmental movement to force the government to clean the air and water, he says extremists have now taken over the federal bureaucracy and are using various federal laws to attack our food supply. Even Al Gore believes spending $7 billion a year to subsidize corn production for ethanol is senseless. He should know. He established the stupidity that allows 41% of our corn supply to be made into a corrosive fuel that costs more energy to make than it actually produces.

Government jobs take money from private enterprises to spend on self-defeating welfare, a declining educational system, excessive military defense, and environmental extremism. Rather than generating any wealth, the government's expenditure are consuming it. Most politicians and virtually all bureaucrats don't know the difference between jobs that produce wealth and jobs that consume wealth and stop wealth production.

In "Economic Conservative/Social Liberal", Bragg offers a plan for fixing the dire problems our country currently faces. Written to engage, educate, and inspire further discussion, this deftly written study is intended for any reader interested in gaining greater political and economic understanding for challenging the status quo. Although it is bound to boil the blood of the left and the right, it will make perfect sense to many of the Independent Voters who will decide the next election. You can visit the Mark Bragg's web site at www.independentvoters.com.

Critique: Factual, insightful, informed and informative, "Economic Conservative/Social Liberal" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. Ideal for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in American governmental issues such as the national debt and what can be done about it, "Economic Conservative/Social Liberal" is very highly recommended for both academic and community library Political Science collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Economic Conservative/Social Liberal" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Topaz and the Green Fairies
Pat Frayne
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781518621154, $10.75, PB, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "For once in his young life he had a sense of self-reliance and what a responsibility that truly was. Whatever happened to him on this journey had the power to make him stronger. Or he could let it destroy him." Such are the thoughts of young Bozel, a pivotal new character introduced in "Topaz and the Green Fairies", the third installment in the 'Tales of Topaz the Conjure Cat' series by Pat Frayne. In this latest high adventure story we journey to an island in the midst of chaos. Severe storms are threatening to obliterate the home where the Green Fairies have lived for generations. It is up to young Bozel to find help to save his people before they perish. Along the way he encounters numerous obstacles and life changing situations. Bozel must overcome not only his own personal fears and self-doubt, but grave danger as well. At the same time there is trouble for Topaz and the other inhabitants of Knownotten Kingdom. Otis has been injured and is trapped in a desolate land where he finds himself held in the thrall of a sinister creature. When Bozel finally crosses paths with Topaz and his friends the race is on to hatch a daring plan to save the Green Fairies. Topaz will be faced with the ultimate test of strength, courage and commitment to others.

Critique: Another superbly crafted and entertaining story from the pen of gifted and original novelist Pat Frayne, "Topaz and the Green Fairies" is very highly recommended as an enduringly popular addition to any community library Fantasy Fiction collection. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Topaz and the Green Fairies" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

A Hole in the Ice
McCallum J. Morgan
Little Bird Publishing House
www.littlebirdpublishinghouse.com
9780956739575, $11.99, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "A Hole in The Ice" is an epic historical fantasy sweeping across time, myth and nineteenth-century Europe. A decadent cast of characters embark on a mysterious journey in pursuit of a mythical lost land said to be inhabited by beautiful but deadly mermaids. As the reader sweeps across the story under the glimmer of chandeliers and falling snow flakes, they are taken on a beautiful adventure to the very limits of the imagination. Each character in this extraordinary tale has their own personal treasure they are hunting and each one will pay a price higher than they ever anticipated.

Critique: An impressively entertaining and thoroughly absorbing read from beginning to end, "A Hole in the Ice" documents author McCallum J. Morgan as an exceptionally talented author and a master of the fantasy adventure genre. Very highly recommended for community library Science Fiction/Fantasy collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Hole in the Ice" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Der Filmvorfuhrer: A Novel
Frederick Barrows
Lone Argonaut
5000 West Esplanade Avenue, #280, Metairie, LA 70006
www.loneargo.com
9780989372992, $28.99, HC, 350pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Jarrett Yawp thought he could "control the light". But he soon discovers that being a successful projectionist, the master manipulator of fantasy and reality behind the immersive new art form of the HoloPlay (a holographic-projected format that allows players to appear in classic and new movies), means being able to comprehend-and control-far more than the simple reality in front of you. What constitutes art in our ever-evolving consumer culture? How much control do we really exert over our own fates? Is time travel a scientific possibility? "Der Filmvorfuhrer" (The Projectionist), poses these and other intriguing questions, while taking the reader on a whirlwind tour of some of the more obscure corners of film history.

Critique: "Der Filmvorfuhrer: A Novel" by Frederick Barrows is an impressively crafted novel that is a compelling, thought-provoking, and entertaining read throughout. Especially recommended for community and academic library Literary and Speculative Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Der Filmvorfuhrer" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

Humanicide
Henry Melton
Wire Rim Books
www.wirerimbooks.com
9781935236634, $14.99, PB, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Mars was terraformed, and the biotech engineers could walk on Luna without breathing gear. Earth had three moons and hundreds of orbiting habitats in the Clusters. The great Terraforming Project was hitting its stride, but there were conflicts over which nations would get favored colonization sites on Luna and the anti-technology Three Sins cult was demanding that it all stop. But what disturbed Dr. Bet Nomad, circuit doctor for many of the minor habitats in the Clusters was a simple cough that seemed to be found every place she visited. The more she learned, using banned genetic technology, the tighter her own limitations restricted what she could do. She was banned genetic tech herself, living in the shadows lifetime after lifetime. But she was certain something was wrong -- something evil. "Humanicide" is the final chapter of the Earth Branch of the Project Saga.

Critique: Deftly crafted and compelling from beginning to end, "Humanicide" is an especially recommended read for all dedicated science fiction enthusiasts and one in which author Henry Melton demonstrates that he is a master of the genre. Highly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Humanicide" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

The Terran Consensus
Scott Washburn
Zmok Books
c/o Winged Hussar Publishing
1525 Husle Road, Unit 1, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742
www.wingedhussarpublishing.com
9780990364986, $18.00, PB, 325pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On a lovely summer evening, naval officer Robert Hancock and his daughter, Melissa, look up to see a space battle between alien spaceships taking place in orbit above Earth. Astronaut Kay Youngs and engineer Usha Vasthare have a much closer view from the International Space Station. When one of the alien ships crash lands near an American city, the main characters find themselves drawn into an ancient interstellar war. As evidence mounts that one side in the war has been manipulating humanity for decades in hopes of turning them into unwitting allies in their conflict, the humans are faced with the fact that the other side is preparing an attack to make sure there are no Earthlings left to become allies to anyone. With time running out, the humans must decide who, if anyone, they can trust and how they can best survive the coming storm.

Critique: A science fiction novel set in the near future, "The Terran Consensus" is a deftly crafted story from beginning to end and clearly demonstrate's author Scott Washburn's impressive mastery of the science fiction genre. Very highly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction enthusiasts that "The Terran Consensus" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.49).


The Biography Shelf

The Broken Places
Joseph McBride
Hightower Press
www.thebrokenplaces.info
9781943784127, $27.50, PB, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "The Broken Places", author Joseph McBride, an internationally acclaimed American cultural historian, recalls his troubled youth in the Midwest during the 1960s. Searingly immediate and yet reflective, this is the McBride's memoir of his breakdown as a teenager and triumphant recovery. "The Broken Places" gives an unsparing look at physical and psychological abuse, family dysfunction and addiction, sexual repression, and Catholic guilt. And at its heart, "The Broken Places" is a haunting, often joyous love story. "The Broken Places" offers an unforgettable portrait of Kathy Wolf, a brilliant, vibrant, shattered young Native American woman who taught Joe how to live even though she could not save herself. Kathy's life exemplifies what Ernest Hemingway wrote, "The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially." "The Broken Places" is an extraordinary love story will move you and disturb you.

Critique: A candid, absorbing, thought-provoking, and compelling read from beginning to end, "The Broken Places" is a deftly crafted and intensely personal memoir that is very highly recommended for both community and academic library American Biography collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Broken Places" is also available in a Kindle edition ($18.50).

Surviving Life: Through Faith, Hope and Love
Melissa M. Carson
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478709732, $29.95, HC, 72pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Melissa Carson gave birth to a daughter she named Cori. The child developed Cerebral Palsy, blindness, respiratory distress (which required a tracheotomy), and who was non-verbal. Yet Melissa felt herself to have been blessed to share Cori's journey through life. "Surviving Life: Through Faith, Hope and Love" is also the story of discovering that life isn't short of resources and opportunities. That the true measure of a person's strength is how we continue to exist when that moment does arrive.

Critique: Impressive, exceptional, inspired and inspiring, "Surviving Life: Through Faith, Hope and Love" is a heartfelt read and one of those intensely personal, real-life stories that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself is finished and set back upon the shelf. "Surviving Life: Through Faith, Hope and Love" is very highly recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Surviving Life: Through Faith, Hope and Love" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

My Father's Son: A Memoir
John Davis
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478764199, $24.95, HC, 158pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: John Davis grew up in the 1970s and '80s on the rough streets of Brooklyn, a place where no one thought twice when parents smacked around their kids-or each other. At the center of the tumultuous neighborhood, and John's world, was his larger-than-life father, Roberto. The Argentinean butcher and kingpin drug dealer was a sadistic bully whose mercurial temper left a trail of tears and chaos across his family. John, in particular, seemed to bear the brunt of Roberto's wildly swinging moods. Any wrong word could cause an explosion. Every knock on the door might be one of Roberto's enemies, or the police. In "My Father's Son: A Memoir", Davis recounts how he spent his childhood in constant terror and his teen years learning to fight back. But it was much later, as an adult, that he learned the most shocking thing of all about his father, his past, and himself.

Critique: A vividly candid, deftly crafted, intensely personal, and raptly compelling read from beginning to end, "My Father's Son: A Memoir" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "My Father's Son: A Memoir" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Love And Sobriety
John Wiley
First Edition Design Publishing
PO Box 20217, Sarasota, Florida
www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com
9781622876112, $12.95, PB, 174pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The nightmare journey does not end when early sobriety has been reached. The personality characteristics that made him an alcoholic in the first place still remain. That was a discovery of "John Wiley" who remains anonymous to adhere to the traditions of AA. John's true story as candidly revealed in the pages of "Love And Sobriety" will shock you, enlighten you, and warm your heart.

Critique: More than just another AA memoir, "Love And Sobriety" is a compelling account of personal struggle and redemption that is especially commended to the attention of anyone who is engaged in a similar endeavor to overcoming substance abuse in general, and alcoholism in particular. Exceptionally well written, absolutely candid, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Love And Sobriety" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library collections.

Miracle Man
Scott Pribyl
Tate Publishing
127 East Trade Center Terrace, Mustang, OK 73064
www.tatepublishing.com
9781682706336, $10.99, 98pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Scott Pribyl, survived an internal injury that is 90-95 percent fatal. In the pages of "Miracle Man", he describes his seven-year rehabilitation and comeback. It is noteworthy that in "Miracle Man" Pribyl also describes how he lost fifty pounds in less than two months!

Critique: Exceptionally well written and an inherently absorbing read from beginning to end, "Miracle Man" is specifically recommended to the attention of anyone having to personal deal with a major surgery, illness, disease, or other life-changing personal/financial situation. "Miracle Man" will prove to be of immense value for anyone in need hope, inspiration, spiritual grace, and the sheer will to keep going in an otherwise catastrophic and unforseen personal trauma. Anyone struggling with weight issues will find "Miracle Man" an inspiring example of how to go about losing excess weight quickly yet permanently, and with minimal exercise. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Miracle Man" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.25).


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Wild Notes
Mike Lubow
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781499624465, $11.99, PB, 166pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Wild Notes: Observations Over Time About Birds And Other Fleeting Things" chronicles several year's worth of daily observations written in a logbook style by Mike Lubow, a regular guy who happens to be a bird watcher, among other things. Like so many before him, Lubow is hooked on the elemental kick that starts with an easy-going interest in birds and goes beyond to an interest in all fleeting things. Bird watching, once considered a gentle hobby, is now known to be a wilderness adventure enjoyed by rough and ready men and women of all ages. Hard-muscled, hard-bitten, bug-bitten explorers who bushwhack trackless wilds. Or ordinary folk who stalk neighborhood nature trails. Whichever kind you are, you're out to find animals that are not only accessible, but entirely wild. They could be avian migrants newly arrived from a South American jungle to spend summer with you. Or winter vagrants that flew across a thousand-mile tundra to visit your neck of the woods. Birds, like uninhibited thoughts, go where they want. From them you can acquire a "life list" of sightings, but you can also get insights that would never have occurred if you hadn't lost yourself in the woods for a bit to stalk things that fly in and out of your life. Throughout "Wild Notes", the date shown on the left page indicates a true moment in time. The right page explains what happened then: what was seen, thought about and what was worth sharing with you.

Critique: A uniquely engaging compendium of observation and rumination, "Wild Notes: Observations Over Time About Birds And Other Fleeting Things" is by turns entertaining, insightful, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. A truly absorbing read from beginning to end, "Wild Notes" is very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Wild Notes" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.99).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Christ & Caribbean Culture(s)
Gabriel Malzaire
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781504920032 $14.95 pbk / $3.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Synopsis: This book focuses on the Caribbean church in its attempt to unravel the significance of the Christ-Event in the Caribbean context.

The Challenges for the Catholic Christian in the New Millennium (Part I) articulates the major concerns of the Caribbean church under three main themes, namely, relevance, authenticity, and evangelization. These are presented as the evangelical posture needed for the contemporary period.

Christ and Ethnicity in the Caribbean (Part II) attempts, through the use of the notion of the incarnation, to unravel the concept of Christ as Saviour in the Caribbean context. It attempts to show that genuine Caribbean theology is a reflection on the Christ-Event in the lives of its people. It is geared toward helping Caribbean Christians develop a greater sense of self-worth. It purports that Christology must be related to the identity of a people if it is to engender effective pastoral action.

Toward a Caribbean Christian Civilization (Part III) gives a comprehensive view of the Caribbean reality in which Christianity is lived. It takes into account the influence of the history of the region, the effects of colonialism, the evolution of its culture(s), its ethnic composition and the dispositions that surrounded it, the challenge of traditional religious elements, and the moral question in its varied dimensions. Finally, it presents some suggestions on what a Caribbean Christian civilization should look like if it is to carry out the mandate of Christ.

Critique: Author and bishop Gabriel Malzaire shares his expertise in theology in four essays that discuss the intersection of Caribbean history, society, and Christianity from religious, didactic, and practical points of view. Although Christ & Caribbean Culture(s) adopts a scholarly tone and does not shy from complex concepts, the terminology is generally accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Christ & Caribbean Culture(s) is a welcome and informative addition to public and church library Christian Studies shelves.

Touching the Heart of God
Paul Wilbur
Certa Publishing
PO Box 2839, Apopka, FL 32704-2839
www.CertaPublishing.com
9780996571333, $14.48, PB, 140pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Did you know that you have a huge inheritance and that you serve a King who exposes His plans, purposes, power, and deepest secrets to you as a citizen in His Kingdom? In "Touching the Heart of God: Embracing the Calendar of the Kingdom" you will learn about this King and His Kingdom, including its order, its benefits, and the privilege afforded to its citizens in celebrating the greatest military and spiritual victories in recorded history. The God of all creation actually keeps a calendar that celebrates His activity in the history of mankind and encourages our participation in the feasts. Whether you are a Messianic or Gentile believer in our amazing Messiah, you will find new and empowering insights in "Touching the Heart of God", which will build your faith and provoke your participation.

Critique: "Touching the Heart of God: Embracing the Calendar of the Kingdom" by Paul Wilbur (an Integrity Music recording artist and the founder of Wilbur Ministries) is an exceptionally well written and organized presentation that is as informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring. Very highly recommended reading for all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliation, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Touching the Heart of God" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

A Contrite Heart: Heaven's Doorway
Carol Pettus
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478768159, $15.95, PB, 152pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Our life and the many hard experiences that come can be used to make us heaven ready. The door to heaven is a broken and contrite heart and getting there is often painful. Beyond the pain there waiting for us are the treasures promised since the beginning of time. God's love always provides a way to turn something bad into stepping stones towards His glorious home. "A Contrite Heart: Heaven's Doorway" is an personal account of some of author Carol Pettus' own trials and the road traveled that is still leading her towards the goal.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, informative, and ultimately inspiring account, "A Contrite Heart: Heaven's Doorway" is very highly recommended and rewarding reading that is especially appropriate for all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliation.

The Warrior Way
Leanne McDougall
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781504925532, $13.95, PB, 100pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Leanne McDougall only knew peace and joy as a child, therefore, accepting Jesus as her savior was as natural and easy as breathing air. But when pressures and failures began to overtake her life, Leanne found herself sinking into a black hole of despair where even positive thinking could not save her. Then came that fateful day when her world crumbled around her, leaving her vulnerable to a seemingly invincible enemy: Satan. As anguish consumed her, Satan reveled in what he thought was a victory to capture her soul. But as Leanne discloses in her inspirational memoir, "The Warrior Way: How to Battle Satan and Win Every Time", the moment that should have destroyed her instead transformed her life forever by providing her with spiritual lessons led by her Mighty Warrior-God. As He began to show her how to unravel the mysteries of the Bible and battle Satan to win every time, Leanne now shares the incredible lessons she learned as she discovered the path of the Warrior Way. Indeed, "The Warrior Way" offers her readers poignant glimpses of one woman's journey as God teaches her how to utilize practical methods to battle Satan, believe in herself, and embrace true faith.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "The Warrior Way: How to Battle Satan and Win Every Time" is a compelling and rewarding read that is very highly recommended to all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliation. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Warrior Way" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).


The Self-Help Shelf

Life Without Limits: 100 Inspirational Stories
Ken Taylor
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478762638, $17.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Life Without Limits" is a collection of 100 inspirational stories written by the author Ken Taylor, who is nationally known as "America's Corporate & Personal Coach". Ken's stories cover sports, business, history and everyday people who have performed extraordinary feats of courage and strength.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, these succinctly presented individual stories offer inspired and inspiring accounts across a spectrum of subjects and situations that will prove to be encouraging and motivating for readers of all ages, all backgrounds, and all circumstances. Also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99), "Life Without Limits: 100 Inspirational Stories" is very highly recommended, especially for community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Between Black and White
Robert Bailey
Thomas & Mercer
c/o Amazon Digital Publishing
9781503953079, $15.95, PB, 398pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 1966 in Pulaski, Tennessee, Bocephus Haynes watched in horror as his father was brutally murdered by ten local members of the Ku Klux Klan. As an African American lawyer practicing in the birthplace of the Klan years later, Bo has spent his life pursuing justice in his father's name. But when Andy Walton, the man believed to have led the lynch mob forty-five years earlier, ends up murdered in the same spot as Bo's father, Bo becomes the prime suspect. Retired law professor Tom McMurtrie, Bo's former teacher and friend, is a year removed from returning to the courtroom. Now McMurtrie and his headstrong partner, Rick Drake, must defend Bo on charges of capital murder while hunting for Andy Walton's true killer. In a courtroom clash that will put their reputations and lives at stake, can McMurtrie and Drake release Bo from a lifetime of despair? Or will justice remain hidden somewhere between black and white?

Critique: A gripping legal suspense thriller of the first order, "Between Black and White" clearly displays author Robert Bailey's impressive talents as a novelist. An absorbing and riveting read from beginning to end, "Between Black and White" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Between Black and White" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

Imogene in New Orleans
Hunter Murphy
Rolltop Publishing
http://huntermurphywriter.com
9780990979203, $15.00, PB, 297pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: At the ripe old age of 73, Imogene Deal McGregor has a penchant for following her own instincts, as well as more grit and spunk than her hypochondriac son, Billy McGregor, and Billy's impulsive partner Jackson Miller can handle. The boys take Imogene to New Orleans with their devilishly handsome English bulldog Goose, hoping to visit friends and attend a second line parade, but moments after arriving in the French Quarter, they find their friend Glenway Gilbert murdered in his art gallery. Immediately, Imogene and the boys run into a temperamental and ethically-challenged lieutenant who appears hell-bent on neglecting the crime, compelling them to seek answers themselves. As they delve into Glenway Gilbert's murder, Imogene and the boys realize the deceased artist was surrounded by suspicious friends and lovers. With Goose the bulldog by their side, Jackson and Billy seek answers among old friends and new enemies, while Imogene follows her own ideas on the case. But the sooner they solve the murder, the sooner they can get back to catching beads and eating pralines.

Critique: An exceptionally well crafted mystery replete with unexpected plot twists and turns, "Imogene in New Orleans" is a highly recommended addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs, it should be noted that "Imogene in New Orleans" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Presidential Declarations
Douglas J. Wood
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781508806318, $19.95, PB, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Presidential Declarations" by Douglas J. Wood is a behind-the-scenes political thriller and an inspiring portrayal of a woman's rise to the highest office in the land that gives readers a lot to think about when casting their votes in the next presidential election. Ambitious, smart and one of Washington D.C.'s power elite, Samantha "Sam" Harrison's entire political career, once seemingly unstoppable, is in question and her loyalty to her country is about to be tested as never before. Washington, D.C. sustains the worst terrorist attack in American history, and the President of the United States needs Sam to serve her country once more. Political rivals on opposite sides of the aisle, Sam and the president have never agreed on deeply dividing issues. While Sam realizes that it's time to put aside political differences, get justice, and help the nation to heal, she's not sure whom she can trust. Leading the country out of chaos could put the White House once more within her grasp, but will place Sam, her daughter and her daughter's first child directly in harm's way. Sam's actions in the coming days will decide her family's survival, her political future, and the fate of the United States of America. The stakes have never been higher.

Critique: A riveting read of political suspense, and one that could reflect the political machinations of today's presidential contests, "Presidential Declarations" is a deftly crafted and highly recommended novel for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Presidential Declarations" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.95).

White Ashes
John D. Moulton
iUniverse
c/o AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
http://www.white-ashes.com
9781491771495, $44.95, HC, 738pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Rachael Farrington is sitting on a riverbank when young Jason Beauvale wanders into her life. The two become inseparable, but Rachael's mother is suspicious of the boy; he's wealthy and, for reasons of her own, she has no trust for him and his kind. As the couple become closer, Jason shares a secret: Many years earlier he witnessed his father escape, badly injured, under a hail of bullets. He doesn't know why it happened, or if his father survived, or why his mother then chose a life in hiding, refusing to speak much of him or their past lives again. These are mysteries that haunt the boy and which he aches to resolve. In an ironic twist, as the young couple battle against those determined to end their passionate relationship, they are confronted by the very forces that lurked in Jason's past. In the turmoil that follows, loved ones soon face abduction, imprisonment and death, as an unscrupulous organization, known as The Syndicate, seeks to fulfill a long-outstanding resolution to which Jason unwittingly becomes the key. The fight for justice falls to Rachael, but with high-ranking police corruption working to defeat her, how can she alone bring The Syndicate down?

Critique: An impressively written and complex saga, "White Ashes" is an absorbingly entertaining read from beginning to end and showcases author John D. Moulton as an exceptionally gifted novelist. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "White Ashes" is also available in a paperback edition (9781491771518, $34.95) and in a Kindle format ($3.99).

The Flying Dragon
Georges Ugeux
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781480818545, $30.95, HC, 190pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: No one can resist Victoria Leung. She's beautiful, brilliant, and fearless. Since leaving the fraud department of the Hong Kong Police, she has enjoyed her new status as senior detective at Pegasus, an international security firm based in London. She climbed the ladder by taking down Sun Hung Kai Properties' Kwok Brothers, a real estate empire, and earned the nickname "The Flying Dragon" in the process.

On an otherwise typical morning, Victoria receives a panicked message from her close friend Diana Yu asking for help: Diana's ex-lover, Henry Chang, is in grave danger. Bertrand Wilmington, head of the derivative trading desk of a global bank, has fallen from a window of the twenty-second floor trading room, and Henry Chang is somehow involved. Perhaps with Victoria's help they can clear his name and reveal the secret behind Wilmington's death.

While Hong Kong and Mainland authorities attempt to crack the case with little success, Victoria puts her experience as a banking auditor to use. Her expertise is critical in discovering key clues, and she won't back down until she gets answers. As she searches for the truth, The Flying Dragon quickly becomes enmeshed in a web of arrogance, power, money and sexuality. Will she expose the corruption and bring down a financial giant?

Critique: Clearly author Georges Ugeux effectively draws upon his many years of experience and expertise as a business and government consultant to deftly craft a riveting novel that plays out against a background that has all the earmarks of authenticity. A riveting read from first page to last, "The Flying Dragon" is very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Flying Dragon" is also available in a paperback edition (9781480818569, $14.99) and in a Kindle format ($3.99).

The Keeper of the Crows
Kyle Alxeander Romines
Sunbury Press
50 West Main Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
www.sunburypress.com
9781620066461, $16.95, PB, 284pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: No evil can remain buried forever, as disgraced journalist Thomas Brooks discovers when a wave of death grips the rural Kentucky town of Gray Hollow in terror. Following a very public humiliation, Thomas is looking for a story to get him back on the map - and free of the small town newspaper where he serves out his exile. The apparent murder of a stranger seems to be just what the opportunistic reporter needs, until he discovers the death is merely the start of something bigger. Also investigating the murder is Sheriff Jezebel Woods, who doesn't approve of Thomas' sensationalist intentions. Mounting deaths force the pair to set aside their differences to confront a force that threatens to destroy the entire town.

At the center of the mystery is the disappearance of a boy named Salem Alistair, who designed a series of grotesque scarecrows for his parents' farm - scarecrows that are turning up at each subsequent crime scene. Thomas begins to doubt his uneasy alliance with the sheriff when he realizes Jezebel has her own secret history with Salem Alistair. Thomas and Jezebel are completely unprepared to face the supernatural force at odds with Gray Hollow. As the killings continue, and the town slowly begins to yield its dark secrets, the truth will pit Thomas and Jezebel on a collision course with true evil.

Critique: A compelling and entertaining read from cover to cover, "The Keeper of the Crows" is a deftly crafted novel that reveals author Kyle Romines as a master of the genre. Very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of mystery buffs that "The Keeper of the Crows" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

S.Y.P.H.E.N.
Cortez Law
Metro Black & Blue Books
www.cortezlaw.net
9780967347875, $12.95, PB, 290pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In near the near future metropolis of Sin City, Lincoln Boddies and his friends enjoy a little R & R. Then he sees a woman. He doesn't perceive her as a threat, but something about the woman is off-kilter. Soon after, he recalls the face and realizes that she might hold the key to solving a personal mystery. Yet when he utilizes his psychological insight to generate a behavioral listing to profile what she and the appearance of her male suitor wear, act and whisper about, so only the two of them can hear, though not a perfect checklist unease still courses through him. The conclusion: He believes he's staring at a pair of potential suicide bombers. As his suspicions grow, he enlists the assistance of those friends that refer to themselves quite simply as, The Unit. The uncertainty of the possible catastrophe in the making leaves The Unit doubtful of any imminent threat and some doubtful of Boddies' leadership. Evidence to the contrary, The Unit's surveillance leads them to both old and new Islamic enemies of the state with a diabolical plan to destroy America. However, what lies ahead unbeknownst to them all encompasses a terrifying doomsday scenario. Despite the military and terrorism training and combat against each other around the globe, nothing may help the Delta Force, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham or ISIS members to conquer this newest enemy and defy their inescapable trap. Moreover, there may be no survivors left to stop the S.Y.P.H.E.N.

Critique: A compelling and consistently entertaining novel that is impressively well written from beginning to end with just enough plot twists and turns to keep the reader riveted to the story as it unfolds, "S.Y.P.H.E.N." wonderfully showcases author Cortez Law as an exceptionally skilled and original storyteller. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "S.Y.P.H.E.N." is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Dark Money
Larry D. Thompson
Storey Merchant Books
www.storymerchantbooks.com
9780996990806, $16.95, PB, 430pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Jackson Bryant, the millionaire plaintiff lawyer who turned to pro bono work in Larry Thompson's novel "Dead Peasants" (Thomas Dunne Books, 9781250009494, $34.95 HC, $7.99 Kindle, 304pp), is caught up in the collision of money and politics when he receives a call from his old army buddy Walt Frazier. Walt needs his assistance in evaluating security for Texas Governor Rob Lardner at a Halloween costume fundraiser thrown by one of the nation's richest Republican billionaires at his mansion in Fort Worth.

Miriam Van Zandt is the best marksman among The Alamo Defenders, an anti-government militia group in West Texas. She attends the fundraiser dressed as a cat burglar--wounds the governor and murders the host's brother, another Republican billionaire. She is shot in the leg but manages to escape.

Jack is appointed special prosecutor and must call on the Texas DPS SWAT team to track Van Zandt and attack The Alamo Defenders' compound in a lonely part of West Texas. Van Zandt's father, founder of the Defenders, is killed in the attack and Miriam is left in a coma. The authorities declare victory and close the case-but Jack knows better. The person behind the Halloween massacre has yet to be caught. When Walt and the protective detail are sued by the fundraiser host and the widow of the dead man, Jack follows the dark money of political contributions from the Cayman Islands to Washington to Eastern Europe, New York and New Orleans to track the real killer and absolve his friend and the Protective Detail of responsibility for the massacre.

"Dark Money" is a thriller, a mystery and an expose of the corruption of money in politics caused by the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United.

Critique: Exceptionally well written and an all too believable plot premise given the growing havoc that the Citizens United decision continues to have on American politics and traditional concepts of American democracy, "Dark Money" is a compelling read from beginning to end and very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Dark Money" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

The Bus Bench
Wes Bundy
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478765929, $13.95, PB, 290pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Terribly naive' and unworldly, unwed 17 year old Edna Rollins firmly believes that only married girls have babies. She is devastated, bringing a child into the world the product of being raped nine months earlier. She rejects him and takes her own life two days after his birth. The infant is adopted by a childless couple who christen him Gerry and raise him in an idyllic setting in the farmland of central Ohio. Gerry's childish crush on a TV news woman becomes an overwhelming obsession as he matures. When the network moves her aside for a new face, he is overwhelmed with grief. Her celebrity quickly fades as promotional billboards, placards and posters throughout the city are scrapped except for a solitary and forgotten bus bench which bears her image. Fearful that the bench, which has become his shrine will be discovered, he maneuvers it to an obscure place enabling him to meet and communicate with the love of his life. Learning that she has married a wealthy industrialist and moved to California, he orchestrates a cross country journey to find her. The improbable characters he encounters on his journey ridicule his efforts, serving only to plunge himself deeper into finding her. An unforgettable chain of events ends in a face to face meeting. He finds her terminally ill which he blames on her husband. He formulates a swift and brutal "payback", then kidnaps her taking her back home to Ohio and his beloved bus bench.

Critique: A deftly written, original, and compelling story, "The Bus Bench" effectively documents novelist Wes Bundy as an exceptionally gifted storyteller. An absorbing and solidly entertaining read from beginning to end, "The Bus Bench" is very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Bus Bench" is also available for personal reading lists in a Kindle edition ($8.99).

Disappearing Honeymooner
Pamela Troutman
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478767046, $12.95, PB, 212pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Leonard Townsend is a private detective who is happily planning a trip to Mexico on his newly purchased sailboat when a young woman named Ellie shows up. She is a honeymooner and she explains that her new husband has just disappeared. She wants Len to find her husband for her. Len reluctantly agrees to help. So Ellie tells Len about her brief romance, her hasty marriage and answers all his questions. The more Len hears, the more he wishes he had already left on his sailboat adventure because this case looks unpleasant. But there was a whole lot more to come.

Critique: A brilliantly crafted and thoroughly entertaining read from beginning to end, "Disappearing Honeymooner" is very highly recommended for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs, and is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.


The Parenting Shelf

Ask More, Tell Less
Greg Wayburton
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
www.selfreliantkids.com
9781478708810, $19.95, PB, 294pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When faced with a misbehaving child, do you find yourself resorting to lecturing, reminding, or even yelling? Do you sometimes feel helpless and panicky after you have tried everything you know to do and your child still seems "out of control" or withdrawn? Do you feel frustrated when nothing you are doing is moving your children to be responsible and achieve their unique potential? "Ask More, Tell Less: A Practical Guide for Helping Children Achieve Self-Reliance" provides a new model of parenting that can help transform the growing-up years. Life will become fulfilling and enjoyable rather than an ongoing, painful collision of wills. Behavior troubles diminish or vanish when children discover that they have the power to make their lives run more smoothly. These methods are not a "cater to the children" approach. Instead, they take the pressure off parents and put the whole family on a positively different road, traveling together in a land of mutual dignity and respect, maturity, and lasting change. In "Ask More, Tell Less", licensed mental health counselor Greg Warburton brings time-tested, practical methods out from behind the counselor's door to enable you to give your children the greatest gift of all: self-reliance. Through artful questioning, you can give them a clear and compelling road map for getting on with growing up in this rapidly changing world.

Critique: Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Ask More, Tell Less: A Practical Guide for Helping Children Achieve Self-Reliance" is impressively 'user friendly' throughout and very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Parenting Skills reference collections. It should be noted that "Ask More, Tell Less" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.99).

Beyond A Charmed Life
Barbara Huntress Tresness
Divine Phoenix
PO Box 1001, Skaneatels, NY 13152
www.divinephoenixbooks.com
9781941859438, $20.00, PB, 206pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Beyond a Charmed Life, A Mother's Unconditional Love" by Barbara Huntress Tresness is an inspirational memoir about a mother's love for her special needs son with heartfelt stories and a triumphant spirit of overcoming insurmountable challenges. From caretaker to advocate role, Barbara wants to share the reality to others in similar circumstances that "you are not alone and hope does exist". "Beyond A Charmed Life" is a story of tenacity, triumph and a spiritual awakening to the universal forces that help mother and child have an unbroken bond that transcends everything.

Critique: Impressively well written and an inherently absorbing read from beginning to end, "Beyond a Charmed Life, A Mother's Unconditional Love" is a candid and heartfelt memoir that is very highly recommended to the attention of any and all parents struggling to raise a special needs child. While strongly recommended for community library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Beyond a Charmed Life" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Type 2 Diabetes The Owner's Manual
Daryl Wein
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781522858270, $11.99, PB, 178pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Daryl Wein discovered he was among the millions of patients with type 2 diabetes while studying to become a Physician Assistant. That's when he found out that, despite type 2 diabetes making up the vast majority of cases, most of the reading material he could find was geared toward patients with type 1 diabetes. "Type 2 Diabetes The Owner's Manual" is his way of fixing that. This handbook is an easy-to-read guide on how to manage your blood sugar primarily through diet. It is written clearly and concisely, explaining the difference between the two diseases in a way that is easy to grasp. Wein includes concrete examples of what to eat and what to avoid. He talks about the importance of exercise and provides information about medicines in a way that the layman can comprehend without needing to know medical terminology. "Type 2 Diabetes The Owner's Manual" also includes a useful question-and-answer section that covers a variety of specifics about type 2 diabetes to help you make sense of it all.

Critique: As thoroughly 'reader friendly' in text, organization, and presentation, as it is informed and informative, "Type 2 Diabetes The Owner's Manual" is the most practical and useful instructional guide currently available for the non-specialist general reader having to deal with Type 2 diabetes with respect to themselves or a loved one. Simply stated, no community library Health & Medicine reference collection should be without a copy of "Type 2 Diabetes The Owner's Manual" available for their patrons, and everyone with Type 2 Diabetes needs to have "Type 2 Diabetes The Owner's Manual" as part of their personal reading list. It should be noted that "Type 2 Diabetes The Owner's Manual" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

A Food Guide to Lowering Blood Triglycerides
Yuchi Yang, MS, RD
American Nutrition Counseling, LLC
3856 260th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98029
www.anutritioncounseling.com
c/o CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781519643162 $14.27 pbk / $9.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Synopsis: People with high blood triglycerides are bombarded with nutrition information every day. Many have tried different diets including a low-fat diet with little or no success.
In this book, Yuchi Yang, a registered dietitian, offers you four simple steps to lowering your blood triglycerides:

Step 1: Limit Processed Sugar to 6 Teaspoons
Step 2: Eat the Right Amount of Carbohydrates
Step 3: Consume Oils and Fats in Moderation
Step 4: Have an Adequate Amount of Dietary Fiber

This book is designed to be a workbook that you can refer to and record your success. Each step starts with some facts and ends with a tool that you can use to track your progress. There are relevant tools and tables included in this book. When you make your own meal plan, you can refer back to the tables and examples. In addition, this book provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions, such as "Are smoothies healthy?", "How much oil do you need?", and "What is a good ratio of different fats?"

Critique: It must be emphasized that author Yuchi Yang is not a "nutritionist" (a word that, like the label "all-natural" on food products, has no legal meaning whatsoever); she is a registered dietitian, who has earned her credentials through accredited study, internship, and practice. A Food Guide to Lowering Blood Triglycerides: 4 Simple Steps lives up to its title as an accessible, user-friendly guide with step-by-step, week-by-week recommendations. A Food Guide to Lowering Blood Triglycerides cannot substitute for the diagnosis or consultation of a trained physician, but is highly recommended an extremely useful supplemental resource for anyone seeking to lower their blood triglycerides on the advice of their doctor.

Our Parents in Crisis
www.annsjoerdsma.com
Ann G. Sjoerdsma
Improbable Books
211 N. Union Street, Suite 00, Alexandria, VA 22314
www.improbablebooks.com
9780615193021 $27.95 hc / $8.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Synopsis: During her mother's illness, which was misdiagnosed by a succession of physicians until the family arranged for her transfer to Duke Medical Center, Ann discovered a new calling and passion: medical advocacy. She became a dedicated bedside advocate, representing her parents' interests in all healthcare venues and doing extensive research about medicine, diseases prevalent in older age, anatomy, physiology, and the facts of normal aging, all of which she shares in her impressive book.

As her parents experienced more health crises - a pulmonary embolus; falls leading to hip and leg fractures; heart disease - Sjoerdsma witnessed firsthand how fragmented, error-prone, and patient-unfriendly the U.S. healthcare system is and how often doctors engage in ageism and what she calls "No-Think."

"Our Parents in Crisis" is a call to action to protect elders from biases and other risks in U.S. healthcare. It is also a poignant family story.

Critique: Our Parents in Crisis: Confronting Medical Errors, Ageist Doctors and Other Healthcare Failings is far more than a personal testimony; it is a wake-up call and a "must-read". The practical-minded advice for dealing with obstructive doctors and health care bureaucrats just might help you advocate for and protect your loved ones in their hour of greatest need. Highly recommended!


The Relationship Shelf

Disagree and Stay in Love
Liz SueprLibrarian
Livre Publishing
www.stayinlovebook.com
9780977587278 $19.95 www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tips for fighting Fair. Perfect relationships don't exist. Arguments will happen. Learn to fight fair and the love will last. This is a book that gives you easy tips on how to 'fight fair' and 'stay in love'. Each page has a simple tip with supporting creative photos that enhances the experience of discovering these tips. The entertaining photos make it a great gift book for anyone who likes creative photos and new ideas on having a happier and healthier relationship with loved ones.

Critique: Adorable, full-color photography of animals illustrate these simple truisms for keeping one's relationship healthy in spite of difficult disagreements or problems. "Don't allow an argument to become a blasting match about past events. Stay in the present and keep it relevant." Although Disagree and Stay in Love is especially valuable for romantic couples, the practical advice is also directly applicable to arguments between friends, family members, co-workers, or neighbors. The heartwarming images also make Disagree and Stay in Love a joy to page through, and an excellent giftbook!

Other People's Kids
Troy Anthony
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781497549579, $16.11, PB, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Other People's Kids", author Troy Anthony provides an entertaining adventure in single-parent dating and can be utilized as a kind of guidebook for guys and gals dating (or considering dating) someone with children of their own. Based on a true story, "Other People's Kids" gives many examples of the games played after a divorce and the vigilance required in dating a single-parent.

Critique: Funny, poignant, practical, insightful, entertaining, exceptionally well written, and all-to-true with illustrative real-life examples of recognizable situations commonly encountered all across the country today, "Other People's Kids" is very highly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Other People's Kids" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).


The Military Shelf

Battlefield Doc
William J. "Doc" Anderson
Moonbridge Publications
http://moonbridgebooks.com
9780977232338, $12.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: War is hell! Bullets flying, explosions turning night into day, the enemy charging in overwhelming waves. When soldiers are wounded in battle their first cries are for "Doc," the Army medics or Navy corpsmen first responders trained to handle almost anything but surgery. William "Doc" Anderson was a medic on the front lines during the Korean War. What was it like saving and losing lives, and how was it for the soldier on the ground battling not only a relentless enemy but blazing hot summers, below-zero winters, and monsoon rain and mud. Doc writes not about history or politics or strategy, but about real ground-level, front line experiences, the humanity and inhumanity of war, what combat veterans wish they could forget and what everyone else should know and remember. North Korea's continuing threats remind us that even after more than half a century, "The Forgotten War" has never really ended.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, deeply absorbing, as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Battlefield Doc: Memoirs of a Korean War Combat Medic" is a compelling read from beginning to end. An invaluable addition to the growing library of Korean War memoirs and biographies, "Battlefield Doc" is a very highly recommended addition to community and academic library Military History reference collections in general, and Korean War supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Battlefield Doc" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

A Drill Sergeant's Fame
Kimberly Mae
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781491870334, $23.99, HC, 114pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: During Kimberly Mae's military career, she gained a deeper appreciation for life and the little pleasures therein. While serving in the US Army for three years as a generator mechanic, she completed one deployment to Afghanistan. Relishing this experience with her two sons Michael and Caleb, it proved to be a lonesome and exasperating yet edifying experience. While struggling with the chills of escaping combat's curse and becoming enthralled with another's life of compassion, deception and exhilaration, a collection of divergent views emerge in the pages of Mae's "A Drill Sergeant's Fame". Although Mae had many character-building experiences while serving in the military, for a period she also existed in the desolation of her own psyche, remembering soul-shattering incidents that all readers can relate to. The poems she wrote are combined with journal notes for a deeper understanding of her experiences to distinctly express many of these triumphs and defeats.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, thoughtful, insightful, and absorbing read, "A Drill Sergeant's Fame" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented blend of memoir and poetry, observations and insights. Very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Drill Sergeant's Fame" is also available in a paperback edition (9781491870327, $14.95) and a Kindle format ($3.99).


The American History Shelf

Galena, Illinois: A Timeless Treasure
Philip A. Aleo
Aleo Publications
PO Box 1085, Dundee, IL 60118-1085
www.aleopublications.com
9780985608163, $49.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Bringing a fresh perspective on Galena's history through the written page, numerous newspaper articles from the 1800's, and hundreds of restored vintage photographs, "Galena, Illinois: A Timeless Treasure" by Philip A. Aleo presents the reader with a comprehensive view of what life was like in Galena in the early 1800's. The photography throughout "Galena, Illinois: A Timeless Treasure" is simply stunning.

Critique: A "must" have for any Galena enthusiast "Galena, Illinois: A Timeless Treasure" is a model of regional history and highly recommended, especially for community and academic library American Regional History collections. Indeed, "Galena, Illinois: A Timeless Treasure" would well serve as a template for similar histories of other American communities.


The Woodworking Shelf

Woodworking Simplified
A. William Benitez
Positive Imagining, LLC
http://positive-imaging.com
9781944071004, $12.95, PB, 148pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Woodworking Simplified: Your How-To Guide For Making Beautiful and Functional Projects" by woodworking expert Bill Benitez is specifically written and appropriate for the novice woodworker. Benitze draws upon his more than 40 years as a custom woodworker (29 of them running his own business) to create what will be the first of a series for the non-pro, the person who wants to build wood projects for home, family, and friends. "Woodworking Simplified" shows how to customize projects by detailing exactly how to do it and also how to change a given woodworking project for your own needs and taste. Of special note are the sections detailing fast, simplified methods and the use of power tools. It should also be noted that Benitez invites the readers of "Woodworking Simplified" to send him any questions they may have at bill@woodworking-simplified.com.

Critique: Absolutely 'user friendly' throughout, "Woodworking Simplified: Your How-To Guide For Making Beautiful and Functional Projects" is especially recommended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in learning the basics of woodworking. Simply stated, no woodworking novice, no area trade school, no highschool wood shop, or community library woodworking instructional reference collection should be without a copy of William Benitez's "Woodworking Simplified: Your How-To Guide For Making Beautiful and Functional Projects".


The Science Shelf

Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World
M. W. Collins, et al.
WIT Press
25 Bridge Street, Billerica, MA 01821
www.witpress.com
9781845641498, $274.00, HC, 482pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World" offers a detailed survey of the life and works of Lord Kelvin, including his standing and relationships with Charles Darwin, T. S Huxley and the X-club, therefore throwing new light on the nineteenth- century conflict between the British energy and biology specialists. "Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World" focuses on two principal issues. Firstly, there is the contribution made by Kelvin to the formulation of the Laws of Thermodynamics, both personal and in the content of the scientific communications exchanged with other workers, such as Joule and Clausius. Secondly, there is Kelvin's impact on the wider field of science such as thermoelectricity and geology (determination of the age of the earth). Of late a number of studies and initiatives, including the Centenary celebrations of Kelvin's death and exhibits such as that of the 'Revolutionary Scientist' in the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, have been undertaken aiding the redefinition of Kelvin's greatness and achievements. "Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World" also raises awareness to 'improve our approach to the teaching of elementary thermodynamics by attempting to empathize with Kelvin's perspective'. "Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World" is completed by a full biography, overviews of various monuments to his memory, and short 'Stories in Pictures' on the Atlantic cable, Maxwell's Demon, the universities associated with the development of thermodynamics and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Scientists and engineers with an interest in thermodynamics and anyone interested in the work of Lord Kelvin will find benefit in Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World.

Critique: Informed and informative, comprehensive and thorough, "Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World" is a unique and exceptional blend of history, science and biography. Impressively well organized and presented, "Kelvin, Thermodynamics and the Natural World" is very highly recommended, especially for academic library 19th Century Science History collections.


The LGBT Studies Shelf

Every Breath We Drew
Jess T. Dugan, photographer
Amy Galpin, contributor
Dawoud Bey, contributor
Daylight Books
121 W. Margaret Lane, Suite D, Hillsborough, NC 27278
www.daylightbooks.org
9781942084044, $50.00, HC, 116pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Jess T. Dugan (a 30 year old artist whose work explores issues of gender, sexuality, identity, and community) has created intimate portraits that engage with issues of identity, sexuality, gender, and community and presents them in the pages of "Every Breath We Drew" as images drawn from within the framework of queer experience and actively constructed masculinity. These portraits examine the intersection between private, individual identity and the search for intimate connection with others.

Critique: Informationally enriched with an informed and informative introduction by Amy Galpin (Curator of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College, Orlando, Florida), "Every Breath We Drew" is very highly recommended to the attention of those with an interest in LGBT histories and issues. Indeed, "Every Breath We Drew" offers an absorbing array of striking and memorable visual images, making it very highly recommended for academic library Contemporary Photography and Human Sexuality reference collections.


The Business Shelf

I Think I Need Marketing
Bonnie Taylor
I Think I Need
IThinkINeed.com
9780578168616 $19.95 pbk / $6.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Marketing. Applied properly, this investment in future buyers reaches every nook and cranny within a business and is the fundamental path toward achieving business growth. Misapplied, it's a waste of time and money. Using an easily understood narrative and common sense approach, I Think I Need Marketing strives to eradicate this waste by identifying the steps and tools every business must have in place before finding success in marketing, regardless of industry, location, or size. Geared toward business owners and management alike, I Think I Need Marketing transcends basic information and gimmicks and instead focuses on developing the infrastructure and processes required by a profitable marketing program. The journey begins with developing a marketing strategy and branding program before discussing and weighing the many traditional and digital marketing options available today, setting budgets, using marketing research, hiring and working with outside consultants, and finally, evaluating results. Along the way, actionable steps, helpful tips, illustrations, and definitions ensure that I Think I Need Marketing delivers marketing knowledge anyone in business will find useful.

Critique: I Think I Need Marketing: The Knowledge You Need to Build and Manage a Successful Marketing Program is a candid, accessible, and user-friendly guide, interspersed with occasional color illustrations. Accessible to entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, I Think I Need Marketing covers how to develop a marketing strategy, the components of a brand identity, how to set a marketing budget (as well as the most common ways to waste money), tips for working with consultants and suppliers, and much more. A "must-read", especially for small business owners!

Navigating in Organizations
Gary T. Moore
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9780578173047, $15.95, PB, 150pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Most organizations are hierarchical, social, political, competitive, and...frustrating! Get a running head start on the competition and learn what it takes to succeed in this environment. Many young people enter social, business, non-profit, or other organizations without the skills they need to be effective...or help move the organization (and themselves) forward. Often they don't even know what the skills are. With "Navigating in Organizations" by Gary T. Moore, you'll learn tactics to navigate and help your organization meet its objectives while accomplishing your own goals. "Navigating in Organizations" offers specifics on how to build personal and professional relationships; sell your ideas; effectively run meetings; impact meetings others are running; and six more critical how-to tactics. "Navigating in Organizations" also includes 11 Don'ts - actions counterproductive to your and the organization's effectiveness, such as "Don't take things personally...but assume everyone else does." "Navigating in Organizations" also outlines 9 critical skills, such as public speaking and conflict management, and most chapters end with specific "Get Started" actions to implement the topic's principles, along with a list of helpful resources. Throughout "Navigating in Organizations" the principles discussed are illustrated with Real-World Experiences in the form of short vignettes from author Gary Moore's 50-plus-year career of "getting things done" in organizations.

Critique: Impressively well written and a thoroughly 'user friendly' read from beginning to end, "Navigating in Organizations" is a very highly recommended addition to community and academic library Business Management reference collections and supplemental studies lists. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Navigating in Organizations" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.95).


The Art Shelf

Art as Adornment
Charles L. Russell
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478744788, $64.95, HC, 264pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Art as Adornment: The Life and Work of Arthur Smith" is specifically focuses on a prominent player in the Modernist Jewelry Movement. The trade name, "ArtSmith" came to resonate with fashion and theater types in New York and all over the country during the three decades following World War II. As a Black navigating the racial tensions of the period, Arthur Smith managed to rise above the fray and achieve extraordinary success in the development of designs for jewelry that were eminently wearable and for the wearer a decorative pizazz triumph. Featuring more than 150 illustrations, "Art as Adornment" is a coffee table art book that provides an awe inspiring journey starting with Arthur Smith's parents' migratory trek from Jamaica through Cuba and ultimately to New York City, to Arthur's education in the arts, and concluding with a detailed description of his jewelry styling and creativity.

Critique: Informative, comprehensive, beautifully illustrated, impressively well written, organized and presented, "Art as Adornment: The Life and Work of Arthur Smith" is very highly recommended for community and academic Contemporary American Art and African American Art History reference collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Art as Adornment: The Life and Work of Arthur Smith" is also available in a paperback edition (9781478743156, $56.95).


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


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