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California Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Varsity Blues
John Wilson with Leslie Wilson
Palmetto Publishing
www.PalmettoPublishing.com
9798822910188, $28.44 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Varsity-Blues-Scandal-Within/dp/B0F1WG6SW9
To call Varsity Blues: Scandal Within the Scandal a memoir alone would be to do this book an injustice. As much as it details one family's struggle with legal issues, it also uncovers and reveals the federal prosecution system, its political weaponization, and the methods used to suppress information in the Operation Varsity Blues trial in particular. John Wilson observed these circumstances first-hand as he battled federal forces, Netflix, and other special interests to bring Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin to trial. His powerful reflections document not only legal challenges, but why Wilson pursued justice despite the odds stacked against his case: "We were up against impossible odds, and if we were going to win, we had to go all in with everything we had. This was no longer The United States of America v. John Wilson; this was John Wilson v. The United States of America. Fighting was the only path where we could all hold our heads high."
From how Netflix participated in a smear campaign to scandals, fabrications, court proceedings, and purposeful information repression, Wilson lays out startling contentions that will raise many discussions among legal students in circles where issues of criminal justice and prosecution are of interest. Personalizing the story with issues of family connection, honor, and redemption, Varsity Blues presents a powerful condemnation of how the justice system skews towards the rich and powerful: "It was patently obvious to any impartial observer that the prosecutors basically handpicked this judge. A number of lawyers familiar with the Boston federal judges told us what the prosecutors did was the equivalent of having someone from their team sitting on the bench. That was shocking and frightening. The person who was supposed to be the unbiased umpire, fairly calling balls and strikes, and the only check on an overly aggressive prosecutor's power was now effectively a full supporter on their side."
Libraries interested in true stories of white collar crime will find far more depth and information in Varsity Blues than may be expected. Backed with personal revelations about family and social impact, it holds vast opportunities for educating and attracting a wide audience. This includes book clubs and discussion groups to readers interested in social and political connections within the judicial system as one family's fight to restore their honor and reputation takes on a vivid life of its own. Varsity Blues is nearly impossible to put down, once begun, filled with black and white visuals and an impact that will leave many a reader reflecting on all aspects of justice system operations and impacts.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Escape the Writer's Web
Colleen M. Story
https://colleenmstory.com
Midchannel Press
9798992617245, $18.95 Paperback/$9.95 eBook
https://colleenmstory.com/escape-the-writers-web
https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Writers-Web-Procrastination-Personalized-ebook/dp/B0FKBXGVHF
Escape the Writer's Web addresses writer procrastination and writer's block, considering different types of procrastination and how these impact writers and creative output in different ways. Indeed, there are many obstacles to writing success which range from too much worrying and dreaming to tackling distractions and disorganization, over thinking writing, seeking fun over work, and doing too much. Colleen M. Story does more than fit personalities into profiles. She pairs these with action plans for not just identifying problems, but remedying them. These are as specific as the sample addressed to the Perfectionist writer:
"Step 1: Define "Good Enough" Standards
Challenge to Overcome: I must set impossibly high standards for every project. ou feel the pressure of your high standards every time you think about writing, which is often the reason why you procrastinate. Start your novel journey by setting "good enough" standards. In most cases, simply "finishing" the book is good enough! If this is your first novel, let that be your standard."
More specifics follow, offering a blueprint for mitigating the impact of writing-stifling attitudes, perceptions, and actions so they can be replaced with writing-supportive habits and ideas. While these specific tips are addressed to writers and their output, they can also easily be expanded to apply to other pathways in life impacted by guilt, procrastination, or the tendency to become "trapped in a cage of your own making." Further wisdom is imparted via attitude changes. These promote embracing playful approaches to work, subverting the need to be perfect, injecting enough urgency into small tasks that they aren't put off until the last minute (making them an emergency), and more. At each common juncture of a writer's block, Story presents tools and insights essential for overcoming common problems.
Libraries, readers, and wannabe writers will thus discover that, more so than most writer's guides that address similar concerns, the organizational structure, specific routines, and creativity of Escape the Writer's Web not only leaves little to question, but much to incorporate into daily routines and life to make for more successes with less effort. This is why Escape the Writer's Web should not only be on the reading lists of would-be creative writers, but on the radars of anyone prone to procrastination, who seeks solid routines and suggestions for attacking the root issues involved in putting off success.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Primal Health Design
Dr. Kavin Mistry
Munn Avenue Press
www.munnavenuepress.com
9781960299826, $7.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Primal-Health-Design-Paradigms-Biological/dp/1960299824
Few want to grow old. But, that's life. Or, it has been until Dr. Kavin Mistry's Primal Health Design: 7 Key Paradigms to Reverse Biological Age, in which he outlines a blueprint for using natural bodily rhythms to look and feel younger. Yes, everyone will still age - but without some of the assumptions about its impact that permeates common thinking about the aging process.
Dr. Mistry is a neuroradiologist and health speaker who lends his medical training to applied techniques for addressing aging's common ravages. He uses stories to emphasize and outline these aging-saving strategies, but even more appealing is the lyrical language he employs to create not just informational dialogues, but uplifting admonitions: "Let your next meal be a testament to vitality. Swap hyperpalatable treats for fruits that paint your tongue with poetry or vegetables that crunch like a symphony. We were never meant for a diet of empty echoes; we were designed for the richness of life."
Dr. Mistry also drives home the message of "why live longer" with insights on how to form a more purposeful life overall. Science and biology blends with philosophical, psychological, and spiritual insight to create a dialogue for better understanding why some people (and cultures) live longer than others: "Your body is an electrical system, and like any system, it needs stable ground. The Hadzabe didn't need studies to tell them this. They simply lived it - barefoot, in constant contact with the earth. Living indoors in the modern world, by contrast, insulates us from this vital connection."
More so than most books which purport science but pose ethereal connections, Dr. Mistry's book simmers with invitation, science-backed reflections, and insights fairly unique to his approach to mitigating aging. Actionable steps are clearly outlined and reinforced by personal experience and scientific studies. The book's overall tone is thus far more inviting, inclusive, and connected than most: "In my Indian heritage, there is a term - Sat Chit Anand. Roughly translated, it means truth-consciousness-bliss, or being fully awake to the present moment's joy. Many in my family greet each other with this phrase, a reminder of what matters. It is a map of the journey we must take..."
Libraries interested in the intersection between science, new age thinking, and philosophical life reflection will find Primal Health Design highly attractive for readers who would look at the bigger picture of health, society, and illness. Packed with strategies that are easy to understand and employ, Primal Health Design is a winning survey that is hard to put down, surprising (but logical) in some of its connections, and attractively empowering.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
The Maps They Gave Us: One Marriage, Reimagined
Wayne Scott
Black Lawrence Press
www.blacklawrencepress.com
9781625571540, $27.95
https://www.amazon.com/Maps-They-Gave-Us-Reimagined-ebook/dp/B0DCGHMMP9
The Maps They Gave Us: One Marriage, Reimagined is a memoir that explores the complexities of intimacy, what it means to be queer in a mixed-orientation marriage, and consensual non-monogamy. It serves as an important discussion point and roadmap to understanding the intersection of social expectation, self, and relationship connections, considering relationship-building and deconstruction in the course of finding one's way. From its opening lines, Wayne Scott's evocative penchant for lyrical description is evident, bringing his story to life: "It is odd that to get a divorce you walk side-by-side to a common destination. The weight of memory colors the trek with flashes of other tandem journeys (first visit to the pediatrician, new infant in tow; mountain hikes through fields of yellow balsam roots and purple lupines, toddler in backpack, baby in sling; a wait in line to see the Indigo Girls for the tenth time). The heaviness of it presses down, overwhelms you, make you breathless, because today there is only a jaggedness to your emotions, wisps of conversation that don't feel ordinary despite their ordinariness..."
As Scott considers his need for male companionship in its various incarnations, the rituals and challenges marriage can introduce to all kinds of relationships in the gay world, and circumstances in which he experiences "places where I'd become a fussy gay consumer and a married man in love" in the murky world of bisexuality, the strength of his choices and their impacts come to life. There are plenty of memoirs on the market about gay lifestyle, but far fewer about less linear love. From the complexities of honing a mixed-orientation marriage to how therapy helps the couple embrace themselves and each another, The Maps They Gave Us outlines a journey of self-discovery, societal convention and misunderstandings, and revelation. Along the way, obsessions, adaptations, and new realizations emerge. This will attract a wide range of readers interested in how marriages can work either conventionally or unconventionally.
Libraries interested in memoirs about all kinds of relationships will find The Maps They Gave Us stands out from the crowd not just because of its subject, but because of its descriptive language: "I disliked David, it was true, but I resembled him: a body trapped in history. I was searching for a revelation that would make it easier to live with this swirl of contradictions: to be in love with Eva; to feel this other furious desire, for so many things, in so many directions; to feel criminal and ashamed, as if it was my inheritance, even though all I had done was to be born in a restless body." As a chronicle of therapy, love, growth, and marital understanding, The Maps They Gave Us deserves special mention in psychological circles and among reading groups considering different lifestyles that can be undertaken during the course of relationship-building.
Raising the Ruby Tuesday
Marlena Evangeline
https://marlenaevangeline.com
Celtic Light Press, LLC
9780967242521, $TBA
Raising the Ruby Tuesday is a memoir about boats, recovery, and a woman's determination to build a boat in a male-dominated world. It is presented in the form of a journal and poetry. Diary entries are free-flowing. Some are dated; some are undated. Each section concludes with a reflective poem that reinforces events and feelings. The evolution of Marlena Evangeline's experience takes the form of an emotional collage of dialogues and encounters. Her evocative writing style is evident from the memoir's opening lines: "The scent of night sea saturated midnight as I looked over the prow of my boat, finally, finally after four years of hammering, pounding, screwing, sanding, drilling - being scrapped hammered bruised beaten exhausted work worn ridiculed and tarnished by boat work and boat men - my boat rocked in the wide dark sea."
In contrast, the poems are steeped in atmosphere and delivered with a backdrop of connections that reinforce the natural milieu of a boat and the world it sails though: "A snake of yellow sun twines the branch/Of day, hangs python-like from daws tree"
Another strength to her memoir that will especially attract boaters and women who live on vessels lies in the contrast between emotional connection, reaction, and the watery home of boat and sailor: "My own messes had grown beyond me, the boat is a wreck, the work the supposed shipwright down was so substandard to be absurd someone wanted payment for it. Anger seemed better than grief. I keep the anger let go of the grief. The Port still held its undeniable beauty. The ocean beyond unpredictable as ever, the mist comforting, the pelicans their usual awkward selves. I sat on the bow drinking a glass of wine, relieved to be able to breath once again, to recognize beauty, to acknowledge sadness its diminished place. Over the water the shine of the evening moon."
These elements make Raising the Ruby Tuesday an outstanding read for a wide audience, from boaters and females who tackle traditionally male jobs to enthusiasts of the water and women interested in how life and boats intersect. Librarians will thus find far more of interest and value in Raising the Ruby Tuesday than its addition to memoir collections alone, and will want to highly recommend it to women pursuing their own dreams or navigating the waters of life and adversity. Filled with struggle, reflection, an appreciation of boats, nature and water, and a determination to succeed against any odds, Raising the Ruby Tuesday's delightful narrative brings readers right onto the docks of one woman's experience. Its inspirational moments of discovery and achievement can be enjoyed vicariously or used as a blueprint for the future.
The General Fiction Shelf
Last Night at the Disco
Lisa Borders
Regal House Publishing
www.regalhousepublishing.com
9781646036448, $19.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-Disco-Lisa-Borders/dp/1646036441
Last Night at the Disco is set in 1977 New Jersey, where twenty-seven-year-old Lynda Boyle is desperate for fame, glory, and escaping town. Though her individual efforts have not panned out, Lynda's encounter with two aspiring local musicians leads her to believe that she can hook her wagon to their star to the benefit of all involved. Unfortunately, fame is not that simple. Nor is escape. Four decades later, Lynda is actually in a worse position due to her association with Aura and Johnny. She's in hiding while observing others basking in the success that she, too, should have earned through her efforts. Last Night at the Disco unfolds a gritty determination and atmosphere of musical and personal challenge as Lynda's story considers the cost of cavalierly toying with emotions:
"So what was this, Lynda?" His lips quivered slightly; he looked like he might cry, poor thing. I really did break some hearts in my day!
"It was fun," I said.
He was quiet for a few moments. I watched a series of emotions play across his face and imagined him calculating the price tag of all he'd spent on me in those months: that very expensive dinner at Lutece, and numerous less costly meals at a variety of establishments up and down the Jersey Shore; the inane bottle of Charlie perfume he'd given me for Christmas - and which I'd tucked in a drawer to re-gift to one of the Dim Bulbs' wives - with apparent obliviousness to the fact that I already had a much more sophisticated signature scent, Yves Saint-Laurent's Opium."
As she hands a bombshell to 'The Martyr' that literally comes home to roost, Lynda begins to realize the hidden costs of subterfuge, insensitivity, and most of all, ambition. These discoveries evolve in unexpected ways as she assumes the alias 'Lily Bart,' enters spinsterhood, and navigates all manner of men and possibilities towards not just fame and fortune, but dangerous downfalls. Lisa Borders embeds this story with musical notes of fun and flawed heroes as Lynda exhibits bad decisions, terrible behaviors, insensitive relationship choices, and a predictable tendency to aim for gold, but land in the dung heap of failure instead. The contrasts between her hopes and dreams and the reality of poor decision-making are especially well done - delightfully wry while proving thought-provokingly poignant.
Libraries seeking a contemporary novel of one woman's attempt to rise to fame in different ways will relish how Last Night at the Disco romps through and tromps on emotional boundaries as its characters dance around one another's frustrations, lies, and realities. Packed with whimsical moments and a hero who is deeply flawed but all too human, Last Night at the Disco is highly recommended reading for those who like their protagonists sultry, selfish, and terrifyingly oblivious to the music world's pitfalls.
Infidelity Rules
Joelle Babula
Black Rose Writing
www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685136307, $23.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Infidelity-Rules-Disaster-Perils-Married/dp/1685136303
Infidelity Rules: A Menu For Disaster, The Perils of Loving Food, Wine, and Married Men, is the perfect beach read. It profiles successful wine industry career woman Quinn Davis, who is attracted to intoxicating men who are free, easy, and handsome. Marcus seems to fit the bill for a satisfying fling in all ways except one - he brings complicated baggage along with him that immerses Quinn in the one thing she isn't looking for: trouble. Humor, marital affairs, and astute observations permeate a pleasing story in which both characters are motivated to act and react to one another above and beyond their usual approach to romance. The first-person perspective and dialogues are especially powerful tools as they delineate pivot points in the characters' lives: "He spins my barstool towards him and sweeps me up and into his arms in one magic motion. How does he do that?
"Man have I missed you," he says, nuzzling my neck. "I'm so glad you made it. Welcome to Paris."
I sigh with pure pleasure at the feel of his arms around me and his lips so close to mine.
"Paris," I say, rolling my eyes. "Such a hardship."
I smile up at him just as he leans down to plant a soft kiss on my lips.
Ah Quinn, I think to myself as I sink into his kiss, you are doomed." Quinn is used to being a mistress. The "rules" that she has developed are highlighted in chapter subtitles that contain intriguing portents of disaster and discovery. Chapter 34, for example, delivers the subtitle "Rule #26: Not all cheaters are asses." Readers that devour Infidelity Rules receive a satisfying mix of cooking references, male appreciation, and family dynamics. This all combines to create an intriguing mix of choices and perspectives as Quinn navigates unfamiliar relationship terrain when she finds she is no longer completely in control.
Libraries seeking top recommendations for leisure reading steeped in realistic scenarios, thought-provoking self-analysis, and conundrums that feel true to life, will find it easy to recommend Infidelity Rules for its many revealing and compelling moments of discovery: "How did I get so off track? I am the opposite of honor and integrity. I am not the kind of person you'd want as part of your wedding ceremony. I have been the enemy to married women everywhere." Packed with likeable - albeit often flawed - characters trying to stay true to their love lives and passions, Infidelity Rules is a story many women (and men) will relish.
The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair
Meg Myers Morgan
https://www.megmyersmorgan.com
GFB
https://www.girlfridayproductions.com
9781964721903, $18.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.girlfridayproductions.com/titles/the-inconvenient-unraveling-of-gemma-sinclair
How does a successful woman fall apart? In The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair, a career woman with a family seems to have the ideal life, with everything she could want. In reality, she's under great stress over making everything dovetail and work. When her infant son is injured under her watch, Gemma's first instinct is to lie about the event... a choice that embroils her in a series of events that are well out of her control. Soon Gemma finds everything she's worked for or taken for granted is threatened, forcing her to reinvent her life, values, and attitudes.
The story opens four days after Gemma has given birth. She has a vested interest in telling everyone she's just fine. That's not the case. Meg Myers Morgan follows Gemma's seemingly small daily routines with an astute eye to capturing all of their impacts and challenges as they dovetail with Gemma's determination to be a superwoman: "There were so many things to do, the enormity of the day was stripping her of what little energy she had. Calvin was sleeping well, at least two-hour stretches at a time, but Gemma was struggling to sleep, even with Anthony taking turns with the feedings. Sleep always seemed to evade her, and when she found it, it was often punctuated with vivid dreams. With all there was to do, she wouldn't have time for a nap today, so she needed to focus on waking up."
As life unravels, nightmares, repressed memories, questions about what is real and what is not, and friendship and family connections face an onslaught of revelations and tension that not only buffet Gemma, but those around her. Part of Gemma's journey involves going back to her childhood and filling in some blanks. Other facets of her attempts to confront her reality and attitudes embrace the process of self-examination that drives her to confront people she should have faced decades earlier: "Just as she was losing her voice, her face drenched in tears and rain, the door flung open and there stood her brother, a look of confusion on his face. But before he could step forward, before he could even part his lips to say her name, his eyes grew wide at the sight of what came flying toward him through the sheets of water: Gemma's raw and vengeful fist."
Libraries interested in novels about how individuals unravel and then piece together the puzzles of their lives and influences will welcome The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair. It embraces such disparate themes as postpartum depression, parenting challenges, family secrets and repressed memories, and the desire to control one's life. At different stages of Gemma's search for answers, readers receive fresh insights into how complex concerns evolve from different choices and decisions. This creates a story steeped in not just growth, but discoveries which propel the protagonist in unexpected directions. Readers seeking a novel replete with insights into how crisis prompts changes that are delivered with a wry sense of comic relief to offset the very serious concerns of the protagonist will find The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair thought-provoking, thoroughly engrossing, and suitable for book club and parenting group discussions.
All This Can Be True
Jen Michalski
Keylight Books/Turner Publishing
www.turnerpublishing.com
9781684426096, $27.98 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback/$17.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/All-This-Can-Be-True/dp/168442609X
All This Can Be True tells of Lacie Johnson, whose husband suffers a stroke at age 47. He falls into a coma on the cusp of her asking for a divorce to begin a new life now that the kids have left home. A serendipitous moment leads Lacie to meet Quinn at the hospital. She's a kind woman who has lost her daughter, is at the hospital to attend a grief group, and is in flight from her own past. A friendship, then a relationship, grows between the two as Lacie and Quinn discover that their different adversities in fact lead them to new connections and a possible new life together... if it weren't for Quinn's secret, which she has carefully maintained.
Lacie also keeps a secret in the form of Helen. Why confess her past to a stranger? Because the tides that have brought them together threaten to pull them apart if these secrets are exposed: "She didn't tell Quinn about Helen. She wasn't hiding it, exactly, her own almost-affair. But Quinn was the literal definition of a stranger, Helen was long gone, and there would be no more opportunities for such things. Her marriage to Derek had completed its Odyssey-like journey through tumultuous tsunamis and sirens, and their ship had found its way to calmer waters. Of course, she hadn't realized it had only been the calm before another storm."
Jen Michalski shifts perspectives between Quinn and Lacie, injecting past influences, decision-making challenges, and insights that stem not just from their interactions, but their investigations of one other: "Quinn opened Lacie's likes and scrolled across her musical ones. Billy Joel. Elton John. The San Diego Symphony. The Clit Girls. She laughed aloud at the last, it probably being a recent addition. She was touched that Lacie did it, that despite her carefully curated timeline, she didn't care who saw it. That maybe she was proud of it. This was the Lacie she knew a little and hoped to know more. The one who slipped in shit like that."
As issues of addiction, friendship, gay relationships, and marital strife intersect, libraries will find this book astute in its portrait of different women who make hard decisions and learn to live with them in novel ways. Library collections strong in literary romance and queer relationship explorations will appreciate how Lacie and Quinn's realistic story embraces a wide range of moral, ethical, and psychological concerns. Engrossing in its music-injected environment as it surveys women's growth and how identities and relationships emerge from ashes of the past, All This Can Be True details a transformative experience that proves engaging, thoroughly absorbing, and hard to predict.
Embattled Brother
Lindy Bell
Day Agency Publishing
9781736560488, $18.95
https://www.amazon.com/Embattled-Brother-Beyond-Badge-Lindy/dp/1736560484
Embattled Brother, the fourth and concluding book in a series about firefighter friendships and adversity, returns Lucas to Abernathy, where he discovers that his beloved firefighter friend and mentor died shortly after he left town years earlier. Prior fans of Lindy Bell's Beyond the Badge series well know the types of close relationships between firefighters that she's portrayed in past novels. Embattled Brother is no different, opening with Lucas's return full circle to enter the profession that so impressed him back in second grade with firefighter Mr. Andy's friendship and the lunches shared at his school. Lucas has been working towards the moment he, too, will become a leader since forming that bond in second grade. But now that he's on the cusp of achieving his dreams, applying to head the Abernathy Fire Department as Fire Chief with visions of change and a background of management success, he's placed in a position where he confronts different kinds of fires.
From the novel's opening paragraphs, Bell cements Lucas's influences in faith as well as personal ideals, values, and determination: "So many things would need to be done. He looked up and silently thanked the Lord for this opportunity and for giving him the skills and experience he needed. And just as he had at every other level he'd held in the fire service, he asked for guidance and help to do the best job possible for the men he would lead, for the city he would serve, and for his family."
This lends a spiritual perspective and foundation to the story that Christian readers will find especially valuable and important. Lucas navigates a new department and job, transmits his different vision of firefighting to those newly under him, and finds himself embroiled in an arson investigation that hits too close to home. The characters, friendships, and firefighting milieu that develop under Bell's hand immerses readers in not just fast-paced action (which one would anticipate from a novel about confronting fire), but behind-the-scenes revelations, relationships, and trials that involve Lucas in family and community.
Bell is especially adept at injecting the values Lucas holds into the choices he makes at all levels of his profession and outside of it: "Lucas spoke up before he could think better of it. There was a mountain of work back at the office, and he still needed to get to at least one of the stations today, but this was by far more important."
More than fires spread to threaten his world. Lies are equally fast-moving and hard to put out. As Lucas becomes embroiled in a swirl of rumors that prove to originate in the last place he'd think to look, readers receive thought-provoking insights into shifting relationships, special interests, motivations for change, and the internal politics of firefighting command. At each juncture, Bell cements these evolving concerns and considerations with logical points of intrigue and discovery, fully developing the kinds of relationships that operate at different levels. These either support or stymie Lucas in his new job and the dreams he has held all his life.
Libraries seeing popularity with Bell's other Beyond the Badge series titles, or who seek a stand-alone story of firefighting brotherhood and adversity, will welcome Embattled Brother into their collections. Filled with thought-provoking reflections about all kinds of insights and values, Embattled Brother is a moving story of putting out different kinds of conflagrations and building brotherhood in the process. Its values and faith center the story, providing Christian audiences with a satisfying, action-packed story that doesn't negate its adventure component by adding a base of moral and ethical conundrums to its plot. The result is a superior read, a satisfying addition to the series, and a story anyone interested in firefighting, community service, faith, or brotherhood will want to choose.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Communist's Secret
Suzanne Parry
She Writes Press
https://shewritespress.com
9781647429348, $17.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Communists-Secret-Novel-Suzanne-Parry/dp/164742934X
The Communist's Secret is a World War II novel that takes place on more than a physical level. It makes the case against dictatorships through the eyes and experiences of a host of disparate characters who absorb different aspects of the war. These include the inhabitants of the town Staraya Russa (a town occupied by Nazis for most of the war), participants in a massacre that took place near the town of Luga, and individuals such as Katya Karavayeva. Katya is motivated to join a volunteer militia, only to find it under attack, eliciting her on an escape route further into Nazi occupation, but her own harsh response and redefinition of justice and what is right.
Suzanne Parry offers no black-and-white perspectives on Nazis, Soviets, or other participants circling the war with their own lives and revised decisions. Many of the characters reflect on how their decisions have changed not their ideals, but their alliances: "She didn't say that the Soviet state had long ago earned her loyalty. Her parents had thrived under communism and she had too, until her fateful error."
Also notable are the ways in which Katya reflects on all the different changes war has brought to her experience, expectations of the future, and life: "September had always been Katya's favorite month. As a schoolgirl, she made sure her pencils were sharpened every day...In that "before" time, she loved the way everything returned to normal come September. Summer holidays meant days spent swimming and fishing, staying up late with the long light, laughing more, eating more, drinking more. But September replaced those carefree days with something even better: an atmosphere of possibilities and new beginnings...She yearned for that aura of possibility. War had stolen everything except the way the brief northern summer lost its heat and the days grew short."
By injecting these past experiences and life perceptions into present-day challenges and widespread war, Parry creates a window of examination into not just the events that forced people in new directions, but how revised lives were honed and redirected under the winds of occupation and adversity. Libraries seeking a World War II novel more literary and intriguing in its comparisons and perspectives than most battle-oriented surveys will relish how vividly The Communist's Secret brings these times, choices, and communities to life. Replete with thought-provoking moments of realization, survival tactics that go beyond physical confrontation or hiding, and engrossing past and present contrasts, The Communist's Secret is eminently suitable for book club assignment, as well. It will garner lively discussions among those versed in World War II fiction, who will appreciate how Parry has crafted a story about freedom, democracy, communism, and the forces that influence everything.
1001: A Dream of Nine Nights
Yahya Gharagozlou
Armin Lear Press, Inc.
https://arminlear.com
9781963271959, $27.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/1001-Dream-Nights-Yahya-Gharagozlou/dp/1963271955
1001: A Dream of Nine Nights is Persian historical fiction at its best, reviving the classic 1001 Nights of Scheherazade with a contemporary twist that follows an aristocratic family's feuds, generations of conflict with religious forces in the renamed nation of 'Persiran,' and nine nights of stories translated into binary code. The moving episodes of these stories traverse landscapes of Europe and the Middle East, from desert and city to battlegrounds of the heart, soul, and political perspective. Each story contains four chapters, so it should be advised, at this point, that this collection is no light entertainment read, but a thought-provoking display of scenarios fully and intricately developed to capture characters and situations in all of their ethnic, social, and cultural diversity.
Take 'The First Night: 0001,' for example. Consider its introductory survey ('The Writer's Responsibility') to the first-person confessional 'The Narrator Tells the Story of the Story,' which opens with a hard-hitting letter:
"Dear Ms. Vakil,
I don't consider myself a vengeful person. Even if I were, I lack the means - or perhaps the will - to exact punishment. And I certainly do not subscribe to the notion that "the pen is mightier than the sword." To me, the pen is merely a tool - an excellent one, yes, but one best suited for tallying the credits and debits in the ledger of life. As for justice, I leave that to the Lord. It has been many years since you approached me, acting as volunteer editor of the newly conceived Encyclopedia Persiranica."
Each reflection sets the stage for the next piece of the puzzle, building characters, values, a sense of purpose and obligation in becoming and remaining a storyteller, and the atmosphere of a shifting world. Startling revelations unfold to give much pause for thought: "Despite the sorrow during those days, they had a peculiar brightness, and I credit Lili for it. She carried energy with her, filling any space she entered. Even the Prince, burdened as he was, could not help but be charmed. After that Paris visit, I did not see her for five years. I waited for her to grow up. Who waits for a twelve-year-old to grow up? I did."
Readers may suspect that prior familiarity with World War II-era cultures in general or the Middle East and Iran in particular will be a requirement in order to fully appreciate Yahya Gharagozlou's landscapes. Not so. Though such a background (and a literary familiarity with the Scheherazade original) will lend a deeper appreciation for the devices Gharagozlou employs here, such is not a requirement for a profound appreciation of the history, cultural, and moral and ethical examinations of 1001: A Dream of Nine Nights.
Indeed, newcomers relatively unfamiliar with those times and peoples will likely be the most educated and impressed by these stories, which wind through lives and events with a dance of discovery and revelation that rewards despite their seeming complexity of subjects and diversity of scope. This is why librarians with all kinds of collections, from historical to literary holdings strong in World War II battlegrounds and Middle East culture alike, will find 1001: A Dream of Nine Nights a fine acquisition. Highly recommendable to a diverse audience of literary and historical enthusiasts and readers who remain on the sidelines of expertise but hone an appreciation for fictional representations of other cultures, 1001: A Dream of Nine Nights is a compelling winner recommended for considering reflective discoveries and shifting political connections in a bygone world.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Last Night at the Disco
Lisa Borders
Regal House Publishing
www.regalhousepublishing.com
9781646036448, $19.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-Disco-Lisa-Borders/dp/1646036441
Last Night at the Disco is set in 1977 New Jersey, where twenty-seven-year-old Lynda Boyle is desperate for fame, glory, and escaping town. Though her individual efforts have not panned out, Lynda's encounter with two aspiring local musicians leads her to believe that she can hook her wagon to their star to the benefit of all involved. Unfortunately, fame is not that simple. Nor is escape. Four decades later, Lynda is actually in a worse position due to her association with Aura and Johnny. She's in hiding while observing others basking in the success that she, too, should have earned through her efforts. Last Night at the Disco unfolds a gritty determination and atmosphere of musical and personal challenge as Lynda's story considers the cost of cavalierly toying with emotions:
"So what was this, Lynda?" His lips quivered slightly; he looked like he might cry, poor thing. I really did break some hearts in my day!
"It was fun," I said.
He was quiet for a few moments. I watched a series of emotions play across his face and imagined him calculating the price tag of all he'd spent on me in those months: that very expensive dinner at Lutece, and numerous less costly meals at a variety of establishments up and down the Jersey Shore; the inane bottle of Charlie perfume he'd given me for Christmas - and which I'd tucked in a drawer to re-gift to one of the Dim Bulbs' wives - with apparent obliviousness to the fact that I already had a much more sophisticated signature scent, Yves Saint-Laurent's Opium."
As she hands a bombshell to 'The Martyr' that literally comes home to roost, Lynda begins to realize the hidden costs of subterfuge, insensitivity, and most of all, ambition. These discoveries evolve in unexpected ways as she assumes the alias 'Lily Bart,' enters spinsterhood, and navigates all manner of men and possibilities towards not just fame and fortune, but dangerous downfalls. Lisa Borders embeds this story with musical notes of fun and flawed heroes as Lynda exhibits bad decisions, terrible behaviors, insensitive relationship choices, and a predictable tendency to aim for gold, but land in the dung heap of failure instead. The contrasts between her hopes and dreams and the reality of poor decision-making are especially well done - delightfully wry while proving thought-provokingly poignant.
Libraries seeking a contemporary novel of one woman's attempt to rise to fame in different ways will relish how Last Night at the Disco romps through and tromps on emotional boundaries as its characters dance around one another's frustrations, lies, and realities. Packed with whimsical moments and a hero who is deeply flawed but all too human, Last Night at the Disco is highly recommended reading for those who like their protagonists sultry, selfish, and terrifyingly oblivious to the music world's pitfalls.
Built to Last
Lexi Blake
Blue Box Press/Evil Eye Concepts, Inc.
9781963135206, $19.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Avenue-Promise-Novel/dp/1963135210
Built to Last is about women's friendships, longevity, connections, and big dreams. When three high school friends make a pact to stay in touch and support one another on the road to success, they have no idea their bond will lead to big plans in New York City. Harper Ross finds her childhood relationships pay off big time when she's hired as a contractor on a showcase renovation. The only problem is that the rebuild of the grand home of their childhood dreams is also influenced by Manhattan designer Reid Dorsey, whose ideas are often in direct opposition to Harper's visions. Can two professional enemies come together enough to preserve the building of their dreams, or will their reluctant partnership result in disaster?
As Lexi Blake evolves Built to Last, the characters, their motivations and strengths, and their attractions, she moves between a steamy romance between two opposites to constructing the types of friendships and head-butting relationships that lead to growth on all sides. Harper navigates a male-dominated profession with insights and strengths that make her a formidable character in more than one arena in life.
Chapters replete with many possibilities absorb readers interested in the dances that develop between different individuals, from Reid and Harper to Reid's brother Jeremiah, Ivy, Ani, and others who hold a vested stake in building different, more successful approaches to life: "I've literally built the whole ship and gone down with it before. When I built up Jensen Medical it was eighty-hour weeks, and I was passionate about it. I sometimes wonder if I would still be at it had my boyfriend at the time not been a dickwad. I did find purpose in that work. And now I find it in building Emma and having this life with Heath. But both of those things serve me. They place value on my quality of life. I'm not saying you shouldn't sink into your work. That can be a magnificent thing to do when the work is right for your soul."
The characters rub together in abrasive and compelling ways while dialogues and sex scenes outline differences between personal and professional attitudes, offering insights into Harper and Reid's dilemmas over various aspects of their lives: "This is the calmest I've felt in months, and I know the minute our clothes are on we go back to fighting. I don't want to fight right now. I want to pretend you like me because this is the closest I've felt to any woman in my life." Damn it. This is not supposed to get emotional. This is supposed to be sex. Nothing more. An itch we scratch and then walk away from and don't think about again. I'm not supposed to wrap my arms around him and know I feel the same. I want to pretend it's real, too, and we're not going to go back to the enemies we are in real life."
Readers seeking contemporary workplace romances that nail the relationship between men and women who come from equally powerful positions in life will find Built to Last satisfyingly steamy, professionally thought-provoking, and completely engrossing as unpredictable business challenges push Harper and Reid in unexpected directions. Libraries looking for ripe, juicy stories of relationship attractors and sky's-the-limit thinking will want to highly recommend Built to Last for its sweltering representations that operate on several different levels. Replete with surprise revelations that revise relationships and life perspectives alike, Built to Last's buildup is powerful, realistic, and attractive. It offers engrossing points about friends, enemies, and historic issues of renovation versus restoration that impart important lessons on compromise.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Kidnap
David Nees
www.davidnees.com
Independently Published
9798284646434, $16.49 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Nees/author/B01DQYPYAM
Kidnap is the tenth book in the Dan Stone Assassin series, and continues to expand his persona and action with scenarios that challenge Stone's world and life. Here, jihadists are hard at work on another plot to disrupt the world. If successful, Europe will be in chaos. Dan is busy navigating political obstacles in the U.S., but his mission requires him to be in two places at once as he fields adversity at home and abroad.
The saga opens with George Bixby, who exits a Paris bistro unaware that his life is about to change. A quick kidnapping, a murder, and flight cement the fact that George is in deep trouble. Chapter 2 introduces Dan, who is eagerly anticipating a visit from the orphan daughter he's adopted. He can't wait to show her around Venice, his adopted home. Unfortunately, as in the previous Stone books, he's diverted from home life to political and terrorist concerns, his prowess tapped to take him away from the people and places he loves and into dark avenues of danger.
As in the previous books, David Nees creates exquisite tension that comes from juxtaposing daily lives and personal relationships with the charge to resume his role as the Angel of Death even though he is older and wants to slow down. Intrigue builds in a powerful and unpredictable way as Dan embarks on harrowing travels complete with a cover as an adventure tourist podcaster, only to encounter forces that test friendships, teams, and everything he relies on and loves in his world. Imagine a situation where the hero is forced to traverse environments he doesn't love and set aside the things he does love. Dan is pulled in different directions in the course of his pursuits, which in turn impacts everyone around him.
Libraries either seeing satisfaction with prior Dan Stone titles or looking for a powerful stand-alone thriller steeped in intrigue and action-packed twists will welcome Kidnap onto their thriller shelves. Replete with questions about where he's going and what the ultimate outcome will be, Kidnap introduces social, political, and relationship dilemmas that not only test character resolve, ethics, and abilities, but draw readers into situations where Dan "must move between the realms of order and chaos in the extreme. It would be easy to lose your humanity." How can you live with yourself if your morals are always in question? How can family be formed, maintained, or survive under such conditions? The answers are fascinating and elevate the thriller beyond Dan's action-packed encounters.
Viper Island
Cameron K. Moore
Independently Published
9780646709642, $14.99 Paperback/$1.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Viper-Island-Trident-Force-Thriller/dp/064670964X
Viper Island presents another Trident Force thriller that once again thoroughly engages readers from the opening salvo of its vibrant plot: "A scream pierced the chattering of the crowd spilling from the hotel entrance. Molly Jones's lanky form thudded into the man before her as he lurched to a halt." Molly tries to ignore the cry, as does her companion. But danger has a way of grabbing their attention and forcing them to listen, and so she once again becomes immersed in a situation that partially relies on her gift of immunity to fear to resolve.
Molly is still recovering from a bad decision which cost the life of a patient when she was a doctor a year earlier, working with Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That same decision almost cost her life, as well. Newly healed physically but still confronting psychic trauma, Molly is ill equipped to employ her abilities in yet another challenging confrontation... and yet, somehow, she must. Even if she risks being trapped in this place once again. You'd think the last work Molly would want to pursue after such an experience is on a security detail. And yet, this is what she was made for, professionally - and the scenarios that emerge in Viper Island both dovetail with past expertise and encounters and propel her in new directions.
Karl Shepherd works for Trident, a protection force tasked with identifying threats to the U.S. from emergent technologies. He's encountered this young woman in past events, but here Molly and Karl join forces in a dangerous new venture. As they confront assassin Scar's relentless search for the truth, which turns a blind eye to torture and death for the sake of discovery, and other individuals whose missions clash with their values and even their will to live, Viper Island's events assume the nonstop staccato action that mirrors past encounters in previous books. Returning fans will appreciate how the action interlocks with thought-provoking personal revelations and life inspections to lend a multifaceted atmosphere to the espionage and attack scenarios which provide gripping edge-of-your-seat reading. Newcomers will find Viper Island an excellent standalone read (though likely enthusiasts of this style of action and discovery will want to go back and read the other books in the series), smoothly injecting succinct reflections about the past while thoroughly immersing readers in present-day dilemmas of imprisonment and hopeless scenarios.
When Shepherd's mission is deemed a failure and he's listed as being killed in action, hope fades for any backup support. Meanwhile, Trident's Leader, Olivia Brandt, is being blamed for the disaster, the Trident team threatened by dissolution as a result. The very team that could save them is being undermined by forces from their own side. Cameron K. Moore builds a host of supporting characters who each hold their own vulnerabilities and strengths. Ella, Blockhead, Charlie, and others operate from different vantage points on either side, lending further delightful complexity to the confrontations. Molly discovers that some of her chosen alliances aren't what they seem: "Anger at his betrayal flared inside her, accompanied by a searing frustration at her own naivete in trusting him. How had she not seen him for what he truly was?"
Libraries and readers seeking nonstop action, excellent characterization, and cat-and-mouse thrillers that document both political influence and predator purposes that emerge with some surprises, placing seemingly good guys in the role of proving to be dangerous foes, makes Viper Island a thoroughly engrossing read. Packed with satisfying twists and turns most won't see coming, Viper Island ultimately reinvents who is friend, who is foe, and how perceptions and purposes shift under pressure in an engrossing saga nearly impossible to put down.
Whatever It Takes
Alan Brenham
Independently Published
9798283664705, $21.50 Hardcover/$16.50 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Takes-Hanover-Alan-Brenham/dp/B0F8H4K69J
In Whatever It Takes, Native American detective Kit Hanover is forced to step away from her usual role as investigator to go undercover as an exotic dancer in Las Vegas to probe a money laundering scheme. It turns out that the scheme is only the tip of a deeper iceberg of gang warfare and subterfuge in which she winds up not an investigator, but a possible victim of circumstances beyond her control. Kit faces many turning points during her probe, from having her cover story about the Silver Saddle blown and her undercover position possibly endangered by suspicious dancer Beverly to fielding knife-throwing in her position as a Girl Friday. She makes enemies, considers the mess she makes in her alter-ego role of Belle, and navigates dangerous territory as she draws ever closer to odd associations and dangerous truths.
Alan Brenham builds excellent tension as Kit faces a series of dangers that hit her from unexpected directions. Kit faces not only hazards from her position, but a possible drawback from HQ as they acknowledge her increasingly precarious role and her importance to their undercover efforts. This lends a realistic, involving edge to the story as it evolves in different directions through satisfyingly tense encounters. Readers are compelled to consider not just possible outcomes, but the consequences of resolving dangerous cases that come with hidden associations and connections.
Libraries looking for hard-hitting detective stories powered by intelligent, proactive female leaders and thriller elements that keep the plot fast-paced and unpredictable will want to add Whatever It Takes into their collections. Replete with careful calculations about the criminal world and the shifting role of undercover efforts, Whatever It Takes incorporates real-world issues of racism and prejudice into its story to add value and insight into Kit's heritage, actions, and choices. The result is a thoroughly absorbing thriller that moves into unexpected territory as one woman finds her strengths tested, her ethics shaken, and her efforts stymied, at times, by her own family history and experience.
Switch
Lisa Towles
Indies United Publishing House
https://www.indiesunited.net/switch
9781644568279, $32.99 hc / $3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Investigations-Lisa-Towles/dp/1644568276
Fans of Lisa Towles's previous E&A Investigations series titles will welcome this third and final book in the series, which follows the techno-thrillers Hot House and Salt Island with an added punch of final discoveries and danger. Mari Ellwyn and Derek Abernathy's investigation into a series of bank robberies leads them right into the morgue, where a missing body portends a different kind of crime. Robbery and fraud are one thing, but add in high-tech involvement and illicit technology use, then Mari's own struggles to locate a missing father, which also arises in connection to this case, for the added value of more than one investigative quandary.
Lisa Towles leads readers on a merry chase through many possibilities as Mari and Derek tackle personal and professional challenges that force them beyond their comfort zones. She employs the first person like an axe, wielding emotional blows and revelations to accompany investigative challenges that bring readers right into the fold of discovery: "With everything else going on, it wasn't difficult to compartmentalize the melodrama with Wallace McCoy. I guess I was used to marginalizing my emotions, as one therapist put it, pretending I didn't feel rage, violation, horror. And God help McCoy if Derek, or worse, Ivan, found out about his creepy little display. No idea what to even do with that."
As past and present choices and dangers come to light, Mari faces the most puzzling decision of her career and personal life... one that could either tie many loose ends together, or hang her with the tangled rope of family secrets and enemies that they create. Dangerous attractions, fast getaways, and complex situations dovetail in a thriller that begins hot and just gets more satisfyingly engrossing as various characters enter the fray with their own special interests.
Libraries seeing popularity with the prior series titles will especially want to include Switch in collections strong in techno-thrillers. While newcomers could step into this story without too much trouble, its strength lies in how prior themes and facets draw together for a final crescendo of realization that will prove especially attractive to previous fans. Well-developed in its tension, superior in its first-person characterization, and unexpected in its developments, Switch is a story that will shiver the timbers of any thriller reader interested in how professional and family challenges enter the bigger picture of danger.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Howl: An Anthology of Werewolves
Edited by Lindy Ryan and Stephanie M. Wytovich
Black Spot Books
c/o Vesuvian Media Group
https://vesuvianmedia.com/black-spot-books
9781645481416, $16.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Howl-Anthology-Werewolves-Women-Horror/dp/1645481417
If one of the purposes of a themed horror anthology is to gather stories of the unexpected that sizzle with surprises and diversity, then Howl: An Anthology of Werewolves more than fulfills its goal. It provides readers with short stories that demonstrate just how wide-ranging the werewolf concept can get. And that's a wonderful feature in an age where vampires and werewolves too often reflect the same kinds of concerns, countenances, and mythology. To make this collection even more notable, female writers and their connections to the werewolf hold a gender bias and add feminine strength to a figure which too often assumes male perspectives and proportions. Take the first piece that opens Part One, New Moon, 'Wolf Bite' by Stephanie Valente. Here, the werewolf's transformation is given a poet's perspective on change and reinvention:
"You'll wish to possess or become.
What does it mean to embody?
You haven't figured that part out yet."
Under Valente's hand, the process of stepping into one's werewolf self involves much more than savage change:
"There's a point to lost summer evenings.
Where you weep.
Where big fat tears make you look like a virgin."
This segues neatly into the short story 'The Devil Has No Dogs' by Kailey Tedesco. Here, an abusive husband and a wife who endures marriage's surprises meet a girl who denies God and a Reverend who "...was the kind of man who said it is a mistake to let a girl grow into anything" and harbors her own oddness. The wife's astute reflections introduce and power their connection: "When you are eaten up, the soul changes," she once explained. "It hungers for what it never hungered for before."
Lyrical, poetic, metaphorical observations permeate a special kind of nature connection, wildness, and change. This draws the three characters into a dance of first-person reflections from a young woman who is both rescued by and serves wife Lydia, whose powers turn out to be extraordinary ones born of myth and revelation. Each story creates an impressively different vision of women's lives, werewolves, and the power and control that permeates their worlds in different ways.
Libraries looking for a blend of literary reflection, psychological revelation, and compelling horror for women will find all these elements and more in this anthology. It holds such disparate strengths and voices that a wide range of women (and the book clubs and reading groups that comprise them) will find Howl: An Anthology of Werewolves an exceptional draw not just for horror readers, but anyone who likes powerful messages entwined with experience: "I wish I could be like you," she said. "I wish I could just run away from here, run free." You can, I wanted to say. You always have that power. But, of course, she didn't believe it. She didn't believe it because he made sure she didn't. She didn't think she could do anything unless he said so.
Twenty-One Kills
Janice Boekhoff
Lost Canyon Press
9781948003148, $14.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-One-Kills-Limit-Janice-Boekhoff/dp/1948003147
Twenty-One Kills is the second book in the Leap Limit sci-fi time travel/mystery series, breaking genre boundaries by offering a time travel adventure rooted in a serial killer investigation that takes many satisfyingly unexpected twists. This will intrigue readers who enjoy science and science fiction conundrums, as well as mystery enthusiasts looking for a powerful, original form of whodunit.
Physics major Mars Lockporte discovers that it's not so easy to go back in time and prevent a murder when he returns to his present, only to find that another friend has vanished from memory as a result of his manipulations. So when he becomes embroiled in a Montana serial killer's burial grounds in the past 1970s, he's well aware that simply involving authorities won't be enough to either stop the murder spree or resolve the timeline in a manner that doesn't impact something else. Every choice delivers a consequence. The problem with time travel is that the results may not be fully known until one returns to the future. And that's something Mars can neither predict with accuracy nor prevent from happening. Janice Boekhoff steeps her story in a first-person perspective that brings the tension, characters, and dilemmas to life.
The insights developed in the course of juggling different scenarios and possibilities for the future are powerfully delivered: "In this time period, knowledge of crime scene analysis, DNA, and victimology is limited. My knowledge is limited too. I only know what my sister Gaia rattled off to me from her crimejunkie shows, but that's enough to realize the sum total of the evidence points to the rarest possibility..."
History and mystery become compelling when presented in the form of personal experience. Letters from the past, observations of the future, and knowledge that whatever investigative route is chosen indicate that time has a way of correcting changes to conform to a preset outcome. If this notion were set in stone, Mars wouldn't be trying so hard. And if it were easy to fix, he wouldn't be so immersed in struggle. Boekhoff builds satisfying tension in both mystery and scientific circles. This approach will delight readers from both genres.
Boekhoff embeds quandaries into the time travel scenario, dovetailing technological marvels in a particularly thought-provoking manner: "In an instant, the time and app data register in my mind, driving me to interesting conclusions. Measuring quantum waves is not an exact process. The app measures back ground quantum waves at a relative arbitrary value of fifty percent, indicating an average number of quantum wave phenomena. The app is programmed to alert when the percentage gets higher than seventy-five, meaning several quantum waves are superimposed upon each other. Now, it's registering a level of ninety percent. That's odd enough on its own, but to have elevated levels when I leaped to this time period and again at 1:07, ten minutes before I'm supposed to leap out? That's too much of a coincidence."
The special blend of well-built tension, scientific and moral quandaries, problem-solving dilemmas, and fast-paced action will lead libraries to not only include Twenty-One Kills in their collections, but highly recommend it to a wide audience. This should ideally include book clubs looking for vivid discussion material wrapped in satisfyingly original quandaries and writing.
The Timebreaker
Steven Cortinas
Independently Published
B0F6RTZ567, $2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Timebreaker-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B0F6RTZ567
The Timebreaker is not just an individual. It's a corporate strategy to send people back in time to their younger selves, there to change their pasts and live out a revised life in a different timeline. At least, that's the intention of the program. Enter disgraced political lawyer Sarah Salazar, who wants nothing more than to redo her life, returning to loved ones lost to time and creating a new future for herself. As with any technology or endeavor, however, there are costs. And this one comes with a doozy of a price tag: the incarnation of Father Time himself, who is not pleased with all this time manipulation, and whose presence alters Sarah's ability to change her world in the way she'd envisioned.
Steven Cortinas creates a powerful, satisfyingly different time travel dilemma which revolves around not just journeying to the past and making changes, but considering the ultimate impact of altering choices and facing the consequences. The lyrical language used to describe these situations is evocative from the story's opening lines in 2029 Houston: "A LIFELESS STREET on a lifeless day found a sad wreck of a woman rolling along in a wheelchair. No one else wanted to be on Cedillo Street, not even the vagrants one block over."
Another plus lies in how Cortinas contrasts past and present Sarah, probing her revised perceptions of events, her persona, and the influences that have directed her life: "...though neither of them ever admitted it, they knew in their hearts that if one of them trailed too far behind in the beauty department, it would've affected their place in the high school hierarchy. They were quite aware of how much that sucked, and yet they would've done nothing to fight it. The elder Sarah could acknowledge the cognitive dissonance. After all, beauty was beauty, people were human, and high school never ended. Period. Freshman year found Sarah having to decide what to do with her newfound sex appeal and desires."
Readers won't anticipate insights on Latino culture, the injection of a Coordinator of these time dilemmas whose face-off with Father Time puts the travelers directly in the line of fire and conflict, or the conversations and revelations that come from two Sarahs entwining their worlds in new ways: "...you were my hero. Seeing you just once in that hospital bed was all I needed. I didn't ever wanna see you like that again. And when you came home, and you were snapping at everyone, I was over it. That's when I leaned into the whole popular hot girl thing. I was gonna be Mom and Dad's favorite now, and you being a dick made me feel less and less guilty."
High school readers who love time travel stories will find unusual attraction here in the form of a middle-aged woman who returns to her teen self in search of revision. Adult time travel readers will appreciate the moral, ethical, and scientific dilemmas which emerge from traversing different timelines. And those seeking a solidly engrossing story that revolves around rule-breakers and revelations will find The Timebreaker compelling. Libraries seeking a different time travel scenario in which revising the past brings with it trouble with a vengeance will want to add The Timebreaker to their collections as a standout example of how innovation and creative thinking can add twists to the usual time travel theme's focus and characters. Realistic and riveting, The Timebreaker proves hard to put down - or predict.
Return to Aneleya
David Gittlin
www.davidgittlin.com
Entelligent Entertainment, LLC
9798998568206, $2.99 eBook; $3.99 audio (on Audible.com)
https://www.amazon.com/Return-Aneleya-Silver-David-Gittlin-ebook/dp/B0F9B5DVCD
Return to Aneleya adds another book to David Gittlin's cyberpunk sci-fi series, returning Jacob Casell, astronomer wife Amy, and AI friend Arcon to a new adventure where they embark on a training mission. The extra effort is needed to learn how to properly escort a peace mission of world leaders through the solar system safely, but when interfering aliens enter the picture, trouble ensues. As the fifth book in this series unfolds, readers enjoy the same gripping, edge-of-your-seat reading that was present in the prior Silver Sphere titles. Solid characterization cements action, as is demonstrated in an opening chapter focusing on Jacob, who was on his way to a staid life until his encounter with the inhabitants of a silver sphere on the beach led him on a galaxy-hopping adventure.
The Rhoanna reference titling this introductory chapter refers to NASA Liaison Officer Rhoanna Kensington, who interacts with Jacob and his wife as she oversees their preparations for escorting the world leaders. Their interactions with her and others challenge their achievements as she demands a formal evaluation of their abilities and plans - all of which go downhill as unexpected encounters and scenarios challenge the loftiest of peace goals. David Gittlin continues to grow these characters, their encounters with aliens of all kinds, and the goals that motivate them to work together. Intriguing dialogues between these more experienced space-goers and newcomers inject novel considerations into issues of who is best suited for adaptation and who may struggle with challenging situations:
"I'm sorry you feel underestimated," I say to Rhoanna, "but you must keep in mind that your role on our primary mission was to observe. If and when we host world leaders, then your expertise will come in handy. No one here is underestimating you. Your credentials are impeccable. However, Alana makes a good point about who should represent us. She adapts quickly."
From a search for a vaccine and soldiers expert in ambush to the juxtaposition of mundane daily affairs with extraordinary situations, Gittlin injects wry humor into many of these encounters to provide comic relief:
"Arcon floats into a corner of the living room set up as a mini breakfast area and lands in the center of the breakfast table. With his remarkable ability to manifest almost anything, which has come in handy in our many adventures, Arcon quickly produces two coffee cups and a silver coffee pot. For good measure, he makes three banana nut muffins."
Tension is nicely developed as the participants face new alien encounters, peace efforts, and conflict. Their special abilities come into play in surprising ways that keep their goals and strengths in sync with shifting circumstances and fresh developments. Libraries seeing popularity with Gittlin's prior Silver Sphere adventures will want to add Return to Aneleya to their collections for its compelling blend of science, human affairs, and alien encounters. The fast-paced action and interplays between characters makes for a sci-fi adventure that is thought-provoking, yet fun - a thoroughly absorbing read that compliments others in the series while expanding its foundation to stand nicely in its own adventure for newcomers to Gittlin's world.
The Poetry Shelf
Singing Riptide
Cheryl Wilder
Press 53, LLC
https://www.press53.com/cheryl-wilder
9781950413997, $17.95
https://www.amazon.com/Singing-Riptide-Poems-Cheryl-Wilder/dp/1950413993
Singing Riptide accompanies the prior memoir-in-verse Anything That Happens, which chronicled the root of Cheryl Wilder's shame: She got behind the wheel when she was too drunk to drive, crashed the car into a pole, and her friend in the passenger seat suffered a life-altering brain injury. This poetry collection takes the next step in discovery and recovery by incorporating some of the lessons Wilder emerged with, from forgiveness and contentment to examining an absent father's impact on her life. The poems move through grief, acceptance, reflection, and growth, leading readers into territory they may need to navigate themselves - so the collection is not without its emotional turbulence along with life lessons. One example is "For Years I Pull My Existence Out of Emptiness," which considers:
"Emptiness engorged with darkness
by which I mean
guilt, by which I mean
shame -
the way it holds on. Emptiness
from which I pull existence
with every slid-open eyelid
every morsel that quenches my lips"
Readers reflecting on the outcome and progression of Wilder's life can't help but draw close connections between her self-analysis and their own worlds. This may prove triggering to some but ultimately provides a blueprint of life understanding that marries the literary countenance of free verse with the psychological growth of self-inspection and realization. Libraries seeking emotionally driven reflections on guilt, recovery, and moving onward and upward should make Singing Riptide part of any collection strong in contemporary free verse poetry. Replete with reflective moments and sometimes-unexpected connections between life events, past perception, and the outcomes of good and bad choices, Singing Riptide is an astute and accessible attraction for readers interested not just in literature, but in psychological revelation.
Singing the Forge: Poems
G.H. Mosson
David Robert Books/Word Tech Communications, LLC
www.davidrobertbooks.com
9781625494801, $18.25
https://www.amazon.com/Singing-Forge-G-H-Mosson/dp/1625494807
The literary intention of G.H. Mosson with his free verse and metrical poetry collection Singing the Forge is to create works that capture shifting seasons, memories, locales, and life experiences. These come from the vantage point of age and reflection, capturing not just people and places, but the very essence of landscapes.
One powerful example of this approach resides in 'Leaving the Black Hills': "Worn obelisks of black granite/bake beneath barely touching, thin pines/like jaw-bones of fossilized gods/among cows, deer, buffalo, us." G.H. Mosson doesn't limit his reflections to childhood and bygone homesteads, but enters into military service, ghosts, dreams where "I, too, dress/for the known landscape," and hotbeds of experience as childhood morphs into middle-age and the years pass. Though reflective and autobiographical, ultimately these poems cultivate an acceptance of life and people's passages and transformations where "my youth took a breath and was swept/through the storm of accident."
While Mosson's poems range from Cape Cod to Long Island and from Oregon to Mexico to South Dakota, both Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland recur as richly rendered settings for these explorations of feeling and change. Libraries seeking accessible poetry that demonstrates an especially notable ability to steep readers in the progression of life, the evolution of values surrounding it, and the advancing years will find Mosson's work highly recommendable. It will reach both literary audiences and general-interest readers who may normally eschew poetry as being too complex and intellectually inaccessible for ordinary readers. Filled with reflective, gentle journeys, Singing the Forge is not only compelling and accessible, but immersive.
The Christian Studies Shelf
The Five Miracles: Multiplication of Food and Clothing
Paul Edwards
Independently Published
B0F9B99JG7, $2.99
https://www.amazon.com/Five-Miracles-MULTIPLICATION-FOOD-CLOTHING-ebook/dp/B0F9B99JG7
The Five Miracles: Multiplication of Food and Clothing discusses the Biblical miracles of provision. It surveys the revelation and miracle author Paul Edwards experienced himself when, in 1972, he was invited to help at the Juarez, Mexico city dump - the last place one would expect to uncover any miracles. Religious readers who choose The Five Miracles expecting a treatise on miracles alone will receive added value in the form of a social inspection of poverty, need, friendship, and faith's impact on all these conditions. This lends The Five Miracles a series of surprising insights designed to enlighten on spiritual, ethical, cultural and political levels that many readers won't see coming. Social and economic perceptions and impacts are as thoroughly addressed as the miracle of multiplication that Edwards experiences, giving his story added depth in social inspections that make it accessible and interesting to a much wider audience than Christians alone. How this community is touched by the divine to undergo changes in spiritual perception and applications makes for a truly involving, exciting presentation.
Of particularly powerful note is not just evidence of a miracle, but enlightenment about its ongoing, widespread impact: "The miracle also had a significant impact on the social fabric of the community. The shared experience of the miracle fostered a sense of unity and solidarity, creating stronger bonds between neighbors and families. People who had previously been isolated by poverty and despair found themselves working together, supporting one another, and sharing their blessings. Conflict and arguments became less frequent, replaced by a growing sense of compassion and understanding. This profound sense of unity served as the foundation for a more peaceful and harmonious community, proving that the miracle had a direct and lasting impact on their social cohesion."
Accompanying these revelations is additional food for thought about how spiritual force, direction, and guidance can be incorporated into the very fabric of how a community interacts: "The community's faith was not a passive acceptance of divine intervention; it was an active and dynamic engagement with their spiritual lives." One such example lies in the depiction of a cooperative effort which begins with shared belief and expands to offer programs embracing education and mutual resources: "The cooperative wasn't simply an economic venture; it was a symbol of their collective strength, their shared determination to overcome adversity. It was a visible manifestation of their faith, a living testament to the transformative power of unity and shared purpose."
The result is much more than a spiritual revelation, but a social and cultural exploration that deserves a place not just in Christian library holdings, but in the collections of anyone interested in how faith, cooperation, and shared lives can address issues of poverty, subjugation, and economic struggles. Libraries will want to feature and highly recommend The Five Miracles: Multiplication of Food and Clothing for its outstanding applicability to a wide range of Christian discussions. Topics range from community development and cooperative ventures to how the human spirit can overcome hardship and forge new pathways of achievement, understanding, and connection. Uplifting and inviting, The Five Miracles: Multiplication of Food and Clothing is just the book to tackle bigger-picture problems in a manner that makes anything feel possible in an antidote for feeling powerless in these modern times.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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phone: 1-608-835-7937
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www.midwestbookreview.com
Diane C. Donovan, Editor & Senior Reviewer
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phone: 1-707-795-4629
e-mail: donovan@sonic.net
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